Thursday, April 29, 2010

Book reviews up at City Paper

International Ink: Clowes, Kids, Crackers and Hellboy

PR: DC Comic-Con Costume Contest



DC Comic-Con Costume Contest

Washington, DC - April 28, 2010 - JUST ANNOUNCED!  Iron Man 2, hitting theatres on May 7, 2010, presents the Inaugural DC Comic-Con Costume Contest!
 
Come out to the Iron Man 2 table dressed as your favorite comic book character to enter-to-win Iron Man 2 prizes.  The person with the best costume will win reserve seats at the advance screening of the film in DC!  Best Costume will be picked from all entries at 3pm, so enter early!
 
For more information on Iron Man 2, go to www.ironmanmovie.com.

 
Directions
The show will be held at the George Mason University campus at 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA  22030 in the Student Union Building II (SUB II).  Free Parking is available in Lot A (beside the Patriot Center), which is a short walk from SUB II.  A map of the campus can be found at http://parking.gmu.edu/pdf%20files/parkingmap09.pdf, and directions to the show can be found on the show website at http://dccomicon.com/?page_id=63
 
About The DC Comic-Con
The DC Comic-Con, launching in 2010 on Sunday, May 2nd from 10am-5pm, is a result of the cooperative work of Marc Nathan, sponsor of the Baltimore Comic-Con (http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/) and Brett Carreras, sponsor of the VA Comicon (http://www.vacomicon.com/). For more information about guests, games, show exclusives, and contests, please visit http://dccomicon.com/.
  

May 3: Daniel Clowes at Politics and Prose

I'll have a brief review of the book up at the City Paper this week, and an amusing interview with him posted there on Monday morning.

Daniel Clowes - Wilson

Start: May 3, 2010 - 7:00pm
End: May 3, 2010 - 8:00pm
The latest graphic novel by Clowes, the author of David Boring and Ghost World is his first not to be serialized. A sequence of single-page vignettes, it’s drawn in different styles and dramatizes the life of a lonely, bitter man searching for human connection.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Comic Riffs on let's not "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

Post-'South Park': Cartoonist retreats from 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' [UPDATED], By Michael Cavna, Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog April 26, 2010.

I'm a pretty irreligious guy, and dedicated to free speech, but even I feel this is all getting ridiculous. To use a loaded analogy, it's starting to remind me of the Islam conquest, and countering Crusades, where you 'convinced' the other side by brute force.

John Kelly on the post-cartoon Smokey the Bear

The biography of Smokey Bear: the cartoon came first
By John Kelly
Washington Post April 25, 2010; C03

Zadzooks reviews licensed comics

Comic book reviews: Terminator, Star Wars and Conan, Thursday, April 22, 2010 - Zadzooks - Worlds of Comics, Gaming and Action Figures by Joseph Szadkowski

Nate Beeler chosen for Cartoons for the Classroom

Nate Beeler's drawing of the Iceland volcano was chosen for the April 26th Cartoons for the Classroom educational feature. One can enter a caption contest as well.

Post on South Park censorship

I completely missed this until Cavna's Comic Riffs linked to it -

Comedy Central censors "South Park"
By Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post April 23, 2010

Day late - Iron Man 2 poster in USA Weekend


There's an Iron Man 2 poster by John Romita Jr in USA Weekend, which was distributed in yesterday's Examiner. There's a story on the movie by Brian Truitt as well.

Free Comic Book Day - cartoonists at Beyond Comics

From Beyond Comics website:

at the Frederick store

Micah Gunnell
Artist of Aspen Comics Dellec.

Like most artists, I've been drawing almost non-stop since I was young. I discovered comics at 14 and decided at that point that was what I wanted to do as a career. After attending community college for a bit and taking a few art courses, I decided to go to the Joe Kubert School. I only attended the first year because I didn't want to take out any more loans and also because people kept telling me I was ready for pro work. The summer following my year at Kubert's I was selected as one of the ten finalists competing in ComicBookResources.com's "Comic Book Idol" contest, and from there was noticed by Aspen Comics, where I have been working for the past 3 years on titles like 'Soulfire: Dying of the Light','Shrugged', and also doing many short stories for NBC's Heroes.


Danielle Corsetto
Artist/Writer of internet sensation Girls With Slingshots.

Danielle has been making comic strips since she was 8 and hasn't stopped. Her comics have been featured on the web - thus making them, you got it, WEBCOMICS - since 2000. She's a fully self-employed cartoonist working on several projects including the comic strip "Bat Boy" for The Weekly World News. She lives in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle, loves traveling, and drinks just about anything fruity + vodka. She misses painting and photography, a lot.


Michael Imboden
Writer/Creator of Maryland's own Fist of Justice.

Mike is the co-creator and writer of Digital Webbing's "Fist of Justice". In addition to 'Fist of Justice', Mike has written stories that appeared in DW's anthology book, "Digital Webbing Presents". It was one of these stories that lead him to L. Jamal, Inc. and "Warmageddon" where he helped to create and write some of the more popular characters that live in the world of "Warmageddon". Mike also created "Dr. Brainchild", a villain that appeared in the second issue of "The Living Corpse", which Mike guest-wrote. Mike is currently concentrating on FoJ, but has a few other irons in the fire including a return to "The Living Corpse" with a sequel to the Dr. Brainchild story. There's also more Warmageddon work coming, including a weekly strip so top secret that we can't tell you it involves "Izzy & Gunnar, Monster Hunters". Mike once wrestled a bear, winning by DQ when the bear used a foreign object to gain the advantage.


Rafer Roberts
Artist/Writer of self published Plastic farms.

is the creator of the comic series Plastic Farm. Plastic Farm was originally a self-published series, first appearing as oversized mini-comics in 2001 and then in traditional comic book form in 2003.


