Comics A.M. | Comics numbering (and renumbering); the problem with DRM

Comics A.M. | Comics numbering (and renumbering); the problem with DRM

Batwoman #0

Publishing | Don MacPherson rails against the current numbering and renumbering practices by Marvel and DC Comics: 'I realize other publishers have adopted irregular numbering schemes as well, but DC and Marvel are the ones driving things in that direction. Constant relaunches with new first issues, renumbering those relaunches to exploit a big-number milestone such as a 500th issue, half issues, zero issues, issues with decimal points, Greek letters ' it's exhausting and irritating, and I'm certain it's frustrating for people preparing price guides and collection databases. Next I'm guessing there will be a series numbered in an alien math rooted in a fictional Kryptonian base-14 numerical system.' [Eye on Comics]

Digital comics | David Brothers articulates what the problem is with DRM: 'What I realized is that DRM has a lot of benefits for the publisher, but next to none for the consumer. Blizzard can track exactly who plays Diablo III and when, which is valuable for gathering demographic data, off the top of my head. ComiXology can tell publishers exactly what contexts their comics will appear in and on what devices. DRM is about control, basically, rather than being a value-add. It's a limiting service, rather than one focused on expansion, and the people most affected by it are consumers who actually want to consume this stuff.' And it does nothing to stop piracy, either. [4thletter!]

Fandom | Mikal McCruden and Chris Gardener renewed their wedding vows Wednesday at Collectors Corner in Parkville, Maryland, in celebration of the release of Marvel's Astonishing X-Men #51. McCruden and Gardener were legally married two years ago in Washington, D.C. [Parkville-Overlea Patch]

Metro

Creators | Maya Jaggi briefly profiles cartoonist Magdy El Shafee, 'the godfather of Egyptian graphic novelists,' whose book Metro is now being released in English after being banned in his own country. [Newsweek]

Creators | Writer Jim Zubkavich and artist Erik Mona talk about their work on Dynamite Entertainment's new line of Pathfinder comics, and how they plan to make the comics accessible to new readers who may not be familiar with the game. [ICv2]

Creators | Chef Anthony Bourdain discusses his upcoming graphic novel Get Jiro!, and his time as a 'geeky comic collector' and 'wannabe artist.' [Entertainment Weekly]

Creators | Darren Orf rattles off his list of the 15 best creator duos, from Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan to Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. [Paste]

Comics | Dr. Larry Larsen assures a mother that letting her child read comics won't hurt their schoolwork. [Eagle-Tribune]

Comics | Whether or not you actually remember the summer of 1977, this array of Marvel covers is a reminder of how awesome ' and varied ' their line was back then. [Diversions of the Groovy Kind]

• June 25, 2012 @ 06:55 AM by Brigid Alverson and JK Parkin
• Tagged: Anthony Bourdain, Astonishing X-Men, comic books, comic retailers, comics a.m., comics creators, comics industry, DC Comics, digital comics, Don MacPherson, dynamite, Erik Mona, fandom, games, gays in comics, Get Jiro!, graphic novels, Jim Zubkavich, Magdy El Shafee, Marvel, Metro, Northstar, Pathfinder, Vertigo

One Comment

I really wish 'Get Jiro' wasn't coming out at the same time as the Tor edition of 'Johnny Hiro.' You know, the first sushi chef action adventure comic, but by an actual cartoonist and not a celebrity passing through.

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