Thursday, June 12, 2008

Keeping characters up to date

For a look at how cartoon characters evolve to capture the next generation, see "Beloved Characters as Reimagined for the 21st Century," By BROOKS BARNES, New York Times June 11, 2008. This is nothing new of course - once upon a time it was a big deal when Tom Swift got a motorcyle and Superman could jump to the top of a building.

Artists in America, but not cartoonists?

See "A 21st-Century Profile: Art for Art's Sake, and for the U.S. Economy, Too,"By SAM ROBERTS, New York Times June 12, 2008. The report (as a pdf) can be downloaded directly here. Animators are included, but there's no mention of cartoonists or comic artists.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Fischer on Feldstein on Beaty on Hadju

My buddy Craig Fischer stirred up some old EC and Wertham issues for Al Feldstein and Bart Beaty, both of whom I correspond with, so I'm calling this DC news for the nonce. And it's interesting. Part the first - June 09, 2008 Feldstein on Beaty on Hajdu and part the second - June 11, 2008, Beaty and Feldstein Reply. Craig and I will be seeing Mr. Feldstein at Heroescon next week - the panel that Our Man Thompson is also on, and I'm going to help Big Al stomp Craig down to size... Harrassing an EC editor, indeed. Where's the respect?! Ooooh, my questions for Craig are going to be so tough...

Wildly OT: USS George Washington manga


This has nothing at all to do with Washington and comics, but you can download a free manga book made by the US Navy to justify the visit of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to Japan. I think it's an interesting use of educational manga. Or would that be propaganda...

Our Man Thompson's blog

Richard's on a roll with a one and a two good beach cartoons and a great Stalin caricature that I immediately saved from the Post Magazine when it first appeared.

However, I'm guessing he should be working rather than blogging since we'll be off to Heroes Con next Thursday. For myself - I'm going to Synetic Theater's "Carmen."

Matt Wuerker sends in...

a subject line of "here's some good ink on a fine international cartoonist" with a link to this article about Nicaraguan political cartoonists. "Postcard from Managua: Cartoonists Go to War," By TIM ROGERS, Tuesday, Jun. 10, 2008. Thanks, Matt!

Johnny Bunko - Edumanga in Express

See "A Comic Office: 'The Adventures of Johnny Bunko'" by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman, Express June 11 2008 for an interview with the writer Daniel Pink. This is both in print and digital.

Bits from today's paper

Naif al-Mutawa's Teshkeel Media is profiled in "Author Looks to the Koran For 99 New Superheroes," By Faiza Saleh Ambah, Washington Post Foreign Service, Wednesday, June 11, 2008; A14.

A new exhibit on Roy Lichtenstein opens in NYC - see "The Painter Who Adored Women," by ROBERTA SMITH, New York Times June 11, 2008. The blog link sums it up as ""Roy Lichtenstein: Girls" at the Gagosian Gallery reveals the artist honing his indelible yet impersonal style."

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Minor comics - movies article in Express promo'ing tv show

There's a syndicate piece in today's Express which is mostly a blurb for Starz documentary "Comic Books Unbound" which is on at 10 pm tonight for those with premium cable.

Syracuse receives grant to support cartoon art collection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2008

The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), Syracuse University Library has been awarded a grant of $79,440 by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to support the arrangement and description of the library's 134 unprocessed collections of original cartoon art. The funds will help support a full-time project archivist for a period of two years. The award to Syracuse was one of six "Detailed Processing Grants" awarded by NHPRC and the Archivist of the United States. Other recipients included Princeton University and the University of Chicago.

