Seattle P.I. says…

Comics Corner: For fans of the comic book

Punks the Comic Summer Special #1 A very interesting fun story written by Joshua Fialkov and a wild and crazy art style by Kody Chamberlain. Four characters, Abe, Dog, Skull, and Fist, all with their namesake for a head... And they live in a house together in anarchy. It's very hard to explain other than there is an alien attack and dead hookers, and wooden indians with Rick Remender doing an interview as a fish. If you like the show Young Ones than you'll love this. Otherwise check the site they came from here

Major Spoilers has a Cyblade Preview

Major Spoilers

Top Cow Sneak Peek: Cyblade: Pilot Season #1--by Stephen Schleicher

The second issue of Top Cow’s Pilot Season is on its way, and the company dropped off a sneak peek of Cyblade: Pilot Season #1 for you to check out. Don’t forget you can vote which two characters will get their own all-new series at www.myspace.com/pilotseason.

See Kody and I give eerily similar answers to questions…

Blog@Newsarama » Fringe Benefits: Joshua Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain

What do you always have with you?JF: My pocket watch, cell phone, and a pen. That way I can know the time, check it’s right, and then write it down on my hand.

KC: I always have a pocket-sized ink pen. The worst thing in the world is needing to draw something and not having a pen handy.

See? It gets weirder.

PR: Punks Creators Write Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR: PUNKS THE COMIC CREATORS SEND OUT PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING BOOK RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA - In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Punks co-creator Joshua Hale Fialkov decided to put together a press release announcing the shipping to comic shops and forthcoming release of PUNKS THE COMIC SUMMER SPECIAL #1.

“Well, Independent Comics are a tough racket... sort of like how it used to be at the Pictures, or in Stalinist Russia, y’know?  Lots of heavy labor and all you get is an affair of Mamie Van Doren and a kick up the bum.”  Fialkov said.  “So, with Digital Webbing releasing PUNKS THE COMIC this Wendesday, August 29th, and with independent comics being what they are, I thought a good Press Releasing was in order.”

The Press Release is the fiftieth or sixtieth Fialkov has written, and PUNKS co-creator Chamberlain thinks it’s a fine one.  “I figure by now, Josh had better know what he’s doing. Sure, he had some misfires, like ‘HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS COLD SORES IN PREVIEWS NOW!’ and ‘COMICS CREATOR ENCOURAGES CHILDREN TO EAT PASTE!’, but, after all of that, Josh has really learned the fine art of Press Release writing.”

The Press Release intends to make sarcastic fun of both Press Releases and independent comic creators so desperate for attention they’ll literally do anything.  One is reminded of the ‘BUY MY COMICS OR I’LL EAT THIS BABY’ headline that soured the entire Press Release industry last year.  However, in an ironic twist, this press release will also be a desperate plea to get attention for Fialkov and Chamberlain’s own independent comic book PUNKS THE COMIC which has been described by Warren Ellis as “One of the Best Singles of the Year.”  It has also been proven to cure genital warts.

To celebrate this press release, Fialkov will be holding a party at Burbank, California’s own HOUSE OF SECRETS COMICS from 5 to 7pm on Wednesday August 29th.  More information on the party can be found here: http://www.hoarseandbuggy.com/blog/?p=683

More information on PUNKS THE COMIC can be found by visiting the website at http;//www.punksthecomic.com -- ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASES AUTHOR: Joshua Hale Fialkov has written Press Releases for Hoarse and Buggy Productions, SSS Comics, Common Sense RC, Robot Love Trade, Inc., Poop McPoopface Enterprises

ABOUT PUNKS THE COMIC: Punks the Comic is the dadadist sitcomic that’s taking the world by storm, at least by independent comic terms.  It’s available at finer comic shops everywhere this Wednesday, August 29th.  You can read a five page preview online here: http://blog.digitalwebbing.com/2007/08/24/punks-summer-special-preview/

ABOUT THE CREATORS: Joshua Hale Fialkov is the Harvey Award Nominated creator of Elk’s Run, Western Tales of Terror, and writer of Vampriella and Cyblade,  Kody Chamberlain is beloved artist of 30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales, Harper Collins’ forthcoming Beowulf Graphic Novel, and a virtual cavalcade of forthcoming projects.  They don’t live together, but if they did, they’d fight light cats and dogs.

