Awesome Con day 1 is a success

District Comics panelists - Art Haupt, Rafer Roberts, Mike Cowgill, Andrew Cohen, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Mike Rhode, Carolyn Belefski and Troy-Jeffrey Allen.

The Con sold out of tickets by about 3 pm on Saturday. They had a good mix of people, and it was bustling. Lots of cartoonists tell me they did well. Nick Galifianakis sold out of his book. Dan Nokes made his table money back in an hour. John Gallagher and Steve Conley were always busy. Bill McKay's commission list went into tomorrow. Shannon Gallant seemed to stay busy with commissions too. Troy-Jeffrey Allen and Jay Payne launched Bamn #4. Carolyn Belefski was interviewed by Comic Riffs today too.

The District Comics panel had about 40 people in it, despite being opposite the costume judging contest. I think this has the potential to be similar to Baltimore CC in a few years.

BTW, New Jerseyan Jeff Shultz is selling his Archie pages for $20 each. I bought a nice volleyball page.

Here's some pictures.


Chris "Capes and Babes" Flick.



Dan Nokes has a new compilation book debuting at the show.


Nick Galifianakis on the way to selling out of his book.


Bill McKay.


A good looking Dalek vs Dr. Who. I thought Daleks were upside-down trashcans on wheels?


Starro the Conqueror - I loved this costume.


Big Planet Comics et al.


Steve Conley drawing Bloop in a Tardis.


Jason Axtell.

District Comics review and coincidences

My neighbor Mike Favila introduced himself to me in person at Awesome Con today. Actually I was standing next to him when he asked Carolyn Belefski if she knew me. He's been writing for ComicsOnline and reviewed District Comics a few months ago.

Speaking of District Comics, I think the panel on it went well. Carolyn will have the audio on her podcast, and I'll post a link when she does.

Speaking of Awesome Con - it was a good time. A very good time. There's a nice mix of people, cartoonists and attendees both. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Pictures to follow.

Weldon on Superman for New Republic

 A Superman for All Seasons The Man of Steel is 75. His biography is our history.
BY GLEN WELDON
New Republic.com April 18 2013
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/112941/superman-75th-anniversary-how-man-steel-changed-times

Politico launches Friday editorial cartoon collection

Their website says:

Every week political cartoonists across the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies, and other head slapping events in the world of politics.  The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. To highlight the best of these brave attempts to bottle the zeitgeist, POLITICO is launching a new feature, "Cartoon Carousel", that will appear on Fridays.  Here is our first offering, plucked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker

Thank god, Matt is editing, and not curating it.

The Post on tomorrow's Awesome Con

For the record, this is by no means the first. About five years ago, there was one around Metro Center that Mike Kaluta and Frank Brunner attended.

Awesome Con D.C.: Washington's very own comic convention
By Michael O'Sullivan,
Washington Post April 19 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/awesome-con-dc-washingtons-very-own-comic-convention/2013/04/18/48a993ce-a1ee-11e2-be47-b44febada3a8_story.html


Get your geek on at Awesome Con, D.C.'s first comic convention
By Michael O'Sullivan,
Washington Post Going Out Guide blog April 18, 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2013/04/18/get-your-geek-on-at-awesome-con-d-c-s-first-comic-convention/

