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Cold, Vulcan logic

July 18, 2008 by

Tom Spurgeon, for the win:

“I’m baffled why it should take anything more than prominent people in the comics industry declaring they’re uncomfortable with a business this year to make folks consider with seriousness and respect the courtesy of a bare-minimum effort to patronize another place until the situation shakes out. Instead, the response from many people seems to be finding ways to justify continued patronage as if this were a very, very precious thing. In fact, most of the rationalizing being done on behalf of continued patronage not only invests it with importance, it seems to presume one’s decision to hang out and drink in a certain location comes as the fulfillment of an expectation for received business that no entity on earth should get to claim or have claimed on its behalf. The end result: no one simply disagrees. Rather, there seems to be a compulsion that one agree with the spirit of the objection being made and explain why they can’t do anything about it.”

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No birds were harmed in the writing of this post

July 17, 2008 by

Chris Butcher offers some excellent advice on nurturing the next phase of the manga industry:

“If you’ve got a store that believes in the material, and that keeps it in stock, not just makes it available for pre-order, then you can sell the material. In short, we have to invest in the industry we want, not just as retailers, but as journalists and pundits by covering the material we like, and as consumers by supporting the books we like with our dollars.

“That’s my prescription for the manga industry: let’s make the industry we want, do our best to convert fashion into function, and celebrate our successes where we find them rather than complain that we’re not quite successful enough.”

I’m all about combining errands, so here’s a possible way to kill two birds with one stone. (Sorry about the inherent animal cruelty of that phrase, but I haven’t had enough caffeine to recall a more benevolent alternative.) If you’re attending Comic-Con International and find some extra spending money in your pocket because you don’t feel like giving any to the Manchester Grand Hyatt, you could swing by the Fanfare/Ponent Mon booth (C04) and buy some of their lovely, lovely books. As Deb Aoki noted, Fanfare’s distribution system with Atlas isn’t quite 100% yet, so SDCC is probably your best chance to browse the publisher’s catalogue, gape in wonder at books like The Walking Man, Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators, and Kinderbook, and to pick up a copy of Hideo Azuma’s nothing-else-like-it Disappearance Diary (which I reviewed here).

Now, as for “supporting the books we like with our dollars,” Brigid Alverson works in an excellent way to do that in a recent post at MangaBlog: ordering titles via your local bookstore, especially if they’re books that might not otherwise get shelved. This strikes me as a great way to put offbeat titles on a store’s radar, and I’ve heard from various people that many stores will order a couple of shelf copies of a title when they get a special order. Also, you don’t have to worry about potentially climbing shipping costs from online retailers, though you still have to pay for gas to get to the local big box.

At Comics Should Be Good, Danielle Leigh gives a fine example of “covering the material we like” with her latest Manga Before Flowers column on CMX, DC’s stealth manga division:

“But CMX made me a fan for life by bringing over really extraordinary titles that no one else ever has and published them on a very consistent schedule over the past few years (Even though three of four volumes of Eroica a year isn’t a lot, it is enough to make me happy).”

Filed under: Bookstores, CMX, Conventions, Fanfare/Ponent Mon, Linkblogging 3 Comments

Reservations confirmation

July 16, 2008 by

Chris Butcher points out that the owner of San Diego’s Manchester Grand Hyatt made a substantial donation to efforts to pass Proposition 8, which would confine marriage in California to heterosexual couples. I guess that Hyatt property won’t be offering any honeymoon packages to same-sex couples either.

“The group’s message Thursday was to urge residents and tourists to stay at other hotels. The boycott call comes at the height of the summer and just one week before the start of the 2008 Gay Pride festivities in San Diego, during which 200,000 attendees are expected to attend, according to festival organizers.”

July is a good month for gay nerds in San Diego.

I’m not sure what I would do if I were going to the comic convention and had made a reservation at the Hyatt. I like to think I’d cancel my reservation and try to find other lodgings, but who knows if that’s even possible at this point? If at all possible, I try to do research in advance so I know that I’m not giving my money to a narrow-minded bigot. In this case, given the timing of the donation and the scarcity of lodging, I think I’d probably have to lump it. I know the climate in San Deigeo is supposed to be lovely, but I’m just not a camper.

