SpongeBob Comics Discussion

Spongey34

Spongey34

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Stephen Hillenburg, creator of the “SpongeBob SquarePants,” television series, now in its eleventh year on Nickelodeon, announces the release of the first issue of his new, bimonthly, comic book series SpongeBob Comics, published by United Plankton Pictures, Inc. Although SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, and the rest of the underwater inhabitants of Bikini Bottom have previously appeared in the pages of Nickelodeon Magazine and in Tokyopop’s Cine-Manga series, SpongeBob Comics #1 marks the first time the characters have appeared in their own comic books in the United States and the first time that Hillenburg is authoring his own books.

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“I’m hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a ‘SpongeBob’ comic book from me,“ says Hillenburg. “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. Together they have gathered a seaworthy collection of comic book writers and artists to contribute to each issue and to launch SpongeBob Comics on its maiden voyage, including: James Kochalka (Johnny Boo, American Elf), Hilary Barta (Fear Agent), Graham Annable (Grickle), Gregg Schigiel (X-Babies), and Jacob Chabot (Mighty Skullboy Army, X-Babies).

Every issue of SpongeBob Comics will feature a full 32-pages of feature length stories, shorts, and fun pages, suitable for all ages. In the first issue, SpongeBob has a recurring nightmare about his favorite cereal; Squidward introduces music to the Krusty Krab; and Mermaid Man is freaked out by a fan who won't...stop...staring! Also, Patrick and SpongeBob team up for the most idiotic joke ever; SpongeBob learns to glow; and readers are invited to draw the absorbing one's new hairdo.

Each new bimonthly SpongeBob Comics issue retails for $2.99 U.S. and is distributed through Bongo Comics Group, Matt Groening’s comic book company, which publishes Simpsons Comics, Bart Simpson, and Futurama Comics, among other titles,

SpongeBob Comics is published six times a year by United Plankton Pictures, Inc., P.O. Box 1963, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1963.
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http://www.comicbookbin.com/newscomic311.html
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/spongebob-comic-to-debut-next-month/
 
OMG this is the greatest thing ever! :thumb1: I've missed the SB magazine comics.

I actually have something similar to what's being described. I have a 30-some-odd paged comic called "Spongebob Comic Crazy" & "Spongebob Comic Crazy Take 2".

I can't wait for the comic to come out, i hope its available at Barnes & Noble.
 
I heard about this last year. Sherm Cohen did the cover illustration for Issue #1, which is awesome! I'm not sure whether he'll be doing it regularly or if it was just a one-off.
What most excites me about this is Steve Hillenburg's involvement. It would be even better if instead of comics these were storyboards (ie, if Steve got involved in the writing on the series again), but this will certainly do in the meantime. :thumb1:

I don't know if they will be available in the UK or not, but if they aren't, I'm sure I will be able to get them shipped over.
 
DadMom AngryPants said:
I heard about this last year. Sherm Cohen did the cover illustration for Issue #1, which is awesome! I'm not sure whether he'll be doing it regularly or if it was just a one-off.
What most excites me about this is Steve Hillenburg's involvement. It would be even better if instead of comics these were storyboards (ie, if Steve got involved in the writing on the series again), but this will certainly do in the meantime. :thumb1:

I don't know if they will be available in the UK or not, but if they aren't, I'm sure I will be able to get them shipped over.
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I doubt they will since we already have a SpongeBob Magazine over here in UK.

Borders UK used to see magazines imported from America, but sadly they went bankrupt.
 
SBRoxMan said:
I doubt they will since we already have a SpongeBob Magazine over here in UK.
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That's true.
Oh well, I'll just have to pay the extra money to get it posted here. I don't mind; it makes it more of a novelty item. :xP:
 
DadMom AngryPants said:
SBRoxMan said:
I doubt they will since we already have a SpongeBob Magazine over here in UK.
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That's true.
Oh well, I'll just have to pay the extra money to get it posted here. I don't mind; it makes it more of a novelty item. :xP:
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Well, you never know, SpongeBob Magazine used to add comics from Nick Mag, maybe they'll do the same for this new comic. ^_^
 
I haven't purchased a copy yet b/c I've been unable to find one >_>

I've been in all of our comic book and regular book stores and nobody is carrying it yet. I will keep looking for awhile and if i can't find it by March I will order it online. I would prefer to buy in a store than online so i dont have to pay the extra shipping $
 
raisin said:
I haven't purchased a copy yet b/c I've been unable to find one >_>

I've been in all of our comic book and regular book stores and nobody is carrying it yet. I will keep looking for awhile and if i can't find it by March I will order it online. I would prefer to buy in a store than online so i dont have to pay the extra shipping $
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It's not in shops in my country, but some comic sellers on eBay have had copies shipped over and are selling them on. Luckily that means I don't have to pay any postage at all, and it's only costing me around 2.10. That's more than $2.99 but I still think it's a good price.
 
