It’s Here! Comics Publishers Respond to Apple’s iPad

Last week Apple CEO Steven Jobs finally unveiled the iPad, Apple’s much anticipated multimedia computing and reading device, and there was much discussion among comics publishers and fans about what the device will mean for the future of digital comics.

Abrams to Publish Deluxe Simpsons Futurama Collection

If you happen to like the Simpsons and Futurama—and really, who doesn’t?—then you’re going to love Matt Groening’s, The Simpson Futurama Crossover Crisis, a deluxe slip-cased hardcover that collects two periodical mini-series originally published in 2002 and 2005 that will be released in April by Abrams' ComicsArt imprint. The book will have a first printing of 100,000 copies worldwide.

Kevin Smith Gets Dynamic with Green Hornet

Kevin Smith is best known as the director of such slacker classics as Clerks and Dogma, but he has been successfully moonlighting as a comics writer for years, working on such heroes as Green Arrow, Bat-Man and Daredevil. Now his two roles are coming together as he adapts his unproduced Green Hornet screenplay into a 10-issue mini series for Dynamite Entertainment, which debuts in March.

Teaching and Drawing: James Sturm Returns with Market Day

Like so many creative professionals, James Sturm wears more than one hat. Both a dedicated comics educator and a critically acclaimed cartoonist, Sturm is publishing a new work of fiction, Market Day, which will be released this spring by Drawn and Quarterly.

Fantagraphics to Release Special Edition of King Graphic Biography

Originally published in three volumes released between 1993 and 2003, King, Ho Che Anderson’s much acclaimed graphic biography of Martin Luther King, will be re-released in a special revised hardcover edition in February in conjunction with the beginning of Black History Month.

Boom! Studios to Launch New Imprint

Despite a tough economy that has forced other publishers to scale back, independent comics publisher Boom! Studios is upsizing its operations and launching Boom! Town, a new imprint that will focus on “literary comics” and selective reissues of out-of-print works in addition to merchandising deals. The new line has projects lined up with legendary comics publisher and now literary agent Denis Kitchen and with cartoonist Shannon Wheeler, creator of Too Much Coffee Man.

Discovering Manga with Frederik Schodt

Writer, translator and Japanese pop culture expert, Frederik Schodt was writing about manga and Osamu Tezuka when many of us were still watching the Flintstones. Schodt has written a number of books on Japan including Dreamland Japan, The Astroboy Essays, and the reference book on Japanese comics that has become somewhat of a bible, Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics.

Comics Briefly: 1/26/2010

Panel Mania: Afrodisiac

Brian Maruca and Jim Rugg's Afrodisac is a collection of short stories focusing on the character Afrodisiac, a mysterious black man endowed with super powers who also happens to be irresistable to woman and even aliens. The stories combine the tongue-in-cheek style of 1970s blaxploitation movies and comics. This preview includes selections from several stories. Afrodisiac is published by AdHouse Books.

Recipe Report: Nonfat Gingersnaps

When you think of a gingersnap, you probably think of a thin, crisp cookie that really snaps when you bite into it. But Nonfat Gingersnaps from David Lebovitz's new Ready for Dessert (Ten Speed) are thicker, softer, and chewier than a traditional gingersnap. And they're delicious. As Lebovitz recommends, I used the cookies to make ice cream sandwiches (I used plain vanilla ice cream, although he suggests tangy lemon frozen yogurt, which sounds great, too).

Comics Reviews: 1/25/2010

Northlanders, Zombie Tales and Wizzywig Volumes 3 are reviewed this week.

New Cookbooks from Top Chef Alums

When it comes to instant celebrity status, few opportunities can rival those presented by reality TV. Real housewives, survivors, and big losers have all gone on to write bestsellers long after their five minutes of on-air fame ended. And while none of the contestants on Bravo’s Top Chef have seen bestsellerdom yet, there are some hopefuls on the horizon.

Cooking the Books with David Lebovitz

In May, Ten Speed will publish pastry chef, cookbook author and food blogger David Lebovitz’s new book, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes. The book is a “greatest hits” of sorts, with updated versions of 150 previously published recipes, plus 10 brand new ones. In this interview, Lebovitz talks about how his recipes have evolved, what he tries to accomplish when writing head notes, and why he’s totally fine with giving away recipes free online.

Entertaining Books Take the Fear Factor Out of Hors D’Oeuvres

Though fads in entertaining come and go, authors who've mastered the genre—think Lee Bailey, Martha Stewart, and Ina Garten—seem to emphasize simplicity and instill readers with confidence. This spring, at least five new books will enter the marketplace. Some are personality-driven, others focus on themed occasions, but all attempt to give readers the assurance that throwing a great party is within reach for any novice.

Barron's Creates Separate Test Prep Division

Barron’s has broken out its test prep imprint into a separate division, it announced today. Bob O’Sullivan, who has been with the company for 10 years, most recently as managing editor, will be publisher of the Test Preparation division beginning February 1. O’Sullivan will assume all managerial responsibility for editorial and production, and will work on expanding the program both in print and digitally. He will report to Barron’s president and publisher Ellen Sibley.

Good Books' Mayo Clinic Diet Debuts at #1

Intercourse, Pa., publisher Good Books, known for its bestselling Fix-It and Forget-It cookbooks, has another bestseller on its hands. The Mayo Clinic Diet is the first diet book the house has ever published, and, as publisher Merle Good said, “It’s always rewarding to step into a new field and go straight to the top.”

First Second’s Mark Siegel Launches New Web Comic Serial

First Second editorial director Mark Siegel, a critically lauded cartoonist, children's book illustrator and designer in his own right, is launching an original web comic, Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson, that will begin serializing January 28 at SailorTwain.com with new material posted three days a week.

The Big Graphic Novels of 2010

The year 2010 promises to deliver a wide variety of exciting new graphic works with new graphic novels coming from such artists as Dan Clowes, Charles Burns, and Dash Shaw on the literary comics side, as well as the continued and growing presence of work from prose writers looking to try their skills in the comics medium.

New Business, New Books for Top Shelf in 2010

Indie publisher Top Shelf has started the year out with some new partners. Long run by the two-man brain trust of Chris Staros and Brett Warnock, the publisher has added two partners, new media entrepreneur John S. Johnson, and independent film producer Anthony Bregman who together will own 33% of the company.

Found In Translation: ‘Berry Dynamite’ and ‘Golgo 13’

This is the first Found In Translation column, a new feature focused on finding the best Japanese manga we in the West may not be reading just yet.