ComicsDC makes Olbermann's Countdown

Well, they used one of my pictures of Sean Delonas at least in their February 23rd "New York Post outrage goes national." Uncredited, I assume, but Our Man Thompson spotted it and let me know.

Christian Usera, D.C. graphic novelist, writes in

Christian Usera, a D.C. graphic novelist writes in: "Recently I was featured in 'Voces Del Caribe' an online scholarly journal sponsored by City University of New York.

The article, "Telling Ancient Narratives with New Media: The Art of Christian Usera," can be found here: www.vocesdelcaribe.com/journal/

Here's my book's website: www.myspace.com/theonesbook

I'm running behind tonight so I'm just throwing those links up and I'll try to take a closer look at them later in the week.

Dark Knight story in Post a few days ago

THE BACK STORY: A 'Dark' Day When His Business Was Booming, Washington Post (February 22, 2009): M8, is about the movie's special effects.

More DC links in Stay Tooned #3

I'm reading this issue backwards, and there's an interview with Roll Call's cartoonist R.J. Matson, and Jim Scancarelli turns out to have lived in Arlington and been taught graphic arts at Wakefield High School. Order a copy at http://www.staytoonedmagazine.com

Reminder: Tuesday's Mardi Gras Parade in Arlington...

...will feature large Richard Thompson figures for the second year in a row. I'll be there, and he might as well. Remember to ask for your free Petey tattoo if you recognize him.

Rob Tornoe on Delonas chimp cartoon

Rob's emailed me that he's got a cartoon and commentary online now.

Blockbuster dumping anime at 1/2 off at some places

There's a few northern Virginia sites here, including Stafford.

Zadzooks on Afro Samurai and Bennett's best

"Zadzooks: Review of Afro Samurai, the video game: Hip-hop hero seeks vengeance," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, February 19, 2009.

And "Bennett's Best for the week of February 8," By Greg Bennett, Washington Times' Zadzooks Blog February 20 2009 is on Gaiman's Batman and Thor 600.

April 25: CHS Otaku Fest

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For information, contact:
Sophie Song
President of Centennial High School Anime Club
president.chsanime@gmail.com
609.220.1955

CHS OTAKU FEST ANNOUNCES PRICE REDUCTIONS

Ellicott City, MD February 21st, 2009 – CHS Otaku Fest, the new anime convention in Maryland to be held on April 25th, is pleased to announce that is has reduced its registration fee and dealers room fee.

The price is now $10 per person before March 21st and $15 after. At the door price has been reduced from $22 to $17 and the dealer’s room is now $60 per space.

Additionally, the official hours of the convention are now 10:30 am to 7:00 pm.

About The Centennial High Anime club and Otaku Fest: CHS Otaku Fest is brand new anime convention tons of events like the masquerade, AMV contest, live music, panels and much more. Its hosted by the Centennial High School anime club, an entirely high school based club with about 40 active members. Check out our website otaku-fest.webs.com for more information.

CHS Otaku Fest information
Date: Saturday April 25th, 2009
Time: 10:30 am to 7:00 pm
Location: Centennial High School
4300 Centennial Lane
Ellicott City, MD 21042
Registration fee: $10 before March 21st and $15 after. There is a $3 discount to groups of 10 or more ($7 per person before 3/21/09 and $12 after3/21/09). At-the-door registration is $17.
For additional information visit: otaku-fest.webs.com
E-mail: president.chsanime@gmail.com

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-25-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-25-09
By John Judy

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #22 by Christos Gage and Humberto Ramos. The New Warriors reunite to kill Ragnarok, the evil Thor Cyber-Clone. Why can’t “Heroes” be this good? Ever?

CAPTAIN AMERICA #47 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. Bucky America’s still in China, still trying to rescue the remains of his old pal, the original Human Torch, who is still dead. Or is he….?

EERIE ARCHIVES, VOL. 1 HC by Many God-Like Talents. If you thought dark Horse was gonna stop the Warren reprint madness with CREEPY ARCHIVES, well, it looks like you were pleasantly mistaken. For fans of horror, sci-fi and fantasy done up as only the best comics creators can do them. Recommended.

FANTASTIC FOUR #564 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. This issue has a Norman Rockwell tribute cover. It’s for their “very special Christmas issue” which we are (ha-ha) seeing in Almost March, so maybe that’s what’s so very-special about it. Also the Rockwell painting they’re tributing is called “Freedom from Want” or “Thanksgiving Dinner” so that makes it even funnier for a “very special Christmas issue.”

GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS: DEAR BILLY #2 of 3 by Ennis and Peter Snjeberg. So how screwed is that Japanese POW now that Nurse Vengeful is on his case?

GREEN LANTERN #38 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. GL and Sinestro duke it out with the blood-puking Red Lanterns! They’re powered by Rage and need extra iron! Plus, a new Green Lantern Law is revealed! (“Thou shalt not ‘go commando’ in thy skintight uniform?”) Recommended.

HULK #10 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. The Defenders reunite to fight four losers calling themselves “The Offenders.” This issue has three different covers, no less. Sadly, none of them feature President Obama.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #24 by Geoff Johns and Jerry Ordway. Now that they’re done chasing the stupid gray giant all over Africa and fighting each other, the JSA gets to scrap with Black Adam and Isis for control of the Rock of Eternity. Who will fall and who will get a piece of The Rock? And what about Dark Mary Marvel?

LARRY MARDER’S BEANWORLD BOOK 1: WAHOOLAZUMA! HC written and illustrated by Larry Marder. Collecting the first nine issues of this offbeat humor title that ran from 1985 to 1993. Marder has announced plans to pick up where he left off with new stories for today’s audiences. This one’s been getting praise from sources as diverse as Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice. For fans of the off-beet.

MARVELS: EYE OF THE CAMERA #4 of 6 by Kurt Busiek and Jay Anacleto. Dying photographer Phil Sheldon continues his chronicles of the Marvel Universe even as everything seems to be going bad. Like Jim Shooter-Era bad…

MIGHTY AVENGERS #22 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. It’s Hank Pym’s Avengers versus Evil Possessed Quicksilver! Man, that guy’s always going Evil! Big fight!

MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 #5 of 6 written and drawn by David Petersen. The penultimate issue in the latest adventures of warrior mice from the middle ages. Kind of like Robin Hood meets the Rats of NIMH. Neat stuff.

NEW AVENGERS #50 by Brian Michael Bendis and Billy Tan. New Avengers versus Dark Avengers! Duck!

NO HERO #4 of 7 by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. The latest bit of ultra-violent, quasi-corporate anti-heroics from that nice Mister Ellis. Not to be read for half an hour after eating.

PREVIEWS by Marvel and Diamond Comics. What you’ll be spending your stimulus check on in three months!

STARMAN OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC by James Robinson and Many Fine Artists. This one collects issues 17-29 of the adventures of collector nerd turned legacy super-hero Jack Knight, along with a few other goodies. If you like the last few years of JSA adventures you have STARMAN to thank for reinvigorating DC’s entire Golden-Age catalogue. Great stuff. Recommended.

THUNDERBOLTS #129 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. Oh no! The Green Goblin’s throwing pumpkin bombs at our new President! He must listen to Hannity and Rush! Loser! Fun stuff.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #125 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen. Ultimate Spidey meets Ultimate Hulk just in time for the end of the world.

WONDER WOMAN #29 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. WW’s still getting it together after the drubbing she received from Genocide, who by the way needs to marry Doomsday and have lots of freakish, chalky-skinned, hero-smacking babies.

www.johnjudy.net

OT: David Lozell Martin appearances in March

My friend the novelist David Lozell Martin will be reading from his new autobiography. I'll be going to the Shirlington one most likely. Maybe both.

Busboys and Poets @ 14th & V
2021 14th St
NW DC 20009
(202) 387-7638

Author Event, David Lozell Martin

When Friday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where Langston Room

Description 6:30 PM (Langston Room) - Author David Lozell Martin will discuss and sign his most recent work, "Losing Everything: A Memoir". "Losing Everything" is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability, Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand, keep a list of people you know who have died, meet your own death like a warrior, and be glad you don't own a monkey. Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, Martin's story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map, his journey is a guide, providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home.

Free and Open to the Public.



Busboys @ Shirlington
4251 South Campbell Ave
Arlington, VA 22206
(703) 379-9757

Author Event: David Lozell Martin
When Sunday, March 22, 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where Shirlington Library/Busboys and Poets

Description Author David Lozell Martin will discuss and sign his most recent work, "Losing Everything: A Memoir". "Losing Everything" is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability, Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand, keep a list of people you know who have died, meet your own death like a warrior, and be glad you don't own a monkey. Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, Martin's story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map, his journey is a guide, providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home. Discussion will take place at Shirlington Library, followed by a book signing at Busboys and Poets.

