Ross Campbell is afraid that his comics career might be drowned in evil just like Wet Moon 4, while Nick thinks that Ross should reinvigorate the franchise with Ultimate Wet Moon (though Ross would prefer a more classic Wet Moon 2099 revamp instead). Then, after the end theme, Ross shares his feelings on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (and we promise it ain’t pretty).
Tag Archive for 'graphic novels'
I read Ross Campbell’s Wet Moon 4: Drowned in Evil graphic novel last week in preparation for our podcast interview airing on December 2, 2008. Here’s the text message I sent to Ross when I was done:
Finished wet moon 4. Loved unknown, the cleo & mara thing, and especially the ending.
For good measure, here’s an interview with Ross on Comic Book Resources about Water Baby and Wet Moon 4. And for extra awesome measure, here are the AudioShocker’s most recent podcast interviews with Ross, one about Water Baby and the other about Wet Moon 4.
Tom Scioli, Pat Lewis, Ed Piskor, Jason Lex, Jim Rugg, and Chris Moeller talk about their published comics and upcoming projects. Phantom of the Attic customers weigh in what’s hot in comic books while they reveal shocking personal moments. Technical difficulties (a.k.a. I forgot to hit record) meant we missed some choice moments (sorry Mel, I wanted people to know about dirty balloon animals for adults too!).
Yeah, so last week I ran The Top 9 Reasons Why Comics Don’t Need to Be Saved - Part One, which consisted solely of reasons nine thru six. Why? Because I’m a dick.
And now, for your consideration, are the decidedly more irreverent Top 9 Reasons Why Comics Don’t Need to Be Saved reasons five thru one:
5. Newspaper comic strips are dying because fewer and fewer people want to read newspapers, not because they don’t want to read comics. Now they go and read this stuff on the Internet. They’re called “webcomics” and those are doing just fine.
4. Seriously, Hollywood wants to give comic books fellatio right now. In fact, they may have already finished the fellatio and moved onto the hardcore doggiestyle section of “Filmstriptease presents Cramming Comics vol 1.” Soon they’re going to be finishing off vol 1 with a spectacular facial (which could be as soon as Watchmen or as far away as the Avengers movie). It all depends on how long Hollywood can keep it up.
3. Single issues are really a niche product at this point and I don’t think there’s anything that’s going to change that. I’m part of that niche audience and I love the singles, but most people want a bigger chunk of story. If that’s the case, let the singles slowly fade away and bring on the graphic novels because…
2. Graphic novel sales continue to look hopeful. Bookstores are carrying graphic novels by the hoard and putting them up in huge floor displays all the time. I don’t think that would happen if there wasn’t some serious coin to be made. Guys whose names have been on the tip of my tongue for the majority of my natural life are slowly becoming adored literary idols for a new generation of readers. Fuck, I just saw Watchmen sitting on a shelf in Borders in their “Bestsellers” section when I went to buy the Iron Man DVD.
1. Comic book storytelling continues to improve. I see it every week when I read my Wednesday haul of new comics. And at the end of the day, it’s all about good content.
Next: The Top 9 Things That May Have Gone Wrong with Last Defenders - Part One
Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.
It’s the AudioShocker’s first birthday! To celebrate, the podcast hit the road and recorded live at Phantom of the Attic Comics on Craig Street in Pittsburgh, PA during New Comics Day on Wednesday, September 17. 2008. Joining Neal and Nick are guests Wayne Wise and Scott Hedlund. The crew talks about Dave Sim and Cerebus, Wonder Woman, the aging comic book fanbase, graphic novels vs. mini series, Drunk Duck, Strumhaus, Grey Legacy, and tons more comics topics.
Ross Campbell is back for the second half of a super long interview about his comics work and more. In this episode, Ross talks about his upcoming Wet Moon 4 graphic novel as well as a secret Vertigo project from DC Comics. Also make sure to check out the first half of this interview in Podcast Episode 045, and listen to last year’s interview with Ross in Podcast Episode 012.
An interview with cartoonist Chris Giarrusso, the creator behind Mini Marvels a.k.a. Bullpen Bits a.k.a. those awesome comic strips in the back of Marvel Adventures comic books. Chris talks about his new Mini Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors digest, his creative process, and his history with Marvel Comics.
The first half of a lengthy conversation with comic book creator Ross Campbell, writer and artist of the Wet Moon series, The Abandoned, Mountain Girl, and more. In this episode, Ross talks about his recent Minx (DC Comics) graphic novel, Water Baby. For more with Ross, check out last year’s interview in Podcast Episode 012. And be sure to stop back in two weeks to hear the second half of my conversation with Ross in Podcast Episode 047 on September 16, 2008.
The blogosphere is buzzing about Zack Snyder’s “faithful” adaptation of the Watchmen mini series into a film. When I say mini series, I mean it. Watchmen is, in fact, a collection of single issues as opposed to an original novel-length work. But “The Most Celebrated Comic Book Mini Series of All Time” isn’t as impressive, so I understand why it’s universally referred to as a graphic novel. Watching this movie is supposed to be like the comic moving before your eyes (though they already did that with Warner Premiere’s Motion Comics and it looks like poop).
Truthfully, it all leaves me feeling cold. If the movie is just a direct adaptation of the comic, then who gives a shit? I already read Watchmen. It was great. I don’t need to read it again, let alone sit as a captive audience member for some ungodly length of time in a movie theater. By the way, three fucking hours??! Snyder, are you out of your gourd? I sat thru 2.5 hours of The Dark Poop and I almost screamed in pain after 1.5 hours. If Watchmen is going to be 180 minutes, then split it in half ala Kill Bill so I can go home for a couple months in the middle.
From the White Hen Pantry in Geneva, Illinois where I bought Age of Apocalypse: Omega to San Francisco’s Isotope “the comic book lounge” where owner James Sime ran down the bus so I could get back to my hotel, I’ve bought comic books all across the United States.
Without a doubt, the best of the best is the Phantom of the Attic (PotA) comics division on S Craig St in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Save for a few missing summers and a few months spent in Brooklyn, I’ve been shopping at PotA for going on eight years now and the experience only gets better with time.
PotA used to sit in a cramped second-floor space where they had it all… but it was small. Now they’ve moved across the street into a gorgeous loft with tons of room and even more comics. If PotA’s previous space was a like a delicious Dagwood sandwich of comic book merchandise, then the new PotA is a bountiful smorgasbord of comics, graphic novels, manga, toys, and more.
Wayne Wise (seen above) is a longtime PotA employee and my comic book mentor. He let me in on a few interesting facts about the relocated shop. I was surprised to learn that all the racks are custom made. The design allows for individual clear plastic shelves to be interchanged every Wednesday as the new books hit:
Back issues are now stored inside large custom drawers that have been balanced to accommodate the cumbersome weight of two long boxes:
Continue reading ‘Check Out the New Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh’
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