Both the tactics and infrastructure from the 2020 Census campaign have been redeployed for the door-to-door vaccination campaign, according to Victoria Kovari, executive assistant to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who was in charge of the Census campaign and is now overseeing the campaign to boost vaccination rates. These efforts include door-to-door outreach, incentive programs, direct texting and mailing for apartments where canvassers can’t gain access, and the purchasing billboards along Detroit highways with information on where to get vaccinated, Kovari says. As to whether the campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations will be more successful than the campaign to drive up census participation remains to be seen.
That Shelf
About halfway through
Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez, Susan Stern, the film’s director and producer and wife of Spain Rodriguez films herself holding a drawing of herself done by Rodriguez. The drawing, which features a naked Stern in garters staring back at the viewer, is accompanied by Stern’s voiceover, asking a poignant and essential question:
“Did I make this film to defend Spain, or to defend myself?”
An opinionated provocateur, Spain Rodriguez always believed in comics as a serious art form, one which could be and ultimately would be intellectualized. While his early work was rooted in science fiction and superhero lore, his later work explored diverse, more literary subjects, including a graphic biography of Che Guevara, and an exploration of California’s farm labor struggles. At 71 minutes, the film is a revved-up ride through the life of one of underground comix most polarizing and celebrated artists. Like a rock n’ roll brain come to
2021 Slamdance Film Festival Movie Review: Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez
By
Title: ‘Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez’
Director: Susan Stern
The social commentary that’s driving the conflicts and changes in modern society is largely rooted in history, which once again proves that humanity often doesn’t learn from its past mistakes. The new documentary, ‘Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez,’ is offering a stunning exploration into the edgy underground comic books that explore social injustices and were created by the title illustrator throughout his career, which spanned from the 1960s to his death in 2012.
Art Spielgman and
Ishmael Robin. The story begins with illustrated (through Spain’s own drawings) renditions setting the scene of his upbringing during the ‘50s, when comic books were essentially criminalized and deemed evil to a developing mind. “First time I saw a comic book, it just wigged me out,” Spain says. “My dad hated comics. There were a few times I’d kept comics, and my dad would rip them up.”
“Spain was born bad,” Stern says in her narration. Spain’s upbringing in Buffalo, New York, is described in the film as having been rooted in violence. His background set the tone for his comic book
Susan Stern Discusses Spain Rodriguez’s Comic Imprint in Bad Attitude: The…
Susan Stern Discusses Spain Rodriguez’s Comic Imprint in Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez Doc | Slamdance 2021 [Exclusive Interview]
Spain Rodriguez was a pioneer in the underground comics scenes.
As a rabble-rouser, he told his experience, story, and personality through the reflections with his art. Although sometimes very political and controversial, his comic influences shaped the industry we have today.
In the documentary
Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez, Rodriguez’s wife Susan Stern told the story through the lens by capturing his personal history.
Here’s the official synopsis: