Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Aug 17: J-Film: Sue, Mai & Sawa

Join us for a free film at the JICC!
Join us for a free film at the JICC!
JICC Logo
The JICC and the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C. are excited to present this heartwarming drama based on Masuda Miri's comic strip series!
Su-chan, Mai-chan, and Sawako-san once worked part-time together. Their friendship has remained unchanged for over ten years, but now they are in their thirties and harbor anxieties about where their futures will lead. Sue, Mai & Sawa offers a tender depiction of three women as they struggle with their careers, love lives, and more. 
Japanese w. English subtitles | Not Rated | 2013 | 106 Minutes | Drama/Comedy | Directed by Osamu Minorikawa
Starring Kou Shibasaki, Yoko Maki, and Shinobu Terajima
- WOMEN IN CINEMA HIGHLIGHT - 
Sachiko Tanaka, Screenwriter
Sachiko Tanaka studied at Tokyo University of the Arts where she apprenticed under film director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. In 2007 she received the Kido Shiro Award for her screenplay Natsu no Tabi. In 2008 for Tokyo Sonata, along with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka received the award for Best Screenwriter at the 2008 Asian Film Awards and was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2009 Asia Pacific Film Awards. [read more...]
You are invited to
Wednesday, August 17th, 2016
from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan
1150 18th Street Northwest
Suite 100
Washington DC 20036 US
REGISTER NOW!
Event venue map
This program is presented in cooperation with the Japan Commerce Association of Washington, D.C. and the Japan Foundation.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. 

*** When registering you may receive an email asking you to "Activate your Eventbrite account" if you have never used Eventbrite before. It is NOT necessary to activate an account for you to attend this event and you may ignore this email from Eventbrite. ***

In the event of a cancellation, please contact us at jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp.

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.
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1150 18th Street NW, Suite 100 | Washington, D.C. 20036-3838
TEL: 202-238-6900 | FAX: 202-822-6524 |
jicc@ws.mofa.go.jp

© 1991-2016 Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan








PR: TODAY - $3 Silver Age Comic Sale! Wednesday, August 3rd - Beyond Comics Frederick




$3 SILVER AGE COMIC SALE!
Beyond Comics
TODAY!
Wednesday, August 3rd
Frederick Location Only!
2pm to 6pm
Don't miss this sale!

Tens of thousands of Silver Age comics available from $3.
Don't miss this chance to fill in gaps or check out new gems at a great price.

One Day ONLY and then they're Out!
Also Featuring A Selection of 
High Demand Silver Age Comics!
(And no, these are not just $3)
Beyond Comics
5632 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
301-668-8202
www.beyondcomics.com
 
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Rep John Lewis a living example of civil rights heroics

The Rachel Maddow Show 8/2/16

Rep John Lewis a living example of civil rights heroics

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/rep-john-louis-sets-civil-rights-example-737114179596

Rachel Maddow shows Congressman John Lewis' leadership during the recent House Democratic sit-in over gun legislation, and extols the virtues of Lewis' "March" graphic novel trilogy. Duration: 5:50

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

One More Page Books remembers Richard Thompson

The kind, generous and very talented cartoonist and artist Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac, Richard's Poor Almanac) passed away last week due to the effects of Parkinson's disease. Richard was one of the first authors to appear at OMP - so early that the store was not quite open - and since then he has been a generous, gracious and wonderful friend to us. We can't put into words how much we'll miss his humor and friendship and many of you have shared the loss you feel. Our thoughts are with Amy, the girls, his family & his many, many, many friends.

If you'd like to help others with Parkinson's in honor of Richard, you can donate to Team Cul de Sac, part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

One More Page Books 
2200 N. Westmoreland Street, #101
Arlington, VA 22213
703-300-9746    Visit our website
Mon-Sat: 10 am - 8 pm; Sun: noon to 5 pm

(excerpted from their August 2, 2016 newsletter)

PR: SPX 2016 Announces Special Guests Hanawalt, Brown, Burns and Glidden




For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Email: warren@spxpo.com
 
Small Press Expo Announces Lisa Hanawalt, Jeffrey Brown, Charles Burns and Sarah Glidden as Special Guests for SPX 2016
 
Bethesda, Maryland; August 2, 2016
Media Release - Small Press Expo is proud to announce Lisa Hanawalt, Jeffrey Brown Charles Burns and Sarah Glidden as special guests for SPX 2016. These guests are in addition those previously announced for the 40th Anniversary of Fantagraphics celebration; Daniel Clowes, Carol Tyler, Jim Woodring, Drew Friedman, Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, Ed Piskor, SPX first timer Trina Robbins, and a rare festival appearance by Joe Sacco.
 
