Due to the Labor Day holiday don’t forget that new books will arrive tomorrow, September 9.  Last week was a large publishing week, but if you peruse our new releases page you’ll see that there are several interesting offerings from Marvel, DC, and more.  Here’s a rundown of books you might want to consider.

1) Batman and Robin #14, Batman #703

With Batman and Robin, Grant Morrison has provided us with arguably one of the most enjoyable Batman titles in a decade.  In issue #14 he and artist Frazer Irving give us part 2 of their 3 part story that makes the new Batman and Robin have to work together in order to survive.  Irving’s done a nice job interpreting the character, and with only one issue left before Bruce Wayne’s return the tension should build in this week’s issue.  Bat-fans should also be aware of this week’s Batman #703 where writer Peter Milligan and artist Tony Daniel focus on Bruce Wayne’s return alongside several supporting cast members.

2) Amazing Spider-man #’s 641, 642

What?  Two issues of Amazing Spider-man this week?  That’s right, we’ll see the conclusion to Joe Quesada and Paolo Rivera‘s ‘One Moment in Time’ arc in issue #641, and the first part of the ‘Origin of the Species’ storyline featuring Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta.  Both issues also feature the continuing Spidey Sunday stories by Stan Lee and Marcos Martin.  Plenty of reasons to pick up Amazing this week, but if you need one more check out the fancy cover to #642 by cover artist extraordinaire Marko Djurdjevic!

3) Daytripper #10

The final issue of Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon‘s critically acclaimed Daytripper series hits the shelves this week!  The series has been a favorite of many of our customers and staff and has proven to be a title that stirs up lots of speculation and discussion.  If you’ve followed the story thus far you’ll want to make sure to pick this one up, and if you’re a fan of either of the creator’s other works you might want to hunt down some of the back issues.  For more on Daytripper, see my review of the series posted yesterday on the Heroes blog.

4) Invaders Now! #1

Spearheaded by Alex Ross, co-written by Christos Gage, and illustrated by Caio Reiss, this series brings the Invaders into the modern world.  With as classic a team as Marvel has produced, including members Captain America, Namor, the Human Torch, Toro, Spitfire, and Union Jack, it will be interesting to see how the original members interact with not only the modern world, but also new incarnations of their namesakes.  How do characters with so much history face the strange world of 2010?  Alex Ross is known for his work on classic characters but I’m especially glad he enlisted Christos Gage to help out with this book.  Gage’s recent work on Avengers Academy is some of the best of the Avengers line of books, and he should do a fine job working with these storied characters.

5) Weird War Tales #1

Another classic title gets revamped this week as DC’s Weird War Tales gets a one shot treatment courtesy of creators like Ivan Brandon, Gabriel Hardman, Nic Klein, and Darwyn Cooke!  Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein might be familiar to some of you as the creative team behind the popular Viking series from Image Comics.  If you’re a fan of that title you might want to give this book a look.  I was also excited to see that Darwyn Cooke not only provided the awesome cover art, but apparently provides some interior work as well.  Who wouldn’t want to see a Weird War Tale from Darwyn?

> Other new releases this week worth a brief mention:  Daken: Dark Wolverine #1 by Daniel Way, Marjorie Liu, and Giuseppi Camuncoli, Cuba: My Revolution HC by Inverna Lockpez and Dean Haspiel, Justice League Generation Lost #9 by Judd Winick and Fernando Dagnino, Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London by Eric Powell and Kyle Hotz, and the Dr. Horrible TP featuring work by Zack Whedon, Jim Rugg, Joelle Jones, and Eric Canete.  Make sure you check our New Release section for a complete list of this week’s new titles!

I should start out by saying that I’ve wanted to write a review of Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon‘s Daytripper series from the first day it saw print.  Over the past few years I’ve appreciated the twins’ work on books like Casanova, Umbrella Academy, and B.P.R.D.: 1947 and was curious to see how they might follow their success on those titles.  What seemed most intriguing about Daytripper from early buzz was the concept and how it seemed to veer away from much of their previous fare.  Daytripper is a challenging, complex series that engages readers in a endless strand of reflections and possibilities.  Those avenues of interpretation only increase with each new issue.

