Monday, March 11, 2019

Smithsonian's superhero collection via their catalog

This site seems to have gone up in honor of Stan Lee although much of it has nothing to do with his work -

Excelsior! Super Superheroes

Explore items in our collections related to superheroes, including comic books, original comic art, movie and television costumes and props, and memorabilia.


- a surprise is a John Byrne and Jerry Ordway drawing of Superman in the National Portrait Gallery. It came as part of a collection of Time Magazine covers.

Art Institute of Washington shut down

Last year we noted that the Art Institute of Washington had stopped accepting new students.

The New York Times has reported that essentially the entire chain of Art Institutes has closed, and last week, "... members of the faculty at Argosy's Chicago and Northern Virginia campuses told students that they had been fired and instructed to remove their belongings."


Friday, March 08, 2019

Tonight: City Paper recommends Super Art Fight

The Post's Captain Marvel timeline

BECOMING CAPTAIN MARVEL

How Carol Danvers's evolution, from love interest to the most powerful Avenger, mirrors the ups and downs many female superheroes have experienced.

By Shelly Tan March 7, 2019

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/entertainment/captain-marvel-history/?fbclid=IwAR0-Rlk3jpdXwoLMZMt4ndAP32x3PDwIvI-OqbGrkb24jVatkTwJ5U7fzi4

March 23: Bill Griffith in Baltimore

MAR23

Bill Griffith's Nobody's Fool Talk & Signing

Public
 · Hosted by Atomic Books

  • Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 7 PM – 9 PM

  • Atomic Books
    3620 Falls Rd, Baltimore, Maryland 21211

March 23: Josh Frank at Politics and Prose at Union Market

Josh Frank - Giraffes on Horseback Salad: Salvador Dali, the Marx Brothers, and the Strangest Movie Never Made — at Politics and Prose at Union Market

Giraffes on Horseback Salad: Salvador Dali, the Marx Brothers, and the Strangest Movie Never Made Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9781594749230
Availability: Coming Soon—Pre-Order Now
Published: Quirk Books - March 19th, 2019

In the late 1930s, the great surrealist painter Salvador Dalí teamed up with the Marx Brothers, writing the script of a film to be called Giraffes on Horseback Salad. MGM rejected the project and the manuscript was believed to be lost. Then Frank, author of the Pixies oral history Fool the World, found it and, in a stroke of genius, teamed with comedian Tim Heidecker to recreate the film as a full-color graphic novel, a genre which allows perhaps more range to the original creators' fantastic absurdity than film would have. Through mind-bending patterns, wildly shifting color schemes, and flamboyant composition, the book follows the strange attraction of an ordinary businessman—to have been played by Harpo—to a siren known as the Surrealist Woman.

This event is part of P&P's Film Series at Union Market, along with David Thomson with Sleeping with Strangers, Mallory O'Meara with The Lady from the Black Lagoon, and Victoria Riskin with Fay Wray and Robert Riskin.

P&P is proud to partner with Angelika Pop-up to offer attendees the chance to win a night at the movies. At each Film Series event, you can enter a raffle for five movie passes to the Angelika with two large popcorns. You can enter the raffle once at each P&P Film Series event, so the more readings you attend, the better your chances!

Politics and Prose at Union Market   1270 5th Street NE   Washington   DC    20008


The Post, Express, and NPR on Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel


'Captain Marvel' — Marvel's first movie built around a woman — is not the empowering thrill it wants to be [in print as You glow, girl - but a little too late].

Washington Post March 8 2019 p. Weekend 16-17

Aliens? Pffft. The real enemies in 'Captain Marvel' are much more common [in print as Aye, aye, 'Captain': Finding the power to be who we are]


'Captain Marvel' Takes Flight — Through Very Familiar Skies

Thursday, March 07, 2019

RVA comics column features a Richmond store

Gareth Hinds' new Iliad book is spawning interviews

Gareth has sent out a new email listing various bits of news about his new book. Here's some interviews he's done:

The Bronze Age Gets Eloquent: Gareth Hinds Brings Us The Illiad

by Hannah Means Shannon

Herblock Prize goes to Matt Davies for the second time

https://www.herbblockfoundation.org/herblock-prize/prize-winners

2019

Winner
Newsday

Matt Davies is the editorial cartoonist for Newsday in NY and has won both the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism prize. In 2004 he was awarded the first ever Herblock Prize.

