The Bellingham, Washington local newspaper The Bellingham Herald is reporting that Bluewater Productions–the comic book company behind 10th Muse and Vincent Price Presents, as well as those Female Force books featuring Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Sarah Palin, has relocated their facility from Bellingham to nearby Vancouver, Washington.

While the Bluewater website doesn’t make any mention of the move, The Bellingham Herald quotes publisher Darren Davis as saying that he felt he was “taken advantage of” by local vendors who carried his titles on consignment and who Davis felt never gave him the support befitting a local, independent publisher in a community like Bellingham. Davis also told the paper that there were more personal reasons for the move–to be close to family, and to the airport. According to the article, Davis will still play a role in Bell Con, the convention that takes place in Bellingham.

Bluewater, which has gotten a lot of buzz surrounding its election-themed Female Force books, is clearly a company in transition: recently announced plans to switch to 100% recycled paper for its comics, and to expand the size of many of its books so that price increases necessary to accomodate Diamond’s new benchmarks for small publishers would sting less for the readers.

Yeah, it’s not because of any decisions made one way or the other, but because Nikiski, Alaska has the awesome sense to have an assemblyman named…

Gary Superman.

I dunno about you, but this is easily the best thing I’ve read all morning, just for the name of the headline alone. “Superman Not Pleased With Borough Mayor.” All I can think about is heat-vision or a super-powered flick to the head (promptly causing said mayor to hit escape velocity).

We just need the words “Lex Luthor” at the end.

By Jimmy Palmiotti

WARNING!: This week I say some really stupid shit, curse like a sailor and tell you a great way to get laid. If you are under age, print this out and read it with a flashlight under your covers.

This week sees Amanda Conner and I off to the New York Comic Con. We are excited as hell to see all of you there at the show. Got to be honest, the weather there is total shit… snow Thursday and staying below 30. Oh joy. Why in God’s name would anyone put a friggin’ con in February is beyond me, but we will be there nonetheless. Got a party Thursday night for the Heroes’ Initiative at Dave & Busters in Times Square from 5:30-7:30 .  It’s open to all attendees of the con and me, Joe Quesada, Amanda Conner and some other people I don’t care about will be there begging you to buy them a drink. It’s for a great cause and you should show if you are in the city. Really… its gonna be fun.

Now, about the con…what I think will be the hottest item at the con is the…

BACK TO BROOKLYN T-SHIRTS. Yes, I know it won’t be, but take a look at it! How cool is that and it says “Brooklyn” on it and in really small type it says Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti. That has to mean something… right? I think wearing this shirt just about anywhere will automatically get you laid… and that goes for the ladies as well. Gals, put this shirt on and walk up to just about any guy and ask them to take you home and ride you like a circus horse. I bet more than 50% of the time you will score. Guys, I am betting about 4% for you… but honestly, those odds are better than most. Odds increase for men if they are also wearing a Ferrari and a three-piece suit. And yes, that’s Amanda giving everyone the big hello wearing one of these beauties. Anyway, its available for $17.95 at the GRAPHITTI booth at the con this week in New York…or order toll free at 1-800-699-0115.

http://www.graphittidesigns.com/

ME, ME, ME: learn more about me and what I really think. Great little interview here.

CONTESTS…YOU LIKE THEM: A buddy of mine put together a trivia contest of sorts where you can win a boatload of crap. It’s trivia about me and Justin Gray and its on our Paperfilms site. Come play or just check out the boards. They are a lot like this blog and we hit it all the time. Say hi to Patrick for us as well… and register, it will get you to all the boards that also feature people like J.G. Jones, Frank Tieri and Chris Gage to name a few.

