***JUST ANNOUNCED! ***
Justin Jordan will be in store at our One Year Anniversary Party on April 23rd.
Creator of "The Strange Talent of Luther Strode", "Strayer" and "Spread"
Save the date...more names to be announced in the coming weeks!
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
April 23: Justin Jordan at Comic Logic
Monday, February 08, 2016
Feb. 15: Swann Fellowship deadline
Feb. 15, 2016 is the deadline for receipt of applications for the Swann Foundation Fellowship, one of the few that supports scholarly graduate research in caricature and cartoon. For criteria, guidelines, and application forms, please see:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swann-fellow.html
Please email swann@loc.gov or call (202) 707-9115 if you have questions.New Hampshire presidential cartoons online
Cartoonists Take on the New Hampshire Primary
POLITICO's Matt Wuerker handpicks his favorite New Hampshire-themed cartoons.
2/07/2016
http://www.politico.com/magazine/gallery/2016/02/cartoonists-take-on-the-new-hampshire-primary-000611?lo=ap_e1&slide=0Black Excellence in Comics events
To celebrate Black History Month, Fantom Comics is hosting book clubs and events all month that relate to popular comics and how they and the industry portray and address issues pertaining to being black.
Upcoming Black Excellence in Comics events:
2/11 - Princeless
2/18 - Shaft Vol.1 and Shaft: Imitation of Life #1
2/22 - Fantom Discourse: "Afrofuturism - What If Wakanda Existed?"
2/25 - Power Man & Iron Fist
Upcoming Black Excellence in Comics events:
2/11 - Princeless
2/18 - Shaft Vol.1 and Shaft: Imitation of Life #1
2/22 - Fantom Discourse: "Afrofuturism - What If Wakanda Existed?"
2/25 - Power Man & Iron Fist
Sunday, February 07, 2016
That darn Toles
Tom Toles's Zika cartoon is '99 Red Balloons' all over again [in print as This is it, boys, this is war].
Barry Sasscer, Laurel
Washington Post February 6 2016
Friday, February 05, 2016
Feb 5: Lord Arik by Eric Apfelbaum in Falls Church
"It will be held at Art and Frame of Falls Church, 205 W. Jefferson Street from 6:00-8:00 pm. Also on display will be an exhibit of Eric Apfelbaum's work, entitled "Lord Arik- Comics, Character Design, and Figure Drawing." A BFA student at George Mason University interested in Character Concept Art and Comic Book Illustration, he has experience drawing specializing in human anatomy."
Compleating Cul de Sac first edition goes out of print
Compleating Cul de Sac's first edition is now out of print, and it's good news!
We're pleased to announce that we (aka The Thompsons) are just about to sign the contract with Picture This Press for them to publish the grandly-themed Richard Thompson Library. Compleating Cul de Sac version 2.0 is being expanded by editor Rhode and designer Bono Mitchell with more interviews, more Thompson art and more Team Cul de Sac art, even as we type. Any profits from this book will continue to be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund Parkinson's research, as we had arranged to do with the first edition.
The draft of The Incompleat Art of Why Things Are with an introduction by Joel Achenbach is in the hands of the publisher who's working with his designer on the book. Scott Stewart is continuing to work on a new collection of caricatures.
In the meantime, all of Richard's Cul de Sac books, and The Art of Richard Thompson are still available from his traditional publisher, Andrews McMeel.We're pleased to announce that we (aka The Thompsons) are just about to sign the contract with Picture This Press for them to publish the grandly-themed Richard Thompson Library. Compleating Cul de Sac version 2.0 is being expanded by editor Rhode and designer Bono Mitchell with more interviews, more Thompson art and more Team Cul de Sac art, even as we type. Any profits from this book will continue to be sent to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fund Parkinson's research, as we had arranged to do with the first edition.
The draft of The Incompleat Art of Why Things Are with an introduction by Joel Achenbach is in the hands of the publisher who's working with his designer on the book. Scott Stewart is continuing to work on a new collection of caricatures.
Mike Rhode
March 15: Phil Nel on Crockett Johnson at the Smithsonian
Evening Program
Tuesday, March 15, 2016 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Tickets
$30 Member
$45 Non-Member
Tickets
$30 Member
$45 Non-Member
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Crockett Johnson (born David Johnson Leisk, 1906–1975) and Ruth Krauss (1901–1993) were a husband-and-wife team that created such popular children's books as The Carrot Seed and How to Make an Earthquake. Johnson's best-known solo works are the enduring children's classic Harold and the Purple Crayon, published in 1955, and the groundbreaking comic strip Barnaby (1942–1952). Krauss wrote more than a dozen children's books illustrated by others, collaborating eight times with Maurice Sendak to produce titles that include A Hole Is to Dig and A Very Special House.
