Saturday, September 21, 2013

Bully recommends: Cartozia Tales

Yo, New York Comic Con comin' up in October, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Small Press Expo was one of the best comic-cons of all time! One of the best comic-cons of all time! Yep, I had a wonderful time attending last weekend's Small Press Expo in White Flint/Bethesda, Maryland, home of Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, the eastern seaboard's only stealth Target department store (seriously, guys, you know that you can't been seen from the highway?) and the world's seventeenth-worst Chili's restaurant. But most of it, it was, for that weekend, the home of more small comics publishers and creators than you can shake a stick at, if that happens to be your sort of thing. Thank you everyone who was there and who set it all up, and a special Bully tip o' the hoof to our good pal Eden aka Comicsgirl, who did a magnarvelous job in everything she does in the prep for SPX and the accompanying Ignatz Awards. Once again I did not win the Ignatz Award for Cutest Stuffed Animal Blogger. I thought I was a shoo-in with Giraffo out of the running this year now that he has that lucrative job hanging around with Lucy Liu on the set of Elementary, but this year it was not to be. Nevermind. The Ignatz Award is (suitably) a brick, so I just pried one up from the Marriott's sidewalk and took it home. No one will know the difference.



I've made a solemn vow to show off all my SPX loot and tell y'all a bit about it, but for the time being I want to turn the Bully rack-focused eye to peer at Cartozia Tales, the all-ages shared-world fantasy adventure anthology comic that, in this household at least, is fast becoming one of the most Fun Comics of 2013! Editor Isaac Cates, a pal of ol' Bully here as well as swell guy in his own right has put together two (and counting) wonderfully lush issues of Cartozia Tales, with contributions by both big stars and upcoming names in the indie comics world. (We picked up issue #2, just released at SPX, with pieces by Adam Koford and James Kochalka and many others!) It's an anthology with a clever concept: a shared world map divided into nine sections; each issue features a cartoonist telling a story set in that particular region and building the mythology bit by bit. (Here's how the shared storytelling works.) I'm an absolute nut for maps of fictional places, and the Cartozia map (you can see it here) gives the storytellers a delightful and ever-evolving approach to storytelling. (Plus, as my pal Shelly the Otter would like me to point out, there is Minniag the Otter Girl!) There's a lot of great storytelling and cartooning; stories that provoke thrills and giggles as well as provide an intriguing but not overdense ever-growing history of a fantasy land. I'm giving Cartozia Tales two hooves up! Because I only have two and I can't raise more. Unless I lie on my back and take off my shoes.


Also, because I am fond of cutting things out with scissors, I was delighted to pick up Cartozia postcards which starred two of the series' characters...and there are clothes to color and cut out in issue #2! I LOVE PAPER DOLLS AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT.


Now I know you guys: you're asking: how can I get these fine comics, Bully? Well, you could mosey on over to the Cartozia ordering page and whip yourself up an order for issues #1 and #2, but I'm gonna highly recommend you invest your shekels or quatloos or other forms of universal currency in the Cartozia Kickstarter Campaign, which'll help support the series's upcoming issues, and several levels get you subscriptions to Cartozia Tales in either space-saving PDF format for your newfangled e-readers, or good old-fashioned hold-'em-in-your-hands comics (and CT is beautifully designed and packaged; it's a gorgeous design from stem to stern). Pledging is available at all levels from Dime-Savings Little Stuffed Bull™ to Money-Bin-Diving Duck™. Click this banner to get (kick)starting!:


And I'm tellin' you all this because this is fun comics worthy of your readership and support, and not just because me an' editor Isaac Cates are now good buds and hangin' out at SPX. Shake my hoof, editor-man!


365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 264: That one time the Spectre ate the Red Tornado


House ad for The Spectre (1967 series) #1 (November-December 1967); printed in Justice League of America (1960 series) #58 (November-December 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, colors by Jack Adler (?), letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Hey, remember those good old days when Jim Corrigan and the Spectre used to hang around, just chillin' and watchin' TV together?


Panel from The Spectre (1967 series) #1 (November-December 1967), script by Gardner Fox, pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson

Me either.

Today in Comics History, September 21, 1959: Encyclopedia Batman Cracks the Case of the Suspected Strongman


from "The Man from Robin's Past" in Batman #129 (DC, February 1960), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Stan Starkman

Can you solve the mystery before Batman? That's right: it was the wily Canadian Englishman!


Comics Within Comics Month, Day 21: Why isn't that an issue of Spider-Pig?


