Wednesday, October 04, 2017

PR: DC Zinefest activity on October 15

Hallow-Zine fundraiser, Sunday 10/15 
We had a blast last year with spooky/spoopy stories and nearly sold out the room! Get chills with us again on Sunday, October 15th, again at the Black Cat -- if you dare! Admission is $8 with funds to support DC Zinefest 2018. 

RSVP on Facebook and don't miss it!

ALSO: We are looking for readers/storytellers to share a spooky (or silly tale), whether it's from your own zine, or a horror classic. Please contact us if you'd like to participate; space is limited!


Other events and notices:
  • DC Art Book Fair (November 5th) - The DC Art Book fair is back, this time at the wonderful National Museum for Women in the Arts. Free admission to check out arty books, zines, prints, and comics.
  • Zine Labs - DC Public Library will continue to host Zine Labs, in partnership with us. There was a good one on September to coincide with Banned Books Week. Stay tuned for more in the fall!
  • DC Zinefest volunteers/organizers - Do you want to help organize (or volunteer with) DC Zinefest 2018? We are already planning how to put on another awesome fest, and would love your help. Contact us to find out more!

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Outlaw Democracy"

From Mike Flugennock, DC's anarchist cartoonist -

"Outlaw Democracy"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2322

You know you're engaging in real, actual grassroots peoples' democracy when you bring an entire centralized government apparatus down on you in an attempt to stop the voting.

A shout-out in solidarity with the people of Catalonia from Washington, DC, the capital city of the US, where we've also had the Federal government try to stop us from having a referendum.

Comic Riffs' Betancourt on superheroes

'The Gifted' is an X-Men show with no X-Men. But it still works.

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 2 2017


From political jokes to superhero laughs: A Colbert writer takes on 'Quantum and Woody'

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog September 28 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/09/28/from-political-jokes-to-superhero-laughs-a-colbert-writer-takes-on-quantum-and-woody/

TCM's Batman comic featured in Comic Riffs

TCM's 'Noir Alley' host wins his dream role: Fighting crime alongside comic-book Batman

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog September 29 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/09/29/tcms-noir-alley-host-wins-his-dream-role-fighting-crime-alongside-comic-book-batman/

Monday, October 02, 2017

Bruce Guthrie Recommends: National Gallery of Art: Saul Steinberg exhibit (September 12, 2017 – May 18, 2018)

by Bruce Guthrie
 

I popped over to the National Gallery of Art today and noticed one of the new exhibits is some pieces by Saul Steinberg.  The NGA description of it is:

Saul Steinberg
September 12, 2017 – May 18, 2018
This special installation of 18 drawings, two photographs, and an assortment of small sculptures by Saul Steinberg (1914–1999) is part of an initiative—dating from the reopening of the East Building galleries in 2016—to include selected modern drawings, prints, and photographs as part of the permanent collection display.

Revered by millions for his outstanding covers for the New Yorker magazine, Steinberg was an extraordinary draftsman whose line, according to the art critic Harold Rosenberg, was "delectable in itself." Whether making independent works or ones for publication, Steinberg brought a mordant wit and a sharp eye to all his art, creating works that disarm, enchant, and electrify. The installation spans the years 1945 to 1984 and includes a wide range of subjects and types: from World War II air raids to New York hipsters, from collages incorporating real stationery to bogus documents enhanced with fake signatures and seals.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

The exhibit isn't exactly huge -- one exhibit room -- but there are several interesting pieces there.  I photographed it as always ( www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2017_10_01E2_NGAEW_Steinberg ) and below are a couple of my favorite ones from those on display:













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Interview with Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook, GOD SLAP)

Dean Haspiel with Lynda Carter!


by Mike Favila (Guest Writer / ComicsOnline.com Senior Editor) 

I'd heard about Dean Haspiel from a number of friends and had been meaning to check out his work.  I had the chance to meet Dean at Baltimore Comic-Con this year and found him to be immediately engaging, much like most of his works.  Luckily, he gave me a chance to pepper him with questions...

ComicsDC: Congratulations on your Ringo! Where did you get the inspiration for the The Red Hook? 

Dean Haspiel: Thanks! The Ringo is my first official comic book industry award. I'm excited to win "Best Webcomic" for THE RED HOOK. In 2012, I was accepted into Yaddo, a legendary artists/writers colony in Saratoga Springs, NY. I got in for writing and I wanted to focus on prose, theater, and a screenplay during my month-long retreat.

