Thursday, November 30, 2006

Matt Diffee at Politics and Prose


Despite some audiovisual problems which led to us not seeing cartoons rejected from The Rejection Collection, Matt Diffee gave a fun and interesting talk tonight. While A/V concerns were being addressed, he talked a bit about being a New Yorker cartoonist, noting that cartoon editor Bob Mankoff recommends bringing in 10 cartoons a week. The cartoonists bring the cartoons in on Tuesday, Mankoff chooses some and shows them to editor Remnick, and if the magazine buys them, one gets a telephone call on Thursday. The best a cartoonist can hope for is one cartoon chosen - a 90% rejection rate if at the 'absolute top of the game.'



Diffee then showed a short film he made, "Being Bob," in which Bob Mankoff rejects every cartoon he's shown, then rejects every sandwich offered for lunch, then rejects a cab, and then, years later, has a successful transplant operation, if... his body doesn't reject it. Mankoff had some fun there obviously.


A question about the caption contest led Diffee to describe the process. He said the contest lets the magazine accept and reject the cartoon at the same time. They get about 9000 submissions for the contest. His first cartoon they bought for the contest was a boa constrictor wrapped around a man's date - his caption (or a reasonable facsimile submission) was chosen as a runner-up. Another time his caption did win.
He also talked about his cartoon of Che Guevara wearing a Bart Simpson t-shirt and said it grew out of seeing people in Brooklyn wearing Che t-shirts. Answering a question about the New Yorker's cartoon stable, he said there were about 50 cartoonists, but about 15 do the most cartoons.

A child asked him if he was frustrated - he replied that he's been drawing cartoons for them for 7 years. The first 2 years he was paying his dues, but the 3rd year he was frustrated. Now he recommends just being cynical as easier on everyone.


He had to leave for another event, but even so he was personalizing each book with a cartoon as you can see here. The Washington Post should cover this later in the week since Peter Carlson and a photographer were present. It'll be much better written and more interesting then, so I'll link to it.


The bird and the poop are added to the title page's facing drawing.

The man with the rejection stamp is drawn anew.
And mine - Duck!

Comics articles in today's papers

The Examiner has a review of a Superman Returns videogame. The Express has an Associated Press article about the new chain of Dagwood restaurants.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Nov 30 - Booksigning Matt Diffee REPOST

Diffee will be at Politics and Prose for The Rejection Collection of cartoons the New Yorker wouldn't buy and it's a pick of the City Paper which came out last week.

I'll be there - anybody else?

Historical note: 1966 Cavalcade of American Comics exhibit updated


I was recently talking to Joel Pollack of Big Planet Comics about chalk talks he saw as a child at the Smithsonian. Since I'm an archivist, I corresponded with their archivist to see if the talks had perhaps been filmed.

Smithonian Archives' Assistant Archivist Ellen Alers responded,

"Chalk Talks" (nine in all) were held in the auditorium at the then Museum of History and Technology (what later became the National Museum of American History). These accompanied the exhibition titled, "Cavalcade of American Comics" that was on display at the Museum of History and Technology, May 2 - July 6, 1966. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington Evening Star, and Washington Post newspapers.

Cartoonists who gave these talks included: Chester Gould, Allen Saunders, Alfred Andriola, Walt Kelly, Al Capp, Stan Drake, John Liney, Milton Caniff, and Hal Foster.

There is one box containing material from this exhibition and it is Record Unit 334, box 23. It is stored off-site so you'll need to give at least one week's notice before visiting.


I think I will take her up on that and perhaps do a short article for the International Journal of Comic Art at some point. Did anyone else see this show? If so, please leave a comment.

