Syndicate Product Covert HQ

State of the Syndicate Product 2012

2012-01-16T13:04:00.000-05:00

In 2011, there were only 15 posts to this blog for theentire year, hardly enough to qualify me as a “blogger” anymore. Last year Ifocused on zine projects for The Revenge of Print project, publishing sixissues, including SYNDICATE PRODUCT 20: THE META-COMICS ISSUE, which was fundedthrough Kickstarter, and turned out amazing. 2011 was also avery rough year for me personally and professionally, and regular blog postingwas regulated to low priority.

I am unsure if I will begin blogging regularly again in thenear future. However, I don’t want to completely abandon the possibility, so Iwill be keeping this domain active. Quiet, but active.

If you’ve stumbled upon this site for the first time, Iencourage you to riffle through the archives. There are many posts that I’mpleased with, especially the many reviews of comics over theyears. There are also lots of posts about books and generally geeky stuff.

I have two active Twitter feeds: @syndprod for everydayweirdness, links, and typical Twitterstuff, and the specialized @SPConsumptionfor tracking what I’m reading, watching, and listening to.

My zines are available for purchase at the Syndicate ProductZine Shop on Etsy. Again, I highly recommend the Meta-Comics Issue.

Reach me at syndprod {at} gmail {dot} com.

“Enjoy every sandwich.” – Warren Zevon

Regards,

A.j. Michel

SYNDICATE PRODUCT 20 - META-COMICS ISSUE

2011-10-15T17:42:00.001-04:00

Finally!

Syndicate Product 20 / The Meta-Comics Issue
44pg / Digest / $4 US

In this Meta-Comics issue, contributors write and draw about what goes into making their comics, why they read comics, creating comics as a form of therapy, trying to adapt favorite novels into comics, favorite creators and long lost characters and imprints, memories of first comic books and dusty comic book stores, some favorite writers and artists, comics used as comfort during childhood (and adulthood), and finally reading those “racy” comics that they peeped at as a teen but never actually purchased. There are a few first-time Syndicate Product contributors in this issue: Alisa Harris, William Brian MacLean, and Dan Shoemaker. You’ll recognize many regulars as well: JB Winter, Delaine Derry Green, Andrew Wales, Andrew Coltrin, Mike Faloon, Davida Gypsy Breier, Jen McCleary, Ken Bausert, Sean Stewart, Eric Lyden, Steve Bojanowksi, and Juleigh Howard-Hobson.

Order through Etsy!

SPX Spoils 2011

2011-09-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Oh, poor neglected little blog. Only a dozen posts for the entire YEAR so far? Yes, I’ve been letting you limp by on your own, but I promise that after the META-COMICS Issue comes out, and SP 18.3, and and and... I’ll get you back into shape. (I may be the only person who has neglected her blog to work on her zine.)

This past weekend was the Small Press Expo 2011, and as usual it was a good time. I had a whole king-sized bed to myself and even built a pillow fort! Which was almost as exciting as the stack of comics I picked up.

Here are photos and rundowns.

First up, items with spines:

+ Americus / MK Reed (story) and Jonathan Hill
+ Very Near Mint / Justin Peterson
+ Edible Secrets: A Classified Food Tour of Classified US History / Illustrations by Nate Powell
+ Underwire / Jennifer Hayden
+ The Wonder City: The Great While of Coney Island / Justin Rivers (story) and Courtney Zell (art)

Next, floppy items:

+ Optic Nerve 12 / Adrian Tomine
+ Papercutter 16 and 17 / Various artists, published by Tugboat Press
+ Freeloader / Nomi Kane
+ Bee Sting / Matthew D. Smith (story) and Jeremy Massie (art)
+ Invincible Summer 20 / Clutch 23 (split) / Nicole Georges and Clutch McBastard
+ Phase 7 #16 / Alec Longstreth
+ Drop Target #3 / Jon Chad and Alec Longstreth
+ Diary Comics 2 (the Low Rent version) / Dustin Harbin

Some free items. Seems to be a resurgence in tabloid-sized comic newspapers from publishers and collectives!

+ Magic Bullet #2 and #3 / Published by DC Conspiracy
+ Secret Prison #5 / Published by Secret Prison Comics
+ Smoke Signal #10 / Published by Desert Island

Finally, it’s awesome that so many indie comic shows are starting/continuing around the country!

+ Genghis Con 2011 (Cleveland, OH)
+ SPACE 2012 (Columbus, OH)
+ MICE 2011 (Boston)
+ PIX 2011 (Pittsburgh)

Meta-Comics Kickstarter is LIVE!

2011-08-12T22:06:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my Kickstarter campaign to help publish Syndicate Product 20: The Meta-Comics Issue went live!

Below, the project information.(There's a film over at the Kickstarter page, but when I tried to embed it here, it had no sound.)

Interested? Then head over to the page, read about the incentives offered, and toss in a buck if you're so inclined!

Kickstarter: Syndicate Product 20: The Meta-Comics Issue

Project Information:

Hello, my name is A.j. (Anita) Michel, and I’ve been reading zines since 1986, and publishing my own zine projects since 1998. From 1998 to 2004, I published ten issues of LOW HUG, and several one-shot zines. Since 2004, I’ve been publishing SYNDICATE PRODUCT, a mostly compilation zine with issues focused on specific topics: packratting, television, cleaning, record stores, and so forth. (See samples of all available issues here: syndprod.etsy.com).

My current project is SYNDICATE PRODUCT No. 20: THE META-COMICS ISSUE, which includes essays, stories, and comics about comics.

In this issue, contributors write and draw about what goes into making their comics, why they read comics, how they have created comics as therapy, trying to adapt favorite novels into comics, favorite creators and long lost characters and imprints, memories of first comic books and dusty comic book stores, some favorite writers and artists, comics used as comfort during childhood (and adulthood), and finally reading those “racy” comics that they peeked at as a teen, but never actually purchased.

Contributors include: JB Winter (the amazing cover), Delaine Derry Green, Steve Bojanowksi, Alisa Harris, William Brian MacLean, Dan Shoemaker, Andrew Wales, Andrew Coltrin, Mike Faloon, Davida Gypsy Breier, Jen McCleary, Ken Bausert, Sean Stewart, Eric Lyden, and Juleigh Howard-Hobson.

The issue will be 40 digest-sized pages with separate covers, and for the first time ever, I’m looking for financial help, as printing and postage costs have increased greatly in the past few years, and I’m doing a larger and higher quality print run than usual. I’m trying to raise $750 for this project.

Estimated Budget
Cost for 300 copies, digitally printed B&W on 24lb paper, with 60lb B&W covers, and delivery: $425
Mailing Supplies (envelopes, labels, other packaging materials): $75
Postage for shipping to stores, contributors, reviewers, and backers: $200

If more money is raised, it will be used to increase the print run, perhaps add color covers, and send copies to zine libraries and archives around the world.

SYNDICATE PRODUCT 18.2Syndicate Consumption Second Quarter 2011

2011-07-07T11:54:00.000-04:00

Syndicate Product 18.2: Syndicate Consumption Second Quarter 2011 (April–June)

24 pages / Quarter-legal vertical / $1

"When I have a little money, I buy books.
If any is left over, I buy food and clothes.”
– Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus.

Two quarterly consumption issues in the can, two more left for the year.
Syndicate Consumption 18.2 was published in a timelier manner than the previous installment. I’ve started writing notes and reviews as I finish books, movies, etc., so all I need to do at the end of the quarter is put in some serious editing work (I killed a lot of my darlings), design the cover, and lay out the issue.

Still quite a bit of work, but at least I don’t have to try to remember details about books I finished months ago. I am going to try to maintain this habit for the remainder of the year.

This issue is longer than the 1st Quarter publication, due to some wordier reviews of items that particularly inspired or irritated me in the past three months. I also haven’t quit buying books, evidenced by the list of library sale spoils that ends this collection.

Available at the Etsy Shop!

PMZF Photos

2011-06-04T09:10:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, I tabled at the lovely Pete's Mini Zine Fest, held at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Here's a few silly mobile phone shots I took that day.

Fixies in their natural habitat.

Little kitties who want to grow up to be hipster kittehs.

Still life with zines and beer.

The Japanese Maple I tabled under.

Comic: Not My Small Diary 16: You Are Here!

2011-06-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

Delaine Derry Green deserves some sort of award (maybe a Nerdlinger?) for the massive contribution she has made to self-published comics with her Not My Small Diary Project. Every year or so, she announces a topic and solicits contributions from artists around the world. She compiles, designs, and crafts the comics into beautiful volumes with lush covers and unique bindings. (I’ve gushed about NMSD before, go here to read that post.) The latest installment of NMSD is Issue 16, “You Are Here”, all transportation-related comics. It’s two volumes, 164 pages of comic awesomeness.

The covers are by Carrie McNinch (You Don’t Get There From Here), with custom-printed stickers, drilled and bound with multicolor string reminiscent of old “Air Mail” envelopes. The comics inside cover all types of transportation: pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, train, subway/elevated, airplane, and a few peculiar others, and present a range of ideas. (E.g.: Driving: Love it! Hate it!) There’s so many great entries in here that I hesitate to pick favorites, but I especially enjoyed Androo Robinson’s meditations on walking, Amy Martin’s tribute to Nichola Briggs, Peter Conrad’s tow truck adventures, and Liz Prince’s custom cat transport. Please note, that’s only a small sampling of the great comic art packed into NMSD #16.

Don’t delay! Get NMSD #16 by sending $7 via Pay Pal to delangel3@hotmail.com or by mailing $7 to Delaine Derry Green, 459 Main St, Ste 101-263, Trussville AL! And check out her web site: My Small Webpage.

Minicomics: EX-es and OK Cupids

2011-05-14T06:49:00.001-04:00

This Isn’t Working: Comics About Ex-Boyfriends
Short compilation minicomic featuring six talented ladies on breakups and ex-boyfriends and (as Liz Prince puts it) EX-BOYFRIENDS. Marinaomi learns not to pick up a guy on the rebound. Liz Prince writes about her EX who had been featured in her comics. Jen Vaughn is a victim of hotwinglingus. Cara Bean Robyn Chapman has a sweater story. wonders why she still cares. Caitlin Plovnick is haunted by recurring nightmares of her ex. High quality sampler with wraparound two-color screenprinted cover drawn by Cara Bean and hand-stenciled opening page. Warning: reading this may cause you to feel either (a) nostalgic or (b) stabby toward your own Ex(es). (This Isn’t Working is available through the Paper Rocket Comics shop.)

Robyn Chapman wonders why she still cares.

______________________________________________________

so, this is what it’s come to: a comic zine about the trials and ok cupid
Four comic artists (Liz Prince, Ramsey “everydaypants” Beyer, Leslie Perrine, and Kettner) share their experiences on the dating service OK Cupid, from the slightly uncomfortable and cheesy (Liz Prince) to downright terrifying (Kettner). Kettner’s story was of particular interest, since it happens in Philadelphia, and I recognized a lot of the locations, and unfortunately, the type of woman he went out with. Quick fun read that’s also a good introduction to these talented cartoonists. (Available through Liz Prince’s webstore and also Ramesy Beyer’s Etsy store.)

Clockwise from upper left: Liz Prince, Ramsey Beyer, Kettner, Leslie Perrine

Minicomics: Cleansing and Pretending

2011-05-11T06:39:00.001-04:00

The Master Cleanse: 10 Days of Lemons and Maple Syrup Ingested / Stephanie Yue
Stephanie is completely honest about the Master Cleanse experience - the hunger pains, the gross white tongue, and especially the extreme tiredness. In the conclusion, she admits that the Cleanse served as more of a mental “reset” button than anything else: “Intellectually, I maintain my doubts as to the actual, physical, measurable, ‘cleansing’ qualities that set the program apart from a simple starvation diet.” A quick read on a health trend. (Find Stephanie Yue at JellyCity or via email at quezzie@gmail.com)

_________________________________________________________

The Great Pretenders and Other Stories / Julia Wertz
Short collection of older comics from the Fart Party years, and previews of longer works in progress. Julia is developing her storytelling skills, drawing many stories of her childhood and teenage years in a small northern California town, featuring local legends, family trauma, and religious guilt. If this sampler is any indication, the end results will be different from her previous work, much darker and honest. Although when she draws herself as a little girl, it’s still the cutest fucking thing ever. (Available from her web store.)

Comic: Ike the Cat in WALL STREET CAT: Money Takes Naps

2011-05-08T08:50:00.001-04:00

I’m envious of workplaces that allow employees to bring their dogs to work. There are days where I want my cat to help keep me sane while in Shiny Cubicle Hell. He’d have great view out the window, could sleep on the warm copier, and wander around collecting pats and scratches from co-workers, calming them down and giving them warm fuzzies. Unfortunately, I have to settle for a photo of him.

Not so for Ike The Cat, who hops the PATH train from Jersey City to his Wall Street job every day. Ike has his own office, where he quietly listens to worker’s problems, dispenses purrs and snuggles, plays with toys and takes many naps.

Sara Lindo has created a charming comic with much of the action occurring wordlessly. I admire how she captures the simple actions of Ike, such as his morning walk to the PATH train. Look at Ike strolling along, owning the morning:

He also makes friends everywhere, even on the train:

After his long day at work, Ike’s a little worried walking home after dark:

But he arrives home safely, gets out of his work clothes, and relaxes in front of the television, just like most office workers in the U.S.A.

This is a very strong minicomic. Sara knows how to script out a story well, which can be difficult with little dialogue. Can we have more Ike adventures?

Check out Sarah’s work at www.thelindo.com. She’ll also be tabling at Pete’s Mini Zine Fest at the end of May (as will I).

Ceci n'est pas un toilette.

2011-05-07T09:14:00.000-04:00

Comic/Zine: Drop Target #2

2011-05-06T19:47:00.000-04:00

The enthusiasm that Alec Longstreth and Jon Chad have for pinball jumps off every page of this zine, which makes it a great, fun read, even if you’re not into pinball even the slightest bit (like me). This issue is crammed full of comics, interviews, and creative pinball pursuits. Alec continues the comic tale of how he came to own a Medieval Madness machine, and the scholarship fund at Center for Cartoon Studies he set up with it. There’s interviews with Tim Arnold, the curator of the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas (a must-visit for me next time I’m there - who knew there was a physical difference between black and red rubber on bumpers), and a review of the pinball repair series “This Old Pinball” on DVD. Alec contributes a prototype machine of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Jon for Avatar: The Last Airbender (based on the anime, not the live-action movie). Alec also does a step-by-step “walk through” of Medieval Madness, similar to those written for video games. The creators have five more issues planned out (!!), and hopefully their interest holds long enough to publish them all.

DROP TARGET #2 features a limited edition screenprinted cover and is available for $5 plus shipping from the Drop Target Store. Be sure to also subscribe to the Drop Target Blog for lots of pinball news and pretty pictures!

Previously: Review of Drop Target #1

State of the Zine

2011-04-12T01:09:00.003-04:00

Continuing Call for Entries: Meta-Comics Issue

Most important announcement: I am still accepting submissions for the Meta-Comics Issue. The absolute, final, for-real-this-time deadline is JUNE 30, 2011. All information is here. Thanks to everyone who has already sent in their contributions, and I apologize for the long delay in publishing the issue. When it’s finally published, it will be awesome.

x x x x x x

Two new zines available!

(2011 is The Revenge of Print, after all.) Both of these are consumption zines, and both are available in the SPCHQ Etsy Store.

Syndicate Product 17.0
Syndicate Consumption 2010
(in 140 characters or less)
20 pages / Digest / $2

From the introduction:

[...] I wanted to compile a consumption log that was more than just a list, but didn’t have the energy to write full reviews of books, movies, etc., as previously. As a jokey experiment, I wrote movie reviews Twitter-style in 140 characters or less.

I thought this was going to be a lazy alternative, but discovered differently.

It was a challenge to sum up a book, comic, album, or movie using only 140 characters. It forced me to edit ruthlessly and be concise while still being descriptive and critical as opposed to purely snarky. [...]

Sculpting reviews into 140 characters required finesse to come in under limit. Although I didn’t keep count, some of these reviews were probably “rewritten” ten or twelve times. As a self publisher who doesn’t answer to editors, it’s so easy to blather on without restraint or editing, resulting in overlong articles, reviews, blog posts, and essays that actually say very little. Imposing structural limits cuts the crap. It also prevented continual over-editing, because for every letter added, another would have to drop. (Note: Titles and authors/artists do not count toward the 140 character limit, only the actual commentary.) [...]

Syndicate Product 18.1
Syndicate Consumption First Quarter 2011 (January-March)
16 pages / Quarter-legal vertical / $1

From the introduction:

Instead of waiting until the year’s end to write about books, movies, music, and television consumed, I’ve decided instead to release quarterly reports designed as small pamphlets of commentary. Fingers crossed that I can complete the three more installments in a timely fashion.

There were lots of books, comics, and zines consumed this quarter, but little new music or movies. The ongoing miserable weather between January and March made it just right for hours of reading, plus some television, too. I still have an enormous to-read list that keeps growing, despite my best efforts to quit buying books.

x x x x x x

Low Hug/Syndicate Product/One-shot Digital Archives

In February, I decided that it was finally time to sort the print and digital files of every zine I had produced since 1998, and create a complete digital archive. Some parts of the process were easy to complete (e.g., recent issues), and other were much, much more difficult (e.g., files with missing fonts, issues created using WordPerfect 8, issues that had to be scanned from disintegrating, pasted-up master copies). After a solid month, I had archived the issues in TIF, JPG, and PDF formats (both for printing and reading), and produced a CD with readable PDFs of all issues plus “bonus materials” (alternate cover galleries). An article on this process is pending (I should have written it as I went through it, but I do have some notes) to help other zine publishers if they chose to do this. Currently, I am not wide-distributing or selling these archives, but may do so eventually. I’m just so relieved that everything is now archived across three (hopefully relatively stable) digital formats, and backed up in multiple places.

x x x x x x

Zine Weeding Project

After my book evacuation project of 2010, this year I decided to start weeding zines. I had six “bankers boxes” full to the top of zines I’d been collecting for nearly 20 years. At one time, I promised myself that I would never, never weed my zine collection, but I’ve changed my mind. (And yes, this is another subject for a pending article.) There are many places to donate zines (mostly academic collections, but a few large infoshops as well) that will take good care of these ephemeral items, and make them available for research and reading. To date, I’ve weeded out about 40% of my original zine and comic collection, with another “pass” happening this weekend. I’ve sent boxes of donations to the Barnard Zine Library, the Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University (Go Falcons!), and the Schulz Library at the Center for Cartoon Studies (I weeded a small amount of minicomics). There’s still an entire box crammed full of zines waiting for a good home(s), and I’m sure that will increase throughout the spring. While I ideally want them to go to archives and libraries, I may offer them as $5 grab bags if the process drags on too long.

x x x x x x

Zine Events (where I’ll be tabling)

Pete’s Mini Zine Fest! is on Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 3pm-7pm at Pete’s Candy Store in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. It features about twenty tables and live music. What’s not to enjoy?

I also hope to be tabling at this year’s Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con, if they’ll allow zines.

MoCCA Haul 2011

2011-04-10T19:48:00.000-04:00

This weekend was the annual MoCCA Fest in New York, an event featuring hundreds of small press, self-published, and independent comic creators. It was the perfect thing I needed to shake off the crappy winter blahs. The weather turned out nice and mild, I got a good cheap diner breakfast, and even got to get a snack at the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. The bus ride back was a bit nerve-wracking and accident-prone, but I made it back in one shaken up piece.

