Friday, October 30, 2020

Awesome Con cancelled for 2020

Important: Awesome Con Information Update

http://awesome-con.com/coronavirus/

As a consequence of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Awesome Con 2020 has been canceled. 

The Awesome Con Team will be in touch directly with all attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and partners in relation to this cancellation and to answer any questions.  

There will be further communication to these groups over the coming days and weeks as we aim to facilitate a smooth transition to the new dates for everyone involved. 

Please be assured that we are continuing to closely monitor the latest public health and government advice with regard to COVID-19 (coronavirus) and are carefully adhering to their directions. Our absolute priority is to safeguard the health and welfare of all those involved in our events.

Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.

https://us.clarionevents.com/a-message-from-clarion-events

Betancourt talks TMNT

A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator has a long-lost story to tell. And it gets pretty dark.

Alyssa Rosenberg talks Charlie Brown's Halloween disappearance

Fans Will Have to Look Harder to Find Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin This Year

Tanzina Vega and Alyssa Rosenberg
The Charlie Brown balloon floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in New York, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012.
( AP Photo/Charles Sykes )

For the first time since it's debut in 1966, Charles Schulz's Peanuts gang Halloween special, "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," will not air on network TV, rather on Apple's streaming service, APPLE TV Plus.

The tech company bought the rights to the Peanuts in 2018 and now controls all of Charlie Brown and Snoopy's content. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is currently only accessible for paid subscribers, but Apple has announced that the special will be available to watch for free October 30th and November 1st. 

Despite this, Peanut fans are angry the classic show will not be more accessible. A petition on Change.org, calling for Apple to air the special on network TV, has already reached over 170,000 signatures. And as more streaming services gain control over beloved content, many worry the stratification of our collective culture and who has access to it will continue to widen.

Alyssa Rosenberg, an opinion columnist covering culture at The Washington Post. Alyssa, joined The Takeaway to discuss what this could mean for  the future of media.

Click on the 'Listen' button above to hear this segment. Don't have time to listen right now? Subscribe for free to our podcast via iTunesTuneInStitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts to take this segment with you on the go.

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Steve Artley

Recent Cartoon (click on Image for larger view)

"Remember Remember 4 November"

©2020 Steven G Artley • artleytoons • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED



BIG PLANET COMICS BETHESDA HAS MOVED!


BIG PLANET COMICS BETHESDA HAS MOVED!

We have moved 100 yards south and are now located at 7939 Norfolk Ave. We will be offering curbside service for the foreseeable future.

Curbside pickup:
Wednesday 11-7
Thursday 11-3
Friday 3-7
Saturday 1-5
Closed other days
 
Curbside policy:
Wait outside and call us; we will then charge your total and put a bag of your comics out on a table. Don't approach if we or any other folks are at the table! In consideration of others, please wear a mask.

Thank you.

 
Bethesda phone: 301-654-6856


Our mailing address is:
Big Planet Comics
4849 Cordell Ave.
Bethesda, Md 20814

Kevin Panetta's Archie and Katy Keene run collected


Archie & Katy Keene Promo Image
There's a new girl in Riverdale and she's turning heads—and NOT everyone is happy about that!

Who is Katy Keene and why is she so Insta-famous and beloved in Riverdale?

Find out in a brand new graphic novel from the creative team of Eisner Award winning writer Mariko Tamaki, Kevin Panetta and artist Laura Braga!
 

Guston exhibit gets yet another opening date

After Backlash, Philip Guston Retrospective to Open in 2022

By Julia Jacobs

A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 29, 2020, Section C, Page 5 of the New York edition with the headline: After a Backlash, a Philip Guston Retrospective Will Open in 2022.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/arts/design/philip-guston-retrospective-date.html

Al Goodwyn's latest cartoon newsletter is out

The Lily's latest comic

Comics  //  Perspective

9 reasons why I would have been accused of witchcraft in 15th-century Europe

Many of you reading this probably would have been, too

By Gemma Correll

Read more

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

John Gallagher live in 10 minutes!

