Titan’s Andrew Sumner is a fascinating guy with so much to say. You might be enjoying his impressive publishing and collectible output from Titan, you might have seen him on so many SDCC or NYCC panels, and maybe you’ve even see his podcasts & YouTube interviews.
I must admit: I have the great privilege of hosting Andrew as a Guest Lecturer at Ithaca College. He’s always one the very favorites of the students.
Well, now the tables are turned. He’s the one being interviewed. Eoin McAuley provides an outstanding interview in the latest episode of Creator in Conversation..and it’s available here!
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At San Diego Comic-Con in July, I always enjoy the small press area. Someone once gave me good advice: walk up and down the small press aisles with a little cash in your pocket and spend it with these talented creators. And I always do.
Let me tell you about just two of the folks I chatted up there this year. Continue reading “With Further Ado #413: Three Wonderous Treasures to Share”
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence more than 40 years, the Killer Tomatoes are coming home. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, the fifth film in the cult horror-comedy franchise, is headed to San Diego Comic-Con ahead of its theatrical release this August. Fittingly, the original installment was largely filmed and produced in San Diego, bringing the series back to the city where it all began in 1978. 
I don’t know how I ended up with so many coloring books.
Later in life, as a young parent, coloring books were a big part of my kids’ early day. They had zillions of coloring books. Usually, they celebrated whatever was the most popular IP for my daughters. Beauty and the Beast? Sure. 101 Dalmatians? You got it. Fox’s Anastasia? Yes, even that one. As the-dad-who-likes art, we’d have fun coloring together. Especially the characters I liked. You know, the super-heroey types of coloring books. Over the years they also ended up with quite a few Batman and superhero coloring books.
I think this Conan story was made just for me. It opens with a brutal battle and mini-adventure from Conan’s early life, but quickly skips ahead a few decades. Conan is in his sixth decade (believe me, I know what that’s like). He’s in a comfortable place in his life, as King of Aquilonia. 
I’ve been really enjoying the 
The French cartoonist, Amazing Ameziane, has a wonky style. Or maybe I should styles, as he is constantly switching up his page layouts and illustration style. And that works perfectly with this book.
I’ve been enjoying Titan’s new Conan comics more than I ever expected to. For me, it all started with speaking to Jim Zub at the SDCC a couple of years ago. His enthusiasm for the project was palpable. The monthly series is brilliant. It has just enough nostalgia to reel readers in, and then blows your mind with stories exploring topics like “Does Conan believe in God?”
There’s a few hidden gems in here including :
EC gets all the credit and all the love. All those creepy titles, spectacular artists and reprint upon reprint. I know, I get it. I love ‘em all and have read so many of my favorite stories in so many formats over the years. Earlier this year, I snagged a copy of The Spawn of Venus, another wonderful hardcover (also published by Fantagraphics) that reprints more Wally Wood EC work.
Want to get the gears rolling with younger readers? Girl Rebels is an inspirational collection of five short comic stories about amazing young women. You might know Greta Thunberg, the young environmental activist. This book includes four more courageous stories in a similar vein.
Word Balloon Podcast is the long-running comics conversation show. John Siuntres books the most interesting pop culture professionals and engages them in meaty conversations. This one is the unofficial podcast of my commute. Look for Word Balloon Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s hard to buy manga for manga lovers. What do they already have? What have they read already? Welcome to Ghost Mansion just started. I’m not an expert in this genre, but the first two volumes look pretty cool.
Goblin Den is a ribald (as we used to say) adventure from a Brazilian erotic creator called Sabu. I really like his loose, cartoony style. A fun gift for an adult fantasy reader (18+). And I find that every book from this publisher, Korero, is impressive. Goblin Den is billed as a limited edition portfolio.
Christmas in the Batcave is a delightful children’s (all ages?) book with the extended Bat-Family (including Batgirl, Damian, Red Hood, Dick – the whole gang in current comics continuity) that’s an awful lot of fun. I can’t wait to read to a granddaughter or two.
The pitch for this one is very straightforward. It’s a little bit Indiana Jones, and little bit of Lovecraft, and even a little bit of Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. It’s a brisk adventure that hurtles along at top speed, dragging the reader right into a web of urgency. Shannon Eric Denton’s been at this long enough that he knows how to craft a story and how to create memorable characters quickly and efficiently.
Hartman’s art is cartoony and loose. I think this story might have worked better with a more realistic artist. But I do think Hartman’s art is probably spot on for younger readers. And by “younger” I mean the under forty-five years old set.
The other night, I was watching a band, and the lead guitarist was my old comic book dealer, Kim Draheim. I ended up talking to another one of his old customers, Mark Fenessy. As usual, we started talking about comics. We both laughed at how much we are enjoying the new DC Wonder Woman series, especially given that in the old days, we wouldn’t be caught dead reading a “girl comic”.
