Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Comic Riffs on Shadow Hero and Teen Titans

TEEN TITANS: Despite awe, Jeff Lemire couldn't pass up writing for his 'gateway' comic characters

By David Betancourt

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/09/teen-titans-despite-awe-jeff-lemire-couldnt-pass-up-writing-for-his-gateway-comic-characters/

 

'THE SHADOW HERO': Author Gene Luen Yang admits research error through new comic

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/09/the-shadow-hero-author-gene-luen-yang-admits-research-error-through-new-comic/

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

New medical comic by local resident

You may have to sign up for Academia to be able to see this.

My quest for health

by Michael Sappol

https://www.academia.edu/9640020/My_quest_for_health

An autobiographical memoir of an episode in the health history of Michael Sappol, brought to life by artist/medical-illustrator Shelley Wall.


Dec. 11, 12: Signing, Reading and Rapping at Fantom Comics

Fantom Comics has a couple unique events going on this week. On Thursday (Dec. 11), local science fiction author Benjamin Rosenbaum will sign and read from his book The Ant King and Other Stories at 6:30 p.m.


"Rosenbaum's debut collection is a dazzling, post-modern mix of pulp and surreal, spanning the weirdest corners of literature and science fiction," according to the store's Facebook event page. His stories have appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction, McSweeney's, and Nature, been shortlisted for the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and reprinted in Harper's and The Year's Best Science Fiction.

On Friday (Dec. 12), rapper Adam Warrock kicks off the store’s "GREAT POWER" Art Show. There’s a $10 cover for the show, which begins at 9 p.m.



“We're excited to host the artist responsible for entire rap albums about Firefly, Marvel Comics, Game of Thrones, and practically every fandom you can think of," Fantom says. "His masterful lyrics speak to the geek in all of us, so make your way to Fantom with your fellow Browncoats, Pawneeans, and Inhumans for a killer art show featuring a killer performer.”

PW podcast with Lewis on his new book


Former local comics historian/writer A. David Lewis has a new academic book, American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion The Superhero Afterlife (Palgrave Macmillian, $90). Listen to an interview with Lewis on the Publishers Weekly podcast with comics reviewer Calvin Reid. (Lewis also was a co-editor on recently published Colonial Comics from Fulcrum Publishing.)



Here's a summary of American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion from the publisher's website:

Just as often as superheroes journey into the afterlife, they also return from it. Their surprising immortality has created its own set of storytelling rules and expectations; it also has come to influence their secular readership in new interreligious investigations of narrative character and personal selfhood. Unlocking a new and overdue model for reading comic books, this unique volume explores religious interpretations of popular comic book superheroes such as the Green Lantern and the Hulk. A. David Lewis argues that the superhero subgenre offers a hermeneutic for those interested in integrating mutiplicity into religious practices and considerations of the afterlife.

A. David Lewis holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Boston University, USA. He is the co-editor of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels and Digital Death: Mortality and Beyond in the Online Age. He is also a graphic novelist and founding member of Sacred & Sequential

Animation historian Charles Solomon reviews The Art of Richard Thompson

BOOK REVIEW: "The Art of Richard Thompson"

Animation Scoop By Charles Solomon | Animation Scoop December 9, 2014

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/book-review-the-art-of-richard-thompson-20141209
Art of Richard Thompson

Monday, December 08, 2014

Saturday, December 06, 2014

Art of Richard Thompson book launch -- Arlington Central Library recording

If you missed the book launch of the Art of Richard Thompson today with Nick Galifianakis, Chris Sparks, David Apatoff, Michael Cavna and Michael Rhoder earilier today, you can listen to it at https://archive.org/details/OMP141206ArtOfRichardThompson


Tonight: Ladies' Night at Fantom Comics

Fantom Comics tonight holds its monthly Ladies' Night from 9 p.m. to midnight. The theme is "Strong Women." From the store's Facebook page:

"Come help us celebrate all the strong women who are in our lives and comics and who inspire us to be the amazing fans and creators that make up the FANTOM FORCE! Please, as always, bring snacks and drinks to share! Also, we'll be celebrating quite a few ladies' birthdays, so look out for cupcakes and celebratory snacks!"


RICHARD THOMPSON LIVE at Arlington Central Library

...right now.  But this isn't in the book.

TODAY: Art of Richard Thompson at Arlington's Central library

Richard Thompson and four of the editors of the new book about him will be at Central Library at 2:30 today. Stop by and buy a book.

