Abbracadabbling Goes North To STUMPTOWN Sunday; Check Out Some PAUL POPE

So life happened, and our Office trip up the 1-5 to Portland's Stumptown Comics Fest has been postponed until tomorrow. We're bummed we missed Brian Michael Bendis' Teaching Comics presentation - The Dabbler would consider it a privilege and an honor to take the comics writing class  he teaches up North - but there's plenty of other awesome to be found at the 'Fest tomorrow, too.  If you've haven't hit Portland's grand finale to Comic Book Month, get in gear and never fear, because our crew will see you there. 

Meantime, needless for us to say, we won't be on the comicsblog tomorrow; instead, we'll be feasting on all the awesome eye candy 'Fest has to offer -- especially the visual delish served up by the Con's headlining special guest, Paul Pope. 

We've even whipped up a small appetizer of the DJ and artist extraordinaire's pop art masterpieces to show ya what you'll be missing - if for some reason we don't see you there. Geography is no excuse, dabblers; same goes for failing to check some of the hot spots on the world-wide where you can scope even more of Pope's fine art.  Sweet linkages are below...!

Conflict

Steel Jeeg 

SHAKEDOWN

Spider-Man

Batman: Year 100 (overlay)

Batman: Year 100, Issue #1

Paul Pope w/Jose Villarrubia (DC Comics)

We scored our Pope art from the following sites, so check 'em out:  Paul Pope's blog [here]; Hollywood Comics [here]; and Paul Pope's Flickr [here].  Thinking about some new reading material? Paul's Batman: Year 100 would be our recommendation. The story and art rock, dabblers - and even better, you can buy it from us and support your fave comicsblog in the process! Spend that cash here: [Batman Year 100]. 

The CARTOON ART MUSEUM Springs BATMAN Exhibition on SAN FRANCISCO

If you're going to be in San Francisco this spring, you''ll need to set aside an afternoon and pay one of my favorite places in the City a visit: the Cartoon Art Museum. While the finishing touches have yet to be finalized, CAM's upcoming Batman: Yesterday and Tomorrow exhibition has already made our 'Must-See' list.  Here's what the Museum has to say:

For over 70 years, audiences have thrilled to the adventures of Batman, one of the most popular and enduring fictional characters of the modern age. From his first appearance in Detective Comics in 1939 to the blockbuster The Dark Knight film of 2008, Gotham City's Caped Crusader has taken on many forms, from cartoonish and campy to dark and disturbed, from daring detective to grim force of vengeance. 

The Cartoon Art Museum's new exhibition, Batman: Yesterday and Tomorrow, showcases six strikingly different interpretations of the Dark Knight, representing some of the boldest visionaries to illustrate the DC Comics icon. Featured artists include Bob Kane and Bill Finger, who created Batman in 1939; Neal Adams, whose detailed artistry redefined comics in the 1970s; Frank Miller, whose graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns pioneered the modern, mature concept of Batman; Pepe Moreno, whose Batman: Digital Justice was the first graphic novel with entirely computer-generated art; and acclaimed artist Paul Pope, whose Batman: Year 100 pays homage to the original Batman comics and looks ahead to Gotham City of the year 2039. 

In 1960s Japan, the popularity of the Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward sparked demand for new Batman comics. The weekly magazine Shonen King secured the rights to publish original Batman manga, which artist Jiro Kuwata wrote and illustrated from 1966 to 1967. These comics were virtually unknown in the United States until author and designer Chip Kidd's award-winning 2008 book Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan. A selection of Kuwata's art from Kidd's personal collection will be featured in Batman: Yesterday and Tomorrow, marking the Cartoon Art Museum's first extensive exhibition of original manga artwork. Programming featuring Chip Kidd, Pepe Moreno and Paul Pope is currently being planned. More details will be announced as these programs are finalized.

Our buddy and CAM Curator Andrew Farago always puts on an excellent show, and Museum events  draw a fascinating crowd from San Francisco's diverse and talented comics scene.  We're betting the show's underway by this April's Wonder Con, so convention attendees should look for the Museum's special programming once the convention doors close. For more information, you'll find CAM (sporting a great new website, we've noticed!) HERE.  

From The Batman Chronicles #11, written and drawn by Paul Pope, 

colors by Ted McKeever, and letters by Ken Lopez. (DC Comics, 1998)

Friday 5: Paul Pope (1/5)

SHAKEDOWN

By Paul Pope [Link]