WHAT IS FUNNY, ANWAY? A comics conversation – mit Nicolas Mahler in New York City

Den schönen Flyer wollen wir niemanden vorenthalten: WHAT IS FUNNY, ANYWAY? lautet eine Abendveranstaltung mit Nicolas Mahler und US-Cartoonist Mark Newgarden am Mittwoch, dem 03.06.2009, in New York City. Eine Präsentation des Austrian Cultural Forum NYC. Gute Reise, Nicolas!

„Join us for a lively and visually rich conversation with Nicolas and Mark, in which we will explore how comics work, the marketplaces for graphic humor, where these cartoonists get their  ideas, and, yes, the answer to that eternal question: What is „Funny“?“

Mark Newgarden ist ein gefeierter Autor der US-Independent Szene. Sein letztesumfangreicheres Buch ist WE ALL DIE ALONE (Fantagraphics). „Newgarden’s  comics are hilarious, alarming, and masterful uses of the medium, alternating between old-time gags and avant-garde storytelling, often on the same page without missing a comedic beat“ (Fantagraphics). 

(Obige Abbildung: Cover zu WE ALL DIE ALONE. Copyright Mark Newgarden & Fantagraphics)

Hier noch ein Auszug aus dem Einladungstext des Austrian Cultural Forum NYC:

THE AUSTRIAN CULTURAL FORUM  NEW  YORK PRESENTS
WEDNESDAY  JUN 3, 6:30 PM

CONVERSATION: WHAT IS „FUNNY“,  ANYWAY?

A Comics Conversation with Cartoonists Nicolas Mahler (Vienna) and Mark Newgarden (NYC). Moderated by Mark David Nevins.

VENUE
Austrian Cultural Forum NY, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY  10022

Over the last several years, comics and graphic novels have hit „the mainstream“ — not just in Hollywood (which currently has a fascination with superheroes) but among the intellectual set as well. University presses are publishing monographs on classic and avant-garde cartoonists; THE NEW YORK TIMES runs a long-form comics narrative in its weekly Magazine; and graphic novels have gained credibility on the college campus and in the hipster coffee shop.

The Austrian Cultural Forum is pleased to present an evening of conversation with two of comics‘ rising „alternative“ cartoonists, Nicolas Mahler and Mark Newgarden. While the work of these two artists is visually quite different, they share a similar bizarre sense of humor, an ability to capture (and lampoon) the absurd nuances of daily life, and a comics style that often  humorously captures what all of us think but don’t dare say.

Join us for a lively and visually rich conversation with Nicolas and Mark, in which we will explore how comics work, the marketplaces for graphic humor, where these cartoonists get their  ideas, and, yes, the answer to that eternal question, „What is ‚Funny‘?“

NICOLAS MAHLER was born in 1969 in Vienna, Austria, where he resides to this day. As unique as he is prolific, Mahler’s distinct minimalist style appears in Austrian, German, and Swiss  newspapers and magazines. Over the last 10 years he has written and illustrated over
30 books which have been published in various  languages around the world.  His primary publishers include L’Association (France), Top Shelf (U.S.), La Pasteque (Canada), Edition Moderne (Switzerland) , and Reprodukt (Germany). In 2006 and  2008 he won the „Max und Moritz Award“ for best German-language comic. His comic series FLASCHKO has been adapted as a series of  animated shorts, and his book KRATCHOVIL was turned into a puppet show by a Swiss troupe, and is currently touring Switzerland,  Austria, and France.

MARK NEWGARDEN has worked as a concoctor of novelties (Garbage Pail Kids), graphic artist (from RAW magazine  to THE NEW YORK TIMES), and writer for TV, film, and multimedia projects (from Microsoft to Cartoon Network), among various and sundry careers. His work has also graced such venues as the Smithsonian Institute, the Cooper-Hewitt,
the Brooklyn Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the ICA in London. He is the author of  CHEAP LAFFS, a picture history of novelty item from Abrams, and WE ALL DIE ALONE, a collection of his comics and humor from  Fantagraphics Books. His first children’s book BOW-WOW BUGS A BUG  (with Megan Montague Cash) was released in June 2007 from
Harcourt, won the Society of Illustrators Gold Prize for that year, and has  spawned a series of 6 additional „Bow-Wow“ titles . . . and counting!