Dave Astor scooped this one out from under my nose - the AAEC will be exhibiting cartoons at their 50th-anniversary exhibit at American University's Katzen Arts Center. Unfortunately, as Dave (we've emailed enough to be on a first-name basis, so there) reports, they didn't get enough cartoons to do 50 years of presidential elections, so they're just focusing on the current administration. Sigh.
The Katzen's a brand-spankin-new arts space with some interesting shows. They did one cartoon show already. Let's see if I can find my International J. of Comic Art review...
...whoops this is a long one. From issue 8-1. If I get any requests, I'll post the pictures.
Comic Reality: Political Cartoons by Ibero-American Artists, Juan Carlos Vila, Washington, DC: Katzen Arts Center at American University, January 17-February 1, 2006.
Juan Carlos Vila of Guatemala, with his counterparts in the Association of Ibero-American Cultural Attachés (AACI), put together an excellent exhibit that sampled highlights of Spanish-speaking countries’ political cartoonists. The exhibit was located in American University’s brand-new arts center, which is a flowing concrete structure filled with light and oddly-shaped walls. The art, grouped by countries in alphabetical order, hung in a long oval third floor gallery, and included approximately 58 pieces beginning at Argentina and ending with Venezuela. More cartoons were apparently provided to the Center, as the press release lists 100 cartoons, and the show’s booklet includes cartoonists and works not on display. A rarely-seen disclaimer, stating that the cartoons did not represent the views of each country’s ambassadors, flanked either end of the show; unsurprisingly on reflection, since most of the caricatures were of the country’s ruling political powers, or, due to current events like the Iraq war, and world leaders such as President Bush and Prime Minister Blair.
While the show had a small booklet to accompany it, these will be hard to find as it was already out of stock. By country, the exhibit included:
Argentina - Carlos Nine, a very fine caricaturist whose work can infrequently be seen in the New Yorker. His watercolor and crayon drawing of Carlos Saúl Menem, a politician wearing a toupé or ‘el gato’ – a cat, was a highlight of the show.
Bolivia – represented by three cartoonists. Joaquin Cuevas had a digital political cartoon of Pope Benedict XVI chasing a condom. Alejandro Archondo, showing the range of American popular culture, represented Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator. Trond Scheen Korsjoen, formally of Norway, contributed a very odd piece in which he drew George Bush as Scarface, Batman’s evil puppet enemy, with Dick Cheney as the Ventriloquist.
Brazil – two pieces by Chico Caruso showing three leaders in each. His drawing of Bush overshadowed by Churchill, John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt would be easily understood by an American audience, although his style is somewhat different than an American would have drawn.
Chile – Jimmy Scott draws large-headed caricatures like David Levine. He does an excellent Condoleezza Rice.
Columbia – Vladimir ‘Vladdo’ Florez’s work has been seen in IJOCA before (6:1), and his three cartoons were excellent. In “Kid’s Game,” he depicted Bush, Blair and the Spanish president as trying to assemble a toy kit labeled ‘war.’ Vladdo’s superb parody of Mastercard ads, “No Negociable,” showed a soldier with various equipment labeled with prices, but his punch line “War crimes: priceless” indicated his support for the International Criminal Court.
Costa Rica – Oscar ‘Oki’ Sierra Quintero’s caricatures of big-headed celebrities are done in very bright colors, atypical of American caricatures.
Dominican Republic – Harold Priego was represented by a traditional-style cartoon about taxes and two big-head caricatures. He appears to work, or augment his cartoons with computer effects.
Ecuador – Roque Maldonado did a traditional cartoon of the president as the doctor treating his country. Francisco Cajas Lara is a caricaturist very much in the style of David Levine’s older pen and ink work and had a very nice drawing of Hugo Chávez in the show. His view is that Chávez is not as authoritarian as the United States government would suggest.
El Salvador – cartoonists Mario Enrique ‘KIKE’ Castañeda and Ricardo ‘Alecus’ Clement both displayed traditional-style editorial cartoons.
Guatemala – Elizandro de los Angeles showed three caricatures including a fine one of the former president as the palm of a hand.
Honduras – Allan McDonald’s three illustrations were all critical of corporations. “El Ché Company Inc.” reproduced the famous photograph in corporate names and trademarks. “Juan Pablo Marketing,” a cartoon of the Pope as a crucified UPC symbol and Marx Disney, a caricature of Karl Marx as a Mousketeer were both hard-hitting works.
Mexico – traditional political cartoons by Abel Quezada and ‘Feggo.’ Quezada’s “Inventos Politicos V,” or Political Invention 5 was an automatic flatterer robot for politicians to buy – and a very good cartoon. Feggo’s cartoon was of Mexicans climbing a work permit as a ladder to get over the walls surrounding the US.
