Labels: blogosphere, graphic novels, mini-comics

ANKE FEUCHTENBERGER

Exhibition of original drawings / Exposition de dessins originaux

April 30 - July 4 , 2008 30 avril - 4 juillet 2008

Free admission / Entree libre

GOETHE-INSTITUT MONTREAL 418, rue Sherbrooke Est
514 499 0159

www.goethe.de/montreal

Labels: events, events links, exhibits, Montreal, Quebec

• This article about changes at Little Sister's bookstore in Vancouver and the freedom fighters who run it includes a quote from employee and cartoonist Ken Boesem.

• Derek McCormack writes about superhero costumes for the National Post.

• The newspaper in Milton, Ontario, reminds us that Free Comic Book Day is coming up this Saturday, May 2, and that Milton's comic book shop is called Geekdom.

• Quill and Quire covers the Canadian Eisner nominees (subscription required).

• Canadian icon, columnist, playwright, and champion of liberty Rick Salutin, reflects on the Siegel legal decision in the U.S. and ponders the chicken/egg nature of creation and myth.

• On the subject of showing the Mohammed cartoons on CBC.

• Jeet Heer interviewed about superheroes on the CBC.

• Gary Groth and a Toronto comic buyer with a scanner interviewed by the CBC about online comics piracy.

• Newsarama at Calgary Comic Expo.

• Chris Butcher is celebrating 6 years of blogging. Congratulations!

• "BIFF! BANG! POW! Music isn't just for kids anymore!"

Labels: Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, censorship, comics history, copyright, events links, interviews, Ontario, pod casts, Toronto, U.S. superhero franchises, Vancouver

Labels: Alberta, Calgary, events

• How the comics page and London Free Press cartoonist Merle Tingley turned one paperboy into a journalist.

• The Eisner nominees: Darwyn Cooke, Pia Guerra, Jeff Lemire, Karl Kerschl, Scott Chantler, and several international volumes published by D+Q were among the nominees. It is worth noting also (if only for the purposes of vanity and self-promotion) that the category of "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism" includes at least two nominees featuring the work of Canadians: Comic Art #9 has articles by Jeet Heer and myself; The Comics Reporter regularly features Bart Beaty's Eurocomics column. Sequential congratulates all the nominees! The winner will be announced July 25.

• Tom Spurgeon previewed Montreal cartoonist Billy Mavreas' upcoming (May) graphic novel, Inside Outside Overlap (Timeless Books) a few weeks ago.

Labels: awards, graphic novels, links, Quebec

Labels: events, Moncton, New Brunswick

Labels: awards, bd, events, Quebec

• Okay, maybe just one. Go read the latest Luz: Girl of the Knowing strip by Claudia Davila. The strip has been picked up by Briarpatch magazine!

• Although I can't seem to find the article online, a report in this Saturday's Globe suggested that the graphic novel Skim was the subject of international publishing rights bidding at the recent London Book Fair.

• Jeet Heer writes about one of George Herriman's final Krazy Kat strips, on the subject of race and passing.

• The latest review of Jeff Lemire's Ghost Stories graphic novel.

• An amazing collection of comic-strip-inspired antique toys owned by a Toronto collector.

• A report from a sci-fi convention in St. John, Nfld.

• Prostateman comic wins award.

• From last week: The Toronto Star has more details about the man found dead in the former Etobicoke comic store.

Labels: graphic novels, links, Newfoundland, Ontario, real world, Toronto, webcomics

When: Saturday, April 19th, 2008. 8pm until midnight.
Where: Clubhouse Japanese Restaurant
255 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver
Who: Anyone who is of legal drinking age is invited.
How Much: Free. Bring your own pencils/pens. Paper is provided.

I've reserved the upstairs room at the Clubhouse Japanese Restaurant for the Jam. The maximum capacity of the upstairs room is roughly 25 people, however this has never been an issue. If we go over, we can move to a couple of tables downstairs.

Remember to tip your waitress well!

