IMAGE COMICS (général)

Ouverture d’un sujet général sur le parcours de l’éditeur Image Comics.

Lors de l’Exposition Image 2013 qui se tient chaque année à San Francisco, l’éditeur Image Comics a présenté son programme pour la fin de l’année 2013, début 2014.
Le détail des nouveautés vous est présenté ci-dessous par Comics-Sanctuary:

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Alors là, avec les annonces qui ont été balancées, je trouve qu’Image fait très fort !
Sur le lot, à part Ody-C et les séries de JMS (j’attends d’en voir plus) tout m’intéresse !
Je suis assez content que les auteurs sortent des mini-séries d’une part pour mon porte-monnaie, d’autre part, ça peut éviter que la série ne soit mise en long stand-by ou abandonnée si l’un des deux gros fait une belle proposition au scénariste ou au dessinateur.
Après les annonces de Vertigo et celles-ci, je vais en avoir à lire, du nouveau comic book !

Ca fait déjà un an ou deux qu’Image fait très fort. avoir ramené Morrison avec Quitely c’était du lourd de même que Brub et phillips pour Fatale. Bref Image à retrouvé un second souffle qui fait plaisir à voir et surtout avec plein de super projet très très intéressant ça donne vraiment envie.

Il y a toujours eu du très bon matos chez Image depuis qu’ils ont tourné la page de leurs débuts ultra-commerciaux. Image Central s’est développé avec Valentino, puis avec Erik Larsen qui a soutenu pleins de bons projets. Et maintenant, Stephenson frappe fort en rapatriant pleins de grand noms d’un coup, mais ça plus de 10 ans que le modèle Image fonctionne et donne pleins de bonnes lectures. Perso, Image, c’est mon deuxième plus gros contingent de comics, derrière DC et loin devant Marvel, Dark Horse et les indés. DC est très largement en tête, mais c’est parce qu’il y a (avait ?) Vertigo.

Comme Kab, je pense que ça fait vraiment 2 ans que l’on sent un truc qui frétille chez Image, avec des putains de projets vraiment fun à lire, et je ne pense pas qu’à des séries d’auteurs populaires : Todd The Uggly chaui plus quoi est une pépite, pareil pour Five Ghosts ou Five Weapons.
Pour moi, c’est véritablement l’éditeur incontournable du moment, à des années de la soupe que Marvel ou DC nous servent.
La maison des idées, avec un grand I, c’est Image Comics !

Le fait que vous perceviez un gros mieux depuis deux ans et moi pas (ou tout du moins pas franchement) m’a posé question. En bon scientifique que je suis, je me méfie des impressions et j’aime bien les faits chiffrés. Alors, j’ai profité d’un déplacement en train pour déterminer l’évolution de ma conso de comics Image au fil des ans. Il se trouve que je maintiens dans un fichier excel depuis environ 15 ans une comptabilité relativement précise de mes achats comics. Pour cet exercice, je suis remonté jusqu’à 2004, année où je suis passé en full TPB et voilà ce que ça donne :

2005 100 18,00%
2006 117 20%
2007 100 21,33%
2008 98 17,80%
2009 85 10,00%
2010 61 13,64%
2011 64 13,30%
2012 52 21,04%

Le premier chiffre est le nombre total de TPB acheté sur l’année tous éditeurs confondus. Le second est la proportion de titres Image dans ce total. Ce que je constate :

  1. J’ai progressivement divisé ma quantité de lecture par deux à partir de 2009. Ca ne veut pas dire que la qualité de la production globale a baissé, mais que j’ai relevé la barre de mes exigences (obligé, car je n’avais plus le temps de lire ce que j’achetais).

  2. En même temps que je relevais la barre, la proportion de titre Image a chuté de 20% en 2005-2007 à 13-14% en 2010-2011 avec un creux à 10% en 2009. En 2012, rebond à 20%. Je peux déjà dire que 2013 sera du même acabit vu la tendance de ce début d’année.

Par rapport aux publication en mensuels, il faut tout décaler d’un an. J’en déduis donc qu’Image est pourvoyeur de comics de grande qualité depuis belle lurette, mais qu’il y a bien en effet une belle résurgence depuis deux ans.

On ne s’en plaindra pas. :wink:

On dirait bien qu’Image va faire un carton aux Eisner Awards cette année. Les nominés sont :

Best Continuing Series

Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
The Manhattan Projects, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra (Image)
Prophet, by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy (Image)
Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series

Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)
Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)
Fatale, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)
Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Writer

Ed Brubaker, Fatale (Image)
Matt Fraction, Hawkeye (Marvel); Casanova: Avaritia (Marvel Icon)
Brandon Graham, Multiple Warheads, Prophet (Image)
Jonathan Hickman, The Manhattan Projects (Image)
Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)
Frank M. Young, The Carter Family (Abrams ComicArts)

Parmi les catégories phares, il n’y a guère que celle des dessinateurs où ils ne sont pas majoritaires.

Best Penciller/Inker

David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)
Becky Cloonan, Conan the Barbarian (Dark Horse); The Muse (self-published)
Colleen Coover, Bandette (Monkeybrain)
Sean Phillips, Fatale (Image)
Joseph Remnant, Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (Zip Comics/Top Shelf)
Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)

Et Bandette est nominée deux fois, pas mal !

Jim

Eh beh la série Hawkeye fait un carton plein niveau nommination. Toutes celles d’Image sont largement justifiés.

La liste des gagnants des Eisner Awards 2013:

[quote]Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): The Mire, by Becky Cloonan (self-published)

Best Continuing Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best New Series: Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7): Babymouse for President, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8–12): Adventure Time, by Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb (kaboom!)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17): A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle, adapted by Hope Larson (FSG)

Best Humor Publication: Darth Vader and Son, by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle)

Best Digital Comic: Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain)

Best Anthology: Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)

Best Reality-Based Work (tie): Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert (Center for Cartoon Studies/Disney Hyperion); The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, by Frank M. Young and David Lasky (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Graphic Album—New: Building Stories, by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium: Richard Stark’s Parker: The Score, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint: King City, by Brandon Graham (TokyoPop/Image)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: Pogo, vol. 2: Bona Fide Balderdash, by Walt Kelly, edited by Carolyn Kelly and Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material: Blacksad: Silent Hell, by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido (Dark Horse)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia: Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)

Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Saga (Image)

Best Writer/Artist: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Penciler/Inker (tie): David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel), Chris Samnee, Daredevil (Marvel); Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom (IDW)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad (Dark Horse)

Best Cover Artist: David Aja, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring: Dave Stewart, Batwoman (DC); Fatale (Image); BPRD, Conan the Barbarian, Hellboy in Hell, Lobster Johnson, The Massive (Dark Horse)

Best Lettering: Chris Ware, Building Stories (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: The Comics Reporter, edited by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Comics-Related Book: Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe (HarperCollins)

Best Educational/Academic Work: Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass, by Susan E. Kirtley (University Press of Mississippi)

Best Publication Design: Building Stories, designed by Chris Ware (Pantheon)

Hall of Fame: Lee Falk, Al Jaffee, Mort Meskin, Trina Robbins, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sinnott

Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Russel Roehling

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Chris Sparks and Team Cul deSac

Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award: Steve Gerber, Don Rosa

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award: Challengers Comics + Conversation, Chicago, IL[/quote]

Source: www.newsarama.com

DC n’a rien du tout et Marvel à la mise sauvé par Aja et Samnee wahou

Est-ce qu’au moins ça les touche ? Pas sûr !

Tant qu’il y a les ventes ils s’en cognent même si de temps ne temps un petit Eisnerça plait.

Comme chaque année, la convention Image Expo de San Francisco dévoile le programme de l’éditeur Image Comics pour l’année à venir. Petit tour d’horizon des annonces de la journée:

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Lors de la convention Image Expo, le responsable éditorial Mike Richardson a fait un long speech sur l’importance de remettre les comics entre les mains des créateurs.

[quote=« Mike Richardson »]“The only rules are the ones we create.” – Warren Ellis

Every time I start writing one of these presentations, I share my initial draft with various folks around the office, and invariably, someone says that it’s always a good idea to start a speech with a joke.

So here’s one:

**A week ago, I woke up to learn that the comics industry was storming into San Diego with more announcements about licensed comics based on old movie and TV franchises, gender-bending superheroes, crossover events that previously would have been relegated to the realm of fan fiction, and the brutal murder of a beloved children’s character.

I texted a friend with some of this news, and his response was, “Eric, it’s not even 10 am. Are you drunk?”**

The punch line to that joke is I wish I had been.

It’s hard to believe that as far as comics have come since the turn of the century, with the tremendous impact comics have had on the cultural landscape, and all the hard-fought success we’ve achieved as a medium that is finally beginning to be taken seriously, this is still what passes for “new” to the overwhelming majority of the comic book industry.

Grave robbing the past in an attempt to pump new life into decades-old characters.

Treating gender equality and cultural issues as though they’re little more than gimmicks to increase sales.

That’s the comic book industry of the past, ladies and gentleman, and this year, it’s clinging on for dear life.

We’ve invited you here today, though, to talk about the future.

I had the opportunity to speak to a group of students recently, as a part of the California College of the Arts’ “Comics in the City” series, and I have to say, it’s was an exhilarating experience.

