“Likable Characters Are for Weak-Minded Narcissists”: A Chat with Daniel Clowes
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 is short email interview that he did with me - he's very funny. Go read it now, and then see him tonight at Politics and Prose at 7 pm.
Here's the PR from his publisher:
Dan Clowes On Tour! WILSON in stores!
All of our North American distributors have shipped the most anticipated book of the year to stores -- WILSON by Daniel Clowes, the cartoonist of David Boring, Ghost World and Ice Haven and the legendary Eightball comic book series. Today, WILSON is available everywhere in North America, at a finer store near you. In the next year, foreign language editions will also come out in the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands and Denmark.
Dan Clowes embarks on his tour next week in support of his first ever original graphic novel. In each city, Dan will be talking with a special guest moderator complete with slide show. (and it's a great slide show) And in Boston you get to see Ghost World after the event, with an introduction by Dan himself.
05/03/10 | 7 PM Washington DC POLITICS & PROSE With Dan Kois
05/04/10 | 6 PM Cambridge BRATTLE THEATER & HARVARD BOOKSTORE With Hillary Chute
05/05/10 | 7 PM NYC THE STRAND With David Hajdu
05/07/10 | 7 PM Toronto TCAF & TPL With Mark Medley
05/08/10-05/09/10 Toronto TCAF & TPL
05/13/10 | 7:30 PM San Francisco THE BOOKSMITH With Glen David Gold
05/14/10 | 7:30 PM Los Angeles SKYLIGHT BOOKS With Dana Gould
05/16/10 | 7:30 PM Portland POWELLS With Greg Netzer, Director of Wordstock
06/03/10 | 7 PM Oakland DIESEL With Eli Horowitz
06/12/10 | 7 PM Chicago QUIMBY'S (signing only)
06/13/10 | TBA Chicago PRINTERS ROW With Ray Pride
ABOUT WILSON: Meet Wilson, an opinionated middle-aged loner who loves his dog and quite possibly no one else. In an ongoing quest to find human connection, he badgers friend and stranger alike into a series of one-sided conversations, punctuating his own lofty discursions with a brutally honest, self-negating sense of humor. After his father dies, Wilson, now irrevocably alone, sets out to find his ex-wife with the hope of rekindling their long-dead relationship, and discovers he has a teenage daughter, born after the marriage ended and given up for adoption. Wilson eventually forces all three to reconnect as a family - a doomed mission that will surely, inevitably backfire.
Full Color, 80 pages, 8 1/4 by 11 1/2 inches ISBN: 9781770460072 $21.95 US / $22.95 CDN
For more information visit www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog
Monday, May 03, 2010
Ann Telnaes and other editorial cartoonists condemn threats against South Park
17 Pulitzer Prize Winners have signed this petition.
For what it's worth, I agree with them completely (not that anyone cares what a blogger thinks).
Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-05-10
COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-05-10
(Or as they say in Arizona "Cinco de Mayo!)
by John Judy
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #630 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo. Spidey must fight a cold-blooded reptile and it ain't Dick Cheney! The Lizard is back! Yowza!
ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN/WOLVERINE #1 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert. The best Wolverine writer ever gets his hands on the web-slinger too! Brace yourself for the MARVEL TEAM-UP from hell! Recommended!
ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #4 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. This is it! The final chapter of THE DARK AGE! Years in the making, two covers and eight extra pages of Astro City WOW! Recommended!
BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 by Grant Morrison and Andy Clarke. Wrapping up the big Batman-Robin fight and revealing a lot of stuff you'd never guess about characters you'd never heard of until Morrison made them up. It's bat-stuff crazy!
THE BEATS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY SC by Harvey Pekar and Various Collaborators. This is a softcover edition of Pekar's graphic exploration of a literary movement that shaped his generation. A mixed bag well worth digging into.
BRIGHTEST DAY #1 by Geoff Johns and a Lot of People. You'd think after coming back from the dead everything else would be a cake-walk. And you'd be wrong, as a whole bunch of DC heroes are about to learn.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #35 by Brad Meltzer and Georges Jeanty. Somehow they're really going to wrap this all up in this issue. With an X-Men tribute cover no less! Must read!
CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #2 by Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan. A World War Two adventure starring a rookie Cap versus a seasoned Panther. Oh, and the Nazis are in there too. Recommended.
DONG XOAI VIETNAM 1965 written and illustrated by Joe Kubert. A devastating true story from the days of the Vietnam War, told as only the great Joe Kubert can. Highly recommended.
ELECTRIC ANT #2 of 5 by David Mack and Pascal Alixe. Based on an original story by the legendary Philip K. Dick, this is already one of the most promising sci-fi comics in a long time. Great art and a familiar Dick theme of figuring out how much we really know about ourselves and what it means to be human. Highly recommended.
INCORRUPTIBLE, VOL. 1 SC by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz. In which we meet Max Damage, the bad guy who gets more powerful the longer he's awake. Except Max isn't bad anymore since the Plutonian went nuts. Now he's "Incorruptible." Highly recommended.
IRREDEEMABLE #13 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause. The Paradigm are locked up, leaving the mad Plutonian completely in the hands of the one guy crazier than he is. Recommended.
IZOMBIE #1 by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. The adventures of a grave-robbing, brain-eating girl detective. Yes, you do have to look! Not for kids.
PILOT SEASON: STEALTH #1 by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri. In the midst of a number of other difficulties a man takes in his aging father who's suffering from dementia. Unfortunately dad was also the superhero Stealth. Will Obamacare be able to handle this? From the creator of WALKING DEAD and INVINCIBLE.
PRIDE, PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES GN by Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith, Tony Lee and Cliff Richards. The only thing that could make me read Jane Austen: Flesh-eating fiends from the depths of hell!!! Recommended.
SECRET SIX #21 by Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore. Catman's got his claws out like never before. Definitely not for younger kids. Recommended.
SPIDER-MAN: FEVER #2 of 3 written and drawn by Brendan McCarthy. Doctor Strange must rescue Spidey's soul from demons in a book that looks like it was painted with melted Good-n-Fruitys! Gotta look!
STEPHEN KING'S N #3 of 4 by Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev. Adapting a Stephen King horror story about a shrink who catches his patient's demon-induced OCD. You must read this comic ten times before you can put it down safely, in mylar, in a comic box facing north-south. Seriously.
SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1 of 4 by James Robinson, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle. Brainiac is now an afterthought as Supes and Zod tear into each other while 100,000 Kryptonians wait in the wings.
ULTIMATE COMICS: NEW ULTIMATES #2 by Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho. This comic was drawn by Frank Cho.
UNCANNY X-MEN #524 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson. Last issue "a beloved X-Man died defending Hope." Okay, I'm not gonna give it away, but come on. "Beloved?" Really? Some of these X-threads are better than others.
VERONICA #200 written and drawn by Dan Parent. A milestone issue starring Riverdale's poor little rich girl, Veronica Lodge! This issue, Veronica gets a time machine!
And this week don't forget to ask for your WHITE LANTERN PROMO RINGS for enhancing your enjoyment of comics and bringing back the dead!
TODAY: Kal on Kojo on NPR, May 8th in Baltimore
Kal sends in a note about 2 events he'll be doing this week:
On Monday May 3 I will be a guest Washington's NPR showcase station , WAMU (www.wamu.org, 88.5 FM), on the Kojo Nnamdi show. I will be on the 1-2PM slot as part of a discussion on Satire and Culture.
I will be the guest speaker at the annual benefit fundraiser for "At Jacob's Well" (http://atjacobswell.org) a very worthy charity dedicated to aiding the homeless community in Baltimore. Here are the details:
When: Saturday, May 8, 2PM
Where: Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD
Details: $20. Admission includes Wine and Hors d'oeuvres. Silent auction to benefit the charity
If you cannot attend but want to help this very worthy group, please visit their website: http://atjacobswell.org/
Also,
Best
Kal
On Monday May 3 I will be a guest Washington's NPR showcase station , WAMU (www.wamu.org, 88.5 FM), on the Kojo Nnamdi show. I will be on the 1-2PM slot as part of a discussion on Satire and Culture.
