To Do: December 1 – December 7

The Thanksgiving lull is definitely over this week, which sees the Kramers Ergot crew hitting the road, various shops promoting the new Punisher movie, and MUCH MUCH MORE, including rare appearances by Jeff Smith, Gene Colan and Todd McFarlane. Read on …

Monday, December 1

Hollywood, CA, 3 PM – 4 PM – Ray Stevenson at Golden Apple Comics

Actor Ray Stevenson, who portrays the gun-toting title character in the upcoming film PUNISHER: WAR ZONE, will be on hand at LA retailer Golden Apple to sign autographs and meet fans. There will be plenty of free promo goodies available, including tee-shirts for those who bring canned food for the LA Regional Food Bank.

Monday, December 1

New York, NY, 7 PM – Al Jaffee at Barnes & Noble

Cartoonist Al Jaffee, most famous as the artist of the MAD Magazine Fold-Ins, will appear at the 82 & Broadway Barnes and Nobel to promote the new collection of his syndicated TALL TALES strip, which ran from 1957 – 1963 and was the first, and last, vertical comic strip in newspaper history.

Tuesday, December 2

Montpelier, VT, 7 PM – Alison Bechdel at Bear Pond Books

Alison Bechdel (FUN HOME) will present a slide-show of her long-running comic strip DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR, and sign copies of the newest collection, THE ESSENTIAL DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR.

Wednesday through Sunday after the break…

Wednesday, December 3

Burbank, CA – Ray Stevenson at Emerald Knight Comics & Games

Ray Stevenson, the new silver-screen Punisher, will sign autographs and meet fans at the grand opening of Burbank retailer Emerald Knight Comics & Games. Get there early to grab an autographed poster.

Wednesday, December 3 – Sunday, December 7 – Baltimore, MD; Pittsburgh; PA, Brooklyn, NY; Providence, RI – Kramer’s Ergot on tour

Editor and cartoonist Sammy Harkham takes the huge seventh volume of the anthology KRAMERS ERGOT on a tour of the East Coast this week, hitting up Atomic Books in Baltimore on Wednesday at 7 PM, Pittsburgh’s Copacetic Comics on Thursday from 5 PM – 10 PM, Brooklyn retailer Desert Island on Saturday from 4 PM – 10 PM and Ada Books in Providence on Sunday from 6 – 9 PM. Each stop will feature a different line-up from the myriad of creators represented in KRAMERS ERGOT, including Kevin Huizenga, John Pham, Frank Santoro, Adrian Thomine and Gabrielle Bell. Hit the link to see who will be where.

Thursday, December 4

New York, NY, 6 PM – Marvel writers at Jim Hanley’s Universe

Writers CB Cebulski, (X-INFERNUS), Fred Van Lente (INCREDIBLE HERCULES) and Dennis Calero (X-MEN NOIR) will stop by Jim Hanley’s Universe in Manhattan for a signing.

Thursday, December 4

Seattle, WA, 7 PM – 8 PM – Miriam Libicki at University of Washington

Autobiographical cartoonist Miriam Libicki (JOBNIK!) will read from her Israeli Army memoirs, discuss her influences and what led her to the comics format.

Thursday, December 4

San Francisco, CA, 7 PM – 9 PM – Gene Colan at the Cartoon Art Museum

Frisco’s Cartoon Art Museum unveils “Colan: Visions of a Man Without Fear,” a new exhibition spotlighting the career of famed Marvel and DC artist Gene Colan (BATMAN, TOMB OF DRACULA, HOWARD THE DUCK). The exhibition was curated by novelist and comics-dabbler Glen David Gold (CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL). Colan and his wife Adrienne will be guests of honor at the opening night reception.

Friday, December 5

Philadelphia, PA, 6 PM – 8 PM – Philly comic creators at Brave New Worlds

Kevin Colden (FISHTOWN), Miss Lasko-Gross (ESCAPE FROM SPECIAL), Johnny Zito and Tony Trovarello (BLAC CHERRY BOMBSHELL) will appear at Philadelphia retailer Brave New Worlds to sign copies of their new books.

Friday, December 5

San Jose, CA, 7 PM – SLG Boutiki opening

SLG Publishing becomes the newest comic book publisher with their own book store and gallery this week, with the grand opening of their Boutiki shop. The tiki-themed store will be open starting 10 AM Friday, with a party beginning at 7 PM with a gallery show featuring fine art by SLG comic artists, including Evan Dorkin, J.R. Goldberg, James Turner, Camilla d’Errico, Lesley Reppetaux, S. Eddy Bellows and Evan Waldinger. Limited-edition prints of some of the pieces will also be available to purchase. There will also be a special signing by S. Eddy Bellows to mark the release of his new graphic novel LULU AND MITZY, live music and refreshments.

Friday, December 5

Winter Park, FL, 8 PM – The Last Christmas Party at A Comic Shop

Florida retailer A Comic Shop hosts a party with Rick Remender (FEAR AGENT) to celebrate the launch of Remender’s new Punisher series, and the new Punisher: War Zone feature film.

Saturday, December 6

San Diego, CA, 10 AM – 3 PM – IDW Parking Lot Sale

To clear up space in their warehouse, publisher IDW is holding a discount sale in their parking lot, with a number of their creators showing up to sign books as well — Ben Templesmith (30 DAYS OF NIGHT), Chris Ryall (ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS) and Chris Mowry (TRANSFORMERS) are all scheduled to attend. Trade paperback collections will be $5 and all other books will be 80% off.

Saturday, December 6

Glendale, AZ, 11 AM – 3 PM – Todd McFarlane at The McFarlane Store

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane will sign autographs and meet fans on the occasion of his McFarlane Store’s one year anniversary in the Westgate City Center. We’ve never been to the McFarlane Store, but according to the press release, it sells sports action figures and video games. Curiously, McFarlane says that one-year in, the store is “still only halfway to completion.”

Saturday, December 6

Concord, CA, 12 NOON – Jeff Smith at Flying Colors Comics

Jeff Smith (BONE, RASL) will make his only comic book store appearance in 2008/2009 at Flying Colors Comics. He will have a preview edition of the first RASL collection, and limited edition signed bookplates available. Flying Colors owner Joe Field answers questions about the signing here.

Saturday, December 6

San Francisco, CA, 1 PM – 3 PM – Eric Goldberg at The Cartoon Art Museum

Disney animator Eric Goldberg (Aladdin, Pocahontas, et al.) will discuss his secrets of creating animation, as revealed in his new book Character Animation Crash Course! at The Cartoon Art Museum. The event is free with paid admission to the museum.

Saturday, December 6

Mountain View, CA, 2 PM – 4 PM – Gene Colan at Lee’s Comics

Gene Colan makes his second West Coast stop this week for a signing at Lee’s Comics, joined by award-winning inker Steve Leialoha, his collaborator on books like DAREDEVIL and HOWARD THE DUCK.

Posted by Aaron Humphrey