Tag Archives: jeffrey brown

National Book Festival 2014: Jeffrey Brown

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Jeffrey Brown appears at the 2014 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Speaker Biography: Jeffrey Brown Ignatz Award winner Jeffrey Brown began his career with the self-published “Clumsy.” He earned an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago School as a painter, but he soon found his niche in drawing comics. He is the author-illustrator of “Star Wars: Jedi Academy No. 2: Return of the Padawan” (Scholastic), the much-anticipated sequel to the New York Times best-seller “Star Wars: Jedi Academy.” Brown also wrote and illustrated “Darth Vader and Son” in 2012, and its sequel “Vader’s Little Princess” in 2013, among many other titles.

For transcript, captions, and more information.

SPX 2012 – Thoughts on the Show and Books to Review

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Small Press Expo 2012 has come and gone and while I didn’t spend long there, about 4 hours, I made it around the floor multiple times and picked up a thick stack of books to review (and some original art). The show was packed with all types of people across the age spectrum. Folks are reporting this was a great show, and you could see it. Indie comics are booming if this is any indication.

The books on the show floor were varied and there was something for everyone, but here’s what I picked up, in no particular order.

Comic: Burning Building Comix
Creator: Jeff Zwrek

This graphic novel is read a bit differently, telling the story one floor at a time in a burning building. The concept is cool and execution fun. The design is what sold me and this is a book I haven’t seen another example of in it’s execution. Hopefully the interior is as creative as the exterior concept.

Comic: Johnny Hiro
Creator: Fred Chao

I was sold with the words “honor-bound business ronin.” I’m still not 100% sure what the comic is about, but the art is solid and beautiful to look at. I flipped through some pages and it looks really entertaining.

Comic: The Accidental Candidate: The Rise and Fall of Alvin Greene

Creator: Corey Hutchins and David Axe – writer, Blue Delliquanti – art

The story of South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene that came out of no where. This was the political story for a solid month and it’s a book I’ve wanted to get my hands on since I heard it was released.

Comic: Nathan Sorry
Creator: Rich Barrett

I picked up both volumes which follows a man who’s on the run after he steals $20 million post 9/11. The art was cool and story intriguing. It seemed like an easy buy for me.

Comic: Infinity Roads Vol. 1
Creator: Tim Sparvero

A science fiction story about a man who has created a life in his dreams where he’s fallen in love. The story description is a bit weird and that sold me. Should be an interesting read.

Comic: The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal
Creator: E.K. Weaver

Two guys head cross country from Berkeley to Providence. The story seems to be a coming of age sort of thing and the interior art hooked me. I seriously have no idea what to expect with this.

Comic: Between Gears
Creator: Natalie Nourigat

This is the type of book that hooks me, an autobiographical comic detailing Nourigat’s last year at the University of Oregon. Don’t know why, but I find these types of books fascinating and the art looked solid. An easy sale to me.

Comic: Afrodisiac
Creator: Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca

The art has this throwback 70s look and it’s a blaxploitation comic, sold.

Comic: The Deadbeat
Creator: Jeremy Massie

A story about a down on his luck superhero and his estranged daughter. It’s a story I thought about writing (well something close) so very interested in reading this.

Comic: Lower East Side Story #1-3
Creator: Peter Friedrich

Friedrich decided to take a look at the gentrification of the Lower East Side of New York City. He had photos to show what it looked like and his comic is pretty well researched in how it happened.

Comic: Old-Timey Hockey Tales
Creator: Robert Ullman and Jeffrey Brown

I’m a fan of hockey, nuff said.

Preview – Adventure Time #1

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ADVENTURE TIME #1

Created by Pendleton Ward
Written by Ryan North, Aaron Renier
Art by Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb, Aaron Renier
SC, 32pgs, FC, SRP: $3.99
COVER A: Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb
COVER B, C, and E: Chris Houghton
COVER D: Jeffrey Brown
Diamond Code: DEC110939

It’s ADVENTURE TIME! Join Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Princess Bubblegum for all-new adventures through The Land of Ooo. The top-rated Cartoon Network show now has its own comic book! With the show exploding in the ratings, garnering rave online reviews, major cosplay at the San Diego Comic-Con, and huge displays dominating the New York Comic Con, it’s clear fandom is obsessed and 2012 is the Year of Adventure Time! Don’t miss out on this new phenomenon—this first issue is sure to get snapped up!

Adventure Time #! Sells Out!

