Tag Archives: drew friedman

SPX Announces Funny Pages at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

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Funny Pages

The Small Press Expo (SPX) has announced two more comics-related films with the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in their ongoing film series celebrating comics and their impact on storytelling. This special series features screenings of acclaimed films and documentaries, culminating in the highly anticipated SPX 2025 weekend, that will occur September 13-14.

The SPX-AFI Silver series continues on Sunday, April 13, at 3:45 PM at the AFI Silver Theatre with a showing of Funny Pages.

Director Owen Kline made an auspicious debut as a filmmaker with this quirky and blackly comic coming-of-age tale. Kline’s love for comic book art shines through, as does an awareness that genuine underground and outsider art does not come from corporate workplaces or well-adjusted people.

The film will be screening in 35mm with a special appearance by director Owen Kline.

For more info and tickets visit the AFI Silver web site.

The series continues with a showing of the documentary Drew Friedman: Vermeer of the Borscht Belt that will be held on May 18 at 3:15 PM.

This in-depth documentary traces Drew Friedman‘s evolution from underground comics to the cover of the New Yorker through interviews with Friedman’s friends and colleagues. It also features a rare peek into his private “Jewseum,” perhaps the world’s largest collection of artifacts devoted exclusively to Jewish comedians.

For more info and tickets visit the AFI Silver web site.

Gideon Kendall and Doug Latino bring their hardcover Wait It Gets Worse… If We Only Knew to a fresh audience

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Wait It Gets Worse… If We Only Knew

After self-publishing their work for the last decade, alternative comics creators Gideon Kendall and Doug Latino bring their visionary series to an unsuspecting audience with the hardcover collection of Wait It Gets Worse… If We Only Knew from Cosmic Lion Productions.

Described as ‘Ferris Bueller meets MAD’ – or ‘Timothy Leary meets MAD’ depending on what generation you’re from – Wait It Gets Worse… wears its underground comix influence on its sleeve. Not only have the creators paid homage to some of the industry’s greats, but they’ve received praise from those same luminaries they so admire. That includes a foreword from the legendary Denis Kitchen, alongside quotes from Drew Friedman, Gary Dumm, David Collier, and Ron Turner.

Weighing in at 270 pages and due for release in March 2024 (but on pre-order now), Wait It Gets Worse… If Only We Knew collects the best of the original series in one lush hardcover edition, along with 10 new stories and almost 50 pages of new material. Featuring both color and B&W segments, it continues the rich tradition established by the let-it-all-hang-out, autobiographical misfits of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s underground movement.

In addition to collecting the best of Kendall and Latino’s work with new material and a foreword by Underground great Denis Kitchen, the book also features thematic chapter art for each section from an array of acclaimed talent – including Knight-Wallace Fellow and Xeric Award winner, Josh Neufeld, who drew the pair in a police line-up for the offence of ‘too much information’.

The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic is a celebration of Weird Al

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Five-time Grammy Award-winner and legendary musical satirist “Weird Al” Yankovic has written ALL of the greatest songs of both the 20th and 21st centuries. Z2 has gathered some of the top cartoonists to express Al’s “Yankovisions” visually within this book’s pages. The great Al-merican songbook features 20+ classic songs interpreted by a group of amazing artists.

Creators:

Hilary Barta, Jim Wiz, Wes Wong, Rick Parker
Mark Fredericksom
Bob Fingerman
Peter Bagge
Jay Jay Jackson
Bill Plympton
Wes Hargis
Craig Rousseau
Aaron Augenblick
Brent Engstrom

Steve Chanks, Claudia Chanks
Tim Leong
Chris Visions, Nathan Kempf
PJ McQuade
Ruben Volling
Gideon Kendall
Ryan Dunlavey, Adam Guzowski
Brian McFadden
Johnny Sampson
Gary Pullin

Kelly Phillips
Fred Harper, Nathan Kempf
Jeff McClelland, Jeff McComsey, Mark Welser
Jan Meininghaus
Sean Pryor
R. Sikoryak
Mike Kupperman
Felipe Sobreiro, Nathan Kempf
Drew Friedman, Mike Allred, Laura Allred, Jesse Philips, Danny Hellman

