Steve Loya has a story about seahorses in the new Wild Oceans anthology, and his art is in a small exhibit of pages from the book. See his photos and comments at http://goflyingtrtl.blogspot.com/2014/05/wild-ocean-art-exhibit-at-off-rhode.html
Monday, May 12, 2014
Comic Riffs on Al Feldstein
A MAD Tribute: Before there was 'Daily Show,' there was Al Feldstein's magazine.
By Michael CavnaWashington Post Comic Riffs May 10 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/05/10/a-mad-tribute-before-there-was-daily-show-there-was-al-feldsteins-magazine/
Sunday, May 11, 2014
June 2: Stephan Pastis booksigning at Washington Post
- at 6:00pm - 7:30pm in PDT
- The Washington Post Building, Community Room, 1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
Free and open to the public, but RSVP is required: PostPOV@washpost.com
https://www.facebook.com/events/630535203699202/
Saturday, May 10, 2014
'Batboy: The Musical' at 1st Stage in Tysons
Not sure this really fits as "comics," but it's weird enough that I think it falls under pop culture-comics inspired. What? You need a direct comics connection? Fine, both Peter Bagge and Daniel Coresetto drew the weekly comics strip "The Adventures of Batboy."
Now, on to the show, "Batboy: The Musical":
"Ripped from the 1992 World Weekly News tabloid headline, Bat Boy:The Musical is both musical comedy/horror spoof and big-hearted satire on American prejudice. When a half boy/half bat creature is discovered in a cave near fictional Hope Falls, West Virginia, the local vet’s wife sets out to teach him the ways of civilization only to be thwarted by the colorful, narrow-minded, “civilized” townfolk who have something else in mind. In the tradition of Sophocles, Sondheim and South Park—with hints of Mary Shelly, Tim Burton and Mel Brooks—Bat Boy weaves a smart and playful pop/rock score with a crazy take on American eccentricities."
The show runs May 23-June 22 at 1st Stage at Tysons Corner, Va.
Now, on to the show, "Batboy: The Musical":
"Ripped from the 1992 World Weekly News tabloid headline, Bat Boy:The Musical is both musical comedy/horror spoof and big-hearted satire on American prejudice. When a half boy/half bat creature is discovered in a cave near fictional Hope Falls, West Virginia, the local vet’s wife sets out to teach him the ways of civilization only to be thwarted by the colorful, narrow-minded, “civilized” townfolk who have something else in mind. In the tradition of Sophocles, Sondheim and South Park—with hints of Mary Shelly, Tim Burton and Mel Brooks—Bat Boy weaves a smart and playful pop/rock score with a crazy take on American eccentricities."
The show runs May 23-June 22 at 1st Stage at Tysons Corner, Va.
Friday, May 09, 2014
The Post reviews the latest Oz cartoon
Barely fodder for the canon: Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
By Jen Chaney, Washington Post May 9 2014, p. Weekend 40
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/legends-of-oz-dorothys-return-movie-review/2014/05/07/c59ba38a-d475-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html
By Jen Chaney, Washington Post May 9 2014, p. Weekend 40
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/legends-of-oz-dorothys-return-movie-review/2014/05/07/c59ba38a-d475-11e3-aae8-c2d44bd79778_story.html
Comic Riffs on the New York Post's dropping of comics
Who's Killing the Great Comics of New York? *(And Why?)
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 8 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/05/08/whos-killing-the-great-comics-of-new-york-and-why/
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 8 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2014/05/08/whos-killing-the-great-comics-of-new-york-and-why/
The First Woman Graphic Novelist: Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová
National Museum of Women in the Arts
MAY 12–NOV 14 2014
The First Woman Graphic Novelist: Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová
On view at the Betty Boyd Dettre Library and Research Center. Helena Bochořáková-Dittrichová (1894–1980) was a Czech graphic artist whose 1929 novel Z mého dětství (From My Childhood) is widely acknowledged to be the first wordless novel created by a woman. Bochořáková-Dittrichová's appealing and warm woodcut style was influenced by pioneering Belgian graphic artist Frans Masereel. This exhibition showcases five of her published novels as well as her unpublished book Malířka Na Cestách (The Artist on her Journey), which contains 52 original woodcuts about a young woman artist studying abroad, mirroring Bochořáková-Dittrichová's own life at the beginning of her career.