The first day I arrived, I needed to cleanse my comix palette. I didn't have anything particular in mind so I challenged myself, "What if Jack Kirby and Alex Toth had collaborated on creating a new character?" Kirby & Toth are two of my favorite comic book artists and I wondered what they would produce together? So, I created a super-thief that is forced against his will to become a superhero or he will die. I was inspired by Toth's brief pulp noir turn on The Fox coupled with Kirby's cosmic curiosity's. I wrote the script, drew a preliminary sketch of what I then called "The Rascal," and put it away. A few months later, while attending The Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna, Florida as a master artist for eight other cartoonists, I decided to draw that Rascal script only now I was calling it The Red Hook. In the story, The Rascal steals the "Red Hook" name from another character. It wasn't until years later that I added a sentient, albeit heartbroken, Brooklyn that secedes from NYC to The Red Hook narrative -- and that changed everything.



CDC: Do you have a preference in terms of webcomics vs traditional print? How much of your creation method do you modify to work in each medium?

DH: I prefer print because I'm old and I like turning pages and holding paper in my hand. I miss newsprint. But, you can't beat the immediacy of digital delivery. And, as much as I dig the limited color palette and hit-or-miss print registrations of yesteryear, the clarity of back lit art on a screen is mesmerizing. So, it really depends on what kind of reading experience you wish to furnish. I often prefer limitations, they foster interesting challenges, but you can experiment more online, between infinite landscapes and vertical scrolls and sounds and moving images, there are many more ways to show a story. Working in vertical scroll terms continues to be a challenge because of the way the reveal is always at the bottom and pacing is controlled by the readers thumb. I've had to abandon my proclivities for landscapes and inset panels. I've thought about all this stuff ever since I revamped Billy Dogma at ACT-I-VATE in 2006. And, then cascading my webcomics efforts into Zuda, Trip City, Marvel & DC, hell, even The NY Times, and now, LINE Webtoons. I've done it all except launching a Patreon, which I'm considering soon. Why not? I've been giving away my wares for free for over a decade. I think it's okay to make a few bucks from my loyal fans and peers as long as I keep the trains on time. If Mark Zuckerberg can make money off of strangers posting pictures of their lunch and latest outrage, I can earn a nickel off my comix. Meanwhile, I did produce THE RED HOOK for both digital and print. Honestly, they're two very different reading experiences. It's cool. I'm talking to a print publisher right now.

 You can read THE RED HOOK here for free.


CDC: My children really enjoyed your Mo + Jo book. How did you get involved with Toon Books? Were you interested in doing children's books beforehand? 

DH: Thanks! I don't produce a lot of children's books. I'm glad your kids got a kick out of MO + JO. When Toon Books first launched, I was personally contacted by Francoise Mouly and she offered me a deal to collaborate with legendary underground cartoonist, Jay Lynch (RIP). It was a gratifying experience and I learned a lot. I'm sad we didn't get to produce a sequel. I'm not as interested in producing children's books but I am steering my comix towards All Ages. Like a Pixar movie, all ages stories can be meaningful, deal with real consequences, while resonating with both children and adults. The first ten-minutes of the movie UP proves my point. I'd hazard to say the first decade of Marvel Comics could be considered all ages comics and that's the stuff that's most inspired my entire career.



CDC: Can you tell me more about your play? How did you come to cast Stoya in your play? 

DH: I wrote the first draft of my play HARAKIRI KANE as a screenplay called BLACK EYE in the early 1990s. And, that went nowhere. Then, I wanted to draw it as a graphic novel called DIE! DIE, AGAIN!! but got rejected by several independent publishers. A year ago, I was hanging out with my old pal/actor Philip Cruise and we got to talking about me writing something for him to direct. I dusted off HARAKIRI KANE and thought about reducing it to its essentials as a one-act play, something short, but it kept growing and evolving. Phil cast the play with a bunch of SUNY Purchase alumni, old friends who had become renowned actors, and we did some readings of it. Alas, the price of producing a play in NYC put the kibosh on that version of the production until I asked director/actor Ian W. Hill if he was interested in producing my play at The Brick theater in Williamsburg, BK/NY. Ian had produced, directed and acted in my first play, SWITCH TO KILL, in 2014 (thanks to encouragement from local playwright Crystal Skillman), and he did a phenomenal job with it. Thankfully, Ian took my new play and cast it with a bunch of actors from his Gemini CollisionWorks ensemble, including Phil and a couple of other actors from the original inception.



