October 29, 2015 by Andrew

Panels & Activities at the Locust Moon Comics Festival

This Saturday at the Locust Moon Comics Festival, there will be panels and activities for everyone to enjoy both at the Locust Moon store and in the Rotunda Theatre.

PANELS AT LOCUST MOON COMICS

On the Saturday of the festival, four panels (and an after-party) will be hosted two blocks away from the Rotunda at the LOCUST MOON COMICS store, 34 South 40th Street.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
DRAWING ON LIFE
Comics based on real life are everywhere. From autobiographical memoirs to stories about historical events and people, we’ll discuss what makes these types of comics so appealing to readers and why so many cartoonists are drawn to real life subject matter. Moderator Kelly Phillips (Dirty Diamonds, Weird Me) hosts Craig Thompson (Blankets, Space Dumplins), Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, Beef with Tomato), and Andrea Tsurumi (Andrew Jackson Throws a Punch, Prometheus Eternal).

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
COMICS UNDERGROUND
An exploration of what it means to be a part of the underground comics tradition commences when Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink Press, the CBLDF), Mark Beyer (Agony, Amy + Jordan), Pat Aulisio (Bowman) and Noah Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski, Blammo) are interviewed about their contributions to the comics culture. Moderated by Josh Bayer (Suspect Device).

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS CLAREMONT
Join us for an intimate hour where we explore the inspirations and motivations behind the man who reinvented superhero comics as we know them today, Chris Claremont (all the best X-Men comics, among others). Moderated by Locust Moon’s Josh O’Neill.

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
THE FINE ART OF COMICS
Locust Moon’s Chris Stevens sits down with three of the most singular artists working today, Bill Sienkiewicz (New Mutants, Daredevil: End of Days), David Mack (Kabuki, Dream Logic), and Ronald Wimberly (Prince of Cats, Sunset Park), to discuss the particular approaches they bring to their comics work as it connects to the broader art world.

8:00 pm –
HALLOWEEN PARTY
Costumes heartily encouraged!

ACTIVITIES IN THE ROTUNDA THEATRE

In addition the panels above, and plentiful candy for trick-or-treaters of all ages (not to mention ice cream and kittens), the following activities will be open to all attendees in the Theatre room of the Rotunda!

ALL DAY
COMIX JAM
Come lay down a panel in this collaborative comics Frankenstein monster, led by Brett J. Hopkins.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
SECRET SUPERHERO SOCIETY!
Create your own secret identity with artist & librarian Sheli Hay.

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Drawing Workshop:
HOW TO DRAW AN ALIEN
On Halloween, help turn the Rotunda into an extraterrestrial launch pad with alien expert Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred).

4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST
A festive competition where everyone wins.
And a few will win big.
Dress your best!
Judged by Brett J. Hopkins.

See them all at the
LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL 2015
Saturday, October 31 – Halloween!
11 am – 6 pm
Exhibitors & Activities @ The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street
Panels @ Locust Moon Comics
34 South 40th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Website – Facebook – Event Page – Twitter

October 22, 2015 by Andrew

Locust Moon Comics Festival’s Halloween Weekend

Photo by Dan Mazur

The Locust Moon Comic Festival, Philadelphia’s rapidly growing independent comics expo, has announced a star-studded guest list and an expanded slate of programs for its fourth annual event, to be held on Halloween of this year.

The historic Rotunda on Walnut Street will play host to a cross-section of the greatest artists, writers, publishers, designers, and makers in sequential and graphic arts. This year’s guest list includes Bill Sienkiewicz (ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN), Craig Thompson (HABIBI), Chris Claremont (UNCANNY X-MEN), Alexa and Denis Kitchen (KITCHEN SINK PRESS), David Mack (KABUKI), Mark Beyer (AMY + JORDAN), and Noah Van Sciver (FANTE BUKOWSKI).

“For the first time, the festivities will extend for three days across the weekend,” says organizer Chris Stevens. The festival kicks off with an all-star Drink & Draw at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, open to the public and led by all of the aforementioned special guests, on Friday night; and following Saturday’s main event, the fun extends through Sunday afternoon with a long pancake brunch for exhibitors. This will be a weekend to remember for artists, authors, and readers alike.

“The intimacy of our festival is what sets it apart from other shows,” says co-runner Josh O’Neill. “What other convention would invite its attendees to have drinks at an art museum with Bill Sienkiewicz and Craig Thompson? It’s not about fans meeting creators and getting books signed. At Locust Moon Comics Festival we all come together as lovers of comics and have a great party.”

The donation-based event on Saturday, October 31 is free to children under 12, and will feature complimentary programming for kids including comic-making workshops, face-painting, and a Halloween costume contest.

