Rocket Bomber

Not that they need me to encourage you to pile on... [1]

Matt Blind — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:22:00 GMT

But I’m going to enthusiastically encourage you to participate anyway.

That link over in the left sidebar — yeah, the second one — has been sitting there for like a year now.

Go ahead, click it.

Even better, click this link to Book One, and then this link to the (illustrated, but not comic) text interstitials that have been at least as engaging as the original comic.

Are you hooked yet?

And now, Rob Balder and Co. (there is an artist change, from book one to book two — Jamie Noguchi is being replaced by Xin Ye — Jamie is moving on [moving back?] to other projects; though Xin Ye was identified and selected [I’m assuming] because she was also a fan and an active member on their forums — and so yes, it’s a change but not a revolution) after a short hiatus, are storming back into another volume of Erfworld comics. Book Two, Page One just posted on their homepage

I’m tempted to post an image on the main page to further encourage folks to go, and read, but I’ll hide it as a comment to this post for those of you who might want to read the original without the (minor) spoiler.

Kind of like a public radio fund drive but with comics as incentives instead of tumblers and tote bags. [2]

Matt Blind — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:38:09 GMT

Spike wants your money.

Not so specific, I know — a lot of people want our money. Sometimes we even give it to them, in exchange for goods and services.

To get into gritty details: She would like you to pledge money for a great project (so you don’t have to pay right now, just promise to pay later). And you can pledge as little as a dollar.

You didn’t realize it at first, but you likely already know Spike (How many of you read Templar, AZ?) and this project is a book, a comic, that bridges two topics near and dear to my heart: sequential art in the service of non-fiction narratives, and getting by on a meager salary.

Here, I’ll let Spike explain it herself:

UPDATE: Spike has said on her blog that if when they go over the $6000 goal, that just means more money up-front for the artist, Diana Nock, and a larger print run (plus other possible upgrades, like better paper and cover stock). So Keep Giving!

Links:
Poorcraft Project Page @ Kickstarter

Templar, AZ — read it online or buy the books

discovered via Make

Graphic Novel Rankings: 2009, Week 32

Matt Blind — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:33:54 GMT

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 2 August 2009

last week’s rankings
About the Charts
Analysis and Commentary Posts

The Weekly Charts:
Your Executive Summary and Index
Week ending 2 August 2009

Comics Top 500

1. ↔0 (1) : Watchmen – DC Vertigo, Apr 1995 [811.8] ::
2. ↑2 (4) : V for Vendetta – DC Vertigo, Apr 1995 [725.2] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [715.0] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Batman The Killing Joke – DC, Mar 2008 [695.4] ::
5. ↑8 (13) : Batman Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader – DC, Jul 2009 [693.5] ::
6. ↓-3 (3) : Final Crisis – DC, Jun 2009 [681.1] ::
7. ↓-1 (6) : Batman The Dark Knight Returns – DC, May 1997 [678.1] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Dark Tower 3 – Marvel, Apr 2009 [668.5] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Sandman 1 – DC Vertigo, Sep 1991 [636.0] ::
10. ↑4 (14) : Fullmetal Alchemist 19 – Viz, Jul 2009 [634.8] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Comics 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 59
DC Vertigo 45
DC 37
Tokyopop 34
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 34
Viz Shojo Beat 33
Dark Horse 24
Marvel 21
Del Rey 19
Viz 15

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [2,205.7] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Batman – DC [1,887.8] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Fruits Basket – Tokyopop [1,637.6] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Sandman – DC Vertigo [1,534.1] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Green Lantern – DC [1,374.8] ::
6. ↑3 (9) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [1,248.5] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Fullmetal Alchemist – Viz [1,243.2] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Dark Tower – Marvel [1,225.2] ::
9. ↓-2 (7) : Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Dark Horse [1,182.8] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Y The Last Man – DC Vertigo [1,127.3] ::

[more]

Top 500 Manga:

1. ↔0 (1) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [715.0] ::
2. ↑2 (4) : Fullmetal Alchemist 19 – Viz, Jul 2009 [634.8] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2009 [628.7] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : Dark Hunters 1 – St. Martin’s Griffin, Apr 2009 [584.3] ::
5. ↑2 (7) : Fruits Basket 22 – Tokyopop, Mar 2009 [541.5] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Negima! 23 – Del Rey, Jul 2009 [533.2] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Naruto 43 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2009 [526.3] ::
8. ↑1 (9) : Naruto 44 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2009 [498.8] ::
9. ↑4 (13) : Naruto 40 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2009 [490.7] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : In Odd We Trust – Koontz, Chan – Del Rey, Jun 2008 [489.1] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manga Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [2,205.7] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Fruits Basket – Tokyopop [1,637.6] ::
3. ↑1 (4) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [1,248.5] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Fullmetal Alchemist – Viz [1,243.2] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [1,098.3] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Negima! – Del Rey [1,030.8] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [1,008.8] ::
8. ↑1 (9) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [955.4] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [955.3] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle – Del Rey [831.3] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(July & August 2009)

3. ↓-1 (2) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [715.0] ::
5. ↑8 (13) : Batman Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader – DC, Jul 2009 [693.5] ::
10. ↑4 (14) : Fullmetal Alchemist 19 – Viz, Jul 2009 [634.8] ::
11. ↓-1 (10) : Naruto 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2009 [628.7] ::
13. ↑7 (20) : Asterios Polyp – Random House Pantheon, Jul 2009 [619.2] ::
16. ↓-7 (9) : Green Lantern Rage of the Red Lanterns – DC, Aug 2009 [595.8] ::
18. ↔0 (18) : Superman Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow – DC, Jul 2009 [576.8] ::
22. ↓-3 (19) : Negima! 23 – Del Rey, Jul 2009 [533.2] ::
44. ↓-4 (40) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle 22 – Del Rey, Jul 2009 [460.3] ::
55. ↑21 (76) : Mercy Thompson Homecoming – Del Rey/Dabel Bros., Aug 2009 [440.6] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

170. ↑304 (474) : Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 – HNA Amulet, Oct 2009 [272.2] ::
202. ↓-17 (185) : Dean Koontz’s Nevermore – Del Rey/Dabel Bros., Oct 2009 [248.0] ::
220. ↓-51 (169) : Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 5 – Dark Horse, Sep 2009 [234.2] ::
239. ↑187 (426) : Street Fighter SF20: The Art of Street Fighter – Udon, Sep 2009 [226.1] ::
309. ↓-5 (304) : The Book of Genesis – Crumb – WW Norton, Oct 2009 [185.2] ::
367. ↓-11 (356) : Peanuts Complete ’71-‘74 – Fantagraphics, Sep 2009 [161.5] ::
389. ↑42 (431) : Neon Genesis Evangelion The Shinji Ikari Raising Project 1 – Dark Horse, Sep 2009 [152.0] ::
470. ↑31 (501) : Peanuts Complete ’73-‘74 – Fantagraphics, Sep 2009 [126.6] ::
553. ↑357 (910) : Asterix How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion When He Was a Little Boy – Orion, Oct 2009 [105.0] ::
567. ↑30 (597) : Fables 13 The Great Fables Crossover – DC Vertigo, Feb 2010 [102.8] ::

[more]

Graphic Novel Rankings: 2009, Week 31

Matt Blind — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:46:48 GMT

I’ve slid from 7 weeks to a full 3 months behind.

I’m working on it.

Your Executive Summary and Index, Week Ending 26 July 2009

last week’s rankings
About the Charts
Analysis and Commentary Posts

The Weekly Charts:
Your Executive Summary and Index
Week ending 26 July 2009

Comics Top 500

1. ↔0 (1) : Watchmen – DC Vertigo, Apr 1995 [796.0] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [722.0] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Final Crisis – DC, Jun 2009 [720.7] ::
4. ↑1 (5) : V for Vendetta – DC Vertigo, Apr 1995 [703.9] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Batman The Killing Joke – DC, Mar 2008 [683.6] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Batman The Dark Knight Returns – DC, May 1997 [665.5] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [654.7] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Dark Tower 3 – Marvel, Apr 2009 [645.0] ::
9. ↑8 (17) : Green Lantern Rage of the Red Lanterns – DC, Aug 2009 [637.8] ::
10. ↑2 (12) : Naruto 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2009 [637.6] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of titles ranking in the Comics 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 60
DC Vertigo 47
DC 37
Tokyopop 34
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 34
Viz Shojo Beat 32
Dark Horse 24
Marvel 21
Del Rey 19
Image Comics 16

