I really only have a couple of things for this week (I won’t collect every single link about Small Press Expo, after all) but I thought I’d take this space to talk a little bit about Small Press Expo 2013.

It was, as always, exhausting and amazing. I really didn’t get to spend as much time walking the floor as I would’ve liked nor did I get to see so many people I wanted to see. But I’m kind of resigned to the fact that this is how the show goes for me now. I was already pretty wiped out on Saturday (but astonishingly, actually managed to eat three meals, mostly because Greg Bennett made sure of that. I am incredibly grateful for that).

The entire process of the Ignatz was pretty intense this year. I don’t think a lot of people submitted until after table registrations happened. But then the books just kept coming. And coming. And coming. I know none of us expected to get so many books. I know I didn’t.

But I think the strength of the nominees really showed the depth of the titles we got. There were many a few usual suspects but I know the jurors were extremely thoughtful in their choices. So many of the categories were tough choices for me.

And yes, I was clearly delighted when all the Outstanding Graphic Novel nominees were women. That just happened organically and all of those books absolutely deserved to be there.

And speaking of that, I was so thrilled Liza Donnelly agreed to host this year. She’s spoken at the United Nations! When she said she was thinking about having all the presenters be women, I basically said “I would love that.” While we both worked to pick a good list of presenters, she definitely gets all the credit.

The whole ceremony and experience meant a lot to me. In my earliest days of reading and writing about comics, I never thought I’d get to do something like this. I’ve had a rough couple of years and so it felt satisfyingly wonderful to be able to be a part of something so amazing.

(I was so happy Ulli Lust won! Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life is amazing and I loved it so much. And I am so jealous of my friend who got to hang out with her quite a bit. When he said “You two are on the same page about so many things,” that really didn’t help.)

Onto your regularly scheduled and short D.C. Area Scene.

News/reviews/interviews: 

• Author Of American Born Chinese Talks To Fans In Bethesda, Jenny Chen, Asian Fortune
• SPX 2013: Liza Donnelly’s Ignatz Awards make some history ‘to celebrate’ women cartoonists, Michael Cavna, Comic Riffs/Washington Post (the only SPX-related link I’ll post, probably)

Kickstarter:

• Mechanaflux #2 – All-Ages Fantasy Comic Book by Shawn Padraic Murphy

Events:

• Now through Nov. 3: Comics Making Studio with Members of the DC Conspiracy, Artisphere, Arlington, Va. Residencies every Thursday. Meet and greet on Sept. 21.
• Now through Nov. 10: Awake in the Dream World: The Art of Audrey Niffenegger, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 17: Gene Luen Yang signing, 7 p.m., Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library. Sponsored by Politics & Prose. (You could still make it!)
• Sept. 21-22: National Book Festival, Washington, D.C. With Lynda Barry, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Fred Chao and Jonathan Hennessey (Book Festival is two days, but graphic novel/comics programming is on Sept. 22.)
• Oct. 10: Paul Pope, 7:30 p.m., Takoma Park Library, Takoma Park, Md. Sponsored by Politics & Prose.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

• Small Press Expo Announces the DC Public Library as the 2013 Recipient of the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program
• Vienna High School Student Wins Virginia Historical Society Award, Jessie Biele, Vienna Patch
• Lewis: Graphic novel ‘makes the words become music’, James Arkin, Click: People Watching in Washington, Politico
• A new take on the story of green businesses: Honest Tea co-founders tell story in comic book format, Kevin James Shay, Gazette.net

New releases:

• Magic Bullet #7

Events:

