Keith's new strip appears as third of the trial ones in the Sunday comics section on May 18th. Write into the Post to support it! He's got a child on the way! And he's funny! And, apropos of the controversy over the number of cartoonists of color earlier in the year, he's of color! But the important thing is that Keith's funny and an excellent cartoonist. I've bought every one of his collections at SPX and will keep buying them as long as he keeps doing them. And I've got his coffee mug with a (Th)Ink panel of Bush's Shadow(y) Government showing Bush with a shadow of Darth Vader displayed prominently on one of my comics shelves.
Keith (or Keef as he prefers, but I don't know him that well) must be reading this as he just emailed the following information:
*KEEF AT THE CHARLES SCHULZ MUSEUM/INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS
I'll be up in the Bay Area in late May for a couple of events. On Sunday, May 18th, I'll be the guest cartoonist at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, from 1-3pm. I'll be signing copies of "I Left My Arse in San Francisco". If you've never been there, go!! It's a really swanky place.
http://www.schulzmuseum.org
On Tuesday, May 20th, I'll be sharing the stage with co-horts Miriam Libicki, Ariel Schrag and Jaime Cortez for a panel discussion about graphic storytelling as part of a month-long series of comic strip and cartoon based events put on by the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. It takes place from 7-9 pm at the Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia St. (between 15th and 16th) San Francisco.
http://www.jccsf.org/content_main.aspx?catid=448
Show up to both events and I'll give you something nice.
*THE COMPLETE K CHRONICLES: NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!!
You can now go to my website and pre-order the upcoming 500-page K Chronicles Omnibus Collection (being published by Dark Horse this summer). It collects the first four books (including the out-of-print "Dances with Sheep", "Fear of a Black Marker", and "Passion of the Keef"), sketches, notes and a foreword by Kyle Baker!! Click on the link below to got to the pre-order:
http://www.kchronicles.com/store/index.shtml
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Corcoran graduate Roy Delgado publishes cartoon collection
Corcoran School of Arts graduate Roy Delgado has published a gag cartoon collection. See "Petersburg artist publishes cartoon collection," Cumberland Times-News May 16 2008.
Toles video on Post site
See "Timelapse: From Sketch to Cartoon," by Whitney Shefte, Washingtonpost.com May 15 2008. Watch as today's cartoon by Tom Toles, the Post's Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, takes shape.
This is of the May 16th cartoon.
Will Elder obituary in Post
A truly great cartoonist is gone - "Will Elder, 86; Zany Cartoonist for Mad and Playboy", By Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, May 17, 2008; B06.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Marvel business story in Wash Post? Nah.
Dirk Deppey over at Journalista had linked to what he said was a Washington Post story, which made me wonder how I missed it. Actually, it's a wire story on the Post's site - "Marvel Entertainment: Super Hero Stock?" Anne Kates Smith, Senior Associate Editor, Kiplinger.com, Thursday, May 15, 2008. We'll note it here for posterity.
Also this story was in the paper today, although I can't decide if it's comics or not: "Kid e-Land: Disney's DGamer Enters the Crowded Virtual World," By Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 16, 2008; D01.
Also this story was in the paper today, although I can't decide if it's comics or not: "Kid e-Land: Disney's DGamer Enters the Crowded Virtual World," By Mike Musgrove, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 16, 2008; D01.
RFK Journalism Award to Signe Wilkinson
Alan Gardner broke the story, but here's the citation from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial's press release:
Cartoon Winner: Signe Wilkinson’s editorial cartoons from The Daily News were instrumental in moving the issue of violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods and schools to the top of the city’s agenda. Her cartoons offer a “steady drumbeat of funny, moving and shocking images”. The RFK Cartoon Judges write, “Her series attacking gun violence in Philadelphia spared no one and drew complaints from everyone- the hallmark of any good cartoonist”.
Some DC-area cartoonists are usually on the awards panel - perhaps they'll chime in.
Also note, "All recipients of the 40th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards will be honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 6:30 PM at the Newseum in Washington, DC."
