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Showing posts with label Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comics. Show all posts

Friday, April 22, 2011

Spare Room Holds Million-Dollar Comic Book Collection

A retired Minneapolis bus driver who died in a fire last year had a passion for comic books. The fire that took his life started in the kitchen, but a back bedroom filled with more than 20,000 comics was spared. It was just recently that the surviving family members realized the collection was worth about $1 million.

Philipp Lenssen/Flickr

According to the Star Tribune, Gary Dahlberg started collecting comic books in the 1960s and would spend lots of time in comic stores or at comic book conventions. He also collected Star Trek–related items of all sorts, and liked having some of his figurines in the refrigerator to have something to look at when he opened the door.

Living a humble life, he sold two comics before his death — one to buy a computer so he could catalog his collection, and one to help pay off his home. Some family members questioned the value of his hobby, but now that the collection has been appraised, the Star Tribune says the hobby is more valuable than they ever could have imagined:

2,500 to 3,000 of Dahlberg’s 20,000 comic-book collection would end up “easily” worth more than $1 million. “Maybe closer to $2 million,” said Ed Jaster, senior vice president of Heritage Auctions.

Some of the comics of note in the collection are from 1963 : The Amazing Spider-Man No. 1 and No. 2. The No. 2 issue is one of only five known copies. The company hired to appraise and certify the collection will sell the comics in the coming year. While 3,000 of the comics are valuable, the majority will only be worth around twice the cover price.

So, collectors, look for comics from the Gary Dahlberg Collection.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Apple's iPad: Rethinking Comics

By: Brian Heater

From: http://www.pcmag.com/

In the lead up to the iPhone's release in June 2007, the blogosphere half-jokingly referred to the handset as the "Jesus Phone." Mind you, all of that white-knuckled hyperbole played out well before anyone had any concept of the device's true potential. A year later, Apple would completely change the smartphone model, with the release of the iTunes App Store. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that a number of industries are looking toward the iPhone's second coming—the Apple iPad—for their salvation.

When the iPad launched, media partners couldn't embrace team Apple quickly enough. Magazine and newspaper publishers saw the device as the savior of a dying industry. Even the most established papers and magazines have been hemorrhaging money by the boatload. The inability to sell physical copies of their product and monetize the online content that has replaced it has caused an ever-enlarging number of publications to fold. If you've seen Rupert Murdoch on television in the past year, chances are pretty good that he was decrying the "thievery" of his newspaper content by search engines like Google.

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The last several years haven't been great for the comics industry, either. While comic books aren't quite as immune to recessions as, say, gaming or film, comic publishers seem to have fared better than their newspaper brethren. Like record labels before them, however, comic book companies were largely late to the Internet party.

While most comic publishers continued to focus the lion's share of their attention on print, a Web comic revolution exploded around them. The list of successful Web comic artists is long, but a few spring immediately to mind, including Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, whose strip Penny Arcade has blossomed into its own cottage industry. The series has spawned several books, an episodic video game series, a Web video show, and a twice-yearly gaming expo.

XKCD, Achewood, and Diesel Sweeties all achieved a considerable level success on the Web independent of more traditional publishing channels (Achewood has subsequently released books through Dark Horse Comics, Diesel Sweeties was picked up by United Features Syndicate, and an XKCD book was released by breadpig). Hark! a Vagrant author Kate Beaton made some waves late year by eschewing offers from larger publishers in order to self-release her book Never Learn Anything From History.

Publishing houses have since turned more of their attention toward the Web. Both of the majors—Marvel and DC—have launched large Web initiatives. Marvel is focusing its attention toward back issues. Meanwhile, DC opted to foster the creation of serialized Web comics, launching Zuda Comics, which allows artists to submit their comics in the hopes of winning a DC book deal. And then there are the independent publishers, like Top Shelf Productions and Dark Horse Comics (who, in 2007, struck up a content partnership with MySpace).

PCs and Smartphones
For a long time, the Internet seemed like the next logical step in the evolution of sequential art. With his seminal 2000 book, Reinventing Comics, cartoonist and theorist Scott McCloud helped popularize the term "infinite canvas," predicting that the unlimited bits provided by the Internet marked the end of the special limitations imposed by traditional publishing.

It's no coincidence that the most popular comics properties on the Internet are almost all newspaper-style strips, rather than online graphic novels. I really can't sum up the matter any better than McCloud did during a recent conversation we had on the subject of the iPad. "Comic strips made an easy leap onto the Web," the writer explained. "They got a little bigger, so they're easier to read. God created Web comic strips in a day and took the other six off. There was no design challenge. It fit."

When he says "it fit," he means it literally. Click on a link and there's the strip—no advancing or scrolling required. Comic books, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. They don't fit—not at all. I receive a lot of comics for review in PDF form, and I just can't do it. Flipping through pages with a mouse isn't natural. And then there's the whole lean back/lean forward paradigm that's been discussed of late, in the wake of the new generation of tablet computers. Have you ever attempted to read a full-length graphic novel while hunched over your keyboard? I don't recommend it.

