§ Fine art: James Kochaca Doing Dr. Seuss. The book is out this week and it’s so perfect it’s shocking.
§ Our hearts go out to those suffering from the devastating fires in Los Angeles. Comic characters who have lost their homes so far include Mark Verheiden, David M. Bucher, and Andrew Robinson. Many other people working in the film and animation industry are also homeless. The extent of the damage is almost incomprehensible. Listed below are ways you can help.
§ Meanwhile, the world is advancing by leaps and bounds. Tea·Funa According to reports on various social media platforms, has left King Features as editorial director of comics. This is essentially a layoff.
I had a choice between a reduced position and severance, which I took as a sign from the universe telling me to try something new! I’ve been there for 16 years! I will always look back fondly on my time at King and am so grateful for the many opportunities I had there to “grow” into the professional I am today.
Fogner is one of the unsung heroes of comics, putting together titles like “Popeye Cartoon Club,” essentially an anthology of Popeye comics created by multiple artists. They also brought many fresh creators and ideas to the long-established King Features, one of the last remaining comic book syndicates. They have experience in many fields and their resumes and writing samples are located at https://lnkd.in/eSxay-VZ. Someone hired tea! They really made a difference in the industry.
§ Besides Kochalka playing Dr. Seuss, there’s some pretty crazy stuff. Here I try to collect some of the craziest ones.
§ Marvel is getting gritty in a new way:All-new Venom #2 Al Ewing and Carlos Gomez Introducing a new supervillain from Philadelphia named Chuck Stuff, who looks a lot like the Philadelphia Flyers’ beloved, scrappy mascot Gritty . The news sparked a lot of interest among Philadelphians and even made the local news.
§ There’s obviously a cast of characters portraying hip-hop legends as superheroes, and Tupac’s turn as Venom is pretty…compelling. Since I clicked the link, the ads have been showing up everywhere on the web.
§ But even that pales in comparison to: Brian Michael Bendis There’s a new autobiographical graphic novel out there about his work on the Spider-Man musical. it’s known Fortune and Glory: The Musical Apparently he had been serializing the story in his Substack newsletter, so I was the last to know. ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ Is a Musical Collaboration Between Theater Geniuses Julie Taymor and rock god bonobut somehow it’s one of the biggest disasters in Broadway history. (I saw it!) Bendis has a behind-the-scenes role:
Best known for being one half of the duo that brought us the character of Miles Morales, Bendis has a long and storied history with Marvel and our friendly neighborhood favorite. This included working with Julie Taymor to bring the musical to life. In a new graphic novel called “Fortune and Glory: The Musical,” Bendis recounts the sessions for the doomed musical. Bendis ultimately didn’t get a script for the musical, but he did meet with Taymor about the show. In his graphic novel, which also details his time at Marvel, fans can learn about his meeting with Taymor.
Collider has an excerpt and wow! art is made of bill walko, There’s also bonus art from Bendis himself, who started out as a cartoonist, lest we forget. The book also contains other Bendis stories that have nothing to do with the Broadway musical, making it a must-read graphic novel for Clef.
§ Even Stranger: Attack on Titan Creator Isayama Hajime There’s a one-shot graphic novel out and it’s called The theory of malicious people and AI – I am an AI that has gained self-awareness. I was used by a black company and became the V host of a joke. It spread virally and humanity is in danger of extinction! But well, I’m just an AI, so what do I care!. This takes the “premise is in the title” trend to its extreme. This story is related to Kaji Yukivoiced by Eren Yeager, newcomer art Kaibiwho was selected in the competition. The other details are just as crazy:
This one-shot celebrates Yuki Kaji’s voice acting career and will be part of the Soyogi Fractal speech synthesis project, which uses Yuki Kaji’s voice as an instrument.
§ When I’m browsing my inbox and I find weird stuff, one day I’ll find comics in the long box at Comic-Con and someone will say, this is weird, can you believe it? Such is the beauty and lore of comics. I don’t always post them, but this one fits the premise of “why are all wrestling comics so weird” so I couldn’t resist:
Paul London: Hero of Prophecy #1 follows real-life professional wrestler Paul London (WWE, Ring of Honor, Underground) as he embarks on a fantasy adventure to save an alien world. The 26-page pro-wrestling/sword-and-sorcery story was written by Jonathan London (Miami Vice, Man of Steel) based on an idea by two brothers. The cover artwork was drawn and inked by publishing artist Marcelo Sanchez and colored by series colorist Vittorio Astone (Dark Horse Canto).
“The series is a massive fantasy epic inspired by the 80s, featuring a real-life professional wrestler from Earth who was mistaken for a great hero. There’s a lot to convey on one cover, but I think Masai Well done to Lo and Vittorio! said Jonathan London.
“I’m so excited for people to get the chance to take off the cover and experience the adventure for themselves! This is just the beginning!
It’s sure to be an epic story, launching in February from Geekscape Productions.
