Wednesday, June 07, 2017

Comics and Craft Beer: A Chat with Kate Hoke of Heroic Aleworks


by Mike Rhode and Chris Ingram

Heroic Aleworks, a brewery with comic book-themed beers, opened in Woodbridge, VA this past January. We recently met Kate Hoke, co-founder and co-owner of the brewery, and interviewed her on comics, cosplay and beer making.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

I wrote the first issue of our comic, which tells the Solasta origin story, and will be doing the bulk of the writing going forward.  Fortunately, we have professional artists to handle the drawing part!  For each one of the beers my husband, Tim Hoke, and I create all the characters in terms of deciding who’s a bad guy and who’s a good guy, what are their powers, where to they fit in our comic universe, their name, and basically what they look like.  Then I put together a Pinterest board for the artist to give them examples for hairstyles, armor, weapons, poses, backgrounds, etc., that get turned into the final work.  Although we have only one issue right now, each and every one of our beer characters fits into the larger universe we’re creating and will all play some role in the ongoing stories.

I also do all of the graphic design work and web design for Heroic.

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

Haha.  I pay people!  But the artists we work with use a combination of traditional pen and ink, along with digital rendering.  The artists who created the characters for Sid Fist and Murdock the Merciless (Raymond Francis and Robert Spencer), for example, start with traditional pencil and paper and once the sketch is complete they do a high resolution scan and finish the piece digitally.  Our first comic was done entirely digitally.  My impression, however, is that most of our art is created through a combination of the two.

How did you find your artist's stable? Who are the people in it?

We work with artists literally from all over the world, many of whom I met through artist commission websites.  We also have a few local artists that we met at comic conventions, and I’m hoping that number will increase over time.  Here’s a breakdown of everyone so far, their website or Facebook page, and what characters they’ve done for us:

Ian Richardson (Great Britain)
o   http://pencilsandstrings.deviantart.com/
o   Solasta, Max Nix, Doctor Enigma, Mind Trappe, Death Blossom, the 63 Scottish Fold Oracle, and our logos
 


They Did This! - Illustration and Design (South Africa)
o   Primary artists are Karl Mostert and Andrew Cramer
o   https://www.facebook.com/TheyDidThisStudio/
o   Mistress of War, Master Heist, Oda the Huntress, Krystal Palast, Goldfang (coming soon), Confounded IPA (Moray Rhoda, artist)

Keith Hinman (Michigan)
o   http://kwh-illustration.deviantart.com/
o   The Dark Enemy, Baron von Blackbrane

Raymond Francis (local)
o   https://www.facebook.com/C3Comics/
o   Sid Fist

Robert Spencer (local)
o   https://www.facebook.com/C3Comics/
o   Murdock the Merciless

Zachary Davis Bradley (New Mexico)
o   http://zachdb.deviantart.com/
o   Heroic Aleworks Presents Issue #1 sequential art


Tim Hoke
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

Tim and I were both born in the 1970s.  I was born in Philadelphia and he’s from Southern Illinois.  We met during our first year of law school in Northern Illinois and soon thereafter the army brought us to Virginia.

Why are you in Washington now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?

I went to law school at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, but came up here after graduation because this is where most of the good jobs are.  We currently live in Woodbridge, which is why we opened the brewery in Woodbridge.  But Tim & I still have to commute to our day jobs in Washington, DC at least 3 days a week.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

Zero.  I just read a lot.  When I’m reading more, I find that I have better ideas for writing the comics.

Even for the graphic and web design, I’m entirely self-taught.  Mostly a whole lot of online tutorials and YouTube videos.

Who are your influences?

One of my biggest influences is Neil Gaiman.  As we start publishing our books, you’ll see a lot of Gaiman-esque magical realms hidden within our own, but not visible or accessible to most folks.  We will also be having a whole “Old Gods” line of beers, which is obviously a Gaiman influence.  I love the way he tells stories such that the reader shifts seamlessly between fantasy and reality and is left wondering if there’s even a difference.

In terms of comic book authors, Kelly Sue DeConnick has had a huge influence on me due to her masterful handling of strong female characters that retain their humanity and even femininity.  We’ve been quite deliberate about how we conceptualize and portray our female characters, and I aspire to bring some Kelly Sue sensibility to our stories.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?

I often like to believe that I would have preferred to pursue a career in the arts at an early age.  But honestly I can’t say that there’s much I’d actually like to change since that would mean I wouldn’t be here doing this right now.  That said, there are probably a million small things we would have done differently in how we approached opening a brewery!  Lots and lots of lessons learned there!  The good news is that we’ll take all of that knowledge into the next phase when we’re ready to expand.


Kate Hoke at Baltimore Comic Con 2016
What work are you best-known for?

