Gene Yang at Big Planet Comics and beyond

Gene Yang says he's in town to speak to schoolchildren at the Kennedy Center tomorrow which will apparently also go out over a webcast. Details desired.

Quick notes - he used the Monkey King because the character was in lots of childrens books his parents had. He read superhero comics, not manga (Dragonball is based on the Monkey King, so I asked). He's working on a new book with Derek Kirk Kim which First Second will publish. His Slave Labor books - Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order and Gordon Yamamoto And The King Of The Geeks are still available from that publisher.

Here's some pics.

Gene Yang and Joel Pollack at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

Randy T getting a sketch from Gene Yang.

You can see the sketches here and here.

Gene Yang signing his book American Born Chinese at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

Gene Yang doing a sketch at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, Maryland.

More, similar pictures on flickr.

April 21: Stan Lee at National Press Club POSTPONED

In spite of these flyers, Stan Lee will NOT be appearing at the National Press Club on Monday April 21st. Hopefully he'll be able to reschedule.

Folger Shakespeare Library presents Shakespeare + Manga

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2007

Press Contact:
Tim Swoape, 202.675.0344 / tswoape @folger.edu
Teri Cross Davis, 202.675.0374 / tdavis @folger.edu


Folger Shakespeare Library presents Shakespeare + Manga as part of the Words on Will lecture series

Shakespeare’s plays adapted into Japanese-style illustrated books

(WASHINGTON, DC) The plays of William Shakespeare meet the highly stylized Japanese illustration form known as manga (Japanese for “whimsical pictures”) in The Manga Editions. Writer/adaptor Adam Sexton and illustrator Yali Lin discuss their work on The Manga Editions during Shakespeare + Manga at Folger Shakespeare Library on Monday, March 31 at 7:30 p.m. They will be joined by moderator Marc Singer, a comics scholar and assistant professor of English at Howard University. Their discussion is the final installment of this season’s Words on Will, a lecture series in which luminaries from across the world of arts, letters, and other fields discuss the role Shakespeare has played in their lives and work.

Tickets, which include the discussion and a reception, are $12 for adults and $6 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the Folger box office, 202.544.7077, or online at www.folger.edu/wordsonwill.

Published by Wiley, The Manga Editions present four newly adapted and fully-illustrated editions of Shakespeare’s plays: Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. The Manga Editions are the latest in a 400-year tradition of translating and adapting Shakespeare’s plays into different languages and multiple media.

In order to fit their adaptations into books of less than 200 pages, the writers and editors of The Manga Editions have cut words, lines, speeches, and even entire scenes from Shakespeare’s plays, a practice almost universal among stage and film directors. However, they never paraphrased Shakespeare’s language or summarize the action. Every word in The Manga Editions was written by William Shakespeare himself.

According to the publisher, manga is potentially more visual than a theatrical production of Shakespeare’s plays. Unbound by the physical realities of the theater, the graphic novel can depict any situation, no matter how fantastical or violent, that its creators are able to pencil, ink, and shade.

Writer/adaptor Adam Sexton is author of Master Class in Fiction Writing and editor of the anthologies Love Stories, Rap on Rap, and Desperately Seeking Madonna. He has written on art and entertainment for The New York Times and The Village Voice, and he teaches fiction writing and literature at New York University and critical reading and writing at Parsons The New School for Design. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Manga illustrator Yali Lin was born in southern China and moved to New York with her family in 1995. She earned a BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts in 2006. Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, The Manga Edition is her first published work. She currently teaches cartooning and manga courses to young teens in Manhattan.

Moderator Marc Singer is an assistant professor of English at Howard University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Singer regularly reviews new works of comics scholarship for the International Journal of Comic Art, and he is the former chair of the International Comic Arts Forum, an academic conference on comics. His own research on comics has twice won the M. Thomas Inge Award for Comics Scholarship.


DATE & TIME: Monday, March 31, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Folger Theatre at Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC
TICKETS: $12 adults / $6 students; Purchase at Folger box office, 202.544.7077, or online at www.folger.edu/wordsonwill.
METRO: Capitol South (blue/orange lines)
PARKING: Street parking in neighborhood. Please read and obey all posted signs.

Cartoonists at Politics and Prose bookstore pictures

Politics and Prose has started a flickr site. So far they have pictures of

- Scott McCloud

- Myla Goldberg, the novelist who's married to cartoonist Jason Little

- Neil Gaiman

and their main page.

Shakespeare, comics and Star Trek

After yesterday's post on Shakespeare manga at the Folger, I was emailed a press release about a British Shakespeare comic series which was blurbed by Patrick Stewart. Stewart's on Broadway now in Macbeth, but I saw him two decades ago in DC talking about Shakespeare. Here's a letter that I sent the NY Times that they didn't run:

I was very glad to see the long Arts article, "To boldly go where Shakespeare calls" (January 27, 2008) on Patrick Stewart's return to Shakespeare. As an undergrad at George Washington University in Washington DC, I saw Mr. Stewart give a lecture on Shakespeare around 1985. The event was sponsored most likely by the English department and was in a small room in the student union. It was probably underpublicized and Mr. Stewart had not yet become famous as Capt. Picard, but his talk, "Iago and Other Strangers" was one of the best lectures on Shakespeare I've seen. It ranked favorably with Ian McKellan's one-man Shakespeare show which I saw a year or so later. I rode the elevator down with Mr. Stewart and told him how much I enjoyed it, but it still strikes me as a shame that so few saw his talk. I have often wished that he'd put out a cd of that talk.

Shakespeare adapted in comics has appeared off and on for a few decades now - mostly with uninteresting adaptations - but I've got high hopes of some of these new ones, and will try to review a series of them in the International Journal of Comic Art. I've got a bibliography of earlier attempts around somewhere too that I can post if there's any interest.

And, since they made me think about this again, here's the full PR on the British Shakespeare books:

Patrick Stewart applauds Classical Comics’ pioneering three-tier dialogue graphic novel adaptation of Macbeth

I’m fascinated by your approach... I find them gripping, dramatic and, although for me the original Shakespeare is always my reason for turning to these plays, I think that what you are doing in illuminating and making perhaps more lucid, especially for young people, is clever and meaningful - Patrick Stewart

The internationally respected actor, known for successfully bridging the gap between the theatrical world of the Shakespearean stage and contemporary film and television, has given his seal of approval to Classical Comics’ pioneering three-tier dialogue approach, in particular its forthcoming graphic novel adaptation of Macbeth. Patrick Stewart’s recent stint in Macbeth at the Gielgud Theatre in London garnered him several awards - including Best Actor at the Evening Standard Awards, and the prize for Best Shakespearean Performance at the 19th annual Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards (which he shares with Chiwetel Ejiofor for Othello) - and the production transferred to New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music on 12 February.

