Month: December 2020

Smash Pages Q&A: Adrienne Resha

The scholar and critic discusses her comic-related thesis and studies, Muslim and Arab superheroes, and more.

Adrienne Resha is a comics scholar and critic, a Ph.D. candidate in the American Studies program at the College of William & Mary. She serves as President of the Graduate Student Caucus of the Comics Studies Society and is a contributor to and Assistant Editor of Comics Academe at the Award winning website Women Write About Comics. This year Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society, published Resha’s paper “The Blue Age of Comic Books,” which had previously been presented at the first conference of the Comics Studies Society.

Resha and I have corresponded in the past, but I asked her to talk because I continue to ponder some of the ideas she raised in The Blue Age of Comic Books months later, as she tackles not just the content of comics but the medium of comics changing as digital has altered how they’re made and how they’re read. We spoke recently about her work, which focuses on Arab and Muslim representation in media, studying comics and learning to criticize art.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Second Coming’ gets a second coming

Check out new comics this week by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Mark Russell, Richard Pace, Steve Skroce, Peter J. Tomasi and more.

Here’s a look at what’s arriving in comic shops, bookstores and on digital this week, from the newest graphic novel by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips to a sequel to the controversial Second Coming to a digital collection of the earliest issues featuring Milestone’s Static.

If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below. ComicList has this week’s list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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Morrison + Child + Franquiz + Bonvillain take a trip down ‘Proctor Valley Road’

The horror miniseries debuts from BOOM! Studios in March.

BOOM! Studios has announced Proctor Valley Road, a new miniseries from the team of Grant Morrison, TV writer Alex Child, artist Naomi Franquiz and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. The comic is being developed in partnership with NBCUniversal, who hope to turn it into a TV series.

“I fell in love with these characters when I read Alex’s original series proposal and I’ve had an amazing time working with him and with Naomi to bring them to life for a spooky rollercoaster ride that feels like Nancy Drew on ‘shrooms!” said Morrison. “Get your kicks…on Proctor Valley Road!”

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Comics Lowdown | Alan Moore script on eBay

Plus: New graphic novels by the Mayor of Montreal and rapper Rico Nasty

Auction Watch: An unpublished Alan Moore script is being auctioned off on eBay. The 35-page script was written circa 1997 for a Wildstorm one-shot, Gen13 Annual: The Coming of the Collector!, which was never completed or published.

Scott Dunbier, who is auctioning off the script, acquired it when he was an editor at Wildstorm. Proceeds from the auction, which has Moore’s blessing, will benefit inker Bob Wiacek, who is suffering from vision problems that prevent him from working.

You can also donate directly to Wiacek via this GoFundMe project.

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Out of thin air, Kirkman + Ottley’s ‘Solid Blood’ #17 arrives in comic shops this week

‘Confusing’ find at the printer has the creators scratching their heads.

Robert Kirkman posted a video to his new YouTube channel last week to reveal a “confusing” find at the printer — a palette of Solid Blood #17, a comic by Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn and Rus Wooten. And low and behold, the comic is on this week’s list of comics coming out from Diamond, despite the fact that it was never announced nor solicited.

You can watch the video below:

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What Are You Reading? | ‘Silver Surfer,’ ‘Usagi Yojimbo’ and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately. In this edition, we talk about the new storyline kicking off in Usagi Yojimbo, the intersection of Slott/Allred’s Silver Surfer with Doctor Who, and more.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments or on social media.

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Soule + Sliney + Rosenberg will create ‘Hell to Pay’ in real time on Twitch

The new Image Comics series will launch next year — and will be created live on Twitch.

Charles Soule, Will Sliney and Rachelle Rosenberg have a new comic coming out from Image Comics called Hell to Pay, but it’s not quite done — and that’s where the fun begins. The creative team will give fans a direct view into their process by live-creating the comic on Twitch.

Both Sliney and Rosenberg plan to livestream their work on the platform. Soule plans to join them “to workshop design and story elements” in real time.

