I read a lot of newspapers each day. The physical ones. In addition to the Washington Post, I read the Express and the Examiner every day, the Washington Blade and the City Paper once a week, the Politico when I can pick one up and whatever else I find in the city. However I also get the New York Times every day. Any interest in stories from that? They've gotten to the point where they've been running something on comics and cartoons about every day. Let me know in the comments section.
Today's example:
New York Times May 10, 2008
Return Laps for the First Voice of Speed Racer
By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Telnaes animation continues on Post website
Just a reminder that other cartoonists in the area besides KAL are doing regular animation.
That darn Toles
Another letter to the editor...
Bush Was Right
Washington Post May 10 2008, p. A13
Does Tom Toles know what a recession is? His May 1 cartoon depicted President Bush denying the existence of a recession.
The president is correct. Economists' definition of recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Our economy has not even come close to that.
It would behoove Toles and the media to stop using terms irresponsibly.
-- David Sherer
Bush Was Right
Washington Post May 10 2008, p. A13
Does Tom Toles know what a recession is? His May 1 cartoon depicted President Bush denying the existence of a recession.
The president is correct. Economists' definition of recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Our economy has not even come close to that.
It would behoove Toles and the media to stop using terms irresponsibly.
-- David Sherer
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-14-08
Click here for sweet cover art:
http://www.johnjudy.net/blog/
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-14-08
By John Judy
ALL-NEW IRON MANUAL #1 by Eliot Brown and Various Writers. Everything you ever wanted to know about Tony Stark and his suits of armor, right down to the schematics! Kids, don’t try this at home!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. The always-readable Mr. Slott is back in the spider-rotation so this issue is filled with action and jokes that actually work. Add to that an artist who appears to have studied his Darwyn Cooke and you’ve got a very respectable issue, despite the whole Spidey re-boot being more aggravation than renovation. Recommended anyway.
BATMAN #676 by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. “Batman R.I.P.” begins here. I believe it stands for “Rolling In Profit.”
BOOSTER GOLD #9 by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, and Dan Jurgens. The return of the Justice League International! Too bad Kevin Maguire couldn’t guest-pencil. So awesome you almost don’t mind the OMACs. Stupid OMACs…
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. How do Limeys fight the Skrulls? With a stiff upper lip, boiled food, and bad dentistry! “Surrender, you rotters or we’ll thrash you with pictures of Princess Diana!” Pip-pip!
FINAL CRISIS SKETCHBOOK by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. A peek into what’s coming. Potentially very cool. Worth a look.
GOON #24 written and drawn by Eric Powell. In which we learn how Horse Eater’s Woods got its name. Amazing stuff. Recommended.
NEWUNIVERSAL: SHOCKFRONT #1 of 6 by Warren Ellis and Steve Kurth. Admit it, you forgot Warren Ellis was still working on the New Universe, didn’t you? It’s okay. So did he. Anyway, it’s coming out again and Ellis is writing it. Recommended.
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #3 of 7 by Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger, and Carlos Paul. Like Straczynski and Weston’s “The Twelve” without all that pesky story and character development.
PUNISHER #57 by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov. As of last issue the Punisher knew he was up against U.S. Special Forces. Now we find out if they know what they’re up against. Recommended. Not for kids.
SERENITY: BETTER DAYS #3 of 3 by Joss Whedon, Bret Matthews, and Will Conrad. Mal’s getting’ tortured. Again. Stupid Fox TV.
SUPERMAN #676 by Vito Delsante and Julian Lopez. The first encounter/fight between Supes and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Features an Alex Ross cover. A gotta-look for geeks like me.
THUNDERBOLTS #120 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato. The Green Goblin works out some of his frustrations with the help, courtesy of that nice Mr. Ellis. Recommended for older teens and up.
THE TWELVE #5 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. (See “Project Superpowers” above. On second thought, don’t.) “The Origin of The Witness.” Highly recommended.
WACKY PACKAGES HC by Topps. A tribute to the product parody stickers that outsold baseball cards for a while back in the seventies. Featuring an interview with artist/fan/legend Art Spiegelman. Recommended.
