Monday, October 16, 2017

Shannon Gallant talks about leaving G.I. Joe for… G.I. Joe



By Mike Rhode
 
Shannon “S.L.” Gallant spoke recently on a panel on graphic novels at George Mason University’s Fall for the Book Festival. I last interviewed him in 2010 so it was about time to check in again. After the panel (which will be transcribed here in the future), we sat down for a quick talk.

You have just come off of what is supposed to be the longest run of an artist on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book. How many issues did you draw?

I didn’t even count. I think the IDW guys said something like 70 or 75. I started on #161, which had a cover-date of November 2010, so that means I started before then timewise, and I just did my last issue three months ago, and that was issue #245. There were some fill-ins of various issues along the way.

You were mainly the penciler and didn’t ink yourself on the book?

Gallant inked by Earskine
The only thing I inked were covers. My first few covers were done by whoever the inker was on the book. Some were by Gary Erskine, and a couple were by Brian Shearer, but the last twenty or thirty or so that I did were inked by myself. That was the only inking that I did.

Larry Hama wrote the entire run that you worked on?

He did.

How did he give you the scripts? Was it thumbnails, or typescript? 

Larry works in the old Marvel style which is a springboard style – a synopsis of the page, rather than broken down on the page into panel-by-panel descriptions. He very rarely included any kind of dialogue, because he would script that later. It was basically just a synopsis of the page and he would say things like, “If I have more than one paragraph, consider the paragraph to be a panel,” but it wasn’t a hard rule. That’s generally how he worked.

So you’re leaving the main G.I. Joe title to do… another G.I. Joe title?
 
I am. It’s G.I.Joe versus the Six Million Dollar Man [jointly published by IDW and Dynamite]. It’s a period piece and I’m setting it in my head in 1981 so it’ll be between the end of the Six Million Dollar Man tv show and the beginning of the G.I. Joe cartoon. I’m modelling G.I. Joe more on the cartoon characters than on the comic book version. So the costumes are pretty much the same, but the characters backgrounds are slightly different.

Who’s writing it?

Ryan Ferrier. He’s done comics for a lot of companies, IDW and Dynamite included.

What kind of script is he giving you?

It’s more of a full script, panel-by-panel breakdowns with dialogue.

Who made the decision about when this was set it time?

It evolved out of everyone talking and deciding with Steve Austin being so set in the ‘70s because of the tv show and the fashions, and Dynamite has gone back from updating the character, to making it more like the classic character in most of their books. I wanted to do it [that way], and feel those books need to be period pieces. A lot of the G.I. Joe fans had issues when we started at IDW with the updating of characters and making everyone have cell phones, and computers, and laptops and iPads and so forth… so this is my way of doing a period piece. The research is one of the biggest hurdles for me on it.

Plus he’d be a Six Trillion Dollar Man now… You’ve said you do a lot of research. Since you’re setting this 35 years ago, are you doing a lot of research to see what buildings and cars looked like at the time?

I’m trying to. I trying to make sure that it at least feels like it’s set in 1981, as opposed to having people with iPods. You don’t want to make those kinds of mistakes. When I got the first script, there were references to an office building with computers on the tables, so I had a discussion with the editor, saying “Well, people didn’t have computers on their desk in 1981. There was a room you had to go to and use a computer.”

How many issues is it?

From what I understand it’s supposed to be four, depending on sales they may expand it.

You’ve also done work for American Mythology in Baltimore lately?

They do a lot of licensed properties. They do have some creator-owned stuff, but the work I’ve been doing for them is on their cartoon properties. They have the rights to Bullwinkle, Casper, Underdog… they started out with a license for Pink Panther and I did the Free Comic Book Day Pink Panther comic where he turns into Thor. Most of what I’ve done for them has been on their cartoon side, but they also do a Three Stooges comic and a Stargate comic.

Do you find it easy to switch styles between G.I. Joe and Pink Panther?

It’s something I’ve always had to do when I was working in advertising. I had to switch styles up a lot. That’s how I ended up as a staff illustrator which is pretty rare.  If they wanted a New Yorker-type comic style or something more realistic, or traditional advertising – that was something I was used to doing and I still enjoy. It keeps the batteries fresh.

Are you hoping to continue on the Six Million Dollar Man after this miniseries?