 I met Stoya via Jeff Krelitz, CEO of Heavy Metal. He wanted us to collaborate and we hit it off. I adapted an essay she wrote into comix form and it was published in the "sex" issue of Heavy Metal #281. I got to know Stoya a little more and realized she would be perfect to perform the lead female character in my new play. Stoya is an intelligent renaissance woman who can do anything she puts her mind to. HARAKIRI KANE is about Harry Kane, a reluctant angel of death with amnesia who uncovers the truth of his mortal demise and tries to beat death at its own game only to fall in love with its most prized acolyte before choosing whether to live forever as an immortal specter or die, again, an honest man. Meanwhile, a serial killer with an impeccable palate searches for his own form of immortality as both a chef and a murderer. HARAKIRI KANE opens October 28th through November 20th.



 You can get tickets here:
http://bricktheater.com/?type=show&id=1442 
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/979738 
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/979738/1509508800000

CDC: What are you working on next?

DH: We just debuted a limited edition of my new graphic novel collaboration, GOD SLAP, at Baltimore Comicon 2017, a concept I co-created & co-plotted with David Trustman, who wrote and drew and published it. It's an evangelical satire taking the political piss out of the far right and far left. GOD SLAP is the most blasphemous project I've ever worked on and I'm proud to be a part of it. Fans of Howard Chaykin's THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA should get a kick out of it, too. Here is a link to the online version where you can order print copies: http://www.godslapcomic.com/



WAR CRY, a sequel to The Red Hook is what I'm currently working on. It's about The Red Hook's dead girlfriend who has been resurrected into a Human of Mass Destruction by way of a teenage boy. It's wild and ambitious stuff inspired by Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C., and C.C. Beck's Captain Marvel (Shazam!), with a little bit of Steve Ditko's Hawk & Dove thrown in for good measure. I believe it will launch at LINE Webtoon in mid-November.



The Post reviews Big Mouth cartoon

Ramona Fradon, a Baltimore Comic Con interview

by Mike Rhode

Ramona Fradon is a noted Silver Age artist who worked for DC Comics for years. Her Amazon description reads: Ramona Fradon is a legendary comic book illustrator known for her work on Aquaman, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Super Friends. She also drew the newspaper comic strip, Brenda Starr and is noted for the humor in her drawings. In her serious moments, she wrote a book about the Faust legend in relationship to Gnostic mythology. In 2006 she received the prestigious Eisner Lifetime Achievement award. She lives in upstate New York in a very old house with a very old dog. She's been at the Baltimore Comic Con for the past few years, and we conducted this interview via e-mail.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do? 

I worked in comic books, mostly for DC, drawing Aquaman, Plastic Man, Super Friends and stories in House of Mystery and House of Secrets, I co-created Aqualad and Metamorpho and also illustrated the syndicated newspaper strip, Brenda Starr.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination? 

I never worked with a computer and for most of my career, I inked with a #7 brush. Lately I have been using Micron felt pens.

When working in comic books, you probably didn't get to do your own inks very often. Would you have preferred to? Did you have a favorite inker?

I inked Aquaman and the mysteries and Brenda Starr, which was quite enough for me. I do a tight penciling and have always felt that inking  was redundant. I don't really have a favorite inker although I admire many of them.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in Chicago in 1926.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning? 

I studied design at Parsons School of Design and fine art at the Art Students' League in NY. I never studied cartooning specifically, although I was influenced by the great newspaper comics I read when I was growing up.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? 

I would have written and drawn children's' books or done book illustrations.

What work are you best-known for?   

Probably Aquaman and Metamorpho.

What work are you most proud of?

Besides  the children's book I wrote (THE DINOSAUR THAT GOT TIRED OF BEING EXTINCT which is on Amazon)  I would say Metamorpho.

What would you like to do or work on in the future? 

That's a funny question for someone who is ninety-one (as of today, October 1st).

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I clean the house or take a vacation or catch up on reading until I feel like working again.

What do you think will be the future of your field? 

