#rob salkowitz

[mangabookshelf]

The Manga Review: SDCC 2023 Round-Up

Over the last 20 years, SDCC has morphed from a comics-focused show to a pop-cultural behemoth dominated by movie studios and television stars. The ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, however, shifted the show’s emphasis back to comics, as many of the big, media-friendly events were scrapped in the weeks leading up to SDCC 2023. Writing for ICv2, Rob Salkowitz described this development as…

[omorales81]

ICv2: What the Election Results Could Mean for the Comics Business — the great ⁦‪@robsalk‬⁩ slays it again with his analysis. #ComicBooks #Economy #Project2025 #Election2024

[thoughtportal]

When I began my podcast in September 2014, I was mostly sticking with topics that I was familiar with like blockbuster movies and animation. I liked science fiction, but I was not as familiar with traditional fantasy, literature, tabletop games, and most anime. My understanding of the depth and breadth of imaginary worlds kept expanding, and when I thought I had reached the borders of the universe, I kept discovering more. This show has also become a historical archive of the development of sci-fi fantasy genres since 2014. I talk with journalist Rob Salkowitz and editor Diana M. Pho about how the film industry, comics, and publishing industry have been on their journeys in the past decade. Plus, we hear from listeners about some of the episodes that made an impact on them.

[biglisbonnews]

Columnist uses AI to write review about AI In his column on the future of the comics business ICV2 contributor Rob Salkowitz included a section about the impact of AI-generated art and writing. This caught my attention: "In fact, the AI is so good that I asked it to write this column in the style of Rob Salkowitz, and I'll bet most of you couldn't even tell the difference!" — Read the rest https://boingboing.net/2023/01/08/columnist-uses-ai-to-write-review-about-ai.html

[arcticdementor]

Earlier this month at San Diego Comic-Con, returning attendees noticed a major change on the show’s massive exhibit floor. The booth for DC Comics, which had been a massive standalone pavilion in the center of the publishers’ area in the center of the hall, was gone. America’s oldest and second-largest comic book publisher had retreated to the far back corner of the hall, where it was incorporated into the multi-level WarnerMedia exhibit, in the shadow of banks of giant monitors previewing upcoming shows and cast appearances.

The subtext of this move could not have been clearer. AT&T—now the parent company of WarnerMedia and its divisions, including DC Comics (previously known as DC Entertainment), HBO, Turner, and Warner Bros.—does not seem terribly interested in being in the comic book publishing business. It’s telling that in a long profile of AT&T CEO John Stankey this morning in Variety, DC was one of the only WarnerMedia brands that was not mentioned. To the extent that DC matters at all in the company’s future, it’s as a source of owned IP for other media channels and as a lifestyle brand to serve as an ambassador to geek culture.

…

In recent months, DC has dropped the axe on its prestige imprint Vertigo, the creative engine behind hits like Sandman, Preacher, Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol and Fables. On the eve of Comic-Con, the company announced the cancellation of MAD, the venerable humor magazine that changed the face of American satire and has been continuously published since the mid-1950s. Neither of these was a big moneymaker in terms of month-to-month sales, but both brands occupy some valuable real estate in the psyche of fans. Even if the properties built on that land are in disrepair, it seems shortsighted to vacate the premises entirely.

…

So where does all that branding leave the publishing business? A generation ago, faced with a similar situation, DC’s then co-President and Publisher Jenette Kahn appealed to Time Warner management that wanted to dramatically cut back on DC’s current publishing in favor of reprints, saying that the company’s new material was the lifeblood of the company, a source of new fans and new IP without which the characters and related merchandise would decline into obscurity. She won that argument and DC, under her stewardship, ended up minting many of the golden coins in which it still trades, including The Dark Knight, Watchmen and Sandman, despite never being a gigantic engine of revenue within the Time Warner corporate umbrella.

Today, DC Comics is in a similar situation. Following a demoralizing mid-decade move from its traditional home in New York to Warner Bros’ headquarters in Burbank, CA, the company has stumbled through various events and line reboots, milking assets like Frank Miller’s once-fresh take on Batman and post-Alan Moore Watchmen for the last dregs of fan appeal and relevance, and relying on high priced milestone thousandth issues of long-running titles like Action Comics and Detective Comics to make up in dollar share what they are losing in unit share of an increasingly crowded comics market.

[comicsbeat]

Where's all the money in comics coming from anyway?

Where’s all the money in comics coming from anyway?

It’s a joke as old as time:

How do you make a small fortune in comics publishing?

Start with a large fortune.

However, as Rob Salkowitz explains in a prescient piece at ICv2, people are just lining up to put their money into comics. In addition to the recent Chinese investment in Dark Horse, there’s DMG and Valiant,  Amazon, Tapas, Webtoons, Humanoids’ new ramp up,  and even Lion Forge, owner of…

[shadowwingtronix]

Explaining TheOdd1sOut To A Non-Fan (by a different non-fan)

BW Media Spotlight takes on a seemingly negative article by Explaining TheOdd1sOut To A Non-Fan (by a different non-fan)

A sample of the comic that led to the web series. Clicking leads to the full strip.

