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Preview: 12 Reasons to Die

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Graphic Policy Team

12 Reasons to Die

Created by: Ghostface Killah / Executive Produced by: RZA
Written by: Matthew Rosenberg & Patrick Kindlon
Illustrated by: Ronald Wimberly, Breno Tamura, Gus Storms, Kyle Strahm, Joe Infurnari, Christopher Mitten, Jim Mahfood, Tim Seeley, Nate Powell, Ben Templesmith, Tyler Crook, Toby Cypress, Juan Doe, Joelle Jones, Edwin Huang, Johnnie Christmas, Russel Roehling, Ryan Kelly, Michael Walsh, Chris Hunt, Riley Rossmo, David Murdoch, Garry Brown, Johnny Ryan, Shaky Kane, Benjamin Marra, and Brian Level
Colored by: Jean-Paul Csuka
Lettered by: Jim Campbell, Nic J. Shaw
Mature / $24.99 / 180 pages

Guns. Sex. Vinyl. Revenge. Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah and RZA teamed with then young-gun writers Matthew Rosenberg (Uncanny X-Men, 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank) & Patrick Kindlon (Survival Fetish, Nobody Is In Control) for this brutal tale of a dangerous crime lord’s rise and fall.

Collects issues 1-6.

Talking All Time Comics with Josh Bayer and Mixing “Contemporary” with “Old School”

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Brett

In December, Fantagraphics announced a new superhero universe All Time Comics headed up by Josh Bayer. The line will feature a series of six comics featuring stand alone, interconnected adventures with a focus of retro crime fighting bringing together new cartoonists with classic creators.

The line of comics features the creative talents of Bayer, Herb Trimpe, Ben Marra, Jim Rugg, Johnny Ryan, Al Milgrom, Das Pastoras, Tony Millionaire, Rick Buckler, Victor Martinez, and Noah Van Sciver.

I got a chance to ask Josh some questions about the line, its influences, and what we can expect.

Graphic Policy: Where did the idea for All Time Comics come from and how long did it take from the initial idea to the announcement?

Josh Bayer: That’s a good question. It was an incredibly long time, from 2014 ‘til now. Looking back, that three years represents a ton of work under the bridge, writing scripts, editing contacting talent, getting worked lettered, colored, not to mention promoting and getting the work ready to print.

GP: With a shared superhero universe starting from scratch, that has to feel a bit overwhelming. How’d you go about figuring out what to characters to highlight with this initial batch?

JB: Beginning points are always hard. With All Time Comics, we started eating the sandwich from the middle. Not only did we jump into the middle of this endeavor, but we wrote the books as if there was a whole history, as if these are from an alternate universe where All Time Comics were an ongoing thing for decades. I wrote most of the books, or co-wrote them with Ben concurrently with each other, so if one book wasn’t the best beginning point the next one might be. That lessened some of that anxiety.

GP: What were your influences while putting this together? What are some of your favorite shared superhero universe?

JB: I don’t know if they influenced but inspired yes: Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics, Alan Moore’s 1963 line and some of Mark Grunewald’s Dp7 comics, and a few of the other New Universe books. Definitely, but mostly Mark Grunewald.

GP: One of the big things you hear folks talking about when it comes to shared universes is accessibility. Was that on your mind when you went about creating everything?

JB: Yes, but that’s more like something which makes sense in retrospect rather than something I planned. I just wanted to make some books with my brother and my friends, and then with my heroes, it got more interesting as it went on.

GP: How much detail have you go into creating all of the characters? Is there years of backstory or is this the “birth” of these characters and universe?

JB: Not all the backstory is present, we really scratch the surface. We show Crime Destroyer’s origin in a one-page montage that is my favorite Herb Trimpe page. We don’t go into the other three heroes’ backstories, so there is a lot of that to delve into in the future, potentially.

