The third annual Wonder Woman Day, a benefit to raise money in New Jersey and Oregon for domestic violence shelters, will be held Oct. 26 in Portland, Ore. and Fleminton, N.J. The event is organized by Andy Mangels.

The events include silent art auctions featuring a variety of artists, including Adam Hughes, Matt Wagner, Phil Jimenez, Terry Dodson, Joëlle Jones (who did the painting at the top of this post) and many more. Bidding will be conducted on site and online. More details are available at the link above.

A few weeks back I mentioned the Endless Reflections art show at Nucleus in Alhambra, Calif., an exhibit featuring artwork inspired by Neil Gaiman’s classic Sandman series running this October.

Well, if you aren’t close enough to Alhambra to check out the exhibit, you can now view and buy the artwork online, by creators like Jill Thompson, Colleen Doran, Barron Storey, Bryan Talbot, Dave McKean, John Watkiss, Marc Hempel, Mike Dringenberg, Mike Allred (who did the really cool Beatles homage at the top of this post) and many more. Many of the pieces have already sold.

If anyone’s looking for a belated birthday present for me, that Allred piece would like nice over my mantle (if it hasn’t sold yet).

The Ignatz Awards ceremony was held Saturday evening during the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Md. Below is a list of the winners. Congrats to all.

Outstanding Artist
Laura Park, Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream (self-published)

Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Papercutter #7, edited by Greg Means and Galen Longstreth (Tugboat Press)

Outstanding Graphic Novel
Skim, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Groundwood Books)

Outstanding Story
The Thing About Madeleine, Lilli Carre (self-published)

Promising New Talent
Sarah Glidden, How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (self-published)

Outstanding Series
Snake Oil, Chuck Forsman (self-published)

Outstanding Comic
Snake Oil #1, Chuck Forsman (self-published)

Outstanding Mini-Comic
Bluefuzz, Jesse Reklaw

Outstanding Online Comic
Achewood, Chris Onstad (www.achewood.com)

– What costume to not buy your kids this Halloween.

– Express Night Out profiles Bryan Lee O’Malley.

– Brian Cronin looks at the work of editorial cartoonists Bill Mauldin and David Low.

– Eric Reynolds is apparently into fumetti now.

– The Austin-American Statesman has a two-part interview with Art Spiegelman.

– The Associated Press looks at IDW’s Obama/McCain comics.

– Chronogram talks to Jessica Abel.

– Did I link to this Steve Bisette essay on royalties? Well, I am now.

Following up with his report on the DC Nation panel, Tucker Stone reports on the Harvey Awards and offers a more rounded view of the Baltimore Con itself, focusing at one point on this particular incident:

Sitting in the hallway was Mr. Brady, preparing what is probably the most inclusive report on the 90 minute panel, when Dan Didio walked by him, turned, and asked if Mr. Brady was interested in getting lunch. The request was turned down, as Mr. Brady wanted to finish typing up his panel report. I was pretty taken aback—make no mistake, I was standing between the two when they had the back and forth, so it’s not like I was sneakily eavesdropping—but wouldn’t the readers of Newsarama, a vocal group of super-hero comics fans, prefer for the head of the website to take any and every opportunity to sit down with the Senior Vice President of DC Comics, even if it’s for an informal conversation? Wouldn’t that be something far more interesting, rifer with quotable moments, than anything that came out of what the DC Nation panel had provided? I’ve got nothing against Newsarama, and I happen to quite like some of what the Blog portion of the site provides—but I couldn’t help but see this little random moment, a random moment I literally walked into solely because my wife was in the bathroom, as a terrible error in judgment, and one that I still find markedly absurd.

In Brady’s defense, and as someone who works in a newsroom, when you’re on deadline, you’re ON DEADLINE and everything else has to take a back seat. I’m sure a lot of Newsarama readers wanted to know about the DC Nation panel there and then, and he was no doubt feeling the pressure. And it’s very doubtful that, had he accepted the lunch offer, DiDio would have offered anything revealing that could have been on the record. Still, Tucker’s larger point — that in covering cons and comic-related events journalists need to not lose sight of the potentially better story when covering the more familiar one — is I think well worth bearing in mind.

The fourth issue of Comic Foundry, the Eisner-nominated comics lifestyle magazine, hits stands Oct. 8, and CF chief Tim Leong sent over four preview pages for us to share with you.

Leong said this issue “puts the spotlight on how comics and politics intersect.” It includes a big politics package, a cover feature interview with Mark Millar and Tony Harris on War Heroes, a preview of the third Whiteout series and an original Chip Zdarsky comic detailing the San Diego Comic Con secrets of Matt Fraction, Daniel Way, and Kurt Busiek.

