Big Planet Comics Orbit Newsletter - March 29, 2012

March 29, 2012

Avengers 'n' X-Men Throwdown It has begun! Avengers vs. X-Men #0 came out yesterday, and #1 one is out next week. Who doesn't love superheroes punching each other? Issue #0 was pretty great (read the review below) and we are having an early release for #1, so if you can't wait to get it you can come to any of our stores at 8 pm next TUESDAY, April 3, to buy it a day early (info also below!). Tradd Moore, artist of The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, has drawn a new poster for us for their upcoming signing, and we will have a limited edition printing of the poster for sale! That's it right over there, pretty cool, huh? Don't forget, the Big Planet Comics Podcast now has a call-in phone number, so send us some questions or comments! Call 703-539-2278! Feel free to forward on our newsletter, and please send us any comments or mailing list requests to vienna@bigplanetcomics.com Thanks!   - the Big Planet Comics kids UPCOMING April 3 - Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Early Release Party Marvel is calling it their biggest event yet, building on the last 10 years of storytelling, but really, who doesn't just want to see the superheroes throw down against each other? We will be having a special release party for Avengers vs. X-Men #1 one day early, on Tuesday April 3! So not only will you be able to buy AVX #1 a day early, but you will have access to some other specials, including limited variant covers, and other limited items, like a pin to show your allegiance to either the X-Men or the Avengers, so start thinking now about which team you support! Poor Wolverine, he's got to fight himself. 8-9 pm All 4 Big Planet Comics stores! UPCOMING April 14 - Justin Jordan & Tradd Moore Signing Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore, creators of the great new series The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, will be appearing at both our Vienna and College Park stores on April 14 to celebrate the release of the collection of the series. 11 am-1 pm Big Planet Comics of Vienna 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com 3 pm-5 pm Big Planet Comics of College Park 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com ___________________ Avengers vs. X-Men #0 (of 12) by Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron and Frank Cho It begins! Two stories kick off the next huge Marvel crossover event, both parts drawn by the amazing Frank Cho! The return of the Scarlet Witch to the superhero lifestyle, plus her confrontation with the Vision, plus Hope is training up with Cyclops for her possible future as mutant messiah! But when she develops a strange new power, we are off to the races! New Deadwardians #1 (of 8) by Dan Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard After the zombie apocalypse, the British Empire teeters on the edge of ruin. Now the aristocracy maintains its power and the empire through "the cure" - turning themselves into vampires so they can't be zombified! Now one of the last detectives is set on a new case, in which a vampire seems to have been killed in an impossible way! Great world, great new mystery and art. Cinema Panopticum SC by Thomas Ott A girl goes to a strange carnival and watches several short films of Twilight Zone-like horror! Plus Ott's amazing scratchboard art. Sharknife 2: Stage Second: Sharknife Double Z SC by Corey Lewis Years and years later, the new Sharknife is here! Ceasar is still eating fortune cookies at the Guandong restaurant to transform into Sharknife to battle all the monsters that haunt the restaurant, but now we get the secret history of how he gained his powers! And the history of his arch nemesis! Crazy kung fu action and manic artwork. Rohan at the Louvre HC by Hirohiko Araki A new book inspired by the Louvre, a young Japanese comics artist hears about the most evil painting in the world, hidden in the Louvre basement. When he grows up and becomes a famous artist, his interest in this mysterious painting is rekindled, leading down a dark horrible path! Crazy alternative art and a creepy story. Gone to Amerikay HC by Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran A fascinating story of three different Irish immigrants, a woman in the 19th century, a songwriter in the 1960s, and a famous musician today, all coming to New York City and finding that their lives and stories intersect in strange and compelling ways. A great mix of historical research and drama, with great transitions between stories and times. Big Planet Comics Podcast #39   Kevin, Nick and Jared form a new band, and review all the new comics! Download this week's now or subscribe on iTunes! Send us questions to podcast@bigplanetcomics.com or call us at 1-703-539-2278!   4/3 - Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Early Release Party All stores! 8pm-9pm   4/14 - Justin Jordan & Tradd Moore Signing The Strange Talent of Luther Strode 11am-1pm 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com Signing The Strange Talent of Luther Strode 3pm-5pm 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com   5/5 - Free Comic Book Day All stores! freecomicbookday.com   5/5 - Jeremy Whitley Signing Princeless 11am-1pm 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com   Signing Princeless 3pm-5pm 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com 5/5 - Jorge Aguirre Signing Giants Beware! 11am-1pm 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com   Signing Giants Beware! 3pm-5pm 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com 7/4 - 20% off Sale All stores! 7/28 - Matt Dembicki Signing Xoc 11am-1pm 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com Signing Xoc 3pm-5pm 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com   Abandon The Old In Tokyo SC Good-Bye SC Push Man And Other Stories SC by Yoshihiro Tatsumi Three of Tatsumi's dark short story collections are now in softcover! Astonishing X-Men #48 by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins A new team as Northstar is hunted by Wolverine! Bloodstrike #26 by Tim Seeley and Francesco Gaston He's back! Sent against cybermonsters in Afghanistan. Dororo Complete SC by Osamu Tezuka A ghost and monster samurai adventure, now in one book. Legion of Monsters SC by Dennis Hopeless and Juan Doe The monsters of the Marvelverse team up with Elsa Bloodstone. Rachel Rising 1: The Shadow of Death SC by Terry Moore A new horror story by the creator of Strangers in Paradise! The Sincerest Form of Parody: The Best 1950's MAD Inspired Satirical Comics SC by everybody! Some of the best MAD style comics of the '50s!

