Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Post goes with Cory Thomas' 'Watch Your Head'

I don't think that La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz got its full tryout time, but yesterday the Post ran this notice:

A NOTE TO COMICS READERS
Washington Post Monday, October 30, 2006; Page C10


Today, "Watch Your Head" by Cory Thomas returns to the comics pages to replace "Boondocks," whose creator, Aaron McGruder, decided not to continue the strip after a six-month sabbatical. Written by Cory Thomas, a Howard University graduate, "Watch Your Head," chronicles the lives of six students at a historically black university. If it looks familiar, it may be because it was the first tryout strip The Post ran in place of "Boondocks" during McGruder's absence.

As always, we welcome reader feedback on this or any other feature on our comics pages. Call our comics hotline at 202-334-4775, e-mail comics@washpost.com or write to: Comics Feedback, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071.

Oct 31 - Satrapi signing and article; DC caricaturist


Marjane Satrapi's signing Chicken with Plums about her musician granduncle tonight at Politics and Prose in the District.

An article about her is in today's Express -

Rosenberg, Scott. 2006.
A life in 8 days: Graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi traces family history.
[Washington Post] Express (October 31): 17

There's also an article of interest in the Post's Health section. Mike Caplanis writes about changing his career from advertising to being a caricaturist.

Truth in Advertising -- And Art

Live Reports from the Midlife Adventure
Washington Post Tuesday, October 31, 2006; Page HE03

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Oct 31 - Marjane Satrapi booksigning REPOST

Politics & Prose Bookstore
October 31, 7 pm
Her new book is Chicken with Plums.

Given that it's Halloween, I won't be there unfortunately. She's an entertaining speaker. However, I have ordered a signed copy and an audio cd of the event. These are a nice innovation by P&P - for $7.50 you can get a recording of the talk. I've bought cds of the Attitude 3 group, Scott McCloud and Alison Bechdel in the past 2 weeks. The Feiffer audio was substandard so that's not available.

Oct 29 - two more days to see Simplicissimus!

It's closing on October 31, 2006.
Simplicissimus and the Empire 1896-1914
ADDRESS:812 Seventh St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown202-289-1200
www.goethe.de/washington

Oct 29 - Addams article in today's Post

Jonathan Yardley is kinder than most of the reviewers have been for the new book Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis - see his review "The man behind that macabre family wasn't creepy or kooky."
Washington Post Book World Sunday, October 29, 2006; BW02

Also in the BW is a review of Susanna Clarke's new collection of short stories, and the Post used two of Charles Vess' illustration. I'd be buying this for the Vess alone, but I also enjoyed her first book Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell and my wife just loved it. Also illustrating a review of Robert Kagan's new book on realpolitick is a WA Roger's political cartoon on the Monroe Doctrine from the fine capitalists at Bettman/Corbis. At least they didn't slap a copyright symbol on it, as I'd estimate this dates from Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet diplomacy.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Oct 26 - Toles to receive conservation award tonight

Dave Astor reports the story over at Editor and Publisher. His Syndicate World articles are well-worth following btw.

About a year and a half-ago, the Washington Post Magazine ran a long article by Toles on his garden.

Conservation Honor for Editorial Cartoonist Tom Toles

By E&P Staff
Published: October 25, 2006 2:35 PM ET

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Oct 24 - Also in today's Post - comics aren't educational

This article -
Assigned Books Often Are a Few Sizes Too Big

By Valerie Strauss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 24, 2006; Page A10 -

speaks to one of my pet peeves which is the de-intellectualizing (is that a word?) of books or rather the forcing of books on an audience that's too young for them. Twain didn't write Tom Sawyer for children, and this article points out some other good example. I was forced to read Kafka in 11th grade, and I can assure you that I didn't relate.

Anyway, here's the comics content, which is bothersome in a different way:

"Sofi Sinozich, a seventh-grader in the Humanities and Communications Magnet Program at Eastern Middle School in Montgomery County, said she would like to be assigned books that speak to her.

In sixth-grade English, "graphic novels [were] excluded, which annoyed many of us," said Sofi, who is partial to Japanese comics called manga because she finds the style beautiful and the stories well done.

