Drew Friedman artwork in Sunday's Post

The Style & Arts section, apparently flush with money after being merged, hired cartoonist and caricaturist Drew Friedman to do a color page for their Oscars coverage. Friedman's appeared in Heavy Metal, Entertainment Weekly and has two books on Jewish Comedians out from Fantagraphics now.

The Incredible Mr. Poe exhibit - new opening date

The Incredible Mr. Poe: Edgar Allan Poe in the Comics
An Exhibition


In 1941, Russian immigrant Albert Lewis Kanter tried to introduce young people in the United States to fine literature by incorporating the classics into something they were already reading—comic books. In 1944, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” appeared in Kanter’s Classic Comics series, and ever since adaptations of both Poe and his works have been regular features in comic books and graphic novels, many of which will be on display April 24 to October 31 at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond (www.poemuseum.org). Poe has even appeared as a comics hero himself alongside Batman and Scooby Doo.

M. Thomas Inge, Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and Poe Foundation trustee, has studied comic art for over forty years and published several books on the subject. His collection of comic books from childhood will form the core of the upcoming exhibition which is curated by Richmond artist Chris Semtner.

Also featured will be original artwork by such comic artists and illustrators as Rick Geary, Richard Corben, Gahan Wilson, Gris Grimly, Bill Griffith, and Patrick McDonnell, as well as proof sheets and original pages for some of the Classics Illustrated and other comic book versions loaned by collector Jim Vacca of Boulder, Colorado. An illustrated book and catalog will be available for purchase from the Museum Gift Shop with proceeds going to the Museum.

This will be the first exhibition ever devoted to the comic books and graphic narratives that have helped keep Poe’s name and works in the public eye for over sixty years. An opening reception will be held Thursday evening April 24, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., with an Unhappy Hour, food, and music, free and open to the public. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is located at 1914 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223, phone 804 648-5523. For more information contact Rebecca Jones at becca@poemuseum.org or call toll free 888 21EAPOE.

George of the Jungle in the Post on Sunday and Tuesday

The new animated George of the Jungle is the topic of "Back in The Swing: George's Jungle Hijinks Evolve for a New Generation," by Kathy Blumenstock, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, February 17, 2008 in the TV week section.

Jay Ward's daughter Tiffany is interviewed about the new show and her father and will be answering questions Tuesday, Feb 19 at 1 pm on www.washingtonpost.com

Carl Barks exhibit at Geppi's Entertainment Museum

The Scoop newsletter's article Carl Barks in the Spotlight at GEM: "Scrooged!" has more detail on the new exhibit in Baltimore.

Feb 15-17 Anime in town

According to "All Fired Up for Anime," by Ellen McCarthy, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, February 15, 2008; Page WE33, there's a lot of anime in town this weekend. Once can go to:

ANIME AT THE KENNEDY CENTER Genius Party premieres, Friday and Saturday at 7:30. $25. Three-movie marathon, Sunday, with films at 11, 1:15 and 3:30. $15 each. 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600. http://www.kennedy-center.org

KATSUCON Friday-Sunday. Omni Shoreham, 2500 Calvert St. NW. Friday $25, Saturday $35, Sunday $20, three-day pass $50. No advance registration required. For a full schedule, visit http://www.katsucon.com.

More details on the Kennedy Center events can be found in yesterday's Express - "Welcome To Japan: 'Culture + Hyperculture'" by Christopher Correa, Express, February 14, 2008.

OT: Michael Barson on Love Comics

Recently my editor at the University Press of Mississippi tracked down Mike Barson so I could ask permission to use his 1984 interview with Harvey Pekar from Heavy Metal. I called Mr. Barson yesterday and had an enjoyable conversation with him about interviewing Harvey and his other work for Heavy Metal. He's been doing books on ephemera - most are available on Amazon - and today I saw this article on EW.com - "Boy loves girl, girl loves boy and other fables from the Golden Age of Love Comics," by Michael Barson. Check it out.

Comics articles in local media

"Undercover Brother: 'Incognegro'" by Darona Williams on February 13, 2008 is online at the Express website, but isn't in the paper.

Meanwhile the Capitol Hill paper has Mike Canning on Persepolis - "A most animated tale, but no cartoon," Hillrag (February 2008): 78.

Finding back issues of comics in DC UPDATED

A reader (!) wrote in asking for recommendations about back issue stores in the area. Here's an edited version of my replay and suggestions are welcome -

Very few back issue stores left - there's one in Vienna, VA - which is not the Big Planet Comics store there. According to Randy T in the comments, it's EG Comics, which is not on this this Google search, but is on Maple Ave in one of the strip malls. Aside from that - Barbarian Books in Wheaton - call first as they have odd hours and are closed on Monday I think, although they are close to a Metro. Maybe the closest.

