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Thursday, August 26, 2010
PR: Jerry Robinson & Abrams ComicArts Come to Baltimore!
Jerry Robinson is a true gentleman, and, while best known to the BCC crowd for his early comic book work, he also had careers as a comic strip creator, a comics historian, and the founder of a syndicate that brought foreign editorial cartoons to US audiences. I'll be buying his book from him.
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PR: Small Press Expo Announces Programming Slate for SPX 2010
Small Press Expo Announces Programming Slate for SPX 2010 Bethesda, Maryland; August 26, 2010 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce its slate of programming for SPX 2010. SPX is presenting a program of some of the most insightful, thought provoking interviews and panel discussions in comics today, assembled by comics curator, teacher and author Bill Kartalopoulos. Spotlight one on ones will be held with James Sturm and Jaime Hernandez, as well as discussions on comics with Gary Groth, Kate Beaton, R. Sikoryak and Emmy Award winner Dean Haspiel, amongst others. The Center for Cartoon Studies will again hold a comics workshop and there will be a panel on Comics For Younger Readers with such notable creators as Raina Telgemeier and the Metaphrog team. Below is a complete description of all of the Spotlights, Panels and Workshops. The schedule in grid form may be seen at the SPX web site at http://www.spxpo.com. SPX will be held Saturday, September 11 from 11AM to 7PM and Sunday, September 12, noon-6PM at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days. To request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at warren@spxpo.com.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
Comics and Worldbuilding
1:00 | Brookside Conference Room
This panel will consider the challenge of developing original settings for comics, individual artistic processes, and how the medium of comics is particularly well-suited to creating convincing invented worlds. Evan Dahm will lead a conversation with Liz Baillie, Aaron Diaz, Carla Speed McNeil and Spike Trotman.
Spotlight: James Sturm
1:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
James Sturm is the author of several comics and graphic novels including The Golem's Mighty Swing, Unstable Molecules, James Sturm's America, and Market Day. He is also the founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, a unique two-year degree granting institution dedicated to cartooning. In this spotlight presentation, Sturm will discuss his work and answer questions from moderator Chris Mautner.
A Conversation About Daniel Clowes
2:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Daniel Clowes has long been one of America's premier cartoonists, and his work has caught the public eye again with the 2010 publication of his graphic novel Wilson. Ken Parille and Isaac Cates, co-editors of the recent anthology Daniel Clowes: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi) will discuss Clowes's art and career with moderator Bill Kartalopoulos.
Carousel at SPX
2:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
The long running slide show series, Carousel, returns with some of today's finest comics artists, graphic novelists, and pencil pushers reading and presenting their work. Hosted by R. Sikoryak, this special SPX edition of Carousel will feature Kate Beaton, Dean Haspiel, Lizz Hickey, and more!
Critics' Panel: How We Judge
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
The accessibility of online publishing alongside traditional media has enabled a diversity of critical voices who are addressing the broad spectrum of comics being published today. A diverse group of critics will discuss the disparate bases for their own critical opinions, and the extent to which they regard different kinds of work in different ways. Join moderator Bill Kartalopoulos for a discussion with Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), Gary Groth (The Comics Journal), Tim Hodler (Comics Comics), Chris Mautner (Robot 6), Joe McCulloch (Jog the Blog/Comics Comics), Ken Parille (Blog Flume), and Caroline Small (The Hooded Utilitarian).
Center for Cartoon Studies Self-Publishing Workshop
3:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Robyn Chapman, Jon Chad and Alec Longstreth join us from The Center for Cartoon Studies, a two-year college for budding cartoonists in White River Junction, Vermont. Alec will offer a short presentation chock full of self-publishing tips. Afterwards, each participant will draw, fold and bind a comic using the Hidden Book format. This simple process allows you to create an 8-page comic with a single piece of paper. No matter what your experience level, you'll leave this workshop with your own handmade minicomic!
Remembering Harvey Pekar
4:00 | Brookside Conference Room
When comics writer Harvey Pekar died in July 2010, he left behind an influential legacy of independent autobiographical comics that highlighted the forgotten moments and ignored people of everyday life. In this special panel event, a group of Pekar's former collaborators will discuss their experiences of working with the creator of American Splendor. Heidi MacDonald will moderate this conversation with Vanessa Davis, Dean Haspiel, Jeff Newelt, Rick Parker, Ed Piskor, and Sean Pryor.
