Big Planet Comics 20% off everything New Year's Day sale!

Jared Smith invited you to Big Planet Comics 's event   20% off everything New Year's Day sale! Thu Jan 1, 2015 at 12:00pm to Fri Jan 2, 2015 at 5:00pm   Join     Maybe     Decline   It's time for our annual New Year's Day sale! 20% off everything! Extra bonus sales! All 4 Big Planet stores! One day only! Big Planet Comics of Washington DC Big Planet Comics of College Park Big... Joel Pollack and 11 others are also in the guest list.             Pending Invites (2) Block invites from Jared?                 20% off everything New Year's Day sale! Thu Jan 1, 2015 at 12:00pm to 5:00pm It's time for our annual New Year's Day sale! 20% off everything! Extra bonus sales! All 4 Big Planet stores! One day only! Big Planet Comics of Washington DC Big Planet Comics of College Park Big Planet Comics of Vienna Big Planet Comics of Bethesda Start 2015 off right with a pile of comic books!

Submissions: 'Artists against Police Brutality' comics anthology

Local publisher Bill Campbell (Rosarium Publishing) is teaming with local writer Jason Rodriguez and artist John Jennings to edit a comics anthology called APB: Artists against Police Brutality. Proceeds will go toward the Innocence Project, which provides resources for prisoners who can be cleared of conviction with new DNA evidence. They are seeking submissions. See info below:

"APB: Artists against Police Brutality is a comic book anthology with one primary goal: show pictures and tell stories that get people talking. We are looking for artists across the disciplines to lend their talents and critical eye for this artistic examination of the US justice system and its treatment of communities of color. We are looking for personal stories, biographies, sociopolitical and historical analysis that shed a light on shared experiences across these communities, not just to act as an echo chamber, but to be used to change minds outside of these communities.

"APB will be a black and white book that collects these stories. While primarily a comic book project, we will also consider following: One- and two-row comic strips
, Pin-ups and spot illustrations 
Prose stories (whatever the genre; up to 1,500 words) and analytical essays (personal, sociopolitical, historical; up to 2,000 words).

"The main goal is to encourage people to talk about the persistent problems facing this country in terms of race and the justice system in an accessible and powerful medium.

APB: Artists against Police Brutality will be edited by Bill Campbell (Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond), John Jennings (The Blacker the Ink: Constructions of a Black Identity in Comics and Sequential Art), and Jason Rodriguez (Colonial Comics: New England, 1620-1750) and will be published by Rosarium Publishing. 

For more information, go to www.rosariumpublishing.com/apb; join the Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/apbcomicanthology/; or email artistsagainstpolicebrutality@gmail.com.

Super stockings

One of the more unique comics-related items at this weekend's Grump holiday show at Artisphere in Arlington, Va., were superhero Christmas stockings and pillows by local theater costumer designer Theodore Stumpf. Although he doesn't read comics, Stumpf said he enjoys the pop culture aspect of comics, which inspired him to make the items. Check out his Etsy shop for more stockings, if you're interested in buying one or two (most are priced at about $15).

(Below, photos of Stumpf's table at Grump)

(Below, images from his Etsy shop)

Comic Riffs talks to Clay Bennett about his Berryman award

Chattanooga's Clay Bennett is 'thrilled' to win the 2014 Berryman Award for editorial cartooning

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 15 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/15/chattanoogas-clay-bennett-wins-2014-berryman-award-for-editorial-cartooning/

The Post reviews American Cornball

The things we used to think were funny ['American Cornball: A Laffopedic Guide to the Formerly Funny,' by Christopher Miller]

By Elizabeth McCracken
Washington Post December 16 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/american-cornball-a-laffopedic-guide-to-the-formerly-funny-by-christopher-miller/2014/12/15/582c92f2-7d6a-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html

Art Hondros demonstrating on Capitol Hill

Art Hondros is demonstrating against gun violence in schools right now, on Capitol Hill. Swing by for a free copy of his comic book, if you prefer not to read his sandwich board.

Updated - here's more pictures of Art's anti-gun violence protest.

Art Hondros demonstrating as Human comic book, Monday 12/15 by the Capitol

Art Hondros, who wrote a comic book story about gun violence in schools, tells us,

"I'll be wearing this sandwich-board on 1st St SE parts of the morning and afternoon, and handing out bound versions of the narrative as well.

It's been two years since the events in Newtown. I plan to behave, so I don't imagine being arrested."

Good luck, Art, and I admire your stand.

Big Planet Comics Vienna has a new look

A new, albeit landlord-supplied sign outside, and it's been rearranged inside as well since I was last there.

Looking for that perfect gift for a comics uber-scholar?

At Lulu, there's a couple of items that may be of interest:

International Journal of Comic Art 1:1 (reprint)

By John Lent

Biographical Sketches of Cartoonists & Illustrators in the Swann Collection of the Library of Congress

By Sara Duke

Here's the 30% off message:

We're just as excited about the season as you are, so we're offering you one last chance to get 30% off all print books.

