Art of Political Cartooning in an Election Year photographs

The event at the Writer's Center was a lot of fun. KAL showed print cartoons of the last few presidential elections and then demonstrated several of his projects including Democrazy and his live poltical animation. Richard followed his with drawing caricatures - he marveled that people think it's 'magic' that he can draw a recognizable face, but then again so do I. Matt wrapped up and talked about doing political cartoons for Politico. Links to the websites of all three can be found on the right.

All the pictures I shot can be seen on my flickr site, but here's a few. You can also download an audio recording of indifferent quality.


Richard Thompson caricaturing Sarah Palin. Lipstick courtesy of KAL.


Matt Wuerker showing his Politico home page.


KAL's cartoon journalism on attending a presidential convention.

Post's review of Philly's Crumb exhibit

This review is more for someone with no familiarity with Crumb - "Digging 'Underground': In a Temple of High Art, the Lowbrow Work Of R. Crumb Certainly Rises to the Occasion," By Paul Richard, Washington Post Sunday, October 26, 2008; M06.

Signed copies of Harvey Pekar: Conversations for sale at Big Planet Comics

I signed a few copies of Harvey Pekar: Conversations that are for sale at Big Planet Comics in the Bethesda and Georgetown stores. It would make a lovely Christmas present!

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-29-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-29-08
By John Judy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 by Marc Guggenheim and Mike McKone. In which we finally learn who Jackpot really is. Hope this issue comes with aspirin…

ASTONISHING X-MEN: GHOST BOXES #1 of 2 by Warren Ellis, Frank Cho and Alan Davis. A tie-in series to the current Ellis AXM storyline, chiefly interesting for the artists involved. Guaranteed pretty!

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #9 by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. Wolf-Man on the run? Always fun! And what about this “Elder Brood” business? It’s the old Hulk TV show done right!

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #18 by Dan Slott, Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli. Scrappy kids still fightin’ Skrulls because that never gets old!

BOYS #24 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. This issue has an “Animal House” tribute cover. Why did nobody think of this before? “In your face, first issues of Action Comics and Fantastic Four!” Highly recommended. Not for kids.

DC UNIVERSE: DECISIONS #4 of 4 by Bill Willingham, Judd Winick and Howard Porter. An evil entity is taking over Presidential candidates and forcing them to self-destruct. (Insert Sarah Palin joke here.)

ELEKTRA BY FRANK MILLER OMNIBUS HC by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz. Lots of ninja super-action from early (pre-insane) Frank Miller. This stuff is great! What happened…?

EMPOWERED, VOL. 4 SC written and drawn by Adam Warren. Kind of like a bawdy HBO comedy built around a super-hero awards show and the personalities involved. Manga-style art, salty dialogue, for older teens and up.

ESSENTIAL MARVEL HORROR, VOL.2 SC by Various Creators. “Boo!”

FINAL CRISIS: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS #1 by Geoff Johns and Shane Davis. Okay, the Lantern spectrum so far is Green = Will Power. Yellow = Fear. Red = Anger. Of course the ones you really need to watch out for are the Plaid With Stripes Lanterns. Get offa their lawns!

GARTH ENNIS’S BATTLEFIELDS: NIGHT WITCHES #1 of 3 by Ennis and Russ Braun. 1942. Commie women pilots drop bombs on Nazi invaders. This is so Grindhouse!

GREEN LANTERN: IN BRIGHTEST DAY SC edited by Geoff Johns. A bunch of old GL comics selected and introduced by the guy who revitalized the franchise. A chance to peek behind the curtain.

HELLBLAZER: FAMILY MAN SC by Jamie Delano and Many Great Artists. Collecting eight issues from the early days of HELLBLAZER in which John Constantine had to contend with a completely non-mystical serial killer. Still one of the best Constantine stories ever done. Highly recommended.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #19 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. In which Danny tries to learn why all previous Iron Fists have died at age 33. Did someone let it slip that that’s when your life as a man peaks, never to get that good again? Oops…

JOKER HC by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. An original graphic novel focusing on the Batman’s Big Bad. Mr. J decides to take control of the Gotham underworld in his own inimitable style. Guaranteed oogies!

KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND GN by Grant Morrison and Philip Bond. A third printing of the Vertigo cult classic from 1995. Exactly what it sounds like. Fun stuff, especially when you consider the original target audience is probably having their second kids by now.

MAN OF ROCK: A BIOGRAPHY OF JOE KUBERT SC by Bill Schelly. Tracing the life and work of the 82 year-old living legend of comics. Includes interviews with the artist, his family and colleagues going back to 1938 when he got his first job in comics at age twelve. Recommended.

MARVEL APES #4 of 4 by Karl Kesel and Ramon Bachs. The final issue! Yes, it really made it all the way to number four! Your favorite Marvel heroes as apes! Some as vampire apes! Ook!

MISTER X ARCHIVES HC by Dean Motter, Los Bros Hernandez and Others. It’s 25 years old and really, really weird. But Important! If you like noir, art deco and German Expressionism this one’s for you!

NO HERO #2 of 7 by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. If you want to be a super-hero you have to take dangerous drugs. That nice Mr. Ellis tells me so and he’s got an honest face. Not for kids.

NORTHLANDERS #11 by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly. A tale set in the closing days of the Viking rule of Ireland. Vikings fighting Irish. Will this title ever stop being completely awesome? Highly recommended.

PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. See what you’re getting tomorrow today!

SOLOMON KANE #2 of 5 by Scott Allie and Mario Guevara. Starring the only Puritan that Ed Brubaker’s ever been a fan of! This series had a very strong first issue and appears to be maintaining its high quality. Recommended.

STREETS OF GLORY #6 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Mike Wolfer. Wrapping up Ennis’ oater epic in a fashion to be expected by Fans of Garth. Not for kids.

SUPERMAN #681 by James Robinson and Renato Guedes. One Hundred-Thousand Kryptonians hit the third rock! What could go wrong?

THOR #11 by J.Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel. Believe it or not, Loki is up to something…

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #3 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Lafuente Garcia. Ultimate Peter and Ultimate Mary-Jane appear headed to an ultimate experience, sans purity rings. Tsk-tsk, are these kids from Ultimate Alaska or something?

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION GRAPHIC ADAPTATION HC & SC by Jonathan Hennessey and Aaron McConnell (with a little help from James Madison). What it says: A graphic exploration of the document that made us a pretty amazing country up until the age of signing statements, extraordinary rendition and warrantless wiretaps. A worthy addition to any library and an appropriate parting gift for various Congresspersons, Senators, etc. Highly recommended.

www.johnjudy.net

Tonight! Matt, Kal and Richard at the Writers Center

7:30 in Bethesda - I'll be there too.

Geppi's Entertainment Museum rent continued

Here's an update on the unpaid rent issue at Geppi's Entertainment Museum - "Geppi’s Entertainment Museum owes $600K in rent and other fees," LIZ FARMER, Maryland Daily Record Business Writer, October 22, 2008.

Post recommends uncensored Looney Tunes collection

See "Bugs Bunny Takes a Bow," By JEN CHANEY, washingtonpost.com Staff Writer, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008 which was published as Warner Bros. Says, 'That's All, Folks!', Washington Post October 24 2008. This is the 6th and last collection apparently. At some point, I'd like to pick these up but I don't know when I'd ever find the time to watch them.

Virginia Comic-Con in Richmond, November 23, 2008

The upcoming Virginia Comic-Con (or Central Virginia Comic-Con, depending on where you look on their web pages) will be on November 23rd, 2008 (the weekend before Thanksgiving). It's out of the DC metro area proper, but still within reasonable driving distance (depending on where in the region you are, I suppose!). I've never been, but it looks to be a reasonably small show, but with a decent guest list this year!

Special Guests include the Tsunami Studios gang (Rick Ketcham, Randy Green, Steve, Bird, John Wycough, Kelly Yates, and Brian Shearer). James Kuhoric (his only convention appearance this year), local yokel Steve Conley, Jason Craig, Louis Small Jr., and small press creators Martin Krause, Brian Vissagio, and Dan Nokes of 21st Century Sandshark Studios.

Their vendor list looks similar to the one you find at the Capital Associates show in Tyson's Corner -- Tomorrow's Treasures, Cards Comics and Collectibles, Richmond Comix, Dino Thore, Guy Rose, Dave Shankle, FanData Comics, Banks' Comics, Rick Fortenberry, Battlefield Comics, Brett's Comic Pile, New World, Kuti's Comics, All-American Comics, West End Comics, Heroes Aren't Hard to Find, Kupinski's Comics, Wonder Wares, Zeno's Comics, and Dominion Comics. Some names there that don't ring a bell though, so you're bound to find something you haven't seen before or are looking for that the "usual suspects" haven't had.

