For the design fans amongst you, Brian Wood explains the creation of the cover for his new series with Kristian Donaldson, The Massive, over at io9:

Sketch #1 took the day, and it was my favorite as well. So we passed it along to Kristian for him to make his own and take it to final. It presented a few problems that I could see: it was really crucial to separate the two halves of the cover, so that earth presented as the earth, and not some other planet looming in the sky. Or the foreground coming off like the moon. Or the earth not reading as a planet but some kind of giant rubber ball hanging in the sky.

I also didn’t want a realistically colored earth, with crayola-blue and green. I always favor limited palettes and non-representational color. Were it up to me, I would have kept it black and white.

It’s a really nice insight into Wood (and Donaldson)’s design process, as well as a chance to see some lovely work-in-progress sketches; I’m really looking forward to The Massive – which debuts today in Dark Horse Presents #8 – and this post works as a great tease for the kind of visuals to expect, if not for the story itself.

Over at CBR, Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson ‘fesses up and admits that, yes, Dark Horse’s digital comics are slightly cheaper than their print versions:

You are, in fact, pricing some digital comics lower than print: The digital versions of your $3.50 comics are priced at $2.99 on the day of release.

Yes. It didn’t dawn on us — the Apple store will only take [prices that end in] 99 cents, so some of the books got priced at $2.99, because the $3.99 price makes me flinch a little bit. If you take $3.50 and move it to $3.99, it’s not a very good experience. Some of the retailers are asking us please put them at the 3.99.

Will you?

It’s not our policy. I don’t like to charge more online than I do [for print copies].

Are people switching to digital to save that 51 cents?

It doesn’t seem to be happening. Print sales are steady and digital sales are growing.

Here’s my by-now-traditional question on these “Here’s what’s happening with our digital publishing plan!” interviews: Almost every single time, without fail, we see interviewees say “print sales are steady and digital sales are growing” or something similar; at what point is someone going to come out and say “We don’t think there’s as big a connection between the print and digital audiences are everyone expected, so we’re going to experiment and lower the digital price on certain books to see what happens?” Surely it’s only a matter of time, right…?

Brian Wood addresses the controversy over Dark Horse digital pricing:

Over the last few days Dark Horse was compelled to clarify what their digital plan was, in terms of pricing, correcting the perception that their comics would be sold digitally at $1.99, much less than the print versions.  I have access to the CBIA, a retailers forum, and the pushback was intense, and included overt threats of drastically lowered orders and even total boycotts of the line.  Did I mention everyone is bleeding?  I get the frustration… No sane creator, or publisher, wants to see comic shops hurt.  We all have emotional connections to them, to the idea of them, and we count owners and employees as personal friends.  We aren’t looking for digital to steal customers away from shops, but rather to be an additive thing, to be an additional source of income.  To simply switch a current print consumer to a digital consumer does not solve any problems!  It benefits no one at all.  It will not save us.

He mentions the idea that digital pricing is being kept artificially high out of fear of upsetting print retailers, saying that “the price that fair-minded readers WANT to buy digital comics at is starkly different from what’s they are currently set at,” which I think is entirely true.

I’m saddened by the idea – not put forward by Wood, I hasten to add, but by others online – that Dark Horse changed an initial plan to sell digitally at $1.99 in response to retailer upset; at the time of the official (misunderstood) announcement, I was excited to see what seemed to be Dark Horse following Archie’s lead in terms of day-and-date pricing and move into what feels like a somewhat delayed but ultimately inevitable future. Maybe one day…

Hey, do you like to get excited about cool things that you won’t be able to purchase for eight months? Well, you’ve come to the right blog post: Today Dark Horse announced firm plans for both the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 hardcovers, and the first collection of the comic’s latest volume, the now three issues-old Buffy Season 9.

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The reasons to look forward to Comics: 2012 continue to arrive with the spectacular news that Evan Dorkin is producing the first new Dork strips in five years for future issues of Dark Horse Presents:

So, what I’m doing is twenty-four pages of comics to be spread over three issues of DHP, with each eight-page anchored by a new Milk and Cheese strip. The other features will include a new Murder Family episode; several pages of Fun gag strips, as well as the return of The Eltingville Comic Book, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and Role-Playing Club. If all goes according to plan I’ll also be doing a one-page Fisher-Price Theater adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 and a short Devil Puppet story.

