By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 7/24/2008
I know, I’m sad too. But imagine how sad you’d be if you entered a contest and no one voted. So, to that end, these contests are ending before FanLib does and still need your votes and reviews. Let’s make these the contests with the highest voter turn out ever. Do it for Johnny!
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 7/16/2008
It was a weird week, comics-wise. Lots of new books, nothing much for me. Sigh. This is the part I forgot about reading comic books weekly, that many of the books I like come out sporadically - Castle Waiting, the new Dave Simm, anything from Oni Press - and that there are weeks where, as much as I’m ready and willing to spend my hard earned cash, there’s nothing I want to read. Sigh.
I did pick up issue #7 of Trinity, which continues to hold my interest, but mostly because it’s weekly. I think if it were a monthly book I would forget what was going on and not particularly care to remember, but as it’s coming out weekly I remember the story line…which is a bit convoluted for my taste.
Also picked up book #3 of the new Tank Girl. The art’s good, but I’m not enjoying it as much as I did the original series - but I could be romanticizing my memory. It has been a while since the original books.
The only other thing I bought this week is the graphic novel reprint of Astro City: Dark Age, written by Kurk Busiek, who’s writing Trinity. The Astro City books are great, they’re set in a universe where people accept the heroes around them and expect them to come to their rescue, but the stories tend to focus on the heroes as regular people, their hopes and fears, human insecurities, etc. Astro City came out sporadically and I don’t know if Busiek plans to go back to it, but for now, there’s several books of graphic novel reprint that are out there. I highly recommend them. Also, if you enjoy Astro City, you’ll probably like Powers by Bendis.
Some interesting stuff next week: Glamourpuss #2, some Bat books, a book of comics by varied artists based on the music of Tori Amos…who knew. This weekend is Dark Knight, plus, next week I pack for Comicon!
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 7/2/2008
Hello from New York, comic fans!! I’m home on the East Coast, visiting the fam for the holiday. So - comics!
Picked up a few things this week that I’m already reading - Trinity, Echo - and there were some interesting new things as well. First, there’s Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam, an all ages book by Mike Kunkel. Kunkel wrote a charming book a few years ago, Hero Bear and the Kid, but like many self-published projects, it didn’t last. The good news is someone at Marvel was smart enough to hire the guy and we get this book. Also new this week, Neil Gaiman’s graphic novelization of Coraline with art by P. Craig Russel. And, for you Buffy/Joss fans, Whedon returns to this week with issue #16 of season 8.
As long as I’m in New York, I went over to the Met to see the “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” exhibit, which I have to say was disappointing. Not so much from a fashion standpoint - I love Mugler and Galliano and McQueen, but it felt like Superheroes as a theme was an excuse to show rubberized clothes. What I found coolest was the stuff for sale in conjunction with the show: there was a pop up history of Marvel comics, a comic book guide to NYC and cool op pop t-shirts.
Finally, I need to ask how you all feel about your comic shops. I am so spoiled by Golden Apple and never even realized it. It’s light and bright and well organized, and the staff is friendly. If they’re out of something, which they rarely are, they’ll re-order or find it for you. I went to a store today in Manhattan on the Upper East Side - I don’t want to slam anyone by name, but they’re on the second floor of a pet shop - and had a really unpleasant experience that reminds me why many girls don’t read comics. The store is small and cramped - okay NY real estate is expensive - and the owner was smoking the whole time I was there. I went by at about 11.30am and they were closed while they stocked today’s books. Okay…So, I came back a couple hours later to find they had sold out of most of what I had planned to buy, once I could locate where the books would have been. They explained that they only ordered what they knew their loyal customers would buy, but that I should order from them in the future. Why would I do that? I live in LA and they made me feel very unwelcome. And there was a creepy guy kinda following me around. Yuk.
How’s your comic book store? Any weird experiences? Good ones? Bad? Purple?
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 6/30/2008
Can you believe June is over already? It’s the dog days of summer for many of us - a perfect time for lounging around doing nothing but reading fan fic! Did you know that you can format any story on FanLib for printing with the touch of a button? Look for the printer icon just under to the left of the page count drop down box. Click that and you’ll get a simple layout perfect for printing.
Want to save a tree or two? Use an ebook reader that can handle HTML pages for perfectly portable fic with no waste!
The end of June also means that July 4th is quickly approaching. This week’s carousel is themed for this most patriotic of all holidays. Look for Dr. Who, Hellboy, Equlibrium (that’s a new one for us) and National Treasure.
Before heading out into the world, take a look at the recent posts here at No Hiatus. This past week purplepopple wrote about getting more readers for your fic, Evai gave us a rundown on what’s hot in anime, we got a short vid from FanLib Studios and I pondered fandoms that go overboard, just a tad. All of that was in addition to our usual columns about movies, TV, comics and, of course, FanLib fic.
Thanks for stopping by, now go forth and create.
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 6/30/2008
Which is all of you…but while you’re all fabulous, some of you actually won contests this week…so let’s find out who!
(Disclaimer - not all winners are listed. There’s so many member contests - you busy little beavers - that if I listed all the winners we’d be here until next Monday. So I’m just highlightin’ a few.)
Congrats to whigworld for winning thedreamcontinued’s Anniversary celebration of KVP!
Thumbs up to cvalin who won diehardjavajunkie14’s Stars Hollow Townie challenge!
I’m loving the joy; go go maryilee! She won the Celebration contest hosted by missmissa85.
Good job misskitten, you won flashforeward’s prequel contest!
and finally…
congrats to cathrl! She has won… oh no wait, she will have been winning… not that’s not it… oh, i’ve got it… she wins the Active Voice contest run by julieann
Congrats to all the active, inactive, passive, pluperfect and just plain old perfect competitors who participated in all these contests. Good on ya!
