Random Comics News Story Round-Up

* the advocacy group Friends of Lulu has opened up board nominations to its members.

* the writer Derik A Badman looks at two of Charles Schulz's two better formal flourishes: the pulsating, energetic line he used in an arm-wrestling contest between Snoopy and Lucy, and one of my all-time favorites, the batting average crack of the ball hitting bat when Jose Peterson slugs a baseball. I loved that when I was a kid, and I'm quite fond of it now.

* I'm not sure I understand the impetus of Tucker Stone's essay on the desirability of warning labels. It's true that the comics audience isn't dominated by kids, but over the last year I've seen kids in comic book stores probably twice as frequently as I've seen kids at any of the other retail establishments I've visited, so at least some are still going. I agree with Stone that some of the supposedly safe titles are equally violent and upsetting, but I don't think that means that communicating to retailers or parents or anyone on the level of a content heads-up is useless. I'm not sure on any level what to make of Stone's argument that kids curse a lot; all my friends and I cursed like sailors from the time when we were in the second grade on, so it's hardly new. It just doesn't seem to me a big deal.

* I think this probably needs to be ignored or mocked.

* good on New York City for having ethics standards, hooray for the person who complained and shame on this school librarian for not seeing how promoting your kid's work in your public-supported role is unethical above and beyond what a proud parent you are or how good your kid's work might be. All that aw-shucks stuff and doesn't the board have something better to do song and dance routine and I really, really believe in this work spiel is grade-A horseshit. Just have the class to not promote your loved one's work as if it's not your loved one's work. Sheesh. If you're busted, pay with sheepish grin on your face. If you don't like it or strongly disagree, quit your fucking job or have the stones not to sign the capitulation agreement. Don't whine to the press after you've caved. I'm not as rigidly ethical as I should be, and I disagree on some things that people think are important in that area such as certain qualifiers under certain conditions, but if I ever start promoting the work of someone from whom I could take a kidney as if they were simply a deserving artist without being transparent about that relationship, someone please drive to New Mexico, break into my studio and throw my computer in the fucking river. If I wrap myself in a parent's/boyfriend's/family member's love to justify it, throw me in, too.

* there has to be some balance we can strike where Farel Dalrymple has enough projects to keep him busy and his family clothed and fed but never so busy he stops posting imagery on his blog.

* has a comic book series preceding the release of a movie ever worked in canon-establishing material like this one looks like it will? I also wonder if the change in the movie's release date doesn't have something to do with it.

* things are so down in the newspaper business that I sent this cartoon protest article link to a friend of mine working on a daily and they responded that 30 years ago 10X the number of protesters would have shown up.

* by the way, I almost made that into its own article because I hated the thought of linking to one of the last Dave Astor articles for E&P in a news round-up.

* finally, is this really the first university comic book archive? Hasn't Michigan State had an archive for years? Doesn't Ohio State? Doesn't Oregon State? I'm confused by this. Maybe it's a rigid definition of archive? I think it's great that Dark Horse sent all of its material to its founder's alma mater, but why make such a dubious and potentially insulting claim for it instead of treat it like the great story it is on its own terms? It sounds like it may be the first single-publisher archive in open circulation, but if that's the case, why not just say that? I'm confused. I also don't understand how statues and key rings supports the initial claim, although I think it's cool that there's someplace to study that material. If someone would like to explain it to me in a letter I can actually publish instead of just grousing at me, I'll be happy to run it.
 
posted 7:30 am PST | Permalink
 

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