Latest Gear Live Videos
DC Comics has announced that they will no longer carry the seal of the Comics Code Authority on the covers of their comics.
Instead, they are going with a new cover ratings system that you can read about at Newsarama.
It’s a good start, but I think that someone should come up with a more accurate way to rate the comics. And that someone could be me. Here are my new ratings suggestions:
S - SOMEONE
We hope someone will buy this comic.
R - REFRIGERATOR
A woman will get stuffed into one.
Click to continue reading DC’s Comic Book Ratings
Advertisement
Comic book artist Mike Mayhew (who works for both DC and Marvel) has landed himself “a gig from a major comics publisher.” Since he uses photo-reference to help him achieve the photo-realistic look of his art, he’s looking for “many models to portray dramatic scenes in a mainstream comic book. All ages, races, and types will be considered.”
It’s an extended assignment and a paid gig and he’s looking to start shooting at his studio in Glendale, CA right now. The photos “are merely reference for my art and will not be reproduced.”
You can find samples of Mayhew’s work at his website.
Good luck, models!
[Artwork: Namor #5 cover by Mayhew, © Marvel Characters]
Comic book marketing is a lot of fun - you get to see and hear about tons of stuff long before anyone else is aware of it, and you get to hang with editors and other creative types, and if you’re lucky you get that expenses-paid trip to San Diego for CCI each year. Or was that just me?
DC Comics - referred to in the listing as DC Entertainment - is looking for a Marketing Representative for Sales, Marketing & Business Development for their New York office.
You’ll get to write digital solicitation copy via coordinating with DC’s west coast office, support the Marketing Manager “in the planning and implementing of all digital marketing initiatives,” make sure the Online Department is promoting the right stuff on the right websites and “social networking sites,” and a bunch of other digital marketing strategies and initiatives.
Why the digital marketing office is in New York while the entire digital department is in Burbank is one of corporate life’s mysteries that you may eventually figure out on your own. But a really smart person could figure out a way to rack up the now-almost-useless frequent flier miles.
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: DC Comics Digital Marketing
Weekend Reading: Stan Goldberg, Steranko And Villains & Vigilantes
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Reviews, DC Comics, Image Comics, Independent,
Let’s roll...and punch 2011 in the face!
Writers Without Borders: J. A. Konrath, an excellent writer and a smart guy especially on publishing subjects, has some thoughts about the current spiral of Borders bookstores.
Comix: The Forbidden Planet blog introduces me to a new “underground” style newspaper available in London. “The tabloid size is absolutely lovely for reading comics. It’s something our ancestors knew so well, but we’ve forgotten it over the years.” I really want The Comix Reader to succeed, so if you’re living over there, go get one.
Sci-Fi: My old friend Scott Bieser has a new webcomic that he's started called Quantum Vibe. I'm bookmarking it and you should too.
Archie: Blogger Steven Thompson at Booksteve’s Library reviews Archie: The Best of Stan Goldberg: “Unlike the usual Archie house style, his Betty and Veronica look different from each other, with Betty in particular showing a unique cuteness when drawn by Stan.”
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Stan Goldberg, Steranko And Villains & Vigilantes
Freelancing is a tough business and the safety nets aren't always there to help someone in trouble.
Veteran comic book colorist Tom Ziuko could use a helping hand. Daniel Best at 20th Century Danny Boy has all the details that he got from Alan Kupperberg.
If there's any way you can lend a hand - and I know the economy is tight for all - please consider.
Ziuko is one of the industry's premiere colorists with a body of work that stretches over 3 decades - lots of it at DC Comics.
Go read Best's post and see if there's anything you can do.
[Artwork: A Ziuko-colored cover, snagged from Best's site and © DC Comics]
DC Comics’ relaunch of the anthology title Weird Worlds begins this week with an impressive array of creators and characters.
Kevin VanHook and Jerry Ordway are presenting new adventures of the bad-ass fan favorite Lobo. Kevin Maguire debuts a new character called Tanga.
But for me, the one I’m most looking forward to is Garbageman, a new variant in the “monster-as-hero” genre from Aaron Lopresti (most recently the artist on Wonder Woman).
