Sunday, June 30, 2013

John Kinhart's videos on comics

It's been a few years since we checked in with cartoonist John Kinhart. We'll be interviewing him, but in the meantime, he's made three short videos about cartoonists and here are the links -

Kim Deitch : The Search For Smilin' Ed
Jul 15, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfqCgf8867c&feature=youtu.be

Finally collected in one volume, Kim Deitch's sprawling whiligig of a yarn "The Search for Smilin' Ed" chronicles his investigation into the secrets behind the life and career of a very strange children's show host and his malevolent (in fact, possibly demonic) sidekick. Directed, edited and shot by John Kinhart

BB&B Special Feature: The Archive of Jay Lynch
bbbmovie Nov 7, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_SAkUqsr-g&feature=youtu.be

Kelly Froh
Jan 5, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn4Nsa1qd0A&feature=youtu.be

Short documentary about cartoonist Kelly Froh. Kelly has released mini-comics and zines with such titles as The Cheapest S.O.B.'s, Puke Stories, Beating Up Little Brother, Unlucky, Two Days Away From Staring at Birds From a Park Bench and the autobiographical series Slither.

Art Hondros' Song of Sandy Hook part 5



Saturday, June 29, 2013

Art Hondros' Song of Sandy Hook part 4

Part 3.






Aug 21-Nov 3: DC Conspiracy at Arlington's Artisphere

COMICS MAKING STUDIO WITH MEMBERS OF THE D.C. CONSPIRACY

Meet and Greet: Sat Sep 21, 6-8pm
ON VIEW WED AUG 21 – SUN NOV 3
FREE
Works in Progress Gallery
Meet and Greet with Artists: Sat Sep 21, 6-8pm

Members of the D.C. Conspiracy (DCC), a comics-creating collaborative, will be working on actual page submissions for the Spring 2014 edition of Magic Bullet, a free, semi-annual comics newspaper. The artists will have onsite working hours so you can watch them draw and see the magic unfold. There will be "blank" comic pages available so you can make a comic and leave it behind as part of the exhibition.

Artists' onsite residency hours:
Thursdays 6:30-9:30pm + Saturdays 1-4pm (+ Wednesday September 18)

Residency Dates:
Thu Aug 22 & Sat Aug 24: Matt Rawson
Thu Aug 29 & Sat Aug 31: Matt Dembicki
Thu Sep 5 & Sat Sep 7: Rafer Roberts
Thu Sep 12 & Sat Sep 14: Steve Loya
Wed Sep 18 & Sat Sep 21: Evan Keeling*
Thu Sep 26-Sat Sep 28: Eric Gordon
Thu Oct 3-Sat Oct 5: Jamie Noguchi
Thu Oct 10-Sat Oct 12: Christiann MacAuley
Thu Oct 17- Sat Oct 19: Art Hondros
Thu Oct 24- Sat Oct 26: Jacob Warrenfeltz
Thu Oct 31- Sat Nov 2: Andrew Cohen
*Please note that Evan Keeling will be on-site on Wed Sep 18 instead of Thu Sep 19.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Cartoonists Rights Network profiled in Salt Lake paper

 Russell: Cartoonist paying high price
By robert russell
Salt Lake Tribune Jun 28 2013
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56505901-82/cartoonists-akram-political-rights.html.csp

The title refers to Akram Raslan of Syria.

Recent stories by Brian Truitt

A 'Superior' change of pace for Spider-Man comics: Big things are happening in the main Spidey book in July, which also sees the debut of three new titles.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY June 27, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/06/27/superior-spider-man-month-marvel-comics/2446727/

Two-Face a lethal lawyer in 'Dark Knight' digital series: The disfigured supervillain wants to right a wrong from his past in digital comic story.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY June 26, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/06/26/batman-legends-of-the-dark-knight-digital-comic/2459299/

Meet Marvel's new animated 'Agents of S.M.A.S.H.': The Disney XD series premieres in August with an array of musclebound superheroes.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY  June 26, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/06/26/hulk-and-the-agents-of-smash/2459317/

Art Hondros' Song of Sandy Hook, part 3

Part 2.

