Duncan gives the eye to True Story, Swear to God: This One Goes To Eleven: "The second volume of this real life romance tale of how two people living apart a few thousand miles and how decisions do change their lives forever. It's another moment with this independent and successful tale of love, laughter and real life issues where the author himself have to make a decision that will leave everyone he loves behind for a chance to be with the person he loves. Trust me, the second volume is as good as the first. Get it today."

****

Today's the seventh anniversary of the day you could first walk into a shop and buy a copy of Astronauts in Trouble: Live From the Moon #1, which is how we count the start of the company, although Mimi and Larry were working on things a year or so before that. But what does this mean? Just another day of Making Comics Better, baby!

****

Jog the Blog hits us with another Sky Ape: KoG review.

And, yeah, how does his fur not catch fire?

****

The Continuity PDF is making it's rounds through the Internet, with Sean Maher being one of the first to chime in:

"The premise is dead awesome: a mind fuck with sewn-in themes of personal responsibility, self awareness and the dangers of getting what you wish for, in the vein of swell stories like the movie Memento or some of the better John Constantine adventures."

Our man Brian Cronin has something up too, but Blogger is down for maintenance as I type this. So, you know, check it out later today.

And if you haven't seen Continuity yet, James Sime's generous soul is still hosting the new hotness for instant consumption. Follow the link, click, and be entertained.

--Josh

Larry sends word from his travels that there's two good quotes and a bit of numbers-crunching in the latest industry trade mag Comics and Games Retailer. John Munn, from Comic Book Ink in Tacoma, writes: "Movin' on up: Local and DMZ. These titles have shown an increase mainly because of Brian Wood's previous work, such as Demo." And AiT pal John Tinkess in Calgary, from Another Dimension, says: "Movin' on up: Local has been selling steadily week after week and seems to be following the same sales pattern as Demo. DMZ and the Demo Collection have moved solid numbers for us this month, as the legion of Brian Wood fans continues to grow." Awesome! Count me in with Hannibal and Larry as one of those guys who loves it when a plan comes together. John and John, I got some DEMO screenprints in the Operations Office right here with your names on them. Thanks for the shout-out!

****

The other thing Larry mentioned was that December had us at 0.2 % of the total dollars-sold, so Merry Christmas backlist! This doesn't sound like a lot, but when you realize four companies (Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse) make up 90% of the market, and every other publisher is splitting up the rest, well... coming in just under Drawn and Quarterly and just above Bongo with their Simpsons juggernaut is pretty damn good.

****

I'm not sure I can mention the work I'm doing on July's super secret project™ but I'll tell you I got paid for my third professional coloring job. FLATTER NO MORE!

--Josh

OK folks, we've got a whole lot to cover today. So you better grab a beverage, sit down, and strap in, and hang onto your fetuses cause we're in for one hell of a ride!

****

If you've come here today because you're suddenly interested in True Story Swear to God, head to your retailer with these order codes:

MAR06 2879 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD 100 STORIES TP (MAR042166) (MR) SRP: $9.95
MAR06 2880 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD VOL 1 TP (STAR17854) SRP: $14.95
MAR06 2881 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD VOL 2 THIS ONE GOES TO 11 TP (MAR052503) SRP: $12.95

It's all in this month's PREVIEWS. How's that for instant service? Demise, greatly exaggerated, etc.

****

I know you can't get enough Sky Ape, because I can't get enough Sky Ape. And neither can Graig Kent over at CHUD:

"To read Sky Ape is to know Sky Ape. To know Sky Ape is to love Sky Ape.
And if you already love Sky Ape, I don't need to sell you King of Girls any further. But what if you've been living in a comic-less hovel for the past ten years? Or what if your comic shop only stocks "Big Two" and "boob war" books (and, no, I'm not being redundant, the "Big Two" here refer to Marvel and DC and not breasts)? How do I explain Sky Ape to you, the intrigued consumer? Five words: monkey with a jet pack."

Let's see... who else is lovin' on the ape? How about the Las Vegas Weekly?

