Midnight Ramblings - January 2009

Covers for Main's new books New Small Press Books
Several new zines were announced this week by Main Enterprises. Issue #8 of Satyr is the strangest issue yet. The magazine-size comic features work from Dan W. Taylor (cover), Bebop, Sam Gafford, John Lambert, Al and Rick Limacher, Jack McKenney, Jack Bertram, Jennifer Walker, Alex Nino, and Brad W. Foster (back cover). Mature Readers. Link

Publisher Jim Main also announced For Ever Green, a tribute to the late Richard "Grass" Green compiled by his long-time colleague Michael Vance. The book is in the final production phase and is available for pre-order now. Link

Covers of Zine of Bronze #5 and Weird Horror Tales #1

Airship 27 Prod. and Cornerstone Book Publishers announced a brand new horror pulp magazine, Weird Horror Tales. Edited by Ron Fortier and designed by Rob Davis, the pulp features thirteen tales of the macabre. It includes stories by Michael Vance with interior artwork by Earl Geier. The cover is by Keith Birdsong. It's available now from the Airship 27 Shop.

Also in the pulp tradition, Main Enterprises reports the fifth issue of their popular Zine of Bronze has been released. It includes work by Richard Johnson Jr. and Allen Freeman (cover), Jeff Vavra, Art Sippo, Tim Faurote, Kevin Duncan, Laurence DuCheney, Terry Pavlet, Scott McClung (back cover), and reviews by Dennis Kininger. Link

Monster Magazines
The long-running classic monster magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland is on the web. The online version of the orginal monster magazine is now the premier online resource for all things that go bump in the night. But if you still long for reading about filmdom's most horrific bad guys in print, check out Scary Monsters, which follows the tradition of FMoF quite nicely.

Call for Zines
As the next issue of Zine World nears publication, the editorial team is already looking forward and put out a call for review copies of zines, mini comics, newsletters, chapbooks, and other self-published or small press publications. They're also calling for reviewers. Details here.

Fit For Print?
There was an interesting article in the NYT this week about books and POD trends called Self-Publishers Flourish as Writers Pay the Tab.

Eek! Original Art
Cartoonist Scott Nickel is offering the original art of one of his EEK! comic strips when you purchase a copy of his latest book from Lulu.com. The offer is good through February.

Whatever Happened to Kerry Lockner?

Kerry Lockner's komix

Picturead #1 cover Writer and collector Victor Marsillo wrote this week and reminded me about one of my favorite self-published cartoonists, Kerry Lockner. I first ran across Lockner's komix (as he called them) on a trip to Portland, Oregon in about 1973. My sister took me to the only comic store she knew of—a place called Old Weird Harold's located on NE Broadway. It may have been named after the Bill Cosby character, but I'm just guessing. My memory of the place is foggy, but I believe it was run by two women, one of whom may have been named Rosie. The shop was filled with toys and games and lots of superhero comics. But on a lower shelf somewhere in the shop was a small batch of digest-sized comics by a cartoonist I'd never seen or heard of before.

The bold cover designs and cartoons struck a chord with me immediately and I was hooked. The comics inside these books were clever, wacky, and wonderful. I never saw any other work by Lockner and unfortunately have no idea whatever happened to this terrific cartoonist. There were at least five issues of one of the books. The first three were called Sundae Funnies, and the last two were called Super Baloney.

Komix by Lockner

There was a restaurant chain based in Portland during that time called Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour (audio will play). Apparently they published a house organ or promotional piece also called Sundae Funnies. The name conflict is mentioned in both issue three and four of the komix. In the end I think Lockner changed it simply to avoid confusion. When issue four came out, the new title was Super Baloney. The cover of issue five is shown in the HeadComix Wiki.

RagMag March 1976 cover All of the issues were published by Wallplug Publications, which was located at the same address as Old Weird Harold's. Later in 1973 Lockner produced Picturead #1.

Later in the 70's a free monthly music publication came out called RagMag. It was printed on newsprint and edited by Jennifer Lobianco. The March 1976 featured a cover by Lockner.

Here's a few stats on Lockner's komix:
Sundae Funnies #3 (Dec. 1972)
16 b&w pages, including the
self-cover. Digest-size.
Super Baloney #4 (Feb, 1973)
20 b&w pages, including self-cover. Digest-size.
Picturead #1 (Aug. 1973) 8 b&w pages, including self-cover. Digest-size.

If anyone has a line on Kerry Lockner or his komix, please send me an email. Meanwhile, Victor Marsillo is looking for a few select books for his collection. Check out his offer here.

Komix by Lockner

Call for News Items
Got a small, pressing news item? Send your mini comic and small press comic and pulp news to me for next week's Midnight Ramblings.

Recent small press comic reviews:
Carrie McNinch's You Don't Get There From Here #8 on Poopsheet Foundation

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January 24, 2009 Blog Entry

Chase #5 and Candy or Medicine #6 covers

Get Some Minis in Your Mailbox
Several new mini comics were published recently. The fifth issue of Jim Main's Chase series with more great artwork by John Lambert is out. The sixth issue of Josh Blair's Candy or Medicine with the comics from nine different contributors is now in print. Blair put together a video for the issue in which he flips through the book to provide a mini preview of what's inside. Great idea!

