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Tuesday, July 30, 2019
PR: Small Press Expo 2019 International Special Guests
Cavna on the voice of Minnie Mouse
She was the voice of Minnie Mouse. He was the voice of Mickey Mouse. That's how their romance began.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Catching up with the Post: graphic memoirs, Rowland Emett, Aladdin, the Lion King, and NC Wyeth
Four of the best graphic memoirs of the year — so far
[in print as A sampling of the most engaging illustrated memoirs published this year]
Air and Space Museum used to feature flying machines of the strangest sort [in print as This beautifully useless, imaginative flying machine was no figment].
Saturday, July 27, 2019
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest
By RM Rhodes
2019 is the year of endings. Lost amongst the hype surrounding the endings of Game of Avengers Wars franchises is the ending of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the heavily metafictional comic series by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. The first issues of the first volume were published in 1999, which means that this series has been running on and off for two decades.
The conceit of LOEG (as it is often shortened) is that every character (and the majority of the settings) are from some piece of fiction or another. Clearly, this involves a great deal of research, and part of the fun of the series is trying to identify who everyone is. Jess Nevins has been making annotations of the whole series, and his page does a great job of helping the reader catch all of the references. The annotations are not strictly necessary, of course. Alan Moore is, in addition to everything else, a commercial writer and he knows how to keep the story going for readers who can't be bothered to look up all of the Easter Eggs that he throws in.
Named after Shakespeare's last play, the final volume of LOEG is entitled The Tempest, and the last episodic installment was published in mid-July. As with everything that Alan Moore produces, the name was not chosen lightly. The original play is about the wizard Prospero giving up his magic and destroying his books. Being a fictional character, Prospero shows up in this volume as well, but his appearance is heavily based on Alan Moore himself, which makes it fitting that this volume is also Alan Moore's final goodbye to comics. This is very much him breaking his toys and going off to do something completely different.
For the majority of the series, the stories were all set in the past. It was not until the final issue of the previous volume, 2011's Century, that the characters were brought to the present day. The Tempest picks up mere days after the end of Century, and the protagonists are still picking up the pieces from the end of the previous story. Because it’s the end of the series, I’m going to shy away from anything more than a high-level plot synopsis.
The main characters are Emma Peel (from the Avengers TV show), Wilhelmina Murray (from Dracula), and Orlando (the transgender character based partially on the book by Virginia Woolf). Their principal protagonist is James Bond (who is never named, but it’s clearly him). There’s also a nice bit of business with the various other people who have played James Bond over the years. The interactions between these two groups are intimately wrapped up in everything that has come before in the series. A series that has been publishing sporadically for two decades and only has a handful of volumes is allowed to have a degree of continuity that recommends readers to start at the beginning.
The Tempest turns fully into the conceit of an entirely fictional universe, ultimately bringing about the end of the world. This makes sense because a lot fiction set in the far future posits some version of the end of the world around the beginning of the 21st century. As such, this story wraps up plot lines from the entire series and contains major revelations that upturn everything that the reader thought they knew about the story to date.
Apocalypses and end-of-the-world situations figure prominently in a lot of Alan Moore’s fiction. Some version of the idea has shown up in almost everything he’s done. This includes Captain Britain, Miracleman, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Swamp Thing, From Hell, Lost Girls, Promethea, Providence, and Jerusalem. It’s almost easier to find stories by Moore that don’t end with some form of apocalypse – personal, worldwide, or something in between.
In this case, the apocalypse is literal and a good portion of the plot turns on that destruction. The characters (and, thus, the readers) find out more details about the how and why of this ending was always inevitable. Along the way, the various characters settle scores and tie up a variety of loose ends. It’s a rousing romp of a story that travels all over the world, seeing places and doing things.
One of the things that makes this volume interesting is that every one of the six issues is formatted slightly differently. The first one is an homage to Classics Illustrated. The second one is an homage to science fiction comics of the 60s and 70s. The third is an homage to the romance comics of the 50s and 60s. The fourth is an homage to the venerable British children’s comic The Beano. The fifth is an homage to old EC-influenced horror comics from the 50s and 60s. The sixth is an homage to the British anthology comic 2000AD.
