Turning Points: Little Rock Nine GN
Brown vs. Board of Education website w/a summary of the case
Wikipedia entry on the Little Rock Nine

A new graphic novel about desegration in the 1950s and the integration of the Arkansas school system, designed for younger readers.

Water Baby GN
10-page preview

A graphic novel about surfing, sharks, and ex-boyfriends.

The Complete K Chronicles TP
Keith Knight’s website

Dark Horse collects Keith Knight’s award-winning comic strip series in one volume.

Also this week:
Buffy TVS #16. Pencils by Jeanty.
DC Special: Raven #5 (of 5). Pencils by Scott.
Infinity Inc. #11
New Dynamix #4 (of 5)
Squadron Supreme 2 #1. Ultimate Nick Fury in the Squadron Supreme universe.
High Rollers #1 (of 4). Gary Phillips’ new crime comic.
Justice for Hire #4 (of 12)

Also notable:
Batman #678. “Batman RIP” continues.
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #1. Herobear and the Kid creator Mike Kunkel does an all-ages version of Captain Marvel.
Avengers/Invaders #3 (of 12)
Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jensen #2 (of 5)

More news from Wizard World Chicago: Chriscross is working on a new book.

An analysis of the film and graphic novel Wanted from a racial angle.

Jamal Igle talks about his upcomig stint on Supergirl.

Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca’s book Street Angel was a surprise hit, but now they’re having fun with a spin-off character from the book called Afrodisiac. Check out this webcomic with him.

Nichelle Nichols almost made it in the new Star Trek movie.

Bluesman HC
NBM promotional “trailer” for the Bluesman hardcover

The acclaimed 3-volume series gets collected into a single volume this week.

Also this week:
JSA Classified #39. Pencils by Martinbrough.
Black Panther #37. Written by Hudlin.
House of M: Avengers TP
New Warriors #13. Written by Grevioux.
Beyond Wonderland #0. Raven Gregory begins a new Wonderland mini.
Fire & Brimstone #1 (of 3). A new mini about a demon teaming up with an angel.
Gold Digger #97, GD Sourcebook #18, GD: Tiffany & Charlotte #1 (of 3). By Perry.

Also notable:
Conan the Cimmerian #0. Only 99 cents!
All-Star Batman & Robin HC V1
Final Crisis #2 (of 7)
Mighty Avengers #15, New Avengers #42. Secret Invasion tie-ins.
Ultimates 3 #4 (of 5)
Project Superpowers #4 (of 7)
What If: Fantastic Four - A Tribute to Mike Weiringo. This previously unpublished What If story pencilled by the late comics artist sees print at last.

Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman talk about their new book Genius (drawn by Afua Richardson).

Rapper Will.I.Am. talks about his role in the forthcoming Wolverine movie (this may contain spoilers).

Are you ready for… Tha Hip Hop Doc?!

Justice League of America: Injustice League HC. Written by McDuffie.
Archie & Friends #120. Written by Simmons.
Gold Digger II Pocket Manga V4. Story and art by Perry.

Also notable:
Invincible #50. Robert Kirkman’s creator-owned superhero series reaches a milestone.
Skaar: Son of Hulk #1. Hulk spin-off series based on the events of “Planet Hulk” & “World War Hulk.”
Freddie & Me GN. I read an advance copy of this autobiographical GN and it’s really good. The author’s childhood, from England to America, and his love affair with the band Queen. Pick this up; you’ll enjoy it.

Here’s a Hancock behind-the-scenes featurette.

Nichelle Nichols talks about Heroes and the new Star Trek.

And stolen from my fellow PCS blogger David Brothers: LeSean Thomas has a new art book coming out.

Buffy TVS #15. Pencils by Jeanty.
DC Special: Raven #4 (of 5). Pencils by Scott.
Infinity Inc. #10, Infinity Inc: Luthor’s Monsters TP
Blackbeard Legacy #4

Also notable:
Trinity #1. Busiek, Nicieza and Bagley’s weekly series focusing on the DCU’s Big Three begins.
Avengers/Invaders #2 (of 12), Project Superpowers #3 (of 7). Ross and Kreuger’s minis continue.
Secret Invasion #3 (of 7)
Ultimate Origins #1 (of 5). The true secret behind the birth of the Ultimate Marvel Universe revealed at last!
Nexus #100. Steve Rude’s sci-fi saga hits a milestone.

News from Wizard World Philadelphia: Not only is Doug Bratihwaite Marvel exclusive, he’s gonna draw a Thor tie-in with Secret Invasion.