Covers for The Rivers and the Sea #2 and String #11

Sophie and Celso completed the second issue of The Rivers and the Sea. You can reach Sophie via email for more information. I'll be reviewing both issues of this title soon. Also out, String #11 the latest jam comic from the 7000 BC collective. It's a good one. You can download all eleven issues of this free PDF comic here. Be forewarned, some content is intended for mature readers only.

Sites to See
Xeric winner Annie Murphy's new blog includes her reaction to winning the prestigious small press comics award for I Still Live. She also posted some terrific artwork. Rick Bradford has added the impressive bibliography of newaver Bruce Chrislip over at our partner site Poopsheet Foundation. Chuck Moore launched the new look-and-feel of the community forums over at Comic Related this week. Take a look.

Plymptoons
Indie animator Bill Plympton's new short Santa: The Fascist Years, an outrageous look at Santa Claus' hidden past, is now available on iTunes. Featuring a voiceover by actor Matthew Modine, this is Plympton's first film to premiere on iTunes, along with a music video for Parson Brown, titled Mexican Standoff. The Al Jazeera network interviewed Plympton during a recent film tour, for One on One.

Shop Talk
I learned that comics and magazines sent by individuals no longer fit the critera for media mail by the USPS. I guess I've been sliding by for a while now, but no more. So I've changed the shipping rates for most of the Midnight Fiction Shop. Orders for back issue comics and magazines will now include a flat shipping fee of $3.50 per order. These items will be sent first class rather than media mail speed. Orders for books will be sent first class or media mail depending on the weight. (I'll use media mail for the heavy ones.) Postage is now free for Midnight Fiction Comix.

While I was updating the postal rates on many of the items in the shop, I also lowered many of the prices on items that haven't sold. So if you haven't check out the shop lately take a look. You may find something you like.

Recent small press comic reviews:
O.E. Rivera's Unread Tales #1 on Poopsheet Foundation

Allen Freeman's Dead Ranger #1 on Comic Related

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January 17, 2009 Blog Entry

Taylor Studio is Online
Dan Taylor's paintings are featured regularly in regional Ohio art shows and online at his blog. There are many fans of his work spread out across the country who've encouraged him to make his work available for sale online. He's responded by opening the Taylor Studio online shop. Now you can view and purchase Taylor's paintings and photography right from your desktop. The shop accepts PayPal and all major credit cards. Be sure to read the descriptions too. Taylor writes interesting commentary and insights about each of his images. Link

Patrick McGoohan
One of the most iconic television series ever produced was The Prisoner, which aired as a summer replacement in 1968. Patrick McGoohan, the co-creater and star of the show passed away on January 13th. There's a terrific tribute to him by Robert Lloyd from the Los Angeles Times. He calls The Prisoner, "the most important television series of my life" and I couldn't agree with that sentiment more. McGoohan was 80 years old. Link

The State of the Gag Union
Cartoonist Mike Lynch ran an interesting piece this week on his blog about the American Cartoonist, a trade magazine in the '50s. The industry has changed a lot as evidenced by the cover of a more recent trade zine called The Gag Recap, featuring a cartoon cover by the one and only Bob Vojtko. Link

Recent small press comic reviews:
Rio Safari's Weird Sea Creatures on Poopsheet Foundation

Dan W. Taylor's Time Warp Comix #7 on Comic Related

Jim Main's Chase #1-4 on Comic Related

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January 10, 2009 Blog Entry

Happy Valentine's Day . . . WTF?
Small press publisher "Grim" Jim Main is soliciting contributions for two new mini comics. The first is Happy Valentine's Day with content based on the upcoming love struck holiday. The second is an ongoing title called WTF? featuring situations that evoke the TLA of its namesake.

Both mini comics will be the traditional 1/4 page size and Main is interested in 1-4 page comics or full page gag cartoons. But hurry these offers end soon. HVD must be completed in time for V-Day and WTF? by March 14th in time for its debut at SPACE. For more information contact Main through his email or website.

The Fat Man
Responsible for the death of millions, the mysterious Tegel Project threatens the very core of civilization. Betrayed by MI5, the Fat Man finds himself caught between the blazing guns of would-be assassins and the blood-red lips of silent movie star Louise Brooks.

Unable to trust anyone and faced with a series of unpalatable choices, he careens madly along the arch of time on the seemingly impossible mission of keeping himself and his lover alive.

The latest chapter by Thomas Cochrane and Allen Tanner is now available for your online reading pleasure. (This is The Fat Man on FaceBook.)

The Trading Network
The Trading Network website is a place to share your ideas, creativity, and passion with others by swapping your work with someone else. It also a great way to use your snail mailbox for something other than credit card apps and bills. To start trading just search their list and pick a category, find the projects you're interested in, and then contact that person to set up a trade. Categories include artwork, crafts, and lots of self-published comics. Link.