I will be the guest speaker at the annual benefit fundraiser for "At Jacob's Well" (http://atjacobswell.org) a very worthy charity dedicated to aiding the homeless community in Baltimore. Here are the details:
When: Saturday, May 8, 2PM
Where: Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD
Details: $20. Admission includes Wine and Hors d'oeuvres. Silent auction to benefit the charity
If you cannot attend but want to help this very worthy group, please visit their website: http://atjacobswell.org/
Also,
Best
Kal
Kevin Kallaugher
The KAL iPhone App is now available at the iTunes store.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
PR: DC Comic-Con Costume Contest
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May 3: Daniel Clowes at Politics and Prose
I'll have a brief review of the book up at the City Paper this week, and an amusing interview with him posted there on Monday morning.
Daniel Clowes - Wilson
Start: May 3, 2010 - 7:00pm
End: May 3, 2010 - 8:00pm
The latest graphic novel by Clowes, the author of David Boring and Ghost World is his first not to be serialized. A sequence of single-page vignettes, it’s drawn in different styles and dramatizes the life of a lonely, bitter man searching for human connection.
Daniel Clowes - Wilson
Start: May 3, 2010 - 7:00pm
End: May 3, 2010 - 8:00pm
The latest graphic novel by Clowes, the author of David Boring and Ghost World is his first not to be serialized. A sequence of single-page vignettes, it’s drawn in different styles and dramatizes the life of a lonely, bitter man searching for human connection.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Marc Singer on teaching American Born Chinese
Marc must be near to wrapping his course at Howard up - here he is on Gene Yang's award-winning book -
Week 12: Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese
April 26, 2010
Week 12: Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese
April 26, 2010
BANG! The Universe Verse highlighted in Post
Without seeing the book "BANG! The Universe Verse: Book 1" (James Lu Dunbar), I'm not sure it's a comic, but...
Comic book uses verse to describe the beginning of the universe
-- Rachel Saslow
Washington Post April 27, 2010
Comic book uses verse to describe the beginning of the universe
-- Rachel Saslow
Washington Post April 27, 2010
National Archives' Civil War manga style
Comic book-style exhibit tells Civil War saga has pictures from the interactive computer display in the new National Archives' exhibit.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Comic Riffs on let's not "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"
Post-'South Park': Cartoonist retreats from 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' [UPDATED], By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog April 26, 2010.
I'm a pretty irreligious guy, and dedicated to free speech, but even I feel this is all getting ridiculous. To use a loaded analogy, it's starting to remind me of the Islam conquest, and countering Crusades, where you 'convinced' the other side by brute force.
I'm a pretty irreligious guy, and dedicated to free speech, but even I feel this is all getting ridiculous. To use a loaded analogy, it's starting to remind me of the Islam conquest, and countering Crusades, where you 'convinced' the other side by brute force.
John Kelly on the post-cartoon Smokey the Bear
The biography of Smokey Bear: the cartoon came first
By John Kelly
Washington Post April 25, 2010; C03
By John Kelly
Washington Post April 25, 2010; C03
Zadzooks reviews licensed comics
Comic book reviews: Terminator, Star Wars and Conan, Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Zadzooks - Worlds of Comics, Gaming and Action Figures by Joseph Szadkowski
Nate Beeler chosen for Cartoons for the Classroom
Nate Beeler's drawing of the Iceland volcano was chosen for the April 26th Cartoons for the Classroom educational feature. One can enter a caption contest as well.
Post on South Park censorship
I completely missed this until Cavna's Comic Riffs linked to it -
Comedy Central censors "South Park"
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post April 23, 2010
Comedy Central censors "South Park"
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post April 23, 2010
Day late - Iron Man 2 poster in USA Weekend
There's an Iron Man 2 poster by John Romita Jr in USA Weekend, which was distributed in yesterday's Examiner. There's a story on the movie by Brian Truitt as well.
Free Comic Book Day - cartoonists at Beyond Comics
From Beyond Comics website:
at the Frederick store
Micah Gunnell
Artist of Aspen Comics Dellec.
Like most artists, I've been drawing almost non-stop since I was young. I discovered comics at 14 and decided at that point that was what I wanted to do as a career. After attending community college for a bit and taking a few art courses, I decided to go to the Joe Kubert School. I only attended the first year because I didn't want to take out any more loans and also because people kept telling me I was ready for pro work. The summer following my year at Kubert's I was selected as one of the ten finalists competing in ComicBookResources.com's "Comic Book Idol" contest, and from there was noticed by Aspen Comics, where I have been working for the past 3 years on titles like 'Soulfire: Dying of the Light','Shrugged', and also doing many short stories for NBC's Heroes.
