ComicsDC

Monday, May 04, 2009

The Best of Simon & Kirby (Titan Books) received for review

Today's mail brought The Best of Simon & Kirby (Titan Books) for review and I hope to have something up here soon.

They also sent me some Terminator movie books, and we may have a guest reviewer since these aren't comic-book based. Purist, I know, but one must draw the line at some point especially since I've got a lot of comics material that I've told people that I'd be reviewing (apologies if you're still waiting - I haven't forgotten).

Spiegelman interview online at Express

Here's another interview with Spiegelman - "Graphic Art: Art Spiegelman," by Express contributor Tim Follos, Express May 4, 2009.

Remember he's at the Corcoran tonight.

John Judy MAKES Star Trek

John Judy, who lets us run his Quick Reviews and was one of the key components of the early years of Big Planet Comics, would like you to know that he is now immortal.

That's him, the good-looking one, on the far left. Carrying Spock's bag.

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-06-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 05-06-09
By John Judy

AGENTS OF ATLAS #4 by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman. A tale of two times: 1958 and the present day with the Agents throwing down hard in both eras. And one of them’s starting to lose his calm center. Recommended.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #593 by Mark Waid and Mark McKone. Okay, so last issue’s last panel probably had you scrubbing your eyes with lye. Now we find out how Spidey deals with the fact that Aunt May still has “a woman’s needs.” This never happened in the Lee-Ditko Era. Back then it was all wheat cakes and heart attacks…

ANGEL: BLOOD AND TRENCHES #3 written and drawn by John Byrne. An entertaining romp that succeeds in capturing the spirit of the much-missed TV show. It also begs the question of whether vampires ever fought on behalf of non-Germans in either World War. Y’know, except for good vampires…

ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK THREE #1 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. Kurt and Brent continue their epic saga of the Williams brothers, one a thug with a good heart, the other a conflicted cop. Oh, and there’s superheroes too. Recommended.

THE BEATS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY HC edited by Paul Buhle. What it sounds like: A history of the beat poets told in graphic form. Contributors include Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, Peter Kuper and Trina Robbins among many others. Recommended, daddy-o!

BLAZING COMBAT HC by Archie Goodwin and a Pantheon of Sixties Art Gods. Collecting all four issues of the war comic that was so good it got put out of business by people who were afraid it would end the Vietnam War. Kudos to Fantagraphics for putting this together. Highly, highly recommended.

BOYS #30 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. A bonus cover by Jim Lee marks the Big Three-Oh for our heroes as they each regroup in their way after the apocalyptic events of last issue. Not for kids. Recommended.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #25 by Doug Petrie and Georges Jeanty. This story is titled “Living Doll” but don’t worry. It focuses on Buffy’s sister Dawn and is NOT an awkward promotional tie-in with A Certain TV Show of Which We Do Not Speak.

CREEPY ARCHIVES VOL. 3 HC by Various Creators, including Frazetta Toth, Orlando, Morrow and Torres. The third in this series of superb horror reprints from Dark Horse Comics. Recommended.

DESTROYER #2 of 5 by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Destroyer destroys stuff before he is destroyed. Hey, it’s still got more heft than the Wolverine movie! Give ‘er a look!

FIN FANG FOUR RETURN #1 by Scott Gray and Roger Langridge. Admit it, you’d want to know what Triple-F, Elektro, Googam and Gorgilla were up to even if it wasn’t hysterically funny. Me too. Recommended.

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #1 of 6 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II. The story of the costumed moron who taped the murder of the Martian Manhunter on his cell phone. Meet the Red Flame. Everyone hates him so now he’s got to RUN!

FLASH PRESENTS REBIRTH #2 of 5 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Barry Allen! Still fast and still not dead! Gotta look!

HUMAN TORCH COMICS 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Scott Snyder and Scott Wegener. My heroes have always been flaming Golden-Age androids so I kind of have to have this. Comes with a new story and a classic reprint. And two covers to signify twice the awesomeness.

