Graphic Novel Reading Group discussion

I thought it would be interesting to create a topic where we could share cool things about comics that we find in the internet like articles, videos, podcasts, blogs, etc.

The first thing I would like to share is a blog created by a comic-book store clerk were he shares the weird/stupid/creepy thing that comes out of the mouths of comic fans.

For other comic book fans this is really funny and really, really depressing at the same time.

Here's the link.

Just another one.

Here's the life of Picasso told by cartoonist Michael Kupperman.

It's really absurd and funny. Loved the singing duck.

Oh man that comic store blog is hilarious - thanks for sharing! :)

Haven't checked out the Picasso one yet, but next time I have a break at work...

Here is a comic by a guy who used to submit them to my university paper. An acquired taste, certainly, but I dig 'em.

http://moonbeard.com/?p=9

They are not bad at all, thanks for the link. I specially liked the ones with the giant bug: http://moonbeard.com/?p=4t


At Hooded Utilitarian they wrote about the new Justice League comic. Hilarious stuff :)

(fake) Stan Lee is hilarious. :)

This comics collection makes me jealous.

Just amazing.

A sweet Jonathon Ross article on his interview with Jim Steranko.

"I ate at the board. I slept at the board. I played only jazz from that period, the 1940s, and that kept my creative blood up."

I can't believe how much I love this guy after reading this.
Can't wait to get my teeth into Red Tide now!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/...

Here's an hour long documentary about Robert Crumb in YouTube. There's another documentary about him simply called "Crumb" that has won tons of awards but this one is really interesting too.

Here's the link.

Here's another cool documentary found in youtube.

This one's about Jack Kirby.

This is a great find, plenty of comic convention panels that you can hear on mp3.



Alan Moore is actually funny in this video. And wait for the surprise ending.

Sérgio wrote: "This comics collection makes me jealous.

Just amazing."

Jealous! that is awesome.

Star Wars characters, Spider Man, and others are depicted in this amazing series of classic artworks:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/01/art-...

That is pretty neat.

Loved the Dali/Wolverine painting.

Here's a humorous look at fan reactions to DCs plans to publish WATCHMEN prequels:

https://tytempletonart.wordpress.com/...

Rorschach's mom??? lol

And Moore looks neat in his little wizard costume :)

PS: I'll quote your post in the Watchmen Prequels topic since it's related.

Thanks - I noticed that topic AFTER I'd posted here.

if anyone is a fan of the young justice tv show besides the new season they just released that a game is in production.

http://www.comicvine.com/news/young-j...

Hi, I wanted to share this article because it's made me SOOOO angry!! http://mh.bmj.com/content/early/2012/...

I haven't read the whole thing because I'm so livid, but in the second column of the first page the report details its definition of 'serious literature' and cites 'comics' as an example of 'ephemera' that cannot be deemed as serious or a means of addressing social and moral behaviour.

This is the kind of attitude towards the format of comics that really makes me cross!!!

Yep, those guys are clueless.

They think that comics are just a genre of literature when it's a different art form that can tell stories in any genre.

It’s as much related to literature as to animation or illustration, but it accomplishes things that are totally specific to sequential art.

With that kind of obvious prejudice probably the final results ended up being biased.

Karen wrote: "Hi, I wanted to share this article because it's made me SOOOO angry!! http://mh.bmj.com/content/early/2012/......"

The article is a very good example of smug social-science analysis, though, to be fair, is that their definition or the definition of the people who participate in the reading groups? I like the fact that "genre" fiction, too, doesn't address serious issues of moral behavior. I wonder what they make of Maus or Chandler, Hammett,Cain, etc. The only meaningful distinction is material that deals with behavior well and material that deals with it badly.

Sérgio wrote: "Just another one.

Here's the life of Picasso told by cartoonist Michael Kupperman.

It's really absurd and funny. Loved the singing duck."

That's great. Everyone should immediately get every issue of Kupperman's Tales Designed to Thrizzle

www.drmcninja.com

Been reading it for years - one of the funniest things I've ever read.

I apologize ahead of time if this is posted elsewhere. But I LOVED reading Freak Angels online. It is also printed in 6 volumes.

Read from the beginning here:

Freak Angels

Hey all,

If you are interested I have an online comic called Runnin' With a Gun. It's a hard nosed sexy crime that will eventually printed as a graphic novel. I just love the process of putting it online.

http//:www.runninwithagun.ca.
Enjoy and Let me know what you think. :)

Michael wrote: "Hey all,

If you are interested I have an online comic called Runnin' With a Gun. It's a hard nosed sexy crime that will eventually printed as a graphic novel. I just love the process of putting it..."

It looks very interesting.

