Nell Minow interviews Dragon cartoonist

Interview: Dean DeBlois of "How to Train Your Dragon 2″

posted by Nell Minow

June 2014

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/moviemom/2014/06/interview-dean-deblois-of-how-to-train-your-dragon-2.html

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "FIFA Gets The Red Card"

"FIFA Gets The Red Card"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1504

Fifteen thousand families have been forcibly relocated to make room for stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup in Brazil.

A thousand military-backed police and 200,000 soldiers have been deployed for "security" and the suppression of popular protests against the eviction and displacement of poor families to make room for the World Cup. Police have raided the homes of activists and pre-emptively arrested at least 8 on the eve of the tournament.

Enjoy the football, everybody.

________________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Mike's Political Cartoons: dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

Children's book illustrator Eric Hill obituary in Post

Eric Hill, writer and illustrator of 'Where's Spot?' and other children's classics, dies
By Emily Langer Washington Post June 12 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/eric-hill-writer-and-illustrator-of-wheres-spot-and-other-childrens-classics-dies/2014/06/11/d9c63472-f178-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html

This says he was a cartoonist early in his career.

Small Press Expo Announces Guests Jules Feiffer, Lynda Barry and James Sturm

Small Press Expo Announces 20th Anniversary Guests Jules Feiffer, Lynda Barry and James Sturm in a Tribute to  the Comics of the Alt-Weekly Newspapers For Immediate Release               Contact: Warren Bernard                                                                                                           E-Mail: warren@spxpo.com Bethesda, Maryland; June 12, 2014 – This year is the 20th Anniversary of SPX, which will be held September 13 and 14, 2014 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. For our 20th birthday, we are pleased to announce Jules Feiffer, Lynda Barry and James Strum as the first of a number of guests for a celebration of the rich and vibrant comics world of the alt-weekly newspaper. Nearly seventy years ago, a teenage Jules Feiffer entered the comics world as an assistant to the famous Will Eisner. He soon made a name for himself via his ground-breaking comic strip Feiffer, which ran weekly in the Village Voice for over forty years. Mr. Feiffer and his eponymous strip is considered the Godfather of the alt-weekly newspaper comic. Active as a cartoonist, playwright, novelist, children's book author, screenwriter and professor, Mr. Feiffer's incredible career has included an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters & the Comic Book Hall of Fame, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the National Cartoonists Society. He will be at SPX 2014 to sign his latest graphic novel, Kill My Mother, which will be released this summer from the Liveright Division of W.W. Norton. In 1979, Lynda Barry's seminal Ernie Pook's Comeek began appearing in the alt-weekly The Chicago Reader. For nearly two decades, her comics -- which appeared in over seventy newspapers nationwide --  inspired several generations of independent cartoonists who saw themselves in her characters, and recognized their struggles in her stories. Since retiring the strip in 2008, Ms. Barry has been active as a teacher running workshops for hundreds of students a year and doing her best to show people that everybody can be creative. She is now an assistant professor at the Department of Art at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Advance copies of her book, due out in October of this year from Drawn & Quarterly, Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor about teaching art to all skill levels, will be available at SPX 2014. Co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies James Sturm has an amazing resume. In addition to the ground-breaking school he started, Sturm co-founded The Onion as well as The Stranger, Seattle's legendary alt-weekly newspaper, where he served as the comics editor. Mr. Sturm worked with Art Spiegleman on 'Raw' in the 90's, and was a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Mr. Sturm also found time to put out graphic novels such as Market Day from Drawn & Quarterly, and The Golem's Mighty Swing on his own imprint, Bear Bones Press. A true champion of comics, Mr. Sturm has won both an Eisner Award, and a Xeric grant. In addition, his writings and works have been published in The New York Times and The New Yorker. About SPX Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that brings together more than 600 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. SPX also has a two tracks of of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests that run through both days of the event. The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show. All works nominated for Ignatz Awards are donated to the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress, which is the first institutional collection in the United States dedicated to the indie comics field. As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org. Copyright © 2014 Small Press Expo, All rights reserved. You are receiving this e-mail as a result of your being on our long standing press release list. Our mailing address is: Small Press Expo P.O. Box 5204 Bethesda, MD 20824 Add us to your address book

Michael Cavna wins journalism award

D.C. Professional Chapter, SPJ

http://www.spjdc.org/article/chapter-honors-local-journalism-excellence-print-and-broadcast-luminaries_%5Byy%5D%5Bmm%5D%5Bdd%5D

Website

Winner — Michael S. Cavna, The Trial Balloon
  "What an extraordinary experience for readers to witness art criticism in the form the 'art' was originally created. Enough to convince any naysayer of the value of graphic novels in the classroom."

