Le Defenseur (Council for the Defense) by Honore Daumier, ca 1862-65, from the Corcoran Gallery. It's in the works on paper gallery and would have just been transferred recently.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Comic Riffs talks to Cartoonists Rights Network International
Copenhagen attack: Amid this 'brutal war,' Cartoonists Rights director stresses echoes of Charlie Hebdo
By Michael CavnaWashington Post Comic Riffs blog February 14 2015
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/02/14/copenhagen-attack-amid-this-brutal-war-cartoonists-rights-director-stresses-echoes-of-charlie-hebdo/
Dan Boris' Dozi the Alligator book is for sale
Now accepting pre-orders: Dozi the Alligator, Book 1
"Dozi the Alligator Finds a Family"
http://www.danielboris.bigcartel.com/
"Dozi the Alligator Finds a Family"
http://www.danielboris.bigcartel.com/
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Frazz likes Richard Thompson
Today's Frazz by Jef Mallett tips a candy heart towards Richard Thompson as "corn flakes inventor" -- no, as "great cartoonist" more likely.
Latest Mohammad cartoon violence returns to Denmark and Sweden
The attack appears to have been on Lars Vilks, a Swede who followed up the Danish Islam cartoon controversy with a drawing of his own.
Danish police kill gunman believed behind 2 shootings [in print as Denmark on alert after two killed in dual Copenhagen shootings]
By Griff Witte and Karla Adam
Washington Post February 15 2015, p. A11
Danish police kill Copenhagen shooting suspect
By Griff Witte and Karla Adam
Washington Post February 15 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Catching up with comics writer Michael Cowgill
Michael Cowgill (pronounced CO-gull) is one of the mainstays of the DC Conspiracy comics co-op. He's appeared regularly in the Magic Bullet free comics newspaper, including the new issue #10 out now. He also wrote stories in the District Comics and Wild Ocean anthologies that Matt Dembicki edited. While he defines himself as a writer, he draws minicomics too, which you can buy from him at the annual Small Press Expo. Michael tells me he will be appearing next week at Fantom Comics on February 21st for the DC Conspiracy's 10th anniversary bash.Mike Rhode: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
Michael Cowgill: I mostly consider myself a writer and have a background in prose fiction writing, which I still work on, too. That said, I've done nonfiction/educational work for books like District Comics and Wild Ocean, and from issue 6 on of Magic Bullet, I've written and drawn my pages, featuring my characters Lil' P.I. and Trina Trubble and have done mini comics featuring them. There, I'd say I use a style in the Charles Schulz school (but in no way mean to compare myself to him!)
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
 | |
| "Skip Dillon: Son of the B.E.F." from District Comics, art by Rand Arrington |
For art, I create panels in Manga Studio and print them to a board in blue line (so they won't scan later), then draw with a blue pencil and ink with various pens. I'm still trying figure all that out and should probably teach myself to draw on the computer, but I find the inking stage particularly satisfying and relaxing. I scan that back in and then letter, color, and fix everything in Manga Studio.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
1973 in south Jersey, but we moved to the Atlanta area (a planned community called Peachtree City) when I was 3.
Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?
I moved here in 1997 to attend the MFA fiction program at George Mason University and ended up sticking around. I live in Falls Church.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
In cartooning, reading a lot of comics and books about comics. I don't have any formal art training. In writing, I have a BFA in creative writing from the University of Evansville (in Indiana) and an MFA in creative writing (fiction) from George Mason.
Who are your influences?
Growing up, Chris Claremont's X-Men and the Star Wars movies and toys were huge influences, as well as Bill Watterson, Berke Breathed, and as a kid from the eighties, I'm sure Garfield's in there somewhere. In late elementary school and junior high, serious young adult fiction like Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia and Virginia Hamilton's books caught my attention, and in high school, less serious fiction like Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels influenced me, especially his dialogue. From literature, Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, William Maxwell, some Hemingway, Colum McCann, Michael Chabon, Ross Macdonald, poets like Seamus Heaney and Stephen Dunn, many of my teachers. Musicians like Bruce Springsteen, The Band, The Beatles, Dylan sometimes, R.E.M., Tom Petty, Scott McCaughey. All sorts of movies and TV have infected my brain from all the dumb crap I watched as a kid to comedies like Seinfeld, NewsRadio, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Community to dramas like Homicide, The Wire, Breaking Bad, etc.
