Art of the Graphic Novel at FAM!

Graphic Novel Exhibition - LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel - September 25, 2001- January 1, 2012
An exhibiton curated by Norman Rockwell Musuem, examines the history, diversity, and tremendous popularity of this literary phenomenon.  This exhibition will feature ove 146 works by 24 contemporary graphic novelists and historic practitioners of this evey-evolving art form.


FITCHBURG ART MUSEUM


Apparently the Fitchburg Art Museum is MUCH cooler than the Worcester Art Museum as they managed to land the coveted Norman Rockwell Lit Graphic; The World of the Graphic Novel exhibit that was hosted at Rockwell last winter.  Veronica and I were the guest speakers for the opening as well as asked back to provide a hands on workshop on graphic novels during the event-- and I'm happy to say we just made an agreement to do the same thing in Fitchburg.


This is a fabulous exhibit  and one that I encourage ANYONE interested in the comics art form to visit.  If your idea of comics is Jughead and Archie this will be an eye opener.  A great exhibit and fantastic to see graphic novels getting the appreciation from the arts world in Central Ma that they deserve.


Highest possible recommendation.

WAM Summer Session Ends

Picture swiped from Veronica, but its okay we sometimes have the same students

I've been instructing at WAM since 1998 and every year I look forward to the Summer Session more than any other semester in the academic year.  From the second week of July until mid-late August WAM offers DAILY art classes from 10-230 with an extended day program that allows kids to work with the instructor assistants until as late as 5.  One year they experimented with classes from 3-5 as well but it made for a very long day.

The benefit to these daily classes is that we meet everyday and therefore the lessons given are more intensive and with daily critique and routine there isn't time to forget processes we discussed as often happens with the once a week classes that run through the rest of the year.

Normally I do the entire session-- 10-230 each and every day allowing me to interact and work with a potential 200+ kids but this year with deadlines and WEREWOLVES OF WISCONSIN wrapping up I had to cut back a bit.  I opted instead to only do the morning sessions, skip session 2 (two week duration) and then come back for the final 2 weeks with all day sessions.   It's funny to watch some of the students and assistants lose their steam as the program goes on.  For some of the kids spending all day every day for six weeks that becomes a lot of art making-- and that can be physically and mentally draining.

In between the daily workshops Veronica and I also did visiting workshops in such diverse towns as Chester, Chicopee, West Springfield,  Nantucket, Mattapoisett, Pembroke, Wellesley and a few others where we worked with an additional 200+ students.

Yesterday this kind of frantic pace came to an end-- we've got one more Workshop next week out of town but after that it's gearing up for a trip and then Veronica's residency in Hardwicke.

The Summer Session is always my favorite-- and it's great to work with so many talented 11-17 year olds.

SWEET on SHREWSBURY STREET

What's the excitement over cupcakes lately?  It's not like they are a new creation. Cupcakes have been around for a long time and now suddenly it's fashionable to have boutiques like this offering cupcakes with the consistency of a lead weight at full cake prices.

Not for me.  This Barbie Dream House of a Bakery is like a Chick Flick come to life.  I was as uncomfortable in here as I was when I accidentally walked into a Japanese Teen Girl Manga shop in Tokyo and then couldn't find my way out-- Japan isn't known for public safety signs.


But if you dig cupcakes-- apparently these are good enough to be on the Food Network's CUPCAKE WARS or CUPCAKE BATTLES or one of those other shows where cupcakes duke it out.   Me?  I'll stick to regular plain ol' cake.

Worcester Film Works SPACEBALLS

It's free it's on the big screen and it's tonight.
I like that Worcester Film Works is doing these even if they've chosen movies from the DVD section of Blockbuster labeled "Movies Andy Fish doesn't like"-- one of my favorite things was Turner Classic Movies programming a day of only movies I love on my birthday last year-- so cool!

But I give WFW a ton of credit and with deadlines this week I probably wouldn't be able to make it even if they were showing JAWS or PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE.

Spaceballs is one of those movies that gets old with time.  I liked it the first time I saw it, sure it drags in places, but overall it was pretty funny.  The second time I saw it I changed the channel about halfway through and every other time I've caught it on the tube I hesitate for about three minutes then go elsewhere.

I'm probably in the minority but I don't think Mel Brooks is a genius.   I liked him on MAD ABOUT YOU as Paul's crazy uncle Phil-- and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN is certainly a good movie.  But the rest of his movies leave me bored-- including -- get ready for it- BLAZING SADDLES which I just don't find charming at all.

