IranAmok watch: journalist still imprisoned over cartoon
(Censorship) I have to admit that I've been playing this story for -- well, not quite "for laughs", per se, but there's definitely an amusement factor involved. To a Western sensibility, the idea of shutting down a newspaper because it reprinted a 65-year-old cartoon about FDR and the Supreme Court that was considered an insult to the late Ayatollah Khomeini is more than a little absurd. That said, there's a serious side to this story. Don't believe me? Just ask Alireza Eshraghi, if you can get through to him -- international journalists' advocacy group IFEX explains:

"Eshraghi, of Hayat-é-no, was picked up after his paper reprinted a 1937 American newspaper cartoon about the pressure exerted by then-President Franklin Roosevelt on the United States Supreme Court, represented by a bearded, black-robed old man resembling the Islamic regime's founder, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The cartoon was printed alongside an interview with a social science professor about social collapse in Iran. The cartoon was considered insulting to Khomeini's memory and the paper was subsequently closed.

"Eshraghi is being held at Evin Prison, near Tehran. On 19 January, Intelligence Ministry officials took the journalist to his office and searched it. The same day, the Religious Court summoned another Hayat-é-No journalist, Akram Didari, for questioning. "

It's questionable whether agitation over this issue from Americans would do much good -- given the lunacy of the authorities involved, any such activism might well be perceived as proof of U.S. complicity in the affair. Readers from other nations, however, might want to consider writing their local Iranian embassy in protest of Eshraghi's imprisonment. While Reporters Without Borders maintains a number of online petitions, they have yet to start one for the case in question; I'll let you know if and when that changes.
Posted @ 3:05 PM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Moïse Depond dies
(Cartooning) WittyWorld is reporting the death last Monday of French gag cartoonist Moïse Depond, better known as "Mose"; he was 81. It didn't seem to make much of a blip in the French press, outside of this brief blurb in l'Humanité (Google translation).
Posted @ 3:05 PM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Ron Tandberg wins National Museum award
(Editorial Cartoons) WittyWorld's news page also brings word that cartoonist Ron Tandberg has won the National Museum of Australia's 2002 Political Humour Award. Mind you, it was apparently a secret award; the Museum's website makes no mention of it, and aside from a brief acknowledgement at the back-end of the website for the paper that employs Mr. Tandberg, I can find no trace of the awards in Australia's news media. Congratulations to Mr. Tandberg anyway.
Posted @ 3:05 PM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Raijin Comics joins Shonen Jump on newsstands
(Comic Books) The mangafication of the American comics market took another step today, when Gutsoon! Entertainment signed a deal with one of America's largest magazine distributors, Ingram Periodicals, to distribute its flagship title Raijin Comics to newsstands nationwide. The deal also provides a door into such bookstore chains as Barnes & Nobles and Borders. Digital Webbing has the press release:

" 'Our distribution deal with Ingram could not be more timely,' said Horie Nobuhiko, Chairman Gutsoon! Entertainment and Coamix, 'the recent news of bookstores agreeing to create a category specifically for Graphic Novels and Comics means our distribution deal with Ingram ensures that manga fans and readers alike, will have easier access to buying Raijin Comics. This deal with Ingram was inevitable as Raijin Comics' popularity continues to grow in the U.S.'

"Ingram Periodicals stated, 'Ingram Periodicals has noticed substantial growth in the comics category and we are taking a strong initiative to further expand our comics distribution strategies. Retailers, specifically Borders and Hastings, are taking a greater interest in comics as a profitable and successful category. Raijin Comics is the perfect fit for us, and we look forward to a long, and profitable partnership with Gutsoon! Entertainment.' "

