Are Comics Shops In Danger?

Last week, two bits of digital comic news shook up the industry and were the talk of the HeroesCon convention (where I met and talked with quite a number of comic shop owners over the weekend.)

First, IDW announced that they would be shortening the time between printed paper comics and their ipod/iphone version down to one month. This may work out well for IDW as they have had quite a bit of success with their comics on the iPod.

Their Star Trek: Count Down digital comic was a huge seller on the iPod last Summer, with all 4 issues selling well into the thousands. They also have their own in-house iPhone developer, which saves them from having to job out the work to another company (which is what I think Marvel does with ComiXology.)

For smaller publishers pushing the lead time on digital versions makes good sense as their comics are often quickly pushed off the racks by the flood of titles from Marvel and DC. A shorter lead time will allow them to more quickly gauge what repurposed printed comics have a digital audience and react accordingly. For a small company, the ability to keep the momentum on hot projects is more important than it is for the big two. (Whatever happens, we can always be sure that there will be some form of Hulk comic in two years. However, who is to say if the Green Hornet will still be a hot selling comic then?)

For the most part, the dealersI spoke too about IDW's move seemed in favor of it. Some comic shop owners were less than enthused, but generally understood IDW's position and seemed to think the one month delay was a fair compromise.

Several dealers did express the concern that if other companies follow suit, this might play havoc with their monthly orders while they make adjustments.

However, the other digital shoe that dropped this week was the one causing the most hand wringing - and that was Marvel's trial simultaneous digital and print release. I don't see this as quite the end of the Direct Sales market as a one dealer put it, but rather as just one of those vague, half-hearted/half-assed sales experiments that companies make all the time. With just this one comic to go by, I doubt Marvel will obtain enough useful sales data to make any real business decisions.

I will say this - this move does feel like a spiritual 180 for Marvel, as when they first launched their Digital Comics Unlimited, they said...

To protect current sales of comic books, new issues won't be on the Marvel site until six months after they are published.

One could argue that this promise is about their Online versions, and they have never made such a promise about the iPod/iPhone versions. Still, it's hard to not see a blurring of the lines here that might eventually lead to same day digital releases for all Marvel comics.

And what will happen then? Will all comic shops dry up and disappear? The dealers I spoke to had an interesting take on this. Apparently in the industry, there are three types of dealers:

Boutique Shops - small shops with a coffee shop atmosphere
Mega Stores - bigger stores that are destination venues for wide areas
Hole In The Walls - those smaller shops that are orphaned in dying strip malls

According to the dealers, the first two will be okay, but the HitW shops are going to disappear. One dealer I spoke to said that he has already seen several bite the dust as Discount Comic Book Service has snapped up more an more customers. The belief this retailer had was that without something special to drive customers to their shops every week, the availability of digital versions and the higher $3.99 cost of comics is going to crush those shops.

I was also told that while I, and many other fans, put a lot of stock in the monthly sales numbers that are posted on the internet for comics, that those numbers don't necessarily reflect the shift of sales from Direct Sales Shops to DCBS - so there isn't really a good way to measure that.

So, if you are a smaller shop that isn't doing anything but cutting open Diamond boxes every week, tossing your comics on the racks and kicking back to watch a Godzilla movie while your customers wander in, then your shop might be in danger.

With that I present today's free comics



[ Danger 12 ]



[ Danger 14 ]

Have a great day!

- Jim

Comic Con

Around here were big proponents of Digital Comic Books. Whether there read on a desktop through such software as Longbox or Graphic.ly, on the iPhone with apps like Comiczeal or Comixology, or on a tablet such as the iPad and others - we likes 'em!

The debate about which is better, print or digital, will never really end each media format having it's champions who will carry it's torch forever. One thing that digital comics has yet to be able to do however, no matter how hard some have tried, is capture the feel of a real life Comic Book Convention in a "Digital Comic Book" fashion.

Several attempts have been made, such as Comicon.com.

It just isn't the same though. At a live comic book convention you get to meet your favorite creators in person (not chat with them over the internet), have your favorite books signed by those who made it (not order the current book they have to offer with a signature), have your portfolio reviewed by a master who you respect (the advice you'll get by being there will be invaluable) and more such as standing in lines, and while there are those would not put standing in a line at the top of their list of fun things to do at a con, it's part of the over all experience. A part of the experience that could actually be fun and beneficial too, depending on who you meet.

Living in the Pacific Northwest I've not had the pleasure of traveling to San Diego, Chicago, New York, or even Seattle (albeit time is the culprit there, I really have no excuse other than time) to attend a local con there.

