– The marketing juggernaut continues: Sam Thielman talks with Art Spiegelman about the latter’s new book, Breakdowns.

– The comic strip Rhymes With Orange has a new Web site.

– Chris Arrant profiles Faith Erin Hicks and her new comic The War at Ellsmere.

– Eddie Campbell guides you through Comic Book Morality 101.

– Todd Allen looks at some of the new Webcomic offerings from Shadowline, Liquid and Marvel, and smells trouble … for them.

– Chip Zdarsky shares his ideas for Marvel Comics and it’s totally NSFW (hat tip: Heidi).

– Brigid Alverson writes about plans for the upcoming Haruhi Suzumiya manga.

– Spurious has an interesting essay on Charles Crumb, Robert’s late, tragic older brother.

– Erin Finnegan looks at Tokyopop’s release of Otsuichi’s Goth novel and manga.

– Richard O’Connor blogs about working on an animated They Might Be Giants video with Kim Deitch.

After a couple of somewhat slow weeks, Marvel and DC return to their summer event comics with new issues of Secret Invasion and Final Crisis — plus a pair of tie-ins, of course.

They don’t stop there, though. DC’s Vertigo imprint rolls out collections of Northlanders and Y: The Last Man, and re-releases Paul Pope’s Heavy Liquid as a hardcover. Not to be outdone, Marvel brings out their dead, and undead, with omnibus editions of Frank Miller’s Elektra, and The Tomb of Dracula.

Elsewhere, Blank Slate Books debuts Trains Are Mint and We Can Still Be Friends, Rebellion revisits The Ace Trucking Co., Viz delivers the penultimate volume of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, and Del Rey and Dabel Bros. unleash The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Mike Lynch shares a 1953 book of Japanese children’s stories.

– The Lego enthusiast known as oxcrew has decided to retell the origin of Two-Face using … well, you figure it out. (hat tip: The Ephemerist)

– So Time Magazine is doing gag cartoons now? That’s interesting.

– David Welsh examines Jiro Taniguchi’s The Quest for the Missing Girl.

– Paul Hornschmeier has an amusing new T-shirt available for puchase.

– DJ Coffman and Scott Kurtz go at it on the Internet, and everyone wins.

– Spot the Frog creator Mark Heath has a new Web site up, promoting his gag cartoons.

For a while now, Viz’s movie division has been releasing their ongoing slate of live-action films (almost all based on popular manga and anime titles like Nana or Love.Com) as one or two-night showings in select theaters across the country, the better, one imagines to gather j-pop faithful in one spot, thus creating more of an blessed event than an average night out at the movies.

So imagine my delight when I found out that a special screening Death Note II: The Last Name would be occurring at a theater only a mere 40 minutes from my humble abode! Being a fan of the original 12-volume manga by writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata (at least up until volume nine or thereabouts) this seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. No waiting for the DVD or Internet piracy for me bucko! Perhaps there would even be cosplay at the cinema! Should I get my hand-made Ryuk costume (lots of duct tape and boa feathers) out of the mothballs? (more…)

– 20 things Every Superhero Comic Collection Needs.

– Laura Hudson talks to Brian Azzarello about his upcoming Joker graphic novel.

– Seth is curating a series of films from the National Film Board of Canada. Drawn! has the details.

– The Mindless Ones look at the work of ero-guru artist Suehiro Maruo (note: some images are probably NSFW).

– Peter Sanderson looks at the new edition of Patrick Rosenkranz’s seminal history of underground comix, Rebel Visions.

– Fantasy.fr has an interview with Devilman creator and manga-ka Go Nagai.

– Judith Rosen checks out the Comics and Classics store in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

– Craig Fischer has a short interview with alt-cartoonist Ben Towle.

– Evie Nagy looks at all the political comics coming out this month.

– Ooooo, I’m a Johnny Storm!

– Noah Berlatsky did not like David Heatley’s new book. Like, at all.

With slightly more than two weeks to go, publishers are ramping up their Halloween-themed releases, from superheroes battling the supernatural to a boy dreaming of becoming a vampire.

Shadowline kicks off its Silverline all-ages imprint with Dear Dracula just as The Hulk slugs it out with Frankenstein’s monster, and Superman and Batman team up to tackle vampires and werewolves. Plus, there’s a Hack/Slash special, and another installment of Ben Templesmith’s Welcome to Hoxford.

