We'll be screening comic-book documentary film Independents at the Cartoon Art Museum this Tuesday, February 12 from 7-9pm. Director/Fillmmaker Chris Brandt will be on hand for a Q&A session, and we'll also be featuring a brief live-and-in-person interview with Wendy Pini, creator of the classic indie comic Elfquest. They will be interviewed by manga authority Deb Aoki after the film. Admission is only $5, and the event is free to Cartoon Art Museum members.
Best, Andrew Farago Gallery Manager Cartoon Art Museum
Cartoon Art Museum Event: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm
$5 General Public, Free for Cartoon Art Museum Members
In the weeks that follow, I’ll be posting guest blogs from people who were there, like Colleen Doran, Larry Marder, Paul Pope, Terry Moore, Charles Brownstein, and others. I am currently extending invitations to newer indie cartoonists and professionals working now in the current era of web comics, indie comics, and graphic novels.
As I read the essays coming in, I’m reminded how much fun we had analyzing the industry and the comics community, and making up rules as we went along. But I’m also reminded how difficult it was. Our credo was to own and control your work. Something that isn’t as easy as you might think.
Jim Woodring’s Frank the Cat comes to life from a collection of animated shorts from some talented folks in Japan. (via Cartoon Brew) It's always fun to see how others interpret someones art through animation.
VISIONS OF FRANK collects 8 wild Frank animations made by some of Japan's most innovative and idiosyncratic filmmakers: Taruto Fuyama, Eri Yoshimura,art unit COCOA,DROP INC., Masaki Naito,Kanako Kawaguchi, Naomi Nagata. Each piece is an interpretation of a classic Frank comic and is scored by musicians from Japan and the USA. The films run the gamut of animation techniques: 3DCG, paper craft, clay, iron sand and traditional cel 2D. These original and imaginative expressions present anew the world of JW as seen through each filmmaker's eyes. For each animation, you are able to choose between the original music and the newly composed music by other musicians. Participating musicians include James McNew (from Yo La Tengo), The Coctails, Dame Darcy, Kicell, Milk Yabe, and others. Comes with 16-page booklet with a reprinted Frank comic and introductions to the animators and musicians. As a bonus Woodring's own animated WHIM-GRINDER is included, with a live soundtrack composed and recorded by Bill Frisell at a performance of Mysterio Simpatico.
I think it would be cool to have someone animate my characters, what do you guys think?
The opening reception for the Sunday Comixexhibit, "Komics @ Kerouac," will be held at (where else?) the Kafé Kerouac (just a few blocks north of Lane Ave.) this Friday, Feb 1 from 7-11p. You can meet the artists, look at their art up close, watch those cartooning fools create a live Comix Jam before your very eyes or just ignore the whole damn thing and get yourself a nice cup of Toni Morrison or Franz Kafka. Free food will be available as well as plenty of beer and booze. (They carry the full line of Great Lakes Beers and they are the only Bar in Columbus that recycles all their Bottles and Cans!)
Creig Flessel at the Cartoon Art Museum starting February 2nd,2008
The Cartoon Art Museum is honored to celebrate the life and work of cartoonist Creig Flessel with a special exhibition opening on Flessel's 96th birthday, February 2, 2008. The exhibition will include over 30 examples from Flessel's long creative career, including original comic book artwork from the 1930s, newspaper advertisements from the 1950s, comic strips from the 1960s, Playboy cartoons from the 1980s and recent commissioned artwork from the 1990s onward.
Mr. Flessel created both the Sandman as well as the Shining Knight who are still part of the DC Comics Universe. The San Francisco Chronicle has a list of 11 things about the artist HERE.
Mr. Flessel is still doing art as well, check out this nice drawing he did for the late cartoonist Phil Frank when he was in the hospital. If I can only be so lucky to create art half as good when I am 96 years old.
Craig Thompson (author of Blankets) has a post on his blog about creating his latest work Carnet De Voyage, drawn entirely in his sketchbook.
It's pretty cool that technology (desk top publishing) allows us to draw our comics in so many different ways and you don't need fancy art materials to do it.
Have any of you folks drawn a comic in your sketchbook? Comment below.
