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For today, I am an honorary abominable gentleman. I guess I should put on a waistcoat and suit and a nifty pocket watch. I have the pocket watch if nothing else and it is a mighty pretty one with gold and silver flowers carved onto its back. I do hope they won't object to my parasol.
And who are the Abominable Gentlemen? Well they are James Everington, Aaron Polson, Iain Rowan and Alan Ryker, and Mr. Everington interviewed me over at the Penny Dreadnought blog where we talk about astronaut postmen, poisoned lipstick and platform shoes.
I hope you'll read it.
8 Comments on Abominable Gentlemen, last added: 7/16/2012
Best Graphic Album – Reprint Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Strips Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)
Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition (IDW)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Best Writer Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)
Best Writer/Artist Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)
Best Cover Artist Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets
Kiss (Archie)
Best Coloring Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)
Best Lettering Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)
Best Comics-Related Journalism The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com
Best Educational/Academic Work (tie) Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)
Best Comics-Related Book MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)
Best Publication Design Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)
Hall of Fame
Judges’ Choices: Rudolf Dirks, Harry Lucey Bill Blackbeard, Richard Corben, Katsuhiro Otomo, Gilbert Shelton
9 Comments on SDCC 2012: Eisner Award Winners 2012, last added: 7/14/2012
Congrats to all the winners. I’ve read some of these and, looking at the ones I haven’t read, I’m thinking…”Hmm, not a bad reading list for the rest of the summer.”
Mike Mitchell Online said, on 7/14/2012 4:19:00 AM
Congratulations to all the winners!
Alistair Robb said, on 7/14/2012 5:56:00 AM
Congrats to all but especially Tom Spurgeon, way to go!
Scratchie said, on 7/14/2012 7:43:00 AM
Congrats to the winners, esp. Evan Dorkin!
Rich said, on 7/14/2012 8:34:00 AM
“Best comics related book: Beat archival Comic Strip Mickey Mouse”
Looks like an error there. It looks like the winner of “Best Comics-Related Book” was METAMAUS.
Well… I hope IDW rereleases the Best Short Story winner in a different volume so that those of us that loyally bought the first two Parker books don’t have to rebuy that material just to read it.
Torsten Adair said, on 7/14/2012 11:54:00 AM
So, comics publishers and/or CCI:
When will you publish an Eisner Awards anthology?
It sure would be nice to hand someone a volume of great comics.
DC… Warner Brothers Home Entertainment collected all of their Oscar nominated and winning animated shorts onto a DVD. Why can’t you do the same with your comics in book form?
Isn’t that what awards are created to do? Honor the best of a specific medium or genre, and garner more attention for the medium or genre?
I can understand if Marvel or DC are too snooty to have their work appear with those from other publishers (although it bit DC in the ass with Year 100 and Best American Comics). What I can’t understand is DC or Marvel not publicizing their award winners!
Well, I can understand it… DC took some twenty years to place the Hugo Award notice on “Watchmen”. Marvel barely acts like a book publisher, so ignoring honors isn’t too surprising.
We call the Eisners “the Oscars of comics”, but it’s more like the “Golden Globes”…
SF said, on 7/14/2012 1:03:00 PM
@Torsten Adair: That’s a great idea.
Truthsayer said, on 7/14/2012 4:08:00 PM
The Oscars of comics? Hahahaha..
So the best comic of the year is DAREDEVIL ISSUE EIGHT HUNDRED AND SIXTY F… I mean, DAREDEVIL ISSUE SEVEN (yeah right)… that’s the exact equivalent of the latest JAMES BOND flick getting the Oscar for better movie, best director and best actor.
The torch arrived in Thatcham at 10.30am on a bright and sunny morning on Day 54. It came along the A4 and passed within 20 yards of the Family Bookshop, so owner Stephen Walker closed it for 40 minutes so that he and his staff could go out and take a look at it.
At last - a sunny torch picture [Photo: Stephen Walker]
‘The streets were quite crowded and there were lots of school children there – some had come as organised parties with their schools and others had been given the day off and come along with their parents. Among the crowds you could see solid blocks of light green and light blue – all the different coloured school uniforms. ‘At the other end of town, where my wife and children were standing, there was a band playing and the mayor was there.’ ‘There was a lot of hype before the torch arrived – police on motorbikes, sponsors’ buses and people giving out flags. Then the runner came surrounded by more police and finally a few local cyclists who had decided to tag along at end of the parade.’ It was strange, pointed out Stephen, that there were lots of policemen in front of the torch, but virtually none behind it. Back at the shop, Stephen had an Olympic display in the window, featuring a torch made by his wife. ‘It was more a symbolic torch; it didn’t bear much resemblance to the real thing,’ said Stephen. Stephen knew exactly what the real thing looked like. He had the opportunity to hold one when a Metropolitan Police officer gave a talk to members of the local Rotary Club about his job escorting the Torch Relay.
