John Kovaleski, FOCDC*, interviewed

Nickel, Scott. 2009.
20 Questions with John Kovaleski.
A Nickel's Worth blog Sunday, November 8, 2009


*Friend Of ComicsDC. I'm thinking about having badges made.

Best Comics Store: Big Planet Comics

Best Comics Store: Big Planet Comics sayeth Rudi Greenberg in last Friday's Express November 6, 2009.

That's four (4!) stores for your browsing pleasure.

BIG PLANET COMICS
4908 Fairmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6856

BIG PLANET COMICS
3145 Dumbarton St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-342-1961

BIG PLANET COMICS
426 Maple Ave. East
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-9412

BIG PLANET COMICS
7315 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
301-699-0498

Comic Riffs on Tank McNamara includes short interview

REDSKINS: Ex-'Sports Jerk' Dan Snyder takes a satiric beating -- again

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog November 8, 2009
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/11/redskins_dan_snyder_tank_mcnam.html#comments

Comic Riffs on Shel Dorf

Remembering Comic-Con co-founder Shel Dorf

By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog  November 7, 2009;
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/11/dorf.html#comments

Quick Reviews for Comics Due 11-11-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 11-11-09

By John Judy

 

ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite.  Collecting the 12-issue series in which the JLA fights bad guys and everyone looks like people on TV from the seventies.  Hear your coffee table groan from the strain!

 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #611 by Joe Kelly and Eric Canete.  Guest-starring Deadpool and Lady Stilt-Man.  Now just calm down, fan-boys…

 

BATMAN AND ROBIN #6 by Grant Morrison and Philip Tan.  It's the big finish for the Red Hood and Scarlet!  Recommended!

 

BATMAN DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1 by Brian Azzarello and Phil Noto.  The Man of Bronze and the Dark Knight mix it up good and pulpy!  Gotta look!

 

CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD: LAST BATTLE #2 of 6 by Garth Ennis and Oscar Jimenez.  So should Danny the Anti-Christ be worried when his best friend Jay the Second Coming starts getting his wits back about him?  And what about Jimmy the talking rabbit?  Not for kids.

 

COMIC BOOK COMICS #4 by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey.  The Evil Twin boys are back with their comic about comics!  This issue features stories about the rise of Marvel Comics, Robert Crumb and Tin-Tin!  More fascinating than a lot of imaginary stories being published today!  Highly recommended!

 

DAREDEVIL #502 by Andy Diggle and Roberto De La Torre.  When dealing with depression and grief some people turn to faith, others to appropriate medication.  Still others take over the leadership of an international guild of ninja assassins.  And this is why Daredevil is way cooler than any of us will ever be.  Recommended.

 

DARK X-MEN #1 of 5 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk.  Admit it, you've always wondered what a team of the most depraved second-string mutants working for a government-backed psychopath would be like!  Okay, fine, it's just me then.  This is by the guys who did CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI13 so it is awesome.  Recommended.

 

GHOUL #1 by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson.  When things get too weird for the LA cops they gotta call in… The Ghoul.  From two of comics' heaviest hitters!  Recommended!

 

HOT POTATOE HC written and drawn by Marc Bell.  No, it's not a Dan Quayle bio-comic, it's a decade's worth of indy-man Bell's wildest works.  This one's all over the map so you're bound to find something to love and (if you're really lucky) something to hate.

 

INSOMNIA CAFÉ HC written and drawn by M.K. Perker.  A disgraced rare book expert seeks redemption in the only thing he knows.  Neat stuff.  Preview pages available on the Dark Horse website.

 

LUNA PARK HC by Kevin Baker and Danijel Zezalj.  A former Russian soldier turned junkie leg-breaker for the Brooklyn mob and his hooker girlfriend try to find a way out.  Your noir is served.  Recommended.

 

PUNISHERMAX #1 by Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon.  An "explicit" series setting up a battle royale between the Punisher and the man who would be Kingpin!  Recommended.  Not for kids.

 

STRANGE #1 of 4 by Mark Waid and Emma Rios.  A peek into what Doctor Strange is up to since losing the title of Sorcerer Supreme to Brother fricking Voodoo.  I mean seriously, how much must that suck?  Is there enough Ny-Quil in the universe to make that pain go away?  Anyway, Mark Waid is writing it so count on lots of Inside Geekball references and awesomeness.  Recommended.

 

STRANGE SUSPENSE: STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES, VOL. 1 HC edited by Blake Bell.  The complete two-year run of all Ditko's pre-code horror comics from the earliest days of his career.  You must have this.

 

SUPERGOD #1 of 5 by Warren Ellis and Garrie Gastony.  Warren Ellis does terrible things to people in capes and everyone else. Again.  A must for blasphemers.  Recommended.

 

SUPERMEN: FIRST WAVE OF HEROES (1939-1941) GN edited by Greg Sadowski.  A look back at the first batch of characters trying to cash in on the phenomenal success of Superman.  Many of these have not been reprinted since DC sued them out of existence back in the day.  A true gem for golden-age buffs.