WALKING DEAD #49 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. In the aftermath of the prison massacre “everything is different now.” Great, devastating stuff. Recommended. NEVER for kids.
WOLVERINE #65 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The conclusion to the best Wolverine story in many a moon as Logan finally catches up to Mystique. Hijinks ensue. Highly recommended.
WOLVERINE: THE AMAZING IMMORTAL MAN & OTHER BLOODY TALES #1 by David Lapham, Kelly Goodine, and Johnny Timmons. Three stories of Marvel’s most ubiquitous mutant, featuring occasional gouts of dialogue!
WONDER WOMAN #20 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. Wonder Woman meets an ancient hero and it ain’t John McCain!
X-MEN LEGACY #211 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Professor X delves into his own past in an effort to reconstruct his memory. Think “Memento” without all the ink.
YOUNG LIARS #3 written and drawn by David Lapham. Out of control Laphamesque mayhem. For all of us who miss “Stray Bullets!” Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
http://www.johnjudy.net/blog/
QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-14-08
By John Judy
ALL-NEW IRON MANUAL #1 by Eliot Brown and Various Writers. Everything you ever wanted to know about Tony Stark and his suits of armor, right down to the schematics! Kids, don’t try this at home!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. The always-readable Mr. Slott is back in the spider-rotation so this issue is filled with action and jokes that actually work. Add to that an artist who appears to have studied his Darwyn Cooke and you’ve got a very respectable issue, despite the whole Spidey re-boot being more aggravation than renovation. Recommended anyway.
BATMAN #676 by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. “Batman R.I.P.” begins here. I believe it stands for “Rolling In Profit.”
BOOSTER GOLD #9 by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz, and Dan Jurgens. The return of the Justice League International! Too bad Kevin Maguire couldn’t guest-pencil. So awesome you almost don’t mind the OMACs. Stupid OMACs…
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk. How do Limeys fight the Skrulls? With a stiff upper lip, boiled food, and bad dentistry! “Surrender, you rotters or we’ll thrash you with pictures of Princess Diana!” Pip-pip!
FINAL CRISIS SKETCHBOOK by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. A peek into what’s coming. Potentially very cool. Worth a look.
GOON #24 written and drawn by Eric Powell. In which we learn how Horse Eater’s Woods got its name. Amazing stuff. Recommended.
NEWUNIVERSAL: SHOCKFRONT #1 of 6 by Warren Ellis and Steve Kurth. Admit it, you forgot Warren Ellis was still working on the New Universe, didn’t you? It’s okay. So did he. Anyway, it’s coming out again and Ellis is writing it. Recommended.
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #3 of 7 by Alex Ross, Jim Kreuger, and Carlos Paul. Like Straczynski and Weston’s “The Twelve” without all that pesky story and character development.
PUNISHER #57 by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov. As of last issue the Punisher knew he was up against U.S. Special Forces. Now we find out if they know what they’re up against. Recommended. Not for kids.
SERENITY: BETTER DAYS #3 of 3 by Joss Whedon, Bret Matthews, and Will Conrad. Mal’s getting’ tortured. Again. Stupid Fox TV.
SUPERMAN #676 by Vito Delsante and Julian Lopez. The first encounter/fight between Supes and the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Features an Alex Ross cover. A gotta-look for geeks like me.
THUNDERBOLTS #120 by Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato. The Green Goblin works out some of his frustrations with the help, courtesy of that nice Mr. Ellis. Recommended for older teens and up.
THE TWELVE #5 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. (See “Project Superpowers” above. On second thought, don’t.) “The Origin of The Witness.” Highly recommended.
WACKY PACKAGES HC by Topps. A tribute to the product parody stickers that outsold baseball cards for a while back in the seventies. Featuring an interview with artist/fan/legend Art Spiegelman. Recommended.
WALKING DEAD #49 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. In the aftermath of the prison massacre “everything is different now.” Great, devastating stuff. Recommended. NEVER for kids.
WOLVERINE #65 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney. The conclusion to the best Wolverine story in many a moon as Logan finally catches up to Mystique. Hijinks ensue. Highly recommended.