This event is free and open to the public.

OT: Washington Post essay contest repost

More shameless shilling as I repost this from last month since there's 1 week left in the contest. Ooooh, I'm down to 1% - not good:

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.

Pat Bagley wins Herblock award

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that their cartoonist, Pat Bagley, has won the Herblock award - see "Tribune political cartoonist wins distinguished Herblock prize
Biting humor » Pat Bagley cited for 'deft and witty' style documenting Utah politics," By Paul Beebe, The Salt Lake Tribune 2/20/2009. I've heard that Ted Koppel will be speaking at the ceremony. The Foundation has a press release buried on their website, and they've increased the award from $10,000 to $15,000 this year. The judges were Jules Feiffer, Garry Trudeau and last year's winner John Sherffius - an excellent panel.

Kal on Delonas chimp cartoon

Kal sent a note saying that he's got a blogpost on the Delonas cartoon.

He's also traveling a bit:

In June I will be the featured international artist at the annual Knokke-Heist cartoon festival in Belgium. The festival, one of the largest of its kind , will feature an exhibition of 50 originals and a lecture/symposium in the summer. The exhibition will be on display at the Belgium seaside resort through September.

I am delighted and honored to announce that I will be at the University of Portland on Thursday, March 5 to deliver the introductory William James Mazzacco Memorial Lecture in Distributive Justice.The lecture takes place at the Buckley Center Auditorium (5000 N Willamette Blvd.) at the University of Portland at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is open to the public.

Katsucon 15 report

"Katsucon 15-The Melancholy of Your Weatherman," By Weatherman 02-20-2009, and he notes that it'll be in the new National Harbor hotel complex in Maryland next year.

Washington City Paper Best of DC 2009 poll

Last year, we were surprise winners (because it wasn't actually a category) of Best (Comic) Arts Blogger, which we appreciated immensely. Well, I did at least. The City Paper's just started its 2009 poll for Best of DC and it's still not a category, but go check it out and vote now.

Comic Riffs cited in AP article on cartoons and race

Michael Cavna's blog got a mention here - "Cartoonists treading lightly when drawing Obama," By JESSE WASHINGTON AP National Writer, Posted: 02/20/2009. If you're not reading Riffs daily, you really should.

History Repeats Itself, in the Secret History of Comics

Warren Bernard writes in with another bit of the Secret History of Comics:

Well, no question that all of us capitalists have taken it on the chin recently. To show how things do not change and for your enjoyment, (Well, OK, as much as one can enjoy seeing their life savings evaporate into thin air), here is a cartoon about the stock market from Puck Magazine in 1884.


'The Wall Street Hellgate' by F. Graetz, Puck, 1884.

Note the electrical/telegraph wires in the crown of the "Siren", as she plays her harp of speculation.

Replace the strings labeled "Western Union", "Erie" and "Pacific" (all railroad companies, the growth stock of the day) with "CDOs", "Mortgage Backed Securities" and "Ethanol" and Voila!! Instant 21st Century political cartoon!!

But my favorite part of the cartoon are the foot pedals on the harp. They are named, appropriately enough, "Puts" and "Calls".

We have not changed much in 125 years and I dunno about you, but I surely feel as if I just crashed on those rocks.

OT: MTV on Watchman movie, 2/21/09

OK, I'm getting caught up in the hype. I've got 3 books from Titan on the movie that I'll try to get reviews up for this weekend too. They're lovely.

Spoilers Premieres Saturday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT

On February 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET, MTV will air the second episode of "Spoilers," a quarterly movie special that will deliver first looks at the year's biggest upcoming flicks, including behind-the-scenes action and exclusive scenes.

Taped in front of a live audience, the second episode will spotlight "Watchmen," and will feature appearances from the entire cast of the eagerly anticipated superhero flick.

Hundreds of die-hard movie fanswill attend MTV News' screening of the film, with the stars walking the blood-red carpet to chat in front of our cameras.

In addition to "Watchmen," the episode will also give viewers exclusive access to scenes from such upcoming blockbusters as "Star Trek," "Land of the Lost," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and more.