Cartoon Winner: Signe Wilkinson’s editorial cartoons from The Daily News were instrumental in moving the issue of violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods and schools to the top of the city’s agenda. Her cartoons offer a “steady drumbeat of funny, moving and shocking images”. The RFK Cartoon Judges write, “Her series attacking gun violence in Philadelphia spared no one and drew complaints from everyone- the hallmark of any good cartoonist”.
Some DC-area cartoonists are usually on the awards panel - perhaps they'll chime in.
Also note, "All recipients of the 40th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards will be honored at a ceremony on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 6:30 PM at the Newseum in Washington, DC."
Mauldin's Willie and Joe
Longtime readers may recall that last summer I was trying to help out Todd DePastino and Gary Groth with scanning images for Fantagraphics' reprint project on Mauldin's Willie & Joe: The WWII Years. In the end I didn't accomplish much, although I did find a picture of a meeting between Mauldin and Sad Sack's Baker that Todd had missed. Fantagraphics kindly gave me an acknowledgement (another 15 seconds of fame!) and sent me a comp copy of the book - which is just lovely. Raise a glass to Gary and Kim Thompson and Eric Reynolds and the rest of the Fantagraphics crew - the books they're doing with Peanuts money are astounding. And Todd's work on this and the biography of Mauldin that came out earlier is fantastic as well.
For a good review of the book, see "'Willie & Joe': Bill Mauldin's Wartime Classic: Ken Tucker cracks open this newly released two-volume compilation of landmark cartoons about WWII grunts," EW.com May 13 2008.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Feiffer interview at Cosmos Club coming to IJOCA
I just finished transcribing Alan Fern's interview of Jules Feiffer at the Cosmos Club in Washington last year, on the occasion of the McGovern award. It will appear in the Fall 2008 issue of the International Journal of Comic Art. Subscribe now!
Here's a sample, with Feiffer talking about bringing his portfolio to show to Will Eisner and being told his art was no good:
...But I had long ago established a habit of responding to unpleasant truths by not hearing them, or changing the subject, and I sure as hell was not going to walk out of this meeting with Will Eisner, my hero, with my tail between my legs, being told I had no talent. This was not the way this was going to end, so I started improvising and the only thing I could think of talking about was him and his work. Now here was a guy who had revolutionized comic book art and he had three highly crafted professionals in the other room who didn’t give a damn about his work. Who thought he was kind of out of date, and didn’t know anything about his career, and then he met me and I had a whole dossier. I knew everything he ever had done. I could talk about it not just as a little boy, but as a knowledgeable fan. He had no choice but to hire me as a groupie.
[audience laughs]
Here's a sample, with Feiffer talking about bringing his portfolio to show to Will Eisner and being told his art was no good:
...But I had long ago established a habit of responding to unpleasant truths by not hearing them, or changing the subject, and I sure as hell was not going to walk out of this meeting with Will Eisner, my hero, with my tail between my legs, being told I had no talent. This was not the way this was going to end, so I started improvising and the only thing I could think of talking about was him and his work. Now here was a guy who had revolutionized comic book art and he had three highly crafted professionals in the other room who didn’t give a damn about his work. Who thought he was kind of out of date, and didn’t know anything about his career, and then he met me and I had a whole dossier. I knew everything he ever had done. I could talk about it not just as a little boy, but as a knowledgeable fan. He had no choice but to hire me as a groupie.
[audience laughs]
That darn Toles
Another letter to the editor...
Deserving of Impeachment
Washington Post Thursday, May 15, 2008; Page A14
I applaud Tom Toles for his May 9 cartoon on the Bush White House's illegal destruction of e-mail records. This makes Mr. Toles the first of The Post's editorial commentators to take seriously the array of impeachable offenses with which President Bush could be charged.
Impeachment has been attempted at the presidential level three times in the nation's history. Two -- of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton -- were patently political. The attempt to impeach Richard M. Nixon was appropriate, to protect us from an out-of-control presidency, and it would have gone further had it not been for his resignation and pardon.
Mr. Bush's tenure has been marked by high crimes and misdemeanors far more extreme even than President Nixon's. The Post has taken note of many of them, but never, until now, has one of its commentators seen the matter to its appropriate conclusion.
