Recap of the 2013 ManhattanNCS Holiday Party!

The 2013 Holiday Party has come and gone, 

and we have the pictures to prove it!

Friday December 6th was the big holiday extravaganza at the Society of Illustrators in Manhattan, and I'm happy to say, it was a tremendous success.

It was close to a capacity crowd on the 3rd floor of the Society, as people packed in to share in the holiday cheer and help celebrate the return of the fabulous NCS ACE Awards after a 15 year hiatus!
(All photos by Maria Scrivan, unless otherwise noted)

Early in the evening, the room starts to fill up.  Photo by Ed Steckley

Mark Parisi and Sam Gross.

Mark Parisi, Ed Steckley and Al Jaffee.  Photo (selfie!) by Mark Parisi

Tom and Sandy Gammil, Karen O'Connell and John Stevens.  

The room fills up. 

The guest of honor was legendary TV personality Al Roker, who graced the crowd with charming stories and impromptu drawing, and a hilarious and heartfelt speech about his love of cartoons, drawing, and appreciation for the Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinaire award.

Al and Ed. 

Al does some drawing.

Food, drinks and merriment abound, as NCS members (and some non) from around the country came out to celebrate with us.  Chapters from as far as LA were represented, as people flew in for the party and spent the holiday weekend in NYC.  Off the top of my head, I can say with certainty that along with the Burndt Toast Gang from Long Island, Los Angeles and the Connecticut chapter, the SouthEast chapter, Pittsburgh, Philly and New England were also represented!  And, All proceeds from the event are going to the InkWell Foundation.

Larry Katzman, Bunny Hoest and Lynn Parisi.

Ed starts the festivities as Charlie Kochman giggles incessantly.

Ed announces Elizabeth Winter of the Inkwell Foudation.  Photo by Bill Janocha

In addition to a nifty plaque, Ed presents Al with a watercolor caricature.

"Oh- is that supposed to be me??"

Al delights the crowd.

Arnold Roth took the podium near the end of the night and had people rolling in the aisles.

Pedro DelGado, Heather and Ed Steckley.  Photo by Bill Janocha

If you're looking to plan ahead, mark the first Saturday of December, the 6th, 2014 as the next holiday bash put on by the ManhattanNCS!  (Too soon??)

Announcing the recipient of the 2013 ACE Awards!

Just a few days to register for the big ManhattanNCS Holiday party....

Get you tickets now for the holiday party and the return of the

Fabulous ACE Awards!

Join us for the return of the Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinaire, 

and the 2013 recipient....

TV legend Al Roker!

A little history of the ACE awards: 
The “AMATEUR CARTOONIST EXTRAORDINARY” award is given to a celebrity or notable who aspired at one time to become a cartoonist, but whose path led them to an entirely different career.  Past recipients have included Carol Burnett, Hugh Hefner, Tom Wolfe, Denis Leary and Morley Safer.

Who will be the first recipient of the new millenium?  You'll have to wait and see!  I can guarantee, this will be a lot of fun.

Here's the info:

Friday, December 6th, 6pm-9pm

Society of Illustrators, in the dining room.

128 East 63rd St, between Park and Lexington.

$20 for NCS members, $25 for non-members.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER...

Register now for the 2013 

ManhattanNCS Holiday Party 

on Friday, December 6!

Due to overwhelming demand, we've set up a registry for the ManhattanNCS holiday party.  Register now to secure your spot in the festivities!

Tickets

NCS Member $20.00 USD Non-NCS Member $25.00 USD

Hors d'oeuvres included!  In NYC at Christmas?? What a deal!

Make plans now to attend our holiday bash, back at the spectacular 

Society of Illustrators in Manhattan!

The holiday season in New York City is a wonderful time to come out and see the sights, and now we can all ring in the holidays together, and with style, at the Society! 

Come out and eat, drink and be merry with us in The Big Apple!  

Here's the info:

Friday, December 6th, 6pm-9pm

Society of Illustrators, in the dining room.

128 East 63rd St, between Park and Lexington.

For a list of hotels in the area, go here: 
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=hotels&find_loc=Society+of+Illustrators%2C+NYC&ns=1&ls=288c87c2f0cb4087

Any questions, contact Ed at ed@edsteckley.com
See you December!

Tickets

NCS Member $20.00 USD Non-NCS Member $25.00 USD

Who says it's too early to plan for the Holidays..?

Announcing the 2013 ManhattanNCS Holiday Party!

Friday, December 6 at
The Society of Illustrators!

Click Arnie's artwork to register...

Official Artwork by Arnold Roth.

It's official!  Make plans now to attend our holiday bash, back at the spectacular Society of illustrators in Manhattan!

