The Comic Book

All-new SpongeBob comic book series!

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:19:57 GMT

The spirit of Nickelodeon Magazine lives on with brand-new SpongeBob comics edited by Chris Duffy and published by United Plankton Productions and Bongo Comics!

SpongeBob Comics #1 features 32 pages of all-ages material, will retail for $2.99 and arrives in stores February 9th.

It includes work by: James Kochalka (Johnny Boo), Hilary Barta (Fear Agent), Graham Annable (Grickle), Gregg Schigiel (X-Babies) and Jacob Chabot (Mighty Skullboy Army), Bob Flynn (Heebee Jeebee Comics), Bob Sikoryak (Masterpiece Comics), Mark Martin (Tantalizing Stories, Nick Mag), Rick Neilsen (Nick Mag), Andy Rementer (Technology Tuesdays), Corey Barba (YAM), David Lewman (TV shows that you have seen!), Wes Dzioba (Star Wars, Nick Mag), Vince DePorter (Scooby Doo!), Robert Leighton (The New Yorker)

SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg says: “All the stories will be original and always true to the humor, characters, and universe of the ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ series.”

Chris Duffy, the former Senior Editor of Nickelodeon Magazine, serves as Managing Editor and joins Publisher, Stephen Hillenburg in this much-awaited adventure. SpongeBob Comic will be published bi-monthly so be sure to make sure your comic shops order plenty of copies!

Collectors item: Nickelodeon Magazine

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:51:06 GMT

Just a reminder that the LAST ISSUE of Nick Magazine is still available for sale on the newsstand. It's your final chance to walk into a physical store and purchase a MAGAZINE for kids that has an amazing comic section. Do it for the nostalgic thrill of enjoying print publications! Buy one for your kids to show them that magazines (besides celebrity/fashion/tabloids) once existed!

The cover is by Sherm Cohen and you can see an earlier version of the image on his website.

Other great stuff in the last issue include:

A goodbye letter!
A Twilight/Highlights parody by R.Sikoryak.
2 new Spongebob comics by various awesome people including Joey Weiser, Jacob Chabot, Gregg Schigiel, Adam Dekraker, David Lewman. Wes Dzioba, Chris Duffy
"Monkey Boy" by Brent Engstrom.
"The Dumbles" by Johnny Ryan.
"Bow Wow" by Mark Newgarden & Megan Montague Cash.
"Scene But Not Heard" by Sam Henderson.
"Teeny Weeny" by Mark Martin.
"Fiona of the Felines" by Terry Laban.

"Pet Pals" by David McGuire

A round up of what Nick Mag's ongoing characters will be doing with their futures.

Our usual assortment of great gag cartoons including ones by Jesse Reklaw, Karen Sneider, Gary Fields, Feggo, Martin, Alec Longstreth, Bob Vojtko,and Jacob Lambert.

crossposted to yaytime

Nickellenium: 10 years later

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:14:00 GMT

Anyone remember the Nickellennium? It was a 24-hour TV event featuring kids speculating about the future. Nick Mag chipped in by creating a cool pull-out section featuring art by David Sheldon. Here's some flashback scans taking you back to a simpler world where Rugrats were still bigger than SpongeBob!

Memo from Santa

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:33:08 GMT

Former Nick Mag editor in chief, Julie Winterbottom, has a Christmas-themed editorial in the Washington Post this morning! Read it online here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR2009122401567.html

Kevin Bolk visits Nick Mag

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:58:25 GMT

I think Kevin Bolk was the second-to-last cartoonist to visit the Nick Mag office...

I already miss that free soda! Kevin drew some great Go, Diego, Go! comics that never got to be published in the U.S., but should see print soon in Diego and Dora international publications.

Nick Mag visit journal comic

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:14:54 GMT

The creative forces behind Johnnywander.com visited Nick Mag in one of our final weeks of existence and documented their adventures:

From the twisted humor or designer, Tim Jones

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:28:39 GMT

OBIT:

Beloved Nick Mag magazine feature and pioneering prototype for what became the graphic novel, Ruffing It, starring Lakeland terrier Zelda Van Gutters as a roving reporter, passed away today, after a long and courageous battle with ad shrinkage.

Ruffing It was 16.

This is who worked here

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:46:22 GMT

The final masthead...

From the September 2009 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine (on newsstands now).

We still will have 3 more issues remaining (final issue will be December 2009) but this will be the last time we do one of our full mastheads, since only 9 of the people pictured here still in the office. It will be a small skeleton crew sending Nick Mag off to magazine heaven.

