Bill McKay interview up at City Paper

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat With Bill McKay
 by Mike Rhode on Feb. 7, 2011

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2011/02/07/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-bill-mckay/

 

Steve Artley interviewed by David Paccia

I'm about to go read this now -

Steve Artley - Cartoonist Survey #207
David-Wasting-Paper blog January 29, 2011
http://david-wasting-paper.blogspot.com/2011/01/steve-artley-cartoonist-survey-207.html

Carolyn Belefski's recent podcast online now

Carolyn Belefski is reporting that her recent appearance on the You, Me, Them, Everybody podcast is online now.

A Chat with Dan Nokes now at City Paper

Meet a Local Cartoonist : A Chat with Dan Nokes

Posted by Mike Rhode on Dec. 17, 2010

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/books/2010/12/17/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-dan-nokes/

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat With Kevin Ward

Now online at the City Paper - Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat With Kevin Ward, by Mike Rhode on Dec. 2, 2010.

Brad Meltzer, former local comics writer, interviewed on his new tv show Decoded

Brad Meltzer, a former local comics writer, answered some of my questions on his new tv show Decoded. First, here's some information about him from the press release for the show.

 

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate and six other novels. His first non-fiction work Heroes For My Son, a collection of historical heroes, recently hit the New York Times bestseller list. Meltzer is also author of the critically acclaimed comic books Identity Crisis and Justice League of America and is the first author to ever reach the #1 spot on both the New York Times and the Diamond comic book bestseller lists simultaneously. Meltzer's books have spent over eleven months on bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages.

  
Best-selling author Brad Meltzer loves a good mystery. A history enthusiast known for his immaculate research, he has studied and written about some of America's most revered institutions and documents. But sometimes he uncovers unverifiable stories that keep him awake at night. Is there another hidden message buried in the Statue of Liberty? What happened to the White House cornerstone that's been missing for two centuries?  Could it be true that John Wilkes Booth lived for 40 years after his presumed death under an assumed identity? 

In the new 10-part series BRAD MELTZER'S DECODED, premiering on Thursday, December 2 at 10 p.m. on HISTORY®, Meltzer scours secret clues, symbols and conspiracy theories to unravel some of society's most provocative enigmas. And the deeper he digs into the past, the more we learn about our future. 
 
Together with a team of experts – Buddy Levy, a professor and journalist who assumes there is always more than meets the eye; Christine McKinley, a mechanical engineer who believes only what she can prove; and Scott Rolle, a trial lawyer who is skeptical by nature – Meltzer hunts for answers to questions that have perplexed us for centuries yet have never been fully investigated.
 
The premiere episode rolls out with "The White House" as the team gets to the bottom – literally – of a mystery concerning the cornerstones of our democracy.  Laid by the ultra secretive Freemasons, this landmark piece of stone vanished. The search for the cornerstone has been on for over 200 years, everyone from Harry Truman to Barbara Bush have looked for it. Is it a coincidence…or is there a secret conspiracy tied to these stones and the buildings they were meant to support?

 

ComicsDC: Brad, to provide a figleaf of cover for this appearing on ComicsDC - you used to live in suburban Maryland, and you still write comics, correct?

 

Brad Meltzer: Of course.

 

 ComicsDC: How did the idea for the tv show come about?

 

Brad Meltzer: One of the heads of HISTORY read my novel The Book of Fate, which dealt with Freemasons and the secret codes that Thomas Jefferson used when he was President -- and then said, "We should do a show like this."  And y'know what that is?  That's dumb luck by me.

 

 ComicsDC: How did the topics get picked?

 

Brad Meltzer: I keep a book (now books) of every idea I've had over the years -- some stupid and dumb and not fleshed out -- and some that'll feed characters and comic books and anything else.  And there were just tons of historical details that I'd love to know the answers to, but just couldn't use in the books.  So really, I'm stealing from my future novels.

 

ComicsDC: How much research do you personally do or supervise?

 

Brad Meltzer: For the novels, I do all the research myself.  But for the show, HISTORY said, you give us the mysteries and we'll give you the research team to solve it.  The problem is, I still couldn't help myself and sometimes found myself digging as well.

