From Rick Geary
February 25, 2009 by Rick Geary
Below are three preliminary sketches for my new book for NBM “The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans.” I had been reading for years, in various sources, about the bloodthirsty killer (or killers) who dispatched six people, grievously wounded six more, held the city in a state of fear during the years 1918 and 1919, but was never caught or identified. Research was daunting since the information exists piecemeal in different articles and anthologies and is often hazy or contradictory. In many respects, the story has passed into the realm of folklore. No one has yet written a book recounting the entire case. My script, consequently, is cobbled together from a multitude of sources both in print and online.
Papercutz has its artist blog
February 25, 2009 by Terry
Our sister company, Papercutz, which does graphic novels for tweens like Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Tales from the Crypt and Bionicle now has its blog up and running with entries from writers of these series. Editor-in-Chief Jim Salicrup will also participate as soon as I kick his butt into gear. 
So go on over and send your kids! The artists will talk about and show their creative process, kids 7 to 77 should love it!
“It’s almost ridiculous how NBM seems to keep finding brilliant work”
February 24, 2009 by NBM
Can ya blame us for lovin’ Marc Mason over at ComicsWaitingRoom?
The above is what he said in his review for Miss Don’t Touch Me where he also says:
“MISS DON’T TOUCH ME is one of the most interesting blends of wickedly dark humor and grisly gore in recent memory. The script makes no bones about its brothel setting and the goings on at such a place, reveling in some wonderfully smutty humor, and the interpersonal relations between the employees, friendships and jealousies alike, pop off the page with a razor-edged wit.
Highly recommended.”
See the whole review.
We’ll try to keep being ridiculous.
what you wish for.
February 19, 2009 by Naomi Nowak
the universe is putting me through paradox lately: for new years i wished for two things, one, to finish graylight and be happy with the result, and two, get my finances in order*. i thought i’d do one first and then the other – grit my teeth and eat rice/ramen/oatmeal (the holy three of my starving artist’s life) and then find a job which would allow me to, oh, eat something with actual proteins or vitamins in it and maybe travel to nyc for a bit! or the ocean! i’ve been on about the ocean for ages already, my friends tire i’m sure. i miss the sea so much i can feel a physical clenching of the heart when i think about it. that’s why it plays such an important role in house of clay as well. i realise that’s miles and miles from unique or even original but i’ve started subscribing to the theory that there are no new stories to tell anyway, so why try. all we can do is tell them our way and be sincere.
right, the universe. so – this woman calls on my phone looking for a friend of mine who’d applied for a job i’d once toyed with the idea of having but never considered applying for because i knew 700-odd people wanted it. only my friend had moved back to the states at this point and i’d completely forgotten about the whole thing. on a whim i called this lady back and said, you know what, she’s not here, but if you want i can come to the interview instead. she said why not. and so it goes and so it goes … my beloved space-time continuum, karma, what have you, served it up like the kick in the side you never saw coming. at that point i had 30 pages left to draw on graylight. 30 pages! (may sound like a lot but it’s not, considering i’ve already done 105). you get what you wish for but never the way you thought it would happen, huh. i won’t complain**, i’ll work mornings and nights and lunch hours to finish this but it’s still gonna take longer. i could do without the anxiety though – like many artistically inclined people i guess i identify a tad to much with my work sometimes. like, i tend to believe i’m nothing when i don’t draw. it’s funny how you get what you wish for really, i was so fed up with my wardrobe*** for one thing and i get a job that offers hundreds of dollars of free clothes. insane.
i’d like to know how all you other authors are doing — we’ve been sharing mostly professional stuff and images here but terry’s last email (i wasn’t the only one that got it i’m sure) sparked a need to share. choosing a difficult carreer path is something we have in common. tell us how you did it/are doing it/not doing it?
____________________________________
* they’ve been at the point where i’d pick one bill out of five to pay each month. it’s a fun little lottery! who gets the money … phone company, electric company, studio …
** this is probably not true. i will complain. a lot. to my boyfriend, poor soul. from now on i will try to shut up about it in blogs however.
*** some of the clothes you see in my comics are designs that i’ve sewn for myself i’m especially skilled at making new creations out of dad’s, boyfriends, brothers, ex-boyfriends old t-shirts (they’re big enough to make new things easily and the fabric is already soft and comfortable – there’s no self-value in new fabric, it can mature like wine).
A great interview and overview of Mathieu (Museum Vaults)
February 18, 2009 by NBM
Arthur magazine has just posted a great interview and overview of Marc Antoine Mathieu’s work and especially his latest Museum Vaults we published, part of the Louvre collection of graphic novels presently in exhibit at the Louvre itself, see this previous blog entry on that.
The piece is written by author Sasha Watson (Vidalia in Paris), her blog’s fun.
Publishers Weekly on Little Nothings and School Lib. Jnl. on David B
February 18, 2009 by NBM
“Trondheim creates autobiographical sketches with a Seinfeld-ian mania for capturing the quotidian details of normal life, particularly its irritations. [His] light wit and springlike watercolor tones give even the most curmondgeonly observations a lilting and jesting flair.”
So says Publishers Weekly, this week, about Trondheim’s latest Little Nothings volume. Meantime, School Library Journal has this to say about David B’s Nocturnal Conspiracies:
“The real strength of this graphic novel lies in the images. David B. has a distinct style that uses heavy black inks combined with grays and blues. His detailed drawings complement the text and carry it through each panel. The results are captivating. Followers of his work won’t be disappointed.”
The Stranger On Miss Don’t Touch Me
February 17, 2009 by NBM
“The mystery is involving and proceeds at a sprightly pace. It’s refreshing to see a sex-positive story and heartening to see a female lead character who’s quick-witted and brave. There’s no American analogue for this kind of breathless comic book mystery. It’s all so perfectly French.”
…says The Stranger of Seattle about Miss Don’t Touch Me
Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2009 by Jesse Lonergan
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Sadly, my girlfriend is on another continent so I’m going watch the romantic comedy Friday the 13th.
And here are the last two pages of the of the chapter from my book about Turkmenistan that I’ve been posting on this blog.
Neil Kleid interviewed on comicon.com about Big Khan
February 13, 2009 by NBM
Jennifer Contino of Pulse interviews Neil Kleid on Comicon.com about his latest graphic novel The Big Kahn scheduled for release in July from us.
Book Signing Tonight
February 13, 2009 by Ted Rall
I’ll be signing copies of “Silk Road to Ruin,” “To Afghanistan and Back” and other recent titles tonight at Bluestocking Books in Manhattan, at 7 pm. I’ll also be showing slides of old and new cartoons, comparing the two, and taking your questions. Hope to see you then!
