Hoo-hah! Pekar book news and an unused piece by Harvey

My buddy John Lent, editor and publisher of the International Journal of Comic Art called today and told me he had my Harvey Pekar: Conversations book in his hand. I argued with him because the press just emailed me that it would be out in November. He insisted and eventually I conceded - he's got an advance uncorrected proof. Darn! A collectible I don't own!

Harvey's working with DC Comics now - the first miniseries American Splendor: Another Day was just collected and is some of his best stuff. Vol. 2 is out as individual comics, and you can find them on Amazon or at a local comic book store.

I called Harvey and let him know the book's becoming more real and also asked his permission to republish some of his stuff that the Press cut from the book on this blog. Here's a 1987 piece Harvey wrote about being interviewed by David Letterman. I didn't even try to get permission to use those interviews. It appears here courtesy of and copyright by Harvey Pekar. Print it out and put it in the appropriate place in the book, after the 1987 interview by Henry Allen of the Washington Post:

Late Night of the Soul with David Letterman

Harvey Pekar / 1987

From The Village Voice, August 25, 1987, pp. 45-46. Reprinted with permission of Harvey Pekar.

Compared to many artists I'm in good shape. I've got a civil service job in Cleveland that pays me enough to write and publish, without making compromises, a comic book called American Splendor. In April '86, Doubleday issued an anthology of my work and it received gratifying critical response. Then, last summer, an assistant producer from Late Night With David Letterman contacted me about making an appearance on the show. It turns out that Letterman's head writer is from Cleveland and had recommended me as a guest. I was scheduled for October 15 and told, "Above all, don't get too serious."

Trouble was, I'd never been on TV. I knew nothing about Letterman except that he was a renowned put-down artist, and had no idea what to expect. I figured it'd be a one-shot; I'd answer a few questions and go home. All I wanted to do was sell a few books and avoid embarrassment.

I guess I'm jaded—I live in Cleveland and I've seen it all—so I wasn't surprised when Letterman started asking me these dumb questions, like "How are things in Cleveland?" They were so silly I started giving him incredulous looks and ridiculing him, saying he was a show biz phony and complaining about the lousy money he paid ($100 for the first appearance). The audience ate it up. Here was this sour faced, sloppily dressed file clerk turning the tables on Mr. Condescending Wise Guy. Letterman, who's, off camera, a quiet, thoughtful man, held me over five minutes and publicly asked me to return.

They raised the amount I got for the next show to $490. That plus free plane rides and a hotel room for my wife and myself made doing Late Night again worthwhile. I wasn't selling out, was I? The thought bothered me, and, as my next appearance, on January 6, approached, I began to consider injecting some substance into my slapstick act. For some time, I'd been reading disturbing reports about the state of affairs at NBC, which, with the rest of RCA, had been purchased by General Electric in December '85. GE sent their man Robert Wright over to assume the NBC presidency in September '86. Wright quickly made his presence felt by cutting the budget 5 per cent, laying off around 300 people. In December there was another stunner: Wrright had issued a secret memo in which he advocated setting up a political action committee at NBC. "Employees who elect not to participate in a giving program should question their dedication to the company and their expectations," he'd written.

This looked like material for my next Letterman spot. After all, Dave was already making cutesy quips about Wright's mental capacities. I'd improve on his act. I'd dig up a lot of solid, hard formation on GE and spill it on the show. On top of that, I'd be cocky and funny. I'd offer Wright equal time, and challenge him to a debate for money, marbles, or chalk.

So I went to the library looking for dirt. It was all over the place. While researching a 1961 price-fixing conspiracy GE had been involved in, I found an article stating that the company had been convicted of antitrust violations in 29 of the previous 50 years. They were still doing questionable things in the '80s. I ran across articles with titles like "Defense Department Disqualifies GE From New Work," "GE Pleads Guilty to False Claims, Statements," and "Foul Play on a Mega-merger? (Inside Traders and the GE-RCA Deal)." Armed with this information, I'd square up in front of the TV cameras and take on the beast in its lair.

I talked about my GE-bashing ideas to a couple of Letterman staffers and they thought it would be okay, so I was surprised when head producer Barry Sand pleaded with me an hour before the show not to talk about GE. He said it would be inappropriate: "This isn't Meet the Press." Beyond that, he said he'd checked with the legal department and there might be dire consequences for me and members of the Letterman staff if I condemned GE in a serious way. I had trouble believing Sand, but I knew Wright could make it rough for him and his co-workers, whom I liked, so I decided to shelve my plans and do about what I'd done on my first show – mess around.

The January program was loose, a lot of fun. Letterman and I visited a Live at Five broadcast, which aired while we were on the set. I saw weatherman Al Roker, who'd previously worked in Cleveland, and got into a noisy discussion with him about the old days and great weathermen of the past. (Cleveland is a spawning ground for outstanding meteorologists of every description.) Once in a while, the camera would cut to guest Ruth Westheimer, who sat in the corner looking puzzled. Later in the segment, Letterman asked if I liked him and I replied, "Man, I don't even know you!"

Laughs came so easily that night! I felt pretty good about myself. But the next day I was embarrassed when a buddy asked, "Hey, big shot, I thought you were gonna talk about GE. What happened?" What happened was that I'd demonstrated I could get laughs by acting like "the lunatic from Cleveland." Was it possible to have a normal, interesting conversation on Late Night? The segment producer told me only celebrities could get away with it. Maybe not even celebrities. If Einstein returned from the other side with the answer to the origin of the universe and made his initial appearance on Late Night, Letterman would chide him about his baggy clothes.

Late Night would wind up a trap for me if I played along. I'd gotten indications that even Letterman, a quick-witted, perceptive guy but no intellectual, may be annoyed by the show's bright-eyed vacuousness. Once during a commercial he said to me, "Do you believe I get paid for this?" But the money's good, be gets a lot of days off, obviously likes doing comedy, and is good at it. Does anyone think he's going back to Ball State for his Ph.D. in meteorology?

Meanwhile, my life was beginning to change. A filmmaker offered me $1000 a day for a walk-on. A director wanted to dramatize some of my stories and have me act in the production. A TV producer pitched me to the Fox network as a talk show host. I told him I wasn't interested, I didn't want to waste my time in lightweight conversation with celebrities and live in a fishbowl. The producer laughed at me and went on negotiating. He set up a deal for me to go out to L.A. and do a couple of pilots for Fox. I said I still wasn't interested. He couldn't believe it. He got his friends and business associates to try to talk me into it. When I wouldn't change my mind, they couldn't believe it. Why do so many Americans think the greatest thing in the world is to be on TV, that the more people see you the better off you are?

But a little show biz doesn't represent a commitment, right? So I was going back on Late Night March 24. What would I talk about? You guessed it, GE! Was I obsessed? Well, yes and yes. Yes, I am obsessive. Yes, it's always worthwhile to focus the public's attention on outfits like GE. And yes, it's okay to bite the hand that holds out $490.

I devised a new strategy for the March 24 show. I'd begin my segment as usual, then craftily lead the conversation around to GE and explode. I wouldn't tell the producers my plan, so they couldn't stop me. It didn't work out too well. I opened with a strident pitch for my second Doubleday anthology, shouting, flapping my arms, waving off Letterman's attempt to stop me. I got some yuks, but it occurred to me that a lot of people thought I was a lunatic. Our conversation didn't flow, it ground along. I was depressed and Letterman seemed melancholy. Still, he was convulsing people with remarks like "Where'd you get those eyebrows? You look like Zero Mostel."

I was getting shakier and more frustrated by the minute. Then I remembered there was something bigger here than my ego; the world had to be saved from GE. "Stop your slide, man, dig in your heels and make your move." I mentioned that as youths Tom Brokaw, Robert Redford, and I had roamed the Pacific Northwest, rock climbing and white water rafting, then said, "Speaking of Tom, I hear he's upset about working at NBC News because there's a conflict of interest between them and GE. GE's the third largest defense contractor, you know." The crowd was silent, puzzled. Letterman shifted to a commercial.

GE and NBC got plenty of attention this spring and summer. Its subsidiary, Kidder, Peabody, & Co., was fined $25.3 million for securities violations. In late May, the Cleveland Plain Dealer broke a story concerning three southern Ohio power companies suing GE for over $1 billion for selling them a defective nuclear reactor. GE had sold reactors of the same type, all with design flaws that made them unsafe, unreliable, and costly to operate, to other utility companies around the country. Billions of dollars have been spent trying to repair them and bring them up to standard, money that rate payers ultimately supply. Amazingly, it was discovered that GE had a report, compiled by their engineers in 1975, identifying the reactors' defects. GE executives decided to sell them anyway and let a purchasers/pay for most of the repairing and upgrading.

The GE reactor story is an important and ongoing story, yet NBC national news hadn't covered it by July 31, when I made my last appearance on Late Night. That reminded me of the congressional hearings that had been held in April, concerning problems inherent in TV networks being owned by conglomerates. Wright and NBC News chief Lawrence Grossman testified that GE couldn't possibly get away with forcing the network to alter the content of its news broadcasts. Any attempt to do so, they claimed, would result in an uproar so great that it as bound to fail.

