Saturday, March 18, 2017

Cole Goco and other Arlington students win comic art awards UPDATED

This just came in from Cole's PR staff (wink, aka Mom, wink):

Cole Goco was just awarded a national gold medal for Comic Art from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.  In Arlington, 3 students got national medals this year in the category of Comic Art.  Cole has received a national medal 4 years in a row, but to my knowledge this is the first year there has been more than one medalist in Arlington in the Comic Art category (so that's must mean comic art is thriving here!)  Also, all the work is on display right now at the central library through March 28.  Cole's (a size-reduced version) is on the first floor near the children's section, Kate Felsenheld's is on the 2nd floor facing the quiet room, and I'm not sure where the 3rd one is.

Winners were:

Gold medal:
H-B Woodlawn 10th grader Cole Goco: Planets (Comic Art)

Silver medal:
Washington-Lee High School senior Kate Felsenheld: So You Wanna Be a Punk (Comic Art)
Swanson Middle School 8th grader Natalie Moreno: August (Comic Art)

More details are here - https://www.apsva.us/post/aps-students-earn-30-national-scholastic-art-writing-awards/

Now with Cole's cartoon.






Friday, March 17, 2017

Kennicott on cartoon-influenced fine artist

NPR on Beauty and the Beast

Gaiman interview on Pop Culture Happy Hour

Kickstarter project by Anthony Dortch

Anthony Dortch works in Arlington, and self-publishes comic books. We're trying to get our standard interview set up with him, but I didn't want to wait to note his Kickstarter project:


PURE - the feature length movie

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dortchdesigns/pure-the-feature-length-movie

We are working on PURE - a project where models get body painted to become the the characters of the graphic novel and film.

We want to make PURE into a live action movie. PURE is an epic tale of engrained racism and the evils of inequality - a project where models get body painted to become the characters of a graphic novel and a feature length movie.

The movie is based on a fumetti style graphic novel named PURE. A story built around the small nation of Seyns. It's governed by 7 feuding Western defined families (Baum, Cassidy, Dolle', Kindris, Rome, Mundi and Slaven); each with unique characteristics (heritage, social norms, cloning, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, artifacts and technologies). They don the ornate clothing and jewelry of money, beauty, and corruption. Their golden exterior and sky blue eyes belie any preoccupation with altruism, for the commoners serve as mere stepping-stones to money, power and useless things. 

The Others do not fit in to society due to a substantial shortage of earthly possessions, sex, race or class. The Others cannot camouflage their destitution. They live out side of Seyns and can only enter the nations walls to serve.


PR: Beyond Comics 20th Anniversary Sales Continue!


Beyond Comics 20th Anniversary Sales!

March - 20% Off Graphic Novels

Beyond Comics Opened Its First Store in 1997!

Celebrate Our Anniversary with year long sales!  

B&W Logo

 

All Graphic Novels 20% OFF!
Includes New Arrivals

 
Does not apply to Special Orders. 
 Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest   LinkedIn   YouTube 
Beyond Comics, 18749 B North Frederick Avenue, 5632 Buckeystown Pike Frederick, MD, 207 S. Princess Street - Shepherdstown, WV, Gaithersburg, MD 20879


Shrek, the Musical returns to Arlington

A tad long, but 'Shrek, the Musical' still charms [in print as Young-at-Heart Targets of New Shows].

  • by MATT REVILLE, Staff Writer
  • online at http://www.insidenova.com/news/a-tad-long-but-shrek-the-musical-still-charms/article_462e885e-08ae-11e7-976b-d30279216ead.html

    The Post on Beauty and the Beast, Disney's latest de-animation

    Remake of 'Beauty and the Beast' convincingly springs to life [in print as A textural human touch for this classic].


    Washington Post March 17 2017, Weekend p. 27
    online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/remake-of-beauty-and-the-beast-convincingly-springs-to-life/2017/03/16/9022737c-05bf-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html

    LeFou's 'Beauty' secret revealed! [in print as LeFou in love: A 'Beauty' secret? It's not anymore].


    Express March 17 2017, p. 23



    Tuesday, March 14, 2017

    Steve Loya interviewed

    Pennsylvania Turnpike superheroes?

    20170312_163527

    I was on the Pennsylvania Turnpike last weekend, and stopped in the (going west) rest stop outside of Breezewood. There's a nice exhibit on PA Turnpike tchockes which includes this Turnpike Man cup and inaction figure, which I believe has artwork by the late Paul Ryan, a longtime Fantastic Four and Phantom artist. Can anyone confirm that?

    20170312_163703

    20170312_163710

    20170312_163722

    Anyone want to sell me a cup? I just bought the inaction figure on ebay, where 8 of them are being sold as cake toppers.