A Cable special one-shot will guest-star Bishop and be drawn by Ken Lashley.

Holiday on Monday means new releases get pushed back a day…

Return to Wonderland HC
Raven Gregory interview

Raven Gregory’s reimagining of Alice in Wonderland gets collected in a hardcover.

Also this week:
JSA Classified #38. Art by Shawn Martinbrough.
Justice V1 TP. Pencils by Doug Braithwaite.
Immortal Iron Fist #15. Pencils by Khary Evans.
New Warriors #12, Young Avengers Presents #5 (of 6). Written by Kevin Grevioux.
Thor #9, Marvel 1985 #1 (of 6). Pencils to the former and cover for the latter by Olivier Coipel.
Satchel Paige HC, SC. The two-time GCA winner is offered again.
Sentinels Anthology GN

Also notable:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull #2 (of 2)
Batman #677. “Batman: RIP” continues.
Final Crisis #1 (of 7), All-Star Superman #11. Grant Morrison writes two of the hottest comics on the market, including the former, DC’s big event mini-series for 2008.
Giant-Sized Astonishing X-Men #1. Whedon, Cassaday, mutants, blah blah blah.
King-Sized Hulk #1. Red Hulk fights a lotta heroes. Written by Jeph Loeb.
New Avengers #41. Secret Invasion tie-in.
Fathom #0. Michael Turner’s little side-project.
La Perdida TP, What It Is HC. Two GNs by two outstanding women creators - Jessica Abel and Lynda Barry, respectively.

Less than a week to go until The Big Move and yeah, I’m getting nervous. I’m still in the process of whittling down the things I’m gonna take with me to Columbus and throwing away the junk. you would not believe how much junk I’ve accumulated over the years - artwork, comics, clothes, books, assorted papers, CDs, tapes, art supplies - if nothing else, this move has forced me to finally get rid of all of it and it feels great. I’ve moved entire boxes of comics into one of my closets, knowing that there are more than a few I’ve yet to read and probably never will at this point. I suspect I’ll cut back on my comics buying for the first few months I’m in Columbus.

I feel I should stress the fact that I’m reserving the right to change my mind and return to NYC at some point in the future if things don’t work out. I’m treating this like it’s a permanent move, and technically it is, but I’d still like to have that back door available to me.

On Sunday I went to the superhero costume show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s not bad. They have fashion wear from big-name designers inspired by superhero costumes, past and present, along with costumes from superhero films and TV shows. I don’t know the first thing about high fashion, so I can’t critique the show properly - I mean, the fashion wear, to me, ranged from the utilitarian to the bizarre, but they were all kinda interesting interpretations, I guess. Lots of people were there to see it - young and old and in-between. If nothing else, this show has definitely come at just the right time in American pop culture history.

One on-topic item I wanna pass on here: One of the fixtures at ECBACC for the past few years has been filmmaker M. Asli Dukan, who is in the final stages of completing her documentary about blacks in science fiction, Invisible Universe. She still needs to raise some money, though, so visit her site and check out her trailer, and if you can, make a tax-deductible donation.

… and we’re back. Sorry for the gap, but I had some trouble posting last week. Things should be okay now. I’m taking precautions this time.

DC Special: Cyborg #1 (of 5)
Ken Lashley’s Draxhall studio
Wikipedia entry on Cyborg

The long-time Titan gets his own mini-series at last, with pencils by Ken Lashley.

Also this week:
Batman and the Outsiders #7. Cover by Braithwaite.
Justice League of America #21. Written by McDuffie.
Tangent: Superman’s Reign #3 (of 12). Pencils by Igle.
Perhapanauts #2
Spawn #178
Black Panther #36. Written by Hudlin.

Also notable:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull #1 (of 2). The official comics adaptation.
Pilot Season: Twilight Guardian #1. Common Grounds writer Troy Hickman is an old friend of mine, and I remember when he did this as a mini-comic back in the 90s. You’re gonna like this new book of his too.
Mighty Avengers #14. Secret Invasion tie-in.
Star Trek: Assignment Earth #1. John Byrne’s take on the aborted Star Trek spin-off series.

ECBACC was last week, and it went well, though in all honesty it wasn’t quite as big a crowd as it was last year, which is surprising given the appearance of Nichelle Nichols. I was part of the brief press conference that interviewed her, and she is everything I thought she’d be. She really does have a presence about her that is almost regal - her diction, the way she sits in a chair, the way she talks about her life - all of it is elegant yet down-to-earth at the same time.

