THE VOICE OF JIM
The Comics Journal's online audio archive has been updated to feature nearly an hour of excerpts from Gary Groth's 1993 interview with Jim Woodring. "In these excerpts, Woodring discusses the critical reation to his work, his comics influences, the time he spent toiling in the animation field, the nature of reality, his childhood hallucinations and how they affected his subsequent comics output, and more." The audio files will be available through the end of the month.
INFO: The Comics Journal
posted by Egon on Friday, January 02, 2004

ON THE VERGE OF A FESTIVAL
Maryland Institute College of Art has launched a dedicated website with further information on the upcoming "Comics on the Verge" series of events. In addition to the previously announced series of comics exhibits and the "Comics on the Verge Weekend" symposium, MICA presents "Bound: A Small Press Expo," taking place March 6 and 7. Confirmed guests include Jeffrey Brown, Paul Pope and Brian Ralph. The website also carries specific event for the "Comics on the Verge Weekend," running February 6 - 8 and including panels with Mary Fleener, David Mazzucchelli, Peter Kuper, Ted Stearn and others.
INFO: Comics on the Verge
posted by Egon on Friday, January 02, 2004

FRANK AND THE INTERNET
Jim Woodring has created three animated "Frank" shorts for the Seattle Public Library's website. The shorts are "inspired by books found in the collection of The Seattle Public Library," according to the library's news release. "As Frank flips through books in a library, the books absorb Frank into their pages and immerse him in the fascinating and intense worlds contained there. Called 'Frank Finds Out,' the cartoons are part of The Peephole Series sponsored by The Seattle Public Library and the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs."
INFO: Seattle Public Library
posted by Egon on Friday, January 02, 2004

CLOWES: ICE HAVEN GETS BOOKED
The "Readers Voice" website runs a succint interview with Dan Clowes, touching briefly upon issues including influences and process. Asked about current and future work, Clowes reveals that the next issue of Eightball is nearly done ("except for the coloring") and that he's "about to start work on the Art School [Confidential] movie. After that, I'm going to put together an expanded book-form edition of my Ice Haven comic from [Eightball] #22. Beyond all that I have another project that I'm very excited about, but it probably won't ever happen so I won't talk about it now."
INFO: Readers Voice
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

PANTER: D+Q SKETCHBOOKS TK
Juxtapoz Magazine #48 celebrates the publication's tenth anniversary and includes an interview with Gary Panter. Observing Panter's Brooklyn studio, writer Jesse Hernandez notes "a daunting collection of sketchbooks that date back to Panter's youth. Their pages are filled, to the point of near-total coverage, with the fragments of one man's raw vision." In the interview, Panter reveals: "Drawn and Quarterly is about to begin publishing facsimiles of my sketchbooks." Panter further notes that a recently developed lightshow will be performed at Manhattan's Anthology Film Archives this spring.
LINK: Juxtapoz Magazine
LINK: Gary Panter
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

L.A. WEEKLY COVERS COMICS
The current, January 2 - 8 dated issue of the "L.A. Weekly" is that paper's annual comics issue. A full-color illustration by Jordan Crane occupies the issue's cover. Contents include Kristine McKenna's interview with Joe Sacco, an interview with Alejandro Jodorwosky, the paper's list of the past year's noteworthy comics, and work by Marc Bell, Kim Deitch, Lauren Weinstein and others.
INFO: L.A. Weekly
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

CFP: COMICS & MYTHOLOGY
The Centre de Recherches sur les Littératures Modernes et Contemporaines announces "Mythology and Comic Book Art," an academic conference taking place November 19-21 at the Université Blaise Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and solicits academic papers on the theme in announcement posted to the Comics Scholars' Discussion List by Gene Kannenberg, Jr. "Comic book art can be alternatively a propaganda or a powerful communication tool, or a factor in the creation of cultural identity," the call for papers states. "Using its status as a counter cultural medium, comic book art transposes, deforms and largely undermines the dominant mythical discourse which it has helped to build, and in doing so opens the way to critical analysis." Paper proposals are due by the end of January 2004 and can be submitted via e-mail to Viviane Alary (Viviane.ALARY@lettres.univ-bpclermont.fr) or Danielle Corrado (daniellecorrado@club-internet.fr).
LINK: Comic Scholars' Discussion List
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

