Friday, September 04, 2015

Comic Riffs' pre-National Book Festival interviews

National Book Festival: Are you 'cynical' and 'twisted'? Stephan 'Pearls' Pastis wants you.


National Book Festival: Miss Lasko-Gross enchantingly taps the art of our unease



National Book Festival: Pioneer Trina Robbins ever a vital voice for women creators

ED. NOTE: Tomorrow at 7 p.m., Comic Riffs will host and emcee the Graphic Novel Night pavilion at the Library of Congress's National Book Festival. The participating cartoonists will include Lalo Alcaraz, Keith Knight, Miss Lasko-Gross, Diane Noomin, Stephan Pastis and Scott Stantis.

Jennifer Holm at Hooray for Books

Today: Jennifer Holm in Alexandria


Editorializing here - this is one of my favorite graphic novels of the year so far. I'm going to this signing. - 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.


EW.com on Frank Cho's new Hulk series

Marvel reveals Amadeus Cho as Totally Awesome Hulk

Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso promises that, "come December, arguably the strongest character in the Marvel Universe is going to be Asian-American."
EW.com September 4 2015
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/04/marvel-amadeus-cho-totally-awesome-hulk

And they appear to be jettisoning some of their extraneous characters: 

"But I also want to say that he will be the only Hulk in the Marvel Universe. He will be the Hulk, the green Hulk, that will be him. Just like there’s one Thor in the Marvel Universe and she’s a she, there is one Hulk and it is Amadeus Cho."

But apparently "only" has a different meaning in Marvel-land:

"Amadeus is the main character of course, She-Hulk is right there in the very first issue — she’s got a great and big role to play in the first few issues."

 

Sept 17: Frederik Peeters in Takoma

Busboys and Poets Takoma: Frederik Peeters - Aama: 4. You Will Be Glorious, My Daughter

Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

Peeters, the Geneva-based graphic novelist, has won world-wide acclaim for Blue Pills and Pachyderme, and was awarded the Best Series Prize at Angoul'me for the first two volumes of his four-book Aama.  Set in the distant future, the series began with Verloc, his brother Conrad, and a cigar-smoking robotic monkey named Churchill. Rejecting the technology he feels destroys old values like humanity and beauty, Verloc, with his companions, travels across the galaxy in an attempt to recover the mysterious biorobotic experiment known as aama. As the quest continues on the planet Ona(ji), which aama has populated with biorobotic creatures, the expedition dwindles to a single man: can Verloc alone, himself radically transformed, regain control of aama? Peeters will be in conversation with Sam Marx, Exhibitor Coordinator at the Small Press Expo.

Busboys and Poets Takoma
235 Carroll Street NW
Washington DC 20012

Cache of Grandma Rose's vintage NJ landscape paintings is Hagenized

For Immediate Release

Local artist and cartoonist David Hagen has undertaken the delicate and time-consuming process of "Hagenizing" a newly-revealed cache of vintage paintings from Northern New Jersey. The paintings were done from the late 1950s through the early 1970s by the mysterious Grandma Rose's. Largely a collection of landscapes, with a few still lifes known, the paintings by themselves capture the hallucinatory reality of the world made famous in Bruce Springsteen songs.







"I was pleased to be able to rescue these oddly-moving paintings from a house that was about to be demolished, and to place them with such a distinguished and groundbreaking modern artist to be safely and proudly Hagenized," said ComicsDC publisher Mike Rhode.

After a careful study of the work, Hagen applies his own particular brand of restoration to each painting, resulting in a new and improved masterwork. With about 50 paintings to work through, Hagen anticipates his production to be slow, but just in time for the holiday shopping season. The first painting, seen here in before and after versions, debuts tomorrow at the Civitan Flea Market in Arlington, VA.



Keep following this breaking story as there's more to come.

DISCLAIMER: ComicsDC's Mike Rhode provided the paintings to Hagen for free, and is not making any money from his reuse of them (but is enjoying it).

Sept. 30, 2015: Second painting is revealed.
 



Oct 1: Third painting revealed.



Oct 3: 4th painting revealed.


October 27: 5th & 6th paintings revealed.






