Bhob Stewart's 1969 underground comics exhibit at the Corcoran

I never met Bhob Stewart who passed away this week. I'm sorry I didn't because our interests in pop culture overlapped. We must have corresponded about comics though, because my name was in his email address book, and his friend Brad Verter was kind enough to send a notice of his death, and some scans that he thought might be of interest. Bhob had apparently asked him to scan these for his blog Potrzebie, but didn't get a chance to use them.


Bhob was apparently instrumental in putting on Phonus Balonus, an underground cartoon exhibit at an offshoot of the Corcoran Gallery on Dupont Circle. Sean Howe has photographs online here, here, and here.

Here are the scans about the exhibit. I'm afraid most of them are only partially complete, but they give you an idea about what was in the show, and how it was received. Brad scanned the whole catalog of the show, and it's online here. Two libraries are shown in Worldcat as holding a copy of it - the Tate in London and UC Berkeley in California.

Corcoran Gallery's press release, page 1

Front cover to the catalog with art by Bhob.

Exhibit opening ticket.

Newspaper clipping with Skip Williamson art

Article from the New York Post.

Fragment of a Washington Post article

Partial Washington Post article from May 21, 1969.

Partial Washington Star article from June 1, 1969

Article from an unknown New York city magazine.

For more information on Bhob's life, read Bhob Stewart, 1937-2014, by Bill Pearson, Feb 26, 2014.

    

     

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.

April 26: Kim Deitch at Johns Hopkins U

from Eric Reynolds of Fantagraphics....
CARTOONIST KIM DEITCH TO SPEAK AT JOHNS HOPKINS APRIL 26

The Homewood Art Workshops wraps up its 35th anniversary celebration with a slide talk by legendary cartoonist Kim Deitch on Monday, April 26. Deitch’s talk, “The Search for Smilin’ Ed and Other Tales,” will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Room 101 of the F. Ross Jones Building, Mattin Center, on the Homewood campus at 3400 N. Charles St. in Baltimore.

Along with Robert Crumb, Bill Griffith and Art Spiegelman, Deitch transformed the art of cartooning in the psychedelic late 1960s. Combining a love of early 20th century comic strips and animation with the media-savvy satire of mid-century MAD Magazine, these artists gave a raucously subversive jolt to a nearly moribund medium.
Deitch, 65, began doing comic strips for the New York underground newspaper, the East Village Other, in 1967. Since then, his work has appeared in dozens of publications, including RAW, Pictopia, Details, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Little Lit. Among his groundbreaking comic books and graphic novels are Hollywoodland, The Mishkin Files, A Shroud for Waldo, The Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Alias the Cat! His latest book, The Search for Smilin’ Ed, will be published by Fantagraphics in June. Deitch will sign advance copies of Smilin’ Ed at the Johns Hopkins Barnes & Noble, 3330 St. Paul Street, on Sunday, April 25, from 4 to 6 p.m.

Deitch has been recognized with the comics industry’s highest honors, including an Eisner Award, an Inkpot Award and a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in 2008. He lives in New York City with his wife, Pam.

To download images of Deitch’s work, go to: http://www.jhu.edu/artwork/deitch.html

“The Search for Smilin’ Ed and Other Tales” is co-sponsored by Homewood Art Workshops and Homewood Arts Programs. Visitor parking on campus is available in the South Garage, 3101 Wyman Park Drive, Baltimore, Md. 21211. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 410-516-6705.

OT: Deitch exhibit in NYC

Here's a posting for Bill K, who's handling the programming for SPX as well. This should be an excellent exhibit:

For immediate release
CONTACT: Bill Kartalopoulos
kartalopoulos@gmail.com

Major Retrospective of Work by Legendary Underground Cartoonist Kim Deitch Opens at MoCCA on September 9

• Exhibition dates: September 9 – December 5, 2008
• Opening Reception: September 12, 2008, 6 – 9 pm

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is pleased to announce a major retrospective of work by underground cartoonist and graphic novelist Kim Deitch (b. 1944), opening September 9th and running through December 5th, 2008.

Kim Deitch: A Retrospective will display original comics pages and other work covering the artist's entire career to date, beginning with full-page comic strips drawn for the East Village Other in the sixties up to recent graphic novels including The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Alias the Cat, Shadowland, and Deitch's Pictorama. The exhibit will also feature rarely seen work including elaborate preparatory
drawings, hand-colored originals, animation cel set-ups and lithographs.

Kim Deitch was born in Los Angeles in 1944, the eldest son of Oscar-wining animator Gene Deitch (Tom Terrific, Munro). Deitch studied at the Pratt Institute, traveled with the Norwegian Merchant Marines and worked at a mental institution before joining the burgeoning underground press in 1967. As an early contributor to the East Village Other and the editor of Gothic Blimp Works, Kim Deitch was a charter member of the underground comix scene that exploded with the 1968 publication of Robert Crumb's Zap #1. Forty years later, he stands alongside Crumb, Bill Griffith, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Art Spiegelman as one the most notable and prolific artists to emerge from that milieu. In addition to his comic books and graphic novels, Deitch's work has appeared in venues including RAW, Weirdo, Arcade, Details, the L.A. Weekly, McSweeney's, Nickelodeon Magazine, and The New Yorker.

"Kim Deitch's career spans the entire post-war history of avant-garde comics, from the underground to the literary mainstream," said exhibit curator Bill Kartalopoulos. "Deitch brilliantly weaves vast intergenerational narratives that enfold a deep history of American popular entertainment. Distinctions between fiction and reality blur in his meta-fictional world just as real madness bleeds into the visions and schemes of the artists, entertainers, and hustlers who populate his stories. The result is a rich narrative tapestry as compelling and as breathtaking as Deitch's densely layered, tightly woven, and intricately detailed black and white comics pages."

Deitch's body of work stretches outward from comics to embrace a spectrum of visual-narrative modes, including extra-textual single images and illustrated prose modeled after Victorian illustrated fiction. His most recent book is Deitch's Pictorama, a collection of illustrated fiction produced in collaboration with brothers Seth and Simon Deitch. The exhibit includes several examples of Deitch's
career-long experimentation with text/image modes.

MoCCA will publish an original poster and 1" button featuring the "Sunshine Girl" character who stars both in Deitch's earliest and most recent work. The Museum will also host a series of talks and events related to the exhibit.

MoCCA is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, between Houston and Prince. New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212 254-3511
MoCCA is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 12 – 5 pm, Sundays 12 – 3 pm.
Suggested Donation: $5
The opening reception is free and open to the public.
For more information please visit: http://www.moccany.org

OT: Underground comics mag find part two - A Secret History of Comics Special

As you can see in the comments for part one, Steve Rowe notes that these were an attempt to sponge off National Lampoon's readership and were definitely ground-level, available in newsstands. However, due to the cartoonists involved, I'll keep calling them underground. Here's the 2nd issue with cartoonists I have, Apple Pie July 1975. The two issues from 1976 didn't have cartoonists in them. All four are going to Michigan State University's Comic Art Collection this spring, should one need to see them for research. Or a laugh.



Another Terry Austin editorial cartoon.


An ad for the mag by Howard Chaykin using some of his usual tropes of the time.


Two one-pages by Justin Green.



Michael Kaluta draws Buster Brown!



Two pages of pirate violence from S. Clay Wilson.



Four pages of vegetarian activism from Kim Deitch.

Small Press Expo Related Book Signing Events for the Washington, D.C. Area

Small Press Expo Related Book Signing Events for the Washington, D.C. Area

For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Phone: 301-537-4615
E-Mail: webernard@spxpo.com

Bethesda, Maryland; September 21, 2007 - A number of Small Press Expo (SPX) creators attending this years event will be at a series of book signings that will take place at various locations and dates across the Washington, D.C. area.

This year's SPX will be held October 12 and October 13 at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland, across from the White Flint Metro stop on the Red Line.

The book signings will feature such creators as Bill Griffith (Zippy The Pinhead), Kim Deitch (Alias The Cat), Ted Rall (America Gone Bonkers!), Richard Thompson (Richard's Poor Almanac", "Cul-de-Sac”) and Matt Wagner (Grendel).

The book events are as follows:

will be signing his latest acclaimed graphic novel, Laika, which is being released in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the launching of the first manned satellites.

Date: September 29
Time: 12:30PM and 2PM
Admission Fee: Free
Location: National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.

Rutu Modan will be part of the Washington DCJCC Book Festival to discuss and sign her new graphic novel, Exit Wounds.

Date: October 11
Time: 7:30PM
Admission Fee: $8 Adult/$6 Children
Location: Washington DCJCC 1529 16th St., NW Washington, D.C.

Kim Deitch (Alias The Cat) and Cartoonists With Attitude with Ted Rall, Jen Sorensen and Keith Knight will have a joint signing event including a slide presentation about their respective works.

