Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sept 25-29: Phil Yeh in Baltimore

Randy T. reports Phil Yeh will be appearing in Baltimore later this month:

Graphic Novel Workshops with Phil Yeh, "godfather" of the American graphic novel

This interactive program, for all ages, will introduce you to many of the world's famous graphic novel creators and show you how to create your own unique characters and write a comic strip. Each participant will receive a copy of one of Phil Yeh's books.

Phil Yeh has written, illustrated and published more than 80 books of his own and another 50 from other authors. He has experience in television, radio, animation, licensing and book publishing and has owned galleries in Long Beach and Lompoc, CA.

Schedule:

* Central Library Saturday, Sep 29, 2007 (2:00 p.m.)
* Govans Branch Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 (4:00 p.m.)
* Light Street Branch Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 (6:30 p.m.)
* Patterson Park Branch Wednesday, Sep 26, 2007 (4:00 p.m.)
* Washington Village Branch Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 (4:00 p.m.)

Oct 12: Free evening with Richard Thompson

Matt Dembicki reports on spotting an event at the Writer's Center (Bethesda):

An evening with Washington Post cartoonist Richard Thompson (whose strip "Cul-de-Sac" appears in the Washington Post Magazine, and "Richard's Poor Almanac" in the Style section). Thompson, who is going into national syndication this month, will talk about how he finds and develops ideas and will share samples of work in process.
Date/Time 10/12/2007 [7:30 PM to 9:30 PM]
Event Type Special Event
Venue/Room Bethesda, Room: Reading Room
Capacity 80 spaces

I imagine there's some type of RSVP.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Sept 22 OT: David Lozell Martin reading at Busboys & Poets

My friend David Lozell Martin is again reading from his post-apocalyptic sacking-of-Washington novel, Our American King at Busboys and Poets on 14th St, NW at 4 pm. I'll be there and I recommend it to you as well.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

New finger puppet from Richard Thompson

In yesterday's Richard's Poor Almanack, the new finger puppet was General Petraeus (what does that mean in Latin anyway?). It's not online yet, but should be here eventually. At the moment, that link is to September 8th's End of Summer cartoon.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Wish You Were There #4 - Telnaes and Moss exhibit reviews

These two are from the International Journal of Comic Art 4:1 (Spring 2002). I was still feeling my way with writing these.

Pens and Needles: The Editorial Cartoons of Ann Telnaes. Rosslyn, VA: The Newseum, October 26, 2001--March 3, 2002.

The Newseum is closing in 2002 to move to Washington, DC so the Telnaes show (entitled Pulitzer Prize 2001: Editorial Cartoonist Ann Telnaes in the exhibit) will be the last one for several years. Telnaes, the second woman to win the Pulitzer, has no home newspaper; instead she is under contract with Tribune Media Services. The small exhibit consisted of 16 cartoons, 11 of them originals. 5 were on the disputed 2000 presidential election, 2 on the separation of church and state, 1 on Elian Gonzales, 2 on China's human rights record and the last on OSHA's regulating the home workplace. Telnaes worked as an animator for Disney and Warner Bros., and now does a weekly strip as one of the 'Six Chix.' Her line is very distinctive, probably due to her animation work; one can immediately recognize her art. Telnaes draws in pencil, inks her work and then scans it into a computer to add color. She now produces both black and white and color versions of each cartoon; this show reveals the color detracts from the impact of the cartoon. While this was a pleasant little show, the public would benefit from a larger one showing a larger amount and demonstrating a wider range of her cartoons. The exhibit is online at http://www.newseum.org/telnaes/gallery/open_index.htm. If that site is taken down, many of the cartoons in the exhibit can be seen at http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/telnaes/main.asp; Telnaes' own site at http://www.anntelnaes.com is under construction as of this writing.

Geoffrey Moss: A Pen as Mighty as a Sword. Rosslyn, VA: The Newseum, Fall 2001--March 3, 2002.