Hot Dog Taste Test serves up Lisa Hanawalt's devastatingly funny comics, saliva-stimulating art, and deliciously screwball lists as she skewers the pomposities of foodie subculture. From the James Beard award-winning cartoonist and production designer/producer of Bojack Horseman, Hot Dog Taste Test from Drawn & Quarterly dishes out five-star laughs, as Hanawalt keenly muses on pop culture, relationships, and the animal in all of us.
 
Jeffrey Brown is the bestselling author of Darth Vader and Son as well as the Jedi Academy series from Scholastic Books. He began his comics career with Clumsy and other autobiographical comics that chronicled everyday awkward and intimate moments from life. His new book, Lucy & Andy Neanderthal from Random House Kids, is a heavily researched middle grade story about prehistoric cavemen kids. He lives in Chicago with his wife and sons.
 
Charles Burns is renown for his epic graphic novel Black Hole, for which he won the Eisner, Ignatz and Harvey Awards. In addition to work in set design, posters and advertising, he has worked for such periodicals as Raw, The Believer and The New Yorker. SPX 2016 will see the debut of Last Look from Penguin Random House, which presents the Nitnit Trilogy of the previously published X'ed Out, The Hive and Sugar Skull in one volume.
 
Cartoonist Sarah Glidden accompanies her two friends—reporters and founders of journalism non-profit—as they research potential stories on the effects of the Iraq War on the Middle East and, specifically, the war's refugees. Joining the trio is a childhood friend and former Marine whose past service in Iraq adds an unexpected and sometimes unwelcome viewpoint, both to the people they come across and perhaps even themselves. The group travels across Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, with Glidden's observations resulting in her latest book, Rolling Blackouts, that will debut at SPX 2016 is published by Drawn & Quarterly.  Glidden (How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less) records all that she encounters with a sympathetic and searching eye. Painted in her trademark soft, muted watercolors and written with a self-effacing humor, Rolling Blackouts cements Glidden's place as one of today's most original nonfiction voices.
 
In the next few weeks, SPX will announce the international guests coming from all over the world to attend the show, the 2016 Ignatz nominees and a full slate of programming.
 
SPX 2016 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18, and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitor tables and 22 programming slots to entertain, enlighten and introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.
 
Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year's guests.
 
The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals. For more information on the CBLDF, visit their website at http://www.cbldf.org. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.smallpressexpo.com.



Comic Riffs on Suicide Squad comic book

There's a lot of sample pages of President Obama.

The Post on the Simpson's endorsement of Clinton

'The Simpsons' predicted a Trump presidency, but they won't be voting for him


Washington Post August  2 2016
, p. C2
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/08/01/the-simpsons-predicted-a-trump-presidency-but-they-wont-be-voting-for-him/

Mike Rhode on Richard’s Poor Almanac(k) by Richard Thompson (2011)

This is excerpted from Craig Fischer's Team Cul de Sac fundraising zine, Favorites (2011). I was just asked for a copy, so I'll put here for those interested. Since I wrote this, Andrews McMeel scanned all the original drawings Richard had in his studio (and he'd given away a decent amount of them before the scanning) and began running them on Go Comics.

Mike Rhode on Richard's Poor Almanac(k) by Richard Thompson

When I was young, I had favorite comics.

As I grew a bit older, I had favorite comics and creators.

As I dash into middle age, I have almost no favorite comics or creators. Because I find the world opened to me far more than I ever expected it could have, and I've read thousands of comic books, tens of thousands of comic strips and millions of words. And I've liked a lot of them. So I've picked one by someone I know.

