Confessions of a Pop Fan - Jamie S. Rich

AN ENDING HAS A START

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:02:00 +0000

Soooooo...

This site is being shuttered. I am not out of the blogging game altogether, but it's been forever since I had an actual functioning website. Squarespace seemed like a pretty decent place for a functioning tech illiterate to set up shop, so that's what I did.

http://confessions123.com/

It's pretty basic, but that's how I like it. All future blog posts will be there, and this one will remain only as an archive, with this update staying at the top of the page to redirect folks.

Come by and check out the new digs. Also, note that I will soon be selling Natalie Nourigat artwork through the new locale, so you're going to want to stay tuned for that.

http://confessions123.com/

Current Soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys, "Vocal"

SKIP TO THE END

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:54:00 +0000

Surprise! New movie reviews!

I haven't had a substantial amount of movie reviews to warrant an update the last couple of weeks, but with my full review of The Purge being posted at the Oregonian, it was time.

Sooo...go see The Purge with Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. Let me tell you why.

Though, if I had to direct you toward one film, it would be Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha.

My recent Indie & Arthouse columns:

* May 23, 2013: Douglas Fairbanks as The Thief of Bagdad; Paul McCartney gives us a Wings Rockshow; the Experimental Film Festival 2013.

* May 30, 2013: Take a visit to Skull World; look at the making of two different forms of art with Becoming Traviata and Bel Borba Aqui; get gay married for a greencard in I Do.

* June 7, 2013: underground crime fiction by way of Flamingos; the activist-focused environmental documentary Elemental; and Stress Position, an agitprop art school prank.

And for recent DVDs, you could do worse than Save the Date with Alison Brie and Lizzy Caplan, co-written and featuring artwork by cartoonist Jeffrey Brown.

Current Soundtrack: Jessie Ware, Devotion

Phoenix Comicon 2013: Jamie Rich

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:23:00 +0000

I LOVE BAD WITCHES, NOT MY F**KIN' PROBLEM

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Since this cover is now showing up at Amazon, I can share!

Spell Checkers, vol. 3: Careless Whisper is on sale in October.

The cover is by Joëlle Jones and colorist Warren Wucinich.

Interiors by myself, Joëlle, and Nicolas Hitori de. Published by Oni Press.

Current Soundtrack: A$AP Rocky, naturally

LIKE THE LEGEND OF THE PHOENIX, ALL ENDS WITH BEGINNINGS

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:23:00 +0000

Phoenix Comic Con is this weekend. Joëlle Jones and I are guests of the show, and we will be attending on all four days, sitting at the Oni Press booth. Fittingly, that is apparently tables 664 through 666!

Come find us. In addition to our Oni books, we will have other goodies, including It Girl and the Atomics trades and comic book, Helheim prints, and Ms Jones will even have some original art.

In order to make it easier to track us down, we are actually having an official signing schedule. That way, you'll know when we are expected at the table and when we are at panels. We might be hanging about during our free time, too, but then again, we might also be getting some lunch! (You'd be surprised how many comics folks forget to eat lunch at conventions.)

Thursday (May 23)

Signing: 4:00-8:00pm

Friday (May 24)

Oni Press Panel [Jamie/Joëlle]: 12pm, Room 125B

Signing:

1:00-5:30

Bleeding Cool Fan Awards [Jamie and Joëlle are presenting awards]: 6:00, Room 132

Saturday (May 25)

Writing With a Female Voice Panel [Jamie]: 10:30 am, Room 125A

Signing:

11:30-3:00

4-6:30

Sunday (May 26)

Music Influence on Comics Panel [Jamie]: 12pm, Room 124A

Signing: 1:00-4:30

* * *

By the way, Joëlle did the con variant for the first issue of Boom! Studio's new Mike Carey comic book, Suicide Risk. You definitely want to seek that out at the show.

Current Soundtrack: Depeche Mode, "Soothe My Soul" remixes

TOO COLD, TOO COLD

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:07:00 +0000

NEW IN THEATRES...

* The Iceman, a biopic about one of America's most notorious contract killers. Michael Shannon lends the role intensity, but the script only touches the material gingerly.