But go-- support the sponsors and take part in your community!

SUPERMAN! Man of the People!

All I can say is...maybe.

Superman's been done right on film three times.
1941-1943 Fleischer Bros Cartoons featuring stunning animation and a take no prisoners no fooling around Superman voiced by Bud Collyer (who was Superman on the popular daily radio show).
1951-1958 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN with George Reeves.  Reeves was a former prize fighter who looked like he could take a punch.  He was like your dad as Superman and you didn't want to tick him off.
1966 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN Cartoon series.  This TV version also featured the voice of Bud Collyer as Superman and it was done pretty well.

Yes, I know to most of you Christopher Reeve is the ideal Superman-- and I'll give you that for what it was 1977's SUPERMAN THE MOVIE was pretty entertaining and Reeve did a pretty good job of giving the Man of Steel the right attitude.  The subsequent sequels went quickly downhill.  Many cite SUPERMAN II as a better film but they really need to watch it again-- it's not.  In fact it's a pretty bad movie.

For the remaining appearances of Superman he's been in the spirit of a Lifetime movie.  An action hero as defined by your forty five year old mom.  He was a nice guy who helped out when he could and got out of the way when you didn't need him.  It started with his first live action appearance in 1948's SUPERMAN serial starring former DANCER Kirk Alyn.  Alyn skipped his was from one adventure to another.

Dean Cain was a former NFL receiver who's shiny red Superman suit and little red shorts looked like they came off the rack in South Beach at below retail.  His Superman was Lois Lane's lap-dog in LOIS AND CLARK in the 90s.

Then there was SUPERMAN RETURNS and don't get me started on that one.  I personally would have loved to see Wolfgang Peterson's proposed movie SUPERMAN VS BATMAN get made because Bats would have wiped up the mat with this version of Superman, and even Cain laughed at him.

But now we've got a brit as the American Man of Steel and maybe it works.  At least judging by this early picture anyway.  Interestingly we now have brits playing Batman, Spiderman and Superman so maybe it's time for George Clooney to take on the role of James Bond.

I've got some hope for this version of Superman, but only time will tell.

Pope Hats

I don't read a lot of comics, but POPE HATS is one I like.  It's nicely done and features an interesting story about a girl and her ghost.   It's a little light on the content but I find I'm interested in what happens next.

I'm also reading the Jaime Hernandez new collections of his work on Love and Rockets-- one of the best independent comics of the 1980s.  Maggie the Mechanic is the first volume in the series and it's the weakest of the group since he was just finding his way with the characters and the story.  But if you're someone who likes to start at the beginning then this is the place.  If you don't mind jumping ahead-- grab THE GIRL FROM HOPPERS which is v2 and features more polished art and story than Maggie does.

Either way, some terrific summer reading here.

This Week on TCM: HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923)

Tonight is a spectacular lineup of silent films starring the great Lon Chaney-- AMAZING reference for my comic artist friends as you will see some fantastic compositions and great lighting in all of these.  Plus actors in the silent era were forced to over-act and over gesture their feelings to compensate for the lack of words so you'll get some body language tips as a bonus.

Great movies for my film fan friends too.  At 8 is HUNCHBACK of NOTRE DAME followed at 10 by PHANTOM OF THE OPERA which is perhaps Chaney's greatest film.  If you want more THE UNHOLY THREE follows at midnight and that one is a true under-rated classic.

On Wednesday you can catch THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) at 8pm-- certainly one of Bogart's best films and one of my top three movies of all time.  Followed at 10pm by SAHARA (1943) which is a gripping war story which is more drama than war so it's right up my alley.  Bogie leads a tank outfit in the Africa desert and they run out of gas and soon find themselves up against a huge Nazi force.  Think Alamo in World War II and you've got the gist of it.

On Saturday it's Cary Grant's Birthday so you can catch a full day of some of his greatest films.  Grant might just be the most under-rated actor ever to appear in movies-- his versatility from comedy to drama to action is unprecedented and he's often dismissed as just a good looking guy.  THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) at 330,  NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1958) at 530 and GUNGA DIN (1939) at 8pm make up a triple feature that should not be missed.

RINO-- that's me.

I am a Reagan Republican, but I'm growing increasingly disenchanted with the party of Lincoln.  The party that freed the slaves, the party that believes in smaller government and lower taxes.  The party that believes you should get up and work-- dig yourself out of the hole.  Yes, get help if you need it, but help in the form of welfare or government assistance (except among the elderly) should be a temporary measure and not something that carries on through generations.

Yet socially-- we could not be on further ends of the spectrum.  I hate that we are spending trillions being the world's police force.  I believe we should have gone after the Taliban and Osama, they brought the fight to our doorstep.  But it should have been quick and it should have been decisive.  I don't care that THE NEW YORKER revealed last week that the mission to find Osama was a kill mission.  I don't want him on trial-- I want him where he is-- at the bottom of the ocean where no shrine could ever be built to him.

We fight wars today (and they shouldn't be fought without a formal declaration and support on the home front) like a heavyweight champion of the world who refuses to use his arms in a street fight-- even if attacked-- because that wouldn't be fair.  We expend countless young men and women's lives at the sake of political correctness (which I hate more than terrorism).
We fight wars in a politically correct spectrum that cost us billions when we could end ANY conflict with any enemy in a day if we used every means at our disposal.

I believe in funding the arts.  Art education teaches critical thinking.  Art provides so much in our daily lives.  Art gives an outlet to students who may not be athletic and yet it's cut first.

I believe in responsibility.  I believe in a woman's right to choose.  I believe in Freedom of Religion AND Freedom FROM Religion-- keep your Jesus pamphlets away from me.

Yet the Republican's continue to put up candidates like Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin who are so far to the right of common sense it's sickening.

Don't jump to your feet and start clapping, my Democrat friends.  You are just as bad.  Idiots like John Kerry and Barney Fwank continue to instill a liberal agenda costing the tax payers BILLIONS with idiotic ideals like the monument to Teddy Kennedy which will cost taxpayers $70 million dollars.  $70 Million devoted to a guy whose biggest contribution to the public good was dying.

Wow-- that's a little harsh isn't it?  Although I did change it from "...monument to Teddy Kennedy which will cost taxpayers $70 million dollars.  $70 Million devoted to a guy whose biggest contribution to the public good was dying.  I hope he enjoys it from his new spot in Hell next to his equally corrupt father, both of whom are certainly chasing after under age women right now."

So see?  I CAN edit myself.

I'm sick of all politicians-- each and every one of them on both sides.  We need a legitimate third party and not the crazy Tea Baggers or Green Party either.  We need a Patriot party-- a party that puts partisanship aside for the good of the country.  A party in the Spirit of Thomas Jefferson who believed in citizen government and NOT professional politicians.

I think it was columnist William Buckley who proposed a new system where Senators and Congressmen are chosen the same way we pick juries-- at random.  You serve your country for the years chosen and then you're out.

I think he's on to something.

John Wesley Hardin...so mean he once shot a man just for snoring.

My wife looks suspiciously like Mrs Peel

Growing up in the 70s POP CULTURE held a lot of influence over me.  I used to stay up late with friends to watch DARK SHADOWS on Friday nights and the FLASH GORDON serials on Saturday mornings.  We'd see Godzilla and Dr. Phibes movies at the PARIS Cinema back in the days before it only showed X-Rated features.  I loved Batman with Adam West and The Avengers with Diana Rigg and Patrick MacNee.

I remember Time Life Books offering monthly subscriptions to the latest theme title-- and one of my favorite commercials was one about the old west.  Now I don't like cowboys.  Outside of The Lone Ranger and Clint Eastwood's Manco in the Sergio Leone westerns I just don't dig 'em.  But I'll never forget the line from the commercial;  "John Wesley Hardin-- so mean he once shot a man just for snoring."  I thought that was pretty cool.  A guy who would shoot you just because you snored??

It made me want to get the book and I think I was disappointed because Hardin wasn't the live action Yosemite Sam I imagined him to be.

But recently on PAWN STARS his name came up and it got me to wondering what would a book in the future say about me?  Andy Fish...so stubborn he once quit a job just 'cause they asked him to wear pants."

True story-- I was doing this teaching gig-- the kids were great- the school was great.  The faculty was supportive and amazing.  The pay was pretty good--- but there was one thing that bugged the heck out of me-- the dress code.

It wasn't that I had to wear a tie-- I didn't but I would have.  It was the no jeans policy.  You see I virtually live in jeans or shorts and that's about it.  So on the days I would teach there I would have to remember to lay out a pair of dress pants or I'd leave a pair in my trunk and then change them in the faculty lounge before class.  I hated it.

I can't do art in dress pants.  I can't.

One of the requirements of my funeral-- should I have one-- is that jeans are allowed.  No muscle shirts or baseball caps-- please, this is a funeral, show some respect-- but I think a pair of jeans with a sport jacket looks just as dressy as wearing a pair of khaki's.

