Truitt on Takio,The Darkness and Smoke and Mirrors

'The Darkness' still full of supernatural soul at issue 101
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 15 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-15/The-Darkness-comic-book-series/53548896/1

IDW's 'Smoke and Mirrors': It's a kind of magic
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 16 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-16/Smoke-and-Mirrors-comic-book-series/53568730/1

Bendis keeps all-ages 'Takio' all in the family
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 16 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-16/Takio-comic-book-series/53569836/1

That darn Doonesbury

Find a better home for 'Doonesbury'
Carrie Frederick Frost, Charlottesville
Washington Post March 17 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/find-a-better-home-for-doonesbury/2012/03/13/gIQArwsOHS_story.html

Local papers split on "Chico & Rita" animation

Oscar-nominated jazz cartoon is too hot for kids
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner March 16 2012
http://washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/movies/2012/03/oscar-nominated-jazz-cartoon-too-hot-kids/375321

Full-grown animation
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Mar. 16, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/chico-and-rita,1215692/critic-review.html

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is near and dear to my heart

Spurgeon, Tom.  2012.
Charles Brownstein On The Lessons Of The Manga Customs Case.
Comics Reporter (March 16): http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/charles_brownstein_on_the_lessons_of_the_manga_customs_case/

Canadian Court Drops Criminal Charges in Manga Customs Case
Brigid Alverson,
Thu, March 15th, 2012
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37552

Comic Riffs on Signe Wilkinson and Doonesbury

THIS JUST IN: Pulitzer-winning SIGNE WILKINSON will stay on at Philadelphia Daily News
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog March 15 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/this-just-in-pulitzer-winning-signe-wilkinson-will-stay-on-at-philadelphia-daily-news/2012/03/15/gIQAxPW2ES_blog.html#pagebreak

THE GREAT 'DOONESBURY' ABORTION-STRIP ROUNDUP: From animation to aberrations, here's how things shook out
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog March 16 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/the-great-doonesbury-abortion-strip-roundup-from-animation-to-aberrations-heres-how-things-shook-out/2012/03/15/gIQAD0yUFS_blog.html#pagebreak

Chico and Rita opens in DC tomorrow

Chico and Rita, the Oscar-nominated animation, opens in DC tomorrow at Landmark's E Street Theater.

Comic Riffs tells us why we won't have Nate Beeler to kick around anymore

THE 'RIFFS INTERVIEW: Cartoonist NATE BEELER is eager to start Columbus Dispatch job — but calls move from D.C. 'bittersweet'
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog March 15 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/the-riffs-interview-cartoonist-nate-beeler-is-eager-to-start-columbus-dispatch-job--but-calls-move-from-dc-bittersweet/2012/03/14/gIQAvpODDS_blog.html

 

Game On! Comics: What's new this week!

