• Halifax-based Bryan Lee O'Malley provides a public service by dissecting the new Tokyopop contract. O'Malley, who has a successful series of books in print and a major Hollywood film based on his books planned, knows a few things about creative control and, I would expect, contracts. All contracts, Hollywood, webcomic, or book, should be looked at by a lawyer (better still, a lawyer who is familiar with publishing or copyright).

• Reanna Alder of The Tyee interviews Vancouver curator Bruce Grenville and has a nice review of both the show and catalog for the KRAZY! exhibit. I saw the book myself at the Beguiling last week and it is quite a handsome volume, with great visuals and nice notes by all the co-curators on their selections.

• Sequential didn't get the press release, but the Beat reproduces the pertinent text of the inductees to the Shuster Awards hall of fame. The inductees this year are U.S. citizen John Byrne (co-creator of Alpha Flight), 1930s-40s cartoonist/writer Ted McCall (creator of the Men of the Mounted and Robin Hood comic strips), satiric cartoonist Pierre Fournier (Capitaine Kebec), and 70s satirist Stanley Berneche (Fuddle Duddle, Captain Canada). The induction ceremony will be part of the awards Saturday, June 14th in Toronto.

Labels: awards, copyright, events, exhibits, graphic novels, legal news, manga

Labels: conventions, events, manga, Toronto

Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga

Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga

• For The Guardian, Regina's Jeet Heer writes on the recent Siegel/Superman decision, with a history of the case and some thoughts ton capitalism and morality. Sample quote: "The battle between the cartoonists and their publisher was a cultural clash as much as an economic one. Bookish boys from the lower-middle class, Siegel and Shuster simply weren't prepared to deal with wise guys like Donenfeld."

• On a related note, new court dates have been scheduled for the case, as noted by newsarama's new legal expert, Jeff Trexler.

• Speaking of newsarama, one of my favourite features at the newsarama blog is the weekly "Quote/Unquote", with a round-up of the choicest utterances from the comics blogosphere.

• Writing for The Montreal Gazette, John Kalbfleisch provides a look back at JW Bengough, the 19th Century cartoonist and member of the Giants of the North. Like many of his inky-fingered breed (Little Nemo's Windsor McKay, for one), Bengough had a side career as a sort of vaudeville humourist, giving "chalk talks" involving quick caricatures and jokey picture stories delivered on the lecture circuit.

• The best cartoonists in Montreal? The Montreal Mirror thinks so.

• Tintin becomes a target in an exhibit of hockey-themed art at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

• Chris Butcher looks back at his 2006 comics industry predictions for 2007 and sees how his oracular powers worked out.

• Photos from the Michel Rabagliati exhibit Paul vu par le Fanzine Bidon at the Galerie Morgan Bridge in Quebec City (see sample photo above; link via bdq)

• Canada's Udon Entertainment is the new distributor of Apple, an anthology of Korean art & comics: APPLE stands for "A Place for People who Love Entertainment", and features original stories and illustrations from the best creative talent Korea has to offer. Over 40 artists from the video game world are represented in APPLE Volume 1, including the artists behind the mega-hit Lineage MMORPG series, superstar Hyung-Tae Kim (Magna Carta, War of Genesis), and dozens of other pro illustrators, animators and graphic artists.

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, copyright, graphic novels, international, links, manga

Labels: comic strips, comics history, events links, manga

Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

• The Gazette profiles Francis Desharnais, creator of the strip collection Burquette (400 Coups), the story of a teenage girl forced to wear a burka.

• Double Jolt of Jeet: aside from writing about history and politics for a variety of publications, Jeet Heer occasionally writes about comics. This week, at the Sans Everything blog, Jeet muses about Archies' girls, Betty and Veronica, and bring Northrop Frye along for the ride. Then, Jeet reviews David Hajdu's The 10 Cent Plague for the Globe and Mail:

In 1949, E. Davie Fulton, an up-and-coming Tory MP from British Columbia, got Parliament to pass a private member's bill banning crime comics from our pristine dominion. Fulton's efforts were loudly praised by a 10-year-old Baie Comeau boy named Brian Mulroney, who delivered an award-winning speech denouncing crime comics.

