Tag Archives: webcomics

Gifts 2014: ‘WHAT IF?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions’ by Randall Munroe

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Geek out this holiday season with Randall Munroe’s “WHAT IF?” This #1 New York Times Bestseller will undoubtedly make the perfect gift for the science lover, the comics lover, and the geek in your life.

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. Now, its sister blog has been transformed into a book, “WHAT IF?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.”

“WHAT IF” is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is available here, here, and here.

You can read a roundup of praise below:

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Filed under Comics, Gifts, Gifts 2014, Randall Munroe, Webcomics, xkcd

SEA/PDX: Max and Lucia Make a Safe Landing at Seattle’s Art-obsessed Hotel Max

Max and Lucia come in for a safe landing at Seattle’s Art-obsessed Hotel Max after a visit to Popland.

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During the “Pop Departures” exhibition at Seattle Art Museum, Hotel Max is displaying its own Pop Up Pop Art Show featuring Pop Art masters from the show at SAM. To book your own Pop Art Getaway, visit our friends at Hotel Max right here.

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Filed under Andy Warhol, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Hotels, Max at Hotel Max Comics, Pop Art, SAM, SEA/PDX, Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Travel

SEA/PDX: Welcome to Popland

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Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Max at Hotel Max Comics, SAM, SEA/PDX, Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Webcomics

SEA/PDX: Max and Lucia and Portals

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Filed under Henry Chamberlain, Max at Hotel Max Comics, SEA/PDX

Review: MEGAHEX collection published by Fantagraphics Books, by Simon Hanselmann

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Megg, Mogg, and Owl. Say it with me, “Megg, Mogg, and Owl.” They will set you free. Set you on a righteous path. What Simon Hanselmann does with his comics is what any artist and/or writer worth his or her salt does: take you somewhere, make you feel something. The most disturbing, and most exhilarating, moment for me in comics this year, or any year, must be Werewolf Jones taking a cheese grater to his testicles. Pure genius. And I say it with only a touch of irony. In fact, it is a great moment in comics.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Fantagraphics, Fantagraphics Books, Graphic Novel Reviews, graphic novels, Simon Hanselmann, Webcomics

SEA/PDX: Getting To Know Max #2

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Filed under Comics, Hotel Max, Max at Hotel Max Comics, SEA/PDX, Webcomics

SEA/PDX: All This Business

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Filed under Comics, Comix, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Max at Hotel Max Comics, Portland, SEA/PDX, Seattle, Webcomics

SEA/PDX: Getting To Know Max #1

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Someone in the front row just asked, “Is this ‘SEA/PDX: MAX AT HOTEL MAX: Getting to Know Max, Part 1?'” The answer is, “Yes. Please sit down.” I just trimmed back the title a bit for brevity and style sense. Anyway, everyone is welcome. You’re in the right place. Have a seat. Remain seated, it will be better that way.

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You will now see what my 24HCD activity last week has set in motion.

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As I had mentioned last week, we are rolling out a new webcomic here at Comics Grinder. You can find it right here and we’ll try to keep to a weekly schedule, like posting Sunday into Monday, for the foreseeable future.

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So, welcome to SEA/PDX. In this comic, you will get to know Max. He attaches himself to various interesting places and things. He finds himself attached to Hotel Max, a unique hotel in Seattle, a one-of-kind venue that showcases original art. Of course, this appeals to the artistic Max. He loves art and he loves adventure. That has brought him to Hotel Max.

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In the weeks ahead, we’ll settle in and see what makes Max tick. There’s a mystery woman in his life, Lucia, and so we’ll see a lot of her too.

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For now, I hope you enjoy this nice helping of comics directly linked to my 24HCD and under the subtitle, “Max at Hotel Max.”

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Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Comics, Henry Chamberlain, Hotel Max, Max at Hotel Max Comics, SEA/PDX, Seattle

24HCD 2014: MAX AT HOTEL MAX: Part 1: Max and Lucia

This is Part One which equals six pages. As I go to check-in at Hotel Max, I have three more parts to complete. The story thus far: We meet Max and Lucia and already there is intrigue. Who, or what, are these two? There’s a supernatural vibe going on here. Max is part of Seattle. Lucia is part of Portland. Both of them find themselves attached to certain things. Max, at this point, finds himself attached to Hotel Max! In this story, we will get to know Max and Lucia. We will come to see that the Seattle monorail acts as a portal for both of them and allows them easy access to their relatively long distance relationship. Quite frankly, they aren’t totally sure who or what they are. They feel like they live in a dream and yet they manage to function day to day. This is part of a bigger webcomic that will unroll in the coming months. We will see how things develop in the coming year for “SEA/PDX,” that is the umbrella title.

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What would you like to learn about Max and Lucia? Where will our story take us? Stay tuned!

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Filed under 24 Hour Comics, Comics, Hotel Max, Max at Hotel Max Comics, SEA/PDX, Seattle, Supernatural

Interview: Bill Kartalopoulos and THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2014

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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…

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Filed under Alternative Comics, Art Spiegelman, Bill Kartalopoulos, Comics, Education, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Independent Comics, Indie, MoCCA Arts Festival, New York City, SPX, The Best American Comics