At io9.com, Blog@’s own Graeme McMillan chats with writer Matt Fraction about his fast-paced spy-fi series Casanova:

The series deals with some pure sci-fi concepts (time travel, alternate universes, robots, etc.) in a very offhanded, throwaway manner. Do you think that comic readers in general are so used to this stuff you don’t need to spend time explaining it, or is it that it’s so secondary to the human interactions that you want to write about?

Nah, it’s just not what the book’s about, at least to me. It’s not about spies or floating heads or giant robots; it’s not about what movies I’ve seen or what bands I like, no matter what the text bits at the back go on about. All that’s maybe the form but not its content. Or not its only content, anyway.

Like, there’s a line Ballard said of science fiction that “from the margins of an almost invisible literature has sprung the intact reality of the 20th century,” and I guess, in my own sweetly retarded way, I’m looking to make Casanova the kind of “literature” from which my own intact reality might spring, or at least from which said reality may be divined. And not even in that base, Rod Serling sort of “Oh noez the martians are an allegory for immigrants and science fiction is really just symbolic social fiction and we’ve seen the enemy and it is us” sort of reality, not the shared reality of this craa-aaa-aaa-zy world we live in, but the brute, base reality of MY life, of my world and whatever it is I’m going through at any given moment. You make it all up and it all comes true anyway. As a writer, Casanova is the lens through which I try to view my life.

It’s also an excuse to execute every abject genre jolly I ever had, so, y’know. Bonus.

The entire first issue of Casanova is available online at Newsarama.

Related: Valerie D’Orazio asks, “Where’s DC’s Matt Fraction?”

On his blog, Dan Hipp walks through his process for writing and drawing Gyakushu, from plotting and thumbnails to inks and grayscaling.

He also provides an update on The Amazing Joy Buzzards: May will see an omnibus edition collecting the first two volumes of the series, followed by a new volume in July, named Monster Love.

Gyakushu, Vol. 2, hits shelves this week.

For your viewing pleasure, writer Mark Andrew Smith sent us the complete Aqua Leung story originally published in Popgun volume one, the anthology Image released late last year. Drawn by Paul Maybury, the story provides a taste of what to expect from the first Aqua Leung graphic novel due in April.

Check it out after the jump …

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The Hero Initiative has added a couple of T-shirts to their online store to help raise money for the cause. The first features Dawn by Joseph Michael Linsner:

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A couple of weeks ago Tom Bondurant shared his thoughts on ten DC Comics-related comics/events coming up in 2008. I liked the idea, so I threw it out to the rest of the Blog@ team to see if they wanted to tackle 2008-oriented “top ten” lists related to other areas in the comics world, i.e. manga, alt-comix, Marvel, etc.

You’ll see these lists pop up on the blog over the next week or so. We know they aren’t exhaustive and just represent what we’re looking forward to, so we invite you to let us know what you’re looking forward to. For today, I present Chris Mautner’s list of ten reprint collections to look forward to in 2008. While some of the lists were put together by more than one person, this one is all Chris:

1. Humbug and Trump collections (Fantagraphics). Perhaps it’s cheating to put these two projects together, but I tend to group them together in my mind. I’ve heard so much about Harvey Kurtzman’s ambitious, cancelled before their time magazine projects that I’m overjoyed (and honestly, a little shocked) to realize they’ll both be coming out this year in handsome packages.

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–Robert Kirkman shares a B&W version of the cover to Walking Dead #51 by Charlie Aldard.

–This just in: Alan Moore has no interest in the Watchmen movie.

–George Khoury examines the comic book implosion of the 1990s. Tom Spurgeon questions a few of his assertions.

–Old Man Musings went to the Stan Lee-themed exhibit in Los Angeles and took pictures.

–Persepolis got snubbed in the Oscar’s Foreign Film category. Hopefully it will be listed under Best Animated Film.

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The Forbidden Planet blog has an extensive interview up with Kane and Jack Staff creator Paul Grist:

MB: Have you always been into comics and which artists and comics were particularly inspirational?

PG: The short answer is yes. Ever since I can remember comics have always been around. I had an older brother and he had comics, and so I had comics. The ones that made the biggest impression on me were comics like TV21 and artists like Frank Bellamy and Mike Noble. They were the artists that I would look at as a small child and think, ‘Yeah!!!’ They made me want to draw comics really.

MB: You’ve developed quite a different style from those artists despite their influence.

PG: They were the ones that made me want to draw comics, but there were other artists who, if you like, I stole things from, but inspirationally they [artists such as Frank Bellamy and Mike Noble] were the ones that I was looking at when I was a very small child. Then, later on, you come to the artists that actually make you realise how things are done artistically. When I was a late teenager that was artists like Frank Miller and Dave Sim. They were a lot more motivational in giving me ideas about how to draw.

Sure, it’s free online, but whatever happened to the PvP comic books that Image publishes? Scott Kurtz answers that question on his blog:

Image Comics stands out as one of the most philosophically sound comic book publishers out there. To their detriment at times, they are pro-creator. PvP has the best home it can have at Image Comics and I’ve been lax on keeping my room tidy at the Image House. I’ve spent the last week catching up on late issues and collections.