ABOUT THE COMIC SHOP HOLDING OUR RELEASE PARTY: House of Secrets is Burbank’s finest comic establishment, with the finest selection of Silver Age and Modern books in the San Fernando Valley.  Their staff is friendly and well groomed, and the store is not scary for girlfriends or wives.  They’re located at W. 1930 Olive Ave. and can be found online at http://www.artoffiction.com.

## END PRESS RELEASE

Five Page Punks Previews at DW

Click Here.

Also in stores this week…

Read the First Issue of Vampirella For Free

Vampirella Here's the press release.

Vampirella's battle with the Blood Red Queen rages on in “Vengeance of Vampirella, Part 2” the lead story of Vampirella Quarterly: Summer 2007, in stores now! To mark it's debut, Harris Comics is putting up “Vengeance of Vampirella, Part 1” in its entirety for free at http://www.Vampirella.com so everyone can catch up on one of the most talked about Vampirella storylines ever. The story will be available for free only for a limited time.

In “Vengeance”, the fate of Vampi's beloved Adam Van Helsing hangs in the balance, as she struggles with the Blood Red Queen! What terrible price will Vampi pay to get her long lost beloved back into her arms? Will that price be worth it? Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, Harvey nominated writer of Elk's Run, with spectacular art by rising star Stephen Segovia (Witchblade: Shades of Gray). PLUS: Archie Goodwin's and Jose Gonzalez's classic Vampi tale “Death's Dark Angel” is newly re-colored and re-mastered by Glass House Graphics. Read one of the greatest Vampirella tales of all time as you've never seen it!

The Quarterly sports two dynamic covers by Segovia. Deluxe Black and White Editions of each, limited to just 500 copies, are also available.

Each issue is 40 pages with no interior ads, full color and available for reorder.

To reorder please use the following Diamond codes: *Vampirella Quarterly Summer 2007 CVR A #1 MAY07 3154 $4.95 *Vampirella Quarterly Summer 2007 LTD B&W CVR A #1 MAY07 3155 $19.95 *Vampirella Quarterly Summer 2007 CVR B #1 MAY07 3156 $4.95 *Vampirella Quarterly Summer 2007 LTD B&W CVR B #1 MAY07 3157 $19.95

Punks like, kinda on CBR

Comic Book Resources - CBR News: Fialkov Talks "Punks the Comic: Summer Special" See me say "Kind of" and "Like" aproximately ten million times in article form.

Woo!

Birthday Updates!

Birthday Updates from Fialkov -- PUNKS the COMIC Summer Special #1 Featuring 48 pages of Abe, Fist, Skull, and Dog fighting aliens (occassionally) and punching things in the balls (mostly) will be unleashed to finer comic stores everywhere on Wednesday, August 29th.  Been described by Warren Ellis as "One of the best singles of the year."  We've sent out PDF previews to several media outlets, but if you were somehow missed and would like to review/interview/fawn/despise us/it e-mail me back and we'll get you the PDF.

We're still working on organizing festivities to celebrate the book's release, but, we do know for sure that the first one will be at House of Secrets Comics in Burbank from 5 to 7 when I myself will dance the dance of "Thank the sweet lord Zekapraka the book finally came out."  It's... embarassing to say the least.  The dancing that is.  House of Secrets and more info about them can be found here: http://www.artoffiction.com/.

PUNKS was also featured in the first new issue of TRIPWIRE magazine with an exclusive three page never before paid for three page story (it's actually a reprint of the Free Comic Book Day story.)  The magazine is actually a great time, so, go and check it out at your finer comic and magazine retailers.

More info on PUNKS is of course available at http://www.punksthecomic.com  and if you forgot to order it, you can still place an order at your local comic shop using order #MAY07 3402.