A very small exhibit of six pen and ink cartoons drawn after the terrorism of September 11 was tucked into a corner of the main exhibit hall. Moss, who calls his captionless cartoons "Mossprints" is syndicated by Creators. The six drawings were in the classic tradition of newspaper illustration, showing death as a gasmask-wearing skeleton and the Israel / Palestine issue as part of the larger problem. A larger exhibit with more information on Moss would be a pleasure; this show functioned as an appetizer.

Wish You Were There #3 - A couple of book reviews

The following reviews are ones I wrote for the International Journal of Comic Art 3:1 (Spring 2001).

Raggedy Ann and More: Johnny Gruelle's Dolls and Merchandise. Patricia Hall. Gretna: Pelican Publishing Company, 2000. ISBN 1-56554-102-2. $35.


Cartoonists, children's books, and merchandise have been linked since the late nineteenth century. While Charles Schulz, Jim Davis, Berke Breathed, and especially Walt Disney are well known to the contemporary reader, Johnny Gruelle has largely been forgotten. Patricia Hall has been working to reintroduce Gruelle, and this book is the second in a planned trilogy. The first was a biography, Johnny Gruelle, Creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy (1993) and the third planned for spring 2001 will be a bibliography. Gruelle was an artist who moved easily between the worlds of comic strips, political cartoons, and children's books, eventually creating a family business that lasted until the 1960s.

Gruelle's life is recounted briefly by Hall, but readers interested in detail are referred to her previous book. This extremely well-illustrated book concentrates on the physical products derived from Gruelle's imagination. As a cartoonist for the New York Herald, Gruelle created the "Mr. Twee Deedle" comic strip which was merchandized as a doll by the newspaper immediately. While doing the comic strip, he also illustrated children's magazines and books. In 1915, he submitted a design for a patent on Raggedy Ann, a doll that was apparently partially based on characters from his comic strip.

The patent was granted and Gruelle began making his own dolls. Raggedy Ann was not based on a familiar character and initial sales were slow. Gruelle generated interest in the doll by contracting with publisher P. F. Volland for a children's book based on the doll. Other characters he developed, such as the duck Quacky Doodles, proved more popular and merchandising included a cartoon series. By late 1918, Gruelle had completed his book on Raggedy Ann and dolls were produced to be sold with it. The book and doll combination was a success and Gruelle continued producing merchandizable ideas until he died in 1938. His family took over the company and continued licensing Gruelle's characters until they sold the company to a book publisher.

Probably because of marketing concerns, the book is a curious mixture of a business history attractively designed as a full-color coffee table book that includes a price guide. Hall writes to appeal to historians as well as collectors of children's books, dolls, toys, and cartoons. Many sidebar pieces detail specific parts of Gruelle's business efforts, such as books, sheet music, and copyright infringements. Anyone interested in Gruelle, cartoon merchandising, book or doll collecting, or popular culture of the first half of the twentieth century should find something of interest in this book.


Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell. J. D. "Illiad" Frazer. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 2000.


A collection of User Friendly, a free online comic strip, raises some interesting questions about the future of comic art. Frazer's strip is written for a specialized audience of advanced computer users and is published by a company specializing in computer manuals. The strip is done on a computer and lacks backgrounds in the simplified art style that Dilbert made acceptable. Illiad has stated that Breathed's Bloom County was an inspiration, but the humor of User Friendly is extremely dependent on knowledge of computers. A niche market product, reminiscent of earlier specialized work such as Jake's military cartoons, User Friendly is not syndicated, but it still appears in more than 150 college papers and several magazines. In the introduction to this second collection, Frazer said, "But today, with the Web, the distribution infrastructure the syndicates possess is becoming less valuable, and is no longer necessary." One of the strip's webpages claims, "The site, UserFriendly.org, attracts more than 2 million visits each month, including more than a half million unique visitors and 15 million page views ...and is now by far the largest web-based comic strip... Compared to more traditional syndicated comics, User Friendly the Comic Strip is catching up very quickly. For example, Dilbert, around since 1986, is syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers. UserFriendly.org boasts an audience equal to 42% of Dilbert’s online audience."

