Leaping Tall Buildings: Seth Kushner's Photography & Comix Event at BookCourt

Tue Apr 17, 7:00PM @ BookCourt

163 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

info@bookcourt.com

Seth Kushner (The Brooklynites) has taken his skills as a photographer and his passion for comic books and turned them into two unique projects. In Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics, Kushner created distinctive environmental portraits of over 75 top comics creators, a selection of which will be presented and discussed. Kushner's other long-term project, CulturePOP Photocomix, allows him to profile fascinating subjects such as Emmy Award winning comix creator Dean Haspiel, author Tim Hall, and Bravo's "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" reality show star/bootleg toy designer, Sucklord, who will all be reading from their CulturePOP profiles while the images are projected

Performer Bio(s):

Tim Hall has collaborated with some of the finest comic artists working today, including Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld, Jennifer Hayden, Chris Sinderson, Derek Marks, Nick Bertozzi, and Sam Henderson. He is the author of two novels and three collections of stories. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel, created the Eisner Award nominated, "Billy Dogma," and illustrated for HBO's "Bored To Death." Dino has drawn many superhero and semi-autobiographical comic books and graphic novels for major publishers, including collaborations with Jonathan Lethem, Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, Inverna Lockpez, and Tim Hall. Dino also won the 6th Anniversary Literary Death Match in NYC with his "brute charisma" and curates cool multimedia projects at TripCity.net, a Brooklyn-filtered literary arts salon.​

Sucklord is the creator of SUCKADELIC ENTERPRISES, an evil arts organization based in Chinatown NYC. Specializing in bootleg action figures, illicit remixrecords, and low-budget sci-fi movies. Sucklord seamlessly blends geeky nerd obsessions with street-level hipster cool. A master of media manipulation, The Sucklord is both an entrepreneur and an artist. Sucklord has been in designer toy world business since 2004 and revels in his self-proclaimed "art world outsider" status.Sucklord was featured on Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist.

Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/events/386280954717940/

The book release will also be celebrated in the form of exclusive, limited edition art prints drawn by Becky Cloonan (DEMO, Conan), Dean Haspiel (American Splendor, TV's Bored to Death) and Peter Kuper (Spy vs. Spy)). The limited edition prints will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Some are mild mannered geeks, others mad geniuses or street-smart city dwellers driven to action. These are the men and women behind the masks and tights of America's most beloved superheroes. But these aren't the stories of the heroes' hidden alter egos or secret identities...these are the stories of their creators! Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics gives you the truth about the history of the American comic book—straight from the revolutionary artists and writers behind them. Leaping Tall Buildings assembles writer Christopher Irving's interview-based essays and photographer Seth Kushner's portraits of comic book creators into a narrative thread. The pair successfully started the project as the Graphic NYC website, www.nycgraphicnovelists.com, in December 2008.

Christopher Irving is a pop culture historian with a concentration in the American comic book. A veteran of comics history and journalism magazines like Comics Buyers Guide and multiple Eisner Award-winning Comic Book Artist (where he served as Associate Editor), Irving combines new journalism with comics history to create personality essays on comic book creators. Leaping Tall Buildings is Irving's fifth book on comic books. Irving currently edits digital comics magazine The Drawn Word. www.thedrawnword.com

Seth Kushner's portrait photography has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, L'Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker and others. He was chosen by Photo District News magazine as a three-time winner of their Photo Annual Competition. Seth's first book, The Brooklynites, (with Anthony LaSala) was published by powerHouse Books in 2007. Currently, Seth is working on CulturePOP Photocomix, profiling real-life characters on TripCity.net. Seth resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York with his wife, son and way too many cameras and comics. www.SethKushner.com

For more information about the book please visit: http://www.powerhousebooks.com/site/?p=11646

YOUR SCHMUCKIEST STORY CONTEST

Send your schmuckiest, most happless, awkward, embarrassing and/or clumsy personal story, 800 words or less, by May 7 and I’ll pick the top three which will then be read by a jury comprised of Emmy Award winning cartoonist, Dean Haspiel (Bored To Death, Billy Dogma), Eisner award winning cartoonist Nick Abadzis, (Laika, Hugo Tate), and poet/author Sandra Beasley (Don’t Kill The Birthday Girl, I was The Juke Box) who will pick the first, second and third place winners. All will be published on TripCity.net, one per month, from least schmucky to most schmucky, between June and August.

The following prizes will be awarded:

1^st Place – A signed copy of Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics by Christopher Irving and Seth Kushner

2^nd Place – A signed copy of Seth Kushner’s limited edition CulturePOP Photocomix book.

3^rd Place – A signed copy of the TRIP CITY Visitor Guide

Please, amateur schmucks only—no pros!!