Terry Flippo
Artist/Writer of self published Big Headz comics and drawings.

Terry Flippo has been drawing his own comic books for over 6 years. From Axel and Alex to his current work with the Big Headz, his style has made him a fan favorite to comic book readers of all ages. Featuring two Big Headz collections to date.

at the Gaithersburg store:

Monica Ghallagher
Artist/Writer of Lipstick & Malice.

Monica Gallagher is a graphic designer during the daylight hours and a comicker at night. While an animation major in college, Monica first tiptoed onto the comics scene with her webcomic Gods & Undergrads, following the awkward adventures of a girl transitioning into college life while simultaneously discovering her connection to Greek gods. Once her eyes had been opened to the online comics scene, Monica couldn't help herself and continued to produce more work.

A short stint in amateur modeling led Monica to create both an autobiographical story dealing with her struggles with self-esteem (titled Boobage) and a fictional series dealing with a professional model who works part-time as an assassin (titled Lipstick & Malice). Luckily, Monica emerged from modeling with both her boobs and her criminal record intact. She then discovered something else to become obsessed with and inspired by -- Roller Derby. Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five is the result of her inspiration -- a weekly webcomic that combines the superhero side of being a rollergirl with the Clark Kent side of working a day job. Monica was just drafted by the Junkyard Dolls, one of the four teams of lovely ladies of the Charm City Roller Girls, and she is getting ready for her first bout in 2010.

Monica continues to create short stories, contribute to anthologies, and tackle illustration work from her home in Baltimore, where she lives with her boyfriend and their dueling cats. Check out her art and news pages for the latest dirt - you never know where she'll pop up next!


Matt Dembicki
Artist/Writer of the award-winning nature parable Mr. Big.

His work has appeared in numerous comics anthologies, including Bash Magazine, and the recently released Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. He’s currently working on his new project, an ecological tale about a great white shark called Xoc.


Andrew Cohen
Artist/Writer Howzit Funnies.

Andrew Cohen is a Washington, D.C. creator. His current projects include Howzit Funnies and Law Monger. He is a contributor to Trickster.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-28-10


COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-28-10
By John Judy
 
(Note: Don't forget to celebrate Free Comic Book Day 2010 at your local shop this Saturday, May 1st!  Excelsior!)
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #629 by Roger Stern and Lee Weeks.  Captain Universe, Juggernaut and Spidey!  All fightin'!
 
BLAZING COMBAT SC by Archie Goodwin and Other Legends of the Medium.  Collecting all four issues of the war comic so good it got banished from the PXs in 1965.  Finally in paperback!  Highly recommended.
 
CAPTAIN AMERICA #605 by Ed Brubaker and Like Ross.  Bucky America versus Teabagger Cap!  The final round!
 
FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK #4 of 4 by Jeff Parker and Carlos Rodriguez.  I'd tell you we learn who the Red Hulk is but I hate to lie.
 
FANTASTIC FOUR #578 by Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham.    Annihilus and the Cult of the Negative Zone!  No, it's not a band!
 
FLASH: REBIRTH HC by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.  Collecting the true return of Barry Allen!  Recommended.
 
GARRISON #1 of 6 by Jeff Marriotte and Francesco Francavilla.  In the future everyone is on the grid, except Garrison.  And that makes him dangerous.  The adventures of the last guy on Earth without a Facebook page.
 
INCORRUPTIBLE #5 by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz.  The origin of Jailbait!  It ain't what you think!  Recommended!
 
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca.  Double sized with new armor, oh, and did we mention a certain MOVIE coming out next week?!?  Yes!
 
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL #2 of 4 by J.T. Krul and Geraldo Borges.  Cheshire, the villainess who keeps having babies with super-types and then watching them die at the hands of other super-types, is back in Arsenal's life.  And you thought your crazy ex was bad…
 
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #38 by Bill Willingham and Jesus Merino.  JSA's fightin' the Nazis!  Never gets old!
 
KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET #3 by Smith and Jonathan Lau.  The real reason for all the volcanoes and earthquakes?  A Kevin Smith book coming out on schedule.  Total sign of The End.
 
MARVEL ZOMBIES 5 #2 of 5 by Fred Van Lente and Kano.  Okay, Van Lente's making it work.  Lotsa universe hoping and brain eating.  It's a ride.
 
MIGHTY AVENGERS #36 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham.  The comic that dares to ask the question "What would Janet Van Dyne do?"  Recommended.
 
NEIL GAIMAN INSTRUCTIONS HC by Neil and Charles Vess.  How to get along if you find yourself in a fairytale world, as told in illustrated verse by Mssrs. Gaiman and Vess.  Highly recommended.
 
NEW AVENGERS #64 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike McKone.  Asgard?  Still under siege. Sentry?  Still nuts.  Mockingbird?  Still dead?  Again?  Gotta look.
 
NORTHLANDERS #27 by Brian Wood and Leandro Fernandez.  How far will Hilda go to keep her daughter alive as her Viking village starts eating its own tail?
 
PREVIEWS by Diamond and Marvel Comics.  Someday it will be interwebs-only but not today.
 
SCALPED #37 by Jason Aaron and Davide Furno.  Okay, few things could top last issue's shocking revelation about Red Crow's royal executioner Shunka, but if anyone can do it it's Jason Aaron.  If you're not reading this book you're insane.  Highly recommended.
 
STUMPTOWN #3 by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth.  Noir set in the City of Roses, Portland Oregon.  Real purty art and writings.  Recommended.
 
SUPERMAN #699 by James Robinson and Bernard Chang.  Brainiac is due for his latest super ass-kicking!
 
