Matt Dembicki's Blog, page 4

About the D.C. Conspiracy

Here's a video by Fantastic Forum, a D.C.-area comics show run by Ulysses Campbell, about the D.C. Conspiracy meet-and-greet at Artisphere last week. Artisphere is currently showcasing the Conspiracy's Magic Bullet newspaper and our individual comics. (I was really tired during this interview after a long day at the National Book Festival; I'm usually not the loopy.)

D.C. Conspiracy show at the Artisphere

The D.C. Conspiracy is hosting a Comics Making Workshop at the Works In Progress Gallery at the Artisphere in Arlington, Va., through Nov. 3! Check the schedule to see when your favorite D.C. comics creators are drawing on the chalkboard or working on their next submission to Magic Bullet . You can also win free passes to the Small Press Expo Sept. 14-15 in Bethesda, Md.!
Photo: Cynthia Connelly/Artisphere

'They Came to See Me Die!'

Andrew Cohen and I will be premiering a new comic at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Md., next month. They Came to See Me Die! is a story about Lincoln Beachey, an aviation pioneer in pre-WWI America. Here's the cover.

Institute for the Arts, Cartooning

I had a great opportunity last week to visit with students in grades 7-12 who are participating in the cartooning program at the Institute for the Arts, a summer program in Fairfax that is just amazing. We talking about the comics making process (from thumbnailings to printing), getting published and working the circuit to get your books and name out there. I also showed them some of the original art from District Comics and Magic Bullet . I was impressed with the students' eagerness to learn and that most of them want to work on their own creations instead of working on Marvel or DC Comics characters. Onward, comics kin! (Huge thank you and kudos to Sue Goncarovs--a fantastic art teacher, comics advocate and friend--who invited me.)

Harvey nominations!

'District Comics' has been nominated for a Harvey Award in the anthology category! That's a great honor in comics. If you're a professional in the comics field, you are eligible to vote. If you're inclined consider voting for the book. Here is the online ballot.

I also contributed to another book that is up for a Harvey Award, 'Team Cul de Sac.' The good news: it's has four nominations! The bad news: one of them is in the same category as 'District Comics.' (Well, it's not really bad news. It's great news. Just makes it harder to win. ;)

Aldo, kudos to my friend Chad Lambert, a contributing writer to 'District Comics,' who has his book 'Possum at Large' up for a Harvey for humor in comics.

Next stop: ALA

I'm taking a little break from doing events to focus on some projects. But I'll be at the annual American Library Association convention June 27-July 2 in Chicago. I'll have a table in Artist Alley, along with free promo posters for the comics anthology Wild Ocean, due out in spring 2014 from Fulcrum Publishing. Plus, the original art for the poster (below) will be on auction at ALA as a fundraiser!

Gaithersburg (Md.) Book Festival. May 18

The local Fox morning program previewed this Saturday's Gaithersburg Book Festival by featuring some of the authors live on TV. I had the privilege of talking about District Comics and drawing a sharks live--all in less than 2 minutes! At Saturday's festival, I'll participate in a panel on local history at 11:15 a.m. at the Rachel Carson Pavillion, followed by a book signed. Hope to see you there!

Photo courtesy of Gail Lawyer Norris

'Xoc' photo bombs CNN segment

Yesterday was national Free Comic Book Day. CNN did a feature on comics, comics-inspired movies and FCBD. In the part of the segment where they interview folks from Fantom Comics (a shop in D.C.), there's a nice shot of Xoc: The Journey of a Great White, right there in the lower middle. :)

My friend Tina is running a Kickstarter campaign to print some cool, kid-friendly bookmarks, which she sends to schools and public libraries, FREE of charge. Consider donating; one of the rewards is an original pen & ink Xoc drawing.

'Xoc' signing on April 18

I'll be signing copies of Xoc: The Journey of a Great White at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco on April 18 from 5-7 p.m. I'll also have Xoc bookmarks and a mini sketchbook, plus there will be a short film looping about shark conservation! Hope to see you there!

Drawing a space fish during a jam at the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo this past weekend.
Photo courtesy of Bob Corby/SPACE.

The Brood II

Ten years ago, a brood of cicadas invaded Washington, D.C. At the time, I was doing a series of one-hour comics (one hour because I did each installment entirely over my one-hour lunch break, so they are not polished). Two of the installments were about the cicadas. Apparently, another brood is soon expected to unearth in D.C. I thought I'd post those old cartoons again, just for fun.