IJOCA 11-2 table of contents

The new issue of the International Journal of Comic Art is out and here's the table of contents -

Vol. 11, No. 2, Fall 2009

 

Indian Cartooning Symposium

Edited by John A. Lent

 

An Illustrated History of Indian Political Cartooning

John A. Lent

3

 

Vivalok Comics: Celebrating All That Is Small in India

Karline McLain

26

 

G. Aravindan's "Small Men and the Big World":

Re- Defining the "Comic" in the Strip

Gokul T. G.

44

 

Making People Laugh:

Toms and K. J. Yesudasan, Premier Cartoonists

in Kerala, India

Shevlin Sebastian

53

 

The Most Popular Polish Comics (1957-1989)

Radoslaw Bolalek

59

 

The Smartest Comic on Earth:

Metafiction in Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library #16

Paul Cheng

88

 

Lessons My Father Taught Me about Komiks

Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr.

103

 

"Sex and the City":

The Graphic Novel Series Aya

as West African Comedy of Manners

Marla Harris

119

 

The Next Generation of Comics Scholarship

Sandino and Other Superheroes:

The Function of Comic Books in Revolutionary Nicaragua

Bram Draper

136

 

Both Everyman and Other:

"Dilbert" as an Exemplar of Newspaper Comics' Simultaneous Identification and Distance

Julie A. Davis

176

 

Chronicler of Most of a Century:

Cartoonist Ding Cong (1916-2009)

John A. Lent and Xu Ying

195

 

"The Greatest Story Ever Drawn!"

Cleopatra in American Comics

Gregory N. Daugherty

208

 

Press Cartoons in France: A Short History

Jean-Marie Bertin

English translation by Micheline Maupoint and Alex Noel Watson

231

 

Vive la France, Now Who Are We?

Bande Dessinée, the 16 July 1949 Law,

and the Political Re-imagining of Post-World War II France

Joel Vessels

272

 

 

Beyond High and Low:

How Comics and Museums Learned to Co-exist

Kim Munson

283

 

Affect and the Body in Melville's "Bartleby"

and Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki's Skim

Patti Luedecke

299

 

Working Around Words:

Rauf Talishinsky's Azerbaijani Web Cartoons

Interview and Commentary by Alison Mandaville

Translation by Nikki Talishinsky

322

 

Drawn to Distraction:

Comics Reading in Kevin Huizenga's "Lost and Found"

Benjamin Stevens

336

 

From Bumpkin to Blessed --

Comics and National Identity: A Brazilian Case Study

Gêisa Fernandes D'Oliveira

350

 

Comic Book Artists and Writers and Philosophers

Jeff McLaughlin

364

 

An Essay

The Spirit Passes:  The Second Coming

of the Comic Strip's Golden Age

Charles Natoli

372

 

"How to Draw Thinking" Panel,

Small Press Expo, Rockville, MD, Oct. 14, 2006

Isaac Cates

380

 

An Essay

From Cartoon Art to Child Pornography

Murray Lee Eiland

396

 

Hong Kong Manhua after the Millennium

Connie Lam

410

 

Moebius, Gir, Giraud, Gérard:

Self-Visualizations

Maaheen Ahmed

421

 

Political Commentary and Dissent

in the Tapestry and the Cartoon Strip

Jamie Egolf

432

 

The Printed Word

John A. Lent

447

 

<Book Reviews>

Starr Hoffman

Héctor Fernández L'Hoeste

Sol M. Davidson

455

 

<Exhibition and Media Reviews>

edited by Michael Rhode

Ian Gordon

R.J. Gregov

Pascal Lefèvre

 Michael J. Dittman

Ron Stewart

Sarah Lightman

Ariel Kahn

Michael Hill

Michael Rhode

Ofer Berenstein

Peter R. Sattler

Beth Davies-Stofka

Nathan Atkinson

Jose Alaniz

472

 

<Portfolio>

515

Post features local sports cartoonist

Sports cartoonist John Tayman of Maryland is featured in this article on the Post's website - Web-savvy cartoonist makes a bang with the NFL
By Jeff Newman
The Calvert Recorder
Thursday, November 19, 2009

