Did you remember to say your “rabbits” this morning?
Brian here, and I failed at that stupid first-of-the-month superstition for the 568th consecutive time on this equally stupid April Fools’ Day. Hope you managed to avoid too much inanity today.
I’m still catching up on the news after stepping off the grid with my family last week, but I was sorry to read about the death of actor Louis Gossett Jr., who was name-checked by our spectral cinephiles just a few months ago:
Sam never did recall who that white boy was, but in today’s new vignette of Spectators from artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon and letterer Fonografiks, Val remembers another Hollywood actor with affection…
Niko continues to absolutely crush this scene, huh?
Last week, you generous paid subscribers in The Tower were treated to some of Niko’s time-lapse process videos, including these thirty seconds of wonder:
My guy is hair-drying his hand-painted pages for your pleasure!
So much work goes into every panel of Niko’s luscious art, and I’m eternally grateful for his dedication, skill, and relentlessly upbeat attitude… especially when our present world increasingly feels even more nightmarish than the imagined future of Spectators.
If you’d like to help support Niko (and the equally awesome Fonografiks) and the completion of our wholly independent graphic novel, our spring sale is still going strong, so you know the score, thanks:
Speaking of Fonografiks, congrats to him, Fiona Staples, and our friends at Image Comics for Saga Volume 11 being nominated for “Best Graphic Story” in the 2024 Hugo Awards.
We’re included alongside some wonderful company this year, so best of luck to our fellow nominees, and thanks again to everyone at the Hugos for this tremendous honor.
The dearly departed television adaptation of Y: The Last Man may not have been long for this world, but it’s nice to see that folks are still reading and debating the Vertigo comic that Pia Guerra and I created over twenty years ago.
If you happen to live near the NYC area, here’s a cool opportunity coming up later this month at the (holy shit) New York Public Library:
Graphic Novel Book Club
Date and Time: Monday, April 29, 2024, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
End times are approximate. Events may end early or late.
This program will take place in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL), 3rd Floor, Room 304.
Join staff at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library for an open discussion of our favorite Graphic Novels. Each month, we focus on a specific theme and related graphic novel. This month’s theme is DC's Vertigo Comics Imprint.
About the Book
Y: The Last Man Vol. One: Unmanned
By Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Y: The Last Man, one of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling comic books series of the last decade, is that rare example of a page-turner that is at once humorous, socially relevant and endlessly surprising. Written by Brian K. Vaughan (Lost, Pride Of Baghdad, Ex Machina) and with art by Pia Guerra, this is the saga of Yorick Brown-the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he's the last man on earth
Get the Book
Borrow: NYPL Catalog
Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!
Sorry I never have time to pop in to these events (and I think readers should have free-fire zones to complain about authors’ work far from our fragile egos), but I’m so incredibly pleased that this program exists. For graphic novels! It’s definitely not something I could have imagined when I was doing research for our series at that very library back in 2001.
Let us know if you end up attending?
Early in the days of Exploding Giraffe, I wrote about the massive impact that creator Brian Michael Bendis had on my career:
Brian’s latest work is the spectacular Phenomena, a series of honest-to-god graphic novels co-created with artist André Lima Araújo (who has an incredible Substack of his own you’ll want to subscribe to).
The second book of this totally unique trilogy, Phenomena Book 2: Matilde’s Quest, will be on stands April 23, and you can preorder it from your favorite bookstore right now.
Behold a few of its brain-melting double-page spreads:
Wow.
André was kind/foolish enough to email me a PDF of Matilde’s Quest, and longtime readers of Exploding Giraffe know exactly what the poor man received in response from this content-starved dork:
BKV SABOTAGES ANDRÉ ARAÚJO WITH TEN AWKWARD QUESTIONS
1) Huge congrats on the monumental accomplishment of finishing your epic PHENOMENA trilogy before the second volume is even released! Can you please share any embarrassing anecdotes about Bendis, everyone’s preferred bald comic writer from Cleveland named Brian?
Thank you! It felt monumental, now one can only hope it actually ends up being monumental in terms of sales and readership.
I’ll give you a major scoop on Brian: he actually has extraordinarily thick hair, but he shaves it to keep on brand and to not be confused with Alan Moore.
2) Your crisp, detailed, imaginative artwork is breathtaking. As an artist, what’s your current threat level about artificial intelligence?
Right now, AI is composed of a lot of Artificial and of very little Intelligence. Current models are blatant stealing machines that are using other people’s work and regurgitating it sometimes exactly as it was originally. So my threat level is high in the sense that I don’t like people stealing from me. What’s going on at the moment is the equivalent of me stealing potatoes from one restaurant, steak from another and then selling it as a dish created by me.
3) Should I move to northern Portugal?
Not only you should, but you must. We could live side by side and create a book together! I’m joking...unless you’re not. Please come.
4) Listening to music while drawing layouts, yay or nay?
Yes, but only instrumental. A good soundtrack, that emulates the tone of the book I’m working on, is the best kind of choice. Or meditative type of music. Not that you asked, but it’s the same for writing.
5) What’s the last truly excellent movie you watched?
The Last Duel (Ridley Scott) matched my rather high expectations, but Police Story I-III (Jackie Chan) absolutely knocked it out of the park.
It’s insane to watch what Jackie and his guys go through and think that they actually did all of those stunts. And the movies are hilarious.
6) Do you own any original artwork by other comic creators?
I’m not a big collector, but I proudly own 4 color guides hand colored by Steve Oliff for the American version of Akira. I wanted to buy the ones Katsuhiro Otomo himself colored, but those were rather expensive.
7) If it’s not prying, what have you eaten so far today?
Not at all. Bread with cheese, coffee and milk for breakfast, followed by greek yogurt with banana and honey before my workout, followed by soup and pasta with beef and vegetables for lunch.
8) Cool, I ate Easter candy for breakfast and then annihilated an entire #7 combo plate from La Fogata before my workout (watching YouTube videos about birds). What was the most challenging aspect of telling a story in the “original graphic novel” format?
Working and holding the entire thing for months (sometimes years) on end and not being able to show it to anyone. It’s maddening, particularly if you don’t have anything else coming out during that period.
9) Were there any advantages when compared to creating for monthly comics?
Total freedom in the length of chapters and sequences. Not being limited by 20 page increments really allows you to go for some rather epic setpieces without worrying about creating something that has to have some kind of beginning, middle and ending, since you have space to set it up and wrap it in very different ways.
10) Agreed. And I hate being asked this question immediately after I’ve just finished a new project, but I can’t help but ask you anyway… what’s next?!
A new creator owned book with Rick Remender, that is already in the works! But you’ll see me doing three issues of something else before that.
Stay tuned!
Thanks so much, André!
Great artist, great dude. Hope everyone checks out the new Phenomena later this month.
Oh, fuck.
Sorry to end abruptly and without our usual chat thread, but as I was writing this, I just heard the horrifying news about the death of comic creator Ed Piskor.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Back next week. Please take care of yourself.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 is a free, 24/7 confidential service that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information and local resources.