August '09 Archives

August 12, 2009
Conversational Comics Concludes on August 15 Conversational Comics, the three-panel speaker series sponsored by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, concludes at host venue Union Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Saturday, August 15 at 2:00 pm. Austin English (Windy Corner, Christina and Charles), Lisa Hanawalt (Stay Away From Other People, I Want You) and Dash Shaw (Bottomless Belly Button, Bodyworld) will talk with comics critic Bill Kartalopoulos (Parsons, Print Magazine) about the relationship between image-making and drawing for comics. How do pictures work differently in comics than they do on gallery walls? Then stick around to get a book signed, hit the taco truck, and sip a summer drink with the featured cartoonists. This is the concluding event in a three panel series of live conversations with contemporary cartoonists. Do not miss this final opportunity to listen to and mingle with artists currently changing the face of comics! All events take place at 2:00 pm in the back room at Union Pool. Union Pool is located at 484 Union Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211, one block from the Lorimer-Metropolitan G and L stop. Suggested donation for each event is $5. All proceeds go to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Audio of the first installment in the series, Autobiography: My Life in Comics with David Heatley, Lauren Weinstein, and Julia Wertz is available here….

August 11, 2009
CALLING ALL SCI-FI COMEDY LOVERS! Meet Cole: hapless space rogue, part-time smuggler, on a path to being full-time dead. His sidekick just stole his girlfriend. The galaxy’s most hideous and feared bounty hunter wants to lay eggs in his brain. And the luxury space yacht Cole just hijacked turns out of be filled with interstellar do-gooders, one especially loathsome stowaway, and a cargo of freeze-dried orphans. Enter Michael Rubens’ hilarious world of YRNAMEER (short for Your - Name - Here). In the spirit of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, The Sheriff of Yrnameer is sci-fi comedy at its best—mordant, raucously funny, and a thrilling page-turner. Even Stephen Colbert is already a fan: “Finally, a science-fiction book your grandmother will love­, if she’s a lustful, violent lady.” And here’s the best part: Email the word YRNAMEER, along with your mailing address to pantheon@randomhouse.com and you will automatically enter yourself into a drawing to win a free copy of the book! There will be 3 lucky winners selected at random. Please note: U.S. mailing addresses only. Be sure to stop by the SHERIFF OF YRNAMEER launch party at BookCourt, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11 at 7pm (at 163 Court Street in Brooklyn). For more info, click here. Visit Michael Rubens’ website here. And buy a copy of the book here. Praise for THE SHERIFF OF YRNAMEER: “A rocket-fast, knee-slapping narrative… . Lighthearted [and] adventure-filled… . Cole’s ludicrous exploits keep the laughs coming.” —Publishers Weekly “Rubens hits the jackpot with a zanily humorous parody of sf adventure, with tributes to space-opera and Western classics along the way… . Recalling the volatile and irreverent humor of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, this madcap journey through space will appeal to Pratchett’s readers and fans of such sf film parodies as Galaxy Quest and Space Balls.” —Library Journal “Broadly amusing.” —Kirkus Reviews “A tremendously fun and surprisingly touching read.” -Alison Laubach, BookPeople “Really, really funny.” -BJ Bloebaum, Powells “An enjoyable sci-fi/comedy/pastiche/parody/adventure…a fun, fast-paced flight through regions of space where men have gone before, most notably Douglas Adams; however, unlike others who owe Adams their lifeblood, Rubens is genuinely funny—I especially enjoyed the universe’s stupidest computer (he likes pebbles!). There are even moments of actual character development amongst the wackiness, and—points again—Rubens gives his female characters more to do than Adams ever did. This book won’t change your life, but it might brighten it…

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