Raise a glass to Bill!

By Meredith Deliso

From our pages to a DUMBO gallery.

Bill Roundy, who created the innovative bar review comic, Bar Scrawl, is the star of “Information Economy,” a new exhibit opening this Saturday at the DUMBO Arts Center.

The show is about the variety of ways that artists manage information. Roundy construes the term broadly.

“My comic strips convey journalistic information in visual form,” said Roundy, who’s one of 20 featured artists in the exhibit. “The information that I’m conveying isn’t as personal as some of the other artists, but I often think in panels and word balloons, so it’s an accurate picture of how I think about the world.”

To Brooklyn Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman, who discovered Roundy, the artist’s ascension to the heights of the art world is a cherry on top.

“Other newspapers have cartoons or editorial cartoons, but we have the first and only ‘editorial nightlife cartoon,’ ” said Kuntzman. “Bill Roundy is Herblock, Bukowski and Twain all mixed into one genius.”

“Information Economy” at DUMBO Arts Center [111 Front St. between Washington and Adams streets in DUMBO, (718) 694-0831], Jan. 22-March 6. For info, visit www.dumboartscenter.org.

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Very graphic

By Thomas Tracy

Independent comic book doodlers will rub elbows with fine artists from matchless metropolitan magazines on Dec. 4 as the second annual Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival touches down in Williamsburg.

Get a load of this lineup: New Yorker Art Editor Francoise Mouly; Lynda Barry ("pictured" at left in a self portrait), long considered the queen of non-mainstream cartoonists thanks to her 20-year run writing and illustrating “Ernie Pook’s Comeek”; comic book legend Irwin Hasen, who began his career drawing “The Green Lantern” in the 1940s; and Charles Burns, author of the acclaimed graphic novel “Black Hole.”

There will also be symposiums and exhibits, organizer Gabriel Fowler explained.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Fowler said from Desert Island, his independent comic headquarters on Metropolitan Avenue. “Last year’s festival was a sleeper hit that gave us the power to draw more astounding artists to this year’s event.”

Much like the current comic book scene, Fowler’s festival will be a pot luck dinner of talent: Guests and exhibitors represent all shades of the illustrated storytelling spectrum. Experts in printmaking, silk screening and album cover art will also be in attendance, Fowler said.  

“In one sense, the festival has a narrow focus, but we’re going to have people from throughout the art world,” Fowler assures us. “Most people think that festivals like this are for comic book nerds, but this is not a nerd only event. It’s for the artists.”

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church [275 N. Eighth St. between Havemeyer Street and Union Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 388-5087], Dec. 4, noon-8 pm. Admission is free. For info, visit www.comicsandgraphicsfest.com.

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This King Con lives up to its name

By Thomas Tracy

Call it King Con: The Revenge.

The plucky independent comic, animation and illustration convention that playfully thumbs its nose at those Hollywood-heavy superhero trade shows in San Diego and Manhattan is back and bigger than ever starting today. 

But take note: All you guys who like going to conventions dressed up as Star Wars stormtroopers — go patrol somewhere else.

That said, Fourth Avenue’s beloved Brooklyn Lyceum between Union and President streets will be transformed into a multi-paneled Mecca for comic book artists and writers, graphic novelists and the fans who love them, explained Regan Jaye Fishman, the convention’s self-titled “humble directrix” and driving force behind the four fanboy-filled days of panel discussions, kids events and comic networking.

“Brooklyn has so many amazingly talented authors and artists, but all year long they’re flying to places like San Diego for these huge cons, only to be lost in pools of super megastars and people dressed as Jedi Knights,” Fishman said. “Our guests have made something they love and believe in and we wanted to create a place where people can come and actually see what’s so amazing about their work.”

So you won’t hear Robert Downey Jr. talk about “Iron Man 3,” but you will get a chance to chat up Marvel comic book legend Chris Claremont, the Park Slope resident responsible for making the X-Men the iconic mutant misfits everyone adores.

