Kevin Cannon's Far Arden nominated for an Eisner Award

That's right--our own Kevin Cannon has gotten an Eisner nod for his James-Bond-meets-Jack-London arctic tour de force Far Arden!

Revel in the glory and check out the formidable competition on the Eisner nominations page!

Congratulations, Kevin!

Far Arden Hits the Airwaves

By some strange alignment of the planets, Far Arden is the focus of three recent podcasts:

First, an interview with Robin McConnell over at INKSTUDS. Tom Spurgeon's blog turned me onto Inkstuds about a year ago, and it's really an honor to now be listed among the ranks of Robin's interviewees.

Also, the gentlemen at THE MILD MANNERED PODCAST made me blush with this lengthy analysis of FA.

Finally, I had a fun time hanging out with Charlito & Mr. Phil over the summer behind the Top Shelf booth, and at one point we sat down for chat. Check it out at INDIE SPINNER RACK.

Thanks guys!

Far Arden on Graphic Novel Reporter

I recently did an interview with John Hogan over at Graphic Novel Reporter. Check it out!



Also check out their main page -- there are some great interviews with Junot Diaz, Emmanuel Guibert, and local physics hero James Kakalios.

Reviews A-Plenty*

People keep writing reviews, so we'll happily keep posting them!

First up, a great review of Big Funny from Mark McGinty, our friend at The Boogle.



Next, a Far Arden review from Rain Taxi, which is notable because it's IN PRINT. That's right, a rare ink-on-paper review. You can pick up a free copy around town, or better yet go to Rain Taxi's annual Twin Cities Book Festival happening October 10th at the MCTC cafeteria. BTA has proudly manned a booth there for years, but unfortunately we have to miss this year because of a vortex of scheduling conflicts. But you should go, as it showcases everything awesome that's happening in the local literary scene, from poetry to comics to novels to children's literature.



Next up is a review of A Time to Thrill from Adrean Clark at Comics Bento. Thanks, Adrean!

---

* As opposed to "Reviews A-Pawlenty," which makes no sense.

Your One Stop Shop for Recent Far Arden Reviews

There has been a slew of very thoughtful reviews of Far Arden lately, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them. The surreality of reading complete strangers' thoughts and criticisms of this bizarre little book has not worn off, and I hope it never does. Click on the logos to read the full review.



Review by Jillian Steinhauer


Review by Myosotis


Review by Greg Burgas


Review by Matthew Brady


Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco


Review by Nick Dutro


Review by Jared Gardner


Review by Chris Partin


Review by Kyle Lemmon


Review by John Jewitt

Top Shelf Mega Sale!

Check out this über-sale from Top Shelf:
www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals

I highly recommend the $3 That Salty Air and the $14.95 Far Arden.

Far Arden on MPR's Art Hounds

Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hounds is a weekly series where local artists talk about something they're enjoying in a medium other than their own. This morning Britt Aamodt -- journalist, local radio personality, and author of an upcoming book on Minnesota cartoonists -- talked about Far Arden. Thanks, Britt!

You can hear Art Hounds archived on mprnewsq.com, or listen in today at 4:45pm to 91.1 FM for a rebroadcast.

Recent Book Reviews

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon on Marty Devine's MAD WORLD, The X-Librarian, Savannah Morning News, and Telegraph-Journal.

Far Arden on Bookforum and School Library Journal.

Stuff of Life on The Johnandjanaverse.

Big Funny on Newsarama

Two Far Arden Reviews & One Radio Drama

Thanks to Britt Aamodt and KFAI 90.3 fm for having Zander and me over to the recording studio last week. We chatted about T-Minus: The Race to the Moon and Far Arden, and those conversations have been turned into radio dramas! The Far Arden one went live a few days ago, and the T-Minus one will launch on July 20* (yep, the 40th anniversary of the moon landing).



* (Speaking of July 20th... if you're in or around the Michigan area, stop by Vault of Midnight for Jim Ottaviani's official book release party of T-Minus. Vault of Midnight, 219 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104)


* * *

Also, many thanks to Matt Peckham and Brandon Schatz for their recent reviews of Far Arden. Matt calls the book a "glorious pulp throwback" which is a huge compliment.

Top Shelf Special Offer

Can't make it to the San Diego Comic-Con this year? Top Shelf feels your pain, and is offering FREE SHIPPING on some new releases (including Far Arden) through the month of July. Click your mouse on the logo for more details:

Two Great Reviews on The Boogle

Check out Mark McGinty's reviews for T-Minus: The Race to the Moon and Far Arden at theboogle.wordpress.com.

