ART TALKS LITTLE LIT
Publishers Weekly interviews Art Spiegelman upon the release of "Little Lit: It Was a Dark and Silly Night," the third in his and Françoise Mouly's series of comics anthologies for children. "The original mission for Little Lit was to create the richest demonstration we could of why and how comics are great children's literature," explains Spiegelman. "But the context has changed.... everyone is jumping on the graphic novel bandwagon. Now there's a new problem. The bandwagon's so crowded it's about to break an axle. We want to produce the most accomplished comics. But there are also about four million ways to do comics badly."
INFO: Publishers Weekly
posted by Egon on Friday, August 08, 2003

THE ADVENTURES OF BARON YOSHIMOTO
Cartoonist Baron Yoshimoto has been selected as one of twelve cultural ambassadors by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Japan Times reports. "Yoshimoto will visit Sweden, Australia and the United States to give lectures comparing U.S. and European cartoons with cartoons in Japan."
INFO: The Japan Times
posted by Egon on Friday, August 08, 2003

LI'L AINJILS
Organizers of the Expo: SPX 2003 have announced nominees for this year's Ignatz Awards. Nominees were selected by a panel and will be voted upon by SPX attendees over the course of the festival. "Recipients will be announced at the Ignatz Awards on Sunday, September 7th, 2003." SPX will take place September 5 - 7 in Bethesda, MD.
INFO: SPX
posted by Egon on Friday, August 08, 2003

SETH WRAPS IT UP
Canada's National Post runs its fourth and final installment of Seth's journal in today's edition. The cartoonist reveals an in-progress historical work: "I've been seeking out the work of a handful of old-time Canadian cartoonists... The ultimate goal is to produce a book on the subject, as cartoonists like [James] Simpkins were an important though almost uniformly forgotten part of Canada's history... The book is to be called The Gang of Seven, and the proposals have gone out to publishers." Seth is also developing a possible essay on Martin Vaughn-James' "The Cage" for the Comics Journal: "It's virtually unknown in comic circles and it seems like a work deserving of some attention, but it's extremely dense and surreal." Finally, he comments on the artistic temprament: "I firmly believe that a good artist must be torn between arrogance and self-loathing. You need the arrogance to have the conviction that your work needs to go out into the world, but you have to have the self-doubt to allow you to look at the work critically and try to make it better. It's an awful struggle, and I often wonder why I've picked a medium to work in that almost assures little attention or respect from an audience."
INFO: National Post
posted by Egon on Friday, August 08, 2003

WARE SKIPPERS MCSWEENEY'S SPECIAL
In a journal entry published by Canada's National Post, Seth confirms that Chris Ware will edit a dedicated comics edition of McSweeney's magazine: "The comic pages I'm currently working on will appear in a special all-comics issue of McSweeney's magazine edited by my friend Chris Ware." Amazon UK includes an entry for "McSweeney's Comics Issue," listed as a 368-page hardcover due January 29, 2004.
INFO: National Post
INFO: Amazon
LINK: McSweeney's
posted by Egon on Thursday, August 07, 2003

THE SETH DIARIES, CONT.
Two additional journal entires by Seth have been posted to the National Post's website. In the first, Seth discusses his evolving approach to sketchbooks since the publication of Vernacular Drawings. "My most vital sketchbook is now entirely composed of comic strips. I'm not sure why my attention shifted, but the storytelling part of my work seems more interesting to me than the graphic aspects" In the second entry he describes preparatory work begun towards his next graphic novel. "Even though I am only about a third of the way through Clyde Fans (my current graphic novel), and even though it will take at least another two years to complete, I've already begun planning the details of my next story. It's shaping up to be another long, complicated piece. I set the story in an imaginary Canadian city named Dominion, and I decided to give some depth to it by working out the history, businesses and citizens of this town." To this end he has begun constructing a number of scale models representing environments depicted in the story. "Oddly enough, this seems to have turned into a significant piece of my life's work." The Post will run Seth's final journal entry tomorrow.
INFO: National Post (part two)
INFO: National Post (part three)
posted by Egon on Thursday, August 07, 2003