In some cases, the homages are only surface and don’t show up in the interior of the issue. The last issue features very strong 2000 AD homages in the interior, including the little credits box that looks identical to the original. Alan Moore cut his teeth writing for 2000 AD, so the homage feels a lot more heartfelt than some of the others.
Thanks to the wonderfully talented Kevin O’Neill, these stories are all over the place in an interesting and refreshing manner. A good portion of the story is told in one or two page stories that tell an entire storybeat. Each of them could stand alone as a solo story, and each of them is visually distinct, but they all tie into the larger plot in a very creative way. There’s an entire issue that contains extended visual homages to Jim Steranko’s run on Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD from the mid 60s, which is appropriate considering the spy motifs wrapped around the principal protagonist.
All in all, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a great series for people who want to get into comics but aren’t entirely certain about the whole superhero thing. The first volume leaned vaguely in that direction because the mainstream English-language comic book market is heavily dominated by that particular genre and any attempt to survive (much less thrive) in that environment had to market to the superhero buying demographic. However, by the time of The Tempest, Alan Moore has long since abandoned any concern or interest in picking up those readers. Part of that has to do with the changes to the comic book marketplace, but another part has to do with the fact that Alan Moore is a self-confessed cranky old man who is no longer interested in writing for that audience. More power to him.
From that perspective, LOEG in general (and The Tempest in particular) is a fascinating work from an elder statesman of comics who defined the shape of a lot of the comics material that is currently being produced – including a corporate-driven sequel to his most famous standalone work, Watchmen. As his final work, The Tempest serves as a very fitting epigraph to his entire comics career, marking a graceful ending to what is clearly one of his most personal visions.
The vast majority of people that have heard of LOEG are only familiar with the title because of the awful movie from 2003. If you are one of those people, but you liked the concept, you probably owe it to yourself to go out and pick up the first volume. If you liked that book, buy the rest because you’ll enjoy the whole series. The Tempest will be waiting patiently at the end, waiting for you to get caught up. The journey is worth the effort.
__________________________________________________________
Why is this here? It's a long story. Mike Rhode first introduced himself to me when I first started vending at SPX. Over the years, we've talk to each other at Comic conventions around the DC area and never quite get around to sitting down for lunch.
When I moved to Arlington two years ago, I didn't realize that Mike lived within a mile of my building. Nor did I realize that he lived next door to my ex-girlfriend's friend from college. We also discovered, by accident that we work two buildings away from each other, because we work in adjacent organizations. The world is a very small place, sometimes.
It really feels that way when I run into Mike at the local farmer's market. Naturally, that's when I pitch him article ideas. I'm reading the entire run of Heavy Metal in public (in blog format) because I happen to own the entire run of Heavy Metal. This means that I'm engaged in an ongoing study of the magazine. In addition, I have a diverse and idiosyncratic reading list that tends towards the weird corners of comics history. Sometimes one circumstance or another results in long articles that I don't really have anyplace to put. Mike has been gracious enough to let me publish them here.
In summary: this is an article about comics from someone in the DC area.
2019 is the year of endings. Lost amongst the hype surrounding the endings of Game of Avengers Wars franchises is the ending of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the heavily metafictional comic series by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. The first issues of the first volume were published in 1999, which means that this series has been running on and off for two decades.
The conceit of LOEG (as it is often shortened) is that every character (and the majority of the settings) are from some piece of fiction or another. Clearly, this involves a great deal of research, and part of the fun of the series is trying to identify who everyone is. Jess Nevins has been making annotations of the whole series, and his page does a great job of helping the reader catch all of the references. The annotations are not strictly necessary, of course. Alan Moore is, in addition to everything else, a commercial writer and he knows how to keep the story going for readers who can't be bothered to look up all of the Easter Eggs that he throws in.
Named after Shakespeare's last play, the final volume of LOEG is entitled The Tempest, and the last episodic installment was published in mid-July. As with everything that Alan Moore produces, the name was not chosen lightly. The original play is about the wizard Prospero giving up his magic and destroying his books. Being a fictional character, Prospero shows up in this volume as well, but his appearance is heavily based on Alan Moore himself, which makes it fitting that this volume is also Alan Moore's final goodbye to comics. This is very much him breaking his toys and going off to do something completely different.