Dean Haspiel

Nearly all of the artists coming to the showcase are either born or based in the borough, including author Jonathan Ames, who put last year’s King Con on the map when he brought his “Bored to Death” entourage to promote his HBO series. This time around, he’ll be with Dean Haspiel (at right) — Ames’s living, breathing inspiration for Ray Heuston, the neurotic “Bored to Death” comic book artist played by Zach Galifianakis.

And if drinking and comics are your thing, line up to meet Bill Roundy, whose bi-weekly “Bar Scrawl” cartoon in The Brooklyn Paper have redefined the pub review.

But Roundy’s inspiration doesn’t solely come from Brooklyn’s many tap rooms and whisky bars. He’s also put together a “Monstrous Manual,” a cartoonish homage to TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons “Monster Manual,” and has a series a gay romance comics — all of which will be found at the convention.

“[King Con] draws people from all different aspects of the comic book world and they all live right here in Brooklyn,” Roundy said. “It’s an interesting mix.”

King Con II at the Brooklyn Lyceum [227 Fourth Ave. between President and Union streets in Park Slope, (718) 857-4816], Nov. 4-5, 5 pm; and Nov. 6-7, 11 am–7 pm. Adults $7 a day ($10 for the weekend). For information, visit www.kingconbrooklyn.com.

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Drawn together

 By Meredith Deliso

Julia Wertz and Martin Lemelman don’t have much in common. She’s a petite twentysomething from San Francisco who came of age in the culture of overshare and is quick with a fart joke. He’s a father of four who grew up in Brooklyn during the 1950s and ’60s and is a retired professor who illustrates children’s books.

One thing that does unite them is the graphic memoir — though each approaches the artform differently.

In “Drinking at the Movies,” Wertz chronicles her move from San Francisco to Brooklyn and the ups and downs — mostly downs — that follow.

“I didn’t think anyone would want to do a book that was ‘Young girl moves to New York and everything is crazy.’ It’s the most overdone topic in movies and literature, just embarrassingly common,” said Wertz, who was inspired by the very first comic book she read: Julie Doucet’s “My New York Diary.” 

The move was great fodder, though, for her often absurd yet thoughtful strips, as Wertz gets fired from one miserable job to the next (seven), goes from one crappy apartment to the next (four), finally settling in Greenpoint, and through it all drinks lots of whiskey (too many bottles to count). 

In “Two Cents Plain,” Lemelman tells of a completely different coming of age — growing up in 1960s Brownsville as the son of Holocaust survivors and living in the back of a candy store.

“It became a book not only of my memories and my parent’s memories, but the life of the neighborhood,” said Lemelman, who incorporated memorabilia from his parent’s shop, from family photos to scanned artifacts, in addition to his pencil sketches. “It’s wonderful working within the graphic memoir form because you can do so much with it.”

Tonight, both comics will discuss graphic memoirs at Word in Greenpoint.

“Writing about New York seems to lend itself to poetic frivolities of humiliating proportions,” writes Wertz in her introduction to “Drinking at the Movies,” “which is why it’s probably better to just back away and let the comics speak for me.”

Martin Lemelman and Julia Wertz at Word [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096], Oct. 12 at 7:30 pm. Free. RSVP suggested. For more info on the artists, visit www.fartparty.org and www.twocentsplain.com.

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They're building their own 'City of Walls'

By Chuck O'Donnell

In “City of Walls,” art really does imitate life.

There are no robots, superheroes or even an obligatory vampire in the graphic novel series, just three ordinary kids — Daniel, Jin and Ariana — with uncommon fortitude coping with extraordinary circumstances.

The characters and setting — the shut-off urban jungle called Kowloon — are brought to life by Bay Ridge’s Shaun Noel and Park Slope’s Abede Lovelace. Some of the gritty renderings of desolate rooftops and creaky fire escapes could be mistaken for snapshots of Brooklyn, but Lovelace says the borough plays a more subtle role.

“The neighborhood politics, the close quarters, the clash of different types of people, the class warfare, race — these things are particularly acute in Brooklyn especially right now and especially in my neighborhood,” says the 30-year-old artist. “It’s great food [for thought], and I definitely draw on it.”

