Midnight Ramblings - March 2011

Bug Infested Comics #6
The latest issue of Bob Vojtko's time-spanning mini comic, Bug Infested Comics was completed just in time for this year's SPACE convention. BIC has a rich history of publishers, a different one for each issue. What began as an unintentional migration has now become a bit of a tradition. This time out Vojtko teamed with Weird Muse Production's Dan W. Taylor and the two cartoonists split their contributions straight down the middle. BIC #6 is an all-bed bugs issue, sure to get your attention. This classic 8-page mini comic is available from Weird Muse Productions for $1.50 postage paid. (Midnight Fiction had the honor of publishing the fifth edition in full color, and a few copies are still available for $2 postage paid from the Midnight Fiction Shop.) Earlier issues are harder to find and more than cover price, but a great place to look for them is Rick Bradford's Poopsheet Shop.

Aftershock: Artists Respond to Disaster in Japan
Adam Pasion (Big Ugly Robot) is a cartoonist living and writing about life in Japan. He sent out this message earlier this week:

"Living in Japan and watching this disaster unfold first hand, I have never felt more helpless in my entire life. Everyday seems to be getting worse, and at times it seems nearly hopeless. My area has not been affected by this disaster, and yet I feel compelled to do anything I can to help. But what can I do? The news and relief agencies give priority to those with experience in search and rescue, medical professionals and logistical experts. What skills do I have to offer? What is the role of an artist in the face of such disaster? I have donated some money, but compared to the overwhelming need it seems like nothing. I have been racking my brain to come up with something more sustainable that will be able to generate support into the foreseeable future, when the spotlight is off Japan. What can we do that will extend beyond when the next disaster strikes somewhere else in the world, when the attention fades and the media coverage dies off? Then an idea struck me.

"Arguably one of Japan's greatest gifts to the rest of the world are comic books. How fitting then if cartoonists from around the world can show support for Japan by making a comic book. I want to make a book where various artists make anywhere from a page to a few pages explaining their interactions with Japan, their feelings, their experiences and memories, anything on their heart, and share it with the world. Then a portion of the proceeds, as much as possible, will be donated to continuing relief efforts in Japan. It will take years and years to rebuild things up there and any support we can continue to generate will make all the difference. My planning is still in the infant stages—I literally rushed out of bed when the idea came to me. If I can rally up enough people to join in, I will start looking for somebody who may be interested in publishing it as well.

"Please consider this seriously. The more people we can get on board the better the chance of it materializing into something." Send email to Adam Pasion.

Update: Adam has set up an Aftershock Blog and an Aftershock Facebook page to help keep contributors and supporters current on the project.

Last Dollar Comics
Jim Coon, who publishes Last Dollar Comics sent in a couple of horrifically funny mini comics recently. When I asked him where the name originated he replied, "I've always tried to keep my books at a dollar because I think it's a fair price—that being said—with the cost of printing and supplies, I will be upping the price to $2.00 soon. I still think that's a fair price for my books. Not sure what my new slogan will be though." His current slogan is: If you've got one more dollar, we've got one more comic.

The opening pages of Hot Dog Ted and the Living Dead

Coon has always been a huge Godzilla fan, and many of his comics feature giant monsters of one sort or another. Check out his Etsy Shop to see what titles are in stock. But don't delay, $1 a comic is a real value for his books and it won't be long before the prices reflect his actual costs. To keep up with new projects, subscribe to his blog, Last Dollar Comics.

The opening pages of Fun with Intestines

Mystery Scene #118
Now available from Mystery Scene Magazine is their new issue: Mystery Scene #118.
Features include:
Robert Crais: The Dudes Abide by Kevin Burton Smith. With Elvis Cole, Joe Pike, and a large cast of continuing characters, Crais has created a world—and a new way to tell us about it.
Jill Paton Walsh: As Wimsey Takes Her by Lynn Kaczmarek. Walsh continues the adventures of Dorothy L. Sayers’ Lord Peter Wimsey, this time in a 1952 murder investigation that has its roots in Wimsey’s very first case 30 years before.
Deadline! Journalists in Crime Films by Art Taylor. Like detectives, journalists are often involved in ferreting out the truth and exposing wrong-doers—sometimes with cataclysmic results, as in the Watergate scandal.
The Murders in Memory Lane: Evan Hunter, Part I by Lawrence Block. Over his 60-year career, Hunter (aka Ed McBain) turned out an extraordinary volume of work, and never lost his enthusiasm for it.
Bawdy Bibliophiles by Stephen J. Gertz. There’s only one thing these folks like more than books...
Steve Hockensmith: Holmes on the Range by Cheryl Solimini. Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer, cowboy brothers turned sleuths.
Killer Covers by J. Kingston Pierce. These book jackets do justice to the excellent stories they promote.
What’s Happening With... K.J. Erickson by Brian Skupin.
Plus reviews and lots more.