[more]

Top 50 Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [2,168.5] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Batman – DC [1,838.5] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Fruits Basket – Tokyopop [1,626.1] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Sandman – DC Vertigo [1,529.6] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Green Lantern – DC [1,441.2] ::
6. ↑2 (8) : Dark Tower – Marvel [1,234.1] ::
7. ↑2 (9) : Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Dark Horse [1,205.2] ::
8. ↑4 (12) : Fullmetal Alchemist – Viz [1,198.3] ::
9. ↓-3 (6) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [1,190.4] ::
10. ↓-3 (7) : Y The Last Man – DC Vertigo [1,143.6] ::

[more]

Top 500 Manga:

1. ↔0 (1) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [722.0] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [654.7] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Naruto 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2009 [637.6] ::
4. ↑17 (21) : Fullmetal Alchemist 19 – Viz, Jul 2009 [594.1] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Dark Hunters 1 – St. Martin’s Griffin, Apr 2009 [577.6] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Negima! 23 – Del Rey, Jul 2009 [568.8] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Fruits Basket 22 – Tokyopop, Mar 2009 [537.4] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Naruto 43 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2009 [517.3] ::
9. ↓-1 (8) : Naruto 44 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2009 [501.8] ::
10. ↓-1 (9) : In Odd We Trust – Koontz, Chan – Del Rey, Jun 2008 [491.0] ::

[more]

Top 50 Manga Series:

1. ↔0 (1) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [2,168.5] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Fruits Basket – Tokyopop [1,626.1] ::
3. ↑2 (5) : Fullmetal Alchemist – Viz [1,198.3] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [1,190.4] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Negima! – Del Rey [1,075.3] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [1,038.2] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [967.4] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : Rosario+Vampire – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [924.5] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [910.1] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle – Del Rey [845.2] ::

[more]

Top 50 New Releases:
(June & July 2009)

2. ↑1 (3) : Fruits Basket 23 – Tokyopop, Jul 2009 [722.0] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Final Crisis – DC, Jun 2009 [720.7] ::
10. ↑2 (12) : Naruto 45 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2009 [637.6] ::
13. ↑49 (62) : Batman Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader – DC, Jul 2009 [604.1] ::
14. ↑40 (54) : Fullmetal Alchemist 19 – Viz, Jul 2009 [594.1] ::
18. ↑64 (82) : Superman Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow – DC, Jul 2009 [574.1] ::
19. ↓-3 (16) : Negima! 23 – Del Rey, Jul 2009 [568.8] ::
20. ↑76 (96) : Asterios Polyp – Random House Pantheon, Jul 2009 [562.3] ::
22. ↑1 (23) : Green Lantern The Sinestro Corps War 2 – DC, Jun 2009 [560.3] ::
23. ↓-5 (18) : Halo GN Uprising – Marvel, Jun 2009 [551.1] ::

[more]

Top 50 Preorders:

9. ↑8 (17) : Green Lantern Rage of the Red Lanterns – DC, Aug 2009 [637.8] ::
76. ↑81 (157) : Mercy Thompson Homecoming – Del Rey/Dabel Bros., Aug 2009 [388.6] ::
112. ↑215 (327) : Vampire Knight 7 – Viz Shojo Beat, Aug 2009 [333.9] ::
169. ↑17 (186) : Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight 5 – Dark Horse, Sep 2009 [273.6] ::
171. ↑783 (954) : Rosario+Vampire 8 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Aug 2009 [272.5] ::
185. ↑26 (211) : Nevermore – Koontz, Champagne, Smith – Del Rey/Dabel Bros., Oct 2009 [261.2] ::
289. ↑51 (340) : Fables 12 – DC Vertigo, Aug 2009 [187.4] ::
304. ↑2 (306) : The Book of Genesis – Crumb – WW Norton, Oct 2009 [178.8] ::
322. ↑331 (653) : Mouse Guard 2 Winter 1152 – Archaia Studios, Aug 2009 [171.6] ::
352. ↑24 (376) : Walking Dead 10 – Image Comics, Aug 2009 [159.5] ::

[more]

A special comment where I draw spurious and perhaps false parallels and analogies and yet still manage to make more sense than an office full of Alaskan Prosecutors [2]

Matt Blind — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:12:36 GMT

The Alaskan legislature (at the urging of an assistant DA from Anchorage) is considering whether or not to ban some types of comics and other illustrated material because they are obscene. Sure, fine, protect the kids and all that. The thing is

Drawings of people aren’t people.