July 6: Mark Burrier's new t-shirt design

Shirt Release & Art Opening
Saturday, July 6 at 5pm

Thrasher x Pitcrew Collab Shirt


Turn up and get the new Thrasher Magazine x Pitcrew collab t-shirt Saturday, July 6 at Pitcrew. The shirt features my artwork as a homage to a classic Thrasher design from the 80's. The super-secret design will be revealed on the 6th. They are available in different colorways and only at Pitcrew in a limited edition so don't miss out!

New Artwork on Exhibit


In conjunction with the shirt release, I will have new illustrations on display at the shop along side other local artists and skaters Ben Gartrell and Benji Ross.
PITCREW

PITCREW

207 N Market St, Frederick, MD 21701
(301) 698-1813
www.pitcrewskateboards.com
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Copyright © 2013 Mark Burrier Illustration, All rights reserved. 
www.markburrier.com

June 29: Nathan Edmondson Signing "The Dream Merchant" at Big Planet Comics DC

 
Nathan Edmondson Signing - The Dream Merchant

 June 29 3:00pm until 5:00pm

 
Nathan Edmondson will be appearing to sign copies of his new series, The Dream Merchant, as well as his comics The Activity, Who is Jake Ellis?, Ultimate Iron Man, Grifter, The Light, Olympus and more!

After the store closes at 6, Nathan has invited everyone to come hang out with him at Solly's down the street at 1942 11th St NW!

We will raffle off 2 free t-shirts to people at the signing, and the first 5 people at Solly's will get a free drink!
...
The Dream Merchant: Haunted by recurring dreams, a boy named Winslow is hunted by mysterious beings and protected by an old traveler. Soon Winslow will realize that what is in his dreams is what the rest of the world has been made to forget–and what strange entities will stop at nothing to erase from his mind.

Nathan's website: http://www.nathan-e.com/

Big Planet Comics of Washington, DC
1520 U St NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-342-1961
dc@bigplanetcomics.com

June 29: Annapolis Comic-Con

It's Almost Here!
Be there tomorrow from 10am-6pm.

Sorry to send you more than one email this week, but I just want to make sure you know about the Annapolis Comic-Con tomorrow. It's going to be FANTASTIC. We've got our best lineup EVER of dealers and artists, plus Travis Love and Daniel Thomas May from AMC's The Walking Dead! On top of that, it's the debut of Kids' Artist Alley, we'll have a TARDIS Photo Booth, and our first-ever video game tournament. Here's a preview of our map and directory:



AWESOME CON KICKSTARTER BACKERS GET IN FREE TO ANNAPOLIS COMIC-CON

Just a reminder that all backers of Awesome Con's Kickstarter get in to the Annapolis Comic-Con for free. We've recently added a $10 reward tier, so you can back Awesome Con AND get into the Annapolis Comic-Con for just $10! Just bring your pledge confirmation email to the Annapolis Comic-Con and that will work as your ticket!
Back the Kickstarter at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1611556041/awesome-con-dc

Thanks a lot for supporting us! I totally appreciate it!

Ben Penrod
Awesome Conventions

July 14: Glen Weldon on Superman at Politics and Prose

Glen Weldon - Superman: The Unauthorized Biography

Jul 14 2013 5:00 pm
Jul 14 2013 6:00 pm

As Superman turns 75, what better time to look back over his life? Weldon, NPR blogger, critic, and comics expert, considers not only the Man of Steel's adventures and achievements, but also his place in the culture as the first, and still most popular, superhero.

$25.95
ISBN-13: 9781118341841
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: John Wiley & Sons, 4/2013
 

Street:
5015 Connecticut Ave NW
City:
Washington
,
Province:
District Of Columbia
Postal Code:
20008
Country:
United States

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Comics artists of the New Yorker Kickstarter Documentary profiled on Comic Riffs

KICKSTARTER OF THE WEEK: Training a lens on The New Yorker magazine's cartoonists

By Michael Cavna
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/kickstarter-of-the-week-training-a-lens-on-the-new-yorker-magazines-cartoonists/2013/06/27/70af02fc-ddf6-11e2-b197-f248b21f94c4_blog.html#pagebreak

The fundraising goes on for a few more hours.

