Speaking of comics chats on the Post website...

Suzanne Tobin used to host these "Meet the Artist" chats fairly regularly, but not lately. I recently linked to the Galifianakis one. However, there's a score or so in their archive, unfortunately not labeled by cartoonist. Don't miss the little "more news" link on the bottom which will take you to one more.

Post censors comic strips, again - Get Fuzzy this time

MetaDC and Ben Towle picked up that some papers, including the Post, were censoring marijuana jokes in Get Fuzzy last week. Ben's got the story, and the some of the strips in two posts - here and here. Fortunately Darby Conley's syndicate wasn't as worried as the Post and all the strips can be seen on the Comics.com website for a few weeks.

As is par for the course, the Post never mentioned this. You'd think the paper would have a bit more spine, and at least confess to their censorship.

Anyone like to try to recall other instances of the Post censoring, or "editing," (their preferred term) the comics? There have been several. In Sept 2005, a Dilbert strip showing assault by a porpoise was cut (Dave Astor had the story); in July 2005, they pulled a Boondocks strip and Suzanne Tobin defended their actions in a chat with Paul Gilligan of Pooch Cafe. (Hit refresh and the link will work - twofer!)

They had pulled Boondocks in 2004 and their ombudsman at the time Michael Getler noted, One year after refusing to publish a week's worth of the "Boondocks" comic strip drawn by Aaron McGruder, The Post did it again last week, only this time it didn't tell readers. The Post says that comics are edited just like any other feature of the paper and denies that this is censorship. Editors say last week's offering was racially offensive and used negative stereotypes of African Americans to lampoon TV reality shows. Last year The Post was the only paper, among 250 that buy "Boondocks," to drop it. This time seven other papers dropped it, including the Boston Globe. I disagreed last time, and this time, too. I think McGruder, who is African American, is a brilliant artist who has created young, black characters speaking with razor-sharp, satirical candor who say things that make us uncomfortable but also make us think. In January of 2004, Mike Peters of the Dallas Morning News noted that the Post dropped a BC strip, admittedly lame, The strip offered to newspapers today mocks the notion that two Asians could have flown the first airplane. The punchline: "Two Wongs don't make a Wright?" They've dropped other B.C. strips for religious sensitivity reasons too.

The aforementioned Boondocks was dropped in October 2003, the Boston Globe reported, "In an unprecedented move that angered readers and generated industry criticism, The Washington Post recently killed an entire week of "The Boondocks" comic strip with a story line suggesting the world might be a safer place if national security adviser Condoleezza Rice had a more active love life." As in the later event, the ombudsman Michael Gertler disagreed, noting on October 19, 2003 "I may need a refresher course in sensitivity training, but I also found the sequence of strips within the bounds of allowable satire. I don't know a thing about Rice's personal life, nor do the characters in the strip, and I think readers understand that. The "Boondocks" characters, and their creator, were being mischievous and irreverent, in their mind's view of the world, about a high-profile public figure, and that seems okay to me." A month earlier, a Doonesbury strip about masturbation was dropped. Boondocks also was skipped twice in January and October of 2002. There's a few more BC examples and Ted Rall's strip was dropped online in March of 2002 after his 9-11 Widows strip. Anyone else got any more?

Shojo manga show opens; lecture on January 30th

The exhibition "Girl Power! Girls' Comics From Japan" opened today at the Japan Information and Culture Center. Tomorrow at 6:30, the curator Masami Toku will present a free lecture on the history of shojo manga, or girls' comics Reservations are required. Reply to jiccrsvpwinter07@embjapan.org or (202-238-6949). This is the only night the exhibit will be open; normal hours are 9-5, Monday through Friday.

The Post ran a brief piece on it on Friday - "Comics That Draw a Feminine Crowd" by Lavanya Ramanathan (Friday, January 26, 2007; Page C11)

Post reviews Aguirre-Sacasa's comic book-influenced Shakespear

Unfortunately, in "Prospero's New Island: Manhattan - Rorschach's 'Rough Magic' Offers The Bard -- Comic Book Version," Nelson Pressley gives it a rather lukewarm review. He starts off promisingly, noting A number of the inside jokes are delicious, as when Melanie calls on the controllable Coriolanus to lend a hand. "Dumb as a stick, and a total mama's boy," Olivera's quick-thinking Melanie reasons. But overall, Pressley feels that great gobs of the script seem more suited to comic books than the stage, especially the ultra-dense plotting and ka-POW action sequences and concludes that it lack(s) a certain hoped-for magic.

