At the Skyline store.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Another Tom King interview on Batman
ALL-STAR & BATMAN Writers Reveal 'Super-Sexy' REBIRTH Plans (Plus BATMAN REBIRTH Preview)
Thursday, May 12, 2016
American History Museum's comic book project
Comic book project helps teens discover and share stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II
National Museum of American History's O Say Can You See blog May 12, 2016
http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/comic-book-project-helps-teens-discover-and-share-stories-japanese-americans-incarcerated
Comic Riffs talks to Angelo Lopez
'This doesn't seem real': Angelo Lopez of Philippines Today wins 2016 RFK Award for Cartoons
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 12 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/12/this-doesnt-seem-real-angelo-lopez-of-philippines-today-wins-2016-rfk-award-for-cartoons/
Latest'n'Greatest: "The DEA's Schedule is Nixon's Schedule"
"The DEA'S Schedule is Nixon's Schedule"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1942
The DEA schedule of narcotics -- in which cannabis is classifed alongside heroin -- was a product of the Nixon era, when the modern War On Drugs started cranking up. Tricky Dick himself, on a leaked White House tape, was said to have called marijuana "...the drug of choice of Mexicans, hippies and n#gg*rs."
Here's former White House Domestic Affairs Advisor, the notorious John Ehrlichman, with a slightly more nuanced framing of this policy in a 1994 interview:
"The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."
--John Ehrlichman, Nixon Domestic Affairs Advisor, 1994
The DEA schedule is Nixon's schedule, part of a policy born out of deception and racism. It's time to DEschedule cannabis.
We'll be at the White House on May 20, how about yourself?
Another local cartoonist: Orion Zangara of Sterling
"Orion Zangara is an illustrator and comic-book artist who lives in Sterling, Virginia. He is a graduate of The Kubert School, an art trade school with a concentration in sequential art, founded by his grandfather, Joe Kubert. Currently he is illustrating a trilogy graphic novel called The Stone Man Mysteries written by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple for the Lerner Publishing Group."
http://orionzangara.com/
Meet a local cartoonist: Jane Dough, dollar bill artist
This past weekend was Free Comic Book Day, and I swung by Victory Comics in Falls Church, VA. They've had cartoonists set up for the past few years, and I got to meet a few new people and ask them our standard questions. The pseudonymous Jane Dough is doing an atypical type cartooning... drawing characters on dollar bills.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I draw cartoon, video game, and comic book characters on dollar bills.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I use pencil, pen, and gel pens.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
I was born in Wayne, IL in 1987. I have lived in Maryland since I was 7.
Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?
I'm actually just south of Baltimore in Halethorpe MD.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I don't have any formal training in cartooning. I've been drawing since I was little and have a degree in Graphic Design from UMBC.
Who are your influences?
Honestly my biggest influences are my artistic friends. From musicians, to writers, to artists, they all provide inspiration and motivation for me :)
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
I'm actually incredibly happy with my current job and wouldn't change a thing for my career. But for my personal art, I wish I had explored more when I was younger. I'm still trying to find "my style"
What work are you best-known for?
My dollar bill art
What work are you most proud of?
Probably my dollar bill art (outside of my day job where I manage a UI/UX team)
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
I'm starting to work on some short comic strips. I'd love to hone my illustration style.
What's your favorite thing about DC?
Tons of diverse things to do!
Least favorite?
The chaos and poor parking.
Do you have a website or blog?
The Post on gays in animated children's movies
An animated case to redraw the lines: Disney may not give Elsa a girlfriend, but social norms ease into kids' movies
[online as Are we ready for a gay Disney princess? We may be closer than you think.]
Washington Post May 12 2016, p. A1, 14
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/are-we-ready-for-a-gay-disney-princess-we-may-be-closer-than-you-think/2016/05/11/69d3302e-12e2-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html
Dozi the Alligator PLUSH! Kickstarter
I also wanted to spread the word about the Dozi the Alligator PLUSH that I am currently hoping to fund on Kick Starter.
The plush stands over 8" tall, is made of an ultra-soft minky fabric, features beautifully embroidered details and is stuffed just right … perfect for hugging!