So to spin off in a completely different direction…  I’m probably best known in the local cosplay scene for my Winter Soldier costume.  I was doing it before it became super popular AND when I decided to do a female version of him, I wanted to honor the essence of character and not just slut it up like lots of ladies do with their gender bending cosplays.  I’ve been told that keeping Bucky a total badass is part of what makes it sexy, more so than when people just expose as much skin as possible with their costumes.

What work are you most proud of?

That’s a tough one, so I’ll answer it in a couple of ways.  I’m immensely proud that we actually pulled off the whole brewery in the way that we did.  In particular, I’m proud of the taproom.  I did all the painting, made the restroom doors (the Tardis door and the entrance to the Mines of Moria from Lord of the Rings, a.k.a. the Doors of Durin), did all of the decoupage work for the bar, and did all the decorating.  I even made one of the pieces of art that hangs on the wall!  Suffice it to say it was a very busy December last year!  The taproom décor sets the tone and makes our place unique among craft breweries, so it’s been a very significant accomplishment for me.



On a solely personal level, I’m quite proud of the leatherwork I did for my latest cosplay.  I’m completely self-taught and I recently created a Viking warrior version of the traditional Slave Leia costume that required intricate weaving and carving like I’ve never done before.  And not only does it look amazing, but it’s actually comfortable to wear, which definitely isn’t always the case with cosplay!  This one laid the foundation for some crazy stuff I have planned for next year for Tim & me.  Next level stuff, for sure.

What would you like to do or work on in the future?

First and foremost I’d like the brewery to be successful enough that Tim & I can quit our day jobs and run the brewery full time.  In my case, that would mean a lot more comic writing, more time for planning and promoting events, and a whole lot more time for making costumes.
 




What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?

Have another glass of wine!  Just kidding.  Sort of.  More helpful, though, is switching back and forth between my various creative endeavors.  If I get stuck for words, I’ll turn to doing something visual and vice versa.  Beyond that, if I get in a slump doing graphic art on the computer, I find that making physical art, such as my leatherwork, can give me the space to recharge my brain.  Sometimes I simply talk it out with my husband and he’ll see an angle I hadn’t previously considered that gets me back on track.


What do you think will be the future of your field?

Geek culture is certainly experiencing a golden age right now with the proliferation of comic-based movies and television shows and surging popularity of comic/pop culture conventions.  Even if this moment passes, I believe good storytelling will always find an audience.  Creating a narrative and having a story behind each of our beers gives our customers a little something extra to relate to and I think that will hold true even if comics fall out of mainstream culture.

And even if the growth of craft beer levels off, the market for great beers and solid brands isn’t going anywhere.

The fact that Heroic is an intersection of the two gives us some very unique opportunities so I think we have a lot of exciting things ahead of us.

What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?


We have traditionally attended Awesome Con and Baltimore Comic Con, both of which are great for cosplay and for networking, but less so for actually collecting comics these days.  We’ve noticed prices going up significantly, with vendors asking way more for books at the show than they sell for on eBay.  For serious comic collecting, I tend to prefer smaller affairs where there’s more opportunity to browse and have conversations with the vendors.  This year will be special because it’s the first time Heroic will have booths at both Awesome Con and the new NOVA CON.  We’ll still be attending Baltimore, but as civilians.  I’ve promised Tim that we’ll have at least half a day at each where I’m not in costume so we can enjoy our time together instead of getting continuously interrupted for photos.


How do I get the first issue of Heroic Aleworks Presents: Solasta? I can't see any way to buy it on your website.

We'll have them for sale at Awesome Con

What's your favorite thing about DC?

With the Kennedy Center and so many other theaters around, there’s never a lack of live entertainment options.

Least favorite?

It’s a close tie between the traffic and how politics seeps its way into everything.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

Who has time for that sort of thing?  We used to enjoy the National Zoo a lot and wish we could get there more.  I’ve also always wanted to do a tour of the Masonic Temple in Alexandria.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

Cock and Bowl in Occoquan has been a go-to of ours for a long time.  Their croque monsieur is amazing and they an extensive and interesting beer selection.  The brunch at FireFlies in Del Ray is also at the top of the list.

Do you have a website or blog?

The brewery’s website is www.heroicaleworks.com.  We’re also on Facebook (@HeroicAle) and Instagram (@HeroicAleworks).  I also have a separate Instagram page for my cosplay work @kateskostumes, which I have been shamefully neglecting as of late.


You currently have 9 or so beers on tap - which are your flagship brews and which are your seasonal brews?

Our flagship brews are the 5 we started with, the Doctor Enigma IPA, the Max Nix English Porter, the Solasta Kolsch, the Death Blossom Red Rye Ale, and the Mind Trappe Belgian Dubbel.  Together these 5 characters form our core team of heroes named “The Superhuman Syndicate.”  The rest of our beers are seasonals or special releases.

Is there any particular style of beer that you would consider to be your most outstanding?

