Colin Solan wrote in, "James Gurney, the writer/illustrator of the Dinotopia series, will be in Rockville next Monday. Details at the link."
I love his stuff and he's very interesting to hear in person.
Ok, it's not comics, but it's an allied art.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Luann arrives in DC; Over the Hedge lurks in White House
Luann's group just rode in over the Memorial Bridge (recognizably! but probably from Google Earth) while Verne and the gang refuse to leave the President alone.
OT: Cartoonists ads from Playboy
Jack Davis Dexter shoe ad in Playboy, Dec. 1980. Around this time, Davis seemed to be everywhere. He regularly covered TV Guide, drew a postage stamp, did posters for the American Cancer Society... hard to believe this is almost 30 years ago.
Cassette recorder? What's that? Charles Saxon gag cartoon ad in Playboy, Dec. 1980. Saxon's best known for his New Yorker work.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Examiner increases size of political cartoons
The Examiner, Nate Beeler's home paper, dramatically increased the size of their political cartoons this week - to about a third of the tabloid page, at least by height. After months of shrinking cartoons, with them finally ending up at about 4"x3", this was a nice development to see.
Cartoons at Walter Reed hospital
Here's a couple of pictures with cartoon themes that have shown up in the process of doing a photo book on Walter Reed Army Medical Center:
Early 1970s ward in Walter Reed Army Medical Center hospital where soldiers wounded in Vietnam were treated. Note the Uncle Scrooge poster on the wall. From the WRAMC DPW collection.
Garry Trudeau visits wounded soldier at Walter Reed Army Medical Center hospital. Courtesy of the Stripe newspaper.
Early 1970s ward in Walter Reed Army Medical Center hospital where soldiers wounded in Vietnam were treated. Note the Uncle Scrooge poster on the wall. From the WRAMC DPW collection.
Garry Trudeau visits wounded soldier at Walter Reed Army Medical Center hospital. Courtesy of the Stripe newspaper.
Working Wuerker
I picked up a copy of the Feb. 5th Politico over the weekend. Matt Wuerker had 4! illustrations in it - a front page cartoon, an editorial cartoon under Wuerking Drawings, a full page ad for Starbucks/Politico's cozy new arrangement, and a full page ad for the Politico's White House coverage. Is Matt the hardest working man in cartooning?
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Feb 21: John Malloy exhibit at National Harbor
John Malloy has written in about his first solo exhibition at National Harbor in Maryland, south of DC.
Here's the PR:
Art Whino Announces: One Out Of A Hundred - The Art of John Malloy
"One Out of a Hundred" centers around John Malloy's personal series of mixed-media works that explore drug side effects as a metaphor for consumer and media-driven culture's long-term effects on the human spirit. The originals for each piece include pen & ink, oil paint, and other media, and will be exhibited along with large-format, limited edition signed prints of the series. Limited edition prints of Malloy's comics "Queasy" [Image Comics], "Channel One", and rock-interview comics for the award-winning Lemon Magazine will also be on display, in addition to illustrations for the band Minus The Bear, I Heart Comix, and other magazines and publications. Over 40 Limited Edition Prints and over 50 Works of Original Art, including illustration, fine art, and comics will be on display in the exhibit and for sale.
Saturday, February 21st, from 6pm – Midnight
Location:
173 Waterfront St.
National Harbor, MD 20745
Music by Rank and File
Show end date: March 12th
The event is FREE and open to the public.
John Malloy:
ImageBorn in rural northern Pennsylvania to a cemetery caretaker and a coal-miner's daughter, John Malloy began drawing at very young age. He later earned a background in painting with one of the world's most eminent trompe l'oeil artists, and has since been self taught in fine art, illustration, comics, and design. His first graphic novel, "Amnesia" [2001] combined pen & ink, painted, and digital media, and he is presently working on two new graphic novels, as well as an autobiographical comic for Image Comics' PopGun Anthology titled, "Queasy"
Zadzooks on toys again, including one based on Kirby
"Zadzooks: Reviews of Bionicle Glatorians and Kalibak," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, February 5, 2009.
On the blog, Greg Bennett has two sets of recommendations.
"Bennett's Best for the week of February 1", Zadzooks Blog February 06 2009 suggests Marvel's Secret WARRIORS (ehhhh) and I Am Legend, which has artwork by John Cassedy.
In "Bennett's Best for the week of January 25," Zadzooks Blog February 01 2009, he suggests a couple of Ed Brubaker collections.
On the blog, Greg Bennett has two sets of recommendations.
"Bennett's Best for the week of February 1", Zadzooks Blog February 06 2009 suggests Marvel's Secret WARRIORS (ehhhh) and I Am Legend, which has artwork by John Cassedy.
In "Bennett's Best for the week of January 25," Zadzooks Blog February 01 2009, he suggests a couple of Ed Brubaker collections.
Bash Magazine's future
This explanatory note came in from BASH this morning. I'm very sorry to see the print edition go, as I much prefer paper, but given the economy I understand completely:
So begins the next incarnation of BASH Magazine. We've put seven issues featuring exclusively comic content onto the streets of Washington, D.C. in a big way, approximately 20,000 copies of each. We've grown our pool of artists and brought a unique form of comic storytelling to thousands of people who would have never been exposed to it. Producing and distributing BASH Magazine in this way is a helluva lot of fun and, we believe, worthwhile. But, it has not been sustainable. As a niche magazine fighting for print advertising dollars in a recession, let us say simply, "Yikes." That said, we're ready to usher in the next age of BASH Magazine.
Beginning in March, we will stop monthly printing of the free comic paper. Our website, www.bashmagazine.com - which has heretofore redistributed the paper content with a few extras - will become the focus of our time and efforts. We will continue to showcase unique comic storytelling from a variety of artists. Additionally, this freedom will allow us to provide more content to a growing audience. Our artists, our readers, and us - we love to see comics on a printed page. As such, we haven't closed the door on printing: keep an eye out for special printed collections in the future. But, as of now, BASH Magazine Online will be our focus. A whole new website is in the works. We'll keep you posted on its progress and launch date.
Until then, we remain...
The BASH Magazine Editorial Team
So begins the next incarnation of BASH Magazine. We've put seven issues featuring exclusively comic content onto the streets of Washington, D.C. in a big way, approximately 20,000 copies of each. We've grown our pool of artists and brought a unique form of comic storytelling to thousands of people who would have never been exposed to it. Producing and distributing BASH Magazine in this way is a helluva lot of fun and, we believe, worthwhile. But, it has not been sustainable. As a niche magazine fighting for print advertising dollars in a recession, let us say simply, "Yikes." That said, we're ready to usher in the next age of BASH Magazine.
Beginning in March, we will stop monthly printing of the free comic paper. Our website, www.bashmagazine.com - which has heretofore redistributed the paper content with a few extras - will become the focus of our time and efforts. We will continue to showcase unique comic storytelling from a variety of artists. Additionally, this freedom will allow us to provide more content to a growing audience. Our artists, our readers, and us - we love to see comics on a printed page. As such, we haven't closed the door on printing: keep an eye out for special printed collections in the future. But, as of now, BASH Magazine Online will be our focus. A whole new website is in the works. We'll keep you posted on its progress and launch date.
Until then, we remain...
The BASH Magazine Editorial Team
Saturday, February 07, 2009
David Hagen exhibit coming to Arlington in March
I've fallen behind on checking out David's blog, but he posted the information on his exhibit recently. Here's the main info, but click through the link to check out the type of artwork he'll be displaying: The show will be from the beginning of March through the end of April with a reception on Friday, March 27 from 6pm to 9pm. All invited. Refreshments served! Century21 gallery space, 1711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209.
David, at this moment, I am wearing a sweatshirt with your ComicsDC logo art on it. Bring the original along and I'll buy that from you.
David, at this moment, I am wearing a sweatshirt with your ComicsDC logo art on it. Bring the original along and I'll buy that from you.
Cavna on comics polls
Nice article, with some journalism as opposed to just opinions, here - "Are Too Many Newspaper Comic Polls a Sham?" By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog February 6, 2009.
New conservative webcomic apparently launches in Manassas
Here's the PR:
ConservativeHQ.com Launches "Conservatives' Answer to Doonesbury"
MANASSAS, Va., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ConservativeHQ.com is launching a new daily comic strip that is the conservatives' answer to political comics like "Doonesbury" and the strip-turned-animated-cartoon "The Boondocks."
"Liberal comedians and cartoonists have expressed great anguish at the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency, because having a perfect president makes it impossible to make fun of Washington," says Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com. "'The Gentleman from Lickskillet' is conservatives' response."
"The strip is for people who can't help but laugh at the politicians in Washington," says Viguerie.
"The Gentleman from Lickskillet" is the first conservative comic strip to interweave humor and satire with continuing storylines and a large cast of characters. The strip runs daily, Monday through Saturday. A Sunday version is set to launch next month.
The strip stars Randall Dill, a member of Congress; his family, including his wife (an assistant district attorney) and their young daughter; his congressional staff; his friends and constituents back home; and the politicians, bureaucrats, and politically-correct people that they encounter in the course of their adventures.
The strip, which appears at ConservativeHQ.com, began unofficially three weeks ago with a sequence satirizing the inauguration of the new President. The current week, with a link to the complete archive, can be found at http://conservativehq.com/lickskillet/.
The strip's creators are Steven J. Allen, a journalist and longtime Washington insider, and cartoonist Kevin Tuma.
Allen was raised on a chicken farm -- like his main character -- in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama. A former newspaper reporter and radio news director, Allen served as senior editor of Conservative Digest magazine, as vice president of a think tank on Washington's K Street, and as press secretary to a U.S. Senator. His commentaries have appeared in such publications as Newsday and The New York Times. He has a Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law and a PhD from George Mason University.
Tuma is an editorial cartoonist and comic book artist from Texas. He penciled such comic book series as Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Zone, and Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective, and was a regular contributor to Cracked magazine. His political cartoons have appeared on the CNS News Web site and in such publications as The American Conservative and the Cato Institute journal Regulation.
For material for the strip, Allen and Tuma say they will scour canonical sources such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Blagojevich transcripts, the written works of Caroline Kennedy, and the Army Field Manual section on interrogation. "This will be the most accurate, thoroughly researched comic strip ever to feature time-traveling historians and Dutch-speaking cows," the cartoonists promised.
For more information on "The Gentleman from Lickskillet," contact Allen & Tuma at editor@lickskillet.org.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (The Washington Times).
CONTACT:
Bob Sturm
(703) 396-6974
(703) 307-8176 (After 6 PM Eastern & on weekends)
Cynthia Chambliss
(703) 930-5148
rav@conservativesbetrayed.com
SOURCE ConservativeHQ.com
ConservativeHQ.com Launches "Conservatives' Answer to Doonesbury"
MANASSAS, Va., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ConservativeHQ.com is launching a new daily comic strip that is the conservatives' answer to political comics like "Doonesbury" and the strip-turned-animated-cartoon "The Boondocks."
"Liberal comedians and cartoonists have expressed great anguish at the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency, because having a perfect president makes it impossible to make fun of Washington," says Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com. "'The Gentleman from Lickskillet' is conservatives' response."
"The strip is for people who can't help but laugh at the politicians in Washington," says Viguerie.
"The Gentleman from Lickskillet" is the first conservative comic strip to interweave humor and satire with continuing storylines and a large cast of characters. The strip runs daily, Monday through Saturday. A Sunday version is set to launch next month.
The strip stars Randall Dill, a member of Congress; his family, including his wife (an assistant district attorney) and their young daughter; his congressional staff; his friends and constituents back home; and the politicians, bureaucrats, and politically-correct people that they encounter in the course of their adventures.
The strip, which appears at ConservativeHQ.com, began unofficially three weeks ago with a sequence satirizing the inauguration of the new President. The current week, with a link to the complete archive, can be found at http://conservativehq.com/lickskillet/.
The strip's creators are Steven J. Allen, a journalist and longtime Washington insider, and cartoonist Kevin Tuma.
Allen was raised on a chicken farm -- like his main character -- in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama. A former newspaper reporter and radio news director, Allen served as senior editor of Conservative Digest magazine, as vice president of a think tank on Washington's K Street, and as press secretary to a U.S. Senator. His commentaries have appeared in such publications as Newsday and The New York Times. He has a Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law and a PhD from George Mason University.
Tuma is an editorial cartoonist and comic book artist from Texas. He penciled such comic book series as Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Zone, and Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective, and was a regular contributor to Cracked magazine. His political cartoons have appeared on the CNS News Web site and in such publications as The American Conservative and the Cato Institute journal Regulation.
For material for the strip, Allen and Tuma say they will scour canonical sources such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Blagojevich transcripts, the written works of Caroline Kennedy, and the Army Field Manual section on interrogation. "This will be the most accurate, thoroughly researched comic strip ever to feature time-traveling historians and Dutch-speaking cows," the cartoonists promised.
For more information on "The Gentleman from Lickskillet," contact Allen & Tuma at editor@lickskillet.org.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Richard A. Viguerie pioneered political direct mail and has been called "one of the creators of the modern conservative movement" (The Nation magazine) and one of the "conservatives of the century" (The Washington Times).
CONTACT:
Bob Sturm
(703) 396-6974
(703) 307-8176 (After 6 PM Eastern & on weekends)
Cynthia Chambliss
(703) 930-5148
rav@conservativesbetrayed.com
SOURCE ConservativeHQ.com
Smithsonian exhibit has accompanying webcomic
The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has opened a new exhibit on a skeleton from southern Maryland and put up a webcomic - "The Secret in the Cellar: a written in bone forensic mystery from colonial America."