She talked about the forthcoming Star Trek movie and expressed her approval of both director JJ Abrams and Zoe Saldana, the new Uhura. She talked a bit about her role in Heroes and about her recent film Lady Magdalene’s, as well as about her days doing the Star Trek series and about her craft as an actress. Her panel with the fans came shortly afterwards. I wasn’t there for that, but still, just to be in the same room with her, getting to talk to her, however briefly, was a thrill beyond words.

My only regret was that she didn’t have time to sign my copy of her autobiography, Beyond Uhura. I was so determined to not come across as a fanboy, and yet in the end when I got my question out I was tongue-tied. At least she understood me.

Regarding the GCAs: if it seems a bit odd that Story of the Year and Best Writer split, consider that this was the closest race ever in both categories. The GCAs are voted on with a weighted ballot system, in which the judges distribute a total of five points among each of the nominees in a given category. This way judges can throw their support behind more than one contender if they wish. The nominee with the most points wins the category. Story of the Year had to be settled by a tie-breaker vote between Sentences and Satchel Paige - they each finished with the same amount of points. Also, James Sturm won Best Writer by a single point over Percy Carey and Dwayne McDuffie. It was a real horse race, but when you’ve got as many high-quality contenders as we did this year, it’s no real surprise.

My thanks to everyone who helped make it another successful season for the GCAs, including my judges, Bill Foster, Katherine Keller, Tony Isabella and Cheryl Lynn Eaton; Maurice, Stephanie and the rest of the ECBACC crew; and of course Jamar Nicholas for hosting. We’ll begin receiving submissions for the 2009 GCAs December 1, so be prepared!

You know by now that Blade co-creator Gene Colan is very sick. Here’s the latest update on what’s being done to help pay for his medical costs and how you can help.

S’more Hancock photos.

SLJ as the Octopus in The Spirit.

Will Tyrese play Luke Cage? He ain’t sayin’ for sure.

I’ve had a particularly bad allergy season this year and yesterday I came home feeling really crappy.

Iron Man: War Machine TP
Wikipedia entry on War Machine
yet another Terrence Howard interview about the Iron Man movie

Now that you’ve seen the movie, rush right out and buy the comics! But start with this one.

JLA Presents Aztek the Ultimate Man TP

N. Steven Harris draws this short-lived but well-received series collected in a trade for the first time.

Also this week:
Buffy TVS #14. Pencils by Jeanty.
DC Special: Raven #3 (of 5). Pencils by Scott.
Infinity Inc. #9
New Dynamix #3 (of 5)
The Question: Poisoned Ground TP. Art by Cowan.
Fantastic Four: The New FF TP. Written by McDuffie.
GRRM’s Wild Cards: The Hard Call #2 (of 6). Pencils by Battle.
Gold Digger #96, GD Swimsuit Special, GD Sourcebook #17, Pirates vs. Ninjas: Up the Ante TP. Story and/or art by Perry.

Also notable:
Rann/Thanagar: Holy War #1 (of 8). The sequel to Rann/Thanagar War, by Starlin & Lim.
Tor #1 (of 6). Joe Kubert. Nuff said.
Avengers/Invaders #1 (of 12). The Ross/Kreuger team behind the Earth X trilogy and Project: Superpowers brings you this new mini-series that unites the Invaders of WWII with the modern-day Avengers.
Invincible Iron Man #1. Which of the six - yes, SIX - variant covers will you get?
Secret Invasion #2 (of 8)
Amelia Rules: When The Past is a Present HC, SC. This new collection of the 4-time Eisner nominee for 2008 includes the critically acclaimed war story “The Things I Cannot Change.”

Friends and neighbors, a new standard has been set for superhero movies. Iron Man was everything a superhero movie should be and more. Everyone was on top of their game, including director Jon Favreau, who took a character looked upon by many as a tough sell to the non-comics crowd and made it the buzz movie everyone agrees on. I should also note that when I went to see it, the crowd was extremely diverse. Black, white, young old, men, women - this was a film that cut across all lines, going by what I saw of the audience, and that’s nice to see as well. By now you know to stay after the credits for the Sam Jackson scene. I’d say somewhere from a fifth to a fourth of the audience at my showing stayed, and what surprised me was that among those who cheered loudest at the mention of “the Avengers Initiative” (well, besides me) was a small group of black women in the upper deck. Go see it if you haven’t already.

Here’s a roundup of African comics and comic strips.