At the same time Phil Jimenez was my teacher at SVA, he used to say that the modern comics industry sometimes thinks that everything needs a reason behind it and an explanation, but not everything needs an explanation all the time. So there’s checks and balances, we know the past of the characters, but you don’t necessarily need all that information to make them the best comics they can be.

GP: The folks participating on the project is an impressive roster of talent. How’d you go about recruiting everyone and what were some of their initial reactions?

JB: The younger cartoonists were mostly people I already knew. For the older artists I asked around. One of my friends Cliff Gailbrath was instrumental in getting me in touchy with Herb, and I think I contacted Al through his commission website. Once Herb vouched for me it opened a lot of doors. Aside from that I was really lucky and worked hard to impress those guys. I had never done as polished as script as I produced for Herb, but I wanted it to be as impressive as I could manage. I have no complaints about how that evolved I look back and I was very fortunate that this thing worked.

GP: How’d it get decided who would work on what project?

JB: I just made lists of my favorite people, made them offers, and shifted teams around based on their needs and availability. Each one was an experiment, and each one worked out. Believe me, I’d love to have 15 more teams of unlikely collaborators working together. It’s just a matter of time, money, and basic resources, not a lack of inspiration.

GP: Diversity seems to be on the mind of so many in the industry. Was that something you thought about when creating the characters and recruiting the talent?

JB: Having older and younger artists working together is a nice step towards representing those older and younger faces, but I’d like All Time Comics to be more diverse. Season one, we had four artists, all from similar backgrounds, even if we’re from different eras. If there’s a Season Two, you’ll hear from a broader array of voices in some All Time Comics books we have coming out after these first issues.

GP: The announcement talks about “old-school comics” and “contemporary storytelling.” What are those things to you?

JB: That’s a good question, since those are broad terms and are meant as a calling card to the public. Old School comics had a texture and an energy I liked. That energy was embodied by people like Al and Herb, and that energy is still around, not just in our books — it’s not like mainstream comics are done by robots. There’s a lot of stuff I’ve seen that I like in other people’s superhero comics. People like Ben and Noah are both contemporary and old school, they are traditionalist, and at the same time are interested in speaking to people in today’s world. And so am I. Old school and contemporary means the combination of all our efforts.

GP: There’s been the initial announcement and launch, can we expect more down the road?

JB: First, we need everyone to go out and dig Crime Destroyer, Bullwhip, Atlas and Blind Justice. After that? To be continued….

GP: Thanks so much for chatting.

Fantagraphics Launches a New Superhero Universe with All Time Comics

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Graphic Policy Team

From Fantagraphics comes All Time Comics, a shared superhero universe featuring the world’s most fanta*stic heroes. Atlas! Blind Justice! Bullwhip! Crime Destroyer!

Each issue of All Time Comics features a mash-up of new cartoonists and classic comic book creators collaborating with writer Josh Bayer to unleash superhero stories that no other publisher would dare to publish: a stunning series of six comic books featuring startling stand alone, interconnected adventures chock-full of retro crime fighting. The launch title, All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #1, is a 36 page oversized spectacular featuring the wonderful writing of Josh Bayer, the irresistible inks of Ben Marra, and the last art by legendary artist Herb Trimpe, who co-created Wolverine. The first issue also features covers by acclaimed cartoonists Jim Rugg and Johnny Ryan. Upcoming issues of All Time Comics feature art by Rick Buckler, Ben Marra, Al Milgrom, Noah Van Sciver, and more.

All Time Comics is the joint venture of the Bayer brothers: Josh Bayer, an underground comics artist and teacher, and acclaimed mainstream director Samuel Bayer, who launched his career 25 years ago with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video.

In addition to featuring the last art by Wolverine co-creator Herb Trimpe, All Time Comics features the first work of veteran artist and industry legend Al Milgrom since 2014.

All Time Comics is a shared superhero universe featuring four heroes: Atlas, Blind Justice, Bullwhip, and Crime Destroyer.