By the by, there will be a Winter Solstice issue in Previews in a few months.  Keep your eyes peeled for PUNKS THE COMIC CHRISTACULAR SPECIAL #1.  The cover is up on my blog if you like that sort of thing.  http://www.joshuahalefialkov.com. -- Vampirella Quarterly is still humming nicely along.  The second issue of the series is out this week with multiple covers galore, and stunning art from Stephen Segovia.  This guy quite simply one of the best artists working today, so take a look now so that when he's making Batman explode The Joker you can say you knew him when.  More info on Vampi at www.vampirella.com

-- MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS has a story by me with art by Chris Moeller in one of the upcoming issues.  I think it's the one in next months Previews.  It's an Outlaw Kid story and it is so freakin' awesome.  Order number, etc., to follow once I have them.  Thanks to Andy and John for making my weird Marvel Western dreams come true! -- I also have a story in the GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORROR #2 Horror anthology from IDW Publishing.  Drawn by the awesome Andy Kuhn, It's available for pre-order NOW with order #AUG07 3771

-- The FUTURE of GRAPHIC LITERATURE is a panel held at the Los Angeles Public Library's Central Library in Downtown L.A. at the end of September.  Scheduled to appear along with me, are Mark Waid (of well... y'know... everything), Ross RIchie (of Boom Studios), Christos Gage (of Marvel/Wildstorm fame), Kazu Kibuishi (of Flight), and Tony Fleecs (of In My Lifetime and a couple of cool unannounced projects),   It'll be a long form discussion of the future of comics by a bunch of people who not only work in it, but work in radically different aspects of the business.   We're still finalizing details, but it looks like there'll be a little 'mini-con' afterwards wherein we'll all sign and sell books.  A good time for all.

A press release, etc. will follow shortly. -- Of course, don't forget Elk's Run (available at finer book, comic, and online retailers), Postcards (also the same), and keep checking the blog for more news etc.

Thanks for reading,

j.

Punks gets it’s First Review!

blog.myspace.com/gianlucaglazer

My sense of humor is dark and I tend to go for the less conventional sometimes when it comes to favorite movies, cds and books of all time. That said, I hope I'm not the only one that enjoys this type of book. Please prove me wrong and that I'm not a mental case for enjoying this book very much.

We hope so, too, Gianluca.  Go and check out what the man has to say.

Postcards in USA Today

I'm still searching for a print copy, but, here's the review. New graphic novels straight from the drawing board - USATODAY.com

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened Edited by Jason Rodriguez Villard, 160 pp., $21.95

Jason Rodriguez relishes a good story, even if it's just a fragment of one. For Postcards, he combed antique shops for thought-provoking cards, then passed them to comic-book writers and artists. The result is a mishmash of tales that blend tiny truths ("The new barn is up") with imagined details of lost loves, war heroes and forbidden desires. Highlights include Micah Farritor's beautiful illustrations with Joshua Hale Fialkov's story about Americans in France during the Great Depression and a crime-fighting scene written by Robert Tinnell and drawn by Brian Fraim. It's fascinating to see artists' take on, in Rodriguez's words, the "turn-of-the-century equivalent of modern-day text messages." — Matheson

Which Glendale Residing-Tiki Steak House Loving-Mystery & Sci-Fi Bookshop Patron…

Could Marc Bernardin possibly be referring to?

Win a Signed Copy of Postcards

Eximious Press - Novel Graphic Novels

August Contest: Win a Signed Copy of POSTCARDSI have books. Signed books, that is. Nine of them, to be exact. And I need to get rid of them. They’re signed copies of my new anthology project, POSTCARDS: TRUE STORIES THAT NEVER HAPPENED. The stories in the book are based on antique, used postcards. Artists look at the front of the card, read the back, ponder the subtext, and extrapolate several sentences into a complete story.

You can win one of these books by coming up with a story behind the following postcard:

You can get your story to me in a number of ways. Email me your story. Snail mail it to me. Post it on your blog (just make sure you send me the link). Post it in the comments section. Get your story to me however you want, really. On August 24th I’ll post my three favorites – it’ll be up to the visitors on this site to vote for the one they like the best.

