QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 09-10-08
By John Judy
ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN #10 by Frank Miller and Jim Lee. Brace yourself. This issue Miller’s writing his “All-Star” versions of the females of Gotham City. Like those “Spirit” billboards except you have to pay three bucks to look at ‘em. “Must…! Find…! Aspirin….!”
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #571 by Dan Slot and John Romita Jr. Could we just change this book to “The Amazing Norman Osborn?” Because I’m loving this character more and more. I’d like to see him and Lex Luthor in a sneer-off. Recommended.
AMERICAN WIDOW HC by Alissa Torres and Sungyoon Choi. A non-fiction account of a woman who lost her husband and father of her unborn son in the attacks of 9-11. About as far from escapist fantasy as you’re going to get this week. Recommended but too intense for younger readers.
BIG HERO 6 #1 of 5 by Chris Claremont and David Nakayama. Superheroes in Japan! Watch out, Gojira!
BOOSTER GOLD #12 by Chuck Dixon and Dan Jurgens. A Batgirl cover that makes you realize how much you miss the real Batgirl. What a great costume…
CRIMINAL 2 #5 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. A doll with a gun on the cover and a hard-luck cartoonist/forger inside. If you’re not reading this series you are part of The Problem. Highly recommended. Not for kids or wusses.
DARK TOWER: TREACHERY #1 of 6 by Robin Furth, Peter David and Jae Lee. For them what likes their Stephen King comic book adaptations and how!
EX MACHINA #38 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. The George Bush-hating villainess “Trouble” continues her reign of Total Awesomeness! Spin-Off Series! Now!
FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #2 of 5 by Greg Rucka and Philip Tan. Gotham Central’s Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen are reunited the hard way as the Spectre must pass judgment on the Question. And how often does that end well?
FREAK BROTHERS OMNIBUS SC by Gilbert Shelton. Just like you remember them! Although if you can remember them you were probably doing something wrong… Wait, what was I saying...? Recommended.
GOON #28 written and drawn by Eric Powell. “He ain’t been right in the head since his brother got an axe planted in his.” God, this series is great! Recommended.
SECRET INVASION #6 of 8 by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. The lying, fascist, religious maniac Skrull invaders are urging Earth to “Embrace change” and some of us are buying it. Perhaps because the Skrulls nominated Sarah Palin for Veep…
THE STAND: CAPTAIN TRIPS #1 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. The first chapter in this adaptation of Stephen King’s end of the world story. A fulfilling week for King fans.
STAR WARS: CLONE WARS #1 of 6 by Henry Gilroy and Scott Hepburn. As someone how sat through the movie I can personally assure you that this comic will be much better.
ULTIMATE ORIGINS #4 of 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Butch Guice. In which we learn that, in any universe, Hank Pym is the Levi Johnston of science heroes. Sorry Hank.
ULTIMATE X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1 by Lotsa People. There’s some fightin’ and some time-travelin’ and some crazy misunderstandings. And how!
WELCOME TO HOXFORD #2 written and drawn by Ben “Mommy, I’m Scared” Templesmith. At The Hoxford Home for the Profoundly Twinked-Out they believe the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Just don’t ask how they get to the stomach. Recommended. Not for kids.
WONDER WOMAN #24 by Gail Simone and Bernard Chang. Hollywood comes calling to pitch “Wonder Woman: The Movie!” But is Robert Downey Jr. available?
YOUNG LIARS #7 written and drawn by David Lapham. In which we learn how you follow the castration of your male lead and the possible death of your female lead. How about a psychedelic cover?!
www.johnjudy.net
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Saturday, September 06, 2008
A fourth Harvey Pekar article that didn't make the book
I had thought I convinced them to leave this one in Harvey Pekar: Conversations (available now for purchase), darn it. This one is Harvey interviewing himself in his comic book. The odd typesetting is an attempt to replicate the way it was printed originally. This is amusing because Harvey talks about never working for DC, but 20 years later they were his publisher.
Oh well. Print it out and tuck it in after Mike Barson's interview from Heavy Metal.
The Situation as of 9-20-85
From American Splendor #11, 1986. Reprinted with permission of Harvey Pekar.
To what extent were you involved in the production of the stage version of American Splendor?
Not at all. See- here's what happened. My wife you know knows the Bishops (Conrad Bishop is the Independent Eye's artistic director). The way she knew them—she used to work in the Delaware state prison system, and they did some programs together there for the inmates. And so when we got married, she sent them copies of my books, uh, you know and Conrad liked the stuff, and he thought he would possibly like to make a stage production out of it. So I talked to Conrad about it, and we seemed to be in general agreement about how to handle the material. And so, you know, really I had — I don't think I have anything to lose by him doing it, and possibly something to gain, so I said, "Sure. Why not?" That's how I became involved.
Why did you start the book, American Splendor?
Well, simply because it was just too difficult to get published in those days on a regular basis any place. And I had ideas that I didn't want to sit around for 25 years before I saw it in print. So I, uh, I just, uh, I mean I-I don’t known if you’ve ever read my books, but, uh—
(Interviewer): Uh, no, but I just bought some. I can’t find them in this area…
The once-a-year thing was just a matter of—that's about how long it takes to get the stories. It's a 60-page book, and that's about how 'long it takes to get the stuff illustrated. That's one reason. Another reason is I'm currently losing money on the book and have been on every issue, and I couldn't you know I can – I couldn’t — sustain the losses. I can recover from losses on one book a year, but I couldn't do it for two books. So there's a couple of practical reasons. You know, it just evolved, it just sort of evolved out of these circumstances and became a once-a-year book.
