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Monthly Archives: July 2016

Signing: Marjorie Liu with Sana Takeda at Comix Experience (July 27)

One of the most anticipated announcements to come out of Image Expo 2015 was Marjorie Liu teaming up with Sana Takeda on a new creator-owned series called Monstress. Monstress_01-1When Monstress hit shelves later that year the comic more than met expectations. It received high praise and sold out going straight to a second printing (and quickly to a third).  The extensive world-building and breath-taking illustrations establish Monstress as a rare beast in modern comics.  Not only is it well-written and visually-striking but it deftly tackles complex issues like struggles with inner demons, social stratification, and gender inequality, and racial discrimination. At first glance, it might look like a pretty fairytale but the story is dark and brutal at the core.

It should win all of the awards.

Bay Area fans of Liu and Takeda are in for a rare treat thanks to Comix Experience at 305 Divisadero in San Francisco. The comic book store is hosting a joint signing with the Monstress team on July 27 starting at 5 p.m. The signing will run until 7:30 p.m. when it will become an exclusive meet-and-greet with members of the Comix Experience Graphic Novel Club. Members of the club will additionally receive a signed bookplate (see below). If you’re not familiar with the club you can read about it and the numerous benefits here.

bookplate

 

Signing: Matthew Rosenberg and Frank Barbiere Bay Area Mini-Tour (July 16)

Writers Matthew Rosenberg (4 Kids Walk Into A Bank) and Frank Barbiere (The Revisionist) will take part in a Bay Area mini-tour on July 16. They’ll make at least two stops on the West Bay Comics Trail and two stops on the East Bay Comics Trail.

At each stop, they’ll host 30-minute lighting signings.

Below is the itinerary I’ve been able to piece together by scouring Facebook event listings. I apologize if I missed any shops.

1 p.m.
Escapist Comics
3090 Claremont Avenue
Berkeley, CA

2:30 p.m.
Cape and Cowl Comics
1601 Clay Street
Oakland, CA

4:30 p.m.
Mission: Comics and Art
2250 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA

6 p.m.
Comix Experience Outpost
2381 Ocean Avenue
San Francisco, CA

tumblr_o9icd9nZUb1tuji99o1_500Matthew Rosenberg writes the phenomenal Black Mask Studios titles 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank and You Can Never Go Home. I don’t have a top ten current title list but if I did 4 Kids  would definitely be on it. Maybe I should start a list. Let’s arbitrarily slot it in at number 3 on my new list. He’s also the writer on Civil War II: Kingpin which I didn’t know until I started writing this post but based on those other two books it’s likely one of the best things being printed by Marvel. I should go buy it.

 

 

 

 

revisionist

In 2013, Frank Barbiere was kind enough to give the world the brilliant Image published title Five Ghosts. He’s also written Howling Commandos of SHIELD for Marvel, Solar: Man of the Atom for Dynamite, Lobo for DC, and many other books. Last month Barbiere dropped the first issue of his most recent creator-owned work The Revisionist on AfterShock Comics. The first issue was a thrilling ride and, much like Rosenberg’s 4 Kids, was highly praised by critics. The second issue, which hits shelves this coming Wednesday, will determine if it enters my newly established top 10.

Event: A Salute to Chuck Jones (July 10)

Chuck_Jones_bugs2The Cartoon Art Museum has partnered with the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity to host a night saluting the cartoon genius of Chuck Jones. The July 10 event at San Francisco’s Castro Theater feature screenings of rare 35mm prints of classic cartoons written and directed by the cartoonist. A number of special guests will be on hand to help honor Jones and introduce the selected cartoons. Programming includes: What’s Opera, Doc?, One Froggy Evening, Feed the Kitty, Duck Amuck, and Rabbit of Seville.

Guest presenters:

Andrew Farago – curator of the Cartoon Art Museum
Jon “Bean” Hastings – illustrator and cartoonist
Craig Kausen – Chairman of the Board for the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
Jeff Pidgeon – Writer, artist, and voice actor with Pixar
Christian Roman – Story artist at Pixar
Allison Rutland – Animator at Pixar and illustrator of Sammy the Snail

The kid-friendly salute starts at 12 p.m. and will be followed by a VIP reception. Proceeds from the event will go to support the Cartoon Art Museum and Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Tickets can be purchased in advance online.

Special Event: Paul Dini at Comix Experience (July 6)

diniOne night in 1993, Paul Dini was walking along La Peer Drive in Los Angeles. The writer and producer of Batman: The Animated Series was jumped and assaulted by two men. They left Dini close to death with a shattered skull and other significant injuries. Much like the comic book history of the Caped Crusader this act of violence left Dini a changed man. He told The Hollywood Reporter “Here I am writing these stories for an audience that loves this form, in comics, in animation, but now I was saying to myself, ‘I can’t go on with this. I don’t believe in it anymore. There is no hero for me. Where is my hero?’ The answer is: You have to be your own hero.”

In June, Vertigo published Dini’s autobiography Dark Knight: A True Batman Story. The graphic novel, drawn by 100 Bullets illustrator Eduardo Risso, tells the story of Dini’s journey back to health with the Dark Knight’s cast of characters offering “criticism and advice as if angels and devils on his shoulders.”

Dini visits Comix Experience, 305 Divisadero in San Francisco, on July 6 for a public event. The event starts at 6 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. After the event, Comix Experience will host an exclusive Q&A with Dini for members of the shop’s graphic novel club.

The Comix Experience Graphic Novel Club was started as a unique method of offsetting rising costs associated with San Francisco’s steadily increasing minimum wage. The Dini event is just one of a number of exclusive events the club provides members. According to the website members receive the following:

  • A curated selection of the best new graphic novel each month.
  • Monthly live book club meeting and social event to discuss that book. We record and stream the in-store meeting so club members all over the world can also participate.
  • Writers and artists of each of our picks participate in our monthly club meetings, (e.g. in person, speaking and doing a live event, or a video chat to answer questions).  Click here to see videos of past meetings archived on the bottom of our Events page.
  • Exclusive club-only invitations to attend a private after-hours in-person, in-store appearances by authors and artists
  • Social media group for members to discuss the book internationally.
  • Nice swag (like posters or these awesome bookplates) for the selected book wherever possible