Caricature waaaay back in the Reagan era

Back in the 1980s when I was in college in DC, great caricature posters of President Reagan and his cabinet would appear around town glued up overnight. Robbie Conal was the artist and here's a profile of what he's doing now -- but DC needs him back! There are still plenty of politicians who need caricaturing in town.

See "Robbie Conal and the Art of Character Assassination: Guerrilla pop," By Dwayne Booth, LA Weekly October 21, 2008.

Boy, I'm sorry I never got any of those posters peeled off although I'm not sure I need to see Ed Meese ever again, even in a caricature.

Marc Singer on Morrison's Superman

Marc Singer's got a lovely essay up on his blog about Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman. Hopefully Marc will find the time to devote himself to the Morrison book he's obviously got in him.

Comic Riffs interviews Breathed

Ok, today Michael Cavna jumped from an interview on Black Panther's sex to comic strips and interviewed the once-again retiring Berkeley Breathed.

Dave Astor laid off at Editor and Publisher

Dave Astor sent a note saying he's been laid off from Editor and Publisher as of the end of this month. Dave's been a friend of this blog, but beyond that he's one of the few in the mainstream media who has covered comics for years. Dave covered the syndicates that distribute comic strips, writing both small blurbs and larger articles as necessary. Dave's voice went beyond the readers of comics-centered specialty magazines or blogs like this one, and our field is poorer for the loss of his column. I hope that another publisher realizes the richness of Dave's knowledge and his ability and quickly snaps him up so we can get back to reading his stories.

As an aside, I can't help but think that newspapers and magazines letting go of the people that know the most about their field, whether in Washington Post buyouts, Baltimore Sun layoffs or Dave's current firing makes any sense at all if "content" is king as the media moguls keep trying to tell us.

I see I used the same 'headline' as Alan Gardner whose Daily Cartoonist site has better coverage of this whole stupid story. Tom Spurgeon has much the same tenor as I do.

OT: Phil Jupitus' latest BBC interview

Jupitus, a British cartoonist turned comedian, has been interviewing cartoonists for the BBC. We've already linked to his Trudeau and Cartoonists with Attitude shows, so here's the October 21st interview with Russell Taylor and Charles Peattie about their British strip Alex which focuses on the financial world. Of the top of my head, I can't think of an American equivalent.

Richard Thompson on the differences between Virginia and Maryland suburbs

I try to avoid linking to Richard's blog too often just to avoid the overly-cozy relationship that can come up between a stalker and his objective, but this hilarious and uncannily accurate map should be seen by the ComicsDC audience.

Oct 22: Daryl Cagle at UVA

It's at the edge of our coverage area, but see "U.Va. to host political cartoonist," October 20, 2008 for details.

OT: Dennis the Menace artist Marcus Hamilton

Here's a story on Marcus Hamilton who I met over the summer at Heroes Con - he's a real nice guy, and I really enjoyed having lunch with him. See "Cartoonist shares message of perseverance with hometown,"D BY HEATHER J. SMITH, The Dispatch Monday, October 20, 2008.

Kuper covers Post Health section

Peter Kuper did a somewhat atypical drawing for the Post Health section today - the original is quite large, but only this mini-version can be seen online.

Comic Riffs breaks news of Black Panther's breast implants

David Betancourt and Michael Cavna have broken the story of Marvel's new female Black Panther. They write, "The first modern black superhero is about to get a serious facelift -- even if we can't yet see under the mask" but I believe they've gotten the type of plastic surgery wrong, since they follow that up with "Black Panther will now be a woman warrior."

The comments are hot and heavy though - proving something about comic book readers perhaps.

Joker pumpkin pattern

Yesterday's USA Weekend, distributed in the Examiner, had this in it: Download The Joker stencil for your pumpkin carving, USA WEEKEND October 19 2008. The stencil looks rather hard actually...

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-22-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-22-08
By John Judy

BERNIE WRIGHTSON’S FRANKENSTEIN HC by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Bernie Wrightson. If you’ve never seen this book before brace yourself for a religious experience. On the 25th anniversary of its original release, Dark Horse Comics has put together this Cadillac of a collectible. Contains the full text of the classic novel and 47 full-page illustrations by the Grand Master of American horror art. Highly Recommended and Then Some.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #43 by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross. Winter Bucky fights that freedom-hating Frenchie, Batroc the Leaper! The moustache wax is gonna fly!

CRIMINAL 2 #6 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The bodies are piling up and the poor slob behind “Frank Kafka: Private Eye” is in so far over his head he oughta change his name to Aquaman. Highly recommended!

DAREDEVIL #112 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. The notorious assassins guild known as The Hand runs all over New York in search of a good thumping! And DD spends the night in jail for being a big man-whore. Spicey stories!

DC UNIVERSE HALLOWEEN 2008 by Various Spooks. A little something to hand out to the kids that won’t rot their teeth or get your house torched.

FINAL CRISIS #4 of 7 by Grant Morrison and J. G. Jones. Evil wins as Darkseid finally attains “The Anti-Life Equation!” (Also known as John McCain’s latest budget proposal.)

FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1 by Grant Morrison and Matthew Clark. Darkseid and his goons want Black Lightning to submit! Insist on a safety-word, Black Lightning!

HULK #7 by Jeph Loeb, Frank Cho and Arthur Adams. Come for the Red Hulk, stay for the legendary artists! Or vice-versa. BTW, the Red Hulk is secretly Ang Lee.

NEW AVENGERS #46 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Otherwise known as “The Old Red Hood.” This issue contains trace elements of actual Avengers.

NORTHLANDERS, VOL.1: SVEN THE RETURNED SC by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice. An engaging, original “You Can’t Go Home Again” story set near the turn of the last millennium. Stark and beautiful, giving the reader a real sense of how desolate Viking country was back then. Highly recommended.

RUNAWAYS #3 by Terry Moore and Huberto Ramos. Mostly Skrull-free! Still, these kids need a bigger Bad to fight. Or at least run away from. That Brian K. Vaughan is a tough act to follow…

SCALPED #22 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. In which we finally see Chief Lincoln Red Crow’s first murder. I’d suggest you buy extra copies to hand out at Halloween but it would get you arrested. For “Great Taste in Comics!” Highly recommended.

SECRET INVASION #7 of 8 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. Big fights!

SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON SPECIAL #1 by Tons O’People. There’s 100,000 new Kryptonians in town. At least they’re not mutants.

THOR: THE TRUTH OF HISTORY ONE-SHOT written and drawn by Alan Davis. A Thor adventure in ancient Egypt. “Osiris have mercy on us! Their skin is the color of a blood-drained corpse!” Guest-starring Laurel and Hardy! Honest!

THUNDERBOLTS #125 by Christos Gage and Fernando Blanco. Skrull fightin’ action!

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #127 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Creepy Ultimate Carnage/Gwen Stacy is back. “But her face!”

WARREN ELLIS AETHERIC MECHANICS GN by Internet Jesus and Gianluca Pagliarani. Ellis’ twisted take on a Holmes/Watson mystery. So compelling that Avatar Press ALMOST decided to publicize it! Gotta look!

WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #1 of 4 by Jason Aaron and Stephen Segovia. Wolverine goes to Chinatown looking to peacefully settle an old score. Not with three issues still to go, bub! Good stuff. Recommended.

X-FACTOR #36 by Peter David and Larry Stroman. If mutants are the next step in human evolution why does Larry Stroman draw them all like cro-magnon men? Even the girls. Starring all the mutants nobody else currently wants.

X-MEN: LEGACY #217 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Wolverine’s long-lost son, nerd-level sexual intrigue and the saddest-looking last page I’ve seen this year. Sigh…

Y: THE LAST MAN DELUXE EDITION HC by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. The first ten issues of the now-legendary series, done up nice and posh. Recommended.

www.johnjudy.net

"Kal and University students launch Democracy website" reads the PR

Kal, who will be in DC this Saturday, sent in the following announcement:

I am very excited to announce the launch of a special and important website. www.USDemocrazy.net is the creation of students and staff at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The site is a fun and informative using cartoons, animation and playful language to help address and explain the complexities of our democracy.

My team at USDemocrazy set out to capture the color and character of each of our 50 states. To help in this endeavor, we contacted the very best experts in each state-The Political Cartoonists-to be our first contributors. With their help we have built a growing data base of fun and important information.

Check out the short introduction video below:

http://www.usdemocrazy.net/mission

The site is an interactive venture. We are still looking to add more information on each state and expand our state animations (I have finished 32 so far). Check out the site and offer your insights.