WARREN KORNBERG
Garrett Park
Deserving of Impeachment
Washington Post Thursday, May 15, 2008; Page A14
I applaud Tom Toles for his May 9 cartoon on the Bush White House's illegal destruction of e-mail records. This makes Mr. Toles the first of The Post's editorial commentators to take seriously the array of impeachable offenses with which President Bush could be charged.
Impeachment has been attempted at the presidential level three times in the nation's history. Two -- of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton -- were patently political. The attempt to impeach Richard M. Nixon was appropriate, to protect us from an out-of-control presidency, and it would have gone further had it not been for his resignation and pardon.
Mr. Bush's tenure has been marked by high crimes and misdemeanors far more extreme even than President Nixon's. The Post has taken note of many of them, but never, until now, has one of its commentators seen the matter to its appropriate conclusion.
WARREN KORNBERG
Garrett Park
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Weingarten on Argyle Sweater, Ted Key and best strip cartoonists
From the May 6th chat:
Comi, KS: The current Doonsbury replacement strip, despite the fact that I can't remember its name, has been pretty good. I thought this week's strip was hillarious -- but I'm 39 and I'm barely barely old enough to remember the "Hey, Kool-aid!" ad campaign. Was there a later resurgeance that I missed out on? Or does nobody under 35 stand a prayer of understanding that joke? Seems like the punch line--so to speak--would have worked a lot better in 1978 than 2008.
Gene Weingarten: Yeah, I barely remembered it. I like this strip, though it is one of the more blatant Far Side ripoffs around.
----------------------
and later in the chat,
The Four To, PS: OK, how about the Mount Rushmore of cartoonists?
I think Walt Kelly and Charles Schultz have to be there, but then it gets harder. I have to go with Watterson next, but then that last spot is very, very tough -- my list of possibles includes Feiffer, Trudeau, Breathed, Larson, Hollander, Adams, and MacGruder, all of whom were groundbreaking in different ways.
Who goes on your mountain?
Gene Weingarten: I take Schulz off the list and put Larson and Trudeau up there, but you won't get that many to agree. I don't think you can take Kelly off the list, but both Larson and Trudeau belong there. I am in the minority in my views on Schulz.
Re: Mount Rushmore of Cartoonists: Which weighs more heavily in your decision on this: artistic or writing talent?
Gene Weingarten: Writing. Though Kelly may have been the best cartoon artist ever.
Larson couldn't draw. He still needs to be there.
--------------------
Palookaville: Hey, Gene, can we have a moment of silence for Ted Key, who died recently at 95? Key created Hazel (the Saturday Evening Post cartoons from which the TV show was spun), Diz and Liz and -- which I hadn't realized -- Sherman and Mr. Peabody. An American giant.
Gene Weingarten: I didn't know he did Sherm and Peabody! And Hazel was good, too. Very dry humor. Hazel, as I recall, was a maid with a dry, cynical sense of humor, who basically controlled the household.
Comi, KS: The current Doonsbury replacement strip, despite the fact that I can't remember its name, has been pretty good. I thought this week's strip was hillarious -- but I'm 39 and I'm barely barely old enough to remember the "Hey, Kool-aid!" ad campaign. Was there a later resurgeance that I missed out on? Or does nobody under 35 stand a prayer of understanding that joke? Seems like the punch line--so to speak--would have worked a lot better in 1978 than 2008.
Gene Weingarten: Yeah, I barely remembered it. I like this strip, though it is one of the more blatant Far Side ripoffs around.
----------------------
and later in the chat,
The Four To, PS: OK, how about the Mount Rushmore of cartoonists?
I think Walt Kelly and Charles Schultz have to be there, but then it gets harder. I have to go with Watterson next, but then that last spot is very, very tough -- my list of possibles includes Feiffer, Trudeau, Breathed, Larson, Hollander, Adams, and MacGruder, all of whom were groundbreaking in different ways.
Who goes on your mountain?