* Indie & Arthouse for the Oregonian, 5/17/13: a rare noir Fallguy; Luis Bunuel directs Catherine Deneuve in Tristana; and Guy Pearce sends 33 Postcards

Current Soundtrack: Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City

SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The cover to It Girl and the Atomics #12, by Michael and Laura Allred. A great way to close the series. Look for it in July!

Diamond ID: MAY130558
On Sale: July 17, 2013

More info here.

Current Soundtrack: Daft Punk, Random Access Memory

LET ME RIDE

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:57:00 +0000

On sale today, It Girl and the Atomics #10, the first issue drawn by Natalie Nourigat.

In stores, and online. Download it here.

Lettered by Crank!, colored by Allen Passalaqua, and that nifty cover, of course, is by Michael & Laura Allred.

Read a six page preview.

Or, if you're inclined, let Comic Bastards tell you how good it is.

And since we're sharing, how about this awesome pin-up from Megan Levens for the second trade paperback, due out in the Fall...

Current Soundtrack: Little Boots, Nocturnes

THE PARTY & THE AFTER PARTY

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:07:00 +0000

NEW IN THEATRES...

* The Great Gatsby in 3D has two-wasted dimensions. Shtick and spectacle from Baz Luhrmann.

* Sightseers, the new film from Ben Wheatley, a rebel in search of applause. Take a tour of misanthropy.

* Indie & Arthouse for the Oregonian, 5/10/13: a two-week film noir festival at Cinema 21; Rock Hudson starring in John Frankenheimer's whacky psych-out Seconds, and the political/social documentary The Mosque in Morgantown.

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS...

* Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, a 1973 disjointed road-trip romance from Alan J. Pakula.

* Wake of the Red Witch, a seafaring, bodice-ripping potboiler with John Wayne.

Current Soundtrack: Teleman, "Cristina/In Your Fur;" Wardell, "Opossum"

GRAFFITI MY SOUL

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 03 May 2013 01:14:00 +0000

Damn, I haven't written much this week, but hey, did you guys come to Stumptown? Stumptown was great.

Anyhoo...

NEW IN THEATRES...

* Gimme the Loot, street-level cinema verite following two graffiti artists preparing for a big tag.

* Indie & Arthouse for the Oregonian, 5/3/13: the food documentary The Food Hunters, Harold Lloyd's classic Safety Last! newly restored, and the 18th-annual HP Lovecraft Film Festival.

Current Soundtrack: Daughter, If You Leave

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:46:00 +0000

A short list of movies this week. Between deadlines and gearing up for Stumptown Comics Fest, I haven't had a lot of time to watch stuff.

Let this also be a reminder: if you're near Portland, come and see me at the show. Table J-10 with Joëlle Jones.

Now, onto movie reviews...

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* The Angels' Share, a heartwarming Ken Loach dramedy about a whisky heist. Let me in on that action!

* Indie & Arthouse for the Oregonian, 4/26/13: Emily Mortimer in the historical drama Leonie, an indie debut called Everything Went Down, and Peter Gabriel in concert.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS:

* The Suitor. Pierre Etaix's first, the last for me to review.

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS:

* Not Fade Away, a rock 'n' roll drama from Sopranos-creator David Chace.

* Once More, with Feeling! a middling Stanley Donen effort from 1959.

Current Soundtrack: Orange Juice, "Consolation Prize;" The Casuals, "Jesamine;" Nolan Porter, "Keep On Keepin' On;" Ronnie Hawkins, "Mary Lou"

MERCI FOR THE SPEED OF A MAD CLOWN IN SUMMER

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:28:00 +0000

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* Room 237, like a collapsing wormhole of internet crazy, a tape loop of nonsense about Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

* To the Wonder, the latest from Terrence Malick is beautiful and emotionally provocative.

* Indie & Arthouse for the Oregonian, 4/19/13: Two recent French films, Women on the Sixth Floor and Tomboy, and two 1950s classics, The Little Fugitive and Imitation of Life.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

A Pierre Etaix survey! All but one of his films so far, as they are being shown at the NW Film Center.

