Comics Buzz in today's Examiner

The May 1st Virginia edition of The Examiner has a good handful of comics-oriented blurbs.

The top of page 5 has a piece about the the Ditko Spidey pages going to the Library of Congress.

The List: Your Guide to Weekend Arts & Entertainment points out Free Comic Book Day as #4 of the top 5 "Best Family" events for the weekend on page 17, listing the URL (www.freecomicbookday.com).

They also list the Herblock's Presidents exhibit as the Best Gallery exhibit (page 18).

And, of course, Iron Man is listed as Best Movie (p. 18).

Good to have a comics-friendly paper hereabouts!

Herblock exhibit blog article

I still haven't written my review, but another press conference attendee has done his - "Poking Fun at the Presidents," By Kenneth R. Fletcher for the Smithsonian Magazine's Around the Mall blog April 30, 2008.

Library of Congress blogs, Smithsonian blogs... it's a brave new world.

Wash Post on Iron Man movie backstory

See "Nerve Of Steel: To Pull Off the Making of 'Iron Man' Took Some Transformative Powers," by John Anderson, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, May 1, 2008; C01.

Pretty good article - I like Robert Downey Jr. and I've got high enough hopes for this that I'm doing the geek thing and will be at the Uptown on Friday at 7 pm.

Semi-OT: Marc Weidenbaum on DJ Spooky in Nature

This one's stretching a little, but my friend and Viz Editor (and former Tower Records Pulse! comics editor) Marc Wiedenbaum's got a review of a new book by DJ Spooky, who was born in DC and has gone on to being, in Marc's words, "a centre-stage cultural figure — performer, composer, remixer, sound artist and activist." And it's in Nature!

See, if you can, Nature 453, 33-34 (1 May 2008); Published online 30 April 2008
An experimental musician explores how technology has transformed our cut-and-paste culture.
BOOK REVIEWED-Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture
edited by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky that Subliminal Kid
MIT Press: 2008. 416 pp (plus CD). $29.95, £17.95

Actually it's pretty interesting. I have little to no interest in the music that Spooky would be DJ'ing, but the concepts in the book sound intriguing.

OT: New York Times cartoon journalism on website

Cartoon journalism is one of those minor interests of mine, and somewhere I've got a bibliography of it floating around. For a new example, see the New York Times' "Primary Pen & Ink: Asheville, N.C." - Campbell Robertson, a reporter for The Times, and an occasional cartoonist, is talking to voters around North Carolina in the week leading up to the state’s primary on Tuesday. His reports will be presented in graphic form.

Wuerker takes flight

Matt Wuerker, cartoonist of The Politico, has painted a plane sculpture for Crystal Flight, in Crystal City, Arlington.

The event, running through is described on Crystal City's webpage:

In Spring 2008, Crystal City will celebrate its long-standing connection to flight when 50 airplane statues (25 fighter jets and 25 vintage planes) land on the streets of Crystal City. Each Crystal Flight plane is sponsored by an area business, designed and decorated by talented local artists, and then placed throughout Crystal City beginning April 2008. Aimed to attract visitors from all over, this series showcases
Crystal City's integral relationship with the concept of "Flight," as illustrated by the proximity to Washington National Airport and the local presence of the United States Air Force, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and more. Come see the fun, the creative, the whimsy.

There's also a map to the statues on that page. Matt's plane is right outside the subway station.

Kjscrafts describes Matt's plane as "This is a fun plane statue with an Uncle Sam looking pilot added to it. It red and white stripes on the body of the plane. The tail has a star and the word Politico (the sponsor for this particular statue)."

Anyone know if these will be for sale after the event? Anyone got a picture of Matt's plane?

Amazing Fantasy 15 - Library of Congress press release

The Library of Congress has issued a press release for the story we broke over a week ago, thanks to a casual conversation. Ahh, Washington - it's all in who you know...

Check out their blog post too, linked to further down in the press release. I grabbed two pictures from it, but there are a couple more.

(Photos from Library of Congress blog)
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

April 30, 2008

Press contact: Donna Urschel (202) 707-1639, durschel@loc.gov
Public contact: Sara W. Duke (202) 707-3630, sduk@loc.gov

Library of Congress Receives Original Drawings for the First Spider-man Story, “Amazing Fantasy #15”

In a deed of superheroic proportions, an anonymous donor has given the Library of Congress the original artwork by Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics’ “Amazing Fantasy #15” – the comic book that introduced Spider-Man in August 1962.

This unique set of drawings for 24 pages features the story of the origin of Spider-Man along with three other short stories – also written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko – for the same issue: “The Bell-Ringer,” “Man in the Mummy Case” and “There Are Martians Among Us.”

“The donation of these wonderful drawings is a treasured gift to the American people. The opportunity to see the original art behind the published stories will benefit comic-book readers as well as popular-culture scholars,” said Sara W. Duke, curator of Popular and Applied Graphic Art in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division. “Looking at the drawings inspires a new appreciation for the artist’s skill and design choices and also deepens our understanding of how a superhero created to attract a teenage audience became a cultural icon with mass appeal.”

For comic-book scholars and fans, this donation is a fantasy-come-true. Those who have heard the news of the survival of these drawings and their future availability at the Library of Congress have already expressed great excitement.

The black-and-white, large-format drawings (21 x 15 inches) detail the transformation of high school bookworm Peter Parker into Spider-Man. He is bitten by a radioactive spider, discovers his new powers and develops his now well-known disguise. The first episode concludes with several of the most famous lines attached to the story of Spider-Man: “With great power there must also come great responsibility … and so a legend is born and a new name is added to the roster of those who make the world of fantasy the most exciting realm of all.”

To view a sample of these drawings, visit the Library of Congress blog at http://www.loc.gov/blog/?p=290.

The donor, who has asked to remain anonymous, preserved the drawings with great care before turning to the Library of Congress to ensure that the designs will be available to researchers for generations to come. In the next few weeks, the Library plans to scan the drawings for easy access on-site in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, and the digital reference copies will also help preserve the fragile original artwork.

Appointments to view the original drawings can be requested through the Prints & Photographs Division’s “Ask a Librarian” service at http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-print.html.

The Spider-Man drawings join a premier collection of original cartoons in the Library’s Prints & Photographs Division. The collection includes more than 125,000 caricatures, comic strips, and political and social commentaries from the 1600s to the present. An ongoing program to preserve and exhibit drawings and to encourage cartoon research is sponsored by the Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon. For more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome.html.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, with more than 138 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. As the world’s largest repository of knowledge and creativity, the Library is a symbol of democracy and the principles on which this nation was founded. Today the Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site, in its 22 reading rooms on Capitol Hill, and through its award-winning Web site at www.loc.gov.

# # #

PR08-89

4/30/08

ISSN: 0731-3527

ICAF 2007 - Kyle Baker speaks

The International Comic Arts Forum was at the Library of Congress in 2007, and the Library routinely records events. The tapes of the event were given by ICAF to Michigan State University's Comic Art Collection, but I have a cd copy of them and was able to provide a mp3s of Kyle Baker speaking about his career for a researcher from the comix-scholars listserve, rather than putting Librarian Randy Scott to the effort of getting a tape duplicated. The tape was corrupted and had another program recorded over most of the first side of it - it picks up with Baker talking about when he was doing "King David." The second side moves onto "Nat Turner." The session ends with him answering semi-audible questions from the audience.

Baker's one of the best cartoonists working today in comic books today. I enjoy his work immensely (although I'm still disgruntled about how he and Andy Helfer abused my hero, The Shadow in the 1980s) and hearing him speak about it was a treat. Credit goes to Stanford Carpenter who booked him for ICAF.

Herblock 100th birthday book coming

I was fortunate enough to attend a preview of the National Portrait Gallery's new Herblock exhibit today - I'll post about that in the next day or so - and met Ms. Jean Rickard, Herb Block's Girl Friday for decades. She mentioned a project that the Herb Block Foundation is doing next year. It's a book about Herblock with DVDs of 16,000 of his cartoons included. The book includes a 4,000 word essay by Herblock's former colleague at the Post, Haynes Johnson. It comes out on his 100th birthday, October 13, 2009.