I'll let you know what I think when I see the show.

See the article in The Washington Post, Monday, January 29, 2007; Page C02.

Good article on Chinese cartoonist in Post

About every five years, the Post runs an article on something to do with comics and China. Today it was Suicide Rabbit by Liu Gang, a vehicle for criticizing the establishment, if not the party. It's a good article by Edward Cody.

Jan 28 - Animation Show 3 at GWU

Both the GW Hatchet and the Express have articles today reporting that the Animation Show 3, a collection of shorts, will be shown at the Lisner Auditorium at 730 21st St, NW at 7 pm on Sunday for $11.

"Rough Magic" is also discussed on page E9 of the Express.

"The Adventures of Carrie Giver" comic book distributed to Congress

The Examiner's political gossip column by Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin reports today that the comic book "The Adventures of Carrie Giver" was distributed on Capitol Hill recently. The comic book deals with the cost to people, mainly women, who become primary care givers to disabled family members. And it has a cover by Neal Adams! You can buy a copy through that link, by the way.

The columnists talked to the group, and reported, "So which politicians like their proposals in comic book form? Social Agenda’s Theresa Funicello tells us the best responses she’s received from Capitol Hill came from the offices of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. In addition, Funicello says the real women’s division of the Department of Labor enjoyed the comic and asked for several copies. “Staffers were very amused and kind of stunned when we came around with these,” said Funicello. “They don’t usually get serious issues in comic book form.”"

Roll Call had the story too, but doesn't provide a free online version. The print version is "Adventures in Lobbying: Comic Books Help Put Caregiver Issues in the Spotlight" By Tom Gottlieb, Roll Call Staff, January 23, 2007.

The Onion peels for DC

DC is going to get the satirical parody newspaper, The Onion judging from an ad in today's Express. The ad is for an account manager and says "The Onion is coming to Washington...." blah, blah, blah, and will be published in partnership with the Express and the Washington Post(!). Of interest to us is the fact that the paper runs serious reviews of comics. I think it also runs some harder-to-find comic strips as well. And it's funny.

Nick Galifianakis, Washington Post illustrator

I'm working on a listing of cartoonists who regularly appear in the DC papers, and one of them whose work I especially like is Nick Galifianakis. His work appears bi-weekly or so in the Post, illustrating is ex-wife Carolyn Hax's advice column, "Tell Me About It." The picture here is from the January 12, 2007 column, but he's been doing them for years. He's a local guy, and this 2004 Suzanne Tobin chat is the only biographical bit that I know of. He was supposed to have a book out, but I don't know if that ever happened. I think he's got a very nice line, and hope he eventually does more than just advice column gag cartoons.

Hoopla! - new Arlington VA comic book review blog

Paul Weissburg has restarted his comic book review column as Hoopla! An online comic-book review column. I don't know Paul, and am just passing along the notice I got from the owner of Big Planet Comics.

Zippy around DC

I completely missed this one, but Zippy was at Arlington's Bob and Edith's diner right after Christmas. Cartoonist Brian Biggs has eaten there with me as well. Zippy's also popped into Rock Creek Cemetery in DC; Barry's Magic Shop in Wheaton (on Georgia Avenue, near the shopping mall); Ben's Chili Bowl in DC; the newly-reopened National Portrait Gallery; and the Lincoln Memorial. He's even made it out to Catonsville, MD.

Jan 27-Feb 25 Shakespeare in Washington

I can hear you all wondering, but there's a comics link here that my friend Liz pointed out. Rough Magic, a reworking of The Tempest, is written by Marvel Comics writer, and former area resident (and Big Planet Comics customer) Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. I'm going to try to catch this.