October 28, 2020 2:00 PM (EDT)

P&P Live! John Gallagher | CAT CRUSADER

Zoom Webinar

P&P Live! John Gallagher | CAT CRUSADER

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 2:00 PM (EDT)

Join us for a discussion with John Gallagher about the first book in his new series MAX MEOW: CAT CRUSADER.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Library of Congress buys Nina Allender's cartoons

Women's history shrine donates trove of artifacts to Library of Congress and National Park Service [in print as New home for women's history]

Washington Post Oct. 26, 2020 p. B1, 4

"The library also purchased the party's set of 167 political cartoons by women's rights artist Nina E. Allender. A spokesman declined to reveal the price. The cartoons arrived in July."

Falls Church's Ted White remembers Dick Lupoff

Richard Lupoff: A Remembrance

Hatfield on Ha

Charles Hatfield reviews Robin Ha's Almost American Girl today at his KinderComics blog.

Willie Nelson, Dracula, and Boy's Love - quick book reviews

 by Mike Rhode

There's a very minor thread linking all of these books - men kissing other men, although Dracula... you can't really call his assault "kissing."


Willie Nelson: A Graphic History
by T.J. Kirsch with Jesse Lonergan, Jeremy Massie, Havard S. Johansen, Coskun Kuzgun, Jason Pittman, J. T. Yost, and Adam Walmsley, NBM. 7 ½ x10, 88pp., B&W, HC, $16.99; ISBN 9781681122625; ebook: $11.99, ISBN 9781681122632 

 NBM offered me a review copy, but I had already bought the book from my LCS. Their press relase says of this book, "Country music icon Willie Nelson is recognized all over the world for his music, philanthropy, and unmistakable look. Since he was a child in Hill County, Texas, he has been writing and performing for adoring crowds. Though his mainstream success did not come until later in his life, he has been determined to take his unique sound and voice to the people even before he was a household name. There have been tragedies, missteps, IRS troubles, good times and bad along the way, but Willie continues to shine his positive outlook and project his humble voice out into the world."

 My take is this is an enjoyable biography of the singer, and there was a lot of information I didn't know, in spite of growing up in the 1970s with a family that listened to country music. I had no idea for instance that Nelson was a successful songwriter after being a failed performer, and wrote "Crazy" for Patsy Cline and "Pretty Papers" for Roy Orbison. Or that he kissed both Charlie Pride and Faron Young at times. Nelson's chaotic family life, womanizing, songwriting, performing, and love of marijuana are all covered extensively. Biographical comics haven't really taken off here yet, especially not the way autobiographical ones have, but hope springs eternal for the publishing world. My impression is that this is an NBM original, but they list plenty of translated European biographical comics in the endpapers, and presumably this will be sold in the other direction too. Kirsch conveys plenty of story, although the 8 illustrators (including him) give the book an uneven feel. Each illustrator takes a chapter based on a time period, so the same person isn't illustrating young clean cut Willie and the 1980s Outlaw version. There's apparently no model sheet such as one would find in animation, about how he should be drawn, so his features vary quite a bit. Other famous musicians, such as Bob Dylan, unfortunately would be unrecognizable if not names. The artwork is competent, but not outstanding, and if you aren't put off by the switches in style, it works fine. I'd recommend this for people interested in knowing more, but not a lot more, about Nelson and country music.

 

Dracula, Motherf**ker by Alex de Campi (Author), Erica Henderson (Artist), Image Comics, 6.8 x 0.5 x 10.3 inches, 72pp., $17, 978-1534317000.

 Image says about this, "Vienna, 1889: Dracula’s brides nail him to the bottom of his coffin. Los Angeles, 1974: an aging starlet decides to raise the stakes. Crime scene photographer Quincy Harker is the only man who knows it happened, but will anyone believe him before he gets his own chalk outline? And are Dracula’s three brides there to help him...or use him as bait? A pulpy, pulse-pounding graphic novel of California psych-horror from acclaimed creators ALEX DE CAMPI and ERICA HENDERSON."