With its revolutionary three-tier dialogue approach, Classical Comics presents a brand new and inclusive view of the sheer genius of Shakespeare’s storytelling. Macbeth, arguably Shakespeare’s most dramatic tragedy, certainly one of his greatest works, features stunning artwork from Marvel/Spider-man illustrator Jon Haward and comic strip illustrator Nigel Dobbyn, and script adaptation by author John McDonald.

Each of Classical Comics’ graphic novel adaptations of literary classics is published in three versions: Original Text – the full, unabridged script; Plain Text – a modern English version of the original script; and Quick Text – with reduced, simplified dialogue for easier and faster reading. Classical Comics’ Clive Bryant explains the thinking behind this: ‘We wanted to spread a joy and appreciation of literacy, and particularly to target readers in key stages 2 and 3. Often children of that age are forced to read Shakespeare, but they struggle to get past the language. The comic book format and three text versions will undoubtedly help with their understanding. By providing these three text versions, which are all on the same artwork, we allow a reader to absorb the story at Quick Text level, proceed onto Plain English, and then onto the Original script. That way, they understand the play and can appreciate the beautiful language that Shakespeare used. We believe that we’ve created a way for readers to enjoy these fantastic stories regardless of their age or their reading ability’.

Having been told by young readers that they were bored by the Bard, Classical Comics set out to make Shakespeare as energetic and colourful as Spider-man. With its new series of graphic novel adaptations of literary classics, Classical Comics has succeeded in bringing Shakespeare to life, with striking full-colour artwork depicting the drama, emotion and action scenes in an exciting, captivating way.

Macbeth was published on Monday 25 February 2008

Macbeth and Henry V are Classical Comics’ first books in its range of graphic novel adaptations. Other great literary novels receiving the Classical Comic treatment include: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (Spring 2008), Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations (Summer 2008), and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Summer 2008),

The books retail at £9.99 each, and are available from Amazon, and all good bookshops nationwide.

www.classicalcomics.com

press enquiries to: Helen Maleed
tel/fax: 020 7732 4624 mobile: 07986 235 855
email: helen@greendesk.demon.co.uk

Review copies available

Artwork samples available

www.classicalcomics.com

Following the success of its pioneering three-tier dialogue treatment of Henry V, Classical Comics publishes Macbeth, its graphic novel adaptation of, arguably, Shakespeare’s most dramatic tragedy, certainly one of his greatest works. With stunning artwork from Marvel/Spider-man illustrator Jon Haward and comic strip illustrator Nigel Dobbyn, and script adaptation by author John McDonald, Classical Comics’ presents a brand new and totally fulfilling view of the sheer genius of Shakespeare’s storytelling.

Classical Comics has devised a revolutionary three-tier dialogue approach; each book is published in three versions: Original Text – the full, unabridged script; Plain Text – a modern English version of the original script; and Quick Text – with reduced, simplified dialogue for easier and faster reading. Clive Bryant, of Classical Comics, explains the thinking behind this: ‘We wanted to spread a joy and appreciation of literacy, and particularly to target readers in key stages 2 and 3. Often children of that age are forced to read Shakespeare, but they struggle to get past the language. The comic book format and three text versions will undoubtedly help with their understanding. By providing these three text versions, which are all on the same artwork, we allow a reader to absorb the story at Quick Text level, proceed onto Plain English, and then onto the Original script. That way, they understand the play and can appreciate the beautiful language that Shakespeare used. We believe that we’ve created a way for readers to enjoy these fantastic stories regardless of their age or their reading ability’.

OT: Von Allan interview

Von Allan, one of the first people to write into this blog, and thus an honorary Washingtonian, was interviewed today at "Walking the road to god knows ... Von Allan," By Katherine Keller, Sequential Tart March 24, 2008.

Plastic Farm booksigning report

From the past weekend in Frederick, MD - "Descent into madness: Jefferson artist holds comic book signing," by Nicholas C. Stern, Frederick News-Post March 23, 2008. Note that one of his artists is from Takoma Park, right close to DC.

92 years yesterday ... the SHOC of McCay!

Another Secret History of Comics entry by Warren Bernard:

92 years ago this past Sunday, March 23, 1916, the members of The Albany Legislative Correspondents Association got together for their annual dinner. Not unlike the Gridiron Club, it was a boys night out to rib and celebrate the then occupants of the New York State Legislature and the sitting Governor, Charles Whitman.

The program for this event features a Winsor McCay drawing that to my knowledge, has not been reprinted before. This dinner and its associated program was done for over 60 years, and each year political cartoonists did both the covers and in some years, up to a half dozen specialty pieces for the inside text.

How many more did Mccay do? For what other obscure organization did he do such material? The former I do not know the answer to, the latter, one day soon this question will be at least partially answered.

So stay tuned to the SHOC...

Warren

I had to reduce the image dpi from 300 to 150 to get a reasonable size to post - if anyone wants the supersize original, click here.

March 26: Gene Yang booksigning at Big Planet Comics

On Wednesday, March 26, from 7-8, Gene Yang will be signing copies of his award-winning American Born Chinese at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.

I'll be in Bethesda for dinner early, probably meeting with tipster Randy T. If anyone else is interested, let me know.

3/31: Manga Shakespeare at the Folger

Words on Will: Shakespeare + Manga

Details:
Shakespeare meets manga, a stylized Japanese comic form, in four new editions of Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Romeo and Juliet. Writer/adapter Adam Sexton, faculty member at Parsons The New School for Design, and the manga artists discuss their work on these unique and beautifully illustrated new works.

Dates & Times:
March 31, 2008 7:30pm

Tickets:
$12

About Manga:
Manga can mean Japanese graphic novels or comic books, typically intended for adults, characterized by highly stylized art.

About the writer Adam Sexton :
Adam Sexton is author of Master Class in Fiction Writing and editor of the anthologies Love Stories, Rap on Rap, and Desperately Seeking Madonna. He has written on art and entertainment for the New York Times and the Village Voice, and he teaches fiction writing and literature at New York University and critical reading and writing at Parsons School of Design. He is a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.

About the artist Yali Lin:
Yali Lin was born in southern China and moved to New York with her family in 1995. After earning her BFA in Cartooning from the School of Visual Arts in 2006, Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet Manga Edition is her first book. She teaches Cartooning/Manga courses to young teens in Manhattan, NYC.

I'm going - my friend Marc Singer might be moderating, but this should be interesting anyway even if he's not. Anybody else?

OT: Beaty on Wertham ratified by New Yorker

My revisionist Canuck buddy Bart Beaty's book on Fredric Wertham, which you should all own, is cited approvingly in this article "The Horror: Congress investigates the comics," by Louis Menand, New Yorker.com March 31, 2008.

More Sunday bits

The cover to the Book World is a Jack Kirby homage - there's two reviews in it, as mentioned yesterday - Hadju's 1950s censorship book and Evanier's Kirby book.

