Small Press Expo tables are going, going, gone

SPX is reporting they are sold out of tables and have started a wait list.

Richard Thompson youtube interviews direct links

From Chris Sparks' ears to yours -

Richard Thompson and before Cul de Sac audio interview part 1
March 31 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39HC7EtRAA

Richard Thompson & Cul de Sac audio interview Part 2
April 1 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJxH-_a3o7w

jeditrue — April 01, 2010 — Part two explores the early years of Cul de sac, web comics and his editor.

Richard Thompson chats about Bill Watterson and deadlines part 3
jeditrue — April 02, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_GOTmhlc18

Richard Thompson chats about Bill Watterson writing the foreword to his first Cul de Sac collection and him dealing with deadlines and how easy ideas come to him.

Richard Thompson discusses Alice and Petey audio interview part 4
— April 03, 2010 —
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-4y2xhYU9k

Richard goes into detail about the origins of Alice and Petey from Cul de Sac!

Richard Thompson discussing the Cul de Sac family and friends audio interview part 5
April 3 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtHSrFRafS4

Richard Thompson discussing more of the Cul de Sac gang part 6
April 4 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWKbtWHifEo

Richard Thompson on having Parkinsons disease and the future of Cul deSac ...part 7
From: jeditrue | April 04, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=903XlJk3yPA

In the last part of this long but entertaining interview Richard is talking about
Parkinsons and his plans for Cul de Sac. I hope you have enjoyed the interview. There will be more art drawing videos and a shorter interview this summer.

Cul de Sac to conquer world soon

Having abandoned his plan to conquer the Washington Post by single-handedly illustrating every section, Our Man Thompson has moved on to greener, or at least moving, pastures. According to his blog, three new Cul de Sac animations are out as is a 7-part interview on Youtube.

No wonder he won't answer my phone calls...

April 6: "Meet the Anime film $9.99 Director Tatia Rosenthal"

I'm unclear on when an Israeli-Australian film became anime, but, hey, it's free and you can ask her yourself.

FILMS     MEET THE FILMMAKER: TATIA ROSENTHAL $9.99  APRIL 6. 7 PM . MEYER Israeli filmmaker Tatia Rosenthal introduces and discusses her ribald animated comedy featuring the voice of actor Geoffrey Rush as a grumpy. (Israel/ Australia/2008/78 min./ English)   This event is cosponsored by the Embassy of Israel.

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Illustrator David Hagen

Online now at the City Paper -

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Illustrator David Hagen

Posted by Mike Rhode on Apr. 5, 2010

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/04/05/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-illustrator-david-hagen/

Library of Congress prints and photos website has a new look

The Library of Congress' Prints and Photos Division's website has a new look and address, with a list of media types in alphabetical order, so you can now scoot right to their 5 online cartoon collections which are all grouped under 'cartoon.'

Ann Telnaes interview, but not by me

This one snuck up on David-Wasting-Paper blog a few weeks ago, but I've asked Ann to do my City Paper interview as well. David's got 105 interviews with cartoonists up, and I'm slowly working my way through them. He questions people from all types of cartooning it seems.

Ann Telnaes - Cartoonist Survey #95
March 12, 2010

Bennett's Best? Tardi and Ditko

Bennett's Best: It Was the War of the Trenches and Creeper
By Greg Bennett, Special to Zadzooks
Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Today in the New York Comics Times

The 'A' or front page section of today's NY Times has 3 comics-related articles.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Counsel has died -

Burton Joseph, Lawyer in First Amendment Cases, Is Dead at 79.
New York Times (April 2 2020).

Comics great Dick Giordano's obituary appeared in print.

And comics designer Chip Kidd working on revisiting a preppy book.

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-07-10

COMICS ON THE RACK

Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-07-10

By John Judy

 

AREA 10 HC by Christos N. Gage and Chris Samnee.  A brain-damaged cop has to catch a serial killer!  You had me at "brain-damaged."  Highly recommended.

 

AVENGERS: THE  ORIGIN #1 of 5 by Joe Casey and Phil Noto.  Tales told out of school from the earliest days of Earth's Mightiest Heroes!

 

BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 by Grant Morrison and Andy Clarke.  Dick and Damian, still fighting…  Plus bad guys.

 

THE BOYS #41 by Garh Ennis and Darick Robertson.  Comedies of Error generally don't get too ugly unless everyone involved has incredibly dangerous super-powers and is written by Garth Ennis.  Recommended.  Not for kids.

 

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #34 by Brad Meltzer and Georges Jeanty.  Buffy and Angel are at it again.  Doin' stuff.  Maybe not for the youngsters.  Good fun though.

