AFRODISIAC - BEST COMICS 2009 NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Afrodisiac made New York magazine's list of the ten Best Comics of 2009! The strength and diversity of the other titles leads us to wonder if there's an Afrodisiac agent on the inside who switched out the real winner and added Mack Midnight!

Seriously though, we are very excited. Thank you, New York magazine!

I did a few illustrations for the McSweeney's 33 the San Francisco Panorama. One of them was for a roundtable discussion about the state of and future of film distribution.

ONE MODEL NATION and AFRODISIAC LOVE

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"Dandy Warhols frontman Courtney Taylor joins the very small group of musicians who have created their own comics—and the even smaller group who have managed to produce rather good ones."
- Las Vegas Weekly

"Afrodisiac just gets badder and badder with each adventure! He not only defies gods, but the Devil and God himself…and wins."
- Jay Potts, World of Hurt

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and MY BIG YAP

The interview I did with the Stumptown Trade Review has been posted for your listening enjoyment. Had a great time hanging out with hosts, Brian and Thor, and just talking comics. Thanks to both of them for having me on their podcast and for breakfast! Yet another reason why Portland is awesome!

ZATANNA and CHRISTMAS SUGGESTION

 

Still searching for the perfect, last-minute Christmas gift for that special comic book fan in your life? Well, look no further! Frank Santoro has the answer - the $20 Grab Bag o' Comics! For a mere 20 bucks (that includes shipping and handling), Frank will pack up 6 amazing comics and send them your way via Priority Mail (i.e. in time for Christmas).

Frank scours comic book stores for interesting back issue gems and then brings them to small press, indie, and art comics shows as sort of a traveling history for readers and creators who may not be familiar with some of the more interesting comics of the last 30-40 years. I never fail to find great books when I see him at these places (or at his home or when we visit a shop together).

If you want to surprise that certain someone in your life that likes comics, this is a great last minute gift. The selection is sure to be diverse, unique, and a steal at 20 bucks!

AFRODISIAC REVIEW

Chad Derdowski, from mania.com, gives the Afrodisiac an A+ in a very kind review:

"It is childhood recreated, with adult sensibilities...It also reminds me of reading old comic books after dropping acid and spending the evening listening to a bunch of Curtis Mayfield and Parliament albums."
- Chad Derdowski, mania.com

As always, if you're interested in reviewing the Afrodisiac, drop me a line, and we'll hook you up with a copy! Or if you've reviewed Afrodisiac, send me a link and I'll post it here (even if it's not as complimentary as Chad's review).

DUKE ARMSTRONG and PORTLAND RECAP

Portland was AWESOME! I want to thank everyone who came out Saturday night and braved the unusually cold temperatures to hang out at Floating World Comics. Met a lot of people and had a wonderful time. Special thanks to Courtney, Joe Keatinge, Jamie Rich, and Jasion Leivian. Although I could list like a million others. I always hear about what a great town Portland is for cartoonists and comic books, and now I know their secret - it's actually WAY better than they say it is.

Alright enough of that schmoozing already. Back to comics - my trusted co-writer, Brian Maruca, and I have a strip in the latest issue of Dark Horse Presents. Editor Scott Allie describes it as "the tale of a very, very weird hero." I'd like to think of it as a hero we all need right now, as one golf great falls from glory, it's good to know Duke Armstrong's out there fighting the good fight. Better yet, why don't you decide for yourself, after all, it's FREE to read!

AFRODISIAC REVIEWS + STUMPTOWN TRADE REVIEW QUESTIONS

First up, I'm going to be interviewed on the Stumptown Trade Review podcast this weekend. They are looking for questions for me. If there's something you've always wanted to ask me, this could be your big chance!  

Now onto some very kind Afrodisiac reviews:

"...thoroughly entertaining and utterly nutso..."

- Publishers Weekly

"...highly recommended..."

- Brightest Young Things

"Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca have captured the true essence of what was going down in the streets of Black America during the 1970’s."

- Museum of Uncut Funk