This is a blog that was created by a young blogger I know. It's worth a look. It's written in a very crisp and clever way, and it's only going to improve from there! It's fun to see someone with an aptitude for writing start a project like this. If you go over, post a few comments and give this young writer props for a job well done.

Looking for work? Do you code?

Bookworm Computing, the folks who host Evil Inc, as well as several Blank Label Comics sites, is looking for contract programmers, PHP/CGI scripters, and web/graphics designers.

Fill out this form so they can contact you, and you're off and running. Bookworm Computing is good people. Good luck!

It's finally ready! The Evil Inc Annual Report, Volume Two is available for purchase through Lulu.com!

The book does not have an ISBN or a bar code yet, so if you purchase the book right now, it will have a white square on the back cover where the bar code will eventually go.

I'll be blogging more about this next week, but for now I'll tell you the basics: It's 81 pages -- about a third longer than Volume One -- and it's the same graphic-novelization of the daily comic strip concept I've done in previous books -- meaning, I've taken the individualy panels of the daily strips and used them to design graphic-novel-style pages. The whole things reads continuously from cover to cover.

I'll have a preview up next week for those of you who need one. For everybody else, get moving!

I have discontinued updating the blog here. :)

To check out the latest postings, please see my Web site: http://www.evil-comic.com

Blank Label Comics garnered 10 nominations in the 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards, which were announced yesterday.

Starslip Crisis, by Kristofer Straub, took 5 nominations -- Outstanding Newcomer, Outstanding Black-and-White Art, Outstanding Use of Flash, Outstanding Web Design, and Outstanding Science Fiction Comic.

Kris earned a sixth nod for his writing on Starslip Crisis, Checkerboard Nightmare, and Modern Humor Authority.

Wapsi Square, by Paul Taylor, earned two nominations -- one for Outstanding Black-and-White Art and another for Outstanding Character Art.

Ugly Hill, by Paul Southworth, was nominated for Outstanding Character Art. Shortpacked!, by David Willis, got the nod for Outstanding Comedic Comic.

Voting for the Webcartoonists' Choice Awards began on June 12 and will end on July 10. The winners will be announced July 17.

Current Mood: excited

Fair warning: If you want to know the whole story to Evil Atom's origins, along with some information on the origins of Evil Inc and some background information about Evil Atom's relationship with Catspaw, you'd better subscribe to the newsletter by Tuesday night.

I'm planning on spilling all of that stuff as an exclusive to newsletter subscribers on Wednesday.

Just send an e-mail to news-subscribe@evil-comic.com to get added to the mailing list.?

Current Mood: excited

I've been getting a lot of positive response about today's Phables.

It's about all the annoying things that people do on the road. I've made it into a game. Now, when you see it happening, instead of getting angry, put an "X" in the corresponding box.

First one to get five in a straight line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) gets to yell:

PHILLY ROAD BINGO!

Due to popular request, I made a letter-sized PDF for you to download and print. Go play in traffic.

Current Mood: excited

Wizard World Philadelphia starts tomorrow! I'm going to be in Artist's Alley with all the latest Evil Inc gear -- plus all the older stuff you might be looking for. I'll also have cool swag, magnets, buttons, sketches and more. Look for the Evil Inc logo in Artist's Alley. If you're planning to be there, please let me know -- either here in my livejournal or on my messageboard!

Current Mood: bouncy

We're celebrating our first year of independent comics excellence! Check out a really cool recap of the year that was and enter into a contest to win signed books by all the BLC members!

Current Mood: excited

New York area fans of Evil Inc and Courting Disaster now have even more opportunities to buy books inside real brick-and-mortar stores.

Midtown Comics is now carrying Evil Inc Annual Report Vol. 1, Best of Lightning Lady, and Courting Disaster Vol. 1

Next up: California. Stay tooned.

Current Mood: excited

Jim Hanley's Universe

Brad Guigar on Monday, May 15 2006

The Evil Inc Annual Report is now available in stores!

Well, in store.

Jim Hanley's Universe in New York City is now stocking copies of both the Annual Report and Best of Greystone Inn: Lightning Lady graphic novels. There are two locations. One is at 4 West 33rd St. (off 5th Ave. - opposite the Empire State Building). The other is on Staten Island at 325 New Dorp Lane.

They're having a 25%-off sale May 29 and 30 for Memorial Day.

Two more comic shops have already placed orders and as soon as those shipment have been sent out I'll tell you about those, too.

By the way, this is old news for newsletter subscribers, who knew about this over a week ago and already know which store will carry the books next. :)

Current Mood: excited

Congress Is proposing new rules governing the manner by which we access the World Wide Web. It's called COPE, and I just don't like it.

The legislation allows the telecom companies to divide the Web into a fast lane and a slow lane -- with the fast lane being a toll road. You can't pay the toll? Your site gets jammed into the slow lane with the rest of the nobodies.

And many are concerned that it opens wide the door to censorship on the Web -- either directly or indirectly.

