ComicsDC

Kathy Merlock Jackson, Carl H. Sederholm, and Mark I. West (eds.). Forgotten Disney: Essays on the Lesser-Known Productions. McFarland Publishing, 2023. $49.95. https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/forgotten-disney/

The Golden Touch (1935): Re-Examining the Satirical Merits of Walt Disney's Alleged Directorial Misfire

Brennan Thomas 5

The Plausible Impossible in Walt Disney's Thru the Mirror (1936)

Jan Susina 15

Mickey & Co. Enlist: Disney's World War II Animated Shorts

Paula T. Connolly 22

Victory Through Air Power (1943): How Walt Disney Planned to Win the War

Emily Sullivan 31

Roald Dahl, Walt Disney, and The Gremlins: The Story of an Unfinished Film

Mark I. West 40

A Simple Love Story in the Labyrinth of Time: The Impossible Quest of Destino

Francesca Arnavas 46

Make Mine Music (1946): The Music Program Feature and Its Relevance to Pixar/Disney Shorts

Jacki Fitzpatrick 55

Anti-Urbanism, Environmental Degradation, and Solastalgia in The Little House (1952)

Hadas Marcus 70

A Whale of a Tale: Disney Theme Park Iterations of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Carissa Baker 81

Walt Disney Beyond the Barnyard: From Mickey's Kangaroo (1935) to Nature's Strangest Creatures (1959)

Derham Groves 115

Disney's Abandoned Rainbow Road to Oz

Dina Schiff Massachi 124

Walt Disney's Babes in Toyland (1961): Flawed Forerunner to Better Things

Kathy Merlock Jackson 134

Horizons: The Future That Never Was and Disney's Extinct Attractions

Andrew J. Friedenthal 176

A Financial Fable: The Rise and Fall of Disney Comics, 1990–1993

Peter Cullen Bryan 201

Recalling the Details of Forgotten Disney Theme Park Attractions

Bobby Schweizer 225

Bibliography

Camille McCutcheon 235

Book Review - Ilan Manouach in Review – Critical Approaches To His Conceptual Comics

Gareth Brookes

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 30, 2023

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-ilan-manouach-in-review.html

Pedro Moura (ed.) Ilan Manouach in Review – Critical Approaches To His Conceptual Comics. London: Routledge, 2023. https://www.routledge.com/Ilan-Manouach-in-Review-Critical-Approaches-to-his-Conceptual-Comics/Moura/p/book/9781032399713

Introduction: A Critical Situatedness of Comics

Pedro Moura

Part 1: Textuality and Surfaces

1. Katz, Noirs & Tintin akei Kongo: Ilan Manouach's Critical Manifesto

Xavier Guilbert

2. Ilan Manouach's Abrégé de bande dessinée franco-belge: Ontography and the Past and Future of Stories

Simon Grennan

3. Whitewashing the Smudge. The Politics of Erasure and Unreadability in Ilan

Manouach's Cascao

Ana Matilde Sousa

4. The Void that Challenged Narrative: A Poetics of Emptiness in Riki Fermier

Greice Schneider

5. Replacing and Reorganizing: A Discursive Arc about Cultural Production

Lorenz Ohrmer

Part 2: Reading Practices

6. Reading Childly: Riki Fermier and Cascao

Maaheen Ahmed

7. Disability, Comics and the Shapereader

José Alaniz

8. Shapereader and the Limits of Touch

Ian Hague

9. Blanco: On Blank and Illegible Books

Moritz Küng

Part 3: Rethinking the Pasts and the Futures of Comics

10. Manouach Contrabandier: Countering Practices to Industrial Publishing.

Morvandiau

11. Haunted by Tradition: Ilan Manouach and the Ghosts of BD Past

Barbara Postema

12. [CoCo]: Conceptual Comics and Online Archives

Benoît Crucifix

13. Can Comics Think? Automation on The Cubicle Island

Daniel Worden

14. Ilan Manouach: The Comic Book Hacker

Maria Clara da S. R. Carneiro and Lielson Zeni

Afterword: Like a Robot Bereft of Its Function

Xavier Löwenthal

Book Review - Muslim Comics and Warscape Witnessing

Reviewed by Adrienne Resha

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 30, 2023 https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-muslim-comics-and-warscape.html