Montgomery on new Swamp Thing collection

My old comic-collecting buddy Robert chimes in on DC's new Swamp Thing collection, which has Alan Moore's first issue reprinted for the first time: DC is finally reprinting Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run in hardcover. So, of course, having waited for this for some time, I bought the first volume. When it arrived, first thing I noticed is that DC printed it on the same paper used in the trade paperbacks. Was I annoyed. I expected a high-quality product and basically got a trade with a hard cover. What the hell is DC thinking?

After I noticed the paper issue, I checked reviews on Amazon and people had the same reaction. They also complained about the cover being sticky - one person claimed they printed it on the wrong type of paper. The cover on my copy is a little sticky but don't know if I'd noticed it w/o having read the reviews.

Weingarten on Prickly City, Doonesbury, Delonas' chimp

From the 2/10 Chatalogical Humor:

Washington, D.C.: Gene - what did you think of last Friday's Prickly City where they call Rush Limbaugh a jerk? It actually made me laugh.

Gene Weingarten: I would like this better if it were funny. I applaud the stance, but I think political cartoonists -- and political standup comics -- have an obligation to be funny.

_______________________

"...I think political cartoonists -- and political standup comics -- have an obligation to be funny." : Unless their name is Trudeau, the Garfield of political "humor."

Gene Weingarten: I was thinking specifically of Garry Trudeau and Doonesbury. He is the perfect example of the political satirist who sees his mission as humor first.


and 2/17's Chatalogical Humor:

Alexandria, VA: Hi,

No, Prickly City wasn't funny, and did you leave the "ly" off your link intentionally, or Freudian slip of a sort?

Gene Weingarten: I always call it Prick City, because of its politics. Been doing that for years.
_________

Richmond, Va.: I have a great Ralph Steadman story for you. At some point he was in town doing a book signing for his illustrated version of "Animal Farm" (it's so amazing). He was giving each signature a unique ink-blot and a fan came up and said "do something really crazy to mine!" So Steadman took out his lighter and set it on fire.

Gene Weingarten: Excellent. I have that Animal Farm book. It is brilliant.

------

UPDATED 2.20.09

Gene Weingarten: I want to begin with an important clarification. In yesterday's update I was asked if I found THIS photograph interesting in light of the sharply debated prior discussion involving posteriors. I responded with laughter. At some point during the day yesterday, the link mysteriously shifted to a different picture, namely THIS one, which was a highly controversial political cartoon from the New York Post. This cartoon was seen by many people as a racist commentary directed at President Obama. This one I would not have laughed at.

But let's talk about it!

It's by Post cartoonist Sean Delonas, a man whose work I have read and loathed for years. Delonas is strident, unfunny, rabidly right-wing and a virulent bigot, portraying gay people in a way so revolting you would think it's parody if you saw it in The Onion. It's not. Here is Sean Delonas, for example, on gay marriage. Here is Sean Delonas on Governor McGreevey. See that oddly raised leg? That is Delonas's signature move to show someone is gay: Gays are prancing lilyhoppers!

So what do we make of the furor over the chimp cartoon? Is it racist? Does Delonas get the benefit of the doubt?

Sure. I'll give it to him. This cartoon is interpretable without racial overtones: The stimulus bill is stupid, he thinks: It might as well have been written by a rabid chimp. The cartoon coincided with the story of the crazed chimp in Connecticut who ripped off a woman's face, and was shot to death by police. Obama wasn't really the author of the stimulus bill, though his was the most public face behind it. Mostly, I think comparing a black person to an ape is so archaic, so Depression-era, and so primitive that even a Neanderthal like Delonas wouldn't do it.

No, what Delonas would and did do is create a totally pathetic cartoon using the unspeakable tragedy of the chimp attack, which left a woman horrifyingly maimed, to make some lame political point about the stimulus package. It's inappropriate, unclever, and makes senseless use of a shockingly violent image. Pure Delonas, pure crap, but not racist.

Express poll on Delonas chimp cartoon

Yesterday the Express asked "Was the New York Post's cartoon using a chimp to criticize the stimulus bill racist?"

http://www.expressnightout.com/pollcenter/index.php?poll_date=2009-02-19

A short sample of the answers is printed in today's paper, and you can click through the online link to read 75 more.

