Who donated Spider-Man to the Library of Congress?

It's a new parlor game! One blogger guesses Stan Lee although he was going by memory rather than rereading my original post. I don't think he's right as the art probably sat around for years after it was first published, and as one of his commenters also noted, Sara Duke says it was given to the donor as a gift that he's now passing on. Blake Bell for example has demonstrated that the artwork was reshot again years later for reprints in Marvel Tales, for instance. Also it wouldn't have to be one of the original bullpen members as it wouldn't have been considered that important until the Marvel offices had grown a lot.

Wow, Sara Duke is the new version of Woodward and Bernstein. Who is DEEP POCKETS?

Cul de Sac marches into Maryville

Our Man Thompson's picked up a paper with a space vacated by Preteena's cessation - "Cul De Sac comic debuts today," Maryville TN Daily Times May 19 2008. Today Maryville... tomorrow Knoxville!

Gene Colan charity benefit book

I was sent the following email today from Rufus Dayglo. Gene Colan's one of the greats of Marvel Comics. I just sent in my $23.00 via Paypal -

Gene Colan, the legendary Marvel Comics artist is ill in hospital with a failing liver, and his family need financial help.

My good friend, the writer Cliff Meth has done a book with Gene Colan, and Cliff sent me the following info.

PLEASE buy this book. The money will immediately help with Gene's medical bills.

From Cliff...

"Gene and I are doing for Aardwolf Publishing.

It is called METH, COLAN & OTHER THEOLOGIANS and will include everything that was in our PERVERTS, PEDOPHILES & OTHER THEORLOGIANS (a Barnes & Noble "Horror Pick of the Week" from 1997 that saw multiple printings) as well as new stories by Gene and I, along with introductions by several of the comic industry's noted luminaries.

People can order the signed/numbered limited edition now by sending $20 + $3 shipping to sales@aardwolfpublishing.com [via Paypal] -- proceeds directly and immediately benefit Gene."

Again... buy this book. help Gene.

Thank you!

Rufus Dayglo (IDW Artist)

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-21-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-21-08
By John Judy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #560 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. Starring Peter Parker: Paparazzi! Fun stuff!

AVENGERS INITIATIVE #13 by Christos Gage and Steve Uy. Following in the large footsteps of Dan Slott/ the new creative team hands in a worthy first effort. Recommended.

BLACK PANTHER #36 by Reginald Hudlin and Francis Portela. The Panther’s back in his kingdom of Wakanda to clean house!

BRAVE AND BOLD #13 by Mark Waid and Jerry Ordway. Batman and the Golden-Age Flash fight a samurai. This could be a really short comic…

CAPTAIN AMERICA #38 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. In which we learn the identity of “Steve Rogers.”

CASEY BLUE: BEYOND TOMORROW #1 of 6 by B. Clay Moore and Carlo Barberi. Typical teenager discovers she’s humanity’s salvation after killing a stranger with her bare hands. How many times has this happened to you?

DEAD SHE SAID #1 by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson. The noir-horror tale of a dead detective who has to figure out who killed him. It’s Wrightson so you’d need it even if it didn’t sound this cool. Recommended.

FANTASTIC FOUR #557 by Mark Millar and Brian Hitch. Big robot fights and romance!

GHOST RIDER #23 by Jason Aaron and Roland Boschi. The author of SCALPED, WOLVERINE (the one that doesn’t suck), and THE OTHER SIDE is writing this book so you know you got to have it! Find out who gets the burning chain this issue! Recommended!

GRENDEL: BEHOLD THE DEVIL #7 of 8 written and drawn by Matt Wagner. The penultimate issue in this untold tale of crimelord/novelist Hunter Rose. A great week for Wagner fans since we’re also getting the DEVIL CHILD HC and DEVIL QUEST HC. Nice!

HELLBLAZER #244 by Andy Diggle and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Constantine’s in the Vatican. Hijinks ensue. Recommended!

INCREDIBLE HULK OMNIBUS VOL.1 HC by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and a Who’s Who of Sixties Marvel Bullpen Greatness. Collecting every Hulk story up through Hulk #102, plus extras! Highly recommended!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #21 by Dwayne McDuffie and Carlos Pacheco. Introducing Libra and the Human Flame from FINAL CRISIS. They will be on the test.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #15 by Geoff Johns, Alex Ross, and Dale Eaglesham. The guy behind all the hero-killings is revealed.

MARVEL MASTERWORKS: MIGHTY THOR VOL.7 HC by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Collecting THOR #153-162, featuring Loki, Galactus, Ego the Living Planet and lots more from the Silver Age of Comics!

MIGHTY AVENGERS #14 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Nick Fury’s ramping up to stomp some Skrull patootie! Avengers appear also!

SCALPED #17 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. Bad Horse versus Diesel, Round Two as “Dead Mothers” wraps up. Highly recommended, too rough for kids.

WAR IS HELL: FIRST FLIGHT OF THE PHANTOM EAGLE #3 by Garth Ennis and Howard Chaykin. The P.E. continues to discover that World War I is not all it’s cracked up to be. Recommended.

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #25 by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. The final chapter of the big Deadpool fight. Plus a bonus reprint of the first appearance of Deadpool, just to remind us how completely comics can suck.

X-FACTOR #31 by Peter David and Pablo Raimondi. Mutant-Town is burning. On the plus-side a comedy club is destroyed.

www.johnjudy.net

Otis Sweat cartoon artwork in Post mag

Today's Post Hunt contest was started in the Post Magazine which had a ton of artwork by Otis Sweat and it's online too. Sweat's done cartoons for the early Florida-based hunts.

Elder obituary in NY Times

Will Elder, Cartoonist of Satiric Gifts and Overpopulated Scenes, Dies at 86
By WILLIAM GRIMES
New York Times May 18, 2008

Mr. Elder, whose frantic, gag-filled illustrations helped to define the comic identity of Mad magazine, was also a creator of the Playboy cartoon serial “Little Annie Fanny.”

Usually the Times beats the Post on national obits, especially ones from their area...

Zadzooks on Indiana Jones UPDATED

"Bonanza of Indy toys and adventure games," By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times May 17, 2008. Back in the day, I bought the Marvel Comics series, which had art by one of my favorite teams, John Byrne with one of comics greatest inkers every, Terry Austin.

Sunday's Post had an article about Indiana Jones, the character, which was interesting even if not comics-focussed: "Indiana Jones and the Meaningless Void: If You Really Want a Quest for The Holy Grail, Try Looking for Significance in an Indy Adventure," By Hank Stuever, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, May 18, 2008; M01.

Image from Grand Comics Database.

Keith Knight starts in Post on Sunday

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

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.

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.

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."

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.

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]

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

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.

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.