Midnight Ramblings - August 2009

The September calendar image was based on the owl demon from Orpheus in the Underworld by Pieter Brueghel the Younger circa 1600 (sans owls). Download the PDF of the free 2009 Desk Calendar, print, and trim to fit in a calendar-style jewel case.

Doc Boucher and Inter-Fan
Dan Burke interviewed comic fandom historian Doc Boucher on the Aug. 16 edition of Comics Cafe. See the show notes on Burke's blogcomics.wordpress site.

String Bubonicon and Sticky Notes Comics covers

String: Bubonicon 41
Bram Meehan and the 7000 BC collective created a special issue of String for Bubonicon 41 that opened on Friday in Albuquerque. To prove Everything's Better with Zombies download your copy of String: Bubonicon 41 now.

Comix Jamboree
The San Francisco cell of the Cartoonist's Conspiracy has released a new PDF jam comic that's ready to download. Sticky Note Comics features a collection of comics drawn on sticky notes and assembled on pages into stories.

New LiveJournaler
David Beyer Jr. creator of the mini comics Casual Sex and City Under Sand has started a blog on LiveJournal.

Ignatz Nominees
Congratulations to this year's Ignatz nominees which include Damien Jay (Willy, Papercutter #10 Outstanding Story), Elijah Brubaker (Reich, Outstanding Series; Reich #6, Outstanding Comic), Onsmith (Claptrap #2, Outstanding Mini-Comic), and Kelly Froh & Max Clotfelter (Stewbrew, Outstanding Mini-Comic). For the full list see Alan Gardner's The Daily Cartoonist.

Main Enterprises and Great Scott

Comics Asylum Call for Submissions
"Grim" Jim Main has put out a call for submissions for a new anthology title to be published in PDF format by Main Enterprises. Main needs mainstream/small press/indy/alternative/mini comic book and comic strip related news, reviews, articles, interviews, con reports, obits, illustrations, photos, bios, comic strips, gag panels, birth notices, toy/model/card/collectible news, dvd reviews...you get the picture. There will also be space for artist showcases. The PDF delivery format supports full color work. Deadline is October 23rd, but send email to Jim Main for more details on content and preferred file formats.

Great Stuff
Bo Nanas cartoonist, John Kovaleski, has a new book out called Great Scott. The new 80-page graphic novelette is available from John Kovaleski for $5.99 plus shipping. Click the book cover (on his site) for sample pages.

covers of Silber Media comics and Casual Sex

More reviews from Midnight Fiction:
Poopsheet Foundation: Brian John Mitchell's Lost Kisses, Worms, XO, and
Just a Man

Comic Related: David Beyer Jr.'s Casual Sex

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August 15, 2009

Odd Comics and Cruse Art Newsletter covers

Allen Freeman, the driving force behind Fan-Actic Press, announced Odd Comics this week. The 32-page comic includes spoofs of Mister Miracle, Master of Kung Fu, Doc Savage, Fantastic Four, and others, including cartoons by Dan Burke. For updates check the Fan-Actic Press website, which also hosts a horde of other comics and videos, including a cover gallery of nearly 50 issues of Slam Bang.

Cruse News
After a bit of a hiatus, Howard Cruse is back with a new edition of his Cruse Art Newsletter of original Cruse artwork for sale. To subscribe to this terrific PDF periodical sign-up at Howard Cruse central.

Tempo Lush Boxed Set
London-based cartoonist Richy Chandler has produced a limited edition mini-comic box set. The charming bear box houses a collection of ten mini-comics by Chandler. The set sells for £10.00 (plus shipping) and can be ordered from the Tempo Lush MySpace page, where the full contents list and sample pages can be found.

More Nukes and Vietnam Journal covers

Free Mini Comic
A new 8-page complimentary mini comic by Andy Nukes is included in all orders from the Poopsheet Shop while supplies last. Like the previous Fetid Lake of Doom by Steve Willis, the limited edition More Nukes was published by the Poopsheet Foundation for enjoyment throughout the world.

Transfuzion recently announced the Vietnam Journal collection, a trade paperback by Don Lomax due in October. The book presents a look at the Vietnam War through the eyes of a war journalist with stories of soldiers on the front lines. For more info and preview pages visit Transfuzion.

In case you missed the news on Archie and Veronica's wedding, a preview of the six part series is online at Archie Comics.

Jaime Crespo and pals at the San Francisco cell of the Cartoonist Conspiracy issued a jam comic called Sing, Dance, Wrestle this week. The 24-page PDF is available as a free download from the International Cartoonist Conspiracy website. Mature readers only.

Another review from Midnight Fiction:
Poopsheet Foundation
Menton J. Matthews III's
Ars Memoria #1

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August 8, 2009

Nightlife and Sleep Car covers

Tom Lechner's Nightlife
Lechner's latest zine debuted at last month's Portland Zine Symposium. It's a comic that strings together several dreams into a surreal cohesive whole. You can read the whole thing on Tom Lechner central, but for $3 Nightlife is more fun in print.

New Theo Ellsworth Comic
The remarkable Theo Ellsworth announced his latest comic Sleeper Car this week. The 32-page comic is priced at $6 and is available from his publisher, Secret Acres.

Bert Benson's Art Bureau
In last week's Portland Zine Symposium report I somehow neglected to include the picture I snapped of Bert Benson. My apologies. Benson's Art Bureau organization published a wonderful art zine, called Art Bureau, for several years featuring the work of artists from around the world. You can still get copies of back issues in the Art Bureau Store. These days Benson is concentrating on prints and books, which are also listed in the store.

