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Mon Jul 12th 7:13 pm

The Boston Globe, Sunday July 11, 2004 features cartoonist James Kochalka in an article covering his books including Monkey vs. Robot (Top Shelf), Quit Your Job (Alternative), Fancy Froglin’s Sexy Forest (Alternative), Fantastic Butterflies (Alternative/Highwater), and his focuses on his new American Elf diary strip collection from Top Shelf Productions :

THE EXAMINED LIFE
This American elf 

By Joshua Glenn, Globe Staff |
July 11, 2004 

"If life's a silly ride, Kochalka is selling tickets." So wrote one critic about the Burlington, Vt.-based cartoonist and quirk-rock front man James Kochalka, whose James Kochalka Superstar albums and innumerable graphic novels are, collectively, a study in what philosophers have called "second naivete," or self-willed guilelessness. Kochalka's simple, meandering, bittersweet comics -- including "Monkey vs. Robot," "Quit Your Job," and "Fancy Froglin's
Sexy Forest" -- may not be appropriate for kids. But you might call them kids' literature for grown-ups. (In Kochalka's 2003 graphic novel "Fantastic Butterflies," for example, the superheroes of the title use their powers to play softball and bake a cake.)

A nice article about a fantastic man!


Matrix Creators Delve Into Comics
Burlyman Titles to Debut in Q4

Larry and Andy Wachowski, the creators of the Matrix Trilogy, have teamed up with artists Steve Skroce and Geoff Darrow and editor Spencer Lamm to form Burlyman Entertainment, a new comic book publisher which will issue its first two books, Doc Frankenstein and Shaolin Cowboy, late this year.  The titles will be bimonthly, with the first issue of Doc Frankenstein coming out in November and Shaolin Cowboy in December.  The Burlyman crew got plenty of comic book publishing experience with The Matrix Comics trade paperback which was published under the Red Pill Entertainment banner.  The formation of Burlyman Entertainment indicates that the Wachowskis, who worked with Lamm at Marvel back in the 1990s on Ectokid, are serious about comics.  They are very involved in both Burlyman projects, actually co-plotting and scripting Doc Frankenstein and writing introductions for Shaolin Cowboy.  Darrow, Skroce, and Lamm all worked with the Wachowskis on the Matrix films, and speaking with Lamm it appears that this is a tight knit group interested in producing high quality comics, but not necessarily keen to launch a host of new titles in some vain attempt to grab market share.  They are publishing these books themselves because they believe in them and they want to control all aspects of production.  The 32-page comics will be printed on heavy paper with high quality production values that will more than justify their $3.50 cover price.  After six issues come out, the comics will be collected in trade paperback editions. 

Shaolin Cowboy represents Geoff Darrow's return to comics, and the samples of the art we've seen demonstrate that he has lost none of his eye for detail and complex compositions.  One of the most highly respected comic book artists in the world, Darrow has been working on Shaolin Cowboy for years -- and this post-apocalyptic tale should find favor with comic connoisseurs around the globe.  In contrast to the surreal Shaolin Cowboy, Doc Frankenstein is more satirical and political with plenty of parallels to what is happening in our world today.

                                        


'Clerks' Tenth Anniversary Edition DVD
Third DVD Release For the Cult Classic

Kevin Smith's cult classic Clerks will get its third iteration on DVD on September 7 in a 3-disk edition, which has an MSRP of $34.95 and (literally) tons of extras.  The set contains both the theatrical cut and the original unrated version along with a cornucopia of extras including commentaries by Smith, Jason Mewes, Scott Mosier, Walter Flanagan, Brian O'Halloran, Malcolm Ingram and Vincent Pereira, plus two documentaries, the original unaired Clerks TV pilot, the short film "Flying Car", music videos, audition tapes, a Tenth Anniversary Q &A, and features on the ABC's of No-Budget Filmmaking, and Learning From Low-Budgets.


'Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends'
New Series From Powerpuff Girls Creator

The Cartoon Network has announced the August 13 debut of a new animated series, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.  The series will kick off with a 90-minute special and then, starting on August 20, assume its normal 30-minute format and time slot (7pm, ET, PT).  Created by Craig McCracken, who came up with the popular Powerpuff Girls, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is the story of Mac, an eight-year-old boy whose mother decides is too old for his imaginary friend Bloo.  So Mac decides reluctantly to send Bloo to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.  Naturally Foster's is populated with a menagerie of weird characters who are the literal manifestations of children's desires with distinct personalities and a burning desire to find another kid to befriend.


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