Kal

Kevin Kallaugher

kaltoons@comcast.net
www.Kaltoons.com

Oct 23: Politics, etcetera… by Sid Chafetz political woodblock exhibit opens

Stanford in Washington Art Gallery Presents

Politics, etcetera… by Sid Chafetz

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Stanford in Washington Art Gallery is proud to host the new exhibition Politics etcetera... by acclaimed international artist Sid Chafetz. This retrospective includes a variety of portraits, scenes, and political lithographs that comment on national and global events while speaking to the human condition.

Chafetz is considered to be one of the world’s greatest living woodblock artists and has stated that his work utilizes, “…satire to stab at pomposity – whether in my own field of academe or in our political world.” Author and independent curator Allon Schoener remarked that Chafetz’s work, “provokes our social, political, and moral awareness, and forces us to recognize the boundaries of individual responsibility and personal culpability.”

Sid Chafetz began his artistic studies in 1940 at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). He was drafted into the army his sophomore year and survived combat in the Battle of the Bulge. Chafetz returned to the United States after World War II, graduated from RISD, and continued with his education in France at the American School at Fontainebleau, the Academy Julian, and with the artist Fernand Leger. Chafetz has been exhibited regularly since 1947 in national and international shows and is currently the emeritus professor of art at Ohio State University where he launched the printmaking program in 1959. His work can be found in private and public collections including the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Dahlem Museum in Berlin, and the Columbus Museum of Art.


The Stanford in Washington Art Gallery
2655 Connecticut Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20008
Metro: Red Line to Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan.
Hours: 9:00 – 7:00 Monday through Friday, 12:00-6:00 Saturday and Sunday

Exhibit runs from October 23, 2008, until January 31, 2009.
Admission is free.
Call 202-332-6235 for more information.

Luna Brothers interview

The local creators were interviewed at Baltimore Comic-Con - "Catching Up with the Luna Brothers," By Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama 2008-10-13.

Mid-October madness in Dc, chronologically REVISED

One could do something related to comics every night this week in DC. I don't know which of these I'll make, but I've RSVP'd for Macaulay at Aladdin's Lamp, Rob Tornoe's appearance and will see my friends at the Writer's Center.

Oct 20: Chemistry Set's No Formula release party

Oct 20: David Macaulay at Aladdin's Lamp

Oct 21: David Macaulay at Politics and Prose

Oct 22: Rob Tornoe on panel in DC

Oct 23: Cartoons and Cocktails

Oct 23: Canadian animation at National Archives

Oct 24: Bleach movie showing

Oct 25: Campaign Cartoons with KAL (Kevin Kallaugher)

Oct 25: political cartoonists Wuerker, Thompson and Kal at Writer's Center

Nov 6: Israeli comics lecture at Library of Congress

Nov 7: Art Spiegelman

In today's papers

The Washington Examiner ran a brief review of Art Spiegelman's Breakdowns on page 35 - it's not online.

The NY Times reviewed two comics creator's works - Jules Feiffer's Explainers and the Hernandez Brothers' Love and Rockets.

The Wash Post has a minor Gaiman review.

Thompson in Nickelodeon magazine

Chris Duffy stopped by Richard's table at HeroesCon and suggested that Richard do a piece for Nickelodeon Magazine. The result is in the November issue - a cover for their comic book insert that's very nice. I'll be buying a copy this week.

Frank Cho interview at Comic Book Resources

"Frank Cho on Jungle Girl Season 2," by Kiel Phegley, Contributing Writer, Wed, October 15th, 2008. For those coming in late, Cho was a University of Maryland cartoonist when he started University Squared which became Liberty Meadows when it was syndicated. He still lives in suburban Maryland.

Oct 21: David Macaulay at Politics and Prose

In addition to being at Aladdin's Lamp in Arlington on Monday night at 6:30, Macaulay will appear twice at Politics and Prose on Tuesday, October 21st at 10:30 am and 7 pm.

Zadzooks on Batman Lego and Bennett's Best

Okay, I can understand the appeal of making your own stop-action animation film using LEGO Batman toys. But a videogame? Can anyone explain this to me? Zadzooks reviews it anyway in "ZADZOOKS: Dynamic Duo must save city in LEGO Batman: The Videogame," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

And in "Bennett's Best for the week of October 5," By Greg Bennett, Zadzooks blog October 15 2008, Greg recommends DC apes and UK World War 1 stories.

Good Richard Thompson interview in City Paper

Amanda Hess of the Washington City Paper sent a note saying that she'd interviewed Richard Thompson in the current issue and I'd missed it, although I did catch the "cartoonist with an odd theme" as I prefer to put it. I've got to stop reading the paper after going to the dentist.

I just read her article - it's good one. People aren't paying enough attention to Richard's caricature although that's how he made his name. Recently I was at his house and saw the sketches for his Palin finger puppet in the recycling, along with a bunch of photos of her he'd printed from the web. It was a fascinating look at how caricature works (I'm not a cartoonist and can't draw). For those who are interested, Richard runs a lot of his caricatures on his blog.

City Paper features local cartoonist with odd theme

Animator Lamar Abrams is featured in "Farting Women Inspire Local Cartoonist," by Amanda Hess, Washington City Paper's Sexist blog Oct. 10, 2008, in print, October 17, p. 44.

Thompson interviewed at Newsarama

The Strip Thing: Richard Thompson on Cul de Sac By Zack Smith, Newsarama 2008-10-16.

Cul de Sac poetry contest results

Michael Cavna's contest of poetry to win a signed copy of Cul de Sac at Comic Riffs concluded with Richard judging the winners. Unfortunately they were all anonymous. So the books are being signed by someone walking down the street and then given to a library, I guess.

Oct 20: DAVID MACAULAY at Aladdin's Lamp

He'll also be at Politics and Prose the following day. Macaulay's also a cartoonist - I just scored a used copy of Great Moments in Architecture tonight.

MEET AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR DAVID MACAULAY

Monday, October 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Author and illustrator David Macaulay, who has won numerous awards (including the Caldecott Medal) for his books, will introduce his newest book The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. Starting with cells, Mr. Macaulay takes readers on a stunning visual journey through the major systems of the body. All who have wondered why their neck hurts, or how their food is digested; how someone gets sick, how someone gets better; or how life is created – the answers are in The Way We Work. Mr. Macaulay’s other books include Castle, Cathedral (Caldecott Honors), Black and White (Caldecott Medal), The New Way Things Work, Pyramid, Mosque, and many more. A book signing will follow. Grades 4-adult. 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

Mid-October madness in Dc, chronologically

I don't know which of these I'll make, but I've RSVP'd for Rob Tornoe's appearance and have strong hopes of making the Writer's Center.

Oct 20: Chemistry Set's No Formula release party

Oct 20: David Macaulay at Aladdin's Lamp

Oct 22: Rob Tornoe on panel in DC

Oct 23: Cartoons and Cocktails

Oct 23: Canadian animation at National Archives

Oct 24: Bleach movie showing

Oct 25: political cartoonists Wuerker, Thompson and Kal at Writer's Center

Nov 6: Israeli comics lecture at Library of Congress

Nov 7: Art Spiegelman

Oct 23: Canadian animation at National Archives

Note animation historian Charles Solomon's appearance.

National Archives, 9th and Constitution Ave, NW
Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater
A Salute to the National Film Board of Canada

This program, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in partnership with The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the Foundation for the National Archives, celebrates more than 50 years of Oscar(R)-nominated and -winning short subjects produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Hosted by renowned animation critic and historian Charles Solomon, the program will feature several films, including Neighbours (1952), Christmas Cracker (1962), Bob's Birthday (1993), and Ryan (2004). The program will be introduced by Academy President Sid Ganis. Joining us from the NFB will be Government Film Commissioner Tom Perlmutter and animation producer Marcy Page. Torill Kove, director of the 2006 Oscar(R)-winning animated short subject The Danish Poet, will also appear.

BBC Radio 4 talks to Jen Sorenson

I just got a note from Jennifer Clarke of the BBC about Phil Jupitus doing more comics interviews. The one that aired yesterday was of the Cartoonists with Attitude - Jen Sorenson was one of the people on the air. Here's an excerpt of the email:

[After the success of the Garry Trudeau interview,] Radio 4 decided to broadcast 4 more 15 minute programmes.

The first programme was an interview with Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 7 October 2008. You can listen again via this permanent link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7658923.stm

The second programme was broadcast on Tuesday 14 October 2008 and featured Cartoonists with Attitude (Mikhaela Reid, Brian McFadden, Jen Sorensen and Masheka Wood). You can listen again via this permanent link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7669019.stm

The next two programmes will feature:


Tuesday 21st October 0930 Charles Peattie/Russell Taylor of Alex

Tuesday 28th October 0930 Bill Griffith of Zippy the Pinhead

Alex is a British strip on London bankers (which has recently been adapted to the stage).

