Feb 8: Oscar Animated Short Film Nominees at NARA

National Archives 16th Annual Showcase of Academy Award®-Nominated Documentaries and Short Subjects
February 5 - February 9, 2020

Washington, DC, January 15, 2020 — The National Archives will host free screenings of the 92nd Academy Award® nominees in four categories — Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Live Action Short Film, and Animated Short Film — in its William G. McGowan Theater from Wednesday, February 5, 2020 through Sunday, February 9, 2020. A very limited number of seats are available for press, contact: public.affairs@nara.gov. 

The screenings are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in partnership with the National Archives Foundation.

Reservations for the screenings will open to the general public at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, January 17, 2020, at www.archivesfoundation.org/events/ or call 202-357-6814.

Theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to start time. Walk-ins without reservations will be admitted 15 minutes prior to start time, depending on available seats. Please note that some films may not be appropriate for general audiences.

The William G. McGowan Theater is located in the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Metro accessible on Yellow or Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station. The public should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW. To verify the date and times of the programs, call the National Archives Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online.

Screening Schedule (subject to availability)

Animated Short Film Nominees
Saturday, February 8, 3:30 p.m. 

Dcera (Daughter)
Daria Kashcheeva
Hair Love
Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
Kitbull
Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
Memorable
Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
Sister
Siqi Song 

Total Running Time:  51 minutes

RVA's lastest comics column

RVA Comics X-Change: Issue 35

Ash Griffith | January 14, 2020

https://rvamag.com/art/zines-books/rva-comics-x-change-issue-35.html

Jen Sorenson interviewed by Michael O'Connell

Calling out racists in cartoons makes them angry [Jen Sorensen]

by  Michael O'Connell

It's All Journalism 392, January 16, 2020

https://itsalljournalism.com/392-calling-out-racists-in-cartoons-makes-them-angry/

SPX 2019 - 4 more videos online now

SPX 2019 Panel - Spotlight: Emily Carroll
J.A. Micheline
Small Press Expo
Dec 26, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM_2uOtc__0

In less than a decade, Emily Carroll has established herself as one of
the most distinctive, unsettling, and popular horror cartoonists
working today. Her webcomic His Face All Red brought her immediate
popularity, and her short story collection Through The Woods won
multiple awards, including the Ignatz. Her most recent book, When I
Arrived at the Castle (Koyama Press) is a masterful, stylish, and
disturbing take on vampires and fairy tales. Critic J.A. Micheline
joins Emily for a wide-ranging discussion of her career.

SPX 2019 Panel - Pigheaded Screening [Skip Williamson].
Lance Ward
Small Press Expo
Dec 26, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EukiUZxeH-8

Filmmaker John Kinhart screens his documentary on the life of
legendary underground cartoonist Skip Williamson. Kinhart says his
film "faithfully portrays Williamson's life as rebellious artist,
irreverent pighead and loving family man. Told through candid
interviews, animation, and archival photographs, "Pigheaded" takes you
back in time to see the behind the scenes of one of America's most
curious art movement." Cartoonist Lance Ward (Blood And Drugs) will
lead a Q&A session with Kinhart and Williamson's ex-wife Harriett
Hiland after the film. Note: The actual movie is omitted from this
video.

SPX 2019 Panel - Round 3...Fight! Tournaments A Narrative Structure
J.A. Micheline
Small Press Expo
Dec 26, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQF43NmxKHI

J.A. Micheline moderates a discussion on the varied use of tournaments
as part of narrative structure in comics. From reimagining the shape
and structure of narratives, to representations of violence and
reimagining history and historical texts, to the way tournaments
appear in children's comics, there's a rich variety of material to
explore with Ronald Wimberley (Prince Of Cats), Richie Pope (That Box
We Sit On), and Shannon Wright (Twins).

SPX 2019 IGNATZ AWARDS
Keith Knight.
Small Press Expo
Dec 26, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0AWcbe-KMw

Hosted by Keith Knight. The Ignatz Award, named for the character in
the classic comic strip Krazy Kat by George Herriman, is the festival
prize of the Small Press Expo, that since 1997 has recognized
outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The Ignatz
recognizes exceptional work that challenges popular notions of what
comics can achieve, both as an art form and as a means of personal
expression.

New local items in Michigan State University Libraries' comic collection

I'm probably the only person in the world who reads (i.e. skims) the "New Cataloging and Indexing Daily Log" that Randy Scott compiles for his Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection. The Index is useful, because it's caught by search engines, unlike anything in the main library catalog.

When I skim it, I see plenty of material that I didn't know existed, and sometimes that's by a local creator. This  magazine catalogued in December was new to me. Beyond Comics stores still exists in the area, but in Maryland, not in Burke anymore.