Hats off to Tim Jones who has been designing the unique and brilliant mastheads every month over since 2006. It's worth looking through the back issues just to see all the creativity on display just in this simple section alone.

Johnny Ryan can draw anything

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:30:33 GMT

Nice words from people we worked with

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:48:58 GMT

http://evandorkin.livejournal.com/194770.html
"Sarah and I have been contributing to the magazine for over ten years now, mostly gags and some illustrations, along with some comics stuff and two covers for the Comic Book section. I loved freelancing for them, I loved being in the magazine alongside some great people, and I enjoyed working with Chris and Dave very much. They are good people, and good "comics people", and I hope they find their footing asap, jobs-wise. Or win the lottery. They helped a lot of small press folks pay some bills, and the comics section was just top-notch stuff from a host of swell cartoonists. Ugh. This is going to be the talk of MOCCA, I bet, half the exhibitors have probably freelanced for them at some point.

We knew they were slowing down purchases due to the economy and the bad publishing atmosphere. Still, I wasn't expecting them to shut down, and it was nice to know Nick was there, and to pitch a few gags every now and then, and sometimes a bigger assignment came your way. And it was always a good experience. And as a bonus, you owned your work. Ugh. Now a lot of freelancers are left with one less venue, worse for the fact that Nick was one of the friendliest magazines out there for cartoonists. After Mad's gut shot wound...this is just very depressing news."
-Evan Dorkin

http://nenimo.livejournal.com/45055.html
"Nickelodeon magazine was where I did my internship, and it was honestly the most enjoyable place to work ever. I made a ton of friends there and learned more that I ever hoped about production, illustration, comics, and business. The comic section was a great showcase of some of the best comics talented today like Scott Morse, Alec Longstreth, and Sam Henderson just to name a few. And the articles featured some of the most talent illustrators and writers you can find working for any magazine.

They are an amazingly talented bunch, and the comics, illustration, and children's entertainment communities will have suffered a huge loss if Nick Mag isn't around in some form or another anymore.

If you have the chance you should check out the masthead of a couple Nick Mag magazines and search out the staff and keep an eye out for those names (Chris Duffy, Dave Roman, Caitlin Keegan, Vanessa Johnson, and Fernando Dias de Souza to name a couple). I'd be interested to see what they all do next, and whatever it is I know it will be just as good."
-Craig Arndt

http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2009/06/nickelodeon-magazine-1993-2009.html

"In my sixteen months of blogging, I have never been so jarred by a publishing industry news story that I was compelled to post a response immediately...until now.

Word broke today that Viacom is shuttering Nickelodeon Magazine.

For the past five years, I've made a point to praise Nick at literally every school (and most other venues) I've spoken at. Some elementary educators and librarians could not get past the celebs and licensed characters on the cover to discover the smart non-licensed content it always featured as well. It was a simple yet savvy (and, to me, defensible) strategy—hook kids with familiar faces and then ambush them with other less glam (but often more enjoyable) content inside, such as theme-based nonfiction and humor. My only quibble with the magazine was that it accepted advertising for junk food. But I understand the realities.

I know almost nothing about Nickelodeon the cable network. I know almost nothing about their characters. I have never watched an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (and to the disappointment of many kids at the schools I visit, I can't draw him, either).

Yet I know that the passing of Nick Mag is a genuine loss for kids. It was one of the most consistently quality products (in any medium) for young people. It did die once before, in the early 1990s, but it came back. I hope that one day soon, it can pull that off again."
-Marc Tyler Nobleman

This is just a tribute

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:09:01 GMT

Some of you may not have heard the sad news that Nickelodeon Magazine will be ending this fall. This blog will continue as a tribute to its legacy and all the talented editors, designers, writers, artists, photographers, administrators, assistants, interns, production folks, who helped along the way. Please always keep a place for the magazine in your hearts and memories!

Here is a sampling of reactions on the Internet:

http://www.gocomics.com/thedoozies/2009/06/05/

http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/nickelodeon_magazine_closure_notes/

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/06/04/nickelodeon-magazine-folds/

"The loss of the magazine comes as a blow to the comics community — in addition to developing such popular comics properties as SpongeBob and Avatar: The Last Airbender, Duffy and Roman hired the cream of the crop of indie cartoonists, from Sam Henderson and Johnny Ryan to Laura Park and Jason Lutes. It was one of the few places where cartoonists of this ilk could get paid decent rates for their work, which makes it all the sadder. In addition, they published stand-alone comics collections and sponsored the first Kids Comics Awards.