I vowed to bring the subject up on my next appearance. What if I just jumped up and down and started yelling about GE without a lead-in? What could Letterman do, not ask me back? So what; I had a decent job, a place to stay. I had to do something constructive on TV, if not for the good of humanity then just to feel at peace with myself. Get the GE monkey off my back.

Before the show I ran into Letterman. We had a chat and he told me I had star potential, but during my last appearance we'd gotten bogged down in bickering. It was okay to insult him, since Late Night resembles professional wrestling, but if I did, the crowd would be on his side since it was his show.

I said, "Okay, but I want to talk about GE."

He said, "This isn't Meet the Press."

I insisted, so he finally agreed to let me do it if I didn’t stay on the subject too long. His bottom line was, “I’ll ask the questions, you answer ‘em."

Before the show, the segment producer came up to me with a list of eight questions. I noticed that GE was number seven and smelled a rat. So I went over to Letterman and asked him to move it to number two, so we could get it in.

The show starts. First is a harried zoo-keeper from Columbus who inadvertently loses track of some snakes and a hummingbird. Then Chris Elliott does a Marion Brando imitation. Next is a Gomer Pyle-type guy, supposedly doing a remote from Pittsburgh about an Arena Football game. Then I walk in, scowling. Letterman asks me about the TV talk show offer. I tell him I turned it down. "Why?" he asks. "Because," I tell him, "I been watching you up here." Hilarity breaks loose. The first five minutes are magic. During the commercial Letterman leans down and says, "perfect."

He isn't going to ask about GE. I've got to act alone. After the break I start shouting denunciations of GE. Letterman tries to interrupt. "Shaddup," I say, "I'm doing my thing."

Letterman complains that what I'm doing is inappropriate, that I, as a guest in his house, shouldn't be sneezing in the hors d'oeuvres. "Bullshit, where's the hors d'oeuvres," I say. The bit ends.

I'd wondered what would happen if I seriously bad-mouthed GE on NBC. Now I know. David Letterman can put down their lightbulbs, but I can't criticize their nuclear reactors.

There's plenty more to come in the book, and I'll have 2 more pieces Harvey wrote to post here in the next two months.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 08-06-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 08-06-08
By John Judy

AVENGERS INVADERS #4 of 12 by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Steve Sadowski. Only eight more issues for theses crazy kids to realize they should be working TOGETHER! It’s all a misunderstanding, you see…

BOYS #21 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Hot on the heels of their hilarious, trademark-maiming cameo in LIBERTY COMICS, the Boys are back to their old mischief. Not for kids. Recommended.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #17 by Joss Whedon and Karl Moline. Back to the future with Fray and cars that fly!

COMIC BOOK COMICS #2 by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey. “Our Artists at War” featuring the early WWII adventures of Siegel and Shuster, Simon and Kirby, Stan Lee and Walt Disney! From EvilTwin Comics, the geniuses behind ACTION PHILOSOPHERS! Highly recommended!

CRIMINAL 2 #4 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. A new 4-parter starts here! Let us bow our unworthy heads and give thanks for this series. Highly recommended.

DMZ VOL. 5: THE HIDDEN WAR SC by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. Collecting issues #23-28 of a series that’s half “Heart of Darkness” and half Woodward & Bernstein. Recommended.

ESSENTIAL MAN-THING, VOL. 2 SC by Everyone Who Was Available in the Mid-70s. For those who like their Man-Things “Giant-Size” or not at all!

FINAL CRISIS #3 of 7 by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. Crazed Morrisonian action where un-dead is this year’s Black. Best of all? It ain’t TRINITY!

GRENDEL: GOD AND THE DEVIL SC by Matt Wagner and John K. Snyder III. A future Grendel tale in which he goes after the Pope. Gotta look!

HELLBLAZER PRESENTS: CHAS THE KNOWLEDGE #2 of 5 by Simon Oliver and Goran Sudzuka. The fate of London rests in the hands of John Constantine’s cabbie. Finally! TEEN TITANS done right!.

HOW TO LOVE HC by Actus Independent Comics. A collection of stories exploring some of the more unconventional facts of love. And it ain’t porn!

HULK #5 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. In which the Red Hulk who can jump to the moon fights the Thor who still speaks Shakespearean English and who can do so in the vacuum of space. Must… suspend… disbelief….ARGH!!!!

STORMING PARADISE #2 of 6 by Chuck Dixon and Butch Guice. Part two of this alternate history in which the bomb failed and the US had to invade Japan to end WWII. Part one showed a lot of promise. Worth a look if history and war comics are your thing. Teens and up.

THE TWELVE #7 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. This issue focuses on Captain Wonder and his old pal Tim. Also, the Blue Blade finally makes it big! Recommended!

ULTIMATE ORIGINS #3 of 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Butch Guice. How Charles and Magneto opened their first franchise in the Savage Land.

VENOM: DARK ORIGIN #1 of 5 by Zeb Wells and Angel Medina. A creepy-looking story of how Eddie Brock has always been pretty creepy even before his tongue got ten feet long. A must for Venom fans.

www.johnjudy.net

Breen, Wilkinson and Luckovich interviewed by Cavna in Post

Editorial cartoonists Breen, Wilkinson and Luckovich are interviewed by Michael Cavna in "Line by Punch Line," Washington Post Sunday, August 3, 2008; M06

Further information can be seen at "Cartooning the Candidates," a video in which "Editorial cartoonist Steve Breen describes his method of sketching Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain. Video by Liz Kelly."

The Art of Political Caricature slide show.

In the same section of the paper, Nick Galifianakis drew himself and his ex-wife Carolyn Hax in her advice column. It's a meta-commentary since the drawing is about how ex's can stay friends, which the two of them have done.

Cul de Sac reintroduces characters

This past week in Cul de Sac, Our Man Thompson's brought back Mr. Danders, the over-educated guinea pig in his dailies, and the kid who's even weirder than Petey in today's Sunday strip. Those of us who have been reading the strip in the Washington Post for years get to see old favorites, and new readers should enjoy them.

There was no Richard's Poor Almanac yesterday since he's on vacation.

Tim Truman and son at Baltimore Comic-Con

On a yahoo list devoted to Robert E. Howard's comic books, Tim Truman mentioned his new project with his son that he hopes to debut at Baltimore:

If all goes well, Ben Truman will be joining me at my booth, and we'll be giving folks a sneak peek at a new series that we're doing, tentatively titled The Inner Station-- a real deep science fiction take on Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". I'm real excited about it. Ben's script is something else. While I'll continue to write Conan, of course (a contract is in the pipeline for 18 more issues), the Inner Station will be my big art project for Winter 2008-Summer 2009.

Plus, of course, I'll have samples of upcoming Conan art from Giorello and Corben.

-Timothy Truman
http://www.timothytruman.com

NY Times on Whedon

In Online Musical, the Mad Doctor Is In
By MIKE HALE
Published: August 2, 2008
Joss Whedon’s “Dr. Horrible” functions as an experiment in online content creation -- a test of what people will pay money to watch on their computers.

Luckovich on Obama caricature at Comic Riffs

Cavna drew an interesting response on Blitt's caricature of Obama from editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich here - "The Political Cartoon: When Satire Misses a Twist," By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog August 2, 2008. This week his blog will focus on editorial cartoons as he spreads his focus a bit.

Current Onion is comic book issue

The Onion that appeared on the stands last Thursday is the annual comic book issue.

The cover features "Al Gore Places Infant Son In Rocket To Escape Dying Planet" a story you won't want to miss!

"Drawing-board confessional: 22 unflattering moments from autobiographical comics," by Jason Heller, Noel Murray, Leonard Pierce, Tasha Robinson, Onion July 28th, 2008. This is the extended version - in the July 31 paper it's 6 moments.

"Random Roles: Adam West," By Noel Murray, Onion July 31 (online July 29th,) 2008 reviews his Batman and animation work. This is the longer online version, of course.

"Comics Panel: August 1, 2008," Reviewed by Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson, August 1st, 2008, is online only, but reviews one of my favorite comics, Tom Beland's True Story Swear to God.

Also the Mignola and Feiffer articles previously linked to here are published in the physical paper.

University Press of Mississippi interview on comic book books

The University Press of Mississippi is publishing my Harvey Pekar: Conversations book, which should be available in November according to an email I got from them this week. Here's a good interview with the Press's recent editor: "The Rise of Comics Scholarship: the Role of University Press of Mississippi," by Jeet Heer, August 2, 2008. While I said above that the UPM is publishing "my book," I only did the Pekar book because of Tom Inge whose role at the Press is explained in this article. I offered an interview I did with Pekar to Inge for a book taht I thought somebody would be working on. Rather than taking the interview, he suggested that I do a whole book - showing a lot of faith in me that I hope I will have repaid.

Zadzooks on Hellboy toys

"ZADZOOKS: Hellboy toys are hot stuff," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, July 31, 2008.

