Kushner and Irving’s LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS: The Origins of American Comics coming May 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
powerHouse Books is pleased to announce the May 2012 release of

LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS:
The Origins of American Comics

Photographs by Seth Kushner
Text and interviews by Christopher Irving
Design by Eric Skillman

Some are mild mannered geeks, others mad geniuses or street-smart city dwellers driven to action. These are the men and women behind the masks and tights of America’s most beloved superheroes. But these aren’t the stories of the heroes’ hidden alter egos or secret identities…these are the stories of their creators! Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics gives you the truth about the history of the American comic book—straight from the revolutionary artists and writers behind them.

From the founders of the popular comics website Graphic NYC—writer Christopher Irving and photographer Seth Kushner—comes the firsthand accounts of the comic book’s story, from its birth in the late 1930s to its current renaissance on movie screens and digital readers everywhere. Kushner’s evocative photography captures the subjects that Irving profiles in a hard-hitting narrative style derived from personal interviews with the legends of the art, all of which is accompanied by examples of their work in the form of original art, sketches, and final panels and covers. The creators profiled include Captain America creator Joe Simon, Marvel guru Stan Lee, Mad magazine’s fold-out artist Al Jaffee, visionary illustrator Neal Adams (Batman), underground paragon Art Spiegelman (Maus), X-Men writer Chris Claremont, artist/writer/director Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), comic analyst Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics), American Splendor’s Harvey Pekar, painter Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), multitalented artist and designer Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library), artist Jill Thompson (Sandman), and more.

Leaping Tall Buildings, like comics themselves, uses both words and images to tell the true story of the comic’s birth and evolution in America. It is a comprehensive look at the medium unlike any other ever compiled covering high and low art, mass market work and niche innovations. It is the story of an art form and an insider’s look at the creative process of the artists who bring our heroes to life.

For a preview of the book please visit: http://www.powerHouseBooks.com/leapingtallbuildingspreview.pdf

Seth Kushner’s portrait photography has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, L’Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker and others. He was chosen by Photo District News magazine as one of their 30 under 30 in 1999 and is a two-time winner of their Photo Annual Competition. Seth’s first book, The Brooklynites, (with Anthony LaSala) was published by powerHouse Books in 2007. Currently, Seth is working on CulturePOP Photocomix, and profiling real-life characters on ACT-I-VATE.com and WelcomeToTripCity.com. Seth resides in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York with his wife, son and way too many cameras and comics. www.SethKushner.com

 
Comics / Graphic Arts / Non-Fiction
Hardcover, 8 x 10 inches, 240 pages, 50 full-color photographs and 80 comic panels
ISBN: 978-1-57687-591-9, $35.00

For more information, please contact Nina Ventura, Publicist
powerHouse Books, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: 212-604-9074 x118, Fax: 212-366-5247, email: nina@powerHouseBooks.com

Gulity Pleasures: I’m a child of the 80′s

Happy new year to all!!  We’re back to the grind, already estimating and producing for the new year. Still-life is HOT right now – and we aren’t complaining!  I thought I’d take a little break from the first day back to post about an artist I’m obsessed with right now – Fabian Ciraolo, a young illustrator based in Chile.   I’m a new fan of his work, but a big one.

Being a child of the 80′s, I can appreciate humor, surreal and satirical images of some iconic characters of my childhood.  I love Ciraolo’s “take” on society and generational changes, as well as pop culture.

Below are a few that I just can’t get over – and there is so much more (not all dealing with 80′s cartoons) on Ciraolo’s site (Like an image of Frida Kahlo wearing a Daft Punk tee-shirt).  But as you can tell below, I was a HUGE fan (and marketing victim) of the childhood madness that was He-Man. 

Just a little something with a pop of color to brighten our first day back at work – enjoy!

 

Happy Holidays, Y’all.

We couldn’t be more thankful for the support we’ve received from our clients and photographers this year.

We wish you love.  We wish you joy.  And most importantly, we wish you peace.

Here’s to a beautiful 2012.

