Comicbook Calendar - March - April

Hey Write Clubbers!

It's been a busy few weeks here at Write Club Central, and we've got a ton of surprises in store for you as we prepare to enter our second year of bringing you your Insider's Writing/Comicbook Podcast & Blog.

Last week I told you about networking at comic book events in Brooklyn, and while that's a great way to get to know people and worm your way into the industry, first things first. Learn your craft!

To that end I present the MoCCA Education Programs.

MoCCA stands for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, and it's located in the prime chunk of real estate that is Broadway just south of Houston in Soho. 594 Broadway, Suite 401 to be exact. It's a small gallery that has rotating shows. It just finished showing the Art of Archie Comics, but as of March 12 and running til May 30th, there will be two shows, NeoIntegrity: Comics Edition (which boasts an insane amount of insanely talented artsists) & Dash Shaw: Making the Abyss which focuses on Shaw's BodyWorld, Bottomless Belly Button, with animations and comic short stories.

MoCCA's hours are Tues-Sun 12pm-5pm and general admission is $5, while children 12 and under are free.

As well as the exhibits, MoCCA hosts panels and events ranging from creators speaking about Spider-Man or Wolverine to pitching animation projects. Starting this Tuesday Night there is a Master Class in Comic Writing featuring Chris Claremont on March 16th, Tom DeFalco on March 23rd, and Dennis "Denny" O'Neill on April 13th. It is a lecture format where they will impart to you the secrets of comic writing.

For all three classes, it's $100, $90 for MoCCA members, and each individual session is $40, $35 for MoCCA members.

If you miss that series, as it is filling up rather quickly, you could take the How To Write Comics & Graphic Novels course with instructor Danny Fingeroth. He used to, or perhaps still does, teach this course at NYU & New School University, and although I hear mixed reviews of it, you could take it at MoCCA for much less and Danny Fingeroth moderates most panels on comic books that I've attended in NYC so he's a good guy to know. The class runs 4 sessions, Tuesdays April 20 & 27, May 4 & 11

And for all the artists out there MoCCA will also host an Anatomy for Illustrators series on Mondays, April 19 & 26, May 3 & 10 with instructors R. Sikoryak & Kriota Willberg.

More information will be released on these courses, but friend Ellen Abramowitz on Facebook or check their website for updates. Oh, and don't forget the MoCCA Art Festival is coming up on April 10th & 11th, which for only $15 for advance tickets for both days, is well worth it. This is the cream of the crop of comics people.

And all Write Club's friends will be there.

Also coming up on April 4th is KGB Bar's Sunday Night Fiction reading series featuring Graphic Novelists & Comix. Located at 85 East 4th St in the East Village, this is the most literary friendly bar I've come across. I haven't been here quite often enough considering I lived in the neighborhood there for years before moving out to Brooklyn.

Write Clubber Emily Wernet will be making an appearance that night so let's all get out there and support her.

Speaking of girls making comics, it seems I've missed the Girls Comics signing at Jim Hanley's which was yesterday evening, but they will have an Art of Jaime Hernandez signing on April 9th at 6pm.

And while we're talking comic signings, Midtown Comics has three Marvel artists from Spain signing on Saturday, March 20th.

Enough of that Manhattan jazz, how about Brooklyn, you say?

Over at Rocketship Comics there will be an opening reception on Friday March 12th for the Reuben award winning cartoonist, painter, and illustrator Hermann Mejia, who's work is odd and breathtaking.

While Write Club favorite Bergen Street Comics doesn't have any other events scheduled just yet (probably still recovering from the Bens McCool & Templesmith Choker debut party, which I hear was a drunken & smashing success of a party, according to Tim & Reilly) I vow to not miss any more events there as I have just successfully moved to Clinton Hill, just a short walk from the shop.

Up on the other end of Brooklyn's G train is Desert Island, the stop for all things artistically offbeat. They have a few events listed on their main page. On Friday, April 9th, a triple book-release party for John Brodowski's Curio Cabinet, Clara Johansson's Lobster King, and Emelie Östergren's Mr Kenneth. And apparently Ms. Johansson and Ms. Östergren will travel from Sweden for the occasion. Color me impressed. I couldn't find sites for the ladies of Sweden, but I did come across this sample of an international comic art magazine CESTBON.

The following Thursday, April 15th, from 7-9pm will be the release party for Dash Shaw's BodyWorld and far off into the future on Friday, May 21st, Dan Nadel's release party and discussion of his book Art In Time.

Phew, that's about enough out of me. If you know of an event, or are planning one, please feel free to contact me and let me know and I will promote the hell out of it and make sure all the cool kids show up.

See you around the neighborhood.

K