The oversized first issue of All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer issue 1 will retail for $4.99, and subsequent standard size issues will retail for $3.99.

Don’t miss the most talked about superhero event not published by a corporate conglomerate when the adventures of the world’s most fanta*stic heroes begin in March 2017!

Check out the full creative teams for the comics below.

All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #1

Josh Bayer (story); Herb Trimpe (pencils); Ben Marra (inks); Jim Rugg (cover) + Johnny Ryan (cover); MARCH 2017

All Time Comics: Bullwhip #1

Josh Bayer (story); Ben Marra (pencils); Al Milgrom (inks); Das Pastoras (cover) + Tony Millionaire (cover); APRIL 2017

All Time Comics: Atlas #1

Josh Bayer (story); Ben Marra (story, pencils, inks); Das Pastoras (cover); MAY 2017

All Time Comics: Blind Justice #1

Josh Bayer (story and pencils); Rick Buckler (pencils); Al Milgrom (inks); Victor Martinez (cover); JUNE 2017

All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #2

Josh Bayer (story); Ben Marra (story, pencils, inks); Das Pastoras (cover); JULY 2017

All Time Comics: Blind Justice #2

Josh Bayer (story); Ben Marra (story); Noah Van Sciver (pencils); Al Milgrom (inks); Das Pastoras (cover); AUGUST 2017

Small Press Expo Announces Programming Slate for SPX 2011

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Brett

Official Press Release

Bethesda, Maryland; August 11, 2010 – The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce its slate of programming for SPX 2011. SPX is proud to have earned a reputation for offering some of the most insightful, stimulating public interviews and panel discussions in comics today, assembled by comics educator and curator Bill Kartalopoulos.

Audiences at this year’s festival will have the opportunity to enjoy spotlight presentations and question-and-answer sessions with many of SPX’s headline guests, including Chester Brown, Roz Chast, Anders Nilsen, Diane Noomin, Johnny Ryan, Alex Robinson, Ann Telnaes, Craig Thompson, and Jim Woodring.

This year’s programming will also include a number of thoughtful panel discussions such as:

– “Inside The New Yorker,” featuring Roz Chast and Kate Beaton in conversation.
– “Narrative Logic: Surreal and Obscure,” with Marc Bell, Matthew Thurber, and Jim Woodring.
– “The Secret History of Women in Comics” with Jessica Abel, Diane Noomin and others, moderated by Heidi MacDonald.
– “Comics in the Library,” a round-table discussion with Sara Duke from the Library of Congress, Charles Brownstein, and representatives of two local library systems.
– “Navigating the Contemporary Publishing Landscape” with Mike Dawson, Meredith Gran and Julia Wertz.
– “Images of the Body” with Robyn Chapman, Jennifer Hayden, Gabby Schulz, and Jen Vaughn.

Additional programming events will include a slideshow presentation by Kim Thompson about the works of French comics giant Jacques Tardi and a hands-on cartooning workshop open to all attendees.

This year’s panels and spotlight sessions will be moderated by a bevy of critics, scholars, and other experts including Johanna Draper Carlson, Rob Clough, Craig Fischer, Martha H. Kennedy, Sean T. Collins, Joe McCulloch, and many more.

The complete schedule of programming is available on the SPX web site at http://www.spxpo.com/programming.

SPX Programming Coordinator Bill Kartalopoulos teaches classes about comics at Parsons The New School for Design. He also co-organizes the Brooklyn Comics Graphics Festival, reviews comics for Publishers Weekly, and has curated several comics-related exhibits including “Cartoon Polymaths” at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center. He recently assisted Art Spiegelman on the production of MetaMaus, a book and DVD about the making of Maus.

SPX will be held Saturday, September 11 from 11AM – 7PM and Sunday, September 12, noon – 6PM at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.

Fantagraphics Books At Comic-Con International

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Brett

Official Press Release

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL

OUR PLEDGE TO YOU: ALL COMICS, ALL THE TIME!