Telnaes and Wuerker are runnerups for Berryman award

Editorial cartoonists Ann Telnaes and Matt Wuerker were Honorary Mentions for the annual Clifford Berryman award. Interestingly, they were both mentioned for their online editorial cartooning. Bill Day, who recently was fired, was also cited. His work submitted for the RFK Award this past year was excellent. The winner was Mike Keefe and the ceremony will be in Washington. Here's the press release:

Mike Keefe of Denver Post Wins Berryman Cartooning Award

From National Press Foundation; Wuerker, Telnaes, Day Also Cited

Washington, November 19 -- Mike Keefe of the Denver Post has been awarded the 2009 Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning for a wide-ranging series of drawings that poked fun at politicians, journalists and public perceptions.

The award carries a $2,500 prize and a crystal trophy. The award will be presented at the 27th annual National Press Foundation Awards Dinner, Tuesday night, February 16th, 2010, at the Washington Hilton Hotel. The theme of the night’s dinner is, “Journalism Matters.” NPF has created a special blog about its dinner, http://tinyurl.com/yhvsozl.

The judges also awarded Honorary Mentions to Matt Wuerker of Politico and Ann Telnaes of washingtonpost.com for the “innovative use of animation in their work, which is expected to be the wave of the future.”

· One devilishly complicated animated cartoon from Wuerker is called, “The Really Big Operation. “ It is based on a children’s game in which contestants take turns trying to extract a bone or organ from a patient, using an electrified tweezers. In Wuerker’s online version, the “patient” is the U.S. health care system, and making a mistake (as everyone must do) results in a dialogue balloon popping up, saying for example, “BZZZT! Don’t even go near proposing Single Payer. You’ll be called a socialist!” www.politico.com/wuerker/animation.html

· Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize and previous Berryman winner, uses sound bites made by public figures and then constructs an ironic and often absurd reference for them – Uncle Sam carrying an enormous figure representing China on his back, while a Chinese figure holding U.S. exports in a gift bag stands nearby. When the screen goes dark, you hear the loud sound of Uncle Sam crashing to the ground. (www.washingtonpost.com, search for Ann Telnaes.)

· In another gesture towards the historically important venue of cartooning, the judges awarded a Certificate of Merit to cartoonist Bill Day, for a series of graphically powerful images highlighting child abuse. One showing a small child facing an enormous fist hardly needs a caption at all. Day is the former editorial cartoonist of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, now syndicated by United Feature Syndicate. His work can be seen at www.unitedfeatures.com.

Keefe will narrative a dozen or so drawings at the event, which draws 1,000 people from the Washington journalism, policy and think tank communities. Single drawings from Wuerker, Telnaes and Day will also be shown. The cartooning award is always one of the highlights of the dinner, the single largest source of unrestricted revenue for NPF, a non-profit that provides no-cost, all expenses paid educational programs for journalists.

In one of Keefe’s entries, he mocks the health care debate and the public’s refusal to pay for infrastructure improvements with a drawing showing a family bumping along a miserable, rocky road. “WHY AREN’T YOU USING THE HIGHWAY?” a woman asks her husband. “I DON’T BELIEVE IN PUBLIC OPTIONS!” he snarls in return as a terrified baby in the back bawls his head off. Keefe has been the editorial cartoonist of the Denver Post since 1975. His work is available through http://www.intoon.com/.

The judges were David Rapp, editor-in-chief, Federal Computer Week, and VP/Content, 1105 Government Information Group; Kathy Mannix, executive director, Young D.C., and Walter Wurfel, broadcast executive. For information about participating in the NPF dinner, contact Kerry@nationalpress.org, 202-663-7282. For information about NPF, contact NPF president Bob Meyers, bob@nationalpress.org.