From current mainstream comics, writers Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction have influenced me. Bendis especially. In my prose fiction, I like to use a lot of back-and-forth dialogue, something that can get tricky in comics because of visual aspect and space limitations, and seeing Bendis' work showed me that you can accomplish that. Brubaker has influenced things like tone and pacing, and I admire Fraction's swing-for-the-fences attitude. Some artists that inspire me include Walt Simonson, Paul Smith, and Chris Samnee. My colleagues in the DC Conspiracy inspire me. I probably wouldn't be doing this without their support.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
Maybe start earlier--I didn't know about Eisner's instructional books, and we didn't have things like script books or Understanding Comics when I was finishing high school and first entertaining the mysterious idea of writing comics. If you look at a novel, you might not be able to see how the writer did it it, but the book you have ultimately represents that work in a way a comic, especially one done by multiple creators, doesn't. With a comic, you see the house but not the blueprint. Also, I would have taken some art classes. I drew a lot as a kid but never had any training, and now I'm playing catch-up. Especially in terms of my prose writing, I'd be more aggressive about getting my work out there.
 |
| The first Lil' P.I. story from Magic Bullet #6 |
What work are you best-known for?
I suppose Lil' P.I. since it appears in Magic Bullet, which has a nice big print run.
I suppose Lil' P.I. since it appears in Magic Bullet, which has a nice big print run.
What work are you most proud of?
Lil' P.I. means a lot to me and makes my friends and me laugh at the very least, and I've done it all on my own. I'd say it's a tie between that and my story in District Comics with Rand Arrington. It comes closest to what I'd like to accomplish. It has an emotional arc and a voice and uses the comics medium to accomplish its goals rather than just telling a story I could have written in prose.
How long have you been a DC Conspiracy member?
About 4 1/2 years.
Tell us about your Abstract Garage comic book...
I put together Tales From the Abstract Garage last year for SPX. I wanted it to serve as a showcase for some different styles of writing. I also wanted to work with artists I picked and write to their strengths. It features a few framing pages of Lil' P.I. and Trina Trubble introducing and closing the book and two stories. I wrote "Duet" in a literary style. It focuses on a moment when two strangers make a potentially romantic connection, and it's probably closer to a poem or song than a full-on narrative. I asked Jacob Warrenfeltz to draw this because he has a fairly realistic and humanistic style, and I decided to put one character on a motorcycle because Jake likes those and likes to draw them. For the second piece "Night of the Jackalope," I wanted to write an action-style piece and chose to avoid narration. It plays as a supernatural western, where a mysterious stranger faces off with a giant jackalope but discovers a secret. For this, a chose Art Hondros, whose great use of black white and crosshatching fits the mood and the old timey feel of the story. I know both artists through the DC Conspiracy, and they brought a lot to their stories. Jake did things with the layout that added a sense of weightlessness an floating to the dancing and motorcycle elements, a sense of what the characters feel physically and emotionally. Art added a lot to the design of the stranger, most notably the snake hatband and rougher look. I'm hoping to do more of these.
Lil' P.I. means a lot to me and makes my friends and me laugh at the very least, and I've done it all on my own. I'd say it's a tie between that and my story in District Comics with Rand Arrington. It comes closest to what I'd like to accomplish. It has an emotional arc and a voice and uses the comics medium to accomplish its goals rather than just telling a story I could have written in prose.
How long have you been a DC Conspiracy member?
About 4 1/2 years.
