Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with comics

Help with project? Please list fictional cities !

ahtlast93 — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:39:55 -0800

For a project I'm currently working on as part of my graduation in Graphic Design, I wanted to compile something like an atlas of fictional cities. These may be from books, legends, stories, video games, advertisements, comics, really whatever... Even "real" cities but alternate versions, imagined or in some way deviate from their real counterpart are valid. The project started about a year ago, where it was a quick assignment that resulted in a book a of interviews and retellings of these fictional cities (I can post some images later). This one was more conceptually driven and people would tell me of cities on the go, without necessarily knowing the cities they spoke of, driven by the notion that if these cities are imagined, anyone could potentially imagine them again and alter them. Or something :D

This time I want to expand it and figured why not ask metafilter to help me out. I would greatly appreciate the help, and would gladly send a copy to anyone interested (it honestly isn't as boring as it's sounds, it's more of an active book with constantly changing content and layouts, not a novel or anything).

Cities I used for interviews were the City of Ceasars (from a myth), Zora (from Italo Calvino's invisible cities), Los Angeles (from Blade Runner) and an unnamed city from a manga by Tsutomu Nihei. So basically, anything goes. (i.e. your own imagined places are entirely valid, doesn't need to be sourced).

If you have an example, please list it, it doesn't need a name, but a description (if from a book for example) or an image, or both, would be very fantastic.

Thank you

Need practical advice on lettering a graphic novel book project.

markkraft — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:48:21 -0800

The illustrations have already been drawn on card stock and inked, for an actual, physical project inspired by this kind of handmade "star book" design... but now it's time to tackle the lettering. Are there any good, professional ways of doing it without hand lettering everything? If so, can you link to examples / tutorials? Or is hand lettering the only good option available? (Scanning the illustrations, adding lettering, and reprinting is not an option.)

Selling Comics on eBay

entropicamericana — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:55:09 -0800

I'm tired of my four long boxes of comic books from my youth taking up closet space. I'm going to be selling them on eBay, as you do. I need your tips, tricks, and advice. The comics are from roughly 1986 through 1991 and most have not been boarded (though all are bagged). I realize most of these have little value and are best sold in lots (like key story lines or lots of a particular title). From what I can tell, most eBay comic sellers ship the comics bagged and boarded.

My main question is: Is it worth buying boards for four long boxes full of 1986-1991 comics (mostly Batman and Marvel A-listers (Spider-Man, X-Men, etc.) or will I be able to sell these for a decent price without boards?

Any other tips or tricks I should know about? (I've pulled my most valuable ones and will be sending them to CGC, so I'm already on top of that.)

Who is the most powerful enemy that Batman has defeated?

Doroteo Arango II — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:32:53 -0800

Who is the most powerful enemy that Batman has defeated? How did he do it? I am mostly interested in single enemies, but if Batman's most powerful defeated enemy is something like a corporation or government, I would love to know that too. Comics, movies and TV series welcome.

Mystery ultraviolent manga from/before late '80s

shortfuse — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:52:09 -0800

Hoping to ID an incredibly violent manga that I read a few pages of, back around '88 give or take a couple of years. I've had some images seared in my then-impressionable brain. Lots of blood and gore but not explosively cartoonish like, say, Hokuto no Ken / Fist of North Star. More cruel than anything. Set in modern times. The main character was some sort of vagabond/wanderer/assassin, and was drawn in a Golgo 13 style, with longish hair and maybe a leather jacket. Episodic stories as far as I can tell of him going around fighting baddies. I had borrowed it from a Japanese girl - I believe it was a tankobon. I didn't speak Japanese then so I can't relay non-visual details. Some scenes I recall:

- The "hero" is being attacked by a "villain" who is trying to mow down the hero using a big rig truck with a bulletproof glass protecting the driver's seat. Unfazed, the hero jumps almost superhumanly, and dive-kicks the glass. Cracks appear to the speechless shock of the villain. Another kick, and the hero smashes thru the glass, jump-kicking the villain straight on the forehead. An x-ray-like frame shows the villain's skull, now with cracks. He dies.

- The hero is fighting off multiple villains. He beats them, but not before 2 baddies have driven their swords into the hero, from the back, around waist-level. He is bleeding profusely, but still walks away after saying some words to a female character nearby in that Japanese manga-hero macho way. Next frame shows him in a hospital though, barely surviving.

- A villain is able to control snakes to attack and murder people. He learned this in some sort of training camp for evil folks. He kills a bunch of people at a gathering (party?), sending his snakes into the house/building and having them bite and choke people to death. A woman who trained with him at the camp is involved in fighting him, and eventually she throws a short knife into his forehead/skull to kill him.