Many teachers exclude graphic novels and comics from reading lists, even though a graphic novel was nominated for the National Book Award this year. And Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has said he learned to read through comics after his schoolmaster father disregarded others who said they would lead to no good.

So should kids read Shakespeare or the comics? Graphic novels or "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Reading experts say they should read everything -- when they are ready to understand what they are reading."

Oct 24 - Trudeau article - Weingarten chat followup

I just snipped the four questions that related to his interview with Trudeau - to see the whole chat, follow the link.

Chatalogical Humor aka Tuesdays With Moron

Gene Weingarten
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 24, 2006; 12:00 PM



Baby Woman: Gene,

Thanks for running my comment yesterday. I did not know that Joanie was named after the National Women's Political Caucus, though it makes sense. (My mom was active in it around the time I was born.) So ­­ while in no way encouraging insubordination ­­ what else did you leave out? BTW, I'm a huge fan of "A Prairie Home Companion," too, so I was thrilled to hear that Trudeau is friends with Fred Newman.

Gene Weingarten: Joanie Caucus was modeled after a real person in Trudeau's life.

If you recall, Joanie arrived at Walden Commune after having jettisoned her husband and family one day. Complimenting her on her cooking, her husband had said to his friends "I think I'll keep her," and Joanie broke his nose. Then split.

So, it turns out that Trudeau had an aunt who did that, almost exactly. Suburban wife of a banker. Walked out of a car containing her husband and kids, and never came back. Lived in communes, and an Indian teepee in Oregan, called herself "Sasha Wildflower."

_______________________

Trudeau: So you are doing a profile of someone you clearly admire. How do you avoid sinking into hagiography? Do you ask yourself, "How would Pat Buchannan view this subject?" Do you try to empty your mind of any preconceived notions?

Gene Weingarten: This is in reference to my cover story Sunday about Garry Trudeau, someone I do, indeed, admire.

It was a problem. The way you deal with it is you keep an open mind, make negative judgments where they are appropriate, but don't go out of your way to seek negativity for "balance," because that's unfair in its own right. Garry made this very hard because he is, in fact, a terrific, unassuming, gracious, brilliant guy.

In the end, I decided the most honest way to deal with it was to acknowledge it in the story: I like the guy a lot. I'm sure plenty of people feel it WAS hagiography.

_______________________

When I knew Garry was a genius: In 1976, he did a strip showing Joanie's phone ringing in her empty bedroom. As if in a movie, the camera panned out her window. Next day, a pan across the rooftops of the town. The next day, a pan into Rick's window, where Rick was sleeping and Joanie was lying awake next to him. I clipped them, pasted them together, and put them in a scrapbook. 1976.

Gene Weingarten: Yes, this was one of his most famous sequences. As a sign of the times: Many papers pulled it, because it seemed to be endorsing unmarried sex. One conservative writer said that it seemed to him that the sex Joanie and Rick had was "joyless."

_______________________

St. Paul, Minn.: I'm reading Maus right now with some friends. And got wondering after I read your Trudeau piece ­­ what's the difference between a novel like Maus and comics like Doonesbury. Is it just the difference between a novel and a short story (or something like that) or is it more? Thanks.

Gene Weingarten: A novel and a short story is close, sure. In Doonesbury, various storylines are progressing in a parallel fashion. He revisits each, for a week or two, every few weeks. So actually, that is kind of novelistic

Oct 24 - Cartoon Medicine Show in today's Post, starts tomorrow

The 2-day Nat'l Library of Medicine / Nat'l Academy of Sciences animation festival that starts tomorrow got a write-up in the Post's health section. They buried it online, but follow the helpful link:

Dr. Seuss and Other Masters Of Public Health

'Cartoon Medicine Show' Highlights Early Animators' Role in Educating People About Disease and Hygiene
By Suz Redfearn
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, October 24, 2006; HE07

Monday, October 23, 2006

Oct 23 - Weingarten chat on Trudeau online

It ran today here and was fairly interesting as Weingarten included a few more anecdotes.

