John Lewis interview on March vol. 2

Interview: John Lewis

John Maher

Graphic Novel Reporter November 3 2015

http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/authors/john-lewis/news/interview-011415

Nov 7: Lost Art Books in Brooklyn

Find us at Table #U9 in the upstairs hall!

Lost Art Books is one of the official sponsors of this year's Comic Arts Brooklyn (CAB) 2015 festival to be held on Nov. 7 from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. We've been invited to exhibit, and can be found in the upstairs hall at table #U9.

The festival is free to the public and is held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Brooklyn. You can find more information about the show's exhibitors, programming, and special guests at Comic Arts Brooklyn's website.

We will be bringing our entire back catalog to the show, as well as some of our convention-only prints and chapbooks. Come by our booth and introduce yourself: making new friends is our favorite part of exhibiting at these festivals.

John Lewis and March featured on Politico

John Lewis, Superhero

The civil rights icon and venerable Congressman embraces his newest designation: comic book convention hero.

By Rebecca Burns

November 03, 2015

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/11/john-lewis-the-superhero-213319?paginate=false

Courtesy of Top Shelf Productions

Nov 7: The Art of Richard Thompson film in Alexandria

"The Art of Richard Thompson"
Alexandria Film Festival, November 7 (4PM)
AMC Hoffman Center 22
206 Swamp Fox Rd
Alexandria, VA 22314

Tom King's new Vision comic previewed on Marvel.com

Behold the Vision Sketchbook: Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta provide an exclusive peek at their new project!

Tj Dietsch

Nov 2, 2015

http://marvel.com/news/comics/25387/behold_the_vision_sketchbook

The Post on Disney's horizontal and vertical integration

In media universe, the force is strongest with Disney, Universal [in print as In media universe, the force is strongest with these two].

By Drew Harwell
Washington Post November 3 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-empires-arise-disney-and-universal-dominate-us-box-office/2015/11/02/4fb4a982-7ce4-11e5-beba-927fd8634498_story.html

Nov 7: Citizen Jack creators at Third Eye Comics

This Saturday, meet CITIZEN JACK creators SAM HUMPHRIES & TOMMY PATTERSON at Third Eye Annapolis!

We're really pumped about the brand new IMAGE COMICS series, CITIZEN JACK, and are even more stoked to be bringing creators SAM HUMPHRIES (BLACK VORTEX, STAR-LORD, SACRIFICE) and TOMMY PATTERSON (GAME OF THRONES) in to sign copies of their new series, along with their past projects!

PR: GCD launches my.comics.org

[I've been a member since some time in the 1990s - Mike]

The Grand Comics Database (GCD) recently introduced a free comic collection inventory website at my.comics.org. Users from around the world can now track their collections benefiting from information found within the oldest and most extensive international comics database online.

GCD volunteers Jochen and Witold created my.comics.org with flexibility in mind. Witold emphasizes that "anybody can join and help us develop and improve, in any field from adding data through programming." This collaborative approach is designed to encourage developers to build additional tools to present, search, and filter collections.

Fans managing their collections through my.comics.org can also add and update information within the GCD, contributing to the continued growth of a free resource available to the entire comics community.

The Grand Comics Database is a nonprofit 501(c) project of international volunteers, with the goal of documenting and indexing all printed comics for the free use of scholars, historians, researchers, and fans worldwide. Started in 1994, the GCD has grown to become the largest online repository of indexed comics with over 1,205,000 issues from over 65 countries.

Thank you,

Daniel Nauschuetz

Grand Comics Database (GCD)

www.comics.org

DC-area band Exit Vehicles has just released an animated video

They tell ComicsDC:

We released our debut album STAGES in July 2015, and the first of a few music videos was released November 1st, this one for our song Module.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwkWPYiz9Qs

We felt the story for this could only really come across well if a cartoon was made from it, so we contacted a mutual acquaintance whose stuff we liked, Michigan-based artist Matt Rasch. Matt agreed to animate and direct for us in his unique style (http://mattraschart.tumblr.com/). It's just a whimsical cartoon about a monkey rocketing across space and back, and we think it's plenty of fun.