My acquisitions were a bit lighter than they had been in the years past, but I still came home with a great stack of comics to keep me reading.

Dragons! Comics and Activities for Kids / Compilation by Tugboat Press
Drop Target #2 by Jon Chad and Alec Longstreth
Egg #2 by Eric Skillman and Ming Doyle
Freewheel Vol. 2 by Liz Baillie
From the Shadows of the Northern Lights: An Anthology of Swedish Alternative Comics Vol. 1
From the Shadows of the Northern Lights: An Anthology of Swedish Comics Vol. 2
The Great Pretenders and Other Stories by Julia Wertz
Ink Primer: SVA Anthology
Kids (Anthology)
Losers Weepers #3 by J.T. Yost
The Master Cleanse by Stephanie Yue
Nine Short Works by Jon Allen
Papercutter #15 featuring Jonas Madden-Connor, Melinda Boyce, MK Reed, Drew Weing
Pizza Island Party Platter by the Pizza Island collective
Puerile Comix #11 by Mats Jonsson
Show & Tell: A collection of Comics about Teaching and Learning / A collection by New England Comics in the Classroom and the Boston Comics Roundtable
Smoke Signal #8 / KutiKuti comics sampler
This Isn’t Working: Comics About Ex-Boyfriends by Cara Bean, Caitlin Plovnick, Robyn Chapman, Liz Prince, Jen Vaughn, and MariNomi
Wall Street Cat: Money Takes Naps by Sara Lindo
What’s the Word: True Tales of a Woman on the Go by Cathy Leamy

CfE: Meta Comics Issue! Deadline: 6/30/2011

2011-03-28T20:38:00.000-04:00

ABSOLUTE DEADLINE: JUNE 30, 2011!!

CALL for ENTRIES

Syndicate Product:

THE META-COMICS ISSUE

The META-COMICS ISSUE will include comics and essays ABOUT comics and sequential art. You certainly DO NOT have to be an artist to contribute – essays are very much welcome and encouraged!

Some potential ideas:

The creative process of drawing comics: Where do your ideas come from? Why do you draw comics?
Comics-related disasters: From the cat knocking over the ink bottle to basement floods that resulted in floating longboxes.
__ broke my heart: As a comics reader, the most soul-crushing, genre-destroying, why-the-hell-am-I-still-reading this storylines you’ve endured in mainstream comics. Why did you stop reading some titles?
Creative space: Where do you draw? What rituals do you perform? (E.g., Lynda Barry always begins a drawing session by writing out the alphabet a few times with a brush and ink.)
Reading comics: Are there comics that left you so emotionally wrecked that you’re scared to read them again? Flipside: are there books you have to re-read every year?
Collecting comics: Are you a Wednesday regular? Did your mom throw out your collection when you went to college? Have you ever sold off parts of your collection for rent, food, or more comics?
Comics and relationships: Friendships and romances found or lost over comics.
Memories of stores past and present: Good and bad stories from the comic shop. Did/do you work in a comic shop?
Inspirations: Artists, teachers, storytellers?
Tangentially related ideas: Terrible, little-seen comic book movie/TV adaptations. Tales from actual comic book conventions.
Previously self-published comics (either print or web) are welcome if they relate to the topic.

SPECIFICATIONS

Comic artists: Final art size should reduce to around 4.5 x 7.5 inches. Four pages maximum (but if it’s really good, this can be negotiated). B&W only. Send art as 300dpi TIF files if grayscale scans, 600dpi TIF if bitmap scans. Also, once entries are in, I may be looking for small illustrations to accompany some of the essays.

Writers: Between 400-1200 words is acceptable. If you need to go longer, please do. If the writing is good enough, people will want to read it to the end. I'll let you know if a piece is simply too huge, rambling, unwieldy, or needs editing. Send essays as OpenOffice, MS Word, or plain text files, or paste the text into an e-mail.

Contributors will receive a copy of the final project.

Due date and where to submit: Deadline is JUNE 30, 2011. Submit your entries to syndprod@gmail.com. If you want to mail them, send them to: A.j. Michel, PO Box 877, Lansdowne, PA 19050.

Deadline Extended: SP Meta-Comics Issue!

2011-01-09T13:25:00.001-05:00

DEADLINE EXTENDED!!

CALL for ENTRIES

Syndicate Product:

THE META-COMICS ISSUE

The creative process of drawing comics: Where do your ideas come from? Why do you draw comics?
Comics-related disasters: From the cat knocking over the ink bottle to basement floods that resulted in floating longboxes.
__ broke my heart: As a comics reader, the most soul-crushing, genre-destroying, why-the-hell-am-I-still-reading this storylines you’ve endured in mainstream comics. Why did you stop reading some titles?
Creative space: Where do you draw? What rituals do you perform? (E.g., Lynda Barry always begins a drawing session by writing out the alphabet a few times with a brush and ink.)
Reading comics: Are there comics that left you so emotionally wrecked that you’re scared to read them again? Flipside: are there books you have to re-read every year?
Collecting comics: Are you a Wednesday regular? Did your mom throw out your collection when you went to college? Have you ever sold off parts of your collection for rent, food, or more comics?
Comics and relationships: Friendships and romances found or lost over comics.
Memories of stores past and present: Good and bad stories from the comic shop. Did/do you work in a comic shop?
Inspirations: Artists, teachers, storytellers?
Tangentially related ideas: Terrible, little-seen comic book movie/TV adaptations. Tales from actual comic book conventions.
Previously self-published comics (either print or web) are welcome if they relate to the topic.

SPECIFICATIONS

Comic artists: Final art size should reduce to around 4.5 x 7.5 inches. Four pages maximum (but if it’s really good, this can be negotiated). B&W only. Send art as 300dpi TIF files if grayscale scans, 600dpi TIF if bitmap scans. Also, once entries are in, I may be looking for small illustrations to accompany some of the essays.

Writers: Between 400-1200 words is acceptable. If you need to go longer, please do. If the writing is good enough, people will want to read it to the end. I'll let you know if a piece is simply too huge, rambling, unwieldy, or needs editing. Send essays as OpenOffice, MS Word, or plain text files, or paste the text into an e-mail.

Contributors will receive a copy of the final project.

Due date and where to submit: Deadline is MARCH 30, 2011. Submit your entries to syndprod@gmail.com. If you want to mail them, send them to: A.j. Michel, PO Box 877, Lansdowne, PA 19050.

* Due date subject to extension if needed, as it usually is.

"Lovely intro. Very tasteful."

2010-12-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, I post this every year.

As a special end-of-year bonus, an amalgamated list of MST3K Musical Moments available via YouTube. Hours of procrastination await!

Dear Annual Gift Man*

2010-12-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

As mentioned many times previously here, I just don’t “do” the holiday season.

This year has been a little bit better because beginning when the clock changed back to Standard Time in November, I started using a light therapy box every morning for 30 minutes. I feel a little silly sitting in front of the light, but I drink coffee and read. It’s kind of a forced relaxation before work, which is not a bad thing. The light therapy seems to be working, as I find that I don’t want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head the second I get home from work. Even with the week of hell I just experienced, I haven’t bottomed out as I usually do this time in December.

As I tweeted earlier this week, “I've found I'm not so utterly miserable about the holiday season as usual, just vaguely indifferent.”

And I’ll take “indifferent” over “miserable” most of the time.

So, even though I don’t really celebrate the Xmas season, I still have a wishlist. Hey, blame it on all those gift guides on the net and in print.

Disclaimer: Yes, world peace, health care reform, homes for all the kitties and puppies in shelters, I want all that, blah, blah, blah. Just let me be narcissistic and self-centered on my blog ~~(Ooo! Like a product-grubbing mommyblogger!)~~, which is a rarity ‘round these parts. Let me have some fun, damnit!

A taco truck for Old City. Sure, there’s Honest Tom’s, but the closest they come is Broad & Lombard.
Submissions for the Syndicate Product: Meta-Comics Issue! Please!
To see American Idiot while Billie Joe Armstrong is playing St. Jimmy.
The perfect one-strap messenger-style bag. (After searching for many years, I do not think this exists.)
A snow-free winter. Damnit, I helped shovel 70 inches of snow last winter and I do not want to do it again.
A dumpling truck for Philadelphia, like the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck in NYC.
A few uninterrupted weeks to do nothing but read. How about from December 20 to March 20?
To attend some of the following small press events in 2011, and even stay overnight when applicable (anyone have a couch?): MoCCA Fest, Stumptown Comics Fest, Toronto Comics Arts Festival, SPX, New England Webcomics Weekend, Chicago Zine Fest, Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con, Alternative Press Expo, MICE Boston, SPACE Columbus, and STAPLE Austin. (Assuming they all happen again.)
To attend the following big comic events in 2011: SDCC (if they ever figure out how to sell tickets), Wondercon (maybe!), NYCC (likely).
To attend any of these aforementioned events on someone else’s dime, and then report on them.
A post office box full of zines published during 2011: The Revenge of Print project.
For the cat to stop licking himself so much. He’s already “barbered” his belly nearly naked, and I really don’t want to start him on Prozac.

* A reference to The Simpsons episode 8.15 “Homer’s Phobia”, where Homer and Bart are saved by John Waters’ creepy Japanese Santa robot called “Annual Gift Man”.

"...for heaven's sake it's really loud with the Shop-Vac on..."

2010-12-02T20:05:00.001-05:00

This. Is. Awesome. A wonderful melange of kinetic text, familiar logos, and animation, all combining to form a truly not-so-cheerful song about suburban malaise. (And if you don't know who Jonathan Coulton is, educate yourself.)

No tinsel. Too distracting.

2010-11-29T20:20:00.001-05:00

So I screwed up and failed at National Blog Posting Month by forgetting to post yesterday. I feel kind of "meh" about the failure. I didn't bother to "officially" sign up this year on the blogroll, so I wasn't really a true participant anyway.

I was just so exhausted from the Thanksgiving holiday that I just completely zoned out yesterday, just enjoying some silence, and forgot to post.

Oh well. Here's my Festivus Pole for the year, anyway.

This montage could have easily been an hour (at least)

2010-11-27T08:47:00.000-05:00

Presenting: Nicholas Cage Losing His Shit.

Gah. This is just brilliant. And no apologies, I love this man and have since age fourteen. (I saw Valley Girl at a verrrry impressionable age.)

Sleep in, instead.

2010-11-26T06:10:00.000-05:00

Time for the annual posting of:

The Only Time I Ever Got Up for a Black Friday Sale.

Enjoy!

Happy (Belch!) Thanksgiving (Poot!)

2010-11-25T08:07:00.005-05:00

Books: MACHINE OF DEATH

2010-11-24T01:20:00.001-05:00

INTRODUCTION

The machine had been invented a few years ago: a machine that could tell, from just a sample of your blood, how you were going to die. It didn’t give you the date and it didn’t give you specifics. It just spat out a sliver of paper upon which were printed, in careful block letters, the words DROWNED or CANCER or OLD AGE or CHOKED ON A HANDFUL OF POPCORN. It let people know how they were going to die.

The problem with the machine is that nobody really knew how it worked, which wouldn’t actually have been that much of a problem if the machine worked as well as we wished it would. But the machine was frustratingly vague in its predictions: dark, and seemingly delighting in the ambiguities of language. OLD AGE, it had already turned out, could mean either dying of natural causes, or shot by a bedridden man in a botched home invasion. The machine captured that old-world sense of irony in death — you can know how it’s going to happen, but you’ll still be surprised when it does.

The realization that we could now know how we were going to die had changed the world: people became at once less fearful and more afraid. There’s no reason not to go skydiving if you know your sliver of paper says BURIED ALIVE. The realization that these predictions seemed to revel in turnabout and surprise put a damper on things. It made the predictions more sinister –yes, if you were going to be buried alive you weren’t going to be electrocuted in the bathtub, but what if in skydiving you landed in a gravel pit? What if you were buried alive not in dirt but in something else? And would being caught in a collapsing building count as being buried alive? For every possibility the machine closed, it seemed to open several more, with varying degrees of plausibility.

By that time, of course, the machine had been reverse engineered and duplicated, its internal workings being rather simple to construct, given our example. And yes, we found out that its predictions weren’t as straightforward as they seemed upon initial discovery at about the same time as everyone else did. We tested it before announcing it to the world, but testing took time — too much, since we had to wait for people to die. After four years had gone by and three people died as the machine predicted, we shipped it out the door. There were now machines in every doctor’s office and in booths at the mall. You could pay someone or you could probably get it done for free, but the result was the same no matter what machine you went to. They were, at least, consistent.

- From Machine of Death:

A collection of stories about people who know how they will die

_________________________

The Machine of Death: A collection of stories about people who know how they will die origin story begins in an episode of Ryan North’s Dinosaur Comics just about five years ago, December 5, 2005 to be exact, reprinted here for reference:

Somewhere between then and now, Ryan North teamed up with Matthew Bennardo and David Malki ! (of Wondermark Productions, and yes, that is an “!” in his name), kicked the idea around and tossed out this (now long expired) call for entries explaining the project and asking for stories. They received and reviewed almost 700 submissions, and quietly toiled away on the book for years. Occasionally they would tease us with a bit, such as letting the story “Flaming Marshmallow” by Camille Alexa slip onto the Escape Pod science fiction podcast. Or they would update the infrequently-updated blog with news that each story was going to be accompanied with an illustration (many done by popular webcomic artists).

Finally, the news came in early August of this year that Machine of Death was finally going to be a self-published physical reality, debuting on October 26. And, wouldn’t it be a hoot if everyone purchased a copy of Machine of Death at Amazon.com on October 26, to try to boot it into the Amazon bestseller list for that day? Make it a MOD-Day!

Not only did Machine of Death leap into the Amazon bestseller list on 10/26, it held on to the overall #1 position in all books, crawling over Keith Richards, Gl3nn B3ck, and John Grisham and holding on to #1 for more than a day, an in the top ten for the rest of the week. This angered Gl3nn B3ck so much that he ranted about Machine of Death representing the “culture of death” we all live in, or something like that. (Read a roundup of the kerfluffle here.)

This takeover of the Amazon bestseller list, no matter how brief, is a testament to the power of grassroots advertising, spread free through blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. It proves that “self published” no longer means “vanity press” with all its negative connotations. In this case “self published” means a dedicated group of people wanted to get their work out in more than pixel form, investigated what was available, shopped around the manuscript, and when no one bought it, they brought it out themselves. Yes, musicians and zine publishers (and to a lesser extent filmmakers and book publishers) have been doing this long before the internet was commonplace. Now with tools like the internet and cheap digital printing, more people can publish books, release albums, even create merchandise like t-shirts and coffee mugs easier and more economically than twenty years ago.

I’m proud to say that I purchased Machine of Death on MOD-Day, after having waiting for it since I first heard that story on Escape Pod, three years ago. Last night, I finished reading it.

It was an incredibly “thought-provoking” (what a detestable term) read, one that I had to spread out over a week, as it was also quite mentally overwhelming at times.

It is important to note that not all stories in Machine of Death actually end in death - in fact, only a very small percentage do. And, the death named in each story’s title is not always that assigned to each individual story’s narrator.

Many of the MOD stories are cryptic (“Murder and Suicide, Respectively” by Ryan North), others are incredibly sad (“Despair” by K.M. Lawrence), some are set in the present world, others in a dystopian future (“Loss of Blood” by Jeff Stautz). There are war stories (“Starvation” by M. Bennardo), a Yazuka tale (“Improperly Prepared Blowfish” by Gord Sellar), and many love stories (“Heat Death of the Universe” by James Foreman). “Flaming Marshmallow” by Camille Alexa is funny, and “Nothing” by Pelotard is bittersweet. Two of the most interesting stories are told by the P.O.V. of an inventor of the Machine of Death (“Almond” by John Chernega) and an infomercial producer (“Cocaine and Painlikkers” by David Malki !). There are stories told by personal ads and even one that clocks in at a mere five words.

Machine of Death is an extremely strong collection that should appeal to many readers, not just science fiction readers. After all, death (and fearing it, denying it, accepting it, trying to understand it etc.) is something all humans share. Machine of Death asks a big question: do you want to know how you are going to die (perhaps ironically so, and at an unspecified time)?

This is a highly recommended anthology, worth buying and spreading the (meager) proceeds among the writers and artists. However, if you’re too broke (or likely, too damn cheap and used to getting everything for “free” on the internet) to buy a copy of Machine of Death, it’s also being distributed free of charge (and DRM-free) under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license. [This means you are free to download them, share them, email them, copy them, print them out, seed them, torrent them, and generally send them about however you like, provided that the manuscript remains unbroken, that attribution is always given, and that all use remains noncommercial.]

There’s also a Machine of Death podcast series, with stories read by their authors. The feed is available here, or subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcast catcher.

_________________________

So, if there truly existed a Machine of Death, would I take the test?

Absolutely not. I worry enough in my daily life that adding a cryptic declaration of how I was to meet my demise would incapacitate me to the point of being unable to do ANYTHING, and that is not how I would want to life the rest of my days.

No, I would be one of the “anti-faters”, those raging against the Machine, against what is really nothing more than Calvinist predestination. However, I’d likely be a quiet anti-fater, keeping my opinions to myself, not out sabotaging factories or taking baseball bats to individual Machines.

Although, I have to admit, it would be kind of funny to get FLAMING MARSHMALLOW as a destiny.

Wish it was true...

2010-11-23T09:04:00.001-05:00

... and I had woken up in NYC this morning!*

Alas, just Philadelphia standing in for NYC, in the new Jason Statham movie Safe.

* Mainly because then I could have a decent bagel for breakfast and slice for lunch.

Of Interest (Everyone’s gone to the movies): 11.22.2010

2010-11-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

Physical video stores are closing at a rapid pace, and not just former behemoths, like Blockbuster, Movie Gallery, and Hollywood Video. Quirky small stores are feeling the pain too, and I’ll fully admit that I haven’t rented from an indie store since leaving a college town seven years ago. San Francisco’s Lost Weekend Video re-wrote the Buggles’ 1979 song “Video Killed the Radio Star”, put the lyrics in the window, and now BoingBoing is challenging readers to record the new version.

At a library sale a few weeks ago, they were giving away all VHS tapes for free. They just wanted them out of there. It was mostly kids and educational tapes, nothing really rare or bizarre. For that, check out the Collecting VHS group on Facebook. (No Facebook account needed.)

Another Facebook group recommendation: Psychotronic Netflix, which searches the streaming selections on Netflix (ranging from very good to terrible) and posts the best finds, such as TerrorVision, Matchless, and the documentary American Grindhouse. I never knew there were so many oddities tucked away on the ‘flix, all available for instant gratification. (No Facebook account needed.)

Repair or reconsider.

2010-11-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

iFixit Self Repair Manifesto

Before heading out on a massive shopping binge at the end of this week, consider what all those shiny, new and cheap gadgets are doing to the environment.

Related, a short film by Annie Leonard, “The Story of Electronics”, and the Maker’s Bill of Rights.

Maru!

2010-11-20T19:41:00.000-05:00

Somehow, although I didn't officially commit to it, I seem to be participating National Blog Posting Month.

