Joe's Comics Imprint

[Jan]

By the way, if you want to get in good with your Local Comic Shop, let them know about this:

Comic Shop Retailers! To promote Ten Grand we're sending individually hand-signed posters. If you want one for your shop, tweet your address

ETA: JMS posted much the same on Facebook. I asked if it would be both his and Templesmit's autographs and he replied:

I don't think we'll be able to get them to Ben in time to get them turned around to retailers before the window on orders for #1 close at the end of the month.

Jan

[Jan]

Interview with both JMS and Ben Templesmith:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/templesmith-JMS-ten-grand-image-comics.html

ETA: JMS also posted a link to some preview pages (some 'ole', some new):

http://www.geekscape.net/geekscape-comics-preview-ten-grand-by-j-michael-straczynski-and-ben-templesmith

Jan

[Jan]

New art (with words!!) up now, along with the news that there will be a signed limited edition with covers by Jae Lee to benefit the Hero initiative:

http://www.comicvine.com/news/exclusive-first-look-j-michael-straczynskis-joe-comics-variant-covers/146226/

(there are links to purchase the special issues at the end of the article before the "About Joe's Comics" info.

Jan

[Jan]

JMS has set up a Facebook page for Joe's Comics now:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joes-Comics/512597738788449

ETA: Includes new cover art for both TEN GRAND and SIDEKICK.

Also a Twitter account:

@joescomics

Jan

[Jan]

Another comic store signing coming up:

Attention Citizens of San Francisco: on July 3rd at 3:30 I will be signing at Escapist Comics in Berkeley, 3090 Claremont Avenue

[Jan]

A couple of items from the "Joe's Counter" segment of today's issue of TEN GRAND.

First, JMS tells about how ALONE (drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz) came to be:

"The book came about through an email exchange in which we asked, "Is it possible to deconstruct comic book storytelling in ways no one has done before? And if it is possible, what would that look like?"

The book will be solicited after all six issues are done due to an intense research-and-development phase.

And speaking of ALONE, my email just brought me a link to this little tongue-in-cheek article about a 'new' award category at the Eisner's and why this book is getting early buzz as a shoo-in.

http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/news/122911-images-alone-gaining-early-eisner-buzz.html

If this was announced yesterday, it didn't make it to any of my feeds:

Cemetery Cats the first illustrated fantasy novel from Joe's Comics. It's the story of Kristabel, a cat whose fourteen-year-old mistress has passed away. Kristabel follows her mistress to the cemetery where she joins the other cats who stand guard against the Whisperers, creatures of darkness that devour the spirits of the recently dead. It's a story of love and devotion that continues beyond the grave, to something deeply profound, beautiful and eternal.

Really looking forward to this.

More about Dream Police and The Book of Lost Souls in that thread.

There are a bunch of intriguing 'sticky' notes called NOTES/IDEAS around the page:

Cemetery Cats
-get list of artists good at drawing cats

Image Expo
- SIDEKICK black & white edition

- Set up San Diego signing schedule
- Apocalypse Al promotional video

Jan

[Jan]

JMS was asked about Protectors, Inc. and replied:

Yes. Protectors, Inc., drawn by Gordon Purcell, will debut this fall at NYCC. Angel Descending we're pushing down a bit to make room for the Bill Sienkiewicz project.

ETA: I don't see JMS announced as a guest as yet but he might have his stuff included in Image panels and signings.

A bit more about ALONE:

Finally, in terms of comics, the last big announcement to come from Joe's Comics is the collaboration between myself and Bill Sienkiewicz on a new six-part series called Alone.

We're not letting a lot out about this book for the moment, but in general terms what we're trying to do is deconstruct how comic book storytelling is done. Since we first said this, some folks have interpreted this being tonal in nature, i.e., "the hero who is actually the evil guy" deconstruction that we've all seen before. That's not at all what we're trying to do, which is to address is the physical process by which a story is rendered in comic form.

Those who know my work know that I'm constantly experimenting with form. In the last Dr. Manhattan book, we flipped the reader, and the pages, upside down to show a change in perspective and point of view. In Rising Stars there's a page dealing with a character who can hear the dead, and the page is blank other than just seeing him sitting in a chair, surrounded by white page. Flip the page over and there's hovering spirits with their dialogue balloons rendered backward. So if you go back to the previous page and hold it up to the light, you can now see through the page to see the spirits talking to him.

That's more the kind of thing we're talking about...trying to use the comics from in new and unconventional ways. Which is why I reached out to Bill. I need more than someone who thinks outside the box, I need someone who lives outside the box, and may not actually believe there is a box.

So it's going to be a great experiment with form and delivery and technique. Should be a lot of fun.

ETA again...JMS posted the logo for ALONE.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=603890269645840&set=a.141141352587403.20034.139652459402959&type=1&theater

Looks to me like it could also be All One.

7/5 ETA: I'd posted my observation that the ALONE logo also looked like All One. JMS replied:

Jan: yes, it does.

Something tells me our minds are going to be bent by this title.

Jan

[Jan]

I asked JMS about how many of the con variants there would be and he replied:

There will be 500 of each variant sold at the Studio JMS/Joe's Comics table, and Ten Grand #4 with the regular cover, also by Brian Templesmith, is still available for pre-order.

I also asked for a booth/table number as I've been looking at the exhibitor and artist alley lists and can't find a listing for either Joe's Comics or Studio JMS.

Jan

[JoeD80]

There's an Image Comics booth at 2729...possibility

[Jan]

Wouldn't be surprised if he's there some of the time but apparently there'll be a separate Joe's Comics table as there was in Chicago.

Not yet, we're waiting to be assigned a table in Artist's Alley.

Hope they give him a good location for lines like they did there.

Jan

[Jan]

Just found it in the newly posted Quick Guide. The J. Michael Straczynski table in Artist Alley is II-16 which is on an aisle and there's probably some line-up room available, depending on whether the entry doors will be open or not.

Jan

[Jan]

JMS posted an interview from his table at SDCC. Of particular interest might be what he says about "Alone" with Bill Sienkiewicz:

http://www.previewsworld.com/Home/1/1/71/977?articleID=137533

(oh, good lord...I actually spelled Bill's name correctly without looking!)

Jan

[Jan]

General comic update from JMS:

Busy week-plus: turned in scripts for Sidekick 4 and Terminator issue 3, conspiracies revealed in the former, new designed Terminators in the latter.

Jan

[Jan]

I asked how long it takes for JMS to write a comic script.

Jan: about a week to ten days, sometimes faster, sometimes slower, depending on whether or not the story is cooperating.

Jan

[Jan]

Image has a 50% off sale going for their digital comics. Here's a link to JMS' comics:

http://imagecomics.com/store/creators/view/j-michael-straczynski

Jan