NY Times reviews 700 page comic book

See "A Week at the Beach, With a Divorce Imminent," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, New York Times August 1, 2008 for a review of BOTTOMLESS BELLY BUTTON By Dash Shaw, Illustrated. 720 pages. Fantagraphics Books. $29.99.

September 10: The Physics of Superheroes at National Academy of Sciences

The Physics of Superheroes

Fall 2008 Season
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm

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

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

Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip!

Baltimore Comic-Con Tickets Now Available

The subject pretty much says it all. I'll be there. Mike is likely to be there. You should be too, along with the rest of the ComicsDC denizens.

Take a look at the new, improved webpage and note the new, improved, official URL: http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/.

You can find updated content (URLs to the guests' homepages, including newly announced Rags Morales, the list of vendors, and the list of Artist's Alley guests), directions, and, of course, links to buy tickets.

You can also typically buy tickets directly from Marc Nathan at the local comic shows (he's the mustachio'd gentleman at the Cards, Comics & Collectibles booth, always first booth on the right as you enter at the CapiCons Tyson's Corner show), and usually at Big Planet Comics and Laughing Ogre (nee Phoenix) Comics.

Comic Riffs interviews Stephan Pastis

Online today - "Interview With the Artist: "Pearls Before Swine's" Stephan Pastis," By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog July 31, 2008.

And note this teaser at the end:

COMING SUNDAY IN THE POST'S STYLE&ARTS SECTION: We chat up some of the nation's leading political cartoonists.

Weingarten's clarification of Post's non-censorship of Candorville

From his July 31 chat update:

Third, I misrepresented The Washington Post's degree of guilt in the egregious Candorville affair. It turns out it the blame was more evenly shared between newspaper and cartoonist. Yes, The Post DID object to the suggested profanity that, in the readers' minds, would have transformed into "nuts." They asked Darrin Bell for a replacement strip. Instead, HE capitulated and transformed $#*! to "ears," thereby killing his gag on his own. He was Abraham, the joke was Isaac, and God (The Post) never said "stop."

BASH Magazine Premiere Issue Arrives Early

The August 1, 2008 release of BASH! Magazine arrived early today at the Vienna Metro station, so I picked up an issue (plus 5 for Mike, as requested!).

I don't typically read comic strips, nor do I tend to pick up alternate comics, but I do occasionally pick up something here or there, and am always curious on Free Comic Book Day, so I was similarly curious about this publication.

BASH! is about the same size as the daily free Express and Examiner publications on slightly better paper. All of the strips are in black and white, though there is color on the cover and in the ad content. It is published out of Lexington, KY by John Van Meter, with editor Jonathan T. Hampton, printed by The Carroll County Times, and distributed by Take One USA.

It says:

"The first copy of Bash Magazine is free. Additional copies are one dollar ($1.00) each. Checks payable to Bash Magazine, LLC, P.O. Box 2220, Lexington, KY, 40588."

and

"BASH BOX EMPTY?!? WHAT?!? Let us know. We'll fill'er up. info@bashmaagazine.com"

The first issue includes:

- Slow Wave by Will Nicholes and Jesse Reklaw

- Onionhead by Bryan Stone

- Limbs of the Megalith by Eamon Espey

- Coffee a l'American by Pascal Blanchet

- Slowpoke by Jen Sorenson

- Something Happens by Thomas K. Dye

- Cuba Libre by Dan Archer

- Invisible Escape by Theo Ellsworth

- Steve & the Sky Full of Stars by Morgan Pielli

- K Chronicles by Keith Knight

- Tiny Sepuku by Ken Cursoe

I definitely felt like I had picked up a Fantagraphics/Alternative Comics/Drawn & Quarterly sampler. Some of the strips were interesting. Some were humorous. Some were political. Some were just weird, in my humble opinion.

But the price is right (free), and I'll definitely be picking up issue #2 to see what they have to offer. It is interesting to note that a good handful of the creators in the first issue will be at the Small Press Expo (SPX) this year, so if you're looking for something to have Eamon Espey or Keith Knight sign, there ya go!

New Mr. IS story online

Those crazy realtors have another episode of their MR. IS webcomic online at Episode 2: "The Aftermath", July 30, 2008.

Comics in the World photographs - Rehoboth Beach, Deleware

I've got a folder on my harddrive labeled "Comics in the World" where I've shot pics of comics-related items in the wider world. Here's a selection from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.


Louie's Pizza interpreted a Mad magazine cover from June 1976 for decoration.



Disney's Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland on a car hood.


Dr. Seuss prints on sale in a gallery. Supposedly signed, they weren't. I'm sure these were printed after his death.





Simpson's Kooky Carnival pinball game.

Danny Hellman edits new anthology

This electronic press release rolled over the transom. Hellman's been illustrating a column in the Post's Source section for months, and has also done work for the Washington City Paper.

Announcing the publication of TYPHON Vol. 1, a new comics anthology

DIRTY DANNY PRESS is proud to announce the publication of a new, full-color, 192 page comics anthology called "TYPHON," available now.

TYPHON Vol.1 features new work by forty-two talented cartoonists from across the US, Canada, South America and Europe. TYPHON's contributor list includes many favorites of the alternative comics scene, as well as a number of exciting talents who will be new to most readers.

You can preview thirteen art samples from TYPHON Vol.1 here: http://www.dannyhellman.com/blog/
You can also preview TYPHON Vol.1 using Amazon.com's Search Inside The Book feature: http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0970936338/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Readers in the United States can order TYPHON Vol.1 securely via PayPal for $24.95 (price includes shipping and handling) here: http://www.dannyhellman.com/blog/ (for orders outside the US, please email Danny Hellman for international shipping rates)

Individual copies of TYPHON Vol.1 can also be purchased from Last Gasp: http://www.lastgasp.com/d/33027/
and from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/TYPHON-Vol-1-Danny-Hellman/dp/0970936338/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217002046&sr=8-1

Retailers can order TYPHON Vol.1 through Last Gasp, Diamond, and indy sales rep Tony Shenton.

Retailers, please check out the TYPHON Vol.1 Staff Pick in Diamond's July Previews: http://previewsworld.com/public/default.asp?t=1&m=1&c=6&s=221&ai=71148&ssd=
Diamond's Order Code Number for TYPHON is: JUL083935

Don't miss critic Rod McKie's rave review for TYPHON Vol.1 at the Forbidden Planet blog: http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?cat=26

=========

TYPHON is edited and published by Danny Hellman, who brought readers the acclaimed comics anthologies LEGAL ACTION COMICS Volumes 1 & 2 in 2000 and 2003.

"TYPHON is a departure from my previous projects, " says editor Hellman. "I'd initially set out to do a third volume in the Legal Action series, but as the contributions started coming in, I realized that I was looking at a far more ambitious book than what I'd done previously. The work presented in TYPHON covers a wide spectrum of what's possible in comics, from zany, offbeat humor to unnerving existential angst, and on to chilling horror, all of it brought to life with breathtaking, cutting-edge artwork."

Hellman comments, "as a comics reader, I'm a big fan of the anthology format. I first came across the work of many of my favorite cartoonists in anthologies like ARCADE, WEIRDO, RAW and DRAWN & QUARTERLY. I'm proud to carry on in the tradition of those legendary titles, and I believe that TYPHON will stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the bookshelf next to them."

Hellman adds, "anthologies give us the opportunity to enjoy work by talented cartoonists who, for whatever reason, don't produce enough material to fill out solo books. As an editor of anthologies, I'm excited to provide a showcase for artists and work that we might not see otherwise. Diversity makes for a richer comics scene."

Danny Hellman is an internationally-published illustrator whose drawings have appeared in Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the Village Voice, and in countless other publications.

=======
For review copies and interviews, please contact Danny Hellman
By email: hellman@dannyhellman.com
By mail: TYPHON c/o Danny Hellman P.O. Box 901 Old Chelsea Station New York, NY 10113-0901 USA

TYPHON Vol.1
ISBN: 978-0-9709363-3-2
Price: $24.95 US
For mature readers

Here is a complete list of TYPHON's contributors:
Ken Avidor, Derek Ballard, Gregory Benton, Rupert Bottenberg, DJ Bryant, Mark Campos, David Chelsea, Chris Cilla, Max Clotfelter, Patrick Dean, Bald Eagles, Chance Fiveash, Richard Gagnon, Nicholas Gazin, Robert Goodin, Glenn Head, Danny Hellman, Hugo, Hawk Krall, Tim Lane, Jeff LeBlanc, Pat Moriarty, Cliff Mott, David Paleo, Lorenz Peter, Grant Reynolds, Hans Rickheit, Pshaw, R. Sikoryak, Doug Skinner, Fiona Smyth, Steak Mtn., Takeshi Tadatsu, Tobias Tak, Eric Theriault, Matthew Thurber, Motohiko Tokuta, Rich Tommaso, Rick Trembles, Henriette Valium, Dalton Webb, & Chris Wright.