Syracuse's collection of original cartoon art is among the most comprehensive in America. It includes original work by approximately 173 artists (more than 20,000 items) and comprises more than 1,000 linear feet of material. Spanning the course of the 20th century, it includes both serial and editorial cartoons. Among the serial cartoonists represented are: Bud Fisher, whose Mutt and Jeff was the earliest
successful daily comic strip; Mort Walker, whose Beetle Bailey anticipated the changing notions of American masculinity and militarism during the Cold War; Hal Foster, whose lavishly illustrated Prince Valiant elevated the artistic ambitions of the genre; and Morrie Turner whose Wee Pals was the first comic strip to chronicle the lives of racial and ethnic minorities in American life. The editorial and political cartoonists represented in the collection include: William Gropper, whose leftist political cartoons in the Daily Worker raised working class consciousness during World War II; F.O. Alexander, whose everyman alter-ego "Joe Doakes" experienced the turbulence of the 1960s in the pages of the Philadelphia Bulletin; and Carey Orr, whose editorial cartoons appeared in the Chicago Tribune for nearly fifty years straight.

The physical cartoons in Syracuse's collection are as wide-ranging and diverse as the artists that created them, assuming countless shapes, sizes, and media including pencil, pen, and gouache on paper. Over the next two years, the project archivist will take steps to ensure that the cartoons are housed in archival-quality containers. He or she will also draft online, searchable finding aids so that curious individuals all over the world can access them. The NHPRC grant is exciting news for scholars who specialize in the genre, casual fans, and, of course, for Syracuse University, which has held many of these collections since the 1960s.

About the Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library

With more than 100,000 printed works and 2,000 manuscript and archival collections, SCRC holds some of Syracuse University's most precious treasures, including early printed editions of Gutenberg, Galileo, and Sir Isaac Newton as well as the library of 19th century German historian Leopold von Ranke (1795-1886). SCRC's holdings are particularly strong in the 20th century; they include the personal papers and manuscripts of such luminaries as artist Grace Hartigan (1922- ), inspirational
preacher Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), author Joyce Carol Oates (1938- ), photojournalist Margaret Bourke White (1904-1971), and architect Marcel Breuer (1902-1981). SCRC strives to be a "humanities laboratory" where librarians and scholars collaborate with the artifacts of history in an ongoing and vital learning process. Home to a new, state-of-the-art instructional seminar room, SCRC also regularly hosts exhibitions, lectures and classes focusing on its collections.

...

Sean MacLeod Quimby
Director, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Library
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13244-2010
t. 315.443.9759
f. 315.443.2671
smquimby@syr.edu

Monday, June 09, 2008

Our Man Thompson goes MAD

Thought Balloonist Craig Fischer is reporting that he'll be moderating a panel "A Chat with Al Feldstein (and Friends)," with Al Feldstein, Roger Langridge* and Richard Thompson at Heroes Con on Saturday, June 21 at 4 pm. Hoo-hah! I'm there!

*when I saw Roger at SPX last year, I bought 3 pages of original art from him. Richard was no use at all making the selection so I just bought them all. I'd encourage you to do the same from both of them. You won't regret it. Well, not for long.

Comic postcards

For some reason, comic postcards generate even less interest among comic art fans than greeting card cartoonists, who, like Sandra Boynton demonstrated conclusively recently by winning a National Cartoonists Society award, at least may break out to a larger audience.

Here's a selection of postcards I picked up at a flea market this weekend. Some are barely worthy of the 25 cents I paid for each, but they are a part of the history of comics.

This one says it's from C.T. Busy Person's Comics - 10 Subjects. The CT is the company Curt Teich of Chicago. Unfortunately I don't know who the artist is.



This gag is by G.A. Devery or GAD, no. 59 in his "Fun Cards by GAD" series, from 1956.



A 1963 advertising card from the Hilton Hotels International's Queen Elizabeth in Montreal. The card is from The Beaver Club restaurant. The cartoon is "Specialty dishes from the Beaver Club Menus as seen by the Montreal artist Jeff."



Walt Munson signed a few of the cards I saw - for some reason I picked up this one which isn't very interesting. The back says it's in "Series M Army Comics - 10 Subjects" and it's postmarked 1942. Munson's name seems to ring a bell...



This unattractive stereotypical card 's lacking any information, but it was mailed in 1957 from Tampa, FL to Dickerson, Md.