Nicaragua – Manuel Guillen’s cartoons were typical of Oliphant-influenced American works, and with slightly-changed topics could appear in any American paper without looking at all foreign.
Panama – Julio Enrique ‘RAC’ Briceño had three very colorful caricatures in watercolor and gouache, in a style unfamiliar to American traditions.
Paraguay – self-taught Enzo Pertile was influenced by European cartoons. His “Politics and its Vices” showed a fat politician, wearing a mask and gloves, and eating grapes while reclining on a plinth. While a typical subject for editorial cartoonists, Pertile’s mastery of line made this a highlight of the show. His “Warm Mantle” of Tony Blair wrapped in the flag was technically fine, but less interesting.
Peru – Andres Edery’s “Reconciliation” was a traditional cartoon showing the head of the opposition party as a suicide bomber. Carlos Miquel ‘Carlín’ Tovar Samanez, whom the catalogue notes “is reputed to be the best Peruvian Cartoonist” is apparently strongly influenced by American movies as he drew the Peruvian president in scenes from The Matrix and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Portugal – Seemingly stuck in an earlier day, ‘Vasco’ did an interesting drawing of Adolph Hitler, while ‘Antonio’ caricatured Charles de Gaulle. Rui Pimentel’s caricature portraying Bush and Blair as Siamese twins about to light a fuse to explode the earth, as Bush says, “After one year, the world is much safer!” was clear and well-done.
Spain – Andres ‘EL ROTO’ Rabago Garcia may have been the most graphically-interesting choice, except perhaps for Uruguay’s. EL ROTO’s deceptively simple watercolor and ink works were extraordinarily attractive. His “Submerged Economy’ of an underwater Chinese laborer pulling a ship, was painted in flat muted orange above the ocean and flat green below, and had a very simple line, but was perhaps the best image in the show.
Uruguay – Hanoch Piven may have been born in Uruguay, but he has really been a citizen of the world. Piven makes caricatures out of paper, paint and objects. His George Bush had Bazooka gum wrappers for eyebrows, blue marbles for eyes, a dart with American flag fletching for a nose, and a purple feather for a mouth. Boris Yeltsin was depicted using sliced lunch meats. His work can be seen in the book What Presidents Are Made Of.
Venezuala – Régulo Pérez’s “El Alba Sale para Todos” (The Alba Shines for Everyone) was a disappointing caricature of the sun with a face.
In the accompanying booklet, Murilo Gabrielli of Brazil noted the aims of the exhibit: The choice of political caricatures as the theme of the Art Salon fulfills three goals. First, it exhibits to the U.S. public a small but significant sample of the long tradition of political satire in the Ibero-American countries. Second, while doing so, it testifies to the vigor of democracy and freedom of expression in our countries. Last, but surely not least – for this is an Art Salon – it highlights the artistic aspect of caricatures, the presence of which is so routine and familiar in the pages of newspapers and magazines that we sometimes forget how esthetically (sic) striking each such cartoon can be.
The exhibit met these goals, and could easily have filled a larger space, or stayed up for a longer period. It was a fine overview of the wider world of editorial cartooning and caricature which seem under threat in the United States.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Win Tom Toles!
Actually, just a lunch with him, and $500 to pay for it (what does he eat anyway?) - oh, and a trip to Washington to be able to do so. Enter Science Idol: The Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest for your chance.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
April 10: WILLIAM HOGARTH'S ART
March 28, 2007
Public contact: Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115
SWANN FELLOW TO LECTURE ON WILLIAM HOGARTH
AND THE ART OF GESTURE AT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, APRIL 10
Swann Foundation Fellow Hope Saska will explore the connection between the popular graphic satire of William Hogarth, whose art presented amusing yet cautionary tales of human behavior, and the staging of theatrical productions in the 18th century, in a lecture at the Library of Congress on April 10.
Saska will present the lecture, titled “Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth and the Art of Gesture,” at noon on Tuesday, April 10, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.
Saska’s illustrated presentation is based on research conducted at the Library of Congress during her fellowship awarded by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon. The Library administers the Swann Foundation. The lecture, sponsored by the foundation and the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.
Hogarth (1697-1764), the versatile English painter and satirist often called “the father of English caricature,” became well known for his paintings of “modern moral subjects,” also published as print series. At a time when actors were urged to study the fine arts particularly paintings of historical subjects and ancient sculpture for samples of gesture and expression to enliven the characters they portrayed on stage, Hogarth turned to theatrical metaphor to describe his two-dimensional “performances” on canvas and the engraved page.