Get your copy in comic shops! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Z2 Comics
Bookshop
Amazon

Z2 Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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“Weird Al” Yankovic & Z2 Comics Join Forces For The Original Graphic Novel The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic

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Z2 Comics has announced a collaboration with pop culture icon “Weird Al” Yankovic to publish The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic. Written by “Weird Al” Yankovic, this career-spanning visual feast unites some of our top cartoonists and illustrators to express Al’s “Yankovisions.” The Great AL-merican Songbook features 20-plus classic Al songs interpreted by such artists as Bill Plympton, Aaron Augenblick, Peter Bagge, Steve Chanks, Felipe Sobreiro, Gideon Kendall, Michael Kupperman, Wes Hargis, Ruben Bolling, Fred Harper, Ryan Dunlavey, R. Sikoryak, Jeff McClelland, Jeff McComsey, Hilary Barta, Johnny Sampson, Tom Richmond, Bob Fingerman, and many more! The book also features cover art by Drew Friedman and Mike & Laura Allred, as well as a custom art print set from Jesse Philips, a collector’s card set by Danny Hellman, and a foreword from legendary comic Emo Philips, who is also opening for Al on his current 133-show tour of North America, with an accompanying illustration by master MAD alumnus Sam Viviano.

Z2 Comics and “Weird Al” Yankovic present The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic in both softcover and hardcover formats, as well as oversized hardcover deluxe, and an oversized hardcover deluxe hand-signed edition. Drew Friedman and Mike & Laura Allred provide cover art. Deluxe editions include a wax pack of collector’s cards illustrated by Danny Hellman, a 3-piece art print set from Jesse Philips, a vinyl slipmat, drink coasters, and, in the Super Deluxe Edition, Al-signed books as well as a “Weird Al” Yankovic branded mini-accordion. 

Small Press Expo 2014: Lynda Barry, Raina Telgemeier and Charles Burns Lead Authors Debuting Books

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spx-logo-240This year marks the 20th Anniversary of SPX, which will be held September 13 and 14, 2014 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. SPX is honored that over 150 different graphic novels and comics will be making their publishing debut at this years show to start off the Fall book buying season. A complete list of debuts, including cover images and publishing information, can be found on the SPX web site.

Here are some highlights of the new releases and their creators that will be at SPX 2014:

Syllabus: Notes From An Accidental Professor is the latest from Lynda Barry and Drawn and Quarterly that reveals how Ms. Barry teaches the world of writing and comics in her own creative and humorous way.

Raina Telgemeier follows up the her best selling books Smile and Drama with the autobiographical Sisters from Scholastic/Graphix, explaining the long and complex relationship she has with her younger sibling.

Charles Burns Sugar Skull from Pantheon completes the nightmarish dream world trilogy that began with X’ed Out and continued in The Hive.

Ben Hatke’s heroine Zita returns in returns in Legends of  Zita the Space Girl from First Second.

Through the Woods is Emily Carroll’s first print book that collects her award winning web comics.

Roman Muradov’s (In a Sense) Lost and Found, published by Nobrow, is the first full length graphic novel from this Society of Illustrators Gold Medal winner.

Drew Friedman turns his caricaturing genius to the great comic book creators in the Fantagraphics release, Heroes of the Comics: Portraits of the Legends of Comic Books.

Michael DeForge debuts Lose #6, the latest installment of his award winning comic from Koyama Press.

Invincible Days is a collection of short stories by Patrick Atangan released by NBM.

SPX 2014: Guests include Brandon Graham, Emily Carroll, Drew Friedman and Mimi Pond

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Small Press ExpoThis year is the 20th Anniversary of SPX, which will be held September 13 and 14, 2014 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. For their 20th birthday, they have announced Brandon Graham, Emily Carroll, Drew Friedman and Mimi Pond, all of whom are appearing at SPX for the first time.