The holiday season in New York City is a wonderful time to come out and see the sights, and now we can all ring in the holidays together, and with style, at the Society!
Come out and eat, drink and be merry with us in The Big Apple!  

Need another reason to come out?  Hold on to your hats:
This function will herald in the return of the spectacular... 

ACE Awards!

A little history of the ACE awards: 
The “AMATEUR CARTOONIST EXTRAORDINARY” award is given to a celebrity or notable who aspired at one time to become a cartoonist, but whose path led them to an entirely different career.  Past recipients have included Carol Burnett, Hugh Hefner, Tom Wolfe, Al Roker, Denis Leary and Morley Safer.

Who will be the first recipient of the new millenium?  You'll have to wait and see!  I can guarantee, this will be a lot of fun.

Here's the info:

Friday, December 6th, 6pm-9pm

Society of Illustrators, in the dining room.

128 East 63rd St, between Park and Lexington.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER...

Admission is $20 for NCS members, $25 for non-NCS members.

This includes food!  In Manhattan??  What a deal!

Hotel group rates will be available, more info on that soon!

All proceeds from the event to to the InkWell Foundation!

Highlights from the October Happy Hour!

Wednesday, October 23rd marked another of our monthly NCS happy hours at the Society of Illustrators!

The event coincided with a talk by cartoonist Marion Nestle about her new book, "Eat, Drink, Vote", and a talk with Jeff Danziger and Signe Wilkinson.  A few members got to see her talk downstairs before heading up to the third floor for the food and drinks.  There's never a dull moment at these Happy Hours!

Ed reads Al Jaffee's Tall Tales book. 

Joyce Jaffee and Caroline Roth console each other.

Maria Scrivan and the lovely Al Jaffee.

What Al does when he's supposed to be paying attention.

Bob 'Red & Stimpy' Camp amuses himself while C-3PO looks on in dismay.

Caroline introduces Signe Wilkinson, who's wondering how she wound up with this group.

The result of Al Jaffee defacing the Society's halloween decorations.

The next happy hour is Wednesday, November 20th!  Hope to see you there!

Our October Happy Hour is fast approaching!

Come on out this Wednesday, October 23rd!

"Man, I need a drink!"

Here's the details!

Society of Illustrators
128 E 63rd, between Park and Lex
3rd floor

Time: 7-9pm

Come on up for complimentary hors d'oeuvres, a swanky bar and swanky people!

Please RSVP, Ed at ed@edsteckley.com or 413-478-4314.

See you Wednesday!

Manhattan NCS Happy Hour and Peter Kuper opening @ the Society of Illustrators

This past Wednesday, September 25th, was the National Cartoonist Society Manhattan Chapter's September happy-hour gathering at the Society of Illustrators, coinciding with the opening reception for Peter Kuper's "Drawn to New York" exhibit. Peter was on hand to meet admirers and sign copies of his numerous books. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Peter by Columbia University's Karen Green, also in attendance, and we talked about comics, Brooklyn, and Nobrow.

[Pictured: Cartoonist Gregory Benton and Peter Kuper]

Also on display in the dining room was a wide selection of work by illustrator Gregory Manchess. Awarded for both mainstream and SF&F illustration, his oil paintings have been showcased for numerous books and magazines such as Omni, and Rolling Stone as well as covers for Atlantic Monthly, Time, and National Geographic.  His portrait of Mark Twain was featured on a Forever Stamp for the USPS. I had the opportunity of meeting Gregory a year or two ago when we both contributed illustrations for Under the Moons of Mars, a collection based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter stories. We discussed his upcoming [SOLD OUT!] lecture at the Society this coming Friday, September 27th, and what great places the Society, and NYC in general, are.

[Pictured: work by Gregory Manchess]

Mostly, it was an evening of food, drink and conversation. Cartoonist Marc Bilgrey and I talked about our recent work, Ray Alma spoke briefly about some of his latest excursions with the USO, and I had an interesting conversation with the inimitable Arnold Roth about numerous subjects including some of the history of the ACE (Amateur Cartoonist Extraordinary) Awards and Milton Caniff and his work. Danny Fingeroth and Al Jaffee were also there to share a few tales. Cartoonist Gregory Benton, a former assistant of Peter Kuper's, introduced me to his friend, artist/writer Scott Cunningham. We discussed home studios, cats, Archie Comics, and I broke a glass using only the power of my mind (and an errant elbow.)

[Pictured left to right: Ray Alma, Al Jaffee, Taylor Jones, Caroline Roth, Arnold Roth]

As always, a fun and illuminating time! (Sorry about the glass!)

It's time for the September 

ManhattanNCS Happy Hour!

This month marks the return of our regular happy hours,  at the fabulous Society of Illustrators!  

