Comics Lowdown: Original Crumb art sells for $717,000

Plus news and updates on NBM, ‘Saga,” Dan Parent and more.

Robert Crumb’s original art for the cover of the 1969 Fritz the Cat collection has set a new record price for a piece of original American comics art: The drawing sold for $717,000 at an auction run by Heritage Auctions; the next highest price for a piece of American comics art is the $657,250 that someone paid for the last page of Incredible Hulk #180, which features the first appearance of Wolverine. Internationally, Tintin art is still top of the heap; one set of drawings brought in $3.5 million, and two other original Tintin drawings have sold for over $1 million apiece.

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Original Crumb art sells for $717,000”

Sunday Comics: The best of what’s online

This week, we’re starting a new feature: A roundup of the best comics we’ve seen online in the past week. If we missed something, let us know in the comments!

Continue reading “Sunday Comics: The best of what’s online”

‘March,’ ‘M.A.S.K.’ and more take home 2017 Glyph Awards

Annual awards presented last night at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention.

Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell continued to add to the awards pile last night for March: Book Three, the final chapter in the trilogy that detailed Lewis’ experiences during the Civil Rights movement, at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention in Philadelphia. The Glyph Awards, which recognize the best in comics made by, for and about people of color, also recognized Tuskegee Heirs and IDW’s M.A.S.K. series with multiple awards.

Founded by Rich Watson, the Glyph Awards have been presented annually since 2006. This year’s nominees are listed below, with the winner in bold.

Continue reading “‘March,’ ‘M.A.S.K.’ and more take home 2017 Glyph Awards”

‘War Mother’ fights for the future in new miniseries

Fred Van Lente and Stephen Segovia head back to 4001 AD to tell more stories about the breakout character and her talking gun.

Valiant Entertainment has announced War Mother, a four-issue series spinning out of their 4001 A.D. event. Fred Van Lente and Stephen Segovia will “bring War Mother to bear with an all-new, self-contained entry point for the newest hero manning the frontline of the Valiant Universe’s far future.”

Continue reading “‘War Mother’ fights for the future in new miniseries”

Bellaire, del Rey’s ‘Redlands’ offers deep-fried witchy noir

Image conjures up the new title in August.

Originally announced at the Emerald City Comicon, Image Comics has released more information about Redlands by Jordie Bellaire and artist Vanesa R. del Rey.

“Redlands is my sick, weird love letter to Stephen King, Florida and Riot Grrrls everywhere but ultimately, hate mail for everything else,” Bellaire said in a press release. “Inspired by the strange complexities of real world politics and crime, the characters of Redlands play victim and villain, attempting to understand themselves and others, through murder, magic and mayhem.”

Continue reading “Bellaire, del Rey’s ‘Redlands’ offers deep-fried witchy noir”

Comics Lowdown: Sophie Labelle’s webcomic hacked

Plus news and updates on Don Martin, Todd McFarlane, Tom Spurgeon and more.

Webcomics creator Sophie Labelle reported on Facebook yesterday that her webcomic about a transgender girl, Assigned Male, had been hacked and the page was down:

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Sophie Labelle’s webcomic hacked”

Talbots’ ‘Grandville’ series wraps up in November

Bryan and Mary Talbot’s five-part graphic novel series Grandville will complete its run this fall with the final volume, Grandville: Force Majeure, coming from Dark Horse Comics.

Continue reading “Talbots’ ‘Grandville’ series wraps up in November”

Comics Lowdown: Creator Eleanor Davis arrested in Georgia protest

Get today’s comics news and updates in new feature here at Smash Pages.

Cartoonist Eleanor Davis was one of eight people arrested at a Georgia Board of Regents meeting on May 16 for protesting the board’s policies with regard to undocumented immigrants. The University of Georgia does not allow undocumented immigrants to attend its five best schools and requires them to pay out-of-state tuition at the others. The protestors, described by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as “a mix of faith leaders and current and former University System of Georgia students,” were taken to the Fulton County Jail. Davis’s husband, Drew Weing, reported on his Facebook page that she had been released after the Georgia Civil Disobedience Fund paid her bail. Davis’s newest book, You & a Bike & a Road, has just been published by Koyama Press, and Slate ran an excerpt on Tuesday—showing a man being arrested at the border.

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Creator Eleanor Davis arrested in Georgia protest”

Michel Fiffe launches Patreon to fund new comic, ‘Negativeland’

For $3 a month, see pages from the comic each week as Fiffe creates them.

After creating 30+ issues of his self-published hit Copra, Michel Fiffe has started a Patreon fundraising campaign to help fund a new comic called Negativeland.

Continue reading “Michel Fiffe launches Patreon to fund new comic, ‘Negativeland’”

Comics Lowdown: Retailer killed in Kansas City robbery

Get today’s comics news and updates in new feature here at Smash Pages.

Top News

• James Cavanaugh, the owner of Clint’s Comics in Kansas City, Missouri, was killed while attempting to stop a robbery at his store on May 12. According to the Kansas City Star, Cavanaugh was chasing a man who had just stolen about 10 or 15 comics from the shop, according to witnesses. He reached the thief’s car and pulled a gun; somehow the passenger side door opened and when the thief drove away, the door hit Cavanaugh, knocking him to the ground and critically injuring him. Police are still searching for the thief, who was described as a bald, 40-ish white man with glasses; the store posted a photo of the car on Facebook.

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Retailer killed in Kansas City robbery”

Top Cow announces ‘Genius’ sequel

Bernardin and Freeman team with artist Rosi Kampe for another series starring military genius Destiny Ajaye.

Top Cow has announced a follow-up to Genius, one of their “Pilot Season” winners that was published in full in 2014. Writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman will team with Rosi Kampe, who replaces Afua Richardson, for the sequel.

Continue reading “Top Cow announces ‘Genius’ sequel”

TCAF: Doug Wright award winners announced

Katherine Collins, creator of Neil the Horse, inducted into the ‘Giants of the North’ hall of fame.

Three first-time winners took home trophies from this year’s Doug Wright Awards, presented yesterday during the Toronto Comics Arts Festival.

Continue reading “TCAF: Doug Wright award winners announced”