Exit Vehicles - Bandcamp website: https://exitvehicles.bandcamp.com/

Bio:

Exit Vehicles are a DC indie rock four piece who formed in mid-2013 as a project between twin brothers Brian and Adam Polon. After being in several bands and releasing several albums apart, the brothers felt it was finally time to try something together, and quickly sketched out 50 original songs on bass and guitar. The twins met drummer Jacob McLocklin (also in DC's indie/pop/rock outfit Cake and Calculus), and recorded 30 tracks with variations on Soundcloud under the project name The Debuggers (the three bandmembers all work in the DC computer/tech sector). The brothers found singer Brian Easley (a recent DC transplant via Austin and Chicago) through the Internet and began playing a show every month across DC for the next year under the name Exit Vehicles, their homage to science, space, technology, and NASA. Easley is a combat-disabled veteran.

Exit Vehicles recorded STAGES, their first LP, at the Lighthouse Recording Studio in Del Ray, Virginia with Peter Larkin early in 2015. The ten track album is a tribute to the Polon brothers' intricate and complex songwriting, McLocklin's dazzling drumwork, and Easley's visceral lyrics and wiry vocals. The album was also produced by Peter Larkin at The Lighthouse in Del Ray, and mastered by Dave Harris at Studio B in Charlotte, NC. The band's earlier 2014 EP offering – which Natan Press of The Deli Magazine described as "Aggressive yet melodic, progressive yet tight, a solid post-punk rhythm section drives a clean alt/indie sound reminiscent of the best in the city's history" – was recorded at Inner Ear Studio in Arlington, Virginia by Don Zientara. Exit Vehicles only play every month or two around DC, so be on the lookout for the next show! They play next on Saturday, December 12th, 2015 at Iota Club and Cafe in Arlington, VA.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exit.vehicles
Twitter: https://twitter.com/exitvehicles
Instagram: https://instagram.com/exitvehicles
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/exit-vehicles

Smithsonian blog on 19th century presidential election cartoons

Poking fun at the crowded presidential race—in the 1880s

By Jon Grinspan,
National Museum of American History's O Say Can You See blog September 17, 2015
http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/crowded-presidential-race-1880s

Ben Katchor's animated video for Smithsonian Folkways music

Animated Music Video for "Ich A Mazeldicker Yid" by The Brothers Nazaroff

http://www.folkways.si.edu/animated-music-video-for-ich-a-mazeldicker-yid-by-the-brothers-nazaroff/music/video/smithsonian

The Brothers Nazaroff: The Happy Prince is a boisterous, high-energy tribute to cult Yiddish troubadour Nathan "Prince" Nazaroff, who recorded the mysterious Folkways 10-inch record Jewish Freilach Songs in 1954. International klezmer supergroup The Brothers Nazaroff, composed of Daniel Kahn, Psoy Korolenko, Michael Alpert, Jake Shulman-Ment, Bob Cohen, and Hampus Melin, breathe new life into the discordant, obscure, jubilant legacy of their Happy Prince. This animation by Ben Katchor gives a preview of The Brothers Nazaroff's raucous reinterpretation of on of The Happy Prince's songs.

Year Released 2015
Catalog Number NONSI00036
Duration 1:55
Agent(s) The Brothers Nazaroff
Culture Group(s) Jewish
Genre(s) Judaica; World
Language(s) English; Yiddish

Q&A: Bishop and Klokel on 10 years of Fantom Comics

by Matt Dembicki
 
Fantom Comics on Nov. 9 celebrates its 10^th anniversary. The Dupont Circle store will celebrate on Nov. 7 starting at 5 p.m. with a 10-year retrospective, award show and more. Below, owners David Bishop and Matt Klokel answers a few questions about their store’s decade in the District.

The store has had several locations over the past decade, settling over the past year in Dupont Circle. In retail, it’s often said that it’s “location, location, location.” How is the new location compared to the previous ones?

Matt Klokel and David Bishop

Bishop: No disrespect to Tenleytown, Union Station or Pentagon City Mall, but wow do we really wish we were in Dupont from the start. It's just a fantastic cross section of everything that's happening in DC, and while new neighborhoods have sprung up around DC over the years the vibe of Dupont Circle as a hub for a lot of cultural and business and residential activities is helping to bring all sorts of different folks.

Klokel: Dupont Circle is the perfect mix of residential and business traffic. Union Station had the work crowd, but no weekend traffic. Dupont has them both. It's also a neighborhood, where Union Station wasn't, and that shows in the warmth we've received from residents since our arrival.

Is there something other than location that fosters success?

Bishop: This one is easy: Our staff. Finding the right folks who are energized about comics and about meeting and talking with new people and helping to link Fantom to the broader comic book scene with conventions and creators has had a huge impact. Matt K can add more to this thought.