PIZZA HUT COMMERCIALS: First, fuck you Pizza Hut. No one should be eating this crap if there is an actual pizzeria near your home… second, has anyone seen the uber-insulting commercials where they “go to Italy” and feed “real” Italians their new lasagna? Oh my God, it trumps the Olive Garden “we are bringing Uncle Don from the old country to taste real Italian food at the Olive Garden” commercials, and that’s not easy! To think that made-by-machine-layered-death would fool any Italian in Italy into thinking a top chef made it is an insult to all Italians, all cooks and especially to me because they run those pathetic commercials during prime time all week. Giving your Uncle Don from Italy that crap to eat will automatically get your name removed from the will instantly. The only thing that’s worse is Domino’s and their two cardboard pies for 10 bucks deals, but these commercials have put them in the same category. Hell, since when do we need a loaf of sticky cinnamon sticks with our pizza? They really are trying to kill everyone. That shit is toxic.

Darwyn Cooke makes fun of me for rating every pizza place here in Florida by comparing it to Spumoni Gardens or John’s back in NY, but I realize that I have been spoiled my entire life and it was not till I left the motherland of Brooklyn did I realize how badly the rest of he world had it. The only chain that seems to be trying these days is Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Order the specials when you go there to get the better dishes. So yeah… fuck you Pizza Hut and screw you Domino’s, you both need to focus on the only people buying your crap… college students and lazy people.

THEY BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH: I said last week that I would love to see a 3D porno movie and leave it to the Japanese to read my blog and run with the idea. I predict one messy theatre.

MOVIES: Saw THE WRESTLER and loved it. Always liked Mickey and still do. Less said about it the better, but there was a scene that Amanda and I were both totally frightened by. Not the deli one, but the scene where the older wrestlers did the comic convention thing and signed autographs. Amanda turned to me and asked “will that be us one day” and I told her never… because I would drive my car off a cliff before I let that happen. Also have to give kudos to Marisa Tomei for being 44 and looking as good as she does, naked and all. She is a fantastic actress in my eyes and a fellow Brooklynite and it’s funny that I know someone that used to be her “handler” and another guy whose brother used to date her. Small world.

Also saw the third UNDERWORLD film and I got to say, not my cup of tea. Some decent effects and a good scene here and there but overall, it was weak.  By the numbers story about people I didn’t care about. Biggest problem I had was I just didn’t find anything appealing about the story overall. Maybe the problem was that I didn’t see the second one… so maybe someone can fill me in on that. The three leads tried hard, but the script gave them no love or joy or any sense of being more than a cardboard cut out of hate and anger. In the future, I will suggest that people writing characters take a good look at the people they admire and try to use some of their traits… you will always find a sense of humor, used even in the slightest fashion, will make your characters something the audience can invest time in. I hate having to be negative about anything where a cool guy like Kevin Grevioux is involved, but I noticed he didn’t write the story. Even worse, his character was so cool in the flick but wasn’t able to do much but get orders barked at him by the main character. Another pet peeve of mine is swords that can cut through werewolves and bones like a hot butter knife. Because of stuff like this, the whole movie plays like a violent Saturday morning cartoon. Anyone else see this? Let me know what you thought… I’m interested.

PAYBACK on Blu-Ray is a reworking of the original Mel Gibson movie re-cut and mastered by its director Brian Helgeland. Based on the Donald Westlake novel, the original version that made it to theatres with a softer, kinder cut of the movie. This version does away with that and is much more true to the book. I enjoyed both to tell you the truth, but die-hard fans will want to check this disc out. Got a ton of extras as well as a cool interview with Westlake before he passed away last month. P.S.: Lucy Liu never looked better.

QUICK PICKS: I AM LEGION, published by Devil’s Due and DARK IVORY, by Image. These are the only books that got my money this week.

FINAL PLUG: Out now is Jonah Hex #40 and Back to Brooklyn #3. Take a look and support my madness.

JIMMY P

The horror enthusiast and the originator of the term “Sci-Fi” Forrest J Ackerman, who passed away in December, left a treasure trove of memorabilia, some of which his estate will be auctioning in April 2009.