For the majority of the series, the stories were all set in the past. It was not until the final issue of the previous volume, 2011's Century, that the characters were brought to the present day. The Tempest picks up mere days after the end of Century, and the protagonists are still picking up the pieces from the end of the previous story. Because it’s the end of the series, I’m going to shy away from anything more than a high-level plot synopsis.
The main characters are Emma Peel (from the Avengers TV show), Wilhelmina Murray (from Dracula), and Orlando (the transgender character based partially on the book by Virginia Woolf). Their principal protagonist is James Bond (who is never named, but it’s clearly him). There’s also a nice bit of business with the various other people who have played James Bond over the years. The interactions between these two groups are intimately wrapped up in everything that has come before in the series. A series that has been publishing sporadically for two decades and only has a handful of volumes is allowed to have a degree of continuity that recommends readers to start at the beginning.
The Tempest turns fully into the conceit of an entirely fictional universe, ultimately bringing about the end of the world. This makes sense because a lot fiction set in the far future posits some version of the end of the world around the beginning of the 21st century. As such, this story wraps up plot lines from the entire series and contains major revelations that upturn everything that the reader thought they knew about the story to date.
Apocalypses and end-of-the-world situations figure prominently in a lot of Alan Moore’s fiction. Some version of the idea has shown up in almost everything he’s done. This includes Captain Britain, Miracleman, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Swamp Thing, From Hell, Lost Girls, Promethea, Providence, and Jerusalem. It’s almost easier to find stories by Moore that don’t end with some form of apocalypse – personal, worldwide, or something in between.
In this case, the apocalypse is literal and a good portion of the plot turns on that destruction. The characters (and, thus, the readers) find out more details about the how and why of this ending was always inevitable. Along the way, the various characters settle scores and tie up a variety of loose ends. It’s a rousing romp of a story that travels all over the world, seeing places and doing things.
In some cases, the homages are only surface and don’t show up in the interior of the issue. The last issue features very strong 2000 AD homages in the interior, including the little credits box that looks identical to the original. Alan Moore cut his teeth writing for 2000 AD, so the homage feels a lot more heartfelt than some of the others.
Thanks to the wonderfully talented Kevin O’Neill, these stories are all over the place in an interesting and refreshing manner. A good portion of the story is told in one or two page stories that tell an entire storybeat. Each of them could stand alone as a solo story, and each of them is visually distinct, but they all tie into the larger plot in a very creative way. There’s an entire issue that contains extended visual homages to Jim Steranko’s run on Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD from the mid 60s, which is appropriate considering the spy motifs wrapped around the principal protagonist.
From that perspective, LOEG in general (and The Tempest in particular) is a fascinating work from an elder statesman of comics who defined the shape of a lot of the comics material that is currently being produced – including a corporate-driven sequel to his most famous standalone work, Watchmen. As his final work, The Tempest serves as a very fitting epigraph to his entire comics career, marking a graceful ending to what is clearly one of his most personal visions.
The vast majority of people that have heard of LOEG are only familiar with the title because of the awful movie from 2003. If you are one of those people, but you liked the concept, you probably owe it to yourself to go out and pick up the first volume. If you liked that book, buy the rest because you’ll enjoy the whole series. The Tempest will be waiting patiently at the end, waiting for you to get caught up. The journey is worth the effort.
__________________________________________________________
Why is this here? It's a long story. Mike Rhode first introduced himself to me when I first started vending at SPX. Over the years, we've talk to each other at Comic conventions around the DC area and never quite get around to sitting down for lunch.
When I moved to Arlington two years ago, I didn't realize that Mike lived within a mile of my building. Nor did I realize that he lived next door to my ex-girlfriend's friend from college. We also discovered, by accident that we work two buildings away from each other, because we work in adjacent organizations. The world is a very small place, sometimes.