Tell us about your Abstract Garage comic book...
 |
| "Night of the Jackalope" art by Art Hondros |
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
Maybe get better at drawing so I can do something long form on my own, even though I like collaborating with other artists I'd really like to do something like This One Summer from last year. I love quiet grounded fiction that still has a lot of emotion, and if I can do something along those lines that uses the medium to accomplish things I couldn't in prose, then I'd like to do that.
Maybe get better at drawing so I can do something long form on my own, even though I like collaborating with other artists I'd really like to do something like This One Summer from last year. I love quiet grounded fiction that still has a lot of emotion, and if I can do something along those lines that uses the medium to accomplish things I couldn't in prose, then I'd like to do that.
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
Take a break. Work on something else, play guitar, watch TV, spend time with friends or family. From writing novels, I can say it also helps to have a long-term project because you have something to work on each day, as opposed to, say, poetry, where you might just tinker with a few words for weeks at a time. I believe in the just write it, then fix it method of writing. It helps you keep momentum. It sometimes helps to leave yourself problems to solve or a cliffhanger of some kind. After feeling the sting of rejection in the prose world, delving more into comics reinvigorated me. Having friends and colleagues to commiserate with helps, too, or a good editor. For Wild Ocean, I couldn't quite get the script down and alive, and Matt Dembicki suggested I just write it as if writing an article first and not worry about the comics part of it, and that helped a great deal. A good editor can do that, send you in the right direction without doing the work for you or making you feel like you're failing.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
It's hard to tell. I've more or less embraced digital books, but I still buy and prefer comics in print and like the communal aspect of going to the comics shop. We're in a period where more people are embracing the medium, and I like that, and I think using the medium more for educational purposes, not just to educate about a topic but to encourage literacy by having fiction and nofiction comics about all sorts of things, has a lot of potential. I've come to enjoy the DIY aspect of comics, and given that we live in that kind of world with e-books and YouTube and web comics, it makes sense that that could spread even more in comics as the kids that are reading graphic novels now grow up.
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| Awesome Con comics convention in Washington, DC. District Comics panelists - Art Haupt, Rafer Roberts, Mike Cowgill, Andrew Cohen, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Mike Rhode, Carolyn Belefski and Troy-Jeffrey Allen. |
What local cons do you attend? The Small Press Expo, Intervention, or others? Any comments about attending them?
I've attended Baltimore just as a fan and had a good time. I like its comics-centric nature. I've spent time on both sides of the table at SPX now, but I missed the early years, which sound a little more fun and unpredictable than the institutional role it plays now. I'll be exhibiting at Smudge this year and have exhibited at Bmore Into Comics in Baltimore a couple times, which is small and a good place to get some con experience. Awesome Con has potential, but ultimately, I wonder where comics fit into that.
 |
| "Duet" art by Jacob Warrenfeltz |
Probably the people or more specifically the people I know and that it does have some kind of scene for literature and comics at least, and even though it takes a while to get places, I like the proximity to the city itself from places like Falls Church. I also like the reasonable proximity to places like Philadelphia and New York. The two weeks of spring we get.
Least favorite?
Traffic and what happens to it the day before holidays, when the weather gets a little cranky, etc. I'd like to like and use Metro more, but I can't say that I do. I probably would if I lived in the city itself.
What monument or museum do you like to take visitors to?
I guess one of the Air and Space museums, mainly because my dad was a pilot and we would visit the main museum when we came through D.C. FDR and Jefferson memorials work, too.
How about a favorite local restaurant?
Yes. michaelcowgill.com.
Preparing for the D.C. Conspiracy party on Feb. 21
Members of the D.C. Conspiracy (namely Evan Keeling and Andrew Cohen) prepare the DCC comics arts exhibit at Fantom Comics, which on Feb. 21 will host the DCC's 10th anniversary party. The celebration, which runs from 3-9 p.m., will include a comics-making workshop, chat with creators and live music by Mickie & Mallory (which includes comics writer Joe Carabeo).