My wardrobe-- and I'm not kidding here-- is all black shirts and blue jeans.  I assume people think I wear the same clothes everyday like Freddy from Scooby Doo but the reality is I just have multiples of the same clothes.  I model my style on Steve Jobs.

Understanding Light and Shadow

Burne Hogart (one of the founders of the School of Visual Arts in New York) produced a series of educational books essential to artists who want to improve their skills.

My favorite of his books is DYNAMIC LIGHT AND SHADE which presents hundreds of illustrations of form and figure draped in light and shadow.  Hogarth's books are not step by step how to's instead offering illustrations for you to study and copy.

A masterful book from a true master.

TORTILLA SAM'S RE-Opens

Tortilla Sam's on Highland Street was in serious need of a remodel.  It was a little bit on the drab and dirty side and even though it offered the best buffalo wings in the city for a modest price it wasn't always the most welcome experience.

They've remodeled-- added a new bright ceiling, ripped up the carpeting (always a good idea for a restaurant) and put in some additional lights.  They also added table cloths and some new paint.  The overall effect is much better.  It feels clean and airy now.  The night we went they also had two waitresses on which was also a good thing because it was fairly busy.

One of my biggest complaints about Sam's, which I go to often since it's only three blocks from the museum, is that it's freezing in the winter and too hot in the summer.  We were there on possibly the hottest night of the year and although it wasn't Boynton cool by any means-- and its downright cold in there- it was comfortable enough to eat.

A solid place which gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's got a friendly staff and bargain prices so why not give the new Tortilla Sam's a chance?

Webcomics Wednesday: DRACULA Episode 31

Next Episode: Saturday!
COMMENTARY-   I wanted a sort of Caligari feel to the woods while Harker waits for his ride.  I was going for a sense of nightmare here.

Eisner Award Winners

The Eisner Awards are similar to the Oscars for the Comic Book Industry.  Nominations are announced every spring and the winners are presented during Comic Con in San Diego.  Notable winners this year include;
Mike Mignola-- who must have a second house to hold his Eisners.

American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Stephen King-- a book I really enjoyed when I read it, so well deserved.

Best Digital Comic was ABOMINABLE CHARLES CHRISTOPHER by Karl Kerschl -- you can check it out at www.abominable.cc

Best Graphic Album Reprint went to WEDNESDAY COMICS as edited by the amazing Mark Chiarello-- this was overlooked completely when it was first released, one of the real crimes of the Eisners-- so I'm glad it got it for the reprint.  A great book with innovative storytelling.

Best REPRINT edition went to IDW's ROCKETEER collection which is the first book in a series which will reprint the original art for certain series in a full size collection.  These are expensive but worth it.

Another Great year, I'll be at San Diego next year.

Movie Monday: COUNT YORGA

Tonight at 8pm on TCM is Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN, get past the annoying zythraphone and you've got one heck of a movie.  It's followed at 10 by CITIZEN KANE which is a movie you should see if you haven't, or even if you have.

On Tuesday night (also at 8pm) you can catch the original SCARFACE (1932) which is a classic gangster pic and stands head and shoulders over the one everybody thinks of when you say Scarface.

Thursday night at 8pm is MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949) which is a King Kong movie for people who don't like too much excitement or who scare easily.  The special effects by Willis O'Brien (who did the original Kong) are excellent.

As an added feature to Movie Mondays I want to point out DVDs worth your time.   This week, the COUNT YORGA double feature available in the Midnight Movies collection from MGM.

COUNT YORGA is essentially a retelling of Dracula set in modern day (1971) California.  It's got a pretty solid cast and the material is treated with respect so you end up with a decent film released by American International.  The sequel is also offbeat and well done.

Twitter

Cheryl Wants to Be Your Friend!

I still think TWITTER is stupid.  99% of what's posted on there is mindless chatter, but that's the point isn't it?  Someone described it as being at a cocktail party and walking around hearing snippets of conversation-- I think that's extremely accurate except I'd add it's like being at a cocktail party with mostly people you don't know and you came in late.

Twitter reminds me of those great BING commercials about the overload of search engines.  I really just don't get it.

Veronica does-- she posts that a bicyclist crashes in front of our apartment and has 500 followers.  Do those 500 people really care about either Veronica or the bicyclist?  She's my wife, I care about her-- but I'm not sure I'd follow her on Twitter-- and that's not meant as an insult to her-- if I want to know what's going on with her I ask her and she tells me.  That's the magic of friends.  REAL friends, people.  Not virtual friends, not people you don't even know but yet you consider them a friend because you talk to them online.  They could be sitting on a pile of dead girl scouts in their dungeon basement with a lampshade made out of mom but because they have a friendly avatar and a cheery name we accept them as being a friend.

Does that make sense to you?

How about work?  Productivity is down to record lows-- and it's because we all spend our time Twitting, Facebooking and yes-- BLOGGING.  Please folks, do some work.  Pull this friggin' economy out of the dumpster and take pride in actually accomplishing something in the real world.

Then you can Blog or Twit all about it.

Webcomics Weekend: DRACULA Episode 30

Next Episode: Tomorrow!

YAY! Free Friday RETURNS!

I like FREE FRIDAYS as much as you do, it's a chance for me to get rid of some of the junk in my studio AND thank you for being a loyal reader to the blog.

Last package included Pee Wee Herman trading cards, a ninja army man, some kind of monster and of course a free little sketch which I will guarantee will be better than the one shown (although I kind of like it).

So, toss your name and address into the Bat-Cowl at Andy@hebsandfish.com and I'll draw a random name and have your package sent your way.

FREE FRIDAY is open to anyone reading the blog.  Postal address is required since we ship via USPS priority mail.  You need only enter once per week but feel free to enter every week.  We don't restrict multiple wins.

Toth; Genius

Alex Toth is one of the giants of the comic industry-- his work appeals more to artists than to fans since they can appreciate the deceptively simple line-work and innovative use of light and shadow in his work.  He never gained the fame he should have among the general comics crowd, but he is a legend for anyone in the know.

A three volume massive look at his life and work has started with the publication of Volume One; Genius Isolated back in March.  The two other volumes will follow with a slipcase included with volume three so collectors and fans can create an amazing little set.

Toth was responsible for the animation resurgence of the late 60s doing character designs for such legendary shows as SPACE GHOST, FANTASTIC FOUR, THE HERCULOIDS and so much more.

His book is a must have for any serious illustrator or a student who strives to be.  I'd also encourage you to seek out and find books on some of his contemporaries in the field who also changed the way the world sees animation, comics and illustration:

Neal Adams
Bernie Wrightson
Mike Kaluta
Gil Kane
Basil Gogos
Frank Frazetta

and the list could go on-- one of these days I will get into it but these are the masters of the medium.

Wednesday Webcomic FLY Episode 4

FLY gets no respect.  Due to the revamp of the blog schedule I'm going to cancel this strip for the time being and run the remaining DRACULA installments.  The main reason is DRACULA is already formatted and FLY isn't.

NEWS! Of THE (Art) World!

We've been gone a MONTH so there is a LOT of news to fill you in with:

SILVER SPRINGS MD (APL)- DIAMOND DIGITAL ROLLS OUT-- AND UNDERCOVERFISH is WITH THEM!
Imagine a future where readers and fans can  visit their local comic shop to buy not just physical copies of new comics, but also digital editions that aren’t available anywhere else, and can be viewed in multiple platforms including iPhone, iPad, web, and others. Well that Future is HERE now and one of the first titles included in the launch is Andy Fish's DRACULA.  Long a believer in the digital format Fish is excited about participating.


His imprint line, UnderCoverFish Books, will be offering a graphic novel title EACH month for the coming year-- included in the line up are Fish's other graphic novels as well as one's by the artists collaborating in the group including Veronica Fish's FRANKENSTEIN and Alison Cowell's HOT DONUT SALAD.  Not confirmed but rumored is PIRATES OF MARS by JJ KAHRS and VERONICA FISH.


I feel for my friends with comic book stores-- and hope they understand that what we're trying to do here is figure out a way to keep them relevant with the advent of new technology.  I'm not going to debate the merits of digital vs print or how much better it is to "actually have a real book"-- it doesn't matter how we feel about it-- much like record stores and video stores the technology is changing and as retailers and creators we need to adapt or we run the risk of going the way of the dodo bird.


WEREWOLVES OF WISCONSIN available for PRE-ORDER!
You can order it at BARNESANDNOBLE and it's in the new McFarland Catalog.  I'm hoping it's available before the listed release date of December 28th-- I'm killing myself to get this done by mid-August in the hopes they can have it in stores for Halloween.


Here's a page from the book:

The Robert Johnson story may not involve ghosts or werewolves but it does involve selling your soul to the devil to become one of the greatest blues musicians ever to pick up a guitar.  It's also apparently up at Amazon too.