Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The It's a Small World Department
My correspondence buddy Wim Lockefeer (we trade comics ephemera and stamps) has put up his best of the year list and on it is Chris Grine's Chickenhare: Fire in the Hole. Our Man Thompson sat next to Chris at HeroesCon this year so we talked to him quite a bit. I wholeheartedly agree with Wim's endorsement - I bought both of his books for my daughter.
That darn Oliphant... and the Post too!
Bygod, the Post isn't coordinating its editorial page, its syndicated editorial cartoons and its news reporting! For details, see "Forty miles (and some fuel): Oliphant and Washington Post ignorantly smear GM and plug-in hybrids," by Joseph Romm (Guest Contributor), Grist 15 Dec 2008. Cartoons aren't meant to be funny apparently, but should be educational and truthful without exaggeration. We should call them something else maybe. Any suggestions?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Shrek the Musical reviews
This just seems like a bad idea to me, but then again I didn't like the movies.
"The Belching Green Ogre Has a Song in His Heart," By BEN BRANTLEY, New York Times December 15, 2008
"Here Comes 'Shrek.' Hold Your Nose," By Peter Marks, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, December 15, 2008; C01
and here's Bloomberg News just to be different: "Lovable Shrek, Fiona Animate Broadway’s New Cartoon," Review by John Simon.
"The Belching Green Ogre Has a Song in His Heart," By BEN BRANTLEY, New York Times December 15, 2008
"Here Comes 'Shrek.' Hold Your Nose," By Peter Marks, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, December 15, 2008; C01
and here's Bloomberg News just to be different: "Lovable Shrek, Fiona Animate Broadway’s New Cartoon," Review by John Simon.
Best Wishes to Greg McElhatton
ComicsDC sends our Best Wishes to Greg McElhatton, who had some surgery today. I usually only run into Greg once a year at SPX which he's worked on. It's amazing how spread out the DC comics community can be.
QUICK REVIEWS OF COMICS DUE 12-17-08
QUICK REVIEWS OF COMICS DUE 12-17-08
By John Judy
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #581 by Dan Slott and Mike McKone. So how did Harry Osborn come back to life anyway?
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #19 by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. Okay, so the Skrull invasion ended a week or so ago but some of these titles are still catching up with the Big Fights and such. Watch Dan Slott make it work. It’s eerie.
BEANWORLD HOLIDAY SPECIAL ONE-SHOT written a drawn by Larry Marder. Dark Horse Comics gives us the first new BEANWORLD in over a decade. Reads a bit like LITTLE NEMO. Looks a bit like nothing else. Not saying you should alter your consciousness before reading but neither am I saying you shouldn’t.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #20 by Jeph Loeb, Georges Jeanty and Eric Wright. A Buffy comic inspired by the Buffy animated series that never was. And yes, you can detect a distinct SCOOBY-DOO influence.
DARK REIGN: NEW NATION #1 by Lotsa People. Basically giving you the lay of the new Marvel Universe, post-Skrull, in the Age of Osborn.
DCU HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2008 by Various Creators. Your yearly anthology of all-ages fun. Makes a great stocking stuffer!
EX MACHINA #40 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. A stand-alone story of Mayor Hundred’s search for a biographer who can do graphic novels. Such a cool series. Recommended.
GHOST RIDER #30 by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat. League of Extraordinary Ghost Riders? Ghost Rider League of America? The X-Ghost Riders? There’s more than one is what I’m getting at here…
HELLBLAZER #250 by Lots of Amazing Talent. Featuring five tales of John Constantine and the holidays. Your must-have Vertigo book of the month!
MIGHTY AVENGERS #20 by Brian Michael Bendis and Khoi Pham. The Wasp is dead. We’re almost certain of it. Set your resurrection clocks… NOW!
PUNISHER MAX #65 by Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell. Punisher versus Jigsaw in old Mexico. The fur will fly. Not for kids.
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #2 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Tony Harris. Ma Gnucci is challenging Jigsaw for the title of “Punisher Foe Who Remains Alive Beyond All Reasonable Expectation.” It’s Ennis so expect depravity on a Roman scale. Recommended.
SPIDER-MAN: NOIR #1 of 4 by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky. Based on the excellence of X-MEN: NOIR I’m already calling this the coolest alternate universe in years! Iconic Marvel characters done up thirties gangland style. “Wid great power dere comes watchya call yer great responsibility, see?” Recommended!