May 2016, paintings 7-10 went on sale.


Painting 11 surfaced in September 2016 at InterventionCon.


Politico's Cartoon Carousel online today.

Politico's Cartoon Carousel is online today, as selected by Matt Wuerker.

Ben Hatke's Little Robot book tour

Ben's new book is out, and here's information on his tour for it.


Thursday, September 03, 2015

Warren Peace on Liz Suburbia

I assume Liz is still in the NoVA area.

The exquisite punk expressiveness of Liz Suburbia

September 2, 2015

http://warren-peace.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-exquisite-punk-expressiveness-of.html


Small Press Expo Announces SPX 2015 Programming


Small Press Expo Announces Programming Schedule for SPX 2015

For Immediate Release

Contact: Warren Bernard

Phone: 301-537-4615

Email: warren@spxpo.com

Bethesda, Maryland; September 3, 2015

Media Release - Small Press Expo is pleased to announce the Programming Schedule for SPX 2015. SPX is continuing the festival's established tradition of rich, thought provoking programming featuring leading comics artists and critics in conversation. As in previous years, the Programming Schedule features two simultaneous tracks on both Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20.
 
This year Bill Kartalopoulos has stepped down from the Programming Coordinator role at SPX. Over the course of nine years working in a volunteer capacity, Kartalopoulos has not only established SPX as a destination for robust and thoughtful programming, he has single-handedly elevated the standard for programming events across the entire field of comics festivals and related events. Additionally, this year Kartalopoulos co-curated, with Warren Bernard, the impressive and groundbreaking Alt-Weekly Comics exhibit at the Society of Illustrators that was sponsored by Small Press Expo.

"On behalf of the SPX Executive Committee, as well as the entire SPX Community, we cannot thank Bill enough for the tremendous time and effort he put into making SPX's programming the highest level it could possibly attain." says Small Press Expo Executive Director Warren Bernard
 
This year's programming was developed by a committee led by Esther Kim of Fantom Comics that includes Michael Cavna and Jen Vaughn, with Kartalopoulos continuing in a consulting capacity with a focus on international guests. 

The complete SPX 2015 Programming Schedule with full descriptions and participants for the 22 panels and interviews may be found at

http://www.spxpo.com/spx-2015-programming.

Programming will run on Saturday September 19 from Noon  until 7PM, and Sunday September 20 from 12:30PM until 6PM.   

SPX 2015 programming includes Q&A sessions with Kate Beaton, Noelle Stevenson, Bill Griffith, Dylan Horrocks, Stuart and Kathryn Immonen, Jessica Abel, Scott McCloud, Luke Pearson, Philippa Rice and Phoebe Gloeckner.

Highlights of this years panel discussions will include:

- Black Art Matters brings together Darryl Ayo (Press (A) To Talk), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), Whit Taylor (The Fabric of Appropriation) and Rod Wimberly (Lighten Up) in a discussion of comics and the black experience in America, moderated by Keith Knight (The Knight Life, K Chronicles).

- In Animate Your Life!, Michael Cavna of the Washington Post leads Lilli Carre (Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation), Sam Spina (Regular Show), Josh Frankel (Welcome to Showside), and Monica Ray (Nickelodeon's Harvey Beaks) in a discussion of the various paths people take into the world of animation.

- International guests Joan Cornella (Spain), Bendik Kaltenborn (Norway) and Brecht Vandenbroucke (Belgium), led by moderator Bill Kartalopoulos, talk about European Comics And The Absurd.

- Our hands-on comics workshop, led by Jon Chad (Center for Cartoon Studies) and Beth Hetland (School of the Art Institute of Chicago).

 
 


Wednesday, September 02, 2015

SPX 2015 Reminder: Nickelodeon Call for Submissions Due September 14


Reminder! Nickelodeon Call For Submissions at SPX 2015 Due September 14


Dear Creative Creators,

If you have ever thought about getting into the animation world, the Nickelodeon Call for Submissions at SPX 2015 is a great way to try and do just that. Monica Ray and Nick Sumida (Storyboard Artists on Nickelodeon's Harvey Beaks), who will be part of the Nickelodeon contingent at this years show, both sold their mini-comics at SPX before finding themselves out in Burbank, California at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

So be sure to sign up to submit your ideas as time is getting short with the September 14 due date fast approaching. A note from Kevin Lee at Nickelodeon is below!!