However, tonight I'm exhausted after a long, hellish week at The Job (and on public transit), dazed from seeing Harry Potter 7.1 this afternoon, and full of lovely, lovely mushroom soup and bread.

So, more writing tomorrow. For now, enjoy Many Too Small Boxes and Maru.

Book storage pr0n

2010-11-19T23:15:00.000-05:00

A favorite find from recent library book sales was a oversized, black and white photo book titled Living With Books: 116 Designs for Homes and Offices by Rita Reif, published by The New York Times in 1968.

It is awesome, retro bookshelf-pr0n, featuring the book storage solutions of elites like Tennessee Williams, Mary Quant, and the Lippencott family, in large and small spaces in New York City. There are a few design diagrams included, as well as a list of (likely long outdated) suppliers, but for the most part it’s a a pure vintage book storage stroke book. Besides book shelves and cabinets, they also feature furniture and portable book storage solutions.

Here’s a few choice selections from Living With Books.


A room within a room fabricated of backless bookshelves and tatami matting was Lanier Graham’s solution to creating a work area at home. The exterior of the cube ads architectural interest to the living room and houses the joint book collection of Mr. and Mrs. Grahams. But when you turn the cube inside out Mr. Graham’s work area comes to life. It is here that the design problems he carries home from his office at the Museum of Modern Art often find solutions.

A chair so comfortable that it holds the sitter through a single reading of War and Peace must also provide more than basic needs. Amenities added by Cini Boeri, a Milanese architect-designer to his leather-covered easy chair are a reading stand and light, pocket for tucking magazines and newspapers, a hidden storage compartment under a chair arm for snacks or chocolates and a built in note bad, ashtray and, for those who want distraction, a telephone.

Cubicle environment for reading is a miniature version of Kenneth Isaacs room-sized multi-purpose structure. The wood-slatted cube comes equipped with a bookshelf, reading stand and light. Comfortable cushions pad seat and back, which adjusts to the sitter’s desire.

Seq. Art: Comics from VT (and NH and W. MA)

2010-11-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

The Trees & Hills Comics Group have published two very thoughtful anthologies this year, TIME and PLAY. (Put them next to their previous collections SEEDS and SHELTER in your collection.) I am unsure if it is because of the geographical area in which most of these artists live (VT, NH and Western MA), the influence of nature, fewer distractions, or perhaps something else entirely, but the comics in these collections just seem calmer, more contemplative, and quieter than anthologies from a larger, more hectic locales.

TIME features eighteen different contributors on all aspects of the concept: time travel, time slips, working less to have more life time, wanting just a little more time, why time slows down at summer camp, great moments in the history of time, and even the timeline of a family swingset (by Madsadara, excerpted here). Reading these comics will have you questioning, “Why am I so bound by time?”. The issue also includes a mini-calendar for 2011 with bonus comics. Learn why August is the loggest month!

The brightly colored PLAY examines something that adults aren’t really allowed to do when they “grow up”, but still need to, if only to keep sane. The anthology contains quite a few reflections from artists about how they used to play (creating imaginary lands in the back yard, on 8-bit video game systems, at summer camp, or with something as simple as a board), the drudgery of live without play (the excellent, near wordless “The Slow Machine” by Matt Young), and a few fantastical tales as well. There’s a bonus booklet of games (that require little equipment) tucked in as well. (I always wondered how the mythical “Spud” was played!)

Illustration: “Board” by Tom Pappalardo from PLAY

Also coming out of VT is SQUARE DANCE by Colin Tedford (a co-founder of Trees & Hills), a collection of some of newspaper strips and anthology work. Hooray for Super Friendly Garlic!

White River Junction, VT is also the home of the Center for Cartoon Studies, so many comic artists have passed through the town, either as students, faculty, or visiting artists. Caboose is a comic newspaper anthology by these artists about this little town, and it’s a fun read. I like the newspaper format, which is a nice change after reading so many digest-sized and smaller minicomics. The artists really had room to play. Lots of great comics from many familiar names.

TIME, PLAY, and SQUARE DANCE are available at the Trees & Hills shop, along with comics from other local artists. CABOOSE is available as a PDF download (right column), and if you attend a con like MoCCA Fest or SPX, you still may be able to score a physical copy.

Fool me three times?

2010-11-17T19:29:00.000-05:00

Dear eMusic:

Do you remember when we started dating, just about five years ago? It was December 2005, and I was lured to your site, frustrated by not being able to find albums I wanted at the record store. I refused to use iTunes then (as I still refuse now), and Amazon.com hadn’t yet started selling MP3s. I think musicians should get paid, and want to support music I like, so I was never much for obtaining music by more... illicit means. I signed on for a month to see what you were really like.

Do you remember our first download together, eMu? It was the Boss Martians’ The Set-Up, which featured that awesome song “I Am Your Radio”, a song I couldn’t get enough of. After a few months of paying you rent, I took the plunge and upped to an annual subscription, basically signing a lease and moving in with you for a year.

Since then, I stayed close to your side, renewing annually, and telling all my friends how great you were, what fantastic labels you featured, the incredible finds I’d stumble upon when not really looking, and what a great deal you were compared to that behemoth, iTunes. You were small and scrappy, an indie rock boy in dirty jeans and a faded Built to Spill t-shirt, riding around on your fixie with the best mix tapes and coolest sensibility, all DRM-free.

We’ve shared so much great music over the past five years, eMu. Both new and old! I was so happy you had that J. Blackfoot album! And early Green on Red, and soundtracks from quickly-closed musicals like High Fidelity and Bright Lights Big City, and new loves like The Gaslight Anthem. We’ve shared 26.6GB of lovely music, eMu.

Last year, you first started treating me a little... badly. You told me that you were adding the Sony Music catalog to your collection. Since I wasn’t really interested in much mainstream music, I figured I could just ignore it and focus on your sweet indie sensibilities. But then you informed me that that you had to “slightly raise prices and reduce the number of downloads for some of the monthly plans” … which included my plan. I wrote about it back then, wondering how you could do this to me (and everyone else you had been seeing), when I’d been so loyal to you. My downloads were slashed from 75 to 35 a month, with no price reduction. I thought about maybe leaving you when it came time to sign the yearly “lease” again, but I stayed.

This past year at 35 downloads a month wasn’t as crushing as thought it would be. Sure, I had to be more selective (more individual track downloads and fewer full albums) and budget better, but you would throw me 5 or 10 free downloads for clicking here or there or becoming your Facebook friend, and sell me cheap “Booster Packs” every so often, too. When October came around this year and it was time to sign the lease again, you dropped my annual price by $20 and offered me 100 free downloads for renewing immediately. So I did. In all, it still worked out to about $0.30 per song, even less for some of the album “deals”.

And then, just TWO days after I signed my lease for another full year, you sent me an e-mail informing me that in November (1) you were adding 250,000 tracks from the Universal Music Group, and, oh yeah, (2) switching from a credit-per-track system to a currency system. But I shouldn’t worry my pretty little head about it, because eMu will still be cheaper than iTunes! And I’m going to give you an extra couple of bucks a month to play with!

You bastard.

I should have left you right then and there, cancelled my subscription and asked for a refund. But I didn’t. As before, I decided to wait it out and see how it worked out, at least for a few months.

November 1st came, and no switchover to currency, still credits as usual. Every time I logged in to browse you, eMu, I expected to see those download credits converted into dollars and cents, and then I knew it would be over. But nothing. Yet.

Then, last night, I received another e-mail from you. This one was really crushing, more so than the ones cutting my downloads or changing to a currency system. No, this one really cut deep. Apparently, with your acquisitions of the major label catalogs, you’ve managed to hurt the labels who were there with you from the very beginning. In part, it said:

As we prepare for the largest catalog addition ever to eMusic - 250,000 new tracks! - we want to be up front with our loyal indie fans and provide advance notice that music from Domino, Merge and the Beggars Group family of labels will no longer be available on eMusic as of Nov. 18, 2010 pending further discussions. (But be sure to load up in the next two days! Need to buy a Booster Pack?)

No more Merge. No more Matador. No more 4AD. No more Rough Trade. No more Spoon, Arcade Fire, Mountain Goats, Dead Can Dance, Superchunk, National, and other bands I love.

I wanted to hear the other side of the story, so I asked around. Here’s what Merge had to say. And then Matador chimed in. And the entire Beggars group. And the Village Voice, too.

eMu, since you got courted by the majors, have you been treating the indies mean? Who else is going to pack up their catalogs and leave?

I fear the next e-mail from you, eMu? Are you going to start utilizing DRM?

eMu, it’s been wonderful, but you’ve changed and I’m wondering if we’re in the same place anymore. Losing those labels was a major loss for both of us. I’m going to give you until the end of 2010, and if it just isn’t working anymore, I’m going to have to let you go and depend on Amazon.com and individual label stores (Merge sells MP3s and FLACs, for example) for downloads. (But never iTunes, I can still promise you that.)

And this time, I really mean it, no matter how many customer service reps I have to fight through. If you keep getting corporate, I’m breaking my lease at the end of the year.

XO,
Synd-e

Of Interest (Consumer-y): 11.16.2010

2010-11-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

I’m rather anti-consumerist, although these PANTONE Visa cards are actually kinda cool, they only come in five colors.

10 Buildings Shaped Like What they Sell. I especially like the parking garage of the Kansas City (MO) Public Library, painted to look like a shelf of books. (Here’s what is on the “shelf”.)

Our Valued Customers are one-panel comics of things overheard by a comic shop clerk. (And I am also confused by the idea of “good sweatpants”.)

Finally, the 10 Best Fictional Beauty Products. (And a reader generated list of fictional products people want in real life, over at the Consumerist.) Me, I wanna try some Slurm.

Seq. Art: Inbound 5: The Food Issue

2010-11-15T18:28:00.000-05:00

The Boston Comics Roundtable is a group of artists who meet weekly to draw, collaborate, swap ideas, and publish anthologies of their work in the series Inbound. I discovered the Boston Comics Roundtable in 2008, when I bought Inbound #2 at SPX and was impressed by the high quality of the work. Since then, I’ve read all of their Inbound collections, as well as the offshoot science fiction title Outbound. The first themed Inbound collection was Inbound 4: A Comic History of Boston, in 2009. Their second themed collection, Inbound 5: The Food Issue, was just published and is well worth your money and time.

Inbound 5 features 26 different comics about food, categorized as either “Food Fact” or “Food Fiction”.

“Food Fact” has amazing true stories about each of the artists’ experiences with food, from discovering lunch beyond bread and peanut butter in Rebecca & Jason Viola’s “Bento: Beyond Sandwiches”, to the nearly wordless “Turnover” by Andy Wong (pictures) and Jackie Lee (script) which explores how food is used for emotional healing.

Of the non-fiction comics, “The Sardine’s Tale” by Line O, a Norwegian cartoonist living in Boston, is a beautiful autobiographical tale of growing up as a little girl on a freighter ship with her mother (“Sparks”, the radio operator), father (chef), and cat (named Knytingen) as they sailed the seas. Line O was nicknamed “The Sardine” by the crew, who also rigged her up a swing, tried to keep her out of trouble and away from girlie magazines, and helped her make “rat-poison soup” (really just all the scraps from the kitchen). The art is extremely detailed, with lots of cross-hatching, shading and textures, and really captures the personalities who worked on the ship.

College is generally the time when people become a little bit more adventurous with food, and there are many stories in the “Food Fact” section about these years.

In the comedic and loose “A Midwestern Adventure with Indian Food”, Eric Boeker learns the importance of reading can labels when his Indian (by way of Indiana) college roommate Riaz cooks up “authentic” chicken tikka masala with a side of botulism. In other college food adventures, Aya Rothwell finally tries a durian, a noxious but tasty fruit from southeast Asia, and stinks up the entire floor. (Apparently durian smells so foul that it’s banned from buses and trains in Singapore.) Beth Hetland’s college indulgence wasn’t anything strange or international, but canned Spaghetti Os, which she had been forbidden from eating as a child because her mother thought they caused seizures as told in “Spaghetti Os Secret”.

Completing "Food Facts" is a comic by Cathy Leamy about the historic - but now cancelled due to popularity and security concerns - Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in England.

Many of the contributions in “Food Fiction” of Inbound 5 are folktale-like, stories incorporating food as origin or cautionary tales. Some are adapted from old stories, such as “Yam Gruel”, which was adapted by Roho and Dan Mazur from a 1916 story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Adam Szym’s “What’s Eating Prometheus” is a conversation between the doomed fire-bringer and the eagles who snack on his liver every day, for eternity. Jerel Dye’s exquisite “People of Corn” is an illustrated version of the Mayan myth of human creation, were Grandmother Xmucane takes corn delivered by the animals, grinds it into meal and presents it to a serpent to shape it into people.

There are modern folktales here as well, like the cautionary, thick-lined “The Boy Who Ate Too Many Tougues” by Jesse Lonergan, and the playfully drawn “The Girl Who Turned Into a Noodle” told by Rod Kleber and drawn by Allie Kleber.

More abstract Fictions include Adrian Rodriguez’s “Dinner Time” and the gluttonous “Party Sub” by Andrew Greenstone. Realistic contributions come from Dave Ortega in “The Caterers”, and the rhyming “Whatever’s in that Can” by Katherine Waddell and Ryan Wheeler, where a hungry cat tries to get dinner.

Inbound 5 is a professional publication, as all previous issues from BCR are. It’s printed on very nice paper stock with full color linen texture covers, and high quality reproduction. The editors - Dave Kender, Dan Mazur, and Shelli Paroline - have done an excellent job selecting comics for the anthology, including a wide range of comic styles and story tropes and arranging them for maximum flow and readability. The time, determination, and effort put into the Inbound series is evident in the final products.

While I also enjoyed the previous Inbound 4: A Comic Book History of Boston, I found Inbound 5: The Food Issue easier to relate to, since food and eating is something everyone has in common, unlike living in or growing up in a specific geographical area. Inbound 5 would make a quirky holiday gift for any food-types in your circle of friends (sorry, refuse to use “foodies”), even if they are not regular comic readers. Introduce them to indie comics through food!

[Inbound 5: The Food Issue (digest sized, perfect bound, 176 pp., $12) available from the BCR Store. Previous issues also available.]

Lucy Knisley assures you: It Gets Better

2010-11-14T15:12:00.000-05:00

(Animation based on her original comic.)

Also, the It Gets Better Project.

Library Sale Finds - Fall 2010

2010-11-13T19:16:00.000-05:00

The library book sales in my area have ended for the season, and this fall I really controlled my purchasing.

A few months ago I seriously started weeding my book collection, after coming to a decision that there were many books in it that I was never going to read again, or was never going to read at all. To date, I’ve recirculated about 250 books via work, donations to library book sales, Bookmooch, Amazon Trade In, and half.com. I hope all those books found readers. There are still about 70 books pending that I would like to get some money for, but the bottom has completely fallen out of the used book market, and resale prices are terribly low. Only two books were actually put in the recycling bin, a very outdated copy of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, and a 2003 World Almanac.

I debated even dropping by three main library sales this past month because I didn’t want to undo all of the careful work I had put into weeding, rearranging or boxing, and cataloging. However, the lure was too strong, and I gave in, but with strict instructions to myself to keep it under control. It’s not the amount of money I spend at these sales, it’s the amount of books I walk out with that can be a problem, especially on “bag day” (fill up a paper grocery sack for $5).

Over the course of a month and three sales, I dropped about $25, all of which goes to the libraries. I found a few books for my parents and friends, and a “well-curated” (sarcastic pretension intended) stack for myself. Some of these I’ll keep, some I’ll read and pass on eventually.

Here’s my haul list. Commentary in brackets.

Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007 edited by Dave Eggers
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
Severance Package by Duane Swierczynski
Adverbs: A Novel by Daniel Handler [Yes, I picked this up because of the awesome Daniel Clowes cover. I had no idea that Daniel Handler is also the “Lemony Snicket” author.]
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby [After reading library and borrowed copies over the years, I really needed my own copy.]
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Granta 58: Ambition
Sense of Wonder: A Life in Comic Fandom by Bill Schelly
The Onion Complete News Archives, Books 13, 14, 15, 17 [For $1 each, I was not going to pass these up. They make great browsing anytime!]
Cats in the Sun by Hans Silvester [Yes, I bought a book of cat photographs. Shut up.]
Living with books: 116 designs for Homes and Offices by Rita Reif (The New York Times) [This is an awesome photobook from 1968 of New York residents and their book storage solutions. It’s one of my favorite finds of all the sales. Expect a longer post about it later.]
Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson
Gender Advertisements by Erving Goffman [This is a fairly famous academic book.]
Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler by Joe Queenan
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain [To replace the original copy I had, lent out, and never saw again.]
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes [Again, I thought I had a copy of this at one time, but hey for $1, why not replace it?]
Lettering for Reproduction by David Gates [Another incredibly cool find from 1969 about hand lettering and typography.]
The Conquest of Cool by Thomas Frank
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis
Downer’s Grove by Michael Hornburg
Dr. Katz: Hey, I’ve Got My Own Problems by Bill Braudis [That was a great, underrated cartoon. This is a collection of comics strips based on the show.]
Best Friends by Martha Moody
The Man of my Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
City of Ember by Jeanne DaPrau
More Information than You Require by John Hodgeman [The “PC” in the ads.]
The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap by Stephanie Coontz [Hope I can get my parents to read this after I do.]
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin [I used to have a copy of this, too.]
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane [Probably horribly depressing, but want to read it before seeing the movie.]

Seq. Art Review Cat is Tired Cat

2010-11-12T20:57:00.002-05:00

More commentary and reviews to come... after a nap.

Seq. Art: FOUR SQUARES and MORE SQUARES

2010-11-11T03:29:00.001-05:00

FOUR SQUARES and MORE SQUARES are collaborative projects by four very talented comic artists who just all happen to reside in the Somerville MA area. The Squares are G.I. Joe historian Tim Finn, mini- and autobiographical comic powerhouse Liz Prince, aquarium educator and illustrator Maris Wicks, and Marvel Comics’ artist Joe Quinones.

After working on an art show together, the four artists decided to each draw a daily diary comic strip for a month, and then publish them in one book. FOUR SQUARES covers July 2008, and MORE SQUARES covers February 2010. Since the four artists all live near each other and are close friends (side note: Maris and Joe are a couple), sometimes they turn up in each other’s strips, which is a lot of fun. Each of them has an individual style: Maris’ drawings almost jump out of the panels; Joe is more likely to use lots of crosshatching, textures, and tiny details; Liz’s work at first looks simply done, but there’s lots of hidden detail, and she’s also great at expressing emotions like joy, frustration, and disgust; Tim’s is very diary-like, describing that day’s work.

In all, two awesome collaborative collections, and hopefully the Squares will continue publishing issues from time to time.

Order FOUR SQUARES and MORE SQUARES from Liz Prince’s shop.

Below, a representative panel from each of the Squares.

Clockwise from top left: Maris Wicks, Joe Quinones, Liz Prince, and Tim Finn.

Seq. Art: WIZZYWIG Vol. 3: FUGITIVE(& related hacker links)

2010-11-10T02:03:00.001-05:00

The talented Ed Piskor continues the saga of composite hacker “Kevin Phenicle” in FUGITIVE, the latest bound collection of WIZZYWIG. This volume largely focuses on how “Kevin” avoided the law and eluded capture for months and months using a series of false identities, technical hacks, research, and social engineering. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, PHREAK and HACKER, and the entire series should be read by anyone with an interest in the middle ages of computer hacking.

