“Panel to Panel is amazing. I can’t imagine the amount of work that went into this. It’s almost overwhelming, and all I have to do is look at it. Very cool!” – Jim Lawson (Paleo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
People Say The Nicest Things…
We interupt our regularly scheduled blog posting for a special announcement…
Longtime friend of Panel to Panel, artist Michael Zulli, has recently released an amazing new graphic novel entitled, The Fracture of the Universal Boy. Written and drawn by Michael Zulli, and published by Eidolon Fine Arts, The Fracture of the Universal Boy has been described by Neil Gaiman as, “…really beautiful, moving, strange and harrowing.” Weighing in at 200 plus, 9″x12″ black and white pages, this gorgeous hardcover was solicited to the comics industry back in July 2011 with this description: “After twenty odd years making art and comics, Zulli believes that there are universal truths to be found amid the struggle and calling to make art, and indeed, to life itself. Often brutal, sometimes a bit funny, and always surreal as it examines life from a different perspective, The Fracture of the Universal Boy is Zulli’s personal reflection on love, life and art; and both the damage done and the possibility of transcending even the most dire and difficult of times. Part one of a three graphic novel set called The Dream Suite, Zulli’s The Fracture of the Universal Boy is the beginning of a journey we all take in one way or another. “
So why this special announcement here on Panel to Panel? Well it seems that many people are having a hard time getting their hands on this amazing book, and we’d like to help change that. You see we feel Michael’s beautiful vision deserves the largest audience possible, so for the forseeable future, copies of his book can be ordered right here from this blog posting. Just click on the convenient Buy Now button below, and for the affordable price of $27.99 US (plus shipping) this book can be yours.
And, while supplies last, each copy will include this special exclusive signed bookplate, from a Panel to Panel promotion back in 2007. These Michael Zulli images were originally created to promote his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch. But now they can be yours with the purchase of The Fracture of the Universal Boy.
Every Time I Think I’m Out, They Pull Me Back In.
So the other day I get an email from Bryan Talbot asking me if Panel to Panel is still in the business of producing bookplates? You see a couple of years ago, Panel to Panel had teamed up with Bryan to produce signed, limited bookplates for Alice in Sunderland and Grandville. Since that time, Panel to Panel had moved away from retailing (and producing bookplates), and moved towards publishing (as is documented in this very blog). But as I told Bryan in my replay email, “There’s an old saying here, that I’m not sure if you’re familiar with? It goes like this… ‘When and if Bryan Talbot contacts you about doing a bookplate, always say YES!’
”
To which he replied, “Yes, I’ve heard it, I think it dates back to the Civil War.”
You see, in my opinion and the opinion of most other people, Bryan Talbot is quite possibly one of THE most talented and important figures in modern comics history. From his classic epic The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, to The Tale of One Bad Rat, to his work on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Tom Veitch’s The Nazz, to his very own Alice In Sunderland and Grandville, Bryan Talbot has produced an amazing body of work.
It was at this moment that I realized that whether Panel to Panel had stopped producing bookplates on a regular basis or not, the chance to team up with Bryan Talbot again had inspired me to go back to P2P’s roots, and say yes to his offer.
So to make this official, I’m proud to announce that for the February 2012 release of Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M. Talbot & Bryan Talbot (from Dark Horse Comics), Panel to Panel will be offering the US Exclusive signed bookplate edition, limited to 50 copies.
A link to purchase the book and bookplate will be made available soon, as well as a link to purchase Bryan’s previous P2P bookplate editions. You can preview the upcoming book HERE, and view Bryan’s website HERE.
So now that Panel to Panel is back in the bookplate business, what about the Panel to Panel book? Where the hell is that damned book!?!? Right? Well it’s been one fiasco after another, and it’s been a real crazy learning experience for me, but I can say with complete and utter confidence that the book in question will finally begin shipping next week! The first batch of printed copies are expected to be delivered on Monday 12/12/2011, and orders will begin being filled shortly after. I apologize for the delay, and I thank you all for your patience.
Printing Issues
Just a quick update for all of you wondering, “Where the HELL is my Panel to Panel book?!?!”.
Well about a week and a half ago, p2p designer Mark Masztal received the proof copies from the printer. While Mark was overly satisfied and pleased with the printing quality, there was an issue with the binding! The book fell apart after his initial read through. So needless to say, we are addressing the problem, and should have it fixed and back on track this week.
href="http://paneltopanel.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/20110910-053515.jpg">
All of us here at Panel to Panel thank you for your patience, and promise that it will all be worth the wait.