I should note the mild evasions in the above: the recent creation of a "graphic novel" category for bookstores doesn't appear to include comics pamphlets, so I don't see how it affects Raijin one way or the other. I'd bet the oversized comic book will find itself in the magazine racks. By contrast, "could not be more timely" is something of an understatement; the deal with Ingram gets Raijin out of the comics-shop ghetto, where manga is still just a minority presence, and into the greater market where manga dominates. The deal provides Shonen Jump with its first real competition for the hearts and minds of America's young readers.
Posted @ 3:05 PM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Angoulême opens
(Comics Events) The 30th Annual Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême, the largest regular comics exhibition in the world, opened yesterday in the French town of Angoulême. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend before closing on Sunday. The president this year is François Schuiten, best known for the work Les Cités Obscures. The Pulse has a rundown of some of the other more notable attendees, for all you starfuckers out there:

"The guests this ear include almost everyone who's anyone in European comics, but to drop a few names: Lorenzo Mattioti, the crew from L'Association, Loustal, Miguelanxo Prado, Jose Muñoz, Lewis Trondheim, Moebius; as well as Julie Doucet, Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Katsohiro Otomo, Art Spiegelman, Benoit Sokal, Marvel cover artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, Jose Villarubia, Todd McFarlane, and hundreds of others."

Fair warning: the link Heidi MacDonald gives to the festival's "official website" has been set to redirect you to French comics site Le Portail de la Bande Dessinée -- the actual website is here (Google homepage translation). For further festival information, Bugpowder has an partially translated page.

The Angoulême festival also offers the Alph-Art awards, which were announced yesterday. Chris Ware won two, "Best Album" and the Critics' Award, for his graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, which was released in French translation by Delcourt. Other winners included Olivier Supiot and Eric Omond (Best Art, Le Dérisoire), Jirô Taniguchi (Best Scenario, Quartier Lointain Vol. 1), Jean-Claude Denis (Best Dialogue/Writing, Quelques Mois à l’Amélie), and Matthieu Bonhomme (Best First Album, L’âge de Raison). The full list of winners can be found here (Google translation).

Finally, Thierry Smolderen's Coconino World website has a special section devoted to the festival (in French, alas), which already features photos from the first day.
Posted @ 4:10 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Cartoonist escapes fire, loses everything
(Comic Books) Rob G, artist for the comic-book series Teenagers From Mars, narrowly escaped a fire that destroyed his apartment building; the fire consumed all his personal possessions save for his cat and the clothes on his back. Few other details have been announced, but Newsarama's Matt Brady has set up a PayPal account for those who'd like to donate a few bucks to help Rob back on his feet, as well as an address where checks or clothing (he's a skinny 5'11") can be sent -- click the link for details.
Posted @ 4:10 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

More on Mauldin
(Editorial Cartoons) For those who haven't gotten their fill of Bill Mauldin nostalgia yet: Stars and Stripes, the paper for which Mauldin created his famous "Willie and Joe" cartoons, checks in with a eulogy that includes links to nine newspaper and magazine essays written between 1945 and 1995 about the cartoonist, as well as a generous cartoon gallery of Mauldin's WWII strips.

(Link courtesy of Romenesko's Media News.)
Posted @ 4:10 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Bill Mauldin dies
(Editorial Cartoons) After a long and painful battle with Alzheimer's disease, legendary cartoonist Bill Mauldin died yesterday in a nursing home in Newport Beach, California. He was 81. The news is all over the internet, but the best news obituary I've found appeared in The St. Louis Post-Dispatch of Missouri:

"As a young rifleman during World War II, Mr. Mauldin became famous when he gave newspaper readers back home a sardonic, foxhole-level view of the front with his drawings of weary dogface GIs Willie and Joe. Those gained him his first Pulitzer in 1945. At the age of 23, he was the youngest person ever to win the coveted journalism award.

"The second Pulitzer Prize came 14 years later for Mr. Mauldin's cartoon showing Soviet novelist Boris Pasternak saying to a fellow prison camp inmate: 'I won the Nobel Prize for literature. What was your crime?' "

As I've been reporting, Mauldin's descent into Alzheimer's-induced dementia left him unable to remember much of his life, save for his experiences in World War II. With this in mind, 77-year-old veteran Jay Gruenfeld embarked upon a campaign to inundate the cartoonist with letters and visits from WWII vets, in an effort to keep his spirits up and pay him back for the comfort they had derived from his Stars and Stripes cartoon during the war. By all accounts it worked, and yesterday the Associated Press ran some of the many letters Mauldin received -- here's a sample, courtesy of The San Jose Mercury News:

" 'From one 80-year-old G-I to another 80-year-old G-I, Just to let you know I was one of the G-Is who always looked forward to your cartoons in Europe. I was in a 4.2 mortar battalion that supported the 3rd Division infantry many times, especially on Anzio and southern France. I always admired your Willie and Joe because I think every combat unit had the Willie and Joes, including myself.' - William Gallagher, Philadelphia."

