Saturday, October 10, 2009
Harvey's Heads, an amusing conceit
I'm no artist, but I think I'll try my hand, using the magic of digital cameras and Photoshop.
Post Magazine follows up on legally-blind cartoonist
To refresh your memory, I quote the first line, "Last December, the Magazine published an article about legally blind artist Andre Campbell and his determination to make it as a comic book author and illustrator."
Friday, October 09, 2009
Comic Riffs interviews Luckovich on Obama
Oct 18: Paul Karasik at Politics and Prose
--
www.fletcherhanks.com
I've bought both volumes already.
Oct 17: Poe comic signing in Baltimore
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Weldon on comics fashion
Superhero Meets Supermodel: A Short History of Comics' Weirdest Crossover
By Glen Weldon
National Public Radio's Monkey See Blog October 7, 2009
Yes, that's Iron Man. Yes, that's Tim Gunn. We can explain. (Marvel Entertainment)
I enjoyed his post quite a bit, and just shot him a note saying so and adding a few bits as he requested:
He missed Mizrahi's Sandee the Supermodel and there's a bunch of swimsuit issues. MSU's Comic Art Collection lists 2, but there are more -Amazing Heroes Swimsuit Special. -- Seattle, WA :
Fantagraphics Books, 1990- . -- ill. ; 26 cm. -- Began with
no. 1 (June 1990) -- HOLDINGS: no. 1-3.
1. Pinup art. I. Swimsuit Special. II. Fantagraphics Books.
Call no.: PN6725.A47S9
-----------------------------------------------------
Marvel Swimsuit Special. -- New York : Marvel Comics, . --
col. ill. ; 28 cm. -- HOLDINGS: no. 2-3 (1993-1994)
1. Superheroine comics--Miscellanea. 2. Superhero
comics--Miscellanea. 3. Pinup art. I. Marvel Comics. I.
Swimsuit Special. Call no.: PN6728.6.M3M35In other comic art media,
Marisa Acocella did cartoon journalism for the NY Times Style section in 2000-2001 until she was fired when one of the subjects of the strip wasn't happy with her. Others have done some cartoon journalism too -
Burns, Charles. 1998. Clothes Encounters [cartoonist illustrates fashion show]. Details (August): 128-133.
and
Crumb, Robert and Aline. 2003. Fashion Week in New York OR Glamour and Free Lint Removers, September 12-19, 2003 [cartoon journalism]. New Yorker (October 13): 75-77
Oct 9: Chabon at GWU tomorrow
Oct. 9; Chabon is at Lisner Auditorium, at 7:00, free.
Nov. 2: Lethem is at Folger Elizabethan Theatre, at 7:30, $15.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Oct 13: Baddies – Between Image and Text
From: Matt Dembicki -
at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
presents
Baddies – Between Image and Text
David Stromberg, Israeli Writer, Artist, and Journalist
Tuesday, October 13
4:00 PM - MSFS Conference Room, 7th Floor Intercultural Center (ICC) RSVP AT http://events.georgetown.edu/events/index.cfm?Action=View&CalendarID=349&EventID=69057
BADDIES looks aslant at everyday life, unearthing its most hilarious and ridiculous aspects amidst even our darkest fears and phobias. Inhabited by an antic and eclectic assortment of odd-ball characters, who star in chapters such as "Action and Its Doubt," "The Day and Its Battle," "Mystery and Its Carnality," these captioned cartoons capture a world forever veering off from the normal, the rational, and the "well adjusted."
http://www.mhpbooks.com/book.php?id=239
David Stromberg is a writer, artist, and journalist. His publications include three collections of single-panel cartoons—Saddies, Confusies, and Desperaddies—and he has written on art and culture for The Believer, Nextbook, St. Petersburg Times, Jerusalem Post, and Ha'aretz. His fiction has appeared in the UK's Ambit. Born in Ashdod, Israel, to ex-Soviet parents, Stromberg grew up in urban Los Angeles and currently resides in Jerusalem.
Free Admission
Program for Jewish Civilization
Georgetown University
37th and O Streets
Washington, DC 20057
pjc.georgetown.edu
Questions or comments? E-mail us at cjcinfo@georgetown.eduor call (202) 687-4245
Missed a lecture? Visit http://pjc.georgetown.edu/events/audio/ to download it to your iPod.
The team-up you never thought you'd see! Today in the Post!
Today’s illustration for the Carolyn Hax / Tell Me About It / Ask Carolyn advice column by Nick Galifianakis is his dad, artist Peter Galifianakis and … BATMAN! See it on page C2.