Harvey Pekar: Conversations book on sale

The University Press of Mississippi is having a big website sale on their comics-related books. My Harvey Pekar: Conversations can be had for $10 which is less than the author's copies cost me.

Big Planet Comics to distribute Box Brown's Retrofit Comics

Heidi MacDonald's The Beat has learned that Big Planet Comics is going to distribute Box Brown's Retrofit Comics - the story by is here:

ComicsDC will be following up on this, but it appears that this is being developed by Jared Smith, 

formerly the force behind Mars Import, the excellent Euro-comics source of the late 90s.

The byline to this should go to Matt Dembicki who caught it, but didn't want to type it out on

 his smartphone.

Art Hondros' Song of Sandy Hook part 2

Part 1.



Buy a copy.

Art Hondros interview online at City Paper

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Art Hondros
by Mike Rhode on Jun. 27, 2013

Gibson Girls exhibit review in today's Express

Dingfelder, Sadie.  2013.
A Belle Epoque Barbie: The Gibson Girl was a hottie who held her own with Kens.
[Washington Post] Express (June 27): E9
 

International Journal of Comic Art 1:1 reprint available now

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

You can now buy a reprint of the sold-out Spring 1999 first issue of IJoCA at Lulu.com. Lulu will print and ship the issue to you directly.

Table of contents:

1. Editor's Note: Finally, an International Journal for Comic Art
2. Comics Criticism in the United States; A Brief Historical Survey
3. A Framework for Studying Comic Art
4. Comic Art in Scholarly Writing: A Citation Guide
5. The Marumaru Chinbun and the Origins of the Japanese Political Cartoon
6. Proving "Silas" an Artist: Winsor McCay's Formal Experiments in Comics and Animation
7. William Hogarth: Printing Techniques and Comics
8. Breaking Taboos: Sexuality in the Work of Will Eisner and the Early Wordless Novels
9. Comics in the Development of Africa
10. Featuring Stories by the World's Greatest Authors: Classics Illustrated and the "Middlebrow Problem" in the Postwar Era
11. Recovering Sensuality in Comic Theory
12. The Horrors of Cartooning in Slim's Algeria
13. Mr. Punch, Dangerous Savior Children's Comics in Brazil: From Chiquinho to Monica, A Difficult Journey
14. Brazilian Adult Comics: The Age of Market Postmodern Spatiality and the Narrative Structure of Comics

PR: Small Press Expo Announces Jeff Smith and Raina Telgemeier at SPX 2013

Small Press Expo Announces Jeff Smith and Raina Telgemeier as Featured Guests at SPX 2013


For Immediate Release                 Contact: Warren Bernard

                                                       E-Mail: warren@spxpo.com


Bethesda, Maryland; June 26, 2013 – Small Press Expo is pleased to  announce all ages creators Jeff Smith and Raina Telgemeier as featured guests to SPX 2013, to be held September 14 and 15. Jeff and Raina will be in addition to previously announced guests Seth, Lisa Hanawalt, Gary Panter  Rutu Modan, Frank Santoro, Michael Kupperman, Gene Yang,  and Congressman John Lewis.


Jeff Smith's Bone is one of the most beloved series in all of comics. And this September, Jeff has no less than three books being released. First up is the release of the complete RASL, newly colored and in hardcover, being offered by his very own Cartoon Books. Next up, IDW is releasing an Artists Edition of the renowned Bone tale, The Great Cow Race. The volume will reproduce the art as it was drawn and in its original size. And lastly, Jeff  was the co-editor of The Best American Comics 2013 from Houghton Mifflin. Read about all of Jeff's latest work at http://www.boneville.com.


Raina Telgemeier's Eisner Award winning and critically acclaimed graphic novel Smile was followed up last year by her latest book, Drama, which won the 2013 Stonewall Book Award given by the American Library Association. These two books, along with her work on The Babysitter's Club, has earned Raina a well deserved following amongst the children and young adult crowds. Get more information about Raina and her works at http://goraina.com.


About SPX


Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 400 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. SPX also has a two tracks of of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests that run through both days of the event.


The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.


As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org.

