Former local Spike Trotman profiled

Trotman's Iron Circus Celebrates 'Strange and Amazing' Comics

By Brigid Alverson

Feb 05, 2019

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/79187-trotman-s-iron-circus-celebrates-strange-and-amazing-comics.html

That darn Rhymes with Orange

Peace, love and luxury vehicles

Letters to the Editor Opinion

David Berenbaum, Annandale

Washington Post February 2 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/readers-critique-the-post-nancy-pelosi-deserves-better-and-pete-buttigieg-is-far-from-revolutionary/2019/02/01/70769ac4-264e-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html

Library of Congress blog on Romance comics

Let's Talk Comics: Romance

Library of Congress Headlines & Heroes: Newspapers, Comics & More Fine Print Blog February 5, 2019 by Megan Halsband

https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2019/02/lets-talk-comics-romance/

SPX 2019 registration opens this week

Hello Everyone! SPX 2019 is our 25th Anniversary Celebration!! So we are on the hunt for extra-amazing Special Guests and putting together other cool events around this amazing milestone!! We've learned a TON over the past few years regarding exhibitor registration by hearing from all of you, and we want to make sure you have all the right information you need. If you are interested in exhibiting at SPX this year — and we sincerely hope that you are — here's what you need to know for 2019, to be held September 14 & 15. An SPX Exhibitor Registration Primer As you may know by now, SPX has a two phase registration system that combines invited exhibitors with a lottery that in past years has led to a roughly 50/50 split. The two phases are staggered, which allows us to maximize the number of tables available for the lottery. Every year that the SPX team evaluates our list of invited exhibitors on an annual basis. This helps us ensure that we can continue to bring in diverse, talented creators that we feel will enrich the SPX experience for everyone. Every year we'll do our best to ensure that invitees to SPX will include a diverse, vibrant cast of characters — a mix of our long time exhibitors, large and small independent publishers, self-publishing cartoonists, international creators as well as newcomers to comics. KEY DATES FOR TABLES AND BADGES For Invitations: January 14 - Invited exhibitors will begin receiving notices. February 1 - Last day for invited exhibitors to confirm their table space. For the Lottery: February 8th - The SPX table lottery opens. February 25th - The SPX table lottery closes. March 8th - Notify Lottery Winners For Payment March 11 - Payment information sent to all exhibitors offered tables March 18 - Reminder payments due April 5 March 25 - Reminder payments due April 5 April 5 - Payments due for tables and extra badges For Exhibitor Table Assignments and Exhibitor Web Page May 3 - First posting of Exhibitors List web page for SPX 2019 June 1 - Update to Exhibitor List web page July 1 -Table assignments will be posted July 15 - Updates to Exhibitor List web page July 29 - Updates to Exhibitor List web page August 2 - Deadline for submitting badge creator names to be placed in the Program Guide August 12 - Updates to Exhibitor List web page August 26 - Final updates to Exhibitor List web page For Badges In a few months, we will unveil a new process to request changes to the names of your tablemates Badge name changes/updates will be reflected in the semi-monthly updates to the web site. SPX REGISTRATION: Invited Exhibitors How does SPX decide who gets a reserved table? The SPX executive committee will collectively review the invitation list each year to make this determination. If I was invited last year does that mean I am guaranteed an invitation this year? No, not necessarily. It is possible you will receive an invitation again, but four years into the process, we recognize the need to begin shaking up this list. Doing so will allow us to ensure that we can invite people that we think will be a great fit for the show. If I wasn't invited this year does that mean I'll never be invited again? Not at all. The invitation list will change annually. There will not be a formal rotation or cooling off process but our goal is ensure that the process is equitable. Not being invited one year does not mean you won't be invited the next. If I am not on this year's invitee list, can I enter the table lottery? Absolutely. SPX REGISTRATION: Lottery Entrants When will the lottery take place? The 2019 table lottery registration period will open up starting February 8. You'll have two weeks, until February 25, to enter your information. SPX will post lottery information widely on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr as well as our website. You won't be able to miss it. How do I apply for the lottery? When lottery registration opens we'll post an online form that collects some basic information. This year we are doing away with the randomized number generation to cut down on confusion; you will receive one confirmation email, and then an email at the end of the lottery. This registration website link will be shared widely on social media later this week. Please note that we will not be picking the randomized lottery winners until after all applications have been received; this means there is no benefit to applying early or late (except maybe peace of mind). You can only apply for the lottery once, and multiple entries will result in being removed from the lottery pool (unless you email us and tell us you accidentally clicked twice or something, we do have a heart!). You will not be responsible for any payments until after the lottery is complete. How will I find out if I won a lottery table (or half table)? We will notify the winners via email in early March. Winners will then have until April 5th to confirm and pay for their table. Any unused tables will be carried over to the waitlist. If you are selected, half tables will cost $185 while full tables will cost $375. Do I really have a shot at a table from the lottery? Heck yes. We earmark a minimum of 110 tables (out of our total of 270) for the lottery. When you look at this in terms of exhibitors behind those tables over the last three years we've been filling about half of SPX via the lottery. Will there be a wait list? Absolutely. We store the next 75 names after filling our lottery tables and folks get pulled in every year from this wait list. SPX REGISTRATION: Other Questions I HATE this system. SPX, why are you so dumb? In order for us to pull this show off each year, we need to balance limited table space against a bunch of ravenous groups that eagerly take all the tables! Big publishers, small publishers, self-publishers, local favorites, international guests, old faces, new hotness — all worthy and all welcome! Our registration process helps us manage overwhelming interest in the show in a manner consistent with our core values. Most comic arts festivals are by invitation only. We knew that wasn't for us. But a pure lottery wouldn't work either. Community is what makes SPX. We had to find a balance that honored both — and helps us manage massive demand to exhibit at the show. Why not just more add more space?  There is quite simply no larger facility anywhere in the Washington, DC area with the crucial combination of hotel and convention space — but the more important issue is that the indie comics industry is growing even faster than SPX, drawing more and more passionate, talented creators to the medium. It would be impossible for us to expand enough to meet demand without raising prices significantly for both exhibitors and attendees alike. Even if we could locate a venue with a similar set-up and more space — and one that wouldn't totally blow our budget — consider that over two days SPX runs only about 14 hours. With 650 or so creators exhibiting, assuming an attendee stays on the show floor every single minute and wasted only seconds moving from table to table, that leaves a barely one minute per creator. We want folks who exhibit at SPX to have the best chance possible to make money at our show. For the time being — and we're at the Marriott through 2022 — it simply does not make sense to seek a larger exhibition hall space.  Still have questions?  Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, or  Facebook for a quick reply. We're also happy to chat if you email us at exhibitor-inquiries@smallpressexpo.com. We look forward to hearing from you! Jamie, Devon, Warren and the rest of the SPX Executive Committee Copyright © 2019 Small Press Expo, All rights reserved.  You are getting this email because we know you might want a table to SPX 2018!!  Our mailing address is:  Small Press Expo P.O. Box 5704 Bethesda, Maryland 20824 ‌ ‌

