Read today's Mallard Fillmore

A headline I never thought I'd write. However, today's Mallard Fillmore by Bruce Tinsley, run locally on page 2 of the Washington Times, is a touching tribute to Jay Kennedy, the recently deceased King Features editor.

Stagger Lee graphic novel signing report

I'm late with this report , and I apologize. The signing for the Stagger Lee graphic novel was at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda on Wednesday, April 28, 2007. It started at 2:00 pm, unfortunately after the lunchtime new comics rush. Writer Derek McCulloch (the guy with the hat) and artist Shepherd Hendrix (the guy without the hat) were making an East Coast tour on their own dime, and had appeared on XM radio the day before, and were due at Barnes and Nobles in NYC the day after, followed by a college appearance before returning to California. More details can be found on McCulloch's blog.

Things were slow when I arrived so I talked to them for a bit, and found out a few points of interest. McCulloch had the idea for the book, and showed the script to his old friend Hendrix at a party and Hendrix agreed to illustrate it. The book was about half-drawn when they pitched it to Image. They had been planning on self-publishing, but went with Image for its larger reach and abilities.

The book's been out for about a year and is a bit of a cross-over title, bringing out more music fans than superhero fans. I can attest to this because the 2nd customer had heard the radio show and drove down from Baltimore to buy 3 copies.

McCulloch wrote a full script and Hendrix drew from that. Hendrix had a couple of pieces of the original artwork with him as well as pieces from a couple of fantasy series that he's working on - some very nice stuff. The comic was a bit of a hobby for both of them until Image accepted it and then it became a job and had to be done much faster.

Well, that's all I can recall at the moment - I'll add anything I think of in later. I bought my copy and I encourage you all to give it a try. I imagine Joel's got extra signed copies at Big Planet because Image doubled the shipment he had requested. For more information, don't forget Scott Rosenberg's article - Cruel Old Stagolee Gets Graphic: The legendary tale of Stagger Lee gets a graphic treatment.

Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland

Bryan Talbot will be at Big Planet Comics soon - late afternoon on April 11th. We've met once or twice at SPX, and shared a meal with Paul Gravett at Greg Bennett's a few years back, and I've got to say that his Tale of One Bad Rat is an excellent look at the Beatrix Potter mystique. Now Bryan's turned his attention to Alice in Wonderland - read "He were a right bonny lad, that Mad Hatter; Lewis Carroll's debt to the north east is writ large in the wise and witty graphic book, Alice in Sunderland" by Rachel Cooke in the Sunday April 1, 2007 Observer.

April 5, Fredericksburg: The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life

The Post's Book World reports that Steven Watts will lecture on Disney at the University of Mary Washington, George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium, 1301 College Ave, Fredericksburg, VA on April 5 at 7:30 pm. No cost is listed, but the phone number is 540-654-1055.

Ted Rall definitely dropped by City Paper

It's been three weeks, and Ted Rall hasn't been in the City Paper. It's time to start a letter-writing campaign. Their email is mail@washingtoncitypaper.com or webmeister@washingtoncitypaper.com . I'm sending a stiff note to both right now.

BTW, Louis Bayard gave Meet the Robinsons the best review I've seen so far in the March 30th issue.

Mister Ron greeted by Bud Grace

Mister Ron Evry, the Springfield comics historian and collector who's been mentioned here before, has posted a video greeting on his blog from Piranha Club cartoonist Bud Grace.

April 6: Saul Steinberg: Illuminations

The Washingtonian reports on Saul Steinberg: Illuminations
Date(s): 06. Apr 2007 - 24. Jun 2007
Cost: Free
Phone: (202) 633-1000
URL: http://americanart.si.edu/press/press_kits.cfm#steinberg

Saul Steinberg, born in Romania in 1914, began drawing cartoons while studying architecture in Milan. After moving to New York in 1942, he worked as an illustrator, muralist, and designer of fabrics, greeting cards, and stage scenery­—but it was his whimsical cartoons and covers for the New Yorker that brought him fame. Most memorable was his cover depicting a New Yorker’s view of the world—with not much beyond the Hudson River.