The story is:

THE TRIAL BALLOON: O teachers, it's time to heed this banner year for graphic novels

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (December 31 2013): http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/the-trial-balloon-o-teachers-its-time-to-heed-this-banner-year-for-graphic-novels/2013/12/31/eee3f8ca-719f-11e3-8def-a33011492df2_blog.html

Tom Toles' musical fundraising succeeded this weekend

Regular readers may recall that I interviewed Tom Toles about his fundraising campaign for Catapult Love in which "Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Tom Toles joins forces with satirical comedy sensations Katie Goodman & Soren Kisiel in a high-wire musical-comedy."

The fundraising ended over the weekend, with $9,400 raised, a bit over the $9,000 hoped for.

We'll try to keep up with Tom as the production continues...

Comic Riffs on Sherman's Lagoon

'Sherman's Lagoon' cartoonist to explore deep-sea floor Tuesday — but this time, in real life.

 

By Michael Cavna Washington Post Comic Riffs blog June 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/06/09/shermans-lagoon-cartoonist-to-explore-the-seafloor-today-but-this-time-in-real-life/

David Apatoff on Richard Thompson

David Apatoff is one of the coauthors on The Art of Richard Thompson book coming out in the fall. he's pulled the curtain back a little on our art choices today on his blog.

Richard Thompson's signed book available from One More Page

For Lovers of Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac...

 

RICHARD THOMPSON, creator of "Cul de Sac," winner of the 2011 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year and all-around great guy, has graciously offered to sign copies of the Complete Cul de Sac, a beautiful boxed set, when you place your order through OMP. Because cartoonists, like banjo players, are lovable but unpredictable, we can't guarantee a delivery time. We thank you in advance for your support, and your patience. Click here to order or call us at 703-300-9746.

 

...AND PRE-ORDER THE ART OF RICHARD THOMPSON - SIGNED!  Release date: 11/4/2014

 

Richard is renowned among cartoonists as an "artist's" cartoonist. This book, edited by Bill Watterson, Chris Sparks and Nick Galifianakis, will enlighten and delight with the sheer beauty of his work. Each section begins with an introductory conversation between Thompson and six well-know peers, including Bill Watterson, and presents Thompson's illustration work, caricatures and his creation Richard's Poor Almanac. To pre-order a signed copy of The Art of Richard Thompson, click here or call us at 703-300-9746. 

Contact One More Page Books 2200 N. Westmoreland Street, #101 Arlington, VA 22213 703-300-9746    Visit our website Mon-Sat: 10 am - 8 pm; Sun: noon to 5 pm Stay Connected

Cartoons on matchbooks, again

Bath Again this year?

I've found and written about these two times in the past (1 and 2). Here's another one of the hillbilly and pretty girl comic matchbook covers.

 The other piece is a brochure for Primitive Passions lingerie featuring Lili St. Cyr. It's got several different artists working on it, but the cover shown here looks like Bill Ward to me. I've got a query in to the comics historian Craig Yoe* to see what he thinks. I suppose Eric Stanton could be the artist - I'm not great with identifying these types of artists.

Both of these were picked up at a flea market in Arlington.

*He thinks it's Ward too.

