CC exclusive: Brandon Graham news
by Frank Santoro
Saturday, February 5, 2011
King City collection cover idea
I asked Brandon Graham what the news is on the King City collection. “TokyoPop is still getting quotes from the printer and whatnot,” Brandon wrote me. I asked him if he had any preferences for the way the book might be printed, and he said, “Ideally, TokyoPop will print a collection that is the same size as the Image issues.”
“I think it’ll be real basic with what was just what was in the issues with some of the layouts and pages I’d cut from the issues in there,” sayeth Brandon. And then he said it would hopefully be out by the end of the year. He added that he’d like to see it be an affordable edition but added to his additional amendment that he understands that publishing is a tough racket all around. “I just want to see it in print”.
The idea that something as popular as KC might not see print made me think of THB not seeing print either, when it was in demand in the ’90s. Like the rarity of the comics so early so fast. And then P.P. doing work for Dark Horse and DC and those works being the first things that people read cuz that is what’s available. And Hey! That’s OK! I’m just speaking in like, DISCOGRAPHICAL terms. Like I enjoy seeing an artist’s progression through his/her own obsessions and how that all plays out. Like I hope KC sees print immediately because it would be really too bad for the readers who wanna read this now to somehow be denied. I know I say this all the time but: KC is a perfect comic book for right now, for today. And plus, I want all my friends to read it and I’m sick of lending out my run of the issues.
Labels: Brandon Graham, Paul Pope
Thank you Frank. I came to this page just now to follow up with the note that I saw posted on the previous article. This is fantastic news. COMICS WIN FOREVER.
Thanks Frank– Here’s a quick THB sketch I did.
http://royalboiler.deviantart.com/#/d38umiv
I hope that THB book comes out collected- doesn’t that dude have interns and shit that scan his pages can all day? I’m always running into dudes that are all about Pope but through batman. It’s like being a huge Kyle baker fan off of Deadpool.
“It’s like being a huge Kyle baker fan off of Deadpool.”
Well ya gotta start somewhere. I discovered KB through his work on The Shadow and that made me give The Cowboy Wally Show a look and had me chomping at the bit for Why I Hate Saturn.
Seriously though, good luck on getting the trade put together. KC was impossible to find ’round these parts (sadly the same can be said for Orc Stain, Bulletproof Coffin, Prison Pit, AX, etc etc…) because most comic shops are crammed to capacity with the usual mainstream nonsense (DC’s endless cross-over orgy anyone?)
good point on THB, there still isn’t any collection of that book. people are weird and cranky about collections. I keep talking to customers at the comic shop about good comics like big questions, and they say “sounds good can’t wait for the trade!” but then I have to tell them don’t be so certain there even will be a trade and that it’ll be inprint forever. who knows how long the wait will be. especially if people aren’t buying the actual issues. how manny years are you going to put up with me telling you about a good comic before you actually read it? visit your ol grand dad while he’s alive, don’t wait for the toombstone!
it was 11 years before the collected black hole came out. it was a hard cover, a relatively cheap one but still people were crying ” but when is the paper back version coming out?” shit ! I still feield weekly questions about when a paper back of crumb’s genesis is coming out, and that’s only a 25 dollar book anyways. maybe everyone is spoiled on books like walking dead which probably should just be a quarterly TP anyways.
Not only is THB not collected but it’s got almost impossible to track down the newest issues when they come out. I didn’t even realize the new one was out because it was a convention exclusive. Though I think it’s still available and I keep meaning to go over to Adhouse and order it if it is. Not to mention it got confusing as I don’t get the whole A and B numbering or whatever it is he’s doing with those newer comics. But sometimes I’m just dumb…
Pope is an artist who’s managed to maintain a career in comics without having the work he’s most known for being widely available or even regularly published for years. My favorite work of his is the first couple pages of “Smoke Navigator” (“Clove cigarettes. She smoked clove cigarettes.”) and would like to see an anthology of all the little stories not in the THB universe like the car crash one that was in Oni’s DoubleFeature anthology (never did get all the issues that was in) or the Kodansha “SuperTrouble” (or whatever it was called- can’t remember because I’ve seen 1 or 2 of them) pages. At this point I’d take anything in book form so I don’t keep having to dig through my stacks and find those oversized books which are always at the bottom!
When’s Battling Boy dropping????
there was a new THP? convention exclusive you say? well thats news to me.
