Sunday, April 30, 2017

The Post on Mankoff, Brodner and Sherman's Lagoon

Nobody knows cartoons like the New Yorker's Bob Mankoff. Were mine good enough for him? [in print as A discerning toon-smith's last hurrah].


Washington Post April 29 2017, p. C1, 2
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/nobody-knows-cartoons-like-the-new-yorkers-bob-mankoff-were-mine-good-enough-for-him/2017/04/28/3519ebee-2ac3-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html

An illustrated guide to President Trump's first 100 days

Who's who and what's what


Washington Post April 30 2017
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/04/28/an-illustrated-guide-to-president-trumps-first-100-days/

An out-of-character error for an erudite resident of 'Sherman's Lagoon' [in print as An erudite sea turtle would never stand for this]

Jim Gaarder, Columbia

Washington Post April 29 2017, p. a15
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/an-out-of-character-error-for-an-erudite-resident-of-shermans-lagoon/2017/04/28/2d83cbd4-29dd-11e7-9081-f5405f56d3e4_story.html

Yang at Fairfax County library comic con May 13

Gene Luen Yang will be a featured guest at the Fairfax Library Comic Con May 13 from 10 am to 2:30 pm. It will be held at Chantilly High School, 4201 Stringfellow Rd., Chantilly, Va.

“‘Geek out’ at our celebration of comic books, science fiction, fantasy, TV, movies and more,” according to the promotion at the library system’s website.

There will be books will be for sale and signing, as well as workshops, artists, vendors, prizes, food trucks and cosplay.

Friday, April 28, 2017

The Post reviews Gamain's American Gods tv show

Starz's stylish 'American Gods' is long on concept, but short on momentum [in print as Starz's 'American Gods' is visually reverent, but its pace may be a problem].


Washington Post April 28 2017, p. C1, 3
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/starzs-stylish-american-gods-is-long-on-concept-but-short-on-momentum/2017/04/27/71afdff4-2ab5-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html

Comic Riffs says goodbye to the New Yorker's Mankoff, in pictures

How exiting New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff views his legacy — in eight comic panels


Washington Post 
Comic Riffs blog April 28 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/04/28/how-exiting-new-yorker-cartoon-editor-bob-mankoff-views-his-legacy-in-eight-comic-panels/

May 17: China Mieville at Politics and Prose bookstore


For reference on his comic work: http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=20958 - he did a long Dial H for Hero run for DC Comics.

China Mieville - October: The Story of the Russian Revolution

Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m.
October: The Story of the Russian Revolution Cover Image
$26.95
ISBN: 9781784782771
Availability: Coming Soon—Pre-Order Now
Published: Verso - May 9th, 2017

Presenting the Russian Revolution as both a landmark political event and as a breathtaking story, Miéville, author of London's Overthrow and Between Equal Rights, along with fiction that has won the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Arthur C. Clarke awards, gives a detailed and vivid rundown of how an autocratic monarchy became the world's first socialist state in just nine months. It happened in two stages, starting with the February Revolution, which rid the country of the Tsar and installed a Provisional Government. Consisting largely of members of the former imperialist Duma, this Provisional Government was itself overturned in October, after Socialists consolidated power via the Soviets, or workers' councils. Miéville captures the era's chaos as well as its exhilaration.

Miéville will be in conversation with Barbara Ehrenreich, author of several books including Nickel and Dimed.

5015 Connecticut Ave NW   Washington   DC    20008





Thursday, April 27, 2017

March up for LA Times Book Prize

Why a civil rights icon chose to tell his story in the form of a comic book

Carolyn Kellogg
April 22, 2017
http://www.latimes.com/books/la-festival-books-updates-why-a-civil-rights-icon-chose-to-tell-1492906821-htmlstory.html

Cohen art for local spirits-tasting event

Local comic booker and Magic Bullet editor Andrew Cohen did some art for a booze-tasting event at Union Drinkery on May 7.