Scott Kurtz has the right idea in rallying support for Savetheinternet.com. The site makes it easy to contact your representatives in Washington, D.C., even if you don't know who they are.

Get off your keisters and get active people. If you don't think this is going to effect webcomics, you're sadly mistaken.

I'm always on my soapbox about supporting your favorite webcomics in a tangible way. Well, this is one way that you can support all webcomics -- and you never have to touch your wallet.

As a bonus, you get to exercise your much-talked-about-and-seldom-used privilege as an American citizen. Trust me. It feels good.

Current Mood: excited

...once and for all.

I see the Unfit saga has come to an end.

If they'd chosen Kellett like we told 'em to, this wouldn'ta happened. :)

Current Mood: bouncy

I just caught a hilarious movie on iFilm.com! It's called Tim Warner: Silver Lining. Its a comedy about a bad cartoonist who does a lame daily comic strip. (think Ziggy, Garfield, etc...).   When his comic is taken out of the paper and replaced by a more "edgier" political strip (think Mallard Fillmore, Boondocks, etc) the two cartoonist must battle it out!

It's a little long at 36 minutes, but it's well worth the time. If you've ever winced at hokey comics like Marmaduke and Ziggy, you're going to love this. It was clearly made by people who love comic strips. These guys nailed it. I'm telling you, I laughed out loud.

And they even got Berke Breathed to do a cameo.

The movie itself has a Web site, that's worth checking out as well.

[Edit: The movie has some profanity. Also, I'm told that some @$$face from FilmThreat gave it a bad review. Boo on you, FilmThreat, I say boo on you!]

Current Mood: bouncy

The latest big name to be linked to Marvel's Iron Man movie is Tom Cruise.

Both Nick Cage and Leo DeCaprio have also been mentioned in connection with the project in the past.

I keep thinking Tom Selleck has the look to play Tony Stark best. I'm sure everyone has forgotten about Quigley Down Under by now...

Current Mood: excited

DC Comics announced yesterday the launching of a new Web site to help readers follow 52, the comic series that will unfold this year, chronicling the aftermath of Infinite Crisis.

As you know, 52 will be published once a week for a year, mimicking the "real time" gimmick used by other successful entertainment properties such as Fox's "24."

From their press release: Throughout the course of this historic year, 52thecomic.com will grant readers access to the headlines of the Daily Planet‹the workplace of acclaimed journalists Clark Kent and Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olson.

52thecomic.com will function as any "real world" newsmagazine would (with its headlines ripped from the pages of 52) with coverage of the events of the day, including national, world and local news, sports coverage and updated weather forecasts. If it's snowing in an issue of 52, the site will reflect that with an updated weather report. If war breaks out in Khandaq, 52thecomic.com will report on the troops. If the Gotham Knights just lost a close double-header, you can check the score. The site also features a real time clock (which syncs to the time zone of any web user who visits the site) and banner ads promoting the fictional products that stock the shelves of the DC universe.

I checked it out, and it's a surprisingly good site. According to the Sports report, Bizzarbaro won the Kentucky Derby. Running backwards. You can make a donation to support the citiznes of Bludhaven and participate in a poll about the pricing practices of LexOil.

Why haven't I sent a resume to DC Comics yet?

Current Mood: excited

OK, I totally blew off Free Comic Book Day in favor of spending a gorgeous spring day at Rittenhouse park with my oldest son. There was a Spring Festival going on with three live bands playing at any one time, outdoor food, and lots of other kids for him to play with.

To put it mildly, I didn't miss FCBD a bit.

However, I'm still curious. Did you go? Did you pick up anything noteworthy? Any good stories to share?

Current Mood: bouncy

Rumor has it that the Silver Surfer is slated to be a central figure in the next Fantastic Four movie.

According to Variety, Keanu Reeves, The Rock, and Vin Diesel have all been rumored to be considered for the role. However, MovieHole's Clint Morris wisely points out that the budget for the movie is probably already blown and bringing in such a Big Name is improbable.

OK. I get the Keanu Reeves rumor. He cut his teeth on the surfer-dude persona, so it would be fun to see him do a big-budget surfer dude. But The Rock? Vin Diesel? Mister Diesel is borderline, but Mister Rock is all wrong.

Me? I want to see David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane, from Frazier considered for the role. And not in a campy way, either.

Current Mood: excited

My wife stopped by Hall of Heroes and picked up Civil War #1 and brought it in to work so I could see it last night. I've read it though a couple times and I'm still pretty amazed.

What did you think?

P.S.: I know the last part of Infinite Crisis has come out, but I haven't seen it yet, so we'll talk about that one a little later. But I think comparisons between these two projects are inevitable.

Current Mood: excited

The discussion about Marvel's Civil War series on NPR's Talk of the Nation can be found here. Click on the button that says Listen to hear Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics' editor in chief, and comic book writer Paul Jenkins discuss the concepts behind what looks to be a phenomenal series.

Current Mood: excited