38 Years Ago Today…
The government pretended we went to the moon and we believed them. Suckers.
Filtering by Category: Events
San DiegoComic-Con Appearances
No booth this year, but, I have quite a few appearances scheduled. They are, thus far, as follows. Thursday July 26th
- Villard/Random House Panel - Room 10 - 5pm
Friday July 27th
- Random House Books Signing - Booth 1131 - 1pm
Saturday July 28th
- Random House Books Signing - Booth 1131 - 4pm
- Postcards Comic Relief Signing - Booth 1514 - 5pm
There's also the following two panels where stuff I've worked on will be discussed, and who knows, I might even show up.
- Thursday - Tripwire Panel (Punks?!?) - Room 10 - 4pm
- Friday - Top Cow - Pilot Season Panel - Room 1AB - 5:30pm
Thursday at Comic-Con
Come see me talk about Postcards and Elk's Run at Comic Con on Thursday. I might even be wearing a new cowboy shirt. There's also signings at their booth all weekend. I'll let you know when shortly.
5:00-6:00 Random House: Flight/Postcards�Meet some of the most creative minds in graphic novels today, including Joshua Hale Fialkov (Elk�s Run), Kazu Kibuishi (Flight), Mike Knapp (Out of Picture), Vincent Nguyen (Out of Picture), Jason Rodriguez (Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened), as well as Villard editors Chris Schluep and Dallas Middaugh. Villard, an imprint that has positioned itself on the leading edge of popular culture, is quickly expanding its graphic novel offering with critically acclaimed anthologies and original content. Join these creators for a Q&A session and also hear the latest news from Villard. Room 10
Elk’s Run Toronto Release Party!
The Beguiling presents: Industry Night @ The Vic Celebrating the release of Elk's Run with artist Noel Tuazon, and Nick Cardy: Comic Strips, with editor Sean Menard Thursday, April 26th at 7PM The Victory Cafe, 581 Markham Street (Near West of Bathurst and South of Bloor) FREE Elk’s Run: Nominated for seven Harvey Awards, this groundbreaking series has finally been collected by New York publishing entity Random House/Villard.
The town of Elk's Run's fanatical survivalist founders have sealed it off from the rest of the world, transforming it into a twisted hybrid of Mayberry and the Branch Davidian compound. When a fatal accident leads to a revenge lynching and a series of murders, the town's teenagers try to escape only to have their own parents hunt them down. The ensuing cat-and-mouse game involves a mine fire, a stockpile of napalm and a rash of terrorist plans.
In cooperation with Random House of Canada, artist Noel Tuazon will be on hand to discuss the genesis of Elk’s Run via an audo/visual presentation, and sign copies of this wonderful new collection.
"Damn fine comic making"
Brian Michael Bendis
"Really, really good"
Warren Ellis
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Nick Cardy: Comic Strips: Nick Cardy has been a dynamic artistic force within the comic book industry for over 60 years. Beginning in 1939 with the Eisner/Iger shop through a number of important newspaper strips, a 25 year association with DC Comics and an extensive stint in advertising (TV Guide), magazines (Crazy, National Lampoon) and numerous movie posters (Star Wars, The Bad News Bears), 85 year old Nick Cardy continues to delight his ever-growing legion of fans with a multitude of commissions and special projects to this day.
While his work at DC has been often lauded, Cardy’s short, but bright career in newspaper strips has received minimal attention.
Nick Cardy: Comic Strips reviews Cardy’s entire strip catalogue beginning with Lady Luck (1942) through Batman (1972) and includes an archive of previously unpublished artwork. Frecklebean Press editor/publisher Sean Menard has put together the definitive look at Cardy’s diverse newspaper strip work including his refreshing interpretation of Tarzan.
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Come on our and support local Toronto comic authors, network with illustrators, artists, and more, and maybe even have a pint or two.
- Chris @ The Beguiling
More info: http://www.beguiling.com/
Checking In
Yesterday's signing was a blast, and was well worth the trip down to Manhattan Beach (especially because Tony drove me.) We met a lot of fans, and sold a slew of books, and were then thoroughly entertained by Vaudeville, the band not the defunct theatercraft. I don't have their website anywhere, but if they read this, please send over a link, and I'll happily post it. Updated, I added their Myspace as a link up there. In other news, I've been having some interesting health problems of late that have been greatly limiting my work time. Luckily they seem to be resolving themselves somewhat, and I managed to get some writing done today.
And, of course, the passing of Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut was one of the guys I remember reading in like fifth or sixth grade and getting scolded by my teachers. "That's not for you," they'd say, and I'd just smile and keep reading. He managed to write sci-fi that wasn't, comedy that was, drama that had, and adventure that was full of the stuff. There was nobody better who did what he did. Although, to be fair, there was just plain nobody who did what he did.
