ComicsDC

Friday, December 03, 2021

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 12/2/21

Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock Talk with Roger

by Roger Sutton

Nov 12, 2021

https://www.hbook.com/story/authorsillustrators/hope-larson-and-rebecca-mock-talk-with-roger-2021

Book Review: Authorizing Superhero Comics: On the Evolution of a Popular Serial Genre by Daniel Stein

reviewed by Eric Berlatsky

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 2, 2021

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2021/12/book-review-authorizing-superhero.html

Daniel Stein. Authorizing Superhero Comics: On the Evolution of a Popular Serial Genre. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 2021.

Review Essay: Rebirth of the English Comic Strip: A Kaleidoscope, 1847-1870 by David Kunzle

Richard Scully

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 2, 2021

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2021/12/review-essay-rebirth-of-english-comic.html

David Kunzle. Rebirth of the English Comic Strip: A Kaleidoscope, 1847-1870, Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2021.

Top 10 Manga of 2021

Brigid Alverson and Robin Brenner

Dec 01, 2021

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=slj-top-10-manga-2021

Political Cartoonist Accuses NFT Platforms Opensea, Rarible of Being 'Tools for Political Censorship' [Stonetoss Comics]

by Jamie Redman

November 30 2021

https://news.bitcoin.com/political-cartoonist-accuses-nft-platforms-opensea-rarible-of-being-tools-for-political-censorship/

Oni adds Lunar for distribution

Heidi MacDonald

12/03/2021

https://www.comicsbeat.com/oni-adds-lunar-for-distribution/

Libraries' digital exhibit examines work of editorial cartoonist Jerry Doyle

Clara Drummond

Penn State News December 01, 2021

https://www.psu.edu/news/academics/story/libraries-digital-exhibit-examines-work-editorial-cartoonist-jerry-doyle/

"The World According to Doyle: Editorial Cartoons from The Jerry Doyle Papers at Penn State."

Clara Drummond

Penn State University Libraries' Eberly Family Special Collections (December 2021):

https://sites.psu.edu/accordingtodoyle/

Oral History with Doyle's Family Members

Jim Quigel

Penn State University Libraries' The Eberly Family Special Collections Library

September 14, 2017

https://sites.psu.edu/accordingtodoyle/2021/01/31/oral-history/

'I feel that I haven't done my best work yet.' 93-year-old artist continues drawing after long career in comics [Joe Giella]

Virginia Huey?

News 12 Staff Nov 29, 2021

https://longisland.news12.com/i-feel-that-i-havent-done-my-best-work-yet-93-year-old-artist-continues-drawing-after-long-career-in-comics

'Annie Live!': Coming Soon to Your Living Room

By Laura Zornosa

A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 2, 2021, Section C, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: N.Y.C., a Cast of 42 and Sandy the Dog.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/01/arts/television/annie-live-tv-musical.html

'Annie Live!' Review: The Sun, as Always, Came Out

By Noel Murray

Dec. 3, 2021,

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/03/arts/television/annie-live-review.html

The Comics of COVID | Stellar Panels

by Brigid Alverson

Nov 30, 2021

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=the-comics-of-covid-stellar-panels-graphic-format-web-comics

Thursday, December 02, 2021

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 12/1/21

20 years on, a self-proclaimed Enid looks back at Ghost World

Feeling compassion for your younger self—and nostalgia for '90s thrift stores

Katie Rife

December 1 2021

https://www.avclub.com/20-years-on-a-self-proclaimed-enid-looks-back-at-ghost-1848132541

Exhibit Review - Moomin Animations – Thrills and Cuddles

reviewed by Mike Rhode

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 1, 2021

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2021/12/exhibit-review-moomin-animations.html

December 01, 2021

Moomin Exhibit at National Children's Museum

by Mike Rhode

https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2021/12/moomin-exhibit-at-national-childrens.html

'The Truth Is Women Have Always Suffered'

Mirion Malle's graphic novel closely observes a young woman dealing with depression.

Dorothy Woodend 9 Nov 2021 | TheTyee.ca

https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2021/11/09/Truth-Is-Women-Have-Always-Suffered/

Mirion Malle: "Let's Talk About Mental Health Without Pointing Blame"

The Author of This is How I Disappear Speaks With Sophie Yanow

Via Drawn & Quarterly

By Sophie Yanow

November 29, 2021

https://lithub.com/mirion-malle-lets-talk-about-mental-health-without-pointing-blame/

Inner Mythologies: PW Talks with Emily Carrington

By Cheryl Klein

Nov 26, 2021

A version of this article appeared in the 11/29/2021 issue of Publishers Weekly under the headline: Inner Mythologies

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/87981-inner-mythologies-pw-talks-with-emily-carrington.html

Animation Guild Takes Page From Larger IATSE Activism In Push for Higher Wages

In talks with producers through Dec. 2, TAG's #PayAnimationWriters hashtag has called for parity for its members, compared to counterparts repped by the Writers Guild.

Katie Kilkenny

December 1, 2021

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/animation-guild-wages-contract-iatse-1235055746/

In a World of Pure Imagination

Two very different visionary artists, Hayao Miyazaki and Tony Kushner, are both famed for creating fantastic, fully realized worlds that also reflect our own.

By Hanya Yanagihara

A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 5, 2021, Page 44 of T Magazine with the headline: The Wizards.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/t-magazine/hayao-miyazaki-tony-kushner-visionary.html

PW Comics World: More To Come

More To Come 494: AnimeNYC Webcomics and the Future

Heidi MacDonald and Kate Fitzsimmons

on 11/26/2021

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/podcasts/index.html?channel=2&podcast=1171

Reappearing Acts: R. Kikuo Johnson Has a New Graphic Novel

By Heidi MacDonald

Dec 01, 2021

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/88020-reappearing-acts-r-kikuo-johnson-has-a-new-graphic-novel.html

Remembering Two Titans of Manga: Shirato Sanpei and Saitō Takao

Natsume Fusanosuke | December 2, 2021

https://www.tcj.com/remembering-two-titans-of-manga-shirato-sanpei-and-saito-takao/

November 30, 2021 by Gil Roth

Episode 462 – Edward Sorel

Virtual Memories Show 462:

http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-462-edward-sorel

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/virtualmemories/Episode_462_-_Edward_Sorel.mp3

Wednesday, December 01, 2021

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "...Or The Virus Wins"

From DC's anarchist cartoonist -

"...Or The Virus Wins"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=3348

Remember right after Nineleven™ when the travel industry and retail
were imploding, and Bush and that bunch were telling everybody to "go
shopping, or the terrorists win"? Welp... same deal here. The State
and Capital won't do what needs to be done to keep us safe and to
eradicate Covid-19, and have chosen instead to go with "herd immunity"
(a.k.a. "mass death") to serve Capital at the expense of the working
class and their families.

...and speaking of serving Capital — all the sudden squawking about
the "supply chain" kinda smelled funny to me from the get-go simply
because every major US media outlet and their uncle all started
yelling ZOMG SUPPLY CHAIN almost simultaneously, as if somebody threw
a switch, not unlike all the screaming about the "labor shortage". My
suspicions were pretty much confirmed the other day when, while
catching my daily 15 seconds of MSNBC, they were doing their daily
Supply Chain Meltdown and one of their "guest analysts" was the CEO of
Mattel.

Yeah, that's right; that's what this pants-crapping is all about — not
enough Barbies at Wal-Mart for Christmas.

