New items in Michigan State's Comic Art Collection

Every month, librarian Randy Scott lists new material that he's catalogued for 

MSU's Comic Art Collection. 

For February-March 2019, a 2013 set of US government 

comic books I've never seen showed up, followed by Joe Sutliff's 

work on mosquito control in Fairfax County.

 The Choice. -- Washington, DC : U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, 2013? -- 12 p. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. -- 

(Empowerment $aga ; volume 1, issue 6) -- "Red Rose Elk 

(Sioux/Assiniboine), author; Matthew Barkhausen, 

illustrator ; original concept by J.P. Barham." -- "The 

story begin with shape-shifters: four birds, Eagle, Raven, 

Hawk, and Owl, perched on telephone lines on the outskirts 

of the Native community. They are spiritual helpers to a 

group of teens: Shining Star, Theresa, Ranger, and Jay. 

These young teens learn financial resources as they embark 

on many adventures, and encounter intrigue in the process. 

The Choice shows the perils and rewards of making the right 

life choices, and how traditional values can help with 

those choices in order to thrive." -- Educational genre, 

about Indians of North America. -- Call no.: 

PN6728.25.U5E4806 2013   Red Rose Elk. 

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Coloring Book. -- Washington, DC : U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, 2013? -- 1 v. : ill. ; 27 cm. -- (Empowerment 

$aga) -- "Red Rose Elk (Sioux/Assiniboine), author ; 

Matthew Barkhausen, illustrator ; original concept by J.P. 

Barham." -- Other title: Empowerment $aga Coloring Book. -- 

Call no.: PN6728.25.U5E49 2013 

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A Loan or Not a Loan? -- Washington, DC : U.S. Department of 

the Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, 2013? -- 1 v. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. -- (Empowerment 

$aga ; volume 1, issue 5) -- "Red Rose Elk 

(Sioux/Assiniboine), author ; Matthew Barkhausen, 

illustrator ; original concept by J.P. Barham." -- 

Educational genre. -- Call no.: PN6728.25.U5E4805 2013 

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Exploring a New Frontier - Credit. -- Washington, DC : U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Office of the Special Trustee 

for American Indians, 2013? -- 1 v. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. -- 

(Empowerment $aga ; volume 1, issue 4) -- "Red Rose Elk 

(Sioux/Assiniboine), author ; Matthew Barkhausen, 

illustrator ; original concept by J.P. Barham." -- 

Educational genre. -- Call no.: PN6728.25.U5E4804 2013 

----------------------------------------------------- 

Adventures in Banking. -- Washington, DC : U.S. Department of 

the Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, 2013? -- 1 v. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. -- (Empowerment 

$aga ; volume 1, issue 3) -- "Red Rose Elk 

(Sioux/Assiniboine), author ; Matthew Barkhausen, 

illustrator ; original concept by J.P. Barham." -- 

Educational genre. -- Call no.: PN6728.25.U5E4803 2013 

----------------------------------------------------- 

Journey of Trade. -- Washington, DC : U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American 

Indians, 2013? -- 1 v. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. -- (Empowerment 

$aga ; volume 1, issue 1) -- "Red Rose Elk 

(Sioux/Assiniboine), author ; Matthew Barkhausen, 

illustrator ; original concept by J.P. Barham." -- 

Educational genre, about business enterprises. -- Call no.: 

PN6728.25.U5E48 2013 
  ----------------------------------------------------- 

What's Bugging You? : Mosquitoes and Ticks / written and 

illustrated by Joe Sutliff. -- Fairfax, VA : Fairfax County 

Health Dept., 2011. -- 24 p. : col. ill. ; 18 cm. -- 

Children's book format, with some word balloons. -- 

Educational genre. -- Call no.: PN6728.25.F3W47 2011     

Meet John Darrin: A Chat About His Anti-Trump Cartoon Book

by Mike Rhode

Early this fall, some of my friends among local political cartoonists started telling me that they had a piece in a new book. Author John Darrin commissioned over a score of cartoonists to illustrate Who's That Man with Mr. Lincoln, Mommy? A Parent's Guide to the Trump Presidency. Darrin himself is from Frederick, MD, and local cartoonists in the book are Steve Artley, Barbara Dale, Al Goodwyn, Clay Jones and Joe Sutliff (see the bottom of this post for his list of all the contributors).

