April 1: Teresa Roberts Logan at One More Page bookstore

From her Facebook page:

I'm doing an Author Talk and Book Signing at One More Page Books in Arlington, VA, on APRIL FOOLS DAY, at around 6:30 p.m. It's also a COLORING PARTY and WINE-TASTING!! We will be selling (and I'll be signing) my ‪#‎PoshPaisley‬ Coloring Book and my book of cartoons, "The Older I Get, The Less I Care," both from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

April 19: Superman: American Golem, The Jewish Origins of the Man of Steel

Superman: American Golem, The Jewish Origins of the Man of Steel

Evening Program

Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

$30 Member $45 Non-Member

The Golem—a terrifying and invincible stone creature—may have been created by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel to reassure the embattled Jews of Prague in the 16th century, but its influence spread far and wide. The legend made its way into Grimms' Fairy Tales, influenced Mary Shelley's creation of Frankenstein, and eventually played a role in inspiring the comic-book character Superman.

At first glance, linking the superhero from the planet Krypton to Golem of Prague may seem outlandish, but historian Ralph Nurnberger argues there is a connection between these legends. Fans of comic books and superheroes cling to the idea of figures who wield supernatural powers—and both the Golem and Superman were created to avenge evil on behalf of the weak and the powerless.

Writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, who created Superman in 1933, were the sons of Jews who escaped to America to avoid the pogroms. They, in turn, experienced the anti-Semitism that often plagued immigrants. Nurnberger suggests that the nebbishy Clark Kent's alter ego as bold protector gives an all-American twist to a 400-year-old legend—a transformation not into a man of stone, but one of steel.

Nurnberger is an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University's graduate liberal studies program.

 

LOCATION:
S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Dr SW
Metro: Smithsonian (Mall exit)

May 5: Captain America directors at Smithsonian

Marvel Men: Directors Joe and Anthony Russo on Bringing Captain America to the Screen

Evening Program with Film Clips

Thursday, May 5, 2016 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

$35 Non-Member $25 Member

Joe and Anthony Russo entered the Marvel film universe with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, one of the top-grossing films of 2014. The brothers recently directed the third film in the franchise, the upcoming Captain America: Civil War, which brings the classic storyline from the comics to life, pitting Cap (Chris Evans) against Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). View clips from the film and hear the directors discuss their experience in translating the adventures of the iconic superhero from the page to the screen.

Before stepping behind the camera for the Captain America series, the Russos served as executive producers and directors for several TV series, including Community and Happy Endings, and earned a Primetime Emmy for directing the pilot episode of the cult hit Arrested Development. Their film debut was 2002's Welcome to Collinwood, produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney.

 

LOCATION:
National Museum of American History
Warner Bros. Theater
Constitution Ave NW b/w 12th & 14th Sts
Metro: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian

Quick Tix Code: 1L0-117

Tom King interviewed on The Vision

King Builds a Better Family in "Vision," Marvel's Sci-Fi, Shakespearean Tragedy

Dave Richards

Comic Book Resources February 2 2016
http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/king-builds-better-family-vision-marvels-sci-fi-shakespearean-tragedy

Feb 4: Two Gareth Hinds appearances

Gareth Hinds - Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune

Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 10:30 a.m.

In this historical account by Pamela S. Turner, graphic novelist Hinds illustrates the tale of twelfth-century samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune. After his father is beheaded by the rival Taira clan, young Yoshitsune is sent to a Buddhist monastery—but refuses to stay there. Bent on revenge, he joins a Minamoto relative in a plot to overthrow the Taira. He becomes legendary thanks to numerous violent and daring escapades, including riding a horse down the side of a cliff. His own gruesome end contributed to seppuku, a ritual form of suicide, becoming part of the samurai code. Ages 12 and up

5015 Connecticut Ave NW

WashingtonDC20008

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune (Hardcover)

By Pamela S. Turner, Gareth Hinds (Illustrator)

$16.95

9781580895842

On Our Shelves Now

Charlesbridge Publishing - February 2nd, 2016

Gareth Hinds - Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune — at Takoma Park Library (MD)

Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

In this historical account by Pamela S. Turner, graphic novelist Hinds illustrates the tale of twelfth-century samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune. After his father is beheaded by the rival Taira clan, young Yoshitsune is sent to a Buddhist monastery—but refuses to stay there. Bent on revenge, he joins a Minamoto relative in a plot to overthrow the Taira. He becomes legendary thanks to numerous violent and daring escapades, including riding a horse down the side of a cliff. His own gruesome end contributed to seppuku, a ritual form of suicide, becoming part of the samurai code. Ages 12 and up

Takoma Park Library (MD)

101 Philadelphia Ave

Takoma ParkMD20912

New Gareth Hinds book out

Samurai Rising is here!