And the guy has by far the best author cameo ever in Back to School.
So, thank you, Kurt for your inspiration and dedication. You'll be missed.
Don’t Forget: Signing at the Comic Bug Tomorrow…
the comic bug . comSPIRITS OF INDEPENDENTS on APRIL 11th
Next Wednesday will be Independents Day at The Comic Bug! Six area artists will be signing comics and introducing themselves and their creations. The list of creators appearing from 11-1pm & 5-9pm
Christian Berenak - Se7en: Lust
Philip Clark - Quantum: Rock of Ages
Joshua Hale Fialkov - Elk’s Run
Tony Fleecs - In My Lifetime
Stormcrow Hayes - Afterlife
Omaha Perez - Holmes
Live local band from 8-9pm - Vaudeville
Next Wedensday at The Comics Bug in Manhattan Beach
SPIRITS OF INDEPENDENTS on APRIL 11thNext Wednesday will be Independents Day at The Comic Bug! Six area artists will be signing comics and introducing themselves and their creations. The list of creators appearing from 11-1pm & 5-9pmChristian Berenak - Se7en: Lust
Philip Clark - Quantum: Rock of Ages
Joshua Hale Fialkov - Elk’s Run
Tony Fleecs - In My Lifetime
Stormcrow Hayes - Afterlife
Omaha Perez - Holmes
Live local band from 8-9pm - Vaudeville
Won't you come join us?
Chris Arundel’s Release Party Pics
Click the photo for more.
Mark Wheaton’s Got Elk’s Run Party Pre-Pictures
See Josh in an Undershirt and holding lots of Meat. It's just like my days as a Dutch Porn Star.
The Release Party
Was a total and utter blast. Thanks SO much to everyone who came out, especially to Mark who helped cook, and Christina who played happy host while I was busy signing books. Special thanks to Jonah over at CBR.com and the gang over at Villard who helped to make the party possible. The guys at Meltdown are some of the best retailers, and perhaps more importantly, some of the best people, I've had the fortune of getting to know. Thanks for a great night guys.
Reminder: Elk’s Run Release Party This Wednesday at Meltdown!
With this week's release of Elk's Run in Comic Stores, we're going to be having a Book Release Party at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, CA. There will be free booze, West Virginia themed food (prepared by yours truly), a DJ, and all that noise. There will also be an exclusive mini-comic of Three Rivers, and Free Original Sketches by Noel for the first 25 people to pick up a copy of the book that evening. Here's the info from the good folks at Meltdown:
How wonderful it is that Elk's Run is finally complete. I can't imagine the frustrations experienced by the creative team behind the book as they neared completion of the series only to see it slip away, but I can certainly guess at the elation they felt seeing the tale brought to its intended finish.
It's hard to bring you in on the story without ruining the pervasive creepiness that begins to winnow your vision until the authors draw a tunnel of focus (quite literally in the first chapter) that opens new horrors. Elk's Run is a quietly horrific tale about family and community, about defining one's place in the world and how the world gets to have a say on your place in it. The exploration of this little town and how the people in it have come to isolate themselves is one of the more remarkable comics published in recent years.
It is unthinkable that this may never have reached a conclusion in print. A celebration is in order! The complete Elk's Run release party is Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. at Meltdown, presented by Villard Books and ComicBookResources.com. Let me say the magic words you've been waiting for: alcohol will be served.
ELK'S RUN RELEASE PARTY
MELTDOWN COMICS
WED, APRIL 4 7:00 PM
7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
www.meltcomics.com
www.myspace.com/meltdowncomics
I hope all of you locals can attend, and please, help to spread the word.
See you Wednesday night,
j.
P.S. Venison Jerky will also be served.
Elk’s Run Toronto Release Party!
We're international superstars. Or haven't you heard? Now, if I could only figure out an East Coast and European Release Party, I'd be in business. INDUSTRY NIGHT @ THE VIC
But... we're going out with a bang. Our final Industry Night on April 26th at the Victory Cafe will be an official Toronto Launch for Elk's Run by local boy Noel Tuazon. Elk's Run is being published by Random House which is a huge deal and I hope everyone will come out and buy a copy of the book from the Beguiling who will be selling copies. Noel will be on hand to talk about the book and sign copies. For more info check here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780345495112
Elk’s Run Los Angeles Release Party
Elk's Run Los Angeles Release Party,
originally uploaded by Joshua Hale Fialkov.
Hey Gang,
Just wanted to drop y'all an early word about the impending release of Elk's Run, and the party to celebrate! With the aid of the good folks over at CBR.com and our devoted publisher Villard, the good folks at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, are helping us celebrate in style. There'll be food, alcohol, music, and best of all, the COMPLETE ELK'S RUN! I hope all of you can attend, and ask you to please forward this around and help us get the word out about the party. We're going to send out a Press Release about the party soon, but, I figured the extra warning would be worth it.
