R O C K E T S H I P

CARTOON BROOKLYN FOUR!!!

2008-07-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! Our annual group show featuring local, Brooklyn artists. This year it will open on FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st, with reception starting at 8 pm.

It is going to be awesome.

Details coming very soon!

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: The Jam Comic

2008-07-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished comic from last Friday's Workshop event, scanned and formatted onto a paneled page:

You can see the editing process, led by Ms. Jessica Abel, in the previous post!

Jessica Abel at Rocketship

2008-07-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

We have a few pictures from Friday's event; these are a series of Jessica walking us through a comics workshop.

There were a few characters to choose from, a few random situations to draw, and everyone made up single panels scenes from these choices, and drew them on cards. Then, we all chose cards from a box, and suggested them, one after another to complete the narrative. Panels were discussed, and voted on, and the comic was gradually pinned along the wall! It was like a make-your-own FIVE CARD NANCY, and a lot of fun.

Debating Panel Two...

Some of the creators...

Moving right along...

The finished product.

Thanks to Jessica Abel, and everyone who participated. Special thanks to Matt Madden, who couldn't make it, but braved the heat earlier in the day, with baby in tow, to sign books beforehand.

Over the next few days, I will scan the comic that we made, and post it here, so everyone can read the final product, which turned out to be pretty entertaining!

JULY 11th! JESSICA ABEL AND MATT MADDEN!

2008-07-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

Comicdom's Craftiest Dynamic Duo will be on hand for a book release party and signing, celebrating the release of DRAWING WORDS AND WRITING PICTURES, their new textbook from First Second books!

This event will start at 8 pm, Friday, July 11.

(Watch this space for details; the last time Matt and Jessica were in the store we had a killer Comix Jam, and that was a total blast. This time around, more workshop type activities... details to come!)

LAUREN WEINSTEIN! June 28th!

2008-06-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 28th, Lauren Weinstein will be at ROCKETSHIP, signing her new book, GODDESS OF WAR.

This book is something of a masterpiece... you really have to see it in person. It's absolutely killer.

So come get a signed copy, June 28th! Beer and wine will be available, as will refreshing seltzer. And likely a cola drink of some kind.

This event begins at 8 pm.

More From MoCCA

2008-06-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

Photo by Mike Baehr

More reports to link! First up is Ryan from SAME HAT! SAME HAT!, who came all the way from the wilds of San Francisco to spend a boiling weekend in NY. He has a great MoCCA roundup, starting with our JASON signing.

Next is Mike from Fantagraphics, with a three-fer post at FLOG!, the Fantagraphics blog (part two, part three). He has a metric ton of great pictures, including several of the signing, and many good shots of the original Jason art currently on display in the store.

That's it for now- keep your eyes on this space for big news about our next event... LAUREN WEINSETIN signs GODDESS OF WAR!

MoCCA Weekend Has Come and Gone

2008-06-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

JASON signs and signs and signs, sitting in our kid's section....

Friday night's turnout for Jason was terrific, and he was a total champ, signing for several solid hours and doing full sketches in every book!

Part of the line to get books signed, at some random point late in the evening...

His original pages are amazing, and they will be on display into July.

Big Thanks to Jason, and to the folks at Fantagraphics for setting everything up. (I know there are some better pictures floating around; I'll link to them as they pop up.)

The rest of the weekend was fun, despite the intense, slow-roast heat. I grabbed some cool minis, and got a copy of Hope Larson's CHIGGERS signed for my niece. (I'm pretty excited about this book; I read it over the weekend and it's really great. I know many Brooklyn girls who spend their summers away at camp that will absolutely love it.)

I also picked up Lauren Weinstein's new book, THE GODDESS OF WAR, which is some awesome piece of work. I haven't finished it yet (each page is filled with detail- it takes some time to devour), but so far I love it. It's always great to see out-of-town friends (the Top Shelf crew, Chris Pitzer from AdHouse, etc etc), and I met a ton of fantastic new people, including Mike and Janice from Fantagraphics, who were a blast to hang out with. I also came home with great new mini-comics by Jamie Tanner, Aaron Renier, and a mix CD from one of my favorite reviewers and pop culture journalists Douglas Wolk. That's just the surface of the pile!