Although these are all available in bound book format, Piskor has launched an ambitious project to re-edit, selectively re-write, and occasionally re-draw WIZZYWIG and post installments twice a week as a web comic. You now have no excuse NOT to start reading from the very beginning!

Related to the subject matter of WIZZYWIG:

In Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy (i.e., The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest), Lizbeth Salander (aka “The Wasp”) is one incredible hacker, capable of infiltrating any computer, manipulating bank deposits, and covering her tracks. Are her feats of digital mastery actually possible? Vanity Fair interviewed Kevin Poulsen - one of the components of fictional WIZZYWIG hacker Kevin Phenicle - asking Does the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Know What She’s Doing? (The tl;dr version: the results of her actions are possible, but the methods to reach said results are implausible.)

Interested in the history of hacker culture from the earliest blue box hackers? Gabriella Coleman, a professor at NYU teaches an undergraduate class in "Hacker Culture and Politics". Since most people will never actually be able to take this class in real life, Coleman discusses the class, syllabus, and readings at length for The Atlantic in The Anthropology of Hackers. Coleman is on sabbatical for the 2010-2011 academic year, but her NYU bio page is active, along with the most recent syllabus for Hacker Culture and Politics (opens as a PDF), which is a really good bibliography on the subject. She also has a blog, Interprete.

2011: The REVENGE OF PRINT!

2010-11-09T07:37:00.001-05:00

(Fade in on a car pulling up to a nondescript United States Post Office. Seen through the windows are a stamp machine, recycling bins, and a wall of post office boxes with small metal doors.

The ZINE PUBLISHER puts the car in park, fishes out a small golden key on a Snapple promo keychain from the ashtray, and turns to ZINE PUBLISHER’S FRIEND.)

ZINE PUBLISHER
I’ll leave it running.

(ZINE PUBLISHER’S FRIEND nods. ZINE PUBLISHER hops out of the car and walks inside the Post Office. We see the ZINE PUBLISHER’s back as they open up their box and pull out a few pieces of mail: two envelopes and what looks to be a catalog. The ZINE PUBLISHER closes the box door, spins around, drops the catalog and one envelope in the recycling pin before exiting. The ZINE PUBLISHER returns to the car where ZINE PUBLISHER’S FRIEND is waiting.)

ZINE PUBLISHER
No good mail again. Why do I even keep that box? Oh man, I remember the glory days of mail, ten, fifteen years ago... a couple times a week the box would be stuffed full with all sizes of envelopes, handmade envelopes and envelope recycled from other ones. Half-letter, quarter-sized, even full-sized sometimes. And if there was too much to fit in the box, there’d be a yellow card telling you to go to the counter to pick up whatever it was... something that couldn’t be bent, or a box, or a large padded envelope. Even better was when the post office finally installed those lockers for oversized mail, and you’d find a key in the box to open it up.

(ZINE PUBLISHER pauses, puts the car in drive, and carefully pulls out.)

ZINE PUBLISHER
I miss getting all those zines in the mail! Good zines! Weird zines! A really disturbing zine from time to time! Not just cute little 8-page perzines about vegan cupcakes and how great bikes are! Damn it, I don’t even feel like I belong in the so-called “zine community” at all. I refuse to call myself a “zinester”! I’m a “zine publisher”! An old zine publisher! And I miss all the zines I used to read and trade for! I want a full mailbox again!

ZINE PUBLISHER’S FRIEND
Uh, red light coming up. Red light. RED light! RED LIGHT!

(ZINE PUBLISHER hits the brakes.)

ZINE PUBLISHER
Uh, thanks. Sorry about that.

(Light changes and the car pulls away. The VOICEOVER begins as the camera stays focused on the car until it disappears down the street.)

VOICEOVER
Do you miss the heyday of full mailboxes, lovingly handcrafted zines and comics, and other fine print publications? Do you miss the days of mailing out piles of envelopes and packages to subscribers, loyal traders, and friends? Are you a lapsed zine publisher looking to get back into the “game”, but have heard that “print is dead” and “no one reads zines anymore” and “Zines? Those are just printed blogs”?

Well, wait no more friend, 2011 and THE REVENGE OF PRINT are upon us!

(REVENGE OF PRINT logo appears on screen.)

THE REVENGE OF PRINT is a challenge organized by the fine folks at Baltimore’s Atomic Books and Chicago’s Quimby’s as well as the publishers of Xerography Debt, Zine World, and Razorcake to goad and encourage zine and comic publishers to do (at least) ONE MORE PRINT ISSUE during 2011.

Lots of folks have already pledged to publish ONE MORE PRINT ISSUE in 2011! Check out the discussion on the Facebook group 2011: THE REVENGE OF PRINT to see which publishers will be digging out the long-arm stapler and trying to scam copies once again in 2011! The list is growing daily! (And yes, snarkypants, we realize the “irony” of using the internet to spread the word about a print revolution.)

Print is not dead!
Take the pledge today and publish in 2011!

Seq. Art: Alec Longstreth

2010-11-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

Yet another comic artist whose work I was familiar with, but never read widely is the bearded Alec Longstreth. A few years ago I picked up Dvorak Zine, a zine about the alternative keyboard layout, drawn by Alec and narrated by a few friends. I also recently read Drop Target, a pinball zine by Alec and Jon Chad, which I really enjoyed.

It wasn’t until the most recent Small Press Expo a few months ago that I purchased Alec’s Phase 7 comics, and now I wonder why I waited so long. I picked up Phase 7 #014, and the book Transition, which collects Issue #010 and #011. Both are excellent, autobiographical, verbose reads with very clean, realistic artwork.

Transition is the history of Alec’s life with comics, from his first comic book (a Walt Disney comic) through discovering Bone, starting to draw his own comics, trying to read as many comics as possible, college, many moves and jobs, meeting lifelong comic friends, and much, much more. The most important panel may be the one that documents July 13, 2002, when Alec vowed: “I will draw comics every day for the rest of my life”.

However, my favorite page in Transition is from Issue #010, when Alec first reads Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, and finally, even after having read and drawn comics for a few years, gets it. It’s completely devoid of text, but conveys so much in those six wordless panels. (It also inspired me to dig out my copy of Understanding Comics for a re-read.)

(I love scenes like this in comics, movies, books, and real life: that moment of discovery that changes someone’s entire life. It’s that look that says “this is by far the greatest thing I have ever seen/heard/experienced, and I HAVE to be part of it”. It’s a moment of awakening, of clarity, of sentience. Few people ever truly experience this moment of discovery, when they realize they want to make movies, play music, write stories, take photographs, build furniture, raise children, teach, whatever from that second on.)

Issue #014 is Alec’s travelogue from his trip to France (and Belgium) in 2009 for the Anglouleme International Comics Festival, or Festival International de al Bande Dessinee d’Angouleme, the largest European comics festival, running since 1974. He drew it during the trip in a specially handmade sketchbook, so the art is slightly less polished than usual, but the stories and adventures are still compelling reads. (Some of it was even drawn intoxicated on Belgian beer!) The concluding “Additional Observations” include “Things Europeans Do Better than U.S.”, “My Favorite Things about Paris”, and “Drinking with Belgians (Every Single Night)”.

Alec Longstreth’s comics, much like the work of Lucy Knisley, Corinne Mucha, Julia Wertz, and other autobiographical artists, really makes me happy (most of the time). Sure, I read plenty of “serious” comics, but sometimes I just want to immerse myself in work by people who are just so completely enthralled with what they are creating that it comes through in every panel.

Alec has many of his comics available for reading on his website, including full issues of his 24 Hour Comics, out of print Phase 7 issues, and other projects like lecture notes in comic for presentations given at the Center for Cartoon Studies, where he is currently teaching.

"I went to the woods to live deliberately..."

2010-11-07T10:33:00.000-05:00

Illustration from Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino from the writings of Henry David Thoreau. A project from The Center for Cartoon Studies, and published by Hyperion.

Seq. Art: Invincible Summer #19/Clutch #22 (and other goodies from Tugboat Press)

2010-11-06T20:34:00.001-04:00

Another year, another annual split comic from Nicole Georges and Clutch McB. 2010 brings Invincible Summer #19 (by Nicole)/Clutch #22 (by Clutch), daily diary comics spanning from May 1 to May 14. During these two weeks, Nicole completed a spoken word tour with Sister Spit, taught 5th graders and high schoolers, got food poisoning, and got her computer fixed. Clutch went to TCAF, ravaged his lip, fasted, and ate a questionable burrito.

(Click to enlarge)

Also: no talk of Clutch McB is complete without mentioning the latest releases from Tugboat Press, his publishing concern. Papercutter #14 is the latest issue of this high-quality anthology series, featuring work by Dave Roche (On Subbing zine) and Nate Beaty (BFF), Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca (Afrodisiac and Street Angel), and Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War). The lead story, “Wilson” is about attracting unwanted company on long train rides, something I have unfortunate experience with.

Tugboat Press also just published its first kids’ picture book, Yes, Let’s by Maris Wicks (art) and Galen Longstreth (words). It’s a bright, colorful tale of a family’s day trip to the lake and back, told in short rhyming sentences. Although I am not any sort of authority on kids’ books (not having any kids), parents will appreciate that there is absolutely no product placement, no licensed characters, and no tie-in toys with Yes, Let’s. The members of the “family” remain generic, are never identified by name or gender pronoun, so it could be any kind of family, which is kind of a nice touch.

Tugboat Press publications are available from Atomic Books, buyOlympia, Microcosm, and Quimbys.

Seq. Art: L.A. Diary and Diary

2010-11-05T07:27:00.001-04:00

Over the past five or six years since immersing myself in indie, mini, self-published, whatever-you-want-to-call them comics, I somehow missed reading the work of Gabrielle Bell. She’s an artist whose name I had heard often, but somehow never read her books. This year at SPX I picked up L.A. Diary and Diary, and both were excellent journalistic reads, with many personal, autobiographical details. Her drawing style is detailed but never crowded or fussy. How does she do it? From L.A. Diary, I really liked her observations about hugging and personal space.

L.A. Diary is available from Uncivilized Books. Bell’s collections Lucky and Cecil and Jordan in New York are available from Drawn & Quarterly. You might be able to track down her first collection of mini-comics When I’m Old and Other Stories here. She also posts comics on her Lucky blog, and recently completed a well-received, nine part epic “comicumentary” about San Diego Comic Con 2010.

Seq. Art: Diary Comics No. 1 + Jan-Jun 2010

2010-11-04T07:13:00.002-04:00

Illustrator Dustin Harbin began drawing daily diary comics at the beginning of 2010, and collected the first six months as an impressive half-legal sized collection with die-cut cover, full color endpapers, and a striking introductory print entitled “Don’t Let You Get You”. Over the course of the six months, Harbin’s dailies evolve and become much more detailed and clean. I always enjoy peeking into the lives of the self-employed (i.e., freelancers), people who don’t have to be chained up in a cubicle 40 hours a week. I got to watch Dustin carry on his daily life, from lettering jobs (e.g., he did the lettering for the Cassanova series by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba), organizing Heroes Con, kung fu lessons, teaching, and romancing the ladies (see below). A nice bonus is that Dustin lives in Charlotte NC, so I get to see a different city than Portland, OR (which has the highest concentration of comic artists on the west coast) in the backgrounds.

Diary Comics No. 1 + Jan-Jun 2010 is available directly from the DHarbin! Store. Dustin also posts comics in three flavors: Diary Comics, Memoir Comics, and Other Comics. Collect ‘em all (on your RSS reader).

Seq. Art: Julia Wertz

2010-11-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

Last year, I finally discovered Julia Wertz’s comics and was immediately enamored of her writing style: funny, short, sometimes crude, but always honest. While she herself even admits to being an asshole at times, you can’t help but just like the kid no matter how much she screws up, gosh darn it. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s tiny (5’2”), eats like child, often drinks like a lush, and draws herself in the same clothes in almost ever comic (jeans and black hooded sweatshirt or t-shirt).

After publishing two Fart Party collections and editing I Saw You, Julia’s first linear graphic memoir came out this fall, Drinking at the Movies. This bildungsroman spans from the spring of 2007 to the end of 2008 in Juila’s life, during which she moved from San Francisco to Brooklyn, ran though a series of crappy jobs and crappy apartments (although finally finding the perfect place), survived family crises, drew a lot of comics, drank herself into and out of oblivion and then to semi-sobriety, had a development meeting with Lizzy Caplan, and finally decided to accept and enjoy NYC for what it is: “... a giant playground for grown-ups where the soft-serve ice cream tastes like tears and perpetual adolescence and someone whizzed in the tire swing”.

This fall, the Atomic Book Company (of Atomic Books) reprinted Fart Party Vol. 1, copies of which had been fetching upwards of $60 on the resale market. It’s great to be able to read all of the earliest Fart Party strips, and see how Julia’s work has developed over the past five years. Plus, how can you resist how cutely she draws herself as a little girl saying her first dirty word while playing at the pool one afternoon?

Find Julia Wertz online at Fart Party, her blog Museum of Mistakes, and group studio site Pizza Island.

Seq. Art: Jesse Reklaw & Carrie McNinch

2010-11-02T06:58:00.000-04:00

Ten Thousand Things To Do #6
Jesse Reklaw has completed his year-long diary comics project with Issue #6 of Ten Thousand Things To Do. The final issue includes a week of 24-hour-comics (compressed into 24 little squares on one page) and guest strips by other notable cartoonists Sarah Oleksyk and David Youngblood. The entire series is also available as a bricklike book, if you haven’t been collecting individual issues. While Jesse doesn’t lead the most regimented life, keeping very odd hours, he is constantly busy with freelance jobs, teaching, his regular comic strip Slow Wave, hanging out with fellow Portland cartoonists and artmakers, and working on his own creative projects (comics and music). These diary comics are also done in a rougher style than Slow Wave, but feature more drinking and cats! (Available from Global Hobo Comics.)

You Don’t Get There From Here #16
If you haven’t started reading Carrie McNinch’s daily diary comics, despite my constant praise and plugging, why the hell not? Issue #16 is a good as place as ever to begin - you’ll get to experience road construction in Los Angeles, encountering mountain lions during runs, and family anxiety along with Carrie. But there’s good stuff too: burritos, library books, good music, and the hidden pleasure of Los Angeles.

Available for $2 from Carrie McNinch, PO Box 49403, Los Angeles CA 90049, or through Microcosm Publishing or Sparkplug Comic Books.

Of Interest: 11.01.2010

2010-11-01T01:14:00.001-04:00

So You Need to Find a Typeface: An infographic by Julian Hansen. It’s actually more amusing to chose a font and then trace the path backwards as opposed to starting in the middle with the first question. (Also available as a print; this is just a piece of the larger infographic.)

______________________________

Just got another reason to consider a smartphone: The 40 Best Little Radio Stations in the U.S. (“Little” defined as under 5000 watts.) Most of them are streaming, but computers are so locked down at The Job, we can barely get necessary software updates, much less streaming audio.

______________________________

These Are Their Stories was a recent art project in Los Angeles, where artists created an interpretation of a Law & Order based on the very short description from the DirecTV program guide. Lots of interesting works here, including Kate Beaton’s A Missing Boy is Found, and Christopher Hasting’s Death Links to Ultimate Fighting.

Zine: Drop Target #1

2010-10-27T01:12:00.001-04:00

With the rise of the Web over the past eighteen years, the number zines about personal interests, hobbies, and plain old obsessions has decreased dramatically, and I miss those zines dearly. I’ll never part with my old copies of Exploitation Retrospect (trash cinema), Beer Frame (odd consumer products), Thrift Score! (thrifting), Murder Can Be Fun (weird deaths and disasters), and other amazing self-published creations about quirky subjects. I’ve even got a zine about vintage toasters tucked away somewhere.

However, it’s easier and more efficient to build a website or maintain a blog about a niche topic than publishing a physical zine. It’s cheaper, reaches more readers, puts out-of-print issues back in “print”, and can be updated quickly and easily. While I like having easy access to more “weird stuff” (the “stuff” I used to have to dig to find in the 80s and 90s), and don’t begrudge publishers going electronic-only, there’s nothing like holding in your hands and reading a well done zine on an eccentric topic.

Although I pretty much suck at playing it, I very much enjoyed reading the new pinball zine DROP TARGET from Jon Chad and Alec Longstreth. These two cartoonists are obsessed with pinball, so they decided to start up a zine about their passion. The first issue is a mix of articles, interviews and comics all about pinball. There’s a glossary of pinball parts and lingo, a “walkthough” of how to beat the Star Wars Episode One game, an interview with the publishers of Multiball (a pinball zine from the ‘90s), two “dream machines (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by Alec, and Lawrence of Arabia by Jon (shown below)), and finally a 17 page comic “From Zeros to Heroes. Part One: Obsession” by Alec. This is a professional, polished zine with clean layout, edited and proofread articles, organization, and high production values.

I think it’s the sign of an excellent zine when I read the entire issue through twice (and the comic three times), even though I’m not obsessed with pinball, and don’t have any urge to start playing. (Seriously, I cannot think of a single place near me where I could find a machine.) Jon and Alec have another six issues of DROP TARGET planned out, and hopefully they’ll come through, because I certainly want to read them.

DROP TARGET #1 features a limited edition screenprinted cover and is available for $5 plus shipping from the Drop Target Store. Be sure to also subscribe to the Drop Target Blog for lots of pinball news and pretty pictures!

Zine: Semibold 10

2010-10-26T15:18:00.000-04:00

Way back in 1998, I found Semibold #4: The Music Issue at Quimby’s in Chicago. It was Kathy Mosley’s personal music history, from her first “record” (an Archies flexidisc cut from the back of a cereal box) to current day, including memories of bands, albums, radio stations, live shows, and all the music that helped shape her. This issue inspired me to write my own music-related one-shot, Speaking Phairly: Growing Up with the Music of Liz Phair in 1999. (Now long out of print, don’t bother asking.)

Kathy is back with a new issue of Semibold, her first since 2003! After reading it, you’ll understand why it took so long between issues. Semibold #10 is Kathy’s experience with Crohn’s Disease, which she was diagnosed with in 2004. Over the years she tried a wide range of dietary changes, drugs, acupuncture, more drugs, yoga, and even more drugs to try to alleviate the pain, but was constantly sick and miserable. Finally in 2009, she had surgery to remove part of her terminal ileum, requiring the use of a temporary ileostomy, and a second surgery to stitch the two halves of the intestine back together after they had a chance to heal.

Kathy tells the entire story in graphic and yet entertaining detail, and never once - repeat, NEVER ONCE, is she a heap of self-pity.

For example, the description of her temporary ileostomy:

“And yes, the ileostomy. It was unpleasant on many levels, the most obvious being, “Ew, I’m pooping into a bag attached to the front of my body.” But gradually I learned to deal.”

Even when she has an accident and meltdown first changing the bag on her own, she seems to shrug it off: “I did get better at it eventually, and after a lot of trial and error, I developed a system that worked for me, and I never had another big mess like that again.”