Nevin Martell Signing Take 2

Nevin Martell, author of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, will be making an in-store appearance at the Bailey's Crossroads, VA Borders tonight at 7:30 pm:

http://www.borders.com/online/store/EventView?city=&state=&zipCode=&within=&all_stores=&selectedStoreId=10592&eventId=319313&

12/5: Matt Wuerker's Newseum event 12/5

Politico Cartooning with Matt Wuerker
Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m., Knight Studio, Level 3

Learn how Wuerker, Politico's staff cartoonist, selects and illustrates his favorite political fodder and hear his insights on how editorial cartooning can survive and thrive in multimedia journalism

-tip courtesy of
Bruce Guthrie
Photo obsessive
http://www.digitalphalanx.com/bguthrie

Washington Blade closes

The gay weekly Washington Blade closed yesterday, removing two comics from our purview - Mike Ritter's editorial cartoons and the irregularly published but regularly appearing comic strip Kyle's Bed and Breakfast. The Post is reporting now that the staffers plan to get a Friday edition out in spite of the dissolution of the parent company Windows Media.

 

The paper went seriously downhill when it was acquired, and hopefully it can be resurrected and go back to running three or four cartoon features although Dykes to Watch Out For is on indefinite hiatus.

Post on A Madascar Christmas

 

Every creature is stirring -- and it's still November

By Hank Stuever
Washington Post November 17, 2009

OT: Joe Kubert auctions his art

 Interesting article -

A Gallery of Heroes, Up for Sale

By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES

NY Times November 17, 2009

Baltimore Comic-Con at the VA Comicon

Richmond, Virginia - November 17, 2009 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is passing along the following press release from our friend and Harvey Awards sponsor VA COMICON, as we will be making a panel appearance during the show! Please join us at 2:30pm on Saturday, November 21st as Marc Nathan, founder and promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con joins Shelton Drumm of Heroes Con to discuss inside information about comic conventions as well as surprise announcements!



The VA COMICON comes to Richmond, VA November 21-22, 2009 with 6 different GI JOE artists! This will be the first two-day comic book show in the state of Virginia in over 25 years, and will take place across 10,000+ square feet at the Crowne Plaza West (6532 W Broad Street in Richmond, VA).

With Guests of Honor Larry Hama (the creator of the Modern Day GI JOE franchise) and Chris Claremont (the #1 best-selling writer of X-Men), the event will be a blast for the whole family! These guests will be joined by dozens of top comic artists and writers including 6 different creators behind GI JOE, three different creators behind Deadpool, Alex Saviuk, the artist behind Stan Lee's The Amazing Spider-Man in the newspaper, and more!


Other Exhibitors include CGC comics grading services, the Hero Initiative, Regal Cinemas, Brick Weekly, The Wieringo Scholarship, multiple small press vendors, Nascar Comics, and MORE!

FREE for ALL children, FREE if you come in Full Costume, and FREE if you have a Student or Military ID! All other tickets are just $10 for the entire weekend! The first 750 paid admissions will receive a FREE VA Comicon holiday variant of Witchblade #132 by guest Randy Green! Art Auction Saturday, Costume Contest Sunday! Much more information at the VA Comicon website at www.vacomicon.com!

Artist list:

LARRY HAMA (GI JOE, Wolverine, 'Nam)
KEVIN SHARPE (Nova, Army of Darkness)
CHUCK DIXON (GI JOE, Outsiders)
CHRIS CLAREMONT (All things X-Men)
BILLY TUCCI (Sgt. Rock, Shi)
ADAM LUCAS (Zuda Winner)
ALEX SAVIUK (Spider-Man Sundays)
JOHN GALLAGHER (Nascar Heroes)
KELLY YATES (Dr. Who, Amber Atoms)
ROBERT ATKINS (GI JOE, NBC's Heroes)
RICK KETCHAM (Amazing Spider-Man)
MIKE McKONE (Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, JLI)
JAMES KUHORIC (Dead Irons, Battlestar Galactica)
DAN PARENT (Betty and Veronica)
RANDY GREEN (Witchblade, Tomb Raider)
REILLY BROWN (Cable and Deadpool)
JIM CALAFIORE (Batgirl, Deadpool)
MARK McKENNA (Exiles, Countdown)
J.C. VAUGHN (CSI, Shi, Battlestar Galactica)
BUDD ROOT (creator of Cavewoman)
ANDY SMITH (Weapon X, Deadly Duo)
STEVE BIRD (Hard Time, Blue Beetle)
JOHN WYCOUGH (BloodRayne, GI JOE)
BRIAN SHEARER (Marvel Trading Cards)
KEN MARCUS (Super Human Resources)
LOUIS SMALL JR (Lady Death, Vampirella)
ERIC WOLFE HANSON (Micronauts, GI JOE)
STEVE CONLEY (Bloop, Star Trek)
RICK SPEARS (Teenagers from Mars)
JAMES CALLAHAN (Strange Detective Tales)
....and MORE!