Daniel, Jin and Ariana’s struggle for a better life somewhat mirrors Noel and Lovelace’s plight as comic book creators.

There are priceless moments when strangers approach them at comic book conventions and rave about “City of Walls” and how they’re excited for issue No. 4, which will be unveiled at New York Comic Con, from Oct. 8-10 at the Javits Center. Or when original artwork from “City of Walls” was selected for the School of Visual Arts’ show called “Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel” at the Visual Arts Gallery, running from Oct. 8-Nov. 6.

Other times can be “spirit sucking,” said Lovelace, like when the pair didn’t receive a single order through a catalogue that was sent to thousands of vendors.

And then at the last New York Comic Con, Lovelace and Noel arrived bleary-eyed but relieved after staying up for two days and learning two computer programs in one night to get their book to the printer on time. On the ensuing roller coaster, they got word that the printer broke down and were ready to accept defeat when, at the last minute, all was fixed and their books printed.

Making time to dream up the continuing adventures of Daniel, Jin and Ariana is hard, too. Life intercedes. Loved ones come first. Bills must be paid.

So it might only be 20 minutes this day or an hour a few weeks later, but somehow they manage to return to “City of Walls.”

“The reason I stay up hours on end to get this book lettered, trek to convention after convention, spend money which you know you will not get an even return can be summed up in one of my favorite quotes from Toni Morrison: ‘If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,’ ” said Noel.

Find “City of Walls” at Bulletproof Comics [2178 Nostrand Ave. near Avenue H in Flatbush, (718) 434-1800] and St. Marks Comics [148 Montague St. between Henry and Clinton streets in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 935-0911]. For info, visit www.cityofwalls.com.

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Meet the Godfather of Brooklyn's comic book scene

It's been a busy month for Dean Haspiel. First, he released a new graphic memoir, "Cuba: My Revolution," a collaboration with the artist Inverna Lockpez. Then, a new show at Kentler International Drawing Space in Red Hook opens on the new graphic novel this Friday. And he finished up his six-part web series, "Street Code," from his studio in Gowanus.

Thanks to his part in that space - dubbed Deep6 Studios, Haspiel has put himself in the center of the Brooklyn comic book scene. We sat down with the acclaimed artist in his studio to catch up with his work, and find out in his own words what he thinks of this scene and his place in it.

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KA-POW! The best comic book stores in Brooklyn

By Stephen Brown, Andy Campbell and Ben Kochman

Last week, Brooklyn fanboys lost one of their stomping grounds, when Rocketship closed up shop after five years in Cobble Hill.

Luckily for fans of Hulk action figures, Manga and indie graphic novels, the Smith Street store wasn’t the only game in town.

“I think the [Brooklyn scene] is really specialized — where we don’t have a lot of walk-ins we have a lot of regulars,” said Matthew Acevedo, worker at Galaxy Comics on Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge. “When movies come out based on a comic, that’s usually when people start rolling in.”

Here, a list of the best Brooklyn has to offer, for the avid collector to the casual reader.

Bergen Street Comics

This stylish store opened last year, but has already established a welcoming, artsy environment that is distinct from many other shops in the borough. From the outset, owner Tom Adams wanted to focus on graphic novels — collections of comics that are most appealing to first-time readers. Adams also wanted a no-frills approach that shunned all the merchandise, action figures, DVDs and other junk that distracts from quality storytelling.

“We focus solely on comics,” Adams said. “We want the space to be inviting to people, so they can come in and spend some time.”

The owner added that many of his customers have an interest in indie comics — especially by local creators — but that doesn’t mean he neglects the superhero tales.

Bergen Street Comics [470 Bergen St. between Flatbush and Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 230-5600].

Galaxy Comics

With locations in both Park Slope and Bay Ridge, Galaxy Comics offers a bit of everything — from statues, trading cards and T-shirts to a respectable collection of back-stock should you be on the hunt for that one missing issue of Action Comics.

Park Slope co-owner Mohammed Nashir said his store focuses on the five major comic publishing houses, though he also orders indie titles that locals tend to favor.