To you, I'll recommend a comic (and book) that tens of thousands of Washingtonians enjoyed for years, but one that you may not have seen—Richard Thompson's Richard's Poor Almanac (or Almanack as it later became). From 1997 through 2009, Thompson did a weekly cartoon for the Washington Post about whatever struck him as amusing that week. Which may have included Saddam Hussein bobbleheads, the Dillinger Wing of the Smithsonian Institution, county fairs, potholes, closed restaurants, ambiguous toys, or cherry blossom lore. Many of these strips were tinted with watercolor, a technique never seen in comics anymore, because it takes too much time. But boy, did it look lovely, even when applied to a red-faced "Spring [who] became irritated when asked about her vivid outfit, a flowing, low- cut gown that barely contained her fertile figure," which led her to threaten, "Watch it or I'll put 3 feet of water in your basement!" as her first public appearance ended.  In four panels, Richard mocked the overly-familiar Washington press conference, zinged the local fixation on Cherry Blossom timing, and noted the change in seasons with tongue firmly in cheek. This cockeyed take on the world, in this case the arrival of spring, is typical of his Alamanc(k) strips, and leads to a large part of the enjoyment of the strip.  If you're curious about "Our Fireworks Heritage," seek out the 2004 collection of the panels and glory in "12 Months of Misinformation in Handy Cartoon Form."

The NY Times on March vol. 3

'March' Graphic Novel Revisits Civil Rights Movement in Rich Detail

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/books/for-younger-readers-march-revisits-civil-rights-movement-in-visual-detail.html

Charles Hatfield tribute to Richard Thompson

A third tribute by Charles Hatfield has been added to the Comics Journal page at http://www.tcj.com/tributes-to-richard-thompson/ , adding to those by Warren Bernard and Craig Fischer.

Andrew Aydin interviewed about March

Monday, August 01, 2016

The Post interviews Roz Chast

What's in Roz Chast's bag? A new ending to her best-selling book. [in print as Her need for closure no longer remains].


Washington Post August 1 2016, p. C1
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/whats-in-roz-chasts-bag-a-new-ending-to-her-best-selling-book/2016/07/31/8f3bac3c-54ce-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html

Comic Riffs on Jack Davis

RIP Jack Davis, legendary sports cartoonist and MAD magazine artist


Washington Post Comic Riffs July 29
2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2016/07/29/rip-jack-davis-legendary-sports-cartoonist-and-mad-magazine-illustrator/

Anti-Trump designs by Auger

Looks like local cartoonist Michael Auger has designed a few more anti-Trump T-shirts.

 

Studio Ghibli film fest at Angelika at Mosaic


Yesterday I watched Tales from Earhsea at the Angelika Film Center, in the Mosaic District in Fairfax, VA. The film was part of the annual Studio Ghibli Film Festival, which happens every summer. I was fortunate to learn about this seasonal event last year, allowing fans like myself to view their favorite Studio Ghibli movies on the big screen. As in the case with yesterday, it was the first time I saw Tales from Earthsea, a film that is absolutely stunning on the big screen. One of my all time favorites - a Studio Ghibli classic and early Miyazaki film, was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - one I own on Blu Ray, but was able to fully appreciate after seeing and hearing it in a movie theater earlier this summer, at Angelika. It's good to note that last year, they didn't show Nausicaa, so I'm glad they decided to mix things up this time around!

As the schedule goes, each week they'll play a Studio Ghibli film twice, once on Saturday mornings at 11:00am, and again on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. On Saturdays, they'll show the English dubbed version, and on Wednesdays, for a film's second showing, they'll show the original Japanese version, with English subtitles. So, if I wanted to see Earthsea again, I could go this Wednesday evening and watch it in its original, Japanese form.

Sadly, this summer's line-up is almost done, however there a still a few more to see through August. If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli films, or great animation, or great movies in general, then get on over to the Angelika Film center at Mosaic before it's too late!

                                                                                                                  -Steve Loya

Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "#DNCleaks"

From DC's anarchist cartoonist, Mike Flugennock:

"#DNCleaks"
http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2010

At last report, there is absolute zero evidence that the Russians had squat to do with the recent Wikileaks dump of Democratic National Committee emails detailing the program of fraud and sabotage against the Sanders campaign. Still, that hasn't stopped all manner of Liberal Democratic mouthpieces like MSNBC shrieking at full throat about how "the Russians did it".

Actually, I think it's too bad that the Russians didn't do it, because ma-aan, would that have been some poetic justice.

Catholic University's Treasure Chest collection

Associate Archivist W.J. Shepherd has written a few articles:

The Archivist's Nook: Hark! The Digital Angel Comes!

The Archivist's Nook: Treasure Chest – Your Own Virtual Jesus


The Archivist's Nook: A Merry Treasure Chest Christmas to All!