Printable pdfs of the whole comic and all of the accompanying material are provided as well - a very nice feature.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Post reviews Coraline
3-D 'Coraline' Lacks the Human Dimension
Technical Gem Fails to Engage Viewer's Emotions
By Desson Thomson
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, February 6, 2009; C04
Technical Gem Fails to Engage Viewer's Emotions
By Desson Thomson
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, February 6, 2009; C04
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-11-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-11-09
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #874 by James Robinson and Pablo Raimondi. Mon-El may be getting out of the Phantom Zone early! Fingers crossed! BTW, can someone explain how it is that Mon-El can spend 1,000 years in the P-Zone and not come out as the DCU’s most gigantic, super-powered head-case? Think about spending 1,000 years stuck in what is essentially Limbo. How do you not come out the other end making the Joker look like an accountant? Just sayin’…
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, VOL. 2 HC by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Collecting issues 7-12 of the series in which somebody made Morrison tell a story. See the last son of Krypton in classic Silver-Age style battling Bizarro, Zibarro and eating at S’Barro! Okay, I made that last one up, but this is still Good Comics. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #586 by Marc Guggenheim and John Romita Jr. In which we finally get to stop referring to Menace as a “he.” Maybe more of a “S/He?” Oh, these modern comics…
BATMAN #686 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert. Neil takes a swing at the Dark Knight. Part one of two. Must have.
FLAMING CARROT LIMITED EDITION, VOL. 1 HC written, drawn and published by Bob Burden. This edition, limited to 850 signed and numbered copies, collects the earliest CARROT comics from the 1980s. Add to that ten pages of all-new material and a forward by Dave Sim and you have just the thing for, well, yourself probably because who else deserves a treasure like this?
INCOGNITO #2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Meet the Black Death. He wants to kill a lot of people and he’s used to getting what he wants. From the team that gave us CRIMINAL. Highly recommended.
MASQUERADE #1 of 4 by Phil Hester and Carlos Paul. Another Golden-Age public domain revival overseen by Alex Ross. This one features the pistol-packin’ femme fatale who looks kinda like The Shadow in drag.
SCALPED #25 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. Part one of an all-new story arc in which a newcomer arrives at the Prairie Rose reservation. Because with Dash Bad Horse hooked on crack and Red Crow beating Mr. Brass damn near to death, things needed shaking up. Highly, highly recommended. Not for kids.
THOR #600 by J. Michael Straczynski, Stan Lee and Olivier Coipel. No, you didn’t miss 500-plus issues. Marvel just decided to go back to the original numbering for the series in order to make Robert Overstreet cry. And yes, Smilin’ Stan does indeed contribute some new material for this special anniversary issue. Gotta look!
WALKING DEAD #58 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. After last issue’s horror, it appears Mr. Kirkman is even more determined to turn all his fans into emotional basket cases. NOT. FOR. KIDS. (And maybe not for anyone with kids.)
WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #4 of 4 by Jason Aaron and Stephen Segovia. The Sons of the Tiger reunite and Logan has to make a “dark decision.” That’s always good for some twisted amusement. And Jason Aaron writes Wolverine better than anyone in recent memory. Recommended.
WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #3 of 8 by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young. Featuring all the stuff they left out of the movie. This series has been getting raves from fans both young and old. It is da Baum! (I’m sorry…)
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
ACTION COMICS #874 by James Robinson and Pablo Raimondi. Mon-El may be getting out of the Phantom Zone early! Fingers crossed! BTW, can someone explain how it is that Mon-El can spend 1,000 years in the P-Zone and not come out as the DCU’s most gigantic, super-powered head-case? Think about spending 1,000 years stuck in what is essentially Limbo. How do you not come out the other end making the Joker look like an accountant? Just sayin’…
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, VOL. 2 HC by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Collecting issues 7-12 of the series in which somebody made Morrison tell a story. See the last son of Krypton in classic Silver-Age style battling Bizarro, Zibarro and eating at S’Barro! Okay, I made that last one up, but this is still Good Comics. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #586 by Marc Guggenheim and John Romita Jr. In which we finally get to stop referring to Menace as a “he.” Maybe more of a “S/He?” Oh, these modern comics…
BATMAN #686 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert. Neil takes a swing at the Dark Knight. Part one of two. Must have.
FLAMING CARROT LIMITED EDITION, VOL. 1 HC written, drawn and published by Bob Burden. This edition, limited to 850 signed and numbered copies, collects the earliest CARROT comics from the 1980s. Add to that ten pages of all-new material and a forward by Dave Sim and you have just the thing for, well, yourself probably because who else deserves a treasure like this?
INCOGNITO #2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Meet the Black Death. He wants to kill a lot of people and he’s used to getting what he wants. From the team that gave us CRIMINAL. Highly recommended.
MASQUERADE #1 of 4 by Phil Hester and Carlos Paul. Another Golden-Age public domain revival overseen by Alex Ross. This one features the pistol-packin’ femme fatale who looks kinda like The Shadow in drag.
SCALPED #25 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. Part one of an all-new story arc in which a newcomer arrives at the Prairie Rose reservation. Because with Dash Bad Horse hooked on crack and Red Crow beating Mr. Brass damn near to death, things needed shaking up. Highly, highly recommended. Not for kids.
THOR #600 by J. Michael Straczynski, Stan Lee and Olivier Coipel. No, you didn’t miss 500-plus issues. Marvel just decided to go back to the original numbering for the series in order to make Robert Overstreet cry. And yes, Smilin’ Stan does indeed contribute some new material for this special anniversary issue. Gotta look!
WALKING DEAD #58 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. After last issue’s horror, it appears Mr. Kirkman is even more determined to turn all his fans into emotional basket cases. NOT. FOR. KIDS. (And maybe not for anyone with kids.)
WOLVERINE: MANIFEST DESTINY #4 of 4 by Jason Aaron and Stephen Segovia. The Sons of the Tiger reunite and Logan has to make a “dark decision.” That’s always good for some twisted amusement. And Jason Aaron writes Wolverine better than anyone in recent memory. Recommended.
WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #3 of 8 by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young. Featuring all the stuff they left out of the movie. This series has been getting raves from fans both young and old. It is da Baum! (I’m sorry…)
www.johnjudy.net
Spider-Man Obama comic still ridiculous over-popular and over-priced
See "Spider-Man, Obama comic a hot sell at Bowie comic book store: Web-slinging superhero prevents villain from disrupting inauguration," by Andrea Noble | Staff Writer, Maryland Gazette February 5 2009.
So this store was selling the first printing for $40. That'll have a good effect on the customers who bought it for that when they're told in 6 months that it's worth a dollar, won't it?
So this store was selling the first printing for $40. That'll have a good effect on the customers who bought it for that when they're told in 6 months that it's worth a dollar, won't it?
Cul de Sac rattling around longer than you expected?
Alan Gardner says today's the fifth anniversary for the strip - counting its Sunday-only Post publication. Given that Richard's done more strips in the last 12 months than the preceeding 48 ones, this kind of seems like a dog's years anniversary or something.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
KAL online exhibit
E-transom news from Kal:
I would like to invite you to visit a unique new Kal exhibition. The Show takes place entirely ONLINE at the virtual Forward Thinking Museum. The FTM is an online venture of Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS), a not-for-profit philanthropic corporation dedicated to encouraging aesthetic reflection about present realities and future possibilities.
Visit the show here: http://www.forwardthinkingmuseum.com/index.php?gallery=141
The Forward Thinking museum houses multiple floors of artist’s works (primarily photograhers). The Kal exhibition currently contains 18 cartoons that will be changed and updated on a monthly basis. The exhibition will expand in the future to include animation. Admission is free!
I would like to invite you to visit a unique new Kal exhibition. The Show takes place entirely ONLINE at the virtual Forward Thinking Museum. The FTM is an online venture of Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS), a not-for-profit philanthropic corporation dedicated to encouraging aesthetic reflection about present realities and future possibilities.
Visit the show here: http://www.forwardthinkingmuseum.com/index.php?gallery=141
The Forward Thinking museum houses multiple floors of artist’s works (primarily photograhers). The Kal exhibition currently contains 18 cartoons that will be changed and updated on a monthly basis. The exhibition will expand in the future to include animation. Admission is free!
February 6: Oscar animated shorts in town
See "The Oscars' Brief Lives: Nominated Short Films," By Arion Berger, Express February 5, 2009 for information on the films shown tomorrow at E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW, live action, 12:50 &5:20 p.m.; animated, 3:10 & 7:45 p.m.; 202-452-7672. (Metro Center)
Play based on romance comics opens
My Comic Valentine is the play - here's the Post story about it - "Romance Ripped From The Comics," By Raymond M. Lane, Washington Post, Friday, February 6, 2009; Page WE41.
And here's the play's info: My Comic Valentine: A Comic Book for the Stage Fort Fringe 610 L St. NW. 443-803-1163. http://www.banishedproductions.org/productions.html. Wednesday through Feb. 15. $15, pay-what-you-can preview Wednesday.
And here's the play's info: My Comic Valentine: A Comic Book for the Stage Fort Fringe 610 L St. NW. 443-803-1163. http://www.banishedproductions.org/productions.html. Wednesday through Feb. 15. $15, pay-what-you-can preview Wednesday.
Coraline reviews begin appearing in DC papers
I liked the book which my daughter hasn't read yet, my daughter likes the graphic novel which I haven't read yet, and we'll see where we stand on the movie.
Monsters, Ink: The 3-D Movie 'Coraline' uses scare tactics children know well.
Written by Express contributor Chris Klimek
Express (February 5): E6.
Adventures in Blunderland: Coraline's heroine gets duped by fantasy; Pink Panther 2 is as bumbling as its protagonist.
By Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper Feb. 5 - 11, 2009.
Frame by Frame
A visual wonder, Coraline is narratively sluggish
by Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly February 5, 2009.
and there's a shorter version of this in the hardcopy Onion (which has another truly great headline about Dick Cheney in a dunk tank):
Henry Selick
by Tasha Robinson, February 3, 200
Monsters, Ink: The 3-D Movie 'Coraline' uses scare tactics children know well.
Written by Express contributor Chris Klimek
Express (February 5): E6.
Adventures in Blunderland: Coraline's heroine gets duped by fantasy; Pink Panther 2 is as bumbling as its protagonist.
By Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper Feb. 5 - 11, 2009.
Frame by Frame
A visual wonder, Coraline is narratively sluggish
by Randy Shulman
Metro Weekly February 5, 2009.
and there's a shorter version of this in the hardcopy Onion (which has another truly great headline about Dick Cheney in a dunk tank):
Henry Selick
by Tasha Robinson, February 3, 200
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
OT: On Spiegelman's Maus and ... hmmm .... what works there...?
My friend Rusty Witek, who's written a book or two about Art Spiegelman sent me an email yesterday with the subject line "If you ever"
. . .find yourself writing anything—anything at all—on Art Spiegelman’s best-known work, do NOT title it “Of Mice and [Something].” Please.
So, just to be sure, I asked him if he meant something like this:
OF 'MAUS' AND MAN: Two decades after his Holocaust memoir gained him a Pulitzer Prize and comics cultural acceptance, Art Spiegelman still struggles and strives to break the medium wide open, By Kiel Phegley, 2/3/2009.
To which he responded:
Very much so. And like this:
Of Maus and More
Of Mice and Memory
Of Maus and Memory
Of Mice and Vermin
Of Mice and Mimesis
Of Maus and Men
Of Mice and Menschen (this one also worked in “Comics Come of Age” in the title.)
Of Men and Mice
Of Mice and Supermen
Of Mice and Jews
These are almost all from peer-reviewed journals—don’t even think about the reviews and feature articles.
So yeah, like that.
That makes “The Maus That Roared” seem charmingly inventive. And after a certain point it means one of two disturbing things: either they aren’t reading the critical literature on Maus before submitting their own stuff, or they know it and use the title anyway. And either way an editor lets them do it.
You've been warned.
. . .find yourself writing anything—anything at all—on Art Spiegelman’s best-known work, do NOT title it “Of Mice and [Something].” Please.
So, just to be sure, I asked him if he meant something like this:
OF 'MAUS' AND MAN: Two decades after his Holocaust memoir gained him a Pulitzer Prize and comics cultural acceptance, Art Spiegelman still struggles and strives to break the medium wide open, By Kiel Phegley, 2/3/2009.
To which he responded:
Very much so. And like this:
Of Maus and More
Of Mice and Memory
Of Maus and Memory
Of Mice and Vermin
Of Mice and Mimesis
Of Maus and Men
Of Mice and Menschen (this one also worked in “Comics Come of Age” in the title.)
Of Men and Mice
Of Mice and Supermen
Of Mice and Jews
These are almost all from peer-reviewed journals—don’t even think about the reviews and feature articles.
So yeah, like that.
That makes “The Maus That Roared” seem charmingly inventive. And after a certain point it means one of two disturbing things: either they aren’t reading the critical literature on Maus before submitting their own stuff, or they know it and use the title anyway. And either way an editor lets them do it.
You've been warned.
G. Weingarten's chat - opinions on Sally Forth
From Tuesday, February 3rd's chat:
Baltimore, Md.: Re the divorce of comics from the real world: I may be overly sensitive, having spent my working life in advertising, PR and marketing, but the re[ce]nt plot development in Sally Forth has me blind, or least nearsighted, with rage. For those not regular readers, Sally was moved from being co-manager of her company's HR Dept. to being marketing manager. What?!?! No wonder American business is in such trouble -- people with no previous demonstrable experience in a pretty complex line of work are suddenly put in charge of it.
Seriously, does the guy now drawing strip know nothing about how the real world works? I swear a couple of years ago there was a storyline about HR being unprofitable. If it were profitable, that would be a miracle.
Gene Weingarten: Wow. Well, I admit this line of thinking had not occurred to me. I like the storyline, as a storyline; the dysfunctional marketers are funny.
Baltimore, Md.: Re the divorce of comics from the real world: I may be overly sensitive, having spent my working life in advertising, PR and marketing, but the re[ce]nt plot development in Sally Forth has me blind, or least nearsighted, with rage. For those not regular readers, Sally was moved from being co-manager of her company's HR Dept. to being marketing manager. What?!?! No wonder American business is in such trouble -- people with no previous demonstrable experience in a pretty complex line of work are suddenly put in charge of it.
Seriously, does the guy now drawing strip know nothing about how the real world works? I swear a couple of years ago there was a storyline about HR being unprofitable. If it were profitable, that would be a miracle.