Not because I like talking about myself or being in front of an audience – I think you can tell just by looking at me, that couldn’t be any further from the truth – but because the audience itself was made up of young men and women enrolled in CCA’s MFA in Comics program, and looking out at that audience, and the diversity it represented, filled me with hope.

Hope is important in comics, and it’s important to the future of comics.

I know that because every time I see or hear a new idea, every time I approve a new series for publication at Image, I hope that it’s going to make a difference in a marketplace that is overrun by literally hundreds of comics designed to do exactly the same thing comics have been doing for decades.

It’s that hope that lead me to work in comics to begin with, because as a student of comics history, I knew that the way Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko revived comics’ flagging fortunes in the early 1960s was not by simply churning out the same ol’, same ol’ month-in and month-out, but by changing the rules and making the kind of comics they wanted to make, by doing things their way.

Before that, way back at what was more or less the midway point in the 20th century, conventional wisdom was that comics were more or less doomed. There was a popular new device that everyone was raving about – the television! – and sales of monthly comics were steadily declining from their high point in the glory days of the 1940s.

Comics seemed like a relic of the past, but thanks to only a handful of men’s creativity and perseverance, this dying industry was given a new lease on life.

A future.

That was 50-odd years ago, but if not for the hope those writers and artists of yesteryear had, that they could somehow make a difference by doing something different and new, we wouldn’t be celebrating comics here this week at what has, in recent years, become a huge cultural event.

And without the hope of those men and women I spoke to at CCA, without the ambition of all the men and women just like them over the world, who not only want to work in comics, but want to write and draw their own comics, their own way, there won’t be a tomorrow.

You see, you have to fight for the future.

One of the questions I was asked at the CCA, a question that comes up more and more often, was how we create more diversity in comics.

For decades, the comics industry has been viewed as a boys club, but that’s changing.

The reason that’s changing is because now, more than ever, there are comics that actually appeal to a readership beyond the audience our industry has spent so much time servicing since comics’ resurgence in the 1960s.

An industry status quo was set back then that ensured comics were primarily read by young, white men, and that resulted in a talent pool that consisted, by and large, of young, white men.

If we want to build a more diverse industry, though, if we want to develop a more diverse talent pool, then it is of utmost importance that we produce comics that appeal to as wide an audience as possible, because people who aren’t reading comics are not going to suddenly decide they want to work in this business.

The men and women working in comics today are only doing so because they grew up loving this medium, and because they desperately wanted to be a part of it.

We can’t go back in time and change the readership of comics in the past, but we can demand a better future by changing now.

Change is absolutely integral to our future.

Just doing things as they’ve always been done, or accepting things as they are is not how you move forward.

That’s how you stand still.

Standing still didn’t work for comics in the 1960s, and it isn’t going to work for comics now.

**Over the course of 2014, Diamond has reported again and again that sales are down from last year. **At the midpoint in the year, dollars are down, and units are down – and down is not the direction we want to be going.

Down is the direction you go, however, when you stand still for too long, because after a while, the ground begins to erode beneath your feet, and ever so slowly, you start to sink.

**That’s why, here at Image Comics, we have an ongoing policy based on two simple words:

Move forward.**

If I can pull up a chart real quick, I’d like to show you how that’s working out for us.
Image’s yearly growth

I’ve talked in the past about the success we’ve had over the past few years and the fact that our annual sales, both in terms of dollars and units, have been increasing on an annual basis since 2009, but today, I’d like to highlight something that stands in fairly stark contrast with current industry-wide numbers, because as you can see, we are having a great year – our best year in over a decade.

Image Comics’ sales are up on a month-to-month basis when compared to 2013, and again, this isn’t the first year we’ve enjoyed this kind of growth.
Image compared to rest of industry

And similarly, when I tell you today that growth is directly linked to our utter refusal to stand still, it won’t be the first time, either.

It’s not that I like repeating myself, incidentally, it’s just that, despite our phenomenal success these past few years, the burden of proof remains on me to explain something should be readily apparent by now.

Maybe it’s time we tried a different approach…

Earlier in the year, I spoke to a group of retailers at an annual gathering hosted by an organization called ComicsPRO.

As often happens when I speak, I ruffled a few feathers.

I can’t imagine I’m making many friends here today, either, at least not amongst our competitors.

People busy upholding the old ways are never interested in hearing what they’re doing wrong, even if it’s said with the best intentions.

I say the things I say, and do the things I do, make the decisions I make, because I think the future of comics is worth fighting for.

No matter what anyone else says or how offended anyone else gets, I will not back down from my position that comic books are more than mere marketing materials for movies, toys, and video games.

Does that mean there aren’t good comics based on movies, toys, and video games?

Of course not: The writers and artists who make this industry as wonderful as it is are too talented for me to stand here and suggest they aren’t capable of putting out the absolute best licensed comics possible.

