Bruce Guthrie's Small Press Expo photos

Bruce has two pages of pictures up - one from panels and one from the floor. When you go to one of his pages, the little pencil icon under the picture lets you create a caption for the image. Some caption fairies would be helpful, because Bruce doesn't do that - he's too busy taking more pictures.

That's is the great New Zealand expat Roger Langridge being interviewed.

And this is Kate Beaton and Julia Wertz on Dustin Harbin's panel blowing attendance for my counter-programmed one out of the water.



But we looked gooood.


Me, Richard Thompson, Marguerite Dabaie and Keith Knight.

Oooh, and Spurgeon linked to a video of Dean Haspiel's shirtless SPX moment.

And Dirk Deppey pointed out Brian Heater's con report. I love the Daily Cross Hatch and have never managed to run into Brian at the show.

Thompson and Rhode outed by Devlin

Canadian publisher Drawn and Quarterly's Tom Devlin's posted his SPX memories here, and outed Richard and I. It's true - we do love comics.

Seriously, James Sturm's talk was really interesting and I was glad to pick up his new book Market Day. Dinner with James, Tom and Kevin Huizenga as well as a local poetess was a lot of fun too. Thanks to Thad at Politics and Prose for the restaurant recommendation. And thanks to D&Q for putting out such a great line of books - I already had most everything they had on their table, but bought Kevin's new book as well as Vanessa Davis'.

Truitt on Spider-Man video game

'Spider-Man' scribe talks 'Shattered Dimensions'
By Brian Truitt
USA Today's Game Hunters blog Sep 14, 2010

It's an interview of Dan Slott.

Amazing Fantasy 15 original art going on the road

Here's a press release with the relevant part highlighted. Long-time readers may recall that ComicsDC broke the story of the donation in 2008:

September 13, 2010

Library of Congress Takes to the Road, Bringing Rolling Exhibition to the Heartland

         The Library of Congress will launch a new traveling exhibition late in September that will bring facsimiles of many of its top treasures and information about the millions of resources in its unparalleled collections to the heartland of America. "Gateway to Knowledge," an exhibition that will travel in a specially fitted-out 18-wheel truck, will launch from the site of the National Book Festival on the National Mall late in September, and will initially travel to sites in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

         Ultimately, "Gateway to Knowledge" is expected to visit up to 60 sites in states across the Midwest and South over the next year.

         The exhibition was the idea of philanthropists Abby and Emily Rapoport, the granddaughters of Audre and Bernie Rapoport, founding members of the Library's private-sector support organization, The James Madison Council.  The young Rapoports have donated $1 million to the Library to make the "Gateway to Knowledge" exhibition possible and bring the Library's riches to areas of the nation – particularly rural areas – that may not be aware of their access to the wealth of information in this publicly funded institution.

         "As both a storehouse of world knowledge and primary resource for the U.S. Congress, the Library is energized by the prospects of the Abby and Emily Rapoport Traveling Exhibition playing an important role in sharing the national collection with the people to whom it belongs," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

         The exhibit will include programming especially for teachers and students and provide relevant and engaging learning experiences for lifelong learners.  The truck, which will be staffed and driven by two docents well-versed in the Library and its collections, will be parked at various schools, libraries, community centers and other public venues.

         The trailer expands to twice its road width, and visitors will enter from a central staircase to find several areas of museum-style exhibits including a welcoming multimedia display, computer terminals displaying Library of Congress websites including the main site, www.loc.gov and other library websites including the Center for the Book/ Literacy Programs site www.read.gov and sites pertaining to U.S. collections, exhibitions and a special site for use by teachers.

         The exhibition will also outline the history of the Library, including Thomas Jefferson's role in allowing its re-establishment following the burning of the U.S. Capitol in 1814 by providing his personal book collection to the nation.  Jefferson's organization of his books by "Memory, Reason and Imagination" will inform the organization of the exhibition, which will feature facsimiles of such treasures as the 1507 Waldseemüller Map (the first document to use the word "America"); the 1455 Gutenberg Bible; the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, in Thomas Jefferson's hand with edits by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams; the original 1962 drawings for the comic book that introduced Spiderman to the world; the handwritten manuscript to jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton's "Frog-i-More Rag"; and Walt Whitman's poem "Leaves of Grass."

         Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution.  The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions.

Tour Stops for the Library of Congress "Gateway to Knowledge"
Traveling Exhibition


•       Sept. 25, 2010, Library of Congress National Book Festival, National Mall, Washington, D.C.

•       Sept. 27-28, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Va.

•       Sept. 30, Canal Place, Cumberland, Md.

Brave New Comic Strips panel at SPX audio is online

I had a good time doing this, and I think everyone was happy with it, so here's my recording for those who couldn't make it.

Brave New Comic Strips (September 12, 2010)


Small Press Expo panel from September 12, 2010.

The newspaper industry, long the home of American comics first popular dedicated format, faces an existential crisis presented by the emergence and proliferation of digital media. Against all odds, artists interested in the daily strip format continue to produce work with an eye for print. Mike Rhode will discuss the present and the future of the newspaper comic strip with Marguerite Dabaie, Keith Knight, and Richard Thompson.

Patriot-News comics poll considers adding Cul de Sac

Vote on the comic strip that will replace 'Cathy' in The Patriot-News
CHRIS MAUTNER, The Patriot-News September 12, 2010.

No ballot stuffing now. My friend Chris is undoubtedly technically savvy enough to detect that, and the fact that he undoubtedly spent time in Richard's vicinity at SPX this weekend doesn't mean anything.

A couple of SPX links and a Politics and Prose set

Greg McElhatton took some nice photos and has them online now.

Bruce Guthrie thinks his will be online tomorrow, but in the meantime has 2 sets (set 1, set 2) of pictures from Richard Thompson and Keith Knight's appearances at Politics and Prose bookstore.


Animator Marc Crisafulli, Politics & Prose's Adam Waterreus, SPX's Warren Bernard, Keith Knight, Politics & Prose's Mike G, Richard Thompson and Mike Rhode.

And here's my friend, and crack cartoonist, Ben Towle on his experiences. I talked to him on Saturday night, around the time that last picture was being taken and followed up on his recs on Sunday.

New comics publisher starts in DC

Oddly enough, it's the Government Printing Office:

GPO PUBLISHES ITS FIRST COMIC BOOK

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) builds on its storied history by publishing the agency’s first comic book. GPO employees created the comic book Squeaks Discovers Type! as a teaching tool for children of all ages. As the agency celebrates its 150-year anniversary, the comic book takes a unique approach to educate readers on the important role printing has played from the beginnings of civilization to today’s digital world. The comic book’s concept, story and illustrations were created at GPO. Jim Cameron wrote the story and Creative Services’ Graphic Designer Nick Crawford provided the illustrations. Squeaks Discovers Type! is available at GPO’s newly designed and renovated bookstore in Washington, DC or available online at:
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/squeaks-discovers-type.jsp



“GPO serves the communication needs of the federal government, and a comic book is a great way to communicate with young people,” said Public Printer Bob Tapella. “Through the talents of Jim Cameron and Nick Crawford, GPO is able to create a publication that conveys the message that printing is an important component to the history of the world and to our nation.”

The GPO is the federal government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. government information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the federal government. In addition to publication sales, GPO makes government information available at no cost to the public through GPO’s Federal Digital System (www.fdsys.gov) and through partnerships with approximately 1,220 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov. Follow GPO on Twitter http://twitter.com/USGPO and on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/gpoprinter.

Cavna on Peanuts and with Ted Rall

Cavna's Comic Riffs blog post turned into an article over the weekend -


'Peanuts' comics strip will leave syndicate in February for Universal Uclick
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 11, 2010; C02

and then he ran an interview with Ted Rall today -

The 'Riffs Interview: TED RALL returns from Afghanistan, ready to draw upon his up-close encounters
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog September 13, 2010

ComicsDC (ie me) helped fund Ted's trip through Kickstarter, so I'm glad it worked out well. I don't need any guilt about prematurely dead cartoonists.

PR and OT: Top Shelf comics sale

I like Top Shelf's products a lot and just bought more from them at SPX. To move this slightly on-topic, 'Regards from Serbia' is a journalistic/autobiographical comic about the wars in the Balkans and I helped compile it.