I’ll be doing this once a month until I run out of signed books. Here’s a scan of the one you can win in August:

It features sketches and signatures from: Phil Hester, Joshua Fialkov, Gia-Bao Tran, Michael Gaydos, Rob G, Rick Spears, Tom Beland, Stuart Moore, Tony Fleecs, James W. Powell, Antony Johnston, Ande Parks, Matt Kindt, Micah Farritor, Jason Copland, Robert Tinnell, Jason Hanley, and Jason Rodriguez.

So, that’s that. Get to writing. Short (500 word) stories are preferred but, if you’re going longer, make sure it’s great from the very first line. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

My Desk

My Desk, originally uploaded by Joshua Hale Fialkov.

For the Flickr Deskset Group started by Matt Fraction. That's my 20" iMac with my 22" Samsung external playing the Daily Show. My TV with PS2 in the background. Wall art from clockwise from top left, Elk's Run Release Party banner, Hung Up production poster, Nate Bellegarde Hector Plasm, Postcards postcard, Scott Mills Martian Manhunter, Poorly Drawn Animals buttons, Pop Gun War print by Farel Dalrymple, Western Tales of Terror cover by Tony Moore, a Two Fisted Tales cover, a production still from my movie, some PDA art, and my favorite, a Stan Sankai Usagi print.

San DiegoComic-Con Appearances

No booth this year, but, I have quite a few appearances scheduled.  They are, thus far, as follows. Thursday July 26th

• Villard/Random House Panel - Room 10 - 5pm

Friday July 27th

• Random House Books Signing - Booth 1131 - 1pm

Saturday July 28th

• Random House Books Signing - Booth 1131 - 4pm
• Postcards Comic Relief Signing - Booth 1514 - 5pm

There's also the following two panels where stuff I've worked on will be discussed, and who knows, I might even show up.

• Thursday - Tripwire Panel (Punks?!?) - Room 10 - 4pm
• Friday - Top Cow - Pilot Season Panel - Room 1AB - 5:30pm

Press Release: Cyblade Pilot Season #1

TOP COW ANNOUNCES CYBLADE: PILOT SEASON #1 - NEWSARAMA

Press Release The second of six “pilot issues”, Cyblade: Pilot Season #1 continues the excitement of Pilot Season 2007 with espionage and style. Pilot Season 2007 is a series of six self contained one shot specials, each featuring a different established Top Cow character currently without a regular series. After all six issues are released fans will be given the opportunity to vote online to determine which two characters receive a series in 2008.

Hot on the heels of August’s Ripclaw: Pilot Season #1 by Eisner nominee Jason Aaron (Scalped, The Other Side) and Jorge Lucas (Incredible Hulk, Annihiliation: Ronan), Cyblade: Pilot Season #1 takes readers into a cerebral action thriller by Harvey Award winner Joshua Hale Fialkov (Elk’s Run, Punks: The Comic) and kinetic artist Rick Mays (Kabuki, Zatana). In this latest Pilot Season special, Fialkov and Mays explore the true origin of elite super-spy and Cyberforce’s electromagnetic assassin, Cyblade.

“Getting a chance to rework a character with such a strong fan base into something that both honors the past, and hopefully, gives her some new life for the future has been a real blast,” commented writer Joshua Hale Fialkov, “I just hope y'all vote for the book so I get to keep on doing it.”.

"A lot of the earlier concepts at Top Cow were a lot of fun, but they didn’t always properly establish characters. With Pilot Season, and bringing in a writer like Joshua, we’re really able to change that by taking a look at who these characters are and what makes them tick," added Rob Levin, VP of Editorial for Top Cow. “Doesn’t hurt that we also wrote a story tailor made for Rick Mays and he agreed to draw it either.”

Cyblade: Pilot Season #1 is a 32 page full color comic with a suggested retail price of $2.99. Additional information regarding Pilot Season can be found at www.topcow.com.