Our Max Nix just took a gold medal at the Virginia Craft Brewer’s Guild Beer Cup, so we’re feeling kind of partial to that one right now!  But the award bears out the feedback we’ve received, not only from our customers but also from other professional brewers, regarding the quality of this beer. 


Brewmaster Leon Harris
Which of your beers are you proudest of (whether in terms of challenge to brew, originality, or some other criteria)?

Our Head Brewer, Leon Harris, is most proud of his Maibock.  This recipe was the first one of his beers to get produced commercially.  Back when he originated the recipe at Capitol City Brewing Company, the beer was named “Murdock’s Maibock.”  Murdock is Leon’s son.  So when we did the recipe at our place, we wanted to keep “Murdock,” but to put the Heroic spin on it, Leon and I worked together to create the “Murdock the Merciless” character.

Which beer is your most popular (or top seller, if that's the correct way to think of it)?

We’ve been tracking this pretty closely and all of our flagship beers sell pretty evenly across the board.  Murdock has been one of our top selling seasonal beers so far.  But nothing has rivaled the popularity of our 63 Scottish Fold Oracle Scottish Wee Heavy (a.k.a. the cat beer), which we did as a limited release beer back in March.  It’s cats in tin foil hats!  Plus it’s pretty high alcohol, which could explain some of the enthusiasm!


You have a broad range of styles that you have brewed so far, is there a style that you have not tried brewing that you would like to take on?

Leon is anxious to get into some sour beers, but also extremely nervous because there’s just so much that can go wrong – like contaminating the entire brewery with the lactobacillus bacteria!  From what I understand, there are some pretty specific procedures to follow to prevent infections, and it’s helpful to work with a fellow brewer who has a few sours under his belt to get the technique down.  Which leads into the next question…


One of the beers we tried at your DC Conspiracy event was a collaboration with Lost Rhino (Nova Confounded) - do you have plans for more collaboration brews?

We’ve been discussing a sour collaboration but haven’t been able to coordinate brew schedules yet.  I’m hesitant to go into much detail before any plans are finalized, but we’re having conversations with a few different breweries both up here in the DC region and also down in Richmond about collaborations.  Although it’s not a collaboration with another brewery, we are in the planning stages of partnering with the Museum of Science Fiction to create an exclusive beer for them like we did with Nova Con.  We’ll be doing a release party and sci fi celebration party here in August, and hope to be part of their convention, Escape Velocity, in 2018.

Any plans for future expansion of the brewery or taproom?

That’s certainly the goal!!  In the near term, we have enough space to significantly expand our brewing capacity at this location by adding equipment and staff.  It’s still a little too soon to figure out what the next move will be, but the plan is to become a regional distribution brewery. 


Do you have plans to package in cans or bottles?

We hope to start canning by the end of the summer.

Do you find that the folks who visit your brewery & taproom are mostly local (ie Woodbridge and surrounding areas) or from farther afield?

Right now we have a lot of regulars that are local, but we get a good mix of people from all over the metro DC area.

What are your most popular recurring events?

Karaoke has been extremely popular.  So much so that we’re starting to do it twice a month. And we generally fill the house every Wednesday for trivia night.  And although I they aren’t regular events in the same way as karaoke and trivia, people have responded really favorably to cosplay events.  So we try to put something on the schedule every month or so where we invite people to dress up and offer drink specials for folks in costume.  Lastly, people love steal the pint nights!  I’m working on a new design for some Game of Thrones themed glasses for a July event, and then we really, really want to do an Oktoberfest ‘Steal the Boot’ night – like with those silly boot-shaped mugs!

Finally, a more open-ended question about your origin story: how did you decide on the comic / superhero theme for your brewery and beers? 

 
We really just wanted to do something new.  We’ve seen some breweries do one-off comic book character beers, but never anything quite to the scale we’re doing it.  And given the growing competition in the craft beer scene, we wanted our brand to be something that stands out from the crowd.  Tim came up with the concept originally and, given our long-time passion for comics and sci-fi, it just seemed a natural fit.  Honestly, I think in the beginning the idea was more specifically “superhero,” but it’s evolved a lot since then.  Now I’m not super crazy about when people describe us as a “superhero” themed brewery because the comic universe we’re creating is so much broader than that.  For example, like I mentioned above, we have a lot of fantasy-based characters that would fall outside the scope of the traditional superhero sub-genre of comics.  In addition, we’re heavily influenced by, and do a lot event planning around, more general pop-culture stuff like Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, etc., which don’t involve “superheroes” at all. 

Which comes first, the beer or the name/superhero? Do you try to match the hero's characteristics to the beer?