I enjoy the character. I wonder if it’s one of those things though. I read an interview with Adam Hughes once, about Star Trek, after he did the big Debt of Honor Star Trek graphic novel. He said, “No, I got that out of my system. I’m done with it.” So we’ll see if at the end of this if I’m over the Six Million Dollar Man.

Is there anything you would like to work on?

Dynamite has announced that they’re going to redo Swords of the Swashbucklers, and that’s a series I would love to get on. It was when I fell in love with Jackson “Butch” Guice’s artwork. I would love to do that because I love those characters. It was steampunky before steampunk was a thing. I was never into pirates until that but it’s got enough of a Star Wars feel to it. It’s a fun book.

Who’s writing that?

Marc Guggenheim, the producer of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow tv show.

Over the years at HeroesCon, you’ve become friendly with Butch?

Shadows drawn and inked by Gallant
He was introduced to me by our mutual friend Chris Sparks, who was friends with Butch for years and years. We email back and forth and are friendly acquaintances. I think he’s phenomenal. One of the things I really enjoy about his work – when I fell in love with it, back he was working on Swords of the Swashbucklers, and the work he’s doing now… if you look at his work then, and his work now, you wouldn’t guess it was the same person. Stylistically he has grown, but a lot of artists, when they hit a certain level, they plateau and they stay at that level and they don’t change. He’s still experimenting and trying different techniques. He’s gotten very obsessed with shadow work. To see his penciled pages and then to see what the final looks like… I still don’t know he makes that leap. I’ve asked him multiple times, “how do you approach your shadows, because what you’re penciling, and what I’m seeing in the final product, makes it almost seem like two different people did the book.”

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Your Home Should Be A Safe Space"

From DC's anarchist cartoonist Mike Flugennock:

"Your Home Should Be A Safe Space"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2325

(Art promoting DCMJ's Oct. 31 protest at the headquarters of the Department of Housing and Urban Development)

Despite the personal possession and use of cannabis being legal in DC, residents of Federally-subsidized Section 8 public housing are prohibited from smoking in their homes. Because Congress prohibits DC from enacting Tax'n'Regulate and the DC government prohibits public consumption in bars and clubs, folks in Section 8 have the choice of risking immediate eviction and possible imprisonment by smoking in their homes, or smoking on the street and risking arrest for smoking in public.

It's no wonder Section 8 is often referred to as "prison you pay rent for".

SPX 2017 panels continue arriving on YouTube

SPX 2017 Panel - Architecture Of A Page


Moderator J. A. Micheline chats with four cartoonists–Tillie Walden, Sloane Leong, Iasmin Omar Ata, and Chris Kindred–to discuss their thought processes when it comes to page layouts, how structure can contribute to emotional content, and their major influences/go-to inspirations when constructing a page.

SPX 2017 Panel - Spinning With Tillie Walden

Tillie Walden, in her short cartooning career, has created some stunning, critically acclaimed stories. Her unconventional science fiction webcomic, "On a Sunbeam," was recently nominated for an Eisner for Best Digital Comic. Tillie's newest project, "Spinning," from First Second, focuses on her decade spent in competitive figure skating. This emotional graphic memoir, along with her other works and influences, is the topic of conversation for a very special panel moderated by comics historian and SPX executive director, Warren Bernard.

SPX 2017 Panel - Eleanor Davis and Jillian Tamaki in Conversation

Jillian Tamaki (Boundless) and Eleanor Davis (You And A Bike And The Road) are two of our generation's greatest cartoonists. Both create beautiful imagery while telling incredibly poignant stories which are thoughtful and evocative. The cartoonists talk in-depth about their storytelling approach, inspiration, and process. Moderated by Jim Rugg.

SPX 2017 Panel - Emil Ferris: My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

SPX is proud to feature cartoonist Emil Ferris in a rare east coast appearance. Her book, My Favorite Thing is Monsters from Fantagraphics, has garnered a lot of positive attention in the comics community and beyond. Legendary comics creator Art Spiegelman even dubbed her "one of the most important cartoonists of our time." Washington Post columnist Michael Cavna sits with Emil for an intimate discussion about her breakthrough debut graphic novel, being diagnosed with West Nile, and–of course–monsters.

