Saturday, December 10, 2011
Dec 11: KAL at the Walters in Baltimore
Friday, December 09, 2011
Big Planet's Greg Bennett's band Jet Age plays tonight
Information:202-364-0404
Price:$10
5037 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Cavna on editorial cartoonist plagiarism
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs December 9 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/newsroom-plagiarism-why-are-cartoonists-treated-so-differently-from-their-journalistic-brethren/2011/12/09/gIQA8pBHiO_blog.html
Weldon on the genius of Carl Barks
The Derring-Do of Donald Duck: Recolored. Restored. Really Great.
by Glen Weldon
National Public Radio's Monkey See blog December 9, 2011
Today: Kal on the radio
I thought I'd let you know I am going to be featured on WYPR's The Signal this Friday/Saturday.
http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/2011/12/kal-on-npr/
Best
Kal
Kevin Kallaugher
www.Kaltoons,com
The KAL iPhone App is now available at the iTunes store.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Comic Riffs on the death of Jerry Robinson
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 8 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/jerry-robinson-rip-batman-artist-and-comics-ambassador-dies-at-89/2011/12/08/gIQACP4efO_blog.html#pagebreak
Team Cul de Sac Zazzle stamps for sale
Truitt on Batwing and Defenders
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY December 5 2011
Matt Fraction embraces the weirdness of 'The Defenders'
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY December 7 2011
Dean Haspiel's minicomic collection
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Why I don't read superhero comics anymore
Remender Prepares "Venom" for "Circle of Four", by Dave Richards, December 6th, 2011
and took a closer look at the image promoting it:
Every one of these characters is derivative of a pre-existing and still existing character, and to top it off, these are less pleasant versions. Marvel is now like 1955 DC which had a Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Batdog, Batwoman, Batgirl, Superhorse (Comet), Supercat (Streaky), etc, etc, except they might be murderers or psychopaths.
In this picture is Red Hulk - one of five current Hulks, I think (if you count Hulk's son Skaar) - two male and two female. Given that I thought it was the GREEN gamma radiation that gave the Hulk, She-Hulk, Leader, Abomination etc their powers, I have no idea what Red means.
Venom, was derived from Spider-Man, albeit around two looong decades ago. Spider-Man got a symbiotic black suit that had the same powers he had, and could look like any type of clothes he wanted. It turned evil of course. Venom's the one with the guns, because you know, a suit that can mimic Spider-Man's powers isn't enough. Recently every other person on Manhattan supposedly had Spider-Man's powers. Uh-huh -- they're that special. And another Spider-Man clone is about to be running around as the second Scarlet Spider.
X-23 is the third Wolverine derivative, although her own comic just got cancelled.
And Ghost Rider is a woman now? Who knows, but there's two predecessors there as well, and Johnny Blaze the first one of them is still floating around the Marvel universe. Perhaps like the new female Red Skull (the first one's daughter), someone finds something sexy about a faceless skull-headed woman? If so, I don't want to think about that any more.
DC's not any better either. Harking back to the 1950s, in Grant Morrison's Batman Inc. each country has a Batman, there's no longer just a Green Lantern Corps, but also a Red, Black, Indigo, Orange and Pink set, a multitude of Firestorms, and who knows how many relatives that Superman "the last son of Krypton" has floating around now... Unmentioned so far are Marvel's multiple versions of the Avengers (four teams I think) and the X-Men (also four maybe?).
I'm hearing The Who's New Song as a comic book soundtrack much too often these days.
This post from yesterday touches on another aspect of derivative superhero stories. I track these articles for my Comics Research Bibliography.
Long interview with Batman producer Michael Uslan at City Paper
PR: Dec 11 - Kal at the Walters!
Political Cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher at the Walters 12/11
What: KAL-ender Konversation with KAL
Kevin Kallaugher, a.k.a KAL, is best known for his internationally-syndicated political cartoons in more than 100 publications worldwide. He'll chat about his work, look back at his best cartoons from 2011 and sign copies of his award winning 2012 Kal-endar (a great gift for the holidays), published by The Economist. He'll finish his talk with a fun and lively drawing lesson.
Where:
The Walters Art Museum
When:
Sunday, December 11, 2–3:30 p.m.
Price:
Free
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Stephanie McMillan continues her Occupy DC story
Comic Riffs on Stahler's editorial cartoon controversy
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 6 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/jeff-stahler-suspended-columbia-dispatch-political-cartoonists-work-has-striking-similarity-to-new-yorker-cartoon/2011/12/06/gIQA8p6nZO_blog.html#pagebreak
but if you're interested, definitely click through to Alan Gardner's story with the cartoons.
Truitt on Marvel's 2012 slugfest
Marvel Comics pits 'Avengers vs. X-Men' in 2012
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY December 6 2011
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2011-12-06/avengers-x-men-marvel-2012-series/51672646/1
and
Marvel event reaches 'critical mass' on social media
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY December 6 2011
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2011-12-06/marvel-comics-avengers-x-men/51672784/1
Of course, we first saw this in X-Men #9 from January 1965, where they wrapped it up in a single issue. 1987's X-Men Vs. the Avengers took four issues. 2012 -- a whole year? At least the Avengers finally get top billing after 47 years...
Post on Disneyworld at Christmastime
By Steve Hendrix, Washington Post December 4 2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/at-disney-its-home-for-the-holidays/2011/11/15/gIQA0pqaHO_story.html
Michael Uslan interview coming to the City Paper tomorrow
Randy T discovers Corey Finkle, another local comics writer
Post columnist on Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick's 'Wonderstruck' is a worthy family tradition [in print, Dec. 1 as "Lightning strikes twice for author"p. AX17].
By Tracy Grant, Washington Post November 30 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/brian-selznicks-wonderstruck-is-a-worthy-family-tradition/2011/11/20/gIQAOOgPCO_story.html
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Truitt on Super Friends app and Flash Gordon
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY November 29 2011
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2011-11-29/DC-Super-Friends-comics-iPad-app/51470794/1
Flash Gordon is retro cool in new 'Zeitgeist' series
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY November 29 2011
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2011-11-29/Flash-Gordon-Zeigeist-comic-series/51458500/1