Friday, September 11, 2020

SPX 2020 Program Schedule Tomorrow & Sunday

SPX 2020 Program Schedule

SPX programming for 2020 is going virtual — details below!

September 12, 2020

Parenting And Art In A Time Of Crisis

Balancing parenting with creating art can be difficult under the best of circumstances. In a time when parents also have to cope with a global pandemic, economic turmoil, injustice and oppression, and naked racism, how are cartoonists who are parents coping with this? How is it affecting not only their output, but the content of More Info »

Enemies Of The State

This will be a live presentation of the Enemies Of The State podcast. Moderated by Alex Hoffman, he will join critics Daniel Elkin, Sarah Miller, Jules Bakes, and Rob Clough to do a deep dive into Vivian Chong & Georgia Webber's graphic memoir Dancing After TEN.

Diskette Press: Ann Arbor Trans Printing Club

Take a tour and listen to the behind-the-scenes workings of Ann Arbor's Diskette Press! Publisher Carta Monir will lead a discussion with two of the artists she publishes, Emma Jayne (Trans Girls Hit The Town) and Casey Nowak (Girl Town, Duh Ha Ha). Diskette's ace employee and Risograph tech whiz Renée Cymry will also provide More Info »

Red, White, Black, & Blue: Highlighting America's Racial Illiteracy

Combining comics, storytelling, statistics, and facts, Knight makes the case that America's biggest problem is its inability to have a frank and honest discussion about race. Knight's presentation is designed to provoke constructive dialogue amongst people young and old, left and right, of all colors and orientations.  The presentation has been a hit at schools, More Info »

Just For Laughs

Just For Laughs is a panel dedicated to gags in comics, how they work, and why we love them! Ideally, we'll discuss the structures that make for a successful gag, the role of gags in fan comics, how gags work in the midst of heavier material, the culture surrounding gags, and, of course, the gags More Info »

Anthologies, Activism, And Visibility

Anthologies can be a powerful source for a number of artists to raise their voices for a particular cause.  Moderator Dr. Rachel Miller will join Diane Noomin (editor of the Eisner Award-winning Drawing Power: Women's Stories Of Sexual Violence, Harassment And Survival), Hazel Newlevant (editor of the Ignatz Award-winning Comics For Choice: Illustrated Abortion Stories, More Info »

The Future Without You

A seamless tapestry of comics, radio play, and live theatrical performance, The Future Without You is a collection of six short pieces from Tulsa Artist Fellow and Ignatz-award winning comics creator Sophie Goldstein and Tulsa Artist Fellow Carl Antonowicz, starring actors Kara Bellavia and Javier Sagel. Moderator Rob Clough will have a brief discussion with More Info »
September 13, 2020

Comics And Contracts

One thing lacking in many art school curriculums is how to approach signing a book contract. What considerations should an artist consider in negotiating a contract? How do factors like copyrights, media rights, licensing, reversion rights figure into a contract? Join moderator Rob Clough and the interim Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense More Info »

How Drawings Resonate: Empathy and Identity in Graphic Memoir

Cartoonists GB Tran (Vietnamerica) and Erin Williams (Commute) join this roundtable with moderator Qiana Whitted and other scholars from the International Comic Arts Forum (ICAF) to discuss the ways that audience, reception, and "relatability" affect how comics are created, particularly those by women and people of color. How do these artists render hidden on painful More Info »

The Body Laid Waste: The New Body Horror in Comics

While comics have always provided a space for the provocative modification of the human body, in recent years cartoonists have returned to the horror genre to twist it with their new visions of terrifying human figures. Grounding their approach to horror in the body itself, these artists excavate intimacy, desire, fantasy, and community care as More Info »

So Goth She Was Born Black: A Spotlight on Bianca Xunise

Moderator J.A. Micheline will engage in conversation with Ignatz-award winning cartoonist Bianca Xunise (Six Chix, Say Her Name) about punk rock, goth, and her comics career.