However, I have been to the Portland Comic Book Convention. With the Rose Garden you can stand in line for quite a while before you actually get to see into the hall that the con is being held in. Once you pay, buy your raffle ticket, sign up for a few door prizes, and pick up goody bags provided by local merchants you finally get to enter the hall and I remember that it was quite a shock at how big the space actually was. The space was full too, not an unused square foot in the room shucking everything from boxes and boxes of old comics to bootleg movies.

I remember that HUGE names in comic books had come to town to do a signing (which was why I'd finally made the time to go to a comic book convention). When I got there the convention hall had roped of the table where the big names were sitting with red velvet, so fan boys couldn't get close to them.

Well such as life, my books signed and back in my bag I wandered the walk areas looking to spend my hard earned money on. There was too much of course - I couldn't afford to get it all. I settled on a sketch instead, from a local comic book artist, and was able to get the exact character I'd requested.

Even though I was quickly running out of money it was still cool to see what everyone else was buying. I went home with comics I'd never heard of, signed books, a sketch for my wall, and a couple new fiends.

There's nothing like a live Comic Con like what's going on this weekend. It's called HeroesCon and it's happening in Charlotte NC.

Jim Shelley the owner and editor of the FBU will be there so look him up.
He may even find his twitter account useful this weekend...

Have fun at the con Jim,

Caine

Waiting until the deal is done

As Jim mentioned before... I have been up for a promotion for some time. I would have said something about it earlier, but I hate to mention such things before it is absolutely certain.

It does happen that things don't work according to plan... and that you don't get the job you were promised.
There can be many factors behind that.

The project could be delayed... the investors could pull out their funding... or just plain... the studio could decide to get the work done oversea to cut down on cost... or the day you are supposed to start on a project... you break a leg and spend the next two months in the hospital.


So until you have you contract in your pocket with your signature on it... it would be wise to shut up about it.

Nothing worse then telling someone that you will be working on the next Batman Animated movie.... only to see that never happen.

Then you end up looking like either:

A) A liar who was bragging and making up stories.

B) A faillure. An incompetent who was not capable to get the job and who is making up excuses about it.

Ultimately... you end up looking like a fool either way, so I always prefer to play it close to the vest. I prefer not to talk about such things until it is a done deal.

But now that my contract is sealed in blood.... or something like that.... I can now safely tell you guys that I have been promoted to the rank of Storyboard Supervisor at the studio.

I will admit that I was a little surprised. I did not expect this at this time. But I was very happy to be offered such a promotion. You often are told what I call “empty compliments”... but this offer .... short of being sent a copy of the New Frontier Absolute Edition... was the best compliment possible in my book.
I much prefer when people talk with their actions then with words.

And this was a great example of this.

Until next time. ;)

World War Three

Today is Memorial Day in the US - a day when we remember and honor those who died in military service. So no long post today. Just two comics to remind us that we should always strive for peace lest the next war be the last.


World War Three 01


World War Three 02

- Have a good Memorial Day.

Lost Universe: Found | Milestone: Hardware

This article is another one of Caine's explorations into the Lost Universes of defunct companies. You can read other Lost Universe articles here. - Jim

Today were going to begin expanding the "Lost Universe" to include a few other universes; some that have never really been completely lost to us, some that have been brought back after long absences, and some that continue to be rebooted over and over again but are still being published.

Today we'll take a look at the MILESTONE books which were printed by Milestone Media with an arrangement with DC Comics (Similar to the arrangement that Wildstorm has today).

"Although Milestone comics were published through DC Comics, they did not take place in the DC Universe. Under an arrangement similar to the one DC and Wildstorm established later, all Milestone characters existed in a separate continuity that did not fall under DC Comics' direct editorial control (but DC still retained right of refusal to publish). Unlike Wildstorm, whose properties were bought by DC Comics, Milestone Media retained the copyright of their properties. Fundamental to Milestone’s agreement with DC was they would not relinquish any of the legal or creative rights to their work. Throughout the negotiations, Milestone, and their lawyers, insisted on three basic points: (1) that they would retain total creative control; (2) that they would retain all copyrights for characters under the Milestone banner; and (3) that they would have the final say on all merchandising and licensing deals pertaining to their properties. In essence, DC had in effect licensed the characters, editorial services, and creative content of the Milestone books for an annual fee and a share of the profits. All Milestone Media titles were set in a continuity dubbed the "Dakotaverse", referring to the fictional midwestern city of Dakota in which most of the early Milestone stories were set. Before any titles were published, an extensive "bible" was created by McDuffie and other early creators, which provided back-story and information on all of the original Dakotaverse characters, as well as detailed information about the history and geography of Dakota. Cowan produced the original character sketches that served as a guide for the other artists." ~wikipedia

While DC has come up with Zuda as a means to expand in today's marketplace (digital), in the comics boom of the 90s DC brought on Milestone just as Image was being founded by all of those defecting creators jumping the Marvel ship.

