Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Cartoonists on greeting cards

My grandmother died a few weeks ago at 96, and we've been going through her stuff. Nobody wanted all the greeting cards she saved since the 1940s, so I've been going through them. Here's a few that might interest this audience.

Miss Peach 1966 birthday cart
Miss Peach 1966 birthday card by Mell Lazarus.

Coker 1979 Hallmark birthday card 60KB-907-7
1979 Hallmark birthday card by the great MAD cartoonist Paul Coker.

and the interior message:

Coker 1979 Hallmark birthday card 60KB-907-7 interior

Mad artist 197x Hallmark birthday card 25V-98-7
This 1970-something Hallmark Valentine's Day card is by another MAD artists whose name is escaping me. Help?

And the interior message:

Mad artist 197x Hallmark birthday card 25V-98-7 interior

Finally here's a 1966 Christmas card from the Art Guild of Williamsburg with surprising good girl art and it's interior -

Christmas card - 1966 Art Guild of Williamsburg 5X-325 Good girl art

Christmas card - 1966 Art Guild of Williamsburg 5X-325 Good girl art interior

PR: TODD MCFARLANE TO ATTEND BALTIMORE COMIC-CON 2010



TODD MCFARLANE TO ATTEND BALTIMORE COMIC-CON 2010
McFarlane to appear Saturday, August 28, 2010, at the 11th annual Baltimore Comic-Con
 
Berkeley, CA - 10 May 2010 - Image Comics Founder and Partner Todd McFarlane is set to appear at Baltimore Comic-Con 2010 on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The creator of the groundbreaking comic book SPAWN will take part in signings and other events during the show.
 
"I'm thrilled to be able to participate in this year's Baltimore Comic Con," says McFarlane. "It's good to know events still exist where comics are the main focus, instead of being swallowed up by competing entertainment such as movies and video games. I appreciate all the support Baltimore Comic Con has provided Image with in the past, and am looking forward to attending and meeting with fans."
 
Marc Nathan, organizer of the Baltimore Comic-Con, adds, "The Baltimore Comic-Con could not be more thrilled about hosting Todd McFarlane at this year's convention. Image Comics continues to be at the top of all our publishing partners. We all know how popular Todd is and look forward to a great time!"

From budding baseball player to comic book artist extraordinaire to family man, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has a wealth of experience in the world of entertainment. McFarlane's road trip to creative autonomy began when he accepted an assignment penciling for Marvel/Epic Comics in March 1984. From there, he worked his way to the top of the talent roster before leaving Marvel to help found Image Comics with six other artists. It was then that Todd introduced his own character, Spawn. In 1994, Todd founded McFarlane Toys. Over the years, the company has become one of the largest, most renowned toy manufacturers in the world.
 
Don't miss SPAWN creator Todd McFarlane at this year's 11th annual Baltimore Comic-Con. He will appear one day only, on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
 
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
 
###
 
In coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We will highlight our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at our website (http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/baltimorecomics), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/baltimorecomiccon), MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/baltimorecomics), and ComicSpace (http://www.comicspace.com/baltimorecomicon) pages.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 28-29, 2010. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, August 28th.
 
Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
 
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for communications regarding the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries
 
About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 11th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area.  With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 28-29, 2010.  For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards.  With a history of over 20 years, the last 5 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories.  They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.  For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.

 
  

New cartoonist in Post?

Today's Federal Page by Al Kamen has a lovely political illustration by Chris Morris of the White House Press Corps yelling over the landing of an Osprey VTOL. I don't recall seeing Morris' name before - anyone?

This Week: Comic Books’ Brad Meltzer on His Real Heroes

This Week: Comic Books' Brad Meltzer on His Real Heroes

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Ruffin on DC Comics Con

I'm still catching up from business travel -

Welcome to 2010, Washington D.C. Comic Convention
DC Comic Books Examiner Mark Ruffin
May 3, 2010

Express review of Pride and Prejuidice and Zombies

And Panels: 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel'
Written by Express contributor Stephen M. Deusner
Express May 3, 2010

Luna Brothers interview at Newsarama

THE SWORD Slashes Expectations As FINAL ISSUE Hits
By Vaneta Rogers
Newsarama 10 May 2010

Comic Riffs on Frazetta's influence

A warrior's farewell: RIP, Frank Frazetta, master of fantasy illustration
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog May 11, 2010

-and I must say I wasn't (and still am not) immune to the allure of Frazetta's art. I bought all those Bantam collections in the '70s and still pick up used books just because he did the covers.

Who will be our lucky 200,000 reader?

One of the maps in the this site links to says that, as of last night, our readership "Total since 3 Apr 2008: 199,809."

So some time today, someone becomes the 200,000 reader, at least by one count. I have no way of knowing who that is, but thank you, wherever you are.

Daria dvd collection reviewed in today's Express

Smells Like Teen Spirit: 'Daria: The Complete Animated Series' on DVD.
Written by Express contributor Afton Lorraine Woodward
[Washington Post] Express (May 11): 28.
online at http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2010/05/daria-complete-series-dvd.php

Recent Dan Clowes interviews and articles, as requested

Braganza, Chantal. 2010.
Don’t confuse Daniel Clowes with an opinionated, middle-aged loner
Ghost World author is back with Wilson, his first full-length comic in five years. But he’s not the protagonist.
Toronto Star (May 6): http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/805305--don-t-confuse-daniel-clowes-with-an-opinionated-middle-aged-loner


Khosla, Abhay et al.  2010.

