Mez-itz 6″ rotocast vinyl collectibles that are cool by design.

seriesOne of Mezco’s designer vinyl line presents Hellboy & Abe Sapian. These figures, based on the character designs from the film Hellboy 2:The Golden Army unleash the potential of the Mez-itz designer figures. Applying the essence of these dynamic heroes onto the canvas like Mezitz vinyl Mezco produces something exciting and original.

These two figures are exclusive to Toys R Us and ToysRus.com.
They can be purchased at

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3684540

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3684541

or at your local Toys R Us retail location.

Abe Sapien, the psychic humanoid amphibious paranormal investigator of Hellboy fame, gets the deluxe treatment with this super-sized figure. Standing a towering eighteen inches tall, this Abe Sapien is faithful to the design of Abe as seen in Hellboy 2:The Golden Army. Abe features fifteen points of articulation, removable goggles, and removable breathing apparatus.

Abe will be available at San Diego Comic Con in July 2009 or through Mezco Direct at
http://www.mezcotoyz.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=728

Abe Sapien photos by Jason Jerde.

Here is a quick run-down on the latest about the new Pop Gun War. Emily is somewhere on tour with her rock band and is staying at some seedy Motel in the middle of nowhere. She slams the door on a nosy mailman and that seems to set off a chain of events. Like Alice in Wonderland, she gets propelled down a portal to another world full of dark mysterious figures. (more…)

Farel Dalrymple’s art is art you can love. It takes you to a good place where artist rankings and hipster factors don’t matter. This is just plain good stuff. I had a chance to chat with Farel at the Stumptown Comics Festival and this interview resulted. The man sure gets around and despite any modesty on his part, he is a drawing machine. Check out his LiveJournal. It says it all.

Farel Dalrymple is well known for his on-going comics series, Pop Gun War, published by Dark Horse Comics. He is the founder of the influential Meathaus collective and the winner of a Xeric Grant and Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. This year he is nominated for a couple of Eisner Awards for his collaboration with writer Johnathan Lethem on the Marvel Comics 10-issue series, Omega the Unknown. Currently, he is at work on The Wrenchies. This 250-page, full-color comic is a postapocalyptic fantasy that takes place 3,500 years in the future, featuring a group of street children called “The Bolts.” It is due out in 2010 by First Second. (more…)

Mothers. Everybody’s got one (unless you’re Superboy, who has two dads).

But in comics, motherhood has always been a major part of a hero’s psyche, for better or for worse. Which is why we wracked our brains to bring you a Special Mother’s Day Treat — a light-hearted compilation of the Top 20 Best and Worst Mothers in Comics!

Top 10 Best Mothers in Comics: Finding decent mothers in comics is no easy task, with many of them vying for space in the back of Kyle Rayner’s refrigerator. (What, too soon?) But the best of heroes always have a better mother behind them, and the best of the best have made the list:

10. Animal Man’s wife, Ellen Baker: She kept her family in one piece while her husband was considered MIA for a year, following the events of Infinite Crisis. And yet she still stayed strong, and kept her two kids hopeful during all that time. That automatically puts her on the list. (more…)

If you walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything…

Even people to buy your sequel rights.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, it looks like the sequel rights for Sin City are being shopped around Hollywood, as representatives for Frank Miller are “looking for a new place to set up a potential follow-up.” This may have to do with Miller’s disappointing directorial debut, the Spirit, which despite a Christmas-time marketing blitz did poorly critically and commercially.

Yet the Weinstein Company, who most recently held the rights to the Sin City franchise, told THR that “TWC’s rights to produce sequels to ‘Sin City’ remain intact as they always have been.” The film, made for $45 million, ended up making $158 million worldwide. It also has one of my all-time favorite movie trailers, linked below:

I’m still not finished working my way through the Buffy and Angel TV series on DVD, so I have yet to read the Buffy and Angel comics, though I bought them for my sister for her birthday. So I was surprised to hear that James Marsters (Spike from the show, for the uninitiated) had guest-written an issue of the Dark Horse Buffy comics.