Klokel: I second Bishop's 'staff' conclusion. We're a success because of them. Equally valid is that a major key to our success is that we've stopped looking at our business model as "selling comic books." We've moved the focus toward "building a community" instead, and as we've done that, with the help of our excellent staff, the books move off the shelves a lot more frequently.

The comics retail business is notoriously tough. What inspired you to give it a try back in 2005? Is it still what drives you?

Bishop: I imagine lots of people who have a love for comics have had some inkling about what it would be like to own a comic book store. Back in 2005 when I ran into Matt, I was looking for some business idea that could plug into one of the many empty storefronts in my neighborhood and even scale to open additional locations in other retail strips that were losing businesses. It was a thought about tipping the scales back toward a more vibrant and diverse mix of retail. But then I met Matt and he had already signed a lease for Tenleytown and we rolled in that direction.

Klokel: I was 28 and it was my last chance to start a business — something I'd always wanted to do — before heading back to grad school and pushing forward in my think tank career. It was now or never was how I looked at it. I'd loved comics when I was younger and was aware that the quality and sophistication of the stories has significantly increased since I was a kid so I did a lot of research and had already committed when I ran into Bishop and it really came together. Back then I went into the comics business because I wanted to start a retail store and comics seemed like the smartest bet. What motivates me now is the community we've managed to build. They're good people, and they're the reason its fun coming to work every day. 

What are two to three things that you’ve learned over the past 10 years that are imperative to succeed in owning a comics shop?

Bishop: The number one thing that we are still learning is how to properly manage cash flow. There are new comic books coming in every week and that means that there is cash going out to pay for those new books and cash coming in when those books are purchased. So it's very challenging to keep a sharp eye and to make sure that things are balancing out. Related to that is how cautions we need to be when taking the available cash and reinvesting it into the business. We made many, many bad bets on investments in the early days, and we are now much more cautious about spending money to ensure that any investment will bring back positive value to Fantom. 

Klokel: I agree, inventory/cash flow is a hard lesson that needs to be learned. We can't return comics we don't sell, yet we upset customers if we don't have enough to sell. This is EVERY comic book store's top concern, and if a store doesn't master it, they won't be around too long.

What have been your proudest moments over the past decade?

Bishop: Making it to 10 years is very satisfying. And seeing the bet we made on a larger store that could support in-store events rather than a smaller newstand-sized store paying off is also something to be proud of.

Klokel: Frankly, every day I wake up and know we're still in business — and actually killing it — when Borders isn't is a source of pride.

What plans to you have to celebrate Fantom’s birthday?

Bishop: Matt K can answer that one.

Klokel: We'll be updating the Facebook event in the coming 10 days as we fill the agenda. There will be a retrospective at the beginning of the party.

Mike Jenkins' special Halloween

Arlington caricaturist Mike Jenkins' discussed his ghostly lawn decor on NPR's Science Friday on October 30, 2015 (at -48:30)

He also had this sweet Donald Trump caricature on his Trumpkin pumpkin.

Nov. 1: Captive of Friendly Cove booksigning at Busboys and Poets Brookland

Busboys and Poets Brookland: Rebecca Goldfield, Matt Dembicki, Mike Short, and Evan Keeling - Captive of Friendly Cove: Based on the Secret Journals of John Jewitt

Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

Goldfield is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has aired in such places as The Discovery Channel; her previous collaboration with Keeling, founding member of the D.C. Conspiracy, and the graphic artists Dembicki and Short, resulted in Trickster and District Comics, which was one of The Washington Post's Best Books of 2012. In their new work, this amazing creative team pairs early 19th-century adventure with 21st-century graphic tale-telling to depict the three years British sailor John Jewitt spent as a captive of the Mowachaht of Nootka Sound, showing the survivor keeping up his spirits by recording events in his journal and practicing his blacksmithing trade—all while plotting his escape.

Busboys and Poets Brookland

625 Monroe St NE

WashingtonDC20017

Captive of Friendly Cove: Based on the Secret Journals of John Jewitt (Paperback)

By Rebecca Goldfield, Mike Short, Richard Inglis (Foreword by)

$25.95

9781936218110

Warren Bernard interviewed on WWII comics

How Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Dick Tracy, and Other Cartoons Helped Fight World War II

By Abraham Riesman

October 29 2015
http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/how-mickey-mouse-fought-world-war-ii.html#

Kim Jung Gi exhibit reviewed in The Post

'Lowbrow': A pop culture mashup at Blind Whino

By Mark Jenkins
Washington Post October 30 2015
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/museums/lowbrow-a-pop-culture-mashup/2015/10/28/a068b7aa-7349-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html

Kim Jung Gi embraces Japan and its culture, as shown in "Tempura Bar," right, a felt pen drawing from 2010. (Kim Jung Gi)

Oct. 31: The Tips, Tricks & Tools of Inking

Art Way Alliance is hosting an inking workshop with the Stone Branch School of Art (Rockville, Md.) at Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore Oct. 31 from 2-4pm. "Tips, Tricks & Tools of Inking" for the last day of “Inktober” will demonstrate different types of inking styles, from using standard Micron pens to brush pens and nib pens.