Savage Symposium: Wilson By Dan Clowes.

Savage Critics blog (May 10): http://www.savagecritic.com/roundtable/savage-symposium-wilson-by-dan-clowes/

 

Levack, Chandler.  2010.

Comic timing: After six years, Daniel Clowes is returning to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival with Wilson, his first original graphic novel with Drawn & Quarterly. The only problem? He's more afraid of success than ever.

Eye Weekly (May 5): http://www.eyeweekly.com/arts/article/91751--comic-timing

 

 Del Signore, John.  2010.

Daniel Clowes, Cartoonist.

Gothamist (May 5): http://gothamist.com/2010/05/05/daniel_clowes_illustrator.php

 

Rudick, Nicole.  2010.

Daniel Clowes [Cartoonist].

Believer (May).

Partially online at http://www.believermag.com/issues/201005/?read=interview_clowes

 

Miliard, Mike.  2010.

Interview: Daniel Clowes: On going from Enid to Wilson.

Boston Phoenix (April 27): http://thephoenix.com/boston/arts/101313-interview-daniel-clowes/

 

Brooks, Allen.  2010.

DCist Interview: Daniel Clowes.

DCist (April 30): http://dcist.com/2010/04/dcist_interview_daniel_clowes.php

 

Kois, Dan.  2010.

Panel Discussion Daniel Clowes covers cartoon history in one graphic novel.

NYmag.com (May 2): http://nymag.com/arts/books/features/65724/

 

Deusner, Stephen M.  2010.

Stick Figure: Daniel Clowes, 'Wilson'.

Express (May 3): http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2010/05/daniel-clowes-wilson-politics-prose.php

 

Chute, Hillary.  2010.

Off-page with... Dan Clowes: With Wilson, the graphic novelist has more fun being bleak.

Time Out New York (761; April 29–May 5).

Online at http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/books/85200/off-page-with-daniel-clowes

 

Howard, Dave.  2010.

Dan Clowes' new Graphic Novel, Wilson,

Torontoist (April 14): http://books.torontoist.com/2010/04/dan-clowes-new-graphic-novel-wilson/

 

Mercier, Jean-Pierre.  2009.

“ Je crois que je me suis toujours senti à part”: entretien avec Dan Clowes.
Ninth Art:
http://neuviemeart.citebd.org/spip.php?article34

Rhode, Mike.  2010.

International Ink: Clowes, Kids, Crackers and Hellboy [reviews].

Washington City Paper Arts Desk blog (April 29): http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/04/29/international-ink-clowes-kids-crackers-and-hellboy/

 

Rhode, Mike.  2010.

“Likable Characters Are for Weak-Minded Narcissists”: A Chat with Daniel Clowes.

Washington City Paper Arts Desk blog (May 3): http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/05/03/likeable-characters-are-for-weak-minded-narcissists-a-chat-with-daniel-clowes/#more-23182

 

 

May 15: 'Trickster' launch signing

Matt Dembicki writes in-

 
A bunch of contributing artists to Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection will be at Big Planet Comics in Vienna, Va., this Sat., May 15, for a signing from 2-4 p.m. In attendance: Matt Dembicki, Andrew Cohen, Evan Keeling, Chris Piers, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Mike Short, Jerry Carr, Rand Arrington and Scott White. We'll also be doing sketches and giving away artist trading cards featuring Trickster critters! I'll also give a very brief talk about the project. Come by and join the fun!
 
I'll be stopping in if anyone wants to say hello.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Back when Frank Frazetta came to DC cons

Frank Frazetta, the great comic book, strip and fantasy artist, has died. I'm sure obituaries will appear tomorrow, but Gary Groth has a Frank Frazetta Interview 1994 interview online, prefaced by a note about how Frazetta came to a 1971 comics con in Washington that Groth had organized.

Caro on W the Whore

Caroline Small on W the Whore Makes Her Tracks - "Caro talks about the role of gender in Anke Feuchtenberger’s graphic novel."

Our Man Thompson's new website

Richard Thompson unveils his new website, a fine job courtesy of Chris Sparks...

...although he's getting away from being OUR Man Thompson, sob.

...although apparently I'm driving him to HeroesCon on June 4th - not that we've talked about it lately.

Religious opinion on South Park and Mohammad cartoons in Saturday Post

In the Saturday Washington Post Metro section, "Limits to Religious Liberty?" would be of interest, especially the commentary regarding cartoons of Mohammad and South Park, but I can't find it online. The link to the print edition of the paper sends you to the Saturday On Faith blog.

At the blog I was able to find a few relevant articles, although not most of the ones quoted in the physical paper.

Sally Quinn. 2010.
Divine Impulses: Tariq Ramadan says Comedy Central is 'scared' of the Muslim reaction to South Park, Washington Post Divine Impulses blog (May)

Without freedom of expression, there is no democracy
Ex-Hindu monk, professor
Ramdas Lamb
On Faith blog May 6, 2010

Imposed or self-imposed censorship?
Professor, University of Mississippi School of Law
Ronald Rychlak
Washington Post On Faith blog May 7, 2010;

Post launches cartoon contest - updated

America's Next Great Cartoonist Contest. Enter now. Chance to win a one-month stint in the Washington Post Style section. Work for the man for free. No purchase necessary.