 

THE 2010 TOP SHELF MASSIVE $3 SALE
*******************************************************

For the next ten days -- thru Friday September 24th -- Top Shelf is having a giant $3 graphic novel web sale. When you visit the site, you'll find over 100 graphic novels and comics on sale -- with over 70 titles marked down to just $3 & $1!

To go directly to the list of items on sale at the Top Shelf website, just click here:

http://www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals

But here are a few sample sale items:

-- Slashed Prices: Lost Girls, Alec: The Years Have Pants!
-- Slashed Prices: Essex County, Moving Pictures, BB Wolf!
-- Slashed Prices: Owly Hardcovers and Plushy, Undeleted Scenes!
-- Slashed Prices: Dodgem Logic, The Surrogates Owner's Manual!
-- Slashed Prices: The 120 Days of Simon, Far Arden, and more!

-- $3 Titles: Voice of the Fire, The Surrogates (Vols 1 & 2)!
-- $3 Titles: Sulk (Vols 1, 2, & 3), I Am Going To Be Small!
-- $3 Titles: SuperF*ckers #1-#4, Lower Regions, Please Release!
-- $3 Titles: Regards from Serbia, Delayed Replays, and more!

-- $1 Titles: The Surrogates #1-#5, Black Ghost Apple Factory!
-- $1 Titles: The Man Who Loved Breasts, Comic Diorama, 24x2!
-- $1 Titles: Jack's Luck Runs Out, Tales/Great Unspoken, & more!

Please note that Top Shelf accepts PayPal (as well as Visa, MasterCard, Amex, and Discover -- all secure), and that this
sale is good for retailers as well (and comic book shops will get their wholesale discount on top of these sale prices).

http://www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals

Your friend thru comics,

Chris Staros
Top Shelf Productions
PO Box 1282
Marietta GA 30061-1282
USA

Another Gallant sketch

Another sketch from Shannon, for another con goer -

"St Trinian's girl..."

 
- and he didn't even have a table. This is a Searle tribute, of course.

Another reason to buy sketches from Shannon (SL) Gallant at cons

My 3rd original Shadow drawing is this sweet piece. I now have a collection. Coming soon - Roger Langridge's SPX drawing.

Jerzy Drozd's arrival at SPX on his Comics Are Great podcast

This is a new podcast, and since I'm too tired to post any of my SPX bits yet - here's one to try out.

http://comicsaregreat.com/?p=790

Off to SPX and Intervention

I'll be hanging around SPX until around 4 today, and then moving over to Intervention. Tomorrow I'll be at SPX and running a panel with Richard Thompson, Keith Knight and Marguerite Dabaie.

Kleefeld visits Big Planet

Big Planet Comics, Bethesda
Wednesday, September 08, 2010

"The inside of the store was almost surprisingly clean." Who needs a better recommendation than that?

Niffenegger and Feiffer also at Politics and Prose

Audrey Niffenegger will be signing her new comic book, The Night Bookmobile on Sept 18th at 3:30 pm.

 

Jules Feiffer and Norton Juster will be signing The Odious Ogre at 11 am on Sept 26th.

 

Not a comics writer, but science fiction author William Gibson will be there later the same day at 1 pm.

 

Here's an NPR piece with Feiffer:

 

 

Hansen, Liane.  2010.

'Phantom Tollbooth' Creators Reunited By An 'Ogre'.

National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday (September 5).

online at  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129608795

http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/wesun/2010/09/20100905_wesun_08.mp3

and http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=129608795

Sturm at Politics and Prose tonight

Note that it's an hour later than usual.

James Sturm - Market Day
8 p.m. Co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies, Sturm has set this beautifully crafted historical fiction in the Eastern European countryside of the 1900s. His day in the life of Mendleman, a carpet peddler, uses spare narrative and finely-honed images to achieve a powerful emotional resonance.

Geppi Museum curator Arnold Blumberg featured in Post

Exploring the undead: University of Baltimore to offer English class on zombies

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post September 10, 2010; B01

Weldon on Cruse's Stuck Rubber Baby

A book I liked a lot although I haven't read it since it originally came out.

Back in Print: In 'Stuck Rubber Baby,' Civil Rights In Black & White & Gray
by Glen Weldon
September 8, 2010

Comic Riffs on Peanuts syndication move

These are strange times...

Good grief: 'PEANUTS' will leave syndicate in February for Universal [UPDATED]
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog September 9, 2010