The Express on 'Fun Home'

The star and designer of 'Fun Home' on how their show still surprises audiences [in print as 'Fun Home' stirs up lots of memories]


Express April 27 2017, p. 22-23
online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2017/04/27/the-star-and-designer-of-fun-home-on-how-their-show-still-surprises-audiences/

Sara Duke's courtroom art exhibit featured at Comic Riffs

From Manson to O.J.: A new exhibit spotlights the fading art of the courtroom sketch


Washington Post Comic Riffs blog April 26 2017
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2017/04/26/from-manson-to-o-j-a-new-exhibit-spotlights-the-fading-art-of-the-courtroom-sketch/

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

CIA archives apparently hold some cartoons

Funny papers, please: a sampling of comic strips in the CIA's archives

From Soviet satire to psychic Dilbert, the strangest strips hidden in CREST

Written by JPat Brown
Edited by Michael Morisy

https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/apr/24/comics-cias-archives/

Great Big Stories mentions Library of Congress' comic book collection

There's Something for Everyone at the World's Largest Library
http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/the-largest-library-in-the-world

The comics appear at about 3:00, but the whole video is worth watching.

Monday, April 24, 2017

April 30: Max Fleischer film screening in Rockville

Stone Branch School of Art at 2 pm, with a lecture by his grand-daughter, Virginia Mahoney.

April 27: Courtroom art exhibit opens at Library of Congress, with curator presentation



March 7, 2017 (REVISED April 19, 2017) "Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations" Opens April 27

Public Contact: Sara W. Duke (202) 707-3630
Website: Registration for downloadable images in online press kit

A new exhibition at the Library of Congress, "Drawing Justice: The Art of Courtroom Illustrations," will feature original art that captures the drama of high-profile court cases in the last 50 years.

The exhibition will open on Thursday, April 27, 2017, and close on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in the South Gallery on the second floor of the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.  It is free and open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  Tickets are not needed.

"Drawing Justice" is made possible by Thomas V. Girardi and the Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon.  In addition, Girardi—the founding partner of Girardi Keese, a Los Angeles law firm—funded the acquisition of 95 high-profile trial drawings by Aggie Kenny, Bill Robles and Elizabeth Williams for the Library's collection.  As a result of this benefaction, the Library's courtroom illustrations are the most comprehensive in any American institution. 

The exhibition's illustrations—part of the Library's extensive collection of more than 10,000 courtroom drawings—are the work of talented artists hired by both newspapers and broadcast outlets to capture the personal dynamics of legal trials, which for many decades were off-limits to photographers and television cameras.  The artwork brings the theater of the courtroom to life, capturing gestures, appearances and relationships in a way that humanizes the defendants and plaintiffs, lawyers, judges and witnesses.

The 98 illustrations on display will represent court cases dating from 1964 to the present day, including trials for murder, crime and corruption, terrorism, political activism and landmark legal issues.  Among those depicted will be Jack Ruby, James Earl Ray, Charles Manson, David Berkowitz, John Gotti, the Chicago Seven and Bernie Madoff.  Artifacts from the Library's Manuscript Division and the Law Library will supplement the drawings from a legal perspective.

Also on view will be an introductory video and an interactive video station that show the actual drawings from the exhibition being featured on television nightly news broadcasts.  This footage demonstrates the important contribution courtroom illustrators make in bringing the drama of the court, and an understanding of the day's events, into the homes of millions of Americans.

The exhibition begins with the work of Howard Brodie, who popularized reportage-style courtroom illustrations with his documentation of the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 for CBS Evening News.  Ruby had been charged with killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who allegedly assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963.  Brodie supported and encouraged the first generation of artists who created the artwork for television and print media.  Brodie donated his trial drawings to the Library of Congress, which spurred the development of the courtroom-illustration collections. 

In addition to Brodie, the artists represented in the exhibition include Marilyn Church, Aggie Kenny, Pat Lopez, Arnold Mesches, Gary Myrick, Joseph Papin, David Rose, Freda Reiter, Bill Robles, Jane Rosenberg and Elizabeth Williams.

The exhibition is curated by Sara W. Duke, curator of applied and graphic art in the Library's Prints and Photographs Division.  Assistant curator is Margaret M. Wood, a senior legal reference librarian in the Library of Congress Law Library.  Betsy Nahum-Miller and Carroll Johnson, from the Library's Interpretative Programs Office, are the exhibition directors.

The Library has amassed the largest publicly accessible collection of courtroom illustrations through a series of gifts from artists, their families  and heirs. Howard Brodie, with his donation of 1,400 drawings—for such seminal trials as those of Jack Ruby, Sirhan Sirhan, the Chicago Seven, and the My Lai Massacre court martial of William Calley and Ernest Medina—established the collection at the Library between 1965 and 1980.  In addition, Los Angeles illustrator David Rose gave more than 100 drawings from the 1971 and 1973 Pentagon Papers trials of Daniel Ellsberg & Anthony Russo.  In 2009, the family of New York-based artist Marilyn Church generously donated more than  4,200 drawings for trials from 1974 to 2008.  In 2015, the family of New York Daily News artist Joseph Papin gave more than 4,700 drawings.  Through purchase-gift arrangements in 2014, the Library was able to acquire the work of two mid-western artists, Gary Myrick and Pat Lopez.

The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division preserves and provides access to nearly 16 million photographs, drawings and prints from the 15th century to the present day.  International in scope, these visual collections represent a uniquely rich array of human experience, knowledge, creativity and achievement, touching on almost every realm of endeavor: science, art, invention, government and political struggle, and the recording of history.  For more information, visit loc.gov/rr/print/. 

The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.  Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

###

PR 17-022
2017-03-07
ISSN 0731-3527

April 29: Cartooning the Landscape with Chip Sullivan



Cartooning the Landscape with Chip Sullivan


  • Saturday at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

  • Fantom Comics
    2010 P Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

    Cartozia Tales profiled

    Exploring The World of Cartozia Tales

    by Rob Clough

    High-Low blog April 10, 2017

    http://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2017/04/exploring-world-of-cartozia-tales.html

    Michael Wenthe is local.

    May 4: Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Sabaaneh at Busboys and Poets


    WHITE AND BLACK: Political Cartoons from Palestine by Mohammed Sabaaneh - author event
    14th & V | Langston Room | May 4, 2017 | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

    Busboys and Poets 14th & V welcomes Mohammad Sabaaneh to present his new book "White and Black: Political Cartoons from Palestine."

    Mohammad Sabaaneh, a talented political cartoonist from Palestine, has gained worldwide renown for his stark black-and-white sketches, which draw attention to brutalities of the Israeli occupation and celebrate the Palestinians' popular resistance. These provocative drawings do not flinch from tackling the tough subjects that confront Palestinians, from Israel's everyday injustices in the West Bank to their frequent military operations on Gaza. This collection includes 180 of Sabaaneh's best cartoons, some of them depicting the experience of Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israel.

    In his Foreword, titled "Sabaaneh's Social Surrealism", veteran American political cartoonist Seth Tobocman notes the influence of Picasso and Braque on Sabaaneh's work, and asks: "Can there be an accurate depiction of an insane situation? Why should we draw in perspective when the world has lost its perspective? When reality becomes bizarre social realism gives way to social surrealism."


    Details on the entire tour are here.

    Friday, April 21, 2017

    Marc Tyler Nobleman's Batman and Bill comes to Hulu

    Batman & Bill - Exclusive Trailer Debut

    Everyone thinks that Bob Kane created Batman, but that's not the whole truth. One author makes it his crusade to make it known that Bill Finger, a struggling writer, actually helped invent the iconic superhero. Premieres on Hulu on May 6.

    Kathleen Brenowitz - An Artomatic update interview

     by Mike Rhode


    A few years back we interviewed Kathleen Brenowitz about her cartooning. She's currently exhibiting her work at Artomatic, and we checked back in with her.

    20170331_201741

    How did you decide to exhibit at Artomatic?

    Oddly enough, through LARPing! (Live Action Role Playing). Wyrd Armories (https://wyrdarmouries.com) - the duo who make up the rest of the room I'm displaying in - are friends of mine I met while LARPing with my significant other. When talking shop, Cynthia mentioned Artomatic, and that we all should try to get a room together - and once I'd seen some pictures of previous shows, I was hooked!

    20170331_201746
    As a sequential artist, how did you decide what to include in the show?

