• SPACE 2013: Matt Dembicki, J.M. Hunter, The Outhousers
• Awesome Con Brings Comics and Pop Culture to D.C.,Tiarra Joslyn, PopCults
• Awesome Con DC!, Emily S. Whitten, ComicsMix

Announcements:

• Authors at 2013 National Book Festival. Inlcudes Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez.

Free Comic Book Day events (May 4):

• Matt Dembicki, S.G. Artley and Michael Cowgill at Big Planet Comics,  Vienna, Va.
• Andrew Cohen and Evan Keeling  at Big Planet Comics, Washington, D.C.
• Art Hondros at Big Planet Comics, Bethesda, Md.
• Troy-Jeffery Allen and Matt Rawson at Fantom Comics, Washington, D.C.
  
• Jacob Warrenfelt?z at Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md.
• Rafer Roberts and John Shine at Beyond Comics, Gaithersburg, Md.
  
• Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo at Laughing Ogre Comics, Fairfax, Va.
• Rob Anderson at Laughing Ogre, Lansdowne, Va.
• Cary Nord, Brandon Seifert, Greg LaRocqoue, Joe Keatinge, Mike Moreci, Steve Seeley, Marc Hempel at Collectors Corner, Baltimore, Md.
  

Kickstarter:

• Super Art Fight: The ART Book

Events:

• Now through Aug. 18: ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950, Jewish Museum of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.
• April 16: Ben Katchor, 7 p.m., Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Tickets are $12. Get two tickets for free with purchase of book. More information
• April 18: Dash Shaw & Tim Krieder, 7 p.m., Atomic Books, Baltimore, Md. Facebook event page.
• April 18: Matt Dembicki signing and talk, 5 to 7 p.m., Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco, Calif.
• April 20-21: Awesome Con D.C., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (April 20) and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (April 21), Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
• April 20: Idiots’ Books, 3:30 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C. (Idiots’ Books are more comics-adjacent, but good people.)
• April 25: Growing Up with Graphics panel with Eleanor Davis, Nathan Hale, Andrés Vera Martínez, and Mark Siegel and moderated by Michael Cavna, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• May 4: ThinkGeek’s Super Awesome Super Art Fight, 5 p.m., Jammin Java, Vienna, Va. Tickets are $10 general admission; ages 13 and older.

Have comic news or events related to the D.C. area to share? Email me! Submit no later than Monday at 9 p.m. for inclusion each Tuesday, but the earlier, the better! More information is here. I’m still taking FCBD events.

The reviews are in no particular order for the most part. I am breaking it up into two days because it got ridiculously long once I wrote about everything.

The Pyramid: Kenan Rubenstein
This comic is a 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper folded into sixteenths and readers unfold it as they go. The panels change orientation or form as the paper is unfolded, revealing a final, full-page image. The story — about moving possessions into storage — is pretty simple, but Rubenstein’s clear voice and sharp, moody images makes it work. It’s a cool and unexpected comic.

Full Sanction in [F(S]PX]: Joe Mochove & Rusty Rowley
I have no business reviewing this, really, because I know these two and so even if I hated it, I wouldn’t be telling them that. But I don’t hate it. Not even a little. This is a hilarious skewering of some of the motifs that you’ll find in various comics for sale at SPX. Rusty makes a comic called Dino Docs and Joe makes a comic called Sun/Mun and the compete for sales. The outcome is ridiculous but awesome.

Yes, Joe draws stick figures, but they’re quality stick figures, and part of the beauty of comics is how the art suits the story. I think the style is basically perfect for what they’re doing. (And by the way, the real-life Rusty and Joe actually made the comics that appear here and they were also for sale. I don’t have them because I’m dumb.)

Beard: Pranas T. Naujokaitis
In Beardville, all men (and even some women and children) have beards. Except for Gus. However, after Gus’ wish for a beard is granted, he revels in being a manly man. Unfortunately, Gus doesn’t know when to stop and the town turns on him. Lessons are learned. This is a fun little story with a good message about what makes a man and that not all manly attributes are necessarily good.

Naujokaitis’ art is playful and fun. I love how Gus’ beard has a life of its own. The die-cut cover, showing Gus with and without his beard, is also an awesome touch. (I see that this is the third printing of this comic. That doesn’t surprise me.)

Last Day and The Last of the Real Small Farmers: Idiots’ Books
These aren’t comics, but a beautiful mix of prose and art by Matthew Swanson and Robbie Behr respectively.

Last Day is a beautiful meditation by Swanson on what we take for granted in life — the little everyday moments of life — accompanied and complimented by Behr’s dreamily abstract watercolors. The Last of the Real Small Farmers recounts various things that Bill, a farmer, said in an interview (the transcript was edited by Swanson and Brian Francis Slattery). Bill talks about everything from the size of his vegetables to various conspiracy theories. Behr’s accompanying art encompasses everything from portraits of Bill to increasingly abstract scenes of radio equipment and technology. It’s a fun read.

