“I work in licensing at Hallmark, which has been a good thing because over the years I’ve had the chance to meet Charles Schulz, Jim Davis, and people like that,” Kerry Callen says. “Part of what makes it great is just meeting those people and seeing that it’s basically just real people – very talented people – but still just real people doing that stuff. At some point it occured to me that maybe I’ll try doing that, too. That’s part of the reason I started doing Halo and Sprocket in the first place.”

We’ve just posted a full interview with Kerry Callen, the talented cartoonist responsible for putting one robot, one angel, and one very frustrated young woman in a single apartment in Amaze Ink’s Halo and Sprocket. Discover why this is the family favorite of casa Comics Career.

You can buy Halo and Sprocket books from Amazon using these links:
Halo And Sprocket: Welcome To Humanity
Halo & Sprocket Volume 2: Natural Creatures (Halo and Sprocket)

Liquid Comics has completed the management buyout of Virgin Comics led by the founding management team of Gotham Chopra, Sharad Devarajan and Suresh Seetharaman. Liquid Comics will continue to develop innovative digital, film, animation, and gaming projects for its original character, stories and other properties.

Commenting on the change, Sharad Devarajan said, “Virgin Group has been a fantastic partner with whom to work and together we have established a strong foundation of great character properties and media partnerships. We remain fully committed to continuing our mission to provide a home for innovative creators and storytellers across the world.”

Virgin Group senior vice president of corporate development Dan Porter added, “The management team has a track record of great relationships with artists and media partners. Under this new ownership structure, the company is well positioned for future growth in the rapidly changing global comic space. As Virgin Group focuses on its core activities in North America, we wish them well in building their exciting business.”

Founded in 2005, Virgin Comics is a character entertainment company that has forged partnerships with Warner Brothers, New Regency, Sony Online Entertainment, Sci Fi Channel, Studio 18, UTV and others. Under the new Liquid Comics name, the management team plans to proceed with a number of the projects previously announced as Virgin Comics and will make announcements shortly regarding those projects and the restructured launch dates.

The 2008 Harvey Awards were announced Saturday Sept. 27th in association with the Baltimore Comic-con.

The winners are:

BEST WRITER: Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man, Vertigo/DC Comics
BEST ARTIST: Frank Quitely, All Star Superman, DC Comics
BEST CARTOONIST: Darwyn Cooke, The Spirit, DC Comics
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: Captain America Omnibus, Volume 1, Marvel Comics
BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT: Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics Books
BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL: Eduardo Risso’s Tales of Terror, Dynamite Entertainment
SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR: Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship, www.pbfcomics.com
BEST ON-LINE COMIC: Perry Bible Fellowship, Nicholas Gurewitch, www.pbfcomics.com
SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION: EC Archives, Various, edited by Russ Cochran, Gemstone
BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY: All Star Superman #8, DC Comics
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATION: Reading Comics: How Graphic Albums Work and What They Mean, Douglas Wolk, Da Capo Press
BEST COVER ARTIST: Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics
BEST LETTERER: Chris Eliopoulos, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
BEST COLORIST: Laura Martin, Thor, Marvel Comics
BEST INKER: Kevin Nowlan, Witchblade, Top Cow/Image
BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL: Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate
BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES: All Star Superman, DC Comics
BEST NEW SERIES: Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
BEST NEW TALENT: Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
BEST ANTHOLOGY: Popgun Volume 1, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Books

Ask your questions
Writer of stuff Peter David is working on volume 2 of his book Writing for Comics With Peter David and is seeking your input. The details are on his blog where he writes, “I am looking to include a new chapter that will essentially be Q&A from the fans. If you read the first edition and you were left with a question or questions about writing for comics, now is the time to ask them.”

Moss grows on DC Comics
Wil Moss, formerly of Publisher’s Weekly, has joined DC Comics as an assistant editor.

Discuss this recent news in the ComicsCareer.Com forum.

IDW Publishing announced Monday that veteran entertainment and media executive Greg Goldstein has joined the company as Chief Operating Officer.

As COO, Goldstein will manage the company’s day-to-day operations, as well as help guide IDW as it expands its existing product lines and enters new categories. Goldstein was most recently the Vice President of Gaming and Entertainment at Upper Deck. Prior to that, Goldstein was CEO and Founder of Popmania, a development and brand-licensing agency focusing on digital entertainment, located in New York.