Your guide to signings, panels, new books, freebies, sales and more!

JULY 12 2010, SEATTLE, WA — Comic-Con is upon us, and it is time to spill the beans on some major news. Fantagraphics Books is excited to announce that at this year’s show we will have no celebrity tie-ins, no comic adaptations of summer blockbusters, no TV show spinoffs, no videogame companion books, and no major announcements regarding digital distribution.

We do, however, pledge to deliver more cartoonists, more classic comics collections, more original literary graphic novels, more high-quality foreign reprints of international cartooning, more graphic memoirs, more offbeat humor books, more envelope-pushing anthologies, and more and better books-about-comics and comics history than any other publisher on the floor.

Next week, Fantagraphics Books will close up shop in Seattle and relocate for one week to San Diego, CA for the 2010 Comic-Con International (to booth #1718, to be exact). With over 20 authors signing throughout the weekend – including the first-ever U.S. appearance by MOTO HAGIO, founder of Shojo Manga, as well as American comix legends CAROL TYLER, PETER BAGGE, TONY MILLIONAIRE ,THE HERNANDEZ BROTHERS and many others – as well as over a dozen new books debuting at the show, the weekend promises to be an exciting one for fans of comic books and graphic novels. Here is your guide to Fantagraphics Books’ signings, book debuts, panels and much more!

AUTHOR APPEARANCES AND RELATED PANELS:

Thursday:

12:00 – 1:00: Johnny Ryan & Esther Pearl Watson

1:00 – 2:00: Moto Hago & Jeannie Schulz

2:00 – 4:00: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez

4:00 – 5:00: Carol Tyler

5:00 – 6:00: Blake Bell

Friday:

12:00 – 2:00: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez

2:00 – 4:00: Moto Hagio & Carol Tyler

4:00 – 5:00: Stephen DeStefano & Andrei Molotiu

5:00 – 6:00: Johnny Ryan & Esther Pearl Watson

6:00 – 7:00: Blake Bell, Wendy Everett (daughter of Bill Everett)

10:30AM: Spotlight on Moto Hagio, moderated by Matt Thorn (Rm. 5AB)

12:00PM: Spotlight on Carol Tyler, moderated by Gary Groth

2:00PM: Peanuts 60th Anniversary Panel with Jeannie Schulz

Saturday:

10:00 – 11:00: Mike Vosburg & Mitch Schauer
11:00 – 12:00: Ben Schwartz, Blake Bell and Andrei Molotiu
12:00 – 1:00: Tim Hensley & Carol Tyler
1:00 – 3:00: Peter Bagge, Dame Darcy and Tony Millionaire
3:00 – 5:00: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez
5:00 – 7:00: Moto Hagio & Stephen DeStefano

12:00PM: Spotlight on Peter Bagge, moderated by Jason Miles (Rm. 3)
1:30PM: Comics Criticism panel with Ben Schwartz & co. (Rm. 4)
1:45PM: Cartoon Network panel with Stephen DeStefano & Co.
3:00PM: Comics Reprint Revolution with Gary Groth (Rm. 8)
3:30PM: International Graphic Novels panel with Moto Hagio (Rm. 4)

Sunday:

10:00 – 12:00: Stephen DeStefano & Peter Bagge
12:00 – 1:00: Ted Stearn & Andrei Molotiu
1:00 – 2:00: Moto Hagio & Carol Tyler
2:00 – 4:00: Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez

12:30PM: The Funny Stuff: Humor in Graphic Novels with Peter Bagge (Rm. 8)

NEW FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS DEBUTING AT COMIC-CON:

For more art and information regarding any of the below titles, click the title link.