In 2017 he received the National Headliner Award and was also a runner up/finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2011 and 2016.

Finalist
Self Syndicated

My name is Clay Jones and I do things a little differently than other editorial cartoonist.
I am not employed by a newspaper. I am nationally syndicated, but I am not with a
major syndicate. In 2013, I left Creators Syndicate to represent myself. I wanted more
control over my work and for it to be sold individually, not with a package. When editors
subscribe to my work, they're buying just my work.
Since I don't have an employer to scream at me, I don't have to…

The City Paper reviews Captain Marvel

True '90s Kids Will Treat Captain Marvel With Guarded Skepticism

The latest MCU movie has its flaws, but is ultimately inspiring when it needs to be.

Mar 6, 2019

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

March 22-31: Marvel Universe Live at George Mason's Eaglebank Arena (aka Patriot Center)



More than 25 Marvel superheroes and villains -- including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor and Loki -- are ready to rumble at the Patriot Center in this all-new live-action spectacular, complete with state-of-the-art 3D projections and pyrotechnics, movie-style martial arts, mind-blowing stunts and even high-flying motocross. The exciting original story kicks off with The Mighty Thor smashing an all-powerful Cosmic Cube to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. But his villainous brother Loki comes up with a plan to pick up the pieces and destroy the universe. Now Spidey, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America and Hulk must team up against Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Red Skull, Madame Hydra, Electro and more in an epic battle of good vs. evil. This thrill ride of a show stars the world's top stunt performers and aerial artists, who bring their battles directly overhead to provide plenty of up-close excitement.

Tickets are for sale here
Goldstar has some discounted days.

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

Catching up with Josh Kramer


by Mike Rhode

Next week, I'll be moderating a Nerds in NoMa panel on March 12th on "Comic Converts: The World of Comic Illustrators in D.C." One of the attendees will be Josh Kramer, and it's been 6 years since I talked to him for the City Paper, so it was time to check in with him again.



You've kept doing cartoon journalism in those years, although I think you moved to the midwest for a while. Is that correct?


Yes. I was a 2017 Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, so I moved to Ann Arbor for nine months and got to learn up close from Phoebe Gloeckner and dive deeply into visual journalism. I just took a lot of different classes and tried different things. I did my own NaNoWriMo and drew a first draft of a fiction graphic novel I doubt anyone will ever read, but it was fun!


And you've started doing daily drawings on Instagram? What's your objective for those?

Yeah, I have this series, that I aspirationally draw once a day, where I just recreate something that sticks out to me and try to have fun with it. Nonfiction comics usually take a while and require lots of planning, so it's nice to just sit down and draw something in one go — they're easy to start and finish. I like the "first draft" quality of it, and I don't think people are expecting a masterpiece or perfect composition. I've always liked watercolor and colored pencil, and now I have an excuse to mess around with them a lot more. I'm already working on a freelance piece where I'm using this style, so it's creeping into my other work, in a good way.

You mentioned to me that you've moved on from concentrating on food stories to being interested in cities and transit. Can you give us more details?

Sure. I started as a generalist, moving from one weird, idiosyncratic story to the next. But a little while ago I noticed a pattern: I like drawing and writing about cities. So while I'll still write about cheese and other topics with no urban connection, I've been dialed into issues like transit, housing and architecture. I'm writing regularly for Mobility Lab and writing comics like this one that dig into urban policy. I've been doing a lot of drawn infographics, which have really focused me.

Is Cartoon Picayune, your zine collection of cartoon journalism still being published?

I don't have any plans to publish new issues, but you can still buy the old ones. I've very proud of those comics and think they hold up pretty well. Meanwhile, venues like The Nib have really unlocked the potential of nonfiction comics on the internet. There's so much good content being published online, that instead of editing a print publication, I write this newsletter and curate the best of what's out there.

I've seen your byline on some graphic novel reviews lately too. How did you get into that? What do you typically like to read?