User Friendly can thus be seen as supporting part of McCloud's argument about the transition of comics to the web, but Frazer, O'Reilly, and McCloud decided to publish and charge for a paper version. The ability of both electronic and paper versions to succeed seems to bode well for the future of comic art. The strip and additional information about it can be seen at http://www.userfriendly.org/ and http://www.ufmedia.com.

Zadzooks on Morrison's Batman

Zadzooks looks at three comic books today - and most interestingly, Grant Morrison's take on Batman. See "Lots of text to distract from 'Batman and Son'" by Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times September 15, 2007. It occurs to me that I haven't been giving Mr. S enough play in this blog. He's been writing on comics in the area for at least a decade, going back to the Times' giveaway experiment Pop Art Times. I'll try to link to his weekly column from now on.

Updating the Comics Research Bibliography 6/20/07 - includes Chris Ware citations

A friend of mine asked for what I citations had on Chris Ware, so I put together some which are towards the bottom of this list.

Olkowski, Lu. 2007.
Creatures, Milch, McEwan: Bee-ing There [Creature Comforts].
National Public Radio and WNYC's Studio 360 (June 15).
online at http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2007/06/15

Kampfner, Judith. 2007.
Creatures, Milch, McEwan: Silver Surfer.
National Public Radio and WNYC's Studio 360 (June 15).
Online at http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2007/06/15

Dawson, Angela / Entertainment News Wire. 2007.
Bad Surfer dude: The Fantastic Four are back to battle a metallic new
villain.
[Washington Post] Express (June 14): 19

Garfield, Bob. 2007.
Tintin in the World [R.Sikoryak interview].
National Public Radio's On the Media (June 15).
online at http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2007/06/15/08


Hansen, Janet V. 1984.
So You Want to Start your Own Business? [computer-created gag cartoons;
copy at MSU].
Mt. Prospect, IL: Janet V. Hansen

Maynard, John. 2007.
On 'Lil' Bush,' It's the Laughs That Are Tiny.
Washington Post (June 13): C7

McConnell, Robin. 2007.
Barron Storey.
Inkstuds (June 14): http://www.inkstuds.com/?p=173

Moore, Kris. 2007.
Kris Moore - Getting The Signature [autographed comic book collector].
Scoop (June 15):
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=15534&si=124

Myers, Bernice. 1979.
Bernice Myers' Book of Giggles [gag comic strips for children; copy at
MSU].
Scholastic

Pressley, Nelson. 2007.
Satoshi Kon, Anime's Dream Weaver: The Japanese Filmmaker Goes Inside
His Characters' Heads to Get Inside Moviegoers' Hearts.
Washington Post (June 17): N3.
Online at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/15/AR200706
1500492.html

Mayo, Jenny. 2007.
'Paprika' offers spicy animation for adults [Satoshi Kon anime].
Washington Times (June 15).
Online at
http://www.washingtontimes.com/entertainment/20070614-085513-6311r.htm

Ressner, Jeffrey. 2007.
Axis of evil: No one embodies villainy this season better than Thomas
Haden Chruch, Timothy Olyphant and Julian McMahon. An exclusive Q&A
[Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four movies].
USA Weekend (May 4-6): 12-14

Rosenberg, Scott. 2007.
King Cat Comix: Brandon Graham.
[Washington Post] Express (June 18).
Online at
http://www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2007/06/king_cat_comix_brandon_
graham.php

Spurgeon, Tom. 2007.
CR Sunday Interview: Paul Karasik.
Comics Reporter (June 17):
http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cr_sunday_interview_paul_karasik
/

Yandow, A. Richard. 2006.
Letters: The Funny Pages [Jaime Hernandez's 'La Maggie La Loca'].
New York Times Magazine (May 7)

Poniewozik, James. 2003.
Books: Blankets By Craig Thompson.
Time (August 25)

Zeidler, Sue. 2007.
Animation industry hopes for more grown-up 'toons.
Reuters (June 13).
Online at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070614/media_nm/animation_hollywood_dc_1