    March 15: Jeff Day talk

    GNSI-DC: From Comics to Medical Art

    Event Date:
    March 15, 2017 -
    5:30pm to 7:30pm

    Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Greater DC Chapter Meeting

    Date:  Wednesday, March 15, 2017 - 5:30pm to 7:30pm

    From Comics to Medical Art, a presentation by Jeff Day
    Bam! Kapow! Scalpel! Jeff Day never outgrew his love of cartooning even after becoming a medical illustrator. Jeff shares comics lessons that can be applied to science art, and how he continues to use cartoons to communicate health and medical messages. Jeff is now an informatics fellow at the National Library of Medicine and draws deeply from his varied background as a medical student, pediatrics intern, natural history museum educator, and training in medical illustration. Yes it was a windy path, but that's what you get for a guy who never outgrew cartoons...

    Some of his medical art can be seen at http://www.daybiomed.com.

    More Details Here.




    LOCATION:
    Smithsonian Natural History Museum
    10th St. & Constitution Ave., Washington, DC.
    Room WG-33 (1st Floor, West Wing)

    All visitors must wait for an escort in the Constitution Avenue lobby between 5:30 and 6:10 p.m. (about every 15 minutes)

    EVENING'S SCHEDULE:
    5:30 p.m. for snacks and socializing (Please bring a food item to share, or $3.00 for the donation jar.)
    6:00 p.m. Business and announcements
    6:10 p.m. (approx.) Presentation begins

    Spurgeon interviews former DC resident Wimberly

    CR Monday Conversation: Ronald Wimberly
    by Tom Spurgeon
    Comics Reporter March 13, 2017
    http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cr_sunday_conversation_ronald_wimberly/

    Saturday, March 11, 2017

    The Post on Gaiman and Zelda

    Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods,' newly illustrated by Dave McKean [in print as 'American Gods,' heading for television, gets reverential reissue].


    Washington Post March 12 2017,
    online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/neil-gaimans-american-gods-newly-illustrated-by-dave-mckean/2017/03/08/04d35c2c-01c9-11e7-b9fa-ed727b644a0b_story.html

    'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' review: Unusually, hauntingly engrossing [in print as This 'Zelda' will take your breath away].


    Washington Post March 12 2017, p. E18
    online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/03/06/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-review-unusually-hauntingly-engrossing/

    Mutts in Arlington

    Petco Unleashed on Wilson Blvd at Patrick st. is selling tote bags with Patrick McDonnell's Mutts characters for charity. It's a ten dollar minimum donation.

    Will Eisner Week exhibit at the Library of Congress

    20170306_113219Last week, the departments of Serials (ie comic books) and Prints & Photographs (ie original art and posters) put on small exhibit for a couple of hours in recognition of Will Eisner's 100th birthday. In addition to Spirit comic books, there was original art by Eisner, as well as other comics and comic book pages.



    20170306_113611 

     Spirited snarf at Library of Congress 

    20170306_113553

    More pictures are on Flickr.

    Friday, March 10, 2017

    NPR on Samurai Jack

    Jack Is Back: After A 13-Year Hiatus, 'Samurai Jack' Returns For A Final Season

    NPR's Monkey See blog March 8, 2017
    http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/03/08/519031110/jack-is-back-after-a-13-year-hiatus-samurai-jack-returns-for-a-final-season

    PR: Meet Quantum Teens are Go creators Magdalene Visaggio & Eryk Donovan at Third Eye Annapolis Tomorrow













     
    at THIRD EYE ANNAPOLIS
    Click here for the event info on FACEBOOK
    Signing from 11am-1pm

    Hey Third Eye Faithful!

    We've got a super cool signing coming up for you tomorrow, and would be absolutely honored if you'd come out and join us for the fun!
    We're huge fans of BLACK MASK COMICS, and pretty much everything they put out - we usually find ourselves totally loving.
    One of our favorite new series of 2016 was the incredible KIM & KIM, and when we saw that KIM & KIM writer Magdalene Visaggio had a brand new series on the way from BLACK MASK with QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO, we wanted to really kick it off big!
    So, that's exactly why we're doing a totally rock-n-roll signing event for the debut issue on 3/11/17 with Magdalene and Quantum Teens artist Eryk Donovan (who's wowed us on books like MEMETIC / COGNETIC and CONSTANTINE!)!
    Read on, and find out why QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO is one of the new series we're looking forward to the most in 2017, and mark your calendars for 3/11 to come out & get your copies signed!

     

    WHAT'S THE SCOOP ON QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO?

    Mad science meets punk rock in QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO, and we're loving every second of it!
    Teenage sweethearts Nat & Sumesh spend their nights breaking into abandoned superlabs to steal the parts they need to build a time machine - and they've just found the most important part.
    But mysterious entities keep trying to stop them turning it on.
    If the FANTASTIC FOUR were sktae punks, they'd be QUANTUM TEENS ARE GO!
    Super fun, super fast high-octane action loaded with in-your-face sci-fi, killer robots, and more!