We generally plan the brew schedule months in advance to allow time for character creation and art development.  Once we know what beers we’ll be releasing, we try to find some way to reflect the spirit of that beer in the character.  For example, the Kolsh is a very light style of beer that makes you think of summer and hot sunny days.  So for Solasta we had her powers come from a freak encounter with a solar flare, but also made her personality very “sunny” and cheerful.  One that’s less obvious, but kind of a cool connection, is our Baron von Blackbrane Schwarzbier.  Because “schwarz” is German for “black” we wanted to incorporate the idea of black some way.  A black brane is actually a series of equations that describes black holes, so Blackbrane is the character’s name and he’s a mad scientist type who uses black hole technology to build weapons.  Max Nix is similar – it’s a dark beer and Max Nix was transformed during an accident in his laboratory while studying dark matter.  His personality is also dark and brooding.  So stuff like that.  Or we use Scottish Fold cats for a Scottish Wee Heavy.  So sometimes it’s serious and science-y and sometimes it’s a bit silly.

 
But we try to avoid being too literal about it.  Like we would never name an IPA “Captain Hops” or something like that.  We also avoid using beer puns in any of the names because our goal is to make these legitimate comic book characters and not just gimmicks.

Now that our comic universe is getting more established, though, we have characters that are looking for beers.  Like we have an evil organization called the Pentaverate, but only 2 Pentaverate members so far (the Baron and Murdock).  We know who the other members are generally, so it’s about pairing them with the right beer at the right time.

Meet a Richmond Comics Writer - A Chat with Gary Cohn


Mark Lindblom (l) and Gary Cohn
by Mike Rhode
Gary Cohn co-wrote two of my favorite 1980s DC Comics, Blue Devil and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. I recently got to meet him at Heroic Aleworks Brewery's minicon, and he answered my usual questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
A: I’m a writer. I work with artists.
How do you do it? Thumbnails? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
A: I work in either of the standard comics writing styles. I can write full scripts when I don’t know or don’t trust the artist; I write plot/dialogue when I trust the artist and when we’re full collaborators. I’m happiest when I can give an artist an outline, and then the artist throws me some visual surprises that I need to integrate into my original conception of the story. In the early part of my career when I was writing stories and often didn’t know who would draw them, I did thumbnail sketches of pages to accompany my scripts. They were the crudest of cartooning, and I was disappointed when some artists chose to follow my thumbnail layouts completely instead of taking them for the suggestions they were meant to be. I assumed that an artist would have a better visual imagination than I have, and would be able to take my suggestions and run with them, not just follow them slavishly.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
A: I was born in NYC in 1952—I’m a child of the 50s and 60s, and all the pop culture of that era.
Why are you in Richmond now?  What neighborhood or area do you live in?
A: It took me twenty years to realize that I wasn’t going to make a living writing. So I became a NYC high school English/social studies teacher and did that for 14 years. When I retired I realized that a “short” pension was not going to keep me going in NYC, and after 30 years there I wanted a change of venue. I had an artist friend living in RVA (ie Richmond, VA), I’d visited her a number of times over the years, and when I was considering new places I narrowed it down to RVA and St. Petersburg, FL. I wanted someplace a lot cheaper than NYC, warmer, with some history and culture and a creative community. Since my 90-year-old mom still lives in NY, I decided on the place where I could get to NY more quickly and easily. Roads not taken… I still wonder about St. Pete. I live in the oldest neighborhood in RVA, Church Hill. It’s been a very good move.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
A: Choose-your-own-major BA degree from Michigan State (defunct residential Justin Morrill College allowed us to design our own major: mine was creative writing/science fiction and fantasy lit); MA from the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State in Ohio; course work completed towards a doctorate in US History (US naval history, esp 1880-1900). Basic teaching certification courses from NYS.
Who are your influences?
courtesy of the Grand Comics Database
A: Nothing. Everything I come up with is sui generis and without compare. Joking, of course. My influences are six decades of reading, watching, consuming American popular culture, “serious” literature, academic history and the range of liberal arts subjects. I was a guy who thought he disliked school… so of course I’ve spent my entire life as a student and a teacher.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? 

A: Amethyst would have been developed as a toy line by Kenner when they were planning to do it, BEFORE She-Ra came out, and I’d have made a fuck-ton (that’s a technical term) of money; and spent most of it on motorcycles, adventuring, and wild women. There’s been a fair amount of all three in my life, but I’ve never really been able to afford to fully indulge myself.
What work are you best-known for?
A: Amethyst and Blue Devil from DC in the early ‘80s. My standard line is that for a short while I was a little bit famous and successful in a relatively obscure pop sub-culture.
What work are you most proud of?
A: Demon Gun, published by Crusade about 20 years ago, which is the only piece of my published work that I actually own--well, co-own with artist Barry Orkin. I understand that there are comics writers who claim sole ownership over properties. I’ve always believed that anything I create in comics is co-created by the artist, because I can’t make comics without one. If I wanted sole ownership, I’d write prose exclusively.
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
courtesy of the Grand Comics Database
A: Blue Devil artist Paris Cullins and I have been slowly developing our own property, New Devil. It’s unrelated to DC’s BD, except that it’s a “devil,” but it has that spirit and bounce. With NY artist Ray Felix I’m getting ready to self-publish the first issue of “NYX, Daughter of Night.” I’ve got a zillion ideas, as always, and I hope to be able to get some of them out there before…well, you know.
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
A: I’ll tell you when I’ve solved that problem. While I was a teacher I wrote very little. Since I’ve been on my own I’ve been struggling to find the old mojo. A deadline and a paycheck were always good incentive. Right now I have neither from writing.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
A: No idea.
What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?