Joel's friend Charlie Roberts contributed his memories of attending:

Due to my work schedule I could only go to the Capp and Caniff talks. A few anecdotes. Al Capp was going to the car afterwards with Art Buchwald. He was pretty grouchy, and wouldn't sign an autograph but Buchwald said "Aw Al, sign the autograph for the kid" and Capp begrudgingly signed . I thanked Art, and Thank him again today (!) Caniff gave a chalk talk, and couldn't have been nicer on and off the stage. I talked to him afterwards about getting a drawing, and he gave me his address. I wrote him, and he sent me the original art to a Steve Canyon daily strip. My First original, inscribed and dated June 1966 ( yes, I still have it!), which led to a lifelong collecting interest in original art as well as appreciation for Caniff art and the artist himself. Caniff was the ultimate Goodwill Cartoonist Ambassador. I met collector Joe Goggin at the event, and within a year or so found out about Comic Fa! ndom, Pa flea markets (and Ted Hake!), Abe Paskow and others . 40 years ago seems like a long time, but also seems like a twinkle in a collectors eye.

7/2020 update by Stuart McIntire:

These creators made twice-daily appearances (10:30am and 2:30pm) Alfred Andriola on 5/14, Walt Kelly on 5/21, Chester Gould on 5/28, Leonard Starr on 6/4, Al Capp on 6/11, Stan Drake on 6/18, John Liney on 6/25, and Al Smith on 7/2. Other cartoonists who made appearances at the exhibit were Allen Saunders on 5/7, Milton Caniff on 5/19, and Johnny Hart and Brant Parker on 5/26. The designer of the exhibit was John Clendenning. 

I never did go down to see that box of records... Somebody remind me after covid-19, please.

Monday, November 27, 2006

This week's new comics list from Big Planet Comics


Courtesy of Big Planet Comics, Washingtonian's pick for Best Comics Store.

New comics arriving this WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH (Updated I checked. They'll be in on Wednesday, but shelved late. BP estimates 4 pm.)

DC COMICS
52 WEEK #30
AMERICAN VIRGIN #9
AQUAMAN #46
BATMAN #659
BATMAN/THE SPIRIT
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #1
DEATHBLOW #2
EX MACHINA VOL. 4 TP
FLASH #6
GREEN LANTERN #15
GREEN LANTERN: REVENGE OF THE GREEN LANTERNS HC
GUY GARDNER: COLLATERAL DAMAGE #1
ION #8
LOVELESS #13
RUSH CITY #3
SUPERMAN BATMAN #30
TEEN TITANS #41
TEEN TITANS: GO #37
WARLORD #10
WETWORKS #3

MARVEL COMICS
AVENGERS: GALACTIC STORM VOL. 2 TP
AVENGERS: NEXT #2
BLACK PANTHER #22
CAPTAIN AMERICA #24
ESSENTIAL MAN-THING VOL. 1 TP
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #14
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1
NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE #10
ONSLAUGHT REBORN #1
POWERS #21
PUNISHER #41
PUNISHER VOL. 6 TP
PUNISHER XMAS SPECIAL
SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #32
SPIDER-MAN FAMILY FEATURING SPIDER CLAN
STAN LEE MEETS DR. DOOM
ULTIMATE POWER #2
ULTIMATE VISION #0
WHAT IF: WOLVERINE ENEMY OF THE STATE
X-MEN #193
ZOMBIE #3

INDYVILLE
ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY VOL. 17 HC
ARMY OF DARKNESS #12
CASTLE WAITING VOL. II #3
COMICS JOURNAL #279
CONAN: SONGS OF THE DEAD #5
CONAN: BOOK OF THOTH TP
DH BOOK OF MONSTERS HC
ELEPHANTMEN #0
GHOST IN THE SHELL 1.5 #2
GOON VOL. 5 TP
NOBLE CAUSES VOL. 6 TP
RAGMOP TP
SAVAGE DRAGON #130
SPAWN #162
STAR WARS: LEGACY #6
TALENT #4
TRANSFORMERS: ESCALATION #1
TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD #2
VERONICA #176
WHISPER #1
ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS #1

PLANET PICKS
52 WEEK #30
BATMAN/THE SPIRIT
CROSSING MIDNIGHT #1
GUY GARDNER: COLLATERAL DAMAGE #1
IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1
NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE #10
PUNISHER #41
ULTIMATE POWER #2

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Howard University cartoonist Cory Thomas profiled

The North Carolina News and Observer just picked up Cory Thomas' "Watch Your Head" strip as did the Washington Post a few weeks ago. The Observer's profile of Thomas, an engineering student at Howard University, quotes Thomas as saying his main character "Cory isn't really me. He's kind of an exaggerated version of me," he says from his home just outside of Washington. "He's a lot nerdier, a lot wimpier."