In preparing to write my review there was a point where I  considered drawing parallels between this comic and works from literature like Edgar Lee Master’s Spoon River Anthology, where readers learn about a town’s residents via the epitaphs on their tombstones.  Thoughts then turned back to superheroes and the possibility that Ba and Moon might be using a non-costumed common reality to comment on the cyclical nature of death among comic book heroes and villains.  It soon dawned on me that this review is not being written for one of my old college English courses.  With the final issue (#10) set to be released this Thursday (September 9) we’ll see the close of one of the year’s most thought-provoking series.  Ultimately, the only issue facing us as comic readers (and me as a reviewer) is to ascertain whether or not a book does the job it has set out to complete; or, “Does it work?”  As with many things opinion-related this is entirely subjective.  My goal here is not to try to convince you that “Daytripper is better than [insert book of your choice here]”, but to let you know why some of you may enjoy reading it if you haven’t already.

Fans of the duo’s work on books like Umbrella Academy and Casanova can appreciate how their energetic art styles are appropriate for those genres.  What is most telling to me is that they are able to translate that energy over to a book like Daytripper. Ba and Moon consistently build momentum and drama with their characterizations and landscapes, and manage to do so exceptionally well in a book where there are no costumes or rayguns in sight.  Without the bombast of some of their previous work, Ba and Moon rely on their skills as storytellers to bring this very human world to life.  If you are a longtime super hero fan and are curious about getting into the ‘genre’ and ‘literature’ sections of our store, I think you might benefit from reading this book.

Reading like a set of vignettes on a common theme, Daytripper resembles independent films like Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes, where viewers learn about characters through their brief encounters at a coffee shop.  In Daytripper Ba and Moon aim to explore the main character Bras’ life by using each issue to focus on a different potential day of his death.  Ten issues, ten days, ten different deaths.  This isn’t executed in a morbid way but one that attempts to bring to life the entirety of carpe diem by reminding us that each day is indeed a rare gift in and of itself.  While the comic itself isn’t darkly fixed on death, I must say that the subject matter is a bit heavy at times.  However, I don’t necessarily see that as a negative.  In a small way, Daytripper is reminiscent of one of my favorite comics, Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan, where in spite of the difficult subject matter it’s nearly impossible not to be blown away by the beauty of the craftsmanship and the ambition of the book.

Ambition is one thing unto itself but is it possible that Ba and Moon were over-ambitious with Daytripper?  I’ve heard a few readers ask why the twins made the series ten issues in length.  Couldn’t they have picked the 4 – 6 most poignant issues to focus on and then get back to their higher profile mainstream work?  Indeed they probably could have done that and still had a successful series, but the numerologists among you might suggest that the significance of the number ‘ten’ among numerous cultures and faiths.  In most cases this number represents the completion of a cycle, so one might infer from that common thread that the final issue of this title will wrap the whole story up in a nice bow.    Who knows, maybe we’ll see the series end like the ’80’s drama St. Elsewhere, with Bras’ son shaking a snow globe of a Rio sunset (a gift from Bras’ old friend Jorge), as Bras smiles in observation.  Or maybe the final issue will act as a bookend to issue one with Bras coming out of his writing room, greeting his dog Dante (symbolically named for the hellish poet) and deciding to spend a quiet birthday evening at home rather than be present for his father’s award presentation.

At the end of the day it seems likely to me that the series will end as quietly as much of it has proceeded.  I wouldn’t necessarily refer to this book as subtle since it has essentially done exactly what it said it would do.  It is probably a bit more accurate to call Daytripper ‘restrained.’  I doubt that anyone expected Ba and Moon to capitalize on their recent success with a book like Daytripper.  It’s possible that they could have gone further into the superhero realm and created a bright, flashy world full of action and archetypes.  The fact that the duo instead chose to create a book like Daytripper speaks volumes to me.  Relying more on soft watercolors and pastels (from the palette of genius colorist Dave Stewart), it falls upon Ba and Moon’s skills as storytellers to convey very simple, human truths through characters with whom we can relate and empathize.  The fact that Daytripper has been so highly regarded among critics, creators and customers is a clear indication that they are highly skilled artists who have a long history of comics work ahead of them.