A: Until I have something to peddle, some new wares to spread out on a table, I’m staying close to home. Any Con in Richmond that will let me in for free, I’m there. Beyond that, I went to the Baltimore Con last fall and liked it, I stopped in at Tidewater this year to see Paris and a few other folks and because it made a nice motorcycle run, I’ll probably head down to some other Cons in VA and NC in the next year, and if one of Mike Carbonaro’s NYC cons is going on when I’m visiting, or Eternal Con on Long Island, I try to stop in to schmooze with old industry buddies.

What's your favorite thing about Richmond?

A: Hard to say. It’s a very nice small city. I’ve met a lot of great people, I’ve connected with the thriving comics community here, found the perfect motorcycle shop and car repair place, discovered terrific restaurants… I’m thinking the answer is, my apartment and neighborhood. It’s a great space in a great location.

Least favorite?

A: The wannabe Confederates. I’m a carpetbagger Yankee.

What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?

A: The VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) is a very good small-city art museum; then there’s Monument Ave (or as we carpetbaggers like to call it, “Losers’ Lane”) with all the ridiculous Confederate statues and one very badly designed but well-intentioned Arthur Ashe statue.

How about a favorite local restaurant?

A: This town is full of very good restaurants; but Lemaire in the Jefferson Hotel is an amazing experience and a world-class dinner. I let a visiting stockbroker friend pay for it.

Do you have a website or blog?

A: Nope.

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

ComicsDC "interviews" Stan Lee for Awesome Con

by Mike Rhode


Stan Lee will be making an appearance at Awesome Con soon from June 16-18th, and yesterday local media got to send in questions and sit in on a phone conference while Mr. Lee answered some of them. I don't know who else was on the call, and don't want to step on their articles, but here are my two q&a's.

Q1 - In your most optimistic moment, either writing the comics during the 1960s, or pitching them after moving to California, could you ever have imagined the overwhelming success that the Marvel movie universe has had?

Stan Lee: No, I never in a million years thought it would turn out the way it did. I used to lecture around the country, around the world actually -- I went to Italy, to Germany, all over, and I'd speak at colleges and places telling them that comics were really a good way to tell a story. You're seeing the action and you're reading the dialogue. It's not much different from going to the theater and seeing a Shakespeare play. You're hearing the words and you're seeing the action. The differences is that in comics, the characters don't move, but it's the same thing; you hear the words while seeing the action. There's nothing wrong with the comic form. Actually, it's a great form -- it's just how well you do it.
One thing I'm going to mention parenthetically - the word 'comic book' should never be written as two words, because if it's written as two words, it means a comic book, a funny book. It should be one word - comicbook - that makes it a unique type of literature.

Q2 - Which Marvel character, that you created or worked on, do you think is under-rated and under-appreciated and is due for a revival, either in comics or on film?

Stan Lee: I think the Silver Surfer has been underrated. I think he's a great character. The thing I like about him - I was always able to get [in] a lot of bits of philosophy that he would utter. They don't use him as much as I wish they would. He's one of my favorite characters.

courtesy of Wikipedia

Here's more information on his appearances:

Stan Lee Premium Package
Presented by Stan Lee Collectibles, the Stan Lee Premium Package will be available for $350 and includes: 1 autograph from Stan Lee, a photo op, an autographed lithograph, a comic book from the Stan Lee Collectibles collection, a collectible Stan Lee Awesome Con badge and lanyard, and a $25 gift certificate for the Stan Lee Collectibles booth at Awesome Con. Admission to Awesome Con is not included with the Stan Lee Premium Package and must be purchased separately at www.awesomecon.com; this package will be available for purchase at 10am EST on Saturday, May 6.

Bagels & Coffee with Stan – Saturday, June 17, 8:00 am  SOLD OUT
150 guests will have the chance to join Stan Lee for an exclusive breakfast session with the pop culture icon the morning of Saturday, June 17. For $295, guests can participate in a Q&A session with Stan Lee while enjoying a light breakfast buffet. Attendees will also receive a signed photo of Stan Lee and the chance to snap a selfie with him. Admission to Awesome Con is not included in Bagels & Coffee with Stan and must be purchased separately atwww.awesomecon.com; this package will be available for purchase at 10am EST on Saturday, May 6. SOLD OUT

Stan Lee Museum Pop-Up
This year, Awesome Con is bringing together highlight items and collectibles from Stan Lee's expansive career together for the Stan Lee Museum Pop-Up. Check out 18 larger-than-life Marvel statues modeled after Stan Lee's most well-known characters, including the Hulkbuster, as well as more than 50 pieces of Stan Lee memorabilia spanning seven decades of his career. Awesome Con ticket holders have full access to the Stan Lee Museum Pop-Up during exhibit hall hours.

