Midnight Ramblings - December 2009

Xerography Debt #26
Davida Breier's Xerography Debt #26 was published recently. The 64-page issue of the "review zine with perzine tendencies" is available for $2.50 from Microcosm Publishing. If you have a zine you'd like reviewed in XD send it to Davida Breier, PO Box 11064, Baltimore, MD 21212.

New Stock
New zines stocked in the Black Light Diner Distro include Hell Alabama: A One-Shot Disaster, Letters to Wessily, and Roots of Hope. Find out more about them at Black Light Diner Distro and check out their sampler collections too.

20 Questions
Scot Nickel (EEK!) interviewed Justin Thompson, the man behind MythTickle, on A Nickel's Worth earlier this month. And this week he spoke with Danny Hellman.

Secret Weirdo cover and character

Secret Weirdo
Lauren Barnett is back with another self-published comic. Her latest effort, Secret Weirdo, is a digest-size zine filled with comics and gag cartoons. It's available for $5 a copy from her sketch blog Me Likes You Comics.

Mike Fisher Animates
Head goof at Goofa Man Productions Mike Fisher has released a new animation, Invisible Master on YouTube! It's #1 on the Goofa Man Productions channel and tells the story of a mysterious man in a strange world who must complete a vital mission with mind-blowing results. Fisher is also the creative force behind the sensational 3-D Pete's Star Babe Invasion Special.

IPRC
A short documentary about Portland's Independent Publishing Resource Center, a one-of-a-kind center for self-publishers. Thanks to Zine World for highlighting.

Witzend
Ken Meyer Jr. takes a look at two issues of Witzend in the latest edition of his Ink Stains column on ComicAttack.net. As usual it's loaded with factoids, links, and PDFs of issues #3 and 7.

Raven's Gambit #1 and John Brown's Body #1 covers

I'd Buy That
Here's a couple of comics that each present the first episode of a longer story. The Ravens' Gambit is written by Rich Ellis and Susan Tardif and drawn by Ellis. It's a comedic heist adventure with a band of thieves known as The Ravens that takes place in a fantasy setting. You can read the first issue online at Rich Ellis Comics or order a print version for $4 through the site. The printed version includes a bonus 5-pager drawn by Tardif. Ellis recently opened an Etsy Store where he's selling original art at very reasonable prices.

John Brown's Body chronicles the controversial life of the abolitionist Captain John Brown. The first issue is part of a longer story by C.M. Butzer and from the looks of it, a future graphic novel. You can preview several pages online and contact Butzer if you'd like to order a copy. Butzer is also the author/illustrator of Gettysburg, which can be previewed at Harper Collins Children's Books.

Small press comics reviews from around the web:
Richard Bruton's reviews on Forbidden Planet International Blog
Robert Sikoryak's Masterpiece Comics
Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitrou's Logicomix
Gilson & Clarke's Melusine

Kevin Bramer's reviews on Optical Sloth
Tim Brown's Thunder Island

Rob's reviews on Panel Patter
Rick Geary's The Lindbergh Child
Eddie Campbell and Dan Best's The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard
Hiroki Endo's Tanpenshu Vol. 2
Youngran Lee's Click Vol. 1
Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's We3
Scott Morse's Ancient Joe
Bill Roundy's Amazing Adventures of Bill #1, X and the City,
Pirates Takes Manhatten, and Yes, Master
Sang-Sun Park's Tarot Cafe Vol. 5
Kevin Huizenga's Or Else #2
Fumi Yashinaga's Ooku the Inner Chambers Vol. 1

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December 19, 2009

Free 2010 Desk Calendar
It's ready at last! I'm thrilled to announce the 2010 Midnight Fiction Desk Calendar is complete—ready to download and print. This year's stellar line-up of contributors includes: Hunt Emerson (bibliography), Joe Wehrle Jr. (bibliography), Brian Buniak, Jim Siergey (bibliography), R. Krauss (zinography), Theo Ellsworth, Noah Van Sciver, Gary Fields (partial bibliography), Brad W. Foster (known works), Aron Nels Steinke, Bob Vojtko (zinography), and Sean Azzopardi. The PDF file includes printing instructions for the best repro. The trimmed pages fit nicely in a calendar-style jewel case as shown in the photo on page one of the PDF.