Gene Weingarten: Wow. Well, I admit this line of thinking had not occurred to me. I like the storyline, as a storyline; the dysfunctional marketers are funny.
March 21: Animated Environmental Film Features
National Geographic is showing two films - at noon, Spirit of the Forest with film maker Lucas Mackey of Spain in attendance.
At 2pm, Wall-E with Burt Berry, Shading Art Director for Wall-E.
Both are $5 tickets at http://www.nglive.org or 202-857-7700.
At 2pm, Wall-E with Burt Berry, Shading Art Director for Wall-E.
Both are $5 tickets at http://www.nglive.org or 202-857-7700.
OT: Ooh, Bloom County collected
Here's another PR that came through today - and this one's another totally cool collection, too. IDW and Dean Mullaney are doing fantastic jobs with their Library of American Comics. I've bought them all including vol. 6 of Dick Tracy today. We're in another golden age of comic strip reprints - buy them now!
BLOOM COUNTY LIBRARY TO COLLECT ENTIRE RUN OF CLASSIC AMERICAN COMIC STRIP
(San Diego, February 6, 2009) IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the forthcoming release of The Bloom County Library. Beginning in October 2009, each of the five volumes will collect nearly two years worth of daily and Sunday strips, in chronological order. This will be the very first time that many of these comic strips have been collected, and the first time in a beautifully designed, hardcover format. The books will be part of IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint, and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney.
"Fans have pestered me for years,” said Berkeley Breathed, “for this ultimate Bloom County collection in that polite, respectful badgering way that only fans can manage. Thank God I can now tell them something better than just 'please remove your tent from my lawn.' I can say, 'It's coming!"
Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed newspaper strips of modern times. Premiering on December 8th, 1980 — a month after the election of Ronald Reagan as President — the strip brought to the comics pages a unique amalgam of contemporary politics and fantasy, all told with hilarious humor and wit.
The beloved and quirky denizens of Bloom County include Opus, Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, Milo Bloom, Michael Binkley, and Cutter John. Breathed was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 1987 for his work on Bloom County. The strip was published in an astounding 1200 newspapers.
The phenomenon that was Bloom County spawned a merchandizing bonanza, as well as two spin-off strips, Outland and Opus. The first paperback collection of the strip, Loose Tails, sold over one million copies. Bloom County paperbacks cumulatively sold over six million copies. At the height of the strip’s popularity, Breathed walked away on August 6th, 1989.
IDW Publishing Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier conceived the series. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be editing the Bloom County Library,” said Dunbier. “This is a series that I can’t wait to hold in my hands.”
The Bloom County Library will also contain a series of “Context Pages” sprinkled throughout the volumes. These pages will provide perspective for the reader, presenting a variety of real-life events and personalities that were contemporary at the time of original publication.
About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. 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.
(this is the image IDW sent out, but it's also the cover of the original Bloom County collection and I'm not sure if it represents what the book will look like)
OT: Preliminary PR for The Best of Simon & Kirby
I was talking to Titan Books' US rep about their new Watchmen books (the Dave Gibbons' Watching the Watchmen is out already and is very interesting) when she mentioned a Simon & Kirby book. I was curious and she shot me the info. This should be good; I've seen much of these stories before, but I really like the idea of this book especially Evanier's essays and being able to see work for multiple companies in one place.
First is the PR on the whole series, and it's followed by specifics on the first volume due in May.
THE OFFICIAL SIMON AND KIRBY
Titan to Collect the Works of Two Comic Book Legends
Titan Books Signs Exclusive Agreement to Publish Works by Comics’ Greatest Creative Team, with Full Involvement of Living Legend Joe Simon and the Jack Kirby Estate
Titan Books has expanded its publishing agreement with comic book pioneer Joe Simon, co-creator of Captain America, to launch The Official Simon and Kirby Library beginning in 2009. In addition to the previously announced volumes The Best of Simon and Kirby and The Simon and Kirby Superheroes, the library will include volumes collecting the greatest horror, detective, and romance stories ever produced by the legendary Dream Team of comics.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby first joined forces on the superhero character Blue Bolt in 1940, and later that year created the seminal hero Captain America (soon to be featured in a major motion picture by Marvel Studios). “When Jack and I created Captain America, it sent a shock across the nation even before America had entered World War II,” Simon noted. “But that was only the beginning, and we followed it up with titles like Boy Commandos and Young Romance. They weren’t superhero books, but each one sold millions of copies.”
Beginning in summer 2009 with The Best of Simon and Kirby, Titan Books will release full-color hardcover editions featuring some of the greatest stories ever told in the graphic medium, painstakingly restored by Simon and Kirby historian Harry Mendryk. Simon himself will oversee the process, and will offer original insights and secrets from behind the scenes.
The volume will feature the team’s most famous characters, including Fighting American, Stuntman, and The Fly, as well as genre adventures from such legendary titles as Black Magic, Justice Traps the Guilty, and the industry’s first romance title, Young Romance. Through the generous support of Marvel Comics and DC Comics, The Best of Simon and Kirby will include stories featuring Captain America, The Vision, Sandman, and The Boy Commandos.
“It’s simply astonishing, the materials Joe has kept over the years,” Titan owner and publisher Nick Landau said. “It shows uncanny foresight that he retained so many rights, and preserved those wonderful stories so that today’s readers will be able to enjoy some of the finest comics ever produced.” Details on the contents and format of the books are still being determined, as Landau added, “We want to come up with editions that are as perfect as they can be.”
Simon will attend the February 2009 New York ComicCon to celebrate the launch of The Official Simon and Kirby Library, and will sign exclusive limited edition lithographs. Titan plans to release two books a year, and these will be the only editions authorized by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby. In addition to The Official Simon and Kirby Library, Titan will publish the autobiography of Joe Simon in 2010.
Titan Books is a leading publisher of licensed entertainment. The UK’s top publisher of graphic novels and World renowned for television and film companions, including Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd, Frank Miller and Will Eisner’s The Spirit, Watching the Watchmen by Dave Gibbons, plus the official Watchmen and Terminator: Salvation movie tie-ins. Titan Books also publishes a series of high-end art books, and biographies such as the New York Times bestselling My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith.
-----
THE BEST OF SIMON AND KIRBY (ISBN-13: 978-1845769314, May 2009, 240 pages, 9” x 12¼”, $39.95).
THE BEST OF SIMON AND KIRBY is the first volume in the official Simon and Kirby Library, the only editions authorized by Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby. This oversized, deluxe hardcover will be 9” x 12-1/4”, and in addition to the content that was previously announced, it will feature:
· Two stories from the team’s years at Timely Comics: “Captain America and the Riddle of the Red Skull” (from Captain America Comics #1, March 1941) and “The Vision” (from Marvel Mystery Comics #14, December 1940)
· Two stories from their move to DC Comics: Sandman in “The Villain from Valhalla” (from Adventure Comics #75, June 1942) and “Satan Wears a Swastika” (from Boy Commandos #1, Winter 1942)
· All-new, profusely illustrated essays by Mark Evanier, author of Kirby: The King of Comics, introducing each section of the book
DC Comics and Marvel Comics generously provided their support to Joe Simon in making these adventures available. The Joe Simon-Jack Kirby stories in this book feature the team’s groundbreaking work in superheroes, science fiction, war and adventure, romance, crime drama, westerns, horror, and humor. They have all been painstakingly restored by Simon and Kirby historian Harry Mendryk.
The dust jacket will feature quotes by Michael Chabon, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Harlan Ellison, and Mark Evanier. Underneath the dust jacket the book cover itself will feature a huge reproduction of the double-page spread from Stuntman #2, and in his introduction Simon himself discusses the secrets behind that spread.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
New International Journal of Comic Art blog
It's not as scintillating as some posts here, but there's a list of the book reviews coming up in the Spring issue in this new blog I've started.
Afro Samurai reviewed online in Express
"A Cut Above: 'Afro Samurai: Resurrection'," by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi, Express February 3, 2009.
Marc "Not Beastmaster" Singer ends his blog
Marc, who teaches at Howard U here in town, has decided to stop blogging, after a really nice piece on the problem of DC and Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. Sigh.
Perhaps we'll get that Morrison book out of him now though.
Perhaps we'll get that Morrison book out of him now though.
Bendis interviewer hat-tips Big Planet
Paul Morton, in 'An Interview with Brian Michael Bendis,' Bookslut February 2009 concludes with "Special thanks to Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, MD for assisting in this interview’s preparation."
BASH! Magazine #7 -- Final Paper Issue
I saw it yesterday, but didn't get to grab a copy until this morning at the Vienna Metro station on the way into work (the kiosks downtown were removed just prior to the Inauguration, and seemingly never made their way back) -- BASH! Magazine #7's cover says:
The back cover says:
In between the covers, expect the usual collection of eclectic content, ranging from the political to the bizarre and everything in between. This issue also has a color center page, "Tragic Relief presents 'The Bridge of Magpies'" by Colleen Frakes.
While I'll miss picking up the new issue at the beginning of the month, I'm not at all surprised to see it go the way of the dodo. Whereas the first issue or two had some very limited (to my recollection) ad content, the last few have been totally bereft, and if there's a business model that exists where this approach makes financial sense, I'm unaware of it.
So tune into www.bashmagazine.com in March I guess, or just seek out the cartoonists' web sites who probably already feature much of this material!
final
paper
issue
but, don't worry,
everything you
love and more
will be at...
www.bashmagazine.com
The back cover says:
BASH Magazine
experience
bash online.
www.bashmagazine.com
website relaunches March '09
In between the covers, expect the usual collection of eclectic content, ranging from the political to the bizarre and everything in between. This issue also has a color center page, "Tragic Relief presents 'The Bridge of Magpies'" by Colleen Frakes.
While I'll miss picking up the new issue at the beginning of the month, I'm not at all surprised to see it go the way of the dodo. Whereas the first issue or two had some very limited (to my recollection) ad content, the last few have been totally bereft, and if there's a business model that exists where this approach makes financial sense, I'm unaware of it.
So tune into www.bashmagazine.com in March I guess, or just seek out the cartoonists' web sites who probably already feature much of this material!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Oscar Howard?
A friend of mine has written in asking, "I am posting to ask if anyone can give me any information on the artist/illustrator Oscar Howard. I have a large,11x14 drawing made with what appears to be black litho pencil on couquille board."
If anyone knows something about this artist, please drop me a line.
If anyone knows something about this artist, please drop me a line.
Final Crisis - a quick review
My buddy Robert Montgomery and I have been buying comics in DC since 1989 when we started working together and fell back into the hobby hard. Here's his thoughts on Final Crisis (which I have not read):
OK. I bought all 7 issues of Final Crisis and all I get at the end is a big HUH? Typical Morrison surrealism. Judy's right when he says DC should have gotten Geoff Johns to write it. What I think happened is: the Multiverse was re-established thanks to Superman; also, the New Gods are back. Is Darkseid? Dunno. Is the Martian Manhunter? I'd bet he is. Looks like we now will get a series of stories explaining how things have changed. Eh. It looks as if Morrison brought in a bit of stuff from the cross-overs. I know he brought in characters from the Superman cross-over (which must have been terribly confusing to those readers who didn't pick up that story and who were wondering where the vampire came from). All-in-all -- what a mess.
OK. I bought all 7 issues of Final Crisis and all I get at the end is a big HUH? Typical Morrison surrealism. Judy's right when he says DC should have gotten Geoff Johns to write it. What I think happened is: the Multiverse was re-established thanks to Superman; also, the New Gods are back. Is Darkseid? Dunno. Is the Martian Manhunter? I'd bet he is. Looks like we now will get a series of stories explaining how things have changed. Eh. It looks as if Morrison brought in a bit of stuff from the cross-overs. I know he brought in characters from the Superman cross-over (which must have been terribly confusing to those readers who didn't pick up that story and who were wondering where the vampire came from). All-in-all -- what a mess.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Bennett's Best and Zadzooks
The Big Planet owner's picks at Bennett's Best for the week of January 18, By Greg Bennett, Zadzooks Blog January 25 2009 and a column on a Tomb Raider videogame from Zadzooks
ICAF CFP
Sure, they left DC, but I can be a big man about this:
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The 14th Annual International Comic Arts Forum: ICAF 2009
October 15-17, 2009
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
<http://www.internationalcomicartsforum.org>
ICAF, the International Comic Arts Forum, invites scholarly paper proposals for its fourteenth annual meeting, to be held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, from Thursday, October 9, through Saturday, October 11, 2008.
The deadline to submit proposals is March 20, 2009. (Scroll down for proposal guidelines and submission information.) Proposals will be refereed via blind review.
ICAF welcomes original proposals from diverse disciplines and theoretical perspectives on any aspect of comics or cartooning, including comic strips, comic books, albums, graphic novels, manga, webcomics, political cartoons, gag cartoons, and caricature. Studies of aesthetics, production, distribution, reception, and social, ideological, and historical significance are all equally welcome, as are studies that address larger theoretical issues linked to comics or cartooning, for example in image/text studies or new media theory. In keeping with its mission, ICAF is particularly interested in studies that reflect an international perspective.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:
For its refereed presentations, ICAF prefers argumentative, thesis-driven papers that are clearly linked to larger critical, artistic, or cultural issues; we strive to avoid presentations that are merely summative or survey-like in character. We can accept only original papers that have not been presented or accepted for publication elsewhere. Presenters should assume an audience versed in comics and the fundamentals of comics studies. Where possible, papers should be illustrated by relevant images. In all cases, presentations should be timed to finish within the strict limit of twenty (20) minutes (that is, roughly eight to nine typed, double-spaced pages). Proposals should not exceed 300 words.
AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT:
ICAF's preferred format for the display of images is MS PowerPoint. Regretfully, we cannot accommodate non-digital media such as transparencies, slides, or VHS tapes. Presenters should bring their PowerPoint or other electronic files on a USB key or CD, not just on the hard drive of a portable computer. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our equipment with presenters' individual laptops.
REVIEW PROCESS:
All proposals will be subject to blind review by the ICAF Executive Committee, with preference given to proposals that observe the above standards. The final number of papers accepted will depend on the needs of the conference program. Due to high interest in the conference, in recent years ICAF has typically been able to accept only one third to one half of the proposals it has received.
