Janelle Asselin
Comixology Celebrates Indie Comics with 30 ‘Comixology Submit’ Books for $3
Comixology's Submit program is kicking off its third year as a channel for the digital sale of indie comics, and to celebrate, Comixology is offering a bundle of 30 Submit books for just $3. The books are a diverse group, including projects by Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore, John Allison, Joe Benitez, Eric Grissom and Claire Connelly, and Andrea Tsurumi. Comixology co-founders John D. Roberts and David Steinberger will also promote the platform at SXSW this weekend with an appearance on the Geek Stage, which the company is sponsoring.
‘Chainmail Bikini’ Kickstarter Features Comics By Women About Gaming
Editor Hazel Newlevant is running a Kickstarter campaign for a comics anthology titled Chainmail Bikini, in which women cartoonists create stories about gaming. Given the current environment of the gaming community, this project is a welcome move away from death threats and pathetic anti-"SJW" rhetoric towards a pure expression of love for the medium of games.
Influential Comics Editor Diana Schutz Retires From Dark Horse
In the history of comics, few editors have been as influential for as long as Diana Schutz. In terms of long-term, well-known women editors at the top of the industry, Schutz is really only equaled by Vertigo's Karen Berger and Shelly Bond. Today, Schutz announced she is retiring from Dark Horse after 25 years at the publisher, and would be moving towards more academic pursuits. Over the course of her impressive comics career she has worked with many of the best creators in the business, including Neil Gaiman, Frank Miller, Matt Wagner, Stan Sakai, Will Eisner, and Harvey Pekar, and her books have won multiple Eisner and Harvey awards.
Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble: John Lewis Talks ‘March’ on the Daily Show
The inspiring national treasure that is Georgia Congressman John Lewis appeared last night on The Daily Show to talk to Jon Stewart about March Book Two's release as well as his experiences in the Civil Rights movement of the 50s and 60s.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the march in Selma, in which Lewis participated and received a fractured skull for his troubles. As the last year has shown through events such as the killing of Michael Brown and the subsequent treatment of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, racism and injustice are still very present in American society, and the March books by Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, couldn't be more timely or more necessary.
Macabre Nonfiction: An Interview with Cartoonist Emi Gennis [Hire This Woman]
Hire This Woman is a recurring feature on ComicsAlliance that shines a spotlight on female comics creators, whether they're relative newcomers or experienced pros who are ready to break out. In an overwhelmingly male business, we want to draw your attention to these creators --- and to raise their profile with editors and industry gatekeepers.
Cartoonist and art professor Emi Gennis often self-publishes her work, including the minicomic Spaz!, and has also published work on The Nib. Her focus is primarily nonfiction as told through comics, and she writes, draws, colors, and letters her own work.
Alex de Campi and Carla Speed McNeil Show ‘No Mercy’ in New Image Series [Interview]
Writer Alex de Campi and artist Carla Speed McNeil have teamed up to create the Image book No Mercy, about a group of teenagers from the U.S. who go to Central America on a school trip and things go horribly, horribly wrong.
The story is brutal and unforgiving, but also at times touching and funny. With lots of psychological terror, a diverse cast, and a pair of great creators at the wheel, the book sounds right up our alley, so we spoke with de Campi and McNeil to find out what readers can expect from No Mercy.
Exclusive Preview: ‘Marceline Gone Adrift’ #3: Marceline Vs. Record Execs
One of the most beloved Adventure Time characters, Marceline, is in the midst of a miniseries from KaBoom titled Marceline Gone Adrift, by Meredith Gran and Carey Pietsch, and ComicsAlliance has the exclusive preview for issue #3. In the story so far, everyone's favorite rocker demon/vampire went on a rampage throughout Ooo, so Princess Bubblegum stripped her of her powers and sent her drifting off into space. This is probably not so great for their relationship, but Princess Bubblegum does feel really, really bad about it.
Great Writing Advice: Learn To Write Women Like They’re Human Beings
A lot of writers, when asked for advice on how to write better women characters, respond "treat them like people." While that's good advice, and sadly not obvious to everyone, it also misses some of the nuances that make up individuals. Writers who just write any character like they were a man miss a big part of the point. We live in an age where works with female leads are increasingly financially lucrative and thus attractive to publishers, so it's important that writers learn how to write a gender-diverse cast, even if their motive is profit rather than progress.
Emerald City Comicon Offers ‘All Gender’ Restrooms
Once again cementing its place as the most inclusive of the major comic conventions, Emerald City Comicon just announced that as of this year's convention, there will be men's, women's, and all gender restrooms. This is a great acknowledgement that not everyone identifies as a man or woman or feels comfortable in restrooms for those genders. The all gender restrooms are gender neutral and open to everyone.
Best Comic Books Ever (This Week) – New Releases For March 4, 2015
The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, "Which comic books should I be reading?" or, "I'm new to comics, what's a good place to start?" The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats.
It's with these challenges in mind that we've created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.