Author: JK Parkin

Nominees announced for the 2020 Hugo Awards

“Monstress” receives its fourth nomination in four years, and is joined by “Die,” “Paper Girls, “Mooncakes” and more.

The nominees were announced via livestream today for the 2020 Hugo Awards, which includes a “Best Graphic Story or Comic” category. Four of the six nominees were published by Image, while Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint and Oni Press each received one.

Presented annually since 1955, The Hugo Awards recognize the best science fiction in books, comics, movies, TV and more. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention every year. The Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story has been awarded since 2009, with previous winners including volumes of Saga, Ms. Marvel, Girl Genius and Sandman: Overture. Monstress has won the award for the last three years and is up for the award again this year.

The nominees are:

Continue reading “Nominees announced for the 2020 Hugo Awards”

Artists take the #SixFanarts Challenge

Melissa Capriglione kicked off a fun, art-filled meme in March — and the participants grew from there.

Way back in mid-March — which feels like a million years ago at this point, but was really just a few weeks back — Falconhyrste creator Melissa Capriglione kicked off a fun exercise that would turn into a widespread meme for artists across social media: The #SixFanarts Challenge.

What started has a simple tweet has blossomed into a fun and welcome distraction during these difficult times. And it’s pretty easy to participate: artists just ask their social media followers to throw out character names, and the artist draws six of them on a grid that Capriglione has provided.

Continue reading “Artists take the #SixFanarts Challenge”

DC spotlights medal of honor recipient in ‘Our Fighting Forces 100-Page Giant’

Brad Meltzer, Jim Lee and Scott Williams team up on a story featuring U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta and Batman.

DC’s upcoming Our Fighting Forces 100-Page Giant, part of its line of anthologies available at Walmart and comic shops, will include a previously announced story about U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta, the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the U.S. military’s Medal of Honor.

The eight-page story is written by Giunta and Brad Meltzer, with art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. And it also features Batman. Here’s the description:

Continue reading “DC spotlights medal of honor recipient in ‘Our Fighting Forces 100-Page Giant’”

Fund Me Friday: Quarantine Comix, Tinto Press and more

Support projects by Gabriel Rodriguez, Ryan K. Lindsay, Chris Panda, the ‘Ice Cream Man’ crew and more.

As crowdfunding continues to serve as a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors, comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter, Patreon and IndieGoGo. The internet also allows creators to sell their creations direct to fans, through sites like Gumroad, Etsy and of course their own websites. If you’re looking to buy something from or support a creator directly, you’ve come to the right place. And that’ a good thing to do, now more than ever.

Send any suggestions of your own to jkparkin@yahoo.com.

Continue reading “Fund Me Friday: Quarantine Comix, Tinto Press and more”

Can Wait for Wednesday: DC, Marvel delay many of this week’s digital comics

Just a handful of digital releases will arrive on comiXology this week.

Although it seemed to take them longer to make a decision than most of the other publishers, both DC and Marvel have indicated that many of the single-issue comics they had planned to release this week digitally have been pushed out.

The news comes after Diamond Comic Distributors announced they would halt physical comics distribution to comic shops due to the coronavirus, starting with the comics originally scheduled for this Wednesday, April 1.

Many comics publishers announced fairly quickly after the news broke that they planned to hold off on releasing their comics digitally until their print releases were rescheduled.

Continue reading “Can Wait for Wednesday: DC, Marvel delay many of this week’s digital comics”

Can’t Wait for Wednesday: This too shall pass

See what’s hitting stores this week from DC, Marvel, BOOM! and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, our look at this week’s new comics releases. And as we found out yesterday, this may be the last week of new comics we see for a while. That’s a hard sentence to type, but here we are.

Our hearts and best wishes go out to everyone in the comics industry — from retailers to creators to those working in publishing — who are going to be affected by this. We suggest contacting your retailer if you can, even if you’re in a “shelter in place” area, to see if they’re offering curbside pickup or mail order options right now. This is a good week to make sure you buy everything in your pull box, if you’re able to.

You can see the complete list of this week’s releases over at The Comic List, and I encourage you to share what you’re planning to get in the comments below. My thanks to Tom Bondurant and Carla Hoffman for sharing their picks this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday: This too shall pass”

Comics Lowdown: Standing behind retailers during the coronavirus

Plus: TCAF canceled, BookExpo postponed and more coronavirus news.

As the threat of the coronavirus continues to spread, and federal, state and local governments take action to try and stop it, “shelter in place” and social distancing orders inevitably harm small businesses, like comics retailers. Many retailers around the country have either closed up for a time or have moved to a mail order/”curbside pickup” system. In his weekly newsletter today, writer Cullen Bunn shared some tips for supprtoing your favorite shop during this time:

…SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COMIC BOOK SHOP as much as you’re able. 

Running a comic book store can be difficult, even in the best of times. Right now, shops are taking a hit. The absolute last thing I want to see—as a reader, a fan, and a creator—is for comic book stores to disappear. It is vital that we all work together to support comic book stores as much as possible and help them get through the coming weeks. When comic book stores suffer, so does the comic book industry. A lot of stores are offering new services during this time of isolation and social-distancing. Some things you can do to help…

  • Inquiring about curbside pickup.
  • Inquiring about mail order or delivery options. 
  • Purchasing any books that are in your pull box.
  • Purchasing gift cards/gift certificates for upcoming birthdays, events, and holidays. 
  • Following your local comic shop on social media for updates on: curtailed hours of operation, events, special accommodations, and cleaning policy. 
  • Tagging your local comic shop on social media & posting photos of the comics you’ve purchased to read during self-quarantine and social distancing.