Post doesn't really "censor" Candorville, just asks for alternative strip created specially for them

Yesterday, I quoted Gene Weingarten about the Post altering a Candorville strip. Today Dave Astor, a real reporter, has the larger story - "UPDATED: A 'Candorville' Comic Is Changed for 'The Washington Post'," By Dave Astor, Editor and Publisher Online July 30, 2008.

You know, honestly I think this is worse: "[Washington Post Writers Group comics editor Amy] Lago told E&P: "In Gene's chat yesterday, he made it sound like the Post had changed the July 25 'Candorville' strip. In fact, they asked for a sub. We offered them an alternate version, approved by Darrin, which they okayed."

What they asked to have changed was the "word" '@#$!,' which was standing in for 'nuts' as Jesse Jackson actually said (although readers of the Post are apparently too sensitive to read that and it makes one wonder what they reported about Jackson's comment on Obama) to 'ears,' which makes no sense whatsoever.

So the Post, rather than running a nonsense word, which in-the-know readers will understand is 'nuts,' as it's actually quoting Jesse Jackson, instead asked put in 'ears' which we should read as 'horse's ass.' Especially since their website ran the original, not the 'alternative' version.

OT: Bruce Guthrie's photos of San Diego Comic-Con

Bruce usually photographs in the DC area, but he's gone to San Diego quite a few times. Here's links to his latest pictures:

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Panels (day 2 of 4) part 1

(1) Batman: Brave & Bold— Join producers Sam Register (Teen Titans) and James Tucker (Justice League Unlimited) as they discuss their latest take on the Dark Knight from their new show premiering this fall on Cartoon Network. Show story editor Michael Jelenic (The Batman), directors Brandon Vietti (Superman Doomsday), Ben Jones (Teen Titans: Trouble In Tokyo), Michael Chang (Teen Titans), voice director Andrea Romano (Superman Doomsday) and the new voice of Batman, Diedrich Bader (Surfs Up), will join Sam and James for an exclusive first look at the series, a brief discussion, followed by a Q&A session!

(2) Stargate Continuum— Following on the heels of the hit DVD release Ark of Truth, the next full-length feature will be released Tuesday, July 29, with principal cast members returning for the biggest adventure of them all! This panel features Brad Wright (series co-creator and Continuum developer, executive producer and writer), Martin Wood (director), and (subject to availability) stars Richard Dean Anderson (General Jack O'Neill), Amanda Tapping (Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter), Ben Browder (Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell), Michael Shanks (Dr. Daniel Jackson), and Christopher Judge (Teal'c).

(3) Stargate Worlds— After nearly 15 years on the air, the Stargate franchise is launching its first-ever multilevel online game, with all the elements—and more!—fans expect from the Stargate family. The key creative team from Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment and FireSky Studios present a compelling sneak-peek and answer questions. Panelists include Brad Wright (Stargate series' co-creator, executive producer and writer) plus Dan Elggren (FireSky Studio head), Chris Klug (creative director), Howard Lyon (art director), and Demetrius Comes (director of technology).

(4) Stargate Atlantis— With new allies and new challenges, Stargate Atlantis is making big waves in its action-packed fifth season. Be on hand for this exclusive panel discussion with the cast and creators of SCI FI's hit series. Panelists include cast members Joe Flanigan, Robert Picardo, and Jewel Staite, co-creator and executive producer Brad Wright, and , Chris Sanagustin, VP original programming SCI FI. Moderated by Martin Gero, executive producer.


San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Artists (day 2 of 4)

Artists include: Megan Franich, Mick Foley, Virgil, Lori Petty, Jane Wiedlin, Gordon Kent, Steve Leiahola, Scott Shaw!, Dean Yeagle, Dean Haglund, Jim Balent, Brian Laub, Jim Starlin, Kevin Eastman, Bill Willingham, Joshua Ortega, Marc Andreyko, Jonathan Wayshack, Mike Carlin, and Jonathan Frakes.

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Panels (day 2 of 4) part 2

(5) Joss Whedon— Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the writers and cast of his new short film, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, will show never-before-seen clips while Joss also discusses Buffy Season Eight, the Fray crossover, and the upcoming Serenity comic focusing on Shepherd Book.

(6) American Dad— Seth MacFarlane and the cast of the Fox animated hit reunite at Comic-Con to read a never-before-seen episode and take questions from the audience.

(7) Family Guy— Stars Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green and the producers of the Fox animated hit give fans a sneak peek at a never-before-seen episode and discuss the highly anticipated spinoff The Cleveland Show.

(8) Bones— Join the entire cast (David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor, John Francis Daley) and creators Hart Hanson and Barry Josephson for an hour of behind-the-scenes secrets and the chance to ask them everything you always wanted to know about the hit Fox drama.

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Miscellaneous (day 2 of 4)

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Panels (day 1 of 4) part 2

(5) Robotech Industry Panel— Tommy Yune, director of Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, covers the history of the animated series that introduced a generation to anime and discusses upcoming new releases in the wake of the announcement of the live-action feature film.

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Panels (day 1 of 4) part 3

(6) Lionsgate and Marvel: Punisher: War Zone!— Producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Incredible Hulk) and stars Ray Stevenson (Rome) and Julie Benz (Rambo, Dexter) take you into the world of the Punisher for an exclusive first look. You won't be prepared!

(7) Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures: Saw 5— Join director David Hackl, along with the filmmakers and cast for an exclusive first look at the latest terrifying installment of the most successful horror series in history!

San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Panels (day 1 of 4) part 4

(8) Repo! The Genetic Opera First Look— See what director Darren Lynn Bousman has been up to since directing the last three Saw movies: Repo! The Genetic Opera. Check out the phenomenon that is this Goth Rock musical with sneak peeks and the new trailer plus stories from Darren and the actors themselves, including Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects), and Ogre (the band Skinny Puppy), among others.

(9) Warner Premiere and Warner Home Video: World Premiere of Lost Boys The Tribe— Prepare to sink your teeth into the long-awaited and highly anticipated next chapter of the cult phenomenon started by the 1987 cult classic, and be the first to see Lost Boys The Tribe before its July 29 DVD release at this special world premiere. More than 20 years in the making, Lost Boys The Tribe is an homage to the original 1987 cult hit and stars Corey Feldman as vampire hunter Edgar Frog, along with Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser, with appearances by Jamison Newlander and Corey Haim. Meet the cast and filmmakers as director P J Pesce and original Lost Boys star Corey Feldman are joined by Tad Hilgenbrinck, Angus Sutherland, and Autumn Reeser to answer questions and talk about the making of this new horror classic.


San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Miscellaneous (day 0 of 4)


San Diego, CA -- Comic-Con International 2008 -- Artists (day 0 of 4)
Artists include: Darwyn Cooke, Jerry Robinson, Adam Hughes, Dave Dorman, Michael Golden, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jimmy Palmiotti, Matt Wagner, Arthur Adams, Amanda Conner, Kevin Eastman, Steve Rude, Phil and Kaja Foglio, Greg Evans, Mike Royer, William Tucci, Lou Ferrigno, Jim Balent, Becky Cloonan, and J. Scott Campbell.

Eddie Campbell interview

Our old buddy Scott Rosenberg's picked up and gone to the big city, where's he's interviewed Eddie Campbell on "The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard," - "Step right up for an old-time circus," By Scott A. Rosenberg, AM New York July 29, 2008.

Feiffer calls Toles "brilliant"

Brian Heater interviewed Jules Feiffer for his Daily Cross Hatch and has put it up in two parts, the first of which is here. In part 2, Feiffer said, "Though there are still some brilliant political cartoonists. There’s my friend Tony Auth, for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Tom Toles in The Washington Post and Pat Oliphant in syndication. These guys are extraordinary. They’re brilliant."

Feiffer is one of the great political cartoonists of the twentieth century, although most wouldn't categorize him that way.

Post censors Candorville again, again

From Gene Weingarten's chat earlier today:

Philadelphia, Pa.: I like how "Sally Forth" discovers that their 10-year-old daughter is really 36. This proves so many theories of alternate universes.

Gene Weingarten: I meant to add this to the comic picks. It's terrific. I am pretty sure I was the inspiration for this. Last week, in the Gene Pool, I noted Hilary's real age. Marciuliano mentioned this in his blog. I think he got that strip in in a hurry.

This also reminds me of an awful thing. Last Friday's Candorville contained some awful editing by The Post. In the version as drawn, and as appears online, the last panel contains comics-curse symbols to mean, obviously, "nuts." In The Post, they reworded it to say "ears."

Blogging? Fun for how long?

The Post had an interesting article about how something, like blogging on comics, becomes no fun if one is paid for it. Some sites have gone pro and been sold like Comics2Film or Newsarama, while Heidi MacDonald moved herself over to Publishers Weekly. Perhaps one of my colleagues would like to comment on if the fun remains - here's the article. "When Play Becomes Work," By Shankar Vedantam, Monday, July 28, 2008; Page A02. ComicsDC has been ad-free since its inception, much to my wife's dismay.