Hop up to the 3rd floor for free hors d'oeurves, cash bar and good times!  Here's the info:

Date: Wednesday, Sept 25th
Time: 7-9pm
Where: the Society of Illustrators, 128 E 63rd, at Lexington, NYC

If you plan on coming, please click here to RSVP me, or email, ed@edsteckley.com so I can give the the Society of head count.


Hope to see you there!

Ed Steckley
NCSManhattan Chair
NCS Nat'l Rep
Cat Wrangler

Maria Scrivan debuts on GoComics.com!

Here's a Big Deal:
Maria Scrivan, friend of the ManhattanNCS,s cartoon

Half Full  debuts today on GoComics.com!

From Maria's Press Release...

Strip Summary:

Hall Full gives a unique and intelligent insight to the truths and trials of everyday life. 

From airline travel to social media, couples therapy or house hunting, it’s not always easy to see the bright side but if you

wait long enough, there might be something to laugh about.

Creator Bio:

Maria’s work appears in a wide variety of publications including MAD

Magazine, Parade Magazine, Prospect Magazine (UK), Salon.com,

Mashable.com, Funny Times and Yoga Chicago Magazine.

Her artwork is also licensed with NobleWorks Cards, American Greetings and CheckAdvantage. 

Maria is a member of the National Cartoonists Society.

Maria is a member of the Connecticut chapter, but she's a regular at our NYC happy hours.  This is a well deserved honor, as she's a super talented and hard working and driven cartoonist.

Way to go, Maria!  And like we said, "Big Deal"!

Kandalaft's "That Monkey Tune" launches at GoComics

Michael Kandalaft, Friend of the Manhattan NCS and Connecticut Chapter Member, has been writing and drawing "That Monkey Tune" since 2006 when he launched the strip as a webcomic. In 2010, "TMT" started appearing in newspapers, through which it now reaches over 250,000 daily readers nationwide. Now, Kandalaft reaches yet another milestone as the strip launches at GoComics.com.

GoComics.com is the web's largest catalog of syndicated newspaper strips and web comics, offering new, fresh and free content every day. Classic and iconic cartoons include Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield, Ziggy and Dilbert. Recent successes include FoxTrot, Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, The Argyle Sweater, The Boondocks and Cul De Sac. Readers can choose between free or paid subscriptions and have their favorite comics delivered daily via email.

"That Monkey Tune" is a daily comic strip for all ages about cute, funny, and lovable monkeys. Featuring Elliot - the emotional, fun-loving, and full-of-smiles 6-year-old little monkey; and Beagly - the intellectual, logical, patient monkey who is wise beyond his 8 years of age. When these monkeys arent' at odds with each other, they are making us laugh as they romp through the world around them with enough energy, innocence, and rambunctiousness to make your day!

The Manhattan NCS sends a hearty CONGRATULATIONS Michael's way, and wishes him and his monkeys continued success!

CLICK HERE TO READ "THAT MONKEY TUNE" AT GOCOMICS.COM

Cartoon Art Museum’s Third Thursday presents 

Laydeez Do Comics with special guest  Manhattan NCS member

Isabella Bannerman 

Thursday, August 15, 2013 from 5:00-8:00 pm

Free and open to the public

San Francisco, CA:  The Cartoon Art Museum’s Third Thursday late-night gallery hours and Laydeez Do Comics host special guest Isabella Bannerman for a presentation on August 15, 2013 from 5-8 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Ms. Bannerman will discuss her recent contribution to "Women Deliver, The World Receives", the exhibit and book of international cartoons about women's rights curated by New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly for Women Deliver, an amazing non-profit organization that is all about helping women and girls around the world.

[More info and a slideshow of some of the cartoons HERE.

About Isabella Bannerman:

Isabella Bannerman has been a cartoonist since 1987, when she was in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Her work has been in many publications, including Glamour, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, World War 3 Illustrated and The Funny Times <http://www.funnytimes.com/> . <http://www.worldwar3illustrated.org/>  As an animator, she has contributed to MTV, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and the TV show Doug. Her Coffee God image is licensed by Northern Sun <http://www.northernsun.com/Coffee-Worship-Poster-%284149%29.html>  . Isabella is the Monday artist for Six Chix, a comic strip syndicated by King Features <http://kingfeatures.com/comics/comics-a-z/?id=6Chix> syndicate. Six Chix can be seen daily throughComics Kingdom <http://www.oregonlive.com/comics-kingdom/?feature_id=6Chix> . See more of her work at isabellabannerman.com <http://isabellabannerman.com>  orhttp://sixchixart.blogspot.com/. 