It really feels that way when I run into Mike at the local farmer's market. Naturally, that's when I pitch him article ideas. I'm reading the entire run of Heavy Metal in public (in blog format) because I happen to own the entire run of Heavy Metal. This means that I'm engaged in an ongoing study of the magazine. In addition, I have a diverse and idiosyncratic reading list that tends towards the weird corners of comics history. Sometimes one circumstance or another results in long articles that I don't really have anyplace to put. Mike has been gracious enough to let me publish them here.
In summary: this is an article about comics from someone in the DC area.
Friday, July 26, 2019
NPR on Catwad and on comics collections
Why Grouchy, Rude 'Catwad' Is Catnip To Kids.
Are You There God? It's Me, Juanita blog July 25, 2019
Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Tears In Rain (Time To Die)"
"Tears In Rain (Time To Die)"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2770
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Fabrications on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched debunked "scoops" glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
All those duds will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die.
------
"Only thing Mueller 'brought to life' today was what a dud Russiagate was & what a joke Democratic Party has become. Dems sound like unhinged lunatics calling clickbait/stolen emails an 'invasion' & spouting a series of debunked (some even by Mueller himself)
conspiracy theories." –Aaron Maté on Twitter, 07.25.19
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1154151799449894917
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2770
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Fabrications on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched debunked "scoops" glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
All those duds will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die.
------
"Only thing Mueller 'brought to life' today was what a dud Russiagate was & what a joke Democratic Party has become. Dems sound like unhinged lunatics calling clickbait/stolen emails an 'invasion' & spouting a series of debunked (some even by Mueller himself)
conspiracy theories." –Aaron Maté on Twitter, 07.25.19
https://twitter.com/aaronjmate/status/1154151799449894917
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Today - Saturday: Anime for All at Library of Congress
"Anime for All," a celebration of East Asian culture, mythology, pop culture and inspiration, will be held Thursday, July 25 through Friday, July 26, in the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The film screening — along with a collection display of rare Japanese graphic art, a panel discussion on the emergence of Japanese hip-hop and a live Studio Ghibli performance — will showcase the evolution of Japanese storytelling traditions that have been transformed into modern forms of expressions and overall pop-culture fandom.
The events are free and open to the public. Tickets are available for some of the "Anime for All" activities, but are not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.
Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26
Thursday, July 25, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday, July 26, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Whittall Pavilion, ground floor "Anime for All" Display
This display will trace the history of Japanese graphic arts, storytelling and warriors into the modern day. Visitors will see examples of handwritten scrolls from the early 19th century that feature illustrations and descriptions of swords crafted by 13th-15th century masters like Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, as well as multiple volumes of "The Legend of Gallant Jiraiya," an epic mid-19th century tale that follows the adventures of a ninja with magic powers. These beautifully illustrated books have influenced numerous later works, including the manga/anime series Naruto.
Visitors will also see woodblock prints depicting the fierceness and power of samurai, including a print of two figures grappling on the roof of Hōryūkaku Tower. Also on display are comic books inspired by historic Japanese figures and stories, including Usagi Yojimbo and Samurai Penguin, woodblock prints of an Edo-period depiction of the Tanabata festival, and more.
Thursday, July 25, 2 p.m.
Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor
Film Screening
"Okko's Inn," a film by anime studio Madhouse and director Kitaro Kosaka, presented by GKIDS. This film is rated PG. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor
Samurai, Hip-Hop, and History: A Samurai Champloo panel
Join EyeQ, a Florida-based emcee, entrepreneur and performer, as he moderates a conversation with artists Shing02 and Substantial about the music of Samurai Champloo and the intersection of music, culture and history in Japan. Free and open to the public. Tickets are available, but are not required. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
7 p.m., North Lawn
BYTES & BEATS: Shing02 and FAT JON Substantial and Marcus D
Samurai Champloo 15th anniversary event
Shing02 and Fat Jon headline a unique concert celebrating the best of African-American and Japanese, eastern and western cultures combined. The lineup pairs some of the most exciting and relevant influencers in the anime-inspired hip-hop and lo-fi hip-hop universe with emcees who worked directly with groundbreaking composer/producer Nujabes on the hit television show "Samurai Champloo."
