Superman Day!

 Yes, I have been away for quite awhile- full-time job and full-time family, and real life daily struggles all just push this stuff to the back.
 Still, I have managed to keep up with the big comics news that has been going on, and while the library will not be having the fifth annual mini-con, I found a way to make up for it in spades!

 May 4, I had the library participate in Free Comic Book Day. We handed out FCBD comics generously donated from Top Shelf (Chris Staros is an amazing good guy in the comics world!), Oni Press, and IDW (Oni and IDW I also put high on the list of good guys in comics because of the outreach they do with libraries and other organizations.).

 Saturday, June 15 we took part in Superman Day here at Union West Regional! Random House Publishing and  DC Comics sent out Superman Day packs to libraries that requested them. Included were 49 copies of All-Star Superman #1 with a little editing and a Man of Steel header across the top; 30 buttons with the new DC Comics logo; 100 bookmarks; and 3 posters!

Original Shuster art, cleaned up, re-inked and re-colored by yours truly!

 Along with that I printed out a life-size comic picture of the man of steel for kids to have their pictures taken with and I printed out a very big (over 6 ' high!) wall poster showcasing some of the key Superman covers starting with Action Comics #1. There were also some early reader storybooks featuring a variety of comic heroes for the really young fans and Superman coloring books to hand out, too. Kids could also choose and color their own Superman or Supergirl bookmark design, customize their own "S" shield based off of five different styles used through the years, show their strength by knocking down some cardboard and tin-foil poles, and show off their jumping ability by leaping over small boxes covered to look like buildings.
I also pulled every Superman book and movie I could find in the entire library system so the people who came would have the best selection of Superman materials they could possibly get from the library. Interestingly, it was the selection of adult books which went the fastest- Brad Meltzer's Book of Lies leading the way. Early children's readers and kids books went next, and teen was the slow mover of the day. The place was nuts for Superman- even the therapy dogs that came for the kids to read to were dressed in their own Superman costumes and capes! Library patrons were wearing their super-shirts, and everyone was having fun! It was a fitting way to celebrate Kal-El's 75th birthday! Look at the pictures to see what a good time so many people- and dogs- had!

A junior hero, wearing his own cape!

Super dog Dixie!

How many poles can you knock down in a single throw?

The set-up before things got crazy!

 

Very proud to have an S on her chest!

Josie- another super dog!

A psychedelic original S shield, a classicly styled S shield and a Dr. Who S shield!

Super girls!

Super dog Henri assists a youth by motivating him to read. Yawn. Good job, Henri.

Creativity abounds!

Little Metropolis is still bigger than Kandor, and according to the labels, healthier, too!

Display of some classic Superman comics, movies, etc.

Superman posing with the dawgs!

Customizing the S shield.

Henri and Toodles get super-attention.

More great S shield work!

 

Check out that Action Comics 303 from 1963, courtesy of comics artist and collector Al Bigley!

More Superman goodness.

Superboy from 1963, a daily calendar, and a reprint of Jimmy Olsen #1.

Book Review: The Shark King

  Our library recently (yesterday, really!) got a load of new graphic novels. Amidst the Phineas & Ferb and Sports Illustrated Kids and Voltron books that came in, there was The Shark King. A good story that wasn't what I had expected filled with art that had a retro feel to it, in part because of the style the artist and writer, R. Kikuo Johnson used to render the figures and backgrounds in, and partly because the color palette is reminiscent of a 1950s storybook. I always like it when someone takes a classic look to a comics story. I'm a huge fan of golden and silver age comics because of the art.
  Looking at the cover, I figured it would be some sort of fantasy story or a re-worked piece of mythology. Either way, I expected the book to be a quest of some sort because of the word balloon assigned to the boy, "I will find you!" What is inside the book is the story of a woman named Kalei, who likes to gather and eat the opihi that cling to the rocks along the shore. Suddenly a wave rises toward her with a massive shark inside it. To her surprise, she is saved by a handsome islander who warns her of the mysterious Shark King and soon they fall in love and are married. The night the baby is due, dad decides he has to go make a safe place in the world for his son and he leaves. That's when Kalei discovers her husband is the Shark King! The story shifts to her raising the young sharkling boy as a single mother. The kid, Nanaue, is raised away from other people and for good reason! His appetite is HUGE, he seems to have a hyperactive form of ADD that also makes him want to run with as little clothing as possible! Most disconcerting of all is a crooked line on his back that turns into a mouth and tries to eat anyone who gets too close! Like his father, Nanue is a shape shifter and more at home in the water than on land. His appetite leads him to find easy meals at the expense of the island's fishermen, until he is discovered.

Kalei learns the truth about her husband!

Nanue running in all his glory!

 The strengths in Johnson's book, aside from the art, is the ability to bring personality to Nanue and Kalei. The fact the story isn't very long and should appeal to a broad audience is a plus, too. If mythology is your thing, or stories of far off places and times is your thing, you will find plenty to enjoy in this latest offering from Toon Books.

Been away for awhile, but I was busy- honest!