PLEASE EMAIL ALL ENTRIES TO: tripcityinfo@gmail.com

Read SCHMUCK, Seth Kushner’s “comix neurotica” and prose at TRIP CITY

The Jury

Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel, created the Eisner Award nominated, "Billy Dogma," and illustrated for HBO's "Bored To Death." Dino has drawn many superhero and semi-autobiographical comic books and graphic novels for major publishers, including collaborations with Jonathan Lethem, Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, Inverna Lockpez, and Tim Hall. Dino also won the 6th Anniversary Literary Death Match in NYC with his "brute charisma" and curates cool multimedia projects at TripCity.net

Sandra Beasley is the author of I Was the Jukebox (winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize), Theories of Falling (winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize), and Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, a memoir. Her essays have appeared in the Oxford American, and Washington Post Magazine. Her poetry has turned up in such venues as The Believer, Slate, and The Best American Poetry 2010. She keeps her heart in a suitcase and her groceries in Washington, DC.

Nick Abadzis is a cartoonist, writer, graphic novelist and editor of international renown who has been honored with various awards including the prestigious Eisner in 2008 for his graphic novel Laika. He recently relocated from London in the UK to New York City where he continues to work both as a storyteller and editorial consultant. His next major project is a revamped and digitally-restored collection of his first ever strip Hugo Tate, originally published in legendary UK music and comics magazine Deadline. This will be published by Blank Slate Books in 2012, and other graphic novels are in the works.

Seth Kushner’s photography has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, L’Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker and others. He was chosen by Photo District News magazine as a three-time winner of their Photo Annual Competition. Seth’s first book, The Brooklynites, (with Anthony LaSala) was published by powerHouse Books in 2007. His next book, Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics (with Chris Irving) will be released in May 2012.


--Original illustration by Kevin Colden

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS LAUNCH EVENT 4/14

To celebrate the release of Leaping Tall Buildings, powerHouse Books and the authors will host the launch event April 14th at The powerHouse Arena in DUMBO Brooklyn at 37 Main Street.

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN COMICS
Photographs by Seth Kushner
Text and interviews by Christopher Irving

The book launch festivities, free and open to the public, start at 3:00 PM with a series of panels and an exhibition of Seth Kushner's inimitable photographic portraits of comic book luminaries.

PANEL SCHEDULE:

3:00-3:45 PM: Autobiography in Comics
Panel guests will include comics legend Irwin Hasen (Green Lantern), Bob Fingerman (Minimum Wage), Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy's), and Raina Telgemeier (Smile).

4:00-4:45 PM: From Comic Books to Film
Panel guests will include Chris Claremont (X-Men writer), Paul Levitz (former DC Comics President and Legion of Superheroes writer), and writer Denny O'Neil (Batman).

5:00-5:45 PM: Behind the Pictures
Co-authors Christopher Irving and Seth Kushner discuss the trials, tribulations, and adventures had in interviewing and photographing the stars of Leaping Tall Buildings.

The book release will also be celebrated in the form of exclusive, limited edition art prints drawn by Becky Cloonan (DEMO, Conan), Dean Haspiel (HBO's Bored to Death, Billy Dogma), Peter Kuper (Spy vs. Spy, Stop Forgetting To Remember), and Paul Pope (100%, Battling Boy). The limited edition prints will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, who will also be present to host cartoonist signings.

From 6:00 to 8:00 PM, powerHouse Books will host an evening reception, with copies of Leaping Tall Buildings on hand for purchase and signing by the authors and featured creators in attendance. Ron Scalzo (Q*Ball, Hooper, Bald Freak Music) will be DJ master for the evening.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Some are mild mannered geeks, others mad geniuses or street-smart city dwellers driven to action. These are the men and women behind the masks and tights of America's most beloved superheroes. But these aren't the stories of the heroes' hidden alter egos or secret identities...these are the stories of their creators! Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics gives you the truth about the history of the American comic book—straight from the revolutionary artists and writers behind them. Leaping Tall Buildings assembles writer Christopher Irving's interview-based essays and photographer Seth Kushner's portraits of comic book creators into a narrative thread. The pair successfully started the project as the Graphic NYC website, www.nycgraphicnovelists.com, in December 2008.

Christopher Irving is a pop culture historian with a concentration in the American comic book. A veteran of comics history and journalism magazines like Comics Buyers Guide and multiple Eisner Award-winning Comic Book Artist (where he served as Associate Editor), Irving combines new journalism with comics history to create personality essays on comic book creators. Leaping Tall Buildings is Irving's fifth book on comic books. Irving currently edits digital comics magazine The Drawn Word. www.thedrawnword.com



Seth Kushner's portrait photography has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, L'Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker and others. He was chosen by Photo District News magazine as one of their 30 under 30 in 1999 and is a two-time winner of their Photo Annual Competition. Seth's first book, The Brooklynites, (with Anthony LaSala) was published by powerHouse Books in 2007. Currently, Seth is working on CulturePOP Photocomix, and profiling real-life characters on ACT-I-VATE.com and WelcomeToTripCity.com. Seth resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York with his wife, son and way too many cameras and comics. www.SethKushner.com

For more information about the book please visit: http://www.powerhousebooks.com/site/?p=11646

RSVP to: nina@powerHouseBooks.com

For press inquiries please contact Nina Ventura, Publicist
powerHouse Books, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 212-604-9074 x118, Fax: 212-366-5247, email: nina@powerHouseBooks.com

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS AT FLAUNT

My upcoming book, LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: The Origins of American Comics was named by Flaunt Magazine as the #1 pick of their current Baker's Dozen. The book tells the history of comics through 50 creator profiles, and represents a four-year labor-of-love for me and writer Christopher Irving. Look for it in May from powerHouse Books, or pre-order now.

