Dilbert, Gorey via Staake and Thompson in Saturday's Post, Sunday book reviews

It doesn't appear to be online, but the Post ran a letter to the editor - "Dilbert's 'Jesus'is offensive" by Earl H. Foote of College Park.

Also, the Style Invitational Contest is poetry couplets ala Edward Gorey ...

You know - the Post's website sucks as far as linking up with the print version. The Washington City Paper ran a good article a few weeks ago as to why that is - the two operations have nothing to do with each other and aren't even in the same state.

Here's the Gorey contest with the excellent Staake parody cartoon.

Finally Richard Thompson's got one of his excellent Spring cartoons in the Poor Alamanac, but I'm not even going to look for it. And Get Fuzzy complains about the comics page being stuck in 1954.

Tomorrow's book reviews are online as well - The Ten-Cent Plague is reviewed in "Horror! Suspense! Censorship! A cultural critic recounts how comics were ripped out of kids' grubby hands." Reviewed by Dennis Drabelle, Washington Post Book World Sunday, March 23, 2008; Page BW08. The new Kirby book is reviewed in "The Fantastic One: The father of so many superheroes could never conquer the forces of corporate America." Reviewed by Glen David Gold, Sunday, March 23, 2008; Page BW08.

As a reminder, Ann Telnaes cartoons keep appearing.

Thompson covers Post magazine

For you collectors, Richard Thompson's done the cover caricatures for the March 23 Post magazine.

Cul de Sac lack puzzles columnist at mag back

Gene Weingarten took the following question on his Post chat this week:

Cul de S, AC: Hi Gene -

Sorry if you've already discussed this, but who do we write at the Post to (politely) ask the paper to add the daily version of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac to the comics page?

I only found out today that there IS a daily version (bwuh?).

I know the comics page is precious real estate, but it seems like the Post of all papers ought to carry the strip. Plus, it's great. Thanks.

Gene Weingarten: I know. I cannot understand why we are not carrying it.

You write to Deborah Heard, Assistant Managing Editor/Style.

March 22: Plastic Farm signing in Frederick

Colin S. sent in a notice that Danielle Corsetto, Jack Warrenfeltz and Rafer Roberts will be signing the new Plastic Farm paperback collection at Beyond Comics in Frederick, MD from noon until 7 pm.

Herblock award - more pictures of John Sherffius

Photos by Thuy Dong and Woody Woodis at the reception that followed the award.

Sherffius being stalked by Richard Thompson (in red shirt) and Rhode (in background).

Sherffius and Thuy Dong.

Thompson, Rhode (looking rather limp-wristed, but it was a manly shake - really) and Sherffius.

And a few pictures more...






And Alan Gardner of the Daily Cartoonist pointed out that Daryl Cagle's site has the submitted cartoons.

South Park interview in this week's Onion

And an expanded version online. I like having the printed copy too though.

There's a brief review of Chip Kidd's new book in there too.

Another Batchelor VD poster

This one wasn't in the National Museum of Health and Medicine's collection, so when I spotted it on ebay I bought it. I scanned it yesterday and added the e-version to the Museum's collection; since we don't have an acquisitions budget to buy things, there's no conflict of interest. I'll probably donate it someday, but at the moment I'm enjoying ownership.

Herblock award presented to John Sherffius

Last night editorial cartoonist John Sherffius was presented with the fifth annual Herblock Award. Richard Thompson and I were fortunate enough to be able to attend.

The Herblock foundation fellow introducing Sherffius quoted our link buddy Dave Astor's interview with the cartoonist. She also noted that Sherffius had resigned from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the end of 2003 over editorial interference, an account of which can be found in the New York Times. She noted that he had 'entered a body of work' all of which was critical of George Bush, the current.

Sherffius introduced his family and then made some excellent remarks (which should be on the Herblock award site someday) saying, "I am angry..." at the Bush administration for a litany of failures and malfeasance including "outright contempt for our Constitution..." I would have voted for him right then, but he followed up with "This is not the America I want for my children; this is not the America I know." He carried onto note journalism's problems, stating, "it is grimly ironic that [while] we have one of the most abusive administrations in power, the press is withering within."

Tim Russert spoke for almost 45 minutes after Sherffius, telling Herblock anecdotes while musing on the role of a free press and its current failures. I'll try to recall some of the anecdotes, but one concerned Russert's predecessor on Meet the Press interviewing Herblock's nemesis Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy had brought a handgun to an interview, and when Russert was telling Herblock about it, Block interrupted to ask "What kind of gun?"

...Maybe you had to be there.

Richard and I accidentally closed down the place while waiting to meet John, who was very pleasant, so we gave him a ride to his hotel and tried to convince him to do some reprint books.


Library cartoon cataloger Woody Woodis, ace blogger Richard Thompson and ComicsDC public face Mike Rhode. Photo by Thuy Dong.

