“In point of fact, over the last two years, Marvel’s line has gone from about 30% at $3.99 to about 70% or more at $3.99 (and many books at MORE than $3.99!), all while constantly out-publishing DC some 100 titles to DC’s approximate 75-80 offerings. In that same time, DC’s pricing has gone from about 15% of all titles line wide at $3.99 to just about 30%. If DC is able to hold form for another 6-18 months, then my employer’s prediction of a Marvel implosion may not be so far fetched after all.”

 

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Recently posted to our homepage:

• Gary Groth presents the conclusion to his definitive 1984 interview with American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar, originally published in The Comics Journal #97.

 

• Rob Clough reviews the 1980s minicomics anthology Newave!

 

• Over at The Hooded Utilitarian, Vom Marlowe counts the problems with Mick Takeuchi’s Bound Beauty.

 

• Am I a bad person for noticing that the coroner who handled Harvey Pekar’s autopsy was Frank Miller?

And in the news…

 

Above the Fold

 

Life in interesting times

• The esteemed Brooklyn, New York comics shop Rocketship has been closed since early this month. I’m hearing conflicting reports about why exactly it closed — and let’s face it, I’m thousands of miles away. I don’t feel comfortable making a public judgement as to what’s what. No link.

 

• Brian Hibbs reports on a retailers’ meeting with DC Comics executives concerning the company’s newly launched digital-comics program.

 

• “IDW Publishing [...] announced today that seasoned comic-industry marketing veteran Dirk Wood has joined the company as its first Director, Retail Marketing. Additionally, IDW’s first in-house marketing manager, AnnaMaria White, has been promoted to Director, Marketing and Public Relations.”

 

• I haven’t read it yet, but Paul Slade‘s essay on the history behind the Marvel/Disney/Jack Kirby Estate lawsuit looks damned interesting.

 

 

 

Profiles

 

• Caleb Goellner on Malachai and Ethan Nicolle

  Ax Cop! Ax Cop!

 

Also

• Alex Dueben on Howard Cruse
• Alex Dueben on Gail Simone

 

 

 

Reviews

 

• Dan Nadel on It Was the War of the Trenches

  “It’s a book that one could unpack for a long time — formally rigorous and sadly beautiful, of course, but also so very foreign to the American sensibility.”

 

• Christopher Butcher and Sandy Bilus on Twin Spica

  Two views of Kou Yaginuma’s coming-of-age serial.

 

Also

• Jeff VanderMeer on Flight Vol. 7
• Sean T. Collins on Mome Vol. 17-19
• Greg McElhatton on Foiled
• Andrew Wheeler on Bookhunter
• Justin Giampaoli on Swimming With Shoes On
• Tim O’Neil and the Techland critics on various titles

 

Business and Craft

 

• John Kricfalusi: Teeth help people be specific

  Examples and commentary.

 

Comics and Art

 

• The Müller-Fokker Pulpbot Effect: Belinda Contre les Manges-Disques
  

  A 1967 effort from notorious erotic cartoonist Guido Crepax.

  (Link via Joe Gordon.)

 

Also

• Leif Peng: Thornton Utz
• Gabriel Corbera: Otto Soglow’s Little King
• Grantbridge Street: Roger Langridge’s “Frankenstein Meets Shirley Temple”
• Grantbridge Street: Sergio Aragonés’ “Viva Monsters”
• Grantbridge Street: John Bolton’s Dracula, Prince of Monsters
• Steven Thompson: Bob Powell’s “On Time”
• The Horrors of It All: “The Plant of Doom”
• Chuck Wells: “Captured by the Dyaks”
• Chuck Wells: “The Secret Ray Repressor Plans”
• Chuck Wells: “King of Beasts”
• Jim Behrle: Literary pigs
• John Adcock: Comics of WWII
• Doug Wheeler: More Charles Jay Taylor Vanderbilt cartoons
• Golden Age Comic Book Stories: Weird Fantasy cover art
• Portland Mercury: Click on the Johnny Ryan cover
     (Link via Mike Baehr.)

 

Multimedia

 

• KCRW Radio: American Splendor broadcast

  The station will reprise the original radio production based upon Harvey Pekar’s comic-book series on Friday, July 16 from 7:30-8PM Pacific Time.

 

• Comics-related podcasts
  • Jesse Thorn interviews Daniel Clowes for The Sound of Young America (16.25MB).
  • Panel Borders‘ Alex Fitch presents a conversation with Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon (24.4MB).
  • Quebecer cartoonist Philippe Girard (52.3MB) and C.C. Colbert, a.k.a. American historian Catherine Clinton (72MB) are recent guests on Inkstuds.
  • Over at Tall Tale Features, Tom recine talks to Adam Huber about his newspaper strip, Bug (52.5MB).
  • Erika Moen joins the gang at the Webcomic Beacon (50.1MB).
  • A mewcomer to manga discusses the gateway to otakudom on Manga Out Loud: one (45.9MB), two (50.1MB).
  • Al Kennedy and Paul O’Brien bring the reviews and commentary at the House to Astonish (41.5MB).

  (All podcasts are in downloadable MP3 audiofile format.)

 

Events Calendar

 

This Weekend:

 

• July 17 (London, England): Doctor Who comics authors Una McCormack, Gary Russell and Oli Smith will appear at Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Avenue, from 1-2PM. Details here.

 

Want to see your comics-related event listed here? Email a link to dirk@tcj.com and let me know. Please include an online link to which I can send people for more information. No sales-only events, please — it’s nice that you’ve marked things down at your store or website, but I won’t be listing it here. (Note: Under no circumstances will I link to a Facebook page. Seriously, what idiot “advertises” their event solely on a website that requires registration to see the advertisement?)