Calvin Reid had such a great time interviewing the two creators for Publishers Weekly that I decided to pick this up, after being doubtful about the 'motherfucker' of the title (as there's some things I don't really ever need to see, and Dracula shagging his mother would be one of those). The title, and the story, actually hearken back to the exploitation days of the 1970s when there was a new Dracula movie ever other month (relatively) and horror comics magazines popping up to avoid the comics code. The story is a minor one that could easily have been in Heavy Metal or one of Warren's magazines at the time, but Henderson's art is tremendous and makes the book worth having a spine. The decision by the two creators (and de Campi does the lettering) to never show Dracula as a man is an interesting one and works well. There's two end pieces of text by each creator talking about aspects of her role in the book that are interesting, but they've also largely recapitulated those in the interview with Reid and others that I've seen online. I'd recommend this for 1970s exploitation, horror, and comics colorist fans. It's fun, and pretty (in a way).

BL Metamorphosis Vol. 1, by Kaori Tsurutani, Seven Seas, 146 pp., $13, 978-1645052951. 

Described on Amazon as "In this heartwarming and critically acclaimed manga, an elderly woman and a high school girl develop a beautiful friendship through their shared passion for Boys' Love. Ichinoi, a seventy-five-year-old woman living a peaceful life, unwittingly buys a boys’ love manga one day, and is fascinated by what she finds inside. When she returns to the bookstore to buy the next volume, the high school girl working there―Urara, a seasoned BL fan―notices a budding fangirl when she sees one. When Urara offers to help Ichinoi explore this whole new world of fiction, the two dive into the BL fandom together, and form an unlikely friendship along the way."

So "boy's love" is a genre that literally didn't exist in the US before manga imports because it's basically  romance comics for women (such as Jack Kirby and Joe Simon invented in the 1950s) except with good-looking young men as the protagonists. I picked this up from the new graphic novel rack at the LCS just because it looked interesting and possibly amusing. The two characters are lonely for different reasons and it's a nice look at their May-December friendship evolving through an unlikely common interest. As you can see from the cover art, the story is slow-paced, low key and therefore relaxing in these crazy days.  I enjoyed it and have already ordered volume 2 to see how their attempt to go to an actual comics signing in Japan works out.

If you've sent me a review copy recently - I'm working on them! Coming up soon: Mary! by Grant & Li and Harmony by Reynes.

 

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Tom-toms? Cavna on Tom (Tomorrow) and Tom (the Dancing Bug)

From two cartoonists, twisted takes on life with Trump [in print as From two cartoonists, twisted takes on a surreal presidency]

Baltimore Comic Con LIVE through Sat night

Baltimore Comic Con LIVE | Friday | Hall A

Oct 23, 2020

Baltimore Comic Con LIVE | Saturday | Hall A

Baltimore Comic Con LIVE | The Ringo Awards Show

Randy Tischler (mod)

That darn Peanuts, and Mark Trail

Friday, October 23, 2020

PR: Shopping at Baltimore Comic-Con 2020 -- We Are Now LIVE!



Baltimore Comic-Con logo

Shopping at Baltimore Comic-Con 2020 -- We Are Now LIVE!

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - October 23, 2020 - Join us for the 1st annual Baltimore Comic-Con Live, a FREE ONLINE EVENT streaming RIGHT NOW and ALL WEEKEND October 23-25, 2020! Come check out our retailers, exhibitors, artists alley, programming, and the Ringo Awards live! You won't want to miss taking a virtual walk through our halls!

We have heard from many of you concerned that you would not be able to pick up those items you wanted to get at our show, or things that you didn't even know you wanted, but that you'd spot while walking the floor of the show. Thanks to our friends at Mainframe Comic Con, we have taken our directory of Exhibitors, Retailers, and Artists Alley and converted it to the Baltimore Comic-Con Live website!

From the front page, you can click on the Exhibitors link, and then navigate to the Retailers, Publishers, or Artists Alley sections of our show.

Looking for Baltimore Comic-Con swag? Check out sponsoring store Cards, Comics & Collectibles' website on the Retailers page!

Wanting to pick up original art? Back issues? Legos? Action figures? Cosplay materials? Cards? Commissions? Games? Clothing? Rarities? Toys? Anime?


 

Looking for the latest from publishers? Art houses? Studios? Entertainment options?


 

Checking out the latest indie publishing? Crafts? Books? Pins? Magnets? Buttons? Patches? Stickers? Hats? Jewelry? Posters? Prints? Autographs?


 

IT'S ALL THERE!

The schedule of live programming for the weekend is https://www.baltimorecomicconlive.com/schedule.

The schedule of Kids Love Comics Pavilion programming for the weekend is https://www.baltimorecomicconlive.com/kids.

The LIVE Ringo Awards presentation begins Saturday night at 8pm ET / 5pm PT at https://www.baltimorecomicconlive.com/ringo-awards (and check out the Ringo Awards Spotlight and Red Carpet events starting at 12pm ET / 9am PT at that link!).

A few Meet and Greet and signed item opportunities still exist at https://www.tixr.com/groups/baltimorecomiccon/events/baltimore-comic-con-live-19787 (see the "More" drop-down menu at the top of our page to get here!).

Check out our Cosplay Gallery at https://www.baltimorecomicconlive.com/cosplay (everybody give Harry a big round of applause for the idea, which really took off!).

Our friends at Mainframe Comic Con did a spectacular job putting everything together for a virtual Baltimore Comic-Con experience. We hope you agree, and that you'll take advantage of the amazing experience they have put together for you!

"We're really grateful for the work that has gone into putting everything together," said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. "This has been a tough year for retailers, publishers, pros, and fans alike, but now we've got an opportunity to celebrate safely and enjoy each other's company, albeit without physically gathering. We will have the show running on the big screen at Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, MD all weekend long, and we hope you'll do the same at your home (or come and visit us, if you're in the area)!"

2021 Guests

When we return to our live event on October 22-24, 2021, in addition to on-site CGC grading, next year's confirmed guests for the show include: Marty Baumann (Disney/Pixar), John Beatty (Secret Wars), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics), Brett Breeding (Superman), Howard Chaykin (Hey Kids! Comics!), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Becky Cloonan (Dark Agnes), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Vampirella: Roses for the Dead), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), Mitch Gerads (Mr. Miracle), Joe Giella (Green Lantern), Gene Ha (Mae), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Greg Hildebrandt (Wolverine), Jamal Igle (Wrong Earth), Tom King (Batman), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Frank Miller (Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Saturday only), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Richard Pace (Second Coming), Tom Palmer (Hawkman), James Pascoe (Azrael), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Brandon Peterson (Sinestro: Year of the Villain), Tom Raney (Guardians of the Galaxy), Afua Richardson (Omni), Louise Simonson (Power Pack), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok: The Breaking of Helheim), John K. Snyder III (Killers), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), Timothy Truman (Grimjack), Robert Venditti (Hawkman), Mark Waid (Dr. Strange), Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Ringo Awards, programming, and more. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages, and follow us on YouTube and Snapchat.

 

Baltimore Comic-Con SnapCode

 
Contact Information

Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:

press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution

promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications

registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations

general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries

  

About The Baltimore Comic-Con Live

The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 1st year of bringing the comic book industry to the Internet for a live streaming event. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomicconlive.com.


 

About Mainframe Comic-Con

Mainframe Comic Con

The engine behind BCC Live, Mainframe Comic Con were the pioneers of the online convention movement. Their shows have solidified them as the #1 name in virtual fandom. Month after month, Mainframe produces the very best in virtual fan experiences and private celebrity meet and greets in the entire world. A company forged at the onset of the global shutdown, Mainframe Comic Con is committed to keeping the fan culture and community thriving during these troubling times. A fresh new company with a big mission: carry the torch and keep fandom alive... today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information, visit Mainframe Comic Con at www.mainframecomiccon.com.



