A few bits and pieces from the papers

Catching up with some from the holidays, in the Washington Post we found:

Thursday's Holiday Issue magazine, which in addition to having food photos by my friend Lisa Cherkasky, also had an article illustrated by Kevin Pope. Pope became familiar to us DC types last year when he did a series of illustration ads for an IT firm that ran regularly in the Express. Barry Blitt had a political cartoon on the last page, "All I Want for Christmas: Young Elites and Their Holiday Wishes" that poked fun at some of the politicians and chattering classes. This was reminiscent of his work for Entertainment Weekly of a few years ago. Neither of these appear to be online.

The Examiner had the free Spider-Man reprint comic book today, although it was hard to find the paper. Reprinting a bit of Amazing Spider-Man #7, it features a new cover by Olivier and Morales. Yesterday, the paper ran a couple of articles on comics. One was a review of the videogame based on Avatar the Last Airbender cartoon, and the second was an AP article "Too Many 'Toons?" which strikes me as stupid. Nobody complains about too many sitcoms.

Upon reading the Post it appears Richard Thompson is on vacation (in any event the website is weeks behind). "Cartoonist Held After Siege at Miami Paper" details José Varela's inappropriate attempts to reform publishing. And they mention an exhibit at the Postal Museum that I'll post separately on.

While out of our purvey officially, the NY Times has been going gangbusters with comics articles. Yesterday they had a review of the new exhibit of African comics in Harlem and today, articles on DC Comics' new line for girls and an another article on the editorial cartoonist in FL going crazy and occupying a newsroom. Skipping past that last one quickly, they also ran one of James Stevenson's excellent "Lost and Found New York" pieces of cartoon journalism - this time burlesque.

Big Planet Comics named best by Washingtonian

Washingtonian Magazine named Big Planet Comics the best comics store in their 'Best of' December issue. The twenty-year old chain was founded by Joel Pollack, and his grinning face may be seen with a copy of Creepy in the photogaph accompanying the article. As someone who's been shopping at Big Planet for 20 years, I say, "Hear, hear!"

Nov 30 - Booksigning - Matt Diffee

at Politics and Prose for The Rejection Collection of cartoons the New Yorker wouldn't buy and it's a pick of the City Paper which came out early this week.

The National Lampoon did at least one similar collection too.

Tom Toles online archive

This may be old news, actually it is old news, but it bears repeating. All of Tom Toles' cartoons for the Post since 2003 are online. But in addition to the version we see published in the paper, he has also been posting his sketches for the day's cartoon since August 2005 - which may or may not be what finally gets drawn. I think this is still a rare peek into a top cartoonist's working process.

New comics expected today, courtesy of Big Planet Comics

My friend Joel Pollack, owner of Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, sends out this weekly list. Hopefully, he won't mind my reposting it here, especially since I've already stopped in today and dropped a load of dough.

New comics arriving this WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND

DC COMICS
52 WEEK #29
ACTION COMICS #845
BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES VOL. 5 HC
BLUE BEETLE #9
BOYS #5
CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON’S BLOOD #1
CREEPER #4
EX MACHINA VOL. 4: MARCH TO WAR TP
HAWKGIRL #58
JACK OF FABLES #5
JSA CLASSIFIED #19
MAN CALLED KEV #4
RED MENACE #1
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL. 1 TP
SUPERGIRL AND LSH #24
SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL. 3 TP
SWAMP THING VOL. 9: INFERNAL TRIANGLES TP
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #5
WONDER WOMAN #3
Y-THE LAST MAN VOL. 8: KIMONO DRAGONS TP

MARVEL COMICS
ALL NEW OFF HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z #11
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536
AVENGERS: EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES II #2
CAPTAIN AMERICA: RED MENACE VOL. 2 TP
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #8
DAREDEVIL #91
ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 TP
EXILES #88
FANTASTIC FOUR: THE END #2
HELLSTORM, SON OF SATAN #2
HEROES FOR HIRE #4
HEROES REBORN: CAPTAIN AMERICA TP
MARVEL HOLIDAY DIGEST TP
NEW EXCALIBUR #13
NEW X-MEN OMNIBUS HC
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #1
RUNAWAYS #22
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #12
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #102
WOLVERINE #48
X-FACTOR #13

