From WLS-FM, in December, 1968. Dig it!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Samm Schwartz: Jughead Artist Supreme
Those who regularly read Eventized will have probably noticed I read a lot of Jughead comics. Samm Schwartz is the reason why.
For over thirty years, Schwartz defined, honed and perfected Jughead using an innovative style which often ignored panel borders and always placed an emphasis on gracefully slapstick body language.
If you recognize the photo of Schwartz, above, it may be because he frequently drew himself into his stories. He also improvised with the scripts he was given and made them his own.
The photo above accompanies an afterward written by Schwartz's daughter, Joanne Colt, published in Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz, Vol. 1, recently released by IDW. This volume reprints what I consider some of the lesser (but still strong) Schwartz material: his late '50s/early '60s work, which was largely inked by other cartoonists.
In the mid-'60s, Schwartz took a several-year-long break from Archie comics. When he returned, he inked his own pencils in a "clear line" style amazingly similar to (and most likely influenced by) Herge's Tintin books. It was then that Schwartz produced hundreds of stories for Jughead, Reggie and Me and other titles well into the '90s. The '70s were a golden age for Schwartz fans and Archie fans and I'm very much looking forward to Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz, Vol. 2.
Purchase Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz, Vol. 1 here: http://www.amazon.com/Archie-Best-Samm-Schwartz-1/dp/1613770413
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wild Goose Creative Tops Reader's Survey List
Columbus arts organization Wild Goose Creative topped the Columbus Underground reader's survey for the best arts and cultural organization of 2011.
Though I may be a bit prejudiced (I've curated several exhibits there, including this year's Simplexity gallery), I can't think of another arts organization in Columbus that has such a needed mixture of inclusiveness and hospitality, neighborhood outreach and openness to offbeat creative visions.
Read about it here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/best-arts-cultural-organization-of-2011-wild-goose-creative
And learn more about Wild Goose Creative here: http://www.wildgoosecreative.com/Wild_Goose_Creative___Home.html
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Scheduled Reading: The American, by Henry James
Having read James' first two novels, Watch and Ward and Roderick Hudson, I'll be tackling (in truth, the roughhousing will be minimal) James' third novel, The American, as soon as I'm caught up with several of Marvel's Avengers series and The New Yorker.
The novel was originally serialized in The Atlantic Monthly from 1876-1877.
Comics I've Read Recently, December 27th, 2011
Cartoonist Paul Grist, in his introduction to Mud Man #1, writes a good arguement for the advantages of the serialized comic book format (as opposed to graphic novels and trades), one I wholeheartedly agree with. I recommend both his comic book and the essay.
Near Death is perhaps the best of the new crime/noir series on the market and needs to be an HBO series - now.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Comic Creators for Freedom: Fighting Together to End Human Trafficking
I am honored to be taking part, this year, in a project which benefits two organizations devoted to fighting human trafficking and helping victims of human trafficking: Love 146 and Gracehaven.
The project is CCF: Comic Creators for Freedom. Each comic creator who participates contributes an original drawing of one of their female characters (this year's theme: snowball fight!).
All of the images will then be combined into one single wallpaper, available for download when you donate to the cause! 100% of the donations will be split between Love 146 and Gracehaven. The project coincides with National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11th.
I'll be drawing Carmen, from my online pulp/noir strip The Mesh (scheduled to continue in 2012).
More news about this project as January 11th approaches.
Columbus Cartoonists: A Bicentennial Celebration at the OSU Cartoon Research Library
From the Ohio State University website:
"An extraordinary number of notable cartoonists have lived, worked or been educated in Columbus, Ohio. In honor of the two hundredth anniversary of the city's founding, this exhibition features original cartoon art and other artifacts created by many of them, including Billy Ireland, Milton Caniff, Harry J. Westerman, Eugene Craig, Doc Goodwin, Bill Crawford, Edwina Dumm, Dudley T. Fisher, James Thurber, and Jeff Stahler."
The exhibit runs from January 23 through April 27, 2012, at the Reading Room Gallery in the OSU Cartoon Research Library, 27 West 17th Avenue Mall.
Notice: the Milton Caniff art above is not scheduled for the exhibit.
Freedom Now!
During the holiday season, please remember the places around the world where freedom of expression and worship is suppressed.
My Twitter account, Freedom Now, posts and retweets news and info about the fight for freedom worldwide, from the timely to the bizarre (learn, for example, about North Korea's CafePress site, where you can purchase official NK propaganda coffee mugs!
Check it out here: http://twitter.com/Freedom_Now_
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
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