There is a special surprise in the works, that the binding issue has allowed me the time to put together. And for all of p2p’s loyal followers who pre-ordered the book, I have three words for you…
Signed… Limited… Bookplates.
(more on this very soon!)
BOSOM BUDDIES
Rob Walton’s hilarious cartoon, which makes me smile and laugh every time I see it, is now available on a T-Shirt over at IndyPlanet. Order yours TODAY!
And On The Seventh Day God Enjoyed A Comic Book…
The year was 1995… I was working at Comics Route in Manchester, Vermont when I first met Chris Kulig. Little did I know at the time, that this interesting man who road into town on a bicycle, asking to be photographed next to my display for Teri Wood’s self-published Wandering Star, would remain a constant in my life for the next 16 years. Chris made his purchase that day, and inquired about mail order options before continuing his travels across the green mountains of Vermont. You see Chris was enjoying his first summer off from the Seminary, and his travels had landed him in my comics shop, and every month since that day in ’95, I’ve been selling Chris his comics. Although he’s not just Chris anymore, now he’s Fr. Christopher Kulig, O.Carm. of the St. Joseph/Immaculate Conception Rectory. That’s right folks, a comic book reading Roman Catholic Priest! And not only does he read comics, but at my request, he wrote a little something about them too. Here’s an excerpt…
Meet Joe Priest
It was 15 years ago or so that I found myself in a comic book store in north Jersey, browsing through the various titles. I came upon a most intriguing graphic novella: Meet Joe Priest. If I recall correctly, it had both a priest in roman collar and a Hell’s Angel character on the cover, replete with motorcycle, of course. Hmmm, I thought, I did have a few extra dollars in my allowance, so what the hell–I bought it. The story was fairly kitschy: in a future time of dictatorship, when human birth had been usurped by genetic engineering done in the laboratory, a renegade priest runs rampant with his motorcycle bodyguard, “confessing” every nubile young lady in town (“confessing” being code word for impregnating, if you hadn’t inferred) as a way of subverting the evil regime of his time. Oh, brother, was it worth the five bucks?
I had to laugh, though, since this was nothing like priesthood or sacramental confession. How might I know? Well, I have a confession to make: I am a Roman Catholic priest, going on ten years, now. It was in the seminary that I picked up the aforementioned title (really, how many grown men have an “allowance,” save “priests-in-training for poverty, chastity and obedience—or very henpecked husbands!). But my interest in the art form of comics went back just a little bit earlier, to the late 80s. My college roommate at West Virginia was somewhat of an avid collector, back in the day when the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns series was a hot seller. However, my potential interest in comic books was quickly squelched when my roomie wouldn’t let me read that four-part series, lest I ruin its re-sale value (NB: Another dorm-rat college buddy wouldn’t even let me read the ensuing compilation book, since its bluebook value was increasing, too!).
Suffice to say, my interest was put off for a few years. If these books had become like ancient manuscripts, “sacred texts,” forbidden from my purview, then why bother?
Then I took a road-trip with Tony, the sole representative of the WVU fencing club, for the NCAA fencing tournament in Orlando in 1989. For the journey, Tony had brought his Cerebus Phone Books, both High Society and Church and State I & II. I can still recall, with great glee, the hilarity I found in the opening pages of High Society, where this new hero for our ages—Cerebus the Aardvark—was itching to pick a fight with anyone, and was foiled at every turn. I was enthralled.
I would soon begin collecting Cerebus and eventually go on a quest to find first printings of each issue. It probably did not help my relationship with my last girlfriend at the time (“You just had to make me drive you to every comic store in the area in search of ‘another Cerebus comic book’!” echoes her perturbed voice in old section of my romantic memory); but I grew to appreciate the different stores I visited in my travels. Why call ahead and ask, “Do you have any old Cerebus?” when you can go into the store and see what treasures were waiting to be found? Like Meet Joe Priest? Well, some stores had more hidden treasures than others (but, as kitschy as it was, I did like Joe Priest).
[Meet Joe Priest can be read in its entirety in Panel to Panel: Exploring Words & Pictures, which can be purchased at this website.]





























