Image Comics Direct to Dropbox

With the "wants to be #1" publisher allowing you to buy their DRM-Free comics and insta-dump them into your Dropbox account, I'd love to see the File Transporter folks do the same thing. That's where my primary DRM-free comics library instance lives, and I use it with Chunky Comic Reader for iOS. From my experience, download and upload speeds are way faster with my Transporter as compared to Dropbox.

I'm attending the upcoming Image Expo on January 9th in San Francisco. My chum Merlin and I might just manage a meetup for listeners, fans, and nerds of a feather. Details soon, I hope.

Giant Size #34: Soft Gooey Center

$8.99

$8.99

John and I discuss various and sundry things we're thankful for in comics from 2013 thus far. I also commit to a series of around 17 future show topics and gimmicks.

This week's interview is with the insanely talented Cary Nord, whom I spoke with at the recent Dallas Comic Con Fan Days. See the show notes page for a laundry list of links, including Matt Fraction's outstanding "Halloween" Twitter name.

I've embedded a couple of mentioned TPBs at left (which I'll update as some more come out). Support your local comic shop by ordering and subscribing to series from them. You'd be surprised how many back issues they can find for you.

While you're in the buying mood, spread the unholy brilliance (except on iBooks) gospel of Sex Criminals. Apple pulled it completely from ComiXology. Even though buying from Image results in no DRM whatsoever, pay for it because you nasty like that. This entire paragraph will make sense if you listen to the show, promise.

<-- Ghosted is a ghost heist series, first mentioned on the show by John on our "Not Saga" episode.

An "All-New Secret Uncanny Savage Mighty Dark Dark" Experiment

I loved the idea the instant that Image Comics announced Skullkickers #19 would be re-numbered and rebooted as Uncanny Skullkickers #1. What I recall as days later, they announced #20 would be Savage Skullkickers #1. The joke is easy to spot for comics fans, with Marvel and DC both undergoing massive re-#1-ing, re-adjective-ing of their entire lines over the last 18 months.

Writer Jim Zub (who was on Giant Size #4) has written an exllecent, insightful blog post about a five-issue "unbooting adjective" experiment that he and Image Comics did with his three-year-old, swashbuckling adventure comic Skullkickers:

As Skullkickers continued through our 3rd story arc, we’d settled into a low-but-stable sales pattern. Although we were picking up new readers through our web comic site or trades, most new readers weren’t going to jump on board buying singles 18+ issues into the series.

In the spirit of the sarcasm that permeates the Skullkickers concept, I came up with a way to try hyping things in an irreverent way, announcing new adjectives and new #1′s for our entire fourth story arc, making it clear that these would be the next issues in our series but that we were having fun with the whole “reboot” thing and that Skullkickers was worth checking out. I figured our hardcore audience would stick around no matter what but that we might be able to gather some new readers by playing with adjectives and cover designs based on mainstream superhero homages.

Here’s the checklist of names and release dates we rolled out:
FEB: The Uncanny Skullkickers #1
MAR: Savage Skullkickers #1
APR: The Mighty Skullkickers #1
MAY: The All-New Secret Skullkickers #1
JUN: Dark Skullkickers Dark #1

The last one might be the best name for any comic ever printed.

If you're into adventure, swords and sorcery, Skullkickers might be a good fit. Ask your local shop about it.

Apple Bans SAGA #12 from iOS, Or: No Gay Sex Please, We're Apple

The issue has been refused from in-app sale on "inappropriate content" grounds from all iOS apps: ComiXology, the Image Comics app, everything...except for iBooks. That's odd, and smells anti-competitive, since Apple sells an enormous pile of radically more graphic content in iBooks and iTunes.

This enraged tweet from Merlin Mann is a good indicator of where the fan base is at the moment. God, if he were a superhero he would kick some bureaucratic ass and quick.

iOS wasn't properly scaled from the outset to transform into its present state as an impossibly broad content delivery machine. Steve Jobs originally and forcefully pushed for only web apps in iOS (or was that spin?). With native apps and content, Apple becomes the judge, jury, and censor regarding acceptable content. As far ahead as they think in some areas, they actively ignore a lot until its a big enough problem to matter, to infuriating effect. If you don't make noise, they won't feel compelled to act. Send some emails to the not-hard-to-find executive team's inboxes if you don't like this. They do listen, but if there's no noise to be heard...

Have you not read Saga and think comics are a lousy place to find sci-fi? Be warned: the book is for adult eyes, and earlier issues are more graphic than the two measly panels that caused this little fracas. Listen to Merlin and I talk about the first six or so issues between ourselves and take some calls from some muy interesante listeners on The Comic Shack. Go ahead and subscribe. The show is back very, very soon.

I'm stuck on this Merlin-as-a-superhero thing, God knows why. I think there's something there. Hm.

Update on 2013-04-10 22:08 by Moises Chiullan

See this update on the story, complete with more analysis.

Giant Size 9: Across from Android's Dungeon

iTunes link

5by5 site

Jennifer de Guzman is Marketing & PR Coordinator for Image Comics.

She was EIC of Slave Labor Graphics for over 10 years, and has written some great editorials and gotten into some outstanding internet debates over gender equality and acceptance in the comics industry (linked on the 5by5 show page).

We finally catch back up with Brandon at Austin Books & Comics, looking back at 2012 and forward to the insanity of 2013. 

Giant Size 5: Unique Combination of Talent

Marvel and DC are not the only two comics publishers out there. On this episode of Giant Size, I talk with two people from non-Big Two companies.

Branwyn Bigglestone works for Image Comics by day as their Accounts Manager, and by night freelance edits some of their comics.

The featured interview this week is with Ted Adams, the CEO of IDW Publishing. We delve into the history of the company and the extremely diverse array of comics and books they make, from republishing classic runs of Bloom County, TMNT, and Transformers to brand-new books based on licensed properties to some of the most unique and interesting original stories of recent years, like Locke & Key.

In my weekly chat with Brandon form Austin Books & Comics, we not only talk about the week's comics, but we also seethe with anger at the abrupt dismissal of fan and personal favorite writer Gail Simone from DC's Batgirl.

Subscribe to Giant Size in iTunes here.

I should also mention here that I am now booking sponsors directly for both Giant Size and Screen Time. Drop me a line through the contact form if you or your company are interested in sponsoring these shows. We can accomodate varying levels of budget and placement.