WOLVERINE: THE AMAZING IMMORTAL MAN & OTHER BLOODY TALES #1 by David Lapham, Kelly Goodine, and Johnny Timmons. Three stories of Marvel’s most ubiquitous mutant, featuring occasional gouts of dialogue!
WONDER WOMAN #20 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. Wonder Woman meets an ancient hero and it ain’t John McCain!
X-MEN LEGACY #211 by Mike Carey and Scot Eaton. Professor X delves into his own past in an effort to reconstruct his memory. Think “Memento” without all the ink.
YOUNG LIARS #3 written and drawn by David Lapham. Out of control Laphamesque mayhem. For all of us who miss “Stray Bullets!” Recommended.
www.johnjudy.net
Tara McPherson Coming to Town
Tara McPherson (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall) will be in DC with her band, New York Times, on Saturday, May 10th at The Velvet Lounge with Koko and Nerd Parade. Doors 9pm/Show 10pm/21+/$8.
Not exactly a comics event, but kindasorta...
Not exactly a comics event, but kindasorta...
Friday, May 09, 2008
Jason Rodriguez interviewed by The Pulse
Arlington's own comic writer and editor Jason Rodriguez is featured in a new online interview - "For Your Consideration: Postcards: True Stories that Never Happened," By Chris Beckett, Comicon's The Pulse May 8 2008.
...my life would be easier if you guys would just email me about these things... really, not all self-promotion is a bad thing...
...my life would be easier if you guys would just email me about these things... really, not all self-promotion is a bad thing...
Wash Post on Met's superhero costume exhibit
See "Do the Clothes Make the (Super)Man?," By Robin Givhan, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, May 11, 2008; Page M08.
Wash Post doesn't like Speed Racer...
...although to be fair, so far none of the reviews I've seen have liked it. Here's the Post's - "'Speed Racer' Is Stuck on A Fast Track To Nowhere," By Ann Hornaday, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 9, 2008; Page C01.
America's first political cartoon appeared today
According to the Associated Press's Today in History, Ben Franklin's 1754 cartoon of the thirteen colonies as a cut-apart snake appeared with the caption "Join or Die" appeared today in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Why are mention it here? There's an original on display in Baltimore in Geppi's Entertainment Museum. It's tiny, but cool. If you don't live around here, an easy place to see it was in the intro credits to HBO's John Adams miniseries. Special update: Also Richard Thompson redrew it and posted it on his blog.
Speaking of Geppi's, curator Arnold Blumberg and Geppi both appeared in the Free Comic Book Day Jughead issue from Archie. The whole comic is set in the museum.
Speaking of Geppi's, curator Arnold Blumberg and Geppi both appeared in the Free Comic Book Day Jughead issue from Archie. The whole comic is set in the museum.
Cartoonists Join Third Annual "Science Idol"
The following press release was received in the opulent ComicsDC offices at the suggestion of KAL...
May 9, 2008
UCS MEDIA ALERT
CONTACT: Meghan Crosby, 202-331-6943
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCES THIRD ANNUAL "SCIENCE IDOL" CARTOON CONTEST
WASHINGTON (May 9, 2008) - Six of America's top cartoonists arejoining the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) to kick off theorganization's third annual "Science Idol" scientific integrity cartoon contest to draw humorous attention to a very serious issue: political interference in science.
The judges for this year's contest include cartoonists featured in someof the nation's leading news publications including "Speed Bump"creator Dave Coverly, Kevin Kallaugher of The Economist, "Non-Sequitur"creator Wiley Miller, Mike Keefe of the Denver Post, Signe Wilkinson of the Philadelphia Daily News, and graphic designer Jesse Springer, winner of last year's contest.
Amateur and professional artists are welcome to submit cartoons that address the abuse of science in general or highlight one or more of the ways in which science has been misused; the consequences of political interference in science; or solutions to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making. The deadline for submissions is June 11. For contest rules and submission guidelines, go to: www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol.
"The absurdity of political interference in science is fertile ground for satire," said Michael Halpern, program manager of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program. "We're sure the creativity of cartoonists can match the wiliness of those politicizing science and help us tell this story."
