Second Chew Trade Lands on NYT Best Sellers List

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Conventions, Image Comics,

The congratulations keep coming for Chew writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory!

Following in the footsteps of the Image comic’s first trade paperback, Taster’s Choice, the second volume, International Flavor landed on the New York Times Best Sellers List this week. Considering that the Scott Pilgrim movie buzz has sent fans flocking to comic book stores and blockading much of the list, this is quite an accomplishment.

The series follows Tony Chu, an FDA agent who receives psychic sensations from anything he consumes (coined a “cibopath”), on his adventures in a reality where eating chickens is illegal.

Layman and Guillory are scheduled to be at San Diego Comic Con, selling the hardcover Chew Omnivore Edition (set for wide release on August 11) as well as a special convention variant cover for Chew #12 (in stores next week, on July 14). Make sure you get there quick—I have a hard time believing that a cover titled “The Radioactive Mona Lisa Chicken Cover” will take long to sell out.

Read More | NY Times

Gus Arriola and Gordo

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

I never got to read Gordo when it was syndicated - it never ran in any papers in my area when I was a kid. It was always a strip that I read about, instead of actually reading. That changed as I got older and got to read longer runs of of it. It deserves all the praise it gets for its gentle humor and its brilliant design. You can read comics on the iPhone all day long, but it’s one panel at a time. To appreciate the craftsmanship of a Gordo strip, you need to take in the whole thing. The guy was just great, and he deserved a much wider audience and he deserves to be read and experienced still today. With comics in this Golden Age period of archival reprint heaven - c’mon, even Gasoline Alley is getting collected - Gordo should be right there with everyone else. (I’m looking at you, Dean Mullaney)!

Continuing my series on cartooning and cartoonists, Gus wrote about himself and his work back in 1964. This is pulled from an oversized saddle-stitched magazine from Allied Publications with the creatively-challenged title These Top Cartoonists Tell How They Create America’s Favorite Comics. It featured an introduction by Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker and was compiled by Allen Willette.

Here’s Gus on Gus and Gordo:

Click to continue reading Gus Arriola and Gordo

Little Orphan Annie, Dead at 85

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Movies, Independent,

Little Orphan Annie, the plucky little orphan girl, died today after an extended illness, just a few weeks shy of her 86th birthday. The official cause of death was listed as a broken heart after discovering that she’d been appearing in just 20 newspapers.

Afflicted by a disease that gave her blank eyeballs and kept her perpetually a little girl, Annie began her career in the self-titled comic strip as the ward of the infamous war profiteer Daddy Warbucks, a mouthpiece for conservative politics who launched frequent anti-union tirades. Because of her association with one of the world’s richest men, Annie was often the target of thieves, spies, and villains.

Click to continue reading Little Orphan Annie, Dead at 85

Read More | Little Orphan Annie

Buford Tune and Dotty Dripple

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Buford Tune appears to be one of the forgotten cartoonists of the mid-20th Century, even though he had a comic strip that ran for nearly 30 years. I’d never heard of him or his strip which made this article about him all the more fascinating.

Continuing my series on cartooning and cartoonists, Tune sang about his own work back in 1964. This is pulled from an oversized saddle-stitched magazine from Allied Publications with the creatively-challenged title These Top Cartoonists Tell How They Create America’s Favorite Comics. It featured an introduction by Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker and was compiled by Allen Willette.

Now, here’s Tune on key:

Click to continue reading Buford Tune and Dotty Dripple

Weekend Reading: James Bond, Wally Wood, Stan Lee and Frank Frazetta

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Independent,

It’s old-school comic book week for the past several days as Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, Stan Lee and that crazy caveman Alley Oop pop up. If that’s not all, Evan Dorkin opened up an excellent thread on health insurance and freelance artists that’s must read for anyone who’s ever seen a 1099 form.

Wally Wood: Gold Key Stories posts a complete issue of M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War, with art by the great Wally Wood. Fanboys drool over this kind of stuff, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m one of them.

Frank Frazetta: A backhoe, a museum and millions of dollars worth of original art add up to a very sad family tragedy for the great artist. Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat has been on top of the story here and here and that’ll get you started. Be sure to follow through and read all the comments and updates.

Free Content: Xark has a great take on why newspapers complain so much about the online readership who wants it for free, but it’s really diners and coffee-sippers who are the real content thieves who don’t pay for what they read.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: James Bond, Wally Wood, Stan Lee and Frank Frazetta