Doc's 50
Troy Holaday writes a great blog called Doc's 50. Last year he challenged himself to read 50 new books and he wrote about them as they were completed. In a post this week he takes a look back at 2008 and selects his favorites from the year. Fun stuff! Link.

A New Collection—EEK!
It’s alive! Alive! The first collection of the popular syndicated comic strip EEK! created by cartoonist and part-time mad scientist, Scott Nickel, features monsters, mutants, zombies, and other lovable creatures of the night, and is sure to tickle your funny bone and inflame your spleen. This 96-page volume of comics from the dork side is available in two formats: A print version for $9.98 or a downloadable file for $3.50. Link.

Free Golden Age Classics
The Nedor Network offered free, downloadable compressed folders of scanned comic pages from Golden Age classics like America's Best Comics. Every page of an issue is captured as an individual JPG file and bundled together in a folder. Plus the site provides a wealth of links to other independent and small press comics publishers. Link.

Steinke for Stumptown
Aron Nels Steinke reports he completed his story for Papercutter that will be published in time for the Stumptown Comics Fest on April 18th and 19th.

MF.com at FBI
Joe Gordon ran a nice news item about MF.com on the excellent Forbidden Planet International Blog this week. You can check it out here. Thanks for spreading the word on us, Joe!

Recent small press comic reviews:
Scott Mills' Extragalactic #2 on Poopsheet Foundation

Josh Juresko's Bad Breath Comics #1 on Comic Related

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January 3, 2009 Blog Entry

2009 Midnight Fiction Desk Calendar
I have to admit I got a very late start on the calendar this year. I had intended to make it a collaborative effort like last year, but by the time I got serious about it, it was too late to give the contributors an adequate amount of time to get their artwork done. Instead I cranked out twelve pen and ink drawings myself. The images are based on weird creatures from mythology. The PDF file includes printing instructions for the best results. It can be printed in color, but black-and-white works just fine too. It's designed to fit inside a calendar jewel case. It's free, so tell your friends to stop by and download a copy for themselves. Thanks!

Poopsheet and Crooked logos

Poopsheet Foundation
Rick Bradford integrated the forum into the main website this week. Now a single login gives you access to the blog on the home page as well as the forums. If you're a mini or small press cartoonist, you should consider joining the Foundation. The site is a social network, a great place to promote your work, discuss mini comics, and a history archive loaded with bibliographies and cover galleries.

Crime Fiction Zine
Editor Geoff Eighinger launched the first issue of his hardboiled, noir, and crime fiction magazine, Crooked this week. The 63-page, free PDF zine features stories by Sandra Seamans, Albert Tucher, Kaye George, Michael S. Chong, Eric Beetner, Cormac Brown, and Sandra Ruttan. It also includes an interview with Hard Case Crime publisher and author Charles Ardai. Check out the website to download the issue or review the submission requirements.

Links to Taciturn and Li'l Kids

Free PDFs of Taciturn
Science fiction and fantasy cartoonist Kurt Erichsen is offering free PDF files of his SciFi zine Taciturn on his website. He also provides links to a few others there.

Von Allan's Graphic Novel
Li'l Kids, Von Allan's first collection of comic book short stories, is now available. It's a collection of three short stories (Fast Friends, Brawl, and The Old Crow) that feature Marie, the main character from The Road to God Knows..., as a young girl. In addition to the stories, there's plenty of bonus material (including concept art, thumbnail sketches, scripts. and the brainstorming that started it all). You can check out a nice preview of the 88 page book on his website.

Links to Playing the Sims and Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories

Playing the Sims
Daniel Nauenburg's new 32-page comic Playing the Sims began shipping this week. The SPS (Small Press Syndicate) title features Sid Cellulite a desperate gamer who must choose between rent and "Dew" as he risks his chance to win the money to do either. Playing the Sims follows Nauenberg's outstanding comic, The Ranter. It's available for $3 from the Fictar Graphics Shop. And checkout the Fictar Graphics website for sample pages.

New Comics and Stories
Tim Corrigan shipped his 29th issue of the monthly TC's Comics and Stories. This issue features part two of both the Elasticworm/Might Guy teamup and a Tyran adventure. Weighing in at 12 pages with b&w interior and full color covers. Website.

Free Grimmer Comic
Josh Blair reports the Grimmer comic strip he created by Ricky Glore will soon begin appearing on the Candy or Medicine Blog. And they put together a 16-page comic with the characters back in 2005 for Free Comic Book Day. You can download a free PDF of it here.

Links to String #10 and Rejected!

String #10
Comic collective 7000 BC announced the tenth issue of their free PDF anthology comic this week. The new issue features work by Bram and Monica Meehan, Marc Haines, Dale Deforest, Alina Lappalainen, Courney Angermeier, Jeff Benham, Jake Larntz, Pete Ziomek, Mark Dickinson, and Paul Ziomek. Download all ten issues here.

Free Minne Comic
The Minneapolis arm of Cartoonist Conspiracy also announced a free PDF jam comic this week called Rejected! Art, Hot Dish and Dating. This one contains adult themes so download at your discretion here.

Recent small press comic reviews:
Ed Piskor's Deviant Funnies #2 on Poopsheet Foundation

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