One Million Strong for Scott Pilgrim
This past week, Oni Press celebrated a big number for their megaselling Scott Pilgrim series: one million copies in print. That's a remarkable accomplishment for Bryan Lee O'Malley's little series about a guy who has to fight off his potential new girlfriend's deadly exes. Since the series has been translated into 13 languages over the globe and was the subject of a major motion picture recently, it shows how pervasive this book has been. Congratulations to Bryan and Oni on their success!
-- John HoganFantagraphics Publishes William S. Burroughs
Last week, Fantragraphics made the cool announcement that it would be publishing William S. Burroughs' last work (and only graphic novel), Ah Pook Is Here. Written by Burroughs and drawn by artist Malcolm McNeill, the work was first published in 1970 under the name The Unspeakable Mr. Hart as a comic strip in the British magazine Cyclops. It was envisioned as a strip whose images would combine, one by one, into a 120-page long foldout (something that was unprecedented at the time, causing most publishers to decline printing it).
-- John HoganTop Shelf Puts on a Sale
The folks at Top Shelf are running a great sale on some of their best graphic novels. Many have been reduced to just $3, and some are even priced at $1. A lot of other titles have been reduced, so it's a chance to load up on some very good reading.
-- John HoganArthur Author: Neil Gaiman Gets Animated
The one and only Neil Gaiman takes an animated turn in an upcoming episode of PBS's popular kids' series Arthur. On October 25, Gaiman will play himself in an episode that centers on one of the characters on the show looking for inspiration to create her own comic. Neil apparently recorded his voice work for the show way back in February (that's according to his Twitter feed), but the episode is just coming to the small screen next month.
Planning for NCTE
Planning to attend the National Council of Teachers of English conference in November? If so, be sure to check out all the graphic-novel content being offered at this year’s conference. So far, all the rooms these events are taking place in have yet to be announced; but you can use the information below to plan out your activities.
-- John HoganSVA's Ink Plots Coming in October
New York's School of Visual Arts will present Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at SVA from October 8 to November 6. The exhibit will feature animation, original art, books, prints, and more. The list of SVA alumni and faculty participating in this one is gigantic and reads like a who's who of comics greats past and present: Sal Amendola, R. O.
-- John HoganUpcoming New York Comic-Con Panel
I'm pleased to say that I'll be on a panel at New York Comic Con this year. The annual event, taking place October 8-10 at the Javits Center in Manhattan, draws huge crowds every year and is one of the most exciting comics conventions in the country. If you're attending, I hope you'll check out "The Evolution of Graphic Novel Publishing: What Publishers Need to Consider in Order to Grow the Market from Here." It's a fascinating topic, to be sure, and one that has a lot of areas to cover. In fact, there's really no shortage of things to talk about in the hour.
-- John Hogan