Among the items in the collection are Bela Lugosi’s Dracula ring (valued at $20,000-$30,000), Lugosi’s costume from the Raven ($15,000-$20,000), a signed first edition of Dracula by Bram Stoker and Lugosi ($6,000-$8,000), as well as Fritz Lang’s monocle from when he was directing Metropolis ($3,000-$5,000).

You can see more photos from the group Profiles in History by clicking here.

With the flurry of NYCC announcements about to rain down upon us all, I thought we might take a look back at the tenures of current industry leaders.  For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll begin with Marvel EIC Joe Quesada.  What, in your estimation, is the BEST move made by Quesada since he’s been in the big chair?

For my money, I would say the aggressive proliferation of Marvel’s trade paperback program.  Before Quesada got in there, the release and distribution of Marvel trades was spotty at best.  Since he arrived, there has been a huge full-court press in regard to trades, hardcover, and their frequency and speed of release.  This has made Marvel a significant bookstore presence beyond the direct market.

What say you?  For this one, let’s focus on BEST moves.  We can debate not-so-great moves among the various leaders after we run through the first cycle.

Megacon has announced that it has added Tricia Helfer to its guest list!

Best known for her role as Number Six in Battlestar Galactica, Helfer will join Darwyn Cooke, Ethan Van Sciver, Adam Hughes, Frank Cho, Steve McNiven, Mark Waid, Ron Marz, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Humberto Ramos, and Margot Kidder for the festivities on February 27th – March 1st.

You can learn more about the Orlando-based event by clicking here.

Nielsen BookScan has released its top 20 Graphic Novels of 2008 list, and it is certainly illuminating.

Perhaps this is an eyeopener for the rest of the sequential art industry, but manga certainly took most of the top slots, with nine volumes of Viz’s NARUTO comprising nearly half the list, and Bleach, Death Note, and Fruit Basket taking another eight.

But what about the capes-and-tights crowd? In this list, they seem to be underrepresented: that said, old standbys like Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and Batman: The Killing Joke still make the cut.

This seems really interesting to me, considering that Marvel and DC dominate monthly sales, while Viz seems to hardly make a dent. In addition, it’s even more suprising that this trend would occur, considering sales were down to the point where many manga publishers decided they would scale back printing in 2009.

As a preview to the New York Comic Con, I wanted to sit down with a few people and get what they’re doing for the show. Unfortunately, a troublesome issue arose: I had no Internet access for almost a week leading up to today. I have, however, had a chance to talk to a few folks and their stories will be posted starting with Samuel Vera of Crazee Comics. Started in 2003, Crazee first launched underground. At that time, Vera was working with a bigger team which downsized due to what he refers to as “personal reasons. Different career choices and stuff like that. So right now, I just hire freelancers,” he says. “I outsource, I create my stuff and then I outsource to artists and colorists and things like that. It seems to work easier that way.”

Vera is the creator of all the Crazee titles, and the only writer currently operating under the Crazee Comics banner. George Medina, who used to be a Crazee staffer, still letters some of Vera’s books. He’ll be at the convention on his own, but sitting in with Vera at the Crazee table will be David Quiles. He’s the illustrator on a children’s book Vera wrote, and also the artist on The Forbidden, which is a trade paperback Crazee is going to release in the winter.

Crazee’s current flagship title, There’s an Alien in My Toilet, is what’s getting a lot of buzz right now. Its central character, an alien-with-an-attitude named Doodie who seems a little like Jhonen Vasquez’s Invader Zim, is the subject of not only a graphic novel and a forthcoming follow up, but also a kids’ title tie-in called Doodie’s Adventures. While the first series came out as “floppy” comics before being collected, and Vera has done a special New York Comic Con reprint of the first issue due to reader demand, the series will from this point on be released exclusively as trade paperbacks.

For the con, Vera’s line of children’s book—he has several titles—wil be on sale along with the first trade paperback of There’s an Alien in My Toilet. There’s a pinup version of the second volume trade for There’s an Alien in My Toilet, and original sketch cards. He’ll have prototype figures and a resin prototype of some of the characters on display.

