Quite a week coming up at MCAD… they are also having a show featuring the work of the artists in Fantagraphics’ MOME anthology (including locals Tom Kaczynski and Zak Sally). MOME is the best ongoing comics anthology around these days in my view, and the talent in it includes many of the best cartoonists working today. Needless to say, you won’t want to miss this.

MORE INFO HERE.

When: March 6 – April 19, 2009
Where: MCAD Gallery: Concourse Gallery
Reception: Friday, March 6, 6-8 p.m.
Gallery Talk with Tom Kaczynski and Zak Sally: Thursday, April 9, 6:30 p.m.
Note that MOME editor and cartoonist Eric Reynolds will be speaking Friday March 6th at 1PM in MCAD auditorium 150.

mome noun (1553) 1. archaic: fool; blockhead. 2. a quarterly anthology showcasing the best new talent of this decade’s rising cartoon generation.

MOMENTUM: The New Comics presents a retrospective of comic artworks published in the Harvey and Eisner award-nominated quarterly Mome (Fantagraphics Books), one of the industry’s leading contemporary anthologies. Anchored by an ever-evolving core roster of contributors, the lauded series showcases comic art’s best emerging talent alongside some of North America and Europe’s most respected creators. MOMENTUM artists include rising stars such as Sophie Crumb, Tim Hensley, R. Kikuo Johnson, Tom Kaczynski, Zak Sally, and Dash Shaw. Check out a gallery of sample work from MOMENTUM.

The Made at MCAD/MOMENTUM opening reception on March 6 will feature live music by hip-hop duo Elliot Looney and DJ Danny Sigelman, snacks and refreshments, and much more. No tickets required–fans of all ages are welcome to join in the fun, connect with other comic heads, and check out exciting new work.

Also on March 6 is an afternoon lecture with Mome editor Eric Reynolds. Find out more about this related event.

Just added! Join us for a gallery talk with comic artists Tom Kaczynski and Zak Sally on Thursday, April 9, starting at 6:30 p.m. in the second-floor Concourse Gallery.

To get caught up with Mome, read interviews with Mome artists, view galleries of their work and more, head to the anthology’s page at Fantagraphics Books.

The exhibition and gallery reception are open to the general public. Admission is complimentary. Click for gallery hours and directions to campus. E-mail gallery@mcad.edu or call (612) 874-3803 for more information.

I received information this afternoon from Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s Assistant Professor Barbara Schulz about Will Eisner Week events and the free screening of Montilla Pictures’ Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist.

Will Eisner Week public events are beind held all around the United States including venues such as The Minneapolis College of Art and Design, The Savannah College of Art and Design, and by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in New York City.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) Comic Heads Scheduled of Events: Lecture Series and Documentary Screening

Will Eisner his influence and spirit. by Guest Speaker N.C. Christopher Couch, author of the Will Eisner Companion.

Special Screening: Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist. Directed by Andrew D. Cooke

March 1st. MCAD Main Auditorium 150. 1 p.m.

MCAD: Minneapolis College of Art and Design. 2501 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis MN

Wow! What a great turnout! This is the second time in a row that the St. Paul jam had to occupy multiple booths at Cosmic’s! Kudos to all those that showed up!

Weird instances and lifelong conversation pieces are commonplace at St. Paul jams. For example, as you may or may not know we Cosmic Coffee’s regular group of patrons are a group of LARPers (live action role players – in this case they think they are vampires). Generally they can be annoying, lately they’ve been quiet, but this last time around? They were conducting interviews “in character.” One guy was dressed as a mime, another brought in a bass guitar, and yet another said he was a poet. I had no clue what was going on, but had someone come in to rob the place, I would not have known if it was real or not.

But don’t let the strangeness of the St. Paul jams deter you from coming to the next! It just adds character. If you’d like to participate in the next St. Paul jam, just show up on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 to Cosmic’s Coffee! Bring yourself and bring your friends, by force if you have to! Cartoonists have forced their friends to show up before! What’s stopping you?

Want to see what we do while at the jams? Click on the image towards the bottom of this post to view our latest creation!

With the Minneapolis cell coming back down from their craziness cloud, we too decided to tone down our jam a bit. Yet another topic chosen by Ryan Dow, “How to Tell if Your Neighbor Went Bankrupt!”

Check it out!

The Darkness From Warsaw, the latest release from Panel Press, is now available

Haunted by something he found — or that found him — during the war, an old friend of Estelle White’s is back. And now his survival depends on her experience with the extraordinary and the resources of the nascent Special Qualities Research Laboratory to uncover the secrets behind the mysterious forces at work.

This supernatural thriller combines WWII history with fantasy in a world where there’s more than even the super-science of 1946 can explain. A standalone story featuring Estelle and Norris from Panel Press’ Death, Cold As Steel, including development sketches and alternate covers from artist Jamie Chase.

Order The Darkness From Warsaw trade paperback from Panel Press — and the shipping is free!

Preview a few pages of art at ComicSpace.