Speaking of which, Garry Trudeau donated the original art for two strips to the National Museum of Health & Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center - the one where BD is shown to have lost a leg and the one a couple of days later when the surgeon tells Ray that he's saved BD's life. They're on display now, if you've got any interest in what an original Doonesbury looks like - althoug the rest of the exhibit is being remounted, these are still on view. Original Doonesbury art is not easy to come by you know, but thanks to Mr. Trudeau's generosity, you can see these two.

Oct 25-26 The Cartoon Medicine Show: Animated Cartoons from the Collection of the National Library of Medicine REPOST

I'll be at both - stop by and say hello, if you can recognize me. I suppose you can ask curator Mike Sappol to point me out...

Join the National Academy of Sciences for a two day film festival of rare animated medical cartoons from the 1920s to the 1960s. The event will take place on October 25 and 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C St, N.W., Washington, D.C.

DETAILS:
From the silent film era to the present, physicians, health professionals, government agencies like the U.S. Public Health Service, and voluntary associations such as the American Cancer Society, have used motion pictures to advance medical science, train doctors and nurses, and educate the public.

"The Cartoon Medicine Show: Animated Cartoons from the Collection of the National Library of Medicine," curated by Michael Sappol of the National Library of Medicine, will feature a rich sampling of rarely screened animated medical cartoons from the 1920s to the 1960s. The film series will present a variety of medical themes and genres, including dental hygiene, physical fitness, physiology, mental health, malaria, venereal disease, cancer, radiology, and sanitary food preparation. Each evening will consist of a different selection of 10 to 15 short animated medical cartoons by animators both obscure and well-known, including Walt Disney, Friz Freleng, Zack Schwartz, Walter Lantz, and Shamus Culhane.

SPEAKERS:
Film historian Donald Crafton and medical historians Michael Sappol and David Cantor will provide commentary. Donald Crafton is the chair of the department of film, television, and theater at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898- 1928 (MIT Press, 1984). Michael Sappol is a curator and historian at the National Library of Medicine. His scholarly work focuses on the body, anatomy, medical illustration, and medicine in film. He is the author of A Traffic of Dead Bodies (Princeton University Press, 2002). David Cantor is the editor of Reinventing Hippocrates (Ashgate, 2002). His scholarly work focuses on the history of 20th century medicine, most recently the history of cancer.

EVENT: The Cartoon Medicine Show: Animated Cartoons from the Collection of the National Library of Medicine
DATE: October 25 and 26
TIME: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
LOCATION: National Academy of Sciences Auditorium, 2100 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
COST: Admission is free, but seating is limited
RSVP: arts@nas.edu or (202) 334-2436
METRO: Foggy Bottom on the blue and orange lines

Swann Fellowship at Library of Congress

The fine people at LoC are making their yearly announcement of a cartoon-study stipend (say it 3 times fast).


The Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon, Library of Congress, is now accepting applications for the Swann Fellowship for the 2007-2008 academic year. Annual award of $15,000 to support scholarly graduate research in caricature and cartoon. Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited M.A. or Ph.D program in a university in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. Deadline: Feb. 15, 2007. Access guidelines and application at:

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swann-fellow.html

Contact Martha Kennedy with questions at 202/707-9115 or email swann@loc.gov

My apologies for cross listing.
My sincere thanks for the opportunity to post this notice.


Martha H. Kennedy
Curatorial Assistant for Caricature and Cartoon
Prints and Photographs Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, DC 20540-4730
tel.: 202/707-9115; fax: 202/707-6647

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Oct 23 7:30 pm - Simpson's voice Harry Shearer

Shearer's appearing to read and sign his first novel, Not Enough Indians at Barnes & Nobles - Georgetown, 2040 M St, NW, 202-965-9880. In my experiences, authors will read from what they're promoting now, but are usually pleased to answer questions about their other works.

Also in the weekend's papers

The Oct 21&22 Examiner had a review of the Kal exhibit at Strathmore in Bethesda. They also had the Spider-Man Collectible Series vol. 10, which is a bit of Amazing Spider-Man #5.

The Friday Post Weekend section had a review of Aardman Animation's Creature Comforts. The Sunday Source had a review of Bill Willingham's new Fables hardcover from DC Comics.