Today is the official launch date for Samurai Rising. Here's a first look blog post I did last week. There's now an official landing page on my site, and I'm taking orders for signed copies in the online store.

I'm also doing a bunch of launch events, as follows. I hope you can join me. Continued here

William Brown & Citizen Bill

William L Brown, aka Bill Brown, was born today, and is 64. He did the President Bill comic strip in alt weeklies, and there's one collection of it. He's continued it as Citizen Bill, online at http://tpssvoice.com/category/features/columns/citizenbill/

Tofu Timmy Day is coming up!

Axel and Alex book 3 available now

From

Terry Flippo

jmflip4@verizon.net

The third collection of Axel and Alex strips is 36 pages and each book comes with an original sketch on the back. All for only $6.00 ppd. Anyone who's interested can Paypal me 6 bucks and I'll drop one in the mail for ya! My good friend Jim Coon, graphic designer extrordinaire, outdid himself with the design of this book.

Sean Kleefeld on Skippy

Percy Crosby was from the northern Virginia area.

On Strips: Skippy

By Sean Kleefeld | Friday, January 29, 2016
http://www.kleefeldoncomics.com/2016/01/on-strips-skippy.html

Mike's 1967 comics Christmas

by Mike Rhode

At Christmas in 1967, I was almost three years old. Here's a picture of me with some Disney coloring* book, which I don't recognize nor remember.

Thanks to Gene Kannenberg, I now know it's a coloring book, not a comic book as I assumed.

 

And here I am in January 1968 reading the Sunday comics.

That darn Foxtrot and Rick McKee

Letters to the Editor

The 'Netflix and chill' joke in 'FoxTrot' was funny but inappropriate [in print as It's hard to stay chill about this comic].

David Smith, Annandale

Washington Post January 30 2016, p. A17.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-netflix-and-chill-joke-in-foxtrot-was-funny-but-inappropriate/2016/01/28/9df4f41a-c476-11e5-b933-31c93021392a_story.html

Letters to the Editor

Bernie Sanders is not offering 'free money' [in print as There's no 'free money']

Claude Kacser, Rockville
Washington Post January 30 2016, p. A17.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bernie-sanders-is-not-offering-free-money/2016/01/29/3c7b82b8-c461-11e5-b933-31c93021392a_story.html

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Stop Digging, Mr. Mendelson!"

"Stop Digging, Mr. Mendelson!"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1845

On January 4 the DC City Council, in a notorious cave-in to Mayor Bowser, quickly reversed its decision to end the ban on the smoking of marijuana in public establishments, setting the stage for the emergence of underground "smokeasies" for people unable to smoke in their own homes, such as poor tenants in Section 8 housing, or regular apartment tenants restricted by rental agreements.

DCMJ.org posted on January 5:
The January 4th Legislative Meeting of the DC Council was a rollercoaster. First the DC Council voted to #LetTheBanExpire, then the Mayor called members of the DC Council and told them to have a revote on the ban, and after the second vote the DC Council renewed the ban on social cannabis use…

Sounds like we lost, but we didn't. Here's why: the DC Council is going to amend the ban before it becomes permanent law. We believe the amended version will be less broad and carve out exceptions for adult use outside of private residences. In the meantime, nothing changes- the ban from 2015 is in place for at least 90 more days, but we now have the opportunity to fix the law before it becomes permanent, but we need everyone to step up their efforts and lobby the DC Council about the need to #AmendTheBan.
--

Mike Flugennock

Local papers on animation

Why sad movies make for kinder kids

[in print as Crying gain: Sad movies teach kids all the right feels].

By Kristen Page-Kirby
Express January 29 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2016/01/29/why-sad-movies-make-for-kinder-kids/

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2016: Animated Heavy topics are lightened by the whimsical possibilities of the form [in print as The Big Shorts].