Regardless, each issue of Daytripper has been up to this point about finality in one form or another.  Yet while each issue is essentially an exponent in the series necessarily rigid formula, the real complexity of the series lies in how Ba and Moon slowly elaborate on Bras as a character and how they wring empathy from us as readers.  We relate to Bras because we too have walked the precarious path dividing our need for self-provision and self-expression.  We, like Bras, have sabotaged relationships that we knew we should have fought to keep.  We have devalued the momentum of maturity and lost sight of the fragility of innocence.  Daytripper won’t change the world; it might not even change someone’s mind about the vast potential that still exists in comics.  But if you’re open to it, Daytripper might just make you appreciate truly good comics and see that they, like life itself, are something to be valued as a gift. 

We’re pleased to announce that we will be hosting Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting on Wednesday, September 22 from 3-7 pm for the debut of their new collaboration on Fantastic Four #583. 3 starts here. The much talked about new storyline begins and Jonathan and Steve will be here talking about the much hyped mystery.

Relative newcomer Jonathan Hickman, after his early success with Nightly News, has become an important architect for the development of the greater Marvel Universe. With such titles as Secret Warriors and SHIELD gaining acclaim throughout the comics industry he has helped successfully transition Marvel out of it’s Civil War and into a new Heroic Age. And with his old school sensibilities Jonathan has guided Fantastic Four back to it’s rightful place as the worlds greatest comic magazine. And with super-stud artist Steve Epting joining him, the sky is the limit. Steve is one of our oldest buddies. From his run on the Avengers 20 years ago to his award-winning runs with Ed Brubaker on Captain America and Marvels Project Steve has established himself as one of the most consistent and essential pencillers in Marvel‘s long history. We are thrilled to host these two marvels for a special New Comics Day release party for FF #583. The beginning of yet another amazing epic from these talented noggins.

Stop by and get your copy of Fantastic Four #583 signed on Wednesday, September 22! They’ll be in the store from 3 to 7 pm so, be sure to plan YOUR New Comics Day shopping trip to include a moment with Jonathan and Steve. And don’t forget that these two powerhouses have deep catalogues of great work still in print. And if it’s in print, we’ve got it in stock! So look for the massive in-store display and get caught up on all the marvelous stories Jonathan and Steve have given us!

We’ve all be reading superhero books for a long time. Is there anything more exciting than a change to the creative team that breathes new life, new energy into a book that has been published every month for fifty years? If the creative team delivers as promised, it makes everything old new again.

The Fantastic Four became famous under Stan Lee and Jack Kirby because the innovations they introduced each month simply took our breath away. This explosion of creativity was cemented by the wonderful characters that we grew to love. The FF wasn’t just a family on the comic page, they were a family in the hearts of their readers.

So, it is high time we sit down and take a long look at the flagship title of the Marvel Universe. And I can’t think of a better place to start than the first story-line by the current creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham!

Call the sitter! Set the TiVo! Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and make plans to join us on Tuesday September 21st at 7:00pm for our Twenty Third Discussion Group where we will examine just how Mr. Hickman requests that Professor Richards and the rest of the FF SOLVE EVERYTHING by reading Fantastic Four by Hickman TP Volume 1!

The amount of topics in Hickman’s version of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine is as numerous as there are dimensions in the Marvel multi-verse and there will be plenty of topics to discuss. We will mainly focus on Hickman’s vision for the Fantastic Four and Eaglesham’s visual interpretation, but if a few questions about S.H.I.E.L.D, The Nightly News, Pax Romana or any of Hickman’s other published books manage to slip in, I doubt if anyone will mind.

So be there on Tuesday, September 21st at 7:00pm. It is going to be great! And if you need to pick up a copy of Fantastic Four by Hickman TP Volume 1 (SOLVE EVERYTHING!) Heroes is offering a 10% Discussion Group discount, but remember, you need to notify the clerk when you check out.