“Saul Steinberg: Illuminations,” an exhibit of drawings, collages, and sculpture, is on view April 6 to June 24. It was a hit earlier this year at New York’s Morgan Library, but that version did not include doodles the cartoonist made when he was artist in residence at the Smithsonian in 1967.

Curator Joel Smith will speak on “Steinberg’s Century: Art, Humor, and the Middlebrow Avant-Garde” on April 15 at 3 p.m.

3/31-4/1: Washington International Print Fair - Free

The Print Fair is at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at 1900 N. Fort Myer Dr in Arlington, today from 10-6 and tomorrow from 11-5. It's free due to their silver anniversary. I'm sure there's comics material here, and I'll be there about 2.

Bits from the Post

Richard Thompson creates a few new cherry tree myths to try out on tourists in his "Poor Almanack" panel in Style.

In "The High and Low Of the Art Scene," Jessica Dawson reviews the exhibit "Tug of War" at Hemphill Fine Arts gallery on 14th street. This is the exhibit with Gary Baseman and Shag paintings in it as well as a few others who have been influenced by cartoons.

In the Metro section, but not online, is a photo of protesters 'Agitating for the First Amendment' whilst wearing V for Vendetta masks.

Gobbledygook appears in DC apparently

Shocking headline, I know.

Actually the story is "Rare Gobbledygook Issues Change Hands,"Scoop, Friday, March 30, 2007. If you haven't signed up for Diamond's Scoop email, go do it now - there's a lot of fun stuff in it.

Anyway Scoop reports, "Copies of the first and second issues of the rare fanzine Gobbledygook, featuring the first appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, changed hands at February's New York Comic Con. The deal was brokered between Charles Costas, a collector from the Washington, DC area, and Brian Tatge, a long-time Turtles collector from Michigan..."

April 4: Herblock prize awarded

This isn't open to the public, but the Herblock prize will be awarded to political cartoonist Jim Morin at the Jefferson building of the Library of Congress at 7 pm. Perhaps one could stalk a cartoonist or two under the portico...

March 29-May 13: Finnish duck artist exhibit

Carl Barks or Don Rosa aren't the only duck artists around. I wasn't planning on posting much tonight, but I checked the Express and they posted this article from yesterday - "Still Life With Duck: Painter Kaj Stenvall's enigmatic artwork is definitely for the birds" by Express contributor Glenn Dixon, Express (March 29): E7. I am definitely going to see this show. More pictures and an interview are at http://www.kajstenvall.com too; click the English link on top. And click the link to see the Slaves of Sex painting mentioned in the Express.

April 21: Smithsonian Anime seminar

Y'know, some days I'm just embarrassed by this blog. Tom Spurgeon's Comic Reporter picked up on this story, even though he's on the other coast somewhere. I think this is a press release so I'm just going to reproduce it here, but I'd encourage anyone with interest in anime to visit the ActiveAnime site I lifted it from.

Note that like all Resident Associate Programs, this isn't free.


JAPANESE ART FORMS MANGA AND ANIME TOPIC OF SMITHSONIAN EVENT
Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2007 - 01:03 PM
Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away part of "Japan WOW!" Smithsonian event that will start on March 31 to June 9. Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away seminar will be held on Saturday, April 21 at 10 AM


The Smithsonian Associates will feature the Japanese pop culture phenomena of manga (comics and printed cartoons) and anime in an all-day seminar on Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. –5 p.m. as part of its cultural series “Japan WOW!” (March 31—June 9). The program “Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away” will be held in the Meyer Auditorium at the Freer Gallery of Art (12th and Independence Avenue SW, DC, 20013). Tickets are $45 general admission, $30 for members, and $15 for students 18 years and under. For tickets and information, call (202) 357-3030 or visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

Manga and anime are now two of Japan’s biggest cultural exports—as evidenced by the popularity and record-breaking sales associated with the 2001 animated movie “Spirited Away.” In this seminar leading experts and industry veterans will explore the development of these interconnected art forms, commenting on the creative process, styles, characters and the effect these popcultural creations have on United States markets and trends.