Fantastic Fanzine
In a way Comic Fan #5 is like a good, old fashioned fanzine. But then again with perfect binding and weighing in at 156 pages, it's unlike any fanzine I've ever seen. Jim Main, Sam Gafford, and Richard Sullivan pulled out all the stops in their Silver Age tribute. Think of it as three issues of a normal-size fanzine all rolled up into one. Here's a list of the highlights: A tribute to Harvey Thrillers by Richard and Alan Limacher; a profile of Don Newton by Lance "Doc" Boucher; the grand four-issue run of Charlton Premiere by Steve Skeates; a Mighty Comics history by Marc Haines; a retrospective on the work of Ramona Fradon by Dennis Kininger; a close-up study of Ant Man by Steve Keeter; an appreciation of Nick Cardy by Sam Gafford; Spider-man as phenom by Nic Carcieri; Larry Blake's Silver Age portfolio; Superboy in the Silver Age by Rob Imes; the strange journey of Captain Marvel by Michael Tuz; comic memories by Larry Tisch; an editorial by Sam Gafford; 33 pages of reviews; my report on Stumptown 2009; Allen Freeman's recollections of SPACE 2009, with supplemental photos by Lance "Doc" Boucher and Wade Busby; and a gallery of assorted Silver Age comic pages reproduced from the original art. Comic Fan #5 goes for $16.95 (which includes four bucks to mail this monster). Get it now from Main Enterprises. I have a feeling it's going to sell out quickly.

Cragmore
Pat Lewis has published two collections of his Cragmore comix, a comedy about eternal damnation. Both are available from the Lunchbreak Comics store, along with his book The Claws Come Out and assorted other goodies. Cragmore #1 is 40 pages for $6 (including postage) and issue #2 is 32 pages for $5 (including postage). You can preview 20 pages of Cragmore before you buy!

Three from Wildside
Hunting the Shadows: The Selected Stories of Tanith Lee, Vol. 2. The second half of the magical short-story collection by Nebula and World Fantasy Award winner Tanith Lee. The author of epic and provocative novels like The Silver Metal Lover and The Birthgrave, Lee has also been one of the top stars of the modern-day Weird Tales magazine, elegantly juggling literary personae from Gothic poetess to adventure-fantasy chronicler. Hunting the Shadows features such unforgettable stories as One for Sorrow, Doll Skulls, Antonius Bequeathed and The Persecution Machine.

Black Hounds of Death: The Weird Works of Robert E. Howard, VOL. 9. Robert E. Howard lived a tragically short life, but in that time he penned some of the most influential genre fiction of the 20th century. This ninth volume of his Weird Works collection features all-time classic stories from late in Howard's life, including the final Conan story, Red Nails; the fantastic story-poem Solomon Kane's Homecoming; the controversial Southern swamp-horror tale of racial strife, Black Canaan; and Dig Me No Grave, a story based in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #3. Featuring A Volume in Vermillion, by Kim Newman, plus more fiction by Bruce I. Kilstein, Darrell Schweitzer, Stan Trybulski, Hal Charles, Jean Paiva, and Peter King. Plus: Notable Holmesian Paperback Pastiches & Other Oddities by Gary Lovisi, Meet Nero Wolfe by Bob Byrne, Mrs. Hudson's Household Hints, and the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle reprint The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

Two from Birdcage Bottom
J.T. Yost reports he's added two new titles to his website: Losers Weepers #1 is the first chapter of an ongoing serialized comic weaving a narrative around actual found notes, letters and journals; and Supertalk is an anthology of comics by Manhattan artists with diverse drawing and story-telling styles. The new books join Yost's other titles Old Man Winter & OST, the Xeric award winning collection of short comics, and Tales of Good Ol' Snoop Doggy Dogg, that features three real-life dreams with Snoop Dogg and a short fictional piece about a young man's discovery of Snoop's music. Check out the preview pages and ordering info at Birdcage Bottom Books.

