International Ink: The GNs of August

Regular readers of my reviews know that I'm preferring Young Adult and children's comics much more than the latest attempted cannibalization of ossified superhero stories that were being rehashed when I was young.

The recent mails have brought some good ones.


Sunny Side Up
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Scholastic

Following the lives of kids whose older brother's delinquent behavior has thrown their family into chaos, Sunny Side Up is at once a compelling "problem" story and a love letter to the comic books that help the protagonist make sense of her world.

The Amazon description isn't really accurate - Sunny Lewin is sent off to Florida to stay with her grandfather in a retirement community instead of taking a family vacation, and she doesn't know why she's being punished like this. She makes friends with the son of one of the staff members, and eventually finds out that her parents are dealing with drying her older brother out. This is one of the best stories I've read this year.


Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth
by Judd Winick
Random House

I'm also a big fan of Judd Winick, and it was a pleasure to see him return to the light humor that characterized his comic book Barry Ween, Boy Genius. A young boy appears to have crashed, naked into a suburban neighborhood where he's found by D.J., a boy who has a big family but no friends. The boy, Hilo, has no idea who he is, or where he came from but soon ends up fighting giant robot monsters that are also landing like he did. Heavily-influenced by Bill Watterson and Calvin & Hobbes, this series is worth reading by adults and kids.

Space Dumplins

by Craig Thompson

Scholastic

The online description fails to do this very odd story justice. Highly acclaimed graphic novelist Craig Thompson's debut book for young readers about a plucky heroine on a mission to save her dad.For Violet Marlocke, family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy. So when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can't just sit around and do nothing. To get him back, Violet throws caution to the stars and sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is vast and dangerous, and she soon discovers that her dad is in big, BIG trouble. With her father's life on the line, nothing is going to stop Violet from trying to rescue him and keep her family together.

After Thompson's Orientalist tour-de-force Habibi, this book is absolutely bizarre. The father is a miner/lumberjack of space whale poop, which is the energy source that runs multiple space stations, filled with sweatshops and aliens. The mother is a seamstress with a talent for design who's plucked out of a sweatshop to work on a safer space station, and brings her daughter along after the whales ate her school. While on the station, she meets a sentient chicken boy who sources buttons for the designer. It gets weirder from there. I have no idea how children will take to this book, but I enjoyed it in the way that I enjoy late Kirby. Just hold on and marvel.

Other books received this month, but not yet read:

The Comic Book Story of Beer: The World's Favorite Beverage from 7000 BC to Today's Craft Brewing Revolution

by Jonathan Hennessey, Mike Smith, Aaron McConnell

Ten Speed Press

A full-color, lushly illustrated graphic novel that recounts the many-layered past and present of beer through dynamic pairings of pictures and meticulously researched insight into the history of the world's favorite brew.

Democracy

by Alecos Papadatos, Abraham Kawa, Annie Di Donna 

Bloomsbury 

Democracy opens in 490 B.C., with Athens at war. The hero of the story, Leander, is trying to rouse his comrades for the morrow's battle against a far mightier enemy, and begins to recount his own life, having borne direct witness to the evils of the old tyrannical regimes and to the emergence of a new political system.

This is Bloomsbury's first graphic novel,but it's by the well-received Logicomix team.

Great Showdowns: The Revenge

by Scott Campbell

Titan

They're back - with a grudge to settle! Following the bestselling first and second volumes, here's an all-new collection of artist Scott C's strangely good- natured confrontations between his favorite movie characters.

I don't think I'm the intended audience for this, but his watercolors are pretty.

Assassin's Creed - Leila (Vol. 6)

by Eric Corbeyran and Djillali Defali

Titan

A graphic novel based on the videogame. Also not aimed at me, but I'll give it a try based on this description: In 14th century Egypt, the seasoned Assassin El Cakr seeks to return the mysterious Scepter of Aset to the Brotherhood… when it is stolen by a mysterious woman named Leila. Seven centuries later, El Cakr's descendant Jonathan Hawk desperately tries to get his hands on the relic – leading to an ultimate showdown between the Assassins and the Templars.