Panels from Simpsons Comics #199 (February 2013 ), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Art Villaneuva, letters by Karen Bates



Cover of Amazing Fantasy (1962 series) #15 (August 1962), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, September 21, 1970: Folks line up at dawn for the premiere of The Invader movie


from The Avengers (1963 series) #82 (Marvel, November 1970), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by John Buscema, inks (and colors?) by Tom Palmer, letters by Sam Rosen

Friday, September 20, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 263: France's most popular comic book!


House ad for Adventures of Jerry Lewis #97 (November-December 1966); printed in Detective Comics #357 (November 1966)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino


Cover of Adventures of Jerry Lewis #97 (November-December 1966), pencils and inks by Bob Oksner, letters by Gaspar Saladino


I think that DC should just reprint this whole issue, under a cover of Batman '66.

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 20: Free snake with purchase of every Marvel Comic!


Panels from The 'Nam #23 (October 1988), script by Doug Murray, pencils by Wayne Vansant, inks by Frank Springer, colors by Mark Chiarello, letters by Phil Felix



Cover of Thor #147 (December 1967), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Sam Rosen

Thursday, September 19, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 262: What's so funny about peace, love, and objectivism?


House ad for Beware the Creeper #4 (November-December 1968); printed in Teen Titans #18 (November-December 1968)
Ad art taken from the cover of Beware the Creeper #4, pencils and inks by Steve Ditko, letters by Gaspar Saladino (?)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 19: Norman Osborn put that comic on his pull list and then bought it and bagged it and long-boxed it, just so he could squish it three months later


Splash page from Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2005 series) #28 (August 2007), script by Chris Kipiniak, pencils by Patrick Scherberger, inks by Norman Lee and Roland Paris, colors by Guru eFX, letters by Dave Sharpe



Cover of Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (2005 series) #25 (May 2007), pencils by Patrick Scherberger, inks by Roland Paris, colors by Guru eFX

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 261: Our Nation's 34½th President


House ad for Prez #3 (December 1973-January 1974); printed in Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #14 (December 1973-January 1974)

Ad art taken from the cover:


Cover of Prez #3 (December 1973-January 1974); pencils and inks by Jerry Grandenetti

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 18: The World's Most Self-Referential Comic Book!



Pages from Jack Staff (2000 series) #5 (May 2001); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Paul Grist



Cover of Jack Staff (2000 series) #5 (May 2001); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Paul Grist

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 260: Can't buy me love

A house ad for one of my favorite DC graphic novels of the past couple years! And I hear it got great Publishers Weekly praise too, from a discerning reviewer with great taste!


House ad for The Judas Coin graphic novel (September 2012); printed in Superboy (2011 series) #12 (October 2012)
Ad art taken from the cover of The Judas Coin: pencils and inks by Walt Simonson, colors by Lovern Kindzierski

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 17: I'm alright, I'm alright / I'm alright, I'm fantastic


Panels from Fantastic Four (1998 series) #60/489 (October 2002), script by Mark Waid, pencils by Mike Wieringo, inks by Karl Kesel, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne



Cover of Fantastic Four (1961 series) #1 (November 1961), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Klein, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

Monday, September 16, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 259: Up and At Them


House ad for Captain Atom (1987 DC series) #1 (March 1987); printed in Batman #405 (March 1987)

Ad art adapted from this:


Cover of Captain Atom (1987 DC series) #1 (March 1987); pencils and inks by Pat Broderick

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 16: And there was never any urban poverty, ever again


Panels from "Twisted ToyFare Theatre: Twenty, Twenty, 24 Hours to Go" in ToyFare #70 (June 2000)



Cover of The Falcon #4 (February 1984), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Joe Rubinstein


Why yes. Yes, it is.



Panels from The Falcon #4 (February 1984), script by Christopher Priest (as Jim Owsley), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Mike Gustovich, colors by Steve Mellor, letters by Clem Robins

Sunday, September 15, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 258: A is for Aquaman, who...wait, that was last week.


House ad for Adventure Comics #460 (November 1978) and Justice League of America (1960 series) #161 (December 1978)
printed in Detective Comics #480 (November-December 1978)
Comic cover art: Adventure #460: pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by Todd Klein
JLA #161: pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Frank McLaughlin
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, September 15: Danny prepares to go to Narnia


from The Unwritten #35.5 (DC/Vertigo, May 2012), plot by Peter Gross, script by Mike Carey, pencils and inks by Gabriel Hernandez Walta, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Todd Klein

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 15: Let's destroy another copy of Detective Comics #27


Panel from The Boys #24 (June 2001), script by Garth Ennis, pencils and inks by Darick Robertson, colors by Tony Avina, letters by Simon Bowland



Cover of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), pencils and inks by Bob Kane