Smithsonian American Art Museum on Pokemon

Pokémon Go: Games, Art, and Open Spaces at the Museum
July 13, 2016


http://eyelevel.si.edu/2016/07/pok%C3%A9mon-go-games-art-and-open-spaces-at-the-museum.html

Tributes to Richard Thompson

Tributes to Richard Thompson

Saturday, July 30, 2016

That darn Mark Trail

'Mark Trail' objectifies women [in print as Free for All Swimsuit Edition].

Daniel Bender, Bethesda

Washington Post July 30 2016

From the July 11 "Mark Trail." (James Allen/North America Syndicate)

Ann Telnaes interviewed

Three Female Cartoonists Open Up About Drawing Hillary Clinton

And sexism. Loads of sexism.

07/30/2016 
Katherine Brooks Senior Arts & Culture Editor, The Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/women-cartoonists-on-hillary-clinton_us_579ba932e4b0e2e15eb5d00f

The Post's review of Phantom Boy

'Phantom Boy': Another old-school animation from the makers of 'A Cat in Paris' [in print as Timely crime with an old-school feel].


Washington Post July 29 2016

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/phantom-boy-another-old-school-animation-from-the-makers-of-a-cat-in-paris/2016/07/28/35c8d1ae-4eaf-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html

Friday, July 29, 2016

Carolyn Belefski called Kindness Activist

David Malki and Encore Stage remembering Richard Thompson

Mark Korsak on this weekend's Graphic Recording professional meeting

by Mike Rhode

Mark Korsak recently contacted me to tell me that Scott McCloud would be in town for an event, courtesy of Maga Design. The International Forum of Visual Practioners is having it's annual meeting in DC. It's not open to the general public, but you can register to attend. Several local cartoonists such as Kevin Rechin, Joe Sutliff, Teresa Logan and especially Joe Azar have done jobs in this emerging field. Mark's quite happy with his new career, noting that he gets to travel around and was just in India for three days.

MR: What is graphic recording?  

MK: Graphic Recording is one of a few terms used to describe someone who uses hand done static visual media to capture and document information, communicate ideas and foster development and creative thinking in real time. Most Graphic Recorders are hired for a presentation or development meeting. They go in to the event, tape a 4 x 8 foot sheet of paper up on a wall, and draw/write what everyone in the room is saying while they're saying it. Live. Improvisationally. They do this because  it engages people in a way that talking alone, or a powerpoint presentation, can't. The audience becomes more absorbed in the subject. They retain information better and participate in the experience. Afterwards there is a unique visual record or the experience that can be referenced. Over all there is a much deeper impact.

There are 2 camps in the field. One would be Graphic Recorders, like me, who draw/write what is happening. The second camp is Graphic Facilitators. They tend to have much less drawing experience, but have psychology and management degrees. They know how to get a room full of people to think/work together and use the drawing more as a tool to build consensus. I am often paired with a facilitator on an assignment. They do the talking, I do the drawing.

Do the drawings tell a story?

Absolutely. For the people in the room, drawing is magic. It leaves a much deeper impression and ends up standing as an inspiration.

How did you get involved in the field? Are you a cartoonist?

I'm an illustrator/designer. I moved to DC from New York a few years ago. In an effort to connect with the local design community. I attended a cocktail party at Maga Design, a consulting firm here in DC that engages all their clients with Graphic Recording (and host of the cocktail party). I met Jim Nuttle and Greg Gersch at that party. Both of them are illustrator/designers that have become highly sought after Graphic Recorders. They introduced me to the Graphic Recording industry (along with Joe Azar) and I have since taken up the mantle.

Why do cartoonists make good practitioners? Or don't they?

Cartoonists/Illustrators/artists make excellent Graphic Recorders because they are, foremost, keen observers. Listening skills are paramount when capturing a sessions. Secondary advantages are knowledge of how to design a page, tell a story visually, an extensive visual vocabulary, knowledge of what works or doesn't work on a page, familiarity with type and different fonts, color theory, and general comfort with drawing/filling a page, just about all the skills a visual artist has.


Why did you invite Scott McCloud to come to DC to speak to your group? 

There are many fantastic books out there that talk about visual thinking and facilitating, but Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics" has become a must read for the Graphic Recording industry as it delves so deeply into the nuts and bolts of why/how images/drawings work. Scott is finishing up his tour for "The Sculptor" and starting to research his next book, which will be more along the lines of "Understanding Comics" (or so he tells me). Not only will his lecture be informative to the attendees of the conference, but he will also be conducting interviews himself and researching his next book.