Esra Mirze Santesso. Muslim Comics and Warscape Witnessing. Ohio State University Press, 2023. 220 pp, $149.95 hardcover, $34.95 paperback. https://ohiostatepress.org/books/titles/9780814215418.html

Book review: J. Andrew Deman – The Claremont Run: Subverting Gender in the X-Men - a review by Christopher Roman

reviewed by Christopher Roman, Kent State University

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 30, 2023

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-j-andrew-deman-claremont.html

Book Review - Fall Through by Nate Powell

reviewed by CT Lim

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 30, 2023

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-fall-through-by-nate-powell.html

Nate Powell. Fall Through. New York: Abrams ComicArts, 2024. https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/fall-through_9781419760822/

https://comicbook.com/comics/news/cgc-comics-issues-statement-on-holder-tampering-controversy/

CGC Comics Issues Statement on Holder Tampering Controversy

Hundreds of comics were impacted by a recent scam. CGC has released a statement promising to help those involved.

By Russ Burlingame - December 28, 2023

Fraud by Any Other Name: The CGC Comic Grading Scandal

Dr. Andy December 22, 2023

https://bleedingfool.com/blogs/fraud-by-any-other-name-the-cgc-comic-grading-scandal/

CGC Reholder Scam!!! I Found the Proof!

Ryan

Automatic Comics

Dec 20, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0RyRbpwKZ8

David J. Lee Moves From Impossible Burger To Become CFO Of Webtoon

David J. Lee is now the new CFO and COO of Webtoon Entertainment and Yongsoo Kim is the new CSO, both reporting in to CEO Junkoo Kim.

29 Dec 2023 by Rich Johnston

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/david-j-lee-moves-from-impossible-burger-to-become-cfo-of-webtoon/

What If…? S02: "1602" Ep End Credits Thank Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert

Here's a look at how What If...? S02E08: "What If... the Avenger Assembled in 1602?" thanked comics writer Neil Gaiman & artist Andy Kubert.

29 Dec 2023

Ray Flook

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/what-if-s02-1602-ep-end-credits-thank-neil-gaiman-andy-kubert/

National Library of Scotland Finally Gets The Broons Annual from 1939

The National Library of Scotland has paid five figures for a copy of the first-ever Broons Annual, published in 1939, for its collection.

29 Dec 2023

by Rich Johnston

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/national-library-of-scotland-finally-gets-the-broons-annual-from-1939/

Walt Handelsman: A look back at national and international cartoons from 2023

BY WALT HANDELSMAN

Dec 27, 2023

https://www.nola.com/opinions/walt_handelsman/walt-handelsman-2023-national-cartoon-review/article_1580e178-9b98-11ee-b8c4-b3e6a3559fa6.html

Matt Davies' 2023 cartoons of the year

By Matt Davies

Newsday December 29, 2023

https://www.newsday.com/opinion/cartoons/matt-davies-political-cartoons-of-the-year-2023-nhbh90z7

The Year 2023 in Lalo Alcaraz Cartoons

https://laloalcaraz.com/the-year-2023-in-lalo-alcaraz-cartoons/

John Cole's Tennessee: the 'toons of 2023

J. Holly McCall

John Cole

December 29, 2023

https://tennesseelookout.com/2023/12/29/john-coles-tennessee-the-toons-of-2023/

Matt Wuerker's Best of 2023

By MATT WUERKER

12/29/2023

https://www.politico.com/cartoons/2023/12/29/matt-wuerker-best-of-2023-00133291?slide=0

23 political cartoons that say a lot about 2023

Amelia Robinson

Columbus Dispatch

https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/cartoons/2023/12/28/highlights-of-2023-in-23-political-cartoons/72040525007/

Palestinian and Israeli cartoonists see the war differently (and the same) [Mohammad Sabaaneh, a Palestinian; Michel Kichka, an Israeli]

By Ann Telnaes

December 29, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/29/cartoons-gaza-war-israel-hamas-kichka-sabaaneh/

"The Story of the Holocaust Is Not Pretty, And It's Not Redemptive": An Interview with Leela Corman

by Hélène Tison

International Journal of Comic Art blog December 30, 2023

https://ijoca.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-story-of-holocaust-is-not-pretty.html

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Matt Wuerker's Best of 2023

By MATT WUERKER

12/29/2023

https://www.politico.com/cartoons/2023/12/29/matt-wuerker-best-of-2023-00133291?slide=0

I like to think cartoons are a valuable and unique vehicle for political opinion, but of course I do — I'm a cartoonist. The idea that grown-ups like me get to lob their opinions around in the form of silly drawings does seem surprising. It's really a bit infantile if you think about it.  It's the kind of misbehavior you might expect from crayon-wielding first-graders, nonetheless, we cartoonists get to, too.  In fact, it's something we've been doing for centuries — thank you Mr. Hogarth, Mssr. Daumier, Mr. Herblock and others. It remains a potent way to express one's opinion, even in the era of memes and TikTok. I am very fortunate to get to post mine here on POLITICO. Cartoons provide a snapshot of the march of folly that more serious types refer to as "politics." Ideally, they capture the absurdity of a moment, illuminate some low-hanging hypocrisy, or call out some head-slapping stupidity. Taken together they can serve as an amusing chronicle of our kooky times. In that spirit I offer up a selection of my own cartoon efforts from 2023.

Telnaes talks to Palestinian and Israeli cartoonists

Palestinian and Israeli cartoonists see the war differently (and the same) [Mohammad Sabaaneh, a Palestinian; Michel Kichka, an Israeli]

By Ann Telnaes

December 29, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/29/cartoons-gaza-war-israel-hamas-kichka-sabaaneh/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzAzODI2MDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA1MjA4Mzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDM4MjYwMDAsImp0aSI6IjI0NGMyZDY2LTk3ZjctNDE2OC04MzQxLTUxNDliNzNlYzRiZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9vcGluaW9ucy8yMDIzLzEyLzI5L2NhcnRvb25zLWdhemEtd2FyLWlzcmFlbC1oYW1hcy1raWNoa2Etc2FiYWFuZWgvIn0.l8pHROSaDrAQA9IVwOc4UQt2FkZdMDNFdD2VjTNAq-M

Comics Research Bibliography new 2024 Facebook page

Comics Research Bibliography 2024 FB page

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555263475365

Ok, perhaps foolishly, I'm trying this again to get citations about comics and cartoons out to a wider world besides my blog and the annual compilation. The old page is still disabled by Facebook btw. Welcome aboard for 2024.

Speaking of the annual compilation -

Comics Research Bibliography 2023 E-book Edition

Mike Rhode; John A. Lent; Tony R. Rose

Arlington, VA: ComicsDC.

Online at https://archive.org/details/crb-2023-ebook-edition-final-v.-1.0 or

https://www.academia.edu/112376882/Comics_Research_Bibliography_2022_E_book_Edition#

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 12/28/2023

'Incredibly honoured': Maritime cartoonist Michael de Adder appointed to the Order of Canada

Natalie Lombard

CTVNewsAtlantic.ca Digital Coordinator

Dec. 29, 2023

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/incredibly-honoured-maritime-cartoonist-michael-de-adder-appointed-to-the-order-of-canada-1.6704424

Big Apple Christmas Con in Photos: Part II

Alice Cloos

Scoop December 29 2023

https://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1018?ArticleID=272066

THE CAPITAL CITY DISTRIBUTION SALES CONFERENCE 1993 PHOTO GALLERY: A Peak Year in the Comics Direct Market

Milton Griepp on December 29, 2023

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/55909/the-capital-city-distribution-sales-conference-1993-photo-gallery

Gossip- Why Is DC Comics Not Publishing An Aquaman Comic Right Now?

A relatively poor performance for the Aquaman 2 movie was accompanied by something even more unusual: no tie-in series from DC Comics.

28 Dec 2023

by Rich Johnston

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/gossip-why-is-dc-comics-not-publishing-an-aquaman-comic-right-now/

'Dark Tintin': The cursed manuscript delving into the shadows of Hergé's childhood

By Roxana Azimi

January 7, 2023, https://www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2023/01/07/dark-tintin-the-cursed-manuscript-delving-into-the-shadows-of-herge-s-childhood_6010706_117.html

M2 Founder Masao Maruyama On His Studio's 'Pluto' Adaptation: "I Couldn't Kick The Bucket Until I Created This"

By Jamie Lang | 12/29/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/mappa-masao-maruyama-pluto-astro-boy-netflix-236219.html

Behind the Creation of PLUTO | MAKINGFLIX |

Netflix Anime Nov 30, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig9-EHmuf8M

The Journey to PLUTO's Creation With Naoki Urasawa

Netflix Anime Dec 10, 2023

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

Blue Eye Samurai | Behind the Animation

Netflix: Behind the Streams Oct 31, 2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0O6yorYfU

Three Of This Year's Oscar-Qualified Directors Discuss The Enduring Appeal Of 2D Animation

By Ryan Gaur | 12/28/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/awards/three-of-this-years-oscar-qualified-directors-discuss-the-enduring-appeal-of-2d-animation-236140.html

'Gundam' Creator Yoshiyuki Tomino Warns Japanese Studios Against Emulating "Disney's Boring Digital Production System"

By Jamie Lang | 12/26/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/gundam-creator-yoshiyuki-tomino-warns-japanese-studios-against-emulating-disneys-boring-digital-production-system-236145.html

10 Standout Animated Series That Defined 2023

By Jamie Lang | 12/26/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/series/10-standout-animated-series-that-defined-2023-236108.html

Animation Figures Who Died In 2023

By Jamie Lang | 12/27/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/in-memoriam-remembering-the-animation-figures-who-died-in-2023-236029.html

Leo Sullivan, Co-Founder Of Hollywood's First Black-Owned Animation Studio, Dies At 82

By Jamie Lang | 03/30/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/leo-d-sullivan-pioneering-black-animator-rip-227427.html

Rolly Crump, Animation Artist-Turned-Designer Who Developed Key Disneyland Attractions, Dies At 93

By Jamie Lang | 03/16/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/rolly-crump-disney-imagineer-rip-227018.html

Osamu Tezuka, Toei Company President And CEO, Dies At 62

By Jamie Lang | 02/21/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/osamu-tezuka-rip-toei-company-anime-226159.html

Leiji Matsumoto, Legendary Manga And Anime Creator, Dies At 85

By Jamie Lang | 02/23/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/leiji-matsumoto-rip-space-battleship-yamato-226296.html

Burny Mattinson, Disney Legend And The Company's Longest-Employed Worker, Dies At 87

By Jamie Lang | 02/28/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/burny-mattinson-rip-disneys-longest-serving-cast-member-226460.html

Todd Brian, TV Writer And Wildbrain Animation Executive, Dies At 59

By Jamie Lang | 01/10/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/todd-brian-rip-wildbrain-caillou-esme-roy-224739.html

Belgian Animation Master Raoul Servais, Director Of Palme d'Or Winner 'Harpya,' Dies At 94

By Amid Amidi | 03/27/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/belgian-animation-master-raoul-servais-director-of-palme-dor-winner-harpya-dies-at-94-227305.html

RIP, Bill Dennis, Disney And Hanna-Barbera Executive Who Helped Develop Southeast Asia Animation Industry

By Jamie Lang | 01/30/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/bill-dennis-rip-disney-toonz-animation-225538.html

Chris Ledesma, Music Editor On 'The Simpsons' Who Worked On Over 730 Episodes, Dies At 64

By Jamie Lang | 01/04/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/chris-ledesma-rip-the-simpsons-critic-224608.html

Roger Chouinard, Duck Soup Produckions Co-Founder, Dies At 81

By Jamie Lang | 04/05/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/roger-chouinard-duck-soup-produckions-rip-227600.html

Ken Mundie, Adventurous Artist Who Pushed Graphic Boundaries In Hollywood Animation, Dies At 97

By Jamie Lang | 04/18/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/ken-mundie-fat-albert-the-door-227967.html

Per Åhlin, Director Of Sweden's First Animated Feature, Dies At 91

By Jamie Lang | 05/09/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/per-ahlin-director-of-swedens-first-animated-feature-dies-at-91-228708.html

Alan Dewhurst, Passion Pictures Co-Founder And 'Peter & The Wolf' Producer, Dies At 63 [UK]

By Jamie Lang | 06/02/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/alan-dewhurst-passion-pictures-peter-and-the-wolf-229323.html