About Laydeez Do Comics:

Laydeez Do Comics San Francisco is a unique graphic novel/narrative forum with a focus on comic works beyond the mainstream superhero genre. Visit laydeezdocomics.com<http://laydeezdocomics.com> and find Laydeez Do Comics San Francisco on Facebook!

Member Larry Katzman's new iPad/iPhone app and book available!

ManhattanNCS member Larry Katzman has a new iPhone/iPad app available!  

From Larry:

HeadLines puzzle apps are now Interactive! Solve them on your iPad or iPhone! To try out four free puzzles, download Kaz HeadLines from the App Store. If you enjoy them, follow the directions in the app under More Puzzles to download the Crostix Free application and buy the HeadLines book of fifty puzzles for only $1.99.

Also, a new ebook collection of 200 of the best Kaz cartoons, “Nurse Nellie’s Belly Laughs”, is available not only on Apple’s iBooks, but also on Amazon, B & N and all other ebook retailers!

Way to go, Larry!  To get the app, CLICK HERE... To get the book, CLICK HERE...

The Six Chix: Rose Croke covers new cartoon book

ManhattanNCS member Isabella (The Six Chix) Bannerman's new cartoon book, "Cartoons for Caregivers", is now available at the Society of Illustrators gift shop!  Here's an interview with Isabella!

The Six Chix: Rose Croke covers new cartoon book: Rose Croke at King Features was kind enough to post about "Cartoons for Caregivers" . Hope you'll enjoy reading the short ...

Upcoming Cartoonist Events in Brooklyn...

Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn has posted their events for June and July, including DC Comics writers Charles Soule and Ales Kot in conversation [Wednesday, June 26th], and signings throughout with cartoonists Patrick Kyle and Michael DeForge [Saturday, June 29th], and Chris Giarrusso [Sunday, July 14th].

Details, times and directions are available on the BSC website HERE.

MIX 2012 Call For Proposals

Columbus College of Art and Design's Mix 2013 Symposium, September 27th-28th,  includes a comics symposium, an art competition for college students, an onstage conversation with keynote guest, Jeff Smith, author of Bone and RASL, on Friday, September 27 at 7pm, and a never-before-seen exhibit of Smith's original artwork from RASL. Additionally, concurrent with Mix 2013, CCAD will exhibit the paintings of Gary Panter (Jimbo in Purgatory). Please visit the event page for updates: http://www.ccad.edu/events- 2013/mix

This call invites proposals for the comics symposium, a celebration of comic books, graphic novels, comic strips and webcomics. Designed to bring together a variety of perspectives in an open and egalitarian environment, Mix 2013 seeks to create a public forum emphasizing the wide array of highly skilled, ambitious, and thoughtful work being done in the comics medium today. Therefore, CCAD welcomes submissions from artists, scholars, educators, publishers, graduate students, curators and critics alike. Note that proposals which emphasize cross-disciplinary approaches and/or formats will also merit special attention. All presentations at Mix 2013 should utilize significant visual elements.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

CANCELED: Blutch in Brooklyn 5/8/13, 6pm

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED!

Bergen Street Comics is proud to host legendary cartoonist Blutch, who will be making a rare American appearance for the Picturebox release of So Long, Silver Screen. A series of interlocking short comics that move between scholarly history, romantic theory and ribald vignettes. Original art will be on display and bubbly refreshments will be served–please don’t miss this opportunity to meet a master of contemporary cartooning.

Wednesday, May 8th, beginning at 6pm

Bergen Street Comics is located at 470 Bergen St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, in beautiful Park Slope, Brooklyn,
just steps away from the 2/3 Bergen Street subway stop. You can also take the 4, 5, B, and Q trains to Atlantic Avenue, or the D, M, N, and R trains to Pacific Street.  Take the Long Island Rail Road to the Atlantic Avenue Terminal.  Bus routes B65, B63, and B67.  Also close to BAM, The Brooklyn Museum,The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Prospect Park.

NCS INVASION!

Throughout the month of April, DC Comics and Mad Magazine celebrated Alfred E. Newman's birthday with a series of variant covers by The Usual Gang of Idiots, including a few of our own NCS members like Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragones, and Sam Viviano. Following are a few snapshots, more can be found on the DC Comics website.

Al Jaffee:

Sergio Aragones:

Sam Viviano:

Conversations with illustrators from Paris & NY

[ SIEGFRIED by Alex Alice & PRINCE OF CATS by Ron Wimberly ]

This spring, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy brings together like-minded authors of children’s books and comics to talk about their craft. The series will run from April 8 – May 13 with events taking place in some of the most important houses of illustration around New York City.

Join some of your favorite local authors as they ‘talk shop’ with the French counterparts they have often dreamed of meeting…

For more information and a calendar of events, CLICK HERE.