SPX! New York Anime Fest! Chuckfest! It’s a busy week, with lots of creators on tour, and some must-attend events, whatever part of the country you live in. Check it out:
Tuesday, September 22
Fairfax, VA, 3 PM – Adam Besenyodi at Fall for the Book Festival
Author Adam Besenyodi will discuss his new book DEUS EX COMICA, which tells the story of how he rediscovered his childhood love for comics as an adult, at George Mason University’s Fall for the Book Festival.
Tuesday, September 22
Cincinnati, OH, 7 PM – John Porcellino and Noah Van Sciver signing
KING CAT COMICS creator John Porcellino kicks off a month-long tour with a stop at Shake It! Records, along with underground cartoonist Noah Van Sciver (MOME, 4 QUESTIONS).
Tuesday, September 22
Echo Park, CA, 7:30 PM – 9 PM – Comics Writing Seminar
For Californians, the must-go event this week is at 826LA East, the non-profit writing and tutoring center for kids, which is hosting a seminar for grown-ups about writing comics. Panelists include Lalo Alcaraz (syndicated strip LA CUCARACHA), Jamie Hernandez (LOVE AND ROCKETS), Darrin Bell (syndicated strips CANDORVILLE and RUDY PARK), and Marv Wolfman (TEEN TITANS, CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS). Author Salvador Plascencia (THE PEOPLE OF PAPER) moderates. Admission is $25.
Tuesday, September 22
New York, NY, 8 PM – David Gallaher & Steve Ellis at Comic Book Club
This week’s edition of Comic Book Club, New York’s live comic book-centered talk show, features NEW MOON creators David Gallaher and Steve Ellis chatting it up with hosts Justin Tyler, Pete LaPage and Alex Zalben.
Wednesday, September 23
Portland, OR, 6 PM – 8 PM – Underground #1 release party
To celebrate the release of the first issue of UNDERGROUND, a miniseries from writer Jeff Parker (AGENTS OF ATLAS, THE INTERMAN), artist Steve Lieber (WHITEOUT) and colorist Ron Chan, who all hail from Portland, Bridge City Comics is holding a release party with all three creators signing copies of the book. Original art will also be on display.
Wednesday, September 23
New York, NY, 6 PM – Mike McKone signing
Cartoonist Mike McKone (EXILES, TEEN TITANS) will sign copies of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #606 at the Manhattan location of Jim Hanley’s Universe.
Wednesday, September 23
Somerville, MA, 7 PM – 9 PM – Joe Quinones signing
Joe Quinones, artist of Kurt Busiek’s Green Lantern strip currently running in DC’s WEDNESDAY COMICS, will sign copies of his work at Hub Comics.
Wednesday, September 23
Akron, OH, 7 PM – John Porcellino and Noah Van Sciver signing
Mini-comics heroes John Porcellino (KING CAT COMICS) and NOAH VAN SCIVER (BLAMMO) continue their mini-tour of Ohio record shops with a stop at Square Records in Akron.
Thursday, September 24
New York, NY, 7 PM – The Art of Harvey Kurtzman at MoCCA
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) hosts an evening celebrating the new book THE ART OF HARVEY KURTZMAN: THE MAN GENIUS OF COMICS, featuring a discussion panel with co-author Dennis Kitchen and Kurtzman’s daughter Nellie Kurtzman, moderated by Abrams ComicArts editor Charles Kochman. A reception and signing will follow.
Thursday, September 24
Brooklyn, NY, 7 PM – New Orleans After the Deluge book party & benefit
Josh Neufeld will sign his latest book, A.D.: NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE DELUGE at Bergen Street Comics. Refreshments will be served, and Neufeld will be selling limited-edition giclée prints to benefit Common Ground Relief.
Friday, September 25
Puyallup, WA, 6 PM – Chuckfest 2009
Five of Comic Evolution owner Chuck Messinger‘s favorite comic creators will congregate at Comic Evolution to sign comics and celebrate the store’s anniversary. It’s quite a line up, actually: Tony Millionaire (SOCK MONKEY, THE DRINKY CROW SHOW), Chris Onstad (ACHEWOOD), Shannon Wheeler (TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN), SCOTT ALLIE (EXURBIA, SOLOMON KANE) and DANIEL CROSIER (BARTHOLOMEW OF THE SCISSORS). Refreshments will be provided, and there will be a secret after-hours event as well!