Together, Johnson and Krauss's style—whimsical writing, clear and minimalist drawing, and a child's point of view—is among the most revered and influential in children's literature and cartooning. Acclaimed by critics and loved by readers, the couple's work also drew attention from another quarter in the 1950s: the FBI. Defiantly leftist in an era of McCarthyism and Cold War paranoia, Krauss and Johnson became the targets of surveillance and investigations during this rabidly anti-Communist era.
Drawing on his dual biography Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature (University Press of Mississippi), Philip Nel tells a true story of art, publishing, politics, and the power of the imagination.
Nel is a scholar of children's literature and a University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is co-editor of the first complete collection of Barnaby comic strips, an extended, multi-volume project of Fantagraphics Books.
The program is underwritten by the Irving M. Gorbach Charitable Foundation.
Smithsonian Connections
From 1965 until his death in 1975, Crockett Johnson painted more than 100 works relating to mathematics and mathematical physics. Of these paintings, 80 are in the collections of the American History Museum. Take a look at a digital gallery, presented along with related diagrams from the artist's library and papers.
LOCATION:
S. Dillon Ripley Center
1100 Jefferson Dr SW
Metro: Smithsonian (Mall exit)
The Post on Brazil's ‘Boy and the World’ cartoon
Seeing life through a child's hand-drawn eyes [online as Oscar-nominated 'Boy and the World' looks at life through a child's wide eyes]
By Michael O'Sullivan February 5 2016, p. Weekend 30
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/oscar-nominated-boy-and-the-world-looks-at-life-through-a-childs-wide-eyes/2016/02/03/f6ab5144-c7a5-11e5-a4aa-f25866ba0dc6_story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/oscar-nominated-boy-and-the-world-looks-at-life-through-a-childs-wide-eyes/2016/02/03/f6ab5144-c7a5-11e5-a4aa-f25866ba0dc6_story.html
The animation in the Academy Award-nominated "Boy and the World" was created with colored pencil, paint and photo collage. (GKIDS)
Thursday, February 04, 2016
Feb 11: Cartoons and Taboos: Dancing in a Visual Minefield
Cartoons and Taboos: Dancing in a Visual Minefield
Project image:
Thursday, February 11, 6:30 - 8 pm
Cartoons and Taboos: Dancing in a Visual Minefield
New York University, 1307 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 (Metro: McPherson Square)
One year ago, on January 7, 2015, terrorism attacked freedom of expression with the assault on the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo. The slogan "Je suis Charlie" became ubiquitous. All of Europe showed its solidarity with France. Many citizens living in capital cities placed garlands of flowers in front of the French embassies. The European media reproduced caricatures as a show of solidarity.
The freedom which was accepted throughout Europe after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and which formed the core of liberalism is being seriously threatened today. For whoever avails himself of the freedom upon which our ability to express and accept criticism is based may face the threat of death as a result. Withstanding this challenge and finding institutions that continue to protect this freedom is an imminently urgent task. We are confronted with a fundamental shift in thinking: freedom of expression can cost lives. Time will tell what consequences this has – will there be an image policy to prevent conflicts? Or will we maintain our position in editorial departments, at universities, in art and politics?
European cultural organizations hold on to the belief in the freedom of expression, and refuse to avoid difficult topics. Four caricaturists have accepted our invitation to participate in a discussion about these questions.
Panelists
Lectrr (Steven Degryse) is a Belgian cartoonist, best known for his daily political cartoons in De Standaard. Over the past decade he has been published all over Europe, both as an editorial cartoonist and as a syndicated single panel cartoonist, in magazines including Helsingsborgs Dagblad (Sweden), Prospect Magazine (UK), Nieuwe Revu (The Netherlands), Veronica Magazine (The Netherlands), Kretèn (Hungary) and many others. His work has been published in over ten languages and 15 books. Lectrr is a member of the jury in Knokke-Heist, the oldest cartoon festival in the world, and was nominated multiple times for the Press Cartoon Belgium and the Press Cartoon Europe awards.