The Writer's Block, the Magazine of Comics Writing. -- Burke,
   Virginia : Beyond Comics, 2001. -- ill. ; 26 cm. --
   Published #1 only, per Grand Comics Database. -- Comic book
   stories with writer interviews. -- Alternative genre. --
   LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.: PN6728.7.B46W7

In January, Randy catalogued two books by Bethesda's African-American creator Roye Okupe:

Malika : Fallen Queen. Part one / creator, writer & art
   director, Roye Okupe ; pencils, inks, cover art, Sunkanmi
   Akinboye ; colorist, Etubi Onucheyo. -- Bethesda, MD :
   Youneek Studios, 2017. -- 1 v. : col. ill. ; 27 cm. --
   Summary (from OCLC): Malika, warrior queen and military
   commander of the 15th-century Azzazian Empire, has been
   flung into the year 2025, a dangerous future she's
   struggling to understand. After years of moving in the
   shadows, she's forced out of hiding by a sinister plot that
   spans the centuries! -- Fantasy genre, begins in West
   Africa. -- Call no.: PN6790.N53 A37M3 2017

Windmaker : the History of Atala : the Art of the Book Series
   / written & created by Roye Okupe ; illustrated by Godwin
   Akpan. -- North Bethesda, MD : Youneek Studios, Inc., 2017.
   -- 53 p. : col. ill. ; 29 cm. -- "Inspired by African
   mythology, Windmaker: The History of Atala is one part art
   book, one part prequel story to both the Malika: Warrior
   Queen & WindMaker: Return of a King graphic Novels. Pulling
   from the amazing depths of African history, Roye Okupe,
   writer of the hit graphic novel series E.X.O., creates a
   breathtaking kingdom called Atala. With this art book, he
   sets the foundations for what is definitely a deep and
   meaningful universe (The YouNeek YouNiverse) of heroes.
   Illustrator Godwin Akpan's painting breathes life into the
   story in an amazing way. From dragons, to mythical relics,
   a feuding royal family and magical swords, this book turns
   the fantasy genre on its head by placing familiar concepts
   in an awe inspiring African setting." -- Fantasy prose and
   art. -- Call no.: PN6790.N53 A53W5 2017

And one piece by northern VA's Arsia Rozegar:

Shahnameh for Kids : the Story of Zal & Simorgh / by Arsia
   Rozegar ; illustrated by Mike Amante. -- United States? :
   ShahnamehForKids.com, 2015. -- 1 v. : chiefly ill. ; 26 cm.
   -- "Inspired by Ferdowsi's Shahnameh." -- An Iranian legend
   in children's book format, mostly pictures with a boxed
   caption at each opening. -- Call no.: PN6790.P473 A45S47
   2015
Firdawsî, ca. 940-1020.

It's amazing to me that I can sit hundreds of miles away and see information about comics produced less than 10 miles away that I didn't even know existed.

Conrad's last Nixon cartoon: "I forgot the line!"

 by Mike Rhode

I was in a bookstore on Capitol Hill (Capitol Hill Books in fact) this weekend, glancing through the comics and graphic novels section, and spotted this copy of The King and Us: Editorial Cartoons by Paul Conrad (Los Angeles: Clymer Publications, 1974; 3rd printing 1975) collecting his cartoons about the disgraced President Nixon. Conrad's one of the great editorial cartoonists of the 20th century, and had been on Nixon's enemies list so I picked it up to look at...

...$10 and it was a third edition, signed in August 1994 twenty years after it was published, and twenty-five years later, the Sharpie ink is already blurring and fading.... 

 

...but there were two photocopies laid in, one of Conrad's last cartoon about Nixon from April 25, 1994, showing Nixon's tombstone with a double entendre engraving, 

"Here Lies Richard M. Nixon, 1913-1994"

 

...on the back side of that first photocopy was a sketch of the idea of that cartoon, inscribed, 

"For Frank and Estelle, Lisa, David -- All the Best - Paul Conrad"...

 

...but it also had something the final cartoon was missing. 

A caption with a second double entendre - 

"The Final Coverup" 

- which made the cartoon just a bit more brutal, 

as befitting a man who was was audited  by the IRS as a result of the enemies list

and whose favorite cartoon depicted Nixon nailing himself to a cross.

Estelle apparently kept the sketch until Nixon died 

and sent a photocopy to Conrad to remind him of it. 

He wrote back, "Estelle! I forgot the line! 

Why didn't you call and remind me. Love Paul C."

Admittedly, there are some deductions here, and it's a very minor bit of comics history, 

but one never knows what one will stumble across in the pages of a book. 

I wonder where the original sketch is now...

Former local cartoonist Pat Oliphant featured on Australian tv

A look back at the career of cartoonist Pat Oliphant

Tracy Bowden (filmed by David Brill)

ABC's 7.30 Report 14 Jan 2020

https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/a-look-back-at-the-career-of-cartoonist-pat/11867960

More on Steve Stiles passing

DD Degg of the Daily Cartoonist published some more information about Steve Stiles' career and a link to his death notice with information about the future funeral.

