Netflix's 'Big Mouth' finds a smart way to wrestle with the monster called puberty
TV critic
Monday, October 02, 2017
Ramona Fradon, a Baltimore Comic Con interview
by Mike RhodeRamona Fradon is a noted Silver Age artist who worked for DC Comics for years. Her Amazon description reads: Ramona Fradon is a legendary comic book illustrator known for her work on Aquaman, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Super Friends. She also drew the newspaper comic strip, Brenda Starr and is noted for the humor in her drawings. In her serious moments, she wrote a book about the Faust legend in relationship to Gnostic mythology. In 2006 she received the prestigious Eisner Lifetime Achievement award. She lives in upstate New York in a very old house with a very old dog. She's been at the Baltimore Comic Con for the past few years, and we conducted this interview via e-mail.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I worked in comic books, mostly for DC, drawing Aquaman, Plastic Man, Super Friends and stories in House of Mystery and House of Secrets, I co-created Aqualad and Metamorpho and also illustrated the syndicated newspaper strip, Brenda Starr.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I never worked with a computer and for most of my career, I inked with a #7 brush. Lately I have been using Micron felt pens.
When working in comic books, you probably didn't get to do your own inks very often. Would you have preferred to? Did you have a favorite inker?
When working in comic books, you probably didn't get to do your own inks very often. Would you have preferred to? Did you have a favorite inker?
I inked Aquaman and the mysteries and Brenda Starr, which was quite enough for me. I do a tight penciling and have always felt that inking was redundant. I don't really have a favorite inker although I admire many of them.
When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
I was born in Chicago in 1926.What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I studied design at Parsons School of Design and fine art at the Art Students' League in NY. I never studied cartooning specifically, although I was influenced by the great newspaper comics I read when I was growing up.
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
I would have written and drawn children's' books or done book illustrations.
What work are you best-known for?
What work are you best-known for?
Probably Aquaman and Metamorpho.
What work are you most proud of?
What work are you most proud of?
Besides the children's book I wrote (THE DINOSAUR THAT GOT TIRED OF BEING EXTINCT which is on Amazon) I would say Metamorpho.
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
That's a funny question for someone who is ninety-one (as of today, October 1st).
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
I clean the house or take a vacation or catch up on reading until I feel like working again.
What do you think will be the future of your field?
What do you think will be the future of your field?
It seems as if Hollywood is determining it right now, but I expect it will have a lot to do with the internet in ways I can't imagine.
How was your BCC experience this year? How often have you attended it?
I think I have been there about five times. It's getting bigger, but thankfully, not overwhelmed by TV and Hollywood. Brad Tree and his staff do a great job and make being there a pleasure. They gave me the biggest table (actually two tables) I have ever had.
What's your favorite thing about Baltimore?
I liked walking around the harbor and eating at a seafood restaurant that overlooks the water.
Least favorite?
Least favorite?
Not-so-good crab cakes sometimes.
SPX Oral History - Joel Pollack
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| Rhode & Pollack at Baltimore Comic Con 2014 |
Joel Pollack founded Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, MD in 1986, and is still behind the counter a few days a week. The chain has grown to four stores, as Joel's former employees have opened their own stores. Joel was at the beginning of the Small Press Expo and jotted a few notes down.
I was involved in the first ten or so. The first was a collaboration between Jon Cohen (Beyond Comics), Lou Danoff (Zenith Comics), and myself with moral support (and much feedback) of Dave Sim (Cerebus) and Jeff Smith (Bone). It was planned for a Thursday evening before a Diamond Comic Distributor trade show. It was held at the Ramada Inn in Bethesda. Retailers were invited to set up.
What was your role? How did it change over time?
I'd like to think that I was a bit of a moral compass. I believe my greatest contribution to SPX was disallowing retailers from setting up, starting with the second SPX. I felt that it was a show about creators, and that creators shouldn't have to compete with retailers selling their products. As time went on, my role quickly diminished, and ultimately became the one task of procuring the park for the Sunday picnic/softball game. I actually umpired a few of the games.
Where was SPX when you worked on it?
Mostly Bethesda, though I believe I had some small role the one year it moved to Silver Spring.
What were some memorable events?
One of the big ones was Chris Oarr's tenure as executive director. I believe it was Chris who introduced the Sunday picnic/softball game and pig-roast. I believe it was Chris' idea to create the Ignatz Awards. Chris created the template for the current SPX.
What were your favorite parts of SPX?
The feeling of camaraderie amongst exhibitors and staff. The great volunteers that SPX attracted. The opportunity for creators to meet their fans, and sell their creations which were generally unavailable in comic shops.
Sunday, October 01, 2017
SPX 2017 Panels on YouTube
Friday, September 29, 2017
NPR doesn't much like The Inhumans tv show
Introducing ... The Inept, Inert 'Inhumans'
Glen Weldon
NPR's Monkey See blog September 29, 2017
http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/09/29/553704965/introducing-the-inept-inert-inhumans
and neither does the Times...