One of the best artists working in Charlotte right now is John Hairston, Jr. His work reminds me of John-Michel Basquiat but more dynamic and accessible. They have similar aesthetic sensibilities particularly with their graffiti elements and paint drips. Basquiat explored themes of iconography and race using imagery from literature and high art. Hairston explores similar themes but uses images from popular culture. Same ideas, different lens.

Hairston’s new art show, Children of the Atom, opens tonight at the Baku Gallery. It is superhero themed and features all new works. If you bring school supplies you get a limited edition Children of the Atom print. Hairston deserves a lot more press than he gets, but I was glad to see that Creative Loafing did an article about this show. He seriously deserves a lot more attention and praise. His work is amazing. Do yourself a favor and spend an evening in NoDa admiring the art work of John Hairston, Jr. That way when he blows up, and he will, you can say that you knew him way back when.

Children of the Atom
Art Show Opening Reception
Friday, September 3 from 6 to 10 pm
Art on display until October 3

Baku Gallery
3200 North Davidson St
Charlotte, NC 28205

Hellboy by Terence Hoskins.

We have already learned about Sketch Charlotte and the interests of the members: Rich Barrett (RB), John Da Costa (JDC), Tom Davidson (TD), Derek Davis (DD), Henry Eudy (HE), Dan Morris (DM), Brandon Padgett (BP), Eraklis “Herc” Petmezas (EP) and Bridgit Scheide (BS). In the third and final part of the interview each artist explains their process, talks about their projects and discusses the Charlotte art scene.

Can you tell me about your process? Do you have a set drawing schedule? Do you use specific tools?

RB: I draw all my pages on paper and have recently started inking with a Pentel brush pen. Then do a lot of clean up and production work in Photoshop. I try to fit in a little bit everyday in order to try to maintain a page-a-week schedule but I’ve got a job, a freelance web design business and two kids so I really can’t keep to a set schedule.

HE: I do try to draw every day, at least in my sketchbook or just doodling around while on the phone or something. In reality, I should have a set schedule but generally I just draw in whatever downtime I have at work or when there’s nothing good on television. I pencil with an old fashioned wooden pencil with a hard lead, normally an H, and ink most often with either a Pentel brush pen or a Winsor & Newton #2 round sable brush. Occasionally I’ll use a Niko 357 Japanese nib to ink or a .5 Copic pen. I tried for a while to break in a Hunt 22-B nib but kinda gave up.

JDC: No set drawing schedule for me, but I use 2 tools exclusively: my Wacom drawing tablet and Adobe Illustrator. I like illustrator because I can do the majority of my comics work in the one application. So I do my roughs, then inks, flats and rendering all in Illustrator. I also use Photoshop for final image sizing.

BP: I’m rather traditional in my methods. I start out in pencil (4H) and pretty much render everything as I want it. I then ink over what I’ve drawn using Copic or Prismacolor art pens and markers. I do use Photoshop for cleaning up the drawing after I’ve finished. I’ve also used it to fix major problems without redrawing the whole piece. I’ll erase what’s bad and print out what I like and then redraw it. I tend to use smooth Bristol more than anything else.

EP: I tend to draw after my wage slaving job is over. So I draw mostly at night and on the weekends. I use anything to draw with. I usually do my roughs in pen and then blow them up. I then place them on my light box and ink right on the board with a brush pen. It varies though for each story.

TD: I always start with story first, which is what I think great comics should be. It’s all about the story and the art is there to serve it. I usually start drawing on a piece of paper. Just odd things. And then I create an outline based on what it is I was drawing. Once I have my outline, broken down page-by-page, then I start drawing. I wish I had a drawing schedule (it’s on my to-do list, which is broken up on a ton of mental Post-It notes scattered about here and there), and honestly it’s something I need to create and stick to. Tools include a Kuretake #40 sable brush pen. Hunt pen nibs, usually a #108 and a #102. Sometimes Scratchboard. Sometimes Pebbleboard. Every now and then a toothbrush. Anything I can get my hands on, really.

Sketch by Tom Davdson.