Great Deeds Against the Dead and Redeye covers

Great Deeds
UK cartoonist Rob Jackson (Random Journeys, On the Banks of the Mighty Croal, 8 Stories, etc.) has just completed the first issue of Great Deeds Against the Dead. He's offering the 28-page comic postage paid for delivery anywhere in the world when ordered during the month of August. In addition to the title story, the comic also includes an eight page story called Colonial Amusements.

Redeye #2.1
The UK's comics scene magazine Redeye has moved to a digital publishing model. The new issue #2.1 is now available in PDF format. Check out the full contents and preview pages at Redeye. The PDF is a bargain at £1.00/$1.80/€1.00 for a beautifully produced 114 page magazine.

Webcomics Survey
Indigo Kelleigh has set up a reader survey about webcomics. Of course there are a few Ellie Connelly-specific questions, but it's general enough that the results should be pretty interesting. I encourage you to take a few moments to fill it out whether you're a regular Ellie Connelly reader or not.

From Headrack to Claude and Frezno Funnies covers

Loose Cruse Update
Underground cartoonist Howard Cruse was interviewed this week on Bob Andelman's Mr. Media webradio show, on the BlogTalkRadio site. Cruse just completed a new collection of his gay-theme comic strips published between 1976 and 2008. The adults only anthology is 100 pages of classic Cruse comics available through Lulu.com for $19. The title: From Headrack to Claude.

Doug Hansen's Website
Illustrator and cartoonist Doug Hansen was one of the original newave cartoonists from the 70s. Hansen contributed to dozens of comix and published several of his own titles like Frezno Funnies, Animal-8-Pager, and Animal Bite (through Everyman Studios). Be sure to check out the Doug Hansen Comicography page that lists all of his comix work.

Links to reviews

More reviews from Midnight Fiction:
Poopsheet Foundation: Mike Fisher's 3-D Pete's Star Babe Invasion Special

Comic Related: Meghan Hogan's Manny + Bigfoot

Comic Related: Outlaw Entertainment's Praetorian

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August 1, 2009

August Calendar Art
August heat arrived a few days early here in Stumptown, setting records throughout the area. Our August image for the calendar was inspired from a two headed snake on an Aztec chest. The original ornamentation was carved out wood and covered with turquoise tiles. Click on the image to download a PDF of our free 2009 Desk Calendar.

St. Paul Conspiracy Jam
The St. Paul cell of Cartoonist Conspiracy has announced a massive (8+ MB) jam comic called Futuristic Antiques Roadshow. The free PDF download features a wacky 18-page jam session from cell members. Warning: Mature content, NSFW, and all that jazz. Download it from the St. Paul Conspiracy Jam page, where you can comment after reading.

Eastern Standard Crime to replace Crooked
Geoff Eighinger reports this week he's rolling his online crime fiction zine Crooked into Eastern Standard Crime in August. The new ESC will soon be transformed into a bi-weekly PDF zine. With the increased need for content, Eighinger has put out a call for submissions to crime fiction writers. See his post at Crimezine for details.

Allan Holtz' Stripper's Guide Index
The University of Michigan Press contracted with historian Allan Holtz this week to publish his ambitious Guide to U.S. Newspaper Comic Strips and Cartoon Panels. Holtz is a regular contributor to Hogan's Alley and NBM Publishing's Forever Nuts comic strip reprint series. You can read more about his new book on his popular blog, Stripper's Guide.

Two from Two Matts
Matt Levin recently announced a new issue of his small press zine, Walking Man Comics Presents Special #6. It's an updated version of an older edition of the rubber stamp art zine. It features an origin story of sorts of Super Hero Frog. The new issue is $1. Contact Matt Levin via email or check out his Small Press Group page.

Meanwhile, Matt Dembicki reports a new 20-pager called Xoc #1 is available for a mere $2. It's about seals, seagulls and sharks. Get yours via Dembicki's website, Three Crows Press.

SDCC—Indie Lessons Learned
As I walked around the Portland Zine Symposium last Saturday several of the folks tabling had opted to stay in Portland instead of making the trip south to San Diego for the BIG convention. A couple of folks who took the plunge were Ellie Connelly's Indigo Kelleigh and Octopus Pie's Meredith Gran. Kelleigh wrote a terrific recap about lessons learned from the trip on the Ellie Connelly site.

Blammo: Interviewed
Noah Van Sciver talks about Bob Dylan, Blammo, and his comics in a YouTube video of an interview he did on local Denver radio station 1190. While the audio track runs the video alternates through a few Sciver cartoons that he drew to illustrate the chat.

I'd Buy That
I first heard about Jim Coon via Shawn Hoke's mini comic review blog, Size Matters. After checking out Coon's Last Dollar Comics blog I bought a robot book bundle from his shop on Esty, named after his Eight Ball Graphics publishing empire.

These mini comics all measure out to 2-3/4" x 4-1/4", like a mini version of a digest-size zine. Coon is an excellent cartoonist, which is obvious if you visit his other site, Caricature & Cartoonist Jim Coon. These four books all begin with the same premise, a giant robot or monster enters the city and begins a rampage of destruction. With that, each adventure proceeds in a different wacky direction and concludes with an outrageous ending. Each page in all four mini comics consists of a full page panel with narration below. There's very little if any dialog, so the drawing and its caption tell the whole story. It's a great collection and Coon's minis are well worth their typically $1 purchase price.