Leading the discussion on manga is Michael Uslan, “Batman” series producerand creative chief officer and producer of Comic Book Movies LLC. He is joinedby artists/ directors Ryuhei Kitamura, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Kazuhiko Kato andLotus representative Hiroshi Koizumi. Presenters Osamu Tezuka (creator of“Astro Boy”), Leiji Matsumoto and Masashi Kishimoto (creator of “Naruto”), use the works of Shotaro Ishinomori, as they look into manga’s history, the interaction of manga and modern culture, as well as its impact onthe worlds of publishing, animation, and live action cinema with these talented artists of today’s manga creations.

In the afternoon, Dr. Susan Napier, professor of Japanese literature and culture at Tufts University, illuminates the world of anime. Considering it asa global cultural phenomenon, Napier expounds on the stories, characters and symbolism that define it.


The program “Manga to Anime: From Astro Boy to Spirited Away” is supported by the DC Anime Club. The Japan WOW! series is made possible by Amway Japan LTD, The Boeing Company, The Hay-Adams, Kikkoman, Mitsubishi International Corporation, Toyota and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (METRO); with additional support by All Nippon Airways (ANA), EYA, Embassy of Japan,Japan Information and Cultural Center, Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C., Japan Foundation New York, the Japan National Tourist Organization New York, Comic Book Movies, LLC, Lotus, Inc. and the Palomar Hotel.

Beat the Comics Pages

Probably just to continue our torment, Post comics page editor Suzanne Tobin moderated a chat with two of the puzzlemakers whose presence on the physical pages has caused the Post to shrink the size of the strips again. Read it here if you must.

Extensive review of Go, Diego, Go Live! in today's Post

In a move that I can only approve of, the Post devoted a lengthy column to reviewing The Great Jaguar Rescue, a life-action theatrical version of the Dora animation spin-off Go, Diego, Go. I'm absolutely serious about that approval too - comics have a long tradition of being adapted into theatrical versions - it's been happening since the very beginning. It happened with movies too - this year's bumper crop is by no means anything new. You should have seen the screens in 1905*

Coming tomorrow - a tour of Geppi's Entertainment Museum, and finally the Stagger Lee signing report.

*ok, I'm guessing at the biggest year, but these comics movies were big. Trust me. And there's really good articles about theater adaptations too. A guy named Mark Winchester did a lot of good research. Here's his citations from my Comics Research Bibliography:

Winchester, Mark D. 1990. George McManus, comic strip theatricals and vaudeville [thesis]. Ohio State University.

Winchester, Mark D. 1992. The Yellow Kid and the origins of comic book theatricals: 1895-1898. Theatre Studies 37:32-55.

Winchester, Mark D. 1993. Cartoon theatricals: A chronology. Theatre Studies 38:67-92.

Winchester, Mark D. 1993. Comic strip theatricals in public and private collections: A case study. Popular Culture in Libraries 1(1):67-76.

Winchester, Mark D. 1995. Hully Gee, It's a War!!! The Yellow Kid and the coining of 'yellow journalism.' Inks 2(3; Nov):22-37.

Winchester, Mark D. 1995. Litigation and early comic strips: The lawsuits of Outcault, Dirks and Fisher. Inks 2(2; May):16-25.

Winchester, Mark D. 1995. Cartoon Theatricals from 1896 to 1927: Gus Hill's Cartoon Shows for the American Road Theatre [dissertation]. Ohio State University.

