June 12: Nick Sousanis at National Gallery of Art

Unflattening: Revolutionizing Thought in Comics

June 12 at 2:00
East Building Auditorium

Nick Sousanis, comics artist, educator, and postdoctoral fellow in comics studies, University of Calgary.

Book signing of Unflattening follows.

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Former Library of Congress curator Harry Katz on Virtual Memories podcast

Curating America:

Harry Katz in
Virtual Memories #168

by Gil Roth

May 16, '16
http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-168-harry-katz
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Episode_168_-_Harry_Katz.mp3

"What connected Levine and Herblock was the fire in the belly, the outrage against people try to impose their power over the powerless, who try to disenfranchise people, who try to manipulate the laws for personal gain or prestige."

This week's podcast: Harry L. Katz, former head curator of prints and photographs for the Library of Congress, joins the show to talk about his new project on David Levine, his love for Herblock, how his work on the Civil War and baseball differs from Ken Burns' work on same, what it was like to assemble the LoC's archive of 9/11 photography and pictures (and his untold story of 9/11), the process of learning how to see images critically, the tragic story of Arthur Szyk, the terrifying experience of seeing Feiffer's "Munro" cartoon as a little kid, and more! Give it a listen!

Recalling Darwyn Cooke's 2010 appearance at the Smithsonian

by Mike Rhode

Darwyn Cooke has been one of my favorite comic book artists for about a decade and a half. He passed away over the weekend.

I had forgotten that I had written about a talk he gave at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It doesn't seem to be online at their site anymore, so I'll reproduce it here. Also, you can hear my recording of the talk here, newly online since sadly we won't be able to hear any new thoughts from him.

(I didn't write that lede by the way)

The Quotable Darwyn Cooke: Highlights from the Cartoonist's Talk at American Art

by Mike Rhode Washington City Paper blog Feb. 3, 2010

Sure, the crowd was thin due to the snow. But the air was thick with nuggets: Darwyn Cooke spoke for almost two hours to a rapt crowd of about 40 people at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum Saturday, concentrating on his recent adaptation of Richard Stark's novel Parker: The Hunter and offering a glimpse into the mind of a successful, critically adored cartoonist. Just don't, he said, call him a creator. Cooke would rather be known, simply, as someone who entertains, and that's exactly what he did at Saturday's event. Read some of his more memorable quotes:

"I was pretty sure the Smithsonian called the wrong number when they approached me about this program, but I jumped at the chance to come down to talk about Don Westlake [aka Richard Stark] and Parker—two of my favorite subjects."

"The [Parker] books are very lean and brutal and I think that's part of what I loved about them…."

"I have to plan everything. I have to write biographies of all my characters, I have to research every scene and situation, and then I have to outline it in great detail in order for me to feel secure enough to go ahead with the work…" in contrast to Westlake's lack of plotting, backstory or details about Parker's life.

"The Hunter was written in 1962, which was actually the year I was born, which I thought was kind of neat."

"When I was a kid, I used to love series novels, like The Executioner, and all these sort of terrible B-movie type paperbacks…. but as I got older I realized that the quality of the writing in them was terrible and I moved on to more literate fare."

"[Westlake] was able to keep [Parker] completely reprehensible, and yet completely magnetic. He's certainly not a person you'd want to have to deal with in your life, but he's a very interesting, very magnetic type of character."

"Parker as a character represents something that we've seen evaporate from the American landscape over the last century and it's probably the last period of time when a character like this could have existed—that's basically a free-market anarchist. A man who makes his own rules, lives by his own rules, his own judgments and society still has room for him to operate within."

"The only thing I can compare [the plot] to is, you know when you get a phone bill for $500 for one month, and it's a mistake and you phone the phone company to get it straightened out? That's what he goes through. That's what this book is—it's a man who got screwed and is trying to communicate through a large faceless corporation that he's been screwed and he's owed something and the frustration that comes out of that. When you consider the time that the book was written, I think it's a very sly sort of indictment of the world we were all looking into."