Thanks, Mark!

... and don't forget, Far Arden comes out TOMORROW!

Two More Far Arden Reviews

Two more reviews have hit the airways, which is great considering the book isn't even out yet.

First up is fellow Cartoonist Conspirator Ted Anderson at the Examiner:

The Examiner


And all the way from London (which is where the Shanks character was created, incidentally), is Richard Bruton at Forbidden Planet:

Forbidden Planet

Thanks guys!

Tom Spurgeon & Alex Dueben Interview Kevin Cannon

I recently chatted with comics journalist and long-time Far Arden supporter Tom Spurgeon about life, love, and comics, as part of the CR Sunday Interview series. So if you want to learn about the time I lived in a theme park for three weeks, or get a behind-the-scenes look at a Far Arden easter egg, then this is the interview for you.

comicsreporter.com

And I got so caught up with the MoCCA convention and the launch party that I failed to post about this interview with Alex Dueben at Comic Book Resources. Alex and I get down and dirty about the creation of T-Minus and Far Arden, and how I ended up at Top Shelf.

comicbookresources.com

Sound Effects in Far Arden

Kevin's tour de force graphic novel Far Arden is hitting stores this month, and in honor of its unique* mix of cartoonishness and high adventure, I've compiled this list of the sound effects that grace its pages. Such a compendium of universally descriptive emanata has never before been seen because Kevin has a rare condition that we in the comic book business call onomatopoeia-deafness.

So here, for your pleasure, are the 271 sound effects in Far Arden. Be advised, if you read it very, very closely, there may be some spoilers.

PUNCH!

HEADLOCK!

CLICK!

LAND!

LEAP

CUT!

SLAM SHUT!

CHIP! CHIP! CHIP! CHIP!

FLING!

ROUNDHOUSE!

FACE PUNCH!!!

JUMP

RESCUE!!

EAT EAT EAT

DIVE!!

PUNCH!!

HUG!!

CONSUME CONSUME

DING

BURST IN!

WALL PUNCH!!

SCREAM

POWER RUN!!

PANT! PANT!

PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT!

UNTIE!

TEAR OPEN!!

HOP HOP

PUNCHIN' STANCE!!

FLYING BODY PUNCH!!

HIT HIT HIT HIT

HIT

CRUSH!!

LOCK!

SPIT

SLEEP. SLEEP. SLEEP.

SLEEP

SKIP

HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR

KNEE SLAP

HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR

ANGRY GRAB!

TUG

WALK TOWARD DOOR

SCREAM

OPEN

<-REVEAL->

SQUINT

BLISTER BLISTER

DRAG INSIDE

RCAN ATTACK!

RIP!

FOLD!

TUCK!

BREAK THROUGH!

KICK OPEN!

PUNCH!

PREPARE...

PUNCH ONE!

PUNCH TWO!!

HIDE!!

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN

MISS!

WHUMP

SMASH

PUNCH PREPARATION

RUN

DUCK

CRANK CRANK

CRANK

CLEAR THROAT

BEAT BEAT

GASP!

FACE KICK!

SLICE!!

KICK!

HIT!

JUMP!

CHATTER

KICK

CLIMB!

LOCK!

POUND POUND POUND

FEEL!

RUB

RATTLE!

WRAP! WRAP!

BREAK THROUGH

SQUIRM SQUIRM

CLIMB!

DUST OFF!

RUN

RUN AWAY

LOOK LOOK

HANG UP.

KNOCK KNOCK

YANK! CONCEAL! HIDE! STUFF!

RESTRAIN

MOPE.

LISTFUL KICK!

ANGRY ORPHAN PUNCH!

WHIMPER

SNAP

PAT PAT

HUMAN-SIZED BITE!

CRACKLE!

BICKER! BICKER! BICKER!

SLICE

RUN AWAY!

PUSH OFF!!

MID-AIR GROIN GRINDER

TUCK 'N' ROLL...

...AND RECOVER!

GROAN

MISS!!

DODGE!

MISS

DUCK!

HIGH-FIVE!

ROLL!

SCOOP!

PEEK

INHALE!

CAST ASIDE

COMMOTION COMMOTION!

SNUB

HUG

HUG

HUG

PULL ASIDE

FACE AWAY

DIVE!

