QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-04-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-04-08
By John Judy

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #561 by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. The “Peter Parker, Paparazzi” story-line wraps up with lots of tantalizing bits about how much MJ remembers from before “Deus Ex Mephisto” knocked a million years of Spidey continuity into a cocked hat. Nice artwork by Martin, reminiscent of Tim Sale.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR SEASON TWO #3 of 4 by Harvey Pekar and Various Collaborators. “How much pain is too much?” Let’s ask Harvey! He’ll know fer sure! Great cover. Recommended.

AVENGERS/INVADERS #2 of 12 by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Steve Sadowski. Already looking like a long haul as Team Ross reveals Bucky to have been a “cutter.” But a cutter with a purpose! An insane purpose, but still a purpose! Grit your teeth.

BOYS #19 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Dark secrets of The Seven are revealed in the beginning of the four-part “I Tell You No Lie, G.I.” It’s Ennis so you know it’ll get darker. Recommended, not for kids.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #15 by Drew Goddard and Georges Jeanty. Buffy’s in Japan with Dracula and a slayer squad to take down some Yakuza vamps. It could happen…

CRIMINAL 2 #3 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. Seventies noir from the Femme Fatale POV! Anyone above the age of 18 who’s not reading CRIMINAL should not be allowed to vote. For anything. Ever. Highly recommended times infinity.

DUO STARS #1 written and illustrated by Ashley Wood. In the words of the writer/artist himself: “underground mech racing pretty much sums it up.” Good enough for me!

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #2 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca. Stane’s kid wants to get back at Tony. And from there all stories flow…

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #16 by Geoff Johns, Alex Ross and Dale Eaglesham. “Gog” starts here. Hey, he’s a grey, wrinkly giant with gold horns. What could go wrong?

KICK-ASS #3 by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. It’s like WATCHMEN except only the 40s origin flashbacks and imagine Hooded Justice as a pimply YouTube stunt moron. Like that.

MONSTER ZOO GN written and illustrated by Doug Tennapel. The story of a young boy who discovers that his local zoo may be home to… Oh, right, like I’m gonna give it away! From the creator of Earthworm Jim and Cat Scratch.

NUMBER 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 HC by Thomas Ott. A suspense story without words from Swiss artist Thomas Ott. Very creepy and very worth a look.

SECRET INVASION #3 of 8 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. Lotsa fights between people in spandex being provoked by dirty aliens. Sounds like the FoxNews green room…

SHOWCASE PRESENTS HAUNTED TANK VOL. 2 SC by Robert Kanigher, Joe Kubert, and Other Deities. It’s 500 pages of a WWII tank with a dead Confederate General in it. How can this not be great?

TRINITY #1 by Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza and Many, Many Arists. Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. All other trinities need not apply.

ULTIMATE ORIGINS #1 of 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Butch Guice. The Ultimate Universe: “It’s all connected!” Whether it needs to be or not…

www.johnjudy.net

Comics in Crystal Flight

Claire and I checked out Crystal City's answer to DC's pandas, donkeys and elephants today. Crystal Flight's a show of painted airplanes. Here's some more shots of Politico cartoonist Matt Wuerker's plane.








PBS had one that highlighted their animated kids shows.

The Times, The New York Times

The Times continues to have more on comic art than many other newspapers, oddly enough.

On their website, they've got Meatpacking District: Animator Gary Leib's short history of Manhattan's Meatpacking District.

Whilst illustrator David Chelsea is missing from Sunday Style's Modern Love column today, my favorite illustrator Guy Billout has illustrated an editorial.

In Business, we find Disney and Pixar: The Power of the Prenup By BROOKS BARNES, June 1, 2008. Two years in, the merger of Disney and Pixar is notable for how well the two companies have made it work.

And in the Magazine, Jason's Low Moon appears to be wrapping up as "Checkmate" is heard.

And in Travel, Fantagraphics gets a photo in "Surfacing | Georgetown, Seattle - From Brewers to Baristas in Seattle," By MATTHEW PREUSCH, New York Times June 1, 2008.

