Midnight Ramblings - November 2009

Necessary Monsters
Forbidden Planet reported this week that Daniel Merlin Goodbrey and Sean Azzopardi's Necessary Monsters is being collecting into a book coming from AIT/PlanetLar. The beautifully produced webcomic began in May 2008. The book is due in Februrary 2010.

3Qs with Steinke
If you had only three questions to ask a favorite indie cartoonist what would they be? Zooey Mae of Synthesis Magazine sat down with Aron Nels Steinke (Neptune) recently and asked hers.

More Scorpion Roughs
I don't know about you but I can't get enough of Dan Thompson's Rip Haywire pencils. He posted another batch on the Rip Haywire website this week. When you get there, click on the images for the big picture.

Judgements and RBCC #135 covers

Judgements
Indie cartoonist Noah Van Sciver announced a new mini comic this week called Judgements. It features a collection of sketches pulled from his secret sketchbooks and sells for $3. Check out the preview pages at Noah Van Sciver.

Ink Stains #6
Ken Meyer Jr. posted the sixth Ink Stains column this week. His Nov. 23rd entry is all about James Van Hise's Rocket's Blast ComiCollector (RBCC) #135. Along with the background about Mike Zeck and Tom Sutton's contributions there's also coverage of Keno "Don" Rosa and one of my favorites, Ron WIlber. Ink Stains #6 includes a PDF file of RBCC #135!

Just A Man
Brian John Mitchell the mastermind behind Silber Media continues his series of micro mini comix. A couple of the latest are issues #2 and 3 of his western, Just A Man. The series is written by Mitchell and drawn by Andrew White. Issues are available for $1 each from Silber Media.

New at Poopsheet Foundation
Blaise Larmee's Comics Youth #1 is now available from the Poopsheet Shop Comics Distro for $2 (plus $1 postage).

Big 'Un cover

Big 'Un
Brian Leonard just released Big 'Un Visits the City, a new mini comic. It's available for $1 from Brian Leonard.

Limited Edition Prints
Comic artist and painter Menton Matthews III recently added some beautiful prints for sale on Luna7, including the cover of his Ars Memoria The Art of Memory 48-page book.

Tozo: The Public Servant
David O'Connell writes and draws a wonderful webcomic called Tozo. He's currently working on the fourth chapter of the series. Chapters one and two are available in print from IndyPlanet. You can read the entire series online at Tozo Comic and subscribe to his RSS feed. A new episode is posted every Sunday.

2010 Calendar Update
In between Saturday updates, us Midnight Fictioneers are hard at work on the 2010 Desk Calendar. Like 2008, the new year's edition will feature artwork by some of the best small press cartoonists around. Contributors include Hunt Emerson, Bob Vojtko, Jim Siergey, and yours truly. More news next week.

Reviews of alternative comics from around the web:
David O' Leary reviews Aspen Comics' Soulfire #1 on Comic Related
Dan Royer reviews Boom Studios' Nola #1 on Comic Related
Alan Rankin reviews Wayne Alan Brenner's Minerva's Wreck on Poopsheet
Rob reviews Monte Beauchamp's Blab! #18 on Panel Patter
Kevin Bramer reviews Brian Leonard's Big 'Un Visits the City on Optical Sloth

David Small's Stitches on Stumptown Trade Review (Podcast)
Rob reviews Andrew Greenstone and Alexander Bullett's Subterranean #1 on Panel Patter
Justin Giampaoli reviews Andrew Smith's Sausage Hand on Poopheet
Bill Gladman reviews Jeremiah Witkowski's You, Me and Steve on CR
Rick Bradford reviews David Gypsy Breier's Xerography Debt #25 on Poopsheet Foundation

Dan Royer reviews Heske Horror's anthology 2012: Final Prayer on CR
Justin Giampaoli reviews Elijah Brubaker's Reich #5-6 on Poopsheet
Joe Gordon reviews Peter Milligan, Brendan McCarthy, and Carol Swain's Skin on Forbidden Planet
Steve Duin reviews MK Perker's Insomnia Cafe on OregonLive
Richard Bruton reviews Øivind Hovland's Trial and Error on Forbidden Planet
Kevin Bramer reviews Von Allan's The Road to God Knows . . . on Optical Sloth

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November 21, 2009

Chloe Noonan Two
Marc Ellerby has posted a preview of the second issue of Chloe Noonan Monster Hunter on his LiveJournal. He'll be hawking it at the Thought Bubble Festival in Leeds on the 21st. Check back on LiveJournal for ordering info.

Van Sciver's Webcomic
Blammo maestro Noah Van Sciver has a six page comic posted over at Top Shelf 2.0 called The End of an Artist's Career. It's a wonderful exploration about the artist's identity versus his essence.

Rip Haywire in Glorious Graphite
I'm a big fan of Dan Thompson's Rip Haywire and read the adventures of Rip, Cobra Carson, and TNT every day through my RSS Reader. Recently Thompson posted the pencils of some episodes of an adventure with the Scorpion. It's a treat to see the preliminary work and his pencils are as much fun to look at as his finished, colored comic strips. Rip Haywire by Dan Thompson.

