Friday, June 11, 2010

July 12: Comic Book Boom! exhibit

Comic Book Boom!
Start Time:
Monday, July 12, 2010 at 9:00am
End Time:
Friday, August 27, 2010 at 5:00pm
Location:
Martin Luther King, JR. Memorial Library
Street:
901 G Street, NW
City/Town:
Washington, DC

COMIC BOOK BOOM! The D.C. Conspiracy's high-flyin' summer celebration of local comics, presented at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.

July 12 - August 27, features an exhibit of original comic art and comic book reading room, showcasing the talents of local D.C. cartoonists.

July 31 and August 21, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, bring you workshops to teach you how to make your own comics, led by conspirators Matt Dembicki and Evan Keeling.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
901 G Street, NW
2nd Floor, West Lobby

More info on ALA 2010 Conference

It turns out that the American Library Association (ALA) 2010 Annual Conference has quite a bit of comic book/graphic novel content this year. Their Exhibitor Search function has a specific category for "Graphic Novels/Comic Books" under the "Books Periodicals Documents" (I suspect someone left off some punctuation there!) Product Category. These include:

ABDO Publishing - Spotlight - Magic Wagon - ABDO iBooks (Booth #3109)
Albert Whitman & Company (Booth #2616)
Alexander Street Press (Booth #3813)
Beijing Chinese Book Trading Co. (Booth #830)
BOOM! Studios (Booth #2359)
Brodart Co. (Booth #3225)
BWI (Booth #3231)
Capstone Press (Booth #2609)
Cinco Puntos Press (Booth #2833)
Classical Comics Ltd. (dist. in US by Publishers Group West) (Booth #2740)
Consortium Book Sales (Booth #2833)
Dark Horse Books (Booth #2453)
Diamond Book Distributors (Booth #2453)
Diversity Foundation (Booth #2464)
Feiwel and Friends (Booth #2813)
First Second Books (Booth #2813)
Gareth Stevens Publishing (Booth #2856)
Henry Holt for Young Readers (Booth #2817)
Hermes Press (Booth #2453)
IDW Publishing (Booth #2453)
Image Comics (Booth #2453)
Ingram Library Services (Booth #1942)
Junior Library Guild - Media Source Inc. (Booth #2959)
Kids Can Press (Booth #2852)
Lerner Publishing Group (Booth #2311)
NBM Publishing, Inc./Papercutz (Booth #2465)
Penguin Group (USA) (Booth #2506)
Roaring Brook Press (Booth #2812)
Rouke Publishing LLC (Booth #4136)
Scholastic (Booth #2624)
Sterling Publishing (Children`s Books) (Booth #2739)
Stone Arch Books (Booth #2609)
Top Shelf Productions (Booth #2466)
University of Nebraska State Museum (Booth #4233)
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. (Booth #2415)

That's a pretty impressive list of publishers! If you follow the links, you will find that some are very niche publishers, and others are very generic. Either way, we are well-represented. Top Shelf will have Andy Runton (Owly) and James Kochalka (Johnny Boo) signing at their booth. Additionally, perusing the Author Signing listings, I noticed names like Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), David Small (Stitches), Matt Phelan (The Storm in the Barn), Tony DiTerlizzi (Nodwick), and Mo Willems (Bizarro World), and I'm sure there are others that are either outside of my paradigm or are new and upcoming. I also noticed that Bill Galvan (Archie) and Fred Mausser (Archie Comics Co-President / Director of Circulation, or at least he was at one point) will be at the Diversity Foundation booth.

The show is June 24th-June 29th. Registration can be done on-line. If you are up for it, there is some interesting programming, though I'm not clear whether the $25 Exhibits Only pass buys you into these or if you have to go to Exhibits Supreme ($100) or actually join ALA ($170 for a day, $260 for the year):

Friday, 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Comic World: Graphic Novels Come of Age ALA - PUBLISHING Washington Convention Center -144A-C Booklist magazine's Books for Youth Annual Forum celebrates graphic novels with a program featuring comics creators and publishers Francoise Mouly, Gene Luen Yang, Mark Siegel, and Matt Phelan. Moderator: Ian Chipman, Booklist magazine, Associate Editor Speakers: Francoise Mouly, Toon Books, Editorial Director; Matt Phelan, Candlewick Press, author; Mark Siegel, First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, Editorial Director; Gene Luen Yang, First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, author