How many years ago was Calvin and Hobbes?

How many years ago did Calvin and Hobbes end? It doesn't seem to matter. Here are 3 bootleg t-shirts purchased in Arlington today. This was on my mind lately because I heard from someone writing a book about C&H. A bargain too - $7.50 for the three!

June 8: Philip Pullman book signing

Philip Pullman, best known for "His Dark Materials" trilogy will be signing his new book at Barnes & Noble - Tysons Corner, 1961 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 703-506-2937 at 2 pm on Sunday June 8th. Why mention it here?

He's writing for a new British comic book, The DFC. Check out these links for more information:

Panel Borders: The DFC part 1 (Pullman / Abadzis / Fickling), by Alex Fitch, 29/05/08 as part of Strip! on Resonance 104.4 FM

Letter from London, By Julia Eccleshare, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 5/22/2008

Pullman supports first new children's comic in 25 years; IoS submits star author's cartoon-strip adventure to trial by 10 year old, Independent Sunday, 18 May 2008

Interview with David Fickling, saviour of the great British comic. For those of a certain age, comics are but a fond childhood memory, irrelevant to today's generation - until now. Tom Gatti meets the man behind the movement. Times of London May 10, 2008

Jeffrey Thompson's Hiawatha originals

Jeff Thompson who works at Big Planet Bethesda on Wednesdays is a Baltimore artist who's done children's books. He gave me a couple of pieces of artwork. Here you can see his Hiawatha children's book - scratchboard originals mounted with the finished book cover.



Jeff can be found online at

deviant art page
http://xochicalco.deviantart.com/

web site
http://mysite.verizon.net/jeffrey71o/

flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9440125@N07/

Animaniacs unleashed in Arlington

Has anyone noticed that fire departments generally feel, and seem to be, immune from copyright or trademark considerations? Personally I agree with them, but I'm not a large soulless corporation. Here's a picture of a Warner Bros. Animaniacs billboard that suggests you practice your fire escape plan at a fire department in Arlington, VA.

Post interviews Kung Fu Panda's Black for kids section

Scott Moore interviewed Jack Black of the new animated movie "Kung Fu Panda" for "Dude, That's So Skidoosh: Behind the Microphone, an Inner Voice -- and Barrel Kicks," Washington Post Sunday, June 1, 2008; M14 and "Getting to Know Jack Black."

And here's an article on the movie's background - "Call them martial artists: The directors of the ambitious "Kung Fu Panda" break animation boundaries," by COLIN COVERT, Minneapolis Star Tribune May 31, 2008.

Stantis offends people too

Yesterday's letter to the editor - "A Cartoon That Fell Flat," by Richard E. Hurst, Washington Post Saturday, May 31, 2008; Page A11.

Zadzooks on Speed Racer toys

"High-'Speed' action on the racetrack," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Saturday, May 31, 2008.

Illustrators Club exhibit reviewed in Post

See "Who Needs Words? The Pictures Say It All," By Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 30, 2008; WE31.

The exhibit info is:

On the Wall: 14th Juried Exhibition of the Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Through June 27 at Edison Place Gallery, 702 Eighth St. NW (Metro: Gallery Place-Chinatown) Info:202-872-3396. Hours: Open Tuesday-Friday noon to 4. Admission: Free.

NY Times (and New Yorker) on Iranian cartoonist

I must confess that I was completely unfamiliar with Mohassess's work, but there's an exhibit of it in New York city. See Life in Iran, Etched With Suspicion and Humor By KAREN ROSENBERG, New York Times May 30, 2008. In Ardeshir Mohassess’s drawings, the coded beauty of traditional Persian art comes face to face with the ugliness of successive autocratic regimes.

and "Satire, Iranian," by Ben McGrath, New Yorker June 2, 2008

Baltimore area county intros comics to elementary classes

Actually, Hartford County's school system comes off rather sadly as the report implies that the students can only read at a comic book level (whatever that might mean), "School has been so traditional for so long. This is providing an outlet for a different kind of learner," said teacher Alana Cassedy. Read it yourself at "Comics Add Excitement To Classroom Reading," Gigi Barnett, WJZ May 30 2008.