In her lecture, Saska will argue that the practices in staging a theatrical production are analogous to the artistic process of creating two-dimensional scenes in visual art. As such, the motions the artist makes with his hand and arm to draw on the page or to inscribe a copper plate are synonymous with the gestures a performer makes in front of an audience.
Investigating Hogarth’s analogy between theatrical performance and art making, Saska’s lecture will focus on key passages of Hogarth’s 1753 treatise, “The Analysis of Beauty,” and on his engravings, especially the second illustrative plate to the text, often referred to as “The Country Dance.” She will argue that Hogarth’s theatric metaphor allowed artists, especially those working with graphic media, to envision their processes of art-making as a new category of performance.
Saska is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Brown University, where she also completed her master’s degree in the field. Her dissertation, titled “Staging the Page: Graphic Satire in Eighteenth Century England,” examines shared aspects of theatrical performance and graphic satire and caricature in 18th century London.
In addition to being one of three Swann Fellows for 2006-2007, Saska is a curatorial assistant at the David Winton Bell Gallery in the List Art Center of Brown University.
This presentation is part of the Swann Foundation’s continuing activities to support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world. The foundation customarily awards one fellowship annually (with a stipend of $15,000) to assist scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon. More information about the fellowship is available through the Swann Foundation’s Web site: www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome or by e-mailing swann@loc.gov.
# # #
PR07-64
3/28/07
ISSN: 0731-3527
Public contact: Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115
SWANN FELLOW TO LECTURE ON WILLIAM HOGARTH
AND THE ART OF GESTURE AT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, APRIL 10
Swann Foundation Fellow Hope Saska will explore the connection between the popular graphic satire of William Hogarth, whose art presented amusing yet cautionary tales of human behavior, and the staging of theatrical productions in the 18th century, in a lecture at the Library of Congress on April 10.
Saska will present the lecture, titled “Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth and the Art of Gesture,” at noon on Tuesday, April 10, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.
Saska’s illustrated presentation is based on research conducted at the Library of Congress during her fellowship awarded by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon. The Library administers the Swann Foundation. The lecture, sponsored by the foundation and the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.
Hogarth (1697-1764), the versatile English painter and satirist often called “the father of English caricature,” became well known for his paintings of “modern moral subjects,” also published as print series. At a time when actors were urged to study the fine arts particularly paintings of historical subjects and ancient sculpture for samples of gesture and expression to enliven the characters they portrayed on stage, Hogarth turned to theatrical metaphor to describe his two-dimensional “performances” on canvas and the engraved page.
In her lecture, Saska will argue that the practices in staging a theatrical production are analogous to the artistic process of creating two-dimensional scenes in visual art. As such, the motions the artist makes with his hand and arm to draw on the page or to inscribe a copper plate are synonymous with the gestures a performer makes in front of an audience.
Investigating Hogarth’s analogy between theatrical performance and art making, Saska’s lecture will focus on key passages of Hogarth’s 1753 treatise, “The Analysis of Beauty,” and on his engravings, especially the second illustrative plate to the text, often referred to as “The Country Dance.” She will argue that Hogarth’s theatric metaphor allowed artists, especially those working with graphic media, to envision their processes of art-making as a new category of performance.
Saska is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Brown University, where she also completed her master’s degree in the field. Her dissertation, titled “Staging the Page: Graphic Satire in Eighteenth Century England,” examines shared aspects of theatrical performance and graphic satire and caricature in 18th century London.
In addition to being one of three Swann Fellows for 2006-2007, Saska is a curatorial assistant at the David Winton Bell Gallery in the List Art Center of Brown University.
This presentation is part of the Swann Foundation’s continuing activities to support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world. The foundation customarily awards one fellowship annually (with a stipend of $15,000) to assist scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon. More information about the fellowship is available through the Swann Foundation’s Web site: www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome or by e-mailing swann@loc.gov.
# # #
PR07-64
3/28/07
ISSN: 0731-3527
Cruel Old Stagolee Gets Graphic
I enjoyed meeting the cartoonists behind the Stagger Lee comic book today - I'll put up some pictures and bits of information tomorrow, but for today here's an article by Scott Rosenberg - Cruel Old Stagolee Gets Graphic: The legendary tale of Stagger Lee gets a graphic treatment, [Washington Post] Express (March 27 2007).
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
March 28 - Stagger Lee signing at Big Planet REPOST
Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix, writer and artist of the new comic Stagger Lee will be at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda from 2-4 pm on Wednesday, March 28th. As the flyer says, wear a Stetson, get a gift. I have no idea what that means.