SUPERGIRL #36 by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. SG’s dad, Zor-El, just got kryptonite-lasered through the heart. Hope he’s okay.
THUNDERBOLTS #127 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. The old order changeth. The hard way. Will Songbird survive Bullseye’s undivided attention? Gotta look!
WALKING DEAD #56 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. Kirkman/Adlard trees bear strange fruit. Brrr… Not for kids. Recommended.
X-MEN LEGACY #219 by Mike Carey and Phil Briones. Professor X versus Juggernaut. This could be a real short issue….
www.johnjudy.net
By John Judy
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #581 by Dan Slott and Mike McKone. So how did Harry Osborn come back to life anyway?
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #19 by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. Okay, so the Skrull invasion ended a week or so ago but some of these titles are still catching up with the Big Fights and such. Watch Dan Slott make it work. It’s eerie.
BEANWORLD HOLIDAY SPECIAL ONE-SHOT written a drawn by Larry Marder. Dark Horse Comics gives us the first new BEANWORLD in over a decade. Reads a bit like LITTLE NEMO. Looks a bit like nothing else. Not saying you should alter your consciousness before reading but neither am I saying you shouldn’t.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #20 by Jeph Loeb, Georges Jeanty and Eric Wright. A Buffy comic inspired by the Buffy animated series that never was. And yes, you can detect a distinct SCOOBY-DOO influence.
DARK REIGN: NEW NATION #1 by Lotsa People. Basically giving you the lay of the new Marvel Universe, post-Skrull, in the Age of Osborn.
DCU HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2008 by Various Creators. Your yearly anthology of all-ages fun. Makes a great stocking stuffer!
EX MACHINA #40 by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris. A stand-alone story of Mayor Hundred’s search for a biographer who can do graphic novels. Such a cool series. Recommended.
GHOST RIDER #30 by Jason Aaron and Tan Eng Huat. League of Extraordinary Ghost Riders? Ghost Rider League of America? The X-Ghost Riders? There’s more than one is what I’m getting at here…
HELLBLAZER #250 by Lots of Amazing Talent. Featuring five tales of John Constantine and the holidays. Your must-have Vertigo book of the month!
MIGHTY AVENGERS #20 by Brian Michael Bendis and Khoi Pham. The Wasp is dead. We’re almost certain of it. Set your resurrection clocks… NOW!
PUNISHER MAX #65 by Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell. Punisher versus Jigsaw in old Mexico. The fur will fly. Not for kids.
PUNISHER WAR ZONE #2 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Tony Harris. Ma Gnucci is challenging Jigsaw for the title of “Punisher Foe Who Remains Alive Beyond All Reasonable Expectation.” It’s Ennis so expect depravity on a Roman scale. Recommended.
SPIDER-MAN: NOIR #1 of 4 by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky. Based on the excellence of X-MEN: NOIR I’m already calling this the coolest alternate universe in years! Iconic Marvel characters done up thirties gangland style. “Wid great power dere comes watchya call yer great responsibility, see?” Recommended!
SUPERGIRL #36 by Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. SG’s dad, Zor-El, just got kryptonite-lasered through the heart. Hope he’s okay.
THUNDERBOLTS #127 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre. The old order changeth. The hard way. Will Songbird survive Bullseye’s undivided attention? Gotta look!
WALKING DEAD #56 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. Kirkman/Adlard trees bear strange fruit. Brrr… Not for kids. Recommended.
X-MEN LEGACY #219 by Mike Carey and Phil Briones. Professor X versus Juggernaut. This could be a real short issue….
www.johnjudy.net
Noon Today: Washington Post Chat with Blind Comic Artist
Andre Campbell and David Rowell
Comic Artist; Washington Post Magazine Articles Editor
Monday, December 15, 2008; 12:00 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/12/11/DI2008121102592.html
Andre Campbell's vision is severely limited, which hasn't stopped him from pursuing his dream of making it as a comic book artist. But will he ever see success?
Andre Campbell, president of Heritage Comics HSQ, and Washington Post Magazine articles editor David Rowell will be online Monday, December 15 at 12 noon ET to discuss Rowell's cover story, "Comic Book Hero."
