Thursday, March 04, 2010

Has USA Weekend dropped its gag cartoons?

I haven't seen any in there for a few weeks. Another cost-cutting measure?
 
Produced locally, it's distributed in the Examiner on Sunday.

Family Circus lauded by Examiner columnist

Meghan Cox Gurdon
Family cartoon not corroded by acid culture.
Washington Examiner (March 4 2010): 37
 
If you want to see it online - click here and then look for page 37.
 
 

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Searle's 90th birthday

Nick Galifianakis and Richard Thompson's favorite cartoonist Ronald Searle is 90 today - here's a link to some artwork we stuck up last year.

Weldon steps into catfight

In the "Fools rush in" category, Glen Weldon looks at the angst over 'Girl Comics' in 'Girl,' Erupted: The Comic Book Title That Launched An Internet Flame War, National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (March 3 2010).

This is actually the only comic I specifically asked for this week (beyond my usual pull list).

Kyle Baker and Bill Foster at Howard, now up on City Paper

Thursday: Kyle Baker and Bill Foster on Black-Themed Comic Books

Jim Dougan interview from Post last year


D.C. United Inspires Graphic Art By Dan Steinberg, Washington Post D.C. Sports blog June 3, 2009.

Ok, I'm a bit late with catching this, but you can still read the excellent Sam & Lilah strip at Act-i-vate. So check out the interview and then read the strip with added understanding (as I did. I had no idea who the DC United player was).

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

March 3: Micah Gunnell at Beyond Comics

Meet ASPEN Comics
Artist
Micah Gunnell

at the Beyond Comics
Gaithersburg Square Store
536 North Frederick Avenue

4:00 pm to 6:30 pm



Free Sketches and Autographs

Original Art For Sale.

OT: Strand Bookstore totebag art contest

The Strand has had a bunch of cartoonist-drawn tote bags already - Seth, Spiegelman, Sikoryak and Tomine -and I bought them all a couple of weeks ago, so perhaps this contest will interest someone from the DC area. Apparently you have a better chance if your name begins with 'S'.

Ponyo out on DVD today

...and I'm going out to buy my copy after dinner. Miyazaki is great.

Michigan State U's Comic Art Collection December 2009 additions

Getting back to our ocassional look at MSU's additions to the library, we turn to December 2009.

Hey! I bought this at an early SPX, back when they fit in one room.

Primitives. -- Poquoson, Va. : Spare Time Studios, 1995- . --
ill. ; 26 cm. -- Began with no. 1 (Jan. 1995). -- Superhero
genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.S609P7


I hope the Library isn't really worrying about whether their comics have UPC symbols or not...

Protectors. -- Westlake Village, CA : Malibu Comics,
1992-1994. -- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 1 (Sept.
1992) - no. 20 (May 1994), cf. Overstreet Comic Book Price
Guide. -- This "direct market" ed. differs from the
"newsstand" ed. in that the covers are without UPC codes.
-- Partial wrapper of first cover appears in at least two
different colors. -- Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no.
1-20. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.M25P72
COMPLETE HOLDINGS


Anyone read this? Is it any good?

Doomed by Cartoon : How Cartoonist Thomas Nast and the
New-York Times brought down Boss Tweed and His Ring of
Thieves / John Adler, with Draper Hill. -- New York :
Morgan James Publishing, 2008. -- 310 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. --
Call no.: F128.47.T96A32 2008
Nast, Thomas, 1840-1902.
Tweed, William Marcy, 1823-1878.


Frank Tashlin keeps popping up in comics quiz circles because he became a movie director, but used a cartoonist as a character in one movie...

The World that Isn't / by Frank Tashlin. -- New York : Simon
and Schuster, 1951. -- 1 v. : ill. ; 23 cm. -- Story told
primarily in pictures. -- Call no.: NC1429.T18W6 1951


Remember how before Marvel killed Malibu after buying them, but toyed with their characters first? Nah, me either.

Rune vs. Venom. -- Calabasas, CA : Malibu Comics
Entertainment, 1995. -- 48 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm. --
(Ultraverse) -- "Vol. 1, number 1, December 1995." -- Logo
of Marvel Comics on cover. -- Superhero genre. -- Call no.:
PN6728.6.M25R84 1995


Shouldn't this be linked to Spawn, since memories are fading of what a hot title it was once upon a time?

Spoof Comics Presents Spoon. -- Melville, N.Y. : Spoof Comics,
1992. -- 32 p. : ill. ; 26 cm. -- Superheroine and parody
genres. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.P43S62 1992


I don't imagine I will ever item-level catalogue Fred Bassett comic strips, but I think I would have either put all of these under golf...

