You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown coming to Olney Theatre

You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

Book, Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner
Directed and Choreographed by Stephen Nachamie
Musical Direction by Christopher Youstra

February 22 - March 18 • On the Mainstage

The Gang's All Here!
Charlie Brown struggles through another full day of book reports, baseball games, kite flying, and philosophy with a little help from his friends. Charles Schulz's classic Peanuts gang takes a leap from the newspaper page onto the stage in this lively musical. Family Musical

"Happiness Is..." Gala 2012

March 3, 2012

For sponsorship opportunities or information about donating to the Silent Auction, please contact David Frankenberger at 301.924.4485 ext. 128 or by email at dfrank@olneytheatre.org.

Save-the-date for our "Happiness Is..." Gala 2012 featuring: cocktail hour, seated dinner, silent auction, live performances and a special awards ceremony. For more information, please contact David Frankenberger at 301.924.4485 ext. 128 or dfrank@olneytheatre.org.

Comics-creating courses at Anne Arundel Community College this spring

ATS-350 Comic Book Careers: Overview
0 credit hours
0.0 ceu hours

Comic Book Careers: Industry Overview Learn how to build a career as a comic design artist. Explore the latest industry practices. Discuss the skills and strategies required to package, market, publish and sell publications. $29+ includes $5 fee.

ATS-324 Comics I: Design and Creation
0 credit hours
0.0 ceu hours

Comics 1: Design and Creation Gain the basic skills of a cartoon and animation artist. Learn how to create a successful storyboard, the elements of comic drawing, storyline editing and cohesive draft page development. Enrollment limit: 12. $200+ includes $20 fee. Note: Previous basic and life drawing experience recommended. Instructor will provide supply list at first class.

According to a little flyer I picked up, these run from February through April and are taught by C. Edward Sellner, "Creative Director, Visionary Comics".

Examiner reviews Jules Feiffer's "Little Murders"

A murder here, a murder there at American Century Theater
By: Barbara Mackay
The Washington Examiner (January 22 2012)
 http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/theater/2012/01/murder-here-murder-there/2118221

Truitt on 'Peter Panzerfaust'

'Peter Panzerfaust' reimagines Peter Pan as Nazi resister
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY January 19 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-19/Peter-Panzerfaust-comic-book-series/52681130/1

Feb 25: The Silence Of Our Friends booksigning at Politics and Prose

Mark Long, Jim Demonakos, And Nate Powell - The Silence Of Our Friends

Feb 25 2012 1:00 pm at Politics and Prose.

Thanks to Colin Solan of Convention Scene for the tip.

Comic Riffs interview on Bluewater's Steve Jobs comic book

STEVE JOBS COMIC: Bio-book's writer on the sophistication — and simplicity — of distilling a remarkable life
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog January 21 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/steve-jobs-comic-bio-books-writer-on-the-sophistication--and-simplicity--of-distilling-a-remarkable-life/2012/01/14/gIQAijBKFQ_blog.html

Jan 21: Canceled - Beyond Comics In Store Signing

 

C A N C E L E D Meet Casey Jones Creator/Author  All Fall Down   Saturday January 21st 12:00noon to 3:00pm     At Beyond Comics Gaithersburg    C A N C E L E D   We will be rescheduling!    See a preview of the comic book Here!    Please visit our stores any time. Gaithersburg                                       Frederick Gaithersburg Square                       Route 85 536 North Frederick Ave                  5632 Buckeystown Pike Gaithersburg, MD 20877                  Frederick, MD 21704 301-668-8202                               (301) 6668-8202

Beyond Comics | Gaithersburg Square | 536 North Frederick Avenue | Gaithersburg | MD | 20878

Jonathan Monaghan's fine art animation reviewed

The Game Blame - Jonathan Monaghan: Sacrifice of the Mushroom Kings at Curator's Office to Feb. 18
By John Anderson
Washington City Paper January 20, 2012
 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/42074/jonathan-monaghan-sacrifice-of-the-mushroom-kings-at-curators-office/

 

Jan 27: Steamboy anime showing at JICC

I saw the Road of Destiny exhibit last night and enjoyed it as well. ANIMEZING 2012 STEAMBOY © Copyright 2004 Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. ©Copyright Triumph Releasing  Friday, January 27th @ 6:30 pm   Mark your calendars!   Exhibit The Road of Destiny: Ikuo Hirayama's Silk Road Now - 2/3 Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm       J-Film  Series  TBA 2/24 @ 6:30 pm     Where: JICC 1150 18th St., NW   Washington, DC 20036   (202) 238-6900  jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp  Driving Directions Add to my calendar     An epic sci-fi adventure nearly a decade in the making, Steamboy marked the ambitious return of Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the groundbreaking animated feature Akira.     Set in Victorian England against a visually striking fusion of past and future, Steamboy introduces us to the Steams: three generations of inventors perched on the precipice of a technological breakthrough. When the youngest of them, a gadget-happy boy named Ray, receives a mysterious metal ball capable of harnessing enough energy to power an entire nation, he soon finds himself at the center of an international war. In the wrong hands, the device could become a devastating weapon. Will Ray find the courage to use it to save his family and his home from destruction?   Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG-13. 126 min, 2004. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.   This event is free and open to the public. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee guests a seat. Registered guests will be seated first. Open seats will be given to guests on standby when the program begins. Register Now!

