ICAF Retrospective

This past November, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Art Library and Museum hosted the 2014 International Cartoon Arts Festival. This amazing festival happens in a different place every year, and it was so great to see it in Columbus this year: to be able to walk out my back door and attend some amazing lectures and talks.

ICAF has their own "ICAF 2014 in Review" page, so this post is really about my own recollections. I attended some very academic lectures: about the influence of Rodin's "Gates of Hell" on Hellboy, the portrayal of women's bodies in Jaime Hernandez's half of Love & Rockets, different kinds of post-apocalypse stories in comics (including why Y the Last Man sucked), and a really cool comic book about an Arab-French kid with polio, Petit Polio by Farid Boudjellal. And that was just Saturday morning! Work kept me from being able to go on Thursday or Friday. Who knows what I could've seen.

Saturday afternoon saw a wonderful conversation between Jeff Smith and Tom Spurgeon. I've been kind of a Jeff Smith groupie since 1994, often hovering around his table or his talks at cons, usually too shy to say anything. This time, I asked a question which he answered in satisfying detail, about the times that Bone's plot got away from him -- in both good ways (the Great Cow Race) and bad (the giant bees in Atheia). He's always an engaging speaker and generous with his time.

At the end of the conversation, Smith and Spurgeon announced their plans for a Columbus-based (and Columbus-themed) comics/cartooning festival in 2016, called Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC). That is super exciting and it deserves its own post -- so more about that later.

Then that evening, Congressman John Lewis spoke about his work in civil rights, starting with his days in the '60s marching to Washington with Martin Luther King. Sweet Honey in the Rock sang. It was inspirational -- but I was also very glad to hear the sweet, self-deprecating Nate Powell say a few words about his process in making the comic book March, a biography of Lewis. He showed some giant slides with his layouts and pencils.

It turns out my wife (who works at OSU) knows Jeremy Stoll, who was involved with ICAF and who created the anthology Dogs! containing work by American and Indian cartoonists. So Saturday night, my wife and I went and had a drink with him. It turned out to also be with a pretty big group of other comics people, including Spurgeon (whom I found out only that weekend is an important part of comics journalism and the force behind The Comics Reporter) and Caitlin McGurk of the Billy. I'm ashamed to say that I spent a good deal of my time letting Jeremy and my wife talk to each other while I eavesdropped on Spurgeon's and McGurk's conversation about what's wrong with comics ... a rambling back and forth that I barely remember now. I hope I wasn't creepy.

All in all, a great day that left me in awe of how much is going on in Columbus. Sometimes this place seems like the place to be for comics. Who knew?!

Discussing the Discourse of Comics

The Rhetoric of Comics -::- November 10, 2008, 7PM
A talk by Karin Kukkonen, PhD candidate at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and the University of Tampere, Finland.

Being a medium of visual narration, the images of comics are not limited to merely showing events. On the contrary, much of their storytelling relies on what the image sequences tell readers. Yet are images even capable of telling like language? Can they reproduce the stylistic effects of metaphor and metonymy? And will Superman escape the clutches of anaphora or is he doomed to live through the same story time and again?

Addressing these and other questions, Karin Kukkonen's talk explores the visual rhetoric of comics narration on the level of individual images, image sequences and larger narrative structure. If the rhetoric of comics emerges from the same thought patterns as classical rhetoric, she argues, this longstanding critical tradition can help us to understand how comics tell their story.

Co-sponsored by Project Narrative and the Cartoon Research Library.

Location:
Seminar Room next to the library
Cartoon Research Library
27 W. 17th Avenue Mall
Columbus, OH 43210

A Bone To Pick

Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond
Sat, May 10 - Sun, Aug 3, 2008
Wexner Center Galleries
(Admission is free & open from 11 AM until 8 PM)

Jeff Smith is one of the great success stories of independent comics. In July of 1991, he launched Cartoon Books in Columbus, Ohio, to publish his black-and-white comic strip Bone. A tale of three marshmallowy creatures named Bone, adrift in a world of humans, monsters and fantasy creatures, Bone has since been translated into 15 languages and won Smith countless awards.

In 2005, Time magazine called Bone one of the 10 greatest graphic novels of all-time. This exhibition—a partnership between the Wexner Center and Ohio State University's Cartoon Research Library—encompasses approximately 80 original drawings: primarily original black-and-white pages from Bone, with a smaller selection of full-color Bone covers and post-Bone work, including original drawings from Smith's recent Shazam series for DC Comics and from Rasl, his current project about a time-traveling thief.