Randy Fullmer, Effects Animator-Turned-Producer Of 'Emperor's New Groove,' Dies At 73

By Amid Amidi | 07/15/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/randy-fullmer-effects-animator-turned-producer-of-emperors-new-groove-dies-at-73-230609.html

Ippei Kuri, Co-Founder And Former President Of 'Speed Racer,' 'Robotech,' 'Gatchaman' Studio Tatsunoko Production, Dies At 83

By Jamie Lang | 07/26/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/ippei-kuri-speed-racer-robotech-tatsunoko-production-rip-230841.html

Ian Emes, Celebrated British Animator And Long-Time Pink Floyd Collaborator, Dies At 73

By Jamie Lang | 07/31/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/ian-emes-pink-floyd-experimental-animation-230973.html

Jim Korkis, Animation Author And Historian Who Specialized In Disney, Dies At 72

By Jamie Lang | 08/01/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/jim-korkis-animation-author-and-historian-who-specialized-in-disney-dies-at-72-231068.html

Johnny Hardwick, 'King Of The Hill' Writer, Producer, And Dale Gribble Voice Actor, Dies At 64

By Jamie Lang | 08/11/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/johnny-hardwick-king-of-the-hill-dale-gribble-231417.html

Paul Bush, British Filmmaker Who Experimented With Animation Techniques, Dies At 67

By Jamie Lang | 08/22/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/paul-bush-groundbreaking-experimental-filmmaker-dies-at-67-231702.html

Nizo Yamamoto, Longtime Studio Ghibli Art Director And Background Artist, Dies At 70

By Jamie Lang | 08/23/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/nizo-yamamoto-art-director-background-painter-dies-at-70-231721.html

Pete Kozachik, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' 'Coraline' Director Of Photography, Dies At 72

By Jamie Lang | 09/19/2023

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/rip/pete-kozachik-the-nightmare-before-christmas-coraline-director-of-photography-dies-at-72-232743.html

Oscar-nominated cinematographer Pete Kozachik passes away

News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV (Sep 16, 2023)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8awS9KQZUDI

Get Graphic: A Night of Zombies with Sean Damien Hill

Troy-Jeffrey Allen

·Mar 29 2023

https://tjacomics.medium.com/get-graphic-a-night-of-zombies-with-sean-damien-hill-64b765c6fc70

Meet a Local Comic Book Artist: A Chat with Sean Damien Hill

by Mike Rhode

December 29, 2023

https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2023/12/SeanDamienHillchat.html

Our Best Artists: Dan Panosian; A guest post from Canary artist Dan Panosian about the references and stylistic choices he utilized in the now-concluded horror western series!

Dan Panosian

Our Best Jackett Dec 29, 2023

https://bestjackettpress.substack.com/p/our-best-artists-dan-panosian

Friday, December 29, 2023

Meet a Local Comic Book Artist: A Chat with Sean Damien Hill

by Mike Rhode

On September 16, 2023, comic book artist Sean Damien Hill was signing his new X-Men collection at Fantom Comics. He chatted with a small crowd for about an hour, discussing the business of comics, his influences, and how he worked. I thoroughly enjoyed it and bought the Bishop comic, as well as the DC Blood Syndicate collection that he had work in. Hill said he works a full time job, is a father, and does his comic work late in the evening. He also talked about being influenced by bodybuilders when it came to drawing superheroes. I appreciate him taking the time to answer our usual questions.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I think I can describe it as super hero and fantasy illustration. At least those are my biggest influences in my work.

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

I’ve gone back forth on digital and traditional, depending on the project I’m doing. But right now I’m experimenting with doing digital thumbnails, printing it on Bristol board and going traditional from there.

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

I was born and raised in Washington DC. Petworth is actually my old neighborhood.

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

Nowadays I live in Alexandria Virginia. I’ve been there for about 8 years now. I like it here though it is a bit quieter lol.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Well I had a mentor I met in elementary school, his name is Kofi Tyus and he is an artist that taught classes around the city back then. He also did a lot of cartooning for independent publications around the city at the time, along with doing them for his own greeting card business. He was teaching a comics and cartooning class when my school art teacher introduced me to him because she knew I was hugely into comics. He helped us make our own comic that he actually printed and would help us sell them to our friends, families or neighbors.