The prevalence of MAD's Alfred E. Neumann images has never really interested me, but here's three for Craig Yoe.


1960 postmark from Colourpicture Publishers, Boston. Mad and Alfred E. are well-established by this point, so the publisher's probably jumping on the bandwagon.

Same card, different coloring. Postmark appears to be 1964.



Bob Petley of Phoenix, Arizona drew and published this card, circa 1963.

New York Times says Stan Lee still looks good

See the next to last article in the New York Times June 9, 2008 "Metropolitan Diary."

Tom the Dancing Bug news

Remember when Tom the Dancing Bug would brighten your Weekend section as you slogged through the Washington Post on Friday? You'd skim over all the stuff you had no interest in doing in the Weekend section? And then there was Bolling's strip on the last page of the paper you read? Yeah, me too. Other people who are not Post editors must feel the same way judging from this press release I was sent today:

“Tom The Dancing Bug” Wins AAN Award:Best Cartoon in Alternative Weeklies

NEW YORK (06/09/2008) “Tom the Dancing Bug,” the weekly comic strip by Ruben Bolling, won the 2008 Best Cartoon Award from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) at the 13th annual AltWeekly Awards luncheon in Philadelphia on June 7.

This is “Tom the Dancing Bug’s” fourth win of the AAN Best Cartoon Award (it also won in 2002, 2003 and 2007). “Tom the Dancing Bug” is the only comic to have won the award more than once, and it is the only comic to have been a finalist in every year the award has been given, starting in 2001.

“Tom the Dancing Bug” is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. It can be seen at www.tomthedancingbug.com and www.gocomics.com.

Contact: Kathie Kerr at kkerr@amuniversal.com or 816-360-6945

Sunday, June 08, 2008

OT: Cookeville, Tennessee produces comic book writer

My wife's from Cookeville, a smallish town in middle Tennessee, so I was surprised to see this pop up today about an adaptation of the Hindu epic the Ramayana: "Barbara Jackson releases her first graphic novel," Margaret Shuster, Cookeville Herald-Citizen Staff, Sunday, Jun 08, 2008. A late-1980s comic book artist named Barry Crain also lived there.

Kevin Rechin's lottery ad work at the Stadium metro

Kevin's just written in with a picture of his cartoons for the DC Lottery, that are in the Stadium metro stop. Remember to send in your picture of them for posting! Here's Kevin's note and artwork.

"Here is a file of the finished characters. I also did a sky and grass wash background and they put the figures on top of that for the metro station displays."

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-11-08

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 06-11-08
By John Judy


ABSOLUTE SANDMAN VOL. 3 HC by Neil Gaiman and Various Artists. For all of us who don’t already have every trade collection in soft and hardcover first prints.

ACTION COMICS #866 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Time to duke it out with Brainiac. Again.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #562 by Bob Gale and Mike McKone. Featuring a fake Spidey, compulsive gambling, and a last page gag that frustrated Marvel fans should appreciate.

ANGEL AFTER THE FALL #8 by Joss Whedon, Brian Lynch and a Host of Others. Wrapping up the first night in Hell stories in which things got problematic.

BOOSTER GOLD #10 by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz and Dan Jurgens. Booster learns someone’s gotta die. It was really cool having “someone” back for a while….

BPRD: WAR ON FROGS #1 by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Herb Trimpe. “Down to the family crypt. Two of the frogs, formerly Cavendish brothers, were there too. They seemed to be taking their mother’s corpse into the crypt for burial – under the waters of the flooded chamber.” Good times! Recommended!

COMPLETE LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE VOL. 1 HC by Harold Gray. Collecting over 1000 of the original daily strips from 1924 – 1927. Featuring Sandy the dog, Daddy Warbucks and no pupils! Ever! “Leapin’ lizards!” Recommended.

DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #7 by Warren Ellis and Ivan Rodriguez. Remember “Desolation Jones?” Me neither. This one features a naughty nurse, so that’s good.