 

ComicsDC: Which is your favorite show?

 

Brad Meltzer: Of Decoded?  I love this first one airing tonight -- about the first piece of the White House.  That was the very first idea I suggested, and it really set up a good model for the show.  Sure, we're not digging it up from below the White House -- but we do answer questions like, is it hollow?  And what's inside?  As for surprises, the John Wilkes Booth one is the one that kept me awake.

 

ComicsDC: Navy medical historian Jan Herman is a friend of mine - I've known him for 20 years - and he hasn't convinced me yet that Lincoln's murderer John Wilkes Booth may have escaped, as one of your shows examines. Did any of the shows change your mind about an historical 'truth'?

 

Brad Meltzer: I hear you.  And I started the Booth show thinking the exact same thing.  But wait till you see Booth's family telling their side of the story.  It's like "Who is Donna Troy?"  Will mess you up good.

 

ComicsDC: Is the show going to continue? If so, do you know what other topics you'd like to look into?

 

Brad Meltzer: It depends if we get more viewers than my last try at television -- Jack & Bobby.  There, our ratings were 14.  Not a 14 share.  Fourteen people.  Total.

 

ComicsDC: Is it really possible to solve a mystery for a tv show?

 

Brad Meltzer: Especially with historical shows, the biggest barrier is simply that so much of the physical evidence is gone or unavailable.  When Lee Harvey Oswald was dead, theories started that it wasn't him in the grave.  So they dug him up and proved it was.  If you want to solve the Booth mystery, dig up the grave.  For now, the government still won't allow it.  But when you watch our Lewis episode, the ballistic evidence and the other details we find definitely add a huge piece to the puzzle.  

 

ComicsDC: Your next book is about secrets in a museum or archives - can you tell us anything about that?

 

Brad Meltzer: The Inner Circle comes out 1/11/11 and for that one, I got help with the research from a former President of the United States.  So I'm now gearing up that release.

 

ComicsDC: What is your favorite museum or archives? 

 

Brad Meltzer: The National Archives.  No question.  It's the attic of the US Government.  Library of Congress is a close second.

 

ComicsDC: And bringing it all back home, do you have any plans to write another comic book? How about adapting your existing works to graphic novels?

  

Brad Meltzer: Love to write more comics.  Without question, comics still have had the biggest influence on my writing.  More than film.  More than novels.  More than anything.  They're still the best.

 

CBS Overtime rerunning 1999 Charles Schulz interview

We don't normally pay much attention to things beyond our Washington, DC scope, but in honor of the Peanuts 60th anniversary and Mrs. Schulz's recent donation to the National Gallery, here's a link to 60 Minutes Overtime site -



Charlie Brown Turns 60: A look back at "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz

Matt Dembicki interviewed by Mark Ruffin

Here's another Capicons con interview by Mark Ruffin, DC Comic Books Examiner - DC Conspiracy's Matt Dembicki discusses graphic novel of Native American stories leads to the video Matt Dembicki re: Trickster, October 7th, 2010.

Rina Piccolo interview at Comic Riffs

'RHYMES WITH ORANGE': Rina Piccolo fills us in on her Hilary Price fill-in
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Comic Riffs blog August 30, 2010

Dan Nadel interview up at Wash City Paper

He'll be speaking at Politics and Prose on Sat at 6 pm about Art In Time, his new anthology of forgetten classic comic book art. I'm planning on going. In the meantime, read his thoughts here -

Meet a Formerly Local Cartoon Editor: A Chat with Dan Nadel

Posted by Mike Rhode on Jun. 22, 2010

Interview with Trickster artist Andrew Cohen up at City Paper

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Trickster’s Andrew Cohen, Posted by Mike Rhode on Jun. 14, 2010.

Andrew and I will also be appearing on a panel at the DC Public Library on June 26th, talking about comics.