Obviously I'm a fan of Big Planet - I go to the Bethesda store - but they're all good and they all have almost no back issues now (except for College Park - see Joel Pollack's comment below). Another good store is Fantom Comics in Tenleytown and Union Station, both locations right outside the metro. No back issues, or not many, though.

Most back issues turn up at the two local cons - the Capital Associates one is bigger and had a good selection of back issues when I was at it last Sunday.

OT: The philosophical implications of Captain America

I was in a Borders recently with our man RT*, and saw the British magazine to the right and immediately scooped it up and rushed to the cash register. "Popular Culture and Philosophy" - who could resist? Inside is Major Todd A Burkhardt's article "Operation Rebirth: Captain America and the ethics of enhancement,"
Philosophy Now (November / December 2007). Major Burkhardt, who teaches at West Point according to his bio blurb, asks, "...What would be the moral ramifications of creating a real Captain America? Is the intentional creation of super-soldiers by cell engineering morally permissible?"

After a review of the concepts of freedom and supreme evil, Burkhardt concludes that the creation of a super-soldier was moral for 1940. He leaves aside the issue of whether it would be today.

*Richard Thompson, cartoonist and bon vivant

Ann Telnaes interview on gender bias in editorial cartons

Ann Telnaes was interviewed for the story that appeared in the paper - "Drawing the line: Editorial cartoonists confront issues of sexism and racism when caricaturing the Democratic front-runners," by Pam Platt, Louisville, KY Courier-Journal February 10, 2008, but Ms. Platt also posted the interviews she did on their website.

And a tip of the hat to Alan Gardner's Daily Cartoonist blog for one of the links.

Mike Imboden's Fist of Justice

Frederick, Maryland's Mike Imboden and his Fist of Justice comic book is profiled in "Frederick Writer Creates Comic Book Hero," Associated Press February 11, 2008. I picked up a couple of his books at a con late last year - he does some nice parody covers of early Marvel books.

Government Comics on Internet Archive

A search for 'comic book' at the Internet Archive produces pdfs of some US Government comic book giveaways including Mr. Civil Defense Tells About Natural Disasters which has a Li'l Abner cover and Smash-Up at Big Rock with art by Mark Trail's Ed Dodd. There's also a Jack Chick and a Klan comic. I guess there are still some government giveaway comics although the only one coming to mind at the moment is PS Magazine - now with Joe Kubert artwork.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-13-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 02-13-08
By John Judy

Remember: Nothing says “Happy Valentine’s Day” like an armload of comics! Right, honey? Honey…?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #550 by Marc Guggenheim and Salvador Larroca. Jackpot! Menace! And maybe some more new characters with so-so names. It’s no “Doctor Octopus” is all I’m saying.

ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE SPECIAL #2 BEAUTIE by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. The secret origin of Astro City’s own living doll, Beautie! We’ve been waiting years for this and so has she! Recommended!

BAT LASH #3 of 6 by Peter Brandvold, Sergio Aragones and John Severin. Necktie Party! How’s ol’ Bat gonna git outta this one?! Owl-hoots beware!

BLACK PANTHER #34 by Reginald Hudlin and Cafu. Featuring Skrull gangsters and frogs.

BOOSTER GOLD #0 by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, and Dan Jurgens. It’s official: This is the latest-shipping title ever!!! Ladies and Gentlemen: the Booster Gold/Zero Hour cross-over! In your face, Kevin Smith! Eat it, Ultimate Hulk/Wolverine #3! Miracleman #25? 1963 Annual? All is forgiven. You can come out now… Please?

BPRD: 1946 #2 of 5 by Mike Mignola, Joshua Dysart, and Paul Azaceta. Professor Bruttenholm teams up with the Russkies to find out what’s up with Project Vampir Sturm. Creepy Horrific hi-jinks from the House of Hellboy!

CAPTAIN MARVEL #3 of 5 by Brian Reed and Lee Weeks. Paintings and Skrulls.

DMZ #28 by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. The secret origin of Soames, New York’s most infamous eco-warrior!

DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES VOL. 4 HC by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani. Collecting issues #106-113 of “the strangest super-team of all.” No, the other one. Silver-Age, dinosaur-punching fun! Recommended.

FANTASTIC FOUR #554 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. A new team and a new look for The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Very ultimate-y without feeling as wholly detached from the rich details of the mainstream Marvel Yoo. Recommended.

GHOST RIDER #20 by Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi. Okay, I know it’s Ghost Rider which is usually a title on par with its movie adaptation. However, this new arc is being written by the guy who writes SCALPED and SCALPED is completely awesome. That alone gets this issue a read. A very hopeful read….

GOON #21 written and illustrated by Eric Powell. The Priest’s unearthly kin would like a word with him.

NEW AVENGERS #38 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos. Jessica Jones turns herself in to The Law to protect her baby. Very “Juno” if “Juno” was a noir super-hero story without all the chipper pseudo-Canadian accents and West Wing-y banter. Okay, it’s Bendis so the banter is there. No getting around the banter. Sorry.

NEXT ISSUE PROJECT #1: FANTASTIC COMICS #24 by Many Twisted People. Okay, Booster and Company are off the hook. This one is the Latest Comic Ever by about 66 years. The last issue of FANTASTIC COMICS was on the stands in November of 1941. A little thing called “copyright expiration” kicked in and now anyone who wants to can publish all the characters contained therein, no harm, no foul. So brace yourself for a golden-age sized delight containing the new adventures of Samson, Stardust, Flip Falcon, Sub Saunders, Yank Wilson, and more! Marvel’s got THE TWELVE. Dynamite’s got that Alex Ross thing. Now it’s Image’s turn at bat, Gotta look!

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ENEMY ACE, VOL. 1 SC by Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert, John Severin, Howard Chaykin, Neal Adams, and wow, how do you even follow that? A must for fans of great comics, “war” or otherwise.

SUPERMAN #673 by Kurt Busiek and Peter Vale. Superman fights Insect Queen on the moon! And he’s got a bug’s head on the cover! What more can one ask?

WALKING DEAD #46 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. Oh man, I hope they didn’t really kill Michonne last issue…. Not for kids. Must have.

WILL EISNER’S SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL.24 HC written and drawn by Will Eisner. The final volume of Eisner’s most famous creation, collecting the weekly Spirit adventures up through the early 1950s. The cover art alone is worth it. Recommended with awe.

WOLVERINE #62 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. Best Wolvie story in quite a while from the author of SCALPED. Featuring Mystique and a seriously ruthless Scott Summers. It’s like he grew up on a reservation or something… Recommended.

WONDER WOMAN #17 by Gail Simone and Terry & Rachel Dodson. WW vs. evil Amazons and Nazis. Classic stuff, beautifully drawn and on time!

X-FACTOR #28 by Peter David and Pablo Raimondi. Finally free from the last Big X-Over, we learn who Madrox knocked up and what’s happening around Mutant-Town. Helpful x-slang to learn: “PAN = Pass As Normal. REM = You still have your horns, tentacles, weird brow ridges, but no friggin’ powers.” It’ll be on the test.

X-FORCE #1 of 6 by Christopher Yost and Clayton Crain. Wolverine, Warpath, Wolfsbane, and the Wolverine Tranny-Clone X-23. Cyclops has assembled a mutant murder squad to kill anyone he doesn’t like. Because that’s what heroes do. Do protect Freedom or something. Comes without poly-bags, trading cards, or a bucket. But it does have those highly collectable variant covers!

www.johnjudy.net

April 25: The Incredible Mr. Poe: Edgar Allan Poe in the Comics

A new exhibit curated by long-time comics scholar Tom Inge will open in Richmond in the spring.

The Incredible Mr. Poe: Edgar Allan Poe in the Comics
An Exhibition

In 1941, Russian immigrant Albert Lewis Kanter tried to introduce young people in the United States to fine literature by incorporating the classics into something they were already reading—comic books. In 1944, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” appeared in Kanter’s Classic Comics series, and ever since adaptations of both Poe and his works have been regular features in comic books and graphic novels, many of which will be on display April 25 to October 31 at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond (www.poemuseum.org). Poe has even appeared as a comics hero himself alongside Batman and Scooby Doo.

M. Thomas Inge, Blackwell Professor of Humanities at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and Poe Foundation trustee, has studied comic art for over forty years and published several books on the subject. His collection of comic books from childhood will form the core of the upcoming exhibition which is curated by Richmond artist Chris Semtner.

Also featured will be original artwork by such comic artists and illustrators as Rick Geary, Richard Corben, Gahan Wilson, Gris Grimly, Bill Griffith, and Patrick McDonnell, as well as proof sheets and original pages for some of the Classics Illustrated and other comic book versions loaned by collector Jim Vacca of Boulder, Colorado. An illustrated book and catalog will be available for purchase from the Museum Gift Shop with proceeds going to the Museum.