LATimes blog on Geppi's Entertainment Museum

Sarah Weinman reports on the Bouchercon signings held at the museum.

Oct 23: Cartoons and Cocktails

Sylvia Smith
President, National Press Club
and
Michael Ramirez
Winner, 2008 Pulitizer Prize for editorial cartooning
cordially invite you to

Cartoons & Cocktails
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
National Press Club Ballroom
6 p.m. – Silent auction
7 p.m. – Live auction

Wall Street? Obama? Palin? McCain? – and Two Wars?

With so much news this year, we have a bumper crop of editorial cartoons for the 21st Annual Cartoons & Cocktails, the nation’s top cartoon auction. Come bid on your favorites and meet many of the cartoonists who will be drawing live for our special Art-In-Action feature.

Auctioneers include Michael Phelps of The Washington Examiner (our media sponsor), Bob Edwards of XM Radio and NPR, Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post, Harry Jaffee of Washingtonian Magazine, Derek McGinty of WUSA-TV 9 and Mike McCurry of Public Strategies.

Cartoons & Cocktails is a major fundraiser for three great causes:

* Young D.C., the independent newspaper by and for teenagers from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, and its First Amendment programs.
* Cartoonists Rights Network International, which assists editorial cartoonists around the world who are persecuted because of their commentaries.
* The Eric Friedheim Library at the National Press Club, its awards and scholarship programs.

Tickets are $50 each and include drinks and hors d’oeurves
Can’t attend? Choose your cartoons (after Oct. 18) and bid at
www.cartoonsandcocktails.org.

Purchase your tickets through the National Press Club. Call 202-662-7501.
Charged tickets can be picked up Oct. 23 at the Cartoons & Cocktail will-call desk.

Administrivia: Calendar help requested

Does anyone know of a calendar widget that I can hook onto this blog to put in the upcoming events? October's getting ridiculous with 4 events in a week, if I recall correctly. Which is the problem.

Oct 20: Chemistry Set's No Formula release party

In from Jim Dougan:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 14, 2008

THE CHEMISTRY SET CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF 'NO FORMULA' WITH EVENTS IN DC AND NYC

October marks the release of NO FORMULA, an anthology collection of 12 short stories from the international comics collective The Chemistry Set through Desperado Publishing. Join the creators in celebrating at events next week in Washington, DC and New York!

WASHINGTON, DC

When:
October 20, 2008 from 6pm until…?

Where:
Science Club
1136 19th Street NW (between L and M streets)
Washington, DC 20036
202-775-0747
http://www.scienceclubdc.com/

Join editor and contributor Jim Dougan (and maybe other suprise guests) in celebrating the release of NO FORMULA! Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Oh, and stick around - a DJ will be spinning from 8:30pm, and happy hour drink specials are available all night!

NEW YORK CITY

When:
Wednesday, October 22nd, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM

Where:
Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001
212-268-7088
http://www.jhuniverse.com/

The Chemistry Set will be out in force to celebrate the release of NO FORMULA. Books will be available for sale, and contributors appearing include: Vito Delsante, Jim Dougan, Elizabeth Genco, Michel Fiffe, Rami Efal, and Kevin Colden.

***

About NO FORMULA: Haunting. Humorous. Harrowing. Those are just some of the words to describe the short stories compiled in this inaugural collection from the international comics collective the Chemistry Set. Founded in 2006, the Chemistry Set has served as the breeding ground for tomorrow's comic all-stars and includes three Xeric Award winners. Combining talents from America, Australia, Europe and Asia, their chemistry together is seen in stories that range from the heartfelt to the horrifying, from the mythological to the macabre.
NO FORMULA: STORIES FROM THE CHEMISTRY SET, VOL.1
Color / B&W, 120 pp. 6in x. 9in.
Price: $16.99
ISBN-10: 1935002090
ISBN-13: 978-1935002093

For more on The Chemistry Set:
http://www.chemsetcomics.com

For more on Desperado Publishing:
http://www.desperadopublishing.com

Oct 22: Rob Tornoe on panel in DC

Rob just sent this notice in - Note the online registration that's required:

Join the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, Politicker.com, and GW’s Graduate School of Political Management for

The Race in the States

A reception and panel discussion about campaigns and public opinion in the battleground states.

How will our evolving, modern-day electoral map affect elections this year? Will voter registration efforts change the game? Which voters will most likely vote — and have the biggest effect on the election? What role do pollsters and bloggers play in monitoring (and possibly moving) public opinion this campaign season? How does humor persuade? A panel of bloggers, organizers, pollsters, and analysts discuss these questions and their predictions for Election Day 2008.

When: Wednesday, October 22nd 2008 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: The National Press Club

529 14th St, NW

Washington, DC 20045

13th Floor, The Morrow, White, and Lisagor Rooms

Map: National Press Club

Metro: Metro Center (Red, Blue, and Orange Lines)

Registration requested. Register online.

Panelists:

Anna Greenberg, Senior Vice President of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner

Maren Hesla, EMILY’s List, director of the WOMEN VOTE! program

Dr. Michael McDonald, Associate Professor of Government and Politics in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution

James Pindell, Managing editor of Politicker.com and their sixteen state political news sites as well as the Pindell Report.

Phillip Stutts, President of Phillip Stutts & Company, LLC, a political and corporate consulting firm.

Rob Tornoe, Editorial cartoonist for Politicker.com, a national network of state-specific politics websites owned by the The Observer Media Group, which also publishes the New York Observer.

Moderators:

Matt Lewis, Conservative writer and commentator featured in Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN.

Margie Omero, President of Momentum Analysis, LLC, a Democratic public opinion research firm based in Washington, DC.

Nov 7: Art Spiegelman

Sara Duke reports that Spiegelman will be at Politics and Prose on November 7th, presumably discussing his reissue of Breakdowns.

Herblock prize news

See "Herblock Prize News Includes Increase in Cash Award from $10,000 to $15,000," By Dave Astor, Editor & Publisher online October 13, 2008. Dave also names the judges for this year.

Oct 24: Bleach movie showing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Chris Wanamaker, (202) 262 2083 president@dcanimeclub.org

DC Anime Club and Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan Present: Bleach The Movie: Memories of nobody


The DC Anime Club and the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan Present Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody on Friday October 24, 2008 at 6:30pm as part of the Anime/Live Action Series based upon Manga (Japanese Comics).

In Karakura Town, there has been a sudden outbreak of unidentifiable spirits called "blanks" (vacant souls) while in the skies of Soul Society, the real world has been reflected. A mysterious female shinigami called Senna has appeared before Ichigo along with a man named Ganryu, leading a group called the "Dark Ones".

The screening will be held at the Japanese Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan located at Lafayette Center III 1155 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-3308.

Seating for the screening of Bleach The Movie is limited and attendees are encouraged to rsvp by sending an e-mail to jiccrsvpfall08@embjapan.org.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information please visit the Japanese Information and Culture Center website at http://www.us.embjapan.go.jp/jicc/ or visit the DC Anime Club website at http://dcanimeclub.org.

About DC Anime Club:
DCAC was established in 2003 to introduce and educate people in the Washington,DC area about East Asian culture, through viewing and discussion of Japanese animation (also known as anime) and Japanese comics (manga). DCAC is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, contributions to DC Anime Club are taxed deductible to the extent allowable under the law.

The club also works to provide a positive, alternative activity to the youth in the area by exposing them to foreign culture, encouraging artistic expression and creativity, and providing opportunities for participation in community activities and leadership.

In addition to our weekly meetings, the club holds an Annual Art Show, an Annual Costume fundraising event, and visits local schools to do presentations on anime. The club also works with the Smithsonian Freer Gallery and DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival on their anime screenings, and has helped locally promote performances for Japanese bands such as Puffy Ami Yumi and Pine am. DC Anime Club was founded by Chris Wanamaker (President), Jules Chang (Vice President) and Craig Vaughn (Sgt in ARMS) on Saturday June 5, 2003. We have a strong membership that continues to grow -- most of which are teenagers.

About Japan Information and Culture Center:
The Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) is the cultural and public affairs section of the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C. Our primary role is to promote better understanding of Japan and Japanese culture by providing a wide range of
information, educational services and programs to the public. The JICC is located on the lower level of the glass-enclosed Galleria at Lafayette Centre III in downtown Washington, D.C. Its facilities include a research library, a 152-seat auditorium, and a 1,500-square-foot exhibition gallery where a wide variety of events sponsored by the JICC are hosted throughout the year.