SHIVER SHIVER SHIVER

RUN

ROAR

THROW UP A LITTLE IN MOUTH

MID-AIR GROIN GRINDER

PUNCH!

THROW

HUG!

KICK

CHOMP

RUMMAGE

TWIST OFF

STRANGLE

POUR

DRINK

UNCLIP

POUR

WRITE WRITE

SHAKE!

RUN RUN

HANDSHAKE!!

CLIMB! CLIMB!

OPEN

RECORK

FLAP FLAP FLAP

FLAP FLAP

FLAP FLAP FLAP

AWAKEN

TIE

RUN

SCAMPER!!

HUFF 'N' PUFF

BORED KICK

LIGHTS FLICKER!

SPIN

WRAP

RUN

HIT

BREAK!

KICK!YANK!

PULL!!

PUNCH PUNCH

CAST ASIDE

FLICKER BACK ON!

BONK.

STRUGGLE! STRUGGLE!

TIGHTEN

ROLL

LIGHT

DRAG ASHORE

RUN RUN

TWIST!

PULL! CRUNCH CRACK BREAK

SOCK!!!

UNVEIL!!!

FOLD

POSSIBLY GIVING WAY

TIGHTEN!

RUN!

BEE LINE

LOCKED!

POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND!

TIE

HUG!

RUMBLE!!

FALL

CLICK

STRUGGLE

LIGHTS FLICKER

BREAK IN!!

SHUT DOWN!

SMASH

CLIMB IN!

PUNCH!

WHUMP

POP!

SCURRY!

GRAB!!

WIPE

RUB

JUMP!

DIVE!

KICK OPEN!!

DRAG OUTSIDE!

HEADLOCK

PULL OFF SUNGLASSES!

BLISTER!!

HUG

WALK INSIDE

HOODIE STRING PULL

SOB!!

CRY CRY CRY

CRY CRY CRY CRY

CRY CRY CRY

PULL ASIDE

GESTICULATE

TURN AROUND

DOUBLE TAKE!

KISS

SNIFF SNIFF DRINK

SCRAMBLE

SIT

GRUMBLE

KICK!

DOUBLE-FIST PUNCH!!

FIST CATCH! FIST CATCH!

WIPE

CRAWL UNDER COVERS

NUZZLE

UNMASK

CLIMB!!

RUN!

BARK! BARK! BARK!

RETURN

PICK!

SUCCULENT BITE!

NOTICE!

PULL

RUNNING HUG!

SQUINT

KNOCK KNOCK

HANDSHAKE!

SCRAMBLE

HUG!

TUG

CHEW

CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW

GET UP!

PANT! PANT! PANT!

CONVULSE CONVULSE

LIFT!!

CONVULSE! CONVULSE!

LIFT!

TWITCH

NOTICE!

TUCK IN POCKET

SHUT FIRMLY!

SNIFF

SHRUG.

OPEN

*unique, that is, until his next book.

Launch Party Reminder!

Remember to mark your calendars for June 13, 2009 -- the launch party for FAR ARDEN and T-MINUS: THE RACE TO THE MOON. Read all the details at:

bigtimeattic.com/launch




Okay, now off to MoCCA...!

Far Arden Excerpt on New York Magazine's "Vulture"

Far Arden: The Book officially launches in four hours. Thanks for the send-off, New York Magazine!

Save the Date

Zander and I are having a signing/party at Big Brain in June, the weekend after MoCCA.



For more details, pick up a postcard tomorrow at Microcon, or go to:
www.bigtimeattic.com/launch

The 288-Hour Graphic Novel Challenge Described on Powell's Blog

Powell's Bookstore Blog is in the middle of "Top Shelf Week" and they invited me to write about Far Arden. Being a little rusty at straight prose, I instead drew a comic strip detailing the birth of the 288-Hour Graphic Novel Challenge. The strip itself is more about our local 24 hour comic day events here in Minneapolis, and even co-stars local hero Steven Stwalley.

Every year after 24 Hr Comic day I swear "NEVER AGAIN." I haven't followed through on that threat yet, but hopefully this Powell's cartoon will illuminate why I -- or anyone -- would vow to steer clear of 24HCD in the future.

Powell's Blog

The Far Arden Dummy

In a little over a month, the real, ISBN-laden Far Arden will hit the shelves. In the meantime I've received the dummy copy from our printer in China. Chris and Brett at Top Shelf shipped it to me after signing off on it, and since I'm the end of the line, I get to keep it!