“I’m very strategic in terms of I do competitive pricing with manufacturers and designers and I’m a very big advocate of print-on-demand, so I only print what I can sell,” Vera says. “On that note, I try to moderate—I don’t overstock, I go with what I can sell, I only do the conventions that are going to be cost-effective.”

“I still have a full-time job by day, so that helps also to support this,” Vera says, “but I design my own website, I do my own website, I do my own PR, but I’ve been really pushing it right now, talking to some international reps to rep the products over seas and…trying to secure an animated series.”

Vera says that he puts a lot of emphasis on There’s an Alien in My Toilet but he feels he has to have something on his back burner because you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. “I work seven days a week and on my days off I’m behind my table,” says Vera. “Thank God I have a supportive wife.”

He describes his approach to Doodie’s stories as “trying to establish a brand like Charles Schultz did with Peanuts and make it recognizable. A lot of people say it should be a strip instead of a book, but I’ve found a model that I feel works for myself.”

Asked how to approach his line if a consumer only has a limited budget at the convention, Vera says, “Pick up the first issue of Doodie, because they’re definitely going to laugh and I stand by that. Get a sketch card or get another one of the younger age books that I have and they’ll definitely get a feel. I also have Doodie’s Adventures. That kind of tells you how he gets to where he is in the series.”

Sorry, readers.  I try to get this thing up the Monday after Previews comes out, but things occur.  Anyway, on with the show:

It’s time to stroll through the very cool and absolutely idiotic items that you, comic book consumer, can order for yourself in the latest issue of Diamond’s Previews catalog. First, let me offer a hearty congratulations to all of these titles for achieving Diamond’s new benchmarks. No, seriously, bravo, glad to see you’re all still standing. As usual, the books of serious interest and of ridicule are purely of my arbitrary choosing. You can find them all, among thousands of other items, in the catalog. We’ll start in the back portion.

As far as I’m concerned, Maybe the most exciting book in the whole catalog can be found on page 263. Drawn & Quarterly, working with designer and editor Adrian Tomine (Shortcomings), releases Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s 840-page autobiography A Drifting Life. Only thirty bucks for one of the most anticipated (by me) books of the year. 840 pages! Holy cow.

However, Top Shelf has the biggest news of the catalog (and yes, I’m jazzed for it; just not Tatsumi jazzed for it). Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill, the League of ExtraOrdinary Gentlemen vol. III: Century #1 “1910”. 80 pages, eight bucks, Mina and Allan in London just after the turn of the 20^th century. Expect tons of references to the history of adventure fiction and a ripping good time. Three preview pages in the catalog.

Dave Sim has another new series debuting in April – Cerebus Archive #1, which promises a light-hearted approach, and a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes raw materials in Sim’s “Archives File Drawer #1 (1972-1979).” Cerebus-philes, you are notified.  This stuff may even pre-date Sim’s descent into raving lunacy.

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The library is a great place for readers to discover comics, and it’s a great place for comics readers to check out things that they want to try without spending their hard-earned cash. I’m looking at comics that I find in the New York Public Library system.

I should admit one thing up front: literally every shred of previous information I’ve acquired about the computer game World of Warcraft has been gleaned from an episode of South Park. I say this because readers familiar with the game will likely take something completely different from this book than I did. For me, when you consider that Walter Simonson’s work on Thor and Orion is just about the pinnacle of superhero comics in my eyes, the potential attraction of the World of Warcraft comics should be obvious, but it’s not due to any attraction to the game.

Alas, despite a few teases of a greater mythology, World of Warcraft seems to be a marginal fantasy comic going through the motions. Penciller Ludo Lullabi does Simonson no favors, with action sequences that often difficult to follow and characters too often likely to scream or gnash their teeth in every circumstance.