What impressed me the most about Kathy’s medical ordeal is not that she survived all the unknown pains, misdiagnoses, the surgery, the ileostomy, and the removal of the ileostomy (or “takedown” as it is technically called), it’s that she bravely and fiercely advocated for her own damn health, through the mountains of paperwork, screwed up prescriptions, missing pages from supposedly faxed medical documents, piles of insurance forms and shitloads (sorry) of bureaucracy. As someone who has difficulty calling doctor’s offices to schedule tests, much less call back for the results, and has let certain health issues slide due to terror of the medical and insurance industries (and being diagnosed with any sort of “pre-exisiting condition”), it is inspiring how Kathy took charge of all the detritus of treating her Crohn’s Disease, with help from her incredibly supportive family and friends. I don’t know if I could go through what she did without just wanting to give up.

I’m just so happy for Kathy that she can just eat raw fruits again, get to work in the morning without having to take a rest break on the way, go to concerts, hang out with friends, and just live her life without having to have contingency plans or pack an extra pair of pants.

Rounding out the issue is an interview with Julie Anne Rhodes (ex-wife of Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes), who also has Crohn’s Disease and now works as a personal chef. There’s a list of all the books Kathy read in 2009, which she said “were invaluable in helping me forget my own personal woe”. She read Infinite Jest TWICE in 2009!

Semibold #10 is one of the best zines I have read all year, a great personal memoir.

Is it selfish to hope Kathy keeps publishing now that she’s feeling better?

Semibold #10 is available for $3 from Kathy Moseley, 1321 N. Milwaukee Ave. #403, Chicago IL 60622. You can send payment via Paypal to im.semibold@gmail.com. (PDF only copies are $1.50 via Paypal.) There’s also a Semibold blog.

Book: Philadelphia Noir edited by Carlin Romano

2010-10-25T07:31:00.000-04:00

Residents bitch and complain about Philadelphia, but the truth is, most of us are just content enough not to leave. If we do leave, many of us return five, ten, fifteen years later, as if drawn back by some huge, invisible, urine-stained magnet buried underneath City Hall. It’s the city we love to hate.

In Philadelphia Noir, the latest installment in Akashic Books long-running Noir series, editor Carlin Romano assembles a balanced collection of stories from local writers reflecting the neighborhoods and sensibilities of the of the city and residents without romanticizing them. There’s not a single mention of Wawa, the Broad Street Bullies, water ice, or even Frank Rizzo.

The anthology is arranged in four themed sections. Part I: City of Bursts contains violent stories spreading from Strawberry Mansion to South Philadelphia. Asali Solomon’s “Secret Pool” (West Philadelphia) is the standout here, a sad story narrated by a fifteen-year-old girl who lives with one foot reaching just outside her neighborhood. “Princess” by Aimee LaBrie captures the dirty desperation of South Philadelphia, plastic covered couches, tacky decor and all.

Failed love is the theme of Part II: City of Other Love, which includes Laura Spagnoli’s “A Cut Above”, a sly homage to Philadelphia’s recent “Bonnie and Clyde” scumbag scammers.

I enjoyed Part III: The Faker City most of all, the stories of common residents striving for more than what they think the city can offer them, like the wannabe social climbers in Meridith Anthony’s “Fishtown Odyssey” and Jim Zervanos’ “Your Brother, Who Loves You”. In “Seeing Nothing”, Diane Ayres really captures the “I didn’t see nuthin’” code of Bella Vista (which is vastly different than “Stop snitching”, since it doesn’t involve coercion) with humor and an eye for detail.

The collection concludes with Part IV: Those Who Forget the Past, historically-set stories, like Duane Swierczynski’s “Lonergan’s Girl”, which is also a primer on the politics of the Philadelphia Police. “The Ratcatcher” by Cary Holladay borders on the fantastic, as does “Reality” by Cordelia Frances Biddle.

Perhaps I am biased, but there’s no story in Philadelphia Noir that should be excised, and nothing that I can’t believe couldn’t happen, even the presence of fanciful dancing rats. As someone who didn’t notice Independence Hall covered in scaffolding for a month, but is still peeved about Septa dropping “R” labels from the train lines, the absence of all the usual Philadelphia cliches in this anthology is a welcome respite. After all, it’s the little things in the city that we notice, that irritate us, and that give us something to complain about. We don’t want it any other way.

___________________________________

Upcoming Philadelphia Noir local author events

Wednesday, November 3, 7:30PM
Head House Books, 619 South 2nd Street

Sunday, November 7, 2:30PM
Moonstone Arts Center, 110A S. 13th Street

Wednesday, November 10, 6PM
Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut Street

(Check the Akashic Books site for added events.)

NYCC 2010: Odds ‘n’ Sods

2010-10-22T13:26:00.001-04:00

The obligatory “not so good” list, only speaking from my experience at NYCC 2010:

Crowd control, or lack thereof. This indeed was a problem and needs to be addressed better at future conventions. The “security” staff did little to manage crowds, or even keep the escalators from overpacking. The construction created two chokepoints between the two major areas of the exhibition hall, which could have been remedied by making each passageway “one way only” and actually enforcing it.

Aritsts Alley finding guide. While Artists Alley was nicely spaced out (even more so than the exhibition floor) the one poster listing all the artists’ names in table order was useless.

Not announcing earlier there would be after 7pm panels. Enough said already.

Disruptive photo taking practices. But would setting up “designated photo areas” really work?

Lack of panel information. The panel information listed on the NYCC site and in the official program was terrible. The web interface required you to click on the name of each panel to display information, and the program only listed titles of the programs. Heidi MacDonald of The Beat blog was kind enough to assemble all of the information in one long, detailed list on her site.

Did anime get shortchanged? After all, this was the “New York Comic Con / New York Anime Fest”. There are reports that the anime kids felt shortchanged by the event, with their panels, exhibitors, and artists remanded to second-class areas. I really can’t address this, but it wasn’t until I was coming home on Saturday that I flipped through the program and found an entirely different NYAF Artists Alley, hidden down in the lower level of the Javits Center. Also, Tokyopop and Viz Media didn’t even have booths on the exhibition floor, and Vertical Inc. was hidden in the small press area.

Finally people, please STOP complaining that the Javits Convention Center isn’t “near anything interesting”. Hell’s Kitchen is the western ass-end of NYC, with heavy traffic coming in from the Lincoln Tunnel, leftover warehousing, and more residences than restaurants. (It’s about the only area in NYC where there isn’t food available every 10 feet.) But it’s the only place in Manhattan that has the facilities to hold NYCC. If you don’t like it, don’t show up. Also, concerning food, CB Cebulski provided great tips on his Eataku blog for places a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Javits Center.

Overall, I had a good (not extraordinary, but certainly far from disastrous) experience at NYCC 2010, but in some ways, I wasn’t the typical attendee. I attended as press, avoiding lines for entry. I wasn’t interested in gathering swag, so I didn’t fight my way to some booths. The panels I wanted to attend were in smaller-sized rooms, and were perhaps less popular. I also wasn’t willing to stand in lines. If I couldn’t get into a panel, I didn’t get upset. I was a “casual” NYCC attendee, unlike the “dedicated” or “volunteer” attendee I am at small press cons like MoCCA, SPX, and (hopefully someday) APE and Stumptown. My purchases at NYCC totaled a mere $20 for one small press book (from Vertical Inc.) , and a subscription to an indie magazine (Bust).

In all, I found NYCC a closer, cheaper alternative than SDCC, a show I love attending but requires time, money, and travel commitments to get to from the east coast. If they expand NYCC to Thursday next year (as rumored), I would willingly attend NYCC for at least the weekdays of the con.

NYCC 2010 Report: Saturday

2010-10-21T22:13:00.000-04:00

Saturday

During the day on Friday, ReedPOP stopped selling weekend and Saturday tickets for NYCC on their website and at the Javits Center. This caused confusion on Saturday for people who arrived at Javits on Saturday morning hoping to get in. It was a clusterfrack for attendees trying to pick up passes, or just get into the building. I slipped in with the press pass and took another walk around the exhibition floor.

The Javits was much more crowded, much less controlled, and entirely more unpleasant than the (relatively) relaxed Friday. There were more anime kids, more cosplayers, more families, more everything.

I arrived too late for the Fan Fiction: From Mary Sue to Shakespeare panel, and was shut out of The History of Superhero Movies panel. The day was not shaping up well, and I was frustrated with people stopping in the middle of high-traffic areas - like right at the top of the escalators - to take pictures of cosplayers. After a while I gave up on politeness and accidentally photobombed many shots. Even worse were people who were trying to interview and film people in the middle of the exhibition hall aisles, in front of the crowded Marvel, DC, and Fox Entertainment booths. Please people, how about a little common sense?

The panel for THE THING (prequel) started late, was held in the arctic-chilled, cavernous IGN Theater, but got me eager for the film, set for release April 29, 2011. The same-named prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 epic takes place three days before that film’s events, and centers on the doomed Norwegian team. The panel included director Matthijs van Heijningen, producers Eric Newman and Marc Abraham, and a few of the actors, including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko from Lost) and TV regular Eric Christian Olsen. (Ramona Flowers, uh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, also stars, but she was too busy getting married to attend the panel.) They showed an extended trailer (which the cast hadn’t even seen), but no other footage. Based on the discussion about the sparse use of CGI, close study of the Carpenter film, and the use of the same title (because it IS the same monster, after all), I remain optimistic about the forthcoming results.

(Here’s a fairly good steaming recording of THE THING panel. However, audio of the trailer has been removed.)

After THE THING panel, I had a limited edition copy of Darwyn Cooke’s latest Parker adaptation, THE OUTFIT, signed for a friend and stumbled into the Spotlight on Dean Haspiel as it was warming up. It was a rollicking roast of Haspiel from friends and collaborators, including author Jonathan Ames, who told the audience that the cartoonist character of “Ray Heuston” (played by Zack Galifianakis) on HBO’s Bored to Death is loosely based on Haspiel. Moderator Christopher Irving talked a little bit about Haspiel’s work on Act-i-Vate, the online comics collective/petri dish, and the forthcoming Dean Haspiel: The Early Years by Christopher Irving (Graphic NYC), publishing in November from IDW/Desperado.

The Vertigo: On the Edge panel featured so many artists and writers they packed the stage three deep in some areas (the count was at least 20 people). I am excited that Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly are doing The New York Five miniseries, a sequel to The New York Four, an original graphic novel from the now-dead Minx line. The next story arc of American Vampire (Scott Snyder, story; Raphael Albuquerque, artist) will be set during WWII. Three Vertigo novels I need to pick up soon are Cuba: My Revolution (Inverna Lockpez, story; Dean Haspiel, art), How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less (Sarah Glidden, story and art), and Aaron and Ahmed (Jay Cantor, story; James Romsberger, art). Anthony Bourdain is writing a chef-themed GN with artist Joel Rose titled Get Hiro!, due in 2012. Finally, editor Karen Berger announced the special Vertigo: Resurrection project, 100 page issues of never-reprinted or “lost” stories, including “Shoot” by Warren Ellis, a Constantine story about a school shooting from 1999 that was pulled in the aftermath of the Columbine High School incident. (Note: the first issue, which includes “Shoot”, just came out 10/20 and it is awesome.) A very satisfying panel that will empty my wallet further (eventually). I don’t purchase many DC (or Marvel, really) comics, but when I do, they are almost always the Vertigo imprint.

After the Vertigo panel, I had a Super Ray comic signed by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel (and didn’t pass out in the process, even after telling Ames he was very brave for going full frontal nude on the latest episode of Bored to Death). (The entire minicomic is available on the HBO Bored to Death site, with the huge penis panel notably absent.)

By late afternoon/early evening, the exhibition hall was still packed with cosplayers who looked better six hours ago, tired kids, trash, frustrated “security” staff, and exhausted attendees. It also didn’t smell so good anymore. As I headed up 8th Avenue to the bus (once again peeved that ReedPOP neglected to mention evening panels at an earlier date), I seriously considered if I needed to attend Sunday, but decided to get some sleep and decide in the morning...

Sunday

... and since I slept through the bus I was planning to take up that morning, Sunday at NYCC didn’t happen for me. Which was probably just as well, since it was Kids’ Day, and three panels I had been interested in were all running simultaneously. Sure, I was going to miss The Walking Dead panel, but that would be covered by all the major blogs, anyway. I was also worn down from logging nearly 9 hours of bus time in two days, although I have no complaints about the rides.

Up next: NYCC 2010 Report: Odds ‘n’ Sods

NYCC 2010 Report: Friday

2010-10-20T22:41:00.000-04:00

(Yes, somewhat late, a bit long, short on photographs, but still relevant and hopefully interesting.)

After reading a myriad of writeups about NYCC 2010, consensus seems to be the show went well, but not without problems, many concerning the crowds. I haven’t come across any reports that ended with “This sucked and I’m never coming back”, at least not yet.

Friday

Arrived at the Javits Center in Hell’s Kitchen, secured my press pass fairly quickly (as quickly as possible with 2900 registered press attendees), and scoped the layout. Took some time to fill out a survey for a doctoral student of Teachers College Columbia University, and walked the entire exhibit hall before the crowds packed in.

My favorite moment from Friday happened when I walked past two women, one wearing a FEED button on her press pass. FEED by Mira Grant was one of my favorite novels of 2010, a zombie story with intelligence, wit, and a great plot. I sputtered, “Oh... where did you get your FEED pin? I absolutely LOVED that book and can’t wait for the next one!” She pointed at the other woman with her and said, “Oh, actually, she’s Mira Grant”. I blathered on (hopefully making sense) about how much I enjoyed the book, how it was reviewed on my blog, and here’s my card so you can see it. The next book of the Newsflesh Trilogy, DEADLINE, will be out in June 2011. It was just a cool little, low-key author encounter, something I didn’t expect to happen at a large con without standing in a signing line.

The first panel I attended was Will Eisner’s New York, and it was disappointing that the room was less than a third full. The hour was a brief overview of how New York City was an integral part of Eisner’s work, but mostly remembrances from colleagues like Jules Feiffer (who walked into Eisner’s studio at age 16 looking for summer work and got put on The Spirit), Paul Levitz (who helped compile The Eisner Library), and David Hajdu (author of the excellent Ten-Cent Plague).

During the session, Denis Kitchen mentioned an interview Eisner gave with the Philadelphia Bulletin in 1941, where he first proposed that comic strips could be a serious art form. Apparently, the reporter stifled his laughter at this suggestion. That reminded me of a debate I’m having with a friend who refuses to even take time to think about considering comics as art. He also refuses to learn about comics, comics history, different comic genres to deliver an informed critical opinion. He doesn’t care about comics, therefore comics are useless. If I show him Eisner’s THE CONTRACT WITH GOD TRILOGY: LIFE ON DROPSIE AVENUE, and the immense detail and passion he put into these New York stories, maybe he’ll at least wake up and perhaps consider comics a little differently. (But probably not. I’ve given up hope on even trying to introduce comics to staunch non-comic types.)

After the Eisner panel, I wandered the rapidly-filling exhibition hall again, chatting with a Creative Director from The Warner Archive Collection about the forthcoming release of THE GREEN SLIME, a Japanese science fiction film from 1968, possibly best known for inspiring the RPG The Awful Green Things from Outer Space, but more so for the incredibly funky theme song composed by Charles Fox:

The Warner Archive Collection is a “print on demand” service for out-of-print, lost, odd, and forgotten movies. Since launching in 2009, they’ve added over 600 movies and television shows to the catalog, including the old “Night Flight” favorite Urgh! A Music War; B-horror flicks like Bad Ronald and Endangered Species; trashy television miniseries such as Lace (“Which one of you bitches is my mother?”); and lost animated abominations like Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. As someone who spent her teenage years trawling small video stores for weird films, or waiting for them to show up on cable or UHF at 3AM, a service like Warner Archive Collection is much appreciated.

The nicely-filled Remembering Harvey Pekar panel was moving, wonderful, and a little bit sad, considering that day (10/8) was Harvey’s 71st birthday. The panel was moderated by Jeff Newelt, the editor of The Pekar Project at Smith Magazine. (Newelt also does an eerily accurate imitation of Harvey’s voice, which he broke into from time to time.) The rest of the panel consisted of artists who worked with Harvey over the years, including the freakishly young looking Sean Pryor (seriously, he looks like he’s 14), Rick Parker, and Joseph Remant, all of The Pekar Project. Dean Haspiel, artist of The Quitter told the story of his first disastrous encounter with Harvey. The panel was rounded out with longtime friend Peter Kuper and Vertigo editor Jonathan Vankin. It was a great hour of stories and memories about Harvey (such as the fact that he called people at 8AM, no matter what the time difference might have been). They also showed photos of his original scripts and “page layouts”. The movie American Splendor captured these exactly - pages of crude stick figure drawings with dialogue. Harvey kept the U.S. Postal Service in business. He never sent those pages via FedEx or UPS, faxed them, or scanned and e-mailed them. They were always folded up, stuffed into an envelope and mailed to the artist.

Next year, Zip Comics will be publishing HARVEY PEKAR’S CLEVELAND, illustrated by Joseph Remnant. Newelt mentioned plans to publish an anthology of all the comics in The Pekar Project.

Feeling the warm fuzzies from the Pekar Panel, I spent the rest of the time checking out the south end of the exhibition hall, physically ghettoized from the rest of the floor by massive construction in the Javits Center. The south end had a huge, loud, Intel-sponsored video gaming area, traditional RPG gaming areas, the small press section, podcast alley, and the very large, nicely spaced Artist Alley.

Unfortunately, the only finding aid for Artists Alley was a single large poster perched on an easel, listing all the names of the artists according to table, not according to name, publisher, or any other logical order. It was printed in 8 point font, and impossible to access around the crowds of people looking for their favorite artists. Fliers listing all the artists in alphabetical order (first name, last name, whatever) and their table assignment would have been helpful. (Not that it mattered much to me in the end, as I was still too chickenpoop to approach any of my favorite artists and ask for a sketch, even though I purchased a new sketchbook for the event! I need to ease into asking for sketches at cons that are more my milieu, like MoCCA and SPX.)

I finally met Charlito of Indie Spinner Rack podcast in the flesh (but not nude), which was awesome. Speaking of awesome, if you don’t have the two ISR Anthologies: AWESOME and AWESOME 2: AWESOMER, it would behoove you to purchase them immediately, as they are excellent collections of the best indie comic artists working today.

As the exhibition floor was closing, I wandered outside, past the accordion-playing Boba Fett, headed up 8th Avenue, and onto the ride back to Philly.

Up next: NYCC 2010 Report: Saturday

NYCC 2010 Haul Report

2010-10-17T20:55:00.000-04:00

I’ve written previously about my aversion to overloading on needless (and often useless) free swag from conventions, and how I’m now very selective what comes back with me. If it’s something I can read (books, comics, samplers, magazines) or use (notepads, totebags, helpful geegaws), it’s okay. And pinbacks!

So, unlike many NYCC attendees who left loaded down with freebies and purchases, I was easily able to schlep my bag around the Javits Center and home. (It also kept me from looking like, eek!, a tourist.)

