Wednesday, June 10th - 4PM to 7PM

International comics superstar Jason will be signing at Portland's COSMIC MONKEY COMICS to celebrate release of his new book - LOW MOON.

LOW MOON — collecting his New York Times comics along with four other short stories — will be making its West Coast debut at this event!

Wednesday, June 10th
4PM to 7PM
Cosmic Monkey Comics
5335 NE Sandy BLVD
Portland, OR 97213

Here's a pic of the man signing copies of LOW MOON last week at the Strand:

Saturday at BEA was extremely busy, and my enthusiasm for picture-taking waned after a promising start Friday. We hosted a signing with Monte Schulz, whose novel This Side of Jordan is going to surprise a lot of folks this fall. It's fantastic. 

That's Monte above, signing galleys for a big line in the autographing area, and graciously answering questions not only about his book, but also his father, Charles M. Schulz, for whom Monte wrote the book. Monte looks uncannily like his father. I couldn't get over this all weekend. 

After the show, Gary, Jason and I had dinner with Monte, which included a surreal encounter with Katie Couric that I sadly got no pictures of. But so as not to completely disappoint you, here's a picture of Kathie Lee Gifford:

After a fantastic dinner, Gary insisted on a nightcap. Now, for me, "nightcap" usually involves whiskey. Not Gary. For Gary, it involves ice cream and hot fudge. We cabbed it up to Serendipity, the famous dessert place that I think Gary must own stock in.  

Gary ate as much ice cream as Jason, Monte and myself combined, and threatened to eat more before we dragged him out. We continued elsewhere, meeting up with Monte's pals Sid & Karen, talking books until the wee hours of the morning, or to at least what passes as the wee hours of the morning to this pathetic dad who is usually up at 5AM with his one-year-old.

ABOVE: Gary, contended with a gut full of hot fudge. 

ABOVE: My requisite Jason Miles Big Hands photo (sorry ladies, he's taken). 

With MoCCA already in the rear-view mirror, it's a bit late to be recapping the 2009 Book Expo America, which took place the weekend before at the wonderfully air-conditioned Javits Center. But who doesn't like convention photos? Don't let the lack of cosplay action fool you, BEA was a great time for myself, Jason Miles and Gary Groth, and we enjoyed hanging out with the likes of Kim Deitch, Monte Schulz, Michael Kupperman, and Dash Shaw. 

We flew in Thursday morning, Jason and I waking up at 4:00AM only to get to the airport by 5:00AM so I could get dissed at the Hudson News Stand by Spike Lee. Side note to Mr. Lee: if you do not want to be recognized, even at 5AM, I recommend not wearing the same designer eyeglasses, Yankees cap, and Nike sweatsuit jacket that you were wearing on the FRONT PAGE of the daily newspaper that same morning. 

Friday was the start of the show, and here's Jason Miles, unusually well-dressed (sorry ladies, he's taken), prepping for the morning onslaught in our swanky new space within W.W. Norton's mighty BEA pavilion. 

Friday was the official "Salute to Graphic Novels" day at BEA, and we hosted signing with Dash Shaw, Kim Deitch, and Michael Kupperman. All three were utter gentlemen, signing books for fans in our booth and  in the official autograph area:

That evening, we stopped in at a BEA/DAP party where Jason regaled us with the story of a ukranian giant who, like Izzy in Love & Rockets, can't seem to stop growing due to a botched thyroid surgery. We ran into some old friends like Gabrielle Bell and Last Gasp's Kristine Anstine, and later enjoyed a great dinner with Dash his girlfriend, Jane Samborski. Conversation veered from Alex Toth to David Mazzucchelli to French comics and Manga. Oh, and "The Pussy Generation," as Clint Eastwood calls those of us who dare to question the meaning of life rather than just punch it in the face.

That's Dash & Jane up top, and Jason and Gary below. I have an exceptional gift for capturing pictures of Jason's remarkably large hands (sorry ladies, he's taken).  

Hoo-ee, it's time for our post-MoCCA Online Commentary & Diversions catch-up. It's going to take a while to sift through 4-5 days of the comics blogosphere, so to start with these are mostly links that have been sent to me:

• Review: "In what is obviously a labor of love, [C.] Tyler tells the story of her father's time during WWII and her parents' early relationship, skillfully interweaving it with Tyler's own story... provid[ing] a moving, personal portrait of one member of what's become known as 'the greatest generation.' Tyler's use of colored inks gives the line drawings an inviting depth of emotion... The drawings speak with an even greater richness thanks to the evocative words that appear within and around them, commenting upon and adding to the action portrayed in the panels. An important contributor to independent comics since the 1980s, Tyler has made a name for herself with the quirky warmth of her autobiographical stories, and this wonderful book [You'll Never Know Book 1: A Good and Decent Man] is a thoughtful work that greatly adds to the language of the graphic memoir." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review; scroll to end of page)

• Review: "Jason’s books have always had a cinematic feel, and he seems to examine this more than ever with direct tie-ins to film concepts playing major roles in several of the stories... [A]ll of the stories in Low Moon are entertaining, and fans of Jason should be more than happy to digest five new comics from one of the best in the business." - William Jones, Graphic Novel Reporter

• Review: "Now, Fantagraphics has brought out The Wolverton Bible... I love that Wolverton's Adam and Eve look like Cary Grant and Rita Hayworth, and that the images of Noah’s Ark have the beautifully clean look of a wood carving. Dramatic scenes such as Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, the devastation brought by locusts, and Samson’s blinding, showcase the artist’s talent for visceral, visual storytelling." - Leigh Stein, The New Yorker