Just out of curiosity, and knowing that the hospitality industry tends to be one of the gay-friendlier segments of the economy, I thought I’d see if I could dig up Hyatt’s non-discrimination policy:

“In addition, Hyatt abides by local equal employment opportunity policy to assure that all personnel related actions are administered without regard to race, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, mental or physical disability or any other group protected by law.”

And I looked into their domestic partner benefits policy, which is quite inclusive.

I wonder what corporate policy is in regards to franchisees and their business practices, and how stringently they expect individual hotel owners to adhere to corporate policy? I doubt it would apply to a private donation made by someone who just happens to be a franchise owner, but I can’t imagine Hyatt is happy with the publicity.

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Theoretical hounding

April 16, 2008 by

I’m not going to make it to this year’s New York Comic Con, but if I were there, I’d be hounding Fanfare/Ponent Mon’s Stephen Robson as much as possible. And just because I love their books, here’s Fanfare’s press release about convention plans and upcoming titles. Commence squeeing after the cut. (And if you’re going to the con, buy one of Fanfare’s books. You won’t regret it.)

Fanfare / Ponent Mon Previews 7 New Manga / Graphic Novels at NYCC

NEW YORK, NY – Award-winning international manga and graphic novel publisher Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be at New York Comic-Con April 18 – 20 at Booth 2343, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York City. Fanfare publisher Stephen Robson will be on hand to showcase recent and upcoming releases for 2008.

Seven new Fanfare publications will be previewed from Japan, France and Korea, including Jiro Taniguchi’s The Ice Wanderer, which was recently nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award by Comic-Con International.

New Fanfare / Ponent Mon titles previewing at New York Comic-Con include:

. Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma

. The Ice Wanderer and other stories by Jiro Taniguchi

. The Quest for the Missing Girl by Jiro Taniguchi

. The Summit of the Gods by Yumemakura Baku and Jiro Taniguchi

. My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill by Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo

. Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators by Various

. Awabi by Kan Takahama

Disappearance Diary – Hideo Azuma
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-42-6
Trade paperback, 200 pages
Cover price: $22.99
Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma is a new title scheduled for a Fall 2008 release which is printed and ready for distribution. It will preview at NYCC.
This autobiographical tale follows the true adventures of a successful manga artist who decides to run away from the deadline pressures and daily responsibilities of his life to become a homeless alcoholic. Winner of the Grand Media Prize, 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival.

The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: October 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-33-4
Trade paperback, 240 pages
Cover price: 21.99
The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories. a collection of six short stories by Taniguchi, is printed and ready for distribution once more. The title story, The Ice Wanderer is a strong to and features Jack London as one of the characters. While not yet available in wide release due to a change in our distribution companies, The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories has already been nominated for the 2008 Eisner Awards by Comic-Con International in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Japan category.

The Quest for the Missing Girl – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-47-1
Trade paperback, 334 pages
Cover price $25.00
When 15 year old Megumi mysteriously disappears, Shiga leaves his mountain retreat to fulfill his promise to her father following his death in the Himalayas twelve years previously. But the City can be a much more hostile and dangerous place than the mountain. Multi-award winning Taniguchi brings his detailed art and fast moving script to this agonizing tale of a missing girl.
Due Fall 2008

The Summit of the Gods – Yumemakura Baku, Jiro Taniguchi
Volume 1 release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-87-7
Trade paperback, 328 pages
Cover price: $25.00
Fanfare is continuing its commitment to publishing the award-winning graphic novels of Jiro Taniguchi with several new and notable releases. The Summit of the Gods is the latest offering from Taniguchi and is a 5-volume epic about the conquering of Mount Everest. Look for the first volume to be available in the U.S. in Spring 2009.

My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill – Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-85-3
Hardcover, 112 full color pages
Cover price: $24.00
My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill is a first-time English edition of the award-winning French graphic novel by Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo (Eisner nominee 2008 for “Best Short Story”). Told from a young boy’s point of view, My Mommy is a slice-of-life story about a child’s remembrance of his life in the French countryside and the fanciful postcards he receives from his mother, who’s off traveling the world – or is she? Look for this touching and memorable book to arrive in better bookshops in Fall 2008.

Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators – Various
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-48-8
Trade paperback, 222 pages
Cover price: $24.00
The sequel to the critically-acclaimed Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators takes the cross-cultural comics exchange to the other Asian epicenter of graphic storytelling, Korea. French and Korean creators, including Lee Doo-Ho, Vanyda, Park Heung-yong and Igort, share their impressions of Korea as both insiders and visitors for an eye-opening examination of this fast-growing, multi-faceted society.

