SL Gallant interview coming up soon on City Paper

DC-area cartoonist SL Gallant, the artist on IDW's GI Joe, answered some brief interview questions for me and it should be coming up on Monday after it's edited on the City Paper site.

Understanding Comics in the classroom

Marc Singer talks about problems with using Scott McCLoud's book Understanding Comics in the classroom as he teaches his course at Howard University.

Check out today's Cul de Sac

Check out today's Cul de Sac. Cartoonist have been saving themselves some effort on redrawing similar figures, at least since photocopiers became common, and certainly today with the prevalence of scanners. But not our Richard - note how Alice and Petey are slightly different in every drawing - and then enjoy that madcap 3rd panel. I think this gag actually works better in black and white too - the 3rd panel looks both more and less busy sans color.

Jan 23: Chip Bok (and Helen Thomas) booksigning

Chip Bok (and Helen Thomas) are doing a booksigning for their Great Whitehouse Breakout tomorrow at 10:30 in King's Park Library, Burke. Registration req'd. 703-978-5600.

Jan 27: Politics & Prose book group

Graphic Novel Bookgroup
Wednesday, January 27, 7:30 p.m.
Stitches, by David Small

One of these days, I may actually make it to this. But notwithstanding that, Stitches is a very good book - one of the best graphic books to come out last year. It's a nonfiction account of Small's childhood and the medical problem he labored under.

Tom the Dancing Bug cartoonist raises money for Haiti

Tom the Dancing Bug cartoonist Ruben Bolling is raising money for Haiti - he's set up a donation page and the two highest donors will get an original drawing from him. Check it out now. [Those of us with longish memories still miss Tom from the Post's Weekend section].

Ok, I just checked it out after putting up this post - I'm the first donor. Hah! Beat that! I'll bet you can.

Toles quotes Dr. Seuss

Tom Toles' cartoon today uses Dr. Seuss' Horton to make his point.

Weldon on floppies vs. trades

Weldon, Glen. 2010.
How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Wait For The Trade Collection.
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (January 20).

Like Glen, I'm of two minds about this. I usually buy the individual issues to make sure the series survives and then buy the collection if I think I want to read it again.

OT: Animators Bill Plympton and Patrick Smith have started a blog

Animators Bill Plympton and Patrick Smith have started a blog - Scribble Junkies. I'm a big fan of Plympton's work - he comes through town about every other year and I'd recommend meeting him, seeing his animation and buying his cartoon books.

Darwyn Cooke's appearance at American Art PR

Darwyn Cooke's appearance at American Art on January 30th has PR hitting the comics sites now. Except for mine. IDW doesn't love me.

Nevin Martell talking about Calvin and Hobbes in Pittsburgh

See Author goes in search of 'Calvin and Hobbes', By Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

2nd Washington City Paper post is up

What’s So Special about Wednesday? which is kind of an oxymoronic question for anyone in the US likely to be reading this blog.

Lise Myhre video interview

Lise Myhre, the Norwegian cartoonist behind Nemi, is in a video interview here.

Why is ComicsDC linking to this? Well, she's a friend of Greg Bennett of Big Planet who helps her on the translations into English. And Titan's sent me a review copy of the current collection which I still need to post on here.

Singer on McCloud's Making Comics

Marc Singer reprints his review of Scott McCloud's Making Comics that originally ran in the International Journal of Comic Art.

Jan 20, OT: Gaiman chat at New Yorker

Ask the Author Live: Dana Goodyear with Neil Gaiman
Posted by The New Yorker

This week in the magazine, Dana Goodyear writes about Neil Gaiman. On Wednesday, January 20th, at 3 P.M. E.T., Gaiman will be joining Goodyear for a live chat with readers. Submit advance questions for Gaiman and Goodyear, sign up for an e-mail reminder below, and come back Wednesday to join the discussion.

There's a long article about Gaiman in the magazine and online too. For some obligatory DC content, Gaiman's read at Politics & Prose and the National Book Festival.

My first Washington City Paper blog post

My first Washington City Paper blog post is online now. Nothing special, just introducing myself. I'm going to try to get the first content post written tonight though, and over to my editor. Heh. I like having an editor.

9 Chickweed Lane continues to push the envelope

Last year, I blogged about 9 Chickweed Lane's virginity losing strips. Apparently that storyline was a success for creator Brooke McEldowney because he's now got Grandma reminiscing about her first boyfriends (two and a time! warring countries!) and 'feeling a salute,' if you know what he means...

Chickweed makes reading the comics feel like watching modern tv, not Ozzie and Harriet!

More ComicsDC than ever before!

I've been asked by the Washington City Paper to freelance for them so I'll be writing longer pieces on comic art, most often for their blog I'd guess. I've submitted an introduction tonight and hope to have a piece about Wednesday and comic books up later this week. I will of course link from here to anything I write for them.

Richard Thompson on his watercolor technique

Tom Spurgeon picked this up first, but my excuse is that I was driving from NJ and I'm sticking with it. Here's Richard on his watercolor technique.

Herblock Christmas cards auctioned for Haiti

Rob Stoltzer's offering two Herblock Christmas cards from 1930-1931 on ebay for Doctors without Border's efforts in Haiti.