SUPERMAN: LAST STAND ON NEW KRYPTON #3 of 3 by James Robinson, Sterling Gates and Pete Woods. Brainiac is due for his latest super ass-kicking!
 
THOR #609 Kieron Gillen and Billy Tan.  Thor fights his evil cyborg-clone double.  Well, somebody has to!
 
THUNDERBOLTS #143 by Jeff Parker and Miguel Angel Sepulveda.  The kids get smacked around real good by the Avengers.
 
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1 by Mark Millar and Leinil Francis Yu.  Ultimate Punisher joins the team.  Because the book was too wussy before.
 
VICTORIAN UNDEAD #6 of 6 by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabri.  At last, Sherlock Holmes and zombie Moriarty throw down!  See who has the most "braaaaiiiiinnnnsss!"
 
WALKING DEAD #61 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard.  The zombie-free, traffic-free DC suburbs are way too good to be true.  Highly recommended.  Not for kids.
 
WONDER WOMAN #43 by Gail Simone and Nicola Scott.  Boy, after all the planetary invasions Diana has turned back you'd think word would get around.  Oh well.  Big fight!
 


Saturday, April 24, 2010

My Life with Charlie Brown review

My friend Tom's new book is reviewed

Book review: "My Life with Charlie Brown," by Charles Schulz

By James Rosen
Washington Post Sunday, April 25, 2010; B07

MY LIFE WITH CHARLIE BROWN
By Charles M. Schulz
Edited by M. Thomas Inge
Univ. of Mississippi. 193 pp. $25

Friday, April 23, 2010

PR: Fantom's Free Comic Book Day

I'm not familiar with Jeff Howe, and haven't mentioned him here yet, so if anyone could pick up a comic of his comic for me, it would be appreciated.

Fantom Comics - Where there is a comic book for everyone
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY REMINDER
Just a note before we get into the April Previews that Free Comic Book Day is next Saturday! Both Fantom Comics stores will be carrying the full run of free comics, but our flagship FCBD store will be at our Pentagon City Mall location. Please check our website for more details, which will be forthcoming over the next few days. But here's a brief summary of what's going on:
 
-Free comics!
-Tons of $1 comics (almost literally true)
-Local creator Jeff Howe signing and giving away the first issue of his to-be-released comic: Polis
-Around a dozen Star Wars characters courtesy of the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion (with a photo op mid-day)
-Prize wheel running at least once an hour, from 11-8
-2 classes on making your own comic book (including actually making one on the spot) by Marvel editor and sequential art guru Mike O'Sullivan
 
See you there!


Pentagon City Mall - 1100 South Hayes Street | Arlington, VA 22202 | 703-415-2094
Union Station - 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | Washington, DC 20002 | 202-216-9478
www.fantomcomics.com


Dave the Wank's O'Shell strip

Dave (who presumably has a name other than 'the Wank') has written in to highlight his comic blog where he post strips bi-weekly. He wrote, "I am a comic artist living in DC. ...A short story comic of mine will appear in Grimalkin 4 this summer." Dave particularly highlighted the beginnings of a memoir - 'O'Shell'

PR: Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles!



Press Release For Immediate Release
Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles
 
From the Store that Brings You the Baltimore Comic-Con...
 
REISTERSTOWN, MD - April 22, 2010 - In honor of 2010's Free Comic Book Day promotion, Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown, MD will be celebrating along with the rest of the nation on May 1, 2009.  Come and meet artists JG Jones (cover artist of DC Comics' Superman Free Comic Book Day giveaway!), Frank Cho (Ultimate Comics New Ultimates) from 2pm-3pm, Steve Conley (Star Trek), and John Gallagher (Buzzboy)!
 
FCBD Special -- modern back-issues are only one dollar!  Oh yeah, and we're also giving away free comics while they last!  Our hours for Free Comic Book Day are 11am-7pm.
 
We'll see you there!
 
Our address:  100 A Chartley Dr., Reisterstown, MD  21136
For more information, call Cards Comics and Collectibles: 410-526-7410

 
   

Archie's new gay character featured in Post

Kevin Keller debuts as first openly gay character in Archie's Veronica Comics
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 23, 2010; C03

More local reviews of The Losers

Doesn't like it at all - The Losers - A monumentally terrible film based, loosely, on the comic book, By Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper April 23, 2010.

Sees a sense of humor in it - Humor salvages a would-be dud, By Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post Friday, April 23, 2010.

Examiner reviews The Losers, based on a Vertigo comic

'The Losers' is an aptly titled action flick, By: Sally Kline, Washington Examiner Movie Critic, April 23, 2010

Examiner article on Nate Beeler's award

Examiner's Nate Beeler wins international cartooning awardAlana Goodman
Washington Examiner 04/23/2010

Thursday, April 22, 2010

April 28: Joe Sacco to speak to Prof Wenthe's class at AU

Professor Michael Wenthe writes in to tell us

Next Wednesday, April 28, at 2:10 P.M. in the atrium of the Battelle-Tompkins building here at American University, Joe Sacco will give a presentation and discussion of his work (notably _Footnotes in Gaza_) as the final event in my section of LIT 215: Writers in Print / in Person. Strictly speaking, this event will constitute the last class session for the course, so pride of place for the attendees will be my eighteen students (who discussed Sacco's work this past week), but we're holding it as an open, public event in in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Program here at AU and it will be generally advertised on campus.

Personally I've never heard Sacco speak, but I like his work. I'm sorry to miss this, but work is precluding my attendance.

Bill Day wins 2010 RFK cartooning award.

