November 20th, 2008 is the 10th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance: The event is held every year to draw attention to anti-transgender violence. Jenn Dolari is requesting submissions for the Transgender Day of Remembrance Webcomics Project.

For those of you who don’t know about the project, in a nutshell, we’re a group of webcomic artists and authors who put together a remembrance strip for late November. There is always a running theme, but the themes are voluntary (especially if your comic has no TG characters). If you’d like some examples of the earlier entries, you can see previous projects for yourself at the Webcomics DOR site at http://www.dolari.net/dor.

All we ask is that you link to the other comics running images as well, and keep the images up for your normal comic-length. We’re aiming at having these displayed on the week of the 20th. After the comics are done, I’d love your permission to keep them on my Day of Remembrance site, at http://www.dolari.net/dor

This year’s theme is a little less dark than last year’s. The theme this year is to illustrate a word or a feeling that the Day of Remembrance makes you feel. This could be a poem, a scene, a feeling, anything that the DOR makes you feel. Good, bad or otherwise.

In particular my plan this year is to illustrate “Hope.” An artist drawing with her back to a tree sitting next to a warmly lit graveyard, remembering a time when trans murders were ignored and underinvestigated and how it’s all changed (which is hasn’t, but that’s where hope comes in). If you have a different feeling, draw it. If you’d like to do Hope, too, please do.

Again, the themes are voluntary, and if you have an idea you’d like to pursue, or a better idea for a theme that you’d like to present, please do.

Please let me know if you’d like to participate this year by letting me know via EMail. IF you know someone who may be interested, but isn’t on this list, by all means, forward it along (especially as real life has kept me from researching the newer comics out there).

Ms. Marvel #32′s revisitation of Carol Danvers’s past has provoked a lot of discussion across the blogosphere.

Nathan Madison of Comic Book Bin reviewed the issue positively:

The art in Ms. Marvel has always been top-notch, and Paulo Siqueira’s pencils continue this tradition in every scene he illustrates, from casual conversations to action sequences, to even the gruesome torture scenes in this particular issue (of which there are several). Speaking of the gore, some may be turned off by the violence, as it is slightly more bloody or gruesome than your standard super-hero slug-fest; however, this is not a super-hero slug-fest, but rather a violent story, taking place at a violent place and time, and, as such, there is really no other way to tell such a narrative.

The strength of this issue, as well as the creative team as a whole that produced it, is the fact that a story can be told about a super-heroine, before she actually gained any superhuman powers or abilities, and it still looks, feels and reads like the same character; that is how one knows that the crew behind the issue knows what they are doing. Even stripping away everything “super” about the character, the character herself is still there and completely recognizable.

Phil Mateer of All About Comics Blog did NOT like the issue:

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This issue featured a little more background in the lead story and a little more plot advancement in the backup, so overall it made for a good blend.  I honestly did not see the twist at the end of the lead story coming, which was nice.  Then again, it’s not like I catch everything the first time around….

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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LEAD STORY

“Moment Of Truth” was written by Kurt Busiek, pencilled by Mark Bagley, inked by Art Thibert, colored by Pete Pantazis, and lettered by Pat Brosseau; Rachel Gluckstern, associate editor; Mike Carlin, editor.

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A little more than a month ago, I mentioned that Matt Maxwell was looking for a home to serialize the sequel to his first graphic novel. I’m proud to announce that starting next Monday, Blog@Newsarama will begin serializing The Thirsty, Matt Maxwell’s sequel to Strangeways: Murder Moon!

I’ve been a fan of Matt and his work since he first showed it to me at WonderCon a couple of years ago, so I’m really excited that he’s chosen to let us serialize it before he publishes it next spring. A new page will appear every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and we’ll have bonus material along the way as well. The full press release can be found after the jump, and watch for the first installment next Monday!

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Going by DC’s latest round of solicitations, the last two installments of Final Crisis should just about  bookend the last days of the Bush (43) Administration. Naturally, though, DC follows up with “Faces Of Evil,” and, well … make your own jokes, folks. I’ve had a long day.

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Wow, is it that close already?  The new year, a special 70th Anniversary for the House of Ideas and a new dark dark VERY DARK SO DARK IT’S A SECRET age are both nearly upon us True Believers, so let us enjoy this Secret Invasion Wednesday with a look ahead at people who are (hopefully) not Skrulls.

At least we hope their not as mighty nine titles hide their shame from us, leaving no picture and no words to accompany their title and creators.  DARK AVENGERS #1, AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #21, DEADPOOL #6, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9, MIGHTY AVENGERS #21, MS. MARVEL #35, THUNDERBOLTS #128, WAR MACHINE #2 all run silent, run deep in the solicitations, showing us the infamous core books of the Marvel Universe.  As ‘villainy’ seems to be a major theme, it would make sense that a guy like Deadpool and a team like the Thunderbolts are prominent in the mix, but you would think a book like NEW AVENGERS #49 as they come up on a landmark 50th issue might want to say a little more about themselves.  The UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #2 at least gives us a pretty smokin’ picture of Emma Frost but this could mean anything, couldn’t it?  Is she a member of this new ‘DARK Illuminati’ or is she playing a greater game at large?  Oh the suspense!