For more info, please search "Dozi" on KickStarter.com or follow this link directly to my campaign on the KickStarter site:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1107487436/dozi-the-alligator-plush?ref=nav_search
New World War I exhibit at Library of Congress features cartoons
The Art of War: Library of Congress Exhibition Features World War I Artists
by Katherine Blood
May 12, 2016http://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2016/05/the-art-of-war-library-of-congress-exhibition-features-world-war-i-artists/
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
More To Come 199: WonderCon 2016 Interviews including Tom King
More To Come 199: WonderCon 2016 Interviews
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More To Come 196: Glen Weldon on The Caped Crusade
More To Come 196: Glen Weldon on The Caped Crusade
Comic Riffs on Captain America versus the Imperial Presidency
The bizarre story of when Captain America battled Nixon
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 11 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/11/the-bizarre-story-of-when-captain-america-battled-nixon/
Angelo Lopez wins cartooning award in the Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards
"Editorial Cartoons," Angelo Lopez, Philippines Today
"Throughout his life, my father held a deep commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of the press." Observed Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights "He would invite reporters and news crews to join him in the most impoverished city neighborhoods, to Indian reservations and communities in Appalachia, California's Central Valley or rural Indiana—places that often lacked electricity and plumbing—and he would ask the press corps why it wasn't covering those issues and these places. The Journalists who followed his '68 campaign created the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards in his name, to honor those who covered the issues most important to him."
This year's Book and Journalism Award winners were chosen from out of more than 300 submissions. Historian Michael Beschloss chaired the judges' panel for the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.
The book award, now in its 36th year, will be presented by Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy at a ceremony featuring remarks by Kerry Kennedy and Michael Beschloss on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.
The ceremony will also feature the presentation of the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, celebrating their 48th year. All honorees will receive a bust of Robert F. Kennedy in recognition of their award.
(as in the past few years, ComicsDC editor Mike Rhode was one of the judges)
SPX: Don't Forget to Submit to the Ignatz Awards!
Don't FORGET TO Submit to the Ignatz Awards! Time it running out to submit your comics for consideration in Small Press Expo's festival prize, the Ignatz Award! The nominees are selected by a jury of creators and voted on by attendees and exhibitors of Small Press Expo. Previous winners include Kate Beaton, Cathy G. Johnson, Michael DeForge, Lisa Hanawalt, Jaime Hernandez, Jason Shiga, Jillian Tamaki, Sam Alden and Sophie Goldstein (who created that awesome banner for us!). Categories are:
All work will be eligible in all applicable categories. We need six copies of work published between June 1, 2015 and May 31, 2016 sent to: SPX Ignatz Awards c/o Big Planet Comics 4849 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814 When submitting, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1z4VCyINaniNobHOFCDkkfZtnjeyJokWK1kmwHxdXkqo/viewform Links to online comics should be emailed to spxignatz@gmail.com All submissions must be received by June 7, 2016. Full guidelines are available at: http://www.spxpo.com/ignatz-guidelines. All questions should be sent to Ignatz Award coordinator, Eden Miller, at spxignatz@gmail.com. |
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Meet a local comics writer: A chat with Jaron Johnson
I am a comic author and filmmaker, so my creation spreads across a few spectrums. The comics I've written span several art styles, but our current project employs a fun and unique blend of hand-drawn elements superimposed over still photography.
June 11: New exhibit by Michael Webster
May 21: Cartoonists at Gaithersburg Book Festival
Cece Bell and Aaron Reynolds
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion
Children's
Start Time: 11:15 am
Author(s): Cece Bell
Aaron Reynolds
Cece Bell
Cece Bell is the author-illustrator of the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Book, "Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover." She is also the creator of the Newbery Honor–winning graphic novel, "El Deafo," and "The Sock Monkey" picture books, among other works for children. Cece Bell lives in an old church in Virginia and works in a new-ish barn right next door. She has worked as a freelance illustrator for all kinds of nutty projects, but is now a full-time author and illustrator. Cece enjoys moments of hilarity with her husband, Tom, along with three three lady dogs and two youngsters. Twitter: @CeceBellBooks
Graphic Arts Panel
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion
Children's
Start Time: 1:15 pm
Author(s): Dave Roman
John Patrick Green
Alexis Frederick-Frost
Dave Roman
Dave Roman is the author/illustrator of the "Astronaut Academy" series (winner of Maryland's Black-Eyed Susan Book Award) and writer of the graphic novels "Teen Boat! Race for Boatlantis" and "Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery." He has contributed stories to "Comics Squad: Recess!," "Explorer: The Mystery Boxes," "Nursery Rhyme Comics" and "Goosebumps Graphix: Slappy's Tales of Horror." Roman is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, has worked as an editor at Nickelodeon Magazine and lives in Astoria, NY. His latest project is the all-ages webcomic, "Starbunny, Inc." Facebook Twitter: @yaytime
John Patrick Green
John Patrick Green grew up on Long Island and has worked in New York City since graduating from the School of Visual Arts with a degree in graphic design. His latest project is "Hippopotamister," his first graphic novel as writer and artist. John is the artist and co-creator of the series Jax Epoch, and the comics "Quicken Forbidden" and "Teen Boat!," both with writer Dave Roman. He was the comics consultant for Disney Adventures magazine and has also worked on comics for DC Comics, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks and Scholastic Graphix. He lives in Brooklyn with zero cats and way too many LEGOs. Facebook Twitter: @JohnGreenArt
Alexis Frederick-Frost
Alexis Frederick-Frost is co-author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed Adventures in Cartooning series of graphic novels and picture books. A combination how-to book and an exciting adventure story, "Adventures in Cartooning" was one of Booklist's Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2010 and has received many awards. Alexis also wrote and illustrated the monthly comic Kit and Clay published in The Phoenix Magazine in the United Kingdom. His illustrations have appeared online and in a variety of publications including Nickelodeon Magazine, The Adventure Time comic and others. A graduate from the inaugural class of the Center for Cartoon Studies, Alexis currently lives with his wife in Maryland. Twitter: @afrederickfrost
Kevin Kallaugher: Daggers Drawn
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion
Non-Fiction
Start Time: 3:15 pm
Author(s): Kevin Kallaugher (KAL)
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL)
Kevin Kallaugher (KAL) is the international award-winning editorial cartoonist for The Economist and The Baltimore Sun. In a distinguished career than spans 38 years, KAL has created over 8000 cartoons and 140 magazine covers. His resumé includes six collections of his published work, exhibitions in a dozen countries, awards and honors in seven. In 2015, KAL was awarded Cartoon of the Year in Europe, The Herblock Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons said of Kevin "Commanding a masterful style, Kallaugher stands among the premier caricaturists of the (twentieth) century."
