Culture

BY JEN VAUGHN - Cartoonist James Sturm wrote an insightful piece on submitting cartoons to the New Yorker posted on The Slate. As a cartoonist or unfortunately termed 'graphic novelist,' Sturm is used to drawing stories in the long term, stretching a few hundred pages, panel upon panel upon panel upon YES, panel. How Sturm spent his summer vacation was a cartoon a day to build up a keeper-portfolio for The New Yorker. Sturm relearned to let go of the beats you find in a long-form comic to sketch loosely and effectively situations right after that something funny, something intangible occurred. He includes many of his cartoons in the article including this close-to-home joke and one of my favorites, when the caption is recycled for a different situation.

Via Rob Clough, As anyone who is Facebook friends with him knows, Dylan Williams is very seriously ill and could use the help and...

Yeah like the rest of you East Coasters, we just had a little wee temblor. My mind refused to believe it was happening, preferring to think that it was a big truck driving by or the Second Avenue Subway rattling by...except that doesn't exist just yet. Having been in the Northridge quake, I knew it wasn't serious...yet, but the idea of the piles of books in Stately Beat Manor tumbling down filled my heart with dread. But the cat didn't even wake up. Hope the folks closer to the epicenter are okay. Virginian Colleen Doran tweeted:

New developments in the Atomic bankruptcy and Grant Morrison vs Chris Ware, and a new take on Kirby/Lee.

It's been a long time since I posted an arty Hipstamatic photo dump -- and I know you missed it!

And to think I almost didn't go to the Baltimore Comic-Con. Like many I was feeling pretty conned out, but in the end the idea of a short road trip to an always relaxing show -- and covering the Harveys -- won out, so I was off on a road trip with Ed Catto of Bonfire Agency and Captain Action fame, and Josh Frankel, founder of new publisher Zip Comics. Beginning as it did at 7:30 am, the trip down was a coffee-driven affair, as we discussed our various endeavors and ideas for improvements and prognostications for the future. While all three of us are born optimists, the current uncertainties and question marks left any real attempts at planning akin to spitting into the wind. Future cloudy; ask again later.

Well not really a fight, more of a strafing run, since it's unlikly Chris Ware will ever be asked about Grant Morrison in an interview. While on his voluble book publicity tour, Scottish superstar Grant Morrison continues to drop quotable bombs to be picked up by websites worldwide. Today the battlefield is Rolling Stone, where he comes clean on Chris Ware; the Acme Novelty Library genius, known for his grim vivisection of human futility, is not Morrison's cuppa Earl Grey tea.

Anne Hathaway is starving herself to fit into her Cat Woman costume for your viewing pleasure. She does look pretty neat in one of...

Some ex-Wizard staffers have found some friends and launched an iPad magazine about pop culture

We don't need us to tell you that it's tough times in the heartland of America these days. Slowing manufacturing, a recession that never really ended in some places, and a recovery that has failed to ignite. Luckily, one thing has come to the Steel belt to liven things up -- superhero movies. With Batman filming in Pittsburgh, Superman in Chicago, and now The Avengers in Cleveland (standing in for NYC? Ooooooookay) it's been boom times for photographers. Here's the latest Avengers leaked photos, showing Cap and Thor battling mocapped Hydra or someone goons.

Fan Art Free Week, coming this August 22- 26!

When Marvel's Ralph Macchio retired the other day, we made the claim that he was the last editor from the pre-direct sales market working in the business. A few people wrote in to correct us, however. There is one editor who has been around even longer, and is still going strong, Archie's own editor in chief, Victor Gorelick (pronounced Gor-EL-ick). Now 70, Gorelick has worked at Archie for 50 years in various roles. It's certainly an astonishing career that has seen incredible changes.