Our Man Thompson, who got paid for his Post Style cartoon appearances, is one of the judges, as is Garry "Greatest cartoonist of the 4th quarter of the 20th century" Trudeau, the Post's Gene Weingarten the latest person to break onto their comics page, and Tom "that darn" Toles as well as Stephan Pastis and Jerry Scott. Cavna's blog post on it is here and be sure to read the comments about legal concerns being raised.

I'm feeling slightly less cranky as I update this, so I will say it's a good opportunity for someone to break out of the syndication pack.

Iron Man 2 videogame reviewed in Examiner

Not online, but the reviewer generally liked it except for flying motion sickness.
 
Pass the Dramamine
by Ryan Vogt
Washington Examiner May 10, 2010

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Jeffrey Thompson

Online at the City Paper, a Portait of the Artist as Comic Store Clerk -
 
Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Jeffrey Thompson
Posted by Mike Rhode on May. 10, 2010

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-12-10


 
COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-12-10
By John Judy
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631 by Zeb Wells, Chris Bachalo and Emma Rios.  The Lizard has the munchies and guess who's on the menu…
 
ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS #1 of 5 by Warren Ellis and Kaare Andrews.  That nice Mister Ellis is writing the X-Men so who better to draw them than a guy who makes all the X-Women look like drugged out, anorexic hookers with bad saline implants?  Nuff said!
 
BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1 of 6 by Grant Morrison and Chris Sprouse.  The original caped crusader is duking his way back from the dawn of time!  Major epic-ness!
 
BIRDS OF PREY #1 by Gail Simone and Ed Benes.  Re-launching out of "Brightest Day" this one's got Oracle, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk and the Huntress, plus Hawk and Dove thrown in for good measure.  Spandex never looked this good!
 
CAVEMEN IN SPACE SC written and drawn by Joey Weiser.  A pre-historic tribe has been hurled into the future against their will.  But enough about us…
 
DARK AVENGERS #16 by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato.  Final issue!  Does the Sentry-Void leave anyone alive?  Gotta look!
 
DAYTRIPPER #6 of 10 by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon.  The latest chapter in the lives and deaths of Bras.  Highly recommended.
 
EX MACHINA VOL.9: RING OUT THE OLD SC by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris and JP Leon.  Collecting issues #40-41 and SPECIAL #4 this one sets up the series finale featuring a Bad so Big even the Great Machine may finally break down.  Highly recommended.
 
FIRST WAVE #2 of 6 by Brian Azzarello and Rags Morales.  Crazy pulp action with the Spirit, Doc Savage, the Blackhawks and some crazy guy dressed like a bat!
 
FLASH #2 by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul.  A lot has changed since Barry Allen died and came back, but he's catching up fast.  Recommended.
 
HELLBOY IN MEXICO (OR A DRUNKEN BLUR) ONE-SHOT by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben.  Exactly what the title says.  In this one Big Red is killing vampires down south of the border.  Recommended.
 
HULK #22 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.  The "Fall of the Hulks" appears to be over and now "World War Hulks" (in which we are all Hulks) has begun.  So wasn't somebody back there supposed to fall?
 
INCREDIBLE HULK #609 by Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier.  Rumor has it that one of the two Red Hulks will have his/her true identity revealed this issue.  Of course rumor also has it that the President is a secret Nazi Muslim…
 
JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #1 by Keith Giffen, Judd Winick and Aaron Lopresti.  Remember the funny JLA?  The one with Booster and Beetle and Fire and Ice and Captain Atom?  Well, something's trying to kill them now and it ain't just lousy sales…
 
KRAZY AND IGNATZ 1916-1918 SC by George Herriman.  Featuring 176 pages of "the best comic strip ever created."  Recommended.
 
MARVELS PROJECT #8 of 8 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting.  Yet another final issue in which we see the cornerstone of the Marvel Universe knocked into place.  Tons of variant covers so it must be really great.  Recommended.
 
NEW AVENGERS FINALE #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Bryan Hitch.  An A-list creative team makes this book a must-read even as the title begs the question: "Wait, how can a Finale also be a first issue?"
 
PUNISHERMAX #7 by Jason Aaron and Steve Dillon.  If you've ever wanted to read a MarvelMax Bullseye story written by someone who had any business writing it, your wait is over.  Recommended.
 
REPUGLICANS SC by Steve Tatham and Pete Von Sholly.  Picture 128 pages of Wacky Packages only instead of consumer products being savaged you get a serving of the icons of the American political far-right:  Sarah Palin as a vampire, Glenn Beck as a zombie and other caricatures that are far too kind.  Highly recommended.
 
SIEGE #4 of 4 by Brian Michael Bendis and Joe Quesada.  Big fight.  No, seriously.  Big.  Gotta look.
 
SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #2 of 4 by Sterling Gates, James Robinson and Eduardo Pansica.  The easiest way to explain the whole Earth vs. the Kryptonians story is this: Everyone involved except Superman is a major jerk.  Enjoy.
 
UNDERGROUND SC by Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber.  A collection of all five issues of this fascinating and educational thriller set in a really deep cave.  Recommended.
 