like us on Facebook | follow us on Twitter | subscribe on iTunes | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2012 Big Planet Comics, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for our mailing list either online or at one of our stores. Big Planet Comics  -  426 Maple Ave. East, Vienna, Virginia 22180  -  703.242.9412 Big Planet Comics  -  7315 Baltimore Ave., College Park, Maryland 20740  -  301.699.0498 Big Planet Comics  -  4908 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, Maryland 20814  -  301.654.6856 Big Planet Comics  -  1520 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20009  -  202.342.1961

Big Planet Comics · 426 Maple Ave. East · Vienna, VA 22180

Dan Piraro in town today

He's at Big Planet Comics at 15th & U St, NW from 6-7 signing books and then performs at 8 p.m. at Riot Act Comedy Theater, 801 E St. NW. $15. http://riotactcomedy.com (202) 697-4900.

I'll be at Big Planet, the first time I'm visiting that store.

Updated - Eden Miller interviewed Piraro for her Comicsgirl blog

April 3: Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Early Release Party

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Early Release Party
Tuesday, April 3 at 8:00pm
Location: all 4 Big Planet Comics stores!

I was somewhat surprised to get this Facebook invitation. So surprised that I might actually go!

FoxNews story on big, bad comics

Relaunched Comics Using Sex and Violence To Sell: MyFoxDC.com

Here's that FoxNews story which appears to have been about as bad as guest commentator Ray Bottorff Jr. expected - there's a text article on this site:

Relaunched Comics Using Sex and Violence To Sell
Sherri Ly
myfoxdc 18 Jan 2012,
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/special_report/relaunched-comics-using-sex-and-violence-to-sell-011812

Big Planet Comic's Jared Smith is quoted (if misidentified). And in Fox's defense (I can't believe I wrote that), Starfire's new approach to casual sex has been questioned in the comics community as well, as has the T&A of the Catwoman comic. Neither of which I'm reading so take my opinion with a grain of salt too.

and here's some commentary:

TV Report Targets DC Comics For Sex and Violence
01/19/2012


I especially like the comparison picture here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/01/18/fox-news-calls-catwoman-fictionalised-playboy

and advice from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (I'm a member):

Retailer Advisory: How To Manage A Media Attack

January 18th, 2012

By Charles Brownstein

http://cbldf.org/homepage/how-to-manage-a-media-attack/

and although DC wouldn't comment to Fox, here's commentary they did do on the same day:

Why Jim Lee And Dan DiDio Decided To Reboot DC Comics [Video]
BY Kevin Ohannessian and Adam Barenblat
January 18 2012
http://www.fastcompany.com/1809039/jim-lee-dan-didio-dc-comics-relaunch-video