Discuss this recent news in the ComicsCareer.Com forum.

The Hero Initiative has a full slate of activities scheduled for the Baltimore Comic Con on September 27 and 28. Steve Dillon will be The Hero Initiative’s guest all weekend, along with appearances by Tim Sale, Matt Wagner, Stuart Immonen, Nick Cardy and others.

In addition, they will feature auctions including:

• 3-minute art, a 50 piece auction of sketches from fan favoriteartists including Neal Adams, Jerry Robinson, David Finch and others.
• Guaranteed “first in line” spot for Darwyn Cooke and Barry Kitson Sunday morning
• A Bernie Wrightson concept piece from the movie, “THE MIST”
• And other sketches from various artists

The Hero Initiative booth will also have brand new benefit products including, the Marvel Apes, Wieringo variant cover and the first chance to get signed Stan Lee and Gene Colan Captain America #116 prints with all proceeds direct to Colan who is battling liver failure.

Also, stop by their booth to find out how you can win a raffle of comic merchandise including a private meeting with Steve Dillon.

The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays’ creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and entrée back into paying work.

Discuss this recent news in the ComicsCareer.Com forum.

The 2008 Harvey Awards will be announced at a banquet Saturday Sept. 27th, at the Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, MD. The awards, presented in association with the Baltimore Comic-con, reward the outstanding achievement in comics. Kyle Baker is scheduled to serve as Master of Ceremonies. Find out more information about the banquet here.

The nominees

BEST WRITER
Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Marvel Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Grant Morrison, All Star Superman, DC Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone
Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man, Vertigo/DC Comics

BEST ARTIST
Gabriel Ba, Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
Guy Davis, BPRD, Dark Horse Comics
Frank Quitely, All Star Superman, DC Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST CARTOONIST
Darwyn Cooke, The Spirit, DC Comics
Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
William Van Horn, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - ORIGINAL
The Arrival, Scholastic Books
Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
Laika, First Second
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press

BEST GRAPHIC ALBUM - PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED
The Annotated Northwest Passage, Oni Press
Antiques, Volume 1, Gemstone
Captain America Omnibus, Volume 1, Marvel Comics
Damned, Volume 1, Oni Press
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born, Marvel Comics

BEST DOMESTIC REPRINT PROJECT
Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics Books
Complete Terry and the Pirates, IDW
EC Archives, Gemstone
Popeye, Fantagraphics Books
Walt and Skeezix, Drawn & Quarterly

BEST AMERICAN EDITION OF FOREIGN MATERIAL
Eduardo Risso’s Tales of Terror, Dynamite Entertainment
Exit Wounds, Drawn & Quarterly
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Abrams
Moomin, Volume 2, Drawn & Quarterly
Witchblade Manga, Top Cow/Image

SPECIAL AWARD FOR HUMOR
Chris Eliopoulos, Franklin Richards series, Marvel Comics
Nicholas Gurewitch, Perry Bible Fellowship, www.pbfcomics.com
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Oni Press
William Van Horn, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST ON-LINE COMIC
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, www.wimpykid.com
EZ Street, Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, www.comicmix.com/title/ez-street/
Penny Arcade, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, www.penny-arcade.com
Perry Bible Fellowship, Nicholas Gurewitch, www.pbfcomics.com
Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo, Dwight L. Macpherson, Thomas Boatwright and Thomas Mauer, www.drunkduck.com/The_Surreal_Adventures_of_Edgar_Allan_Poo

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRESENTATION
The Annotated Northwest Passage, Scott Chantler, Oni Press
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney, Amulet Books
EC Archives, Various, edited by Russ Cochran, Gemstone
Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriguez, Villard
Super Spy, Matt Kindt, Top Shelf

BEST SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY
Alice in Sunderland, Dark Horse Comics
All Star Superman #8, DC Comics
Captain America #25, Marvel Comics
Donald Duck: The Case of the Missing Mummy, Gemstone
I Killed Adolf Hitler, Fantagraphics Books
Immortal Iron Fist # 7, Marvel Comics
Stephen Colbert’s Tek Jansen # 1, Oni Press