Oct 22 - Howard Pyle exhibit

The Post is reporting that a Howard Pyle exhibit opened in a fortified DC building -

Howard Pyle, the First Action Hero

Scholars Dismiss Him, but the Illustrator Cast a Big Shadow on the Art World
By Paul Richard
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 22, 2006; Page N02

While not a cartoonist, Pyle definitely influenced them as well as the filmmakers that Richard mentions.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Oct 23 12 noon - Weingarten online chat about Doonesbury article

The Post's website tells us:

Revealing more about himself than he ever has, "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau gives us tantalizing clues about what's behind his venerable comic strip's recent burst of genius, and pain.

In this week's Washington Post Magazine, Gene Weingarten profiles the publicity-shy Trudeau, who with his strip's searing storyline of an Iraq War amputee, is getting new attention.

Today, Weingarten will be online fielding questions and comments.

Oct 22 - Doonesbury article in Washington Post Magazine

A very long article on Doonesbury and Trudeau's response to the current war will be appearing in tomorrow's magazine. Those of us who get the Sunday paper delivered at home have it already, and the article's already online as well.

The citation for those keeping track:
Weingarten, Gene. 2006.
Doonesbury's War: Revealing more about himself than he ever has, Garry Trudeau gives us tantalizing clues about what's behind his venerable comic strip's recent burst of genius, and pain.
Washington Post Magazine (October 22): 14.

Friday, October 20, 2006

Article - Lanham, MD cartoonist Corey Thomas gets syndicated

The Washington Post ran his strip as a replacement for Boondocks for a few weeks as they apparently feel that they need another minority strip. Actually, Watch Your Head was well done and I enjoyed it. Corey Thomas was profiled in yesterday's Montgomery Gazette -

Lanham cartoonist goes national: ‘Watch Your Head,’ Cory Thomas’ comic strip, wins syndication.
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006
by Brooke N. Garner

Oct 20 7 pm - Animated films at National Archives

Tonight at 7 pm at the National Archives at 7th and Constitution, NW, films from Selling Democracy - Films of the Marshall Plan, 1948-1953 will be shown for free. Two are cartoons:

Shoemaker and the Hatter, The* A prize-winning cartoon made by the same husband and wife team that later turned Orwell’s Animal Farm into a classic of animated storytelling. Two neighbors, a shoemaker and a hatter, argue about how best to recover their livelihoods after the war. The hatter believes in producing few hats at a high profit per hat, protected by tariff. The shoemaker sees the need for lots of shoes. He wants to lower their cost through mass production and make his profit through export and free trade. After many adventures, the shoemaker eventually proves that free trade can bring prosperity to them both. Since the free trade vs. protectionism argument is still in today’s headlines, the film is as fresh as ever. One of the most popular Marshall Plan films, it was shown in eleven language versions in movie houses throughout Western Europe. Produced by John Halas and Joy Batchelor Ltd, London, for ECA, supervised by Philip Stapp. 16 min, 1950.

Without Fear. This British-made animated film addresses Europe’s condition five years after the war, and speculates about the continent’s future. Hemsing stated that anyone seeking insights into the Europeans’ hopes, fears and emotions during the period of the Cold War would find this flawed, but powerful, film revealing. Even as the world grows smaller, Europe remains split. West Europeans can either heed the siren song from the East — unity but without liberty — or work for a more prosperous, more just society. The preachy narration is matched by the strong images—a tide of Technicolor red engulfing all of Europe. Students of propaganda technique will be well rewarded. Director Peter Sachs, script Allan Mackinnon, production supervision Philip Stapp, W. M. Larkins Studio, with Producers Guild, London, for ECA. Color, 15 min, 1951.

For more information see http://www.sellingdemocracy.org/ or http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2006/nr06-131.html

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Oct 19 - Exhibit - Simplicissimus open late tonight

This is a great exhibit and it's cartoonists you're not likely to see anywhere else.

Simplicissimus and the Empire: 1896-1914
Tonight, Thursday, October 19, 6 - 8 pm
Exhibit

View caricatures from Simplicissimus, one of the earliest and most significant of the late nineteenth-century satirical periodicals that nurtured and embodied the developing spirit of Expressionism in Germany.

Gallery hours: M-Th 9-5; F 9-3; closing October