----------

"Pig Nation", cartoon by Mike Flugennock, 05.31.2002
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=254

"Christmas Dies Hard", Amanda Mull in The Atlantic, Dec 2020
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/12/pandemic-christmas/616925/

"Biden administration ramps up drive to get women 'back into the
workforce'", Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Site,11.14.2021
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/15/masq-n15.html

"Fourteen consecutive weeks with more than 100,000 cases of COVID
among US children", Benjamin Mateus at the World Socialist Site,
11.16.2021
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/17/covi-n17.html

"Biden's message to Wall Street: Mass death will not interfere with
corporate profits", Patrick Martin at the World Socialist Site,
11.30.2021
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/11/30/pers-n30.html

Mike Flugennock, Political Cartoons: http://www.sinkers.org/stage
and follow me on Mastodon at https://mastodon.social/@flugennock

Moomin Exhibit at National Children’s Museum

by Mike Rhode

Moomin Animations – Thrills and Cuddles, Minna Honkasalo, curator. Washington D.C.: National Children’s Museum on September 3, 2021-January 9, 2022. https://nationalchildrensmuseum.org/

In 1945, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson created her Mumintrolls for a children's book. The Moomins look like hippos crossed with the Pillsbury doughboy, but have proved popular enough to make her the Scandinavian equivalent of Walt Disney. She eventually wrote or drew 9 books about them. In 1947 she started a comic strip with the characters, which started appearing in English in 1954. Her brother Lars Jannson joined her on the strip from 1959-1961 and then he took the strip over until 1975 when it ended. Reprints have been published by Canada's Drawn & Quarterly. There have been multiple animated versions of her characters, and that is what this exhibit focused on.

The NCM has had some rough years, closing off and on while searching for new locations. In 2020, it finally wound up just off Pennsylvania Ave, NW in a plaza behind the Reagan building. They had to shut again almost immediately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened in September 2021 with the Moomin exhibit among others, and are aiming for an attendance of a half million people per year. Note that you have to visit with a child; unaccompanied visitors need to make an appointment, and throughout my tour of the exhibit, I was accompanied by a staff member. The museum is actually largely underground; one enters at ground level and then moves downward through an unfinished concrete warren. The guide is probably necessary for more than the main reason.

The Embassy of Finland has brought over a version of Honkasalo's original exhibit from the Moomin Museum that is completely composed of reproductions. It has several sections - a wall on Jansson's life, stills from various animations, 4 screens showing cartoons, and several activity areas for children. An average American viewer might have no knowledge about the Moomins, in spite of the fact that there have been so many adaptations. This exhibit focuses on animated versions and includes episodes from 1959 (West Germany), 1969 (Japan), 1977 (Poland), 1990 (Japan). Obviously, none of these would be particularly easy for an Anglophone to find, but the 1969 one in particular was surpressed by Jansson, as noted in the exhibit catalog - "She felt that Momin was too far removed from her stories' world and atmosphere. Elements foreign to Moominvalley had been inserted into the tales, including cars, money and weapons. For example, a few episodes show Snork driving around in a car, Moomintroll makes money by busking, and weapons feature in several episodes." "She did not want them to reach international distribution, so they have never been broadcast outside Japan. Today, they are hard to find even in Japan, on account of complicated copyright issues connected with the [1900s series]." The exhibit catalog is unfortunately not available, except for a few copies lying in the exhibit, but I recommend it highly if you can find it.

Jansson has been the focus of recent attention including a documentary, two biographies, and an edition of her letters. The wall on her life is written for children, but includes the basics necessary to have an idea about her as a person and as a creator. To the exhibit's credit, the segment on her life does not shy away from her love of another woman, even though it was socially unacceptable at the time. "A soul mate. Amid the hustle and buslte, Tove meets Tuulikki, the woman who will become her life partner for the rest of her life..." reads part of the panel.

The wall of stills would probably have been of more interest in the original exhibit, as it apparently included some actual artwork by her. Here, understandably, it's all reproductions and screen captures. A fan of the characters might be interested in seeing how they evolved in different animations. There are also some areas for children to draw, hang things on a tree, or take a picture with cardboard standups. There is also a small selection of gifts in the giftshop.