Keep an eye on www.meltcomics.com for more info as it becomes available.See you in a few weeks!
j.
Happy Holidays from Hoarse and Buggy!
Thank you one and all for all of your support, kindness, and well-wishes throughout 2006.
The best, as they say, is yet to come.
Best wishes --
Josh, Noel, Chris A. J-Rod, and the rest of the Elk's Runners...
Come See My Comic-Con Panel
Comic-Con 2006 :: Programming for Thursday, July 206:00-7:00 Random House Publishing Group Graphic Novels— The Random House Publishing Group are the publishers of Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor and Flight 3, edited by Kazu Kabuishi. Two of the company’s newest titles are the critically acclaimed Elk’s Run and the highly anticipated Dark Wraith of Shannara. Join Kazu Kabuishi and Joshua Hale Fialkov, as well as the RHPG editors, to hear more about these books as well as Random House’s graphic novel plans for the future. Room 7B
Come on in… Take off your skin…
FOR SOME REASON THE OFFICIAL SITE WENT DOWN, SO ALL THE IMAGES AND SUCH ARE GONE. OH WELL.Just got home from seeing The Black Rider at the Ahamnson Theater. For those not in the know, The Black Rider is the musical written by Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs and brought to the stage by Robert Wilson. The show was originally produced about a decade ago, and this is a revival, with Wilson still at the head.It's this Faustian folk tale done Brecht style with a heaping helping of Waitsian charm and Burroughs-y insanity (or, as I like to call it Burroughsanity) and a Murnau aesthetic The Waits Album that serves for most as their only vision of the piece is one of his classic discs, and it's a must own for fans of the later period Waits (I'd say it's second only to Bone Machine).
So, the show. Hm. It's good. It's very good. (Watch my BFA in theater go now!) The mis-en-scene is positively breath-taking. The sheer degree of stagecraft that went into making the whole thing work, is just obscenely impressive. The scene transitions happen without you noticing, the sets morph and grow, shrinking into nothing, growing from back drops, and lighting effects become three dimensional objects. It's positively transcendent.
The performers... well... in that Brechtian tradition, what the actors are doing is so stilted and stylized that very little of it is acting, so much as it is an elaborate combination of dance and vocalization. Even a quick walk across the stage is becomes an epic event. It's pretty amazing. That aside, one of the strangest biproducts of the show being written by Waits is a lot of the cast attempts to do a Waits impression especially on some of the more 'trademarked' songs. Fact is, there's only one Tom, and nobody else can even come close.
The music is absolutely the highlight. The performance is epic, I'd say the band is better than Tom's actual touring band (at least, the band he toured with on Mule Variations, which is the last time I saw him.) The vibrancy and precision of what they do is just... wow. The vocal side of things, aside from the Tom apeing mentioned above, is also pretty damn great. Lots of interesting choices and arrangements. Really, really amazing stuff.
Then, we get to the show itself. Here's the thing. There's a big flaw in the shape and structure of the piece, in part due to a strangely timed intermission (it falls nearly 2 hours into a 2 hour and 45 minute show) leaving the final act feeling very small and disconnected to the rest of the plot. In fact, when the curtain call started, it took about 4 or 5 actors before the audience figured out it was a curtain call. At the end of the day, it fails in a lot of the ways that I think a lot of Burroughs work fails. 2/3rds of the way through the plot falls by the wayside, and it becomes a bit self-indulgent. Which is a shame, because the actual set pieces are really breath-taking. Really, really breath-taking. For me, though, the combination of the extremely stylized series of vignettes that make up the final 1/3rd, and the forward story momentum of the first chunk just does not mesh. The thing is, that at the end of the day, the plot is identical to that of Brigadoon or Oklahoma, just with a darker take. And part of what makes those shows (while somewhat atrocious in their own ways) successful is the feeling of completion. I don't think the show accomplishes that. All in all, a truely unique piece of theater, and the fact that it not only got put on at one of the biggest theaters in LA, and had a pretty decent size audience is a feat and accomplishment in itself. If you're a fan of Waits, Burroughs, or giant avant garde theatrical art pieces, you'll enjoy it.
At the very least, I know that Sean Maher is jealous as fuck.
The Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collector’s Show
How fucking cool is this?
In case you guys don't know, I'm positively obsessed with pulp crime novels. I'm reading about one or two a week (and for dirt ass cheap thank to the Hard Case Crime Book Club.)
So, anyways, I know where I'll be the weekend of the 26th.
Oh, and if you're looking for kickass old paperbacks, I'd also highly recommend: The Bookhouse, I literally crapped my pants when I went in.
My pants. Not the store. The stores INCREDIBLE.
It was messy.