His most popular seller as of late has been the latest universe-shattering crossover in DC Comics — a story that he is happy to share with any newcomer who rolls into his store, which has been open for 11 years.

In Bay Ridge, comic-gone-movie titles like “Scott Pilgrim” are flying off the shelves — and of course, both shops take orders.

“A lot of people walk in and the comics bring back memories,” Nashir said. “That’s how we jump into a conversation, and sometimes people get completely back into comics.”

Galaxy Comics [429 Fifth Ave. between Eighth and Ninth streets in Park Slope, (718) 499-3222 and 6823 Fifth Ave. near 68th Street in Bay Ridge, (718) 921-1236].

Desert Island

This shop in Williamsburg is tiny — but where it lacks in volume, it makes up for in quality and rarity.

Owner Gabriel Fowler moved around the country working on his indie comic expertise before he moved to Brooklyn and opened the shop four years ago — it’s small, but packed with the fare of a seasoned fanboy.

The stock focuses heavily on illustration and graphic novels, and plenty of zines and comics on the rac

ks are from Brooklyn authors and artists. The titles range from the classics like “The Walking Dead” to more obscure (and local) titles like the shop’s own “Smoke Signals,” an open submission newspaper dedicated to local comics.

Desert Island [540 Metropolitan Ave. near Union Street in Williamsburg, (718) 388-5087].

Bulletproof Comix

Owner Hank Kwon opened his store near Brooklyn College 18 years ago, and the laid-back rapport he has with his customers proves it. People of all ages walk into Bulletproof to get their comics, video games, and manga fix — and Kwon knows a lot of them by name.

Bulletproof features an extensive backstock, but don’t expect to do a lot of perusing while you’re there: even new releases are bagged up. But Bulletproof’s extensive manga collection — perhaps the best in Brooklyn — makes it worth a visit.

“We’re known for manga,” said Kwon. “We were one of the first to bring it over to Brooklyn.”

Bulletproof Comix [2178 Nostrand Ave. between Avenue H and Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush, (718) 434-1800].

Pinocchio Discounts

The name is no lie — Pinocchio Discounts brings the old-school entertainment for bargain prices. The store’s extensive collection makes it a real pleasure for anyone familiar with comics over the years — especially since the cover price hasn’t changed that much.

“We’ve been here for 30 years, but we have comics dating back to the ’60s,” owner Bella Gaba said. “And everything goes for one or two dollars.”

Pinocchio doesn’t have many expensive, coveted comics. Instead, the collection is, as Gaba says, “a bunch of average comics from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s.”

Maybe average to Gaba — but pure gold to any kid looking for a good superhero story.

Pinocchio Discounts [1814 McDonald Ave. between Avenue P and Quentin Road in Midwood, (718) 645-2573].

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'Greendale' goes graphic

Neil Young's 2003 album "Greendale" has spawned a film, art book, and stage show. Now, it's a comic.

Working with writer Joshua Dysart and Brooklyn-based illustrator Cliff Chiang, the legendary songwriter, a Brooklynite himself, has crafted a comic book about Sun Greene, the great-granddaughter of Jay Green, who founded the fictional California town of Greendale.

The mythical story delves into themes of nature and war, with Chiang, who Young specifically wanted for the project, crafting the whimsical pages, which one reviews says makes this new book "quite unlike anything else to hit the racks in recent memory" (in a good way).

Chiang tells Wired he thought of the project as a "cover song," thanks to the freedom employed. The rocker even shows up in the comic, as the face a young Jed, as well as a bandit who soon morphs into a demonic being and terrorizes the town.

Hear Chiang discuss the project when he appears at Rocketship comics [208 Smith St. between Baltic and Butler streets in Cobble Hill, (718) 797-1348] this Friday at 8 pm.

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Comics festival coming

By Aaron Short

Zoinks!

The first-ever Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival is coming to Williamsburg, and its founders have no idea what to expect.