This will be the first exhibition ever devoted to the comic books and graphic narratives that have helped keep Poe’s name and works in the public eye for over sixty years. An opening reception will be held Friday evening April 25, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., and there will also be an introductory lecture. All events are open to the public. The Edgar Allan Poe Museum is located at 1914 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23223, phone 804 648-5523. For more information contact Rebecca Jones at becca@poemuseum.org or call toll free 888 21EAPOE.

Zadzooks is Harvey Birdman videogame review

Voila - "Harvey Birdman tans, gets smiles amid justice," By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times, February 9, 2008. Nah, I don't really care either.

Bruce Guthrie's pictures of Clarendon's Mardi Gras Parade and the Richard Thompson float

Bruce Guthrie has a photoset of pre-Mardi Gras hijinks at the BonoTom Studio where the Richard Thompson-inspired
float for Clarendon's Mardi Gras parade was designed and built and then pictures of the float in action.


We can all get along!



Richard and I look on in stunned amazement.


Bonotom Studio made the buildings and everything.

Feb 10 Comic convention this weekend

Capital Associates - Dunn Loring Fire Dept, Tysons Coverner, VA, 2148 Gallows Road. $3.00, 10am-3 pm - www.capicons.com for information.

Special guest - Pop Mhan

Feb 7-17: Anime and manga at Kennedy Center

Repost!

From their website:
Manga & Anime

Manga is a sequential narrative Japanese comic. Anime is a unique animation style developed in Japan. Both are now internationally recognized forms of literary and visual art. Manga is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. books—and anime films have gained a rapidly expanding fan base across the nation.

Manga Café and Reading Lounge

Enjoy a bite to eat while reading VIZ Media mangas, watching anime trailers, and viewing vintage robot toys. Manga author Robin Nishi will capture festival happenings in a daily drawing and conduct a free workshop.

* Feb 7 - 17, 2008
* South Gallery

Genius Party Premieres

Don't miss this unprecedented series of original films by Japan's top anime talents, who were each selected by Director and Genius Party Executive Producer Eiko Tanaka to create their dream projects.

* Feb 15 - 16, 2008
* Family Theater
* $25.00

Marathon of Anime Premieres

Don't miss this screening marathon featuring three new anime features: 5 Centimeters Per Second, The Piano Forest, and Appleseed: Ex Machina.

* Feb 17, 2008
* Family Theater
* $15.00

Arlington's Steve Conley draws Star Trek

Arlington's Steve Conley is drawing Star Trek for IDW's Star Trek Year Four. They're up to six issues so far - Steve seems to be drawing about every other one and is doing some covers as well. The comic is based on the animated tv series, and has been good so far. Steve's name may be familiar from organizing the Small Press Expo, or his fun web comic / comic book Astounding Space Thrills.

Post on comic strip collective action

The Post has picked up on the February 10th collective protest by cartoonists of a darker shade of pale - "Cartoonists to Protest Lack of Color in the Comics," by Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, February 6, 2008; C01. The protest is largely the idea of local cartoonist Corey Thomas who does 'Watch Your Head.'

I'm afraid I agree with the opinions that Gene Weingarten expressed in his chat update today, although I like Baldo and La Cucaracha well enough. Boondocks' McGruder's comments in the initial article are interesting too - unfortunately I don't think a lot of the college cartoonists are able to sustain their strip. I was a fan of Watch Your Head when the Post tried it out, but it's become a real one-note strip.

Chatalogical Humor by Gene Weingarten, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, February 5, 2008; 12:00 PM

Gene Weingarten: Here's an interesting piece in today's Style section, about a planned protest by cartoonists-of-color.

I sympathize with these guys, and many of them produce good strips that are victims of a de facto quota system. But there's a difficult truth that undercuts their argument. In devastating economic times, newspapers are (unwisely, I believe) ruthlessly squeezing the life out of their comics pages. So there is plenty of pandering going on in all directions -- a naked, desperate effort to appeal to every possible perceived constituency -- and that has nothing to do with racism. With limited space, there are quotas for everything. Believe me, the only reason newspapers run the painfully bad Prickly City is that they feel they need to offer a conservative voice on the page, to counterbalance the lefty Doonesbury, Candorville Nonsequitur, etc. The only reason newspapers run Dennis the Menace and Beetle Bailey and Classic Peanuts is to appeal to the oldsters who they believe would feel lost without these mild, mealy things. Family Circus is for very, very young readers, and preposterously stupid adults, and lovers of camp humor. This appeal-to-all-demographics impulse leaves very little room for ANYONE to break into a newspaper.

There is another factor undercutting their argument: For some, the despicable quota system has worked splendidly. The only reason The Post runs the weak Baldo is that the pandering alternative is the weaker La Cucaracha.

It's a pretty bad situation all around.