Big Planet is at 4908 Fairmont Ave, in the Woodmont Triangle, and the phone number is 301-654-6856.
On April 11th, Bryan Talbot will be there in the evening for his new book Alice in Sunderland. Anyone who's unfamiliar with Bryan's work should run out and buy Tale of One Bad Rat, his Beatrix Potter-influenced story, and then work up to the glorious new wave madness of Luther Arkwright.
Monday, March 26, 2007
March 24-April 14, Charlottesville, VA: Lynda Barry play
The Good Times Are Killing Me, a play by cartoonist Lynda Barry, is at Live Arts, 123 E. Water St, Charlottesville, VA. Call 434-977-4177 x108 or go to http://www.livearts.org for more information.
On the site, they have this description of the play: The Good Times Are Killing Me directed by Larry Goldstein.
12-year-old Edna is growing up in the early 1960’s, and still believes that miracles like movie stardom and racial harmony are hers for the asking. Her wonder years unfold to a great soundtrack ranging from Motown to The Sound of Music and the energy of American Bandstand and Soul Train. Her “Record Player Nightclub” will be your favorite new stop.
On the site, they have this description of the play: The Good Times Are Killing Me directed by Larry Goldstein.
12-year-old Edna is growing up in the early 1960’s, and still believes that miracles like movie stardom and racial harmony are hers for the asking. Her wonder years unfold to a great soundtrack ranging from Motown to The Sound of Music and the energy of American Bandstand and Soul Train. Her “Record Player Nightclub” will be your favorite new stop.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Charlottesville Festival of the Book report
This weekend, we traveled to Charlottesville for the Virginia Festival of the Book. My wife's friend Mark Jenkins was reading from his Worlds To Explore, a selection of great adventure travel articles from National Geographic.
I was able to attend this panel - Graphic Nonfiction: Brave New Genre. Comics editor Sid Jacobson and artist Ernie Colon (creators of The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation) and comic biographer Andy Helfer (Ronald Reagan, Malcolm X) display and discuss their recent forays into nonfiction. Moderator: Beau Eichling.
Jacobson, Colon, Helfer and Eichling.
Among the points of interest:
Sid Jacobson said that Ernie Colon called and suggested the book. Jacobson thought about it and realized they could tell the story of the airplanes in 4 tiers for the 4 flights. Colon said that he had given up reading the report at about page 50 when he called Jacobson. They were greeted at Farrar Strauss Giroux by 5 publicity people and were surprised by the positive reaction. Usually it took months to pitch a book. It was their first meeting in fifteen years as Jacobson lives in California and Colon's on Long Island in NY. The book was about 1/2 done when they pitched it to publisher FSG. Jacobson broke the 9/11 report down by chapter and "as much as I could, I stuck to their verbiage." He did a full script with thumbnails and Colon did the layout. Colon said he modified the layout a lot as he was an early adaptor of the computer for his work. Jacobson said they're doing another work of "what we call graphic journalism or graphic history," Following the Different Banner about the 'war on terror.'
Helfer said that he wrote a full script which went to his artist in Switzerland, who emailed back pencils and then sent the inked pages back to the US for Helfer to scan because the artist's computer couldn't handle the high-resolution files. Helfer said that among the changes to be made was one altering a drawing of Malcolm X holding an automatic weapon. The original famous photograph is copyrighted, so the artist had to draw him from a different position. The next books will be on Ronald Reagan and J. Edgar Hoover. After a question from the audience, Helfer noted that these books were vetted by a historian, and also by FSG's non-fiction department, but weren't meant to be definitive biographies. They were abridgements, and while "a picture may not be worth a thousand words, but it's worth a few paragraphs of exposition."
At the end of the talk, I bought copies of the books (second time for the 9-11 one, but I couldn't find my copy before I left) and had them signed. I was able to tell Jacobson and Colon how much I appreciated their Harvey Comics' work on Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff and Richie Rich which I loved as a kid. Dark Horse is releasing a large 'essentials' format Casper and I'll be buying two - one for me and one for my daughter.
I was able to get in some bookstore and antique shopping time and here's some of what I found. This beat-up children's book was from the Teenie Weenies - a comic strip that started in 1914 and ran until 1990 according to Don Markstein. A website devoted to them is here.
In the same antique mall, I found Whitman novels of Dick Tracy and Terry and the Pirates as well as this Gill Fox original drawing which I'm glad to have rescued. The mold is only on the matte fortunately.
At an antique store in town, I found these.
and this:
Anyone recognize them?