It seems as if Hollywood is determining it right now, but I expect it will have a lot to do with the internet in ways I can't imagine.

Do you have a website or blog?
No. But you can see my work on Catskill Comics website.

How was your BCC experience this year? How often have you attended it?

I think I have been there about five times. It's getting bigger, but thankfully, not overwhelmed by TV and Hollywood. Brad Tree and his staff do a great job and make being there a pleasure. They gave me the biggest table (actually two tables) I have ever had.

What's your favorite thing about Baltimore? 

I liked walking around the harbor and eating at a seafood restaurant that overlooks the water.

Least favorite?

Not-so-good crab cakes sometimes.


SPX Oral History - Joel Pollack

Rhode & Pollack at Baltimore Comic Con 2014
by Mike Rhode

Joel Pollack founded  Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, MD in 1986, and is still behind the counter a few days a week. The chain has grown to four stores, as Joel's former employees have opened their own stores. Joel was at the beginning of the Small Press Expo and jotted a few notes down.

I was involved in the first ten or so. The first was a collaboration between Jon Cohen (Beyond Comics), Lou Danoff (Zenith Comics), and myself with moral support (and much feedback) of Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Jeff Smith (Bone). It was planned for a Thursday evening before a Diamond Comic Distributor trade show. It was held at the Ramada Inn in Bethesda. Retailers were invited to set up.

What was your role? How did it change over time?

I'd like to think that I was a bit of a moral compass. I believe my greatest contribution to SPX was disallowing retailers from setting up, starting with the second SPX. I felt that it was a show about creators, and that creators shouldn't have to compete with retailers selling their products. As time went on, my role quickly diminished, and ultimately became the one task of procuring the park for the Sunday picnic/softball game. I actually umpired a few of the games.

Where was SPX when you worked on it?

Mostly Bethesda, though I believe I had some small role the one year it moved to Silver Spring.

What were some memorable events?

One of the big ones was Chris Oarr's tenure as executive director. I believe it was Chris who introduced the Sunday picnic/softball game and pig-roast. I believe it was Chris' idea to create the Ignatz Awards. Chris created the template for the current SPX.

What were your favorite parts of SPX?

The feeling of camaraderie amongst exhibitors and staff. The great volunteers that SPX attracted. The opportunity for creators to meet their fans, and sell their creations which were generally unavailable in comic shops.

Sunday, October 01, 2017

SPX 2017 Panels on YouTube

SPX 2017 Panel - Troubled Teenagers and Modern Times

Panelists Mardou(Sky In Stereo), Charles Forsman (The End Of The Fucking World, This is Not Okay), Sean Knickerbocker (Killbuck), Melissa Mendes (Lou, The Weight) and Nate Powell (Any Empire, Swallow Me Whole), led by moderator Craig Fischer, discuss how they are able to realistically and empathetically create vivid teenage characters who are struggling with morality, mental illness, drugs and the pressures of society.

SPX 2017 Panel - Barometer of the Free Press

Tom Spurgeon moderates a discussion among political cartoonists Ann Telnaes, Matt Wuerker, Keith Knight and Ben Passmore as they expand on the subject of Telnaes' keynote speech at the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom luncheon in Ottawa. The panelists explore the role and responsibility of political cartoonists/satirists in a time when the freedom of the press is under attack.

SPX 2017 Panel - Genderfluidity, Technology and Futurism

L.Nichols moderates this panel on the recent movement in comics toward exploring genderfluidity within a science-fiction context, with an emphasis on technology and utopian ideals. Jeremy Sorese (Curveball), Carta Monir (Secure Connect), Kevin Czap (Fütchi Perf) and Rio Aubry Taylor (Jetty) each discusses how their own work fits into this bold new vision of comics.

SPX 2017 Panel - Gilbert Hernandez & Jim Rugg in Conversation

With Love & Rockets, legendary cartoonist Gilbert Hernandez helped create one of the most lauded comic series of all time. Pittsburgh cartoonist Jim Rugg has built a loyal fanbase with Street Angel, a beloved indie comic about a sword-wielding skateboarder and her heroic adventures. These two celebrated cartoonists discuss craft and practice, as well as their views on technology, culture, industry, and staying prolific while relevant in today's comic landscape.