When I did the first one, I had no idea if or when the second one would be coming out, or even if I would call it another name instead of American Splendor. But the title--I don't know--I like it and people liked it, and so I just kept.it, and I just kept calling it number two and number three and stuff like that.
Have you had any offers from the big comic companies like DC or Marvel, or if you would get such an offer, would you consider it, considering that their product is mainly superheroes?
First of all, do you know I'm getting a contract, that I've signed a contract with Doubleday to get a 160-page trade paperback book, an anthology of stories from the first through the ninth book, that'll be coming out in April?
As far as the Marvel and DC thing, you realize how unlikely it is that they would offer me anything. It's almost like totally—I don't know—I've had contact. I haven't asked anybody there to do anything for me, but I've had contact with a few people at both companies. I mean, it's out of the question. They know my work, and some of the people over there--maybe a lot of them for all I know—liked it, but it's like asking some publisher that puts out these gothic romances to put out my comic books. I mean, it's like, yeah, they're books, they're both books, but there's a big difference between a plumbing textbook and a book of poetry.
And I think Marvel and DC--their comics are a lot more commercial than maybe you'd like to get into.
Yeah. Well, I mean it’s just –it’s much—you know – it’s true what I used to say – “form.” As a – uh – as a, as a, you know what I mean—My book is a comic book in form but not in content, and that means a typical comic book in form but not in content. In other words, by that I mean that the book is—I use balloons and panels and stuff, but as I said in the interview in The Comics Journal, people have traditionally used comics in a very limited way, when there's no reason for that. So when people think of comic books, they just think of like maybe a few genres actually, instead of when you say a novel, you want to know what kind of a novel. There arc all kinds of different novels. But when people say, "comic books," they think about some costumed superhero or maybe a talking duck or- something. But there's not really much variety in straight comics, and alternative comics are not easy to find or anything.
It's conceivable that what happened to comics could've happened to any art form; that is, if the people who employ the art form had just only wanted to do one thing. But in movies, at first the stuff they did was confined to rather narrow limits, but then eventually, guys were making movies about just about every subject and doing all kinds of things and affiliated with all kinds of artistic schools. If they had just stayed with, say, cowboy movies and slapstick comedies and something like that, the people would probably think movies are junk.
Do you think the play will help the sales of the book? Do you think it's good publicity?
It certainly won't hurt it. I mean, of course, I mean obviously you see an example here – you bought some books. But I mean as far as whether this will be just a local-uh-I mean, you know - you - you know, the book, I mean. The play got some very nice reviews in the morning and afternoon papers here, so that might stimulate some local interest in Lancaster, but Lancaster's not—this is not a real large theater, and Lancaster's not a real big community. So even if they like me a lot here-and I appreciate it if they do—it's not going to make a big impact on my standard of living or anything like that. But on the other hand, if it's a big Broadway hit or something like that, obviously it would help. You've just got to more or less use a rule of reason to think about the question. If it's a big national hit or something like that, it helps you, you know. But it's okay. It's great. I've been having a good time out here, and I've been treated very, very well, and I've been out here just today and yesterday, but I've had a great time, and that's worth it.
I'm not concerned about money that much, because I've got a steady job. I can live on the income. I'm not that greedy, you know. It just so happens that what I want can be purchased for relatively little money. What I want is a lot of books right now.
Is there a particular reason why you do the books autobiographically?
Yeah, there's a reason why I'm dealing with them autobiographically, because what I want to do is write about everyday experience, and I think that everday experience has a huge effect on people—the accumulation of everyday experience. Everyday experience has been ignored by far too many writers, and I wanted to write things that people could identify with, write about experiences that people could say, "Oh yeah, I knew that kind of guy," or "I went through that." I didn't want to write about generic experiences. I wanted to write about particular experiences, and I can write about because I think if you write about the particular rather than the general, it's much more specific, much more believable. So if you write stuff that's true, as accurate as possible, I think -- my work, anyway — has a chance to have much more impact on people.
When people invent fictional characters, I mean they're not really fictional, in a sense. There have been any number of novels, I suppose, that have been written where most of the material has been factual, except the names have been changed. But maybe a person's been a compilation, a character of a novel's been a compilation, of two people that a guy knew, and maybe he's fit the parts together badly, so that the character's implausible. I don't have to run that kind of risk doing the kind of thing I'm doing. So that's my rationale.
Obviously, not everybody thinks like me. Obviously, there are all sorts of different ways to write good stories, good novels, but I give you the reasons for why I do what I'm doing. This is the method I've evolved. In order to attain my goals, I employ autobiographical writing, and the reason that I employ autobiographical writing is –you know – I gave you the reasons – you know – it’s you know – so that – you know - it would be easier to identify with, so it would have a greater impact on people, stuff like that. Other people—I don't know. I can't speak for any other writer. I just speak for myself. I haven't talked to other guys about why they do this or don’t do that.
Oh well. Print it out and tuck it in after Mike Barson's interview from Heavy Metal.
The Situation as of 9-20-85
From American Splendor #11, 1986. Reprinted with permission of Harvey Pekar.
To what extent were you involved in the production of the stage version of American Splendor?