I’ve said it elsewhere, but Dorkin is one of the most underrated cartoonists in the industry, and I’m over the moon to see that he’ll have more new work out there soon (Especially new Eltingville). Maybe this’ll lead to a brand new Dork series in its own right…? We can only hope.

…to be raised by this (utterly lovely) cover for the upcoming hardcover collection Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight Vol. 1 - coming from Dark Horse in June, and collecting the first ten issues of the series – is, “Doesn’t Buffy apparently own a lot of clothes with her own logo on them?”

(In case you don’t remember, she also has a tank top that proudly displays her logo.)

More seriously: Good Lord, but Jo Chen just does phenomenal work, doesn’t she?

The animated adaptation of Eric Powell’s The Goon may not be anywhere near theaters yet but the creator tweeted yet another video of what it will look like when it eventually gets there. The video warns, “This is early rough test animation for the David Fincher / Blur Studios / Dark Horse Entertainment produced film THE GOON. Based on the Dark Horse Comic’s series by Eric Powell. THIS IS NOT INDICATIVE OF THE FINAL PRODUCT.” The action finally starts 30-seconds in.

Clancy Brown, who voiced Lex Luthor in several DC animated properties and Paul Giamatti voice The Goon and Franky respectively and are planned to take on the full-length roles whenever the film actually happens. As the videos preamble states, this is test footage and while it looks great, isn’t nearly as polished as Blur’s proof of concept trailer. The film, originally announced in 2008, is apparently still looking for funding. With stuff like this floating around I’m surprised it’s taking so long. Director Fincher has said it’s difficult because it’s “adult animation.” Powell lamented that he wished he sold as many comics as this video got views and also said, “Even though there’s probably no way in hell to raise 50 million, I might start a Goon film Kickstarter just for shits & giggles.”

We’ve talked a lot about Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare’s upcoming MMORPG, including talking about its tie-ins in novel and comic book form.

Today on the official site of the game, senior writer Alexander Freed, who has also written two arcs of the SWTOR comic for Dark Horse, has an extensive post about writing tie-ins, writing licenses, and just writing in general. Some of his writing rules definitely reach outside of just game comics, especially this one:

Assume Nothing

In addition to having connections to the game, a The Old Republic tie-in also needs to stand on its own. Not every reader is going to be intimately familiar with the game’s background and characters (especially before the game has come out!). For that matter, some may only have a broad familiarity with the Star Wars movies–perhaps they’ve only ever seen the original trilogy and don’t know Jar Jar Binks from Mara Jade.

So how do you write for an audience of casual fans along with the hardcore? You assume no foreknowledge on the part of the reader and you introduce everything he or she needs to know–and you make sure that you have characters and situations that resonate regardless of how they interact with the game.

Does a reader of The Lost Suns need to know that Theron Shan’s mother is a Jedi? Absolutely, and seeing Satele Shan in action during her youth (as we do in both the “Return” cinematic and The Lost Suns issue one) helps establish Theron’s identity and the setting as a whole.

Does a reader of Blood of the Empire need to know that Exal Kressh is the latest child of a Sith bloodline going back to Ludo Kressh (a character established in Tales of the Jedi comic series)? Absolutely not! Knowledgeable fans will spot the reference and infer its impact on Exal’s character, but it’s an extra–not an integral part of the plot.

There is one exception to the rule, however, and that is to always assume that your audience is smart. Give readers a strong story with characters they care about, and they’ll figure out what matters. There is no need to spoon-feed people. Simply make sure everything they need is there and they will put it all together.

Tons more from Freed at the link here as part of SWTOR.com’s weekly Friday updates. And just in case you don’t feel like exploring once you click over, here’s the awesome new Smuggler class progression video for you, too, right after the jump.

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Dark Horse Comics, who recently launched their digital catalog, are holding a tremendous giveaway at San Diego Comic-Con this week for a few lucky fans.

Each day at the convention, Thursday-Sunday, Dark Horse will be giving one lucky winner $500 in digital comics from Dark Horse Digital. At their booth, #2615, from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., raffle tickets will be handed out to fans who will have presumably been lining up as early as possible for their chance to win.  At 10 a.m. sharp, one lucky ticket will be drawn and that fan will walk away $500 richer in digital comics.

Dark Horse titles like The Goon, Solomon Kane, B.P.R.D. and Hellboy are all currently available as well as countless others in single issues or bundles. Digital Store purchases can be read on your laptop, desktop, mobile browser, and Dark Horse Bookshelf app, available on iTunes. Good luck Dark Horse fans!