Comic Artist; Washington Post Magazine Articles Editor
Monday, December 15, 2008; 12:00 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/12/11/DI2008121102592.html
Andre Campbell's vision is severely limited, which hasn't stopped him from pursuing his dream of making it as a comic book artist. But will he ever see success?
Andre Campbell, president of Heritage Comics HSQ, and Washington Post Magazine articles editor David Rowell will be online Monday, December 15 at 12 noon ET to discuss Rowell's cover story, "Comic Book Hero."
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Boys of Steel author pics
Marc Tyler Nobleman was in town yesterday to sign his children's biography of Siegel and Shuster, Boys of Steel. This was just a signing with no remarks, but I did ask how he got Ross MacDonald as the artist. It was the publisher's idea. Worked out well, I think. He's hoping to do a book on Batman writer/artist Bill Finger too.
Aftertime Comics store
Since 1985, Aftertime Comics has been in Old Town Alexandria on the end of King Street closer to the subway. It's a small store as you can tell from the photos, but they've always crammed a good assortment of comics and books into it. When I stopped in yesterday, I found some obscure stuff:
You Are Maggie Thatcher by Hunt Emerson and Pat Mills
Fandom: Confidential by Ron Frantz
Don Rosa Collection II: The Adventures of Captain Kentucky (Swedish edition!) by Don Rosa
This isn't stuff you could find in most comics stores, including my store, Big Planet. Joel Pollack, founder of the BP chain wrote in to say, "Aftertime is an amazing use of space. Great store, and you can quote me on that."
The address is 1304 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-548-5030.
President Bill (not Clinton)
At a used book store yesterday, I ran across President Bill by William L. Brown. This panel used to run in the Washington City Paper in the late 1980s - the Bill is not Clinton, but Bill of Takoma Park, MD who is chosen at random to be the president. Bill's pretty left-wing and had some odd ideas about how to run a country. Brown's artwork was done on scratchboard, leading to a woodcut-like look. The book has an introduction by Jules Feiffer. The story holds up okay, especially after the past 8 years.Brown still does illustrations every once in a while for Washington papers.
Big Planet on USA Today's Pop Candy blog
I didn't even know that Pop Candy blogger Whitney Matheson was based in DC, but she's moved to New York and has a list of things she misses about DC - one of which is 24. Well-organized shelves at Big Planet Comics.
Somehow I never ran into her and I'm sorry I missed her.
Somehow I never ran into her and I'm sorry I missed her.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Bettie Page in Post and Times
Bettie Page was a pinup model who was rediscovered by a later generation of comic book fanboys, particularly Dave Stevens, the Rocketeer cartoonist. Here's some articles about her:
"Bettie Page, Queen of Pinups, Dies at 85," By ROBERT D. McFADDEN, New York Times December 12, 2008.
"Bettie Page; '50s Cheesecake Icon Revered as Queen of Retro Kitsch," By Joe Holley and Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writers, Saturday, December 13, 2008; B05.
"Bettie Page Let Us Peep, Perchance To Dream," By Stephen Hunter, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, December 13, 2008; C01.
"An Appraisal - Always Comfortable in Her Own Skin," By MANOHLA DARGIS, New York Times December 13, 2008.
"Bettie Page, Queen of Pinups, Dies at 85," By ROBERT D. McFADDEN, New York Times December 12, 2008.
"Bettie Page; '50s Cheesecake Icon Revered as Queen of Retro Kitsch," By Joe Holley and Matt Schudel, Washington Post Staff Writers, Saturday, December 13, 2008; B05.
"Bettie Page Let Us Peep, Perchance To Dream," By Stephen Hunter, Washington Post Staff Writer, Saturday, December 13, 2008; C01.
"An Appraisal - Always Comfortable in Her Own Skin," By MANOHLA DARGIS, New York Times December 13, 2008.
That darn Toles, continued
Another winning letter to the editor!
Balancing Toles
Washington Post December 13 2008
Here's a suggestion: Why not use a conservative cartoonist a couple of times a week, as a supplement to Tom Toles?
If that doesn't appeal to you, perhaps you could at least find some neutral cartoonist who might dilute the harsh liberalism of Mr. Toles's agenda.