Game On! Comics Weekly Digest Come  Visit Us! March 7, 2012 In this issue :: New Titles this Week :: New Game :: Game Nights  Dear Mike,   Welcome to Game On! Comics SUBSCRIBERS:  Please make sure that you come in and pick up comics at least once per month.  Thanks!!!!   HOURS CHANGE:  Tuesdays will will now be closing at 5pm.     Don't forget to go on yelp.com and write a review about us too!! Please tell your comic/game friends about our shop, we would appreciate their business.   Please visit our Facebook page and "Like" us!! Please tell your friends about us, we would love their business! New Comic Book titles this week 3-14-12   Best Discounts in the area--Not just a slogan, we really do have the best price discounts!   Comic of the Week Avengers Assemble #1    The Avengers Versus The *Brand-New* Zodiac! * One Of The Greatest Avengers Villains Of All Time Gets Reinvented For The Modern Age Just In Time For The Blockbuster Movie Event Of The Summer! * A Perfect Jumping-On Point Featuring The Cast Of The Summer Blockbuster But In Marvel Universe Continuity!      Artifacts #15 Avengers #24 Avengers Assemble #1 Batgirl #7 Batman And Robin #7 Battle Scars #5 Batwoman #7 Blue Estate #10 Buffy TVS Season 9 #7 Buckaroo Banzai #1 Captain America #9 Carnage USA #4 Charmed #19 Comeback Kings #2 Comic Shop News #1291 Conan The Barbarian #2 Crossed Badlands #1 Daken Dark Wolverine #22 Dark Matter #3 Dark Shadows #4 Deadpool #50 2nd Ptg Deathstroke #7 Demon Knights #7 Doctor Who Ongoing Vol 2 #15 Elric The Balance Lost #9 Exile On The Planet Of The Apes #1 Fantastic Four #604 Fathom Kiani Vol 2 #0 Frankenstein Agent Of Shade #7 GFT Presents Neverland Hook #4 Glory #24 Godzilla Legends #5 (L) Green Lantern #7 Grifter #7 Grimm Fairy Tales #68 Incredible Hulk #6 Infestation 2 Gi Joe #1 Journey Into Mystery #635 Knights Of The Dinner Table #184 Legion Lost #7 Lobster Johnson The Burning Hand #3 Locke & Key Clockworks #5 Man O War (William Shatner) #1 Misadventures Of Adam West #2 Mister Terrific #7 Mouse Guard Black Axe #4 My Greatest Adventure #6 (L) Nancy In Hell On Earth #2 Ninjettes #2 Northanger Abbey #5 (L) Northlanders #49 Orchid #5 Peter Panzerfaust #2 Powers #9 Punisher #9 Ray #4 (L) Resurrection Man #7 Saga #1 Saucer Country #1 Savage Sword (Robert E Howard) #4 Scarlet Spider #3 Secret History Of DB Cooper #1 Shade #6 Sherlock Holmes Victorian Knights #2 Star Wars Agent O/T Empire Iron Eclipse #4 Star Wars Dawn/Jedi Force Storm #0 2d Pt Star Wars Knights/Old Republic War #3 Strain #4 Suicide Squad #7 Superboy #7 Thief Of Thieves #1 2nd Ptg Thief Of Thieves #2 Transformers More Than Meets Eye #3 Ultimate Comics X-Men #9 Unwritten #35 War Goddess #6 Warlord Of Mars #16 Wasteland #35 Wolverine And X-Men #7 X-23 #21 X-Men Legacy #263   KIDS AND ALL AGES COMICS Adventure Time #2 Mega Man #11 Simpsons Comics #188 Super Heroes #24   TRADEBACKS & HARDCOVERS Astonishing Thor TPB Avengers Korvac Saga TPB Intrepid Escapegoat TPB Northlanders TPB 6 Thors Daughter Womanthology: Heroic HC X-Men Season One Prem HC   TOYS AND ACTION FIGURES Dc Heroes Wave 20 SinCorps Sinestro AF Marvel Universe 6" AF Asst 201202       Do you want to get the same comic titles month after month?       Do you want to get them at a discounted rate?   Then get a comic subscription box with Game On! Comics!  We will hold comics for you on a weekly basis based on the comics that you want.  The more comic titles you have the more of a discount you will get.   We have the best discounts in the Washington DC area.    Number of Regular Titles Subscribed: 10-19 Comic titles 10% off 20-39  Comic titles 15% off 40+  Comic titles 20% off All you have to do is respond to this email with the titles that you would like and we will create a box for you.      Launch Party Avengers vs. X-Men        Put this date in your calendar:   April 3rd, 2012 8pm-10pm Game On! Comics Store   We will officially be selling the new Avengers vs. X-Men one day early.   We will be having lots of itmes that will be raffled off!  I promise you will not want to miss this!   Join us for FREE giveaways, games, and snacks as we welcome in the most hyped comic of the year.  What side are you on??  Marvel comics made our store pick a side and we chose.........the AVENGERS!   More details to come for Game On! Comics first big event for 2012!      Game Nights    Tuesday Nights 7pm-11pm----ON HOLD We may change our D&D night to Saturday.  If you have mentioned that you are interested in playing then look to get an additional email this week.  C   Come play D&D at the store.  We are currently ready to start a new campaign for 1st level characters.  If you have never played before this is your time to start.  Because each story has limited space you must email us and let us know that you would like to join.  We will be starting with just 6 people.   WE ONLY NEED 2 more PLAYERS to start!!  If you are interested please email me because we are very close to starting.       Wednesday Nights 7-9pm Magic the Gathering   TONIGHT Come in tonight for casual play.   Friday Nights 7-9pm Heroclix                                     Heroclix at Game On! Comics this Friday, March 16th, celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Build an 800 point force, all characters must have green in their costumes or have green skin. Limit one Hulk and one Green Lantern per team. Silver Age rules, all figures are allowed, no Feats, BFC's, or Colossals (Sorry, Foom!) and special St Patty's Day rule announced at the beginning of the tournament. As always, there will be figures available to borrow to fill out your team if needed.   Congrats to last weeks winners:     1st: 2nd: Fellowship:     Saturday nights 7pm-?? Board and Card Games       NoVA Jacks night from 7pm to LATE NIGHT!  We have about 20-30 people that come in to play board and card games.  You can come and bring your own game or join one of the other games.  We often preview the newest games that come out.      Last weeks winners:             -Belfort:  Brian H. -Carcassonne:  Leslee -Core Worlds:  Brian H. -Dominant Species:  This one was a trial learning game -Merchant of Venus:  Still going when I left at 1:45am  -Metropolis:  Patrick -Power Grid:  Leslee -Ra:  Leslee -Railroad Tycoon:  Adam -Ticket to Ride:  Leslee -TransAmerica:  Patrick                          COMIC Review Saga   This is a Romeo and Juliet/Sci-Fi/Star Wars/Fantasy!   Ok, I know that sounds confusing.  But this comic is set in a Star Wars-like world with a war going on in the background.  It starts with the birth of a baby amidst the fact that the mom and dad are wanted criminals.    This first issue can be a little confusing though because they are introducing all of the characters and the worlds involved.  I would assume that as the issues go on everything will come into perspective.    Brian Vaughn, the artist, is known for Y the Last Man.  Fiona Staples, the writer, does a great job in that while the story is being told there is some background text that is from the baby's perspective.    I personally do not normally like Sci-Fi comics but I will continue to reading this series because of the character development that the first issue brought.    I would recommend this comic!   Lastly, this comic is for mature readers as it does contain adult language and nudity.-----Louis     Thank you so much for your support of our new comic and game shop.  We look forward to taking care of all of your comic and game needs.   Dave, J.R., and Louis Game On! Comics www.GameOnComics.com 703-242-3838 info@gameoncomics.com     Off  No coupon this week. Can only be used once per customer and can not be used in conjuction with any other discount. Offer Expires: 2/29/12