The judges along with UCS staff will narrow the pool to 12 finalists and post the cartoons on the UCS Web site July 10. Over the following four weeks, the public will be able to vote for the grand prize winner, who will receive $500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The 12 finalists' cartoons will also appear in a 2009 calendar, with the grand prize winner's cartoon featured on the cover.
For information on political interference in science, go to www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/.
###
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has offices in Berkeley, California, and Washington, D.C. For more information, go to http://www.ucsusa.org/.
May 9, 2008
UCS MEDIA ALERT
CONTACT: Meghan Crosby, 202-331-6943
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCES THIRD ANNUAL "SCIENCE IDOL" CARTOON CONTEST
WASHINGTON (May 9, 2008) - Six of America's top cartoonists arejoining the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) to kick off theorganization's third annual "Science Idol" scientific integrity cartoon contest to draw humorous attention to a very serious issue: political interference in science.
The judges for this year's contest include cartoonists featured in someof the nation's leading news publications including "Speed Bump"creator Dave Coverly, Kevin Kallaugher of The Economist, "Non-Sequitur"creator Wiley Miller, Mike Keefe of the Denver Post, Signe Wilkinson of the Philadelphia Daily News, and graphic designer Jesse Springer, winner of last year's contest.
Amateur and professional artists are welcome to submit cartoons that address the abuse of science in general or highlight one or more of the ways in which science has been misused; the consequences of political interference in science; or solutions to restore scientific integrity to federal policy making. The deadline for submissions is June 11. For contest rules and submission guidelines, go to: www.ucsusa.org/scienceidol.
"The absurdity of political interference in science is fertile ground for satire," said Michael Halpern, program manager of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program. "We're sure the creativity of cartoonists can match the wiliness of those politicizing science and help us tell this story."
The judges along with UCS staff will narrow the pool to 12 finalists and post the cartoons on the UCS Web site July 10. Over the following four weeks, the public will be able to vote for the grand prize winner, who will receive $500 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The 12 finalists' cartoons will also appear in a 2009 calendar, with the grand prize winner's cartoon featured on the cover.
For information on political interference in science, go to www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/.
###
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has offices in Berkeley, California, and Washington, D.C. For more information, go to http://www.ucsusa.org/.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
KAL at NARA
Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher spoke at the National Archives tonight for an hour and a half. Kal's always a great entertainer. While I've seen him before, I always enjoy watching him. Tonight he began with his singing nun drawing (see below), went through a selection of Baltimore Sun and Economist cartoons, showed an animated video he did for a UK newspaper over twenty years ago and then went on to talk about his new animation work. He does animation by sculpting a politician's caricature, scanning that and then animating it with motion capture technology. He showed us his newest video animation of Obama, Clinton and GW Bush and I'll try to figure out how to embed it here. In the meantime, here's some photos.
KAL reproducing his very first childhood drawing of the singing nun for the audience at the National Archives. Look how fast he draws! His arm's a blur!
Off to sign books for the crowd.
KAL reproducing his very first childhood drawing of the singing nun for the audience at the National Archives. Look how fast he draws! His arm's a blur!
Off to sign books for the crowd.
Blood Type for Manga Creators?
Mike and I were IMing tonight, and I asked him if he knew why manga creators published their blood type. He didn't know and suggested I post to the blog, so here it is.
Just peruse any of the manga creators on animenewsnetwork.com for example (i.e. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=32616 which I just picked at random). This site is full of this type of detail. I mean, I know it's a valuable piece of information to know about oneself (I should find out my own), but why do these creators post this data? It's on some of their personal web pages as well.
Anyone?
Just peruse any of the manga creators on animenewsnetwork.com for example (i.e. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=32616 which I just picked at random). This site is full of this type of detail. I mean, I know it's a valuable piece of information to know about oneself (I should find out my own), but why do these creators post this data? It's on some of their personal web pages as well.
Anyone?
Cul de Sac: The BOOK
Richard, having run his own blog for months now, no longer feeds me tidbits so I have to read about Cul de Sac: The BOOK on the Comics Reporter. I'm not bitter though, no sirree bob. I saw KAL tonight while Our Man Thompson was working. HAH!