 

UNWRITTEN #7 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross.  The mysteries keep unfolding as Tom Taylor makes his way to Donostia Prison.  You can tell the creators are having a ball with this.  Highly recommended.

 

WALKING DEAD #67 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard.  Rick and Carl have some father-son time and Eugene starts talking.  Not for kids, always recommended.

 

Also out this week: Orange and Indigo Lantern rings!

 

www.johnjudy.net

Post reviews Simpsons unauthorized history

Doh! The joke's on us.
Louis Bayard
Washington Post Sunday, November 8, 2009

Local webcomicker Julian Lytle's strip

Julian Lytle writes in...

I live in Capitol Heights, MD in PG county. I've lived in the Washington DC area my entire life.  I have been making my webcomic for about  7 months. It's here: http://ants.julianlytle.com/.

I'm working on this year's special 3rd issue of the International Journal of Comic Art so I'm behind on things, but check out his strip and let him know what you think.

Nov 21: Virginia Comic Con in Richmond

See Inside the Virginia Comic-Con, Scoop November 6 2009 for details and links.

Richmond cartoonist Ullman hangs with Crumb

Here's a strip and then another on Rob Ullman's chance dinner with Robert Crumb. Very cool, Rob and Ben.

Post's review of motion-capture animation Disney's Christmas Carol

Disney's A Christmas Carol: Too much spirit, too little heart
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

SPX panel transcribed

SPX '09 | The Critics Roundtable, transcribed
November 5, 2009 - 12:30 PM by Sean T. Collins

Nov 25: Disney's Mulan at Imagination Stage in Bethesda

Disney's Mulan

Music and Lyrics by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, Stephen Schwartz, Jeanine Tesori and Alexa Junge
Music Adapted and Arranged and Additional Music and Lyrics by Bryan Louiselle
Book Adapted and Additional Lyrics by
Patricia Cotter
Based on the 1998 Disney film Mulan
and the Story "Fa Mulan" by Robert D. San Souci
Directed by Janet Stanford

SHOWS:
November 25 - January 10, 2010

Saturday & Sunday at 1:30 & 4:00
Saturday at 11:00 - Nov 28, Dec 19 & 26 and
Jan 2 & 9
Many Thanksgiving Weekend &
Christmas/New Years week shows!

For Tickets please call 301-280-1660
In the Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre at Imagination Stage

A Beeler cartoon that relies on color

Nate Beeler's told me a couple of times that he prefers to do his cartoons in black and white, so I was a little surprised to see the November 4 2009 cartoon which would be nonsensical without color.

Nov 14-22: The rest of the Tezuka fest

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Film is Alive: Osamu Tezuka Filmography (Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime) Saturday, November 14, 2 pm In Person: Frederik Schodt, author of The Astro Boy Essays; Helen McCarthy, author of The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga; and Natsu Onoda Power, author of God of Comics: Osamu Tezuka and the Creation of Post-WWII Manga. This documentary, made for the Tezuka Osamu exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum the year after Tezuka's death, boasts probably the most over specified title card in the world. Each of the ten letters has been handwritten by…

Week of Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Marine Express (Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime) Sunday, November 15, 2 pm In Person: Frederik Schodt, Helen McCarthy Set in the near future of 2002, this tale of skullduggery and smuggling on an undersea train is set against a backdrop of environmental degradation and destruction of indigenous cultures and is interwoven with a time-travel fantasy. Directed by Dezaki Tetsu, it features appearances by nearly all of Tezuka's most famous characters, including Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Don Dracula. [Description adapted from…

Friday, November 20, 2009

Prime Rose (Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime) Friday, November 20, 7 pm A Japanese city and an American city are thrown into conflict by demonic intervention. Prime Rose is one of the warriors, but she has a personal motive. Time Patrol member Gai is trying to reverse the timeslip and defeat the demon. Aired before the manga of the same title was completed, this film by Tetsu Dezaki is allegedly closer to Tezuka's original idea. [Description adapted from text by Helen McCarthy for Movies into Manga: Osamu Tezuka,…

Week of Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Tezuka's Short Films (Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime) Sunday, November 22, 2 pm This remarkable showcase of shorts made between 1962 and 1987 reveals Tezuka's energy, originality, and clarity of vision as he employs music and imagery to render dialogue unnecessary. These films show Tezuka the art house animator at his inventive best. [Descriptions adapted from text by Helen McCarthy for Movies into Manga: Osamu Tezuka, shown at Barbican Film, Barbican Centre, London, in September 2008.] Tales of the Street Corner Drawing…

Nov 13: Fred Schodt at Freer Gallery

Introducing Astro Boy (Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime)

Date Friday, November 13, 2009, 7 pm Categories Films Venue Freer Gallery Event Location Meyer Auditorium Cost Free; first come, first served Details In Person: Frederik Schodt, author of The Astro Boy Essays Astro Boy (known as Mighty Atom in Japan) is one of Tezuka's most iconic and enduring creations. Starting life as a character in manga comics, he later took the world by storm as the hero of three animated television series that were nearly as popular in the US as they were in Japan. To kick off the retrospective, author and Tezuka expert Frederik Schodt presents and discusses four Astro Boy episodes.