Swag

2 issues of BUST magazine (June/July 2010 and Oct/Nov 2010)
Greg Bear’s HULL ZERO THREE and Brent Weeks’ THE BLACK PRISM previews
Berkeley/Signet Books paranormal sampler
DOSE and DOSE II comic compilations, edited by Brendan McGinley
Publisher catalogs from VERTICAL INC. and TOR/FORGE
GIANT ROBOT #67
SUPER RAY minicomic, based on BORED TO DEATH (which I got signed by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel, nearly passing out during the process)
Random House Audiobook sampler
Lost Artifacts sampler from the LOST ENCYCLOPEDIA
Notepads from Tor/Forge (promoting HELLHOLE) and American Airlines (to promote their flights to Japan)
Judah Friedlander tote bag (!), promoting his new book HOW TO BEAT UP ANYBODY (Judah was also there signing and posting for photos, but his line was out of control. Luckily, he’ll be in Philadelphia next month.)
Vixens of Virtue/Vixens of Vice (a webseries) Season 1 DVD
Book: SANDMAN SLIM by Richard Kadrey
Book: RAPTURE UNTAMED by Pamela Parker
Book: SKINNERS: VAMPIRE UPRISING by Marcus Pelegrimas
Book: SOULLESS: AN ALEXIA TARABOTTI NOVEL by Gail Carriger
Book: WICKED CITY: BLACK GUARD by Hideyuki Kikuchi
Water bottle for Patrick Lee’s GHOST COUNTRY (not shown)
Pinbacks!

Purchases (yep, this was it)

7 Billion Needles, Vol. 1 by Nobuaki Tadano (Vertical Inc.)
Subscription to BUST (at a great value, and a got a t-shirt, too (not shown)!)

Of Interest (Science-y): 10.14.2010

2010-10-14T19:40:00.000-04:00

Every single one of the 37 (or so) ingredients found in a Twinkie, individually photographed by Dwight Eschliman. Mmmm, #34: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate.

________________________________

It’s always fun when the finalists for the annual Dance Your Ph.D. are announced!

________________________________

ifixit is an open source repair manual site that anyone can contribute to, a sort of repairwiki. One of their regular features is Teardowns, where they carefully disassemble the newest gadgets to show what’s inside, like the latest iPod Nanos and the iPad (which probably give Apple fanboys chest pains to see). They recently featured a week of retro gaming console teardowns, including the Magnavox Odyssey 100 and the ubiquitous Atari 2600 (below).

Remember, if you can’t open it, you don’t own it.

NYCC 2010 Panel Picks

2010-10-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

There are at least 300 different panels at NYCC/NYAF 2010, demos, screenings, spotlights, etc. to choose from, but these piqued my interest as I went through the programming schedule. (Keep in mind I have a small press, comics-as-art, not-so-much-superhero interests.)

I’m obviously not going to attend all these panels, since many of them conflict. Also, if I tried to do that, it would be exhausting and there would be no time to explore the exhibition floor. It would make me cranky. (Plus, with the Javits Center located kind of in the middle of a culinary drought, getting decent food will take some time, even with CB Cebulski’s excellent guides.)

FRIDAY 10/8

Will Eisner’s New York
2PM / Room 1A14
This is likely to be a packed (and hopefully cerebral) session, since the panelists include Jules Feiffer (!!!, again, !!!), David Hajdu (author of The Ten Cent Plague), Paul Levitz, Denis Kitchen (founder of Kitchen Sink Press and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), Michael Schumacher (Eisner biographer), and Danny Fingeroth (author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and Creation of the Superhero). I am not going to miss this panel.

Image Comics: The Writers
4:30PM / Room 1A14
Includes Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), John Layman (Chew), Nick Spencer (Morning Glories), Ron Marz (Firebreather vs. Dragon Prince), and Steven T. Seagle (The Crusades). CHEW is one of my favorite new books of the past two years, I’ve started to read all the back issues of THE WALKING DEAD, and was intrigued by the first two issues of MORNING GLORIES. Image puts out great material. But of course this panel conflicts with...

Remembering Harvey Pekar
4:30PM / Room 1A22
This is another panel I must attend, since I missed the Pekar panel at SPX a few weeks ago, and several of the panelists are the same: Jeff Newlet (curator of The Pekar Project), Peter Kuper, Rick Parker (contributor to The Pekar Project), Dean Haspiel (artist for The Quitter, American Splendor) and Danny Fingeroth (moderator). Again, not going to miss even though also interested in...

Adapting Public Domain Texts into Graphic Novels
4:45PM / Room 1A23
A week or so ago a friend mentioned that she wanted to try adapting the children’s classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett into a graphic novel, or at least an illustrated novel. There’s so much material available in the public domain for the taking!

IDW Sneak Peek 2011
5:45PM / Room 1A14
Gabriel Rodriguez (Locke & Key, which was just optioned for television) will be interviewed. (Also repeats sunday at 3:45PM.)

Dark Horse
5:45PM / Room 1A24
Of course the Dark Horse panel and IDW go head to head. But DH also repeats Sunday at 2:30PM

Dash Shaw and Chip Kidd in Conversation
8:15PM / Room 1A14
Dash Shaw (BodyWorlds and Bottomless Belly Button) and uber book designer Chip Kidd chat it up.

SATURDAY 10/9

HarperCollins SF, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Preview
10:45AM / Room 1A17

Fan Fiction: From Mary Sue to Shakespeare
10:45AM / Room 1A15
Not sure who is going to be on this panel, but hopefully it will be an academic take on fan fiction, as opposed to some sort of writing workshop.

Image Comics Show
1:15PM / Room 1A22
Similar to Friday’s “Writers” panel, lots of the same panelists.

The Thing
1:30PM / ING Theater
I’m curious. Plus, I’m not sure Universal presented about The Thing (prequel) at SDCC.

Spotlight on Dean Haspiel
2:45PM / Room 1A23
One-on-one with Dean Haspiel, but I doubt he’ll take his shirt off as he did at the Ignatz Awards last month. If I ever sell a comic script, I want Dean Haspiel (or Darwyn Cooke) to draw it.

Vertigo: On the Edge
3:45PM / Room 1A06
Loads of good people scheduled for this one: Jason Aaron (Scalped), Sarah Glidden (How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less), Dean Haspiel (Cuba: My Revolution), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Inverna Lockpez (Cuba: My Revolution), Sean Murphy (Hellblazer), Scott Snyder (American Vampire), Peter Straub (Green Woman), and Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders). Considering that Vertigo just bounced three critical editors, it should be an interesting panel. (Although not as interesting as the planned Wildstorm panel (10/9, 1:15PM, 1A24) since that entire imprint was axed a few weeks ago.)

Darwyn Cooke Spotlight
5PM / Room 1A06
If I ever sell a comic script, I want Darwyn Cooke (or Dean Haspiel) to draw it.

Del Rey and Specta Books
5PM / Room 1E14

Vertical Inc.
6:15PM / Room 1E14
This past year I’ve read a few of the Vertical reissues of Osamu Tezuka manga, and am planning on reading the Black Jack series next, and checking out 7 Billion Needles by Nobuaki Tadano. Vertical Inc. has some great books, both manga, fiction, and non-fiction.

[And now, for my only pre-conference kvetch.]

When I arranged transportation for NYCC (from Philly, not economically feasible to stay overnight), I did it based on the show hours posted on the site, listed as: Friday 11-7, Saturday 10-7, and Sunday 10-5. There was NO mention these were just the Exhibition Hall hours, and that panels would run after 7PM on Friday and Saturday. When the programming schedule was finally announced, there were many panels and screenings after 7PM on these two days. A little early warning about this would have been appreciated, even if schedules weren’t final. Just a note saying “while the exhibition hall closes as 7PM, there will be panels and screenings until 10PM”, something like that. I’ve got my return tickets purchased for each day, and later departures for the buses are already sold out, so I’m kind of SOL for these next panels.

[Complaint over, and really, it’s not a huge problem. But Tom Spurgeon noticed this scheduling thing, too.]

Indie Cred: Why Indie Comics Matter
7:30PM / Room 1A17
Featuring some of my favorite artists! Alex Robinson! Julia Wertz! Mike Dawson! Jason Little! Chris Radke! Okay, yeah, I’ve seen them all speak before. So, if you’re still at the Javits at 7:30, you must GO to this panel. Indie publishers represent! Wooo!

Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep?
7:45PM / Room 1A23
Featuring Mac Montandon, Mira Grant, Justine Larbalestier, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Robin Becker, Alan Goldsher, and Richard Kadrey. Mira Grant wrote FEED, which was one of the best books I’ve read in 2010. It’s part of the “Deadflesh” Trilogy, and I was hoping to find out when the next book, DEADLINE will be published. (Some searching brings a date of June 2011 - do I really have to wait that long?)

It’s Butters! An Evening of Chaos!
8:15 PM / Room 1A06
Yep, an entire Leopold “Butters” Stotch event. Aw, shucks guys, I hafta miss it!

Graphic Novel Roundtable
8:45PM / Room 1A22
That’s the entire description.

SUNDAY 10/10

Oni Press Presentation
1:15PM / Room 1A14
Oni always puts on a good show.

How to Fail in Comic Books
1:30PM / Room 1A23
This panel is a tie-in with a documentary of the same name. Not sure if the film is done yet, or if they are still working on it, since there’s a notice that this panel will be recorded.

Culinary Manga
1:45PM / Room 1E12
Looking for recommendations beyond Oshinbo.

AMC presents The Walking Dead
2:15PM / ING Theater
AMC promises to show “the first full scenes”, whatever that means. (And whatever it means, it will probably show up on YouTube mere hours afterwards.) Actors on the panel include Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, and Steven Yeun. Writer/director/exec producer Frank Darabont will be there, and other exec producers Robert Kirkman and Gale Anne Hurd.

Linkage:

Schedule on NYCC site, including PDF grids.
Full text schedule at The Beat
UGO’s Weird Panels at New York Comic Con 2010
The Comic Reporter’s list of all comic-related panels

New York Comic Con 2010 Preview

2010-10-06T00:10:00.001-04:00

Full disclosure #1: I attended the first New York Comic Con in 2006, organized by convention company Reed Exhibitions. It was a bit of a disaster. Only a small part of the Javits Convention Center was utilized, disorganization was rampant, and people were denied entrance on the Saturday of the event due to overcrowding, even if they had pre-paid admission. I left very early feeling completely worn out from the short day, and a bit cheated, too. [Here are some old posts/news items about the event: Comics Worth Reading 1, Comics Worth Reading 2, Prep Time Posse, Comics Reporter.]

Since that cold February many years ago, I’ve attended many excellently run conventions including the behemoth San Diego Comic Con (2x), Small Press Expo (4x), MoCCA Fest (2x), and other smaller events. Although I had heard that NYCC was improving each year, I was still hesitant to give it another try.

Reviewing 2009’s programming schedule and coverage after the event ended, I decided to maybe give NYCC another chance in 2010. Which leads to...

Full disclosure #2: I am attending NYCC 2010 as press, and was provided a press pass (but no other amenities). (Since this is an Ad Free Blog, I felt it important to state this up front.)

NYCC 2010 is a balanced mix of geekdom with an emphasis on comics (mostly mainstream, but some indie panels and exhibitors), supplemented with gaming and TV/movie presentations. This is not a con that has lost its comics focus. There are many comics publishers, retailers, and ancillary exhibitors (e.g., collectibles insurance companies, art supplies, etc.), and even somewhat of a “webcomics pavillion” on the floor, in addition to Artists’ Alley, a podcast area, and small press tables.

The programming does have Hollywood media (although mostly confined to the ING Theater), but it also features Comic Studies Conference panels from the Institute for Comics Studies, lots of librarian and educator panels, and many, many comic panels. There are also a few “big name” (paid) autograph opportunities with celebrities, as is the norm at every comic convention. There’s also a Kids’ Day (Sunday), Masquerade, and D&D gaming.

It is the combination New York Comic Con/New York Anime Fest, so there are plenty of manga and anime panels, exhibitors, and happenings. Since I am only a very casual reader of manga, and not a watcher of anime at all, I can’t really judge if it’s a “good mix” of stuff. Two of the manga publishers I do read books from will be there, Vertical Publishing and Viz Media (Viz Signature books), but that is the extent that I can address NYAF.

Overall, my (cautious) impression is that most attendees will find what they came for at NYCC 2010: film and television teasers, comics, anime, autographs, books, or videogames. And since Reed Exhibitions now has created a separate division (called ReedPOP) for the NYCC and similar events (C2E2, PAX, PAX East), hopefully it will run as smoothly as possible. Look for my Twitter posts during the event, and blog posts when possible.

Here are relevant, helpful links:

New York Comic Con (main site)
Programming: available in PDF grids on NYCC site, and a great text form on The Beat (thanks, Heidi!)
Exhibitors
Artists’ Alley
Helpful tips from Lance Fensterman, one of the main ReedPOP NYCC organizers
Marvel talent scout CB Cebulski has lots of food recommendations, some in Hell’s Kitchen around the Javits Center, others around town.

Of Interest (Goodies!): 10.05.2010

2010-10-05T01:57:00.000-04:00

Woody Guthrie inspired pencils inscribed with “This Machine Kills Fascists”, which is the slogan he had on his guitar. (Unfortunately they’re $22 for a (nice wooden) box of 10! Wonder if you could get them printed up by some promotional giveaway company, instead?)

___________________________________

Totally awesome! Laptop skins that look like a row of home-recorded VHS tapes. And it’s not a photograph, but done with markers by artist Hollis Brown Thornton called “VHS Heroes”.

___________________________________

Looking forward to this series of film studies books from Soft Skull Press, called Deep Focus. They are going to concentrate on cult films of the 70s and 80s, and the first two books are about John Carpenter’s They Live! (written by Jonathan Lethem!) and Death Wish. I’m very glad that there’s going to be long-form criticism about not-so-artistically-inclined films that many people relate to more.

Seq. Art: I Think You’re Saucesome! and The Imp

2010-10-04T03:18:00.002-04:00

I met Sarah Becan at SPX 2010, where she was nominated for an Ignatz Award for her webcomic I Think You’re Sauceome! (She didn’t win.) She was also participated in a panel about presenting your “Autobiography in Pieces”, which I enjoyed.

In this (mostly) daily webcomic, Sarah draws her food consumption, along with a little diary comic about that day’s events, and sometimes a thoughtful essay as well.

While I adore her daily comic entries, I also like her goals for the webcomic, the first of which is:

I have a few personal goals for this little project here. First and foremost is to find a way to stop hating myself so much. I know I have some pretty unhealthy ingrained ideas when it comes to self-image, and I had them when I was a size 7, and I know people who are a size 3 who have them too, so I’m pretty sure it’s not about what size I actually am.

Selection from Sarah Becan's webcomic I Think You're Saucesome!

________________________________________________

Daniel Raeburn’s infrequently published The Imp is frequently called an essential zine about various comic-related topics. He’s published issues about Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, Chick tracts, and sleazy Mexican comics, all in different sizes, designs, and formats (e.g. newspaper, tract, etc.). Issues of The Imp have been very difficult to find, but Raeburn has just released all four issues in PDF form on his site for free. I highly recommend The Imp #2, a research essay about Chick Publications, including a concordance!

History lesson.

2010-10-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

Just something fun for a Sunday.

Seq. Art: The Kidney Thing and Salvaged Parts

2010-10-02T15:09:00.000-04:00

Illustrator Jana Christy donated one of her kidneys to her brother to help save his life, and created a comic to help her get through it: The Kidney Thing. It’s a fascinating read. I’m not even going to spoil the “Fun Kidney Facts”! Instead, I will go for the cheap laugh of the pee collection panels:

Collecting urine in Jana Christy's The Kidney Thing.

___________________________________________

So, I’ve been harboring a crush on Lucy Knisley since very early in 2010, when I fell into her book French Milk at just the right time. I “squee!”ed all over her at MoCCA Fest in April, whereI bought Make Yourself Happy and Radiator Days. I’ve been wanting to write about her work for months, but haven’t really been able to put into proper words how good her work makes me feel.

Recently, Lucy endured some rough life events. However, she’s slowly bounced back (as I knew she would), working in her shared studio The Burrow, and making new art again (including Cat Experiment videos!). To help process what she endured this summer, she created the comic Salvaged Parts, a great story about crawling from the wreckage. It’s available as a PDF for mere $2, and well worth more.

Lucy Knisley ponders aloneness in Salvaged Parts

"Act one, mustard. Act two, mayo. Act three, relish. Act four, corn relish."

2010-09-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

But what the heck was Act Five? Oh, Ira Glass, I less-than-symbol-number-three you.

A few words on Top Chef All-Stars

2010-09-23T17:32:00.000-04:00

Top Chef is the only “reality competition” show I’ve watched continuously since its launch, including both TC: Masters rounds. Admittedly, the most recent season in Washington DC was abysmal from the contestants to the terribly designed challenges (still fuming over “BipartiSandwich”), and I’m not entirely sold on the concept of TC: Just Desserts yet.

However, it’s a sure bet I’ll be watching Top Chef All-Stars when it starts in December. Not only will it feature some of the best chefs who choked at inopportune moments during their seasons, Anthony Bourdain is going to be a regular weekly judge. I am so looking forward to his acerbic observations and critiques. Bourdain is also a little more willing to accept less-delicate, messy, and simpler dishes than other judges, give his love of good, hearty street foods of the world.

Here’s the list of chefs for Top Chef All-Stars (which purposely excludes the winners of each cycle). My commentary follows each in brackets.

Season 1: San Francisco

Stephen Asprinio [Of course they had to pick the Original Douche of the series, the one who would be the pattern for all future douches. Gah. Still an asshole.]
Tiffani Faison [Or, “Tiff-a-bitch”.]

Season 2: Los Angeles

Elia Aboumrad [What I remember most is her saying, “En my countree, we do not have thees Thanksgeeving...”.]
Marcel Vigneron [See notation for “Aspirino, Stephen” above.]

Season 3: Miami

Dale Levitski [Decent guy who fell into a depression a few years back. He’s got a new place open in Chicago, and is back in the kitchen. Hope he does well.]
Casey Thompson [Notable for choking in the finale. Cute.]
Tre Wilcox [I still long for a serving of the cheesy shrimp and grits he did for the “roach coach” challenge. Accepted elimination with grace and style.]

Season 4: Chicago

Richard Blais [Although I’m not so keen on the whole molecular gastronomy thing, he was truly a nice guy, a skilled chef who choked in the finale. But he did win a car at least.]
Antonia Lofaso [The very definition of “sweetheart”.]
Spike Mendelsohn [Douchebag in a hat.]
Dale Talde [Still remember Bourdain gagging on the butterscotch scallops he made for the restaurant wars episode. Butterscotch? Who would do that to an innocent scallop? While Dale does score points for finally telling off “larval” Lisa, he did turn douche in the end.]

Season 5: New York

Carla Hall [Skilled when she can rein in her personality and focus on cooking.]
Jamie Lauren [Often flustered by scallops, yet kept cooking them.]
Fabio Viviani [What’s not to love? The accent, the mangled English, the dishes he turned out!]

Season 6: Las Vegas

Jennifer Carroll [Hooray! TenJenn represents Philadelphia again! She deserves another shot, as she too fell to “the choke” at the finale.]
Mike Isabella [Moderately douchey, but had the skills to back it up.]

Season 7: Washington DC

Tiffany Derry [The nicest, most genuine chef in all of S7. Never said a harsh word about anybody. Still not sure why she didn’t make the final four. Glad she gets another shot.]
Angelo Sosa [Why, oh why must we be subjected to this douche so soon? Hopefully he will stop using allusions to making love to the ingredients.]

