Barks' paintings for sale at Geppi's Museum beginning tonight

An exhibit of Barks paintings is on at Geppi's Entertainment Museum now - I'm uncleard if this article means that you can buy some works that are in the show - Sale Details of Barks Paintings Unveiled, Scoop August 7 2009. The sale starts tonight, at midnight August 7th though if you've got an extra $100K hanging around. As Scoop notes, "Limited edition lithographs, mini-lithos and other pieces will be included, so there will be something for just about every price range up to mid-six figures."

Comic Riffs' Zits interview

After teasing it since Sunday night, he's put it up -

The Interview: 'Zits' Co-Creator Jerry Scott
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 6, 2009

Comic collector Mark Zaid in his role as lawyer at large

Local comic book collector Mark Zaid is in today's Post in his secret identity - "Police Chief Tells Driver Ticket for Flashing Lights Was Wrong," By Rick Rojas, Washington Post Staff Writer, August 7, 2009. Mark was ticketed for flashing his lights at the site of a speed trap - which I certainly have done - and fought the ticket.

Superheros and Alter Egos talk at Renwick Gallery

Friday, August 7
Noon

Superheros and Alter Egos

Mark Newport, one of the artists whose work is featured in Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009, shares his approach to knitting oversized superhero costumes that mix adolescent male subject matter with craft techniques usually associated with women.

Program held at the museum's Renwick Gallery on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW

Post on Obama as Joker latest tempest in teapot

The August doldrums have struck, so a poster of President Obama overlayed with The Dark Knight's Joker's makeup has become 'news. If you're interested, see "Obama as The Joker: Racial Fear's Ugly Face; 'Political' Poster Turns On Violent Symbolism," By Philip Kennicott, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, August 6, 2009 and the online discussion at "Impact of 'Socialist Joker'," Philip Kennicott, Washington Post Cultural Critic, Thursday, August 6, 2009.

Onion on terra-cotta mousketeers find

Today's Onion has an article about a new archeological discovery -
Legion of Terra-cotta Mouseketeers Found Beneath Disney World, Onion (August 6 2009): 1, 6.

National Geographic is opening an exhibit of the Chinese warriors in the fall - perhaps some of the Mouseketeers will sneak in.

Eternal Smile reviewed in Kids Post page

See Mary Quattlebaum's "Colorful Tales for a Hot August," Washington Post Wednesday, August 5, 2009  for a review of THE ETERNAL SMILE By Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim.

 

Bamn at Baltimore Comic Con

Troy Allen reports

It's official! The Bamn Crew will be walking into the Baltimore Comic Con on October 10th thru October 11th of 2009! (Okay, okay...we'll be walking out October 10th and walking back in October 11th). The Baltimore Comic Con is THE biggest comic convention on the East Coast, and we will be joining the wave of independent comic artist peddling their books in "Artist Alley."
Here is more from the Baltimore Comic Con website:

 Contact us at BamnCan@hotmail.com 

Comic Riffs reports Iranian cartoon boycott

It's a bit off Michael's usual beat, but here's the story - "Iranian Cartoonists Plan to Boycott Famed Biennial," By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 4, 2009.

Ben Templesmith Signing

Laughing Ogre Comics will be hosting a signing with Ben Templesmith on August 08, 2009 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm at their Lansdowne, VA store. The Laughing Ogre webpage says 12-8, but Ben Templesmith's sas 12-4, so I'm guessing he's right (plus that's an awful long time for a signing!!!).

Laughing Ogre Comics
Lansdowne Shopping Center
19340 Promenade Drive
Lansdowne,VA 20176

[here's Templesmith's blogpost on it - Mike]

Weldon on the success, or failure, of graphic novels

Weldon, Glen.  2009.
Tension Deficit Disorder: Why Some Comics Work - And Some Don't.
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (August 5)

Early comic art toy licensee dies

Mrs. Raymond licensed Disney, Superman, Mighty Mouse (according to the NY Times obit), Little Orphan Annie and probably other comic characters for her toy company. See two obituaries for her -

Lynn Pressman Raymond, 97, Executive A Pioneer Of Toy Ads, Packaging
By Lauren Wiseman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Grimes, William.  2009.