May 3: Free Comic Book Day offer from Hogan's Alley

One of the best general comics magazines is Hogan's Alley and I'm not saying that because I write for them once in a while. After all, they don't pay me. I'm saying it because it's true. And the editor Tom Heintjes is making an offer you can't refuse:

Mark your calendars for this Saturday, May 3: Free Comic Book Day! Send us an e-mail at hoganmag@gmail.com ON THAT DATE with your mailing address, and we’ll send you a FREE issue of Hogan’s Alley! No obligations, no strings attached; the only thing it will cost you is several hours as you enjoy the issue. (This offer is valid for all U.S. residents, whether you’re a current subscriber or not.) Remember the one condition--we must receive your e-mail request on Free Comic Book Day, not the day before or the day after.

Set your calendars now!

May 3: Free Comic Book Day signings

Randy T. had put this in a comment, but I think it's important enough to move it up into a post:

Pretty disappointed to see so few creator signings locally to coincide with this event (http://www.freecomicbookday.com/creator_signing.asp).

I did, however, notice that Matt Dembicki and Andrew Cohen will be signing at Beyond Comics in Gaithersburg, MD. I only found that since he was signing last year at Big Planet's Vienna, VA store and I figured he'd do so again this year, even though it's not on the creator signings listing at FCBD's web pages.

If you feel like traveling, though, try the following:

Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, MD is having Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Steve Conley (Star Trek), and John Gallagher (Buzzboy).

Collector's Corner in Parkville, MD is having Michael S. Bracco (Novo), Tony Calandra (No-One!), Pat Carlucci (Marvel Masterpieces), Ver Curtis (Moonstone Comics), Kata Dales (Lost in the Woods), J.D. Dracoules (Trailer Park of Terror), G.W. Fisher (Shadowhawk), Nathan Getz (No-One!), Ross Kerr (Lost in the Woods), Sunny Lee (Gen 13) [tentative], Chris March (Trailer Park of Terror), H.C. Noel (Mr. Scootles), and Frank Zeigler (Waki & Rusty).

Super Villains Inc. in Nottingham, MD is having Greg LaRocque (Legion of Super-Heroes), Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi), and Jeff Parker (Marvel Adventures: Iron Man – FCBD 2008 Ed.)

And Washington Street Books in Havre de Grace, MD is having Chelsea Carr (Baltimore Betty), Greg Cox (Star Trek), and Gale Heimbach (Green Hornet).

Keith Knight coming to Washington Post

In his newsletter's latest mailing, Keith wrote that his new strip will be appearing in the Washington Post, and went into more details:

Finally!! I can now blab all I want about the top secret project I've been working on these past 9 months (the OTHER 9 month project)..

*INTRODUCING "THE KNIGHT LIFE"..
The Knight Life is the new daily strip being syndicated by United Features Syndicate!! It's premiering on Monday, May 5th (Cinco De Mayo AND National Cartoonist's Day)!!

Honestly, folks. This is a dream come true. This is what I dreamt about as a kid. It's the big leagues. I want to thank everybody who has supported my work over the years. I hope you will continue to support it as it grows and expands like an American waistline.

FAQs-
WHAT'S "THE KNIGHT LIFE" ABOUT?

It's autobiographical like the K Chronicles. But different. It has to be, because of the format. It's a much more character-driven strip.

Sundays will be a combination of reformatted K Chronicles and new stuff-- all in sparkling, vibrant color!!

WHERE IS IT RUNNING?

It's starting up in a few choice places (Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Detroit,the Washington Post and more) , but not enough places. THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN!!

HOW CAN I GET "THE KNIGHT LIFE" IN MY LOCAL PAPER?

I need everybody to send a polite email, letter, or make a phone call to your local newspaper editor and kindly request that they consider adding "the Knight Life" to their comics page. You can tell 'em that the artist won a 2007 Harvey Award for Best Comic Strip, and that their circulation will quadruple if they add it. Don't threaten. Don't nag. Don't be too harsh about other strips.It may back fire. Please be nice.

Newspapers will sometimes ask their readers directly about the comics page. Others sometimes do a test run of strips. The Sacramento Bee and the Contra Costa Times will be testing the Knight Life for a week or two, so if you're up for it, hit 'em with good feedback after they start running it. Remember: AFTER IT APPEARS IN THE PAPER!! I'll be sending an email out about it.

I'm hoping that it's not just another "Doonesbury"-temporary-replacement-test-strip as Keith does some of the best comic strip work today. I buy his books regularly and last year at the Small Press Expo bought a piece of original art. You can find more information on the new strip in this press release and at the United Features site.

Comics in strange places

Today was the Folger Shakespeare Library's celebration of Big Will's birthday (which was actually last Wednesday). The Library opened their reading rooms to the public so I took a look and found this chair (or throne as the case may be):


The image of Shakespeare is purported to be by or "attributed to" William Hogarth.



Comics, comics, everywhere...

Michigan comic retailer injured in robbery, needs financial help

Joel Pollack of Big Planet Comics writes in with this link - David Pirkola needs help. More details on the story are at "Shooting of comic-book store owner stuns friends," By Dave Murray, The Grand Rapids Press Sunday, April 27, 2008.

May 4: Comics on WAMU

Herschel Kanter writes in:

WAMU's old time radio program, The Big Broadcast, is going to have comics on the radio (May 4th, apparently as the schedule listed is off by a week). You can listen online.

http://wamu.org/programs/bb/08/04/#2008-04-27

8:30p Sad Sack
06/12/46 1st Show of the Series (26:17)

9:00p Archie Andrews
07/06/46 Archie Fights the Masked Marvel (Sus.)(NBC) (29:30)

9:30p Mark Trail
10/23/50 Sticks of Fear (Kellogg's Corn Flakes)(MBS)(29:38)

10:00p Superman
12/10/49 Mystery of the Mechanical Monster (Sus.)(ABC)(29:32)

10:30p
The Nebbs 10/22/45 Fannie & George Switch Jobs (KHJ/MBS)(Cystex)(29:39)

Zadzooks on NY Comic Con

Living legends of comics win Comic Con honors, By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times April 26, 2008.

May 3: Free Comic Book Day

April 25, 2008 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

National Free Comic Book Day Hits Saturday, May 3rd

A Big Day for a Booming Industry

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3rd, the day after Paramount's Iron Man hits theaters, thousands of comic book retailers across North America and around the world will share the magic of comics with their customers when they distribute millions of comic books free of charge during the seventh consecutive Free Comic Book Day.

Comic industry heavyweights Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics are among the many publishers and manufacturers creating special titles for this year’s Free Comic Book Day. The free books appeal to a broad range of reader tastes, from exciting super-hero adventures for all ages to cutting-edge graphic fiction for older, more mature readers.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Free Comic Book Day for the seventh year in a row,” said Marvel President and Publisher Dan Buckley. “This is the best opportunity retailers have to actually increase readers and customers to their stores and each year has been more successful than the last. This event is about celebrating creative expression and the unique art form it represents.”

This year’s Free Comic Book Day is particularly special because it coincides with two major comic-related happenings: the eagerly awaited opening weekend of Paramount's Iron Man and National Cartoonists Day (a celebration sponsored by the National Cartoonists Society, the world's largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists). All three events promise to make this first weekend in May a memorable one for comic-lovers everywhere.

To find a store in your area and to learn more about Free Comic Book Day go to http://www.freecomicbookday.com.

Wash Post reviews Might B cartoon

"'Mighty B!': A Very Animated Heroine," By Jennifer Frey, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, April 26, 2008; C07 gives it a thumbs up. Of course, you've already missed it this morning.

Editorial cartoonist Nate Beeler spawns more than vitriolic wit

Nate and his wife Eve have a new son, Maxwell (Max) Owen Beeler as of April 18th. Congratulations, folks! I knew this was imminent, and was watching the Examiner to see if a whole week went by without one of Nate's cartoons, but I'm not sure if he skipped or not. I think he might have, but he had at least one in the week after Max was born - now that's a true cartoonist. Or freelancer. I get confused sometime.

KAL channel on youtube

KAL wrote in to say he now has "a channel on Youtube. It is the best way to view all the new Kal animations and movies including the most recent 3-D film featuring Hillary and Obama. Coming this week... a film discusses drawing Bill Clinton."