Use promo code KRBM2 now until 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 15, and get great reads for everyone you know.

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "DC Voted 'Yes', Dammit!"

Mike apparently feels strongly about the marijuana legalization vote - Mike R.

"DC Voted 'Yes', Dammit!"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1622

Y'know that old joke about how if voting could really change things, it would be illegal? Well, check out the shit that's going down right here in DC. Go on, take a good, long, steamy LOOK.

The Democrats -- yeah, the same Democrats who bitched about having an election stolen nearly 15 years ago, and who are still bitching today -- were ready to bargain away the franchise for residents of the District Of Columbia just so they could get a budget authorized to keep the goddamn' government from shutting down.

One more time... the DEMOCRATIC PARTY on Capitol Hill was willing to turn their backs on their duty to the Constitution and REFUSE TO UPHOLD THE RESULTS OF A FREE ELECTION in order to get their goddamn' budget passed...


___________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Political Cartoons: dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

Weingarten on Shansby's new book

Publish and perish

By Gene Weingarten Columnist
Washington Post Magazine December 14 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/gene-weingarten-publish-and-perish/2014/11/25/1a439c52-7193-11e4-ad12-3734c461eab6_story.html

Science fiction/comics class at Eaton ES

Earlier this week, comics writer/editor Jason Rodriguez, comics artist Keir Lyles, Eric Suggs Jr. (president of Art Way Alliance) and the folks heading the Museum of Science Fiction project held a two-hour workshop on comics and science fiction at the John Eaton Elementary School in D.C. Suggs provided us with an overview of the program (below) for the 5^th grade class.

Science fiction and comics in the classroom program summary

This program aims to pair students with a comic book writer and comic cook artist in order to get them to understand how science fiction is created and guide them in the development of their first science fiction comic strip.

In this program, a comic writer (Jason Rodriguez) will talk about different ways that students would turn a concept like the recent “Rosetta Comet Landing Mission” into science fiction. While this discussion is taking place, comic artist (Keir Lyles) will be drawing out some of these concepts, illustrating the process from science fact to science fiction idea to science fiction comic. This would give students the opportunity to understand not just the creative process, but how the science they are learning in schools informs some of the science fiction they are reading in their books and, sometimes, vice versa.

After this discussion and demonstration, the students will be asked to create their own three-panel science fiction comic strip using the writer and artist as a sounding board for ideas and execution. The comic strip that they create will allow them to not just talk about the story that they created, but the science that served as the foundation of the project.

Detailed program breakdown

30 to 45 minutes: Science fiction creation discussion and artist drawing out the concepts that are discussed. The remaining time will be used to work with the students as they create their three-panel comic strips.

Below is the link to the pics from the class:

Photos courtesy of Eric Suggs

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Cromnibus Island"

"Cromnibus Island"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1618

Just sit right back, and you'll hear a tale -- a tale of a fateful bill...

Remember when Obummer said he backed DC on marijuana decriminalization? Me, neither.

Yesterday, Obummer stated that he disapproved of Congressional meddling in DC's ballot initiative to legalize marijuana, but that he wouldn't veto the "CRomnibus" budget bill.

You got that? He's willing to let Congress overturn a free election in the Capital of the United States if it'll get his goddamn' budget passed. He says he opposes interference with Initiative 71, but HE WON'T UPHOLD THE ELECTION.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Still standing with Hillary?

___________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Political Cartoons: dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

City Paper article on Brooke Allen also in print

Meet the Local Illustrator of Lumberjanes, a Feminist, Fast-Growing Summer Camp Comic

 by Tim Regan on Dec. 11, 2014
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/visual-arts/2014/12/11/meet-the-local-illustrator-of-lumberjanes-a-feminist-fast-growing-summer-camp-comic/

Is in the December 11th paper, across 3 pages! Again, good work, Tim

Darrenn Canton moving out of area

Local illustrator and cartoonist Darrenn Canton posted on his Facebook page that he's moving to Louisville, KY for work. We wish him the best of luck.

New Republic's DC-based journalist talks Danish Islam cartoons

The Man Behind the Most Infamous Cartoon of All Time Danish Editor Flemming Rose defends his crusade against political correctness

By Elizabeth Winkler

December 9, 2014

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120519/tyranny-silence-how-one-cartoon-ignited-global-debate

Lansdowne's Laughing Ogre store closes

Thanks to Randy for the tip. I never knew Lansdowne was local...