Reply With Quote

Library Journal on Elk’s Run

Graphic Novels - 7/15/2007 - Library Journal

Fialkov, Joshua Hale (text) & Noel Tuazon & Scott A. Keating (illus.). Elk's Run. Villard: Random. 2007. ISBN 978-0-345-49511-2. pap. $19.95. FFor a group of disillusioned Vietnam vets, isolationist utopia in a hidden West Virginia valley is "like heaven"—for a time. But small problems grow larger as the valley children mature and dreams dissolve into violence and flames. When a man tries to escape from the valley to join his estranged wife, he accidentally kills a town teen and is horribly executed by tough-ass leader John for violating the town's isolationist "agreement." Then two state troopers show up, and John kills them also. In a cat-and-mouse game in the underground mine, it's John's son, young John, who leads the other teens to escape and bring help for the rest of the town when the mine starts burning. This thriller combines dark and edgy psychodrama infusing the coming-of-age theme with a blurring of the usual good vs. evil clichés. There are no bad guys—only good intentions gone terribly over the edge. The sketchy art and ocher-crimson coloring evoke a lifestyle badly frayed and heading for disaster. The underpinnings of teens vs. parents and idealism vs. ethics make the title a good bet for classroom use. Strong language; recommended for older teens up in public and academic libraries.—M.C.

Times-Express Interview

Woodland Progress

Joshua Hale Fialkov went to Los Angeles six years ago to break into the motion picture industry.Although he had some jobs in the field, including a television pilot that didn't make it, the former Monroeville resident found it "next to impossible" to prove himself in a place where it's not what you know, but who you know.

Exhausted after spending 20 hours a day, seven days a week, for a month working on a reality television show, the 27-year-old decided to turn his writing and directing talents in a different direction.

That's my hometown newspaper.  Local boy makes good, eh?

Tony Isabella on Elk’s Run

World Famous Comics >> Tony's Online Tips - Tony Isabella, Jul 10, 2007

Elk's Run

Mounting dread is the signature mood of the opening scenes of Elk's Run by Joshua Hale Failkov with artists Noel Tuazon and Scott A. Keating [Villard; $19.95] as we are introduced to the title "star" and quickly made aware things aren't quite right in that secluded hamlet. The war-scarred veterans who found it were looking to create an old-fashioned haven from the corrupt world without, but, through the manipulation of their fears and the betrayals of their leader, their dream has become a nightmare. Fittingly, it's a small group of teens - children, really - who embark upon a rite of passage that will change the town and their lives forever.

Fialkov eases us into the disturbing world of Elk's Run, but the first instances of violence in this 200-page graphic novel are relatively tame: a mother slapping a disrespectful son and an awful but not uncommon traffic fatality. It's in the second chapter that the magnitude of the town's wrongness is revealed. From there on in, the terror grows and doesn't stop until the story reaches its satisfying conclusion. With so many extended comics epics proving themselves unable to close the deal, it's great to come across one that finishes as strong as it begins.

Artists Tuazon and Keating hold up their end of the deal. The storytelling is solid throughout the GN. Their visuals convey the drama and emotion journey of the characters and the situations with which they are forced to deal. If this trio of creators have more books in them, I want to read them.

Ignore the puerile intro by Charlie Huston. It's an exercise, a mercifully brief exercise, in dropping the F-bomb for no reason. I accept such coarseness when it's part and parcel of a character in a story. I see small need for it outside the bounds of fiction, especially when one is the opening act for an exceptional work like Elk's Run.

Would you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Skip the introduction, but do read Elk's Run at your earliest opportunity. It earns the full five Tonys.

I believe that's printed in the current issue of Comic Buyer's Guide, which I decree you should go out and support.  They've been very supportive of my work over the years, and it's a pretty in depth look at comics today, written by some of the best and brightest in the business.

Thursday at Comic-Con

Come see me talk about Postcards and Elk's Run at Comic Con on Thursday.  I might even be wearing a new cowboy shirt.  There's also signings at their booth all weekend.  I'll let you know when shortly.

5:00-6:00 Random House: Flight/Postcards�Meet some of the most creative minds in graphic novels today, including Joshua Hale Fialkov (Elk�s Run), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight), Mike Knapp (Out of Picture), Vincent Nguyen (Out of Picture), Jason Rodriguez (Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened), as well as Villard editors Chris Schluep and Dallas Middaugh. Villard, an imprint that has positioned itself on the leading edge of popular culture, is quickly expanding its graphic novel offering with critically acclaimed anthologies and original content. Join these creators for a Q&A session and also hear the latest news from Villard. Room 10