Big Planet Comics Orbit Newsletter - January 5, 2012

January 5, 2012

Time to hit the polls Not THOSE polls - our Best of 2011 polls! We'll be taking votes on 9 categories for the best of 2011: Best New Series Best Reprint Best Artist Best Miniseries Best for Kids Best Single Issue Best Writer Best Ongoing Series Best Graphic Novel Here's a link to the first poll for Best New Series of 2011: https://www.facebook.com/questions/318716288168786/?qa_ref=qts In each category there will be 10 nominees, so vote for your favorite and we'll see who the winner for each is! (You can do a write-in comment if you think we forgot the real best one.) A new poll will be added to our Facebook page every 2 or 3 days, so check back for the next ones too. We will also be doing a monster, super-long podcast where we hash out our favorites so you can disagree with us! It will be up later this week. Happy New Year everyone! Feel free to forward on our newsletter, and please send us any comments or mailing list requests to vienna@bigplanetcomics.com Thanks!   - the Big Planet Comics kids Fatale #1 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips Another crime thriller from the superb Brubaker/Phillips team takes a new direction as they mix in horror influences. A modern reporter discovers an early unknown book manuscript by his famous godfather, and is soon caught up with a mysterious woman and a strange series of cultish murders, as well as the history of the mob and Nazis back in the purplish 1930s! Plus there may be actual monsters running around. Fear Itself HC by Matt Fraction/Ed Brubaker and Stuart Immonen/Scot Eaton Sin, the daughter of the Red Skull, discovers an ancient secret hidden by the Asgardians that she resurrects - the Serpent, whose power of fear divides the Marvel Universe. And then the Serpent brings down hammers like Thor's, but for the bad guys! Seven characters are turned into avatars of destruction in this huge Marvel crossover event, starring everybody! Billy Fog 1: The Gift of Trouble Sight HC by Guillaume Bianco Billy Fog is a kid who can see ghosts and monsters whenever he takes off his glasses! Including death. This allows Billy to have a huge amount of adventures, which are presented here as comics, poems, bestiaries of monsters, and newspaper articles proving the existence of Santa! Plus Bianco's art is a mix of Courtney Crumrin and Calvin & Hobbes. Amazing! Uncanny X-Force #19.1 by Rick Remender and Jerome Opena The insane culmination of the Dark Angel Saga that led Uncanny X-Force into the Age of Apocalypse universe saw a bunch of familiar characters from that timeline. Now, an entire issue focuses on their world, as a prequel to the upcoming Age of Apocalypse series! Weapon X has replaced Apocalypse as the mutants hunt down the last of humanity. Big Planet Comics Podcast #28 We're back! In this week's podcast Kevin, Nick and Jared review all the new stuff from the last 2 weeks. Download this week's now or subscribe on iTunes! Send us questions to podcast@bigplanetcomics.com Annotated Sandman 1 HC by Neil Gaiman/Leslie Klinger and Keith/Dringenberg/Vess A panel by panel look at the first 20 issues of Sandman! Asterix Omnibus 3 HC by Goscinny and Uderzo Three more adventures including going to Britain and vs. Vikings! (all ages) Avengers Academy 2: Real World SC by Christos Gage and Tom Raney Korvac returns, and the students take revenge on their teacher. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne SC by Grant Morrison and Chris Sprouse Batman travels through time, from cavemen to the Old West! Black Fire HC by Hernan Rodriguez Two soldiers in Napoleon's army find a cursed village in Russia. Brody's Ghost one-shot by Mark Crilley Brody investigates a serial killer with his ghost friend. Curse of the Wendigo SC by Matthieu Missoffe and Charlie Adlard A horror story in the midst of the World War One trenches. Fearless SC by Mark Sable/David Roth and P.J. Holden A reckless superhero who needs anti-anxiety drugs to function. Ferals #1 by David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade A cop investigates a series of werewolf murders in a small town. Inner Sanctum HC by Ernie Colon Short tales of horror inspired by the old radio show. Keep Our Secrets HC by Jordan Crane Heat-sensitive ink allows you to reveal the hidden secrets! (all ages) The Lone Ranger #1 by Ande Parks and Esteve Polls The Lone Ranger helps victims of frontier injustice. Nowhere Man #1 (of 4) by Marc Guggenheim and Jeevan Kang A man is the only one not tracked by the central computer of the future. Screamland: Death of the Party SC by Harold Sipe/Christopher Sebela and Lee Leslie A group of monsters attends a horror convention. Witchfinder 2: Lost and Gone Forever SC by Mike Mignola/John Arcudi and John Severin British occult investigator Edward Grey journeys to the Old West.

like us on Facebook | follow us on Twitter | subscribe on iTunes | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2012 Big Planet Comics, All rights reserved.   Big Planet Comics  -  426 Maple Ave. East, Vienna, Virginia 22180  -  703.242.9412 Big Planet Comics  -  7315 Baltimore Ave., College Park, Maryland 20740  -  301.699.0498 Big Planet Comics  -  4908 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, Maryland 20814  -  301.654.6856 Big Planet Comics  -  1520 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20009  -  202.342.1961

Sent to joel@bigplanetcomics.com — why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences Big Planet Comics · 426 Maple Ave. East · Vienna, VA 22180

Big Planet Comics podcast

I've been remiss.  Greg Bennett says it's really popular.  Download it here.