We look forward to seeing you there! Tickets available online! All online ticket holders get in ½ hour early each day! Show hours are 12p-7p on Saturday, November 21, and 10-4pm on Sunday November 22! Free Bowling Party on Saturday Night! FREE Parking! Go to www.VAcomicon.com for info and to RSVP!
See you there!


Next Year's Baltimore Comic-Con
Please mark your calendars now to join us in 2010 on August 28th and 29th for the Baltimore Comic-Con's 11th year. Confirmed guests include Michael and Laura Allred, Howard Chaykin, Frank Cho, Amanda Conner, Dan DiDio, Al Feldstein, Ron Garney, Michael Golden, Geoff Johns, Michael Lark, Phil Noto, Jimmy Palmiotti, Eric Powell, James Robinson, Jim Starlin, Mark Texeira, and Marv Wolfman.

Details on guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming leading up to the show can always be found at our website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and ComicSpace pages.

DC Craft Mafia

I noticed an ad in this week's City Paper for the DC Craft Mafia's Holiday Heist on Saturday, November 21st. 12pm - 6pm. The event is to be held at The Soundry (316 Dominion Road, Vienna, VA 22180), and I know Carolyn Belefski with Curls Studio will be in attendance, a regular at local comics events. Perhaps a good opportunity to pick up some holiday artistic goodies (and some comics from Curls!).

Irene Vartanoff interviewed

Here's a feature on a local fan turned pro, Irene Vartanoff. Irene's sister Ellen lives in the area, and displays some of the family's artwork up at Montgomery College sometimes.

Interview with Irene Vartanoff!
Posted by Jacque Nodell
Sequential Crush blog Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nov 21: Terry Flippo, Beyond Comics artist appearance