SPX 2017 Panel - Filling in the Pieces: Comics Biography

When doing a comics biography, how do cartoonists approach the material they have at hand? For Box Brown, who did a biography of Andre the Giant, he struggled to find material that might reveal the wrestler's inner life. Anais Depommier had to sift through a mountain of material for her biography of Jean-Paul Sartre, a task made all the more difficult considering how much the philosopher wrote about himself. Luke Howard had to deal with a historically and racially sensitive topic in ragtime creator Ernest Hogan. Moderator Chris Mautner leads the discussion. Anais Depommier appears courtesy of a grant by The Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

SPX 2017 Panel - Fukushima Devil Fish:Susumu Katsumata's Anti-Nuclear Manga

Critiques of nuclear energy in Japanese manga did not begin with the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns in 2011. One of the regulars of the legendary alternative manga monthly Garo in the magazine's heyday of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Susumu Katsumata (1943-2007) has the curious distinction of having risen within the world of political cartooning and literary comics while studying toward a graduate degree in nuclear physics in Tokyo. In the late 70s, he began drawing frequent humor strips about the dangers of nuclear power and stories about the "nuclear gypsies" who maintained Japan's nuclear plants under oppressive work conditions. This talk surveys Katsumata's work on the subject of nuclear power, which is the largest, most diverse, and most trenchant such oeuvre in Japanese visual art. Ryan Holmberg offers a preview of two of his upcoming publications with this wide-ranging visual survey, a collection of Katsumata's manga titled Fukushima Devil Fish (SISJAC and Breakdown Press) and No Nukes for Dinner.

SPX 2017 Panel - Kick-Ass Annie-Versary: Koyama Press Turns Ten

Annie Koyama has championed the work of emerging cartoonists for 10 years. As a leading publisher of underground comix, her roster features the work of many of today's top names in the indie comics scene, including Michael DeForge, Aidan Koch, Alex Schubert, Daryl Seitchik, and many more. KP artists Patrick Kyle, Eleanor Davis, Dustin Harbin, Hannah K. Lee, and Ben Sears assemble in a very special panel spotlighting one our favorite curators of small press cartoonists and their work. Moderated by Rob Clough of High-Low.

SPX 2017 Panel - Mental Illness, Motherhood and Memoir

A new trend in memoir comics is an exploration of motherhood and the ways in which mental illness and societal forces have a profound effect on the experience. Keiler Roberts (Sunburning), Luke Howard (Our Mother), Tyler Cohen (Primahood: Magenta) and Summer Pierre (Paper Pencil Life) provide their perspectives on the topic, both from the point of view of mother and child. Moderated by Rob Clough.

SPX 2017 Panel - The Serious Business of Humorous Memoir

Panelists Keith Knight (K Chronicles), November Garcia (Foggy Notions), Glynnis Fawkes (Reign Of Crumbs), and Jennifer Hayden (The Story Of My Tits) discuss will explain how their focus on the funnier side of their lives doesn't stop them from exploring serious issues as well. For some of these cartoonists, humor is an important tool in diffusing the gravity of their circumstances. Moderated by Marc Sobel.

SPX 2017 Panel - Shock Humor, Farce and Satire

In a world that seems increasingly difficult to satirize, learn how cartoonists Tommi Musturi (Simply Samuel), Aaron Lange (Trim), Sabin Cauldron (Maleficium), and Katie Fricas (The New Yorker) use different comedic tools to address the absurd, the awful and the just plain ridiculous. Moderator Heidi MacDonald keeps track of each artist's approach and how their view of the world colors their senses of humor. Tommi Musturi appears courtesy of the Finnish Literature Exchange.

SPX 2017 Panel - Trump Presidential Library

Celebrants and detractors alike are chewing on the fact that Donald Trump was elected president. Shannon Wheeler and Robert Sikoryak help you swallow. In their books, "Sh*t My President Says," from Top Shelf and, "The Unquotable Trump," from Drawn & Quarterly (respectively), these two cartoonists illustrate Trump's words for comedic effect and insight. There are slides, a brief history of political satire and politics in comic books, and laughter through the tears as they wrestle with an understanding of our current dystopia. Can satire keep up with reality? Shannon Wheeler is the two-time Eisner winning creator of, "Too Much Coffee Man," and a New Yorker cartoonist. Robert Sikoryak started at Raw magazine, is a New Yorker contributor, and the author of, "Terms and Conditions," from Drawn & Quarterly.