* Yoyo

* As Long as You're Healthy/Feeling Good

* Le Grand Amour/Happy Anniversary

* Land of Milk and Honey

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS...

* 28 Hotel Rooms, an indie romance with an interesting story structure.

Current Soundtrack: NBC news

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2013 Jamie S. Rich

WILDEST MOMENTS

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:18:00 +0000

On sale today, It Girl and the Atomics #9.

Click through for a six-page preview.

This is a stand-alone story, so if you've been holding off taking a chance on our little series, here is a great bet for giving it a shot.

Current Soundtrack: Jessie Ware, Devotion

IT STARTS AND ENDS WITH YOU

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:37:00 +0000

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #12
story JAMIE S. RICH
art CHYNNA CLUGSTON FLORES, MIKE NORTON, NATALIE NOURIGAT
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED
JULY 17
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99
“STOP AS YOU MEANT TO GO ON”--SERIES FINALE!
All the ATOMICS artists return for a triptych of international superspies, dopey costumed villains, and mummy attacks. Rights will be wronged, relationships repaired, and seriously, it’s going to be one heck of a party!

Yes, you read that right. We're wrapping up the first It Girl and the Atomics series with #12. There were a number of factors contributing to the decision, but it was the right one to make and the right time to do it. Hopefully the twelve issues we did will stand strong as a complete series whether I ever make it back to do more or not. (I have a few ideas for stories, but it will all be a matter of timing.) I wrote #12 special to cap off everything that had come before, which is why I corralled all the artists from the series to give it one more go.

I am really proud of how It Girl and the Atomics turned out. I am proud of shipping a full year of monthly comics on time and not just maintaining the quality, but I'd like to think improving issue to issue. As a writer, I was blessed to work with some exceptional people. Mike Norton, Chynna Clugston Flores, and Natalie Nourigat--you can't ask for a better line-up of artists than that. And Allen Passalaqua, Crank!, and the Allreds, the foundation every issue was built on.

Image Comics have also been awesome and supportive and continue to be so. Expect more collaborations between myself and Image in the future. This door is closed, but we're opening up a couple of windows.

The funny thing is, this all got decided just as I felt the book took a real upswing in terms of critical and reader reaction. We got much love all along, and for that I am grateful, and to those who threw so many kind words our way, you made me very happy. Special mention to Multiversity, who wrote a real nice piece this morning when they found out about our forthcoming conclusion.

Anyway, it's not as if it's done yet. It Girl and the Atomics #9 is going to be in stores this coming Wednesday, and we're just about to put #10 to bed. The journey has a few more miles to go before we get there, so stick around!

Current Soundtrack: Logo feat. eLBee Bad, "Give Mo Luv;" Edwyn Collins, "Dilemna"

BIGGIE BIGGIE BIGGIE, CAN'T YOU SEE...?

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:17:00 +0000

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* Trance, wherein Danny Boyle uses Rosario Dawson's private parts to try to hypnotize you into believing that he's not just pulling the same old bullshit.

* Indie and Art house for the Oregonian: the environmental documentary Trashed, featuring the very serious face of Jeremy Irons; Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer in weird and grisly The Silent Partner; and, hey, another environmental disaster in the schlocky 100 Degress Below Zero.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* The Importance of Being Earnest, a vintage 1950s adaptation of Oscar Wilde.

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS...

* The Devil and Miss Jones, a delightful class comedy from 1941, starring the wonderful Jean Arthur.

* A Message to Garcia, a poor presentation of an otherwise decent early Barbara Stanwyck vehicle.

* Tatsumi, the animated biography of influential manga creator Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Current Soundtrack: Bonobo, "Don't Wait;" Lady, self-titled

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2013 Jamie S. Rich

WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:53:00 +0000

I'd be remiss if I began my weekly round-up of film reviews I've written without noting the passing of legendary film critic Roger Ebert. A lot of my history as a movie lover can be traced back to watching Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel talk about film on their weekly television show. I discovered them as a preteen, and always looked forward to hearing about films I would not otherwise even know existed. Much of what they championed never came to my town, but that didn't mean I wouldn't find those films years later. I know my introduction to David Mamet, David Lynch, Robert Altman, the Coen Bros., Steven Soderbergh, Louis Malle, the Up series, Hoop Dreams, and so many others came from watching these two gentlemen argue and enthuse about movies that touched them. I can't help but smile when I remember the infamous Benji the Hunted argument in 1987. That's how passionate they were. Even Benji was worth fighting over.