Not at all. See- here's what happened. My wife you know knows the Bishops (Conrad Bishop is the Independent Eye's artistic director). The way she knew them—she used to work in the Delaware state prison system, and they did some programs together there for the inmates. And so when we got married, she sent them copies of my books, uh, you know and Conrad liked the stuff, and he thought he would possibly like to make a stage production out of it. So I talked to Conrad about it, and we seemed to be in general agreement about how to handle the material. And so, you know, really I had — I don't think I have anything to lose by him doing it, and possibly something to gain, so I said, "Sure. Why not?" That's how I became involved.
Why did you start the book, American Splendor?
Well, simply because it was just too difficult to get published in those days on a regular basis any place. And I had ideas that I didn't want to sit around for 25 years before I saw it in print. So I, uh, I just, uh, I mean I-I don’t known if you’ve ever read my books, but, uh—
(Interviewer): Uh, no, but I just bought some. I can’t find them in this area…
The once-a-year thing was just a matter of—that's about how long it takes to get the stories. It's a 60-page book, and that's about how 'long it takes to get the stuff illustrated. That's one reason. Another reason is I'm currently losing money on the book and have been on every issue, and I couldn't you know I can – I couldn’t — sustain the losses. I can recover from losses on one book a year, but I couldn't do it for two books. So there's a couple of practical reasons. You know, it just evolved, it just sort of evolved out of these circumstances and became a once-a-year book.
When I did the first one, I had no idea if or when the second one would be coming out, or even if I would call it another name instead of American Splendor. But the title--I don't know--I like it and people liked it, and so I just kept.it, and I just kept calling it number two and number three and stuff like that.
Have you had any offers from the big comic companies like DC or Marvel, or if you would get such an offer, would you consider it, considering that their product is mainly superheroes?
First of all, do you know I'm getting a contract, that I've signed a contract with Doubleday to get a 160-page trade paperback book, an anthology of stories from the first through the ninth book, that'll be coming out in April?
As far as the Marvel and DC thing, you realize how unlikely it is that they would offer me anything. It's almost like totally—I don't know—I've had contact. I haven't asked anybody there to do anything for me, but I've had contact with a few people at both companies. I mean, it's out of the question. They know my work, and some of the people over there--maybe a lot of them for all I know—liked it, but it's like asking some publisher that puts out these gothic romances to put out my comic books. I mean, it's like, yeah, they're books, they're both books, but there's a big difference between a plumbing textbook and a book of poetry.
And I think Marvel and DC--their comics are a lot more commercial than maybe you'd like to get into.
Yeah. Well, I mean it’s just –it’s much—you know – it’s true what I used to say – “form.” As a – uh – as a, as a, you know what I mean—My book is a comic book in form but not in content, and that means a typical comic book in form but not in content. In other words, by that I mean that the book is—I use balloons and panels and stuff, but as I said in the interview in The Comics Journal, people have traditionally used comics in a very limited way, when there's no reason for that. So when people think of comic books, they just think of like maybe a few genres actually, instead of when you say a novel, you want to know what kind of a novel. There arc all kinds of different novels. But when people say, "comic books," they think about some costumed superhero or maybe a talking duck or- something. But there's not really much variety in straight comics, and alternative comics are not easy to find or anything.
It's conceivable that what happened to comics could've happened to any art form; that is, if the people who employ the art form had just only wanted to do one thing. But in movies, at first the stuff they did was confined to rather narrow limits, but then eventually, guys were making movies about just about every subject and doing all kinds of things and affiliated with all kinds of artistic schools. If they had just stayed with, say, cowboy movies and slapstick comedies and something like that, the people would probably think movies are junk.
Do you think the play will help the sales of the book? Do you think it's good publicity?
It certainly won't hurt it. I mean, of course, I mean obviously you see an example here – you bought some books. But I mean as far as whether this will be just a local-uh-I mean, you know - you - you know, the book, I mean. The play got some very nice reviews in the morning and afternoon papers here, so that might stimulate some local interest in Lancaster, but Lancaster's not—this is not a real large theater, and Lancaster's not a real big community. So even if they like me a lot here-and I appreciate it if they do—it's not going to make a big impact on my standard of living or anything like that. But on the other hand, if it's a big Broadway hit or something like that, obviously it would help. You've just got to more or less use a rule of reason to think about the question. If it's a big national hit or something like that, it helps you, you know. But it's okay. It's great. I've been having a good time out here, and I've been treated very, very well, and I've been out here just today and yesterday, but I've had a great time, and that's worth it.
I'm not concerned about money that much, because I've got a steady job. I can live on the income. I'm not that greedy, you know. It just so happens that what I want can be purchased for relatively little money. What I want is a lot of books right now.
Is there a particular reason why you do the books autobiographically?
Yeah, there's a reason why I'm dealing with them autobiographically, because what I want to do is write about everyday experience, and I think that everday experience has a huge effect on people—the accumulation of everyday experience. Everyday experience has been ignored by far too many writers, and I wanted to write things that people could identify with, write about experiences that people could say, "Oh yeah, I knew that kind of guy," or "I went through that." I didn't want to write about generic experiences. I wanted to write about particular experiences, and I can write about because I think if you write about the particular rather than the general, it's much more specific, much more believable. So if you write stuff that's true, as accurate as possible, I think -- my work, anyway — has a chance to have much more impact on people.
When people invent fictional characters, I mean they're not really fictional, in a sense. There have been any number of novels, I suppose, that have been written where most of the material has been factual, except the names have been changed. But maybe a person's been a compilation, a character of a novel's been a compilation, of two people that a guy knew, and maybe he's fit the parts together badly, so that the character's implausible. I don't have to run that kind of risk doing the kind of thing I'm doing. So that's my rationale.