Who are your influences?

That is an pretty big list but from very young I used to read through my mom's books and two of my favorite were Stephen King's The Stand with art from Bernie Wrightson and Milton’s Paradise Lost with all the amazing artwork from Gustave Dore. My grandfather and mom were into comics and they introduced me to a lot of books at the time. Artist like Will Eisner and Jim Lee stick out, though I’m sure not many link those two names together as an influence too often. Right now artists like Mshindo Kuumba, Ivan Reis, a dozen others really have a big influence on me.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? Or rather, how are you hoping your career will develop?

Looking back I think I would have made my own book first before doing any freelance stuff, and tell my own stories. Freelancing can be fun, as it does allow you to add your voice to an already-made world and [you can enjoy] seeing how it looks with you playing around in that world. But making my own thing has always been on my mind. One of these days I gotta do it.

What work are you best-known for?

I think for right now it might be for Bishop War College for Marvel Comics.

What work are you most proud of?

It’s between three books that I still feel pretty proud of: The Hated with David Walker; Dark History of Okemus with TJ Sterling and Isnana the Were-spider: Drums of the Ogunm with Greg Elyse.

Those are all Indy titles though.

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

I hope to continue to do a lot more black-centric characters in the indies and continue to work for Marvel and DC. I’d love to do some X-men stuff again and for DC I’d love a shot at a Bat family character. Hopefully I get myself together and do my own thing too.

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

I don’t want to say I never have a block, but sometimes I wonder if it’s just me being too hard on myself about what I should produce. I firmly believe in every artist there’s 100 bad drawings and you gotta get through them to get the good ones. So I kinda just take it easy on myself, go ahead and work through all my trash ideas and play with them until I get something that works.

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

It’s gonna be interesting for sure, right now I’m seeing a small influx of Indy creators being picked by Marvel and DC more and more. And a lot of more established creators going into business for themselves. This tends to happen in comics a lot but it looks like we’re having another small wave happening now. I think crowd funding for Indy comics will continue to scale up; it’s starting to look like the best business model Indy comics has ever had. In the past the success of an Indy publisher would be to push themselves until they can mimic the business and distribution model of established publishers, but it’s got its own way now to build and sell to an audience and overall I think that’s great for comics.

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

So I am absolutely terrible at attending cons. But I have been sneaking into Blerdcon over in Alexandria in recent years to sign books with creators I’ve worked with there like TJ over at Rae comics and Isnana the Were-spider with Greg Elyse. I haven’t been to Awesome con in awhile and I’d love to see Baltimore Comic Con again.

What comic books do you read regularly or recommend? Do you have a local store?

I’m usually buying a lot more Indy stuff lately, I think the most recent think I got was a book called Crescent City Monsters from Dreamfury Comics. I’m also looking to get the collected edition of Fall of X too pretty soon. Sadly I don’t get as much time to read as much as I used too.

What's your favorite thing about DC?

I think DC has the benefits of a small town, but in a metropolitan city. I’ve had friends I’ve known here since I was a kid and I would still run into them sometimes now, even though we’ve both moved in different places of the city probably several times over. There’s a strong sense of community here if you willing to invest in it. Plus we have THE best looking city flag in the nation.

Least favorite?

The Metro, it tough when you slogan is “getting back to good” it’s like your openly advertising your bad.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

For me it’s either the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument, I’ve always love the monument. My wife and I had our engagement photos there.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

I think everyone in DC should experience Ben’s Chilli Bowl at least once, even if you're visiting but I don’t have an absolutely favorite place though.

Do you have a website or blog?

Yes, my website is www.seandamienhill.com [ed note: some original art from Bishop is for sale on his site]

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 12/30/2023

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Matt Wuerker's Best of 2023

Matt Wuerker's Best of 2023

Telnaes talks to Palestinian and Israeli cartoonists

Comics Research Bibliography new 2024 Facebook page

Comics Research Bibliography 2024 FB page

Comics Research Bibliography citations update, 12/28/2023

Friday, December 29, 2023

Meet a Local Comic Book Artist: A Chat with Sean Damien Hill

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What's it all mean in the end?