UNWRITTEN #13 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross.  Tommy Taylor is back in London, getting closer than ever to finding his missing dad/author.  Recommended.
 
WOLVERINE #900 by Everybody Who Was Present at the Last Marvel Softball Game.  Five new stories, plus classic reprints.  Two snikts up!
 


Sunday, May 09, 2010

Dan Clowes at Politics and Prose highlights

101_0115

As requested by at least one reader, here's some notes from Clowes' appearance at Politics and Prose. Unfortunately the store's cd recorder failed so they're not offering the recording for sale - and this was one of the best cartoonist events I've seen.

Dan Kois of the Washington Post was the interviewer. The slide set was provided by Clowes and covered his career, which began with Wally Wood being his favorite cartoonist, discovering his story "Welcome to My World," and realizing that cartoonists were in fact real people. Although he wanted to work for MAD, his first published work was for Cracked. Fantagraphics and he agreed to do a comic book based on his character Lloyd Lewellyn - when he got bored with that, he began Eightball which let him run many of his graphic novels as serials. Eightball and Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron both came from lines in the odd movie Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! when the criminal women are at the gas station.

Clowes feels like the strangest job he ever got was for Coca-Cola's "OK" Beverage where the advertising company gave him carte blanche to design the can and he ended up having to see this drawing he did of a man based on Charles Manson on billboards.

Wilson, his new book, arose when he was waiting at his father's deathbed and began writing comic strips to keep his mind occupied. He and Kois concurred that reading the whole book at once was a bit much and laughingly settled on a suggested 1 strip per hour. The book is intended to look like a 1950s cartoon book such as VIP's Big George, where a viewer can clearly tell that this is both a comic collection book and Big George is a jerk.

During the questions, he recommended Tim Hensley's Wally Gropius several times. He said he was bored with 1990s animation until Persepolis came out and thought the best film in ten years was Fears of the Dark especially Richard Maguire's segment which he called on par with Hitchcock.

He's done with Eightball probably because comic books don't really make sense anymore when you have to sell them for $7-8. He's working on a screenplay - "I'm working on something I can't talk about."

He doesn't use computers except to color - "Every line in every book is drawn by hand." Coloring is done in an architect's program, Vector, which is a pain, but gives perfect precision every time.

Is Wilson's monologue internal? "I'm not sure." The good thing about comics is that it doesn't matter. In a film, he'd look insane talking to himself, but comics lets you play around with what's actually happening.

Eightball 23, The Death Ray, will be reprinted as a book at some point - he's just had too much to do and the comic needed to sell out first, but now he's got too much new product coming out. The New York Times strip Mr. Wonderful in an expanded version will be out from Pantheon next February.

Francois Mouley approached him about doing New Yorker covers. He had been doing spot illos for the magazine, but that's a different department. He'd been asked years ago to do them, but hadn't figured out how to approach them. Noting that they're supposed to be wry proto-cartoons, he reflected, "If you actually make someone laugh, you've failed." Now he's got it down and can immediately think how to design one.

Did he enjoy collaborating on movies? "I did enjoy it. You can get very stuck in your own head drawing comics every day... I wouldn't want to do that [ie moviemaking] full time at all."

Were the NY Times strips edited? "They were very good except for certain words. I needed the guy to go to "Jesus" for his word" - after a letter, the NYT told him he couldn't use it anymore. "They wouldn't let me use the word 'schmuck.' He quoted their own columnist William Safire on the widespread acceptance of the word now, but they still wouldn't let him use it. (Incidentally, it appeared in the Arts section just this past week).

That's all the notes I took - I'm really sorry the recording failed. Clowes has been doing tons of interviews besides in DC, and I'm compiling them for my next bibliography - if there's any interest I can post links here.

Frank Cho interview

FRANK CHO: New Ultimates, Liberty Meadows & Zombie King
Newsarama May 6 2010

Artist Frank Cho talks with Newsarama about New Ultimates, Liberty Meadows and Zombie King at C2E2 2010 in Chicago.

Bill Laroque interview

David-Wasting-Paper's done a lot of cartoonist interviews - he's got one on a local cartoonist whom I've run into at local events, but don't really know - "Bill LaRocque - Cartoonist Survey #117," May 1, 2010. LaRoque's website is Blue Ridge Cartoons and his blog is Just Kidding.

Zadzooks on Iron Man comics

Zadzooks: Reviews of Iron Man vs. Whiplash and Viking comics
Viking violence with Finn and Egil
By Joseph Szadkowski

Saturday, May 08, 2010

That darn Toles, now on MTV's Real World

Tom Toles appears on Real World XXIII: Washington DC, episode 12 which is online now. He's in the first segment, being nice to the would-be college political cartoonist.

Glen Weldon on zombies

Mike Allred's doing the art on this which makes it more interesting...

I, Zombie: A Jug of Wine, A Lobe of Brain, and Thou
by Glen Weldon
May 5, 2010

Brad Meltzer in town this week

The comic book writer is signing his new book, Heroes for My Son. I'll be going to the Bailey's Crossroad's one.

Bethesda, MD
Wednesday, May 12 — 7:00 pm
Barnes & Noble
4801 Bethesda Avenue

Fairfax, VA
Thursday, May 13 — 7:30 pm
Borders – Bailey’s Crossing
5871 Crossroads Center Way

Prickly City is too prickly says letter

Another letter to the editor - Prickly City' is too political for the comics pages, Jonathan Bosch, Washington Post Saturday, May 8, 2010.

