Comic strips and consumer culture, 1890-1945 online for free

Comic strips and consumer culture, 1890-1945, by Ian Gordon, is now online for free. 

Ian is now a friend of mine, but well before I ever met him, I thought that this book, originally published by the Smithsonian and researched while he worked there, was one of the best books about comic strips that I've ever read. I highly recommend it. You should download it in case he changes his mind; I just did even though I own the paperback.

Somebody besides Cavna at The Post talks to Roz Chast

Author and New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast changed gears for "Around the Clock" [online as Roz Chast talks about her new children's book, 'Around the Clock"

By Carole Burns
Washington Post February 1 2015, p. E38
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/roz-chast-talks-about-her-new-childrens-book-around-the-clock/2015/01/28/020e25ec-a237-11e4-b146-577832eafcb4_story.html

Prickly City is tribute to Charlie Hebdo cartoonists

Today's Prickly City is a tribute to 4 of the 5 murdered Charlie Hebdo cartoonists.

Juana Medina children's book promo online

Mike Lynch has picked up Juana Medina children's book Smick has a promo online.

City Paper reviews Oscar short animation

Oscar-Nominated Shorts: Animated and Live Action A suicide story, a cute little piggie, and a whole lot of meh

By Tricia Olszewski

Washington City Paper January 30, 2015, p. 32.

online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/46808/oscar-nominated-shorts-reviewed-a-suicide-story-a-cute-little/

Animation movies reviewed in today's Post

'Song of the Sea' movie review: A dreamlike voyage home

By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post January 30 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/song-of-the-sea-movie-review-a-dreamlike-voyage-home/2015/01/28/c6fcbd80-a590-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html

Oscar Shorts feature a platter of bite-size contenders

By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post January 30 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/oscar-shorts-feature-a-platter-of-bite-size-contenders/2015/01/29/5fab71d4-a64f-11e4-a2b2-776095f393b2_story.html

Prickly City on Charlie Hebdo massacre for the 4th day

Prickly City is on Charlie Hebdo massacre for the 4th day. Here's today's strip.

Catching up with Comic Riffs

Since Cavna has gone full-time producing Comic Riffs, I won't be linking to all of his stories anymore. Still, here's the rest of today's pieces.

THE RIFF: So 'Supergirl's' Jimmy Olsen is black. A fanboy weighs what we read into Hollywood's attempts at superhero-story diversity

By David Betancourt
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (January 29): http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/29/the-riff-so-supergirls-jimmy-olsen-is-black-a-fanboy-weighs-what-we-read-into-hollywoods-attempts-at-superhero-story-diversity/

'EXPLODING KITTENS': It's now officially the most-backed Kickstarter campaign ever. Here's how game's co-creator is dealing with that.

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (January 29): http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/29/exploding-kittens-its-now-officially-the-most-backed-kickstarter-campaign-ever-heres-how-games-co-creator-is-dealing-with-that/

Angoulême: comiXology ups its presence — and international curated context — for 2015 festival

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (January 29): http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/29/angouleme-comixology-ups-its-presence-and-international-curated-context-for-2015-festival/

2015 Angoulême: Bill Watterson's work goes on display today as grand comics festival kicks off

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (January 29):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/29/2015-angouleme-bill-wattersons-work-goes-on-display-today-as-grand-comics-festival-kicks-off/

The Post on a Pew report on Mohammad cartoons

The impact of Charlie Hebdo: Americans now back Muhammad cartoons

By Aaron Blake
Washington Post's The Fix blog (January 29 2015): http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/29/americans-support-publishing-muhammad-cartoons-nine-years-after-saying-they-were-irresponsible/

and the report is here:

After Charlie Hebdo, Balancing Press Freedom and Respect for Religion

Majority Says Publishing Cartoons Was 'Okay,' But About Half of Non-Whites Say 'Not Okay'

By Jeffrey Gottfried and Michael Barthel

Pew Research Center January 28, 2015

http://www.journalism.org/2015/01/28/after-charlie-hebdo-balancing-press-freedom-and-respect-for-religion/

http://www.journalism.org/files/2015/01/2015.01.28_CharlieHebdo_FINAL.pdf

http://www.journalism.org/files/2015/01/2015.01.28_CharlieHebdo_TOPLINE.pdf

Prickly City continues its Mohammad cartoon commentary in today's Post

Prickly City continues its Mohammad cartoon commentary in today's Post.

Carolyn Belefski interviewed by Jen Sorensen

Cartooning for the White House: A chat with the artist behind the #GetCovered comics

 By Jen Sorensen @JenSorensen

 01/29/2015 

http://fusion.net/story/41243/cartooning-for-the-white-house-a-chat-with-the-artist-behind-the-getcovered-comics/

New Eric Shansby painting for Team Cul de Sac

Washington Post cartoonist Eric Shansby has done a painting for Team Cul de Sac's fundraising effort to defeat Parkinson's disease. The painting will be auctioned this spring, but money can be donated at any time.

Shansby took over illustrating Gene Weingarten's Below the Beltway column from Richard Thompson, when Thompson moved on to doing Cul de Sac.

The painting shows Alice and Petey from Cul de Sac, climbing on Ben Franklin, an inspiration for Richard's other Washington Post strip, Richard's Poor Almanac. It is acrylic on canvas board and measures approximately 9"x12".

The painting will also be reproduced in the forthcoming fundraising book, Compleating Cul de Sac, which includes interviews, sketches and 100 Washington Post strips left out of the Complete Cul de Sac.

Telnaes and Galifianakis on being on the other side of the caricature

2015 REUBEN AWARDS: So what's it like to be caricatured by MAD's Tom Richmond? (Event speakers talk back.)

By Michael Cavna

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog (January 29 2015):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/29/2015-reuben-awards-so-whats-it-like-to-be-caricatured-by-mads-tom-richmond-event-speakers-talk-back/

3 of 8 speakers at NCS annual meeting from DC

Tom Richmond, president of the National Cartoonists Society has posted the following:

2015 Reuben Awards Cover Art and Speakers

Clockwise from far left: Nick Galifianakis, Mort Drucker,
Brian Crane, Doug Mahnke, Mark Anderson, Jeff Keane,
Ann Telnaes and Juana Medina- (Clicky to Embiggen)

Members of the National Cartoonists Society will be receiving the official brochure for the 2015 Reuben Award Weekend in their mailboxes in the next week or so. My cover art above. With it goes the announcements of the speaker lineup and special award winners:

• Mort Drucker- First recipient of the "NCS Medal of Honor"; Speaker
• Jeff Keane- Recipient of the NCS "Silver T-Square" for outstanding dedication to the Society
• Brian Crane- Reuben winning creator of the syndicated comic strip "Pickles"; speaker
• Doug Mahnke- Superstar comic book artist; speaker
• Mark Anderson- Gag cartoonist, "Andertoons.com"; speaker
• Juana Medina- Illustrator, first recipient of the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship; speaker
• Nick Galifianakis- Cartoonist, author, illustrator; speaker
• Ann Telnaes, Pulitizer prize winning editorial cartoonist; moderating a panel on "Cartooning and Free Speech"

Medina, Telnaes and Galifianakis are local to us.

Prickly City continues its Mohammad drawing storyline in today's Post

Prickly City continues its Mohammad drawing storyline in today's Post.

Pictures of Fantom Comics' March vol. 2 signing

Bruce Guthrie's pictures of Fantom Comics' March vol. 2 signing with Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin are online now.

Congressman Lewis on what it meant to be a Freedom Rider

Click to view a video excerpt from his Fantom Comics appearance in which Rep. John Lewis discusses being beaten while standing up for his civil rights.

Second Story Books window display

The used book store Second Story Books (Dupont Circle) has some neat original pulp magazines (and a few Robert Crumb comics) with fantastic covers in their storefront window. (I couldn't get a photo without a glare from the plastic display bags.)

Carolyn Belefski's cartooning for the White House

Wow. Click through to see them.

Remind You of Someone? You Should Share These:

As more Americans gain coverage and we near the February 15th HealthCare.gov enrollment deadline, one artist highlights what these diverse Americans have in common in a series of shareable graphics.

Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin's remarks on March vol. 2 at Fantom Comics

This past Sunday, Fantom Comics on Dupont Circle had Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin's in to sign their book on civil rights, March vol. 2. This recording is of their introductory remarks.