GØDLAND GOES ON THREE MONTH HIATUS

[MattBrady]

Joe Casey and Tom Scioli’s GØDLAND is going away.

But it will return.

As astute solicitation readers have noticed, there was no issue of the series listed in Image’s August solicitations. According to Casey, the creative team will be taking a three month break between issues #12 and #13 (July through Spetember).

"The entire GØDLAND team -- myself, co-creator Tom Scioli, letterer and designer Richard Starkings and colorist Nick Filardi -- are pretty breathless after finishing a year's worth of issues and keeping it on a monthly schedule," said Casey. "That regularity has always been a priority for us, and we wanted the second year's worth of issues to continue that trend. Hence, the break in publishing. We'll be working our ass off during that break, getting completed issues in the can so when we come back in October, we're coming back strong.

“Actually, you can actually blame all this on the characters themselves,” Casey continued. “After finishing the script for issue #12, I knew we were going to have to pull out all the stops to top that one. Will we do it? I guess you'll just have to start reading GØDLAND and judge for yourself!"

During the break, Image will release the second GØDLAND trade collection, GØDLAND, Vol. 2: Another Sunny Delight, which collects issues #7-#12, and is due in stores on July 26.

GØDLAND #13 is due in stores on October 25th.

[Ironhorse]

That's a shame, Godland is pretty good, but maybe Casey will be doing something for Marvel, I hope. Peace.

[Aaron]

Congrats to the creative team for keeping this OUTSTANDING book coming out fast and furious. I hope you make the most of your time off and take some time to stretch. I'll be first in line when Godland continues in a few months!

Aaron

[furioso2012]

This book is just SO entertaining and bonkers in the best way. And its monthly-no-real-delays schedule is most welcome: just like the good old days...

If you like Kirby, cosmic stuff, or madcap cartoons, check out the tpb. This is one of the most unique, fun comics to come down the pike in a great long while.

[O.J. Flow]

In case you need to get caught up on things...
No charge.

[Juss]

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

[idkidd]

That's a shame,

I don't think so at all. Hopefully the three month breather can not only provide the creative team with a recharge but also let the two trades and back issues spread the word on how excellent this book is. Though it wasn't intentional, it seems the positive buzz combined with the lateness for Fell has really cemented an audience for that book with just 4 or 5 issues released to date.

[Kerec]

One of my favorites each month. I'm going to miss it while it's way. Well, just gives me more time to convince others to pick it up! Corruption Time!

[Jeremy Holstein]

I don't think so at all. Hopefully the three month breather can not only provide the creative team with a recharge but also let the two trades and back issues spread the word on how excellent this book is.

Hear, hear! This is a book full of manic Kirby energy that's been (close to) on schedule for almost a year now. I'd rather they take a break than burn out.

[Skinshark]

We'll be working our ass off during that break, getting completed issues in the can so when we come back in October, we're coming back strong.

That doesn't sound like a break to me...that sounds like more work without he deadline pressure.
You guys are such masochists!!!

I dig the book regardless and glad to see the regularity of your publishing schedule.

[Punchy]

That's a long wait... but I suppose it's a good thing in the long run.

[rossrichie]

Joe Casey is a rockstar, and GODLAND is awesome. Tom Scioli, Nick Filardi, and Comicraft are doing stellar work. Can't wait to get more.

Best,
-R

[Frankfurt]

Erik Larsen says they're late:

Gødland is running a bit behind and rather than solicit comics that they know would ship late, Joe and Tom did the responsible thing and skipped a couple months of solicitation.

So--this is what it's like to work with adults.

Weird.

http://www.imagecomics.com/messagebo...=255643#255643

[Not From Around]

Originally Posted by furioso2012

This book is just SO entertaining and bonkers in the best way. And its monthly-no-real-delays schedule is most welcome: just like the good old days...

If you like Kirby, cosmic stuff, or madcap cartoons, check out the tpb. This is one of the most unique, fun comics to come down the pike in a great long while.

Well, I like a lot of Kirby, but this just didn't work for me. It takes the work he did in his creative dotage and made it even more extreme.