    OTHER GREAT PROJECTS MAGDALENE & ERYK

    From the publishers who brought you WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SPACE RIDERS and 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK, KIM AND KIM is the tale of two twentysomething besties out to make a name for themselves in the wild world of interdimensional cowboy law enforcement!
    In a massive SCREW YOU to their parents, and the authorities, they decide to hijack some high stakes bounty - and end up in way over their heads.
    Kim & Kim is a day-glo action adventure that's crackling with raw comic book fun, and pure unbridled energy and enthusiasm.
    Imagine the raw energy and fun of old school TANK GIRL comics with a mixtape soundtrack featuring M.I.A and every Kathleen Hanna band you ever loved!

    questionmarkBe One Of The First 20 In Line & Get A FREE Gift Limited To This
    Event!

    We know you guys and gals love lining up early, and having fun waiting to meet your favorite creators, and we like encouraging the totally fun and totally rad community vibe it brings.
    So, we've put together a really cool free giveaway for the first 20 of you who line up for our big signing with Magdalene & Eryk!


    We can't wait to see you all tomorrow! We're pumped for the excitement you bring to signings like these, and it continues to motivate us to keep bringing out some of the fastest rising stars in comics to Third Eye!


    Click here for the event info on FACEBOOK!

    Third Eye Comics, 2027A WEST ST., Annapolis, MD 21401






    Gabby Rivera writes America

    Marvel hired Gabby Rivera, a queer Latina writer, for its queer Latina superhero. That matters. [in print as A Latina writer shares traits with her superhero, March 9, 2017, p. C1-2]

    The first issue of 'America' debuted last week from Marvel Comics. Cover art by Joe Quinones. (Marvel Entertainment) The first issue of 'America' debuted last week from Marvel Comics. Cover art by Joe Quinones. (Marvel Entertainment)
    Gabby Rivera

    Fantom Comics drops ComiXology

    I actually have very little idea what that means. I got to stores to buy actual comic books, not e-comics.

    However, they have a long explanation for their subscribers at http://www.fantomcomics.com/comichub/

    New Redistricted Comic online - history of Dupont Circle

    staying stylish
    https://www.redistrictedcomics.com/dupont

    Story by Matt Dembicki

    Art by Adam Griffiths

     

    Dupont Circle is a historic and hip neighborhood with a park encompassed by a traffic circle at its center. It was actually part of city planner Pierre Charles L'Enfant's plan for Washington, but it wasn't full developed until after the Civil War. Initially called Pacific Circle, Congress renamed it in 1882 in honor of Civil War Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont. Like nearly all memorials at the time, it was bronze statute of his likeness. But times changed and not everyone appreciated it, including members of his own family.

    Thursday, March 09, 2017

    Alex Ross exhibit in Winchester, VA; April 1: Ross appearance

    Click through to read the whole PR.

    New MSV Exhibition to Feature Original Works by Renowned Comic Book Artist Alex Ross


    Superheroes and Superstars: The Works of Alex Ross Opens on February 11

    Winchester, VA 02/7/17Superheroes and Superstars: The Works of Alex Ross—a new exhibition featuring the work of one of the world's greatest comic book artists—will be on view in the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) from February 11 through May 14, 2017.

    The MSV is the first venue to host this traveling exhibition, which has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The exhibition's MSV display is sponsored by Shenandoah Country Q102.

    ....

    From 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, the MSV will host Alex Ross for a rare signing event. Prints and Alex Ross merchandise will be available for purchase in the Museum Store. Those interested in attending the signing may bring up to three items per person (no sketches and/or portfolio reviews).  While a fee is not required to attend the signing event, MSV admission will apply to view Superheroes and Superstars.


    Wednesday, March 08, 2017

    Sara Duke's courtroom art exhibit opens in late April

    Ffom one of our local comics curators:

     "Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations" Opens April 27

    A new exhibition at the Library of Congress, "Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations," will feature original art that captures the drama of high-profile court cases in the last 50 years.

    The exhibition will open on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and close on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in the South Gallery on the second floor of the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.  It is free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  Tickets are not needed.

    "Drawing Justice" is made possible by Thomas V. Girardi and the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon.  In addition, Girardi—the founding partner of Girardi Keese, a Los Angeles law firm—funded the acquisition of 95 high-profile trial drawings by Aggie Kenny, Bill Robles and Elizabeth Williams for the Library's collection.  As a result of this benefaction, the Library's courtroom illustrations are the most comprehensive in any American institution. 

    The exhibition's illustrations—part of the Library's extensive collection of more than 10,000 courtroom drawings—are the work of talented artists hired by both newspapers and broadcast outlets to capture the personal dynamics of legal trials, which for many decades were off-limits to photographers and television cameras.  The artwork brings the theater of the courtroom to life, capturing gestures, appearances and relationships in a way that humanizes the defendants and plaintiffs, lawyers, judges and witnesses.

