Oni

Once a year, booksellers, librarians, and assorted biblios assemble at Book Expo America, the largest publishing trade show in North America. 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the graphic novel pavilion at BEA, and while many graphic novel publishers are absent, there are many more "mainstream" publishers offering an amazing multitude of titles, genres, subjects, and audiences! This year, John Hogan of Graphic Novel Reporter hosts The Hottest Graphic Novels of 2012! panel, where a team of five diverse individuals recommend a variety of graphic novels due to be published in 2012! Last year's selections got lots of press and accolades, and quite a few of the titles below seem to be just as interesting and intriguing!

A chat with JG Quintel, creator of Cartoon Network's Regular Show about British TV sensibility, the Leprechaun Movies, and why good indie comics artists can also make for good animators. Featuring a special guest appearance by Regular Show storyboarder and cartoonist, Benton Connor.

All of you Scott Pilgrim fans, here's a whole new edition to purchase and display with pride—a reprint of the one that started it all, SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE, in full color by Nathan Fairbairn, in a deluxe 6x9 hardcover. AND a new cover! The news was announced at tonight's spotlight on creator Bryan Lee O'Malley at ECCC.

ECCC kicks off today in Seattle and while we can't be there in person (alas, longing for those Puget oysters), we have a few folks walking the floor and sending back reports. This is a full service con with 140 panels and a great guest line-up including Robert Kirkman, Marc Silvestri, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Kurtz, Kelly Sue DeConnick and more.

Two is a trend! Oni Press has just announced a new logo replacing the Dave Gibbons-designed original. The new logo was designed by Oni Press art director Keith A. Wood and will first appear on THE SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER, which comes out in March.

While you may be in full-on holiday panic mode, there's always spring...and Halloween. Next spring's Courtney Crumrin, Volume 1: The Night Things, Special Edition will see the sardonic young monster-hunter in color for the first time. Ted Naifeh's all ages gothic waif is one of the first -- and the best -- of this sub-genre of comics, and it looks great in color by Warren Wucinich.

This story by Brigid Alverson on kids comics news at NYCC 11 is chock-a-block full of newsy bits, but we'll just spotlight the Oni news here:

PETROGRAD is an upcoming GN by Phil Gelatt and Tyler Crook about the death of Russian strongman Gregorii Rasputin, coming in August. Oni released some preview pages here:

Oni has just announced the promotion of Jill Beaton and Charlie Chu to full editors. “For the last year both Jill and Charlie have given their all to Oni Press as associate editors and integral parts of our editorial team,” editor in chief James Lucas Jones said in a statement. “They each have taken on added responsibility, working with established Oni creators on stellar books and reaching out to bring new creators into the Oni fold.”

More info here.

February has only 28 days, but is jam-packed with lots of great graphic novels and related titles! Warning... looking at what appears so far on BarnesAndNoble.com, the rest of 2011 is going to be just as amazing! Click this link to discover more! (Sweet Kirby Crackle! Corto Maltese, in English, from Rizzoli?!) Better start shopping for bookshelves now.

Before there was JOE THE BARBARIAN, there was Sean Murphy's OFF ROAD, the story of some guys on a weekend trip that becomes, by turns, confessional and dangerous. Kind of like the Breakfast Club in a jeep. IDW has released a new edition today -- the original was published by Oni. More proof that when you OWN YOUR WORK you can keep making money off it.