SPX 2017 Panel - World Building From Reality

Compelling environments, idiosyncratic details, atmospheric flourishes. The ability to build worlds is often discussed with genre/fantasy stories, but what role does it play for adult comics grounded in reality? Ethan Rilly (Pope Hats), Gabrielle Bell (Everything is Flammable), Lauren Weinstein (Normal Person) and Chris W. Kim (Herman by Trade) discuss their personal approaches to building convincing worlds and evoking a strong sense of place. Moderated by Whit Taylor.

SPX 2017 Panel - Koyama & DeForge: Lose, Everyone Wins

For nearly a decade, Annie Koyama (Koyama Press) and Michael DeForge (Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero) have been wowing readers with their strange and darkly humorous, ongoing anthology series, Lose. This special conversation with a celebrated, master cartoonist and an award-winning publisher offers an insightful look at one of small press publishing's greatest partnerships. Moderated by Ryan Sands.



Friday, October 13, 2017

Roz Chast at Politics and Prose

...right before the blue screen of death...

A new ReDistricted story on Lincoln and Comic Riffs behind the scene report

Tomorrow: Two comics panels at Fall for the Book at GMU

When:
October 14, 2017 @ 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Where:
Merten Hall, Room 1202, George Mason University
4441 George Mason Blvd
Fairfax, VA 22030
USA
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Kara Oakleaf
703.993.3986

Bring the whole family for a celebration of comic books and graphic novels with artists S.L. Gallant, Paulina Ganucheau, Kevin Panetta, Jason Rodriquez, and Ben Towle. Gallant presents his artwork of a familiar hero figure as he is the longest running artist on G.I. Joe: An American Hero. Ganucheau and Panetta co-authored Zodiac Starforce, starring comic high school girls taking on the darkness of the earth. Rodriquez shares his graphic novel, Colonial Comics: New England, 1750-1775, and his revolutionary idea for exciting young adults to learn about the history of colonial New England. And Towle introduces readers to the coastal town of Blood's Haven, with an ocean full oysters and even oyster pirates in his graphic novel, Oyster War. Sponsored by Canon Solutions America


When:
October 14, 2017 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Where:
Old Town Hall
3999 University Dr
Fairfax, VA 22030
USA
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Kara Oakleaf
703-993-3986

Join Jason Rodriquez, comic book editor and author of Colonial Comics: New England, 1750-1775, and artist Liz Laribee for a comic drawing workshop. This workshop will teach kids to create their own comics when they have a story to tell.  Sponsored by the Fairfax Commission on the Arts.


Oct 27: Animezing!: Galaxy Express 999



Join us for a FREE classic anime film at the JICC!
Join us for a FREE classic anime film at the JICC!
JICC Logo
Galaxy Express 999
2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of Japanese animation. In celebration, the JICC is presenting a retrospective of landmark animated films!
Based on the long running Japanese manga series by Leiji Matsumoto comes Galaxy Express 999, directed by acclaimed anime veteran Rintaro (Metropolis, Neo Tokyo, X The Movie)!
Galaxy Express 999 (Three-Nine) is the name of a train which travels through space, beginning at Megalopolis Station on one end of the galaxy and terminating at Andromeda on the other. But the Galaxy Express is more than just a train, it's also a metaphor for life itself, with passengers constantly boarding, debarking, and dreaming along the way.
Tetsuro Hoshino is a youth who'll give anything to board the Three-Nine, including a promise to accompany a mysterious woman named Maetel all the way to Andromeda, the planet where, she tells him, he can get a free machine body to avenge the cruel death of his mother at the hands of the villainous Count Mecha. But nothing is as easy as it sounds, and Tetsuro is about to learn the true price not only for boarding the Three-Nine and avenging his mother, but for leaving his childhood behind, falling in love, and becoming a man.
In Japanese with English subtitles | Not rated | 1979 | 128 min | Directed by Rintaro© 1979 Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
Please note, this film contains scenes of violence that may not be suitable for young viewers.
Registration is required.
Halloween Special! Come in your Halloween costumes and Trick-or-Treat for Japanese candy at the JICC!
You are invited to
Friday, October 27th, 2017
from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Event venue map
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp.

Doors open 30 minutes before the program. Program begins at 6:30PM.
No admittance after 7:00PM or once seating is full.

Registered guests will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Please note that seating is limited and registration does not guarantee a seat.