 

The Art of Regular Show

by Shannon O'Leary

Titan

The Regular Show came on the air after my daughter stopped watching the Cartoon Network. Still I'm a sucker for behind-the-scenes art books, and I own the Fluxx game. I may get one of the neighborhood kids to give me 500 words on this though. The Emmy Award-winning Regular Show, created by JG Quintel, is a jewel in the Cartoon Network crown with over 100 million viewers globally. The series follows the hilarious and surreal adventures of blue jay Mordecai and his best friend, Rigby the raccoon, as they make their days working at a local park anything but regular. Mordecai and Rigby are joined by their boss Benson, an explosively angry gumball machine, yeti groundskeeper Skips, loveable lollipop man Pops and other weird and wonderful friends. This is the world of polar-bear portals and demonic hot-dogs where adventure can be found in the most surprising places.

The Definitive Betty Boop: The Classic Comic Strip Collection

by Bud Counihan, Max Fleischer

Titan

Before Marilyn and Madonna, Betty booped and wriggled her way into hearts worldwide with her unique mix of wide-eyed innocence and powerful cartoon sensuality. Although she made her film debut as a curvaceous canine cabaret singer in the Max Fleischer short Dizzy Dishes on August 9, 1930, Betty Boop remains animation's first leading lady and a glamorous international icon. This beautiful volume collects Betty's adventures as they appeared in the funny pages of daily newspapers in the 1930's, capturing all the cheeky fun embodied by the character. These comic strips are from well-before my time, but I'm looking forward to dipping into them. This is a Golden Age for comic strip reprints, one last seen in the late 1970s, and if you're interested in strips, you should be spending a lot of money now.

Two other books I've read, after funding them on Kickstarter, are worth mentioning.

Girl Genius: The Second Journey of Agatha Heterodyne TP Volume 1: The Beast of the Rails

by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

Airship Entertainment.

The Foglio's steampunk webcomic is extremely popular, and collected annually. I don't think this is a great jumping-on point, but  you can read all the preceding story online, so buy this one if you haven't already started the series. Adventure, Romance, Mad Science! Agatha is the last of the Heterodynes, a notorious family of Mad Scientists that everyone had thought safely wiped out. When a rival scientist traps her family castle and the surrounding town in a time-freeze, Agatha must embark on a journey to find a way to reverse the effect and save the people she loves. This volume is a great jumping-on point for readers wanting to discover the award-winning Girl Genius series! 

 

Comic Book People 2: Photographs from the 1990s

by Jackie Estrada

Exhibit A Press

This is a book for the hardcore comic book fan, consisting of photographs taken at cons throughout the '90s. I enjoyed it, but I know and like the work of most of the people in this book. If you know who Dave Stevens is, this might be a book for you.

Kevin and Paulina signed Zodiac Starforce

 

Yesterday at Big Planet Comics Vienna, Kevin Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau signed their new Dark Horse comic book.

Sept 18: Fantom Comics Hangout with Brandon Graham & Hang Dai

• Friday, September 18 at 6:00pm

• Fantom Comics 2010 P St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

• Invited by Esther N. Kim

We know everyone can't wait for Small Press Expo, so we're throwing a big pre-SPX party/signing/hangout at our shop the evening before, and everyone's invited!

Our featured guests will be BRANDON GRAHAM (Island, 8house, Prophet) and the NYC art collective Hang Dai Editions, featuring Dean Haspiel, Christa Cassano, Gregory Benton, and Josh Neufeld. In addition, FAREL DALRYMPLE (The Wrenchies, It Will All Hurt, Prophet) will be in attendance! Stay tuned for more featured guest updates.

There'll be booze, snacks, and a generally good time. If you're visiting from out of town for SPX and you're in Bethesda, we're a quick hop and a skip into DC on the Red Line--Fantom is walking distance from the Dupont Circle station. It's gonna be a whale of a party...