Also, Randy T. pointed out

"Making It: No News Is Good News For Cartoonist," By Elizabeth Chang, Washington Post Magazine Sunday, March 23, 2008; W04 which profiles former Journal political cartoonist Mike Jenkins who is now doing caricatures on demand.

And they've got this tiny repro of Richard's cover for the mag.

Filling in for Doonesbury

The Post is trying out new strips where Doonesbury runs in at least the Sunday page - Trudeau's on a 3-month break. The first is the brand-new Daddy's Home by Anthony Rubino Jr. and Gary Markstein. Let us note though, it continues to be beyond comprehension that they won't run the strip THEY INCUBATED - Cul de Sac - on a daily basis.

Other papers will - "Special guests are coming your way," Ocala Star-Banner March 23, 2008 means that they're seeing it as the first test strip in Ocala.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-26-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-26-08
By John Judy

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #10 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This comic won the 2007 Eisner Award for “Best Continuing Series.” Next issue will win the award for 2009. Technically that counts as “Continuing.” The trick to enjoying Grant Morrison comics is to treat the existence of each issue as an unexpected delight and never expect another one. It works, so help me.

APOCALYPSE NERD SC written and drawn by Peter Bagge. Kim Jong Il has nuked Seattle (just go with it) and now software engineer Perry and his friend Gordo struggle to survive in the aftermath. Dark humor and adventure from the creator of HATE and THE BRADLEYS. Recommended.

ASTERIX OMNIBUS VOL. 1 & 2, HC & SC by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Have you ever wished you could have three of those skinny ASTERIX books bound into one volume? How about six into two? Well this is your week, my friend. Recommended for all ages. Enjoy!

BLACK PANTHER #34 by Reginald Hudlin and Francis Portela. T’Challa and Storm leave space behind to settle some business at home. Battles Royale ensue.

CLOUDS ABOVE SC written and illustrated by Jordan Crane. A book-length, all-ages adventure of a boy and his cat. Originally a HC release in 2005 this paperback edition contains five pages of new material. Very cool. Recommended.

DAN DARE #5 of 7 by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine. As the Mekon makes his move Dan takes command of the fleet. Great stuff for fans of space opera, war comics, and Ennis/Erskine.

DAREDEVIL #106 by Ed Brubaker and Paul Azaceta. DD grapples with the finality of his wife's madness. Punks beware! Recommended.

GRAVEL #2 by Warren Ellis Mike Wolfer, and Raulo Caceres. Combat Magician versus stampeding, blood-thirsty ghost horses! Didn’t Casper have one of those? Yeah, “Nightmare the Ghost Horse.” She was sweet….

GREEN LANTERN #29 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. A flashback to the early days of Hal Jordan’s GL career and the beginnings of Sinestro’s obsession with “Darkest Night.”

HELLBLAZER #242 by Andy Diggle and Leonardo Manco. Constantine’s enemies team up to get him! Will they ever learn…?

JACK KIRBY’S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL. 4 HC written and illustrated by The King! The final volume of the Forever People, New Gods, Mister Miracle, and lots of extras!

MIGHTY AVENGERS #11 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. It’s Bagley’s last issue featuring a diabolical dust-up with Doctor Doom!

NEW AVENGERS #39 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Mack. KABUKI creator David Mack illustrates Echo versus the Skrulls.

PREVIEWS from Diamond and Marvel Comics. Who knows where we’ll all be in three months? Only Marvel and Diamond Comics.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BOOSTER GOLD VOL. 1 SC by Dan Jurgens, John Byrne and others. Collecting the first 25 issues. Why not?

SPIDER-MAN: WITH GREAT POWER #3 of 5 by David Lapham and Tony Harris. The early days of Spidey’s wrestling career when Uncle Ben still lived and life sucked anyway. This comic doesn’t. Great art. Great fun.

SPIRIT #15 by Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragones, and Mike Ploog. Featuring action, laughs, and diamond smuggling! Recommended!

TRANSHUMAN #1 of 4 by Jonathan Hickman and Jm Ringuet. A mockumentary-style comic about the creation and marketing of the world’s first superhumans by the creator of NIGHTLY NEWS, PAX ROMANA, and RED MASS FOR MARS. “Spinal Tap” Meets Supers! Yowza!

ULTIMATE HUMAN #3 of 4 by Warren Ellis and Cary Nord. More sock ‘em ups with Ultimate Cannibal Hulk and Ultimate Drunk Iron Man!

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #1 by Fred Van Lente and Andrea Di Vito. Could the co-creator of ACTION PHILOSOPHERS possibly be giving us that rarest of creations, a WOLVERINE comic that does not suck? Signs point to “Maybe.” Guest-starring Kitty Pryde and the X-Men.

WORLD WAR HULK: AFTERSMASH: DAMAGE CONTROL #3 of 3 by Dwayne McDuffie and Salva Espin. This has been a funny, clever little mini-series even if the title screams "Marvel Zombies Only!" Worth a read now or in trade.

X-MEN LEGACY #209 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Formerly known as just plain old "X-MEN" this issue features another philosophical tete-a-tete between Magneto and Professor X. There's fights and lasers too.

www.johnjudy.net

Thompson nominated for award by peers that doesn't come with $10 grand attached

Richard's written in to say that he's been nominated for the National Cartoonists Society's Division Award for Comic Strips, colloquially known as a Reuben (of which he's won two in the past, I note parenthetically) for his new strip Cul de Sac. The award will be given in May in New Orleans. Congratulations, Richard!

A comic strip?

Brian, a friend at work saw this in an antique store in New Orleans and took this picture for me.

After mulling it over for a week and talking to two other historians of medicine who write on comics, I called up and ordered it. I haven't printed it yet, but flopping and inverting the picture lets you see it:


So it's a printing block for a fundraising ad campaign for the March of Dimes to conquer polio. Pretty neat especially the iron lung in the center. I'm going to try to ink it and print it, and we'll see what results I get. Perhaps we can make prints as write-in prizes!

Dilbert, Gorey via Staake and Thompson in Saturday's Post, Sunday book reviews

It doesn't appear to be online, but the Post ran a letter to the editor - "Dilbert's 'Jesus'is offensive" by Earl H. Foote of College Park.

Also, the Style Invitational Contest is poetry couplets ala Edward Gorey ...

You know - the Post's website sucks as far as linking up with the print version. The Washington City Paper ran a good article a few weeks ago as to why that is - the two operations have nothing to do with each other and aren't even in the same state.

Here's the Gorey contest with the excellent Staake parody cartoon.

Finally Richard Thompson's got one of his excellent Spring cartoons in the Poor Alamanac, but I'm not even going to look for it. And Get Fuzzy complains about the comics page being stuck in 1954.