“I expect it to be extremely crowded, that’s because it’s free,” said Gabriel Fowler, owner of Desert Island Comics (540 Metropolitan Ave.) and founder of the festival. “Events like this are never free. We’re trying to reach out to non comics fans. It will be crowded with good people, and that’s what matters.”

Scores of comic book artists and authors are expected to set up exhibits and tables for eight hours on Saturday, December 5, at Our Lady of Consolation Church (184 Metropolitan Ave.), where over 50 exhibitors will be featuring their work for sale and display.

Secret Project Robot (210 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg) will also host guest panels and discussions on topics including animation, live comics drawing, a conversation between Gary Panter and Peter Saul, with a special performance by Death By Audio at 49 South 2nd Street. This is in addition to guest appearances by Ben Katchor, Dash Shaw, and Charles Burns, who designed the official flyer for the festival.

“(Charles Burns) was my absolute number one dream person to do this,” said Fowler. “I’ve never even met him. I can’t believe he said yes, it was a total score. Once he did this, people lined up to participate.”

Surprises will abound throughout the day, including an appearance by TV On the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, who will not be singing but signing a new comic book he wrote and is self-publishing.

The festival has been six months in the making and represents a culmination of Fowler’s work at Desert Island Comics, a graphics oasis in the middle of Williamsburg. The store has been open for a little under two years, but Fowler believes that interest from local residents and comic fans in the art form has grown to the point that a festival has become inevitable.

“It crystallizes a movement. Being in a room with all these people activates a scene and gets people talking with each other. Hopefully every single one of these people makes a new thing,” said Fowler.

Indeed, when he put feelers out through the community, he had several times as many applicants to be exhibitors and was forced to whittle down the number to make for a stronger curated event.

“The festival could be easily three times as big, and still be rock solid in terms of quality,” said Fowler. “We could do it next year and have it be in a bigger venue.”

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival will occur December 5 at Our Lady of Consolation Church at 184 Metropolitan Ave, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Discussions will begin at Secret Project Robot, 210 Kent Ave,, at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

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Mighty King Con comes to Brooklyn

By Joe Maniscalco

Captain America is dead. Batman too. And the traditional axiom of “truth, justice and the American way” has never been more amorphous in the world of comic books than it is right now.

“Comic book readers are super-literate and they are treating comic characters as multi-dimensional as they are,” Regan Jaye Fishman says. “You can’t sell super-duper white bread morality anymore.”

Fishman is one of the chief organizers of “King Con” - the two-day comic and animation convention set to invade the Brooklyn Lyceum November 7 and 8.

The event will feature some of the borough’s most high-powered comic book writers and artists, as well as a plethora of vendors, exhibitors, panelists - and, yes even aerialists.

The Lyceum, located at 227 Fourth Avenue in lower Park Slope, is that big -- The Dresden Dolls, Yo La Tengo and Fiona Apple have all played here.

“Brooklyn has been yearning for this for such a long time,” Fishman says. “Brooklyn has so much independent comic book talent based here - it seems really silly not to tap into that.”

Dean Haspiel, founding member of Gowanus’ DeepSix Studios and creator of the webcomix collective known as ACT-I-VATE, will be among the King Con’s long list of comic book literati on hand to discuss the state of superheroes and lots more.

“Wether it’s an alien from another world or a kid bitten by a radioactive spider, the duality of living through the day being extraordinary will always be an interesting story to tell,” Haspial says. While Spidey and the rest of the gang are still immensely popular, Fishman points out that mature comic book readers dealing with the realities of today’s world can no longer indulge in the fantasy of “one good guy who’s going to make everything okay.”

“We’ve moved far away from the standard superhero,” Fishman says. Today’s comic book heros are likely to be just as troubled as you are - maybe even more so.

Think Harvey Pekar of “American Splendor” fame. Haspiel calls “Billy Dogma” - one of his most popular creations - “the last romantic anti-hero” confronting the id, ego and high romance.

“It’s more honest for a superhero to lose than to win,” Haspiel says. “When Barrack Obama became president he was not the solution. He was handed the bag with the idea that he’s looking back at us to help make changes. It’s not the one person - it’s the many.”

