Comic Riffs on non-Muhammad cartoons

From 'SNL' to Politico, how American satirists are (not) drawing Muhammad

By Michael Cavna May 11 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/05/11/from-snl-to-politico-how-american-satirists-are-not-drawing-muhammad/

Matt Wuerker and Mike Kahn @ Lincoln Cottage 5/21

Political Cartoons and Freedom of Speech: Cottage Conversation featuring Mike Kahn and Matt Wuerker

Thursday, May 21, 6-7:30 pm

Mike Kahn, author of "'What Fools These Mortals Be!' The Story of Puck - America's First and Most Influential Magazine of Color Political Cartoons," examines the storied history of Puck magazine. Matt Wuerker, Editorial Cartoonist for Politico, will join Mr. Kahn for a dynamic conversation about the contemporary challenges to artistic freedom and protections of free speech in political cartoons.

 

Reception: 6:00 pm, Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center

Lecture: 6:30 pm, President Lincoln's Cottage 

Admission: $10 for the lecture and $10 for the reception. Free for Cottage members at the $250 level or above. To purchase tickets and RSVP, email Michelle Martz at MMartz@savingplaces.org or call 202-688-3735.

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Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Disaster Capitalism 2.0"

"Disaster Capitalism 2.0"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1722

Why worry about the expenses of upgrading your fleet and complying with safety standards when you know you can wreck a town and get out of jail free -- y'know, like BP?

....and, here's the musical inspiration for this droppage:
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, "Fire", 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaHEusBG20c
___________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Political Cartoons: dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

Herblock Award photos online

Bruce Guthrie has put his Herblock Award photos online.

Herblock Prize: Kevin Kallaugher -- Presentation

Herblock Prize: Kevin Kallaugher -- Reception

Here's audio from KAL's speech, at least until the Herblock Foundation gets their video online.

The Post's religion blog on the Avengers movie

Surprised by hope: Why Christians flocked to 'Avengers: Age of Ultron,' an atheist's film

By Aaron Earls
Washington Post Acts of Faith blog May 6 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/06/surprised-by-hope-why-christians-flocked-to-an-atheists-film/

Is the AFDI's Draw Muhammad contest erasing its own history?

 A guest editorial by Kathy Mannix

Cartoon lovers may no longer be able to access the slideshow of works submitted to the American Freedom Defense Initiative* Inaugural Draw Muhammad contest held May 3 in Garland, Tex., a suburb of Dallas. The slideshow on Photobucket was easily accessed Wednesday, May 6, when I checked out the wide-ranging talents of those who entered the contest. By Friday, May 8, I couldn't access the slideshow. Visitors to the AFDI site can still see the winning cartoon and click to view video of interviews by The United West* founder Tom Trento with attendees and graphic novelist Bosch Faustin, the contest winner. 

"Wide-ranging talent" may be a tad too kind. As I remember my only view of the works, one was a scan of stick figures on looseleaf paper, most were assemblages of stock images, and fewer than five came from the drawing boards or computers of professional artists or editorial cartoonists.

Still accessible online are the rules for entering the contest. The rules are cartoonish on there own. Rule 5 includes, "AFDI will assume that all art entered for consideration does not infringe upon the copyright of a third party. The artist shall assume all liability if an infringement claim is made." It sure seems that the estate of Norman Rockwell has an infringement claim for the event poster AFDI used at the event and has for sale from its site for $50. It doesn't seem within the realm of parody to replace the triple image of Mr. Rockwell with a triple image of Muhammad. There are parodies of Rockwell's work such as the Four Freedoms a-plenty, but self-portraiture seems a category of its own.

Rule 6 has eight bullets, including the penultimate, "The Entrant does not include any disparaging remarks relating to the Sponsor or a third party." Are all cartoon contest sponsors so thin-skinned?

Faustin's winning work shows the prophet, scimitar raised, and bubble saying, "You can't draw me!" Outside the plane of this image viewers see human hands at work on the drawing with a second bubble saying, "That's why I draw you." This cartoon won both the first prize of $10,000 and a bonus of $2,500 as a fan favorite. Reports of that double win drew me to the ADFI site Wednesday. Faustin's competitors included only one cartoonist whose work I know. An April blog post from that cartoonist reads in part, "AFDI is an anti-Muslim right-wing hate group that is intent on picking a fight with whatever right-wing Muslim hate group will take their bait." That Rule 6 infraction probably took this pro out of the running. I've reached out to him for comments on entering the contest, and await his reply.

