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Awards
The Slate Book Review and the Center for Cartoon Studies are proud to announce the nominees for the seventh annual Cartoonist Studio Prize. The winner in each of our categories will be announced April 12. Each winner will receive $1,000 and eternal glory.
On the shortlist of nominees for Best Web Comic of the Year 2018 are
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes and This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow.
Here is the list of all nominees.
Jobs
Graphic Designer, Marketing – Orbit
Orbit is the science fiction and fantasy imprint of Hachette Book Group.
Working closely with the Orbit division’s marketing team, the Graphic Designer will be responsible for designing and producing advertising, promotional and sales materials for Orbit and Redhook, and contributing creatively to marketing campaign planning.
Apply here.
Animation
Warner Bros. Animation’s new series of Looney Tunes shorts will debut on Monday, June 10, at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The new shortform series, spearheaded by Pete Browngardt (creator of Uncle Grandpa), promises a return to “cartoonist-driven” filmmaking, the approach that was used on the classic Looney Tunes shorts made between the 1930s-1950s. It’s the first time in nearly 60 years that Warner Bros. is using this approach in an extensive way for its Looney Tunes program. In the cartoonist-driven approach, artists come up with everything from the premise though the gags and story, and the finished cartoons may reflect the individual cartooning styles and personalities of the artists who are making them.
The first “season” of the new Looney Tunes shorts will be comprised of 1,000 minutes of animation, with each short varying from one to six minutes in length. WB intends to distribute the shorts across multiple platforms including digital, mobile, and broadcast.
Amid Amidi, at Cartoon Brew, has the details.
Gag-Thievery
Did you hear the joke about the comedian who (allegedly) stole another comedian’s joke? Ask Alex Kaseberg, who claims Conan O’Brien committed joke theft by stealing bits about Caitlyn Jenner, Tom Brady, and the Washington Monument.
The bigger story is that joke theft is no joke, pun very much intended. At issue is copyright infringement, intellectual property, damages, and a look at how the Hollywood-industrial complex works.
These questions raise the question: If joke theft is an act of copyright infringement, will celebrity comics have to change their acts? The process of writing a joke would then be no different than writing a term paper: a footnote for every line, a fee for every punchline, a royalty for every repeat.
Another question is how this would affect cartoonists. I don’t see how this would work with current events. Would the first one out with the idea that becomes the famous Cartoon Yahtzee receive royalties from the others?
Forbes reports.
Copyright-ness
A judge praises the “highly creative” nature of “Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!” and doesn’t see sufficient evidence that the book will harm Dr. Seuss’ position in the children’s book market.
Almost a year ago, ComicMix beat back trademark claims over a crowdfunded book project titled Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! In that decision, the judge referenced a 1986 Federico Fellini film and the Fox hip-hop drama Empire before coming to the conclusion that the work in controversy wasn’t explicitly misleading about its association with the company that owns Dr. Seuss rights.
Now comes the follow-up summary judgment ruling on the copyright end, with U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino invoking a hot dispute over the use of computer code, the promotional poster to Naked Gun 33?: The Final Insult and viral videos. Ultimately, the judge is convinced that Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! makes fair use of Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go.
The Hollywood Reporter reports the ruling. Fan Film Factor gives some background.
Comic Cameo
Hundreds of auction items — from chef-prepared backyard cookouts to an Indy car ride around the Detroit Grand Prix race course – are going to help kids who play in a Huntington Woods park.
Shade is in short supply during the warm months at the Burton Community Park in Huntington Woods and the city’s Men’s Club wants to help visitors beat the heat.
Resident Jef Mallet is a nationally syndicated cartoonist and has made a intriguing donation for the auction, Cooper said.
“The winning bidder will be written into the comic strip with their name and likeness,” he said. “Jef will also give the winner the pencil draft of the strip” the winner appears in.
Details.
NEWspaper
BuzzFeed published a newspaper.
NiemanLab reports.
But did it have a comics page?