Also of note is this eulogy on the comics weblog Flat Earth, which not only runs a sample Willie and Joe cartoon, but also his famous "Lincoln Memorial" cartoon (drawn in reaction to the death of John F. Kennedy) and a Charles Schulz Peanuts Memorial Day cartoon in which Snoopy visited Mauldin for a root beer -- a collaboration with Mauldin, the only time any artist other than Schulz drew in a Peanuts strip. From one Arizona boy to another: rest in peace, good sir.
Posted @ 3:45 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Kraft and King VelVeeda settle lawsuit
(Censorship) Chicago cartoonist Stu Helm, known for many years by his pen-name "King VelVeeda", has reached a settlement with Kraft Foods over their lawsuit against him for trademark dilution and infringement. The settlement prohibits the artist from ever again using the name, but gives him five years to sell all remaining artwork drawn under it, and in addition also includes a promise by Kraft to donate $10,000 to the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Foundation -- clearly the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund got its money's worth out of Burton Joseph, James Joseph and Ken Levinson, the lawyers it hired to defend Mr. Helm. The Artist Formerly Known As King VelVeeda discussed how the settlement came to be in this press release:

" 'We were passing settlement proposals back and forth in October and the settlement was actually reached by the end of November,” Helm reveals. “They took a hard line on everything, saying they were prepared to go back to court no matter how much it cost, but at the same time harassing Burton to settle and being really stingy with the settlement money. I asked them to give the money to the CBLDF, but they refused to do that, so eventually we agreed to give it to the Freedom to Read Foundation,' Helm adds."

In the end, Helm was able to face down the corporate giant long enough to secure a conclusion that didn't wreck him financially due to the timely support of the CBLDF, who as always need your support to continue their noble efforts on behalf of American comic-book cartoonists and retailers.
Posted @ 3:45 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

European Parliament publishes graphic album
(Comic Books) She's a Minister in the European Parliament, whose fight to clean the waters of her continent lead her into car chases, death threats and corporate intrigue. She's Irina, the star of a 40-page hardcover comics album being published by the European Union to better educate citizens of the EU about what their Parliament actually does. Depending on your news-source, between a hundred-thousand and half a million copies of the free book have been published to date, in English and French but with plans to eventually translate it into eleven languages. The BBC explains the European Parliament's rationale in publishing the book:

"...Belgian Socialist MEP Kathleen Van Brempt told the BBC that the comic book was an important step towards making the parliament's roles seem more interesting to young EU citizens.

" 'The public think that the European Parliament is a very boring place to be,' she said.

" '[But] I can tell you this is not always the case and I think the comic tries to describe that.' "

Of course, not everybody thinks an adventure comic is the best way to explain the inner workings of Europe's federal governing body, and there have been grumblings about the "waste of "money" from some Ministers. And they're not along in complaining, as The Irish Examiner notes:

"Europe's chemical industry has also protested about the 'mafia-like picture' which the book gives of its activities.

"The parliament has had to insert a statement on a separate piece of paper into each of the 120,000 copies printed so far, saying the book is 'entirely fictional' although the procedures described in it reflect reality."

A reality that apparently involves car chases. I wonder: if you're re-elected enough times, do you get your own theme music?
Posted @ 3:45 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

I walk the line
(Graphic Novels) There's a curious line that keeps being drawn around comics. On the one hand, the existence of literate, adult works in comics form gets more recognition each passing day. On the other hand... well, let's just let the editorial board of Canada's Sault Star tell the story:

"The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library has done well to introduce 'graphic novels' to its shelves. They are not far different from comic books, but perhaps the modern “graphic” name is more appropriate -- especially considering the mature content in some of the publications.