Kissing torches in Dorset [Photo: http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk]
The torch didn’t directly pass P&G Wells Bookshop in Winchester and manager Crispin Drummond didn’t leave the shop, but he caught much of the town’s excitement from inside: ‘I saw an important number of people marching out with their umbrellas. I saw the local pub putting on a special promotion for the event, and I saw a large new flag, bearing the letters 2120 flying above the Cathedral. ‘There was lots of distraction and animated chatter among the people of the town, who were all looking forward to the big day. And normally sober members of staff went out and came back giggling and waving things.’ But Crispin didn’t feel that he’d missed out. ‘There were enough people out there having a good time and afterwards it was all reported back to me. There were large crowds chatting with strangers, lots of policeman and lots of people waving flags.’ Crispin also observed that afterwards there was no agonising or expression of feeling as there had been following the Wimbledon final. ‘No one really commented on it. I think many people regarded it as no more than a long lunch hour.’ Summing it all up, Crispin said, ‘The torch came in, round, through and out. It was very benign with no hard edge and no litter to clear up afterwards. All felt that they’d done a good job and that it was a nice event. They were happy to get involved.’
0 Comments on Olympic Bookshop Hop - Day 54 - Reading to Salisbury as of 1/1/1900
This morning the team at Walker Books organised another venture out promoting Python in the library, this time with the lovely crew at Glebe Library (another local library for me). And this time, I was not alone.
The staff (thanks Beth) had arranged for my talk, part of their 8 Stories High (abi-monthly National Year of Reading activity) to include a visit by Amy from Australian Wildlife Displays. Accompanying Amy was the gorgeous Precious. So my chit chat about my new picture book Python ended up being a very lively hands-on book reading and information sesson. It was absolutely thrilling to once again to be entwined with one of my favourite Australian animals, a Diamond python - as this photos shows. It all came soooo naturally!
The kids (big and little) were able to get a close up with Precious and we had nearly all of them transforming into tree branches so that they could discover how wonderful snakes really are: the way their muscles massage; the way their tongue flicks in and out; the way they effortlessly move; the way they warm up as they absorb external heat; their beauthiful body patterns. ... and oh so much more!
Now you see another reason why I just love what I do!
Trying to keep up with all the Comicon News and Announcements? Friday was probably the Comicon equivalent of a slow news day. No giant headlines like Neil Gaiman on Thursday. We’ve still got enough to keep you caught up on.
This week we feature the wonderful illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman. Barbara has been illustrating professionally for more than 20 years. She’s done art for books, art for magazines and newspaper articles, art for calendars and advertising, greeting cards, corporate reports, medical reports, and invitations.
For the ten years before she was an illustrator, she worked with puppets and created figurative fiber sculptures which she has exhibited at shows and galleries around the country.
She holds B.F.A. in Art and a ceritificate in Art Education. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband Phil, her three sons, Dave, Mike, and Ben and her dog Bitty (in picture on left).
Here is a picture of Barbara’s studio.
When Barbara paints big, she uses antique dough boards. I asked about them and Barbara said, “They are large slabs of wood, usually one single plank wide, probably cut from old growth trees, mostly of pine. They are also called “noodle boards.” Women used them for kneading dough for bread and noodles of sorts. They are often fairly large–20 by 28 or more. Some have lips that hung over the edges of tables to make them more stable.”
I like painting on them and have purchased them whenever I can find them at a reasonable price.
This is the first color illustration assignment Barbara ever got–a piece on Turkey farms for Boston Magazine back in the 80s.
Tell us a little bit about the puppets and dolls you did right out of college. Where the puppets marionettes? What materials did you use to make the dolls?
