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?
(note that it is not complete, and only includes his horror take rather than his humor take on Frankenstein, apparently).