 

CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #1 by Chris Ungar and Chris Kipiniak.  It's a WWII adventure featuring Cap, Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos and the modern-day Black Panther's dad all gathered together to beat-up Nazis bad!  And that's good.

 

DOOM PATROL #9 by Keith Giffen and Matthew Clark.  Horrors!  The Gentrifiers have invaded!  Could be worse.  At least it's not The Developers or The House Flippers with their McMansions of Doom!

 

ELECTRIC ANT #1 of 5 by David Mack and Pascal Alixe.  An adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story about a normal happy guy who wakes up in a hospital with the doctors telling him he's really a robot.  Must. Have….

 

FLASH SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS 2010 #1 by Geoff Johns and Friends.  Flash facts!  Rogues!  Speed-forcings galore!  Recommended for those wishing to be in the know, Flash-wise!

 

HATE ANNUAL #8 written and drawn by Peter Bagge with extra material by James Whorton Jr.  It's another installment of Buddy Bradley's domestic adventures wrapped up with other miscellaneous Bagge materials and a guest piece by Whorton titled "Confessions of a Hardened Book Festival Attendee."   Highly recommended.

 

INVINCIBLE RETURNS #1 by Robert Kirkman and Various Artists.  Billed as a great jumping on point for first-time readers this one puts the I-Man back in his original threads and sets up "The Viltrumite War."  Call this one self-contained with room to grow.

 

JSA ALL-STARS #5 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie Williams II.  Stargirl gets lucky!  Sort of!  Big fights too!

 

MARKET DAY HC written and drawn by James Sturm.  The story of an Eastern European Jewish businessman in the early 1900s coming to grips with the new realities of the 20^th century.  From the creator of GOLEM'S MIGHTY SWING.   Highly recommended.

 

MARVEL ZOMBIES 5 #1 of 5 by Fred Van Lente and Kano.  You know that guy who's always the last one to leave the party?  The one who just doesn't get that it's four in the friggin' morning and everyone else has gone home, like, a long time ago and no, the couch is not open for business?  He would love this book.  In fact, he probably wrote it.  (Kidding.  It's Fred Van Lente, who's awesome but jeez, come on already…)

 

NEW AVENGERS: LUKE CAGE #1 of 3 by John Arcudi and Eric Canete.  The Hero for Hire ditches his high-flying Avengers scene for South Philly and some vendetta-type head-busting.  Forecast cloudy with a strong chance of Awesome!

 

SHIELD #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver.  In a gutsy bit of Marvel Yoo retconning SHIELD has been around a long, long time and boasted agents like Galileo, Isaac Newton and Imhotep.  This kind of requires a look.

 

SPARTA USA #2 of 6 by David Lapham and Johnny Timmons.  Godfrey McClaine has returned to Sparta with tales of yetis and an urge to run the joint.  But there's a new football hero who's not running that play.  Hijinks ensue.

 

SPIDER-MAN: FEVER #1 of 3 written and drawn by Brendan McCarthy.  An epic team-up with Doctor Strange featuring the psychedelic insanity that is McCarthy riffing on early Ditko!  Gotta look!

 

STEPHEN KING'S N #2 of 4 by Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev. Based on a Stephen King story about a mental patient whose insanity is contagious.  (Insert teabagger joke here.)  Recommended.

 

SUPERMAN: LAST STAND ON NEW KRYPTON #2 of 3 by James Robinson, Sterling Gates and Pete Woods.  Playing Devil's Advocate for a moment, if it's just you versus thousands of people with the power of Superman and you aren't defeated right away?  You deserve to win.  Go, Brainiac, go!

 

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #5 of 6 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank.  Parasite, Metallo and Luthor!  Oh my!  Highly recommended.

 

TURF #1 of 4 by Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards.  A wild adventure set in prohibition-era New York involving rum-running gangsters, blood-sucking vamps and a man who fell to Earth.  So who wins in a dust-up between ETs, bootleggers and the un-dead?  You do!

 

ULTMATE COMICS X #2 by Jeph Loeb and Arthur Adams.  This comic was drawn by the great Art Adams.

 

UNCANNY X-MEN #523 by Matt Fraction and Mike Perkins.  Good mutants and bad ones are looking for Hope.  Aren't we all?

 

WOLVERINE WEAPON X #12 by Jason Aaron and Ron Garney.  Wolvie and Captain America mix it up with a whole bunch of Terminatored-out Deathlok cyborgs.  Plus time-travel. Don't try this at home, kids.  Recommended.

 

WORLD WAR HULKS #1 by Many People.  Tied in with FALL OF THE HULKS which has evidently concluded on "Earth-WTF."