Embassy of Japan | 1150 18th St., NW | Suite 100 | Washington | DC | 20036

Jan 29: Ron Marz at Shoff promo sportscard & comic book show

Just a reminder of our upcoming Shoff Promotions Baseball Card & Sports Card Show PLUS our Comic Book & Nonsports Card Show Together again SUNDAY JANUARY 29 10am-3:30pm at theTysons Corner Va. Crowne Plaza. We will have a ballroom full of dealers selling their wide assortment of great collectibles including sports cards- vintage  to the present, autographs and sports collectibles and also great hockey cards & memorabilia AND Gold, Silver and Modern Age comic books, a large & wide variety of Non Sports Cards1900's to the present and  all types of hobby supplies. Something for everyone

AS A SPECIAL BONUS WE have GUESTS:
RON MARZ-comic book writer legend whose works include Silver Surfer,Green Lantern,Witch Blade and in 2011 VooDoo and much, much  more.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS Stars of the Past - RON MCDOLE and PAT FISCHER noon-2pm only $10 per autograph

Something for everyone for sure..
I hope to see you SUNDAY JANUARY 29
Nick Shoff

'Mad Man' on PBS cartoon says Post blog

Jon Hamm becomes a cartoon in PBS kids show
By Jen Chaney
Washington Post Celebritology blog January 19 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/celebritology/post/jon-hamm-becomes-a-cartoon-in-pbs-kids-show/2012/01/19/gIQApBD0AQ_blog.html

Truitt on Edmondson's Dancer

Fancy footwork inspires Nathan Edmondson's 'Dancer' series
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY January 19 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-19/Dancer-comic-book-series/52674194/1

Big Planet Comics Orbit Newsletter - January 19, 2012

January 19, 2012

More Polls and Sales! Voting is open on 7 of 9 categories for the Best of 2011, the last two will be up on Friday and Monday. Click the links below to add your voice: Best New Series Best Reprint Best Artist Best Miniseries Best for Kids Best Single Issue Best Writer Best Ongoing Series - on Friday! Best Graphic Novel - on Monday! We finished our Best of 2011 podcast, so you can download or listen to that one now if you want to hear which ones we picked! We are also running sales throughout the month of January! Bethesda is offering 40% off hardcovers this week. College Park is offering 50% off all back issues in the bins and 50% off anything on the sale table. U Street is offering 40% off hardcovers this week. Vienna is offering 40% off hardcovers this week and 40% off all Essentials and Showcases. Feel free to forward on our newsletter, and please send us any comments or mailing list requests to vienna@bigplanetcomics.com Thanks! - the Big Planet Comics kids Events Feb. 4 - Magic: The Gathering Dark Ascension Tournament Big Planet Comics in College Park will have a Magic: The Gathering tournament for the launch of the new Dark Ascension set on Saturday, February 4, 2012, starting at noon. For more information please contact Peter at our College Park store. Big Planet Comics of College Park 7315 Baltimore Ave. College Park, MD 20740 301-699-0498 bigplanetcollegepark@yahoo.com May 5 - Jeremy Whitley Signing Jeremey Whitley, writer of the new all-ages comic Princeless, will be appearing at our Vienna store for a signing on Saturday, May 5, in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day. We will announce the exact time he will be there closer to the event. Big Planet Comics of Vienna 426 Maple Ave. East Vienna, VA 22180 703-242-9412 vienna@bigplanetcomics.com Prophet #21 by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy A complete relaunch of the '90s Prophet series makes this the first issue of an whole new era. John Prophet awakes from cryosleep in the distant future where humanity has devolved and aliens rule the strange new Earth. He begins his mission across this alien Earth, so it's a lot of amazing visuals of his journey. Great art, strange world scifi, amazing! Twelve 1 SC by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston Speaking of WW2, a group of 12 heroes frozen at the end of the war are awoken by the US government in 2008 and recruited after Civil War to be a face of the government's new patriotic superhero program. But all twelve have problems readjusting to the strange modern world, and then the murders begin! A compelling character based story in the vein of Astro City. Steve Canyon 1: 1948-1948 HC by Milton Caniff A definitive, beautifully reproduced collection of the beginning of perhaps the greatest adventure comic of all time! Caniff's best art, full of beautiful women, dangerous international adventure, and airplanes! Captain Canyon reassembles his WW2 era crew to go into private transport after the war, leading to adventures in the US and South America and the Middle East and more! Dense exciting stories! So good! Marvel Firsts 1970s SC by everyone! Another amazing cross section of the first appearances of a lot of Marvel characters from the 1970s, covering the vast diversity of their line, including war, romance, superhero, horror, adventure, westerns and more! Some include: Ghost Rider! Luke Cage! Man-Thing! Dracula! Shanna the She-Devil! Warlock! The Beast! Night Nurse! Killraven! The Cat! Red Wolf! A great sampler of less-known part of Marvel's comic history. Big Planet Comics Podcast #30 We're back! In this week's podcast Kevin, Nick and Jared discuss local TV infamy, characters battlin', and review all the new stuff. Download this week's now or subscribe on iTunes! Send us questions to podcast@bigplanetcomics.com Danger Girl: Revolver #1 by Andy Hartnell and Chris Madden A new Danger Girl joins the team on their new quest. Daredevil #8 by Mark Waid and Kano The Black Cat tries to use DD and makes Spidey jealous! Diablo #2 by Aaron Williams and Joseph LaCroix Jacob and his new ally are hunted by the warriors from his village. Fraggle Rock Classics 1 SC by Stan Kay and Marie Severin Some of the classic Fraggle stories from the 1980s! (all ages) Halo: Fall of Reach: Invasion #1 by Brian Reed and Felix Ruiz Master Chief begins his defense of Reach! Lord of the Jungle #1 by Arvid Nelson and Roberto Castro The violent saga of Tarzan begins on the African coast. Memorial #2 by Chris Johnson and Rich Ellis Em uses her magic key as the Court of Shadows tries to catch her. New Defenders 1 SC by Giffen/Dematteis/Gillis and Perlin/more Far out fantasy including Odin, elves and the New Mutants! Raw Power #1 by Josh Bayer A triply comic about G Gordon Liddy vs. punks and the Cat Man! Steed and Mrs. Peel #1 by Grant Morrison and Ian Gibson The spies from the Avengers TV show in an adventure from 1990. Superior #7 by Mark Millar and Leinil Francis Yu The finale comes as Superior must make a choice about his soul. Uncanny X-Force #20 by Rick Remender and Robbi Rodriguez Fantomex is kidnapped and put on trial for murdering Apocalypse!