Interviews
Scott Nickel (EEK!) interviewed cartoonist Kit Lively recently on his blog A Nickel's Worth. Lively is a long-time gag cartoonist whose work has appeared in Mad, National Lampoon, We Are the Weird, Hustler, and many others. You can see more of his work on Kit Lively.

Indie cartooonist and publisher James Rubino was interviewed recently about his work. As noted last week, Rubino is the creator behind the just-published third issue of Tales of the Seventh Galaxy starring Yusmishira.

Re-envisioned
There's been a remodel over at the Thought Cloud Factory. Sam Kulla, under the guiding hand of Theo Ellsworth, has designed a brand new website for the fanciful cartoonist and illustrator. No souvenir and gift shop yet, but these things take time . . .

Murder Can Be Fun #19 and Vampires Need Love Too #2 covers

I'd Buy That
The title and cover image of Murder Can Be Fun #19 grabbed my attention. Yes, I actually saw it on a newsstand display, probably at Powell's City of Books. The title is arresting and the cover art by Chuck Sperry is outstanding. I'd never heard of this zine, but with nineteen issues, it must be an institution in the zine world. Browsing the net I learned issue #20 is out, but may be the final issue. Issue #19 is about musical mayhem. The cover story is about convicted western swing star Spade Cooley. Editor John Marr has done his homework and presents a fascinating report on the career of Cooley, his music, and his personal life. In 1961 he brutally killed his wife and the story of his arrest and conviction is covered in detail. The full feature runs 15 pages and it is a page turner. Marr rounds out the coverage with an incomplete guide to Cooley's music. Artist Michael McMahon provides the centerfold, a nicely illustrated portrait of the Swing King surrounded by milestones of his murderous legacy.

The issue also includes several four to six page articles on deaths involving musicians of varying talent: a fan who was trampled to death at a David Cassidy concert; the suicide of Richard Manuel of The Band; and the suicide of jazz trombonist Frank Rosolino—all fascinating, tragic stories. To create editorial beats between the longer pieces Marr inserts short reports of only a paragraph or two on other music related mayhem. A few of the deaths are suspicious or accidental, but the majority are suicides—self murders. Hardly a genre is spared. Folk, jazz, rock and roll, and even pop are all unfortunate members of the club. The zine closes with a two-page retrospective on the writings of Jeff Godwin and the evil that is rock 'n' roll; along with a listing of other such works. Selling Murder Can Be Fun #19 for $2 a copy is practically a felony, as evidenced by the 48 pages of blood, sweat, and tears left at the zine by author/editor Marr. Learn more at John Marr or just order it from Microcosm Publishing.

Vampires Need Love Too! #2 by Brian Cattapan is filled with the light-hearted adventures of a vampire in the modern world. The cast includes Jhonen the vampire, Killjoy the bat, a zombie, a coffee-drinking gecko named Juan, a blind date, and Death himself. Fellow indie cartoonists Matt Metzler and Ian Charo provide their renderings of cast members in a couple of full page drawings. Cattapan is a prolific cartoonist and publisher. You can pick-up a variety of his comics from the Cattapan Comics store or read them online.

Small press comics reviews from around the web:
Rob reviews Rob Imes' Ditkomania #75 on Poopsheet Foundation

Dan Royer's reviews on Comic Related
Stephen Lindsay and Daniel Thollin's Happy Panda Funtime Show #1
David Hine and Roy Allan Martinez's FVZA #1
Bruce Brown & Renzo Podesta's Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom
Russell Burlingame reviews Mark Waid and Jean Diaz's Incorruptible #1

Richard Bruton's reviews on Forbidden Planet International Blog
John McDonald and Jon Haward's adaptation of The Tempest
Graham Pearce's Sgt. Mike Battle #1, 11-14
Paul Rainey's There's No Time Like the Present #10