Danielle Corsetto
Artist/Writer of internet sensation Girls With Slingshots.
Danielle has been making comic strips since she was 8 and hasn't stopped. Her comics have been featured on the web - thus making them, you got it, WEBCOMICS - since 2000. She's a fully self-employed cartoonist working on several projects including the comic strip "Bat Boy" for The Weekly World News. She lives in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, loves traveling, and drinks just about anything fruity + vodka. She misses painting and photography, a lot.
Michael Imboden
Writer/Creator of Maryland's own Fist of Justice.
Mike is the co-creator and writer of Digital Webbing's "Fist of Justice". In addition to 'Fist of Justice', Mike has written stories that appeared in DW's anthology book, "Digital Webbing Presents". It was one of these stories that lead him to L. Jamal, Inc. and "Warmageddon" where he helped to create and write some of the more popular characters that live in the world of "Warmageddon". Mike also created "Dr. Brainchild", a villain that appeared in the second issue of "The Living Corpse", which Mike guest-wrote. Mike is currently concentrating on FoJ, but has a few other irons in the fire including a return to "The Living Corpse" with a sequel to the Dr. Brainchild story. There's also more Warmageddon work coming, including a weekly strip so top secret that we can't tell you it involves "Izzy & Gunnar, Monster Hunters". Mike once wrestled a bear, winning by DQ when the bear used a foreign object to gain the advantage.
Rafer Roberts
Artist/Writer of self published Plastic farms.
is the creator of the comic series Plastic Farm. Plastic Farm was originally a self-published series, first appearing as oversized mini-comics in 2001 and then in traditional comic book form in 2003.
Terry Flippo
Artist/Writer of self published Big Headz comics and drawings.
Terry Flippo has been drawing his own comic books for over 6 years. From Axel and Alex to his current work with the Big Headz, his style has made him a fan favorite to comic book readers of all ages. Featuring two Big Headz collections to date.
at the Gaithersburg store:
Monica Ghallagher
Artist/Writer of Lipstick & Malice.
Monica Gallagher is a graphic designer during the daylight hours and a comicker at night. While an animation major in college, Monica first tiptoed onto the comics scene with her webcomic Gods & Undergrads, following the awkward adventures of a girl transitioning into college life while simultaneously discovering her connection to Greek gods. Once her eyes had been opened to the online comics scene, Monica couldn't help herself and continued to produce more work.
A short stint in amateur modeling led Monica to create both an autobiographical story dealing with her struggles with self-esteem (titled Boobage) and a fictional series dealing with a professional model who works part-time as an assassin (titled Lipstick & Malice). Luckily, Monica emerged from modeling with both her boobs and her criminal record intact. She then discovered something else to become obsessed with and inspired by -- Roller Derby. Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five is the result of her inspiration -- a weekly webcomic that combines the superhero side of being a rollergirl with the Clark Kent side of working a day job. Monica was just drafted by the Junkyard Dolls, one of the four teams of lovely ladies of the Charm City Roller Girls, and she is getting ready for her first bout in 2010.
Monica continues to create short stories, contribute to anthologies, and tackle illustration work from her home in Baltimore, where she lives with her boyfriend and their dueling cats. Check out her art and news pages for the latest dirt - you never know where she'll pop up next!
Matt Dembicki
Artist/Writer of the award-winning nature parable Mr. Big.
His work has appeared in numerous comics anthologies, including Bash Magazine, and the recently released Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. He’s currently working on his new project, an ecological tale about a great white shark called Xoc.
Andrew Cohen
Artist/Writer Howzit Funnies.
Andrew Cohen is a Washington, D.C. creator. His current projects include Howzit Funnies and Law Monger. He is a contributor to Trickster.
at the Frederick store
Micah Gunnell
Artist of Aspen Comics Dellec.