If pre-Halloween chills aren’t for you, there’s always the second issue of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, Art Spiegelman’s Breakdowns, or the third issue of Jeff Smith’s Rasl.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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IcV2 has a big two-part interview with Tokyopop Associate Publisher Marco Pavia about the company’s recent reorganization and their plans for the future:

Drilling down into Tokyopop-specific questions, you mentioned earlier about cutting back on the number of titles.  Can you tell us where you are on that in terms of monthly output, and what are you looking at for 2009 for release flow?

We’ve adjusted our publishing program.  We had been publishing around 40 or so volumes each month, and we cut that down to closer to 25 volumes per month.  We adjusted the release frequency of certain series, so instead of publishing bi-monthly or every three months, we’ve been stretching them out a bit to maybe every four to six months so we’re not shoving so much product out each month.

Just to be clear (I know there have been a lot of Internet rumors), we have not cancelled any series; we’ve really just adjusted the release pattern of certain series.  This allows us to have a more narrowly focused and fiercer list. I was just looking at the BookScan report from last week and we had a pretty healthy growth over the prior week with titles like Loveless,+Anima, and .Hack and even some of our more niche-y products, some of our yaoi, books like Junjo Romantica have charted in the top 50 in BookScan and we’re seeing great success with our Warcraft and Starcraft programs.  Our Gothic and Lolita Bible has really taken off; it’s something a bit different for us, but through our various marketing efforts we’ve really been embraced by the Gothic and Lolita community.

Pavia goes on to state that the company is pulling in a profit, and that they plan to publish two new series by Fruits Basket creator Natsuki Takaya in the coming months: Phantom Dream and Tsubasa: Those With Wings.

– Tom Spurgeon interviews Bill Schelly, who’s new biography of Joe Kubert, Man of Rock, should be out in stores any day now.

– In more depressing newspaper news: Acclaimed editorial cartoonist Chip Bok is taking a buyout and leaving The Akron Beacon-Journal. The number of full-time, on-staff cartoonists at daily papers gets smaller and smaller. Of course, so does the number of editors, reporters, photographers …

– On the BBC, they’re talking about comics.

– The Daily Cross Hatch begins a multi-part interview with Art Spiegelman.

– Go! Comi are so excited about their new 07-GHOST series that they’ve set up a whole Web site for it.

– Cool things to bookmark: Elizabeth Conley, Elena Diaz, Pancha Diaz, Andrew Farago, Shaenon Garrity, Konstantin Pogorelov, Jason Thompson, and Leia Weathington have formed a new group blog, titled The Couscous Collective.

– Steven De Souza, who wrote the screenplay for the 1987 Spirit TV-movie (remember that?) offers his thoughts on the upcoming Frank Miller film.

As Americans brace themselves for tonight’s presidential debate, it’s fitting that tomorrow marks the release of IDW Publishing’s heavily promoted biographies of Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.

In a similar vein, Wednesday also will see After 9/11: America’s War on Terror, Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon’s follow-up to their celebrated adaptation of the 9/11 Report.

But if politics and war — and the politics of war — aren’t your bag, you’ll also find the first issue of the new Marvel Zombies miniseries, the third installment of Grady Klein’s The Lost Colony series, oversized editions of Hellboy and I Luv Halloween, and an Owly collection. Those are just for starters, though.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide, makes a cameo in a chapter of Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail as Jason, a reporter for the Weekly Sorcerer. Thompson explains on his blog how it came about.

The full teaser trailer for 20th Century Fox’s Dragonball has made its way online. Directed by James Wong, the movie stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, James Marsters as Piccolo, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, and Park Joon as Yamcha.

Dragonball, based on the hit manga series by Akira Toriyama and the anime it inspired, is set for release on April 3, 2009.

(via Dragonball - The Movie)

As we skid into October, I find myself having a bit of an off week, at least comics-wise. I just don’t see much that catches my eye.

Chris Mautner, on the other hand, has spied a veritable treasure trove, from a Baby Huey collection to Batman #680 a Complete Peanuts box set.

So, maybe it’s just me.

Wednesday also sees the Dark Tower: The Long Road Home hardcover, the debut of Steve Niles’ future-noir City of Dust, and a one-shot dedicated Bruce Campbell’s My Name Is Bruce movie.

To see what other titles Chris and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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– Iron Man comes out on DVD today, and Paramount sent over a bunch of links to deleted scenes and test footage that’ll appear on the special edition. Check’em out here, here, here, here and here.

– The North Shore News talks to Peter Bagge.

– McClatchy News Service has a nice, short Q&A with Sergio Aragones.

– Just how much manga do the Japanese read anyway? Matt Thorn investigates.

– Charles Hatfield visits the Center for Cartoon Studies.