Kevin Bramer's reviews on Optical Sloth
Pat Aulisio's Untitled
Lauren Barnett's I'd Sure Like Some Fucking Pancakes
Britney Sabo's Ghost Jars #1

Rob's reviews on Panel Patter
Mark Kneece and Rich Ellis' adaptation of The Twilight Zone
Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&! Vol 1
Rich Koslowski's The King
Rick Geary's The Murder of Abraham Lincoln

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December 12, 2009

Ink Stains on Rick McCollum
I've been enjoying Ken Meyer Jr.s' Ink Stains column over at Comic Attack for the past several installments, but his latest column is a gold mine. It features the work of Rick McCollum, one of my all-time favorite small press cartoonists from the late 70s. The column is loaded with facts, covers, and multiple PDFs of a few of the comics this prolific cartoonist created. This article is not to be missed!

Tales from the Seventh Galaxy #3 and Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #40 covers

TFTSG3
James Rubino has released the third issue of Tales from the Seventh Galaxy. The issue includes the first installment of a new series called Yumishira, Oriental Space Lily and loads of other Rubino goodness. The 32-page comic sells for $2.99, plus a buck for postage. Okay, that's misleading, it's $3 plus $1 postage. Get it at James Rubino.

Also just out is Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories #40. In this issue Tyran promoted from back-up feature to lead—front cover threatment and eleven pages of story. It's about time! Corrigan wrote this chapter of the continuing saga, and guest artist Gary Gibeaut ably handled the artwork under Corrigan's inks. As always a great deal at $1.50 an issue or a twelve-issue subscription for $15. Get yours at Mighty Guy Comics.

Genghis Con
My pal Bob Vojtko stopped by Cleveland's first Genghis Con on Nov. 28 and sent a few of the handouts. A few of the folks participating were Gary Dumm, Greg Budgett, Derf, and Ray Tomczak. The event was covered by the local press including the Cleveland Scene and venerable Cleveland Plain Dealer.

2010 Calendar Update
Work on the 2010 Midnight Fiction Desk Calendar is progressing nicely. The list of this year's contributor's list is nicely rounded out with cartoons by Theo Ellsworth, Noah Van Sciver, Gary Fields, and Joe Wehrle Jr. With a little luck it'll be ready to download next week!

Dead Man Holiday #3 and Trickster covers

Dead Man Holiday
Colin Panetta announced the third issue of Dead Man Holiday will be published on Dec. 30. The series' plot centers around Thad Planck, a low-rent security guard in a flooded and abandoned neighborhood known as Little Atlantis, where strange things are happening. The first two issues can be downloaded at Dead Man Holiday. The third issue will premier in print at retail comic shops as part of Indy Comic Book Week.

Trickster
Pat Lewis reports a graphic collection of Native American tales called Trickster is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. The 232-page book is edited by Matt Dembicki features stories of tricksters from Native American traditions written by NA storytellers and illustrated by Dembicki, Lewis, and other cartoonists.

More Micros from Silber Media
Brian John Mitchell recently published another batch of his micro mini comix: Worms #5 (illustrated by Kimberlee Traub), Lost Kisses #11 (an Ultimate issue, illustrated by Dave Sim!), and the first issue of a new title, Marked (illustrated by Jeremy Johnson). All these and many more are available for $1 each (or less when part of a bundle) at Silber Media.

Hard Times #10 and Great Deeds Against the Dead #2 covers

Great Deeds Against the Dead #2
UK-based cartoonist and storyteller Rob Jackson has published the second issue of his Great Deeds Against the Dead. The 32 page, digest-size comic is available for about 4 for your U.S. dollars (£2.50 UK). Order online from Rob Jackson Comics.

Hard Times #10
Ed Jackson recently released the tenth issue of Hard Times. It's a bargain for $1 a copy or send an email to Ed Jackson to inquiry about a trade!