Spiegelman and McCall illustrated interviews in Book Page

Two of my favorite cartoonists have illustrated interviews in the Books A Million chains' magazine, Book Page. You can pick up a copy in the store in Old Town Alexandria most likely, but you can also see them online. Spiegelman's reworking of Breakdowns isn't something I've seen yet, but will definitely get. Bruce McCall, seen most often in the New Yorker these days, has migrated to doing children's books like a lot of other cartoonists.

Another MacHomer article

"The Bard and Bart Simpson: A Natural Pairing?," By Celia Wren, Washington Post Sunday, October 12, 2008; M03.

Oct 17: Cartoons You Can Believe In and The Cartoons You Deserve by R.J. Matson

thanks to Martha Kennedy for the tip!

SUSAN CALLOWAY FINE ARTS
1643 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20007
Tel (202) 965-4601 Fax (202) 338-1660
www.callowayart.com gallery@callowayart.com

PRESS RELEASE

Preferred Publication Date: October 17, 2008
Contact: Naomi Cayne


WHAT: Cartoons You Can Believe In and The Cartoons You Deserve by R.J. Matson

WHEN: Friday, October 17th through Saturday, October 31st
Opening Reception - Friday, October 17th 6 - 8:30pm

WHERE: Susan Calloway Fine Arts


About the Artist

R.J. MATSON, the editorial cartoonist at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The New York Observer, and Roll Call, presents satire in its most aesthetic form. With a finger on the economic and political pulse of the nation, Matson creates cartoons that espouse a bipartisan commentary on current events. As he puts it, “I just try to react to the news and get it right. I don’t care so much about telling the world how I feel, just trying to get the smartest, funniest take on what's happening.” Just in time for the presidential election, Susan Calloway Fine Arts will feature recent political cartoons both in their hand-drawn, black and white original forms as well as colorized versions that have gone to press.

R.J. Matson was born in Chicago in 1963, and was raised in Belgium and Minnesota. He received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1985. Along with the aforementioned papers, Matson’s cartoons and illustrations have also appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, MAD Magazine, City Limits, The Daily News, The Washington Post, Capital Style, and Rolling Stone. One of Matson’s cartoons was selected as number one on Time Magazine’s “Top 10 Editorial Cartoons” of 2007 list. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and three children.


Susan Calloway Fine Arts specializes in contemporary art by local, regional, and international artists, antique American and European oil paintings, and a carefully chosen selection of 17th-19th century prints. The gallery also specializes in conservation framing using archival-quality materials and techniques, and traditional French mat decoration.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11-5, Sunday - Monday by appointment.

QUICK REVIEWS OF COMICS DUE 10-15-08

QUICK REVIEWS OF COMICS DUE 10-15-08
By John Judy

AFTER 9-11: AMERICA’S WAR ON TERROR HC & SC by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon. The team behind the excellent 9-11 REPORT graphic adaptation now present us with its tragic sequel. While the creators strive to be fair to all concerned the Bushies come off almost as badly as they deserve. Hey, misleading a nation into a bankrupting, unnecessary war will do that sometimes! Highly recommended for 4,115 reasons as of this writing.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #573 by Dan Slott and John Romita Jr. Spidey and Norman Osborn mix it up but the real story is the variant cover featuring Stephen Colbert! “Stephen Colbert: Better than zombies and apes put together!”

ASTONISHING X-MEN #27 by Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi. This is one of those special books where, even if you don’t love where it’s going, you have to respect the intelligence of the writing and the intricate beauty of the art. It even has jokes that work! Who knew the White Queen’s real power was drollery? Recommended.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 #6 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. Vampires! Mindless Ones! But enough about the GOP base… This is a good comic. Clever, worth reading, recommended.

DC UNIVERSE DECISIONS #3 of 4 by Judd Winick, Bill Willingham and Rick Leonardi. The most amazing thing about the DCU isn’t the superheroes. It’s that there are four viable candidates for President in the general election. I wish we could have President Luthor back. He kept us safe.

EX MACHINA VOL. 7: EX CATHEDRA SC by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Collecting issues #30-35 in which the Great Machine meets the Pope. Hijinks ensue. Recommended.

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #2 of 5 by Geoff Johns and George Perez. Great, epic, continuity-shattering space opera by two guys who were born to do this sort of thing! On, Nerdery, on! Recommended.

FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES REVENGE #3 of 3 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins. The big throw-down between the Rogues and the Secret Society! Who will burn? Who will freeze? Who will… look bad in the mirror? Plus, Barry Allen!

GHOST RIDER #28 by Jason Aaron and Tang Eng Hut. Two Ghost Riders, Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, fight in the mountains of Tibet. Why isn’t Tarantino filming this right now? Also, a Very Special back-up story.

GREATEST HITS #2 of 6 by David Tischman, Glenn Fabry and Gary Erskine. A great new series based on the idea that the British Invasion of the sixties was not rockers but superheroes. Oh, and somebody dies. Probably the hero whose superpowers are drumming and mooching off his girlfriend. Very clever, lots of inside humor, recommended.

HULK MONSTER-SIZE SPECIAL #1. (Insert incredibly inappropriate joke here.)

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #19 by Geoff Johns, Alex Ross and Dale Eaglesham. Everybody fights everybody! Finally! It’s Gog-errific!

MIGHTY AVENGERS #19 by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve Kurth. Warning! This issue may contain actual Avengers!

PUNISHER MAX #63 by Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell. Last issue some low-down meth dealers tricked Frank into wasting a kidnapped little girl. This issue Frank responds. Not for kids.

RASL #3 written and drawn by Jeff Smith. The mystery of Smith’s dimension-hopping thief continues. Who is the lizard dude and why is he chasing Rasl down? Cartoon, sci-fi noir. Good stuff. Recommended.

SCALPED VOL.3 SC: DEAD MOTHERS by Jason Aaron, R.M. Guera and John Paul Leon. Don’t buy anything else this week until you’ve picked up this book, collecting issues #12–18 of this amazing, gut-punching series. Not for kids. For everyone else. Highly recommended.

SUPERMAN AND BATMAN VS VAMPIRES AND WEREWOLVES #1 of 6. I list this comic only because I wanted to type the title.

SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1 by James Robinson and Jesus Merino. We always knew he was.

ULTIMATE ORIGINS #5 of 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Butch Guice. Okay, it’s been an interesting ride, but I’d like to officially request of Marvel that all future ULTIMATE mini-series actually have an ending rather than just being lead-ins to the next friggin’ ULTIMATE mini-series! Just make it a maxi-series if it takes longer than six issues to tell the story. Nuff said!

UNCANNY X-MEN #503 by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker and Greg Land. Mutants drink beer, fight and smile a lot. Did you know that in San Francisco everyone has perfectly straight, white teeth? Or at least solid white bands where teeth should be? Don’t tell me comic books lie! Also a certain redhead is back from the dead. It must be Wednesday.

WELCOME TO HOXFORD #3 written and executed by Ben Templesmith. The artist of FELL pulls out the stops on this Werewolves vs. Psycho-Killer diversion. It’s fun but not for kids.

www.johnjudy.net

News from KAL

Kaltoons LLC unveiled the newest of its innovative animation at Philadelphia's Kimmel Arts Center on October 7. A live interactive Presidential debate between an animated Barack Obama and John McCain featured questions from the packed audience. The "Debate" was part of "The Art of Satire" a stage show sponsored by The Economist featuring topical comedy supplied by "The Second City" improv comedy troupe and a "Stand-up Cartoonist Routine" by yours truly.

You can see a short tease from the animation here: http://www.kaltoons.com/animation2.html

The show heads to New York City for two shows on Saturday November 1 (7 and 10PM) at The Edison ballroom at 47th and Broadway. Tickets are going fast. Tickets and information are available at: http://artofsatire.economist.com/events.php

ZADZOOKS: Cal McDonald uncovers the occult

"ZADZOOKS: Cal McDonald uncovers the occult," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Wednesday, October 8, 2008. This is a series I keep meaning to read, but still haven't gotten around too. Also reviewed is the Flash, which I don't read anymore.

OT: A man's reach should exceed his grasp...

...or what's a heaven for? wrote Robert Browning. Here's a story that two of my friends sent me independently. This is very close to my idea of heaven.

MacHomer Post review

See "Double, Double Toil and D'oh!," By Nelson Pressley, Washington Post Friday, October 10, 2008; C05.

Oct 11: Kate Feiffer in Arlington

Kate Feiffer, Jules Feiffer's daughter who has done books with him, is signing books tomorrow.

Meet Author Kate Feiffer
Saturday, October 11, 2008

At 2:00 p.m.