Trickster’s Jacob Warrenfeltz interview online at Washington City Paper now

Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Trickster's Jacob Warrenfeltz
Posted by Mike Rhode on Jun. 7, 2010 at 10:48 am

Rand Arrington chat up at City Paper

I'm still accompanying Richard T at HeroesCon so my internet access is spotty, but the interview with Rand Arrington from the Trickster anthology has been posted at the City Paper.,

Clowes interview up at City Paper - he's at Politics and Prose tonight

“Likable Characters Are for Weak-Minded Narcissists”: A Chat with Daniel Clowes
Monday, May 3rd, 2010 is short email interview that he did with me - he's very funny. Go read it now, and then see him tonight at Politics and Prose at 7 pm.

Here's the PR from his publisher:

Dan Clowes On Tour! WILSON in stores!

All of our North American distributors have shipped the most anticipated book of the year to stores -- WILSON by Daniel Clowes, the cartoonist of David Boring, Ghost World and Ice Haven and the legendary Eightball comic book series. Today, WILSON is available everywhere in North America, at a finer store near you. In the next year, foreign language editions will also come out in the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands and Denmark.

Dan Clowes embarks on his tour next week in support of his first ever original graphic novel. In each city, Dan will be talking with a special guest moderator complete with slide show. (and it's a great slide show) And in Boston you get to see Ghost World after the event, with an introduction by Dan himself.

05/03/10 | 7 PM Washington DC POLITICS & PROSE With Dan Kois
05/04/10 | 6 PM Cambridge BRATTLE THEATER & HARVARD BOOKSTORE With Hillary Chute
05/05/10 | 7 PM NYC THE STRAND With David Hajdu
05/07/10 | 7 PM Toronto TCAF & TPL With Mark Medley
05/08/10-05/09/10 Toronto TCAF & TPL
05/13/10 | 7:30 PM San Francisco THE BOOKSMITH With Glen David Gold
05/14/10 | 7:30 PM Los Angeles SKYLIGHT BOOKS With Dana Gould
05/16/10 | 7:30 PM Portland POWELLS With Greg Netzer, Director of Wordstock
06/03/10 | 7 PM Oakland DIESEL With Eli Horowitz
06/12/10 | 7 PM Chicago QUIMBY'S (signing only)
06/13/10 | TBA Chicago PRINTERS ROW With Ray Pride

ABOUT WILSON: Meet Wilson, an opinionated middle-aged loner who loves his dog and quite possibly no one else. In an ongoing quest to find human connection, he badgers friend and stranger alike into a series of one-sided conversations, punctuating his own lofty discursions with a brutally honest, self-negating sense of humor. After his father dies, Wilson, now irrevocably alone, sets out to find his ex-wife with the hope of rekindling their long-dead relationship, and discovers he has a teenage daughter, born after the marriage ended and given up for adoption. Wilson eventually forces all three to reconnect as a family - a doomed mission that will surely, inevitably backfire.

Full Color, 80 pages, 8 1/4 by 11 1/2 inches ISBN: 9781770460072 $21.95 US / $22.95 CDN
For more information visit www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog

Mark Alan Stamaty video interview

Robert Wright has an excellent interview on Bloggingheads.tv with Mark Alan Stamaty, who was regularly seen in the Post with Washingtoons years ago. Stamaty talks about his Washington Post experience at 17:35. Wow, it ran for 12 years in the Post!

Coloring Cul de Sac Contest

Richard Thompson and Comic Riffs are sponsoring a color-your-own Cul de Sac contest.

Also Richard's telephone interview by Tom Racine, postponed from San Diego until recently is online.

OT: Steve Brodner audio interview

Brodner's one of the best caricaturists working regularly and I was lucky enough to hear him speak a few years ago at SPX. Here's a new interview with him - "MoJo Audio: Meet Cartoonist Steve Brodner: Satirical illustrator Steve Brodner talks about Newt Gingrich, Richard Nixon, and which senator he most wants to draw," by Nikki Gloudeman, Mother Jones podcast April 3, 2009. The direct download is http://www.motherjones.com/audio/download/21368/brodner_final.mp3

Herblock award winner Pat Bagley on his experience

Herblock award winner Pat Bagley did a radio interview on his experience - "Bagley Wins Herblock Prize," by Jennifer Napier-Pearce, National Public Radio's KUER (April 6, 2009). He talks a little about the award, then his career and then his favorite cartoon which he also descirbed for us at the award ceremony. The cartoon can be seen on KUER's site.