Spotlight: Jamie Hernandez
4:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
The 1982 publication of Jaime, Gilbert and Mario Hernandez's Love and Rockets #1 by Fantagraphics virtually created the model for the post-underground alternative comic book series that characterized art-comics for nearly two decades. In the intervening years, Jaime Hernandez has emerged as one of the most distinctive visual stylists and compelling storytellers in modern comics, as he crafts the still-continuing saga of Hopey, Maggie, and his other post-punk Locas. Publisher and editor Gary Groth will ask Jaime about his art and life in this special spotlight session.
Comics for Younger Readers
5:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Book-length comics for younger readers are increasingly following graphic novels for adults into the bookstore and library shelves. Johanna Draper Carlson will discuss the pleasures and challenges of creating comics for younger readers with the collaborative duo Metaphrog, Aaron Renier, Raina Telgemeier, and Drew Weing.
Return of the Monster: The Fort Thunder Legacy
5:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
From 1995 to 2001, the Fort Thunder artists' and performance space in Providence, Rhode Island was a fertile creative center. Work produced by artists living at the Fort – both at the time and in the years since it was shut down – has been enormously influential in the worlds of fine art, music, and comics. A new issue of the de facto Fort Thunder anthology Monster debuts at this year's SPX. To mark the occasion, Bill Kartalopoulos will moderate a discussion with artists and former Fort Thunder residents Brian Ralph and Paul Lyons and publisher/editors Tom Devlin and Dan Nadel.
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12 PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
Telling Stories
12:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
How do creators shape inspiration and life experience into memorable stories and characters? Join moderator Heidi MacDonald for a lively discussion about vision and process with a panel of cartoonists including Meredith Gran, Roger Langridge and Jon Lewis.
Teaching Comics
1:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Comics have increasingly gained a berth as the subject of courses within the academy, and classes about comics production are increasingly a part of studio art departments. What do students need to know about comics? To what extent do studio art students need to know about comics history and theory, and to what extent do humanities students need to know about the practice of comics production? Professors Marc Singer and Isaac Cates join Center for Cartoon Studies founder James Sturm for a conversation moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos.
Kate Beaton and Julia Wertz in Conversation
1:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Two of the most popular and entertaining cartoonists of their generation, Kate Beaton and Julia Wertz have both attracted dedicated audiences online with their uniquely humorous comics. This special conversation moderated by Dustin Harbin will investigate the similarities and differences between the creators of Hark, A Vagrant! and The Fart Party.
Brave New Comic Strips
2:00 | Brookside Conference Room
The newspaper industry, long the home of American comics' first popular dedicated format, faces an existential crisis presented by the emergence and proliferation of digital media. Against all odds, artists interested in the daily strip format continue to produce work with an eye for print. Mike Rhode will discuss the present and the future of the newspaper comic strip with Marguerite Dabaie, Keith Knight, and Richard Thompson.
Developing Iconographies
2:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Distinct from drawing as an art discipline with its own self-ratifying purpose, artists in comics create pictures as part of a visual language. Moderator Ken Parille will investigate the ways in which comics artists develop visual iconographies in individual works and throughout bodies of work. Cartoonists Eamon Espey, Kevin Huizenga, and Tom Kaczynski will participate in this discussion, illustrated with slides of the artists' work.
Autobiography in Pieces
3:00 | Brookside Conference Room
How do you tell the story of a life that's still in progress? Is "story" even the right way to think about it? How do you winnow down the manifold details and data of your life? Cartoonists Sarah Becan, Gabrielle Bell, Vanessa Davis, and Jesse Reklaw will discuss alternatives to the memoir with moderator Isaac Cates.
R. Sikoryak: Adaptation and Parody
3:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Comics chameleon R. Sikoryak inventively adapts canonical Western literature using the visual styles and characters of historical American comic books and comic strips. These works have been collected in his 2009 book Masterpiece Comics (Drawn and Quarterly). Sikoryak will reveal his intensive working process and will discuss the history of parody and adaptation in comics in a discussion with Bill Kartalopoulos, curator of the recent exhibit "R. Sikoryak: How Classics and Cartoons Collide."