The top is a bank of Foxy Grandpa, a strip by Bunny Schultze that Don Markstein says ran from 1900 until the 1930s. The second is illustrated by British cartooning great Norman Thelwell.
Finally, on the drive home I stopped in another antique mall and picked this up. It's a coverless copy of Honeymoon Romance #1 - a rare comic apparently. One sold in near mint condition for $1440 last year - not this one obviously!
I was able to attend this panel - Graphic Nonfiction: Brave New Genre. Comics editor Sid Jacobson and artist Ernie Colon (creators of The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation) and comic biographer Andy Helfer (Ronald Reagan, Malcolm X) display and discuss their recent forays into nonfiction. Moderator: Beau Eichling.
Jacobson, Colon, Helfer and Eichling.
Among the points of interest:
Sid Jacobson said that Ernie Colon called and suggested the book. Jacobson thought about it and realized they could tell the story of the airplanes in 4 tiers for the 4 flights. Colon said that he had given up reading the report at about page 50 when he called Jacobson. They were greeted at Farrar Strauss Giroux by 5 publicity people and were surprised by the positive reaction. Usually it took months to pitch a book. It was their first meeting in fifteen years as Jacobson lives in California and Colon's on Long Island in NY. The book was about 1/2 done when they pitched it to publisher FSG. Jacobson broke the 9/11 report down by chapter and "as much as I could, I stuck to their verbiage." He did a full script with thumbnails and Colon did the layout. Colon said he modified the layout a lot as he was an early adaptor of the computer for his work. Jacobson said they're doing another work of "what we call graphic journalism or graphic history," Following the Different Banner about the 'war on terror.'
Helfer said that he wrote a full script which went to his artist in Switzerland, who emailed back pencils and then sent the inked pages back to the US for Helfer to scan because the artist's computer couldn't handle the high-resolution files. Helfer said that among the changes to be made was one altering a drawing of Malcolm X holding an automatic weapon. The original famous photograph is copyrighted, so the artist had to draw him from a different position. The next books will be on Ronald Reagan and J. Edgar Hoover. After a question from the audience, Helfer noted that these books were vetted by a historian, and also by FSG's non-fiction department, but weren't meant to be definitive biographies. They were abridgements, and while "a picture may not be worth a thousand words, but it's worth a few paragraphs of exposition."
At the end of the talk, I bought copies of the books (second time for the 9-11 one, but I couldn't find my copy before I left) and had them signed. I was able to tell Jacobson and Colon how much I appreciated their Harvey Comics' work on Casper the Friendly Ghost, Hot Stuff and Richie Rich which I loved as a kid. Dark Horse is releasing a large 'essentials' format Casper and I'll be buying two - one for me and one for my daughter.
I was able to get in some bookstore and antique shopping time and here's some of what I found. This beat-up children's book was from the Teenie Weenies - a comic strip that started in 1914 and ran until 1990 according to Don Markstein. A website devoted to them is here.
In the same antique mall, I found Whitman novels of Dick Tracy and Terry and the Pirates as well as this Gill Fox original drawing which I'm glad to have rescued. The mold is only on the matte fortunately.
At an antique store in town, I found these.
and this:
Anyone recognize them?
The top is a bank of Foxy Grandpa, a strip by Bunny Schultze that Don Markstein says ran from 1900 until the 1930s. The second is illustrated by British cartooning great Norman Thelwell.
Finally, on the drive home I stopped in another antique mall and picked this up. It's a coverless copy of Honeymoon Romance #1 - a rare comic apparently. One sold in near mint condition for $1440 last year - not this one obviously!
The Plympton report, not quite one week late
As previously noted here, animator Bill Plympton showed a selection of his movies at National Geographic on March 19th. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable introducing his films, but loosened up in the Q&A session.
The films shown were: Lucas the Ear of Corn (1977, 4 min) A young ear learns the meaning of life.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking (1989, 5 min) Smoking "cures" that can't fail.
Smell the Flowers (1996, 2 min) A busy executive gets a visit from a nature-loving bird.
The Exciting Life of a Tree (1998, 7 min) A tree's point of view on centuries of human and animal events.
Parking (2002, 6 min) A blade of grass duels with a parking lot attendant.
Guard Dog (2004, 5 min) Academy Award nominee. An afternoon stroll with an overprotective dog.
The Fan and the Flower (2005, 7 min) The charming tale of an ill-fated romance between a houseplant and a lonely ceiling fan.
Guide Dog (2006, 5 min) The twisted sequel to Guard Dog.
Among interesting points:
Each film costs about $1000 / minute including his studio and assistants. So most films cost him about $5000. He can usually recover that with a sale to a larger animated venue, like the current Animation Show 3.