*The Southern Poverty Law Center designates both AFDI and TUW as hate groups.

The Post's Parker on Texas Muhammad cartoon contest

Pamela Geller's abuse of free speech

[n print as Artist Provacateur].

By Kathleen Parker Opinion writer
Washington Post May 10 2015, p. 19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pamela-gellers-abuse-of-free-speech/2015/05/08/136f29d2-f5c3-11e4-bcc4-e8141e5eb0c9_story.html

Comic Riffs on Baltimore and editorial cartoons

Baltimore art: How civil unrest mobilizes the creative hand

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs May 9 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/05/09/baltimore-art-how-civil-unrest-mobilizes-the-creative-hand/

Tom King interviewed about DC's Omega Men

"Grayson" Co-Writer Makes Complicated Killers of DC Comics' "Omega Men"

Kiel Phegley,

Comic Book Resources May 8th, 2015
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/grayson-co-writer-makes-complicated-killers-of-dc-comics-omega-men

AwesomeCon panels and programs

Info on panels and programming at Awesome Con May 29-31 at the Washington Convention Center is posted. Plenty of local comics creators will be participating.

Cartoon Picayune #7

Josh Kramer has a new issue out of his digest-size anthology The Cartoon Picayune. The theme of this 36-page, black-and-white issue is "chance." Copies are $4. Order through his website.

NPR's Monkey See podcast on Avengers

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron,' Pop Culture Pariahs

Linda Holmes
May 08, 2015
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2015/05/08/405060559/pop-culture-happy-hour-avengers-age-of-ultron-pop-culture-pariahs

Darrin Bell interviewed by Comics Riffs about RFK Award

Behind Darrin Bell's new RFK Award, the power of cartooning with true emotion

By Michael Cavna
May 8 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/05/08/behind-darrin-bells-new-rfk-award-the-power-of-cartooning-with-true-emotion/

Tonight: Ben Hatke at Hooray for Books! in Alexandria

May 8th: Author Ben Hatke will discuss and sign his popular Zita graphic novels and his recent picture book, Julia's House for Lost Creatures. 7 pm.

When Julia and her walking house come to town, she likes everything about her new neighborhood except how quiet it is! So Julia puts a sign up: "Julia's House for Lost Creatures." Soon she's hosting goblins, mermaids, fairies, and even a dragon. Quiet isn't a problem anymore for Julia...but getting her housemates to behave themselves is!

http://www.hooray4books.com/events.htm

An Independent Children's Bookstore
1555 King St.  Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Ph. 703-548-4092 Fax 703-548-4094
Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6 Sun 11-4

Another Ben Hatke story

Ben Hatke and the One and Only Miracle Molly

By Elizabeth Bird

May 5, 2015
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2015/05/05/ben-hatke-thingy/#_

Comic Riffs on Darrin Bell's RFK Award

2015 RFK Awards: WPWG's Darrin Bell wins for cartoons focusing on race, police

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs May 7 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/05/07/2015-rfk-awards-wpwgs-darrin-bell-wins-for-cartoons-focusing-on-race-police/

Comic Riffs talks to Baltimore's KAL about tonight's Herblock Award

Tonight's Herblock Prize: How Baltimore's KAL mans a front line of social justice

By Michael Cavna May 7 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/05/07/tonights-herblock-prize-how-baltimores-kal-stirs-his-own-sense-of-social-unrest/

Darrin Bell wins the RFK cartooning award

The full press release is online here.

Cartoon: "Darrin Bell 2014 Editorial Cartoons," Darrin Bell, The Washington Post Writers Group

The ...awards... will be presented by Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy at a ceremony featuring remarks by Kerry Kennedy and Michael Beschloss on Thursday, May 21, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The 2015 RFK Book and Journalism Awards were sponsored by the George Washington University.

The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the 2015 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, celebrating their 47th anniversary. All honorees will receive a bust of Robert F. Kennedy in recognition of their award.

I was one of the judges for the award this year, and like always, there were a lot of great candidates and cartoons.

Fantom Comics posts 2014 sales info

2014 in Review – A Comic Book Shop Talks Comic Book Sales Trends

http://www.fantomcomics.com/blog/2015/05/05/comicbooksalestrends/

Bruce Guthrie's photos of Brian Selznick's exhibit

Bruce Guthrie's photos of Brian Selznick's exhibit at the MLK library are online now.