(belated) USA scene report

It was fun to be back in the States for Christmas. I was mostly catching up with my family.

From a cursory look, comics stores were about the same as always.

But chain stores, there’s a different story. Borders now has a ‘graphic novel’ section, fully half of which is taken up by Manga.

In Bangkok a while back I dodged Hollywood flicks to find the translated Korean

‘My Sassy Girl’. This later popped up at Vimean Tip Cinema on Monivong Boulevard, Phnom Penh.

Now, there’s no hope in hell that I’ll see this film at a Stateside cinema.

But I can buy the Manga at Borders, from ‘ComicsOne‘. This cultural bleed is intriguing.

Am thinking that if comics stores don’t get hip, they may just get left behind.

There’s lots more manga and mainstream stuff in them but they just can’t compete in a bulk market.

* * *

Also for stateside comics, enjoyed seeing Lalo Alcaraz’s La Cucaracha in the LA Times. Great to see it make the leap from newsweeklies to the comics page!

And while I love the politics of Aaron McGruder’s Boondocks, it looks Photoshopped to death.

Mars was in the news:

It’s got it’s own beer label, a theme song from Blur, and a daily weblog.

It’s the new pop Mars satellite, Beagle 2!

Too bad they can’t get a signal back.

Meanwhile, was intrigued by D’Israeli‘s Scarlet Traces. Between that and latest

“League of Extraordinary Gentlemen“, Mars is the place to be. For all your Red Planet fun try the MarsBlog www.martiansoil.com.

An interview with David Lasky, at ‘Artists Without Borders’.

http://www.artistswithoutborders.org/what/interview_lasky.html

Hmm, this organization sounds interesting. Wonder if there’s a ‘cartoonists without borders’?

More drama in Long Beach.

* * *

On the children’s books angle:

Philip Pullman

http://books.guardian.co.uk/authors/author/0,5917,798016,00.html



D. Manus Pinkwater

http://www.pinkwater.com/

Noise fest in Oz is in full effect.

http://www.noise.net.au/zinePlayer/index.htm

URL farming:

www.hotdesign.com/seybold

CSSzengarden.com

http://www.myerweb.com

www.les3moustiquaires.com