American Association of Editorial Cartoonists to exhibit in DC

Dave Astor scooped this one out from under my nose - the AAEC will be exhibiting cartoons at their 50th-anniversary exhibit at American University's Katzen Arts Center. Unfortunately, as Dave (we've emailed enough to be on a first-name basis, so there) reports, they didn't get enough cartoons to do 50 years of presidential elections, so they're just focusing on the current administration. Sigh.

The Katzen's a brand-spankin-new arts space with some interesting shows. They did one cartoon show already. Let's see if I can find my International J. of Comic Art review...

...whoops this is a long one. From issue 8-1. If I get any requests, I'll post the pictures.

Comic Reality: Political Cartoons by Ibero-American Artists, Juan Carlos Vila, Washington, DC: Katzen Arts Center at American University, January 17-February 1, 2006.

Juan Carlos Vila of Guatemala, with his counterparts in the Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attachés (AACI), put together an excellent exhibit that sampled highlights of Spanish-speaking countries’ political cartoonists. The exhibit was located in American University’s brand-new arts center, which is a flowing concrete structure filled with light and oddly-shaped walls. The art, grouped by countries in alphabetical order, hung in a long oval third floor gallery, and included approximately 58 pieces beginning at Argentina and ending with Venezuela. More cartoons were apparently provided to the Center, as the press release lists 100 cartoons, and the show’s booklet includes cartoonists and works not on display. A rarely-seen disclaimer, stating that the cartoons did not represent the views of each country’s ambassadors, flanked either end of the show; unsurprisingly on reflection, since most of the caricatures were of the country’s ruling political powers, or, due to current events like the Iraq war, and world leaders such as President Bush and Prime Minister Blair.
While the show had a small booklet to accompany it, these will be hard to find as it was already out of stock. By country, the exhibit included:
Argentina - Carlos Nine, a very fine caricaturist whose work can infrequently be seen in the New Yorker. His watercolor and crayon drawing of Carlos Saúl Menem, a politician wearing a toupé or ‘el gato’ – a cat, was a highlight of the show.
Bolivia – represented by three cartoonists. Joaquin Cuevas had a digital political cartoon of Pope Benedict XVI chasing a condom. Alejandro Archondo, showing the range of American popular culture, represented Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Trond Scheen Korsjoen, formally of Norway, contributed a very odd piece in which he drew George Bush as Scarface, Batman’s evil puppet enemy, with Dick Cheney as the Ventriloquist.
Brazil – two pieces by Chico Caruso showing three leaders in each. His drawing of Bush overshadowed by Churchill, John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt would be easily understood by an American audience, although his style is somewhat different than an American would have drawn.
Chile – Jimmy Scott draws large-headed caricatures like David Levine. He does an excellent Condoleezza Rice.
Columbia – Vladimir ‘Vladdo’ Florez’s work has been seen in IJOCA before (6:1), and his three cartoons were excellent. In “Kid’s Game,” he depicted Bush, Blair and the Spanish president as trying to assemble a toy kit labeled ‘war.’ Vladdo’s superb parody of Mastercard ads, “No Negociable,” showed a soldier with various equipment labeled with prices, but his punch line “War crimes: priceless” indicated his support for the International Criminal Court.
Costa Rica – Oscar ‘Oki’ Sierra Quintero’s caricatures of big-headed celebrities are done in very bright colors, atypical of American caricatures.
Dominican Republic – Harold Priego was represented by a traditional-style cartoon about taxes and two big-head caricatures. He appears to work, or augment his cartoons with computer effects.
Ecuador – Roque Maldonado did a traditional cartoon of the president as the doctor treating his country. Francisco Cajas Lara is a caricaturist very much in the style of David Levine’s older pen and ink work and had a very nice drawing of Hugo Chávez in the show. His view is that Chávez is not as authoritarian as the United States government would suggest.