"What can I do to reach outside the comic book audience… How can I get outside this [direct] market? How can I reach other readers with my work? The only real viable option at the time was the idea of original graphic novels. I very quickly set my sights there. … It's still a very risky creative venture. To put out an original graphic novel and hope it finds an audience is a very risky venture. We've seen some incredible books in the last few years, whether it's Persepolis, or Asterios Polyp or Diary of Wimpy Kid or American Born Chinese. These are all graphic novels that have nothing to do with superheroes…but they all have audiences that responded to the stories within the books. That really gave me the juice and the excitement to move forward…"

"DC had contacted me about doing Will Eisner's The Spirit. As much I was ready to move on, they found the one project that would keep me there. I hope this doesn't sound the wrong way, but half the reason I wanted to do this project was to make sure it didn't get screwed up by somebody else. It was purely a defensive position I was taking around the character… That was a hard year trying to live up to Will's work and deal with that character and everything it meant, so I was really thrilled when it was over…"

"At the time I started to correspond with Westlake, he was 72 years old, but his enthusiasm for this was unbelievable…"

"As for as he was concerned, if I screwed up [the adaptation], it didn't matter. Because the book's still there."

On having difficulties with character design and not receiving guidance from Westlake: "Finally I forced him into laying it out. '[Parker] is Jack Palance. It's Jack Palance from a movie called Panic in the Streets. That's what I saw in my head when I wrote it.' So from that point on I was able to fashion a character and an approach that Donald was really thrilled by."

Cooke planned on submitting the book to Westlake for Christmas, but Westlake went on vacation and died before Cooke sent it to him. "He never got to see any of it and it took about six weeks to get back to work. It really stopped me in my tracks and I realized that I'd been doing it for an audience of one person and that audience was gone. I didn't even know why I was doing the book for a little while after that."

At this point, Cooke read from the actual novel while showing the first chapter of his adaption on the screen.

"Those of you familiar with my earlier work should know I'm pretty plugged into the 'heroic ideal' and I love the notion of optimism and hope and I'd like to think that most of my work carries those messages right up front and this was a case I had to put all my instincts aside and sort of go more with Donald's."

"Nothing was better back then [in 1962] except the way things looked…"

"Anything I could do visually to immerse us in—to make us feel that we were back in that time period—was gonna help people get into the book. Everything in here was done with the tools available in 1962. There's no computer lettering, there's no digital tinting. It's drawn on the art board, the black ink is laid down, the lettering is laid down, and then I take a blue watercolor and lay it right onto the board. Nobody does this anymore…I even had the printers lay a pale yellow ink on top of every page before the artwork went down so that the book even had the appearance of being yellowed with age…"

"I'm hard at work on the second book now, about halfway through. It's called The Outfit and that's going to be out in October…I'm doing four [adaptations]."

"I've never been comfortable with the terms 'artist' or 'creator.' I think they're bullshit terms that are thrown around to make the guys who do the work feel better about themselves. For example, Jack Kirby was a creator. Jack Kirby created entire universes. Ethan Van Sciver pencils a comic book—there's a big difference there. I've always been very uncomfortable when people referred to me as a creator…I've always preferred entertainer, or storyteller. Those I'm much prouder of, or more comfortable with those designations. I'm not that deep. I'm just not."

"I love stories about people who've found ways to live without having to suck up to The Man."

"Heroes aren't heroes anymore; they're just people with power. And I think that it's a shame."

Meet a local cartoonist: A chat with Orion Zangara

by Mike Rhode
 
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I primarily draw black and white line work. However, I’d love to develop my coloring and lettering skills as well. Also, I’d love to learn how to digitally paint and a bit of graphic design and apply that to comic books.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I draw with both a traditional pen and brush, but I also use a Cintiq tablet. So yes, it’s a combination of the two.

Also, sometimes for my personal work, I like to draw on matting board. Here is an example:

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

I was born in Albuquerque, NM.

Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

Actually I live in Sterling, VA— but, I grew up in Harpers Ferry, WV. My wife is a history teacher at a middle school in our area, so that is one of the reasons why we live here now.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

I attended The Kubert School in Dover, NJ which is an accredited 3-year school that specializes in Cartoon-Graphics and Sequential Art . It also happens to be founded by my late grandfather, Joe Kubert. My uncles, Adam and Andy Kubert, are now co-presidents of the school.

Did the example of your grandfather or uncles lead you into the comic book field, or did you resist following in their footsteps?

They were certainly a big reason I was introduced to the comic book industry. :) 

Is your mother artistic too?

Yes, she certainly is. She has an excellent eye for art. In fact, she makes excellent points on all my art. She would have been a great art director. 