 

Before The Were Rockstars – Joshua Scott

We’re down to only 2 BTWR posts left!  And this is one of our favorites.  Joshua Scott, still life photographer, always had a clear vision of what he wanted his work to look like.  We might say this a lot, but the work mirrors his personality – quirky, fun, bright and full of intent.  We’ve come to the conclusion that Joshua spends more time in his Union Square West studio than he ever could anywhere else.  Sometimes, we’ll get emails @ 2AM as he’s wrapping up retouching for a client – or a test he’s been passionate about.  But the best part of all is that all the hard work has paid off.  Joshua shoots for Marc Jacobs fragrances and his work can be seen everywhere.  Other companies like Fusion Beauty, Technomarine, Neostrata and Kenneth Cole have joined his impressive roster of clients.

But here’s what we love – the success hasn’t gone to Joshua’s head.  The dude is cool.  He’ll shoot anything interesting.  And he finds EVERYTHING interesting.  And, well, we find him interesting.  Took us awhile to get to know Joshua – but we’re so glad we did.  And now we present to you Joshua Scott – Before he was a rockstar.

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Where are you from originally?
I was born in Alaska, moved around a lot up and down east coast and out of the country in Siapan (northern Mariannas Islands). Some time down south in Nashville, high school in Philly, some time in DC, college in Upstate NY.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Older sister is a Spanish teacher living in Ecuador, younger brother, a wooden boat builder in Seattle.

What did you intend to do when you “grew up”?
I always knew that whatever I did wanted to be my own boss and not have a “9-5″. Ironic though because now I work more like 24/7 haha!

What were you like as a teen?  Do you see reflections of your teen self in your adult life?
As a teenage I was independent. At 16 I figured this is pretty much it, now you just do you. I went to boarding school so parents rules or household did not shape me. I wenr on skateboarding adventures in the city and worked on fishing boat in Alaska in summer.

What was your first job ever?
First job ever was chopping tons of wood for neighbors stoves in Alaska.  7th grade.

What is the biggest trouble you ever got yourself into?
Selling weed in high school.  I was suspended and lied my way out of expulsion. I was also arrested and jailed for stealing alcohol bottles in a club. All that stupid shit. Tickets for jumping turnstyles. running from police for skateboarding/trespassing. Now I’m way to busy being an adult, an artist, and running a business to have time to get in trouble. 

What was your first job in the photo business?
Shot portraits of underground musicians in the hip hop scene late 90′s for cds and such after high school graduation while using another job I had at Motophoto to steal film and get all the free processing and prints..

How did you get into photography?  What is it that kept you here?
I think what struck me the first time that I looked through the lens of a camera is the isolation. When you look through the lens all you see is what falls in the frame. It blocked out all the extra stuff and allowed for a sense of focus which before that I had never experienced. I liked the feeling of isolating one event or object and cutting it out from the rest of the world and thereby making it important. This is what I do in my images. Isolate an object or scene through composition or lighting in order to give it the feeling I want such as importance, strength, a certain meaning, or sense of value.

What is your dream project in this business?
My favorite projects are those where we assemble a team of talent and together we make something that I could never had done on my own. These types of images are bigger than myself and that makes them feel like even greater and more satisfying accomplishments.

I like projects where stylists create something I could never had made or art directors come up with ideas I would never have had. Then I bring that to life or reinterpret it or give it meaning in the final imagery.

If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?
I would be a musician mc/producer, or a professional skateboarder.  Two passions from youth which have pretty much been discarded to focus on photography completely. In life you have to make sacrifices and you cannot always do everything you want to do and you have to accept that. If you accept that it makes you stronger.  Living with regret would just make you weak.

Is there anything else (funny stories, etc…) you’d want to tell us that would work for this?
Sure, I’ve got two:

1.  I arrived at the studio I’m currently in about 1 1/2 years ago and on of my very first first projects was one of my most popular series – the Lola series. I shot large sets full of glitter dropping from the sky and rubber bouncy balls flying around. I used gallons and gallons of glitter and bags and bags full of super bouncy rubber balls. As a result even now a year later we will find a bouncy ball here and there  – or I will spot some glitter in some cracks here and there. This studio is of course clean but it seems I will find reminders of that very first shoot until the day I move out of here!

2.  When I first met Katie and Kristy from K2 they were just starting their company. I was new and they were new. I had only been shooting for about a year and they had only an idea for their company but not even a website or business cards. even though they came to me with almost nothing I saw the drive, ambition, and excitement, and energy they both had. This made me feel that a partnership with them would work for us all. Only about one year later their company K2 has a solid roster of talent that is shooting consistent projects. As far as I’m concerned K2 are the rockstars! haha.