PR: Free Comic Book Day Extravaganza at Cards, Comics & Collectibles

2 DC area cartoonists, and a Kubert!

Press Release For Immediate Release Free Comic Book Day Extravaganza at Cards, Comics & Collectibles   Adam Kubert, Frank Cho, and Steve Conley      From the Store that Brings You the Baltimore Comic-Con...      REISTERSTOWN, MD - April 18, 2013 - Free Comic Book Day 2013 is just around the corner and Cards, Comics & Collectibles - Baltimore's Premiere Comic Book Store and the Official News Source of the Baltimore Comic-Con - is pulling out all of the stops for this year's event!  Everyone has been wondering what we were going to do and we're finally ready to announce it!  This is the one you've been waiting for!   The full-day event kicks off with an awesome line-up of creators appearing at the store! Adam Kubert, Frank Cho, and Steve Conley will be all signing and sketching at the store throughout the day.   Legendary Marvel and DC Comics artist Adam Kubert, whose most recent work includes Marvel's Avengers vs. X-Men event and the recently launched Avengers series, will be signing and sketching from 12:00pm - 2:30pm, and again from 3:30pm - 6:00pm. He is the featured artist in DC's Free Comic Book Day 2013 issue, Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1.   The son of comics legend, Joe Kubert, Adam started his illustrious career in comics in 1993 drawing Wolverine for Marvel Comics. He was a mainstay at Marvel, working on such titles as X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, and Ultimate Fantastic Four, until 2005 when he signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics. While there, he served as artist on Action Comics, DC Universe: Last Will and Testament, and Batman and The Outsiders Special. In 2009, he returned to Marvel where he remains today.   Frank Cho's body of work at Marvel includes such titles as New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Shanna the She-Devil, New Ultimates, X-Men: Schism, and Avengers vs. X-Men. He is also well-known for his creator-owned series, Liberty Meadows, and his work on Jungle Girl for Dynamite Entertainment. Cho, who is currently writing and drawing Savage Wolverine, will be signing and sketching from 4:00pm - 6:00pm.   Award-winning designer, illustrator, and cartoonist Steve Conley has worked on such notable comics as Star Trek: Year Four (IDW), Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of the Escapist (Dark Horse Comics), and JLA-Z (DC Comics). Conley, who is also the creator of Astounding Space Thrills and the all-ages series Bloop (www.bloopstree.com), will be signing and sketching all day.   In addition to the creator line-up, Baltimore's Z104.3 will be setting up and broadcasting live at the store. Fans can sign up to win a pair of tickets to the Z104.3 screening of Iron Man 3 at the Rotunda Movie Theatre which will be drawn every 15 minutes!  Carnival games and an all-ages obstacle course will also be set up for fans to win CDs, movie passes, and items from the movie!   Get your picture taken with Cosplay Girls courtesy of Comic Con Cuties and, as special treat for our fans, Bill Bateman's Bistro will be set up and offering discounts to fans who come to the store!   "Free Comic Book Day has grown to become such an important event - not just for retailers, creators, and fans - but for the comics industry as a whole," said Marc Nathan, owner of Cards, Comics & Collectibles. "We are delighted to have Adam, Frank, and Steve signing here, and are so excited for the events we'll be hosting for the fans! With Z104.3, Bill Bateman's, and the girls of Comic Con Cuties, this year is going to be our biggest yet!"   Join us on Saturday, May 4, 2013 as events kick off at 11:00am with store signings, $1 Modern back issues, photo ops with the Cosplay Girls of Comic Con Cuties, and, of course, FREE COMICS!   Cards, Comics & Collectibles is located at 100A Chartley Drive, Reisterstown, MD. For more information, please visit cardscomicscollectibles.com, our Facebook page, or call 410-526-7410.

Baltimore Comic-Con | P.O. Box 917 | Reisterstown | MD | 21136

Cavna on being an Eisner judge

2013 COMIC-CON EISNERS AWARDS: One judge's diary notes on the wild, the innocent and the Harbor Drive tussle

Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog April 18 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/2013-comic-con-eisners-awards-one-judges-diary-notes-on-the-wild-the-innocent-and-the-harbor-drive-tussle/2013/04/18/59d6fd4a-a7d8-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_blog.html

NPR on Weldon's Superman book

With Mullet Or With Monkey, Everyone Knows Superman

by Elizabeth Graham

NPR.org (April 18, 2013):

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/18/176783341/with-mullet-or-with-monkey-everyone-knows-superman

Another review of Weldon's Superman bio

Superman: The Unauthorized Biography
by Glen Weldon
Reviewed by Mark Squirek | Released: April 1, 2013
http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/review/superman-unauthorized-biography

Cavna draws Hatfield

My friends Michael Cavna and Charles Hatfield were both judges for this year's Eisner Awards. Further down in this post you can see a cartoon that Michael did of Charles. I'm jealous.

Sleeper reviewed by Wolk in The Post

'The Sleeper Omnibus,' by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

By Douglas Wolk, Washington Post April 17 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-sleeper-omnibus-by-ed-brubaker-and-sean-phillips/2013/04/17/3b189518-85c2-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html

Einstein's brain exhibit mentioned in The Post

News

'Maps' of Albert Einstein's brain on display Washington Post EXHIBIT 'Maps' of Einstein's brain on display "What Can We Learn from a Brain?" at the National Museum of Health and Medicine through May 31 In 1955, ...

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April 20: District Comics panel

Room 102B – EXCLUSIVE TO AWESOME CON: DISTRICT COMICS!
Chronicling the unconventional history of our nation's capital, District Comics has won numerous awards and has received critical acclaim across the U.S. Join the writers and artist who came together to honor our favorite city during this Q and A panel moderated by ComicsDC's Mike Rhode. Panelists include Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Rafer Roberts, Andrew Cohen, Jacob Warrenfeltz, and Carolyn Belefski.

