Tue 4 Mar 2008
Friends of the Nib Comics Jam!
Posted by Cissy under Art , Cartoonists , Film , Books , Items of InterestNo Comments
The public is invited to join a stellar group of accomplished cartoonists in the “Friends of the Nib Comics Jam” at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, March 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Celebrated cartoonist and visual artist Jim Woodring will preside over the activities, which will include a guest appearance by New York underground comix legend Kim Deitch. Aspiring cartoonists of all ages are encouraged to participate in this lively session, which will include a rare screening of Deitch’s 1960 short film “Dial M for Monster.”
Friends of the Nib is an informal cartoonists’ solon formed by Woodring that meets weekly at Café Racer in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood. Acclaimed artists such as Ellen Forney, David Lasky and animator Bruce Bickford regularly attend to mentor emerging cartoonists and network with their peers. The “Comics Jam” on March 8 will feature more than a dozen artists cartooning on-site while offering casual encouragement to public participants.
Kim Deitch is among America’s most prominent and influential alternative cartoonists. The astonishingly sophisticated animated and live-action film short “Dial M for Monster” he created as a teenager with his friend Tony Eastman has become legendary among Deitch fans; it was never released, and has only been shown a handful of times in small venues. Prior to the 7:30 screening, he will introduce the film with a brief media presentation. Deitch’s work has been featured in Art Spiegelman’s RAW and R. Crumb’s Weirdo anthologies. In a recent review of Deitch’s Shadowland graphic novel, New York Times book critic John Hodgman observed, “Few underground cartoonists deserve that subterranean title so fully as Kim Deitch. He was there at the beginning of the movement, drawing for The East Village Other in 1967, and his work retains much of that psychedelic, R. Crumb-like earthiness.” In addition to Shadowland, Fantagraphics Books has collected Deitch’s work in Beyond the Pale and published
comic book series including The Stuff of Dreams, Mishkin File, and Waldo World.
Admission is free to the public of all ages. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale St. in Seattle’s Georgetown industrial arts district. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206.658.0110. The “Comics Jam” coincides with the monthly “Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack.” Over twenty-five galleries, studios, nightclubs, boutiques, and cafes participate in this lively showcase of Georgetown’s creative diversity.