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Official Press Release

ADVENTURE TIME #1 SELLS OUT! GOES TO SECOND PRINTING

January 31, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – KaBOOM!, BOOM! Studios’ all-ages imprint, is proud to announce that eight days before the first issue goes on-sale ADVENTURE TIME #1 has completely sold out of its first printing, sending best pals Jake and Finn into a second print!

Fans should keep in mind, while Diamond Comic Distributors is completely sold out, first printings of ADVENTURE TIME #1 may still be found at a direct market retailer near you when the issue goes on-sale February 8th. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use www.comicshoplocator.com to find one!

Diamond Comic Distributors is making the second printing of ADVENTURE TIME #1, featuring an all-new cover drawn by Chris Houghton, available for retailers to order immediately.

ADVENTURE TIME #1 is the first installment of the exciting new ongoing ADVENTURE TIME series written by Ryan North (DINOSAUR COMICS) with cover art and interiors drawn by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb (THE MUPPET SHOW, ICE AGE: ICED IN) with a back-up story by Aaron Renier (THE UNSINKABLE WALKER BEAN) and alternate covers by Jeffrey Brown and Chris Houghton.

In this first issue of ADVENTURE TIME join Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Princess Bubblegum for all-new adventures through The Land of Ooo! The top-rated Cartoon Network show now has its own comic book! With the show exploding in the ratings, garnering rave online reviews, major cosplay at the San Diego Comic-Con, and huge displays dominating the New York Comic Con, it’s clear fandom is obsessed and 2012 is the Year of Adventure Time! Don’t miss out on the phenomenon!
About BOOM! Studios
Founded by Ross Richie, 2009 and 2010’s “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios, an Eisner and Harvey Award winner, generates a constellation of bestselling comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent, including Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE, new HELLRAISER comics written by Clive Barker, PLANET OF THE APES, 28 DAYS LATER, and Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?. BOOM!’s All-Ages imprint KABOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ PEANUTS, Roger Langridge’s SNARKED, and Scholastic’s WORDGIRL. BOOM!’s lit comix-focused imprint, BOOM! Town, recently won the Eisner Award for its first book, Shannon Wheeler’s I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER.

Jeffrey Brown’s feature film Save The Date to premiere at Sundance

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Official Press Release

Top Shelf ProductsJeffrey Brown’s feature film SAVE THE DATE will have its World Premiere in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival!

This year marks ten-year anniversary of Jeffrey Brown’s groundbreaking CLUMSY, and what better way to celebrate that than with the premiere of a film he co-wrote!

Filmmaker Michael Mohan (ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS) returns to Sundance with a bittersweet screenplay he wrote with famed graphic novelist Jeffrey Brown and co-writer Egan Reich. At turns funny, sad, and sweet, SAVE THE DATE is a sincere story about the familial and romantic bonds that form us all.

Directed by Michael Mohan

Starring Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arend, and Mark Webber

After an ill-timed and very public marriage proposal, fiercely independent Sarah (Caplan) breaks up with her overeager boyfriend Kevin (Arend). Sarah turns to her sister Beth (Brie) for support, but Beth is too busy obsessing over the details of her own wedding to Kevin’s band mate, Andrew (Starr). When Sarah suddenly finds herself caught up in an intense rebound romance with the adorable Jonathan (Webber), she is forced to examine her own fears of commitment and vulnerability. With honesty, heart, and humor, all five struggle with the trials, happiness, and pain of modern love. In the end Sarah must decide — is it better to stay safely single or to risk it all on love?

SAVE THE DATE is directed by Michael Mohan. He co-wrote the screenplay with Jeffrey Brown and Egan Reich. The cast includes Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Geoffrey Arend, and Mark Webber. The film is produced by Jordan Horowitz, Michael Huffington, and Michael Roiff. Executive Producer is Gary Gilbert. Elisha Christian is the Cinematographer and Cindy Chao and Michele Yu are Production Designers. Original music is by Hrishikesh Hirway and editing is by Christian Masini. Original artwork is by Jeffrey Brown.

For more information, check out these sites:
www.savethedatethemovie.com
www.facebook.com/savethedatemovie

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SCREENINGS:

SAVE THE DATE will have its press screening on:
— Monday, January 23, 1:00 p.m., Holiday 3

Additional screenings are at the following dates and times:
— Sunday, January 22, 2:30 p.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City
— Tuesday, January 24, 11:30 a.m., Library Center Theatre, Park City
— Wednesday, January 25, 9:30 p.m., Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, SLC
— Friday, January 27, 12:15 p.m., Eccles Theatre, Park City
— Saturday, January 28, 3:00 p.m., Egyptian Theatre, Park City

To see more of Jeffrey Brown’s catalog, visit the links below!