Awabi – Kan Takahama
Release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-34-1
Trade paperback, 144 pages
Cover price: $19.99
Awabi means “abalone” in Japanese and this second collection of short stories by Kan Takahama (author of Monokuro Kinderbook, also from Fanfare / Ponent Mon) has more of Takahama’s elegant, softly stylized artwork and wry, wistful and very grown-up storytelling. The title story of life revisited in a rest home, befriending a suicide in My Life With K and dad calling a family meeting with surprising results in My Mellow Chrostmas form the core of these six stories from much lauded Takahama.

ABOUT FANFARE / PONENT MON
Founded in 2003, Spanish publisher Ponent Mon together with UK-based Fanfare, is aiming to introduce comic book readers to the latest graphic and story telling tendencies to come out of the alternative comics scene in Japan and elsewhere.

Whilst our roots are in the “Nouvelle Manga” movement formed by Frédéric Boilet, we also publish a long list of major Japanese and European artists including new works previously unpublished anywhere.

All English language titles and many more are published in Spanish from Ponent Mon.

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Filed under: Conventions, Fanfare/Ponent Mon, Press releases 7 Comments

I'm sure this won't become tiresome at all

August 29, 2007 by

Well, that’s cutting it close. With only eight months to go, Publishers Weekly Comics Week is finally getting around to previewing the next New York Comic-Con. Which is in April.

I do think it’s a nice idea to make attendance easier for small-press operations, though I tend to agree with Chris Mautner that an example or success story would have been nice. Then again, with two-thirds of a year before the event, perhaps organizers will have time to execute the plan.

I kind of wonder why the story couldn’t wait until they could name-check an indie house or two, because… well… eight months is a long time. I’m sure it’s not Reed Exhibition’s strategy to use PWCW to alert indie houses to the opportunity when they could just e-mail them. Hell, I can e-mail them, and I use a Yahoo account.

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But if I did…

July 21, 2007 by

I won’t be attending the San Diego Comic-Con this year. Let’s face it. I probably won’t be attending it any year. I’m extremely reluctant to fly anywhere, for a number of reasons. (I’m not afraid of the experience. I’m just ceaselessly irritated by almost every aspect of it.) And I can’t quite picture myself getting on a plane specifically to attend a comic convention. I’ll drive to one, or better still, take a train, but neither of those options is really practical when your starting point is West Virginia and your destination is Southern California.

A dislike of being herded and anxiety over my carbon footprint don’t necessarily constitute a condemnation of the con itself, and if I were to go, I’d find plenty of interesting panels to occupy my time. So here’s what I wouldn’t want to miss:

Thursday, July 26

    12:30-2:00 The Many Faces of the Graphic Novel— Graphic Novels come in many shapes, sizes, and formats, and they’ve been written about almost every topic under the sun! Six creators whose work explores very different aspects of the medium—Jeffrey Brown (Clumsy), Becky Cloonan (East Coast Rising), Renée French (The Ticking), Jim Ottaviani (Cowboys, Bone Sharps, and Thunder Lizards), Andy Runton (Owly), and Doug TenNapel (Creature Tech)—discuss the diversity of the form and the innovative places the graphic novel is going with moderator Mark Siegel (First Second Books). Room 4

I would obviously be forced to clone myself, because this is happening simultaneously with…

    12:30-2:00 Drawing Style and Storytelling— In a classroom-style workshop, Darwyn Cooke (The Spirit), Cameron Stewart (The Other Side), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and Colleen Coover (Banana Sunday)—and maybe another special guest—discuss design, look-and-feel, and how they develop the visual style of specific projects. Moderated by Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics). Room 30CDE

Hm… Runton, French, and Ottaviani or Cooke, Stewart, McNeil and Coover? Thanks for nothing, con schedulers! (Then again, I can’t even draw a stick figure, so I’d feel bad about occupying space in the latter.)