Comic Riffs follows up on the Pastis / Watterson coup

Stephan Pastis's 'Bill Watterson week' gets 'massive' reaction, traffic [UPDATED]

By Michael Cavna Washington Post Comic Riffs June 9 2014

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/06/07/stephan-pastiss-bill-watterson-week-gets-massive-reaction-traffic/

Copyright Violation - Steibel's new cartoon

From Rob Steibel

I haven't been posting much stuff online, but recently I put up some samples from my new book Copyright Violation. Some of your readers might enjoy checking these out since I would hope the topic of online censorship is something everyone is following closely.

http://www.robertsteibel.com/2014/06/copyright-violation.html

Rob Steibel

robertsteibel.com

Joe Sutliff's Master Jeffrey Kickstarter campaign launches

Received from Joe:

Joe Sutliff launched the KickStarter campaign for his first graphic novel, "Master Jeffrey - When Hadrons Collide" today. The story is based on his late brother-in-law, and although the events are pure fantasy, the main character is a reflection of the real person.

"I did not want to tell the details of Jeffrey's life, compelling as it was, because he would not have enjoyed being remembered as someone who dealt with a lot of hardships. Instead, I've made him a hero; respected and admired, and saving the world time after time."

The page for the campaign can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/485242647/master-jeffrey-graphic-novel

How did Pastis get Watterson to ghost?

Cartoonist Stephan Pastis of “Pearls Before Swine” spills the beans on how Bill Watterson ghosted his strip this week, a tale that involved D.C.-area cartoonists Nick Galifianakis and Richard Thompson.

A Watterson panel from "Pearls Before Swine"

WashPost Exclusive: Bill Watterson ghost drew 'Pearls Before Swine' strips this week

Via Michael Cavna of The Washington Post's Comic Riffs: 'Calvin and Hobbes' creator Bill Watterson has returned home to the comics page — even if only for a limited engagement. For three days, Watterson — once known as the J.D. Salinger of the strips — has resurfaced, his inspired visual wit intact. For this, we have Stephan Pastis's real estate and surreal humor to thank. Since Wednesday, Watterson's new artwork has been featured in Pastis's syndicated strip, "Pearls Before Swine." See the strips: http://wapo.st/1ldGATu

So the conceit in this week's strips is that a second-grader named Libby (a name that nods to "Bill") boasts that she can draw "Pearls" better than the feature's creator. Pastis's cartoon avatar turns over his "stick figure" comic to the girl — who proceeds to render rich worlds of imagination beyond the signature style of the strip. From invading Martians to big-mouthed (and Pastis-devouring) crocodiles, the art brims with the life of Watterson's expressive line.

The collaboration is a brilliant pairing of strengths, with Watterson illustrating Pastis's sometimes-meta script. "I think we both got some surprises," Watterson says. "I didn't know what he was going to write, and he didn't know how I was going to draw it."

As for the experience of collaborating with Pastis, whom he had never met prior to this week, the "Calvin and Hobbes" creator welcomed the challenge of a limited return to the page.

"I had expected to just mess around with his characters while they did their usual things," Watterson tells me, "but Stephan kept setting up these situations that required more challenging drawings . . . so I had to work a lot harder than I had planned to! It was a lot of fun."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/06/06/exclusive-calvin-and-hobbes-creator-bill-watterson-returns-to-the-comics-page-to-offer-a-few-pearls-gems/

---

Molly Gannon

Senior Publicist, The Washington Post

Today: Dembicki, Loya and Kettler sign at Winchester Book Gallery

Steve Loya, Andy Kettler and Matt Dembicki will be signing the comics anthology Wild Ocean from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Winchester Book Gallery in Winchester, Va., smack in the middle of downtown during a craft beer festival. Throw in some BBQ and you have a perfect summer day!

Detail from Kettler's story in Wild Ocean

Ryan Holmberg on early manga again

The Mysterious Clover: Matsumoto Katsuji, Douglas Fairbanks, and the Reformed Modern Girl

BY Ryan Holmberg Jun 4, 2014
http://www.tcj.com/the-mysterious-clover-matsumoto-katsuji-douglas-fairbanks-and-the-reformed-modern-girl/

Loya's Splotch Monsters at Off Rhode Gallery this fall

Local cartoonist/artist Steve Loya offers a glimpse of his work-in-progress for his upcoming Splotch Monsters exhibit in September at the Off Rhode Gallery at Art Enables in D.C.

Photo courtesy of Steve Loya

July 6: Clevinger at Fantom Comics

Brian Clevinger, writer of AtomicRobo, will be signing at Fantom Comics on Sunday, July 6, from noon-3 p.m.