— Jeffrey Brown’s Top Shelf Catalog

— CLUMSY

— UNLIKELY

— AEIOU

— UNDELETED SCENES

— INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS

— INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS TWO

Jeffrey Brown is currently working on A MATTER OF LIFE to be published by Top Shelf later this year.

CBLDF Releases Year-End Appeal Comic!

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Official Press Release

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to release The Comic Book Fan’s Worst NIGHTMARE!, our 2011 year-end comic showcasing our current casework. Boasting new work by Jeffrey Brown, Ming Doyle, J. Gonzo, Michael Kupperman, Tony Shasteen, and more, the comic is available for free on Comixology and at CBLDF.org !

The CBLDF’s new comic recounts our work defending Brandon X, an American citizen facing a minimum sentence of one year in prison for possessing horror and fantasy manga on his laptop computer. His case is expected to go to trial in 2012, and legal expenses are estimated to run $150,000. Please make a tax-deductible contribution to CBLDF today to help us defend this case, and to create tools for retailers, librarians, and readers to help protect against cases like this happening in the future!

The CBLDF exists because of the grass-roots support of individuals like you! Please support our work by making a tax-deductible donation, signing up or renewing your membership, or signing up a friend for a gift membership. Contributions and membership donations are tax-deductible in the year they’re given. In addition, the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation will make a $5 donation to the CBLDF for every new or renewing membership contribution made by 12/31.

Please help the CBLDF continue our important work — donate today!

Small Press Expo announces debut works from Takashi Murakami, Matt Thurber, Mike Dawson, and others at SPX 2011

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Official Press Release

Small Press Expo announces debut works from Takashi Murakami, Matt Thurber, Mike Dawson, and others at SPX 2011

Bethesda, Maryland; August 16, 2011 – The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons, announces new graphic novels and comics being debuted at the festival.. For summaries, cover images, and details of all the debuting work, please visit http://www.spxpo.com/debuts

SPX has always been a showcase for new talent and a great place to debut new works. This year’s debuts — 38 at the time of this release! — represent a diverse range of cartooning styles, narrative approaches and topics, audiences, and cartoonists.

Takashi Murakami’s Stargazing Dog, the latest bestseller by the internationally renowned designer, will be available in an English-language version from NBM Publishing. The Japanese version has sold over a half a million copies and is slated to become a feature film.

Mike Dawson debuts the graphic novel compilation of last year’s Ignatz-award winner for Outstanding Online Comic, Troop 142.

Matt Thurber introduces 1-800-Mice, an imaginative and ambitious narrative set in the imaginary city of Volcano Park, where flying mouse couriers have replaced Federal Express.

Jennifer Hayden releases the print compilation of her popular and acclaimed autobiographic online comic Underwire. The comics previously appeared on ACT-I-VATE.com..

The festival features additional debuts from: 1RODHWY, Troy-Jeffrey Allen and Jay Payne, Americans UK, Pat Barrett, Jonathan Baylis, Carolyn Belefski, Jeffrey Brown, Marjee Chmiel and Sandra Lanz, Ernie Colon, the Draw Sucka! artists, Mario A. Gonzales, Seamus Heffernan, Jeph Jacques, James Jarvis, Jim8ball, Josh Kramer, Molly Lawless, Eric Leland, Joel Lolar, Renee Lott, Kyle Magnan, Jeremy Massie, Tom McHenry, Shawn Padraic Murphy, Jamie Noguchi, Melody Often, Katie Omberg, Desiree Pittman, Peter Quach, Ashley Quigg, Ethan Rilly, Justin Rivers and Courtney Zell, Jon Reed, Matthew D. Smith, The Sequential Artist Workshop, Andrea Tsurumi, Sara Turner, Joey Weiser, Jeremy Whitley and Jason Strutz, K. Sekelsky, Robert Ullman, Yuichi Yokoyama, and Chris Yura.

Interviews and review copies may be available. Please contact the SPX press office at the number above.

About SPX

SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators, as well as a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org.

The hours for SPX 2011 are 11am–7pm Saturday, September 10, and 12–6pm Sunday, September 11. Admission is $10 for a single day or $15 for the weekend.