Warren Bernard curates Society of Illustrators exhibit
Warren Bernard co-curates a Society of Illustrators exhibit on Alternative Weekly Comics, March 04, 2015 - May 02, 2015. This will also be the theme of this year's Small Press Expo.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Comic Riffs on March vol 2 at UDC
REP. JOHN LEWIS: At UDC, civil-rights memoir 'March' keeps reaching the next generation
By Frances Stead Sellers
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog February 13 2015
Kal wins Cartoon of the Year in Europe
From Kal:
February 13 2015
I am delighted to announce that I have won the award for cartoon of the year in Europe in 2014. The press release and the winning entry are below:
GRAND PRIX PRESS CARTOON EUROPE 2015
The Grand Prix Press Cartoon Europe 2015 was won by Kevin Kallaugher (KAL) with a cartoon published in The Economist on the 18th of October 2014 . The European cartoon of the year was selected from over 400 published works from 151 cartoonists in 26 countries. The winner receives a cheque of 8.000 euro and a bronze trophy, designed by Belgian graphical artist Ever Meulen.
A second and third prize, each good for 1.000 euro, go to Jean Gouders (The Netherlands) for a cartoon published in BN De Stem on the 11th of December 2014 and to Quirit (Belgium) for a cartoon published in Gazet van Antwerpen on the 30th of December 2014.
The jury was composed by journalist from different countries:
Olivier le Bussy, Kris van Haver, Lukas de Vos from Belgium, Denis Crowley from Ireland, Mark John, Sara Lewis, Simon Frédéric from the UK assisted by Vincent Baudoux from the PCE-committee.
The awards will be handed at an official ceremony on the 4th of July 2015 at the opening of the 54st International Cartoon Festival in Knokke-Heist, Belgium. All cartoons nominated for the PCE (Press Cartoon Europe) and PCB (Press Cartoon Belgium) will be shown at the exhibition of the Cartoon Festival during summer 2015.
More information:
Evi Duson
Assistant Producer PCB
evi@presscartoon.com
+32 479 66 10 55
Kevin Kallaugher
The Post reviews Kingsman, movie based on Millar & Gibbons comic book
'Kingsman: The Secret Service': James Bond meets Jack Bauer
Support cartoonists' rights now
The recent murder of 5 cartoonists, along with others, in their offices at Charlie Hebdo in Paris has brought the issue of cartoonists rights to freedom of speech and safety to the forefront of people's notice.
The Cartoonists Rights Network International (based in Northern Virginia) has been defending cartoonists for decades. In addition to the French cartoonists, Zunar in Malaysia has been arrested, Bonil is Ecuador is being censored and Mohammad Saba'aneh in Palestine has been suspended.
I spoke to Matt Wuerker last night about their Indiegogo fundraising campaign. The interview will appear soon on the City Paper, but time is ticking in their campaign. Click here:The Cartoonists Rights Network International (based in Northern Virginia) has been defending cartoonists for decades. In addition to the French cartoonists, Zunar in Malaysia has been arrested, Bonil is Ecuador is being censored and Mohammad Saba'aneh in Palestine has been suspended.
Cartoonists Rights Network International - CRNI
Former Library of Congress curator to head San Diego Comic Art Gallery
Harry Katz, a former Library of Congress curator is to head IDW's new San Diego Comic Art Gallery.
While Harry was at the Library, they acquired the massive collection of Art Young. Harry was also affiliated with the Herblock Foundation for many years.Thursday, February 12, 2015
March vol. 2 reviewed by School Library Journal
Sound and Fury: Graphic Nonfiction for Teens
By Mahnaz Dar
School Library Journal's Curriculum Connections enewsletter. February 10, 2015
http://www.slj.com/2015/02/standards/curriculum-connections/sound-and-fury-graphic-nonfiction-for-teens/#_
School Library Journal's Curriculum Connections enewsletter. February 10, 2015
http://www.slj.com/2015/02/standards/curriculum-connections/sound-and-fury-graphic-nonfiction-for-teens/#_
City Paper's Arts Guide highlights Smudge comics expo
Washington City Paper February 13, 2015
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/46852/spring-arts-guide-2015/
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/46852/spring-arts-guide-2015/
Smudge is March 14th at the Artisphere in Arlington.
