HIRSCHFELD AUCTION: ONLINE VIEW
New York Newsday runs an online gallery of thirty pieces by Al Hirschfeld in its coverage of today's Hirschfeld auction at the Swann Galleries. "All 128 items for sale Thursday are from private collections, said George Lowry, Swann chairman. Much of the material came from a retired Cleveland automobile dealer, who has been collecting Hirschfelds since the 1940s." All 128 pieces can be viewed online at the Swann Galleries' website. Copies of the illustrated auction catalog are available for purchase.
INFO: New York Newsday
INFO: Swann Galleries
posted by Egon on Thursday, September 25, 2003

BURNS & PANTER AT LARGE
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch speaks with event co-ordinator Todd Hignite and anticipated guests Charles Burns and Gary Panter in advance of this weekend's St. Louis Comic Art Show. "In this country, hundreds of thousands of people have been exposed to comic art," Panter tells the paper. "And still people really don't understand what all can be done with the medium. It really has no limits. It could become the ultimate medium." In other Panter news, Swiss comics magazine "Strapazin" releases issue #72, themed "A Tribute to Gary Panter." The magazine's website previews contents including Dal Tokyo and Jimbo strips translated into German, Panter sketchbook pages, Panter's list of influential record albums, and tribute artwork by various artists. Panter's own work is currently on display at Manhattan's Big Cat Gallery through October 10.
INFO: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
INFO: Strapazin
INFO: Big Cat Gallery
posted by Egon on Thursday, September 25, 2003

HEAR: KIDD, PORCELLINO, REES
Quimby's Books has recently launched a redesigned website including audio excerpts from live readings held at the Chicago store. These include streaming audio clips of Chip Kidd reading from "The Cheese Monkeys," John Porcellino reading several short poems, and David Rees reading from "My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable" and "My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable."
INFO: Quimby's
posted by Egon on Thursday, September 25, 2003

EISNER ON FAGIN & EBONY
Time Magazine's Andrew Arnold interviews Will Eisner for his regular Time.comix online column. Eisner's latest graphic novel, "Fagin the Jew," offers an alternate, sympathetic history of Dickens' "Oliver Twist" character. Arnold and Eisner discuss the use of racial and ethnic stereotype in literature in light of Eisner's own "Ebony White" character. "But I if you go back and examine how I handled Ebony, I was aware that I was dealing with something that was volatile and [I had] a responsibility," says Eisner. "The only excuse I have for [that portrayal] is that at the time humor consisted in our society of bad English and physical difference in identity."
INFO: Time
posted by Egon on Thursday, September 25, 2003

STEADFAST FEIFFER
Jules Feiffer spoke to the New Haven Register last week before visiting to screen "Bark, George," an animated short based upon his children's book, and to sign books at the Yale Bookstore. The artist reaffirms his retirement from cartooning: "I've got too many other things to do... I'm back to writing plays, teaching and children's books. And I'm a father." Feiffer remains skeptical of cartooning's ability to influence political change, as he has been since ending his weekly "Feiffer" strip, but admits a potentially useful role for the format: "It's important for the reader to get a sense it's not all agreement with this idiocy out there."
INFO: New Haven Register
posted by Egon on Thursday, September 25, 2003

GARYPANTER.COM
Gary Panter has launched a full website including up-to-date news, an online shop and his new weekly comic strip, "Smokewagon." An extensive online portfolio reproduces dozens of pieces created in various media. The website promises a soon-to-be-commenced online journal by the artist.
INFO: Gary Panter
posted by Egon on Monday, September 22, 2003

McCAY, STERRETT, HERRIMAN
Thierry Smolderen announces the publication of "McCay Volume 3" by Editions Delcourt. The graphic album continues Smolderen's fictionalized comics biography of Winsor McCay, drawn by Jean-Philippe Bramanti. Several panels from all three volumes are available on a companion website. Smolderen also announces new additions to Coconino Classics' continuing runs of full-color "Polly and Her Pals" strips by Cliff Sterrett and "Krazy Kat" dailies by George Herriman.
INFO: Winsor McCay
INFO: Coconino Classics
posted by Egon on Sunday, September 21, 2003

SERIALIZER TAKES IN DAKIN
Tom Hart announces the addition of Glenn Dakin's "Dakin Weekly Online" to the Serializer.net comics anthology website in a post to the Comics Journal's message board. The regular feature will offer "a series of Glenn Dakin reprints... some of which will be familiar (like today's Temptation strip) but others rarely seen."
INFO: Serializer.net
INFO: The Comics Journal
posted by Egon on Sunday, September 21, 2003