 

3 pm at Awesome Comics. Carolyn and Big Planet Comics will have the book for sale.

Press Release from ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con

Big Guests, Big Vendors and A Big Film Make the Second ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con a BIG DEAL!

 

Preparations are in full swing for the May 11 benefit event showcasing

Archbishop Neale School in La Plata.

 

"Our headlining special guest is the unmistakable Frank Cho," says event organizer Tom Boone.  "This is Frank's only scheduled convention appearance in the DC area for the rest of the year!"  This May, Marvel Comics will be wrapping up a well-received six issue series written and drawn by Mr. Cho called 'Savage Wolverine', based on the

X-Men hero.  More than 20 other comic artists and writers will be attending as well as artists from other disciplines including digital media, sculpting, pyrography and photography.

 

In addition to artists, more than 20 vendors covering over 80 tables will be selling a wide array of comics, cards, sci-fi, pop culture and entertainment collectibles.  "We're very proud that nearly all of our vendors from our 2012 show have returned and we've attracted even more this year," says Boone.  Among them are Cards, Comics and Collectibles, a retail store in Reisterstown and Third Eye Comics, a retailer with stores in Prince Frederick and Annapolis.  "We have vendors coming from as far away as Pennsylvania.  We've cast the net wide to try to get as many unique vendors as possible for our attendees."  Local retailers such as Comics MD and BookNuts Book Shop will also have a presence at the show.

 

Another first for the event is the screening of films.  New York based filmmaker Brian Stillman will be attending the ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con to present previously unseen clips from his upcoming film, 'Plastic Galaxy - The Story of Star Wars Toys'.  According to Boone, "It's an incredible documentary that toy collectors and Star Wars fans will love."  Other works include student films from the DAVE School in Orlando, FL, and rare films that have never been commercially released.

 

Panels and presentations, a staple of comic conventions, will also be a part of this year's charity event.  "How to Make Your Own Comic" will be a panel discussion with artists and creators lead by Chris Rizzo, Creative Director of New York based multimedia group Dark Ink Pictures.  The panel will discuss topics such as breaking into comics and writing techniques.  "The DIY ethic is strong in comics today.  The internet and indie publishing are breaking down barriers and providing young creators with opportunities that were unthinkable as little as ten years ago," says Boone. 

 

Popular at conventions around the world is the 501^st Legion, a Star Wars-inspired costuming group whose local unit, the Old Line Garrison, will be returning to the ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con in greater numbers this year.  The stormtroopers will be entertaining fans of all ages with a charity putt-putt game and plenty of photo opportunities throughout the event.  Also returning are the Viking Re-enactors from Southern Maryland's own Longship Company, with authentic costumes and equipment. 

 

Another highlight of the ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con is the Silent Auction.  "Every penny from admissions, the vendor's fees and the silent auction goes directly to the operating budget of Archbishop Neale School."  To that end, an impressive array of unique and one-of a-kind collectibles have been gathered for the auction from attending artists including Mike O'Shields and Laura Inglis, to major industry names like John Byrne, Doug Chiang and James Arnold Taylor, and authors Troy Denning and Lemony Snicket.

 

"All this is just the tip of the iceberg," says Boone.  "We're screening more films and we'll have more artists and more presentations.  We're using more space inside the school than ever.  We have more food vendors this year, more prizes, more of everything fans go to conventions for.  We encourage all of our attendees to make plans to stay for a while!"

 

The Second Annual ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con is happening May 11, 2013, from 10am to 3pm at Archbishop Neale School in La Plata, Maryland.  Admission is $5 for adults, kids under ten are free.  For more information, visit www.anscomiccon.com

 

Press inquiries contact Tom Boone at info@anscomiccon.com or 202-297-1461

 

Please see attachments for the latest Schedule of Events and a list of vendors and artists appearing at the ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con!