While HARDWARE & ICON were the first two books published by Milestone it was BLOOD SYNDICATE that first gave readers a glimpse into Dakota - the city at the heart of the Milestone "universe" and it's island neighborhood Paris.

"The Big Bang is a significant event in the fictional history of Milestone Comics, in which many of the superheroes and super villains of Dakota - including Static and the Blood Syndicate - got their powers. The concept was the brainchild of Christopher Priest, who cites African-American urban legends as the inspiration.[1]
The event took place on Paris Island, which had long suffered from heated gang wars. In 1993, the leaders of each gang decided to settle their grievances once and for all in a massive "gang bang" confrontation dubbed the "Big Bang." Word of the confrontation eventually reached Dakota's police department. Mayor Jefferson ordered them to spray every gang member present with an experimental tear gas laced with a radioactive marker that would allow the police to track the participants down later. The mayor was hoping that this would boost her reputation for being "tough on crime."
However, the gas also contained a mutagenic compound called "quantum juice" (or "Q-juice"). Most of those exposed to it - police included - died on the spot. The rest mutated, some being deformed, some gaining unusual abilities in the process. Others not personally involved in the conflict also became mutated as well. The survivors were dubbed "bang babies." The mayor disavowed any involvement. The survivors went on to become superheroes and super villains that continued to roam the city of Dakota for years to come. The survivors of two gangs - the Paris Bloods and Force Syndicate - formed the core of the Blood Syndicate, a gang of bang babies which claimed Paris Island as their turf." ~wikipedia

HARDWARE:
Curtis Metcalf, a boy genius into an adult super science freak, finds that his benefactor (Alva) is a criminal bigot who thinks of him as little more than a cog in the machine and has actively enslaved Curtis. This wouldn't be so abnormal accept that the benefactor had a large hand in raising Curtis as a second father and paid for Curtis's multiple college degrees in various sciences & technology.

When Metcalf goes to ask for a raise or a partnership he's told the truth. Digging into the company and Alva Metcalf turns over a windfall of criminal evidence to the authorities only to discover that it would have no effect. In Dakota Alva is completely untouchable. This drives Metcalf to reapply his genius and create the high tech gadgeteer persona known as Hardware.



Dwayne McDuffie masterfully uses the "simplistic" nature of the over arching plot: revenge against a horrific wrong doing, to draw in the reader. He further uses the advanced technology designed by Metcalf for Hardware to dazzle us fans of other comics such as; Iron Man, The Batman, and still more gadget centric comic book characters we've grown to know and love. There are other elements, all common place in genre fiction, such as the older wiser guide who shows him the way, and the strong willed and smart love interest who is so much more, but these elements alone do not make up the entirety of Hardware.

During the comics boom, a time when comic characters sporting little more than stars & stipes or a trench coat sold a million copies of a single issue, McDuffie takes a step in the opposite direction with Metcalf - writing him as if he were a real human being. Metcalf is complicated, and the world he lives in is even more so.



Curtis Metcalf see's him self as a champion, a writer of wrongs, a punisher of the unjust - his genius, a gift others have been profiting heavily from, can now be put to better use as Hardware. In the first story arch (a shining example of how to re-introduce your characters without making each story into an origin issue) Metcalf gears up as Hardware, actively surprising Alva and his mighty corporation but as the story continues into issues two, three, four and beyond we see fate begin to catch up to Hardware, Alva has set a trap and is ready for him.

In the second issue Hardware must retreat, injured. Not heard from for days the people in his life go looking for him only to discover his secret. This paves the way for a comic book character right of passage of sorts: spilling the beans (finally releasing the pressure a secret identity causes) and often times earning a side kick or girl Friday in the process.

True to form McDuffie zigs when you think he's going to zag and those around Metcalf don't quite see him as a champion for justice, a righter of wrongs, or a hero at all. He's wasting his life, and throwing away his gift. He's stolen from his employer, lied, cheated, and worst of all caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage as well as killed several people in the process (that's right, this isn't the A-Team, the bullets actually connect) - and all for what? A raise that he didn't get? This revelation not only makes Metcalf think, but it makes us as the readers think as well. Where did this come from? He's the protagonist after all, the STAR of the book. This never happens, accept that it just did, and we (us the reader & Metcalf too) are all the better for it.



