Thanks to Randy for the tip. I never knew Lansdowne was local...
Friday, December 12, 2014
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Brooke Allen featured on City Paper blog
Meet the Local Illustrator of Lumberjanes, a Feminist, Fast-Growing Summer Camp Comic
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Q&A with Rosarium publisher Bill Campbell
By Matt Dembicki
Rosarium Publishing is a relatively new publisher in Washington, D.C., that delivers mostly science-fiction stories in array of formats. Its hallmark is diversity, both among its talent and content. So far, Rosarium has focused on anthologies and short novels, but publisher Bill Campbell has picked up several comics for its catalogue. Below, we chat with Bill about Rosarium, its current books and what’s in store to come in 2015.
Rosarium Publishing is a relatively new publisher in Washington, D.C., that delivers mostly science-fiction stories in array of formats. Its hallmark is diversity, both among its talent and content. So far, Rosarium has focused on anthologies and short novels, but publisher Bill Campbell has picked up several comics for its catalogue. Below, we chat with Bill about Rosarium, its current books and what’s in store to come in 2015.
Can you give
us a brief background on Rosarium, what inspired you to start it?
This is a long, convoluted story of heartache and pain. But
seriously, I was a self-published author who ended up getting a big, fancy
agent. That agent didn't really work out. Mainstream publishers weren't really
liking what I was doing. However, there were some academics who did. So, I
found myself in the weird position of being a self-published author, basically
selling his books out of the trunk of his car, then running off to some college
or university to lecture about my books, some of which were being taught. I
thought it was utterly ridiculous to not be good enough for a publisher but to
be good enough for academia, and I figured there were probably other authors
out there suffering the same fate. I started Rosarium in order to give those
authors a home.
When
Rosarium started in 2013, you focused on short stories through anthologies and
short novels. Today, you are branching out to include comics. Was that part of
the plan, or did the idea to include comics develop as you were already into
your business?
That's hard to say. Publishing comics was a childhood dream
of mine. So, I'm not really sure if there was a conscious decision. John
Jennings (Pitch Black Rainbow, Kid Code, and Blue Hand Mojo) has
been involved with Rosarium since the beginning. Keith Miller (Manticore)
and I had been talking about turning my one novel, Koontown Killing Kaper,
into a graphic novel before I started Rosarium. So maybe it was always
part of the plan. I don't know. But as soon as I ran across KEEF CROSS's work (DayBlack),
I just knew I had to publish that book.
What type of
comics is and will Rosarium publish in the coming year?
“Type?” Well, that's impossible for me to pin down. As you
pointed out, diversity is a key goal for Rosarium. We have over 20 different
writers and artists living on five different continents. We come in all shapes,
sizes, and hues. And different interests. So, we have slice-of-life (Jennifer's
Journal), kid's adventure (Malice in Ovenland), a vampire tattoo
artist (DayBlack), surrealist sci-fi dystopia (Corporatica), and
a hip-hop Dr. Who (Kid Code); and we've got an Iranian folk tale (Little
Black Fish), a medieval Indian assassin (Chadhiyana), and a prison
horror tale (Manticore) in the works. And don't be surprised if you see
anything from Obeah to Lovecraft coming out of our humble, little factory.
What do you look for
in the comics you publish?
Good question. I'm not exactly sure there is any one “thing”
I do look for. It's definitely not anything market-based or something I can
easily articulate. It basically comes down to what grabs me, and, more and
more, what grabs the Rosarium team. And, as you can tell, what that particular
“thing” is is insanely varied.
I know
that—despite holding a day job and raising a young family—you spend a lot of
time on the road exhibiting at shows. Why is that important?
I once read a biography about Gene Autry. The thing that
impressed me about him (which definitely wasn't his music) was that, no matter
how successful he was, he was always on the road. For a musician, it's a matter
of money. At this early stage, for us, it's more about connecting with people.
We're doing something a little different here (on so many levels). It's really
important for us to introduce ourselves, meet others inside and outside of the
industry, and to connect with the folks who've felt that an experiment like
Rosarium is necessary.