Kate Feiffer, author of Double Pink and Henry the Dog with No Tail, will introduce her newest book, President Pennybaker. Published just in time for election season, this book tells the story of Luke Pennybaker, who when sent to his room for time out, decides to run for president and make life fair for kids once and for all. But is being president all it’s cracked up to be?

A book signing will follow. Ages 4-8. 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

OT: Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics

This exhibit is by a couple of friends of mine, Damian Duffy and John Jennings.

Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics
Krannert Art Museum, 500 East Peabody Drive
University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
October 24, 2008-January 4, 2009

What is comics?
Out of Sequence is an exploration of that question. It is a declaration of the diversity of sequential art in the United States, diversity of creators, content and form. It is a broad survey of women, small press, minority, independent, gay & lesbian, self-published, mini, underground, web and/or gallery comics creators.
What is comics? There is no one answer. Here are many.


Out of Sequence Events List

Thurs. Oct. 23: 6-8pm, Krannert Art Museum
Out of Sequence exhibition opening reception, featuring a talk by gallery comics creator Mark Staff Brandl and music by DJ Delayney
http://illinois.edu/calendar/Calendar?ACTION=VIEW_EVENT&calId=449&skinId=578&DATE=10/23/2008&eventId=92824

Fri-Sat, Oct. 24-25: 10am-4pm, Link Gallery
The Next Panel Illinois Small Press Comics Expo
Small press comics artists, including several from the art show, will be selling their work. Mama's Boyz creator Jerry Craft will also be offering a family oriented workshop on creating comics on Saturday afternoon.
http://comicspace.com/nextpanel

Thurs. Oct. 30: 5:30pm, Krannert Art Museum
Gallery Conversation with Damian Duffy and John Jennings, co-curators and creators of The Hole: Consumer Culture (2008).

Sat. Nov. 8: 1-4pm, Krannert Art Museum Auditorium
"Emerging Out of Sequence: Examining the Past and Charting the Future of American Comics" Gallery conversation with Nancy Goldstein, author of Jackie Ormes:: The First African American Woman Cartoonist (2008), Andrei Molotiu, abstract comics creator and curator; Trina Robbins, comics creator and herstorian, and Ashley A Woods, independent comics creator. Moderated by co-curators Damian Duffy and John Jennings
http://illinois.edu/calendar/Calendar?ACTION=VIEW_EVENT&calId=449&skinId=578&DATE=11/8/2008&eventId=930

Fri. Nov. 14, 7-11pm: Artzilla
Comics Film Series in conjunction with Out of Sequence exhibition, Multimedia Hip Hop Set featuring images by John Jennings

Cartoonists at Walter Reed followup

MAD cartoonist Tom Richmond has a blog post about visiting troops at Walter Reed up now - "NCS/USO Trip- Washington D.C.,"
Tom's MAD blog (October 6 2008).

Maryland's Carla Speed McNeil interview reposted

I'm not sure when this was originally from - "Flashback Series Of Interviews: From Print To The Web With Carla Speed McNeil of Finder," October 8 2008.

MacHomer featured in Express

See "Springfield Play: When 'Macbeth' meets 'The Simpsons,' it's lay on Duff Beer!," by Express contributor Dan Miller, Express October 9, 2008. If anyone gets to see this, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

The paper also had a wire-service story about bicyclist Lance Armstrong appearing on the children's animated show, Arthur which airs on PBS. Arthur is one of the better educational cartoons.

City Paper takes note of Thompson's blog

Unsurprisingly it's Mark Athitakis who notes Richard's blog on his blog. See "Local Cartoonist Injured by Untenable Malcolm Gladwell Thesis." The City Paper's headline today is about their bankruptcy, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Weingarten on Breathed's retirement

From the October 7th chat:

Op, US: I can't believe Berke Breathed is retiring...again.

Seriously, I was a huge fan as a high school student, a moderate fan as a college student, and a passing fan as an adult. I mean, it's a character-driven strip that hasn't been daily for nearly 20 years, so it's not like we had much opportunity to get re-attached for the last three. I just can't get choked up the way I would for, say, Trudeau or like I did for Larson or Watterston. Or like I did for Breathed, twice already.


Gene Weingarten: Well, Berkeley has been teasing us for weeks now. It's no surprise.

I liked Opus, and it remains one of the best drawn strips on the comics pages, and I will miss it. But I think the decision to go Sunday-only may hae doomed it from the start. It's very hard to gain traction without a daily dose of your characters, particularly, as you say, with a character-driven strip.

I began to feel that Berkeley's heart was not entirely in this latest enterprise when more than once we found ourselves looking at recycled Bloom County gags.

Gene Weingarten: But: Week after week, Opus delivered some of the best sky-is-falling allegorical hang-wringing about the political hypocrisy afoot in our land. It's not a voice I would vote to lose and I'm sorry to see it go.

and one of his readers feels strongly about Doonesbury in a positive way, as do I:

B.D. Grins!: Hi Gene,

It's been over a week, but I'm still smiling about seeing B.D. smile in Doonesbury.

I loved Trudeau's whole sequence about Sam's Sarah Palin doll, but the most touching thing was seeing B.D. get so tickled as Boopsie tried to explain to Sam that Palin shouldn't be her hero (or her vice president). We've seen B.D. recover from his amputation and deal with his PTSD and even reach out to other characters -- but I'm pretty sure this is the first time he's smiled. It made me unreasonably happy.

And wide-eyed Boopsie has come a long way since B.D.'s injury, too. She's been a rock for B.D. And it's nice to see her get steamed about Palin.

I can't believe how emotionally invested I've become in these characters lately. Trudeau has always been brilliant, but this is ridiculous.

Gene Weingarten: Yeah, this was the best day of a good week.

Joost Swarte sketches from Small Press Expo 2008

Joost Swarte was kind enough to sketch in some of his books for me over a cup of coffee at the Small Press Expo. I never thought I'd get to meet him. He's been one of my favorite cartoonists for years. He was very friendly and interesting. His early training in industrial design definitely influenced his work We talked a bit about a recent design of a long stained glass window for a courthouse until he had to go to a panel on Herge, but he thinks I might have the largest collection of his signed books in the States. Heh, I've got more I didn't bring to get signed... (and thanks to Barbara Poestema for bringing two of these back from the Netherlands for me this summer!) Here's shots of the sketches he did.





















And I met Istvan Banyai, the awesome illustrator, who came to the Expo to see Joost! Another one of my favorites!

Finally, Michael Cavna who I got to meet briefly has a good roundup of SPX quotes online today - "The Morning Line: Obama! Palin! Who's Got the Best Line?..." By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 8, 2008.

Iron Man and Opus Washington Post articles

Catching up a bit, this article ran online, and then in the paper - "An 'Iron Man' of Epic DVD Proportions," By JEN CHANEY, washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008, Washington Post (October 3).

Following up on Cavna's scoop was "Cartoonist to Put 'Opus' on Ice," By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post Tuesday, October 7, 2008; Page C01.

Oct 25: political cartoonists Wuerker, Thompson and Kal at Writer's Center

Boy, this is going to be good! All three of these guys are sweethearts in person, if vicious in print, and are articulate and clean too. The Writer's Center is a couple of blocks from the Bethesda subway.

The Writer's Center to Host Roundtable Discussion on the Art of Political Cartooning in an Election Year, October 25th

Bethesda, MD (Oct. 8, 2008)—With less than a month before the election, candidates in both major parties are laying down broad reasons why we, the American people, should step up and vote for them. Standing on the periphery observing are the political cartoonists, keen-eyed artists whose sharp and often witty reflections of the political scene render judgment in simple, stark images.

On Saturday, October 25th The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD will celebrate the art of political cartooning with a special roundtable discussion featuring three of the nation’s most distinguished cartoonists: Matt Wuerker (The Politico), Richard Thompson (Washington Post), and Kevin Kallaugher (Baltimore Sun and The Economist). The event is made possible by a generous grant from the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation.


When: October 25th (7:30 p.m.)

Where: The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, MD 20815

This event is free and open to the public

Political cartooning has been important aspect of communication throughout American history. Since the distribution of Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon in support of the French and Indian War in 1754, cartooning has served as a valuable tool to communicate political ideals and engage diverse audiences. It serves as a vehicle for citizens to challenge the political and cultural environment, making it a key facet of free speech, as well. The combination of narrative power and aesthetic symbolism render political cartooning an entirely unique method of expression. Additionally, both the classic comedic four-panel cartoon “strip,” and the one-panel, so-called “gag” cartoon often associated with The New Yorker, have commented on American life for decades.

