Comics publisher and “transmedia producer” Arcana Studios is launching Arcana, a quarterly comics and pop culture magazine. The magazine will be a “re-designed print version of the on-line comics based magazine Extra Sequential.” The first issue of the 96-page landscape-format magazine has an on-sale date of 27 January 2010.
Australians Kris Bather and Dave Lapsley created Extra Sequential as an outlet for their creative urges while working day jobs at an architectural design firm. They published three online issues in the first six months of 2009, featuring “interviews with an array of creative professionals, such as Joe Jusko, Zeb Wells, Tom DeFalco, and Brian Cronin. Topics covered included Street Fighter, Flash Gordon, the new Hulk and so much more, with an eye on both mainstream and rising indie stars. After reaching over 16,000 subscribers on Scribd.com and becoming a Featured Magazine on Issuu.com, Extra Sequential was picked up by Arcana Comics for the transition to print, with Bather and Lapsley continuing their unique comics focus in the new print format.”
Bather was the Comics Department Head at the now-defunct website Infuze; currently, he’s a contributor to Broken Frontier. Lapsley is new to the world of comics.
“The thing that has always seemed odd to me is that comics continually reveal diverse art from some of the world’s greatest artists, but few people outside of the local comic book shop will ever know that,” said Bather. “Sure, a multitude of people are more familiar with Spider-Man and Batman thanks to Hollywood, but that seems to rarely translate to an increase in regular readership of comics. We hope Arcana can be somewhat of a bridge for those readers as well as show something new to longtime lovers of sequential art.”
The publisher says Arcana is “Inspired more by the surf and skate magazines than the usual pop culture assortment on the shelves,” and that it “aims to let the art speak for itself while also making sure every page is an artistic display. With bold layouts incorporating unique design and photography Arcana aims to be more than a throwaway item, but an attractive glimpse into the cutting edge of comic books and the people behind them.”
The first issue of Arcana will feature “interviews with Star Wars: Invasion writer Tom Taylor, artist Josh Medors, Singaporean writer Edmund Shern, Surrogates creator Robert Venditti, and ground breaking artist David Mack. Also included are previews from upcoming comics and features such as a look back at The Death of Superman event, a talk with pro cyclist/comics fan Dave Zabriskie, a brief chat with the legendary Marv Wolfman, and an article on the current love affair between musicians and comics, including an interview with Coheed & Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez. There’s also a look at just how to market comics today, a breakdown of popular comic book terms and more.”