Thanks to the Daily Cartoonist for the tip.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Sean Delonas booksigning



Sean Delonas and his son Ryan signed their new children's book, Scuttle's Big Wish today at Aladinn's Lamp bookstore in Arlington. Sean is the New York Post's cartoonist for Page Six. Ryan's a ten-year old who tells stories. The two collaborated on Scuttle, a retelling of King Midas, which was picked up by HarperCollins. Sean painted each page in oil (see the photo of two of the paintings) and each took about 100 hours to complete. With revisions, the whole book took about four years, but they've got two more in the pipeline now. Sean told me that he got started in cartoons when his friend Bay Rigby at the NY Post took a break and recommended him as a replacement. Sean's website, linked above, has plenty of examples of his cartoons.

The bookstore had them sign some extra copies which should be available. (They also had signed copies of Mo Willems' You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons: The World on One Cartoon a Day.)



Ryan (seated with cheese hat) and Sean Delonas (standing with cheese tie)


Sean Delonas



Ryan Delonas



Two original oils for the book.

Hirschfeld original at National Postal Museum

Although you can't tell from their annoyingly incomplete website, the new exhibit Trailblazers and Trendsetters shows 76 pieces of original artwork commissioned for stamps, including Al Hirschfeld's Laurel and Hardy. The exhibit runs from now until next October.

A few bits and pieces from the papers

Catching up with some from the holidays, in the Washington Post we found:

Thursday's Holiday Issue magazine, which in addition to having food photos by my friend Lisa Cherkasky, also had an article illustrated by Kevin Pope. Pope became familiar to us DC types last year when he did a series of illustration ads for an IT firm that ran regularly in the Express. Barry Blitt had a political cartoon on the last page, "All I Want for Christmas: Young Elites and Their Holiday Wishes" that poked fun at some of the politicians and chattering classes. This was reminiscent of his work for Entertainment Weekly of a few years ago. Neither of these appear to be online.

The Examiner had the free Spider-Man reprint comic book today, although it was hard to find the paper. Reprinting a bit of Amazing Spider-Man #7, it features a new cover by Olivier and Morales. Yesterday, the paper ran a couple of articles on comics. One was a review of the videogame based on Avatar the Last Airbender cartoon, and the second was an AP article "Too Many 'Toons?" which strikes me as stupid. Nobody complains about too many sitcoms.

Upon reading the Post it appears Richard Thompson is on vacation (in any event the website is weeks behind). "Cartoonist Held After Siege at Miami Paper" details José Varela's inappropriate attempts to reform publishing. And they mention an exhibit at the Postal Museum that I'll post separately on.

While out of our purvey officially, the NY Times has been going gangbusters with comics articles. Yesterday they had a review of the new exhibit of African comics in Harlem and today, articles on DC Comics' new line for girls and an another article on the editorial cartoonist in FL going crazy and occupying a newsroom. Skipping past that last one quickly, they also ran one of James Stevenson's excellent "Lost and Found New York" pieces of cartoon journalism - this time burlesque.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Big Planet Comics named best by Washingtonian

Washingtonian Magazine named Big Planet Comics the best comics store in their 'Best of' December issue. The twenty-year old chain was founded by Joel Pollack, and his grinning face may be seen with a copy of Creepy in the photogaph accompanying the article. As someone who's been shopping at Big Planet for 20 years, I say, "Hear, hear!"

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Nov 30 - Booksigning - Matt Diffee

at Politics and Prose for The Rejection Collection of cartoons the New Yorker wouldn't buy and it's a pick of the City Paper which came out early this week.

The National Lampoon did at least one similar collection too.

Tom Toles online archive

This may be old news, actually it is old news, but it bears repeating. All of Tom Toles' cartoons for the Post since 2003 are online. But in addition to the version we see published in the paper, he has also been posting his sketches for the day's cartoon since August 2005 - which may or may not be what finally gets drawn. I think this is still a rare peek into a top cartoonist's working process.

