Loudoun County Public Library | 102 North St. NW, Leesburg, VA 20176
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Nov 23: Jared Krosoczka in Leesbburg for 1book 1community finale this Saturday
On the passing of longtime Baltimore Sun cartoonist Mike Lane
Dan Rodricks writes about his editorial cartoonist colleague.
https://danrodricks.com/2019/11/18/on-the-passing-of-cartoonist-mike-lane/
Monday, November 18, 2019
Disney streaming warns against its own animation
Disney Plus warns of 'outdated cultural depictions' in some films. That's not enough, experts say. [in print as Disney Plus warnings of bias, bigotry: Sufficient?]
Washington Post November 18, 2019: C1-2
The Post talks to Watchmen's Looking Glass
'Watchmen' actor Tim Blake Nelson reflects on the 'unspeakable trauma' of Looking Glass's youth
Washington Post November 18, 2019
11/21-24: Gareth Hinds at NCTE in Baltimore
| from his newsletter: ALSO next weekend, in Baltimore, is the fabulous National Council of Teachers of English annual conference -- my favorite show of the year! Alison and I will be there all weekend, and I hope some of you will too. Here's where and when to find me: Thursday 11/21 at 9:30am - panel on re-imagining the classics with Madeline Miller (Circe) and David Elliott (Bull) - get there bright and early for this one, it's going to be great! Session # A.38, Room 347. Fri 11/22 - Sun 11/24 - Exhibit Hall, Booth 734, pretty much all weekend, except for lunch breaks. |
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "The Bible Returns to the Palace"
From DC's anarchist cartoonist, Mike Flugennock -
"The Bible Returns To The Palace"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2868
Judging from the torrent of racist, religious fundamentalist howling coming from Bolivia's new imaginary president, it looks as if the US-backed fascist junta in Bolivia are using the same standard procedure as when the Spanish first showed up — steal the land, plunder the resources, slaughter the indigenous people and claim that god is on your side.
-------------------
"'The Bible returns to the Palace,' says the new self-declared president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, in a shot against indigenous communities." Waleed Shahid @_waleedshahid on Twitter 11.13.19
https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1194658741054050305
"What do we know about Jeanine Áñez Chávez?" Buenos Aires Times, 11.16.19
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/what-do-we-know-about-jeanine-anez-chavez.phtml
"The Bible Returns To The Palace"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2868
Judging from the torrent of racist, religious fundamentalist howling coming from Bolivia's new imaginary president, it looks as if the US-backed fascist junta in Bolivia are using the same standard procedure as when the Spanish first showed up — steal the land, plunder the resources, slaughter the indigenous people and claim that god is on your side.
-------------------
"'The Bible returns to the Palace,' says the new self-declared president of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, in a shot against indigenous communities." Waleed Shahid @_waleedshahid on Twitter 11.13.19
https://twitter.com/_waleedshahid/status/1194658741054050305
"What do we know about Jeanine Áñez Chávez?" Buenos Aires Times, 11.16.19
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/what-do-we-know-about-jeanine-anez-chavez.phtml
Cavna reflecting on Peanuts reflections
Examining the many facets of 'Peanuts,' a comic-strip gem [in print as Examining the many facets of a comic-strip gem].
Republicans stealing from the Simpsons... again
First the candidate... now his defense....
One of the defenses of Trump is — literally — a TV-cartoon joke [in print as One GOP impeachment talking point is - literally - a cartoon joke I wrote]
That darn Mark Trail, Mutts, and Beetle Bailey
The abominable dragon
Johannah Barry, Falls Church
Washington Post November 16 2019
Good breeding in 'Mutts'
Lydia Maggiora Walter, Alexandria
Washington Post November 16 2019
An entrenched problem
Robert Baylor, Fairfax
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Tamba, Child Soldier
by RM Rhodes
One of the appeals of the French comics industry is the sheer variety of genres that are available on offer. English-speaking comics publishers like NBM have been translating comics originally printed in French for decades for exactly this reason. For its part, the English-speaking audience has responded well what the French call Reportage - comics based on real events that straddle the line between non and fiction. Books like Tamba, Child Soldier by Marion Achard and Yann Degruel.
