Saturday,
June 6
11 am – 11:50 am
Charles Hatfield and Isaac Cates on Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby is widely regarded as a key figure in
modern comics. Charles Hatfield (Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature)
will discuss his forthcoming critical study of Kirby with comics scholar
Isaac Cates (University of Vermont).
Scandi- navian Comics
101
Noon – 12:50 pm
Comics Bakery Roundtable
With John Green, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Marion Vitus
A discussion of the benefits of collaboration with two sets of comics-making
couples – John Green (Space Office, Jax Epoch), Dave Roman (Astronaut
Elementary, Nickelodeon Magazine), Raina Telgemeier (Baby-sitters Club,
Smile), and Marion Vitus (Boho Baby, Rabid Rabbit) – who combine
to form a giant robot.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Klein Award Ceremony
This year’s recipient: Jerry Robinson, presented by Danny Fingeroth with an overview of Robinson's career.
Every year the Festival presents the Klein Award to a creative figure
whose work has elevated the cartoon arts. The Award was presented to Jules
Feiffer in 2002, and in subsequent years to Art Spiegelman (2003), Roz
Chast (2004), Neal Adams (2005), Gahan Wilson (2006), Alison Bechdel (2007),
and Bill Plympton (2008).
This year’s Award recipient is Jerry Robinson.
A major force in the comics industry for nearly seven decades, Robinson created the infamous Batman villain, the Joker, and played a vital role in the development of legendary Batman characters Robin, Alfred, and the Penguin. Robinson's vast body of work spans 30 years as an internationally-syndicated political cartoonist, 30 books, and numerous exhibitions (including “The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comics,” currently at the SkirBall Museum in Los Angeles, and “Human Rights,” developed for the United Nations). Prominent in securing rights and payments for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and in achieving freedom from persecution for imprisoned cartoonists abroad, Robinson's honors include the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award and the Will Eisner Hall of Fame Award. Still as active as ever, Robinson's biography will be released in fall 2009 by Abrams Publishing.
2:00 pm – 2:50 pm
Making Good Comics in a New Era
With Alvin Buenaventura (Buenaventura Books), Mats Jonsson (Gallago),
Tom Neely (2007 Ignatz Winner), Brett Warnock (Top Shelf), Julia Wertz
(www.fartparty.org), Dylan Williams (Sparkplug Comics). Chaired by Heidi
MacDonald (The Beat).
How are small comics publishers and self-published
cartoonists responding to the current comics market? What are the main
challenges and opportunities for independent publishers in today’s
publishing climate? This roundtable is cosponsored by Sparkplug Comics.
3:00 pm – 3:50 pm
AH, HUMBUG! Arnold Roth and Al Jaffee in conversation with Gary Groth
In 1957, five artists – Harvey Kurtzman, Will
Elder, Arnold Roth, Al Jaffee and Jack Davis – hot on the heels
of creating MAD magazine, pooled their money and their talent and entered
into the creative, exuberant folly of a lifetime by creating the greatest
satirical magazine of their careers. Join HUMBUG co-founders Arnold Roth
and Al Jaffee in a book signing and discussion about this historic publication
with Fantagraphics publisher and editor of the collected HUMBUG, Gary
Groth.
4:00 pm – 4:50 pm
Scandinavian Comics 101
Chaired by Steffen P. Maarup, director of the publishing company Aben
Maler and editor of From Wonderland with Love (Fantagraphics), with cartoonists
from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
A bevy of amazing comics have come out of the Nordic
countries in recent years. This special roundtable/book party will celebrate
some of Scandinavia’s most innovative cartoonists whose work has
appeared in international comics anthologies from Denmark (From Wonderland
with Love), Sweden (From the Shadow of Northern Lights), Finland (Glömp),
and Norway (Angst). What is fueling this Nordic comics wave? How do Scandinavian
comics differ from North American independent comics? Is there a distinctive
Scandinavian aesthetic? What role does government funding play in the
making of northern European comics?
5:00 pm –
6:00 pm
Paul Karasik on the Twisted Genius of Fletcher Hanks
You thought you knew everything about old weird
comics and then along comes Fletcher Hanks! Two years ago the first volume
collecting the work of this obscure cartoonist was the sleeper hit of
the year. Volume II, You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation, is slated
to premiere at this year’s MoCCA Festival. Author, editor and cartoonist
Paul Karasik will talk about the life and work of the midcentury cartoonist
who Robert Crumb called “one twisted dude.”
Sunday, June 7
11 am – 11:50 am
Kent Worcester and Tom Kaczynski in conversation
Kent Worcester (Arguing Comics, A Comics Studies Reader) will talk with
MOME contributor Tom Kaczynski (Cartoon Dialectics, Punk Planet) about
his thought-provoking mini-comics and short graphic stories.
Noon – 1:00 pm
The Astonishing SVA Roundtable
With Nick Breutzman, Jessica Fink, Eric Feurstein, Tom Hart, Dash Shaw,
Jennifer Tong
Some of the best known names in cartooning, from Will Eisner and Harvey
Kurtzman, to Art Spiegelman and Gary Panter, have taught at Manhattan’s
School of the Visual Arts (SVA). Current faculty member Tom Hart (Hutch
Owen, Trunktown) will sit down with recent SVA grads to discuss the issues
of learning comix, becoming an artist and navigating their careers after
attending this landmark arts institution.
1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
Comics Come in All Shapes and Sizes
With Jason Little, Fay Ryu, Jim Salicrup, Ken Wong
Comics come in a dizzying array of shapes and sizes
– long, short, tall, wide as well as booklet, tabloid, zine, digest,
mini, micro and more! Join panelists Jason Little (Shutterbug Follies,
Cartunnel/Comix Ex Machina/Opolis) Fay Ryu (Hello, Heart and Brain), and
Jim Salicrup (Amazing Spider-Man & Incredible Hulk toilet paper) along
with moderator Ken Wong (Pandora’s Box, Schrodinger’s Cat)
for a discussion of some of the more unusual formats ever used in the
creation of comics.
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Adrian Tomine and Seth in conversation
Adrian Tomine, the cartoonist of Optic Nerve and
Shortcomings, and the editor of Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s A Drifting Life,
will be in conversation with fellow Drawn and Quarterly cartoonist Seth,
the author of Palookaville and George Sprott, and the editor of The Collected
Doug Wright. Cosponsored with Drawn and Quarterly.
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Gary Panter and Frank Santoro in conversation
Gary Panter (Jimbo’s Inferno, Cola Madness) and Frank Santoro (Storeyville)
will discuss the crossover between cartooning and fine art, the anxiety
of influence and the challenge of the marketplace in lively conversation.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Animation from Hell
A program of dark and twisted animation that will scare the fluffy bunnies
out of any animation fan. This collection of disturbing shorts, past and
present, has been hand-picked by Satan himself. With Peter Ahern, Danny
Antonucci, Hisko Hulsing, Scott Kravitz, Arthur Metcalf, Nirvan Mullick,
Bill Plympton, Pat Smith, and J.J. Villard.
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