Sunday, March 21, 2010

Kal in Beirut

American cartoonist says future of trade in doubt
By Kenny Laurie
Special to The Daily Star March 22, 2010

April 13: Fantom Comics 1st Comic Book Happy Hour

From their March newsletter...

Fantom Comics would like to invite you to our first Comic Book Happy Hour, to be held from 6-8pm at The Laughing Man Tavern (just off Metro Center) on the 2nd Tuesday of every month.

April 13th will be our first event, featuring a panel of three policy wonks and a Marvel Comics editor discussing "Politics in Comics". Come for the 20 minute discussion and Q&A, stay for the fun of meeting other comic book nerds in the area! More details will be posted on the website in a couple of weeks, but remember to save that date: Tuesday, April 13th!

Zadzooks reviews comic books, including Captain America's return to life

Zadzooks: Captain America, The Crazies and Sparta U.S.A.
Joseph Szadkowski
Washington Times March 20, 2010

Meanwhile at Bennett's Best, Greg has a couple of recommendations, neither of which I can get behind.

Takoma Park librarian's kids comics recommendations in Post

Graphic novels for beginning readers
By Dave Burbank and Karen MacPherson
Washington Post March 21, 2010; BW10

Washington bedtimes stories feature Feiffer, comic books

See Washington figures name the book they most enjoyed reading to their children.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

May 12: Brad Meltzer @ Barnes & Noble

Colin Solan comes through again to tell us about a local reading -

Brad Meltzer (Justice League of America, Identity Crisis) signs his new book Heroes for My Son on May 12, 2010 at 7:00 PM.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
4801 Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-986-1761 

Cartoonists Rights Network quoted on Voice of America

Robert Russell is interviewed on the Danish Islam cartoons in Cartoonist Defender Asks Muslims to Accept Free Speech Principles, Nico Colombant, Washington 20 March 2010.

That darn Luckovich

Cartoon is out of sync with painting it resembles
Washington Post Saturday, March 20, 2010


The March 13 Drawing Board cartoon drawn by Mike Luckovich for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was inaccurate.

It purported to depict the Constitutional Convention. What was actually depicted was the famous John Trumbull painting, "Declaration of Independence," showing the presentation of the draft of the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock by Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the "Committee of Five."

Today the image appears on the reverse of the two-dollar bill. The image is also found in the life-size mural in the U.S. Capitol. Jefferson was in Paris as minister to France when the Constitutional Convention was held.

H. Wayne Elliott,
Charlottesville

Dembicki's Trickster previewed at Graphic Novel Reporter

You can see some pages of Matt Dembicki's new book, Trickster, here.

Glen Weldon recommends Iranian webcomic

In spite of Glen Weldon's recommendation, I'll be reading this on paper when it's collected - Zahra's Paradise: The Revolution Will Be Bookmarked. National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (March 17 2010).

Mark Millar's Nemesis to be set in DC

Marc Ruffin has a story on how Mark Millar's Nemesis is to be set in DC.

Marc Singer on teaching Nat Turner

Marc Singer writes on teaching Kyle Baker's Nat Turner for week 8 of his class on comics at Howard.

MTV's Real World cartoonist met Tom Toles

There's a story on the Express website and one at the WTOP site, about Andrew, the would-be editorial cartoonist on MTV's The Real World: DC meeting Tom Toles and drawing a cartoon for the Washington Times.

Post does review Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie

Given how big this book series is, I didn't expect the review for it to be buried in the Weekend section

In 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid,' the ordinary hero has a certain draw
By Dan Kois
Washington Post March 19, 2010; WE27

Feiffer at Politics and Prose pictures online


Man about town photographer Bruce Guthrie has put his pictures of the Jules Feiffer reading online.

'Losers' comic book a prize in Style Invitational contest, while Staake is taken to task

In today's Style Invitational contest, 2nd prize is an issue of DC Comics' The Losers #176 from the 1970s: Second place gets a comic book we're surprised we hadn't heard about before: This 1970s series was about a group of Nazi-fighting World War II heroes -- one for each branch of the services -- who called themselves the Losers because they kept getting refrigerator magnets with stupid cartoons on them. No, it was because men had died under their command. Whatever, this is an original comic, sealed in plastic, and was donated by Fighting Loser Peter Metrinko.