Recommend me some fun comic books with superheroes

selfnoise — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:30:42 -0800

What's worth reading from DC or Marvel, or the other guys in the last decade or so? I'm looking for superhero comics written recently enough that I can buy the trades new easily. I'll leave my likes and dislikes below. I like witty writing, interesting art, and comics that don't take themselves too seriously or contain excessive amounts of grim darkness. I'm interested primarily in superhero stuff this time around because I usually don't read much of it, and I'd like a change of pace.

Examples of comics I've liked:
Anything by Warren Ellis/Grant Morrison/Alan Moore/Brian K Vaughn. (If you were thinking of recommending something, I've probably read it, sadly)
Astonishing X-Men (Whedon)
Invincible Iron Fist (The Matt Fraction/Aja one)
Hawkeye (again, Fraction/Aja. My comics guy just sold me this one and it's great)
Scott Pilgrim
Justice League (the old Giffen/DeMatteis version which was sort of jokey)

What I don't like:
Too much melodrama
Grim Darkness
Misogyny/women in refrigerators
Excessively muscley art (you know, like He Man. It's weird)
Excessive retconning shenanigans to the point where I have to spend a lot of time on Wikipedia (hi, DC!)

Basically, I want fun action that doesn't take itself too seriously. I appreciate any recommendations you can offer!

(Oh and please no manga, that's not what I'm feeling like at the moment)

What indie comic festivals should I attend?

emiljaeo — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:48:54 -0800

A question for the alternative comic book artists out there who sell their books at small press festivals across the country. What are the must-attend festivals I should try to register for and how hard is it to get in? I just finished my first full-length comic book, which I will be selling at MoCCAfest in New York this April. Hoping to extend my "book tour" beyond this one event, I attempted -- in vain -- to get a table at SPX this year. Now I'm left wondering where to go from here. What are the other indie comic art festivals in North America (and maybe Europe) I should set my sights on? Some Googling got me APE in San Francisco, and perhaps TCAF in Toronto. Anything else? Please let me know which shows are curated and which are open to newbie exhibitors. Thanks!

What was this story of the "god-like man?"

phearlez — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:49:32 -0800

What was this dimly-remembered short story about a superhero ignoring big world threats in favor of saving kids from escalators? All of this is subject to being poorly recalled by my beer-picked brain, so take it with a grain of salt.

Years ago, as a younger comics reader, I saw a short story that meant to explore the issue with superhero comics - namely that a super-powered individual who just saves kids from speeding cars is obviously neglecting a million more serious issues.

I am pretty sure "god-like man" was used to describe the superhero (a fairly transparent reference to DC's Superman) and it details him ignoring despots, dictators, mass killings, starvation, etc, till finally swooping down and saving a child from an injury on an escalator, or some similarly trivial thing.

I've long thought it was written by Bill Willingham, who then would have been doing Elementals and is now known for Fables. But it could well have been Dave Sim, given the hostility to superbooks.

Proper identification would be great. The text, online, would be better. Or did I write this in my sleep and fail to transcribe it?

Tips for working with a with a comic artist

ropeladder — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:00:51 -0800

I have an econ blog and asked a friend of mine to help illustrate some posts with comics. He agreed! Have you been on either side of a comparable collaboration? Could you offer some tips? I want to give him creative freedom and keep it fun for him, but I also have some ideas about what I'm looking for and not looking for. Help me honestly engage him and balance these factors with creative/collaborative processes you've used, or stories or advice you may have from your own experience. I really don't want to come across to him as some cliched jerk: "well, that looks great, but what if we did this instead..."

It's entirely amateur and nobody has any expectations of making any money.

To describe more what we are working on:
My econ posts are generally long-winded, confusing theoretical essays, which I attempt to write for a general audience. My main goal for the comics is to make the writing more accessible and memorable and less intimidating, and I'm open to him doing whatever so long as it is on the same wavelength as the post. It can be somewhat hard to get the correct wavelength though, since posts tend to evolve a bit as I'm writing them and, like I said, they are pretty long and theoretical (and my friend doesn't have a background in econ).

Help a Returning Noob Navigate the Graphic Novel/Comics Universe!

Lipstick Thespian — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:26:16 -0800

I'm starting to get back into reading comics and graphic novels again after an absence of nearly 30 years. I'm hoping the cool kids of the Mefiverse can assist me in choosing some titles. Some parameters:

Genres/Styles I'm Not Interested In:

- Superheroes. I find a lot of that stuff really silly and stunted. Possible exception for the amazing Watchmen. Don't care about Batman, etc.