LoC comics exhibit inspires UK grad student

City researchers reflect on the diversity and complexity of comics for UK Black History Month

By Dr Ernesto Priego and Linda Berube
Dr Ernesto Priego and PhD student Linda Berube from the Centre for Human-Computer Interaction Design (HCID) say 'grand narratives' in comics research must be challenged.
News from City, University of London  22nd October, 2020 by City Press Office (General enquiries)

https://www.city.ac.uk/news/2020/october/city-researchers-reflect-on-the-diversity-and-complexity-of-comics-for-uk-black-history-month


In November last year Linda had the opportunity to visit the Library of Congress's exhibition "Comic Art: 120 years of panels and pages"(LoC2019-2020) in Washington, D.C. For someone who had imbibed the traditional history and narratives of mass media comics, whether it be superheroes or cuddly animals, the LOC exhibition was more of a revelation than it should have been, as the mainstream narratives have, with exceptions, remained for the most part unchanged.

PR: Jeff Kinney Joins Virtual Kids Love Comics Channel at BCC 2020 Live




Baltimore Comic-Con logo

Jeff Kinney Joins Virtual Kids Love Comics Channel at BCC 2020 Live

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - October 23, 2020 - Baltimore Comic-Con is going virtual October 23-25, 2020 at BaltimoreComicConLive.Com, and once again offering the best in comics creators, panels, art, and cosplay. BCC will once again host the biggest and best kids area at any comic convention-the Kids Love Comics pavilion, featuring comics how-to's, crafts, and other fun activities. This event is FREE, and we are thrilled to announce the late addition of Jeff Kinney to our Kids Love Comics programming!
Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award winner for Favorite Book for his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Jeff has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time's 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story. For more Wimpy Kid, visit wimpykid.com.

In Jeff's new book The Deep End, being released the Tuesday, October 27th following the show, Greg Heffley and his family hit the road for a cross-country camping trip, ready for the adventure of a lifetime. But things take an unexpected turn, and they find themselves stranded at an RV park that isn't exactly a summertime paradise. When the skies open up and the water starts to rise, the Heffleys wonder if they can save their vacation -- or if they're already in too deep.
Jeff will be interviewed in the Kids Love Comics Pavilion on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 11am ET / 8am PT.
2021 Guests

When we return to our live event on October 22-24, 2021, in addition to on-site CGC grading, next year's confirmed guests for the show include: Marty Baumann (Disney/Pixar), John Beatty (Secret Wars), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics), Brett Breeding (Superman), Howard Chaykin (Hey Kids! Comics!), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Becky Cloonan (Dark Agnes), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Vampirella: Roses for the Dead), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), Mitch Gerads (Mr. Miracle), Joe Giella (Green Lantern), Gene Ha (Mae), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Greg Hildebrandt (Wolverine), Jamal Igle (Wrong Earth), Tom King (Batman), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Frank Miller (Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Saturday only), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise), Richard Pace (Second Coming), Tom Palmer (Hawkman), James Pascoe (Azrael), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Brandon Peterson (Sinestro: Year of the Villain), Tom Raney (Guardians of the Galaxy), Afua Richardson (Omni), Louise Simonson (Power Pack), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok: The Breaking of Helheim), John K. Snyder III (Killers), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), Timothy Truman (Grimjack), Robert Venditti (Hawkman), Mark Waid (Dr. Strange), Gene Luen Yang (Superman Smashes the Klan), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Ringo Awards, programming, and more. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages, and follow us on YouTube and Snapchat.

 

Baltimore Comic-Con SnapCode

 
Contact Information

Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:

press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution

promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications

registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations

general@baltimorecomiccon.com- for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries

  

About The Baltimore Comic-Con Live

The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 1st year of bringing the comic book industry to the Internet for a live streaming event. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomicconlive.com.


 

About Mainframe Comic-Con

Mainframe Comic Con

The engine behind BCC Live, Mainframe Comic Con were the pioneers of the online convention movement. Their shows have solidified them as the #1 name in virtual fandom. Month after month, Mainframe produces the very best in virtual fan experiences and private celebrity meet and greets in the entire world. A company forged at the onset of the global shutdown, Mainframe Comic Con is committed to keeping the fan culture and community thriving during these troubling times. A fresh new company with a big mission: carry the torch and keep fandom alive... today, tomorrow, and beyond. For more information, visit Mainframe Comic Con at www.mainframecomiccon.com.