Free MANGA DRAWING WORKSHOP, Saturday, Jan16th from 3 to 5 at Martin
Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Telnaes' year in review
I'm a little slow to get to this, largely because I still believe newspapers are for reading, not viewing, but here's Ann Telnaes' excellent year in review animation. All the cartoons she's done for the Post since 2007 are available which I think is damn nice of the Post.
Now with a corrected link!
Now with a corrected link!
Betty Boop music boxes popular in DC
It's hard to believe, but Betty Boop music boxes were among the most popular at the longtime, but now closing, Music Box Center according to a photo caption in today's paper. The image isn't online. Boop was created in 1930, and has not appeared in entertainment media since the 1980s, but like Hello Kitty still seems to be able to move merchandise. Including music boxes.
Weingarten on Arnold comic strip
In his January 5th Chatalogical Humor chat, Gene Weingarten polled his readers on the Arnold comic strip by Kevin McCormick.
The responses to the Arnold strip were:
Richmond, Va.: When I was looking at the first Arnold strip, my eyes accidentally leaped to the last panel where I saw the balloon "I consumed white death!" It made me smile, and I went back to read the whole thing. Er...mayonnaise is the white death? Er...okay. The only way I could think there's a joke in there is if it is a running gag - he hates mayo and the lunch ladies tricked him into eating it with the tuna salad. Anyway, it was kind of deflating that such a cool punchline had such a bad setup. I may use that line, though.
Gene Weingarten: Yes, his hatred of mayo was a running gag -- as was his war with the cafeteria ladies. But I contend this was all implicit in the strip you read.
----
And lastly, I put Arnold in there because it was a near-great strip. Arnold never succeeded because Arnold was, at its wicked little heart, really mean-spirited. It scared newspaper editors who (incorrectly) believed that the comics pages were the province of children. Arnold was really daring, and different -- it featured a child who had no innocence whatsoever.
When Arnold failed the cartoonist gave it all up and became (I kid you not) a minister. That's what he's doing now.
_______________________
Lansing, Mich.: Hey, Gene! I was talking about "Arnold" with someone at Jef's book-release party last month (I wish I could remember who -- he specifically cited the "white death" strip you ran as one of his favorites.)
I had a (possibly unreasonably) strong devotion to "Arnold" when I was in college and find in reading it now that I'm still rather fond of it, although I have a little tougher time with the quality of the art these days.
I gave it a "pretty good".
Gene Weingarten: I asked a comics editor about this recently, and she, too, had some problems with the art; I don't see it, but you and Jef and she are pros, so I bow.
I love his nasty spirit.
The responses to the Arnold strip were:
Richmond, Va.: When I was looking at the first Arnold strip, my eyes accidentally leaped to the last panel where I saw the balloon "I consumed white death!" It made me smile, and I went back to read the whole thing. Er...mayonnaise is the white death? Er...okay. The only way I could think there's a joke in there is if it is a running gag - he hates mayo and the lunch ladies tricked him into eating it with the tuna salad. Anyway, it was kind of deflating that such a cool punchline had such a bad setup. I may use that line, though.
Gene Weingarten: Yes, his hatred of mayo was a running gag -- as was his war with the cafeteria ladies. But I contend this was all implicit in the strip you read.
----
And lastly, I put Arnold in there because it was a near-great strip. Arnold never succeeded because Arnold was, at its wicked little heart, really mean-spirited. It scared newspaper editors who (incorrectly) believed that the comics pages were the province of children. Arnold was really daring, and different -- it featured a child who had no innocence whatsoever.
When Arnold failed the cartoonist gave it all up and became (I kid you not) a minister. That's what he's doing now.
_______________________
Lansing, Mich.: Hey, Gene! I was talking about "Arnold" with someone at Jef's book-release party last month (I wish I could remember who -- he specifically cited the "white death" strip you ran as one of his favorites.)
I had a (possibly unreasonably) strong devotion to "Arnold" when I was in college and find in reading it now that I'm still rather fond of it, although I have a little tougher time with the quality of the art these days.
I gave it a "pretty good".
Gene Weingarten: I asked a comics editor about this recently, and she, too, had some problems with the art; I don't see it, but you and Jef and she are pros, so I bow.
I love his nasty spirit.
Big Planet Comics founder's autobiography online
Joel Pollack mentioned this week that he's been writing his autobiography and putting it on the store's website. Joel's been a part of the comics scene for a long time and I hope he keeps fleshing this out.
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes slapped around on TCJ.com
A Narrator in Search of a Protagonist: Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, Posted by Kristian Williams on January 13th, 2010.
Harsh review. I think the book does function as a biography, and I enjoyed reading it.
Harsh review. I think the book does function as a biography, and I enjoyed reading it.