LUCKY IN LOVE BOOK ONE by George Chieffet and Stephen DeStefano • This debut graphic memoir of one man’s experiences in love and WWII is gorgeously drawn by fan favorite Stefan DeStefano, who will be signing copies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1977 to 1978 (Vol. 14) by Charles M. Schulz • Our 14th (!) volume, featuring an introduction by Alex Baldwin! Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz and President of the Schulz Museum, will be onhand Thursday to sign copies.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1975-1978 Boxed Set by Charles M. Schulz • Collecting the 13th and 14th volumes, this gift box set won’t be in stores until October! Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz and President of the Schulz Museum, will be onhand Thursday to sign copies.

A DRUNKEN DREAM AND OTHER STORIES by Moto Hagio • Our long-awaited foray into the world of Manga, collecting the best work from legendary artist Moto Hagio’s 30 year-plus career. Ms. Hagio will be an International Guest of Honor at this year’s convention, making her first-ever trip to the States and signing all four days of the show.

FROM SHADOW TO LIGHT: THE LIFE & ART OF MORT MESKIN by Steven Brower • A coffee-table retrospective and critical appreciation of the great golden age cartoonist and illustrator, Mort Meskin.

FIRE AND WATER: BILL EVERETT, THE SUB-MARINER AND THE BIRTH OF MARVEL COMICS by Blake Bell • Part-biography of Sub-Mariner creator Bill Everett, part history of the early days of Marvel Comics, and part gorgeous art book, from acclaimed historian and critic Blake Bell, who will be signing copies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Friday, Bell will be joined by Wendy Everett, daughter of Bill Everett, to answer questions and share anecdotes about her father.

TOO SOON? by Drew Friedman • Featuring an introduction by Jimmy Kimmel, this gorgeous coffee-table book features over 15 years of Freidman’s skewering commercial art.

YOU’LL NEVER KNOW BOOK TWO: COLLATERAL DAMAGE by C. Tyler • The second book in Tyler’s critically-acclaimed graphic memoir focusing on her father’s experiences in WWII and how his experiences affected her family after the war. Tyler is a special guest of Comic-Con’s, appearing all four days and participating in an author spoitlight with Gary Groth on Friday at noon.

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ADÉLE BLANC-SEC VOL. 1 by Jacques Tardi • The book that inspired Luc Besson’s 2010 film adaptation is available in English for the first time!

LOVE & ROCKETS NEW STORIES #3 by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez • Another Comic-Con, another new Love & Rockets, and another weekend-long appearance from Fantagraphics’ most towering creators, the great Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez. This issue will not disappoint, we promise you.

PRISON PIT 2 by Johnny Ryan • Last year’s most talked-about book at Comic-Con is back with the eagerly-anticipated second volume, and Johnny Ryan will be as well to sign your copies and answer questions about his mental health.

RIP, M.D. by Mitch Schauer & Mike Vosburg • This all-ages graphic novel by comics veteran Mike Vosburg and animation heavyweight Mitch Schauer will delight parents and children, and the creators will be on hand Saturday morning (natch) to sign copies.

NORMAN PETTINGILL: BACKWOODS HUMORIST by Norman Pettingill • Sporting an introduction by R. Crumb, this deranged art book will surely appeal to fans of outsider art, and although Mr. Pettingill is no longer with us, co-editors Gary Groth and Johnny Ryan will be happy to sign copies and tell you all about this unique visionary.

And, our four new releases in the Ignatz imprint from Fantagraphics Books:

NIGER 3 by Leila Marzocchi

SAMMY THE MOUSE 3 by Zak Sally

INTERIORAE 4 by Gabriella Giandelli

GROTESQUE 4 by Sergio Ponchione

In addition to these exciting author events and new releases, there will be several other surprises for visitors, as well. We’ve put together a number of unique sales for the show that you’ll have to come by to check out, and we’ve also raided our warehouse and gathered as many cool items as we could find to stuff into bags for everyone who makes a purchase at the booth, from rare postcard sets by Peter Bagge, long unavailable buttons featuring classic Fanta characters, free comic books, posters, and much more. We’ve put together about 500 of these goodie bags that will be available with every purchase, while supplies last.

We look forward to seeing you all there!