#1 - Port Washington

My first talk at the Port Washington Library went pretty well. I did blank out a couple of times, which taught me a lesson for the rest of the talks: don't stray too far from my notes. I also seem to have lost a page of notes about the 1970s revival of Captain Marvel, and had to ad-lib it. There were no kids in the audience, which I guess shouldn't have surprised me on a school day. But the people who were there were a good audience, and they were familiar with all the classic comic strips: Toonerville Folks, Smilin' Jack, Gasoline Alley.

One man asked a question about the European character Tintin, which I mentioned briefly in my presentation. Another said he was a fan of the modern comic strip, Brian Crane's Pickles, which has been running since 1991. It's a favorite of mine, too.

Today's 2pm talk at the Mineola Memorial Library should bring in a more diverse group, being on a Saturday afternoon. I hope they enjoy the show.

The Comics: A Sketchy History

Wow... has it been almost a year and a half since I last posted here? I'll make an effort to do better. (For a while, anyway. ;)

This afternoon, I'm giving the first of four talks this week on the history of comics. Two hours from now, I'll be setting up my presentation in the Port Washington Library. I'm hoping the rain won't discourage too many people from coming.

I'l be repeating the presentation tomorrow at 2pm at the Mineola Library; again next Tuesday, 10/20, at 7pm in the Hillside Library in New Hyde Park, NY; and finally, Wednesday, 10/21, at 7:30pm at the Comsewogue Library in Port Jefferson Station. Only people with valid Comsewogue library cards will be admitted to the last one, but anyone is welcome at the others.

I'll post comments here after each of the sessions, and I'd enjoy reading comments from anyone who attended them.

In the weeks to come, I'll make an attempt to keep this blog more active. I'll be writing short reviews of graphic novels and cartooning books, some old and some new. I'll also comment from time to time on comics-related news, or whatever else crosses my mind. If you've read this far, I hope you'll come back to visit.