B E Y O N D      C O M I C S Valued Friend November 17, 2009 MEET COMIC ARTIST Terry Flippo Saturday November 21st 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at our Frederick Store! He will be signing comics and selling drawings of your favorite characters Highly recommended for young fans! Thanksgiving Weekend Sale! It's coming...details soon. Blue and Violet Lantern Rings Are Here! Free with the purchase of Adventure Comics #4 & Outsiders #24 QUICK LINKS Action Figures Statues Books Graphic Novels Variant Covers Magazines Manga Action Figures & Toys DC UNIVERS 6" DEADMAN AF & QUESTION AF GEARS OF WAR 7-IN AF SER 5 GHOSTBUSTERS MINIMATES PX RAY & GLOW SLIMER GHOSTBUSTERS MINIMATES SERIES 2 BOX SET MARVEL MINIMATES SERIES 29 ASST MARVEL MINIMATES SERIES 30 ASST TERMINATOR 2 MINIMATES SERIES 2 ASST Statues RETURN TO WONDERLAND CALIE STATUE WOMEN OF THE DCU SERIES 2 VIXEN BUST Books DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 31 RIP KIRBY VOL 1 HC SPECTRUM VOL 16 TP Recent Collections Here are some recent acquisitions to our Frederick Back Stock. 1960's Superman & Batman Comics These items are in the Frederick store and are available first come first serve. INFO Website eBay Store New Items Added9/7/09 Amazon Store Follow us on Twitter Newsletter Signup Don't Miss: Authority the Lost Years #3, Black Knight #1, Dr Horrible One Shot, Flash Rebirth #5, Talisman Road of Trials #1, Victorian Undead #1 Batman Battle for the Cowl HC, Green Lantern Corps Emerald Eclipse HC, Pictures that Tick TP, The Nam Vol 1 TP Keep an eye out for our Tweeter Specials New Comics ADVENTURE COMICS #4 AGON MERC FLIPBOOK AIR #15 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #612 ANGEL ONLY HUMAN #4 ARCHIE DIGEST #259 AUTHORTY THE LOST YEAR #3 AZRAEL #2 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #37 BATMAN STREETS      OF GOTHAM #6 BATMAN THE UNSEEN #4 BLACK KNIGHT #1 BRAVE AND THE BOLD #29 CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #16 COWBOY NINJA VIKING #2 CYBERFORCE HUNTER KILLER #3 DARK AVENGERS #11 DARK REIGN LIST AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ONE-SHOT DEADLOCKE ONE SHOT DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #5 DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #4 DOMINIC FORTUNE #4 DR HORRIBLE ONE SHOT DR HORRIBLE ONE SHOT (OSW) VAR #1 DR HORRIBLE ONE SHOT (OSW) VAR #2 FALL OUT TOY WORKS #2 FARSCAPE ONGOING #1 FLASH REBIRTH #5 G-MAN CAPE CRISIS #4 GOLD DIGGER #112 GOLD DIGGER TECH MANUAL #9 HELLBLAZER #261 INCREDIBLE HULK #604 INVINCIBLE #68 IRREDEEMABLE #8 JIM BUTCHERS DRESDEN FILES STORM FRONT #4 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 80 PAGE GIANT #1 KOOKABURRA K #1 LEGION PROPHETS #1 LUKE MCBAIN #1 MICKEY MOUSE & FRIENDS #297 MIGHTY AVENGERS #31 NOLA #1 NOMAD GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD #3 OUTSIDERS #24 PRESIDENT EVIL #3 PUNISHER #11 REALM OF KINGS INHUMANS #1 REALM OF KINGS ONE-SHOT SIMPSONS COMICS #160 SONIC UNIVERSE #10 SPIDER-MAN 1602 #2 SPIDER-WOMAN #3 STAND SOUL SURVIVORS #2 STAR TREK TNG GHOSTS #1 STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #47 SUPER FRIENDS #21 SUPERGIRL #47 SUPERMAN BATMAN #66 SWORDSMITH ASSASSIN #4 TALES OF TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #64 TALISMAN ROAD OF TRIALS #1 THICKER THAN BLOOD #3 THUNDERBOLTS #138 TINY TITANS #22 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #1 UNDERGROUND #3 UPTIGHT #3 VICTORIAN UNDEAD #1 VIGILANTE #12 VIKING #4 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #700 WAR MACHINE #11 WE KILL MONSTERS #5 WOLVERINE ORIGINS #42 WOLVERINE WEAPON X #7 WORLD OF WARCRAFT #25 X-MEN LEGACY #229 ZORRO #17 Graphic Novels 24 OMNIBUS VOL 1 TP ALIEN LEGION OMNIBUS VOL 1 TP BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL HC BLACK LIGHTNING YEAR ONE TP CASPER FRIENDLY GHOST 60TH      ANNIV HC DAREDEVIL NOIR PREM HC DARK AVENGERS VOL 1      ASSEMBLE TP DESTROYER PREM HC DR WHO WIDOWS CURSE TP FALL OF CTHULHU VOL 6 NEMESIS TP GREEN LANTERN EMERALD ECLIPSE HC HERCULES FULL CIRCLE PREM HC JESUS HATES ZOMBIES LINCOLN HATES WEREWOLVEES GN JSA VOL 3 THY KINGDOM COME PART 2 TP KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE VOL 28 TP MIDDLEMAN DOOMSDAY ARMAGEDDON APOCALYPSE GN MIGHTY AVENGERS EARTHS MIGHTIEST TP NANCY DREW VOL 19 GN NEW AVENGERS VOL 11 SEARCH SORCERER SUPREMEN TP PICTURES THAT TICK TP POWERS ENCYCLOPEDIA VOL 1 PUNISHER DARK REIGN TP ROBERT BLOCHS LORI GN RUNAWAYS HOMESCHOOLING PREM HC SHOWCASE PRESENTS DC COMICS PRESENTS VOL 1 TP SPIRIT VOL 4 TP THE NAM VOL 1 TP TREASURY 20TH CENTURY MURDER VOL 2 FAMOUS PLAY SC WAR OF KINGS HC WASTELAND VOL 5 TALES O/T UNINVITED TP WOLVERINE ORIGINS DARK REIGN TP WOLVERINE ORIGINS ROMULUS PREM HC X-MEN WOLVERINE GAMBIT PREM HC ZOMBIE TALES VOL 1 TP   Variant Covers ADVENTURE COMICS VAR ED #507 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN MCGUINNESS BLACK CAT VAR #612 CYBERFORCE HUNTER KILLER PORTACIO INCV CVR #3 FLASH REBIRTH VAR ED #5 IRREDEEMABLE INCV CVR #8 MICKEY MOUSE & FRIENDS INCV CVR #297 STAND SOUL SURVIVORS PERKINS VAR #2 STAR TREK TNG GHOSTS 10 COPY VIRGIN CORRONEY #1 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING 10 COPY DOYLE INCV #1 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES INCV CVR #700 Magazines BACK ISSUE #37 BUFFY & ANGEL FIGURINE COLL MAG #1 BUFFY & ANGEL FIGURINE COLL MAG #2 CLASSIC MARVEL FIGURINE COLL MAGAZINE #107 DC SUPERHERO FIGURINE COLL MAG SPECIAL BATCYCLE DC SUPERHERO FIGURINE COLL MAGAZINE #41 LEES TOY REVIEW #204 LOCUS #586 MAD MAGAZINE #502 STAR WARS VEHICLES COLL MAG #29 STAR WARS VEHICLES COLL MAG #30 STAR WARS VEHICLES COLL MAG #4 TOMARTS ACTION FIGURE DIGEST #182 TORCHWOOD MAGAZINE #18 Manga OISHINBO JOY OF RICE VOL 6 TEZUKAS BLACK JACK VOL 8 TP Please Note, some items are not available at all store locations. For more information please speak with any store representative. Some items may also be allocated by the manufacturer and may not be available. Beyond Comics does not guarantee items being in stock; however we will do our best to keep them available. Email: Gaithersburg John Shine Manager or Frederick Jon Cohen Manager Gaithersburg Store: 536 North Frederick Ave Gaithersburg, MD (301) 216-0007 Hours: M,Tu 11-8; W-Sat 10-9; Sun 12-6 Frederick Store: 5632 Route 85 Frederick, MD (301) 668-8202 Hours: M,Tu 11-8; W-Sat 10-9; Sun 12-6 Thanksgiving Sale! It's Coming Keep an Eye Out for Details. Offer Expires: November 29, 2009