    2:00-3:00 LGBT New Creators— Who are the next LGBT comics superstars? With the astonishing breakthrough of Alison Bechdel’s award-winning Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Phil Jimenez’s run as lead artist on Infinite Crisis, and Allen Heinberg’s big splash into comics with Young Avengers and Wonder Woman, LGBT creators have shown themselves to be a major force within the comics world. Prism Comics, a nonprofit organization that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) comics, creators, and readers, not only champions these comics superstars but actively encourages, promotes, and develops tomorrow’s stars as well. Join moderator Terrance Griep (openly gay pro wrestler known as “SpiderBaby” and comic book writer of Scooby-Doo and Judo Girl) as he presents up-and-coming LGBT comics creators, including Steve MacIsaac (artist/writer of Shirtlifter, winner of Prism’s first annual Press Grant), Megan Gedris (writer/artist of YU+ME, winner of Prism’s second annual Press Grant), Tommy Roddy (writer of Pride High), and Sean McGrath (writer of Frater Mine). Room 10

Because I would need some kind of cleansing breath after the four-part “Homosexuality in Comics” series over at Comic Book Resources.

    6:00-7:00 100 Manga Magazines in 60 Minutes— In Japan, manga is published in massive weekly, biweekly, and monthly manga magazinesthat fit every imaginable category: shojo to shonen, science fiction to horror, moe to yaoi, children’s to adult. Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide) provides a visual tour of the manga world, its industry secrets, and future trends. Room 4

A big theme for my con attendance would be “stalking Jason Thompson.”

Friday, July 27

    2:30-3:30 Spotlight on Rick Geary— Writer/artist and San Diego Reader staple Rick Geary talks to long-time friend David Wilson about his career in comics, including his ongoing series of graphic novels, Treasury of Victorian Murder, the latest of which, The Bloody Benders, is out from NBM in time for Comic-Con. Room 3

Given how much I love the Treasury series, I really should start tracking down some of Geary’s other works, like that Gumby comic. Of course, SDCC presents yet another scheduling conflict for me:

    2:30-3:30 Spotlight on Gilbert Hernandez/Love and Rockets’ 25th— In this 25th anniversary year of the legendary independent comic book Love and Rockets, co-creator Gilbert Hernandez sits down with his longtime publisher, Fantagraphics’ Gary Groth, for a frank discussion of Beto’s work and his opinions about comics, touching on his recent Vertigo graphic novel, Sloth, his forthcoming Dark Horse miniseries, and the just released Chance in Hell from Fantagraphics. Ask your own questions in an audience Q&A. Room 10

I should be a good mangaphile and insist that I would attend all of the publisher panels, but I’d probably be lying, unless I didn’t have anything else on my plate. Still, I’d go to the first half hour of this one.

    5:30-6:30 Yen Press Launches!— Spend an hour with Kurt Hassler (former Borders graphic novel and manga buyer), Rich Johnson (former VP, book trade, DC Comics) and senior editor JuYon Lee (former senior editor, ICE Kunion) as they discuss what’s in store for Yen Press, the new graphic novel and manga imprint of Hachette Book Group USA. Room 10

(The composition of the panel would explain why Lee didn’t answer my e-mail inquiry about the ICE Kunion web site, wouldn’t it?)

Then I’d sneak out the back so as not to miss a minute of the one-shop stalking offered by the panel for…

    6:00-7:00 Lost in Translation— Lately foreign comics, especially manga, have topped the bookstore graphic-novel sales charts. And in other media as well, foreign entertainment has been making a big push. See long-time translators, editors, and industry people answer questions and discuss the trials and triumphs of being in this exciting area of the media industry! Panelists include William Flanagan (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle), Jonathan Tarbox (Angel Sanctuary), Jake Forbes (Fullmetal Alchemist), Jason Thompson (Manga: The Complete Guide), Shaenon Garrity (Overlooked Manga Festival blog), and Stephen Paul (Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad)! Room 3

I always get really excited about awards shows before they actually start, then I get really bored about ten minutes in. (Except for the Tony Awards.) But I’d still sit through at least some of…

    8:30-11:30 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards— The 19th annual Eisner Awards, the “Oscars” of the comics industry, will be given out by celebrity presenters, including Reno 911’s Tom Lennon and Ben Garant, comedian Brian Posehn, cartoon voice actor Maurice LeMarche, British TV celebrity Jonathan Ross, and author Neil Gaiman. Other prestigious awards to be given out include the Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award and the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award. The master of ceremonies is Bongo Comics’ Bill Morrison, who will be aided by the Go-Gos’ Jane Wiedlen. Admission to the Eisners is free to all Comic- Con attendees—just be sure to bring your badge. Doors open for pros and VIPs at 7:30 and for attendees at 8:15. Click for full details on the Eisners. Ballroom 20