White Buffalo Gazette 2010

White Buffalo Gazette 2010
Buzz Buzzizyk's new issue of the White Buffalo Gazette is quite wonderful. At first glance the perfect bound collection appears as if it may be just another very short run POD comics anthology—wrong. First off, the book is a bit like a reunion party on paper; one that keeps getting better as the evening progresses. There's definitely a nostalgic aspect to this volume. WBG has an impressive history, as recently reported by John Porcellino in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 on his Maybe Blogging Will Help venue.

The contents includes the work of many old time fringe cartoonists. Every one of them really seemed to want to be part of this rare publishing event. The excitement jumps off the pages. No wonder the book ended up with 160 pages.

The self-publishing movement is old enough that several of its early members have published their final pages. Heart-felt tributes to Don Donahue, Howard Zinn, Jamie Alder and Don Busky are included along with artwork by the late Michael Roden. But it's not all aging newave comix artists. There's plenty of folks that have come along since the 1980s who were anxious to join the fun with work that captures the aesthetics and sentiments begun with the earlier outsider comix.

Lastly, there's a running list, packed into any available space throughout the book, of other comix you can order. Shades of Comix World and all the other comix news venues of the good old days—including WBG itself—the issue celebrates and encourages the independence and freedom of self-publishing.

WBG 2010 is a limited edition with a first print run of only 100 copies, so it may be impossible to get at this point. It's $10 a copy. Contact Buzz Buzzizyk for availability . It's a Midnight Fiction Favorite.

Albuquerque Comic Expo
Bram Meehan of Panel Press has posted photos of the 7000 BC comic collective at Staple! 2011 on Flickr. You can follow his blog at Raised By Squirrels. He's also helping to spread the word about the upcoming Albuquerque Comic Expo (ACE) that runs June 24-26.

Weird Tales #357
Wildside Press' new issue of Weird Tales is out. Weird Tales #357, featuring exceptionally strong short fiction. Contributors include Hundred Thousand Kingdoms’ N.K. Jemisin with The Trojan Girl, Swedish newcomer Karin Tidbeck’s ingenious and unsettling inversion of faerie, and critically acclaimed J. Robert Lennon with Portal, a disturbing Shirley Jackson-esque horror story. Weird Tales #357 is available now from Wildside Press.

Weltschmerz & Mushy of the Desert Fron cover of Weltschmerz Vol. 2, #1 and Mushy of the Desert

Clark's Latest
Clark Dissmeyer sent a nice batch of minis this week and I'll slpit the preview between this week and next. Let's start with Weltschmerz Band Zwei Nummer Eins (German for World of Pain Vol. 2, #1 as far as I can tell.) and Mushy of the Desert. Weltschmerz is 32 pages, including the self-cover and filled with short adventures that take place in a world of pain. The hangman cover is a great example of the humor inside. Most of the work is by Clark Dissmeyer (aka CAD) but there are a few collaboration with Lara McCoy-Rolofson (aka LMR).

Page from Weltschmerz Vol. 2, #1 A sample page from Weltchmerz

Mushy of the Desert is a classic 8-page mini starring Mushy, whose been featured in other minis by CAD like Mayakovsky and Nebula. This time out Mushy is learning Arabic, because it's fun, it's great for left handed people, and it's the language of God!

A sample page from Mushy of the Desert

I'd guess Weltschmerz is about $3 and Mushy goes for $1, but write first if you want to be sure. CAD also loves to trade comix. He can be reached at:

Clark Dissmeyer
917 E. 25th St. #5
Kearney, NE 68847

Dick Tracy's Staton & Curtis
Hogan's Alley interviewed the new creative team on Dick Tracy, Joe Staton and Mike Curtis this week in the Hogan's Alley Newsletter. You can read the comic strip online at Go Comics.