"The library is also right to warn parents about the possibility of explicit sexuality in what used to be seen as a 'safe' medium for even the youngest children in the days of Superman Comics and Archie and Uncle Scrooge.

"Libraries could do even better by labelling books for content, so that parents are more fully informed and could fulfill their responsibility more efficiently."

Cartoonist Frank Miller has often voiced his objections to anything that smacks of a ratings system, noting that the system tends to wind up perverting works so that they fit the labels, rather than the reverse. He (and others, such as Steve Bissette) pointed to the MPAA ratings system for movies, which in the end have wound up providing very real incentives for artists to fall into certain categories lest they find themselves with a label that could keep their films from being advertised -- or even shown.

For the longest time, art-comics publishers have taken a contrary stance: the labels, they maintained, allowed them to distinguish the work they publish from standard comic-book fare. Moreover, given the content of some of the edgier books and comics, it was only fair to give retailers some indication of what they were selling. Back in the mid-'80s and early '90s, a series of arrests against retailers by prosecutors convinced that this work was ending up in the hands of children... well, it seemed to throw the argument in sharp relief. The common-sense aphorism that "comics were for kids" was widely shared. Better for such books to wear their content on their sleeve, so to speak, than to create any further confusion.

It seems to have worked. Nowadays, most publishers of comics-as-literature no longer bother to place mature-readers advisories on their wares; the lack of monsters, gun-crazed vigilantes and impossibly-inflated bimbos on the cover turned out to have been a far better way to distinguish Us from Them in the long run, and the labels have largely been left to Vertigo, EROS and superhero comics where they say "fuck" to appeal to the college kids (well, try to, anyway). The last time the advisory-warning argument flared up was when Marvel left the Comics Code, and that was barely an argument at all. Labels are either for the books struggling to convince people that the work under them isn't what it looks like, or (in the case of porn) that it's exactly what it appears to be.

Both sides of the labeling debate had perfectly fair and reasonable points, but still -- that third paragraph in the above quote looks a bit chilling, doesn't it? Stripped from comics and applied to books, the argument seems to take on a more sinister glow. Consider this a reminder: the slope on which we walk may be eminently navigable... but it's a slippery one nonetheless.
Posted @ 3:15 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Two turntables and a crowquill
(Graphic Novels) How do you know when the revolution has arrived? When people not otherwise seen as part of it take the revolution's precepts for granted. Case in point: hip-hop musician Kid Koala, whom I've told you about previously, is gearing up to tour in support of his new 300-page graphic novel, Nufonia Must Fall. Rather than taking his act through comics shops and bookstores, however, he'll be touring music clubs, backed up by piano and turntables to augment readings. ChartAttack has the details, including a list of performance dates. Will there be signings? The article doesn't say -- it simply describes a graphic novel published and promoted by someone from a very different cultural sphere, operating under his own rules. The revolution seems to be slipping through our fingers and spreading out into the culture at large. Cool, huh?

I feel like I should sigh and look wistfully into the distance. Was it only yesterday our little baby was nursing in comics shops and teething on Watchmen promotional buttons?
Posted @ 3:15 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Al Hirschfeld's curtain call
(Cartooning) On the off-chance that you haven't heard yet: cartoonist Al Hirschfeld, whose caricatures have come to define Broadway as much as anyone this side of George M. Cohan, died in his sleep early yesterday morning at the age of 99. I was tempted to quote the Associated Press report, which is more informative, but you really get a feel for how beloved he was in New York theater from this obituary in Playbill:

"For his artistry, which captured the joy, flavor and personality of the Broadway scene, Mr Hirschfeld received a special Tony Award and was the subject of an Academy Award-nominated film documentary, "The Line King." It was announced in 2002 that Mr. Hirschfeld would get perhaps the ultimate tribute from the Broadway theatre community on his 100th birthday, June 21, 2003: The Martin Beck Theatre will be renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on that day.

"Theatre people and personalities hoped their images might be captured by the paternal, white-bearded man who was a frequent sight at opening nights for years. Armchair puzzle fans made a habit of scanning his work to find among his intricate lines the word 'NINA,' the name of his daughter."

Hirschfeld's lines were so clean you could eat off of them. See for yourself at his website's gallery section (fair warning: reproductions are too small to count the Ninas). Al Hirschfeld is survived by his wife Louise, and of course his daughter.

(Thanks to Flat Earth for the Playbill link.)
Posted @ 3:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Ali's Dilemma
(Censorship) I nearly missed this story; fortunately WittyWorld was on the job. An Algerian court fined editorial cartoonist Ali Dilem 10,000 dinars (roughly $240) on December 31st, 2002, for criticising the government in the pages of the independent newspaper Liberté, and further charges are pending. Reporters Without Borders explains:

"Dilem was sued by the defence ministry for his 16 January 2002 cartoon about the assassination of President Mohamed Boudiaf and is conviction his a first under a May 2001 amendment of the criminal code, which has been nicknamed the 'Dilem Amendment.' The ministry is also suing him for two other cartoons -- one about a fund-raising Téléthon on state television (which appeared on 29 November 2001) and one about armed forces chief Gen. Mohamed Lamari (15 January 2002).

" 'The fine is a serious blow to freedom of expression and its most sensitive form, which is the cartoon,' Dilem's lawyer, Khaled Bourayou, told Reporters Without Borders. 'The judge should've been more lenient.' An appeal has been lodged."

Dilem and several Liberté representatives appeared before the court a week ago to answer the latest charges (Google translation). A hearing on the first charge has been postponed until January 28th on procedural grounds; judgments on the second charge against Dilem and the paper are expected to be issued on April 22nd and March 25th, respectively.

As the above quote from RWB implies, Dilem has been struggling against official attempts at intimidation for some time now. In an interview he gave to reporter Chawki Amari a year ago, Dilem reflected upon his troubles:

"Worried about a prison term?

"The regime has often shown there's no rationale to its acts. It used the press to legitimise its counterinsurgency fight against Islamist terrorism. Now it no longer poses such at threat, the press has resumed its job of counterweight to the regime. And the regime doesn't like it.

"Doesn't your fame shield you from prosecution and give you a certain impunity?

"Impunity implies that I've committed an act for which I could be prosecuted. I haven't, I've just talked about the problems facing Algerians. And these problems have names: Toufik, Smaïl [Lamari], Belkheir, Lamari, Nezzar, Messaâdia [the names of the generals in the military establishment], not to mention Bouteflika."

Click here to read Dilem's latest cartoon (as of this writing) in its original French. You can view previous cartoons by changing the ID number in the URL -- the cartoons are posted sequentially.
Posted @ 3:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Graphic Novels get their own bookstore category
(Comics Retailing) On January 16th, the Book Industry Study Group's Book Industry Systems Advisory Committee approved a new Subject Heading Code -- the standard unit by which books are categorized and shelved -- for Graphic Novels, complete with sub-headings for various genres within the format. The Pulse's Heidi MacDonald has the scoop:

"[Drawn & Quarterly publisher Chris] Oliveros came up with the idea of drafting a letter from various publishers who were having success in the book trade. Pantheon, Dark Horse, Top Shelf, W.W. Norton and Fantagraphics all signed on, and BISAC agreed to listen to their proposal at their monthly meeting.

"Oliveros came down from Montreal to attend the meeting, and Burns and Rich Johnston came from DC. (Johnston heads DC's book division.) Also in attendance were NBM's Terry Nantier and [Art] Spiegelman. Of course, having a Pulitzer Prize winning author to plead the case was a major coup, and at the meeting, Spiegelman proved an eloquent and persuasive speaker."