Copyright © 2013 Small Press Expo, All rights reserved.
We got your e-mail from either last years SPX signup list or you gave it to us online via our web site. Thanks a ton!!! Rest assured SPX will not sell, share, disclose, rent or in any way allow a 3rd party access to our e-mail list. We hate when people do that to us, and we sure ain't gonna do that to you.

Our mailing address is:
Small Press Expo
P.O. Box 447
McLean, Virginia 22101

The Post on Annie; Weldon on Modan; CBR on March; and Fantagraphic's early U of MD years

Engaging documentaries offer glimpses of life’s ‘Homegoings’ and ‘Hard-Knocks’ [in print as On PBS, death has a whole lot of life]
By Hank Stuever,
Washington Post June 24 2013

and note Annie: It's the Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage (one hour) airs Friday at 9 p.m. on WETA.

Weldon, Glen. 2013.
Women Find More Than They Bargained For In 'The Property' [Rutu Modan].
NPR.org (June 25)


Congressman John Lewis Recalls the Civil Rights Movement in "March".
Alex Dueben,
Comic Book Resources June 18th, 2013, updated: June 21st, 2013


Panel on the Origin of Fantagraphics: Excerpt
Comics Journal (June 24 2013): http://vimeo.com/69051716

Kim Thompson, Gary Groth and Mike Catron discuss the earliest days of Fantagraphics and The Comics Journal at the 2001 Comic-Con International: San Diego.





Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Art Hondros' Song of Sandy Hook part 1

Art Hondros, a local cartoonist based in Takoma Park, has just finished "Song of Sandy Hook," a comic strip on gun control. You may have seen his story "Fox Guy" in the Washing Post Magazine this March. He also did the cover to the latest free Magic Bullet comic.

When asked why he's done a comic book about gun control, Art says, "During the holidays last winter, I tried to keep my focus on comics projects I had currently in the works, but my mind kept going back to what it must've been like in the halls and classrooms at Sandy Hook Elementary School on that wretched day. Finally I realized I couldn't work on anything else but what follows here. Call it a process of dealing with the collective grief of that news. But I also felt that, as an illustrative storyteller, I could attempt something, just one more thing besides voting to keep someone in or out of office, or donating money to a cause one might think useful. No matter how feeble it may turn out, "Song of Sandy Hook" is that attempt."

An interview with Art should be up later this week at the City Paper. He's also agreed to let ComicsDC run his strip as a webcomic, although you can buy a hard copy at the DC Conspiracy store, and the money will be donated to the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation.

Here's the cover and page 1 of Song of Sandy Hook

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

International Ink extra: The She-Hulk Diaries

Along with Rogue Touch, The She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta (Hyperion, $15) is Marvel Comics' latest experiment in reaching a new audience. The books are superhero romance novels. As a superhero fan, I'm perhaps 1/2 of the audience they're aiming at; I'm certainly not a woman who reads romance novels. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this novel.

I'm not currently keeping up with Marvel's ever-expanding Avengers line, so I'm not sure how the book fits into continuity. In Acosta's story, Jennifer Walters and her alter-ego She-Hulk (annoyingly aka Shulky) have a Jekyll and Hyde relationship with one personality displacing the other rather than the comic book's original version of She-Hulk as a more confident, less uptight and fun-loving version of Jennifer. John Byrne even had She-Hulk practicing law (which is referenced in this novel, but not in a believable fashion). Like Byrne, Acosta has a light humorous hand with the character, and refreshingly doesn't take superheroism too seriously.

As with Hyde, She-Hulk is a released Id and has been tossed out of Avengers Mansion for being too destructive and disruptive. Jennifer, narrating the story via her diary, is living in a borrowed apartment and looking for a new life - a new job, a new apartment and a new boyfriend. Her secret identity as She-Hulk is making all of these objectives difficult.

In coincidences that could only happen in a comic book, or a romance novel, Jennifer gets a job at a law firm that is suing over failing artificial organ transplants, and her former lover Ellis Tesla is the son of the firm;s owner, engaged to its hot-shot lead attorney AND being sued by the firm in the organ case. Tesla is a former musician whose most famous song "Flesh-Eating Bacteria Girl" is about Jennifer, although she continually denies it. Acosta keeps a lot of balls in the air as Jennifer works all of these things out, as well as random attacks by a minor league supervillains, while trying to keep a lid on She-Hulk.