Boy, I'm a judge for the thing, and I still get scooped by Cavna. Anyway, congratulations to Bill Day for winning this year's RFK Journalism award for cartooning. Bill's work calling attention to the health problems of poor children was quite striking.

Here's what the Foundation put out:

Cartoon Winner: Series of cartoons, Bill Day, United Feature Syndicate: Cartoonist Bill Day sheds light on the continuing problem of infant mortality in America, especially among minority populations. His unusual special project creates clear and easily-readable cartoons, raising public awareness, partly through a grassroots movement that led to the introduction of legislation and policy improvements.

Nate Beeler wins this year’s Overseas Press Club award.

Nate Beeler has won this year’s Overseas Press Club award, according to this article. (OPC's server seems to have crashed.)

Congratulations, Nate!

Oh, and regarding today's cartoon, I think the tea-partiers are really ANTI-Federalists, since the Federalists including Hamilton, were in favor of more government, not less.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Finder to Dark Horse - another article

Dark Horse to Publish Carla Speed McNeil's ‘Finder'
The acclaimed self-published series will now be reprinted by Dark Horse
By Calvin Reid and Heidi MacDonald -- Publishers Weekly, 4/20/2010

Festival Imagé updated schedule

Pulled from the Festival Imagé website, here is updated information.

Booksigning tonight!
-Tuesday April 20 at AFDC, 6:30 pm:

Exhibition opening "Les Trois Ombres" by Cyril Pedrosa


Book signing by Antoine Dodé and Cyril Pedrosa

At the Alliance Française. The opening reception and book signing are free but reservations are mandatory. 202 234 79 11



-Wednesday April 21st at MICA, 7 pm:

Presentation: Laurence Arcadias

Short Films from SUPINFOCOM and MICA students



At MICA/ free



-Thursday April 22nd at Letelier Theater, 7 pm

Short Films from SUPINFOCOM and MICA students



At Letelier Theater 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Upper Courtyard, Washington DC/ free for MICA students and AF members - General admission $8



-Friday April 23rd at AFDC, 6:30 pm

Lecture by Pascal Fioretto: "Humor in comics"



At the Alliance Française/ free for MICA students and AF members - General admission $8



-Saturday April 24th at MICA:



-2 p.m., Room 140: MICA illustration faculty member Alain Corbel presents his Sequential Art students’ exhibition

-2 p.m., Room 110: MICA students' animation on display

-3 p.m., Room 140: Workshop with Cyril Pedrosa and MICA students on the narrative process

-4 p.m., Room 140: Professional forum with publishers Yvan Alagbé (Fremok/France), Jérôme Martineau (Carabas Revolution/France) and Calista Brill (First Second Books/US)

-6 p.m., Main Court: Closing party


At MICA/ free




-Sunday, April 25 at MICA
2-5 pm: Room 140: Closing of exhibition by MICA's Sequential Art class

At MICA/ free

Monday, April 19, 2010

Caroline Small reads Moore's Swamp Thing for the 1st time

Ahh, you can't go home again - but you can vicariously enjoy the thrill of Caroline Small's discovery of Swamp Thing via the good offices of her buddy Chris (who's leading her down the comics primrose path - it's no longer "I'm just here to see Craig Yoe to keep Chris company..."). Read their dialogue at Muck-Encrusted Mockery of a Roundtable: Liberty, Fecundity, Perversity

U of MD's Diamondback's editorial cartoon controversy

University of Maryland's Dimaondback's April 13 Editorial cartoon By Jenna Brager

The above cartoon is causing a controversy apparently - at least enough of one that the Diamondback's editor felt compelled to apologize - but with a twist:

What I do apologize for, however, is for failing the cartoonist. If you’ve been around the backlash from the cartoon, odds are you already know that the drawing of the armband made many readers interpret the cartoon as a connection between Israelis and Nazis — the imagery of the Israeli flag armband is often found in highly anti-Semitic propaganda.

She hadn’t meant to make such a connection, and so a tiny part of a drawing sparked a plethora of letters, feedback and more than a hundred comments online. I knew the cartoon would spark debate, but where I failed in my job was not realizing the connotation of the armband. Instead of constructive conversation, all anyone wants to talk about now is how this comparison can be interpreted as hate speech. And so, I failed my cartoonist, who never intended to make that statement.


You can read the rest of his editorial here: From the editor: All apologies By Rob Gindes, April 18, 2010, but this looks like another tiresome tempest in a teapot to me, largely caused by a lack of drawing chops (sorry Ms. Brager).

Jim Dougan interviewed by Mark Ruffin

Washington D.C. comics writer Jim Dougan talks on well-received webcomic
DC Comic Books Examiner Mark Ruffin
April 19,2010

Another positive Kick-Ass review from a local woman critic

Kick-Ass Directed by Matthew Vaughn
A cultish super hero flick about misfits. And ass-kicking.

By Tricia Olszewski
Washington City Paper April 16, 2010

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Baltimore Sun on French comics fest

MICA salutes French animation as an international force for artistic good
Students at French CGI school Supinfocom, and MICA, create animated shorts as personal art
By Michael Sragow, The Baltimore Sun April 15, 2010

Library of Congress to save the Tweet

This press release got picked up by some of the big papers like the Post and the Times, but why should we at ComicsDC care? Because a lot of comic book creators are Twitteratti - and Comic Book Resources put out a list of them this week. So now Washington will be a Mecca for those interested in what their favorite creator thought in 2010, in 140 characters or less. The historic ramifications are beyond imagining.

Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington DC   20540

April 15, 2010

Twitter Donates Entire Tweet Archive to Library of Congress

Twitter is donating its digital archive of public tweets to the Library of Congress.  Twitter is a leading social networking service that enables users to send and receive tweets, which consist of web messages of up to 140 characters. 

Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets per day from people around the world.  The Library will receive all public tweets—which number in the billions—from the 2006 inception of the service to the present. 

"The Twitter digital archive has extraordinary potential for research into our contemporary way of life," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.  "This information provides detailed evidence about how technology based social networks form and evolve over time.  The collection also documents a remarkable range of social trends.  Anyone who wants to understand how an ever-broadening public is using social media to engage in an ongoing debate regarding social and cultural issues will have need of this material."

Billington added: "The Library looks at this as an opportunity to add new kinds of information without subtracting from our responsibility to manage our overall collection.  Working with the Twitter archive will also help the Library extend its capability to provide stewardship for very large sets of born-digital materials."

In making the donation, Greg Pass, Twitter's vice president of engineering, said: "We are pleased and proud to make this collection available for the benefit of the American people.  I am very grateful that Dr. Billington and the Library recognize the value of this information.  It is something new, but it tells an amazing story that needs to be remembered."  Twitter's own take on the donation is posted on their blog http://blog.twitter.com/2010/04/tweet-preservation.html.

A few highlights of the donated material include the first-ever tweet from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (http://twitter.com/jack/status/20), President Obama's tweet about winning the election (http://twitter.com/barackobama/status/992176676), and a set of two tweets from a photojournalist who was arrested in Egypt and then freed because of a series of events set into motion by his use of Twitter (http://twitter.com/jamesbuck/status/786571964) and (http://twitter.com/jamesbuck/status/787167620).

The announcement came coincidentally on the same day the Library's own Twitter feed (@librarycongress) crossed 50,000 followers (April 14, 2010).

"I think Twitter will be one of the most informative resources available on modern day culture, including economic, social and political trends, as well as consumer behavior and social trends," said Margot Gerritsen, a professor with Stanford University's Department of Energy Resources Engineering and head of the Center of Excellence for Computational Approaches to Digital Stewardship, a partnership with the Library of Congress.

The archive follows in the Library's long tradition of gathering individuals' firsthand accounts of history, such as "man on the street" interviews after Pearl Harbor; the September 11, 2001, Documentary Project; the Veterans History Project (VHP); and StoryCorps.  While the Twitter archive will not be posted online, the Library envisions posting selected content around topics or themes, similar to existing VHP presentations.

The Library has been collecting materials from the web since it began harvesting congressional and presidential campaign websites in 2000.  Today the Library holds more than 167 terabytes of web-based information, including legal blogs, websites of candidates for national office and websites of Members of Congress.  In addition, the Library leads the congressionally mandated National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program www.digitalpreservation.gov, which is pursuing a national strategy to collect, preserve and make available significant digital content, especially information that is created in digital form only, for current and future generations.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library's rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

# # #

PR 10-81
4/15/2010
ISSN 0731-3527




Carla McNeil's Finder to be published by Dark Horse

Comic Book Resources has the story of Finder moving from self-published to Dark Horse.

Zadzooks - barely about comics, but...

Zadzooks: Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series and The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
Joseph Szadkowski
April 12, 2010

Meanwhile, Greg's got a few suggestions, only 1 of which I concur with - see if you can guess which it is!

Bennett's Best: S.H.I.E.L.D., Invincible Returns and Art In Time
By Greg Bennett, Special to Zadzooks April 12, 2010

Most laughable reason to disagree with Fiore's Pulitzer goes to...

...the Washington Examiner!

From April 18, 2010's "10 Lowlights of the Week" column:

#4 Puerile Pulitzer
Political cartoonist award goes to 'Tea Bag' jokester

The details: According to the Pulitzer committee, Mark Fiore "Set a high standard for an emerging form of commentary" with his animated cartoons on the Internet. Fiore is best known for a cartoon, "Learn to Speak Tea Bag" which has tea party protesters running around screaming "Nazi! - Socialist! Baby killer!" High standards, indeed.

On the next page, Nate Beeler picked his pro-Tea Party cartoon as his favorite of the week - can't agree with that call either, Nate.

Wuerker's Herblock award - Cavna makes his attendance tax-deductible

I'll have my own post up eventually, with photos from Joe Azar, but here's Michael's take on the evening -

Politico's MATT WUERKER accepts the Herblock Prize
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog April 16, 2010

He also talked to Steve Breen and Jen Sorenson about their recent awards -
Fischetti-winning Steve Breen: Awards 'mean more than ever' in tough times
By Michael Cavna, April 17, 2010

NPR's Weldon, on the other hand, does not like Kick-Ass

Glen Weldon's got some hard words for the comic book - Shiv and Let Shiv: Making Peace with 'Kick-Ass' (And Other Meditations). National Public Radio’s Monkey See blog (April 15 2010).

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-21-10

COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 04-21-10
By John Judy
 
100 % SC written and drawn by Paul Pope.  Collecting five issues of the cyber-punk life circa 2038!
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #628 by Roger Stern and Lee Weeks.  So that's whatever happened to Captain Universe.  Too bad for the Juggernaut though.  Saying you got slapped by Captain Universe has got to be the worst…
 
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #2 by Scott Snyder, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquerque.  Skinner and Pearl rise to their occasions.  Recommended.
 
BENNY AND PENNY IN THE TOYBREAKER HC written and drawn by Geoffrey Hayes.  Cousin Bo seriously busts up B&P's toys every time he visits.  Cousin Bo is going to have to be dealt with.  Great for all ages.
 
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #33 by J. Michael Straczynski and Cliff Chiang.  Wonder Woman, Zatanna and Batgirl (the real one!) go out for a night on the town.  There may or may not be a story attached but who cares?  Highly recommended.
 
