Dec 17 2007

Comixology Podcast: Midnight Sun

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In one of this week’s “It Came Out on Wednesday” podcast features on Comixology.com, Peter Jaffe interviews me about the Midnight Sun graphic novel, which not coincidentally comes out on Wednesday comes out the Friday after Christmas, the 28th. Here’s a link to the podcast page, which contains the interview itself, as well as some sample pages from the book. Thanks, Comixology!

Here’s the official blurb:

In “It Came Out on Wednesday” episode 10, Peter Jaffe talks to Ben Towle, creator of Midnight Sun from SLG. Originally published as a series which was interrupted mid-stream, Midnight Sun is being released this week in its entirety as a trade paperback, and Towle talks about how this came about; as well as discussing the historical basis for the story, and his own background as a comic arts educator.

While you’re there, you really ought to check out their regular content on the homepage. In addition to regular columns by, among others, Shannon Garrity, there’s an interview with fellow SLG creator, James “Rex Libris” Turner, and podcast interviews with Matt Wagner, Mike Allred and more.

Dec 17 2007

USA Today on Comics and Education

USA Today ran a story over the weekend [story here…] about the growing prevalence of comics curricula in schools and the growing critical and academic respect of the art form. I had spoken with the reporter who wrote the article last week (I’m mentioned briefly in the article) so I had a good idea what the content of the article would be, and of course if you’re involved in comics and education there’s not a whole lot of new information there. What is interesting, though, is the comments section.

If, like me, you’re someone who’s interested in comics and cartooning, it’s easy to be overly Pollyanna-ish about the recent explosion of interest in comics and graphic novels from “legitimate” fields. I’ve heard more than one high-profile cartoonist proclaim recently that comics, as an art form, has “arrived.” It’s certainly easy to think so, if all you’re taking in are the NY Times Review of Books and the voluminous praise from various hipster/literati sources of the recent deluge of “comics memoirs” (Persepolis, Fun Home, stuff of that ilk). On the other hand, a quick glance at the comments section of this USA Today article provides a sobering, and probably more realistic, idea of what the current status of the art form is among the general public: just one more foolish pursuit folks are engaging in instead of, you know, something truly worthwhile, like learning how to make nuculer weapons for warding off the Mooslims and the Chinamen.  It’s not too late to learn to be a nuclear engineer, Chris Ware!

Dec 17 2007

Pimp My Sleigh

The Gainesville Sun (FLA) ran an article recently about a family sleigh that my father and his wife are having restored.  [article here…]

The sleigh in question belonged to my great grandfather, Benjamin Herr, for whom I was named.  He used it during winter months to commute to and from his job as a schoolteacher near Lancaster, PA.

Dec 14 2007

People, It’s Still 2007!

I’ve been seeing tons of lists out there of the top ten comics and graphic novels of 2007. Here are a few that I’ve stumbled upon lately:

Whitney Matheson (USA Today)

Heeb Magazine

Favourite Comics and Art Books of 2007, From Drawn!

SELECTION JEUNESSE 2008

Time Magazine

Now, I certainly wouldn’t be so vain as to think my own book, Midnight Sun, due in stores next Wednesday, would have a chance in Hell of appearing in a list somewhere like Time or USA Today… but I gotta think that there’s maybe some good stuff that gets overlooked because it comes out at the end of the year.

For a visual aid, please refer to this page showing December from the 1977 Marvel calender. Once you’re done reminiscing about the marriage of Betty Ross and Glenn Talbot, (Hulk #158, natch!) note that there are still over two weeks left in 2007. What if Grant Morrison and Alan Moore had been secretly collaborating on comic illustrated by Chris Ware, Roger Langridge and the ghost of George Herriman, huh? And what if that book were coming out tomorrow?! You know it would be the best thing not just this year, but ever! Where would your fancy-pants list be then, TIME Magazine–WHERE??!!!

If there were a list of the top ten deities of the year compiled December 14th, in the year 1 A.D., Jesus wouldn’t have made the cut. Comics critics of the world, your premature “best of” lists are making baby Jesus cry. Stop it.

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Dec 13 2007

Newsarama Art Group – Week 92

Here’ s my piece for week 92 of the Newsarama Art Group:

Ironically, after cracking wise with all sorts of lewd innuendo about last week’s Deathblow theme, I didn’t manage to actually draw anything for it.

Anyway, I cheated a bit with this week’s subject since my “What If…” doesn’t occur within the narrative of the comic, but I really felt it was time for someone to address the age old question: What if Rob Liefeld drew ‘Popeye’? Don’t lie–you know you’ve wondered about this.

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