Who I would have liked to see included in the All-Stars:

Dave Martin (S1) [For providing the show’s first quotable line, “I’m not your bitch, bitch”. Would have been one of the two finalists if he hadn’t screwed up the next-to-last elimination and only made two dishes instead of three. Yummy looking lamb enchiladas in first episode.]
Michael Midgley (S2) [Flounder! Okay, not the best chef, and cooked better while altered after dental work, but how about including him for some comic relief?]
Lisa Fernandes (S4) [Larval Lisa! The show needs a *real* villian.]
Jeff McInnis (S5) [Another choking victim. Plus, cute.]
Stefan Richter (S5) [How could they *not* have Stefan back, especially since they included his crush, Jamie? Plus, they could have had him skin an eel again.]
Kevin Gillespie (S6) [Being overshadowed by the brothers Voltaggio in the finale shook him. He and his beard deserve another chance. Plus, I don’t recall him ever trash-talking anyone during his season.]

Seq. Art: American, Eh?, Release the Bats!, Is it the Future Yet? (Or, the punctuated review edition.)

2010-09-23T01:50:00.000-04:00

American, Eh? #4 and #5 by Heather Bryant
The continuing story of a Canadian who fell in love with an American and moved to the states is Heather Bryant’s American, Eh? Heather’s drawing and scripting techniques just keep getting better (and they were pretty damn good to begin with) - there’s quite an artistic difference between Issue #1 and the latest two. Issue #4 tells the story of working as a projectionist for a demanding film professor, and how much “H.” learned, even if it was a struggle to please him at times. The two-page spread that impressed me the most was her drawings of one of the most famous scenes from Hitchcock’s film Notorious.

From American, Eh? #4

Issue #5 of American, Eh involves a holiday trip back to Canada to see her family, with boyfriend Michael in tow. Besides the beautiful snowscapes (it’s a fairly rural town), Heather varies page layouts with different sized frames on each page. It keeps the action flowing well. I can’t wait for the next installment!

Heather also does the webcomic Cake Brat, the tales of bakers on the nightshift, lots of fun.

_________________________________

Release the Bats! Ten Years of Comics by Liz Baillie
I’ve raved before about Liz’s comic My Brain Hurts (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2), and how I had previously misjudged her work as “crusty punk comics”, when they are not that at all. Well, they sort of are, but they are SO. MUCH. MORE. than that.

Release the Bats! collects Liz’s hard-to-find work from other anthologies (her great piece from Side B is in here), selections from her “Minicomics of the Month Club”, and a few unpublished pieces. I really enjoyed “Record Collecting and the Cartoonist Tradition”, “Grandma’s Song”, and “The Awkward Punky Teen’s Guide to Dating”. She’s truly one of the finest comic creators in the indie/mini culture, and you must check out her work.

Liz is also publishes the webcomic Freewheel, a story of a girl searching for her brother, and the people she finds along the way.

_________________________________

Is it the Future Yet? by Corinne Mucha
Another SPX, another collection from the lovely Corinne Mucha. In Is It the Future Yet?, she ponders about deja vu, trying to change the future, superstitions, and having her hyperlineated palms read.

From Is it the Future Yet?

CfE: Syndicate Product: THE META-COMICS ISSUE

2010-09-22T20:18:00.002-04:00

CALL for ENTIRES

Syndicate Product:

THE META-COMICS ISSUE

The creative process of drawing comics: Where do your ideas come from? Why do you draw comics?
Comics-related disasters: From the cat knocking over the ink bottle to basement floods that resulted in floating longboxes.
__ broke my heart: As a comics reader, the most soul-crushing, genre-destroying, why-the-hell-am-I-still-reading this storylines you’ve endured in mainstream comics. Why did you stop reading some titles?
Creative space: Where do you draw? What rituals do you perform? (E.g., Lynda Barry always begins a drawing session by writing out the alphabet a few times with a brush and ink.)
Reading comics: Are there comics that left you so emotionally wrecked that you’re scared to read them again? Flipside: are there books you have to re-read every year?
Collecting comics: Are you a Wednesday regular? Did your mom throw out your collection when you went to college? Have you ever sold off parts of your collection for rent, food, or more comics?
Comics and relationships: Friendships and romances found or lost over comics.
Memories of stores past and present: Good and bad stories from the comic shop. Did/do you work in a comic shop?
Inspirations: Artists, teachers, storytellers?
Tangentially related ideas: Terrible, little-seen comic book movie/TV adaptations. Tales from actual comic book conventions.
Previously self-published comics (either print or web) are welcome if they relate to the topic.

SPECIFICATIONS

Comic artists: Final art size should reduce to around 4.5 x 7.5 inches. Four pages maximum (but if it’s really good, this can be negotiated). B&W only. Send art as 300dpi TIF files if grayscale scans, 600dpi TIF if bitmap scans. Also, once entries are in, I may be looking for small illustrations to accompany some of the essays.

Writers: Between 400-1200 words is acceptable. If you need to go longer, please do. If the writing is good enough, people will want to read it to the end. I'll let you know if a piece is simply too huge, rambling, unwieldy, or needs editing. Send essays as OpenOffice, MS Word, or plain text files, or paste the text into an e-mail.

Contributors will receive a copy of the final project.

Due date and where to submit: First deadline is JANUARY 7, 2011*. FEBRUARY 4, 2011. Submit your entries to syndprod@gmail.com. If you want to mail them, send them to: A.j. Michel, PO Box 877, Lansdowne, PA 19050.

* Due date subject to extension if needed, as it usually is.

Seq. Art: Americus, Troop 142, Kevin Days a Week

2010-09-20T01:15:00.002-04:00

Americus by MK Reed (script) and Jonathan Hill (art)

Americus is a graphic novel scripted by MK Reed and drawn by Jonathan Hill set for release in fall of 2011 by First Second. However, you don’t have to wait to read it! Under special arrangement with the publisher, Americus is being released page by page (updated three times a week) online! It’s the story of book censorship (“The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde” series) in a small town in Oklahoma, and I eagerly await each page.

If you don’t usually read webcomics (and admittedly, I do prefer hardcopy to digital), no worries. Americus flows well and is updated frequently so you don’t forget the story (of course, you can always flip back as needed). The creators also annotate selected pages, with details of their writing and drawing processes, and there are guest consultant bloggers on Fridays, too. And even though I’m reading it online for free, I still plan on buying a physical copy when it prints.

(From Americus by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill.)

_____________________________________________

Troop 142 by Mike Dawson

Mike Dawson wrote one of my favorite autobiographical comics, Freddie & Me: A Coming of Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody from 2008. I admire his clean, sharp drawing style and tight scripts.

Troop 142 is the fictional story (although Dawson was a Scout) of a week at Boy Scout camp circa 1995. It’s a seven-part minicomic, with each day of the week comprising an issue. Issues #1 to #5 are currently available.

I’m finding Troop 142 to be a compelling read because there don’t seem to be many stories about the friendships in a boy’s life between the ages of approximately 13 to 17. Sure, there are plenty of science fiction and fantasy novels (e.g. Harry Potter series, the Knife of Never Letting Go series, much of Heinlein’s YA fiction), and other novels that focus on the development of one young male character, but I can’t think of too many examples that involve groups of boys of this age as characters who get equal time. The only examples I can think of are somewhat dated: Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern in Stephen King’s novella “The Body” (on screen as Stand By Me); Kevin Arnold and Paul Pfeiffer in The Wonder Years; Sam Weir, Bill Haverchuck, and Neil Schweiber in Freaks and Geeks; and even Doogie and Vinny Delpino in Doogie Howser, MD. (If you can cite any more recent examples, put them in the comments.)

Troop 142 features Dawson’s crisp artwork, pacing, and dialogue, with multiple storylines intertwined, but never confusingly so. It won a well-deserved Ignatz Award at SPX 2010 for “Outstanding Online Comics”, and was also nominated for Outstanding Artist, Series, and Mini-Comics. Troop 142 is an excellent novel, and I eagerly look forward to the conclusion.

Troop 142 is available for free online. If you do enjoy it, consider buying it in hard copy or tossing Mike Dawson a few bucks. (Not sure if it’s found a publisher yet, or there will be problems actually getting it published due to the use of the Boy Scouts.)

From Troop 142 by Mike Dawson

_____________________________________________

Kevin Days a Week: Year Three (2008 to 2009) by Kevin Burkhalter

Another year, another brick of diary comics from Kevin Burkhalter! Kevin Days a Week is one of my favorite annual purchases, in all its chunky goodness. A cool feature of this year’s installment is that Kevin allowed different comic artists to draw the strips for February 2009, which coincided with recovery from an emergency operation to remove scar tissue blocking his intestine. Yeouch! (But still a lot of fun to read!)

From Kevin Days a Week! by Kevin Burkhalter

Syndicate Product Zine Shop FALL SALE

2010-09-18T13:45:00.004-04:00

SPX 2010 Haul

2010-09-15T22:09:00.003-04:00

Another year, another SPX haul, and another few weeks of eating ramen with rooster sauce and from the enormous tub o’ hummus from the warehouse store.

I get better at doing the Small Press Expo every year. It was was my second year as a volunteer, which was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of interesting artists. Unfortunately, I missed the Ignatz Awards because the five minute laydown I planned turned into five hours. Oops. I also forgot my camera, so the only picture I took was on my phone of a package of creamed herring at Ize’s Deli nearby.

Here’s my haul from SPX 2010. Almost all of what I picked up this year isn’t easily available in average comic stores, so there are links throughout the list to the artists or publishers. Look for reviews in the upcoming weeks. And all I plan to do this upcoming weekend is read!

Kevin Days a Week: Year Three by Kevin Burkhalter
American, Eh? #4 and #5 by Heather Bryant
Is it the Future Yet: Stories by Corinne Mucha
Troop 142 #4 and #5 by Mike Dawson
Release the Bats by Liz Baillie
Ha Ha Constance Planck: A Selection and Sandcastle Syndrome by Hilary Allison
Ten Thousand Things to Do #6 by Jesse Reklaw
Owe Apostrope by O’Shell
Yes, Let’s by Galen Goodwin Longstreth & Maris Wicks
Invincible Summer 19 / Clutch 22 by Nicole G and Clutch McB (Note: Papercutter #14 from Tugboat Press also debuted at the show.)
It’s Dream Time Snoop Doggy Dogg by JT Yost
Caboose (compilation)
Radio: Truly Crucial Rock and Roll
Your Disease Spread Quick by Tom Neely
Henry and Glenn Forever
Diary and L.A. Diary by Gabrielle Bell
Phase 7 #014 and Transition by Alec Longstreth (and his amazing beard)
Germs by Adam Bomb and Ray Decay
Adventures in Stereo by Aaron DeLaRosa
Coal by Jeff Sharp
Diary Comics by Dustin Harbin
Four Squares by Joe Quinones, Maris Wicks, Liz Prince, and Tim Finn.
Square Dance by Colin Tedford
Play and Time anthologies from the Trees & Hills Comic Group
Anyone but Virginia #4 by Zac Crockett and Josh Eiserike
Assholes #3 by Josh Eiserike and Mitch Roth
Hive Four (Anthology)
Afrodisiac and Mixed Up by Jim Rugg
WIZZYWIG 3: Fugitive by Ed Piskor
Dad: A Documentary Graphic Novel by Scott King
Cavalcade of Boys Collection by Tim Fish

Cul de Sac Calendar by Richard Thompson - One of the things I did as an SPX volunteer was assist at the SPX guest signing table, helping artists with sales and and such during their signing times. I helped out Richard Thompson, who does the daily syndicated strip Cul de Sac and the political cartoon Richard’s Poor Almanac for the Washington Post (sorry, can’t link, behind registration wall). It was really amazing to watch people come to the table in awe of his work. One young woman was so excited she could barely speak as she told him how much of an influence he was on her life and work as he drew a sketch for her. He is an incredibly nice man and personalized one of his calendars for me. (And I have no doubt that my friends would endorse "International Tease Anita Day".

I missed out on getting a copy of Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran, so I’ll be ordering one soon.

Not pictured: several issues of Smile Hon, You're in Baltimore, delivered in person by the publishers.

And finally, an organic catnip mousie from Hey Pais for Mooch. Man, did he pounce on that when I got it home. He’s been alternating between running around at full speed, staring at his paw, and eating enormous amounts of kibble. They will be available soon in Pais' Etsy shop, so you too can enable your kitty!

100 Katts!

2010-09-09T21:38:00.001-04:00

(To paraphrase Jonathan Coulton: "IKEA, IKEA, just some oak and some pine, and a handful of kittehs...")

Zine Picks: 09.07.2010

2010-09-07T00:52:00.001-04:00

You Don’t Get There From Here #15 by Carrie McNinch
The latest installment of Carrie’s diary comics covers the beginning of 2010 to her trip to Japan (to be covered in another issue). She’s still dealing with the loss of her much loved cat Jesse, and feelings of loneliness and disconnect. But then there are the art shows, runs in the hills, friends, rutting tortoises, travel, food, and great books to balance it all out. I realize that I write about just about every issue of YDGTFH, but it deserves the attention. It’s a solid daily diary comic that is not self centered and sniveling. And as I wrote in my 24 hour zine (Syndicate Product 16: Golden State), Carrie’s depictions of Los Angeles are partly to blame for my move-to-California dreams.

Available for $2 from Carrie McNinch, PO Box 49403, Los Angeles CA 90049, or through Microcosm Publishing.

(From You Don't Get There From Here #15)

________________________________

The Ken Chronicles #16 by Ken Bausert
Ken always provides a good read with his stories about everyday life (which, as we know from Harvey Pekar, is pretty complex stuff), from what he’s listening to and reading, to gardening and trips to the beach. I particularly enjoyed “It’s all about the iMac” in this issue, where he writes about upgrading his computer, because it helped me understand some of the frustration my own father experiences while working on his computer. While I can (usually) easily adapt to new versions of software, having worked on computers for 20+ years, it’s often difficult for older folks to adjust so easily, although they usually catch on eventually. (My father still complains to me every time Google tweaks Gmail. Last time they modified it, he wrote me: “Well, some stupid ass had to justify their salary so that changed the email again.”)

Ken puts it much more eloquently: “Now, you have to understand, I am no expert or authority on anything to do with computers. I just know what works well for me and I learn what I must do to utilize it. However, I can tell you why I love certain applications and what I don’t like about their replacements. But, since all new applications have a certain learning curve, I could be missing something that I just haven’t been able to figure out. Mostly, though, it’s first impressions that count.”

Available for $2, a fair trade, or a letter of comment from Ken Bausert, 2140 Erma Drive, East Meadow NY 11554-1120.

Seq. Art: You’ll Never Know by C. Tyler

2010-09-01T08:04:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I think I know everything there is to know about my father. I’ve heard his stories hundreds (maybe thousands) of times by now, and can even finish some of them when he starts. A playlist of “Joe’s Greatest Hits” would include these classics:

1. “When I was working in the barroom that Baba and Zeddo owned (Note: his parents; those are Slovak terms for grandparents), one night after closing I decided to try a shot from every bottle. I got through two or three and woke up on the bar the next morning. I’m not a drinker.”

2. “We ordered a new refrigerator in 1943, but it wasn’t delivered until 1946. Everything went toward the war in those days. You kids will never know what it was like. Your Baba worked third shift at a clothing factory snipping threads off of long underwear when they came off the machines. Everybody worked for the war.”

3. “I used an outhouse until I was about 10 years old. For toilet paper, we used old Sears catalogs. But only the dull pages, not the shiny, color pages. You crumpled up the dull pages so they would be soft.”

4. “Before we built the barroom as a separate building, it was in the basement of our house. (Note: this was not uncommon in rural PA in the 1950s.) The women would use the bathroom in the house and them men would go outside.”

5. “I won the shop prize in high school. Five dollars. I still have the envelope it came in.”

However, Dad keeps surprising me with new and interesting stories about his life. This last weekend I visited, on the way back from the diner we passed a house being systematically deconstructed as opposed to randomly demolished.

“Look at those old, wide boards. You can’t find wide boards like that so easy anymore,” he said. “They’re probably going to use that lumber for something else.”

He paused, carefully driving around a deep pothole.

“Our house in Freeland was built from the old elementary school in Jeddo. Zeddo bought it for $100 when it went up for sale, and he hired some guys to take it down piece by piece and haul the lumber and whatever else they could salvage over to the lot. He paid them $3 a day and Baba gave them lunch each day.”

Who knew Zeddo was so eco-conscious in the 1940s! (Truthfully, he was just cheap.)

If I had the courage, I’d quit my job and chronicle my father’s life in audio and video, get all those stories down, all those secrets out. There’s an epic “This American Life” episode in there. If I were any kind of artist, I would have started a comic series about him.

Does Dad have stories that shouldn’t be told at all? In his older age that he’s let some things slip that probably shouldn’t have. Maybe he thinks that I’m old enough to hear the entire “truth” about everything in his life, maybe he just doesn’t care anymore, but there are some details I just don’t want to know. There are some secrets no one ever needs to know.

During SPX 2009, I purchased a copy of Carol Tyler’s You’ll Never Know - Book One: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics), a biography about her father (Charles “Chuck” Tyler), who served in Europe during WWII, but never willing to talk about his service. However, as he got older, he began talking to Carol about the terrible experiences, the horrors that men were just supposed to suppress and forget about when they returned to the U.S. after the war. (See the movie The Best Years of Our Lives for an excellent portrayal of three men trying to re-adjust after coming home.) Carol at first started to build his stories and old photos into a series of new scrapbooks for him, but then expanded to include stories about her life, and her parents’ lives before and after the war.

You’ll Never Know sat on my shelf for nearly a year before I finally opened and fell into it.

There are a few possible reasons that You’ll Never Know sat unread for so long before reading.

1. It is an intimidatingly beautiful book. Huge, scrapbook-sized, landscape format (12” wide x 10.5” high), hardcover, beautiful paper, colors, and printing. Fantagraphics always produces beautiful books, but this is one of my favorites they have ever published. I didn’t feel “ready” to read it for the longest time, because it just looked like an important, privileged read that required the correct moment. (I can’t be alone in saving certain books for “perfect” times or moods, am I?)

2. I also hesitated reading You’ll Never Know because I knew it would remind me of my own shortcomings in recording my father’s own stories, and my failed promises to organize all of his historical “stuff” (old coal mine company records and such). I also feel I’ve disappointed him by never really figuring out what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.

A few weeks ago, I carefully slid You’ll Never Know off the shelf. I was ready for it. It was time.

It was a deeply emotional read.

You’ll Never Know is the story of many lives: Chuck, his wife Hannah, Carol, Carol’s daughter Julia, and Carol’s estranged husband Justin. All their stories are told in the past and the present, in Carol’s drawings of Chuck’s old photographs, contrasted with events in Carol’s life like raising a teenage daughter while estranged from her husband. Their stories span from Chuck’s birth (1919) to the beginning of the 2000s and are held together by the Tyler family fortitude.

The art and lettering is stellar in You’ll Never Know, filled with little details that make every page - especially full page panels. Here’s one of my favorite panels. (Click to enlarge.)

And this is a sample page from the scrapbook Carol is drawing for Chuck.

By the end of You’ll Never Know: Book One, the reader knows that “something” happened during Chuck’s service in Europe that he has repressed for years. Carol is eking it out of him, slowly, bit by bit. It will take time.

You’ll Never Know is excellent example of autobiographical/biographical non-fiction sequential art, and has made my short list of favorite graphic non-fiction, which also includes Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, the Syncopated collections, and Ken Dahl’s Monsters.

I shouldn’t have delayed reading it.