Gareth Hinds: Samurai Rising
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion
Young Adult
Start Time: 4:15 pm
Author(s): Gareth Hinds
Gareth Hinds
Gareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novel adaptations of literary classics, including "Beowulf," "King Lear," "The Merchant of Venice," "The Odyssey," "Romeo & Juliet" and "Macbeth." His latest illustration project is the action-packed nonfiction book "Samurai Rising," written by Pamela Turner, which has received four starred reviews. Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library's "Literary Lights for Children" award. His books are used in English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games. Gareth lives in Takoma Park, MD. Blog: Hindsight Twitter: @garethhinds Facebook: Gareth Hinds Tumblr: Gareth's Tumbler Pinterest Gareth Hinds
Great Comics for Kids
Time: 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Location: Children's Village Workshops Tent
Class Size: 20
Audience: Elementary-Middle School
Description
Can't stop reading graphic novels? Good! Come check out some outstanding recently published graphic novels. Learn about our state's graphic novel book award. Explore the different elements found on a page of a comic. Create a one page comic of your own with help from special guest Dave Roman!
Comic Riffs on the new New Yorker cover
The New Yorker's art director sheds light on the magazine's new augmented-reality cover
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 10 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/10/the-new-yorkers-art-director-sheds-light-on-the-magazines-new-augmented-reality-cover/
Interviews with KAL and Maris Wicks
April 21, 2016
by Megan Wessell, A Bookish Affair
http://www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org/qa-noted-cartoonist-kal/Free Comic Book Day: 'Science Comics' creator leads an inviting dive into deep marine wonders
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 7 2016
Monday, May 09, 2016
Frank Cho interview online
Talking To Frank Cho, Man Of Outrage, About Attracting Women
Posted May 3, 2016 by Rich Johnston
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/05/03/talking-to-frank-cho-man-of-outrage-about-attracting-women-comics-entertainment-wonder-woman/Gareth Hinds book reviewed in NY Times
'Samurai Rising,' by Pamela S. Turner
By SARAH MILLER
A version of this review appears in print on May 8, 2016, on page BR32 of the Sunday Book Review with the headline: Slash and Burn.
SAMURAI RISING
The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
By Pamela S. Turner
Illustrated by Gareth Hinds
236 pp. Charlesbridge. $16.95. (Middle grade; ages 10 and up)
NPR on Civil War, and black superheroes
2016: Age Of The On-Screen Black Superhero
Eric Deggans
Weekend Edition Saturday May 7, 2016
http://www.npr.org/2016/05/07/477089249/2016-age-of-the-on-screen-black-superhero
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=477089249
'Captain America: Civil War' Is The Mightiest Marvel Movie
Chris Klimek
NPR.org May 6, 2016
http://www.npr.org/2016/05/06/476490464/captain-america-civil-war-is-the-mightiest-marvel-movie
Comic Riffs continues to talk to Civil War directors
How 'Captain America' is just one piece of Disney's plan to reinvent entertainment
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 9 2016
Comic Riffs talks to Gene Yang
Exclusive: Gene Luen Yang to publish his first nonfiction graphic novel ever ('Dragon Hoops') in 2018
Joe Procopio on Small Press Expo in 2000
Procopio, Joseph . 2000.
online at http://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2016/05/joe-procopio-on-small-press-expo-in-2000.html
Comic Riffs talks to Civil War directors
'Captain America: Civil War' directors reveal how their movie flexes these political meanings
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 8 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/05/08/captain-america-civil-war-directors-explain-the-movies-political-meaning/
DC Conspiracy in 'Gift Shop' show at Transformer
By beginning at the most accessible point of entry for most elite art spaces - Gift Shop explores the sociocultural context of the museum gift shop environment - wherein the sacred and the mundane, the Mona Lisa and the coffee cup, become one. As ‘fine art’, increasingly isolates itself from the general public, drawing repulsion from the air of pretension necessary to maintain its integrity - Gift Shop serves as a gateway to support exceptional fine art by adapting the language of mass marketing, branding and cheap affordable commodification.”