Jan 27 - Alternative comics fest at Dr. Dremo's

Today's Post reported today that Dr. Dremo's Taproom in Arlington will host DC Counter Culture Festival next Saturday that will include alt cartoonists selling their comix. Specifically listed in the Post were Jason Rodriguez, Little Foot and Angry Dog Press. It goes from 4 pm - midnight, and the bar's address is 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

"Chicago 10" animated film in today's Post

Saturday's that is. Here's the article.

March 2-3 - Academic panels on comic books in Baltimore

Vanessa Raney reports two academic panels will be at the 2007 Northeast Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention at the The Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel, Baltimore, MD, March 1-4, 2007.

* Fri. (Mar. 2), 10:00a-11:30a *

2.08 Douglas Room
God and the Graphic Novel
Chair: Kelly S. Meyer, The College of Saint Rose

"Jesus Christ, Drawn and Quartered: The 'Reformed' Stations of the Cross in Fundamentalist Tracts"
Scott Maisano, University of Massachusetts-Boston

"Jesus Christ, Drawn and Quartered: The 'Reformed' Stations of the Cross in Fundamentalist Tracts"
T. Anne Metivier, Indiana University

"This Last Thing Ya Gotta Do Alone: Preacher and Masculinity"
Gordon Sullivan, North Carolina State University

"Alan Moore's Promethea: Comics as Primer and Missionary Tool for Alternative Religion"
Christine Hoff Kraemer, Boston University


* Saturday (Mar. 3), 11:45a-1:00p *

9.07 Pratt A
Picture Books and Children's Comics: Semiotics of Illustration
Chair: Vanessa Raney, Hood College

"Semiotics of the Visual: An Introduction"
Vanessa Raney, Hood College

"Puzzle Panels: The Semiotic Riddles of George Carlson's Comic Art and Children's Media"
Daniel F. Yezbick, Peninsula College WA

"Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or, There Must be a Picture Book for Adults"
Ofra Amihay, Tel Aviv University

Ann Telnaes cartoon chosen as "Cartoon of the Month"

Dave Astor says that Capitol Hill resident and Pulitzer Prize winner Ann Telnaes has a cartoon that's been picked as "Editorial Cartoon of the Month" in Editor&Publisher's upcoming February print issue. He describes the cartoon as "...an anti-"surge" cartoon last week showing George W. Bush at a podium attached to a treadmill. As the fitness-obsessed President ran in place, one could clearly see that the treadmill's treads were flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq." Astor then goes onto discuss the current state of editorial cartooning, although he doesn't note that shamefully enough, Telnaes is self-syndicated without a home newspaper.

Cartoon-based videogames reviewed in Friday's Post

The Weekend section had reviews of videogames based on Peanuts and Family Guy. These are syndicated though, and not unique to the Post.

Spider-Man giveway in today's Washington Examiner

The Electro story from 1964 continues, but there's an interesting new cover by Kolins, dated 2006 so it's definitely new. The computerized coloring of the cover contrasts oddly with the flat colors of the original though. Remember - liberate your neighbors' copy! Capitol Hill by Eastern Market is a particularly rich stalking ground, as many people there don't want the paper and actively post signs saying so, but get it delivered anyway. Unlike my less-prosperous South Arlington neighborhood. Personally, I find it a perfectly respectable, although right-wing, free read.

Washington Post editor on language in comics

I'm pretty sure that Dave Astor is no where near DC, but he scooped me again with this one - Syndicate Editor Supports Candid Language in Comics - in which he notes that Washington Post Writers Group comic strip editor Amy Lago has posted a defense of adult language in comics. What's next - sex? Whoops, she defends that too. Seriously, it's about time - far more kids are hearing these terms on tv than reading them.

Tobacco cartoon show extended at Medical Museum

Ok, now this is embarrassing. I work in this place and didn't know the show was extended a month until reading Dave Astor about it. Anyway, the editorial cartoon exhibit, Cartoonists Take Up Smoking has been extended for another month through March 31st. The exhibit is a traveling show and not curated by us (ie me) so I can say that it's a good one with some really good cartoonists included.

If you're on the museum site, you might want to check out my recently-updated finding aid Cartoons and Comics in the National Museum of Health and Medicine, although it's already out of date again. Last week, a researcher came across a Dear Mabel World War 1 knock-off. I'll post more on that when I examine it more closely.