Garfield is dead! Well erased from his own strip that is. A world without Garfield is a better world some will say. The famous and in some cases infamous feline comic strip has a love hate relationship with with many readers. When comic strips were stagnant in the 80’s, it was easy pickings for Jim Davis with his creation Garfield. More of a merchandising icon to equal Snoopy in sales. Unlike Peanuts the strip lacked that intellectual twist that Peanuts drove home to the core audience. Now who would think that Garfield would garnish a whole new audience with Garfield Minus Garfield. Jim Davis is astonished himself with the online success of webcomic Garfield Minus Garfield where Garfield is wiped out by a Photoshop eraser. Witness the dark brooding panels of a lonely Jon Arbuckle without Garfield. The idea gives the strip a whole new life, at times it supersedes the original idea. The sans Garfield strip is so popular that now it will be in book form for all the masses to enjoy from Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group. Dan Walsh the madman behind this idea since February 2008 has gained a notoriety for himself and now will reap the fruits of his labor as will Jim Davis.

Renowned world creators Zep and Tebo (Tootuff) have unleashed famous properties such as Fly Tales, Malo Korrigan and the Space Tracers, Kaput & Z?sky and Flatmania. Many of the creations started out in album format in France. There is a big comic culture in Europe. Unlike North America most bodies of works are collected in pristine large format books. The books are collected by all ages. Zep and Tebo are at it again with their new creation Captain Biceps. The super-hero parody character already enjoys a large following in the rest of the world. The advent of trans-continental technology properties like Captain Biceps is slowing making their way to North America. There is a snobbery to amazing talent coming out of Europe, smaller imprints are translating many bodies of works. Captain Biceps as other works of  Zep and Tebo have translated well to animation because of lack of dialogue. Keep a sharp eye for Captain Biceps, this is one fun jab at the super-hero universe.

With stagnating sales in the 70’s DC and Marvel were looking for ways to make extra revue, comics were still not in comic shops because they were not yet created. These periodicals were in Mom and Pop stores all across North America. Many didn’t want to carry them, there was not much money to be made on a 15 cent comic. Carmine Infantino then DC Comics president is credited in the creating this concept. It was attempted in the forties by Fawcett Comics, but fell on the wayside. The 70’s were just right and the "tabloid" or as they were know by many fans "treasuries" took off like gangbusters. The standard size of these books were 10" x 15" inches and as soaring costs of paper climbed, the format disappeared and is sought by many today. One main theory was that many stores did not know how to store them and most became damaged. Bob Kelly the self appointed guardian of of this period in comic publishing has a great site dedicated to the hallowed "treasury" and you can discover insightful stories behind the format with his blog. Read more >>

Out with the old, in with the new. A part of comic strip history died this week. How many people knew there was a  Dick Tracy Museum in Woodstock. Well not too many because they just closed their doors. It is reflective on the character who graced the papers and the radio waves in what seems like an eternity. The museum ran out of money so it had to close. The character waned since Warren Beatty and Madonna tried to give the old boy new life in 1990, but never jumped over that extra hurdle of fame. Not too many characters from the early 20th century have really basked in fame since they retired to the comic strip heaven in the sky. The only seniors still making an impact are Batman and Superman, but that had to go through many changes and have a vast history in story. Dick Tracy:CSI would pack them in if there was such a thing. Dick Tracy’s integrity and character has not changed that much and all those fancy gadgets are now a thing of the present. Kudos to IDW Publishing’s deluxe hardcover collection of Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy works in book form, this single outlet will burn bright the slim light that remains of this once prominent character.

Kingdom Comics is the newest imprint to hit the stands to exploit the Disney vault of past nuggets in the company. A constant staple for many generations, many characters are just gathering dust and relegated to grown adults dressed as the mascots of the Disney world parks. It only makes sense to bring back those characters in a new line of old and new strips. The formula works great in Europe and in other countries where Disney characters enjoy a wealth of fame in the printed form. Seems in the North American market the characters were sentenced to Golden Books or clones of that formula for early childhood to be exposed to the characters. This market was already flooded by Gladstone Comics in the past, but will it work with this new Kingdom imprint. If it comes down to anything, no matter what age, people what something well written and drawn to satisfy the masses. It is a mighty task, with the proper resources and muscle that Disney has and if exploited right this could be a winning formula all.

 

Gallery in Vancouver goes Krazy! Published to accompany the landmark exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, KRAZY! is a dizzying introduction to the art forms that will dominate the new century. Krazy! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art is on at the Vancouver Art Gallery from May 17 to September 17, 2008. The Vancouver Art Gallery is displaying the cream of the crop of known comic book illustrators. The list includes, Harvey Kurtzman, Seth, Takashi Okazaki, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Winsor McCay, Roy Lichtenstein, Raymond Pettibon. For those of you in Canada you can obtain a hard-copy of the magazine called Gallerieswest or read it online.

Organized into seven sections, one for each art form, the book highlights the greatest works of each genre, as chosen by seven great practitioners. The energy and intensity of the images leaps off every page, enhanced by behind-the-scenes commentary by such heavyweights as Art Spiegelman, Will Wright and Canadian comic book author and illustrator, Seth. Other contributors include Tim Johnson, director of Antz and Over the Hedge, Kiyoshi Kusumi, a global authority on manga, and Toshiya Ueno, a highly regarded media theorist and critic.

The art of simplicity is hard for some to achieve. Thoreau by John Porcellino is as the subject was in real life. Henry David Thoreau was a simple man in a world thrust in industrial revolution. John Porcellino’s art is a back to basics and minimalist at best to tell the story of Thoreau’s self absorption into nature. John Porcellino’s book that examines Thoreau makes it easier to appreciate the man and the message for those not wanting to go into complex studies. The fundamental message is sown and the fruit is rewarding in exploring the journey back into Eden.