While I was still in college I met Lois Bohevesky and with her and Frieda Gates I spent a summer studying puppetry and puppet making at the Bil Baird Theatre in New York. (it is no longer there) I learned to make and operate hand puppets, rod puppets, and marionettes. That course planted the seed of a love of puppetry and everything puppet related. By summer’s end my future husband had built us a portable stage that could be used to do small shows. We packed up our rented van and moved to Buffalo, where we had transferred for our fall semester in college to be together. I posted puppet show flyers in different places and somehow we began to get calls and jobs from out of nowhere to do puppet shows all around the Buffalo area.
The big change in our lives came when we were hired to perform at a craft show. Instead of paying us a full fee, we took a table to sell puppets, because I had discovered that I loved making them as much as performing with them (actually more). After that show we were hired for othe
5 Comments on lustrator Saturday – Barbara Johansen Newman, last added: 7/16/2012
Love this article and your work!! Especially the lady with the chicken glasses, and the two girls with ALL those glasses to choose from!!
That Bil Baird you speak of was the producer of the marionettes in The Sound of Music!! So cool that you could do that!! (I love puppetry, too!)
“If you create stories that are true to the person you are and true to what you love, it will show in the art.” So true.
Thanks for sharing…Barb
Christine McIntyre-Hannon said, on 7/14/2012 7:04:00 PM
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. It was quite inspiring!
MaryZ said, on 7/14/2012 7:37:00 PM
Congrats, Barbara, on this major retrospective. Wish I could be a fly on your desk lamp watching you work in photoshop with your cintiq. It’s a foreign concept to me.
Jan Kozlowski said, on 7/14/2012 7:40:00 PM
LOVE Barb’s work! Great interview, Kathy!
Marcia Lynch said, on 7/16/2012 11:21:00 AM
Dear Barbara,
Dreams DO come true!!! Wonderful interview~~beautifully done~~~congrats all around!!!!!
Lots of love,
Marcia & Dennis and kids
Welcome to my Reading Road Trip Giveaway! Hosted by I Like These Books & IceyBooks, the goal of the Reading Road Trip is to spotlight all 50 states with giveaways. Think of this as the ultimate in armchair travel.
Today I want to present my state to you. Welcome to Michigan! The Great Lakes State, we are surrounded by beautiful state parks and lots and lots of water. Lakes, rivers, ponds, and even a swamp or two. While this means high humidity in the summer, it also means water skiing, swimming, boating, fishing, and hanging out at the beach, and skating, snow mobiling, and snow angels in the winter.
Michigan has four distinct seasons, and though I hate our long, cold winters, I love the change in scenery that occurs year round. Here are some fun Michigan facts (to see more, visit this website) -
The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. It spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac.
The painted turtle is Michigan’s state reptile. (There was a painted turtle in my backyard a couple of weeks ago!)
The Detroit Zoo was the 1st zoo in America to feature cageless, open-exhibits that allowed the animals more freedom to roam. (This is still a cool place to spend an afternoon!)
Standing anywhere in the state a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes . (That’s only, like, an hour away at the speed most people around here drive!)
Isle Royal Park has one of the largest moose herds remaining in the U.S. (Moose! In Michigan!)
Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
Click below for a larger view of Michigan. Our state is shaped like a mitten, which is something you will need if you visit in the winter. It gets cold here!
What else do I like about Michigan? I live in an area with lots and lots of horse farms. I am only 10 minutes from where I board my horses. I am only a short drive from a state park, where I can go trail riding. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Now for my giveaway! I am giving away a copy of Courtney Allison Moulton’s Angelfire. Courtney lives in Michigan, and she is a horse enthusiast, too!
To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter widget. Extra entries for following. US shipping addresses only.
I've just come back from a visit to California and suprise surprise - its not just the UK public libraries under threat of cuts. Pomona Public Library according to the L.A. Times two weeks ago, could be facing its 'final chapter'. To add insult to injury, this is the library which stores the original handwritten manuscript of "Little Town on the Prairie" donated by the author herself, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
"You make good use of your library I am sure," Laura wrote in May 1950. "How I would have loved it when I was young but I was far from a library in those days." One of America's most beloved author's began corresponding with the Pomona Public Library's children's librarian, who was a fan of her books and this is how the manuscript came to be donated. There is even a room named in the author's honour in the library. Yet none of this may be enough to save it from closure. The library currently has a budget of $1.6 million and is open 26 hours a week. They have been offered a chance to stay open if they can cut the budget to $400,000. I have no idea how these figures compare to UK library budgets but anyone can see that the cut is just too much. "Any book you haven't read is a new book," is the library's slogan and it is truly heartbreaking to hear that they might close.