• Chris Butcher thoroughly reviews the first issue of PiQ magazine, ostensibly devoted to fans of anime, comics, manga, and video games, and includes an interview with a local OTAKU to prove a point.

• Toronto cartoonist Jacob Blackstock was the hit of SXSW in Austin, Texas, with an application that helps users create webcomics, according to this CBC article. Bitstrips has caught the attention of the Facebook team and Wired magazine.

• The Comic Book Bin's Philip Schweier offers COMIC SHOP ETIQUETTE 101, a survival guide to Wednesday/New Comic Book Day.

• Nathalie Atkinson reviews graphic novels for kids in the Globe.

• Actor Michael Cera is the latest name associated with the Scott Pilgrim movie project. There is even some form of script floating about.

• Quebec language police investigate D+Q over signage, website.

• Vito Pilieci writes about Superman's 70th anniversary for Canwest News Service, thankfully omitting any "Superman is Canadian" nonsense.

• Jian Gomeshi interviews New Yorker cartoonist S. Gross about his new book of swastika gags on the Q podcast (the interview is right off the top).

Labels: comics history, comics on film, comics retailers, manga, U.S. superhero franchises, webcomics

Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

Labels: conventions, events, hobbystar, manga, Toronto

Labels: conventions, events, hobbystar, manga, Toronto

Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

Labels: conventions, events, manga

• On the heels of yesterday's report on attacks on comics in libraries comes news of the latest batch of comics seized by Canada Customs (via Journalista). Publishers include Fantagraphics/Eros and Icarus Publishing.

• Michel Viau highlights some of the bd bestsellers in Montreal comic shops.

• Syed Soharwardy offers to meet with Ezra Levant.

• Some reports from last weekend's Kei-kon in Victoria: 1 2 3

• I think I get what Tom Spurgeon is saying: The Hulk is stronger, right?

• Jeet Heer on Krazy Kat and homosexuality.

Labels: bd, censorship, Global Links, manga

Labels: bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

• Patrick Berube reviews the bd album Magasin General, Vol 1 for CBB.

• Zak Edwards reviews Essex County 2: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire at CBB.

• Reed Elsevier, the U.S. producer of Book Expo Canada, has announced the sale of its publishing division, including Publisher's Weekly and its subsidiaries, inclyding Heidi MacDonald's The Beat weblog.

• Exclaim profiles the new Cumulus Press book, Extraction!

• Emru Townsend of Frames prr Second magazine reviews an academic anthology about manga and anime, Mechademia 2: Networks of Desire.

• Eye weekly profiles Toronto's The World's Biggest Bookstore.

• Dave Sim reveals his other secret project, a history of the Holocaust, Judenhass.

Labels: cartoon reportage, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing, reviews

• The Comic Book Bin's Christopher Moshier takes a page from the Overstreet Price Guide and probes the early "Platinum Age" history of DC Comics.

• Winnipeg bouncer creates superhero to protect children, Canadian Shield. (bonus: video)

• International: in a move sure to be reflected on Canadian bestseller lists, VIZ has announced the publication of a new Naruto series, following the adventures of the titular ninja student as a teenager: the launch of the long-awaited new NARUTO manga story arc begins with Volume 28, "which is the first to feature Naruto as a teenager. The volume is expected to hit stores nationwide on March 4 with an estimated retail price of $7.95"

• Free speech and Alberta Human Rights Commission to become election issue after cartoon controversy?

• Robin Bougie and co-conspirators are interviewed on the Inkstuds podcast about the recent launch of Cinema Sewer and Sleazy Slice.

• Lisa Fortuner at the Newsarama blog offers up some compelling reasons for not reading Dave Sim's Glamourama.

Labels: censorship, comics history, floppies, international, manga

Labels: conventions, events, manga, Victoria