Smash Pages Q&A: Michel Fiffe on ‘Zegas’

The ‘Copra’ creator revisits its predecessor, which will be collected and released by Fantagraphics.

Today Michel Fiffe is best known for Copra, the acclaimed Suicide Squad-inspired adventure story that he self-publishes. Before he made Copra, Fiffe started self-publishing with the series Zegas. It only lasted three issues, but the stories of siblings Emily and Boston Zegas take place in an unnamed city and combines quiet realistic stories with dynamic styles, wild backgrounds and interacts with the story in interesting ways. I made the comparison to George Herriman’s Krazy Kat who had wild backgrounds and used them to convey a feeling. Zegas doesn’t take place in a science fiction city, but it captures a lot of the energy and craziness that comes from moving to a big city and experiencing urban life for the first time.

Fantagraphics has just published a collection of Zegas, along with a brand new story Fiffe created for the collection. He continues to publish Copra, with issue #31 out now and a fifth collection coming out early next year from Bergen Street Comics, and is creating a new series Negativeland on Patreon. In addition, this week brought the news that Fiffe is working on Bloodstrike, the 1990s comic created by Rob Liefeld. This interview was conducted before that news broke.

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Inktober spotlight: Chris Samnee vacations in Gotham

The artist of ‘Captain America’ turns his pen to Batman for Inktober.

In addition to being the spookiest month, October is also Inktober, an art challenge where artists from all over the world create a different ink drawing every day of the month. While the official Inktober site provides a list of “prompts” to help inspire artists, many of them choose their own themes.

With many comic artists are participating this year — you can find a lot of them on Twitter or Tumblr using the #inktober hashtag, and we’ve been posting a bunch on our own Tumblr — we thought we’d spotlight a few of the “can’t miss” ones we’ve seen so far.

Chris Samnee can usually be found in the Marvel Universe these days, drawing Daredevil, Black Widow and very soon Captain America. But for Inktober the artist has taken a trip to Gotham, as he chose a Batman theme for the month. You can check out some of his artwork below, and be sure to follow him on Twitter to see the rest. He’s also selling them on eBay.

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Image Comics delivers ‘Ice Cream Man’ in January

A ‘genre-defying series of disparate one-shots’ from W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran will tell ‘odd little stories about broken people and their complicated interior lives.’

Who wants ice cream? Image Comics has announced that W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo and Chris O’Halloran are breaking out the sprinkles for Ice Cream Man, a “genre-defying series of disparate one-shots” arriving this January.

“I’m jazzed to be working with Martín and Chris to bring folks these odd little stories about broken people and their complicated interior lives,” said Prince. “With any luck, there’s something yummy here for all stripes of reader, no matter their tastes.”

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Comics Lowdown: ‘One Punch Man’ tops GN chart

Plus: Another view of Marvel’s Northrop Grumman Comic, Palmiotti and Conner say goodbye to Harley Quinn, and was New York Comic Con too big?

Top Graphic Novels: Viz takes half the slots in the September BookScan top 20 chart, which measures sales of graphic novels in the book channel: Vol. 12 of One Punch Man was the top seller, followed by the all-in-one edition of Death Note (a 12-volume omnibus—yes, it’s a brick). Perennial best-sellers Fun Home, March, and Watchmen all make the chart, as does Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight: Master Race, vol. 3 of Tom King’s Batman: Rebirth, and Avatar’s limited edition of Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows’s Providence: Act 3. Interestingly, there is not a single Image title on the list.

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Michel Fiffe takes aim at ‘Bloodstrike’ in 2018

‘Don’t rub the blood. Drown in it.’

Michel Fiffe dropped a big ol’ bloody bomb on Twitter this morning — he’s working on a revival of Bloodstrike, the 1990s Extreme team created by Rob Liefeld.

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Smash Pages Q&A: Teva Harrison on ‘In-Between Days’

The Governor General’s Literary Award finalist discusses her graphic memoir, the first comic to be a finalist for the prize in any category.

When Teva Harrison was 37, she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. This terminal diagnosis changed Harrison’s life and her work. Trained as an artist, Harrison turned to narrative for the first time and began making comics and writing stories about living with her diagnosis, coping with the many problems, and imagining a path forward. Harrison’s first book, In-Between Days, is a collection of her comics and prose, many of which appeared in The Walrus. The book was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in Canada, the first comic to be a finalist for the prize in any category, and pieces which appear in the book have been nominated for The National Magazine Award and the Canadian Magazine Award.