To give you an idea of what Graphic Recording looks like here are the finish files from the capture I did recently. In an effort to learn more about the needs of the DC and Suburban Maryland community Kaiser Permanente gathered together a variety of community leaders and medical professionals for a day of dialogue and discussion. Both these panels are 4 x 8 ft. At the end of the day, the client keeps them. They usually hang them up in their office for a time as inspiration.
 

The Post's obituary for Jack Davis

Jack Davis, Mad magazine illustrator, dies at 91 [in print as Jack Davis, 91: Horror comics launched Mad cartoonist's career].


Washington Post July 29 2016, p. B6
online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/comics/jack-davis-mad-magazine-illustrator-dies-at-91/2016/07/28/65fd0380-54e6-11e6-88eb-7dda4e2f2aec_story.html

Comic Riffs on Richard Thompson masterpieces

The early Thompson - Science fiction fandom art

The early Thompson - Science fiction fandom art

July 29, 2016

http://richardspooralmanac.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-early-thompson-science-fiction.html

We compiled a lot of art that wasn't used in The Art of Richard Thompson book. Here's some raw scans of a selection of it. Richard's earliest published works were in the convention program for the local sci-fi con Disclave, and the fanzine Science Fiction Eye....

Cartoonists Stacy Curtis and Dave Kellett remember Richard Thompson

Both Stacy and Dave knew Richard - Stacy worked on Cul de Sac with him, and Dave interviewed him at length for a documentary.

Rest in Peace, Richard Thompson

http://stacycurtis.blogspot.com/2016/07/rest-in-peace-richard-thompson.html?m=1


Dave Kellett's Sheldon comic

http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/160728.html

Thursday, July 28, 2016

A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson

100_5497

Richard Thompson collected friends. And admirers who became friends. I first met Richard ten years ago in November 2006. Although it seems longer ago than that, probably because I'd seen his work in the Washington Post, practically every day, for the previous two decades. Joel Pollack introduced us at the opening of the Cartoon America exhibit at the Library of Congress.  We hit it off, Richard's quiet, sly wit keeping me grinning, and soon we began taking in more exhibitions with other of Richard's old friends (who are also talented artists) such as Bono Mitchell, Nick Galifianakis and Kevin Rechin. Soon I was popping over to his house in North Arlington, where Amy, or their daughters Emma and Charlotte would answer the door and yell down to the basement studio, "Dad, Mike's here again," because of course, he was never on time for whatever event we were going to. Richard and his gang kindly enfolded me into their lives, and I can never pay him or them or his family back for that kindness. An inexact analogy would have Richard as the sun in a solar system, with family and friends orbiting around him and then around each other as a result. I met many good people, some famous and some not, through being privileged enough to hang out with Richard (and having a drivers license that I was willing to use).

Richard was an engaging traveling companion, even if he could be a bit... frustrating. At one Con, he was panicking because he couldn't find the $400 he made earlier in the day. (This is when he was selling his daily Cul de Sac strips for $100 or less). We tore apart our hotel room, over and over, obsessively rechecking his luggage and clothes. Eventually it turned up where he'd 'safely' stored it - in his pillowcase. Certainly, no maid of a criminal bent would ever have checked there. That wasn't atypical behavior for him, because in many ways, Richard was a typical artist, forgetting to eat, or leaving jobs until the last minute so inspiration would strike. One of my great regrets is that he never took Francoise Mouly up on her offer to do a New Yorker magazine cover. I actually saw her pleading with him to submit one.

As I noted for Andrew Farago of The Comics Journal, in spite of the appearance of being an overnight sensation with Cul de Sac, Richard had paid his dues. He worked regularly doing illustrations for the Washington Post from the early 1980s, eventually appearing almost every day of the week. He also did two comics for them - Saturday's Richard's Poor Almanac panel and Sunday's Cul de Sac in the Magazine. Beginning in 1991, he did interior illustrations for the New Yorker. He did over 400 caricatures for US News and World Report over the course of nine years. In short, Richard was a successful working illustrator long before most people outside of a small world of editors and other illustrators ever paid attention. When Cul de Sac went into the world beyond the Washington Post in 2007, a new audience began gravitating to him, but the devastation of a rapid case of Parkinson's disease meant that all of us, old and new readers, only got another four years of Richard's imagination to enjoy. I think he could have easily run for another twenty years with Cul de Sac, doing quality work. He's written on his blog about how he enjoyed introducing new characters, and Mr. Danders was just waiting to be returned to the strip.