"The three writers responsible for this deliriously silly conflict seem to occasionally forget all about it as they go off on weird, gag-filled tangents about the sex lives of superheroes, what the Teletubbies do in their spare time and the life of a monocle-wearing Minotaur, but the script's welcome wandering is full of so much sharp wit and so many pop culture non sequiturs it hardly matters. Richard Jenkins' simple and fun art is equal parts cartoon and coloring book, making for a funny book that's actually a funny book."

****

Postmodern Barney hits you with massive double shot of AiT love with reviews of both Sky Ape:KoG and the new edition of Channel Zero. A double shot so good, he gets his own asterisked section. Gotta love Dorian, the only blogman so far who's taken a look at the revamped fourth printing of CZ:

On Sky Ape:KoG:

"I love it. It's pure comic book goodness and strangeness and the kind of wonderful nonsense I look for in comics."

On Channel Zero:

"As I said, the book makes me feel a bit old, but it's still good work. What I find particularly remarkable about it now is the art and design work that went into it. Wood is an excellent artist, with a keen eye for design, and this book, as an aesthetic object, is superlative."

****

Once upon a time, long ago, Larry did an interview with David Moran at Northeast In Tune. But there was a great storm on the Internet, a storm so big that it wiped out any traces of itself and Larry's interview. But thanks to the dark magics and incantations found deep in a subterranean cave: we have discovered and resurrected this interview.

I must warn you, however, that it's a little rough around the edges from its many months of sitting on a virtual shelf, hidden from public eyes. Tread with caution.

****

We're busy with our nose to the grindstones upholding our mantra of Making Comics Better. The first step in the next evolution of AiT's library comes from Jason McNamara and Tony Talbert in the form of Continuity.

"Lathe of Heaven meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with just a pinch of Blade Runner" is what the ad says in the next issue of Previews. But let me tell you, this book is going to rock your ass like you just walked out of the Addicts show and into a full scale riot. While the old ladies gossip in their sewing circles, AiT is running wild in the streets."

Oh, by the way, James Sime has the first 23 pages, and he's sharing.



If it's too loud, you're too old. June 2006. AiT/Planet Lar.

--Josh

So there I was, reading the articles:



and I see that DC/Vertigo editor Karen Berger is quoted in the latest issue, calling Vertigo "the HBO of comics." Which makes me google up the Official HBO of Comics™ Timeline:

October 24, 2003 -- Larry Young on Newsarama.com: “At San Diego this year, I kept hearing from agents and producers that AiT is ‘the HBO of comics,’ and I have to say I kick myself for not having come up with that one myself because it's so
nail-meet-head. So while we have all ages appropriate stuff like Electric Girl and Colonia like HBO's morning programming, and comedy stuff like Sky Ape and Mantooth! and drama and action like Last Of The Independents and The Couriers that echoes HBO's prime-time offerings, Codeflesh fits right in to what we're doing like that after 11 pm slot where you can get your thrillers and slam-bang with your mature audience advisory. A little something for everyone.”

February 24, 2004: Graeme McMillan quotes "AiT is the HBO of comics" post on the Brian Wood delphi forum.

May 9, 2004: Larry Young on Ken Lowery's site: "That whole 'HBO of comics' thing you hear about our company, most recently on the Variety comics blog, was ironically in a review about a couple of our upcoming superhero books."

July 17, 2004 -- Jeff Mariotte on ComixFan: "I always say that IDW is the HBO of comics."

July 18, 2004 -- Print Variety calls AiT "the HBO of comics."

January 4, 2006: writer Matt Maxwell: I've a far better idea of what AiT/Planet Lar does: 'HBO on paper,' comes to mind, and I think that's a quote.

January 10, 2006: BOOM! Studios publisher Ross Richie calls his company the HBO of ncomics in an interview with Heidi MacDonald in Publishers Weekly's comics blog.

February 15, 2006: Larry Young quoted in Northeast In-Tune: "No one is going to be able to compete with Spider-Man by offering the adventures of Insect Man, you know? So why bother? If monthly superhero comics are what you want, you’re already being served, and served well. So we take the different track. That’s why VARIETY called us 'the HBO of comics.' We offer the high-quality entertainment you can’t get elsewhere, just as HBO offers the high-quality entertainment you can’t get on the networks."

April issue of PLAYBOY: Vertigo editor Karen Berger calls Vertigo "the HBO of comics."

--Josh