Tom Boone
Event Organizer
ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con
104 Port Tobacco Road
La Plata, Maryland 20646
(202) 297-1461

The ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con is an ALL AGES fan and collectors event benefiting Archbishop Neale School on Saturday, May 11, 2013, from 10am to 3pm. For more information, visit www.anscomiccon.com

About Archbishop Neale School -

Archbishop Neale School is a Catholic elementary school in La Plata, Maryland that has been in continuous operation since 1927, with a two-track system for grades Pre-K through 8 and a curriculum centered on the Archdiocese of Washington graded course of study. We are fully accredited, and our teachers are certified by the State of Maryland in their specific areas. We serve Catholic students from over seven parishes and many non-Catholics as well. For over 80 years, parents have entrusted their children to ANS because they are assured of an excellent, Archdiocesan standards-based academic curriculum that encompasses Catholic faith and values delivered in a safe, caring environment. For more information, visit www.ArchbishopNealeSchool.org


 

Julia Langbein to Lecture on Comic Drawings of French Salon Paintings, May 1

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington DC   20540

April 16, 2013

Public contact:  Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115, mkenn@loc.gov

Swann Foundation Fellow Julia Langbein
To Discuss Comic Drawings of French Salon Paintings

Swann Foundation Fellow Julia Langbein, in a lecture at the Library of Congress, will examine comic drawings about French Salon paintings created by the famous photographer Nadar (a.k.a. Félix Tournachon, 1820-1910).

Langbein will present "How to View an Exhibition from a Hot-Air Balloon: Nadar at the Paris Salon," at noon on Wednesday, May 1, in the West Dining Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue S.E., Washington, D.C.  The lecture is free and open to the public.  Tickets are not needed.

Langbein will focus specifically on caricatures of Salon paintings, created by Nadar during an unusual phase of his career when he briefly practiced art criticism in the form of caricature.  Art historians tend to celebrate Nadar for his achievements in photography and overlook this less-studied phase that also overlapped with his interest in aeronautics (he would soon take the first aerial photographs from a hot-air balloon.)

Like many of his peers in Paris in the 1850s, Nadar tried his hand at Salon caricature, in which caricaturists for illustrated journals comically distorted the paintings displayed at the annual or biennial state-sponsored exhibition of the arts in Paris.  Nadar produced caricatures of this type for an illustrated weekly magazine, Le Journal Pour Rire, and in three stand-alone albums.

Langbein will explore the symbolic significance of the hot-air balloon in the graphic imagination of 19th century France.  Using materials from the Library's Tissandier Collection and holdings of French satirical prints, she will ask how the experience of viewing art at the Salon prompted Nadar to envision art criticism as an exercise in aerial perspective.

Currently a Ph.D candidate in art history at the University of Chicago, she focuses on graphic satire and its relation to practices of art reception and criticism.  In her doctoral dissertation, "Salon Caricature in Paris, 1840-1881," she concentrates on this little-studied genre of caricature that was widely published in the Parisian press during the second half of the 19th century.

In addition to the Swann Fellowship, Langbein received a Franke Institute for the Humanities Dissertation-Year Grant and a Fulbright IIE Fellowship, among other fellowships.  She completed a master's degree in art history at the University of Chicago, and a bachelor's in art history at Columbia University.

This presentation, sponsored by the Swann Foundation and Prints & Photographs Division, is part of the Foundation's continuing activities to support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world.  The Swann Foundation's advisory board is composed of scholars, collectors, cartoonists and Library of Congress staff members.

The foundation strives to award one fellowship annually to assist scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon.  Applications for the 2014-2015 academic year are due Feb. 15, 2014.  More information about the fellowship is available at www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome or by e-mailing swann@loc.gov.

# # #

PR13-75
4/16/13
ISSN: 0731-3527

Cavna on Katchor in today's Post

Book World: 'Hand-Drying in America' by Ben Katchor [in print as Wielding Irony to Break Free of Chains]

By Michael Cavna,

Washington Post April 15 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-world-hand-drying-in-america-by-ben-katchor/2013/04/15/fc266fb4-a2d2-11e2-82bc-511538ae90a4_story.html

April 16: Ben Katchor in town - tomorrow!

Ben Katchor
Date:     Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Time:     7:00 PM
image     The first cartoonist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship reveals the ways urban planning and architecture influence and reflect cultural values in his new graphic narrative, Hand-Drying in America.
Here are window-ledge pillows designed expressly for people-watching and a forest of artificial trees for sufferers of hay fever. The Brotherhood of Immaculate Consumption deals with the matter of products that outlive their owners; high-visibility construction vests are marketed to lonely people as a method of getting noticed.

A master at twisting mundane commodities into surreal objects of social significance, Katchor reveals a world similar to our own—lives are defined by possessions, consumerism is a kind of spirituality—but also slightly, fabulously askew. This surrealist handbook for the rebuilding of society in the twenty-first century ensures that you will never look at a building, a bar of soap, or an ATM the same way.

Katchor is the author of The Cardboard Valise, The Jew of New York and Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: The Beauty Supply District.