The creators deliberately chose to not identify a single nation in this book because the practice of using children as soldiers is so widespread that people could identify it pretty much everywhere. To that end, the story's visuals rely on the cultural similarities across the continent, presenting an anonymized landscape filled with generic people for the main characters to wander through. This is a good thing.
The story that the main characters tell is horrific - the book's title lets you know exactly what you're going to get. The art does a great job servicing a harrowing story, which starts with the main character telling his story to a tribunal of some kind. It's easy to tell the flashbacks from the interrogation because the flashbacks use a full color palate, while the interrogation panels have a muted, monochrome color.
Given the weight of the subject matter, having such clear, non-challenging art that communicates scene transitions so subtlety really allows the experience of the main characters take center stage and just exist. The life of a child soldier is heavy enough that it needs no extraneous embellishment, which might have been a temptation in more commercial-minded hands. Fortunately, the French language comics industry is robust enough that not everything has to meet a hypothetical set of arbitrary requirements merely to be considered by the marketplace.
Both the writer and artist are white, which is interesting because they managed to produce a book with almost no white characters. In fact, the only white people in the entire story are silent, unnamed Non-Government Organization (NGO) workers, who are referenced as the bellwether for how dangerous things really are. They show up on half a page near the end of the book, barely have faces and, if you blink, you might miss them.
Marion Achard was a circus performer and wrote several novels before writing this graphic novel. Yann Degruel, the artist, is well known for his children's books, which makes him an interesting choice to illustrate a book about child soldiers.
If you have a deep and abiding interest in the issue of child soldiers, this is absolutely the book for you. There are a trio of short essays in the back of the book about the topic, with URLs for sites that will give you more information. If you are even marginally interested in the issue, this book will absolutely convince you it should be addressed.
Tamba, Child Soldier by Marion Achard and Yann Degruel will be published by NBM in December 2019. https://nbmpub.com/
__________________________________________________________
ComicsDC received a free review copy of this book from NBM.
One of the appeals of the French comics industry is the sheer variety of genres that are available on offer. English-speaking comics publishers like NBM have been translating comics originally printed in French for decades for exactly this reason. For its part, the English-speaking audience has responded well what the French call Reportage - comics based on real events that straddle the line between non and fiction. Books like Tamba, Child Soldier by Marion Achard and Yann Degruel.
The creators deliberately chose to not identify a single nation in this book because the practice of using children as soldiers is so widespread that people could identify it pretty much everywhere. To that end, the story's visuals rely on the cultural similarities across the continent, presenting an anonymized landscape filled with generic people for the main characters to wander through. This is a good thing.
The story that the main characters tell is horrific - the book's title lets you know exactly what you're going to get. The art does a great job servicing a harrowing story, which starts with the main character telling his story to a tribunal of some kind. It's easy to tell the flashbacks from the interrogation because the flashbacks use a full color palate, while the interrogation panels have a muted, monochrome color.
Given the weight of the subject matter, having such clear, non-challenging art that communicates scene transitions so subtlety really allows the experience of the main characters take center stage and just exist. The life of a child soldier is heavy enough that it needs no extraneous embellishment, which might have been a temptation in more commercial-minded hands. Fortunately, the French language comics industry is robust enough that not everything has to meet a hypothetical set of arbitrary requirements merely to be considered by the marketplace.
Both the writer and artist are white, which is interesting because they managed to produce a book with almost no white characters. In fact, the only white people in the entire story are silent, unnamed Non-Government Organization (NGO) workers, who are referenced as the bellwether for how dangerous things really are. They show up on half a page near the end of the book, barely have faces and, if you blink, you might miss them.
Marion Achard was a circus performer and wrote several novels before writing this graphic novel. Yann Degruel, the artist, is well known for his children's books, which makes him an interesting choice to illustrate a book about child soldiers.