ETERNALS #1 by Charles & Daniel Knauf and Daniel Acuna. Continuing where Neil Gaiman and John Romita Jr. left off. Best appreciated by hardcore Marvel Zombies.

GOON #25 written and illustrated by Eric Powell. “What the hell is that?” “I dunno, we found it in a ditch and slung a rope round its neck. It goes flyin’ into a fit when you throw firecrackers at it. Watch.” Highly recommended.

NEWUNIVERSAL SHOCKFRONT #2 of 6 by Warren Ellis and Steve Kurth. Someone gets killed playing football so right there you have your entertainment value. Recommended.

SECRET INVASION: WHO DO YOU TRUST? by Lotsa People. Five stories! Only $3.99! Skrulls!

SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST HC written and illustrated by Joshua Cotter. Observations of childhood isolation and existence in the American Midwest. With giant robots. Eisner Award- nominated. Recommended.

TRINITY #2 by Kurt Busiek and a Huge Support Staff. It’s Supes, Bats, and WW! Every week! Hopefully this will wash the taste of “Countdown” out of your brain!

THE TWELVE #6 of 12 by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. Lotsa action and the Origin of Rockman, Underground Secret Agent! Highly recommended!

WONDER WOMAN #21 by Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti. WW teams up with Beowulf and Stalker, even though Stalker was a bad guy last time I read “JSA All-Stars.” Oh well, it’s Gail Simone. She’ll make it work.

X-FORCE AIN’T NO DOG by Charlie Huston and Jefte Palo AND Jason Aaron and Werther Dell’Edera. Featuring two stand-alone stories. The first is a vicious “Frank Miller’s Sin City” type of thing starring evil sociopath Wolverine. The second is a more nuanced short focusing on James Proudstar and his moral concerns at being groomed as an assassin by evil sociopath “heroes” with Xs on their costumes. It’s by Jason Aaron who writes “Scalped” so it’s a level above most X-Force material. Summing up, this X-Force is a dog but at least it knows a few tricks.

YOUNG LIARS #4 written and drawn by David Lapham. Until the next issue of “Stray Bullets” comes out we have this.

www.johnjudy.net

New York Times Book Review Comics


Tom Gauld of the UK has the pride of place on the front cover of the NYTBR. To misquote Bill Griffith, a tip of the hat to Sean L who turned me onto his work.

On the back page, Leanne Sharpton, a graphic novelist whom I'm not familiar with, has done a brief piece of comics journalism with bookstore clerks.

Zadzooks still in non-existent Saturday Times?

When it dropped its Saturday edition last week, the Washington Times said it would keep publishing an e-version for subscribers. I don't know what happened to Zadzooks' comics column, but it doesn't show up with a search on the Times' website. Anyone know?

Saturday, June 07, 2008

New exhibit at Geppi's Entertainment Museum is ... new?

Arnold Blumberg in Diamond's Scoop newsletter for June 6th wrote,

Beginning Saturday, June 14, 2008, we’re stepping “Out of the Box” and allowing visitors both young and old to get hands-on with pop culture by giving everyone an up close look at the characters that are popular right now with toys that you can actually touch and play with. It’s the future of pop culture today!

While it may sound strange to shift from a retrospective to something so up-to-date, it’s worth remembering the bigger picture. The mission of our museum demands that we not only take a look at what toys and characters shaped American pop culture and entertainment in the past, but which ones are defining our present and future. After all, those toys you see in the stores today and all those TV shows and movies you’re watching now are going to be the subject of museum exhibitions themselves before we know it, so why not get a head start on the process? It won’t be as easy to play with them when they’re locked behind glass!

Our “Out of the Box” exhibition will run until December 2008, and in addition to the toys and the opportunity to build and play right here at the museum, we’ll also be featuring giveaways, face painting, costumed characters, and much more. You can find out more by calling us at (410) 625-7060, e-mailing us at info@geppismuseum.com, or visiting the museum website at www.geppismuseum.com.