PR: Authors Debuting Books at Small Press Expo 2015

For Immediate Release  Contact: Warren Bernard   Email: warren@spxpo.com   Kate Beaton, Derf, Bill Griffith and Jennifer Hayden Lead Authors Debuting Books at Small Press Expo 2015   Bethesda, Maryland; August 27, 2015   Media Release – This year marks the 21st Anniversary of SPX, which will be held September 19 and 20, 2015 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. SPX is honored that over 150 different graphic novels and comics will be making their publishing debut at this years show to start off the Fall book buying season. A complete list of debuts, including cover images and publishing information, can be found on the SPX web site.   Here are some highlights of the new releases that debut at SPX 2015:   Step Aside, Pops from Drawn & Quarterly, is Kate Beaton's followup to her New York Times bestseller, Hark! A Vagrant! that is comprised of her web comics witty take on history, literature and famous people from the past.   Derf Backderf plumbs the depths of his experience as a Cleveland garbage collector for his latest graphic novel Trashed, from Abrams.   Invisible Ink: My Mother's Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonists from Fantagraphics says it all about Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith's first ever graphic novel.   Jennifer Hayden's battle with breast cancer is detailed with wit and honesty in her first graphic novel from Top Shelf, The Story of My Tits.   Ignatz Award winner and Adventure Time contributor Sam Alden brings us two long form stories in his latest release from Uncivilized Books, New Construction.   Meags Fitzgerald's autobiographical Long Red Hair from Conundrum Press is the follow-up  to her award winning book, Photobooth: A Biography.   Beef with Tomato from Hang Dai and Alternative Comics is Dean Haspiel channeling Charles Bukowski in his first autobiographical graphic novel.   Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.   The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.   As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.spxpo.com.   Copyright © 2015 Small Press Expo, All rights reserved. You are on the Combined Master Exhibitor List for Small Press Expo to whom this e-mail is directed. Our mailing address is: Small Press Expo P.O. Box 5704 Bethesda, Maryland 20824

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Leave Bernie Alone!"

"Leave Bernie Alone!"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1772

Looks like "Progressive" America is still yelling for a WAAAAHHHHmbulance after a Bernie Sanders media event was busted up by #BlackLivesMatter. After months of Sanders failing to address the ongoing wave of racist police terrorism, #BLM took it on themselves to bring it up in Seattle -- much to the consternation of lily-white "Progressive" America.

Never mind that Sanders -- along with the rest of Liberal and "Progressive" America -- happily got on board with Bill Clinton's brutal assault on the Serbian people in the Spring of 1999. Never mind that after Nineleven™, Sanders just as happily voted to fund the assaults on the people of Afghanistan and the liberty and dignity of US citizens by the Department of Homeland Security. Never mind that Sanders has had little problem voting to fund Israeli barbarity in Palestine and the coup government in the Ukraine. Never mind that Sanders lobbied heavily for a slice of war machine pork barrel in Vermont in the form of a USAF F-35 base.

Never mind all that; "Progressive" America honestly still thinks that Sanders can bring this country the kind of revolutionary change it needs, so when somebody comes along -- especially black somebodies -- to call him out on his hypocrisies, all "Progressive" America seems to care about is that they're making Bernie look bad. "Why don't you disrupt Republican events?" they whine, predictably. "Why don't you disrupt Hillary's events?" they complain bitterly, crying, shrieking like that Chris Crocker kid in the infamous "Leave Britney Alone" video.


Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Political Cartoons: www.sinkers.org

Compleating Cul de Sac is 30% off today

Compleating Cul de Sac is 30% off  - Get 30% off all print books when you use code SAVE30 at checkout. Ends  August 30.

Order it at https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=%22compleating+cul+de+sac%22

All money raised goes to Team Cul de Sac for Parkinson's research.

PR: Zodiac Starforce #1 - An elite group of teenage girls with magical powers!

Zodiac Starforce #1 - An elite group of teenage girls with magical powers!

The two creators will be signing this at Big Planet stores on Saturday.