I can see from it that you like Sin City. :)

Sérgio wrote: "Michael wrote: "Hey all,

If you are interested I have an online comic called Runnin' With a Gun. It's a hard nosed sexy crime that will eventually printed as a graphic novel. I just love the proce..."

I love Sin City.

Don't know if you've ever come across it but I really enjoy the 11 O'clock Comics podcast (you can pick it up from itunes or directly from their website - http://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/fo...).
A couple of them are more mainstream superhero guys but they all love the medium and extremely passionate about stuff that goes outside the big 2. Especially Vince B! Give 'em a shot!

I'm always fascinated when I see a comics artist at work. This video of Enki Bilal going at it seen from his point of view is great:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrSCVj...


This documentary about Jack T. Chick, a crazy religious cartoonist, was really good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUqhtt...

Aparently his comics are printed in the millions to be freely distributed all over the US as propaganda. Has read anyone read his stuff?

viz Jack Chick - when I was about 10 or 12 yo, my older sister was pals with a girl whose parents were apparently Christians of the sort who read and passed around Chick's tracts. A couple of them ended up in our house and I remember being terrified by the image of God/YHWH/whatever on his throne in Heaven - this massive robed figure with an utterly blank visage framed by a glow or halo (and a head proportioned like a Contac cold medication capsule). I so couldn't deal with it and I'm sure it pushed an an already indifferently Catholic kid towards virulent atheism.
There are a ton of snarky deconstructions of Chick's material available on-line for your Web-by perusal.

Speaking of brilliantly and blasphemously deconstructing Chrisitanity:

http://www.electricsheepcomix.com/apo...

He's been working on it slowly but surely...

Jaime wrote: "viz Jack Chick - when I was about 10 or 12 yo, my older sister was pals with a girl whose parents were apparently Christians of the sort who read and passed around Chick's tracts. A couple of them..."

Yeah, it’s true that Christianity is very much based on fear. I had similar experiences with religion at that age.

Loved the comic store blogs...fake Stan Lee was cool at the comic con.

This hip-hop video is a very cool homage to Kirby and Lee comics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewc1hi...

The song's not too bad either. :)

P wrote: "Don't know if you've ever come across it but I really enjoy the 11 O'clock Comics podcast (you can pick it up from itunes or directly from their website - http://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/fo......"

I'll give this a shot. :)

It's really impressive the amount of podcasts about comics one can find in the internet.

I’ll spread the word about the ones I like to listen:


- Comic Books Are Burning In Hell - A bunch of really knowledgeable comic bloggers talk about recent graphic novels. Really great stuff.


- Silence! – Podcast about monthly comics. They have a great sense of humor, really hilarious stuff.


- Inkstuds – Tons of interviews with interesting comics creators.

Here are some cliches to avoid:

http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/330-...

Wellfor starters there is:

Superpower Wiki- Information on just about any super power that you can imagine.


Macho Man Wins More action figure than comic book related but still funny.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/green-eyes74/...

A great comic book related auction for a good cause.

The Great Comics that Never Happened section of ComicsAlliance is really hilarious.

Here are some great examples:

Batman and Jay-Z Solve 99 Problems!

My Little Pony by Jack Kirby!

GALACULA THIRSTS!

Here's an interesting site where Roy Lichtenstein's paitings are compared to the original comic book sources:

http://davidbarsalou.homestead.com/LI...

I have to say that most paintings look really cold and lifeless compared to the original artwork.

My Little Pony by Jack Kirby? Ah ha ha ha

Amazing Batman Graffiti Art Found in an Abandoned Building in Belgium

http://laughingsquid.com/amazing-batm...

I'm really enjoying this free digital comic that gets a new page or two a week.

http://www.space-mullet.com/archives/

The More You Know...

Why Superheroes Wear Underwear on the Outside of Their Costumes:

http://laughingsquid.com/why-superher...

http://www.mysocalledsecretidentity.com/

pretty good stuff

This is mostly me shamelessly self-promoting a short comic I wrote, BUT the link takes you to a social media for artists so I think it's relevant and juuuust unselfish enough to work.

http://www.sephrimmedia.com/gallery.p...

Freak Angels I loved
So too, Digger
http://diggercomic.com/?p=3

Ever read Rice Boy? Seems simple, but it develops very nicely
(I don't have the link, but it'll google well

So too is Girl Genius. I have about 100 I'm following ;)

Girls With Slingshots, Two Guys and Guy (twisted ;) )

Great deal on Amazon today for lovers of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

7 graphic novels, each on sale for $1.99
by Gene Luen Yang (the author of American Born Chinese, and Boxers & Saints)

http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UT...

I haven't read this series myself but wanted to mention it in case any of you might be fans.