Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Ava Ann Vrooman

My next 'Meet a Local Cartoonist' with Ava Ann Vrooman snuck onto the City Paper's website yesterday.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/10/01/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-ava-ann-vrooman/

Friend of ComicsDC Dustin Harbin featured on Inkstuds

Dustin Harbin.
Inkstuds September 29 2010
http://inkstuds.com/?p=3174

Gazette features local Maryland stores

Big Planet College Park and Comic Classics are the two stores in
Comic stores struggle to adapt in the digital age
College Park, Laurel stores rely on "guilty pleasure" of books
by Lindsey Robbins
Gazette September 29 2010

Regarding retaining or attracting customers - I realize this is just a blog, but one would think someone at one of the stores would have sent me a note about the article. Also, I've never even heard of Comic Classics*, let alone gotten a note asking to feature a link to them. Sour grapes? or poor business practices?

*they don't appear to have a website either.

Groening curates American Visionary Museum of Art exhibit in Baltimore

Making them smile: With 'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening, the American Visionary Museum of Art enlists some star power for its latest exhibit
By Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun October 1, 2010

Frank Cho at Mid-Ohio Con

Scoop has the details on Cho's November 6-7 appearance.

Cavna on Peanuts at Portrait Gallery

'PEANUTS' TURNS 60: Smithsonian pays tribute this weekend with portrait unveiling & Family Day
By Michael Cavna 
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 1, 2010

The end of 'Cathy' comes Sunday

Cathy Guisewite is ending her strip 'Cathy' on Sunday and there's been some newspaper articles wondering how it'll end. Here's how I think it will NOT end:

With Cathy having shed 20 pounds and gotten a full-body wax for a flourishing career as a swimsuit model;

With Cathy and Irving putting their son in a rocket and sending him from their doomed planet;

With Cathy and Irving waving goodbye to their children as the train leaves for Hogwarts;

With Cathy having died to save the universe from the Anti-Monitor;

With Cathy and Irving riding a sled through the woods;

With Cathy gunned down on a city street after seeing a Zorro movie while her young son watches in horror;

With Cathy frozen in a block of carbonite;

With Cathy elected as the first female President of the US;

With Cathy drowning while saving a young child from a swollen stream;

With Cathy and Irving walking off, saying "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship";

With protests throughout the Muslim world.

Warren Bernard's new book solicited in new Previews

Previews is the catalogue that comic book stores use to stock their shelves. Friend of ComicsDC Warren Bernard's new book Drawing Power, on advertiesments by cartoonists, is solicited in new Previews. Since Previews' website sucks, here's a link to Drawing Power by Rick Marschall and Bernard at Fantagraphics Books' site.

Ben Claassen III's Crafty Bastardly Paper in City Paper

Ben Claassen's done artwork for the guide to this weekend's Crafty Bastards fair that's in the Oct 1 City Paper.

Oct 9: Crumb appears in Maryland

A tip from Warren Bernard -

Chestertown Book Festival

Good to the Last Crumb
Saturday, October 9
1:00-3:00PM
Prince Theatre, 210 High Street, Chestertown, Maryland 21620

R. Crumb, founder of the underground comix movement, will be in conversation with Idiots' Books illustrator Robbi Behr. Crumb and Behr will discuss his life's work, the importance of the public library in a community, and field audience questions. Book sale and signing to follow.

-and Michael Dirda, the Post's excellent book critic will be there too.

Jack Black illustration for Express

There's another lovely Jack Black illustration in today's Express - an alien family watching television.

Wimpy Kid joins Macy's Thanksgiving parade

Wimpy Kid Balloon Joins Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
By Sally Lodge
Sep 30, 2010

...as a reminder, Kinney was a University of Maryland cartoonist prior to hitting it big with his Wimpy Kid.

Waking Sleeping Beauty reviewed in City Paper

Fincher's hyper, fictionalized Facebook flick; Disney's dysfunctional family
By Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper October 1, 2010

I guess the Disney documentary is playing here somewhere, but it's not on the City Paper's movie site yet.

Oct 2: Peanuts at National Portrait Gallery

On October 2, the National Portrait Gallery will host a family-and-friends day with events for all ages: cartooning workshops; a screening of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; and guest appearances from Snoopy and Schulz friend Lee Mendelson, executive producer of all the classic PEANUTS specials.

Wertham article in print City Paper; longer version online

The online version has many more quotes from people about WHAT IT ALL MEANS.

A Comics Villain Revisited: What Will the Opening of Fredric Wertham's
Papers Mean for Comic-Book Scholarship?
Posted by Mike Rhode on Sep. 30, 2010
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/09/30/a-comics-villain-revisited-what-will-the-opening-of-fredric-werthams-papers-mean-for-comic-book-scholarship/

Thru Oct 17: Peanuts play in town

Tickets are $25 from No Rules Theater at the H Street Playhouse -

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Book, Music & Lyrics by Clark Gesner
Additional Dialogue by Micael Mayer
Additional Music & Lyrics by Andrew Lippa

Directed by Matt Cowart
Choreographed by Pauline Grossman
Musically Directed by Taylor Williams

Cast
Lucy - Carolyn Cole
Snoopy - Chris French
Sally - Kristen Garaffo
Schroeder - Sean Maurice Lynch
Linus - Joshua Morgan
Charlie Brown - Augie Praley

WASHINGTON DC TICKETS
H Street Playhouse - Washington, DC
Theatre Mania Box Office: 866-811-4111
9/30 - 8pm | 10/1 - 8pm | 10/2 - 2pm & 8pm | 10/3 - 2pm
10/7 - 8pm | 10/8 - 8pm | 10/9 - 2pm & 8pm | 10/10 - 2pm
10/14 - 8pm | 10/15 - 8pm | 10/16 - 2pm & 8pm | 10/17 - 2pm

Truitt on Stephen King's comic writing

Stephen King learns in and outs of comics with 'American Vampire'
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY September 29 2010

A couple of SPX interviews from Comixtalk

Interviews with Sara Turner and Jerzy Drozd
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on September 14, 2010

XX's website Comixtalk is another local one that I've been shamefully behind in realizing was local as it largely focuses on webcomics.

Post interviews Guisewite on body issues

I mentioned a Post blog post on the Cathy comic strip with accompanying body image poll a couple of days ago.

Tomorrow they go right to the source and interview cartoonist Cathy Guisewite -

Cathy Guisewite, creator of 'Cathy' comic, on weight
Jennifer LaRue Huget
Washington Post September 30, 2010; GZ12

Hey, people who aren't me are reviewing comics at the City Paper?!

That Martell guy who did the book on Calvin and Hobbes is poaching in my territory!

Reviewed: Krazy & Ignatz in Tiger Tea by George Herriman
by Nevin Martell on Sep. 28, 2010

He's lucky I like him. Otherwise...