SEND ABSTRACTS (with complete contact information) by March 20, 2009, to Prof. Cécile Danehy, ICAF Academic Director, via email at:
cdanehy@wheatoncollege.edu
Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged immediately; if you do not receive acknowledgment within three days of sending your proposal, please resubmit. Applicants should expect to receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection by April 17, 2009.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
The 14th Annual International Comic Arts Forum: ICAF 2009
October 15-17, 2009
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
<http://www.internationalcomicartsforum.org>
ICAF, the International Comic Arts Forum, invites scholarly paper proposals for its fourteenth annual meeting, to be held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, from Thursday, October 9, through Saturday, October 11, 2008.
The deadline to submit proposals is March 20, 2009. (Scroll down for proposal guidelines and submission information.) Proposals will be refereed via blind review.
ICAF welcomes original proposals from diverse disciplines and theoretical perspectives on any aspect of comics or cartooning, including comic strips, comic books, albums, graphic novels, manga, webcomics, political cartoons, gag cartoons, and caricature. Studies of aesthetics, production, distribution, reception, and social, ideological, and historical significance are all equally welcome, as are studies that address larger theoretical issues linked to comics or cartooning, for example in image/text studies or new media theory. In keeping with its mission, ICAF is particularly interested in studies that reflect an international perspective.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:
For its refereed presentations, ICAF prefers argumentative, thesis-driven papers that are clearly linked to larger critical, artistic, or cultural issues; we strive to avoid presentations that are merely summative or survey-like in character. We can accept only original papers that have not been presented or accepted for publication elsewhere. Presenters should assume an audience versed in comics and the fundamentals of comics studies. Where possible, papers should be illustrated by relevant images. In all cases, presentations should be timed to finish within the strict limit of twenty (20) minutes (that is, roughly eight to nine typed, double-spaced pages). Proposals should not exceed 300 words.
AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT:
ICAF's preferred format for the display of images is MS PowerPoint. Regretfully, we cannot accommodate non-digital media such as transparencies, slides, or VHS tapes. Presenters should bring their PowerPoint or other electronic files on a USB key or CD, not just on the hard drive of a portable computer. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of our equipment with presenters' individual laptops.
REVIEW PROCESS:
All proposals will be subject to blind review by the ICAF Executive Committee, with preference given to proposals that observe the above standards. The final number of papers accepted will depend on the needs of the conference program. Due to high interest in the conference, in recent years ICAF has typically been able to accept only one third to one half of the proposals it has received.
SEND ABSTRACTS (with complete contact information) by March 20, 2009, to Prof. Cécile Danehy, ICAF Academic Director, via email at:
cdanehy@wheatoncollege.edu
Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged immediately; if you do not receive acknowledgment within three days of sending your proposal, please resubmit. Applicants should expect to receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection by April 17, 2009.
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-04-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-04-09
By John Judy
30 DAYS OF NIGHT: TIL DEATH #3 written and drawn by David Lapham. Will Rufus the vampire finally be forced out of his carefully constructed closet? The best work Lapham’s done in quite a while. Recommended.
ADVENTURE COMICS #0 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Wanna read the very first appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes for only a buck? Yes, you do. Here it is.
AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan. Jimmy Woo’s heroes of the fifties are fighting Norman Osborn in the present and Wolverine back in the day. Two stories for the price of one! Hoo-hah! A title that keeps on being much better than you’d think. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #585 by Marc Guggenheim and John Romita Jr. “Menace, Osborns, Spider-Tracer Killer, blah, blah, blah, wrap it up already!” BTW, do you know the Spidey/Obama issue (#583) is now on its fourth printing and still selling like hotcakes? That’s right, President Obama has made comics the only American industry currently showing a profit! “Yes we can!”
ASTONISHING TALES #1 by Lotsa People. It’s Marvel’s latest anthology book. This month it has two Iron Men, Wolverine, Punisher, and a couple of old New Mutants.
BANG TANGO #1 of 6 by Joe Kelly and Adrian Sibar. An ex-gangster tries to find peace as a tango dancer in this six-issue mini that just cries out for Antonio Banderas to make it into a movie.
BLACK PANTHER 2 #1 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Black Panther’s a girl now. Hubba-hubba.
THE BOYS #27 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Things keep getting progressively more uncomfortable for Wee Hughie. And the G-Men aren’t the worst of it. Not for kids.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #22 by Steven S. DeKnight and Georges Jeanty. How can you not love a comic book that opens with two lesbian slayers beating up a monster together? Recommended, teens and up.
FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #3 of 5 by Geoff Johns and George Perez. Two more issues until FC is truly behind us. Could this be the final FINAL CRISIS? Let’s hope so. Actually, this spin-off is Johns/Perez so it’s quite good. No more Big Events though, DC, unless Geoff Johns writes every word. Mean it.
I AM LEGION #1 of 8 by Fabien Nury and John Cassaday. A new American release of a European graphic novel series from 2003. Nazis, vampires and spies all done up in that elegant Cassaday style. Hard to resist a look...
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #22 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. Next stop: The Eighth City of Heaven. Please move to the center of the car.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #21 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. The latest Avengers team is built around Hank Pym. Tick, tick, tick, tick…
SANDMAN: DREAM HUNTERS #4 of 4 by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell. The final issue in which we learn never to give a fox reason for revenge. Recommended.
SECRET SIX #6 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. Y’know, as creepy as the whole Rag Doll mythos has become since James Robinson made him a Manson-like serial killer back in STARMAN, there’s something about it that just works. Kudos to Gail Simone for keeping the sick magic alive.
SECRET WARRIORS #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli. It’s the newest Nick Fury super-spy book with a twist of Bendis.
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK #1 by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu. This is a new printing of a comic that shipped its most recent issue three years ago. Marvel is hinting they may be ready to publish the remaining four issues this year, but only if you send Nigerian Prince Joe Quesada your PIN number. Too violent for the little ones.
X-MEN: MAGNETO TESTAMENT #5 of 5 by Greg Pak and Carmine DiGiandomenico. The final chapter of how the holocaust turned a young boy into the single-minded mutant revolutionary, Magneto. The best Greg Pak story I’ve ever read. Seriously. Kudos.
X-MEN: NOIR #3 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero. In a place called Chinatown, Slim Summers stares down the little brute with his fists full of knives. These are your great-grand-daddy’s X-Men. Highly recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
30 DAYS OF NIGHT: TIL DEATH #3 written and drawn by David Lapham. Will Rufus the vampire finally be forced out of his carefully constructed closet? The best work Lapham’s done in quite a while. Recommended.
ADVENTURE COMICS #0 by Otto Binder and Al Plastino. Wanna read the very first appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes for only a buck? Yes, you do. Here it is.
AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan. Jimmy Woo’s heroes of the fifties are fighting Norman Osborn in the present and Wolverine back in the day. Two stories for the price of one! Hoo-hah! A title that keeps on being much better than you’d think. Recommended.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #585 by Marc Guggenheim and John Romita Jr. “Menace, Osborns, Spider-Tracer Killer, blah, blah, blah, wrap it up already!” BTW, do you know the Spidey/Obama issue (#583) is now on its fourth printing and still selling like hotcakes? That’s right, President Obama has made comics the only American industry currently showing a profit! “Yes we can!”
ASTONISHING TALES #1 by Lotsa People. It’s Marvel’s latest anthology book. This month it has two Iron Men, Wolverine, Punisher, and a couple of old New Mutants.
BANG TANGO #1 of 6 by Joe Kelly and Adrian Sibar. An ex-gangster tries to find peace as a tango dancer in this six-issue mini that just cries out for Antonio Banderas to make it into a movie.
BLACK PANTHER 2 #1 by Reginald Hudlin and Ken Lashley. Black Panther’s a girl now. Hubba-hubba.
THE BOYS #27 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Things keep getting progressively more uncomfortable for Wee Hughie. And the G-Men aren’t the worst of it. Not for kids.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #22 by Steven S. DeKnight and Georges Jeanty. How can you not love a comic book that opens with two lesbian slayers beating up a monster together? Recommended, teens and up.
FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #3 of 5 by Geoff Johns and George Perez. Two more issues until FC is truly behind us. Could this be the final FINAL CRISIS? Let’s hope so. Actually, this spin-off is Johns/Perez so it’s quite good. No more Big Events though, DC, unless Geoff Johns writes every word. Mean it.
I AM LEGION #1 of 8 by Fabien Nury and John Cassaday. A new American release of a European graphic novel series from 2003. Nazis, vampires and spies all done up in that elegant Cassaday style. Hard to resist a look...
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #22 by Duane Swierczynski and Travel Foreman. Next stop: The Eighth City of Heaven. Please move to the center of the car.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #21 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. The latest Avengers team is built around Hank Pym. Tick, tick, tick, tick…
SANDMAN: DREAM HUNTERS #4 of 4 by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell. The final issue in which we learn never to give a fox reason for revenge. Recommended.
SECRET SIX #6 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott. Y’know, as creepy as the whole Rag Doll mythos has become since James Robinson made him a Manson-like serial killer back in STARMAN, there’s something about it that just works. Kudos to Gail Simone for keeping the sick magic alive.
SECRET WARRIORS #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Stefano Caselli. It’s the newest Nick Fury super-spy book with a twist of Bendis.
ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK #1 by Damon Lindelof and Leinil Francis Yu. This is a new printing of a comic that shipped its most recent issue three years ago. Marvel is hinting they may be ready to publish the remaining four issues this year, but only if you send Nigerian Prince Joe Quesada your PIN number. Too violent for the little ones.
X-MEN: MAGNETO TESTAMENT #5 of 5 by Greg Pak and Carmine DiGiandomenico. The final chapter of how the holocaust turned a young boy into the single-minded mutant revolutionary, Magneto. The best Greg Pak story I’ve ever read. Seriously. Kudos.
X-MEN: NOIR #3 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero. In a place called Chinatown, Slim Summers stares down the little brute with his fists full of knives. These are your great-grand-daddy’s X-Men. Highly recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Whoops, I'm probably not buying all of Cinebooks titles this year
More PR over the e-transom based on previous posts. Cinebook publishes good stuff and is worth checking out...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Cinebook to publish 8 new series, 46 titles by Mediatoon in English in 2009
Canterbury, Kent, 26 January, 2009 – For many English-speaking readers, knowledge of European comic books is limited to the popular characters Tintin and Asterix.
Since the end of 2005, Cinebook has worked to become the premier publisher of the Franco-Belgian Ninth Art in English in markets dominated by American superhero comics and Japanese manga.
Olivier Cadic, editor and creator of the publishing house based in Canterbury, England and in Northern California, has announced that it will further develop the Cinebook catalogue in 2009 with the addition of eight new series: “Billy and Buddy,” “Buck Danny,” “The Chimpanzee Complex,” “Insiders,” “The Bellybuttons,” “Orbital,” “Pandora’s Box” and “Spirou & Fantasio.”
They join the series “Lucky Luke,” “Iznogoud,” “Blake & Mortimer,” “Thorgal,” “Largo Winch,” “Aldebaran,” “Alpha,” “IR$,” “Lady S,” “Scorpion,” “Biggles,” “Cedric,” “Clifton,” “Ducoboo,” “Melusine,” “Papyrus,” “The Bluecoats,” “Yakari” and “Yoko Tsuno,” already being published by Cinebook.
All of the series, 46 Dargaud-Dupuis-Lombard titles and one Casterman title, will be published in new English editions in 2009 by Cinebook.
“We’re investing to introduce to the Anglo-Saxon world the numerous European talents of the Ninth Art,” declares Cadic. In 2008, almost half of Cinebook’s album sales were in Europe (46%) and one-third in North America (31%). Cinebook, which is present throughout the world, also sells in the South Sea Islands (10%), Asia (10%) and Africa/the Middle East (3%).
The foreign rights of publishers Dargaud-Dupuis-Lombard are marketed by Mediatoon Distribution. At the beginning of January 2009, Mediatoon and Cinebook signed a new five-year contract for each of the 27 anticipated series, providing for publication of one to six albums per year by series.
For Sophie Castille, director of Mediatoon’s Foreign rights, this agreement constitutes the most important partnership between a publisher of Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées (BD) and an English-language publisher: “In three years, Cinebook has emerged as the premier worldwide publisher of Franco-Belgian BD in the English language. Mediatoon is delighted to be associated with the emergence of a big, new international name in BD.”
These and other Cinebook titles are distributed:
In North America, by National Book Network Distribution, Inc. (NBN), www.nbnbooks.com.
In Europe (except France & Benelux), by Turnaround Publisher Services, www.turnaround-psl.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Cinebook to publish 8 new series, 46 titles by Mediatoon in English in 2009
Canterbury, Kent, 26 January, 2009 – For many English-speaking readers, knowledge of European comic books is limited to the popular characters Tintin and Asterix.
Since the end of 2005, Cinebook has worked to become the premier publisher of the Franco-Belgian Ninth Art in English in markets dominated by American superhero comics and Japanese manga.
Olivier Cadic, editor and creator of the publishing house based in Canterbury, England and in Northern California, has announced that it will further develop the Cinebook catalogue in 2009 with the addition of eight new series: “Billy and Buddy,” “Buck Danny,” “The Chimpanzee Complex,” “Insiders,” “The Bellybuttons,” “Orbital,” “Pandora’s Box” and “Spirou & Fantasio.”
They join the series “Lucky Luke,” “Iznogoud,” “Blake & Mortimer,” “Thorgal,” “Largo Winch,” “Aldebaran,” “Alpha,” “IR$,” “Lady S,” “Scorpion,” “Biggles,” “Cedric,” “Clifton,” “Ducoboo,” “Melusine,” “Papyrus,” “The Bluecoats,” “Yakari” and “Yoko Tsuno,” already being published by Cinebook.
All of the series, 46 Dargaud-Dupuis-Lombard titles and one Casterman title, will be published in new English editions in 2009 by Cinebook.
