Here at HawkersMag, we like to read a lot about the comics/fiction world, and see what’s happening out there. So as a result, we’ve decided to deliver to you a couple of comics, articles and art across the world-wide web that we feel are worth taking a look at.

We’ll be doing this as regularly as we can to keep our readers updated on what’s happening in the rest of the world-wide web. Moreover, with the amount of material I’ve been able to gather throughout the week, it would probably be best if I try to do this on a more daily basis. (x_x)

Creator’s Tips:

The Weakest Form of Characterization - “This made me wonder, if action is the strongest form of characterization, then what’s the weakest? Here’s Orson Scott Card on the subject…”

Haruki Murakami: Talent Is Nothing Without Focus and Endurance - I have a copy of Murakami’s book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, which is somewhat of a memoir and also somewhat of his take on writing and the creative process, which he ties up well with his hobby of running marathons.

“The stories we tell ourselves about creative achievement nearly always focus on the holy grail of inspiration, and leave out the rather important bits about perspiration. Which is why I want to highlight renowned Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, as the next installment in our “Creative’s Bookshelf” series.”

Nondestructive Photoshop Shadows and Effects (Screencast) - “Efficiency. As comic creators, we’re all striving for it. With full-time jobs, family, and everything else life throws at us competing for our precious art time, being more efficient means getting more done. My goal with these Photoshop articles is to help you streamline your process to get more work done in the same amount of time – or even less.”

7 reasons to NOT use Comic Sans in your comic. - “Here are my seven reasons to avoid using Comic Sans MS in your comic or graphic novel. I learned the hard way.”

How to Launch a Writers’ Group: 6 Pieces of Advice - “A well-known African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The same is true for writing.”

The 10 Secrets to Making a Spellbinding Video Trailer for Your Next Blog, Book, or Product Launch - “You might like the idea of creating a trailer for your next launch. You might even believe it’s doable after reading this guide to creating movie trailers.”

Stop Apologizing for Your Art - “We say no for other people, because of our insecurities and fears. We apologize for our art. We sabotage our best efforts to succeed. And it’s completely unnecessary…”

Nobody Changed the World by Being Indecisive - “There is a deficiency of good decision-making in our world today — especially amongst creatives. And that needs to change.”

Articles & Interviews:

Watch Doctor Who’s Matt Smith play Twister with a Cyberman! - “It’s only a brief glimpse, but still… the vision of the Doctor playing Twister — in the world’s dorkiest sweater — with a deadly Cyberman is pretty amazing. Consider this an invitation to start writing the fanfic now. What is Amy Pond about to say in this brief glimpse?”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Athena Andreadis, Ph. D. - “She is an avid reader in four languages across genres, the author of To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek and writes speculative fiction and non-fiction on a wide swath of topics. Her work can be found in Harvard Review, Belles Lettres, Strange Horizons, Crossed Genres, Stone Telling, Cabinet des Fées, Bull Spec, Science in My Fiction, SF Signal, The Apex Blog, World SF, SFF Portal, H+ Magazine, io9, The Huffington Post, and her own site, Starship Reckless.”

Artifice and Apparitions: A Reverie Concerning Fantastika’s Fictive Vivifications - “It initially seems odd to say that we have “a strange relationship with our fiction.” Thinking of a text as something that you have a relationship with may seem ludicrous at first, but what Warren Ellis (through Dr. Horne) implies is not just that we have a proximity of some sort to fiction, but that we experience a consociation with fiction.”

Back Issue Ben: Chasing Gwen: An American Comic Book Collecting Tale - “The real, and more sinister, purpose for me gathering you all here today, is to tell you about the great comic book finds of my illustrious career.”

Howard Andrew Jones on The Roots of Arabian Fantasy - “When talk turns to Arabian fantasy, it usually turns first to theArabian Nights. It’s no wonder, for the core tales from the famous cycle have been entertaining listeners for more than a thousand years, and were popularized in the west by Sir Richard Francis Burton’s famous translations a little over 130 years ago…”

Open For Debate: Should We Kill ‘Webcomics’? - “I’m revisiting a post I did earlier in the year about the name ‘Webcomic’ and I stated that I would stop using the word and start using Comic Strip. I stopped short from calling for ‘Webcomic’s’ death. Until now. Kill it. Let it die.”

Ten Kick Ass Sidekicks - “According to the ultimate book of all human-based knowledge, also known as Google, a sidekick is another person’s assistant, who is normally inferior.”

Interview: Stan Sakai - On July 22nd through 24th, while attending San Diego International Comic-Con, I ran around to as many of my favorite kids comics creators as I could and asked them all the exact same questions. Keep in mind, exhibit halls are crazy loud and crazy busy, so there is a lot of background noise. Let me know in the comments if you have trouble hearing anything and I’ll translate for you.

 

Cool Artwork/Comics:

Ralph Steadman’s artwork for Alice in Wonderland takes you to Gonzoland - “Additionally, Steadman provided artwork to Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. Here are some illustrations from that book.”

The Many Moods of Batman [Comic] - “It takes a lot to phase Batman…”

The Oatmeal - Black Friday Sale 2011

Tikbalang in Spectrum 18 and a Chesley Award Finalist

Laya Komiks - “Laya; A Set of Fictitious Revolutions is a comic book created byAlyssa Mortega (writer) and Reen Barrera (illustrator), as expression of their freedom to unleash their creativity through pages of illustrations and stories produced by their collaborative ideas compiled as one.”

TRESE Komiks - Kajo Baldisimo’s blog for the Komiks Trese. Artwork and sketches from book 4, Last Seen After Midnight.

 

Podcasts:

The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 094): Panel Discussion of International Authors - “This week’s panel includes: Karen Burnham, Derek Johnson, John Stevens, and Patrick Hester.”

Making Comics Episode 1 - “Daniel Lieske and Jason Brubaker introduce themselves and the show! They discuss what drove them to start working on their own graphic novels, why they put them online, influences, and different approaches.”

Webcomic Workshop #29 - “Solving Webcomic Issues We All Face. Now featuring a listener’s issue each podcast!”

Reviews:

Strangers in Paradise – Pocket Book 1 - Strangers in Paradise – Pocket Book 1 is a remarkable work published by Abstract Studios, Inc. a company that consists of Creator/Writer & Artist Terry Moore and Managing Editor Robyn Moore. Brian Miller contributed as the colorist in this graphic novel.”

PSF6 Review: The Grim Malkin by Vincent Michael Simbulan - This post is a part of our story-by-story review of Philippine Speculative Fiction volume 6. You can see the introductory post, and our disclaimers hereBold font is Mia Tijam, everything else is Paolo Chikiamco.

Setting the Genie Free - My own reaction and review to the Disney movie “Aladdin” (1992) at www.litreact.com