Few things this week…

1) Downloads.

Download 2 things immediately: Bottom of the Ninth  digital comic app and The Orbiting Pod  Podcast.

Bottom of the Ninth  is a digital comic app created by Ryan Woodward and should be shared with any person whom is interested in seeing where comic art will possibly go (eventually) on screen.  Ryan’s obviously got his own design for it but… pull it, look at it, see how it feels.

Such a giant separation between Print and Digital would clearly validate both platforms if something like this were employed by the big publishers.  Really exciting stuff and worth knowing about on the art side.

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I also found The Orbiting Pod  Podcast recently and wanted to share it here as it’s a really nice snap-shot of what’s going on in comics… in London.  The shows are mostly a hash of the week’s books from guys and girls whom love them dearly and also work at Orbital Comics in Leicester Square.

It’s like Chris and Walt’s ‘New this week’ segment for a whole show and it works really well.

There’s no replacing Chris and Walt (clearly :-)) but it’s nice to find more and more quality comics content available for our listening pleasure… and from one of the best comic shops in London too!  Score.   I’d start from the 2012 review show (the first pod in January) and listen from there.  There’s also interviews with creators and recordings from panels and meetings at UK Cons, which are really useful and insightful as an amateur creator myself.

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Mostly, I’m just happy that the guys at the shop have put this together for us.

Cheers indeed.

If I’m being picky, It would be nice to get a quick intro from everyone at the top of the show for new listeners, as the cast does vary from show to show.  But, the content itself and the wealth of knowledge and passion on offer is exciting and basically… it’s cool.

So please share this around with fellow podcast lovers or even tweet the guys if you get a chance.

Get listening – @TheOrbitingPod

 

2) Comics are amazing.

Last week I wrote a piece about how comics are bad and If you were a part of that in any way – either active or passive — then you’ll remember the fiery passion it fueled and the heated debate it prompted.

As a result, surely this week’s post (from myself) needs to appease that or redeem it, or something… right?

Well, in addition to the above, I just wanted to conclude the point of last week’s post (though the debate will rage on forever no doubt), my point was:

There is room for ‘amazing’ in comics… so when will it happen again?

In the meantime I will continue to read, support, love and create comics at every opportunity and that will never change.

To make the assumption that someone — of my creative ilk with a skew towards mainstream — is not aware of the sheer scope that’s currently available in comics is… too easy.

“This guy’s all about Marvel and DC so… obviously he won’t like what’s on offer if that’s all he reads.”  That leads me to 2 little question marks.

1) Why is it the default opinion that the big publishers ‘obviously’ don’t tell good stories?

2) Why was only 1 actual book (Sharaz-De: Tales Of The Arabian Nights) suggested to make the point of… the really good stories happening outside the big publishers?

Which – by the way — was sadly not the shining example of storytelling that I’d hoped for.  It was very impressive indeed visually and written quite nicely but on the storytelling side… it was very compartmentalised and devoid of any real character of emotional investment.  The hunt goes on.

I’d just like some exceptional and extraordinary stories from the big publishers to accompany the exceptional and extraordinary artwork that’s churned out weekly.

There IS so much out there to discover in comics — including the above — which is fantastic! Could we even go so far as to say that we’re currently experiencing the ‘New Golden Age’? with the comics industry dominating popular-culture generally and the internet making the creation of comics so much easier and faster.

Jury’s out.

Danny Champion
Danny Champion

Danny Champion is a freelance writer and artist. Follow CandyAppleFox on Twitter.

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Leigh Hart
11 years ago

“Why was only 1 actual book (Sharaz-De: Tales Of The Arabian Nights) suggested to make the point of… the really good stories happening outside the big publishers?”
Because you seemed to have a lot of internet rage, so I was afraid to suggest anything

Kevin A. Boyd
11 years ago

Some non-DC/Marvel books I have no problem recommending, but not all may be for you depending on your tastes, and some feature highly stylized or simple designs:

– Blacksad and Blacksad: Silent Hell (by Guarnido and Carnales)
– At the Mountains of Madness (adapted from the Lovecraft story by Culbard)
– Saga (by Vaughn and Staples)
– the ongoing Kirkman titles – Walking Dead, Invincible, Thief of Thieves
– Chew (Layman, Guillory) (also an ongoing)
– Tale of Sand (Henson, adapted by R. Perez)
– The Underwater Welder (Jeff Lemire)
– The Parker adaptations by Darwyn Cooke
– Sailor Twain (by Mark Siegel)
– Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes, Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland, the Grandville series (Bryan Talbot)
– A Wrinkle in Time (adapted by Hope Larson)
– Building Stories (Chris Ware)
– The Song of Roland (by Michel Rabagliati)

For the younger readers
– Drama (by Telgemeier)
– Anya’s Ghost (by Brosgol)
– Adventure Time (ongoing)

And from the recent Superhero stock
– Batman: Earth Two
– Spider-Man
– All-New X-Men
– Hawkeye

I’m also really enjoying the returned Valiant line: Harbinger, X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Archer and Armstrong and Shadowman.

Some older, classic non-superhero stuff that I have always enjoyed:
Nexus by Baron and Rude
Chaykin’s American Flagg!
Cerebus by Sim (and Gerhard)
Matt Wagner’s Grendel and Mage books

Currently enjoying the translations of the Manara graphic novels.

Fantagraphics is putting out these great EC compilations.

We are in the Golden Age of comic book reprints, so there’s a tonne of great stuff out there like the Prince Valiant collections, X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan, Mickey Mouse by Gottfriedsen, Ducks by Barks, etc.

Kevin A. Boyd
11 years ago
Reply to  Kevin A. Boyd

Spider-Man should be Spider-MEN. The Bendis/Pichelli mini-series.

Danny Champion
Danny Champion
11 years ago
Reply to  Leigh Hart

Leigh, Please don’t ever feel that way. You must have the freedom to say whatever you want to, and while sometimes we might disagree… your opinion is extremely valuable in any chat.

I think It was passion 🙂

Danny Champion
Danny Champion
11 years ago
Reply to  Kevin A. Boyd

This is more like it, Kevin. Thanks so much!

I have read a few of these books but, will definitely look into the others… and indulge 🙂

I’ll report back if anything blows my hair back.

Cheers indeed big man.