However, the upside about waiting so long to read it is that I don’t have to wait so long for the next book. Book Two: Collateral Damage, is set to ship in September. (Oh, I hope it’s ready for the SPX!)

Zine: Put A Egg On It! #2

2010-08-31T01:24:00.000-04:00

Put A Egg On It! (yes, with the grammatical error) is a highly recommended food zine of personal essays, with clean layout (entirely full color!), great writing and editing, and empathetic stories.

PAEOI! has a non-snobby approach to food, combining personal experiences with comestibles (eating, preparing, etc.) in thoughtful prose.

Elizabeth Pearce writes about heartbreak, depressions, and not cooking in “Spoon Feeding”. She was deeply in (food-centric) love and then it ended: “For two days, I lived on iced coffee. Then, I graduated to cottage cheese, peanut butter and egg salad, each eaten with a spoon while sitting on the sofa watching bad TV.” She knows that one day she’ll want to tear up the kitchen again, just not now. But, scrapping hummus into a bowl and cutting up some vegetables for a group meeting is a promising start.

In “Anti-Depressant Stew”, Max Blagg provides an unstructured recipe for a root vegetable and chorizo one pot wonder to help you survive that bleak time between Thanksgiving and Xmas. (As someone who always suffers from the holiday blahs, I will start this some Saturday afternoon, and tuck into it as the sun sets at 4:30PM.

Paul Gerard’s “Tattoo Cook” looks back at NYC kitchens of the early ‘80s, in the same vein as Kitchen Confidential. These were they years when you started off as a dishwasher and if you were smart, lucky, and kept your damn mouth shut, could eventually work up the ranks in the kitchen: “This was not for the weak. had I told one of my chefs that I had a passion for local seasonal ingredients he’d look at me like I was a complete moron, ask me “What the fuck else would you use, dildo”, and make me clean the grease trap for clogging his brain with bullshit.”

The photos in PAEOI are not fancy, posed, studio shots, but instead of real people enjoying meals together (often consuming food mentioned in the essays), food trucks, and regional food oddities (including a loving paean to the Taylor Pork Roll). Helpful cooking tips fill the nooks.

With more food zines shifting completely to the web to be more timely, or just disappearing completely (Peko Peko), it’s great to find a new print food zine with so much promise. You want to read this if you’re a foodie or not.

You should read Put A Egg On It! simply because you have to eat.

Available from the Put A Egg On It store. (Note: Yes, it is a bit pricey for the size, but it is entirely full color, offset printing, and heavy paper.)

Of Interest (Geek): 08.28.2010

2010-08-28T08:44:00.001-04:00

+ Nifty gift for your (baking) chemistry geek: Science Lab Cookie Cutters! Includes a beaker, Erlenmeyer flask, atom, and test tube. Also check out the Periodic Table done in cookie form!

+ If I lived near Brooklyn, I would be scanning the materials at the Reanimation Library for my zines. This private library collects outdated and discarded books from thrift stores, libraries, trash piles and makes them available for makers, crafters, designers, writers, etc. The collection includes old technical manuals (Home Appliance Servicing), religious tracts (Life - How Did it Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? by the Watchtower Foundation), textbooks (Engineering Drawing), pamphlets, repair guides, and much more. This is a much needed archive - public libraries don’t have the need or the room for outdated materials such as these - but they still have value.

+ Recently stumbled upon GROK, a free PDF zine produced by the writers of the Alert Nerd blog. I’ve read three of the six available issues, and they are full of solid writing and geek humor. Worth a download.

Zine: Slice Harvester #1

2010-08-27T03:15:00.002-04:00

As mentioned previously on this blog, I am fairly lactose intolerant, which means that I can’t easily enjoy one of mankind’s most perfect creations, the cheese pizza slice. When I do indulge, I have to make sure to chew a few Lactaid tablets and be careful not to overdo it (as in not eat an entire pie by myself, as I have been known to do). So when I do decide to eat pizza, it has to be damn good pizza.

Un/fortunately, I live in Philadelphia, and there is a dearth of decent slices in this town, a lack of slices with tasty sauce that aren’t smothered in cheap cheese, that come out of the oven with a thin (but not too thin) crust still dusted with cornmeal, strong enough to support the weight of the slice, but not so thick that chewing is a chore. The sad fact is, any mediocre slice of NYC pizza is better than a Philadelphia slice. I stand by this assertion. It could be the water, it could be the many years of crust built up in some of those ovens, it could be the latitude - all I know is that NYC slices are worth taking Lactaid.

Colin’s goal with SLICE HARVESTER (the blog and zine) is simple. From his mission statement:

“I am going to eat a slice of pizza at every pizzeria in New York City. I'm going by neighborhood, starting in Manhattan, getting a plain slice at every place. I am fucking sick of the current trend in Pizza Journalism that's all about fucking artichoke guacamole tahini pizza on rice dough. That shit isn't pizza. Sorry.”

The reviews in SLICE HARVESTER include as much detail about the pizza joint, the trip with friends to get the slice, and weird rambling, semi-on topic tangents as they do about the slice itself. If Colin wasn’t such an entertaining writer, it would feel horribly forced and not work at all. Go over and read the review for Mt. Carmel Pizzeria for a great example of an off-topic, tangential review that works.

It’s also difficult to write a review of the same food item over and over and stay fresh and interesting, but Colin succeeds. Here some ways he describes sauce from places reviewed in Issue #1:

“The sauce was adequately sweet, but still retained a fair amount of the natural tartness and tang of the tomatoes.”

“The sauce was a horrid mess, though. Tasted way more like jar red marinara than pizza sauce, if that makes sense. It was super salty and garlicky in a really unpleasant way, which made it way overpowering, so I couldn’t even taste the cheese.”

“But the sauce was really what made this slice. It was sweet in this really natural way, like fresh, homegrown tomatoes right off the vine.”

“The sauce tasted heavily of garlic powder and tasted like it was sweetened with corn syrup.”

“And the sauce was weirdly sweet. It was in a way that you totally don’t notice at first, but then it has this shitty aftertaste.”

SLICE HARVESTER may one case where the blog format may be preferable to the zine format, if only for timeliness. The blog is updated frequently, and is tagged by locations, so you can easily find all the slices in east Midtown. Plus, there’s lovely photos of the slices! I’ll be using this as a guide for some of my visits to NYC this fall.

Available for $3 from Slice Harvester Headquarters, 442D Lorimer St #230, Brooklyn, NY 11206 or via Paypal to sliceharvester@gmail.com. Issue #2 is now available as well. Blog: www.sliceharvester.com.

Pick Me!

2010-08-26T00:31:00.000-04:00

The Shelter Pet Project. Please Adopt!

Read Comics in Public on 8/28/2010!

2010-08-25T01:24:00.000-04:00

Show your love of the sequential art medium on Saturday, August 28, 2010 and READ COMICS IN PUBLIC!

Read Comics in Public Day was an event organized on a whim by Brian Heater and Sarah Morean of The Daily Cross Hatch, a blog dedicated to independent, small press, self published, and minicomics (a blog you really should be reading). It’s a chance to publicly show your love of sequential art in all forms by letting your ink flag fly in the open.

If you’re unsure how to Read Comics in Public, two instructional posters are available - one for stores and one for libraries.

So grab some comics (floppies, bound collections, original graphic novels, minicomics, newspaper strip collections), stake out a prime public location (park, coffee shop, bar), and settle in for an hour or two, and proudly display your choice of reading material.

Panel from the READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY poster by Robert Sergel.

Zine: New Issues! Xerography Debt and Zine World

2010-08-23T03:06:00.001-04:00

Xerography Debt #27 / The Review Zine with Perzine Tendencies
Xerography Debt celebrates its 11th year of publishing this October! This valuable resource continues to produce excellent issues, despite basement floods, babies, moving, job hell, and getting sued over its original name. The just released Issue #27 features not only the expected eloquent long-form narrative zine reviews, but informative articles about zine culture. I especially appreciated the “Where Are They Now” feature, spotlighting zine publishers who have left the milieu. Jeff Somers continues his examination of what zine reviews really mean, and Japanese zine publisher Gianni Simone write a eulogy (?) for ARTE POSTALE!, a long-running mail art resource. Although I’ve been immersed in zines for many, many years, I always find at least one or two new titles of interest in every issue of Xerography Debt.

Available for $3 from Microcosm Publishing, 222 S. Rogers St., Bloomington IN 47404

___________________________________________

Zine World #29 / A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press
Another crucial “pathfinder” (to use the library term) to the zine culture, the latest issue of Zine World is packed with brief reviews, classifieds, zine resource listings, and articles. A few months ago, there was a discussion on the We Make Zines forum about the use of the term “zinester” - pro or con? Craven Rock (publisher of Eaves of Ass), the original poster, analyzes the replies, and comes to some smart conclusions. Nicole Introvert (publisher of Introvert, and an organizer of the Richmond Zine Fest) contributes “Everything You Wanted to Know About a Zine Fest (But Were Afraid to Ask)”, a very helpful article with tips about attending and tabling at zine fests. I’d just like to repeat one piece of her advice: SMALL BILLS. (Both for shoppers and sellers.) I’ve already got my copy of ZW #29 all marked up with zines I want to purchase or trade for. This issue also includes little snippets from reviewed zines, and zine covers mixed in the layout.

Available for $4 from Jerianne, PO Box 330156, Murfreesboro TN 37133. Online ordering information here.

Stack of trades generated from latest XD and ZW, with paws.

Bored to Death: Emmy winner!

2010-08-22T15:06:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Tom Barham, Marci Ichimura, Dean Haspiel, and Anthony Santoro for winning the Creative Arts Emmy for the opening titles of BORED TO DEATH.

Cheap Comics (for a good cause)

2010-08-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite indie/small press comics anthologies of last year was SIDE B: The Music Lovers’ Comic Anthology, a diverse collection of artists drawing and writing about the songs, bands, and sounds they love. (Read my review here.) This was a followup to one of my favorite anthologies of 2007, SIDE A: The Music Lovers’ Graphic Novel. Both books are published by Poseur Ink Press out of San Diego, CA, and are very high quality with good printing and nice design.

Unfortunately, Rachel and Mike of Poseur Ink have run into a little bit of financial difficulty and also need some additional space quickly, so they are running a liquidation sale on the anthologies, as well as other items in their store. SIDE A is now just a mere $5, and SIDE B is now $11.99. Selected shirts are marked down to a fiver as well.

SIDE A and SIDE B have my highest recommendation! Buy a set of them and give ‘em to a music/comic loving friend as a gift - they are very “accessible” comics for non-comics readers.

____________________________________

In other markdowns, Matthew Reidsma is selling his chunky book of daily diary comics, High Maintenance Machine: Volume One, for only $10 (half-price). This is a great collection of diary comics featuring Matt, wife Wendy, and cats Montana and Elmer (R.I.P., little fellow). It’s a fun read, and interesting to see Matt’s drawing style develop over the course of the years.

____________________________________

Finally, a cheap deal at Amazon too good to pass up: John Porcellino’s adaptation Thoreau at Walden for a dirt, dirt cheap $2.15. Yeah, you read that right: $2.15. John Porcellino’s is the artist of the long running King-Cat Comics and Stories minicomic, which was collected into another of my favorites of 2009, Map of My Heart.

Yes, Hipster Kitteh is not-so-silently judging you.

2010-08-21T01:13:00.000-04:00

Source: I Can Has Cheezburger, where else?

Mold-A-Rama! (The fun kind of mold!)

2010-08-19T08:16:00.002-04:00

In the short-lived (but brilliant) television series Wonderfalls, formerly inanimate objects spoke to the lead character, Jaye Tyler, including a misshapen wax lion from the Mold-A-Rama machine in the gift shop where she works.

Once common, Mold-A-Rama machines are now very hard to find. There are three at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit: Rosa Parks’ bus, the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, and Abraham Lincoln. The Mold-A-Mania site catalogs Mold-A-Rama scupltures, and maintains a list of current machines. (There’s NONE anywhere near me! How sad!)

Behold, the birth of a Weinermobile:

Scott Pilgrim trailer in panel form.

2010-08-17T07:45:00.001-04:00

(Wonder if someone will try to recreate the entire movie this way when the DVD is released.)

Seq. Art: CBGB

2010-08-15T07:16:00.000-04:00

CBGB / Various Artists and Writers
(4 issue miniseries / Boom!)

CBGB OMFUG exists no more as a location (RIP, October 15, 2006), but lives on as a brand, evidenced by the wide array of merchandise available, from the classic t-shirts to guitar straps and underwear. Hopefully the heirs of Hilly Kristal are benefiting from sales.

I was somewhat hesitant to pick up CBGB #1 from Boom! Studios, the first of a four part miniseries, not knowing what to expect. Would it be just a gimmick comic (like the many sub-par series written by actors), or a poorly written, inaccurate history (like many rock’n’roll comics)?

It was neither. In fact, CBGB #1 is actually very, very good, starting with the awesome cover by Jaime Hernandez, which could be mistaken for a lost Love and Rockets cover. Issue #1 features two superb stories from a few of my favorite writers and artists.

“A NYC Punk Carol” was written by Kieron Gillen (of the amazing PHONOGRAM*) and drawn by Marc Ellerby, who did one of my favorite books of the past few years, Love the Way You Love. It’s crash course in CBGB history, featuring a frustrated musician and three wise ghosts of punk rock past. “The Helsinki Syndrome” is a story about finding out that you didn’t know your recluse uncle very well at all, written by Sam Humphries, with art by Rob G.

Hopefully, the remaining three issues of CBGB will follow the same format of a few short stories, united by the great late venue. Recommended for indie comic and music history fans.

"A NYC Punk Carol". Words: Kieron Gillen, Art: Marc Ellerby

------------------------------
*You NEED both Phonogram collections, Rue Britannia and The Singles Club, both drawn by the amazing Jamie McKelvie.

Things that aren't there anymore.

2010-08-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

SEPTA (or South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit System) has been plagued with more FAILs than usual the past few weeks. Something about the heat and the tracks, and exploding transformers, and signal problems... there's always some reason the trains are running late during the afternoon rush hour.

While waiting around yet again, I started to take a long, hard look at the SEPTA signage. I never realized just how outdated it was until now. JC Penney hasn't been in that location for more than eight years!

(From left: Lord & Taylor, closed 2006; JC Penney, closed 2002; Strawbridge's, closed 2006. Click photo to embiggen.)

Sure, entirely new signs may be expensive, but how about just running some labels through the printer and slapping them on there to update those listings?

Seq. Art: To Teach: the journey, in comics

2010-08-11T07:33:00.000-04:00

To Teach: the journey, in comics / William Ayers and Ryan Alexander-Tanner

During my elementary and junior high* school years, I was subjected to terrible, useless, completely disinterested teachers.

There was the 8th grade civics “teacher” whose entire routine was distributing mimeographed notesheets, which we would copy into our notebooks and return. She also threatened a painfully shy girl, backbrace-wearing girl - loudly, during class - with a failing grade because she didn’t raise her hand enough. Or the English “teacher” who threatened to fail me on a test because I sneezed/coughed during it, and he thought I was cheating. Or a science “teacher” who humiliated a friend of mine for only fitting three words on a line of her notebook (she had large handwriting). There were many teachers who called students stupid and useless to their faces. That’s what I remember about those teachers: threats, humiliation, tedium, boredom, and more threats. It may have been the 70s and early 80s, but I never encountered one open minded teacher. (At least all this happened well before the implementation of annual standardized testing, and state standards, and “No Child Left Behind”.)

I did not have one decent, encouraging, halfway-human teacher between 1st and 8th grades. I attended public school in a district notorious for “backroom hires”, bribes, and nepotism, resulting in lousy teachers. Apparently, it had been that way for many years - my mom remembers that there was one guy at her father’s social club who was the “man to see” if you wanted a job with the school district, and had the requisite payment. So, it is no surprise that my elementary and junior high years - the most impressionable and malleable years of a kid’s life - were miserably uninspired.

Things improved a little bit upon entering a parochial high school, staffed by teachers (mostly lay) who actually cared (or at least put on a good show) about educating their students. They were horribly underpaid in relation to the public school teachers in town, and many of them had to leave the school because they just couldn’t survive on a pittance. When the diocese had to cut the budget, lay teachers were the first to get the ax, leaving elderly, senile nuns. (The high school I attended closed its doors a few years ago for good.)

All of these unpleasant school memories flooded back while reading To Teach: the journey, in comics, an adaptation of a book by William Ayers**, illustrated by Ryan Alexander-Tanner.

My K-8 experience was entirely passive. Sit still, be quiet, memorize things and give it back when asked. I cannot remember one single topic that included active involvement in learning. Even for school plays and assemblies, one of the assignments was to copy down all of the words to the songs in notebooks. (Thinking back at all the rote copying I did K-8, I now wonder if there was a mimeograph shortage.)

Would my life be different if I had attended a school where students were viewed not as a burden to the teacher, but as equal partners in their education? If instead of just using boring textbooks, alternative, ancillary primary source materials were also included? Or if more writing and creative thinking were encouraged, even something as simple as “writing one complete sentence about the afternoon in the park”, to use an example from the book? Ayers cites other teachers doing creative, challenging projects with their students, such as the 4th grade teacher whose class has to decide a year-long research project (such as “whales” or “paper”), that the teacher knows nothing about as well - the teacher learns along with the students.

In my entire life, from childhood to now, I never considered becoming a teacher. Did I not consider teaching because it seemed like such an unenjoyable job, a hideous burden, something to slog through for 30 years so you could collect a fat pension (in the public school case)? Or, was I discouraged from teaching because the creative, engaging educators in parochial high school were so poorly paid, and the administration valued their work and worth so little, they would rather cut them loose and lose their talents than try to pay them a living wage? The two examples of educators I was exposed to were “put in no work, don’t engage, respect, or challenge the students and be handsomely rewarded” (public school), and “give your heart, your talent, your entire self, and be poorly paid and eventually laid off” (parochial school).

I enjoy reading comics and zines about topics and fields that I know absolutely nothing about, and teaching is one of those fields. I’m certainly not about to quit my job, go back to school for a teaching degree, and start a radically new career just from reading To Teach.

However, reading To Teach did get me thinking about my incredibly flawed pre-college educational experiences. Learning needs to be active, not passive. No, not every single day of school can be “fun”, nor should it be, but hopefully kids today are being engaged more than the kids of Generation X were.

Ryan Alexander-Tanner has done an admirable job with the Ayers’ challenging source material, drawing in bold black and white panels. This is a verbose comic due to the subject matter, but the text never overwhelms the panels. The art is crisp, clean, and moves well. It’s also interesting that Ayers himself is drawn rather “blank” and plain, while his students have more detail, symbolizing he is as much as a blank slate, learning from his students.

As it should be.

---------------------
* My education was broken into elementary school (K-6th), junior high school (7th-9th), and high school (10th-12th, although I left public school in 8th grade and started parochial high school in 9th grade). It doesn’t seem as if many school districts break things up like this anymore, but do K-8 and then 9-12.
** Yes, the same William (Bill) Ayers who helped found the Weather Underground. Discussion of his radical political views seems to have blocked out all of his research, writing, and first-hand experience with education reform and social justice-based teaching methods.

Juxtaposition.

2010-08-09T06:44:00.001-04:00

Spotted in the vitamin aisle at a Wal-Mart. Are they trying to send a no-so subliminal message here?

Maybe so, because below them was this pairing (slightly blurry cameraphone):