As a
publisher that is still getting its feet wet in the publishing world, what has
been the biggest challenges?
I think the biggest challenge is definitely an
inside-baseball complaint. When you're new, you know that you're going to have
to keep coming out with quality projects for awhile before people start taking
you seriously. That was something that I realized going in and had no problem
with.
The hardest part (especially since I'm dealing with comics
and books) had been dealing with all the monopolies or near-monopolies. There
are a bunch of distribution niches in publishing, and each niche is basically
run by one company. When you're the new kid on the block, they have absolutely no
interest in dealing with you, and it doesn't matter the quality of your work.
They simply don't want to work with you. End of story.
It's a lot better now because we've found a smaller distributor
who really likes what we're doing and is working hard on our behalf. But that
first year was really hard because, even though we were with one of those
monopolies, we could hardly get our books anywhere.
How would
you define “success” for Rosarium?
Beats me! I'll let you know when we've achieved it.
Rosarium publisher Bill Campbell
Comic Riffs on Shadow Hero and Teen Titans
TEEN TITANS: Despite awe, Jeff Lemire couldn't pass up writing for his 'gateway' comic characters
By David Betancourt
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014
'THE SHADOW HERO': Author Gene Luen Yang admits research error through new comic
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog December 9 2014
Tuesday, December 09, 2014
New medical comic by local resident
You may have to sign up for Academia to be able to see this.
https://www.academia.edu/9640020/My_quest_for_health
An autobiographical memoir of an episode in the health history of Michael Sappol, brought to life by artist/medical-illustrator Shelley Wall.
Dec. 11, 12: Signing, Reading and Rapping at Fantom Comics
Fantom Comics has a couple unique events going on this week.
On Thursday (Dec. 11), local science fiction author Benjamin Rosenbaum will
sign and read from his book The Ant King and Other Stories at 6:30 p.m.
"Rosenbaum's debut
collection is a dazzling, post-modern mix of pulp and surreal, spanning the
weirdest corners of literature and science fiction," according to the store's Facebook event page. His stories have appeared in
Asimov's Science Fiction, McSweeney's, and Nature, been shortlisted for the
Hugo and Nebula Awards, and reprinted in Harper's and The Year's Best Science
Fiction.
On Friday (Dec. 12), rapper Adam Warrock kicks off the
store’s "GREAT POWER" Art Show. There’s a $10
cover for the show, which begins at 9 p.m.
“We're excited to host the artist responsible for
entire rap albums about Firefly, Marvel Comics, Game of Thrones, and
practically every fandom you can think of," Fantom says. "His masterful lyrics speak to the
geek in all of us, so make your way to Fantom with your fellow Browncoats,
Pawneeans, and Inhumans for a killer art show featuring a killer performer.”
PW podcast with Lewis on his new book
Former local comics historian/writer A. David Lewis has a new academic book, American Comics, Literary Theory, and
Religion The Superhero Afterlife (Palgrave Macmillian, $90). Listen to an interview with Lewis on the Publishers Weekly podcast with comics reviewer Calvin Reid. (Lewis also was a co-editor on recently published Colonial Comics from Fulcrum Publishing.)
Here's a summary of American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion from the publisher's website:
Just as often as superheroes journey into the afterlife, they also return from it. Their surprising immortality has created its own set of storytelling rules and expectations; it also has come to influence their secular readership in new interreligious investigations of narrative character and personal selfhood. Unlocking a new and overdue model for reading comic books, this unique volume explores religious interpretations of popular comic book superheroes such as the Green Lantern and the Hulk. A. David Lewis argues that the superhero subgenre offers a hermeneutic for those interested in integrating mutiplicity into religious practices and considerations of the afterlife.
A. David Lewis holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Boston University, USA. He is the co-editor of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels and Digital Death: Mortality and Beyond in the Online Age. He is also a graphic novelist and founding member of Sacred & Sequential.
