Oct 11: Douglas Wolk at Olsson's

Richard Spooralmanack passed this along - I think it's probably up here already, just not singled out. I've got the book, but haven't started it yet.

Douglas Wolk - Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean
Thursday, October 11, 2007 at 07:00 PM at Olsson's Books & Records-Dupont
Circle, 1307 19th St. NW, (202) 785-1133

Suddenly, comics are everywhere: a newly matured art form, filling bookshelves with brilliant, innovative work and shaping the ideas and images of the rest of contemporary culture. Douglas Wolk illuminates the most dazzling creators of modern comics-from Alan Moore to Alison Bechdel to Dave Sim to Chris Ware-and introduces a critical theory that explains where each fits into the pantheon of art. Reading Comics is the first book for people who want to know not just what comics are worth reading, but also the ways to think and talk and argue about them. Douglas Wolk writes about comics and music for publications including the New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Salon, and The Believer.

SPX report at Publisher's Weekly

Wolk, Douglas. 2006.
Graphic Novel Time at SPX 2006.
PW Comics Week (October 17): http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6381905.html?nid=2789

Ok, go read that and then come back.

I'm not sure if I agree with Wolk here - most of the 'graphic novels' he mentioned are by major writers (Moore's From Hell), actually something else (Brunetti's Yale anthology or Jansson's Moomins), or year's old (Veitch's Abraxas, originally in Marvel's Epic magazine; I'm glad he's got it back into print).

Still, there was a lot of youthful energy at this show, and perhaps we'll be hearing from some new names in the next few years.