• District Comics wins the Shel Dorf Award for Original Graphic Novel

Recent releases:

• The Lost Art of Matt Baker: Vol. 1: The Complete Canteen Kate, Lost Art Books

Events:

• Now through Nov. 3: Comics Making Studio with Members of the DC Conspiracy, Artisphere, Arlington, Va. Residencies every Thursday.
• Now through Nov. 10: Awake in the Dream World: The Art of Audrey Niffenegger, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
• Beginning Nov. 2: Mark Burrier: Chosen, Mary Condon Hodgson Art Gallery
  Frederick Community College, Frederick, Md. Reception Nov. 2 from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Nov. 2: Cartoonists Draw Blood – American Red Cross Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Seekers Church, Washington, D.C. Sponsored by Cartoonists Draw Blood, American Red Cross, National Cartoonists Society, Seekers Church.
• Nov. 7: Gareth Hinds, 7 p.m., Takoma Park Library, Washington, D.C. Sponsored by Politics & Prose.
• Nov. 12: Northern Virginia Jewish Book Festival Local Author Event, 7 p.m., One More Page Books, Arlington, Va. Event will include Rachel Scheer. More information and registration is here.

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

News/interviews/reviews:

• Baltimore Comic-Con, Small Press Expo and #!&%!! turn D.C. into Cartoon Central, Michael Cavna, Washington Post
• College Park considers offering renovation incentives to entice businesses, Daniel J. Gross, Washington Post
• The 3-Minute Interview: Matt Dembicki, Aubrey Whelan, Washington Examiner
• Faux Reals: On the Deconstruction, Mainstreaming, and Redeconstruction of Superheroes, Chris Klimek, Washington City Paper (this one is marginally connected, but I thought it was interesting)
• Cul de Sac ends, Katherine M. Hill, Blast-o-Rama

Kickstarter:

• BLOOP: Part One – Deluxe, Oversized Hardcover

Upcoming releases:

• The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley, Lost Art Books, Sept. 14 (Small Press Expo)
• Remake: 3Xtra, Lamar Abrams, AdHouse Books, December 2012.

Events:

• Through Sept. 8: Fever Dreams of Organic Machines: The Comic Book Art of Rafer Roberts, Common Ground Gallery, Rockville, Md.
• Sept. 8-9: Baltimore Comic Con, Baltimore, Md.
• Sept. 14: Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 15-16: Small Press Expo, North Bethesda, Md. with local creators Christopher Williams, Josh Kramer (Comics Picayune), Rafer Roberts, Matt Dembicki (and family), Curls Studio, and probably a bunch of other members of DC Conspiracy, Deanna Echanique, Emily Huff, Lamar Abrams, Jamie Noguchi, Ross Nover (or his parents, apparently), RM Rhodes, AdHouse Books, Lost Art Books, interviews by Full Sanction, so many other area people I’m sure I’ve missed (email me and I’ll get you in next week!) and hundreds upon hundreds of other amazing creators and cartoonists. I’ll also be at a dedicated Ignatz Award table for at least a couple of hours on Saturday. Otherwise, you can find me running around all weekend.
• Sept. 15: Justin Jordan Team 7 Launch Party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md.
• Sept. 22:Raina Telgemeier signing at Big Planet Comics Vienna (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and Big Planet Comics College Park (3 to 5 p.m.)
• Sept. 22: District Comics signing, 7 p.m., at Locust Moon Comics & Movies, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Sept. 22-23:National Book Festival with Raina Telgemeier, Craig Thompson and Hope Larson (comics-related events are on Sept. 23)

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.

My apologies for taking last week off!

News/interviews/reviews:

• Backers help comic book creator fulfill dream – Cathy Jett, Freelance-Star/Fredericksburg.com
• Exhibit peeks into psyche of underground comic book artist – Virginia Terhune, Gazette.Net
• DCJCC showcases some wonder women of underground comics – Mark Jenkins, Washington Post (also mentions Rafer Roberts’ exhibit)
• Comic Creator Delves Into Self-publishing and D.C.’s ‘Unconventional History’ – Chris Jessen, InfoZine/Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
• District Comics Tells Unconventional Stories Using Unconventional Means – Martin Austermuhle, DCist
• ‘District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC’: Q&A With Artist And Anthology Editor Matt Dembicki – Arin Greenwood, The Huffington Post
• ‘CUL DE SAC’: Amid Parkinson’s battle, Richard Thompson ends beloved comic – Michael Cavna, Comic Riffs/Washington Post
• Six by 6 | My six favorite Cul de Sac characters – Chris Mautner, Robot 6
• On Richard Thompson and Cul de Sac – R.C. Harvey, TCJ.com
• “He Was a Good Man … “ – Stacy Curtis
• SPX Spotlight 2012: The DC Conspiracy and Magic Bullet 5 – Rob McMonigal
• SPX Spotlight 2012: Katie Omberg and Gay Kid 4 – Rob McMonigal
• SPX Spotlight 2012: Andrew Cohen – Rob McMonigal