Oct 21-25: Disney on Ice Celebrations!
Oct 22: Cartoons & Cocktails auction
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Important Travel Information for the 2009 Baltimore Comic-Con
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Monday, October 05, 2009
Fwd: DC Comic Books Examiner: Bamn creators step into comics ring as champion contenders Part 2
DC Comic Books Examiner, Mark Ruffin Mark Ruffin, a reader of comics for over twenty years, is a freelance writer who tirelessly generates awareness for the Non-Fraternity Conversation and Write-up on Comic Books. Contact Mark here. | |
Baltimore Comic Con Marathon?
Me and RT were planning on going up on Saturday, but this marathon map makes me think that we should postpone until Sunday.
You know, I hate these things in DC because I can't get into the city (oddly enough they never block the Maryland approaches), and now they're following me up the coast. Does anyone more familiar with Baltimore have an idea of how bad the roads will be?
Quick Reviews for Comics Due 10-07-09
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Our Town, #2
However, I want to like Our Town, the new cartoon reporting feature that started last week, but today's by Mark Giaimo features a burrito stand at... 15th and K - a good block at the most from the Post's front door. Wow, that's exciting.
Seriously. We should care about this?
ICAF 2009 program up online
Now up online, reorganized, and greatly expanded: the program for the 14th Annual International Comic Arts Forum, ICAF 2009, to be held Oct. 15-17 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago:
http://www.internationalcomicartsforum.org/icaf/a.html
Guests will include artists American artists Guy Davis and Sara Varon, UK artist John Miers (winner of the first-ever Digital Artist award for Web & Interactive Design, announced yesterday, http://www.digitalartistawards.com/), Spanish artists Max and Pere Joan, and Italian scholar Marco Pelleteri, winner of this year's John A. Lent Scholarship in Comics Studies.
Plus we'll have the usual diverse mix of scholars from all over -- this year's cohort includes Canadian, Norwegian, Indian, Japanese, German, and Belgian as well as US scholars -- giving refereed papers about the world(s) of comics!
DC Comic Books Examiner: Bamn creators step into comics ring as champion contenders Part 1
DC Comic Books Examiner, Mark Ruffin
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Local Huffington Post writer disses Doonesbury
Political strategist, writer, humorist in Washington, D.C.
Huffington Post October 3, 2009
Personally I still think it's one of best strips running.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Unpublished Richard's Poor Almanack
Family Guy takes a shot at editorial cartooning
PR: 2009 Harvey Awards Dinner and Presentation Ceremony Tickets Available
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Comics Riff on Tomorrow
Style Invitational comic strip mashup with Staake
The clever among us should immediately go to the Washington Post's Style Invitational's contest for Week 837: Strip Search, October 3, 2009 to answer the question: Combine two comic strips that appear in The Washington Post or at http://www.washingtonpost.com/comics . This was probably somewhat inspired by all the recent Disney-Marvel mashups, but I like Bob Staake's take on Dilbert - Spider-Man. Feel free to write to me if you have a question about a strip in the print edition.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Baltimore Comic-Con 2009 First Annual Costume Contest, More!
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Cartoons at Saturday brunch in Arlington
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes booksignings
Oct 29 at 7-9 PM - Bethesda, MD at Big Planet Comics
http://www.bigplanetcomics.com/index.htm
Nov 19 in Baileys Crossroads, VA at Borders
http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_45?schid=GLBC|Baileys+Crossroads+VA|45
Crafty Bastards fest this weekend
The Washington City Paper’s annual Craft Bastard festival is Saturday, Oct 3, 10-5 in Adams Morgan. There’s usually cartoonists there. Rob Ullman will definitely be there, and I’m sure the City Paper’s Ben Classen will also.
Disney film opens at E Street Cinema
According to today’s Express, the documentary Walt and El Grupo opens tomorrow at the E Street Cinema at 555 11th St. This film looks at Walt Disney’s good will tour of South America, which resulted in The Three Caballeros and some characters we rarely see that are popular in the rest of the world.
Comic Riffs poll on Cul de Sac
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Book review: Looking for Calvin and Hobbes
Martell, Nevin. Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. New York: Continuum, 2009. $24.95.
ISBN-10: 082642984X, ISBN-13: 978-0826429841
Nevin Martell has written a curious book, although one would probably best consider it a biography. Bill Watterson so consistently shunned the media that one is put in mind of the Shakespeare biography industry in which a few facts are churned in an attempt to generate a larger picture of a life. Readers of a certain age may end up recalling Leonard Nimoy's syndicated television show, In Search Of, in which apparently mythical beasts such as the Loch Ness Monster or the yeti were diligently pursued for an hour. A better analogy might be In Search of Lost Time, as, like Proust, Martell seeks both Watterson's youth, and by extension, his own.