See you at SPX,

Warren, Mike, Sam, Eden and the rest of the SPX Executive Committee

 


Hi again from Nickelodeon Animation Studio!

In case you missed it last time, we're taking pitches for shorts in-person at SPX 2015 and will select one to produce as part of Nickelodeon's 2015 global Animated Shorts Program!  If you're already planning to pitch, we look forward to meeting you!  If you missed it earlier and are interested or curious, please go to our website:  http://spx.nickshortspitches.com

Important Update!  Comics and storyboard superstars, Monica Ray and Nick Sumida (Storyboard Artists on Harvey Beaks), will be joining in to hear your pitches!  Our global Animation Shorts Program encourages artists to work with and learn from others here at the studio, so we're grateful that they will be with us to hear your ideas and get to know you as well.

Reminder!  Deadline to register is September 14th.  What this really means is we need you to enter your information via the website by then so that we can schedule a meeting.  You don't have to submit your pitch materials by this date, just be sure to bring a copy of it with you to the meeting.

Also Important!  We want to meet everyone who is interested in talking with us, whether you're pitching or not.  Maybe you're just interested to know about how to get a job or internship at Nickelodeon?  Please drop by our table and say hi!  We'll have information on hand about opportunities at Nickelodeon and we'll be around all weekend.

If you have any questions, please email me at  Kevin.Lee@nick.com

Thank you!
Kevin Sukho Lee
Creative Director
Nickelodeon Animation Development


Comic Riffs on the return of Bloom County

Magnet Opus: Breathed 'delighted' as 'Bloom County 2015′ joins Universal Uclick lineup

The third Comic Riffs article on the content of comic strips

The Taste Test: Pastis and Piccolo rail against the tameness and timidity of comics

Comic Riffs talks to Bob Mankoff about the computerization of humor

Can robots now write quality jokes? How the notion is becoming less laughable.


The Vision moves to suburban Northern Virginia via Tom King

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Teresa Logan on Internet radio show POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS

The Savage & Starbuck Show

Hosted by Joie Savage and SB Starbuck

An Hour With Teresa Roberts Logan



POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS




The Laughing Redhead is Teresa Roberts Logan.
She's made a living with humor for several decades, on page and on stage.
Teresa writes and draws humor for publication, for standup comedy, for storytelling, for cartoons . . . as well as spooky stuff, and provides content for publishing, animation, books, and product.
As a professional artist and illustrator, she has done thousands of paintings and drawings, kabillions (math!) of cartoons and jokes for products such as animations, cocktail napkins, partyware, tissues, and greeting cards. She was nominated for a Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society for her greeting cards. Currently she's working on a graphic novel, HAINT BLUE, (an autobiographical supernatural story), some horror short stories, and a web comic, FOG OF WORRY.
Books which contain her funny stuff (cartoons and columns): "The Older I Get, The Less I Care" (Andrews McMeel Publishing), "Laughing Out Loud" (Hallmark Gift Books), "Humor for a Sister's Heart" (Howard Publishing), "Mug of Woe," "All Woe Great and Small," "Woe of Dating," (just released) "Wreck the Halls," (Mug of Woe Publishing).
Teresa has done a lot of standup comedy and storytelling, through such venues as: HBO, Comedy Channel, A&E, Catch A Rising Star, Gotham Comedy Club, The Metropolitan Room NYC, Zanies, and Comedy Works . . . and was an opening act for Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Drew Carey, and Paula Poundstone, as well as many other famous and not–so-famous funny people. "Rich Jeni called me 'the Meryl Streep of comedy' and I thought that was so cool that he loved my dialects and accents so much. But one day, when he found out that's what I thought, he laughed really hard and told me, 'No, I meant you have the same NOSE!'"