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/12/phoenix-laughing-ogre-in-lansdowne-virginia-closes/

Brooke Allen featured on City Paper blog

Meet the Local Illustrator of Lumberjanes, a Feminist, Fast-Growing Summer Camp Comic

 by Tim Regan on Dec. 11, 2014
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/visual-arts/2014/12/11/meet-the-local-illustrator-of-lumberjanes-a-feminist-fast-growing-summer-camp-comic/

Q&A with Rosarium publisher Bill Campbell

By Matt Dembicki
 
Rosarium Publishing is a relatively new publisher in Washington, D.C., that delivers mostly science-fiction stories in array of formats. Its hallmark is diversity, both among its talent and content. So far, Rosarium has focused on anthologies and short novels, but publisher Bill Campbell has picked up several comics for its catalogue. Below, we chat with Bill about Rosarium, its current books and what’s in store to come in 2015.

Can you give us a brief background on Rosarium, what inspired you to start it?

This is a long, convoluted story of heartache and pain. But seriously, I was a self-published author who ended up getting a big, fancy agent. That agent didn't really work out. Mainstream publishers weren't really liking what I was doing. However, there were some academics who did. So, I found myself in the weird position of being a self-published author, basically selling his books out of the trunk of his car, then running off to some college or university to lecture about my books, some of which were being taught. I thought it was utterly ridiculous to not be good enough for a publisher but to be good enough for academia, and I figured there were probably other authors out there suffering the same fate. I started Rosarium in order to give those authors a home.

When Rosarium started in 2013, you focused on short stories through anthologies and short novels. Today, you are branching out to include comics. Was that part of the plan, or did the idea to include comics develop as you were already into your business?

That's hard to say. Publishing comics was a childhood dream of mine. So, I'm not really sure if there was a conscious decision. John Jennings (Pitch Black Rainbow, Kid Code, and Blue Hand Mojo) has been involved with Rosarium since the beginning. Keith Miller (Manticore) and I had been talking about turning my one novel, Koontown Killing Kaper, into a graphic novel before I started Rosarium. So maybe it was always part of the plan. I don't know. But as soon as I ran across KEEF CROSS's work (DayBlack), I just knew I had to publish that book.

What type of comics is and will Rosarium publish in the coming year?

“Type?” Well, that's impossible for me to pin down. As you pointed out, diversity is a key goal for Rosarium. We have over 20 different writers and artists living on five different continents. We come in all shapes, sizes, and hues. And different interests. So, we have slice-of-life (Jennifer's Journal), kid's adventure (Malice in Ovenland), a vampire tattoo artist (DayBlack), surrealist sci-fi dystopia (Corporatica), and a hip-hop Dr. Who (Kid Code); and we've got an Iranian folk tale (Little Black Fish), a medieval Indian assassin (Chadhiyana), and a prison horror tale (Manticore) in the works. And don't be surprised if you see anything from Obeah to Lovecraft coming out of our humble, little factory.

What do you look for in the comics you publish?

Good question. I'm not exactly sure there is any one “thing” I do look for. It's definitely not anything market-based or something I can easily articulate. It basically comes down to what grabs me, and, more and more, what grabs the Rosarium team. And, as you can tell, what that particular “thing” is is insanely varied.

I know that—despite holding a day job and raising a young family—you spend a lot of time on the road exhibiting at shows. Why is that important?

I once read a biography about Gene Autry. The thing that impressed me about him (which definitely wasn't his music) was that, no matter how successful he was, he was always on the road. For a musician, it's a matter of money. At this early stage, for us, it's more about connecting with people. We're doing something a little different here (on so many levels). It's really important for us to introduce ourselves, meet others inside and outside of the industry, and to connect with the folks who've felt that an experiment like Rosarium is necessary.

As a publisher that is still getting its feet wet in the publishing world, what has been the biggest challenges?

I think the biggest challenge is definitely an inside-baseball complaint. When you're new, you know that you're going to have to keep coming out with quality projects for awhile before people start taking you seriously. That was something that I realized going in and had no problem with.

The hardest part (especially since I'm dealing with comics and books) had been dealing with all the monopolies or near-monopolies. There are a bunch of distribution niches in publishing, and each niche is basically run by one company. When you're the new kid on the block, they have absolutely no interest in dealing with you, and it doesn't matter the quality of your work. They simply don't want to work with you. End of story.

It's a lot better now because we've found a smaller distributor who really likes what we're doing and is working hard on our behalf. But that first year was really hard because, even though we were with one of those monopolies, we could hardly get our books anywhere.

How would you define “success” for Rosarium?

Beats me! I'll let you know when we've achieved it.

Rosarium publisher Bill Campbell

Comic Riffs on Shadow Hero and Teen Titans

TEEN TITANS: Despite awe, Jeff Lemire couldn't pass up writing for his 'gateway' comic characters

By David Betancourt

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/09/teen-titans-despite-awe-jeff-lemire-couldnt-pass-up-writing-for-his-gateway-comic-characters/

 

'THE SHADOW HERO': Author Gene Luen Yang admits research error through new comic

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/12/09/the-shadow-hero-author-gene-luen-yang-admits-research-error-through-new-comic/