This week in comics news: “Cartoonist Art Spiegelman, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his graphic novel Maus, withdrew his introduction to a new Marvel comics collection after its publisher insisted he remove a description of Donald Trump as ‘Orange Skull,’ drawing a comparison between the president and Captain America’s fascist enemy, the Red Skull.” – Newsweek
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The Number Of Kids Taking A-Level Drama In The UK Has Dropped Below 10,000 For The First Time Ever
But drama is actually doing well, compared to the other arts. Yikes: “Entries for music fell by 6% to 5,125, and dance dropped 18% to 1,050.” – The Stage (UK)
Moving Art Out Of The Galleries
In Brisbane, the Trace show is taking art to bakeries, luggage repair shops, and mechanic shops. The point? To “democratize” the art. – The Guardian (UK)
Calls To Boycott Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Swell After Actor Tweets Support Of Hong Kong Police
The actor Liu Yifei, who plays Mulan in Disney’s live-action movie, “this week reposted an image on Weibo, a Chinese social network similar to Twitter, that took the police’s side. The image she shared was originally published by People’s Daily, the ruling Communist Party’s official newspaper.” The meme she reposted has “become a nationalist meme in China — driven in part by the state-run media.” – The New York Times
How London’s National Theatre Live Changed The Landscape
Broadcasting live theatre changes the audience – and the theatre. But for the better? Directors try to “collaborate with the show’s creative team and company. ‘We’ve got to do it in such a way that the artists are supported, that they trust it.'” – Playbill
We Still Don’t Know How Gravity Works
We can calculate what gravity does — whether to a cup elbowed off the edge of a table or the disk of light bent around a black hole — but we still don’t have a clue what causes it. – Washington Post
Placido Domingo’s Response to Accusations Lands With A Thud
“I think that to him, in his head, he was just a big star and everyone wanted him. And to the rest of us he was just, you know, this creepy guy that could make or break your career.” – Los Angeles Times
The Segment That Cost Jimmy Kimmel Live! A Huge FCC Fine
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was fined $350,000 by the FCC for a sketch about the presidential alert system. – New York Magazine
Beethoven’s Revolution (But What Kind?)
Beethoven’s political engagement is indisputable, but whether it finds direct expression in his work – aside from dedications and commissions – is a sticky topic. – New Statesman
Beware The Literary Scammers
“He would reject work, but praise the writing. His form rejections included a note: “It happens that I am both the editor of the Blue Moon and also the head of a critical revision business. If you have your manuscript revised I, as editor of the Blue Moon, shall then be glad to consider your story for publication in the magazine.” More than 30 writers agreed. Jessup took their money, and kept their stories.” – Literary Hub