About the artists:

Richard Thompson’s cartoon “Richard's Poor Almanac” appears weekly in The Washington Post and his comic strip “Cul-de-Sac” appears weekly in the “The Washington Post Magazine.” A book of his collected Almanac cartoons was published in 2005. His illustrations have appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, National Geographic and The Atlantic Monthly. He has received the National Cartoonist Society Magazine and Book Illustration Award for 1995, and their Newspaper Illustration Award for 1995. Visit him online at:

http://richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com/


Matt Wuerker is the staff editorial cartoonist for The Politico. Mr. Wuerker’s cartoons are syndicated by the Tribune Syndicate and NewsArt.com. Two collections of his cartoons have been published, Standing Tall in Deep Doo Doo: A Cartoon Chronicle of The Bush Quayle Years, and Meanwhile in Other New…a Graphic Look at Politics in the Empire of Money, Sex and Scandal. His work has been published in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor, as well as Funny Times, The Nation, The American Prospect, and Z Magazine. Visit him online at:

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/properties/Wuerker/search_2.php

Kevin Kallaugher is the editorial cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun and The Economist. In March 1978, Mr. Kallaugher became the first resident cartoonist at The Economist in its 145-year history. His work has been included in more than 100 publications worldwide, including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Pravda, Krokodil, Daily Yomiuri, The Australian, New York Times, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post. His cartoons are distributed worldwide by Cartoonarts International and the New York Times Syndicate.

You can view his work online at: http://www.kaltoons.com/

About the Writer’s Center:

The Writer's Center, founded in 1976, is one of the premier independent literary centers in the country. By becoming a member, you join an organization of more than 2,500 writers, editors, small press publishers and other artists. We promote the art of writing by offering workshops, hosting readings and special events, and building a community of writers, workshop leaders, publishers and audiences for contemporary writing.

The Writer's Center is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. A copy of our current financial statement is available upon request. Contact the Writer's Center at 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD 20815. Documents and information submitted to the State of Maryland under the Maryland Charitable Solicitations Act are available from the Office of the Secretary of State for the cost of copying and postage. The Writer's Center is supported in part by The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland and the National Endowment for the Arts. Our web address is www.writer.org.

Media Contact:

Kyle Semmel
The Writer’s Center
301.654.8664 ext. 15
ksemmel@writer.org
www.writer.org

Birthdays, birthdays

Harvey Pekar and Richard Thompson were both born today, supposedly years apart although I don't believe they've ever been seen together and never appear to be online at the same time. Happy birthday, gents!

(that's Richard signing his book at the Crafty Bastards fair. Pekar was nowhere to be seen, you'll note)

Comic Creator Signing at Geppi's Entertainment Museum

Yeah, it's a little off the beaten path, but our neighbors to the north have a handful of noteworthy comic creators (writers and artists, but mostly writers) popping in for a signing event at Geppi's Entertainment Museum:

Friday, October 10, 2008 from 1:00 pm -3:30 pm

SUPERSTAR COMIC BOOK CREATOR SIGNING

Meet superstars of the comic book world during a special signing event that fans won't want to miss! Scheduled creators include:

> Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition)
> Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets)
> Greg Rucka (The Complete Whiteout)
> Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother)
> Tim Broderick (Cash and Carry)
> Duane Swierczynski (The Immortal Iron Fist)
> Gary Phillips (Darker Mask)

Copies of creators' work will be available for purchase. (NOTE: available titles subject to change.)

Charlos Gary's surviving the Wash Times job...

...although the city's a bit slow for him. I remember the feeling when moving down from NJ. He's hanging at Busboys and Poets apparently, which is a cool place although it could use more books of course.

SPX 2008 - a few bits

At the Saturday panel on political cartoons, Frank Camusso said, "The internet really is a great place to suck." Ted Rall commented later in the same panel, "It gets really tiresome to do cartoons to remind people that torture is wrong."

On the Joost Swarte panel, he covered bits of his career. A few interesting points that I noted:

He designed stamps for a special December holiday mailing which have a reduced rate. He put the text of the stamps explanation of the rates in the center of the sheet so they couldn't be discarded. The stamp itself people delivering mail to each other until light shines at the end of the tunnel (ie the center of the stamp).

Swarte was majorly influenced by Willem's underground work, and then by the Americans in Zap Comix like Crumb, Shelton, Wilson, Moscosco and Spiegleman (with whom he worked on Raw).

The building he designed for Haarlem's arts center can be seen at http://www.toneelschuur.nl The photos he showed looked very cool.

He's illustrated three novels by a Dutch writer - Neskio perhaps? These looked interesting. He designed the illustrations to work as a flip book with the character's head centered throughout in one of them.

One thing he showed was his latest comic work - a short story Exercise of Style #100, based on Queneau's 99 Exercises in Style.

Jeff Kinney interview

See "Interview: Jeff Kinney; 'Wimpy Kid' Author Chats About Life and Fame," by Martha Thomases, Sun Oct 5, 2008 - he's obviously gone beyond being the University of Maryland student cartoonist.

Herblock online feature

For a basic overview of Herb Block's career, see "Stars of Political Cartooning - Herb “Herblock” Block," by Brian Cronin, Monday, October 6th, 2008.

Publishers Weekly and others on SPX

"SPX Shines Despite Down Economy," By Heidi MacDonald, Laura Hudson and Van Jensen, PW Comics Week October 7, 2008. Somehow they missed the 5:30 Sunday interview with Richard Thompson in which he announced his plan to save the American economy. Here's a link to my pictures again.

Dirk Deppey at Journalista linked to some blogs so I'll steal the ones that I can relate to.

Brian Heater -whom I had hoped to see and thank for his Harvey Pekar interview permission. Brian runs some excellent interviews every month.

Chris Mautner - my old Comix@ friend has some great photos. Sorry to hear about the head cold though.

Ben Towle - another friend of mine. His book Midnight Sun is one of my favorites of the year, telling the story of a zeppelin lost in the Arctic. We only talked briefly, but Ben's got an interesting financial breakdown of his profits/losses from Heroes Con and SPX, the two shows I've seen him at this year.

Mike Lynch - I met Mike for the first time this weekend, but he's got a great blog I've been following.

Dustin Harbin - Dustin invited Richard Thompson to HeroesCon, so as his driver, I tagged along. Dustin turned out to be an absolute sweetheart. I bought his new mini and his poster of 26 cartoonists that he met and liked.

Thompson - Post Health section split, go separate ways

Richard mentioned the other day when I was interviewing him that he wasn't doing the little cartoons for the Washington Post's Tuesday Health section anymore, so we can all stop looking for them today.

VisArts call for children's book art

And another from Casey Shaw about an upcoming exhibit that's issued a call for children's book illustration:

"TURNING THE PAGE," A unique exhibit featuring original artwork from illustrators of children's books.
The artwork will be displayed next to a copy of the book in which it appeared, and both will be offered for sale.

NOTE: Original art (or if digital, a high-quality signed print) must be available for sale.
There is no entry or hanging fee, but the Gallery will retain a portion of the proceeds.

WHERE: The new VisArts Center Gallery in downtown Rockville, MD
WHEN: Thursday December 4, 2008 - February 21, 2009
GALLERY HOURS: Monday - Friday: 10:00am - 5:00pm. Closed Saturday.
The Gallery is open two Sundays per month from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm for openings and coffee talks.

JUROR: Harriet Lesser, Director of Exhibitions.
http://www.visartscenter.org

CALENDAR:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - Deadline for entry - receipt (no later than 5:00pm)
Friday, October 17, 2008 - Notification of decision and agreement
Monday, December 1, 2008 - Deliver accepted artwork to VisArts: 155 Gibbs Street, Rockville, MD 20850
Thursday December 4, 2008 - Opening Reception: 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Harriet Lesser
Director of Exhibitions
VisArts at Rockville
155 Gibbs Street, #300
Rockville, MD 20850

Hanoch Piven caricature exhibit in DC

Thanks to Casey Shaw of USA Weekend for the tip about this show at the Sixth & I St, NW synagogue!

What Candidates are Really Made of & Other Famous Faces
Sunday, September 21 - Monday, November 13

Sunday, September 21, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (Children's Workshop)
Sunday, September 21, 3:00 p.m. (Opening)

Israeli artist Hanoch Piven creates evocative pop portraits of celebrities and notable politicians using found objects such as bubble gum, light bulbs and electrical wire. In the spirit of the upcoming elections, the exhibition will feature two original commissioned pieces of the presidential candidates. Find out what McCain and Obama are REALLY made of! Other portraits will include musicians, entertainers and U.S. and Israeli politicians.

Several of Piven's portraits are on permanent collection at the Library of Congress. His most recent project is the creation of the Hafatzim Mitlotsetsim TV program, which airs on the Israeli children's channel, Hop. Piven has also published five children's books, one of which Time Magazine named one of the best 10 children's books of the year. Piven is a regular contributor to Haaretz and his work has appeared in major publications throughout the world, including the New York Times, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and Time Magazine in the United States. He won the gold medal from the Society of Illustrators and the silver medal from the Society of Publication Designers for his designs.