More news soon!

JASON! June 6th!

2008-05-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

That's right... JASON.
Join the acclaimed European master for our annual MoCCA Festival Kick-Off Party, art
show, and world premiere of his new book, POCKET FULL OF RAIN.

8 pm! Beer and Wine will be served!

Join cartoonist JASON for a rare North American exhibition of
original art and the world premiere of his new collection, POCKET
FULL OF RAIN.

National Book Award winner Sherman Alexie says, "Jason's work is
poetry. Beautiful and frightening. Redemptive and hopeless. He is the
Kafka and Keats of the comic world."

JASON was born on the 16th of August 1965 in Molde, Norway. His
acclaimed Eurpoean comic book series, MJAU MJAU, first gained him
international recognition, including an appearance in the French
publisher L'Association's epochal COMIX 2000 project, and publishers
from other countries began picking up his work, including
Fantagraphics in the U.S.

Jason's graphic novels include the autobiographical HEY, WAIT, the
classic murder mystery THE IRON WAGON, the two-color Frankenstein
parody YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE, and the full-color thrillers
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?, THE LEFT BANK GANG, I KILLED ADOLF HITLER,
THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, and most recently, the swashbuckling sci-fi
comedy, THE LAST MUSKETEER.

ROCKETSHIP will premiere Jason's latest English-language book, POCKET FULL OF RAIN, collecting a selection of his earlier work, including
the LOMMA graphic novel and several early short stories.

New Yorkers will recognize Jason from his prestigious "Funny Pages"
slot in the NEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE, which has been
serializing his chess western "Low Moon" since early this year.

A reception for the artist will begin on Friday, June 6 at 8:00PM.
Admission is free to the public of all ages.

POST SCRIPT: For anyone attending the POST BANG symposium at NYU, please take note that our event will be open until 11:00 pm, so one could easily attend post-POST BANG. ROCKETSHIP is a very quick trip from NYU via the F train at the WEST 4TH ST station...

MEMORIAL DAY 2008, WEEKEND SALE!

2008-05-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Just like Kamandi riding a giant grasshopper, we will be wrangling big big savings on all your funnybook needs, this very weekend! Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (the 24th through the 26th), look for major markdowns and other great surprises... EVERYTHING in the store will be on sale!

Tell your friends!

This Friday...

2008-05-09T05:37:00.001-07:00

“Drew Friedman isn't just a brilliant artist. He takes you to a place. He takes you back in time. He makes you smell the stale cigarettes and cold brisket and you say thank you for the pleasure.” — Sarah Silverman

Join cartoonist DREW FRIEDMAN for a special exhibition of original art and objects, along with a book signing in conjunction with the release of More Old Jewish Comedians.

Drew Friedman is among the most notorious illustrators and cartoonists in America. According to Entertainment Weekly, “He holds a marvelously warped lens up to crusty politicians and debauched celebrities. A good-natured misanthrope with an obsessive style and a sardonic tongue, Drew Friedman is one of the country’s sharper political artists.” Friedman will appear in New York for the first time since his legendary Friar’s Club Book-warming in March (as written about by Lillian Ross in The New Yorker’s “Talk of the Town”) for a book signing and exhibition of his original artwork on Friday, May 16 at 8:00 PM.

Friedman’s illustrious career has included comics work published in Art Spiegelman’s RAW, R. Crumb’s Weirdo and MAD Magazine, and frequent illustrations in National Lampoon, The New York Times, The New York Observer, among countless other publications. He was the recipient of the 2001 Reuben Award for newspaper illustration. Friedman’s work has been collected by Seattle’s Fantagraphics Books in The Fun Never Stops!: An Anthology of Comic Art 1991 - 2006, Old Jewish Comedians, More Old Jewish Comedians, and Warts and All.

More Old Jewish Comedians is the sequel to 2006's wildly popular Old Jewish Comedians, and has earned raves from Jerry Lewis, Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, The Believer, Entertainment Weekly and many others. The book includes the famous (Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Soupy Sales, etc.), the less-famous (Jerry Stiller, Zeppo & Gummo Marx, Larry Storch, Zero Mostel, etc.) and the largely unknown (Molly Picon, Herbie Faye, Jan Murray, etc.). The Reuben Award-winning Friedman presents a thorough visual history of the 20th Century's greatest Borscht-Belt comedians in 34 full-page, liver-spotted portraits.