BS: I have two desks, one is a drawing table where I do my illustration and traditional tool stuff, and the other is a desk for my laptop and tablet. I usually do pencil work and then ink over it, then scan it in and use Photoshop Elements to color it. For my comic Kindle, it’s all pencil, which I scan in. I’ll create a background layer and play with grayscale gradients to give it a fuller look and slightly minimize the graininess. I always get excited about my desks. It’s just really nice to have that much space to do stuff, to research and idea building in one area and the technical stuff like drawing in another. Plus it keeps the internet out of reach when I know I need to be productive!

DD: I look at other comic strips or read comic books. I listen to music to get inspiration and use experiences from real life. I try to make time on the weekends and draw and at least 2-3 times during the week. I use Canson comic strip paper, Faber-Castell pens, Sharpies, whatever I need to get the look I’m going for. Sometimes I want bold lines and other times I want delicate lines. Anything to make my art style look unique.

DM: When I draw comics I generally tend to go from a very basic idea. I’m a much stronger writer than I am an artist so if I have a strong idea, I’ll then start making sketches for characters. After I’m comfortable with that, I’ll write down the idea and then go straight to thumbnails. I’ve tried going from an actual written script in the past but I tend to get bored really easily and I like the idea of being surprised where a story can take me. Also I think this just makes for better visual storytelling not being tied to a specific script. When I do thumbnails, I try to do at least three different versions of those thumbnails. I had several teachers hammer it in to me that the first idea you have isn’t necessarily your best so I try to do as many thumbnails as I can before I feel I’ve hit on a really good page layout that communicates what I want to get across in my story. After that I pencil out the story on Bristol. Other things, I do that while won’t get put onto paper the general public sees are warm up exercises. This is really important because it’s really obvious, at least to me, when I’m working on something without having warmed up and none of my stuff looks as loose as it should be. My drawing schedule is generally, since I now have a day job, mostly in the afternoons and evenings anyway which suits me. I don’t know what it is but I have a hard time working in the morning. As for my supplies, it’s a pretty simple list.  I use lead holders with F lead after years of using mechanical pencils and regular pencils. I draw on 500 grade Strathmore Bristol that’s already pre-cut. I use the 500 grade over other grades because it takes ink better which is great for me because I like to lay on huge black spots. As for my inking tools, I’m still trying to figure that out. I’ve been using Faber-Castell Pitt Pens lately but I’m not really satisfied with how that’s making my pages look. I need to make time to go back to practicing with a brush or a nib. However, one of my professors at SCAD told me I should experiment with my making my inks look dirtier in contrast to how clean my line work is so I might stick with a combination of tech pens and brush pens and just mess things up.

Hellboy sketches by Chrissie Zullo.

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Nightcrawler by Bridgit Scheide.

I continue my interview with Sketch Charlotte and its members: Rich Barrett (RB), John Da Costa (JDC), Tom Davidson (TD), Derek Davis (DD), Henry Eudy (HE), Dan Morris (DM), Brandon Padgett (BP), Eraklis “Herc” Petmezas (EP) and Bridgit Scheide (BS). In this part we delve into the comic’s background of each of the members.

How long have you been drawing comics?

RB: I’ve been working on my own comic called Nathan Sorry for about as long as I’ve been involved in Sketch Charlotte though I’ve really only been putting it out there and moving full steam ahead on it in the past year. I’ve always wanted to do my own comic and the idea for it had been in my head for a while but I really have to thank the encouragement (and constant prodding) I got from the Sketch Charlotte gang otherwise it might be something I was still just thinking about rather than actually doing.

DD: 5 years.

DM: I’ve been drawing comics for years. I started in the 4th grade and didn’t stop after that.

BP: I’ve always drawn, even before I knew how to write I would sit down in the floor and draw for hours.  I’m 36 now, so I’ll let you do the math! It wasn’t until I got to college that I started focusing on comics. Now it’s pretty much all I draw!

BS: I’ve been drawing my whole life, but I really started getting into the sequential format in high school.

TD: Completed stories? Since 2004. But I’ve been cartooning since I was a wee lad.