Nice Joe Kubert cover on that comic. The early issues were covered by Jack Kirby. I'm surprised they haven't heard of the comic, because DC brought it back 8 years or so ago, set in Rwanda perhaps, and it's now being turned into a movie.

Meanwhile, on the letters page, cartoonist Bob Staake is taken to task for his drawings for last week's contest. Humor.. . it's just so not funny.

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 03-24-10



COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 03-24-10
By John Judy
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #626 by Fred Van Lente and Michael Gaydos.  Next Spidey villain to get the "Gauntlet" treatment: The Scorpion!  No, the other one…
 
ANGEL SPECIAL: LORNE ONE-SHOT written and drawn by John Byrne.  This time it's the beloved green crooner's turn to save the world.  An overdue tribute to the memory of the late Andy Hallett.
 
BLACK BLIZZARD GN written and drawn by Yoshihiro Tatsumi.  A little unearthed treasure here from Drawn and Quarterly: A re-issue of a 1950s manga noir that's part "The Fugitive" and part "The Defiant Ones."  A couple of violent crooks escape a derailed prison train into a blizzard.  Hijinks ensue.  Gotta look!
 
BOOK OF GRICKLE HC written and drawn by Graham Annable.  A collection of off-beat humor strips by the award-winning animator and storyboard artist on "Coraline."
 
CAPTAIN AMERICA #604 by Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross.  Bucky America and the fifties Cap duke it out while the Falcon beats on some racist anti-government extremists who are NOT the teabaggers!  Honest.  They just carry the same signs and believe the same stuff.  But they're different.
 
GREEN LANTERN #52 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke.  Okay, looking at the cover I can honestly say I never saw that one coming.  Recommended.
 
GUILD #1 of 3 by Felicia Day and Jim Rugg.  The comic book adaptation of the web series about a bunch of role-playing gamers.  You will regain your virginity just looking at this book.  On the other hand, the preview was great and it contains the line: "Oboists.  All that blowing makes them brain dead."  Recommended.
 
HELLBLAZER #265 by Peter Milligan and Simon Bisley.  Constantine gets tangled up with a bunch of punks who worship Sid Vicious.  (Sid was a naughty lad who died before you were born, children.)
 
HOME FOR MR. EASTER GN written and drawn by Brooke A. Allen.  Just in time for the season!  The story of an awkward teen who inadvertently finds the Easter Bunny.
 
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL #1 of 4 by J.T. Krul and Geraldo Borges.  Things Roy Harper can no longer say: "Boy, I'd give my right arm for ____."  And the story proceeds from there.
 
KING OF FLIES, VOL. 1: HALLORAVE HC by Mezzo and Pirus.  The first of three graphic novels containing what appear to be random short stories, but which in fact are setting up an epic trilogy of suburban suspense.  Volume two is due out this Summer from Fantagraphics.  Appropriate for older teens and up.
 
MARVELS PROJECT #7 of 8 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.  Cap meets Bucky, the world meets the Destroyer and Prince Namor meets his match!  Recommended.
 
MIGHTY AVENGERS #35 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham.  Ultron's back.  Isn't he always?  And at the worst possible time!
 
NEMESIS #1 of 4 by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven.  If you are a fan of the unchecked ultra-violence and incidental story of KICK-ASS and everything else Millar's ever written then this is the book for you.
 
NEW AVENGERS #63 by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen.  Much fighting out Asgard way.  That Sentry boy ain't got no sense, no-how!
 
NEWSBOY LEGION BY SIMON AND KIRBY, VOL. 1 HC by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.  Back in the early 1940s there was a book called STAR-SPANGLED COMICS featuring the adventures of a bunch of kids who sold newspapers, which were sort of the internets of their day only more literate and you could touch them.  Anyway, these kids fought crime with the aid of a super-hero called The Guardian.  It was great and you should read this if only for the intro by the surviving co-creator, Joe Simon.  Recommended.
 