A reception for the artist will begin on Friday, May 16 at 8:00PM. Admission is free to the public of all ages. The exhibition continues though June 4, 2008.

More From Free Comic Book Day

2008-05-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that we had a Special Guest appearance from BULLY! Bully (the Little Stuffed Bull) is a great blogger (and fellow Wodehouse fan!), and it was cool to finally meet him (if only very briefly)...

Check out his fun Flickr set of FCBD right here!

FCBD Wrap Up

2008-05-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

Big Thanks to Matt and Fred, who braved the crowds and signed piles of books for neighborhood comic fans.

Matt has posted a report (with pictures) here, and Friend o' Rocketship Brian Cronin live-blogged the event for Comic Book Resources here and here.

All in all it was a lot of fun, and great to see everyone, regular faces and new. We have a few books left over (but not many), so there's still a chance to get some Free Comics, including two of my favorites:

The Fantagraphics IGNATZ sampler, and HELLBOY, with three (3!!!) new stories!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY News!

2008-04-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, May 3rd, on top of giving away big piles of excellent free comics (see examples here), we will also be hosting two spectacular All Ages Signings!

First up, signing from 11:00 to 1:30, is MATT LOUX, creator of the new adventure book SALTWATER TAFFY! (check out a preview!)

Then, from 1:30 to 4:00, we will have FRED VAN LENTE, writer of IRON MAN, POWER PACK, THE FANTASTIC FOUR, and all sorts of other great books!

So stop by, pick up some FREE COMICS, and meet the creators of some fantastic All-Ages Comics!

Big Thanks to Jeffrey and Ariel!

2008-04-18T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Lovely Ariel Schrag, and the Charming Jeffrey Brown...

Huge thanks to Ariel and Jeffrey, whose reading and signing last night was a total blast. There was a huge turn-out, with fans packed in wall-to-wall to see these two talented folks read, and to get books signed.

Jeffrey "re-enacted" scenes from LITTLE THINGS live, complete with impromptu props and audience participants. Here he is swatting flies in the woods, while on a hike...

Ariel had more of a THIS AMERICAN LIFE vibe; sitting behind a mic, moving slides, hitting musical cues, and getting belly-laughs and sincere sighs in equal doses. It was really terrific...

It was a great time! Big thanks to everyone who came out!

Thursday! April 17th!

2008-04-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Brown and Ariel Schrag will be signing books, after a Reading/Slideshow at 8 PM! Drinks will be served... Come enjoy a night of chill autobio comics-lit, before the Javitz gets swarmed with cosplayers, sweaty Jedi, and guys that are way too angry about Spider-Man.

Stuart Immonen's CENTIFOLIA now available!

2008-04-10T05:31:00.001-07:00

(Image snaked from Stuart's website)

I have long been a fan of Stuart Immonen... I would read just about anything he was working on, if it crossed my path. He was a always a great designer, and there was a looseness to his linework that had a simultaneous energy and weight that few modern genre cartoonists could pull off.

Then came NEXTWAVE.

I loved NEXTWAVE. It had an absurd sense of humor, was filled with over-the-top action, and was so well beyond "tongue-in-cheek" that the tongue was outside the cheek and across the street. I daresay that NEXTWAVE was brilliant, which is an adjective I likely overuse, but what the heck. This time I really, really mean it.

Immonen's artwork on NEXTWAVE was so lively and frenetic that it made the pages almost physically crackle with excitement. At the same time, there was an understatement and a sophistication to it all; the confident layouts of every page, the subtleties of body language, the pantomime "performances" of characters. But most of all, there was a striking, stark, streamlining of the design. It was a book I could look at for hours.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN was next, and he did not disappoint. I just now opened a random comic to a random page, to prove that you can take any Immonen page and find a marvelous example of design:

Copyright and Trademark 2008 Marvel Characters Inc yadda yadda.

Just look at the movement on that page. Every line is deliberate and evocative, and every design choice makes sense, in a way that is so understated you don't even notice it, at first glance. Even the way Spidey's shoulder crooks in the bottom panel- that says something about his age, how he moves, his attitude. The texture on the Goblin's hands, in the foreground.... the manga-inspired use of motion lines... it's all just perfect, and this is just a random fight scene!

Needless to say, ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN shot up to being one of my favorite superhero books, the minute he took over. In my opinion, it's as good a Spidey book as ever there was, post 1967.

The point of all this rambling, is that now you can see Mr. Immonen's thought process at work. You can see gesture drawings, doodles, design experiments, and short strips. It is an invaluable look into the process of someone I consider to be an incredibly underrated modern master.

Also available are 50 REASONS TO STOP SKETCHING AT CONVENTIONS, and NEVER AS BAD YOU THINK, which are lovely example's of Immonen's non-genre work. (I think NEVER AS BAD AS YOU THINK is one of the better fiction comics I read last year. It's snappy and charming and moves like the type of movie nobody ever made, but should have.)

Thank You Gents!

2008-04-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

We had a terrific turnout, and the Q&A was entertaining and enlightening!

Thanks to Jonathan, Farel, Karl, Paul, and Gary, thanks to Nicole Ruddick for leading a great discussion, and thanks to everyone who stopped by!

The minds behind OMEGA...

Return to the Valley of Items of March

2008-03-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

* Friend of Rocketship (and COMIC FOUNDRY Honcho) Tim Leong makes his debut as Fashion Icon in the New York Times! Look for the all-new, full-color Comic Foundry on shelves soon!

* Today marks the opening of our new neighbors, THE PICTUREBOX DEPARTMENTAL STORE! They are at 121 3rd St., and will be selling "unique artists’ editions, prints, books, zines, comics, prints, and international oddities." Check it out!

* It is highly likely that there will be a sale at ROCKETSHIP on Easter Sunday. (By "highly likely", I mean "absolutely 100%.) Stop by and tell your friends! One day only!

Son of Items of March

2008-03-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

* I had a terrific time at the SPLAT! Symposium, despite the 9 am starting pistol. The panel I was on also hosted Jim Killen (Barnes & Nobles Graphic Novel Buyer), John Shableski (Diamond Book Distributors), Jessica Stockton Bagnulo (McNally Robinson Graphic Novel Buyer and ROCKETSHIP regular), and the always charming Calvin Reid (Publisher’s Weekly Comics Week Editor). There was a lot of great information, and my fellow panelists were smart, concise, and insightful. I would have loved to have been in the audience listening to any one of them speak for an hour, so sitting alongside these folks was incredibly flattering.
The panel was moderated by Evan Narcisse, who did a terrific job- he's a really intelligent and charismatic guy, and had a lot of thoughtful questions. All told, it was a very interesting discussion on the marketing of comics and graphic novels. Splat was a very well-run event, and I wish I could have stayed all day!
(To see a lovely batch notes about the event, look here.)

* The talented and lovely designer who hand-screens/dyes/crafts our store T-Shirts and Tote Bags has a small sampling of other items she has created at www.sheepbridge.com. Check it out!

* We're gearing up for the OMEGA THE UNKNOWN signing on April 2 (with Jonathan Lethem, Farel Dalrymple, Karl Rusnak, Paul Horneschmeier, and Gary Panter! Wow!). To get ready, you can read the first issue online right here...

Items of March

2008-03-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

* BOOKFORUM did a lovely article about us. Read it here.

* Look at these two Handsome Fellows:

They signed books in our store and were awesome, as usual.

* Am I crazy, or would a big, phonebook-style omnibus of every AMBUSH BUG comic ever be an amazing thing?

HOTWIRE II, Friday, March 14th!

2008-03-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

Friday Night! Meet the artists of the Fantagraphics anthology HOTWIRE II: Jonathon Rosen, Glenn Head, Sam Henderson, Danny Hellman, Mark Newgarden, David Sandlin, Chadwick Whitehead, Craig Yoe, R. Sikoryak, Doug Allen, Marc Dean Veca and more! 8 pm!

Wednesday, March 12th

2008-03-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (of Evil Twin Comics and ACTION PHILOSOPHERS fame) will be in-store from 5-8 pm signing copies of their new project, COMIC BOOK COMICS! (preveiew here!)