Breaking barriers of all sorts, in story and out of it, Hardware is a great character and his adventures are well chronicled both in his own Milestone series as well as recent stints in the JLA and a new TPB. You should check them out if you like gadget centric superhero comics. You're chance to do so may be sooner than you think..

Why Digital Art - Part 2

Last week Pierre started explaining why he prefers digital drawing techniques to traditional drawing methods. Today he finishes explaining the advantages with an example of how it helpped him finish the cover of a comics magazine featuring the Marvel character Nova.

---

I draw the artwork in pencil on paper... then with my "friend" Photoshop... I turn it into the finished artwork. With Photoshop... it allows me to separate the characters from the BG allowing Jim to move the characters around as needed depending on how much lettering he may want to add to this piece.

For example here is the cover for a new Flashback Universe comic we are working on. On one layer I draw the characters...
 
On another layer I prepared the background.

This way, if they need to be repositioned to accomodate lettering, it's very easy to do that later.

Also... whenever possible... I will use an assignment to experiment in working with the computer.
I had done various sketches when I did some artwork for the 30th anniversary of Nova magazine. And later I was asked to turn one of the sketches we ended up not using into the cover for the 35th anniversary of Nova magazine.

So I jumped at the opportunity of getting some practice in drawing and inking directly in the computer.

And doing this... it allowed me to keep the characters on a separate layer. That meant that it would be easy to decide to change the background.



I made an alternate version to suggest how the cover could be tweaked if needed. And as happens sometimes.... the alternate version was the chosen version in the end.

But in the end... I was happy with either version... so no harm done there.
Making the artwork digitally makes it easier to make some changes to a piece - if the piece is planned properly and the artist works in layers.

As time passes... you can be sure that it will be expected from artists to produce the work in the computer in order to make the job easier for everyone else in the production.

So if you are an aspiring artist... and if you are hoping to work on a production some day... it might be a good idea to learn not only how to use a computer, but also to learn how to draw in the computer.

So "sharpen" that computer... and let's start drawing. ;)

Is This the Start of the Heroic Age?

So this week, the first issue of Avengers 1 volume 4 came out, heralding what Marvel is calling, The Heroic Age.

What is the Heroic Age? Well, as it was explained on Marvel.com, it is...

...The Heroic Age ushers in a brighter Marvel Universe and a bold new era for the world's greatest super heroes as they emerge from darkness with a renewed sense of hope and optimism, leading to the formation of all new teams with new members...and brand new characters!

But in actuality, it's just a branding campaign... ..

Titles branded with the Heroic Age banner offer a perfect jumping on point for readers new and old alike, as the top comic book creators in the world deliver a Marvel Universe like you've never seen before!

[snip]

We've been working out the details of THE HEROIC AGE for about a year now. The plan is to give old and new fans alike the perfect place to jump into the Marvel Universe without feeling like they've missed out on anything that's come before. If there's a Heroic Age banner on one of the books, we're serious when we say 'the Marvel Universe Starts Here!

So with that as the definition, how did Avengers 1 hold up?
Well, it's 32 pages of heroes talking with one panel of Thor hammer-zapping Kang.

As a jumping on point, I'd give it an B, because they do a good job setting up who is who and what obstacle they must overcome. However, 32 pages of people just talking is a lot of damn pages, you know? I mean the story is essentially another riff on Days of Future Past, which was set up in what, 20 pages? Is it really necessary to spend 2 pages having Steve Rogers (who is not Captain America in the issue) talk to Wonderman about Civil War and Dark Avengers, in a comic meant to give people a story without feeling like they missed anything?

Let me say, as a publishing strategy, I think the Heroic Age is a good idea. It's always good to give people a clean jumping on point, especially in a marketplace with so many lax followers. However, when I compare Avengers 1 against the the bright and shiny Heroic Age mission statement, it feels to me like it misses the mark a little.

Let's hope future issues have more Heroic and less Age in them. ;)

With all that said, let's enjoy two great comics of a different age of Heroes.

[ America's Best Comics 19 ]

*NOTE: This is a reduced and repacked version of Yoc's original scans, which were too big for me to conveniently host on my site. You can get the the full scanned originals at the Golden Age Comics website.

[ America's Best Comics 26 ]

- Enjoy!