December Cartoonist-in-Residence: Alan Groening
Cartoon Art Museum Event: Saturday, December 19th, 2009 1pm to 3pm
Free and Open to the public

The Cartoon Art Museum hosts cartoonist Alan Groening on Saturday, December 19, 2009 from 1pm to 3pm as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will be offered the chance to talk to him about cartooning and view Alan’s work.

From 1992 to 1997, Alan Groening was hard at work in the comic industry creating his own brand of cartoon funny books. After a successful 6 year and 13 issue series, he took some time off from professional art and returned to college to learn video editing and 3D model building and in 2003 began working on several short films. In 2007, and after only one semester of Macromedia Flash, he was contacted by a client to create two short animated educational videos teaching kids about the fundamentals of mathematics.

In 2009, Groening created the first in a string of short cartoons for Family Community Church. He is currently freelancing and creating other animated cartoons for his church.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Keith Knight (K Chronicles, (th)ink), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules) among many others.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents original works of art from Twentieth Century Fox’s feature film FANTASTIC MR. FOX, scheduled for nationwide release on November 25, 2009. This exhibit features two sets from the stop motion animated film, “Flint Mine – We Took Everything” and “Farmer Scale Yellow Door,” which include puppets and props used in the film’s production. These works will be displayed in conjunction with the Cartoon Art Museum’s permanent collection of classic animation cels and drawings throughout the holiday season.

About Fantastic Mr. Fox:

FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilizing classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach). The film features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe and Eric Anderson.

Mr and Mrs Fox (Clooney and Streep) live an idyllic home life with their son Ash (Schwartzman) and visiting young nephew Kristopherson (Eric Anderson). But after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr Fox’s wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief and in doing so, endangers not only his beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground and with not enough food to go around, the animals band together to fight against the evil Farmers - Boggis, Bunce and Bean - who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr Fox at any cost.

Twentieth Century Fox presents, in association with Indian Paintbrush and Regency Enterprises, an American Empirical Picture, FANTASTIC MR. FOX. Directed by Wes Anderson and written for the screen by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, the film is based on the book by Roald Dahl. The film is produced by Allison Abbate, Scott Rudin, Wes Anderson and Jeremy Dawson with Steven Rales and Arnon Milchan as executive producers.

The production team includes animation director Mark Gustafson, director of photography Tristan Oliver, production designer Nelson Lowry, music composed and conducted by Alexandre Desplat, supervising editor Andrew Weisblum, music supervisor Randall Poster and puppets fabricated by MacKinnon and Saunders.

Monsters of Webcomics:
Webcomic-Con 2009

From the Comic Strip to the Animated Short:
Cartoon Art Museum class for adults

For beginning and intermediate level cartoonists, at the Cartoon Art Museum

Monday and Tuesday, December 7 and 8, 2009, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Cost: $40 for CAM members, $50 for non-members

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol: The Magic Behind the Making of the First Animated Christmas Special

The Cartoon Art Museum welcomes author Darrell Van Citters on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 7:30 to 9:00pm for a special presentation on the creation of Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol, the first animated Christmas special. Van Citters will sign copies of his new book following his presentation.

Mr. Magoo and Charles Dickens may have seemed like an odd match at the time but Americans of a certain age will remember that the pairing resulted in bit of pure magic. Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol was the first-ever animated Christmas special, and is now the subject of a splendid new book by Darrell Van Citters.

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes in San Francisco
Booksigning with author Nevin Martell

Cartoon Art Museum Event:  Sunday, November 15, 2009, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Free and open to the public

The Cartoon Art Museum welcomes author Nevin Martell on Sunday, November 15, 2009 from 1:00 to 3:00pm as he signs copies of his new book Looking for Calvin and Hobbes:  The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip.  This event is free and open to the public.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Looking for Calvin and Hobbes:  The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip
By Nevin Martell

For ten years, between 1985 and 1995, Calvin and Hobbes was one of the world's most beloved comic strips. And then, on the last day of 1995, the strip ended. Its mercurial and reclusive creator, Bill Watterson, not only finished the strip but withdrew entirely from public life. There is no merchandising associated with Calvin and Hobbes: no movie franchise; no plush toys; no coffee mugs; no t-shirts (except a handful of illegal ones). There is only the strip itself, and the books in which it has been compiled - including The Complete Calvin and Hobbes: the heaviest book ever to hit the New York Times bestseller list.

In Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip, writer Nevin Martell traces the life and career of the extraordinary, influential, and intensely private man behind Calvin and Hobbes. With input from a wide range of artists and writers (including Dave Barry, Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Lethem, and Brad Bird) as well as some of Watterson's closest friends and professional colleagues, this is as close as we're ever likely to get to one of America's most ingenious and intriguing figures - and a fascinating detective story, at the same time.

Only 3,160 Calvin and Hobbes strips were ever produced, but Watterson has left behind an impressive legacy. Calvin and Hobbes references litter the pop culture landscape and his fans are as varied as they are numerous. Looking for Calvin and Hobbes is an affectionate and revealing book about uncovering the story behind this most uncommon trio – a man, a boy, and his tiger.