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS ON LA TIMES HERO COMPLEX

My upcoming book, LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: The Origins of American Comics was recently featured on LA Times: Hero Complex. The feature, "Joe Simon and Jack Kirby: Secret Origins of a Classic Tandem" excerpts from the Simon an Kirby section of the book and utilizes my photo of Simon, Christopher Irving's text and classic art from the legendary duo.

Thanks to Geoff Boucher for putting together a great feature!

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS tells the history of comics through 50 creator profiles, and represents a four-year labor-of-love for me and writer Christopher Irving. Look for it in May from powerHouse Books, or pre-order now.

SCHMUCK Episode 3: The Hook-Up at TripCity.net

Chapter One of SCHMUCK , Beers, Babes and Bowel Movements (art by Kevin Colden) was designed to introduce readers to Adam Kessler and his situation. We learn of his recent break-up and how he is handling it. Last months's Chapter Two, The Burning (art by Bobby Timony) had Adam dealing with the loss of his girlfriend and enduring the "ritual burning of the flesh" as he has the last remnants of his lost love literally burned off his body. By the conclusion, he's ready to move on with his life.

In SCHMUCK Episode 3: The Hook-Up, Adam takes his first steps re-entering the dating world, with a "hook-up" at a Madonna-themed party. The results of which will be comically tragic.

Each episode will feature a different artist and “The Hook-Up” is drawn by Sean Pryor. I was first introduced to Sean several years back by mutual friend Jeff Newelt, who was Sean's editor at SMITH Mag's The Pekar Project. I was immediately impressed with Sean's sensibility and storytelling, and he was the very first artist I though of when I decided to make SCHMUCK an anthology.

Since Sean worked with the great Harvey Pekar, I knew he'd have no trouble drawing autobio materia. Opening the email containing Sean's final pages felt like Christmas morning, and I'm Jewish! I loved how he visually translated my script, adding flourishes of his own aesthetic to mine. Also, Sean obviously had a ball drawing all kinds of details and characters in the backgrounds of the Madonna party.

One of the best parts of working on this series have been the collaborations with the artists and seeing how each brings their own vibe to my schmucky tales. Look for artist Shamus Beyale's work next month.

Read SCHMUCK Episode 3: The Hook-Up at TRIP CITY now.



Sean Pryor is a cartoonist/illustrator and a School of Visual Arts graduate. Pryor has contributed numerous illustrations to magazines including Revolver, Royal Flush, and Wet Feet, as well as several comic stories for Harvey Pekar’s webcomic series The Pekar Project. To find out more about Pryor’s endeavors visit SeanPryor.com.

SCHMUCK Episode 2: The Burning at TRIP CITY

Last month's episode of my semi-autobio comix neurotica SCHMUCK , "Beers, Babes and Bowel Movements" (art by Kevin Colden) was originally planned as the prologue to a 200-page graphic novel, but that never happened. I've lived with those pages for over two years and as much as I tried moving on to writing other projects, SCHMUCK was the story I had to tell. Which is why I've now returned to it and I'm posting a new comix installment (and a new prose piece) every month.

Today sees the release of the first all-new SCHMUCK comic, titled "The Burning." It picks up right where the last one left off and It's a painful tale for our "hero" Adam Kessler, both emotionally and physically, as he attempts to move on from his recent heartbreak, but discovers his "ritual" must involve an actual scalding torture.

Each episode will feature a different artist and "The Burning" is drawn by the talented Bobby Timony, whose work you might know from The Night Owls. Bobby's clean lines, clear storytelling and subtle characterizations were perfect for this particular story.

Read SCHMUCK Episode 2: The Burning at TRIP CITY now.

Bobby Timony is the artist and co-creator of the popular comic strip "The Night Owls", published by DC Comics. He has been nominated for multiple Harvey Awards, including Best New Series, Best Online Series, and Best new talent as well as a Lulu nomination for Best Female Character, a Cybil Award nomination for best Young Adult Graphic Novel and is a bona fide "No Prize" recipient. He is an active member of the National Cartoonist's Society and lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two bunnies.
www.twincomics.com

CulturePOP: James Haspiel

When author and archivist, James Haspiel, was 16-years old, he received a kiss on the cheek from Marilyn Monroe and, thus, began a friendship that would last until MM’s untimely death. He has kept an incredible collection of personal items that belonged to MM and is considered a respectful yet world renowned authority on Marilyn Monroe. He has advised authors and journalists on the life of MM and the real personality behind the iconic mask, as well as offering first hand information to several televised documentaries.

In, Marilyn – The Ultimate Look at the Legend, James Haspiel deftly recounts his experiences tracking and photographing “Mazzie” everywhere from glamorous movie events to quiet outings with friends and other private moments while reverently observing the real woman behind the headlines. Haspiel’s book is a personal, knowledgeable, and sensitive reminiscence from an illuminating perspective made evident with photographs, clippings, and memorabilia.