FEIFFER ON SHOW, ONLINE
The Jean Albo Gallery of Chicago, IL will exhibit "Jules Feiffer: Drawings, Cartoons, and Book Art" September 5 through October 18. The gallery's website currently displays several images of Feiffer's original artwork.
INFO: Jean Albo Gallery
posted by Egon on Thursday, August 07, 2003

THE PALOOKAVILLE POST
Canada's National Post runs a journal by Seth as the first in a series profiling "creative Canadians working in the arts." In addition to illustration assignments and "Clyde Fans," serialized in Palookaville, Seth is working with his father on a prose volume. "It's a memoir of his childhood in Depression-era Prince Edward Island, tentatively titled Bannock, Beans and Black Tea... Over the last decade or so, I've managed to get him to write down all the stories he's told me over my life, and I have been editing them into a book... I've poured a lot of effort into making it a beautifully designed monument to his life." Seth also describes his daily routine and notes his changing approach to art-making. "Lately, I find I am spending as much time carefully whiting out little details on the page as I am actually drawing and inking it. This is not a good thing." [Correction: subsequent editions of this feature have proven to be further journal entries, sans artwork.]
INFO: National Post
posted by Egon on Wednesday, August 06, 2003

CASTILLO, CBLDF: DOWN BY LAW
Charles Brownstein grants the ICv2 website a lengthy interview in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent decision not to hear the CBLDF's appeal of the Jesus Castillo obscenity case. The website also interviewed Castillo about the effects of the case, including the probation he is now required to serve.
INFO: ICv2: Brownstein
INFO: ICv2: Castillo
posted by Egon on Wednesday, August 06, 2003

GROENSTEEN'S "SYSTÈME" EN ANGLAIS
In a message posted to the Comics Scholars' Discussion List, Andrei Molotiu mentions that he is currently translating Thierry Groensteen's "Système de la Bande Dessinée." Groensteen, a noted comics scholar and co-founder of the French Oubapo group, has edited "Cahiers de la Bande Dessinée" and has served as director of the Musée de la Bande Dessinée. He currently edits 9e Art Magazine and heads the "Editions de l'An 2" publishing house, among other credits. "Système de la Bande Dessinée" is based upon Groensteen's doctoral work.
INFO: Comics Scholars' Discussion List
LINK: Thierry Groensteen
posted by Egon on Tuesday, August 05, 2003

SERIALIZER AUGMENTATION
Serializer.net editor Tom Hart announces several new additions to the subscription comics website. New continuing features include "Mjau Mjau Archives," offering "30 never-before seen strips" by Jason; an online version of Metaphrog's "Louis: Red Letter Day;" "Paradise Place," a serial by Bishakh Som; and Greg Stump's "Dwarf Attack" strip, in full color. Hart additionally inaugurates the website's rotating "Serializer Showcase" with a 20-page story by Jessica Grilihas.
INFO: Serializer.net
posted by Egon on Tuesday, August 05, 2003

HIGHWATER RISING
Highwater Books' website has been updated to preview several books due from the publisher later this year. "Maggots" will reproduce 320 pages of Brian Chippendale's "shockingly dense comics" in two colors and is planned for spring release. "I Pity You" by Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian will ship later this month and tells in tandem format the "autobiographical tale of the making of a Monsieur Jean comic book." Coober Skeeber #3 will ship "sometime in 2003" and will feature nine sixteen-page, two-color stories by Mat Brinkman, Greg Cook, Jim Drain, David Gavril, Leif Goldberg, James Kochalka, Matt Madden, Pshaw and Ron Regé Jr. "Crum Bums" by Brian Ralph and "SMB3" by Ben Jones are also listed, with no information available about either volume.
INFO: Highwater Books
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

BILL BLACKBEARD ON KRAZY BOOK
In a message to the Comic Strip Classics mailing list, Bill Blackbeard explains the diminutive size of the Pacific Comics Club's recent volume of Krazy Kat dailies as a printing error soon to be corrected by PCC publisher Tony Raiola. "It seems his printer misunderstood the size the new title line was to have, and delivered the absurdly small first edition volumes to several comic book outlets," writes Blackbeard. "These are being withdrawn from sale where possible, and the same title will be printed in a decent size (similar to the Annie books) within the next four weeks... Since Tony is using SFACA KK strip runs for this series, I more or less ride herd on the operation, and assure Allen Sundry (that old gang of mine) that the next KK #l volume will be the kat's pajamas -- or else there will be no more PCC editions to follow, by gum."
INFO: Yahoo! Groups: Comic Strip Classics
LINK: Pacific Comics Club
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