Sherffius wins another award to be presented in DC

Religion Communicators Council Announces Wilbur Award Winners
Posted : Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:45:55 GMT
Author : Religion Communicators Council


CHANTILLY, Va., March 17 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2008 Wilbur Awards recognizing outstanding work in the secular media that addresses religious issues, themes and values are being presented April 5 at the Westfields Marriott Hotel Washington Dulles.

The annual awards are presented by the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) and named for Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in the field of religion public relations.

The Wilbur Awards banquet and recognition ceremony will conclude the annual RCC national convention April 3-5. RCC, based in New York, is a 79-year-old interfaith organization of professional communicators working in the field of religion. It is the oldest and largest organization of its kind.

The awards being presented, for work completed in 2007, are:

Newspaper (National/Top 15 markets): "Blood and Faith: In Turkey, A Judge's Murder Puts Religion in Spotlight," Philip Shishkin, The Wall Street Journal.

Newspaper (Other Markets): "Lifetime Calling," Jennifer Garza, The Sacramento Bee; Rick Rodriguez, editor.

Magazine (National/Top 15 markets): "A Mile in His Shoes," by Kate Braestrup; Jane Chesnutt, editor, Woman's Day.

Magazine (Other Markets): "Leaps of Faith," by Paul Singer and Brian Friel, National Journal, Charles Green, editor.

Editorial Cartoon/Comic Strip: John Sherffius, Boulder, Colo., Daily Camera.

Books Non-Fiction: "A Match Made In Heaven," Zev Chafets, HarperCollins Publishers.

Television Drama: Saving Grace, "Bring It On Earl," Nancy Miller, writer and executive producer; Gary A. Randall and Artie Mandelberg, executive producers; Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, director, Turner Network Television (TNT).

Television News (Network or National Syndication): "In God We Trust," CBS News, Sunday Morning, Rand Morrison, executive producer; Martha Teichner, correspondent; Brian H. Healy, Jason Schmidt, producers; Estelle Popkin, senior broadcast producer.

Television Documentary: "In God's Name," CBS News - 48 Hours, Jules and Gedeon Naudet, filmmakers.

Radio (Single Program): Tapestry: "Rumi," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Hosted by Mary Hynes; Erin Pettit, producer.

Feature Film (Drama): "Amazing Grace," Walden Media, Ken Wales, producer.

Web-Based Communications (Blogs): Faith & Works, "Is Civil Rights History Wrong?" Peter Smith, Courier-Journal.com, Louisville, Ky.

The awards banquet this year is being hosted by Mary Jacobs. She is a longtime freelance writer for the Dallas Morning News' award-winning Religion section and has also written for Religion News Service. In 2004, Ms. Jacobs was named Religion Communicator of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Religion Communicators Council. With an English degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, she has worked in communications for Bain & Company in Boston, and was news producer for WJW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Cleveland.

Each Wilbur Award recipient receives a handmade stained glass trophy in recognition of the honor.

For more information and details about the 2008 Wilbur Awards banquet, visit the RCC Web site at http://www.religioncommunicators.org/.

Religion Communicators Council

OT: Annual King Kong (1933) plea for stuff

My friend Miron Murcury, who's guest-blogged here, has a request:

Simply put, I fan-aticly collect all things related to Willis O'Brien's masterwork: King Kong.

I am always searching for new old material. You'd have a grateful friend by sharing any The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), etc. ephemera.

I'd love to be shown early newspaper strips with Kong-like creatures or similar situations such as characters climbing a tall building.

Especially interesting would be European and South American cartoon interpretations of 'The Lost World.' A. Conan Doyle's original 1912 novel was also the first paleontologicly accurate dinosaur adventure film and introduced the motif of giant monsters loose in a city to film audiences.

The best pre-1933 creature-on-the-loose cartoon is, hands down, Winsor McCay's 'The Pet.' To your knowledge has anything been written about this early animated cartoon short?

'The Lost World' and 'King Kong' references in comicbooks and editorials are legion. The iconic King Kong has been employed from New York to San Francisco. Has he ever been used in your local newspaper? Please save copies for me if you see them.

I wish to reemphasize how ridiculously important this is to me: nothing is to small or trite to escape my magnetic interests.

Oxymoronishly yours,
MM

Email him at MironMurcury@aol.com

Ellen Berg's Miss Columbia research

Ellen Berg is one of the Library of Congress's Swann Fellows this year and spoke there recently on her research on the missing Miss Columbia. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette interviewed her about her project as well as other political icons.

Baltimore City Paper reviews GEM's Scrooged exhibit UPDATED

Read "One Quack Mind: Good Duck Artist Carl Barks' Best Work Sadly Lost to The Dustbin," by Christopher Skokna, and then go see the exhibit and make up your own mind.

UPDATE: Andy H of GEM wrote in to note, "The two Carl Barks non-Disney series we have representations from are:

Famous Figures of History as They Might Have Looked Had Their Genes Gotten Mixed with Waterfowl

Kings and Queens of Myth and Legend."

While I agree with the Baltimore City Paper review that these aren't great works of art for all time, I do think for the student of comics or Carl Barks, they're very interesting and rarely seen. So there.