Covers from The Tragedy of Morty Act I and Act II

The Tragedy of Morty
Before heading off to SPACE, Steve Willis added a new dimension to his online publishing efforts. Beginning with a March 13 entry on Morty the Dog, he's begun presenting past mini comix in PDF format, which you can page or scroll through online or download for future readings, through the Scribd service. Leave a comment, he wants feedback about the new approach.

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #5
The fifth issue of Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, the biggest issue ever, at 196 pages, is now available from Wildside Press.
Features
From Watson’s Scrapbook: An Editorial by John H. Watson, M.D.
Ask Mrs. Hudson
Screen of the Crime: 2.0 Baker Street or How Sherlock Holmes Came to Be Alive & Well, and Living in 21st Century London by Lenny Picker
The BBC’S Sherlock—A Review by M.J. Elliott
Sherlock Holmes Meets Dracula by Robert Eighteen-Bisang
Biographical Aspects of “The Resident Patient by Bob Byrne
Fiction
221C Baker Street by Alan McCright
A House Gone Mad by Bruce I. Kilstein
The Adventure of the Second Round by Mark Wardecker
Sherlock Holmes—Stymied! by Gary Lovisi
The Giant Rat of Sumatra by Paula Volsky
The Tatooed Arm by Marc Bilgrey
Be Good or Begone by Stan Trybulski
The Adventure of the Haunted Bagpipes by Carla Coupe
Classic Reprint
The Adventure of theNoble Bachelor by Arthur Conan Doyle
Poetry Dr. Watson’s Blues by Len Moffett
Cartoon by Mark Bilgrey

Stay Tooned #6
John Read's sixth issue of Stay Tooned is now available (until it inevitably sells out). It features a multitude of Mikes: new profiles (that's interviews and art galleries) of Mike Arnold, Mike Cope, Mike Edholm, Michael Jantze, Mike Lynch, Michael Maslin and Michael Ramirez; Cartoonist Surveys conducted by David Paccia with Mike Marland and Mike Shapiro; a "True-Life Adventure" told by Mike Mignola. Photo reports share John Read's "One Fine Sunday in the Funny Pages" travels to Disney ToonFest and Omaha, Nebraska, and his visit to the Cartoon Library at Ohio State University for the Sunday Funnies stamps First-Day-of-Issue ceremony. Plus articles and columns contributed by Tom Richmond, R.C. Harvey, Jim Ivey, Rich & Neil Diesslin and John Hambrock! Available from Stay Tooned Magazine.

Front and back covers of Funny Times April 2011

Funny Times April 2011
The new ad-free, 24-page issue of Funny Times is out, cover date April 2011. Single copies at select newsstands or by subscription for about $2 a copy from Funny Times.

Note: MF.com was not updated on March 19, 2011

Top February 2011 January 2010

March 12, 2011

Baltic Comics Anthology #7
The new (ku)š was recently released. Issue #7 contains 20 stories from Latvian and international artists about the forest. It might not be so much about gnomes and fairies, like in the forest of your dreams, but rather stories that might evoke nightmares... Contents: Cover artist: Till Hafenbrak (Germany). Comics artists: Emelie Östergren, Kolbeinn Karlsson (Sweden), Michael Jordan (Germany), Juani Ta (Romania), Michael DeForge, Duy Thang Nguyen (Canada), Derek M. Ballard, Pat Aulisio, Ansis Puriņš (USA), Jyrki Heikkinen (Finland), König Lü. Q. (Switzerland), Yoshi (Lithuania), Dace Sietiņa, Kristofers Reidzāns, Maija Līduma, Mārtiņš Zutis, Oskars Pavlovskis, Ingrīda Pičukane, Sabīne Moore, UKNO (Latvia). Format: A6, 100 pages, full-color, stiched binding, English and partly Latvian with English subtitles. For a preview of the contents see the Kushkomikss blog and to order the Baltic Comics Anthology#7 and many other wonderful komiks from the group visit the Kushkomikss Online Store.