Thursday, May 08, 2014
'Wild Ocean' exhibit/comics workshop
An exhibit at Art-Enables in D.C. featuring original art from the new comics anthology Wild Ocean: Sharks, Whales, Rays and Other Endangered Sea Animals (Fulcrum Publishing) opens Saturday, May 10. (Other artwork related to marine animals and produced by local artists will also be featured.) In addition, there will be a comics-making workshop from 1-4 p.m.
Jen Sorensen, 2014 Herblock Prize Winner video online
Jen Sorensen, 2014 Herblock Prize Winner
Jen Sorensen's cartoons appear in approximately twenty alternative newspapers, including her local weekly, The Austin Chronicle. They are published regularly in The Nation, Ms. Magazine, The Progressive, Politico, and on a variety of websites, including Daily Kos and NPR.org. Her political cartoon, known as "Slowpoke" from 1998 until 2012 but now simply goes by own name, has been recognized six times by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Awards and received the 2009 Grambs Aronson Award for Cartooning With a Conscience. A Herblock Prize finalist in 2012, she was the recipient of a 2013 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Justice and Human Rights as well as the 2013 National Cartoonists Society Award for Editorial Cartoonists.
Thanks to the Alan at Daily Cartoonist for spotting this.
Ladies Making Comics blog
The Ladies Making Comics blog is an excellent resource on women creators. I met Alexa, the owner of it last night at the Becky Cloonan signing at Big Planet Comics Vienna, and I'm glad I did (although I have even more to read).
May 14: James Tynion IV at Cards, Comics & Collectibles
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Animation class at PG County library
New Carrollton library program helps children bring cartoons to life
Branch hosts first animation class for youths
by Emilie EastmanGazette May 07, 2014
http://www.gazette.net/article/20140507/NEWS/140509380/1225&source=RSS&template=gazette
Wednesday, May 07, 2014
The cupcakes at Big Planet Comics Vienna
Tonight's booksigning by Becky Cloonan and Shaun Simon was garnished by some interesting cupcakes from Simply Desserts. The green one is pistachio icing on chocolate, and the pink is strawberry icing.
Actual pictures of the comic book creators to follow...Photo by Claire Rhode
'Frozen' makes Disney money
Walt Disney's profit rises 27 percent on strength of 'Frozen' movie franchise
By Cecilia Kang, Washington Post May 7 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/walt-disneys-profits-rose-27-percents-on-strength-of-frozen-movie-franchise/2014/05/06/7ce81df2-d56b-11e3-95d3-3bcd77cd4e11_story.htmlMeet a Baltimore Cartoonist: A Chat with Spaghetti Kiss's Michael Bracco
Michael Bracco is a Baltimore-area cartoonist who often attends Washington's comics shows. He's frequently identified by his studio's nom-de-plume, Spaghetti Kiss. His comic Creators is debuting as a webcomic next month, but you can buy it in print now.
Mike Rhode: What type of comic work or cartooning
do you do?
Michael Bracco: I’m a science fiction geek and most
of what I write and draw falls into that genre. I love drawing robots and monsters and the work revolves
around that type of character design.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and
ink, computer or a combination?
I am a very analog artist. I do all of my comic work in
sketchbooks so that I can keep the work portable. I work in pen and ink with
Zebra brush pens and Microns to do the paneling, drawing and lettering. I do scan them and use the computer for
color but tend to scan tons of watercolor washes and cut them up in Photoshop
to make it feel a bit more hand done.
When (within a decade is fine) and
where were you born?
1979. It actually makes me sound younger to say the year than just
the decade.
You attend events in Washington, but don't live here.
What neighborhood or area do you live in?
I am in Baltimore City actually and
have lived there for 14 years. I moved here in '97 to go to college and never
left.
What is your training and/or education
in cartooning?
I went to Maryland Institute College
of Art and received a BFA in illustration in 2001 and a Masters in Art
Education in 2002. Other than that
my education in comics comes from years of reading them.
Who are your influences?
I do have some comic artists who are
huge influences but really I am most inspired by movies. The greatest challenge to me is to
create comics that have the same sense of pacing as my favorite movies. Movies like The Professional, Alien, 12
Monkeys, Star Wars and so many more have been my biggest sources of
inspiration.