Saturday, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Back to the Future: Comics and Graphic Novels in Special Collections ALSC Washington Convention Center -145B Children & Young Adults; Literature & Collection Development This program will present the value of collecting and maintaining comics and graphic novels as a special collection. Françoise Mouly, Editorial Director of Toon Books, will consider the genre’s historic and contemporary impact within juvenile publishing. Georgia Higley, Newspaper Section Head, will describe the evolution of these collections and use by researchers within the Library of Congress. Janet Weber, Youth Services Librarian, Tigard Public Library (OR) will serve as moderator. Speakers: Georgia Higley, Library of Congress, Head, Newspaper Section, Serial & Government Publications; Françoise Mouly, Toon Books, Editorial Director; Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, Youth Services Librarian

Sunday, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Good Comics for Kids: Building a Collection of Graphic Novels for Young Readers ALSC Washington Convention Center -152A Children & Young Adults; Collection Development Graphic novels are moving out of the teen section and into the rest of the library. With so many new titles released every month, building a graphic novel collection for kids can be a daunting task. Join comics experts from School Library Journal's Good Comics for Kids blog as they discuss what comics and graphic novels are, why they are important to include in children's libraries, where to find them, and how to evaluate them. Speakers: Brigid Alverson, Good Comics for Kids, Contributing Writer; Robin Brenner, Brookline Public Library, Reference and Teen Librarian; Esther Keller, Marine Park Intermediate School, School Media Specialist; Scott Robins, Good Comics for Kids, Contributing Writer; Eva Volin, Alameda Free Library, Supervising Children's Librarian; Snow Wildsmith, Good Comics for Kids, Contributing Writer

Monday, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. AUDITORIUM SPEAKER SERIES - Graphic Novel Panel ALA Washington Convention Center -Ballroom C

It all sounds very interesting!

OT: National Geographic and Google on Jacques Cousteau's 100th birthday


My wife, Cathy Hunter, blogs for National Geographic in between her archivist duties and also provides some news stories for them. Today, one of hers on Jacques Cousteau's 100th birthday was picked up, and appparently used as the basis for Google's customized logo.

June 25: American Library Association in DC with comics programs

ALA Expands Graphic Novel Programming
At Its Summer Conference in D.C.
ICv2 06/11/2010

Some of this sounds like fun, but it'll only be open to registered attendees. However, I will be moderating a panel with some local cartoonists for the DC Public Library that weekend and will have more details as they're finalized.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Lamont Cranston painting by Thomas Boatwright


Mr. Boatwright just put a note in the comments section of the Jim Amash's Shadow sketch post with a link to his painting of Lamont Cranston that I was lucky enough to buy at Heroes Con. It's a nice one isn't it? Spooky eyes though. Here's another painting he's done on the topic - I think I may buy a photoprint of that one after the Heroes Con bills fade.

This will join the Amash sketch, a Bill Sienkewicz poster and a Mike Kaluta cover to American Spectator magazine on my office walls.

Local animation student injured in Palestine protests

Emily Henochowicz was an American student who went to Israel to study animation, but then got caught up in Palestinian protests. I'm not sure if she's continuing with cartooning, but here's a story about her -

U.S. student pays devastating physical price to protest Israel's actions
By Robert McCartney
Washington Post June 10, 2010

Interview with Mike Short of Trickster up at City Paper

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Trickster Cartoonist Mike Short
Posted by Mike Rhode on Jun. 9, 2010 at 10:32 am
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/06/09/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-trickster-cartoonist-mike-short/
 
Collect them all! 

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Weldon explains Twitter and comics, but not why he wants ComicsDC on it

It's the return of Glen Weldon, who apparently took 3 weeks off, or maybe I just missed his posts - The Twittery Confluence of Comics, Comics, And (Of Course) Spider-Man, June 9, 2010.

Heroes Con 2010 pictures continued

More photos from Heroes Con 2010.

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Richard Thompson IS ready for business.

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Ben Towle namechecked me
- we had a nice conversation in the Westin bar.

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Richard Thompson, Cul de Sac webmonkey Chris Sparks and Shannon Gallant.

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The great Bernie Wrightson. I actually bought a piece of art from him. I never thought I'd own a Wrightson page. BTW, Joel, he says hello.

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Comics cover god Brian Bolland.

More of my pictures are online here.

Finally, Our Man Thompson in Joe Lambert's photo.

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Politics and Prose bookstore for sale

Politics and Prose bookstore to be put up for sale
By Michael S. Rosenwald
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 9, 2010; 1:01 PM

I'm taking this one at face value - the owners are old and tired. They tried to bring in a new partner a few years ago, but he didn't work out.

Shadow sketch from Heroes Con

Jim Amash did this sketch for me after seeing a painting of Lamont Cranston by Thomas Boatwright that I was carrying around. It turns out that we're both pulp hero fans. As Alex Toth said about doing a drawing of the Shadow for Jim "it had to be in the style of Ed Cartier" and so is this one.

Roger Langridge's Barney Google sketch

Roger Langridge did this drawing for me last weekend - I knew he was a big Barney Google fan so I asked him for this at Heroes Con.  I also bought two pages of an X-Men story in the style of Edward Gorey from him which are very cool. Professor X was a spooky kid.
 
 

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Heroes Con 2010 pictures

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Evan Dorkin's perhaps ashamed to be caught buying a mainstream comic strip book from Richard Thompson.

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After talking about the Thomas Boatwright painting of Lamont Cranston I bought, Jim Amash drew this Shadow sketch for me.

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Richard Thompson is a fan of Kate Beaton.

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Raina Telgemeier and her fine Smile.

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And then there's Dazzler.

More pictures online here. Labels to follow.

Asaf Hanuka illustration in Sunday's Washington Post

It's not online of course, but Israeli cartoonist Asaf Hanuka had a big lovely illustration in the June 6th paper for this story -

Hit-hungry Hollywood gambles on litany of 'romaction' flicks

Caro Small on Asterios Polyp

Apparently, everyone is suddenly critiquing Mazzuchelli's Asterios Polyp, including DC's Caroline Small. I liked the book well enough, thought the art was stronger than the story, and thought the ending was silly. Read Craig Fischer rather than me though, because he thinks about these things.

Monday, June 07, 2010

Cul de Sac like "an anchor" says Comic Reporter readers

Tom Spurgeon often asks a Friday question of readers of his excellent The Comics Reporter blog (the only one I read 'cover to cover' although Journalista is a close second), and this past week he asked which five comic strips should be used to anchor a comic strip section. Many answered 'Cul de Sac' although there was a surprise 'Barney and Clyde' vote - a surprise since the strip didn't start until 3 days after the poll.

Comic Riffs' full court Weingarten press

The interview -

The 'Riffs Interview: GENE WEINGARTEN, New Cartoonist, dares to attempt comic pearls before breakfast
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs June 4, 2010

The discussion of the strip at the Post Hunt event -

POST HUNT: When a comic strip stands between you and $2K

PR: Wash Post Introduces Gene Weingarten's Comic Strip: "Barney & Clyde"

I meant to post on this over the weekend, but got behind. Cul de Sac has moved next to Doonesbury to make space for this strip.

The Washington Post today introduces a new comic strip by Pulitzer-Prize winning Post columnist Gene Weingarten and his son, Dan Weingarten, with illustrations by David Clark.  "Barney & Clyde" is about an accidental friendship between a billionaire and a homeless man. Fans of Weingarten's "Below the Beltway" humor column will recognize his wit and lack of social grace in this comic, a satire that re-examines measures of success, failure, and fulfillment. The comic  will run Monday-Sunday in The Washington Post's comic pages.

 Barney & Clyde is the newest addition to The Post's comics and puzzle pages in Style. Last April The Post added The Post Puzzler, a crossword puzzle from celebrated puzzle writer Peter Gordon.  

  To visit Barney & Clyde, go to http://www.postwritersgroup.com/comics/bcl2.htm#.  

 To visit the Post Puzzler, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artsandliving/crosswords/.  

 

Heroes Con pic of 3 cartoonists, 1 professor and 2 fanboy stalkers.



Dinner at Heroes Con. Left to right: Richard "Cul de Sac" Thompson, Mike "ComicsDC" Rhode, Shannon "G.I. Joe Gallant, Craig "Appalachian State" Fischer, Chris "Crogan's Vengeance" Schweizer and Chris "Cul de Sac webmaster" Sparks. Sparks and I are the fanboy stalkers because Fischer gets paid to do this stuff. The picture is Sparks' and we all had to really overtip the waitress by the time he was done asking her to take it.