Monday, September 20, 2021

Today: Tickets on sale for Jeff Kinney (Oct 26) via Hooray for Books


Grab the whole family and Wimpify your car because we're hosting Jeff Kinney in a sports-themed, pandemic-safe, drive-thru, Wimpy Kid event at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Parking Lot (101 Callahan Dr, Alexandria, VA) on October 26th at 5 PM!
Tickets are required to attend, each ticket allows entry for one vehicle!
Tickets may be purchased here, starting Monday, September 20th at 10 AM! (Tickets are not sold in store or at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, you must purchase them online!)
There is a 250 vehicle limit so book your spot before they're gone!
Can't make it to the event, but want a signed book? Call us at (703) 548-4092 to order one!

In Big Shot (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #16) Greg Heffley and sports just don't mix. After a disastrous field day competition at school, Greg decides that when it comes to his athletic career, he's officially retired. But after his mom urges him to give sports one more chance, he reluctantly agrees to sign up for basketball. Tryouts are a mess, and Greg is sure he won't make the cut. But he unexpectedly lands a spot on the worst team. As Greg and his new teammates start the season, their chances of winning even a single game look slim. But in sports, anything can happen. When everything is on the line and the ball is in Greg's hands, will he rise to the occasion? Or will he blow his big shot?

SPX 2021 Panels lists and links (** means local tie for ComicsDC)

SPX 2021: Enemies of the State

Alex Hoffman and fellow critics Rob Clough, Daniel Elkin, and Jules Bakes,  E.A. Bethea
Sep 18, 2021

Join moderator Alex Hoffman and fellow critics Rob Clough, Daniel Elkin, and Jules Bakes for a special SPX edition of the podcast Enemy Of The State. The panel's special guest is artist E.A. Bethea, whose Francis Bacon was nominated for a 2021 Ignatz Award. They will ask her in-depth questions regarding the comic and its remarkably dense qualities.

SPX 2021: Personal Comics from Color, Shape, Line ... and Lyrics!

Tom Hart
Sep 18, 2021

You can make comics only with an open heart and whatever materials you have lying around. In one of the favorite workshops at SAW, Tom Hart will guide you through making 8-page mini-comics that uses song lyrics, personal memories and simple drawing and painting to make a personal comic that says what you feel and has a magic all its own. Suitable for all ages.

SPX 2021: Comics, Bodies, and Embodiment

Alison Wilgus, Joel Christian Gill, Tatiana Gill, Ashley Robin Franklin, and Robyn Smith
Sep 18, 2021

Bodies take many forms, and our relationship with one's own can shift throughout our lives. Comics are a powerful tool for understanding and accepting the bodies in which we live. Joel Christian Gill, Tatiana Gill, Ashley Robin Franklin, and Robyn Smith discuss their work as a means of exploring the corporeal form in a discussion led by Alison Wilgus.

SPX 2021: Queer Joy and Queer Friendships

Carta Monir and guests Emma Jayne, Crystal Frasier, Walter Scott
Sep 18, 2021
Join moderator Carta Monir and guests Emma Jayne, Crystal Frasier, Walter Scott, and in a celebration of queer joy in comics. This discussion focuses on the power of queer friendships and happiness as both driving force and radiant rebellion.

**SPX 2021: Ourselves, In Stories: A Documentary At The Small Press Expo (and Q&A)

Marjee Chmiel and Warren Bernard
Sep 18, 2021

Award-winning documentarian Marjee Chmiel screens her documentary on SPX. Titled Ourselves, In Stories, it takes a look at the challenges, obstacles, and rewards of crafting new stories and redefining our cultural vision for whose stories are heard. Moderator Warren Bernard joins Marjee after the screen to ask her about the inspiration for and making of the film.

SPX 2021: The Local Scene: Shows, Publishing, and Getting Started

Robin Enrico, Juan Fernandez, Jamila Rowser, Avi Ehrlich, and Neil Brideau
Sep 18, 2021

While not every city has congregations of cartoonists like Chicago or Portland, every city has its own particular advantages and special qualities that can create its own unique scene. Join moderator Robin Enrico along with publishers and scene-makers Juan Fernandez, Jamila Rowser, Avi Ehrlich, and Neil Brideau as they discuss ideas regarding pedagogy, connecting with local schools and institutions, and incorporating other media and art scenes in creating your own.

SPX 2021: Playing With The Medium

Dr. Craig Fischer, Matt Madden, Shing Yin Khor, Nguyen K. Nguyen, and Joe Kessler
Sep 18, 2021
 
The familiar grids and linear storytelling of comics have stood the test of time. However, there are always innovators looking to stretch the formal limits of comics. Be it creating metafictional narratives, creating constraints on a page, or integrating comics with other media, there's a rich tradition of playing with the medium of comics. Formal comics expert Dr. Craig Fischer will engage with experimental cartoonists Matt Madden, Shing Yin Khor, Nguyen K. Nguyen, and Joe Kessler on their formal experiments.

SPX 2021: Comics and Meditative Intention

Rob Clough,Hartley Lin, Keiler Roberts, and Jason Shiga.

Sep 19, 2021
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL1ngQaoDJQ

What mindset is required for cartoonists to work? Is drawing a form of work or play? How does this relate to Lynda Barry's conception of play as a serious, meditative activity? How do artists escape thinking about whether or not their work is good while they are doing it? Moderator Rob Clough discusses these and other questions with Hartley Lin, Keiler Roberts, and Jason Shiga.

