guest post by Doctor Popular

Stan Heller combines photography with anaglyph art to create his illustrations and comics (Anaglyphs are sterographic images that use special glasses with red and cyan lenses to create the illusion of dept). In 3D, a retrospective of Stan’s art, opens this Saturday, November 14th at Mission Comics and Art in San Francisco and runs through December 17th. The show collects 5 years of his experiments with 3D including images from his most recent book “Not Quite Here”.

Stan was also one of the few brave souls who attempted to create a 24 page comic during the recent 24hr Comic Book Day challenge at Mission Comics last month. You can read his 3D comic from that challenge here. Stan also collaborated with me on a this anaglyph to promote my 24hr comic BOOF!, which was created at the same event.

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The latest Techno Tuesday comic explores the world Fine Art Photography.

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Jamie Tanner created a wonderful comic “The Squid” specifically for the funding platform Kickstarter to help promote his new graphic novel project.

via Drawn!

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Ryan Dunlavey has created a bunch of great comic strip/super hero/sci-fi mashups, including the wonderful “Fantastic Family Circus”.

via Super Punch

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photo via frosti

Holy hipster heros Batman, it’s the Robin Hoodie, made by frosti.

via technabob

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TashaMarie has posted photos of a M·A·C Cosmetics makeup artist turning a model into a real life comic book character for Halloween.

UPDATE: Several readers have suggested that the makeup might be a tribute to the comic book style paintings of Roy Lichtenstein.

via Geekologie

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The November 2nd issue of The New Yorker, “Unmasked” features a cover illustration and comic by Chris Ware showing what Halloween is like in the modern age.

via Coudal Partners

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Yahoo! is pulling the plug on GeoCities today with very little explaination why.

We have enjoyed hosting web sites created by Yahoo! users all over the world, and we’re proud of the community you’ve built.

However, we have decided to focus on helping our customers explore and build relationships online in other ways. Beginning on October 26, 2009, you will no longer be able to use GeoCities to maintain a free presence online — but we’re excited about the other services we have designed to help you connect with friends and family and share your activities and interests.

The xkcd website pays homage to Geocities as it leaves the internet.

Jason Scott and the Archive Team have created The GeoCities Project and are working non-stop trying to download GeoCities before it shuts down.

To give an idea of some of the valuable internet history being lost with the shutdown of GeoCities, Jason has created an exhibition “This Page Is Under Construction”, to showcase some of the wonderful “Under Construction” GIFs they have downloaded.

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photos by Scott Beale

I made a quick stop by APE 2009 today and shot a few photos while there.

Photo Gallery: APE 2009

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guest post by Josh Ellingson

Isotope Comics Lounge is a rarity even among the more experimental of comics shops because it offers something completely different and appealing. Proprietor James Sime (@jamessime) brings a nightlife atmosphere to mainstream comics. Isotope makes you feel that it’s not only cool to read superhero books, it’s downright sexy! It may be unlikely, but it really works, like the time Marvel dressed the Incredible Hulk in a suit and tie. The interior of Isotope seems to have been designed specifically for entertaining throngs of the geek elite. Sure, there are well-stocked shelves of comics and graphic novels of all type, but there’s also a dedicated bar built into the wall for late-night libations. And it’s padded! Folks, I’ve had the drinks, and they know how to party.

It’s a busy week for Isotope. On Wednesday they co-hosted an evening of cocktails and fashion at Bloomingdale’s. The Bloomingdales/DC Comics tie-in is part of DC’s 75th Anniversary and features a range of designer superhero merchandise. The event was co-sponsored by Details Magazine and Warner Bros. in promotion of writer James Robinson’s upcoming run on “Justice League of America”. Robinson was on hand to meet the public, snacks were served, and cartoon-colored martinis flowed freely. Here’s the photographic evidence:

More shots from my evening out at Bloomingdale’s can be found here in my Flickr set.

The party comes back to Isotope headquarters for the weekend, starting on Friday with an exhibition of art by Dean Haspiel. Saturday night marks the biggest event of the year for Isotope as they celebrate APE Aftermath, the unofficial after-party of the Alternative Press Expo. The event always packs the place, so if you’re shy of crowds, you might want to avoid the entire city block.

The highlight of APE Aftermath is the coveted Isotope Award for Excellence in Min-Comics. Last year’s winner of the Isotope Award of Excellence in Mini-Comics was Jonas Madden Conner for his Mini-Comic, “Ocre Ellipse 3″.