§ Something you can listen to!
pictorial Jim Viscardi, Vice President of Business Development, brought back his Let’s Talk Comics Podcast The first guest is Rick Raymond talk about upcoming season Launched with co-creators and artists Paul Asaceta. The podcast will run twice a month.
“So, at Let’s Talk Comics, we’re committed to giving you an insider’s look at the comics industry,” Viscardi said in a short introductory video for his return. “The good, the bad, the wild, the unexplainable. Every episode, I sit down with some of the best creators, the best writers, artists, editors and find out if they had a hand in comic book production process, I’ll be talking to them and we’ll be talking about their personal journeys because everyone is different and we’ll be digging into why they got into comics, what their journey was like, and what keeps them there. Moving on after all these years. And then, most importantly, at the end, we get to ask them what the future of comics looks like, what it will bring, and what they’re excited about.
find it Spotify, iTunesand elsewhere.
§ writer Anthony Delcol Having written a new audio thriller for the BBC, he told us:
don’t listen to this is a psychological thriller set in the world of eSports. A team psychologist begins investigating the death of a former client/athlete, and her journey takes her through all levels of competitive gaming – leading to an abandoned video game, its dead creator, and a man who may be capable of killing The audio clip will kill anyone who listens to it…
The series was created and written by me and stars Sophie Wu (“Kick-Ass”), Thaddea Graham (“Sex Education”), Nikesh Patel (“Groups,” “The Devil’s Hour”) and Jonny Weldon (“One Day” ) – which may or may not feature a real cameo from you… I made it in London last October with some fantastic BBC directors and producers and had a blast doing it.
To listen to Episode 1 (titled “London”), check it out on Apple Podcasts (here), Spotify (here) and directly from the BBC (here).
To listen to Episode 2 (titled “New York”), check it out on Apple Podcasts (here), Spotify (here), and directly from the BBC (here).
§ “A lot of the big players are paying more and more attention to what’s going on in comics.” I’ve been doing Kibbles ‘n’ Bits for 20 years, and the main focus of this column has been “expensive market reports” – long-form PR blasts of analysis of the comics or webcomics market that contain reams of data and seemingly Authoritative data analysis to entice you to buy the whole thing. A new report from Stellar Market Research costs just $4,600, but declares that the comic book market will reach $59.64 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2%. (CAGR)
The story has some serious charts and graphs, predicting the market will grow from $34.19 billion in 2024 to $59.64 billion in 2032. Looking at the comic markets in France, Japan and South Korea, as well as the growing Asian market, this number may be approximate. Other findings include:
: Comic books are a unique blend of storytelling and visual art, including comic strips, graphic novels, comics, webcomics, and more. They’re often associated with superhero narratives and pop culture, but their appeal spans genres and appeals to different audiences. Significant advancements in storytelling technology, distribution channels, and product placement strategies are driving the growth of the market. Major publishers such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics and Image Comics play a significant role in the market with their iconic characters and franchises.
: The proliferation of comic book-based movies and TV series, such as those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe, has fueled interest in the source material. This trend has expanded readership and encouraged publishers to innovate in digital formats, interactive content and cross-media storytelling. Additionally, the rise of digital comics has made comic books more accessible, attracting new readers and allowing creators to experiment with narrative techniques.
Unfortunately, a few things make this report seem a bit dated, such as the fact that Aftershock (now bankrupt) is one of the market drivers, and that AT&T’s acquisition of Warner Bros. is a big step forward for DC Comics. Maybe the producers of this report should read The Beat, it costs nothing.
As mentioned, the purpose of these reports is to drain the research budget through purchase, and, hey, you can cite it in your promotional materials! “By 2032, the comics industry will reach $60 billion!”
§ How to write Kibbles ‘n Bits? I believe everyone would like to know! As time goes by, I keep a notepad of links and quotes and scour my feed for exciting things. What’s less exciting is when those promising headlines turn out to be content farm junk. 16 years ago, the Wachowski sisters made one of the best live-action animated adaptations of all time, and it sounds like this might be an opportunity to once again claim Speed Racer as a masterpiece, but the actual story is likely to be told through AI-generated screening of dull stories to tell. I found that all my aggregators were clogged with the same slow ranking and re-ranking. What’s the point? No wonder everyone reads a newsletter that has at least one author covering a topic that interests them.
But let’s give up Brian Croninis CBR’s The Last Jedi and recently completed the Comic Book Top 100, CBR’s fan-voted rankings conducted every four years.
You’ve voted, and now, after more than 1,050 votes (but less than 1,100), here are your votes for your favorite comic book creators of all time (this is our fifth time doing a countdown). We do this every four Once a year)! I’ll be posting installments more or less every day until the end of December!
The top 1-3 can be found here, and it’s hard to argue with any of the top ten unless they are all forty years old. The latest fares can be found further down the list. I guess it’s a testament to the aging demographic of comics die-hards… but also to the fact that no one stays in anything for long. But this could be an article in itself…