Stan Lee Q&A – Sunday, June 18, 10:30 am
Stan Lee will host a panel on Awesome Con's main stage on Sunday, June 18, answering questions from attendees about his career and his work over the years. Entry to the Stan Lee Q&A is included with Awesome Con tickets.


Ann Telnaes is PR worthy

(but we at ComicsDC knew that already).

Ann Telnaes is First Woman to Win Reuben Award and Pulitzer Prize


News provided by

Cartoonist Group

PRNewswire June 5, 2017

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ann-telnaes-is-first-woman-to-win-reuben-award-and-pulitzer-prize-300468404.html

SPX Oral History - Christian Panas (UPDATED with a response by Greg McElhatton)

by Mike Rhode
(recorded in March 2017)

It's been on my mind for several years that the Small Press Expo could really use an oral history especially as it approaches its twenty-fifth anniversary, and the online history is pretty skimpy.

Christian Panas recently stopped back in the area for a few weeks, prior to moving to Japan. I was able to have one interview session with him while he was in town. This is edited by me for clarity, but has not been edited by Panas. Greg McElhatton has written to me with a response which is appended at the end, while being asterisked in the text at the places he indicated; since I was not involved in the show and have not deeply studied the history of it, I am only presenting what people say, and not attempting to determine any 'truth.'

Mike Rhode: When did you work on SPX?

Christian Panas: I would say 1997-2000.

MR: What was your role there?

CP: I started as a volunteer. I ended up working with the steering committee and I guess I was technically executive director for two years.*

MR: How did you start volunteering?

CP: I had moved back from Chicago to the area in '97 and wandered in to Big Planet Comics in Vienna. That's how I met Greg Bennett, and how I got interested in comics again. I had stopped reading them. I read comics from 4 years old through high school, and then just lost interest. It wasn't until I rolled into Big Planet and saw a lot of alternative press comics that was coming out that I got interested again. I found out about SPX and decided to volunteer and I had a blast, meeting those creators and seeing what was coming out. I just got really enthused about it. It was a real pleasure.

MR: Who were you reading at the time that sucked you back in?

CP: There was that whole movement with the Fort Thunder guys. Kurt Wolfgang. There was plenty of Fantagraphics that I had missed. I hadn't realized that Ivan Brunetti was putting out comics. He did a student comic strip at the University of Chicago when I was there.

MR: You liked the more "primitive" type of look then?

CP: Yeah, that's what got me back in. I always loved European and South American albums too, that were more polished, but still raw and powerful. This was lots of what Fantagraphics was putting out. At the time I discovered Munoz and Sampayo. Munoz blew my mind, and I got to meet him when I went to Angouleme in '99 with Greg.  There were also guys like Top Shelf, Jeff Mason's Alternative Press… between finding foreign stuff that I had missed and all the American indy stuff that I had no clue about, it really opened my eyes.

MR: So how did your role from volunteer to executive director evolve?

CP: It happened really suddenly. I was working at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum at the time, and I was doing a lot of cultural work in the anthropology department. We were working with other institutions so I went to Japan and Thailand, and I had experience working with artists in Trinidad & Tobago, and other things. I'll be very honest. I think part of it had to do with not being sure who wanted to be executive director at the time and part of it was that I was good at having rapport with people. I was good with schmoozing. We'd have those wonderful parties. At one of the SPX's when I was executive director we had in a Swiss cartoonist, and between folks like him and Joe Sacco, and Bob Sikoryak... I just had a good affinity and inclination to putting those people at ease, and drawing them out… making them feel welcome. To be honest, if I had anything to contribute, I think it was that. I think a lot of other people were involved in the real work of the show.

MR: Who else was involved with you at this time?

CP: There was Karen Flage, Greg McElhatton, Greg Bennett, Craig Thomas…  I also helped edit the 1999 and 2000 anthologies with Chris Oarr and Tom Devlin. We got nominated for the Eisner which was a lot of fun.

MR:  So did people undertake the job they could fulfill the best, or did you have to assign work to people?

CP: No, I was technically executive director, but literally it was the group meeting and functioning in an anarchistic sense – the good sense, not the chaotic one – self-actualized. Towards the end as I was having certain difficulties in my life, people ended up having to take up my slack.

MR: Where was SPX actually being held when you were working on it?

CP: In Bethesda.

MR: Were you involved with the Silver Spring interregnum?

CP: No, no.

MR: Chris Oarr was still director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) at the time, and you were working with Chris?