However it is not all doom and gloom. One hour up the coast from L.A. is the city of Oxnard where my 95 year old aunt, Stella lives with her husband Bob. Stella was born in London in 1916, the year of the Somme. Her father, my grandpa, Joe Hyams, was a gunner at the front. He's the one with the cross next to him.
Stella has lived in California since the 1960s. For the past 20 years she has volunteered at the Oxnard Public Library and is still a very valued member of the team. Here she is at her work station. She catalogues the CDs.
It was great to have a chance to look round a local library in the States and I was enormously impressed. The children's library which occupies only part of the ground floor is absolutely vast - about twice the size of the entire public library in Golders Green near me.
Hear hear Miriam. Thank you for highlighting the particular talents of the children's librarian whether it be corresponding with authors in the 1950's or finding new voices for their readers today. Once they're gone......
Laura was my imaginary friend through thick and thin, all through my growing-up, and I still feel a great bond with her now. Did those stories of building houses out of logs and sods and planks lead me to marry an architect who has now built me a house with planks on the outside?! She's precious to me, so I very much hope that library can be saved ... as well as for the more obvious and pressing reasons, of course.
Laura was my imaginary friend through thick and thin, all through my growing-up, and I still feel a great bond with her now. Did those stories of building houses out of logs and sods and planks lead me to marry an architect who has now built me a house with planks on the outside?! She's precious to me, so I very much hope that library can be saved ... as well as for the more obvious and pressing reasons, of course.
I've had good experiences of Californian libraries too - I was members of both Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara public libraries.
I remember discovering Judith Viorst's wonderful "Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" and many other fantastic American classics which are not well known in the UK. But I was intrigued that they also had many older British books too - like the Church Mice books by Graham Oakley, which I suspect are now hard to find in UK libraries.
And one thing I really loved about them - the picture books were in alphabetical order!
My favourite of all American libraries though is in Boulder, Colorado, and includes a bridge over Boulder creek...
Oh dear and Obama is supposed to care about that kind of thing, it wasn’t really a surprise here with the Tories in power. Are you related to Sue Hyams?
The Guardian has just come out with its list of The big novels of 2012, a modestly useful overview of many of the 'big' (i.e. published by major houses, guaranteed lots of press coverage anyway) novels of the year -- many of which are already available (and quite a few of which are under review at the complete review).
(Note, however (though they do not) that their: "guide to an extraordinary year in fiction" is inexplicably restricted to novels written in English -- there's not a translated work in sight here.)
Just a few weeks ago The Millions brought out their slightly more comprehensive list of the Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2012 Book Preview (which is not restricted to novels (or to originally-written-in-English works)) -- "8,700 words strong and encompassing 76 titles" -- which complements their beginning-of-the-year list (which, you'll recall, was: "8,400 words strong and encompassing 81 titles"), the Most Anticipated: The Great 2012 Book Preview (which was billed, at the time, as being: "the only 2012 book preview you will ever need"; apparently they reconsidered, since they saw need to add that 'Second-Half 2012 Book Preview' ...).
Meanwhile, Scott Esposito continues to occasionally update his more eclectic and still a bit thin (but still the most interesting of the lot) list of Interesting New Books -- 2012 at Conversational Reading.
(The list that I suspect I will find the most useful is the 2012 Translation Database at Three Percent, listing (more or less -- re-translations are not included, etc.) all the new translations appearing in the US this year; unfortunately, this year's list is still not yet available ... (but keep an eye on the Translation Database page, and keep your fingers crossed that a first draft appears soon).)
Author Larry McMurtry also runs the mega-bookstore, Booked Up, but 10-11 August he's holding The Last Book Sale, where over two hundred thousand titles are going to be auctioned off (over 1400 shelf-lots of about 150 books each).
The auction-site has some lot details, and there's also a list of The McMurtry 100 (warning ! dreaded pdf format !), as they asked: "Mr. Larry McMurtry to pick out 100 books to give bidders an idea of the type of quality books which will be offered within the shelf-lots".
At his store-site, McMurtry explains the reason for pushing out the books is: "Because we believe that in the book world migration is healthy".
The most recent addition to the complete review is my review of Angela Carter's 1969 novel, Heroes and Villains (which was recently reissued in the UK but appears to be out of print in the US).
For our public librarian colleagues it is a busy summer reading with and taking care of all the children out of school for the summer. For us school librarian folks, summer can be an opportunity to re-charge through professional learning. At my school district’s Summer Conference, one of our keynote speakers was Angela Maiers, @AngelaMaiers, who passionately spoke about the power of social media in today’s world. Because of a session with her, I was pecked by the Twitter bird, and have become an avid fan. If you haven’t already been pecked, as literally millions have, maybe I can entice you to join the Twitter universe with some ideas and information I’ve learned from my favorite tweets and tweeters.
Basically, Twitter allows people to send and receive “tweets”, short messages limited to a maximum of 140 characters, including spaces. Each tweet can convey a good deal of information without taking a lot of time to read or write. To automatically see what someone else is saying, you “follow” them. Those who regularly receive your posts are your “followers.” To get started sign up for your account at www.twitter.com, and download the app to your smartphone and/or tablet. If you want a crash course on Twitter, Common Craft has a quick video on YouTube that can help you get started, too. Watch it at: http://tinyurl.com/384n2f
To get an idea about how libraries use Twitter, read the recent article from Information Today, Inc., by Sarah Milstein, Twitter for Libraries. She includes links to many libraries of all kinds who are using Twitter to post about library announcements, give hours of operation, highlight upcoming programs, provide tips for research, and new book arrivals. Find the article at: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/may09/Milstein.shtml.
To get you “pecked” and using Twitter as personal learning, here’s a smackerel of what I’ve found recently. But be careful, this Twitter thing can be addicting!
Missed ALA Annual? Follow @alaannual and relive #ala12 (the hashtag used by conference attendees to tweet about sessions, author signings, giveaways and all else ALA). Find the highlights issue of Cognotes PDF version at www.ow.ly/bXI8z .
Follow and connect with publishing houses and learn about new and upcoming titles, author appearances, book trailers, and other special promotions. During ALA, they would tweet about the current ARC’s for giveaway and the authors in their booths. A few that I follow (haven’t found them all yet!): @ABRAMSbooks, @randomhousekids, @MacKidsBooks, @HMHbooks, @DisneyHyperion, @lbschool, @SimonKids, @ChronicleKids, @PenguinClass, @HarperChildrens, @ScholasticTeach, and @Candlewick.
Follow and connect with your favorite authors and illustrators. Many times they will answer your tweets personally. While at an ALA Abrams luncheon, I met Matthew Cordell, @cordellmatthew, took a photo of his Bat and Rat puppet show, shared the photo with him on Twitter, and he used it in his blog! tinyurl.com/bnbcomn
Follow your favorite professional journals. I follow School Library Journal, @sljournal, who recently tweeted about an interview with Paul O. Zelinsky on “My Favorite Caldecott”, www.ow.ly/c4bQB . I also follow @HornBook, check out their hastag #HBAppReviewoftheWeek, and a tweet linking to their article about ocean-
4 Stars Tilden Troll didn’t think he was any different from other trolls until he entered the first grade. There, because of his size, he was laughed at and teased by his classmates, who were led by one especially nasty bully. But when the bully found himself in big trouble, only Tilden’s size could save [...]
oddly, this accidental screenshot was taken when my screen was actually busted and looked totally nothing like this. iphone magic, i guess.
My iphone died today. I dropped it on a tile floor. I drop it all the time, but today I guess I dropped it in some extra-special way. All the stars aligned, and the screen totally went. I watched in horror as it happened—I actually felt like I was in a movie. I think that all speaks volumes to my iphone attachment, for better or for worse, and how, maybe (and I'm looking for the silver lining here, but justmaybe) it's not a bad thing for me to view this whole debacle as an opportunity for a little self-examination.
For one thing, I do not NEED to use my phone as much as I do. Yes, it is an indispensable tool. Yes, it is the biggest technological revolution since the computer and the internet. Yes, I do need it—there is no getting around that— it's the swiss army knife of productivity for me.... BUT (you knew this was coming!) the iphone does not have a conscience. It does not have an opinion. It can't tell me what it thinks I should or shouldn't spend my time doing. (Kazoo, anyone? Flinstones?) It can only go where I tell it to go, do what I tell it to do. That, unfortunately, can sometimes add up to a fair amount of time goofing off. Time that would be much better spent with my sketchbook, or my notebook... or even just hanging out with my dog more. I'm certain of this. Sure, I mostly use it for productivity-laced activities.I read helpful e-books on it. I have so many tools on it that help me communicate with others, deliver files to people, and generally keep things running well. The phone itself even assists me with off-line creative work in several ways. And when I do play a game, it's often Draw Something, which I consider a casual but engaging creative exercise, not a waste of time.
But... my iphone can't tell me to knock it off when I take the off-ramp into junkdom (Hello, Us Weekly!). It can't coach me to curb my Instagramming. (Hey I love Instagram, but I also love pie, and if I ate pie the way I Instagram..) It doesn't set a timer when I'm making photo collages in PicFrame, my latest obsession. (Think they should make an app for that?)
So, I'm coming clean: On some level, my iphone addiction actually bothers me! Yes, It is an uber-productivity tool, but it's also an uber- time-suck-and-goof-off tool if one is not really careful about it. This is something I've been aware of. It's not a secret. But here I am, now, in this situation. And it's really a great, gifty opportunity to investigate my phone habits and take steps to revise them where needed. I'm not saying it's great that I dropped and accidentally killed my phone. But I am glad that I'm self-aware enough to see this as a chance to make some small changes that I think will add up, and eventually improve— ironically—my productivity. Definitely, when it comes to sketchi
I'm sure she's right -- best beginning ever. (I've never been a fan of "Call me Ishmael.") I can hardly wait to read it, and I've been out of middle school for some time now.
Every member of my family knows firsthand that having a pet makes life more fulfilling. Dogs and cats love unconditionally, and there’s nothing like a loyal and loving pet to comfort you and keep you company.
My daughter with our giant poodle, Darwin.
Several Broward County shelters offer pet adoptions for nominal fees, and by adopting from a shelter you’ll be saving a life. All require applications and perform a thorough screening to ensure that their pets are placed in loving homes. If you’d like to consider adopting or fostering a pet:
Browse the websites to learn more about each shelter’s adoption policies.
Peruse the photos of animals available for adoption, but keep in mind that there are likely additional animals available that are not yet listed on the websites.
Check the hours of the shelter you’d like to visit before planning to meet the dogs and cats available for adoption.
Bring a list of questions to ask at the shelter.
If you already have a pet(s) at home, you’ll want to make sure you choose a new dog or cat that will get along with your pets.
Know that all pets are generally spayed, neutered and vaccinated by the shelters.
Don’t be in a rush to make a decision about pet adoption/fostering, as it is a big commitment.
Before bringing a pet home, make sure you have all the basic supplies you’ll need for feeding and caring for him or her.
Once you do adopt a pet, take advantage of the shelter’s support services should you encounter any challenges when you bring your new dog or cat home.
Consider making a donation to a Broward County animal shelter – big or small it will be greatly appreciated.
The Canada Council for the Arts supports the publication of most literary forms, including graphic novels, but not cartooning and cartoon books. It currently supports Canadian novelists and their novels, short fiction writers and their collections, poets and their poetry, essayists and their essays etc. Such work is eligible for funding both for the artist and for the publishers of the work, and it is also eligible for prizes such as the Governor General’s Literary Awards (which are administered by the Canada Council). Such work – a previously published poem, say – is eligible even when it has already appeared in magazines, newspapers and other publications.
Cartoonists are currently excluded from these grants and honours. Publishers interested in publishing the work of Canadian cartoonists cannot apply for funding to defray some of the costs of doing so. Should a publisher choose nonetheless to publish a book of cartoons, the book cannot even be considered in an assessment of the publisher’s eligibility for funding or block funding, nor are such books eligible for the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Graphic novelists are also excluded from these awards.
Given the artistic quality of Canadian cartooning, it’s cultural importance, its centrality to an understanding of Canadian society and history, and its appeal to readers of all ages, a strong argument can and should be made that the Canada Council should support the work of Cartoonists and that of publishers interested in publishing their work. The Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists is ideally positioned to lobby for such a change in Canada Council policy.
And we do know that ACEC members are good at getting their point across.
Terry Mosher (Aislin), OC
Past President
Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists
The petition letter:
Make cartoonists and their publishers eligible for grants and honours.
Greetings,
I just signed the following petition addressed to: The Canada Council for the Arts..
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Make cartoonists and their publishers eligible for grants and honours.
The Canada Council for the Arts supports the publication of most literary forms, including graphic novels, but not cartooning and cartoon books. It currently supports Canadian novelists and their novels, short fiction writers and their collections, poets and their poetry, essayists and their essays etc. Such work is eligible for funding both for the artist and for the publishers of the work, and it is also eligible for prizes such as the Governor General’s Literary Awards (which are administered by the Canada Council). Such work – a previously published poem, say – is eligible even when it has already appeared in magazines, newspapers and other publications.
Cartoonists are currently excluded from these grants and honours. Publishers interested in publishing the work of Canadian cartoonists cannot apply for funding to defray some of the costs of doing so. Should a publisher choose nonetheless to publish a book of cartoons, the book cannot even be considered in an assessment of the publisher’s eligibility for funding or block funding, nor are such books eligible for the Governor Gen
5 Comments on Canadian Cartoonists Petition Canadian Government for Funding Equality, last added: 7/15/2012
Considering the Conservative Government has made large across the board cuts to arts funding in general, I pretty much guarantee they won’t give a damn about this petition.
Jason A. Quest said, on 7/13/2012 8:01:00 PM
If only my mother was still a Canadian citizen when I was born. :(
Dave said, on 7/13/2012 9:12:00 PM
I agree Pablo, but the petition might put the issue on the NDP or Liberal radar, and Harper won’t be in power forever.
David Bird said, on 7/14/2012 12:35:00 PM
No matter is too little or too great that it can’t be used to take a shot at Harper’s government. Cartoonists weren’t eligible before his election either.
They should be, of course.
Jaylat said, on 7/15/2012 5:41:00 PM
Canada’s border patrol has a nasty habit of arresting comic book readers, tossing them in jail and forcing them to cough up $75,000 in legal fees to defend themselves.
I managed to fall down my stairs and land on my right knee SPLAT! Ouch.. Ouch... Ouch!! I hit so hard it knocked the wind out of me. I don't get along with my stairs (I seriously fall up them as well).
Here is some artwork I added to my Etsy shop today.
Dave McKean, the British artist/polymath who has worked as a cartoonist, comics cover artist, illustrator, graphic designer and filmmaker, opened his panel by saying, “I’m not going to assume that people know who I am, which was greeted by a cheer from the crowd, trying to let Dave know how many people in the packed room DID know who Dave is (at least 25%, if you’re keeping track). Dave Mckean tracked his career -starting from comics work like Arkham Asylum to being a comics cover artist for Sandman and Hellblazer, to work with illustrated books, such as The wolves in the Walls with Neil Gaiman, and The Homecoming with the recently-deceased Ray Bradbury, and how he as supplemented that with illustration/design work for musical groups ranging from the Counting Crows to Frontline Assembly, as well as various film projects.
The first of his recent projects that McKean introduced was the book “The Magic of Reality, written by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, with illustrations and design supplied by McKean. The genesis of the project, to some degree, came from Mckean, who had read several interviews with Dawkins where the scientist answered the question “what would you like to work on next?” with the answer “A children’s book.” Fascinated with the prospect, Mckean got in touch with Dawkins, to see if there had been any progress on the project. The book is an introduction for young people to science, focusing on teaching the skills of imaginative and skeptical thinking and appreciating the ‘poetic magic’ of the real word that can be enjoyed by understanding natural phenomena scientifically. The book contrasts mythic and supernatural explanations with scientific understandings. In this segment of his talk, wand others, McKean got some laughs with humorous comments referencing illustrations that used his son as a model.
The next project that Dave McKean had to talk about was “The Gospel of Us”, a film project involving the actor Michael Sheen (Frost Nixon, The Queen), so Mckean talked briefly about his experiences in film, which range from design work for the Harry Potter films, to films that McKean has directed such as “The Week Before” and the feature length “Mirrormask” which McKean directed with the involvement of the Jim Henson company. The Gospel of Us was initially conceived solely as a live theatrical event (a reworking of the traditional Passion Play/life of Christ story which dates back to the Middle Ages.). Mckean remarked to someone (either the writer or Michael Sheen, I don’t remember) that it was a shame that this theatre-in-real-life event wasn’t being filmed. From that remark, McKean was offered the task of filming the event. From the description McKean gave, the theatre-in-real-life event was something like the movie they make at the end of Be Kind Rewind, but instead of it being about Fats Waller, its about a enigmatic schoolteacher (called the Teacher) who disappears for 40 days and returns as something of a Christ figure. There’s also a John-the Baptist figure called The Stranger, who is reminiscent of The Green Man from English folklore, a grim corporation as the antagonist, and the whole thing takes place in the industrial seaside town of Port Talbot, Wales. Toni Trucks, an actress from the Twilight Saga,
0 Comments on SDCC 12: Dave McKean: My two years with Dawkins, Christ, and a small Crab Called Eric as of 1/1/1900
I’m offering up some neat swag kits to book bloggers out there to use in giveaways. Kits are limited.
