Many thanks to Richard Beavers at the House of Art in Bed-Stuy for hosting the Black Comix Meet & Greet on July 14!

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Black Comix @ Madame X

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C-SPAN BookTv “Reading in a Digital Age” Panel at the Harlem Book Fair

A panel discussion was held on July 17 on the changes made to access to information by a market-driven digital technology. They discussed the thesis that wider visual representation would lead younger readers into literacy.

The authors were: John Jennings (moderator), Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture (Mark Batty Publisher/Random); Damian Duffy, Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture (Mark Batty Publisher/Random); Dawud Anyabwile, Brotherman; Alex Simmons, Blackjack; Gregory Walker, ZM1; and L.A. Banks, Vampire Huntress. “From Digital Divide to Digital Inequality: Bridging the Market-Driven Literacy Gap” was a panel of the 12th annual Harlem Book Fair from the Langston Hughes Auditorium in the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

WATCH THE PANEL ON THE OFFICIAL C-SPAN ONLINE LIBRARY

Cleveland comic book author, Harvey Pekar, passed away at his home Monday, July 12, around 1 a.m. Harvey came to fame as the author of the autobiographical series American Splendor. His portrayal of the mundane movements of day to day existence won him critical acclaim and his habitually sour out-look on life was often more humorous than anything else. This can be seen in any of Harvey’s many appearances on Late Night with David Letterman which were always memorable and often ended in shouting matches.

In recent years Harvey worked with Smith Magazine in a venture dubbed “The Pekar Project” which featured current Pekar comics, stories and interviews. As the author of Comics’ Comics I am honored to have been able to work with Harvey and Pekar Project team. Harvey was an inspiration and hero to so many, including myself. He will be missed.

- Erich Beasley, author of the upcoming Comics’ Comics (ComicsComicsBook.com)

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See Harvey’s exclusive contribution to Comics’ Comics around spring of next year.

Want to become your own IDLE IDOL (see: Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot)? It’s simpler than you think. All you need are the official IDLE IDOL eye badges, place them carefully on your face so as not to blind yourself, and stand vacantly in front of a shop of your choice.

You can scoop up a pair (or three…or four!) at the official WhatShop here, among other cool stuff (like these Idle Idol face badges).

We’re kicking off our upcoming release, BLACK COMIX: AFRICAN AMERICAN INDEPENDENT COMICS, ART & CULTURE with a full weekend of NYC events! We start with a gallery exhibition, then our pre-release party, then the Harlem Book Fair, where the authors will sit on a C-Span Panel on Bridging the Literacy Gap (along with invited panelist, bestselling author L.A. Banks). All the details are below – we hope to see you there!

If you’re a member of the press and would like guaranteed entry to the release party of any of the other events, please email Adri at adri@markbattypublisher.com.

JULY 14

Meet & Greet/Black Comix Art Exhibit
6p-9p
HOUSE OF ART
373 Lewis Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
RSVP NOW

JULY 15

Official BLACK COMIX Pre-Release Party
6p-10p
MADAME X
94 West Houston Street
New York, NY
RSVP NOW

JULY 17

HARLEM BOOK FAIR
C-SPAN PANEL: Bridging the Literacy Gap
RSVP NOW

Since we’re already ON the topic of Black Comix (see yesterday’s blog on Condoman), go check out this great interview on GQ.com with the authors, Damian Duffy & John Jennings, posted today!

Here’s a tiny excerpt:

Click here for the rest on GQ.com!

F-booker Johnny Splendor was kind enough to point us to this article on the Huffington Post about The Funniest Sex Education Posters of All Time. The Huff Post caption for this one is “Does Condoman Know What Words Mean?” because Condoman is saying… well, you just read it, you know. Sort of funny/odd turn of phrase there.

Except, according to the Post’s source Condoman was “created by the Commonwealth Department of Community Services and Health in Australia in 1991″ as part of ” part of a broader prevention campaign that targeted younger Aboriginal audiences.”

So, I don’t know about y’all, but I was not hanging out with any young Abroginal peoples in Australia in 1991. Is “Don’t be shame be game” like in keeping with some 90s Aboriginal slang? Or is this a straight up “Sweet Christmas” moment, like that Huffington Post caption seems to suggest.?

The Commonwealth Dept. website calls Condoman “one of Australia’s most iconic health messages,” but “iconic” doesn’t really answer the question for me, of whether or not that dude’s an accurate portrayal of indigenous people’s manner of speaking.