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And that’s Joshua in a nutshell.  Sweet, intuitive, driven, creative, and 100% HUMBLE.  Oh, and did we mention funny?  The guy truly is a rockstar – we’ve never met someone that worked harder.  Now take a look at his pictures.  I don’t know about you, but I think he was one adorable kid.  Can’t imagine that little face getting in so much trouble…

Benetton’s new ads – Do we love the “Unhate” campaign?

Just saw Benetton’s newest ads, which were launched today around the world.  Digitally manipulated images of world leaders kissing?  I’m 93% sure I love.   The other 7% (the terrible pessimist inside me) thinks using idealism/shock value for corporate profit is kinda shady.  But this is advertising.  So it is what it is.

My question is – is it legal?  Don’t they have to get releases for this type of thing?  I’ve already read that the Pope’s people are complaining (and condemning) a image of him locking lips with Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, the Imam of al-Azhar mosque in Egypt .  Below are the shots of U.S. President Barack Obama kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and China’s President Hu Jintao – courtesy of Unhate and a good friend’s cell phone.  In the Hu Jinato image, you’ll see the ad covers the ENTIRE entrance of the Benetton Flagship store in Manhattan.  If you’ve ever wanted to see a larger than life Obama smooching another dude…well, now’s your chance. 

This is all part of the UNHATE campaign, spearheaded by Benetton’s Unhate Foundation.  Tolerance, acceptance, love, it’s all in the ads.  They sure do make a statement.  But is that statement really just “Hey, remember us? Buy our clothes!”?

Okay, now I need to meet the person who created the concept.  Do you love or hate?  Regardless, we’ve all gotta admit it’s pretty genuis – and it’s got a lot of buzz going – goal ACHIEVED.

Bruce Shoots Christ

The jewelry, not the religious figure!  Sheesh people, get with it!

Take a look at these – Beauty photographer Bruce Bernard was flown out to Germany to shoot the Christ Jewelery campaign.  The images are very German in nature – and extremely beautiful.  The diamonds are great – but I’m digging the hair!  Now to get him an American jewelry campaign – that’s the new goal.

See more of Bruce’s work on our site,  including a sneak peek of an upcoming story for Kurv Magazine.  You’ll love it – makes me crave summertime…

Before they were rockstars: Seth Kushner

We’ve got a special place in our hearts for Seth.  He was one of our first photographers here at K2.  Seth, a portraits guy with a gritty New York style, has his hand on many projects at once.  He’s just finished shooting a fantastic portraits series of real people (and for the first time, we don’t need quotes around the work ‘real’ – these were truly gorgeous non-models) for NY ad campaign.  While photography is a passion, he can’t help but be fascinated by super heroes and the people who create them.    His new new book, titled “Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics,”  should be on shelves soon (Spring 2012!).

As if that didn’t give him enough street cred, Seth is already involved with a new endeavor  – Trip City, which recently launched after much anticipation.  From the Trip City press release:

TRIP CITY is a Brooklyn-filtered literary arts salon launching November 1st, 2011 at WelcomeToTripCity.com. The multimedia website features free content curated by a host of creative heavyweights. “TRIP CITY reinvents the online arts collective with a virtual playground for a diverse set of accomplished and highly individualistic creators,” says Emmy Award winning cartoonist and TRIP CITY founder, Dean Haspiel, “spanning every borough of artistic endeavor from the visual arts to literature, music, video and beyond.”

TRIP CITY is the exclusive home of united individuals exploring new media to achieve a modern salon. Brooklyners Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, Bored to Death), Seth Kushner (The Brooklynites, CulturePOP Photocomix), Chris Miskiewicz (Everywhere), and Jeffrey Burandt aka Jef UK (Americans UK), will release exclusive content at TRIP CITY, combining avenues of expression such as podcasts and profiles, including upcoming portraits and exclusive interviews with Jonathan Ames, Marc Maron, Ben Katchor, Michael Moore, Henry Rollins, Dan Goldman, and Moby. Additionally, a fellowship of regular contributors will provide their original voices to TRIP CITY, including, Joe Infurnari (MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues, Marathon), Nick Bertozzi (The Salon, Lewis & Clark), Jennifer Hayden (Underwire), Nick Abadzis (Laika), Jen Ferguson (Art in Chaos), Ron Scalzo (Bald Freak Music), Amy Finkel (Furever), Kevin Colden [Fishtown], and The Perv Whisperer (The Perv Whisperer).