Nate Powell talks about March

Comic Riffs talks to a syndicate censor ... editor

The Comics Taste Test: Dilbert, 'Uranus-Hertz' & the birth of the substitute strip

 

Fwd: Small Press Expo Announces Guests Brandon Graham and Phoebe Gloeckner



Small Press Expo Announces Guests Brandon Graham and Phoebe Gloeckner at SPX 2015

For Immediate Release

Contact: Warren Bernard

Email: warren@spxpo.com

Bethesda, Maryland; September 1, 2015
 

Media Release ­— ­— SPX is pleased to announce Brandon Graham and Phoebe Gloeckner  as guests at SPX 2015. This is in addition to the previously announced guests to SPX's 21st Birthday Party, Kate Beaton, Luke Pearson, Noelle Stevenson, Michael DeForge, Gemma Correll, Noah Van Sciver, Matt Bors, Lilli Carré, Theo Ellsworth, C. Spike Trotman, Jennifer Hayden, Stuart Immonen, Scott McCloud, Bill Griffith, Kathryn Immonen, Derf, Jessica Abel (Sat. Only) and Ted Rall, as well as international guests, Frederik Peeters, Dylan Horrocks, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Bendik Kaltenborn, Anna Ehrlemark and Joan Cornellà.

Previously announced special guest Raina Telgemeier will be unable to attend this years show.
From his beginnings as a graffiti artist in his hometown of Seattle to his recent run as writer on the Image comics series
Prophet as well as creator of his own comics Multiple Warheads, King City, Elevator and Universe So Big, Brandon Graham has been a vocal and passionate proponent of independent comics. Mr. Graham will sign his books as a fundraiser for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Stop by the CBLDF table to buy his works, including his latest from Image Comics, 8House: Arclight #2, as well as issues #2 and #3 of the science fiction anthology series he co-edits with Emma Rios, Island.
Diary of a Teenage Girl,
Phoebe Gloeckner's semi-autobiographical graphic novel published in 2002, was released earlier this year as a critically acclaimed movie starring Kristen Wiig. Garnering a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Ms. Gloeckner co-wrote the screenplay to Diary that was a selection at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Influenced by the women's comics anthology Twisted Sisters, Ms.Gloeckner work was published in such titles as Wimmen's Comix, Young Lust and the Robert Crumb edited magazine, Weirdo. A compendium of all of her comics work to date, A Child's Life and Other Stories, was published in 1998, generating significant controversy, with public schools and library systems banning the book due to its frank portrayal of sex and drug use. Ms. Gloeckner is a trained medical illustrator and is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. Ms. Gloeckner will also be signing her books at the CBLDF table.

SPX 2015 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 19-20, and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitor tables and 22 programming slots to entertain, enlighten and introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.


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 600 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.



Sept 16: "Sequential Art in Science Communication” by David Clarke



https://gnsi.org/event/meeting/gnsi-dc-sept-16th-sequential-art-science-communication
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators

PRESENTATION: "Sequential Art in Science Communication" by David Clarke
DATE & TIME: Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.

The word "comics" might bring to mind well-thumbed copies of Scrooge McDuck, Spiderman, or the newspaper's Sunday funny pages, but today sequential art is being used to communicate and teach subjects such as science, medicine and history. David Clarke is creating comics about the history of science. His first large scale project is a graphic novel of the voyage of "Captain" James Cook and Joseph Banks to Tahiti for the Transit of Venus and their subsequent travels around the South Pacific mapping New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. David will describe the development process – what's involved - in creating a graphic novel.

David Clarke, former GNSI DC President, is the CEO of his own studio. He creates animations, illustrations, comics and graphics and works with a small programming team to create interactive learning objects for the university's online classrooms. He is an Adjunct faculty member of Northern Virginia Community College and a multimedia/graphic artist at the University of Maryland University College. He has a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from the Academy of Art University, based in San Francisco.

LOCATION:
Smithsonian Natural History Museum
10th St. & Constitution Ave., Washington, DC.

Wait for an escort in the Constitution Avenue lobby between 5:30 and 6:10 p.m. (about every 15 minutes)

EVENING'S SCHEDULE:
5:30 p.m. for snacks and socializing (Please bring a food item to share, or $3.00 for the donation jar.)
6:00 p.m. Business and announcements
6:10 p.m. (approx.) Presentation begins