HE: I’ve drawn comics and cartoons for my own enjoyment since childhood. In high school I drew stuff for the school newspaper but for some reason didn’t stick with cartooning as anything more than an occasional hobby. Late in 2007, after reading Jeffery Brown’s book Clumsy, I decided to recommit myself to cartooning and started making a serious (well, semi-serious) attempt at comics making. In spring of 2008 I Xeroxed off my first mini comic, Get to Know Me. It was actually pretty gratifying to see what a piece of ugly junk I had made. I’ve kept to the mini comics path and have made nine little books thus far as well as having contributed to a few anthologies.

Henry Eudy sketching at Sketch Charlotte.

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This week’s spotlight has been more difficult than usual to narrow down my selections.  Make sure you peruse this week’s new releases page because there are quite a few impressive titles coming out today.  Last week I focused largely on non-Marvel publications.  This week it’s quite the reverse, as Marvel offers a variety of potentially good books for your reading pleasure.

1) Thor: For Asgard #1

Writer Robert Rodi and artist Simone Bianchi bring us a tale of Asgard’s storied past.  Rodi has already proven his ability to write Asgardian characters with his Loki series from a few years back.  Bianchi is a fan favorite artist who I might argue is finally on a title that suits his art style.  In this new series we see Thor trying to keep the fractals of Asgard together, all while being unable to use his famed hammer.  Here’s hoping we see Thor take on lots of monstrosities with a big battle axe in place of Mjolnir!  You know with the upcoming Thor film quickly approaching we’ll be seeing lots of Thor and Asgard-related comics in the next year.  Along with the great new Thor: the Mighty Avenger by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee, this may be one of the better of those many upcoming miniseries.

2) Amazing Screw-on Head HC, Baltimore: The Plague Ships #2, Hellboy: the Storm #3, Baltimore: The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire HC

For those of you like me who think just about everything Mike Mignola does is worth reading, this is one of the best weeks we’ve seen in a long time.  Not only will we see the second chapter of the new Baltimore miniseries (co-written with Christopher Golden and illustrated by Ben Stenbeck), but also a new printing of the Baltimore novel that inspired the new comic. We haven’t had a copy of the novel in a good while, so this is a great chance for those of you who enjoyed the first issue of the Baltimore comic and want even more back story.  This week’s Hellboy: the Storm issue wraps up the second series in three by Mignola and Duncan Fegredo.  And finally, we have the long-awaited Amazing Screw-on Head HC.  Originally published as a one shot, the initial printing is incredibly tough to track down.  This new hardcover format not only reprints the Screw-on Head story (which focuses on a robotic agent drafted by President Lincoln to protect the country), but also other rare Mignola stories.  Included in the other rare material is the story “The Magician and the Snake,” which won an Eisner award a few years ago.  And to top all that is the fact that there are brand new unpublished stories also included in this collection.  It’s truly a great week for all the Mignola fans out there!

3) Wolverine #1

Not just another new relaunch of one of Marvel’s mainstays, this new series deserves attention if for no other reason than the talents of writer Jason Aaron.  While I’m not a huge fan of Wolverine, Aaron and Ron Garney’s recent Wolverine: Weapon X series really impressed me with its honest portrayal of the character.  In this new ongoing Aaron teams with recent DC artist Renato Guedes who some of you might remember from Action Comics and other Superman titles.  The first story in the new series focuses on Wolverine’s soul being sent to hell while his body remains on Earth.  Expect lots of violence being directed towards demons, humans, mutants, and probably countless other creatures.  Also in this issue is a backup story by Aaron and local artist Jason Latour.  Latour illustrated a great story in last month’s Daredevil: Black and White one shot, and also contributes an Iron Fist story to this week’s I Am An Avenger first issue.  This new Avengers miniseries boasts a first issue that also includes the likes of Jim McCann, Duane Swierczynski, and Chris Samnee.  We’re happy to see two new comics today featuring art from Jason Latour, an artist we’ve known about for a while but one whose work you’ll definitely be seeing and hearing a lot more about in the industry in the coming years.