    While I'm most known for my comics, I'm also known for my prints - most of them being of characters or worlds I plan to develop as part of my stories. Also I'd been working on stand-alone pieces for a pal's choose your own adventure - the finished "From Out of a Dream" and the current "Back Alive or Maybe Dead".  So all the pieces may have been more illustrative than my usual, there is a theme and a story up on the Artomatic wall.

    Has exhibiting at an art show been different than a comic con?

    It has been wonderful to get out from behind the table, hands down. At the last meet the artist night, it was a delight to wander from small group to small group, answer questions, and generally move around. Cons have you standing in one place for hours, and it's hard to not get ansty. I also felt like less of a carnival barker - I waved to some people who passed by the room, but I never felt the need to shout to slow down a hurried seeker. At a con, you end up with people walking past a row of  booths simply because it's more of a market - and you're not the booth they're trying to find; as a seller, you need to catch attention, usually with a loud greeting. I may have nearly lost my voice at the artist night, but it was from chatting, not hailing.

    The crowd is also a little different - most of my experience of larger cons has been one of younger crowds and a great deal of shopping. Artomatic has the shopping element (in fact, my pieces are available for sale!) but with the motion of going in and out of each little room, there's a urge to linger that comes from passing a threshold. The Artomatic crowd is also very diverse in terms of ages - teenagers stopped by due to the free admission and curiosity, young couples on date nights, middle-aged artists who wanted to see what new stuff had been made, older folks who had great commentary on ink lines. In depends on the con, but I'm used to seeing fewer families and the age range as tilting towards younger - it was nice to have it flip for a change!

    20170331_201814

    Has it been successful for you in reaching an audience?

    Well, half of the art scene in DC knows my day job (art store minion) now, and I ran out of business cards. Time will tell if this brings in more sales/views/general eyeballs-on-my-work overall, but it's been a nice stretch of my boundaries. I'd love to do more long-term shows like this!

    20170331_201802

    Shawn Martinbrough's marriage covered by NY Times

    Still in Love With Comic Books, and Now With Her, Too

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/fashion/weddings/still-in-love-with-comic-books-and-now-with-her-too.html

    The Post likes Fun Home

    'Fun Home' is pure musical satisfaction [in print as 'Fun Home' is fully furnished with exemplary performances].


    (Joan Marcus/Kate Shindle, seated center, as the adult Alison Bechdel, with the rest of the cast of "Fun Home.")

    Juana Medina featured in GW Magazine

    A Line by Line Perspective

    By Matthew Stoss

    http://magazine.gwu.edu/a-line-by-line-perspective

    May 24: Archie writer Alex Segura at East City Bookshop

    Authors Alex Segura and Neely Tucker

    Event date: 
    Wednesday, May 24, 2017 - 6:30pm to 8:00pm
    Event address: 
    East City Bookshop
    645 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
    Washington, DC 20003

     

    Join us for a discussion and signing by thriller/mystery authors Alex Segura (DANGEROUS ENDS, ARCHIE) and Neely Tucker (ONLY THE HUNTED RUN).

    RSVP on Facebook or email rsvp@eastcitybookshop.com. RSVPs are appreciated but not required. This event is free and open to the public.

    Thursday, April 20, 2017

    June 21: Tyrus Screening + Q & A with director Pamela Tom




    • Wednesday, June 21 at 7:20 PM - 9 PM
    • p
      AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
      8633 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

    • Find Tickets
      Tickets Available
      silver.afi.com

    • IN MEMORIAM: Tyrus Wong (1910–2016)

      When former Disney animator and painter Tyrus Wong died in December 2016 at 106, obituaries told of a man whose life reads like an epic of the 20th century. From his birth in China in 1910 to a difficult immigration experience as a small boy and penurious upbringing in Los Angeles' Chinatown, Wong worked his way through art school and eventually found work in Disney's animation studio. When pre-production on BAMBI bogged down due to problems with overcrowding in the background of the early artwork, it was Wong's new landscape sketches — modeled on Song Dynasty- style landscape painting — that took the film in a bold new direction.

