The US branch of the international literary organization PEN America is holding an auction of “Firest EDitions/Second Thoughts” tpo help support its mission of freedom of expression. The auction, to be held at Christies, includes first editions of various famed books annotated and signed by the origianl authors. Among the works p for bid on December 2nd, City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, in a special copy signed by original author Paul Auster and adapters Paul Karasik, David Mazzucchelli and Art Spiegelman.
The book is often considered a landmark of showing how the comics medium can transform even a celebrated literary work into a new and powerful mode of storytelling. A special panel spotlight on the book was held at CAB 2013.
And there’s video….
The Beat took pictures at CAB 2014! Some of them are Hipstamatic. Live with it. This was a good show, as usual. I came back with a bag full of books and immediately started reading them, one of the virtues of the home show. Although jam packed the show was surmountable, and I thought I would go once around the room and take photos of every one so I would have good file photos for when someone wins the Nobel Prize or marries Taylor Swift. This plan did not go as well as anticipated as you will see.
The cotillion for young cartoonists was arranged by experience. It takes a few years to get to tyro.
This book, The Jacket, by Kristen Hall and Dasha Tolstikova is lovely. Published by Enchanted Lion.
Enchanted Lion publisher Claudia Z. Bedrick on the right, I forgot the young fellow’s name alas.
That’s Laura Lannes on the left, cartoonist of the mini comic The Basil Plant which got a rave review on the Comics Journal the other day which had about 200 times more words than the comics. but sometimes that’s how it works. She’s good! On the right is…another cartoonist from the Paper Rocket studio whose hand cleverly covered his name badge. I’m really awful with names, people.
Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth spring into action as Paul Karasik looks on and Olivier Schwauren sketches away. This show was action packed!
Secret Acres creators. One of them is Theo Elsworth. Help me out here, people!
Sophie Yanow and Sam Alden are shocked to see all the action at the show. These guys have moved beyond Tyro class even!
People looked at comics sometimes buying them.
I was trying out this new Hipstamatic filter I just bought. A little too blue?
The animated Leslie Stein.
John Pham was at the show! I didn’t even know he was going to be there!
The mad talented Lala Albert. Her new comic from Breakdown Press was a sellout.
Patrick Kyle, returned from his tour more or less intact.
Dean Haspiel and Z2 Publisher Josh Frankel.
Nick Bertozzi is chatting to SVA’s Keith Mayerson, I believe, That’s David Mazzucchelli in the hat but don’t worry you’ll get a better look at that later. Bertozzi has developed quite a varied shelf of books. I adore his latest one, Shackleton
Gregory Benton of Hang Dai and Target.
Jillian Tamaki, Keren Katz and Mazzucchelli. David and I embarrassed Jillian by telling her how amazing her work in This One Summer is, and then David explained how tiny gestures can changes every drawing. A collection of Jillian’s funny and painful SuperMutant Magic Academy is coming in the Spring from D&Q.
I know this isn’t a very good photo, but CAB is full of magical moments like Keren Katz yakking with Ben Katchor while James Romberger and Marguerite van Cook stand nearby.
I grabbed a bite with tireless Torsten Adair at this little sandwich shop called re.Union which was around the corner from the church. Their sandwiches were JAMMIN’ but everyone turned backlit. Scott Eder of the Scott Eder Gallery was at the next table and we passed a pleasant half hour or so talking about shows and art.
Here’s the Breakdown Press gang, which is, I believe Simon Hacking and Tom Oldham. Breakdown is a small English publisher and they’ve put out works by Cossé, Conor Willumsen, Connor Stechschulte, Lala Albert, Joe Kessler and Seiichi Hayashi. They are kind of killing it. Seriously, loved every book I got from them. They also filled me in on some of the background of the UK’s fast growing indie scene. (Thought Bubble is already on!) I pointed out that once the English think something is cool, American hipsters have to go along, so all our hopes rest on these guys. They also told me a possibly apocryphal story about a cartoonist who had spent the night on a park bench and still managed to make a mini comic in the process.
Karl Stevens! He’s backed by Sam Henderson.
Action Austin English! Those Domino Books people totally use a hurry up offense.
Of course an actual wedding was going on at the church. What would a comics show be without a wedding nearby?
Adrian Tomine. A new issue of OPtic Nerve is on tap for 2015 he told me.
Annie Koyama and Gary Groth exemplify the love that is CAB.
Flash Forward to Day 2! There was some confusion over people thinking that there would be books for sale on Sunday, but there weren’t Only panels. Here’s Paul Karasik talking to Art Spiegelman and Roz Chast. This was a blockbuster panel by any definition, and I love Paul Karasik, but I kind of wish more had been devoted to the two talking about their parents. I don’t mean to gripe. Karasik put together a marvelous slideshow of both their work and of course both Chast and Spiegelman were witty and wonderful.
Then Josh Bayer interviewed Raymond Pettibon, the famed punk artist. This was a priceless, you-had-to-be-there moment as Bayer would ask a question and Pettibon would go off on an amazing rant about something, every line quotable. (I put a few really goods ones on Twitter.) It was a pretty unstructured talk but Bayer knows Pettibon well and quickly rushed through a slideshow that included work by Harold Gray and Jack Kirby, both obvious influences. Petibon clearly has comics hopes and dreams (Caniff and Frank Robbins were also cited as influences.) but luckily came up at a time when someone of his talents could make a ton of money doing commercial art and selling paintings.