CRUMB, SHELTON ON THE RADIO
Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton have appeared as guests on "Artists at Work," a series of programs on Santa Monica's KCRW public radio station, notes R. Fiore in a post to the Comics Journal's message board. "The programs have been running at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time during the holidays and will be played in one long string on New Year's Day," Fiore writes. "The KCRW website gives no specific information on when the programs will be broadcast, but eventually they will be put up for your RealAudio listening pleasure."
INFO: The Comics Journal
LINK: KCRW
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

MADDEN TEACHES NEW TRICKS
Matt Madden is slated to teach "Experimental Comics" this spring as part of the School of Visual Arts' Continuing Education program. "Employing various avant-garde approaches, this class will serve as an exploration of non-traditional perspectives to narrative content and structure of the comics medium," reads the course description. "We will examine how to push the boundaries of narratives through the manipulation of text and image as well as panel and page. Each student will have the opportunity to complete several comics projects. Readings and discussions of the works of Art Spiegelman, Oubapo, Chris Ware and others will be included." The weekly class will meet Wednesday evenings from January 28 through April 21. Tuition costs $375. "Tuition has actually gone down slightly since SVA is no longer giving full credit for Continuing Ed classes," writes Madden. The course had previously been offered as part of the fall term curriculum, but was cancelled due to under-enrollment.
INFO: School of Visual Arts
posted by Egon on Wednesday, December 31, 2003

HOTEL & FARM: GRAND RE-OPENING
Ben Katchor will post his "Hotel & Farm" comic strip series in its entirety to his website, the artist announced via e-mail to his mailing list. Beginning this week, the website will run "one strip each week from the beginning of the series," says Katchor. "Hotel and Farm" originally ran as a weekly strip in the Forward and other newspapers.
INFO: Hotel & Farm
posted by Egon on Monday, December 29, 2003

EC SUPPRESSION TODAY
An individual posting to the EC Comics Yahoo Groups mailing list expressed his desire for a comprehensive book telling the EC and Mad Magazine story from former editor, writer and artist Al Feldstein's perspective, drawing a pointed response from Feldstein himself. "There has been no book like that so far because William M. Gaines, Agent (The Estate of William M. Gaines and the holders of all of my E.C. art and stories copyrights) will not grant me permission for their usage in a book about me without their right to final approval (read: CENSORSHIP!) of the entire text," wrote Feldstein in a message dated December 26. "The 'text,' mind you! What I have to say! The way I remember it! NOT just HOW the copyright art will be used, but HOW the book is WRITTEN!!! Which is why there will be no book! Because I will not tolerate such blatant (possibly illegal!) censorship control! Better no book at all, than one that does not do me and my career justice (and truth!)".

In a December 17 message to the same mailing list, Bhob Stewart provided background information on an image excluded from his recent "Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood," published by TwoMorrows Publishing. Wrote Stewart: "Wally Wood originally drew a nude into "The Children" (WEIRD SCIENCE FANTASY 23). This was a gag, since the nude was a pasteover to be peeled from the page before publication. Wood retained the pasteover in his files for many years, and it was forgotten. Some 17 years ago, I was given that art fragment in a stack of several photocopies of Wood drawings. One day I was looking at it and had a feeling that I recognized the pose and character. I flipped through WSF and found the panel where it belonged. Sizing it down, I made a reconstruction. It fit perfectly. With the publication of AGAINST THE GRAIN: MAD ARTIST WALLACE WOOD this fall, I was finally able to present this reconstruction. Unfortunately, my reconstruction of the page was censored for the book. I've now posted the uncensored version as I reconstructed it 17 years ago." The reconstructed image is available via "Fusebox," Stewart's Delphi message board.
INFO: Yahoo Groups: EC Comics
INFO: Delphi Forums: Fusebox
posted by Egon on Sunday, December 28, 2003

SCOOP: McCAY SCHULZ, SOGLOW
The December 12 edition of Gemstone Publishing's Scoop website includes articles on Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo in Slumberland," Charles Schulz's pre-Peanuts "Li'l Folks" and Otto Soglow's "Little King." Each short piece is illustrated with sample images.
INFO: Scoop
posted by Egon on Sunday, December 28, 2003

LATITUDE
Malaysia's New Straits Times profiles Lat in light of a major retrospective currently on view at the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. "It seems a phenomenon that Lat was able to make cartooning a career when it was something unheard of in Malaysia when he started," writes Ooi Kok Chuen of the artist's nearly forty-year career. Several pieces of Lat's work can be viewed via the National Gallery's website; the museum has also published a 210-page exhibit catalogue. "Lat: Retrospective Exhibition" runs through February 28, 2004.
INFO: New Straits Times
INFO: The National Art Gallery
posted by Egon on Sunday, December 28, 2003