Game On! Comics | 310 Dominion Rd. NE | Vienna | VA | 22180

Truitt on Deathstroke

Kyle Higgins pits father vs. son in 'Deathstroke' series
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 12 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-12/Deathstroke-comic-book-series/53497672/1

Peter Panzerfaust Signing with Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins

Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins sign at Third Eye Comics on Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

Kurtis J. Wiebe (writer of GREEN WAKE and the INTREPIDS) and TYLER JENKINS (Snow Angel) will be joining us on 3/17 for a very special in-store Third Eye signing and launch event of their brand new IMAGE series PETER PANZERFAUST.

This kick-ass new IMAGE title tells the tale of Peter, a young, mysterious boy from America who, alongside the Lost Boys of Paris, goes up against the Nazi forces of a very familiar-looking hook-handed Nazi commander.

Third Eye Comics

45 Old Solomon Island Road, Annapolis, MD 21401

Brad Meltzer, Heroes For My Daughter signing

Brad Meltzer signs at Barnes & Noble on Thursday April 12, 2012 at 7:00 PM.

About this Author
Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate, as well as the bestsellers The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The Zero Game, and The Book of Lies.

He is also one of the co-creators of the TV Show, “Jack & Bobby” and is the Eisner Award-winning author of the critically acclaimed comic book, Justice League of America.

His first non-fiction book, Heroes for My Son, is a collection of heroes from Jim Henson to Rosa Parks that he’d been working on since the day his son was born. This December, he’ll be launching “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History Channel.

Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Times bestseller list, as have all six of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which is about a White House lawyer dating the President’s daughter; then The Millionaires, which is about two brothers who steal money and go on the run. The Zero Game is about two Congressional staffers who are literally gambling on Congress. The Book of Fate is about a young Presidential aide, a crazed assassin, and the 200-year-old code created by Thomas Jefferson that times them together. For authenticity, The Book of Fate was researched with the help of two former Presidents, Clinton and Bush. His last book, The Book of Lies, is about the missing murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel, as well as the unsolved murder of Superman creator Jerry Siegel’s father. Brad is one of the only people to interview Jerry Siegel’s family about the murder and, with his charitable site, OrdinaryPeopleChangeTheWorld.com, has been the driving force behind the movement to repair the house where Superman was created.