In recent years, Ebert faced his health issues with an unwavering dignity, becoming more prolific in his writing, tackling subjects beyond the moviehouse with the same incisive thinking that made his reviews so special. It's sad to see him go, since he clearly was not yet done with everything he wanted to do, but he leaves us with so much to remember, we should all be so lucky as to earn the equivalent of the tiniest fraction of his legacy by the time we go.

Thanks, sir. You will be missed, but you'll never be gone.

THIS WEEK IN THEATERS...

* The Place Beyond the Pines, an unwieldy family story from the director of Blue Valentine. Are literary pretensions and a strong cast enough to overcome a director's indulgences?

* And over at The Oregonian, two festivals come to town: the Polyester Pulp series of 1970s crime films and the disjointed Beer and Music Fest. Plus, Thale, a creepy Scandinavian folk tale turned into a creepy modern movie.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* The Game, David Fincher's mind-bender from the late 1990s.

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVEWS...

* The Great Magician, a recent period piece set in 1930s China, with Tony Leung as an illusionist. The movie wants to be old-style entertainment, but it's not much fun.

* Hemingway & Gellhorn, literary legacies desecrated, good actors embarrassing themselves, and a myriad of other reasons why this is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time.

* On Approval, a witty British comedy from 1944, directed by and starring Clive Brook.

* The Song of Bernadette, a dismal religious picture from the 1940s, starring Jennifer Jones as the girl who sees visions.

* The Sun Shines Bright, John Ford's friendly portrait of a Kentucky judge and his community ca. 1905. If you can look past some of the troublesome racial elements, the film actually has a surprising message of unity.

Hey, look! I got Photoshop and put you in a photo with your favorite writer!

Current Soundtrack: Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience

MURDER WAS THE CASE

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:17:00 +0000

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

Art by Rodolfo Reyes [source]

The big news is that the most recent digital restoration of Fritz Lang's M is starting to play around the country. I got to see a screening of it, and I wrote about the film for Criterion Confessions. It plays Portland's Cinema 21 starting tomorrow. Check their site for times.

In my Oregonian column, I cover the poker documentary Drawing Dead, an indie "trapped in a car" thriller called Detour, and the Faux Film Festival.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

In addition to M, an almost appropriate double-feature (though it might be even better to watch this with Unfaithfully Yours)...

* Monsieur Verdoux, Charlie Chaplin's murderous black comedy. (Also at DVDTalk.)

Current Soundtracks: OMD, "Metroland;" Bowery Electric, Bowery Electric

EVERYBODY LOVES A WINNER

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

The winner of the It Girl and the Atomics, vol. 1 contest was R.C. Schmidt of Omaha, NE.

R.C. correctly answered the trivia question.

In It Girl and the Atomics #s 7 & 8, there are two new characters who are named after two different writers whose most famous work had something to do with robots. Who are they and what are they famous for?

Correct response: Professor Osamu is, of course, named for Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy. Mother von Harbou is a tribute to Thea von Harbou, writer of the original silent film Metropolis--which Tezuka also did a variation of, later to become an animated film.

I also accepted those of you who identified one of the robots, Fritz, as Fritz Lang, who was married to von Harbou and directed Metropolis, since that was technically correct.

Congrats, R.C.! I am mailing your book today. Thanks to all of you who responded. No one got it wrong, which is impressive.

It Girl and the Atomics, Round 1: Dark Streets, Snap City is in comic book stores this Wednesday, and will trickle out to other venues by April 9.

Current Soundtrack: Popstrangers, "A Girl Like You" (Troggs cover)

SWEEPSTAKES! YOU'RE A WINNER! Weekend Contest for a signed It Girl v1

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:53:00 +0000

As a reward for all you good people who have been buying It Girl and the Atomics in issue form, I have decided to run a contest this weekend to give one of you the first collected volume, a trade paperback with issues #1-6.