REVIEWS & PRESS:

"Nevin Martell's book provides a rare glimpse of the riddle wrapped in the mystery inside an enigma that is Bill Watterson and his brilliant work, which I now know was almost called 'Marvin and Hobbes.'”
- Stephan Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine

"Watterson can hide, but he can't die. His work lives on and we're lucky to have Nevin Martell reminding us so colorfully in this joyful book."
- Berkeley Breathed, creator of Bloom County and Outland

"...Martell provides the most comprehensive look at the life and work of one of the most influential American cartoonists. A book I highly recommend picking up."
- The Daily Cartoonist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nevin Martell is the author of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip (Continuum, 2009), Standing Small: A Celebration of 30 Years of the LEGO Minifigure (DK, 2009), Dave Matthews Band: Music for the People (Pocket, 2004) and Beck: The Art of Mutation (Pocket, 2001).  He is a Contributing Editor at Filter magazine and his music journalism has appeared in Paste, Giant, Men’s Health, High Times, and Flaunt, as well as online at RollingStone.com.  Currently, he lives with his wife outside Washington, DC, where he develops documentaries and non-fiction television.
  

Spend the day at Pixar Animation Studios
For the Sixth Annual Cartoon Art Museum Benefit!
Saturday November 14, 2009

The Cartoon Art Museum, the only museum in the western United States dedicated to all forms of cartoons and comics, is delighted to host its sixth annual benefit on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at Pixar Animation Studios.  From Pixar’s inception in 1986 with the premiere of its iconic short film, Luxo Jr., to the studio’s latest full-length feature, Disney•Pixar’s Up, Pixar has wowed and charmed the world with its incredible computer animated creations. This year, there are two great ways to experience the magic of Pixar up close and personal at the studio’s Emeryville home:

The Family Fun Tier
(1:00 – 4:00 pm)

Manga Mania with Karen Luk

A Saturday workshop for youth ages 8-18

Come and level up your drawing skills at the Cartoon Art Museum’s Manga Mania! Karen Luk, professional illustrator and comic artist, will reveal the secrets behind Manga faces, body language and basic character design. Basic drawing skills are helpful, but not required.
 
Two sessions on Saturday, October 24, at the Cartoon Art Museum:
 
8-12 year olds from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
For beginners and curious students, bring your questions and imagination!
 
13-18 year olds from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm
For more dedicated students, bring in your drawings for review and questions! Karen will provide critiques in the workshop.
 
Drawing supplies will be provided.
 
To register please call 415-227-8666 x303 or email education@cartoonart.org

Participants must be pre-registered and pre-paid by Thursday, October 22nd to attend the class.
 
About Karen Luk

Since 2004, Karen Luk has self-published comics and is currently posting new comics on Girlamatic.com. She joined Manga Start in 2008 - an artists' group dedicated to educating students about the art fundamentals in relation to Manga-styled drawings and comics. She has taught various workshops on drawing skills, comic making and Manga style. Her portfolio can be found at
http://www.karenluk.net.
 
Instructor: Karen Luk
 
Date: Saturday, October 24th, 2009
 
Time: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM for 8-12 year-olds; 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM for 13-18 year-olds

Place: Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco
 
Cost: $12 per person

 

CAM Alternative Press Expo Party:
Monsters and Mayhem

Cartoon Art Museum Event:  Saturday, October 17, 2009, 8:00-11:00 pm

Sliding Scale:  $5 - $20

The Cartoon Art Museum hosts a fun-filled evening of Monsters and Mayhem on Saturday, October 17, 2009 from 8:00-11:00pm.  Special guests include featured artists from the Cartoon Art Museum’s Monsters of Webcomics exhibition Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), Dylan Meconis (Family Man) and Jesse Reklaw (Slow Wave), plus famed webcartoonists Batton Lash (Supernatural Law), Erika Moen (DAR:  A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary) and Shaenon K. Garrity (Skin Horse, Narbonic).  Popular syndicated cartoonist Keith Knight (The Knight Life, The K Chronicles), cartoonists Jon “Bean” Hastings (Smith Brown Jones:  Alien Accountant, Haunted Mansion) and Rich Koslowski (Three Geeks, Geeksville), will also be in attendance, and more special guests will be announced shortly.

Admission for the event is on a sliding scale, from $5 to $20, with guests encouraged to donate whatever they can to support the Cartoon Art Museum.

All proceeds from this reception will benefit The Cartoon Art Museum, a non-profit educational museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and display of original cartoon art in all its forms.

Bill Mauldin:  A Life Up Front

Booksigning and presentation with author Todd DePastino

Cartoon Art Museum Event:  Friday, October 2, 2009, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
$5 suggested donation

The Cartoon Art Museum welcomes author Todd DePastino on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 7:00 to 9:00pm for a special presentation on the life and art of multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin.  DePastino’s program is an illustrated talk on the great World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, an army infantry sergeant who rocketed to fame at age
22 with his wildly popular feature Up Front.  Week after week, Mauldin defied army censors, German artillery, and General George Patton's pledge to throw him in jail for insubordination to deliver his grim depictions of war to Stars and Stripes and hundreds of homefront newspapers.   There, readers followed the stories of Willie and Joe, two wise-cracking ‘dogfaces’ whose mud-caked uniforms and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect bore eloquent witness to the world of combat and the men who lived – and died – in it.  We have never viewed war in the same way since.

