Simon at Icarus Publishing boils down that article on the evolving editorial slant of Shonen Jump that ComiPress linked to last week, and boils it down into something a bit more comprehensible–and illuminating:

1. Shonen Jump is marketed to boys, but it has a silent, but significant, number of female readers. Significant enough, at least, for Jump to consider this editorial change.
2. The increasing �fan service� for female readers risks alienating male readers, Jump’s core audience.
3. However, female fans may not necessarily embrace the new changes either, finding them contrived, and a needless alteration of the magazine’s overall feel.
4. A segment of the female readers of Jump do not identify themselves as Jump’s audience, and hide their existence as not to influence and change the magazine’s flavor. Let that sink in for a moment…
5. Here’s something that is peripheral to the article, but might be of interest to aspiring OEL creators: Japanese editors exercise a great deal of creative influence on the manga artists they oversee (a prerequisite for the kind of magazine-wide changes this article talks about.)

So to sum up, this would be like the editors of, of say, THE LEGION suddenly putting in homoerotic subtext to appeal to a growing female fanbase. Dear, dear, dear. What is the world coming to?

[LInk via Manga Blog]

Justice turns swiftly in Iran, it seems, as the managing editor of the Iranian newspaper that in May ran a cartoon insulting to the Azeri ethnic minority, has been acquitted:

The state-owned newspaper “Iran� was suspended on May 23 after publishing a cartoon that offended Azeris and led to several days of unrest in the northwestern Azerbaijan province.

“I accept that we were not careful enough in publishing that cartoon but undoubtedly we did not mean to insult our Azeri-speaking compatriots,� Gholamhossein Islamifard was quoted as saying by the daily Etemad, when speaking in his defense.

The newspaper reported his acquittal. A judiciary official confirmed the daily’s managing director had been acquitted but gave no further details.

Cartoonist Mana Neyestani is still awaiting trial, and the paper remains banned.

If you are wondering why we’re taking a break from link-blogging, the follow of three headlines say it all in spades and with a bag of chips:

Graphic Novels Take a Huge Step Forward

Graphic novels the hot new library item

And, finally, the headline that we have been waiting to read for nigh on 30 years now:

Graphic novel makes ordinary life extraordinary.

Our mission is complete, wouldn’t you say?

Cinematical tracks down the latest on the proposed CAVALIER AND KLAY movie after author Michael Chabon posted some rather discouraging sounding things on his blog.

I was unable to find any further info in culling the usual sites for Chabon updates, so I went straight to the source — or the next best thing — Chabon’s wife, author Ayelet Waldman, who confirmed that … Kavalier and Clay “has not been greenlit.”

Speaking of Wuthering Heights, which is one of our favorite books, we forgot to mention that Dame Darcy is doing an illustrated version of Jane Eyre. Everything’s coming up!

Meanwhile, Tintin Pantoja posted a picture of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice at her LJ.

Okay we reallt screwed this up, but that’s what happens late at night. DAME DARCY is doing JANE EYRE by CHARLOTTE BRONTE, which is ANOTHER ONE of our favorite books. NOT Wuthering Heights. That was the English guys.

•DC has starts a “Ask CMX” page. Getting a little more down with the otaku is always good.

Dear CMX
I’ve heard that CMX is releasing EMMA manga. When does it come out, and will it stay faithful to the anime?
- Anna Y., Simi Valley, CA

Dear Anna,
EMMA volume 1 will indeed be out in stores this September. The anime is actually based on this manga, so it will be very faithful! Thanks!
-CMX

•The New York Sun looks at this weekend’s Dark Shadows convention..

•We seem to remember covering this story a while ago, but a semi-autobiographical comic is aimed at slowing the suicide rate among Canadian aboriginals (which would be Native Americans to us.)

Suicide within the Aboriginal community is not just a distant concept for Native comic book illustrator Tania Willard.

“The story I tell is a true story told through a child’s eyes. An older cousin of mine, who I idolized when I was younger, killed himself,” says the British Columbia-based Aboriginal.