To his credit, while lacking Watterson's cooperation, Martell avoided writing a book that just looks at his favorite Calvin and Hobbes strips. The book covers Watterson's school life and his earlier attempts at comic strips and editorial cartooning. Martell goes into some detail looking at the influences that Watterson claimed – Charles Schulz, Walt Kelly and George Herriman, relying largely on Watterson's writings in published collections. He covers the main characters, storylines and tropes of Calvin and Hobbes, as well as the history of the strip and Watterson's relationships with the media and his syndicate. Both of these relationships were prickly, as were his relationships with other cartoonists as he rarely participated in social activities nor accepted the awards they voted him.
Martell demonstrates how Watterson's eventual pursuit of a Platonic image of a comic strip, in which licensing and commercialism never played a factor, led to his quitting the field. This unrealistic view is gainsaid by the actual history of comics which were merchandised as often as possible from their 19th century beginnings in both the US and the Great Britain. Universal Press Syndicate and Andrews McMeel representatives are circumspect in their quotes, but one is clearly left with their negative opinion about the staggering amount of money Watterson "left on the table" by refusing to merchandise his strip.
Since Watterson would not talk to Martell, the author tried to talk to his family and eventually did speak with the cartoonist's mother. He also met with Watterson's friends such as comics historian Rich West and others from Watterson's childhood. Martell also talked to many other cartoonists about Watterson's influence, whether or not they actually know him, and the book takes on a somewhat scattered voice. Martell ends the book with his trip to Chagrin Falls, OH where he speaks with his mother.
In the end, one is left uncertain as to how to consider Watterson. He was at the top of his career, a career the book amply shows how hard he had tried to achieve, and he left it. As a result, he avoided the downturn in quality that many strips have at periods in their lifespans. The reader is then left with the question of whether this is actually a good idea – the comic strip survives as a decade-long achievement – but what is then left unachieved is of course unknown and unknowable. In spite of Watterson's refusal to speak for himself, Martell has written an engaging and informative book while avoiding most of the traps that catch fan writers. The book includes a bibliography and an index. (This reviewer is thanked in the acknowledgements for helping with research).
Michael Rhode
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Virginia Commonwealth University picks comic book as item 2 million
Mautner and Collins on SPX
Sean Collins has audio of two panels he was on - Comics Time: Two Panels from SPX 2009
and Chris Mautner of the old Comix@ list has his impressions at Comic Book Resources' Robot6.
Finally, I stuck my pictures from 2007-2009 into Flickr's SPX group. They've all been here in the past, but in case you want to see them again...
DC Comic Books Examiner: Small Press Expo discernibly contributes to festive Washington DC weekend
Small Press Expo discernibly contributes to festive Washington DC weekend The last Sept. weekend had less room for a lack of activities across the Greater DC Metro. Outside of sports, namely both National games and Washington's Sunday loss against the Lions, and the political events like the CBCF Legislative Conference,... Read more » Tuesday, September 29, 2009
DC Comic Books Examiner, Mark Ruffin
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Post's Shales on Cleveland Show
'Cleveland's' a Chip Off the Old Crock
By Tom Shales
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
More SPX photos
Chris Schweizer. I love his Crogan's Revenge pirate story.
Crack ex-DC journalist Scott Rosenberg.
Steve Conley. Steve was selling original strips from Socks and Barney for an insanely low price so I bought 2. (that's one of Rob Ullman's girls behind him)
Rob Ullman, the sadly-missed Washington City Paper's Savage Love columnist.
Carla Speed McNeil of Finder
Andy Runton of Owly. Box Brown in the background. Pic by Claire.
Jennifer Hachigian who does Lore. Pic by Claire.
Jim Ottaviani of GT Labs. Pic by Claire.
Doug "Pop Culture Shock Therapy" Bratton and John "Bo-nanas" Kovaleski. I wasn't familiar with Bratton's work but bought a complete set. I think I've got a full set of John's except for minis.
John Kovaleski
Raina Telgemeier. Pic by Claire.
Ed Piskor. Pic by Claire.
Ben Towle on SPX
Dilbert made somebody's job easier
Cavna and Thompson address new feature and turfing of CdS
Post magazine editors want you to embrace change
Here's the relevant sections from their chat. Cul de Sac was dismissed with "we had a note to tell you where to find it":
chi-town: Sad that "Editor's Query" has disappeared. Loved those.
What exactly is the point of "Our Town?" I like Michael Cavna and his work with Comic Riffs, but I didn't really understand the point of the Our Town illustration. Was he actually there, drawing the sights? Is this what it will be every week? Because 1) I imagine it will get old after a few weeks, and 2) I think it would be better in photograph form. Cavna's artistic abilities would be better suited for some other feature...maybe a "Six Chix" type of arrangement with rotating artists but more comic-strippish.
washingtonpost.com: Our Town (Post Magazine, Sept. 27, 2009)
Debra Leithauser and Janet Michaud: The point of Our Town is to capture a slice of life in the metro area, as told via artwork rather than a traditional story. And, yes, Cavna certainly was there.
Quick Reviews for Comics Due 09-30-09
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Zadzooks on comics, this week
Oct 25: Bechdel day at Katzen Arts Center
* Visiting Writing Series presents Department of Literature Annual Colloquium, featuring Alison Bechdel
* Battelle-Tompkins Atrium
Alison Bechdel, Fun Home
Welcome! Each year, the American University students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the greater community come together for one day to explore a great book. Subjects of previous colloquia include Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita.
We invite you to participate in the seventh annual Department of Literature Colloquium, featuring Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel.
About the Author and the Book
Named by Time magazine in 2006 as one of the “10 Best Booksof the Year,” Bechdel’s Fun Home was a finalist for a 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award and the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work. Of Bechdel’s memoir, Amy Bloom has written: “If David Sedaris could draw, and if Bleak House had been a little funnier, you’d have Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home.” Bechdel is also known for her acclaimed, long-running comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For. A graduate of Oberlin College, she lives near Burlington, Vermont, where she is now completing a second graphic memoir, Love Life: A Case Study. Alison Bechdel’s appearance is sponsored by the Visiting Writers Series and the Bishop McCabe Lecture Series.
Schedule: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009
Register Online (by Oct. 21)
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Colloquium in
Battelle-Tompkins Atrium
(Presentations to be announced!)
See Campus Directions/Maps
3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lecture with Alison Bechdel,
Katzen Arts Center,
Abramson Family Recital Hall
Questions?
Literature
202-885-2971
lit@american.edu
Battelle Tompkins, Room 237
Thanks to Rick Banning for the tip.
Cul de Sac to appear in B&W in Sunday's Post
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Gahan Wilson in the Spotlight at SPX
...or you can download it here.
Post debuts new cartoon journalism feature
Wash Times on Disney purchase of Marvel
SPX the first day
Some quick notes that are essentally stream of conciousness. Richard was under the weather and didn't come. My photos are here.
Carol Tyler
The show appears to be a success with good, but not overwhelming crowds. I bought a lot from Fanfare and Fantagraphics. Gahan Wilson and Carol Tyler both had shorter lines that I expected. The big draw at the show, based solely on line length, appears to be Kate Beaton.
Gary Groth
Gahan Wilson is a born storyteller and his off the cuff talk (now online!) was very fun to hear, if not overly insightful. Look for the 3-volume set of Playboy cartoons coming from Fantagraphics, which has an interview and a biography by Gary Groth. Pre-orders at the show get a signed print and free shipping.
Gahan Wilson and Gary Groth
Frank Camusso has a new Knights of the Lunch Table, his retelling of King Arthur. My daughter said Oh boy! when I brought it home tonight. Emily Flake, whose work appears in the Baltimore City Paper has a new collection as does Rob Ullman whose work used to appear in the Washington CP. I bought both.
Emily Flake and Warren Bernard
Some of the usual suspects are missing this year including Batton Lash and Jackie Estrada. Cartoonists with Attitude is not there, except Ted Rall and Stephanie McMillan are holding down an NBM table. Ted's got a new graphic biography and Stephanie a new comic.
R. Sikoryak
James Kochalka is hanging out at the Top Shelf table as is Matt Kindt and Andy Runton. R Sikoryak is at Drawn and Quarterly and will draw Little Nemo in your book.
David Malki
Dustin Harbin has a new book out and is holding my IOU for $47. He'll draw Alan Moore in a sketchbook if you ask him to.
Dustin Harbin
Peter Kuper's got a new book out on his experiences living in Mexico. His publisher is in the far left corner as you face into the room.
Peter Kuper
Chris Mautner's pre-plan for SPX
Meanwhile, see Chris Mautner's pre-plan for SPX.