Commercial Eruptions
4:00 | Brookside Conference Room
Jim Rugg (Street Angel, Afrodisiac) and Frank Santoro (Storeyville, Cold Heat) have produced auteurial work that shows the influence of commercial comics, and have brought an independent sensibility to work for publishers like Marvel Comics. In a conversation moderated by Tim Hodler, the two cartoonists will reflect on what they have learned from the contents and processes of historical commercial comics and how they reinterpret their influences when working for corporate publishers.
Comics and Printmaking
4:30 | White Flint Amphitheater
Comics have historically been a medium of work made for reproduction, but the means of reproduction have often constrained by technical and commercial limitations. Even as new digital technologies have broadened technical possibilities, a number of cartoonists are exploring the possibilities of reproducing work using traditional printing techniques including silkscreening and etching. Noel Freibart, Lizz Hickey, Brian Ralph and Jon Vermilyea will discuss the relationship between comics and printmaking with moderator Bill Kartalopoulos.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? airs this weekend
Shauna Miller at the Express is reporting that the interesting animated movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is airing at the E Street Cinema on Fri and Sat at midnight. This is one of the successful mixtures of live -action and animation and the only film in which Donald and Daffy Duck appear together.
Small Press Expo bleedover events at Politics and Prose
Thursday September 9
Richard Thompson & Keith Knight
7 p.m. In conjunction with the Small Press Expo (September 11-12 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center), we're delighted to host two artists who excel at contemplating the minutiae of everyday life and making it hilarious. Thompson's strip is focused on a loveable family in a suburban development, while Knight's is told through the eyes of a city dweller.
Friday September 10
James Sturm - Market Day
8 p.m. Co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, Sturm has set this beautifully crafted historical fiction in the Eastern European countryside of the 1900s. His day in the life of Mendleman, a carpet peddler, uses spare narrative and finely-honed images to achieve a powerful emotional resonance.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Caro responds on Comic Lit Crit
You can see Caroline Small's continued commentary here as an online 'discussion' of Best American Comics Criticism continues.
PR: Beyond Comics $3 Silver Age Comic Book Sale 1 Day
This sounds like an amazing deal; if only I was closer...
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Today in The New York (Comics) Times
This article might get lost to other comics news sites, but it quotes "Nina Hemmingsson, 38, a cartoonist and kind of Swedish R.Crumb" (which is a singularly unhelpful description if you think about it):
Some Doubt if Any King Is Still Fit for Sweden
By JOHN TAGLIABUE, August 25, 2010
and here's one of their reviewers who doesn't like Scott Pilgrim:
The `Scott Pilgrim' Crowd? This Gamer's Not Part of It
By SETH SCHIESEL, August 25, 2010
Some Doubt if Any King Is Still Fit for Sweden
By JOHN TAGLIABUE, August 25, 2010
and here's one of their reviewers who doesn't like Scott Pilgrim:
The `Scott Pilgrim' Crowd? This Gamer's Not Part of It
By SETH SCHIESEL, August 25, 2010
One more great reason to go to Baltimore Comic-Con
Ok, not really, but Hero Initiative is a good charity to support.
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Weldon gets behind Read Comics in Public
Saturday Is Read Comics In Public Day: Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are
by Glen Weldon
August 25, 2010
Personally I'll be at the Baltimore Comic-Con, not reading comics in public.
Dean Haspiel's Emmy win covered by Comic Riffs
My buddy Dino won for his title work on a series that's partly based on him (or his existence at least):
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 24, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
"Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" out in paperback
Local author Nevin Martell has written in to let us know that his book on Bill Watterson is out in a revised paperback edition:
I just wanted to send a note to let you all know that the paperback edition of "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" is out now. You should be able to find it at fine booksellers everywhere and you can also pick it up on Amazon for only $11.48!
The book comes with an extra chapter, which explores some elements of Watterson's life that came to light after I handed in the final manuscript and it talks a bit about the promotional tour for the book, which was an intriguing journey in and of itself.