Also of interest from a cartoon perspective are a STEAM-centric exhibits about creating animations featuring SpongeBob and his cast, and another on Paw Patrol. Lastly, I'd like to apologize to the public affairs staff at the Museum for being so delayed in posting this review. They were true professionals who got me into the exhibit days after I wrote to them, and I just didn't get around to writing it for 6 weeks.

All the images, except for "Exhibition space 4" and "Tove Jansson," are courtesy of the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C. The two are courtesy of the NCM. The exhibit catalog cover is taken from the copy the staff gave to me. My photographs can be seen here. A version of this review will also appear in the International Journal of Comic Art and on its blog.

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 11/30/2021

Thank you for 23 years at BICLM, Marilyn Scott!

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Blog

November 30, 2021 / Caitlin McGurk

https://library.osu.edu/site/cartoons/2021/11/30/thank-you-for-23-years-at-biclm-marilyn-scott/

Book Review - Is Superman Circumcised? by Roy Schwartz

Reviewed by Leonard ("Labe") Rifas

International Journal of Comic Art blog November 30, 2021

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-review-is-superman-circumcised-by.html

Roy Schwartz. Is Superman Circumcised? McFarland, 2021. 374 pp. $45. ISBN 978-1-4766-6290-9. https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/is-superman-circumcised/

Do We Need More Heroes? Disney Hopes So.

The Magic Kingdom is betting that it can continue milking popular Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar franchises without souring its audience. That is no sure thing.

By Dan Gallagher

Wall Street Journal Nov. 26, 2021

https://www.wsj.com/articles/do-we-need-more-heroes-disney-hopes-so-11637922624

Going to Pieces – Peacemaker Lost and Found

Tom Shapira | November 30, 2021

https://www.tcj.com/going-to-pieces-peacemaker-lost-and-found/

A 'Simpsons' Episode Lampooned Chinese Censorship. In Hong Kong, It Vanished.

By Vivian Wang

A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 30, 2021, Section A, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: 'Simpsons' Trip to Beijing Is Missing in Hong Kong.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/29/world/asia/simpsons-hk.html

In the wake of Devil's Reign, Chip Zdarsky introduces Daredevil: Woman Without Fear!

Andrew Sumner

Nov 29, 2021

Forbidden Planet TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Ym5x9vgIo

Ep. 39: Look Back, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

November 30, 2021

https://www.mangasplaining.com/blog/ep-39-look-back-by-tatsuki-fujimoto/

Ep. 38: RaW Hero vol 1, by Akira Hiramoto

November 23, 2021

https://www.mangasplaining.com/blog/ep-38-raw-hero-vol-1-by-akira-hiramoto/

Political cartoonist Jesse Springer on his latest book, "Only in Oregon"

KLCC | By Brian Bull

November 29, 2021

https://www.klcc.org/arts-culture/2021-11-29/political-cartoonist-jesse-springer-on-his-latest-book-only-in-oregon

"What We Need Are Poets and Inspiration": Pros From 'Encanto', 'Raya and the Last Dragon' and the THR Animation Roundtable

Creatives behind 'Flee', 'Luca', 'The Mitchells vs. The Machines', 'Spirit Untamed' and 'Vivo' also detail how filmmakers are diversifying their stories both on screen and behind the scenes.

Carolyn Giardina

November 30, 2021

This story first appeared in a November stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/encanto-raya-and-the-last-dragon-animation-roundtable-1235052506/

Sipultaneous [Jason Chatfield]

By Anthony LeDonne

POAT podcast November 27 2020

https://anchor.fm/anthony-ledonne/episodes/Sipultaneous-en1tvg

Diarrhea on a Yoga Mat [Jason Chatfield, covid-19]

By Anthony LeDonne

POAT podcast August 20 2020

https://anchor.fm/anthony-ledonne/episodes/Diarrhea-on-a-Yoga-Mat-eie9j5