Unknown. 2007.
Barks Art Sets Bonhams' Record.
Scoop (June 15):
http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/scoop_article.asp?ai=15547&si=123

Bengal, Rebecca. 2006.
On Cartooning: Jessica Abel.
POV (July):
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/tintinandi/sfartists_abel.html

Bengal, Rebecca. 2006.
On Cartooning: Phoebe Gloeckner.
POV (July):
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/tintinandi/sfartists_gloeckner.html

Chris Ware

Bengal, Rebecca. 2006.
On Cartooning: Chris Ware.
POV (July):
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/tintinandi/sfartists_ware.html

Ware, Chris. 2006.
Building Stories - the introduction.
Independent (October 1).
online at
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article1856445.ece

Worland, Gayle. 2006.
Wisconsin Book Festival: 5 questions with graphic novel genius Chris
Ware.
Wisconsin State Journal (October 13).
Online at
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/entertainment/index.php?ntid=103165&ntpi
d=2

Young, Robin. 2005.
Comic Strip Artist Chris Ware.
National Public Radio and WBUR's Here and Now (December 9).
Online at http://www.here-now.org/shows/2005/12/20051209_17.asp

Potter, Steven. 2006.
Loud and bright, comics leave an impression; Artist describes medium's
lasting effects on popular culture [Chris Ware].
Journal Sentinal (May 4).
Online at http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=421008

Parschalk, William. 2006.
School-day ACME Novelty proves unique [Chris Ware].
Johns Hopkins News-Letter (March 31).
Online at
http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/31/442ebfdb87b7
b

Warren, Lynne. 2005.
Chris Ware Interview: Chris Ware at the MCA.
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (December):
http://www.mcachicago.org/MCA/exhibit/ware_interview.html

Stanislawski, Ethan. 2006.
Chris Ware's urban cartoons make a strange but effective art exhibit.
[University of] Chicago Maroon (June 2).
Online at
http://maroon.uchicago.edu/voices/articles/2006/06/02/chris_wares_urban_
ca.php

Unknown. 2006.
Chris Ware at MCA Chicago.
Art Daily (May 11):
http://www.artdaily.com/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=15698

Mathie, Frank. 2006.
Cartoonist's work on display at Chicago museum [Chris Ware].
ABC 7 News (May 8):
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4153742

Kennedy, Mary. 2006.
Letters: The Funny Pages ['Building Stories,' by Chris Ware].
New York Times Magazine (May 7)

Mazanec, Tom. 2007.
Lending legitimacy to comic book lit: 'The Acme Novelty Library' serves
as an introduction to Chris Ware's graphic novels.
Calvin College Chimes (February 2):
http://www-stu.calvin.edu/chimes/article.php?id=1953

Ware, Chris. 2007.
One Eye: Charles Burns, Photographer.
Virginia Quarterly Review (Winter): 104-117
Online at http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2007/winter/burns-one-eye/

Cole, Patrick. 2006.
Seminole Filmmaker, Guitarist Awarded $50,000 Grants [Joe Sacco, Jim
Woodring, Chris Ware]
Bloomberg (December 4).
Online at
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aBqvgBE9MNnY&refer=m
use

Kwok, Janet K. 2005.
Comics' Trendy Cousins: Graphic novelists behind 'Jimmy Corrigan' and
'Black Hole' appear at the Brattle [Chris Ware and Charles Burns].
Harvard Crimson (October 20).
Online at http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=509245

Edemariam, Aida. 2005.
The art of melancholy: He may be a cartoonist, but Chris Ware is more
likely to fill his strips with sighs than laughs. With a new book and a
new family, he talks about tragedy and comics to Aida Edemariam.
Guardian (October 31).
Online at
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1605195,00.html

Hune-Brown, Nicholas. 2005.
Graphic Nostalgia: Cartoonists Chris Ware, Seth and Charles Burns aren't
lost in the past, but revelling in it.
Maisonneuve (November 10):
http://www.maisonneuve.org/index.php?&page_id=12&article_id=1898

Poniewozik, James. 2000.
Right Way, Corrigan: From cartoonist Chris Ware, an elegantly crafted,
poignant story of man and not-so-superman.
Time (September 11)

Arnold, Andrew D. 2000.
Web Exclusive - Q and A With Comicbook Master Chris Ware; TIME.com's
Andrew Arnold talked with the much-heralded author of 'Jimmy Corrigan'.
Time.com (September 1).