I’ve known Aaron for a number of years, ever since he worked on the Ultraverse on a book called Sludge. Aaron pencilled and occasionally wrote issues of the UV’s monster-hero that was created by Steve Gerber, who created an earlier monster-hero called Man-Thing for Marvel Comics.
Garbageman fits perfectly into the monster comic genre that includes Man-Thing, Swamp Thing, The Heap, Sludge and others. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for someone to step up and revive the concept.
Click to continue reading Weird Worlds #1: Garbageman by Lopresti
Batman: Gotham City For Sale!
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Television, DC Comics,
Psst. Want some Gotham? It’s up for grabs. It’s not the actual city that’s on sale, although that might be a plot twist in Batman Incorporated.
My pal Jim Beard’s book, Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters, is on sale now.
It features essays about the classic Batman TV series that starred Adam West and Burt Ward. Contributors include Timothy Callahan, Peter Sanderson, Jim Beard, Joseph F. Berenato, Chuck Dixon, Becky Beard, Robert Greenberger, Michael D. Hamersky, Michael Johnson, Paul Kupperberg, Michael S. Miller, Will Murray, Jeff Rovin, Jennifer K. Stuller, Bill Walko, and Robert G. Weiner.
Click to continue reading Batman: Gotham City For Sale!
My New Year’s Resolutions For 2011
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Independent, Marvel Comics,
I don’t like NYR’s for the simple reason that I never keep them. Lose weight, eat healthier, start smoking just so I can fail at quitting.
But this year, well, this year, I’m sure to keep some of these resolutions. Won’t you join me?
10. I will read many more webcomics, bookmark them and recommend them.
9. I won’t buy a Marvel or DC comic at a price point greater than $2.99.
8. But yet I will buy all the hardcovers from The Library of American Comics.
7. Read even more independent comics. I think that’s where the real interesting stuff is and has always been.
6. I will download more comics to my iPad. I’ll pay for them, too.
5. Figure out which movie will make less money: Green Lantern or Thor.
Click to continue reading My New Year’s Resolutions For 2011
Gears of War #15: Traviss & Wilson
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Video Games, DC Comics,
One of my DC pals, Jim Chadwick, is a Wildstorm editor making the switch to DC's Digital Comics division in 2011. One of his print books, Gears Of War #15, goes on sale this week. Written by NY Times' best-selling author Karen Traviss (she also writes the GoW novels) and illustrated by Colin Wilson, Chadwick posted on Facebook "I'm very proud of this one and you should buy it!"
Author Karen Traviss wrote about the stand-alone issue on her blog, and lays out the schedule of her upcoming work on the series. I like her enthusiasm: "It's not the first comic I've written (I'd turned in two DLS scripts before we had to change the schedule, and those really were my first) but it's my debut on the shelves, so that matters to me. Some of my writer friends find it odd that I set such store by comics given my career, but I just do." She also has mad props for artist Wilson.
For more info on Traviss, here's a solid interview with her from Edge.
As a stand-alone issue in the Gears Of War pantheon, I'm checking this one out.
[Artwork: Cover to Gears of War #15]
It seems like hardly a day goes by that DC Comics doesn’t post a new job listing for one of their many offices.
This time, the office is in Burbank, and the job is Digital Production Clerk for their Digital Publishing department. In other words, a starter job in the department of the future.
You’ll be mostly scanning comic book pages from either line art, film, or printed images on flatbed and copydot scanners. Good hand-eye coordination seems like a must-have.
But you’ll also need mad computer skills to make color corrections and editing fixes, and keep your equipment in good working order so the IT guys don’t come upstairs and make fun of you and those who hired you.
You’ll need a college degree or its equivalent, along with prior “computer, prepress, print production, or digital publishing production experience,” and all manner of Macintosh skills to help you multi-task, work under pressure and put in the necessary overtime.
Good luck, job seekers!
[Artwork: Blammoids!: Series 4: Hawkman Mini Figure, © DC Comics]
Recent Galleries
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.