But no matter how good those comics may be, no matter how great they may be, that’s not the future.

Our competition, recognizing how successful we’ve become and how we continue to thrive, is starting to take a renewed interest in creator-owned comics, though.

I applaud the effort, as I would anything that shines a brighter light on the men and women who make comics, but all too often, the comics they’re publishing are so blatantly not creator-owned, the best they can do is call them “creator-driven.”

There’s one for you:

“Creator-driven.”

It’s patently absurd that anyone would even attempt to champion that term, the definition of the bare minimum requirement for the creation of good comics.

I don’t recall who coined that term exactly, but it was while I was on a panel at that same ComicsPRO meeting earlier this year, with representatives from our four closest competitors.

Somebody – I forget whom exactly – said that creator-owned comics don’t matter to the comics buying public, and someone else on the panel chimed in that the important thing is that comics are “creator-driven,” prompting everyone else to agree.

Maybe “creator-owned” is not a particularly sexy term when it comes to selling or marketing comics, because ultimately, what readers want most of all is to be engaged, excited, and entertained by the books they’re reading.

“Creator-driven.”

Again, that’s the past speaking, as it hangs on by a thread.

The mistake my colleagues continue to make, what they fail to understand, is that “creator-owned” does matter to the men and women writing and drawing comics, because they want a better future.

The difference between “creator-driven” and “creator-owned” is that the one of those terms is doublespeak for an industry standard that should have been up for review long ago, whereas the other describes something that is real and worth fighting for.

From Jerry Siegel & Joe Schuster to Jack Kirby to Alan Moore, from Brandon Graham to Brian K. Vaughan to Kelly Sue DeConnick, comic book creators actually do know the difference between getting a good deal and getting the shit end of the stick.

That’s why Image Comics will continue to produce the best comics, by the best creators, without cutting ourselves in for the lion’s share of their profits or so much as even 1% of their rights.

And that’s why Image Comics will continue to grow.

People scoffed when I said our goal is to be the number one publisher, but consider this:

**The year I took over as publisher, our annual market share was down around 3%.

Last year, it was 8%**

At the six-month mark this year, we are hot on the heels of 10.

And that’s not because the books we publish are “creator-driven,” it’s because they are creator-OWNED.

You really think creator-owned comics don’t matter?

The men and women working in this industry, and the men and women who aspire to work in this business, are telling you differently:

Creator-owned comics are the future.[/quote]

[size=200]INTERVIEW DE MIKE RICHARDSON[/size]

[quote=« Jack! »]Lors de la convention Image Expo, le responsable éditorial Mike Richardson a fait un long speech sur l’importance de remettre les comics entre les mains des créateurs.

[quote=« Mike Richardson »]“The only rules are the ones we create.” – Warren Ellis

Creator-owned comics are the future.[/quote]

[/quote]

pas mal ce discours

L’éditeur Image Comics lance aujourd’hui Image Direct, une nouvelle méthode de souscription par mail sur une trentaine de ses titres phares pour une durée d’un an ou plus.
Comme souvent avec ce genre d’offre, le lecteur fera un bénéfice de près de 30% à 35% lors de la commande des séries qu’il suit.

Image Direct n’est disponible que pour les lecteurs vivant sur le sol américain.

[quote]IMAGE COMICS LAUNCHES MAIL-ORDER SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE:
IMAGE DIRECT

Customers can now opt to purchase 12-issue subscriptions to their favorite Image comics and have them mailed to their door

Image Comics is pleased to announce Image Direct, a newly launched mail-order subscription service that allows fans to purchase 12-issue subscriptions to their favorite Image comics and have them delivered straight to their doorstep. Image Direct serves continental U.S. customers only. Subscribe here: subscriptions.imagecomics.com/.

Image Direct will allow subscribing readers to receive the latest issues of over 35 titles, including THE WALKING DEAD, SAGA, SEX CRIMINALS, WYTCHES, BLACK SCIENCE, VELVET, RAT QUEENS and more, immediately upon release. Subscribers will receive discounts of up to 30% off and will have the option to subscribe to every available title and receive 35% off.

“Even with all the wonderful work our retailer partners in the Direct Market do, the number one comment we get from fans is they frequently can’t find the Image titles they’re looking for,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Given that there are fewer comic book stores than ever before, we’re hoping that Image Direct makes our titles available to fans who don’t have easy access to a local comic book store, or whose shop doesn’t carry the full range of Image titles.”

Image Direct launches today. Readers interested in subscribing to the service can find more information on how to sign up here: subscriptions.imagecomics.com/.[/quote]

Ils réinventent l’abonnement, donc ?

Jim

[quote=« Jim Lainé »]Ils réinventent l’abonnement, donc ?

Jim[/quote]

Voilà. Ça ne se fait plus en France, si ?