• Now through Nov. 3: Comics Making Studio with Members of the DC Conspiracy, Artisphere, Arlington, Va. Residencies every Thursday. Meet and greet on Sept. 21.
• Now through Nov. 10: Awake in the Dream World: The Art of Audrey Niffenegger, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 5: Neal Adams, 4 to 7 p.m., Beyond Comics, Frederick, Md.
• Sept. 7-8: Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore, Md.
• Sept. 8: Rep. John Lewis signing, 4 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 12: Jeff Smith signing, 7 p.m., Wilson High School Media Center, Washington, D.C. Hosted by Politics and Prose.
• Sept. 14-15: Small Press Expo, North Bethesda, Md.
• Sept. 16: The Art and Style of Graphic Novels: Panel Discussion with Laura Lee Gulledge, Rutu Modan, Matt Phelan, and Gene Luen Yang, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 17: Gene Luen Yang signing, 7 p.m., Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library. Sponsored by Politics & Prose.
• Sept. 21-22: National Book Festival, Washington, D.C. With Lynda Barry, Jaime Hernandez, Gilbert Hernandez, Fred Chao and Jonathan Hennessey (Book Festival is two days, but graphic novel/comics programming is on Sept. 22.)
• Oct. 10: Paul Pope, 7:30 p.m., Takoma Park Library, Takoma Park, Md. Sponsored by Politics & Prose.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me by 4 p.m. Tuesday. More information is here.

Avatar: The Last Airbender:
The Promise Part 2
Buy at Powell’s

Let’s talk about The Legend of Korra for a minute. It’s one of the greatest things you’ve ever seen, right? The animation is monumentally gorgeous and Korra is an impressively complicated heroine. She’s forceful and powerful (but doesn’t get punished for it) but also flawed and vulnerable. And yeah, there’s probably some complaints to be made about the pace of the show, but I love that things keep happening constantly. I love this show. I’ve wanted this show my whole life. I’m going to have a tremendous gap in my week once this season ends.

OK, onto the review.

In true middle-book fashion (there’s only going to be three of these? Noooo!), Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise Part 2 (2012, Dark Horse) shows everyone in turmoil and conflict. Toph struggles with her metal-bending students (she’s aided/tormented by Sokka). Aang gets a little too friendly with some fan club members, much to Katara’s dismay. Zuko tries to decide what is right as he battles with is conscious and his father’s “advice.”

In terms of plot, it’s hard to say how much actually happens in this book — the conflict as to what to do with the Fire Nation-occupied colony in the Earth Kingdom, Yu Dao — it does feature a lot character development. After all the events in the animated series, everyone is at a crossroads — they now have to figure out who they are and their places in the world. Aang likes his fame but that makes Katara feel minimized and insecure. Toph realizes teaching is harder than she thought it would be and that maybe Sokka is smarter than she realizes (Sokka is always smarter than anyone realizes, honestly). Zuko sadly isolates himself from those who’d be willing to help him, taking on too much responsibility for himself.

This is definitely a lot to deal with in a fairly slim volume, but writer Gene Luen Yang is still up to the task. His dialogue and storytelling is snappy and fun. It’s a fun, easy read and doesn’t let you realize how much information and depth is packed in until it’s over. Gurihiru‘s art remains snappy and animated. This artistic team has an incredible sense of layout and color to set a mood — from the sparsely dark panels when Zuko visits his father in jail to bright sequences featuring Toph and Sokka. I can’t imagine this book in anyone else’s hands.

I am still sad there’s only going to be one more of these books. I really feel like I could read Avatar: The Last Airbender comics forever, especially since Korra only has a few weeks left until the next season. It’s such a rich, beautiful world that I want as much of it as I can get.

Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Promise Part 1
Buy at Powell’s

Gene Luen Yang made a comic clearly explaining why he had no interest in the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action movie. A lot of people like to bring up that the cartoon was created by a couple of white men, but the Asian influence is clearly respectful and thoughtful. Yang understood those things about the series and that’s why he loved it (and that’s why most of us loved it, actually).

So it was delightful news when it was announced that Yang would be writing the Avatar: The Last Airbender comic book series that will bridge the gap from the end of the animated series and the upcoming The Legend of Korra (not upcoming fast enough, but that’s another issue). It seemed like he’d do right by Avatar.

And it should be to no one’s surprise that he did.