      TYRUS - A Documentary Film

    April 25: THE GREAT WAR: ANIMATED MEMORIES

    THE GREAT WAR: ANIMATED MEMORIES/GRANDE GUERRE: MEMOIRES ANIMEES
    Multiple directors - 75 min

    Silent, in English or with English subtitles

    As part of the celebrations of the Centennial of American involvement into World War I, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy present the screening of nine short films.

    Set on the front, in the trenches and under fire, or behind the front line, through women's letters and through the memories of the elders or the collective memory, discover fascinating, sensitive and touching films by experienced directors, who revisit that catastrophe with a contemporary perspective.
    With different techniques such as 3D animation, drawing, paper cut-outs, painting or plasticine, the directors invite us in their imaginary world and show once again the richness and the energy of the animated creations of today.

    La Détente, Pierre Ducos, Bertrand Bey (France, 2011, 8min30)

    1916, Fabien Bedouel (France, 2003, 7min40)

    Poppy, James Cunnigham (New-Zealand, 2009, 10min54)

    Fire Waltz/Toile de Front, Marc Ménager (France, 2011, 5min46)

    The Trenches/La Tranchée, Claude Cloutier (Canada, 2010, 6min55)

    Lettres de femmes, Augusto Zanovello (France, 2013, 11min25)

    Le jour de gloire, Bruno Collet (France, 2007, 6min30)

    So close/De si après, Rémi Durin (France/Belgique, 2009, 12min25)

    Trois petits points, Rémy Schaepman, Lucrèce Andreae, Alice Dieudonné, Florian Parrot, Tracy Nowocien, Ornélie Prioul (France, 2010, 3min32)

    https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-the-great-war-animated-memories-tickets-33130406939

    TUESDAY, APRIL 25 AT 7:00 PM

    at La Maison Française - Embassy of France

    4101 Reservoir Road, NW - Washington, DC

    FREE ADMISSION

    Parking available on Reservoir Road and across the street at Georgetown University Hospital's pay lot.

    SECURITY RULES: A reservation on Eventbrite is mandatory, attendees must have a Government issued photo ID in order to enter the Embassy. Large backpacks and bikes will not be allowed inside the embassy.

    NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT RESERVATION OR PROPER ID

    Name on reservation must match ID.

    Due to strict security measures, please allow extra time for security screening; doors will be closed at 7 p.m. sharp.


    Not recommended for children under 12.

    Online registration is required for this free admission event.

    Sign up online on http://frenchculture.org/newsletter to never miss an event by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Washington, DC.

    Presented by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy with support from The French Mission du centenaire de la Première Guerre mondiale, in charge of the World War One Centenary in France; TV5 Monde and the French-American Cultural Foundation.


    April 24: William Joyce at Politics and Prose and Takoma Park Library

    Joyce is mainly a children's book author, but much of his work has been adapted to animation.

    Monday, April 24, 2017 at 10:30 a.m.

    Meet William Joyce and celebrate the reissue of three of his classic picture books. You'll be able to spend A Day With Wilbur Robinson in his house of wacky relatives, marvelous creatures, and strange contraptions. Or perhaps you'll want to accompany the Lazardo family as they travel the world with their friendly pet, Dinosaur Bob. You can even join Bently Hopperton the musical frog in a lively song by the bank of a pond in Bently & Egg. All of these original, thrill-seeking characters come to life with Joyce's detailed illustrations and adventurous storytelling style. Ages 4 to 8.

     

    This event is free to attend with no reservation required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis. Click here for more information.

    Online pre-orders for school events may be placed up until 48 hours before the event takes place. 
    5015 Connecticut Ave NW   Washington   DC    20008
    Monday, April 24, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Meet William Joyce and celebrate the reissue of three of his classic picture books. You'll be able to spend A Day With Wilbur Robinson in his house of wacky relatives, marvelous creatures, and strange contraptions. Or perhaps you'll want to accompany the Lazardo family as they travel the world with their friendly pet, Dinosaur Bob. You can even join Bently Hopperton the musical frog in a lively song by the bank of a pond in Bently & Egg. All of these original, thrill-seeking characters come to life with Joyce's detailed illustrations and adventurous storytelling style. Ages 4 to 8.

