The Artist's Experience: From Brotherman to Batman

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Here are installation photos of outstanding work by Black artists on view at the Society of Illustrators (NY) in their 3rd-floor gallery from June 15 to October 29, 2022, co-curated by Karama Horne and Shawn Martinbrough. Included in the exhibition are drawings from Martinbrough, Dawud Anyabwile (co-founder of Brotherman Comics), Denys Cowan (co-founder of Milestone Media), Afua Richardson (Black Panther World of Wakanda, HBO’s Lovecraft Country), Alitha Martinez (Batgirl, World of Wakanda), John Jennings (Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower), Robyn Smith (Nubia: Real One), Larry Stroman (Alien Legion, X-Factor), Darryl Banks (Green Lantern), Ronald Wimberly (founder of THE LAAB), Khary Randolph, Jamal Igle, Micheline Hess, Sanford Greene (Bitter Root), Eric Battle, Marcus Williams, Chuck Collins, and Damion Scott. These photos were taken by me on October 11 and sorted in the order they are seen in the gallery.

Tangentially related, here are a few photos of the Afrofuturist installation at the Met designed by Archibong.

Side Effects: Patrick McDonnell

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Side Effects featured large paintings by cartoonist Patrick McDonnell created between 2016 and 2021. This exhibition was presented at the Urban Arts Space Gallery in downtown Columbus, OH as a part of CXC Columbus at The Ohio State University, August 10- October 3, 2021. These photos are from a gallery walk-through led by McDonnell. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum and Library produced a comic book-sized catalog with pictures of each piece, a short introduction by McDonnell (repeats the introductory wall text), and a one-page essay by Masters of American Comics curator John Carlin. Also included were pages of original art from the collection of the BICML showing McDonnell’s creative influences and a reading area. These photos represent about half the work in the show.

SDCC Willy Mendes Panel

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Spotlight on Willy Mendes; Sat. July 23, 2-3 PM, rm. 4: Moderator Brian Doherty, author of Dirty Pictures (Abrams), will lead Mystic Comix artist Willy Mendes to expound on her intricate work from the Underground Comix era, (Gothic Blimp Works, It Ain’t Me Babe, All Girl Thrills, Illuminations, etc) and very recent return to the field with the Queen of Cosmos Comix series from Red 5 Comics; with Trina Robbins, famed artist, (Legend of Wonder Woman) editor, (It Ain’t Me Babe, Complete Wimmen’s Comix) author and historian (numerous books!), Kim Munson, author of Comic Art in Museums and curator (Women in Comics), and Joshua Starnes, Publisher of Red 5 Comics, and comics writer (The Box).

Hear audio of this panel (and many others) on the Jamie Coville Experience.

2022 Eisner Hall of Fame Nominees

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Post-Eisner Update: I was very happy with the nominees and winners, especially the Hall of Fame. I was thrilled when I heard Denis Kitchen announce the induction of pioneering women Marie Duval, Rose O’Neill, and Moto Hagio. I’m pretty sure Michael Dooley took this photo of the Judge’s Table right when Moto Hagio’s name was announced. Full results on The Beat.

Hall of Fame Announcement:

Comic-Con International (Comic-Con) has selected six individuals to automatically be inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2022. These inductees include:

  • EC founder/publisher Max Gaines (who devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newsprint comic in 1933)

  • Writer Mark Gruenwald (legendary Marvel Comics editor)

  • British illustrator Marie Duval (co-creator in 1867 of the British cartoon character “Alley Sloper,” considered the first recurring cartoon character)

  • Cartoonist Rose O’Neill (creator of The Kewpies in 1912)

  • Filipino American artist Alex Niño (DC, Marvel, Warren, Heavy Metal etc.)

  • Artist P. Craig Russell (best known for Elric, his adaptations of opera to graphic novels, and his collaborations with Neil Gaiman, including on The Sandman, Coraline, American Gods, and Norse Mythology).

The judges have also chosen 17 nominees from whom voters will select 4 to be inducted in the Hall of Fame this summer. These nominees are Howard Chaykin, Gerry Conway, Kevin Eastman, Steve Englehart, Moto Hagio, Larry Hama, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, David Mazzucchelli, Jean-Claude Mézières, Grant Morrison, Gaspar Saladino, Jim Shooter, Garry Trudeau, Ron Turner, George Tuska, Mark Waid, and Cat Yronwode.

The 2022 Eisner Awards judging panel consists of comics writer/editor Barbara Randall Kesel, author/art historian Kim Munson, writer/editor/journalist Rik Offenberger, librarian Jameson Rohrer, comics journalist/historian Jessica Tseang, and retailer Aaron Trites.

More information on the nominees and voting procedures can be found on the Eisner Awards website, with bios of the nominees and inductees here.