- Anime/Manga/etc.

Titles I Used to Love When I Started Collecting Back in the 80's:
- Nexus
- Swamp Thing
- the original Judge Dredd series
- the Steven comic (the little guy with the fedora who's constantly pissed off)

Titles I've Seen Recently That I Liked:
- the Fables series
- The Last Man series
- Locke & Key
- Mouse Guard (love Mouse Guard!)
- Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer
- Morning Glories
- Transmetropolitan

Titles I've Seen Recently That I Didn't Like Much At All:
- The Boys series or Preacher, etc. (comics that feature monster doses of violence/gaudy sex/etc. at the expense of telling a story.)

MAJOR BONUS POINTS FOR FINDING ANY CURRENT COMIC THAT CAN REMIND ME OF LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND (which for my money is the greatest comic ever made, ever.)

Okay, that's about it. Release the hounds!

Starfire Against Drugs!

eurasian — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:46:52 -0800

The New Teen Titans, back in the 80's, had an anti-drug comic which was absolutely horrifying/scarring/probably did what it intended to do WRT drugs and NOT DOING THEM. At least for me. Anyhoo, I seem to recall the cover being Starfire crying, on her knees, holding the body of a dead child, tears streaming down her face. There's a spotlight on her.

Was it ever a cover, or am I thinking of a page inside the comic? Googling only turns up the pretty tame cover with some guy who shoots bows and arrows. But apparently The New Teen Titans did a few anti-drug comics. Does anyone know the page I"m thinking of, and could they confirm if it was, in fact, not a title page but just a page inside one of the comics.

Why yes I am competing for most pocket-linty/nerdy question of all time.
, why do you ask?

Comic books for children

mokin — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:21:28 -0800

My five-year-old son and I just finished reading Bone, and we need a new comic to read together. I'd prefer something with an ongoing story, but good non-serial comics are also welcome.

Most unusual online comics?

mortaddams — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:44:56 -0800

What are the most unusual, non-traditional, online comics? I am especially interested in learning about comics that are visually different. For example, I would love to learn about comics that blend photographs with drawing, are interlinked in a non-linear way, or are all one continuous strip rather than divided up.

Sci-Fi graphic novel suggestions?

Auden — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 06:25:37 -0800

Thoughtful science-fiction graphic novel suggestions needed! (non-horror, limited violence) I'm looking for science-fiction based graphic novels to buy a sci-fi loving friend. She introduced me to the novels of the Strugatsky brothers years ago, loathes horror and isn't a big fan of the violence. The more philosophic/intellectual/complex the better... (I'm currently considering the original, full run of Nausicaa as one possibility, for example, though there is an huge amount of violence). Beautiful artwork a big plus. Any suggestions?

Should I look into Manga Studio?

COBRA! — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:49:14 -0800

If I have a good comics-making workflow established with PhotoShop, is it worth my time to look into Manga Studio? FWIW, my current process involves layouts and pencils on bristol, then scanning that in and "inking"/coloring/lettering in PhotoShop, using a Wacom Bamboo Create. Generally happy with the results, although I'm getting increasingly aware that using PS for comics is sort of like using my pocket knife as a screwdriver- it gets the jobs done just fine, but there's a more specialized tool available that was built expressly for this purpose.

Generally outputting stuff to the web, although print-bound projects aren't out of the question, if that's a concern.

Can you find this Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Comic?

drezdn — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:29:59 -0800

Trying to find a Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal where the character menacingly quotes lyrics from a Train song (IIRC, Drops of Jupiter).

that'd be super, thanks

Zed — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:59:23 -0800

What are the superhero animated DVDs to get? What are the superhero comics of the last few years to get? I've heard tell that both Marvel and DC have had some pretty good cartoon series in the past couple of decades, but I haven't seen any of them. Which should I watch?

And much as I love superhero comics, I'm out of the loop. I've got or will be getting Atomic Robo and everything by Grant Morrison and Paul Cornell covered, but what else has been worthwhile in recent years? (I like stuff with actual characters and don't like grim-n-gritty for its own sake.)

Graphic novels for young girls

Joe in Australia — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 03:16:27 -0800

Please recommend graphic novels for two very bright girls, aged 7 and 9. I'm looking for Wolves of Willoughby Chase type stories full of plucky lasses showing courage and resourcefulness. They liked Polly and the Pirates and Zita the Space Girl, but there aren't enough of them. I'd prefer things that are well drawn.