Wow! It has been over a month since I have posted anything. Not like there haven't been things to post about, I've just been busy!
 Cartooning Club at the Union West Library has exploded the last few months! Where we were averaging about 13 kids every month we have been hitting almost 30 kids the last three months! I don't know why, but it is a joy to see so many kids looking for ways to improve their skills and share their creativity with others.
 Speaking of the Cartooning Club, the next meeting is THIS Thursday, December 20 at 5:30 and comic book and commercial artist extraordinaire Al Bigley will be there! Al recently went through his vast library, weeding out books he had multiples of, or already owned the original monthly editions for. Al suggested that the books be put into the library collection or be given away to kids. Working at this library, I know the books that would make it to the shelf may not enjoy a long life as circulating library books. The ones that wouldn't go into the collection would be put in the book sale or thrown out by someone who doesn't "get" comics. So a grand giveaway for Christmas tot he Cartooning Club was the result! But it won't just be Al's books, but a few comics from my own collection along with other fun items!

 Tomorrow, I start a series of reviews on several Toon Books!

30 Characters 30 Days Challenge

Due to a variety of things from time/ location constraints to technical issues with the computer &/or scanner (depends on which day it was!) I have not been posting to the 30 Characters in 30 Days Challenge. And once I fgure out how I am supposed to make an entry on their Wordpress site, I'll put them all up there. For now, here is an early smattering of some of the characters I have created thus far.

Based off ancient Mesopotamian designs, this is the emperor from centuries ago. His crown has some mysterious power and will give the empire a ruler again- if it can ever be found.

The empire's ruling council- the three heads that  have run the empire for centuries. L-R- Head of war, Head of affairs of state, Head of judgement.

Grid, the living football!

Adding a golem to Snake Luster's Monster Pirate Crew

No idea what it is- but definitely part of the monster pirates!

Modeled after the Hindu Monkey King, this member of the monster pirates is named Hanu.

He's called a shadow demon, but he really is a  subterranean  creature  who gives off a "dark light."

Trash Can Man is a new adversary for my comedic hero, Capt. Punishment!

Teaming up with Trash Can Man to give Capt. Punishment more headaches!

Veil is part of the monster crew. She is a seer, and what lies behind the veil she wears is beautiful to some, sheer terror to others.

Inspired by the Easter Island Statues, this rock giant is part of the crew. He's the runt of his tribe, standing just 8 feet tall!

Mystic Dalmatian Yeti. Need I say more?

Thunder here is a young Tauran- what we would call a minotaur. Except he doesn't eat people.

There's a lot of comics news lately!

Hot off the heels of the big news of Disney's $4 billion purchase of LucasFilms, several other interesting comics related stories have surfaced this week.
 First, from my friend and comics artist extraordinaire, Al Bigley, was this really cool link to a display of Silver Age comics at the Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte. The comics were a gift from a donor and are part of the library's archives collection. The collection is primarily Marvel and DC titles, and are not ones people get to see in their original form very much. If you find yourself in the University area of Charlotte, take the time to head over and see these gems of comics history for yourself. If you can't make it out that way, the library has the display online so you can peruse the covers, some of the pages, and learn a little about some of the characters in the context of the era they are set in. Click here for the online tour! Enjoy!

Super Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson

 Next, was news that the location of Superman's homeworld, Krypton, has been given a real set of coordinates in outer space! Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked by DC comics to come up with a plausible location for where Krypton would have been if it had been real. Tyson, who is brilliant yet very adept at explaining complex scientific ideas so boneheads like me get it, placed it near a red dwarf star in the Corvus constellation. That would make Kal-El's journey to Earth a distance of about 27.1 light years! You can read more about Tyson's "discovery" at the New York Post. Tyson's choice of location makes some other interesting connections to Superman lore.



 The families of Jerry Seigel and Joe Schuster lost their court battle for the rights to Superman recently, and have now filed an appeal to a higher court. The families have made agreements in the past with Warner/DC but have also argued that the compensation they have received over the years has been greatly undervalued compared to the revenue the Man of Steel has brought DC over the years.This story came to me from Bloomberg via New Kadia Comics.

Are court battles going to wear down the Man of Tomorrow?

The buck stops here!

 Last is news I got off of Hisstank.com that Disney may have it's eyes on buying up Hasbro. Hasbro manufactures toys for LucasFilm properties Star Wars and Indiana Jones, along with Transformers and Hasbro's own "home-grown" line, GI Joe. Hisstank picked up the story from MTV Geek. Read it for yourself  HERE. And now you know....and knowing is half the battle!

Mummies!

 What a turnout for our Cartooning Club last night! Normally, about 12 kids show up to talk comics, cartoons, draw stuff and watch some animation. Last month, there were 16 kids and last night, a whopping 24 kids! The big group made it a fun atmosphere as we jumped in drawing a cool creature for the Halloween season- the mummy! I then talked about Disney's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (part two of the "Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad") and the real-life background of Washington Irving's classic. And then, we watched the classic cartoon with lots of laughs and chilling moments! Things were "wrapped up" (get it?) with the kids collaborating on a Halloween banner which now hangs in the children's area of the library!

An uncredited pic of a ghostly mummy and some friends!

An uncredited pic of a mummy with a boney sidekick!

Haley adds background, movement & depth to her mummy!

Uncredited picture of a very well proportioned mummy for a cartoon look!

Uncredited pic of a...zombie? Maybe if she were a mummy her foot wouldn't be broken!

Kaden shows fine line work/detail in this mummy drawing!

 The next Cartooning Club will meet Thursday, November 15 at 5:30! See you there!