Labels: British Columbia, comic jams, events, Vancouver

Labels: bd, events, Quebec

Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga

Labels: bd, events, Quebec

Labels: comics retailers, comicshoptalk, graphic novels, interviews, Ontario

Labels: canadian superheroes, comics on tv, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: anthologies, bd, graphic novels, Quebec

Labels: blogosphere, conventions, events, hobbystar, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: comics retailers, Ontario, real world, Toronto

Labels: awards, bd, events, Quebec

Labels: comic strips, Edmonton, events links, graphic novels, Halifax, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia

Labels: awards, bd, events, Montreal, Quebec

Labels: conventions, events, hobbystar, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: awards

Labels: bestsellers, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga

Acadieman goes number two with the help of his friends

MONCTON - Acadieman Comics number two will be launched April 25th at the Cafe Aberdeen in Moncton. A year after releasing the first issue of the Acadieman series, artist Dano LeBlanc and Short Circuit Publishing have finally managed to get their act together and publish a second comic starring the popular Acadian superhero.

"It's about friggin' time", says Dano LeBlanc. Publisher, Andre Wilson claims it's mostly Dano's fault the second comic wasn't released, as planned, last October. But he forgives him. "Hey, we had a best seller with the first one. So what if he's a little slow getting the second comic finished. Besides, Dano was supposedly pretty busy this past year."

In his defense Dano says : "I'm not a machine!"

This second comic continues the story of Acadieman's origins and also presents a number of other local artists. These strips include Sniper Ninja Bears (Samuel Chiasson et Jean Sébastien Levesque), Voodoo Gun (Mark Young), l'Histoire de l'Acadie selon Roger (Daniel Fournier), The Strange Men (Adam Beaumont), Gothic Beach Party et Don't Just Stand There, Kill Something (Tim Moerman), as well as 11 comics created by sixth grade French-immersion students from Besborough school.

Asked what this second comic book represents for the arts scene in New Brunswick, LeBlanc says : "I don't have a clue." He's nonetheless happy that he's able to promote other comic book artists from the region.

This second comic contains other surprises which won't be revealed until the book launch. A comic book signing will take place during the launch. Another will be held the following day at The Comic Hunter as part of the Frye Festival.

Labels: floppies, Moncton, New Brunswick, publishing

• Jeet Heer vs Michael Chabon: Wow, Jeet can't seem to stay out of the scraps this week. On the heels of his dust-up with Bart beaty last week, his review of David Hadju's 10 Cent Plague for Salon has drawn a lengthy rebuttal from novelist and comics fan Michael Chabon (for good measure, Beaty chimes in as well).

• Chris Butcher posts the 20 bestselling comic books/floppies at the Beguiling from last week.

• Johanna Draper Carlson reviews Hope Larson's new graphic novel for young adults, Chiggers.

• Cameron Stewart is interviewed about his Transmission X webcomic, Sin Titulo, at the Digital Strips site: part 1 part 2 Stewart has just finished work on a new graphic novel for Oni, The Apocalipstix.

• The World Press Freedom Day 10th Annual Awards Luncheon, featuring an exhibition of the winning and runner-up cartoons of the international political cartoon competition on the theme of "Re-writing History", will be held May 2nd, in Ottawa.

• An ad for a car dealership has stirred up controversy and the ire of the Winnipeg police. (see above)

Labels: comics history, comics retailers, events links, graphic novels, Manitoba, Ottawa, webcomics, Winnipeg

China's Flame of Shame

Forget boycotts – human rights activists say they welcome the upcoming Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to get under China's skin.

"As an organization, we believe the Olympics are an opportunity for different movements to voice their opposition to the Chinese government; that's been clear since China was awarded the Olympics back in 2001," said Kyla Mendoza, an Ottawa organizer for the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet.

With only four months until the start of the summer games - whose slogan is "One World, One Dream," – groups like SFT have accepted the reality that participating countries are not likely to boycott China for its poor human rights record or support for countries like Sudan and Myanmar.

Instead, they've begun ratcheting up the PR pressure on Beijing, using the various photo ops and symbols that make the Olympics so memorable as leverage in their campaigns. (See photos)

Even before the violent protests and subsequent police crackdown in Tibet took centre stage in the media, Mendoza said, the Canadian branch of SFT was organizing campaigns inside China, unveiling "Free Tibet" banners at high-profile locations like the Great Wall of China and the base camp of Mount Everest.

"Basically, Beijing wants to try and to open themselves up to the world as much as possible but control their image to the world, too," he explained. "We want to show that if you open yourself up for the Olympics, you have to air your dirty laundry."

Arguably the most enduring symbol of the games, the Olympic torch has also become an important instrument for expressing dissent.