When It Comes to New Marvel Shows, Skip 'Inhumans' and Try 'The Gifted'
A version of this review appears in print on September 29, 2017, on Page C12 of the New York edition with the headline: One Out of Two Ain't Bad.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/arts/television/marvels-inhumans-the-gifted-review.htmlSept 30: Gordon Harris at Richmond ZineFest tomorrow
Richmond ZineFest tomorrow
Gordon will be tabling tomorrow at the Richmond Public Library from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
He'll have copies of his first Zine, his all-new graphic novel for kids, MISTAKEN IDENTITY, and other fine things to share and behold.
Come on by!
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Best-paying cartoon magazine editor dies at 91
Hugh Hefner, visionary editor who founded Playboy magazine, dies at 91 [in print as Playboy founder brought titillation to the masses]
Washington Post
Writer Gabby Rivera Is A True Superhero
Writer Gabby Rivera Is A True Superhero
Writer Gabby Rivera is helping bring the Marvel Comics character America Chavez to life.
When writer Gabby Rivera read an email from Marvel Comics asking her to write for them, she was convinced it was spam at first.
But it turned out to be legit: Marvel wanted Rivera to put words to a new comic series featuring the queer, Latinx superhero America Chavez. The next thing she knew, Rivera was deep in research on superheroes from Marvel's vast archive.
NPR's Camilo Garzón caught up with Rivera at her home in Brooklyn.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
A BCC Interview with John Patrick Green
by Mike Rhode For years now, John Patrick Green (as he now styles himself to avoid confusion with the young adult writer John Green) has been a regular at the Small Press Expo, usually accompanied by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. This year, I caught up with him at Baltimore Comic Con where he agreed to answer a few questions.
What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?
I'm the writer/artist of HIPPOPOTAMISTER and the upcoming KITTEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY early-reader graphic novels, both from First Second Books, and also the artist of the TEEN BOAT! and JAX EPOCH series' with writer Dave Roman. I also do a lot of freelance graphic novel and type design for other publishers like Scholastic Graphix.
How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?
I do a combination of traditional and digital. I still like to draw by hand onto actual paper, and then scan the work into the computer for colors. For inking often what I'll do is sketch out my pencils, scan and compose them into proper layouts in Photoshop, print the pencils as "blue lines" onto bristol, then ink over the printout. Then I'll scan those back into the computer for coloring, and the leftover blue lines can just be turned off, without having to erase graphite from the page like with classic inking over pencils. Depending on the project I'll do my balloons, captions, and letters by hand or in computer.When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?
I grew up an '80s kid on Long Island, NY.
What is your training and/or education in cartooning?
I went to School of Visual Arts (SVA) in Manhattan for graphic design, but I took a number of comic book-related electives. I pretty much grew up making comics, starting around 4th grade or so, and was always taking as many art classes as I could in school. I'd say I'm mostly self-taught, but my college experience was invaluable.
Who are your influences?
If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change?
I wouldn't say I have any regrets, but possibly the one thing I'd do differently is stay at Disney Publishing. I worked for Disney Adventures Magazine for almost 10 years, and I loved working for Disney, but I'd gone freelance before Disney bought out Marvel and Lucasfilm. So being huge fan of those things as a kid, I occasionally wonder if I'd stayed at Disney just a little longer, would I have a hand in those properties now?
What work are you best-known for?
Probably TEEN BOAT! It's the only graphic novel about a boy who can transform into a small yacht. It features the angst of being a teen and the thrill of being a boat!
What work are you most proud of?
That's tough! I don't know if I'm necessarily more proud of any one project of mine over another. I guess I'd probably go with HIPPOPOTAMISTER because it's gotten a lot of positive responses from librarians and kids, and the recognition certainly feels good. But that doesn't make me like any of my other books less. I am proud of my KITTEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY book, but that doesn't come out for awhile, so I'd say I'm more nervous about how people will respond to it.
What would you like to do or work on in the future?
So many things that it's hard to narrow it down! I'd love to finally finish NEARLY DEPARTED, this video game I've been designing for years, but technology moves so fast that every time I get around to working on it, most of my effort goes to rebuilding it for modern systems. That's more of a hobby project, but it'd be nice to put it to bed. Same for getting the final volume of JAX EPOCH published, as that's been completed for a few years and hasn't been released. As for my next book (after finishing the ones already in my queue), usually the thing I'd "like" to work on is whatever a publisher gives me the green light for! When there are half a dozen book ideas I want to do, but can't do all at once, it can be a big help to have someone else say "do this one!"
What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block?
There isn't really one specific thing I do. It could be anything, really. Sometimes I'll just zone out. Sometimes I'll pace around. Usually I'll just preoccupy myself with another project, or watch some TV, or play a video game, or cook some food, or do some chores, like wash dishes or something. So my strategy is basically "do something else and come back later." I guess that's also known as procrastination.What do you think will be the future of your field?
