Some of us (like me) aren’t lucky enough to live near a comic book shop, so here are new offerings in my Amazon store for online ordering. I know most of you will want to support your local bookstore, so please always keep your retailer in mind when choosing the best place to buy. Available now, the long-awaited graphic novel Gone to Amerikay! Mangaman debuted to excellent reviews which continue to pile up, including this latest from the Bulletin Center for Children’s Books (University of Illinois and Johns Hopkins).
Although the graphic novel starts out as a lovingly playful send-up of the tropes often found in manga and in more western-style comic books, it soon takes on a metafictive quality as Ryoko and Marissa recognize their roles as characters in a story and start to challenge the boundaries of their worlds. This heady premise, fortunately, does not negate any of the book’s wonderfully quirky and subversive humor; that humor, along with a nicely developed romance, gives Ryoko’s story an appeal that reach audiences beyond the mangamaniacs — though comic-book fans will nonetheless appreciate several of Lyga’s inside jokes. Ryoko is a fluid, stylized figure amidst the strong-jawed, heavily lined residents of Marissa’s world, completing the effect of an east-meets-west sensibility in the illustrations.
Mangaman has received a number of very fine comments from the kind of sources that make an author’s heart sing, with starred reviews in The School Library Journal and the prestigious Kirkus.
Also, Chicks Dig Comics, a collection of essays, is now out, and I understand my contribution is the anchor piece to the book.
Gone to Amerikay is getting raves as well including this handsome piece at The Wall Street Journal, and a swell book launch party for the benefit of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
The Annotated Sandman has also just been released. It’s a beautiful package with many notes from author Neil Gaiman.
Also, just announced for release, Essential X-Factor Volume IV, which contains a short story I drew back in the 1980′s penned by Peter David, and Womanthology, primarily a promotional collection of aspiring pro women creators. I did no original art for this book, thinking it best to let the volume showcase the talents of new talent. However, I did write two articles on oft-forgotten women greats like Rose O’Neill and Ethyl Hays. I believe I have a short interview in the book, too.
BTW, Marvel Comic published graphic novels tend to go out of print very quickly. Unlike DC Comics, which has a much larger trade paperback market share (even Image has a larger trade paperback market share,) Marvel sees no value in keeping backlist available to readers. As a creator and a fan, I believe this to be a very unfortunate and shortsighted policy. Let’s hope Marvel execs get with the new paradigm.
Until they do, you might want to pick up some of the recent releases of GN’s in which my work appears. Otherwise, you’ll end up buying them on the secondary market.
Speaking of secondary market, A Distant Soil Volume IV has been out of print for some months, and the prices on both my back issues and sold out trades are increasing. I apologize for the delay in returning the volume to print. As soon as we can get it on the docket, I will let you know.
In the meantime, I’m putting serious effort into finishing off what I need to do on the digital editions of back issues of the comic. I will post news as soon as I can.
If you got an Amazon.com gift certificate, I hope you’ll enjoy it with some of my books! I spent all of my Amazon.com gift certificate, a kind gift from devoted reader and collector Allan Harvey, on comics-related movies, including Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut dvd. Really looking forward to it! Thanks, Allan!
Hey, if I’d known you were going to spend it on a big blue penis, I’d've sent more!
Looking for the extended footage of the big blue meanie.
Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
I’ve had mangaman for a while (preordered it) but only got around to reading it this week. Although fairly light as a story, it has great concepts and distinct characters and what a great looking package (oo-er, missus!). It’s been too long since I was last able to get my hands on new Colleen art and this was well worth the wait. Everything was crisp and precise and the faces were all amazingly delineated: may sound odd but I think Colleen draws the best eyes in comics. The shape and that little fleshy bit in the corners are just perfect, making the emotions really come across. Can’t wait for Gone To Amerikay now
And BTW, while I won’t be able to have my online bookshop up and running again for another 60 days, I WILL have a couple of really nifty comic package deals of the kind I did last year, with great stuff. Take a look : http://adistantsoil.com/2011/01/28/a-distant-soil-sampler-pack-still-awesome-and-on-sale/
Very limited quantities.
If you’ve been hankering to see some of my harder to find mainstream comics, I have stuff in the new packages you won’t believe.
Was Mangaman all drawn digitally then? Is there an advantage to doing that? (I suppose if you save files in the right format, editimg may be easier than used scanned in artwork?) I struggle drawing didgitally, mainly because I haven’t got the resources for decent tablets (I usually scan in any patches needed to save dodgy art!)
Had a look at the link and have all the items (except the legolas print)…ooh, but that original art package is tempting? Why is there no emoticon for handwringing?
Pennies, pennies…
That pack is now sold out, but there will be other really cool packs available starting in about a week. Great values on some really hard to find stuff. I have less than 20 of each of these sets.
Mangaman is about 1/4 digital. All figure work is by hand. This is the first time I have done any digital drawing at all. Still don’t care for it much, but when it comes to things like long rows of lockers: yeah. Works for me.
I don’t think I want to go 100% digital. I see no value in ditching original art entirely. I can see how artists who do not produce attractive or valuable originals would make that decision, but I have no incentive.
I don’t think digital’s necessarily any better or worse than traditional methods but I agree that it’s sad that there’s sometimes no original art (all those beautiful Brian Bolland covers for instance, and no originals for years now!). My friend and I have opposing views on digiart though: if he draws a comic page, he’ll do as much as he can digitally (fliiling blacks and so on), as the final printed page is his goal. I see that but I’d still like the original page to be as complete as can be. Interesting choices technology can bring up!
Hey cyclopsfan, I also don’t believe digital art is necessarily inferior, but I think a lot of inferior artists cover up bad skills with digital flash and dash.
The real point is that there is no physical art. There isn’t any physical original art. Therefore, there is no original art to sell. You can only sell digital copies.
A great deal of my income is in original art. If I stop making original art, then I have to produce digital art that much faster to make up for that loss. So far, I’m not seeing that.
I can paint much faster digitally, so most of my paintings these days are digital. But I have no painting to sell.
I’m happy to do digital paintings for concept art for clients. Most concept work originals can’t be sold.
I was surprised to see some of your fairly recently posted work (such as the Wonder Woman redesigns) were coloured on the computer as they looked like they were done with watercolours and not digital at all. That takes some skill!
Thanks, I’ve developed a technique that I hope looks completely handmade. I’m fairly limited in what I can do on Photoshop, but I think I’ve got a good look, and I am staying as far away from the slick digital look as possible on most work.