Another Batchelor anti-VD cartoon
Here's another CD Batchelor cartoon from World War 2 on the dangers of venereal disease from the collection of the National Museum of Health and Medicine. You can see earlier posts on Batchelor here and here.
This photo of a poster is by Lynn Brudon also from World War 2. I don't know anything else about him or the poster.
Archer cartoon reviewed in Post
FX's raunchy cartoon 'Archer' has retro style but few contemporaneous laughs
By Hank Stuever
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 14, 2010; C06
Archer animation review in today's Express
Here's the citation -
McDonough, Kevin / United Features Syndicate. 2010.
Secret Agent Misogynist: 'Archer' is a crass cartoon spy with serious girl issues.
Express (January 14): 27
Washington City Paper comic strip has cartoonist faceoff
Ben Claassen III's Dirtfarm, the only comic strip still in the City Paper (sigh), has "Versus! Cartoonist Battle! Single Life vs. Married Life. Ben Claassen vs. Luster Kaboom". One can vote on which strip is the best at Dirtfarm's site.
Claassen is still doing regular illos for the Express' advice column as well.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Weldon on Langridge's Muppets
Nice review here. I bought the individual issues and the collection because 1. Roger's a buddy of mine, and 2. he's good. I also buy original art from him whenever he's in the States.
Weldon, Glen. 2010.
How Good Is The New 'Muppet Show' Comic, On a Scale of Swit to Moreno?
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (January 13): http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/01/how_good_is_the_new_muppet_sho.html
Weldon, Glen. 2010.
How Good Is The New 'Muppet Show' Comic, On a Scale of Swit to Moreno?
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (January 13): http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/01/how_good_is_the_new_muppet_sho.html
Caricature in Post article
The print version of Better never than late has interesting caricatures of Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien by Joe Fournier, whose work I'm not otherwise familiar with.
Luna Park reviewed in Post
A tale of lowlifes in love, told graphically, By Dan Kois, Washington Post January 13, 2010; C04 reviews LUNA PARK, By Kevin Baker and Danijel Zezelj , Vertigo. 158 pp. $24.99.
Homer Simpson used as political whipping boy
See "Harry Reid is the Senate's Homer Simpson," By: Jay Ambrose, Washington Examiner Columnist January 13, 2010.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Palm restaurant caricature pictures incidentally in Post
Palm restaurant caricature pictures appeared incidentally in Post today, in an article on waiters who remember orders as opposed to writing them down. The article, oddly enough, appeared above the fold on the front page so one could seen Brant Parker's Wizard of Id in the background by the waiter's head.
Mark Alan Stamaty video interview
Robert Wright has an excellent interview on Bloggingheads.tv with Mark Alan Stamaty, who was regularly seen in the Post with Washingtoons years ago. Stamaty talks about his Washington Post experience at 17:35. Wow, it ran for 12 years in the Post!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cavna on Gigacon
In Art Institute of Washington holds first Gigacon, an animation convention, By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, January 11, 2010; C01, there's a line that makes me think I'm missing a big part of the local scene:
Unlike many major cities, including Baltimore, Washington lacks a true comics convention (the closest thing perhaps being the annual Small Press Expo in Rockville). Tillman, who last year hosted a panel at the granddaddy animation event, San Diego Comic-Con, thinks the time is ripe for Washington. "We've got so many animators and so many other artists and so much talent in the area, there's no reason Washington shouldn't have its own big convention."
I have heard that we lack a local comics con partly due to the lack of affordable reasonably-sized spaces which is why SPX is now in Rockville, Gaithersburg or North Bethesda. Still, let's here from our "so many animators".
Unlike many major cities, including Baltimore, Washington lacks a true comics convention (the closest thing perhaps being the annual Small Press Expo in Rockville). Tillman, who last year hosted a panel at the granddaddy animation event, San Diego Comic-Con, thinks the time is ripe for Washington. "We've got so many animators and so many other artists and so much talent in the area, there's no reason Washington shouldn't have its own big convention."
I have heard that we lack a local comics con partly due to the lack of affordable reasonably-sized spaces which is why SPX is now in Rockville, Gaithersburg or North Bethesda. Still, let's here from our "so many animators".
OT: Comics Journal interview with David Astor
Our old friend is interviewed - Talking future of newspaper comics with former E&P editor Dave Astor, by Eric Millikin on January 11th, 2010. I really miss his Syndicate column.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Zadzooks still at Washington Times?
The Washington Times has laid off lots of editorial staff - apparently up to 60% - but it looks like Zadzooks might still be there as he had a game columnthis past week.
UPDATED: Yes, Joe Szadkowski has emailed me that he's still at the Times, so I'll continue to look for his column each week.
UPDATED: Yes, Joe Szadkowski has emailed me that he's still at the Times, so I'll continue to look for his column each week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)