INDYVILLE
ANGEL: AULD LANG SYNE #1
ANGRY YOUTH COMIX #12
ARCHIE & FRIENDS #105
ARMY OF DARKNESS #12
BLAB VOL. 17 GN
BUCKAROO BANZAI #3
CASANOVA #6
CONAN #34
DENNIS THE MENACE COMPLETE 1955-56 HC
DRAIN #1
FATHOM #11
FUTURAMA COMICS #28
GODLAND #14
THE GOON NOIR #2
HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS 2006
IMPALER #2
JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS #2
LOOKING GLASS WARS: HATTER M #4
NOBLE CAUSES #25
PERHAPANAUTS: SECOND CHANCES #2
PIRATES OF CONEY ISLAND #2
PLANETARY BRIGADE: ORIGINS #1
PREVIEWS VOL. XVI #12
SAVAGE RED SONJA #4
SIMPSONS WINTER WINGDING #1
STAR WARS: KOTOR #10
TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED MOVIE ADAPTATION #2
USAGI YOJIMBO #98
WALKING DEAD #32
WIZARD #183

PLANET PICKS
52 WEEK #29
ACTION COMICS #845
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536
BOYS #5
CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON’S BLOOD #1
DAREDEVIL #91
EX MACHINA VOL. 4: MARCH TO WAR TP
FANTASTIC FOUR: THE END #2
GOON NOIR #2
HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS 2006
JACK OF FABLES #5
JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS #2
MAN CALLED KEV #4
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL. 1 TP
SIMPSONS WINTER WINGDING #1
WALKING DEAD #32
WONDER WOMAN #3
X-FACTOR #13
Y-THE LAST MAN VOL. 8: KIMONO DRAGONS TP

Comics blog by DC resident John Daniels

My friend John Daniels lives in DC, reads more superhero comics than I do, shops at different comics stores, and has been at this blog thing longer than I have. He's writing Comic Story Arc, a blog with reviews and commentary, and his current page shows an interview with Frank Beddor, writer of Hatter M and The Looking-Glass Wars. I'll be checking that out since I just picked up the novel.

Author mentions Garry Trudeau's visits to Walter Reed hospital

The Comics Reporter linked to this article today in which amputee reporter, Michael Weisskopf, is asked by reporter Ben Steelman about Garry Trudeau. Weisskopf, who lost a hand as an embedded reporter while grabbing a live grenade tossed into the vehicle he was riding in, had this to say about Trudeau:

"Q. You mentioned that Doonesbury picked up the story line of its character B.D. losing a leg. What did the guys on Ward 57 think of that?

A. I think they believe it's nice to have the attention given to their lives. (Doonesbury cartoonist) Garry Trudeau, whom I've met through this process, is a real solid guy. He goes to Ward 57 regularly and uses proceeds from his work to help the Fisher House Foundation, which runs family support centers for wounded soldiers."




Ward 57 is the orthopedics and neurosurgery ward at Walter Reed here in DC, and information on the Fisher Houses can be found here.. Basically they're apartments for families of soldiers who need long-term care, but they also let the wounded soldier relearn living and domestic skills. The Combined Federal Charity campaign underway now for federal works certainly must have them as a charitable choice. The proceeds from Trudeau's work that Weisskopf refers to are profits from the two books about BD's wounding and recovery, The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time and The War Within: One More Step at a Time.

Cartoon Medicine in NY Times

Joe Palooka fought VD in World War II

Paul Terry battled booze in World War I (before Mighty Mouse)

Frank Mack became a cartoonist for Ripley after the war.









The film festival that the National Library of Medicine put on a few weeks ago was covered in today's New York Times (November 21, 2006), Historians Resurrect ‘Cartoon Medicine’ for a New Generation, By AMANDA SCHAFFER

The images above are from the National Museum of Health and Medicine's collection, but the National Library of Medicine also has posters by cartoonists from World War II and later.

Who is Greg Houston?

Beats me, but he's been doing some nice work for the City Paper. This is the second article he's illustrated in recent months - iirc he did one on the night life of Adams Morgan, such as it is.

Actually a quick Google search reveals his website and the fact that he's a Baltimore-based illustrator. He's got quite a few images on his site, including a Venom and a Batman, for us comic book fans.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for his work. The cover of this week's City Paper really stood out but they don't seem to have put it up on their website.

Off topic - Von Allan interview

Longtime (hah!) readers of this blog might recall that Von Allan sent us a press release before his SPX appearance. I stopped by to meet him and enjoyed talking to him and seeing previews of his comics. I know he's a reader of the blog because he keeps posting comments asking how to pronouce "Marjane" as in Marjane Satrapi. Since I haven't answered that yet, here's a link to a recent interview with him.

Nov 25 - Booksigning Sean Delonas

The Washington Post's Book World lists a signing by New York Post cartoonist Sean Delonas and his son Ryan. They've coauthored a children's book, Scuttle's Big Wish. The signing is at Aladdin's Lamp Children's Bookstore, 2499 N. Harrison St, Arlington at 11 am. For some reason they're asking for an RSVP (I've not been to the store - perhaps it's small) - 703-241-8281. I'm not familiar with Delonas' work, but I think I'll try to attend this.

Minor Washington Post comics bits

Two Post strips this week have a bit of interest. Dave Astor does an excellent column on newspaper syndicates, and I'm not just saying that because he just quoted this blog. He pointed out earlier in the week that Hilary Price, Rhymes with Orange cartoonist, is on her honeymoon, and Mary Lawton is doing the strip for two weeks, a fact that complete escaped me even though I read the darned thing. (For those reading between the lines of Dave's story, yes, Price is an out of the closet lesbian).

Ok, a third thing before the second - The Other Coast alternates with another panel in the Post, annoyingly enough, but as Dave points out Raeside really bit the hand that feeds him yesterday. Good for him. "Peanuts out of the Post!" could be my rallying cry.

The second thing is that Stephan Pastis' Pearls Before Swine strip is doing another of those breaking the fourth wall bits and swapping into his strip bits of Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley (who's on vacation).

Any further interest in posts like this where I just note what struck me about a comic? I read the Post, City Paper, Blade, Examiner, Express and Washington Times* (when I get it for free) as well as the NY Times (brag, brag) so I might have something to note if there's any interest.

*It's that Comics Research Bibliography thing that drives me.

Post mentions American Born Chinese at National Book Awards

National Book Awards Honor 'Echo Maker,' 'Worst Hard Time' By Bob Thompson, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, November 16, 2006; Page C01 has a little bit on Gene Yang's nomination. To wit:

In his acceptance speech, [Young people's literature award winner M.T.] Anderson made a point of noting that Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" was the first graphic novel nominated for a National Book Award. "There is a lot of dithering in the blogosphere," he said, about whether graphic novels are worthy. This can now be laid to rest.

and

Yang said he thinks we're "in the middle of a renaissance for the graphic novel" -- finally seeing "an entire body of work" in the form that aspires to be literature.

Nothing world-shaking, but perhaps of interest.

In other news, as I was driving home tonight I was behind a silver Pacifica SUV with a license plate that read "DC Comic" - it was driven by a black man in a military uniform, and judging from the frequency of shows advertised at Walter Reed, I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's a comedian. I was excited for a minute though.

Nov 18 - Academic panels - “Comics, Graphic Novels, and the Bible” REPOST

This has gotten closer, so I'll repeat the information.

A. David Lewis reports that he will be speaking at the following session. More details if I get them, but it sounds interesting. Besides the obvious issue of the propriety of the Danish Islam cartoons, there has been a lot of growth in Christian and Jewish comics in the US. (BTW, I think that's Andre, not Andrea).

Program for 2006 National Academy of American Religion/Society of Biblical Literature

SBL Forum Special Session, Nov. 18, 1pm – DC Convention Center
“Comics, Graphic Novels, and the Bible”
Dan W. Clanton, Jr., Presider

Papers

G. Andrew Tooze, Winston-Salem, NC, “Do Superheroes Read Scripture? The Bible and Comic Books” (30 minutes)

Terry Clark, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, “Biblical Graphic Novels: Adaptation, Interpretation, and Pedagogy” (30 minutes)

Andrea Molinari, Creighton University, “Climbing the Dragon’s Ladder: Perpetua, Felicitas, Graphic Novels and the Possibility of Modern Hagiography” (30 minutes)

Panel Discussion (60 minutes)

Greg Garrett, Professor of English, Baylor University
A. David Lewis, author of The Lone and Level Sands
Steve Ross, author of Marked
JT Waldman, author of Megillat Esther

Library of Congress announces Swann Fellowship applications

This just in from the Library. Note that the grant supports doing research in the Library's collections, which have grown quite a bit. In addition to the donation/purchase of Art Wood's collection which is the basis of the Cartoon America exhibit, the Library also picked up the Harry "A" Chesler collection from Fairleigh Dickenson University in 2001.

November 15, 2006

Public contact: Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115, mkenn@loc.gov

SWANN FOUNDATION ACCEPTING FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS
Foundation Supports Research in the Humorous Arts of Caricature and Cartoon

The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon, administered by the Library of Congress, is accepting applications for its graduate fellowship for the 2007-2008 academic year. Applications are due by close of business on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007, and notification will occur in the spring.

The Swann Foundation awards one fellowship annually (with a $15,000 stipend) to assist in continuing scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon.

As part of the fellowship, the Swann Foundation will support a required two-week residency at the Library of Congress, where the fellow will use the Library’s extensive collections and deliver a public lecture at the Library on his or her work. The fellow must also provide a copy of his or her dissertation, thesis or postgraduate publication upon completion, for the Swann Foundation Fund files.

Guidelines and application forms are available through the Swann Foundation’s Web site www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swann-fellow.html, by e-mailing swann@loc.gov or by calling Martha Kennedy in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library at (202) 707-9115.