Fwd: Kal cartoons on M&Ms

Kal writes in with news of an impossible-to-find (let alone preserve) collectible...

I thought you might want to know about a Kal First... my cartoons appearing on a special edition of M&M candies:
http://www.kaltoons.com/wordpress/2009/11/kal-caricatures-on-mms/

Best
Kal

Kevin Kallaugher
kal@kaltoons.com
www.Kaltoons.com

Zadzooks on Marvel toys

Zadzooks Secret Wars Comic Packs, Turbo Tank and Halo Wars Aerial Ambush
Joseph Szadkowski, Washington Times November 12, 2009

Chick, superhero webshow

Using the Web to adjust the color on TV
Minorities find a warm reception through online channels
By DeNeen L. Brown
Washington Post Sunday, November 15, 2009

Greek graphic biography Logicomix reviewed in Post

Big ideas, bright colors
Dan Kois
Washington Post Sunday, November 15, 2009

LOGICOMIX
An Epic Search for Truth
By Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna
Bloomsbury. 347 pp. Paperback, $22.95

I've got it, but haven't read it yet.

Quick Reviews for Comics Due 11-18-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 11-18-09

By John Judy

 

ADVENTURE COMICS #4 by Geoff Johns and Jerry Ordway.  Superboy-Prime meets the Black Lanterns to see who can be more over-the-top creepy.  Plus, a Legion back-up story.

 

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #612 by Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta.  What if Electro didn't suck anymore?  Watch how Waid does it.  Recommended.

 

BRAVE AND BOLD #29 by J. Michael Straczynski and Jesus Saiz.  Batman and Brother Power the Geek.  Need I say more?  No.  No, I do not.

