Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest

Emily and Tom will be in charge of the Sparkplug table this weekend at Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest. Our special guest star will be Katie Skelly, author of the Nurse Nurse series! Please join us for this super awesome fest!

Here's the scoop, from the BCGF website:

BROOKLYN COMICS AND GRAPHICS FESTIVAL 2011

WHAT: Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival
WHEN: December 3, 2011 12- 9 pm
Free and open to the public

WHERE: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
275 North 8th Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
and
Union Pool
484 Union Avenue # A
New York, NY 11211-3440

We are pleased to announce the third Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, a festival of comics and graphic art featuring artists and publishers displaying and selling publications; lectures and conversations on comics; and associated exhibits and satellite events. Over 75 of the very best artists and publishers will gather on December 3rd to display and sell their work and engage in discussions and exhibitions.

In order to accommodate overwhelming demand, this year’s Festival expands its exhibition space to both floors of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church’s facilities, with a full weekend of programs and events taking place at an array of independent Brooklyn-area arts and culture institutions.

Our 2011 featured guests are: Jack Davis, Phoebe Gloeckner, CF, Lisa Hanawalt, David Mazzucchelli, Chip Kidd, John Porcellino and Brian Ralph. These guests are joined by an international array of publishers including Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Adhouse, Nobrow, Pantheon Books, Last Gasp, Akashic, Top Shelf, PictureBox, and Koyama Press, who in turn will host artists including Adrian Tomine, Jordan Crane, Michael Deforge, Gabrielle Bell, Dash Shaw, Gary Panter, Frank Santoro, and Leslie Stein.

For our third edition we have partnered with like-minded organizations in the borough. Union Pool will host a cartoonist-studded rock show on Friday night, as well as our full slate of Festival panels all day Saturday. Scott Eder Gallery is the site of the exhibition Drawing Pop Culture: The Art of Jack Davis, while four days of comics-related films will screen at The Spectacle Theater, and a graphics and theater performance event will be presented on Sunday at the Brick Theater.

Full programming and Festival information will continue to be posted to our website: comicsandgraphicsfest.com

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival is an ongoing project by Desert Island, PictureBox and Bill Kartalopoulos.

Thanks to Some Extra-Special People

We here at Sparkplug have so many people to thank for their kindness and generosity to us in this transitional period.  At this time, we want especially to thank Jason Leivian of Floating World Comics, Jason T. Miles of Profanity Hill, comic artist Jim Rugg.  These awesome guys organized and promoted a series of eBay auctions of original art and collectible books to help support Sparkplug as we realize our goals. 

We also owe a debt of gratitude to the dozens of artists who gave their creations and books to be sold in the auctions, as well as friends and colleagues who made other generous donations.  Here are the names of those who contributed:

Adam Hines

Adrian Tomine

Aleks Sennwald

Allie & Jeremy Tiedeman

Annie Koyama

Art Spiegelman

Ben Dewey

Bill Boichel

Bill Kartolopuolos

Charles Brownstein

Chris Pitzer

Dan Clowes

Dan Nadel

David Lasky

Dunja Jankovic

Eric Reynolds

Eroyn Franklin

Ethan Rilly

Gabe Fowler

Greg Stump

Ian MacEwan

James Romberger

Jason T. Miles

Jeff Lemire

Jenny Gialenes

Jeremy Eaton

Jim Rugg

John Porcellino

Jonathan Case

Jordan Crane

Jordan Shively

Julia Wertz

Karn Piana

Katy Ellis O’Brien

Kelly Froh

Ken Dahl (Gabby Schulz)

Kevin Huizenga

Levon Jihanian

Luke Ramsey

Malachi Ward

Marc Palm

Martine Workman

Matt Fraction

Matthew Sheean

Max Clotfelter

Megan Kelso

Micheal Deforge

Michel Fiffe

Natalie Nourigat

Nate Powell

Nick Abadzis

Paul Hornschemeier

Pete Toms

Peter Bagge

Peter @ The Beguiling Books

Rebecca Artemisia

Renee French

Rich Tommaso

Ryan Standfest

Sarah Morean

Sean Ford

Skinner

Stephen DeStefano

Steve Lieber

Tom Scioli

Victor Kerlow

Warren Bernard

Review of Flesh and Bone

Attention Deficit Disorderly has done a great review of Flesh and Bone by Julia Gfrorer:

"Gfrörer’s intelligence shines through in virtually every particular, from pacing (the excruciatingly interminable sequence in which the bereaved man writhes first in agony then in resigned masturbatory ecstasy on his beloved’s grave) to dialogue (a devastating exchange between witch and demon in which love is dismissed as “mutual masturbation,” a form of slavery that prevents humankind from pulling itself out of the muck) to strategic absences of dialogue (a harrowing silent sequence in which an owl is sent to blind a young witness to a horrible crime) to character design (the man’s Byronic good looks, the demon’s disembodied lion head) to facial expression and body language (the witch’s arched back and closed lids as she copulates with a screeching mandrake creature) to a cover that nails the appeal of her wiry, frail characters and line."

You can read the review in its entirety here.

Rina Ayuyang and Lark Pien at Komiks Expo 2011

Rina Ayuyang and Lark Pien, both good friends of Sparkplug, will be tabling at the Komiks Expo in San Francisco this Saturday! Details below:

Komiks Expo 2011

Saturday, November 19, 1pm-5pm

It's going to be our own local version of Comic Con! Komiks Expo 2011 is a comic book convention to showcase Filipino and API artists in cartoon, comic book, and graphic novel media. Come out to see artwork from aspiring local artists/groups in the SF Bay Area and beyond!

Special Guest: Whilce Portacio!

About Whilce Portacio:
Whilce Portacio started as an inker before launching his career as a penciller over two decades ago. He has been a leading comic book talent ever since his big break through on Marvel titles X-Factor and Uncanny X Men in the early '90s. Whilce has worked on titles Iron Man: Heroes Reborn, Punisher, Wetworks, Stormwatch, Batman Confidential, and Superman/Batman.

Admission: FREE!

Come in a comic book character costume for a chance to win a prize pack worth $100!

ALSO:
Curating Komiks exhibit for I-Hotel Manilatown Center. Opening September 17, 4-6 PM at 868 Kearny Street, SF. A tribute to Filipino & Filipino American Comic Book Artists, featuring the work of Alfredo Alcala, Alex Niño, Ed Badajos, Vidda Chan, Dino Ignacio, Whilce Portacio, and Nestor Redondo..

Location:
I-Hotel Manilatown Center
868 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA 94108

Manilatown Homepage

www.manilatown.org
Non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and fostering the rich cultural and artistic traditions of San Francisco's Filipino American community.

Back in Stock: Play Overlord, Death Deals & Ishi's Brain

We got a couple excellent books back in stock: Death Deals and Ishi's Brain by Eamon Espey and Play Overlord by Theo Ellsworth, Sean Christensen and Amy Kuttab! Take a look at them in our shop if you like!

Short Run Small Press Fest!

Join us this weekend in Seattle! I can already tell that Short Run is going to be a super fun fest, with lots of other great presses and artists involved. Emily and I look forward to seeing you there!

Short Run Small Press Fest
@ the Seattle Center
Saturday, Nov. 12th from 10:30 t0 4:30
Free Admission

Elijah Brubaker interview at Exquisite Things

Kevin from Exquisite Things has done a wonderful, in-depth interview with Elijah Brubaker, creator of the Reich series for Sparkplug. Please give it a read!

Small Press Love Fest!

Emily and I will be tabling for Sparkplug this Tuesday at Multnomah County Library's Small Press Love Fest! This will be a really fun event, with food, raffles and a chance to get a jump on your holiday shopping. It's free too!
The fest is on Tuesday, November 8th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the beautiful Central Library in downtown Portland. Hope to see you there!

MIX reminder!

Just a reminder to come visit Sparkplug at the Minneapolis Indie Expo this weekend! It's from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday at The Soap Factory. Free admission, hope to see you there!