Richard Thompson art book reviewed by another artist

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Richard Thompson featured in local paper

Richard Thompson's Work Featured in Documentary, Book

By Liz Lizama

Falls Church News-Press December 4, 2014
http://fcnp.com/2014/12/04/richard-thompsons-work-featured-in-documentary-book/

Cartoonist Richard Thompson looks at some of his work in a scene from a new short documentary about his life and his work. (Photo: Courtesy of GVI)

Cartoonist Richard Thompson looks at some of his work in a scene from a new short documentary about his life and his work. (Photo: Courtesy of GVI)

Comic Riffs talks to Darrin Bell

DARRIN BELL: From Ferguson to New York cases, 'Candorville' cartoonist draws deeply from the personal [Q&A]

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 4 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/04/darrin-bell-from-ferguson-to-new-york-cases-cartoonist-draws-deeply-from-the-personal-qa/

Jules Feiffer's book Kill My Mother makes Politics & Prose's top 10

Jules Feiffer's book Kill My Mother is the only comic in Politics & Prose's top 10 books of 2014. They write:

The incomparable Jules Feiffer has produced his first noir graphic novel, Kill My Mother, that pays tribute to the crime fiction and newspaper adventures strips he loved as a teenager. The book's settings—in the Depression era and such locales as Bay City and Hollywood—are classic, as are many of the characters and plot twists. But Feiffer has his own fun with the traditional genre.

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

'Terrible: Tsar Ivan IV' online

Oregon-based publisher Study Group is running online the first chapter of Terrible: Tsar Ivan IV, drawn by local cartoonist Art Hondros and written by former local cartoonist Scott Mills

NPR’s Book Concierge comics recommendations

NPR's Book Concierge

Our Guide To 2014's Great Reads

by Nicole Cohen, David Eads, Rose Friedman, Becky Lettenberger, Petra Mayer, Beth Novey and Christina Rees – Published December 3, 2014

http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2014/#/tag/comics-and-graphic-novels

Gary Groth recalls his "drive into Georgetown (in Washington, DC) ..."

[to] buy [underground] comics at wholesale rates from a head shop." And from those humble beginnings, the mighty Fantagraphics empire arose.


Crafting a Complete Zap

BY Dan Nadel Dec 3, 2014

http://www.tcj.com/gary-groth-on-zap/

Short cuts on The Art of Richard Thompson film, if not the book

Noel Murray December 03, 2014

Short Cuts: "The Art Of Richard Thompson," a documentary about one of this era's best cartoonists


http://thedissolve.com/news/4138-short-cuts-the-art-of-richard-thompson-a-documenta/

Brumsic Brandon obituary from NY Times

Brumsic Brandon Jr., Creator of 'Luther' Comic Strip, Dies at 87
By PAUL VITELLO
DEC. 2, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/arts/design/brumsic-brandon-jr-creator-of-luther-comic-strip-dies-at-87.html

"Mr. Brandon's gently satirical comic strip, syndicated from 1968 to 1986, chronicled the exploits of Luther, a wide-eyed African-American third grader, and his friends in a ghetto neighborhood not unlike the Benning Road section of northeast Washington, where Mr. Brandon grew up."

John Cuneo appreciates Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson draws funny.
by John Cuneo
Drawger blog December 2, 2014
http://drawger.com/johncuneo/?section=articles&article_id=15145

Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Hagen paintings at Cafe Nola

David Hagen says, "Hagen paintings are on display at Cafe Nola...

....for the whole month of December!  Only problem is you have to hike up to Frederick.
I personally am giving a Hagen original as a gift this Christmas.


Clifford Berryman on Ghosts of DC blog

D.C. Lacks National Representation … Still

This print is still appropriate today … sadly. We found this in the awesome collection provided by the DC Public Library. If you...

Monday, December 01, 2014

The Post on Frozen, again

Parents beware: this round of "Frozen"-mania won't end after the holidays. Idina Menzel says a sequel is in the works. [in print as A 'Frozen' sequel? Our blood runs cold, December 1, 2014]

By Jessica Contrera November 30 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/11/30/parents-beware-this-round-of-frozen-mania-wont-end-after-the-holidays-idina-menzel-says-a-sequel-is-in-the-works/

RIP Brumsic Brandon, Jr.

Brumsic Brandon, Jr. creator of the Luther comic strip has passed away.  Brandon was born in Washington, DC. More information at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/floridatoday/obituary.aspx?n=Brumsic-Brandon&pid=173333233

Thanks to DD Degg for the tip.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Dec. 14: Keatinge, Duca at Big Planet


Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca, co-creators of the series Shutter from Image Comics, will be signing at Big Plant Comics at College Park from noon to 2 p.m. on Dec. 14. The store will also have an exclusive Big Planet Comics variant of the next issue, Shutter #7.