Friday, September 25
Baltimore, MD, 7 PM – SPX-Plosion 2
Atomic Books hosts a big pre-party for SPX, with a book release party for Emily Flake (LULU EIGHTBALL vol. 2), Julia Wertz (THE FART PARTY vol. 2), Peter Kuper (DIARIO DE OAXACA), John Porcellio (MAP OF MY HEART), Liz Baillie (MY BRAIN HURTS vol. 2), MK Reed (CROSS COUNTRY), and Ken Dahl (MONSTERS). Plus, this year’s Nerdlinger Awards!
Friday, September 25
Cambridge, MA, 5 PM – 7 PM – Kim and Seth Deitch signing
Pioneering underground cartoonist Kim Deitch (ALIAS THE CAT) and his brother and occasional collaborator, writer Seth Deitch (PICTORAMA) will make a signing appearance at The Million Year Picnic.
Friday, September 25
Detroit, MI, 7 PM – 9 PM – David Petersen at Detroit Comics Book Club
Detroit Comics hosts an open discussion with David Petersen about his Eisner award-winning series MOUSE GUARD. Snacks and beverages will be provided.
Friday, September 25 – Sunday, September 27
New York, NY – New York Anime Festival
The New York Anime Festival celebrates Japanese culture, from quirky to classy, this weekend at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Tickets are available online and cost $35 for Friday or Sunday, $40 for Saturday, or $55 for a weekend pass. Prices go up by five bucks if you buy them at the show.
Saturday, September 26 – Sunday, September 27
Bethesday, MD – Small Press Expo (SPX) 2009
In its fourteenth year, SPX now serves as a preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent. SPX 2009 will bring together over 400 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, distributors, and each other at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center, just one mile outside Washington DC. Tickets are $10 per day, or $15 for the weekend. As with every year profits from SPX will go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, protecting the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals.
Saturday, September 26
Santa Rosa, CA, 10 AM – 11:30 AM – Graphic Novels from the Ground Up
Cartoonist Paige Braddock (JANE’S WORLD) and writer Jason McNamara (LESS THAN HERO, FIRST MOON) teach a workshop about creating graphic novels at the Charles M. Schulz Museum. Cost is $40, with a discount for museum members.
Saturday, September 26
Cambridge, MA, 4 PM – 6 PM – Chris Claremont signing
Legendary X-MEN scribe Chris Claremont will sign comics at retailer The Million Year Picnic, although word is that the signing could be pushed back to coincide with the delayed release of the new X-MEN FOREVER collection. Check the link above for updates!
Deus ex Comica: the Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan
978-0-557-05487-9 (Lulu.com)
Toronto, Canada – Saturday September 26th – Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Ceremony – Starting @ 8pm at the University of Toronto’s Innis Town Hall
Halifax, Kitchener, Toronto & Vancouver – Sunday, September 27th – 11AM – 5PM (6 in Toronto) it’s the WORD ON THE STREET BOOK & MAGAZINE Festival. Comics and graphic novels are a part of each city’s exhibitors and in most of the programming with the TCAF sponsored Comics & Graphic Novels tent in Toronto, the Dragon’s Graphic Novels tent in Kitchener and the Word Under the Street event in Vancouver.
Links and details for all of these happenings have been posted on the http://www.joeshusterawards.com site.
This is not fair at all. I have to choose between SPX and Kim Deitch? And at Million Year Picnic? That is cruel.
At the beginning of time, the Big Bang occurred, forming the universe. However, where there should have been one universe, there were many, each one a replication of the first, with their own separate histories.
At the present time, a great white wall of pure anti-matter energy stretches out across the cosmos. It pervades the Multiverse, consuming entire galaxies. On an unknown parallel world, a being named Pariah arrives. He is forced to witness the death of multiple worlds in multiple dimensions. He disappears as he is transported to the parallel world known as Earth-Three.