It's www.youtube.com/politicalcartoons

His existing website is www.kaltoons.com

OT: Comic Art Indigène: There were cartoons before the Sunday Comics and Super Heroes before the Super Man

This press release came in this morning and sounds interesting, so even though it's not DC...

Comic Art Indigène: There were cartoons before the Sunday Comics and Super Heroes before the Super Man
May 11, 2008 – January 4, 2009


Santa Fe, NM—Storytelling has long been a part of Native American culture. Comic Art Indigène which opens at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on May 11, 2008 looks at how storytelling has been used through comics and comic inspired art to express the contemporary Native American experience. Under the larger definition of narrative art, comic art is more related to Native American art traditions than one might expect. The earliest surviving examples of such narrative art is rock art. The historic examples used in the exhibition, such as photographs of rock art, ledger art, and ceramics are meant to link Native American art traditions with contemporary voices.

Making comics and producing art inspired by them is a method of reclaiming the narrative art form of comics and Native American culture from those who would dismiss an art for the masses. Today, Native American artists are reclaiming stereotypes used in earlier comic art depicting Indians as savage, war-like primitives or trusty sidekicks.

Two-fisted tales of suspense showcasing fantastic heroes and villains interacting with gods old and new have always been a part of Native American Culture. As the first widely accessible mass media, comic strips, and comic books, were consumed by Indian people as a recognizable and legitimate form of storytelling. Stories of humor, adventure and the fantastic depicted through pictures have always been an indigenous practice. Today’s Native American scribes grapple with the same topics emboldened with millennia-old cultural traditions, blended with new methods of expression and life in the 21st Century.

The exhibition begins with a photograph of a cartoon from the 13th century. The image of the red, white and blue pictograph of the All American Man, a shield carrying warrior from the Pueblo II period (carbon dated to ca. 1290) will be contrasted to a drawing of that other red, white and blue shield hurling hero, Captain America. The most recent works will be from 2008. The majority of Indian art will be from 1990 to the present day.

Comic Art Indigène examines how American Indian artists articulate identity, reclaim stereotypes, worldview, politics, and culture through the kinetic expression of sequential art. Inspired by this unique medium, using its icons, tropes and dynamism, this is a new world of American Indian art, full of the brash excitement first seen on newsprint a century ago, sometimes unrefined, even crude at times, but never sterile.

A reception hosted by the Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico will be held on Sunday, May 11, 2008 beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Opening events on Sunday, May 11th , from 1-4pm include a drum group, artist roundtable, gallery tours, costume contest, and family activities including; make your own comic or ledger art, create your superhero emblem, and more.

Also opening the same day will be Bare Nation, an exhibition in the Doris and Arnold Roland Sculpture Garden of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture created by senior students from the Institute of American Indian Art.


Exhibit Website: http://miaclab.org/ComicArt/
Museum Website: www.miaclab.org


###

Located on Museum Hill™, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture shares the beautiful Milner Plaza with the Museum of International Folk Art. Here, Now and Always, a major permanent exhibition at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, combines the voices of living Native Americans with ancient and contemporary artifacts and interactive multimedia to tell the complex stories of the Southwest. The Buchsbaum Gallery displays ceramics from the region’s pueblos. Five changing galleries present exhibits on subjects ranging from archaeological excavations to contemporary art. In addition, an outdoor sculpture garden offers rotating exhibits of works by Native American sculptors.

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Information for the Public
Location: The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is located on Museum Hill™, Camino Lejo off Old Santa Fe Trail.
Information: 505-476-1250 or visit www.indianartsandculture.org
Days/Times: Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day the Museum is also open on Monday.

Admission: School groups free. Children 16 and under free. New Mexico residents with ID free on Sundays. New Mexico resident Senior Citizens (age 60+) with ID free Wednesdays. Museum Foundation members free. NM Veterans with 50% or more disability free. Students with ID $1 discount. Single visit to one museum: $8.00 for non-state residents; $6.00 for New Mexico residents. Four-day pass to five museums including state-run museums in Santa Fe plus The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art $18.00. One-day pass for two museums (Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture OR New Mexico Museum of Art and Palace of the Governors) $12.00. Group rate for ten or more people: single visit $6.00, four day pass $16.00.

Media Contacts:
Antonio Chavarria, Curator of Ethnology
505-476-1253
antonio.chavarria@state.nm.us

Steve Cantrell, PR Manager
505-476-1144
505-310-3539 – cell
steve.cantrell@state.nm.us

McCloud's theory influences fine art painter

When talking about "Four Months: Paintings by Deena Feigelson Margolis,", the conceptual installation by the Baltimore encaustic painter exhibit at the McLean Project for the Arts in the art center's Atrium Gallery, in his article "Artists Wax Eloquent in an Ancient Medium, Michael O'Sullivan (Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, April 25, 2008; WE45) notes that she was influenced by Scott McCloud in the sidebar, "The Story Behind the Work". He writes:

The idea for Deena Feigelson Margolis's "Four Months," an abridged version of the artist's 2007 attempt to make a painting a day for six months, first came after reading Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art."

What jumped out at her about the 1993 work, written in the sequential form of a comic book, was the author's discussion of "the relationship of the frame to the spaces between the frames," Margolis says. In other words, in visual storytelling, what's left unsaid is just as important as what's said.

Pretty neat!

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-30-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-30-08
By John Judy

ADAM STRANGE ARCHIVES, VOL. 3 HC by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, and Others. Strange Adventures and Mysteries in Space from 1963-1967! Appropriate for all ages! Jet-packs and zap guns galore! Recommended.

BLACK SUMMER #6 by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. If you wish to promote your comic and are given a choice between posting info on Avatar Press’s website or standing on a crowded subway platform and shouting yourself hoarse, make sure you purchase a monthly pass. Recommended. Not for kids.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER OMNIBUS, VOL. 4 SC by Various Creators. It’s 368 pages of serious slayage by the likes of Eric Powell, Christopher Golden, Ryan Sook, and “Buffy” TV scribe Doug Petrie! C’mon, that bookshelf looks sturdy!

THE COMPLETE CHESTER GOULD’S DICK TRACY, VOL. 4 HC by Chester Gould, plus an intro by Max Alan Collins and article by Mike Price. Collecting 500 strips from July 1936 through January 1938. This is what they were reading before Superman came along, kids. Recommended.

THE COMPLETE GREEN LAMA FEATURING THE ART OF MAC RABOY HC by Mac Raboy and Others. “Om Mani Padme Hum!” It’s the first four issues of the Tibetan Buddhist super-hero from World War Two! GL seems to be enjoying a revival lately courtesy of Dark Horse, Alex Ross, and trademark expiration. Why not see what started it all? Good for all ages. Recommended for fans of Raboy’s more famous work on CAPTAIN MARVEL JUNIOR. (He was Elvis’s favorite! Seriously!)

DAREDEVIL: BLOOD OF THE TARANTULA #1 by Ed Brubaker, Ande Barks, and Chris Samnee. The barely reformed Black Tarantula wants to clean up Hell’s Kitchen but that’s even harder than it sounds. It’s Brubaker so ya gotta look.

DC: UNIVERSE ZERO by Tons o’ People including Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, George Perez and more! Billions of supes for only fifty cents! What a bargain!

EX MACHINA #36 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. The Republican National Convention is coming to New York and Mayor Hundred must deal with a new female super-hero who has a problem with that. “Oh, Hillary…!”

GIANT SIZE AVENGERS/INVADERS #1 by Roy Thomas and Many, Many Artists. It’s a huge slab of re-print material but lots of fun, almost certainly more so than the 12-issue maxi-series from Alex Ross and Friends is likely to be.

GREEN LANTERN #30 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The secret origin of Hal Jordan continues!

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #14 by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, and David Aja. Wrapping up all the convoluted story-lines with a huge kung-fu fight. Cue the Carl Douglas!

NEW AVENGERS #40 by Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung. It’s Skrully!

THOREAU AT WALDEN HC by John Porcellino. A graphic adaptation of Thoreau’s writings by the creator of KING-CAT COMICS AND STORIES, published by the always inspirational Center for Cartoon Studies. This one’s already getting good reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Teens and up. Recommended.

ULTIMATE HUMAN #4 of 4 by Warren Ellis and Cary Nord. Ultimate Hulk and Iron Man punch the guy with the big head. Excelsior!

And don’t forget Free Comic Book Day next Saturday May 3rd!

www.johnjudy.net

Jim Toomey at NOAA in Silver Spring

Jim Toomey's been running comic strips this week about finning sharks - see "Cartoonist draws on fame to help plight of sharks: ‘Sherman’s Lagoon’ creator meets with experts at NOAA for awareness campaign," by Agnes Jasinski | Staff Writer, Montgomery Gazette April 23 2008.

OT: April 27: Meet Author & Illustrator Tedd Arnold

Meet Author & Illustrator Tedd Arnold

Sunday, April 27 at 1:30 p.m.

Attention early readers! Tedd Arnold, author and illustrator of the humorous, award-winning and easy-to-read Fly Guy series, will read and talk about his newest book, Fly Guy #5: Fly High, Fly Guy! Other titles in the series include There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy; Shoo, Fly Guy!; Super Fly Guy; and Hi! Fly Guy. Mr. Arnold also is author of Parts; More Parts; Even More Parts; Five Ugly Monsters; No Jumping On the Bed!; and No More Water in the Tub!

Ages 4-7. Please call to register.


Alina Gawlik
Aladdin's Lamp Children's Books and Other Treasures
2499 N. Harrison St.
Arlington, VA 22207
Tel 703-241-8281
Fax 703-241-8283
Email: aladlamp@speakeasy.net

STORE HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday & Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm

Zadzooks video of New York ComicCon

You can see video of Stan Lee and Mike Mignola on Zadzook's Washington Times website.

May 8: KAL at National Archives

Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives, 9th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW
An Evening with Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher: Moving Political Cartoons from Page to Screen

Tonight, Berryman Award–winning editorial cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher will present an illustrated lecture tracing the evolution of political cartoons from two-dimensional print to 3D animation. Kallaugher's work for the Baltimore Sun and the Economist has appeared in more than 100 publications worldwide. In 2007 he launched Kaltoons LLC, which pioneered the development of animated, 3D digital caricatures. Kaltoons' first video, Dancin' Dubya, was released on the web in August 2007. A signing of his latest collection of cartoons, KAL Draws Criticism, published in June 2006, will follow the program.

Amazing Fantasy #15 original Spider-Man artwork given to Library of Congress

The first appearance of Spider-Man, an 11-page story which includes his origin, now belongs to the American people. According to curator Sara Duke, an anonymous donor has given the 24 pages of original interior artwork from Amazing Fantasy #15 to the Library of Congress' Prints and Photographs division. The artwork, drawn by Steve Ditko and written by Stan Lee, first appeared in print in 1962, and is in good shape. The art has some whiteout where features of the women were modified, apparently not by Ditko, as well as pasteup word balloons. According to Sara, who called it a "lovely and generous gift," the donor checked with Ditko before donating it, and was told that since the story was a gift to him (although not from Ditko), he could do what he liked with it. The donor declined to have it appraised when giving it to the Library so the actual value of the gift is unknown, although certainly in the six figures range. Three other non-superhero stories were in the book - "The Bell-Ringer", "Man in the Mummy Case", "There are Martians among us!" - and were also donated.

Sara hopes that the Library's collection of comic book art will continue to grow with similar donations since they can't afford to buy them.

The donation has been given the accession number 2008.043. All unprocessed collections require an access to unprocessed collections request form to be filled out prior to making an appointment to see art: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/022_unpr.html

Members of the press should contact Donna Urschel in the Public Affairs Office, 202-707-1639.

This post has been corrected from an earlier version.

Evanier on Kirby reviewed by Rosenberg

See "Other Worlds: 'Kirby: King of Comics'," by Scott Rosenberg, online at Express April 23, 2008.

Another article on KAL's new tour

See "Cartoonist, troupe join forces for political satire," by Matt Ehlers, Staff Writer, News and Observer April 23 2008

Newspaper Guild Herbert Block Freedom Award

Dave Astor in "Another Award for Reporters Who Exposed Walter Reed Scandal," E&P Online, April 22, 2008, notes

"BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston will receive the Newspaper Guild Herbert Block Freedom Award. That honor is named after renowned Washington Post editorial cartoonist Herblock (1909-2001)."

A rare Mike non-acquistion

In the "Who buys these things?" arena, Second Story Books on Dupont Circle has the following:





"What are they?" you might ask. I did. They're Les Daniels' Batman and Superman histories with Alex Ross covers, bound in leather and unsigned, and costing $150 each at Second Story Books. I imagine they're still there, no matter when you read this.

Pekar book status update

The page proofs came yesterday so now I've got a pile of reading and Randy Scott's got a lot of indexing to do for the book. We've got 3 weeks to get things turned around.

Beaty on Hajdu's 10-Cents

Bart Beaty's written the first of three responses to David Hajdu's 10-Cent Plague. Bart did much of his research for his book on Wertham at the Library of Congress while living off Dupont Circle one summer, and I was able to provide him one article on Psychology of Comics that he hadn't previously seen.

Dilbert's new website covered in Post

See "Dilbert Cartoonist Challenges Readers To Outdo Punch Lines," by Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, April 22, 2008; Page D02.

PR: Cartoonist Jen Sorensen Releases New Book

Cartoonist Jen Sorensen Releases New Book

Source: Ig Publishing Press Release



For Immediate Release
April 20, 2008

Contact:
Robert Lasner
robert (at) igpub.com
(718) 797-0676

Interview requests:
Nettie Hartsock
Nettie (at) nettiehartsock.com

"Sly, quick and smart, Jen Sorensen's comic strip is nothing like its name. So don't be deceived -- Slowpoke is going places."
— Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau

Jen Sorensen, creator of the award-winning comic "Slowpoke" which appears in the Village Voice and other newsweeklies around the country, has released a new collection of her cartoons entitled Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God!

She kicks off her book tour on the West Coast this week with cartoon slideshows in Berkeley, Portland, and Seattle, followed by East Coast dates in New York City and Philadelphia.

The collection includes 150 of Sorensen's provocative strips and an introduction by "Tom the Dancing Bug" creator Ruben Bolling. Deploying the trademark Slowpoke brand of absurdist humor, One Nation, Oh My God! covers everything from the Antique Ideology Roadshow to the rise of virtual donuts.

"This is not just another quirky cartoon book," says Sorensen. "One Nation, Oh My God! is packed with commentary for every strip and chock full of devastatingly sophisticated and accurate political analysis. It also answers all your questions about tube socks and teledildonics."

Sorensen adds, "This book will make you wonder what a complete tool like Bill Kristol is doing on the New York Times op-ed pages instead of, well, me."

Jen's cartoons and blog can be found online at www.slowpokecomics.com

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

"Jen Sorensen is a maniacal genius, gleefully exposing the mendacity which lurks behind conventional wisdom, glib newscasters, celebrity culture, Republican doublespeak, and other ills of our age. I can't recommend her work highly enough."
— Tom Tomorrow, creator of This Modern World

"In a world that seems to get murkier by the minute, Slowpoke is a freakin' beacon of lucidity."
— Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home

"Boot-stompingly funny and progressively pointed. It skewers the bastards!"
—Jim Hightower, best-selling author and radio commentator

ABOUT JEN SORENSEN

Sorensen is one of the most widely-published female political cartoonists working today. In addition to the Village Voice, her comics and illustrations have appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Ms. Magazine, The American Prospect, Legal Affairs, Funny Times, Cagle's Cartoon Index, CampusProgress.org, Nickelodeon Magazine, and dozens of alt-weeklies. She has given presentations at the first annual ACLU convention, the Center for American Progress, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Her work has won a Xeric Grant and first place in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards.

Jen has been drawing Slowpoke for nearly ten years. She currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

BOOK TOUR

Sorensen will present her cartoons, sign books, and draw funny pictures at the following locations. Other top alt-weekly cartoonists are joining her at various stops.

4/22 – BERKELEY: Cody's Books with "Troubletown" creator Lloyd Dangle, 7pm

4/25 – PORTLAND: Powell’s on Burnside with "Idiot Box" creator Matt Bors, 7:30pm

4/26 & 4/27 – PORTLAND: Stumptown Comics Fest (at table, no presentation)

4/29 – SEATTLE: University Bookstore, U District, 7pm

5/14 – NYC: The Tank with "Tom the Dancing Bug" creator Ruben Bolling, 8pm

6/4 – PHILADELPHIA: Robin's Bookstore, 6pm

PUBLICATION INFO

Based in Brooklyn, NY, Ig Publishing is an independent press dedicated to publishing original literary fiction, and progressive political and cultural nonfiction.

Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God! by Jen Sorensen
Trade Paperback • $13.95 • 168 pages • 8”x 9.5”
ISBN 978-0978843168 • April 10, 2008
Published by Ig Publishing, Brooklyn, NY • www.igpub.com

Comic book creator Jim Dougan writes in

Jim Dougan's allowed me to reprint his email to me, because he's done a lot of work and provided links for it.

"I thought you might be interested to know that there's another comics creator in Washington, DC.

In 2006, I self-published the DC-based comedy graphic novella CRAZY PAPERS, drawn by Danielle (GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS) Corsetto, which you can buy at Big Planet, Fantom
Comics which carries the book at both the Tenleytown and Union Station locations (Matt Klokel has been a strong supporter of CP) or Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Papers-Jim-Dougan/dp/097778780X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208183405&sr=8-1

It was reviewed fairly well in a variety of places, and even Tom Spurgeon didn't hate it. I was also interviewed by Arion Berger in the Washington Post Express in October 2006, but that's only available as a PDF, so I'll spare you.

Reviews, updates and other things can be found at my LiveJournal:

http://chatterbox-dc.livejournal.com

I was also one of the founding members of the comics collective THE CHEMISTRY SET (http://www.chemsetcomics.com).

At the Chemistry Set, you can see my stories, most of which have appeared in Desperado Publishing's NEGATIVE BURN anthology.

VULTURE GULCH: A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE
Drawn by Eric Kim
Appeared in NEGATIVE BURN #7

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/vulture-gulch/vulture-gulch-a-little-friendly-advice/

COME THE DAWN
Drawn by Hyeondo Park
Appeared in NEGATIVE BURN #8

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/other-stories/come-the-dawn/

REST STOP
Co-written with Dean Haspiel, Drawn by Michel Fiffe
Appeared in NEGATIVE BURN #9

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/other-stories/rest-stop/
THE GENTLEMAN
Drawn by Umberto Torricelli
Appeared in NEGATIVE BURN #16

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/other-stories/the-gentleman/
OSCAR CHAVEZ, MACHISMO MONITOR
Drawn by Roger Langridge (yes, THAT Roger Langridge)
Appeared in NEGATIVE BURN #18

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/other-stories/machismo-monitor/

THE BIG FAT NOON
Drawn by Michel Fiffe

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/vulture-gulch-other-stories/vulture-gulch/vulture-gulch-the-big-fat-noon/

HOW I LOST MY S#?! AT THE APPLE STORE
Drawn by Molly Lawless (from Northern VA!)
Currently continuing, in process…

Page 1:

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/2008/04/15/how-i-lost-my-s-at-the-apple-store-page-one/

Page 2:

http://www.chemsetcomics.com/2008/04/22/how-i-lost-my-sh-at-the-apple-store-page-two/

I'm the editor of the first volume of the print collection from the site, entitled NO FORMULA, which will be published by Desperado Publishing, and will be in the June Previews for release in August of this year. Keep an eye out!

Oh, and last and certainly not least, my comic SAM & LILAH, (a romance/adventure set in DC) drawn by Hyeondo Park, was in the March 2008 Zuda competition, and can be seen here:

http://www.zudacomics.com/node/320

We came in 4th, but announced immediately thereafter we would be taking S&L to ACT-I-VATE, the webcomics site started by Dean Haspiel and others, in May:

http://www.activatecomix.com

This weekend at NYCC, I was at the Zuda panel, did signings at the DC booth, etc. I may even submit something else down the road.

Whew! There's more in the works, but this is all for now."

I'll be picking up his book at Big Planet tomorrow. Support your local inkslinger!

Herblock exhibit - National Portrait Gallery press release

"Herblock's Presidents: 'Puncturing Pomposity'" Opens at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery May 2

As the nation moves toward electing its 44th president, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is opening an exhibition of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block (1909-2001), known by the pen name "Herblock." In "Herblock's Presidents: 'Puncturing Pomposity,'" 40 political cartoons demonstrate the witty, biting humor of the cartoonist who appeared in American newspapers for more than seven decades.

(Media-Newswire.com) - As the nation moves toward electing its 44th president, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is opening an exhibition of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block ( 1909–2001 ), known by the pen name "Herblock." In "Herblock's Presidents: 'Puncturing Pomposity,'" 40 political cartoons demonstrate the witty, biting humor of the cartoonist who appeared in American newspapers for more than seven decades. The cartoons featured in the exhibition were selected from the collections of the Library of Congress. The exhibition demonstrates that none of the 11 presidents who held office during his career escaped his criticism. "Herblock's Presidents: Puncturing Pomposity" will be on view through Nov. 30.

"There are many talented political cartoonists today, some of whom are included in the National Portrait Gallery's collection," said Carolyn K. Carr, acting director of the National Portrait Gallery. "However, Herblock remains unmatched in his ability to craft a subtle visual metaphor."

Herblock's cartoons were never ambivalent or balanced but always expressive of a distinct political point of view; they were always clear in meaning and direct in expression. Herblock's first political cartoon appeared in the Chicago Daily News in1929. He was an editorial cartoonist with the Newspaper Enterprise Association from 1933 to 1943 and, after serving in the army, joined The Washington Post in 1946. Maintaining editorial independence for most of his newspaper career, Herblock won three Pulitzer Prizes in 1942, 1954 and 1979 and shared one more with the Washington Post in 1973 for its coverage of Watergate. Also, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. Besides the cartoons, Herblock's awards—including his first Pulitzer Prize—and his drawing tools also will be exhibited.

The exhibition includes his depictions of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. While Herblock was generally unsympathetic to Republican presidents, Democrats such as Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did not escape his wrath. He consistently attacked any president he felt was insensitive to the "underdog." The show offers a rare opportunity for visitors to see how one of America's greatest political cartoonists viewed the American presidency for much of the 20th century.

An additional element of the exhibition is a computer touch screen that will allow visitors to further explore Herblock's presidents. These virtual digital images are organized along such topics as presidential scandals, domestic policy and war.

The exhibition was organized by Sidney Hart, historian at the National Portrait Gallery.

This exhibition has been made possible by a generous grant from The Herb Block Foundation.

The National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery tells the stories of America through the individuals who have shaped its culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists who speak American history.

The National Portrait Gallery opened to the public in 1968. The museum's collection of nearly 20,000 works includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, drawings and new media. Located at Eighth and F streets N.W., Washington, D.C., it is open every day, except Dec. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Smithsonian information: ( 202 ) 633-1000; ( 202 ) 633-5285 ( TTY ). Web site: www.npg.si.edu.

New Flugennock cartoon!

DC's own anarchist cartoonist is at it again - see "Mike Flugennock Presents Another Damn' Election Cartoon," by Mike Flugennock, Monday Apr 21st, 2008 4:36 PM. I just love his stuff - and unfortunately this one is right on target.

Hatfield and Fischer - Siskel and Ebert? Nah.

My buddies Charles Hatfield and Craig Fischer are interviewed by Chris Mautner in "Everyone's A Critic: An interview with the Thought Balloonist guys," Sunday April 20, 2008.

Earth Day in the comic strips

King Features Syndicate cartoonists did Earth Day strips today. Dave Astor's got the story.

In the Washington Post, one can see Mutts (themed strips all week since last Sunday), On the Fastrack, Curtis, Hagar the Horrible, Amazing Spider-Man (just a blurb), Blondie, Mark Trail, Dennis the Menace, The Family Circus, Frazz, Mother Goose and Grimmm, Sally Forth, Beetle Bailey, Zits, Prickly city, Judge Parker, Baby Blues and Zippy the Pinhead.

In the Washington Times, one can see Crock, Mallard Fillmore and Bizarro. Funky Winkerbean just had a sign on the school's notice board for its Earth Day strip.

April 26: Big Planet Comics Iron Man Movie Party

Joel Pollack writes in about a...