He's opposed to YouTube because it directly takes money away from him.
Films have gotten much faster to make due to computer technology.
25 Ways to Quit Smoking was made when he did a book of 100 cartoons, but couldn't sell it. So he trimmed it down, animated it and had a big success with it.
The Fan and the Flower was written by a Hollywood sitcom writer who called him up and asked him to animate it, but in a simple line and silhouette style.
The Exciting Life of a Tree was conceived while driving through France and seeing the battlefields of World War I.
The goofyGuard Dog was another immediate hit, and he will be doing a third film, Hot Dog, about the dog as a firefighter. The dog is very easy to animate as it's basically a squared-off circle, and each bounce is only three drawings.
The parking attendant of a lot that his studio overlooked inspired Parking. However, he never saw the film as he was killed in a robbery. As Plympton noted, "It's tragic, but that's life."
The books shown here as well as the movies mentioned above are available at his website.And my friend Doug who went with me beat me to the blogging.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Baltimore Comic-Con website up
Randy T. also reports that the Baltimore Comic-Con website is up. This is always a fun convention and I'm sorry that I missed the first few years of it.
Phoenix Comics in Herndon to move
Reader Randy T. passes along the following information from the store, which he typed in from their flyer (get with the idea of the web guys! And Phoenix is not alone with this issue).
WE’RE MOVING!!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Our new location is at the Landsdowne Shopping Center at the Corner of Route 7 and Belmont Ridge Road, at 19340 Promenade Drive, Landsdowne, 20176.
To find our new location from our current location please follow these directions:
West on Eldon Street for .7 mi
Turn Right on VA-606 for 1.9 mi
Merge Right onto Sully Rd VA-28N for 46 mi
Exit Ramp onto Harry Byrd Hwy VA-7W for 4.6 mi
Turn Right at Belmot Ridge Rd .1 mi
Turn Right on Promenade Drive
We’re on the Left next to the Subway, across from Panera!
Subscribers will have their choice of moving their subscriptions to our new location, or you can move your subscription to our Fairfax store, located at University Mall, at 10647 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA.
Please let us know when you visit our Herndon location beginning on Wednesday April 18, 2007 which location you would like your subscription moved to.
If you have any questions please call us at 703-437-9530, or email us at phoenixcomics@verizon.net. Make sure to keep your eye on our website at www.phoenixcomics.com for updates!
Check out our Herndon store for an awesome inventory blow-out starting April 26, 2007!!!
WE’RE MOVING!!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Our new location is at the Landsdowne Shopping Center at the Corner of Route 7 and Belmont Ridge Road, at 19340 Promenade Drive, Landsdowne, 20176.
To find our new location from our current location please follow these directions:
West on Eldon Street for .7 mi
Turn Right on VA-606 for 1.9 mi
Merge Right onto Sully Rd VA-28N for 46 mi
Exit Ramp onto Harry Byrd Hwy VA-7W for 4.6 mi
Turn Right at Belmot Ridge Rd .1 mi
Turn Right on Promenade Drive
We’re on the Left next to the Subway, across from Panera!
Subscribers will have their choice of moving their subscriptions to our new location, or you can move your subscription to our Fairfax store, located at University Mall, at 10647 Braddock Road, Fairfax, VA.
Please let us know when you visit our Herndon location beginning on Wednesday April 18, 2007 which location you would like your subscription moved to.
If you have any questions please call us at 703-437-9530, or email us at phoenixcomics@verizon.net. Make sure to keep your eye on our website at www.phoenixcomics.com for updates!
Check out our Herndon store for an awesome inventory blow-out starting April 26, 2007!!!
Friday, March 23, 2007
April 10: LOC - "Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth the Art of Gesture"
Quick post as I'm on the road.
Hope Saska presents talk "Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth and the Art of Gesture"
Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at 12 noon
Dining Room A, James Madison Building, 6th floor, 101 Independence Avenue SE
Co-sponsored by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon and the Prints and Photographs Division
In an illustrated public lecture, Swann Fellow Hope Saska will focus on the relationship between the world of theater and the work of William Hogarth (1697-1764) and other British satirists. At a time when actors were urged to study the fine arts, particularly history painting and ancient sculpture, for examples of gesture and expression to enliven the characters they portrayed on stage, Hogarth turned to theatrical metaphor to describe his two-dimensional *performances* on canvas and the engraved page.
