Links Ahoy, October 2008
A.P.E., the Alternative Press Expo is just around the corner – - November 1 & 2 in San Francisco.
From their site: "The special guest list for APE 2008 includes Jessica Abel (La Perdida), Paige Braddock (Jane’s World), Megan Kelso (The Squirrel Mother), Matt Madden (99 Ways to Tell a Story), Ethan Nicolle (Chumble Spuzz, courtesy of SLG Publishing), and Chris Ware (The ACME Novelty Library). As always, APE will be filled to the rafters with a whole slew of other amazing artists, writers, and creators."
The image at the top is an excerpt from the web comic Calamities of Nature by Tony Piro. A lot of the time I find new blogs and sites because they linked here at boneville. This will take you to his blog about getting ready to go to A.P.E. for the first time as an exhibitor (I hope; the link was a little sticky just now). He also remembers attending the first A.P.E. in 1994!
Going to A.P.E. is always exciting, especially the first time you set up a table. I remember attending the very first A.P.E. in San Jose with Dave Sim. It was at that show that I met Paul Pope for the first time.
Speaking of Paul (artwork above), he has a page up on his blog from Battling Boy, his new project coming out from First/Second.
Here’s a link for you: Kevin Hanna, the guy behind Google’s Lively, and editor of the new graphic novel Sixteen Miles to Merrick’s by a cartoonist named Barnaby Ward, says he reads the blogs of both Craig Thompson and me, and has figured out the secret of our creative process. The picture of Craig is guaranteed to make you say; Holy S#*t!
The above art is from Sixteen Miles to Merricks and Other Stories By Barnaby Ward.
Hope you are enjoying RASL #3. Don’t forget to leave a comment about it, because I want to know what you think!
RASL #3 was great. But was I hallucinating when it said issue 4 is hitting stores March 2009?!
Comment by Joe — October 20, 2008 @ 3:41 pm
I think I’m looking forward to BATTLING BOY more than just about any other book being created right now.
Comment by James — October 20, 2008 @ 3:42 pm
will you be at APE this year? will check out the artists you listed above, looks good.
stupendous issue, looking forward to issue #4 even though it is coming march 2009.
Comment by ryan a. — October 20, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
Ryan, I’m not going to APE this year. Are you going, or just planning to check out their work? Every one of those artist is worth meeting in person if you get a chance.
James, I’m with you, man. Battling Boy looks great. Can’t wait.
Comment by Jeff — October 21, 2008 @ 4:35 pm
RASL #3 was really great, and got me more excited about the series than I’ve ever been. #2 lost a little steam I felt, but in retrospect that was probably necessary so you could set up some cards to knock down in #3. The chase scene at the end really got my heart pumping in at a level that comics are very rarely able to do. I was really into the chase, just like I was watching a movie (just for the record though, in case anyone misreads that comment, comics are better than movies- it’s just easier to excite people with film). The best part was after I read the issue, and realized how absurd the chase scene really was. It was two guys racing to the trunks of their cars so they could each strap on these big metal water wings with goofy masks, then squat and disappear.
Most of my favorite comics are ones that take a ludicrous situation, and then present it to you with a completely straight face and actually get you to believe in it. It’s a lot harder to do that in movies.
Comment by MrColinP — October 21, 2008 @ 5:31 pm
MrColinP, you get it,man. Wait til you see #4…
Comment by Jeff — October 22, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Mannnn I wanna read this…
Comment by Marcus — October 22, 2008 @ 4:01 pm
Yes! I’m getting a replacement issue soon!
I read the copy I have of #3 and Wow.
It explained some questions, but opened up a few more. And the whole idea of the comic being able to excite in ways movies can’t, that is very so true.
This idea cinematically might seem goofy to a film producer (probably is) but just the way it was written and drawn out just had me on the edge of my seat. Especially that whole thing with Maya’s appearance(s).
The research keeps me interested too with the Indian art and science stuff. That eneding though just totally got me.
