Jennifer de Guzman
Supergoddesses: Morrison Speaks About Gynocentricity and ‘Wonder Woman: Earth One’
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the graphic novel Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette ever since it was announced back in January 2014 (as Wonder Woman: The Trial of Diana Prince). Now, with new details emerging in an interview with Morrison (who has just been named editor-in-chief of Heavy Metal) at Nerdist, the excitement is only building.
The Harpy Agenda Amplifies Diverse Intersectional Voices in Comics
On July 13, comics creators Shing Yin Kor and Taneka Stotts awarded the first Harpy Agenda Microgrant to J.A. Micheline for her sharp critique of the controversial first issue of the Boom Studios miniseries Strange Fruit by Mark Waid and J.G. Jones III. Kor took a moment to answer a few questions about the new initiative.
Tokyopop Is Poised to Return, But Should Creators Take a Chance?
Tokyopop is back. The manga publisher, known for its rapid rise and subsequent implosion in the early 2000s, announced a new push toward active business at Anime Expo on July 2. Tokyopop founder Stu Levy (also known as DJ Milky) led a panel that unveiled an ad-supported comics app called Pop Comics and unspecified plans to return to manga publishing in 2016.
The response from creators who have been published by Tokyopop was… let’s call it “less than enthusiastic”:
Whiteness, Nerdiness, and Spider-Man: The Perpetuity of Peter Parker
Starting this fall in the Marvel comic book universe, Spider-Man will be a half-black, half-Latino teenager. Starring in the character’s flagship series by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Miles Morales has given a new generation of comic book readers a superhero that reflects our diverse culture. But fans also learned recently that the newest iteration of the web-slinger on the big screen will once again be Peter Parker, as British actor Tom Holland, the third white actor to play the character since 2002, was announced as the new Spidey.
Break Out the Glitter: It’s Utter Pandemonium in the New ‘The Wicked + The Divine’ Book Trailer
The second volume of The Wicked + The Divine, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s cult hit comic about a pantheon of pop stars, will hit shelves on July 1st compliments of publisher Image Comics, and ComicsAlliance is pleased to have an exclusive first look at the trailer that ushers its way into the mortal world. The title of the volume, which collects issues #6-11 of the series, shows off writer Gillen’s well-known penchant for puns: Fandemonium. (Volume 1, which centered on Lucifer, was The Faust Act.)
Where’s the Money in Comics? This Survey Breaks it Down by Gender
On his new site SKTCHD, David Harper, formerly of Multiversity Comics, is continuing to write his signature longform pieces on the comic book industry, and on June 16, he posted the results and his analysis of his survey of comics professionals. The main analysis piece is well worth reading, as it breaks down responses about everything from income, to free time, to publisher relations. Harper drilled down further, however, to focus on the relationship between gender and income in the comics industry.
Portraits of the Lord Commander as a Young Man: Jon Snow Gets Illustrated [Spoilers]
The Game of Thrones season finale delivered another dagger between the ribs to fans of the HBO mega-hit series based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels. To mark the occasion, we've collected together what we think is some of the best Jon Snow fan art ever.
Marketing to the #comicsmarket: How to Avoid Hashtag Hazards
Hashtags. They’re a necessity for marketing on social media, but for corporations, their use is a path dotted with pitfalls. In the democratic environment of Twitter, users are sensitive to being manipulated and pandered to for corporate gain, and a “hashtag fail” can result in viral public embarrassment for a company. This is particularly unstable ground for comics publishers, since comics readers have long formed strong online communities and are particularly savvy to corporate attempts to infiltrate those spaces.
Need to Make Money At A Con? Check Out This Advice
With comic book conventions springing up all over the country, and the biggest con of all, Comic-Con International in San Diego, starting in a month, it may be about now that comics creators are feeling rising anxiety about selling their goods in Artist Alleys. Fortunately, Karama Horne of Derpygurl has some helpful tips for Artist Alley exhibitors, “25 Reasons Why You Don’t Make Any Money at Comic Cons.”