And you can preorder it at Amazon. You can't do that for Harvey Pekar: Conversations, but they tell me it will be out in October.
And you can preorder it at Amazon. You can't do that for Harvey Pekar: Conversations, but they tell me it will be out in October.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Quick bits from Express and Examiner
It's probably getting late to track one down, but the Express ran a wire story on the new Batman movie today, and a short excerpt of some of the better questions from the Post.com Quesada chat from yesterday.
Nate Beeler had a nice cartoon in the Examiner - the baby's not keeping him completely away from the drawing board apparently.
Nate Beeler had a nice cartoon in the Examiner - the baby's not keeping him completely away from the drawing board apparently.
Illustrators Club exhibit opens
I've been remiss in not posting about the Illustrators Club which includes cartoonists among its members. A new exhibit from the Club opens tomorrow. Check out their website - lots of neat people are members. I'd especially recommend the tour of the Kelly Collection on May 15th too.
May 8: KAL at National Archives REPOST
I'm going to try to be there... feel free say hello.
Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives, 9th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW
An Evening with Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher: Moving Political Cartoons from Page to Screen
Tonight, Berryman Award–winning editorial cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher will present an illustrated lecture tracing the evolution of political cartoons from two-dimensional print to 3D animation. Kallaugher's work for the Baltimore Sun and the Economist has appeared in more than 100 publications worldwide. In 2007 he launched Kaltoons LLC, which pioneered the development of animated, 3D digital caricatures. Kaltoons' first video, Dancin' Dubya, was released on the web in August 2007. A signing of his latest collection of cartoons, KAL Draws Criticism, published in June 2006, will follow the program.
Thursday, May 8, at 7 p.m.
William G. McGowan Theater, National Archives, 9th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW
An Evening with Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher: Moving Political Cartoons from Page to Screen
Tonight, Berryman Award–winning editorial cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher will present an illustrated lecture tracing the evolution of political cartoons from two-dimensional print to 3D animation. Kallaugher's work for the Baltimore Sun and the Economist has appeared in more than 100 publications worldwide. In 2007 he launched Kaltoons LLC, which pioneered the development of animated, 3D digital caricatures. Kaltoons' first video, Dancin' Dubya, was released on the web in August 2007. A signing of his latest collection of cartoons, KAL Draws Criticism, published in June 2006, will follow the program.
Pat McGeehan's Crummy Cakes
Pat McGeehan used to work at National Geographic and stopped by there earlier this week, mentioning his comic strip, Crummy Cakes and its website. Another DC cartoonist comes out of the woodwork...
Honorary Washingtonian Von Allan has a show
One of this blog's earliest posts was information from Von Allan about samples of his graphic novel that he planned on having at the Small Press Expo. Here's a press release about a new show of his art in Canada... almost DC if you squint at the little maps in the lower right corner of this blog...
The Art of Von Allan at Ottawa's Ristorante La Dolce Vita
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 05/06/2008 - Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, will have an art show at La Dolce Vita.
Art, in all of its myriad forms, fires our imagination. By presenting ideas to the viewer in the form of line, tone and colour, the artist can become a dream-maker. These often take the form of stories, either told in a single, breathtaking image or shown sequentially over a number of drawings or paintings. Triptychs are one example of the latter. Another example, long dismissed as either juvenile or pop art, is the graphic novel – comic books that have grown up. Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, will show why this form of art speaks to him with an art show at La Dolce Vita beginning on May 19, 2008.
“Graphic novels, with their ability to express a broad range of thoughts and ideas, are an art form that stimulates the imagination by their very nature,” says Allan. “For me, personally, the combination of words and images is a delight. Seeing a figure materialize on a piece of Bristol board just with a pencil and brush is magic. Seeing a reader then interact with that figure, proving the reality of their twodimensional world, makes that figure something more. It is exactly in that space, that ‘something more,’ where dreams come alive. It is amazing what a little line of ink on a small piece of paper can do.”