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL OR JOURNALISTIC PRESENTATIO
“Blah Blah Blog”, Tom Brevoort, http://www.marvel.com/blogs/Tom%20Brevoort/
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth and Michael Dean, Fantagraphics Books
Meanwhile…: A Biography of Milton Caniff, R.C. Harvey, Fantagraphics Books
The Naked Artist: Comic Book Legends, Bryan Talbot and Hunt Emerson, Moonstone Books
Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, edited by J.C. Vaughn, Gemstone
Reading Comics: How Graphic Albums Work and What They Mean, Douglas Wolk, Da Capo Press

BEST COVER ARTIST
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men, Marvel Comics
Marko Djurdjevic, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
James Jean, Fables, Vertigo/DC Comics
Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics
William Van Horn, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone

BEST LETTERER
Chris Eliopoulos, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Jared K. Fletcher, The Spirit, DC Comics
Willie Schubert, Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Gemstone
Douglas E. Sherwood, Local, Oni Books
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library, Acme Novelty

BEST COLORIST
Susan Daigle-Leach, Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone
Jamie Grant, All Star Superman, DC Comics
Matt Hollingsworth, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Matt Kindt, Super Spy, Top Shelf
Laura Martin, Thor, Marvel Comics

BEST INKER
Stefano Gaudiano, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Steve Leialoha, Fables, DC Comics
Mark Morales, Thor, Marvel Comics
Kevin Nowlan, Witchblade, Top Cow/Image

BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate
Get Fuzzy, Darby Conley, United Feature Syndicate
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, Self-Syndicated
The Mighty Motor-Sapiens, Mark Wheatley, Daniel Krall, Robert Tinnell, MJ Butler,
Craig Taillerfer, Matthew Plog, and Jerry Carr, Self-Syndicated
Mutts, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate

BEST CONTINUING OR LIMITED SERIES
All Star Superman, DC Comics
Captain America, Marvel Comics
Damned, Oni Press
Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics
Uncle Scrooge, Gemstone Comics

BEST NEW SERIES
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
The Order, Marvel Comics
Resurrection, Oni Press
Thor, Marvel Comics
Umbrella Academy, Dark Horse Comics

BEST NEW TALENT
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Amulet Books
Jeff Lemire, Essex County, Top Shelf
Vasilis Lolos, Last Call, Oni Press
Robbi Rodriguez, Maintenance, Oni Press
Christian Slade, Korgi #1: Sprouting Wings, Top Shelf

BEST ANTHOLOGY
Flight Volume 4, edited by Kazu Kibuishi, Ballantine Books
Mome Volume 8, edited by Gary Groth and Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books
Popgun Volume 1, edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith, Image Books
Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened, edited by Jason Rodriquez, Villard
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, edited by John Clark, Gemstone

Bluewater Productions has announced a partnership with actor and author William Shatner. The Washington-based comic book publisher will is set to produce four titles with Shatner based on his popular science fiction novels. Bluewater’s “William Shatner Presents” franchise will include Shatner’s The TekWar Chronicles, Quest for Tomorrow, Man O’ War, and an exclusive new title that Shatner will create specifically for the publisher.

“Mr. Shatner is a savvy businessman and a creative mastermind. We’re honored to be partnering with him and are confident our efforts will create comic books both his fans and ours will embrace,” Bluewater publisher Darren Davis said.

Bluewater will launch all four of the “William Shatner Presents” titles during the first quarter of 2009. The “TekWar Chronicles” will be an on going series while the three additional titles will be crafted into a mini-series.

Discuss recent news in the ComicsCareer.Com forum.

Will webcomics kill the pamphlet?
Over at ComicMix, Chuck Rozakis ruminates on webcomics, DRM, and the future of the traditional paper comics format. “I’m of the strong opinion that when a company is able to produce and market a color ebook reader at the right screen size and the right price-point, it will kill the pamphlet comic book and hugely broaden the market for webcomics,” he writes.

Marvel Comics editor Tom Breevort profiled
Comic Book Resources continues its series “From the Editor’s Desk” with a look at the current activities of Tom Breevort by Dave Richards.

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Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today that the winners of the 2008 Pilot Season campaign are Twilight Guardian by writer Troy Hickman and artist Reza and Genius by writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman and artist Afua Richardson. The winning concepts will debut as new comics series in 2009.

The other contenders were Urban Myths by Jay Faerber and Jorge Molina, The Core by Jonathan Hickman and Kenneth Rocafort, Alibi by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Jeremy Haun and Lady Pendragon by Matt Hawkins and Eru.

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