You can check out the preview pages, along with commentary from Tim, after the jump. And if you’re in New York, The Comic Foundry gang is hosting a release party the day after the issue comes out. More details on the party, as well as the variant Mark Millar/Tony Harris birthday clown cover, can be found here.

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Yes cats and kittens, the annual Small Press Expo is upon us once again. This year’s shindig promises one of the best in recent memory, with lots of stellar guests, fascinating panels and, of course, the comics.

I’ll be there Saturday, in one of my traditional black Capcom t-shirts. If you’re going, feel free to say hi and tell me how much you hate my posts. Until then, why not peruse this handy, helpful guide to what to see and buy: (more…)

USA Today spotlights the reissue of art spiegelman’s Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young%@&*!, which “deals with his boyhood obsession with MAD comics, his mother’s suicide and an early prototype for Maus, his Pulitzer-winning 1986 graphic novel about his family and the Holocaust in which Nazis are cats and Jews are mice.”

While the collection originally came out in 1978, it’ll include some new pages. “I’m doing an introduction to the book in comics format that’s about as long as the book itself,” spiegelman joked at last year’s Alternative Press Expo. spiegleman will also tour to support the book; check out the list of dates and locations after the jump.

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Devil’s Due Publishing, Hypergraphia, the Hero Initiative and the American Cancer Society are teaming up for a benefit to help artist Josh Medors, who is currently battling cancer. The event will be held in Brooklyn next Saturday, Oct. 4. More details can be found here.

– Iron Man comes out on DVD today, and Paramount sent over a bunch of links to deleted scenes and test footage that’ll appear on the special edition. Check’em out here, here, here, here and here.

– The North Shore News talks to Peter Bagge.

– McClatchy News Service has a nice, short Q&A with Sergio Aragones.

– Just how much manga do the Japanese read anyway? Matt Thorn investigates.

– Charles Hatfield visits the Center for Cartoon Studies.

– Matt Bors sketchblogs the presidential debate.

– “Retired” comics critic Domingos Isabelinho is blogging now.

– The Daily Cross Hatch is asking cartoonists to draw how they’re getting to the Small Press Expo this year. Mei K kicks off the series.

– Damn, I forgot to add this to the TiVo; Cold Hard Flash talks to the creators of the new Adult Swim cartoon Superjail.

– Anyone want to draw a monkey? It’s for charity.

Compiled by JK and Chris.

On Friday, Isotope in San Francisco will play host to a release party for the fourth issue of Hard to Swallow, the gay erotic comics anthology, featuring creators Justin Hall and Dave Davenport.

The event, held from 7 to 11 p.m., also helps to kick off the Folsom Street Fair weekend. DJ Bearzbub of The Eagle & The Cinch Saloon will provide the music for the 21-and-over party.

Isotope is located at 326 Fell St. (at Gough).

The official press release can be found after the break.

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In honor of Saturday’s National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post will play host tomorrow to an online chat with author and comics writer Neil Gaiman.

The newspaper is inviting readers to submit questions any time before or during the chat, which will take place beginning at noon Eastern.

Gaiman and Brad Meltzer will be among the nearly 70 authors participating in Saturday’s event on the National Mall.

No spoilers follow, ‘cuz that’s just how I roll.

I finished the unabridged audio recording of Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Lies today. As I mentioned last week, narrator Scott Brick has a tremendous talent and he brings it fully to bear here. His style is fantastic, his characterizations spot on. Through the approximately eleven-and-a-half hours of story, Brick’s efforts support an environment where the characters become tangible.

You get to know them.

Brick brought his A-game here. I have not one single complaint about his work on BoL. Only praise.

Meltzer’s story posits a connection between the murder of Superman creator Jerry Siegel’s father and Cain’s murder of Abel in the Bible. I have to say going into this, I thought the whole premise was a bit absurd. But wow. Does it work!

The audiobook had me hooked from the get-go. It kept getting better and better.

Brick’s masterful voicing drew me in… there are moments where his pacing, supported by Meltzer’s vivid writing, had me on pins. There are other moments where Brick and Meltzer had me choking back tears. Couple of times.

Yeah, I know. I’m a wuss.

But the book evokes some strong feelings about parents.

Meltzer plums the depths of Superman lore making a number of awfully compelling arguments for why we have the hero that we know today. He also spins a marvelous mystery and some danged thrilling scenes. It is a book wonderfully dense with real life history and dazzling fiction.

I have only one complaint about the audio book. I found the bumper music furnished by Sony BMG and used to close-out chapters to be a bit intrusive. Brick’s narration is rather intimate in tone. I found the music to be unwelcome to the style. Still, I cannot recommend the audio book enough.

In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I plan on buying the hardback as well. I want to enjoy the printed word, too! Joss Whedon thinks you should read the book as well.