Willard is part of an initiative started by the Vancouver Coastal Health and the Healthy Aboriginal Network. Willard produced a comic book aimed at Aboriginal youth called Standing Together. One of the stories she wrote and illustrated was based on her personal experience with suicide.

(The above image is form an unrelated project by Willard.)

•Meanwhile, in England, they’re using comics to introduce a new generation of readers to the Brontë’s:

IT is a turbulent tale of love, hate, revenge and tragedy. A classic Victorian novel set on bleak Yorkshire Moors.
But now one of the greatest works of English literature has been given a radical makeover by a local writer and an artist, who have transformed the story into a comic book novel.
Emily Brontë’s original Wuthering Heights was scorned by critics when it was first released but the passage of time often shows critics to be wrong.
Next month commentators will be able to cast a critical eye on a modernised version when it is released as part of the Radical Brontës Festival, to be held in Bradford.
The book, adapted by Yorkshire-based poet and playwright Adam Strickson and illustrated by Siku, one of the country’s leading graphic artists, who has worked for Marvel comics and 2000AD, was commissioned by the festival.

It was a dog:

The body of the dead animal found in Turner, Maine, according to DNA tests conducted on behalf of and paid for by the Lewiston newspaper, the Sun Journal, belonged to a member of the genus Canis, not a Tasmanian devil, not a rodent, not a Chupacabras, not a hyena, not a werewolf, not an Eastern Bigfoot, and/or not from any wild species speculations that were heard over the last ten days. Nevertheless, it is important to understand, the real Mystery Beast is still out there!

Have we mentioned we’re going to be in Maine for a week?

It used to be t-shirts.

You know, people were always giving you t-shirts. If you work in the media biz and go to even a few conferences, chances are you have a whole bunch of t-shirts you got for free. If you’re The Beat, you long ago stopped taking t-shirts that only come in large, double large and triple large. We can only work out so often, and we’re a little long in the tooth for the t-shirt as a dress with leggings look, especially when the t-shirt has a picture of The Punisher on it.

Recently, everyone started making t-shirts in women’s sizes. So we started taking those. Now we have more t-shirts than we know what to do with or have room for. We own like 6 or 7 black baby doll t-shirts, all with attractive and sporty logos on them. But that is more than we’ll need in a lifetime. So when some one offers us a t-shirt, we just say no. Except once in awhile we do take one, because it’s the only polite thing to do. And even those are stacking up.

At any rate, it seems companies figured out that everyone had enough t-shirts because now they are making tote bags. Tote bags and even satchels. We had a bit of a closet clean up here at SBM this weekend, and were aghast at the number of tote bags we now own. We’re not talking shopping bags, we’re talking sturdy, cloth-handled vinyl totes that are really useful. Some of them are even stylish.

But we just don’t need them.

Now, we do like our Viz bags. Those are super useful. One functions as a gym bag (just enough room for an oversized t-shirt and padlock), one goes back and forth to the office, and one is for…well overflow.

But it didn’t stop there. We probably found 20 tote bags, computer cases, back packs and satchels crammed into the broom closet. (We also found a shopping back with Clive Owen on it that Disney gave away to promote KING ARTHUR. We threw it out.) Some of them are incredibly handy and not shameful for a grown woman to walk around with. But, unless they are in an unusual color or have a LOT of pockets or have a matching make-up bag AND planner…we’re going to have to say no from here on. We are not going to need another tote bag until 2008, at the very soonest.

In the meantime, we’d like to suggest a NEW giveaway for companies, especially comic book companies. We’ve always been partial to the small 5-function utility knife. It comes with tweezers and a toothpick, for crying out loud! And check it out, the t-shirt costs $2.50 to make, the 5-function utility knife barely over a dollar! And they are incredibly useful around the house and for opening packages; trust us, we know. And, we repeat…toothpick! Of course, with all the trouble flying and terrorism and all, maybe carrying around a tote bag full of five-function utility knives is not such a good idea.

