Toles wields grave new powers

"Cartoonist Toles Makes List of 'Most Powerful People in D.C.'" sayeth Dave Astor, at E&P Online (August 14). He's quoting from GQ, that bible of politics.

Book on superhero films from area author

See "Tracking Heroes: John Flynn Offers An Up To The Second Compendium Of Comic Book Superheroes Moving From Page To Screen" by Daniel Krall, Baltimore City Paper (August 15, 2007)

Toles' 9-11-quoting cartoon draws criticism UPDATED

Two local residents wrote into the Post to complain about Toles' August 8th cartoon, in which he satirized airline's abysmal performances with lines from 9-11. See A Callous Cartoon, Washington Post Saturday, August 11, 2007; A15

Demonstrating that Alan Gardner's Daily Cartoonist blog has far more readers than this one ;^), cartoonist Mike Lester and a few others go at it in the comments section. This is what Richard mentioned in the comments, but I thought I'd put it up here so someone might see it. Thanks for the tip, Richard! And thanks for the initial link, Alan. For myself, I'd guess that the Toles cartoon generated a lot more mail, but that the Post only printed a couple of the letters.

OT: The 2007 Festival of Cartoon Art: GRAPHIC STORYTELLING

Off-topic, but otoh, I will be driving from DC after this year's ICAF.

The 2007 Festival of Cartoon Art: GRAPHIC STORYTELLING October 25-27, 2007 at the Columbus Renaissance Hotel

Registrations are now being accepted for the ninth triennial Festival of Cartoon Art organized by the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. Attendees will enjoy presentations by top cartoonists from around the country and the world focusing on the art of graphic storytelling. Registration is $150 (only $25 for students and seniors 65 and over!) and includes admission to all Festival of Cartoon Art Forum presentations, the exhibit catalogue for Milton Caniff: American Master and School of Caniff, morning refreshments and lunch at the Renaissance Hotel on both Forum days, a special exhibit reception at The Ohio State University, and a souvenir tote bag. Registration is limited to 275 participants and will be accepted in the order received.

A downloadable registration form is available at the 2007 Festival of Cartoon Art Web site: http://cartoons.osu.edu/FCA2007/site/. The site also features additional information about related events taking place in conjunction with the Festival including an academic pre-conference at the Blackwell Hotel and a special cartoon exhibition and reception at the Thurber House on Thursday, October 25 and a banquet on Saturday evening, October 27.

The year 2007 marks the centennial of the birth of master storyteller Milton Caniff, whose papers and art formed the founding collection of the Cartoon Research Library. The conference will begin with a celebration of Caniff's life and legacy. Leading contemporary cartoonists will then explore the craft of storytelling in newspapers, comic books, and graphic novels throughout the two-day festival. Speakers include:

* Jessica Abel, creator of Artbabe and La Perdida
* Nick Anderson, Pulitzer-Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle
* Alison Bechdel, creator of Fun Home, Time Magazine’s best book of the year in 2006
* Ray Billingsley, creator of Curtis, which appears in more than 250 newspapers
* Guy Delisle, creator of Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea
* Jules Feiffer, Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist, playwright, author and illustrator
* Gary Groth, co-founder of Fantagraphics Books
* R. C. Harvey, cartoonist, historian and author of Meanwhile: A Biography of Milton Caniff
* Mike Peters, creator of Mother Goose and Grimm and Pulitzer-Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Dayton Daily News
* Peter Poplaski, author of The Sketchbook Adventures of Peter Poplaski and co-author of the R. Crumb Handbook
* Ted Rall, alternative weekly editorial cartoonist and author of Silk Road to Ruin
* P. Craig Russell, comic book creator of over 80 titles including the Ring of Nibelung and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Ramadan and Murder Mysteries
* Diana Schutz, Senior Editor at Dark Horse Comics
* Mark Siegel, Editorial Director of First Second Books
* Frank Stack, underground cartoonist and illustrator of Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner
* Brian Walker, comics historian and curator, and writer of Hi and Lois.
* Mort Walker, creator of Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, and six other comic strips

The academic pre-conference on October 25, co-sponsored by OSU's Project Narrative and Department of English, includes:
Contemporary Graphic Storytelling

* Theresa Tensuan (Haverford College), “Breaking the Frame: Reviewing Disabilities in Epileptic, Cuckoo, and The Spiral Cage”
* Rebecca Wanzo (Ohio State University), "It’s a Hero?: Black Comics and Satirizing Subjection"
* Julia Watson (Ohio State University), “Reading Pleasures in Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: Translating Literature into “Life”
* Nicole McDaniel (Texas A&M), “Seriality and Collections of ‘Old Comic Strips’ in Art Spiegelman’s In the Shadow of No Towers”
* Chair: Jared Gardner (Ohio State University)