It’s great to see well-deserving comics getting adapted to films. The latest? Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s Beasts of Burden from Dark Horse.

The news comes today via The Hollywood Reporter who say Shrek and The Chronicles Of Narnia director, Andrew Adamson, will be the one to bring the comic to the big screen. “Adamson is producing what is intended to be a CG-animated feature adaptation with his Strange Weather Films partner Aron Warner along with Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Entertainment,” writes THR.

Dorkin and Thompson have both won Eisner Awards for their work on the story they created which revolves around a group of dogs and one cat who team up to save their owners and others after a supernatural event happens in the town of Burden Hill.

Besides what seems like a great choice for director, looks like they’ve got a good effects team on board for the film as well. According to THR, “Burden is being made by Reel FX, the company run by former Industrial Light and Magic senior executive Ed Jones and former Walden Media CEO Cary Granat, and that specializes in CG as well as live-action hybrid projects.”

“Dark Horse Entertainment’s Keith Goldberg is executive producing with Strange Weather’s Jeff Fierson co-producing” writes THR, “Reel FX’s head of feature development Jared Mass will oversee the project for the studio.”

Congrats to both Dorkin and Thompson! It’s very exciting news for them to be sure and I look forward to seeing this in theaters. What about you?

In a very cool graphic showcase, one YouTube user has taken a slew of Batman’s symbol designs through the years and morphed them from one to the next. Beware: U2′s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” from Batman Forever plays in the background.

User Antupainamku includes the details of each symbol which for some are film or television credits while others are specific comic book cover or interior designs. The first comes via Detective Comics 1942, “Batman with Robin, The Boy Wonder,” the last comes from “Superman & Batman vs Alien & Predator” from DC and Dark Horse in 2007. It’s far from complete of course but definitely cool to see a good chunk of them put together.

Dark Horse Comics president Mike Richardson has broken his – and the company’s – silence over the recent layoffs in an interview with Comics Alliance’s Laura Hudson, and explains the reasoning behind last week’s sad news:

We made some very hard choices and did the best we could over that. Rather than considering wage freezes and passing on more health care costs, I made a decision to do it a different way. One element of that cost-cutting was reducing our payroll and staff. On a personal level, it’s horrible. On a company level, it’s something you have to do from time to time.

He also addresses former employee Aaron Colter’s assertion that mismanagement and projects like Troubleshooter and Jim Shooter’s Gold Key books were to blame:

If you want to call [Troublemaker] a failure – it sold nearly 40,000 books, and for us that’s a pretty good number. On the dark side we could have sold 15,000. Who knows? We did not know. The 100,000 print run was to try and make sure we reached all of Janet [Evanovich, writer of the series of novels the book spins out of]‘s market, and that’s what it took so that’s what we contracted. We’re happy and we’re doing another one, and we’ll do it with more information. And inside the direct market, we had a nice sale there; it did better than we expected… [T]o blame that for layoffs is silly. It’s part of a larger program and we’re on our way. The article also pointed at the Doctor Solar and Magnus [Gold Key] books, saying the characters are basically old and worn-out. Well, I guess that’s the writer’s opinion. What would say about characters like Superman or Batman who were created 30 years before those [Gold Key] characters? Characters are as worn out as their creative teams… The problems we have with that series are more about the untimeliness of the books. If the books are continually late, superhero book sales will drop in the direct sales where these were intended. It’s a fact of life in the comics market. We’re aware of it, and we’ve talked to retailers. We have changes coming down the line. To blame the Shooter books for the layoffs is not right. It’s part of a larger deal where we’ve made quite a lot of money. So to pick one part of the deal and say that’s the reason for our layoffs is silly.

Lots of silly going on, apparently. Richardson goes on to say suggest that Dark Horse’s books are, on average, higher sellers than those of Image or IDW, and claims responsibility for Portland, OR being so popular with the comics community: “There was no comics community when I started Dark Horse and the comics community has grown out of Dark Horse’s presence. That’s just a fact.” Well, it’s certainly one reading of some facts… Go check out the entire interview, it makes for an interesting read.

