LA Times Book Prize Graphic Novel Nominations
For the first time, there will be a graphic novelcategory for the Los AngelesTimes Book Prize. The 2009Los Angeles Book Prize finalists for best graphic novel are: Luba by Gilbert Hernandez, GoGo Monster by Taiyo Matsumoto, Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli, Scott Pilgrim Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. theUniverse by Bryan Lee O'Malley and Footnotesin Gaza by Joe Sacco. The awards will be presented at the Los Angeles Times Festival ofBooks on April 23.
MoCCA's Master Class from Claremont, DeFalco & O'Neil
Beginning on March 16, the Museumof Comic and Cartoon Art will be offering a special master class in comicswriting. Each of the three sessions will be taught by a different comics great.Chris Claremont will teach on March 16, Tom DeFalco will teach on March 23, andDennis O'Neil will teach the final class on April 13. Classes will run from6:30-8:30 p.m. and will take place at the Museum itself. Tuition is $100 forthe full course or $40 for an individual class, with a reduced rate of $90 and$35 respectively for MoCCA members. More information is available on the MoCCA website. MoCCA islocated at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, New York, NY between Houston and Prince streets.
Mouly on NewYorker cover
Toon Books and RAWeditor Françoise Mouly goes on videoexplaining last week's cartoonistjam New Yorker covers. Moulycoordinated the creation of these covers which featured the art of prominentindie and underground comics creators Ivan Brunetti, Dan Clowe, Adrian Tomineand Chris Ware. The video is availablehere for online viewing. Link found on Drawn & Quarterly's website.
Marvel's Black Superhero Exhibit
Now through February 26, New York's Caribbean Cultural Center African DiasporaInstitute is hosting an exhibit of some of Marvel's most beloved blacksuperheroes. "Marvelous Color"features over 100 original works of art of The Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage,The Falcon and Blade from renowned comics artists past and present includingJohn Romita Sr., ChrisCross, Joe Quesada, John Byrne, Shawn Martinbrough andmany, many more. The gallery is open Monday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. andadmission is free, but there is a suggested donation of $5. The CCCADI islocated at 408 West 58th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues, New York, NY.Details and a glimpse of the art is available at the Marvelous Color website.
Moomin Exhibit in Brussels
An exhibit of the classic Moomin comics andillustrations from Finnish artist and author Tove Jansson is on display at theBelgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels from now through the end of August.Curated by comics historian Paul Gravett, "Moomin: Tove Jansson's Dreamworld"features the strips themselves as well as Jansson's original art and productionsketches. The Moomin series, about a family of whimsical hippopotamus-likebeings, includes nine illustrated novels, five picture books and a comic strip,and is internationally known, inspiring the long-running anime series Tales from Moominvalley. The Moominseries is published in the United States by Drawn and Quarterly. Moreinformation is available on the Belgian Comics Center's website.
This Week @ Good Comics For Kids
This week SchoolLibrary Journal's blog Good Comics forKids had reviews of Crogan'sMarch, AmeliaEarhart: This Broad Ocean and Marwe:Into the Land of the Deead, the 2/17listing of comics suitable for all ages, a biginterview and review roundup and a HighDrama in Riverdale-themed links roundup from Brigid Alverson.
This Week @ The Beat
This week at PWCWeditor Heidi MacDonald's blog The Beat,she interviewedDC Entertainment head Diane Nelson and covered theDC executive shakeup indepth, includingthe ramifications of DiDioand Lee asco-publishers, a League ofExtraordinary Gentlemen grudge rematch between artist KevinO'Neil and LOEG movie producer Don Murphy - this time over copyright,Wizard World buying andadding a Nashville comic con to their already busy schedule, StanLee doing... something, probably with Boom!, SanDiego begging Comic Con not to leave it for the milkman Anaheim, SteveGeppi of Diamond Comics getting suedby the family of Archie co-creatorBob Montana for $500 million for reasons unknown, the New York Comic BookMarketplace's eleventhhour change in venue, January'sbrutal sales numbers, Graphic.ly'spurchase of iFanboy, badreviews of comics stalwart The ComicsJournal's new website, mega-bestsellerJames Patterson coming to write for IDW, and FirstSecond's launch of Zahra's Paradise -an activist roman à clef webcomic straightfrom the heart of Iran, published anonymously to protect the creators