New comics expected today, courtesy of Big Planet Comics



My friend Joel Pollack, owner of Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, sends out this weekly list. Hopefully, he won't mind my reposting it here, especially since I've already stopped in today and dropped a load of dough.

New comics arriving this WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND

DC COMICS
52 WEEK #29
ACTION COMICS #845
BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES VOL. 5 HC
BLUE BEETLE #9
BOYS #5
CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON’S BLOOD #1
CREEPER #4
EX MACHINA VOL. 4: MARCH TO WAR TP
HAWKGIRL #58
JACK OF FABLES #5
JSA CLASSIFIED #19
MAN CALLED KEV #4
RED MENACE #1
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL. 1 TP
SUPERGIRL AND LSH #24
SUPERMAN BATMAN VOL. 3 TP
SWAMP THING VOL. 9: INFERNAL TRIANGLES TP
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #5
WONDER WOMAN #3
Y-THE LAST MAN VOL. 8: KIMONO DRAGONS TP

MARVEL COMICS
ALL NEW OFF HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z #11
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536
AVENGERS: EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES II #2
CAPTAIN AMERICA: RED MENACE VOL. 2 TP
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE #8
DAREDEVIL #91
ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL. 3 TP
EXILES #88
FANTASTIC FOUR: THE END #2
HELLSTORM, SON OF SATAN #2
HEROES FOR HIRE #4
HEROES REBORN: CAPTAIN AMERICA TP
MARVEL HOLIDAY DIGEST TP
NEW EXCALIBUR #13
NEW X-MEN OMNIBUS HC
PUNISHER: WAR JOURNAL #1
RUNAWAYS #22
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #12
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #102
WOLVERINE #48
X-FACTOR #13

INDYVILLE
ANGEL: AULD LANG SYNE #1
ANGRY YOUTH COMIX #12
ARCHIE & FRIENDS #105
ARMY OF DARKNESS #12
BLAB VOL. 17 GN
BUCKAROO BANZAI #3
CASANOVA #6
CONAN #34
DENNIS THE MENACE COMPLETE 1955-56 HC
DRAIN #1
FATHOM #11
FUTURAMA COMICS #28
GODLAND #14
THE GOON NOIR #2
HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS 2006
IMPALER #2
JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS #2
LOOKING GLASS WARS: HATTER M #4
NOBLE CAUSES #25
PERHAPANAUTS: SECOND CHANCES #2
PIRATES OF CONEY ISLAND #2
PLANETARY BRIGADE: ORIGINS #1
PREVIEWS VOL. XVI #12
SAVAGE RED SONJA #4
SIMPSONS WINTER WINGDING #1
STAR WARS: KOTOR #10
TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED MOVIE ADAPTATION #2
USAGI YOJIMBO #98
WALKING DEAD #32
WIZARD #183

PLANET PICKS
52 WEEK #29
ACTION COMICS #845
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #536
BOYS #5
CONNOR HAWKE: DRAGON’S BLOOD #1
DAREDEVIL #91
EX MACHINA VOL. 4: MARCH TO WAR TP
FANTASTIC FOUR: THE END #2
GOON NOIR #2
HOT MEXICAN LOVE COMICS 2006
JACK OF FABLES #5
JOHN WOO’S SEVEN BROTHERS #2
MAN CALLED KEV #4
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL. 1 TP
SIMPSONS WINTER WINGDING #1
WALKING DEAD #32
WONDER WOMAN #3
X-FACTOR #13
Y-THE LAST MAN VOL. 8: KIMONO DRAGONS TP

Comics blog by DC resident John Daniels

My friend John Daniels lives in DC, reads more superhero comics than I do, shops at different comics stores, and has been at this blog thing longer than I have. He's writing Comic Story Arc, a blog with reviews and commentary, and his current page shows an interview with Frank Beddor, writer of Hatter M and The Looking-Glass Wars. I'll be checking that out since I just picked up the novel.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Author mentions Garry Trudeau's visits to Walter Reed hospital



The Comics Reporter linked to this article today in which amputee reporter, Michael Weisskopf, is asked by reporter Ben Steelman about Garry Trudeau. Weisskopf, who lost a hand as an embedded reporter while grabbing a live grenade tossed into the vehicle he was riding in, had this to say about Trudeau:

"Q. You mentioned that Doonesbury picked up the story line of its character B.D. losing a leg. What did the guys on Ward 57 think of that?