Okay, then, can we suggest going back to THE MUG as a promo item? Once again, it costs less than a T-shirt or a tote. And it’s smaller. We even have a collection of vintage promo mugs going back 20 years, when someone gave us our first “You’re a great secretary!” mug. You can’t part with an item like that. We have a nice peg board above the sink — a new mug can easily be added there without causing a storage crisis.

OR, may we suggest “stress relief” promo items. Everyone will get good use from those. Here’s one we like:

“Stress Ball – Construction Cone
Reward “constructive ideas” with this bright orange cone.”

That’s the very meaning of incentive!

If you’re going to go for a high ticket promo piece, check out the computer gear now available to be imprinted with your logo.
Mini-Flash drives and network finders! Come on! People will be lining up.

In conclusion, no more t-shirts or totes. We’re done with those for now. Maybe in a few years it will be okay, but we just don’t need any more for now. We’re full up.

*****

Just to see if anyone is still reading this, we’ll be on vacation in the land of dial-up starting tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Tons of bloggers are taking the week off, and we won’t be going that far, but we’re going to be easing up on the link-blogging and perhaps tackling some weightier subjects with some essays that we’ve long been pondering. There may be some “classic ” material as well. It’s known a “recharging” and it’s badly needed.

Hopefully this will stay up for a while — a pilot for a Plastic Man cartoon prepared for the Cartoon Network. The work of Ren & Stimpy vet Stephen DeStefano and Clone Wars vet Andy Suriano is clearly seen, while Sponge Bob Tom Kenney does the voice.

From PR, a cool event for Monday night:

Local New York author Arie Kaplan will host an event to celebrate the release of his new book, Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed!

The launch party takes place on Monday, August 28 from 6:15–9:30 p.m. at Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art (MoCCA, 594 Broadway, Ste 401, New York, NY, 10012) and will include a panel discussion on “Comic Books: Past, Present and Future� featuring guest panelists J Jerry Robinson, R. Sikoryak and Danny Fingeroth. Robinson is profiled in Kaplan’s book. Eddy Friedfeld will moderate the discussion.

A slide show of integral pieces of comic book art will accompany the discussion. This event is free to the public. Kaplan and Robinson will be available for book signings after the event. For further information on the event, contact Matt Murray at (917) 8163591 or mmurray@moccany.org.

Chronicling the lives and careers of 11 significant comic book and graphic novel artists, Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! presents a revealing look at the evolution of comics as they transformed from a low-brow medium into a well-respected art form. Will Eisner, Stan Lee, Neil Gaiman, Jerry Robinson, Trina Robbins, Art Spiegelman, Gilbert Hernandez, Kyle Baker, Dwayne McDuffie, Ho Che Anderson and Marjane Satrapi are profiled in this conversational history.

HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE, which bills itself as “The National Conservative Weekly” and includes ads for such things as Ann Coulter and a website for beleaguered conservatives who can’t bear to date another liberal, has an article saying that the graphic novel version of 9/11 is not seemly or befitting the Memory of Those Who Died :

In just a few short days the comic book shot up to No. 11 on Amazon.com and to No. 1 on my own personal list of creepiest ways to remember 9/11. At the beginning of the first chapter, the 19 Muslim terrorists aboard the four planes are drawn to mimic the newspaper front pages that showed all the terrorists. Judging by Slate’s rendition, the 19 terrorists look like a bunch of caucasian skateboarders (no offense meant toward America-loving skateboarders). I couldn’t bring myself to flip through all the pages, but there were a couple stand-outs that range from absurd to creepy to disgusting.

The writer and artist use the comic book format to portray the Vice President showing virtually no emotion as he casually points to a television showing a second plane hitting the World Trade Center. In another frame, a pear-shaped and messy Karl Rove tells a robotic President Bush that “A twin-engine plane has crashed into the World Trade Center, Mr. President.” President Bush replies, “Oh no! Must have been pilot error!”

The crass images that really got to me were the Batman-like KAPOW! that was drawn over a fiery Pentagon (BLAMM!) and Twin Towers (R-RRUMBLE… and WHOOOM!). Onomatopoeia never seemed so sinister.