“Hell to Pay is a combination of a lot of things I love and one thing I don’t: supernatural adventure, treasure hunt stories, and the harsh consequences of late-stage capitalism! I think there’s a lot to say about money—everyone on earth is affected by cash in one way or another. Looking at it through a demonic lens is a fun way to play with the concept,” said Soule. “I’m also so excited to try something new by creating the book live on Twitch. Will and Rachelle are fantastic—this will be like being in a band, performing live every night as we come up with new ideas and implement them right then and there. I can’t wait—especially to do it in front of an audience. Scary? Maybe a little—but I do love a challenge.”

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Fantagraphics’ 2021 line-up includes Windsor-Smith, Panter, Sala and more

See what the Seattle publisher will release in the first eight months of 2021.

I keep saying things like, “Man, am I going to be happy when the dumpster fire known as 2020 is finally over,” to which my wife will respond, “Hey, 2021 may not be any better.”

But here’s the thing: what my wife doesn’t realize is that 2021 has the distinct advantage of having a new Barry Windsor-Smith graphic novel coming out, courtesy of Fantagraphics. So take that, 2020.

Windsor-Smith’s Monster isn’t the only graphic novel the publisher will release, of course. They recently dropped us a note highlighting 16 other titles they have planned through August.

Here’s a rundown of some of the highlights you can expect from the Seattle publisher next year:

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Image announces ‘Shadecraft’ by Henderson + Garbett

The new series features a teenager living in a town where the shadows come to life.

Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett, creators of the Eisner Award-nominated series Skyward, are reuniting for a new series from Image Comics called Shadecraft. It’s about a teenage girl, Zadie Lu, who lives in a town where all the shadows start to come to life.

“To me, shadows are the perfect mixture of horror and fun. One minute, they seem to come to dangerous life out of the corner of my eye. The next, I’m making silly shadow puppets with my son,” Henderson told Comic Book Resources. “I love that cocktail of genuine scares and playful adventure, and we’ve infused it into this book. I’ve been wanting to tell a story with shadows coming to life for years, but it took finding the right emotional heart—finding Zadie’s story—for it to finally come together. Welcome to Shadecraft—let’s hope Zadie Lu survives the experience…”

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Rest in peace, Richard Corben

The award-winning artist whose work appeared in ‘Heavy Metal,’ ‘Hellboy,’ ‘Creepy’ and other publications, passed away Dec. 2.

Richard Corben, the award-winning artist whose work spanned from the underground comics of the 1970s to mainstream work in the 2000s, passed away on Dec. 2. following heart surgery. He was 80 years old.

Corben’s wife, Dona, shared the news on the Corben Studios Facebook page.

“Richard was very appreciative of the love for his art that was shown by you, his fans,” she wrote. “Your support over the decades meant a great deal to him. He tried to repay your support by working diligently on each piece of art going out to you. Although Richard has left us, his work will live on and his memory will live always in our hearts.”

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Smash Pages Q&A: Alexandra Beguez

The cartoonist and illustrator discusses her work on ‘Guantanamo Voices,’ her family’s escape from Cuba, her work process and more.

Alexandra Beguez is a cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in The Believer, The Nib, Ink Brick, Adventure Time Comics and Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream. Her technical skill as an artist is apparent, but she manages to move from heavily researched nonfiction to inventive fantasy to her breadth of illustration work with seeming ease.

Guantanamo Voices was published earlier this fall by Abrams Books and the book, written and edited by Sarah Mirk, is one of the year’s most important titles. Beguez drew the book’s third chapter about whistleblower Matthew Diaz.

We spoke recently about the project, inking and her relationship to Cuba.

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Harren + Stewart team for big Kaiju action in ‘Ultramega’

The new series stomps its way into comic shops in March.

Get ready for some giant monster action next year in Skybound’s Ultramega, a new series written and drawn by Rumble artist James Harren, with colors by the award-winning Dave Stewart.

The first issue from Image Comics will come in at 68 pages “of colossal goodness,” the press release reads.

“I hope readers appreciate an honest stab at making visceral, surprising and bizarre comics,” said Harren. “It’s a celebration of the kinds of books I grew up reading—comics that move and curse and bleed. Skybound has given me the unbelievable privilege to play and experiment—and with any luck, deliver a book that doesn’t look like anything else. And Dave Stewart’s there to hit home runs and make the world a better place with his color art.”

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