Big Planet Comics Iron Man Movie Party

Join us Saturday April 26th at 3:00 pm in our Bethesda store for an Iron Man Movie party. We will be giving away many prizes to celebrate what looks to be an awesome movie. We will be holding a homemade Iron Man Costume Contest, and an Iron Man Trivia Contest. Prizes will be awarded to every participant who enters the contests, and a Grand Prize will be awarded to the overall winner. Actually making an Iron Man costume will count heavily towards winning the Grand Prize. Children are especially encouraged to make costumes. And everyone who shows up to the party will get something. Test your Iron Man knowledge in our trivia contest, or just come hang out and watch everyone have a great time.

Prizes will include Iron Man Movie Posters, Iron Man Toys, Iron Man comics, Big Planet Gift Certificates, and an Iron Man Statue.

The Grand Prize will be:

· A VIP Row for the winner and 10 friends to the Washington DC advance screening of IRON MAN on Tuesday, April 29, and the official IRON MAN video game for XBOX 360.


Saturday April 26th 3:00 pm

Big Planet Bethesda

4908 Fairmont Ave.

301.654.6856

www.bigplanetcomics.com

Kevin Rechin's latest work

Kevin did the maps for the Newseum (which I haven't seen, but they aren't cartoons), and he's now doing cartoons ads for Lottery for the subway station at the new Nationals ballpark. Hopefully he'll let me know when they're up because I won't be at that station for any other reason.

Washington Times on Hajdu's Ten-Cent Plague

See "When nation fought its war against comic books," By Stephen Goode, Washington Times April 20, 2008.

June 28: Crafty Bastards fair in Silver Spring

The Washington City Paper's crafts fair has gone bi-annual. There's usually cartoonists selling material of one sort or another.

Examiner covers New York Comic-Con

See "Costumed crusaders hit Big Apple," by Jeremy Monken, The Examiner Apr 21, 2008. It's on page 22 of the print edition. There's also a sidebar "Comic cinema."

So, who's Monken? A new comics columnist for the Examiner, replacing Rosenberg and Truitt of years gone by?

Stan Lee interview on Express website

See "Still a Marvel: Stan Lee," posted by Scott Rosenberg at 7:14 AM on April 21, 2008/

Zadzooks on Scholastic's Pickles

See "Great Pickle's food fight with evil vegetable cabal," By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times April 19, 2008. This is a comic by Scott Morse. He also reviews The Twelve from Marvel.

KAL and Second City taking it on the road

Alan at the Daily Cartoonist has posted a story that Baltimore's KAL and Second City comedy troupe are taking the Art of Satire on the road as a live variety show.

KAL, let go by the Baltimore Sun several years ago in a move of stunning ignorance, continues to reinvent himself and the definition of cartoonist. Let's hope this comes to the DC area. You can sign up on the website to be notified of where KAL's appearing.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-23-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-23-08
By John Judy

AVENGERS: KREE-SKRULL WAR SC by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and the Buscema Bros. (John & Sal). A new printing of a timeless classic coinciding with the current Marvel “Secret Invasion” storyline. Remember: If you don’t know who the Skrull is in the room, it’s YOU!

BATMAN #675 by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. Warming up for “Batman: R.I.P.” in which Bucky becomes Batman.

COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #1 by Various Short-Straw Holders. Our long national nightmare is over.

DAREDEVIL, VOL.2: HELL TO PAY SC by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Collecting DD #100-105 in which Matt Murdock’s life falls apart again and again. Honestly, he envies Spider-Man, the tsuris is that bad…

DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #8 of 8 by Jim Starlin and Jim Starlin. It’s the Starlinest!

HULK #3 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. It’s the Hulk vs. the Abomination even though one’s red and the other’s dead! Hey, if it made sense it wouldn’t be Marvel! You tell the Hulk he’s not an “Autumn!” I dare ya!

HULK VS. HERCULES: WHEN TITANS COLLIDE #1 by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, and Leonard Kirk. A monograph on grain production quotas as they may affect fuel prices in former Soviet Bloc nations next quarter. Don’t let the title fool ya, True Believer!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #20 by Dwayne McDuffie and Ethan Van Sciver. The Flash and Wonder Woman are trapped in a giant bee hive with honey being poured all over them. Years of therapy begin here!!!

MIGHTY AVENGERS #12 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. So what does Nick Fury think about all this Skrull “Secret Invasion” to-do? And what about the whole “Hasselhoff/Samuel L. Jackson” controversy? And if Bucky gets a bionic arm why can’t Nick Fury get a bionic eye? Or at least a good razor and some nicotine gum? Okay, I think I’ve given away enough…

NORTHLANDERS #5 by Brian Wood and David Gianfelice. It’s the secret origin of Prince Sven the Uber-Viking! Highly recommended!

PREVIEWS from Diamond and Marvel Comics.

SHE-HULK #28 by Peter David and Val Semeiks. Worth it just for the Eisner “Spirit” tribute cover by Mike Deodato. Honest.

SPIRIT #16 by Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragones, and Paul Smith. It’s murder at the movie studio and contract talks have barely begun!

THOR #8 by J. Michael Straczynski and Marco Djurdjevic. Thor-Sleepy Time is over and it’s back to work: Ruling New Asgard and bringing the hammer down on anyone who thinks looking like an eighties hair-rocker makes you a sissy! Recommended!

UNCANNY X-MEN #497 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Choi. Archangel, Cyclops, and the White Queen battle the menace of San Francisco retro clothing! Another trippy cover from the House of Ideas.

Okay, honestly while there us certainly some quality stuff out this week it’s still a little thin. Why not fill the gap by picking up the first and second paperbacks of either SCALPED by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera and/or CRIMINAL by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips?

You’ll be glad you did.

And don’t forget: Free Comic Book Day next Saturday May 3rd!

www.johnjudy.net

Telnaes on what a Pulitzer Prize meant to her

See "Past Pulitzer Winners Describe What It Meant to Them," by Dave Astor, Editor and Publisher, April 18, 2008.

Should we switch to stalking Ms. Telnaes as opposed to Richard "Cul de Sac" Thompson? After all, he may be a dead-end! Hahahahahahha!

Sorry, not enough sleep. Rest assured, we're sticking with Our Man Richard.

Staake comic strip contest in Style Invitational

Today's Post has a contest based on three comic strips drawn by Bob Staake - Week 761: Strip Mining, Saturday, April 19, 2008; Page C02. Remember, you don't have to live in DC to enter the contest.

Ann Telnaes spoke in NYC this week

Dave Astor has the story at Editor and Publisher. Remember her editorial cartoon animations are appearing twice weekly in the Post.

And Trina Robbins will be reviewing the Sex and Sensibility exhibit that Telnaes appears in for the next issue of the International Journal of Comic Art, which has a new issue available now in spite of the website's datedness.

Post chat transcripts of Rubino and Martinbrough online

You can read the hour-long q&a's at

Comics: Drawing 'Noir' and New York Comic Con
Gangsters, Superheros and Other Creatures of the Underworld
Shawn Martinbrough
Illustrator and Author, 'How to Draw Noir Comics'
Friday, April 18, 2008; 12:00 PM

and

Meet the Comics Pages: Tony Rubino, Cartoonist -- "Daddy's Home"
Friday, April 18, 2008; 1:00 PM.

I sent a couple of questions in to the Rubino chat early as ComicsDC that he answered.

Wash Post on Simpsons

One great thing about the Post, and sadly few other American newspapers, is that they're still staffing foreign bureaus. Yesterday they ran their own original reporting on the Simpsons evolving foreign policy crisis - "D'oh! 'Simpsons' Again Angers South Americans," By Monte Reel, Washington Post Foreign Service, Thursday, April 17, 2008; A18.

Later in the day, they ran this wire service report on their website -
"`The Simpsons' return on Venezuela television," The Associated Press, Thursday, April 17, 2008.

April 18 noon: Post chat with Shawn Martinbrough

Comics: Drawing 'Noir' and New York Comic Con: Gangsters, Superheros and Other Creatures of the Underworld - Shawn Martinbrough, Illustrator and Author, 'How to Draw Noir Comics', Friday, April 18, 2008; 12:00 PM

Best of DC 2008 - Richard Thompson is Best Cartoonist!

From Washington City Paper's 2008 Best of DC (April 18, 2008)...

Best Cartoonist - Richard Thompson!

...and the crowd goes wild!