Hope Saska presents talk "Of Attitude and Action: William Hogarth and the Art of Gesture"
Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at 12 noon
Dining Room A, James Madison Building, 6th floor, 101 Independence Avenue SE
Co-sponsored by the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon and the Prints and Photographs Division
In an illustrated public lecture, Swann Fellow Hope Saska will focus on the relationship between the world of theater and the work of William Hogarth (1697-1764) and other British satirists. At a time when actors were urged to study the fine arts, particularly history painting and ancient sculpture, for examples of gesture and expression to enliven the characters they portrayed on stage, Hogarth turned to theatrical metaphor to describe his two-dimensional *performances* on canvas and the engraved page.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Big Planet Comics creator appearances
March 28, 2-4 PM
Derek McCulloch (writer) and Shepherd Hendrix (artist), will be signing copies of their graphic novel, Stagger Lee, inspired by the classic folk song, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
April 11, 6-8 PM
Bryan Talbot will be signing copies of his new graphic novel, Alice In Sunderland, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
April 28, 2-4 PM
Nick Bertozzi will be signing copies of his new graphic novel, The Salon, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
--
Joel Pollack
-=--=-=--=--
BIG PLANET COMICS
4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6856
Also affiliated with:
BIG PLANET COMICS
3145 Dumbarton St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
BIG PLANET COMICS
426 Maple Ave. East
Vienna, VA 22180
Derek McCulloch (writer) and Shepherd Hendrix (artist), will be signing copies of their graphic novel, Stagger Lee, inspired by the classic folk song, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
April 11, 6-8 PM
Bryan Talbot will be signing copies of his new graphic novel, Alice In Sunderland, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
April 28, 2-4 PM
Nick Bertozzi will be signing copies of his new graphic novel, The Salon, at Big Planet Comics, 4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD, 301-654-6856.
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Joel Pollack
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BIG PLANET COMICS
4908 Fairmont Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6856
Also affiliated with:
BIG PLANET COMICS
3145 Dumbarton St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
BIG PLANET COMICS
426 Maple Ave. East
Vienna, VA 22180
April 11: Bryan Talbot at Big Planet Comics in Bethesda
Bryan Talbot's new book, Alice in Sunderland came out today, but I put off buying it as he'll be appearing at Big Planet Comics in 3 weeks. In the meantime, you can read this interview with him by Swamp Thing artist Steve Bissette.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Post sacrifices ass't Style editor on comics altar!
Well, perhaps not, but yesterday Deb Heard, Assistant Managing Editor, Style took questions online. Lots of Mary Worth fans out there...
...including Wonkette's Comics Curmudgeon.
Coming soon - a report on Plympton's appearance.
...including Wonkette's Comics Curmudgeon.
Coming soon - a report on Plympton's appearance.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Walter Reed political cartoons
By definition, many political cartoons tend to be about the place with the greatest (largest? most visible?) collection of politicians - DC. As such, I haven't been going out of my way to note cartoons about the city. However, regarding the ongoing Walter Reed hospital scandal, Daryl Cagle did so for us at his Professional Cartoonists Index which is a great resource. I'd encourage everyone to sign up for his newsletter.
March 19: An Animated Evening with Bill Plympton REPOST
An Animated Evening with Bill Plympton at National Geographic at 7:30 pm on March 19th. Plympton will show eight of his short animated films - oddly enough this might not be appropriate for children. $14 for members, $17 for non-members. I'm still planning on going; Plympton's work is sickly amusing.
On March 24th at 11 am, an Animated Environmental Film Festival has six films for $8 for adults and $6 for kids. The films are Gopher Broke, The Girl Who Hated Books, Tree Officer, Badgered, Turtle World and First Flight.
April 14: Fifth Annual Cherry Blossom Anime Marathon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(March 18,2007)
CONTACT: vickto@si.edu or 202.633.4880
Fifth Annual Cherry Blossom Anime Marathon
In Person: Satoshi Kon!
Saturday, April 14
In celebration of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, the Freer presents a day-long festival of four Japanese Anime films. As a special treat, famous anime director Satoshi Kon will be on hand to discuss two of his films. The DC Anime Club will also present an interactive display of the evolution of anime fandom throughout the day. For more information please visit www.asia.si.edu.
Tickets for all films (two per person) will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30 AM. Tickets for all films will be available throughout the day.
All films are in 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles, unless otherwise indicated.
This event is made possible by the Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan, Otakorp, Inc., and Sony Pictures Classics.