Like most artists, I've been drawing almost non-stop since I was young. I discovered comics at 14 and decided at that point that was what I wanted to do as a career. After attending community college for a bit and taking a few art courses, I decided to go to the Joe Kubert School. I only attended the first year because I didn't want to take out any more loans and also because people kept telling me I was ready for pro work. The summer following my year at Kubert's I was selected as one of the ten finalists competing in ComicBookResources.com's "Comic Book Idol" contest, and from there was noticed by Aspen Comics, where I have been working for the past 3 years on titles like 'Soulfire: Dying of the Light','Shrugged', and also doing many short stories for NBC's Heroes.
Danielle Corsetto
Artist/Writer of internet sensation Girls With Slingshots.
Danielle has been making comic strips since she was 8 and hasn't stopped. Her comics have been featured on the web - thus making them, you got it, WEBCOMICS - since 2000. She's a fully self-employed cartoonist working on several projects including the comic strip "Bat Boy" for The Weekly World News. She lives in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, loves traveling, and drinks just about anything fruity + vodka. She misses painting and photography, a lot.
Michael Imboden
Writer/Creator of Maryland's own Fist of Justice.
Mike is the co-creator and writer of Digital Webbing's "Fist of Justice". In addition to 'Fist of Justice', Mike has written stories that appeared in DW's anthology book, "Digital Webbing Presents". It was one of these stories that lead him to L. Jamal, Inc. and "Warmageddon" where he helped to create and write some of the more popular characters that live in the world of "Warmageddon". Mike also created "Dr. Brainchild", a villain that appeared in the second issue of "The Living Corpse", which Mike guest-wrote. Mike is currently concentrating on FoJ, but has a few other irons in the fire including a return to "The Living Corpse" with a sequel to the Dr. Brainchild story. There's also more Warmageddon work coming, including a weekly strip so top secret that we can't tell you it involves "Izzy & Gunnar, Monster Hunters". Mike once wrestled a bear, winning by DQ when the bear used a foreign object to gain the advantage.
Rafer Roberts
Artist/Writer of self published Plastic farms.
is the creator of the comic series Plastic Farm. Plastic Farm was originally a self-published series, first appearing as oversized mini-comics in 2001 and then in traditional comic book form in 2003.
Terry Flippo
Artist/Writer of self published Big Headz comics and drawings.
Terry Flippo has been drawing his own comic books for over 6 years. From Axel and Alex to his current work with the Big Headz, his style has made him a fan favorite to comic book readers of all ages. Featuring two Big Headz collections to date.
at the Gaithersburg store:
Monica Ghallagher
Artist/Writer of Lipstick & Malice.
Monica Gallagher is a graphic designer during the daylight hours and a comicker at night. While an animation major in college, Monica first tiptoed onto the comics scene with her webcomic Gods & Undergrads, following the awkward adventures of a girl transitioning into college life while simultaneously discovering her connection to Greek gods. Once her eyes had been opened to the online comics scene, Monica couldn't help herself and continued to produce more work.
A short stint in amateur modeling led Monica to create both an autobiographical story dealing with her struggles with self-esteem (titled Boobage) and a fictional series dealing with a professional model who works part-time as an assassin (titled Lipstick & Malice). Luckily, Monica emerged from modeling with both her boobs and her criminal record intact. She then discovered something else to become obsessed with and inspired by -- Roller Derby. Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five is the result of her inspiration -- a weekly webcomic that combines the superhero side of being a rollergirl with the Clark Kent side of working a day job. Monica was just drafted by the Junkyard Dolls, one of the four teams of lovely ladies of the Charm City Roller Girls, and she is getting ready for her first bout in 2010.
Monica continues to create short stories, contribute to anthologies, and tackle illustration work from her home in Baltimore, where she lives with her boyfriend and their dueling cats. Check out her art and news pages for the latest dirt - you never know where she'll pop up next!
Matt Dembicki
Artist/Writer of the award-winning nature parable Mr. Big.
His work has appeared in numerous comics anthologies, including Bash Magazine, and the recently released Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. He’s currently working on his new project, an ecological tale about a great white shark called Xoc.
Andrew Cohen
Artist/Writer Howzit Funnies.
Andrew Cohen is a Washington, D.C. creator. His current projects include Howzit Funnies and Law Monger. He is a contributor to Trickster.
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