Let me clarify that title before I move on. I have nothing against James Rallison’s comic or video work, nor am I hear to directly talk about said work. This isn’t a review, it’s a response…just one that doesn’t feel harsh enough to give it the BW Vs. title. I did try to watch some of his “storytime” videos but…

[rootfish13]

Here are some of the graphic novels I want to check out at a later date, not all the ones I saw I want to check out or I'd be here all day.

My city library recently had a remodel and they have a manga & graphic novel section finally!

[humanundead]

What’s the name of the book you are reading 👀

Comic Con and the Business of Pop Culture by Rob Salkowitz. since it's 10 years old it's a little outdated (this was before the rise of platforms like webtoon and tapas, the collapse of Diamond’s monopoly on distribution, and the mcu as the overwhelming juggernaut it is today, so i think a revised edition would be rlly cool) but still very interesting especially as an introduction to how the business/market side of comics works and how it relates to and impacts pop culture in general! : )

[theanimeview]

Comic-Con@Home 2021 - Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Comic Art in Museums: 90 Years of Progress - Recommended Watch

Credit: Anonymous | @TAVmedia 

About the Event: 

Panel: Comics Arts Conference Session #1: Comic Art in Museums: 90 Years of Progress | Comic-Con@Home 2021

Panel Description: Comic art is gaining traction in the world of museums as audiences and curators recognize its aesthetic and cultural value, but today’s high-profile exhibits build on a rich history that goes back 90 years. Please join the contributors to the first book focused on this topic, Comic Art in Museums (University Press of Mississippi). Moderator Rob Salkowitz (Forbes), book editor Kim Munson, Charles Hatfield (California State University Northridge), Diana Green (Minneapolis College of Art and Design), Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink Press), Damian Duffy (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Eric Boime (San Diego State University) look back at influential comic art exhibits including Misfit Lit, R. Crumb’s The Book of Genesis, Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby, Masters of American Comics, and more. 

Why Watch?

While this one might now be for everyone, it is a great exploration into comic art and its cultural significance. Comics, rather--visual storytelling--have been around for a long time. Much longer than the word “comic,” and have played various roles in our culture--from education, to entertainment, to political propaganda, to expressionism, and more. The curation of comics found rising up in museums and across academia is a showcase of their developed uses beyond entertainment. So we recommend checking this video out if you find the time.

[stanprokopenko]

Forbes contributor Rob Salkowitz posted an article about new AI technology I'm developing for Proko and the future plans I have for the company. If you're interested in seeing what's in the pipeline please take a moment to read it. I also want to thank you for all the support you've given me. I'm really looking forward to sharing a completely new social online art school and an AI based perspective drawing tool with you in the next several months. Your feedback will be extremely valuable and I won't be able to do it without you.

[englishmansdcc]

SDCC@HOME 2020: Wednesday 22nd July (Preview Night) Online Programming, schedule released

SDCC@HOME 2020: Wednesday 22nd July (Preview Night) Online Programming, @Comic_Con schedule released ft @FaithErinHicks, @ebonydraws, @DavidWalker1201, @BRIANMBENDIS, @robsalk, @paul_levitz and much more...

San Diego Comic-Con 2020 has moved to the virtual space – but the event rolls on as though it is taking place right there in the San Diego Convention Centre, with SDCC@HOME running over the SDCC week (Thursday 23rd – Sunday 26th July; Preview Night, Wednesday 22nd July).

Traditionally, the schedules for the panels are released the equivalent days of the IRL event, two weeks beforehand:…

[omorales81]

Amen, Rob Salkowitz🙏🏼 “Democratizing” comic book art is a gross concept. #MakeComics #HumanArtist #SequentialArt #WebToon #VerticalScroll #ComicBooks #AI @robsalk

[comicmix]

Ed Catto: Our Own Worst Enemy

Ed Catto: Our Own Worst Enemy

Much has been written lately about the recent Marvel Retailer Summit and the unfortunate public relations debacle that followed. As you may know, Marvel had arranged to speak with and listen to leading comic shop retailers following a difficult downturn in their comic sales. The fireworks really started in the subsequent ICV2 interview when Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Print, Sales and…

[crazy4comiccon]

COMIC-CONversation With Rob Salkowitz

Enjoy this new COMIC-CONversation with my friend Rob Salkowitz

With only 17 days till San Diego Comic-Con, our final COMIC-CONversation is with my friend Rob Salkowitz. Not only is Rob a seasoned con veteran but he’s the author of Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture. He is also an entertainment and pop culture writer for Forbes and ICv2. In this podcast, Rob and I discuss Comic-Con in the 90’s , how pop culture has evolved over the years and speculate…

[redsnerdden]

Kakao Entertainment acquires Tapas Media and Radish Media, Looking to Enter the U.S. Market

Kakao Entertainment acquires Tapas Media and Radish Media, Looking to Enter the U.S. Market #TapasMedia #RadishMedia #WebComics #Webtoons #Manga #Piccoma #Business

In January, Tapas Media saw Big Gains in the Digital Comics Market according to Rob Salkowitz from Publisher’s Weekly. Now it’s a whole new story as the Kakao Company has bought two-story platforms, Tapas Media and Radish Media, which from this day forward both will be just known as “Tapas and Radish”. Image Credit: Kakao Entertainment These two acquisitions lead Kakao Entertainment to expand…