Friday, May 07, 2010

Senator Franken uses Toles' cartoon as visual aid

Franken uses a cartoon to explain complex financial dynamic. by Christina Wilkie, The Hill's The Washington Scene blog May 7, 2010.

And she gave this Youtube link to a film of his presentation as well.

Comics Riffs announces new cartoon project on Monday

Michael Cavna's got a tease for the Post project on his blog now.

Support the National Zoo by commissioning a comic book


Ryan Estrada will draw a custom comic book about your pet if you win this bid to raise money for the National Zoo. Bidding starts at $500, there are no bids yet, and the projected value is $1500. Think of how good you'll feel when you present your parakeet with the story of its life in comic form and bid early and often.

Actually, I was tempted but wiser heads (ie the wife) stepped in.

DCist reviews Iron Man 2

I didn't know DCist ran movie reviews, but here's Ian Buckwalter on Iron Man 2.

Cavna on Comedy Central Jesus cartoon

Comedy Central considers giving Jesus his own show [online title: Comedy Central considering cartoon series about Jesus], By Michael Cavna, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 7, 2010; C05.

Post on Iron Man 2

The Post, in its continuing efforts to confuse its readers, has run 2 reviews of Iron Man 2, by the same reviewer, but with different content:


'Man' of the hour [online title: Ann Hornaday on 'Iron Man 2' and 'Casino Jack and the United States of Money'], By Ann Hornaday, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 7, 2010; C01 should be the premier article, but a review of a totally unrelated type of movie is interwoven.

Movie review: 'Iron Man 2' loses its magnetism, By Ann Hornaday, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, May 7, 2010; WE37 should be the minor article, but is the one that actually makes more sense.

May 22: Windup Comic Fest in Baltimore

Windup Comic Fest, Spring 2010
Saturday, May 22
2pm - 7pm

The Windup Space
12 West North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201-5904

More details here.

Richmond's Adhouse Books in Toronto

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2010: Chris Pitzer, by Mark Medley, May 06, 2010.

Examiner on Iron Man 2

'Iron Man 2' doesn't quite live up to its first installment

Sally Kline

Washington Examiner May 7, 2010

 

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Weldon on Wilson

The Life And Trials Of A Full-Tilt Cartoon Misanthrope
by Glen Weldon
National Public Radio's Books We Like (April 30 2010)

DC Comic-Con Wrap-Up

So between Free Comic Book Day on Saturday (and a good handful of creator appearances locally to boot), the inaugural DC Comic-Con on Sunday, and Daniel Clowes appearing at Politics and Prose on Monday, it was a busy couple of days for those of us in town to experience the comic book love. I decided to give it a couple of days before I posted anything about the show to let both life settle down and to give my mind a chance to settle in on what I thought about the DC Comic-Con as an attendee. For those of you who don't know (and this is Randy posting, not Mike!), I am part of the Baltimore Comic-Con Executive Staff, and work with Marc Nathan throughout the year to maintain website content, write up PR, coordinate press passes, and a passel of other miscellaneous items that arise and time permits.

That said, I found out about the show when I read on Convention Scene that they had sold out vendor space -- Marc hadn't bothered to mention that they were throwing a little Comic-Con in my back yard! I did ultimately help write the 2 quick PRs that went out, but that was the extent of my involvement in the show. I paid my $5 like everyone else (who wasn't a veteran or GMU student/faculty member).

So all that said, I think that everyone's experience probably came down to expectations, as it does with most things in life. Understanding that it was on GMU's campus, the small number of professional guests, and that it was the first show, I was expecting something very much akin to what the first Baltimore Comic-Con was 11 years ago, and I was not disappointed. The room was on the smallish side, the aisles could be a little cramped, and there were a good handful of dealers, but among them were largely the usual cast of characters for local shows (with one or two exceptions). Dealers had everything from golden age to modern age, statues and toys to original artwork, but you had to look around to find it -- just like at any other show.

The guests were distributed throughout the show -- the headliners, Herb Trimpe, Frank Cho, and JG Jones, had individual table space at the very front of the room on a raised stage and attendees waited in line to go up and talk to them, get signatures, or get sketches. The Hero Initiative guests were on the floor but right in front of the stage, and Jo Chen and John K. Snyder III looked to be busy all show long (Jo had a line before she finished setting up and was selling merch left and right!). Steve Conley was next to Jo, also facing the stage, and the Luna and Fillbach brother teams were set up right inside the doorway to the room at the Laughing Ogre Comics table. Both sets of brothers ended up busily sketching and signing the rest of the day, and Laughing Ogre sold all of the inventory they brought to the show within minutes, thanks to a bulk purchase, so I think the show ended up working out pretty well for them!

Parking was free. Let me say that again: parking was free. I think most shows in metropolitan areas with guests and dealers like were at this one usually have only pay-parking, and depending on what else is going on in proximity to the event, that fee can be hefty. I know that when the O's or Ravens are in town for a game during the Baltimore Comic-Con weekend, I'll be shelling out more than I'd prefer for the privilege. All that said, it was a pretty long walk from the parking lot with no significant signage on a 90-something degree day to get from where I left the car to where the show was. I followed the slow stream of what I assumed to be other attendees, and eventually figured out where I needed to be, as I assume most other people did as well.

People were enjoying themselves. They were happy to see the guests, they were happy to see the dealers, and they were happy to see other attendees too -- a handful in costumes, likely for the costume contest announced just before the weekend.

All in all, I felt the event was a success, and I believe the attendees and dealers did too, as did the organizers. I think there are some lessons learned from the experience, and I'm hoping Marc and Brett will apply them to what I'm sure will be a recurring and evolving comic event in the DC area.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

May 7: Beyond Comics Iron Man Tickets special


B E Y O N D      C O M I C S
Iron Man 2 Tickets $9.00
Only From Beyond Comics
(While They Last)
Regular Price $11.00

Show Times
Germantown 10:30pm
Theater #7
Frederick 10:00pm
Theater #9

These showings only:
Win Free Stuff: posters, comics, gift cards and more.



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Another USO cartoonist tour passed through Walter Reed

...and I missed it. Alan Gardner caught the story.

Comics artists sought in Kensington

Nevin Martell kicks over this Craigslist ad - Looking for an artist for comic (Kensington, MD) - I know nothing else about it.

June 1: Swann Fellow lecture on Early Turkish Cartoons


Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington DC   20540

May 5, 2010
Public contact:  Martha Kennedy (202) 707-9115, mkenn@loc.gov

Cartoons of Early Turkish Republic
To Be Topic of Swann Fellow's Lecture on June 1

Swann Foundation Fellow Yasemin Gencer will explore the visual and textual rhetoric of cartoons from the early years of the Turkish Republic in a lecture June 1 at the Library of Congress.

Gencer will present "Cartooning Progress: Secularism and Nationalism in the Early Turkish Republic (1922-28)" at noon on Tuesday, June 1, in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.  The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

In her illustrated talk, Gencer will discuss how cartoons had the power to create, shape and project a new Turkish national identity based on European models.  She will look at cartoons that highlight reforms initiated during the early years of the Turkish Republic.  In one cartoon, for example, an automobile made of Latin letters speeds past a camel composed of Arabic letters, demonstrating how the cartoonist combines text with visual metaphor to underscore the benefits of changing the official alphabet.  Such cartoons from 1922-28 illustrate many reforms aimed at secularizing the nation.

The Turkish Republic of today was established in 1922, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of World War I.  Under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), known as Kemal Atatürk, the new republic put forth a reform program intended to distance the state socially and politically from its Ottoman and Islamic past, while simultaneously drawing itself closer to the secular and more technologically developed nations in the West.

As the first president of the Turkish Republic, Kemal is credited with modernizing his nation's legal and educational systems and encouraging the adoption of aspects of European daily life.  The transition from Turkish written in Arabic to Turkish written in the Latin alphabet can be seen as part of the modernization that unfolded during this period.

In her lecture, Gencer will draw on the materials that she has studied in the collections of the African and Middle Eastern Division and the Prints and Photographs Division.

Gencer completed a master's degree in 2008, with a focus on Turkish studies, in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University.  Currently a doctoral student in the Department of the History of Art at Indiana University, she is studying Islamic arts with a specialization in Ottoman and Turkish Republican print culture.  Her dissertation focuses on cartoon arts and satirical journals of the early Turkish Republican period.

The lecture, sponsored by the Swann Foundation, the Prints and Photographs Division and the African and Middle Eastern Division, is part of the foundation's continuing activities to support the study, interpretation, preservation and appreciation of original works of humorous and satiric art by graphic artists from around the world.

The Swann Foundation's advisory board is comprised of scholars, collectors, cartoonists and Library of Congress staff members.  The foundation strives to award fellowships annually to assist scholarly research and writing projects in the field of caricature and cartoon.  Applications for the 2011-2012 academic year are due Feb. 15, 2011.  More information about the fellowship is available through the Swann Foundation's website www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swannhome or by e-mailing swann@loc.gov.

# # #

PR10-103
5/5/10
ISSN: 0731-3527

 



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Truitt on Jonah Hex motion comic

Jonah Hex kicks up some multimedia dust 
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Shawn Martinbrough profiled

He used to be in the area as I'd run into him at Jim Kirkwood's store on Columbia Pike in Arlington.

Drawing Noir with Shawn Martinbrough
by Alex Dueben
Mon, May 3rd, 2010

Washington Blade returns while Times fades

The Washington Blade, the gay paper, returned to the stands last week after a several months absence. The paper's name and assets were bought by its former staffers who had been publishing as the DC Agenda. None of the political cartoons or comic strips the Blade had previously published have returned as of the first issue.

Meanwhile, the Washington Times has confirmed that it is for sale. The Times dropped all of its comics months ago.

Dan Clowes at Politics and Prose pictures

101_0113

I forgot my notes for this at work today - perhaps tomorrow I can put up some of the highlights. In the meantime, here are my pictures. I'd especially like to note that Daniel stayed from 7 - 10:40 pm - he made sure everyone on line got a sketch in a book.

And apparently everyone in DC interviewed him too - I like my interview best of course, but here's another -

DCist Interview: Daniel Clowes
Written by DCist Contributor Allen Brooks
April 30 2010

and another by the Post freelancer who did an excellent job interviewing him at P&P -

Panel Discussion: Daniel Clowes covers cartoon history in one graphic novel, By Dan Kois, published May 2, 2010.

There was a somewhat atypical crowd this time - I saw Martha Kennedy of the Library of Congress' cartoon collection, Larry Rodman the former Comics Journal reporter, Michael Wenthe an American University professor, Hank Stuever the Washington Post's Style reporter, Randy Tischler this blog's co-writer and publicity man for the Baltimore Comic-Con, book collector and Herblock specialist Warren Bernard and a cartoonist for the Times of India whom I didn't get to meet.

Baltimore's Jose Villarubia featured on Canadian site

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2010: Jose Villarrubia, Posted: May 02, 2010, 4:00 AM by Mark Medley.

Monday, May 03, 2010

May 4: Richard Kelly at American Art (repost)

I've seen his collection - it's great. It's not exactly cartoonists, but there are people who went both ways in it like AB Frost.

McEvoy Auditorium, Lower Level
American Art Museum

This annual series provides insight and invaluable advice on collecting art from museum directors, curators, collectors, and art dealers and consultants. Free and open to the public; no advance registration required. All lectures begin at 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Collecting for the Long Haul
Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.
Richard Kelly, The Kelly Collection of American Illustration

Express website also interviewed Clowes

Stick Figure: Daniel Clowes, 'Wilson', by Express contributor Stephen M. Deusner, May 3, 2010. Online only - I heard about it at the signing.

Clowes was a really interesting interview and a nice guy - if you're later on the book tour, go see this. If you missed him in DC, call Politics and Prose and order the recording of the talk.

Pictures coming soon.

Barbarian Comics profiled in today's Post

This is a job for Superman, and Batman, and the Hulk, and . . ., By Thomas Heath,Washington Post Monday, May 3, 2010; A11.

As Friend of ComicsDC Robert Montgomery noted when tipping me to this article, "The reporter breathlessly mentions that one of the owners has a "30 year old Batman." Probably worth $0.50-$1.00. Or less."

Indeed. Parents, don't let your kids grow up to be comic store owners.

Truitt on Iron Man

How Iron Man got his groove back and new armor By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY.

Clowes interview up at City Paper - he's at Politics and Prose tonight

“Likable Characters Are for Weak-Minded Narcissists”: A Chat with Daniel Clowes
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 is short email interview that he did with me - he's very funny. Go read it now, and then see him tonight at Politics and Prose at 7 pm.

Here's the PR from his publisher:

Dan Clowes On Tour! WILSON in stores!

All of our North American distributors have shipped the most anticipated book of the year to stores -- WILSON by Daniel Clowes, the cartoonist of David Boring, Ghost World and Ice Haven and the legendary Eightball comic book series. Today, WILSON is available everywhere in North America, at a finer store near you. In the next year, foreign language editions will also come out in the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands and Denmark.

Dan Clowes embarks on his tour next week in support of his first ever original graphic novel. In each city, Dan will be talking with a special guest moderator complete with slide show. (and it's a great slide show) And in Boston you get to see Ghost World after the event, with an introduction by Dan himself.

05/03/10 | 7 PM Washington DC POLITICS & PROSE With Dan Kois
05/04/10 | 6 PM Cambridge BRATTLE THEATER & HARVARD BOOKSTORE With Hillary Chute
05/05/10 | 7 PM NYC THE STRAND With David Hajdu
05/07/10 | 7 PM Toronto TCAF & TPL With Mark Medley
05/08/10-05/09/10 Toronto TCAF & TPL
05/13/10 | 7:30 PM San Francisco THE BOOKSMITH With Glen David Gold
05/14/10 | 7:30 PM Los Angeles SKYLIGHT BOOKS With Dana Gould
05/16/10 | 7:30 PM Portland POWELLS With Greg Netzer, Director of Wordstock
06/03/10 | 7 PM Oakland DIESEL With Eli Horowitz
06/12/10 | 7 PM Chicago QUIMBY'S (signing only)
06/13/10 | TBA Chicago PRINTERS ROW With Ray Pride

ABOUT WILSON: Meet Wilson, an opinionated middle-aged loner who loves his dog and quite possibly no one else. In an ongoing quest to find human connection, he badgers friend and stranger alike into a series of one-sided conversations, punctuating his own lofty discursions with a brutally honest, self-negating sense of humor. After his father dies, Wilson, now irrevocably alone, sets out to find his ex-wife with the hope of rekindling their long-dead relationship, and discovers he has a teenage daughter, born after the marriage ended and given up for adoption. Wilson eventually forces all three to reconnect as a family - a doomed mission that will surely, inevitably backfire.

Full Color, 80 pages, 8 1/4 by 11 1/2 inches ISBN: 9781770460072 $21.95 US / $22.95 CDN
For more information visit www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog

Ann Telnaes and other editorial cartoonists condemn threats against South Park


17 Pulitzer Prize Winners have signed this petition.

For what it's worth, I agree with them completely (not that anyone cares what a blogger thinks).

Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-05-10


COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due 05-05-10
(Or as they say in Arizona "Cinco de Mayo!)
by John Judy
 
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #630 by Zeb Wells and Chris Bachalo.  Spidey must fight a cold-blooded reptile and it ain't Dick Cheney!  The Lizard is back!  Yowza!
 
ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN/WOLVERINE #1 by Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert.  The best Wolverine writer ever gets his hands on the web-slinger too!  Brace yourself for the MARVEL TEAM-UP from hell!  Recommended!
 
ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #4 of 4 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson.  This is it!  The final chapter of THE DARK AGE!  Years in the making, two covers and eight extra pages of Astro City WOW!  Recommended!
 
BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 by Grant Morrison and Andy Clarke.  Wrapping up the big Batman-Robin fight and revealing a lot of stuff you'd never guess about characters you'd never heard of until Morrison made them up.  It's bat-stuff crazy!
 
THE BEATS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY SC by Harvey Pekar and Various Collaborators.  This is a softcover edition of Pekar's graphic exploration of a literary movement that shaped his generation.  A mixed bag well worth digging into.
 
BRIGHTEST DAY #1 by Geoff Johns and a Lot of People.  You'd think after coming back from the dead everything else would be a cake-walk.  And you'd be wrong, as a whole bunch of DC heroes are about to learn.
 
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #35 by Brad Meltzer and Georges Jeanty.  Somehow they're really going to wrap this all up in this issue.  With an X-Men tribute cover no less!  Must read!
 
CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #2 by Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan.  A World War Two adventure starring a rookie Cap versus a seasoned Panther.  Oh, and the Nazis are in there too.  Recommended.
 
DONG XOAI VIETNAM 1965 written and illustrated by Joe Kubert.  A devastating true story from the days of the Vietnam War, told as only the great Joe Kubert can.  Highly recommended.
 
ELECTRIC ANT #2 of 5 by David Mack and Pascal Alixe.  Based on an original story by the legendary Philip K. Dick, this is already one of the most promising sci-fi comics in a long time.  Great art and a familiar Dick theme of figuring out how much we really know about ourselves and what it means to be human.  Highly recommended.
 
INCORRUPTIBLE, VOL. 1 SC by Mark Waid and Jean Diaz.  In which we meet Max Damage, the bad guy who gets more powerful the longer he's awake.  Except Max isn't bad anymore since the Plutonian went nuts.  Now he's "Incorruptible."  Highly recommended.
 
IRREDEEMABLE #13 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause.  The Paradigm are locked up, leaving the mad Plutonian completely in the hands of the one guy crazier than he is.  Recommended.
 
IZOMBIE #1 by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred.  The adventures of a grave-robbing, brain-eating girl detective.  Yes, you do have to look!  Not for kids.
 
PILOT SEASON: STEALTH #1 by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri.  In the midst of a number of other difficulties a man takes in his aging father who's suffering from dementia.  Unfortunately dad was also the superhero Stealth.  Will Obamacare be able to handle this?  From the creator of WALKING DEAD and INVINCIBLE.
 
PRIDE, PREJUDICE & ZOMBIES GN by Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith, Tony Lee and Cliff Richards.  The only thing that could make me read Jane Austen: Flesh-eating fiends from the depths of hell!!!  Recommended.
 
SECRET SIX #21 by Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore.  Catman's got his claws out like never before.  Definitely not for younger kids.  Recommended.
 
SPIDER-MAN: FEVER #2 of 3 written and drawn by Brendan McCarthy.  Doctor Strange must rescue Spidey's soul from demons in a book that looks like it was painted with melted Good-n-Fruitys!  Gotta look!
 
STEPHEN KING'S N #3 of 4 by Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev.  Adapting a Stephen King horror story about a shrink who catches his patient's demon-induced OCD.  You must read this comic ten times before you can put it down safely, in mylar, in a comic box facing north-south.  Seriously.
 
SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1 of 4 by James Robinson, Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle.  Brainiac is now an afterthought as Supes and Zod tear into each other while 100,000 Kryptonians wait in the wings.
 
ULTIMATE COMICS: NEW ULTIMATES #2 by Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho.  This comic was drawn by Frank Cho.
 
UNCANNY X-MEN #524 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson.  Last issue "a beloved X-Man died defending Hope."  Okay, I'm not gonna give it away, but come on.  "Beloved?"  Really?  Some of these X-threads are better than others.
 
VERONICA #200 written and drawn by Dan Parent.  A milestone issue starring Riverdale's poor little rich girl, Veronica Lodge!  This issue, Veronica gets a time machine!
 
And this week don't forget to ask for your WHITE LANTERN PROMO RINGS for enhancing your enjoyment of comics and bringing back the dead!
 


TODAY: Kal on Kojo on NPR, May 8th in Baltimore

Kal sends in a note about 2 events he'll be doing this week:

On Monday May 3 I will be a guest Washington's NPR showcase station , WAMU (www.wamu.org,  88.5 FM), on the Kojo Nnamdi show. I will be on the 1-2PM slot as part of a discussion on Satire and Culture.

I will be the guest speaker at the annual benefit fundraiser for "At Jacob's Well" (http://atjacobswell.org) a very worthy charity dedicated to aiding the homeless community in Baltimore.  Here are the details: 

When: Saturday, May 8, 2PM 

Where: Church of the Redeemer, 5603 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD

Details: $20. Admission includes Wine and Hors d'oeuvres. Silent auction to benefit the charity

If you cannot attend but want to help this very worthy group, please visit their website: http://atjacobswell.org/

Also,

Best 

Kal
Kevin Kallaugher

The KAL iPhone App is now available at the iTunes store.