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN CENTURY #1 (1910) by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. The lads are at it again. Hopefully they got their game back after BLACK DOSSIER. Significantly, this is the first LOEG from Top Shelf Productions, with Moore having now completely divorced himself from DC/Wildstorm/ABC. Gotta look.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 #2 of 4 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. The Hood’s gonna make everyone zombies unless the Marvel monsters can stop him. There. A story. Nice and straightforward. Respect.

NEW MUTANTS #1 by Zeb Wells and Diogenes Neves. It’s a reunion of the old crew as done by people whose names make me suspect that they too are mutants. Zeb and Diogenes? Right, suit up and to the Danger Room with you! PS- Four covers!

POWER GIRL #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner. Um, I read it for the articles….

SUPERMAN WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3 of 12 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods. Superman’s a grunt in the Kryptonian Army, but he’s a sassy one! Expect to see Private El peeling a lot of potatoes. Hoo-yah!

Y: THE LAST MAN: DELUXE EDITION VOL. 2 HC by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and Others. Collecting issues #11-23 of this groundbreaking series in a beautiful oversized format. Recommended.

www.johnjudy.net

May 4: Spider-Man movie in Crystal City

Crystal Screen - Superheroes

Join the Crystal City BID for 21 weeks of Superheros! On Monday nights from May 4, 2009-September 21, 2009, Crystal City will be protected by Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and many others. Each night will also have special giveaways, sponsors, and other activities.

Date(s):
May 4, 2009 - September 21, 2009

Location:
18th and Bell Street - Courtyard Across from Crystal City Metro Station & Marriott Hotel

Event Fee:
Free

Hours:
Movies begin at sundown

Description:
Join the Crystal City BID for 21 weeks of Superheros! On Monday nights from May 4, 2009-September 21, 2009, Crystal City will be protected by Batman, Spiderman, Superman, and many others. Each night will also have special giveaways, sponsors, and other activities. Check back here for more information.

CRYSTAL KID BONUS: Since it gets dark later in the summer and movies often start past bedtime, the BID has partnered with Crystal City Sports Pub to rebroadcast each movie at 3:30 PM on the 3rd Floor of CCSP on the Wednesday following the outdoor showing, starting May 6. Bring your kids and a blanket and enjoy the fabulous surround network of TVs.

OPENING NIGHT SPECIAL: On Opening Night, May 4th, swing by the Noodles & Company at 2011 Crystal Drive and get a FREE soup, salad, or noodles from 5-7PM when you mention Crystal Screen.

Festival Rules: Patrons can bring their own picnics as long as they abide by city and festival rules. Low-backed chairs and blankets are allowed, but grills, umbrellas, and pets are prohibited.

Schedule

May 4th 2009 - Spider-Man
May 6th 2009 - Spider-Man - at CCSP
May 11, 2009 - Spider-Man 2
May 13, 2009 - Spider-Man 2 - at CCSP
May 18, 2009 - Spider-Man 3
May 20, 2009 - Spider-Man 3 - at CCSP
May 25, 2009 - The Hulk
May 27, 2009 - The Hulk - at CCSP
June 1, 2009 - Hulk 2: The Incredible Hulk
June 3, 2009 - Hulk 2: The Incredible Hulk - at CCSP
June 8, 2009 - Superman: The Superman Movie
June 10, 2009 - Superman: The Superman Movie - at CCSP
June 15, 2009 - Superman 2
June 17, 2009 - Superman 2 - at CCSP
June 22, 2009 - Superman 3: Superman vs. Superman
June 24, 2009 - Superman 3: Superman vs. Superman - at CCSP
June 29, 2009 - Superman 4: The Quest for Peace
June 31, 2009 - Superman 4: The Quest for Peace - at CCSP
July 6, 2009 - Superman 5: Superman Returns
July 8, 2009 - Superman 5: Superman Returns - at CCSP
July 13, 2009 - X-Men
July 15, 2009 - X-Men - at CCSP
July 20, 2009 - X2
July 22, 2009 - X2 - at CCSP
July 27, 2009 - X-Men: The Last Stand
July 29, 2009 - X-Men: The Last Stand - at CCSP
August 3, 2009 - Fantastic Four
August 5, 2009 - Fantastic Four - at CCSP
August 10, 2009 - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
August 12, 2009 - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - at CCSP
August 17, 2009 - Batman
August 19, 2009 - Batman - at CCSP
August 24, 2009 - Batman Returns
August 26, 2009 - Batman Returns - at CCSP
August 31, 2009 - Batman Forever
September 2, 2009 - Batman Forever - at CCSP
September 7, 2009 - Batman & Robin
September 9, 2009 - Batman & Robin - at CCSP
September 14, 2009 - Batman Begins
September 16, 2009 - Batman Begins - at CCSP
September 21, 2009 - Batman: The Dark Knight
September 23, 2009 - Batman: The Dark Knight - at CCSP

Art Spiegelman at the Corcoran tonight

Tonight at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St, NW at 7 pm. It's his Comix 101 lecture, and is $25.

An interview by Chris Kilmer is in the physical Washington Examiner today, but not apparently online.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Washington Post highlights

In addition to the Jen Sorenson story mentioned a few days ago, Steve Brodner covered the Travel section. In the Business section, Disney's investment into healthy food is examined.

Travels with Harvey

Last weekend I was at the History of Medicine meetings in Cleveland, the home to Harvey Pekar. I had called him beforehand and asked if we could meet and Harvey, who's always gracious, agreed. He picked me up after the Medical Museums Association meeting and took me to an early dinner in his town, Cleveland Heights.

After asking me if I liked milkshakes, he took me to Tommy's Restaurant (1824 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, for those planning a trip) where he was greeted by name. We were parked in a booth and talked comics, food and mutual acquaintances for a while while I had a black cherry ice cream milkshake and a meat pie with lamb, beef and onions. Harvey had a grilled cheese, which I report for the sake of history. We talked a little bit about his appearance on Tony Bourdain's tv show No Reservations last year, and in spite of Harvey's reputation as a tv disdainer (apropos of his Letterman appearances), he's got a real liking for Bourdain who's another self-made man like Harvey is. I specifically asked because my wife and I are addicted to No Reservations and I buy any of Bourdain's books when he comes to DC for a signing.

I don't think Harvey will mind if I mention that DC hasn't picked up American Splendor for a 3rd series - drop a line to Vertigo now asking for more! These were excellent versions of his stories. His new book, The Beats, has just come out and he kindly gave me a copy. I also got him to sign some of the Harvey Pekar: Conversations books (on sale on the right) that I still have after buying a case of them. I'll probably be selling a few at Heroes Con when I accompany Our Man Thompson to help man his table this year.

It was a real pleasure to hang out with Harvey on his home ground. I'd recommend it to all of you, except that I think Harvey's brain would explode.

Michigan State U's Comic Art Collection's February 2009 additions

I'm afraid I fell off doing these for a couple of weeks due to travel, but the feature that nobody asked for is back! Randy tells me he's keeping the new cataloging index up to date every day so Google searches will tell you that something is in his collection.

Speaking of something, I've picked up some of the Free Comic Book Day books for MSU, courtesy of Big Planet Comics, but if you've got some of the smaller press ones, consider donating them.

February opened with a lot more Treasure Chest, a fairly tiresome Catholic educational comic...

...here's an interesting little piece, reflective of the feeling in many quarters that women in superhero comics are ill-treated...

Frost Flowers / Susanna Doyle. -- between 1988 and 2008. -- 6
p. : 28 cm. -- "Dedicated to Barbara Randall, whose new
Barbara is going to be a wonderful addition to the DC
Universe no matter what legacy Alan Moore left to her." --
Summary: Fan fiction in the Batman universe, set
immediately after the incident in the 1988 graphic novel
Batman : the killing joke, in which the character Barbara
Gordon is shot by the Joker and left paralyzed. The story
follows Dick Grayson's wait for news about her condition
from hospital staff and then his visit to her bedside. --
Call no.: folio PS3554.O94F76 1988

...given that Batman was cured of a broken back contemporaneously with Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon's injury which still persists 2 decades later, I generally concur with them...

...and surely someone can provide #2 of this title...

Glory & Friends Bikini Fest. -- Anaheim,CA : Image Comics,
1995. -- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Complete in 2 nos. --
Superheroine pinup art. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.:
PN6728.6 .I45G545 1995

...this was my copy, picked up at Big Planet Comics, but MSU needed it more...

From the Shadow of the Northern Lights. v. 1 : an anthology of
Swedish Alternative Comics / editor, Johannes Klenell. --
Stockholm, Sweden : Ordfront Galago, 2008. -- 200 p. : ill.
; 25 cm. -- Call no.: PN6790.S92F7 2008

Librarian Randy Scott began picking up comics at his local store (which I think was moving) and we can see evidence of odd titles and issues from the back issue bins surfacing...

Amazing Fantasy. -- New York : Marvel Comics, 2004-2006. --
col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 1 (Aug. 2004) - no. 20
(June 2006), cf. Official Overstreet Comic Book Price
Guide. -- Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 2 (2004). --
Call no.: PN6728.7.M3A48
-----------------------------------------------------
Anarky. -- New York : DC Comics, 1999. -- col. ill. ; 26 cm.
-- Complete in 8 nos. -- Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS:
no. 5, 7. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.D3A482 1999
-----------------------------------------------------
Araknis. -- Costa Mesa, CA : Mushroom Comics, 1996- . -- col.
ill. ; 26 cm. -- Began with no. 0 (Apr. 1996). -- Superhero
genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 0. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.M848A7
-----------------------------------------------------
Bay City Jive. -- La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2001.
-- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Complete in 3 nos. -- Takes place
in San Francisco in the 1970s. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 3. --
Call no.: PN6728.7 .I5B34
-----------------------------------------------------
Civil War : Front Line. -- New York : Marvel Publishing,
2006-2007. -- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Complete in 11 nos. --
Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 8. -- Call no.:
PN6728.7.M3C5034 2006
-----------------------------------------------------
Civil War : War Crimes. -- New York : Marvel Publishing, 2007.
-- 48 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- "No. 1, February, 2007.
Published as a one-shot." -- Superhero genre. -- Call no.:
PN6728.7.M3C5039 2007
-----------------------------------------------------
Rebel. -- Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Comics, 1993. -- Special
limited ed. -- 16 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- (Comics'
Greatest World) -- "Exclusive to Heroes World
Distribution." -- "July 1993." -- Superhero genre. -- Call
no.: PN6728.6.D34R39 1993
-----------------------------------------------------
Faction Paradox. -- Orange, CA : Image Comics, 2003- . -- col.
ill. ; 26 cm. -- Began with v. 1, no. 1 (Aug. 2003). --
Science fiction genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: v. 1, no. 1. -- Call
no.: PN6728.7 .I5F3

...obviously they need the Civil War issues that you're now wondering what to do with...

...and here's a nice oddity that shows how comics were merchandised from the very beginning...

Mutt and Jeff in the Wild and Wooley West. -- Chicago : Harold
Rossiter Music Company, 1911. -- 16 p. : music ; 35 cm. --
Caption title: Popular Song Hits of Mutt and Jeff. -- "A
Gus Hill production." -- Songs with and without piano
accompaniment, one page of song lyrics without music, plus
jokes, advertising, and on the back cover, "Mutt and Jeff's
dream dictionary." -- Probably to be sold at a theatrical
production. -- Call no.: folio PN6728.M87W5 1911

...and the quarter bins lead to the completing of one Valiant title (which I was buying at the time - I think Barry Windsor Smith started the title)...

Archer & Armstrong. -- New York : Valiant, 1992-1994. -- col.
ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 0 (June 1992) - no. 26 (Oct.
1994). -- Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 0-26. --
Call no.: PN6728.6.V6A6
COMPLETE HOLDINGS

...this book is done by DC-area cartoonist John Gallagher...

