Friday, February 20, 2015

Jake writes in, "I've started posting new pages of Villains Galore 2 on kinginkcomics.com, with new pages every Tuesday and Thursday. I'm also creating sports themed editorial cartoons for RussellStreetReport.com and EutawStreetReport.com, two sports news sites in Baltimore with focus on the Ravens and Orioles. My first cartoon posted yesterday on their baseball site, and I wanted to share it with you: http://eutawstreetreport.com/meanwhile-in-dan-duquettes-office/

1988 political cartooning discussion in DC reprinted at TCJ

The Problem with Editorial Cartooning Today

BY TCJ Administrator Feb 18, 2015

From The Comics Journal #119 (January 1988)

http://www.tcj.com/the-problem-with-editorial-cartooning-today/

This is a 1988 panel about the viability of satire in editorial cartooning, featuring Jules Feiffer, Chuck Freund, Brad Holland, David Levine and Peter Steiner.

Moderator Peter Steiner lived in DC at the time, and the discussion starts with a visit by the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists to the White House to meet President Reagan.

Wuerker's Je Suis Charlie*

We're late to catch this, but better late than never, right?

Je Suis Charlie*

By MATT WUERKER

2/2/15

http://www.politico.com/wuerker/2015/02/february-2015/002146-030551.html?slide=6&ml=wu

Derf on Carr on Comic Riffs

RIP, DAVID CARR: Eisner-nominated cartoonist Derf pays tribute to his staunch alt-press 'champion'

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs February 18 2015

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/18/rip-david-carr-eisner-nominated-cartoonist-derf-pays-tribute-to-his-staunch-alt-press-champion/

As I commented at the Post site, I realize that Derf has given up The City, but boy, that was a great strip and a mistake by the City Paper when they dropped it. He's never been considered an editorial cartoonist by the traditional field, but he's done some hard-hitting comics. Derf also won an RFK Journalism award in the cartoonists category somewhere around this time.

Eric Gordon's DC Creepers invade Kefa Cafe, Silver Spring, MD

by Steve Loya

Local artist Eric Gordon is currently having an art exhibit of his "DC Creeper" portraiture at the Kefa Cafe in Silver Spring, Maryland. If you're familiar with the local zine circuit, you may know Eric for the zine and blog he and his wife Sara run called Vinyl Vagabonds, lovingly chronicling their adventures in vinyl record collecting. However, Eric is also a spectacular artist, specializing in expressive, spontaneous portraits of folks in and around the DC area, almost exclusively done on site. Eric's been documenting this work at his DC Creepers blog as well, and I was fortunate enough to witness the man in action at the first ever Cartoonists Draw Blood fundraiser event, organized by Carolyn Belefski of Curls Studio fame.

While I wasn't able to make it to Eric's opening night last Friday, which I heard was pretty well packed, I'm certainly glad I decided to make good use of my snow day today and, along with my wife Kris, make the drive out to Kefa Cafe for some breakfast and coffee and a look at Eric's art in person. Eric's show, officially titled "Creeping Every Day: Sketching Without Being Too Sketchy" is part of an ongoing series of new art exhibits at Kefa Cafe, in a space dedicated to showing local talent called Space 7:10. The show will run through February 28th, 2015, so if you're in the area, don't hesitate to drop in, have a bite and a sip and a look around!

Gareth Hinds' book reviewed in NY Times

Sketching Shakespeare

'Macbeth,' Adapted by Gareth Hinds

By MARIA RUSSO

FEB. 18, 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/18/books/review/macbeth-adapted-by-gareth-hinds.html

From "Macbeth"

The Post notes newspaper censorship in Tanzania

Tanzanian government shuts down The EastAfrican newspaper over a cartoon

By Ann Telnaes and Karen Attiah
Washington Post.com (February 17 2015): http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2015/02/17/tanzanian-government-shuts-down-the-eastafrican-newspaper-over-a-cartoon/

Caught by The Daily Cartoonist.

New comics shop opening in Ashburn, Va.

A new comics and comics arts shop is opening in Ashburn, Va., on April 25. In addition to selling comics, original art, and toys and games, Comic Logic plans to hold art classes for kids, advanced and private lessons, as well as a drink and draw.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Comic Riffs interview with jailed cartoonist Zunar

SKETCHBOOK: These words of a detained Malaysian cartoonist resonate after Charlie Hebdo and Copenhagen

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (February 17 2015):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/17/sketchbook-these-words-of-a-detained-malaysian-cartoonist-resonate-after-charlie-hebdo-and-copenhagen/

This is from last fall, but the Post has decided to use it now that Zunar is jailed in Malaysia over this tweeted cartoon:

View image on Twitter

We missed Katsucon but somebody else has photos

Photos: Katsucon 2015 @ National Harbor

Monday, February 16, 2015

2015 Awesome Con commercial

This commercial for the 2015 Awesome Con May 29-31 in D.C. ran recently during an airing of AMC's "The Walking Dead." Filmed by local comics writer Joe Carabeo, with comics writer Troy Jeffrey Allen serving as a camera assistant and comics show host Ulysses Campbell providing the Awesome Con voice.

Click to watch video on YouTube

Helena Bochorakova-Dittrichova woodcuts in NMWA in DC

There's a nice collection of Helena Bochorakova-Dittrichova, of Czechoslovakia, woodcuts in the National Museum of Women in the Arts library. She used these in silent graphic novels. I was fortunate enough to be shown these by the librarian recently. The ones on black paper were never published and appear to be for a planned travelogue. Besides the original prints, the books are mostly signed by B-D and this is probably one of the most significant collections of her material in the US. In the Czech Republic, she's a major artist.

More images are here.

For more information, track down this article:

Slania, Heather. 2014.

The First Woman Graphic Novelist: Helena Bochorakova-Dittrichova, May 12-November 14, 2014.

Women in the Arts (Fall): 22-25