Eddie Campbell is a tough act to follow. Even more so when he's accompanied by a cartoon character like Hairbutt the Hippo! But readers of the second week of Modern Tales Longplay's salute to Australian cartoonists are not going to be disappointed by the trio of fresh, inventive talents on display, as Short and Curlies--Longplay Down Under continues.

Komikwerks, a leader in digital distribution of creator-owned comics, and Circle of Confusion, a management and production company, have announced a strategic alliance to manage, co-produce and develop comic-book properties to film, TV, video games.

Circle of Confusion manages such diverse talent as the Wachowski Bros., the Reign of Fire writers Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka, and comic-book creator Brian Michael Bendis. Under the terms, Circle of Confusion will represent Komikwerks and its contributors in a management capacity, as well as a producing partner on some selected ventures.

“Circle of Confusion has an impressive roster of clients, and a track record of working with great comic talent; it’s an honor to be working with them,” says Komikwerks co-founder Shannon Denton.

“This arrangement continues to extend our original goal as a publisher, which is to allow independent creators access to resources that are usually only available to the larger publishers. We’re thrilled about this partnership,” added Komikwerks co-founder Patrick Coyle.

Flight of the Stingray, a new webcomic by Brian Freeman, seeks to combine the old and the new with over one hundred 3D renderings interwoven within traditional illustration. According to Digital Webbing, Flight of the Stingray tells the story of Air Force test pilot Jack Gannon flying a fantastic new craft that can fly through the air like a jet or plunge underwater like a submarine. While searching for a friend in the Russian arctic, Jack discovers a thriving colony of people hidden for over one hundred years. Created by Brian Freeman, an illustrator and wed designer, Flight of the Stingray is a 69 page webcomic offered for free and in its entirety.

Thanks to Digital Webbing

I thought I'd start a topic on the current Comixpedia News Item, because it is very timely for me (I hope xerexes doesn't mind).

I'm currently prepping a webcomic adaption of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" (http://www.otisframpton.com/Comics_Gallery.html). It will premiere in 2004, not sure where yet. But I'm having a good time adapting the story and taking the visuals in a very different direction than previous versions of the story.

Does anyone know of any other uses of public domain material as a webcomic?

-Otis