Danny Fingeroth: Writing Comic Books & Graphic Novels

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to write comics from a guy that actually writes comics professionally and whose credits include “Spider-Man Editor,” then there’s a workshop just for you.

My pal Danny Fingeroth (who’s the VP of Education at the Museum of Comic And Cartoon Art - aka MoCCA - in NY) is starting up a new session of his 6-part interactive online workshop called  Writing Comics And Graphic Novels. The once-a-week course will start on November 5th and run ‘til December 17th for two hours each session.

The great thing about an online course is that you can take it from anywhere in the world as long as you pay attention to the time zone!

From start to finish, Danny will teach you “how to develop your story from initial idea to finished script. Story and character development are covered, as well as script creation. Other topics will include finding the right artist to draw your story and navigating the ever-changing state of the world of comics publishing.”

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MoCCA: How To Draw Comics The Jamal Igle Way!

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics,

If you wanted to draw comics for a living (or just learn to draw better), you should try to find a comic art course with an excellent instructor to give you tips not just on drawing but on the business. Oh, wait, I found that for you.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) at The Society of Illustrators in New York City has announced a new program, coordinated by my pal Danny Fingeroth. It’s called “Penciling for Comics, Intermediate Level” and the instructor is a great artist: Jamal Igle.

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How To Write Comics The Fingeroth Way!

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,

Hey, while you’re sitting on your butt Wednesday nights playing on the computer, you could be learning how to write comic books.

My good friend, Danny Fingeroth, is opening up his brain again and letting all the how-to out with his 5-part online course called Writing Comics And Graphic Novels. As a former Marvel editor - and one I hold in high regard - and comic book writer - ditto - it doesn’t get much better than this in the learning department. He's now the Sr. VP of Education at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York.

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Gahan Wilson Teaches Cartooning

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

One of my favorite cartoonists is Charles Addams. From the time I first saw his cartoons, I loved them. And then I saw Gahan Wilson.

He had such a unique style and a bizarre Addams-like sense of humor, but he went off into different areas - childhood, zombies, science fiction. He was a little grosser, a little weirder, and his style of drawing was not slickly mainstream.

He was a breath of fresh air.

Wilson has lived the charmed life of a cartoonist that you don’t hear about much anymore. He had a regular strip, Nuts (a kind of anti-Peanuts) in National Lampoon (the earlier, funny Lampoon), nearly 50 years’ worth of cartoons in The New Yorker and Playboy, wrote novels, had a syndicated newspaper strip called Gahan Wilson’s Sunday Funnies, book collections and a whole lot more.

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Weekend Reading: Maberry, Wes Craven, Tamara Drewe and Dave Dorman

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: DVD, Editorials, Marvel Comics,

Everyone who’s anyone in the indie comics scene is currently at MoCCA Fest 2011 in New York. But me? I’m just linking to stuff.

Write: Comic book retailer and blogger Mike Sterling is part of a group that runs Fake AP Stylebook. They’ve got a book out, Write More Good, and for those of us who love to laugh, it’s a must-have. Back away from the DC and Marvel relaunches and put your money to a better use. Here's a taste from the book: "While it's tempting to call them baristi because of the Italian roots, the plural of barista is journalism majors."

It even got a nice review in The New Yorker. “Write More Good, like the account from which it grew, is a tongue-in-cheek takedown of an industry already on shaky ground.”

Maberry: Marvel Comics writer Jonathan Maberry is also a novelist. SF Signal breaks down his latest Joe Ledger novel and gives it thumbs up. “Great conspiracy thinking with large events; misdirection; interesting, complex criminals who don't like each other; a great dog and destruction of one of Maberry's favorite writing places!”

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Weekend Reading: Dwayne McDuffie, Bill Crouch and Wulf The Barbarian

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Interviews, Movies, Reviews, IDW Publishing,

So, so sorry to hear that Dwayne McDuffie passed away earlier this week. I hate it when a good guy and a terrific writer goes too soon - from his work at Milestone Media, to his animation writing on Ben 10 and other series, it felt like he had a lot more to say that I wanted to read and see.

Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool had a nice reminiscence of his interactions with Dwayne.