CAPTAIN AMERICA: WHO WON'T WIELD THE SHIELD #1 by Jason Aaron, Matt Fraction and Some Swell Artists.  Who won't it be?!  Sarah Palin?  The cute barista at Starbucks?  That dude with the really ill-advised tattoo?  Only Irving Forbush knows for sure!
 
CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS, VOL. 5 SC by Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin, George Perez and Others.  Justice League/Society cross-overs from JLA#159, 160, 183, 184 and 185.  Big fights and gorgeous George Perez art!  Recommended.
 
CROSSED: FAMILY VALUES #1 of 6 by David Lapham and Javier Barreno.  Lapham takes up where Garth Ennis left off in a world where a virus drives everyone who gets it to extremes of madness, torture and mayhem.  It's like a big teabagger rally with no cops.  Absolutely not for kids.
 
DO ANYTHING, VOL. 1: THOUGHTS ON COMICS AND THINGS by Warren Ellis.  That nice Mr. Ellis writes about stuff while channeling the robot head of Jack Kirby.  It's cheap and it's from Avatar, so we're lucky to have heard of it at all.  Recommended.
 
DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS #1 of 8 by Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaacs.  "So, tell us about the time you and your super-friends were briefly gods in a pre-historic world."
 
FIRESTAR #1 by Sean McKeever and Emma Rios.  It turns out Firestar has survived cancer.  I get the feeling this will be a Very Special Episode of Firestar…
 
GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS #5 of 9 by Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra.  "The Firefly and His Majesty" continues.  Tank fight with ratzis!  Recommended.
 
GREEN LANTERN #53 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke.  So it's the morning after "Darkest Night."  Let's call it "Brightest Day" if you will.  You've suddenly got all these other-than-green colored Lanterns running around, at least three of whom you want nothing to do with.  In fact, you should probably be fighting them on account of them being mass murderers and all.  What do you do?  Recommended.
 
GREETINGS FROM CARTOONIA: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE OF THE LAND OF COMICS SC by Various Creators.  An international compilation of strips from twelve different creators, each inspired by different things from their country of choice.  Gotta look!  From Stripburger, distributed by Top Shelf.
 
GUILD #2 of 3 by Felicia Day and Jim Rugg.  Our cute protagonist finds herself getting more and more into her on-line role-playing game as her boyfriend's emotional neglect gets worse.  (No, I'm not crying.  It's just something in my eye…)
 
HELLBLAZER #266 by Peter Milligan and Simon Bisley.  The story of aging and wannabe punk rockers dedicated to raising the spirit of Sid Vicious is probably the best Constantine story Milligan has done so far.  And Biz is the perfect artist for it.  Highly recommended.
 
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #44 by James Robinson and Mark Bagley.  Okay, I don't know about you but I'm counting members of at least four different DC super-teams on this cover and not one of whom could be called proper JLA.  What gives, Robinson?
 
RASL, VOL. 2: FIRE OF SAINT GEORGE SC written and drawn by Jeff Smith.  The continuing adventures of Smith's universe-hopping scientist/art thief/debaucher can be found here.  Highly recommended.
 
SIEGE: SPIDER-MAN #1 by Brian Reed and Marco Santucci.  Spidey dukes it out with Venom.  For the title!
 
SIF #1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Ryan Stegman.  Thor's bride is in Loki-possession recovery and that requires chopping stuff up with her sword!  It's therapy, Norse goddess style!
 
SPIRIT #1 by Mark Schultz and Moritat.  Co-feature by Dennis O'Neil and Bill Sienkiewicz.  Re-launching the adventures of Will Eisner's legendary domino-masked punch-up artist, this one features an interesting twist:  A Spirit comic with a back-up story featuring "The Spirit!"  Because most of us don't care about the Spirit.  We only want it for the Spirit.
 
ULTIMATE COMICS: AVENGERS #6 by Mark Millar and Carlos Pacheco.  Ultimate Captain America and his little boy Ultimate Red Skull (yeah, I know…) go mano a mano in the conclusion of Millar's latest burst of summer movie ultra-violence.
 
UNDELETED SCENES SC written and drawn by Jeffrey Brown.  Top Shelf presents ten years worth of rare and previously uncollected works by indy humorist Brown.  Recommended.
 
X-FACTOR #204 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro.  The team fights a reanimated dead guy named "Bolivar."  You kind of have to win this one if you ever want to show your face at the X-picnic again.
 
X-MEN LEGACY #235 by Mike Carey and Greg Land.  The X-gang is still chasing after Hope.  Once they get her they'll work on Change.
 


April 18: Capicon Comic convention

Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Capicons Comic Book and Pop Culture Con

Dunn Loring Vol. Fire Dept, Dunn Loring, Virginia

Special Guests:
Martin Grams, Jr, Author of The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television
http://www.martingrams.com

Dan Nokes, Artist/Publisher--21 Sandshark Studios
http://21sandshark.com/

Also featuring
Artist Tom Arvis, Sureshot Comics
http://www.arvtoon.com

FREE admission! Door prize drawings!

Open to the public from 10 am - 3 pm. Buy, sell & trade: Gold, Silver, Bronze Age comics; Indie & Modern comics, Publishers & Creators, TV & Movie Collectibles. Non-sport cards; Videos & DVDs; Anime; Manga; Horror/Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars & Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters and other comic-related collectibles.

See you there!
Laura, Jeff & Ed,

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Post on Fiore's iPhone rejection

Rob Pegoraro's Faster Forward: Apple rejects Pulitzer winner Fiore's iPhone app
Washington Post April 17, 2010

Alliance Française de Washington lecture today

Antoine Dodé is speaking at 2 pm at the Alliance. The complete festival press release follows.