The contest is simple. You just have to e-mail me the answer to a trivia question by Monday morning, 8 a.m., PST. To answer that question, though, you'll have to have access to the recent issues!

The question:

In It Girl and the Atomics #s 7 & 8, there are two new characters who are named after two different writers whose most famous work had something to do with robots. Who are they and what are they famous for?

I'll give you a hint: only one of them worked in comics, and that person both wrote and drew.

E-mail your answer, along with your name and address, to golightly [a] gmail [dot] com. Title it "IT GIRL trivia."

I will then pick one random winner and send them an autographed book. I should be able to get to the post office on Monday and so can mail it to U.S. residents via priority mail and, USPS willing, you'll receive the book on release day, Wednesday. Anyone outside the U.S., you're on your own. Fast shipping like that is too expensive.

Get to it!

If you don't win, the book hits comic book shops on Wednesday, and everywhere else on April 9.

Current Soundtrack: Brett Anderson, "Savage Dance;" Suede, "So Young" and "He's Gone"

DARKER WITH THE DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:43:00 +0000

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine's hotly debated, inconsistent subversion of Girls Gone Wild and thug life.

* The We and the I, Michel Gondry's social experiment following a group of Bronx high schoolers on their bus ride home.

* My Oregonian column for 3/22: horror-based documentary My Amityville Horror and war drama The Kill Hole. (Worst title of the year?)

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* Unfaithfully Yours, a Preston Sturges comedy with murder on its mind. (Alternate edition reviewed at DVD Talk.)

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS...

* China Heavyweight, a documentary following three Chinese boxers on their way up and maybe on their way down.

* College: Ultimate Edition, the latest Buster Keaton reissue is predictably hilarious.

* Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik's crime film was my second favorite movie of 2012, and it's even better the second time. Starring Brad Pitt.

* This is Not a Film, the lauded political documentary from Iran turns out to be much ado about nothing.

Current Soundtracks: Short films for next week's Faux Film Festival

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2013 Jamie S. Rich

It Girl #8 w/ Aaron Conley Cover Out Tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 02:29:00 +0000

It Girl #8 w/ Aaron Conley Cover Out Tomorrow!

Check out writer Damon Gentry's blog for a comparison of the It Girl and the Atomics #8 cover pencils to the final inks. Aaron Conley, whom Damon is collaborating with on an awesome book (he showed me a whole bunch of it), did the initial drawing, and the Allreds finished it up.

Here is the final version, but see the other stages in the link:

Current Soundtrack: Low, The Invisible Way

SOFT TOUCH/RAW NERVE

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:46:00 +0000

It Girl and the Atomics #8 is in stores tomorrow, and the usual preview materials are doing the rounds.

Read the opening pages over at Hack/Slash Inc. and pick up the comic in stores tomorrow or online.

This is the end of a superheroic two-parter called "The World is Flat." Next month's issue, #9, is a stand-alone focusing on the Slug and Black Crystal with our regular team of Mike Norton, Crank!, and Allen Passalaqua. Then it's another two-parter in #10 and #11 with Natalie Nourigat joining us. And then a big surprise for #12, details coming soon!

Thanks for your continued support. I appreciate everyone who is reading along with us!

Current Soundtrack: Depeche Mode, "Heaven" remixes

GIT UP GET OUT 'N VOTE

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:23:00 +0000

It's Harvey Awards time again. Are you a comic book professional? Thinking of voting? You can get all the details here.

I'd like to humbly suggest a few items you can write in as nominations. It's all going to be terribly self-serving, but if you have a book you want considered yourself, please leave a comment on this post and we can create one list for people to reference when marking up the nominating ballot.

My main work this year was It Girl and the Atomics, so please consider it in any and all categories. I also have some talented colleagues who do other work.