Mark Athitakis has a nice writeup of Richard's virtues. The WCP also selected this site as...

Best (Comic) Art Blogger - ComicsDC

Thank you very much! That's very kind, especially after I beat up on the WCP so much this past year about their comics losses. I now feel a very teensy bit guilty. Teensy though.


Both of these were spotted by my friend and houseguest Nick "The System of Comics" Nguyen.

Eisner's PS Magazine scanned and online at VCU Library

Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond has scanned and posted 162 issues of PS Magazine, Will Eisner's military training comic book.

Bob Andelman will be interviewing the librarian in charge of the project Cindy Jackson, as well as the author of the upcoming book, Will Eisner & PS Magazine, Paul Fitzgerald, on FRIDAY, APRIL 18 at 1 p.m. The URL is: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mrmedia/2008/04/18/Cindy-Jackson-and-Paul-Fitzgerald-WILL-EISNER-PS-MAGAZINE-VCU-librarian-and-author-Mr-Media and you can participate in a simultaneous web chat or call in and ask the experts your own questions at (646) 595-3135.

VCU's library is also the home of Tom Inge's comic book collection.

April 25: Tony Rubino on Washington Post chat

Join Washington Post Comics page editor Suzanne Tobin on Friday, April 18 at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion with "Daddy's Home" creator Tony Rubino at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/04/15/DI2008041502007.html.

Comic by D.C. natives launches at NYC Comic Con

Arthur Delaney writes in "myself and three other D.C. natives are launching our DIY comic NANOMAN: THE POST - HUMAN PROMETHEUS at the NYC Comic Con this weekend. What we've got right now is a 52 page "beta" book. Check out our website: www.NewAmericanGraphicNovels.com."

Best of luck with your new comic book, Arthur, and we look forward to hearing more about it.

Ex-Express reporter Rosenberg on NYC comic events

Scott Rosenberg's got a couple of articles in his new paper AM NY - see his Ten-Cent Plague review at "Curse of the comics," by Scott A. Rosenberg, April 15, 2008 and "An iFanboy guide to Surviving Comic Con," by Scott A. Rosenberg, April 15, 2008.

Oliphant exhibit coverage from television

There's a video here too -- "Political Cartoonist, Presidential Candidates Appear In D.C.," NBC 4 April 15, 2008.

The exhibit is excellent by the way. More details to follow.

Wuerker cartoon offends Californians

See "Perspectives on Heston and heaven," Readers' Representative Journal (April 15 2008) in which the article starts, "Bob Smith of Glendale calls him Chuck Heston -- he knew the man for 20 years and spent time with him at the L.A. Tennis Club -- and was horrified to see the Matt Wuerker cartoon in The Times' opinion pages on April 8."

Matt, Matt, Matt...

Washington writer reviews new gag comics book on Nazis

See "Is It Kosher To Laugh At Swastikas?," by Menachem Wecker, Jewish Press April 9, 2008 for his review of We Have Ways of Making You Laugh: 120 Funny Swastika Cartoons by Sam Gross.

Oliphant exhibit opening photos

Here's a link - at some point, I'll put the best up here with labels.

April Previews, or What does Mike order?

I don't know if anybody cares, but I always appreciated it when Bart Beaty did his satirical lists, Send Info, from Previews, and then Rodrigo Baeza does his serious ones. So here's what I'm ordering this month.

Herbie Archive, p. 31

Kyle Baker's Nat Turner sc

Joe Kubert biography - Man of Rock, p. 287

Matt Madden and Jessica Able's Drawing Words and Pictures, p. 291

Donald Duck Family - Dan Jippes

Comics Comics 4, p. 328

Gary Giani on Prince Valiant, p. 398

Dark Knight novel (I've got a childhood fondness for superhero novels, for no good reason),

Superheroes! Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films book by Roz Kaveney, p. 401

Neil Gaiman's The Dangerous Alphabet, p. 405

If I missed anything, let me know!

Oliphant Exhibit in Washington, DC press release

Oliphant Exhibit in Washington, DC

Kansas City, MO (04/08/2008) Editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant’s exhibit, "Leadership: Oliphant Cartoons and Sculpture from the Bush Years" will be on display April 15 through July 15, 2008 at the Stanford University Washington Center Art Gallery in Washington, DC.

The exhibit is based on a collection of Oliphant’s work in his recently released book, "Leadership: Political Cartoons – The Bush Years" from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

A review of the book on Comicsreporter.com called Oliphant a "...legend who still rushes at his targets knives out, no apologies. He also draws extremely well. After reading so many newspaper cartoons where it seems the reader is expected to compensate for odd stylistic choices and a lack of craft, reading a bunch of Oliphant is like moving mid-bite from vanilla wafers to rum-laced chocolate cheesecake. He's one of the few cartoonists in that field who can communicate -- and punish -- with the quality of his art alone."

The Stanford University Washington Center Art Gallery is located in the Sant Building at 2655 Connecticut Ave., NW in Washington, DC. For questions about the museum or the exhibit, please call 202.332.6235.

For more of Pat Oliphant’s work, visit: http://www.gocomics.com.

Jeff Kinney podcast

Continuing our coverage of the ex-University of Maryland cartoonist, the Free Library of Philadelphia has a downloadable mp3 of his talk to them from April 12th.

Persepolis editors from Alexandria

See "Anjali Singh: Rooting for good books—graphic or prose," by Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly, 4/14/2008, and she's got a couple of other comics titles that she acquired too.

Animator Lisa Henson profiled in Sunday's Post

On the kid's page - "Familiar Name, Different View," Washington Post Sunday, April 13, 2008; Page M16. The article by Brenna Maloney starts, "It took two years of huffing and puffing, but Lisa Henson, one of the producers of the animated comedy "Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby," finally blew the house down."

WashingtonTimes still polling about comics

April 15: Bethesda Writer's Center on Writing Comics

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

This Feiffer cartoon dropped out of a book I was buying. I was amazed at its timeliness - he's still got it!




Keep reading...

A little further...


Actually, below is the real unmodified cartoon - from the New Republic of October 15, 1972. Sad, isn't it? You can make almost a one-for-one switch of wartime scandals.



But at least we've still got Jules Feiffer to kick around! And my apologies to him for the liberties I took with his cartoon to make a point that should be obvious. And I apologize to everyone for misspelling Guantanamo, but I'm even sorrier that the whole world is familiar with how to spell an obscure American naval base's name.

A little bit of New York(er) in DC

While waiting for the American Empire talk, I noticed this rack of New Yorker cartoon cards in Politics and Prose. Bob Mankoff has done an amazing job at making money for both cartoonists and the magazine, hasn't he?

Mike Konopacki at Politics and Prose

Labor cartoonist Mike Konopacki was at Politics and Prose this afternoon to discuss his new book A People's History of American Empire. Howard Zinn who wrote the original that this graphic history (Konopacki kept stumbling over what to call it since it isn't a novel) was based on called in sick, disappointing some in the crowd, but not me, as Konopacki talked comics for 45 minutes instead.


Since the early 1970s, Konopacki and his partner Gary Huck have been doing labor editorial cartoons, with a detour into doing a comic book on the World Bank for a labor union in the 1990s. This was Konopacki's first longform work though. You can order a cd of the talk from Politics and Prose. He worked with pen and ink, and tracing paper and then scanned in the art and reworked it in Photoshop. To add verisimilitude, he used many photographs including famous AP ones like the girl burned by napalm in Vietnam.

Konopacki did a promo video for the book too which can be seen on youtube -
A People's History of American Empire by Howard Zinn

And here's some more shots:

So, how do you find these new acquisitions?

Book sales, among other places.



This is three days worth of book-sale hauls, from two sales. Most of it is going to Michigan State University's Comic Art collection. The nice thing about being in DC is the international culture - almost 100 of these books are manga in Japanese, and there's even a Jacques Tardi album that MSU doesn't have yet.

And sometimes your family provides, like this nifty light-up Superman bust. Oddly enough, my wife wouldn't let me keep the whole cake.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-16-08

Click for some visual links (covers)

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 04-16-08
By John Judy

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #11 by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. “Killed in Action” wraps up here with Camp Hammond giving Camp Crystal Lake a run for its blood money! Recommended.

