Good morning, folks! I’m poking my head out of the morass of college courses to put in some time on the Previously beat. Let’s talk about comics, huh?
Technically the week before last, but recent enough to matter; Bill Messner-Loebs, one-time high-profile comics scribe with titles like The Flash and Wonder Woman under his belt, not to mention dialogue in most of Sam Kieth’s The Maxx, can’t seem to catch a break. There’s currently a GoFundMe to assist him and his wife in dealing with an eviction on the heels of a hospital stay. One might think that extended stints on major DC titles in the 90s would be enough to secure him some sort of solid help in such a situation, if one were not already familiar with just how dire the situation is for comic creators who have worked for the Big Two. I have a whole tangential rant about DC going out of their way not to put Messner-Loebs’ name on the spine of a collection, but that is, like I said, a tangent. Anyway, he’s nearly at his goal, so help out if you can.
Speaking of The Maxx, it was originally published at Image Comics! Image Comics last week announced a deal with Simon and Schuster for bookstore distribution, further fraying the hold of the once all-powerful Diamond Distributors. Image is what, like the third largest publisher now? Maybe they can kick Bill some cash, but I suppose I won’t hold my breath.
Another bit of Image past returns: Shaman’s Tears will be given new life as a podcast and and card game! The new venture is spearheaded by Native producers and promises Native voices and musicians will be placed at the forefront. That’s pretty damned exciting.
If you’re interested in following awards, the nominees for both the Harvey and the Ignatz awards are posted. Good luck to everyone!
Finally, a bittersweet note: Although The Nib shut down production earlier this year, marking the final end of a decade-long project, all fifteen issues of its print collection are now available as PDFs. It won awards for a reason, folks! Go check it out.
That’s all I got. In the education tradition, HAGS!