New Blankets, Kung Fu, Any Empire, Homeland, & League 1969 — Top Shelf’s Comic-Con is HUGE

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Official Press Release

New BLANKETS, KUNG FU, ANY EMPIRE, HOMELAND, & LEAGUE Top Shelf Products1969 — Top Shelf’s Comic-Con is HUGE!

We always make a splash at San Diego Comic-Con — it’s the biggest show of the year — but honestly, with so many incredible artists and such important new books debuting, PLUS our first books launching on the iPad, this year might be our most jam-packed convention ever! We hope you’ll come to see us, July 20-24, at the Top Shelf Booth (#1721) — and everybody can check out our digital books through Comics+!

Signings & Hot Debuts @ Booth #1721!

For five exhilarating days, we’ll be cramming together more talent than you’d think could fit in one room, let alone one convention booth! Get ready to meet over a dozen of our greatest authors:

— Craig Thompson (Blankets deluxe edition)
— Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung Fu)
— Nate Powell (Any Empire)
— Robert Venditti (The Homeland Directive)
— Ray Friesen (Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken)
— Andy Runton (Owly)
— James Kochalka (Johnny Boo) and family!
— Jeffrey Brown (Incredible Change Bots Two)
— Jeff Lemire (Essex County)
— JD Arnold & Rich Koslowski (BB Wolf & the 3 LPs)
— Eric Skillman (Liar’s Kiss)
— Matt Kindt (Super Spy)
— plus your crew: Chris Staros, Leigh Walton, and our new ebook expert, Chris Ross!

HOT OFF THE PRESS FOR COMIC-CON DEBUT!!

— BLANKETS (NEW HARDCOVER)
— INFINITE KUNG FU
— ANY EMPIRE
— THE HOMELAND DIRECTIVE
— OKIE DOKIE DONUTS
— PIRATE PENGUIN VS NINJA CHICKEN
— THE LEAGUE OF EXT. GENTLEMEN: CENTURY 1969

Comic-Con’s Top Shelf Panel and Infinite Kung Fu video!

Don’t forget to come by the official Top Shelf panel at Comic-Con, Saturday July 23 at 4:30 in room 8! We’ll have Q&A with the Top Shelf family of authors, plus tons of sneak peeks at what’s coming next from us!

And in case you missed it last week, check out the incredible video that’s been blowing up the internet: this animated trailer for Kagan McLeod’s Infinite Kung Fu!

A Very Kochalka Comic-Con!

James Kochalka is a living legend: indie comics hero, diary comic pioneer, webcomics maestro, musical superstar, and more. His work (including American Elf, Johnny Boo, Dragon Puncher , and more) even earned him the title of Cartoonist Laureate of the state of Vermont! But did you know that his whole family are superstars? Now’s your chance to find out, because they’re all coming to San Diego!
Come by the booth (#1721) to meet the whole Kochalka family — James, Amy, Eli, and Oliver! They’re the stars of American Elf and Dragon Puncher, plus the kids are precocious young cartoonists themselves. The family will be signing a special print created by James just for this show!

Top Shelf’s Award-Winning Catalog Debuts in Comics+ from iVerse at SDCC

Top Shelf Productions joins iVerse Media for digital product launch.

San Diego, CA-18 July 2011 – One of the most diverse and highly-regarded publishers in the world of comics, Top Shelf Productions, is expanding into the digital market. iVerse Media is proud to announce the release of 70+ digital graphic novels from Top Shelf, available today for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch through the Comics+ app.

The first wave of titles includes work from top-selling and award-winning creators such as Andy Runton, Robert Venditti, Nate Powell, Jeff Lemire, Jeffrey Brown, James Kochalka, Renee French, Alex Robinson, Matt Kindt, and many more.

“We are incredibly proud to be releasing this first wave of Top Shelf titles at Comic-Con this year,” said iVerse Media CEO Michael Murphey. “Top Shelf really showcases the art of comics, and we’re excited to be the first to take this journey with them into the digital space.”

The launch titles from Top Shelf include such hits as Owly, The Homeland Directive, Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole, Essex County, Incredible Change-Bots, Johnny Boo, and Too Cool to Be Forgotten. With books spanning every age group and every genre (comedy, drama, action, memoir, fantasy, science fiction, even art books), there’s sure to be something for every reader. Following this initial wave, many more titles from Top Shelf’s rich catalog will be released over the coming weeks and months.