Nevertheless, Simonson is not on top of his game here. Rather than building a mythology and universe, every time the chance comes to explore the structure of the WoW universe, Simonson opts to throw the characters into another battle. In fact, they get into so many fights that it becomes a point of reference even to the characters themselves in the final chapter! Disparate factions of the WoW universe are met in brief bursts, but before we can get a coherent sense of the connections between these cultures or how they lives their lives, it’s fight! fight! fight! and we’re off on another quest. Even the dialogue doesn’t have Simonson’s usual snap.

Now, again, fans of the game (where, I assume, the back story is filled out?) or fans of quest-based fantasy in general may take something completely different from this comic than I did, but I’m comparing this to previous Walt Simonson titles where the nuances of new universes were built up over a succession of encounters with Frost Giants or Darkseid’s lieutenants, and World of Warcraft is lacking in comparison.

Also, I imagine it’s not just me, but isn’t it strange that Lo’gosh is three times as thick on the covers as he is in Lullabi’s pages. Weird. So, anyway, big picture here, it has a huge brand, but I wouldn’t expect that many readers or gamers are likely to find the first collected comic book edition of World of Warcraft a satisfying title whether they find it in the library or elsewhere.

Favorite Ghosts and Ghostbusters Included to Celebrate Classic Film’s 25^th Anniversary

CULVER CITY, Calif., Feb 04, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Sony Pictures Consumer Products and Mattel, Inc. announced today the development of a new collectible line of toys based on the world’s favorite poltergeist fighting team, the Ghostbusters, including an extensive cast of ghosts and ghostbusters – celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the frightfully funny classic film “Ghostbusters.”

Mattel’s “Ghostbusters” collectible line debuts with 12-inch figures in June 2009, and will be available exclusively at MattyCollector.com. Each figure will feature window box packaging and include authentic Ghostbuster equipment unique to each character. For the first time, Mattel’s line will include talent likeness of Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore. Select prototype figures will be on display February 6-8 at New York Comic Con and February 15 at Mattel’s New York Toy Fair Collector Preview Night (by invitation only).

“We have assembled a quality group of licensing partners to support and celebrate the anniversary for one of Columbia Pictures’ most cherished properties. Mattel’s line-up of collector toys is the perfect complement to what will be a great selection of 25^th anniversary product,” said Juli Boylan, Senior Vice President, Sony Pictures Consumer Products Worldwide.

“Ghostbusters” collectors can also look forward to 6-inch figures, with one debuting at San Diego Comic Con in July 2009. Sculpted by Four Horsemen Studios, the team currently working on Mattel’s popular DC Universe(TM) Classics and Masters of the Universe(R) Classics collectible lines, the 6-inch line will come complete with authentic “Ghostbusters” equipment and ghost.

“There haven’t been many comedic blockbusters over the past quarter century as memorable and loved as ‘Ghostbusters,’” said Tim Kilpin, GM for Boys, Girls & Games, Mattel, Inc. “We are honored to participate in the celebration of the film’s 25^th anniversary by creating the most extensive line of ‘Ghostbusters’ collectibles ever.”

Mattel will also create characters and ghosts from the classic animated series, “The Real Ghostbusters,” to go along with the classic “Ghostbusters” film. (more…)

BBC AMERICA today announced three highly anticipated sci-fi dramas: BBC AMERICA co-production Being Human and the acquisitions of Survivors and a new season of Primeval. All three shows will premiere later in 2009.

· Being Human (6 x 60), a Touchpaper Television and BBC AMERICA co-production for the BBC, distributed by RDF Rights, part of the RDF Media Group.

· Survivors (1 x 90, 5 x 60), a BBC production distributed by BBC Worldwide.

· Primeval (10 x 60), an Impossible Pictures production for ITV, distributed by BBC Worldwide.

BEING HUMAN – U.S. PREMIERE

Mixing the mythic with the commonplace, the farcical with the horrific and the domestic with the epic, this BBC AMERICA co-production is a witty and extraordinary look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. The trio do their best to live their lives as normally as possible, despite their strange and dark secrets.  But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.