Obviously, not everybody thinks like me. Obviously, there are all sorts of different ways to write good stories, good novels, but I give you the reasons for why I do what I'm doing. This is the method I've evolved. In order to attain my goals, I employ autobiographical writing, and the reason that I employ autobiographical writing is –you know – I gave you the reasons – you know – it’s you know – so that – you know - it would be easier to identify with, so it would have a greater impact on people, stuff like that. Other people—I don't know. I can't speak for any other writer. I just speak for myself. I haven't talked to other guys about why they do this or don’t do that.
Editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman influenced by DC years
See the article, and video, "Cartoonist draws on his roots (video): Editorial cartoonist Jack Ohman describes his inspiration to the Columbia Forum," By SANDRA SWAIN, The Daily Astorian September 5 2008. Ohman lived in DC during the Watergate years.
September 10: Steve Niles at Big Monkey Comics
Chris of cIndy podcasts sent along this flyer which says that Steve Niles will be at Big Monkey Comics on 14th St at 5 pm on September 10th. That night the National Academy of Sciences is also having a comics-related event.
The NAS event is The Physics of Superheroes
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm
Ever wondered how strong you would have to be to “leap a tall building in a single bound?” Was it the fall or the webbing that killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #121? How does Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics and movies use quantum mechanics to walk through walls? And who is really faster, Superman or the Flash? Join in the fun as we explore physics through comic book examples where the superheroes got their physics right!
James Kakalios, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. His research interests include amorphous semiconductors, pattern formation in sandpiles and fluctuation phenomena in neuroscience. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics. He is the author of The Physics of Superheroes and he knows the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield.
Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip!
The NAS event is The Physics of Superheroes
Wednesday, September 10, 7:00 pm
Ever wondered how strong you would have to be to “leap a tall building in a single bound?” Was it the fall or the webbing that killed Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man’s girlfriend in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #121? How does Kitty Pryde from the X-Men comics and movies use quantum mechanics to walk through walls? And who is really faster, Superman or the Flash? Join in the fun as we explore physics through comic book examples where the superheroes got their physics right!
James Kakalios, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Physics and Astronomy. His research interests include amorphous semiconductors, pattern formation in sandpiles and fluctuation phenomena in neuroscience. He has been reading comic books longer than he has been studying physics. He is the author of The Physics of Superheroes and he knows the chemical composition of Captain America’s shield.
Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip!
Our Man Thompson in San Francisco exhibit
Richard donated a piece to this Totoro Forest Project exhibit which will support anime great Miyazaki's love for forests - "Local artists join to save forest in Japan," Beth Hughes, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer, Friday, September 5, 2008. See his blog for more details.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Local cartoonist John Gallagher on podcast
Buzz Boy John Gallagher's on Indie Spinner Rack from Heroes Con.
Harvey Pekar book is in my hand
Metaphorically at least. A box of them - 10 author copies - showed up in the mail today. It finally exists and I can move on. Well, I have to move some of them too - buy it here. But secondly....!
Thanks to the generosity of the Press, which donated two copies, Harvey's going to sign both copies and mail them back to me and I'll sign and bring them to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund table for auction at the Small Press Expo in North (hah!) Besthesda this fall. This whole project started when Harvey was at the SPX and they needed someone to interview him, and that person turned out to be me. So I'll pay the CBLDF back a little bit with these books.
That'll be the super-collectible edition, limited to two.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Student cartoonist featured in Post
A student cartoonist featured in Post, but seventh-grader Crystal Wormack is only in the Prince William section. Fortunately, the article is online - "Middle-School Cartoonist Draws on Animal Insight," By Ian Shapira, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, September 4, 2008; VA03.
Small Press Expo Announces Ben Katchor As A Guest For SPX 2008
For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Phone: 301-537-4615
E-Mail: webernard@spxpo.com
Bethesda, Maryland; September 4, 2008 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is proud to announce Ben Katchor as a guest for SPX 2008.
Fresh from his appearance at the international comics exposition, Stripdaagen, held in Haarlem, The Netherlands, Mr. Katchor is making his first appearance at SPX. Mr. Katchor is known for his books "Julius Knippel, Real Estate Photographer", "The Jew Of New York", and "Beauty The Supply District". He is a contributor of comics to both The New Yorker and the New York Times, and has a regular strip that is printed in Metropolitan Magazine. Mr. Katchor has turned his talents to the stage, writing the libretto and creating the backgrounds for the plays "The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island" and "The Rosenbach Company".
SPX is proud to add Ben Katchor to the other guests appearing at this years SPX, Joost Swarte, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, Tom Tomorrow and Lloyd Dangle.
Additional guests will be added over the next few weeks, please stay tuned for those announcements.
This year, SPX will be held Saturday, October 4 from 11AM to 7PM and Sunday, October 5 noon-6PM at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for both days.
For further information on the artists or to request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at webernard@spxpo.com.
SPX, a non-profit organization, brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, political cartoon books and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. A series of panel discussions will also be held of interest to readers, academicians and creators of graphic novels and political cartoons.
SPX culminates with the presentation of the 12th Annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning that will occur Saturday night, October 4. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting during the SPX.
As in previous years, all profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org/.
Founded in 1994, SPX is North America's premier alternative comic-book and graphic novel festival. This annual event brings together comic creators, publishers and fans together to celebrate the art of visual storytelling.
Contact: Warren Bernard
Phone: 301-537-4615
E-Mail: webernard@spxpo.com
Bethesda, Maryland; September 4, 2008 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is proud to announce Ben Katchor as a guest for SPX 2008.