Yeah I'm doing some writing about comics, mainly for The Comics Journal. I'm really leaning into the confusion about what "comics journalism" means. Since the Fellowship, I've been trying to live fulltime as a freelancer and that has meant trying to write and draw as much as I can, wherever I can. I'm new to comics criticism, but I'm hoping, as a working cartoonist, to bring more nuance and depth to the critical conversation around drawing and to write in an accessible way. My bread and butter is obviously nonfiction comics, but I like fiction as much as the next guy and grew up sitting on the floor at Borders, reading superhero comics and manga. So I'll read anything! For a little more about my recent journey in freelancing, I wrote about it here.

March 9: Deandra Tan: Comics talk at Arlington's Aurora Hills Library

Deandra Tan: Comics

On exhibit at the Aurora Hills Branch Library, February 6 - March 31.
https://arlingtonva.libcal.com/event/5186677
cover art from graphic novel
Artist Statement:
Deandra "Nika" Tan is a Virginia-based writer and artist who primarily leverages the medium of comics to tell her stories. Her visual art style combines elements of Japanese manga and vintage art illustrations, which she then further adapts to fit the tone of whatever project she's working on. Initial concept work is done traditionally with a pen and paper, whereupon the comic is drafted and completed on a tablet computer. Recurring themes in her stories explore the tensions between romantic and familial relationships and the desire for societal recognition.

Artist Reception: Deandra Tan

Please join us at the Aurora Hills Branch Library for a reception honoring local artist Deandra Tan.
Meet the artist and view an exhibition of her artwork in the Aurora Hills lobby.
Date:
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Time:
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Location:
Aurora Hills Branch Library
Categories:
Artist Talk
Calendar:
Aurora Hills

June 30: Fresh Talk: Accessory to Action—Adorning Wakanda

Fresh Talk: Accessory to Action—Adorning Wakanda

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios

Sunday, June 30 | 4:30–6 p.m.

Working with Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth Carter as Marvel Comics' first licensed jewelry designer, Douriean Fletcher created the power-packed accessories for the blockbuster film Black Panther (2018). The Afro-futurist-inspired design propelled audiences into a world where power and gender roles were based on expertise and ability. With the jewelry in a starring role, Fletcher created looks that reflected gender equity in Wakandan society. Join us for a conversation that explores how we communicate gender, power, and expertise through adornment.

Reservation required. $25 general; $20 members, seniors, students. Price includes museum admission and Catalyst cocktail hour.


National Museum of Women in the Arts

1250 New York Ave NW | Washington, DC 20005 | 866-875-4627 | info@nmwa.org

Josh Kramer reviews Lucy Knisley's new book

Review: Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos

Monday, March 04, 2019

Dr. Seuss in the National Library of Medicine

Local comic shops in 1979

Dan Gearino has posted a list created by Murray Bishoff  of comic shops in 1979. The list is definitely not complete because it doesn't have the shop I was going to in the Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ at the time, but it does show a lot of shops around Washington, although none in the city itself.

Here are some clips showing the local shops, only one of which still exists, I think. The Maryland list shows  Barbarian Book Shop, now Barbarian Comics, which is still roughly at the same location.  UPDATE: It's beyond our coverage area, but Randy commented that Zeno's Books is still in business too, and on their Facebook page, they say "40 years of serving Tidewater Virginia’s oldest Comic Book Store."






May 18: Gaithersburg Book Festival

Here's the cartoonists I've spotted on the list of authors:

Alex Graudins

Latest Title:

Science Comics: The Brain: The Ultimate Thinking Machine

Alex Graudins is a a Rhode Island-based cartoonist and illustrator of "Science Comics: The Brain." She graduated from the School of Visual Arts' Cartooning program in 2016 and has since contributed comics to sites like The Nib and CollegeHumor. Alex loves drawing memoirs and YA fiction focusing on mental illness and friendship. But when she's not working, she challenges her social anxiety with improv comedy.

Twitter: @toonyballoony

Gareth Hinds

Latest Title:

The Iliad

Gareth Hinds is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on the classics, including "Beowulf," "The Odyssey," "POE: Stories and Poems," and now his most ambitious and epic book ever, "The Iliad." He also has illustrated picture books, such as "Gifts From the Gods," award-winning non-fiction such as "Samurai Rising," video games, museum exhibits, and more. Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library's "Literary Lights for Children" award, and his books are excerpted in textbooks and used to teach the classics in English classrooms across the country.