Gene Weingarten: I take Schulz off the list and put Larson and Trudeau up there, but you won't get that many to agree. I don't think you can take Kelly off the list, but both Larson and Trudeau belong there. I am in the minority in my views on Schulz.
Re: Mount Rushmore of Cartoonists: Which weighs more heavily in your decision on this: artistic or writing talent?
Gene Weingarten: Writing. Though Kelly may have been the best cartoon artist ever.
Larson couldn't draw. He still needs to be there.
--------------------
Palookaville: Hey, Gene, can we have a moment of silence for Ted Key, who died recently at 95? Key created Hazel (the Saturday Evening Post cartoons from which the TV show was spun), Diz and Liz and -- which I hadn't realized -- Sherman and Mr. Peabody. An American giant.
Gene Weingarten: I didn't know he did Sherm and Peabody! And Hazel was good, too. Very dry humor. Hazel, as I recall, was a maid with a dry, cynical sense of humor, who basically controlled the household.
Post Hunt cartoonist revealed
In Gene Weingarten's May 13th chat, the question was raised and answered:
Bethesda, Md.: So who drew that Post Hunt logo, with the ruddy-cheeked Metro train and all the D.C. landmarks pointing in different directions? It's really good.
Gene Weingarten: The artist for this and all previous Hunts is a talented man named (I swear) Otis Sweat.
Tom Shroder: And his beautiful wife Barbara. I haven't seen her in years, but I know she's beautiful because Otis is constantly drawing her.
Gene Weingarten: Okay, I am probably going to get in trouble for this, but Otis also does some excellent, hilarious x-rated cartoons, and I once asked him if he used any particular, like, models, for his superior reproduction of various types of human genitalia, and he very specifically refused to say, so really, when you think about it, I am not imparting any useful or titillating information here. At all.
Dave Barry: For the record, Otis has never seen me naked.
OT: New book of interest
My friend Comics-Dr. Gene Kannenberg's new book with Tim Pilcher is out - Erotic Comics: A Graphic History, vol. 1. I bought my copy today at Big Planet Comics, but you can get one by ordering through Gene's website which has more details on it. It's a lovely book, although not for everyone, and I contributed one of the McGill postcards; that was $1 well spent!
International Museum of Cartoon Art (IMCA) Moving to Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
Here's a press release from OSU Cartoon Research Librarian Jenny Robb with interesting news. I covered the closing of the IMCA in Florida for the Comics Journal and more recently had heard hints from Brian Walker that something like this might happen, so I'm glad it's come to fruition. OSU takes good care of their massive collections, but they'll be expanding their mission with the IMCA's three-dimensional artifacts. I hope that OSU will be able to provide space for regular exhibits beyond their reference room -- Mike
The collection of the International Museum of Cartoon Art (IMCA) is moving to The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. The union of these two institutions will create the largest collection of original cartoon art in the world.
IMCA was established in 1973 by Mort Walker, the creative force behind Beetle Bailey, as the first museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting cartoons. The museum opened in 1974 in a converted mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. Two years later, the museum relocated to a renovated castle in Rye Brook, New York, where the collection was displayed until 1992. At that time the city of Boca Raton, Florida invited the museum to construct a 52,000 square foot facility as part of an effort to attract cultural institutions to Palm Beach County. The museum was a very popular attraction with highly acclaimed exhibits, events, and functions for the public. It was still paying off the cost of its construction when two of its financial backers went bankrupt creating a $5 million loss and causing the museum to close.
IMCA's collection consists of approximately 200,000 works, including original drawings from all genres of cartoon art (comic strips, comic books, animation, editorial, advertising, sport, caricature, greeting cards, graphic novels, and illustrations), display figures, toys and collectibles, and works on film and tape, CDs, and DVDs.
Lucy Shelton Caswell, professor and curator of the Cartoon Research Library, said, "We are honored that the IMCA's board has placed its treasures in our care." Efforts are underway to provide increased space for the Cartoon Research Library that will include museum-quality galleries. "It is critical that we have state-of-the-art gallery space to display IMCA's collection appropriately," notes Caswell. A gallery in the new facility will be named in honor of IMCA founder Mort Walker.