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL) is the international award-winning editorial cartoonist for The Economist magazine of London and The Baltimore Sun. In a distinguished career that spans 37 years, Kal has created over 8,000 cartoons and 140 magazine covers. His resumé includes six collections of his published work, including his celebrated anthology of Economist cartoons titled Daggers Drawn (2013). In 2015, KAL was awarded the Grand Prix for Cartoon of the Year in Europe, The Herblock Prize for Cartoonist of the Year in the US and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Cartooning. In 1999, The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons said of Kevin "Commanding a masterful style, Kallaugher stands among the premier caricaturists of the (twentieth) century."
Ann Telnaes creates animated editorial cartoons and a blog of print cartoons, animated gifs, and sketches for The Washington Post. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for her print cartoons. Telnaes' print work was shown in a solo exhibition at the Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in 2004. Her first book, Humor's Edge, was published in 2004. A collection of Vice President Cheney cartoons, Dick, was self-published by Telnaes and Sara Thaves in 2006. Her work has also been exhibited in Paris, Jerusalem, and Lisbon.
Matt Wuerker is the staff cartoonist for POLITICO. Part of the team that launched POLITICO in 2006, he provides editorial cartoons, illustrations, caricatures and Web animations for both the print and Web platforms of the publication. Over the past 35 years, Matt's cartoons have been used widely in publications that range from dailies like the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and The Christian Science Monitor to magazines such as Newsweek, The Nation and Smithsonian. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012. In 2010, he was awarded the Herblock Prize at the Library of Congress, and the National Press Foundation's Berryman Award.
No charge. RSVP here.
In cooperation with the Embassy of Belgium and the House of Flanders, New York.
This Iconoclash program is also supported by the Ambassador of the EU in the US, S.E. David O'Sullivan, the British Council, the Embassy of Slovenia, the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Goethe-Institut and the European Union National Institutes of Culture.
For further information:
Meet a Local Cartoonist: Dana Maier
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| (all images from Ms. Maier's website) |
by Mike Rhode
Late last month news broke that GoComics had added four new strips to its website, including Dana Maier's The Worried Well. Here's the strip description:
Dana Jeri Maier's comics provide useful advice, philosophical musings and spot-on witticisms. She shows us ourselves, not unkindly, as silly and vain and self-involved. Her cartoons feel very interior, a mind watching the world and muttering to itself. They're what that person standing by themselves at the party, not talking to anyone, pretending to look vaguely interested in nothing in particular, has been secretly thinking the whole time.
Dana Jeri Maier is an artist and cartoonist living in Washington, DC. She has exhibited widely throughout the DC Metro area and various street corners, if you know where to look. Maier's site-specific mural, Inscrutable Comic, is on permanent display at the Flashpoint Gallery in Washington, DC.
Read The Worried Well at http://gocomics.com/the-worried-well.
Dana Jeri Maier is an artist and cartoonist living in Washington, DC. She has exhibited widely throughout the DC Metro area and various street corners, if you know where to look. Maier's site-specific mural, Inscrutable Comic, is on permanent display at the Flashpoint Gallery in Washington, DC.
Read The Worried Well at http://gocomics.com/the-worried-well.
A Washington, DC cartoonist who hasn't been featured here? Bad form! I reached out to her to ask her to answer our standard questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I try to straddle the line between cartoon and fine art. Some of my comics are observation-type humor, some are more philosophical.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
Pen and ink and watercolor, and occasionally gauche. I try to use the computer as little as possible—coloring on the computer is just too soul-sucking for me. My favorite tools are Microns with slightly-broken nibs (so you get a nice variation in line), and portable Japanese brush pens.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
I was born in the early 80s in Arlington, Virginia. My family moved to Falls Church when I was four, and I grew up there.
Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?
I live in Columbia Heights. I'm here because I haven't found a good enough reason to leave the area—I went to art school in Baltimore, then lived in England for half a year, and wound up back in DC. The Type-A-yet-small-town-ish nature of the city appeals to me.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I went to art school and studied illustration. I dabbled in cartoons while I was there, and did some animation work in grad school, but put cartoons on the back-burner until a few years ago.
Who are your influences?