What’s inside:
Bookmarks (pic shows front and back) Let me know how many you need, I’ve quite a few.
1 “Postcard” of book cover. (With info about the book on the back so technically not really a postcard-but anyways)
1 Large Calendar magnet (limited quantities!)
1 Small face magnet (about the size of a business card)
If you have a book blog and would be interested please email me at jenniferw2mail (at) gmail.com and I’ll mail them off to you asap. If you would also be interested in reviewing Flashy, it is available as a PDF or can be gifted to you through Amazon. Just let me know if you’d like a copy and in what format.
Big thank you’s to all the readers and book bloggers out there for all that you do!
An anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.
Zombies, vampires, ghosts, and …crickets? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash stories are super short and perfect for when you ‘just have a minute’. This anthology contains 15 stories from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to twisted, there is something for everyone.
A bit of film news out of Ireland, that I haven’t heard coming out of Comicon… a film called “Grabbers.” It sounds like Father Ted (or at least Father Jack) meets The Thing. A small Irish island community is beset by monsters and the only way you can survive them is to get good and drunk. (Hmmm… are these monsters threatening the Hyatt bar during Comicon? It might explain a few things.)
The film stars Richard Coyle, best known to American audiences as Jeff (the Welshman) in Coupling.
The trailer appears to be exclusive to Ireland’s RTÉ, so go over and have a look. This has cult hit written all over it.
Or hear the stars discuss it below:
1 Comments on Genre Film of the Moment: You Can Only Survive the Monsters If You’re Blind Drunk, last added: 7/14/2012
A permanent Trickster location will open in the coming year in Berkeley, California, and there are plans to bring Trickster pop-ups to other shows. If you’re at San Diego Comic-Con and want more information on Trickster events, visit the official website.
I fear we might have a little bit of type casting going on here. They’ve cast a new Q for Skyfall. Ben Whishaw is playing a decidedly younger Q than we’re used to seeing, and definitely more on the nerdy side than the classical preoccupied professor, to look at the promo image:
I saw this photo and I knew I’d seen this new Q before. It turned out it was in another techie role. Whishaw played Pingu, the horribly abused techie/assistant to the titular character in Nathan Barley, a brilliant and scathing satire of hipster culture from the mid-aughts. In fact, there’s even a fan video of Pingu.
You’ve come a long way, Pingu… good luck with the typecasting.
8 Comments on 007’s New Q Actor Has Played a Techie Before, last added: 7/16/2012
Well to be fair, he also played Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, who is not a nerd. =)
Jim C said, on 7/13/2012 7:45:00 PM
He was great in The Hour.
Shelly said, on 7/13/2012 8:28:00 PM
He played a TV reporter in the British period show The Hour. So, no, not typecast as a techie/nerd. He’s a wonderful actor.
Todd Allen said, on 7/13/2012 8:58:00 PM
You play Q, that typecast is going to set in REALLY fast.
William F said, on 7/13/2012 10:26:00 PM
He’s just played a superb Richard II in the Shakespeare play of that name on the BBC – Hollow Crowns series). He got plaudits all round; I suspect that’ll protect him from typecasting for a good few years
Bill Kartalopoulos said, on 7/13/2012 11:17:00 PM
This picture just makes me wish they’d cast Richard Ayoade. I’d have paid to see that.
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This week we feature the wonderful illustrator Barbara Johansen Newman. Barbara has been illustrating professionally for more than 20 years. She’s done art for books, art for magazines and newspaper articles, art for calendars and advertising, greeting cards, corporate reports, medical reports, and invitations.
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This looks cool.
You know perhaps a sister publication is in order. The Despicable Gentlewoman's Quarterly?
Sort it out, Cate.
Yay! We are all so abominable!
That sounds great Deborah, although I must point out the Abominable Gentlemen are an equal opportunities employer..,
Yes, we are definitely Despicable Gentlewomen, Deborah (although I suspect Everington & Polson aren't abominable at all).
Don't say that! You'll blow all our street-cred!
I apologise.
Excellent; off for a read now.
Wonderful interview! Commented there, but yes. <3 it.