My 24-Hour Comics Day cycle begins tomorrow. However, in an attempt to keep in sync with the official timing of the annual 24-Hour Comics Day, I am beginning my posting NOW. I’ve begun to tinker around and here is a quick intro page. Our main character is Max and he has a very interesting connection to Hotel Max in Seattle. That’s where you’ll find me as I embark upon my own comics odyssey from Sunday, October 5, to Monday, October 6. All coming to you from my stay at Hotel Max.
Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Seattle
Denis St. John is just the sort of cartoonist it is a pleasure to champion. Here’s the thing, there are many, many, many cartoonists who deserve a thoughtful review, especially early in their careers as they are working towards establishing themselves. I support art for art’s sake but I’m most interested in cartoonists creating ambitious work on some level. It doesn’t come down just to issues of craft and narrative. It comes down to issues of vision. Overall, the comic can have a shaggy dog quality to it but if it has that spark, then let that shaggy dog howl! And that’s what we have here with this collection of horror comics, “Amelia: A Monsters & Girls Book.” I say more power to Denis St. John!
What if you were an eager comic book-reading teenager in 2014 and you were teleported back to the first New York Comic Con in 1964? It was fifty years ago that New York Comic Con first set up shop, arguably the prototype for all major comic cons to come. I was pleasantly surprised to learn today in The New York Times coverage of the upcoming NYCC (Oct 9-12), that the records show something quite special. If you look at the 1964 program for New York Comic Con, on the list of registered participants, George R.R. Martin, just 15 years-old at the time, is the first on the list!
Well, that inspired me to draw the above comic. If two teens were let loose in NYCC ’64, they would have a shot at buying a bunch of copies of Action Comics #1 for a mere $40 each. Today, those same copies (depending upon the condition, blah, blah, blah) would fetch in the neighborhood of $3 million each. Of course, if one of the teens caught sight of Mr. Martin, that distraction could prove catastrophic for their plans. He could squander their chances at millions just to alert the author of “Game of Thrones” to pick up the pace!
October sees a lot of Batman comics and “Gotham Academy” is one particularly good comic from DC Comics that you will want to check out. What is noteworthy about this one is it really strikes an authentic girl power chord. Every page rings true. You can thank the writing team of Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher. I recently interviewed Cloonan and, as you may know, she’s sure to deliver with girl street cred. Art by Karl Kerschl; Colors by GeyseR; and Cover artwork by Karl Kerschl. Everyone delivers the goods here.
Filed under Batman, Becky Cloonan, Comics, Comics Reviews, DC Comics, DC Entertainment
As the date fast approaches for my 24-hour comics marathon at Hotel Max, I wanted to update you on my preparations. Basically, this is the time to do warm-up drawings and get a good idea on how the storytelling process will unfold. I am a 24-hour comics veteran and each one is different and unique but some things remain constant. You want a great foundation and a great location. I can’t be more pleased to have been welcomed by Hotel Max.
Keep in mind that I’m bumping things just a bit, so I’ll be doing my 24-hour cycle from Sunday, October 5, to Monday, October 6. I will be actively drawing all the way through. Maybe you can find me at the amazing Hotel Max bar and restaurant, Miller’s Guild. I will find a nice spot to draw. I’ll also find some spots around town. The idea is to incorporate as much as possible. I have my basic blueprint and I will allow for things that I see during the night. I’ll be posting updates and then post the 24-hour draft.
Thanks to the sponsorship of my 24-Hour Comics marathon this year by Hotel Max and Comics Dungeon.
Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Scott McCloud, Seattle
Yumi Sakugawa presents the reader with engaging and helpful guidelines on how to balance your life in her new book, “Your Illustrated Guide To Becoming One With The Universe.” If such a title did not exist before, it seems like it was only a matter of time before someone would use it. How nice that Ms. Sakugawa should enjoy that privilege. Any number of cartoonists could create something similar, and probably more should. What this book demonstrates is an authentic voice speaking to the little leaps of faith that we all wish to take.
It is a pleasure to chat about comics, especially with someone as well-versed on the subject as Bill Kartalopoulos. For this interview, the occasion is the 2014 volume of “The Best American Comics,” which Bill takes over as the new series editor. I thought I’d take the opportunity to ask him about his thoughts on the term, “alternative comics,” since he led an interesting panel discussion on that topic at SPX back in 2012 entitled, “Life After Alternative Comics.” This was a way to frame the conversation.
Bill Kartalopoulos is a great observer of, and participant in, today’s comics scene. Part of his impressive resume includes being the program coordinator for the Small Press Expo as well as the program director for the MoCCA Arts Festival. Both of these events are essential barometers of prevailing trends. So, if Bill suggests that alternative comics are dead, I listen. Of course, he doesn’t really suggest that, at least not as you might think. But, let me continue…
Daniel Stope is a well-intentioned young man from the country who has dreams of becoming a professional artist. Of course, one of the best places to foster, as well as dash, such ambitions is going to an art school. In can be honey or vinegar, depending upon numerous factors. Jamie Coe explores the honey and vinegar of art school in his debut graphic novel, “Art Schooled,” published by Nobrow Press.
Filed under Art, Comics, Daniel Clowes, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Nobrow Press
In her new mini-comic, “Debbie’s Inferno,” Anne Emond takes us deep into the nightmares and misgivings of a young woman and all we have to do is sit back and be amused. There’s plenty to be amused about since Emond is a crackerjack cartoonist in the vein of Lynda Barry. With a spare line and a whimsical touch, she distills angst down to wise and funny bits.
“Tusk,” Kevin Smith’s new horror-comedy about a man who is literally transformed into a walrus, is a different animal of a movie in more ways than one. Smith delivers on the thrills and chills of full-on horror and masterfully interlaces humor in unexpected ways. One of the strangest treats will come in the third act with Johnny Depp, unrecognizable as detective Guy Lapointe. Depp’s brilliantly odd performance adds to the weirdness of an already weird but truly worthy cinematic voyage. When he’s on the screen, you know that someone of a high caliber is playing with the ooey gooey elements of zany humor. Credit Mr. Depp and credit Mr. Smith for that.
Filed under Comedy, Horror, Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, Movie Reviews, movies