Poniewozik, James. 2003.
Books - Quimby The Mouse By Chris Ware.
Time (August 25)

Raeburn, Daniel. 2004.
Chris Ware.
New Haven: Yale University Press

Kannenberg, Jr., Gene. 2001.
The Comics of Chris Ware: Text, Image, and Visual Narrative Strategies.
In The Language of Comics: Word and Image. Ed. Robin Varnum and
Christina T. Gibbons.
Jackson: U of Mississippi Press

Baker, Sarah. 2007.
Conscious Comic: Artist Chris Ware reveals his love for Ulysses.
Omaha Weekly Reader (February 15).
Online at
http://www.thereader.com/art.php?subaction=showfull&id=1171564906&archiv
e=&start_from=&ucat=11&

Brattland, Jane Elin. 2007. Verdens beste tegneserie! Trist, lavmaelt
og stemningsfull. RadioSelskapets tegneseriejury har karet 'Jimmy
Corrigan' av Chris Ware til tidenes beste tegneserie.
NRK Publisert (February 6).
Online at http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/kultur/1.1774455

Thorson, Alice. 2007.
The Art of Comic Books: Comic creator Chris Ware will speak at Nebraska
exhibit Omaha native is known for his Acme Novelty Library comics.
Kansas City Star (February 11).
Online at
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/entertainment/16656427.htm

Bredehoft, Thomas A. 2006.
Comics Architecture, Multidimensionality, and Time: Chris Ware's Jimmy
Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.
MFS Modern Fiction Studies 52 (4, Winter)

Worden, Daniel. 2006.
The Shameful Art: McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Comics, and the
Politics of Affect [Chris Ware edited anthology].
MFS Modern Fiction Studies 52 (4, Winter)

Gutoff, Bija. 2005.
John Kuramoto: Animating Historic Architecture [Chris Ware's "Lost
Building" DVD].
Apple.com (March?): http://www.apple.com/pro/video/kuramoto/

Gatti, Tom. 2005.
Lives in graphic detail [Chris Ware].
Times of London (September 3).
Online at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-1760443,00.html

Wolk, Douglas. 2005.
The inimitable Chris Ware: The author of "Jimmy Corrigan" explores a
fallen world in this new installment of breathtakingly intricate comic
strips.
Salon (September 2):
http://www.salon.com/books/review/2005/09/02/ware/print.html

Baker, R.C. 2005.
Panel Discussion: Chris Ware's The Acme Novelty Library.
Village Voice (September 6).
Online at http://villagevoice.com/books/0536,panel,67535,10.html

Howard, Jennifer. 2004.
Comics - Chris Ware, by Daniel Raeburn (Yale Univ., $19.95).
Washington Post Book World(December 26): BW11

Wolk, Douglas. 2004.
Panel Discussion: Jimmy Jazz [Chris Ware By Daniel Raeburn].
Village Voice (November 16).
Online at http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0446/wolk.php

Swanhuyser, Hiya. 2004.
A Ware Ness: "Sequential artist" Chris Ware is a smart man with a
strange vision.
SF Weekly (June 9).
Online at
http://www.sfweekly.com/issues/2004-06-09/nightday.html/1/index.html?src
=newsletter

Post ombudsman on censoring Opus

See "Why Were These Comics Dropped?" by Deborah Howell, Washington Post Sunday, September 16, 2007; Page B06. Apparently it was the decision of executive editor Len Downie - whom one would have hoped had better things to do than worry about the comics pages. The omsbudsman thinks he was wrong. Click on the 'censorship' tag at the bottom for further examples of the Post dropping strips.