– Matt Bors sketchblogs the presidential debate.

– “Retired” comics critic Domingos Isabelinho is blogging now.

– The Daily Cross Hatch is asking cartoonists to draw how they’re getting to the Small Press Expo this year. Mei K kicks off the series.

– Damn, I forgot to add this to the TiVo; Cold Hard Flash talks to the creators of the new Adult Swim cartoon Superjail.

– Anyone want to draw a monkey? It’s for charity.

Compiled by JK and Chris.

– Comic Debrief talks to Douglas Wolk.

– Not comics, but really cool: A Babar exhibit in New York.

– Matt Thorn provides a fascinating look at the rise and fall of the phrase “shojo” in Japan.

– Here’s a rather nifty blog devoted to Frank Franzetta.

– Matthew Penney examines the nonfiction manga of Mizuki Shigeru.

– Nick Blodgett talks with Carnal Comics publisher SS Crompton about the ups and downs of publishing x-rated funnybooks.

– Van Jensen examines IDW’s plans for the G.I. Joe franchise.

– The Comics Journal has a quick rundown of what some publishers will be debuting at SPX.

– Kai-Ming Cha looks at the new Afro Samurai manga.

– Our own Tim O’Shea talks with Dean Haspiel about his new graphic novel, The Alcoholic, among other things.

– Johanna Draper Carlson tells you how to make a career writing comics.

– Same Hat! has some nice photos and videos from a recent Lynda Barry talk.

It’s a good week for fans of classic comics as publishers roll out collections ranging from Nemesis Archives, Vol. 1, and Showcase Presents: Metal Men, Vol. 2, to Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: The Barks/Rosa Collection, Vol. 3, and The Complete Terry and the Pirates, Vol. 4.

Looking for something a little more recent? Then try the Absolute edition of Frank Miller’s Ronin, the premiere hardcover of Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones’ Marvel Boy miniseries, or the special edition of Dan Clowes’ Ghost World.

But if single issues are more your thing, there’s a new Solomon Kane series, the end of The Ultimates 3, the introduction of Lady Bullseye in Daredevil, and the finale of the Atlas story arc in Superman.

To see what other titles Chris Mautner and I think are worth mentioning, just keep reading. As always, let us know your choices in the comments below.

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– Ever wonder what the Fantagraphics offices look like? Apparently they look like this.

– Ever wonder what Josh Cotter’s sketchbook looks like? Apparently it looks like this.

– I’m not sure what Scott McCloud has to do with scurrilous manga pouring into Vietnam’s borders, but whatever.

– The Web site for the upcoming Dear Mr. Watterson documentary has a trailer up.

– Zak Sally shares some rejected Nickelodeon gags. I like the second one best.

– Baltimore’s City Paper is having a comics contest.

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party has elected self-professed otaku Taro Aso as prime minister, replacing Yasuo Fukuda, who resigned suddenly on Sept 1.

As foreign minister, the 68-year-old Aso established the International Manga Award, often referred to as “the Nobel Prize of manga.” Speculation that the outspoken nationalist could become prime minister sent shares in pop-culture companies — such as publisher Broccoli International and second-hand comic book store chain Mandarake — soaring.

A former Olympic sharpshooter, Aso has created an image as a “cool old dude.” However, he’s also developed a reputation for putting his foot in his mouth with comments that have riled North Korea, South Korea and China, and jokes about Alzheimer’s disease (a particularly sensitive area, given Japan’s aging population).

Matt Thorn shares another stunning example of pre-WWII manga:

The Adventures of Little Shô is a sort of Art Nouveau/Japanesque fantasy about a boy of indeterminate age who rescues and befriends a large talking squirrel (who apparently has no name other than “Squirrel”), with whom he has a stunning range of adventures. Each adventure is quite short, most running between 10 and 16 pages, and range from the mundane (a trip to Osaka) to the bizarre (one adventure has Shô flying an airplane, battling a dinosaur, being rescued by a mammoth, and dancing with fairies who look like flappers with butterfly wings). If these strips had been published in English, they would have seemed perfectly at home on the Sunday supplement of an American newspaper of the day, except for one striking characteristic. Mixed in with characters in modern dress, Kewpies, centaurs, pith helmets, steam locomotives, and Western fairies are characters in kimono and creatures from Japanese folklore and legend. Kabashima manages to pull off this melange in the most natural way, probably because a hodgepodge of Japanese and Western, traditional and modern, was simply everyday reality for Japanese in the Taisho Period (1912-1926) and early Showa Period (1926 - 1989).