    Takoma Park Library (MD)   101 Philadelphia Ave   Takoma Park   MD    20912

    E. Simms Campbell featured on National Geographic blog

    During Prohibition, Harlem Night Clubs Kept the Party Going

    A witty 1932 cartoon map shows where to find famous musicians, gambling policemen, and a guy selling marijuana.

    Wednesday, April 19, 2017

    June 16-18: Awesome Con (note the Batman comic team)

    6/16 – 6/18: AWESOME CON 2017

     

    Washington, D.C. (April 18, 2017) Awesome Con, the mid-Atlantic's premier pop culture convention, brings a three-day celebration of television, movies, comic books, science, technology and more back to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18. Fans will be able to explore hundreds of hours' worth of programming including: celebrity and expert-driven panel discussions; iconic film memorabilia exhibits; cosplay fashion shows; video game showdowns; and more. Exciting additions to Awesome Con 2017 include an even more playful and educational kids zone in the form of Awesome Con Junior, Pride Alley showcasing LGBTQ artists and pop culture intersections in partnership with Geeks OUT, and a more stimulating science and technology pavilion sure to delight curious minds. Now in its fourth year, Awesome Con is setting a new standard as an ever-more inclusive and dynamic destination for fans of all ages across the spectrum of 'geeky.'

     

    When:  Friday, June 16; exhibit hall hours 12pm – 8pm, programming until 10pm

    Saturday, June 17; exhibit hall hours 10am – 7pm, programming until 10pm

    Sunday, June 18; exhibit hall hours 10am – 5pm

     

    Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center

    801 Mt. Vernon Pl NW

    Washington, DC 20001

     

    Special Guest:

    ·         Stan Lee (Creator of Spider-Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, X-Men)

     

    From Doctor Who:

    ·         David Tennant (Doctor Who, Jessica Jones, DuckTales, Broadchurch, Gracepoint)

    ·         Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Penny Dreadful, Secret Diary of a Call Girl)

    ·         Catherine Tate (Doctor Who, The Catherine Tate Show, The Office)

    ·         John Barrowman (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Torchwood, Doctor Who)

     

    Screen Stars:

    ·         Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, The Guild, Eureka, NUMB3RS)

    ·         Khary Payton (AMC's The Walking Dead, Teen Titans GO, Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Big Hero 6: The Series)

    ·         Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Tru Calling, Dollhouse)

    ·         Kel Mitchell (All That, Game Shakers, Good Burger, Keenan and Kel)

    ·         Jason David Frank (Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers)

    ·         Felicia Day (The Guild, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Eureka, Supernatural)

     

    Comics Stars:

    ·         Greg Capullo (Batman, Reborn, X-Force, Quasar, The Creech)

    ·         Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Batman, Swamp Thing, Voodoo Heart)

     

    Cost:      Daily and full weekend passes available

    ·         Friday or Sunday Only Admission: $35

    ·         Saturday Only Admission: $45

    ·         3-Day 'Geekend' Pass: $75

    ·         Kids 10 and under: free with coupon code AWESOMEJR

    VIP passes & experiences range from $150 to $379 and offer access to various celebrity appearances and special events.

     

    Website: www.awesomecon.com is updated regularly with new guests, exciting exhibitors, and special programming.

     

    Social Media:

    ·         Facebook: facebook.com/AwesomeConDc

    ·         Twitter: @AwesomeCon

    ·         Instagram: @awesomecons

    ·         Tumblr: awesomecons.tumblr.com

     

    About Awesome Con

    Awesome Con is the biggest annual comic and pop culture convention in Washington, D.C., having welcomed over 50,000 attendees in 2016. Awesome Con celebrates all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, with a wide assortment of engaging events, comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and more. Awesome Con is presented in partnership with LeftField Media, an event organization company developed by the founder of New York Comic Con.