El Salvador – cartoonists Mario Enrique ‘KIKE’ Castañeda and Ricardo ‘Alecus’ Clement both displayed traditional-style editorial cartoons.
Guatemala – Elizandro de los Angeles showed three caricatures including a fine one of the former president as the palm of a hand.
Honduras – Allan McDonald’s three illustrations were all critical of corporations. “El Ché Company Inc.” reproduced the famous photograph in corporate names and trademarks. “Juan Pablo Marketing,” a cartoon of the Pope as a crucified UPC symbol and Marx Disney, a caricature of Karl Marx as a Mousketeer were both hard-hitting works.
Mexico – traditional political cartoons by Abel Quezada and ‘Feggo.’ Quezada’s “Inventos Politicos V,” or Political Invention 5 was an automatic flatterer robot for politicians to buy – and a very good cartoon. Feggo’s cartoon was of Mexicans climbing a work permit as a ladder to get over the walls surrounding the US.
Nicaragua – Manuel Guillen’s cartoons were typical of Oliphant-influenced American works, and with slightly-changed topics could appear in any American paper without looking at all foreign.
Panama – Julio Enrique ‘RAC’ Briceño had three very colorful caricatures in watercolor and gouache, in a style unfamiliar to American traditions.
Paraguay – self-taught Enzo Pertile was influenced by European cartoons. His “Politics and its Vices” showed a fat politician, wearing a mask and gloves, and eating grapes while reclining on a plinth. While a typical subject for editorial cartoonists, Pertile’s mastery of line made this a highlight of the show. His “Warm Mantle” of Tony Blair wrapped in the flag was technically fine, but less interesting.
Peru – Andres Edery’s “Reconciliation” was a traditional cartoon showing the head of the opposition party as a suicide bomber. Carlos Miquel ‘Carlín’ Tovar Samanez, whom the catalogue notes “is reputed to be the best Peruvian Cartoonist” is apparently strongly influenced by American movies as he drew the Peruvian president in scenes from The Matrix and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Portugal – Seemingly stuck in an earlier day, ‘Vasco’ did an interesting drawing of Adolph Hitler, while ‘Antonio’ caricatured Charles de Gaulle. Rui Pimentel’s caricature portraying Bush and Blair as Siamese twins about to light a fuse to explode the earth, as Bush says, “After one year, the world is much safer!” was clear and well-done.
Spain – Andres ‘EL ROTO’ Rabago Garcia may have been the most graphically-interesting choice, except perhaps for Uruguay’s. EL ROTO’s deceptively simple watercolor and ink works were extraordinarily attractive. His “Submerged Economy’ of an underwater Chinese laborer pulling a ship, was painted in flat muted orange above the ocean and flat green below, and had a very simple line, but was perhaps the best image in the show.
Uruguay – Hanoch Piven may have been born in Uruguay, but he has really been a citizen of the world. Piven makes caricatures out of paper, paint and objects. His George Bush had Bazooka gum wrappers for eyebrows, blue marbles for eyes, a dart with American flag fletching for a nose, and a purple feather for a mouth. Boris Yeltsin was depicted using sliced lunch meats. His work can be seen in the book What Presidents Are Made Of.
Venezuala – Régulo Pérez’s “El Alba Sale para Todos” (The Alba Shines for Everyone) was a disappointing caricature of the sun with a face.
In the accompanying booklet, Murilo Gabrielli of Brazil noted the aims of the exhibit: The choice of political caricatures as the theme of the Art Salon fulfills three goals. First, it exhibits to the U.S. public a small but significant sample of the long tradition of political satire in the Ibero-American countries. Second, while doing so, it testifies to the vigor of democracy and freedom of expression in our countries. Last, but surely not least – for this is an Art Salon – it highlights the artistic aspect of caricatures, the presence of which is so routine and familiar in the pages of newspapers and magazines that we sometimes forget how esthetically (sic) striking each such cartoon can be.

The exhibit met these goals, and could easily have filled a larger space, or stayed up for a longer period. It was a fine overview of the wider world of editorial cartooning and caricature which seem under threat in the United States.