History & Time: Graphic Storytelling

* Sean Connors (Ohio State University), “Portrait of the Cartoonist: An Examinaton of Milton Caniff's Growth Between 1933 and 1935.”
* Daniel Yezbick (Peninsula College), “Pie-faced Panels and Arthrological Antics: Semiotic Reversals and Jingle-Jandled Narrative in George Carlson’s ‘Pie-faced Prince of Pretzelberg”
* David Olsen (St. Louis University), "Who Watches the Watch?: Keeping Time in Graphic Narratives,"
* John Jennings & Damian Duffy (University of Illinois, Chicago), “Virtual Unreality and the Shape of Time: Virtual Comics, Postmodern Self-referentiality, and the Fourth Dimension”
* Chair: Jared Gardner (Ohio State University)

Graphic Storytelling and Narrative Theory

* Kai Mikkonen (University of Tampere), “The Narrative Agent in Graphic Storytelling”
* David Herman (Ohio State University), "Multimodal Storytelling and Identity Construction in Graphic Narratives"
* Frederick Aldama (Ohio State University) “Your Brain on Latino Comics”
* David FitzSimmons (Ashland University), “Picture Books and Graphic Novels: An Undergraduate Introduction to Narrative Theory”
* Chair: James Phelan (Ohio State University)

The full schedule and additional information about the Festival is posted at http://cartoons.osu.edu/FCA2007/site/.

For further information, contact cartoons@osu.edu or telephone 614-292-0538.

USA Today blurbs Postcards

I finally bought my copy at Big Planet this week, although I haven't even opened my (very large after 2 weeks off) bag of comics yet. In the meantime, USA Today gave Jason's book a few lines:

New graphic novels straight from the drawing board.
By Whitney Matheson and David Colton, USA TODAY (August 8, 2007)

Nate Beeler's Golden Spike

Washington Examiner political cartoonist Nate Beeler won this year's AAEC Golden Spike award for a cartoon that didn't run. Daryl Cagle just posted the cartoon with Nate's comment on his blog - it's the August 9th entry. Nate's published cartoons can be seen here on his blog as well.

Interview with Paul Karasik

DC native and comics blogger John Daniels conducted this email interview with Paul Karasik and has made it available to ComicsDC. Thanks, John!

Interview with Paul Karasik:

How did it feel to give a book signing and talk in your hometown of Washington D.C. at Politics and Prose?
I received a terrific reception at Politics and Prose. It is a wonderful bookstore and Thad, the guy who runs the graphic novel department, really knows his stuff. In other words, he likes the same things I like!

What caught your interest in writing this book about Fletcher Hanks?
I first heard of Hanks over 20 years ago when I was the Associate Editor of Art’s Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly’s RAW magazine. We reprinted a Stardust story and I never forgot it.

Four years ago a friend sent me a link to a Hanks tale on-line. I began to dig around, found some more of ‘em, and eventually came upon the answer to the true life mystery, “Whatever Happened to Fletcher Hanks?”

Where you amazed, as I was, that little was known about this ingenious artisan?
I have been amazed by several aspects of Hanks’ work. Although formulaic to a degree, each story is startlingly inventive in design and feel. Readers will not be bored by the 15 stories. In fact many people are asking for Volume 2!

Another amazing fact is that nobody has “discovered” his work until now. Many fans and collectors have asked, “How is it possible that I never heard of this guy before?!”

How would you compare his drawing style too artisans of the golden age?
Hanks is unique in that he is the first auteur in the fledgling field of the comic book. Most comic book stories at the time, and up to the present, were created by a team: individual writer, penciller, inker, and colorist. Hanks was a one-man-band, an auteur with a distinct personal vision that he burned into the pages of his work.

How much did you enjoy the meeting with his son Fletcher Hanks Jr.?
It was a life-changing experience as I describe in my comics Afterword.

In the Afterword, it seems you almost had a question as to whether his son was Fletcher Hanks himself?
At first, I thought that Hanks Jr. was Hanks Sr. It soon became apparent that I was speaking with the son who had his own story to tell. A grim story.