     

    About LeftField Media

    LeftField Media, LLC is an events company focused on developing face-to-face events in a range of communities rooted in contemporary culture and shared passion. LeftField was formed in 2014 by Greg Topalian (President, LeftField Media) and is now owned by Topalian and Clarion Events Ltd. With a keen sense of the evolving needs of businesses and their consumers, as well as new opportunities created by change, LeftField takes a clean slate approach to its work. LeftField's portfolio includes Play Fair (playfairny.com), a family-focused celebration of toys and play built with the Toy Industry Association; Awesome Con (awesomecon.com), Washington D.C.'s Comic Con; Rose City Comic Con (rosecitycomiccon.com), in Portland, O.R.; Anime NYC (animenyc.com), a Japanese pop culture festival presented by Crunchyroll; the Five Points Festival (fivepointsfest.com), a designer toy and comic art convention curated by Clutter; and the Classic Auto Show (theclassicautoshow.com), a vintage auto show launched in Los Angeles. LeftField Media is headquartered in historic Trumbull, C.T. (leftfieldmedia.com).

    New ReDistricted comic online - Billy the Hippo



    Billy the hippo

    Story and art by Cuddles & Rage

     https://www.redistrictedcomics.com/billythehippo

    U.S. presidents have had their share of pets, mostly dogs. But there have been a few odd ones, too. Benjamin Harrison had a pair of opossums, while Thomas Jefferson had two grizzly bear cubs gifted to him (he soon gave them to a museum in Philadelphia). And two presidents — John Qunicy Adams and Herbert Hoover — had alligators in the White House. But perhaps no other pet was as unusual and had such a history after his White House days like Billy.

    Tuesday, April 18, 2017

    Sneak peek: 'STEAM Within the Panels' at AAAS

    by Matt Dembicki

    In conjunction with this coming weekend's March for Science rally/events in D.C., the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on Friday will open an art exhibit of science-related comics titled "STEAM Within the Panels: Science Storytelling Through Comics Books, Comic Strips and Graphic Books."

    The exhibit will be in the art gallery at AAAS and is open to the public. (Make sure to take the 12st Street entrance to the building.)

    There will be a few events over the next few weeks related the exhibit, though AAAS hasn't yet released a schedule. Stay tuned.

    I was lucky enough to have several pages from Xoc: The Journey of a Great White (Oni Press) included in the exhibit, as well as pages from Wild Ocean's "The Galapagos" (Fulcrum Publishing) right next to Hay Hosler's "Tortuga, the Island the Swims," also from Wild Ocean. The art prints for the exhibit were still begin posted when I visited today, so I wasn't able to look at all the credits for local creators, but I see work by Baltimore's Kata Kane. The exhibit also includes what I guess could be called a challenge: taking older versions of comics characters (from the Golden, Silver and Bronze ages of comics) and "re-inventing" them with a modern science twist.

    Maria Sosa, a senior project director at AAAS, championed for the exhibit

    Pages from Xoc: The Journey of a Great White 




    Jay Hosler's pages from Wild Ocean's "Tortuga: The Island That Swims" 

    From Wild Ocean's "The Galapagos"







    Work by Kata Kane


    \


    Local cartoonists Medina and Cavna win Headliner Awards



    2017 Headliner Award winners announced!
    https://www.headlinerawards.org/

    Founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, the National Headliner Awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.

    The first National Headliner Awards were presented in 1935.  Since then, more than 2,000 Headliner medallions have been presented to outstanding writers, photographers, daily newspapers, magazines, graphic artists, radio and television stations and networks, and news syndicates.


    Newspapers/magazines illustration or informational graphics by an individual or team

    First Place
    "A decade in immigration purgatory"
    Juana Medina
    Fusion


    Lifestyle Blog

    Second Place
    Michael Cavna
    Washington Post, Washington, D.C.

    For the record, here are the political cartoonists:

    Editorial cartoons

    First Place
    Matt Davies
    Newsday, Melville, New, York

    Second Place
    Michael P. Ramirez
    Creators Syndicate

    Third Place
    Clay Bennett
    Chattanooga Times Free Press, Chattanooga, Tenn.

    'Classic Archie' returns to soda stands... no, it's comic books

    Fan-favorite artist Dan Parent is bringing back Archie's classic look — with a twist


    Artist Dan Parent is returning to a new monthly Archie Comics series "Your Pal Archie" debuting in July. (Archie Comics)

    Monday, April 17, 2017

    April 22: Creator Con in Silver Spring, Md.