While this leaves an obvious gap for kids comics, it leave a gap for comics in magazines in general — once a key way for cartoonists to make money and gain exposure, the implosion of the magazine market has taken this avenue with it."

http://www.tcj.com/messboard/viewtopic.php?p=98791&sid=5c0cb0d9cd297a18bc0ed484c481bb9d

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/06/viacom-shuts-down-nickelodeon-magazine/

http://www.avclub.com/articles/friday-buzzkills-seeking-not-to-know-the-answers-b,28881/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=feeds&utm_source=avclub_rss_daily

"In Los Angeles, of course, there is no such thing as childhood anymore (well… maybe for the poors), so it should come as no surprise that Nickelodeon Magazine folded this week: Today’s kids know that life is one big paper chase, which leaves little time to @&*# around with children’s games."

...more quotes to come in a follow up post.

Time for more 3-D comics!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:24:51 GMT

The June 2009 issue of Nick Mag features another amazing and surreal 3-D comics section! These things have become the stuff of legend.

If you have some 3-D glasses lying around (like from last years issue per chance?) check out the killer 3-D on these previews!

Comic cover by Laura Park

The REAL story of Humpty Dumpty

There is also 3-D stuff by Brian Ralph, Andy Ristaino, Martin Cendreda, Jef Czekaj, Jen Sorensen, Terry Laban and Marc Hempel. A 3-D SpongeBob story by Jay Lender and a interactive "red reveal" comic by Karen Sneider!

You have to see them in person!

Trailer for Avatar comics

Tue, 12 May 2009 20:52:16 GMT

This brilliant trailer for upcoming Nick Magazine Avatar comics was assembled by comics writer, Alison Wilgus (that’s her and her husband doing the voices in the beginning). It plays off the killer videos the show's creators made for past Comic Cons. The trailer made its debut this past weekend at Anime Central as part of the "ATLA: Beginning and Beyond" panel organized by Avatarlegacy.com.

Featuring the art of: Justin Ridge, Elsa Garagarza, Johane Matte, Gurihiru, and Tom McWeeney...and of course awesome music by the Track Team!

The comics featured will be serialized in our Comics Club issues aka the all-comics special issues (the ones that usually have SpongeBob on the cover). The Bumi Vs. Toph story is on newsstands NOW!

Chicago Anime Central

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:28:04 GMT

Anime Central will be held May 8th -10th in Rosemont, IL. Focusing on the awesomely creative fan community, The Avatar panel will be Saturday, May 9th.
This will definitely be a great time!

The 1-hour event will see discussion on the series, as well as the fan community that is still deeply inspired by the show. In addition, other planned events include a Cosplay Contest, Haiku Slam, and a special Nick Magazine Avatar comics preview!

Friendly reminder

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:34:50 GMT

This Saturday, May 2nd is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

Participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away exclusive comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores.

Check out the FCBD website for more info.

Kids' Comic Con

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:15:20 GMT

Tomorrow (Saturday April 24th) is the Kids' Comic Con at the Bronx Community College in NY. It is free to anyone 17 or younger (over-17s, it's only $5 for you to get in). Look for the flyers around campus to lead you to the event!

There will be lots of great guests, panels and drawing workshops including...

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM: Youth Workshop D – Creating Comic Characters and Art With Style.
Dave Roman (Nickelodeon Magazine) and Raina Telgemeier (Baby-sitters Club) lead a drawing workshop that focuses on how the comics we grow up reading can affect how each of us draws. They'll help young artists break down drawings into basic shapes and use them to create fun new characters!

Toon Weekly 09

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:27:11 GMT

One of the most fun things to work on these past few years has been TOON WEEKLY, an annual "prank feature" that appears in the April Cartoon themed issues. It's an over the top parody of celebrity gossip magazines with a mix of cartoon stars from all sources. It is always one of the most controversial pieces because lots of fans of the shows (especially Naruto!) don't like to see their favorite characters out of context. And they don't realize that we make fun of things we love! It's great fun imagining what cartoons do when they don't know they are on camera! And to create cross-universe relationships that are both insane and maybe make a bit of sense in their own way.

Here's some samples of this year's feature:

Shout out to Jacob Chabot (Mighty Skullboy Army) who did ALL of this year's artwork! That guy can draw in a lot of different styles!

To read the rest you gotta check out the April issue of Nick Magazine!

REVIEW: Mouse Guard

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:02:55 GMT

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152
Story and Art by David Petersen
Reviewed by Bryan Bucco

Mouse Guard is a graphic novel following the adventures of 3 mice: Liam, Saxon, ad Kenzie, and no, they are not blind. What is a Mouse Guard you ask? What do they guard? Path’s my friend, paths to and from other mouse villages. They are the ones who make sure little mice are safe when transporting grain and other mouse necessities.