Strategies Of Resistance

Political cartooning is often also intensely personal. How do political cartoonists decide how to personalize their strategies for resistance against powerful state and corporate structures? Moderator Rob Clough will engage R.Sikoyrak (Constitution Illustrated), Dwayne "Mr. Fish" Booth (Nobody Left), Breena Nuñez (The Nib), and Derf (Kent State: Four Dead In Ohio) regarding visual strategies, the More Info »

Systemic Corruption And Public Displacement

How do cartoonists confront the notion that public institutions that we should be able to trust are often corrupt and racist? How are they reacting to how public protest is met with military force and the ways in which gentrification is a literal and figurative act of violence? Join moderator Robin Enrico as he engages More Info »

Communicating Queer Identity Through Fictional Structures

How and why do cartoonists use fictional characters as a stand-in for their own experiences? Moderator Alex Hoffman and artists Lawrence Lindell (The Section), Kelsey Wroten (Cannonball), and Trungles (The Magic Fish) will explore how fictionalization allows artists to express certain truths more openly, lets artists shape a narrative, and the process of deciding how More Info »

NCSFest Schedule 2020


NCSFest Schedule 2020

Streaming broadcast begins at 10am (EST) Saturday, September 12

10:00 am

90 mins

From Panels to Publishing

NCSFest kicks into high gear with a Quadruple-barreled dose of cartooning talent featuring 2019 Reuben Nominees MARK TATULLI and TERRI LIBENSON along with MARIA SCRIVAN, and ROB HARRELL discussing their evolution from comic strips and panels to book publishing. These four multi-award-winning cartoonists will share their distinct experiences with moving from traditional syndicated newspaper strips to multiple successful publication properties.

Hosted by: JASON CHATFIELD


11:30 am

Division Awards Round 1

Join us for the announcement of the first round of Divisional Awards:

Editorial Cartoons

Magazine/Newspaper Illustration

Newspaper Panels

Gag Cartoons


11:45 am

50 mins


The Art of Funny

Join Garfield and US Acres creator, JIM DAVIS, as he pulls back the curtain on Paws Inc. with an NCS exclusive presentation deconstructing the art of humor. Jim shares his journey from making his mom laugh, his influences, as well as his origins in Indiana attempting stand-up comedy around the time his Ball State dorm-mate, was giving it a try… and went on to become one of the most legendary Late Night Hosts in America.

Jim explores his theory on how humor can heal and get us through tough times, as well as how he believes it won a Presidential election.

This session then takes a further deep dive into the power of humor, the mechanics of gags used in cartoons and comic strips, character-construction, personalities and relationships, the importance of the reader in the writing process, which days of the week to run your strongest and weakest gags, his team's writing process, the importance of what you don't see, the art of pantomime, using real-world names and events in a comic strip, transitioning comic strips into film and television and most importantly, what he thinks is funny. This is one very special presentation not-to-be-missed!


12:35 pm

50 mins


The Superstar Cartoonists of Instagram

In this exclusive NCSFest session, Editorial Director for Comics at King Features, TEA FOUGNER, interviews some of the most popular cartoonists on Instagram, including GEMMA CORRELL, LINIERS, LUKE McGARRY, MARITSA PATRINOS and creator of The Awkward Yeti, NICK SELUK.

The session delves into the different journey of each creator in cultivating an audience on an eer-evolving visual social media platform, as well as their daily process of creating for an audience who very readily reply to their work. From people getting offended by their work, to figuring out a creative process that stays unique to the artist, this is a one-of-a-kind discussion for anyone interested in the future of making a living as a cartoonist in the digital age.

Hosted by: TEA FOUGNER



1:25 pm

Division Awards Round 2

Join us for the announcement of the second round of Divisional Awards:

Online Comics – Short Form

Online Comics – Long Form

Online Animation

Advertising/Product Illustration



1:40 pm

60 mins

Creator Spotlight: Tom Fishburne, Creating a Successful Online Cartooning Business

Cartoonist TOM FISHBURNE started doodling on the backs of business cases as a Harvard Business School student. From an emailed cartoon to coworkers in 2002, Tom's Marketoonist series has grown by word of mouth to reach more than 200,000 readers every week and his cartoons have been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and The New York Times. His cartoons have appeared on a billboard in Times Square and helped win a Guinness World Record.

Tom spoke at the TED headquarters in New York on "The Power of Laughing at Ourselves". He was Cartoonist-in-Residence and Lecturer for the Stanford GSB course on humor in business.

In this one hour session, hosted by NCS President JASON CHATFIELD, Tom shares how he came to build a successful online cartooning business from the ground up, along with the importance of finding your niche, and more importantly your 'enough'.

This talk explores the challenges of freelancing, working remotely, the importance of email marketing for all cartoonists as well as developing the correct technical skills to use social media to your advantage.