I have to say this is probably your best artwork to date. Your characters are interesting, your story is nice, but the 5 month wait for Issue #4 is gonna be a long one.
Honestly, this book is kick ass. (Pardon that, but it is).
I get a feeling this is going to be really popular, I’ve already introduced a couple of people to it.
Comment by Marcus — October 22, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
What I also loved about this issue was the re-appearance of the pebble-falling-into-the-water sequence. It helped pace the story just right and was a cool way to bring the first arc to a close.
Will that end up playing a bigger like (I guess theme or purpose?)
Or is there some kind of mystery behind that, hah.
Comment by Marcus — October 22, 2008 @ 7:56 pm
will try and squeeze some time to go to APE and will definitely check them out personally. whenever an established artist recommends up and coming artists it is always a start of something big for them and for fans alike.
many thanks.
Comment by ryan a. — October 22, 2008 @ 9:37 pm
Thanks for the link to my site Jeff. You’ve always been one of my comic heroes, so needless to say, I was flabbergasted to see my artwork on your site. I’d love to see you at APE again sometime down the road.
Comment by Tony P. — October 23, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Holy S*@t is right!
Flying Lumberjack!
Comment by Marcus — October 23, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
Loved issue #3, Mr. Smith.
That reptile guy is one of the creepiest characters I’ve seen in a long, long time. There’s something almost ape-ish about his face, too, that lends air of surreality to him and contributes to the creepiness. He literally makes my skin crawl. I’m looking forward to more of him.
It was also cool that some light was shed upon the origin of the Maya tattoo.
Great stuff.
But . . . March 2009? Five months? Dude. I hate to say it, but that’s just not cool.
Comment by Charles Reed — October 23, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
How is number 4 comin along?
Comment by Marcus — October 23, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
That’s some really cool stuff and great art work too. Sadly I still haven’t been able to get my hand on any copies of RASL. No one seems to sell it around here. To the internet I go I guess now is the plan. lol
Thanks for sharing; it’s always a pleasure to read about recent comic finds.
Comment by Jeanette — October 24, 2008 @ 8:49 pm
I’m curious will the second arc (issues 4-6 I guess) be introducing any additional characters?
Comment by Marcus — October 28, 2008 @ 9:04 pm
Hey Jeff,
has RASL been a series that like you have a pretty good idea what you want to do,
or more plotting the story as you go?
Comment by Marcus — November 1, 2008 @ 6:48 pm
RASL #3 was wonderful! I enjoyed seeing the glimpse into his past and seeing that he’s not just some thief who stumbled onto some high-tech – but rather someone who is intelligent/resourceful and apparently had some sort of tragedy in his life that compels him to do this.
I look forward to seeing more of what “made” him who he is and also where he is going. Darn shame I have to wait until March!
Comment by Jeremy_A — November 4, 2008 @ 2:12 pm
Easily the best issue so far, and I agree with what someone else said about it being a bit slow in number two, but I recognize that’s a bit shortsighted because really these are small installments of a larger story, which of course is the real “pay off,” as it were.
It’s got me much more interested in the character of Rob now, though. At first I just kinda wanted to see what was happening in the world, what the rules of dimension jumping were like, and so forth. But now I wanna know why Rob finally chose to ditch out on the research. Why/how he started going through the drift. What’s happened to him since then emotionally that he’s still so clearly hung up on Maya. I wanna know how he got started into the research into t-suits, how he got messing around with a married woman. There’s lots of stuff there to cover, not to mention how he hooked up with Annie, why that killer guy looks like a rodent/lizard cross, or where that guy got his t-suit, or who’s really behind it all, how they found Rob, why they want Rob.
Aggh, too much I want to see played out, and yet I have to be patient! Waiting is the worst part, but ultimately I’d rather you plug along at a steady manageable pace putting out your best effort, than getting some slap-dash sub-par performance.
Rasl is one of only two books that I actually buy anymore, so keep it up!
– Jonathan
P.S. sorry for the late review, but I was out of the country when this came out.
Comment by Jonathan — November 16, 2008 @ 5:25 pm