Mark Ruffin's take on Baltimore Comic Con

We were loooking for each other, but missed again.  As a group, DC's comics bloggers are great individualists.

Hundreds of talents, patrons and vendors commenced valuable identity for Baltimore Comic Con Thursday, September 2, 2010 As a specialty reference comic-con may be an accustomed jargon nation-wide, driven by online frequency, over the last three years to be institutionally known as a variable of descriptors in the capacity of a household term. Infuse comic-con into any... Read more » DC Comic Books Examiner, Mark Ruffin Mark Ruffin, a freelance writer and story editor, recalls a first read of Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man #8 and a collection of comic books from that point. Following honorable service in the military, he has contributed and edited articles on subjects political, sports car related, and of murder mystery dinner games. Grouped with his enthusiasm for culinary arts and sports, he enjoys discussions on the various perspectives of the comics medium. Contact Mark here.

PR: Fifth Annual Washington DC Comics Conspiracy Counter Culture Festival

The Washington DC Comics Conspiracy is proud to announce that the Fifth Annual Counter Culture Festival will be held on October 24th, from 12-8pm. The event will be held at RFD's, with an entrance on 8th street NW, between H and I streets - just one block from the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro station. Admission is free.

The event will feature vending by local comics creators and artists, as well as music and entertainment. For more information, including how to reserve a vending space, please visit:

http://www.dcconspiracy.com/blog/2010/09/counter-culture-festival-5.html

Please contact RM Rhodes at rhodes@oletheros.com with any questions.

Class of '63 Oceanus Procellarum Book Two the new webcomic
by R. M. Rhodes
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/oletheros/op

A Chat with Onezumi Hartstein of Intervention at the City Paper

Meet a Local Con Organizer: A Chat with Onezumi Hartstein of Intervention
Posted by Mike Rhode on Sep. 3, 2010 at 9:57 am
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/09/03/meet-a-local-con-organizer-a-chat-with-onezumi-hartstein-of-intervention/

Former cartoonist Shayne Stratyner exhibits in Frederick, MD

Life’s a journey not a traffic jam
By Lauren LaRocca
Frederick News-Post September 02, 2010

PR: SPX Announces A Fort Thunder/Monster Debut Event with Brian Ralph and Paul Lyons

Bethesda, Maryland, September 2, 2010 - From 1995 to 2001, the Fort Thunder artists' space and performance venue in Providence, Rhode Island was a fertile creative center. Work produced by artists living at the Fort – both at the time and individually in the years since the space was shut down – has been enormously influential in the worlds of fine art, music, and comics. In addition to a wealth of posters, prints, artists' books and individual comics, two publications served as the venue's de facto comics anthologies: the mini-comics series Monster and the comics newspaper Paper Rodeo. Nine years after the
Fort's closing, a new issue of Monster will debut at this year's SPX.

The oversized (10" x 14") book, featuring offset-printed interiors and a silkscreened cover, will include new and previously unpublished work by Fort Thunder alumni including Mat Brinkman, Brian Chippendale, Jim Drain, Paul Lyons and Brian Ralph, as well as work by friends and colleagues including Keith Jones, Michael DeForge, and Chuck Forsman.

To mark the occasion, SPX Programming coordinator and Parsons faculty member Bill Kartalopoulos will moderate a special panel event titled "Return of the Monster: The Fort Thunder Legacy" on Saturday, September 11 at 5:30 as part of the festival's larger schedule of
programming events. The panel will feature artists and former Fort Thunder residents Brian Ralph and Paul Lyons. The discussion will also include Tom Devlin, who has published work by Fort Thunder artists both through his own former publishing company Highwater Books and now as creative director of Drawn and Quarterly, and PictureBox publisher Dan Nadel, who has extensively interviewed Fort Thunder artists and currently publishes work by Fort co-founders Brinkman and Chippendale.
Please join us for this special consideration of a landmark contribution to recent comics history.

SPX is a registered 501(c)3 which brings together more than 300
artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals.  For more information on the CBLDF, go to their website at http://www.cbldf.org/.

The hours for SPX 2010 are 11AM-7PM Saturday, September 11, and noon-6PM Sunday, September 12. Admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for both days.

Smithsonian inspires lad to be comic book writer

Writer's Workshop #3: ERIC TRAUTMANN
By David Pepose, Newsarama 27 August 2010

Caro on Lilli Carré’s minicomic “The Thing about Madeline”

Caroline "Caro" Small writes on Lilli Carré’s minicomic “The Thing about Madeline” and also her film Head Garden which will be shown at SPX.

Nevin Martell's expanded Calvin and Hobbes book featured

The paperback edition is generating new reviews for Nevin's book:

Expanded Book Chronicles Search for Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes Creator
D.X. Ferris
Cleveland Scene Aug 31, 2010

Searching for Watterson: The confounding creator of Calvin & Hobbes
By Raymond Cummings
San Antonio Current September 1 2010

Here's my take on the original edition from a year ago.

Baltimore City Paper reviews graphic novels.

Drawing Fire: Strong artwork saves two otherwise flawed graphic novels about war
By Andrea Appleton
Baltimore City Paper September 1, 2010

Reviews War is Boring, By David Axe and Matt Bors (NAL) and Greendale, By Joshua Dysart, Cliff Chiang, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein (Vertigo).