As consumers began to shift their attention toward the smartphone space, so, too, did the comics industry. A new generation of handsets, led by the iPhone, offered yet another opportunity to re-think the medium. Phones offer comics in your pocket, comics on the go. And, unlike electronic ink-powered devices like the Kindle, the iPhone and its ilk have bright, beautiful color screens. Unfortunately, the special issues that befall comic books on the Web are all the more pronounced on the phone. For obvious reasons, the comic strip is, once again, the ideal size for consumption.

If only there were a device that was like the iPhone but, you know, bigger…

Click here for the full article.....

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Comic Book Publishers Plot Comeback via Apple IPad

From: http://www.businessweek.com/

Marvel, DC Comics, and other publishers are promoting apps to make the iPad "a game-changer for the comics business"

Newspapers and magazines aren't the only established publishers who've hung hopes for a revival on Apple's iPad. Comic book makers hope to breathe life into such characters as Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk by beaming them on to Apple's (AAPL) new tablet computer.

Disney's (DIS) Marvel comics unit on Apr. 3 released an iPad comic book application that's free to download from Apple's App Store. The software lets fans buy digital versions of more than 500 Marvel comic books for $1.99 each. Readers use their fingertips to swipe through the crisply colored replications of the comics' pages.

The goal is to expand the audience for Marvel, which Disney bought for $4.3 billion last year. "Our app is for comic book lovers as well as lapsed readers—people who might be in their thirties or forties who stopped buying [comic] books after college," says Ira Rubenstein, executive vice-president of Marvel's global digital media group.

Panelfly, a New York startup that distributes digital comic books, plans to release a comic-reading app for the iPad in the coming months that lets users buy and read titles from 50 publishers. Marvel—along with publishers Sterling Comics and Top Cow—plan to distribute titles through Panelfly's app. "There's a huge opportunity to expand the market" by releasing digital comic books on the iPad, says David Steinberger, CEO of ComiXology, a company that helped Marvel produce its iPad software.

Marvel's chief competitor, Time Warner's (TWX) DC Comics, hasn't announced plans for iPad software, but says it is assessing that tablet and other devices. "Our sense is that digital comics will grow and complement the businesses we have already built up through the current network of your local comic book shops and mass market bookstores," says Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics, which publishes Batman, Superman, and other popular franchises.

publishers dream of iPad bounty

Startup Graphic.ly, which is part of Microsoft's BizSpark program for fledgling companies, is also developing an iPad application that will let fans trade comments within the pages of digital comics. "The publisher that really ends up making the biggest splash on the iPad is the one that's not going to look to replicate print," says CEO Micah Baldwin.

The publishing industry has high hopes for the iPad, which went on sale in the U.S. on Apr. 3. Publishers of books, magazines, and newspapers are releasing versions of their materials for the tablet computer in hope of capturing readers and advertising revenues. Add the dusty heroes of comic books to those looking for redemption.

Comic books were a $715 million business in the U.S. and Canada in 2008, according to researchers at ICv2, a Web site that tracks the business of popular culture. Japanese comic books and high-design graphic novels aimed at adults and sold in mainstream book stores are strong sellers, according to industry analysts. But demand for traditional superhero-oriented comic books has declined.

There are about 3,000 comic book stores in the U.S., down from about 10,000 in the '90s, according to Marymount Manhattan College professor Kent Worcester, who teaches classes on comics and animation and who co-edited A Comic Studies Reader (University Press of Mississippi, 2008). "There are plenty of towns which have no comic book stores," he says.

Enter the iPad. Publishers hope new digital versions of their titles can turn comics into mass-market entertainment, not just artifacts for collectors. "Hollywood and television have begun to give people what they used to get out of comics," says Marymount's Worcester. Today, episodes of the TV series Lost provide serialized drama, as Superman comics did in the '50s, he says.

Making strips available for consumers to download on a tablet could change "the mentality that comics are just meant to be collected," says Dave Dorman, a freelance illustrator who has drawn for issues of Batman, Star Wars, and numerous additional comics. "Forty years from when I grew up, comics could potentially make a big breakthrough to a new generation," he says.

Panelfly: "lion's share" to publishers

Digital comics existed before the iPad. But the small screen size of Apple's iPhone and other handheld devices didn't bring the illustrations fully to life, publishers say. Milton Griepp, CEO of ICv2, estimates that sales of comics for the iPhone and iPod Touch in 2009 were less than $1 million. Digital comic book sales through the iPad this year will likely be many times that amount, he says. "The iPad is a game-changer for the comics business."

The move to digital comic books is changing the economics for publishers. Panelfly Chief Executive Wade Slitkin says publishers take "the lion's share" of revenues from digital comic books sold through its iPhone app, which cost consumers between $1 and $10. Apple takes 30% of sales.

The iPad isn't the only new digital device comic book publishers are evaluating. Marvel's Rubinstein says the company is also considering publishing for tablets that run Google's (GOOG) Android operating system.

For all of their bold computer graphics and ease of buying, digital comics won't replace paper for some stalwarts. On a recent afternoon in New York, popular comic book store Midtown Comics was packed with young and middle-aged men scouring stands for their superhero fix. "I still prefer coming into the store every week," says Cristoph Miller, a 29-year-old comic collector.