Tickets for this performance are available via Eventbrite, but are not required, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to secure tickets, visit this event-ticketing site. Entry is not guaranteed.
Presented as part of the Library's Summer Concerts on the Lawn series.
Friday, July 26
1 p.m. – 2 p.m., LJ 119, First floor Jefferson Building
Kihara Hirokatsu and Diana Garnett
In this program for children and their families, Studio Ghibli writer, producer and director Kihara Hirokatsu will discuss his experience in Japanese anime production and the inspirations for Totoro and other animated films. Together with singer and voice actress Diana Garnett, Hirokatsu will share the joys of creating an animated film. Free and open to the public. Tickets are available, but are not required. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
The series will conclude on Saturday, July 27 at 10 a.m. in the Washington Convention Center with a panel discussion featuring Library of Congress experts on various ways Otakon audiences can connect with the Library of Congress and its resources. An Otakon 2019 ticket is required for attendance. For more information on Otakon, visit this site (https://www.otakon.com/).
The events are free and open to the public. Tickets are available for some of the "Anime for All" activities, but are not required. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information and to secure your ticket. Entry is not guaranteed.
Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26
Thursday, July 25, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday, July 26, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Whittall Pavilion, ground floor "Anime for All" Display
This display will trace the history of Japanese graphic arts, storytelling and warriors into the modern day. Visitors will see examples of handwritten scrolls from the early 19th century that feature illustrations and descriptions of swords crafted by 13th-15th century masters like Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, as well as multiple volumes of "The Legend of Gallant Jiraiya," an epic mid-19th century tale that follows the adventures of a ninja with magic powers. These beautifully illustrated books have influenced numerous later works, including the manga/anime series Naruto.
Visitors will also see woodblock prints depicting the fierceness and power of samurai, including a print of two figures grappling on the roof of Hōryūkaku Tower. Also on display are comic books inspired by historic Japanese figures and stories, including Usagi Yojimbo and Samurai Penguin, woodblock prints of an Edo-period depiction of the Tanabata festival, and more.
Thursday, July 25, 2 p.m.
Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor
Film Screening
"Okko's Inn," a film by anime studio Madhouse and director Kitaro Kosaka, presented by GKIDS. This film is rated PG. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
5:30 p.m. — 6:30 p.m., Coolidge Auditorium, ground floor
Samurai, Hip-Hop, and History: A Samurai Champloo panel
Join EyeQ, a Florida-based emcee, entrepreneur and performer, as he moderates a conversation with artists Shing02 and Substantial about the music of Samurai Champloo and the intersection of music, culture and history in Japan. Free and open to the public. Tickets are available, but are not required. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
7 p.m., North Lawn
BYTES & BEATS: Shing02 and FAT JON Substantial and Marcus D
Samurai Champloo 15th anniversary event
Shing02 and Fat Jon headline a unique concert celebrating the best of African-American and Japanese, eastern and western cultures combined. The lineup pairs some of the most exciting and relevant influencers in the anime-inspired hip-hop and lo-fi hip-hop universe with emcees who worked directly with groundbreaking composer/producer Nujabes on the hit television show "Samurai Champloo."
Tickets for this performance are available via Eventbrite, but are not required, on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information and to secure tickets, visit this event-ticketing site. Entry is not guaranteed.
Presented as part of the Library's Summer Concerts on the Lawn series.
Friday, July 26
1 p.m. – 2 p.m., LJ 119, First floor Jefferson Building
Kihara Hirokatsu and Diana Garnett
In this program for children and their families, Studio Ghibli writer, producer and director Kihara Hirokatsu will discuss his experience in Japanese anime production and the inspirations for Totoro and other animated films. Together with singer and voice actress Diana Garnett, Hirokatsu will share the joys of creating an animated film. Free and open to the public. Tickets are available, but are not required. Visit this event-ticketing site for more information.
The series will conclude on Saturday, July 27 at 10 a.m. in the Washington Convention Center with a panel discussion featuring Library of Congress experts on various ways Otakon audiences can connect with the Library of Congress and its resources. An Otakon 2019 ticket is required for attendance. For more information on Otakon, visit this site (https://www.otakon.com/).
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