Darrin's website describes his book thusly:

Who’s That Man With Mr. Lincoln, Mommy? is a political parody intended to discredit the Trump Administration in a simple, compelling, and entertaining way. Set as a walking tour of the Mall in Washington, DC, two young parents and their children play the alphabet game to explain why President Trump is the greatest. The children unwittingly expose their parent’s absurd explanations with common sense. Interlaced with penetrating editorial cartoons from award-winning artists, this no-holds-barred tale takes us on a journey through the deception and hypocrisy of the Trump White House.

The slim volume (there are only 24 letters in the alphabet after all) features a page of text with an illustration and his imaginary family discussing a word that has gained prominence (or notoriety) due to the Trump administration. The facing page reproduces a political cartoon and a brief biography of the cartoonist.

Darrin was kind enough to send me a copy to preview and answer some questions for ComicsDC.

You're normally a novelist? Why did you decide to write a children's book parody?

Yes, I am a novelist, and also some business-based non-fiction. A parody of a children's book allowed me to present the pro-Trump arguments in the shortest and simplest form and have them rebutted not by partisanship and ideology, but by simple common sense and honest questions.

And why have it illustrated by cartoonists?

Steve Artley's drawing from the Lincoln Memorial

I believe editorial cartoons are the most compelling way to instantly communicate complex ideas. And the weakness of a children's book format for an adult is the monotony of the presentation. Letting different cartoonists not only do their cartoons, but also illustrate the story meant that each page brought fresh and interesting imagery. A surprise with each page turn.

How did you find them?

 Lots of research and queries. Lists like Pulitzer and Herblock prize winners, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, and different cartoon syndicators. Then lots of correspondence to sell the concept.

Did anyone turn you down?

Yes, lots of rejections. It turns out these guys are not sitting around waiting for someone like me to contact them, but actually have jobs and commitments. Who knew? The ones who accepted generally were excited by the concept and the chance to work with the other cartoonists.

You selected various terms for the cartoonists to choose from - how did you come up with them? 

I made a comprehensive list of words that would apply to Trump's administration (page 62 of the book) and picked the ones that I felt were most important. For example. using pussy or Putin as the "P" word was an obvious choice. But I wanted this to be a catalog of Trump's failings and Puerto Rico was no longer on people's minds. With the daily barrage of lunacy, it is easy to forget earlier offenses to the American legacy. Several of my choices were changed by the cartoonist to fit their interests, such as Ingrid Rice, a Canadian cartoonist, choosing NAFTA over narcissism.

Did you write the script first, and give each appropriate page to the cartoonist after they selected a term?

Yes, the story was drafted and then the cartoonists drew to the subject and narrative.

Unlike many cartoon books about DC, the scenery among the monuments is largely accurate even though not everyone is a local cartoonist. Did you provide pictures or art direction?

I mapped out the walking tour of the family and used Google street view to get screenshots of each location and gave them to the cartoonists. That way the story followed a consistent path.

How are you selling and/or distributing this?

Joe Sutliff's drawing of the Trump Hotel (aka the Old Post Office)

The book is available on our website and on Amazon. We have been trying to get it placed in retail stores, but we don't have a wholesaler so we'll continue to work on that.


There are two sequels planned: Who's That Man Scolding Mr. Trump, Mommy?, and Who's That Man Looking So Sad, Mommy?, about the Mueller investigation and the mid-term results, respectively.

Nick Anderson, Pat Bagley, Darrin Bell, Randy Bish, Stuart Carlson, Jeff Danziger, Ed Hall, Phil Hands, Joe Heller, Clay Jones, Keith Knight, Jimmy  Margulies, Robert Matson, Rick McKee, Joel Pett, Ted Rall, Igrid Rice, Jen Sorenson, Rob Tornoe and Monte Wolverton appear in addition to local cartoonists Steve Artley, Barbara Dale, Al Goodwyn, Clay Jones and Joe Sutliff.

Joe Sutliff launches Trumpy doll Kickstarter

The direct link is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/485242647/trumpy-doll/

'Fight the Bite' and Zika

While at a pool in Fairfax, I noticed a public announcement regarding mosquitoes and Zika that included art very similiar to the work of local cartoonist Joe Sutliff. And it looked like it might be re-purposed from some of his previous work for Fairfax County. I asked Joe, and sure enough it was his work and it was re-purposed. Here's his email reply (with his permission to post):

"Yes, that's my art from some of the projects I've done for them. Because it's sold to the VA government, they get to use it as much as they want. They showed the posters to me after they did them - the CDC is getting slammed with requests for Zika materials, and they don't have anything ready, so these were thrown together. All public pools in Fairfax will soon feature one."