Feb 23: Tom King at Fantom Comics

Signing with Tom King!

https://www.facebook.com/events/407569620014174/

· Hosted by Fantom Comics

• Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 1 PM – 3 PM

• Fantom Comics 2010 P St NW, 2nd Floor, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

Feb 8, 9 Chip Zdarsky; Feb 13 Tom King at Third Eye Comics

Join us FRIDAY night for a special in-person Q&A with Chip Zdarsky at Third Eye Annapolis!

9PM-10PM -- Limited Seating Available! E-mail steve@thirdeyecomics.com to reserve your seat!

Chip has been awesome enough to give us a little extra time while he's in town this weekend, and will be doing a live in-person Q&A session from 9PM-10PM to answer your questions about DAREDEVIL, as well as his other projects like Sex Criminals, MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, and more!

Meet comics superstar CHIP ZDARSKY at our DAREDEVIL #1 Launch Signing on 2/9/19!

Click here for info

Meet Tom King at Third Eye Annapolis next Wednesday 2/13/19 at our MISTER MIRACLE TPB Launch Signing!

We're SO stoked to be hosting the release day signing party for one of our favorite books of 2018: MISTER MIRACLE!

Come by, snag your copy, and get it signed by the one and only Tom King! 

7PM-9PM at Third Eye Annapolis!

Another Latest'n'Greatest: "...and how would you like that done?"

From DC's anarchist cartoonist Mike Flugennock:

"...and how would you like this done?"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2670

So... in Venezuela, Juan Guaido, a rightist "opposition" leader who'd 
never actually run in the recent Presidential election, just out of 
nowhere declares himself "Interim President" and swears himself in, 
and the US is apparently ready to support this doorknob in a coup 
attempt against Nicolas Maduro, a Bolivarist who actually ran for 
President, won the election, and was actually sworn in as the actual 
President this past week.

Just so we're clear on that, folks, next time CNN or somebody drops 
another "bombshell" about the Russians "meddling" in our "elections".

Speaking of which, why the hell didn't Hillary think of this? Why 
didn't she just swear herself in? Cripes, she wouldn't quit screaming 
about how she won the goddamn popular vote; why couldn't she rustle up 
Lawrence Lessig or Laurence Tribe or one of those other Harvard Law 
knobs to administer the oath and just swear her own insufferable ass in?

Emoluments, 25th Amendment, Russia, bah! Have Ruth Bader Ginsburg 
swear her in on a copy of In Takes A Village, get Macron, May, and a 
couple of other EU neoliberal Blue Meanies to recognize her, and 
badda-bing, El Presidente.

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Garbage In..."

From DC's anarchist cartoonist, Mike Flugennock:

"Garbage In..."
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2675

So, it's looking like the Donkeycrats have assembled their All-Star 
Team for 2020, except that they picked their All-Stars from the cellar 
dwellers.

Let's have a look at the lineup, shall we...? We've got a guy who was 
Bill Clinton's liar-in-chief, a sk8ter boy who couldn't beat Ted Cruz, 
a woman who's proud to have made a career out of prosecuting and 
imprisoning the poor and vulnerable, a woman who hangs with fascists 
from India, a woman who endorsed Hillary in '16 and brags about being 
a capitalist, a guy who pimped Bill Clinton's infamous crime bill in 
the '90s, a woman who co-sponsored the anti-BDS bill, a guy whose nose 
is so far up Big Pharma's ass it's a wonder he can breathe and – last 
but certainly not least – every old progressive's dream date, a guy 
who opposes BDS and who sat around silently, not saying jack about the 
bare-assed oil-grabbing right-wing coup going down in Venezuela for 
over 24 hours before inexplicably parroting Trump's lies about the 
Maduro administration.

Basically, garbage.

Fascism is running wild all over, millions are a broken ankle away 
from destitution, we're being dragged into another war in Latin 
America, the goddamn Earth is on fire, and the Democrats expect us to 
shut up and choose from garbage.

Garbage in, garbage out.

Richmond's RVA's latest comics column

RVA Comics X-Change: Issue 11

Ash Griffith | January 22, 2019

https://rvamag.com/art/zines-books/rva-comics-x-change-issue-11.html

Feb 15: Animezing!: A Silent Voice

Enjoy a FREE Japanese ANIME film at the JICC!

Animezing!: A Silent Voice Winner of Best Film and Screenplay at the 2017 Tokyo Anime Awards. Nominated for Best Animation Film at the 2017 Awards of the Japanese Academy After transferring into a new school, a deaf girl, Shoko Nishimiya, is bullied by the popular Shoya Ishida. As Shoya continues to bully Shoko, the class turns its back on him. Shoko transfers and Shoya grows up as an outcast. Alone and depressed, the regretful Shoya finds Shoko to make amends. A Silent Voice is a moving coming-of-age drama that depicts the struggles of adolescence through its memorable characters and beautiful animation. In Japanese with English subtitles | PG-13 | 2016 | 130 min | Directed by Naoko Yamada Registration required Images: © YK/SVM Women In Cinema Director: Naoko Yamada A graduate of the Kyoto University of Art and Design, Naoko Yamada began her career at Kyoto Animation as an inbetween artist. She made her directorial debut for the series K-On! (2009) which became a major success for the studio and was turned into a film in 2011. Her next film, Tamako Love Story (2014) garnered her the New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival. This was followed by A Silent Voice (2016) which was nominated for Best Animated Film by the Mainichi Film Concurs and the Japanese Academy. Learn more about the Women In Cinema series You are invited to Animezing!: A Silent Voice Friday, February 15th, 2019 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EST) Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan 1150 18th Street Northwest Suite 100 Washington DC 20036 US CLICK HERE TO REGISTER This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Program begins at 6:30PM. Doors open 30 minutes before the program. No admittance after 7:00PM or once seating is full. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee a seat. The JICC reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by JICC without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 100 | Washington, D.C. 20036-3838 TEL: 202-238-6900 | FAX: 202-822-6524 | jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp © 1981-2019 Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan

March 9: Jaime Hernadez at Politics and Prose main store

Jaime Hernandez - Is This How You See Me?

Saturday, March 9, 2019 - 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

 https://www.politics-prose.com/event/book/jaime-hernandez-how-you-see-me

 

This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Click here for more information.

5015 Connecticut Ave NW   Washington   DC    20008

Annapolis' Dead Reckoning's Machete Squad author profiled

'Machete Squad' graphic novel tells of Las Vegas vet's service in Afghanistan

By John Przybys / Las Vegas Review-Journal

January 30, 2019 - 11:29 pm

 

Updated January 31, 2019 - 4:04 pm

https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/machete-squad-graphic-novel-tells-of-las-vegas-vets-service-in-afghanistan-1586297/

Tom King on Word Balloon podcast

Comic Books Tom King On Superman Heroes In Crisis Batman and Mister Miracle

john siuntres 

January 25, 2019

http://wordballoon.blogspot.com/2019/01/comic-books-tom-king-on-superman-heroes.html

A New King's Speech as we discus Tom's past present and future works . From The Walmart Superman series to Batman and the current arc Kinghtmare. We look back at Mister Miracle and scratch our heads over the puzzles laid out in Heroes In Crisis.

Weldon on movie Batmen

Batman Through The Ages: The Best — And Worst — Caped Crusaders

Ari Shapiro and Glen Weldon

  All Things Considered January 31, 2019 

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/31/690468986/batman-through-the-ages-the-best-and-worst-caped-crusaders and https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2019/01/20190131_atc_batmen_through_the_ages.mp3