Silver Spring schoolgirl draws comics

See "Autistic pupil turns to comics to express herself," by Timmy Gelles, The Gazette February 19 2009.

Feb 24: Clarendon Mardi Gras parade features Thompson figures

At 8 pm on February 24th, Sarah Palin and Obama puppets based on Richard's designs will be in the Clarendon (of Arlington, VA) Mardi Gras parade on Wilson Boulevard. Cool, huh? Last year was great fun.

Wanna work on Herblock cartoons this summer?

Sara Duke tells me "you would like hands-on experience working with cartoon art this summer, the Junior Fellows who come to the Prints and Photographs Division will be working with our Herb Block Collection - more than 14,000 original drawings. Come to this page: http://www.loc.gov/hr/employment/index.php, and click on "Internship, Fellowship, and Volunteer Programs". The information for the 2009 Junior Fellows Program has just gone online. The deadline is March 11, 2009."

Spiegelman, Chabon, to read at George Washington University

Sara Duke tips us off that, for a course on Jewish literature, Spiegelman and Chabon will be at GWU this spring. "While on campus, several authors will give readings open to the entire GW community. Ulinich will read on March 5; Chabon, who will be introduced by GW's Wang Visiting Professor in Contemporary English Edward P. Jones, will present on March 23; and Spiegelman will read on April 2."

GWU's PR deptartment says, "The event is open and free to the public. It will be held at 8pm in the Jack Morton Auditorium, which is located on the main level of the Media and Public Affairs Building. The address is 805 21st St. NW."

Arlington cartoonist Richard Thompson featured in Say Tooned! #3

Richard did the cover of the new Stay Tooned! #3 and there's a big interview with him (and another with Jim Scancarelli of Gasoline Alley) done at HeroesCon whilst I watched his table. Order a copy at http://www.staytoonedmagazine.com

NY Post chimp cartoon starts a firestorm on a Wash Post blog.

Posting for the blog host Mike Rhode:

Yesterday, Mr. Cavna asked about a Sean Delonas cartoon, "The Stimulus Monkey': Is Today's 'NY Post' Cartoon Racist?" As of this posting, he's got 81 comments, possibly a record for the Comic Riffs blog. Judging from the hits this blog got last night on Delonas (for a post about meeting him at a children's book signing), he's really touched a nerve.

OT: Ottaviani on the space race

Jim's got a new book coming out this spring and his stuff is always interesting - just like real life. See "The Race to the Moon in Comic Form: Ottaviani on T-Minus," By Zack Smith, Newsarama 18 February 2009.

Comic Riffs returns to Black Panther, or should that be Pantheress?

See "Talking "Black Panther: The Sex Change"," by David Betancourt, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog (February 18):

Marvel's new female Black Panther debuted this month, and with the first issue now on the stands, Comic Riffs caught up with Black Panther writer Reggie Hudlin to discuss the direction of the new BP series.

:

April 26: Roz Chast at Smithsonian

Another tip from Herschel:

Roz Chast, Harold Holzer, Jamaica Kincaid and John Waters Participate in Second Annual Lecture Series

WASHINGTON, DC.- This spring, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, in partnership with Washington College in Chestertown, Md., present the second annual “American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series.” The 2009 series speakers are Roz Chast, internationally recognized cartoonist for the New Yorker; leading Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer; critically acclaimed novelist Jamaica Kincaid; and actor, writer, visual artist and filmmaker John Waters.

“American Pictures” pairs great works of art with pre-eminent figures of contemporary American culture. Each lecture features a writer, critic, historian or artist who chooses a single image and investigates its meanings. In the process, the speaker also explores how works of art inspire creativity in many different fields and reveal American identity or a shared history. The series director is historian and essayist Adam Goodheart, who is director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College.

The series debuts Saturday, March 21, when Waters offers his insights into Cy Twombly’s drawing “Letter of Resignation” (1967). Kincaid will discuss the painting “Kept In” (1889) by Edward Lamson Henry Saturday, April 11. Holzer will examine John Henry Brown’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln (1860) Saturday, April 18. The 2009 series concludes Sunday, April 26, with Chast’s exploration of Charles Addams’s famous cartoon “Boiling Oil” (1946).

Additional information about the series and the speakers is available online at americanart.si.edu and npg.si.edu or in a printed brochure that is available at the museums’ information desks.

