Comic Creatory Birthdays: Leji Matsumoto and Mattotti

Yesterday was Italian comic artist mattotti's birthday. Some of his work is available in english here.

Today is Japanese anime legend, leji matsumoto's birthday. He is the creator of the excellent Galaxy Express 999 series as well as Star Blazers. His Galaxy Express 999 (background info site) film inspired artist Takashi Murakami in the early 80s to change his style of painting. Some of his recent work reached a slightly different audience when he made the Interstella 555 film for Daft Punk.

Good work from two of my favorite artists.

Birthday Maakies

I know this is just coincidence but, Tony Millionaire has an interpretation of an Ode by Wordsworth as this week's cartoon.



A fine start to the day.

Carnets de Lettonie by Christophe Blain

French comic book artist Christophe Blain, known for his work on Le Réducteur de vitesse (published by NBM in the USA as 'the Speed Abater') and his Isaac the Pirate series, has come out with a new book. The European publisher Casterman just released a graphic journal of his trip to Riga, Latvia for a comic art festival.



Carnets de Lettonie
Auteur(s): Christophe Blain
Date de parution : 24/10/2005
Dimensions : 19 x 26
Pages : 80
Prix : 14,50 €

Interesing and moody landscapes from his visit there last March and June.

the Baltimore City Paper Comics Contest

The entries are up for this year's Baltimore City Paper Comics contest, click the heading and check out all the new comics!

A prior winner was The Perry Bible Fellowship by Nicholas Gurewitch.

Greg Pak work at Inkwell Auctions for aid to Hurricane Katrina Victims

Reposting from a Greg Pak e-mail:

"Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada and a slew of other comics professionals including Robot Stories director Greg Pak are auctioning of art and comics at InkWellRelief.com as a fundraiser for the Red Cross to assist Hurricane Katrina victims. Please consider bidding -- all net proceeds will go to the Red Cross.

Link indicated above.

Joann Sfar discusses the Rabbi's Cat - TONIGHT

Pantheon Books again leads the way in breaking contemporary comic book artists into the mainstream. Joann Sfar's book tour finds its way to Cambridge tonight. This should be fun!

The copy reads:

JOANN SFAR discusses The Rabbi’s Cat

Harvard Book Store is pleased to announce that on Monday, September 19th Joann Sfar will discuss his new graphic novel The Rabbi’s Cat.

Produced by one of France’s most celebrated young comic artists, The Rabbi’s Cat tells the wholly unique story of a rabbi, his daughter, and their talking cat, who is a philosopher brimming with scathing humor and surprising tenderness. Rich with the colors and textures, of Algeria’s Jewish community, The Rabbi’s Cat brings a lost world vibrantly to life—a time and place where Jews and Arabs coexisted—and peoples it with endearing characters, and one unforgettable cat.

Tonight at 6:30pm

François Schuiten - Birthday

He was born around this time in April.

If your curious as to how this blog got its title-- some of the responibility is attibuted to Schuiten's work and these books.

François Schuiten
in English:

http://www.nbmpub.com/fantasysf/schuiten/schuitenhome.html

http://www.humanoids-publishing.com/news/news.php?id=38&idx=0

http://dictionary.ebbs.net/default.htm

http://www.lambiek.net/schuiten1.htm

en Français:

http://www.bdparadisio.com/scripts/detail.cfm?id=17

on his collaborator Benoît Peeters:

http://www.lambiek.net/peeters.htm

URBICANDE:

http://www.urbicande.be/

a few items of note

http://www.alternatives-economiques.fr/lectures/L233/NL233_013.html

French press Albin Michel has recently put out a comic book called
"Il faut tuer Jose Bove". It is a satire that looks fairly amusing (review above is in French).

One of my favorite Canadian publications, Maisonneuve, has a few essays that are worth reading:

The End of American Abortions

http://maisonneuve.org/article.php?article_id=548

The Sting of things too sweet

http://maisonneuve.org/article.php?article_id=527

and a gaggle of others that are worth exploring.