What’s happening in the Marvel Universe that we can know about?  Read on!
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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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The Wretch, Volume One
Written and Illustrated by Phil Hester
AmazeInk; $13.95

I’ve been a big fan of Phil Hester’s art since his Green Arrow days. I think it was The Atheist or thereabouts where I realized he could write too and became an even bigger fan of that part of his career. Since then, I’ve slowly been tracking down stuff like The Coffin, Stronghold (which I hope he and Tyler Walpole will finish some day), and now The Wretch.

I didn’t know what to expect from The Wretch. I guess from the costumed character with the pitiful name I figured it must be about some kind of under-appreciated superhero. Knowing Hester’s other work, I knew there had to be something else to it than that, something deeper, but I never anticipated the metaphysical questions Hester introduces.

I remember reading something Hester said in an interview or wrote in an article when The Atheist came out. He wouldn’t pin down exactly what he was trying to say in The Atheist, but he did specify what it wasn’t doing. He wasn’t trying to declare his world-view through the mouth of his title character. He was, in fact, coy about what his world-view actually is. I’d be putting words into Hester’s mouth to try and paraphrase further, but the feeling I got was that he was trying to raise some worthwhile questions without specifying what he thought the answers are. I see a lot of that in The Wretch too.

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I was all geared up to make it a “beat up on Noah Berlatsky” collection of quotes, but everyone had to play nice and clear the air to the point it became a borderline mutual admiration society in our own blog’s comments section. Way to go all adult, people.

So instead I focused the Quote Unquote RSS-sniffer on Platinum Studios. Before I knew it, suddenly, the opening strains of They Might Be Giants’ old tune, Minimum Wage, started playing in my head. Sure, it’s a down economy, but things seem increasingly more down in some areas of the industry (compared to others) at present. For variety I worked in some other quote subjects as well.

Platinum Studios

“The employees of Platinum Studios, Inc. (the “Company”) have agreed to accept minimum wage cash compensation until further notice to reduce the company’s payroll obligations. Each employee will also be receiving a bonus commensurate with their position in the Company, in common stock, for accepting this payroll reduction. This arrangement will be reviewed on a bi-weekly basis by the Company’s management.”
- Platinum Studios’ Form 8-K, which was recently filed with SEC (as first noted by Steve Horton)

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This post contains a lot of spoilers for the last Captain America issue, so if you aren’t up to issue 42 you might want to skip it.
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So Comics Journal contributor, blogger and all-around comics gadfly Noah Berlatsky decided, based on Tucker Stone’s recommendation, to try the Vertigo crime series 100 Bullets. He didn’t like it much, especially Eduardo Risso’s art work:

In the first place, Eduardo Risso’s art is lousy. The figures are stiff, the anatomy is shaky, the layouts are cluttered and confusing, and the coloring (by Grant Goleash) is more muddy than moody. If you’re going for stylish noir, it’s really important that the art be…well, stylish. You want Alex Toth or Howard Chaykin; bold blacks and whites, dramatic page design — the art should scream sex and danger and class. Risso just doesn’t have the chops. I mean, look at that page below.

The image he then shows is one posted above, which, I believe, is the cover to issue number 5 of the series (or thereabouts).

What is wrong with that woman’s neck? Is this supposed to be a Parmigianino tribute or something? And the proportions are all completely off; her legs are lengthened to make her look sexier, I guess, but it ends up looking like she’s been assembled from mis-matched doll parts. And the ugly red insets segmented up almost at random…what the hell? That’s not dramatic: it just looks dumb.

Except of course, the cover wasn’t by Eduardo Risso, but Dave Johnson, who does all the covers for the Bullets comics and trades, in the same way that James Jean does for Fables. Oops. (more…)

The preview for December’s Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade has been getting a lot of overwhelmingly positive reaction around various blogs.

Anj of Supergirl Comic Box Commentary is very excited:

I have been excited about this comic since first hearing about it. Written by Landry Walker and drawn by Eric Jones, it should be a great comic for tweeners. And, of course, it will introduce the character of Supergirl to a new generation of devotees.

We have already learned that in this comic her secret identity will be Linda Lee. We already have heard that Streaky will show up. I think I read that Comet the Super-horse may also appear. And now that dialogue has been added to the preview, a reporter asks her if she is Superman’s emergency secret weapon. All of that harkens back to a simpler time, a more innocent time for Kara.