Daniel Clowes exhibit fell through at the Corcoran in 2014

"I Feel Like Comics Needs Its Own Thing": An Interview with Daniel Clowes

BY Bill Kartalopoulos Jan 14, 2020

http://www.tcj.com/i-feel-like-comics-needs-its-own-thing-an-interview-with-daniel-clowes/

The Corcoran itself fell apart in 2014, so it's no surprise they couldn't mount the exhibit. For the record though, here's Mr. Clowes take on it, courtesy of Bill K's question. The whole interview is worth reading though. I got to interview him once, and he's a good, thoughtful person to speak with.

BILL KARTALOPOULOS: You currently have a large, retrospective exhibit touring the U.S. called Modern Cartoonist. This has been in Oakland and Chicago, and now it's in Columbus, right?

DANIEL CLOWES: Yeah, and I think that's it.

It's not coming anywhere to the East Coast?

Originally, our idea was to travel across the country, and it was going to go to the Corcoran in D.C. I'm not so up on all the intrigue in the museum world, but I guess they had some huge funding deficit, and they had to fire their board and hire some new president and all that, and in that whole shuffle they cancelled all outside shows. And I heard all this stuff about the board, and they were not so excited about the idea of putting comics in there anyway. And so, when they later came back and wanted to try to talk to us again about getting it back there, I just had lost interest after hearing all that. When the exhibit started, it seemed like this abstract thing, and I didn't have any sense of how it would feel. But now I want all of this stuff back. [Laughs] I keep seeing it hundreds of miles away from my house, and I'm like, "I want my artwork back in my room." I don't know. It feels weird. It's like having children away at camp for two years or something.

Jan 24: Animezing!: Millennium Actress (Remastered)

Enjoy a FREE animated film at the JICC!

Animezing!:  Millennium Actress (Remastered) Friday, January 24th at 6:30 PM Experience the gorgeous new restoration of what many believe to be Satoshi Kon's (Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers) greatest work, Millennium Actress! When the legendary Ginei Studios shuts down, filmmaker Genya Tachibana and his assistant are tasked with interviewing its reclusive star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who had retired from the spotlight 30 years prior. As she recounts her career, Genya and his crew are literally pulled into her memories where they witness her chance encounter with a mysterious man on the run from the police. Despite never knowing his name or his face, Chiyoko relentlessly pursues that man in a seamless blend of reality and memory that only Satoshi Kon could deliver. Boasting countless awards, including the Grand Prize in the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival, which it shared with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, Millennium Actress is a must-see for anime fans of all ages. Starring Mami Koyama, Shozo Iizuka, Masaya Onosaka In Japanese with English subtitles | Rated PG | 2019 | 87 min | Directed by Satoshi Kon Registration required Images: © 2018 Millennium Actress Production Committee Animezing!: Millennium Actress (Remastered) Friday, January 24th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM JICC: Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan 1150 18th Street, NW Suite 100 Washington, D.C. 20036-3838  REGISTER HERE This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp. Program begins at 6:30PM. Doors open 30 minutes before the program. 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. The JICC reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by JICC without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video. 1150 18th Street NW, Suite 100 | Washington, D.C. 20036-3838 TEL: 202-238-6900 | FAX: 202-822-6524 | jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp © 1981-2020 Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan

PR: Cuddles and Rage's horror stories coming soon

BITES OF TERROR 10 Frightfully Delicious Tales By Cuddles and Rage Foreword by Phil Nobile, Jr.,  editor in chief of Fangoria magazine Praise for Liz and Jimmy Reed (aka Cuddles and Rage): "Liz and Jimmy Reed create work that is cute—but it always has a twist."—National Endowment of the Arts "Their style is unique and adds a different flavor to characters and ideas we know and love."—Nerdist

 

Tales from the Crypt meets All My Friends Are Dead in Bites of Terror: 10 Frightfully Delicious Tales (Quirk Books; On sale: March 24, 2020) by the creative duo Cuddles and Rage, also known as Liz and Jimmy Reed. The team's adorably creepy work began as a webcomic and has been featured everywhere from Nerdist to the Washington Post. Now they're bringing their unique combination of adorable hand-sculpted characters, meticulously designed dioramas, and photographed panels to a graphic novel that's sure to delight anyone with a dark sense of humor. In the book's foreword, Fangoria magazine's Phil Nobile, Jr. notes that Cuddles and Rage is "a brilliant storytelling duo that examines the human condition through stories about anthropomorphic foods who live rich, full, hilarious, and often relatable lives."