Various news sites, including Comics Alliance, Comic Book Resources and The Beat are reporting that seven members of staff from publisher Dark Horse Comics have been laid off this afternoon, including editors Shawna Gore, Dave Land and Tim Erwin. CBR broke the news first, with The Beat and CA adding and confirming information as it came available. Of most interest, CA quotes occasional contributor Aaron Colter, who was fired by the publisher last month, as suggesting that the one-two punch of Borders’ bankruptcy and “toxic” licensed projects – The much-hyped Janet Evanovich Troublemaker graphic novels and Jim Shooter-written revival of Gold Key characters like Doctor Solar, Man of The Atom and Magnus, Robot Fighter are both mentioned – led to the company’s current financial trouble:

I have sat in several meetings going over numbers and plans for books like Troublemaker and have seen voices of dissent point out the obvious: that Dark Horse is spending too much money on projects that the majority of modern comic readers do not want to purchase… And the answer was always the same, get on board because this is the direction the train is heading.

Over at the Beat, Heidi quotes Shawna Gore from her Facebook page, sounding surprisingly not-depressed:

I’m indeed still going to Stumptown [Comics Fest, this weekend in Portland, OR]. I’m even still moderating the Axe Cop panel AND doing the horror comics panel! The events of the day may suck, but my attitude remains set on “awesome.”

Dark Horse have confirmed the number of employees laid off, but is refusing to comment beyond that beyond saying that more layoffs are not expected. What this means for the company’s output – with three editors gone, will their books be reassigned or canceled? – remains to be seen. Developing, as they say.

It Came From the NYPL

Grandville
Written & Illustrated by Bryan Talbot
Published by Dark Horse

Bryan Talbot’s one of my favorite cartoonists. Even if Alice in Sunderland wasn’t one of the five greatest comics of all time, the mind-bending Luther Arkwright books or the hippie-dippie fun of Chester Hackenbush would place Talbot high on my personal favorites list.  Grandville, his steampunk, “scientific-romance thriller” from 2009, didn’t really grab my attention, however. I wanted to read it; it’s Talbot after all, but the genre elements didn’t really appeal to me. That steampunk thing just isn’t my bag. So I kept checking the library and finally (and I mean finally, I’ve been checking regularly), the library got it in stock and I borrowed it.

It’s pretty much the perfect library book. Grandville‘s fun, a whole lot of it. Anthropomorphized animals, a stylized steampunk Europe setting, fast action, a few good plot twists and plenty of danger make it a worthwhile thriller. Talbot’s always been a terrific artist, and his expanding mastery of modern coloring only enhances the speed and tension of his line work during the book’s many chase sequences, fistfights and gun battles.

The plot’s not exactly wholly original – and it’s an entirely plot-driven book – but Talbot adds a few wrinkles to keep it interesting. In short, Grandville‘s the perfect library book – a rock-solid adventure by a favorite cartoonist, but one that I probably won’t want to revisit frequently. If steampunk-based, government-murder conspiracy thrillers are your thing, this book’s among the best of its ilk. And even if it’s not, Grandville‘s a really well crafted comic and recommended. If you’re lucky, you can find it in your local library and find out for yourself if it’s a keeper or a borrower – either way, it’s worth the time.

It Came From the NYPL

American Splendor: Unsung Hero: The Story of Robert McNeill
Written by Harvey Pekar
Illustrated by David Collier
Published by Dark Horse Comics

This book is one of Pekar’s lesser known, but more affecting, efforts. Robert McNeil enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1969 at the age of seventeen, and only one birthday later was shipped off for a year-long tour of duty in Vietnam.  In Unsung Hero, Pekar shares McNeil’s story with us, from a brief walkthrough of his childhood and scholastic career, into basic training, and ultimately through his military duty during which he won Navy Commendation Medal with Combat.

Pekar narrates the book from McNeil’s perspective, as if the reader is sitting down and listening to McNeil tell his tale. Occasional panels of McNeil as he appeared when the book saw print, 2003, enforce the casual sit-down nature of the writing. McNeil’s tale is very powerful, focusing on the conflicts between his own self-preservation and his desire to not fail his comrades. Threads of drug use and McNeil’s role in a collective of black soldiers weave through the saga, adding palpable humanity.

The artwork, sketchy but effective, enforces the narrative, but rarely adds much depth to it. The text, McNeil’s memories and insights, could almost stand alone. David Collier, however, does enhance the humanity of each moment with his impressionistic style and focus on capturing the emotional experience of McNeil.