Comicsgirl guests on episode 17.

Big Planet Comics & Nick Abadzis' Laika alternate endings noted

I mentioned this here before, but here's a brief article with links to the 4 new pages - which are on Big Planet's site.

Laika the Space Dog Survives in Alternate Happy Endings by Nick Abadzis
Aug 8th 2011
By: Andy Khouri
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/08/08/laika-happy-endings-nick-abadzis/

Post likes Big Planet Comics

The Washington Post's Weekend section featured 12 local sites in Georgetown and Big Planet Comics was one of them. Click here and go to page 21.

Abadzis's 'Laika' graphic novel gets new endings for Big Planet Comics

Big Planet Comics says "To help us celebrate our 25th anniversary, Nick Abadzis is going to be posting alternative endings to Big-Planet-favorite graphic novel Laika on our web page!"

Wow, this is totally cool, if ahistorical. Abadzis has a note about why he's doing this, under the first imaginary happy ending for the Russian space dog.

And Big Planet has a podcast? Since June? Who knew?

Free Comic Book Day articles in the City Paper

How to Spend Free Comic Book Day

 by Mike Rhode on May. 5, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/05/05/how-to-spend-free-comic-book-day/

Free Comic Book Day in D.C. Saturday May 7
By Megan Arellano on May 6, 2011
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/40798/free-comic-book-day-in-dc-may-7/

Jeffrey Thompson's travel sketchbooks

Big Planet Comics' staff (and children's book artist) Jeffrey Thompson happened to mention that he was planning on traveling to Peru this summer and would then be posting his sketchbook online to me today. I was surprised to find out that he's been doing travel sketch books since this one from Belize in 1996. Links to his others are here: Italy & Amsterdam, Iceland & Ireland, France & Verdun, Mexico & Belize.

I love these types of books.

Big Planet Comics March newsletter online

Big Planet Comics' March Orbit newsletter is online now.

Comicsgirl covers Bertozzi and Little signing

Comicsgirl covered the Big Planet Nick Bertozzi and Jason Little signing on her blog - I should give her this site since I didn't report on either that or the Kill Shakespeare event.

And she also talks about her first comic - X-Factor of all things.

Nick Bertozzi and Jason Little at Big Planet Comics

Nick Bertozzi and Jason Little's trip down from New York City to visit Big Planet Comics went well. Local cartoonists turned out including David Hagen, Jim Dougan, Matt Dembicki as well as comics bloggers Comicsgirl and Randy T. Signed copies of their new books should still be available in the store.



Big Planet Comics' Greg Bennett, Nick Bertozzi, Big Planet Comics' Joel Pollack and Jason Little.



Jason Little drawing Bee.



Nick Bertozzi looking for a spot to sign the Act-I-Vate anthology while Jason Little inks his Bee sketch.

More pictures are here.

Feb 26: Nick Bertozzi and Jason Little at Big Planet Comics

Nick Bertozzi is signing his new book on Lewis and Clark at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda on February 26th from 4-6 pm, and he's accompanied by Jason Little, whose book Motel Art Improvement Service was one of my favorites of 2010.

Big Planet Comics hardcover sale continues, deepens

All 4 Big Planet Locations!

Big Planet Comics pictures on Facebook

Greg Bennett, Gary Panter, Steve Niles and Joel Pollack at Big Planet Comics, July 20, 2008.

Big Planet Comics has put pictures of cartoonist appearances at the stores on Facebook.

You can see more, and mostly different pictures on my Flickr site.

New Year's Day: Big Planet 20% off sale - January hardcover sale.

Our annual New Year's Day Big Planet Comics sale! 20% off of everything in the stores!
Saturday, January 1 · 12:00pm - 5:00pm
All 4 Big Planet Locations!

New Year's Day: Big Planet 20% off sale

Our annual New Year's Day Big Planet Comics sale! 20% off of everything in the stores!
Saturday, January 1 · 12:00pm - 5:00pm
All 4 Big Planet Locations!

Photographs of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac booksignings

Here's a set of the pictures of recent signings that Richard Thompson did for his new Cul de Sac book. One groups is at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, and the other is at the new One More Page book store in Arlington. The images are labelled for Creative Commons so they can be downloaded.