3 Days Left to Pledge New World

C. Spike Trotman, Kickstarter goddess behind Smut Peddler, has a new project out, and there’s only three days left to participate.

New World is a fantasy/SF comic anthology about culture clash and civilizations in conflict. It will have 25 stories by 30 creators, including Zach Weinersmith (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal), Matt Howarth (Those Annoying Post Brothers), and Carla Speed McNeil (Finder, No Mercy).

It’s already well over-funded, so at this point, it’s just a pre-order to get the PDF ($15) or print ($30) copy, or an alternate cover version or hardcover (thanks to stretch goals). If you like science fiction comics, this looks to be a great way to check out some talented creators. Excerpts are available at the Kickstarter page (click the logo).

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Ant-Man Ads Working

The more ads I see for the Ant-Man movie, out July 17, the more I want to see it. Part of it is my love of the underdog — the poor thing seems to have been overshadowed by the bigger Avengers: Age of Ultron out already, and it doesn’t seem to figure much in Marvel’s movie plans. I also love watching Paul Rudd, and it will be nice to see a superhero film where the whole fate of the world doesn’t hang in the balance. Smaller scale means more characterization, I hope.

I think this poster is funny

Anyway, here are three TV spots for the film. The first emphasizes the powers and action:

The second has more humor, particularly between Rudd and Evangeline Lilly:

The third mentions the Avengers, just in case you forgot this was a Marvel movie:

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A Voice in the Dark Cancelled

A Voice in the Dark was an intriguing series by Larime Taylor published by Image Comics. It was the story of a young woman going to college, where she was a night DJ. She was also a murderer. We’d see her thoughts as she pondered whether someone deserved to be killed or how she set up an alibi. It was a unique, disturbing portrait. Most amazingly, the artist created it all using his mouth, since Taylor is disabled.

The series began in late 2013 (after a couple of previous Kickstarters) and ran for seven issues. The first collection reprinted them all last summer, before a new miniseries, A Voice in the Dark: Get Your Gun relaunched in September. A second issue came out in January, but it appears that that will be all, since Diamond lists issues #3-5 as “cancelled by publisher”.

That’s not surprising. The book had a distinctive look, due to its digital creation, without the kind of detail or slickness some Image readers look for. It was a challenging read, since it was difficult to know how to feel about the lead character. It moved kind of slowly sometimes. And the creator published a plea for help in January 2014 and again in August.

If you’re curious to see what it looked like, there are several pages in this blog interview. I’m sorry to see it go, because it was different and unusual. I should have talked about it before now, but since my review would have been mixed, not glowing, once the news the book was in trouble came out, it would have felt like piling on.

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Bill Jemas Tries to Get Back Into Comics With Double Take

Double Take is a new comic publisher funded by Take Two Interactive Software. The General Manager is Bill Jemas, the firebrand who ran Marvel during its bankruptcy (and never met a reason for free publicity he didn’t like). They’ve announced 10 comic titles, all set in the world of the movie Night of the Living Dead, which is in the public domain. So they’re banking a lot on zombies, and on coasting on the work someone else has already done to start a universe. (None of the original movie creators are involved.)

However, there are signs that things aren’t running quite so smoothly at the publisher. They began soliciting comics through Diamond Distribution in April with a two-page ad and a ridiculous deal for retailers: if they ordered 2 copies, they’d get an additional 10 free. But as of now, everything they solicited in April and May (a total of 8 isses) has been canceled with a “will resolicit” note.

Instead, they’re doing a Kickstarter which announces the launch date for all 10 series as September 16. You can get digital copies of all the first issues for $5 or a set of the ten issues in print for $10, which is quite the deal, except prospective purchasers should check out the previews at the publisher’s website first. They’re captioned images more than comics. It looks like someone was taking a lot of shortcuts in trying to get material together.

Certainly, I wouldn’t be reading them anyway, since I’ve never seen the movie and don’t like zombie stories. I wonder what the next turn in strategy for the company will be. There was mention at one point of selling through ComiXology, then comic stores, now it’s direct to consumers. I’m curious to see if there’s ever an issue #2 of any of these books, particularly if the Kickstarter doesn’t succeed.

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Long Distance #1

Out today is the first issue of Thom Zahler’s new project, after a lengthy run on Love and Capes, a terrific superhero romantic comedy. It’s Long Distance, and this four-issue miniseries drops the genre trappings to tell a straightforward romance.

As you might guess from the title, it’s about a situation many of us have been in (or thought about). Carter is an ad agency art director from Columbus, Ohio; Lee is a NASA research scientist (and bravo to Thom for that career choice) from Chicago. They meet and talk in a New York airport during a snowstorm, giving them plenty of time to establish themselves to each other (and us). He likes that she’s smart. She likes that he’s funny and creative. The dialogue glistens like a good movie. But what do they do about living hundreds of miles apart?

