Godzilla should be offended [letter, Mike Luckovich, in print as Godzilla would be offended]
Ray Diroll, Springfield
Washington Post February 29 2020
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
Tomorrow: Pop Culture Uncovered: Black History Month! at Fantom Comics
FEB 29 2020
Pop Culture Uncovered: Black History Month!
· Hosted by Fantom Comics
- Tomorrow at 4 PM – 6 PM
The show will be focused on the depiction of Black Superheroes and Characters in comics. We'll be talking about the Parable of the Sower, March, Black Panther, Black Lightning, Storm, and more!
Can't make it to the live show? Watch it here on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PopCultureUncovered/
Can't make it to the live show? Watch it here on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/PopCultureUncovered/
RVA Mag's recommendations for Galaxy-Con
RVA Comics X-Change: Issue 38 (GalaxyCon 2020 Preview Edition)
Cavna on Presidential coronavirus masks worn wrongly
New Yorker coronavirus cover shows Trump with a mask over his eyes, to critique his response
"Under Control," by Brian Stauffer for the New Yorker magazine. Malaka Gharib's new coronavirus comic
Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus
Two profiles of Liz Montague
Thanks to TCJ's Ryan Flanders for picking these up.
Meet the New Yorker's first known African American female cartoonist
NBC's Kristen Welker
Today
In this week's Sunday Closer, NBC's Kristen Welker sits down with Elizabeth Montague, who is the first known African American woman to have a cartoon published in the New Yorker. "I'm really proud of myself and that I've done this," the 24-year-old says.
Young, black, female Washington cartoonist speaks about diversity through her art
She is the first black female cartoonist published in The New Yorker.
US Navy Surgeon General has a graphic novel on his 2020 suggested reading list
The complete list is here but what interests us is his choice of a graphic novel -
The Odyssey of Sergeant Brennan (Graphic Novel) by Bryan Doerries - which I must confess that I had never heard of.
Amazon's description reads:
A bold and original graphic novelization of The Odyssey that is both a powerful story for our time—capturing its timeless lessons for returning veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq—as well as a vivid new way into Homer's classic for modern readers.
Jack Brennan is a Marine Corps sergeant whose infantry squad has been cleared to return home from a grueling deployment to Afghanistan. A few years prior, Sergeant Brennan lost one of his closest friends—a young combat veteran—to suicide and has vowed to do everything in his power to keep his Marines from a similar fate. On their last night in-country, Brennan shares his version of The Odyssey to help prepare his squad for the transition back to the home front. By retelling Homer's epic about Odysseus' difficult journey home after the Trojan War, and weaving in the stories of contemporary Marines, The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan powerfully conveys the profound challenges today's veterans face upon returning from combat even as it tells "the oldest war story of all time."
Jack Brennan is a Marine Corps sergeant whose infantry squad has been cleared to return home from a grueling deployment to Afghanistan. A few years prior, Sergeant Brennan lost one of his closest friends—a young combat veteran—to suicide and has vowed to do everything in his power to keep his Marines from a similar fate. On their last night in-country, Brennan shares his version of The Odyssey to help prepare his squad for the transition back to the home front. By retelling Homer's epic about Odysseus' difficult journey home after the Trojan War, and weaving in the stories of contemporary Marines, The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan powerfully conveys the profound challenges today's veterans face upon returning from combat even as it tells "the oldest war story of all time."
I've ordered a copy and am looking forward to reading it.
Latest Liz at Large in the City Paper
Liz At Large: "Certain"
Are you sure?
Liz Montague
Feb 27, 2020
Due to a printing error, the strip is printed in black and white in the actual paper and is barely readable.
KAL gets syndicated
I can't believe this hadn't happened before actually.
Editorial Cartoonist KAL Joins Andrews McMeel
Columbia University Library gets John Fantucchio's fanzine collection
John Fantucchio lived in Arlington, and was a major part of early local fandom. I was lucky enough to meet him and his wife Mary once, through Joel Pollack, and thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with them. Click through to read the entire article and see photos.
RBML welcomes "Fandom's Fantucchio" fanzine/fan art collection
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library is delighted to announce the acquisition of the collection of the late artist John Fantucchio (1938-2016), consisting of fanzines, art, con programs, and more. We extend our profound thanks to Mary Fantucchio for her generous gift.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Smithsonian opens 2.8 million images online, some of which are cartoons
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain
The launch of a new open access platform ushers in a new era of accessibility for the Institution
smithsonianmag.com
February 25, 2020
February 25, 2020
So one might as well poke around right?
A quick search for cartoon shows over 100 images but a lot of them are cartoons in the classical sense of preparatory drawings. There are an original Winsor McCay, an original Thomas Nast (both in New York at the Cooper-Hewitt), lots of tearsheats of Nast and other cartoonists in the National Portrait Gallery, an original Oscar Cesare cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt in the Portrait Gallery, an 1812 original "John Bull Making a New Batch of Ships to Send to the Lake" in American Art and others.
Also of interest, but somewhat less useful is a list of websites generated in the same initial search. Most are for defunct exhibits and don't have any information beyond the basics left in them, although this one on Chuck Jones still has the press release.
Some other samples are
The Far Side of Science: Cartoons by Gary Larson April 9, 1987 – May 31, 1987
The American Presidency in Political Cartoons October 15, 1976 – November 28, 1976
Cartoons, Caricatures and Comics June 28, 1993 – September 30, 1993
Herblock's Presidents: "Puncturing Pomposity" May 2, 2008 – November 30, 2008
Animation, Walter Lantz and Woody Woodpecker | Smithsonian Institution
Rube Goldberg: Comic Art and Invention | Smithsonian Institution
Hirshhorn To Present Tony Lewis' Comic Strip-Based "Anthology 2014–2016" Collages Together for the F
A search for "comic" or "comic art" or "comic strip" or "comic book" is probably also worth doing....
Feb 29: Doctor Tomorrow writer Alejandro Arbona At BCC Sponsor Store CC&C!
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NPR on Ghost River and Jake the Fake
How A Graphic Novel Resurrected A Forgotten Chapter In American History [Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga by Lee Francis IV and Weshoyot Alvitr]
NPR's Code Switch February 26, 2020
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2020/02/26/806124981/how-a-graphic-novel-resurrected-a-forgotten-chapter-in-american-history
Not Too Rude, Not Too Tame, 'Jake The Fake' Is A Just-Right Read [Keith Knight].
Juanita Giles
NPR February 21, 2020
Meet a Visiting Cartoonist: A Chat with Ellen Lindner
by Mike Rhode I've known Ellen Lindner for a long time, initially through her comics-collecting husband, but then directly as she moved back to the US and became a regular exhibitor at SPX. A woman of eclectic interests, she's done comics on conscientious objectors in England in World War I, 1960's Coney Island, and woman's baseball, as well as editing anthologies such as British women's collection, The Strumpet. She was in town a few weeks ago for her ex-studio mate Robin Ha's book-signing at East City Books and I was very surprised to hear that she was doing comics for the Washington Post. She did a Christmas strip for the Post's The Lily newsletter, so I leapt at the opportunity to consider her a DC-area cartoonist and send her the usual questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I have done a big mix of fictional graphic novels, graphic memoir and nonfiction comics. At the moment I'm working on The Cranklet's Chronicle, a series of nonfiction comics about people who aren't (cisgender) men who have played a role in baseball history. The last issue was about Effa Manley, the only woman in the baseball Hall of Fame.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
Great question! I am working digitally more and more these days, but I still pencil and color using traditional media.When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
Late 70s, Long Island, New York.
Where are you living now? How did you begin working for the Washington Post?
I live in beautiful upper Manhattan, New York, which is full of city parks. We even have a local seal! I began working for the Post's women's magazine, The Lily, thanks to a wonderful friend of mine, Lara Antal, who has created many genius comics for them.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I studied art history, French and art as an undergrad. Many years later I found myself living in London and did a master's degree in illustration. Over the years, though, I've racked up a lot of credits at School of Visual Arts, a big hub for comics. Those classes have been huge for me.
Who are your influences?
Alison Bechdel, Lynda Barry, Jacques Tardi, Jessica Abel, Megan Kelso, Tom Hart, Glynnis Fawkes, Summer Pierre, and Jennifer Hayden. The latter three folks and I table together a lot at comics events and their help with drafts of projects in progress has been invaluable.
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| Lindner, Glynnis Fawkes and Jennifer Hayden at SPX 2019 |
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?I'm definitely a person who loves to rue past mistakes and it's a tendency I'm trying to work on. But I always feels I've been too shy in terms of telling other artists I like their work. If you meet someone whose work you like, let them know! It's hard to put yourself out there.
What work are you best-known for?
Weirdly it might be for my current day job doing informational illustration. Thousands of people click on articles I've illustrated each day, even though they probably don't know it's me. It's definitely been the most eyes I've ever had on my work. I have enjoyed the challenge of illustrating everything from the best uses of tarragon to what it's like to work in military counter-intelligence. For a glimpse at these you can look at my Instagram, @ellenlindna.
What work are you most proud of?
I'm really proud of my current project, The Cranklet's Chronicle, which is about the history of people who aren't cisgendered men and baseball. Baseball has a long history of erasing the involvement of people who aren't white men, and there are so many stories to tell about owners, players, fans, and more who are or were somewhere else on the gender spectrum. The last issue was about Effa Manley, a woman who managed a black baseball team in New Jersey, and who is currently the only woman in the Hall of Fame. I found her utterly fascinating, and I hope readers will too!
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
I have a secret project I'm working on alongside my day job and Cranklet's...It's a combination of memoir and how-to, and I'm really excited about it! It's an activity comic about how to navigate life as a person without kids. What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
Wow, great question. I usually just try and power through! Taking a walk also helps, a lot! I work on comics and illustration pretty much every day, and if one project stumps me, I can toggle to another one for a while.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
Oh WOW that's tough. Many more comics on mobile!!!
What cons do you attend besides The Small Press Expo? Any comments about attending them?
SPX and MoCCA are my big two, though this year I also did the Nonfiction Comics Fest in Essex Junction, VT and Short Run in Seattle, both of which took me to new places. Both were fabulous!!!
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| Panel from story in The Lily |
What's your favorite thing about DC?
Ethiopian food! The museums! Union Station! Wait, do I really just get one?!
Least favorite?
Welp, I find DC drivers....unpredictable. I'll leave it at that!
What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?
I love the National Museum of African American Art and Culture! Wow, what an incredible place!
How about a favorite local restaurant?
Habesha, hands down! Such delicious Ethiopian food, located in the Shaw area by Howard University.
Do you have a website or blog?
www.littlewhitebird.com Also on Instagram: @ellenlindna
Jane Haslem, Doonesbury cartoon exhibitor in DC, dies
The Post had a very small obituary for her on February 11th, which made it into print today.
Jane Haslem, art gallery owner.
Washington Post (February 27 2020): B5
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Lost City bookstore owner Adam Waterreus interviewed at DCist
After Renovations, Lost City Books Is Reopening In Adams Morgan
Many of us fondly recall Adam as Politics and Prose's excellent graphics novel buyer. I'm looking forward to visiting the former Idle Times Books location.
The Post on Disney's leadership shakeup
In a surprise move, Disney chief executive Robert Iger steps down and is replaced by a theme-park lieutenant [in print as In a surprise move, Disney CEO Iger has stepped down]
Washington Post Feb. 26, 2020, p. A10
PR: Max Meow news release
John Gallagher has been creating kids' comics for the years, but now he's found the PURR-FECT publisher in a joint effort between Random House Books for Young Readers and Random House Graphic! Hitting shelves October 6, Max Meow: Cat Crusader is a new graphic novel series telling the TAIL of a super hero cat and his scientist best friend, and is perfect for fans of Dog Man or Wimpy Kid!
Meet Max Meow–a secret superhero with CAT-ITUDE in this purr-fectly awesome, hiss-sterically funny new middle grade graphic novel series!
Max is just a regular cat in Kittyopolis, trying to make it big as a web reporter (Followers: 12) That is, UNTIL he accidentally takes a bite of an RADIOACTIVE SPACE MEATBALL at his best friend, scientist Mindy's, SECRET LAB. Then, before you can say MEOWZA, Max becomes…(drum roll!)…The CAT CRUSADER!
Being a super hero is fun (Super strength? Check! Flying? YES!!!)–but not if you get so cocky, you forget your best friend! Will Max learn to listen? Will he and Mindy make up? And together, can Max and Mindy save Kittyopolis from the evil Agent M and BIG BOSS?! Find out in book 1, Max Meow: Cat Crusader— a laugh out loud, furr-ociously funny, action-packed new series filled with so many twists, turns, and terrific jokes it makes bad guys FLEA, and kids cheer with glee!
You can read a 20 page preview and pre-order his book at www.MaxMeow.com
BookTrailer: https://youtu.be/Y6V_MlVtz-8
Max Meow at PRH site: http://bit.ly/2HjcEWU
Here's what other creators are saying about Max Meow:
"Meowza! Let's hear it for the coolest new cat crusader, Max!"
--Jennifer & Matthew Holm, co-creators of the Babymouse series
"Funny, furry, and fantastic!"
Judd Winnick, Hilo serries
"Cats and kittens alike will be thrilled to finally have a hero they can look up to"
--- Mike Maihack, Cleopatra in Space graphic novel series
John Gallagher is the art director of the National Wildlife Federation's "Ranger Rick" magazine and has been drawing comics since he was five (John learned to read through comics and went on to earn the distinction of reading every book in his elementary school library!). He created and self-published the Harvey Award-nominated Buzzboy, as well as Roboy Red (with Rich Faber). John is also the cofounder of "Kids Love Comics" (an organization devoted to using graphic novels to promote literacy) and leads workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics.
French illustrator Renaud Vigour's 5G monsters in Politico
Everything you wanted to know about 5G...
The promise, the hype and the policy arguments around 5G all come with their own language, new to many people outside the wireless world. Here's a quick guide—illustrated with a distinctive new 5G creature,the Quintos Nepos, invented for us by the French illustrator Renaud Vigourt.
March 6: Strange Adventures #1 Signing with Tom King & Mitch Gerads at Victory Comics
Update 3/4/20: Mitch Gerard won't attend due to illness.
Friday, March 6, 2020 at 6 PM – 9 PM
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Victory Comics
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In honor of the release of their new comic, Strange Adventures, Victory Comics is excited to host the Eisner Award-winning team of Tom King and Mitch Gerads.
With combined credits including Batman, Heroes in Crisis, Mister Miracle, and The Sheriff of Babylon, these gentlemen set new standards of quality with every project they tackle and Strange Adventures looks to maintain that streak.
PLEASE NOTE: We are limiting items signed to 1 copy of Strange Adventures and 2 additional items (a total of 3 items) so as to accommodate all attendees. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
With combined credits including Batman, Heroes in Crisis, Mister Miracle, and The Sheriff of Babylon, these gentlemen set new standards of quality with every project they tackle and Strange Adventures looks to maintain that streak.
PLEASE NOTE: We are limiting items signed to 1 copy of Strange Adventures and 2 additional items (a total of 3 items) so as to accommodate all attendees. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Feb 29: Shahnameh For Kids book release in Vienna, VA
SHAHNAMEH FOR KIDS EVENT
February 29th, 2020
4pm
The Bravery of Gordafarid Book Release Event at Pars Place
2236 -C Gallows Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
Inspired by Ferdowsi's Epic Poem, The Shahnameh, this children's book series features fantastic tales from Ancient Iran.
The Bravery of Gordafarid: When the brash warrior Sohraub and his army lay siege to the White Fortress, it's up to a lone heroine known as Gordafarid to find the courage to defend her people. Will she have what it takes to stop the powerful Sohraub? Coming soon!
By Arsia Rozegar. Illustrated by Mike Amante.
March 10: Roxanne Gay at Arlington Library
March 10, Arlington Reads: Roxane Gay in conversation with Library Director Diane Kresh |
| A conversation with the author and cultural critic The Guardian has called "America's brightest new essayist." Roxane Gay's writing is unmatched and widely revered. Her work garners international acclaim for its reflective, no-holds-barred exploration of feminism and social criticism. With a deft eye on modern culture, she brilliantly critiques its ebb and flow with both wit and ferocity. This Arlington Reads event is free at Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy St. Arlington, VA 22201. More information, including a registration link. Pre-order Roxane Gay's books for the signing. (from One More Page's newsletter) |
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
March 6: Animezing!: I want to eat your pancreas
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