Tomorrow's book reviews are online as well - The Ten-Cent Plague is reviewed in "Horror! Suspense! Censorship! A cultural critic recounts how comics were ripped out of kids' grubby hands." Reviewed by Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post Book World Sunday, March 23, 2008; Page BW08. The new Kirby book is reviewed in "The Fantastic One: The father of so many superheroes could never conquer the forces of corporate America." Reviewed by Glen David Gold, Sunday, March 23, 2008; Page BW08.

As a reminder, Ann Telnaes cartoons keep appearing.

Thompson covers Post magazine

For you collectors, Richard Thompson's done the cover caricatures for the March 23 Post magazine.

Cul de Sac lack puzzles columnist at mag back

Gene Weingarten took the following question on his Post chat this week:

Cul de S, AC: Hi Gene -

Sorry if you've already discussed this, but who do we write at the Post to (politely) ask the paper to add the daily version of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac to the comics page?

I only found out today that there IS a daily version (bwuh?).

I know the comics page is precious real estate, but it seems like the Post of all papers ought to carry the strip. Plus, it's great. Thanks.

Gene Weingarten: I know. I cannot understand why we are not carrying it.

You write to Deborah Heard, Assistant Managing Editor/Style.

March 22: Plastic Farm signing in Frederick

Colin S. sent in a notice that Danielle Corsetto, Jack Warrenfeltz and Rafer Roberts will be signing the new Plastic Farm paperback collection at Beyond Comics in Frederick, MD from noon until 7 pm.

Herblock award - more pictures of John Sherffius

Photos by Thuy Dong and Woody Woodis at the reception that followed the award.

Sherffius being stalked by Richard Thompson (in red shirt) and Rhode (in background).

Sherffius and Thuy Dong.

Thompson, Rhode (looking rather limp-wristed, but it was a manly shake - really) and Sherffius.

And a few pictures more...






And Alan Gardner of the Daily Cartoonist pointed out that Daryl Cagle's site has the submitted cartoons.

South Park interview in this week's Onion

And an expanded version online. I like having the printed copy too though.

There's a brief review of Chip Kidd's new book in there too.

Another Batchelor VD poster

This one wasn't in the National Museum of Health and Medicine's collection, so when I spotted it on ebay I bought it. I scanned it yesterday and added the e-version to the Museum's collection; since we don't have an acquisitions budget to buy things, there's no conflict of interest. I'll probably donate it someday, but at the moment I'm enjoying ownership.

Herblock award presented to John Sherffius

Last night editorial cartoonist John Sherffius was presented with the fifth annual Herblock Award. Richard Thompson and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend.

The Herblock foundation fellow introducing Sherffius quoted our link buddy Dave Astor's interview with the cartoonist. She also noted that Sherffius had resigned from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the end of 2003 over editorial interference, an account of which can be found in the New York Times. She noted that he had 'entered a body of work' all of which was critical of George Bush, the current.

Sherffius introduced his family and then made some excellent remarks (which should be on the Herblock award site someday) saying, "I am angry..." at the Bush administration for a litany of failures and malfeasance including "outright contempt for our Constitution..." I would have voted for him right then, but he followed up with "This is not the America I want for my children; this is not the America I know." He carried onto note journalism's problems, stating, "it is grimly ironic that [while] we have one of the most abusive administrations in power, the press is withering within."

Tim Russert spoke for almost 45 minutes after Sherffius, telling Herblock anecdotes while musing on the role of a free press and its current failures. I'll try to recall some of the anecdotes, but one concerned Russert's predecessor on Meet the Press interviewing Herblock's nemesis Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy had brought a handgun to an interview, and when Russert was telling Herblock about it, Block interrupted to ask "What kind of gun?"

...Maybe you had to be there.

Richard and I accidentally closed down the place while waiting to meet John, who was very pleasant, so we gave him a ride to his hotel and tried to convince him to do some reprint books.


Library cartoon cataloger Woody Woodis, ace blogger Richard Thompson and ComicsDC public face Mike Rhode. Photo by Thuy Dong.

Sherffius wins another award to be presented in DC

Religion Communicators Council Announces Wilbur Award Winners
Posted : Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:45:55 GMT
Author : Religion Communicators Council


CHANTILLY, Va., March 17 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2008 Wilbur Awards recognizing outstanding work in the secular media that addresses religious issues, themes and values are being presented April 5 at the Westfields Marriott Hotel Washington Dulles.

The annual awards are presented by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) and named for Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in the field of religion public relations.

The Wilbur Awards banquet and recognition ceremony will conclude the annual RCC national convention April 3-5. RCC, based in New York, is a 79-year-old interfaith organization of professional communicators working in the field of religion. It is the oldest and largest organization of its kind.

The awards being presented, for work completed in 2007, are:

Newspaper (National/Top 15 markets): "Blood and Faith: In Turkey, A Judge's Murder Puts Religion in Spotlight," Philip Shishkin, The Wall Street Journal.

Newspaper (Other Markets): "Lifetime Calling," Jennifer Garza, The Sacramento Bee; Rick Rodriguez, editor.

Magazine (National/Top 15 markets): "A Mile in His Shoes," by Kate Braestrup; Jane Chesnutt, editor, Woman's Day.

Magazine (Other Markets): "Leaps of Faith," by Paul Singer and Brian Friel, National Journal, Charles Green, editor.

Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip: John Sherffius, Boulder, Colo., Daily Camera.

Books Non-Fiction: "A Match Made In Heaven," Zev Chafets, HarperCollins Publishers.

Television Drama: Saving Grace, "Bring It On Earl," Nancy Miller, writer and executive producer; Gary A. Randall and Artie Mandelberg, executive producers; Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, director, Turner Network Television (TNT).

Television News (Network or National Syndication): "In God We Trust," CBS News, Sunday Morning, Rand Morrison, executive producer; Martha Teichner, correspondent; Brian H. Healy, Jason Schmidt, producers; Estelle Popkin, senior broadcast producer.

Television Documentary: "In God's Name," CBS News - 48 Hours, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, filmmakers.

Radio (Single Program): Tapestry: "Rumi," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Hosted by Mary Hynes; Erin Pettit, producer.

Feature Film (Drama): "Amazing Grace," Walden Media, Ken Wales, producer.

Web-Based Communications (Blogs): Faith & Works, "Is Civil Rights History Wrong?" Peter Smith, Courier-Journal.com, Louisville, Ky.

The awards banquet this year is being hosted by Mary Jacobs. She is a longtime freelance writer for the Dallas Morning News' award-winning Religion section and has also written for Religion News Service. In 2004, Ms. Jacobs was named Religion Communicator of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Religion Communicators Council. With an English degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, she has worked in communications for Bain & Company in Boston, and was news producer for WJW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland.

Each Wilbur Award recipient receives a handmade stained glass trophy in recognition of the honor.

For more information and details about the 2008 Wilbur Awards banquet, visit the RCC Web site at http://www.religioncommunicators.org/.