In this new edition of CulturePOP, the 29th (!) I utilize my recent photos of James, taken last year at and near his home in the Hamptons, and James's archival photos, along with his own words, to tell the subject's story.

Read the CulturePOP Photocomix profile on James Haspiel at TRIP CITY.

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: The Origins of American Comics coming May 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

powerHouse Books is pleased to announce the May 2012 release of

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS:
The Origins of American Comics

Photographs by Seth Kushner

Text and interviews by Christopher Irving

Design by Eric Skillman


Some are mild mannered geeks, others mad geniuses or street-smart city dwellers driven to action. These are the men and women behind the masks and tights of America's most beloved superheroes. But these aren't the stories of the heroes' hidden alter egos or secret identities...these are the stories of their creators! Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics gives you the truth about the history of the American comic book—straight from the revolutionary artists and writers behind them.

From the founders of the popular comics website Graphic NYC—writer Christopher Irving and photographer Seth Kushner—comes the firsthand accounts of the comic book's story, from its birth in the late 1930s to its current renaissance on movie screens and digital readers everywhere. Kushner's evocative photography captures the subjects that Irving profiles in a hard-hitting narrative style derived from personal interviews with the legends of the art, all of which is accompanied by examples of their work in the form of original art, sketches, and final panels and covers. The creators profiled include Captain America creator Joe Simon, Marvel guru Stan Lee, Mad magazine's fold-out artist Al Jaffee, visionary illustrator Neal Adams (Batman), underground paragon Art Spiegelman (Maus), X-Men writer Chris Claremont, artist/writer/director Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), comic analyst Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics), American Splendor's Harvey Pekar, painter Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), multitalented artist and designer Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library), artist Jill Thompson (Sandman), and more.

Leaping Tall Buildings, like comics themselves, uses both words and images to tell the true story of the comic's birth and evolution in America. It is a comprehensive look at the medium unlike any other ever compiled covering high and low art, mass market work and niche innovations. It is the story of an art form and an insider's look at the creative process of the artists who bring our heroes to life.



For a preview of the book please visit: http://www.powerHouseBooks.com/leapingtallbuildingspreview.pdf

Christopher Irving is a pop culture historian with a concentration in the American comic book. A veteran of comics history and journalism magazines like Comics Buyers Guide and multiple Eisner Award-winning Comic Book Artist (where he served as Associate Editor), Irving combines new journalism with comics history to create personality essays on comic book creators. Leaping Tall Buildings is Irving's fifth book on comic books. Irving currently edits digital comics magazine The Drawn Word. www.thedrawnword.com

Seth Kushner's portrait photography has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, L'Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker and others. He was chosen by Photo District News magazine as one of their 30 under 30 in 1999 and is a two-time winner of their Photo Annual Competition. Seth's first book, The Brooklynites, (with Anthony LaSala) was published by powerHouse Books in 2007. Currently, Seth is working on CulturePOP Photocomix, and profiling real-life characters on ACT-I-VATE.com and WelcomeToTripCity.com. Seth resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York with his wife, son and way too many cameras and comics. www.SethKushner.com

Eric Skillman is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer, art director, and writer best known for his work with The Criterion Collection and his design blog Cozy Lummox. ericskillman.blogspot.com

Comics / Graphic Arts / Non-Fiction
Hardcover, 8 x 10 inches, 240 pages, 50 full-color photographs and 80 comic panels
ISBN: 978-1-57687-591-9, $35.00
Diamond Item # DEC111299 LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS HC

For a preview of the book please visit:
http://www.powerHouseBooks.com/leapingtallbuildingspreview.pdf

High-res scans to your specification are available upon request; scanning from the book or lifting images from the mechanical file are strictly prohibited. Mandatory credit line: From Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics photographs by Seth Kushner, text and interviews by Christopher Irving, published by powerHouse Books.

For more information, please contact Nina Ventura, Publicist
powerHouse Books, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 212-604-9074 x118, Fax: 212-366-5247, email: nina@powerHouseBooks.com

© Copyright 2012 powerHouse Books

SCHMUCK -- Seth Kushner's semi-autobiographical comix series launches on TRIP CITY.

Chapter One “Beer, Babes and Bowel Movements,” illustrated by Kevin Colden, (with “Photocomix” by Kushner) debuts on Monday, January 9.

Whenever Seth Kushner did anything foolish growing up, his mother would call him a “Schmuck,” that beloved Yiddish term of not-so-endearment. So, of course, it's the title of his new comix semi-memoir on TRIP CITY, an online multimedia arts salon. Renowned for his The Brooklynites book and CulturePOP Photocomix, photographer and author Seth Kushner now throws his hat into the comics arena. SCHMUCK chronicles the period after his being dumped by a girlfriend, and the ensuing cascade of blind dates, Internet hook-ups, and comically tragic situations he endured with the hopes of finding “true love.”

SCHMUCK to sheds a brutally honest light on 20-something relationships. Adam Kessler, our “hero,” is based on Kushner, ten years ago – a pop-culture-obsessed photographer torn between pleasing Mom by finding a "nice Jewish girl," and figuring out what he really wants. His internal monologue is filled with the standard inane, perverted and self-deprecating thoughts we all have but are ashamed to admit. Meanwhile, his shit-talking, sex-obsessed Brooklyn boys stand by with their own, often wacky, advice.

Chapter One “Beer, Babes and Bowel Movements,” illustrated by Kevin Colden, (with “Photocomix” by Seth) debuts on Monday, January 9. From there, a new chapter will appear on TripCity.net every second Monday for one year. Every fourth Monday will see the release of a prose piece, “THE SCHMUCK DIARIES.” These will act as supplements to the comics. 2012 will see the release of 12 SCHMUCK comix and 12 SCHMUCK DIARIES.

SCHMUCK is an anthology series with different artists illustrating short “schmucky stories,” which can be read individually, or together to tell the complete narrative. Some upcoming SCHMUCK artists include; Sean Pryor (Pekar Project), Bobby Timony (Night Owls), Omar Angulo (Hurricane Wilma), Shamus Beyale (The Grimm Fairy Tales), Ryan Alexander-Tanner (To Teach), Nathan Schreiber (Power-Out), Chris Sinderson (Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies) and more TBA.

What to expect: heartbreak, diarrhea, painful STD removal, rejection, Kung-Fu, Natalie Portman, vomit, boobs, self-loathing, unkempt genital regions, sex with an ex, drunkenness, sexual dysfunction, depression, misogyny, and somehow, hope.

Read SCHMUCK Chapter One: Beer, Babes and Bowel Movements.

http://bit.ly/xd6CRx

Before They Were Rockstars: Seth Kushner

K2 Creative Management, the agency that represents me for photo assignment work posted a nice feature on me where I talk about how I got into photography, my first job working at a photo lab while in high school, the embarrassing situation surrounding my Eric Bogosian and my first professional shoot for the NY Times Magazine, the people I’d most like to shoot, and more. Also, some of my work is displayed and look for a cringe-worthy old photo of me at the bottom.

Before they were rockstars: Seth Kushner

CITY POINT PROJECT

This past spring I was fortunate enough to have worked on one of the most creatively rewarding project of my professional career. I was contracted by the progressive and award-winning branding agency, Co-Op to work on the branding campaign for the soon-to-be developed City Point, a high-end mall in downtown Brooklyn. The concept of the campaign was to cast real Brooklynites to represent the future shopper at the mall, and to shoot them in real Brooklyn locations. The project was right up my alley.

I was very involved in the casting and in the location scouting. Having co-authored the book, The Brooklynites, where I photographed over 300 real, live Brookynites, and having worked on several Brooklyn-centric projects over the years, I can confidently refer to myself as an “expert” on the borough where I was born, raised and proudly reside.

I culled potential subjects from my virtual rolodex of fascinating peeps from Brooklyn, and threw them into the mix of potentials collected by the agency and my agents and the dozens were narrowed down to 24, including; singer/songwriter Maya Azucena, poets Caits Meissner and Tishon Woodcock, stylist Belinda Martin, DJ Jason Jinx and many, many great subjects including some old friends and even my god-daughter.

My approach for these photographic portraits were a bit different from my usual. The look was to be very “open and clean” so I went with a near shadow-less lighting approach and a very wide-open lens aperture to achieve a shallow depth of field, allowing the subject to stand out from their Brooklyn surroundings.

The photos were designed with real quotes from the subjects, as seen below. They were used for trade show displays and for the just launched City Point website, CityPointBrooklyn.com.

I Hated Star Trek

I have a confession to make. One I’ve never revealed to anyone ever. I am not a life-long Star Trek fan. My love goes back only twenty-five of my thirty-eight years. As a child I hated Star Trek.

I hated Star Trek.

The original Star Trek series, the one that ran for 79 episodes between 1966 and 1969, played in syndication throughout my childhood on WPIX Channel 11 here in New York. I remember watching it occasionally on weekend afternoons but as a child raised on Star Wars, fast paced and action packed, the slower Trek seemed boring and slow with antiquated special effects. I guess I had the same problem the network had when it originally aired—it was too “cerebral.”

Continue reading my personal essay (and viewing my TreK con photos) on my history with Star Trek and how it relates to my life-long friendship with my buddy, Martin at TRIP CITY.

Patrick Stewart and My Father

Part of the reason I co-created TRIP CITY with Dean Haspiel and Chris Miskiewicz was to have a venue to post the type of material I most wanted to work on, no matter how esoteric or personal. This past week, I posted a prose piece which is very personal. In PATRICK STEWART AND MY FATHER I write about the connection that exists [for me] between the great Shakespearian actor who portrayed Star Trek's Captain Picard, and my father.