News from Poopsheet Foundation
Pizza Wizard #1 was added to the Poopsheet Shop Comics Distro this week. The Xeric Award winning tabloid was created by Sam Gaskin in 2007. It's available for $3.00 plus postage. See the listing for preview pages. Plus, Rick Bradford is holding a 40% off nearly everything in the shop sale. Check out the official Poopsheet Foundation blog entry for details. In addition Bradford added an Amazon Store to the Foundation. Next time you place an order with Amazon do it through Poopsheet and the Foundation will earn a small percentage (paid by Amazon) of your purchase total. It's a great way to help Rick keep supporting mini comix.

Jammers
Kevin Cannon and Minneapolis arm of the Cartoonists Conspiracy celebrated their 7th anniversary of conspiring recently. To help celebrate, their newest jam comic, the 22-page Ka Pla, is ready to download!

Polynormal and Exit Only #1 covers

I'd Buy That
Joshua Kemble is working on a graphic novel for NBM Publishing called Jacob's Apartment. He's also working on Polynothing, a series of mini comics that he's self-publishing. He describes the story as a bluntly honest semi-autobiography. After loosing his father to cancer, Seymore confronts the ghosts of his past. The first issue opens as he arrives at his family home the evening before the funeral. As he heads for bed he's swept up in memories and sparks fly. The comic is beautifully illustrated by Kemble, who earned a Xeric award for Numb (2007). Polynothing is available for $2 from Joshua Kemble. Along with co-host Kevin Cross, Kemble produces a podcast about the ins and outs of the freelance art business called Big Illustration Party Time.

Matthew Metzler teamed with Lonnie Workman on the first issue of Exit Only. Workman handled plotting, Metzler artwork and they both wrote the scripts. The book features a series of adventures with Bum-dude and Alien. The situations seem drawn from life, but they quickly morph into fantasies—like what-if you really did the things that crossed your mind. There's also a one page comic by Jon Pelcher called The Polish Ninja and one by Brian Cattapan called Vampires Need Love, Too! Metzler is solid cartoonist. His drawings are bold and animated. The writing is witty but there's an underlying current of anger that keeps the characters at arms length. Exit Only #1 is available for $2. I didn't find it online, but you may be able to get in touch with Matt Metzler via MySpace or send email to Exit Only Comix to snag a copy.

Profanity Hill
Kelly Froh reports the formation of Profanity Hill in Seattle. An online shopblog that provides a portrait and marketplace of Seattle's zine community. Created by Jason T. Miles, the site already offering a dozen titles by Froh, Max Clotfelter, Adam Grano, Lucy Morehouse, Eric Reynolds, and the proprietor himself.

Small press comics reviews from around the web:
Michael Hamersky writes the Comic Book Collectors Blog and covers a range of topics. He recently reviewed Satyr #9, published by Main Enterprises. (You'll have to scroll down a bit to read the review as I couldn't find a direct link to it.)

Justin Giampaoli's reviews on Poopsheet Foundation.
Denny Connolly & Sergio Castro's Milo & Ginny
Delaine Derry Green's Not My Small Diary #15 Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
Rick Bradford reviews Josh Blair's Candy or Medicine #7
Harry Chamberlain reviews Agnes Anger, C. Ché Salazar, & Abel Jimenez' First Transmission of the Minimalist Comics Collective
Rob reviews Daniel J. Olsen's Super Fantastica Comix

Dan Royer's reviews on Comic Related
Asylum Press' Asylum of Horrors #2
Michael Alan Nelson and Declan Shalvey's 28 Days Later
David O'Leary reviews Warren Ellis and Garrie Gastonny's Supergod #1

Richard Bruton's reviews on Forbidden Planet International Blog
Daniel Merlin Goodbrey & Sean Azzopari's Necessary Monsters 5
Jean Van Hamme & Grzegorz Rosinski's Thorgal Vols. 1-6
Marc Ellerby's Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter #2
John McDonald and Will Volley's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet
Matthew Craig's Space Hondle

Kevin Bramer's reviews on Optical Sloth
Peter Bagge's Everybody is Stupid Except for Me
Lisa McDonnell's Tick Tick Boom
Ed Jackson's Decaff Blues #2
Noah Van Sciver's Blammo #5 (scroll down)