SPX 2017 Interviews - Creator Debuts and Highlights

Jack Russell from TheApogeeks.com interviews select creators debuting new work at Small Press Expo 2017 and share a few highlights from the show.

Friday, September 29, 2017

NPR doesn't much like The Inhumans tv show

Introducing ... The Inept, Inert 'Inhumans'

Glen Weldon

NPR's Monkey See blog September 29, 2017

http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/09/29/553704965/introducing-the-inept-inert-inhumans

and neither does the Times...


When It Comes to New Marvel Shows, Skip 'Inhumans' and Try 'The Gifted'

A version of this review appears in print on September 29, 2017, on Page C12 of the New York edition with the headline: One Out of Two Ain't Bad.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/arts/television/marvels-inhumans-the-gifted-review.html

Scoop at Baltimore Comic-Con

GE Gallas blogs about her SPX table

Sept 30: Gordon Harris at Richmond ZineFest tomorrow



September 29, 2017

Richmond ZineFest tomorrow

Gordon will be tabling tomorrow at the Richmond Public Library from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

He'll have copies of his first Zine, his all-new graphic novel for kids, MISTAKEN IDENTITY, and other fine things to share and behold.

Come on by! 

 



Thursday, September 28, 2017

Best-paying cartoon magazine editor dies at 91

Hugh Hefner, visionary editor who founded Playboy magazine, dies at 91 [in print as Playboy founder brought titillation to the masses]

Washington Post September 28 2017, p. A1, 7
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/hugh-hefner-founder-of-playboy-magazine-dies-at-91/2017/09/27/0560ae1a-a3fe-11e7-ade1-76d061d56efa_story.html

Writer Gabby Rivera Is A True Superhero

Writer Gabby Rivera Is A True Superhero

Writer Gabby Rivera is helping bring the Marvel Comics character America Chavez to life.

Juliette Salgado/Courtesy of the artist

When writer Gabby Rivera read an email from Marvel Comics asking her to write for them, she was convinced it was spam at first.

But it turned out to be legit: Marvel wanted Rivera to put words to a new comic series featuring the queer, Latinx superhero America Chavez. The next thing she knew, Rivera was deep in research on superheroes from Marvel's vast archive.

NPR's Camilo Garzón caught up with Rivera at her home in Brooklyn.

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

A BCC Interview with John Patrick Green

by Mike Rhode

For years now, John Patrick Green (as he now styles himself to avoid confusion with the young adult writer John Green) has been a regular at the Small Press Expo, usually accompanied by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. This year, I caught up with him at Baltimore Comic Con where he agreed to answer a few questions.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I'm the writer/artist of HIPPOPOTAMISTER and the upcoming KITTEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY early-reader graphic novels, both from First Second Books, and also the artist of the TEEN BOAT! and JAX EPOCH series' with writer Dave Roman. I also do a lot of freelance graphic novel and type design for other publishers like Scholastic Graphix.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I do a combination of traditional and digital. I still like to draw by hand onto actual paper, and then scan the work into the computer for colors. For inking often what I'll do is sketch out my pencils, scan and compose them into proper layouts in Photoshop, print the pencils as "blue lines" onto bristol, then ink over the printout. Then I'll scan those back into the computer for coloring, and the leftover blue lines can just be turned off, without having to erase graphite from the page like with classic inking over pencils. Depending on the project I'll do my balloons, captions, and letters by hand or in computer.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I grew up an '80s kid on Long Island, NY.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I went to School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan for graphic design, but I took a number of comic book-related electives. I pretty much grew up making comics, starting around 4th grade or so, and was always taking as many art classes as I could in school. I'd say I'm mostly self-taught, but my college experience was invaluable.

Who are your influences?

My earliest influences would be newspaper strips, like Garfield and later Calvin & Hobbes. Favorite painters would be Van Gogh, René Magritte, and Norman Rockwell. As for comics, my biggest influence as far as my own sensibilities go is probably the original Spider-Ham series (yes, I said "ham.") I was definitely more of a Marvel kid than a D.C. kid, but I was also inspired by a lot of indy books like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Usagi Yojimbo, especially. And being an '80s kid, of course Star Wars was a big part of my youth.
  
