AWARDS

The Eisner judges have been announced and the Comics Reporter has the press release on how to submit (nudge, nudge) your comics for consideration. The panel of judges for the 2007 awards consists of:

• Robin Brenner, teen librarian;
• Whitney Matheson, blogger;
• Christopher P. Reilly, comics writer;
• James Sime, comics book retailer; and
  
• Jeff VanderMeer, writer

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

• Cartoonist Chris Ware won a grant from a new foundation called United States Artists.
  

DEAD TREES

• Jim Zubkavich recounts the very recent party and book signing he held for the release of the Makeshift Miracle in print.
• ICv2 has an interview with First Second - the publishers of Gene Yang's American Born Chinese book. The book is apparently selling quite well as the book heads towards a third printing.
  
• Bill Amend is going to Sundays-only for his popular comic strip Foxtrot. Tom Spurgeon puts Foxtrot's newspaper count at 1000+. Foxtrot debuted in 1988 and has filled a geek/family/school niche in the newspapers ever since. Amend's stated reasons for the move are about freeing up time to tackle other creative projects.

• Fleen has two interviews: one with Chris VonGompel, the creator of Hockey Zombie, (que es mas offensive?!) and the other with Dave Kellett, creator of Sheldon.
• Don't forget Comixpedia has two interviews this month: one with Tyson Smith of Pirate and Alien and the other with Tom Siddell of Gunnerkrigg Court.

• The New York Times loves Roz Chast. Does a cartoonist like Chast exist without the New Yorker? Not intended as 100% snark but a reflection on how a certain species of cartoon has flourished (relatively) because of that magazine's patronage.