Announcements:

• Small Press Expo’s slate of programming
• Full Sanction opened an online shop

Event/con reports:

• Curls Studio on District Comics signing at One More Page Books (Curls Studio’s photos)
• go flying turtle: district comics signing at one more page books, arlington, va
• District Comics Signing at One More Page, August 19th, 2012 – Rob McMonigal
• Mike Rex signing at Big Planet Comics

Kickstarter:

• BLOOP: Part One – Deluxe, Oversized Hardcover
• WatchGuard + Teen Force 5

Upcoming releases:

• Mr. Big: A Tale of Pond Life, Carol and Matt Dembicki, Sky Pony Press. Sept. 1.
• The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley, Lost Art Books, Sept. 14 (Small Press Expo)
• Remake: 3Xtra, Lamar Abrams, AdHouse Books, December 2012.

Events:

• Through Sept. 2: “Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women” at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, Jewish Community Center, Washington, D.C.
• Through Sept. 8: Fever Dreams of Organic Machines: The Comic Book Art of Rafer Roberts, Common Ground Gallery, Rockville, Md.
• Sept. 8-9: Baltimore Comic Con, Baltimore, Md.
• Sept. 14: Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 15-16: Small Press Expo, North Bethesda, Md.
• Sept. 15: Justin Jordan Team 7 Launch Party, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Third Eye Comics, Annapolis, Md.
• Sept. 22:Raina Telgemeier signing at Big Planet Comics Vienna (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and Big Planet Comics College Park (3 to 5 p.m.)
• Sept. 22-23:National Book Festival with Raina Telgemeier, Craig Thompson and Hope Larson (comics-related events are on Sept. 23)

Housekeeping:

If you are a D.C. area creator who will be at Small Press Expo, let me know! I’m putting together a list that I’d like to have up next week and I don’t want to miss anyone!

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.

News/interviews/reviews:

• District Comics: Interview with Tom Allen, Michael Cowgill
• Indie on Indie Spotlight on RM Rhodes, Ken Eppstein for The Outhousers
• Matt Dembicki talks Xoc and District Comics on the Big Planet Podcast

Announcements:

• Ignatz Award nominations! I would love to take all kinds of credit, but all I did was sort through too many comics (by my last count, we got 270 separate titles, so at six copies per, that’s more than 1,600 comics that were sorted). All the love goes to our awesome jurors.
• &@$#!: An Exhibition of Comic Artists begins Sept. 7 at Gallery 5, Richmond, Va. Sadly, it only runs until Sept. 29, so if I do get to see it, it will be on the last day. September is a busy month!
• Another Big Planet signing, another cool poster for Michael Rex on Aug. 18. (Linking to Rex’s site since I can’t seem to find it on Big Planet’s.)

Event/con reports:

• Comics in the District: A Discussion with Local Creators, audio from panel courtesy of Curls Studio

New releases:

• T.S. O’Banion’s The Pugilist began Aug. 6. Updates every Monday.

Upcoming releases:

• Mr. Big: A Tale of Pond Life, Carol and Matt Dembicki, Sky Pony Press. Sept. 1.
• The Lost Art of Heinrich Kley, Lost Art Books, Sept. 14 (Small Press Expo)
• Remake: 3Xtra, Lamar Abrams, AdHouse Books, December 2012.

Events:

• Through Sept. 2: “Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women” at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, Jewish Community Center, Washington, D.C.
• Through Sept. 8: Fever Dreams of Organic Machines: The Comic Book Art of Rafer Roberts, Common Ground Gallery, Rockville, Md.
• Aug. 18: Michael Rex, creator of Fangbone, signing, Big Planet Comics Vienna, Va., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Big Planet Comics College Park, Md., 3 to 5 p.m.
• Aug. 19: District Comics signing event, 3 to 5 p.m. at One More Page Books, Arlington, Va. Facebook event page.
• Sept. 8-9: Baltimore Comic Con, Baltimore, Md.
• Sept. 14: Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C.
• Sept. 15-16: Small Press Expo, North Bethesda, Md.

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.