BIG FUNNY DEADLINE EXTENDED!
If you missed the BIG FUNNY deadline, we have an extension going until Friday. We have a lot of incredible submissions… it is going to be pretty damn amazing, I think. So, if you want to submit, you still can… but you better hurry! Read more here.
SAVE TOP TEN!
My friend Zander Cannon at Big Time Attic has been authoring a wonderful run on Top Ten, a series he was a co-creator on with Alan Moore and Gene Ha. Unfortunately, it is looking possible that DC Comics is going to cancel the book after it’s first 4-issue arc… and Zander has a second 4-issue arc written.
To say that Alan Moore is a tough act to follow is putting it mildly… Zander has done a wonderful job taking the book in new directions and making it his own, while maintaining the integrity and voices of the characters. Gene Ha’s art is beautiful, as you would expect if you are familiar with his work. The Moore issues were excellent… and these issues are just as good. You don’t want to miss it… and if you already read it, you’ll want to contact DC to support it!
Email DC here to voice your support for the series: AskWS (at) dccomics (dot) com
On the Big Time Attic blog, Zander posted the following:
This week saw the release of Top 10 Season 2 #4, the supposed end of the 4-issue series. As people read it and wonder why all the plot lines are not resolved, here is a semi-official statement from Wildstorm through me:
The series was originally conceived as an 8-issue story with 2 standalone specials. The first special, focusing on the courtroom dramas in a superhero city, is coming out next month with art by Da Xiong. Wildstorm and DC are looking at the sales and response on these 5 comics and using that to determine how to continue the series.
We’re hoping that the responses to the special will be good so that we can continue this series, which seems to be relatively well received, critically. Here is a new review of #4, from Comic Book Resources:
FAITHMOLE IN CITY PAGES
A drawing from a Cartoonist Conspiracy jam that my friend Ken Avidor and I worked on was in this week’s issue of the City Pages… you can see it above. It is a satire on Dan Lacey’s Faithmouse, and accompanies an article on Mr. Lacey. They mis-attributed it to just Ken in the print edition, so they are printing a letter to the editor I wrote about that in the next issue… I’ll link to that when it is up (probably in this post).
UPDATE: Here it is the edited version on the City Pages website.
Here’s what the letter I sent to them says:
Hi there,
I noticed in the Dan Lacey article in this week’s City Pages that the “Faithmole” illustration was incorrectly attributed to my good friend Ken Avidor, when it was actually part of a Cartoonist Conspiracy (cartoonistconspiracy.com) jam comic that Ken participated in. Ken had passed this information on the the author of the article, but apparently it was forgotten or misplaced, as often happens.
I believe Ken and I were the only ones who worked on the page, although I may be wrong… anyone is welcome to draw anywhere in the jam at our twice a month jam comics sessions (first Thursdays at Diamond’s Coffee in NE Minneapolis, third Thursdays at Cosmic Coffee in St. Paul). Jam comics, for those who don’t know, are collaborative comics drawn by passing pages around a table and having different cartoonists improvise what happens next on them.
I drew Faithmole, her dialogue, and some of the logo, and Ken did everything else, I think (including the gorgeous coloring, which you can see on the Conspiracy site). The piece is actually just the cover of a 21-page jam comic that can be seen here:
http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/minneapolis/images/2007jams/mnjam050307.pdf
Many of the participants signed the last page of that.
It is worth noting that The International Cartoonist Conspiracy is not a partisan organization… we would just as gladly skewer Tom Tomorrow* as we would Faithmouse. Faithmouse was one of the topics of the jam… I can’t remember the other topics. We usually pick about three to give the jam some loose cohesion… often by opening up City Pages to a random page and plopping a finger down on a random word (although Faithmouse was simply chosen as a topic because it was funny).
“Membership (in the Cartoonist Conspiracy) is open to all cartoonists regardless of gender, race, age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, attractiveness, wit, or talent.”
While our local membership is largely liberal, we would gladly welcome Mr. Lacey to come draw with us if he was inclined (as we would any cartoonist). I can think of few things I would enjoy reading more than a Faithmouse Vs. Roadkill Bill jam comic drawn by Avidor and Lacey, come to think of it.
Best wishes,
Steven Stwalley
stwallskull.com* As long as I’m writing, I’ll add my voice to the legion… when are you guys gonna bring Tom Tomorrow back? You should have MORE comics, not less! At the pathetically meagre sum most cartoonists get paid for a comic to be published, there can’t be a bigger bang for your buck out there. Comics are the last thing to cut in a budget… not only are they the first thing a lot of people want to read in any paper, but they are so cheap it doesn’t even make a dent!
SUPER FANTASTICA COMICS REVIEWED AT AIN’T IT COOL NEWS
The new issue of the Super Fantastica Comics 2009 anthology has a Tech Toad strip I did, and the first part of a comic I’m doing with my friend Danno called Phenomenal Tangents (the chapter is called “If This Be My Skycycle”). Danno also drew the cool cover pictured above. I haven’t got my copy yet, but it was reviewed the other day at Ain’t it Cool News. Here is an excerpt:
The theme of this one is “Science Fair.” And it’s another fun trip. Contributors include Jesse Gillespie, Daniel J. Olsen (who also edited the book), Ryan N., Mike Sgier, Jon Sloan, Jennifer R. Pedro, Brad Foster, David Sandberg, Alex Arbit, Josh Blair, Ben Z., VAnessa Littlecrow Wojtanowics, and Lupi Miguinti; with stand-outs like Lewis Tuck’s whimsy-laden “Science Fair Scare,” a memorable short from Jenny Bunny Bunns Young (about bunnies, of course), Steven Stwalley and Danno Klonowski’s sci-fi epic “If This Be My Skycycle,” the simple genius of David Steinlicht’s “The Science Experiment,” the infectious madness of Adam Hansen’s “Leaves Falling In the South” excerpts, and Ryan Dow’s science fair slugfest “Kid Science.”