    The 98 illustrations on display will represent court cases dating from 1964 to the present day, including trials for murder, crime and corruption, terrorism, political activism and landmark legal issues.  Among those depicted will be Jack Ruby, James Earl Ray, Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, John Gotti, the Chicago Seven and Bernie Madoff.  Artifacts from the Library's Manuscript Division and the Law Library will supplement the drawings from a legal perspective.

    Also on view will be an introductory video and an interactive video station that show the actual drawings from the exhibition being featured on television nightly news broadcasts.  This footage demonstrates the important contribution courtroom illustrators make in bringing the drama of the court, and an understanding of the day's events, into the homes of millions of Americans.

    The exhibition begins with the work of Howard Brodie, who popularized reportage-style courtroom illustrations with his documentation of the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 for CBS Evening News.  Ruby had been charged with killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who allegedly assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963.  Brodie supported and encouraged the first generation of artists who created the artwork for television and print media.  Brodie donated his trial drawings to the Library of Congress, which spurred the development of the courtroom-illustration collections. 

    In addition to Brodie, the artists represented in the exhibition include Marilyn Church, Aggie Kenny, Pat Lopez, Arnold Mesches, Gary Myrick, Joseph Papin, David Rose, Freda Reiter, Bill Robles, Jane Rosenberg and Elizabeth Williams.

    The exhibition is curated by Sara W. Duke, curator of applied and graphic art in the Library's Prints and Photographs Division.  Assistant curator is Margaret M. Wood, a senior legal reference librarian in the Library of Congress Law Library.  Betsy Nahum-Miller and Carroll Johnson, from the Library's Interpretative Programs Office, are the exhibition directors.

    The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division preserves and provides access to nearly 16 million photographs, drawings and prints from the 15th century to the present day.  International in scope, these visual collections represent a uniquely rich array of human experience, knowledge, creativity and achievement, touching on almost every realm of endeavor: science, art, invention, government and political struggle, and the recording of history.  For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/print/.

    The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

    # # #

    PR17-22
    3/7/17
    ISSN:  0731-3527

    Comic Riffs on Logan, again

    Ann Telnaes nominated as Cartoonist of the Year

    2016 CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR NOMINEES ANNOUNCED!

    National Cartoonists Society March 2nd, 2017
    http://www.reuben.org/2017/03/2016-cartoonist-of-the-year-nominees-announced/

    Local pop-inspired artist receives D.C. arts grant

    Per press release from College of Southern Maryland

    A College of Southern Maryland art professor known for his affinity to superheroes, childhood nostalgia and science fiction has been honored with a fellowship grant. 

    Professor Andrew Wodzianski has received an artist fellowship grant for 2017 by the District of Columbia’s Commission for the Arts and Humanities. 

    “The grant is wildly important in part because it has no funding restriction. With no unallowable costs, I can choose how to best spend this award for my art practice,” Wodzianski said. “A portion of the grant will certainly pay for expendable materials, but I'll also use the funds to travel and conduct research.” 

    College of Southern Maryland Art Professor Andrew Wodzianski
    has been awarded an artist fellowship grant for 2017 by the District
    of Columbia’s Commission for the Arts and Humanities. (Photo: CSM)
     The honor and the funding that comes along with the artist fellowship grant came at an opportune time for Wodzianski, who will be on sabbatical from CSM from June through January 2018. During that time, he plans to pursue his own art projects and hopes to be selected for a residency. He is also scheduled to curate two fine art shows. “These exhibits are an exciting balancing act between rose-colored nostalgia and newly transcendent images,” he said. “The artists I've selected have one foot planted in their childhood, and another dangling over a pool of prophetic slime. That may sound horrifying to some, but I assure you — it's a fun position to find yourself.” 

    Both Wodzianski and his art are quirky and memorable. The art he creates reflects pop culture, particularly pop culture from his childhood growing up in northwest Pennsylvania. He is a fan of film ephemera, and he incorporates that interest into his art. For instance, this summer he created a series of color theory exercises on blueprints of vehicles that were used in the television show “Star Trek.” That series was juried into a group exhibit “Emulsion” that will take place in March at the Pepco Edison Place Gallery in Washington, D.C. His office at CSM reflects his interest in film, science fiction and horror as well. Students who visit his office are met with walls covered with posters from old horror movies, skulls placed amid the books and games on his shelves, and fantasy and superhero collectible figures studding the walls, shelves and ceiling.
     

    In 2011, the Tony Hungerford Memorial Art Gallery at CSM hosted an exhibit of Wodzianski’s work, “Games We Play,” that was inspired by board games and drawing toys from Wodzianski’s childhood. In 2010, Wodzianski himself became art when he lived in a storefront window for two weeks on U Street NW in Washington, DC.