Poor Little Zombie Guy from Sinfest

Poor little zombie guy is breaking my heart. Somebody read to him soon.

Sample:

Best Comics Books Poll

Image via Wikipedia

1. Peanuts, Charles M. Schulz
2. Krazy Kat, George Herriman
3. Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
4. Watchmen, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
5. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Art Spiegelman
6. Little Nemo in Slumberland, Winsor McCay
7. The Locas Stories, Jaime Hernandez
8. Pogo, Walt Kelly
9. MAD #1-28, Harvey Kurtzman & Will Elder, Wallace Wood, Jack Davis, et al.
10.The Fantastic Four, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, with Joe Sinnott, et al.

International Poll on Best Comic Books from The Hooded Utilitarian

 

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1st Derby City Con

I went to the Derby City con in Louisville, KY on Saturday with my sib and his wife and we met up with a few friends.

It was the first one ever.  We got there about 11:30AM and we got the orange wrist bracelets and the last two swag bags that they had.  An hour and a half later, our friends just got a sharpie x-mark.  Apparently, they only had 2,000 bracelets available, so I call that well attended.

What we all regretted were missing the panels – not that I wanted to know how to make comics but I love the conversations between the creators and the audience.  Maybe next year they will have more of them.

Because kids got in free, there were lots of kids with their parents and I liked the small game kiosk and coloring stations that they had set up for kids.

Costumes: we saw a Leia, X-men Rogue (the green & yellow outfit), Captain America, Sailor Moon, video game characters that we couldn’t identify, and a Wonder Woman.  There were lots of adorable tykes in Spider-Man and Super Girl costumes.

The vendors mostly sold comics but there were a few tables with figures and other merchandise. The best tables as always were the artist galley.  Tony Moore from Walking Dead was there – his table was pretty crowded but I had neither read the books nor watched the show – I didn’t stick around.

We talked to several creators but the only one I bought from was Len N. Wallace.  His Love Buzz caught my eye.  The artwork was good and it was a published by Oni so I bought it.  My brother knew that I was going to buy it as it had me written all over it.  Another friend said the topic looked painful.  I’ll give my review later.

All in all, we had fun.  We bought good stuff.  I’ll go back.

Happiness is…

The art for this strip is remarkably good.

XKCD & Wikipedia

Image via CrunchBase

XKCD on Wikipedia.

The alt text reads:

Wikipedia trivia: if you take any article, click on the first link in the article text not in parentheses or italics, and then repeat, you will eventually end up at “Philosophy”.

It works for Jell-O,  Hello Kitty, and snot.

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two kinds of people

A Softer World webcomic via I forget.  This one was particularly funny.

Books I read in 2010

Cover of Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin

I thought I had read very little the past year but this isn’t bad.  158 titles, depending on your judgment of what a ‘real’ book is.

I put in bold the titles I especially liked.

Juvenile Fiction  (Listed alphabetically by title)

1. Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
2. Andrew Lost: In the Garden by J. C. Greenburg
3. Andrew Lost: On the Dog by J. C. Greenburg
4. Aphrodite the Beauty by Joan Holub
5. Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer
6. Bargain Bride by Evelyn Lampman
7. Beast by Donna Jo Napoli
8. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs
9. Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson
10. Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
11. Cam Jansen and the School Play Mystery by David A. Adler
12. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Newbery)
13. Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Newbery)
14. Crunch by Leslie Connor
15. Danny Dunn, Scientific Detective by Jay Williams (rereading)
16. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
17. Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne
18. Don’t Sit On My Lunch by Abby Klein
19. Dragon Magic by Andre Norton (rereading)
20. Escape  to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key
21. Fairy’s Return by Gail Carson Levine
22. Frognapped by Angie Sage
23. Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz (Newbery)
24. Guys Read: Funny Business  edited by Jon Scieszka
25. House of Dolls by Francesca Lia Block
26. Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander
27. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
28. Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka
29. Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
30. Light Maze by Joan North
31. Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
32. Miss Daisy is Crazy by Dan Gutman
33. My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
34. Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
35. Pharaoh’s Daughter by Julius Lester
36. Skate Park Challenge by Jake Maddox
37. 39 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
38. Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
39. Uncle Pirate by Douglas Rees
40. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Newbery)
41. White Captives by Evelyn Sibley Lampman (rereading)
42. Worry Web Site by Jacqueline Wilson

Teen & Adult Fiction  (listed by author surname)

1. Ideal Wife by Mary Balogh
2. Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
3. Geektastic edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
4. Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs  (rereading)
5. Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
   
6. Original Miss Honeyford by Marion Chesney
7. Our Lady of Pain by Marion Chesney
8. Building of Jalna by Mazo De La Roche
9. Bite (anthology)  Laurell K. Hamilton et. al.
   
10. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
11. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
12. Unfinished Clue by Georgette Heyer
13. To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt
14. To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
15. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
16. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
17. Christmas Wish by Betty Neels
18. Edge of Winter by Betty Neels
19. Romantic Encounter by Betty Neels
20. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult – post 1, post 2
21. Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher
22. Dancing in Midnight by Julia Quinn
23. Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
24. Androids are Coming.  edited by Robert Silverberg.
25. The New Girl by R. L. Stine
26. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
27. Watch Your Back by Donald E. Westlake
28. What’s the Worst that Could Happen by Donald E. Westlake

Comics (Listed alphabetically by title)

1. Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, Stacie Ritchie #1
2. Anne Frank by Sidney Jacobson
3. Babymouse: Queen of the World by Matthew & Jennifer Holm
4. Bachelor Prince by Debbie Macomber, Misao Hoshiai
5. Batman: Crime Time by Bill Matheny
6. Black and White by David MacAuly (Caldecott Medal)
7. Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji #1
8. Bleach by Tite Kubo #1, #2, #3
9. Bone: The Dragonslayer by Jeff Smith #4
10. Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith #1 (rereading)
11. Bone: Eyes of the Storm by Jeff Smith #3
12. Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Michael Burgen, Jose Alfonso Ocampo Ruiz
13. Breaking Up by Aimee Friedman
14. Butteflies, Flowers by Yuki Yoshihara #1
15. City of Light, City of Dark by Avi
16. Copper by Kazu Kibuishi
17. Empowered by Adam Warren #1
18. Fall in Love Like a Comic by Chitose Yagami #1, #2
19. Foiled by Jane Yolen, Mike Cavallaro
20. Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya #1, #2, #3
21. Geisha by Andi Watson
22. Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
23. In Odd We Trust by , Dean Koontz, Queenie Chan
24. Justice League Unlimited: United We Stand by Adam Beechen
25. Other Side by  Istvan Banyai (wordless)
26. Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto #1, #2, #3
27. Peach Fuzz by Lindsay Chibos, Jared Hodges #1, #2, #3
28. Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, Jim Rugg
29. Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
30. Scooby-Doo in The Agony of De Feet! by Robbie Busch
31. Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
32. Shinobi Life by Shoko Konami #1
33. Spider-Girl: Touch of Venom by Tom Defalco
34. Spider-Girl: Bedeviled by Tom Defalco
35. Spider-Girl: Fun and Games with the Fantastic Five by Tom Defalco
36. Stepping on Roses by Rinko Ueda #1, #2
37. Stitches by David Small
38. Tail of the Moon by Rinko Ueda #1
39. Tiny Titans: Welcome to the Treehouse by Art Baltazar
40. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Young Kim
41. Usagi Yojimbo: The Ronin by Stan Sakai #1
42. Usagi Yojimbo: The Samurai by Stan Sakai #2
43. W.I.T.C.H. : Between Light and Dark #4
44. Zebrafish by Sharon Emerson
45. Zinc Alloy vs. Frankenstein by Donald Lemke

Nonfiction  (listed alphabetically by author surname)

1. Time Traveller Book of Rome and Romans by Heather Amery (rereading)
2. Caribbean Pirates by George Beahm
3. Sandman Companion by Hy Bender
4. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
5. Past Imperfect edited by Mark C. Carnes (rereading)
6. What Do Illustrators Do? by Eileen Christelow
7. Don’t Know Much About the Pilgrims by Kenneth Davis
8. Philosophy of Horror by Thomas Fahy
9. How to Talk to Your Dog by Jean Craighead George
10. How to Talk to Your Cat by Jean Craighead George
11. Art of the Comic Strip by Shirley Glubok
12. Online Kids by Preston Gralla
13. Ultimate Indoor Games Book by Veronika Gunter
14. We Gotta Have It by Esther Iverem
15. Talking about Detective Fiction by P. D. James
16. Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul Janeczko
17. Mistakes that Worked by Charlotte Jones (rereading)
18. 5001 Nights at the Movies by Pauline Kael
19. True-Or-False Book of Cats by Patricia Lauber
20. You Wouldn’t Want to be a Roman Gladiator! by John Malam
21. Weird U.S. by Mark Moran
22. Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
23. Pick Me Up by Jeremy Leslie, David Roberts
24. Write Your Own Graphic Novel by Natalie Rosinsky
25. So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George, David Small (Caldecott Medal)
26. So You Want to Be an Inventor? by Judith St. George
27. Smart Aleck’s Guide to American History by Adam Selzer
28. Swords, Spears, and Sandals: The Story of the Roman Legions by Richard Suskind
29. Great Shark Stories by Valerie Taylor
30. Paperfolding to Begin With by Florence Temko (rereading)
31. Girls Think of Everything:  Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh
32. Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine? by Mark Todd
33. Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
34. Story of Three Whales by Giles Whittell

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Artists and Comics-Makers Who Died in 2010

Listed by their birth dates.

Robert McCall (1919– 2010)  Known for space-related art.  Worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey; and painted for NASA, EPCOT, The Pentagon.