Fresh from his appearance at the international comics exposition, Stripdaagen, held in Haarlem, The Netherlands, Mr. Katchor is making his first appearance at SPX. Mr. Katchor is known for his books "Julius Knippel, Real Estate Photographer", "The Jew Of New York", and "Beauty The Supply District". He is a contributor of comics to both The New Yorker and the New York Times, and has a regular strip that is printed in Metropolitan Magazine. Mr. Katchor has turned his talents to the stage, writing the libretto and creating the backgrounds for the plays "The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island" and "The Rosenbach Company".
SPX is proud to add Ben Katchor to the other guests appearing at this years SPX, Joost Swarte, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, Tom Tomorrow and Lloyd Dangle.
Additional guests will be added over the next few weeks, please stay tuned for those announcements.
This year, SPX will be held Saturday, October 4 from 11AM to 7PM and Sunday, October 5 noon-6PM at The North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for both days.
For further information on the artists or to request an interview, please contact Warren Bernard at webernard@spxpo.com.
SPX, a non-profit organization, brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, political cartoon books and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. A series of panel discussions will also be held of interest to readers, academicians and creators of graphic novels and political cartoons.
SPX culminates with the presentation of the 12th Annual Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning that will occur Saturday night, October 4. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting during the SPX.
As in previous years, all profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org/.
Founded in 1994, SPX is North America's premier alternative comic-book and graphic novel festival. This annual event brings together comic creators, publishers and fans together to celebrate the art of visual storytelling.
Peanuts Animator Obituary
Bill Melendez, 91; Award-Winning 'Peanuts' Animator
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 4, 2008; B07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303840.html
The Peanuts Gang
By Matt Schudel Washington Post's Post Mortem blog September 4, 2008; http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2008/09/the_peanuts_gang.html?sid=ST2008090401641&s_pos=list
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 4, 2008; B07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303840.html
The Peanuts Gang
By Matt Schudel Washington Post's Post Mortem blog September 4, 2008; http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmortem/2008/09/the_peanuts_gang.html?sid=ST2008090401641&s_pos=list
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
3rd Harvey Pekar article on his life, and the movie thereof
Here's the 3rd piece that got dropped from Harvey Pekar: Conversations for not being a conversation, except for between Harvey and his readers. The book's available now at UPM's site, even if Amazon's saying it's not ready.
My Film Future: Movie producers are not flooding me with projects
Harvey Pekar / 2004
From Cleveland Free Times, January 21, 2004. Reprinted with permission of Harvey Pekar.
I'm getting kind of tired of writing about my movie experiences, but if that's what the editors want from me, I don't see how I can refuse them. Now I'm told a lot of people want to know what it's like going from a nobody to the protagonist of a successful film. It's happened to others before me, I guess, but I would think each would've reacted differently. For me the movies were basically a one-shot opportunity to make some extra money.
I'm pleased that American Splendor turned out as well as it did, but I would've gladly signed up with filmmakers I did not believe were particularly competent if the monetary compensation was right. See, I'm not a moviemaker. Yes, the American Splendor film was based on my comic book stories and dialogue, and to that extent I guess my American Splendor comics had something to do with the film's success.
But I had very little to do with coming up with the style that directors Bob Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman created to make the film. No one was consulting with me about how to cast American Splendor, or which stories to base it on. And with good reason — I had virtually no experience in the film business on the one hand, and, on the other, producer Ted Hope put together a cast and crew that were highly competent — a group of all-stars. I was gonna tell them their business? Forget it! They knew what they were doing already.
Now that the movie's been made, I don't find a bunch of producers flocking to me to try to involve me in this or that film project. What would I have to offer them? My wife kidded me about being a has-been as far as movies are concerned, and I guess she's right. There's no place for me to go in the film business. American Splendor covered my life from when I was a little kid 'til I reached the age of 62. There's not much left to make a sequel about.
I never got too excited about the success of American Splendor because I figured it was, as I mentioned earlier, a one-shot deal. It'd be different if I had a bunch of film scripts lying around to produce after American Splendor , but I don't. I'm very grateful to be the object of praise and flattery, even if I don't really deserve it, but I'm not going to get my head turned by it so that I'll be riding for a fall.
I do face a daunting challenge, though, and that's how to increase the sales of my books, which I intend to continue to write. For one thing, the comic book industry is in terrible shape right now. Sales are down and they've been heading in that direction for some time.
For another, although I'm proud of my work in the comic-book area, and have been called an innovative and influential writer, sales of my own books have never been that hot, even when the rest of the industry was in fine condition. I was paid $17 a page for the last three comics I had published before the movie came out, to give you an idea of the amount of commercial success I'd attained.
Now I go back to my publisher after American Splendor has gotten awards at Sundance, Cannes and other places, and won the top prize for best film of 2003 by the National Society of Film Critics, to see what I'm offered for my next book. It turns out I'm offered $44 a page, or less than I received for the first book I did for him. So how much good did the American Splendor movie do me in my chosen profession — comic book writing? Not a lot, in view of the lack of interest that comic book producers are currently showing in my works.
There may be some signs of hope for me in the comic book biz, however. For one thing, my next comic stories are going to be printed in trade paperback, not the old pamphlet form. People who like my work best seem to be general readers who, unlike comic book fans, can't find my stuff in comic book stores or, in fact, don't even know such stores exist. Traditional comic book (super hero) fans have never had much enthusiasm for my work. They like escapist stuff. So if my books are released in trade paperback form, they may appear in places like Barnes & Noble and Borders, where general readers could find them.
