My old pal, Stevie Knight a.k.a. "Ribs" Weissman, seemed a bit sheepish when he first suggested contributing a series of Guns 'n' Roses-related strips to MOME 22. I would have liked to think he knew me better than that. I mean, c'mon, Steven, you had me at "Appetite for Delicatessen." What's particularly odd is that Weissman is one of two MOME regulars who independently decided that Vol. 22 would be the right time to get their Axl Rose on. More on that later…
MOME 22 Preview: Chuck Forsman
With only one issue left to put together, I knew going into MOME 22 that I had to make a last-ditch effort to fit in a few cartoonists that I'd been meaning to reach out to for while. Count Chuck Forsman on that list. I've been enjoying Chuck's Snake Oil comics and others for a few years now, and as such was thrilled when he jumped at the chance to do something for the final hurrah. His story, "Francis," highlights one of Forsman's unique talents: a pitch-perfect ear and eye for the 1980s. Which is a bit weird for someone who wasn't…
Gil Jordan, Private Detective: Murder by High Tide by M. Tillieux – Previews, Pre-Order
Gil Jordan, Private Detective: Murder by High Tide by M. Tillieux 96-page full-color 8.5" x 11.25" hardcover • $18.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-451-1 Ships in: July 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now Another never-before-translated classic from the Golden Age of Franco-Belgian comics, finally brought to American readers. Imagine the beautifully crisp images of Hergé (Tintin) put in service of a series of wise-cracking, fast-paced detective stories — punctuated with scenes of spectacular vehicular mayhem (including in this volume a dockside pursuit via car and bulldozer) — and you’ll see why 50 years later Gil Jordan is still considered a masterpiece in Europe….
New Comics Day 6/8/11: Celluloid, Frank, Jason, Mickey
This week's comic shop shipment is slated to include the following new titles. Four of our biggest releases of the summer all dropping at once! Read on to see what comics-blog commentators and web-savvy comic shops are saying about them (more to be added as they appear), check out our previews at the links, and contact your local shop to confirm availability. (Diamond's PREVIEWSworld website also spotlights some of our books that are now back in print and available again.) Celluloid by Dave McKean 282-page full-color 7" x 9.25" hardcover • $35.00ISBN: 978-1-60699-440-5 "It's been a while since we've heard…
Daily OCD: 6/7/11
Today's Online Commentary & Diversions: • Review: "Gottfredson's strips are jammed with incident and detail, energized with a loopy energy that matches the spunky determination of Mickey himself. Running pell-mell from one dangerous escapade to the next (spooky houses and runaway trains predominate), Mickey is all spit and fire as he confronts louts like Pegleg Pete and the Fox while protecting his risk-prone flapper girlfriend, Minnie: 'Give up?? Never!!' The quite visible specter of the Depression and occasional dark humor, as when Mickey tries multiple times to kill himself and fails comically, only add to the sense of heroic grit."…
Yes, it’s a Death Ray action figure
In case you've been living under a rock, the 12" action doll of Daniel Clowes's The Death Ray goes on sale on Thursday. Fully posable, with ray gun accessory and snazzy packaging (natch). Manufactured by the enigmatic "Oakland Toy Corp.," distributed exclusively by our pals at Presspop, limited to 200, first come first served. All the details and more images are here.
Nibbus Minneapolis – Jim Woodring giant pen video
The fine folks at Rain Taxi have posted this video clip of Jim Woodring wielding his giant pen at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis last weekend. And who's that assisting Jim? Why, it's our pal Zak Sally, along with Zander Cannon to round out the "Minnesota Z-name cartoonists" contingent. More video installments are promised, so stay tuned.
The Masters of Collective Reality
Things are gettin' trippy over at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art as they recently kicked off a set of tandem exhibits, “Us Versus Them” and “Masters of Collective Reality,” curated by Phoenix-based artist Jon Haddock. And Haddock's clearly got good taste as the "Masters of Collective Reality" exhibit will feature work from such artists as Rory Hayes, Joe Sacco, Basil Wolverton, and Jim Woodring, whose piece is show above! Both exhibits run through October 2nd at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art [7374 East Second Street, Scottsdale, AZ].
Daily OCD Extra: this month’s Booklist reviews
This month's issue of Booklist brings a nice batch of favorable reviews for four of our recent releases, excerpted below: Approximate Continuum Comics by Lewis Trondheim: "The simple, unadorned black-and-white line drawings are agreeably loose and deceptively casual, compelling in their humorous expressiveness and economy. Trondheim’s autobiographical departure is of a piece with the rest of his sizable body of work, not only in its whimsical intelligence but also in that the characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic animals. Fans of Trondheim’s other efforts will enjoy viewing another facet of his work, and followers of graphic memoirs will appreciate seeing a…
The Raven by Lou Reed and Lorenzo Mattotti – Previews, Pre-Order
The Raven by Lou Reed and Lorenzo Mattotti 166-page full-color 9" x 9" hardcover • $22.99ISBN: 978-1-60699-444-3 Ships in: June 2011 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now In 2000, veteran rock 'n' roller Lou Reed, legendary director Robert Wilson, and a cast of singers and actors premiered Reed's musical POEtry in Hamburg's Thalia Theater. An ambitious combination of Edgar Allen Poe's poems and stories and Reeds reinterpretations of same (with a few classic Reed songs such as "Perfect Day" and "The Bed" integrated for good measure, POEtry bridged the centuries to provide a unique vision of beauty and horror for…