I'm really excited about having this dummy, probably because one of my favorite books as a kid was Aliki's How a Book Is Made (which may have been the first graphic novel I ever read).

Anyway, the part where Aliki's furry main character gets a dummy copy of her book from the printer stuck out to me as the highlight of the entire publishing process. Sure, having the final book is great. But the dummy stands on its own: there's only one in the world (compared to the thousands of printed copies), its role is of critical importance (the last chance to check for mistakes before the plates get burned), and it's a novelty (the first time you get to see your book in one printed unit).

The Far Arden dummy is especially interesting because it's tagged all over with Chinese stamps and handwriting. But don't take my word for it:


[ click for larger images ]


A digital print out of the cover. The book will be hardcover, and so there needs to be a lot of bleed where it wraps over the cover board and tucks behind the endpapers.



The endpapers will have the arctic map that was on the the interior pages of the self-published version.



The 384 page book is divided into 24 signatures. Printers print books on large sheets of paper -- in this case 8 pages per side -- and then cut and fold these large sheets down into 16 page booklets. Crack open most hardcover books and you can see the signatures. Because books are printed on such large sheets, the interior pages (usually) have to be multiples of 8 or 16. This is why you might see blank pages at the beginning or end of a book -- they are parts of a signature that have no content.


Here are some samples of the Chinese markings from the publisher. They probably read, "This American book looks nutty, but it's ready to go to press."







Finally, here's the whole book wrapped up. She's a beast!

Far Arden Interview on Newsarama

Both T-Minus and Far Arden come out in May, so it's going to be a busy spring!

Click here to read my recent interview with Zack Smith over at Newsarama. It was a strange feeling trying to remember way back to the beginning of the creation of the book. I was reminded that pretty much everything in chapter 1 is made up on the spot. Those were nutty times...


Support arctic fiction! Pre-order Far Arden today!

Sean Kleefeld's Far Arden Review

Sean Kleefeld has a review of Far Arden up on his "Kleefeld on Comics" blog. In it, he struggles with the same problem I've had recently: trying to explain what the hell the book is about. My attempts at summarizing FA usually melt into a babbling mess, so as of this morning I'm just going to start saying it's "Jack London meets James Bond" and leave it at that.

Warning, Kleefeld's review has a few spoilers.

Thanks for the review, Sean!

Thanks for the link, Steve!

Danno Does Far Arden

The book hasn't been optioned, but already there's a movie poster! Thanks to Dank! aka Danno for this amazing 11x17" poster of Far Arden.

Click on image for larger version!

Doc Pop Delivers Far Arden Cameo

San Francisco conspirator Doc Pop has a great stop-motion experimental film on his flickr site ... and ol' Far Arden is in there. Check it out:



Also, Doc's blog turned me onto a ridiculously addictive blog, photoshopdisasters.com. Half of me says "I'm horrified" and the other half says "Yeah, YOU try doing some of this stuff on deadline!"

Far Arden Cover

Aside from a few tweaks here is the cover for Far Arden:

"Far Arden" pre-orders...

Here's a map I made this weekend. It'll be nestled in the front pages of the Far Arden paperback. The current plan is to print up 100 copies and have them for sale ($20) at the May 2nd Lutefisk Sushi show.

I think 100 copies should do the trick, but if you want to make sure you get a copy -- or if you're out of town and can't make the Sushi show -- send me an email and we'll figure out a pre-order/mail-order thing. Electronic mail is kevin "at" bigtimeattic "dot" com.



Thanks to Steve and Zander for the idea to make a map!

Official Armitage Shanks Fan Club!

Welcome all! Kevin Cannon has finished his latest magnum opus, Far Arden, to rave reviews. Here we can all show our appreciation for his incredible project and steel ourselves for his next one.

Want to submit your own homage to the great lonely pirate? Email it to zander at this url, bigtimeattic.com.



Jason Rainey
jae.imperialotter.com


Dan Boyd
onepoundfire.com


Dan Olson
bewilderedkid.com


Carl Nelson


David Steinlicht
allsmall.net davidsteinlicht.blogspot.com


Bud Burgy
musclesandfights.com


Zander Cannon
bigtimeattic.com


Christopher Coffey


Danno Klonowski
staplegenius.com


Ryan Dow
ryandow.com


Holly


Mike Sgier
msillustration.blogspot.com/


Jon Sloan
sa-bomjimcomic.com/


Steven Stwalley
stwallskull.com soapythechicken.com