To be eligible, an applicant must be a resident of the United States and a candidate for a master’s or doctoral degree at a university based in the United States, Canada or Mexico. The applicant must be working toward completion of a dissertation or thesis for that degree or be engaged in postgraduate research within three years of receiving an M.A. or a Ph.D. Individuals who are not U.S. residents but who otherwise meet these academic qualifications may also apply and be considered for a fellowship, contingent upon the applicant’s visa eligibility.

The applicant’s research must be in the field of caricature and cartoon. There are no restrictions on the place or time period covered. To encourage research in a variety of academic disciplines, any university department may oversee a project proposed for the fellowship, provided the subject pertains to caricature or cartoon art.

Requirements for the fellowship applications include a statement of qualifications, a one-page abstract of the proposed project, a project description that specifies research needs and a budget, two letters of reference and official transcripts.

The Swann Foundation fellowship in caricature and cartoon is the only scholarly fellowship that provides direct support for continuing graduate research in the field. It has supported groundbreaking research on caricature and cartoon that focuses on a variety of subjects and topics such as the Cold War; representations of race, class conflict and disease; and the early origins of caricature.

The Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon is overseen by an advisory board composed of scholars, collectors, cartoonists and Library of Congress staff members. The foundation’s activities support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world. New York advertising executive Erwin Swann (1906-1973) established the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon in 1967.

# # #
PR06-212
11/15/06
ISSN: 0731-3527

Washington Examiner dropping comics followup

Today the Examiner ran the letter on the left. I'd call it disingenous since the Pooch Cafe website shows no signs of the strip being discontinued, and it ran today in the Post's free Express paper. And of the strips the Examiner ran, it duplicated Over the Hedge in Overboard's space.

Also in today's Examiner is Brian Truitt's New Comic Book Releases column which I always enjoy.

Washington Examiner dropping comics?

Since the middle of last week, the Examiner appears to have dropped a page of comics. On October 14th, a paper I happened to have lying around the house, they had two pages of strips. These were Adam@Home, Frazz, Overboard, The Duplex, Pooch Cafe, Jump Start, Prickly City, Rose is Rose, Over the Hedge, The Buckets, Monty, Spot the Frog, Marmaduke, and Herman. In other words, a good middle-of-the-road selection.

Today's paper though only has Frazz, Over the Hedge, Overboard, Spot the Frog, Adam@Home, and Prickly City (which also runs in the Post). And this has been the case for a few days now. So have they cut almost 2/3 of their strips with no notice? Perhaps some more journalistically-inclined soul will look into it.

Nov 27 KAL speaks in Baltimore

The Daily Cartoonist reported that KAL will be speaking in Baltimore soon, and KAL's website has the details:

The League of Woman Voters is sponsoring a special event with KAL on Monday November 27

A lecture titled KAL Draws Criticism: Political Cartoons and The Democratic Society will begin at 6PM at Sheppard Pratt Conference Cente, 6501 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD

Tickets are $10.00

For more information call the League office, 410-377-8046 or email lwvbaltimore@verizon.net

Cartoon America opening photographs

The exhibit opening in the Library of Congress' Members Room was marked with speeches from various luminaries like Librarian of Congress James Billington (I only partially envy him his job), Jules Feiffer, Kevin KAL Kallaugher, Harry Katz, Ann Telnaes, Brian Walker and Art Wood. I'll try to update this entry to post some comments they made that struck me, but in the meantime, here's some pictures that Richard Thompson requested.


Jules Feiffer


Brian Walker



Kevin KAL Kallaugher


Ann Telnaes


Warren Bernard, volunteer cartoon cataloguer, and curators Martha Kennedy and Sara Duke.


Richard Thompson talking to the former manager of the Susan Conway gallery, as the signing line goes on.

Cartoon America review in Washington Post

The Post ran a good review in yesterday's paper, albeit in the Weekend section instead of Style -

Cartoons That Draw You In
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 10, 2006; Page WE48

The pull quote would be, "Tightly yet smartly organized by curators Sara W. Duke and Martha H. Kennedy, this cream-of-the-crop-style survey showcases a collection that is not just vast but deep, featuring a 1743 etching, "Characters & Caricaturas," by satirical printmaker William Hogarth along with examples of original work by Bill Griffith ("Zippy the Pinhead") and Lynn Johnston ("For Better or for Worse"), two contemporary masters of the daily comic strip."

As I've said before, this is an excellent show. I attempted to take my daughter to see it yesterday, but the LoC was closed for the holiday, which is today, and it's open today of course. And don't forget to see Martha and Sara's fine little Herblock show which is upstairs in the American Treasures exhibit.