4) Taskmaster #1

In this new miniseries from Marvel Zombies writer Fred Van Lente and Doctor Voodoo artist Jefte Paolo you’ll get to see what happened to the classic villain post-Siege.  The character has apparently suffered recent memory loss so the series also gives us a look back at some stories from the character’s mysterious past.  Not only is Taskmaster one of Marvel’s great villains, but he’s got a couple of talented creators bringing this new story to life.  In recent years Van Lente has worked on several popular Marvel titles and won several fans in the process.  Some of you might not be as familiar with Paolo’s art, but you definitely should be.  Doctor Voodoo was a series than never quite got too far off the ground but Paolo’s art was definitely one of the strongest points of that title.  So if you pick up Taskmaster and want to see more of his work, check out the short-lived Doctor Voodoo title in our back issues.

5) San Francisco Panorama Comics Section Tabloid Format

Here’s your chance to see the lauded comics section from last year’s large format publication from McSweeney’s.  The lineup of contributors reads like a who’s who of Indie and Literature comics masters!  Included here are works from Art Spiegelman, Jessica Abel, Chris Ware, Seth, Kim Deitch, Alison Bechdel, Adrian Tomine, Dan Clowes, and the underrated Jon Adams.  And that’s only a handful of the creators present in the book!   The comics section was originally only available as an inclusion in McSweeney’s San Francisco Panorama before going on to be sold as a stand alone comics section through McSweeney’s site.  Now we’re happy to be able to offer it to you in our fine retail establishment.

> Other new releases that I wish I had space to talk about in greater detail: the compilation hardcover of the new Fraggle Rock series, the talented indie artist Julia Wertz‘s new memoir graphic novel, Drinking at the Movies, DC’s new Freedom Fighters series, and the Legendary Talespinners trade paperback.  Do yourselves a favor and go ahead and take a long look at this week’s new releases page.  What a week for new comics!

Unused panel from Eraklis Petmezas's Last Cigarette story.

Rich Barrett (RB), John Da Costa (JDC), Tom Davidson (TD), Derek Davis (DD), Henry Eudy (HE), Dan Morris (DM), Brandon Padgett (BP), Eraklis “Herc” Petmezas (EP) and Bridgit Scheide (BS) are all members of a local artist collective called Sketch Charlotte. I set out to get to know the group and the members a little better by sending out a questionnaire and the response I got was overwhelming! So overwhelming that I am breaking the interview into three parts that I will post throughout the week. This first part gives a general history and purpose of the group. Stay tuned for the next part where we get to know the members a little better!

What is Sketch Charlotte?

RB: Sketch Charlotte is the brainchild of Eraklis Petmezas. It started with him, myself and Tom Davidson about 5 years ago and has now grown into a group of about 15. It’s a pretty loosely organized meet-up group where local artists (as well as writers, photographers, designers and anyone else really) can get together and draw and talk about art and stuff. It’s got a definite focus on comics and cartooning but not all our members are necessarily aspiring comic book artists.

EP: Sketch Charlotte is a group of local artists, writers, designers and like minded individuals that meets weekly to draw and discuss all types of art. It’s been a great springboard for ideas.

JDC: First and foremost, Sketch Charlotte is awesome!
 But we’re also a collection of artists/illustrators/writers/perpetrators of general misfit in the Charlotte area.

TD: It’s a laughing, friendly group of people who love comics and cartooning, who love to draw and who love to get together with like-minded nerds to share stories and good times.

DM: Basically a loose group of individuals who all draw comics in some for or another.  Or alternately a bunch of lunatics that meet up at Showmars every week, heckle each other, and make plans to corrupt the young and innocent.  Mostly though it’s a meet up to draw.

BP: A, now weekly, art group that gets together to discuss not only art and comics but other cultural influences such as movies, music, photography, literature and computers. There’s really nothing off limits. Artists and non-artists alike gather to share their thoughts and ideas in a stimulating environment.

BS: Sketch Charlotte is an awesome chance to get involved with other local comic book artists in Charlotte. It provides encouragement from people who really care about what you’re drawing next. And it’s so much fun! If you’re quiet and tend to zone out that’s cool, but generally there is a lot of laughter from around the table. Everyone there has a really great sense of humor and it’s always a great time!

