Periscope: Portland's storyboard and comics studio.

Good As Lily is the latest book from Minx, who publish girl-positive comics aimed at young readers, and it may just be the best volume in the series so far. I've been a fan of the Minx comics imprint since I read the first volume, The Plain Janes. Good As Lily comes from Derek Kirk Kim (author of the multiple-award-winning Same Difference and Other Stories, and new illustrator Jesse Hamm.

Cory Doctorow raves about Derek and Jesse's Good as Lily.

Labels: Good as Lily, Jesse Hamm

Editions Husky has published a French-language edition of Jesse Hamm's Tales to Bore and Confuse You. They're publishing it under the title Bate & Fonte.

Labels: Jesse Hamm

The American Library Association has the complete list of nominees for the Young Adult Library Services Association's list of Great Graphic Novels. Special congrats to Periscope's own Jesse Hamm for the Good As Lily nomination and Jeff Parker for Agents of Atlas.

Labels: Agents of Atlas, Good as Lily, Jeff Parker, Jesse Hamm

Over at Publisher's Weekly Heidi posted something that sugeested that Minx titles haven't been getting much attention from female reviewers. Jesse Hamm, artist of Good As Lily, writes in to draw attention to a few that Heidi might have missed:

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Katie Haegele says that GOOD AS LILY's "modern, imaginative story is a good choice for readers, male or female, who are looking for a book that has both brains and heart."

The Chicago Tribune's Kristin Kloberdanz declares: "Cheers to the Minx imprint. ... The books boast strong, complex female characters, unique storylines and bold graphics. ... Funny and tender, [Good As Lily is] a triumphant addition to the Minx collection."

USA Today's "Pop Candy" blogger calls Good As Lily the best book she read last week, adding that,"If you have any young women in your life who loves or might love comics, the Minx line has impressed me so far."

Our first pre-teen reviewer, a bright young lady named Morgan Newman, reports that "I enjoyed Good as Lily. I would suggest that anyone who likes the Minx books should read this."
This Korean-American calls Good As Lily her "personal favorite of all the Minx titles."

Another young Korean-American woman says,"Kim is AWESOME at showing what it's like to be a 2nd generation in the US." She calls Good As Lily "A very easy, lovely read with winning characters whose varying plights (not just Grace's) are all interesting and relate-able."
This New Zealander dubbed Good As Lily her "favourite" of the Minx comics.

On a comics forum, Hannah says: "This book is probably my favorite of the Minx line to date. It's probably the most mature book they have out right now. The story is about life and they do a good job with it."

Cartoonist Shaenon Garrity says: "[Y]ou should totally read it ... it's a super cute comic."

At her blog, this librarian reports that she's impressed by Derek's effective, Asian-friendly story, adding: "Props to Jesse Hamm for the great artwork too. I’m going to have to lift my self imposed ban on DC to purchase Good As Lily for the library when it comes out in August." In the comments section, another female librarian/reviewer chimes in: "I enjoyed this novel throughly and like the fact that Grace’s parents were just regular parents without any 'Korean parental stereotypes.'”

Yet another librarian reports at her blog that the Minx line is "very good," judging by the two Minx books she's read, and that "Kim has written graphic novels before, so his story is a better fit" for the format than that of the other Minx book she reviewed.

Still another librarian reports on HER blog that GOOD AS LILY "may have been my favorite of the Minx bunch."

The Avid Bookreader says that she "really liked the story and the ending had a nice fairytale touch. There’s some bits of humor, too. My favorite [Minx] title so far."

Yet another female reviewer grants us a "heartily recommended."

And another:
"Thematically it touches on life and death, seeing what’s really in front of you, and how choices shape your life. ... a graphic a novel with as much thought and story as a standard novel. Bravo!" (In the comments section, she adds: "It made me cry. Derek Kirk Kim is an amazing story teller. He really gets the whole writing for comics thing.")

And another:
"...a fresh, entertaining and engaging tale of true friendship, love, and valuing one self as much as the people in your life do. Absolutely delightful and highly recommended."


And another:
"My advanced copy of this graphic novel says that I shouldn’t quote or review this without comparing it to the final version of the book…but I must say one thing. This Rocks! :)"

And another:
"If you are in the mood for a fun read that ends up being a little meatier than you might expect, GOOD AS LILY will be mighty good, indeed."

That's not even all of the positive reviews Good As Lily has garnered from women, but we're running out of space.

Labels: Good as Lily, Jesse Hamm

"All noble goals; all lousy advice. Lousy because it substitutes destinations for directions. Might as well direct someone to the Fortress of Solitude by telling her to go to Superman’s hideout. The shortest route to better comics is, instead, concrete advice that any creator can put to use right now.

That said, here are 8 things I’d like to see more of in comics. These are suggestions that I think any creator can try out immediately; adjustments that don’t require new skills to implement. They aren’t all about quality; some are just intended to foster variety. But in every case I think they would add extra oomph to today’s comics — both alternative and mainstream."

Jesse Hamm writing a guest column for Comics Should be good.