Buzzboy. -- Kensington, MD : Sky Dog Press, 1998. -- ill. ; 26
cm. -- Complete in 4 nos. -- "The world's most upbeat super
hero." -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 4. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.S532B8
1998

...and a new (at least to Randy) German comic book library pops up...

Comic Bibliothek Renate. Founded in 1992 by a group of comic
artists the library now has about 15,000 titles. Because of
its intention to give access to many kinds of comics, and
show their diversity and possibilities, the library is for
researchers and journalists as well as for comics lovers
and friends. Most of the titles can be borrowed for two
weeks. The main collection is independent and single-author
comics, but there are examples of nearly everything in
comics. (2/09) Contact: Comic-Bibliothek "Renate",
Tucholskystrasse 32, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Phone:
0049(0)30 97 00 58-15 Website: www.renatecomics.de

...more swimsuits!

Razor Swimsuit Special. -- Hickory, N.C. : London Night
Studios, 1995. -- 32 p. : col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Cover
title: Everette Hartsoe's Razor Swimsuit Special. -- "April
1995." -- Pinup style full-page illustrations. -- Call no.:
PN6728.6.L57R315 1995

...ooooh, Barnaby's Crockett Johnson...

Willie's Adventures : Three Stories / by Margaret Wise Brown ;
illustrated by Crockett Johnson. -- Katonah, N.Y. : Young
Readers Press, 1967. -- 68 p. : ill. ; 21 cm. -- "WW 646"
on spine and front cover. -- Copyright 1944. -- Summary
(from OCLC): Three stories about a young boy and his
experiences: Willie's Animal, Willie's Pockets, and
Willie's Walk. -- Call no.: PS3503.R82184W555 1967
Brown, Margaret Wise, 1910-1952.

...DC is about to bring back Archie's superhero line, including the Shield, so Randy probably got these out of the quarter bin just in time...

Lancelot Strong, the Shield. -- New York : Red Circle
Productions, 1983. -- Continued by: The Shield. -- col.
ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 1 (June 1983) only. --
Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.:
PN6728.5.A7S75
-----------------------------------------------------
The Shield. -- New York : Red Circle Productions, 1983. --
col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 2 (Aug. 1983) only. --
Continues: Lancelot Strong, the Shield. -- Continued by:
Shield-Steel Sterling. -- Cover title: Lancelot Strong, the
Shield. -- Superhero genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 2. -- Call
no.: PN6728.5.A7S75

...one wonders what the 'Classex' this is illustrating is...

Illustrated Classex. -- Berlin, NJ : Comic Zone Productions,
1991- . -- ill. ; 26 cm. -- "Adults only." -- Erotic genre.
-- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.: PN6728.6.C58 I4

...and Green Lantern's title from when he wasn't carrying his own book gets completed too...

The Green Lantern Corps. -- New York : DC Comics, 1986-1988.
-- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 201 (June 1986) -
no. 224 (May 1988), cf. Official Overstreet Comic Book
Price Guide. -- Continues: Green Lantern. -- Superhero
genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 201-224. -- Call no.:
PN6728.3.N3G7
COMPLETE HOLDINGS

...but this is an academic library so things turn serious...

The Best American comics 2008 / edited and with an
introduction by Lynda Barry. -- Boston : Houghton Mifflin,
2008. -- 324 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 24 cm. -- (Best
American Series) -- Contents: Burden / Graham Annable ;
War-fix (excerpt) / David Axe and Steve Olexa ; Trouble /
T. Edward Bak ; Proxy War ; A terribly civil war ; Life 2.0
; Scandal in the house ; Who's your daddy? ; and The uses
of intelligence / Alison Bechdel ; The salon (excerpt) /
Nick Bertozzi ; The thing about Madeline / Lilli Carré ;
Hopscotch / Martin Cendreda ; The monkey and the crab /
Shawn Cheng and Sara Edward-Corbett ; Seven sacks / Eleanor
Davis ; The bunker ; Pressure ; Strange thoughts for
strange times ; The man ; and Wal-Mart / Derf ; Part II.
The Benders arrive / Rick Geary ; 'Fraid monkeys ; Daddy I
got a haircut ; Important questions about monsters ; King
of Monster Island ; Movies I'm going to make when I grow up
; Will and Abe's guide to Bali, Parts I, II, and III ; Will
and Abe's guide to superheroes ; Abe and Will in The dinner
conversation ; and My class went on a field trip / Matt
Groening ; Mammalogy / Eric Haven ; Gold diggers of 1969 /
Jaime Hernandez ; Underworld strips / Kaz ; Cousin Granpa /
Michael Kupperman ; Turtle, keep it steady! / Joseph
Lambert ; Cupid's day off / Evan Larson ; Berlin (excerpt)
/ Jason Lutes ; Percy Gloom (excerpt) / Cathy Malkasian ;
The teachers edition (excerpt) / John Mejias ; Graveyard /
Sarah Oleksyk ; The fordbidden zone / Kevin Pyle ; George
Sprott (1894-1975) (excerpt) / Seth ; The Thanksgiving
series / Chris Ware ; American born Chinese (excerpt) /
Gene Luen Yang. -- Alternative genre. -- Call no.:
PN6726.B335 2008
-----------------------------------------------------
An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, & True Stories, v.
two / edited by Ivan Brunetti. -- New Haven, Conn. : Yale
University Press, 2008. -- 400 p. : ill. ; 27 cm. --
Alternative genre. -- Call no.: PN6726.A49 2008
-----------------------------------------------------
Breakdowns : Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@/*! /
Spiegelman. -- New York : Pantheon Books, 2008. -- 1 v. :
ill. (chiefly col.) ; 37 cm. -- Selection of Spiegelman's
works. -- Alternative genre. -- Call no.: folio PN6727.S6B7
2008

...and we wrap up the month with some fifty-year-old comic books...

Cowpuncher. -- New York : Realistic Comics, 1953. -- 32 p. :
col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- "A Realistic reprint." --
"Action-packed stories of the West!" -- Western genre. --
Call no.: PN6728.2.R4C6 1953
-----------------------------------------------------
Hi Ho Comics. -- St. Louis, Mo. : Four-Star Publications,
1946. -- col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 1 - no. 3, cf.
Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide. -- Cover title:
Hi-Ho Comics. -- First issue undated. -- Funny animal
genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call no.: PN6728.1.F58H4
-----------------------------------------------------
Tex Morgan. -- New York : Comic Combine Corp., 1948-1950. --
col. ill. ; 26 cm. -- Published no. 1 (Aug. 1948) - no. 9
(Feb. 1950), cf. Official Overstreet Comic Book Price
Guide. -- Western genre. -- LIBRARY HAS: no. 1. -- Call

Tune in tomorrow for the thrilling days of March 2009!

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Richard's Poor Almanack previewed Free Comic Book Day for the 4th time

See all 4 strips here. He cracks me up.

Crystal City's summer Superheroes movies fest starts May 4th

Fantom Comics moving sale

I stopped by Fantom Comics today to get the 5 trade paperbacks of Arvid Nelson's Rex Mundi - you can still do that for another couple of hours and he does a nice signature and quote in each - and found out that they'll be moving at the end of this month to an undetermined location. In the meantime, they're having a 50% off sale of a lot of good stuff - I bought a bunch. If I hadn't been going to Big Planet since 1986, Fantom would be my store of choice because they've got a lot of stuff beyond superheroes.

Free Comic Book Day - it's time to hit the streets

The tag below this will take you to our earlier posts about who's signing where. I'll be checking out Fantom Comics in Tenleytown and a couple of the Big Planets.

Friday, May 01, 2009

RFK Journalism Awards reception report

I'm posting this because my wife thinks it's cool.