We follow our brave mice on a journey to prevent an attack on a peaceful mouse village, but in order to do that Liam, Saxon, and Kenzie must first track down some people, excuse me “mice”, and find out who is behind the attack. What I really liked about “Mouse Guard” was that it took it self very seriously. Yeah, they’re mice, but the world created by the author feels so put together that you will find yourself wanting to know more about it. In fact if you feel this desire, you don’t have to worry because there is a detailed description of various mouse occupations and mouse maps in the back of the book.

To be quite honest when I first saw the cover of this book I thought it would go the same route perhaps as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Luckily they didn’t; although Kenzie, one of the mouse guards, wears a purple cape and carries a stick (Donatello?), and Saxon, the red one, is very temperamental and physical (Raphael?). Besides those two characteristics, these mice are nowhere near the playfulness of the turtles. Although they seem fuzzy and cute, these mice make a mess like nobody’s business. They cut up large snakes, throw daggers through evil knights, pound some ale, and one mouse even gets devoured by a large crab (well to be truthful it was a normal sized crab but appears huge in comparison to the mice).

I am a huge fan of the artwork. It was kept simple and wasn’t too flashy, you could even say it was a little rugged. It complimented the story as well as adding something extremely pretty to look over. At times I found myself spending some extra time inspecting the background of each panel.
My only regret with this book is I wish I were 10 years younger because I probably would have loved this so much more, and I highly recommend it for the youngins, (even the oldies because it is an extremely quick read). Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a masterpiece, but it makes a story about 3 little mice fighting evil as close to “realistic” as you could get. Maybe it might even make you think twice before you place a cheese trap under your refrigerator and sever their little spines. You just might be killing a princess, or a shoemaker. - “Hail all those who are able, any mouse can, any mouse will, but the Guard prevail.”

About the Reviewer:
Bryan Bucco is student at Rutgers University and an editorial intern for Nickelodeon Magazine for Winter 2009. You can read more from him at http://lefthandedpanda.blogspot.com/.

April 2009 Cartoon Themed Issue

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:11:09 GMT

April is our annual jam-packed CARTOON ISSUE, in which we squeezed in the following treats:
-The winners of the first ever Nickelodeon Magazine Comics Awards!

-The return of our controversial cartoon expose, Toon Weekley.

-Comic cover by the legendary Mark Newgarden!

-A new SpongeBob SquarePants comic that will warp kids minds.

-Gag cartoons by Marc Hempel, David McGuire, Johnny Ryan and Dan Abdo.

-The life story of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid “author, Jeff Kinney drawn in the hilarious diary format of the best-selling books (published by Abrams)!

-An original comic based on the soon to be mega hit graphic novel, “Adventures in Cartooning” by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick Frost (published by First Second Books)!

-Comic Book Nightmare with editor, Chris Duffy.

-Low Value Comics! Including Wonder Otter, Bat Butler, Shonen Grump and more!

-The beloved Grampa and Julie Sharkhunters by Jef Czekaj

This issue (Kids' Choice Awards on the cover) is on newsstands now!

REVIEW: Flight Explorer

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:31:34 GMT

Flight Explorer: Volume 1
Reviewed by Kailyn Kent

Flight Explorer is a collection of unconnected short comics, and of very good ones. The stories are set in diverse worlds, including desert planets, the Nile delta, expansive dream-worlds, and dreamy reimaginings of suburbia. The characters are clever and funny, making great travel companions. You can look at Flight Explorer like a magazine full of comics, and this is a perfect book to keep in the back pocket of your family’s car: the stories make for wonderful small reads for short waits and sudden comics cravings.

To be honest, you might find a comic anthology less appealing than a regular comic book. Storylines, recurring characters or a consistent world account for a lot of a comic book’s excitement, and you don’t have anything close to the length of a novel in which to submerge yourself. The good news is that many of the stories are exclusive chapters of longer series. If you love a character or world, it’s likely that you can read more about their adventures online or in other books.
There isn’t an obvious reason to buy Flight Explorer if you are really motivated by longer storylines. In its defense, I’ve been surprised by how entertained I am long after the comics are no longer new. Flight Explorer might also be a good way to get your relatives or older friends into comics, as adults will love the beautiful art and simple, individual stories. Finally, the comics themselves are truly wonderful. I have not found anything as funny as “Perfect Cat” by Johane Matte in a long time.