If you don't want to buy the book again for just the extra chapter -- and I totally understand if you don't; I hate it when bands put out "Deluxe Editions" with two new songs that you feel compelled to own -- I suggest you support your local library by borrowing a copy from them.
I just wanted to send a note to let you all know that the paperback edition of "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes" is out now. You should be able to find it at fine booksellers everywhere and you can also pick it up on Amazon for only $11.48!
The book comes with an extra chapter, which explores some elements of Watterson's life that came to light after I handed in the final manuscript and it talks a bit about the promotional tour for the book, which was an intriguing journey in and of itself.
If you don't want to buy the book again for just the extra chapter -- and I totally understand if you don't; I hate it when bands put out "Deluxe Editions" with two new songs that you feel compelled to own -- I suggest you support your local library by borrowing a copy from them.
August 25: Micah Gunnell at Beyond Comics
Special Artist Signing
Micah Gunnell (Artist of Deadpool Team-up #890)
Beyond Comics
Wednesday August 25th
3:00pm to 7:00pm
At the Frederick Store
Caro on Comic Lit Crit
Best American Comics Criticism Roundtable: Won’t the Real Lit-Comics Critics Please Stand Up?
By Caroline Small
August 24th, 2010
By Caroline Small
August 24th, 2010
Daryl Cagle vs the Intelligence Community's copyright scofflaws
I mentioned a Washington Post story about a General who used a Daryl Cagle cartoon in his briefing. Cagle takes offense at editorializes, "The Director of National Intelligence Steals and Alters My Cartoon? What the Hell?" which seems to be a bit over the top, as do the comments. Remember that post on copyright a couple of days ago?
PR: Small Press Expo Announces Jaime Hernandez, Vanessa Davis and Keith Knight as Guests for SPX 2010
Small Press Expo Announces Jaime Hernandez, Vanessa Davis and Keith Knight as guests for SPX 2010.
Bethesda, Maryland; August 24, 2010 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons is pleased to announce that Jaime Hernandez, Vanessa Davis and Keith Knight will be guests for SPX 2010, to be held September 11 and September 12 at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland, across from the White Flint Metro stop. These guests are in addition to the previously announced James Sturm, Raina Telgemeier, Jim Rugg, Kate Beaton and Dean Haspiel.
Jaime Hernandez is the Harvey Award winning and critically acclaimed creator behind the long running LOCA series from Love and Rockets. He has also done work for The New Yorker, as well as album covers for such bands as Los Lobos and Michelle Shocked. He drew the cover for Strange Tales Vol.2 #2 from Marvel, due in November and there will be a new installment of Loca in Love and Rockets: New Stories #3, to be released in September from Fantagraphics.
Vanessa Davis is known for her work for such magazines/web sites as BItch, Vice, Tablet and Bust. Her latest book, Make Me A Woman from Drawn and Quarterly, is premiering at SPX. Make Me A Woman is a collection of her diary series that spans her life from her Bat Mitzvah to the current day. Check out her website at http://www.spanielrage.com/.
Keith Knight is the creator of the hit newspaper strip The Knight Life and will be on hand at SPX to sign the first compilation of that series, entitled The Knight Life: Chivalry Ain't Dead from Grand Central Publishing. Keith is a multiple Glyph Award winner and has drawn for such publications as Mad and ESPN Magazine. His (TH)ink and K Chronicles series have been critically acclaimed and may be found on his web site at http://www.kchronicles.com/.
SPX culminates with the presentation of the Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning on Saturday night, September 11 at 9PM. Attendees at SPX get in free to the Ignatz Awards. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting by attendees during SPX.
For detailed information about guests, panels and the Ignatz Awards, visit the SPX web site at www.spxpo.com.
SPX is a registered 501(c)3 which brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators.
As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org/.
The hours for SPX 2010 are 11AM-7PM Saturday, September 11, and noon-6PM Sunday, September 12. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.