BRAVE AND BOLD #12 by Mark Waid and George Perez. All twelve issues have led up to this grand finale: A big fight with an evil wizard. Those are always great!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #37 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Cap still “dead.” Red Skull still evil. This comic still awesome anyway. Recommended.

DC WILDSTORM DREAMWAR #1 of 6 by Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett, and Trevor Scott. A cross-over between the big guns of the DCU and all those Wildstorm guys you’re not reading.

DMZ #30 by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. Intrepid indy journalist Matty Roth gets his story rejected by all major news outlets. That’ll teach him to write about John McCain’s lobbyist girlfriend! Look! Kitty-cats with string!

GHOST RIDER #22 by Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi. The story is called “Deathrace on Ghost Cannibal Highway” and it’s written by the guy who created SCALPED. If you don’t read this you’re crazier than the guys who greenlit the “Ghost Rider” screenplay. Highly recommended for teens on up.

GRENDEL: BEHOLD THE DEVIL #6 of 8 written and drawn by Matt Wagner. If you’re being pursued by a mystical super-predator sometimes it feels really good to take out all your frustrations on the Korean mob. At least that’s what Grandma always said. Recommended.

HELLBLAZER #243 by Andy Diggle and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Bad doings at the Vatican, even worse than usual. So who ya gonna call? The start of a blasphemously fun two-parter. Recommended.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC by Stan Lee, Don Heck, Gene Colan, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Others. Collecting TALES OF SUSPENSE #39-83 and TALES TO ASTONISH #82, this volume has the earliest IM adventures from the bad old days of the Cold War, plus lots of extras. Great for all ages, highly recommended.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL. 3 HC by Jim Starlin and Others. Okay, if you buy one Captain Mar-Vell book in your life this should probably be it. This one collects issues #22-33 in which Mar-Vell went cosmic and Starlin started channeling Steve Ditko through an LSD filter. This is the stuff that defined the character and made us all kind of happy when Starlin killed him off so nobody else could screw him up. At least not for 20 years or so… Highly Recommended.

NIXON’S PALS GN by Joe Casey and Chris Burnham. The story of an LA parole officer on the super-villain beat. “Elmore Leonard meets Jack Kirby!” Not for kids but otherwise recommended!

PIGEONS FROM HELL #1 by Joe R. Lansdale and Nathan Fox. A modern-day adaptation of a classic Robert E. Howard tale about… well, y’know… pigeons. From Hell. It’s really pretty cool. Take a look.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL.2 SC by Jerry Siegel, Jim Shooter, Curt Swan, Jim Mooney, and Others. Classic tales from the Silver-Age of super sci-fi. Great stuff for all ages. Recommended.

SUPERMAN #675 by Kurt Busiek and Renato Guedes. Busiek’s final issue! Alex Ross cover! Galactic Golem! And Supes fights everybody! This week’s “Gotta-look!”

WAR IS HELL: FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #2 of 5 by Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin. World War I flying ace Karl Kaufman must prove his worth as a fighter before his fellow fliers discover that maybe he ain’t supposed to be there… Ennis/Chaykin level mature themes so this is recommended only for older teens and up. But highly so.

X-FACTOR #30 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. It’s the return of Arcade, the villain who builds giant pinball machines to kill superheroes with! How come they never do that in the movies, huh? Classic stuff.

X-MEN: DIVIDED WE STAND #1 of 2 by Lotsa People. This has mutants.

And don’t forget Free Comic Book Day coming up Saturday May 3rd at respectable comic stores everywhere!

www.johnjudy.net

That darn Toles

This time he's making fun of dementia!

Dementia Is Not a Prop
Washington Post April 12 2008

Tom Toles's March 28 cartoon based on the report linking being overweight with dementia was in extremely poor taste. It is incomprehensible that you would allow a political cartoon to make fun of dementia.

Dementia is a serious condition affecting our aging population and is the leading reason for placing elderly people in institutions such as nursing homes. Surely you could use something benign to make your political points without making a medical condition a prop.

-- John Fuller

Fairfax

The writer is the diversity and equal employment opportunity officer for Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a consultant for the National Council for Support of Disability Issues.

OT: Emett of Punch

Here's another new acquisition from a library sale. I'd never heard of Emett before, but his book Far Twittering was in the expensive section so I took a look. The book is all reprint drawings from Punch.



And there was the reason - this lovely sketch by Pietro Lazzari (see Chris Brown's comment below).



Punch imploded for the 2nd time in 2002, but you can still find collections of their cartoons easily.

Baltimore Comic-Con news: Mike Mignola Joins the Baltimore Comic-Con

Mike Mignola Joins the Baltimore Comic-Con



Hellboy creator and Disney Atlantis artist Mike Mignola, last year’s Guest of Honor t the Baltimore Comic-Con, is returning to the Baltimore Convention Center on September 27-28, 2008 for this year’s edition of the convention. This summer will see the release of the second Hellboy feature film and the popularity of both creator and character couldn’t be higher.

“We’re extremely happy to welcome back Mike Mignola to Baltimore. Our fans were thrilled to see him last year, and we know they’ll be even happier to have him return this year,” said Marc Nathan, the show’s promoter.

Swamp Thing co-creator and Frankenstein artist Bernie Wrightson will be the Guest of Honor at this year’s show.

Mignola and Wrightson are among the headliners that also include , in alphabetical order, Kyle Baker (The Bakers), Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers), Jim Califiore (Exiles, Captain Marvel), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg), Cliff Chiang (Green Arrow & Black Canary), Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows, Mighty Avengers), Steve Conley (Star Trek, The Escapist), Amanda Conner (JSA Classified, Terra), Darwyn Cooke (The Sprit, New Frontier), Todd Dezago (Tellos), David Finch (World War Hulk, New Avengers), Ramona Fradon (Aquaman), John Gallagher (Buzzboy, Roboy Red), Ron Garney (Wolverine), Michael Golden (Micronauts, The ’Nam), Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle, Black Lightning), Adam Hughes (Catwoman), Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Action Comics), J.G. Jones (52, Wonder Woman), Dean Haspiel (Brawl), Stuart Immonen (Ultimate Spider-Man), Robert Kirkman (Invincible, Ultimate X-Men), Barry Kitson (Empire, The Order), Jim Lee (Batman: Hush, Wildcats), David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil), Phil Noto (Danger Girl, Jonah Hex), Michael Avon Oeming (Mice Templar, Powers), Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Jonah Hex), Brandon Peterson (Ultimate X-Men, Strange), Eric Powell (The Goon), Tom Raney (Ultimate X-Men), John Romita, Sr. (Amazing Spider-Man), Craig Rousseau (Perhapanauts, Ruule), Andy Runton (Owly), Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween, Heroes), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man, Feast of the Seven Fishes), Jim Shooter (Legion of Super-Heroes), Vincent Spencer (Zombie-Proof), Robert Tinnell (EZ Street), Herb Trimpe (Incredible Hulk), J.C. Vaughn (Zombie-Proof, 24), Neil Vokes (The Black Forest, The Wicked West), Mike Vosburg (Lori Lovecraft), Matt Wagner (Zorro, Grendel), Mark Waid (Flash, Boom! Studios), and Mark Wheatley (Frankenstein Mobster).

The Harvey Awards will return to the Baltimore Comic-Con for the third consecutive year. The awards dinner and ceremony will be held Saturday night, September 27, 2008, following the convention’s normal hours. As in 2007, the first 300 paid attendees and honorees at the 2008 Harvey Awards Ceremonies will receive a Hollywood-style bag of swag. Last year’s bag included The EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales - Volume 1 from Gemstone Publishing, a complete base set of the soon-to-be-released Jericho Season One trading cards from Inkworks, an exclusive pin from AdHouse Books, a Comic-Con exclusive edition of 30 Days of Night: Red Snow 1 from IDW Publishing, a Toon Tumbler from Popfun Merchandising, and an exclusive Harvey Awards keychain from LaserMach. Nominating ballots are presently online at www.harveyawards.org. Kyle Baker will return as Master of Ceremonies for the evening’s events.

For more information about the Baltimore Comic-Con, e-mail cardscomicscollectilbes@yahoo.com or call (410) 526-7410. The guest list and other information can be found on the convention’s website or on its MySpace page.

For more information about the Harvey Awards, including sponsorship opportunities, e-mail baltimorecomiccon@yahoo.com.