So stop by and meet the men who brought you PLATO SMASH!, get your well-read ACTION PHILOSOPHERS books signed, and pick up the start of their next, awesome series!

Thanks Leah!

2008-03-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Despite miserable weather, we had a terrific turnout for the FUNERAL OF THE HEART release party! Here are some folks by the new gallery wall (still under construction)....

The Artist Herself...

It was a great time, and we want to thank Leah Hayes for exhibiting, and Fantagraphics for letting us participate in this book tour. Leah's art will be on display for several more weeks, so everyone should stop by and check it out!

Friday, March 7th!

2008-03-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

First Stop on the FUNERAL OF THE HEART TOUR! An Art Exhibition and Book Signing, with LEAH HAYES, starting at 8 pm!

PR:

"To say that Leah Hayes is poised for greatness would be underselling
how much she�s already accomplished in her 26 years. Massachusetts-
bred Hayes attended art school in New York before moving to France
where she played in a band called Satan�s Fingers, collaborating with
David Ivar from underground pop legends Herman Dune. Growing up
playing piano and guitar, Hayes also took up the Thunderstick, an
Appalachian instrument similar in tone to the banjo. Her collection
of ballpoint pen notebook illustrations "Holy Moly" was published by
Fantagraphics in 2004 and her first graphic novel, Funeral of the
Heart, will be published in April, 2008.

Funeral of the Heart is Leah Hayes' stylistic tour-de-force and
graphic novel debut, featuring a series of short stories by Hayes and
illustrated entirely using the otherworldly medium of scratchboard.
Hayes creates a world of unease and ambiguity populated by obsessive
characters, forlorn animals, and mysterious, inanimate objects; odd
occurrences, unnerving deaths and unconventional but genuine love
bind these characters and their stories together. In "The Bathroom",
a middle-aged couple discover a mysterious tunnel in their pool
house after a neighbor's child accidentally drowns in their pool,
leading to an immaculate bathroom and another drowning. In "The Needle",
two sisters suffer the death of their grandmother as well as her
possible resurrection at the hands of the woman with the needle.

The stories are hand lettered and juxtaposed against stark, highly
stylized, graphically powerful, black and white images. Stories with
titles like "The Bathroom", "The Needle", and "The Hair" may sound
innocuous, but they aren't fables that should be read to one's
children, unless your children enjoy being made uneasy by beautiful
things.

Hayes' artwork has appeared in the New York Times, Punk Planet, and
most recently on the cover of McSweeney's #24. Based in
Williamsburg, Hayes has toured as a solo act alongside Kyp Malone and
sings on the TV On the Radio's "Snakes and Martyrs" from the band's
"Return to Cookie Mountain" album.

Hayes currently performs with her group, Scary Mansion, featuring Ben
Shapiro (The Fugue) on drums and Bradley Banks (with whom Hayes plays
in Francophile band La Laque) on bass. Their debut CD, Every Joke Is
Half the Truth, is out now from Zum Records. Working with producer
Kyle Fischer (Rainer Maria) over an extended six-month period and
opening up the sound of the Thunderstick, the resulting tracks
alternate between sparse intimate tones and near claustrophobic
layers of feedback, all with an attention to the needs of the songs.
Hayes� lyrical approach mines themes of alienation and romantic
snafus, embodied in characters litigious, predatory, and straw-filled."

Next on the tour:

Leah Hayes & Scary Mansion at "South By Southwest Music Festival
Showcase", at The Hideout, Austin, TX (512.443.3688 tel.)
Wed., March 12, 10PM

Leah Hayes & Scary Mansion, In-Store Music Performance and Book Signing
at Austin Books (See link in Sidebar), Austin, TX (512.454.4197 tel.)
Sat., March 15, 7PM

Scenes from a remodel...

2008-02-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, we've been doing some renovations at the shop. here's a few photos of the process...

Empty shelves, demolished walls, and Buffy comics. Construction, or a statement on the human condition? You tell me.

Our bathroom... gutted! That's the original brick, from the 1930s, I believe. If not older. The new bathroom is wheelchair accessible, and very nice. Just wait. You'll be flabbergasted.

Some customers enjoying the new kid's section. It has been retooled a bit since then, but this was our new All-Ages Corner, in the first week.

More updates soon!