And Heidi MacDonald at Comics Beat also weighed in with some very nice thoughts.

Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter has a round-up of various links to posts about Dwayne. Condolences to his family and his many, many friends on their loss.

Also sad to hear that comics historian Bill Crouch has passed away.

CG: Animation historian Michael Barrier does not like computer animation a technique “creating mechanical, manipulative series of films that don't capture the magic of the yesteryear.”

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Irwin Hasen: A New York Story

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, DC Comics,

Artist Irwin Hasen was the co-creator (with writer Gus Edson) of the long-running comic strip Dondi, the poor little orphan boy who never aged in his 30+ year run (1955-1986).

But Hasen’s career goes back to 1940 when he started in comic books, drawing for Harry "A" Chesler’s shop. His later work includes Green Lantern, Justice Society and Johnny Thunder for DC and he’s credited with creating one of my favorite old-school DC characters, Wildcat.

Now he’s the subject of a new documentary: Irwin: A New York Story that’s debuting as part of FilmColumbia in up in Columbia County (about two hours north of NYC) this weekend, October 24 at 1 pm at the Morris Memorial Theater.

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MoCCA: Paul Levitz, Stephen DeStefano, Robert Sikoryak

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Television, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

Is The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art the smartest kid in class? Their fall education programs make me want to hit Hotwire for a cheap flight to NYC and spend a few months with a laptop and some pencils.

My old friend Danny Fingeroth, the Senior VP of Education for MoCCA, gets a tip of my cap for putting together an excellent slate of programs.

Here’s a peek at the list:

Robert Sikoryak and Kriota Willberg are teaching “Anatomy For Cartoonists Workshop” (4 sessions). “This course will teach students how to create real or imaginary characters — in any style — that are consistent and believable.” Bonus: “nude models will be employed.” Nude models should never be unemployed, even in a recession.

Sikoryak is the author of the recently released Masterpiece Comics and his work appears frequently on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Kriota Willberg teaches anatomy for cartoonists and illustrators at The Center For Cartoon Studies.

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Al Jaffee’s MAD Life

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews,

“Is this a follow-up post about Al Jaffee?”
“No, it’s my grocery list. The internet will publish anything.”

In an earlier post about MAD Magazine‘s Al Jaffee, I reprinted a biographical piece he’d written in the early 1960s.

Jaffee wrote that he spent 6 years in Lithuania as a child with his Mom. His Dad stayed in the US but dutifully mailed Al’s beloved comic strips to him overseas. The story sounded like a fascinating morsel and I wanted to know more. And there is more. A lot more and it reads like a page-turning thriller.

Danny Fingeroth, the Senior VP of Education at MoCCA, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York, sent me a note about the post and told me about Al’s upcoming biography, Al Jaffee’s MAD Life. The book, written by Mary Lou Weisman, “covers the story of his chilling six years in Lithuania with his mother (as well as the rest of his life and career, of course),” says Fingeroth. And what a life that was (and still is, fortunately).

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Al Jaffee: Tall Tales, MAD Magazine & Mocca

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

“Is this a blog post about Al Jaffee?”
“No, it’s about Harvey Kurtzman. I just can’t spell.”

Al Jaffee, the creator of the classic Fold-In for MAD Magazine, as well as “Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions,” has a style that’s all his own. Goofy, buoyant and bouncy, you can enjoy his work even before you get to the gag.

From 1957-1963, he had a syndicated comic strip called Tall Tales that’s one of those classic strips that’s recently been rediscovered and thank goodness for that. Jaffee, a Reuben Award winner, is also getting his own exhibit at Mocca, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, in New York City. Titled “Is This The Al Jaffee Art Exhibit?” the show will debut later this fall.

Continuing my series on cartooning and cartoonists, Jaffee wrote about himself and his work back in 1964. This is pulled from an oversized saddle-stitched magazine from Allied Publications with the creatively-challenged title These Top Cartoonists Tell How They Create America’s Favorite Comics. It featured an introduction by Beetle Bailey’s Mort Walker and was compiled by Allen Willette.

Here’s Al on Jaffee and Tall Tales:

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