 

CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST 60^th ANNIVERSARY HC by Various Creators.  Going back to his first appearance in 1949, this one collects rare and charming highlights from the Friendliest Ghost You Know.  Good stuff for all ages.  Recommended.

 

DARK AVENGERS #11 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.  Molecule Man don't take no mess!  Ow!

 

DARK REIGN THE LIST: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ONE-SHOT by Dan Slott and Adam Kubert.  Norman Osborn has had it!  Up to HERE! With that darn Spider-Man!  Time to get down to business.  This one's written by Dan Slott so expect the unexpected.  Recommended.

 

DR. HORRIBLE ONE-SHOT by Zack Whedon and Joelle Jones.  The dirty little secret origin of the internet's favorite mad scientist!  Huzzah!  Highly recommended.

 

DRIVEN BY LEMONS HC written and drawn by Joshua Cotter.  A sketchbook from the guy who gave us SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST.  A little different for them that likes it that way.

 

FIR TREE GN by Hans Christian Andersen and Lilli Carre.  The story of a fir tree who ends up celebrating Christmas the hard way.

 

FLASH: REBIRTH #5 of 6 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.  Further game-changing by Geoff Johns.  This is awesome.  Flash-fact.  Recommended.

 

GIFT OF THE MAGI GN by O. Henry and Joel Priddy.  An adaptation of the classic tale of giving.  Great gift for the season.

 

HELLBLAZER #261 by Peter Milligan and Giuseppe Camuncoli.  Constantine meets Bollywood and neither shall be unchanged!  Milligan madness!

 

IRREDEEMABLE #8 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.  Well, the Plutonian sure got a surprise last issue didn't he?  Now it's his turn.  A terrifying story of what would happen if a superman went bad and just kept on going.  Recommended.  Not for kids.

 

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA 80-PAGE GIANT #1 by Everybody.  Okay, not quite Everybody, but darn near.  Seven stories about JSAers, old and new.

 

KIDNAPPED SANTA CLAUS GN by L. Frank Baum and Alex Robinson.  Demons kidnap Saint Nick!  Must!  Have!  (And yes, it's that L. Frank Baum.)

 

MIGHTY AVENGERS #31 by Christos Gage, Dan Slott and Sean Chen.  Many super-types gather to beat up on a bad guy.  Amazed no one ever thought of that before…

 

PICTURES THAT TICK SC by Dave McKean.  A graphic brain-bender from the guy who brought you every single cover of SANDMAN among too many other works of genius to mention here.  Gotta look!

 

POWERS ENCYCLOPEDIA VOL. 1 by Bendis, Tim Daniel and Michael Avon Oeming.  A little… okay, a lot of backstory on the POWERS universe, plus a peek into what's coming up.  For Bendis fans new and old alike.

 

SPIDER-WOMAN #3 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev.  Skrulls, Hydra, Madripoor, lots of wayward elements of the Marvel Yoo coming together in the context of a Big Fight!

 

THE STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS #2 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins.  Larry Underwood meets Nadine Cross and Joe the feral kid.  What better time than now to read a comic about the flu killing the world?  Curl up with a jug of Ny-Quil and enjoy!  Recommended.

 

THE NAM, VOL. 1 SC by Doug Murray and Michael Golden.  Collecting issues #1-10 of this pivotal war series from the late eighties.  Recommended.

 

UNDERGROUND #3 of 5 by Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber.  Bats!  There's a cave full of bats in the dark and our heroes have to cuddle up with those rats with wings.  And their filthy teeth…  Recommended.

 

VICTORIAN UNDEAD #1 of 6 by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri.  Sherlock Holmes fights zombies!  Why did Conan-Doyle not think of this?!  Highly recommended!

 

WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #7 by Jason Aaron and Yanick Paquette.  "Wolverine in a nuthouse."  It's the one you've always wanted to read and Jason Aaron writes it good.  Recommended.