“At Top Shelf, we’re dedicated to telling stories that people connect with; reader-friendly comics with subtext and heart, each presented with a distinctive visual style,” explained Top Shelf publisher Chris Staros. “Now with the iVerse digital launch, it’ll be easier than ever to discover the amazing work our authors are doing, and maybe even find yourself a new favorite.”

Top Shelf and iVerse are breaking new ground — of the major English-language literary/art-comics publishers, Top Shelf is the first to offer its graphic novels for the iOS platform. And with prices ranging from $0.99 to $14.99, they hope to welcome plenty of new readers.

Titles are available now in the Comics+ Application for iOS.

Review – Incredible Change-Bots Two

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Incredible Change-Bots TwoSpoofs are a tough one.  They either work remarkably well, skewering their source material and providing a good laugh, or it feels like a cheap shop that’s neither funny or inciteful as to the small quirks that we overlook from the source material.  Incredible Change-Bots Two by Jeffrey Brown pulls it off though and got me laughing at numerous points.

Four years ago, an alien race of shape-changing robots came to Earth, fired ray guns at each other for a while, then gave up and flew away. But they left behind one thing: Shootertron, the semi-cunning leader of the evil Fantasticons! Fortunately for Earth, Shootertron’s memory is a little fuzzy. Unfortunately for Earth, the rest of the Incredible Change-Bots seem to be on their way back…

It’s all-new action, drama, and comedy as Shootertron struggles to find an identity on Earth and the rest of the Change-Bots struggle to accomplish much of anything. Hilarious and gleefully childlike, Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots Two is a nostalgic tribute not only to Saturday morning cartoons but also to Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots One

The series is pretty damn funny and a great spoof of the Transformers series.  It mocks it but at the same time holds it up for what we love about it.  It’s filled with the lame robots that often cropped up, and really as a whole even Go-Bots could kick this crowd’s ass.

The art is hard to describe and works well for the series.  The humor is consistent throughout, with slight digs that got me to think how often some of these “quirks” came up in the source material it spoofs.  It shows love for the material it takes on, keeps it original and kept me entertained.

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Happy Holidays from Top Shelf!

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Top Shelf Products

Happy Holidays from Top Shelf!

Hey friends,

We’re honored and proud to have made it through another year here at Top Shelf — publishing these books is a dream come true for all of us, and it’s all thanks to your support.

Now, as we’re wrapping up a great 2010 and preparing for a truly exciting 2011, we want to say “thank you” and wish you all a very happy holiday season!

All the best,

Chris, Brett, Rob, Leigh & the Top Shelf family

(and dig this lovely piece of winter beauty from longtime Top Shelf pal Max Estes!)

NEW IN PREVIEWS!

INCREDIBLE CHANGE-BOTS TWO
by Jeffrey Brown

Now guess who’s back!

Four years ago, an alien race of shape-changing robots came to Earth, fired ray guns at each other for a while, then gave up and flew away. But they left behind one thing: Shootertron, the semi-cunning leader of the evil Fantasticons! Fortunately for Earth, Shootertron’s memory is a little fuzzy. Unfortunately for Earth, the rest of the Incredible Change-Bots seem to be on their way back… It’s all-new action, drama, and comedy as Shootertron struggles to find an identity on Earth and the rest of the Change-Bots struggle to accomplish much of anything. Hilarious and gleefully childlike, Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots Two is a nostalgic tribute not only to Saturday morning cartoons but also to Jeffrey Brown’s Incredible Change-Bots One.

— $14.95 (US)
— 140-page full-color graphic novel with french flaps
— ISBN 978-1-60309-067-4
— Diamond: JAN11-1337
NIGHT ANIMALS
by Brecht EvensLush colors, wild imagination, and rich human themes collide in the Top Shelf debut of Belgian cartoonist Brecht Evens (The Wrong Place). Night Animals is a deluxe full-color comic book containing two wordless stories, each a feast for the mind as well as the eyes. Join an innocent young girl as she becomes a woman and learns where the wild things are, then follow a rabbit-suited man as his blind date becomes the epic journey of a lifetime. These gorgeous, bewitching tales are not to be missed!– $7.95 (US)
— 48-Page full-color deluxe comic book
— 6.75″ x 9.25″
— UPC 094922048837 

Two fantastic full-color books now opening up for pre-orders (to be published in March). Ask your favorite comic shop to save a copy for you!

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