BAGNALL BOOK BLOWS IN
Kingly Books will publish "Windy Wilberforce: Voice of the Wilberforce" by Ed Bagnall, according to a report on the Bugpowder website. The book is due this month according to the publisher's website.
INFO: Kingly Books
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

GOODMAN BEAVER GOES ONLINE
Rodrigo Baeza's online journal slyly points to an online edition of the long-suppressed "Goodman Goes Playboy" by Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder. The seven page strip lampoons Playboy culture-cum-Archie icons and was originally drawn for Help! Magazine #16, published in 1962. "The publishers of Archie Comics didn't like the story, threatened to sue Kurtzman and Elder after it came out, and finally reached a settlement with them in which all rights to the story were given to Archie Comics. As a result, the story hasn't been reprinted (except in bootleg editions)," writes Baeza.
INFO: Goodman Beaver Goes Playboy
INFO: Rodrigo Baeza
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

TCJ AUDIO: HOWARD CHAYKIN
The Comics Journal's online audio archive has been updated with an hour of excerpts from Kim Thompson's 1988 "Amazing Heroes" interview with Howard Chaykin. The files will remain online through the duration of August.
INFO: The Comics Journal
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

FRESH AIR WITH HARVEY PEKAR
Harvey Pekar is scheduled to appear on today's episode of "Fresh Air" on National Public Radio. Episodes of "Fresh Air" are available online as streaming audio files.
INFO: NPR: Fresh Air
posted by Egon on Monday, August 04, 2003

M. FERRAILLE IN MONTREAL
"There's a trio of films about Angoulême 2003 star M. Ferraille in an exhibit at the Darling Foundry in Old Montreal," reports Jamie Salomon to the Comics Journal's message board. "The exhibit is called Import/Export" and the Ferraille films are part of a program of conceptual shorts. M. Ferraille is the mascot character of Ferraille Illustré comics magazine and the subject of a pseudo-historical exhibit organized by Albigensian publishing collective "Les Requins Marteaux" at this year's Festival BD d'Angoulême. The films screening at the Foundry include "an animated short, a long documentary of M. Ferraille's film career (kind of like the story in the Monsieur Ferraille album about his history as a comic character), and a music video from the early eighties called 'Master of Cash.'" The Old Foundry is maintained by Montreal's Quartier Éphémère, which renovates disused industrial facilities for use as art spaces. "The place is at 754 Ottawa, west of the touristy part of Old Mtl, and it runs until the end of the month."
INFO: The Comics Journal
LINK: Quartier Éphémère
LINK: Supermarche Ferraille
posted by Egon on Sunday, August 03, 2003

DARK AND SILLY RADIO
Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman are scheduled to appear on the August 14 episode of KCRW's "Bookworm" radio program to discuss the upcoming third volume of their "Little Lit" children's comics anthology. KCRW broadcasts are available online as streaming audio files.
INFO: KCRW
posted by Egon on Sunday, August 03, 2003

A QUANTITY OF ZUM
The latest issue of Paul Schroeder's ZUM! Comix Magazine, a British small press review, has been released and is available for download as a complete .pdf file. The ZUM! website has also been updated with new reviews.
INFO: ZUM! Comix Magazine
posted by Egon on Sunday, August 03, 2003

HARVEY WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Comicon.com's "Pulse" website lists in full winners of this year's Harvey Awards, announced last night at a private media event held at MoCCA's Manhattan offices. Winners include Nick Bertozzi, Dan Clowes, event MC Evan Dorkin, Alan Moore, and Jaime Hernandez for "Best Inker." Next year's Awards will be given at a formal ceremony in association with the MoCCA Arts Festival.
INFO: Comicon.com: "Pulse"
INFO: Harvey Awards
posted by Egon on Sunday, August 03, 2003