Religion Communicators Council

OT: Annual King Kong (1933) plea for stuff

My friend Miron Murcury, who's guest-blogged here, has a request:

Simply put, I fan-aticly collect all things related to Willis O'Brien's masterwork: King Kong.

I am always searching for new old material. You'd have a grateful friend by sharing any The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), etc. ephemera.

I'd love to be shown early newspaper strips with Kong-like creatures or similar situations such as characters climbing a tall building.

Especially interesting would be European and South American cartoon interpretations of 'The Lost World.' A. Conan Doyle's original 1912 novel was also the first paleontologicly accurate dinosaur adventure film and introduced the motif of giant monsters loose in a city to film audiences.

The best pre-1933 creature-on-the-loose cartoon is, hands down, Winsor McCay's 'The Pet.' To your knowledge has anything been written about this early animated cartoon short?

'The Lost World' and 'King Kong' references in comicbooks and editorials are legion. The iconic King Kong has been employed from New York to San Francisco. Has he ever been used in your local newspaper? Please save copies for me if you see them.

I wish to reemphasize how ridiculously important this is to me: nothing is to small or trite to escape my magnetic interests.

Oxymoronishly yours,
MM

Email him at MironMurcury@aol.com

Ellen Berg's Miss Columbia research

Ellen Berg is one of the Library of Congress's Swann Fellows this year and spoke there recently on her research on the missing Miss Columbia. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interviewed her about her project as well as other political icons.

Baltimore City Paper reviews GEM's Scrooged exhibit UPDATED

Read "One Quack Mind: Good Duck Artist Carl Barks' Best Work Sadly Lost to The Dustbin," by Christopher Skokna, and then go see the exhibit and make up your own mind.

UPDATE: Andy H of GEM wrote in to note, "The two Carl Barks non-Disney series we have representations from are:

Famous Figures of History as They Might Have Looked Had Their Genes Gotten Mixed with Waterfowl

Kings and Queens of Myth and Legend."

While I agree with the Baltimore City Paper review that these aren't great works of art for all time, I do think for the student of comics or Carl Barks, they're very interesting and rarely seen. So there.

Progress on my Pekar book

I got a letter from the University Press of Mississippi today telling me that they'd be sending the page proofs soon! Whoo-hoo! And thanks to Randy Scott of Michigan State U's Comic Art Collection for doing the index for me.

Nate Beeler wins Virginia Press Association award

Today's Examiner is reporting that Nate Beeler won the the Virginia Press Association's first place in editorial cartooning on Sunday. The formal award appears to be "Best in Show for Daily Art" but I can't find it on either the Examiner or the VPA website. In any event, congratulations, Nate!

Darrin Bell's Candorville appears to chastise Post

Darrin Bell in today's Candorville appears to chastise the Post for dropping his strip two weeks ago. His main character Lemont Brown says "I wrote a series of posts satirizing how the Secret Service isn't diligent enough in protecting presidential candidates, and the Chronicle wouldn't run it!" Methinks he wrote chronicles that the Post wouldn't run.

Zadzooks on New Frontier DVD

See "New Frontier DVD puts Justice League in focus," Washington Times March 15, 2008, By Joseph Szadkowski.

Tom Toles video on Post website

See Tom Toles in timelapse photography from sketch to finished drawing in "Timelapse: From Sketch to Cartoon."

Onion swings at Marmaduke

This article's in the paper edition that's out now too - Some Old Man Still Churning Out Marmaduke, Onion March 14, 2008 | Issue 44•11.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-19-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-19-08
By John “I get paid $5500 an hour to do this!” Judy

AL CAPP’S COMPLETE SHMOO: THE COMIC BOOKS HC written and illustrated by Capp Studios. Featuring Super Shmoo, Frankenshmoo, and Fu Manshoo! If you have to ask…

ALL WE EVER DO IS TALK ABOUT WOOD GN written and illustrated by Tom Horacek. A collection of Horacek’s morbidly funny single panel cartoons. Definitely for fans of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, and Ivan Brunetti. Recommended.

ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL #5 by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru. So he’s not a vampire anymore….?

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. A special hardcover 20th anniversary edition designed to torture Alan Moore by reminding him of how tied he remains to DC even though he refuses to cash their checks. Of course some of us are tortured by the knowledge that it’s been 20 years since we bought this book new on the stands… Also contains the story “An Innocent Guy” from BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE.

BRAVE AND BOLD #11 by Mark Waid and Jerry Ordway. Superman and Ultraman team up to save the day. Sorry manga fans, it’s a different Ultraman.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #36 by Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice, and Mike Perkins. Bucky continues making the role of Captain America his own. Hard.

EX MACHINA #5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Mayor Hundred is haunted by the ghosts of African slaves. And metaphors.

GHOST RIDER #21 by Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi. Pure, out of control motorcycle madness, reminiscent of the best of Garth Ennis's PREACHER. Highly recommended, even though you hated the movie.

GRENDEL: BEHOLD THE DEVIL #5 of 8 written and illustrated by Matt Wagner. Gee fights monsters! Recommended.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #13 by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Tonci Zonjic, and David Aja. Okay, when the "What Has Gone Before" page starts reading like a novella you may be getting a tad challenging for new readers to get on board. Just sayin'... Pretty good comic anyway.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 4 HC by Stan Lee, John Buscema, Gene Colan, and John Romita Sr. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA #114-124, featuring the Red Skull, the Falcon, MODOK, Nick Fury, AIM, and the cosmic cube! The more things change…

OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOL. 38 HC & SC with your choice of covers: Marvel Villains by Mark Sparacio or Star Wars by Doug Wheatley. For some reason there also seems to be a Joe Shuster Superman cover being advertised on the net but there’s no mention of this from the publisher. Weird.

SUPER FRIENDS #1 by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela. Fun for all ages, featuring smiling Batman with the yellow oval on his chest!

TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN #1 of 12 by Dan Jurgens and Friends. It’s trademark renewin’ time, kids! Alternate universe super-heroes meet their namesakes. Personally I wanna see the Just Imagine Stan Lee and Realworlds versions roll in! If you get these references you’re old.

THOR #7 J. Michael Straczynski and Marko Djurdjevic. A really great issue, among the high points for JMS and Thor in general. Setting up what will no doubt be some very interesting stories in months to come. Highly recommended.

WAR IS HELL: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #1 by Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin. A heavy-hitting creative team tackles the World War I aviator’s adventures in “graphic” style. Not for kids. Highly recommended.

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #23 Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. Okay, Daniel Way is starting to win me over now that he is writing a Three Stooges comic with blood. He’s found a groove that works for him. Now let's make this non-continuity and have a ball. Not for younger kids. Seriously.

www.johnjudy.net

Picoult booksigning CANCELLED for this Saturday

I called Borders today to check on the availability of her Wonder Woman story arc and was told that she had to cancel her appearance.