“American Pictures” is made possible through the pioneering partnership among Washington College, the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Additional support comes from the Starr Foundation, the Hodson Trust, the Hedgelawn Foundation and other donors.

OT: Arizona store Atomic Comics posts interviews

This blog seems to be seeping out of DC and into the amorphous blogosphere... I got a newsletter from Atomic Comics today which noted that they had an interview, or Radiation Interrogation: Jay Faerber up today. I'm always interested in that type of thing, as I work on my big Comics Research Bibliography project. They also have interviews with Adam Kubert, Phil Hester, and Joe Pokaski up on their main page. I haven't poked any deeper yet.

March 10: Laughing Ogre Comics staff speaks

This tip is from Herschel Kanter, from the Fairfax Bibliophiles list:

10 March, 7:30 PM in the City of Fairfax Regional Library

Norah Curry is the Promotions Director at Laughing Ogre Comics (laughingogrecomics.com), a family of three comic book stores. She has an BA in Art History and History from the University of Iowa , and an MA in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of Pittsburgh . She is a life-long comic book fan.

This program will discuss comic books, graphic novels and manga. We will look at the differences and similarities between the three and how they were developed. We also will discuss how they are all interconnected with each other and their continuing importance in the US and abroad.

Patton Oswalt Appearance

DC, Dark Horse, Image, and Bongo Entertainment comics writer Patton Oswalt will be appearing at an upcoming show at the Linsner Auditorium at GWU on 2/28/09 at 7pm and 10pm. I heard this show will be used for an upcoming CD and Comedy Central special.

Anyone else going?

David Horsey still kicking around DC...

... but he's depressed about it. See "Horsey: Financial collapse threatens real journalism," By DAVID HORSEY, P-I EDITORIAL CARTOONIST, February 13 2009.

Self-syndication seminar in Vegas features Amy Lago

Alan Gardner is reporting a self-syndication seminar in Las Vegas that will feature the Post's Am Lago, among others. My own 2 cents, which is worth 2 cents, is that self-syndication, at least for newspapers, is collapsing around the ears of the alternate cartoonists. On the other hand, this has some successful strip and webcomics cartoonists who are making a living without being with a syndicate.

More on Bill Garner's dismissal from Washington Times

Rob Tornoe's got the story:

Laid-off Washington Times Cartoonist just Rolling with the Punches

Feb 27: DC Anime Club to screen Jungle Emperor Leo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

DC Anime Club to screen Jungle Emperor Leo at the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan.

DC Anime Club in collaboration with Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan Present Jungle Emperor Leo Friday February 27, 2009 6:30 pm as part of inaugural showing for a new film series based on both Anime (Japanese Animation) and Manga ( Japanese Comics).

Produced eight years after Dr. Osamu Tezuka's death, this movie is based on his epic "Jungle Emperor" manga. Jungle Emperor Leo tells approximately the last half of the original story. Previously, the first half had been adapted into the 1965 Jungle Emperor TV series (Kimba The White Lion outside of Japan), and the second half had been loosely adapted into the 1966 Susume Leo TV series (Leo the Lion in the U.S.). In some ways, the Jungle Emperor Leo movie is noticeably more faithful to the manga story than the latter TV series had been; in other ways -- most notably the relationships between the animals and humans -- it is very different.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required.

RSVP to jiccrsvpspring08@embjapan.org.

Seating is limited and granted on a first come, first served basis.

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


About DC Anime Club:

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

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

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

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

--
Christopher Wanamaker
DC Anime Club President
http://www.dcanimeclub.org
202 262 2083

Zadzooks reviews bad guys' comics

"Zadzooks: Reviews of Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy and Skaar: Son of Hulk," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, February 12, 2009.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-18-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-18-09
By John Judy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #587 by Marc Guggenheim and John Romita Jr. On election night Spidey must face 30 of his deadliest foes. That probably means we’re going to see Fancy Dan and the Gibbon. I mean, “Top 30?” You know some riff-raff’s gonna get past the rope…

DARK AVENGERS #2 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato. Morgan le Fey comes gunning for this latest group of Avengers, seemingly unaware that these guys are psychos who gun back. On the other hand she could end up being their Scarlet Witch. It’s THUNDERBOLTS done up Bendis-style. Recommended.

GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS, VOL. 1: NIGHT WITCHES SC by Garth and Russ Braun. Collecting the first in a series of Ennis war stories, a hard-hitting tale of female Soviet pilots resisting the Nazi invasion. Graphic brutality. Not for kids.

GHOST RIDER #32 by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat. It’s the final chapter in the battle of the Ghost Rider Corps! Or Legion of Substitute Ghost Riders! Or Spirits of Variant Action Figures! It’s a Ghost Rider-palooza! Crazy fun stuff. Go with it.

GI JOE: ORIGINS #1 by Larry Hama and Tom Feister. Leading up to yet another fabulous big-screen adaptation we get to meet Duke, Hawk, Stalker, Scarlett and some guy who’s not talking to anyone. Could it be Chris Brown?

HELLBLAZER #252 by Peter Milligan and Giuseppe Camuncoli. It’s John Constantine versus The Scab! Good to know JC is pro-union.

PUNISHER: FRANK CASTLE MAX #67 by Duane Swierczynski and Michel Lacombe. Frank’s been dosed with poison. That leaves him only a few hours to find and kill whoever did it. Be nice if there was an antidote somewhere but whatevs…

SOLOMON KANE #5 of 5 by Scott Allie and Mario Guevara. The Pulverizin’ Puritan starts hacking his way through some serious Kraut demonosity! Bout time! This has been a neat little series of Old School pulp adventure. Recommended.

UNCANNY X-MEN #506 by Matt Fraction and Terry & Rachel Dodson. The bad old days of 20 million sub-plots in one X-book are back! At least it’s purty.

X-FACTOR #40 by Peter David and Valentine De Landro. After the horrific (and somewhat hard to believe) events of last issue, Madrox goes looking for his dupe that went into the preacher biz for answers. Yeah, that’s gonna end well.

www.johnjudy.net

Comics in the world photos

I don't remember what bathroom I shot this in...



...but I'm glad I'm not a Disney collector. These are fish toys from Disney's Little Mermaid and Pixar's Finding Nemo in Petsmart in Cookeville, TN.

Arlington County's Central Library has a stand-alone graphic novel section now

Arlington County's Central Library has a stand-alone graphic novel section now - I found this out a few weeks ago and was quite surprised. There's a decent selection here too - let's name the titles in the comments. I'll start off here.

300 by Frank Miller, Breakdowns by Art Spiegelman, Shooting War, Late Bloomer by Carol Tyler, Jimbo in Purgatory by Gary Panter...

OT: Marvel Digital adds 4 pages to Spider-Man - Obama story

Here's the PR. I'm not sure how collectible the electrons will be:

MARVEL CELEBRATES PRESIDENT'S DAY AND PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S BICENTENNIAL WITH EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONTENT OF PRESIDENTIAL PROPORTIONS

Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited celebrates President Lincoln's 200th birthday with President's Day release of exclusive free digital comic featuring Spider-Man and Captain America at the historic Gettysburg Address

Site will also offer free online access to hugely popular Spidey Meets the President! storyline featured in Amazing Spider-Man #583 along with exclusive new content for online release

NEW YORK - To honor President's Day and President Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, Marvel Comics will be celebrating all weekend long with the launch of two major exclusive events at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited that will put both Presidents Lincoln and Obama in the Marvel Universe spotlight. The Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited destination can be accessed through www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/presidents.

In honor of President Lincoln's 200th birthday this month, Marvel will release Gettysburg Distress, an exclusive 6-page free digital comic featuring Spider-Man and Captain America as they witness Lincoln's historic Gettysburg Address. A tribute to the Bicentennial of the 16th President, the storyline - which is being written by Matt Fraction with art by Andy MacDonald - will be available online beginning President's Day, Monday, February 16, 2009.

Additionally, following the milestone 5th printing and unprecedented continued demand for Spidey Meets the President, in which President Obama joins Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #583, Marvel will kick off President's Day weekend by offering the special storyline - along with added never-before-seen bonus content - for free on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. Four all-new, exclusive prologue pages have been added to the storyline -- created by the same team behind the original blockbuster (written by Zeb Wells and art by Todd Nauck and Frank D'Armata). The book will be available beginning Friday afternoon, February 13, 2009 at www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/presidents. All five variant covers created for each printing of the Amazing Spider-Man #583 issue featuring the Spidey Meets the President storyline will also be available to view at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.