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Alliance Française de Washington, MICA's Illustration and Experimental Animation Departments present

From April 16 to 24, 2010

Festival Imagé

French Comics and Animation Festival

Baltimore-Washington DC (USA)


The Alliance Française de Washington and The Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) are inaugurating their partnership with the Festival Imagé, first festival in the USA, which promotes the new generation of French artists working in comics and animated films.

From April 16 to 24, meetings, author-led workshops, and screenings of animated films will stress the similarities and differences which exist in "bande dessinée" and animated film between both sides of the Atlantic.

Five comics artists, four comic book publishers from both France and the US, as well as various comics connoisseurs and a series of events prepared by DC-based comics artists and students of MICA – America's oldest art school– will help animate this exceptional 10-day festival dedicated to sequential art.

The festival will engage a wide audience of amateurs, children, art students, Francophiles, and comic's aficionados of the "9ème Art" through the creativity and vitality of this made-in-France artistic format where more than 5000 titles are published each year.

Having been involved in the Festival Imagé since its inception, MICA's animation students will also have the chance to introduce their view of French culture through their own animated shorts, to be shown at two successive screenings.

During these two consecutive days, animated films from both MICA students and students from one of the most famous French schools, SUPINFOCOM, will be showcased in Baltimore and Washington.

A French author will also be visiting one of DC's underprivileged elementary schools through the Alliance Française's Outreach Program to share his passion with children.

On their side, students from MICA and local illustrators will meet French and US publishers and present their work through exhibitions during the professional forum.

This forum will offer a chance to create artistic ties and professional opportunities to be published in the USA but also in France.

Last but not least, French and American illustrators will launch a creative dialogue during the entire Festival Imagé with an interactive and collective production to be revealed during the festival's closing party.

Prepare to be overwhelmed by a new generation of talented and productive artists who interpret the daily complexities of modern society through an incredible variety of styles and artistic universes.

"Strike your imagination!"

Festival Imagé Program

-Friday April 16 at MICA:

7:30 pm: Opening reception

8 pm: Panel discussion with Nicolas Nemiri, Antoine Dodé, Alain Corbel, and Laurence Arcadias. Moderated by José Villarrubia.

Beginning of the contest

At MICA/ Free

-Saturday April 17 at AFDC, 2 pm

Workshop with Antoine Dodé

http://www.antoinedode.com/

At the Alliance Française/ Free

-Monday April 19 at MICA, 8 pm

Lecture by José Villarrubia: "Colors in Comics"

At MICA/ Free

-Tuesday April 20 at AFDC, 6:30 pm

Opening reception of the exhibition Les Trois Ombres by Cyril Pedrosa

Workshop with Domitille Collardey

http://www.domitille-collardey.com/ink.html

At the Alliance Française/ Free for MICA students and AF members - General Admission $8

-Wednesday April 21st at MICA, 7 pm

Presentation: Laurence Arcadias

Short Films from SUPINFOCOM and MICA students

At MICA/ Free

-Thursday April 22nd at Letelier Theater, 7 pm

Short Films from SUPINFOCOM and MICA students

At Letelier Theater 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Upper Courtyard, Washington DC

Free for MICA students and AF members - General Admission $8

-Friday April 23rd at AFDC, 6:30 pm

Lecture by Pascal Fioretto: "Humor in comics"

At the Alliance Française/ free for MICA students and AF members - General admission: $8

-Saturday April 24th at MICA:

2:00 Alain Corbel presents his students work:

Exhibition "Gargantua"

2:30 pm: Workshop with Cyril Pedrosa http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/threeShadows.html

4 pm: Professional Forum with publishers from France and the US

Contest Results

6:30 pm: Closing Party

At MICA/ Free


Artists and speakers

Antoine Dodé was born in Amiens and lived there until he moved to Belgium to study illustration at the Saint Luc School of Art. He is best known in the French and Belgian market for his character Armelle, who has been featured in two graphic novels published under Carabas Revolution (Semic): "Armelle and the Bird" and "Armelle and My Uncle."

http://www.antoinedode.com/

José Villarrubia was born in Madrid, Spain, but is a long time Baltimore resident. A professor of the Illustration Department at MICA, José is best known for his coloring work in comics for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and other companies and for his collaborations with author Alan Moore.

Domitille Collardey (born 1981) is best known for founding the Chicou-Chicou comics collective with Aude Picault. She currently lives in Paris and Brooklyn, NY. Domitille graduated from les Arts Decoratifs de Paris in 2004.

She is currently working on an adaptation of Jean Teulé's novel "The Suicide Shop" for French publisher Delcourt, with Olivier Ka.

She also works for various press publications, such as Technikart, Beaux Arts Magazine, and Double.

http://www.domitille-collardey.com/ink.html

Pascal Fioretto Although he was a math whiz early on, having majored in chemistry at the Ecole normale supérieure of Chemistry, he also displayed a strong interest in literature and writing, which he finally gave in to. Catching the attention of cartoonist Marcel Gotlib, Fioretto then lent his wit to Fluide Glacial, a French monthly publication appealing to any and all lovers of truly tasteless jokes and irreverent humor.