PR: 2010 Harvey Awards at Baltimore Comic-Con
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Monday, August 23, 2010
PR: LOST ART BOOKS
Joe Procopio writes in to note that he's starting a new comics press and I'm looking forward to his books:
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, I've been planning for a number of years to start my own publishing company devoted to the artists who worked in illustration, comic art, and graphic design in the first half of the 20th century. Well, that day has arrived. Ellen and I have started PICTURE THIS PRESS, and we are about to launch its first imprint, LOST ART BOOKS. The first book is at the printer, the second book goes to the printer early next week, and a third is over halfway through production.
The first book, THE LOST ART OF ZIM: CARTOONS AND CARICATURES, brings back to print for the first time in a century Eugene Zimmerman's wonderful coursebook for aspiring comic artists. Zim was a founding father of American cartooning, drawing tens of thousands of gags for America's early humor magazines. In addition to the original coursebook, this new edition features an introduction by Zim scholar Walter Brasch, a biography, and rare photos and illustrations from Zim's other work.
The second book, THE LOST ART OF E.T. REED: PREHISTORIC PEEPS, is the first book on this British cartoonist in over 50 years, and the first devoted to his seminal "Prehistoric Peeps" cartoons in more than a century. The wonderful introduction by comic artist and teacher Stephen Bissette grounds Reed's work in the time in which it was created and then traces its influence through the decades all the way to "The Flintstones" and beyond. The book is fleshed out by a biography of Reed and many examples of his other cartoon work. To top it off, wonderful comic artist and friend Jerry Carr created a new color cover for this Lost Art volume.
The third book, THE LOST ART OF FREDERICK RICHARDSON, pulls together an exceedingly rare collection of this Detroit newspaper artist's wonderful illustrations and cartoons from the 1890s, a time when Richardson was first feeling the influence of the Art Nouveau movement in Europe. The introduction was contributed by scholars Martin Gardner and Ruth Berman, providing a biography and overview of his work from this period.
SMALL PRESS EXPO (Sept. 11-12)
I will be exhibiting at this year's Small Press Expo on September 11-12 in Bethesda, Maryland. If you aren't familiar with SPX, you can learn more at their site (www.spxpo.com). SPX is a great event that plays host to the best of the sequential art world's coolest self-publishers and small publishing houses. It's kinda like the indie rock scene of the comic book world, with a real DIY attitude. I've attended every Expo since 1999, and I always leave with a bag full of treasures I would have never known about otherwise. It was no accident that I chose SPX as the place to make the debut of Lost Art Books. I'll have the first two books on sale at my booth as well as a limited edition (100 copies) "Pocket Cartoon Course" (free with any purchase). I really hope you can make it out...I think you'll have a cool time.
I will be exhibiting at this year's Small Press Expo on September 11-12 in Bethesda, Maryland. If you aren't familiar with SPX, you can learn more at their site (www.spxpo.com). SPX is a great event that plays host to the best of the sequential art world's coolest self-publishers and small publishing houses. It's kinda like the indie rock scene of the comic book world, with a real DIY attitude. I've attended every Expo since 1999, and I always leave with a bag full of treasures I would have never known about otherwise. It was no accident that I chose SPX as the place to make the debut of Lost Art Books. I'll have the first two books on sale at my booth as well as a limited edition (100 copies) "Pocket Cartoon Course" (free with any purchase). I really hope you can make it out...I think you'll have a cool time.
JOIN US ONLINE
Hopefully we'll have a great new Web site in the next few weeks, but for now you can visit (and JOIN!) the Lost Art Books FACEBOOK group at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=345009783705&v=wall&ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=345009783705
The Facebook group is where I'll post progress reports for the next few weeks; go there now to see the front and back cover for the Zim book!
Hopefully we'll have a great new Web site in the next few weeks, but for now you can visit (and JOIN!) the Lost Art Books FACEBOOK group at:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=345009783705&v=wall&ref=mf#!/group.php?gid=345009783705
The Facebook group is where I'll post progress reports for the next few weeks; go there now to see the front and back cover for the Zim book!
MISSION STATEMENT
Lost Art Books, the flagship series from Picture This Press, collects and preserves the works of illustrators and cartoonists from the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries. Too many of these artists have gone under appreciated for too long, with much of their work uncollected or unexamined for decades, if at all. The Lost Art series of books aims to preserve this cultural heritage by re-introducing these artists to new generations of working illustrators, cultural historians, and admirers of things beautiful.
