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Submitted by pkooger on Fri, 04/13/2012 - 1:48pm

Whedon Rises Again!

Joss Whedon, writer, director, producer, cult favorite and god of the geek pantheon, is going to have a good month. His highly-anticipated thriller, The Cabin in the Woods, opens today. In two weeks his Marvel comics blockbuster, The Avengers, will explode into theaters everywhere. Both films have already received exalted critical praise. Converts to Whedon’s fandom must wait to see the second of his films, but you can revel in his other works right now.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Whedon’s first and perhaps greatest work. Seven seasons on the air, and one season in graphic novel form.
Angel – A part of the Buffyverse, this avenging vampire was certainly not the first of his kind, but he is one of the best.
Firefly – An interplanetary smuggler and his ragtag crew try to survive in the wild black yonder.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – NPH is a mad scientist trying to win the heart of Penny, but how is he to do it when he is thwarted at every turn by that disgustingly handsome Captain Hammer?
Dollhouse – La Femme Nikita meets The Pretender in this short-lived espionage series.
Runaways – A group of teens who have inherited their supervillain parents’ legacies decide to run away and live apart from the traditionally defined good guys and bad guys.

Submitted by K.C. on Wed, 04/11/2012 - 12:30pm

The case against Sacco and Vanzetti

History comes to life under the capable hands of graphic novelist Rick Geary. In the latest installment of his “Treasury of XXth Century Murder” Geary meticulously lays out the April 15, 1920 robbery and murder and outlines the evidence for and against the accused Nicolo Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. He also provides details of the trial of these two Italian immigrants. He discusses both men’s lives, the times in which they live,and why this case had worldwide impact. Geary provides the facts with impartiality. After reading The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti you get to decide whether these two men were villains or victims.

Submitted by K.C. on Sun, 04/01/2012 - 6:35am

April Fools Comic Artists Forum with Jono Balliett

Sunday, April 1| 1:00-3:30 PM | Downtown 4th Floor Meeting Room

Turn a single sheet of paper into an eight-page, multi-panel, mini-comic book that doesn’t need any staples or binding. No April Fools! With cartoonist Jono Balliett’s help you can make one yourself.

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in to draw, learn, share, and network with other cartoonists

Submitted by Jerzy on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:30pm

Comics Are Great! Wednesday with Brianne Drouhard and Dan Mishkin

This Wednesday at 12:30 pm we hope you'll join us for the live Comics Are Great! show, produced in the AADL Netcast Studio!

We will be joined by Brianne Drouhard, storyboard artist, character designer, and animator whose credits include Teen Titans, Transformers: Animated, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Also on the roundtable we'll have Dan Mishkin, co-creator of Blue Devil and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld.

Together we'll tackle the topic of writing adventure fiction for girls. What are the special considerations one must face when creating an action-oriented story for girls? Is it important to refer to current styles and technology, or does that make your story less "timeless"? How is writing adventure fiction for girls different than writing the same for boys? Or are they essentially the same?

You can join us in the chat live at Comicsaregreat.tv, participate via the #comicsaregreat Twitter hashtag, or by posting some comments here. What are some of your favorite adventure stories made for girls? What, if anything, made them different from similar stories made for boys?

Submitted by K.C. on Sun, 03/04/2012 - 3:02pm

Comics Writer Paul Storrie at Comic Artists Forum

Sunday, March 4 | 1:00-3:30 PM | Downtown 4th Floor Meeting Room

Comics writer Paul Storrie will talk about the importance of clearly conveying to the artists, letterers, & colorists what you want to see on the finished page so their already Herculean task isn't any harder than it has to be.

Beyond the basics of formatting and terminology for comic book scripting, Paul will also cover some of the most common mistakes made and how to avoid them.

Paul is the writer of the Twisted Journeys graphic novels that lets the reader control the story. He also is the writer of a number of heroic tales like Yu the Great: Conquering the Flood a Chinese legend.

Join the Forum to get fresh ideas for your next comics or graphic novel creation. Drawing supplies will be provided, so drop in to draw, learn, share, and network with other cartoonists.

This program is for teens (grades 6-12) and adults.

Submitted by K.C. on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 4:49pm

Mini-Comics Day at the Duderstadt Center

2nd Annual Mini-Comics Day | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Saturday, March 10, 2012 | Duderstadt Center

If you like making comics and meeting other cartoonists, here's your chance to complete a mini-comic, photocopy it, and swap with fellow artists all in a day. You can work alone or with others. Your mini-comic may be any number of pages. If you've never made a mini-comic before, no problem, come and find out what it's all about. For more details check the Mini-Comics Day FAQ.

Registration is now open-- send email to minicomics-2012@umich.edu to sign up!

Submitted by andrewjmac on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 2:55pm

Comics Are Great! 46 – Manga Studio

This episode is packed to the gills as I’m joined by a full house of great people who are all eager to talk about comics!

First up is a discussion on drawing digitally in Manga Studio with Stephen McCranie, who leads a demonstration of how he draws his comics in the program while Paul Storrie and I watch and comment with baited breath.

We’re then joined by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library and David Carter of the University of Michigan Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library for some great book recommendations and some talk on Mini-Comics Day in Ann Arbor, March 10.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and Book Recommendations:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG46HQ.mp4 373.5 MB
CAG46AUDIO.mp3 58.2 MB
Submitted by K.C. on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 3:58pm

Meet the Creators of nemu*nemu at Comic Artists Forum

Sunday, February 5 | 1:00-3:00 PM | Downtown Library | Multipurpose Room | Gr. 6-Adults

Welcome cartoonists Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga from sunny Honolulu, Hawaii (via Skype), as they discuss how they work together to create comics and run their business.

Audra and Scott are the co-creators of nemu*nemu, an original, online comic that has been running since 2006. Not only are they inspired by anime and manga, but the duo also strives to bring a touch of Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday funnies with a good dose of “small kid time” nostalgia to everything they do.

Submitted by andrewjmac on Wed, 01/25/2012 - 2:56pm

Comics Are Great! 45 – Balancing Act

Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I’m joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one’s career, finding time for personal projects, all while still being present for friends and family.

We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for some final thoughts and book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and book recommendations:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG45HQ.mp4 321.8 MB
CAG45AUDIO.mp3 50.6 MB
Submitted by andrewjmac on Wed, 01/11/2012 - 2:56pm

Comics Are Great! 44 – Great Comics

We’re back with a new “season” of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we’re starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorite books. Whatever your tastes, there’s a comic out there just waiting for you to fall in love with it.

I’m joined by Stephanie Mannheim, Gale Williams, and Eli Neiburger, who share some of their favorite comics and use music and movie metaphors to explain who these comics are made for.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics Recommendations:

Webcomic Recommendations:

To download the episode right-click link below and save link as...

Attachment Size
CAG44HQ.mp4 282.5 MB
CAG44AUDIO.mp3 44.5 MB
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