Dark Knight in Smithsonian IMAX theater

The Express is recommending that one drive out to Dulles to see the Dark Knight in the Air and Space's Museum's annex's IMAX theater. I've got some friends who did it and thought that it was only so-so because the movie was so dark and focused so much on actor's faces which don't need to be 3 stories tall. Speaking as a museum professional, I'm appalled that the Smithsonian shows stuff like this in what was built to be an educational facility. I guess they've got bills that no honest man can pay. But here's the story if you want to check it out.

KAL blogs on China trip

Kal went to China recently as part of a animation and comics festival. He reported on his trip with pictures here.

Borrowing from Beeler? Hope loses job

Clay Jones of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star has written up what either is a case of really similar cartoons or plagiarism. The original cartoon is by Nate Beeler of the Examiner, while the similar one is by Jim Hope, a freelancer for the Culpeper (VA) Star Exponent. Jones linked to a story at the S-E as well, where in the comments Hope maintains it was a coincidence, writing:

The incident of two pieces of art work done by Nate Beeler of the Washington Examiner and the one done by myself was truely coincidental. I had know previous knowledge of Mr. Beeler’s work till I was notified by the Star-Exponent.

After locating Mr. Beeler’s work, I was dumbfounded in the similarities. I contacted Mr. Beeler explaining to him the situation and claimed no right to nore did I plagiarize his work. Mr. Beeler responded, stating, ‘No worries, I’m surprised more people didn’t use that image.’

In my own defense, people in all lines of life come up with the same ideas and concepts, especially in this line of work. I sincerely hope you, the readers understand.

Jones comes down on the side of plagiarism. I honestly have no opinion on this - Nate's a friend, this wasn't a great idea for a cartoon, and I'm not a cartoonist so it's hard to know how inspiration may or may not strike. Certainly I think one can unconsciously borrow an idea that one saw briefly - and the Internet makes it much easier to do that, but also to spot said borrowing. Jones posted the two cartoons as a pdf file as well.

Dave Astor's got this story as well (I didn't get it from him!) - "Cartoonist Loses Freelance Job After Plagiarism Allegation," E&P July 29, 2008.

Frederick, MD library hosts anime meetings

This is a pretty common story these days, but here's a local example - "Japanese craze lures teens to library," by Stephanie Mlot @ The Frederick News-Post, July 28, 2008.

Bash, alt-comics newspaper to debut on Friday

Bash, an alt-comics newspaper will debut on Friday, August 1st. The Washington City Paper's website has the story - "Talkin’ Bash," by Andrew Beaujon on Jul. 28, 2008. A pdf will be on their website, but if anyone can grab me a copy or five, I'd appreciate it as I'll be traveling that day. I am very interested in how this works out - I've thought for some time that an alternative approach to newspaper comic strips would be a good idea. The Simpsons is now the longest-running sitcom, the major movies this year are based on comic books, Jim Davis (happy birthday!) sold his jet, but is still a millionaire - there's money in comics.

BTW, I'm not quite sure how I keep getting scooped by every paper in DC, but it's getting embarrassing...

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-30-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-30-08
By John Judy

BLACK PANTHER #39 by Jason Aaron and Jefte Palo. Okay, much as I like regular PANTHER scribe Reginald Hudlin, the thought of Jason Aaron, the creator of SCALPED, writing the issue in which the Panther and his kingdom throw down with the Skrull army… Let’s just say it was a “Ledger as Joker Moment.” Highly Recommended.

DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES, VOL. 5 HC by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani. The final adventures of the Silver-Age’s strangest team. Collecting issues #114-121. Six-hundred bucks in Near-Mint. A lot cheaper here. Highly Recommended.

ELEPHANTMEN VOL. 1: WOUNDED ANIMALS SC by Richard Starkings and Moritat. Collecting the first seven issues of what Publisher’s Weekly calls a “superior dystopian sci-fi tale” and “a lightning-fast but addictive read.” Recommended.

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 7 SC by The Guys Who Did FF When I Was a Kid. Collecting issues #138-159, plus two Annuals and more. This one has the first appearance of Madrox the Multiple Man and the wedding of Quicksilver and Crystal. Fun stuff, hours of entertainment, dirt cheap!

GREEN LANTERN #33 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The adventures of Hal Jordan and his good buddy Sinestro continue. For realz.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNUAL #1 by Geoff Johns and Jerry Ordway. Power Girl gets her dream come true: Earth-2 lives again! Works for me.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: DEFENDERS VOL. 1 HC by Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Ross Andru and Sal Buscema. Collecting SUB MARINER #34 & 35, MARVEL FEATURE #1-3, and DEFENDERS #1-6. These comics would set you back almost 800 bucks if you bought them from the back issue bin. Cheaper here. Featuring Doc Strange, Sub-Mariner, the Hulk and the Silver Surfer! Evil don’t stand a chance! Recommended.

NEWUNIVERSAL: 1959 by Kieron Gillen and Greg Scott. Warren Ellis’s “hand-picked” protégé writer takes on the history of the New New Universe, making it, in theory, the New New Universe of Old. Anyway, if you can still remember the last issue of NEWUNIVERSAL (early May 2008), there was a guy named Philip Voight who killed superpeople back in the 50s. This is his story.

NORTHLANDERS #8 by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice. No Skrulls! No Mutants! Just good old fashioned Vikings and Violence! Highly recommended!

PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. Start making your holiday wish lists!

PROJECT SUPERPOWERS # 5 of 7 by Alex Ross and Company. Souring people on the Golden Age of Comics one issue at a time.

REIGN IN HELL #1 of 8 by Keith Giffen and Matt Clark. It’s a battle for the rulership of Hell in the DC Universe. I nominate whoever thought it would be a good idea to keep doing year-long weeklies after “52.”

SKRULLS VS POWER PACK #1 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Cory Hamscher. Wow. Who do you root for here? I root for Van Lente because he did ACTION PHILOSOPHERS!

THOR #10 by J. Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel. If the pay-off to this story is not something along the lines of “Loki, how stupid do you think we are?” I for one am going to feel let down. Good stuff. Also out this week is the first trade collection featuring issues #1-6. Enjoy!

TRINITY #9 by Various Creators. Okay, I hate to say this because some of the creators involved are very talented and/or nice people, but this series is Not Good. DC is asking fans for a total of $155.48 plus local sales taxes over the course of a year for this book and …. No. “52” was worth it. COUNTDOWN and now TRINITY are not. Take the three bucks a week and try a new series, kids. Or save up for a trade collection. SCALPED, NORTHLANDERS, CRIMINAL or (heck, if it has to be capes) why not ASTRO CITY? These are all great books that deserve more support. DC should wrap up TRINITY ten months early and blame the Time-Trapper or something. Un-Recommended.

TRUE BELIEVERS #1 of 5 by Cary Bates and Paul Gulacy. A veteran creative team brings us a super-team for the Information Age, a crazy bunch of kids who expose evil on the internets, kind of like MoveOn.Org but with skimpier outfits. There’s a preview on Marvel’s website. Worth a look, but not for younger kids.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #124 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Ultimate Beetle, I swear to god…. Plus Ultimate Venom is naked.

WOLVERINE #67 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. The imaginary story “Old Man Logan” continues as Hawkeye and Logan head East and Logan tries not to kill people. It’s very entertaining but I still want my money back for “Wanted”, Mr. Millar. Recommended.

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #27 by Daniel Way and Stephen Segovia. Balancing out the quality of the main Wolverine title is the transcendent suckiness of this one. Like Yin and Yang, for every Wolverine story employing subtlety and nuance in his character, there is another which invents tranny clones and long-lost sons who are able to have tattoos despite an inherited healing factor which would make tattoos impossible. What is the sound of one hand ripping a bad comic to pieces? Cleansing breaths now. Ommm….

www.johnjudy.net

Annapolis comic book collectors featured in paper

"Local comic fans have Marvel-ous collections," By THERESA WINSLOW, Staff Writer, Annapolis Capital July 27, 2008

Hellboy game review in Onion UPDATED

This is in the physical paper this week - "Hellboy: Science Of Evil," Reviewed by Scott Jones, Onion July 21st, 2008.

Other items on comics are appearing on their website:

Jeff Smith
Interviewed by Tasha Robinson
Onion July 28th, 2008

Jules Feiffer
interviewed by Sam Adams
Onion July 29th, 2008

Mike Mignola
Interviewed by Jason Heller
July 24th, 2008

The Luna Brothers
Interviewed by Tasha Robinson
Onion July 25th, 2008

San Diego Comic Con, Day 0: July 23, 2008
By Keith Phipps
Onion July 24th, 2008


Your guide to the WALL-E controversy
posted by: Sean O'Neal
July 10, 2008

New York Times coverage of San Diego Comic-con

"Comic-Con Brings Out the Stars, and Plugs for Movies," By MICHAEL CIEPLY, New York Times July 25, 2008.

"Comics for a Story by Stephen King, Too," By JULIE BOSMAN, New York Times July 26, 2008.

"In Comic-Con Galaxy, Stars and Terrestrials Meet," By MICHAEL CIEPLY, New York Times July 26, 2008.