Christopher Bing

The New York Times has published one of my favorite non-cartoonists today - editorial illustrator Christopher Bing. He illustrated letters for 'Parsing Bush's address on Iraq' on the editorial page, but unfortunately the illustration isn't online. Bing used to do regular illustrations for the Post's Sunday Opinion section, but is rarely seen there now, sigh.

Sept. 24: David Wallis appearance for Killed Cartoons in Fairfax REPOST

I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
FALL FOR THE BOOK
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA

Sept. 24, 12:00 pm David Wallis Gold Room, Johnson Center
Davis Wallis discusses "Killed: Great Journalism Too Hot to Print and Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Free Expression."

The six-day Fall for the Book Festival celebrates literature, learning and all types of books and storytelling - from literary fiction to mystery and thrillers to folk tales, from poetry and plays to children's books, and across a diverse range of nonfiction: history, memoir, politics and more. All events are free and open to the public.

Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac launches in the Post


...several years ago. But it relaunches tomorrow. You can get the details here, or buy the paper tomorrow, or steal that bit that the Post delivers on Saturday from a neighbor's lawn - the one with the coupons and the comics and the magazine. And note the Post editor taking credit for the idea. Why the nerve of that guy.

Richard really does look like that, by the way. Except he's taller.

OT: Administrivia

I just discovered 'tagging' which will let you, the reader, click on a link on the bottom of each post and get every post that I've tagged with that link on one page. So I'll start working my way backwards through the list so you can use it more efficiently. Thanks go out to my friend Ed, who runs the Daily Randonneur cycling blog, for the help.

Next week - we discover fire.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Oct 18-20 ICAF: LAT, KAL and Kyle (Baker that is)

Here's the schedule - some of the talks look awfully good. I'd especially recommend Ian Gordon and Rusty Witek's. And LAT! All the way from Malaysia. KAL! Always entertaining. And Kyle Baker - an all-around excellent cartoonist who's always great to listen to.

OT: Seeking Mike Barson, who did interviews for Heavy Metal

I'm trying to find Mike Barson, who did interviews for Heavy Metal in the 1980s. I'd like to reprint one of his interviews with Harvey Pekar. When I called HM today, they said they don't own the rights to his interviews and I should contact him. Anyone have any idea how to find him?

Small Press Expo Announces the 2007 Ignatz Award Nominees

Small Press Expo Announces the 2007 Ignatz Award Nominees



For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Phone: 301-537-4615
E-Mail:webernard@spxpo.com

SPX 2007 will host the 11th annual presentation of the Ignatz Awards, a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz is named after Krazy Kat’s creator George Herriman's brick-wielding mouse, recognizes exceptional work that challenges popular notions of what comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal expression.

The Ignatz Awards are a festival prize, the first of such in the United States comic book industry. The nominees for the ballot were determined by a panel of five comic artists, which will be voted on by the attendees during SPX. The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be held at the North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday, October 13th, 2007 at 9:00 PM.

For more information on the Small Press Expo and the Ignatz Awards, please visit http://www.spxpo.com.

Outstanding Artist

Vanessa Davis, Papercutter #4 (Tugboat Press), Kramers Ergot #6 (Buenaventura Press)

John Hankiewicz, Asthma (Sparkplug Comic Books)

Jaime Hernandez, Love & Rockets (Fantagraphics Books)

Rutu Modan, Exit Wounds (Drawn & Quarterly)

Ted Stearn, Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville #4 (Fantagraphics Books)



Outstanding Anthology or Collection

Curses by Kevin Huizenga (Drawn & Quarterly)

Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Vol. 4 by Gabrielle Bell, Martin Cendrera, and Dan Zettwoch (Drawn & Quarterly)

King-Cat Classix by John Porcellino (Drawn & Quarterly)

Misery Loves Comedy by Ivan Brunetti (Fantagraphics Books)

Moomin Book One by Tove Jansson (Drawn & Quarterly)



Outstanding Graphic Novel

Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie (Drawn & Quarterly)

Bookhunter by Jason Shiga (Sparkplug Comic Books)

Don't Go Where I Can't Follow by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)

Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan (Drawn & Quarterly)

House by Josh Simmons (Fantagraphics Books)



Outstanding Story

Delphine #1-2 by Richard Sala (Fantagraphics Books/Coconico Press)

Don't Go Where I Can't Follow by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)

The End #1 by Anders Nilsen (Fantagraphics Books/Coconico Press)

"Martha Gregory" by John Hankiewicz, Asthma (Sparkplug Comic Books)

"Untitled" by Gabrielle Bell, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Vol. 4 (Drawn & Quarterly)



Promising New Talent

Gabrielle Bell, Lucky, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Vol. 4 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Scott Campbell, Flight Vol. 4 (Ballantine Books), Hickee vol. 3 #3 (Alternative Comics)

Lilli Carre, You Ain't No Dancer Vol. 2 (New Reliable Press)

Brandon Graham, King City (TokyoPop)

Tom Neely, The Blot (I Will Destroy You)



Outstanding Series

Atlas by Dylan Horrocks (Drawn & Quarterly)

Delphine by Richard Sala (Fantagraphics Books/Coconico Press)

Dungeon by Lewis Trondheim, Joann Sfar, and various (NBM)

Love & Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books)

Mourning Star by Kazimir Strzepek (Bodega Distribution)



Outstanding Comic

Doctor Id by Adam McGovern and Paolo Leandri (Indie Ink Studios)

Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville #4 by Ted Stearn (Fantagraphics Books)

Love & Rockets vol. 2 #18 by Los Bros Hernandez (Fantagraphics Books)

Monster Parade #1 by Ben Catmull (Fantagraphics Books)

Optic Nerve #11 by Adrian Tomine (Drawn & Quarterly)



Outstanding Mini-Comic

Burning Building Comix by Jeff Zwirek

The Monkey and the Crab by Shawn Cheng and Sara Edward-Corbett

Noose by Mark Burrier

P.S. Comics #3 by Minty Lewis

Seven More Days of Not Getting Eaten by Matt Wiegle



Outstanding Online Comic

Achewood by Chris Onstad (www.achewood.com)

Grace by Kris Dresen (www.girlthrow.com/grace)

Persimmon Cup by Nick Bertozzi (www.act-i-vate.com)

Thingpart by Joe Sayers (www.jsayers.com/thingpart/thingpart.html)

Wondermark by David Malki (www.wondermark.com)



2007 Ignatz Jury

Sara Edward-Corbett
Paul Hornschemeier
Steve MacIsaac
Jesse Reklaw
Zack Soto

Oct 12-13 Small Press Expo guests Cartoonists with Attitude

This came from Randy T and Warren in close succession - not the October 11th booksigning as well, as Randy points out.

Small Press Expo Announces Cartoonists With Attitude, featuring Ted Rall, Jen Sorensen and Keith Knight at SPX 2007

For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Phone: 301-537-4615 E-Mail:webernard@mindspring.com

Bethesda, Maryland; September 11, 2007 - Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is proud to announce that the Cartoonists With Attitude (C.W.A.) posse will once again attend this years SPX, which will be held October 12 and 13 at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Members of C.W.A. along with Kim Deitch, author of the graphic novel “Alias The Cat”, will also be at a book signing event to be held on October 11 at 7:30PM at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore in Bethesda, Maryland.

Founded in the finest tradition of Thomas Nast and Matt Groening, C.W.A.’s mission is to draw attention to the groundbreaking political and social commentary its member cartoonists contribute to the weekly alternative newspapers around the United States and in the online world. The C.W.A. posse coming to SPX this year consists of the following award winning cartoonists:

Ted Rall (“Search and Destroy”) - http://www.tedrall.com/

- Ted was just appointed as the new President of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (A.A.E.C.) and recently returned from yet another trip to Central Asia. Author, ATTITUDE editor, cartoonist, columnist and sometime TV personality, Ted is currently has two books out, the “Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?” and his latest cartoon collection, “America Gone Wild”.