Peter O’Donnell (1920 – 2010) Wrote the adventure comic Modesty Blaise; and wrote Gothic novels under the name Madeleine Brent.

Howard ‘Howie’ Post (1926-2010) Artist.  Harvey comics.

Mike Esposito (1927-2010) Artist.  Co-designed 2006 Wonder Woman stamp.  Classic Spider-Man and Archie comics.

Frank Frazetta (1928-2010) Influential fantasy artist.

John D’Agostino Sr. (1929-2010) Artist.  Archie comics.

Joe Messerli (1930 – 2010)  Designed the logo for The Twilight Zone;  animated for Hana Barbara.

Al Williamson (1931 -2010) Artist.  Flash Gordon, Secret Agent X-9

Dick Giordano (1932 – 2010)  Artist and DC editor.

John Schoenherr (1935-2010)  Won the Caldecott Medal for Owl Moon written by Jane Yolen.

Harvey Pekar (1939-2010) wrote the autobiographical comics American Splendor and Our Cancer Year.  American Splendor was made into a film starring Paul Giamatti in 2003.

John Hicklenton (1967-2010) Artist. Judge Dredd

Obituaries

John D’Agostino Sr. – USA Today

Mike Esposito – Newsday

Frank Frazetta – The Guardian.  An interview from The Comics Journal.

Dick Giordano -  New York Times.  Newsarama

John Hicklenton – The Comics Reporter

Robert McCall – Space.com

Joe Messerli – Lambiek

Peter O’Donnell – The Guardian

Harvey Pekar – New York Times

Howie Post – North Jersey.com

John Schoenherr -  New York Times. His son’s post.

Al Williamson – The Comics Reporter.  The Guardian.

Ninjas and Office Ladies and Sparkles

Image via Wikipedia

I went to Barnes and Noble today and bought three manga:  Shinobi Life;  Butterflies, Flowers; and Otomen.

I haven’t read them yet but here are the plots.

Shinobi Life by Shoko Conami is about a modern girl Beni who is suicidal and uncouth in her speech.  A thug is attacking her when a ninja falls into the future from the distant past to save her.  He thinks she’s the princess that he has sworn to protect.  She thinks he’s crazy.  The first couple of pages are funny and I like the slightly simple artwork.  I’m not big on ninja but he’s very cute.

Butterflies, Flowers by Yuki Yoshihara.  The title refers to raising a child as gently as you would handle a butterfly or a blossom.  There’s nothing delicate about the story though.  It concerns an inept office lady named Choko who comes from an aristocratic but impoverished family.  Her boss Masayuki is openly set on tormenting her but in a moment of stress, he reveals that he was her family’s chauffeur’s son.  Choko used to adore the boy he was but it’s hard to see that boy in the arrogant man he’s become.  It’s much funnier than it sounds.  For instance, he tells her to say to him, “I look forward to working with you, Director Domoto. ♥”  She repeats the sentence.  Then he insists on the “♥” at the end.  She responds, ““  How could you not like her after that?

Some reviewers were disturbed by the overt sexual harassment in the story.   I’ll have to read more to see if the narration condones the inequality between them.  At the moment, it is much less off-putting than Hot Gimmick.

Otomen by Aya Kanno.  Asuka acts like the perfect male teen (at least in manga): good at sports, emotionally repressed, last minute rescuing of damsels in distress.  However, he has an embarrassing secret.  He likes girly stuff: plushies, romance comics, sewing, preparing bento.  But then he meets the girl of his dreams Ryo who really likes his macho display when he rescues her from thugs.  Now he must keep his secret and win her heart.

My favorite part of the opening pages is when he wanders through stores while pondering his dilemma with Ryo.  He finds himself in the PINK aisle.  You know the one where there’s nothing but pink tulle and glittering tiaras all the way down the aisle.  He stands there surrounded by sparkles and giggling plushies.  He succumbs, of course and comes home with piles of girly stuff.

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went shopping

Image via Wikipedia

Got some father’s day presents and other small gifts for family.  Also bought a container of gold glitter paint for work.

Most importantly, I bought the second volume of  Fall in Love Like a Comic by Chitose Yagami.  A very young artist thinks that having a boyfriend will improve her romantic stories.  He’s happy to oblige. It’s cute and at two volumes, easy to complete. I also bought Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji.  She also made Backstage Prince which was sweet but a little bland.  Black Bird’s premise promises a little more spice.  It’s about a girl and her demon would-be lover.  Finally, I bought Tail of the Moon by Rinko Ueda.  A pathetic ninjette needs to marry an accomplished ninja and reproduce to secure her place in the clan.

Lastly, I bought this journal which I’ve been coveting for years.  I kept hinting I’d like for birthdays or Christmas to no avail.  Now it is mine.

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I put back Leonard Maltin’s classic movie book but maybe that was a mistake.  I may buy it later.  I also put back Nana vol. 1 , Spice and Wolf vol. 1, Love * Com vol. 1, and I couldn’t find volume 1 of Otomen.

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