The Art of Von Allan will feature a number of illustrations and paintings that Allan has completed over the past few months. In addition, a number of pages from "the road to god knows..," an original graphic novel, will also be featured. The graphic novel tells the story of Marie, a young teenage girl coming to grips with her Mom’s schizophrenia. As a result, she’s struggling to grow up fast; wrestling with poverty, loneliness, and her Mom’s illness every step of the way. Betty, Marie’s Mom, can’t help; she’s living with an illness that’s slowly getting worse and increasingly frightening. With her Mom absorbed in her own problems, Marie is essentially alone while she learns to deal with the chaos in her young life.
"The road to god knows…" is expected to be printed in 2008 and has an ISBN of 978-0-9781237-0-3. It is currently being serialized online at webcomics collective GirlAMatic.com
About Von Allan
Von Allan (vonallan.com) was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for "Star Wars: A New Hope." He managed Perfect Books, an independent bookstore in Ottawa, for many years while working on story ideas in his spare time; eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life, and "the road to god knows…" was the result. Additional information about the graphic novel can be found online.
About La Dolce Vita
Visit the Mediterranean and you'll quickly become a fan of the great food, great wine and joie de vivre of the people there. La Dolce Vita staff make it their business to bring that joy - that appreciation of fine food and conversation - to the Capital. The restaurant's gourmet pizzas are justly famous, combining decadent ingredients to tempt the palate and the eye.
The Art of Von Allan at Ottawa's Ristorante La Dolce Vita
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 05/06/2008 - Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, will have an art show at La Dolce Vita.
Art, in all of its myriad forms, fires our imagination. By presenting ideas to the viewer in the form of line, tone and colour, the artist can become a dream-maker. These often take the form of stories, either told in a single, breathtaking image or shown sequentially over a number of drawings or paintings. Triptychs are one example of the latter. Another example, long dismissed as either juvenile or pop art, is the graphic novel – comic books that have grown up. Von Allan, an Ottawa-based artist and graphic novelist, will show why this form of art speaks to him with an art show at La Dolce Vita beginning on May 19, 2008.
“Graphic novels, with their ability to express a broad range of thoughts and ideas, are an art form that stimulates the imagination by their very nature,” says Allan. “For me, personally, the combination of words and images is a delight. Seeing a figure materialize on a piece of Bristol board just with a pencil and brush is magic. Seeing a reader then interact with that figure, proving the reality of their twodimensional world, makes that figure something more. It is exactly in that space, that ‘something more,’ where dreams come alive. It is amazing what a little line of ink on a small piece of paper can do.”
The Art of Von Allan will feature a number of illustrations and paintings that Allan has completed over the past few months. In addition, a number of pages from "the road to god knows..," an original graphic novel, will also be featured. The graphic novel tells the story of Marie, a young teenage girl coming to grips with her Mom’s schizophrenia. As a result, she’s struggling to grow up fast; wrestling with poverty, loneliness, and her Mom’s illness every step of the way. Betty, Marie’s Mom, can’t help; she’s living with an illness that’s slowly getting worse and increasingly frightening. With her Mom absorbed in her own problems, Marie is essentially alone while she learns to deal with the chaos in her young life.
"The road to god knows…" is expected to be printed in 2008 and has an ISBN of 978-0-9781237-0-3. It is currently being serialized online at webcomics collective GirlAMatic.com
About Von Allan
Von Allan (vonallan.com) was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for "Star Wars: A New Hope." He managed Perfect Books, an independent bookstore in Ottawa, for many years while working on story ideas in his spare time; eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life, and "the road to god knows…" was the result. Additional information about the graphic novel can be found online.
About La Dolce Vita
Visit the Mediterranean and you'll quickly become a fan of the great food, great wine and joie de vivre of the people there. La Dolce Vita staff make it their business to bring that joy - that appreciation of fine food and conversation - to the Capital. The restaurant's gourmet pizzas are justly famous, combining decadent ingredients to tempt the palate and the eye.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Poe catalogue for Richmond exhibit is out
Tom Inge's got another very interesting museum catalogue out to go with his show on Edgar Allan Poe in the comics which just opened at the Poe Museum in Richmond. Click here and go halfway down the page to order The Incredible Mr. Poe: Comic Book Adaptations of the Works of Edgar Allan Poe 1943-2007.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)