Joe Branin, Director of The Ohio State University Libraries, issued the following statement: "Special Collections, original manuscripts, photographs, and other rare or unique items so necessary for scholarship, are one of the critical identifiers of any research library. Universities point to their special collections as distinctive points of pride, those things that make their libraries unique. In receiving the collection of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, the Cartoon Research Library has substantially enhanced its standing as one of the premier research libraries. We are excited to make this outstanding collection available for scholarly study and for general appreciation in exhibits and other public programs."
Contact the Cartoon Research Library for an image to accompany this release.
About the Cartoon Research Library: The Cartoon Research Library's primary mission is to develop a comprehensive research collection of materials documenting American printed cartoon art (editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and magazine cartoons) and to provide access to these collections. The library is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See http://cartoons.osu.edu/ for further information.
The collection of the International Museum of Cartoon Art (IMCA) is moving to The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library. The union of these two institutions will create the largest collection of original cartoon art in the world.
IMCA was established in 1973 by Mort Walker, the creative force behind Beetle Bailey, as the first museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting cartoons. The museum opened in 1974 in a converted mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. Two years later, the museum relocated to a renovated castle in Rye Brook, New York, where the collection was displayed until 1992. At that time the city of Boca Raton, Florida invited the museum to construct a 52,000 square foot facility as part of an effort to attract cultural institutions to Palm Beach County. The museum was a very popular attraction with highly acclaimed exhibits, events, and functions for the public. It was still paying off the cost of its construction when two of its financial backers went bankrupt creating a $5 million loss and causing the museum to close.
IMCA's collection consists of approximately 200,000 works, including original drawings from all genres of cartoon art (comic strips, comic books, animation, editorial, advertising, sport, caricature, greeting cards, graphic novels, and illustrations), display figures, toys and collectibles, and works on film and tape, CDs, and DVDs.
Lucy Shelton Caswell, professor and curator of the Cartoon Research Library, said, "We are honored that the IMCA's board has placed its treasures in our care." Efforts are underway to provide increased space for the Cartoon Research Library that will include museum-quality galleries. "It is critical that we have state-of-the-art gallery space to display IMCA's collection appropriately," notes Caswell. A gallery in the new facility will be named in honor of IMCA founder Mort Walker.
Joe Branin, Director of The Ohio State University Libraries, issued the following statement: "Special Collections, original manuscripts, photographs, and other rare or unique items so necessary for scholarship, are one of the critical identifiers of any research library. Universities point to their special collections as distinctive points of pride, those things that make their libraries unique. In receiving the collection of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, the Cartoon Research Library has substantially enhanced its standing as one of the premier research libraries. We are excited to make this outstanding collection available for scholarly study and for general appreciation in exhibits and other public programs."
Contact the Cartoon Research Library for an image to accompany this release.
About the Cartoon Research Library: The Cartoon Research Library's primary mission is to develop a comprehensive research collection of materials documenting American printed cartoon art (editorial cartoons, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and magazine cartoons) and to provide access to these collections. The library is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See http://cartoons.osu.edu/ for further information.
Graphic Novel Primer at Takoma Park, MD Library
A press release passed along to us reads:
The Takoma Park Maryland Library has a great upcoming program -- an introduction to graphic novels, with an emphasis on those for kids and teens -- on Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30pm. The library is located at 101 Philadelphia Ave. in Takoma Park, MD.
At the program, Dave Burbank, their library assistant and graphic novel expert, and Karen MacPherson, children's/teen librarian, will offer a primer on this literary form, illustrating their talk with examples of graphic novels for kids, teens, and adults. They will give a brief overview of the history of graphic novels, discuss why they are so popular with children and teens, and show how they can inspire an interest in reading among reluctant readers as well as help develop key literacy skills among all kinds of readers. Participants will take home a reading list of suggested graphic novels for various ages.
Although this program is aimed at parents and other interested adults, school-age kids also are welcome to attend. You can now sign up on-line at their website (www.takomapark.info/library -- click on the word "events," just under the logo) or call 301-891-7259.