Joe Sutliff's April Fool's day Kickstarter (updated)

Joe Sutliff's April Fool's day Kickstarter "Be Annoying - Bang on a Pot"was quickly suspended. He had pledges of $26 before they pulled the plug on him. I would have too - he was getting annoying.

Of his 'project,' Joe says, "While easily perceived as a prank, my campaign is (or was) an attempt to tap into the gestalt of crowd funding. Rather that present a complex experience all at once, I wanted to see what would happen if something simple and silly would be appreciated by the community. Now I'm challenged  to come up with a response to this. As everyone knows, a wounded cartoonist is the most dangerous beast in the jungle…   At least I've become more annoying!"

A few more photos...

Becky Cloonan and Shaun Simon at Big Planet Comics Vienna.

Becky Cloonan and Shaun Simon at Big Planet Comics Vienna.

Claire and Mike Rhode wearing t-shirts from Joe Sutliff's Master Jeffrey webcomic which has a Kickstarter campaign now.

And here's pictures from the exhibit of original artwork at Art-Enables by five artists who contributed to the new graphic novel Wild Ocean: Sharks, Whales, Rays and Other Endangered Sea Creatures (Fulcrum Publishing).  Artwork by: Brooke Allen, Matt Dembicki, Andy K, Steve Loya and Steven Russell Black.

Art by Matt Dembicki, that I think I now own.

Steve Loya and his art.

Joe Sutliff's Master Jeffrey Kickstarter campaign launches

Received from Joe:

Joe Sutliff launched the KickStarter campaign for his first graphic novel, "Master Jeffrey - When Hadrons Collide" today. The story is based on his late brother-in-law, and although the events are pure fantasy, the main character is a reflection of the real person.

"I did not want to tell the details of Jeffrey's life, compelling as it was, because he would not have enjoyed being remembered as someone who dealt with a lot of hardships. Instead, I've made him a hero; respected and admired, and saving the world time after time."

The page for the campaign can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/485242647/master-jeffrey-graphic-novel

Free Comic Book Day photos

Victory Comics in Falls Church:

Tangent cartoonists

Monica Marier

Big Planet Comics Vienna (Curls Studio aka Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo):

Big Planet Comics Bethesda (with Joe Sutliff):

Original Christmas ornaments by cartoonists

Barbara Dale had a few people over to her house after a tour at Geppi's Entertainment Museum. After pizza, she coaxed people into decorating ornaments. Here's the one-of-a-kind ornaments now on my tree with a Thomas Nast's Santa Claus, a Cliffored Berryman's teddy bear (from the Smithsonian) and a couple of Snoopy's (from Hallmark's Peanuts line).



Carolyn Belefski



Joe Sutliff



Barbara Dale



Steve Artley

I kept getting this glowing nose on Artley's ornament - Christmas is magical after all...

Team Cul de Sac panel at Baltimore Comic-Con

ZARVOX PRESENTS: The Team Cul De Sac – BCC13 Panel

EPISODE 244
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The Carolyn and Joe Show has been hijacked by aliens once again!
The alien warlord ZARVOX has intercepted the original show that was intended to be released this week and has used their alien technology to rewarp what they believe is a more important show to broadcast on the Carolyn and Joe Show, The Baltimore Comic Con 2013 – TEAM CUL DE SAC panel with Barbara Dale, Dawn Griffin, Carolyn Belefski, Chris Sparks and Joe Sutliff. Enjoy…humans.

Cartoonists and others at Baltimore Comic Con.

The Con is the busiest and biggest that I've ever seen and continues through today. Labels to come later, but the name of the person is in the file name.

Dave McDonald
Frank Cammuso (who will be at SPX with Jay Lynch)Joe Carabeo and Carolyn BelefskiSteve ConleyDave Roman C DowdBarbara DaleTR Logan aka The Laughing RedheadJoe Sutliff
Kevin KAL KallaugherCarla Speed McNeilJK Snyder III and his Shadow coverRoger Langridge doing a Popeye sketchChris SchweitzerKen BaldDon RosaKevin KAL KallaugherJoshua Luna