NORTHLANDERS #26 by Brian Wood and Leandro Fernandez.  Gunborg is totally on top of his frozen, plague-scarred village.  Those heads on pikes are strictly decorative.  Nothing to see here… Recommended.
 
NORTHLANDERS, VOL. 3: BLOOD IN THE SNOW SC by Brian Wood and Many Fine Artists.  Collecting issues #9, 10 and 17-20.  Bunch of awesome tales of blood and thunder from the bad, old Viking Days.  Highly recommended.
 
PETER PARKER #1 of 5 by Bob Gale and Patrick Olliffe, plus a back-up by Fred Hembeck.  Between three issues of his regular book each month, his guest-appearances in others, his daily newspaper strip and the underwear I have on right now, is it possible to have too much Spider-Man?  Let's find out shall we? 
 
SCALPED #36 by Jason Aaron and Davide Furno.  After all this time, we finally get to know Shunka a little better.  And what better way to do so than by watching him sort some things out for his boss Lincoln Red Crow?  This is the one comic each month you always have to buy.  Highly recommended.
 
THE STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS #5 of 5 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins.  Y'know what's really interesting after all the doctors in the world die of the super-flu?  Surgery.  Not for kids.  Recommended.
 
SUPERGOD #3 of 5 by Warren Ellis and Garrie Gastony.  That nice Mister Ellis makes Gods that fight!  Wizard!
 
SUPERMAN #698 by James Robinson and Bernard Chang.  Supes and Mon-El duke it out with Brainiac.
 
THOR #608 by Kieron Gillen and Billy Tan.  The Sentry has destroyed Asgard.  Now it's Thor's turn at bat.
 
THUNDERBOLTS #142 by Jeff Parker and Wellinton Alves.  In which we find out which of the current T-Bolts is good, bad and/or crazy.
 
UNCANNY X-MEN #522 by Matt Fraction, Phil Jimenez and Whilce Portacio.  Kitty Pryde is back with a silver bullet!
 
VICTORIAN UNDEAD #5 of 6 by Ian Edgington and Davide Fabbri.  The penultimate issue of this great series finds Holmes and Watson as the last hope against the undead plague sweeping London.  And is it possible Moriarty the Living Zombie has more tricks up his blood-soaked sleeve?  Recommended.
 
WACKY PACKAGES NEW NEW NEW HC by Various Creators including Art Spiegelman, Bill Griffith and Kim Deitch with an intro by Jay Lynch.  All the product parody stickers from series #8-14 (1974-75) that weren't included in the first hardcover.  A must for boys of a certain age.
 
X-FACTOR #203 by Peter David and Valentine Delandro.  Monet and Guido go on a jungle rescue mission.  Those always go well.
 


Friday, March 19, 2010

Dougintology, on the webcomics he reads

A buddy of mine who lives in DC has been listing the webcomics he reads on his blog. He's up to 8 pages of lists. Obviously, he's more plugged in than I am.

Comic strips - part 1

Comic strips - part 2

Comic strips - part 3

Comic strips - part 4 - he wanders into the syndicated strips he reads here.

Comic strips - part 5

Comic strips - part 6

Comic strips - part 7

Comic strips - part 8

and he took in Short Animation Oscar nominees just for good measure.

Highlights from Jules Feiffer's talk now at City Paper website


March 24: Final Herblock exhibit talk by curators


Sara Duke and Martha Kennedy will be giving their last Treasure Talk in the Herblock! exhibition on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at noon in the South Gallery of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
This week they are in the introductory section, and will bring treasures from the cartoon collections of the Prints and Photographs Division to show how Herblock fits into a long tradition of caricature and cartoon, not only in the United States, but in Europe as well.

Independent scholar Warren Bernard returns to the Library of Congress on Wednesday, March 31, to give a talk in conjunction with the Herblock! exhibition, "Declaration of Independence: Herblock: His Foes and His Editors". This event will take place in Dining Room A located on the 6th Floor of the Madison Building at noon.