SURVIVORS – U.S. PREMIERE

The chilling new apocalyptic drama, Survivors, focuses on the world in the aftermath of a virus that has wiped out 99% of the human race. The lonely few who remain struggle to start over in a devastated world where everything that was once safe and familiar is now strange and dangerous. At the center of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led by Abby Grant (Julie Graham), a woman whose strength comes from a burning need to find out if her young son is still alive. This brave new world brings an opportunity for new beginnings, but also terrible dangers – not just the daily struggle for food and water, but a deadly threat from other survivors.

PRIMEVAL – U.S. PREMIERE

Sci-fi thriller Primeval roars back onto BBC AMERICA. When evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) discovers prehistoric creatures alive and well in the present day, the natural world is turned on its head and humanity faces a threat to its very existence. Unexplained anomalies are ripping holes in the fabric of time, allowing creatures to roam the modern world.  In the new season Cutter struggles with the death of his assistant and his wife’s betrayal, while the cloak of secrecy behind which they’ve been working is beginning to slip.

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Brian Wood has announced the reversion of publishing rights to his debut work, Channel Zero, and its prequel, Jennie One.

According to the press release:

First published in 1998 by Image Comics and later in 2000 by AIT/Planet Lar, Channel Zero is writer/artist Brian Wood’s first published comic, born out of a senior thesis project for Parsons School of Design.  Critically acclaimed and hugely influential, the book went on to enjoy six editions in its collected form.  Wired Magazine called it “surprising and fresh.”  Famed comics creator Warren Ellis called it “one of the most uplifting comics of the 1990’s”.

Channel Zero might be as definitive a response to the Giuliani years in New York City as DMZ is to the Bush presidency. Written during the “peace and prosperity” of the Clinton administration, the book nevertheless looks at the darker side of a lot of the “cleanup” issues of the time period. Jennie One, the (anti?)heroine of both books, set the tone for Wood’s complicated, compelling female characters, and Jennie One the book was the beginning of Wood’s collaboration with the always fabulous Becky Cloonan.

Keep an eye out for more news on the books, as Wood is now free to find a new publisher for a possible new edition.

Shy, elusive recluse Bendis grants rare interview: Here’s a pretty nice interview with Brian Michael Bendis over at Bookslut. It takes a broader look at Bendis and his work, particularly on Ultimate Spider-Man, rather than the very specific, project and plot-point specific sorts of interviews Bendis often finds himself involved in.

Make your own superheroes are gay joke: “Calling all superheroes and fairies”

Well, at least one paper is actually hiring a cartoonist: Chatanooga altweekly The Pulse is looking for a local artist to contribute a weekly cartoon.

Just five?: I probably would have just went with “all of them,” and saved a few hundred words.

Well it ain’t more Plastic Man, but I ain’t complaining either: More pages of Kyle Baker’s Hawkman project. Hurry up and announce this, DC so I can mark my calendar and start counting down to it!

It’s like a blog you can cut your finger tip on!: The alert nerds of Alertnerd.com will be covering the New York Comic Con using, according to Matthew Springer, “the power of the original Tweet: GODDAMNED PAPER.” Their plan is to put together their coverage, print it on this thin flat surface made for trees, and distribute it around the con for your perusal around noon-ish on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Watch the alert nerd Twitter thingee for more info, or, if you’re going, look for the Alert Nerd team, who I assume will be arriving each day riding on bicycles with very large front wheels and very small back wheels.

Or you could just keep buying those Obama/Spider-Man comics Marvel is now re-publishing once a week: Celebrate Black History Month by celebrating black comics history over at the 4th Letter, where you’ll find a series of essays about the intersection of black culture and comics courtesy of David Brothers.

In Denver, a man robbed two stores with a Klingon weapon.  No, I am not kidding.  Is it now time for a new crime bill that regulates the importation of off-planet arsenals?  “Please put all Batleths and Agonizers in the tray before boarding.”