Rob's reviews on Panel Patter
Hiroki Endo's Tanpenshu Vol. 1
Lauren R. Weinstein's The Goddess of War Vol. 1
Boom! Studios' Second Wave
Ai Yazawa's Nana Vol. 1

Reviews on Stumptown Trade Review
Van Jensen and Dusty Higgins' Pinocchio Vampire Slayer (podcast)

John Douglas reviews on Amateur Comics Guild
Daniel Hartwell and Anna Rubins' Urban Beasts

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December 5, 2009

Calendar Update
Above is the December artwork for this year's Midnight Fiction Desk Calendar. As mentioned last week, the 2010 edition is coming along very well and will feature artwork from a different small press comic creator each month. In addition to the folks mentioned last week, Brad Foster, Aron Nels Steinke, Brian Buniak, and Sean Azzopardi are also onboard!

Ditkomania #76 and String #17 covers

Diktomania #76
Rob Imes is mailing the latest issue of his Steve Ditko tribute zine. Issue #76 includes Jason Sacks' article on Tales of Suspense #1-10, Nick Caputo's musings on Ditko's defining moment on Spider-man, Ceylon Anderson's thoughts on Ditko's Hulk, Barry Pearl's wisdom on the artist, and Larry Blake's transcribed ideas on the subject. Artists this issue include Martin Hirchak (cover), Larry Blake, Jim McPherson, Joe Zierman and Randy "Sarge" Sargent, and of course several pages and panels of Ditko's comics. Ditkomania is $1.50 (plus $1 postage) for a single copy or $15 for a postage-paid six issue subscription. You can contact editor Rob Imes or simply discuss mania for Ditko at the Yahoo Group Ditkomania.

String #17
Bram Meehan announced the new issue of String this week featuring Peoplings (Part 7) by Courtney Angermeier & Jeff Benham, Dead Rez (Part 2) by Dale Deforest, New West (Part 2) by Meehan & Yeider, Bedtime Story by Dominique Jones & Danny Green, and Attacks by Jules Works & Jamie Chase. You can download String #17 and all of the previous issues from the 7000 BC Comic Collective website.

Noble Head Funnies
Edward Parker Bolman is posting pages from his Noble Head Funnies, as well as other comics, on his blog Omnia Exeunt in Mysterium. Fan-Atic Press published the first issue of Nobel Head Funnies in 2008.

Edgar Allan Poe and Cruse Art Newsletter covers

Edgar Allan Poe
Jim Main just published of a new mini comic celebrating Edgar Allan Poe's 200th birthday. The 16-page comic features Poe tributes from Terry Pavlet, "Grim" Jim Main, Leonardo P. Vidal, John Lambert, Tim Temmel, Jack Bertram, Rob Imes, and Brad W. Foster. It's available for $1.50 (plus 50¢ postage) from Main Enterprises.

Cruse Art #13
Howard Cruse issued his final Cruse Art Newsletter this week. The thirteenth issue of this downloadable PDF publication features several seasonal pieces of original artwork for sale at bargain prices. To get your copy just sign up at Cruse Art and Cruse will send you the link. If you're late to the party just send him an email and he'll provide links to the back issues as well. Even if you're not buying, the Cruse Art Newsletter is a great place to see an excellent sampling of Cruse's spot illustrations and miscellaneous comic strips from over the years.

Cartoonists Interviews
Mike Lynch interviewed cartoonist Tony Murphy about his It's All About You comic strip on Mike Lynch Cartoons this week. Likewise, Scott Nickel, who runs the A Nickel's Worth blog, asked twenty questions of Stepahnie McMillan who creates the Minimum Security comic strip. He also interviewed Dan Reynolds, the man behind Reynolds Unwrapped, on A Nickel's Worth.

Decaff Blues #1 & 2 covers

Decaff Blues
Ed Jackson has completed two issues of Decaff Blues. Each 12-page, digest-size issue sells for $1 or send an email to Ed Jackson to ask about trading.