His books have spent over ten months on the bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages, from Hebrew to Bulgarian. In The Tenth Justice, the opening lines are: “Ben Addison was sweating. Like a pig.” In the Hebrew translation, it became: “Ben Addison was sweating. Like a horse.” We’re not sure if it’s a Kosher thing or what!

Brad has played himself as an extra in Woody Allen’s “Celebrity,” co-wrote the swearing-in oath for AmeriCorps, the national service program, and earned credit from Columbia Law School for writing his first book, which became The Tenth Justice. Before all of that, he got 24 rejection letters for his true first novel, which still sits on his shelf, published by Kinko’s.

Brad currently lives in Florida with his wife, who’s also an attorney.

Barnes & Noble

4801 Bethesda Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814

301-986-1761

Truitt on Crossed

'Crossed' creators Ennis, Burrows return for more gory glory
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 13 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-13/Crossed-comic-book-series/53514356/1

Doonesbury cartoon's abortion series continued

This is kind of amusing. Here's takes on the story by a Washington Post blogger in London, and a London newspaper's reporter in Washington:

Doonesbury' on ultrasound as rape
By Delia Lloyd
Washington Post's She The People blog March 12 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/doonesbury-on-ultrasound-as-rape/2012/03/12/gIQAZoQB8R_blog.html

Doonesbury strip on Texas abortion law dropped by some US newspapers; Several papers decline to use cartoon strip, which depicts state-required sonograms as Republican-approved rape
    Ewen MacAskill in Washington
    guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 March 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/11/doonesbury-strip-texas-abortion-law

District Comics includes SPACE Prize winners

From: Matt Dembicki:  "Congrats to District Comics contributing artists Paul Zdepski and Kevin Czapiewski for winning the SPACE Prize in the minicomics and webcomics category, respectively, and to Max Ink for getting second place in the general comics category. This is outstanding!"

 

District Comics is an upcoming anthology of truish stories about DC.

Upcoming Annapolis Comic-Con and Truitt on Fairest

Annapolis Comic-Con event brings together 60 comic book dealers; features range of speakers
  THERESA WINSLOW  The Capital of Annapolis March 12, 2012
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/41714259e4494ae0b95cb145e1583bdf/MD--Comic-Book/

'Fairest' comic lets fairy-tale characters of 'Fables' romp
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 12 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-12/comics-fairest/53490618/1

Matt Bors wins Herblock award

Matt Bors, an alternative cartoonist, is the winner of this year's Herblock Award.

More details at 2012 HERBLOCK PRIZE: Matt Bors becomes first alt-editorial cartoonist to win the $15K award, By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Comic Riffs blog March 12 2012 including the fact that Jen Sorenson has won a runner-up cash prize.

Dan Piraro in town today

He's at Big Planet Comics at 15th & U St, NW from 6-7 signing books and then performs at 8 p.m. at Riot Act Comedy Theater, 801 E St. NW. $15. http://riotactcomedy.com (202) 697-4900.

I'll be at Big Planet, the first time I'm visiting that store.

Updated - Eden Miller interviewed Piraro for her Comicsgirl blog

The Nate Beeler departure memo

Washington Examiner Bids Farewell to Editorial Cartoonist
By Betsy Rothstein
Mediabistro's FishbowlDC blog March 9, 2012
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/washington-examiner-bids-farewell-to-editorial-cartoonist_b67152

That darn Post editorial page, and Toles too

A cartoon unworthy of The Post [Gary McCoy's; not in print edition].
James Vassar, Vienna
Washington Post,com March 9 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-cartoon-unworthy-of-the-post/2012/03/07/gIQAVKa81R_story.html

Eliciting No Laughs [online title: Eliciting less than laughs, March 9]

Stephen D. Wolpe, James L. McGee, Diane Yaworski, Julie M. Luckey

Washington Post March 10 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eliciting-less-than-laughs/2012/03/07/gIQAFNe81R_story.html

Tom Toles articulates frustration, rage

Judith Weinberg, John Richardson, Carol Peterson

Washington Post March 10 2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/tom-toles-articulates-frustration-rage/2012/03/07/gIQAWaT81R_story.html

Truitt on Valiant

Creators, company ready for a Valiant summer
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY March 9 2012
http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-03-09/Valiant-Comics-relaunches-books/53421880/1