If I may shift into diary mode here for a moment (I wasn’t already?) I experienced one of those weird time circles. Back when I lived in LA I went to a blockbuster show at MOCA that included Robert Williams, Pettibon, and Manuel Ocampo among others. It was called Helter Skelter: LA Art in the 90s, and it was a pretty incredible show, I have to say. The work of Pettibon and Ocampo and Williams very clearly referenced comics imagery in a respectful way. This was long before comics were as accepted as they are now, but I saw clear flashes of it back then. A few months later I was at that cafe in Silverlake we all used to hang out at (Jeebus what was it called?) with Phil Yeh and Alfredo Alcala and Ocampo and his fellow Filipino art crowd, because it turned out Ocampo idolized Alcala and the other cartoonists. Anyway flash forward 24 years, and Bayer asked Pettibon if he liked the Filipino comics school, and he said “Yeah, Alcala and…” So, see, everyone knows every one!
I saw Robert Boyd at the show and he was taking notes at this presentation. I look forward to his notes on the event because he knows a lot more about art than I do.
For a finale, Pettibon did a live drawing based on a Jack Kirby drawing of Spider-Man. It was awesome. CAB was awesome.
You can see the finished drawing here. WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK! REPEAT NOT SAFE FOR WORK!
If you heaven't read David Mazzuchelli's amazing graphic novel Asterios Polyp, please avert your eyes NOW. The award winning GN and book of the year in 2009 was a sly comment on art through the life of a man named Asterios Polyp, who finds potential happiness in life just in time to [SPOILER ALERT] have it potentially snuffed out by having a meteor fall on his house.
BY JEN VAUGHN – Fantagraphics Books isn’t necessarily THE MAN of the comics world but since I’ve only ever self-published my own comics, MoCCA 2012 was my first two days on the job as a staff member of the independent comics publisher. There are more than a few differences between the two experiences. Read on!
Fantagraphics’ Kristy Valenti speaks with Kim Deitch before his signing
1- The Work, as in amount of time spent working the table is constant. Seeing as there is a bit more marketing, publicity and established artists’ work on the table we rarely had to describe the content of the books. Jacq Cohen, Kristy Valenti and me (along with former intern Sophie Yanow) manned the four tables full of books and artists signings. Kristy and Jacq barely left the tables to eat and I’m pretty sure that bottle of lemonade under the table was not . . . lemonade.
2- The Digs where we stayed were MoCCA-recommended because they were smack-dab in the middle of Manhattan, right next to the Armory making for an easier walk each morning and night. The hotel room was tiny but the expansive lobby (pictured above) was an homage to both Breakfast at Tiffany’s and those plastic hamster balls. Originally built in 1903 and called the Martha Washington, this former women’s residence-turned-hotel was the perfect place for the woman of Fantagraphics to rest their heads. No long train rides in from Brooklyn this time!
Daniel Johnston and Fantagraphics’ Jacq Cohen
3- Cross-promotion of artists turned out to be one of the joys. Some Fantagraphics artists spoke on panels (like the ever-charming Shannon Wheeler) so an attendee would grab his Oil & Water book but then toddle off in search of a signature at the Boom! Studios table where Wheeler was selling his Too Much Coffee Man. Likewise, folk artist/musician Daniel Johnston was too busy pouring over our new Nancy book to be bothered to remember what time his book signing was until Boom! editor Adam Staffaroni herded him in the right direction.
Nicolas Mahler signs not only his Fantagraphics book called Angelman but also previous publications bought from the Top Shelf table.
4- Table set-up and take down turned out to be an all-day
.
I discovered this while searching for something else, and knew that others would experience their own Stimpy Squeel (“Oh JOY!) upon seeing this!
These editions sell out very quickly, and IDW doesn’t reprint them (WHY NOT?), so sell some blood, dig into those couch cushions, or use that tax rebate you’re gonna get when you finally file your tax return for 2011!
Here’s the text from the IDW Store, which can be accessed by clicking…
David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil Born Again: Artist’s Edition PRE-ORDER
Availability: In stock
$125.00
Quick Overview
This item is available for PRE-ORDER ONLY. It will not ship until it becomes available in late June 2012.
IDW proudly presents DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI’S DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN: ARTIST’S EDITION, collecting all seven issues of the Born Again saga in its entirety. Considered by many to be the definitive Daredevil story, written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli, this epic tale represents two unparalleled creators at the peak of their story-telling powers.
Each page has been personally scanned by David Mazzucchelli from his own original art at the same size he drew it, and in color (to insure the best possible reproduction). This Artist’s Edition measures 12 x 17 inches and is an extra-long 200 pages. Each book is shipped in a custom cardboard box for maximum protection. Available in June,
Brought to you by the same team responsible for the Eisner Award-winning Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer: The Artist’s Edition, as well as Wally Wood’s EC Stories: Artist’s Edition.
WHAT IS AN ARTIST’S EDITION?
AN ARTIST’S EDITION PRESENTS COMPLETE STORIES WITH EACH PAGE SCANNED FROM THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL ART.
While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections, blue pencils, paste-overs, all the little nuances that make original art unique. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.
Product Description
HC • Black & White • 200 Pages • 12” x 17”
Creative Team
| Writer |
Frank Miller |
| Cover Artist |
David Mazzucchelli |
| Collection Editor |
Scott Dunbier |
________________________________________________________
The fellow at the Paper Rocket table is Preston Spurlock. That screenprint on the wall behind him is his work.
At the Secret Acres table, Theo Ellsworth is center. The creator in yellow is Robert Sergel, a contributor to Best American Comics 2011.