Go read more about Super Fantastica Comics here, and order yourself a copy here! I have work in the Winter 2008 and Summer/Fall 2008 issues as well, if you’re interested.
I MISSED FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Dammit! I’m too late to let you all know about Free Comic Book Day… it was Saturday. I missed it too (other than emailing for a free copy of the wonderful mag Hogan’s Alley at the last possible hour, which was offering them for the day). I think I’m gonna cry. It’s like missing Christmas. Let’s go next year, yes?
For me, the Big Funny deadline completely overshadowed Free Comic Book Day. I missed out on FCBD, too. Huh.
Ditto. I was so busy I completely forgot about FCBD.
“While our local membership is largely liberal, we would gladly welcome Mr. Lacey to come draw with us if he was inclined (as we would any cartoonist). I can think of few things I would enjoy reading more than a Faithmouse Vs. Roadkill Bill jam comic drawn by Avidor and Lacey, come to think of it.”
Thanks, but I don’t think so. I think of the whole point of the CityPages article was that the main personality in your group is a hostile shit.
It’s nice that you state you have always been nonpartisan, but I actually proved that years ago, as Something Awful and Portal Of Evil long ago acknowledged. It’s been years and you guys never invited me to a meeting, or came to my defense.
I’m sure your group has some very talented members. Thanks, but I’ll pass.
Hi, Mr. Lacey.
Ken’s just one member of our group… we have a lot of members. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to one of our meetings, but I think hostile would be pretty low on the list of adjectives people who have attended have used to describe us.
The group is non-partisan, individuals aren’t. I like diverse voices, personally, and enjoy the company of people I don’t necessarily agree with about everything.
Our jam sessions let anybody draw anything they want in a group comic free of censorship… some of which may be hostile. A lot of folks certainly see it as an opportunity to push the boundaries of offensiveness. So, while political affiliation is irrelevant to membership, having thick skin is an utter necessity.
Ken, to his credit, has very thick skin… hell, we did a 52-page comic thoroughly roasting him at one point (MUCH more brutally than we eviscerated Faithmouse):
http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/conspire/?p=402
As far as inviting you to a meeting… well, our website invites anyone who wants to draw to any meeting, so you have been invited and didn’t even know it…
http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/pagejoin.php
…much like I didn’t know I should be sending you an invitation. In any case, consider yourself formally invited to jam with us, although it clearly doesn’t sound like you would enjoy the experience.
As far as coming to your defense… I don’t even know what I should be defending you from? Are you in peril? You’ve got freedom of the press and are using it as far as I can tell. This is not intended as I slight… I don’t follow your blog and I am hardly aware of anything you do, other than what the article in the City Pages conveyed. I looked at Faithmouse once, and I found it funny for reasons that I’m sure you didn’t intend. I like pancakes and waffles, and putting them on heads seems amusing enough to me, so more power to you.
“It’s nice that you state you have always been nonpartisan, but I actually proved that years ago, as Something Awful and Portal Of Evil long ago acknowledged.”
I’d respond to this sentence, but I have no idea what it means.
Lacey is lucky the City Pages didn’t publish this Faithmouse comic showing President Obama being knifed. Or this comic showing the President and the First Lady as vampires
I don’t think the Secret Service would be amused.
AGAIN with the hostility, Avidor?!
And no the Secret Service wouldn’t like threats against our Dear Leader, but I really enjoyed Wanda Sykes calling Rush Limbaugh a terrorist and accusing him of treason, so we take the good with the bad in our “democracy”, right?
I’m telling you, fellas… Roadkill Bill Vs. Faithmouse! It would be awesome!
Lacey belongs to the organization Stop the ACLU that does nasty stuff like this to people who attempt to exercise their First amendment rights.
Lacey’s opinion of the ACLU is expressed in this Faithmouse cartoon that suggests the ACLU is happy about 9/11.
If it weren’t for the ACLU. I probably wouldn’t be able to do my comics.
Lacey pretends he is apolitical to make a buck… he is an extreme theocratic right-winger… that’s all.
Attacking people who defend first amendment rights definitely seems utterly clueless. But, like the ACLU, I’ll certainly agree with defending the right to say clueless things!
The ACLU is non-partisan too… I’ve never really understood why right-wingers tend to hate them so vehemently, when they will gladly defend the first amendment rights of organizations as far right as the KKK out of philosophical consistency.
Check this out…
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/05/11/aclu-offers-to-repre.html
I love the ACLU… and they have a sense of humor.
That ACLU Faithmouse cartoon is hysterically funny… it seems as random to me as diapers on a pig… 9/11 is a ACLU plot? I clearly have not been keeping up on conspiracy literature.
I support Lacey’s 1st Amendment rights even if he would deny them to others. My point is he is not above criticism … nobody is.
If right-wing M.O.B. boss Mitch Berg can criticize me for going “too far”, I can criticize Berg’s favorite cartoonist and M.O.B. member Dan Lacey.
‘Nuff said.
I didn’t mean to imply you wouldn’t, Ken, if you took it that way… I know you’re a first amendment absolutist like myself. I’m not criticizing your criticism of Lacey’s work at all… I’m criticizing his work above as well. All work should be open to criticism, as far as I’m concerned. I just want to read a Roadkill Bill Vs. Faithmouse comic! Alas, that is obviously not happening…
No problem… speaking of the free speech … Danny Hellman has a new blog about Screw Cover Art.
Fantastic!