Dark Horse Comics 10956 SE Main Street Milwaukie, OR 97222

Sept 4: Jennifer Holm at Hooray for Books in Alexandria

Editorializing here - this is one of my favorite graphic novels of the year so far. - Mike

Friday, September 4th at 4 pm: Join us for an exclusive sit-down with Newbery honoree Jennifer Holm! She will drop by to chat and sign copies of her new graphic novel, Sunny Side Up, on her way to the National Book Festival on Saturday, September 5th. Her new graphic novel is a collaboration with her brother, Matthew Holm, with whom she co-wrote the ALA Notable Children's Book and Gryphon Award-winning graphic novel series Babymouse.

Following the lives of kids whose older brother's delinquent behavior has thrown their family into chaos, Sunny Side Up is at once a compelling "problem" story and a love letter to the comic books that help the protagonist make sense of her world.

Editorial cartoon syndicate head dies

Philip W. Steitz III, editor

Washington Post August 27 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/washington-area-obituaries-of-note/2015/08/26/48a35c36-4a9b-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html

Philip W. Steitz III, 90, executive editor from 1970 to 2002 of the old Artist and Writers Syndicate, a Washington-based syndicate that distributed editorial cartoons and features on topics including antiques and photography, died July 29...

Obit: Philip Wakeford Steitz III, World War II veteran and journalist

National Press Club August 7, 2015 

By Ken Dalecki

https://www.press.org/news-multimedia/news/obit-philip-wakeford-steitz-iii-world-war-ii-veteran-and-journalist