Miller says he's downloaded a few comic book applications for his iPhone. He's looked only at free previews and has yet to spring for new titles.

Marvel and other comic book publishers may not persuade every old-time fan to switch media. But their excitement over the iPad shows just how much the publishing world hopes Apple can polish their prospects.

Douglas MacMillan is a staff writer for Bloomberg BusinessWeek in New York.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Hogwarts Castle Towers Over Orlando

hogwarts

The towers of Hogwarts Castle rise above Florida in this new photograph, released Monday by Universal Orlando.

Although Universal says the castle is still “very much a work in progress,” the grand centerpiece of its Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park already looks amazing. When the park opens this spring, Hogwarts Castle will contain an attraction called Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and will overlook the town of Hogsmeade, in which you and a million other fans will be jostling for your chance to drink Butterbeer and buy Chocolate Frogs.

Photo: Kevin Kolczynski/Universal Orlando Resort

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Sunday Funnies Postage Stamps Coming in 2010 for Calvin & Hobbes et al.

The United States Postal Service recently announced its stamps of 2010, including one particular set that I think will be of interest to you all: The Sunday Funnies Collection! Based on popular newspaper comic strips, the series will include stamps involving Archie, Garfield, Dennis the Menace, the cast of "Beetle Bailey," and my personal favorites, Calvin and Hobbes!


It speaks well of "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson -- and his decisions to both end the comic in its heyday and to resist merchandising it -- that as the strip sits among so many "classic" comic strips, it still seems fresh, exciting and vital, while most of the others just seem rote, exhausted, and exceedingly far past their prime.

While I would have vastly preferred an entire set of C&H stamps -- perhaps involving Stupendous Man, Calvinball, or snowman art -- I'm still thrilled that I will soon be able to turn the upper right-hand corner of my envelopes into a tiny, two-way mirror where my favorite boy and tiger can make faces at me and the recipients of my letters.

The stamps go on sale in July.














Thursday, March 19, 2009

Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin enter the world of comic books

From LaNeice Collins and Robyn Sidersky

(CNN) -- Move over Wonder Woman and Lois Lane - Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin are breaking into the world of comic books.

No capes, no tights: Female Force stars Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Caroline Kennedy.

No capes, no tights: Female Force stars Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Caroline Kennedy.

Washington-based publisher Bluewater Productions released a series of comic books featuring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on March 11. The company says it has already sold 7,500 copies of each to distributors.

"We really want to show strong, independent, female role models in comics," said Darren Davis, president of Bluewater Productions.

Another company released comics about President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain during the presidential election.

Then they decided that Hillary Clinton's story needed to be told.

"She was the first [major] female presidential candidate, so we just started with [her], and there was so much interest in it," said Jason Schultz, executive vice president of Bluewater Productions.

The first two issues in Female Force, already released, feature Clinton and Palin. The next two will feature Caroline Kennedy and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Michelle Obama comic is expected to be released in April, and has pre-sold 28,000 copies.

The next set will feature other "strong, independent women" such as Princess Diana, Schultz said.

Comic fans approve of the idea.

"I think it just says, like, that women are important," one comic book fan told CNN.

Another added, "It shows that comics aren't just about guys in tights beating each other up -- it's about information, it's about understanding people a little better," said another reader.

Richard Laermer, CEO of a public relations firm and author of several books on marketing, said he's not surprised.

"We're in a very politically minded time right now," he said.

The creators expect to expand the comic book world to a larger demographic with the books.

"It's bringing a whole new demographic to comic books," Schultz said. "It just shows little girls, young women, that they can be anything they want," he added.

Mary Ellen Balchunis, an assistant professor of political science at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said "getting girls [interested in politics] at a younger age is brilliant."

"I think it's great that they're doing these comic books," Balchunis said. "In the past, women have shown a low level of political efficacy."

She said the choices are "fabulous," because "these are the women who are at the top of the totem pole right now."

Each comic will be biographical, Schultz said. "With Hillary, it starts with her life and ends up with her as Secretary of State."

"It would be fun to see how the superhero Hillary sort of pushes her way forth and shows people what she did in her life. To me that's just awesome," said Laermer.

Another professor of political science said the way the women are portrayed will be important.

"Comic books, by definition, are caricatures, but there are different ways of doing those caricatures," said Landon Storrs, an associate professor of history at the University of Houston.

"So it's a question of what the artists go for. If they just tap into familiar stereotypes, then they could reinforce negative ideas about powerful women, even as they are trying to do the opposite," she added.

The fact that real, living women are now in comic books is another barrier that Davis and Schultz have broken through, historian and author Trina Robbins said.

"It's about time. They've never done a major living woman," she said. "I think what's good is they're doing women in politics and not Paris Hilton."

LaNeice Collins reported from New York. Robyn Sidersky reported from Atlanta, Georgia.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Lie of Omission

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Far Side Comics Reenacted in Real Life

Far Side cover by entitee.
props to Gary Larson

see the rest here