PR: DC Conspiracy's MAGIC BULLET Comic Newspaper
From Rafer Roberts of Plastic Farm Press, we hear:
Earlier this year the idea was presented that the DC Conspiracy would put out a newspaper filled with our comics. A newspaper? Filled with comics? In an era where comics are presented smaller and on handheld digital devices, presenting large format comics in a dying medium seemed like such an outdated model that
we just had to go for it.
With the aesthetic that each artist would take advantage of the larger format, MAGIC BULLET was born.
http://www.dcconspiracy.com/blog/2010/08/presenting-magic-bullet.html
we just had to go for it.
With the aesthetic that each artist would take advantage of the larger format, MAGIC BULLET was born.
http://www.dcconspiracy.com/blog/2010/08/presenting-magic-bullet.html
Frank Cho will be in next Sunday's Post magazine
I'll probably forget to post something about this because of Baltimore Comic-Con, but the August 29th magazine will have a feature on Frank Cho.
Baltimore Comic-Con interview up at City Paper
New Father Marc Nathan on His Other Baby, the Baltimore Comic-Con
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Copyright is too long, and other people agree with me
Although it's not specifically mentioned anywhere, most people would assume the contents of this blog are copyrighted, and due to the US Constitution and Congress they'd be right. Since the 1970s, Americans don't need to register their publication with the Library of Congress and use the funky little C symbol. However, I've been asked to waive copyright on some things appearing here, most recently photos of the great Malaysian cartoonist Lat for Wiki Commons, and I've been glad to do so.
However, as these two articles point out, copyright is not an inalienable right but a legal one, and at this point, it's largely warped in the direction of protecting large corporations' intellectual property. Read them both:
A Republic of Letters
By ROBERT DARNTON
New York Times Book Review August 22, 2010
Lewis Hyde draws on the founding fathers for arguments against the privatization of knowledge.
Copycats vs. Copyrights; Does it make sense to legally protect the fashion industry from knockoffs?
Ezra Klein
Washington Post August 22 2010
Fortunately the Fair Use provision should let me exempt out Mr. Klein's salient point for this blog post:
And companies love copyright. They love it so much they persuaded Congress to pass the Sonny Bono Act, which extended individual copyright protections to the life of the author, plus another 70 years; and corporate copyrights to 120 years from creation, or 95 years from publication, whichever is earlier. That’s an absurdly long time, and it belies the original point of patents: does anyone seriously believe that a 40-year-old with a money-making idea is going to hold back because someone can mimic it 20 years after he dies? At a certain point, copyrights stop protecting innovation and begin protecting profits.
Should this blog post be copyrighted at least through 2080? No. The original Constitutional provision of 14 years with a 14 year renewal should be returned to. Let's see some Tea Partyers take up that original construction argument.
I hereby abandon my copyright on this blog post about copyright, not that I imagine anyone will really care.
However, as these two articles point out, copyright is not an inalienable right but a legal one, and at this point, it's largely warped in the direction of protecting large corporations' intellectual property. Read them both:
A Republic of Letters
By ROBERT DARNTON
New York Times Book Review August 22, 2010
Lewis Hyde draws on the founding fathers for arguments against the privatization of knowledge.
Copycats vs. Copyrights; Does it make sense to legally protect the fashion industry from knockoffs?
Ezra Klein
Washington Post August 22 2010
Fortunately the Fair Use provision should let me exempt out Mr. Klein's salient point for this blog post:
And companies love copyright. They love it so much they persuaded Congress to pass the Sonny Bono Act, which extended individual copyright protections to the life of the author, plus another 70 years; and corporate copyrights to 120 years from creation, or 95 years from publication, whichever is earlier. That’s an absurdly long time, and it belies the original point of patents: does anyone seriously believe that a 40-year-old with a money-making idea is going to hold back because someone can mimic it 20 years after he dies? At a certain point, copyrights stop protecting innovation and begin protecting profits.
Should this blog post be copyrighted at least through 2080? No. The original Constitutional provision of 14 years with a 14 year renewal should be returned to. Let's see some Tea Partyers take up that original construction argument.