The exhibition also includes a selection of original comics whose artists Smith cites as direct influences, among them examples from Walt Kelly's Pogo, Will Eisner's The Spirit, George Herriman's Krazy Kat, Charles Schulz's Peanuts, Carl Barks's Uncle Scrooge, Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury, and E. C. Segar's Thimble Theatre. The exhibition is organized by Lucy Shelton Caswell, professor and curator of Ohio State's Cartoon Research Library, and David Filipi, the Wexner Center's curator of film and video.

Here is the calendar of events being held in conjunction with the gallery show:

Artists Talk: Jeff Smith and Scott McCloud in Conversation
Sat, May 10, 2008 | 2:00PM
Mershon Auditorium

Join Bone-creator Jeff Smith and comic book artist and theorist Scott McCloud for a lively conversation about Smith’s career and each artist’s view of the practice and future of comic book art. McCloud is the author of Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Reinventing Comics and the creator of the comic Zot!

Gallery Talks: Lucy Shelton Caswell and Dave Filipi on Jeff Smith: Bone and Beyond
Wed, May 14, 2008 | 12:30PM
Wexner Center Galleries

In these hour-long gallery conversations, you'll discuss the current exhibitions with artists, curators, and members of the Ohio State community.

Artist's Talk: Terry Moore
Thu, May 15, 2008 | 7:00PM
Film/Video Theater

Best known for his epic and unpredictable comic Strangers in Paradise and a key figure in the self-publishing of comics, Terry Moore is one of the most influential artist/writers working today.

Artist's Talk: Paul Pope
Tue, May 20, 2008 | 7:00PM
Film/Video Theater

One of the most eclectic talents in comics, Ohio State alumnus Paul Pope works in such diverse genres and styles as superheros, erotica, and manga.

He’ll offer insightful comments about his own practice and an overview of his remarkable career, which includes the sci-fi book THB, Heavy Liquid, and Batman: Year 100. The collection Pulphope: The Art of Paul Pope was published in 2007.

A Looney Tunes Evening with Jeff Smith
Thu, Jun 5, 2008 | 7:00PM
Film/Video Theater

Jeff Smith has described Bone as “a Bugs Bunny cartoon meets Lord of the Rings.” Join him this evening as he introduces some of his favorite Warner Bros.’ cartoons and discusses the influence their characteristic zaniness had on his own work.

The program features Chuck Jones’s celebrated “hunting trilogy”—Rabbit Fire (1951), Rabbit Seasoning (1952), and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953)—all three starring Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Daffy Duck. (app. 90 mins., 35mm).

Bring your family and young friends. This program is designed for all ages.

A related show, titled Jeff Smith: Before Bone, is on view nearby in Ohio State's Cartoon Research Library from May 1 until September 5. (The library entrance is just north of the Wexner Center's main entrance, along the sidewalk under the "grid.") That exhibition is open 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, May 10, from 1 to 5 PM. Admission is free.

SPACE Panels Announced

We’re pleased to present the schedule of panel discussions, presentations and workshops that will be going on at the 9th Annual S.P.A.C.E. (Small Press & Alternative Comix Expo) on Sat & Sun, March 1-2:

Saturday

12:30PM Howard E. Day Prize
Hosted by Dave Sim
Find out who among the nominees will go home with the coveted Day Prize, "the shortest awards ceremony in the industry."

2:00 PM "The Comics Classroom -- From Kids to College to the Community" Panel
Hosted by Carol Tyler
Join us for a lively discussion about teaching comics to kids and adults. Seasoned professionals Bruce Chrislip, Mike Maydak and Bill Loebs will share their experiences as teachers of the sequential art form. Led by C. Tyler, Professor of Sequential and Graphic Narratives University of Cincinnati, DAAP School of Art

Sunday

11:00PM On-line Comics panel discussion
Hosted by Ray Tomzcak

12:00 Noon Group Think: A method to develop story for artists and writers
Hosted by Jeff Zwirek
Jeff will lead participants through a unique workshop method for developing ideas with minds eye visualization and word association. Everyone is invited! Bring a pen and paper to develop material for your own comics or prose.

1:00 PM Antholo-geez! Anthology publishers vent
Hosted by Matt Dembicki
Mr. Dembicki (Attic Wit) will lead this discussion on what it takes to coordinate and publish a successful comic book anthology. Featuring Dara Naraghi (Panel), Steve Noppenberger (Potlatch Project), Allen Freeman (Slam Bang), Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm), Mark Innes(Comics Eye), and Bob Corby (Oh,Comics!, Untitled)

2:00 PM SPACE Jam
Hosted by Steve Peters
Steve will perform songs from his Paradox soundtrack CD. He will explain how they fit together with his new comic, Runner's Paradox, which is the companion for the CD. Peters is the creator of Chemistry, a comic which also has a soundtrack CD and which won the 2006 Day Prize.
He will be joined on some songs by Jeff Tundis, bass player for the Jazz Bastards and moderator for the Cerebus Yahoo! group.