Part of the series Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga, Father of Anime

Library of Congress serials chief mentions comic books

The 3-minute interview: Mark Sweeney
Washington Examiner Staff Writer
November 1, 2009

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/people/THE-3-MINUTE-INTERVIEW---Mark-Sweeney-8450007-67715477.html

“I'm responsible for a division of about 50 people who work with the library's newspaper collection, our current periodicals, government publications and the library's comic book collection.”

The world is changing…

 

Examiner columnist on Danish Islamic Cartoons

Diana West: To remain free, we are also Danes

By: Diana West

Washington Examiner Columnist

November 1, 2009

Nov 12: Haynes Johnson on Herblock at Politics and Prose

Haynes Johnson - Herblock
7 p.m. Johnson, who worked with Herblock at The Washington Post, will launch a new anthology celebrating Block's life and career. The Post's editorial cartoonist was a protean figure whose career spanned thirteen American Presidents. His cartoons mocked Senator McCarthy and Richard Nixon, and continued on into the 1980s to take on President Reagan. Block made no pretense of objectivity; he was a good liberal with a love of the political game. In 1984 Herblock was incredibly generous to a tiny new bookstore at 5010 Connecticut Avenue, appearing twice to sign his book.

OT: Nick Thorkelson, friend of CDC, playing music in Boston

Nick Thorkelson's reviewed exhibits for me for IJOCA and done the cover of the Interplanetary Journal of Comic Art (buy it on the right) and now he's showing us he's got musical talent too.

Subject: Music on the Fly, Coming Nov. 14--FREE!

Dear friends:

I wanted to let you know that I will have pieces in both of the programs described below. I will play and sing a song I wrote called "Grave Robbery," accompanied by a series of images in a sort of pseudo animation style, as part of the "EP7: Music On the Fly" program November 14. And I have written a short play, "Lionel Banished," which will be performed at the "Carny Knowledge" program being performed January 28 to February 6. Hope to see all or many of you at each or both. 

Fort Point Theatre Channel Presents MUSIC ON THE FLY An evening of inter-genre performance works featuring made-up music Curated by Robin Smith and Christie Lee Gibson Saturday, November 14, 7 pm 35A Channel Center Street, Fort Point, Boston FREE With new works and works in progress, Fort Point Theatre Channel's seventh Exclamation Point! will feature music combined with video, acting improv, and other visual/stage components. Featured musicians, writers, actors, actresses include: Jon Burrowes, Jorrit Dykstra, Mary Fegreus, Liz Fenstermaker, Christie Lee Gibson, Daniel Harris, Allen Phelps, Alejandro Simoes, Robin Smith, Scott Sweatt, Nick Thorkelson, Arvid Tomayko-Peters, and friends. For directions, check out our Web site. Coming Up A Sideshow Extravaganza of Original Plays and Extraordinary Oddities Silvia Graziano & Marc S. Miller, Impresarios January 28-February 6, 2010 Channel Center, Fort Point, Boston Carny Knowledge joins short theatrical works and unique installation pieces to create an environmental extravaganza enveloping audiences and performers alike. Inspired by the sideshows of once-upon-a-time, playwrights and filmmakers, musicians and dancers, roustabouts and a concoction of practitioners of the carny crafts will create an unforgettable evening of ballyhoo, burlesque, and incomparable entertainment, sure to skin the rubes and marks of their fins, sawbucks, and c-notes.   AND IN THE FUTURE . . . · Hotel Cassiopeia, Charles Mee's fantasy inspired by the life and work of the master of assemblage art, Joseph Cornell · The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder · The libretto from an opera being developed about the Marquis de Sade. ·  One-act plays by James Swindell and Silvia Grazianio www.fortpointtheatrechannel.org info@fortpointtc.org

This is one image/stanza from "Grave Robbery," a song inspired by the Jerry Cruncher character in Charles Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities":

Nick Thorkelson

Graphic Design & Cartoons

15 Channel Center Street, #601

Boston, MA 02210

617-417-5403

nthork@nickthorkelson.com

www.nickthorkelson.com

Nov 18: Waltz with Bashir at Arlington's Shirlington Library

Film: "Waltz with Bashir/Vals Im Bashir" [2008]
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7pm
Shirlington Branch Library
The "World Cinema Spotlight" series at Shirlington presents "Waltz with Bashir/Vals Im Bashir" [2008]. Rated R, 90 minutes. Directed by Ari Folman and featuring Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag and Ari Folman. An animated documentary nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, "Waltz with Bashir" tells the story of an Israeli film director who interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of that conflict.