The future is now! There are already a lot of things going on in comics and the book industry that I'd call futuristic. Digital versions with sound effects and motion graphics, things like that. Having a social media presence be so much a part of an author's profile. The Kickstarters and Patreons and the like being new or alternative funding and distribution models. But as much as things change, I think there's still a place for people who just want to write or draw. It certainly helps to keep up with the changes in the industry, but the basics aren't going to completely go away. Until the robots come for us, that is.
How was your BCC experience? How often have you attended it?
This was my first time at BCC and it was great. I've exhibited at big shows like San Diego Comic-Con before, and this show is in a similar vein. Lots of wonderful fans and the convention was well-run. And I got to see a lot of other creators that I haven't crossed paths with in awhile. I look forward to doing it again in the future. I haven't spent much time in Baltimore, but it seemed like a great city, so I hope to be back soon.Do you have a website or blog?
My website is www.johngreenart.com, but I am absolutely terrible at keeping it up-to-date. Probably the best way to be informed of my projects and appearances is to follow me on twitter: @johngreenart
Kneel Protest by Cosplayers at Baltimore Comic Con
A guest post by photographer Bruce Guthrie.
On the last day of the BCC, there's a group cosplay photo shoot that's done on the steps of the convention center. It's always interesting.
On the last day of the BCC, there's a group cosplay photo shoot that's done on the steps of the convention center. It's always interesting.
It's organized by a cosplay guy who's not connected at all with the convention. He just loves to organize this sort of thing and apparently also organizes photo shoots at Awesome Con and other places.
This year at BCC, Marvel kicked DC's butt -- probably twice as many wore Marvel costumes vs DC. And when the organizer tried to get a Justice League group shot, he found there was absolutely no one dressed as Batman.
(Keep in mind that Batman has always been my favorite comic book character. When I had to come up with a software company so I could do some part-time coding work for NIH, I thought of my first name and called it "Wayne Software". I had business cards made and had "Batman Lives" in hexadecimal characters appearing underneath the name of the company. I was the only one who had any clue what that meant.)
At the end of the photo shoot, he said there would be one more group shot and he said that if anyone felt at all uncomfortable doing it, please feel free to leave. He then asked everyone to either kneel or raise a fist. A couple of people left but most stuck around.
There was no explanation of the protest... and really no need to explain it. We all understood.
Thinking about it... It used to be a protest against police treatment of African-Americans that started during Obama's term. But it's become an anti-Trumputin thing.
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Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Drawing Inspiration with Cartoonist Jim Toomey Live Now
Drawing Inspiration with Cartoonist Jim Toomey
Tuesday, September 26 at 7 pm
Reception at 6:30 pm with refreshments
Nationally syndicated cartoonist Jim Toomey, who has been drawing the newspaper comic strip "Sherman's Lagoon" for almost two decades, uses live drawing to demonstrate how he weaves an environmental message into his work, and how he has taken what he has learned in "old media" and applied it to creating short films and animations for an online audience.
Free and open to the public. Location:
Malsi Doyle & Michael Forman Theater – 2nd Floor, McKinley Building, American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016-8017
Episode 237 – Ann Telnaes and Matt Wuerker
Episode 237 – Ann Telnaes and Matt Wuerker
Gil Roth
Virtual Memories podcast Sep 25, '17
http://chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-237-ann-telnaes-and-matt-wuerker
http://traffic.libsyn.com/virtualmemories/Episode_237_-_Ann_Telnaes_and_Matt_Wuerker.mp3
"I did some hard-hitting cartoons during the Bush administration. . . . I kind of wish I held back a little because now it's like, 'Where do we go from here?'" –Ann Telnaes
"It hasn't been this good for political cartoonists since Nixon and Watergate." –Matt Wuerker
About our Guests
Ann Telnaes creates editorial cartoons in various mediums — animation, visual essays, live sketches, and traditional print — for The Washington Post. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for her print cartoons and the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year for 2016.
Telnaes' print work was shown in a solo exhibition at the Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in 2004. Her first book, Humor's Edge
, was published by Pomegranate Press and the Library of Congress in 2004. A collection of Vice President Cheney cartoons, Dick
, was self-published by Telnaes and Sara Thaves in 2006. Her work has been exhibited in Paris, Jerusalem, and Lisbon.
Telnaes attended California Institute of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in character animation. Before beginning her career as an editorial cartoonist, Telnaes worked for several years as a designer for Walt Disney Imagineering. She has also animated and designed for various studios in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Taiwan.
Matt Wuerker is the staff cartoonist and illustrator for POLITICO. He likes to cross hatch… a lot. He was the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. He was a finalist for the award in 2009 and 2010. He has also been awarded the 2010 Herblock Prize (presented at the Library of Congress) and the 2010 Berryman Award by the National Press Foundation.
Sept 27: Liniers in DC
In the DC area?
Liniers is comin' to town!
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This week Liniers will present Good Night, Planet and Buenos Noches, Planeta to children at three Washington DC-area public schools. These are always fantastic events with book signings for the students. Thank you to Politics & Prose and An Open Book Children's Literacy Foundation for making these events possible.
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