CP: I don't think he'd been doing it that long at that point, and in some way I was taking over executive directorship of the show from him.

MR: These were the days when it was still largely seat of its pants. Were you there when the parallel track with ICAF was going on?

CP: Yes. I have heard about difficulties and after I was involved, there was a split, but when I was involved, it seemed to be really great synergy. The artists that they brought were phenomenal. It felt really perfect to me. It was one of the many reasons I loved that show so much. The programming that they brought added such richness and depth, although I have to tell you I've been to one or two conventions in my life, including Angouleme, so I don't have much to compare to.

MR: SPX didn't really have any programming before that point, except for a few small press business things and a retailer thing on Sundays.

CP: Yes, exactly. And the softball game. We did have that retailers meeting and that was pretty much the program.

MR: It was in Bethesda in that little hotel with the two levels and it was outgrowing it rapidly at that point, I would imagine…

CP: It was really packed by the end. I remember it was an issue we were talking about constantly and trying to figure it out. A lot of people complained that getting tables was tough. As a show, my understanding is that is when it really took off in terms of filling up with crowds. It became a real indy (as opposed to local) show. At every stage, I remember how many of the creators who came spoke of it with real wonder and love, and spoke of it as a show that was feeding them.

MR: People make money every year, and some have been coming since the beginning… What were some of your successes?

CP: To me personally, it was just being involved with a lot of good people and being able to help provide that venue and that excitement and support to those creators. That felt really great. I can't remember how well it did in terms of sales, or publicity, and I wasn't the architect of new policies, but it felt incredibly fulfilling just making it happen.

MR: At the time, it was purely a fundraiser for the CBLDF, and that very well might still be the case, but I think it makes more money for the artists than it used to, and that's a concern for people who want to come since there are so many competing conventions. There's essentially a convention every weekend in America now, and people have to make an active choice to come to SPX now. Back then, there were only two relevant cons – SPX and APE.

CP: There's so much less distinction in terms of pop culture and knowledge. People know these creators and books more than they used to. It did feel seat-of-the-pants in a positive way, but those people on the committee … and Steve Conley was also a big part of it… worked extremely hard and did a great job. I guess one of my successes … working on the anthologies I really loved.

MR: Did the anthologies already exist when you started volunteering?

CP: Yes.

MR: And they kept getting thicker and thicker every year…

CP: In 1998, or 1999, the one that got nominated for an Eisner – there was controversy with people who felt that some of it was too experimental.


(courtesy of mycomicshop.com)

MR: How did material get chosen for those?

CP: My vague recollection is that Chris and Tom and myself got submissions, and we met with Adhouse Book's Chris Pitzer who was the fourth in that group. I had my roommate Greg McEllhatton and Karen Flage look at the comics too, to get their input and to create a shortlist. Then Chris Pitzer, Chris Oarr, Tom Devlin and I holed up and went through and hammered out which ones we wanted in and and what order to put them in.

MR: So Pitzer's been running his own
publishing house for over two decades, and Devlin joined Drawn & Quarterly and is now the co-publisher, so I guess the experience was good for them too. Is there anything you can recall as a particular failure?

CP: I don't remember anything in particular.

MR: What were some of the more memorable events?

CP: We had Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman in. They were big names. For us, they were huge names. Honestly, my interest was a lot more to the people ICAF brought over. I remember sitting and having a drink with Will Eisner one night at the bar. I just remember how awesome that was -- the two of us randomly having a drink. Joe Sacco was a person I really loved talking to. I think we had the American debut of the Comix 2000 silent comics compilation and some of the L'Association guys. That was incredible. But having the likes of Miller and Gaiman show up for the CBLDF was a really big deal and it drew people. It gave support to the CBLDF and was great for us. After 300, talking Greek history at the after party with Frank Miller was fun. I made the mistake of framing a question I asked along the lines of 'how does it feel to come back to comics,' and he took offense at that, but I didn't mean it. [laughs]

MR: At some point there was an ill-advised attempt to rebrand SPX as 'The Expo.' Was that in your time?

(courtesy Grand Comics Database)

CP: I do remember that, but I can't tell you much more other than I expressed my opposition to the idea. I don't remember details other than I felt it was totally unnecessary.

CP: I don't know that it needs to be recorded, but one personal hurt I had was, after going out of my way to involve the committee in the anthology and giving them a first look, after we put out the anthology, I got a lot of shit and shit was talked that we somehow did a bad job, picking gratuitously weird stuff. But that's just human. That's really the only negative thing I can even remember from time. My time was limited and in the second year I was executive director, I had to bail. Greg Bennett and some other people saved me, because I was having personal issues at the time. They stepped in and picked up the slack, and took it over. 99%+ of my experience and feelings were great.

MR: Favorite parts? Least favorite parts?

CP: I loved the party afterwards! I have to say, and I helped throw it, but I had a facility for that aspect and enjoying it.