I've already written a number of new stories for my new book and have lined up several top-notch artists to illustrate them. They're willing to do so even though they're not going to get much money either. It's nice to know that there are some talented people out there who're willing to work with me even though there's not much money in it for them.
So I'm busily preparing my next comic book opus, with some pleasure and plenty of apprehension. We'll see how things progress.
My Film Future: Movie producers are not flooding me with projects
Harvey Pekar / 2004
From Cleveland Free Times, January 21, 2004. Reprinted with permission of Harvey Pekar.
I'm getting kind of tired of writing about my movie experiences, but if that's what the editors want from me, I don't see how I can refuse them. Now I'm told a lot of people want to know what it's like going from a nobody to the protagonist of a successful film. It's happened to others before me, I guess, but I would think each would've reacted differently. For me the movies were basically a one-shot opportunity to make some extra money.
I'm pleased that American Splendor turned out as well as it did, but I would've gladly signed up with filmmakers I did not believe were particularly competent if the monetary compensation was right. See, I'm not a moviemaker. Yes, the American Splendor film was based on my comic book stories and dialogue, and to that extent I guess my American Splendor comics had something to do with the film's success.
But I had very little to do with coming up with the style that directors Bob Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman created to make the film. No one was consulting with me about how to cast American Splendor, or which stories to base it on. And with good reason — I had virtually no experience in the film business on the one hand, and, on the other, producer Ted Hope put together a cast and crew that were highly competent — a group of all-stars. I was gonna tell them their business? Forget it! They knew what they were doing already.
Now that the movie's been made, I don't find a bunch of producers flocking to me to try to involve me in this or that film project. What would I have to offer them? My wife kidded me about being a has-been as far as movies are concerned, and I guess she's right. There's no place for me to go in the film business. American Splendor covered my life from when I was a little kid 'til I reached the age of 62. There's not much left to make a sequel about.
I never got too excited about the success of American Splendor because I figured it was, as I mentioned earlier, a one-shot deal. It'd be different if I had a bunch of film scripts lying around to produce after American Splendor , but I don't. I'm very grateful to be the object of praise and flattery, even if I don't really deserve it, but I'm not going to get my head turned by it so that I'll be riding for a fall.
I do face a daunting challenge, though, and that's how to increase the sales of my books, which I intend to continue to write. For one thing, the comic book industry is in terrible shape right now. Sales are down and they've been heading in that direction for some time.
For another, although I'm proud of my work in the comic-book area, and have been called an innovative and influential writer, sales of my own books have never been that hot, even when the rest of the industry was in fine condition. I was paid $17 a page for the last three comics I had published before the movie came out, to give you an idea of the amount of commercial success I'd attained.
Now I go back to my publisher after American Splendor has gotten awards at Sundance, Cannes and other places, and won the top prize for best film of 2003 by the National Society of Film Critics, to see what I'm offered for my next book. It turns out I'm offered $44 a page, or less than I received for the first book I did for him. So how much good did the American Splendor movie do me in my chosen profession — comic book writing? Not a lot, in view of the lack of interest that comic book producers are currently showing in my works.
There may be some signs of hope for me in the comic book biz, however. For one thing, my next comic stories are going to be printed in trade paperback, not the old pamphlet form. People who like my work best seem to be general readers who, unlike comic book fans, can't find my stuff in comic book stores or, in fact, don't even know such stores exist. Traditional comic book (super hero) fans have never had much enthusiasm for my work. They like escapist stuff. So if my books are released in trade paperback form, they may appear in places like Barnes & Noble and Borders, where general readers could find them.
I've already written a number of new stories for my new book and have lined up several top-notch artists to illustrate them. They're willing to do so even though they're not going to get much money either. It's nice to know that there are some talented people out there who're willing to work with me even though there's not much money in it for them.
So I'm busily preparing my next comic book opus, with some pleasure and plenty of apprehension. We'll see how things progress.
Comic Riffs interviews Hulk writer
See "Interview With the Cartoonist: "Hulk" Writer Jeph Loeb" By Michael Cavna, September 3, 2008. I'm not quite sure how Cavna is picking his interviewees, but more power to him.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
OT: Deitch exhibit in NYC
Here's a posting for Bill K, who's handling the programming for SPX as well. This should be an excellent exhibit:
For immediate release
CONTACT: Bill Kartalopoulos
kartalopoulos@gmail.com
Major Retrospective of Work by Legendary Underground Cartoonist Kim Deitch Opens at MoCCA on September 9
• Exhibition dates: September 9 – December 5, 2008
• Opening Reception: September 12, 2008, 6 – 9 pm
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is pleased to announce a major retrospective of work by underground cartoonist and graphic novelist Kim Deitch (b. 1944), opening September 9th and running through December 5th, 2008.
Kim Deitch: A Retrospective will display original comics pages and other work covering the artist's entire career to date, beginning with full-page comic strips drawn for the East Village Other in the sixties up to recent graphic novels including The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Alias the Cat, Shadowland, and Deitch's Pictorama. The exhibit will also feature rarely seen work including elaborate preparatory
drawings, hand-colored originals, animation cel set-ups and lithographs.