It is good that they've decided to give themselves some time to get caught up, rather than soliciting issues they know are likely not to be finished on time.

[DJ Sloofus]

This'll give me time to get caught up on the series, since I haven't read an issue in awhile.

And as far as Casey doing more work for Marvel.....who needs Marvel? I'd rather see him working on creator-owned stuff than rehashing tired characters. That recent FF mini-series is dreadful. Use those talents for Godland, or better yet, bring back Automatic Kafka! That series rocked.

[Cray_ws]

Originally Posted by idkidd

I don't think so at all. Hopefully the three month breather can not only provide the creative team with a recharge but also let the two trades and back issues spread the word on how excellent this book is. Though it wasn't intentional, it seems the positive buzz combined with the lateness for Fell has really cemented an audience for that book with just 4 or 5 issues released to date.

Please don't insinuate that late comics is a good marketing strategy. It was luck that FELL gained steam while it was late and it was also partly due to the heavy online soliciting that got everyone interested. This could've been done even if the series was not late.

GØDLAND is late, and the fact that everyone is now expecting the next issue in 3 months only serves to build the anticipation. Whether it helps improve the sales remains to be seen but it certainly shouldn't be expected. It all depends how the word of the mouth goes between the series absence. Two months from now everyone might forget the series all together, who knows what might happen.

[eric_image]

Originally Posted by Cray_ws

GØDLAND is late, and the fact that everyone is now expecting the next issue in 3 months only serves to build the anticipation. Whether it helps improve the sales remains to be seen but it certainly shouldn't be expected. It all depends how the word of the mouth goes between the series absence. Two months from now everyone might forget the series all together, who knows what might happen.

Um, GØDLAND is not late -- issue 10 just shipped at the end of April, as scheduled, and issue 11 will be in stores next week, also as scheduled. And issue 12 will be right on time at the end of June. The second trade will follow a month after that, hitting stores the last week in July.

When Erik Larsen says the book is "running behind," he means it's running behind where Joe and Tom would like the book to be on their own schedules. After starting out with a healthy backlog of material, they slowly ate into the leadtime and having to play catch-up can often undermine the quality of the work. And shipping the book late would undermine reader and retailer faith in the series.

Joe and Tom have big plans for the next year on the book, so rather than possibly ship the book late -- they're skipping a few months to make sure the story they're telling continues to get to people on time, every time.

[jkaclem]

Remember the good old days before independent comics? The idea of Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema taking three months off from Captain America after the arduous, back-breaking task of completing 12 issues in a row? This is the price everyone pays for overly expensive, colorful and shiny comics aimed at an immature fan-base with too much money and time on their hands.
Look, I enjoy GODLAND, even though it, like most comics nowadays, ain't worth nowhere near $3 a copy. But I forget that most of the young talent and fans in the field today are a part of the "participation trophy" generation - the Godland team showed up 12 times in a row and give themselves a 3 month off pat on the back. Something's been lost in comics what with the growth of the fan market: professionalism.

[KyleV]

Look, I enjoy GODLAND, even though it, like most comics nowadays, ain't worth nowhere near $3 a copy. But I forget that most of the young talent and fans in the field today are a part of the "participation trophy" generation - the Godland team showed up 12 times in a row and give themselves a 3 month off pat on the back. Something's been lost in comics what with the growth of the fan market: professionalism.

You're an idiot.

Do you know WHY they're slowly losing the backlog of material they've built up? Because Joe and Tom don't make any money on Godland. They have OTHER JOBS that pay the bills. God forbid they take time off from the comic they do because they love it so they can get caught up on the things that allow them to eat.

If you knew anything about Godland (the sales, the creators, etc.), you'd know this to be the case.

A lack of professionalism would involve soliciting future books without having them completed.