Richmond's AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer

See Indie Spinner Rack Issue #125 from Monday, May 26, 2008 for Part One of our look at the state of comics distribution! Retailer Andrew Neal, owner of Chapel Hill Comics and publisher Chris Pitzer of AdHouse Books join us to discuss Diamond Comic Distributors - how the system works, what works well, what doesn't, and how can it be improved?

OT: Warren Ellis' FREAKANGELS comes out each Friday

I've been enjoying Warren Ellis' webcomic FREAKANGELS, so when he asked bloggers today to mention it ... well, I just did.

June 21: Pixar book author at Politics and Prose

Bruce Guthrie sent in this tip. At the moment I'm planning on going.

Saturday, June 21, 6 p.m.

DAVID A. PRICE, author of THE PIXAR TOUCH (Knopf, $27.95)

Before the success of Toy Story, Pixar Animation Studios was a struggling computer company. What happened to turn computer animation from an unprofitable fringe industry into the entertainment dynamo it is now? Price has interviewed dozens of company insiders, from executives to animators.

May 31 update - Here's a review of the book by a noted animation historian: "How Pixar got to be the best in the business," Charles Solomon, page M - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, May 30, 2008.

OT: June 22: Superhero fashion conference at the Met

Pete Coogan, who's been studying comics for years, wrote that he's participating in this event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City:

Sunday at the Met-Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy
This special one-day lecture and panel event, held in conjunction with the exhibition Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, brings together leading international scholars, critics, and designers to discuss the world of costumes and comics. Themes include the appropriation of the uniform, the adaptation of superhero costumes for the screen, the creation of modern mythologies, and the role of the superhero as metaphor in contemporary society.

Reservations and tickets not required. For more information, contact lectures@metmuseum.org or call 212-396-5460.
Free with Museum admission
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Pete can be contacted at coomics@hotmail.com if anyone would like to discuss the event with him.

May 29: Meet Author D.J. MacHale

This is at a good bookstore in Arlington, and here's more about MacHale and his graphic novel which is illustrated by local cartoonist Carla Speed McNeil.

Meet Author D.J. MacHale
Thursday, May 29, 2008
at 4:00 p.m.

D.J. MacHale, author of the popular Pendragon fantasy series, will introduce and give a talk about the newest, and final, volume of the series, Pendragon Book Nine: Raven Rise. In Raven Rise, Bobby Pendragon is missing, and Mark Diamond and Courtney Chetwynde must hold off their enemy long enough to reach Bobby, and bring him back for the final, epic battle readers have been anticipating for so long. MacHale also will introduce his first graphic novel, Pendragon Graphic Novel Book One: Merchant of Death. MacHale is a writer, director and producer of several popular television series and movies that include Flight 29 Down; Are You Afraid of the Dark?; Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective; Tower of Terror; and Ghostwriter. A book signing will follow. Please call to register. Ages 10 and up.


Alina Gawlik
Aladdin's Lamp Children's Books and Other Treasures
2499 N. Harrison St.
Arlington, VA 22207
Tel 703-241-8281
Fax 703-241-8283
Email: aladlamp@speakeasy.net

STORE HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday & Thursday 10 am to 8 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm

PSA for Harvey Pekar

Have you contacted Harvey Pekar recently about an exhibit in New York of his work? If so, he's lost your contact information and would like you to call him again. Feel free to repost this so it gets wider circulation, please. This has been a Pekar Service Announcement.

Besides that, he read me a couple of the short strips he's writing now. I had a total fanboy moment - Harvey Pekar's reading me his scripts and asking what I thought. For the record, I honestly liked them. Buy his new comic book from DC - it's excellent.

John Held Jr. postcard

I ran across this postcard left where it was piled waiting to be filed. So just for fun, here's John Held Jr's late style on an advertising card.