So much stuff…

—So some big news coming out of San Diego Comic Con was the title and release date of Scott Pilgrim Volume 5. The next installment of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s much loved series from Oni will be titled Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe and is set to debut at New York Comic Con February 2009. Diagnosis: awesome. Check out the cover and click through for the bigger version.

—In case you missed it (because I did), Brian Ralph posted some cover designs for (I think) the next volume of his first person POV, post-apocalyptic free-for-all Daybreak. Daybreak is actually serialized over at new bodega, but if your anything like me, reading comics on the net hurts your eyes, so you’re “waiting for the trade.”
Check this one out and again, click through for more.

—And finally, the next issue of Sean Ford’s awesomely bizarre comic, Only Skin is due out at SPX this October. Sean shares some partially inked pages on his website and announces that cartoonist Dane Martin will be writing and illustrating an Only Skin Annual, also due out at SPX 2008. If you haven’t checked out Only Skin I suggest you do immediately. It’s an incredible supernatural conspiracy drama that I’m pretty sure also involved werewolves. I mean, I hope it involves werewolves. If not, it’s still pretty cool.

…check back tomorrow for SDCC photos and memories…and seals. Oh yes, there will be seals.

Look at Jordan Crane’s cover for the Atlantic Monthly 2008 Fiction Issue

I’ll be looking for a better scan (or the actual thing), but in the meantime…

“On Writing” by Jordan Crane

San Diego Dreaming…

So I’m going to be at San Diego Comic Con this week. This will be my first CCI (and my first time in San Diego period).

Check back all week for updates from the con, photos and tales of me visiting a seal beach in La Jolla!

James Jean’s Silk Spectre

Indieschmindie.

Go take a look at James Jean’s Silk Spectre illustration for the Watchmen movie. Jean points out that it’s in the trailer for a second when you see The Comedian’s apartment, but it plays a larger role in the actual scene. As always he provides preliminary sketch material.

Check It Out: Mesmo Delivery

Rafael Grampa is previewing a small snippet of his brand new comic, Mesmo Delivery over at his website. Anyone who knows me also knows I’ve been looking forward to to this book ever since I first saw Grampa’s work a little over a year ago. I think the last time a cartoonist got me this excited was Geof Darrow’s Hard Boiled.

So stop thinking about it and go check it out already! If you’re going to be in San Diego this week, Grampa should have some copies available. If not, look for the book this fall through AdHouse.

Stuff To Look At: Friday Edition

—First, everyone should go watch the animated trailer Dash Shaw produced for his highly acclaimed graphic novel, The Bottomless Belly Button.

It’s gorgeous, and a serious face melter.

—Then, over at the Bodega Blog, Brian Ralph posts some more “Dad” strips. Now I’m no dad, but in my opinion…these strips rule! Also, Ralph thinks he broke his toe. Get yourself to X-Ray city, man. That looks RIPE.

—Corey Lews has a new Zuda comic, called Dead In The Now. Vote or die!

—Brandon Graham did the cover for the latest issue of Hack/Slash. (Lucky #13!!)

—And finally, Bryan Lee O’Malley thinks the Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5 cover and title might be debuted at San Diego Comic Con. Fingers crossed!

Have an awesome weekend dudes and dudettes!

REVIEW: Harvest Is When I Need You The Most

REVIEW: Harvest Is When I Need You The Most
By Various
Website

There was a whole lot of buzz behind this mini at MoCCA 2008 (I heard they ran out of copies FAST) and after finally reading it I can totally see why.
For starters, the title alone of this “Star Wars Fanbook” is enough to tickle any open-minded Star Wars fan pink. Taking such a throwaway line (spoken by the small-worldish and over protective Uncle Owen in Star Wars) out of its original context and turning it to such an agnsty, emotional title was a stroke of genius—especially accompanied by what I assume is an homage to Luke gazing off into the Tatooine sunset on the cover (the glossy inset picture used is a cool aesthetic touch).
The contents of the mini range from the darkly humorous “Biggs In Space” one-pager, the uproariously funny, Tag & Bink-ish “Under 21,” to the non-narrative “Yo-Duh!”, all wonderfully illustrated. AND EWOKS! Heavens are there ever so many Ewoks!
I can’t help but remember that indispensable indie/alternative issue of Star Wars Tales when reading Harvest, and think, “Why don’t they do that again?”
I know Tales is no more, but a one-shot, anthology style issue like this would do the trick. What I’m saying here is I love these kinds of Star Wars comics and wish I could read new ones more often, in a hand held capacity.
Anyway, kudos to the Harvest team for a job well done.

LAST CALL goes to the BIG SCREEN

It looks like Universal has bought up the rights to adapt Vasilis Lolos’ Oni Press series The Last Call. Barry Josephson (Enchanted) and Eric Gitter are set to produce, and Evan Spiliotopoulos (”The Box”) will write the screen adaptation.

The Last Call is a series of graphic novels, written and drawn by Lolos, about two young metal head friends who, while on a joyride one night, get picked up by an otherworldly train that serves as a soul carrier. Lost and alone, the boys (Sam and Alec) try to dodge the train’s hulking conductor, who is looking for some tickets, and the rest of the ghoulish passengers only to discover a nefarious series of murders are taking place. The boys must navigate frightening pitfalls and dangerous monsters in order to solve the murder mystery and get home.

Now we don’t want to jinx anything, but an e-mail with Vasilis revealed that we both think one Guillermo Del Toro would be the perfect director for this movie. Like PERFECT.

Anyway, congrats to Vasilis!

RASL #2 Previewed at Boneville

Check it.

The issue drops in stores tomorrow.

Paul Pope’s Toy Chest

Continuing the Paul Pope thread from last week…

Check out the news that Pope and Kid Robot are teaming up to manufacture a THB line of vinyl toys!

The first figure will be the Masked Karimbah (actually a two piece set based on a character on a children’s TV show in the THB universe), set the debut at SDCC.

Pope notes that the dog is the size of an actual Boston Terrier.

AWESOME

[images swiped from Pope’s flickr]