Kim Deitch was born in Los Angeles in 1944, the eldest son of Oscar-wining animator Gene Deitch (Tom Terrific, Munro). Deitch studied at the Pratt Institute, traveled with the Norwegian Merchant Marines and worked at a mental institution before joining the burgeoning underground press in 1967. As an early contributor to the East Village Other and the editor of Gothic Blimp Works, Kim Deitch was a charter member of the underground comix scene that exploded with the 1968 publication of Robert Crumb's Zap #1. Forty years later, he stands alongside Crumb, Bill Griffith, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Art Spiegelman as one the most notable and prolific artists to emerge from that milieu. In addition to his comic books and graphic novels, Deitch's work has appeared in venues including RAW, Weirdo, Arcade, Details, the L.A. Weekly, McSweeney's, Nickelodeon Magazine, and The New Yorker.
"Kim Deitch's career spans the entire post-war history of avant-garde comics, from the underground to the literary mainstream," said exhibit curator Bill Kartalopoulos. "Deitch brilliantly weaves vast intergenerational narratives that enfold a deep history of American popular entertainment. Distinctions between fiction and reality blur in his meta-fictional world just as real madness bleeds into the visions and schemes of the artists, entertainers, and hustlers who populate his stories. The result is a rich narrative tapestry as compelling and as breathtaking as Deitch's densely layered, tightly woven, and intricately detailed black and white comics pages."
Deitch's body of work stretches outward from comics to embrace a spectrum of visual-narrative modes, including extra-textual single images and illustrated prose modeled after Victorian illustrated fiction. His most recent book is Deitch's Pictorama, a collection of illustrated fiction produced in collaboration with brothers Seth and Simon Deitch. The exhibit includes several examples of Deitch's
career-long experimentation with text/image modes.
MoCCA will publish an original poster and 1" button featuring the "Sunshine Girl" character who stars both in Deitch's earliest and most recent work. The Museum will also host a series of talks and events related to the exhibit.
MoCCA is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, between Houston and Prince. New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212 254-3511
MoCCA is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 12 – 5 pm, Sundays 12 – 3 pm.
Suggested Donation: $5
The opening reception is free and open to the public.
For more information please visit: http://www.moccany.org
For immediate release
CONTACT: Bill Kartalopoulos
kartalopoulos@gmail.com
Major Retrospective of Work by Legendary Underground Cartoonist Kim Deitch Opens at MoCCA on September 9
• Exhibition dates: September 9 – December 5, 2008
• Opening Reception: September 12, 2008, 6 – 9 pm
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is pleased to announce a major retrospective of work by underground cartoonist and graphic novelist Kim Deitch (b. 1944), opening September 9th and running through December 5th, 2008.
Kim Deitch: A Retrospective will display original comics pages and other work covering the artist's entire career to date, beginning with full-page comic strips drawn for the East Village Other in the sixties up to recent graphic novels including The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Alias the Cat, Shadowland, and Deitch's Pictorama. The exhibit will also feature rarely seen work including elaborate preparatory
drawings, hand-colored originals, animation cel set-ups and lithographs.
Kim Deitch was born in Los Angeles in 1944, the eldest son of Oscar-wining animator Gene Deitch (Tom Terrific, Munro). Deitch studied at the Pratt Institute, traveled with the Norwegian Merchant Marines and worked at a mental institution before joining the burgeoning underground press in 1967. As an early contributor to the East Village Other and the editor of Gothic Blimp Works, Kim Deitch was a charter member of the underground comix scene that exploded with the 1968 publication of Robert Crumb's Zap #1. Forty years later, he stands alongside Crumb, Bill Griffith, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, and Art Spiegelman as one the most notable and prolific artists to emerge from that milieu. In addition to his comic books and graphic novels, Deitch's work has appeared in venues including RAW, Weirdo, Arcade, Details, the L.A. Weekly, McSweeney's, Nickelodeon Magazine, and The New Yorker.
"Kim Deitch's career spans the entire post-war history of avant-garde comics, from the underground to the literary mainstream," said exhibit curator Bill Kartalopoulos. "Deitch brilliantly weaves vast intergenerational narratives that enfold a deep history of American popular entertainment. Distinctions between fiction and reality blur in his meta-fictional world just as real madness bleeds into the visions and schemes of the artists, entertainers, and hustlers who populate his stories. The result is a rich narrative tapestry as compelling and as breathtaking as Deitch's densely layered, tightly woven, and intricately detailed black and white comics pages."
Deitch's body of work stretches outward from comics to embrace a spectrum of visual-narrative modes, including extra-textual single images and illustrated prose modeled after Victorian illustrated fiction. His most recent book is Deitch's Pictorama, a collection of illustrated fiction produced in collaboration with brothers Seth and Simon Deitch. The exhibit includes several examples of Deitch's
career-long experimentation with text/image modes.
MoCCA will publish an original poster and 1" button featuring the "Sunshine Girl" character who stars both in Deitch's earliest and most recent work. The Museum will also host a series of talks and events related to the exhibit.
MoCCA is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, between Houston and Prince. New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212 254-3511
MoCCA is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 12 – 5 pm, Sundays 12 – 3 pm.
Suggested Donation: $5
The opening reception is free and open to the public.
For more information please visit: http://www.moccany.org
Pekar-saturated book now available!
Harvey Pekar: Conversations LIVES!
I got a laconic email from the master of marketing at the University Press of Mississippi today:
Books are in the warehouse and shipping.
The link to purchase is now live on our website.
So, go buy twenty-five years of Harvey Pekar reflecting on his life and career. Read about his triumph and tragedy. Marvel at his fortitude. 'Nuff said (for now).
Melter's Superman-tinged book released today
His wife sends out the PR! I love that! Here's the email, which since it was labelled "Brad’s new book -- pass it on..." I am posting here. Again, I'm going to the Thursday night signing at Politics and Prose.