The most interesting artistic aspect is Thom’s use of color. The book is monochrome, but in different shades. When they’re together, it’s purple-toned. Apart, he’s a deep green, and she’s a sepia-flavored brown. It sounds like a gimmick, but it’s really effective. Particularly when they’re each in separate locations but talking on the phone. As the scene cuts back and forth, so does the color.

I love the way the two reference pop culture the way people I know do. (Particularly The Cutting Edge.) I also loved the Twitter scene. Much like Carter’s friend, I’m very glad I didn’t have to deal with social media when I started dating, because it’s a good way to tie yourself in mental knots quickly. Here, though, it’s entertaining to see them navigate all the details of getting to know each other better.

Long Distance is funny and touching and inspiring. I’m eager to follow Carter and Lee and hope the best for them. Love and relationships are topics important to so many people that they’re constantly appearing in movies and TV shows; we should have more comics about them too. Long Distance is a terrific, modern take on the genre.

Each issue is $4.99 and double-sized. Zahler has posted a lengthy preview (PDF link) so you can get a good feel for his style.

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How Long Should You Wait Before Bringing Out the Trade?

Action Lab Entertainment is releasing two collected editions in comic shops today — Stray: Who Killed the Doberman? and Nutmeg: Early Fall: Taste Buddies.

What’s odd about this is the pacing.

The Stray book collects the entire miniseries, four issues. But issue #4 was released just last week. The Nutmeg book collects the first three issues. But issue #3 was released the week before, at the end of May.

That’s a really quick turnaround for the collected editions. Typically, retailers don’t like that, because it makes the final issue a “dead product”, something of little interest to customers, more quickly. However, the makers of Nutmeg were tweeting that issue #3 was sold out, so in this case, at least, making the collection available quickly better satisfies potential readers.

HUGE NEWS, y'all. It looks like #Nutmeg #3, "What Girls Are Made Of," has SOLD OUT at the distributor! Hopefully you can find a copy!

— Nutmeg Comic (@NutmegComic) June 9, 2015

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Gotham Home Video Date Announced

The hit Fox (non-)superhero show Gotham has been announced for release on Blu-ray and DVD on September 8.

Gotham was Fox’s highest rated fall drama debut in 14 years among the desirable adults aged 18-49 demographic. I have yet to watch an episode, but this package may remedy that for me, since I like behind-the-scenes info. The set includes 22 episodes plus these extras:

• Gotham Invented: Building Our Gotham
• Gotham Invented: Paving the Way for the Caped Crusader
• Gotham Invented: Fractured Villains of Gotham
• Designing the Fiction
• The Game of Cobblepot
• Gag Reel
• Unaired Scenes
• DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow
• GOTHAM: The Legend Reborn
• Character Profiles:
  • Detective Harvey Bullock
  • Detective James Gordon
  • Oswald Cobblepot
  • Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth
  • Fish Mooney
  • Dr. Leslie Thompkins
  • Killer Character

Interestingly, the list price between the two sets is minimal. The DVD version lists at $59.98, while the Blu-ray package is $60.10. That leads me to assume that the special features are included on both versions. However, since the DVD version is discounted 33% at Amazon right now while the Blu-ray is only discounted 25%, there’s a $5 difference between the end prices. Here’s the official series description:

Before there was Batman, there was Gotham City. Everyone knows the name of Commissioner Gordon, but what of his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the layers of corruption in Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? Gotham tells the story of the world’s most iconic DC Comics super-villains and vigilantes from the very beginning, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told…. Although the crime drama follows Gordon’s turbulent and singular career, it also focuses on his unlikely friendship with the young Bruce Wayne — with his mentorship a crucial element in developing the mythology of Gotham City.

Now that we’ve seen the entire season, those of you who’ve watched it throughout, how did it hold up for you?

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Luna Luna

I don’t read a lot of children’s books, although they have certain similarities with comics. I found Luna Luna, though, refreshing and relaxing.

Sam Ryan wrote and Hazel Mitchell illustrated this Zen-influenced fable about a little boy trying to capture the “misty summer moon, streaked with green and red and yellow and purple” he sees out his window.

Each page spread consists of an illustration, full color with a predominant use of blues and purples, faced with several sentences of text. I liked the way Roshi demonstrates determination but learns the virtues of patience and creative problem-solving.

The dreamy nature of the story makes it good for repeated reading, a real plus for a kids’ book. (The writer provided a digital review copy.)

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