Last week, the torch was lit at its traditional starting point of Olympia, Greece and transported to Beijing, marking the start of the relay that will see it travel to all five continents before returning return to China in time for the opening ceremonies on August 8th, according the official relay website.

It's also supposed to travel to Mt. Everest and the Tibetan capital of Lhasa sometime in June, raising fears of further violence and prompting calls to the IOC to have it bypass the area. "If you bring the Olympic torch through these Tibetan villages, you're basically inciting further violence and giving China another excuse to crack down," claims Tsering Lama, National Organizer for SFT.

In order to draw attention to what Tsering calls a "humanitarian crisis" in Tibet, clever SFT artists converted Beijing's torch relay logo into a graphic of a silhouetted police officer beating a protester.

Logos aside, the torch hand-off ceremony at the Acropolis in Athens was an embarrassing symbol for China, as three members of the international group Reporters Without Borders stormed the field with a banner depicting the Olympic rings as handcuffs.

Three members of the group, including Secretary-General Robert Ménard, were arrested by Greek authorities and are currently out on bail.

World leaders decried the interruption of what was supposed to be a sporting ceremony, by supporters insisted the move had greater purpose. "The Olympic flame may be sacred but human rights are even more so," Reporters Without Borders stated in a press release following the arrests.

"We could not let the Chinese government take the Olympic flame, a symbol of peace, without denouncing the dramatic human rights situation in China with less than five months to go to the start of the Olympic games."

The organization, which has national offices in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, says it was protesting the imprisonment of Chinese cyber-dissidents and the continuing ban on reporting inside Tibet.

Even the market-oriented Olympic mascots haven't escaped controversy. At a faux news conference this week, SFT announced that one the five mascots of the Beijing Oympics, an endangered Tibetan antelope named Yingying, had "defected" in response to China's development in the region, which environmentalist claim is degrading the antelope's habitat atop the Tibetan plateau.

"I've defected from the Olympic team because I can no longer stand being used as a puppet to cover up China's destruction of my homeland," the cartoon character said in a press release sent out by SFT.

Instead, the yellow critter has apparently changed her name to Yingsel and now operates a blog, part of her efforts to "use the Olympics to turn the tables on China."

Labels: international, mascots, Ottawa

Labels: free, Ontario, Toronto

• For The Guardian, Regina's Jeet Heer writes on the recent Siegel/Superman decision, with a history of the case and some thoughts ton capitalism and morality. Sample quote: "The battle between the cartoonists and their publisher was a cultural clash as much as an economic one. Bookish boys from the lower-middle class, Siegel and Shuster simply weren't prepared to deal with wise guys like Donenfeld."

• On a related note, new court dates have been scheduled for the case, as noted by newsarama's new legal expert, Jeff Trexler.

• Speaking of newsarama, one of my favourite features at the newsarama blog is the weekly "Quote/Unquote", with a round-up of the choicest utterances from the comics blogosphere.

• Writing for The Montreal Gazette, John Kalbfleisch provides a look back at JW Bengough, the 19th Century cartoonist and member of the Giants of the North. Like many of his inky-fingered breed (Little Nemo's Windsor McKay, for one), Bengough had a side career as a sort of vaudeville humourist, giving "chalk talks" involving quick caricatures and jokey picture stories delivered on the lecture circuit.

• The best cartoonists in Montreal? The Montreal Mirror thinks so.

• Tintin becomes a target in an exhibit of hockey-themed art at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

• Chris Butcher looks back at his 2006 comics industry predictions for 2007 and sees how his oracular powers worked out.

• Photos from the Michel Rabagliati exhibit Paul vu par le Fanzine Bidon at the Galerie Morgan Bridge in Quebec City (see sample photo above; link via bdq)

• Canada's Udon Entertainment is the new distributor of Apple, an anthology of Korean art & comics: APPLE stands for "A Place for People who Love Entertainment", and features original stories and illustrations from the best creative talent Korea has to offer. Over 40 artists from the video game world are represented in APPLE Volume 1, including the artists behind the mega-hit Lineage MMORPG series, superstar Hyung-Tae Kim (Magna Carta, War of Genesis), and dozens of other pro illustrators, animators and graphic artists.