Small Press Expo (SPX) registration open

http://www.spxpo.com/exhibitors/exhibitor-registration

OT: Dave Astor on four cartoonists he's known

Long-time Editor and Publisher super cartoonist columnist Dave Astor (who was let go in their last layoffs) has a post on four cartoonists he knew that were all born in the same year. There's a glancing mention of DC, but you should read this because Dave wrote about syndicated comics for 20 years and knows a lot. He's also apparently got a book out - I'm getting more details on it from him. (followup: David reports he's looking for a publisher)

The Complexity of a Fantastic Four

1/19/12 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-astor/the-complexity-of-a-fanta_b_1201574.html

2 animation articles in today's Express

Sterling's Gold: An 'Archer' Field Guide
By Fiona Zublin
Express January 19, 2012, p. 15
http://www.expressnightout.com/2012/01/sterlings-gold-an-archer-field-guide/

and

 

The Kids Are All Right: There's a surprising sens of optimism within 'Unsupervised'.

Kevin McDonough / Universal UClick

Express January 19, 2012, p. 17

Jan 23: Former Prince Valiant writer Cullen Murphy at Politics and Prose

Former Prince Valiant writer Cullen Murphy will be at at Politics and Prose bookstore on January 23rd at 7pm signing his new book God's Jury.

 

I'm sure he'd be glad to sign a Prince Valiant collection as well.

Politics and Prose appreciates Doonesbury's appreciation

David Cohen, one of the new store owners, blogs about his bookstore's appearance in Doonesbury.

FoxNews story on big, bad comics

Relaunched Comics Using Sex and Violence To Sell: MyFoxDC.com

Here's that FoxNews story which appears to have been about as bad as guest commentator Ray Bottorff Jr. expected - there's a text article on this site:

Relaunched Comics Using Sex and Violence To Sell
Sherri Ly
myfoxdc 18 Jan 2012,
http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/special_report/relaunched-comics-using-sex-and-violence-to-sell-011812

Big Planet Comic's Jared Smith is quoted (if misidentified). And in Fox's defense (I can't believe I wrote that), Starfire's new approach to casual sex has been questioned in the comics community as well, as has the T&A of the Catwoman comic. Neither of which I'm reading so take my opinion with a grain of salt too.

and here's some commentary:

TV Report Targets DC Comics For Sex and Violence
01/19/2012


I especially like the comparison picture here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/01/18/fox-news-calls-catwoman-fictionalised-playboy

and advice from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (I'm a member):

Retailer Advisory: How To Manage A Media Attack

January 18th, 2012

By Charles Brownstein

http://cbldf.org/homepage/how-to-manage-a-media-attack/

and although DC wouldn't comment to Fox, here's commentary they did do on the same day:

Why Jim Lee And Dan DiDio Decided To Reboot DC Comics [Video]
BY Kevin Ohannessian and Adam Barenblat
January 18 2012
http://www.fastcompany.com/1809039/jim-lee-dan-didio-dc-comics-relaunch-video

Truitt on Image retread Glory and Dead Man's Run

Glory hallelujah: Image relaunches classic superheroine
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY January 18 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-18/Glory-comic-book-series-relaunches/52649650/1

....sorry, but "classic superheroine?" I don't think so.

Greg Pak creates a hellish prison for 'Dead Man's Run'
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY January 17 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-01-17/Dead-Mans-Run-comic-book-series/52621720/1