Do you yourself collect any comic periodicals? In addition, if so what is your most memorable character or comic that you would define as piquing your interest in the medium?
My first comic book was an issue of Adventure Comics from 1966. I was seduced by the crisp four-color pantheon of the Legion of Superheroes. You got a lot for 12 cents. It took one comic book and I was hooked. I still have all those old D.C. and Marvel comics in plastic bags in my basement, but it is nothing compared to some of the collections made available to me by a few serious collectors who contributed stories for the Hanks book from the hermetically sealed comics vaults.

You are an author of other books; could you tell the readers about some of your other works?
My most famous work was a collaboration with artist, David Mazzucchelli (Batman: Year One). Together we adapted Paul Auster’s novel, City of Glass. It was listed as one of the 100 Most Important Comics of the 20th Century by the Comics Jouranl.

I collaborated with my sister, Judy, on a family memoir, The Ride Together. The ground-breaking comics/prose format tells the story of growing up with our oldest brother who is autistic.

My gag cartoons have appeared in The New Yorker and Nickelodeon magazines.

How did you feel with the response of the sales of this remarkable book?
I am floored by the reception of this book. It completely sold out within a month and we are now awaiting the second edition to arrive from Malaysia. It is a good thing that Fantagraphics put a few cartons away for my book tour. Even then, at San Diego Comic Con, we sold out by the morning of the second day. I have nine reviews at Amazon, all five star raves. After years of toiling away at this project in the studio it is really gratifying to have such a positive response.

What is your favorite story from the book?
My sentimental favorite is also really one of the strongest: the Stardust story from Fantastic #7 that we reprinted in RAW. It is a plot by Gyp Clip to remove all the gravity from Earth, thus sending all the humans spaceward and leaving the planet free for plunder. Gyp and his thugs chain themselves with huge iron chains to prevent themselves from floating away.

What is it that you would like readers too walk away with your writing and presentation of this remarkable book about Fletcher Hanks?
Things are not always as they seem. Our heroes can become villains, and regular everyday Joes can become heroes.

Are you currently working on other works that readers and fans would like to know about?
My next project is to set out to educate the world that everything that you need to know about making comics can be learned from three panels of a certain Nancy comic strip by the great Ernie Buchmiller.

I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions at ComicsDC.

I also would like to thank the staff at Politics and Prose for reserving me a signed copy of the book.

Comic books, caricature, anime, adaptions in today's freeby papers

Check out the Onion online - they've been posting expanded versions of last week's comics issue.

In today's free papers, in addition to the Tek Jansen story -

Rosenberg, Scott. 2007.
Based on a fake story: Out of a nonexistent novel comes a comic riddled with humor.
[Washington Post] Express (August 9): 19

There's a Stardust story -

Dawson, Angela / Entertainment News Wire. 2007.
She's got star power: Claire Danes has a heaven-sent role in the fantasy 'Stardust'.
[Washington Post] Express (August 9): E11

An anime singer appearance - Yoko Ishida, 'Sailor Moon' singer, singing at Jaxx on Saturday.

And in the Examiner, a rare caricature article -
Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin.
Yeas and Nays: Permanent Presence at The Palm - Mark Foley’s here to stay.
Washington Examiner (August 9): 6

Insight Studio Group on Fanboy Radio

Suburban Maryland's Insight Studio Group, which is centered around Mark Wheatley and has seen Marc Hempel, Frank Cho and the late Gray Morrow as members, was interviewed today on Fanboy Radio. I haven't listened to the show yet, but I ran into Mark a few weeks ago and think that he's going to bring Frankenstein Mobster back soon. Yeah!

Jeffery Thompson, children's book illustrator and Big Planet employee

Jeff Thompson's worked in the Bethesda store for years, and has been doing art for childen's books too. He mentioned to me that he had a new book out today. I just ordered all the ones I was missing, as he didn't mention some of the recent ones to me until I started quizzing him today. Book signing next Wednesday - at least for me!

Jeff's books with ordering info from Amazon -

The new one:

Cesar Chavez: Champion and Voice of Farmworkers (Biographies) by Suzanne Slade and Jeffrey Thompson

Two favorites of his (and mine). He did all the work on these except the original poem:

The Midnight Ride Of Paul Revere (Hardcover) by Henry W. Longfellow - note on the paperback version of this, Amazon has conflated Jeff and Christopher Bing's two different books. Bing's an excellent artist too, who used to do regular editorial illustrations for the Washington Post. I really like his work as well. Buy both books.