2:40 pm

60 mins

Creator Spotlight: Georgia Dunn on Breaking Cat News

Join Director of Comics and Acquisitions at Andrews McMeel, SHENA WOLF as she interviews the talented young creator of Breaking Cat News, GEORGIA DUNN about her journey from creating a webcomic to getting syndicated. Georgia outlines her process of writing, as well as her technical process of creating a comic strip in watercolor and more.

3:40 pm

50 mins

25 Years of Mutts

Keep your seats, because you won't want to miss the next session: Join host and For Better Or For Worse creator LYNN JOHNSTON in celebrating PATRICK McDONNELL'S journey over the past 25 years with his iconic comic strip, MUTTS and everything along the way. Patrick is this year's Elzie Segar Award-winner for his unique and outstanding contribution to the profession of cartooning.

Lynn and Patrick talk about everything from early influences like their friend, the late Charles Schulz, to the fantastic Lynda Barry, and working with Abrams Comic Arts Editor Charlie Kochman on Patrick's new Book, The Art of Nothing. (Which is really something.)

4:30 pm

Division Awards Round 3

Join us for the announcement of the third round of Divisional Awards:

Comic Books

Graphic Novels

Feature Animation

Television Animation



  • 4:45 pm
  • 50 mins
  • The Six Chix 20th Anniversary

Join the current slate of SIX CHIX cartoonists in celebrating their 20th Anniversary, with Editorial Director for Comics at King Features, TEA FOUGNER. Enjoy the journey of a multi-cartoonist feature from its early years with encouragement from Jay Kennedy, to today's iteration of the Six Chix feature and all its recent controversy. This talk is not just a reflection on the past 20 years, but gives insight into what the future holds for making a living as a cartoonist in the 21st century, as well as what other projects each of the contributors are working on right now.

5:35 pm

15 mins

Reveille: Beetle Bailey short documentary

Since its launch in 1950, Beetle Bailey has appeared every day in newspapers all over the world. After sixty-five years and 25,089 unique comic strips, new ideas are hard to come by for creator Mort Walker and his three sons, who make up the creative team. Fortunately, like any good military outfit, they have a regimented system and a sense of duty to get the job done. "Reveille – A Family Legacy in Comics", created by David Walker lifts the curtain up on the family business that produces this iconic piece of Americana.

5:50 pm

30 mins

Desert Island Comics with Watchmen's Dave Gibbons

'Desert Island Comics' – five comics, a favorite snack and a luxury item – what would you take to a desert island? Courtesy of Peter Kessler and our friends at the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival, we find out which items Dave Gibbons would choose. Gibbons, the only UK Artist to be inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame, is the co-creator of the wildly popular Watchmen comic series, and Executive Producer on the multi-award nominated HBO series of the same name.

6:20 pm

Division Awards Final Round

Join us for the announcement of the fourth and final round of Divisional Awards:

Greeting Cards

Book Illustration

Variety Entertainment

Newspaper Strips

Big congratulations to John Glynn on his Silver T-Square for his outstanding contribution to the Cartooning Industry!

Big congratulations to Garry Trudeau on his Gold T-Square for 50 Years in the industry!




6:35 pm

In Memoriam

We pay tribute to the cartoonists and industry colleagues who we've lost in the past year.

6:45 pm

The Main Event! The 2019 Reuben Award for Cartoonist Of The Year

Join us in celebrating our talented nominees for 2019:

Hilary B. Price

Lynda Barry

Terri Libenson

Mark Tatulli and

Raina Telgemeier

Heat Vision talks to Tom King about Rorschach

'Rorschach' Writer Pulls Back Curtain on "Very Angry" 'Watchmen' Followup

NPR looks at Knight's Woke and Furie's Pepe

In 'Woke,' Cartoonist Keith Knight Drew From A Real-Life 'Wake-Up Call'

September 8, 2020    All Things Considered

Elizabeth Blair

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/08/909707072/in-woke-cartoonist-keith-knight-drew-from-a-real-life-wake-up-call

https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2020/09/20200908_atc_in_woke_cartoonist_keith_knight_drew_from_a_real-life_wake-up_call.mp3

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/909707072


'Feels Good Man' Traces Pepe The Frog From Hate Symbol To Democracy Icon

September 4, 2020 All Things Considered

Andrew Limbong

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/04/902617699/feels-good-man-traces-pepe-the-frog-from-hate-symbol-to-democracy-icon

https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2020/09/20200904_atc_feels_good_man_traces_pepe_the_frog_from_hate_symbol_to_democracy_icon.mp3

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/902617699


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Thursday, September 10, 2020

PR: Baltimore Comic-Con 2020 Live Announcement - 9/10/2020



Baltimore Comic-Con logo

Baltimore Comic-Con 2020 Live Announcement - 9/10/2020

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - September 10, 2020 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is excited to make a number of announcements regarding our 2020 event. Launching in cooperation with our friends at Mainframe Comic-Con, our 2020 show will be held as an online live event, replicating the comic convention you've come to love for these past 20 years but in a virtual environment! The Baltimore Convention Center has now confirmed that they will not be hosting any gatherings for the remainder of the calendar year while they continue services as a COVID testing center, as well as maintaining a COVID field hospital facility capability, housing hospital beds to support another surge should that occur. Since we cannot get together physically in 2020, our exhibitors, retailers, Artists Alley, guests, the Ringo Awards, and programming will transition to our online live event, enabling fans the world over to experience the Baltimore Comic-Con!

We will be making announcements on our mailing list (available at baltimorecomiccon.com) and social media, so please sign up and follow! If you're a regular attendee, you'll find yourself in a familiar environment. If you've never been able to attend (especially since geography and budget are no longer considerations), this is a great opportunity to come and get a taste of the show!

TICKETS

All tickets purchased for the 2020 event will automatically transfer to our October 22-24, 2021 show. Frank Miller Tickets will transfer as well -- Frank has already confirmed his plan to attend in 2021. Additionally, our friends at AfterShock Comics, Source Point Press, and Valiant Entertainment have each donated $10 vouchers for ticket holders to purchase merchandise at their booths in 2021. Ticket holders will also receive comics and trade paperback/graphic novels electronically this year -- Dark Ark Volume 1 and Animosity Volume 1 from AfterShock Comics, The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood TPB and DEK Volume 2 #1 from Source Point Press, and Bloodshot Book One TPB and X-O Manowar #1 from Valiant Entertainment. Additionally, BOOM! Studios will be providing PDFs of The Woods Volume 1 and Wynd issue #1, both by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas.

Funds received from ticket (as well as from exhibitor booth sales) enable the continuity of our show, paying for real costs such as the rental of the Baltimore Convention Center, ongoing operations expenses, and costs associated with marketing activities as examples. If you are suffering from a financial hardship due to the pandemic and simply cannot justify the wait until next year, we will do our best to issue refunds on a case-by-case basis, which may take us time to do (we hope you don't choose that option, as we want to see everyone in 2021!). We appreciate your understanding and patience.

2021 GUESTS

While guests' availability changes from year to year, we are hoping to re-book most (if not all) of our previously announced 2020 guests again, as well as complete some pretty amazing plans that were afoot when the world changed, both guest-wise and overall with respect to events at the show! While we are still in the process of working with confirmed guests, as of the writing of this Press Release, we have re-confirmed Marty Baumann, John Beatty, Brett Breeding, Howard Chaykin, Frank Cho, Becky Cloonan, Steve Conley, Katie Cook, Kristina Deak-Linsner, Garth Ennis, Mitch Gerads, Joe Giella, Gene Ha, Dean HaspielGreg Hildebrandt, Jamal Igle, Tom King, Joseph Michael Linsner, Bob McLeod, Carla Speed McNeil, Frank Miller, Terry Moore, James Pascoe, Andrew Pepoy, David Petersen, Brandon Peterson, Tom Raney, Afua Richardson, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, John K. Snyder III, Jill Thompson, Robert Venditti, Mark Waid, Gene Luen Yang, and Thom ZahlerWe can't wait to see you October 22-24, 2021! In the meantime, please subscribe to our mailing list, available at baltimorecomiccon.com, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, and YouTube, and please stay safe, healthy, and plan those masks for 2021 (who knew cosplaying could have health benefits!)!

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Ringo Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages, and follow us on Snapchat.

 


 
Contact Information

Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:

press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution

promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications

registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations

general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries

  

About The Baltimore Comic-Con

The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 21st year of bringing the comic book industry to the mid-Atlantic area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.