If you could, what in your career
would you do-over or change?
Part of me wishes I had got the ball
rolling on my career earlier but the 6 years I spent not really getting my work
out there in my twenties were the years I cut my teeth and learned the
most. I guess I wouldn’t change
much of anything. All the tough
times and challenges, even the really brow beating and ego killing moments are
really what ended up defining me and giving me the work ethic I needed to be
successful at all.
What work are you best-known for?
Probably my Apparel line and not my
comics at all. I have a very
awesome and loyal fan base for the books but the clothing line, Spaghetti Kiss
gets all the attention.
What work are you most proud of?
The Novo series. I spent almost a decade building that
world and developing the story and the characters into a 6 graphic novel
series. It was the first thing I
published and it will always be my baby even though it has been finished for
almost 4 years.
What would you like to do or
work on in the future?
I
have been working on a book for the
past 2 years called The Creators and have recently decided that I am
going to put it out as a web comic. Up to this point I have always
exclusively done print comics and I am really excited to start this new
endeavor.
What do you do when you're in a rut
or have writer's block?
I just try and keep writing until I
break through it. Bad art/writing
is just a necessary step in getting to good art/writing.
What do you think will be the future
of your field?
I think the independent market will
really open up. The non-superhero
book has risen so high in the past decade and I think creators keep bringing
new ideas to the table.
What local cons do you attend? The
Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?
TONS! I vend at SPX, Baltimore Comic Con, MagFest, Awesome Con,
Smudge, Katsucon, Anime USA, Annapolis Con, Collectors Con, Baltimore Tattoo
Con to name a few. I also do a lot of craft shows like Pile of Craft, Holiday
Heap, Merry Mart, Honfest, Artscape and Crafty Bastards
What's your favorite thing about DC?
The food. There are so many great places to get a good drink and a
good meal.
Least favorite?
On the surface, most of DC’s culture is based around politics and I am not a big fan of that. It takes a while to go deeper and find
the local culture of the city but when you do you get to see what makes DC
really great.
What monument or museum do you like
to take visitors to?
I don’t know if this counts, but I
love the Cherry Blossom festival.
Do you have a website or blog?
My site is spaghettikiss.com and you can find me on
twitter, instagram, facebook and tumblr under spaghettikiss too!
Local colorist Arsia Rozegar
Local colorist Arsia Rozegar has a blog at http://arsiarozegar.wordpress.com/
His website says:
His website says:
Comics Coloring
Over the years I’ve colored countless pages for major comic book companies like Marvel, Image, Top Cow, Todd McFarlane Productions and Zenescope.
Some of my published pro comic book coloring: http://arsiarozegar.daportfolio.com/
Some of my published pro comic book coloring: http://arsiarozegar.daportfolio.com/
May 17: Jillian Tamaki at Politics and Prose
After TCAF, we will be doing some events in NYC and DC.
May 15
NYC: This One Summer Book Launch: Talk, Q&A, signing
Society of Illustrators (128 East 63rd St)
6:30PM
__
May 16
Brooklyn, NY: Talk, Q&A, signing
WORD Brooklyn (126 Franklin Ave, Greenpoint)
7:00PM
__
May 17
Washington DC: Book Launch
Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave NW)
5:00PM
__
Then I go home and never leave my house again.
Q&A with Fahey on 'Comic Book Reviewer'
Former D.C.-area resident (and D.C. Conspiracy member) Sean Fahey talks to Comic Book Reviewer about his writing and publishing endeavors.
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Cartoonists Draw Blood update
From: Troy-Jeffrey Allen:
Over the weekend, the industry event called Free Comic Book Day took the nation by storm! Held annually at local comic shops and other participating stores, FCBD is exactly what it sounds like: Come to your nearest funny book location and get free comics.
Just like last year, the artists behind Cartoonists Draw Blood brought their talents to participants in and around the DC-Metro area. They did sketches for kids and adults, handed out free comics, and signed people up for the blood drive. Our goal: To spread the word about the "Draw Blood" event and to make sure that everyone left with a smile on their face.
Remember: Cartoonists Draw Blood is May 31st at Seeker's Church in Washington, DC. To donate, simply e-mail us and schedule an appointment at CartoonistsDrawBlood@gmail.com
Take Care.
Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Writer|Producer
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