There have been two issues already by Adhouse. Chris P holdin’ it down!
http://www.adhousebooks.com/comics/thbcfm2.html
Not to be pedantic, but as nice as it is, that new THB isn’t really a new THB comic, its more of a paul pope sampler. I don’t think there’s one THB-related story in there except if you count the Masked Kalimbah comic being some sort of cartoon that the martian kids might watch. Still worth buying but don’t go expecting any THB/HR content.
What was the story with the first Comics From Mars? I didn’t pick that up, because I didn’t see it in real life, and I didn’t track it down online because I assumed it would be collected with the rest of it- but reading the second issue it seems unlikely that stuff would ever be collected.
Chris Pitzer said:
The first Comics from Mars was a San Diego exclusive… From 2007?
Both issues contain stories that fall outside the main THB thread, since
First Second will collect that at some point.
I forget what the ratio of new material might have been. I recall that a
reworking of Bumbleshake was included. Also, we took that Zooball image and
ran it over three/four pages.
This gives you a feel for the comic being talked about: http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2011/new-paul-pope-new-thb-this-you-want-and-its-an-fpi-uk-exclusive/
“When’s Battling Boy dropping????”
Can’t find a link, but I heard somewhere September…ish? Before the end of the year, one hopes..
Not this year, he hasn’t finished it yet, & first second has about a year lead time on getting their books out. I think it’s unscheduled until he hands in the finished goods.
The good news is he actually seems to be working on it now, they’ve posted a few panels recently on their blog.
Good to hear a trade of this will be collected, even though I have the manga size and all the issues, I’ll be buying this thing! (also, what’s up Brandon!?)
I don’t comment here enough to say something this pithy probably, but, you harass your comic store to order stuff they don’t carry or get a box, and be like, “dude this is what I read, I will buy it along with Iron Man and stuff, k thanks!” or find another store? My guess is most stores order like 3 copies of ‘Orc Stain’ and once it’s out, it’s out, but if they’re ordering three, they can hold one for you…
see?!? now that’s what i like– ANSWERS.
looking forward to the big King City, whenever it might come along.
[…] Graham tells Santoro that Tokyopop is getting quotes from the printer for a collected King City, ideally to be printed at the size of the Image issues rather than the book’s original digest format. Graham expects the collection to be relatively modest, perhaps with a few layouts and deleted scenes. According to Santoro, Graham’s very understanding of the situation his once and potentially future publisher is in with regards to the collection and potential price points, saying “I just want to see it in print,” regardless of what it costs. […]
[…] trim size of its Image Comics serial-comic incarnation. I look forward to reading it! Via Frank Santoro, who has […]
1. I’m not sure if I can purchase KC for the third time, but I hope it gets collected.
2. All this Paul Pope/THB conversation makes me think of that dark day when my basement flooded and a chunk of my comics – which were down there temporarily – got water logged. One of the casualties: First Printings of THB! I kept them – damaged and all – because who knows when we’ll actually see THB collected. And the back issues are hopeless to track down, and then hopelessly expensive. Sigh.
“Not to be pedantic, but as nice as it is, that new THB isn’t really a new THB comic”
This slightly ameliorates the way Adhouse charging FOUR TIMES the cover price to ship the book made it completely unaffordable. I would have still bought a Paul Pope sampler if it had been reasonably priced, though.
Kit –
The only scenario I can imagine you might be talking about is international shipping? Otherwise, I send the THB comics first class at $3.50. I have tweaked my shipping fees to the best of my ability given the tools I use, but I will still refund any extreme overages. THAT said, you can always order from the few retailers who have purchased copies as well. Floating World, Desert Island (coming soon), Secret Headquarters.
Hope that helps.
And I like Brandon Graham comics.
yep yep, cross-hemispherical. obviously one can’t expect a small publisher to undercut themselves, but $20 to post a 32pp floppy did seem an impressive margin!
We should probably handle this by email.. but since were here… yep, you are correct. I think the typical cost is $12 or $13 to get it to you, so a refund would happen. I’ve just been burnt by previous shipping costs, so when it comes to international, I hedge my costs so I’m covered. Like I posted up the tread, Forbidden Planet UK has copies, so it might be cheaper from them? If not, and you really want it, like I said, I’ll refund difference, and every order does get some freebies as well.