“We’re investing to introduce to the Anglo-Saxon world the numerous European talents of the Ninth Art,” declares Cadic. In 2008, almost half of Cinebook’s album sales were in Europe (46%) and one-third in North America (31%). Cinebook, which is present throughout the world, also sells in the South Sea Islands (10%), Asia (10%) and Africa/the Middle East (3%).
The foreign rights of publishers Dargaud-Dupuis-Lombard are marketed by Mediatoon Distribution. At the beginning of January 2009, Mediatoon and Cinebook signed a new five-year contract for each of the 27 anticipated series, providing for publication of one to six albums per year by series.
For Sophie Castille, director of Mediatoon’s Foreign rights, this agreement constitutes the most important partnership between a publisher of Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées (BD) and an English-language publisher: “In three years, Cinebook has emerged as the premier worldwide publisher of Franco-Belgian BD in the English language. Mediatoon is delighted to be associated with the emergence of a big, new international name in BD.”
These and other Cinebook titles are distributed:
In North America, by National Book Network Distribution, Inc. (NBN), www.nbnbooks.com.
In Europe (except France & Benelux), by Turnaround Publisher Services, www.turnaround-psl.com
PR for new book on X-Men in the movies
This came over the e-transom today, presumably due to that bibliography of comics and film that I'm selling over there on the right.
PRESS RELEASE:
Are you a fan of the X-Men storylines that led to the blockbuster movie trilogy?
Mutant Cinema: The X-Men Trilogy from Comics to Screen examines the history of X-Men comics and how they were adapted and changed for the screen. The book is written by Thomas J. McLean (Variety, Newsarama), a life-long X-Men fan as well as a Hollywood insider.
Published by Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, Mutant Cinema is now available exclusively from Diamond Comic Distributors and the Previews catalog (order code FEB094600). Also, it sports a cover by award-winning artist Kevin Colden (Fishtown).
The book is the definitive unauthorized study of the popular movie saga, including:
• The history of X-Men comic books;
• Detailed scene-by-scene examinations of each film and the comic book stories that infuse every aspect of the movies;
• The development process for each film, including behind-the-scenes stories, interviews with the screenwriters, and details on omitted scenes and storylines;
• Previous adaptations, including early cartoon appearances, the successful 1990s animated series, and initial attempts to bring the mutants to the big screen;
• Critical and fan receptions of each film, plus box-office performances; and
• What the future may hold for the franchise.
"The films gave Tom a great reason to examine some of Marvel's best-known comics," says editor Mike Phillips. "He didn't disappoint. Almost every scene in the trilogy was spawned by some classic storyline, and Tom brings all of those connections to light."
Not only is Mutant Cinema (softcover, 6x9 in, 320 pgs, B&W) accessible to comics and movie fans alike, it's the essential guide to the films for both die-hard fans and newcomers.
Again, the book is available only through Diamond Comic Distributors and the Previews catalog (order code FEB094600). Any comic book store can order one for you, but don't assume that your store will order a copy unless you ask.
Note: The author is available for interviews. If you're interested, please reply to this email.
Legal Disclaimer: X-Men and related characters are trademarks of Marvel Comics. This book is not endorsed by either Marvel Comics or 20th Century Fox.
About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art.
OT: Superheroes Around the World Survey
To help further humanities research, I note that on the comix-scholars list there was... (the following is quoting Dr. Reinhard) discussion a couple weeks ago about the influence of American superheroes in different countries -- and to investigate how much anime/manga characters are seen as superheroes -- I created this survey in my spare time: http://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=WG5EYZ7P96C5
The goal of the survey is for people from around the world to tell us what they think a superhero is and what superheroes mean to them.
I would love your help in both filling out the questionnaire as well as distributing it far and wide to get as many different people from a range of different countries to take it. Please feel free to post the link anywhere you like, and refer any questions to me at my professional email address of carrie@ruc.dk
CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, PhD
Virtual Worlds Research
http://worlds.ruc.dk/
Roskilde University
Department of Communication, Business, and Information Technologies
Building 43.3
Kommunikationsvej 1
DK-4000 Roskilde
The goal of the survey is for people from around the world to tell us what they think a superhero is and what superheroes mean to them.
I would love your help in both filling out the questionnaire as well as distributing it far and wide to get as many different people from a range of different countries to take it. Please feel free to post the link anywhere you like, and refer any questions to me at my professional email address of carrie@ruc.dk
CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, PhD
Virtual Worlds Research
http://worlds.ruc.dk/
Roskilde University
Department of Communication, Business, and Information Technologies
Building 43.3
Kommunikationsvej 1
DK-4000 Roskilde
Comic Art Indigene exhibit coming to Washington
Curator Tony Chavarria sent me a note yesterday regarding the Comic Art Indigene exhibit that had been out west:
During its production, we had interest in the show as a traveling exhibition so we designed it to serve in that function. Its first stop will be at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC this March. The opening will be on March 6th and unfortunately that is all the information I have at the moment. Regrettably there is no information on NMAI's website either although this should change as the date comes closer.
When I have more details I will send them on and hope you might have a chance to see the exhibition.
So, this is the first comics exhibit for 2009 that I know of (Herblock should be at LoC later in the year) - I'll be sure to check it out. If anyone wants to do a group visit, chime in on the comments.
During its production, we had interest in the show as a traveling exhibition so we designed it to serve in that function. Its first stop will be at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC this March. The opening will be on March 6th and unfortunately that is all the information I have at the moment. Regrettably there is no information on NMAI's website either although this should change as the date comes closer.
When I have more details I will send them on and hope you might have a chance to see the exhibition.
So, this is the first comics exhibit for 2009 that I know of (Herblock should be at LoC later in the year) - I'll be sure to check it out. If anyone wants to do a group visit, chime in on the comments.
Harvey Pekar Opera is tonight
NPR has a good story about it too.
Leave Me Alone!, a Jazz Opera by Harvey Pekar and Dan Plonsey, to Premiere at the Oberlin Conservatory Of Music and via Webcast on Jan. 31, 2009
American Splendor Icon Pekar Focuses His Sardonic Wit on the Everyday Struggles of Avant-Garde Artists, with Music from Cleveland-born Composer and Saxophonist Plonsey
OBERLIN, OHIO (December 10, 2008) —The iconic underground comic book author Harvey Pekar will make his operatic debut at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Leave Me Alone!, an autobiographical jazz opera. A collaboration by two Cleveland natives, the opera combines a libretto by Pekar with music by saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey. Leave Me Alone! depicts the lives of its creators in quotidian detail while asking big questions about the place of cutting-edge art in our society. Amidst the demands and interruptions of day-to-day life, Pekar and Plonsey wonder, how can artists carve out time for their creative work? More importantly, they ask, how do we cultivate a society that is receptive to the avant-garde? The opera, which is presented by Oberlin in cooperation with Real Time Opera, will receive its world premiere in a free performance on Saturday, January 31, 2009, at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel. The performance will also be streamed live to an international audience online at www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com.
Finney Chapel is located at 90 N. Professor Street in Oberlin, Ohio, just 40 minutes southwest of Cleveland.
"There ought to be a place for cutting edge work," says Pekar, who believes that many major cultural institutions have shirked their responsibility to support contemporary art and challenge audiences. "I thought there wasn't much out there being said about this, and I wanted to open up some discussion."
Called "the blue-collar Mark Twain" by Variety, Pekar is best known for his autobiographical comic book series American Splendor, in which he elevated the mostly mundane details of his life as a working-class Clevelander to the level of art. The series won the American Book Award and a film adaptation took top honors at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Composer Plonsey, who was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, has been a lifelong proponent of new music, and has founded several new music series in and around his current home in El Cerrito, California.
"The opera, simply put, is the non-fictional account of its own creation," says Plonsey. In the story, Pekar and Plonsey engage in discussions about music, the state of the avant-garde, and the creation of the opera itself from their Cleveland and San Francisco Bay Area living rooms. A taped conversation between Pekar and comics illustrator Robert Crumb provides an additional perspective on the opera's themes. The wives of Plonsey and Pekar, Mantra Ben-ya'akova Plonsey and Joyce Brabner (who portray themselves in the production), enter the plot, as does Josh Smith, the opera's music director. Oberlin Conservatory students will also be involved in the production; four singers will double the protagonists on stage and an ensemble of six jazz musicians will back them in the pit, playing alongside Plonsey and Smith.
Plonsey and Pekar are deeply committed to the notion that art transcends distinctions of class and hence ought to be available to all. Accordingly, both the live performance and the webcast of the opera will be offered free of charge. Those wishing to support the production may do so by purchasing a comic about the opera, written by Pekar and illustrated by Joseph Remnant, at www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com. The comic is available as a signed, limited-edition print ($300) or digital download ($5). Visitors may also purchase a cell-phone ring tone featuring Harvey's inimitable voice ($5) on the site.
Performers and Production Team
Several of the performers in the opera will play themselves, including Dan Plonsey, Harvey Pekar, Mantra Ben-ya'akova Plonsey, and Joyce Brabner. Oberlin Conservatory and College singers Patty Stubel '09, Kate Rosen '11, Joanna Lemle '10, and Christopher Rice '10 will double the characters on stage; students, including dummer Noah Hecht '10, trombonist Aaron Salituro '11, saxophonist David Schwartz '12, and trumpeter Gregory Zilboorg '13, will also play in the band.
The production team includes Paul Schick, executive producer for Real Time Opera; Josh Smith, musical director; Associate Professor of Opera Jonathon Field, stage director; Robert Katkowski, set designer; Barry Steele, lighting designer; Victoria Vaughan, stage manager; and Dan Michalak, musical preparation. The webcast will be produced with help from Oberlin professional staff and students, including Associate Dean of Technology and Facilities Michael Lynn, Director of Audio Services Paul Eachus, Director of Networking Barron Hulver, and Technology Consultant Todd Brown.
About the Librettist: Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is best known for his autobiographical comic book series American Splendor. Pekar began self-publishing the series in 1976, at the urging of friend and noted illustrator Robert Crumb. Unique among comic books of the time, Pekar's stories documented the minutiae of his daily life: working as a file clerk in the VA hospital, grocery shopping, or simply searching for a lost set of keys. In 1987, Pekar was honored with the American Book Award for his work on the series, and in 2003 American Splendor was adapted as a movie to widespread critical acclaim. An avid record collector, Pekar began his writing career as a book and music critic, with a particular interest in jazz. His reviews have been published in the Boston Herald, the Austin Chronicle, Jazz Times, Urban Dialect (Cleveland), and Down Beat magazine. Pekar's commentary for public radio station WKSU, starting in 1999, won him several journalism awards, including the 2001 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Writing. Pekar was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman in the late 1980s; his infamous on-air criticism of General Electric got him temporarily banned from the show, although he did make two more appearances in the early 1990s. In 2001, Pekar retired from his job as a file clerk at the local VA Hospital. He lives in Cleveland Heights with his wife Joyce and their foster daughter Danielle.
About the Composer: Dan Plonsey
Saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Drawing inspiration from musicians as diverse as Sun Ra and Charles Ives, Plonsey's music defies easy categorization. "No doubt," writes All About Jazz, "Plonsey is a creative soul who possesses a Renaissance spirit." In recent years Plonsey's instrumental work has focused on large ensembles of mixed instrumentation and ensembles of multiple saxophones. His more than 200 works for large and small ensembles include commissions from Bang on a Can, the Berkeley Symphony, and New Music Works in Santa Cruz. He has written numerous operas, including three collaborations with Paul Schick of Real Time Opera. From 1994-99, he was the resident composer and chief librettist for Disaster Opera Theater in El Cerrito, California, where he currently lives. He also founded the weekly Beanbender's creative music concert series in Berkeley, which is ongoing on an occasional basis. Plonsey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and music from Yale University and a Master of Arts degree in composition from Mills College. He has studied composition with Martin Bresnick, David Lewin, Anthony Braxton, and, more briefly, Roscoe Mitchell and Terry Riley. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Mantra and their two sons, Cleveland and Mischa.
About the Director: Jonathon Field
Jonathon Field is one of America's more versatile and popular stage directors, having directed more than 100 productions in all four corners of the United States. He served as artistic director of Lyric Opera Cleveland for six seasons, where he presented the operas of Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti as well as the Ohio premieres of works by John Adams, Mark Adamo, and Philip Glass. Several of Field's productions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago were so successful they were repeated at the Illinois Humanities Festival with Stephen Sondheim as keynote speaker. His productions for San Francisco Opera's Western Opera Theatre and Seattle Opera have played in more than 20 states. Over the past eight years Field has directed 10 productions with the Arizona Opera, being deemed by the press "their most perceptive stage director." In February 2007, Field directed—at Oberlin and at Miller Theatre in New York City—the critically acclaimed U.S. premiere of Lost Highway, a dramatic music theater work by noted Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth based on the David Lynch film. This is Field's 11th season as director of Oberlin Opera Theater.
About Real Time Opera: Artistic Director Paul Schick
Under the artistic direction of Paul Schick, Real Time Opera (RTO) has presented world premieres of new operas in New York, San Francisco, and New England, where the company is based. In 2005, RTO premiered Feynman (2005), a chamber opera by composer Jack Vees, with a libretto by Schick, about Nobel Prize-winning physicist and cult figure Richard Feynman, with SO Percussion as the pit orchestra. The opera premiered at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and was reprised in Brattleboro, Vermont at Dartmouth College, in Concord, New Hampshire, and in New York at the Knitting Factory. A future online production of Feynman from Yale is in the planning stages. RTO's debut production, in 2003, was Korczak's Orphans by composer Adam Silverman and librettist Susan Gubernat. Based on the life of Polish pediatrician, orphanage director, and Holocaust martyr Janosz Korczak, the opera was also performed by New York City Opera on their VOX Festival of new American works. RTO's second production, Hawaiian Tan Ratface, a quasi-opera by John Trubee, premiered at San Francisco's Studio Z in 2004. Schick is librettist and producer of the forthcoming music-dance-theater piece A House in Bali by composer Evan Ziporyn, scheduled to premiere in Bali, Indonesia, followed by an international tour, in 2009. As an administrator, Schick has worked with Opera North, Boston Lyric Opera, the American Gamelan Institute, and the composers' collective Frog Peak Music. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Hamilton College and a Master of Philosophy degree and PhD in musicology from Yale University.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. The Conservatory is renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and has been pronounced a "national treasure" by the Washington Post. Oberlin's alumni have gone on to achieve illustrious careers in all aspects of the serious music world. Many of them have attained stature as solo performers, composers, and conductors, among them Jennifer Koh, Steven Isserlis, Denyce Graves, Franco Farina, Christopher Robertson, Lisa Saffer, George Walker, Christopher Rouse, David Zinman, and Robert Spano. All of the members of the contemporary sextet eighth blackbird, most of the members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, and many of the members of Apollo's Fire are Oberlin alumni. In chamber music, the Miró, Pacifica, Juillard, and Fry Street quartets, among other small ensembles, include Oberlin-trained musicians, who also can be found in major orchestras and opera companies throughout the world. For more information about Oberlin, please visit www.oberlin.edu/con.