Admission:    

Tickets are $12 or receive 2 FREE tickets with the purchase of the book through Sixth & I ($30). Tickets and books can be purchased online or by calling TicketFly (877.987.6487). There is a $1.50 fee per ticket for phone orders. Doors open at 6:00 pm

WONDER WOMEN NOT on PBS tonight

The documentary Wonder Women is actually not on television around DC tonight as far as I can tell. It's on WETA late on Saturday night, 4/20 and on MPT late on 4/21.

NPR on tonight's superheroine documentary

Superheroines, Fighters, And Why Isn't There A Wonder Woman Movie?

by Linda Holmes

National Public Radio's Monkey See blog April 15, 2013

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/04/15/177311626/superheroines-fighters-and-why-isnt-there-a-wonder-woman-movie

April 15: WONDER WOMEN on PBS tonight

 

 

 

 

 

WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES PREMIERES ON INDEPENDENT LENS ON MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013 ON PBS

 

Film traces the fascinating birth, evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman and introduces a dynamic group of fictional and real-life superheroines fighting for positive role models for girls, both on screen and off

 

(San Francisco, CA) – Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation. The film goes behind the scenes with TV stars Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), comic writers and artists, and real-life superheroines such as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre. A film by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Kelcey Edwards, Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines premieres on the award-winning series Independent Lens, hosted by Stanley Tucci, on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 10 PM ET (check local listings). 

Wonder Women explores our nation's long-term love affair with comic book superheroes and raises questions about the possibilities and contradictions of heroines within the genre. Reflecting our culture's deep-seated ambivalence toward powerful women — even in this so-called post-feminist era — women may be portrayed as good, or brave, or even featured as "action babes," but rarely are they seen as heroes at the center of their own journey.

Tying the film together is the groundbreaking figure of Wonder Woman, the unlikely brainchild of a Harvard-trained pop psychologist named William Moulton Marston. From Wonder Woman's original, radical World War II presence, to her uninspiring 1960s incarnation as a fashion boutique owner, to her dramatic resurrection by feminist Gloria Steinem and the women of Ms. Magazine, Wonder Woman's legacy continues today—despite the fact that she has yet to make it to the big screen.

In our era of increased plastic surgeries and emphasis on "looking good" rather than acting powerfully, many psychologists, media and social critics have long decried the fact that women are bombarded with images of physical perfection and portrayals of their gender purely in terms of sexual attractiveness. Wonder Women counters this by reflecting on why our culture struggles with images of women triumphant beyond the domestic arena of relationships and family. Exploring how our highly visual culture places more emphasis on girls' and women's looks rather than on their deeds, Wonder Women urges women to claim the action genre — and media in general— as their own, if they want to change how they are represented.

Says director Guevera-Flanagan, "I loved the idea of looking at something as populist as comics to reveal our cultural obsessions, and in particular, how women's roles have changed over time. The narratives of our most iconic superheroes, told and re-told over decades, boldly outline our shifting values. For some it's Lara Croft, for others it's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but we all need those iconic heroes that tell us we have the power to slay our dragons and don't have to wait around to be rescued."

To learn more about the film, visit the Wonder Women companion website (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/wonder-women), which features information about the film, including an interview with the filmmaker and links and resources pertaining to the film's subject matter. The site also features a Talkback section for viewers to share their ideas and opinions, preview clips of the film, and more.

 

 

 

About the Filmmakers

 

Kristy Guevara-Flanagan (Director)

Kristy Guevera-Flanagan's first feature-length film was an acclaimed documentary covering four years in the lives of four adolescent girls, Going On 13. The film was an official selection of Tribeca, Silverdocs, and many other international film festivals and was broadcast on public television in 2009. Kristy has also produced and directed several short films, including El Corrido De Cecilia Rios, a chronicle of the violent death of 15-year-old Cecilia Rios. It was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. Now an assistant professor at Diablo Valley College, Kristy has a MFA in Film Production from San Francisco State University.

 

Kelcey Edwards (Producer)

Kelcey Edwards is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose films have screened at many of the top-ranking festivals around the country, including True/False, Silverdocs, and SXSW. After receiving her MFA in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University, she moved to New York City, where she works as a filmmaker, producer and arts educator. She is the co-producer of Words Of Witness, a documentary feature by director Mai Iskander (Garbage Dreams) and an official selection of Berlinale 2012.

 

About Independent Lens

Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award winning weekly series airing on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts and the MacArthur Foundation. The senior series producer is Lois Vossen. More information at www.pbs.org/independentlens. Join Independent Lens on Facebook at www.facebook.com/independentlens.