The PvP Awesomology was due in November and now we’re looking early spring. We just tried to cram too much awesome into it. This is the first hardcover I’ve ever made and I want it to be perfect. My philosophy with the book is that every issue is going to be my last, so make it count. The Awesomology is almost 10 years of my life stuffed between two covers. I don’t want to look back on it and say “I should have done X,Y or Z differently.” So I guess I’ve been choking a bit on it. But we’re past that now and ready to get it off to the printer this week. I’ll keep you updated on it’s new ship date. We’ll be offering it here via the site as well so stay tuned.

The people who I’ve screwed over the most by being late are all the retailers who support PvP by keeping it in stock at their stores. So I wanted to try to make it up to them in some way. The best way to do that is to get on-time and stay on-time. But beyond that, I would also like to do something nice to say thank you. So help me out with this. If you buy PvP comics from your local shop, and you want to thank them for keeping you in fresh PvP, drop me an email with the name of the store you frequent, their address and the name of their owner/manager. I would like to send them a thank you package for keeping PvP in stock, despite my falling behind in 2007.

More at the link.

As we approach the end of 2007 (just a few more hours, and counting), I asked the Blog@ team to share some of their favorite comics from the previous year. As Kevin says below, it was tough to narrow down the list to just a few stand-outs, but here are our favorites:

Tom Bondurant

I’m sure no one is surprised to see Architecture & Mortality as one of my Best of 2007 picks. I loved the heck out of Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang’s metatextual take down of DC’s periodic character overhauls. Whether it was setting up a groan-worthy pun or a sentimental moment, A&M was designed to make its readers question not only the manner of revamping and reusing obscure DC characters, but the roles of all involved, including the fans. It reminded this reader that every character has its own dignity.

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St. Louis’ Playback talks with writer Joe Casey about the January relaunch of Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood at Image:

Youngblood is a series that has had many false starts and unfinished stories. How much of that spotty prior history is considered canon for your new take on the characters, and what promises can you offer to fans that they won’t get burned again?

The series is designed so that if you’re familiar with the specific history and past stories of the characters, this series will seem like the next logical step. If you’re new to the characters and the concept, everything you’ll need to know about their past will be included in the comics.

[snip]

Rob Liefeld’s name seems to stir up a lot of animosity among comics fans, yet the response to the announcement of your new series has been overwhelmingly positive. Were you surprised by that response?

Not really, because the affection that a generation of readers has for these characters is huge. It certainly outweighs anyone’s feelings about any one comic book professional. I’m just happy that readers seem to be excited about the comic. It’s a big part of why we do this.

The second part of the interview is set to appear on Dec. 28.

I don’t have the latest issue of Spin Magazine, but according to several blog posts that popped up last night it announces a new Image Comics anthology, Comic Book Tattoo, which will feature stories inspired by Tori Amos songs. Rantz Hoseley is editing and the book will be out in time for Comic-Con International next year.

Newsarama contributor Chris Arrant will write one of the stories:

As reported in the newest issue of SPIN magazine, musician Tori Amos is coming to comics in the form of a comic book anthology graphic novel entitled Comic Book Tattoo. A variety of comics talent are working on stories inspired by specific songs from Tori’s album, and I’m one of them (not the songs… the talent!) Artist Star St. Germain and I are working on a favorite song of mine that I can’t disclose just yet.

Lea Hernandez and Neil Kleid will also have stories in the book.

Update: As will Colleen Doran.

Update 2: And Leah Moore, John Reppion and Pia Guerra.

Paul Jenkins’ Sidekick
Written by Paul Jenkins; Illustrated by Chris Moreno
Image
$16.99

I don’t usually like superhero parody a whole lot. It’s an overdone subgenre and most of the parodies I’ve read just repeat the same tired jokes endlessly. I’d list a couple of examples for you, but honestly it makes my head hurt to think about. I actually am pretty fond of superhero comics and dwelling on their worst qualities isn’t something I enjoy. If I find a particular aspect of superhero comics unappealing or ridiculous, I’ll just quit reading comics that have that trait. I certainly don’t want to read a parody comic that highlights it and makes it the center of focus.

Sidekick isn’t that kind of parody. I actually had to think about the word “parody” for a bit to decide if it even applies to Sidekick, but I think it does. Certainly there are some fun, silly superhero comics that get inappropriately labeled as parody, but they’re more celebrating the genre than making fun of it. It’s the difference between laughing with someone and laughing at him. Let me repeat that it’s certainly valid to laugh at superhero comics; I’d just prefer that comics that do that be, you know, actually funny. And that’s what separates Sidekick from the usual parody.

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Mark Andrew Smith and Dan Hipp sent us an early gift this year … all eight pages of their Amazing Joy Buzzards story from the Image Comics Holiday Special that came out in 2005.

Smith and Hipp are currently working on volume 3 of the AJB saga, titled “MonsterLove.” It’s due next July.

