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Steve Morris
Yearender: Looking Ahead To The Most Exciting New Comics Coming In 2017
It’s the end of the year! We’ve made it through 2016, a year of departures, returns, arrivals, civil wars, and young animals. Valiant was building up Faith, Top Shelf completed its March, and Mike Mignola wrapped up Hellboy’s grand journey. Mildred Louis sent the Agents of the Realm off on further adventures, Wonder Woman celebrated her 75th anniversary, and Bleach reached its final chapter. It’s been another staggering year for comics everywhere.
So where does that leave us for 2017? As we hit the end of the year, so we reach the ComicsAlliance Yearender once more. Read on; there are so, so many great comics waiting for us all next year!
The Fans’ Favorite: Celebrating the Work of Bill Mantlo
On November 9, 1951, one of the purest superhero comics writers of all time was born: William ‘Bill’ Mantlo. Best known for his work at Marvel, Mantlo was a talent whose persistence, hard work, and knack for character saw him rise up the ranks to take on a succession of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes --- and co-create several new icons in the process.
Five Stars: How Kyle Baker Broke New Ground
Kyle Baker is one of the most accomplished cartoonists in comics today, and he's been producing hugely acclaimed comics ever since he first started working in the industry in the early 1980s, with work ranging from madcap comedy to breathtakingly sharp biography. With eight Eisner awards to his name, along with a bevy of Harvey and Glyph awards, he's also one of the industry's most decorated talents.
Steve Morris spoke to Baker about his career in comics through five milestones in his career, in a conversation that covers navigating a changing market, writing comedy versus writing drama, and why Baker chooses to self-publish.
The Question: Which Bisexual Characters Deserve A Spotlight?
The Question is the feature where we ask our contributors for their personal responses to some of the big questions weighing on our minds!
This week is Bisexual Awareness Week, a campaign that seeks to accelerate acceptance of the bisexual community. Bi visibility in fiction is an important part of that effort, as bisexual people are often marginalized or ignored in fictional worlds. Thankfully there are a growing number of bisexual characters in comics today, so to celebrate #BiWeek, we asked our writers; Which bisexual characters do you think deserve a bigger spotlight?
Van Camp, Robertson and LaPensee Join Volume Two Of The ‘Moonshot’ Anthology [Back Pages]
Following the huge success of Moonshot, the indigenous comics anthology, editor Hope Nicholson and publisher AH Comics announced a few weeks ago that they'd be bringing a sequel book to Kickstarter. Featuring stories by and about indigenous comics creators, the anthology collects comics from both new and established writers and artists, spreading their voice and stories around the world.
With the campaign for the second Moonshot anthology now running on Kickstarter, Back Pages got in touch with Nicholson and contributors David Robertson, Elizabeth LaPensée and Richard Van Camp to find out what makes Moonshot such an important project, and what kind of stories they bring to the second volume.
Five Stars: How Larry Hama Made Comics History One Issue At A Time
Larry Hama's career in comics has spanned more than forty years, not just on the page but also behind the scenes, where he's mentored countless new writers and artists as they make their way through the industry. He continues to redefine the industry and the way people approach comics as a whole.
ComicsAlliance spoke to Hama about his artistic career by discussing five of his milestone works.
Scandal, Power & Intrigue In Robin Hoelzemann’s ‘Curia Regis’ [Back Pages]
Robin Hoelzemann's webcomic Curia Regis has been running since 2010, an 18th century battle of wits (and sometimes weapons) centered on a power vacuum that can only be resolved when someone ascends to the throne. Whether that person deserves the throne is not important; the kingdom needs a regent!
As Hoelzemann brings the series to Kickstarter to seek a print release of the first volume, Back Pages spoke to her about how the story came about, and how she keeps up her weekly routine of comics intrigue.
The Big and The Little Mix In Spencer And Rosanas’ “Ant-Man #1″ [Review]
This week sees Nick Spencer, Ramon Rosanas, Jordan Boyd and Travis Lanham launch a new book over at Marvel in the shape of Ant-Man. Featuring the Scott Lang version of the size-changing hero, the series is pitched as being about a C-List Avenger trying to turn around his post-Avengers career and get a new job, so he can provide for his daughter, Cassie. He has an upset ex-wife, a crappy apartment, a criminal past, and no hopes – and that's how the series begins.
With this first issue of the new series - which is on sale now - Spencer takes the jokey tone of his Superior Foes of Spider-Man series and downplays things significantly. While Foes was about villains trying to keep a criminal career going, here we have a hero trying to keep a heroic career going. Or, well, any career at all. It's a familiar concept for anybody reading Marvel at the moment, as most of their solo books are about the very same idea, played out in different ways.