“Alan Moore once told me that, in conversation with Julie Schwartz, it has come up that Schwartz, who started out as a literary agent during the pulp years, had met HP Lovecraft. As Alan retells it, he couldn’t help but ask Schwartz what Lovecraft was like. And Schwartz said, ‘y’know, when I met him, I said to myself, I gotta remember what this guy’s like because in fifty fuckin’ years Alan Moore’s gonna ask me.’”
“If you care about women in comics, write about a Lynda Barry book for crying out loud.”
Yesterday I noted how easy it was to improvise a ¡Journalista! RSS feed using the new system. I should also point out that this is temprary — this blog will eventually move back to its old “tcj.com/journalista” address, and when it does, it will get a new and permanent feed. I figured I should point that out.
Also: Yesterday I completely forgot to note some recent highlights from the website. Hang on, this will just take a minute…
- From The Comics Journal #300 — now on sale, incidentally — Gary Groth moderates a lengthy conversation between Maus creator Art Spiegelman and art-comics wunderkind Kevin Huizenga.
- R. Fiore looks back at the life and career of Family Circus creator Bil Keane.
- Shaenon Garrity explores the work of josei/yaoi cartoonist Fumi Yoshinaga.
- Marc Sobel concludes his five-part examination of Gilbert Hernandez’s porn comic, Birdland. Here are links to the whole thing: one, two, three, four and five.
- Rob Clough reviews Funny Animals, Dark Corners and a variety of other works.
- Matthew Miller reviews Art Spiegelman’s Breakdowns.
- Bill Randall reviews the Julia Wertz-edited anthology I Saw You.
- Kent Worcester looks forward to next year’s MoCCA Arts Festival.
- Roland Kelts asks if manga and anime are DOA.
- Anne Ishii introduces us to a bit of cross-pollination between manga and Swedish pop music.
- Finally, Kenneth Smith presents an essay on anarchic isolationism.
Later today: Noah Berlatsky looks at the second volume of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku: The Inner Chamber, Gavin Lees on the new book from Carol Swain, and who knows what else?
And in the news…
Above the Fold
Life in interesting times
- David Coleman Headley was Formally charged yesterday will twelve counts of conspiracy- and terrorism-related charges involving last year’s attacks in Mumbai, as well as a plot to kill Flemming Rose and Kurt Westergaard over the Killer Danish Muhammed Cartoons.
- Was Paul Levitz the mastermind everybody claims he was, or is DC Comics’ corporate culture just stupid to the bone? We may soon find out, as the new regime announces its first major publishing initiative: A series of stand-alone graphic novels featuring “Ultimate”-style reboots of the company’s central intellectual properties. I’d explain why I’m being so cynical about this one, but Christopher Butcher and Mike Sterling have already done the heavy lifting and I don’t have much to add, save perhaps to remind you that under Levitz, DC has botched one initiative after the next. The last successful line of comics they launched? Vertigo. DC Comics has suffered being the publishing equivalent of a premature ejaculator for so long that it’s difficult to imagine them ever getting it right again. Will the new management be as fickle and easily discouraged as their predecessors? Like I said, we may soon find out.
Here’s further commentary from Brian Hibbs, J. Caleb Mozzocco — and Chuck Wells brings the snark.
- A recent storyline in Robb Armstrong’s comic strip Jump Start involving police safety caused a bit of controversy in Rochester, New York. Editor & Publisher has the details.
- ICv2 reveals that Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel will resign once the Disney buyout deal goes through.
- Speaking of whom: ICv2 also present their estimates for November sales of comics to Direct Market retailers. DC Comics’s Green-Lantern-zombie-crossover thing once again nets the company the top of the charts, while the market analysis indicates the market in general to be treading water:
Sales of periodical comic books through Diamond Comic Distributors were up 12% over sales in November of 2008, but graphic novels dropped by 26% [...] The steep fall in graphic novel sales marked the category’s 8th straight month of declines. Overall combined sales of comics and graphic novels were almost identical with those in November of 2008.
Here are the top-300 bestseller lists for comic books and graphic novels.
- Missed it: Rich Johnston speaks with Dynamite Entertainment’s Nick Barrucci about his company’s recent purchase of the Dabel Brothers intellectual-property catalogue.
(Caught it: Kevin Melrose.)
- Google honors Popeye creator E.C. Segar.
(Above: Today’s Google logo, ©2009 King Features Syndicate and Google.)
- It’s entirely possible that Marvel’s token gay guy, Northstar, will finally get laid. It only took, what, fifteen years?
Now if someone finally glues a sex partner onto Wonder Woman, I plan on being really impressed…
Joe McCulloch and Matthew Brady: New this week
A look at the best-sounding books scheduled to hit the comics shops tomorrow.
Profiles
- Tim O’Shea on Alex Robinson
The Box Office Poison author sits down for a Q&A.
- Whitechapel on R. Stevens
A collaborative interview with the Diesel Sweeties creator.
(Above: sequence from the strip, ©2009 R. Stevens.)
- Whitechapel on Kieron Gillen
Another collaborative interview, this time with the writer behind Phonogram.
Also
- Brian Heater on Al Columbia (part two of four)
- Caleb Goellner on Scott Allie
- Snow Wildsmith on Makoto Tateno
(Link via Brigid Alverson.) - Evan Miller on Hanjun Ni
Reviews
- Craig Fischer on The Art of Harvey Kurtzman
“The illustrations in Art are magnificent, but after reading (and not just staring at) Art, I found a few subjects that [co-authors Denis] Kitchen and [Paul] Buhle should have discussed in more detail. Below are three questions that I wish they had answered in Art.”
- Derik Badman and Ed Sizemore on A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 1
Two views of the Jiro Taniguchi drama.
- David Welsh on Red Snow
“Though [Susumu Katsumata's] stories share a pre-modern, agrarian setting, they vary in tone from sentimental to scathing.”
Also
- Sean T. Collins on Multiforce
- Martyn Pedler on Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear Days
- Greg McElhatton on Black Widow and the Marvel Girls #1
- Timothy Callahan on Jonah Hex #50
- Michael Lorah on Blazing Combat
- Hooded Utilitarian on The Wallflower Vol. 1-16
- Richard Bruton on The Thorgal Saga Vol. 1-6
- Michael Buntag on Image United #1
- Johanna Draper Carlson and Lissa Pattillo on Yotsuba&! Vol. 7
- Christopher Allen on Siege: The Cabal
- Marc-Oliver Frisch on Invincible Iron Man #20
- Nina Stone on various titles
- David Brothers on various titles
- David Welsh on various titles
Commentary
- Timothy Callahan and Chad Nevett: Are mainstream comics increasingly lame?
A conversation about… disappointment over a lack of creativity on the part of the New York City corporate-comics industry? Growing up and getting over it? You be the judge.
(Link via Geoff Klock, who also offers commentary.)
- Kristy Valenti: Fun-sized
“They won’t make any best-reprints-of-the-decade lists, but DC’s Millennium Editions (MEs) function as both a useful resource for comics scholars and a good stocking stuffer.”
- Jennifer de Guzman: How Americans don’t talk
What U.K. writers get wrong.
Business and Craft
- YouTube: Jeff Smith inks a panel
See it up close.
(Above: screenshot from the video. Link via ComicsCareer.com.)
Comics and Art
- Kevin Huizenga: “A Postcard From Fielder”
New Huizenga comics? Click that link, already!
(Above: panel from the strip, ©2009 Kevin Huizenga.)
- Online portfolio: Allyson Haller
Work by one of the best commercial illustrators you’ll encounter all week.
(Above: “Crimes of Passion,” an illust6ration for Time Out New York; ©2008 Allyson Haller.)
- Liz Prince: “Punk Rock is Ruining My Teeth”
An anecdote about the meeting point between pop culture and personal tics.
(Above: panel from the strip, ©2009 Liz Prince. Link via Joe Gordon.)
Also
- Steve Cottle on Vintage newspaper comics
(Link trail: Joe Gordon ← John Freeman.) - Flickr: Vintage nursery-rhyme illustrations
(Hat tip: Osamu Nomura.) - Ger Apeldoorn: Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse
- A Journey Round My Skull: Frans Masereel’s Notre Temps
- Golden Age Comic Book Stories: St. Johns’ Son of Tarzan
- Masque of the Red Death: Wendy Pini’s Stormbringer
(Warning: Flash-intensive page. Link via Cory Doctorow.) - Diversions of the Groovy Kind: Two by Howard Chaykin
- Ten-Cent Dreams: Jack Kirby war comics
- Harry Lee Green: Steve Ditko’s Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds #5
- Big Blog of Kids’ Comics: Walt Kelly’s “Santa’s Story”
- The Horror of It All: “Don’t Try to Outsmart the Devil!”
- Pappy: “The Flower of Death!”
- Gold Key Comics: “The Overland Trail”
- Allan Holtz: The comics of DBR Media
- John Glenn Taylor: Popeye electrifies a Jeep
- Jeffrey Meyer: Practical descriptive geometry
- Brandon Graham: Something awesome for reading this far down the list
(Link via Warren Ellis.) - Jacque Nodell: What they sold in old romance comics
Multimedia
- IFC.com: The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century AD
Dash Shaw’s latest series of animated shorts is unveiled.
(Above: screenshot from the first video.)
Comics Culture
- Dan Nadel, Heidi MacDonald, Brian Heater and Sean T. Collins: Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival
More reports from last weekend’s get-together in New York City.
- Penny McLintock: Behind the Lines
A look at an exhibition of political cartoons at the National Museum of Australia.
- Your Not-Comics Link of the Day:
Lou Jacobi’s rant from the Alan Arkin/Jules Feiffer movie Little Murders, in addition to being a fantastic piece of dramatic writing, is also a textbook example of how to make a monologue visually interesting without resorting to gimmicks and trickery.
(Above: screenshot from the video. Link via I’m Learning to Share!)
- Your Scans_Daily Link of the Day:
A few choice bits from the fifth volume of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys.
(Above: panel from the book, ©2001 Naoki Urasawa/Studio Nuts.)
Events Calendar
Today:
- December 8 (Portland, OR): T. Edward Bak will read excerpts from his work at the Multnomah County Library’s main branch on Tenth Avenue, from 6:30-7:45PM. Details here.
- December 8 (Los Angeles, CA): Paul Hornschemeier and Jay Ryan will appear at Nomad Los Angeles on Blake Avenue, beginning at 7PM. Details here.
- December 8 (Arlington, VA): The Washington Webtoonists hold their monthly gathering at the Ballston Common Mall on Wilson Boulevard, from 8-10PM. Details here.
This Week:
- December 9 (San Francisco, CA): Paul Hornschemeier and Jay Ryan will appear at Giant Robot San Francisco on Shrader Street, from 6-8PM. Details here.
- December 9 (New York City, NY): Mad Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee will speak at Columbia University’s Schermerhorn Hall, beginning at 8PM. Details here.
- December 10 (Edinburgh, Scotland): Dark Entries writer Ian Rankin makes an appearance at Forbidden Planet on SouthBridge Street, from 5-7PM. Details here.
- December 10 (Berkeley, CA): Paul Hornschemeier and Jay Ryan will appear at D. King Gallery on Fulton Street, beginning at 7PM. Details here.
- December 11-13 (Somewhere in Belgium): I don’t read Flemish, so I can’t tell you much about Strip Turnhout save what’s available at the Forbidden Planet Blog and the event’s homepage.
- December 11 (Providence, RI): Al Columbia will be signing books and meeting readers at Ada Books on Westminster Street, from 6-8PM. Details here.
- December 11 (Chicago, IL): Jeffrey Brown, Chris Burnham and Gabriel Bautista will be on-hand for a fundraiser for the educational group Reading With Pictures at Chicago Comics on Clark Street, from 6-9PM. Details here.
- December 11 (Portland, OR): Paul Hornschemeier and Jay Ryan will appear at Goodfoot Gallery on Stark, beginning at 6PM. Details here.
- December 11 (Manila, Philippines): A gallery opening and launch party for new books on Botong Francisco and Francisco Coching takes place at the National Museum of the Filipino People on Agrifina Circle, beginning at 6:30PM. Details here.
- December 12-13 (Austin, TX): It’s a Webcomics Rampage this weekend at Dragon’s Lair Comics on Burnet Road. Details here.
- December 12-13 (Stafford, TX): The Houston Comic Con happens at the Stafford Centre on Cash Road. Meet Rob Liefeld, dude! Details here.
- December 12 (San Francisco, CA): Webcomic-Con 2009 takes place at the Cartoon Art Museum on Mission Street, from 11AM-5PM. Details here.
- December 12 (Los Angeles, CA): Steve Niles, Whilce Portacio and Doug Sirois will appear in an “all-star holiday spectacular” at Golden Apple Comics on Melrose Avenue, from 11AM-5PM. Details here.
- December 12 (Seattle, WA): The Fantagraphics Bookstore celebrates its third anniversary with Peter Bagge, Jim Woodring, Paul Hornschemeier, Dame Darcy, Femke Hiemstra and more, from 6-9PM on Vale Street. Details here.
- December 13 (Clifton, NJ): A small comic-book expo takes place at the Clifton Community Recreation Center on Main Avenue, from 10AM-4PM. Details here.
- December 13 (Toronto, Ontario): The Toronto AnimeCon takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street, from 11AM-5PM. Admission is $10. Details here.
Want to see your comics-related event listed here? Email a link to dirk@tcj.com and let me know. Please include an online link to which I can send people for more information. No sales-only events, please — it’s nice that you’ve marked things down at your store or website, but I won’t be listing it here.
Tags: Dirk Deppey, Journalista