Toles picks up Oregon newspaper

Tom Toles will be in Astoria, Oregon's paper the Daily Astorian, which will be using his syndicated strips. The article doesn't mention who they dropped.

Steve Heller reviews Mauldin, Panter, Baseman and Wacky Packages

"The Artist at War," Reviews by STEVEN HELLER, New York Times Book Review July 27, 2008

New book of wordless graphic novels by David Berona

Some years ago, I worked on a wordless comics bibliography - "Stories Without Words : A Bibliography with Annotations" compiled by Michael Rhode, Tom Furtwangler, and David Wybenga, International Journal of Comic Art,v. 2, no. 2 (Fall 2000), p. 265-306.

David Berona's done more than anyone else to bring some forgotten works back to public view. Here's a profile of him: "Central alum writes the book on wordless books; David Berona links wordless books of '30s to today's graphic novels," By Andrew McGinn, Springfield News Sun Thursday, July 24, 2008.

Needless to say, the bibliography's out of date. Lio's my current favorite wordless comic strip.

Zadzooks on Hellboy book

"ZADZOOKS: Hellboy: Behind the scenes," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, July 24, 2008.

Animation Show review

The Animation Show, Mike Judge's animation shorts program, has made it to NYC - here's a review - "Life in Motion," By NATHAN LEE, New York Times July 25, 2008.

Matt Dembicki featured on Fairfax Library podcast

Matt just wrote in to say, "[Sam Clay,] the director of the Fairfax County Library System did a recent podcast interview wih me." Cool! Matt's been teaching cartooning classes in the system off and on, I believe. Here he talks about Mr. Big, the graphic novel about a snapping turtle he did with his wife. Matt revealed he's influenced by Wally Wood, Steve Bissette, Alan Moore, and Frank Miller. The link will take you to a whole page of interviews.

John Hefner's one man show

John Hefner used to work at Big Planet Comics. He's been doing a one-man show recently and unfortunately I just found this DCist post by Chris Klimek to realize I missed his recent appearances in town.

Tracking Jason Rodriguez, part 4

Jason's got a new post up taking him through Arizona and New Mexico - July 24, 2008 - Coast-to-Coast Comicdom: Sweating the Southwest.

DC Anime Club cosplay in Silver Spring

Details at "Dressing in character is part of ‘Cosplay’ fun," by Aaron Kraut, Montgomery Gazette Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The Alliance Comics and Games store used to be one of Geppi's stores, way back in the early mists of the direct market.

AO Scott is tired of comic book movies

And he'll tell you why in "How Many Superheroes Does It Take to Tire a Genre?" By A. O. SCOTT, New York Times July 24, 2008.

Kal on Kojo Nnamdi Show

Here's the link to the online version - "Politics, Satire and Editorial Cartoons," National Public Radio and WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show (July 24).

Kevin "Kal" Kallaugher is probably best known as the editorial cartoonist for the Economist magazine. He's also pushing the boundaries of technology and political cartoons with new interactive animation projects. Kal joins Kojo to talk about politics and satire on the editorial page.

Fantom Comics employee on Hispanic superheroes

Fantom Comics had a link to this story about their manager on their website - "A growing demographic: Hispanic superheroes," by Hallie D. Martin, Northwestern University's Medill Reports July 22, 2008.

July 26: Comic book presidential debate at Fantom Comics

This press release rolled in today from Fantom Comics, which is located in both Tenleytown and Union Station. My daughter Claire voted in this on Free Comic Book Day. I didn't realize they had a blog, but will add the link to their store site on the side.

Local Comic Book Store hosts Super-Hero Presidential Debate

Washington, DC – It's not Gotham, where Batman hangs his hat, or New York, the city Iron Man calls home. Nonetheless, this Saturday, July 26, DC is where the two men will meet to debate which of them should be the next president of the United States.

Nearly 3 months ago Fantom Comics asked its customers: If super-heroes were running in the 2008 presidential election, who would earn your vote? The primaries offered people the option of 8 Marvel Comics heroes (Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury, Daredevil, Green Goblin, Mr. Fantastic, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Professor X) and 8 DC Comics heroes (Commissioner James Gordon, Steel, Lois Lane, Dr. Will Magnus, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Batman, Amanda Waller). Voters were asked to chose one favorite from each publisher to run for President.

Bruce “Batman” Wayne and Tony “Iron Man” Stark came up on top. Said Fantom Comics employee Jimmy Meritt, “Interesting election. Two fascists going up against each other for president.” This view isn’t held by all comic book fans, however. Fantom Comics owner and former think tank employee Matthew Klokel feels the candidates come from two very different places. “Iron Man generally wants to get things done within the system, while Batman typically wants to work outside it.” Even Meritt, a professional comedian who will be playing Tony Stark at this Saturday’s debate, gives the comic book characters a break. “When I said fascists, I was being a bit facetious. These are good guys, after all.”

Over the past 3 months debates have raged between fans over who would make the better Chief Executive of the USA. Op-eds were written on the Fantom Comics blog and fiery debates ensued at the Fantom Comics stores. Said customer Brandon Baker-Rice, “Who’d have thought Batman/Iron Man would be more decisive than Obama/McCain? Maybe it’s because we’ve known the comic book characters so much longer than we’ve known the politicians.”

At 12 O’clock noon this coming Saturday, July 26th Fantom Comics Tenleytown will host a town-hall style debate between the two super-heroes whose playboy lifestyles make them seem outwardly similar, but whose approach to policy differs so greatly. Fantom Comics manager Jordan Kessler urges attendees to bring along questions for the heroes. “Got a pet policy issue? Ask Batman how he’d handle it.”

Klokel points out that "between Batman and Iron Man, you’ve got a combined experience of well over 100 years. These characters have touched on a lot of subjects over the years, so the guys playing them have a pretty good idea how they’ll react to security, privacy, and a host of other issues.” There are other areas in which the debate might break new ground, though. Says Klokel with a shoulder shrug, “How does Iron Man feel about welfare reform, or Batman about free trade? I guess we’ll just have to find out on Saturday.”

Further information on the Fantom Comics super-hero debate can be found on the Fantom Comics 2008 Super-Hero Presidential Election blog.

Media Contact: Matthew Klokel, Owner, Fantom Comics, 949-278-3466, matt@fantomcomics.com

Comic Riffs interviews Marvel EiC Joe Quesada

The Comic Riffs blog third interview (after Trudeau and McGruder) is a comic book one - "The Interview: Marvel Comics' Joe Quesada," by David Betancourt. The blog has otherwise been doing a lot of reading of the day's comics and commenting on them.

Kal on WAMU

Kal writes in to say:

"Friends and colleagues
I will be the featured guest on WAMU's Kojo Nnambi show at 1PM today. You can tune into 88.5 FM this afternoon or listen in live (or later) on their website www.wamu.org
Best
Kal
Kevin Kallaugher"

Tom Inge interview on Poe in Comics exhibit

You can hear Tom Inge interviewed by Nancy King on the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities website on June 13 2008 in "The Incredible Mr. Poe." There's a downloadable mp3 file and also the script for the story. Tom's exhibit on Poe in comics is up in Richmond for the rest of the summer.

OT: British radio interview with Garry Trudeau

I'm sticking this one up because it's only available for 4 more days. Click on the link to listen to it. Lynn (For Better or For Worse) Johnston, Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell, Garry (Doonesbury) Trudeau, the Cartoonists with Attitude (including Jen Sorensen) and Bill (Zippy) Griffith were interviewed for:

Phill Jupitus' Comic Love, BBC Radio 4 Saturday 19 July 2008 10:30-11:00 (Radio 4 FM).

Phill Jupitus offers some personal insights into the world of the satirical newspaper comic strip.

Contributors include the Daily Telegraph duo who lampoon the City in Alex and the American right's nemesis Garry Trudeau of Doonesbury fame. They discuss the impact and political significance of their work.

Jupitus wrote about it at "Blood, sweat and ink: Phill Jupitus has loved comic strips all his life. Would their creators live up to his expectations?" Phill Jupitus, The Guardian, Tuesday July 22, 2008.
*

Obama and McCain comic books press release

Hmmm, somehow I got on the mailing list for this press release - perhaps because the two candidates are DC personalities no matter how much a politician may attempt to deny that when running. Or maybe because I went to see Andy Helfer in Charlottesville when he spoke about his Malcolm X biography... it's probably not the number of readers here!

So without further ado, or editing, here's the PR:


IDW PUBLISHING PRESENTS GRAPHIC NOVEL BIOGRAPHIES OF U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES SENATOR BARACK OBAMA AND SENATOR JOHN McCAIN

GoComics Will Bring Comic Books To Mobile Users Worldwide

(San Diego, CA; July 22, 2008) -- Seldom has there been a presidential election year as momentous as this one. The larger-than-life personal stories and come-from-behind political victories of the presumptive candidates, Senator Barack Obama (Dem; IL) and Senator John McCain (Rep; AZ), have electrified the political discourse in this country and around the world. Now IDW Publishing (www.idwpublishing.com) is pleased to present an extraordinary venture in this political year: a pair of biographies, PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: BARACK OBAMA (Author: Jeff Mariotte/Artist: Tom Morgan) and PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: JOHN MCCAIN (Author: Andy Helfer/Artist: Stephen Thompson) presented in one of the true American art forms, the comic book. These graphic novel biographies are painstakingly researched with beautifully drawn depictions highlighting key incidents in the lives of the two men. Sure to be a hot collector’s item, the books can be pre-ordered starting today at www.presidentialcomics.com in advance of the October 8 publication date. In addition to the separate tomes, the two issues will also be available in a special trade paperback flip-book edition.