Can you tell us a favorite story about your grandfather, and his comics work, as you saw it, or it affected you?

My grandfather’s Yossel graphic novel means the most to me. I believe it’s his masterpiece and is so emotionally raw.

Who are your influences?

Oh, so many…Sean Murphy, Travis Charest, Shaun Tan, Richard A. Kirk, Rodrigo Enrique Luff, Nate Simpson, Mike Mignola, Lee Weeks, John Cassaday, John Paul Leon, Greg Ruth, Geof Darrow, Andy Brase, Gabriel Ba/Fabio Moon, Eduardo Risso, Francois Schuiten, Jeff Lemire, Bernie Wrightson, Andy Clarke, Leinil Francis Yu, Simon Coleby, Charles Vess, P. Craig Russel, David Mazzucchelli, Dustin Nquyen, Franklin Booth, Frank Quitely, Nicolas Delort, Riccardo Federici, Rafael Albuquerque, Lucy Hardie, Tran Nquyen, Cary Nord, Kikyz Trece Trece, Gustave Dore, Marcos Mateu-Mestre, Sara Pichelli, Chiara Baustista, and the list goes on and on…

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

Hmm… Well, I am really just in the beginning of my career as a comic-book artist. My first graphic novel, Stone Cold: The Stone Man Mysteries Book One, is coming out in August by the wonderful Lerner Publishing Group. It is written by the New York Times Best-Selling author Jane Yolen and her talented son Adam Stemple. To be quite honest, Jane Yolen has been one of my favorite authors since I was very young, so I am amazed that I get to work with her and her son.

(By the way, here is a link where you can pre-order the book. )

That said, I would probably have submitted my work earlier. As soon as I began actually putting my work online, I began getting paid work.

What work are you best-known for?

I am going to say The Stone Man Mysteries trilogy! :)

What work are you most proud of?

Again The Stone Man Mysteries.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

I have some secret projects coming up, so I can not answer this question completely. However, I would love to work for more comic book companies and eventually even draw a little bit of superhero genre work . Also, I would love to get into video game and concept work, but I always want to work with comic books in some form.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

I guess this does not really happen…I just constantly draw.

What do you think will be the future of your field?

Like prose books, I think comic books will eventually be nearly all digital. Also, I could see comic books as being more interactive and actually move on the page. I believe this is already beginning, but I think it will be more popular in the future.

Luther Strode pinup

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

I need to attend more local cons! I have been to SPX, Awesome Con, and Baltimore Con. They are all amazing!

What's your favorite thing about DC?

D.C. is probably my favorite city in the USA. I love the free museums, the beautiful scenery, the architecture, etc.

Least favorite?

This is quite minor, but I wish the metro expanded a bit more.

What monument or museum do like to take visitors to?

All of them! Actually, my wife and I were just at the D.C. Mall last Monday and went to the National Air and Space Museum and the Hirshhorn. Also, we took a tour at the Capital and had the pleasure of seeing the U.S. Senate.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

I am a big fan of Toki Underground in D.C. Also, I love spicy Korean food, so I recommend Honey Pig in Centreville, VA.

Do you have a website or blog?

Yes! My website is http://www.orionzangara.com

Comic Riffs on the death of Darwyn Cooke

RIP, Darwyn Cooke: How the great cartoonist changed my comics life

By David Betancourt
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 16 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/16/rip-darwyn-cooke-how-the-great-cartoonist-changed-my-comics-life/

June 15: Glen Weldon at Hooray for Books

      1555 King Street

  Alexandria, VA 22314

        703-548-4092

(more details to follow)

The Face Zone, live at Artomatic 2016, featuring Martin Graff

by Steve Loya

A couple of years ago I had the good fortune of finding out about local visual and performance artist, wordsmith, musician and teacher, Martin Graff and his extraordinary ongoing project known as The Face Zone. It was at a cartoonists and comics art exhibit in downtown Frederick, Maryland that I noticed a wall full of curious little minimalistic illustrations of strange and interesting faces, accompanied by some words. The cartoonish faces depicted things like melting cheese on a pizza and titles like "Melting Cheese Pain", paired with thoughtful musings on the dark side of personification. The words and images were brilliant and unique observations on everyday life, in some ways like a punk rock Jerry Seinfeld, with a Banksy-like sensibility. 

