Archives - April 2009

Interview: C. Tyler, author of You'll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man

Apr 29, 2009

How well do we know our loved ones? That questions burns with many, especially those children of parents reticent to share their most personal, life-changing experiences. Such was the case with Carol Tyler, an artist who wanted to know more about what her father experienced in World War II. Like many of his generation, Chuck Tyler kept his experiences overseas shrouded in the past, something rarely discussed, even with his fellow servicemen. That all changed one day when, unexpectedly, he contacted Carol and said he was ready to talk.

Interview: Gene Luen Yang, author of The Eternal Smile

Apr 27, 2009

Two of the most successful creators in comics, Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, have teamed up to present a new work, The Eternal Smile. We’ve been previewing the book for the past month, and now comes the final installment, along with an in-depth conversation with the two creators.

Interview: Barry Lyga, author of Wolverine: Worst Day Ever

Apr 22, 2009

With a large following in the young-adult prose market, thanks to his books The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and Boy Toy, Barry Lyga now takes on one of the most seminal comics characters of all time: Wolverine. But he’s doing it with his own twist. Wolverine: Worst Day Ever is a YA graphic novel written from a teen’s point of view. As a new student adapts to life at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, we get to see Wolverine through an entirely new set of eyes (get a sneak preview of the book here). In this interview, Barry Lyga reveals his history with the character and how his new story came about—as well as what we can expect in the highly anticipated sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.

Interview: Peter David, author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Treachery

Apr 21, 2009

The Dark Tower: Treachery was released with a midnight signing and celebration. When you started the series, did you expect it would get this kind of reaction?

Peter David: If by reaction you mean critical reaction, I was confident that we were putting out a quality book. The work that Robin, Jae, and Richard have done is superb. So I was reasonably sure that we’d get positive notices. In terms of actual audience numbers, I honestly had no idea what to expect. It was, after all, not a superhero title. I knew if we could pull in the Stephen King fans, we’d have a ball game. The point at which I finally became confident of the audience interest was when I showed up at one of the Marvel midnight openings to launch the very first issue of Dark Tower. It was at Midtown Comics at Times Square, it was February, midnight (of course), and an arctic wind was blasting down the street, rendering it practically subzero. Yet well over a hundred people showed up to stand there, freezing, in order to be part of the event. And I thought, “Okay. We’ve got something here.”

Interview: Rick Geary, author of The Adventures of Blanche

Apr 8, 2009

Rick Geary combines history, action, and mystery in his fun-filled (and beautifully drawn) books. That’s evident in works like The Adventures of Blanche and in his ongoing Victorian Murders and Twentieth Century Murders series. With a style that harkens back to the golden age of comics illustrators—but a sense of pacing that embraces quick turns of events and breakneck plotting—Geary is somewhat of an anomaly, but a delightful one: His stories are as clean as the fine lines of his artwork, but without ever seeming stuffy or outdated. In fact, for work so steeped in history, they’re decidedly current.

Interview: Ariel Schrag, author of Likewise

Apr 7, 2009

Ariel Schrag began her memoirs of her high-school years while still in high school. Every summer after a school year ended, she’d write up her experiences in graphic memoir form, much to the joy and chagrin of those she knew and loved. Some friends and family members balked at being depicted, while others found the experience wonderful.