Washington Times comics survey

The Times actually has a pretty good comics page. I frequently pick it up in Walter Reed's lobby and tear it out for Michigan State's collection. Harry Bliss' panel is particularly interesting since he'd been known as a New Yorker cartoonist before starting this, but also has been doing children's books. I don't know why they put this on their website, but not in the paper though. Seems to defeat the purpose of it...

Calling all funnies afficionados

The Washington Times is evaluating the items on our Comics page, and we'd like your input.

As it stands, we've got 17 comic strips running on our page. We want to know what you like, what you don't like and even what you feel we're missing.

Our collection ranges from a playful pair of fraternal twins and their grandmother in Grand Avenue to the saucy quips of Fred Basset and the motherly musings of Rose is Rose.

We've also got the indomitable Crankshaft, the geeky but genial Monty and the lovable pup Buckles.

And of course, we've got the daily high school dramas in the long-running Funky Winkerbean, The Buckets' family foibles and the good-natured ribbings of Herb & Jamaal .

The dashing Dick Tracy sniffs out criminals on our page, and the characters of Crock lampoon society and each other out in the desert while the cavemen of B.C. escape the jaws of dinosaurs.

Our Rubes strip is biting but side-splitting, and Bizarro is, well, bizarre.

Rounding out our team is the intrepid maid Hazel, the self-titled strip of Harry Bliss and feline frolicking in Cats With Hands.

For the next two weeks, we're asking our readers to e-mail us the names of their four favorite comic strips. We'd also like to know which ones don't tickle your funny bone and even the names of 'toons we aren't running but are worth a look.

Please send your comments to comics@washingtontimes.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

--Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times

Posted on March 11, 2008

March 26: Gene Yang booksigning at Big Planet Comics

On Wednesday, March 26, from 7-8, Gene Yang will be signing copies of his award-winning American Born Chinese at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.

Post censors Candorville again

Gene Weingarten posted the information about the Post censoring Candorville again on his chat - again the Post didn't tell us that they were keeping us safe from thinking on the comics page.

Weingarten wrote, Once again, The Post dropped a few Candorvilles because they (see them online here) dealt with security for Barack Obama. I am beginning to think this is a mistake by The Post. Darrin Bell has a point he wants to make: This one is based on stories in the Dallas paper that security was not as tight as it should have been for an Obama visit, given the unusual threats he faces.

They appear to have dropped the whole week of March 3rd strips.

March 15: Jodi Picoult signs

March 15th, 7:30 P.M. Jodi Picoult reads from and signs her new novel, Change of Heart, at Borders Books-Baileys Crossroads, 703-998-0404.

I'm sure she'd sign the collected Wonder Woman arc that came out recently too.

Thanks to Randy T for the tip.

That Thurber anecdote redux

Richard's got a longer and better version on his blog now.

"All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why." – James Thurber, writer and cartoonist.

ICAF moves to Chicago; Rhode refuses to attend

This will be the first one that I've missed. Bah.

The Thirteenth Annual INTERNATIONAL COMIC ARTS FORUM (ICAF)
October 9-11, 2008

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.saic.edu)

The International Comic Arts Forum invites scholarly paper presentations for its thirteenth annual meeting, to be held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, from Thursday, October 9, through Saturday, October 11, 2008. The deadline to submit proposals is May 1, 2008 (see below for proposal guidelines and submission information). Proposals will be refereed via blind review.

We welcome original proposals from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspectives on any aspect of comics or cartooning, including comic strips, comic books, albums, graphic novels, manga, webcomics, political cartoons, gag cartoons, and caricature. Studies of aesthetics, production, distribution, reception, and social, ideological, and historical significance are all equally welcome, as are studies that address larger theoretical issues linked to comics or cartooning, such as image/text relationships. In keeping with its mission, ICAF is particularly interested in studies that reflect an international perspective.

ICAF is proud to be hosted this year by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a leader in art education and a vital part of Chicago's arts community. In order to create a conference program that reaches out to that community and reflects Chicago's rich heritage of comic art, we particularly invite proposals which touch on cartoonists and publications from the city and surrounding region. Chicago is a major hub of American cartooning, the wellspring of a tremendous variety of work: from the political cartoons of John T. McCutcheon and Bill Mauldin, to the pioneering comic strips of the Chicago Tribune, to the seminal underground cartooning in the Chicago Mirror, Chicago Seed, and Bijou Funnies, to the "independent" comics boom of the 1980s, to contemporary alternative comics by Chris Ware and a host of others. In hopes of building a conference that responds to this important heritage, ICAF invites proposals with special interest in comics and cartoons from Chicago and the American Midwest.

PROPOSAL GUIDELINES: For its refereed presentations, ICAF prefers argumentative, thesis-driven papers that are clearly linked to larger critical, artistic, or cultural issues; we strive to avoid presentations that are merely summative or survey-like in character. We can accept only original papers that have not been presented or accepted for publication elsewhere. Presenters should assume an audience versed in comics and the fundamentals of comics studies. Where possible, papers should be illustrated by relevant images. In all cases, presentations should be timed to finish within the strict limit of twenty (20) minutes (that is, roughly eight to nine typed, double-spaced pages). Proposals should not exceed 300 words.

AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT: ICAF's preferred format for the display of images is MS PowerPoint. Regretfully we cannot accommodate non-digital media such as transparencies, slides, or VHS tapes. Presenters should bring their PowerPoint or other electronic files on a USB key or CD, not just on the hard drive of a portable computer. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our equipment with presenters' individual laptops.

REVIEW PROCESS: All proposals will be subject to blind review by the ICAF Executive Committee, with preference given to proposals that observe the above standards. The final number of papers accepted will depend on the needs of the conference program. Due to increasing interest in the conference, in recent years ICAF has typically been able to accept only one third to one half of the proposals it has received.

SEND ABSTRACTS (with COMPLETE contact information) by May 1, 2008, to Prof. Cécile Danehy, ICAF Academic Coordinator, via email at .

Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged immediately; if you do not receive acknowledgment within three days of sending your proposal, please resubmit. Applicants should expect to receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection by May 16, 2008.

C.D. Batchelor's anti-VD campaign

C.D. Batchelor was a Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist whose career lasted for almost 50 years in New York. One can see similarities in the 1937 Pulitzer winning cartoon and the anti-venereal disease cartoons reproduced below from the collections of the National Museum of Health and Medicine.