[Vyper]

Originally Posted by jkaclem

Remember the good old days before independent comics? The idea of Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema taking three months off from Captain America after the arduous, back-breaking task of completing 12 issues in a row? This is the price everyone pays for overly expensive, colorful and shiny comics aimed at an immature fan-base with too much money and time on their hands.
Look, I enjoy GODLAND, even though it, like most comics nowadays, ain't worth nowhere near $3 a copy. But I forget that most of the young talent and fans in the field today are a part of the "participation trophy" generation - the Godland team showed up 12 times in a row and give themselves a 3 month off pat on the back. Something's been lost in comics what with the growth of the fan market: professionalism.

"Pat on the back"? Are you high or something?
Not every artist is able to keep a consistent monthly schedule. That's just the way it works. Alex Ross couldn't paint a comic per month if his life depended on it (at least, not with work that would be up to par with Kingdom Come or Marvels). Mark Bagley can do 90+ issues of Ult. Spidey and still have time to do side projects. Does that mean in your book that Bagley is any more "professional" than Ross?
The creators of Godland created a large enough buffer before soliciting to ensure a monthly schedule for the first 12 issues. Now that buffer has run out, so, instead of producing subpar work on time, or suffering larger and larger delays, they take a break in order to build up the next buffer. How is that showing a lack of "professionalism" on their part?

[BrownieElf]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

"The entire GØDLAND team -- myself, co-creator Tom Scioli, letterer and designer Richard Starkings and colorist Nick Filardi -- are pretty breathless after finishing a year's worth of issues and keeping it on a monthly schedule," said Casey. .

So...keep going. Keep that momentum going. If you stop now you're just going to have your readers forget about you and your sales will drop when you come back. Just ask any other artist who's "taken a break" and seen his or her title end up failing because readers lost interest.

You ask Linda Medley today, she's very honest and admits she should have never put "Castle Waiting" on hiatus six years ago and derailed the title.

[Big Red]

Godland is a good book.

I'll be there in 3 months when it resumes.

[Jason Seaver]

Originally Posted by BrownieElf

So...keep going. Keep that momentum going. If you stop now you're just going to have your readers forget about you and your sales will drop when you come back. Just ask any other artist who's "taken a break" and seen his or her title end up failing because readers lost interest.

Uh... They're not taking a break. They are "working [their] asses off". They're just not soliciting for a few months, because they recognize the basic reality that twelve issues of Godland take fifteen months to produce.

[Jeremy Holstein]

Originally Posted by jkaclem

Remember the good old days before independent comics? The idea of Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema taking three months off from Captain America after the arduous, back-breaking task of completing 12 issues in a row? This is the price everyone pays for overly expensive, colorful and shiny comics aimed at an immature fan-base with too much money and time on their hands.
Look, I enjoy GODLAND, even though it, like most comics nowadays, ain't worth nowhere near $3 a copy. But I forget that most of the young talent and fans in the field today are a part of the "participation trophy" generation - the Godland team showed up 12 times in a row and give themselves a 3 month off pat on the back. Something's been lost in comics what with the growth of the fan market: professionalism.

Boy, it's been awhile since I've seen a post that screamed "flamebait" as loudly as yours. I think the last one had the title-header "Liefeld Rules!"

The good ol' days, huh? Well, I'll grant you one thing; comics scheduling has taken a hit in the last few decades, but I'd argue we've gained in quality. Compare the comics of today to the comics of the seventies, to pick a decade. In the seventies if a book fell off schedule either a fill in artist would be assigned to get the book out the door ASAP or the issue would suddenly become a reprint, complete with a framing sequence of Captain America thinking to himself "I remember the time when..." Infinite Crisis aside most books today tend to stick with the creators assigned, and if they fall off schedule then the book is late. I'd rather have the best book possible than one that was rushed to make a shipping deadline.

True, some books take that to the extreme, and ship their titles months, even years late. Gødland is not one of those books, so I find it odd that you chose Gødland as the title to make your point. This book has been one of the most reliable independent books out there, full of fantastic art, story, design and has shipped on time for most of its ten issues to date!

[Generic Eric]

Godland is a really fun book and I anticipate It's return after it's 3 month break. 12 monthy issues and 3 month break actually makes Godland one of the most consistant independant titles out there. I don't know where anybody gets off on bitching about the schedule.