CALENDAR LISTING
Saturday, January 31, 2009, 8 p.m.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Real Time Opera present
Leave Me Alone!
Libretto by Harvey Pekar
Music by Dan Plonsey
Josh Smith, music director
Jonathon Field, stage director
Live on stage:
Finney Chapel
90 North Professor Street
Oberlin, Ohio
Online:
www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com
FREE
Oberlin Conservatory 24-Hour Concert Hotline: 440-775-6933
Leave Me Alone!, a Jazz Opera by Harvey Pekar and Dan Plonsey, to Premiere at the Oberlin Conservatory Of Music and via Webcast on Jan. 31, 2009
American Splendor Icon Pekar Focuses His Sardonic Wit on the Everyday Struggles of Avant-Garde Artists, with Music from Cleveland-born Composer and Saxophonist Plonsey
OBERLIN, OHIO (December 10, 2008) —The iconic underground comic book author Harvey Pekar will make his operatic debut at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Leave Me Alone!, an autobiographical jazz opera. A collaboration by two Cleveland natives, the opera combines a libretto by Pekar with music by saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey. Leave Me Alone! depicts the lives of its creators in quotidian detail while asking big questions about the place of cutting-edge art in our society. Amidst the demands and interruptions of day-to-day life, Pekar and Plonsey wonder, how can artists carve out time for their creative work? More importantly, they ask, how do we cultivate a society that is receptive to the avant-garde? The opera, which is presented by Oberlin in cooperation with Real Time Opera, will receive its world premiere in a free performance on Saturday, January 31, 2009, at 8 p.m. in Finney Chapel. The performance will also be streamed live to an international audience online at www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com.
Finney Chapel is located at 90 N. Professor Street in Oberlin, Ohio, just 40 minutes southwest of Cleveland.
"There ought to be a place for cutting edge work," says Pekar, who believes that many major cultural institutions have shirked their responsibility to support contemporary art and challenge audiences. "I thought there wasn't much out there being said about this, and I wanted to open up some discussion."
Called "the blue-collar Mark Twain" by Variety, Pekar is best known for his autobiographical comic book series American Splendor, in which he elevated the mostly mundane details of his life as a working-class Clevelander to the level of art. The series won the American Book Award and a film adaptation took top honors at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Composer Plonsey, who was born and raised in Cleveland Heights, has been a lifelong proponent of new music, and has founded several new music series in and around his current home in El Cerrito, California.
"The opera, simply put, is the non-fictional account of its own creation," says Plonsey. In the story, Pekar and Plonsey engage in discussions about music, the state of the avant-garde, and the creation of the opera itself from their Cleveland and San Francisco Bay Area living rooms. A taped conversation between Pekar and comics illustrator Robert Crumb provides an additional perspective on the opera's themes. The wives of Plonsey and Pekar, Mantra Ben-ya'akova Plonsey and Joyce Brabner (who portray themselves in the production), enter the plot, as does Josh Smith, the opera's music director. Oberlin Conservatory students will also be involved in the production; four singers will double the protagonists on stage and an ensemble of six jazz musicians will back them in the pit, playing alongside Plonsey and Smith.
Plonsey and Pekar are deeply committed to the notion that art transcends distinctions of class and hence ought to be available to all. Accordingly, both the live performance and the webcast of the opera will be offered free of charge. Those wishing to support the production may do so by purchasing a comic about the opera, written by Pekar and illustrated by Joseph Remnant, at www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com. The comic is available as a signed, limited-edition print ($300) or digital download ($5). Visitors may also purchase a cell-phone ring tone featuring Harvey's inimitable voice ($5) on the site.
Performers and Production Team
Several of the performers in the opera will play themselves, including Dan Plonsey, Harvey Pekar, Mantra Ben-ya'akova Plonsey, and Joyce Brabner. Oberlin Conservatory and College singers Patty Stubel '09, Kate Rosen '11, Joanna Lemle '10, and Christopher Rice '10 will double the characters on stage; students, including dummer Noah Hecht '10, trombonist Aaron Salituro '11, saxophonist David Schwartz '12, and trumpeter Gregory Zilboorg '13, will also play in the band.
The production team includes Paul Schick, executive producer for Real Time Opera; Josh Smith, musical director; Associate Professor of Opera Jonathon Field, stage director; Robert Katkowski, set designer; Barry Steele, lighting designer; Victoria Vaughan, stage manager; and Dan Michalak, musical preparation. The webcast will be produced with help from Oberlin professional staff and students, including Associate Dean of Technology and Facilities Michael Lynn, Director of Audio Services Paul Eachus, Director of Networking Barron Hulver, and Technology Consultant Todd Brown.
About the Librettist: Harvey Pekar
Harvey Pekar, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, is best known for his autobiographical comic book series American Splendor. Pekar began self-publishing the series in 1976, at the urging of friend and noted illustrator Robert Crumb. Unique among comic books of the time, Pekar's stories documented the minutiae of his daily life: working as a file clerk in the VA hospital, grocery shopping, or simply searching for a lost set of keys. In 1987, Pekar was honored with the American Book Award for his work on the series, and in 2003 American Splendor was adapted as a movie to widespread critical acclaim. An avid record collector, Pekar began his writing career as a book and music critic, with a particular interest in jazz. His reviews have been published in the Boston Herald, the Austin Chronicle, Jazz Times, Urban Dialect (Cleveland), and Down Beat magazine. Pekar's commentary for public radio station WKSU, starting in 1999, won him several journalism awards, including the 2001 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Writing. Pekar was a frequent guest on Late Night with David Letterman in the late 1980s; his infamous on-air criticism of General Electric got him temporarily banned from the show, although he did make two more appearances in the early 1990s. In 2001, Pekar retired from his job as a file clerk at the local VA Hospital. He lives in Cleveland Heights with his wife Joyce and their foster daughter Danielle.
About the Composer: Dan Plonsey
Saxophonist and composer Dan Plonsey was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Drawing inspiration from musicians as diverse as Sun Ra and Charles Ives, Plonsey's music defies easy categorization. "No doubt," writes All About Jazz, "Plonsey is a creative soul who possesses a Renaissance spirit." In recent years Plonsey's instrumental work has focused on large ensembles of mixed instrumentation and ensembles of multiple saxophones. His more than 200 works for large and small ensembles include commissions from Bang on a Can, the Berkeley Symphony, and New Music Works in Santa Cruz. He has written numerous operas, including three collaborations with Paul Schick of Real Time Opera. From 1994-99, he was the resident composer and chief librettist for Disaster Opera Theater in El Cerrito, California, where he currently lives. He also founded the weekly Beanbender's creative music concert series in Berkeley, which is ongoing on an occasional basis. Plonsey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in math and music from Yale University and a Master of Arts degree in composition from Mills College. He has studied composition with Martin Bresnick, David Lewin, Anthony Braxton, and, more briefly, Roscoe Mitchell and Terry Riley. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Mantra and their two sons, Cleveland and Mischa.
About the Director: Jonathon Field
Jonathon Field is one of America's more versatile and popular stage directors, having directed more than 100 productions in all four corners of the United States. He served as artistic director of Lyric Opera Cleveland for six seasons, where he presented the operas of Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti as well as the Ohio premieres of works by John Adams, Mark Adamo, and Philip Glass. Several of Field's productions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago were so successful they were repeated at the Illinois Humanities Festival with Stephen Sondheim as keynote speaker. His productions for San Francisco Opera's Western Opera Theatre and Seattle Opera have played in more than 20 states. Over the past eight years Field has directed 10 productions with the Arizona Opera, being deemed by the press "their most perceptive stage director." In February 2007, Field directed—at Oberlin and at Miller Theatre in New York City—the critically acclaimed U.S. premiere of Lost Highway, a dramatic music theater work by noted Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth based on the David Lynch film. This is Field's 11th season as director of Oberlin Opera Theater.
About Real Time Opera: Artistic Director Paul Schick
Under the artistic direction of Paul Schick, Real Time Opera (RTO) has presented world premieres of new operas in New York, San Francisco, and New England, where the company is based. In 2005, RTO premiered Feynman (2005), a chamber opera by composer Jack Vees, with a libretto by Schick, about Nobel Prize-winning physicist and cult figure Richard Feynman, with SO Percussion as the pit orchestra. The opera premiered at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and was reprised in Brattleboro, Vermont at Dartmouth College, in Concord, New Hampshire, and in New York at the Knitting Factory. A future online production of Feynman from Yale is in the planning stages. RTO's debut production, in 2003, was Korczak's Orphans by composer Adam Silverman and librettist Susan Gubernat. Based on the life of Polish pediatrician, orphanage director, and Holocaust martyr Janosz Korczak, the opera was also performed by New York City Opera on their VOX Festival of new American works. RTO's second production, Hawaiian Tan Ratface, a quasi-opera by John Trubee, premiered at San Francisco's Studio Z in 2004. Schick is librettist and producer of the forthcoming music-dance-theater piece A House in Bali by composer Evan Ziporyn, scheduled to premiere in Bali, Indonesia, followed by an international tour, in 2009. As an administrator, Schick has worked with Opera North, Boston Lyric Opera, the American Gamelan Institute, and the composers' collective Frog Peak Music. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Hamilton College and a Master of Philosophy degree and PhD in musicology from Yale University.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. The Conservatory is renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and has been pronounced a "national treasure" by the Washington Post. Oberlin's alumni have gone on to achieve illustrious careers in all aspects of the serious music world. Many of them have attained stature as solo performers, composers, and conductors, among them Jennifer Koh, Steven Isserlis, Denyce Graves, Franco Farina, Christopher Robertson, Lisa Saffer, George Walker, Christopher Rouse, David Zinman, and Robert Spano. All of the members of the contemporary sextet eighth blackbird, most of the members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, and many of the members of Apollo's Fire are Oberlin alumni. In chamber music, the Miró, Pacifica, Juillard, and Fry Street quartets, among other small ensembles, include Oberlin-trained musicians, who also can be found in major orchestras and opera companies throughout the world. For more information about Oberlin, please visit www.oberlin.edu/con.
CALENDAR LISTING
Saturday, January 31, 2009, 8 p.m.
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Real Time Opera present
Leave Me Alone!
Libretto by Harvey Pekar
Music by Dan Plonsey
Josh Smith, music director
Jonathon Field, stage director
Live on stage:
Finney Chapel
90 North Professor Street
Oberlin, Ohio
Online:
www.LeaveMeAloneOpera.com
FREE
Oberlin Conservatory 24-Hour Concert Hotline: 440-775-6933
OT: NYTimes on Dean Haspiel
My friend Dean's got an interview in tomorrow's New York Times February 1, 2009 - "The Voice: Beyond ‘Peanuts’," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES.
Ron Evry salutes Don Martin
Virginian comics historian Ron Evry wrote in today to highlight his podcast of readings of copyright-free fiction:
Today I posted the THIRD annual Gorilla Suit Day story in Mister Ron's Basement (links to the previous two are on the page), in celebration of Mad Cartoonist Don Martin's holiday gift to the American people...
The link to the story is at:
http://slapcast.com/users/revry/7026
It is called "Gorilla Romance" and was written by W. L. Alden back in 1893.
Today I posted the THIRD annual Gorilla Suit Day story in Mister Ron's Basement (links to the previous two are on the page), in celebration of Mad Cartoonist Don Martin's holiday gift to the American people...
The link to the story is at:
http://slapcast.com/users/revry/7026
It is called "Gorilla Romance" and was written by W. L. Alden back in 1893.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Swann Fellowship at Library of Congress deadline approaching
Feb. 13 is the deadline for receiving Swann Fellowship applications here at the Library. The Swann Foundation awards up to $15,000 annually to a qualified graduate student applicant (or smaller awards to several) to support scholarly work in caricature and cartoon. For guidelines and application forms, please see http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swann-fellow.html . Email swann@loc.gov if you have questions.
Martha H. Kennedy
Associate Curator, Popular & Applied Graphic Art
Prints and Photographs Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20540-4730
Ph.: 202/707-9115 Fax: 202/707-6647
Martha H. Kennedy
Associate Curator, Popular & Applied Graphic Art
Prints and Photographs Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20540-4730
Ph.: 202/707-9115 Fax: 202/707-6647
OT: Washington Post essay contest repost
More shameless shilling as I repost this from last week:
I got a letter a month or so ago from someone at Washingtonpost.com inviting bloggers to enter their "What does it mean to be a Washingtonian?" contest. They've posted entries online now for voting and mine is "An Intellectual Playground." I've read about 1/2 the essays so far, and I'm pretty impressed with most of them. A few of us strike the same tone of appreciating the cultural opportunities in the area, but since you're reading my blog, you should vote for me. Thanks.