Photo: Art Way Alliance

The Post notes The Oatmeal's latest complaint

The heroic way one cartoonist responded when the Huffington Post swiped his art

By Abby Ohlheiser
Washington Post's The Intersect blog October 28 2015
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/28/the-heroic-way-one-cartoonist-responded-when-the-huffington-post-swiped-his-art/

Q&A with Short about 'Captive'

by Matt Dembicki

On Sunday, Nov. 1, the team that worked on the recently released historical graphic novel Captive of Friendly Cove: Based on the Secret Journal of John Jewitt (writer Rebecca Goldfield, penciler Mike Short, inker Matt Dembicki [that's me] and colorist Evan Keeling) will talk about the book at Busboys & Poets in Brookland at 6:30 p.m. (There will also be some original art from the book for sale.) Below, Short answers a few questions about working on the book.

Can you briefly describe the process of working with Rebecca on this book? I know there was plenty of back on forth on details, fact-checking and such?

Yeah sure, basically we worked a chapter at a time. I would read through the script and do thumbnails for the 12-14 pages of the chapter. We would discuss the script and the thumbnails and talk about pacing in certain spots or Rebecca would give me comments on panels, composition etc. Once we agreed on the thumbnails, I would go ahead and start doing detailed pencils. Once the pencils were done, we would talk again and make changes if needed.

How taxing was the process to getting certain historical details—such as weapons, tools, masks—nailed down for this book?

It was a challenge but I was pretty geeked up about the historical aspects. And Rebecca was awesome — she had a ton of material for me to use: photos she took on a visit to Nootka island, a bunch of books with historical pictures, paintings and drawings of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people, clothing, houses and artifacts. So I leaned heavily on that material. Also, of course, the internet is amazing but I also ran into trouble because internet photos can be mislabeled. So anyway, Rebecca and I would get it as close as we could and then Rebecca would share chapters with Richard Inglis — an anthropologist and expert on period and region — who would also give us great feedback on the work. But all in all I learned a ton about the time period and it was all a lot of fun.

What did you particularly like drawing in the book? Anything you disliked?

I loved drawing the whaling scene, the boats, ships and water scenes. The scenes with a lot of people in groups were hard for me. I never know when its OK to abstract and do rough shapes that ‘suggest’ a large group so I end up trying to draw everything.  It can take a while but in the end those panels with the most work are some of the ones I’m most proud of.

This was your first long-form graphic novel. Is it something you enjoyed or do you prefer doing shorter comics?

Original art from a chapter
in the book that was cut

I did enjoy the long form but it took a long time. I think I worked on it for close to 5 years. Honestly, I think I am too slow for this. I told Rebecca a few weeks ago, If I had to ink, color and letter, I’d still be on chapter 3! So doing this as a team was the only way I could’ve done it — plus Matt and Evan did great work on the book. But yeah, I enjoyed it and I’m really happy that we actually finished it, but there were some cool projects I missed out on because I was, “still working on Captive.” I will say that I am not planning on doing anything this long for a while at least.

I know your still unwinding from completing the book, but do you have anything lined up to work on in the near future?

Yeah, I am working on a "teenager/cabin in the woods” horror/sci-fi comic with Patrick Barb and I plan to submit something to the upcoming D.C. Conspiracy’s Magic Bullet comics newspaper. Other than that, I’m always keeping an eye out for other cool projects that come along.

Liniers in NY Times, and photos from DC's Busboys & Poets

My friendly acquaintance Liniers is profiled by The New York Times​. See my pictures of his DC appearance at https://www.flickr.com/photos/42072348@N00/albums/72157659990511236

Argentine Cartoonist's Foray Into The New Yorker

By JONATHAN WOLFE

A version of this article appears in print on October 28, 2015, on page C6 of the New York edition with the headline: An Argentine Cartoonist's Foray Into The New Yorker.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/28/books/argentine-cartoonists-foray-into-the-new-yorker.html