11:00 AM
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie
Fans of the wildly popular manga and card game will love this animated adventure, directed by Hatsuki Tsuji, in which a picked-on high school student unexpectedly becomes “the Game King,” and must battle the forces of evil. (2004, 90 min., English, video, rated PG)
1:30 PM
Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters
From anime visionary Mamoru Oshii, director of the classic Ghost in the Shell, comes this wildly experimental fusion of traditional Japanese storytelling, live action, and advanced animation techniques, which takes a humorous look at post-war Japan through the antics of some offbeat characters on the hunt for free grub. (2006, 104 min., appropriate for children 12 and older)
4:00 PM
Tokyo Godfathers
Join Satoshi Kon as he introduces and discusses his charming and visually arresting fable about three homeless people who discover an abandoned baby on Christmas and set off on a journey of wonder through Tokyo in search of its family. (2003, 91 min., rated PG-13)
7:00 PM
Paprika
For the crowning event for this year’s marathon, Satoshi Kon will also introduce and discuss his latest film, a surreal sci-fi adventure about a machine that can record dreams that falls into nefarious hands. (2006, 90 min., rated R)
Christopher Wanamaker
DC Anime Club President
http://www.dcanimeclub.org
202 262 2083
(March 18,2007)
CONTACT: vickto@si.edu or 202.633.4880
Fifth Annual Cherry Blossom Anime Marathon
In Person: Satoshi Kon!
Saturday, April 14
In celebration of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, the Freer presents a day-long festival of four Japanese Anime films. As a special treat, famous anime director Satoshi Kon will be on hand to discuss two of his films. The DC Anime Club will also present an interactive display of the evolution of anime fandom throughout the day. For more information please visit www.asia.si.edu.
Tickets for all films (two per person) will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30 AM. Tickets for all films will be available throughout the day.
All films are in 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles, unless otherwise indicated.
This event is made possible by the Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan, Otakorp, Inc., and Sony Pictures Classics.
11:00 AM
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie
Fans of the wildly popular manga and card game will love this animated adventure, directed by Hatsuki Tsuji, in which a picked-on high school student unexpectedly becomes “the Game King,” and must battle the forces of evil. (2004, 90 min., English, video, rated PG)
1:30 PM
Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters
From anime visionary Mamoru Oshii, director of the classic Ghost in the Shell, comes this wildly experimental fusion of traditional Japanese storytelling, live action, and advanced animation techniques, which takes a humorous look at post-war Japan through the antics of some offbeat characters on the hunt for free grub. (2006, 104 min., appropriate for children 12 and older)
4:00 PM
Tokyo Godfathers
Join Satoshi Kon as he introduces and discusses his charming and visually arresting fable about three homeless people who discover an abandoned baby on Christmas and set off on a journey of wonder through Tokyo in search of its family. (2003, 91 min., rated PG-13)
7:00 PM
Paprika
For the crowning event for this year’s marathon, Satoshi Kon will also introduce and discuss his latest film, a surreal sci-fi adventure about a machine that can record dreams that falls into nefarious hands. (2006, 90 min., rated R)
Christopher Wanamaker
DC Anime Club President
http://www.dcanimeclub.org
202 262 2083
We read the Post so you can find the good bits...
...Like this nice Douglas Wolk centerspread review in Book World - Apocalypse Then, Now and Always: Worlds destroyed, new ones made and superheroes run amok. Of the four books reviewed, I have an older edition of Gilbert's Heartbreak Soup and recommend it wholeheartedly. I've been meaning to pick up the DMZ compilations for a while, but haven't found the time yet, and the other two books sound good. In fact, I'll be calling Big Planet in a few minutes specifically for the De Crecy book.
The Source section has a review of The Care Bears, but this new book and record store, the Red Onion, sounds more interesting.
I've already mentioned Richard Thompson today, so have that weekly duty out of the way, but his cartoon yesterday about Irish bars was hilarious.
Finally, the Corcoran's Modernism show looks awesome. Blake Gopnik, one of the Post's best critics, has a piece on it today. The show is from London's Victoria and Albert museum, with American additions. Anyone who saw the excellent Art Nouveau show by the same team at the National Gallery of Art a few years back should keep this one in mind.
The Source section has a review of The Care Bears, but this new book and record store, the Red Onion, sounds more interesting.
I've already mentioned Richard Thompson today, so have that weekly duty out of the way, but his cartoon yesterday about Irish bars was hilarious.
Finally, the Corcoran's Modernism show looks awesome. Blake Gopnik, one of the Post's best critics, has a piece on it today. The show is from London's Victoria and Albert museum, with American additions. Anyone who saw the excellent Art Nouveau show by the same team at the National Gallery of Art a few years back should keep this one in mind.
A Short Interview With John Cuneo
Off-topic, but Richard Thompson emailed me a link to Tom Spurgeon's interview, with his friend John Cuneo. Enjoy.
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