Free Mystery Novel
Patricia J. McLean and Duane Poncy have published their first novel. It's available free of charge to read on the web or as a PDF file. When a fire burns down the historic Bartlett House, the body of young activist, Emmy d'Angelo, is found inside, dressed in bondage gear. Her older lover, professor Will Adelhardt, is under suspicion, but the manner in which Emmy is found is incomprehensible to Adelhardt, who is devastated by her loss. Now he must take a dark voyage through the past and his own tortured soul to find out what happened. To find the truth, Will Adelhardt and his journalist friend, Lucy Hidalgo, embark on a journey through Portland, Oregon's history from sixties protest to the lumber barons and radical Louise Bryant.

Comics reviews from around the web:
Chris Wright's Ink Weed on Optical Sloth
Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papdatos and Annie Di Donna's Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth reviewed by John Dupuis on Confessions of a Science Librarian
Chad Strohl and Armondo Abeleda's Did Somebody Call For A Hero
on Comic Related
Paul Pope's Heavy Liquid on Stumptown Trade Review
Matt Wagner and Francesco Francavilla's Zoro #17 on Comic Related
Shane White's North Country on Small Press Newsroom
Jeffery Brown's Funny Misshapen Boy on Optical Sloth
Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri's Victorian Undead #1 on Comic Related

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November 14, 2009

Z-Blade XX #1 and Adam

Z-Blade XX
A recent release from Atomic Basement is the debut issue of Z-Blade XX. Created by Reed Greenfiled and Marc Joseph, the first issue was written by Steve J. Palmer and drawn by Guy LeMay. Looks like a fun read for $3.99.

Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates
Adam Wreck is trapped in the deep cosmos of space…with his parents! For two years Adam has traveled through the universe with his genius parents—on a ship they invented called Earth 1. This may sound like every kid’s wildest dream, but what fun is being the first kid in space if there’s nothing cool to see like comets, planets, or giant cyborg space aliens? Well, life for Adam is about to take an exciting turn when his family's ship is attacked and his parents are taken captive. Shipwrecked on a strange planet filled with even stranger alien creatures, Adam must find a way to save his parents from the diabolical and dastardly, Kalosian Space Pirates. Adam Wreck is published by Alterna Comics. Written and drawn by Michael Bracco, the 88 page book is available for $9.99 "wherever books are sold."

This week at the Poopsheet Foundation
Rick Bradford is now offering gift certificates for the Poopsheet Shop through PayPal. Available in increments from $5 to $1000, the gift certificates make an ideal gift for the discriminating mini comic aficionados on your holiday gift list. Bradford also offers alternative payment methods. See the Poopsheet Foundation blog for more details.

Graphic Classics and Odd Comics covers

Graphic Classics #8
Eureka Productions announced Graphic Classics #18 featuring Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, adapted for comics by Trina Robbins and illustrated by Anne Timmons. Plus lesser-known gothic mysteries and horror stories including A Whisper in the Dark by Antonella Caputo and Arnold Arre (loud), The Rival Prima Donnas by Rod Lott and Molly Crabapple, and Lost in a Pyramid by Alex Burrows and Pedro Lopez. Also two poems and two strange children's stories, Buzz and The Piggy Girl, illustrated by Mary Fleener, Shary Flenniken, Toni Pawlowsky and Lisa K. Weber. 144 full color pages for $17.95

ODD COMICS #1
As seen in the pages of early issues of Slam Bang, Dan Burke is back with a collection of stories in a new title called Odd Comics. Published by Allen Freeman through his Fan-Atic Press imprint, the new comic is 28 b&w pages and includes a special four-page color section featuring the Not So Fantastical 4. Dork Savage and Mister Miraclewhip are a few of the other oddballs populating Burke's pages. Odd Comics #1 is available for $5 from Fan-Atic Press.

Fast Food Adventures?
And speaking of Fan-Atic Press, editor Allen Freeman is hard at work gathering comics for the next volume of his explosive comic anthology, Slam Bang. The 200-plus page anthology will be published early next year. Freeman is still open to receiving four- to ten-page comic stories related to fast food. Contributors will receive a free copy of the perfect bound anthology and a 2" x 5" ad. See Fan-Atic Press or send an email to Allen Freeman for more information.

Rotten Sandwich #1
Dan Lam and Shogo Kadoya have just published Rotten Sandwich #1, a mini comic that collects comic projects the two have been doing since their college days. It's available for $2 through Rotten Sandwich or the RS blog.

Zinesters Talking
A strong supporter of the zine scene, the Multnomah County Library in Stumptown, periodically hosts zinesters from the area in a series called Zinesters Talking. Now those talks are available online in a series of Zinesters Talking podcasts. Talking Zinesters include Leanne Gravel, Kevin Sampsell, A.M. O'Malley, Bece Kidder, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Julia Gfrorer, and many more. Hat tip to Zine World.

CPL #12 and Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #39 covers

Contemporary Pictorial Literature
Ken Meyer Jr. shines the spotlight on CPL and John Bryne in the Nov. 9th episode of Ink Stains. Check it out as well as the PDF of CPL #12 with the Paul Gulacy cover.