TRIP CITY is a digital experience with future plans to take some of the content and perform it live on the road. “Working with so many Brooklyn locals, we have this great sense of community right out of the gate,” says Jef UK. “Then, when we take the next step and turn TRIP CITY into a live event—which is in the works—our tribe is already gathered, so to speak.”

Check it out today.  But before you do, check out below and find out what Seth Kushner was like, before he was a rockstar.   (And make sure to scroll all the way down – his kid and teen pics are my absolute favorites.)

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Where are you from originally?
My mother’s womb, but from there, Brooklyn.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Nope, but we had a poodle who my father used to refer to as my sister.  She works in real estate now and it clearly the “successful one.”

What did you intend to do when you “grew up”?
Like many boys, I had my astronaut phase, but for most of my childhood I wanted be a comic book artist.

What were you like as a teen?  Do you see reflections of your teen self in your adult life?
Yes, every time I’m at a social event and I feel awkward.  I was very geeky, but I discovered photography in the 10th grade, and that helped me out of my shell a bit and gave me an excuse to talk to girls and attend events.  Hiding behind a camera was better than hiding in my room at home.

What was your first job ever?
I worked at the one hour photo lab at the local mall when I was 15.  Let me tell you, you see some odd things in people’s personal photos!  I saw people posing with corpses at funerals, crime scenes, people engaging in sex acts which still make me shudder, etc

What is the biggest trouble you ever got yourself into?
I wasn’t a trouble-making kinda’ kid.  My mom once passed me on the street while I was supposed to be at school.  But it wasn’t like I was out smoking pot, I was taking pictures!

What was your first job in the photo business?
During the summer right after high school and before starting at School of Visual Arts, I was shooting freelance for Scholastic Scope, the publisher’s teen magazine.  The experience taught me how to work with photo editors, write invoices, plan shoots, etc.  All very invaluable for a 17-year old.  Becauce of this, I was always working on building my book all though college.

How did you get into photography?  What is it that kept you here?
I took a photo class in high school because I heard it was an easy A.  I was surprised how quickly I fell in love with it.  That was all due to Howard Wallach, who ran the photo department at my school, which was the most honored program in the country.  Mr. Wallach was the most inspiring teacher I’d ever encountered and there are lots of people working in the industry now who owe it all to him, myself included.

What is your dream project in this business?
Hmmmm….I don’t know.  It would have to be something which was creatively fulfilling AND paid a shit ton of money!
How about top 5 people I’d like to photograph living or dead?  You didn’t ask for it, but here it is-
Redd Foxx
Andy Kaufman
Sean Connery
Orson Wells
William Shatner
OK, so they’re mostly dead.  What does that say about me???

If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?
Realistically, since I do some of the following and gravitate towards them anyway, I would say either writer, filmmaker or graphic designer.

Is there anything else (funny stories, etc…) you’d want to tell us that would work for this?
In 1997, after dropping my book all over town for a year and a half, I secured my first assignment a and it was for the NY Times Magazine.  I was to shoot playwright/actor Eric Bogosian.  I was 23 and still living at home.  I remember I called Bogosian to arrange the shoot and left a message.  Later that day, the phone rang and my mom picked up, and she screamed from across the house, SEEEETH, YOUR FRIEND ERIC’S ON THE PHONE!!!!!  I soon got my own phone line and moved out not long after.

Show us the pictures! (THESE ARE PRICELESS).

 

Creepy dolls, skulls, and cemeteries, oh my!

Happy Halloween!  Wishing you a creepy, spooky, candy-filled day (with the help of Joshua Scott and Ashton Worthington)!

 

How to solve a rubics cube – Joshua Scotts latest video

Photographer Joshua Scott likes to change things up – you never know what he’ll come up with next.  This time around, he’s kickin’ it old school.   Love the video (and the still he shot, now in his portfolio).  Make sure to have your volume raised!

Before They Were Rockstars: Bruce Soyez Bernard

 

Ahh Bruce Soyez Bernard.  Or Brucie, as we affectionately call him at K2 Creative.  Bruce, a beauty photographer specializing in gorgeous hair and skin, is one of the first photographers we took on – he’s been with us since day 1.  He’s kind, warm, and welcoming.  And while Bruce thinks he’s shy, being on-set with him is always a blast (as evident in past blogposts of his Conair campaigns. 