Saturday, July 28

    10:30-11:30 Meet the Press: Writing About Comics— From blogs to books to magazines, the public conversation about comics is livelier—and faster—than it’s ever been. Heidi MacDonald (Publishers Weekly), Nisha Gopalan (Entertainment Weekly), Tom Spurgeon (The Comics Reporter), Tom McLean (Variety), Graeme McMillan (The Savage Critics), and moderator Douglas Wolk (Reading Comics) discuss the state of the art of comics criticism. Room 3

Tom Spurgeon and Graeme McMillan? What sane blogophile could resist that opportunity? Panel line-up also plays a significant role in my interest in…

    11:30-12:30 Reality-Based Graphic Novels— The rise of graphic novels in the past few years has seen the creation of some incredible work rooted in the real world. Some of these are personal autobiographical memoirs, while others are rooted in history. Moderator Andrew Farago (Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco) interviews Comic-Con special guests Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), Guy Delisle (Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea), Rick Geary (The Bloody Benders), Miriam Katin (We Are On Our Own), and Joe Matt (Spent) about tales of their own lives and those of others. Room 3
    5:30-8:00 Gays in Comics Panel and Mixer: The 20th Anniversary!— Two decades of “Gays in Comics” is celebrated at its birthplace: Comic-Con! From DC’s diverse roster that includes a lesbian Question and Batwoman and a gay Pied Piper and Midnighter to Marvel’s Moondragon and Quasar or Hulkling and Wicca, super-hero comics have come a long way in representing gay characters. With Yaoi also exploding in the marketplace, the bravura graphic novel Fun Home winning awards worldwide, and TV shows such as Heroes tapping into the comic book closet, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered characters and fans are finally being represented. An all-star panel of GLBT creators (and a straight one) will offer startling insight and glimpses of surprises to come! Joining founding moderator Andy Mangels, best-selling author of Star Trek novels and director of She-Ra and Isis DVD documentaries, are Alison Bechdel, the writer/artist of the critical best-seller Fun Home and Dykes to Watch Out For; Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the writer of Sensational Spider-Man and Nightcrawler; Chuck Kim, a writer for the Heroes TV series and many DC Comics titles; Charles “Zan” Christensen, the co-founder of PRISM and writer of the upcoming The Mark of Aeacus; Alonso Duralde, pop culture critic, author of 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men, and former Advocate arts editor; and Megan Gedris, PRISM grant-winning artist of Yu+Me manga webcomic. Plus, a very important special guest may make an appearance! Afterward, stick around for the hour-long gay comics fan mixer/social, sponsored by PRISM Comics, with prizes and surprise special guests! Room 6A

I can’t resist a mixer. Well, I can, but…

Sunday, July 29

It is now law that every con will feature a panel on this topic. It would also be law that I attended all of them.

    10:30-11:30 The Graphic Novel Explosion— Up until the last few years, graphic novels were published primarily by specialty houses that produced only comics and related works. Now, however, traditional mainstream publishing houses are producing graphic novels and even setting up graphic novel divisions, spurred by bookstore sales trends, library demand, and critical recognition. What has led to this trend? What sorts of books are these publishers looking for? Who is the audience? What role has manga played? And is the graphic novel market going to continue to expand, or will the bubble burst? Panelists include Charles Kochman, senior editor, Harry N. Abrams; David Saylor, creative director, Scholastic/Graphix; Karen Berger, executive editor, Vertigo/Minx/DC; Mark Siegel, senior editor, First Second; Dallas Middaugh, associate publisher, Del Rey Manga; Chris Schluep, editor, Ballantine/Del Rey/Villard; and Calvin Reid, news editor, Publisher’s Weekly, and co-editor, PW Comics Weekly. Moderated by Jackie Estrada, Eisner Awards administrator and consultant to Foreword magazine’s Comique graphic novel supplement. Room 8

Ditto for this topic, and look at this panel!

    1:00-2:00 What’s Happening in Kids’ Comics Today?— Some of the most creative work in the industry is being done in kids’ comics. Svetlana Chmakova (Dramacon), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Debbie Huey (Bumperboy), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight, Amulet), George O’Connor (Journey into Mohawk Country), and Gene Yang (American Born Chinese) talk with moderator Dave Roman (Nickelodeon) about the importance of kids’ comics—and the fun they have creating them! Room 8
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Quick manga links

March 2, 2007 by

At MangaBlog, Brigid chats with Yen Press guru Kurt Hassler about the imprint’s possible manga magazine and other schemes so crazy they just might work.