Tyran Returns
Tim Corrigan has released the 39th issue of his Comics and Stories. The issue leads off with a new, six page Herman and Stilts tale with art by newcomer Andrew Davis and story, inks, and lettering by that internet legend himself, Tim Corrigan. The backup feature is a five page Tyran story that continues next issue. Only $1.50 a copy, or subscribe for a singular small press experience—monthly issues! New Voice Publishing

Alter Ego #5
The Hairy Green Eyeball offers an online reprint of Alter Ego #5 from 1962. This classic from the early days of fandom was edited by Rons Foss and includes work by Biljo White, Ron Haydock, Dr. Jerry Bails, and many others.

Mini comix reviews from around the web:
Lisa McDonnell's Spring Break 2009 on Optical Sloth
Ken Dahl's Monsters on Optical Sloth
Josh Lobis, D. Moiselle, & Yair Herrerra's Caped on Stumptown Trade Review
Noah Van Sciver's Blammo! #4 on Graphic NYC
Olga Volozova's Rock that Never Sleeps (with Juliacks) on Optical Sloth

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November 7, 2009

Izzy Mouse Hits the Street
JB Winter took his 24 hour comic outdoors this year and drew his 24 page comic using sidewalk chalk in a continuous chain of panels. It's wonderful new twist, taking the challenge in a new direction. Check out the bird's eye view on JB Winter mini-comics and art experiments.

New Books in the Poopsheet Comics Distro
Rick Bradford continues to expand the Comics Distro section his Poopsheet Shop. He recently added Hawk Krall's Prize Comics #2, Delaine Derry Green's Not My Small Diary #15 and Patrick Keck's The Ratnest #1. Check out the listings for full contents and preview pages.

A Nickel's Worth
Scott Nickel (EEK!) plays 20 Questions with Glenn McCoy (The Duplex, The Flying McCoys) on A Nickel's Worth. Funny stuff!

Beyond Bedsit
London cartoonist Richard Cowdry teams with Dan Locke on the weekly webcomic Somersault that runs on the Forbidden Planet International blog and on Richard Cowdry as well.

Small Press Big Mouth
In episode #10 of the podcast Small Press Big Mouth Stacey Whittle and Lee Grice talk about the recent British International Comics Show (BICS). Hat tip to Martin Buxton of C2D4.

Irish 24 Hour Comic Day
Here's an undefined, limited time offer: Download a free PDF file of the Irish 24 Hour Comic. The 54 page file includes work by Tsuyoshi Ogawa, Paudie Baggott, Rory Cashin, Deirdre De Barra, Ronan Kenndy, Patrick Lynch, John Robbins, Maeve Clancy, JM Ken Niimura, Kyle Rogers, Hilary Lawler, Luke F., Katie Blackwood, Catherine Sell, Cliodhna, Phil Barrett, and Sarah McIntyre. Hat tip to BugPower.

No Sex issues #10 and 13

No Sex
Ken Meyer Jr. featured David Heath Jr.'s No Sex #14 in his recent Ink Stains column on ComicAttack.net. Meyer includes quotes from several of Heath's contributors, links to related websites, and a free PDF file of issue #14.

Fanboy Awards
The 2009 Project Fanboy Awards nominees were announced this week. Congratulations to Jason Viola (Best Indy Artist for Herman the Manatee) and Jason M. Burns (Best Indy Writer/Best Graphic Novel for We the People) whose work has been reviewed here—and the other nominees. Check Newsarama for the full list.

Publishers Weekly's Best
The first Gabriel Hunt novel, Hunt at the Well of Eternity, made Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Year list. It's wonderful to see a modern day pulp fiction receive this recognition. Congratulations to scribe James Reasoner. Publisher Hard Case Crime is offering a free PDF of the fourth book in the series when you send them a photo of yourself holding the first one. Sign up for their announcements for all the details at The Adventures of Gabriel Hunt.

King-Cat #70 and The Goat covers

I'd Buy That
John Porcellino's King-Cat Comics and Stories is a staple among zine and mini comics readers. His amazing run continues with his 70th edition, which celebrates his 20th year of the title! This issue is filled with a nice collection of assorted short stories. Some are recollections from a decade or more past, some contemporary, and some imagined. Diogenes returns in a one-pager and Porcellino reprints select gags from his Them There Skweezils cartoon. $3 from lots of places.

The Goat by Reid Psaltis is about that kid that never got picked for teams in grade school. Somehow he got onto the little league team and they stuck him in right field where he could do the least damage. He's the goat, but maybe there's hope for him yet. (I met Psaltis a couple of years ago at the Comic Fest in Olympia. At the time he was tabling a comic called Big Game Theory. It was beautifully rendered, but the production values were out of synch with the contents.) With The Goat, he's brought the print and production up to the level his work deserves. For 4 bucks it's more than worth the price of admission. Check out the Comics page at Reid Psaltis for a preview—plus a look at his other titles.

More comix reviews from around the web this week:
I Know Joe Kimpel's Dark Corners on Stumptown Trade Review

Trevor Alixopulos' The Hot Breath of War on Optical Sloth

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