Progress on my Pekar book

I got a letter from the University Press of Mississippi today telling me that they'd be sending the page proofs soon! Whoo-hoo! And thanks to Randy Scott of Michigan State U's Comic Art Collection for doing the index for me.

Nate Beeler wins Virginia Press Association award

Today's Examiner is reporting that Nate Beeler won the the Virginia Press Association's first place in editorial cartooning on Sunday. The formal award appears to be "Best in Show for Daily Art" but I can't find it on either the Examiner or the VPA website. In any event, congratulations, Nate!

Darrin Bell's Candorville appears to chastise Post

Darrin Bell in today's Candorville appears to chastise the Post for dropping his strip two weeks ago. His main character Lemont Brown says "I wrote a series of posts satirizing how the Secret Service isn't diligent enough in protecting presidential candidates, and the Chronicle wouldn't run it!" Methinks he wrote chronicles that the Post wouldn't run.

Zadzooks on New Frontier DVD

See "New Frontier DVD puts Justice League in focus," Washington Times March 15, 2008, By Joseph Szadkowski.

Tom Toles video on Post website

See Tom Toles in timelapse photography from sketch to finished drawing in "Timelapse: From Sketch to Cartoon."

Onion swings at Marmaduke

This article's in the paper edition that's out now too - Some Old Man Still Churning Out Marmaduke, Onion March 14, 2008 | Issue 44•11.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-19-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 03-19-08
By John “I get paid $5500 an hour to do this!” Judy

AL CAPP’S COMPLETE SHMOO: THE COMIC BOOKS HC written and illustrated by Capp Studios. Featuring Super Shmoo, Frankenshmoo, and Fu Manshoo! If you have to ask…

ALL WE EVER DO IS TALK ABOUT WOOD GN written and illustrated by Tom Horacek. A collection of Horacek’s morbidly funny single panel cartoons. Definitely for fans of Charles Addams, Edward Gorey, and Ivan Brunetti. Recommended.

ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL #5 by Brian Lynch and Franco Urru. So he’s not a vampire anymore….?

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. A special hardcover 20th anniversary edition designed to torture Alan Moore by reminding him of how tied he remains to DC even though he refuses to cash their checks. Of course some of us are tortured by the knowledge that it’s been 20 years since we bought this book new on the stands… Also contains the story “An Innocent Guy” from BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE.

BRAVE AND BOLD #11 by Mark Waid and Jerry Ordway. Superman and Ultraman team up to save the day. Sorry manga fans, it’s a different Ultraman.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #36 by Ed Brubaker, Butch Guice, and Mike Perkins. Bucky continues making the role of Captain America his own. Hard.

EX MACHINA #5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. Mayor Hundred is haunted by the ghosts of African slaves. And metaphors.

GHOST RIDER #21 by Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi. Pure, out of control motorcycle madness, reminiscent of the best of Garth Ennis's PREACHER. Highly recommended, even though you hated the movie.

GRENDEL: BEHOLD THE DEVIL #5 of 8 written and illustrated by Matt Wagner. Gee fights monsters! Recommended.

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #13 by Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker, Tonci Zonjic, and David Aja. Okay, when the "What Has Gone Before" page starts reading like a novella you may be getting a tad challenging for new readers to get on board. Just sayin'... Pretty good comic anyway.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 4 HC by Stan Lee, John Buscema, Gene Colan, and John Romita Sr. Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA #114-124, featuring the Red Skull, the Falcon, MODOK, Nick Fury, AIM, and the cosmic cube! The more things change…

OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE VOL. 38 HC & SC with your choice of covers: Marvel Villains by Mark Sparacio or Star Wars by Doug Wheatley. For some reason there also seems to be a Joe Shuster Superman cover being advertised on the net but there’s no mention of this from the publisher. Weird.

SUPER FRIENDS #1 by Sholly Fisch and Dario Brizuela. Fun for all ages, featuring smiling Batman with the yellow oval on his chest!

TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN #1 of 12 by Dan Jurgens and Friends. It’s trademark renewin’ time, kids! Alternate universe super-heroes meet their namesakes. Personally I wanna see the Just Imagine Stan Lee and Realworlds versions roll in! If you get these references you’re old.

THOR #7 J. Michael Straczynski and Marko Djurdjevic. A really great issue, among the high points for JMS and Thor in general. Setting up what will no doubt be some very interesting stories in months to come. Highly recommended.

WAR IS HELL: THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #1 by Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin. A heavy-hitting creative team tackles the World War I aviator’s adventures in “graphic” style. Not for kids. Highly recommended.

WOLVERINE ORIGINS #23 Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. Okay, Daniel Way is starting to win me over now that he is writing a Three Stooges comic with blood. He’s found a groove that works for him. Now let's make this non-continuity and have a ball. Not for younger kids. Seriously.

www.johnjudy.net

Picoult booksigning CANCELLED for this Saturday

I called Borders today to check on the availability of her Wonder Woman story arc and was told that she had to cancel her appearance.