Splash Page had a story earlier today with Marsters’s comments on writing the comic, which included:

“I thought that if I wrote a comic, I’d have ultimate power over everything,” said Marsters. “It was a rude awakening to find out how little power writers have.”

Dark Horse gave Splash Page a statement in response to Marsters’s comments, which included criticisms of artist Ryan Sook.

“The artist James was referring to was Ryan Sook, and he was someone Joss really liked,” explained Dark Horse Senior Managing Editor Scott Allie… “When James expressed his concerns about Ryan, Joss talked to James for me, and told him this was how he wanted the book handled. I talked to Juliet about this recently, and she had no problem with any of it — she’d seen the book and thought it was fine.”

This all may have been blown out of proportion just a bit, though. After all, the original article ended with Marsters joking that all of the portrayals of his character in the subsequent comics have been “overly handsome.”

The latest news from the Hollywood Reporter makes you wonder if the Umbrella Academy film is going to be a washout rather than a perfect storm.

Mark Bomback, who wrote the script for the Keanu Reeves/Vertigo adaptation Constantine, has apparently signed on to adapt Gerard Way’s Eisner-winning Dark Horse series. Yet I’m not so sure this is a great idea — while Constantine only earned a 45% Rotten rating from RottenTomatoes, his recent Race to Witch Mountain only got 40%. However, I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention his work on Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard, which received a favorable rating of 81%.

The series, created by the My Chemical Romance frontman, is about the seven superpowered wards of Sir Reginald Hargeeves, who break up traumatically in childhood only to later combat an apocalyptic threat as adults — albeit with a spaceman-gorilla hybrid, time travel, and a music solo to end the world thrown in the mix.

As promised (I hope), this should be my last offering related to the recent WATCHMEN release.

In a GQ issue with a little something for everyone (trying to make it in the publishing biz with Lenny Dykstra sounds more awful than any horror story I’ve caught in recent years about the comics industry), the April 2009 issue of GQ has a feature entitled “The 20 Graphic Novels You Should Read (After “Watchmen”).”

The men in tights are kept to a minimum (Batman doesn’t even get a mention that I’m aware of, save for citing Ed Brubaker — Superman and Madman earn high marks one time each), and it’s a respectable look at how comics aren’t just kids stuff, a noble venture by a magazine geared to get male consumers everywhere to buy $300 Hugo Boss t-shirts.

Of course 20 items isn’t even going to scratch the surface, but what additional suggestions would YOU make to a mainstream publication like GQ?

If the little boys of the 1950s loved cowboys and Indians, I can only imagine how dinosaurs and Indians must have hit them. In 1954,  Dell Four Color #596 introduced the feature “Turok, Son of Stone,” the story of two young braves who stumble upon a lost world of dinosaurs. It cost a dime, and it had a painting of two dinosaurs fighing while a worried Indian watches from the safety of a cave right there on the cover.

While I have to imagine how exciting those early Turok stories must have been in the eyes of the readers they were originally created for, I don’t have to imagine what the stories themselves were like, thanks to Turok, Son of Stone Vol. 1, a new Dark Horse Archives collection of Turok stories from Dell Four Color and six issues of Turok.

While there’s certainly no mistaking them for modern comics, these Turok tales age remarkably well.

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Rick Geary may be best known for his tales of Victorian era murder, but he’s certainly quite capable of drawing things that have nothing to do with the most famous murder cases of the 19th and early 20th century.

There’s that fantastic Gumby series he did with Bob Burden, for example, and now here’s another, newer example: The Adventures of Blanche. This gorgeously designed (by Heidi Whitcomb) hardcover from Dark Horse collects Geary’s rather occasional series of stories about Blanche, an early 20th century American pianist who travels the world, crossing paths with eminent historical personalities and fantastical events.