I began writing this just a few hours after learning of Richard's death, although those of us who were lucky enough to live close to him knew it was coming. Richard's art and his family had meant everything to him (with food colored orange coming in third, oddly enough). He lost his ability to make art years ago. He broke his hip while compiling the Complete Cul de Sac and then couldn't get out and do things and see people. They came to him, but it wasn't the same as him being able to pop down to the Washington Post when he wanted to get out of the house, as he did for much of his career. The past year, he took a rapid slide downhill, and several weeks ago, friends from out of town began arriving for what we all knew was a goodbye visit, even if nobody referred to it that way.

Even though Richard's body betrayed him in the end, his talent and his mind and his way of looking at the world gave enjoyment to many people for three decades, which is more than many of us can ever claim. Richard lives on in his art and books, so my friend has an immortality of sorts (that I know was a comfort to him), and I hope the new books Richard's friends are working on will give people a small glimpse into what I enjoyed over the past ten years of our friendship. - Mike Rhode

Highlights from last night's Politically Inclined live drawing event

by Steve Loya

Last night I attended the late July Takoma Park city council meeting as part of the "Politically Inclined" project, inviting artists who are currently on exhibit at the Takoma Park Community Center's "Stylized Notions" art exhibit, featuring works from local, DC-area cartoonists and comic artists who participated in the Cartoonists Draw Blood blood drive events. In addition to myself, Bill Brown, Art Hondros, and Eric Gordon participated. Unlike Eric, Art, and Bill, all residents of Takoma Park, I drove out from Sterling, VA, and it was interesting to participate in some small way, and contribute something to the democratic process that is a City Council meeting - something I've never done before. In addition to being in good company, and hanging out with some great fellow artists for a little bit, I also wanted to try something slightly new and different, creatively. 

The event was recorded and shown live on the Takoma Park community TV channel, as well as on their Facebook page. During a brief intermission, the artists spread their work out on the stage for folks to see, and it was great seeing the variety of approaches everyone took, and witnessing the positive reactions from the people in the auditorium. I think it was a great, positive experience for us artists as well.

A big big thanks goes out to organizers Marilyn Sklar and Chanthi Chandra-Sekar, Carolyn Belefski for the heads-up, and to all the artists and folks who participated in last night's city council meeting. In the meantime, there's talk of possibly having a little exhibit featuring last night's work. I'll post more, if anything more comes out of it. In the meantime, HERE are a few more photos, etc. from the event. You can also read more about it in the Takoma Voice!

                                                                                                                         - Steve Loya


*above pic: Bill Brown


*above pic: Steve Loya


*above pic: Takoma Park residents looking at some of the artwork made throughout the evening


above pic: Art Hondros


*above pic: Eric Gordon

Andrew Aydin's beard is a political statement

Some tributes to Richard Thompson in the press (updated as necessary)

WUSA: Local acclaimed illustrator dies at 58

ComicsDC's Mike Rhode:A short personal remembrance of Richard Thompson

Brian Fies: Richard Thompson

ICv2: R.I.P. RICHARD THOMPSON

Donna Lewis: So many words. So few words.

Washington Post's Michael Cavna's online obituary

Heroes Con: THANK YOU RICHARD THOMPSON

John Martz: A Cartoonist Remembers His Hero, Cul de Sac’s Richard Thompson

Stacy Curtis: Rest in Peace, Richard Thompson

Dave Kellett's Sheldon comic

Scoop: In Memoriam: Richard Thompson

A Certain Line: When the laughter stops

Washington Post's Michael Cavna: These are the Richard Thompson masterpieces we’ll most remember him by

RIP: Richard Thompson, creator of “Cul de Sac” by David Malki

Encore Stage: Remembering Richard Thompson, Creator of Cul de Sac

Cartoonist Richard Thompson Dies of Parkinson's Disease by Peter Dunlap-Shohl

RIP, Richard Thompson: How the artist extends to us the hand of profound wit and humanity By Michael Cavna

Comics Journal: Tributes to Richard Thompson - Craig Fischer and Warren Bernard and Charles Hatfield

Mike Lynch: Richard Thompson 1957-2016

Comics Journal: Dancing on the Manhole Cover: The Genius of Richard Thompson by Phil Nel

Comics Journal: Obituary by Andrew Farago

ComicsDC: Claire Rhode on Remembering Mr. Richard

RIP Richard Thompson by Dana Jeri Maier

Donna Lewis' Reply All tribute