Click on the images to see a larger version, and enjoy!

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IGN.com talks with writer Robert Kirkman about his Image Comics superhero series, Invincible, which is approaching its 50th issue:

IGN Comics: Would you say Invincible has a major, recurring villain in the same way that Spider-Man has Green Goblin or Batman has the Joker?

Kirkman: Definitely not, possibly to the detriment of the series. There are tons of different villains in the series – scads and scads, in fact. As far as one taking center stage and moving to the forefront to become the one guy he fights over and over again – it hasn’t really happened. I don’t know that it ever will. It’s such a major facet of superhero comics that I think it starts to get a little hokey after a while.

It’s nice to have a central nemesis and a recurring battle between two forces. That’s all well and good, but when you’ve fought Doctor Octopus 4,000 times and the outcome is always the same, it gets to be a little unrealistic. With Invincible I’m trying to do fantastic, crazy, bizarre superhero stuff, but at the same time, I’m trying to keep it more grounded than your average Marvel or DC book. Part of that is not having characters show up and basically do the same thing every time they appear.

Kirkman also discusses the changes that begin with Issue 51, including a new costume.

The Independent Film Channel is adding three new series from Japanese animation distributor FUNimation Entertainment to its line-up, including Witchblade, Speed Grapher and Hell Girl:

IFC has found fan favorites in anime fare before, such as 2007 series Samurai 7, Basilisk and Gunslinger Girl. As the young male-skewing genre’s popularity continues to grow online, on home video and on other cable networks, IFC has joined other cable networks that program the genre in making itself a presence at comic-book convention Comic-Con.

The titles build on other fare the network has programmed outside of independent films, such as infamous R. Kelly rock opera Trapped in the Closet and acquired musical sketch comedy The Whitest Kids U Know, as well as original series The Business and The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman.

“We consider ourselves the voice of independent culture, and we’ve taken that on as our mission,” IFC general manager Evan Shapiro said. “People who come to IFC want different, new things and new cultures, and anime represents the epitome of that kind of world culture.”

Witchblade premieres in January, with Speed Grapher following in March and Hell Girl — which I hadn’t heard of but which sounds the coolest to me — “sometime in 2008.”

Tokypop and DC Comics lead the final nominations for the Young Adult Library Services Association’s annual list of Great Graphic Novels For Teens with 23 nods each.

DC’s nominations include titles from its CMX, Minx and Vertigo imprints.

Tokyopop and DC are followed by Del Rey with 11 nominations, Viz Media with 10, Go! Comi with eight, and First Second and Marvel with seven each.

YALSA is part of the American Library Association.

The full list of nominees can be found here.

(Link via David Welsh)

Universal Pictures sent out a press release yesterday saying that the movie adaptation of Wanted will hit theaters on June 27 next year, rather than March 28.

From the release:

In making the date-change announcement, Nikki Rocco, Universal Pictures’ President of Distribution, stated, “After an early look at “Wanted”, we are certain that it fulfills its promise as a stunning, committed, thrilling, eye-popping vision that introduces a bold new narrative. We believe it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the event titles of the summer and will give audiences a chance to discover a fresh new alternative. We are excited to date the film on June 27.”

Hawaiian Dick Volume 1: Byrd Of Paradise
Written by B. Clay Moore; Illustrated by Steven Griffin
Image
$14.95

I’d forgotten how much I liked Hawaiian Dick. Because both the inaugural mini-series and its follow up The Last Resort had problems coming out on time, it’s been tough to keep enthusiastic about Danny Byrd mysteries. In fact, after The Last Resort, I promised myself that I’d wait for the trades on any future installments of the series.

But my fondness for the concept must be deep-rooted because my resolve to wait for trades was severely tested by the arrival of the new Hawaiian Dick ongoing. And though I’m still skittish about buying it in individual issues, the new series got me thinking about revisiting the original. And doing that has me even more tempted to start picking up the singles again.

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The New York Times looks at what writer Joseph V. Tirella dubs “the coffee table-ization of comics,” paying special attention to the oversized hardcovers produced by DC and Marvel. Chalk one up to an aging readership with deep pockets:

While the sales of single-issue copies are down from the boom years of the early 1990s, the comic business as a whole has been rebounding, fueled partly by the demand for high-end collections by an aging audience nostalgic for the comics of its youth.

“The publishers are doing this because the market exists now,” said Kuo-Yu Liang, a vice president for Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest distributor of English-language comics in the world. “It reflects the demographics of the consumer, who is both older and more affluent. They can now afford to buy the complete Fantastic Four or Frank Miller’s ‘Sin City Library’ for $100 or so a piece.”

[snip]

Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC, said, “We love our passionate readers who spend from $1,000 to $1,500 a year on comics, but there’s a lot more people who are willing to pay $300 or $400 a year on graphic novels and luxury editions.”

Fantagraphics and Image also receive brief mentions.

Of course, that Levitz quote has me reaching for a calculator to see whether I qualify as a “passionate reader.” I don’t think I make the cut.