Bruce shoots for Harpers Bazaar, Conair, John Frieda, several Conde Nast magazines, Fusion Beauty, Monoi, Glamour, Schwarzkopf, and Christ Jewels, to name a few.  His work, while gaining huge momentum in the commercial world, has also been noticed recently in the fine art realm.  Only last week, Bruce had a gallery opening through The Impossible Project, showcasing a personal project he’s put his heart and soul into:  Ensemble.

While we often refer to Bruce as a goofy, good-natured frenchmen, he does have a serious side.  He treats each project like it’s his last, concentrating full attention on every  detail.  His lighting is impeccable, ranging from clean to dramatic.  His retouching (all done by his equally loved wife, ViolaineB) is incomaprable.  Oh  – and clients can’t get enough of him.  And on that note, we present Bruce Soyez Bernard – French beauty photographer and wannabe American cowboy.

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Where are you from originally?
I am from a small town in Normandy, France. I guess you can call me a country boy.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
One brother, Stevens, who is a landscape architect specializing in water gardens.

What did you intend to do when you “grew up”?
I went through many phases.  I think the first thing I wanted to be is a farmer since I was surrounded by fields with cows and apple orchards.  I was excited to drive tractors too – so much power in such little hands, loved that feeling.  Then I had my phase like every boy at my age (damn TopGun) to be a fighter pilot, that didn’t last too long since I was horrible in math.  Finally I got an interest in photography when my dad  let me use his precious camera.  I found objects beautiful and powerful, so heavy for something so fragile, so creative in the right hands and in the meantime potentially capable of the worst ever. And with it I discovered that my boring world, the country side (I had no interest at all in being a farmer at this point) could be interesting again.

What were you like as a teen?  Do you see reflections of your teen self in your adult life?
I was shy, very shy, sick shy !!!  Was doing a lot of sports and stuff.  Also, I spent a lot of time at the theater and movies.  I was a dreamer.  Now I’m a lot less shy (thanks to photography), and don’t play sports anymore (thanks to sex, drugs and Rock’n Roll). But I’m still very fond of plays and films. I kept those artistic interests from my teen years. And I’m still a dreamer, always expect human beings to wake up….

What was your first job ever?
My first job ever, mmh, I  was hired by a photography store in Le Havre during summer break.   I was 18 and shot regattas and polo games in Deauville. The deal was this:  I could process my personal films at no expense in exchange for doing the job.  Before that I worked a lot with my dad fixing crappy houses that he’d buy for cheap and sell beautifully restored. I am a handy man!

What is the biggest trouble you ever got yourself into?
Well, so many… No that’s not true, I am not a trouble maker.
What about the time, in Africa, I bribed a taxi man to let me drive his 3 wheel car for fun and I tried to stop it with my foot because the breaks weren’t working, I almost ended up at the hospital with my foot at 90 degrees… And you don’t want to go to the hospital there….

How did you get into photography?  What is it that kept you here?
As I said my dad let me use his camera, a Contax with 50mm Zeiss. I started to take pictures of everything that was close enough for me to shoot – flowers, animals, landscapes, birds, etc…but with a twist like I would take a picture of a flower but try several approach/filters to get something uncommon.
Then I discovered a photo club in my town, there I discovered studio photography, a totally new angle for me.

During my teens I was surrounded by woman, my mom had a cosmetic shop and I was always around after school, I would open magazines like Elle or Vogue and was impressed by the images I was seeing. I just loved the woman imagery. And still do. That combined with the infinite creativity and possibility photography has keep me here.

What is your dream project in this business?
Business wise, reaching and collaborating with interesting people all the time.  From an artistic point of view, being able to put into action my secret plan, (evil laugh) ah ah ah !!! And I won’t tell you what it is !!! Ah also, buying myself 10 tons of marshmallows (for a shoot??) ….

If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?
Selling french fries on a beach in Brazil where there are no tourists at all…

Is there anything else (funny stories, etc…) you’d want to tell us?
Here’s something funny : I am not FUNNY !
(Sidenote – Bruce is VERY funny).

Can you send us a picture from “back then” and a picture of you now?   The funnier, the better!
I don’t have any picture of me in my teen here in NYC – everything is in France.  BUT I was a mix of these 2 (pictures below), I would show up dressed like this in school and that was priceless…now I’m more a James Bond fan