Meet a Local Con Organizer: A Chat with Small Press Expo’s Jeff Alexander

Meet a Local Con Organizer: A Chat with Small Press Expo's Jeff Alexander

Posted by Mike Rhode on Sep. 1, 2010 at 9:27 am 

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/09/01/meet-a-local-con-organizer-a-chat-with-small-press-expos-jeff-alexander/

Weldon's suggested comics links

Weldon, Glen.  2010.

An End-of-Summer Comics Linkdump. Um, 'Roundup.' Meant to Say Roundup.

National Public Radio's Monkey See blog (September 1): http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/08/31/129563688/an-end-of-summer-comics-linkdump-um-roundup-meant-to-say-roundup

Jim Dougan's Sam & Lilah webcomic updated

In spite of being at the Baltimore Comic-Con and bringing all the cosplay G.I. Joes over to Shannon Gallant's table, Jim's got new pages of his excellent webcomic up now:


SAM & LILAH Updated Today!

We're back! Here's two more pages from Chapter 3....


http://www.activatecomix.com/42-3-28.comic

Need to catch up first? Start here:

Chapter 1: http://www.activatecomix.com/42-1-1.comic

Chapter 2: http://www.activatecomix.com/42-2-1.comic

Chapter 3: http://www.activatecomix.com/42-3-1.comic

We'll be back with more in just two weeks! See you September 13!

Frank Cho's Zatanna painting featured on Comic Riffs

FRANK CHO UPDATE: Oil painting sells at Comic-Con auction for $10K
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs August 31, 2010

Zadzooks interviews George Romero

Zadzooks: George Romero Interview
A visit with zombie-film king Romero
By Joseph Szadkowski
The Washington Times August 26, 2010

Bruce Guthrie's Baltimore Comic-Con photos

Richard Thompson and 'Cul de Sac' website manager Chris Sparks.

Bruce Guthrie has put his Baltimore Comic-Con photos online, in spite of an illegal towing of his car. Bruce is a long-time friend of Richard Thompson, and a maniac photographer who puts his material online through essentially a Creative Commons, attribution, non-commercial use license. Be sure to check out this crazy Little Nemo commission that Jeremy Bastian did.

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 2 (of 2) -- Miscellaneous (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 2 (of 2) -- Artists
Artists in sequence: Marv Wolfman, Jim Shooter, Jim Calafiore, Barry Kitson, Jerry Robinson, Paul Pope, Howard Chaykin, Tom Raney, Jim Starlin, Ron Marz. Brian Pulido, Bob McLeod, Antonio Clark, Brad Samuelson, ???, Jose Garcia-Lopez, Matt Wagner, John K. Snyder III, Walter Simonson, Louise Simonson,... (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 2 (of 2) -- Greg LaRocque and friends (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 2 (of 2) -- Richard Thompson and friends (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 1 (of 2) -- Miscellaneous (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 1 (of 2) -- Artists
Artists in sequence: Dennis O'Neil, Jerry Robinson, Matt Wagner, John Snyder III, Marv Wolfman, Jim Shooter, Michael Golden, Joe Jusko, Mark Wheatley, Denis Kitchen, Steve Conley, Tim Truman, Todd McFarlane, Timothy Lantz, Bryan Brown, Terry Moore, Bill Tucci, Walt Simonson, Paul Pope, Don Rosa, Sergio... (Partially reviewed)


MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 1 (of 2) -- Greg LaRocque and friends
Artists here: Greg LaRocque, Julie (Ms Marvel), and Cesar Castillo Jr. (Partially reviewed)

MD -- Baltimore Comic-Con (2010) -- Day 1 (of 2) -- Richard Thompson and friends
Artists: Richard Thompson and Shannon Gallant. (Partially reviewed)

Mark Waid says copyright is too long at Harvey Awards speech

Apparently there's something in the air lately. Here's The Beat's report on Mark Waid's speech about copyright. Here's me on the topic a few days ago. In the comments on The Beat, I agree with Stuart Moore's reasoned take. Note Dean Haspiel's remark about building his brand as well.

Rina Piccolo interview at Comic Riffs

'RHYMES WITH ORANGE': Rina Piccolo fills us in on her Hilary Price fill-in
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 30, 2010

Wertham papers at LoC article

I'm working on an article for the City Paper, but here's another person's take on the story:

Papers of anti-comic book crusader now open to scholars
By Matthew Lasar
August 30 2010

Oh, and he's got a link to an internal LoC article -

Papers of Comic-Book ‘Villain’ Open at Library
August 27th, 2010 by Matt Raymond
My colleague Erin Allen wrote the following for the Library’s in-house letter, The Gazette, and I thought it worth sharing with a wider audience:

Ask Stan Lee a question, on CNN

This one was sent to me by one of my Arlington neighbors, so it's ComicsDC turf by default - thanks, Mike McM!

Ask Stan Lee

Got a question about "The Hulk," "X-Men" or "Spider-Man" that's eating at you? Want to pick the brains of one of the Marvel revolution's key masterminds?

Iconic comic book creator and writer Stan Lee will be stopping by CNN HQ on Thursday to sit down with us and take your questions.

Put yourself on camera and ask a concise question for Lee. Get it to us by Tuesday, August 30 at 5 p.m. and your video just might be chosen.

Guidelines:

Video questions please

Try to keep them under 30 seconds

Have fun

Jerry Beck on History Detectives in 1/2 hour

History Detectives

Monday, August 30 -- 9:00pm
26 - WETA
WB Cartoons, Galvez Papers, Mussolini Dagger

A box of cartoon drawings and cels reveals information about the early days of animation and the people behind it; emancipation papers for a female slave that were signed by a regional governor; a dagger that may have belonged to Benito Mussolini.