Here it is -- Brad's new thriller, The Book of Lies, is published today, and as you'll see below, he's been waiting his whole life to write this one (which is why it's my true favorite). It's filled with his usual obsessive research, but this is the one that will make your Mom (and Dad) cry. So what's it about?
In Chapter 4 of the Bible, Cain kills Abel. But the Bible is silent about the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. That weapon is still lost to history.
In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest.While mourning, his son created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found. Until now.
What do these two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have in common? The
answer is in The Book of Lies.
To buy the book, you can click here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/buy.php
To read the first chapter, click here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/first-chapter.php
To hear the soundtrack (oh, yes -- a real soundtrack from Victor Records, plus REM and the new Book of Lies song) is here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/soundtracks.php
To see the video Brad made with Joss Whedon, Christopher Hitchens and Damon Lindelof, click here: http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/movie-trailer.php
And finally, to see the most important thing we've done with any of the books -- and what we're doing to save the house where Superman was created, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25R2kcJxQuc
And of course he's on facebook, myspace, and all that other stuff I refuse to acknowledge exists.
Let me just say one last thing: I hope you know how much your love and support of Brad and the rest of us has meant over the past few months. In many ways, I was afraid that him seeing everyone on tour would turn into something sad, but it's clear it's truly a celebration. So please do go find Brad on one of the tour stops and give him a hug for me.
(that last is definitely from Brad's wife, not me.)
Here it is -- Brad's new thriller, The Book of Lies, is published today, and as you'll see below, he's been waiting his whole life to write this one (which is why it's my true favorite). It's filled with his usual obsessive research, but this is the one that will make your Mom (and Dad) cry. So what's it about?
In Chapter 4 of the Bible, Cain kills Abel. But the Bible is silent about the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. That weapon is still lost to history.
In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest.While mourning, his son created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found. Until now.
What do these two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have in common? The
answer is in The Book of Lies.
To buy the book, you can click here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/buy.php
To read the first chapter, click here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/first-chapter.php
To hear the soundtrack (oh, yes -- a real soundtrack from Victor Records, plus REM and the new Book of Lies song) is here:
http://www.bradmeltzer.com/soundtracks.php
To see the video Brad made with Joss Whedon, Christopher Hitchens and Damon Lindelof, click here: http://www.bradmeltzer.com/novels/book-of-lies/movie-trailer.php
And finally, to see the most important thing we've done with any of the books -- and what we're doing to save the house where Superman was created, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25R2kcJxQuc
And of course he's on facebook, myspace, and all that other stuff I refuse to acknowledge exists.
Let me just say one last thing: I hope you know how much your love and support of Brad and the rest of us has meant over the past few months. In many ways, I was afraid that him seeing everyone on tour would turn into something sad, but it's clear it's truly a celebration. So please do go find Brad on one of the tour stops and give him a hug for me.
(that last is definitely from Brad's wife, not me.)
Terry Brooks signing in Bailey's Crossroads
Terry Brooks, an author whose Dark Wraith of Shannara title has been adapted as a Graphic Novel, will be signing this week:
September 3, 7:30pm
Borders Books & Music
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Baileys Crossroads, VA 22041
Reading, Q&A, Signing
The title is from Del Rey books, is adapted by Robert Napton, and has art by Edwin David.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Meltzer and Superman's house
"Repairing a House With Superman Ties," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, New York Times September 2, 2008
Dustin Harbin on Watchmen and beyond
I met Dustin at HeroesCon this year, and liked him immensely. Here's a link to something he's written - "Okay, I've Read Watchmen. What's Next?" By Dustin Harbin,
Newsarama 2008-08-28.
Newsarama 2008-08-28.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Another Meltzer bit or two
Here's a review of his new comic book "DC Universe: Last Will and Testament": John Hardick: "Kuberts create a surprising new tale," Lehigh Valley Express Times Saturday, August 30, 2008.
And here's a blog post: "Brad Meltzer: Faster than a speeding bullet," by Chauncey Mabe, South Florida Sun Sentinel's Off the Page blog August 31, 2008.
And here's a blog post: "Brad Meltzer: Faster than a speeding bullet," by Chauncey Mabe, South Florida Sun Sentinel's Off the Page blog August 31, 2008.
Give me that ol' time Bat-religion, and other news
R. Kikuo Johnson's illustrated today's New York Times magazine story on President Bush. Rutu Modan's comic story is continuing too, although it hasn't really captured my imagination.
"Must-See Sermons: Va. Pastor Culls Lessons From Silver Screen to Pull In Larger Audience," By Ben Hubbard, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, August 31, 2008; C01 is about a minister who's preached dressed as both the Batman and the Joker during sermons.
Also, the last completely new For Better or For Worse strip appeared in the Sunday Post comics section. Ms. Johnston extrapolates what happens to the characters in the future, much as the last Harry Potter book did.
In the "Lord, what fools these mortals be" column we find "Studio War Involving ‘Watchmen’ Heats Up," By MICHAEL CIEPLY, New York Times August 30, 2008.
This piece explained a James Gillray cartoon, which can be incomprehensible at a remove of 200 years - "Be an Old Master, for 10 Guineas," By J. D. BIERSDORFER, New York Times August 31, 2008
In the Sunday Examiner's inserts - "Why I love Superman: A best-selling novelist on why he adores the Man of Steel," By Brad Meltzer, USA Weekend August 29 2008.
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