"The First Time He's Been on the Fairway All Day"* (Fred
Basset, May 2, 1972) / Graham. -- Summary: Fred's master
hits a tree from the rough. -- Call no.: PN6726 f.B55
"fairways"
-----------------------------------------------------
"Nobody Will Believe Him"* (Fred Basset, June 29, 1973) /
Graham. -- Summary: Fred's master makes a hole in one, and
there are no witnesses. -- Call no.: PN6726 f. B55 "hole
in one"
-----------------------------------------------------
"She's Having a Lovely Time Up Here"* (Fred Basset, Apr. 27,
1972) / Graham. -- Summary: Fred's master has so far taken
seven strokes in the sand trap, and Fred's mistress is
gloating. -- Call no.: PN6726 f.B55 "gloating"
-----------------------------------------------------
"It Was His Golf Club Dinner Last Night"* (Fred Basset, July
13, 1973) / Graham. -- Summary: Fred's master seems to have
a hangover. -- Call no.: PN6726 f.B55 "golf"
-----------------------------------------------------
"I Never Know Whether It's the Thrashing Tail or the Pathetic
Whimpering that Does the Trick"* (Fred Basset, July 21,
1973) / Graham. -- Summary: Fred is allowed to come along
as his master leaves for golf. -- Call no.: PN6726 f.B55
"golf"


...although I like "begging" for the last one, and "hangover" for the one above that. For those that are wondering, these clipped strips are filed in envelopes under that topic.

Somebody gave them a ton of G.I. Joe. Here's a sample. Should G.I. Joe really be "Not intended for children under 13"?

The Best of Snake Eyes / Larry Hama ; pencils, Mike Vosburg,
et al. ; inks, Chic Stone, et al. -- San Diego, Calif. :
IDW Publishing, 2009. -- 145 p. : col. ill ; 26 cm. --
(G.I. Joe. ; 6) -- "Originally published by Marvel Comics
as 'G.I. Joe: a Real American Hero' issues #10, 21, 26, 27,
31, and 44." -- "Not intended for children under 13." --
Spy and war genres. -- Call no.: PN6728.G2B44 2009


A word of advice - don't take sex advice from Heavy Metal.

"How to be Adorable" / by Goupil and Walter. p. 18 in Heavy
Metal, v. 26, no. 3 (July 2002). -- Sex advice. -- Call
no.: PN6728.H43v.26no.3


Hmmmm... what's this?

Dr. Strange / created by Stan Lee ; screenplay by Bob Gale. --
Revised first draft. -- 115 leaves : 28 cm. -- "21 January
86." -- Call no.: PN1997.D77G35 1986
Gale, Bob, 1951-


A bunch of student minicomics came in due to Ryan Claytor's class - here's a sample.

Explovary : a Collection of Last-Minute Comics / by Matt
Bambach. -- East Lansing, MI : Bambaclat Comics, 2009. --
24 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. -- Done for the Fall 2009 Comics and
Visual Narrative class at Michigan State University. -- New
wave genre. -- Call no.: PN6728.55.C575B3 2009


Nothing towards the end of the month was particularly striking. Tune back in soon for ... 2010!

Denver Post claims people are happy losing 22 comics

Cavna continues to practice real journalism - Denver Post cuts 22 comics: 'It appears we didn't totally screw up' By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Comic Riffs blog March 2, 2010 - although I don't think he got real answers. "[Editor] Chavez notes that the first response she received to the polling... was: "You have too many comics.""

Uh-huh.

AAAS podcast on physics of comic books

Spider-Man and other comic-book characters help explain scientific ideas

-- Margaret Shapiro

Washington Post March 2, 2010

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030102888.html

 


Monday, March 01, 2010

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 03-03-10


COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 03-03-10
By John Judy
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #623 by Mark Waid, Tom Peyer and Paul Azaceta.  There's a new Vulture in town.  In fact make it a NEW new Vulture!  The newest in fact!
 
ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #2 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson.  New heroes, a new villain and a big fight in Vegas!  New and big!  The best!  Recommended.
 
THE BOYS #40 by Garth Ennis and Darick Roberston.  Featuring a tragic misunderstanding between Butcher and Wee Hughie.  Also a supe with Tourette's who turns into an anvil.  Recommended.  Not for kids.
 
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT, VOL. 6: RETREAT SC by Jane Espenson, Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty.  Collecting issues #26-30, the return of Oz the Zen Werewolf!
 
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #33 by Brad Meltzer and Georges Jeanty.  This is the issue before they unmask Twilight so you probably want to read it just so you're braced.
 
CHEW #9 John Layman and Rob Guillory.  Tony Chu versus vampires?  What happens if Tony takes a bite out of a vampire?  Recommended.
 
CROSSED #9 of 9 by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows.  The big, bloody wrap-up to Garth's most twisted series to date.  NOT for kids.
 
DETECTIVE COMICS #862 by Greg Rucka, Jock and Cully Hamner.  Serious detectin' and bad-guy fightin' from Batwoman and the Question!  I hope those two crazy kids work it out.
 
FALL OF THE HULKS: SAVAGE SHE-HULKS #1 of 3 by Jeff Parker and Salva Espin.  Two She-Hulks for the price of one!  What a bargain!
 
FIRST WAVE #1 of 6 by Brian Azzarello and Rags Morales.  An alternate DCU going back to its pulp roots with non-super vigilantes like Doc Savage, the Spirit, the Blackhawks and Batman!  Recommended!
 
