ACT-I-VATE Primer in the NY Times 2009 Holiday Gift Guide

From: Jim Dougan (as I was remiss.)

Just a head's up in case you missed it:  the New York Times selected The ACT-I-VATE PRIMER (featuring an exclusive SAM & LILAH story by Hyeondo Park and Yours Truly) for its 2009 Holiday Gift Guide!

 

http://www.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2009/giftguide-graphicnovels/list.html

 

As you already know (but for the benefit of your readers) the book also features the talents of Nick Bertozzi, Dean Haspiel, Roger Langridge, Simon Fraser, Michel Fiffe, Molly Crabapple, Tim Hamilton, and the list goes on!  It's got a fairly diverse range of material, but isn't really kid-appropriate (as you also already know).

 

I know for a fact that it's in stock at all the local Big Planet and Fantom Comics locations, so if any of your readers are interested they can pick it up there!

 

Thanks,

Jim D.

 

PS Any readers liking what they find in the book can find hundreds more FREE pages of great comics by the same creators at www.activatecomix.com!

Weldon with a couple of more book recommendations

Weldon, Glen.  2009.

The Best Five Books To Share With Your Friends [Asterios Polyp; Supergirls].

NPR.org (December 2): http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120980848&sc=nl&cc=bn-20091204

 

Pow! Wham! Zap! Glen Weldon hates this attitude

Read him going on about 'geekiness' and 'comic books' being linked together at Geeks, Genre, And Why Fantasy Football Is Just D&D Without Elves, By Glen Weldon, National Public Radio's Monkey See blog December 2, 2009.

(I really don't get fantasy football)

Jurdy can't be too far away

This PR says that cartoonist Jenifer Jurden is from Bishopville, MD - she's got a 410 area code on her website, so we'll count her and her character Jurdy as local.

PR: Kal 2010 Wall calendars now available by telephone orders

Friends and Colleagues

I wanted to alert you that The 2010 Illustrated Wall Kalendar for The Economist can now be ordered via the telephone as well as via the Web. 

In the USA just call 1-800-456-6086. If you are interested in getting Kalendars for gifts, it might be wise to place your order soon to insure holiday delivery. 

International customers and those who prefer to order the Kalendar on line can view samples of the calendar and make web purchases Here:

http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/tag/calendar/

Best

Kal

Kevin Kallaugher

kal@kaltoons.com

www.Kaltoons.com

Ullman and Flake in 12/3 City Paper

Emily Flake illustrates an article on Costco, and Rob Ullman's got a full-page ad later in the current issue.

Dog Sees God, not a (wink, wink) Peanuts play in Alexandria

The Little Theatre of Alexandria is running this. If anyone wants to go, slap a note in the comments. I've never seen it. It's also positively reviewed in the Post.

DOG SEES GOD
Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
November 27 – December, 19, 2009

Directed by: William D. Parker
Produced by: Jennifer Lyman

When CB's dog dies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. A chance meeting sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drugs, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.

NOTE:
Please note this is a 10:30PM performance. This show contains references to drug use, sex, and other sensitive topics. It is not recommended for children.

Washington Times laying off 40% of staff - and 100% of comics?

I'm betting the comics aren't coming back, even though they're not mentioned in this article.

This has not been a good year for comic strips and editorial cartoons in the nation's capital. Perhaps I'll do a year-in-review post like everyone else does in December.

More SHOCs - Batmania and Japanese anime in 1966

I went through a couple more fragments of 1966 Detroit Free Press newspapers today.

One of the big stories was apparently the Batman tv show - this illustrated an article on Batmania:


Things don't appear to have changed much in 40 years, do they? It's by Thurston, who also did one of the Odd 'Change comics in yesterday's post.


I'm guessing that DC wasn't paid for this use...


And this wire photo of a Japanese anime character surprised me. I had to go Wikipedia to find out this was Obake no Qtarō (or Oba-Q as in the caption here). From February 28, 1966.

Nice new Pekar interview online

I'm not trying to keep up with all of Harvey's interviews now that the book is finished, but Irving and Kushner have a nice one up at their Graphic NYC blog. And Jeff Newelt's Pekar Project keeps moving along.