This past September marked the fourteenth anniversary of my father's passing and it's taken me until now to be able to write about him, albeit in the form of a personal/pop-culture essay. I'm proud of the piece, so please have a look -
PATRICK STEWART AND MY FATHER

TRIP CITY Podcast: Michael Moore

One of the advantages of working on TRIP CITY out of HANG DAI Studios is the proximity to BookCourt, Brooklyn’s premiere independent bookstore. It’s right downstairs. Aside from being able to take a break from work to peruse the bestseller shelf, the store offers regular readings and signings with top authors. We brokered a deal with Zack Zook, the shop’s second-generation proprietor to occasionally cull subjects for the TRIP CITY Podcast from their visiting guest list. The idea for the first such team-up came when Zack excitedly informed us filmmaker Michael Moore would be appearing to promote his new book, HERE COMES TROUBLE.

We’re all fans of Mr. Moore’s films. I fondly remember seeing his first film, ROGER & ME back when I was in high school and watching his television series TV NATION when I was in college. More recently I’ve enjoyed and was challenged by his thoughtful, sardonic, in-your-face brand of social activism in such films as BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and FARENHEIT 9/11.

Our concept for the TRIP CITY Podcast interviews is to have each subject interviewed by a different TRIP CITY contributor, in an artist-to-artist situation where the interviewer would be someone with the right pedigree to spark an interesting conversation. In thinking who might be the best choice to interview Michael Moore, the answer came to us in the form of a visiting friend: Comics author Dan Goldman, whose works include SHOOTING WAR, the nonfiction graphic novel 08: A GRAPHIC DIARY OF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL and his current haunted real-estate series RED LIGHT PROPERTIES.

We were granted fifteen minutes for Dan to conduct the interview and for me to do a quick photoshoot. It all happened in the back of BookCourt. It was a team effort. Dean Haspiel and I recorded the interview as Dan asked the questions, touching on Moore’s new book HERE COMES TROUBLE, unchecked capitalism and the #Occupy movement. All the while, our pal Josh Frankel snapped behind-the-scenes photos with my camera.

Mr. Moore graciously gave us more time than we expected, answering all of Dan’s questions thoughtfully and honestly, and even found time to ask Dan about his chest hair!

Produced by Chris Miskiewicz this this first installment of the TRIP CITY Podcast also features:

A round table discussion with TRIP CITY founders Dean Haspiel, Chris Miskiewicz and Seth Kushner, conducted by Jef UK. We talk about how TRIP CITY came about, our current work appearing on the site, and our plans for future contributions.

Chris’s New York Comic-Con 2011 report, wherein he asks top cartoonists about the cuisine at the con.

Ron Scalzo’s first installment of “Ronnie’s Story,” a regular 60-second bit.

For the outro, Americans UK’s single “You Can’t Kill The Americans UK.”

We have big plans for the podcast, so please come back to hear future installments featuring guests; Henry Rollins, Ben Katchor and more.

Listen to the first TRIP CITY Podcast.

CulturePOP Photocomix: Jonathan Ames

I first met author Jonathan Ames about 5 or 6 years ago when I took his portrait for my book, The Brooklynites. I've photographed him twice since then, and material all three shoots are utilized in this latest CulturePOP Photocomix profile. The text/quotes are culled from several places and have been edited to tell the story of Jonathan's fascination with Brooklyn's Williamsburg Bank Building and how he believes it to be the most phallic building on earth.

The piece ties in nicely, I believe, with the current season of Jonathan's HBO series, Bored To Death, in which his alter-ego played by Jason Schwartzman now resides in the building and in the premiere hangs from the clock facade Harold Lloyd style.

See my Photocomix profile on Jonathan Ames and all future episodes exclusively on TripCity.net.

CulturePOP now on TRIP City

WELCOME TO TRIP CITY

WELCOME TO TRIP CITY

Press Release for November 1st, 2011
Contact: tripcityinfo@gmail.com
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/tripcitynews



TRIP CITY is a Brooklyn-filtered literary arts salon launching November 1st, 2011 at WelcomeToTripCity.com. The multimedia website features free content curated by a host of creative heavyweights. "TRIP CITY reinvents the online arts collective with a virtual playground for a diverse set of accomplished and highly individualistic creators,” says Emmy Award winning cartoonist and TRIP CITY founder, Dean Haspiel, “spanning every borough of artistic endeavor from the visual arts to literature, music, video and beyond."

TRIP CITY is the exclusive home of united individuals exploring new media to achieve a modern salon. Brooklyners Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, Bored to Death), Seth Kushner (The Brooklynites, CulturePOP Photocomix), Chris Miskiewicz (Everywhere), and Jeffrey Burandt aka Jef UK (Americans UK), will release exclusive content at TRIP CITY, combining avenues of expression such as podcasts and profiles, including upcoming portraits and exclusive interviews with Jonathan Ames, Marc Maron, Ben Katchor, Michael Moore, Henry Rollins, Dan Goldman, and Moby. Additionally, a fellowship of regular contributors will provide their original voices to TRIP CITY, including, Joe Infurnari (MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues, Marathon), Nick Bertozzi (The Salon, Lewis & Clark), Jennifer Hayden (Underwire), Nick Abadzis (Laika), Jen Ferguson (Art in Chaos), Ron Scalzo (Bald Freak Music), Amy Finkel (Furever), Kevin Colden [Fishtown], and The Perv Whisperer (The Perv Whisperer).

TRIP CITY is a digital experience with future plans to take some of the content and perform it live on the road. “Working with so many Brooklyn locals, we have this great sense of community right out of the gate,” says Jef UK. “Then, when we take the next step and turn TRIP CITY into a live event—which is in the works—our tribe is already gathered, so to speak.”

The TRIP CITY launch will feature Dean Haspiel's “Bring Me The Heart Of Billy Dogma,” Seth Kushner's CulturePOP Photocomix profile of Bored To Death's Jonathan Ames, Chris Miskiewicz & Kate McElroy's “Adrift,” Jef Uk's “The Better Head,” Joe Infurnari's “Memoirs of the Kid Immortal,” Nick Bertozzi's “Lad Zeppelin,” Jennifer Hayden's “S'Crapbook,” Nick Abadzis' “Subterranean Stories,” Jen Ferguson's “Metrollpolis,” Kevin Colden's “Baby With A Mohawk,” Ron Scalzo's "A Dozen Movies That Scared The Shit Out Of Me, Revisited” featuring PSYCHO with an illustration by Rick Parker, and the inaugural TRIP CITY Podcast highlighting a round table interview with the TRIP CITY founders, Chris Miskiewicz' New York Comicon 2011 report, Ron Scalzo's “Ronnie's Story,” graphic novelist, Dan Goldman's exclusive interview with filmmaker, Michael Moore, and the Americans UK’s single “You Can’t Kill The Americans UK.”

http://welcometotripcity.com/

BRIAN AZZARELLO - LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS

Continuing to catch up on these last group of subjects. The most recent profiled on the site is writer Brian Azzarello, best know for his work on 100 Bullets, Joker, Batman: Knight of Vengeance and the new Vertogo series, Spacemen.

The portrait was taken during a trip to Chicago last spring and is meant to invoke Brian's noirish writing style.

Read the GRAPHIC NYC Profile on Brian Azzarello-
Brian Azzarello on Crime and Superheroes

DAN DIDIO - LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS

My shoot with DC Comics Co-Publisher (with Jim Lee) Dan Didio was a classic situation of making something happen in spite of having almost no time. This past spring, Chris Irving and I were finalizing subjects for and it occurred to us we had too many subjects telling the Marvel Comics side of the equation and not enough representing DC Comics. A bunch of calls and emails later and we were granted a short window of 30-minutes with Dan to do the shoot and interview.

When we arrived, we were informed that our time needed to be cut to just 20-minutes, since Dan had an important meeting. There seemed to be something top secret brewing at DC's offices and we almost saw something on the wall of Dan's office before we were quickly ushered out. I now believe it was all about DC's New 52 publishing plan, which had yet to be announced at that time.

We sat in the reception area, under a life-sized statue of Superman, as Dan answered Chris's questions at light speed. I knew my only options for the shoot would be to do something with the statue and/or the Metropolis mural by the elevator bank.

As the interview was winding down, the publicist asked me if I was getting what I needed. I told him the interview seemed to be going great. No, he meant the photos. Photos? I hadn't taken any yet! He had assumed I would shoot while the interview was being conducted, but I don't work that way--I needed a posed photo. Well, we were out of time, I was told.

Please, just give me three minutes. I can make it happen in three minutes.

I shot 17 frames in those three minutes utilizing the two spots in the reception area. A version of the one with Superman will be used in the book. I like how The Man of Steel becomes a design element to frame Dan and perhaps comment.

It was definitely one of my faster shoots, but thankfully my career shooting celebrity-types has prepared me well for situations such as these.

See the Dan Didio featuring my photos, Chris's interview-based essay and art from his comics work here.

CulturePOP Photocomix preview: Jonathan Ames

Grant Morrison - Leaping Tall Buildings

Much of my time this past summer has been spent finishing up my part on the book, LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: The Origins of American Comics. While Chris Irving has been editing the text and our designer Eric Skillman has been creating layouts, I've been a) making final, hi-res version of all of my photographic portraits and b), with the help of my intern, India, collecting art from all of the subjects to go along with their profile and portrait. It's been a massive amount of work for everyone involved.

We thought we had all the material together for the approximately 60 subjects whose stories and art would tell the narrative of comics history in the book. We were out of space, and in fact, we were way over the 240-page count our publisher powerHouse books had granted us. 60 pages over! But, there was one particular subject who had eluded us and it always bugged me that he wasn't in the book, so I figured I'd try Grant Morrison one more time. He lives between Scotland and LA, so it was mostly proximity which kept him from us, but he was scheduled to be in NYC to promote his new book Supergods, and he graciously found some time to meet with us.



Grant Morrison is a rockstar comics creator, who even in his superhero work manages to challenge the reader with his use of thought-provoking trippy futurism which looks back as it looks forward, and his big IDEAS. His work on Batman these past few years forces the reader to pay attention or get lost forever and his All Star Superman brings 50s era comic tropes to the 21st century in a story of epic beauty. Anyway, yeah, I'm a fan.