The Takoma Park Maryland Library has a great upcoming program -- an introduction to graphic novels, with an emphasis on those for kids and teens -- on Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30pm. The library is located at 101 Philadelphia Ave. in Takoma Park, MD.
At the program, Dave Burbank, their library assistant and graphic novel expert, and Karen MacPherson, children's/teen librarian, will offer a primer on this literary form, illustrating their talk with examples of graphic novels for kids, teens, and adults. They will give a brief overview of the history of graphic novels, discuss why they are so popular with children and teens, and show how they can inspire an interest in reading among reluctant readers as well as help develop key literacy skills among all kinds of readers. Participants will take home a reading list of suggested graphic novels for various ages.
Although this program is aimed at parents and other interested adults, school-age kids also are welcome to attend. You can now sign up on-line at their website (www.takomapark.info/library -- click on the word "events," just under the logo) or call 301-891-7259.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
OT: Rusty Witek's Spiegelman book
My buddy Rusty Witek could help me out with my Pekar book because he was doing his Art Spiegelman: Conversations which appeared last fall. Here's a review of it: "Books about Comics #2: Spiegelman and Spandex," by Peter Sanderson, PW Comics Week May 13, 2008. I don't think Rusty's the one in the spandex though...
OT: New York Times cartoon journalism wrap-up
Campbell Robertson ended up doing three pieces that the Times chopped up and put on their website as slideshows:
"Primary Pen & Ink: Asheville, N.C.," April 30 2008
"Primary Pen & Ink: Whiteville, N.C.," May 2 2008
"Primary Pen & Ink: Raleigh, N.C.," May 5 2008
These weren't too big and were nice pieces of cartoon journalism - it's too bad the Times couldn't squeeze them into print. Oddly enough, at this point I think the Times has the most mainstream coverage of comic art. Including their animation reviews, it's almost daily.
And thanks to PW Comics Week, here's an interview with him:
"Campbell Robertson, Sometimes Cartoonist; The New York Times does non-fiction, political, comics," by Clint Hendler, Columbia Journalism Review Fri 9 May 2008. And serendipity strikes! Robertson went to school in DC! "I did some cartooning in college. I did some stuff for the college paper, the Georgetown Hoya, but very little. I was an English major, and my thesis—and maybe this reflects badly on Georgetown—was a fiction comic book. But I hear they’re still accredited."
It's ComicsDC territory after all...
Here's the earlier article referenced in the CJR: "Yes, But Where's the Nut Graf? The New York Times does comics -- for a day, at least," By Robin Sloan, November 19 2003 and the first NYT piece on a paparazzo from November 2003.
"Primary Pen & Ink: Asheville, N.C.," April 30 2008
"Primary Pen & Ink: Whiteville, N.C.," May 2 2008
"Primary Pen & Ink: Raleigh, N.C.," May 5 2008
These weren't too big and were nice pieces of cartoon journalism - it's too bad the Times couldn't squeeze them into print. Oddly enough, at this point I think the Times has the most mainstream coverage of comic art. Including their animation reviews, it's almost daily.
And thanks to PW Comics Week, here's an interview with him:
"Campbell Robertson, Sometimes Cartoonist; The New York Times does non-fiction, political, comics," by Clint Hendler, Columbia Journalism Review Fri 9 May 2008. And serendipity strikes! Robertson went to school in DC! "I did some cartooning in college. I did some stuff for the college paper, the Georgetown Hoya, but very little. I was an English major, and my thesis—and maybe this reflects badly on Georgetown—was a fiction comic book. But I hear they’re still accredited."
It's ComicsDC territory after all...
Here's the earlier article referenced in the CJR: "Yes, But Where's the Nut Graf? The New York Times does comics -- for a day, at least," By Robin Sloan, November 19 2003 and the first NYT piece on a paparazzo from November 2003.
Philadelphia's Mike's World
Ok, we're into Mission Creep here, just as Our Man Thompson foretold, yet asked for, but I couldn't pass this one up.
"An Artist’s Concocted World, Starring Himself, Is Too True to Be Real," By KEN JOHNSON, New York Times May 13, 2008.