    2017 Creator Con is this Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. in Silver Spring, Md. Admission is free. 

    According to the organizers, Creator Con "is a grass-roots interactive media festival that provides a down-to-earth, positive celebration for communities to learn, create, collaborate and become inspired to pursue their passions towards careers in the arts, computer science, gaming, interactive media and technology industries."

    The 3rd Annual Creator Con will include art & gaming competitions, special guest presentations, designer challenges, workshops, panels, kidzone, live music, food trucks, vendors, and interactive hands-on demos.

    In addition to panels & demonstrations, Creator Con will showcase more than 150 artists & developers from the comic book and gaming industries in a comic-con setting to allow attendees direct access to walk-up and meet all of the amazing artists, creators and developers.


    Flugennock's Latest'n'Greatest: "Won't Somebody Think Of The Children?"

    From DC's anarchist cartoonist Mike Flugennock:

    "Oh, Won't Somebody Think Of The Children?"
    http://sinkers.org/stage/?p=2236

    When Uncle Sam starts waving the bloody dead children around, you know they're scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to lame excuses for war. It's a wheeze that goes back to World War I and earlier. It's as if they aren't even trying anymore.

    Here's House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- a classic craven, crawling Democrat if ever there was one -- with just the kind of lame, basic horseshit that really sticks in my craw:

    https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi/status/850478908675956736
    https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi/status/850521682892685317


    Is there any chance La Nan gave any thought to the children of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Gaza, and everywhere else the US has slaughtered children -- either directly or by proxy -- in the past twenty or thirty years? Any chance she thought of the thousands of black youth murdered by police in the US in the past twenty, twenty-five years? Nahh, not a chance in hell, are you kidding?

    Then came this huge blooper, about a week after Nancy's uninspired pro-war queefage:

    http://sinkers.org/posters/thinkofthechildren/wapoApr1417pgA1_crop600w.jpg

    So, they were "mistakenly identified" as ISIS, then? So, if the Post says they were "Allied Forces", then it's probably better than even money that a few of them were kids. D'ohhh.

    And let's also not forget -- Nancypants is no stranger to kissing up to warmongers. Check her out here: first on NBC "Today" in 2002 describing how the Democrats stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Bush as he lied us into war in Iraq; then on "Meet The Press" in 2006, talking about how the Democrats are "not about impeachment...".

    Oh, how I laughed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSWa4km5hv0


    Sunday, April 16, 2017

    April 22: Curls Studio at McKay Books in Manassas


    Please join Curls Studio at McKay Books this coming Saturday, April 22 from 11AM to 5PM. Swing by to say hello and pick up gifts for your loved ones. I will draw a sketch in every book purchased and would enjoy meeting you in-person. Sean Causley, creator of Panda Force, will also be there!

    If you are planning to go to this small comic con, you can also bring in your used records, movies, books, etc. Look at their website for details about what they can except for store credit or cash/check.

    McKay is located at 8345 Sudley Road, Manassas, VA 20109 in the Manaport Shopping Center across from the Manassas Mall.

    Sean Causey of Panda Force will also be there.

    Letters to the Post on comic strips

    Fact-checking those funny pages


    (Mort, Brian & Greg Walker/King Features Syndicate)

    Tom Munger, Vienna and

    Jack Aubert, Falls Church

    Washington Post April 15 ,2017, p. A11



    Saturday, April 15, 2017

    Metro Weekly talks to Bechdel

    Print copies are available locally at Metro stops in purple bins. Alison is on the cover.

    Drawing on Life: An interview with "Fun Home's" Alison Bechdel

    Cartoonist Alison Bechdel couldn't have sketched out a more successful career if she'd tried

    Friday, April 14, 2017

    Kickstarter for Retrofit/Big Planet Comics spring 2017 line

    Retrofit/Big Planet Comics has launched a new $18,700 Kickstarter campaign to fund their spring 2017 line, which includes six new graphic novels/comics, including Virginia resident Warren Craghead III's TRUMPTRUMP Vol. 1: Nomination to Inauguration.