In-Between Days is not a saccharine, overly sunny book that claims a positive attitude is the key to survival; rather, Harrison’s work is the embodiment of Antonio Gramsci’s oft-quoted statement, “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.” Harrison’s book is dark but not despairing, and that’s because of her personality. She is making comics and writing stories, going on safari in Africa and taking part in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade and climbing mountains. Harrison knows that cancer will kill her, but she is determined every day to not let it destroy her. The book is passionate and overwhelming and unsparing and joyous and unsentimental and beautiful and painful. It is human and humane, and it will stay with you. As Harrison put it, “Life is rich. It is absolutely an adventure, still.”

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Inktober spotlight: Dustin Weaver’s Twin Peaks drawings

The creator of ‘Paklis’ heads to the Black Lodge this month for Inktober.

In addition to being the spookiest month, October is also Inktober, an art challenge where artists from all over the world create a different ink drawing every day of the month. While the official Inktober site provides a list of “prompts” to help inspire artists, many of them choose their own themes.

With many comic artists are participating this year — you can find a lot of them on Twitter or Tumblr using the #inktober hashtag, and we’ve been posting a bunch on our own Tumblr — we thought we’d spotlight a few of the “can’t miss” ones we’ve seen so far.

Let’s start with Dustin Weaver, creator of Paklis and artist on books like Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.. I just binged-watched most of Twin Peaks: The Return over the weekend, and delightfully Weaver has chosen a Twin Peaks theme for Inktober. That’s some damn good coffee.

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IDW to adapt ‘Big Hero 6,’ the TV show based on a movie based on a comic, into a comic

New coming to be based on Disney XD television series.

At New York Comic Con this past weekend, IDW Publishing announced plans to publish a comic adaptation of Disney XD’s upcoming Big Hero 6 animated series, which is based on the movie of the same name, which in turn was inspired by a comic book published by Marvel.

Let’s take a second to get our heads around that.

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Smash Pages Q&A: Stephanie Graegin on ‘Super Manny Stands Up!’

The young picture book artist talks about the backstory of the greatest superhero story of 2017.

In recent years, artist Stephanie Graegin has established herself as one of the best young picture book artists. If anyone wasn’t convinced of her talents, this year saw the release of three picture books that Greagin illustrated, including one based on the Elvis Presley song Love Me Tender, two novels that she illustrated, in addition to her debut as a writer and illustrator, Little Fox in the Forest.

The sheer volume of work she’s able to draw is impressible, but she is also very good, and there is so much detail and nuance in her work to pour over. From a day in the life of a city park to what it means to have a relative suffering from Alzheimer’s to the nature of being a collector to the small joys found in everyday, Graegin finds a way to blend a playful style with the profound in a way that brings these humanistic stories to life. Moreover she does so with such care and detail, as though each page is a world.

This summer saw the release of Super Manny Stands Up! which was written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Graegin. It is a story about the power of imagination and the way that it can influence and change lives, and is, quite simply, one of the best and most important superhero stories of the year. Super Manny is the hero we need and thankfully Stephanie Graegin is one of the artists we have. She answered a few questions about how she works, and how her superpower seems to be not sleeping.

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Giffen, Lemire working on ‘Inferior Five’ series with ‘Peacemaker’ back-ups

Two 1960s comic creations make a return in a 12-issue miniseries.

On the last day of the New York Comic Con, DC Comics publisher Dan DiDio invited a surprise guest to join him on stage during the publisher’s “Sunday Conversation” panel — legendary comics creator Keith Giffen, who announced he’s working with Jeff Lemire on a new Inferior Five miniseries.

This isn’t the first time the duo have worked together, as both were part of the four-man team that wrote the weekly Futures End series for DC. Lemire and Giffen will co-plot the series, which Lemire will write and will feature artwork by Giffen. In addition, Lemire will write and draw a back-up for the comic starring the Charlton Comics character Peacemaker. Lemire will work with his Sweet Tooth collaborator, colorist Jose Villarubia.

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‘Spencer & Locke’ sequel teased at NYCC

It looks like a second miniseries will arrive in 2018.

David Pepose and Jorge Santiago Jr. turned heads with their Sin City/Calvin & Hobbes mash-up Spencer & Locke this year, and it looks like the miniseries from Action Lab Entertainment is getting a sequel:

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‘Milk Wars’ pits DCU vs. Young Animal … and milk, apparently

Heroes from both lines will team up in a weekly series of specials.

Get your milk mustache ready — the DC Universe and the Young Animal line will meet up next year in ‘Milk Wars,’ a story that will run through five specials.

First announced in San Diego this past July, Vertigo Executive Editor Mark Doyle and writer Steve Orlando shared more details at the New York Comic Con this week.

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