“Mike’s World: Michael Smith & Joshua White (and other collaborators)” is a terrifically entertaining and philosophically compelling survey, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, of Mr. Smith’s 30-year career.
And why bring it up, beyond the bond of Mike-ness? "In [Mike Smith's] inventive engagement with diverse forms, including drawing, comic books, sculpture, photography, musical theater and puppet shows as well as installations and video, he has followed a determinedly unpredictable, exploratory course." So there you have it - somewhere in this exhibit, are faux fine art comic books, presumably one of a kind - on display in Philadelphia, through August 3rd.
"An Artist’s Concocted World, Starring Himself, Is Too True to Be Real," By KEN JOHNSON, New York Times May 13, 2008.
“Mike’s World: Michael Smith & Joshua White (and other collaborators)” is a terrifically entertaining and philosophically compelling survey, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, of Mr. Smith’s 30-year career.
And why bring it up, beyond the bond of Mike-ness? "In [Mike Smith's] inventive engagement with diverse forms, including drawing, comic books, sculpture, photography, musical theater and puppet shows as well as installations and video, he has followed a determinedly unpredictable, exploratory course." So there you have it - somewhere in this exhibit, are faux fine art comic books, presumably one of a kind - on display in Philadelphia, through August 3rd.
OT: Free Moebius history of the Red Cross comic
Moebius' The story of an idea is available on the Red Cross' website as either a pdf download, or you can request a copy (which is sent express from Switzerland!)
Their website describes it as: The story of an idea, is an exciting new publication which brings to life the story of the birth of the Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement and its history to date. This comic strip was created by the world renowned artist Jean Giraud, alias Moebius.
ICRC/International Federation of the Red Cross, 2008, A4, comic strip, 10 pp., English, French, Spanish / Free of charge / ref. 0939
It includes the history and meaning of the Geneva Conventions - always a useful thing to have in Washington!
Politico cartoonist Wuerker on Oliphant exhibit
The Politico's editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker has got an excellent review of the Pat Oliphant show in Woodley Park in today's paper. It runs two pages with color photographs. Those not in DC can see it on the web at "Political Ink: Oliphant shares cartoons," by Matt Wuerker, Politico May 12, 2008.
OT: Where in the world is Dean Haspiel?
My New York buddy Dean Haspiel, who suggested me for the Harvey Pekar SPX panel interview that led to the Conversations book, is keeping busy. Here's a note from him listing his projects:
1] my webcomic, BILLY DOGMA in "Immortal," got nominated for an Eisner award for 'best digital comic'. Link to IMMORTAL: http://www.act-i-vate.com/21.comic [Mike's note - this is available in print now as well]
2] I finished THE ALCOHOLIC, the original graphic novel I illustrated in collaboration with writer, Jonathan Ames, for Vertigo/DC Comics, which is slated to come out in September. I'll be doing lots of press for that book soon. Here's a recent article from PWCW: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6557737.html?nid=2789
3] MO & JO: FIGHTING TOGETHER FOREVER, my kids book collaboration with underground comix legend/writer Jay Lynch, will also be coming out in September from Francoise Mouly's Toon Books [Raw Jr.]: http://www.toon-books.com/book_mojo_about.php
4] DC Comics' webcomix wing, Zuda, just announced STREET CODE, the new series I'm writing/drawing for them come early summer: http://www.zudacomics.com/street_code
5] ACT-I-VATE, the webcomix collective I founded [and where I do BILLY DOGMA], finally launched an official website after two years utilizing Live Journal: http://www.act-i-vate.com/. Check out, FEAR, MY DEAR: http://www.act-i-vate.com/22.comic
6] I launched a webcomix anthology that I'm also editing called NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR at Smith Magazine: http://www.smithmag.net/nextdoorneighbor/
7] I just finished drawing some more AMERICAN SPLENDOR stories for Harvey Pekar [at Vertigo].
8] BEFORE I DIE I WANT TO... http://man-size.livejournal.com/333109.html
As always, interested folks should regularly check my blog: http://man-size.livejournal.com/ for alerts and news and occasional, actual real-life blogging!
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