Author: Andrew Wheeler

DC Comics caused a bit of a ruckus late last year when they announced their new Minx line of comics. Minx was avowedly an attempt to drag the large audience – mostly young, mostly female – for translated Japanese [[[manga]]] back to American creators by giving them books in formats and styles similar to manga. Some feminists took an instant loathing to the name, and to the fact that most of the announced creators were male, but everyone seemed to think that the idea was a good one. (Though I’m still surprised that no one has done the obvious thing: spend the money to start up an American equivalent of Shojo Beat. The manga system works so well partly because the periodicals act as try-out books and party because popular series can be sold twice, as periodicals and books. Trying to create a manga-like market with only collections is like trying to ride a bicycle on one wheel – you can do it, if you’re Curious George, but it’s difficult and slow.)

I’ve recently read two of the four Minx launch titles, and thought it would be interesting to look at them together. (The other two, which I haven’t seen, were Good as Lily by Derek Kirk Kim and Jesse Hamm and [[[The P.L.A.I.N. Janes]]] by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. And more books have already been announced to follow.) I’ll admit that I’m not the target audience for Minx’s books – I’m about twenty years too old, and sport the wrong variety of wedding tackle – but I am definitely the audience for a new book by the creative team behind My Faith in Frankie, and for a new book written by Andi Watson. And I’m certainly part of the audience for interesting, new American comics done well, no matter who they’re supposedly aimed at.

Let’s start with Re-Gifters, which is both more essentially conventional in its story and more successful in the end. It is a reunion of the crew behind [[[My Faith in Frankie]]], down to the publisher and editor – and the story has certain parallels to Frankie, as well. Our main character is a dark-haired young woman (Jen Dik Seong, aka Dixie), with a blonde best friend (Avril, who starts to narrate the story but is stopped quickly). Dixie thinks she’s crazy about a blonde boy (Adam), who turns out to be not quite as all that as our heroine at first thought. The narration, in Dixie’s voice, is also a bit reminiscent of Frankie’s. But that’s about the end of the parallels: Dixie’s story is completely down-to-earth, without any gods or other supernatural elements. (It’s also aimed at a younger audience than Frankie’s, so there’s no sex, either, and Dixie is a couple of years younger than Frankie was.)

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James Lileks has been digging up hideous old comic book covers and making fun of them in public – it’s good to know that time-honored pastime is still alive and well. One of the more nightmarish things he unearthed is our illustration of the day.

Comics Reporter has a San Diego report from Darwyn Cooke.

Among the books I never, in a million years, expected to see a review of, would be Essential Marvel Two-in-One Presents the Thing, Vol. 2. Well, Bookgasm is toying with me today, because that’s just what they did. What next? Their ten favorite issues of Ghost Rider from the ‘70s?

SciFi Wire gets two posts out of what I suspect was one interview with Neil Gaiman: one about Henry Selick, who is directing the animated adaptation of Gaiman’s book for young readers Coraline; and one about the complicated path Gaiman’s novel Stardust took on its way to the screen.

SF Signal must be bored, since they’ve dug out the old party game of replacing random words in a title with “pants.” They have 21 books and 13 stories with humorously altered titles, for those who dare to click.

Locus magazine’s August issue includes a special celebration of the centennial of Robert A. Heinlein’s birth (which was in early July, but it’s hard to report on an event which hasn’t hapened yet).

The Times (the one out of London) reports that Philip Pullman is working on a sequel to his reportedly very good “His Dark Materials” trilogy (the first of which, The Golden Compass, is also being turned into a big-budget Hollywood fantasy effects extravaganza for this Christmas). Pullman is quoted as saying that the new book “will explain his atheist beliefs more clearly.” And we know that an author who tries to explain his beliefs in fictional form (cough! Ayn Rand! cough cough! Dave Sim!) always brings forth a masterpiece of cogent thought, rational understanding, and a thorough understanding of the real world…so I guess I’d better read “His Dark Materials” before Pullman completely mucks them up.

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Brave souls still reporting from Comic-Con:

• Comics Reporter
• Comics Should Be Good: day two, day three
• SFX: day three, day four
• Mark Evanier: one, two
• Lynn Flewelling
• Neil Gaiman
• Laura Anne Gilman
• Laurell K. Hamilton
• Irene Gallo: one, two
• Jeff Smith

The New York Times gazes down its nose at Comic-Con, and says tsk-tsk quietly under its breath.

Comic Book Bin lists nine new projects announced by Minx at Comic-Con, including a sequel to Clubbing and work from Brian Wood, Alisa Kwitney, and Steve Rolston.

Comic Book Resources, similarly, has a story about Oni Press’s upcoming projects.

The Beat liveblogged the Eisner Awards ceremony…the first three or four hours of it, anyway.

Greg Hatcher of Comics Should Be Good traveled cross country instead of going to Comic-Con — and found comics along the way.

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