Soon after, Marty, as most folks know him, had a big exhibit of his work, again in downtown Frederick, and I ended up purchasing his self-published Face Zone book, which compiled most of his words and illustrations. Marty describes his Face Zone series as "short visual meditations on what makes the world go round. Existential musings with a surreal twist and a dark sense of humor sure to trip your imagination...". 

Last night, Artomatic, Frederick hosted one of Marty's live Face Zone events, taking those short, visual meditations one step further into the realm of spoken-word and performance art. As someone who has struggled, personally with speaking in front of one's peers, it always amazes me when someone seems to effortlessly get up in front of an audience of people to talk, act, sing or dance. I'm even more amazed when someone can remember their lines or the words they want to express to an audience, without forgetting. While Marty's performance, based on his illustrated and written Face Zone material, seemed like second-nature for him, there's no doubt the amount of time, energy and preparation condensed into a single half-an-hour show, was anything but effortless. 

Seeing and hearing Marty expand and further elaborate upon the words and images in his book added yet another crucial dimension to The Face Zone experience, and according to Marty, is ultimately the core of what he does now - the book more or less a companion to his spoken-word shows. As someone who experienced both the art exhibits and book aspect of The Face Zone first, I found the spoken-word performance to delve much deeper and further into these musings on subject matter ranging from the relativity of the food we eat ("The Smell of Fresh Mangoons") to haunting childhood memories of how choking on a single lemon drop soured a young boy's perception of the ocean, off the Jersey shore ("Twinkles in The Sea").  One of my personal favorites was Marty's take on the absurdity of commercial advertising, with its irrational fairy-tale promises and the less-than-satisfying results ("Jolly Hot Peanuts"), which he began last night's performance with. However, despite the dark humor and keenly cynical observations of The Face Zone live, there was a glowingly optimistic underlying message of hope, and the love of life at the very core of it all. 

The ability to hold an audience captive for extended periods of time as a one-man spoken word act is by no means an easy task, and in some ways Marty's musings and highly engaging observations on the world in which we live, relayed through the medium of speech, and told through the lens of personal experience, reminded me of some of the best performances from Henry Rollins, who I've seen speak live on several occasions over the past two decades. Word has it there may even be a musical element added to The Face Zone live experience in the not-too-distant future. Whatever the case, don't hesitate to witness Marty's live act, if he comes to a venue near you. In the meantime, TED Talks should seriously consider inviting Marty to do his thing for them, someday soon!

Fantastic Forum Episode #58

Fantastic Forum

 May 14, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrUMIRxnBA

Billie Rae Bates talks with Museum of Science Fiction's Mandy Sweeney at Awesome Con, Devon Sanders converses with Saga artist Fiona Staples at the NC Comicon, Ulysses E. Campbell is at Toy Fair with Diamond Select's Zach Oat and Sherin Nicole interviews author, lecturer and musical legend, Professor Griff on location at Alliance Comics in Silver Spring, MD!

Comic Riffs talks to Puerto Rican comic book writer

As Puerto Rican superhero makes debut, her writer brings 'the power of our people' to comics

By David Betancourt
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 11 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/11/as-puerto-rican-superhero-makes-debut-her-writer-brings-the-power-of-our-people-to-comics/

Comic Riffs on another Captain America

'Sikh Captain America' wears the superhero's costume to fight intolerance — and Trump [in print as 'Sikh Captain America' is out to battle bigotry, May 14, p. C1, 2]

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 6 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/06/sikh-captain-america-wears-the-superheros-costume-to-fight-intolerance-and-trump/

Those darn syndicated cartoonists

Letters to the Editor

Those who draw seem to think alike

Eric Greene, Annapolis

Washington Post May 14 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/those-who-draw-seem-to-think-alike/2016/05/13/c7330014-1148-11e6-a9b5-bf703a5a7191_story.html

Deadline for 'Magic Bullet' #13

July 14 is the deadline for submissions for Magic Bullet #13, the free, semi-annual comics tabloid published by the D.C. Conspiracy.

Catching up with animator Marty Baumann

I ran into him the other day at a flea market, so I asked what he's been up to. We've never actually done a ComicsDC interview with him, but he's been featured in some posts.

He was a "graphic artist on Disney's smash hit Zootopia. Watch the interview with the two directors. It's  a hoot!