The new category and sub-categories will likely prove an invaluable aid in selling graphic novels to the bookstore market. By all means, read the whole report; Ms. MacDonald's reportage continues to impress.
Posted @ 3:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Self-publishing from the middle of the Pacific
(Comics Publishing) Small-press publishers who think they've got it tough can at least take some small solace in not having to cross an ocean to reach their target market. Consider the case of Hawaiian cartoonist Sam Campos, whose book Pineapple Man was a big hit locally but failed to make a splash on the mainland. The Honolulu Advertiser explains:

" 'The comic industry started slumping about six years ago,' Campos says. 'And I got into it right when that was starting.'

"Campos and other independent publishers say changes in the comics industry and the cost of self-publishing, the isolation of Hawai'i from Mainland deal-making centers and the cliquishness of comic artists all contribute to the difficulty they have in keeping afloat.

"Campos sold his furniture and his Spider-Man comic collection to get his venture started. But the cost of doing business as an independent became too high -- especially after Genesis was stricken with a prolonged illness. Campos stopped print-publishing Pineapple Man after after four full-sized comics and six 'ashcans,' or small, mockup-style previews."

The article goes into considerable depth about the Hawaiian comics scene, which due to its proximity to Japan has been immersed in the manga tradition for decades.

(Link via World Famous Comics.)
Posted @ 3:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Mic Delinx, Patrick Moerell dead
(Cartooning) Would it be too callous to note that European cartoonists seem to be dropping like flies at the moment? In addition to those I've noted previously comes word of two other recent losses:

• Mic Delinx (Google translation) died January 7th. He was the illustrator for the La Jungle en Folie comic book series, created with writer Christian Godard; you can see one of his covers here.

• Patrick Moerell (Google translation) died January 14th at his home in the French town of Tremblay. Moerell was best know for his work for the humor magazine Icy Fluide; you can view a page of his comics here. He was 51.

(News courtesy of Fumetti.org.)
Posted @ 12:05 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Canadian customs declares underground comix history "obscene"
(Censorship) Boing Boing's Mark Frauenfelder received word via email from Rebel Visions author Patrick Rosenkranz that his history of the underground comix movement of the 1960s was seized at the Canadian border. Frauenfelder quotes from the email:

"Rebel Visions was busted in Canada! I sent a contributor's copy to cartoonist George Metzger, who called me to say he got a letter from Customs & Revenue that stated the book was obscene, and that it contained sex with mutilation, bestiality, and incest. I guess the bestiality must refer to Wonder Wart-Hog and Lois Lamebrain. I sent him a copy of your article to use as proof of artistic and critical merit. He plans to protest the seizure."

Our own Gary Groth got a similar email as well, but as he neglected to pass it on to me, I'm a day late with the news. Bad Gary! Bad!
Posted @ 12:05 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Monday Mailbag
(Commentary) One of my biggest frustrations with running a comics-only weblog is the way news of the subject tends to slow to a crawl over the weekend. Aside from being contrary evidence to the widely-held belief that comics fans don't actually have lives as such, it also leaves me scrambling to find something about which to write. Fumbling for content on Saturday night led me to institute my ass-saving "Sunday Scraps" feature; lacking anything better for subject matter on this lugubrious Sunday evening, I hereby announce the Monday Mailbag.

Because I've given no previous indication that email sent to this weblog might be used for public entertainment, I've decided to run mail sent to me anonymously unless specific permission is granted to do otherwise. If you wish to receive credit for anything you might send my way, therefore, please include some variation of "It's okay to use my name" somewhere in your message.

Our first correspondent works in the comics industry, and has specifically asked me not to use their name, in an email concerning my recent entry on DC Comics' moves towards returnable merchandise in comics shops:

"I still haven't wrapped my head around all the reasons for this next statement, but I'm confident that the DC 'Share the Risk' program is the most important story of the year so far. Okay, maybe that's not saying much, but it IS a big story.

"The most interesting ripple so far is that DC is basically announcing what they think the numbers should be on the books. Check out their list:

SHARE THE RISK DISCOUNT/ORDERING TIERS

GREEN ARROW #23 (FEB030165)
DC Discount Qualifying Order

35% 5 copies
40% 7 copies
50% 15 copies
52.5% 25 copies
55% 45 copies
56% 105 copies
57% 107 copies

BEWARE THE CREEPER #1 (FEB030217)
DC Discount Qualifying Order

35% 4 copies
40% 5 copies
50% 6 copies
52.5% 10 copies
55% 15 copies
56% 40 copies
57% 45 copies

MUCHA LUCHA #1 (FEB030189)
DC Discount Qualifying Order

35% 4 copies
40% 5 copies
50% 6 copies
52.5% 10 copies
55% 15 copies
56% 40 copies
57% 110 copies

SWEATSHOP #1 (FEB030184)
DC Discount Qualifying Order

35% 4 copies
40% 5 copies
50% 6 copies
52.5% 10 copies
55% 15 copies
56% 45 copies
57% 125 copies

"They're telling you what they think these books can sell. They're also telling you what books need the help, but you already got that aspect of the story. The disheartening aspect of the above is to listen to the sturm und drang from retailers at the 50% bracket who moan that they can't make DC's minimums on Green Arrow. Sorry folks, but unless your store is Quimby's, handselling 15 Green Arrows ain't such a big deal. What's worse is to listen to guys at 55 say they'll never move 15 copies of Sweatshop.

"Makes you wonder how soft the market really is that A) DC needs to do this and B) retailers need the help. Now, long term this could be good. But I wonder if DC is frightened for dollar share and needs to do this to bump those numbers. I also wonder how conservative the retailers are that they need this program to order 10 copies of an untested title.

"The other thing I wonder is how effective this is gonna be for boosting orders. Will retailers order 20% above their standard order? Will they go lazy and order 2% above? Remains to be seen.

"I'm still digesting this one, but it's important."

I have nothing to add to this, beyond a lame "let's wait and see" non-answer. Moving on, our second correspondent has an interesting aside to the ongoing debate over the definition of "mainstream comics" and whether it matters:

"You know the Raelians, right? The cult that claims to have cloned the baby for their space alien inspired bid to immortality? Obviously fringe nutjob cultists, right?

"Look at their website. It says they have over 55,000 members and counting.

"Then go here -- there are more people who can be convinced to believe that Earth was seeded by space aliens who will return to earth and bestow immortality on mankind than can be convinced to buy a mid-selling Mainstream title like Daredevil.

"Now, where is the comics' 'mainstream', again?"

The answer, of course, is Heavy Metal, or perhaps Nickelodeon Magazine's section of kids' comics; beyond that, there's no such thing as "mainstream comics", unless you want to count the Sunday funnies of your local newspaper.

Finally, I received a few emails concerning my brief foray into the realm of impromptu slang, which can be summed up by the words of this correspondent:

" 'Boob socks' trumps 'pervert suits' in the list of Great Things We Have Given The World. Nice one."

Hey, I aim to please. I suppose I should do my public duty and close with a couple of breast puns, but I'll be damned if I can come up with anything at the moment. Instead I'll note that emails should be directed to weblog@tcj.com. Tomorrow: real news!

Oh please, let there be real news tomorrow....
Posted @ 12:05 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Aislin awarded Order of Canada
(Editorial Cartoons) Terry Mosher, who draws cartoons for The Montreal Gazette under the name "Aislin", has been picked to receive the esteemed Order of Canada. Quite understandably, The Gazette takes the opportunity to profile its esteemed colleague:

"A citation from Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson's office describes Aislin as 'funny, audacious and sometimes outrageous' and 'one of our country's premier political cartoonists.'

" 'With a few pen strokes, he comments on Canadian life and gives us the pulse of a nation,' the citation says.

" 'He has become an advocate for Canada's most disadvantaged and often reminds us of their plight. His humanity and concern for fairness and justice are reflected in his work.' "

Mosher was appointed an "officer" of the Order, the second of its three grades; he will be officially given the medal in a ceremony this Spring.
Posted @ 1:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

CaféPress to move into print-on-demand books, comics
(Comics Retailing) Self-publishing is no easy task, as anyone who's tried their hand at it will attest. It may get easier in the near future, however, if online merchandise-on-demand company CaféPress manages to debut its print-on-demand service in early 2003 as planned. Writing for SFGate.com, Glen Helfand spoke to company co-founder Maheesh Jain about CaféPress' ambitious plans:

"...The CaféPress print-publishing arm will produce comic books, booklets and perfect-bound tomes. Imagine what it will do for all those poets who have limited audiences or those self-absorbed types who believe the world breathlessly awaits their memoirs. Jain also sees this media service channeling the adaptability of digital information to fulfill a long-discussed dream of offering print versions of Web publications -- blogs included -- daily.

"Such publications could be available through links on the specific Web sites, while books might even be purchased on mega sites such as Amazon.com and printed to order at CaféPress. The only requirement to sell through bookstore venues is to have an ISBN number, which CaféPress will provide its fledgling and perhaps even established authors. 'Vanity publishers tend to load the price up on the top,' Jain says. 'If you know how to format, we'll print it with no fee.' "

Given that the company offers its services with no up-front charges -- CaféPress takes its cut from sales as they occur -- this move into print-on-demand has the potential to give an impressive boost to self-publishing if successful. I'll be watching this one carefully...
Posted @ 1:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

Sunday Scraps
(Potpourri) The following are a series of links that have collected in my notes but for a variety of reasons never made it to this weblog before now:

• On January 6th, a celebrated painting by Indian painter M.F. Hussain, "Time", was stolen from its display at the Asian Social Forum in Hyderabad along with five other works of art, causing police to scramble in an attempt at recovery. The next day, 160 cartoons by 30 cartoonists from all over India, on display at the same event, also turned up missing, with considerably less concern shown by the local authorities. It goes without saying that Indian trade-group Forum for Political Cartoonists is quite angry.

• A month after one of Doug Marlette's editorial cartoons, entitled "What Would Mohammed Drive?", caused a controversy among Muslims, the cartoonist is still unrepentent over the hurt feelings. Folks, this is an editorial cartoonist we're talking about; causing outrage is what they do for a living, y'know?

• In case you were wondering, manga is still kicking ass in the bookstore market, according to the latest figures. Oni Press publisher Joe Nozemack takes to the podium over at Newsarama and offers his take on what manga is and why it's so popular. Whatever the answers, Image Comics definitely wants a piece of the action.

• Meanwhile, as I've previously noted, graphic novels of all stripes have proven to be quite popular in public libraries. The Denver Post has a report on the phenomenon. (Link courtesy of Library Stuff.)

• Back in October I told you about a gallery in Ohio that was planning a show based around small-press zines and comics. The show has now opened for the public; The Cleveland Plain Dealer shares its thoughts on the SPACES show, "Page Me: The art of zines, comix and other artist-made books".

• Cartoonist Colleen Doran's column for Slush Factory returns from hiatus, offering practical advice on how to maintain a home studio.

• While you're waiting for CaféPress to make self-publishing as easy as pushing a couple of buttons, Bugpowder's Steve Block points us to an essay by Phil Hine which describes the roadmap for those still doing it the old-fashioned way.

• Pop-culture weblog gmtPlus9 alerts us to an online gallery offering works by Japanese horror cartoonist Suehiro Maruo, whose recent English-language collection Ultra Gash Inferno stirred attention for its imaginative and unrelenting mix of sex, violence and obscenity. Fair warning on the link, folks.

• The Pulse's Jen Contino offers this interview with cartoonist Robert Kirby, who's just published his latest Curbside collection of gay-themed slice-of-life comic strips.

• Finally, The Bakersfield Californian has a story on 15-year-old self-publishing cartoonist Ray Friesen, whose whimsical comic book RQW: The Continuing Adventures of Raymond Q. Wonderful has been receiving both praise and increasing sales lately. Why couldn't I have been this dedicated when I was his age? (Link via email from Egon.)

See you Monday, when I'll be taking a quick dip into the ¡Journalista! mailbag and sharing some of the best of the sarcastic bile that's been filling my Inbox recently.
Posted @ 1:00 AM by Dirk Deppey | permalink

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