By Noah Gittell
Washington City Paper January 29, 2016, p 25.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/47861/oscar-nominated-short-films-2016-animated-reviewed-heavy-topics-are/

The Post on Kung Fu Panda and Oscar shorts

Oscar-nominated shorts come to E Street [in print as Short, but alternately sweet and serious].

By Michael O'Sullivan J
January 29, 2016, p. Weekend 29

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/oscar-nominated-shorts-come-to-e-street/2016/01/28/9f5799d4-c08e-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html

 

Chilean animator Gabriel Osorio's "Bear Story" is beautiful to look at, but was inspired by the abduction of the filmmaker's grandfather. (Bear Story)

'Kung Fu Panda 3': Welcome return of a bravehearted bumbler [in print as 'In a world with more pandas, this third film's a charmer].

By Sandie Angulo Chen
January 29, 2016, p. Weekend 27

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/kung-fu-panda-3-welcome-return-of-a-bravehearted-bumbler/2016/01/28/6b6b2abe-bfb7-11e5-bcda-62a36b394160_story.html

In "Kung Fu Panda 3," Po, left, reunites with his father, Li. Po remains a charming bumbler — excited to learn, for example, that other pandas don't eat with chopsticks. (DreamWorks Animation)

New comics journalism newsletter from Josh Kramer

There's a new email newsletter in town.

Hi from Josh Kramer, Editor of The Cartoon Picayune. If you're a fan of my work or The Cartoon Picayune, you'll love The CoJo List, a new email newsletter dedicated to bringing you the best in nonfiction comics from around the internet. Please sign up!

E Street Cinema on Anomalisa animation

Filmmaker Letter: Anomalisa

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/anomalisa-filmmaker-letter

by Charlie Kaufman, co-director/writer/producer

The Express on Kung Fu Panda 3

'Kung Fu Panda 3′ uses technology to communicate emotion [in print as The 'Kung Fu Panda' balancing act].

By Kristen Page-Kirby
Express January 28  2016, p. 43.
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2016/01/28/kung-fu-panda-3-uses-technology-to-communicate-emotion/

 

Po (left, voiced by Jack Black) and his dad Li (voiced by Bryan Cranston) are here to eat bamboo and kick butt. And they're all out of bamboo. (Fox)

1/29-2/3: OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2016: ANIMATION

E Street Cinema

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/washington-d-c/e-street-cinema/film-info/oscar-nominated-short-films-2016-animated

Don't miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short and more! Program includes: "Historia de un Oso (Bear Story)" (Chile), in which an old, lonesome bear tells the story of his life through a mechanical diorama; Pixar Animation Studios' "Sanjay's Super Team" (USA), about a young, first-generation Indian-American boy whose love for western pop-culture comes into conflict with his father's traditions; "We Can't Live Without Cosmos" (Russia), in which two cosmonauts who are friends try to do their best in their everyday training life to make their common dream a reality; writer/director Don Hertzfeldt's "World of Tomorrow" (USA), in which a little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future; and "Prologue" (UK), in which a small girl bears witness as warriors battle to death during the Spartan-Athenian wars of 2,400 years ago. Additional animated shorts will also be shown. (Note: "Prologue" contains mature content and will be shown last, so that parents and caregivers can usher children out of the theater if desired. Other shorts in the program are acceptable for kids of all ages.)

Sherman Lagoon's Jim Toomey has new cartoons online now

Jim Toomey has done animated public service announcements sponsored by Pew Trust. From their press release:

"Ocean governance. Even policy experts will admit it sounds pretty boring. But now those of us with less ocean savvy are in luck. 

 

The Pew Charitable Trusts has joined forces with cartoonist Jim Toomey—whose daily comic strip, Sherman's Lagoon, is syndicated in more than 250 newspapers in the United States—to animate terms like "ocean governance" and nine others that can sometimes be confusing.

 

And after hundreds of hours spent by Jim Toomey "Cartoon Crash Course" is live. The hope was to offer a fun way to engage our audiences about important marine topics that needed explaining.

 

You can watch all 10 new short films here: http://ow.ly/XDDs6

 

We hope you check out these humorous cartoons and come away with a better, more animated understanding of what it means to take care of our oceans."

Feb 4: Gareth Hinds at Takoma Library

Thursday, February 4

10:30 a.m. at Politics & Prose and 7:30 p.m. at Takoma Park Library (MD) - Gareth Hinds - Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune