Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Zadzooks on Road to Perdition and Kick-Ass movies

Zadzooks: Road to Perdition, Rambo and Kick-Ass
'Perdition' magnificently rendered on Blu-ray

By Joseph Szadkowski
The Washington Times, August 9, 2010

Brad Meltzer speaks with Brian Vaughn

Brad's left our fair city for Florida's charms, but he's still into comics:

DEUS EX MACHINA: Meltzer Interviews BKV Part 1
by Jeffrey Renaud
Comic Book Resources, August 9th, 2010

Comic Riffs interviews John Romita Jr.

The 'Riffs Interview: Artist JOHN ROMITA JR. talks family business, Big Daddies & the 'Kick-Ass' sequel
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 10, 2010

Truitt on Titan Maximum stop-motion animiation

Giant robots, animated absurdity reign in ‘Titan Maximum’
Brian Truitt
USA Weekend's Whos News blog August 9th, 2010

PR: Fantom's Got a New Website

 
 
Fantom Comics - Where there is a comic book for everyone
After nearly 5 years Fantom's decided it was time for a new site. So we got one. It's up now! Check out the following features:

Our brand new ONLINE STORE!! We're very excited to offer a world class selection of the best graphic novels, delivered to you anywhere in the United States.
 
Our MAIL-ORDER SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE is also brand spanking new! No longer will those out of driving/walking/metroing/segwaying distance from our store have to go without the newest in comics.
 
Plus our ever popular In-Store Subscription Service gets its own page, where we  lay out subscription rules for our in-store customers.
 
Our new Home Page showcases Fantom's twitter feed and a video tour of our Union Station location. And hey, don't be shy about following us on twitter to keep up with the latest comic book news that we deem "twitter-worthy"!

Our Announcements Page will be our spot for announcing upcoming store news and events. While you're checking it out, click on the subscribe to posts option.

And explore other old/new features such as our Geek Polls, our "New This Week" Cover Gallery, and Fantom's Favorite Sites.
 
We'll continue to tinker and improve this site for your enjoyment and convenience. If you have any comments or suggestions on the new layout you'd like to share with us, we'd love to hear from you. Shoot us an email at info@fantomcomics.com.
 


Happy browsing, from your friends at Fantom!





Union Station - 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | Washington, DC 20002 | 202-216-9478
www.fantomcomics.com




 

PR: Small Press Expo Announces James Sturm, Raina Telgemeier and Jim Rugg as guests for SPX 2010


Small Press Expo Announces James Sturm, Raina Telgemeier and Jim Rugg as guests for SPX 2010.

 


Bethesda, Maryland; August 10, 2010 - The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons is pleased to announce that James Sturm, Raina Telgemeier and Jim Rugg will be guests for SPX 2010, which will be held September 11 and September 12 at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland, across from the White Flint Metro stop. These guests are in addition to the previously announced Kate Beaton and Dean Haspiel.

 

James Sturm is an Eisner and Xeric Award winner as well as being a co-founder of The Center for Cartoon Studies. His latest graphic novel, Market Day, published by Drawn and Quarterly, drew critical acclaim from such media outlets as The New York Times and NPR. James is the creator of the equally well received The Golem's Mighty Swing,  as well as co-authoring Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. He just completed a long stint off the Internet and e-mail, which was documented in a series he did on the subject for Slate. 

 

Raina Telgemeier's latest work, Smile (A Dental Drama) published by Scholastic Press, led to excellent reviews by both Publishers Weekly and the New York Times. She drew four graphic novels for Scholastic based on the best seller series by Ann M. Martin, The Baby-sitters Club. Raina has won the Eisner, Ignatz and Kimberly Yale Awards and is the artist for this years SPX poster. Raina's website is http://goraina.com/.

 

Jim Rugg is an illustrator and cartoonist from Pittsburgh. His graphic novels and comic collections include Afrodisiac (Adhouse Books), Street Angel (SLG Publishing), The PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love (DC Comics), One Model Nation (Image Comics) and The Guild (Dark Horse Comics). He has also produced short comics for VH1, New York Magazine, True Porn, Meathaus, Cinema Sewer and Project Superior.


SPX culminates with the presentation of the Ignatz Awards for outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning on Saturday night, September 11 at 9PM. Attendees at SPX get in free to the Ignatz Awards. The Ignatz is the first Festival Prize in the US comic book industry, with winners chosen by balloting by attendees during SPX. 
 

For detailed information about guests, panels and the Ignatz Awards, visit the SPX web site at www.spxpo.com.

 

SPX is a registered 501(c)3 which brings together more than 300 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. 

 

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals.  For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org/.             

 

The hours for SPX 2010 are 11AM-7PM Saturday, September 11, and noon-6PM Sunday, September 12. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.




Comics in the world

100_0205

"Super magazine selection" sign at Rehoboth Beach's Browsabout Books bookstore.

Ryan Claytor on his VA and DC stops

I missed Ryan at the Fantom Comics store due to a previous commitment, but he stopped by later in the evening and we had a meal, and I loaned him a bed. Here's his account. We'd never met before but hit it off well. He's a really nice guy and I'd advice anyone on the northern leg of his tour to stop by and meet him and buy his comics.

100_0241 Ryan Claytor - Mike Rhode Ryan Claytor and Mike Rhode (note our t-shirts, mine was a gift from my wife and says "Comic Book Collectors have issues", his is the 3rd version advertising his comics that I'd seen by that point).

Monday, August 09, 2010

Chris Morris caricature in today's Post

There's a lovely Chris Morris caricature in today's Post in this article on page A11, but it's not online of course.

A deep bench of substitute justices goes unused
By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 9, 2010

New Trickster review online

‘Trickster’ Pairs Native American Tales With Comic Book Illustrations
Finding willing storytellers wasn't easy, but Matt Dembicki's persistence paid off with a collection that's funny, sad, surprising.
By Jenny Shank,
New West Book Review 8-09-10

Caro on Basil Wolverton

Caroline Small compares Basil Wolverton to outsider artists at the Hooded Utilitarian blog.

Comics at Brickfest 2010

I was hanging around with Ryan Claytor (more to come on that) so I couldn't make LEGO's Brickfest this year, but my neighbor Chris Ingram, the real LEGO fan, shot a couple of pictures for me:

The Green Lantern -


Asterix the Gaul and his village -




and Matt Dembicki just sent in this Bill the Cat from Bloom County / Outland / Opus -

That Darn Luckovich

Arlington cemetery is no laughing matter
Charlotte Johnson Jones
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star 8/8/2010

Comic Riffs on Rall and Bors in Afghanistan.

'No filter': Cartoonists MATT BORS & TED RALL depart for Afghanistan eager to tell 'the people's story'
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 9, 2010;

Comics picture from National Museum of Health & Medicine

MIS 09-5048-36

MIS 09-5048-36


Headed for home - Commander Frank E. Ehrlich, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy, chief of pediatric surgery at Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia, finds Brian LeBlanc reading a comic book a few hours after surgery. Brian was hospitalized less than 24 hours for his operation.[Pediatrics.][Hospitals, wards.] 4/1974.

U.S. Navy Medicine; U.S. Navy BUMED Library and Archives via the National Museum of Health and Medicine

Note that the comic book is Little Dot from Harvey Comics.

PRESS RELEASE: “Daddy’s Home” Canadian Sales Boom

Anthony Rubino sent this in, noting "I lived in Bethesda for 15 years before moving to NYC 3 years ago."  That's on-topic enough for me.

In Addition To Steadily Increasing Sales In The US, "Daddy's Home" Continues To Sell Briskly In Canada Where The Comic Breaks Ground With New Paid Internet Sales
 
 
In addition to steady sales and growing popularity in The US, it seems our friends to the North have taken a liking to Peter and the "Daddy's Home" gang. This month, Creator's Syndicate's national sales director, Margo Sugrue sold "Daddy's Home" (By Anthony Rubino, Jr. and Gary Markstein) to a consortium of websites there, under the umbrella; canoe.ca and its 28 subsidiary sites. This translates to 56 new sales in 28 markets (28 daily accounts and 28 Sunday accounts). The canoe.ca sales come in the wake of Creator's Sun Media deal, earlier this year, in which "Daddy's Home" picked up six new, major daily and Sunday Canadian markets (Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, Toronto Sun, Ottawa Sun, Winnipeg Sun and The Branford Expositor). "DH" is also in several smaller Canadian papers.
 
Among the 28 "paid-subscription-only" sites under the canoe.ca umbrella are:  London Free Press, Brockville Record and Times, Chattam Daily News,  Bellville Intelligencer,  The Barrie Examiner, Peterborough Examiner, The Sault Star, Northumberland Today, North Bay Nugget, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, and more.
 
"Daddy's Home" US print newspaper clients include "The Chicago Sun-Times," The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lexington Herald Leader, The Bismarck Tribune, The Duluth News-Tribune, Arizona Central and The Amarillo Globe-News to name a few. These coupled with the Canadian accounts puts "Daddy's Home's" total newspaper client list at more than 100 papers. In addition, "DH" currently boasts just over 200 newspaper and "other" websites contracts. bringing the combined print and online total to approximately 300.
 
In other news, "DH" is currently in the midst of a wildly successful Caption contest, which closes on 8/20. We currently have more than 1000 entries. Readers will cast their votes on the finalists starting on 8/23.
 
And in breaking news…
Earlier today, Creators Syndicate announced that "Daddy's Home" will be tested in "Newsday," starting this Sunday, August 15.
 
"Daddy's Home" was launched in 2008.
 
Relevant links:
 
###



Sunday, August 08, 2010

Bennett's Best on Zadzooks

Bennett's Best: Four Eyes, Rasl and Life with Archie: The Married Life
By Greg Bennett, Special to Zadzooks
Zadzooks  Wednesday, August 4, 2010


Saturday, August 07, 2010

That Darn Toles (continued yet again)


An Irony Too Far [online title: Cartoon of Middle East peace principals went too far]



Washington Post August 7, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/06/AR2010080606088.html

Political cartoons are, by definition, ironic, but Tom Toles's Aug. 2 cartoon went beyond irony into falsehood. Contrary to the illustrated scene, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has, in fact, been calling on the Palestinians to join in direct talks, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has adamantly refused. Most recently, President Obama and the Arab League have joined Israel's call, but Mr. Abbas has yet to respond.

Israel, in contrast to Mr. Toles's depiction, is ready for direct peace talks now -- with all issues on the table -- and is hopeful that when the Palestinians return to the negotiating table, a peace agreement can be reached swiftly and definitively.

Jonathan Peled, Washington

The writer is spokesman for the Embassy of Israel.


Ryan Claytor in the area signing comics this weekend

He's at Laughing Ogre right now.

Ryan Claytor will be at Laughing Ogre Comics, Lansdowne Shopping Center, 19340 Promenade Dr., Lansdowne, Va., on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., then at Fantom Comics in Union Station from 4 to 7 p.m. On Sunday, he’ll be at Beyond Comics at 536 North Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, Md., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.



The autobio minicomics creator is in town this weekend for his US tour. Union Station is the most central location -

Ryan Claytor In-Store Signing
August 7th, 2010 from 4-7pm
at Fantom Comics
50 Mass Ave. NE
Washington, DC 20002

I've bought all of Ryan's minicomics and recommend them.