Blog: Hindsight

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter: @garethhinds

Tumblr: garethhinds

Andy Hirsch

Latest Title: Science Comics: Trees: Kings of the Forest

Andy Hirsch is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Dallas, whose current projects include several entries in the totally great "Science Comics" line from First Second Books, including "Dogs," "Trees" and "Cats."

Andy is the co-creator of "The Baker Street Peculiars," illustrator of the graphic novel "The Royal Historian of Oz" (a 2013 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens), and contributor to the "Garfield," "Regular Show" and "Adventure Time" ongoing comic book series. His first solo graphic novel, "Varmints," was released in 2016.

Facebook

Instagram: @itsandyhirsch

Twitter: @ItsAndyHirsch

Author Website:

https://aforandy.com/

Dave Roman

Latest Title: Astronaut Academy: Re-entry

Dave Roman is a cartoonist and full-time waffle enthusiast. He is the author/illustrator of the "Astronaut Academy" series (winner of Maryland's Black-Eyed Susan Book Award) and writer of the graphic novels, "Teen Boat! Race for Boatlantis" and "Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery." He has contributed stories and art to "Goosebumps Graphix: Slappy's Tales of Horror," "Pluto is Peeved!" and "Nursery Rhyme Comics."

Dave is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, a former editor at Nickelodeon Magazine and is currently series editor for First Second's "Science Comics" series of non-fiction graphic novels. He lives in New York City and draws a webcomic called Starbunny, Inc.

Facebook

Twitter: @yaytime

 

Author Website:

http://yaytime.com/

Julian Voloj

Latest Title:

Basquiat: Art Masters Series

Julian Voloj was born in Germany to Colombian parents. He's the author of a number of graphic novels, including the critically acclaimed "Ghetto Brother," which told the story of a historic gang truce that paved the way for hip-hop, and "The Artist Behind Superman: The Joe Shuster Story," which has been translated into six languages. He lives with his wife and two sons in New York City.

Facebook

Twitter: @WarriorPeacemak


Sunday, March 03, 2019

Saturday, March 02, 2019

March 7 : Mindy Johnson on Animation at Smithsonian Associates

The Women Who Animated the Movies: Uncovering a Colorful History



Their names may not be as familiar as those of Minnie Mouse or Betty Boop, but female animators have made significant contributions to the form since its earliest days. Mindy Johnson , a leading expert on women's roles in animation and film history, tells their mostly little-known stories.

Event Location

S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Dr SW, Metro: Smithsonian (Mall exit),

Sorcerer's Apprentice at Artinsights in Reston

Leslie Combemale is holding an album of Disney art including a drawing of Mickey Mouse from the Sorcerer's Apprentice just prior to Mindy Johnson's talk about women who worked for Disney. The talk starts in fifteen minutes.

Mindy Johnson is speaking about women in Disney animation at at Artinsights in Reston at 3 pm.

Friday, March 01, 2019

Local comics journalist launches new comic series

Emily Whitten has announced that her book, The Underfoot, will be in comics stores on April 10th. It's co-written with Ben Fisher and drawn by Michelle Nguyen. It's the start of a three-book series anthropometric (aka funny animal) story about post-apocalyptic hamster kingdoms.

Kevin Panetta at NoVA Teen Book Festival

City Paper likes Ruben Brandt

Art is Everywhere in the Charming Ruben Brandt, Collector

Milorad Krstic debut feature film is an animated love letter to the art world. [in print as Art Me Up].

 


WASHINGTON CITY PAPER MARCH 1 2019, P. 23

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comments on comic book featuring her

The joys of becoming a comic figure...


AOC SUPERHERO WRESTLING REBEL... Hopes New Comic Book Inspires Others

 2/27/2019


The Post reviews two foreign cartoons

Need a break from downer tweets? Grab the kids and see 'Tito and the Birds.' [in print as Gorgeous animated film covers a hideous topic: Fearmongering].


Tito, center, the 10-year-old hero of the animated Brazilian film "Tito and the Birds," seeks a cure for an epidemic of fear. (Shout! Factory)

A film as good-looking as 'Ruben Brandt, Collector' should be more fun than it is [n print as Shaky scaffolding for artful images].


A scene from the animated film "Ruben Brandt, Collector." (Sony Pictures Classics)