Within the covers of the book, designed to resemble the size and shape of Geary’s murder treasury books and thus fit nicely on a book shelf next to them, are 1992’s Blanche Goes to New York, 1993’s Blanche Goes to Hollywood and 2001’s Blanche Goes To Paris.

A new, three-page “introductory reminiscence” introduces the stories, a first person account of how Geary came upon the letters of his piano teacher grandmother, and what he learned within them (The title page of each of the three adventures begins with a credit saying “From letters discovered by Rick Geary”).

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I can’t remember the last time I ever sat down to write a review and felt as daunted by the task as I am at the moment, as I stare past my laptop screen and think of how to best address Larry Marder’s Beanworld Book 1: Wahoolazuma!, Dark Horse’s upcoming hardcover collection of the first nine issues of the well-regarded series.

Those already familiar with Marder’s Beanworld, those who caught it the first time around, as an independent book in the ‘80s, don’t need a review, of course. For them, a simple, “Hey, Dark Horse is collecting Beanworld!” should suffice.

But the current generation of readers, those of us who have never read Beanworld, or would respond to that same news with a, “Um, what’s a Beanworld?” How to review it to that audience, an audience I myself was in until a few days ago?

Scott McCloud, a guy who knows a thing or two about explaining comics, suggests in his introduction to the volume (originally penned in 1989), that there’s probably little point in doing so.

“You’re the first person on earth to read this comic,” McCloud writes, “Others have been here…but they all saw something different, and they all left thinking different things…you’re the only one able to see it this way. Your way.” Because of how truly collaborative the work is between the creator and his audience, McCloud explains, the reader inevitably brings a lot to the table when it comes to the perception of this work.

To a certain extent, all comics—all art, really—is a work of collaboration between author and audience, but Beanworld asks a lot more from the reader, and, in fact, seems specifically engineered—either through intent or accident—to remain just abstract enough, just self-contained enough that this enormous amount of collaboration is encouraged…and rewarded.

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GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has announced its nominees for its 20th annual media awards. Among its comic book nominees are:

The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames (Vertigo/DC Comics)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon (Dark Horse Comics)

Final Crisis: Revelations by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)

Secret Six by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott (DC Comics)

Young Avengers Presents by Ed Brubaker, Brian Reed, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Cornell, Kevin Grevioux and Matt Fraction (Marvel Comics)

It’s a small, small world when it comes to the comics industry.

MTV has reported that Gerard Way, the writer of the critically-acclaimed Dark Horse series The Umbrella Academy, will be leading his band My Chemical Romance for a track on the upcoming Watchmen movie soundtrack.

Way and Company will apparently be contributing a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row.” The song will be released January 27th.

By Filip Sablik, Publisher of Top Cow Productions, Inc.

I love ice cream. It’s one of my many vices and I’m cool with that. Chocolate and vanilla are old standbys because they pair well with just about anything. Pie? Good. Cake? Good. Cookies? Good. Bananas, nuts, and candy? Good. A nice filet mignon? Probably not, but I’d be willing to try it.

As much as those two flavors are standbys and consistently the most popular flavors in surveys, I do love to experiment with different flavors. Hit me with some Peanut Butter Cup, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cookies & Cream, Rocky Road, or any number of more unique combinations and I’m a happy man. What does this have to do with comics?

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen a bunch of “Best” lists online for top picks of comics and graphic novels for 2008 and couldn’t help but notice how heavily dominated they are by Big Two books. When I scan the list of top-selling books from Diamond each month on ICv2, I can’t help but notice the lack of what I would call independent titles.  In the top 25 comics last month, there was only one non-Marvel, non-DC title – Buffy, The Vampire Slayer – an excellent read, but a licensed property with its roots in television. In the top 50, only two others – Angel (same boat as Buffy) and The Umbrella Academy. The Umbrella Academy gives me a little bit of hope, because it’s a fantastic, unique comic that doesn’t rely on a pre-established licensed property, but that’s only one out of 50! The top 100 looks a bit better, but only slightly so with the addition of The Walking Dead, Spawn, Conan the Cimmerian (licensed again) and Black Terror from Dynamite Entertainment.