**SPX 2021: Mixed Media Storytelling

Liz Reed of Cuddles and Rage
Sep 19, 2021
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKkmBSoX_VI

Liz Reed of Cuddles and Rage walks you through how to sculpt Zombie Strawberries from C&R's graphic novel Bites of Terror. This online workshop is designed to use clay and household materials to create your very own mixed media comic at home. The materials needed include: white, green, and red clay (polymer or air dry), foil, toothpicks, q-tips, a paintbrush, a gray marker or paint, cotton balls, glue, and a cutting tool. We'd love to see your zombie strawberries in action! When posting to social tag @spxcomics and @cuddlesandrage. Bites of Terror is a mixed media horror anthology by Cuddles and Rage from Quirk Books. You can find Bites of Terror online wherever books are sold or buy the book directly from Cuddles and Rage on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/CuddlesAndRage).

**SPX 2021: Focus on The Day The Klan Came To Town

Dr. Qiana Whitted and creators Bill Campbell and Bizhan Khodabandeh
Sep 19, 2021
This is a special spotlight on The Day The Klan Came To Town, a powerful work of historical fiction. It's based on the real events in 1923 when the KKK came to a small Pennsylvania town to make an example of its largely Jewish and Catholic populations, and how a group of people made a stand. Join moderator Dr. Qiana Whitted and creators Bill Campbell and Bizhan Khodabandeh as the explore the event and their adaptation.

SPX 2021: Color and Narrative Innovation

Rob Clough, Dash Shaw, Shira Spector, MariNaomi, and Tillie Walden
Sep 19, 2021

Color is often secondary to line in comics, but a number of cartoonists have experimented with bringing color front and center. Not only that, but their innovations have included making color central to the emotional narratives of their stories. Moderator Rob Clough talks to Dash Shaw, Shira Spector, MariNaomi, and Tillie Walden about their challenges and experiences using color in bold, new ways.

SPX 2021: Buer's Kiss

Carl Antonowicz
Sep 19, 2021

Büer's Kiss is a genre-bending live comics performance combining projected images, voice actors, and foley effects for an unforgettable adaptation of cartoonist Carl Antonowicz's graphic novel of the same name. This recording was made during the show's debut in 2018 at Pittsburgh's New Hazlett Theater. Find more from Carl at www.cantocomics.com!


SPX 2021: World-Building And New Futures

Alice Santos joins Kevin Czap, Maki Naro, Casey Nowak, and Alissa Salah
Sep 19, 2021

What does the world become when any future is imaginable? From the smallest details to -all-expansive histories, alternate worlds provide a glimpse of what is possible. Alice Santos joins Kevin Czap, Maki Naro, Casey Nowak, and Alissa Salah in an exploration of the process of constructing these new futures.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Whoops, SPX happened and I forgot

It's just not the same via computer.  Anyway, here's the 2021 SPX panel video list.

Those darn cartoon tacos

A Florida county marked Hispanic Heritage Month with an anthropomorphic, maraca-wielding, hard-shell taco. Outrage ensued.

Belle anime and director Mamoru Hosoda profiled

In Japan's anime universe, 'Belle' seeks to rewrite script on female power [in print as Shifting Japan's view of women]

Alan Fern, RIP

A supporter of comics and cartoonists in local institutions has passed away. I would frequently see Alan at events and he was unfailingly pleasant and gracious.  - MR

ALAN M. FERN 

On September 13, 2021 Alan M. Fern of Chevy Chase, MD passed away. Dr. Alan Fern, served as Director of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery from 1982-2000. A native of Detroit, MI Alan attained both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, before studying at the Courtauld Institute in London, and then returning to Chicago to complete his doctorate. A scholar of American prints and photographs, he worked at the Library of Congress for twenty years before joining the Smithsonian; leading the National Portrait Gallery for 18 years from 1982 until his retirement in 2000. Alan made many important decisions that shaped the museum's mission, including doubling the permanent collection to over 18,000 works before he left. A consummate director deeply knowledgeable about art and history and a long-time member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, Alan was also a decorated Chevalier Ordre de la Couronne (Belgium), Ordre des Arts et Lettres (France), Commander Royal Order of Polar Star (Sweden) and Fulbright Scholar. He is survived by his wife Lois (Karbel) Fern. A Memorial Service will take place following the Covid-19 pandemic. Memorial contributions may be made in Dr. Fern's honor to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, or the charity of your choice.    

Published by The Washington Post from Sep. 15 to Sep. 17, 2021.

Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac art on auction



Richard Thompson Cul de Sac Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (Washington Post, 2000s). The "natural warmth" that Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) praised in Thompson's work is well represented in this undated installment -- an exploration of the slapstick possibilities of static electricity. Added Watterson: "Cul de Sac avoids both mawkishness and cynicism and instead finds genuine charm in its loopy appreciation of small events. Very few strips can hit this subtle note." A personalized inscription appears at lower right. Ink over graphite on Bristol board. Image area, 16.5" x 8.25". Excellent condition.

[It's at $725 tonight, which is too much for me. According to the inscription, Richard gave it to cartoonist Jeff Stahler]

That darn WuMo

No humor in homicide — or flooding

Penny Cooper, Kathleen T. Thomas,

Washington Post September 18 2021, p. A15