Also, Swanson and Behr, who are adorable themselves, have two of the cutest kids on the planet, including Kato who was at SPX. I think Kato was the perfect salesman because I’m not even the baby-crazy sort and I wanted to give him all my money.

Daily Catch: An Anthology of Comics: Jon Chad, C. Frakes, Katherine Roy and Laura Terry
This is a short, entertaining anthology of stories about the sea. Some are funny, some are scary, but all in all, it’s a lovely showcase of the talents of these four creators. I’ve liked Frakes’ previous work so I’m biased toward her story, but this served its purpose in that I immediately wanted to look up the other three and see what else they’ve done.

Echoes from Asteroid X: Mark Rudolph
A space explorer and his android servant have to survive after crash-landing on the titular asteroid. They battle against dinosaur-like creatures (the explorer) and their own programming (the android) in a surprisingly poignant tale of what we’re capable of when pushed. Rudolph’s art is obviously inspired by the square-jawed comic book heroes of the 1960s and the out-there perspective of Jack Kirby and it works. This is unique and fun.

Six more tomorrow!

As always, in no particular order.

American, Eh? Parts 1-3 — Heather Bryant
American, Eh? tells Bryant’s story of moving to the U.S. to be with her boyfriend. She deals with crappy apartments, the ups and downs of employment and her relationship. It’s a quiet story, and Bryant presents it in an unadorned way. She does a lot with a little — her strong lines capture body language and facial expressions beautifully. I was surprised at how much this affected me.

The Baby is Disappointing — Idiots’ Books
Written by Matthew Swanson and illustrated by Robbi Behr, this is less comic and more illustrated mini-book. I picked it up because I loved the presentation — it’s 4 1/2 inches by 5 inches and spiral-bound. One page will state things like “The baby is not agile. It cannot leap or jog or lick a stamp” which is accompanied by an illustration of a photo of an antique baby doll in various situations with objects drawn around it. The joke — babies are trouble — is maybe a little obvious, as is the conclusion — but they’re worth it! — but it works anyway. I adore that this couple is out there making books like this.

Neon Girl #0-1 — Dennis Pacheco
A fun, irreverent take on the superhero genre, Neon Girl is a sort of everywoman superheroine — capable and confident, but still someone who has to deal with the ins and outs of everyday life. Neon Girl #1 is more of an extended battle between Neon Girl and Atom Girl over the superhero Red Eye, but it’s done with humor. Pacheco is playing with genre motifs here, riffing on typical “fan service” moments. His women are attractive but realistically drawn and the action is first-rate. But even though I liked it, I think these two are enough for me.

Oh No, A Meteor — Anthony Clark
This is just silly. That’s a good thing. This is about a chicken (or some other generic bird — I believe it’s a chicken) and a cross between a bear and a potato named, surprisingly enough, Beartato, trying to find away to stop a meteor from destroying the earth. Clark’s art is crude and cartoony, and I loved the goofy, almost innocent nature of his writing — he’s not trying too hard. He’s genuinely weird and funny. Looking at his site makes me almost certain I’ve seen his work before. I’m very happy I bought this.

My Boyfriend is a Space Robot! — Abby Denson
I love Abby Denson, so let’s just get it out of the way that I like this. I love the limited color palette she used here — all pinks and blues and purples — and her art has this loose, rock ‘n’ roll quality to it (which is appropriate, because she also makes music. Now is the best time to link to the “Teen Boat” video. You will have that song stuck in your head for days, but that’s a good thing). I like how matter-of-fact she is about the heroine of this comic having muscular dystrophy and being in a wheelchair. There’s no heavy-handed message. This is possibly my favorite mini-comic I picked up at SPX. But then, that’s not really a surprise.

Bad Grammar —Marie Condenzio
Maybe this gets better as the story goes along? Michio has moved from Japan, where he meets two strange classmates during his first day at his new high school. There’s something about some odd cross-shaped symbols and a haunted house. Condenzio’s art is a little rough and unpolished — purposefully so, but just not really my thing. I’m kind of intrigued, but probably not enough to seek this out again.

Nine Gallons — Susie Cagle
Nine Gallons follows Cagle’s experiences working with Food Not Bombs. While she’s obviously a believe in the group’s mission, she doesn’t present it as being some idyllic, joyful experience either. Her art feels influenced by cartoonists like Daniel Clowes — it’s exaggerated and just one step away from caricature. It suits her story since nothing here is meant to be pretty. I love how she subtly presents her loss of idealism. I really should’ve picked up Cagle’s other comics when I had the chance.