Page from Henry Eudy's sketchbook.

HE: Oh man, the hard questions right off the bat, geez. Um, well, Sketch Charlotte is a loose little confederation of creative types who pal up once a week or so to draw in sketchbooks, eat pita burgers and talk endlessly about comics, music, art, sasquatches, the films of Tim Burton (even the bad ones), fringe stuff and popular culture at large. The group is primarily people with a firm interest in comics and a good many of us are comics creators of one form or another. We spend a few hours each week drawing with one another, showing off our work and getting feedback from our peers in the group. We talk about our plans, our aspirations, our fears and how we can’t draw feet convincingly. We take inspiration and support from our Sketch Charlotte brethren and hopefully give that inspiration and support right back. We’re cool dudes, and that’s what’s important.

Who is responsible for forming Sketch Charlotte?

HE: Big Daddy Herc is the man responsible for creating our beloved little club. Rumor has it that he was once just a meek goat herder, watching over his flock in the rocky Greek highlands, drinking Ouzo and listening to Fugazi on his Sony Walkman. Then one day he spied a bearded Jackalope caught in some brambles. Herc knew right away that this was the mighty god Zeus out on one of his mighty benders and he quickly and expertly freed the deity, making sure to rub the creature’s belly three times so as to be granted three magical wishes. For his first wish, he wished for a Sony Discman, because it was, like, 2004 and the Walkman just wasn’t cutting it. Next he hoped to have a pair of Adidas high tops, so the old school Greek rappers would finally show him respect. And lastly he wished to be teleported to Charlotte, North Carolina where he could create a club devoted to drawing and Greek cuisine. Thus, Sketch Charlotte was born.

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It is official! The HeroesCon 2011 Guest List is up! With OVER 50 guests already confirmed HeroesCon 2011 is going to be crazy awesome. While the Guest List is pretty impressive now you just wait for what we have in store. It is bound to be a gigantically long list by the time Spring of 2011 rolls around.

The initial guest list is chock full of some of the best the comics industry has to offer. Trust me on that. When I updated the website I checked all the links to the creator’s websites and I came across some of the most incredible comic art out there today. Just look at some of the names we’ve got, Mike Perkins, Steve Niles, Sean Chen, Phil Noto, Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn, Brian Stelfreeze, Stephane Roux, Tim Townsend, Jonboy Meyers, Sean “Cheeks” Galloway, Jason Latour, Chris Brunner, Andy Smith, Budd Root, Tony Harris, Bernard Chang, Eric Canete, Dave Johnson, Steve Scott, Dexter Vines, and Cully Hamner! Go check out the full list to see just how awesome it is. And while you are there click on some of the links to our guests’ websites and you too can marvel at how talented these creators are!

Plus, we are very excited to announce Butch Guice‘s return to HeroesCon! He is a North Carolina native and a HeroesCon alum from way back to the very first one in 1982. The last time time he was at the show was when he helped kill off Superman! We sure are glad he has decided to join us for next year’s show!

And, we are super pumped to add Jeff Lemire to our Indie Island Guest List! Lemire is the creator of the Essex County Trilogy and is currently writing Sweet Tooth and The Atom co-feature in Adventure Comics. If that weren’t enough, in this month’s issue of Previews it was just announced that he will be writing the new ongoing Superboy series.

Speaking of Indie Island, our Indie Island Guest List is up too! We’ve got an awesome guest list already but it is just a grain of sand compared to the beach that it will become! We are proud to announce Indie Island regulars (which is almost the whole list!) Shannon Smith, Chris Schweizer, Jim Rugg, Liz Baillie, Joey Weiser, Joe Lambert, Ben Towle, Andy Runton and Rob Ullman, publishers AdHouse Books and Top Shelf Productions, as well as internet sensation Becky and Frank from Tiny Kitten Teeth! That’s not even the full list! Check out the Indie Island page to view the whole list in all of its glory!

I think the only thing that remains to be said is, have you bought your tickets yet?