You can find a comic shop offering “safe services” during the pandemic by using this map from BOOM! Studios.

Image Comics, who issued a letter asking other publishers to help comics retailers during this crisis, also had Alex Cox, Skottie Young and Nate Piekos create a short comic on how fans can support their local shop:

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Standing behind retailers during the coronavirus”

Dark Horse announces ‘Lady Baltimore’ miniseries

Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden return to the world of ‘Baltimore’ this summer.

Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola are returning to the world of Baltimore in a new miniseries that puts the spotlight on Sofia Valk, a character from previous comics in the series.

They’re joined by artist Bridgit Connell, colorist Michelle Madsen and cover illustrator Abigail Larson.

“Lady Baltimore is the start of something big and unexpected,” said Golden. “The series springs from the pages of the Baltimore comics and novel, but it has a different sensibility and a dynamic new lead protagonist. It’s perfect for new readers, who can start with issue 1 and not miss a beat, while longtime fans will be thrilled to see how the Baltimore mythos evolves, as some familiar faces encounter brand new characters and fresh terrors.”

Per the press release, the comic takes place 13 years after the events of the final Baltimore series in which the Red King amassed power on his way to the Vatican coronation while his armies swept across Europe in an unholy war.

“There are witches and Nazis and vampires, all kinds of crazy monster action—What more can you want from a comic?” said Mignola. “Oh, and there’s art by Bridgit Connell, who is great. I had the pleasure of going back and forth with her on some of the creature designs and it was a real pleasure. So happy to have her on board for this.”

Continue reading “Dark Horse announces ‘Lady Baltimore’ miniseries”

Betty gets super powers in ‘Betty Cooper: Superteen’ one-shot

Betty takes center stage, thanks to Danielle Paige and Brittney Williams.

Danielle Paige and Brittney Williams are giving Betty Cooper a superhero makeover, as they bring Betty Cooper: Superteen to the pages of her own one-shot this June.

“The best part about the Archie characters is how flexible and durable they are. They’re icons. So, you can bring in a zombie apocalypse or the B-52s, and if you’re true to the characters, it works. This is another genre-bending example of that, with a Spider-Gwen twist,” said Archie Comics Co-President Alex Segura.

Betty Cooper’s secret superhero identity isn’t new — in fact, it debuted back in the 1960s as part of “Archie’s Super Teens.” Paige and Williams are giving her an update, though, and her costume was redesigned by Spider-Gwen’s Robbi Rodriguez.

“I’ve gotten to write everything from soaps to Oz to fairytales to Mera and Aquaman,” Paige said. “Betty and Veronica’s friendship/rivalry is just as epic as those worlds with all its history and drama. And giving Betty and Veronica superpowers super-charges their conflict. I hope that readers enjoy turning the pages as much as loved writing them. And getting to partner with Brittney Williams, whose art just surges with girl power and creativity, was such a joy.”

Continue reading “Betty gets super powers in ‘Betty Cooper: Superteen’ one-shot”

Free Comic Book Day postponed

The annual event will occur later in the summer.

Diamond Comic Distributors has announced that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Free Comic Book Day will be postponed “to a later date in the summer.” FCBD 2020 was originally scheduled for May 2.

“The severity and timing of the impact of the COVID-19 virus can’t be predicted with any certainty, but the safety of our retailer partners and comic book fans is too important to risk. As always, we appreciate your enthusiasm for and support of the comic industry’s best event and look forward to celebrating with you later in the Summer,” said Diamond Founder and CEO, Steve Geppi.

Continue reading “Free Comic Book Day postponed”

Worlds collide when Archie meets Flash Gordon in new one-shot

Jeff Parker, Dan Parent and Rich Koslowski bring the pulp legend to Riverdale in June.

Mongo and Riverdale will collide in June as Archie Comics presents Archie Meets Flash Gordon in a one-shot by Jeff Parker, Dan Parent and Rich Koslowski.

“I’m now a pretty big believer that the Riverdale gang can fit with practically any other characters and genres,” Parker said, “but it’s best when they get to really flex and go way outside their zone like say, the planet Mongo with Flash Gordon, King of the Impossible. This of course coincides with the sad passing of cinema great Max Von Sydow who was the most memorable Ming the Merciless, and wait until you see our take on the Emperor of Mongo.”

Continue reading “Worlds collide when Archie meets Flash Gordon in new one-shot”

Can’t Wait for Tuesday: Going the (social) distance

Check out what’s hitting comic shops this week from DC, BOOM!, Dark Horse and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday Tuesday, our look at the comics and graphic novels hitting stores this week. And what a weird week it is, as we adjust to a new life of “social distance.” Whether your comic shop is actually open probably depends on where you are and your location’s situation. Several counties in California’s Bay Area, including my own, are implementing a “shelter in place” order that begins Tuesday, which is going to be hard on local small businesses like comic shops. There’s a lot of great comic shops in this neck of the woods, and my heart goes out to all of them.

You can see the complete list of this week’s releases over at The Comic List, and I encourage you to share what you’re planning to get in the comments below. My thanks to Tom Bondurant and Shane Bailey for sharing their picks this week.

Update: Per Newsarama, Diamond has given retailers permission to start selling comics on Tuesday this week instead of Wednesday, to try to avoid any potential quarantines or “shelter in place” orders that may be issued this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Tuesday: Going the (social) distance”