Win Tom Toles!

Actually, just a lunch with him, and $500 to pay for it (what does he eat anyway?) - oh, and a trip to Washington to be able to do so. Enter Science Idol: The Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest for your chance.

April 10: WILLIAM HOGARTH'S ART

March 28, 2007

Public contact: Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115

SWANN FELLOW TO LECTURE ON WILLIAM HOGARTH
AND THE ART OF GESTURE AT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, APRIL 10

Swann Foundation Fellow Hope Saska will explore the connection between the popular graphic satire of William Hogarth, whose art presented amusing yet cautionary tales of human behavior, and the staging of theatrical productions in the 18th century, in a lecture at the Library of Congress on April 10.

Saska will present the lecture, titled “Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth and the Art of Gesture,” at noon on Tuesday, April 10, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Saska’s illustrated presentation is based on research conducted at the Library of Congress during her fellowship awarded by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon. The Library administers the Swann Foundation. The lecture, sponsored by the foundation and the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.

Hogarth (1697-1764), the versatile English painter and satirist often called “the father of English caricature,” became well known for his paintings of “modern moral subjects,” also published as print series. At a time when actors were urged to study the fine arts  particularly paintings of historical subjects and ancient sculpture  for samples of gesture and expression to enliven the characters they portrayed on stage, Hogarth turned to theatrical metaphor to describe his two-dimensional “performances” on canvas and the engraved page.

In her lecture, Saska will argue that the practices in staging a theatrical production are analogous to the artistic process of creating two-dimensional scenes in visual art. As such, the motions the artist makes with his hand and arm to draw on the page or to inscribe a copper plate are synonymous with the gestures a performer makes in front of an audience.

Investigating Hogarth’s analogy between theatrical performance and art making, Saska’s lecture will focus on key passages of Hogarth’s 1753 treatise, “The Analysis of Beauty,” and on his engravings, especially the second illustrative plate to the text, often referred to as “The Country Dance.” She will argue that Hogarth’s theatric metaphor allowed artists, especially those working with graphic media, to envision their processes of art-making as a new category of performance.

Saska is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Brown University, where she also completed her master’s degree in the field. Her dissertation, titled “Staging the Page: Graphic Satire in Eighteenth Century England,” examines shared aspects of theatrical performance and graphic satire and caricature in 18th century London.

In addition to being one of three Swann Fellows for 2006-2007, Saska is a curatorial assistant at the David Winton Bell Gallery in the List Art Center of Brown University.

This presentation is part of the Swann Foundation’s continuing activities to support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world. The foundation customarily awards one fellowship annually (with a stipend of $15,000) to assist scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon. More information about the fellowship is available through the Swann Foundation’s Web site: www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome or by e-mailing swann@loc.gov.

# # #

PR07-64
3/28/07
ISSN: 0731-3527

Cruel Old Stagolee Gets Graphic

I enjoyed meeting the cartoonists behind the Stagger Lee comic book today - I'll put up some pictures and bits of information tomorrow, but for today here's an article by Scott Rosenberg - Cruel Old Stagolee Gets Graphic: The legendary tale of Stagger Lee gets a graphic treatment, [Washington Post] Express (March 27 2007).

March 28 - Stagger Lee signing at Big Planet REPOST

Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, writer and artist of the new comic Stagger Lee will be at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda from 2-4 pm on Wednesday, March 28th. As the flyer says, wear a Stetson, get a gift. I have no idea what that means.

Big Planet is at 4908 Fairmont Ave, in the Woodmont Triangle, and the phone number is 301-654-6856.

On April 11th, Bryan Talbot will be there in the evening for his new book Alice in Sunderland. Anyone who's unfamiliar with Bryan's work should run out and buy Tale of One Bad Rat, his Beatrix Potter-influenced story, and then work up to the glorious new wave madness of Luther Arkwright.