PR: Wheatley, Hempel Lead Insight Studios to Show

Wheatley, Hempel Lead Insight Studios to Show Baltimore Comic-Con Brings Veteran Creators, New Projects BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 26, 2015 - Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, the creative pioneers who launched Blood of the Innocent, Mars, and numerous other creations, will explore things a little closer to home with their appearance at the Baltimore Comic-Con, September 25-27, 2015 at the Baltimore Convention Center. This is the sixteenth annual Baltimore Comic-Con, and this marks Insight Studios Groups' sixteenth straight appearance at the show. They will be joined by studio mates Jerry Carr, G. D. Falksen, Allan Gross, and Evelyn Kriete. Despite vibrant and incredibly varied solo careers, Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel have been frequent, highly successful collaborators. Their work together has included Tarzan, Jonny Quest, Titanic Tales, and Doctor Cyborg, among other projects. They are presently at work on a fully restored and lavishly produced re-issue of their acclaimed graphic novel Breathtaker for Titan Comics. Long out of print, it was originally serialized and then collected into a best-selling trade paperback by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint 20 years ago. Their work, both together and separately, was extensively profiled in IS Art: The Art of Insight Studios. "Even with the addition of some stellar media guests, the Baltimore Comic-Con remains one of the most staunchly comic-centric conventions on the circuit. Of course we're favorably predisposed to our hometown show, but it's so much more than just regional pride. The guest list just can't be beat by any other show of this size or even many that are quite a bit bigger," said Mark Wheatley. "We're extremely happy our big, annual gathering of the tribe happens right here in Baltimore, and we're looking forward to making some great announcements." On his own, Mark Wheatley has most recently had his work for CBS Television featured on The Millers and Super Clyde, and he's presently part of a team that is developing a live stage show featuring Dick Tracy, Tarzan and the Green Hornet. In print, his work has been featured in the acclaimed Jungle Tales Of Tarzan from Dark Horse Comics, on the cover of the Meteor House release of Exiles Of Kho, the Phillip Jose Farmer series novel by Christopher Paul Carey, and his own well-received new art book, Stars, which presents elaborate line art portraits of actors, musicians, and authors. With a track record that includes Frankenstein Mobster, Radical Dreamer, Return of the Human, Hammer of the Gods, EZ Street, Skultar, and Lone Justice, Wheatley is an Inkpot, Mucker, Gem, Speakeasy, and Eisner award-winning creator. He has lectured at the Library of Congress, exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum, created set pieces for The Black Eyed Peas, designed for Lady Gaga, and contributed designs to ABC's Beauty and the Beast. He will be announcing an innovative new project at the show in collaboration with studio members G. D. Falksen and Evelyn Kriete. "America's Most Beloved Semi-Obscure Cartoonist," writer-illustrator Marc Hempel, grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and now resides in Baltimore, Maryland, where he plies his craft on such diverse projects ranging from his own Gregory, Tug & Buster, and Naked Brain to Disney Adventures, and from Clive Barker's Hellraiser to "The Kindly Ones" in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Hempel's art has also appeared in MAD, Marvel Fanfare, Epic Illustrated, Heavy Metal, Flinch, My Faith in Frankie, The Dreaming, Lucifer, Munden's Bar, Nickelodeon Magazine, and a 21-page Escapist story for Dark Horse Comics. His series The Love Brothers has appeared in Aces Weekly. Cryptozoo Crew artist Jerry Carr will debut a select number of large and small stretched canvas prints, illustrating a variety of furkini-clad jungle heroines and the monkeys who love them. At the Baltimore Comic-Con, he will also unveil new, limited edition poster prints, depicting all kinds of alien, primate, and reptilian critters. His and Allan Gross' Cryptozoo Crew has been optioned by Alcon Entertainment. G. D. Falksen is an author, lecturer, public speaker, and MC. He also studies history and has consulted for Disney. He is the author of The Ouroboros Cycle series and The Transatlantic Conspiracy, a YA mystery novel forthcoming from Soho Teen. Other fiction includes The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday, Cinema U, An Unfortunate Engagement, and The Mask of Tezcatlipoca. He is also a voice actor and co-writer for the animated film Hullabaloo and an accompanying educational series titled Ask The Professor. In addition to Cryptozoo Crew, Allan Gross has written for comic book companies including DC Comics, Dark Horse, and TokyoPop, as well as the Tarzan newspaper strip for United Features Syndicate, and cartoons for television. He wrote Road Song, the Doctor Cyborg graphic novels The Clone Conspiracy and Outpatient, and the novella "Bride of the Beast Man" in Titanic Tales, collaborated on the writing and editing of Gray Morrow: Visionary, and wrote the definitive retrospective on Insight Studios, IS Art: The Art of Insight Studios. He recently launched a successful Kickstarter project for his new quirky graphic novel, Life's Questions Answered, and he'll have a special signed, pre-publication edition available at the show. Evelyn Kriete is an editor, producer, artist, stylist, marketing adviser, social media strategist, and new media coordinator. She is also a crowdfunding consultant for Indiegogo and Comicmix. Through crowdfunding, she has raised over $1 million for various projects, including the animated film Hullabaloo, which she is producing alongside film creator James Lopez. She has previously worked on the staff of literary publications such as Weird Tales and Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine. TICKETS General Admission and VIP Package tickets for Weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as the Harvey Awards, are now on sale! Visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com/tickets/ for more information and to purchase your advanced tickets now, and as always, kids 10 and under get into the show free with a paid adult General Admission!   HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS While they are available, be sure to take advantage of discount rate arrangements we have made with hotels near the Baltimore Convention Center. For all the details, see: http://baltimorecomiccon.com/about/hotels/   In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.   Contact Information Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con: press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com- for the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries  About Insight Studios Group Insight Studios has been creating comics, stories, and art for print, TV, and digital media for over 30 years. The core of the talented group has remained remarkably stable in all those years, even while its creators have continued to come up with new and exciting projects. During that time, studio members have created or worked on Breathtaker, Mars, Blood of the Innocent, EZ Street, Lone Justice, Return of the Human, Sandman: The Kindly Ones, Tarzan, Jonny Quest, MAD, Road Song, Doctor Cyborg, Cryptozoo Crew, Disney Adventures, The Black Hood, and many others.   About The Baltimore Comic-Con The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 15th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com. About The Harvey Awards The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 10 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.