If you have a deep and abiding interest in the issue of child soldiers, this is absolutely the book for you. There are a trio of short essays in the back of the book about the topic, with URLs for sites that will give you more information. If you are even marginally interested in the issue, this book will absolutely convince you it should be addressed.
Tamba, Child Soldier by Marion Achard and Yann Degruel will be published by NBM in December 2019. https://nbmpub.com/
__________________________________________________________
ComicsDC received a free review copy of this book from NBM.
Friday, November 15, 2019
PR: Tomorrow! Metal writer Scott Snyder & Darth Vader writer Charles Soule sign at Third Eye Annapolis!
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Minor mystery of an Annapolis midshipman apparently reading Mad in 1955
by Mike Rhode
A
colleague was looking through the US Naval Academy yearbook, The Lucky
Bag 1959 and I noticed that a midshipman was reading Mad as a first year
student (which is internally dated as being 1955, logically enough for a
four year college). So I scanned it thinking that it was just another
example of someone reading comics in an earlier day.
But
what's odd is that this cover, showing Alfred E. Neumann walking away
from a trash can labelled 'What me worry?" doesn't actually seem to be
a 1955 MAD cover, based on the Grand Comics Database's cover gallery.
What it actually is though is the first issue of More Trash from Mad from 1958 with art by Kelly Freas. So, shockingly, somebody mis-attributed the date of the photograph in the yearbook.
 |
| cover from Grand Comics Database |
DC native Ron Wimberly's Prince of Cats to be adapted to film
Spike Lee to Direct 1980s-Set Hip-Hop 'Romeo & Juliet' Tale 'Prince of Cats' (Exclusive)
Musician Paul Vodra recommends Big Planet Comics Vienna
A D.C. Dream Day of new bands and cool art for Hometown Sounds' Paul Vodra
Original Geppi's Comics World sign resurfaces
Eventually, Steve Geppi had stores in the DC area too, including Silver Spring, MD and Crystal City, Arlington, VA.
Dec 3: Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice
Becoming RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Journey to Justice (Hardcover)
$19.99
On Our Shelves Now at:
Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of I Dissent comes a biographical graphic novel about celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a modern feminist icon—a leader in the fight for equal treatment of girls and women in society and the workplace. She blazed trails to the peaks of the male-centric worlds of education and law, where women had rarely risen before.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg has often said that true and lasting change in society and law is accomplished slowly, one step at a time. This is how she has evolved, too. Step by step, the shy little girl became a child who questioned unfairness, who became a student who persisted despite obstacles, who became an advocate who resisted injustice, who became a judge who revered the rule of law, who became…RBG.
About the Author
Debbie Levy is the award-winning author of many books of nonfiction and fiction, including the New York Times bestseller I Dissent, This Promise of Change, The Year of Goodbyes, and the young adult novel Imperfect Spiral. She lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two grown sons.Whitney Gardner is an author, illustrator, and coffee addict. Originally from New York, she studied design and worked as an art teacher and school librarian before moving to Victoria, British Columbia, where she lives by the Salish Sea with her husband and two pugs. In the rare moment Whitney isn't writing or drawing, she's likely to be reading comics, knitting, or roasting coffee. Her books include the YA novels You're Welcome, Universe; Chaotic Good; and the middle grade graphic novel Fake Blood.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Editorial Cartoon by Steve Artley
Recent Cartoon (click on Image for larger view)
"Falling Flakes" |
| ©2019 Steven G. Artley • artleytoons • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
RVA Magazine on Richmond Zine Fest
Richmond Zine Fest: A World Of Creativity At Your Fingertips
Norrin Nicholas | November 8, 2019
Female detective comics briefly displayed at Library of Congress
The details of the one-day exhibit are here:
Alexander McCall Smith and the World of Mma Precious Ramotswe
Alyssa Rosenberg on Marvel movies
Marvel is a supervillain. Even Martin Scorsese doesn't stand a chance.
Washington Post November 13, 2019 A25
Ann Telnaes on Day 1 of the impeachment hearings
Sketches from the Kent and Taylor impeachment hearing
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