 

www.johnjudy.net

 

Cavna's Kells interview

The 'Riffs Interview: 'Secret of Kells' filmmaker TOMM MOORE
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog April 2, 2010

That darn Toles, continued some more

Today - a letter defending Toles from the earlier letters.

Up pastiche wins Washington Post Peeps contest

The story's in tomorrow's Magazine, or online:

For their winning diorama based on the Pixar flick "Up," Michael Chirlin and Veronica Ettle of Arlington constructed a miniature Victorian house from plywood and Popsicle sticks, and placed it atop salvaged mattress springs to give it an airborne quality."

April 6: '$9.99' animation filmmaker in town

The Post Magazine is reporting that Tatia Rosenthal who made the animated movie $9.99 will be at the Freer Gallery at 7 pm for a screening of the stop-action movie.

Former DC area comics writer Meltzer slagged by peers

Lindelof, Oswalt, other celebs gleefully trash author Brad Meltzer, USA Today's Pop Candy blog April 1 2010 - and for his birthday no less!

Brian 'Pickles' Crane visiting DC in April

In this article, "Sparks cartoonist celebrates 20th anniversary of 'Pickles' strip," By Guy Clifton, April 2, 2010, we hear "Later this month, [Brian Crane] and his wife will travel to Washington, D.C., to visit with officials from the Washington Post Syndicate and will travel to New Jersey for the National Cartoonists Society convention."

No word about what his plans are beyond this.

Secret of Kell's opens in DC, Hornaday doesn't like it

Movie review: In 'Secret of Kells,' vivid animation outweighs muddled narrative
By Ann Hornaday
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 2, 2010; WE24

It's at Landmark's E Street Cinema downtown.

That darn Toles, continued

More letters to the editor - click the link to read them -
Editorial cartoon draws ire, gratitude
Washington Post April 1, 2010; A14

Regarding Tom Toles's March 29 editorial cartoon:

Tom Toles is blogging

Matt Wuerker confirms my previous story that Tom Toles is blogging. Matt sent in a link to this excellent Robert Wright interview. You can read Tom's blog at his Washington Post page.

Washington Post's TR Reid on manga

I just finished reading Confucius Lives Next Door: What Living in the East Teaches Us About Living in the West by T. R. Reid (Random House, 2009), and while I love Reid when he is writing for the Post, I've got a few issues with his conclusions in this book. Or maybe even his starting premises.

But that's not the subject of this blog. Reid has 2 paragraphs on his favorite manga, coming after a discussion of Japan's view of America as crime-ridden:

While in Japan, I became a huge fan of mahnga, the ubiquitous comic-book magazines that sell tens of millions of copies every week. It seems to be conventional wisdom in the United States that Japan's "adult comic books" are routinely "adult" in the sense of being filthy, but this is not accurate. There are some filthy mahnga - so bad that stores won't carry them, and you have to buy them at vending machines. But the vast majority of Japanese comics are family fare. Some are funny, and some are serious novels - serial novels, really, like the one-chapter-per-month novels that Dickens and Thackeray used to write for Victorian magazines. I was particularly taken with the enormously popular weekly comic Section Chief Shima, about a junior executive named Shima Kosaku, who works for a giant electronics firm and fights a never-ending battle for truth, profits and the Japanese way.

In one extended episode, Section Chief Shima is dispatched to America to oversee his company's acquisition of a giant Hollywood movie studio (just like the acquisitions Sony and Matsushita had made in real life). One thing that deeply concerns the young executive is the possibility of a U.S. backlash if an Asian company buys a famous American firm (just like the reaction to the Sony and Matsushita purchases in real life). But an American-based executive tells Shima he need not worry: "The government won't be a problem, because we've already put a half-dozen ex-congressmen on the payroll, and they are lobbying for us." This exchange didn't bother me excessively, because it's probably what big companies actually do when they plan an acquisition. But it was disturbing to see what happened to Section Chief Shima personally during his stay in Los Angeles. When he sets out to see the beach, his rented Ford breaks down. When he tries to negotiate his business deal, an employee of the U.S. branch of his company sells corporate secrets to a competitor. When he walks outside his hotel, he's mugged on the sidewalk. Just your typical American business trip.

Our family grew increasingly angry at this depiction of a dirty, dangerous, dishonest America, partly because we found it hard to avoid, anywhere in Asia. (p. 208-209)

So 11 years later, I have no idea if this remains a common occurrence in manga, or views of Japanese, or even if Shima was ever translated. Reid is a good writer and a keen observer though, so I'm sorry the Post lost him as a foreign correspondent. He heads their Rocky Mountain Bureau now.