Hiawatha And Megissogwon (Hardcover) by Henry W. Longfellow (Author

Thomas Edison: Inventor, Scientist, and Genius by Lori Mortensen and Jeffrey Thompson

The Camping Scare (Read-It! Readers) by Terri Dougherty (Author), Jeffrey Thompson (Illustrator)

Brazil Abcs: A Book About the People and Places of Brazil (Country Abcs) (Hardcover) by David Seidman (Author), Jeffrey Thompson (Author)

Cul de Sac in Hogan's Alley

Tom Heintjes reported in a recent Hogan's Alley newletter:

COMING SOON: One strip we're excited about is Richard Thompson's "Cul de Sac," which debuts from Universal Press Syndicate on September 10. The strip is a daily version of the comics work he's done at the Washington Post for the past few years. We asked Thompson to share some behind-the-scenes goodies from the strip, and you can see them at http://www.cagle.com/hogan/newsletter_extras/culdesac_extras/culdesac_extras.asp
We'll also have an interview with Thompson in Hogan's Alley #16.

This isn't an obligatory mention, btw. I like Cul de Sac a lot - there's a lot of museum jokes in there.

Thursday - Tom Peyer interview on Steve Colbert comic

Scott Rosenberg will have an interview in Thursday's Express with Tom Peyer on Stephen Colbert comic book, "Tek Jansen."

Big Planet expands in College Park

Big Planet Comics has bought the former Liberty Books and Comics at 7315 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD, 20740. 301-699-0498. There's a blurb in their August newsletter which is available in their stores now, along with a plethora of Stardust giveaways. If you haven't gotten it yet, the Gaiman / Vess story is well worth reading, but definitely get the edition with the Vess illustrations.

Ullman's triumphant return

Rob Ullman's bounced back from fatherhood to do the cover and illustrations for this passing week's City Paper. You've got another 2 days to get your copy.

Library of Congress to digitally preserve Trudeau's Doonesbury and Oliphant

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington DC 20540
Phone: (202) 707-2905
Fax: (202) 707-9199


Date: August 3, 2007


Contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217, glam@loc.gov

DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM MAKES AWARDS
TO PRESERVE AMERICAN CREATIVE WORKS

Preserving Creative America Initiative to Engage Private Sector Creators of
Films, Sound Recordings, Photographs, Cartoons and Video Games in Digital Formats

The Library of Congress, through its National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), today announced eight partnerships as part of its new Preserving Creative America initiative to address the long-term preservation of creative content in digital form. These partners will target preservation issues across a broad range of creative works, including digital photographs, cartoons, motion pictures, sound recordings and even video games. The work will be conducted by a combination of industry trade associations, private sector companies and nonprofits, as well as cultural heritage institutions.

Several of the projects will involve developing standardized approaches to content formats and metadata (the information that makes electronic content discoverable by search engines), which are expected to increase greatly the chances that the digital content of today will survive to become America’s cultural patrimony tomorrow. Although many of the creative content industries have begun to look seriously at what will be needed to sustain digital content over time, the $2.15 million being awarded to the Preserving Creative America projects will provide added impetus for collaborations within and across industries, as well as with libraries and archives.

“America’s creativity is unrivaled in the world, and it is among our most important exports,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “The Library is pleased to be able to bring together creators of such diverse content for the sake of saving our nation’s heritage, which is increasingly being created only in digital formats.”

Preserving Creative America is the most recent initiative of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (www.digitalpreservation.gov), authorized by Congress in December 2000. The authorizing legislation specifies that the Library should enlist the private sector to help address the long-term preservation of digital content. A cornerstone of NDIIPP has been the establishment of a broad network of partners committed to the continuing stewardship of digital content of value to Congress and the nation. With the new awards, the NDIIPP network grows to more than 90 partners, including other government agencies, educational institutions, research laboratories and organizations, both in the United States and abroad. Previous NDIIPP projects have involved primarily educational and cultural heritage institutions.

“The Library of Congress is delighted to welcome private sector participants to our growing network of NDIIPP partners,” said Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives Laura E. Campbell, who is leading NDIIPP for the Library of Congress. “We were very encouraged by the willingness of the content industries to work with us. Collaborations such as these are essential if we are collectively going to be able to ensure that valuable cultural content survives for the benefit of future generations.”

Following are the lead entities, their project partners and the focus areas of the projects:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS): Today’s digitally created motion pictures are at risk unless suitable technologies, practices and standards are developed and adopted. AMPAS, best known for its annual Academy Awards, devotes considerable resources to a host of motion picture-related educational, scientific and cultural endeavors, including the technical aspects of filmmaking and the preservation of motion pictures. The Digital Motion Picture Archive Framework Project will build upon AMPAS’ current research on digital preservation issues from the perspective of the major motion picture studios, extending the effort to include independent filmmakers and smaller film archives. Additional key components of the project will involve developing a case study system for investigating archival strategies for digital motion pictures and recommending specifications for image data formats across the production chain.