"Warning: these enemies are still lurking around. Syphilis.
Gonorrhea." Cartoon by C..D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygiene Association, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. (Reeve79101-67)


"Two girls I know want to meet you in the worst way." C.D. Batchelor, American Social Hygiene Association. (Reeve79101-62)


"The glory of manhood is strength. Keep clean for the heritage of the cleanly is strength." Cartoon by C..D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygiene Association, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. (Reeve79101-52)


"Boys your sweetheart, your wife or your parents may never know it if you contract a venereal disease - but I'll know it and I'll suffer from it." Cartoon by C.D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygiene Association, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. (Reeve79101-11)


"Enemy agent. U.S. War Effort. Venereal Disease." Cartoon by C.D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygiene Association, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. (Reeve79101-16)


"'My boy was wounded in the African landing.' 'Mine was wounded in this country by a street walker.'" Cartoon by C..D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygiene Association, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. (Reeve79101-31)

Note the difference in quality between Batchelor's original above, and the Army's copy below:


"My boy was wounded in the African landing. Mine was wounded in this country by a street walker." World War 2. "Cartoon by C.C. Batchelor of the New York Daily News for the American Social Hygene Asociation, 1790 Broadway, New York, N.Y. Reproduced by Div. S.S.C. for distribution by Surgeon 3rd Armored Div." (Reeve74964-6.jpg)

Collections of his papers are in Witchita State University's Library in THE CARTOON COLLECTION OF C. D. BATCHELOR, MS 90-16 and C. D. Batchelor Papers - An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University.

JICC show of of paintings by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki.

The Japanese Information and Culture Center downtown has a show of paintings by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. See "Iconic Edo Landscapes? Not Quite," By Lavanya Ramanathan, Washington Post Saturday, March 8, 2008; C12.

April 24: Poe in Comics exhibit opening (revised date)

The Incredible Mr. Poe: Edgar Allan Poe in the Comics
An Exhibition

In 1941, Russian immigrant Albert Lewis Kanter tried to introduce young people in the United States to fine literature by incorporating the classics into something they were already reading—comic books. In 1944, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” appeared in Kanter’s Classic Comics series, and ever since adaptations of both Poe and his works have been regular features in comic books and graphic novels, many of which will be on display April 24 to October 31 at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond (www.poemuseum.org). Poe has even appeared as a comics hero himself alongside Batman and Scooby Doo.

M. Thomas Inge, Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and Poe Foundation trustee, has studied comic art for over forty years and published several books on the subject. His collection of comic books from childhood will form the core of the upcoming exhibition which is curated by Richmond artist Chris Semtner.

Also featured will be original artwork by such comic artists and illustrators as Rick Geary, Richard Corben, Gahan Wilson, Gris Grimly, Bill Griffith, and Patrick McDonnell, as well as proof sheets and original pages for some of the Classics Illustrated and other comic book versions loaned by collector Jim Vacca of Boulder, Colorado. An illustrated book and catalog will be available for purchase from the Museum Gift Shop with proceeds going to the Museum.

This will be the first exhibition ever devoted to the comic books and graphic narratives that have helped keep Poe’s name and works in the public eye for over sixty years. An opening reception will be held Thursday evening April 24, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., with an Unhappy Hour, food, and music, free and open to the public. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is located at 1914 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223, phone 804 648-5523. For more information contact Rebecca Jones at becca@poemuseum.org or call toll free 888 21EAPOE.

Greg LaRoque article in Sun

Greg LaRoque, who lives outside Baltimore is featured in "LaRoque: Quick on the draw; Illustrator to put his touch on Velocity miniseries," By Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun Movie Critic, March 9, 2008.

I always enjoyed his work and got to tell him so and buy some original art at last year's Baltimore Comic-Con.

James Thurber anecdote courtesy of Richard Thompson

Richard reports, "So at my neighbor's daughter's Bat Mitzvah I was chatting with one of his co-workers, a guy who'd grown up around here. He told me that James Thurber had his childhood bow and arrow eyeball accident at a farm that used to be off Rte 7 in Falls Church, and there's even a James Thurber Court there now that marks where the farm stood. I thought it all happened in Columbus OH."

Me too! Who knew a famous cartoonist almost blinded here?

Adrian Tomine "Shortcomings" signing pictures

Here's some photographs from Adrian Tomine's signing of Shortcomings at Politics and Prose. He spoke for about 45 minutes and you can buy a cd recording from the bookstore.


This slide shows a page of original art that he sketched and then changed when inking it. Previous to "Shortcomings" he wrote a full script before drawing anything.


This and the next slide show real buildings he drew.





Tomine's been asked if this is autobiographical, partly due to the resemblance you can see between him and his main character Ben Tanaka, "who's a prick".



There have been a lot of Tomine interviews done lately (list available on request) and you can see a link to Scott Rosenberg's on this blog. Tomine specifically singled out an NPR one as asking him a question he hates - why he hasn't done more "Asian-American experience" comics. That would probably be this interview -

Gross, Terry. 2008.
Adrian Tomine, Drawing Delicately from Life.
National Public Radio and WHYY's Fresh Air (January 31).
online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18571923

Movie-theater owner Ben Tanaka is having relationship issues; his girlfriend, Miko, suspects he's secretly attracted to white women. (She's right, but he won't admit it.)

In Shortcomings, Asian-American graphic novelist Adrian Tomine (Scrapbook, Summer Blonde) has finally done what many fans and critics have suggested he should: addressed race in his work.

Tomine is celebrated for the grace and sophistication of his work; novelist Jonathan Lethem says that "his mastery of literary time suggests Alice Munro," and Junot Diaz says Tomine's "dramatic instincts are second-to-none."

- and of course, one of the four or five questions he got at P&P was this question too.

Other countries have cartoon stamps too

Here's the stamps from a package a French friend sent with Tintin and other cartoon stamps. Unfortunately, when I mailed a package in return to him, the clerk didn't hear when I asked for $36 worth of stamps and instead gave me a printed postage label.


Material like this will appear on my new Cartoonphilately blog.

Richard Thompson finger puppet

Today's puppet in the Post was McCain. I'm sure Richard will put it on his blog later this week. If you make it, hold it under some running water and see if it seems tortured.

Sports cartoonist Willard Mullin original art viewing

Today, I saw more of Willard Mullin's art than I ever will again. Politico editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker, Washington Examiner editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler and myself admired Warren's collection of sports cartoonist Willard Mullin's work, including pages of original art. Here's some pictures.


Warren, Matt and Nate look at published advertising works.












Washington Examiner editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler admiring sports cartoonist Willard Mullin's original art. That's a Washington Senators baseball caricature that Nate's peering at.

Matt Wuerker wins award

Matt Wuerker, cartoonist and illustrator for the Politico has won a 3rd place National Headliner Award for the Newspapers/Magazines: Illustrative Graphics catagory. I'm not quite sure what category that is, but Matt's drawn maps and who knows what else for the paper - just like the cartoonists in the early 20th century used to do. Congratulations!

Self-righteous but Forgettable - letter on Staake

This letter published in the Post refers to the Bob Staake cartoon reproduced above. If anyone can tell me what's blasphemous, I'd be glad to hear a semi-cogent argument. Spare me any righteous angst though please. I really don't understand why the cartoon is worse than the contest.