The shoot happened over 20 minutes in his midtown hotel room. Grant was gracious and patient and willing to experiment. I showed up with no concept whatsoever except I knew experimentation would be needed. Grant is a striking looking fella' and clearly a great subject and the interesting patterned wallpaper and mirrors in the room provided me with the rest. The photo at the top is the one that will be in the book. I think the viewer can interpret it several ways and I like that. I have my own interpretation, based upon his work and the often meta qualities, but I think it best to leave it vague.

See the Graphic NYC profile of Grant Morrison, featuring my photos, Chris's interview-based essay and art from his comics work here.

Marc Maron

I first met comedian Marc Maron about 6 or 7 years ago when I was assigned by Heeb Magazine to shoot him for their Heeb 100 issue. At the time, Maron hosted a show on the Air America radio network and I wasn't at all familiar with him.

Last year, I became addicted with Maron's WTF podcast, an interview-based show recoded in his LA garage, where he chats in-depth with comedians. His brutally honest humor and frank discussions have me and many, many others checking back every Monday and Thursday, when new episodes are posted.

Recently, I saw Maron had a live broadacast scheduled at the Bell House, here in Brooklyn, and I thought he'd make a great CulturePOP Photocomix subject, so I emailed him at the old address I had from years ago to my great excitement, he quickly responded and plans were made through his publicist.

Maron had a full schedule planned for his visit to Brooklyn, so I was only given 30 minutes before his show to make it happen. Myself and my friend/studio-mate/CP editor and fellow WTF fan, Dean Haspiel worked up a series of questions which would lead Maron to give us the quotes we'd need for the text and we worked as a tag team (like Iron Sheik and Nicolai Volkoff) to get 15 minutes of solid talk out of him. He gave us the goods, being his usual caustic, honest and self-deprecating self.

For the shoot, I walked Maron through several locations at the Bell House, very quickly in order to be sure to get the variety of visuals need in order to make a proper photocomix profile. He was a great subject for me giving me a range of poses and reactions and also being spontaneous, as seen in the preview photos here.

Maron was a great 'get' for project and I look forward to showing the full piece in a couple of months. For now, I'll post a few of the more straight "portraits" from the session. More soon.

CulturePOP Photocomix Tribute to "Our Man" Harvey Pekar (RIP)

CulturePOP Photocomix Tribute to "Our Man" Harvey Pekar (RIP)
by Seth Kushner
Edited by Jeff Newelt & Dean Haspiel
Interview by Christopher Irving
See it--http://activatecomix.com/104-25-1.comic

Seth Kushner's CulturePOP: Photocomix Profiles of Real-Life Characters returns (see info below for previous 24 episodes) to ActivateComix.com on Tuesday, July 12 2011 with a special tribute to Harvey Pekar, on the one-year anniversary of his death.

The 25-page piece, the 25th CulturePOP profile, features photos of the autobio comix pioneer, taken by Kushner just a few months prior to his untimely death, fused with quotes by an interview conducted by Christopher Irving the day of the shoot, to make a "fumetti" / photocomix equivalent to an American Splendor comic.

In addition to the words of Pekar himself, the piece includes photos of, quotes from, and illustrations by some of Pekar's collaborators; Josh Neufeld (artist, American Splendor), Dean Haspiel, (artist, The Quitter + American Splendor), Jeff Newelt (editor, Pekar Project & upcoming Harvey Pekar's Cleveland), Ted Hope (American Splendor film producer), Joseph Remnant (artist, Harvey Pekar's CLEVELAND) Shari Springer-Berman & Robert Pulcini (directors, American Splendor film) and Michael Taylor (script supervisor). Plus, Joyce Brabner, Harvey's widow and collaborator talks about her plan to have a monument erected to Harvey in Cleveland.

"I didn't know Harvey very well at all, not personally at least." Kushner says. "I knew him as many did, through his comics, and the great film, American Splendor. I've worked with Dean & Jeff on this tribute for months and I hope it will stand as a fitting one to a man whose seemingly ordinary, but unique voice, influenced and uplifted so many. Harvey Pekar, a seemingly ordinary guy from Cleveland, a former file clerk, made an indelible mark on comics, influenced several generations of comics creators, and died too soon."

See it--http://activatecomix.com/104-25-1.comic

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS - Chris Claremont

As Christopher and I and designer Eric Skillman work on finishing LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS to meet our publisher's deadline we'll be occasionally posting profiles from the last batch of sessions, like the recent two-part profile on legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont.

When I was 9-years old and I first started collecting monthly comics, Claremont's name, along with Frank Miller's, was among the first I knew in comics. His X-Men was instrumental in the early days of my obsession. I remember issue 181, the post Secret Wars issue in Japan, was the first I bought, followed by a several-year long back-issue hunt to fill the gaps. I eventually collected back as far as issue 125, and earlier sporadic issues. All that said, it was a thrill to sit in the living room of his Brooklyn house and hear all the behind-the-scenes stories of those classic issues. Have a look a the profiles and see for yourself.

Chris Claremont on Evolving the X-Men, Part One

Chris Claremont on Evolving the X-Men, Part Two