Saturday, November 29, 2014

Dec. 3: Meet the Author Night


Gene Weingarten (Me & Dog) and Matt Dembicki (Wild Ocean) and will be among the local authors at the 25th annual Meet the Author Night and Book Fair Dec. 3 (5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.) at the University Club of Washington, D.C.  The free event is open to the public. Click for the full list of participating authors.





Dec. 14: Bmore into Comics #5

Bmore Into Comics holds its fifth local comics show on Dec. 14 noon to 5 p.m. at the Wind-Up Space in Baltimore. 


Friday, November 28, 2014

Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year Series ends its 42 Year Run

Posted by Steve Artley

Pelican Publishing Company, which produced the annual collection of editorial cartoons, Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year, announced on November 18 that it has ceased production of the series, ending with the 2014 edition released last spring. The series, originally edited by editorial cartoonist Charles Brooks began in the early seventies and for many years was the only publication of its kind that showcased the year's political cartoons from across America, featuring work from members of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Following Brooks' death in 2011, editing duties fell to cartoonist Steve Kelley. 

At the time the publication began, nearly every American city had a morning and evening newspaper, and each paper had a full time editorial cartoonist. By the mid 1980's, with a greater number of newspapers being bought up by large news conglomerates that relied more on syndicated stories and art, the number began to dwindle. Now, there are less than 40 full time editorial cartoonists on staff at metropolitan newspapers in the United States. Public interest in traditional political cartooning has waned, as well. Within the past few years, online cartoon anthologies such as TIME and NPR, along with cartoon roundups once popular in the New York TimesNewsweek, and other print publications have been eliminated. 

While no details have been released from Pelican on its decision to cease publication, this action comes as no surprise to those of us in the editorial cartooning field.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Amy and Richard Thompson's first Thanksgiving, and a toe

A HIGH-STEPPING THANKSGIVING TALE or: How 'Cul de Sac's' Richard Thompson got a toehold in the world of humor-column writing
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog November 27 2014

Apatoff on Thompson, day 4

Nov 29: Rashin Kheiriyeh, children’s book author, illustrator, and animator

5 p.m. - 7 p.m.   Rashin Kheiriyeh, children's book author, illustrator, and animator

Politics & Prose is excited to join the Small Business Saturday festivities again this year. A great way to support local businesses in our community right as the holiday season gets into full swing, we hope you can join us and "Shop Small" on Saturday, November 29. We have a great lineup of authors who've answered the Indies First challenge and will be moonlighting as booksellers—joining our own fantastic staff—in support of the day. Come by and have one of the following writers rummage the shelves to recommend the perfect book for you or a great gift for a loved one of any age.

Post blog on St Louis arches cartoons

Cartoonist says his divided-arch cartoon about Ferguson was 'very obvious,' 'almost too easy'

By Erik Wemple
Washington Post's 
Erik Wemple blog November 26 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/11/26/st-louis-cartoonist-says-his-divided-arch-cartoon-about-ferguson-was-very-obvious-almost-too-easy/

Thankful: Recent additions to the ComicsDC bookshelf


I'm trying to slowly compile a bookshelf, or two, of books by local cartoonists.


Here's what came in through the late summer and early fall (Stossel and Sala aren't local, but their subject is).

Clockwise from top, ending in the center:

Benbow, Hannah.  2013.
Munch Munch Crunch Crunch: Healthy Words From A to Z.
Washington, DC: Hannamations

Churn, Todd and Hannah Benbow.  2014.
Zoey Goes To The Beach.
Washington, DC: Todd Churn and Hannah Benbow

Apatoff, David, Nick Galifianakis, Mike Rhode, Chris Sparks, and Bill Watterson. 2014.
The Art of Richard Thompson.
Kansas City: Andrews McMeel

The Third Annual Ameriprint The You-Gotta-Be-Kidding, Is-This-For-Real? Off-The-Wall 1994 Wall Calendar.
Vienna, VA: Ameriprint
Pages of made-up holidays by local Washington-DC area illustrators including Richard Thompson.

Weingarten, Gene and Eric Shansby (ill).  2014.
Me and Dog.
New York: Simon and Schuster

Nilsen, Anna, Richard Sala (ill) and Betsy France.  2008.
Gallery Ghost: Find the ghost who paints the most!
Palo Alto, CA: Birdcage Press
Works of art from the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Stossel, Sage.  2013.
On The Loose In Washington, D.C.: A Find-the-Animals Book.
Carlisle, MA: Commonwealth Editions

Mullins, Linda.  2002.
The Teddy Bear Men: Theodore Roosevelt & Clifford Berryman, 2nd Edition.
Grantsville, MD: Hobby House Press

Berryman, Florence Seville and Clifford Berryman (ill).  1925.
Early American Bookplates.
University Press of Sewanee Tennessee

Happy Thanksgiving from ComicsDC

Courtesy of the Library of Congress