MR: The Ignatz awards?

CP: I was not involved with them. There were issues with getting the finished bricks, and I'm sure there were other, more substantive issues, but I wasn't aware of any other problems.

MR: The CBLDF used to hold an auction on the floor. Did you ever buy anything?

CP: I was never a great collector. I got stuff growing up that I liked, but I never had the collector mentality.


(Small Press Expo, September 2009. Crowd including Jeff Alexander.)

MR: Who took over after you left? Was that Jeff Alexander?**

CP: Yeah. Jeff had been involved before me. I met Jeff at Big Planet too, through Greg. Greg used to have to people over to his house. I think that's how a lot of us got involved with the show, and that's how I met Jeff. In the summers, Greg would have Hong Kong film festival parties and put a screen up in his back yard and have a barbecue. Jeff would bring whatever anime or HK films that he had. I think he was predominantly involved with the Ignatz at the time, and that was his main responsibility. Greg McElhatton, Karon Flage, Jeff and Steve Conley and I used to get together on occasional Friday evenings for drink and dinner after work.

The steering committee and the volunteers were a bunch of overall really enthused people who were self-motivated. The committee as a whole seemed to work well, figuring out who would do what, with people stepping in to fill in when needed in places. For me, in that period of the time, it was largely an incredibly pleasant blur.
 

*Greg McElhatton has written in, stating, "Christian Panas was not executive director for two years, but just a matter of months. He briefly took over in that position in the fall of 2000, after the 2000 show had ended (and the last of the three years that Michael Zarlenga was executive director). By the spring of 2001, Christian was no longer executive director or in fact on the Board or the Steering Committee. At that point, Greg Bennett and I took over as co-executive directors in an attempt to make sure the show would even happen. (As it turned out, the show was scheduled for September 14-16, 2001 and ended up cancelled for events out of our control. But it was on track to occur and we'd even gotten the front page of the Washington Post Weekend section.)"

**McElhatton states, "I ended up serving as executive director for 2002-2003, with a tremendous amount of assistance (and as assistant executive director) from Greg Bennett, without whom I couldn't have achieved a lot. Steve Conley was the director for the 2004-2006 shows, Karon Flage for 2007-2009, and then Jeff Alexander was in 2010. Warren Bernard took over in 2011 and has continued to run the show since then."

"(And before then, Lou Danoff and Jon Cohen founded the show in 1994; Chris Oarr ran the show in 1995-1997, and then Michael Zarlenga was executive director in 1998-2000.)"

Rube Goldberg says, "Beat It!"

As part of our 'Secret History of Comics,' here's a Mutt and Jeff Series Sweet Caporal cigarettes card that I picked up last weekend at a flea market. Although the back of the card says over 250 designs of "Original Pictures Illustrating Popular Phrases by 'Bud' Fisher, T.E. Powers, R.L. Goldberg, 'Tad', Gus Mager, etc., etc., Warman's Tobacco Collectibles: An Identification and Price Guide by Mark Moran, says that there's 100 cards. 

I don't see myself getting into collecting these, but I'd like to hear about other examples that people have.

 
Oddly enough, Goldberg's crazy designs for machines are making a comeback and you can buy toys with his name on in Target right now.

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Monday, June 05, 2017

The Post on Last Things by Marissa Moss

In graphic memoir, children's author aims to show adults what they don't see about death [in print as Jewish writer confronts grief gracefully in graphic memoir]


Washington Post June 3 2017, p. B1-2
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/06/02/in-graphic-memoir-childrens-author-aims-to-show-adults-what-they-dont-see-about-death/

Jim Berryman Drawing for a Nash car dealership

by Scott Alan Stewart


This drawing by Jim Berryman, son of Clifford Berryman (both worked for the Washington Star and each won the Pulitzer for cartooning), was given to my grandfather, Earle O. Baker, who had a Nash dealership in Georgetown from 1930 to 1963. The building later became the Biograph Theater and now is a CVS -- located on M Street across from the Four Seasons hotel. Progress.



The dealership was called Williams and Baker after my grandfather and his partner Preston Williams. Despite being the nation's capital, DC was in many ways a very provincial town and it was common to do business with well-known people. Among my grandfather's customers were members of congress, John Willard Marriott (whose first root beer stand was on 14th street), and a number of Washington Senators and Redskins. This was before air conditioning was widespread, which later led to a population boom in the 1970s and beyond to our current city's sprawl.

The car in the drawing looks to be a 1946-1947 Nash Ambassador.


Wiki entry for Berryman: James Thomas Berryman (June 8, 1902 – August 12, 1971) was an American political cartoonist who won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. Born in Washington, D.C., Berryman was the son of Clifford Berryman, also a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist. The two Berrymans are the only parent-child pair to win Pulitzer Prizes in the same category.



11/12/2019: updated to add author's middle name, and the name of his grandfather