APE Aftermath @Isotope
Saturday, October 17th
8pm – 2am
Never a cover
21 and over after 11pm

You can visit Isotope Comics is in Hayes Valley. Suit and tie optional.
Tues- Fri 11am-7pm
Sat-Sun 11am-6pm

326 Fell St @Gough St.
San Francisco, CA
www.isotopecomics.com

photos by Josh Ellingson

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photos by Scott Beale

While hanging out at Mission: Comics & Art during 24 Hour Comic Book Day, I couldn’t help but notice that I was surrounded by several fantastic zombified versions of Marvel comics superheros drawn by Matt DeLight, including Captain America, Iron Man and Thor.

Here are non-zombie versions of Green Lantern and The Thing also drawn by Matt.

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photos by Scott Beale

Here are a few photos from 24 Hour Comic Book Day which took place at the wonderful new San Francisco comic book store Mission: Comics & Art.

Photo Gallery: 24 Hour Comic Book Day

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Comic-Con International presents APE 2009 (Alternative Press Expo), an independent publishing and comics conference that takes place October 17-18 at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. Here’s a list of APE exhibitors and full schedule, including special guests.

APE is one of the country’s largest gatherings of the best in indie comics, offering a venue for exhibitors ranging from self-publishers of minicomics to such large publishers as SLG Publishing, Fantagraphics, Drawn and Quarterly, Oni Press, Top Shelf, and many more. It offers a huge collection of some of the best indie and alternative comics material out there: graphic novels, ‘zines, art books, prints, original art, and comics of every size and shape. You can’t walk through the giant APE Exhibit Hall and not be inspired to either open your wallet and buy cool stuff or go home and hunker down and create some of your own. It’s that kind of show.

Here are a few photos I shot at APE 2008.

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San Francisco Cartoonist Conspiracy presents 24 Hour Comic Book Day, on October 3rd and 4th in San Francisco, hosted by Comic Outpost and Mission Comics.

24 Hour Comics Day is an event where cartoonists all over the world attempt to create their own 24 page comics in 24 consecutive hours.

UPDATE: Here are some photos from 24 Hour Comic Book Day in San Francisco.

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guest post by Josh Ellingson

Folks, the rumors are true. There’s a new gallery in San Francisco’s Mission District disguised as a comics shop. Mission: Comics and Art had their grand-opening party on Saturday night. And so, like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to the rock-and-roll sounds radiating from the corner of 20th and San Carlos.

It’s an understated and remarkably large space, offering plenty of room for the exhibited artwork and well-stocked selection of graphic novels. At the opening, all five members of Genevapop had ample room to rock while the crowd mingled and danced.

Mission: Comics and Art aspires to be a junction point for the worlds of fine art, comics, and popular culture. The artwork exhibited included new works from local artists like Audrey Welch, Betsy Lam, Chris Conroy, Matt Delight, Meredith Scheff-King, telephoneandsoup, and W.A.M. – Women’s Art Movement.

telephoneandsoup

Chris Conroy

Betsy Lam

There are more photos in my Flickr set.

photos by Josh Ellingson

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poster by Gahan Wilson

Small Press Expo (SPX) 2009, an independent cartoon and comic arts festival, takes place September 26 & 27 at the North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, MD. This year’s featured artist is Gahan Wilson.

SPX will bring together over 400 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, distributors, and each other. SPX will be open to the public September 26th from 11am Saturday, and run through 7pm that evening. The celebration continues Sunday from noon to 6pm. In addition, expect great programming all weekend long for you to enjoy!

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Steam Punk Avengers by Macedonian artist Mihajlo Dimitrovski

via Doctor Popular

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Adam Koford drew this wonderful illustration of Gooflactus in response to today’s news about Disney’s acquisition of Marvel.

UPDATE: Tim Shey points out that back in 1991 Marvel legend Jack Kirby created a drawing of Mickey Mouse for the book “The Art of Mickey Mouse”.

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SMITH Magazine recently launched The Pekar Project, a new weekly series of web comics featuring legendary underground comics writer Harvey Pekar, creator of the autobiographical series American Splendor. The first installment features Harvey having a phone conversation about art with Robert Crumb.

Harvey Pekar’s been mining the mundane for magic for more than 30 years in his autobiographical American Splendor comics. Now he has teamed with SMITH and four remarkable artists — Tara Seibel, Joseph Remnant, Rick Parker, and Sean Pryor — to create his first ongoing webcomic series. New stories appear every other week, with interviews, creator spotlights, and behind-the-scenes goodies.

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The Walt Disney Company has agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in cash and stock. Here are the press releases from Disney and Marvel. ‘Nuff said.

Disney should keep in mind “with great power comes great responsibility”.

via New York Times

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