TangognaT is celebrating the fourth anniversary of her blog by giving away some awesome books.

The Beat points to T. Campbell’s sum-up of the webcomics panel at the New York Comic Con, with plenty of focus on Netcomics and its business model. The recently announced Netcomics/Yaoi Press partnership is one of the things that has (not safe for work) Simon Jones wondering if digital delivery’s time has finally come.

Boy, I categorized the hell out of this one, didn’t I? Fear my flagrant abuse of WordPress functionalities!

Filed under: Contests and giveaways, Conventions, Linkblogging, Netcomics, Webcomics, Yaoi Press, Yen Press 1 Comment

Speculation

February 15, 2007 by

I got an intriguing press release from Go! Comi in the e-mailbox yesterday:

WENDY PINI TO APPEAR AT GO! COMI PANEL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legendary comic creator Wendy Pini (“ElfQuest”) will be appearing at manga publisher Go! Comi’s panel at New York Comic Con to announce a major new project, which she describes as “darkly exciting and adult oriented.” The panel will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 24th. Wendy will be joined by her husband, Richard Pini, for an autograph session at Go! Comi’s booth (#564) at 3:00 PM immediately after the panel.

In light of Go! Comi’s previous announcement that they’ll be conducting portfolio reviews at NYCC, it seems increasingly likely that someone’s thinking about branching out.

Filed under: Conventions, Go! Comi, Press releases 1 Comment

Con jobs

January 4, 2007 by

A dust-up seems to be brewing over the inaugural American Anime Awards, to be debuted this year at the New York Comic Con. At MangaCast, Ed Chavez takes a moment from his travels in Japan to look over the ballot, particularly the manga nominees, and he finds it wanting. Anime News Network interrogates ICv2’s Milton Griepp over the conception of the awards program and what could be construed as ADV’s undue influence.

The awards have struck me as a rather odd fit for this particular con since they were announced. Anime isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the NYCC, and the impression was reinforced by the closing remarks from this week’s PWCW interview with con organizer Greg Toplian:

“What I’m told is that we’re the literary show. This is New York City, and it’s about comics and book publishing. Editorial staff or the licensing departments can all stop by the convention for the price of cab fare. The Friday trade day also helps. We’re a more bookish show than others and getting Stephen King to attend as a guest of honor is the perfect illustration of that.”

(Dedicated conspiracy theorists will undoubtedly note that the interview is illustrated with a photo of Toplian and ADV’s Chris Oarr. The snark-centric will undoubtedly note the dangerous proximity of “literary” and “Stephen King.”)

Aside from the overcrowding issue, the general impression that emerged from last year’s NYCC was one of wider publisher interest in the category – book publishers scouring the con floor for talent and contemplating ways to slice off their own piece of the graphic novel pie. And while anime is certainly a driver in graphic novel sales, it doesn’t seem like an intuitive fit. Back at the ANN interview, Griepp provides some background:

“New York Comic Con was actively searching for an awards program from one of its categories to be associated with the convention, so a venue and supporting event became available. The association with New York Comic Con allowed the awards program to take advantage of the location in the media capital of the world, with a very large press corps already attending.”

The PWCW interview had plenty on its plate without delving into the new awards program, and Calvin Reid did address another issue that’s been simmering:

“We’ve heard some complaints about a lack of women creators being invited officially to be a part of the show. When I checked the guest list at the Web site, there was one woman out of about 31 invited guest artists. While I understand there are more women involved in some of the as-yet-unannounced programming, this still seems like an unfortunate message to send out. Particularly since the mainstream New York comics industry has a long history of excluding women.”

One out of 31? That’s an even worse percentage than San Diego.

Filed under: Anime, Awards and lists, Conventions, Linkblogging 8 Comments

French fried

December 18, 2006 by

I think I’ve achieved something of a personal best in terms of laziness with this week’s Flipped. It’s basically just a trawl through the Angoulême catalog to see what licensed manga made the short list for 2007. And can’t we always stand to freshen up the roster of books we wish North American publishers would license?

Filed under: Conventions, Flipped 3 Comments
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