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/You-re-Seeing-Zootopia-Make-Sure-Look-Easter-Eggs-116507.html

The directors begin by noting, "There is signage all over the movie. With crazy amounts of puns. There’s literally hundreds of signs, and the guy who was doing them… he was an uncontrollable pun master. His name is Marty. He’s got a problem! He went bananas. Every sign you see is Marty’s doing. … You will enjoy it."

Also, "I've been very much a part of the "Mystery Science Theatre 3,000" reboot! Some of it hush-hush for now, but it's public knowledge that I've done some set design and I did many of the premiums offered to Kickstarter pledgers including limited edition posters and a set of special astronaut-style crew patches."


Marty's work on exhibit a few years ago.

I'm sorry to have missed backing that.

Marty usually has some lovely retro-style material at the Baltimore Comic-Con. I buy one of everything.

NPR's Monkey See on Captain America

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Captain America' And The Russo Brothers

Linda Holmes

NPR's Monkey See's Pop Culture Happy Hour

May 13, 2016
http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2016/05/13/476459961/pop-culture-happy-hour-captain-america-and-the-russo-brothers

http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/pchh/2016/05/20160511_pchh_295.mp3

May 27: Animezing: When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There | Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi | May 27, 2016 Friday at 6:30PM | Drama | 2014 | 103 min | Rated PG In Japanese with English Subtitles "Magnificent!" - David Ehrlich, Time Out New York   "Breathtaking!" - Boyd Van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter 2016 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Animated Feature Winner of Best Animated Feature at the 2015 Chicago Children's Film Festival     When shy, artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie, who lives there. The two girls instantly form a unique connection and friendship that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. As the days go by, a nearly magnetic pull draws Anna back to the Marsh House again and again, and she begins to piece together the truth surrounding her strange new friend.   Based on the young adult novel by Joan G. Robinson and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty), When Marnie Was There has been described as "Ghibli Gothic," with its moonlit seascapes, glowing orchestral score, and powerful dramatic portrayals that build to a stormy climax.   Starring Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Click HERE to register. In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Program begins at 6:30PM; doors open at 6:00PM. No admittance after 7:00PM or once seating is full. Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee a seat. Interested in more great Japan-related activities in the area? Check out our upcoming area events page, updated three times a week, for a list of the latest events in the region. Presented at: THE JAPAN INFORMATION AND CULTURE CENTER 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 100 Washington DC, 20036 We are located near Farragut North on the Red metro line and Farragut West on the Orange, Silver, and Blue metro lines. There is after-business-hours street parking along 18th St NW and the surrounding area. There are also multiple parking garages on 18th Street NW and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, we are unable to validate these tickets.

JICC, Embassy of Japan, 1150 18th St., NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036

New book from Ryan Holmberg

Katsumata Susumu's Anti-Nuclear Manga

Ryan Holmberg
Research Associate, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures
Hakuho Fellow

http://sainsbury-institute.org/support-us/e-magazine-issue-15/artist-profile/

Activist Comics on Capitol Hill

From Bruce Guthrie:

 

I ran into these protest signs pasted on an electrical box on the corner of Library of Congress across from the Capitol today.  They might have been there for awhile but I hadn't noticed them before.  They're branded with #DemocracySpring and Pay2Play.  If you go to http://activistcomics.org/ , you can see a number of their other designs. 

They include captions like this on the cover "Can you guess why Jimmy has to live in a slum?"

Jimmy: "Why do students pay more interest for their loans than bankers have to pay for theirs, Superman?"

Superman: "Because bankers write the laws, Jimmy.  Let's go protest that s***!"

​

--

Bruce Guthrie
Photo obsessive
http://www.bguthriephotos.com

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Targeting Deadpool

At the Skyline store.

Another Tom King interview on Batman

ALL-STAR & BATMAN Writers Reveal 'Super-Sexy' REBIRTH Plans (Plus BATMAN REBIRTH Preview)

by Vaneta Rogers, Newsarama 06 May 2016 http://www.newsarama.com/29163-bruce-is-super-sexy-the-center-of-dcu-in-rebirth-batman-plus-preview.html

American History Museum's comic book project

Comic book project helps teens discover and share stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II

By Intern Mia Calabretta,
National Museum of American History's O Say Can You See blog May 12, 2016
http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/comic-book-project-helps-teens-discover-and-share-stories-japanese-americans-incarcerated

Local cartoonist Evan Keeling is featured in the article.