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I wouldn't say I have any regrets, but possibly the one thing I'd do differently is stay at Disney Publishing. I worked for Disney Adventures Magazine for almost 10 years, and I loved working for Disney, but I'd gone freelance before Disney bought out Marvel and Lucasfilm. So being huge fan of those things as a kid, I occasionally wonder if I'd stayed at Disney just a little longer, would I have a hand in those properties now?

What work are you best-known for?

Probably TEEN BOAT! It's the only graphic novel about a boy who can transform into a small yacht. It features the angst of being a teen and the thrill of being a boat!

What work are you most proud of?

That's tough! I don't know if I'm necessarily more proud of any one project of mine over another. I guess I'd probably go with HIPPOPOTAMISTER because it's gotten a lot of positive responses from librarians and kids, and the recognition certainly feels good. But that doesn't make me like any of my other books less. I am proud of my KITTEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY book, but that doesn't come out for awhile, so I'd say I'm more nervous about how people will respond to it.

What would you like to do  or work on in the future?

So many things that it's hard to narrow it down! I'd love to finally finish NEARLY DEPARTED, this video game I've been designing for years, but technology moves so fast that every time I get around to working on it, most of my effort goes to rebuilding it for modern systems. That's more of a hobby project, but it'd be nice to put it to bed. Same for getting the final volume of JAX EPOCH published, as that's been completed for a few years and hasn't been released. As for my next book (after finishing the ones already in my queue), usually the thing I'd "like" to work on is whatever a publisher gives me the green light for! When there are half a dozen book ideas I want to do, but can't do all at once, it can be a big help to have someone else say "do this one!"

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

There isn't really one specific thing I do. It could be anything, really. Sometimes I'll just zone out. Sometimes I'll pace around. Usually I'll just preoccupy myself with another project, or watch some TV, or play a video game, or cook some food, or do some chores, like wash dishes or something. So my strategy is basically "do something else and come back later." I guess that's also known as procrastination.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

The future is now! There are already a lot of things going on in comics and the book industry that I'd call futuristic. Digital versions with sound effects and motion graphics, things like that. Having a social media presence be so much a part of an author's profile. The Kickstarters and Patreons and the like being new or alternative funding and distribution models. But as much as things change, I think there's still a place for people who just want to write or draw. It certainly helps to keep up with the changes in the industry, but the basics aren't going to completely go away. Until the robots come for us, that is.

How was your BCC experience? How often have you attended it?

This was my first time at BCC and it was great. I've exhibited at big shows like San Diego Comic-Con before, and this show is in a similar vein. Lots of wonderful fans and the convention was well-run. And I got to see a lot of other creators that I haven't crossed paths with in awhile. I look forward to doing it again in the future. I haven't spent much time in Baltimore, but it seemed like a great city, so I hope to be back soon.

Do you have a website or blog?

My website is www.johngreenart.com, but I am absolutely terrible at keeping it up-to-date. Probably the best way to be informed of my projects and appearances is to follow me on twitter: @johngreenart

Kneel Protest by Cosplayers at Baltimore Comic Con

A guest post by photographer Bruce Guthrie.


 
On the last day of the BCC, there's a group cosplay photo shoot that's done on the steps of the convention center.  It's always interesting.

It's organized by a cosplay guy who's not connected at all with the convention.  He just loves to organize this sort of thing and apparently also organizes photo shoots at Awesome Con and other places.  

This year at BCC, Marvel kicked DC's butt -- probably twice as many wore Marvel costumes vs DC.  And when the organizer tried to get a Justice League group shot, he found there was absolutely no one dressed as Batman.

(Keep in mind that Batman has always been my favorite comic book character.  When I had to come up with a software company so I could do some part-time coding work for NIH, I thought of my first name and called it "Wayne Software".  I had business cards made and had "Batman Lives" in hexadecimal characters appearing underneath the name of the company.  I was the only one who had any clue what that meant.)

At the end of the photo shoot, he said there would be one more group shot and he said that if anyone felt at all uncomfortable doing it, please feel free to leave.  He then asked everyone to either kneel or raise a fist.  A couple of people left but most stuck around.

There was no explanation of the protest...  and really no need to explain it.  We all understood.  

Thinking about it...  It used to be a protest against police treatment of African-Americans that started during Obama's term.  But it's become an anti-Trumputin thing. 



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