Hark, a new webcomic!

thirdletter — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:36:54 -0800

Because Hark, a Vagrant has slowed her publishing schedule, I need some more similar web comics to fill the void. Help! Things I like about her comics:
- Actually nice, real drawing! Not stick figures, and not too glossy either.
- Sometimes "educational" but never pedantic
- Not about computers/video games/math
- No twee highschooly relationship dynamics

I also like/d Three Word Phrase, Achewood, and Sin Titulo.

Basically I'm looking for the opposite of xkcd. Thank you kindly.

How do I emulate this digital texture?

iadacanavon — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:54:51 -0800

Digital artists: What is this cool, grainy Photoshop texture used in webcomics and how do I make it too? I've been seeing this texture appear in several webcomics, particularly Gunnerkrigg Court (previous pages offer more examples). I think he draws in Photoshop. It's not a smooth color look, and I like the depth and atmosphere it gives to the art, giving it more of a painterly feel. How do you think it was most likely created (with noise? a filter? some type of layering?) and/or what is the simplest way to achieve this effect?

How should I get my graphic novel out to the world?

COBRA! — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:20:09 -0800

I'm working on a graphic novel. Should I submit it to publishers, or just run it as a webcomic? And if I were to submit it, I have a bunch of secondary questions. The book, when finished, should run about 70 pages (I have the entire thing plotted, but only the first 3rd is fully scripted, so I don't have an exact page count yet). I've drawn and digitally "inked" the first 10 pages, and am slowly but steadily working my way through.

As far as content goes, it's set in 1960 and is about a pair of brothers in the aviation industry who try to build a replacement for the U-2. While there's some humor in dialog as it goes, the book's basically a straightforward historical drama.

My main question: with a graphic novel project of that length, is it worth my time to try to work with the publishing world? Particularly when my previous comics work has been with webcomics (some of which have gotten modest critical praise, but none of which have set the world on fire with web traffic)? If it's not worth my time, I can easily just run the book serially as a webcomic and be happy with it; but I like the idea of publishing.

Secondary questions: how does the submission process work with graphic novels? I have some experience with prose fiction submissions, but not when there's art involved. Do you generally submit when the art's all done? Or submit a script and some pages of art (to give an idea of what it'll look like), leaving room for the script to change during the editing process? What else should I know? What else should I be thinking of?

After Great Pain, a Formal Feeling Comes.

chesty_a_arthur — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:33:03 -0800

I'm looking for a Lynda Barry comic that ran after 9/11, illustrating Emily Dickinson's Poem #372 which begins, "After great pain, a formal feeling comes." Maybe it ran in the Village Voice? Not sure - I read it on a computer in the business school library at the University of Michigan. Does anyone know if this appears in any of her books, or if it's online anywhere now?

A dear friend of mine died over the weekend, who loved Lynda Barry, and I would really like to get ahold of this in some form or other, so if you can provide a title, cite, or even (oh, I hope) a digital file I will be delighted and appreciative.

DIY publications in Greensboro?

cropshy — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:09:44 -0800

What are the best stores in Greensboro, NC to buy zines, mini comics, micro-press publications, etc.?

Catwoman comics for a 4 year old.

ND¢ — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:15:07 -0800

My 4 year old daughter is going as Catwoman for Halloween. Can you suggest comics with Catwoman in them which would be appropriate to read with her? She loves the version of Catwoman from Batman: The Animated Series (from The Cat and the Claw up to Almost Got 'Im) and I am looking for suggestions for comics to read with her that have a similar version of Catwoman (not a villain or a hero but a bit of both) and which would be appropriate for a four year old to have read to her. Thanks in advance for your help.

Sequential Art for the Slammer

Juliet Banana — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:31:50 -0800

I need recommendations for comic strip collections, graphic novels, and manga that can be purchased from Amazon, don't contain drug/sex/gang content, and can enjoyed by someone in their twenties. This is very much a follow up to this question. My little brother asked me to send comics to him in jail. I'm a big old comic snob, so if it was up to me I'd be sending him Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Harvey Pekar. I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant.

His two suggestions were Garfield and Ranma 1 1/2, but he told me to "be creative," and I bet we can do better than that, y'all.

I'd prefer either comics that either teach you something/expand your mind in some way OR are completely mindless but hilarious.

Update to the last question: I've gotten through every book I wanted to send so far; he has Into Thin Air, a book on Spanish vocabulary, a book on origami, the 1st two Lightning Thief books, some goofy Ed Emberley & Usborne drawing books, Hitchhiker's Guide, and Jekyll & Hyde. I'll be sending more over time. The help I got from Mefites, both answering the question and offering to mail things to him/me, was so incredibly sweet and we both appreciate it so much.