McCollum's Zinography
Browsing the web this week I learned the Rick McCollum published a few more issues of Horde than I'd thought. The last issue of the self-published version I had previously listed on Rick McCollum's Zinography was #15. Well, apparently the title continued on into 1981 and reached #23. And that's not all, an outfit called Swing Shift Comics out of Albany, NY published a b&w comic book called Horde in Sept. 1989. It was their one and only comic as far as I can tell, but still available at reasonable prices when you can find it.

Rites of Spring
The vernal equinox won’t be here for several more weeks, but you can anticipate the arrival of spring with the latest issue of Dark Valentine. Featuring fifteen stories filled with dark desires, selfish needs and compelling urges, the spring issue of Dark Valentine caps the magazine’s first year of publication with contributors from as far away as Poland.

“It’s been a fantastic year for the magazine,” says publisher Katherine Tomlinson. “We have been thrilled with the quality of the stories coming our way. In fact, a piece of flash fiction from our inaugural issue, Carol Kilgore’s Blues in the Night, has been short-listed for a Derringer Award, competing against stories from long-established print magazines like Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.”

Tomlinson praised editor/design director Joy Sillesen for giving the publication its unique look. “Joy does double duty every issue. In addition to being a terrific editor, she has an artist’s eye for layout and is the queen of fonts. From the very first issue, her work made the magazine memorable.”

As always, each of the stories is accompanied by original artwork commissioned just for that piece. “Our art director, Joanne Renaud, has collected a terrific group of artists whose styles vary from the other-worldly richness of Kitamu Latham-Sampier’s illustration for Swamp to the noir-ish black and white stylings of Walter Conley,” Tomlinson continues. As with the stories, the art was gathered from all over the world, with artists from the UK, Greece, Poland, and Australia as well as North America. The free 91-page magazine is available as a free pdf download from the Dark Valentine website.

Greg Farrell Interview
Amanda Tarbet interviewed Greg Farrell about his comix Yo! Burbalino, at Sequential Tart this week. Tarbet says, "Yo! Burbalino came onto the scene so stealthily in 2010 that you may not have noticed them. However, we here at Sequential Tart definitely noticed and reviewed all six issues. Since I really loved the series, I asked creator Greg Farrell to let me interview him. We talked about the inspiration and influences behind Yo! Burbalino, as well as comics that he loves, and his future publishing plans."

Sagendorf's Popeye
Yoe Books and IDW have just published Popeye the Great Comic Book Tales by Bud Sagendorf. The volume is a nice complement to the Fantagraphics series by E.C. Segar. Craig Yoe's 176-page book opens with an introduction by Jerry Beck which is followed by a 15-page article by Craig Yoe that's loaded with illustrations and memorabilia by Sagendorf. Then it's onto the main attraction, the comic book stories. Here's a list of what's inside:
Shame on You (16 pages) from Popeye #1 1948
Misermites (16 pages) from Popeye #9 1949
Witch Whistle (24 pags) from Popeye #12 1950
Interplanetary Battle (16 pages) from Popeye #21 1952
Shrink Weed (16 pages) from Popeye #25 1953
The Happy Little Island (16 pages) from Popeye #27 1954
Alone (16 pages) from Popeye #32 1955
Nothing (16 pages) from Popeye #34 1955
Spinach Soap (15 pages) from Popeye #41 1957
Popeye the Great Comic Book Tales is a great collection of Sagendorf's comics and for $19.75, it sells for a small fraction of what you'd pay for these stories in the original comic books.

Top February 2011 January 2010

March 5, 2011

Low Budget Funnies #9
It is my great pleasure to announce the new issue of Bob Vojtko's Low Budget Funnies, issue #9! As near as any Newaver can recall it's been a 26-year drought since the last new Vojtkomic arrived in anybody's mailbox. It was in fact, Low Budget Funnies #8 in 1985. The 2011 edition is classic mini comix size (4.25" x 5.5") with a color cover and b&w interior. Its 8 pages include a rapid succession of utter cartoony joy: Cows on Skateboards. LBF #9 is available for $1 a copy (postage paid) from Bob Vojtko at Vojtkomics. Please write "LBF #9" in the subject line.