-- Jim Welch
Annapolis
Balancing Toles
Washington Post December 13 2008
Here's a suggestion: Why not use a conservative cartoonist a couple of times a week, as a supplement to Tom Toles?
If that doesn't appeal to you, perhaps you could at least find some neutral cartoonist who might dilute the harsh liberalism of Mr. Toles's agenda.
-- Jim Welch
Annapolis
Editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe laid off
The Daily Cartoonist is reporting that editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe was laid off. Rob isn't based around DC, but he has provided us with tips. The DC article says he's working on a freelance career and I wish him the best of luck.
Today: Beatles animator in Frederick, MD
Animator Ron Campbell will be in Frederick, MD today - see "Beatles cartoon artist to write, tell stories at rock show," By Lauren LaRocca, Frederick News-Post December 12, 2008 which gives this information:
If you go
What: “100.7 The Bay Classic Rock Art Show”
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Where: Town Mall of Westminster (in front of Belk), 400 N. Center Drive, Westminster
If you go
What: “100.7 The Bay Classic Rock Art Show”
When: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Where: Town Mall of Westminster (in front of Belk), 400 N. Center Drive, Westminster
Friday, December 12, 2008
Pentagon and Marvel propaganda comic books program questioned
"Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says," By Noah Shachtman, December 12, 2008. These comics, credited to AAFES, are sometimes available at Walter Reed. They're not good. As I read this article, the comics in particular are not a problem, and it's the whole program instead.
Thanks to Tim for the tip.
Zadzooks interviews Joshua Ortega; Baltimore City Paper's Krall interviewed
"ZADZOOKS: Writer's career in high gear," Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times Thursday, December 11, 2008.
Also I've been noticed Daniel Krall's work in the Baltimore City Paper - here's an article on him "Up and Coming: Daniel Krall," By Chris Arrant, 10 December 2008.
Also I've been noticed Daniel Krall's work in the Baltimore City Paper - here's an article on him "Up and Coming: Daniel Krall," By Chris Arrant, 10 December 2008.
Post's Source section has list of best comics
This year's list - "The Best Books, CDs, Comics, DVDs and Video Games of 2008," Washington Post Sunday, December 7, 2008; N05.
Bechdel, Delgo, Shag and Azur reviews in today's papers
Although the Blade ran Dykes to Watch Out For for years, albeit badly running it years out of date (literally! They were running pre-election cartoons a year after Bush was in office), you'd never know it now. They did run a minor review of the last book today though - "Blah-battling books: Sedaris, Bechdel collections perfect tonics for holiday blues," KATHI WOLFE, Washington Blade December 12, 2008.
Meanwhile the animated film Delgo, which had a really bad trailer in my opinion, isn't getting good reviews either:
"'Delgo': Colorful but Convoluted," Jane Horwitz, Washington Post Friday, December 12, 2008; WE30.
"Something Rotten in the State of Jhamora (Ask Freddie Prinze Jr.)," By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times December 12, 2008
French animation comes off slightly better than the Atlantans did:
"'Azur & Asmar': Less Is More," Jen Chaney, Washington Post Friday, December 12, 2008; WE30.
Finally, Shag, who does 1960 cartoony-type paintings and had a show here in DC a couple of years ago that I liked, has one in NYC now - "Art in Review," New York Times December 12, 2008. It's on the second page of the reviews.
Meanwhile the animated film Delgo, which had a really bad trailer in my opinion, isn't getting good reviews either:
"'Delgo': Colorful but Convoluted," Jane Horwitz, Washington Post Friday, December 12, 2008; WE30.
"Something Rotten in the State of Jhamora (Ask Freddie Prinze Jr.)," By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS, New York Times December 12, 2008
French animation comes off slightly better than the Atlantans did:
"'Azur & Asmar': Less Is More," Jen Chaney, Washington Post Friday, December 12, 2008; WE30.
Finally, Shag, who does 1960 cartoony-type paintings and had a show here in DC a couple of years ago that I liked, has one in NYC now - "Art in Review," New York Times December 12, 2008. It's on the second page of the reviews.
Sunday Post magazine on blind comic book artist
See "Comic Book Hero: Andre Campbell's vision is severely limited, but that hasn't stopped him from pursuing his dream of making it as a comic book artist. Will he ever see success?" By David Rowell, Washington Post Magazine Sunday, December 14, 2008; W08.
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