Dear Alaskan prosecutor Aaron Sperbeck, et al.:

Claiming that seeing offensive comics (which aren’t people) will lead to someone doing nasty, nasty things to real people is like saying shooting and field dressing animals (which aren’t people) will lead to someone doing nasty, nasty things to real people.

Of course, comics fans are pale, pasty geeks who spend too much time indoors avoiding other people,

While hunters own guns and knives and have experience in, for example, stalking prey, killing, watching a wounded creature die without feeling sympathy, inserting a knife into a hip and working it to pop the joint and sever the tendons so the haunch can be removed from the rest of the rapidly cooling carcass, skinning their kills, and eating the roasted flesh of their victims.

And I’d be willing to bet more Alaskans own a rifle than a single volume of pornographic, drawn material of either Japanese, European, or Domestic provenance.

But hunting is just good fun, while comics are evil?

I’ll skip the PETA links, y’all know they’re going to ~~lie~~ distort things to their advantage. Let’s go with statistics from the International Hunter Education Association — a group that is pro-hunting and also in the business of teaching hunters not to shoot people. They report 19 Fatalities from hunting accidents in 2007 out of 239 total ‘incidents’ in 2007 — 239 incidents that also included 66 self inflicted wounds, 30 cases of people ‘out of sight’ being shot because, you know, bullets go through things and travel a mile or more unless they’re stopped, and one case in Kansas of a 43 year old shooting a 15 year old with a rifle because of ‘apparent use of intoxicants/drugs’

Non-fatally, thankfully. But here’s a case of a middle age guy hurting a child. Documented. By a hunting advocacy group.

I know you’re a prosecutor, Mr. Sperbeck, so obviously you must believe in the evidence: can you cite a similar case where the possession of comics led directly to the harm of a minor, along the lines of the Kansas hunting case cited above? One? Hm? Took me all of 10 minutes on the internet to find the IHEA and their reports — you have a lot of case law and court transcripts and a 2002 Supreme Court Decision (saying that you’re wrong, by the way) and yet you and other opponents of risqué comics always speak in generalities and what might happen.

per the IHEA report linked above: in 2007 an 18 year old shot and killed a 14 year old in Georgia. 27 minors were involved in ‘incidents’; two of them were killed. The youngest was 9 years old. In one case one 12 year old shot and wounded another 12 year old.

And I’d like to note: per your own state’s Department of Fish and Game, “Alaska is one of the few remaining states that does not provide information to the national database” (page 5, Proposal 8) — and the ADFG doesn’t report the statistics independently either. How many people have been shot in hunting accidents in Alaska? How many children?

No one is saying, but I’d bet it’s more than the victims[sic] of Comics.

“In her five years on the job prosecuting child pornography cases, [Alaska Assistant U.S. Attorney Audrey] Renchen said she has not charged anyone with possessing anime images.” (Anchorage Daily News, 11 October. The Anchorage Daily News also seems to be the primary source that spurred so many to link and comment)

So I can point to 19 documented hunting deaths in one year, and one of the prosecutors pushing for this measure hasn’t even thought to prosecute anyone for naughty comics under current obscenity laws for the past five?

The abuse of children is no joke. But comics are so peripheral to the debate it’s almost laughable. I’ve yet to hear of the case where an abuser (or potential abuser, caught before the act) owned only comics. Instead of hypothesizing about the use of comics in ‘grooming’ potential victims (one reason cited by prosecutors in the Anchorage Daily News article) maybe they should be looking into how these creeps manage to get time alone with the kids to begin with. There is plenty of real child porn out there; why not concentrate on that? After two or three years without any victims of skeezy photographers or Real children caught up in Real Bad situations, we can revisit this issue of drawings and whether or not anyone is hurt by them.