Best Writer
Matt Fraction, FF, Fantastic Four, more
Jamie S. Rich, It Girl and the Atomics
Tim Seeley, Revival; others

Best Artist
Michael Allred, It Girl and the Atomics; iZombie; Daredevil; Wolverine & the X-Men; and FF
Joëlle Jones, House of Night; The Girl Who Owned a City
Mike Norton, Battlepug; It Girl and the Atomics; Revival

Best Letterer
Crank!, Battlepug; It Girl and the Atomics; Revival

Best Colorist
Laura Allred, iZombie; Daredevil; Wolverine & the X-Men; and FF
Allen Passalaqua, Battlepug; It Girl and the Atomics

Best Cover Artist
Michael & Laura Allred, iZombie; Daredevil; Wolverine & the X-Men; and FF
Jenny Frison, House of Night; Revival

Most Promising New Talent
Natalie Nourigat, Between Gears; My Boyfriend is a Monster: Wrapped Up in You

Best New Series
FF, Marvel Comics
It Girl and the Atomics, Image Comics
Revival, Image Comics

Best Continuing or Limited Series
FF, Marvel Comics
It Girl and the Atomics, Image Comics
Revival, Image Comics

Best Graphic Album - Original
The Girl Who Owned a City, Graphic Universe

Best Graphic Album - Previously Published
Battlepug, vol. 1, Dark Horse Comics
Between Gears, Image Comics

Best Single Issue or Story
Daredevil #17, Marvel Comics
It Girl and the Atomics #s 1-5, "Dark Streets, Snap City," Image Comics
Wolverine & the X-Men #17, Marvel Comics

Best Online Comics Work
Battlepug, www.battlepug.com

Best Original Graphic Publication for Younger Readers
The Girl Who Owned a City, Graphic Universe
My Boyfriend is a Monster: Wrapped Up in You, Graphic Universe

Current Soundtrack: The Dream Academy, s/t; Richard Hawley, "Don't Stare Into the Sun/Run for Me (Version Two):

AMONGST BUTTERFLIES

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:39:00 +0000

Coming in June...

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #11
story JAMIE S. RICH
art NATALIE NOURIGAT
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED
JUNE 19
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99
"TWEENAGE FBI" Part Two
The conclusion of a special two-parter brings It Girl face-to-face with an ancient evil, one now wielding unlimited power thanks to the technological secret stolen from Atomics HQ. It Girl's got the Kid Commandoes on her side, but will they be enough? Featuring art by BETWEEN GEARS creator NATALIE NOURIGAT!

***
And don't forget, It Girl and the Atomics #8 is out this coming Wednesday. It's the second part of a two-parter, as well, and while both stories stand alone, the #7-8 story actually sets up the #10-11 story by introducing the machine everyone is fighting over.

We're also only two weeks away from the first trade paperback! It'll be in comic book stores on March 27, everywhere else on April 9.

Current Soundtrack: Lulu James, "Be Safe / Stuck"

STOKE IT! (alt. STOKE ME, STOKE ME)

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie S. Rich) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:05:00 +0000

THIS WEEK IN THEATRES...

* Stoker, the weird, creepy, baffling English-language debut from Oldboy director Park Chan-wook.

* And in my Oregonian column: the documentaries A Place at the Table, about food distribution and poverty, and Turning, featuring a special performance piece by Antony & the Johnsons. Plus, Yossi, a sequel to the Israeli gay-themed love story Yossi & Jagger, picking up ten years after the events in the first film.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* Badlands, the ever-stunning debut from Terrence Malick is even moreso in high-def. (Also at DVD Talk.)

* Diary of a Chambermaid, the 1964 French film with Jeanne Moreau, directed by Spanish surrealist Luis Buñuel. Reviewed as a companion piece to my DVD Talk review of the 1946 Jean Renoir version.

THIS WEEK IN BD/DVD REVIEWS...

* Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, a documentary about the legendary fashion editor, whose career spanned half a century.

* For Ellen, the third film from So Yong Kim is as emotionally wrought as her others, but lacking certain connections. Starring Paul Dano.

* Strangers in the Night, a middling early career melodrama from Anthony Mann.

Current Soundtrack: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, "Jubilee Street;" Lulu James, "Closer"