Sacrilegious but Forgivable
Washington Post Saturday, March 8, 2008; Page A13

I was not happy to see a drawing of Jesus in an Elvis Presley-style jumpsuit in the March 1 Style Invitational. As a Christian, I find that blasphemous, and it made me angry with the cartoonist and the people who would publish such a cartoon.

For a second, I empathized with the people who were angry with Danish newspapers that published a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad. Then I remembered that Jesus loves the cartoonist whose work appeared in The Post anyway and expects me to do the same.

Jesus's teachings called for us to love others. What a difference it would make if everyone did that.

-- Shannon Howell

Videogame animation art called terror threat

See "Terror-Themed Game Suspended: Iraqi-Born Artist Asserts Censorship After Exhibit Is Shut Down," By Robin Shulman, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, March 8, 2008; A03.

Post reviewed Katchor play

Missed this yesterday, but the play's in New York anyway - "'Slug Bearers,' a Musical That Breaks the Mold" By Peter Marks, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, March 6, 2008; C01.

Comics in Smithsonian's American Art journal

The next issue from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (or whatever they're calling themselves this week) has several articles on comics, including one by the Library of Congress's Martha Kennedy (who recently passed a copy in a plain brown wrapper to me). See http://americanart.si.edu/education/art_journal.cfm and follow the links for ordering info, but since the issues not live yet, here are the citations from the Comics Research Bibliography's holding slush pile:

Roeder, Katherine. 2008.
Looking High and Low at Comic Art.
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 2-9

Kennedy, Martha H. 2008.
Drawing (Cartoons) from Artistic Traditions.
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 10-14

Coyle, Heather Campbell. 2008.
Caricature and Criticism in Art Academies.
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 15-17

Goerlitz, Amelia A. 2008.
An Interview with Cartoonist Jessica Abel.
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 18-22

Nel, Philip. 2008.
The Fall and Rise of Children's Literature.
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 23-27

Wang, ShiPu. 2008.
Japan against Japan: U.S. Propaganda and Yasuo Kuniyoshi's Identity Crisis [World War 2 caricature].
American Art 22 (1; Spring): 28-51

new comic Jane Quiet by my friend Kate

Go to Kate Laity's website to buy the new comic that she and Elena Steier have done. Minor DC connection - Kate's been a houseguest and Elena comes to the Cartoons and Cocktails auction.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-12-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-12-08
By John Judy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #553 by Bob Gale and Phil Jimenez. One of the best illustrated Spidey stories in a while. Jimenez knows his stuff and “Back to the Future” screenwriter Gale is quickly learning the ropes of comics scripting. Worth a look, even if the whole Spidey-verse feels out of whack since the Deus Ex Mephisto business.

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #5 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. The further adventures of the most conflicted lycanthrope hero on the stands today. Good stuff, appropriate for older kids.

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #10 by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. Mayhem abounds now that evil MVP clone KIA has an ultimate weapon in his hands. It’s the sort of government-run super-hero program you’d expect during the Bush years. “Heckuva job, Slottie!” Recommended.

BOOSTER GOLD #7 by Geoff Johns and Dan Jurgens. Blue Beetle’s back! But so is Maxwell Lord. And those stupid OMACs. Seriously, enough with them already…

COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #6 of 8 by Steve Gerber and Others. Now sadly among the last works of the great Steve Gerber who passed away recently from a smoking-related illness.

DMZ#29 by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. A new story-arc begins as the US and Free States begin peace talks and a Che Guevara type player emerges. Also out this week is DMZ VOL. 4: FRIENDLY FIRE SC by Wood and Burchielli. A good jumping-on point for this exciting series.

FANTASTIC FOUR #555 by Mark Millar and Brian Hitch. A swell adventure story with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from the original ULTIMATES creative team. Recommended.

HARVEY COMICS CLASSICS VOL. 3: HOT STUFF SC by Various Creators. Collecting over 100 tales of comics’ original Little Devil, the Demon in a Diaper: HOT STUFF! A perfect gateway for all age groups into hardcore Satanism! Highly recommended!

LAST DEFENDERS #1 of 6 by Joe Casey, Keith Giffen, and Jim Muniz. Answering the musical question "How Often Do You Need to Publish a Title to Retain an Active Trademark?" Doo-wop, doo-wop...

MIGHTY AVENGERS #10 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. Okay, it’s a time-travel story. Just know that going in. There’s fights too.

PUNISHER #55 by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov. Ennis’s final PUNISHER story begins here. Gotta have it.

SERENITY: BETTER DAYS #1 of 3 by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad. A story from the pre-Big Screen days of Captain Mal Reynolds and his crew. Y’know, back when everyone was still alive. A nice preview is available at Dark Horse’s website. Recommended.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: PHANTOM STRANGER, VOL. 2 SC by Various Creators. Bronze and Silver Age fun from folks like Bob Haney, Jim Aparo, Marv Wolfman, Mike Grell, and others. Good for all ages.

THUNDERBOLTS #119 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato. Swordsman and Venom fight. It's awesome. Not for younger kids.

WALKING DEAD #47 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. After last issue’s shocking cast member death will Kirkman up the ante? The cover suggests he will. Devastating stuff. Recommended but NOT for kids.

WOLVERINE #63 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. It's official: There is a WOLVERINE comic on the stands that DOES NOT SUCK!!! Thank-you, Jason Aaron! Highly recommended.

WONDER WOMAN #18 by Gail Simone and Bernard Chang. Wonder Woman fights the Khunds. They’re an alien race. Honest. Oh stop it already…

X-FACTOR #29 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. A nicely illustrated first chapter blissfully apart from the various cross-overs and Events currently ricocheting around the Marvel Yoo. Also contains the most deeply buried credits page I've ever seen.

www.johnjudy.net

Michael Chabon, formerly of Columbia, MD, on superhero costumes

Secret Skin: An essay in unitard theory, by Michael Chabon, The New Yorker, March 10, 2008. He talks about growing up in Columbia toward the end of the essay.

Craig Fischer on his last time in Washington and Pat Oliphant

Craig's got a post on his Thought Balloonist blog about being in DC last fall for ICAF and seeing Pat Oliphant. Charles Hatfield, who was also there, responds, but fails to mention anything about DC at all.

Seriously, my buddies have a good blog going and it's well worth reading regularly.

Geppi branches out into movie theaters in Baltimore

See "Geppi to reopen cineplex at Westview," By Chris Kaltenbach | Baltimore Sun reporter, March 6, 2008.

Tomine article in Express

Scott Rosenberg's back - or at least writing locally. "On the heritage trail: Adrian Tomine knows his 'Shortcomings' - and he knows yours [Online title - Heritage Trail: Adrian Tomine]." Washington Post] Express (March 5): 22.

I'll be at the signing tonight.