"We were completely blown away by the overwhelming response to the Spidey Meets the President storyline. Comic book shops have not been able to keep it on shelves, so we thought it would a fitting way to celebrate President's Day by offering free online access to all fans to view and read the storyline - including some exclusive new content - only at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited," says Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Publishing. "And in celebration of President Lincoln's historic Bicentennial, we could think of no better tribute in the Marvel Universe than to have Spider-Man and Cap honoring one of his enduring legacies, the Gettysburg Address."

Both comics can be viewed for free at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, Marvel's innovative online subscription service, accessible at www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/presidents.

Curated by Marvel editors, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is the ultimate digital comic Internet destination that allows unparalleled access to more than 5,500 comic books from Marvel's illustrious archives, along with exclusive content only available online. With subscription rates as low as $4.99/month, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is affordable to both new readers and longtime fans.


The comics aren't downloadable however.

Katsucon 15 featured in Post

For some reason, people volunteer to work in a maid cafe - "For Anime Fans: Maids For a Day," By Dan Zak, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, February 14, 2009; C01. Notwithstanding this article, hopefully the manga/anime convention is going well. I've seen more than enough Pow! Zap! Wham! comic book articles to realize that what you get in the mass media isn't really what the people attending are enjoying.

I'm still not sure about maid cafes though...

Kerry James Marshall featured in Sunday's Post

A fine artist who uses comic book motifs is featured in Sunday's Post, including a new piece commissioned by the paper - see "Coloring Perception: Kerry James Marshall Thinks the Old Masters Have Room for a New Face: His Own," BY BLAKE GOPNIK - WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2009.

Richmond's Adhouse Books on Diamond limits

Actually, it's Chris Pitzer speaking on Diamond's new minimum orders at Indie Spinner Rack Issue #148, Friday, February 06, 2009.

Chicago Reader reports on City Paper's comics 'savings'

See "Comics Stripped: As alt-weeklies drop their funnies, is the end of a genre near?" By Michael Miner, Chicago Reader February 12, 2009, which reports on how much money the City Paper saved by dropping all its comics except Dirtfarm. Tip from Spurgeon.

Mar 6: Comic Art Indigène exhibit opens

On March 6th, the Comic Art Indigène exhibit opens at the National Museum of the American Indian. I'd be interested in putting together a group to visit this if anyone wants to...

Feb 18: Geppi's Entertainment Museum starts lecture series

On February 18th, Geppi's Entertainment Museum starts a lecture series with Arnold Blumberg speaking on pop culture and love.

OT: Cartoonists ads from Playboy continued

New Yorker cartoonist George Price ad for Chival Regal scotch in Playboy, March 1981. What a wonderful wacky line he has!


Edward Sorel art for an ACLU ad against the Moral Majority in Playboy, March 1981. Oooh, Sorel can be hard-hitting.


Arnold Roth caricature of William Buckley in letters section, Playboy, March 1981. Roth just had a lovely color illo in a recent New Yorker issue.

Editorial cartoonist Garner let go at Times?

Alan Gardner is reporting that Bill Garner has been fired as the Washington Times' editorial cartoonist. Rob Tornoe has more details on the story. I haven't seen the Times in a few weeks so I don't know if his work has been appearing or not.

Beeler wins Berryman

Congratulations, Nate!

Details at "Examiner’s Beeler gets national praise for cartoons," By Alan Suderman, Washington Examiner Staff Writer 2/11/09.

Toad, a local gag cartoonist

Toad Toons is a site that I've just been tipped to, by the eponymous 'Toad.' He's been doing and posting a gag cartoon per day for years, and would appreciate people checking the site out.

Ok, Luann's in DC, but Greg Evans isn't

On the south side of the Mall, close to the Lincoln Memorial, you really can't see a Starbucks or a McDonald's.

OT: What about this year's Angouleme festival anyway?

My buddy's got all the details on his blog - "Comix Influx Blog: Angoulême 2009" by Stephen Betts on 11th February 2009. Check it out, and then stay to note the Comix Influx project. Stephen and co. are translating European graphic novels into English, and then providing the text for you to read along with your copy. These aren't scanlations and you have to have the original comic already, but this is a neat way you can get ahead of Fantagraphics, Drawn and Quarterly or NBM and be the hippest person on your block.

Feb 16: Dinotopia's James Gurney in Rockville

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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?

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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!

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.

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.

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.

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