I got a letter a month or so ago from someone at Washingtonpost.com inviting bloggers to enter their "What does it mean to be a Washingtonian?" contest. They've posted entries online now for voting and mine is "An Intellectual Playground." I've read about 1/2 the essays so far, and I'm pretty impressed with most of them. A few of us strike the same tone of appreciating the cultural opportunities in the area, but since you're reading my blog, you should vote for me. Thanks.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Richard Thompson's current reading list
Our Man Thompson has a list of what he's reading on "The Blowhard's Reading Corner," Cul de Sac blog Wednesday, January 28, 2009. He kindly gives a shout-out to my Pekar book, but I don't feel at all compelled to say that you should all immediately click through this link to BUY HIS CUL DE SAC BOOK. Not at all.
He also had a very funny post earlier this week on his pen nibs. Again. I believe he's trying to create a collector's market for his used nibs.
He also had a very funny post earlier this week on his pen nibs. Again. I believe he's trying to create a collector's market for his used nibs.
Obama takes lessons from Conan; Washington establishment slow to follow
Pick up the Onion that came out today or see "Obama Disappointed Cabinet Failed To Understand His Reference To 'Savage Sword Of Conan' #24," Onion January 27, 2009. It's better in print of course.
Riffs interviews Adams on Dilbert
Quick post as I'm on the way out the door - "The Interview: 'Dilbert' Creator Scott Adams" Michael Cavna, January 29, 2009.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Jen Sorenson was at the Inauguration and didn't even call
She did blog about it however - Inauguratin' and This Week's Strip: "Seen at the Inauguration"
More info on Bamn wrestling comic
Troy Allen wrote in this evening about the Gazette story (that I linked to earlier today) on the wrestling comic book called "Bamn" which he writes along with two artists. He says:
"Bamn" is an action/comedy about a collection of backyard wrestling misfits who are getting bullied by their high school's amateur wrestling team. The misfits bump into a washed-up, former pro-wrestler named "Bamn." Bamn realizes the backyarders need to defend themselves and takes them under his wing, providing them with most important thing they'll learn in their final year of high school: Manhood.
The series is scheduled to be 8-parts and issue #1 is currently available at Comixpress.com. The book will soon be available at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, Md and Alliance Comic and Games in Silver Spring, MD.
Additionally, we will be at SPX and the Baltimore Comic Con this year.
You can find out more about us at www.bamncan.com.
I'll be stopping by Alliance to get a copy in the next few weeks, in the spirit of Support Your Local Cartoonist (an unmade James Garner movie).
"Bamn" is an action/comedy about a collection of backyard wrestling misfits who are getting bullied by their high school's amateur wrestling team. The misfits bump into a washed-up, former pro-wrestler named "Bamn." Bamn realizes the backyarders need to defend themselves and takes them under his wing, providing them with most important thing they'll learn in their final year of high school: Manhood.
The series is scheduled to be 8-parts and issue #1 is currently available at Comixpress.com. The book will soon be available at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, Md and Alliance Comic and Games in Silver Spring, MD.
Additionally, we will be at SPX and the Baltimore Comic Con this year.
You can find out more about us at www.bamncan.com.
I'll be stopping by Alliance to get a copy in the next few weeks, in the spirit of Support Your Local Cartoonist (an unmade James Garner movie).
New study on superheroine breast-size issued by DC thinktank
See "Study: Comic Book Superheroines 'Improbably Busty'," CAP News January 28 2009.* The same site is reporting on a new, grittier Dark Archie movie.
*this is satire, but Sequential Tart used to run a great column entitled 'Bizarre Breasts' by colorist Laura Dupuy.
*this is satire, but Sequential Tart used to run a great column entitled 'Bizarre Breasts' by colorist Laura Dupuy.
Local guys publish wrestling comic book
See "Comic book creators drawn together with a ‘Bamn': Trio launches their first comic through independent publisher," by Jeremy Arias, Gazette (January 28 2009). Jay Payne, 25, of Chevy Chase, David Dean, 25 of Silver Spring and Troy Allen, 28, of Hyattsville were photographed at Alliance Comics in Silver Spring, where I'll bet you can buy the comic book which is a "chronicle of a down-and-out professional wrestler who decides to mentor a group of high school backyard wrestlers."
International Journal of Comic Art's new blog
It's not going to be a thrill-a-minute at the new IJOCA blog, but editor/publisher John Lent and I will try to keep you up-to-date as to the status and content of the new issues and anything else you need to know.
OT: American Library Association lists of graphic novels
See "2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens" which is "The list of 53 titles, drawn from 154 official nominations, ... presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting." Of their "2009 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens," I have 3 and have read none of them. Sigh.
Ward Sutton illo in Post Food section
Cartoonist Ward Sutton who turns his hands to quite a few things did an illo of a diner for the Wednesday, January 28th Food section in the Post. It's not online.
Post folding Book World, reports NY Times UPDATED
For the latest foolishness from the Post, see "Washington Post to End Book World as Stand-Alone Section," By Motoko Rich, January 28, 2009. Why, why, do they expect people to buy the paper?
Thanks to Tim for the tip.
The Post, scooped by the Times, has an article on their website confirming it now.
Schmucks. Tim the tipster says he's canceling his subscription. I don't really want to get into this, especially since everyone else is, but papers make no money online, don't pay for themselves by subscription, but rely on ad revenue which is proportionate to readership. So by cutting content, which affects both the physical and online papers negatively, they expect to increase readers how?
Thanks to Tim for the tip.
The Post, scooped by the Times, has an article on their website confirming it now.
Schmucks. Tim the tipster says he's canceling his subscription. I don't really want to get into this, especially since everyone else is, but papers make no money online, don't pay for themselves by subscription, but rely on ad revenue which is proportionate to readership. So by cutting content, which affects both the physical and online papers negatively, they expect to increase readers how?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Gaiman's Newbery Medal
Neil Gaiman won a Newbery Medal yesterday for 'The Graveyard Book,' which is a fun little novel about a boy whose family is assassinated, but he's protected by ghosts in a graveyard and grows up there until he becomes a Young Adult and wants to go out in the world - where the assassin is still waiting. The Post and the Times have stories about it: "In Fine Spirits: Newbery Judges Take Shine to Friendly Ghosts Of Gaiman's 'Graveyard'," By Bob Thompson, Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, January 27, 2009; C01 and "‘The Graveyard Book’ Wins Newbery Medal,"
By MOTOKO RICH, New York Times January 27, 2009
The Post also has a minor piece about Bush's caricature being in The Palms restaurant even though he never ate there.
By MOTOKO RICH, New York Times January 27, 2009
The Post also has a minor piece about Bush's caricature being in The Palms restaurant even though he never ate there.
Monthly February comic con postponed until April
This email came out today or yesterday...
Feb 8 CapiCons Show Postponed to Apr 5
Unfortunately, the Sunday, Feb 8 show had to be postponed to Sunday, Apr 5. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Capital Associates schedule resumes on April 5.
This is the one at the Dunn Loring fire station in Tysons.
Feb 8 CapiCons Show Postponed to Apr 5
Unfortunately, the Sunday, Feb 8 show had to be postponed to Sunday, Apr 5. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Capital Associates schedule resumes on April 5.
This is the one at the Dunn Loring fire station in Tysons.
Cartoon mascot exhibit at Johns Hopkins library
Reproduced in full, from Johns Hopkins' website:
New exhibit at MSE Library captures birth of the Blue Jay
JHU Gazette, January 26 2009
Grauer's Blue Jay: A Hopkins Tradition, an exhibit of Blue Jay memorabilia from journalist, author and editorial cartoonist Neil A. Grauer, opens at the MSE Library on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and runs through May 25.
Since the 1920s, the mascot of The Johns Hopkins University has been the feisty Blue Jay — sporting black-and-blue plumage to match the school's athletic colors.
For more than 40 years, the most popular portrayal of that mascot has been the cartoon Blue Jay created in 1966 by Grauer during his student years as a cartoonist for the university's student newspaper, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter.
The exhibit is drawn from the Grauer Blue Jay Collection, a 1996 gift from Grauer to the Sheridan Libraries of more than 50 items. On display are his original sketch of the Blue Jay, drawn on the back of a 3x5 index card; numerous other original drawings; and lacrosse caps, T-shirts, posters, cups, an umbrella and a travel bag, all printed with the Blue Jay logo.
Several items from Grauer's personal collection are also exhibited, including a pair of Nike limited edition sneakers created for members of the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse championship team.
Grauer has drawn the Blue Jay for numerous JHU athletic teams, the Alumni Association and the Pep Band, and still draws the Blue Jay on request. A 1969 graduate of the School of Arts and Sciences, he is now a senior writer in the Editorial Services Division of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Marketing and Communications.
The exhibit is located on M-Level of the Eisenhower Library and may be viewed whenever the library is open.
New exhibit at MSE Library captures birth of the Blue Jay
JHU Gazette, January 26 2009
Grauer's Blue Jay: A Hopkins Tradition, an exhibit of Blue Jay memorabilia from journalist, author and editorial cartoonist Neil A. Grauer, opens at the MSE Library on Wednesday, Jan. 28, and runs through May 25.
Since the 1920s, the mascot of The Johns Hopkins University has been the feisty Blue Jay — sporting black-and-blue plumage to match the school's athletic colors.
For more than 40 years, the most popular portrayal of that mascot has been the cartoon Blue Jay created in 1966 by Grauer during his student years as a cartoonist for the university's student newspaper, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter.
The exhibit is drawn from the Grauer Blue Jay Collection, a 1996 gift from Grauer to the Sheridan Libraries of more than 50 items. On display are his original sketch of the Blue Jay, drawn on the back of a 3x5 index card; numerous other original drawings; and lacrosse caps, T-shirts, posters, cups, an umbrella and a travel bag, all printed with the Blue Jay logo.
Several items from Grauer's personal collection are also exhibited, including a pair of Nike limited edition sneakers created for members of the 2007 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse championship team.
Grauer has drawn the Blue Jay for numerous JHU athletic teams, the Alumni Association and the Pep Band, and still draws the Blue Jay on request. A 1969 graduate of the School of Arts and Sciences, he is now a senior writer in the Editorial Services Division of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Marketing and Communications.
The exhibit is located on M-Level of the Eisenhower Library and may be viewed whenever the library is open.
Monday, January 26, 2009
New York Times on Diamond Distribution's new restrictions on small press comics
See "Selling Grows Rougher for Small Comics Publishers," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, New York Times January 27, 2009.
Politico on editorial cartoonists and Obama
Alan Gardener found this Politico story before I did - "Cartoonists draw blank on Obama" By DAVID MARK, Politico 1/26/09 - but I ask "where's Matt Wuerker, their own political cartoonist? Is he not having trouble drawing Obama so he got left out?"
Or perhaps this is a stringer's article.
Or perhaps this is a stringer's article.
OT: Post's Washingtonian essay contest
I got a letter a month or so ago from someone at Washingtonpost.com inviting bloggers to enter their "What does it mean to be a Washingtonian?" contest. They've posted entries online now for voting and mine is "An Intellectual Playground." I've read about 1/2 the essays so far, and I'm pretty impressed with most of them. A few of us strike the same tone of appreciating the cultural opportunities in the area, but since you're reading my blog, you should vote for me. Thanks.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 01-28-09
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 01-28-09
By John Judy
(Happy Year of the Ox!)
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE SC by Gene Luen Yang. An award-winning trilogy of intertwining stories from an Asian-America perspective, now available in softcover. Good for tweens and up. Recommended.
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #21 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. The evil cyborg Thor clone is back from the dead and ready to… well, probably die again because he was never much of a long-term planner. As they say, “There are old cyborg Thor clones and there are bold cyborg Thor clones, but there are no old, bold cyborg Thor clones.” Okay, I made that up. Sorry.
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1 by Matt Wayne, Andy Suriano and Dan Davis. The companion comic to the hit Cartoon Network series, suitable for all ages and (brace yourselves) a Batman comic currently featuring Batman! I like that it’s written by a guy named Wayne. Seriously, that’s just cool.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #46 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Bucky America and the Sub-Mariner go to China to rescue the original Human Torch’s corpse from the commies. As well they should!
CRIMINAL, VOL. 4: BAD NIGHT SC by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Jacob, the widower, ex-forger and hapless cartoonist of “Frank Kafka, Private Eye” has a bad night or three. Featuring dark secrets, triple-crosses and more brutal cops than you can shake a plumbers helper at. Highly recommended.
DAREDEVIL #115 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. It’s good old-fashioned DD beats up a ton of ninjas action! For them that likes it!
FANTASTIC FOUR #563 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The Thing gives his girlfriend a big rock. Shaddup.
FINAL CRISIS #7 of 7 by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke. The end of the multiverse-shaking event that has been almost completely ignored by every other title in the DCU. But at least Barry Allen’s back.
FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #5 of 5 by Greg Rucka and Philip Tan. In which we find out if the Spectre is finally gonna ghost-up and smack Vandal “Cain” Savage so hard his mark falls off. Fingers crossed.
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: DEAR BILLY #1 of 3 by Garth Ennis and Peter Snejbjerg. A nurse during the Japanese invasion of Singapore finds herself with a chance to revenge herself. What to do? What to do? Recommended.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #23 Geoff Johns, Alex Ross and Dale Eaglesham. Having finally dispensed with the not so al-powerful Gog, the JSA is faced with the return of Black Adam and his undead wife Isis. Lotsa fights.
MARVELS EYE OF CAMERA #3 of 6 by Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacleto. Cancerous shutterbug Phil Sheldon meets the grim-n-gritty types of the Marvel Yoo. Yeah, that’ll help with the positive visualization. “Phil, imagine the cancer is a punk and you’re the Punisher…” Actually a very fine comic, especially for a sequel. Read MARVELS and then give it a whirl.
NEW AVENGERS #49 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Luke Cage has made a deal to get his kidnapped daughter back. The terms are not great.
NORTHLANDERS #14 by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly. The slaughter of Ragnar’s Viking occupiers by the native Irish rebel Magnus continues. Recommended.
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES GN written and drawn by Ben Templesmith. I’ll let Mr. Templesmith speak for himself on this one: “All 43 ( well, technically 42, but Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms ) plus, technically, I think the 44th as well will be in time for printing. A portrait each, plus some facts. Especially about some of the lesser known ones. Damn some were sick/quirky/weird bastards.” Highly recommended.
PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. Let the veils of time and space be parted that we may see the comics racks of three months hence! Like a crystal ball you don’t need to worry about the cat knocking over!
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #6 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The final issue. Duck and cover!
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #5 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. Ladies and gentlemen (those of you who aren’t dead from the super-flu), meet Randall Flagg, the Dark Man, the Walking Dude, the Hard Case. You need to read this.
STREETS OF GLORY SC by Garth Ennis and Mike Wolfer. Garth’s violent meditation on the death of the Old West and the illusory nature of its icons. Not for kids.
UNKNOWN SOLDIER #4 by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli. Dr. Moses leaves his old identity further and further behind as the need for the Soldier in him grows greater. Brutal stuff, not for kids. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
(Happy Year of the Ox!)
AMERICAN BORN CHINESE SC by Gene Luen Yang. An award-winning trilogy of intertwining stories from an Asian-America perspective, now available in softcover. Good for tweens and up. Recommended.
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #21 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. The evil cyborg Thor clone is back from the dead and ready to… well, probably die again because he was never much of a long-term planner. As they say, “There are old cyborg Thor clones and there are bold cyborg Thor clones, but there are no old, bold cyborg Thor clones.” Okay, I made that up. Sorry.
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1 by Matt Wayne, Andy Suriano and Dan Davis. The companion comic to the hit Cartoon Network series, suitable for all ages and (brace yourselves) a Batman comic currently featuring Batman! I like that it’s written by a guy named Wayne. Seriously, that’s just cool.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #46 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Bucky America and the Sub-Mariner go to China to rescue the original Human Torch’s corpse from the commies. As well they should!
CRIMINAL, VOL. 4: BAD NIGHT SC by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Jacob, the widower, ex-forger and hapless cartoonist of “Frank Kafka, Private Eye” has a bad night or three. Featuring dark secrets, triple-crosses and more brutal cops than you can shake a plumbers helper at. Highly recommended.
DAREDEVIL #115 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. It’s good old-fashioned DD beats up a ton of ninjas action! For them that likes it!
FANTASTIC FOUR #563 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. The Thing gives his girlfriend a big rock. Shaddup.
FINAL CRISIS #7 of 7 by Grant Morrison and Doug Mahnke. The end of the multiverse-shaking event that has been almost completely ignored by every other title in the DCU. But at least Barry Allen’s back.
FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #5 of 5 by Greg Rucka and Philip Tan. In which we find out if the Spectre is finally gonna ghost-up and smack Vandal “Cain” Savage so hard his mark falls off. Fingers crossed.
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: DEAR BILLY #1 of 3 by Garth Ennis and Peter Snejbjerg. A nurse during the Japanese invasion of Singapore finds herself with a chance to revenge herself. What to do? What to do? Recommended.
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #23 Geoff Johns, Alex Ross and Dale Eaglesham. Having finally dispensed with the not so al-powerful Gog, the JSA is faced with the return of Black Adam and his undead wife Isis. Lotsa fights.
MARVELS EYE OF CAMERA #3 of 6 by Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacleto. Cancerous shutterbug Phil Sheldon meets the grim-n-gritty types of the Marvel Yoo. Yeah, that’ll help with the positive visualization. “Phil, imagine the cancer is a punk and you’re the Punisher…” Actually a very fine comic, especially for a sequel. Read MARVELS and then give it a whirl.
NEW AVENGERS #49 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. Luke Cage has made a deal to get his kidnapped daughter back. The terms are not great.
NORTHLANDERS #14 by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly. The slaughter of Ragnar’s Viking occupiers by the native Irish rebel Magnus continues. Recommended.
PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES GN written and drawn by Ben Templesmith. I’ll let Mr. Templesmith speak for himself on this one: “All 43 ( well, technically 42, but Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms ) plus, technically, I think the 44th as well will be in time for printing. A portrait each, plus some facts. Especially about some of the lesser known ones. Damn some were sick/quirky/weird bastards.” Highly recommended.
PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. Let the veils of time and space be parted that we may see the comics racks of three months hence! Like a crystal ball you don’t need to worry about the cat knocking over!
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #6 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The final issue. Duck and cover!
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #5 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. Ladies and gentlemen (those of you who aren’t dead from the super-flu), meet Randall Flagg, the Dark Man, the Walking Dude, the Hard Case. You need to read this.
STREETS OF GLORY SC by Garth Ennis and Mike Wolfer. Garth’s violent meditation on the death of the Old West and the illusory nature of its icons. Not for kids.
UNKNOWN SOLDIER #4 by Joshua Dysart and Alberto Ponticelli. Dr. Moses leaves his old identity further and further behind as the need for the Soldier in him grows greater. Brutal stuff, not for kids. Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
February 13-15: Katsucon 15 anime and manga festival
On February 13-15th, Katsucon 15 anime and manga festival is in Arlington's Crystal City at the Hyatt Regency. As of this writing, they have slightly less than 3,000 spaces open, or half what they started with, so get cracking! The cost appears to be $50.
Ari Folman interview on 'Bashir' in Post
See "Film 'Can't Change The World': 'Bashir's' Ari Folman Draws Conclusions About Conflict," Robin Shulman, Washington Post Sunday, January 25, 2009; M02.
Nanoman, by DC natives, available now
Got an email today from editor Arthur Delaney which reads, the first issue of a fully professional NANOMAN is now for sale on IndyPlanet: http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1660
Our artist, Jon Reed, was the winner of the 2008 Comic Idol contest at the NYC Comic Con last year. He's absurdly good.
We'll be exhibiting our story at the Con this year as well.
www.newamericangraphicnovels.com
Sal Buscema, ace Spider-Man artist, interviews
Back in the 1970s, it seems like every Marvel Comic I bought was illustrated by Sal Buscema. Today he lives in Northern Virginia, and I keep hoping to meet him. The Spider-Man Crawl Space website interviewed him and put up 3 podcasts this week.
Podcast 55: Honoring Sal Buscema with Guests Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Roy Thomas and Danny Fingeroth
January 13 2009
Our first guest of 2009 is artist Sal Buscema. He just celebrated his 40th year at Marvel Comics. He also holds the record for the longest penciling stint on a Spider-Man comic. He drew 104 issues straight of the Spectacular Spider-Man title. To honor Sal for this accomplishment we invited a few of his friends along. On the podcast we have Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Roy Thomas and Danny Fingeroth.
Podcast 56: Honoring Sal Buscema with Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz
January 15 2009
We continue our interview of legendary Spider-Man artist Sal Buscema. He’s joined by writer Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as we answer questions live from people around the world. We talk about artistic tips, spider-clones and our favorite female, Spider-Girl!
Podcast 57: Honoring Sal Buscema pt 3 with Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
January 18 2009
We wrap our conversation with artist Sal Buscema. In this last half hour we answer your written message board questions. Some of the questions range from Sal’s thoughts on Amazing Spider-Girl getting canceled, funny experiences at comic book conventions, and why the Hulk is his favorite character to draw. His buddies Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are along the ride for the show.
Podcast 55: Honoring Sal Buscema with Guests Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Roy Thomas and Danny Fingeroth
January 13 2009
Our first guest of 2009 is artist Sal Buscema. He just celebrated his 40th year at Marvel Comics. He also holds the record for the longest penciling stint on a Spider-Man comic. He drew 104 issues straight of the Spectacular Spider-Man title. To honor Sal for this accomplishment we invited a few of his friends along. On the podcast we have Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Roy Thomas and Danny Fingeroth.
Podcast 56: Honoring Sal Buscema with Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz
January 15 2009
We continue our interview of legendary Spider-Man artist Sal Buscema. He’s joined by writer Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as we answer questions live from people around the world. We talk about artistic tips, spider-clones and our favorite female, Spider-Girl!
Podcast 57: Honoring Sal Buscema pt 3 with Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
January 18 2009
We wrap our conversation with artist Sal Buscema. In this last half hour we answer your written message board questions. Some of the questions range from Sal’s thoughts on Amazing Spider-Girl getting canceled, funny experiences at comic book conventions, and why the Hulk is his favorite character to draw. His buddies Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz are along the ride for the show.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Zadzooks on Mahfood and The Scream (not that one - a comic book one)
Zadzooks: Reviews of Kick Drum Comix and The Scream,
Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, January 22, 2009.
Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, January 22, 2009.
Washington Times-Post on Waltz with Bashir
"Brilliant 'Bashir' Brings A Dark Memory to Light," By John Anderson, Washington Post Friday, January 23, 2009; C01 and "The first 'Waltz': Israeli filmmaker turns to animation to unlock war memories," Sonny Bunch, Washington Times Friday, January 23, 2009.
Everybody's been liking this - I'll have to go see it.
Everybody's been liking this - I'll have to go see it.
D.C. Conspiracy's website redone
Matt Dembicki wrote in to say, "D.C. Conspiracy's Web site has a new look. Check it out at www.dcconspiracy.com."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Local ace comics photographer Bruce Guthrie on tv
Bruce Guthrie, my buddy who's shared his comics photographs on this site, has gotten almost 1/10 of his fifteen minutes on tv recently when he shot 2500 inaugural photos.
Superhuman Resources new comic by NoVa expat
I'm on a borrowed computer because mine got wormed last night (while trying to watch the Inaugural concert on HBO!) so I'm keeping this short. Here's some PR that just came in, along with two interviews with cartoonist Ken Marcus for more background - "Ken Marcus - Super Human Resources," by Christopher Moshier, Dec 3, 2008 and "MARCUS' SUPER HUMAN RESOURCES TEAM," by Jennifer M. Contino, Comicon's The Pulse November 25 2008.
I have a comic due in stores in late February from Ape Entertainment. It's called Super Human Resources. It's about the HR department of the world's greatest super team.
We've gotten a lot of good press (quotes below) But I'd love to know what you think of us. Your blog is a lot of fun. A recent discovery of mine.
What does this have to do with DC? I’m from DC. Northern VA. I’m in Richmond right now.
I would love a mention or review on the blog. I can dream, right?
Thanks so much for your time.
ken
"If you ever had a job, Super Human Resources is FUNNY. If you ever liked superheroes, Super Human Resources is VERY FUNNY."
- Joe Kelly (Spider-Man, Action Comics, JLA, Deadpool.)
"This might be the funniest comic book Man has ever produced. Highly recommended and I give it an A."
Jeff Marsick, Newsarama Best Shots.
"When being funny isn't enough in an industry chock-a-block with genre-humor yarns, what a new series needs is character. And that, sweetly, SHR has in spades. Oh, and the comic is really damn funny."
Dave Baxter, Broken Frontier
"Just when you think all possible avenues of the super-hero genre have been covered and recycled to death, a work like this sneaks on by to yank out your funny bone and hit you over the head with it."
Richard Caldwell, ComicNews.Info
"Super Human Resources is one of the best Indy books I have seen this year and by far the funniest!"
Eric, The Pullbox.com
"It's ridiculous. It's lunacy. It may just be the single most entertaining comic book you'll ever read. And no, I'm not blowing things out of proportion."
Keith, Staff Picks. Diamond Previews.
I have a comic due in stores in late February from Ape Entertainment. It's called Super Human Resources. It's about the HR department of the world's greatest super team.
We've gotten a lot of good press (quotes below) But I'd love to know what you think of us. Your blog is a lot of fun. A recent discovery of mine.
What does this have to do with DC? I’m from DC. Northern VA. I’m in Richmond right now.
I would love a mention or review on the blog. I can dream, right?
Thanks so much for your time.
ken
"If you ever had a job, Super Human Resources is FUNNY. If you ever liked superheroes, Super Human Resources is VERY FUNNY."
- Joe Kelly (Spider-Man, Action Comics, JLA, Deadpool.)
"This might be the funniest comic book Man has ever produced. Highly recommended and I give it an A."
Jeff Marsick, Newsarama Best Shots.
"When being funny isn't enough in an industry chock-a-block with genre-humor yarns, what a new series needs is character. And that, sweetly, SHR has in spades. Oh, and the comic is really damn funny."
Dave Baxter, Broken Frontier
"Just when you think all possible avenues of the super-hero genre have been covered and recycled to death, a work like this sneaks on by to yank out your funny bone and hit you over the head with it."
Richard Caldwell, ComicNews.Info
"Super Human Resources is one of the best Indy books I have seen this year and by far the funniest!"
Eric, The Pullbox.com
"It's ridiculous. It's lunacy. It may just be the single most entertaining comic book you'll ever read. And no, I'm not blowing things out of proportion."
Keith, Staff Picks. Diamond Previews.
3 local 'Waltz with Bashir' Israeli animation reviews
The City Paper has the more substantial one - "Distended Animation: Waltz With Bashir and Inkheart seek release through fantasy," By Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper January 23, 2009. The Express interviewed the director though -
"What Happened: Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir'," by Christopher Correa, Express January 22, 2009. See also "Oscar-nominated 'Waltz With Bashir' shows wounds of troubled region," By Sally Kline, Wshington Examiner Movie Critic 1/23/09.
"What Happened: Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir'," by Christopher Correa, Express January 22, 2009. See also "Oscar-nominated 'Waltz With Bashir' shows wounds of troubled region," By Sally Kline, Wshington Examiner Movie Critic 1/23/09.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
OT: George Pelecanos at Arlington Library
This will be good - I've seen Pelecanos multiple times and he's always interesting. With crime writers like Denise Mina and Ian Rankin doing comics, perhaps it's oly a matter of time...
Author Event: An Evening with George Pelecanos
Mon Jan 26, 2009, 7pm
Arlington Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, Va.
Esquire magazine calls George Pelecanos "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." Join him at Arlington Central Library for a discussion of his work including his latest crime noir, "The Turnaround." Pelecanos also wrote extensively for the critically hailed HBO series "The Wire." Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Author Event: An Evening with George Pelecanos
Mon Jan 26, 2009, 7pm
Arlington Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, Va.
Esquire magazine calls George Pelecanos "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world." Join him at Arlington Central Library for a discussion of his work including his latest crime noir, "The Turnaround." Pelecanos also wrote extensively for the critically hailed HBO series "The Wire." Books will be available for purchase and signing.
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