The JICC reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any event sponsored by JICC without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video.
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© 1981-2017 Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan




Nov 11: Coyotes comic signing at Fantom Comics






  • Saturday, November 11 2017 at 5 PM - 8 PM

  • Fantom Comics
    2010 P Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036


For the release of their new series COYOTES, talented-playwright-turned-comics-writer Sean Lewis (SAINTS, THE FEW) and rising-star artist Caitlin Yarsky will be coming to Fantom to hang out, have a good time, and sign your books!

COYOTES tells a story about revenge for the women who are abducted across the world. Hunted by a legion of wolves that roam the border, women are disappearing. The survivors band together to wage war. Detective Frank Coffey is trying to understand this mythic-level bloodbath when he comes across Red, a little girl with a secret and a sword. A story of badass women banding together in a mythic reality that acts as a rallying cry for real world justice.

COYOTES #1 will be released on November 8th, just in time for the event!

Auction of Arlington's John Fantucchio's collection continues

The Post and City Paper on Wonder Woman's creators and Vincent Van Gogh's cartoon life

The gang's all here (and having a great time) [in print as Equal partners; In 'Marston,' a good time is had by all].

Express October 13 2017, p. 36


(Annapurna Pictures)

'Professor Marston and the Wonder Women' tells the fascinating origin of the origin story [in print as Heroine's roots aren't rated R. Try PhD.]

Washington Post October 13 2017, p. Weekend 32
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/professor-marston-and-the-wonder-women-tells-the-fascinating-origin-of-the-origin-story/2017/10/11/28fc598e-a933-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html


Vincent van Gogh's Art Comes to Life in the Animated Loving Vincent [in print as Starry Sight].

Though each frame of Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman's film is undeniably gorgeous, its plot brings it down.

Washington City Paper Oct 13, 2017 , p. 28

Shorts Lovingvincent41


How to make a movie about van Gogh — the hard way.

Washington Post October 12 2017: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/how-to-make-a-movie-about-van-gogh--the-hard-way/2017/10/11/28ec5d28-addd-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html

In the eye-popping 'Loving Vincent,' Van Gogh's paintings spring to life [in print as Van Gogh's art, literally brought to life].

Washington Post October 13 2017, p. Weekend 34.
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/in-the-eye-popping-loving-vincent-van-goghs-paintings-spring-to-life/2017/10/09/60730caa-a933-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html

Comic Riffs on the loss of the Schulz home to fires

Cartoonist Brian Fies also lost his home.

'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz's home burns down in Santa Rosa fire

Washington Post Comic Riffs blog October 13 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/10/13/peanuts-creator-charles-schulzs-home-burns-down-in-santa-rosa-fire/

Thursday, October 12, 2017

PW talks to Warren Bernard of SPX and Emil Ferrist at SPX

More To Come 281: Emil Ferris and Warren Bernard at SPX

In this week's podcast, Calvin is in Washington D.C. at the Small Press Expo and interviews Emil Ferris, creator of the surprise hit graphic novel 'My Favorite Thing is Monsters,' about how her life has changed since it was published. Calvin also talks with Warren Bernard - the executive director of the Small Press Expo - about the growth of the show, its partnership with the Library of Congress, and how it is organized and exhibitors are accepted.

Oct 16: Brian Biggs in town

In the morning at Politics & Prose, and then at Takoma Park MD Library in the evening at 7 pm.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 10:30 a.m.

This book is about animals, but it's definitely not normal. You're in for a goofy, laugh-out-loud read. Both the author and the illustrator pipe in at times, to show what can happen when they're not exactly on the same page. You'll find cats that lay eggs, and frogs that make honey, and you won't be able to escape the presence of the BLOBFISH. If you're feeling like reading about birds that don't color inside the lines, or mammals that can't fly (except in rocketships), this one's for you. We told you it's not normal! Ages 4-8.

 

This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Click here for more information.


Online pre-orders for school events may be placed up until 48 hours before the event takes place. 
5015 Connecticut Ave NW   Washington   DC    20008


Oct 13: Roz Chast at Politics and Prose

October 13 at 7 p.m.


Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York, the new graphic memoir from Chast—whose distinctive cartoons have been a feature of The New Yorker since 1978—is a hilarious illustrated ode/guide/thank-you note to Manhattan as only she could write it.

DETAILS