Programming throughout Saturday at the Locust Moon store will include a conversation with Chris Claremont, a panel on underground comics featuring Denis Kitchen, Mark Beyer, Pat Aulisio and Noah Van Sciver, an exploration of what it takes to “Draw on Life” with Craig Thompson, Dean Haspiel and Andrea Tsurumi, and a discussion on comics in fine art contexts with Ronald Wimberly, Bill Sienkiewicz and David Mack.

More than just a convention, this community-focused event will honor comic creators and their creations, and for one day, break down the barriers between professional creators, passionate fans, aspiring artists, and curious new readers.

Says organizer Stevens, “Locust Moon Fest brings the world of comics to Philadelphia, and the comics of Philadelphia to the world.”

Find further information about the event and more guests on the Locust Moon Comics Festival website (locustmoonfest.com), Facebook (facebook.com/locustmoonfest), and Twitter (twitter.com/locustmoonfest).

– Schedule of Events –

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
6pm-9pm: Drink & Draw @ Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
11am-6pm: Comics Festival & Kids’ Activities @ The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St)
12pm-6pm: Panels @ Locust Moon Comics store (34 S 40th St)
8pm-???: Halloween/After-Party @ Locust Moon Comics store (34 S 40th St)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1
12pm-3pm: Artists’ Brunch @ Locust Moon Comics store (34 S 40th St)

October 19, 2015 by Andrew

“Batman, Superman—Prometheus?” Museum Signing on Wednesday 10/28!

Join The Philadelphia Museum of Art for a panel discussion and book signing in celebration of Prometheus Eternal, the Museum’s first comic book, as inspired by the Rubens masterpiece Prometheus Bound and part of the Museum’s fall exhibition, The Wrath of the Gods: Masterpieces by Rubens, Michelangelo, and Titian. Artists Bill Seinkiewicz, Yuko Shimizu, and David Mack will be joined by Josh O’Neill, publisher of Locust Moon Press to discuss the collaboration and how Prometheus Bound inspired this contemporary re-telling of the ancient myth. yuko CU

Copies of Prometheus Eternal will be available for purchase and signing. This talk is moderated by Christopher Atkins, The Agnes and Jack Mulroney Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1900.

Wednesday, October 28
6:30pm – 8:45pm
Lenfest Hall (West Entrance)
$10 ($8 members)

Facebook event

October 6, 2015 by joshuaon

THE SHAMAN IS HERE

SUPERNATURAL GRAPHIC NOVEL SHAMAN SUMMONS COMEDY FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

In what editor Andrew Carl calls, “perhaps the greatest comic ever about a single father necromancer,” New York writer Ben Kahn and Barcelona artist Bruno Hidalgo have teamed up to bring their debut creator-owned graphic novel to stores.

In a universe populated by superheroes and megalomaniacal villains, death is nothing more than a temporary nuisance. A hero makes a noble sacrifice only to come back seven months later thanks to an implausible story contrivance. But what if resurrection was the domain of one, unpredictable man? That is the question Shaman seeks to answer.

Shaman collects five chapters of witty and wild adventures in an urban-fantasy setting. Comicosity writes, “Shaman will stretch the limits of your imagination and provide a poignantly sharp and thoughtful presentation on superhero absurdity that fans of Constantine and The Venture Brothers will be easily drawn to.” Ben and Bruno set the Shaman and his adoptive family against an imaginative array of villains, from skeletons and space heroes, to zombies and baseball monsters. Shaman is a gleeful dismemberment of superhero tropes that follows the one man in control of superhero comics’ infamous revolving door of death.

Now, Locust Moon Press is ready to unleash this creation upon the world. Shaman is available in stores everywhere. The 132-page graphic novel features art by Farel Dalrymple, Alice Meichi Li, Rob Woods, JG Jones, James Comey, and Jim Rugg.

Kahn imbues Shaman with energy and wit. He crafts tales of imaginative characters on mind-bending adventures. And it is in Hidalgo’s deft hands that the book comes alive. Thanks to Hidalgo’s unique style, Shaman bursts at the seams with charm and character.

Shaman is available now in stores (DIAMOND CODE JUL151468), through www.locustmoon.com, and via the spirit realm.

Bruno Hidalgo is a Spanish illustrator and cartoonist. He’s the co-creator of Shaman and has had his work featured in Dark Horse’s Once Upon A Time Machine.

Ben Kahn is a New York based writer. He is the co-creator of Shaman and a writer on several mobile adventure games. The graphic novel represents Ben’s comic-making debut.

Ben Kahn is available for interviews and press appearances. Contact him at kahanartist@gmail.com or 203.644.2522.

Trade cover by Farel Dalrymple

Issue 1 cover by Bruno Hidalgo

Issue 3 cover by JG Jones

Issue 5 cover by Jim Rugg

Locust Moon Comics

West Philly's favorite small press and former comic shop/art gallery.

Month: October 2015