Here's a summary of American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion from the publisher's website:
Just as often as superheroes journey into the afterlife, they also return from it. Their surprising immortality has created its own set of storytelling rules and expectations; it also has come to influence their secular readership in new interreligious investigations of narrative character and personal selfhood. Unlocking a new and overdue model for reading comic books, this unique volume explores religious interpretations of popular comic book superheroes such as the Green Lantern and the Hulk. A. David Lewis argues that the superhero subgenre offers a hermeneutic for those interested in integrating mutiplicity into religious practices and considerations of the afterlife.
A. David Lewis holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Boston University, USA. He is the co-editor of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels and Digital Death: Mortality and Beyond in the Online Age. He is also a graphic novelist and founding member of Sacred & Sequential.
Animation historian Charles Solomon reviews The Art of Richard Thompson
BOOK REVIEW: "The Art of Richard Thompson"
By Charles Solomon | Animation Scoop December 9, 2014
Monday, December 08, 2014
"Joe Keatinge & Leila Del Duca signing - Shutter" was canceled by Big Planet Comics
From: Facebook
Big Planet Comics canceled the event "Joe Keatinge & Leila Del Duca signing - Shutter".
Big Planet Comics canceled the event "Joe Keatinge & Leila Del Duca signing - Shutter".
Sunday, December 07, 2014
SMUDGE 2015 exhibitor application opens
The application for SMUDGE 2015 is now available. The deadline is Jan. 15. Click here for more info.
Art of Richard Thompson booksigning photos by Bruce Guthrie...
Bruce Guthrie, says, "pictures from the art of Richard Thompson event are up on http://www.bguthriephotos.com "
Saturday, December 06, 2014
Art of Richard Thompson book launch -- Arlington Central Library recording
If you missed the book launch of the Art of Richard Thompson today with Nick Galifianakis, Chris Sparks, David Apatoff, Michael Cavna and Michael Rhoder earilier today, you can listen to it at https://archive.org/details/OMP141206ArtOfRichardThompson
Tonight: Ladies' Night at Fantom Comics
Fantom Comics tonight holds its monthly Ladies' Night from 9 p.m. to midnight. The theme is "Strong Women." From the store's Facebook page:
"Come help us celebrate all the strong women who are in our lives and comics and who inspire us to be the amazing fans and creators that make up the FANTOM FORCE! Please, as always, bring snacks and drinks to share! Also, we'll be celebrating quite a few ladies' birthdays, so look out for cupcakes and celebratory snacks!"
"Come help us celebrate all the strong women who are in our lives and comics and who inspire us to be the amazing fans and creators that make up the FANTOM FORCE! Please, as always, bring snacks and drinks to share! Also, we'll be celebrating quite a few ladies' birthdays, so look out for cupcakes and celebratory snacks!"
TODAY: Art of Richard Thompson at Arlington's Central library
Richard Thompson and four of the editors of the new book about him will be at Central Library at 2:30 today. Stop by and buy a book.
Friday, December 05, 2014
Print reviews The Art of Richard Thompson book
The Art of Richard Thompson
By: Steven Brower | December 5, 2014http://www.printmag.com/design-inspiration/the-art-of-richard-thompson/
At least one Clifford Berryman cartoon should be in NYC
Rare Book and Manuscript Library Acquires Dennis Ryan Editorial Cartoon Collection
Columbia University Libraries/Information Services' Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML)
NEW YORK, December 3, 2014 –Columbia University Libraries/Information Services' Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML)
http://library.columbia.edu/news/libraries/2014/2014-12-4_RBML_Acquires_Dennis_Ryan_Editorial_Cartoon_Collection.html
Columbia University Li
Thursday, December 04, 2014
Richard Thompson featured in local paper
Richard Thompson's Work Featured in Documentary, Book
By Liz Lizama
Falls Church News-Press December 4, 2014http://fcnp.com/2014/12/04/richard-thompsons-work-featured-in-documentary-book/
Cartoonist Richard Thompson looks at some of his work in a scene from a new short documentary about his life and his work. (Photo: Courtesy of GVI)
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