American Society of Media Photographers: Digital photography has no accepted standard set of rules for handling digital image files and maintaining information about them. This project has two major objectives: (1) to expand an existing set of guidelines, the Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines, with recommendations for refined production workflows, archiving methods and best practices based on image use and capture methods and (2) to promote the use of the guidelines through a Web site and awareness campaigns within the professional photographer community. Partners: PhotoDistrict News, ASMP Foundation.

ARTstor: Small organizations and individuals in particular are often not equipped to create “archive-ready” images. This project aims, through training and tools, to enable photographers to submit archive-ready images to repositories such as ARTstor. Development of a tool will allow photographers to capture technical and preservation metadata early in the creation workflow and embed the metadata in their digital images, while outreach efforts at art schools and professional conferences will both generate requirements and raise awareness of the importance of metadata to the long-term usability and preservation of digital photographs. Partners: Art on File, Artesia, Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Northwestern University.

BMS/Chace: The adoption of digital recording has virtually eliminated the vital documentation once created on paper during the recording process. At the same time it has created tremendous unrealized potential to create and maintain all key information about a recording throughout its life cycle. The project focuses on creating a standardized approach for gathering and managing metadata for recorded music and developing software models to assist creators and owners in collecting the data. A standardized metadata environment will allow content creators, record labels, individuals and cultural heritage institutions to document, archive and manage “born digital” recordings effectively. Partners: Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group, EMI Group, Buena Vista Music Group and the Producers and Engineers Wing of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Stock Artists Alliance (SAA): Essential information about stock images is frequently lost as images are disseminated across multiple distributors, licensees and end users, making the archiving and repurposing of these images difficult. SAA, through online resources and educational seminars at professional trade shows and in key cities, will promote the importance of metadata for long-term usability of digital photographs.

Universal Press Syndicate: Universal Press Syndicate, a newspaper syndication company, will use a collection of Garry Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” comic strips and Pat Oliphant’s editorial cartoons to model and test the transfer of digital content to the Library of Congress. The project will constitute a case study for public-private partnerships for archiving digital content and will focus on aligning metadata practices, transfer procedures and continuing collection management in a manner consistent with the goals of digital preservation.

UCLA Film & Television Archive: The long-term sustainability of digital works has received little attention within the independent film community. This project award supports awareness and education within the independent film community through symposia and workshops at major film conferences. Partner: Sundance Institute.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Interactive media are highly complex and at high risk for loss as technologies rapidly become obsolete. The Preserving Virtual Worlds project will explore methods for preserving digital games and interactive fiction. Major activities will include developing basic standards for metadata and content representation and conducting a series of archiving case studies for early video games, electronic literature and Second Life, an interactive multiplayer game. Second Life content participants include Life to the Second Power, Democracy Island and the International Spaceflight Museum. Partners: University of Maryland, Stanford University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Linden Lab.

# # #

PR 07-156
8-3-07
ISSN 0731-3527

KAL's new animation

Ace political cartoonist Kevin 'KAL' Kallaugher wants us to know, "I wanted to share with you my recent venture into 3D political animation. You can find a link here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XbcNKvlDVjY

KAL showed this at the AAEC con and it's quite funny.

This tip from Richard "Obligatory Mention" Thompson.

Trudeau, Truman and Helen Thomas

Bit of gossip in The Hill.com about a recent Doonesbury strip - "Helen Thomas: If only you got to pick the rumors about you"

Speaking of the Macaulay exhibit at the Building Museum...

...the Post reviewed it last Friday in the weekend section. As this review notes, Macaulay has a sense of humor and this is an excellent show that's well worth seeing.

Politico's Matt Wuerker video on Al-Jazeera

Mike Lynch has linked to Matt's appearance on Al-Jazeera, the Arabic tv station - the creation of which I think is a great step for the region. Hopefully this will lead to bigger and better tv appearances for Matt too. Matt appears regularly, in color, in the Politico.

Thanks to Richard (obligatory mention) Thompson for the tip.

Karasik interview in Express, on Weds

Late notice, I'm afraid, but Scott Rosenberg had an interview with Paul Karasik on Fletcher Hanks in the 8/1/07 Express. Did anyone go to the talk? I'll probably buy the cd of the audio from Politics and Prose.

9/15/07: Late update, but the talk wasn't recorded so I couldn't buy a copy.