Then reading John Mayo’s monthly report of sales through Diamond, I came across this chilling statement – “the total units sold for the top 300 comics was down by an estimated 1,763,925 units from October 2008 and down 1,185,793 from November 2007.” As John explains, the reason for this significant sales hit is because a number of high-profile titles from Marvel and DC Comics did not ship in those two months.

Back to my ice cream analogy so we can bring this blog entry full circle. Marvel and DC are our vanilla and chocolate. I say “our” because they’re mine as well, I love the characters and the stories these companies produce. But the pure domination of the market concerns me both as a fan of independent and original comics and as a publisher of the same said comics. It bugs me when I see a second or third-tier superhero character outselling a unique, critically acclaimed title like The Goon, Mouse Guard, Firebreather or Pax Romana.

Using November as an example again, Marvel had almost 43% of the total units sold to comic shops and DC had 35%. The percentages by which vanilla and chocolate are favorite flavors? According to the International Ice Cream Association, 29% prefer vanilla and less than 9% prefer chocolate. Independent comic publishers fight over 22% of the market, while other ice cream flavors compete for 62% of your taste buds. I think the latter makes for a much richer market place overall.

What do you think?

Take care,

Filip Sablik
Publisher Guy

Filip Sablik is the Publisher of Top Cow Productions, Inc. He’s been in the business for eight years and just officially entered his thirties. Occasionally, he does a bit of writing and drawing. He loves comics.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. was founded by Marc Silvestri, co-founder of Image Comics. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades.

The New York Comiccon has announced a tentative lineup of its panel schedule!

Here are some of the highlights for this year’s programming:

The Do’s and Don’ts of Being a Comic Professional: Creating the work is one thing, but what should you keep in mind in order to present yourself well to an editor? Do personality and rapport play a part in how you’re perceived? What’s the difference between a pro’s attitude and a novice’s? How do you balance doing quality work with making the deadline? What’s the proper way to pitch? (Friday, 2-3pm)

BOOM! Studios: BIG! BOLD! BOOM! Join Mark Waid, Ross Richie, and Chip Mosher as they run down the most exciting new projects at BOOM! Including a special announcement by Mark Waid that is sure to make your head explode! (Friday, 2:15-3:15)

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Standing approximately 2inches tall, Mezco’s new take the ever popular Hellboy and friends is sure to make even a troll smile. This case of includes twelve 2packs featuring the following figures:
* Hellboy with Big Baby- Whatever you do, don’t make Hellboy wake the baby!
*Prince Nuada- The leader of the elves.
*Hellboy in black shirt- Hellboy ponders his next move.
*Abe Sapian- Hellboy’s aquatic pal.
*Hellboy in action stance- He’s crouched down and ready to fight!
*Johan- Hellboy’s ectoplasmic teammate.
*Wink- Prince Nuada’s troll sidekick.
*Golden Army Soldier- A member of the 49,000 member supernatural army built by goblin metalsmiths.
With BPRD Buddies you relive your favorite Hellboy adventures, or create new ones of your own!

Available for pre-order now at finer retailers everywhere. Appearing in stores June 2009.

By Jimmy S. Jay

Looking at the advance ship lists from Diamond of books hitting the stores on 12/24, It looks like Christmas is coming a little early. Marvel is dropping two of its heavyweights on the same day, ULTIMATUM and HULK; both entries are from the pen of Jeph Loeb.

This prompts the discussion, when was the last good thing written ABOUT Jeph Loeb? It seems that the writer has become the whipping boy for the bloggers and comic literati, yet the fact remains that an overwhelmingly majority of fans love his comics. Or why else would folks be willing to plunk down their hard earned $3 or $4 bucks several times a month?