A. I think they believe it's nice to have the attention given to their lives. (Doonesbury cartoonist) Garry Trudeau, whom I've met through this process, is a real solid guy. He goes to Ward 57 regularly and uses proceeds from his work to help the Fisher House Foundation, which runs family support centers for wounded soldiers."




Ward 57 is the orthopedics and neurosurgery ward at Walter Reed here in DC, and information on the Fisher Houses can be found here.. Basically they're apartments for families of soldiers who need long-term care, but they also let the wounded soldier relearn living and domestic skills. The Combined Federal Charity campaign underway now for federal works certainly must have them as a charitable choice. The proceeds from Trudeau's work that Weisskopf refers to are profits from the two books about BD's wounding and recovery, The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time and The War Within: One More Step at a Time.

Cartoon Medicine in NY Times


Joe Palooka fought VD in World War II

Paul Terry battled booze in World War I (before Mighty Mouse)

Frank Mack became a cartoonist for Ripley after the war.









The film festival that the National Library of Medicine put on a few weeks ago was covered in today's New York Times (November 21, 2006), Historians Resurrect ‘Cartoon Medicine’ for a New Generation, By AMANDA SCHAFFER

The images above are from the National Museum of Health and Medicine's collection, but the National Library of Medicine also has posters by cartoonists from World War II and later.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Who is Greg Houston?

Beats me, but he's been doing some nice work for the City Paper. This is the second article he's illustrated in recent months - iirc he did one on the night life of Adams Morgan, such as it is.

Actually a quick Google search reveals his website and the fact that he's a Baltimore-based illustrator. He's got quite a few images on his site, including a Venom and a Batman, for us comic book fans.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for his work. The cover of this week's City Paper really stood out but they don't seem to have put it up on their website.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Off topic - Von Allan interview

Longtime (hah!) readers of this blog might recall that Von Allan sent us a press release before his SPX appearance. I stopped by to meet him and enjoyed talking to him and seeing previews of his comics. I know he's a reader of the blog because he keeps posting comments asking how to pronouce "Marjane" as in Marjane Satrapi. Since I haven't answered that yet, here's a link to a recent interview with him.

Nov 25 - Booksigning Sean Delonas

The Washington Post's Book World lists a signing by New York Post cartoonist Sean Delonas and his son Ryan. They've coauthored a children's book, Scuttle's Big Wish. The signing is at Aladdin's Lamp Children's Bookstore, 2499 N. Harrison St, Arlington at 11 am. For some reason they're asking for an RSVP (I've not been to the store - perhaps it's small) - 703-241-8281. I'm not familiar with Delonas' work, but I think I'll try to attend this.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Minor Washington Post comics bits

Two Post strips this week have a bit of interest. Dave Astor does an excellent column on newspaper syndicates, and I'm not just saying that because he just quoted this blog. He pointed out earlier in the week that Hilary Price, Rhymes with Orange cartoonist, is on her honeymoon, and Mary Lawton is doing the strip for two weeks, a fact that complete escaped me even though I read the darned thing. (For those reading between the lines of Dave's story, yes, Price is an out of the closet lesbian).

Ok, a third thing before the second - The Other Coast alternates with another panel in the Post, annoyingly enough, but as Dave points out Raeside really bit the hand that feeds him yesterday. Good for him. "Peanuts out of the Post!" could be my rallying cry.

The second thing is that Stephan Pastis' Pearls Before Swine strip is doing another of those breaking the fourth wall bits and swapping into his strip bits of Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley (who's on vacation).

Any further interest in posts like this where I just note what struck me about a comic? I read the Post, City Paper, Blade, Examiner, Express and Washington Times* (when I get it for free) as well as the NY Times (brag, brag) so I might have something to note if there's any interest.

*It's that Comics Research Bibliography thing that drives me.