May 31st – June 4th is the second annual Gideon Media Arts Conderence and Film Festival in Ridgecrest, NC. This year there is a big push towards graphic novels (yeah!) and I’ve been invited to be on staff with Ken Raney, Art Ayris, and fellow parabler Ben Avery. In addition to a panel discussion, a graphic arts gala and some one-on-one time with the students, I’ll also be offering a couple of workshops- one on webcomics and the other on comic anthologies. These are both subjects I feel I know plenty about at this point, even though there are a gazillion more experienced creators in both those areas that might have a lot more to offer. The difference in this case is that all of the workshops and events at Gideon will have a Christian emphasis to them and (hopefully) give everyone involved a stronger insight on how we can use our creative talents to better serve the Lord. Gideon will also be the first opportunity to see Parable in full book form, since I’ll be bringing a few sample copies with me to show around (although that probably won’t be as exciting as watching me try to talk in front of a room full of people).

Gideon is still excepting registrations so if you’re interested in attending, click HERE to find out the details. And for more info on the Graphic Arts section of the conference, including Ken, Art, and Ben’s involvement, click HERE.

I hope to see some of you there. I think it’s going to be a really fun time!

I was thinking this week about Viper Comics. I mean, you hear ‘DC’ and you think Superman, Batman. When you say ‘Marvel’ you instantly have images of Spider-Man and the X-Men dance through your head. Even Image has a little mainstream presence with publications of the Luna Brother’s work on Girls and Ultra. When you say ‘Viper Comics’ to Mr. Joe Everyman, chances are they’ll raise an eyebrow and ask for an explanation, which is too bad since Viper has an excellent array of titles. I thought I’d spotlight a few of the ones that, for me at least, stand out.

The comic that introduced me to Viper in the first place is still, in my opinion, one of their better titles. Daisy Kutter details the exploits of a reformed train robber asked to do one last job by a mysterious employer. Armed with a massive shotgun and nerves of steel, there isn’t much that can stop Daisy, robot assassins and powered armor included. The unique setting of wild west and science fiction meshes well with the witty dialogue and excellent action sequences making this comic one of the greats. Check it out this great one-shot story collected nicely in the TPB “The Last Train”. Author Kazu Kibuishi

Ever heard of the show Lost? Oh you have? I guess it’s popular. The reason I bring it up is that Lost’s writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach is the mastermind behind the strangest spy fiction you’ll ever read. The wit and absurdity of The Middleman follows the title character and his newest sidekick, Wendy, as they combat “threats extra-, infra- and juxta terrestrial”. Anything is fair game for the duo; be it aliens, mutants or Mexican Wrestlers (I kid you not). Art by Les McClaine.

Some of Viper’s newer titles are also some their most intriguing. The Lost Books of Eve details the adventures of the world’s first woman as she travels about a fantastic earth in search of Adam who has gone missing. The Underworld Rail Road tells the tales of souls sent wrongly to hell, and the supernatural safehouses that help them make their escape to freedom. Long time running Dead@17, A Dummies Guide to Danger, and Villians are now entrenched standbys and all excellent titles. All in all, Viper is a great publisher for Parable, offering titles with great art and, more importantly, original ideas.

Lastly, I noticed this a couple weeks ago and thought I’d add it as well. Over at Kameleo.com, there are some new free online classes an comic design. Sometimes its good to take a refresher of the basics. Check that out here.

Until next time.

Flight Volume One featured 22 short comics by 21 contributors, first published back in 2004 through Image Publishing. Flight is now on it’s fourth installment, has seen a doubled page count(352 pages) containing 25 short comics and was released in 2007 under publisher Ballantine Books. The fifth Flight is currently in the works. Flight is a very good example of the kind of anthology that works and works well, bringing together very different views, ideas and stories into one beautiful package with something for everyone. Much like Parable, and we’re happy to have an connection to Flight through two of our contributors.

For those of you who are a bit quicker with recognizing names, you probably know who I’m talking about. For those like me that need a little prompting from time to time, I’m talking about Sarah Mensinga and Ben Hatke, two great connections to a comic anthology that is fast approaching it’s 5th installment with names like Kazu Kibuishi and Jeff Smith gracing the contributor’s list. It sure gives us at Parable something to aspire to!

In other news, I came across this article linked in Kazu’s blog, and I thought it was a great story to point out how mainstream business and audiences alike are starting to pick up comics from creators that aren’t owned by the big two. I thought it was awesome because you don’t usually associate comics with finance.