"I arrive at Periscope Studio, in downtown Portland, where there are usually eight or ten artists working on their various freelance projects. If I have an illustration assignment of my own, I work on that; otherwise, I do assistant work for other artists in the studio — penciling and inking backgrounds, storyboarding, miscellaneous design/illustration work, etc. We listen to music, and there's a lot of joking around; we've also got a large reference library and a Cintiq and other fun toys. (And by "toys," I mean action figures.) We're often snapping digital photos of each other for reference, usually while brandishing weapons, and we brew a lot of tea and treat each other to hummus and pita bread from a restaurant down the street. It's a great environment, like a sitcom with less attractive people."

Jesse Hamm interviewed at Sequential Tart.

"As for the art, it is black and white, but is so nearly flawless that you won’t notice. Also, I was happy to see that Hamm can draw Korean people most excellently and so this book probably has the most Asian looking Asian people that I have seen since Scott Pigrim by Brian Lee ’O Malley."

Mike's Bitchin Comics Pickswrites about Jesse Hamm's Good As Lily. (No direct link available- go to the 8/21 entry.)

Labels: Jesse Hamm

"DC’s new Minx imprint has been a source of intense industry conversation since it was announced as the company’s new, concerted effort to get girls to read comics (well, comics published by DC, rather than manga). It’s hard to evaluate how well the line does in meeting its goal as I’m not, nor have I ever been, a teenage girl.
But it certainly seems like (Good as Lily) should hit the target audience. The story reads like young-adult fiction with a teen-movie accent, and the art resembles something between manga (black and white, digest-sized, occasional use of the Eastern visual lexicon) and Western original graphic novels. "

Las Vegas Weekly reviews Jesse Hamm's Good as Lily (and Ron Chan's A Dummy's Guide to Danger, too)

Labels: Jesse Hamm, ron chan

Jesse Hamm's graphic novel for the MINX line GOOD AS LILY arrives in stores today. The reviews have been terrific!

"Thematically it touches on life and death, seeing what’s really in front of you, and how choices shape your life. ... a graphic a novel with as much thought and story as a standard novel. Bravo!" (In the comments section, she adds: "It made me cry. Derek Kirk Kim is an amazing story teller. He really gets the whole writing for comics thing.")
http://mango-firefly.livejournal.com/13821.html


"...a fresh, entertaining and engaging tale of true friendship, love, and valuing one self as much as the people in your life do. Absolutely delightful and highly recommended."
http://dawnoftheread.livejournal.com/17012.html

"My advanced copy of this graphic novel says that I shouldn’t quote or review this without comparing it to the final version of the book…but I must say one thing. This Rocks! :)"
http://www.allconsuming.net/entry/view/49008

"DC's Minx line continues to come on strong with Derek Kirk Kim's Good As Lily... a fairly complex little story about the things people want in life, how they change, and all the little key points where a life can start unraveling… [grade] A"
http://mobile.avclub.com/content/node/64696


"If you are in the mood for a fun read that ends up being a little meatier than you might expect, GOOD AS LILY will be mighty good, indeed."
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/1401213812.asp


"I absolutely loved this book. ... The momentum of the story carries it to a
conclusion that's satisfying without ever being pat or cloying. This fantastic done-in-one tale is easily one of the most heartwarming and enjoyable releases so far this year." And about Jesse's work specifically: "...[Hamm] turns out to be a very solid collaborator. ... Hamm's art does a stellar job using facial expressions and body language to communicate the subtle personality traits that Kim's script demands."
http://www.playbackstl.com/content/view/6484/167/


Also, KTVU (the TV channel Jesse relied on for cartoons as a youngster) ran a short interview with Derek Kirk Kim which can be viewed here. Toward the end is a nice flip-through of the pages of GOOD AS LILY.

Labels: Good as Lily, Jesse Hamm

"'It's possible here because we're in Portland, which is the most cartoonist-rich environment anywhere in the English-speaking world. It's the last affordable city on the West Coast, it's an incredibly literate city, it's got crappy weather that keeps people inside and great coffee to keep them motivated—people come to a place like Portland and they do stuff.' "

Publishers Weekly visits Periscope.

"“I just want to say this is like the smartest audience ever!” enthused novelist Sara Ryan (The Rules for Hearts). Indeed, the “Comics Are Not Literature” panel at San Diego Comic-Con International on Sunday often sounded like an Ivy League debate society."

Newsarama's Zack Smith covers the SDCC Comics Are Not Literature panel

The script doesn’t dumb down for the audience. There is some decent explanation of life in the Antarctic without ever making the audience feel like they are getting a lesson or facing plot details on them. The characters are likable from the start especially Marshall Stetko who you know is rough and tough heroine who is going to get the job done.

How do they get these things? Latino Weeklyreviews a bootleg copy of the Whiteout movie script.

"Put as simply as possible, I absolutely loved this book. Kim never takes the easy way out with Grace's tale: she's neither the perfect girl leading a charmed life nor the nerdy kid picked on by the popular kids, but just a regular, ordinary high school girl dealing with problems both ordinary and extraordinary. The cast of characters is thoroughly likable, and Hamm's art does a stellar job using facial expressions and body language to communicate the subtle personality traits that Kim's script demands."

Playback St. Louis gives a rave review to Jesse Hamm's Good as Lily.

And hey, do you blog about comics? Send me a link to your blog and I'll mail out some of Sara Ryan's new mini comics, illustrated by studio members Ron Chan and Dylan Meconis!

Labels: Jesse Hamm, Sara Ryan, Steve Lieber, whiteout movie

I was looking at the Artist's Alley map, trying to figure out how many sherpas we'd need to get all our gear onsite, when I saw this:


"Toy Growers Cultyard." I can't even parse that. Anyone?

Either way, Jesse Hamm has a brilliant San Diego advice guide that'll come in handy everywhere throughout the con, including the Cultyard.

Colleen has reprinted Star of the East, the great mini-comic the Douglas Wolk mentioned in Reading Comics. More info on price and availablity soon.



Oh, and lookie here: we've got a new cover for Whiteout: Melt.

Labels: Colleen Coover, Jesse Hamm, whiteout

Periscope's own Rick Remender interviewed at The Word Balloon
http://media.libsyn.com/media/wordballoon/WBrickremender0607.mp3

And here's Tuesday's and Wednesday's excerpts of Derek Kirk Kim's and Jesse Hamm's Good as Lily
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/comics_lily_2.html
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/06/comics_lily_3.html

I'll leave it to you folks to guess what the URL for Thursday's excerpt will be.

Labels: Good as Lily, Jesse Hamm, Rick Remender

This just in from New York magazine:

All week on the Comics Page, we're excerpting Good As Lily, a charming English-language manga written by Derek Kirk Kim and drawn by Jesse Hamm, coming in August from Minx.

Read the first of five installments.

Also, some great reviews of Jeff Parker and Mike Wieringo's Spider-man/Fantastic Four miniseries. Kleefeld | Zodarzone | Every Day is like Wednesday | Living Between Wednesdays |

Labels: Good as Lily, Jeff Parker, Jesse Hamm

Evil Swiss biochemist Arnim Zola, courtesy of Colleen Coover:


Colleen's going to be at the Beasts signing Friday the 2nd at 7:00 pm at the Grass Hut on Burnside.

Also, at a garage sale last weekend, we found further proof of Jesse Hamm's Durden the Menace theory:

Labels: Arnim Zola, Colleen Coover, funny drawings, Jesse Hamm

Looks like the news about the Whiteout movie has gone public:

In the unsure world of moving comics to the screen, Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber’s Whiteout appears to have taken a large and definitive one, as Production Weekly has confirmed rumors that Kate Beckinsale will play US Marshal Carrie Stetko in the film version of the story, with Dominic (Gone in 60 Seconds) Sena directing.

Filming is slated to begin the first week in March in Montreal (presumably on sets) and Manitoba (presumably exteriors). Erich and Jon Hoeber wrote the screenplay adaptation of the story. For those unfamiliar with it, the comic, Rucka’s first major foray into comics, followed Stetko as she must solve the first murder on the Antarctic ice. Stetko is in a race against time to find and apprehend the killer before he leaves for the winter, or be trapped with him for six months.

More at Newsarama

There are a lot of blogs and message boards talking about it. I think my favorite is this one: "British lass Kate Beckinsale is currently in negotiations to star in the Alaska thriller “Whiteout”, based on a graphic novel (i.e. comic book). Written by Erich and Jon Hoeber and drawn by Gerg Rucka." You go, Gerg!

To answer the question I've received in email a couple dozen times this morning, I'm just plain excited. This is a window on a new world for me, and I really hope that comics retailers and booksellers can use this to build a new audience for the Whiteout books and for Greg's wonderful Queen and Country collections. That said, my #1 goal today is the same as it was yesterday: sit my ass down and get some work done. These things don't draw themselves.

Castle Waiting has its roots in classic fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty shapes the beginning of the story) but the completely original cast of characters drives this book into new and very creative territory. You get bearded nuns, a horse knight, poltersprites, a green baby, an Opinicus, and plenty of other odd and amusing characters, but it’s the depth and complexity of the main characters that is so appealing.

Linda Medley's Castle Waiting reviewed at Newsarama on the heels of being named one of the American Library Association’s 2007 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

"I think the rest of the country really doesn't know where Oregon is, they don't know what Portland is. They've got this vague idea and if you ask them to put it on the map, they don't even know Oregon's at the coast."

Kristian Williams interviews Jeff Parker

"Cartooning isn't about drawing well, it's about telling a story. We all tell stories (such as anecdotes about things that happened to us, or to people we know); this lesson is about learning to do that with pictures, even the simplest pictures. Later we'll learn drawing techniques, which will help our stories look better, but we'll begin with the more important task of learning to tell stories. A well-told story will hold the reader's attention even if the art isn't great. None of the instruction below requires any special drawing skill to implement."

Jesse Hamm teaches the craft at his livejournal.

Labels: Jeff Parker, Jesse Hamm, library, Linda Medley, whiteout movie

Jesse Hamm explains it all here , and here.

Labels: Jesse Hamm