May 1: Neil Gaiman tickets available through Politics and Prose
Friday, May 1, 8 p.m.
Don't miss Neil Gaiman, the critically acclaimed bestselling author of titles such as American Gods, Coraline, The Graveyard Book and the groundbreaking Sandman comics, at this special one-night-only event May 1 at DAR Constitution Hall.
Starting now, you can get access to the best seats in the house, before the general public! Just use the promo code: CORALINE to register.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Feb 21: fantoM/Make presents Making Comics with Jason Rodriguez!
- Fantom Comics2010 P St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036
Join us for the first in a series of comic-making workshops from the fantastic Harvey and Eisner-nominated writer and editor, Jason Rodriguez (Colonial Comics).
Sit in on this week's session which will cover the basics of making comics - the business and the DIY parts. Then join us for the DC Conspiracy 10th Anniversary Party!
Future sessions will deal with creating an actual comic, panel-by-panel and scene-by-scene.
Schedule of Upcoming Workshops:
Feb 21 - Making Comics Pt. 1 - An Intro to Making Comics
March 13 - Making Comics Pt. 2 - A Moment in Time
April 16 - Making Comics Part 3 - Making Them Move
May 14 - Making Comics Part 4 - Scene Work
June 18 - Making Comics Part 5 - Making Your Comic
Sit in on this week's session which will cover the basics of making comics - the business and the DIY parts. Then join us for the DC Conspiracy 10th Anniversary Party!
Future sessions will deal with creating an actual comic, panel-by-panel and scene-by-scene.
Schedule of Upcoming Workshops:
Feb 21 - Making Comics Pt. 1 - An Intro to Making Comics
March 13 - Making Comics Pt. 2 - A Moment in Time
April 16 - Making Comics Part 3 - Making Them Move
May 14 - Making Comics Part 4 - Scene Work
June 18 - Making Comics Part 5 - Making Your Comic
The Post reports the arrest of Zunar in Malaysia
The Post reports the arrest of Zunar, a cartoonist who has recently visited Washington, in Malaysia over a tweet. The news is essentially a footnote in the article, so I'm quoting it below.
"Human Rights Watch reported that the Malaysian government on Tuesday also arrested a well-known Malaysian cartoonist, Zunar, after he tweeted: "The lackeys in black robes are proud about their sentence. The reward from political masters must be plenty.""
Comic Riffs has recently spoken with Zunar over the Charlie Hebdo massacres."Human Rights Watch reported that the Malaysian government on Tuesday also arrested a well-known Malaysian cartoonist, Zunar, after he tweeted: "The lackeys in black robes are proud about their sentence. The reward from political masters must be plenty.""
March 14: SMUDGE COMICS ARTS EXPO programming
at 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Artisphere
1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, Virginia 22209
PROGRAMMING AT A GLANCE
Black Box Theater
1-1:50 – Comics as teaching tools
2-2:50 – Exploring science through comics
3-3:50 – Race in comics
4-4:50 – Dreamworld
5-5:50 – 10 years of the D.C. Conspiracy
Classroom
1-1:50 – Jade Feng Lee – Character Design
2-2:50 – Santiago Casares – Make Your Own Comic Workshop
3-3:50 – Pauli Kohberger (Art Way Alliance) – Anime, Manga, and the Basics of Character Design
4-4:50 – Liz Reed – Create a clay character
Dome Theatre – seating in the Dome is free and first come/first served.
Animated Shorts (all ages) – 12-1pm
Root Hog or Die (104 minutes) – 2-3:45pm
The Art of Richard Thompson – 4-4:30pm
Jamie Greene now writing for GeekDad
Jamie Greene is now writing for GeekDad. He's got 3 comics interviews up with excellent cartoonists:
The Tamaki cousins
Earlier interviews by Jamie and his daughter Zoey on his blog are linked to in various places on ComicsDC.
Here's one we missed: 5 Questions with Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde
Here's one we missed: 5 Questions with Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde
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