Last night, the RFK Journalism Awards had a reception for we (us?) judges downtown. Of the cartoon judges, half of us made it - namely Nick Galifianakis and me. The food was excellent and it was a pleasure to talk to Nick and the photo judges (who did their judging the same day we did, but were seemingly more contentious). The part Cathy thinks is cool is that Mrs. Ethel Kennedy was able to stop in and made a point of greeting everyone and shaking their hand and thanking them - which I thought was very nice. To avoid this being a totally content-free post, I will say that she recommended reading The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley which seems like a good idea to me too.

The actual award will be given to Jack Ohman later this month.

David Coverly and Jef Mallett's visit to Walter Reed Hospital detailed

I never hear about this in the base newspaper - sigh. For Jef (Frazz) Mallett and David (Speed Bump) Coverly's visit to Walter Reed Hospital and Bethesda Naval Hospital, see "From the funny page to just off the frontline: Lansing cartoonist takes trip to sketch for wounded soldiers," by Bill Castanier, Lansing City Pulse (April 29 2009).

Wash Post on Wolverine

See "So Violent, and Yet So Blhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=34955617oodless," By John Anderson, Special to The Washington Post, Friday, May 1, 2009.

Wolverine's history is so convuluted now that it's impenetrable to reason, as when A.O. Scott in "I, Mutant, Red in Face and Claw," says, "“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” will most likely manage to cash in on the popularity of the earlier episodes, but it is the latest evidence that the superhero movie is suffering from serious imaginative fatigue. A twist at the end that gives poor Wolverine a bad case of amnesia — turning him into a kind of Jason Bourne with sideburns — is a virtual admission that nothing terribly interesting has been learned about the character. He forgets his origins before the movie devoted to their exposition is even over. It won’t take you much longer." He's actually got it backwards by blaming the movie - in the comic books, Wolverine had amnesia which had become necessary as various writers added parasitical bits to a fairly basic origin story that couldn't support them.

Jen Sorenson interview on Comic Riffs

See "The Interview: 'Slowpoke' Alt-Cartoonist Jen Sorensen," By Michael Cavna, May 1, 2009. Jen's always good. I buy her new book at SPX every year, even if I already have it because it's not really new. Because she appreciates it.

UPDATE: A version of this apparently runs in Sunday's physical paper - The Back Story: Sister, Can You Spare a Smile?, Washington Post May 3, 2009

David Hagen's new Zazzle site

David Hagen's Gallery at Zazzle went live yesterday, and you can buy t-shirts by the man who devised the ComicsDC logo spontaneously, out of the goodness of his heart, without knowing me from Adam. Personally I'm getting the Drop Everything and Read shirt. The whole family might be getting it.

Last Chance: Free Bo Nanas Mini-comic for Free Comic Book Day

John Kovaleski writes in to inform us:

Only two more days to get a free copy of the Bo Nanas mini-comic, "TheBlustery Day." It's all in honor of Free Comic Book Day (Saturday. May 2), All you have to do is e-mail me and I'll send you a PDF copy. (There's ateeny bit of assembly required, but I know you can handle it.) So what are you waiting for? Get your copy today! Offer ends tomorrow!

Also, on Free Comic Book Day I'll be at Comix Connection in York, PA, 10:00 to 2:00. I'll have the usual books and fun and FREE signed Bo prints.

As always you can find out too much about me on my blog: http://kovaleski.wordpress.com/

Enjoy Free Comic Book Day - the greatest holiday of them all.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Zadzooks on Wolverine comics

See "Zadzooks: Wolverine comic book reviews; X-Men's Wolverine and Logan explored," By Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times April 30, 2009. I actually bought my first Wolverine comic in perhaps a decade - the faux manga one that Marvel and Del Ray put out this week, just out of curiosity.

And I think I missed at least one Bennett's best:

Scalped and Viking for last week: "Bennett's Best for the week of April 19," By Greg Bennett, April 25, 2009 Zadzooks blog.

Dylan Dog and Paul Pope from two weeks ago: "Bennett's Best for the week of April 12," April 16, 2009 Zadzooks blog.