The story is full of lines such as "In order to get Ellis out of my head, which is already crowded by Shulky sprawling all over the place, I decided to participate in something outside my comfort zone" (which is a Game of Thrones party at a bar). After a few minutes of reading, one gets used to them and begins looking forward to the next escapade. This novel won't be for everyone, but if you're a fan of strong female superhero characters, give it a try.

Next up: Tommysaurus Rex by Doug Tennapel

Matt Wuerker interview from March

Roth, Gil. 
Podcast: Cartoon Character
Virtual Memories – season 3 episode 6 –
Mar 18, '13
http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/podcast-cartoon-character
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Season_3_Episode_6_-_Cartoon_Character.mp3

Dembicki at ALA this weekend

I'll be at the annual American Library Association convention this weekend in Chicago. I'll have a table in Artist Alley (booth 2356), along with free promo posters for the comics anthology Wild Ocean, due out in spring 2014 from Fulcrum Publishing. Plus, the original art for the promotional poster (below) will be in a silent auction as an ALA scholarship fundraiser!

I'll also be a one-man panel to talk about District Comics and what's coming down the pike for the project!

Other comics-related events at ALA: Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) will be one of the featured speakers, promoting the first book of his three-volume graphic novel March (Top Shelf Productions).
There's also a slew of events centered around comics all weekend, with panels featuring Gail Simone, Paul Pope and Jeffrey Brown, among others.

New local webcomic: 'Zodiac Starforce'

Local comics writer/podcaster Kevin Panetta is launching a new webcomic today with art by Paulina Ganucheau'Zodiac Starforce' is scheduled to premiere today at 8 p.m. (Last month, Panetta launched another webcomic, 'Kidd Cobbler', with artist Coleman Engle.)

Cavna on Herblock documentary film

SALUTING HERBLOCK: An open note to 'The Black and the White'
filmmakers: Send in the satirists

By Michael Cavna


Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 24 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/saluting-herblock-an-open-note-to-the-black-and-the-white-filmmakers-send-in-the-satirists/2013/06/24/4d398536-dd33-11e2-85de-c03ca84cb4ef_blog.html?wprss=rss_comic-riffs

Monday, June 24, 2013

June 29: Herblock documentary to be screened at AAEC convention

On June 29th, the new Herblock documentary is to be screened at AAEC convention. Alan Gardener has the details.

Nobleman talked to Jerry Robinson

Jerry Robinson previously unpublished interview, 6/9/06
by Marc Tyler Nobleman
Noblemania blog June 17-19 2013
http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2013/06/jerry-robinson-previously-unpublished.html
http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2013/06/jerry-robinson-previously-unpublished_18.html
http://noblemania.blogspot.com/2013/06/jerry-robinson-previously-unpublished_19.html

Michael O'Connell talks to Josh Kramer too

Josh Kramer takes journalistic approach to creating comics
By Michael O'Connell
It's All Journalism Podcast: June 22, 2013
http://itsalljournalism.com/josh-kramer-takes-journalistic-approach-to-creating-comics/
http://media.blubrry.com/itsalljournalism/p/content.blubrry.com/itsalljournalism/IAJ-2013-06-22-055.mp3
http://itsalljournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Josh-Kramer-transcript.pdf

Truitt's latest articles

Pak debuts 'Batman/Superman,' takes over 'Action Comics': Writer pens the first meeting of two superhero greats this week, and in the fall he starts on the iconic Man of Steel title.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY June 24, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/06/24/greg-pak-batman-superman-action-comics/2451219/

Lois Lane plays important role in 75 years of Superman: For many fans, the Daily Planet reporter is just as important as the Man (of Steel) in her life.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY June 22, 2013
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/06/21/lois-lane-superman-75th-anniversary/2444395/

Comic Riffs on the end of Gaiman's booksignings and Time.com's cartoons

TIME.com e-mail: Cartoons of the Week feature discontinued
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 24 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/timecom-e-mail-cartoons-of-the-week-feature-discontinued/2013/06/24/9fa5e230-dceb-11e2-9218-bc2ac7cd44e2_blog.html#pagebreak

NEIL GAIMAN's FAREWELL SIGNING TOUR: In D.C., it's 'The Emotion at the End of the Line'
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 23 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/neil-gaimans-farewell-signing-tour-in-dc-its-the-emotion-at-the-end-of-the-line/2013/06/23/50aef8ce-dc5f-11e2-85de-c03ca84cb4ef_blog.html#pagebreak

Live now: Editorial cartoon chat

Trib Talk: Chat with some of the nation's top editorial cartoonists

June 29: Annapolis Comic-Con

Annapolis Comic-Con is on Saturday
Two Walking Dead Actors Coming To Annapolis!

