Local comic stores against the virus, plus guest John Allison talks worldbuilding in Wicked Things

NEWS

• Image announces measures to help retailers during pandemic
  • Publishers are postponing certain comics
  • Marvel
• Weird Enough Productions, national comics non-profit, makes materials free
• Diamond coordinating retail/publisher Coronavirus response
• Free Comic Book Day Postponed
• Vampire: The Masquerade returns to comics at Vault
• New details on New Warriors
• James Tynion fed up with social media creates own message board
• Marvel June solicitations, any surprises?

TOP BOOKS OF LAST WEEK

Dave

1. Plunge #2 (W: Joe Hill, A: Stuart Immonen)
2. Spider-Woman #1 (W: Karla Pacheco, A: Pere Pérez)

Forrest

1. Alienated #2 (W: Si Spurrier, A: Chris Wildgoose)
2. BANG! #2 (W: Matt Kindt, A: Wilfredo Torres)

ComicBookRoundUp

• Critic: The Resistance #1 (AWA, 9.8)
• Fan: The Resistance #1 (AWA, 9.2)

TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK

• Dave: X-O Manowar #1 (W: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum, A: Emilio Laiso)
• Forrest: Batman: Creature of the Night (W: Kurt Busiek, A: John Paul Leon)

JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.

• Dave: X-Men #9 (Leinil Francis Yu)
• Forrest: Killing Red Sonja #1 (Christian Ward) 

SEGMENT: Interview - John Allison Giant Days writer has Wicked Things #1 out this week from BOOM! Studios

1. Everyone loves a good who-done-it, what are some of your favorite detective stories and were there any you read or watched to prepare for Wicked Things?
2. If you had to pitch Wicked Things to 18 or 19 year olds, how would you describe it? 
3. The plot of Wicked Things #1 revolves around an awards ceremony for detectives. Having won an Eisner, did you approach this issue from your own experience with that award show, or maybe others you’ve attended?
4. The lead character, Charlotte "Lottie" Grote, was first introduced (if I’m not mistaken) in Scary Go Round in the story the Estate January 28, 2009, and while the character is 19 in Wicked Things she’s technically 11 in real people years. That’s a long time for the character to live inside your head and while we’ve seen her in Giant Days and elsewhere, how has she changed--or maybe she hasn’t-- in those 11 years?
5. When crafting a murder mystery detective story are there storytelling elements that take a back seat to the mystery itself? Worldbuilding, for instance, seems a touch harder when the audience is focusing on the detective and their work.
6. I love the little details in Wicked Things #1, from the text on a magazine cover to the name of Charlotte’s gummy bears, are these things right in the script, or do they evolve when making the book?
7. The Tackleverse, or Bobbinsverse as I’ve seen it written, is an incredible thing. You’ve built an entire universe of characters. Are there any inherent pros and cons of building a universe? Might we see you create an entirely new one someday?
8. Originating as a webcomic creator, are there elements of webcomic creation you miss, and things you are happy to leave behind?
9. When you were little, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?
10. What do you hope to see in the comics industry in the future?
11. What comics are you reading right now?

Off Topic Top Shelf: John Allison’s pick - Horror Stories: A Memoir: Liz Phair, Bakuman, The Sopranos