The nominees for this year’s Ignatz Awards, which will be handed out at the upcoming Small Press Expo, have been announced. It’s a very, very indie list, with a decided emphasis on the small press and mini-comic scene — “big” companies like Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly are only marginally represented. That being said, there’s some really great books on this list.

Outstanding Artist
Warren Craghead, How to Be Everywhere (self-published)
Lat, Town Boy (First Second Books)
Laura Park, Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream (self-published)
Michel Rabagliati, Paul Goes Fishing (Drawn & Quarterly)
Jillian Tamaki, Skim (Groundwood Books)

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In October Nucleus in Alhambra, Calif. will host Endless Reflections, an exhibit featuring artwork inspired by Neil Gaiman’s classic Sandman series. Which I guess turns 20 years old this year? Holy crap.

Just a few of the artists featured in the exhibit include Mike Dringenberg, Bryan Talbot, Ashley Wood, Michael Zulli, Ted McKeever and Colleen Doran, who did the artwork to the right.

Sounds like a cool exhibit to check out if you’re going to be in the area this October. Otherwise be sure to sign up for info about it on the Nucleus site, so you can check it out online.

– Build your own square-headed Scott Pilgrim.

– Charles Brownstein with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund passes on a message about Echo creator Terry Moore and his wife Robyn, who live in Houston and were affected by Hurricane Ike:

As you may be aware, the Abstract Studios team, Terry & Robyn Moore, live in Houston where they are set back slightly by Hurricane Ike. They personally are fine, but don’t have any utilities, including electricity and other business necessities. They’re only able to be online for about 10 minutes a day because of very nice neighbors. They want people to know that they’re going to be out of touch for about a week, and ask that you please be patient while they get back up to speed. Please join me in keeping them in your thoughts.

– Congrats to the cartoonist Kaz, who won an Emmy for his story on an episode of Camp Lazlo!

– PWCW previews the New York Anime Festival.

– Bid adieu to The Holy Consumption.

– Dave Sim reviews Blake Bell’s book about Steve Ditko.

– Frank Santoro writes about Frank Franzetta.

– Here’s a profile of mangaka Shigeru Mizuki.

– Stephanie Mangold looks at Antarctic Press’ future plans.

– Hey, Chester Brown is running for office!

– Evie Nagy reports on Oni’s plan to publish “definitive editions” of Queen and Country.

– Van Jensen writes about the popularity of Image’s PopGun anthology.

– The Southern California comics retailer Brave New World Comics is hosting a party this Friday to celebrate their Will Eisner Spirit of Retailing Award.

– Eight reasons why the G.I. Joe comic was better than the cartoon.

Compiled by JK and Chris.

As if you needed an excuse to visit Cleveland, what with it being the birthplace of Superman creator Jerry Siegel and the home of Chef Boyardee, now the Forest City has hit the freakin’ trifecta!

Starting Sept. 16 and running through Jan. 4, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage hosts Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938 – 1950. The exhibit provides an interactive Golden Age experience detailing the heroes that drove that era and the creators who birthed them.

The Maltz Museum presents this exhibition with a proud nod to the prominence of Jewish artists and the importance of Cleveland (home of the creation of Superman by a pair of Glenville High School students) in the development of comic book art.

It is amazing how many of these Golden Age creations made by those of Jewish heritage have not just withstood the test of time, but are truly American icons such as Siegel & Shuster (Superman) and Bob Kane (Batman).

The exhibit features Batmobile rides for the kiddos (freakin’ kids get all the fun) and many rare, never before displayed comic book art.

More details here.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York City is unveiling a major exhibit of work by the seminal underground comic book artist Kim Deitch (Shadowland, Alias the Cat) this week, with the big opening reception scheduled for tomorrow. Posters and Sunshine Girl (that’s the character zoming out at you in the poster above) buttons will be on hand, and the museum will be hosting a plethora of talks and special related events during the run of the exhibit. Deich is an artist whose only just starting to get his full due, so this is pretty exciting news for a fan like myself. Read the full press release, courtesy of curator Bill Kartalopoulos, after the jump. (more…)

Retailer and comics creator Kirsten Baldock dropped us a note to let us know that Isotope Comics is accepting submissions for the 2008 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics. This is the sixth year they’ve given out the award; previous award winners include Rob Osborne, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey and Josh Cotter, among others. You can find complete details on how to submit your mini-comic for consideration after the jump.

The awards will be given out in conjunction with the Alternative Press Expo, a really great event held in San Francisco the first weekend in November. This year’s guest list includes Jessica Abel, Paige Braddock, Megan Kelso, Matt Madden, Ethan Nicolle and Chris Ware. If you’re in the Bay Area that weekend, definitely check it out.

The art up top, by the way, is from Max Riffner’s Quick Step, which won the award last year.

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