Harvey Pekar may no longer be with us, but he’s left behind a deep body of writing, many of which we may have overlooked. I had missed out on American Splendor: Unsung Hero: The Story of Robert McNeil, and fortunately, the library helped me fill in that oversight. Hopefully your library can help you discover works by your favorite authors that you haven’t read.

Fans of the short-lived space western Firefly have been eager to see more of their favorite characters since the show was canceled back in 2002. They got their wish with Joss Whedon’s feature film Serenity and again with a series of comic books from Dark Horse. But with the recent news that the lone season of Firefly will once again be airing on cable television, the fever has re-ignited. Fans are now petitioning for Firefly’s star Nathan Fillion to purchase the rights to the series so that it may go back into production. And they’re willing to foot the bill.

According to Entertainment Weekly, fans have created a website and a Facebook page dedicated to the cause. “Help Nathan Buy Firefly” may sound like a ridiculous venture but crazier things have happened. I mean, we did see a feature film made out of this extremely short-live television series after all.

When the news of Firefly coming back to cable was announced, Fillion told EW, “If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.”

Well, that’s all he needed to say. The movement went into immediate action with Fillion’s colleagues even getting in on the fun. From EW:

Jose Molina, a producer on Syfy’s Haven, former Castle producer and author of two Firefly episodes tweeted Friday regarding Fillion’s comment: “For what it’s worth, I’ve told him I’d drop what I was doing and follow.”

Then Jane Espenson, writer of a Firefly episode, a producer on Battlestar Galactica and co-creator of Warehouse 13, replied to Molina: “I’m there, if needed.”

EW also points out, Fillion wouldn’t need nearly the amount of money he mentioned to purchase the rights seeing as how the Terminator franchise recently went for only $30 million and that had a far more successful past.

Now of course, none of this means the people who own the rights currently, 20th Century Fox, have any intention of selling them. And the fans aren’t asking anyone to put up money just yet (so be wary if someone does ask you). But you can’t take the sky from a Firefly fan.

B.P.R.D.: HELL ON EARTH—GODS #2 (of 3)

Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Guy Davis (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Ryan Sook (Cover)

On sale Feb 9
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries

Monsters overrunning the American southwest, a volcano in Houston burning in the night, and a group of outcasts with a prophetic leader; prove to be great threats to a struggling bureau.

• Introducing a pivotal new character!

• Learn the origin of the Hyperborean shaman!

Hit the jump for the preview!

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Yes, April Solicitations just came out, but darnit, we can’t wait a whole month when something like this hits our inbox. So, here are the covers and solicitation info for two brutal barbaric comics from Dark Horse coming in May! Hit the jump for the pretty.

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Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition
Written & Illustrated by Stan Sakai
Published by Fantagraphics

If you’ve been reading my musings for a while now, you’ll know this: Usagi Yojimbo is my favorite comic book of all time.  Ever since it was announced, I’ve been jonesing for Fantagraphics’ Usagi Yojimob: The Special Edition – a two-volume, slipcased hardcover collection of the first seven Usagi trade paperbacks. Nearly 1200 pages of Stan Sakai story-and-art goodness, with an extensive color art gallery (the first time I’ve seen most of those early covers in color), sketches and short-story odds-n’-ends. So my saintly wife gave me this striking tome for Christmas. Yes, I am a hell of a lucky guy.

Among the highlights of The Special Edition is the ease of witnessing Sakai’s growth as a writer, artist and storyteller. While the illustration in the earliest chapters is already solid, Sakai’s linework grows visibly more assured and looser, giving the pages a liveliness not seen in many comics. Similarly, the layouts evolve to capture the quiet elegance of the Japanese countryside, the gut-turned terror of Jei (comics’ best villain) or the kinetic ballet of a samurai duel in pitch-perfect fashion.

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The Goon is well known for fighting all sorts of ghastly creatures – zombies, hags, giant squid – but one enemy has finally stopped him in his tracks. Sparkly vampires.

Now being sold at Hot Topic, Eric Powell’s beloved character from Dark Horse has made the jump to apparel in this limited edition t-shirt. Part of their “Dark Horse does vampires right!” campaign, something tells me Goon’s shock won’t last long and he’ll put those Twilight vampires to work.

I have no doubt who’d win that fight but can The Goon beat the Twilight vamps at the box office? The TBA release is completely computer animated with the voices of Clancy Brown as The Goon and Paul Giamatti as Franky. Powell is writing the script, David Fincher is producing and  Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller will direct.