Jen Sorensen (“Slowpoke”) - http://www.slowpokecomics.com

- Jen is now following in the footsteps of Jules Feiffer, as her weekly cartoon is now being published in the Village Voice, amongst many other alternative weeklies. The first place winner at in the 2005 Association of Alternative Newsweekly Awards, Jen has two books out, the latest being “America Gone Bonkers” and was featured in “ATTITUDE: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists”. Jen is working on her next book, “Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God!” due out in April 2008 from Ig Publishing, with an introduction by Ruben Bolling of “Tom The Dancing Bug” fame.


Keith Knight
(“The K Chronicles”, “(th)ink”) - http://www.kchronicles.com/

- Keith is a Harvey award nominee and has twice won the Glyph Award for Best Comic Strip. He is also a rapper whose latest books are “Are We Feeling Safer Yet”? and “The Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts”. His art has appeared in various publications worldwide, including Salon.com, ESPN the Magazine, L.A. Weekly, MAD Magazine, the Funny Times and World War 3 Illustrated.

Mikhaela Reid (“The Boiling Point”) - http://www.mikhaela.net/

- Mikhaela has just released her first cartoon compendium entitled “Attack of the 50-Foot Mikheala!” with a foreword by Ted Rall. In 2006, Mikhaela was named one of “Girls in Government's Real Hot 100”. Mikhaela is a political cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Boston Phoenix, Bay Windows, Metro Times, The Rochester Insider, Women's eNews, In These Times, Ms., The Funny Times, Campus Progress, Girlfriends, The Minnesota Women's Press, amongst publications.

Masheka Wood (“Not Just Knee Deep”) - http://www.whatmashekadid.com

- Masheka is a Glyph Award nominee, and has just released his first book titled “Deep Doodle”. He is currently working on a series of illustrations titled “Dirty Letters” and his comic “Not Just Knee Deep”.

Stephanie McMillan (“Minimum Security”) - http://www.minimumsecurity.net/

- Stephanie’s latest book is titled “ATTITUDE: Featuring Stephanie McMillan's Minimum Securit”y. In 2006, one of her cartoons was featured in the MoCCA art show "She Draws Comics: A Century of Women Cartoonists". She recently sparked controversy with a cartoon featuring anti-choice South Dakota state senator Bill Napoli's home phone number.

August J. Pollak, (“XQUZYPHYR” & Overboard) - http://www.xoverboard.com/

- August will premiere his latest book “Junk in the Toaster” at SPX. A Washington, DC local, August's cartoon "Some Guy With a Website" and has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, In These Times, and The Huffington Post.

Matt Bors (“Idiot Box”) - http://www.mattbors.com/

- Matt was featured in “ATTITUDE 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists” and has self-published a series of “Idiot Box” books. Clients include the Seattle Stranger, the ACLU and The Nation.

Brian McFadden (“Big Fat Whale”) - http://www.bigfatwhale.com/

- Brian was also featured in ATTITUDE 3 and has self-published a series of “Big Fat Whale” books.

For further information on the artists or to request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at webernard@spxpo.com.

SPX, a non-profit organization, brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, political cartoon books and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. A series of panel discussions will also be held of interest to readers, academicians and creators of graphic novels and political cartoons.

SPX will be open to the public from 2 pm - 8 pm, Friday, October 12 and 10am - 7 pm Saturday, October 13. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for bothdays.

SPX culminates with the presentation of the 11th Annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting during the SPX.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Baltimore City Paper article on Geppi's Entertainment Museum

It's the Baltimore City Paper's comic issue*. Can anyone grab me an extra copy?

For the big GEM story - read "Iron Men: Geppi's Museum May Preserve Comic Book Heroes in Amber, But They Don't Need the Help" by Violet Glaze, Baltimore City Paper (September 12, 2007).

I love this museum, but one should remember what blog one's reading, and take that as it's worth.

The issue has an intro, and there's another comics column too - "Comics and Me" by Vincent Williams, and somewhere in there, they have a comics jam which isn't online, although a description of it is.


*and shouldn't the DC City Paper have one? They're not owned by the same multi-media conglomerate though.