GIRL COMICS #1 of 3 by Many Talented Creators with Double X Chromosomes.  So it's an anthology book about the women of the Marvel Universe, written and drawn by female creators.  Hmmm, they're all adults so what should we call it….?  Let's chalk the title up to post-irony and have a look anyway.
 
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #24 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca.  Tony Stark re-threads his head with a little help from his friends.
 
JUSTICE LEAGUE CRY FOR JUSTICE #7 of 7 by James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli.  The grand finale against Prometheus, leading into Robinson's new JLA run.
 
KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET #1 by Kevin Smith and Jonathan Lau.  It's Smith's unproduced "Hornet" screenplay done as a comic, which means all the scripts are in!  If future issues are late, blame the artist!  (Man, I hope "Lau" isn't a Smith alias…)
 
MIGHTY AVENGERS #34 by Dan Slott, Neil Edwards and Khoi Pham.  "The most insane thing Hank Pym will ever do!"  Give money to the Sarah Palin campaign?
 
MILESTONE FOREVER #2 of 2 by Dwayne McDuffie and the Milestone Art Crew.  The conclusion of how the Milestone and DC Universes merged, from the guy who would know.  Good stuff.
 
PLANETARY, VOL. 4 HC by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday.  Collecting issues #19-27 of the series and wrapping it up in a bow of quantum foam.  It's pretty.
 
PRELUDE TO DEADPOOL CORPS #1 of 5 by Victor Gischler, Ed McGuinness and Rob Freakin' Liefeld.  Featuring Deadpool, Lady Deadpool, Headpool, Kidpool and Dogpool all drawn by Rob Freakin' Liefeld.  Comes with a promotional set of Deadpool chopsticks for gouging out your own eyes.  (Not really.  You have to buy your own.)
 
PUNISHER MAX: BUTTERFLY ONE-SHOT by Valerie D'Orazio and Laurence Campbell.  Y'know how good guys never hurt women or kids?  The Punisher's not a good guy.  Not for kids.
 
SPARTA: USA #1 of 6 by David Lapham and Johnny Timmons.  A rebel returns to his dystopian hometown.  This is … SPARTA!!!
 
STEPHEN KING'S N #1 of 4 by Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev.  Believe it or not, something strange is going on in rural Maine.  Based on King's short story collection "Just After Sunset."
 
ULTIMATE COMICS: AVENGERS #5 by Mark Millar and Carlos Pacheco.  Ultimate Captain America's still on the trail of his son the Ultimate Red Skull.  Oh, Millar…  Gotta look.
 
ULTIMATE COMICS: NEW ULTIMATES #1 by Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho.  Ummm… Frank Cho's drawing it!
 
UNDERGROUND #5 of 5 by Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber.  A great week for finales.  A tandem chimney climb has never been so intense.  Great mini-series.  Highly recommended.
 
WOLVERINE WEAPON X #11 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney.  Wolvie and Cap go out for a beer and end up fighting Deathlok the Demolisher.  He's a cyborg from the future.  Aren't they all?
 
X-MEN: HOPE #1 by Duane Swierczynski and Steve Dillon.  The adventures of the possible alternate future mutant heroine Hope Summers!  Okay, seriously did any mutants anywhere have kids other than Scott Summers and his redhead du jour?  Scott Summers is like the Jim-Bob Duggar of the Marvel Universe!  How many kids is this guy gonna have?!
 


Cavna mixes and matches ridiculous auction prices

And here's Michael's summing up of recent auction madness - Batman, Superman comic books set records for sale price, By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February 27, 2010.

Singer on Spiegelman and Maus

Marc Singer writes on teaching Maus for weeks 6-7 of his class on comics at Howard.

Asaf Hanuka in Sunday's Post Magazine

Asaf Hanuka illustrated The Substitute in Sunday's Post Magazine (Feb 28, 2010).

March 18: Jules Feiffer at Politics and Prose

Jules Feiffer will be reading from his autobiography - I heard part of it a couple of years ago, and it's good.

Denver Post drops Cul de Sac; local IQ immediately drops

Alan Gardner is reporting that the Denver Post dropped 21 comic strips and added... 1. But hey, Pluggers is going to be in color now, so who cares?

Seriously, they dropped some of the best new strips in favor of this tired old lineup, and then adding insult to injury, had the nerve to headline it "We're serious about your comics and puzzles." Perhaps, but if you're going to assume your readers are that stupid, maybe you should have a subheading "But we're more concerned with lining our pockets than putting out a decent paper." Which they might as well be, actually, because they're not going to be in business once the generation voting for Family Circus and Classic Peanuts kicks off.

New, hard to find Nick Galifianakis interview

A new Nick Galifianakis interview appears in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Signature: The Magazine of Association Media & Publishing. He also did the cover, and there's a 2 page spread about how the cover was designed w/ 4 illos.

Nate Beeler interview up at City Paper