Hive Five
Hey, Hive Five is imminent! Now's your chance to be the first kid on your block to be the proud starry-eyed owner of the fifth installment in Grimalkin Press' globe spanning comics anthology series. Featuring a stunning array of cartoonists and loving handmade dust jackets and silk screened paper band packaging. A 192-page anthology for $10 (plus $3 postage) from Grimalkin Press. Check the link for the contributor's list and a few preview pages. Thanks to Gary Fields for the tip.

Xerography Debt #28
The new issue of Xerography Debt is out with a beautiful cover mash-up of Metropolis, Gulliver's Travels and zines. Single copies of this 68-page digest that's loaded with reviews goes for $3 from Microcosm Publishing. Six-issue subscriptions are $18. Edited by by Davida Gypsy Breier, this review zine with perzine tendencies includes reviews by Anne Thalheimer, D. Blake Werts, Davida Gypsy Breier, Donny Smith, Fred Argoff, Eric Lyden, Gavin J. Grant, Joe Biel, Julie Dorn, Kathy Moseley, Kris Mininger, Matt Fagan, Maynard Welstand, and Stuart Stratu. And columns by Dread Sockett, Gianni Simone, and Jeff Somers. Layout by Kathy Moseley.

Too Blue to Show
Jerry Goebert's Blue Moon Productions has released Too Blue Comix #2-4. They are true 8-page mini comix (4.25" x 5.5") and filled with such graphic content I couldn't show any of their covers in this week's update. Here's the contributor's line-up.
Too Blue Comix #2 by Bradley K. McDevitt (cover), Dexter Cockburn, and Thinktankrx.
Too Blue Comix #3 by Aung Min Min (cover), Dexter Cockburn, Thinktankrx, Roy Cutting, and Simon Mackie.
Too Blue Comix #4 by Dexter Cockburn (cover), Eroticomix, and Simon Mackie.

Available for $1 each, plus $1 per order for shipping from:
Jerry Goebert
156 Howard Street
Pittsburg, PA 15235

Robert Sodaro wrote about mini comics in general, and about Jerry Goebert's mini comix in particular in his column, Comic Books Examiner, this week.

Zineworld #30
This was certainly the week for massive review zines. Zineworld #30 arrived on the scene with 38 pages tucked inside a purple cover. It's a full 8.5" x 11" format and goes for $4 a copy. A 3-issue subscription is $10 from Underground Press.
Editor/Publisher: Jerianne
Review Editor: Ryan Mishap
Resource Listings Editor: Katie
Proofreaders: Katie, Sean Stewart, Stephanie, Stephanos

Here's a run down of the contents:
Letters of comment from readers (2 pages)
Where We Were and Where We Want to Be by Joshua (1 page)
The Bubble—Zines and Constructive Criticism by Candace (1/2 page)
Why I'm Mad About the New Fanzines Book by Jerianne (2 pages)
Reviews by Clint Johns, Clinto, Stephanos, E. War, Katie, Dann Lennard, Ryan Mishap, P5, Josh Blair, MC, Tom Hendricks, Stephanie K., Jaina Bee, Karlos the Jackal and Kris. (20 pages)
Our Volunteers (short bios of contributors) (about 1 page)
Resources (for zinesters) (3 pages)
Cindy Crabb Says No to Microcosm & Microcosm Says No to ZW, Other Zines by Jerianne (1+ pages)
Amusing, Old and Infuriating Things That I've Learnt from Running a Distro by Lizzy (2/3 page)
Distro Recommendations (1 page)
Classifieds (3 pages)
US Postal Rate Chart (inside back and back cover)
Plus artwork contributions from Carl Alessi, E. War, Mike Goetz, and Lydia Velarde.

Tom Talks Tom
Hogan's Alley editor, Tom Heintjes spoke with Tom Tomorrow, cartoonist of This Modern World.The interview was posted online this week at Hogan's Alley.

Mineshaft #26
Edited by Everett Rand &
Gioia Palmieri

56 pages, plus cover
5.5" x 8.5", saddle stitch binding
Cover: Pat Moriarity
Inside front cover: R. Crumb
Inside back cover:
Christoph Mueller
Back cover by R. Crumb
$8 from Mineshaft Magazine
Subscriptions: 3 for $23, 6 for $45, 10 for $75

Contents:
Excerpts from R. Crumb's Dream Diary (8 pages of prose ) by R. Crumb.

Panel from Mineshafter #26