“New Orleans looks very hospital-like this time.”

 

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Recently posted to our homepage:

• Rob Clough reviews Sarah Glidden’s How to Understand Israel in Sixty Days or Less, and two minis from first-time cartoonist Gabrielle Nowicki.
• Shaenon Garrity reviews Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour.
• Rich Kreiner reviews the anthology Trickster: Native American Tales.
• R.C. Harvey discusses the uses of Burma Shave signs in the comics.
• More Golden Age comic-book covers, courtesy of Tom Crippen.
• Over at The Hooded Utilitarian, it’s Charles Hatfield vs. Noah Berlatsky on Gilbert Hernandez’ Human Diastrophism, and the roundtable discussion on Hatfield’s book Alternative Comics concludes with some of the comments that the discussion has received.

And in the news…

 

Above the Fold

 

Life in interesting times

• Gerry Alanguilan brings word that “Filipino Komiks Illustrator Ernie Guanlao has passed away last November 10, 2010 in the United States.”

 


Art from one of the mailers in question.
• “Steve Rustad, freelance editorial cartoonist for the Argus-Courier, has been suspended by the Petaluma newspaper for creating the artwork used in four independent campaign mailers opposing Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt in the 2nd District Sonoma County supervisors race.” Related: Rustad’s wife responds.

 

• “Lucy Shelton Caswell plans to retire as Curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, effective December 31, 2010.”

 

• Good thing Diamond Distributors is cutting the dross from their Previews catalog, isn’t it?

 


• The cable channel AMC (home to the new Walking Dead TV series) has refused to air a zombie-themed commercial for the Chicago Comic Vault.

 

• Matthew Murray presents his month-to-month estimates for sales of a variety of genre-based indy comics to Direct Market retailers, now updated for September.

 

• Brian Hibbs argues in favor of comics pamphlets.

 

• Congratulations to Wizard, who may be about to buy their eleventy-billionth convention. Also, condolences to North Carolina comics fans.

 

• Your headline of the day: “Spiderman not a hero to the head of Iran’s Basij.”

 

 

 

Profiles

 

• T.J. Dietsch on Jeff Kinney

  “You know, I never even thought I had a chance to get published. In the years after college I tried to get my cartoons accepted by newspapers and was met with really tough and ominous rejection letters so I thought, and still believe that, I don’t have what it takes to produce a professional cartoon so everything past that point has just been things getting sillier and sillier and sillier and the [Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade] balloon might just take the cake.”

  (Link via Kiel Phegley.)

 

Also

• Jeff Greenfield on Garry Trudeau
• Hi Fructose Magazine on Junko Mizuno
     (Link via Deb Aoki.)
• Paul Gravett on John Russell
• Japan Times on Sean Michael Wilson
• Edward Gunts on Matt Groening
• Tracey John on Jerry Robinson
• Jeffrey Renaud on Chip Kidd
• David Pepose on Steve Wands

 

Reviews

 

• Alex Carr on Palookaville #20
  
  ©2010 Seth.

  “You know it’s a comic by Seth when the book features a “band” around the back cover that sports glowing blurbs and quotes, a summary of the work, the price, a barcode, and then a tiny note in parentheses: ‘The artist requests that this band be disposed of upon purchase.’ This type of artistic control isn’t new to Seth’s fans, yet Palookaville #20 marks a radical shift in format and content for the meticulous artist, writer, and designer.”

 

Also

• Matt Seneca on Nipper: 1963-1964
• Brendan Wright on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley’s Journal
• Sean T. Collins on Fear of Comics
• Johanna Draper Carlson on Twin Spica Vol. 4
• Johanna Draper Carlson on How to Draw Shojo Manga
• Don MacPherson on The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen
• Andrew Wheeler on Superfuckers
• Andrew Wheeler on Jack of Fables Vol. 7
• Andrew Wheeler on The Sweeter Side of R. Crumb
• Ed Sizemore on Eye Witness Vol. 1-4
• Paul Montgomery on Tribes: The Dog Years
• Rod Lott on two horror-comics collections
     (Link via Tom Mason.)
• J. Caleb Mozzocco on recent Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books
• Deb Aoki on various manga titles

 

Commentary

 

• Kevin Patrick: Comics studies in Australia

  “The term ‘graphic novel’ was popularised by Igor Goldkind, a publicist employed by UK publisher Titan Books in 1985 to promote comic books to an adult audience. ‘My job,’ he said, ‘was to develop a semantic the general public and the book trade could understand.’ [...] Goldkind exceeded his client’s brief beyond their wildest imaginings; the literary allusion built into the term ‘graphic novel’ dispelled the childish connotations associated with ‘comic books’, thereby granting critics and readers the cultural permission required to evaluate comics in the same manner as literature, cinema and music.”

  (Link via Gary Chaloner.)

 

Also

• Ali Colluccio: How to “fix” Wonder Woman
• Chris Mautner: Six x-rated comics you can read without shame
• Frank Santoro: Favorites of 2010
• J. Caleb Mozzocco on various Wednesday Crowd topics

 

Comics and Art

 

• Daryl Cagle: Quantitative easing in editorial cartoons
  
  Detail from a drawing by French cartoonist Frederick Deligne.

  A collection of cartoon commentary from around the world.

 

Also

• Golden Age Comic Book Stories: Adventures into Terror #11
• Alan Davis: From the studio of Frank Bellamy
     (Link via Richard Bruton.)
• DCKT Contemporary: Sophie Crumb gallery exhibit
     (Link via Tom Spurgeon.)
• Sam Henderson: Stag gag cartoons
• Rip Jagger’s Dojo: Dave Cockrum’s Doc Savage
• Comicrazys: John Stanley’s Melvin Monster
• Cole’s Comics: Jack Cole’s Midnight
• Pappy: Jack Kirby’s “Gorilla-Man”
• Bhob Stewart: Steve Ditko and Wally Wood’s “The Wizard of Dark Mountain”
• Jacque Nodell: “Too Tall to Love”
• Cat and Girl: Hindsight
• Need to Know: H Day previewed
• Wim Lockefeer: Colgate comics ads

 

Multimedia

 

• Babelgum: Cartoon Masters
  
  New Yorker editor Bob Mankoff (left).

  A collection of videos featuring a variety of cartoonists and animators, including Mark Tatulli, Richard Thompson, Stephan Pastis, Bob Mankoff and others.

  (Link via Mike Rhode.)

 

Comics Culture

 

• Michael Buntag (one, one): Komikon 2010

  A report from last weekend’s big to-do in the Philippines.

 

• Rich Johnston: First-person perspective run through the corridors of DC Comics

  On the off chance that you ever wondered what the place looked like, apparently it looks like a super-rich geek’s bedroom.

 

• Your Not-Comics Link of the Day:

  A reminder that Japan is what-the-fuck weird: Doctors recommend mother-son penis exercises.

 

Events Calendar

 

Today:

 

• Nov. 15 (London, England): Ho Che Anderson discusses his work at the London Print Studio on Harrow Road, from 6:30-8PM. Details here.

 

This Week:

 

• Nov. 18-21 (Leeds, England): Thought Bubble 2010 takes place at various locations around town. Details here.
• Nov. 18 (New York City, NY): Dan Nadel interviews Brian Chippendale and C.F. at the Strand Bookstore on Broadway, beginning at 8PM. Details here.
• Nov. 18 (New York City, NY): Prominent cartoonists battle it out on-stage at 92YTribeca on Hudson Street, beginning at 9PM. Details here.
• Nov. 19-20 (Lexington, KY): The UP! Fair is a celebration of sequential art and indy publishing, and it all takes place at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning on Second Street. Details here.
• Nov. 19 (Portland, OR): Matt Fraction interviews Brian Chippendale and C.F. (followed by a signing) at Floating World Comics on Fifth Avenue, from 6-9PM. Details here.
• Nov. 20 (Los Angeles, CA): Brian Chippendale and C.F. will participate in a book launch and slideshow presentation at Family on Fairfax Avenue, beginning at 7PM. 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. (Note: Under no circumstances will I link to a Facebook page. Seriously, what idiot “advertises” their event solely on a website that requires registration to see the advertisement?)