Some stories are actually creepy, others surprising, and most are very smart. I was happy to find two stories about my favorite fantasy: having a monster for a companion. In Flight Explorer, some stories end the way you’d expect them to, but many don’t.

I would easily give Flight Explorer as a gift, because it’s the kind of comic book you keep coming back to browse through, and is accessible to nearly anyone. And if you choose to pick up this collection of comics yourself, I hope it opens up new worlds for you.

About the Reviewer:
Kailyn Kent is student at Carleton College in Minnesota, production intern for Nickelodeon Magazine for Winter 2009 and the creator of the comic series "Poison People". You can view her work on her blog at kailynkent.blogspot.com.

REVIEW: Salt Water Taffy

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:21:53 GMT

Salt Water Taffy (The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny)
Book 1: The Legend of Old Salty
by Matthew Loux
Reviewed by Kailyn Kent

If you are ready for vacation, read these books now: Salt Water Taffy is one of those series that carries summer in its pages.

"The Legend of Old Salty" is the first account of brothers Jack and Bennys’ summer break on the coast of Maine. It captures the spirit of family trips from the get-go. The brothers’ soon find that their summer retreat is very mysterious—and home to the creatures of old American tall tales. The author and artist, Matthew Loux, really honors what we readers want. While he could have explained the strange occurrences with normal causes, he instead explores the reality of myths.

The artwork is beautiful, especially the backgrounds, and he draws people stylistically. His action scenes are well developed and easy to follow. And as for the writing, the dialogue is very funny. Only at one point is the story condescending, or parent-y, when it portrays videogames negatively. This is really common in a lot of books. However, the author handles this well, and even though one character loses interest in his video games mid-way, it’s because he discovers what he looks for in videogames: adventure. Plus, the father seems pretty intrigued by the gameboy in the end. The author is truly respectful of the kids’ judgment and personalities, and the siblings are well balanced too. Where the youngest is enthusiastic and observant, the eldest is determined and very funny. They are accompanied by a wonderful sailor character who introduces them to the legends of the coastline.

What is amazing about the Salt Water Taffy books is that even though these siblings see fantastical things, it never stops reminding you of what summer vacation feels like. It reminds you of all the magic here inside the world we live in—and especially inside our summer breaks.

About the Reviewer:
Kailyn Kent is student at Carleton College in Minnesota, production intern for Nickelodeon Magazine for Winter 2009 and the creator of the comic series "Poison People". You can view her work on her blog at kailynkent.blogspot.com.

For those who like adventure comics

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:11:36 GMT

I was asked to plug this new kids graphic novel called New Brighton Archaeological Society.

"Out of the ashes of misfortune will rise the next generation of great adventurers! After their parents are lost on an archeological expedition, four children begin to unlock the secrets of their parents' mysterious lives, discovering a hidden world of mystical artifacts, mythical creatures, and arcane knowledge. Soon they find themselves drawn into a conflict over a great library that has kept two kingdoms at war for centuries, the children must save an enchanted forest, the birthplace of magic itself."

I still haven't read it, but thought it looked pretty fun based on the art and premise. Reminds me of the V.F.D. aspects of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" crossed with The Brickston Scooter Club. If anyone out there reads it let us know what you think, right here in the reply section!
-dave

NY Comic Con photos

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:38:55 GMT

Beanbag theater presents Josh Elder's "Mail Order Ninja"

An awesome Avatar cosplayer from New Amsterdam!

Matt Loux (Salt Water Taffy) draws a monster.

Avatar group shot.

Anthonty (Aang) with with Alison Wilgus (Nick Mag comics writer)

Zhao of the Water Tribe?

The Fire Lord demands macaroni pictures!

Can't get enough Avatar?

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:08:01 GMT

In the latest issue of the Nickelodeon Comics Club (with Fairly Odd Parents snowboarding on the cover) there is a new Avatar comic called "Don't Blow It" written by Alison Wilgus and illustrated by Elsa Garagarza.

And that's just the beginning. We plan to roll out a bunch more stories this year! And some of them are dare I say it...a bit more HARDCORE than what you may have seen in the past? I'll let you be the judge.

The comics will be jumping all over the three seasons of the show and also include some special surprises, like characters who were mentioned but never seen before!

Art above by Elsa Garagarza, Tom McWeeney, and Johane Matte

Mutant Test

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:00:19 GMT

Are you a mutant? Find out by going to the new “Wolverine and the X-men” site.
Take the test and find out if you have mutant genes and join the X-men.
WWW.AREYOUAMUTANT.COM

This in connection with the new Wolverine and the X-men animated series, which premiers on the Nicktoons Network tonight at 8PM.