Viewing hours are Monday - Thursday and the first Sunday of the month from 12 noon - 3:00 p.m., or call 202/408-3100 to schedule an appointment.

In addition to the exhibit opening, there will also be a workshop for children on Sunday, September 21. The exhibit opening is free and the cost of the children's workshop is $6 per child. R.S.V.P. for these events to Sonia Rosen here or call 202/408-3100.

You probably all know this, but... Breathed retires, again

Michael Cavna helped break the story on his Comic Riffs blog today. As of this writing, there's 34 comments all over the map about the strip and Breathed's career.

I've been away from the computer, so it's lucky I don't get paid for this, isn't it?

And thanks for the Riffy nod over the weekend, Michael.

Nov 6: Israeli comics lecture at Library of Congress

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20540
Phone: (202) 707-2905
Fax: (202) 707-9199
Email: pao@loc.gov

October 3, 2008

ISRAELI COMICS TO BE SUBJECT OF NOV 6. LECTURE

Drawing both from Judeo-European and American cultures, comics have been a mainstay of Israeli newspapers and readers’ markets since the early 1930s. Little known outside the Middle East, these comics open an interesting window into Israeli society, past and present.

Ofer Berenstein will deliver a lecture titled “Israeli Comics: Past and Present” at the Library of Congress at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, in the Montpelier Room, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave S.E., Washington, D.C.

The lecture, which is sponsored by the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, Serial and Government Publications Division and the Hebraic Section of the African and Middle Eastern Division, is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

Ofer Berenstein is a founding member of the Israeli Comic Book Readers and Collectors Society. He served in the Israeli Army Home Front Command as a photographer, graphic designer and editor. He is a graduate student at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Founded in 1800, the Library holds more than 138 million items, including 21 million cataloged books, 61 million manuscripts and nearly 14 million photographs, posters, prints and drawings.

The Library’s Prints and Photographs Division houses the Library’s outstanding holdings of original cartoon and caricature drawings and makes them accessible through its online catalog at www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html. The Library’s Serial and Government Publications Division houses the world’s largest comic book collection (5,000 titles; 100,000 issues).

The Library’s African and Middle Eastern Division (www.loc.gov/rr/amed) is the center for the study of some 78 countries and regions from Southern Africa to the Maghreb and from the Middle East to Central Asia.

# # #

PR 08-181
ISSN 0731-3527
10/3/08

Stalin's favorite cartoonist finally dies, part 2

Here's a good obit that has more details - "Boris Yefimov, Sharp Russian Cartoonist Who Was Beloved by Stalin, Dies at 109," By DOUGLAS MARTIN, New York Times October 5, 2008

Small Press Expo 2008 photos

Here's some shots from Saturday. Remember that I'll be interviewing Richard Thompson at 5 pm downstairs. Richard will also be signing his books during the day (and you can always catch me to buy a Harvey Pekar: Conversations).


Richard Thompson and Joost Swart


Richard Thompson and Joost Swart


Mark Anderson of Andertoons


Mark Anderson of Andertoons


Richard Thompson, Paul Karasik and Brendan Burford


Joost Swarte and Jen Sorenson


Joost Swarte and Jen Sorenson


Derf


Jen Sorenson


Joost Swarte


Howard U. professor Marc Singer, Joost Swarte, Richard Thompson


Jason Lutes.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-08-08 (Yom Kippur!)

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 10-08-08 (Yom Kippur!)
By John Judy

NOTE: Be sure to read this week’s X-comics before sunset so you can atone for doing so.

ACTION COMICS #870 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Clark fights Brainiac and gets so upset he leaves his shirt open on the front cover! Great Krypton!

AVENGERS/INVADERS #5 of 12 by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Steve Sadowski. Do you want a comic in which Wolverine rides piggy-back on a flaming mutant boy in swim trunks? How about a comic in which a deaf character lip-reads Spider-Man even though Spidey is wearing a mask that covers his entire face? Okay, how about a comic in which the original Human Torch equates trashed government robots (LMDs) with Jews murdered in the holocaust? And it’s drawn almost as well as it reads. Seven more issues until we discover if a comic will ship with zero retailer orders.

DC COMICS GOES APE SC by Various Creators. You want ape-fights? You want superheroes turning into apes and fighting other superheroes who have also turned into apes? Well, buster, you came to the right place! And we don’t need no WWII secret vampire apes neither! This is Old Ape School, pally-boy! “Ook!”

FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #3 of 5 by Greg Rucka and Philip Tan. Darkseid has the anti-life equation and it will be on the test!

GOON #29 written and drawn by Eric Powell. “You’d think he’d learn not to eat sauerkraut around the Goon. He hates the smell of sauerkraut.” “There’s no learnin’ some people. You just gotta twist their heads around.” So highly recommended…

GREEN LANTERN #35 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The final chapter of the Hal Jordan/Sinestro buddy-cop movie! Good stuff.

HELLBOY LIBRARY EDITION, VOL. 2 HC by Mike Mignola, Matthew Hollingsworth and James Sinclair. Collecting the complete “Chained Coffin” and “The Right Hand of Doom” in super-sweet 9 x 12 format! Recommended.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 #1 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. A surprisingly good follow-up to a series that kind of half jumped the shark a year ago. Credit the talents of artist Kev Walker and author and co-founder of EvilTwin Comics, Fred Van Lente. Worth a look if you liked the first MZ series.

PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: BARACK OBAMA by Jeff Mariotte and Tom Morgan. IDW Publishing is putting out two graphic biographies of the men vying to become our next President: Senator Barack Obama and the guy who’s going to lose because he picked your crazy homeroom teacher as his running mate. Gotta look! Gotta vote!

SECRET SIX #2 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. Batman versus Catman! Can Ratman be far behind? No, because there is no Ratman, I made him up. How about Scatman Crothers? No, he’s dead. Okay, seriously, this is a good team book, kind of like THUNDERBOLTS only more intimate. Honest. For some reason the best super-team books lately are about teams of villains. Go figure.

SERENITY: BETTER DAYS SC by Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews and Will Conrad. Collecting the three-issue space adventures of the crew that made Han Solo look like a choirboy. Stupid Fox Television!

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BLACKHAWK VOL. 1 SC by Various Creators. Collecting BLACKHAWK issues #108-127 from the fabulous fifties. They’re being eaten by a giant robot whale who is almost certainly a commie. Old school.

THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #2 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. So far this is turning out to be among the strongest adaptations of Stephen King’s work in comics or any other medium. Not kidding. Highly recommended.

THE TWELVE #8 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. Electro the mysterious robot makes his move. Finally! Recommended.

TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE #2 of 2 by Mark Sable and Jesus Saiz. Two-Face is running for election! But enough about John McCain….

WALKING DEAD #53 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. Old friends return and new ones are made. At least we think they’re friends… Recommended. Not for kids.

WONDER WOMAN #25 by Gail Simone and Bernard Chang. Wonder Woman is determined to stop a movie of her life from being made. If only the suits hadn’t said “Does she have to be a woman?”

X-MEN: MAGNETO TESTAMENT #2 of 5 by Greg Pak and Carmine Di Giandomenico. A bold attempt to show the early life of one of Marvel’s iconic villains as a young Jewish boy trying to survive in Hitler’s Germany. Not your run-of-the-mill X-garbage. Worth checking out.

X-MEN: MANIFEST DESTINY #2 of 5 by Lotsa People. Three stories of mutants with intimacy issues. Also a philosophy under which Marvel will attempt to push all other comics off the racks in order to accommodate more X-Books, regardless of quality. Nuff said!

X-MEN: ORIGINAL SIN #1 by Daniel Way, Mike Deodato, Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Wolverine beats up and threatens to kill his X-friends. An artist forgets how to draw Wolver-Lad’s claws. And they re-print the first issue of CLASSIC X-MEN. The good news? This is a one-shot.

www.johnjudy.net

This week's Zadzooks

ZADZOOKS: Joe Montana, Deluxe Hellboy and Duel with Dooku reviews
Joseph Szadkowski
Washington Times Wednesday, October 1, 2008

and a couple of catch-ups on Greg Bennett's best. I adore Posy Simmonds.

Bennett's Best for the week of September 21
Zadzooks Blog
POSTED October 02 2008 6:50 PM BY JOE SZADKOWSKI

Bennett's Best for the week of September 28
Zadzooks Blog
POSTED October 03 2008 5:37 PM BY JOE SZADKOWSKI

and Alcoholic is by my buddy Dean Haspiel and should be good.