Lynn Pressman Raymond, Toy Executive, Dies at 97.

New York Times (August 2).

Online at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/02pressman.html

Carla Speed McNeil wins Eisner award

I don't really pay attention to the awards coming out from the San Diego Comic-Con so I missed this piece that local artist Carla Speed McNeil won an Eisner for her formerly-print comic Finder. Here's the award citation:

Best Digital Comic

Finder, by Carla Speed McNeil

 Thanks to Jeff at Big Planet Comics for the tip!

Shawn Martinbrough on Luke Cage

Shawn Martinbrough talks about his Luke Cage artwork at Black Superhero Luke Cage Ignites Marvel Comics, by Lynette Holloway, Black Voices Jul 31st 2009. The article says he lives in Washington and NY - I thought he'd left the area, but I guess not completely.

Ponyo swag at Japanese Information and Culture Center

At the recent Lupin III screening at the Japanese Information and Culture Center, the JICC gave out Ponyo hangers and sticker books. Darn, what a missed opportunity! Jim C did give me his copy of the sticker book though which is now safely filed under Miyazaki as I await Ponyo's release.

Catching up with Kevin Rechin

I was lucky enough to stop in to the studios of portrait painter Seth Haverkamp* and cartoonist Kevin Rechin tonight. Kevin shared quite a few of his current projects with me - he's been busy. He's doing the search-a-picture for Highlights Magazine, a book for Klutz on exploding household objects that comes out in October, Orkin ties (doing bugs for them like the great Jack Davis), Country magazine cartoons illustrating the 'good' old days, and truly odd towel animal illustrations for Currents magazine, the official magazine for Carnival Cruise. Kevin's work is both funny and lovely - he's a dab hand with watercolor. He had some absolutely beautiful sketches of Ireland from a recent trip there too - you could practically smell the sheep. Check out his website, and enjoy.

*Seth's work is lovely too, but he's not a cartoonist.

Feiffer exhibit closes this weekend

If you haven't seen it, the Feiffer exhibit at American University closes this weekend. Here's our earlier post with the information. I'm not going to make the show, but if there's a brochure, I'd appreciate getting one.

Richard Thompson caricatured in Lio

Here's Richard's blog post about being in Sunday's Lio.

Animator Dina Babbitt's obituary in Post

It's in today's Metro section. However, it's a LA Times wire story that's not online, so here's the New York Times version - the animator had become well-known in the past year for attempting to reclaim paintings she did in a death camp. See Dina Babbitt, Artist at Auschwitz, Is Dead at 86 By BRUCE WEBER, August 2, 2009.

Baltimore's Tim Kreider in the NY Times and NPR on surviving attempted murder

Tim Kreider, whose cartoons appeared in the Baltimore City Paper until the beginning of this year, has been blogging for the NY Times. Here's links to 3 of the 4 articles (I linked to the 4th some weeks ago). The first story begins "Fourteen years ago I was stabbed in the throat."

Reprieve
By Tim Kreider
New York Times' Happy Days blog June 2, 2009

A Note from Tim Kreider
By Tim Kreider
New York Times' Happy Days blog June 4, 2009

Averted Vision
By Tim Kreider
New York Times' Happy Days blog August 2, 2009

And here's Tim on NPR (which ends by noting he's working on a 3rd collection of his cartoons - yay! The first two are available from Fantagraphics):

Conan, Neal. 2009.
Cartoonist Has Happy Year After Eluding Murder.
National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation (June 16).
online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105481759

Fourteen years ago, cartoonist and author Tim Kreider was stabbed in the throat. He survived, and after his "unsuccessful murder," he wrote in a blog post for the New York Times, he wasn't unhappy for an entire year.

Kreider talks about how getting a second chance has altered his perspective on life.