:::::Gift Shop Artists include:::::
Amber Eve Anderson
Amy Hughes Braden
Wilson Butterworth
James Cole
Meagan Coleman
Kaliq Crosby
Stephen Crouch
Adrienne Gaither
Felippe Goncavles
Myles Loftin
joseph orzal
Georgie Payne
Justin Poppe
PLAKOOKEE
Bonner Sale
Alex Von Bergen
Meena Yi
The DC Conspiracy.
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Screenprint poster for Artshow 15: Comix
That darn Hagar, Toles and Flashbacks
This cartoon really was horrible [in print as This comic really was horrible]
Mary Ann Ryan, Adamstown
Washington Post May 7 2016, p. A15
Letters to the Editor
He carried the reins in his teeth [Flashbacks].
Marshall Dearden,
Washington Post May 7 2016, p. A15
The Trump criticism hasn't worked
Victor E. Schwartz, Alexandria
Washington Post May 7 2016, p. A15
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-trump-criticism-hasnt-worked/2016/05/06/70ab321e-1159-11e6-a9b5-bf703a5a7191_story.htmlSaturday, May 07, 2016
Reminder Free Comic Book Day starts at 10 am today
Joel Pollack
BIG PLANET COMICS
4849 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
Friday, May 06, 2016
Jok Church of Beakman & Jax has died
Jok Church, of Beakman and Jax cartoon strip for kids, dies at 67.
By Steve Rubenstein
SFGate.com (May 5): http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jok-Church-Beakman-and-Jax-cartoon-strip-for-7396400.php
This is only tangentially-related, as Mr. Church is survived by his brother Jim here in Washington, DC.
Tobin, Suzanne. 2003. Comics: Meet the Artist With Jok Church, Cartoonist, 'You Can With Beakman and Jax'. Washingtonpost.com (May 30): http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/03/r_style_cartoon053003.htm
Tobin, Suzanne. 2006. Comics: Meet the Artist - Jok Church, Cartoonist, 'You Can with Beakman and Jax'. Washingtonpost.com (June 30): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/06/20/DI2006062000567.html
Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Weed War Is Race War"
"Weed War is Race War"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=1939
The initial decision to criminalize marijuana in 1937 wasn't based on a study of the science and biology of addiction or pharmacology, but purely on politics and racism. Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics -- precursor to today's DEA -- was a notorious racist and liar who based his opinions on marijuana on pure, raw racist stereotypes and who believed that marijuana was a sure gateway to violence, sedition and social discontent. It was Anslinger's inflammatory lies which led to the passage of state marijuana laws as a component of Jim Crow and stoked the hype for propaganda films such as Marihuana: The Devil's Weed and Reefer Madness.
As a follow-up to their wildly epic April 2nd event and their historic meeting with White House representives from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, DCMJ -- the people who brought you legal weed in DC -- are throwing a sequel to April 2 on May 20, the one-month anniversary of 4/20, to highlight the fact that Obama is late on descheduling cannabis, and to remind folks of the racism behind the 1937 marijuana ban which is still a major component of the War On Drugs.
Monkey See blog on comic books and Captain America: Civil War
Captain America, Aaron Burr, And The Politics Of Killing Your Friends
NPR's Monkey See blog May 5, 2016
http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2016/05/05/476739552/captain-america-aaron-burr-and-the-politics-of-killing-your-friends
Pop Culture Happy Hour: Comics, More Comics, Free Comics And Keanu
Pop Culture Happy Hour
May 6, 2016
http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/pchh/2016/05/20160505_pchh_ep294.mp3
Ryan Homberg's latest manga article
Nuclear Literati: Nakashima Kiyoshi's Furusato Goes to Hell
BY Ryan Holmberg May 6, 2016http://www.tcj.com/nuclear-literati-nakashima-kiyoshis-furusato-goes-to-hell/
Glen Weldon's guide to FCBD
Free Comic Book Day 2016: Even Archie Has Something New To Say
http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2016/05/06/476460021/free-comic-book-day-2016-even-archie-has-something-new-to-say
New Marc Rosenthal book on Trump in today's Post
Michael Ian Black says his Trump kids' book was inspired by Hillary Clinton [in print as Seuss-style Trmp tale is more for Mom and Dad].
By Nora Krug
Washington Post May 6 2016, p. C6.