Yang, along with artist duo Gurihiru, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 1 (2012, Dark Horse), has created a pitch-perfect comic that is a wonderful extension of the animated series.

No, if you haven’t watched the series (and why haven’t you?), you’re going to be pretty lost, despite a quick catch up in the first few pages. Despite the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai by Aang and Zuko taking his place, there are still many issues to sort through in the four kingdoms. Among them are the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. After the “Harmony Restoration Movement” is announced, the action picks up a year later. And obviously, not everything is going as well as planned. Zuko and Aang have to face their old conflicts as well as growing up.

Most of the action here focuses on Zuko, which is fair (Avatar: The Last Airbender was as much about his journey as it was Aang’s, after all) but the other characters aren’t neglected. Sokka tosses out a few good lines as he expresses his horror over the fact his sister, Katara, and Aang are now a couple. Toph has started a school for metalbenders, which I’m guessing we’ll see more of in the next book.

Gurihiru does a masterful job of capturing the look of the series while still giving it their own style. I love how subtly the characters have aged — they still look like themselves, but everyone’s taller and Aang’s a bit more muscular, Katara a little curvier and Zuko’s face is slightly more angular. Likewise, Yang writes these characters as older and more mature without sacrificing the personalities we’ve come to know. It’s a wise transition as these character approach adulthood and will continue to face more adult decisions.

The action scenes are beautifully-paced and definitely capture the feel of animation on the static page. There’s still humor throughout, even as the story begins to take a darker turn. (It’s still appropriate for the ages that Avatar: The Last Airbender was appropriate for, however, so no worries there.)

Unlike many other comic continuations or adaptations of TV shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part 1 is completely satisfying. Gene Luen Yang’s and Gurihiru’s love for the original shows through. I’m already eagerly awaiting part 2.

Advance review copy provided through NetGalley.

Long Tail Kitty

This is my new favorite book. I read it every night before bed.

Yes, I’m a 4-year-old (mentally, anyway). And I’m kind of kidding about that first part. But this is absolutely delightful and I’ve probably read it more than any sane person should have.

If you know of Lark Pien, it’s probably as the colorist for Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, but I was first introduced to her work through Spark Generators 2. There, she drew a story incorporating everything she loved — Lowly Worm from Richard Scarry’s books had a pizza party with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hello Kitty, Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad assorted X-Men characters and others. It was sweet and funny and having grown up with a lot of these same characters, something I could easily relate to.

Long Tail Kitty (Blue Apple Books, 2009) is an all-ages collection of stories about the titular long-tailed kitty and his friends. He encounters a grumpy bee in a field of flowers and a mouse skating on a frozen pond. He makes dinner for his friends and hangs out with three little aliens.

It’s all impossibly adorable, rendered by Pien in watercolors. Her style is cartoony and cute but still quirky and her stories are innocent without being cloying. It’s appropriate for little kids (and I think they’d love this this book and I demand you buy a copy for everyone you know who’s under age 8 right now) but also for grown-ups who appreciate whimsy and beautiful art.

The fold-out pages of Long Tail Kitty’s adventures with his three alien friends are amazing — dozens upon dozens of little scenes of activities like “Caterpillar Walk,” “Office Jobs” and “Pet the Pot Belly Pig” are lovingly presented. I think every time I look at these pages I notice something different. Pien obviously had fun drawing these pages and it’s impossible to not be charmed by them. That actually goes for this entire book. The childlike aesthetic is this book’s greatest strength.

It’s also a nicely designed book, with its cut-out cover and embossed title. It almost feels like an art book in some ways — even if you don’t read the stories (which I don’t know why you wouldn’t), Pien’s artwork is beautiful to look at. The bonus pages in the back with the Ed Emberley-esque “How to Draw Long Tail Kitty” feature are a fun touch (surprisingly, I haven’t followed the steps yet to draw my own Long Tail Kitty, but I really should).

I can’t promise you’ll read this book every night before bed, but I can promise that you should have this book in your collection.