The writer of the piece suggests that giving out pins and standing around flags is a better way to commemorate 9/11.

Personally, I feel that education is a better means of preventing another terrorist act within the United States than standing around a flag. But what do I know, I only live here, as opposed to the writer of the piece who lives in a world where Karl Rove is not pear-shaped.

Newsarama reports on X-office head Mike Marts moving across town:

And no, it’s not a case of Marts being a disgruntled employee. “Far from it,â€? Marts said. “In fact, things have been very good at marvel for me the past several years–I’ve worked with some of the best creators in the business, the editorial staff is top notch, plus, for the first time in a long time, I feel as though the X-books have all the right creators working on them and are headed in a great and exciting direction. And I can’t say enough good things about my bosses at marvel. Both Dan Buckley and Joe Quesada are the best of the best, and I’ve learned a great many things from both guys.

“But, all that being said, I’ve been at Marvel a long time, and the urge to try new things, to face new challenges has been very strong.�

Marts will mark the first DCU editorial hire above the assistant or associate level since Dan Didio joined the company. “Mike not only comes with a great resume of books that he’s worked on, but also comes with the highest recommendations from the talent that’s worked with him, so we’re looking forward to him coming in, and bringing a fresh set of eyes to the DCU,� Didio said.

The only project announced for Marts in the piece ias working on the ALL-STAR line, specifically ALL-STAR WONDER WOMAN.

Funnily enough, in recent weeks we had several conversations with folks about the best editors in comics, and Marts was always one of the first names mentioned, so this is quite a find for DC. It’s also the first new senior hire in editorial in four years. Marvel is also losing its softball team captain, so in theory this could be the start of DC overtaking Marvel at last, on the softball diamond at least.

According to his email newsletter, there are now SEVEN free Kyle Baker cartoons on the web. They would be a bargain at any price:
1. THE BAKERS IN: NOSE
2. THE BAKERS IN: HEROINE
3. THE BAKERS IN: TASTE
4. THE BAKERS IN: THE SOFATEERS
5. THE BAKERS IN: GIANT STEP
6. THE BAKERS IN: DISCIPLINE
7. CELEBRITY COOKBOOK

Baker’s irregular newsletter also reports that NAT TURNER #1 is back in print, and the second collection is due in December.

The reason for the delay is embarrassing: THE BOOKS WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN I EXPECTED! That’s right, in spite of the fact that I hadn’t completed the story and that I’d done very little to publicize the NAT TURNER comic series, the thing became a runaway hit, and Liz and I were overwhelmed fulfilling orders! I spent more time at the post office than at the drawing board! To be fair, I was spending a lot more time at the bank also, so thanks to the folks that bought ‘em! Anyway, we’ve happily decided to delegate the publishing responsibilities for NAT TURNER and some other KB books. In a few weeks, I’ll be able to reveal some exciting new publishing alliances which will ensure you regular and timely access to Kyle Baker cartoons from now on! By the way, Liz and I don’t handle the kylebaker.com gift shop orders personally, so if you do buy something there, you’ll get it quickly!

Baker has relocated to LA temporarily to work on PHINEAS AND FERB for the Disney Channel.

The cover to DORK #11 by Evan Dorkin has been posted. It is coming. Go to link for larger version.

The last issue of DORK came out in 2002 as near as we can figure.

Vera’s Particular Sketchblog has launched. On it she mentions that she is working as a story artist on CORALINE, Henry Selick’s animated adaptation of the Neil Gaiman book.

BeaucoupKevin is posting remixed pages of Watchmen as if they were written by Stan Lee. Let’s all get together and reward Kevin for his hard work? Like maybe we could buy him a gift certificate for MENSA or something?

Need more be said?

Her first guest is Tycho Brahe (Jerry Holins) of PENNY ARCADE.

In this installment, Tycho shares his inadvertent exposure to porn, his love of words, and tries to get me to throw down on Internet drama. Next week, we talk Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, and Austen fanfic good and bad. No kidding.