Xavier Xerexes, of Arlington, comic creator interviewer

Xavier and I failed to link up at SPX this year and thus remain unmet, and then I kept forgetting to check the site he writes for, but!! - here's a new interview by him: "An Interview with David LaMason of Unbearable Bears," By Xaviar Xerexes, Comixtalk November 2009. Links to all of his writings are here, and will be added to the list of local contributors on the right side.

Wired's Geek Dad blog on Looking for Calvin and Hobbes

It appears to be Mom writing this review though - Aren’t We All Looking for Calvin and Hobbes? By Jenny Williams, Wired's Geek Dad blog November 30, 2009.

SHOC: Odd 'Change comic panel

In 1966, the Detroit Free Press published some classic comics (Little Orphan Annie, Gasoline Alley, Gil Thorp, Terry and the Pirates, Nancy, Grin and Bear It, On Stage, Brother Juniper, Peanuts, Brenda Starr, Mutt & Jeff, Dick Tracy, BC, Mr. Mum, Peanuts, Judge Parker) and some not-so-classic ones (The Neighborhood, Smidgens, Fan Fare, The Ryatts, Ferdinand), but they also published a comics panel that appears to have been done by their staff artists.

Odd 'Change is a very small panel that appeared in the middle of the stock tables. Here's three examples:

May 6, 1966

March 25, 1966

March 3, 1966

I haven't been able to find any information on this panel, with an admittedly quick search of OSU and MSU's databases. It's not in Allan Holtz's excellent resource The Stripper's Guide either, although this post points out that the Free Press did do its own comic strips. The original clippings are being sent to MSU's Comic Art Collection. Join us again for another entry in... The Secret History of Comics!

Comics Research Bibliography updated!

For the first time in 2 years, we've got an update to the Comics Research Bibliography. We've added 6,000 new citations, searchable by keyword, to bring the total to 29,700 entries. The project was begun in 1996 so we've passed a decade without having a special party.

Dec 5: Book illustrator at Medical Museum

 

 

The Art and Science of "OUTBREAK: Plagues that Changed History" with the artist Bryn Barnard

 

When:

 

Saturday, December 5, 2009, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Feel free to drop in; no reservations required.)

 

What:

 

Bryn Barnard, author and artist of "OUTBREAK: Plagues that Changed History," (on exhibit through Jan 22, 2010 at NMHM) will host three exciting programs on Saturday, December 5, 2009, including an illustration workshop and a special session aimed at younger audiences. Free, open to the public, no reservations required.

 

See the schedule online at http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/events/event_2ed.html for more details. Questions? Call (202) 782-2673 or email nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil.

 

Where:

 

National Museum of Health and Medicine, on the campus at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Building 54, Washington, D.C. 20307  (Enter at Elder St., NW)

Adults must present photo identification to gain entry to Walter Reed.

 

Contact:

 

(202) 782-2673 or email nmhminfo@afip.osd.mil

 

 

Friends of ComicsDC badge #2

I had so much fun making the first 'official' badge that I thought I'd do another. I finally found the image file that MJ of National Free Press sent in, so we've got a second button available on Zazzle.

Washington Times cuts comics?

A commenter alluded to this on one of my posts last week, and now it's mentioned again in the comments to the Comic Riffs post.

What can one do, but shake one's head and then refuse to buy the paper...

Dec. 6: CapiCons Comic & Pop Culture Show - FREE Customer Admission

THIS Sun, Dec. 6 - CapiCons Comic & Pop Culture Show - FREE Customer Admission*

 -  Our Guest Artist/Creator and President of Heritage Comics HSQ, Andre Campbell!
http://www.heritagecomicshsq.com

 -  21st Century Sandshark Studios Presents Tim Dzon--Artist/Inker ("West Coast Avengers," "GI Joe", etc.)

