''Popgun'' is a

comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication t ...

series created by

Mark Andrew Smith Mark Andrew Smith (born July 24th, 1979) is an American comic book Comic book creator, author and graphic novelist. Early life and education Smith attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he studied film. He graduated in 20 ...

and

Joe Keatinge Joe Keatinge is an American comic book Comic book creator, writer and editor, best known for his writing work with Marvel Comics and Image Comics, and as the co-editor of ''Popgun (comics), Popgun'' with Mark Andrew Smith. Early life Joe Keatinge ...

. It was published by American company

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

in four volumes, between 2007 and 2010. The driving concept behind ''Popgun'' was a

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

graphic Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...

short stories that cross the borders of all genres. No theme was given to contributors and instead emphasis is placed on diversity of content and the mixing/track order of each volume. ''Popgun'' featured many well-known creators as well as showcased brand-new talent who were not widely known at the time. Many creators debuting in ''Popgun'' have since made their mark on the comics industry. ''Popgun'' twice won the

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

for best anthology, and won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Anthology in 2010.

Publication

''Popgun'' volume 1 was edited by Mark Andrew Smith and Joe Keatinge.

Mike Allred Michael Dalton Allred is an American comic book artist and writer most famous for his independent comics creations, ''Madman'' and ''iZombie''. His style is often compared to pop art, as well as commercial and comic art of the 1950s and 1960s ...

illustrated the cover of the first volume. The first volume of ''Popgun'' was released on November 28, 2007. ''Popgun'' volume 2 featured, among others, the work of

Ulises Fariñas Ulises Alfonso Fariñas (born December 29, 1985, in Elizabeth, New Jersey) is a Cuban-American comic book writer and artist. Education While attending New York's School of Visual Arts, Fariñas studied under Nick Bertozzi, who invited him to joi ...

Michel Fiffe Michel Fiffe (born 17 May 1979 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban–American comic book artist and writer. He is best known for his self-published series ' and the Ultimate Marvel series '' All-New Ultimates''. Career Fiffe gained wider exposure i ...

Dean Haspiel Dean Edmund Haspiel (born May 31, 1967 in New York City) is an American comic book artist, writer, and playwright. He is known for creating Billy Dogma, The Red Hook, and for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his '' American Splendor ...

, Tim Hamilton, Dan Goldman,

Paul Maybury Paul Maybury (born 1982 in Boston) is an American comic book creator living in Austin, Texas. Biography Paul Maybury is an American comic book creator living in Austin Texas. Notable works include, Aqua Leung, Catalyst Comix, Blue Estate, Marv ...

, and Nikki Cook from the

webcomics Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be ...

collective A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together to achieve a common objective. Collectives can differ from cooperatives in that they are not necessarily focused upon an ...

ACT-I-VATE.

Paul Pope Paul Pope (born September 25, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's tw ...

illustrated the cover for volume 2, which was edited by Joe Keatinge and Mark Andrew Smith. ''Volume'' 2 was released on July 25, 2008. ''Popgun'' volume 3 was released in March 2009, featuring a cover by

Tara McPherson Tara McPherson (born April 7, 1976, in San Francisco, California) is an American artist based in New York. McPherson creates paintings, murals, poster art, and designer toys, within the New Contemporary Art movement. Biography Tara McPherson s ...

. It was edited by Mark Andrew Smith and D.J. Kirkbride. ''Popgun'' volume 4 was released in February 2010. It featured a cover by

Ben Templesmith Ben Templesmith (born 7 March 1984) is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series ''Fell (comics), Fell'', with writer Warren Ellis, and IDW Publishing, IDW's ...

and was edited by D.J. Kirkbride, Anthony Wu, and Adam P. Knave.

Awards

* 2008: ''Popgun'' vol. 1 —

for Best AnthologyPopGun Wins The Harvey Award for Best Anthology

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

, September 28, 2008 * 2009: ''Popgun'' vol. 2 — Harvey Award for Best Anthology (nomination) * 2010: ** ''Popgun'' vol. 3 — Diamond Gem Award for Best Anthology (nomination)Newsarama Staff
"Diamond Announces 2009 GEM AWARD Nominees"
Newsarama (04 January 2010). ** ''Popgun'' vol. 3 —

for Best Anthology ** ''Popgun'' vol. 3 — Harvey Award for Best Anthology (nomination) * 2011: ''Popgun'' vol. 4 —

for Best Anthology

Volumes

* ''Popgun Volume One'': * ''Popgun Volume Two'': * ''Popgun Volume Three'': * ''Popgun Volume Four'':

Notes

{{Reflist

External links

Joe Keatinge on editing the Popgun Anthology
World Famous Comics

''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

''
COMIC BOOK RESOURCES: Smith & Kirkbride Fire Off "Popgun" Vol. 3

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

, March 23, 2009
ROBOT 6: "Talking Comics with Tim: Popgun editors Smith & Kirkbride
April 6, 2009

April 6, 2009

April 1, 2009 2007 comics debuts Comics anthologies