Snow Job
Mike Getsiv is putting together a new anthology called Snow Stories. Check out the list of contributors and news updates at GetsiVision.

Shadow of Tomorrow and Lost Kisses DVD covers

Shadow of Tomorrow
Carlos Ché Salazar just completed Today is the Shadow of Tomorrow. A digest-sized experimental comic. It's subtitled Bad reviews help you grow but they sure can get you down. I'm not sure what the price is on this one, but Salazar notes on his DIY Jet Blog that it will soon be available from ComiXpress.

Lost Kisses DVD
Brian John Mitchell has gathered the first ten issues of his micro mini comix, Lost Kisses, and created a DVD. Complete with mood music, the DVD offers a hybrid reading experience that's half multimedia and half comix. It's available for $12 from Silber Media.

Istanbul
Aron Nels Steinke announced this week he's thinking of resurrecting a project he began in 2005 called Istanbul. He's posted some of the drawings on the AronNelsSteinke blog.

PhatCatz Updates
Sean Azzopardi has begun to make daily updates to Phatcomics. He's aiming for every day for the next 100. Why not make it easy to follow along? Subscribe to his RSS feed at PhatCatz.

New at Poopsheet Foundation
This week Rick Bradford added six new items to the Poopsheet Comics Distro. Check the listing for details and preview pages. UTU written and drawn by Malachi Ward. A 32-page, full size comic published by the creator. Sugercube, a 72-page mini comic by Sam Gaskin about the coming of age of a young diabetic. Plus four comics by Jason T. Miles: Pines #1 and 2, Wet Paint #1, and Thick Mutt.

I Was Born But . . . #2 and Knight & Witch covers

I'd Buy That
The title of E.D. Nilsson's zine I was born, but... was inspired by the 1932 silent movie by Yasujiro Ozu. This issue, the second, is the weird issue. It's a collection of articles and recollections mostly by Nilsson. Her topics include Gilles de Rais, The Bad Seed, recommended masters of the weird, Glasmis Castle, folie à deux, and a close encounter with Christopher Lee. Ried Rilson contributes a weird film article called How Did Such Things Get Made? There's also an uncredited one page comic based on a Chinese folk tale. For ordering information contact. E.D. Nilsson.

Zack Corcoran collected the adventures of his Knight & Witch characters from his website into a printed zine called Cave of the Mimics. You can read it as well as several other comics at Zack Corcoran online, or drop him a note for more about the printed version.

Holiday Sales
Comic publishers all over the net are holding sales this month. Here's a few I've been hearing about. Alterna Comics is holding a 60% off sale on select books from now until Dec. 25th. Check out the sale items at the Alterna Comics Store. The wonderful folks at Hogan's Alley also have a variety of vintage cartoon-related gift item for sale in the new Hogan's Alley Shop or you might want to subscribe to one of the best comics journals still in print: Hogan's Alley.

Small press comics reviews from around the web:
Kevin Bramer reviews Austin English's Windy Corner Magazine #3 on on Optical Sloth

Matt Fraction and Steven Sanders' Five Fists of Science is reviewed on Stumptown Trade Review (Podcast)

Rob's reviews on Panel Patter:
Kentaru Yabuki's Black Cat Volume 1 and Volume 2
Jon Mosley's adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wall-Paper
Elji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki's Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 1

Reviews on Comic Related:
Dan Royer reviews Bryan Baugh's Wulf and Batsy
David O'Leary reviews Vertigo's Peter & Max
Joshua Rathbun reviews Image's Chew Vol. 1

Richard Bruton's reviews on the Forbidden Planet International Blog:
The B.A.S.T.A.R.D.S. anthology
Howard Hardiman's Badger: Then and Now

Justin Giampaoli's reviews on Poopsheet Foundation:
Jeff Zwirek's Pinstriped Bloodbath
StudioSTL's Cartooning Showcase
Ben White's Snake Pit 2008
Pat Lewis' Cragmore #1
Robert Newsome reviews Stripburger #49