-  Chris Flick, writer/artist and creator of the webcomics "Capes-N-Babes", and "CMX Suite"
http://www.capesnbabes.com/
http://www.communitymx.com/flicks/index.cfm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 *****
 
Sun, Dec. 6 - CapiCons Comic & Pop Culture Show at the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department. Our Guest will be Artist/Creator and President of Heritage Comics HSQ, Andre Campbell! AND 21st Century Sandshark Presents Tim Dzon--Artist/Inker (West Coast Avengers, GI Joe.) The show is open to the public from 10 am - 3 pm. Buy, sell and trade...gold, silver age and new comics; Magic and other gaming cards; Non-Sport Cards; Videos and DVDs; Anime; Horror; Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters, T-shirts/clothing and various other comic related items.  FREE customer admission for this show!

 21st Century Sandshark Studios/Cards Comics & Collectibles/Doug Cheshire/Michael & Connie Creager/Chris Flick/
 Donald and Kathy Gehl/Heritage Comics HSQ/FANDATA/J&M Comics/Outpost Station/Packcracker/Silver Fox Comics/TNT Comics/Steve Wagner/Tomorrow's Treasures/Wandering Rebel/Zeno's Books

...and MORE!!!!!!!!!!
 ...............

 To get to the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department (located about 20 minutes west of Washington, D.C.), take I-495 (DC/Capital Beltway) to Exit 47A (Rt 7 West). Go 1/2 mile, Take a Left on Gallows Rd and proceed 1 mile to 2148 Gallows Rd.
 
 Or visit our website for detailed directions and Mapquest directions:
 http://www.capicons.com/directions_dlvfd.htm
 
 Address for convention location (no mail, please):
 Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department
 2148 Gallows Road
 Dunn Loring, VA 22027
 

Dec 4: Tezuka Family Weekend at Freer

Tezuka Family Weekend  Friday, Dec. 4 - Sunday, Dec. 6 (click image for details) Kamishibai Performances and Workshops by Yassan Kamishibai ("paper dramas") are a form of performance popularized in Japan in the early twentieth century by traveling performers who bicycled from town to town, dazzling children and adults alike with exciting tales illustrated with colorful pictures. Today Yassan, one of its foremost practitioners, comes to the Freer to celebrate the work and legacy of Osamu Tezuka with a series of performances and workshops. Performances Friday, Dec. 4, 12 & 2 pm Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 am & 1 pm Sunday, Dec. 6, 11 am & 3 pm Films The Fantastic Adventures of Unico Saturday, Dec. 5, 3:45 pm Tezuka on Television Princess Knight Marvellous Melmo The Three-Eyed One Sunday, Dec. 6, 1 pm Family Tours  Friday, Dec. 4, 12:30, 2:30 & 3:30 pm Saturday, Dec. 5, 11:30 am, 1:30 & 2:30 pm Sunday, Dec. 6, 11:30 am, 3:30 & 4:30 pm

'Improved' Express cuts most comics UPDATED

The Washington Post's free Express paper was improved over the holiday and that means they cut 3 of the 5 comic strips they ran. Out are Bizarro by Dan Piraro, Cornered by Mike Baldwin, and The Duplex by Glenn McCoy. Remaining are Pearls Before Swine (which also appears in the Post) and Pooch Cafe, now in color.

Should you wish to question this improvement, you can write to inbox@readexpress.com

I will be doing so in a few minutes.

UPDATE: The editor wrote back to me to say, "We might feature fewer comics in our print edition now, but we've added an expanded comics section in an easy-access, newspaper-style format at our Web site, ExpressNightOut.com. You'll find Bizarro, Cornered and The Duplex there every day - plus a slew of new comics to make a visit worth your time. Those include Lio, Non Sequitur, The Argyle Sweater, Bound and Gagged, Candorville, Cul de Sac and the New Adventures of Queen Victoria. You can find them here: http://www.expressnightout.com/comics."

While I obviously don't agree with him, I appreciate the fact that he took the time to respond. I've just sent him a response which includes, "We'll have to agree to disagree though because if it's a commuting newspaper, then putting the comics online doesn't really help anyone except those with overly-smart phones. Besides the Post does that already. In the end, I just don't see providing less of something as a way to bring in more readers."