Cyril Pedrosa began his career in animation, working on the Disney films "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Hercules." He has since become a rising star in a new kind of graphic storytelling, combining the influences of animation and the literary traditions of Borges, Garcia Marquez, and Tolkien to create a unique visual signature.

http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/threeShadows.html

Nicolas Nemiri is a French comics author and illustrator who has always been very much inspired by Japanese manga. His artistic style is unique in that it blends manga with French esthetics. Nicolas is actually working on the 3rd album of his series "Je suis morte" created with writer Jean-David Morvan, a sci-fi story where teenagers are dealing with life, death and eternity.

http://www.nemiri.com/

Alain Corbel. With comic creator Eric Lambe, he produced Mokka and Pelure Amere, two modern comic strip magazines that influenced many authors and publishers in France and Belgium like Amok, Freon and La Cinquieme Couche. He works as an illustrator, comic strip artist, and storywriter. He is also teacher at MICA, Illustration Department. He did many books published in France and Portugal. He has a passion for Africa where he organizes regularly with the Portuguese NGO ACEP illustration/writing workshops. http://www.alaincorbel.in-netz.com/ http://obaraleixo.blogspot.com/

Laurence Arcadias teaches animation at MICA and is the Co- chair of the Animation department.

She started her career in Paris as an illustrator and animator. She directed a TV show: "Alex", best animated TV series in Annecy festival and spent 3 years as Animator in Residence at Apple. She also worked for several companies such as hotwired, Kodak, Leapfrog…Her films have been screened internationally.

http://www.arcadias.tv


Located in the north of France, SUPINFOCOM is a unique school, made of passionate people for passionate students, armed with an educational experience and managed by a united team, a demanding school, which innovates, supports the students towards their professional future by developing their artistic sensitivity, and opens unclear ways. After 20 years of existence and 1246 graduates, SUPINFOCOM is still filled with the enthusiasm of pioneers and enriched with collective experience. http://www.supinfocom.org/


With the support of the Maryland Institute College of Art's Office of Academic Services, the office of Research and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Faculty.

Please include Festival Imagé, from April 16 to 24 in your cultural events listing. Do not hesitate to contact me directly if you want to attend or cover this event.

WHAT: Festival Imagé French Comics and Animation Festival

WHEN: From April 16 to 24, 2010

WHERE: At the Alliance Française 2142 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008

MICA 1300 W. Mount Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21217

And Letelier Theater 3251 Prospect Street, NW Upper Courtyard Washington DC 20007

COST: All of the events are free for MICA students and Alliance Française members

Events at the Alliance Française and Letelier Theater: free for MICA students and AF members - General Admission $8

Information/reservation: Alliance Française 202-234-7911 - MICA 410-225-2300

The Alliance Française is the largest network of French language and cultural centers in the world. Founded in 1949, the Alliance Française de Washington offers French classes for all levels, numerous cultural events throughout the year, and a multi-media library open to all members. For more information visit www.francedc.org

You can download our press kit here: http://www.francedc.org/en/Article.aspx?id=460

L'Alliance Française de Washington is on Facebook! Join our group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4811854756

We are also on Twitter! http://twitter.com/FranceDC

Sonia Lahcene
Cultural Assistant
_______________________________________
Alliance Française de Washington
2142 Wyoming Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20008
tel: (202) 234-7911 ext 16
fax: (202) 234-0125
www.francedc.org

To subscribe to our email list and receive our messages on cultural activities, please go to www.francedc.org then "sign up for our e-newsletter".

You can also join our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4811854756


April 17: Jules Feiffer at Portrait Gallery

Saturday April 17, 2010
4:30 PM
McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level
American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery
The American Pictures series offers a highly original approach to art and portraiture, pairing great works of art with leading figures of contemporary American culture. Each American Pictures event features an eminent writer, thinker, historian, or artist who speaks about a single, powerful image and explores its meaning. The series director is historian and essayist Adam
Goodheart, who is director of the C. V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College.

Lectures begin at 4:30 p.m.
Free tickets available in the G Street lobby one hour prior.


Saturday, April 17, 4:30 p.m.
Cartoonist Jules Feiffer on Bob Landry's Fred Astaire in "Puttin' on the Ritz"

Friday, April 16, 2010

Washington Post likes Kick-Ass

Movie review: Profane but humane 'Kick-Ass' provides something to cheer
By Ann Hornaday
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 16, 2010; C01

and here's an interview with the film's writer -

Wait 'til they get a load of Hit-Girl
By Jen Chaney
Washington Post's Celebritology 2.0 blog April 14, 2010

The Times liked it too. So far, that's 3 reviews by WOMEN reviewers and one interview with the WOMAN screenwriter. I'm missing something here.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a Blood Bath
By MANOHLA DARGIS
April 16, 2010

Washington Examiner likes Kick-Ass movie

Shocking, funny 'Kick-Ass' does exactly that

By: Sally Kline
Washington Examiner April 16, 2010

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lifestyle/Shocking_-funny-_Kick-Ass_-does-exactly-that-90959999.html

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Weldon reviews Sturm's Market Day

'Market Day': Beauty And History In Handmade Art
by Glen Weldon
April 12, 2010

Express on Kick-Ass

From Panel to Screen: Another 'Kick-Ass' Comic-Book Movie
Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi
Express at 9:15 AM on April 14, 2010

French comics and animation festival starts tomorrow

Quick details here -

Accent on Art: Alliance Francaise's and MICA's Festival Image
Written by Express contributor Ryan Little
Express April 15, 2010

I'm off to see Matt Wuerker get the Herblock award.

Yoe on anti-war cartoons

Pencils for Peace: Craig Yoe, 'The Great Anti-War Cartoons'
Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi
April 15 2010

Reviewed: Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic; Making the Movie

Reviewed: Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic; Making the Movie
Posted by Mike Rhode on Apr. 15, 2010 at 10:51 am




Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Marc Singer on teaching Love & Rockets

Week 10: Gilbert Hernandez, Human Diastrophism
April 12, 2010

My classes' reactions to "Human Diastrophism" have changed over the years, and mostly for the better. Seven or eight years ago a few of my students were awfully interested in branding the women of Palomar as "sluts." - click thru the link to see what Marc's current students got out of it.