These guests are in addition to the previously announced Jules Feiffer, Lynda Barry and James Sturm.

Brandon Graham started out as a graffiti artist in his native Seattle and now is the writer behind the Image comics series Prophet, as well as the creator of his own comic mini-series Multiple Warheads. His other titles are King City, Elevator and Universe So Big. SPX is honored to host this rare East Coast appearance by Mr. Graham, whose work can be seen on his Tumblr blog.

Emily Carroll was the recipient of this years Pigskin Peter Award, which is given to the best Canadian experimental or avant-garde artist. Her magical web-comic Out of Skin was awarded the 2014 Cartoonist Studio Prize given by The Slate Book Review and the Center for Cartoon Studies. Her first book, Through the Woods, is being released next month by Margaret K. McElderry Books. Ms. Carroll’s web comics can be seen at http://www.emcarroll.com.

Both Mr. Graham and Ms. Carroll will be signing their latest works at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund tables at SPX 2014.

Drew Friedman’s caricatures and comics have graced the pages of such esteemed publications as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Village Voice and Mad. His Old Jewish Comedians series of books was the subject of an extensive show earlier this year at the prestigious Society of Illustrators. He will be on hand at SPX to sign copies of his next book due out in August from Fantagraphics, Heroes of the Comics: Portraits of the Legends of Comic Books.

Mimi Pond is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer. She has drawn comics for the Los Angeles Times, Seventeen magazine, National Lampoon, and has also written for television, including the first full-length episode of The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. She is the author of the cult-classic book The Valley Girl’s Guide to Life. Her first graphic novel, Over Easy, was published this past April by Drawn & Qaurterly to critical acclaim and spent one month on the New York Times graphic novel bestseller chart. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, the painter Wayne White.

Small Press Expo’s 20th Anniversary Guests Include Charles Burns, Jen Sorensen, Tom Tomorrow and Ben Katchor

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Small Press ExpoThis year is the 20th Anniversary of SPX, which will be held September 13 and 14, 2014 at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. For our 20th birthday, we are pleased to announce Charles Burns, Jen Sorensen, Tom Tomorrow and Ben Katchor to join in the celebration of the comic creators of the alt-weekly newspapers.

They are in addition to the previously announced alt-weekly guests Jules Feiffer, Lynda Barry and James Sturm, as well as SPX first timers Brandon Graham, Emily Carroll, Drew Friedman and Mimi Pond.

Charles Burns completes the final installment of his trilogy that began with The Hive and X’ed Out with the release this September of Sugar Skull. Mr. Burns is renown for his epic graphic novel Black Hole, as well as his work for such periodicals as Raw, The Believer and The New Yorker. Courtesy of Pantheon Books there will be advance copies of Sugar Skull at the show, as well as a special book plate designed just for SPX 2014.

Jen Sorensen is the recipient of the this years prestigious Herblock Award, which is given every year for excellence in political cartooning. She also won the 2013 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in Cartoons as well as the 2013 National Cartoonist Society Award for Best Editorial Cartoons. Her political cartoons can be seen in various alt-weekly newspapers around the United States as well as at The Nib and her own web site. In addition to her weekly cartoon, she also does illustration work for such clients as the Kaiser Health News, The Dallas Observer, Ms. Magazine, Politico and her current home paper, The Austin Chronicle.

Tom Tomorrow aka Dan Perkins is the creator behind This Modern World, his weekly political cartoon strip that has been running since 1990. He is a two time winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in Cartoons, as well as the winner of the James Madison Freedom of Information Award and the 2012 Herblock Award. He is the author of 10 compilations of his cartoon work, as well as a children’s book and he created the cover to the Pearl Jam album Backspacer.

Ben Katchor started in the alt-weekly’s in 1986 and six compilations out of his award winning work, the latest is the 2013 Hand Drying in America and Other Stories from Pantheon Books. He is an associate professor at Parsons The New School for Design and has taught cartooning all over the world. Mr. Katchor is also works in the theater as a librettist, having won an Obie award for his work on The Carbon Copy Building.