“We’re tremendously proud of these books,” says IDW president Ted Adams. “Comics and graphic novels speak to millions of people encompassing all demographic, social, cultural and economic stripes. It’s a great way to get beyond the headlines on these two candidates.”

In addition to the print versions, mobile phone users can purchase the books for downloading through uclick’s GoComics mobile comic book reader at www.gocomics.com/presidents. The books will be available on phones through top U.S. carriers and on the mobile Internet at http://m.gocomics.com. A leading digital entertainment provider offering a broad mix of popular products for the Web and mobile phones, uclick’s content lineup includes other IDW properties, among many other leading brands.

“The Presidential Material books are the latest example of why IDW is considered one of the most innovative comic book publishing companies,” said Jeff Webber, Uclick Vice President of Product Development. “The simultaneous release of these books in print and on mobile phones has never been done in the U.S. before. We’ve seen a lot of new ground broken so far in this presidential contest, so it’s fitting that these books should be released in a way that’s unprecedented.”

The powerful cover art illustrations for both books were created by fan favorite J. Scott Campbell. His first book was the popular Gen13, which he followed with Danger Girl, a runaway bestseller that spawned a video game as well as a series of toys. More recently he has been working on a Spider-Man series that will debut in 2009.

Senator Barack Obama’s meteoric rise to the top of the Democratic Party is the stuff of political legend. His epic battle with Senator Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic Party’s nominee has ensured, regardless of outcome, a historic election in November. Obama author Jeff Mariotte is an award-winning, bestselling writer of more than 30 novels, including original supernatural thrillers River Runs Red and Missing White Girl, horror epic The Slab, and Stoker Award nominated teen horror series Witch Season, as well as books set in the universes of CSI: Miami, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, Spider-Man, Superman, and Star Trek. He is a veteran comics author, including his original Western series, Desperadoes.

Senator John McCain comes from a family steeped in public service—both his father and grandfather were Admirals in the U.S. Navy—and he has followed in that tradition. His Navy tenure included an extended period as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and he has been a longtime member of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Andy Helfer, author of the John McCain bio, has been one of comics’ most innovative forces since 1980. During his tenure in charge of Paradox Press, an experimental imprint of DC Comics, he published the original graphic novels Road to Perdition and A History of Violence, both of which became major feature films. He is also the author of well-received and critically lauded graphic novel biographies of Ronald Reagan and Malcolm X.

BARACK OBAMA: PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: 28 pages of story and art, plus annotations. $3.99 cover price. JOHN MCCAIN: PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: 28 pages of story and art, plus annotations. $3.99 cover price. FLIP-BOOK encompassing both titles: $7.99 cover price.

About IDW: IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, Calif. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry including: television's #1 prime time series CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; Hasbro's The Transformers, and the BBC's Doctor Who. IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released Michael Recycle, the first title from its new children's book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com.

Press Contact: Maggie Begley Communications
Office: 310-301-1785
Mobile: 310-749-3055
mbegley@aol.com

McGruder, McCain, Obama, Kirkman and True

A roundup from today's papers -

"The Interview: 'Boondocks' Creator Aaron McGruder," By Michael Cavna, Comic Riffs blog July 22, 2008;

I'm not sure what this is about - "Meeting Every Superhero's Needs In Brooklyn," By Jennifer 8. Lee, New York Times City Room blog July 22 2008.

McCain and Obama will appear in IDW comic books - "The Candidates, Comically Drawn," By George Gene Gustines, New York Times July 22, 2008.

Robert Kirkman becomes one of the partners in Image Comics - "Writer of the Undead Is Reborn as a Partner at Image Comics," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, New York Times July 22, 2008. I think he'll be at the Baltimore Comic Con again this year.

Finally, the comics editor of True has died - "Roger Hall; Memoirist of World War II Espionage," By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, July 22, 2008; B06.

Wash Post letters on Blitt's caricature

Uncovered by the New Yorker, Washington Post Monday, July 21, 2008; A14 features letters on Philip Kennicott's July 15th article, "It's Funny How Humor Is So Ticklish."

Heroes to return to tv

Oddly enough, I've never watched this... perhaps because I'm doing projects like this...
"‘Heroes’ Is Ready for Its Rebound," By BILL CARTER, New York Times July 21, 2008

Niles, Panter and the Big Planet

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

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

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


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


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

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

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

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


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


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


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


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


Panter starting a Jimbo sketch in Thompson's book.

Tracking Jason Rodriguez

Jason's got three posts up at the DCist about his drive to San Diego's ComicCon.

July 14: The Plan

July 15-18: DC to Tennessee

July 19-21: Tennessee to New Mexico

This is still an insane idea, although it looks like he's having fun, of a sort.

OT: Dennis the Menace exhibit in North Carolina

This one's off-topic, but at Heroes Con I had lunch with Marcus Hamilton who does the daily Dennis the Menace. He's a real nice guy, and he's got an exhibit up now - the details are from the Charlotte Observer July 20 2008 and the exhibit “Illustrating: A Career and Drawing Dennis,” is up from July 28-Aug. 28 at the Cabarrus Arts Council Galleries in the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse in downtown Concord.

July 21: Jeff Smith interviewed on PBS Newshour tonight and website later

This one comes in from Arlingtonian Herschel Kanter - you can watch the Newshour on WETA, WMPT or WHUT tonight or send questions in for Jeff Smith to answer later online, ala the Washington Post's chats. Here's the details:


Jeff Smith and the Bone Comics

Jeff Smith, the artist who draws the wildly popular "Bone" comics says he grew up hiding his drawings in math books.

Now, after launching his first issue in 1991, Smith's drawings have sold over four million copies and have been published in multiple languages. They are on display at the Wexner Center For the Arts at Ohio State University.

"Bone" is an epic fantasy featuring three cousins - Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone - who get lost in a strange world.

He takes your questions on the world of comics and the inspiration behind his series.

Answers will be posted Wednesday, July 30.

Catching up with cIndy podcast interviews

I ran into Chris at Big Planet this weekend, and realized I hadn't been checking his cIndyCenter podcasts as often as I should this spring. I had missed Christopher Mills, J.H. Williams III, Joe Staton, Sonny Liew, Alan Kupperberg and Herb Trimpe. Check them out!

Joss Whedon Talks 'Dr. Horrible,' 'Dollhouse' and More

The transcript for this is online now - it's the shortest chat I've seen and only is about the two new projects -- Mike

Joss Whedon, Creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly"
Monday, July 21, 2008; 12:00 PM

Television writer, producer and director Joss Whedon will be online
Monday, July 21 at Noon ET to take your questions about "Dr.
Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," his new show "Dollhouse" and more.

Whedon is the creator of the TV shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"
"Angel" and "Firefly." "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," is a musical
superhero spoof starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion. It
was freely available streaming online through July 20, and will be
available for download and on DVD.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-23-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-23-08
By John Judy

AMBUSH BUG: YEAR NONE #1 of 6 by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming and Al Milgrom. Remember how we all laughed back in the 1980s? We had these funny Presidents who never knew what they were talking about and one of them liked jelly beans an awful lot, maybe too much and… Well, if you’d like to relive those days at roughly ten times the price then this book is for you!

AMERICAN FLAGG DEFINITIVE COLLECTION VOL. 1 HC written and illustrated by Howard Chaykin. Collecting the legendary first 14 issues of the series that put Howard Chaykin on the map. Twenty-five years in the making this one’s finally coming out from Image. Recommended.

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #15 by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Harvey Tolibao. Skrull-kickings galore! What more could anyone ask?

BLACK PANTHER #38 by Reginald Hudlin and Francis Portela. T’Challa vs. Killmonger, the final round. Look whose name is on the comic, kids. Good stuff.

BLACK SUMMER #7 of 7 by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. It’s crazy John Horus vs. Everyone in the mushroom cloudy finale! To take the edge off Ellis dumping THUNDERBOLTS. Not for kids.

BRAVE AND BOLD #15 by Mark Waid and Scott Kolins. Okay, would ya believe Nightwing and Hawkman? I think Frank Miller should make money every time a superhero jumps through a hail of ninja arrows in a comic book. Just puttin’ it out there…

BROKEN TRINITY #1 of 3 by Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic. At first I thought this was some sort of a confession from DC but then I looked and saw it was from Top Cow and involved Witchblade, The Darkness and an Angelus that had nothing to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Okay.

