News/interviews/reviews:

• From Friendly Ghosts To Gamma Rays: Xoc, Aesop’s Ark and Super Dinosaur!, ComicAttack.net
• Review – Xoc: The Journey of a Great White, meep[zine]
• Review: Xoc: The Journey of a Great White, Comic Bastards
• SDCC: Interview with Matt Dembicki, Angela Jones, The Outhousers
• Graphic novels being used to encourage reading by middle school summer students, Baltimore County Public Schools
• Small Press Expo 2012: Recognizing and Promoting Indie Comic Book Artists, Carmina de Vera, You the Designer

Event/con reports:

• Fever Dreams of the Organic Machines (Behind the Scenes), photos from Rafer Roberts’ upcoming exhibition
• Rusty Rowley’s photos of DC Zinefest
• splotch monsters invade 2012 dc zinefest, Steven Loya’s report and photos from DC Zinefest

Announcements and debuts:

• National Book Festival schedule. The graphic novel programming is on Sunday and it’s a little dismaying that Raina Telgemeier and Hope Larson’s events are competing.
• Rafer Roberts shares all the things he’s been up to.
• Becky Dreistadt’s poster for Small Press Expo

Upcoming releases:

• District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC, various artists, Fulcrum Publishing. Now Aug. 7 (there have been some reports of Amazon already shipping copies)
• Mr. Big: A Tale of Pond Life, Carol and Matt Dembicki, Sky Pony Press. Sept. 1.
• 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.
• Various dates beginning June 17: Create a Comic Book with Matt Dembicki, 7 p.m. at Fairfax County Libraries.
• Beginning Aug. 3: 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.

Housekeeping:

• I am compiling a standing list of D.C. area webcomics, comics-related podcasts/TV shows, yearly events and other things that I’m not always able to include in the weekly roundup, so email me with whatever you’re up to. Thanks!

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.