Big News, guys! AMC's Walking Dead is the biggest thing going on TV right now, so we know you'll be excited to hear that Daniel Thomas May and Travis Love will both be at the Annapolis Comic-Con THIS SATURDAY! Yes, that's only a few days away!!

Without giving away any spoilers, Daniel Thomas May plays Allen, and Travis Love plays Shumpert, they were both important members of the Governor's crew in Woodbury in Season 3. If you love watching Walking Dead, you'll love hanging out with these guys. They'll be signing autographs and taking pictures all day, and at 2pm they'll do a Q&A session. 

AWESOME CON KICKSTARTER BACKERS GET IN FREE TO ANNAPOLIS COMIC-CON

That's right, if you back Awesome Con DC's Kickstarter Campaign (for as little as $25), you get a free pass to the Annapolis Comic-Con this Saturday, plus you'll already have your pass for Awesome Con next year (April 2014) and some other cool exclusive freebies and rewards. Just bring your pledge confirmation email to the Annapolis Comic-Con and that will work as your ticket!
Back the Kickstarter at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1611556041/awesome-con-dc


Annapolis Comic-Con Important Info
Date: Saturday, June 29
Time: 10am-6pm
Address: 273 Hilltop Ln, Annapolis, Md 21403
Admission: $10 cash or credit, kids 10 & under FREE
Over 30 Vendors, 50 Artists, TARDIS Photo Booth, Kids' art area ALL DAY, and a full day of special events!
 

Events Schedule

Starting at 11:30, we will be doing drawings every hour on the half hour (11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30), giving away prizes and Awesome Cash. Awesome Cash is like a gift card you can use at the con!!

10am – Show open

12pm – Doctor Who Going On Fifty: Past, Present, Future
Ben Taylor and a few other expert Doctor Who fans will lead a discussion on all aspects of Doctor Who! Also, don't forget we'll have the TARDIS Photo Booth at the con ALL DAY!!

12:30 – Injustice: Gods Among Us Tournament presented by Press Play Entertainment.
THIS WILL BE AMAZING. If you've never seen PressPlay Entertainment's setup before, you will be blown away. You've got to sign up in advance or at the con, $20 tournament entrance fee.

1pm – Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse Advanced Course
Local zombie expert Daniel Palmer discusses the dangers that go beyond flesh eating undead. How do you deal with humanity when civilization has crumbled?

2pm – Travis Love and Daniel Thomas May Q&A
What was it like on set of AMC's Walking Dead? Daniel Thomas May and Travis Love are here to answer your questions.

3pm – Pro Wrestling Today
Joe Carabeo & crew are back to talk wrestling! The audience will DEFINITELY be part of the discussion, so check it out if you love to talk WWE, TNA, ROH, old school wrestling, etc!

4pm – Doodle! Scribble! Draw! KIDS ART GAME SHOW!
The interactive art game show for kids of all ages (mostly the young kind), it's a combination of Jeopardy!, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Pictionary, and the doodles that you draw in your notebook when you're bored!

5pm – Costume Contests!
Kids' Costume Contest immediately followed by the adults Costume Contest! Winners get trophies, gift cards, and other prizes! 

We hope you'll join us in Annapolis this weekend! 

Today: Wuerker & KAL video chat from Editorial Cartoon Conference

Cartoonists on Trib Talk

Jennifer Napier-Pearce on Monday at 12:30 p.m. will moderate a live video chat at sltrib.com on the art of editorial cartooning featuring Pat Bagley of The Salt Lake Tribune; Jack Ohman of the Sacramento Bee; Kal Kallaugher of The Economist/Baltimore Sun; and Matt Wuerker of Politico.
 
