Author: JK Parkin

Comics Lowdown | More allegations against CBLDF’s Brownstein brought to light

Plus: News on Diamond, Art Spiegelman, Dragon Con and more.

Writing for The Comics Journal, Michael Dean has a long article detailing additional allegations against Charles Brownstein, the former executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Dean spoke with many former CBLDF, employees, including former Development Manager Cheyenne (Shy) Allott, who had been under an NDA about her time at the CBLDF until recently.

“My trouble with Charles started three days into my employment, at ComicsPro in Memphis, Tennessee,” Allott said. “Upon arrival at the show, I went to check into my hotel room only to discover that Charles had booked us in the same room together. I was instantly uncomfortable with this arrangement and for the first time, I saw Charles drop his charming facade and switch into an accusatory tone. He stated that it wasn’t fiscally responsible for me to have my own room, as we were a non-profit. I felt like I was misusing funds simply by asking that question.” Brownstein did not respond to TCJ’s request for comment.

The Comics Journal also sent questions to the CBLDF board, which CBLDF President Christina Merkler responded to. You can read her responses here, but one thing she addressed was whether CBLDF was still viable — a question many have been asking over the last couple weeks:

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‘The Far Side’ website adds new strips from Gary Larson

Larson has created three new strips for the site using, for the first time, a digital tablet.

It looks like the cows have finally come home — Gary Larson’s The Far Side website has unveil new work by the man himself.

Three new strips can be found on the site, but older fans of the Far Side may find them a bit … different than his previous work. Larson’s now using a digital tablet to create them, following some issues he had with a “clogged pen” while creating his annual Christmas card.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Run with it

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week from Jeffrey Brown, Dan Slott, RB Silva, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Chris Claremont, Nick Derington and more.

Summer event season continues this week with part 2 of Marvel’s prelude to the big Empyre event. Meanwhile, DC offers up the final issue of Batman before he jumps into his own big event, “Joker War.” There’s also plenty of new stuff to find from IDW, BOOM!, Image, Fantagraphics and more.

If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally. As always, you should check with your local shop on their hours, curbside pick-up and mask restrictions, due to COVID-19. Stay safe out there.

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Chris Gooch heads ‘Under-Earth’ in his next graphic novel

New graphic novel by the promising young talent will arrive from Top Shelf Comix in October.

Top Shelf has announced that the next project by Chris Gooch, Under-Earth, will arrive in October. The 560-page graphic novel is about inmates in an underground prison who “struggle to build meaningful lives in a broken system.”

The publisher released the Melbourne-based cartoonist’s impressive debut, Bottled, in 2017. It’s an unsettling graphic novel about Millennial life and a disintegrating friendship; this one, however, is tackling a different subject.

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Sunday Comics | 2020, gnomes and Funky Winkerbean

Check out recent comics by Thom Zahler, Tom Kaczynski and more.

Here’s a round up of some of the best comics we’ve seen online recently. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

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What Are You Reading? | Stargirl, the Beatles, psychics and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has checked off their ‘to read’ list lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

This week’s edition is ripe with not only nostalgic looks at the past, including some that go all the way back to the 1940s, but also at the future of comics by the bright stars of today and tomorrow.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments.

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Orlando + Tinto investigate the death of compassion in ‘Commanders in Crisis’

The new series debuts from Image Comics in October.

Following his well-received runs on comics like Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman and Midnighter, Steve Orlando will next take his superhero sensibilities to Image Comics for a creator-owned series, Commanders in Crisis, with artist Davide Tinto (IDW’s Marvel Action: Spider-Man).

“Commanders in Crisis is all the energy and creativity I’ve served for the past five years, now completely unchained!” said Orlando. “No rules, no restraints, the type of strange and passionate ideas that brought me into the medium in the first place. Comics should be bold, comics should be big, and comics should be badass. This is my first freelance launch since 2015, and we’re taking a nuclear shot across the bow. No vanilla vengeance here! This is a fight for comics as they need to be.”

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Mail Call | Defend-ing the Hero Initiative, new ‘Bad Karma’ and more

Plus: News from DC, Image, Humble Bundle and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

DC Comics has announced a change in the variant covers for the upcoming The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1. The cover shown below, by Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn, will replace one from Bill Sienkiewicz that they first showed us in May.

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Ibrahim Moustafa’s ‘Count’ coming from Humanoids next year

First GN of a three-book deal will be a science fiction adaptation of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’

Humanoids has announced a three-book deal with Eisner-nominated creator Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes, Jaeger) starting with a science fiction take on the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Count will feature Redxan Samud, a man framed for treason and wrongfully imprisoned who escapes a “hover prison” and sets out for revenge.

“Ibrahim Moustafa’s Count is phenomenal,” said Humanoids Publisher Mark Waid. “Ibrahim has taken a classic text and brought a modern sensibility to it, with widescreen storytelling and clever reinvention. This book is a signpost for the kind of graphic novels that we’ll be publishing in the months and years to come.” 

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Marvel to publish ‘Aliens,’ ‘Predator’ comics

The FOX properties move to a new publisher after about 30 years at Dark Horse.

Marvel has announced plans to published comics based on the Aliens, Predator and Aliens vs. Predator movies — a license formerly held by Dark Horse Comics.

“There’s nothing more thrilling than a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat, and Alien and Predator have delivered that time and time again!” C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel, told IGN. “I can clearly remember where I was when I saw each of these modern masterpieces for the first time, and reveling in how both masterfully weave extraterrestrial dread and drama into some of the most iconic scenes we’ve ever seen on film. And it’s that legacy that we’re going to live up to!”

It’s not surprising to see them land at Marvel, given that they are FOX properties that now fall under the Disney umbrella. They add to Marvel’s growing library of licensed titles, which also include Conan, Star Wars, Warhammer 40,000 and Ultraman.

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The Mandalorian is coming to comics

We have spoken.

Starwars.com has shared a new publishing program centered on the Disney+ show The Mandalorian, and while it mostly centers on books and novels, it does confirm that the popular bounty hunter and The Child — aka Baby Yoda — are coming to comics.

According to the post, “The Mandalorian-inspired comics are coming from Marvel and IDW Publishing,” both of whom have licenses to create comics based on the Star Wars properties.

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Comics Lowdown | Geppi resumes duties as president of Diamond’s parent company

Plus: News on #BacktheComeback, TCAF, Heavy Metal, Thought Bubble and the first graphic novel to win the Wodehouse Prize and have a pig named after it.

Diamond Comics Distributor’s parent company has a new president, kind of. Stan Heidmann, the president/COO of Geppi Family Enterprises who took that role about a year ago, will depart the company as Steve Geppi resumes the role. Geppi has been serving as Chairman and CEO since Heidmann joined the company.

“Under my guidance, the executive leadership team will support a comprehensive strategic review to position the enterprise for future growth,” Geppi said in the message posted to the Diamond website. “I feel a tremendous responsibility to our employees and the industry, and I fully intend to set all Geppi Family Enterprise brands on a path for robust growth. I am confident we have the right leadership with talented teams in place and I see enormous opportunities for GFE.”

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