graphic novels

When Sina Grace stepped down last week as editorial director of Skybound Comics — “The Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics — it was to take a “leap of faith,” Grace said. Now, Grace has his hands full with “Not My Bag,” an autobiographical graphic novel about the horrors of working in a high-end department store. Grace is also releasing an exclusively digital comic “Self-Obsessed” next month and continues to illustrate “The Li’l Depressed Boy,” a music-driven series about a lovelorn ragdoll boy. “The Li’l Depressed Boy, Vol. 3: Got Your Money” hit shelves this week, and a preview for “Not My Bag” appears in last week’s “The Walking Dead,” No. 101. Hero Complex caught up with Grace, who begins touring in the fall to promote “Not My Bag.” HC: You’ve been editorial director of Skybound for […]

Patrick Ballesteros didn’t have to look much further for inspiration than his own childhood when he illustrated “The Adventures of Super Bunny and Giant Cat Bear and Charlie,” a children’s graphic novel co-written by Kevin Staniec. The story follows cape-wearing, adventure-seeking Super Bunny, his pint-sized pal Charlie and her pet broccoli, and Giant Cat Bear (who is really a panda) as they plan a trip to the moon. The art in the kids’ comic story is in keeping with the pop culture illustrations Ballesteros sells on his website and at comic conventions — a unique blend of imagination and nostalgia. Ballesteros and Staniec co-founded an independent publishing house called Treehouse Bandits and are celebrating the release of their second book, “How to Catch a Cloud,” this week. Hero Complex caught up with Ballesteros to talk about Treehouse Bandits, superheroes and […]

In her graphic novel “Shuteye,” released earlier this year, writer and artist Sarah Becan weaves together six mini-comics that explore themes of dreams and reality. Each eerie story seems to wake up from the last, giving readers a glimpse of the fuzziness experienced right after a deep sleep filled with vivid dreams. “Shuteye,” which found life after a successful Kickstarter campaign, is Becan’s second novel. Her first, “The Ouija Interviews,” was produced with the help of a 2009 Xeric Grant and depicts cute and humorous conversations with dead people. But Becan is best known for her artistic forays into the world of food. She has been regularly publishing her food-and-health Web comic “I Think You’re Sauceome” since 2010. Hero Complex caught up with Becan to talk about “Sauceome,” “Shuteye” and the surreal blur between dreams and reality. HC: “Shuteye” is […]

Selina Kyle’s lacy red bra and its ample, curvy contents fill the first panel of “Catwoman” No. 1, published last year when DC Comics relaunched 52 of its most popular titles. By the last page, she’s straddling Batman and spilling out of her leather suit once more. Catwoman wasn’t DC’s only female superhero to make her “New 52” debut in lingerie. In “Red Hood and the Outlaws” No. 1, extraterrestrial princess Starfire strikes a Playboy-like pose, bursting out of her purple bikini as she propositions Red Hood. And Voodoo, a shape-shifting half-alien hybrid, spends half of her first issue stripping. Comics blogs buzzed with debate, and critics cried sexism, pointing to the company’s predominantly male creative staff. DC’s rival Marvel Comics often faces similar criticism — the superhero comics genre historically has been a boys’ club. But a broader look […]

Fans hungry for talk of zombies and mutants can get their fill at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, where writer Robert Kirkman will talk about his work for “The Walking Dead,” “Invincible,” “Ultimate X-Men” and his new project, “Super Dinosaur,” which he has described as “a Pixar movie on paper.” The question-and-answer session with Kirkman, hosted by Hero Complex writer Geoff Boucher, will be held in the Ronald Tutor Campus Center at 10:30 a.m. on April 21. Here are a few other events Hero Complex readers may want to check out at the festival, which runs April 21-22: • “With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story”: The documentary will screen at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. April 22 in the School for Cinematic Arts’ Ray Stark Theater. • “Graphic Novel: Drawing Outside the Lines”: […]

Aboriginal sci-fi, madcap cartoon realms, a sexualized dreamscape and a garden of geometric surrealism – these are the unexpected ideas and fascinating settings presented by the nominees in the graphic novel category for the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. This is the 32nd presentation of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes but just the third year that the graphic novel category has been included. The winners in all categories will be announced at a ceremony at USC on April 20, right before the start of the 17th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the largest book festival in the United States. Here’s a look at the nominees in the graphic novel field: Joseph Lambert, “I Will Bite You! And Other Stories” (Secret Acres): Lambert’s dazzling debut effort, “I Will Bite You!” is a collection of short works (it includes some of Lambert’s self-published mini-comics […]

French graphic novelist Ludovic Debeurme may be well known in Europe, but he’s only just breaking out in the U.S.  This July, Top Shelf published his English-language debut, a translation of “Lucille,” which earned him much critical acclaim when it was originally released in French in 2006. “Lucille” is the moving, emotionally raw and dark story about two alienated teenagers who, amid a torrent of personal and familial conflicts, find an instant connection and first love. Top Shelf has just announced that it will publish the sequel to “Lucille” — “Renée,” which follows some of the same characters and introduces a handful of new ones, and is set to come out in late 2012.  Hero Complex contributor Deborah Vankin recently chatted with Debeurme about his work through his translator, Leigh Walton. DV: This is a pretty dark book – suicide, alcoholism, […]