ZADZOOKS: Cal McDonald uncovers the occult

"ZADZOOKS: Cal McDonald uncovers the occult," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Wednesday, October 8, 2008. This is a series I keep meaning to read, but still haven't gotten around too. Also reviewed is the Flash, which I don't read anymore.

September 10: Steve Niles at Big Monkey Comics

Chris of cIndy podcasts sent along this flyer which says that Steve Niles will be at Big Monkey Comics on 14th St at 5 pm on September 10th. That night the National Academy of Sciences is also having a comics-related event.


The NAS event is The Physics of Superheroes
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm

Ever wondered how strong you would have to be to “leap a tall building in a single bound?” Was it the fall or the webbing that killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #121? How does Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics and movies use quantum mechanics to walk through walls? And who is really faster, Superman or the Flash? Join in the fun as we explore physics through comic book examples where the superheroes got their physics right!

James Kakalios, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. His research interests include amorphous semiconductors, pattern formation in sandpiles and fluctuation phenomena in neuroscience. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics. He is the author of The Physics of Superheroes and he knows the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield.

Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip!

Niles, Panter and the Big Planet

Microsoft and Zune have published a comic book, The Lost Ones, to advertise the Zune, an ipod like device. They got Steve Niles to write the comic and Gary Panter to draw part of it, and sent them to a few comic stores on the east coast - Midtown Comics in NYC, a store in Philly, Atomic Comics in Baltimore and Big Planet Comics in Bethesda.

Richard Thompson and I rode up together. Richard also had a portfolio of his artwork to show Joel. I peeked too and it was very cool - lots of lovely, and some unlovely, caricatures although none of Obama.

We also got to see Art Harrison performing on his homemade Theremin in the little veterans park up the block.


Both creators were quite pleasant to talk to and seemed happy enough to be doing a signing. The crowd was okay, but not as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Panter's a major art-crowd cartoonist who was in the Masters of American Comics exhibit and has appeared in the New Yorker. Niles' 30 Days of Night comic book about vampires in Alaska was made into a hit movie (that's probably too violent for me). And the comic book, a real square bound book, was free!


Greg Bennett, Gary Panter, Steve Niles and Joel Pollack.

Big Planet still has copies of some of the other books they've done signed and available for sale - Batman and 30 Days from Niles, and some of the big new Picturebox artbook sets from Panter (who did a sketch in everything he signed). I got him to sign the two big Jimbo books from Fantagraphics, Purgatory and Inferno. Panter said he and his wife designed the whole books, including the endpapers. They're lovely objects in themselves. He showed me how Purgatory features a wordless version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales introduction as a page border on the first page. Niles is originally from Reston, VA and his sister and her family came by for the event. His niece isn't allowed to watch the movie either so I'm in good company.

Richard and I hung around the whole time, and saw some other familiar faces - Randy who posts on this blog, Chris Shields of cIndy, Larry Rodman formerly of the Comics Journal and now fledgling art teacher, local book collector Rick Banning, Christian Panas who helped put SPX together for a while and now does Big Planet's website...

Here's some photos of the event, as I'm tired and babbling.


Gary Panter signing a book for famed local cartoonist Richard Thompson with Big Planet comic book store owner Joel Pollack and writer Steve Niles in background.


Steve Niles and Gary Panter signing The Lost Ones at Big Planet Comics. And the Zune. And a neat tablecloth decorated with the book's logo. Microsoft should publish more comic books, I'm thinking.


Panter showing the difficulty of being a left-handed artist in America.


Gary Panter signing a book for Our Man Thompson with Big Planet comic book store owner Joel Pollack and writer Steve Niles in background.


Panter starting a Jimbo sketch in Thompson's book.

Panter and Niles at Big Planet Comics

Here's a link to a set of the photos - I'll clean this post up tomorrow.

July 20: Steve Niles and Gary Panter at Big Planet Comics

This press release just rolled in. Note the book is FREE, FREE, FREE.

CELEBRATED AUTHOR STEVE NILES & ARTIST GARY PANTER HIT WASHINGTON DC FOR RARE APPEARANCE AND SIGNING OF “THE LOST ONES”

Select City National Tour To Promote Graphic Novel Produced By Zune Arts

In anticipation of the upcoming Zune Arts graphic novel, author Steve Niles and illustrator Gary Panter will be making an appearance and signing of their latest collaboration, The Lost Ones at Big Planet Comics (Bethesda, MD) July 20th from 2PM – 4PM.


WHO: Steve Niles and Gary Panter

WHAT: Appearance and signing of Zune Art’s graphic novel The Lost Ones



WHEN: Sunday July 20, 2008, 2pm – 4pm

WHERE: Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, MD 20814


Steve Niles teams up with four visual artists to bring you a graphic novel that will challenge what you think about time and space travel. DR. REVOLT, an original member of the historic New York City graffiti crew The Rolling Thunder Writers, Gary Panter, an illustrator known for his surreal and raw style, Morning Breath, Brooklyn-based art and design duo, and emerging painter/fashion designer Kime Buzzelli - each bring a remarkable and unique drawing style to the project.

“The Lost Ones” tells the story of Duncan, Roxy, Rasheed and Cynthia, who leave their Earth and get swept up in an epic intergalactic adventure. What starts out as a harmless day of extreme planet jumping turns into a mind-blowing, white-knuckle race for their lives to get back home.

The Zune Arts program brings the best creative minds together to collaborate on inspiring works of art. With “The Lost Ones,” Zune Arts expands beyond videos and posters and makes it first foray into this art medium featuring a writer as the lead artist. Collector’s and paperback editions of “The Lost Ones” will be available for free in early July 2008 at select comic book stores nationwide.

About Zune Arts:

Zune Arts is a program that offers emerging and established artists a unique collaboration opportunity and platform to share their work with a broader audience. At the heart of Zune Arts are ideas about friendship, sharing, connecting and discovery that serve as both a guide for artists’ work and an ethic for the art that’s produced through this program.
--

BIG PLANET COMICS
4908 Fairmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6856

Also affiliated with:

BIG PLANET COMICS
3145 Dumbarton St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-342-1961

BIG PLANET COMICS
426 Maple Ave. East
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-9412

BIG PLANET COMICS
7315 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
301-699-0498

July 20: Lost Ones booksigning with Panter and Niles

Steve Niles and Gary Panter will be signing their new graphic novel, The Lost Ones, at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda on July 20th at 2-4 pm. The book, from Microsoft's Zune Arts, will be given away for free!

I'll be there as well. Anybody else? (Date corrected per Our Man Thompson)

Steve Niles interview in The Onion

Scott Rosenberg's got an interview with Steve Niles who writes 30 Days of Night the latest comic book to become a movie. I imagine this is only in the paper copy since it's a local story. Also there's an article on food to eat while watching, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.