Saul Steinberg has had a significant impact on me as an adult. When I was a kid I checked the Shel Silverstein poetry books out of the school library so often that the librarian gently reminded me that maybe there were other books I might like to give a chance? (Looking back I can see she meant well, but I remember being deeply insulted at the time.) As a teenager I grew up reading Richard's Poor Almanac and Cul De Sac in the Washington Post, so I'm happy Richard Thompson is finally getting more recognition as a brilliant artist. And my parents always had copies of Esquire magazine lying around the house, which is where I read cartoons by Daniel Clowes for the first time, believe it or not. Not that his work has a lot in common with mine; it just showed me what kind of storytelling comics were capable of, in a way that I'd never seen before. I also love the work of a bunch of women cartoonists: Lisa Hanawalt, Emily Flake, Eleanor Davis, and Lilli Carre are some of my favorites.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
I regret not taking more sculpture classes when I was an art student—it would be nice to know how to use power tools and be more confident working 3D. And I should've taken cartooning more seriously early on. I didn't do it as much because it was so much harder than fine art, where I felt like I had more freedom for my work not to make any sense. Cartoons can't really get away with being inscrutable the way fine art can.
What work are you best-known for?
Probably my wheat pastes of mice in cups, and the Indifferent Guy.
What work are you most proud of?
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| Flashpoint gallery mural |
I have a series of ink drawings I did a few years ago that I always look at and think, "man, I would like to do something like that again." I think my mural at the Flashpoint gallery came out pretty well, too. But it's hard to look at my old work and not just see mistakes or things I'd do differently.
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
I'd like to do a comic essay, or create cartoons that are more writing-heavy than what I've been doing. I feel as though I could use the practice. Cartoons are sneaky in that the writing is a thousand times more important than the drawing; a cartoon with shitty drawings and great writing can still be a joy to read, but a cartoon with great drawing and bad writing will always be terrible no matter what.
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
Worst-case scenario I will go down a rabbit hole of Facebook and think pieces. Best case scenario, I'll read, or study the work of other artists I like. I have a pad of lined yellow Post-It Notes that has been particularly good for doodles. Or I try to work on something fun or brainless.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
I'm not sure. I can't really speak to the industry side of things, but I've been thinking a lot about the effect of social media on art, and how we use it as a barometer of what "good" is. That is, if I draw something and post it online and no one likes I will feel bad, and wonder what's wrong with the drawing. And I hate that this is a phenomenon in my life now, but I'm guessing it's true for a lot of artists. On the flip side of things, artists who are well-known have to deal with immediately opening themselves up to a barrage of online comments and criticism, which can make you cautious with your work (or at the very least, ruin your day). So maybe you really can't win.
What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?
I tabled at the Small Press Expo for the first time last year. It was terrifying, but it was also where an acquisitions editor from GoComics found me and signed me up, which is probably a best-case scenario for tabling at a convention. I'd like to table at more of them, now that I know what to expect.
What's your favorite thing about DC?
There's a moldy stereotype of DC being a stuffy town with a bunch of power-hungry wonks, but I've never found that to be true. For me at least, it's like a high school cafeteria where I can sit at whatever table I feel like—it's easy to meet a variety of good-natured, intelligent people here. And I appreciate that it's small and well-organized. I hate driving, so any city that requires a car is a deal breaker for me.
Least favorite?
Everything here seems about 30% more expensive than it should be.
What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?
My favorite art museum is the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. I don't think museum-going gets much more fun than that. In DC proper I like taking people to The Portrait Gallery / American Art Museum. The Kogod Courtyard is also a great place to draw if I need a change of scenery.
How about a favorite local restaurant?
I like the Red Hen in Bloomingdale for special occasions. The happy hour at Eat the Rich is pretty sweet, too.
Do you have a website or blog?
Wednesday, February 03, 2016
RFK editorial cartoon exhibit extended until February 8 (corrected)
***Deadline for submission extended to February 8, 2016.***
The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards
The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards recognize outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert Kennedy's
dedication to human rights and social justice, and his belief in the
power of individual action in the United States and across the globe.
Previous winners include journalists from PBS/Frontline, CNN, NPR,
CBS's 60 Minutes, ABC's 20/20, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. The awards also
encourage students on their paths toward a career in journalism,
honoring outstanding reporting from high school and college students.
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.
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
Evening Program
Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
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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
Evening Program with Film Clips
Thursday, May 5, 2016 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
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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
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
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
Tom King interviewed on The Vision
King Builds a Better Family in "Vision," Marvel's Sci-Fi, Shakespearean Tragedy
Feb 4: Two Gareth Hinds appearances
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
By Pamela S. Turner, Gareth Hinds (Illustrator)
$16.95
9781580895842
On Our Shelves Now
Charlesbridge Publishing - February 2nd, 2016
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
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