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, copyright, graphic novels, international, links, manga, Nova Scotia, Quebec

Promotional film for full-length documentary on Hoverboy- one time hero of radio, comic books, and TV. Now a forgotten footnote of 20th Century popular culture. Featuring interviews with Rick Green (PRISONERS OF GRAVITY, RED GREEN SHOW) and writer/artist Ty Templeton (BATMAN, AVENGERS) who is preparing to release the first Hoverboy comic in more than 30 years. For more Hoverboy history go to www.hoverboy.com

Labels: barely comics, can-con, comics history, comics on film, comics on tv, events, misunderstanding comics, new books, news

Labels: comic strips, comics history, events links, manga, Manitoba, Ontario, Toronto, Winnipeg

Labels: analysis, bestsellers, BookManager, comic strips, comics retailers, graphic novels, manga, publishing

Labels: events, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: events links, graphic novels, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto

Says Johnston, "[There's] a lot of sentiment. I've lived with this strip for a long time, along with my own -- sort of in and out of reality. But I know that it's time to make the story come full circle, where the children of the original story are adults with children of their own."

Besides an affinity for the characters of the strip, Johnston long friendship with Schulz makes her doubly qualified to continue his legacy: "We were really, really close -- to the point where we would have a really good scrap. Very few people would argue with him because he was "Charles Schulz," but I would. There were times when he wouldn't speak to me, but I was the one he called when he got cancer [in 1999] and I was the one who went and sat next to his bed when he was dying. We had long philosophical talks.

"We were rivals as well. When I told him that I was in 2,000 papers, he said "I'll see you in the Louvre." He was very competitive -- and he was right! He was the only one of us in the Louvre, and I'll never get there."

Johnston plans on balancing Schulz's classic approach with the "real life" approach she popularized in For Better or For Worse. "I always followed Sparky's advice -- "Do the best you can do, every single day" -- and I've had a wonderful time.

Possible storylines Johnston envisions for the strip's first year include adultery, testicular cancer, and the war in Iraq.

For his part, Seth is thrilled to be continuing PEANUTS, feeling that he can improve on and add to the work of his idol, especially now that the strip will deal with more mature themes and is no longer limited to "dumb little kids telling lame jokes."

"It's a genuine honor to be drawing this strip," said Seth, who went on to describe the premise underlying his design for the new series: "I want to emphasize the sophistication of Schulz's work by creating a strip that is both austere and direct. I would like to try to reflect the quiet and melancholy of the classic strip in a package that hopefully, shows the proper amount of respect for Mr. Schulz. Undoubtedly, PEANUTS is a great newspaper strip and I am humbled and gratified to help steward this strip into the world."

Seth has been regarded as one of North America's finest cartoonists for over 10 years. His comic book series Palookaville and graphic novel It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken are regarded as modern classics of the form. Born Gregory Gallant on September 16th, 1962 in Clinton, a small town in south Ontario, Seth is an emotional observer, deeply moved by the forgotten details of everyday life. A fan of PEANUTS since childhood, Seth attended the Ontario College of Art in Toronto in the early 1980s. While at school he discovered the provocative work of the underground comix generation and the cool, wry wit of the great mid-century New Yorker cartoonists. Drawing deeply from this disparate group of inspirations Seth has distilled one of the most distinctive and recognizable illustrating styles of the past decade and his sophisticated style has been sought by The Washington Post, Details, National Post, Spin, The New York Times, Saturday Night, and the New Yorker. His books have been translated and published in German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian.

"Schulz was my most formative influence. No artist made me want to be a cartoonist more than Schulz (well, maybe [Jack] Kirby). I loved him as a child and his work spoke to me deeply even then. But, honestly, it was in my early 20's that I came to reappraise Schulz and look at him with the eyes of an adult. That's when I really began to collect all of his books and really study what he had done (and was doing). Later, when Joe Matt moved to Toronto (another Schulz fanatic) we talked about him incessantly. We knew the strips so well that we would often play a game with each other on the telephone: one of us would read the first panel of any strip and the other would have to recall what the remaining 3 panels were. We both did very well."

"Schulz's drawing was a real beacon to me. His simplicity of design and composition taught me a great deal. Combined with other influences like Herge, [Peter] Arno, [Charles] Addams, John Stanley etc. really made the core of what I wanted my artwork to be like. It was Schulz's profound honesty that made the most impression on me as a young cartoonist ([R.] Crumb also). I'm still deeply moved by much of what made up Peanuts."

Labels: comic strips, international, Lynn Johnston, Ontario, Toronto