Randy of Comic Pants is also looking forward to it because it is looking forward to it (if with some pessimism):

The book that DC has to offer this month that I’m most excited about is: A) Totally not aimed at me and B) All but guaranteed to tank in the direct market. But Landry Walker and Eric Jones have done some great stuff in the indie comics world (I was a fan of their X-Ray Comics, other’s probably know them better from Little Gloomy) and the concept here, an eighth grade, fun, non-cheesecake take on Supergirl, is such a no-brainer that it’s the complete opposite of everything the comics industry has ever done with the character. My 5-year-old daughter is looking forward to this one. And that makes me happy. A Supergirl comic for young girls? It’s just crazy enough to work!

While livejournalist gdwessel’s reaction is short and sweet:

You mean, DC is actually going to put out a Supergirl book I can, like, show my daughter without feeling embarrassed?

So what do you think?

In this issue, Gehenna quotes Batman: “when you’re not sure what to do next, get more facts.”  Words to live by, Gehenna … words to live by.

I really did like the last Firestorm series, and it’s been good to see Jason and Gehenna in the spotlight here.  While I don’t expect Trinity to spawn any new series, at least this raises Firestorm’s profile somewhat.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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The comics blogosphere has been talking about mediocre superhero comics for a little while now, and I suppose I should be grateful that “mediocre” and “superhero” haven’t become entirely redundant.  While he doesn’t appear to have picked up directly from the “mediocrity” discussion, I’d still like to thank Tucker Stone for giving us this week’s topic:

There aren’t a lot of very strong canons for super-hero comics out there…. Most of the serious comic canons that show up don’t deal with super-hero comics anyway, and if they do, it’s usually the standard names checked: Kirby! Watchmen! Something Frank Miller wrote! That’s indicative of a lot of variables — a portion could probably be attributed to snobbery, sure, but at least part of it will have to deal with the nature of creators who didn’t really care that much about the subject, a lack of ethnic and sexual diversity, and all the inherent mechanics involved with stories that, by their very nature, can never reach true conclusions….

Still, while a super-hero canon that isn’t beholden to a bunch of message board noise and voting may not be a current, actual product, it’s one that would certainly be an interesting little jack-in-the-box to take a look at…. Canons aren’t, for the most part, the purview of the fan …  but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth trying out, even from the fan side.

Well, for good or ill, I have picked up this little gauntlet, and will probably return to it in the weeks to come.

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I know it isn’t exactly topical with this week’s books but you have to admit, it’s a little difficult to talk about Captain America.  Can a book be so good that it becomes a constant of the universe?  The sun will rise and set and there it is, turning with the rest of the cosmos as one of Marvel Comics’ finest ongoing series.  It’s near indisputable at this point, the rock of Gibraltar of comic institutions at this point; pick up any issue and you’ll find quality crafted storytelling with some highly underrated artwork.  Steve Epting has been nothing but solid during his tenure on the book, bringing both realism and the fantastic to the page.

See?  You just can’t say anything about it but glowing praise!

Or maybe you can as I noticed something rather unique about the book that doesn’t have to do with its incredible consistency for greatness (see?  there I go again!).  It was so masterfully done (it’s like an infection!) that I didn’t really notice until I heard other people talking about it in the same slight wondrous tone of realization.  It’s taken #41 issues of plotting, planning and pacing but the honor of Captain America has been passed down to the next generation.

it’s taken awhile; we had to be introduced to him, we had to get some background and some believability to the character.  He had to grow and flesh out a bit from our memories of him, but James Buchanan Barnes really can’t be called ‘Bucky’ anymore aside from the past tense.  He is just as much Captain America as Steve Rogers was and still is to some extent and before you call blasphemy, let me try and explain how rare this particular situation is in the Marvel Universe.

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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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Pirat Tales #1
Written by Dan Taylor; Illustrated by Orlando Baez
IDW; $3.99

Orlando Baez draws one, hideous rat. Well, lots of them, actually. The rodents in Pirat Tales aren’t the cute-and-cuddly variety. They’re the kinds of animals my wife has nightmares about. Long, evil snouts; tiny, beady eyes; thin, naked tails; vicious, little teeth.

It’s really rather perfect for the story Dan Taylor’s written. There’s not a lot of high-seas adventure and swashbuckling in the first issue of Pirat Tales. That may or may not be coming in future installments, but the story begins not with a daring, Reepicheep-like pirate-king swinging from the rigging, but in squalid backrooms and seedy, dockside taverns.

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Spoiler space.

Enjoy happier times at the Kent farm as shown at right.

Clark may want something stronger to drink after this past week’s plot.

Though really what I’m holding back, it would not take a Brainiac to have seen it coming.

Follow me to after the jump.

Where we can talk in private or something like that.

It’s worth it, really.

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Action Comics #870 has been one of the big controversy issues this week, concluding with the death of someone close to Superman.

Even though it’s already been spoiled by certain news sources, it’s probably best to warn for spoilers anyway. So you are duly warned.

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Fiction creates a false positive for personal experience. Tales that have been told since the dawn of civilization, that are outdated now or that have allegorical meanings long since forgotten are still being told today. And not in the contex of some important lesson about the seasons or social relationships, but to entertain and maybe teach very simple ideas about good and evil.
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