DadMom AngryPants said:
raisin said:
I haven't purchased a copy yet b/c I've been unable to find one >_>

I've been in all of our comic book and regular book stores and nobody is carrying it yet. I will keep looking for awhile and if i can't find it by March I will order it online. I would prefer to buy in a store than online so i dont have to pay the extra shipping $
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It's not in shops in my country, but some comic sellers on eBay have had copies shipped over and are selling them on. Luckily that means I don't have to pay any postage at all, and it's only costing me around 2.10. That's more than $2.99 but I still think it's a good price.
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:xP:

Well when you get them let us know how they are. At $2.99 a comic I wouldn't expect them to be very long or anything.
 
raisin said:
:xP:

Well when you get them let us know how they are. At $2.99 a comic I wouldn't expect them to be very long or anything.
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I think they are pretty short, I remember reading somewhere they're around 34 pages or something, which is a shame since they're only bimonthly. However, I'd rather have fewer issues of higher quality than them be churned out. I'm just thrilled that Steve Hillenburg is involved. :thumb1:
 
I don't know what's going on in the second one. :confused:
 
My copy arrived today and I love it. It's really cool to see different artists' takes on Spongebob.
 
SPONGEBOB COMICS #1
SpongeBob Comics #1 was one of the books I was looking forward to most this week. Im a bit of a fan of the property and was excited to see how it translates into the world of comics. The results are mixed at times, but the overall experience is an enjoyable one.

The approach taken for SpongeBob Comics is that of an anthology with a few short stories, a few one-page gags, a pin-up, and even some behind the scenes stuff about SpongeBob SquarePants creator Steve Hillenburgs pre-SpongeBob comic The Intertidal Zone. Its 32 pages of content plus the back and inside-front covers!

Where the comic goes wrong is a pitfall of the medium. SpongeBob SquarePants is a show that derives a lot of humor from its use of crazy animation, quick cuts, and the voices of the characters. Here, those assets are gone and the world of Bikini Bottom is a little flatter for it. It doesnt help that the longest story in the comic is based around music and sound. The premise is funny (Squidward wanting to showcase his music at the Krusty Krab and getting foiled by SpongeBob), but its obviously one that is far better suited to the animated world than the comics world. After reading it, I was more curious about what the songs in the story would sound like.

While that story has a hard time adapting to comics, the two-page Best Joke Ever strip is designed specifically for comics. Framed by three lead-in panels and two concluding one, its a grid of five by four where SpongeBob tells a joke and you determine its course by moving from one panel to the next in any direction you want. There are tons of possibilities and has a fun interactive element. More than that, artist Vince Deporter does a fantastic job of giving each panel its own distinct piece of action, using a variety of angles and facial expressions for SpongeBob, Patrick, and Squidward. He helps get across the tone and emphasis of each piece of the joke.

The art in the book is consistently the strongest feature. The regular SpongeBob look is adhered to for the most part but, thankfully, artists are given the freedom to deviate at times. Andy Rementers strange, offbeat depiction of SpongeBob and the gang may surprise some, but also suits the characters quite well. The same goes for James Kochalkas three strips on the back cover where he does a far more minimal style than the cartoon to great effect, going for a look that makes SpongeBob the straight man to Patricks insanity.

And, of course, how could the first issue of SpongeBob Comics be complete without appearances from Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy? Its only a four-page strip, but its one of the funnier ones and Hilary Barta delivers energetic, dynamic art as the duo fights against the Octopus King who is asleep the entire time!

For a debut issue, SpongeBob Comics is effective at capturing the tone of the show and allowing the creators to present their own takes on the characters at times. It suffers sometimes from not being able to rely on the strengths of animation and, hopefully, will take advantage of the things that comics can do that animation cant, adapting its style to this medium more. Me, Im just wondering what sort of look Im going to get when I add it to my pull list on Wednesday.
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http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=3198
 
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