What’s Funny ?

American cartoonist Mark Newgarden and his Austrian counterpart Nicolas Mahler will be talking about how comics work, the marketplaces for graphic humor, where they get their  ideas, and, yes, the answer to that eternal question, “What is ‘Funny’?” in a conversation moderated by the one and only Mark Nevins.  For one night only, on June 6, at the Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd Street, New York, NY  10022 (between 5th and Madison avenues).  Admission is Free.  Profiles of participants after the click.

From the announcement :

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!

MARK DAVID NEVINS is an aficionado of graphic narrative and comics from around the world, and he occasionally puts pen to paper to write about his passion for the unique art that  marries words and pictures.  Years ago he took his Ph.D. in Literature from Harvard, and he now lives in NYC, where he is a  management consultant by day. He is the American Correspondent for  the renowned Swiss comics periodical STRAPAZIN, and sits on  Executive Committee of the International Comic Arts Conference (ICAF) as well as the Editorial Board of THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMIC ART (IJOCA). In addition to essays and critical reviews, he has published several translations of comics from French and German.  He has traveled, worked, and taught in more than 60 countries around the world.