Part 5 of the Lurid Media webseries is online! Illustrator P. Craig Russell continues his discussion on sequential art and parallel narrative. Video after the cut…

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Greetings, all; Troy here.  Please extend a warm welcome to Lee Cherolis and Kyle Latino; they’re comic creators from Indiana, and two of the many contributors at the Indy Webcomics Group.  This marks their initial installment, but expect to see the fellas popping up on a regular basis.  First, please allow them to introduce themselves . . .

Lee Cherolis is a Cartoonist and Graphic Designer living and working in Indianapolis, Indiana. He founded and maintains a local artist blog and promotional group, at http://www.indywebcomics.com. He’s had short stories published in comics anthologies as well as his comic strips appearing in local news-weekly magazines in Indianapolis. You can reach Lee at lcherolis@gmail.com.

Kyle Latino: Used bookseller by trade, sequential artist by vocation.  Aspires to become a professional penciler, though he is fully aware that it is far more likely to be struck by lightning.  First started reading comics right after the first X-Men movie, has only gotten snobbier since then.  Can be reached at latino.kyle@gmail.com.

And now, Brainstorming: Digital Comics . . .

iVerse, you verse.

In November of last year, iVerse Media released their first round of comics on the App store for the iPhone (whenever I say iPhone, we also mean iPod Touch). Since then, there has been a steady stream of new titles and releases. Readership of these comics, many available for free, soared over 100,000 in just two months. iPhone sales exploded this holiday season, and each customer, new and old, is scrambling to see what this little machine can do. The opportunity to pave a new market for digital comics has never been greater. Some have said that all it will take is an iTunes for comics before digital comics will take off, well now comics are on iTunes.

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By Christian Beranek

Okay, so last week we left off with Bill (the inter-dimensional time traveling comic book enthusiast) warning me of the impending collapse of the industry in 2021. He presented to me a challenge; to let you the people know what dangers await. And how was I do to this? To go on adventures, of course. But that was all I got out of our time-calling friend. Immediately after he uttered the words “Seek out the –” the connection crackled. then dropped the call. I blame the crappy 3G network here in Los Angeles. That and the fact I live in the hills. Reception is spotty — and you would think it would be better since I’m closer to outer space. Satellites and towers, work together, dammit!

Anyways, I sat for a moment and pondered what to do next. Then, I did what anyone in my position would do: I logged on to check my Facebook account. And guess what? I found out I was tagged in all of these ridiculous “25 Things About Me” threads. Seriously, I wondered who had time to write all this stuff down. I was also wondering why I felt the compulsion to do one of my own!

“Begone foul temptress,” I shouted out as I pressed the log out button.

Okay, so I had averted writing out that list for Facebook. But I still had to write the list for someone! So, lucky readers, you’re in for a treat.

I grabbed up a Moleskine notebook and a pen. I needed to get it out of my system so I could continue on in the name of adventure.

25 Things About CB

1. Born in Iowa, just like James T. Kirk.

2. Once scraped up my last $3 in change to get a burger from across the street at Tommy’s off of Rampart and Beverly.

3. Lived in Europe for 5 years.

4. Have two brothers, an adopted brother, and a half sister.

5. In 1987, I scraped up $3 in pennies to buy a copy of Comics Scene from the Kuik Stop in Glenwood, Iowa — the magazine promised me Watchmen was going into production soon!

6. Collected Watchmen as it came out on the shelves. Issue 12 was late, but no one bitched about it too much. No message boards back then.