I hereby abandon my copyright on this blog post about copyright, not that I imagine anyone will really care.
Zadzooks reviews comics
Zadzooks: Ghostopolis, Age of Reptiles, Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom; Welcome to some warped new worlds
By Joseph Szadkowski
The Washington Times Saturday, August 21, 2010
By Joseph Szadkowski
The Washington Times Saturday, August 21, 2010
PR: Portrait Gallery on Schulz photograph
National Portrait Gallery Presents Portrait of Charles M. Schulz to Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of "Peanuts" Debut
A photograph of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) will be presented to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in a ceremony for invited guests Oct. 1. The event recognizes the cartoonist’s impact on millions of people worldwide and coincides with commemorations surrounding the 60th anniversary of “Peanuts.” The 1986 photograph, created by acclaimed portraitist Yousuf Karsh, is the Portrait Gallery’s first image of the famed cartoonist. In the image, Schulz is at his drawing board with pen in hand. Before him is a partially completed “Peanuts” full-page comic featuring the perennially popular story line in which Lucy snatches the football away from Charlie Brown and sends him hurtling through the air. The photograph, with the accompanying original comic strip, will be on view to the public immediately following the ceremony in the museum’s “New Arrivals” exhibition.
“The Portrait Gallery has many editorial cartoonists and their cartoons in its collection, but this is the first of Charles Schulz and his adored characters,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “Schulz dealt with life’s everyday moments with humanity and humor.”
On Saturday, Oct. 2, the museum will host a friends-and-family day for all ages with programs inspired by the cartoonist and his characters. Snoopy will be available for photographs; Joe Wos, cartoonist in residence at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., will offer workshops throughout the day; and Sean Lane and the Bay Jazz Project will provide musical entertainment. Children will be invited to join the band to play percussion instruments. Later in the day, the museum will screen the popular “Peanuts” special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Lee Mendelson, a longtime friend of Schulz and executive producer of all the classic “Peanuts” specials, including Great Pumpkin and A Charlie Brown Christmas, will be on hand for a discussion and to answer questions from fans.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will also mark the 60th anniversary of the “Peanuts” strip with a case that will feature objects from Schulz, including drawing utensils, an animation cell from the television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and two comic panels that show the cartoon’s progression from rough pencil sketches to finished ink strips.
Schulz once described himself as “born to draw comic strips.” A Minneapolis native, he was just two days old when an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky,” after the horse Spark Plug from the “Barney Google” comic strip. Throughout his youth, he and his father shared a Sunday-morning ritual of reading the funnies. After serving in the army during World War II, Schulz got his first big break in 1947 when he sold a cartoon feature called “Li’l Folks” to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In 1950, Schulz met with United Feature Syndicate, and on Oct. 2 of that year, “Peanuts,” so named by the syndicate, debuted in seven newspapers. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, Calif., Feb. 12, 2000—just hours before his last original strip was to appear in Sunday papers.
“Peanuts,” one of America’s most beloved comic strips, ran without interruption for nearly 50 years. Encores of the comic strip appear today in more than 2,200 newspapers in 75 countries and 21 languages. “Peanuts” animated specials have become seasonal traditions, and thousands of consumer products are available. Charlie Brown kicking the football, Linus and his blanket and Lucy leaning over Schroeder’s piano are images to which everyone can relate. Phrases such as “security blanket” and “good grief” are a part of the global vernacular.
The photograph of Schulz has been donated to the National Portrait Gallery by Estrellita Karsh, in memory of Yousuf Karsh.
A photograph of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) will be presented to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in a ceremony for invited guests Oct. 1. The event recognizes the cartoonist’s impact on millions of people worldwide and coincides with commemorations surrounding the 60th anniversary of “Peanuts.” The 1986 photograph, created by acclaimed portraitist Yousuf Karsh, is the Portrait Gallery’s first image of the famed cartoonist. In the image, Schulz is at his drawing board with pen in hand. Before him is a partially completed “Peanuts” full-page comic featuring the perennially popular story line in which Lucy snatches the football away from Charlie Brown and sends him hurtling through the air. The photograph, with the accompanying original comic strip, will be on view to the public immediately following the ceremony in the museum’s “New Arrivals” exhibition.
