Item! Kevin Boyd at the Shuster blog has posted the announcement of Fan Expo Vancouver, a spin-off from the popular and massive Toronto Fan Expo pop culture convention. The con’s owner, Hobbystar, makes a claim for “the city’s very first major comicon. Highlighting celebrities, shopping, panels and workshops, you will be able to find the newest and hottest in Anime, Manga, Comics, Sci-Fi, Gaming and Horror.” Fan Expo Vancouver joins a lively comics scene in BC, which includes the current Vancouver Comicon, Comic Jams, and the recently announced Vancouver Comic Arts Festival.
Item! The latest Inkstuds podcast is a year-end round-up featuring three comics critics talking about some of the most “interesting” graphic novels and anthologies of 2011. Tim Hodler (Comics Journal), Joe McCulloch (Jog the Blog), and Matt Seneca (Death to the Universe) are three very smart guys and it’s a pleasure to listen to them chewing over things like Anders Nilson, the Thickness porn anthology, David Collier, Yuichi Yokoyama, Chester Brown, Congress of the Animals, and more.
Item! The Toronto Star’s Jonathan Kuehlein puts up a very uneven “Best Graphic Novels of 2011” list that may confuse and educate in equal measure?
Item! The Star also has the lowdown on the recent crackdown on teen gangs that allegedly take some of their nomenclature from Marvel comics (insert “Wertham was right” and Boycott Marvel jokes here).
Item! And speaking of the Marvel Boycott, Scott Edelman has some thoughts on the latest person to rip off Jack Kirby.
Item! Squidface and the Meddler present a very design-heavy Christmas Gift List. Some beautiful items there for every budget.
Item! “There are two types of fans: superhero fans and comics fans. The problem is that most superhero fans mistakenly believe they’re comics fans.” Discuss.
Item! This New York Times profile of 93-year-old Irwin Hasen was the best thing I read all weekend. Hasen, the creator of Wildcat and the Dondi comic strip, is a fascinating character and his cosmopolitan playboy lifestyle is charmingly delineated.
Item! How Seth helped save one young reader from a life of no comics.
Item! Tucker Stone contrasts the new Koyama Press book, Hellberta by Michael Comeau with a 20-year-old comic illustrated under duress by Bill Sienkiewiscz. Both comics feature Wolverine but only one features Stephen Harper.
Item! Jeet Heer writes on Herge and Tintin in The Globe and Mail.
Item! And speaking of Jeet, if you are at all like me maybe it will blow your mind a little bit to learn that the comics critic Bob Heer is his brother. Here is Bob on the issue of cartoonist royalties in this Golden Age of reprints. A touchy subject for us Boycott Marvel types.
Item! The subject of Los Bros Heer came up in an email discussion about the death of Joe Simon, co-creator of Captain America. Simon died last week at the age of 98. His importance to U.S. comics history as one-half of the Joe Simon-Jack Kirby team and as a writer, artist, inker, editor, and publisher cannot be overstated. But maybe you are wondering how many Golden Age greats are still with us? Not many.

2 Comments

  1. Re: Fan Expo Vancouver… We are working with Leonard Wong, who owns and runs the one day Vancouver Comicons, and I’ve approached Shannon about giving her free space to promote VanCAF at the event. We aren’t looking to alienate anyone! Many members of the Vancouver community have stepped forward and will be involved in the event in different ways, such as programming, special events, after hours happenings, etc.
    Jon’s last name is spelled Kuehlein.

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