MoCCA Classes Begin This Month
If you're in the New York area, check out the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art's new fall lineup of classes (and if you're not a member yet, sign up! It's a great organization!). For more details, visit their site.
-- John HoganMark Waid Takes the Initiative
Mark Waid, editor-in-chief of Boom! Studios, has partnered with The Hero Initiative for a new program that will help a very worthy cause. The venture allows comics fans (and their friends and family) in California, Nevada, Illinois, and Indiana to align their supermarket rewards cards (including Ralphs, Food4Less, Cala Foods, and Bell Markets) with the Community Contributions program to help comic book creators in need of emergency medical aid, financial support, and other needs.
-- John HoganClaremont and Levitz: Together Again for the First Time
Two of my childhood comics idols, Chris Claremont and Paul Levitz, will be appearing together next week at Columbia for a talk entitled Claremont & Levitz: Jewish Influences & Themes in American Comics. Presented by the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, the talk will take place at Columbia University's Schermerhorn Hall from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 13.
-- John HoganStan Lee at New York Comic-Con
Stan Lee continues to amaze me. He's now the cofounder and COO of Pow! Entertainment, which is an offshoot of Boom!, one of my favorite publishers. Stan's spearheading a new line of comics for Pow! (including The Traveler and Soldier Zero), and he's now teaming with 1821 Comics for a new three-book deal that will be announced at New York Comic Con on Friday at 1:30 (in booth #2125). Decades after creating some of the most enduring and popular heroes in history, Stan is still creating more comic dreams. Check him out if you get a chance.
-- John HoganDanny Elfman and Tim Burton: 25 Years of Scores
This isn't exactly graphic-novel related, but it's close enough. If you were blown away by Danny Elfman's soundtrack work on Batman way back in 1989, you'll be interested in hearing that Elfman's long collaborative history with Burton is about to get a huge retrospective (with a huge price tag to match). The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box is being released in a limited-edition box set (only 1,000 copies are being made) that will be available in December.
-- John HoganOne Million Strong for Scott Pilgrim
This past week, Oni Press celebrated a big number for their megaselling Scott Pilgrim series: one million copies in print. That's a remarkable accomplishment for Bryan Lee O'Malley's little series about a guy who has to fight off his potential new girlfriend's deadly exes. Since the series has been translated into 13 languages over the globe and was the subject of a major motion picture recently, it shows how pervasive this book has been. Congratulations to Bryan and Oni on their success!
-- John HoganFantagraphics Publishes William S. Burroughs
Last week, Fantragraphics made the cool announcement that it would be publishing William S. Burroughs' last work (and only graphic novel), Ah Pook Is Here. Written by Burroughs and drawn by artist Malcolm McNeill, the work was first published in 1970 under the name The Unspeakable Mr. Hart as a comic strip in the British magazine Cyclops. It was envisioned as a strip whose images would combine, one by one, into a 120-page long foldout (something that was unprecedented at the time, causing most publishers to decline printing it).
-- John HoganTop Shelf Puts on a Sale
The folks at Top Shelf are running a great sale on some of their best graphic novels. Many have been reduced to just $3, and some are even priced at $1. A lot of other titles have been reduced, so it's a chance to load up on some very good reading.
-- John HoganArthur Author: Neil Gaiman Gets Animated
The one and only Neil Gaiman takes an animated turn in an upcoming episode of PBS's popular kids' series Arthur. On October 25, Gaiman will play himself in an episode that centers on one of the characters on the show looking for inspiration to create her own comic. Neil apparently recorded his voice work for the show way back in February (that's according to his Twitter feed), but the episode is just coming to the small screen next month.
Planning for NCTE
Planning to attend the National Council of Teachers of English conference in November? If so, be sure to check out all the graphic-novel content being offered at this year’s conference. So far, all the rooms these events are taking place in have yet to be announced; but you can use the information below to plan out your activities.
-- John Hogan
