Columbus Comics News (via Sunday Comix)

I'd like to thank Rich Watson, writing on the Sunday Comix blog, (which I also occasionally contribute to) for calling to my attention a couple of comics related news item from the Columbus, Ohio area that I'd overlooked.
Dara Naraghi, local comics writer, charter member of the PANEL artists collective and perennial SPACE exhibitor, is profiled in this week's edition of Columbus Alive! The raison d'etre of the article is his work on a series of comics, published by IDW, based on the upcoming Terminator film. Dara also goes into his views on the comics industry and gives some insight into his early life. You can probably still find a copy lying around wherever these free papers are distributed, or you can just read the article here.
Not being a big fan of anime and manga, it's really no surprise that I'd never heard of Ohayocon, the local con devoted to those areas that is going on at the Hyatt Regency hotel downtown even as I type these words, and continues through Sunday afternoon. I was a little curious about the show, and a quick Google search did turn up a brief Wikipedia entry.

Dave Sim at Work

I found this video on YouTube of Dave Sim demonstrating how he works on his new comic, Glamourpuss. The first issue of Glamourpuss hits comic stores next month.

Judenhass Artwork

Above is some of the art that was on display at SPACE from Dave Sim's "Secret Project #1" aka Judenhass.

Thursday Thoughts

Okay, this has nothing to do at all with SPACE or even comics, but I have to say it.
As I watched Danny Noriega sing on American Idol Tuesday night, one word popped into my head, and a cold shiver of fear ran down my spine. That word was:

Sanjaya!

Scary, ain't it?
This new kid even looks kind of like old Hairboy, doesn't he?
Anyway, if it's comics you want, check out Killjoy Comics, an on-line anthology of various comic strips. I read a sampler from the site that I picked up at SPACE, and my favorites are the site's namesake comic Killjoy, and Slap O' Reality Man--this is a super-hero whom we could actually use in real life. Check out the strip to see what I mean.
Furthermore, it's Thursday, which means I have something to live for: a new installment of Kidnapped by Gnomes. With apologies to Schulz and Berke Breathed, I think Kathy Peterson's strip is my new favorite comic.

The Latest "Trend"

If there was any prevailing trend among the many books offered for sale this past weekend at SPACE, it was that many of them, including my own Wasted Paper: The Complete Wasted Potential Volume One (e-mail me at wasted_potential1965@yahoo.com for details on how to get your very own copy) were collections of on-line comics. Today I'm going to take a look at a couple of the best.

First, there's Wasted Paper, collecting the brilliantly funny on-line...

Ok, I'll let other lavish praise on my book, and move on to....

Lapses In Judgment: Kidnapped by Gnomes Volume One, a trade paperback collecting the first year of Kathy Peterson's webcomic Kidnapped by Gnomes. (For some reason, I really love saying "Kidnapped by Gnomes.") Updated twice weekly, the strip stars two gnomes named Ed and Wilson who live in Kathy's house watching her TV and occassionally stealing her credit cards, or, in one strip, flushing them down the toilet. Wilson, the slightly taller of the two nearly identical creatures, has an inexplicable crush on Ann Coulter (inexplicable to me, at least. OK, she's sort of hot---until she opens her mouth and starts spewing crap), while Ed wishes to be the benevolent dictator of Delaware (the state, not the town or county in Ohio).

Y'know, this stuff sounds a little weird when I try to describe it ('cause it is, a little), so just go read it. This strip was definitely one of my best discoveries at this year's show.

Then there's Lethargic Lad: Topics of Unclear Importance, collecting the first seven years of Greg Hyland's on-line version of super-hero parody Lethargic Lad.

It's pretty obvious that Greg is making this stuff up as he goes along, which may be the strip's greatest strength, allowing him to shift from parodying comics to the latest movie to events in the news. It's all very funny and drawn in a great cartoony style.

Greg, by the way, participated in my on-line comics panel and Sunday morning, making it the highlight of the weekend for me. I'm glad I got to meet him, and I'm looking forward to continuing to follow Lethargic Lad every week.

News From SPACE

And SPACE 2008 is in the history books, but this blog shall continue.

In fact, the real work is only truly beginning.

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing with you my SPACE experience, including the copious amount of photographs I took over the course of the two day event, as well as video of the Day Prize presentation. I'm also in the process of actually reading the many comics I picked up at the show, including new releases from Jay Hosler, Greg Hyland, Pam Bliss, Kel Crum, Brian Canini, and many others, and I'll be telling you about the best of them in coming days and possibly weeks.

Today, we'll cover the headlines:

The two big stories from SPACE this year both revolve around Guest of Honor Dave Sim--his presentation of the Howard Eugene Day Memorial Prize and the much anticipated unveiling of "Secret Project #1".

That no longer so secret project is called Judenhass (the word is, according to Sim, German for "Jew Hatred"), a one-shot graphic novel about the Holocaust, inspired by the sixtieth anniversary, in 2005 of the liberation of Auschwitz. Dave had the original art for the project, as well as preview copies of the published work. The art, I must say, is beautiful. Whatever else you may think of Dave Sim, it must be agreed that the man can draw.

Judenhass should be in comics shops in May. (I actually should say "will" instead of "should", since Dave has always made a point of shipping his comics on schedule.)

The Day Prize for 2007 went to, and this was hardly a surprise, Matt and Carol Dembicki for Mr. Big. Matt's been nominated one or two times before, and I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

Well, those are the quick headlines. More later.