Gunplay GN
Platinum Studios website
Christopher Priest blog

The horror Western GN about a Buffalo soldier gets released this week, with prose backup stories by Christopher Priest.

Also this week:
Avengers: The Initiative #12
Black Panther: Little Green Men TP. Written by Hudlin.
Fantastic Four: The Beginning of the End TP. Written by McDuffie.
New Warriors #11. Written by Grevioux.
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Premiere HC V1. Pencils by Coipel.
Blackbeard Legacy #3 (of 4)
Gold Digger: Tangent #4. By Perry.
Justice For Hire #3 (of 12)

Other notable comics:
Blue Beetle #26. The Spanish-language issue.
DC Universe Zero. The big set-up to Final Crisis and the year to come in the DCU, priced at only 50 cents.
Secret Invasion (2nd printing) #1 (of 8)
Glamourpuss #1. The return of small press legend Dave Sim in a brand new series.
Magic Pickle GN. A re-release of this wonderful kids’ adventure comic by Scott Morse.

I’m sorry for being behind on stuff. This past month has been extremely difficult for me personally, and things will continue to be hectic for me for the next few months. This blog is not my life, and while I try to keep up as best I can, reality has a nasty habit of getting in the way. I appreciate your indulgence.

Greg Rucka interviews Gary Phillips about his forthcoming comic High Rollers.

Here’s a video interview with Gail Simone where she talks about the return of Welcome to Tranquility, among other things.

This Terrence Howard interview about Iron Man contains SPOILERS.

A new Raven Gregory interview.

Jason Aaron talks about his Secret Invasion-related run on Black Panther.

MBQ creator Felipe Smith has a new gig with a Japanese mag.

And a BIG congratulations to Jamal Igle and his wife Karine on the birth of their daughter Catherine!

Ayre Force HC
B&N link to buy How to Draw Noir Comics by Shawn Martinbrough
Wizard interview with Joe Illidge (and co-writer Adam Slutsky)
Bodog Entertainment website

Bodog honcho Calvin Ayre stars in this graphic novel co-written by Illidge and illustrated by Martinbrough.

Also this week:
Justice League of America #20. Written by McDuffie.
Spawn #177
Thor #8. Art by Coipel.
Gold Digger #95, GD Peebo Tales Special #3, GD Sourcebook #16. By Fred Perry.

Very little news from the New York Comic-Con that’s of relevance to this blog, except for this: it was announced on the Image panel that two founding members of Image would take over Spawn later this year. Can’t help but think that if one of them was Todd McFarlane, they would’ve said so…

Still looking for a report on the Black Panel. Hopefully one will surface sometime this week.

Hunter’s Moon TP

The two-time GCA nominee gets a trade paperback this week.

Also this week:
Batman and the Outsiders #6. Cover by Braithwaite.
Tangent: Superman’s Reign #2 (of 12). Jamal Igle joins the book as regular penciller.
Perhapanauts #1. The first issue of the new series, now at Image.
The 99 #7
Archie & Friends #118. Written by Simmons.
Great Figures in History: Nelson Mandela GN

I had an unbelievably busy weekend, so I wasn’t able to write a Sunday Review. But I am a little more than a third of the way through The Hole, the graphic novel I told you about a few weeks ago, so I expect to finish it and write a review of it for next Sunday.

I won’t be able to attend the New York Comic-Con this year due to other plans, but I hope you have a great time if you’re attending. And don’t forget to bring your kids on Sunday, which will be Kids Day, an event made possible by Kids Comic Con founder Alex Simmons.

This year’s Eisner Award nominations are up. Complete list is here, but of interest to us:

Best Continuing Series and Best New Series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, by Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty, and Andy Owens (Dark Horse)

Best Publication for Teens
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)

Best Reality-Based Work
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, by Percy Carey and Ronald Wimberly (Vertigo/DC)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
Aya, by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Obrerie (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer
James Sturm, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow (Center for Cartoon Studies/Hyperion)

Best Writer/Artist-Humor
Kyle Baker, The Bakers: Babies and Kittens (Image)

Best Lettering
Jared K. Fletcher, Catwoman, The Spirit (DC); Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm (Vertigo/DC)

Congrats to all the nominees. The Eisner Awards will be held July 25 during Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Here’s a new Raven Gregory interview.

First look at Samuel L. Jackson as the Octopus in Frank Miller’s The Spirit.

And oh, by the way - the votes for the Glyph Comics Awards are in. This year was an incredibly competitive race, and that is definitely reflected in the big winners. Expect a surprise or two.