3:00 PM Amature Press Association Roundtable
Hosted by Ray Tomczak
If it weren't for APA organizations like The United Fanzine Organization (UFO), the Small Press Syndicate (SPS) the Small Press Association (SPA) and the like, S.P.A.C.E. would not exist. Find out why as Ray Tomczak (former co-chair of SPS) heads this roundtable of APA luminaries, J Kevin Carrier (SPS), Mike Carroll (SPS) and Ian Shires (SPA).

Upcoming Events at the Toonseum

I can't be on top of everything all the time...

Now on exhibition at ToonSeum,
at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

January 19th-February 28th:

Drawn in Black and White: Wee Pals and the Work of Morrie Turner.

Featuring original groundbreaking original art from the comic strip Wee Pals by Morrie Turner, “The Jackie Robinson of the Funny Pages.”

Also on display original art from Jump Start, Fat Albert, and others influenced by Morrie’s work.

Now, check this out:

February 16th--

Drawn in Black and White: A Celebration of African-American Cartoonist!

Featuring demonstrations, book signings, and workshops by Morrie Turner (Wee Pals) Robb Armstrong (Jump Start) and Don Peoples (Editorial Cartoonist and Freelance Illustrator).

Special panel discussion: African Americans in the Cartoon Arts at 3:00pm, reception honoring Morrie to follow. Exhibit is included with paid admission to the Children’s Museum; panel discussion is free. Museum admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and children 2 to 18, and free for younger than 2. More info can be found here and at pittsburghkids.org

and then, on the next day...

February 17th:

Presidential Toons with Rob Rogers (Editorial Cartoonist of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette) and Joe Wos, cartoonist in residence of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh/ToonSeum. Join Joe and Rob for a special story about our national bird and gain unique insight into how an editorial cartoonist draws our presidents.

Evolution of the Graphic Novel

I read this in the February edition of the Short North Gazette.

For its February meeting, The Aldus Society will present a special Valentine's Day treat with a program devoted to the origins and evolution of the graphic novel. This pre­sentation will be by Dr. Jared Gardner, Associate Professor of English and Film at The Ohio State University's College of Humanities. All lovers of books and the printed arts are invited to this monthly meeting on Thurs., Feb. 14. The event is free and open to the public. Begins at 7:30 p.m. (socializing starts at 7) in the Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Ave. Call 614-864­9794 or visit www.AldusSociety.com

Interview with Sci-Fi Smith

As posted on PW Comics Week:

After taking a successful plunge into mainstream comics with last year’s Shazam: The Monster Society of project for DC Comics, Jeff Smith is returning to the world of self publishing with his new series, RASL, which debuts in February. But fans of Smith’s long-running and internationally acclaimed independent series Bone be warned: RASL is a departure from kid-friendly material. Planned as a quarterly series, RASL is a blend of science fiction and noir, following an art thief who jumps dimensions to steal famed paintings. Read the "Let’s get ready to RASL" interview here.

Hmmm... It seems the Spring of `08 is the Trifecta of Self Publishing. Mr. Smith's new book is being published in February. Terry Moore returns to self publishing with his comic, Echo, available in March and Dave Sim will be merging onto the road he helped to pave with his "secret project" (which is not so secret anymore), Glamourpuss, to be launched in April.

Also of note, all three of these artists will be appearing in Columbus this Spring: Dave Sim will be at S.P.A.C.E. on March 1, and Jeff Smith & Terry Moore will speaking at the Wex Center in conjunction with Mr. Smith's Bone art exhibit. (More announcement to come regarding the Bone Exhibit.)

Toothpaste... It's What's For Dinner

Drew from Toothpaste for Dinner
Lecture w/Q&A afterwards
Wed Jan 23, 2008 - 7:30 PM
OSU Campus, Campbell Hall - Room 200

Drew, creator of Toothpaste for Dinner, will be stopping by OSU on Wednesday evening to talk about his experience earning a living as an artist and humorist in Columbus. Since 2001, Drew has worked continually on his Toothpaste For Dinner webcomic, which was described by Slate Magazine as "the most addictive comic on the web." In 2006, Drew began his work with Married to the Sea (see below), a collaborative webcomic with his wife Natalie Dee. From the economics of independent vs. mass media, to his pointed views on the worlds of fine art and comics, Drew has wit to spare. Oh, and if you don't already have his book, buy it now.