DAN DARE #7 of 7 by Garth Ennis, Gary Erskine, and Gary Leach. The double-sized final issue as Dan and the Mekon throw down hard. Stiff upper lips all around! Think of England! Recommended!

DAREDEVIL #109 by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Matt starts using his head to figure out why the feds want the wrong man executed. This has to involve Cheney…

FLASH COMPANION SC by Keith Dallas. If you’re a fan of any of the four men to wear the lightning then you’ll want this collection of interviews, articles and never before seen artwork from Two Morrows Publishing. Recommended.

GRAVEL #3 by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer and Oscar Jimenez. Quick! An issue of GRAVEL has escaped from Avatar Press! Somebody catch it!

IMAGE MONSTER PILE-UP #1 by Many People. A sampler pack of Image monster characters, including the Astounding Wolf-Man, Firebreather, Perhapanauts, and Proof. Four new stories for the curious and the obsessive. Dirt-cheap!

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #17 by Duane Swierczynski, Russ Heath and Travel Foreman. The first issue by the new creative team, but is it the last for Danny Rand? All-new adventures of the toughest guy ever to wear yellow slippers.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #23 by Dwayne McDuffie and Ed Benes. Wonder Woman fights Amazo. See if I’m lying.

LIBERTY COMICS: A CBLDF BENEFIT BOOK by Various Creators including Brubaker, Ennis, Cooke, Evanier, Phillips and Millar. Featuring all-new stories from the worlds of CRIMINAL and THE BOYS with lots of other goodies from today’s top creators. Not for kids but essential reading. If you love comics and hate censorship this is your book! Highly Recommended x Infinity.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN-AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 2 HC by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #5-8. If you don’t have $46,000 on you for the original books give this a read. Classic stuff.

NEW AVENGERS #43 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Further explorations of the Skrull-kickings motif.

SCRAMBLED INK HC by A Bunch of Dreamworks Animators. A collection of stories illustrated by the folks who brought you “Shrek” among other things. There’s a preview over on the Dark Horse website and it looks beautiful. Gotta look!

SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN: THE WHOLE SHEBANG SC by Rob Schrab, Dan Harmon, Mondy Carter, and Jack Grey. Collecting SCUD #1-24, the whole magilla right here in one book. “If ya have to ask….”

SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY ARCHIVES, VOL. 3 HC by Joe Samachson and Arthur Cazeneuve. The final volume collecting LEADING COMICS #9-14 from the closing years of WWII. In original form these comics would cost you around $6,000. This book is cheaper.

SHE-HULK #31 by Peter David and Vincenzo Cucca. Guest-starring X-Factor and lots of Skrulls, who I daresay shall experience the kickings.

SKRULLS ONE-SHOT by John Rhett Thomas and Alan Smithee. Who are these Skrull people anyway and why do they merit the kickings?

SPIRIT #19 by Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier and Paul Smith. More adventures of Eisner’s classic gumshoe, almost certainly better than the upcoming movie.

SUPERMAN #678 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. Superman dukes it out with Atlas. Place yer bets!

TRINITY #8 by Kurt Busiek and Everybody. New drinking game: Every time the word “trinity” appears in this comic you have to drink. If tarot cards appear you have to drink. If the pictures on the tarot cards change to Superman, Batman and/or Wonder Woman you have to put down the comic and go for a walk (not a drive!). If you’re DC editorial and you’re running this title every week for a year while simultaneously trying to re-launch Madam Xanadu you have to stop drinking forever.

TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE #1 of 2 by Mark Sable and Jeses Saiz. The origin of the coolest, scariest Bat-villain EVER!

UNCANNY X-MEN #500 by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Greg Land and Terry Dodson. Okay, how about this: Every time Greg Land draws a character smiling really broadly you have to drink. If you can see both rows of teeth you have to drink twice. Don’t play this game if you’re pregnant or want to get more than five pages into the comic.

WAR HEROES #1 of 6 by Mark Millar and Tony Harris. Let us consider this book Millar’s apology for the movie “Wanted.” As long-time collaborator Bryan Hitch says: “Millar, you fool. We should have done this as ULTIMATES 3!” (Anyone who has read ULTIMATES 3 would have to agree.) With art by the wonderful Tony Harris of STARMAN and EX MACHINA fame. Recommended.

X-FILES SPECIAL #0 by Frank Spotnitz and Brian Denham. I’m told this used to be on that box with the little people in it.

X-MEN LEGACY #214 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Wrapping up the battle between Professor X and the X-villain with the name so stupid I can’t bring myself to type it. Rhymes with “Sister Minister” which is actually a much better name for an X-villain.

(Enjoy Comic-Con, everybody! If you see Jerry Robinson in Artists Alley be sure to thank him for co-creating the Joker!)

www.johnjudy.net

Panter and Niles at Big Planet Comics

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

New comic book title set in DC might be unspeakable,

For information on the anti-stereotype graphic novel "Mr. Spic Goes to Washington" by Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans, see "Professor takes Latino stigmas to D.C. in new graphic novel," By Mary Carey, Amherst Bulletin July 18, 2008.

Al Hirschfeld artwork on new stamp

Today's Washington Post reports that Al Hirschfeld's artwork will be featured on a stamp again - "First- Class Act: The Postal Service Puts Black Film History In a Starring Role," Sunday, July 20, 2008; Page M06. The article says:

The last stamp is the work of the famed Al Hirschfeld for "Hallelujah," a 1929 film made by MGM with an all-black cast and directed by King Vidor. Nina Mae McKinney, another talented beauty who was known as "the Black Garbo," was a co-star. The film itself has been debated for years for including both the reality of rural life and stereotypes. The poster shows a stylized flapper raising her yellow-gloved arms.

The Spirit of Eisner, and Miller, and Neil Young's Vertigo

Frank Miller is interviewed for his adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit comic into a movie at "Artist-Director Seeks the Spirit of ‘The Spirit’," By ANDY WEBSTER, New York Times July 20, 2008. The Times also put audio files up on challenging scenes and movies from comics.

An article on Neil Young reveals that the rock musician's work is being adapted into both an opera and a comic book from DC's Vertigo imprint. In "Morphing Neil Young for the Stage and Page," By TOM SELLAR, New York Times July 20, 2008, Sellar wrote:

...Vertigo, the art-house arm of DC Comics, is turning Mr. Young’s material into a graphic novel. Karen Berger, the imprint’s executive editor, said the idea came from Mr. Young... Ms. Berger assigned the project to the artist Cliff Chiang, and the writer Joshua Dysart. “Josh established this wonderful, modern Southern Gothic approach to the tone of his writing,” Ms. Berger said. “He looked at a lot of Neil’s lyrics and tried to find ways to utilize them where it worked.” And, she added, Mr. Dysart was sympathetic to the work’s underlying vision of social redemption.

Like the Undermain stage collaborators, Vertigo’s team is digging deep into mythologies that Mr. Young has created about the fictitious town. So “Greendale” the graphic novel will feature concepts and characters beyond those introduced in the original recording. The 160-page volume will likely be released in fall 2009.

New York Times columnist on Blitt's Obama

The Times has run an op-ed piece which finally puts the Blitt caricature in the context of Daumier and George Grosz - see "We’re Not Laughing at You, or With You," By LEE SIEGEL, New York Times July 20, 2008.

Amusingly enough, Blitt regularly illustrates Frank Rich's column and today about two pages later, he had a nice caricature of McCain for an article about his economic ineptness.

Finally, the Business section has a good article on Conde Nast, the New Yorker's corporate parent.

Back to the future in Disney's Tomorrowland

I've seen a couple of articles before this on Disney's reworking of Tomorrowland, but this is the first I've thought worth pointing out - "The Future Is So Yesterday: In the World of Tomorrow, There's a Very Familiar Feeling," by Joel Garreau, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, July 20, 2008; M01. Garreau's got some interesting points to make and has thought about these issues before as he was an early writer (and coined the term I believe) about 'edge cities' -- the conglomerations of places like Tysons Corner or Bethesda -- not classic suburbs, but not cities either.

Complete K Chronicles gets A- from Post

The Source section had a little bit on Keith Knight's Complete K Chronicles book in which Evan Narcisse gave it an A- grade.

Kung Fu Panda's reception in China, part 2

The NY Times follows the wires and the Post and runs a story about China's conflicted views on Kung Fu Panda - "The Panda That Roared," By RICHARD BERNSTEIN, New York Times July 20, 2008. Click the label under this post to see the earlier bits I've put up on it.

Space Chimps and Airbenders

The Post didn't like Space Chimps - "'Space Chimps': Your Inner Child Won't Go Ape for This One," By John Anderson, Washington Post Friday, July 18, 2008; C06.

But the NY Times did saying, " This movie has been designated a Critic's Pick by the film reviewers of The Times." See "Plucky Apes Help to Save the Planet of the Humans," By NEIL GENZLINGER, New York Times July 18, 2008.

And the Times also liked the new Avatar movie - "Television Review | 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' - Though Raised by Pacifists, Destined to Battle for Peace," By SUSAN STEWART, New York Times July 19, 2008.