• Review: "...[T]he newest issue of Michael Kupperman's mind-bending humor mag, Tales Designed to Thrizzle #5. Six Reasons Why Michael Kupperman Is A Genius (A bullet-pointed review...)" by Rob Clough, High-Low

• Review: "I’m almost finished [with] The Brinkley Girls: The Best of Nell Brinkley’s Cartoons, 1913-1940, edited by Trina Robbins. ...Brinkley is a supremely talented artist with enough eccentricities to make her stand out from the crowd (the weaves of hair she piles on top of her heroines could rival the folds in Spawn’s cape)." - Chris Mautner, Robot 6

• Review: "Peter Bagge's Neat Stuff saw the cartoonist at the height of his expressionistic style, and marked the beginning of the mature work he would exhibit in Hate and elsewhere... required reading for Hate fans... Anyone interested in fearless pop-culture satire, not just Peter Bagge, should have a look." - Luke Arnott, suite101.com

• Review: "Blazing Combat reprints all 4 issues of the ground-breaking war series... These are fascinating stories... drawn by some of the top talent in comics... [who] did some of their finest works for this short-lived publication. This new package from Fantagraphics Books is a handsome hardcover... the design work is A+, this time by Adam Grano." - Gary Sassaman, Innocent Bystander

• Interview: Jornal de Notícias talks to Libri Impressi publisher Manuel Caldas about our carrying of his black & white edition of Prince Valiant

• Interview: Comic Book Resources' Shaun Manning talks to editor Andrei Molotiu about the forthcoming anthology Abstract Comics. Sample quote: "I think that, oftentimes, abstract comics do end up maintaining more of that graphic energy [of superhero comics], and I think that they can draw attention to this very powerful tool in the vocabulary of comics that may have been lost in a number of art and alternative comics."

• Interview: Cartoonist Scott Nickel asks 20 questions of "one of the best cartoonists of his generation," Peter Bagge. Sample quote: "The idea of being a cartoonist was an appealing one to me as a kid, though not as appealing as being a rock star or baseball player."

• Interview: I can't remember if we've linked to this 2008 North Shore News Q&A with Peter Bagge before: "Anyone who claims they're speaking for an entire generation should be stoned to death!"

• Events: Thanks to Comic Book Resources' Timothy Callahan for picking some stuff up at our table at MoCCA and posting a photo of Miss Lasko-Gross signing A Mess of Everything; CBR's Kiel Phegley picks up some of the festival buzz; Publishers Weekly has some Fantagraphics scoop in their MoCCA report as well

• Things to see: Spain's Entrecomics presents a gallery of all of Daniel Clowes's front and back covers for Eightball. Clowes's back cover strips are some of his funniest work, and the later issues feature some stunning wraparounds, so it's well worth checking out. Here's Part I and Part II

Uptight #3
By Jordan Crane

With Uptight #3 Jordan Crane continues to prove himself to be one of the most skilled and versatile cartoonists of his generation. First he maps uncharted territory of graphic melancholia with a brand new serialized tale of infidelity, "Vicissitude," in sumptuous greytone. He follows that up with the first installment of "Freeze Out," a delightful new all-ages adventure starring Simon & Jack, the boy and cat heroes from Jordan's classic tale The Clouds Above!

24-page black & white 6.75" x 10.25" comic book • $2.75
Add to Cart • More Info & Previews

This should rival that Crumb show from 2 years ago and the Masters of American Comics as one of the greatest comic art exhibitions of all-time.

2009 Cowtown Alternative Comix Fest

Featuring: John Porcellino, Patty Leidy, Noah Van Sciver, Felix Tannenbaum, Lonnie Allen, Stan Yan, and Will Barnes

Saturday, June 27, 1:00 to 5:00 pm, Tattered Cover Book Store, Historic LoDo

Several local comic artists will join us for an afternoon Comix Fest! Beginning at 1:00 pm, guests are invited to peruse the exhibits, talk one-on-one with the artists, and have pieces signed. Our presentations begin at 2:00 pm with John Porcellino, creator of King-Cat Comics, presenting Twenty Years of King-Cat Comics, 1989-2009. At 3:00 pm Patty Leidy, creator of Zero Hour, will offer a talk entitled "The Perils and Turmoils of Syndicating a Daily Comic Strip in These Tumultuous Times." Following Patty at 3:30 pm, Felix Tannenbaum, the creator of Chronicles of Some Made, will discuss "Robots, Love and Allegory," and finally, at 4:15 Stan Yan the creator of Subculture, reading from Subculture and 24 Hour Comics People.

From the press release: The Type Directors Club will hold a silent auction on Thursday, June 11 at 6 p.m. On the block will be 24 original posters by top graphic designers. The posters celebrate numbers as letterforms while focusing attention on one of today's (and every day's) biggest issues: MONEY. The Numbers Project silent auction will benefit the Scholarship Fund of theType Directors Club newly formed Typographic Design Center.

From Me: The Type Directors Club of New York is one of the most respected organizations in the field of Graphic Design and I'm honored to be a part of this event. Organized by Matteo Bologna, you can see thumbnails of more posters at the TDC website. These include work from the likes of Will Staehle, James Victore, and Rodrigo Corral. Above is my poster (and detail).