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 6/25/2008
Because book one of Xanadu comes out today… What? Excuse me? It’s not Xanadu? Damn, I was really looking forward to illustrated versions of Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly. Oh well. This is Madame Xanadu, a new series from Vertigo written by major talent, Matt Wagner. Wagner is the genius behind the Grendel and Mage books, both art and script (if you’ve never read Mage, run out and get the trade paperbacks - fanfreakingtastic stuff). Wagner’s only scripting this book, but the art, by Amy Hadley, is gorge. Madame Xanadu is an old DC character getting a revamp due to her role in the DC Crises. I’ll let you know what I think.
Okay, here’s the interactive, help a sister out portion of the post. What books are you guys reading? Who are your favorite writers and artists? Who’s your dream team? We want to hear from you.
By: HarperTeen Editor,
on 6/24/2008
FanLibber Evai gives us the down low on the girl from down below
“This world is called fate.
The binding thread coils itself around fragile helpless prejudice…
Hatred… Sadness…
It all ends in tears.
Beyond the Curtain, at midnight, any pending revenge will be taken.”
- the opening of Hell Girl
Enma Ai is the main character of this rather serious anime series. She appears to be a young girl with flowing black hair and brilliant red eyes who lives between worlds in a place that seems to be caught in eternal twilight. She resides there with her grandmother, whom you never see during the course of the series. Ai has been given a task as atonement for the brutal revenge that she took on her village. In effect, it is Ai’s job to take revenge for others and ferry those they chose to hell.
Ai does this by way of Hell’s Correspondence, which is a website that can only be accessed at midnight. You simply type in the name of the person you wish to take revenge on and click the send button. Yet, if it were that simple, wouldn’t we all be taking revenge. There is a catch, when you curse someone, “two holes will open” and you as well will fall into hell. It doesn’t happen right away, as it does with the person you’ve taken revenge on, it happens later when you die.
Ai has three associates: Wanyudo, Ren Ichimoku, and Hone Onna. When these three are not assisting Ai in her work, they are transformed into straw dolls, which Ai gives to those asking for revenge and to complete the revenge contract - pull the red string and the covenant is made.
When I first started watching this anime, I was amazed. It is beautifully animated and just when you think it’s just a bad-guy-a-week anime, it’s not. Each episode is self contained, first featuring the person who wishes revenge, then the person whom revenge may be take upon and the circumstances as to why, and finally everything comes together. In episode eight, there is an introduction of more recurring characters that deepen the plotline, Hajime Shibata and his daughter Tsugumi Shibata.
The first season was aired October 2005 to April 2006 followed by the second season (Jigoko Shoujo-Futakomori), which premiered October 2006. The title of the third season is Jigoku Shōjo Mitsuganae. I have also found volumes of the first season available to buy on Amazon.com. As for cosplay…I’m having difficulty finding anything except for a few pictures of some cosplayers portraying Ai.
Either way, once you get past the bad-guy-of-the-week phase, it is a fantastic anime with a well thought out plotline.
Anime News
Right Stuf, Inc is celebrating 21 years as one of the first anime producers and distributors of Anime. I highly recommend checking out their online storefront. In the past they have brought us The Irresponsible Captain Tyler, Gravitation, Ninja Nonsense and a great deal more! Hope they’re around for another 21 years!
Anime DVD Releases
Aria the Animation - September 30, 2008
(Based on Kozue Amano’s Manga)
Enma: A Victorian Romance, Collection 1 - June 24, 2008
Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel - Jul 29 2008
Anime Convention Schedule
Supanova Pop Culture Expo
June 27-29, 2008
Claremont Showground
Perth, WA Australia
Northern Anime Festival
June 28-29, 2008
Durham College, UOIT Oshawa Campus
Oshawa, Ontario
Anime Expo
July 3-6, 2008
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, CA
PortConMaine
July 3-6, 2008
Eastland Park Hotel
Portland, ME
Staffars Serier in Stockholm (Sweden), close to Slussen, behind Mariakyrkan is by far the best comic shop in Stockholm. It’s a small cosy store and you can always find Staffar himself behind the counter reading his current favorite comic. I remember buying a scifi book(ordinairy book, not a graphic novel) at his store once and he just gave me a smirk and said: “Sucker, comics are so much better.” I have never regretted buying some of his recommendations and he always recognize me even if I only visit Sthlm every second year these days.
If you are in Copenhagen there are only two stores that sells American comics: Fantask or Pharao’s cigars. Fantask is bigger and also has a good collection of sci fi books while Pharao’s cigars is a very small store to move around in but they also sell a lot of anime DVDs and the guys working their are younger and flirtier (in a nice innocent way). There is also a good second hand store around Inner Nørrebro that I like. You can find a lot of cool stuff and the owner is always happy to discuss the legalization of certain smokable herbs and how the politicans should leave Christiania alone.
I always wanted to know where to look for good comic stores in London. Anyone out there who wants to share their favorite stores?
Thanks for reminding me about the new Shazam book on my wordpress, I’m going to pick that up right now actually! Along with Buffy of course. Man I love that comic. I really miss Spike though.
There was a great comic book store I went to right in Mid-Town Manhattan. It’s on 40th and 8th, I think, or 40th and 7th. Midtown comics. It’s a little cramped, as you mentioned, and you have to go up a steep set of stairs. Still, the selection is good and they have a second floor with toys and posters. I really liked getting my comics there when I lived in NYC!
The Superheroes exhibit never really did it for me either.
there’s a spike comic starting in the next few weeks, so your jones will be sated.
That is so exciting I can’t even express it. He was my faaaaavorite. Angel’s hair grows straight up and he’s bloody stupid!