7. Produced, wrote, and acted in a 34-minute film called Caucasian Brown. Production budget was $200.

8. Slept in my car for a week in 1995.

9. Have a favorite book and I’ll never tell you what it is.

10. Got a gash in my head from a trash can shot in a pro wrestling match.

11. Once had really, really long hair down to my butt.

12. I play guitar and sing.

13. Have a funny Salman Rushdie story I’ll tell you if you ask nicely.

14. I love Third Eye Blind and am not ashamed to admit it.

15. Once lived for a year off of Ebay sales.

16. Used to teach swimming lessons.

17. Sometimes I take on too much.

18. Have seen ego get the best of people.

19. Someone saved my life once.

20. Have different pseudonyms.

21. Had the best time working with my brothers at our company Silent Devil.

22. Launched my new company Lead Pipe Entertainment with production guru/lettering samurai Thomas Mauer in 2008.

23. Have the best friends in the world.

24. Will adventure for you, the people.

25. Knows you know who you are.

Whew. I feel better. And now you, my faithful readers, know a little bit more about me. And you didn’t have to read it on Facebook — you read it right here on Newsarama!

And now, back to adventure as next time I will recount New York Comic Con 2009, which takes place in the future — but by the time you read it, the tale will already be in the past. So, presently…

News bites from CB:

Disney Comics Panel at New York Comic Con Friday February 6th 4:30 – 5:30 in room 1A14. Ahmet Zappa and Christian Beranek will be making a guest appearance to discuss Kingdom Comics.

Ahmet Zappa and Christian Beranek option rights to The Minions of Ka graphic novel.

Dracula vs. King Arthur digital downloads go live.

Christian Beranek co-founded and runs Disney’s Kingdom Comics alongside Ahmet Zappa and Harris Katleman. CB has a first look film/tv deal with Disney/ABC. He has several projects in development around town including Dracula vs. King Arthur, based on the graphic novel he co-created. He is currently working on his first novel and an album. CB is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter: www.twitter.com/beranek

iFanboy, 1UP, ROFLThing, and Popgun are having a party to end all parties during the New York Comic Con.

I’ll let the invite speak for itself:

New York Comic Con Meet-up

Hosted by iFanboy, ROFLThing, 1UP and Popgun

Who: Internet superstars and hosts of Revision3′s weekly comic book
show iFanboy: Conor Kilpatrick, Ron Richards, and Josh Flanagan; Tim
Hwang, founder of ROFLCon, the world’s greatest Internet culture
conferences, Garnett Lee, editor of 1UP and Mark Andrew Smith & Joe
Keatinge, editors of the Harvey Award Winning Popgun Anthology
published by Image Comics.

Featured attendees also include: Christian Beranek, writer, Disney’s Kingdom Comics; Paul Cornell, writer, Marvel Comics’ Captain Britain & MI13 and television writer, Dr. Who and Robin Hood; Mike Norton, artist, Green Arrow & Black Canary and Trinity; Tom Katers, co-host, Around Comics and host, Tom vs. The Flash; Meredith Gran, writer, Octopus Pie; Jonathan Rosenburg, creator, Goats; Scott Kurtz, creator, PvP; Brad Guigar, creator, Evil Inc; Robert Khoo, business manager, Penny Arcade; Neil Kleid, cartoonist, RANT Comics, Action Ohio, The Chemistry Set; Wes and Tony, Amazing Superpowers; Scott Ramsoomair, cartoonist, VG Cats; Johnny Johnny, Tiki Bar TV; and more to be announced!

What: Meet-up with iFanboy, ROFLThing, 1UP and Popgun during New York Comic Con! You’re invited to mix and mingle with Comic Book creators, fans and Internet celebrities as they experience Comic Con. Find out the latest happenings from the Con and all things entertainment—and share a beer with the hosts and creators, too.

When: Saturday, February 7

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Where:
Stitch Bar & Lounge
247 West 37th Street
Between 7th and 8th Avenue
New York City

The Young Adult Library Services of America has released its Great Graphic Novels of 2009 list! Among the capes-and-tights taking the awards are:

- The Death of Captain America

- Sinestro Corps War

- Planet Hulk

- Umbrella Academy

- Runaways: Dead End Kids

Meanwhile, DC’s art-house division Vertigo also garnered some acclaim, for original graphic novels Incognegro and Cairo. Check out the list and recommend ‘em to your friends!