This presentation is based on DePastino's book, BILL MAULDIN: A LIFE UP FRONT (W.W. Norton, 2008), which has been named one of the best books of 2008 by
the Boston Globe, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, among others.  DePastino is also editor of the acclaimed WILLIE & JOE: THE WWII YEARS(Fantagraphics Books, 2008), the first complete collection of Mauldin's World War II.  His previous books include CITIZEN HOBO: HOW A CENTURY OF HOMELESSNESS SHAPED AMERICA (University of Chicago Press, 2003) which won a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship.  He has a Ph.D. in American History from Yale University and teaches at Waynesburg University.  He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and two daughters.

The suggested donation for this presentation is $5, although no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Fort Knox:
The First Syndicated Military Family Comic Strip

Cartoon Art Museum Event:  Thursday, October 1, 2009, from 7pm to 9pm
Free and open to the public

Join cartoonist Paul Jon at the Cartoon Art Museum on Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 7pm for a detailed presentation on what it took to get his Fort Knox feature signed and launched with the Washington Post Writers Group (hint: lots of blood, sweat and groveling).  The strip launches nationwide on Monday, October 5, 2009.  Paul Jon, an Army brat, grew up all over the country and will tell you how he survived the multiple moves, merciless bullies and chronic asthma.  He later managed to stuff his experiences in his comic creation, Fort Knox - the first syndicated comic strip centering on a military family.  As a special treat, Paul Jon will have his long-suffering parents at the event.  Feel free to give them your condolences.

This special event is free and open to the public.

About the comic strip:  Fort Knox chronicles the life of a military family:  Dad, Major Joe Knox; Mom, Jane Knox; and their two boys, Donald and Wesley.  The family has picked up and moved — again — thousands of miles from family and friends to take up residence at Joe's new assignment at Fort Lincoln.  Donald and Wesley have moved before, but that doesn't make it any easier on them.  They must face down new bullies, master a new school system and new teachers, and navigate a new community.  Added to these pressures is the distance the move puts between them and their beloved grandmother, who's a known troublemaker if not a known felon (yet).  On top of all that, there's the strain that military life puts on their parents' otherwise happy marriage.

About the artist: Fort Knox:  Cartoonist Paul Jon is, of course, a military brat himself.  "The downside was that every time we moved, I gained a new bully.  Eventually, I had to give them numbers to keep track," he jokes.  "In many ways, they were like terrifying personal trainers.  Thanks to all the running away I did, I was able to overcome my childhood asthma."

"Since 2005, Paul Jon has been developing Fort Knox and tapping the well of his childhood experiences — the frustrations and embarrassments and angst," says Washington Post Writers Group Comics Editor Amy Lago.  "Four years of cartooning no doubt has been cheaper for Paul Jon than four years of therapy.  The Writers Group is pleased that the cartooning, at least, is beginning to pay off."  Fort Knox will be distributed by the Writers Group starting Oct. 5.

Cartoonist Paul Jon is the son of an Army colonel whose tours of duty included Fort Leavenworth, Fort Jackson and Fort Knox, and who, every morning, liked to say to his fellow soldiers, "It's a great day to be in the Army."  Paul Jon understands his dad's attitude, and feels that being a military brat "made me understand the sacrifices that military families make for our country, and also made me a better person for having to deal with new people all the time."  Luckily for Paul Jon, he had an eccentric red-haired brother and his trusty inhaler to keep him company through each change in location.

In addition to his daily and Sunday Fort Knox duties, Paul Jon runs the creative services department of a Bay Area software company, and his artwork has appeared in newspapers, magazines and online publications across the country.  He earned his B.A. in journalism from the University of South Carolina.

To view samples of the upcoming comic strip, please visit:  http://www.postwritersgroup.com/comics/fortknox/samples1.htm

Small Press Spotlight on Richard Sala

Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition:  September 19 – December 13, 2009

Beginning on September 15th, 2009, the Cartoon Art Museum's ongoing Small Press Spotlight will feature the art of Richard Sala.

Richard Sala grew up with a fascination for musty old museums, dusty libraries, cluttered antique shops, narrow alleyways, hidden truths, double meanings, and late night walks. He’s known for his creepy, spooky, and weird illustrations and paintings.  

His books include The Chuckling Whatsit, Peculia, Maniac Killer Strikes Again!, Peculia, The Grave Robber’s Daughter, and Delphine. His illustrations and comics have appeared in numerous publications, including RAW, Esquire, Playboy, and The New York Times.  

Sala’s latest book is Cat Burglar Black (First Second: September 2009), a tale of theft, ancient treasure, and orphans.
 
For more information about Richard Sala’s works and upcoming events, please visit http://www.richardsala.com/.

Monsters of Webcomics:

Final Frames:  Behind the Scenes at the Perry Bible Fellowship