Date: October 11
Time: 7PM
Admission Fee: Free
Location: Barnes and Nobles Bethesda 4801 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD

Matt Wagner is one of the pioneers of indie comics with his original creation of “Grendel”, which celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. Matt also created, wrote and drew “Mage”, and has worked on a number of projects for both DC and Vertigo.

Date: October 11
Time: 5PM-7PM
Admission Fee: Free
Location: Big Planet Bethesda 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD

Nick Abadzis will once again be signing his latest acclaimed graphic novel, Laika.

Date: October 11
Time: 5PM-7PM
Admission Fee: Free
Location: Big Planet College Park 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD

Richard Thompson, will have a discussion on creating comics. His cartoons "Richard's Poor Almanac" and "Cul-de-Sac" appear in the Washington Post, with Cul-de-Sac going into national syndication this fall. There will also be a display of his original art work.

Date: Friday, 12 October
Time: 7.30PM
Admission Fee: Free

Location: The Writer's Center 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20814; four block south of the Bethesda Metro stop, just off Wisconsin Avenue.

Bill Griffith is known world wide for his syndicated strip, Zippy The Pinhead, which runs daily in The Washington Post. He has a new Zippy collection out from Fantagraphics entitled “Zippy: Walk A Mile In My Muu-Muu”.

Date: Friday October 12
Time: 9PM
Admission Fee: Free

Location: Politics and Prose 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008

For further information on the artists or to request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at webernard@spxpo.com.

SPX, a non-profit organization, brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, political cartoon books and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. A series of panel discussions will also be held of interest to readers, academicians and creators of graphic novels and political cartoons.

SPX will be open to the public from 2 pm - 8 pm, Friday, October 12 and 10am - 7 pm Saturday, October 13. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for both days.

SPX culminates with the presentation of the 11th Annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting during the SPX.

As in previous years, all profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at

http://www.cbldf.org/.

Founded in 1994, SPX is North America's premier alternative comic-book festival. This annual event brings together comic creators, publishers and more than 2000 fans together to celebrate the art of storytelling.

Small Press Expo Adds Matt Wagner, Jeff Smith and Kim Deitch As Guests for SPX 2007

Big year at SPX! Lots of great names will be there.

Small Press Expo Adds Matt Wagner, Jeff Smith and Kim Deitch As Guests for SPX 2007

For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
E-Mail: webernard@spxpo.com

Bethesda, Maryland; August 29, 2007 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is proud to add Matt Wagner, Jeff Smith and Kim Deitch to the roster of guests for SPX 2007. This years SPX will be held October 12 and October 13 at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Matt Wagner is one of the pioneers of indie comics with his original creation of “Grendel”, which celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. Matt also created, wrote and drew “Mage”, and has worked on a number of projects for both DC and Vertigo. His next installment of the Grendel saga, “Behold The Devil” is due to be released this November from Dark Horse.

Jeff Smith, is the creator of the celebrated epic “Bone”, which has over a half million copies in print and is now available in Italian, Spanish, German and many other foreign languages. Jeff recently completed his critically acclaimed reworking of the Golden Age hero Captain Marvel, “Shazaam! The Monster Society of Evil” for DC Comics. He has recently been named by Fantagraphics as the art designer in charge of the upcoming reprints of Walt Kelly’s classic, “Pogo”.

Kim Deitch will be at SPX to promote his well received latest graphic novel, “Alias The Cat” from Pantheon Books. Kim is one of the original “underground” cartoonists who redefined comics in the 1960’s and has also worked in the field of animation.

These creators are in addition to Bill Griffith, Gilbert Hernandez and Rutu Modan who were previously announced as guests at this years SPX.

Additional guests will be added over the next few weeks, please stay tuned for those announcements.

For further information on the artists or to request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at webernard@spxpo.com.

SPX, a non-profit organization, brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, political cartoon books and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. A series of panel discussions will also be held of interest to readers, academicians and creators of graphic novels and political cartoons.

SPX will be open to the public from 2 pm - 8 pm, Friday, October 12 and 10am - 7 pm Saturday, October 13. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for both days.

SPX culminates with the presentation of the 11th Annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting during the SPX.

As in previous years, all profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at
http://www.cbldf.org/.

Founded in 1994, SPX is North America's premier alternative comic-book festival. This annual event brings together comic creators, publishers and more than 2000 fans together to celebrate the art of storytelling.