From an ice cream cone who makes an ill-fated deal with the devil('s food cake) to a moldy strawberry craving one last dip in a bowl of whipped cream, Bites of Terror's characters find themselves caught in various fear-filled scenarios, each with a uniquely morbid twist ending. Introducing the tales is the Cake Creeper, a partially eaten groom's cake who seems to have a sinister agenda. Here's a sampling of sinful stories to whet your appetite:

• Deviled Egg: A freak accident has a Jekyll-and-Hyde effect, leaving a hard-boiled egg split in two sides—one good, one evil.

• Pizza Party Massacre: A pizza slice working in children's entertainment reluctantly agrees to attend a last-minute birthday party at a previous client's house, the site of a violent incident.

• Death by Chocolate: At the request of his police chief, a turnip detective grudgingly allows a banana from the press to tail him as he investigates a murder spree perpetrated by a killer who removes the chocolate from his tasty victims. 

• Unfortunate Cookie: After his mother's death, a fortune cookie gains her gift of second sight, but his newfound knowledge may be more curse than blessing. 

• Preserved: A peach tries to keep her life and household afloat while dealing with the incessant criticism and neediness of her mother (and roommate).

No detail is spared in these hand-crafted stories, from the delightfully morbid, pun-filled humor to each carefully constructed character and scene. Just like watching a horror movie—knowing a terrible fate will inevitably befall the characters—readers will be tempted to reach into the pages and save these food folk from their fates.

ABOUT THE CREATORS Cuddles and Rage—aka Liz and Jimmy Reed—are the cocreators of a world of disturbingly cute stories. Their original webcomic featuring handmade dioramas of anthropomorphic foods has expanded into books, animation, and product design. Their clients include Netflix, HarperCollins, TLC, and the Science Channel. They live and work in the DC area.

ABOUT THE BOOK Bites of Terror: 10 Frightfully Delicious Tales Written by Cuddles and Rage All Art by Cuddles and Rage Publisher: Quirk Books On sale: March 24, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-68369-164-8 e-ISBN: 978-1-68369-165-5 Price: $14.99 US/$19.99 CAN; Trade Paperback Original

Jason Reynolds becomes Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

Publishers Weekly has the story. Reynolds is relevant to us because he wrote a Miles Morales Spider-Man YA novel. I recommend his books though, of which I've read half of them, even though I'm a middle-aged white man. I particularly like the ones set in the high school track world.

Kevin Panetta is writing Archie this spring

Here's a link to a preview of Kevin Panetta's, co-written with Mariko Tamaki, Archie 710. I just added it to my pull-list. Kevin's Bloom graphic novel made many of the 'best of' lists that just came out for 2019.

PR: Big Planet Comics Bethesda January hardcover SALE!

Bethesda store ONLY!   Big Planet Comics 4849 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, Md 20814

Underground cartoonist Steve Stiles has passed away

Steve Stiles, Falls Church, Virginia, Spring 1979. Kodachrome 25 by Jeff Schalles (from Wikipedia)

Facebook is reporting that cartoonist Steve Stiles died on January 12th from cancer. Stiles worked in the underground, but according to Wikipedia also did children's books and other types of cartooning. He also worked in Baltimore and Laurel's Daedalus Books.

Troy-Jeffrey Allen interviews Adam Warren

"Manga's approach to storytelling was much more forceful." The Adam Warren Story

Troy-Jeffrey Allen

PREVIEWSworld Jan 10, 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRE4NaMmDSY

ImageText's review of E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Part Two.

"Review of E.X.O.: The Legend of Wale Williams Part Two."

By Fiona Farnsworth

ImageTexT, vol 10, no. 1, 2018, n. pag. Dept of English, University of Florida.

http://imagetext.english.ufl.edu/archives/v10_1/farnsworth/

The Post on videogame animation acting, 2020 graphic novels and superhero movie dancers

The hidden world and overlooked problems of acting in video games [in print as 'Wild West' of video game acting].

By Anya van Wagtendonk 

Washington Post Jan. 12, 2020 p. E2

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/01/08/hidden-world-overlooked-problems-acting-video-games/

Some graphic novels to read in 2020 [in print as 2020 begins with a rich blend of graphic storytelling].

By

Michael Cavna 

Writer/critic

Washington Post Jan. 12, 2020, p. E12.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/some-graphic-novels-to-read-in-2020/2020/01/06/abb1465e-2fe2-11ea-9313-6cba89b1b9fb_story.html

These 18 movie stars are also amazing dancers. That's their real superpower. [superhero movies; in print as Their superpower: Dance].

Sarah L. Kaufman 

Washington Post Jan. 12, 2020 p. E1, 9.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_danc/these-18-movie-stars-are-also-amazing-dancers-thats-their-real-superpower/2020/01/08/c8050150-30bf-11ea-898f-eb846b7e9feb_story.html