 

Also this week: Blue and Violet Lantern/Star Sapphire promotional rings!  For those of you keeping score, we now have available: Orange, Yellow, Blue, Indigo and Violet Lantern Rings.  (Black Lantern rings came out a while ago, before this latest promo tie-in.)  This just leaves Green and Red until we can all have a huge nerd party, chanting the Green Lantern oath and wondering why we can't get a date.

 

www.johnjudy.net

 

Library of Congress' Poetry site appreciates Archie

Scoop noticed that the Library of Congress' Poetry site appreciates Archie. Or at least his taste in poetry. No word on its opinion about his taste in women.

PR: Canadian artist Von Allan publishes mental illness graphic novel

Friend of ComicsDC (look for the badge!) Von Allan's got his new book out:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (November 11, 2009) – Mental illness remains one of Western society's greatest taboos.  Those who suffer from various mental health disorders often suffer in silence, with very little support from society.  Family members and other loved ones of those afflicted also suffer and are often forced to understand and cope alone.  The loneliness, fear and frustration that this can cause is difficult for most people to understand.  And this isolation can be far worse when you're a child of a bipolar, schizophrenic or otherwise mentally ill parent.  Von Allan, an Ottawa-based graphic novelist, has attempted to shed some light on this subject with the publication of his first full-length graphic novel, titled "the road to god knows..."

"My mom was diagnosed schizophrenic when I was quite young, maybe 11 or so," said Allan.  "She suffered a number of nervous breakdowns as I was growing up, as she battled, often very much alone, a disease that was slowly taking bits of her away.  What I remember most vividly about this time was how confused and powerless I was.  No one talked with me about what was happening to her and my mom was incapable of explaining it to me herself.  I didn't understand and that, combined with what I was experiencing, was really, really scary.  There's also odd feelings of guilt that go with this.  "Did I do something wrong?  Did I somehow cause this?"  I wrote and drew this book to shed some light on a very hush-hush topic and hopefully help others, especially kids but really people of all ages, realize that they aren't alone and that they haven't done anything wrong.  And neither has the person who is suffering from mental illness."

A unique aspect of the graphic novel is its availability in multiple channels.  First, the book can be downloaded as a free PDF eBook on the artist's website.  In addition, a torrent version has been made available via LegalTorrents.com and the PDF is also available on Scribd.com.  The graphic novel is distributed under a Creative Commons Canada licence that grants readers the ability to distribute the online versions of the book for free.  "The toughest thing for new artists is just getting noticed.  Obscurity, as Tim O'Reilly said, is the enemy and not piracy.  By using a variety of online distribution tools as well as more traditional print publishing, I'm hoping people will give the book a try.  And maybe it'll get into the hands of someone who could really use it.  The book is also available through online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can also be purchased in comic shops like Jim Hanley's Universe in New York, Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz, Cosmic Monkey Comics in Portland, Strange Adventures in Halifax, and bookstores like Perfect Books in Ottawa and Librarie Astro in Montreal."

"The road to god knows..." is the story of Marie, a teenage girl coming to grips with her Mom's schizophrenia. As a result, she's struggling to grow up fast; wrestling with poverty, loneliness, and her Mom's illness every step of the way.  At the start of the story, we see a scared young girl, uncertain and overwhelmed, but as her mom collapses into a full nervous breakdown, Marie is forced to examine herself and her life and come to a decision:  does she continue to be a child, reacting to what's happening around her?  Or does she take control of her life, come what may?

"the road to god knows…" has an ISBN of 978-0-9781237-0-3, a suggested retail price of $12.95 US/$13.99 CDN and is 148 pages in length.

About Von Allan:  Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for "Star Wars: A New Hope."  The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes.  Additional information about the graphic novel can be found at http://trtgk.vonallan.com/.

Contact:

Von Allan
P.O. Box 20520, 390 Rideau Street,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  K1N 1A3
Email: von@vonallan.com
Phone:  613-236-9957

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Von Allan

Quote: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." (Beckett)

My original graphic novel, the road to god knows... (ISBN: 978-0-9781237-0-3) is now available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, and other notable retailers.

Von Allan Studio
P.O. Box 20520, 390 Rideau Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Phone: 613-236-9957
Email: von@vonallan.com
Web: http://www.vonallan.com
Blog: http://vonandmoggy.livejournal.com

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