What does answer that question is this post on the House of Blackstar website which states:

Condoman was originally conceived and developed in 1987 by a group of Indigenous Health Workers in Townsville… Condoman has been an important foundation and ongoing condom social marketing tool throughout Australia and overseas. As a testament to the original campaign the catch phrase of ‘Don’t Be Shame Be Game’ in relation to condom use is still used within particular Indigenous communities in Australia.

Now, I must admit, I was amused by the Condoman poster juxtaposed with the Huffington Post caption at first. “Does Condoman Know What Words Mean?” is pretty chuckle-worthy when the poster is taken completely out of context, read in an American context as an American work. But it’s not American. If this is just how Aboriginal folk in Australia speak, as seems to be the case, the caption amounts to little more than “Foreigners talk funny.”

Condoman and his still-popular catchphrase returned in 2009:

Condoman 2009

You can read the ’09 comic for free online. It’s actually quite a good PSA comic, solid comics art in a sort of a Top Cow studio style. Condoman is like this spirit of safe sex that inspires people to pass out condoms to their friends. I say check it out. I also say, if you’ll allow me the pleasure: Don’t be shame dear readers, be game. Practice safe sex yo.

The aim of the 2009 Condoman campaign is to introduce ‘…a generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are not familiar with the original campaign, and have not lived through the early years of HIV & AIDS in Australia, especially before the introduction of better treatments.’ Click the above image to download it as a pdf that you an make into a keychain.

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This blog post was originally posted on the official blog for our book BLACK COMIX: AFRICAN AMERICAN INDEPENDENT COMICS, ART & CULTURE. Check it out at BlackComixBook.com.

For the second year in a row, MBP has topped the ranks: J. Namdev Hardisty’s and MBP’s DIY Album Art: Paper Bags & Office Supplies has been selected as one of the coveted 50 winners for the AIGA (Professional Association for Design) 50 Books/50 Covers for best designed books of 2009!

The Paper Trail blog on BookForum.com mentions it here, and here are the details from the AIGA website:

After careful and considered review of more than 800 entries, the 2010 jury of the “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers” competition selected a group of 100 examples of outstanding book and book cover design produced in 2009.

The jury’s selections will be mounted as a public exhibition at the AIGA National Design Center in New York in December 2010, and will travel across the country to AIGA chapters and student groups during 2011. In addition, selections become part of the AIGA Design Archives, are documented in 365: AIGA Year In Design, and the physical artifacts join the AIGA Design Archives at the Denver Art Museum and the Rare Book and Manuscript Library within Columbia University’s Butler Library.

Click here to grab your own copy of this award-winning book!

Here’s the info from the official PRESS RELEASE from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, American Book Center!

THE AMERICAN BOOK CENTER and THE ABC TREEHOUSE present:
THE ABC URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL ILLUSTRATED BOOK PANEL
Saturday June 26, 2010, 2PM
in the ABC Treehouse (Voetboogstraat 11, Amsterdam)
For reservations click here!

The process of getting a book from an author’s mind to the reader’s hands is a multi-step process, and sometimes those steps can feel like a never-ending dizzying spiral staircase. What many readers don’t realize is just how many people are involved with the creation of a book – from editors and agents to proofreaders, designers, marketing departments and salespeople – and if the book in question is illustrated the stages of production can become even more complex.

So what does it take to convert an illustrated book from concept to printed object? The ABC URBAN ARTS ILLUSTRATED BOOK PANEL will be the first panel in the Netherlands to explore this question with a conversation between Kate Bingaman- Burt, Peter Giljam, and Buzz Poole. Collectively, Bingaman-Burt, Giljam, and Poole have worked as authors, artists, designers, editors and sales people. They will draw from their wealth of illustrated book publishing experience to make transparent all of the routes a book can take from pitch to product.

During this one-hour presentation the three participants will discuss everything from what makes a good pitch to figuring out where to pitch; what to do if you have great visual content but no sense for how to organize it; the value of a well-focused idea; the realities of working with a publisher; the future of publishing and e-books; plus take time to answer audience questions.

After the Q&A Poole and Giljam will be available to discuss your illustrated book ideas.