The King Con is expected to be so big that organizers are talking about holding off-site programming up and down 4th Avenue where the Brooklyn Lyceum is located. Along with Haspiel, other Brooklyn comic book creators expected to attend the King Con include Brian Wood, Molly Crabapple, Matt Manning, Bob Greenberger and the aforementioned Harvey Pekar with his Pekar Project.

“The lack of a Brooklyn based comic convention always surprised me,” writer, artist, and convention co-organizer Mike Zagari says. “Now with King Con Brooklyn’s flourishing and emerging writers and artists finally have an event to call their own.”

The King Con grew out of the ‘09 Zine Fest held at the Lyceum earlier this year.“I had no idea when I presented the idea how overwhelming the response was going to be,” Fishman says. “Indeed the response has been powerful, and the event promises to be a landmark event, not only in the history of the building but in Brooklyn as well.”

Lyceum owner Eric Richmond calls the King Con the “natural next step.” “The Zine Fest brought in so many comic artists and writers, it was clear they needed a showcase of their own and that the Brooklyn Lyceum was an ideal location.”

There might even be some capes in the crowd.

“We’ve still got out sacred cows - 50- to 75-year-old characters that still have the ideology of the uber-mench dressed up in spandex dealing with the drama of the world,” Haspiel says. “I do think it’s important to have that.”

The King Con runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both November 7 and 8. Single day tickets are $7. Weekend tickets are $10. Single day tickets for children under 12 are $5. Weekend tickets for kids are $7. The Brooklyn Lyceum can also be reached at 718-857-4816.

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Comic Con comes to Brooklyn

By Joe Maniscalco

Don’t be alarmed by the Imperial stormtroopers patrolling Borough Hall Plaza on September 13 - they’ll be packing Star Wars blasters, not Taser guns, and they’re friendly. Sort of. Just throw in a couple of “Hail, Lord Vaders” if you happen to bump into one of them.

Actually, there will be a lot more than costumed stormtroopers roaming around the Joralemon Street Plaza when the New York Comic Con sets up shop at the Fourth Annual Brooklyn Book Festival. This year, the often-maligned “funny books” of yore are finally being recognized as bona fide pieces of literature, and that’s cause for celebration.

“We are proud to bring an intense graphic lit and pop culture presence to such a great festival,” said Lance Fensterman, Vice President and Show Manager for New York Comic Con. “I am sure this will provide our customers with the opportunity to connect directly with lots of new fans. Plus, it’s all for free! This is a win-win in every respect.”

The New York Comic Con pavilion at Borough Hall will boast some 40 tables stacked with all sorts of comic books, collectibles, graphic novels, Manga and more. Special panels held throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will tackle hot industry topics like the history of comics, the ever-changing genre of graphic novels and the interesting intersection of hip-hop and anime.

All the action is taking place in advance of the full New York Comic Con taking place at the Javits Center October 8 through 10.

“It’s an awesome time [in the comic book world],” Fensterman said.

While comics and graphic novels, like all other forms of print media, are trying to find their way in the new digital age, comics remain largely a tactile source of limitless entertainment.

“We saw things tip a little with the Kindle,” Fensterman said. “But there’s no such device widely expected in comics.”

Comic book and graphic novel figures like Denny O’Neil, Phil Jimenez, Danny Fingeroff, and Alex Simmons are expected to be on hand at the Brooklyn Book Festival to discuss all the fascinating ramifications that the future holds for the medium. Fans will also get an opportunity to talk with science fiction and fantasy authors from Tor and Del Rey Books, among others.

There will also be tons of comic book paraphernalia and a cool costume contest - so those stormtroopers might not look that outlandish after all. Three years ago, Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel “American Born Chinese” became a finalist in the prestigious National Book Awards. A year later, “American Born Chinese” won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.

“The [negative stigma surrounding comics] is starting to diminish,” Fensterman said.

Go to www.brooklynbookfestival.org for more information about the New York Comic Con at the Brooklyn Book Festival.

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