The New Sales rankings for the month of November have been released with Ultimatum #1 topping the charts with Red Hulk quickly following in third place.

GOLD and BRONZE Medals in the competitive world of comics, even the decorated Olympian Michael Phelps wouldn’t think think was too shabby.

Add the newest Loeb book - Buffy the Vampire Slayer #20, hitting stores this past week, looks like the writer will close the year with three more books in the top 10 in DECEMBER. And this isn’t anything new; Loeb has been parked near the top of the charts for the better part of the decade, yet 2008 was a banner year in terms of accomplishments though - Loeb launched (or relaunched) THREE franchises (Ultimates 3; Hulk; Ultimatum) in the #1 top spot during the last 12 month span.

Perhaps we should look to the approach of Jeph Loeb to grasp the basis of this popularity - much like a Hall of Fame coaches such as Phil Jackson or Joe Torre, Jeph Loeb puts his team in the best position to score. Here the writer manages his titles by letting the artists shine to their strengths, and incorporating multiple splash page storytelling.

More specifically, In the Red HULK Hardcover, which collects issues #1-6 of the current series, 91 pages are pure action splashes out of the 132 total. Out of that number, 58 are double page splashes. Further-
In issue #1, 6 of 22 pages are Splashes
#2 10 of 22 are splashes
#3 7 of 22 are splashes
#4 9 of 22 are splashes
#5 8 of 22 are splashes
#6 8 of 22 are splashes.
Please note, these counts do not include half page images, nor other pages with boarder breaking panels with posed characters.

Jeph’s approach to comic storytelling does not deviate from the wide variety of artists he frequently collaborates with: the Tim Sale Eisner-winning partnerships; Jim Lee’s beloved Batman HUSH; the pop of Michael Turner’s “Supergirl” run of Superman/Batman; Joe Mad’s return to the medium in Ultimates 3; or Finch bringing down the house in Ultimatum. All incorporate a healthy dose of splash pages.

And this success does not happen in a vacuum - Brian Bendis’ best selling monthly comic to date follows the path of a Jeph Loeb story. SECRET INVASION #1, and the rest of the 8 issue mini-series, leans on artist Leinil Yu with loaded action and almost as many splash pages of an IMAGE COMIC from the mid-1990s.

How is this not candy in its connection to the mass audience? People buy, collect, and consume these books in monthly format, and for years as evergreen products in trade paperbacks and hardcovers. And in this challenging economy, retailers must respect the cash these products bring in.

And that’s the bottom line.

Jay Company Comics is a family run and operated comic book retail organization that focuses on the hottest collectibles in the market. Jay Company was founded by brothers, Bill and Jimmy S. Jay, in the spring of 1996, as they established an extensive mail order company and quickly became the #1 largest convention dealership in the nation. You can visit our family at the Jay Company booths at the San Diego Comic Con International, all WizardWorld Conventions, and other shows throughout the country.

– So Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki’s Skim was named as a finalist for the Governor-General’s Award for children’s literature up in Canada, except that Tamaki’s name was left off of the official list of nominees, because technically, she’s the artist and not the “writer.” Letters of protest were written, but apparently to no avail. Tom has reactions from those involved, including Jillian Tamaki.

– Spurgeon also has an interesting interview with Slow Wave cartoonist Jesse Reklaw. I never knew, for instance, that Reklaw left Yale to pursue a career in comics.

– Some people were worried that Tribune Media might be ending the Dick Tracy comic strip. But it turns out those fears may have been premature.

– Aaron Albert talks the Hellboy talk to Mike Mignola for About.com.

– Hey, Kramer’s Ergot 7 is going on tour!

– Another day, another editorial cartoonist gets laid off.

– Finally, Vice magazine talks to Lynda Barry.

Slow Wave author Jesse Reklaw talks about how people dream about their presidents for Powell’s Books.