About the panelists:

Kate Bingaman-Burt founded Obsessive Consumption in 2002 and has documented her personal consumption in many different mediums; Princeton Architectural Press released her book Obsessive Consumption in 2010. She provided all of the illustrations for the book Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design as well as the promotional materials for the documentary of the same name. She is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Portland State University, and happily draws for clients like IDEO, Madewell, ReadyMade Magazine, The New York Times, and Wieden + Kennedy).

Peter Giljam started his company Buzzworks 5 years ago with the idea to create & sell merchandise based on the works of artists. Previously he worked as an architect, but was always interested in all sorts of visual art, illustration, design, etc. Recently, Buzzworks has started a new publishing division specializing in visual books from local artists. His fourth book is on typography by Shamrock, internationally known for his comic fonts.

Buzz Poole has been the managing editor of Mark Batty Publisher for over five years. He has worked in various publishing capacities for more than 10 years, including retail, running a DIY literary journal, and the book arts. He has written about books, art, music, and culture for numerous outlets, such as The Village Voice, The Believer, Print, Grafik, San Francisco Chronicle and The Millions. The New Statesman named his illustrated book Madonna of the Toast one of 2007’s Best Underground Books.

The ABC Urban Arts Festival is made possible with the generous support of: www.Nalden.net, Citizen M Hotels Amsterdam, www.DutchNews.nl; WimsKip Catering, The People’s Agency, and Jameson Irish Whiskey, Premsela – Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion, Buzzworks, Edding, Achilleas Giannissis, Time Out Amsterdam.

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The American Book Center (www.abc.nl) offers the largest selection of English language books in mainland Europe. An independent family-run business, ABC has managed to stay afloat in a cut-price, multinational, online bookselling world where many other independents have floundered. This is due in large part because, in place of a central buyer, ABC has a community of 50 booklovers/buyers, who stay in touch with customers and the times, and stay ahead of breaking trends in publishing and book-related events. The American Book Center…booksellers with a personal touch.

Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the ABC Treehouse (www.treehouse.abc.nl) works to strengthen the bonds of community between the Dutch and international citizens who live and work in the Netherlands. The Treehouse offers a rich selection of workshops, launch parties for the hottest new books, political ‘conversations’, and groundbreaking exhibitions. The ABC Treehouse, a unique cultural center, is supported by the American Book Center (www.abc.nl)

Details:
The American Book Center & ABC Treehouse present:
What: The ABC Urban Arts Festival Illustrated Book Panel
When: Saturday June 26, 2010, 2PM
Where: ABC Treehouse (Voetboogstraat 11, Amsterdam)
Reservations: http://www.treehouse.abc.nl/index.php?page=details&itemid=1006
On Facebook here.

Press Contact:
Rick Lightstone (American Book Center): lightstone45@zonnet.nl /+31(0)65.262.5101

From the official IDLE IDOL website + authors Edward and John Harrison:

Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot is officially out and to celebrate we’re offering the chance to win a copy of the book. All you have to do is take a photo of yourself or a friend with your favorite mascot. The entries will be judged by ourselves (the authors Edward Harrison and John Harrison) based on the awesomeness and bizarreness of the mascot and how cool the pose of the individual is.

THE PRIZES:

1st Prize: A signed copy of the book with a goody bag including Kero-chan and Koro-chan finger puppets, a Satoko-chan mobile phone strap and two badge sets.
2nd prize: A signed copy of the book with a badge set.
3rd prize: A badge set of your choice.

HOW TO ENTER:

There are four different ways to enter. Please also let us know where the photo was taken when submitting your entry.
1. Email your photos to comp@idleidol.net.
2. Join the Idle Idol facebook group and add your photo.
3. Upload your photo to flickr, post it to the Idle Idol flickr group and tag it with “idleidol”.
4. Follow whatwhatjohn or whatwhated (and don’t forget to add MarkBattyPub while you’re at it!) on Twitter and include a link to your photo along with #idleidol in your tweet.

We look forward to seeing your photos! Winners will be announced on the July 22nd and the winning entries will be displayed on the IDLE IDOL and Mark Batty Publisher website!

Even before announcing Black Comix: African American Independent Art & Culture next week, we’re already getting a bit of buzz surrounding this monumental book!

Black Comix made its way into the limelight with a panel at Chicago’s comic convention, C2E2, and grabbed the attention of Publishers Weekly, which just today posted its article after interviewing the two authors, Damian Duffy and John Jennings.

Read the Publishers Weekly Article here, and check out another fantastic piece on the book at ComicsAlliance, also posted today!