“The Portrait Gallery has many editorial cartoonists and their cartoons in its collection, but this is the first of Charles Schulz and his adored characters,” said Martin Sullivan, director of the museum. “Schulz dealt with life’s everyday moments with humanity and humor.”
On Saturday, Oct. 2, the museum will host a friends-and-family day for all ages with programs inspired by the cartoonist and his characters. Snoopy will be available for photographs; Joe Wos, cartoonist in residence at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, Calif., will offer workshops throughout the day; and Sean Lane and the Bay Jazz Project will provide musical entertainment. Children will be invited to join the band to play percussion instruments. Later in the day, the museum will screen the popular “Peanuts” special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Lee Mendelson, a longtime friend of Schulz and executive producer of all the classic “Peanuts” specials, including Great Pumpkin and A Charlie Brown Christmas, will be on hand for a discussion and to answer questions from fans.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will also mark the 60th anniversary of the “Peanuts” strip with a case that will feature objects from Schulz, including drawing utensils, an animation cell from the television special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and two comic panels that show the cartoon’s progression from rough pencil sketches to finished ink strips.
Schulz once described himself as “born to draw comic strips.” A Minneapolis native, he was just two days old when an uncle nicknamed him “Sparky,” after the horse Spark Plug from the “Barney Google” comic strip. Throughout his youth, he and his father shared a Sunday-morning ritual of reading the funnies. After serving in the army during World War II, Schulz got his first big break in 1947 when he sold a cartoon feature called “Li’l Folks” to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In 1950, Schulz met with United Feature Syndicate, and on Oct. 2 of that year, “Peanuts,” so named by the syndicate, debuted in seven newspapers. Schulz died in Santa Rosa, Calif., Feb. 12, 2000—just hours before his last original strip was to appear in Sunday papers.
“Peanuts,” one of America’s most beloved comic strips, ran without interruption for nearly 50 years. Encores of the comic strip appear today in more than 2,200 newspapers in 75 countries and 21 languages. “Peanuts” animated specials have become seasonal traditions, and thousands of consumer products are available. Charlie Brown kicking the football, Linus and his blanket and Lucy leaning over Schroeder’s piano are images to which everyone can relate. Phrases such as “security blanket” and “good grief” are a part of the global vernacular.
The photograph of Schulz has been donated to the National Portrait Gallery by Estrellita Karsh, in memory of Yousuf Karsh.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Weldon on Scott Pilgrim, yet again
Audio podcast this time though -
Pop Culture Happy Hour: Scott Pilgrim And Our Great Big Blind Spots
by Linda Holmes
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog August 20, 2010
Direct download
In this week's edition of Pop Culture Happy Hour, we dive into a discussion of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (and the trailer we saw before it), which leads to discussions of arcade games, the fall of a once-popular director, the movie August Rush, and whether a currently popular zany comic actor just might be the Robin Williams of the future.
Pop Culture Happy Hour: Scott Pilgrim And Our Great Big Blind Spots
by Linda Holmes
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog August 20, 2010
Direct download
In this week's edition of Pop Culture Happy Hour, we dive into a discussion of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (and the trailer we saw before it), which leads to discussions of arcade games, the fall of a once-popular director, the movie August Rush, and whether a currently popular zany comic actor just might be the Robin Williams of the future.
Cruse's Stuck Rubber Baby reissue reviewed by Post
I haven't read this since the first edition came out, but I recall liking it quite a bit.
Howard Cruse's graphic novel "Stuck Rubber Baby," reviewed by Dennis Drabelle
By Dennis Drabelle
Washington Post August 21, 2010; C03
and here's a general who likes to use cartoons in his briefings. Herblock and Daryl Cagle are namechecked.
New intelligence chief Clapper brings sense of humor to serious job
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 21, 2010; A03
Howard Cruse's graphic novel "Stuck Rubber Baby," reviewed by Dennis Drabelle
By Dennis Drabelle
Washington Post August 21, 2010; C03
and here's a general who likes to use cartoons in his briefings. Herblock and Daryl Cagle are namechecked.
New intelligence chief Clapper brings sense of humor to serious job
By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 21, 2010; A03
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