(this is Salt Lake so it should be 2:30 pm EDT)

Saturday, June 22, 2013

International Ink extra: Zits: Chillax

For several years, I've written International Ink, an infrequent column on the City Paper's website, with reviews of comics-related books. I plan on continuing it, but I've fallen way behind on reading the books I'm being sent or have bought, so I'll be posting single book reviews here over the summer. When I get caught-up, I'll try to get back to the multi-book columns in the CP.

First up is Zits: Chillax (Harper, $9.99) by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman. It's an illustrated novel, a form that's made a popular comeback in the comics world with the success of Wimpy Kid. The genre is old though - I've got a copy of Skippy by Percy Crosby from 1929 sitting next to my computer as I type this. Borgman's illustrations are integral to the story, as the text quits and let the picture carry the story at times.

I had no idea that a Zits young adult novel was coming out, and was rather surprised to get a copy. For any fan of the strip, it's definitely worth  reading. Since the press release says the comic is in 1,700 papers, that's probably a  respectable number of people. The novel features all the main characters and reads much like a comic strip continuity. Strip star Jeremy and his best friend Hector have tickets to a Gingivitis concert. The band "has a reputationf or some pretty insane stage behavior. Sure, there has been the occasional wardrobe slippage, virgin sacrifice, and live animal ingestion, but it's not like these guys use that to get attention. They are first and foremost musicians." In between ignoring homework about Richard Nixon and Watergate, the two boys need to figure out how to get permission to go to the concert. When they find out that their garage band's guitar-player Tim sold them his tickets because his mother has cancer (a revelation done solely as a splash page illustration), they decide to go to concert and  buy something memorable there for Tim (with a bit of prodding from Jeremy's girlfriend Sara).

The novel slips into slapstick when they get to the concert, but even with the cancer subtext it's a light fun read. Borgman's cartoons definitely add to the story, and while Scott's language is probably not that of a real teen, he has a way with a phrase. If you or your children enjoy a drawing with an accompanying sentence such as "There's something beautiful about causing somebody to spew a mouthful of soda just by saying something hilarious (unless, you know, you're in the row in front of that person)"  give this novel a try. A second  book, Shredded, is previewed at the end. I'll be looking for it.

Next up - another comics-related novel: She-Hulk Diaries, a romance story.

The Post on Disney and The Rite of Spring in Fantasia

How Walt Disney got 'Rite of Spring' right
By Sarah Kaufman,
Washington Post (June 23 2013).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/how-walt-disney-got-rite-of-spring-right/2013/06/19/8d008e78-d895-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html

Bruce Guthrie's Pictures from Neil Gaiman event

From: Bruce Guthrie:

I went to the Neil Gaiman event last night as Politics and Prose's photographer.  (Yep, as a volunteer.)   It was a sold-out event with lots and lots of young folks -- it was at George Washington University which didn't hurt -- including a woman who makes puppets of people.  She brought her Neil Gaiman puppet.  Her manager said it takes her 40-80 hours to do each of the puppets and apparently they're pricey, but Gaiman's one was a big hit.  Neil mentioned the puppet and Michael Cavna's Washington Post piece in his opening comments. 

Pics are up on http://www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2013_06_21F_Gaiman

--
Bruce Guthrie
Photo obsessive
http://www.bguthriephotos.com

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Cavna on Gaiman

Gaiman sold out George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium tonight. As number 1231, I didn't stay to get any books signed, but he was entertaining as usual. Cavna's got the background to the new novel in today's paper:

Neil Gaiman's new novel sprang from an ocean of lonely distance
By Michael Cavna,
Washington Post June 21 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/neil-gaimans-new-novel-sprung-from-loneliness/2013/06/20/9f3848e8-d9ed-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html

Comic Riffs on Wonder Woman

Q&A: Get Him to the Greek mythology: Brian Azzarello takes on Wonder Woman
By David Betancourt
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 21 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/qanda-get-him-to-the-greek-mythology-brian-azzarello-takes-on-wonder-woman/2013/06/21/7d30f64a-d958-11e2-9df4-895344c13c30_blog.html#pagebreak