Looking for a good Kickstarter project to fund?

One of my favorite cartoonists, T. Edward Bak (Service Industry), has started a Kickstarter to help cover supply costs, travel expenses, and a field drawing expedition through the Aleutian Islands for his current graphic novel, "WILD MAN - The Strange Journey and Fantastic Account of the Naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, From Bavaria to Bolshaya Zemlya (and Beyond)". The graphic novel is currently being serialized in Fantagraphics MOME anthology, and it is something to behold!

You can learn more and see lots of sample art at Mr. Bak's blog.

Please consider donating to this worthwhile project. And please post it everywhere you can!!! GO, T!

Thanks for reading.

COMICS COMICS IS HAVING THE WORLD'S COOLEST BAKE SALE

Comics Comics is having a fundraiser!!!

I donated a page from my Cold Heat Special #4 to help the effort and you can buy it for under $100 RIGHT NOW!

But that's not all.

Lots of great cartoonists have donated original art, one-of-a-kind commissions, gorgeous prints, and comics, Comics, COMICS!!!

CHECK THIS OUT:
Get three graphic novels Travel (Yuichi Yokoyama), Maggots (Brian Chippendale) and Monster Men (Takashi Nemoto) for the price of just one! - Chippendale and Yokoyama are two of my favorite, favorite cartoonists working in the world!!! And Monster Men is absolutely insane. You CANNOT go wrong with this deal - 3 great books for $20!!!

Original art by Dash Shaw, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Matthew Thurber, Frank King, Ernie Bushmiller. Lots of cool stuff to look at, enjoy!

Captain America and FDR commission

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Carnegie Library last evening for my talk. Librarians Corey Wittig and Renee Alberts have put together a nice, monthly graphic novel discussion group. So if you're in the area and have an interest in the medium or what the library has to offer fans of comics, add it to your calendar. Next month's speaker is Pittsburgh treasure, Bill "Copacetic Comics" Boichel.

This Saturday, I'll be at Summit City Comic Con in Fort Wayne, IN. It's their inaugural show. They seem to be promoting it well, and I think it could be a very enjoyable show. If you're there, please stop by and introduce yourself. I'll have the usual stuff, including Rambo 3.5, which has gotten a couple nice mentions lately:

The Comics Journal: This comic is jammed with puns, cheap shots, double-entendres, adolescent sexual references and hilarious non-sequiturs. RAMBO 3.5 is gloriously inspired silliness, a comic destined for cult status.

The Comics Reporter: Mostly what you get is the infantile previous president's child-like social interaction with the dumb-as-ammo John Rambo character via cartooning that shifts style in a way reminiscent of Bill Sienkiewicz's 1980s pastiches on a similar group of scoundrels.

Brett Warnock (Top Shelf Comix): Rugg is nothing short of a fucking genius. So much so, even his "throwaway" stuff is brilliant.

I am down to my last 25 copies of the first printing of Afrodisiac, so if you're planning on grabbing that at Summit City, swing by early!

SUMMIT CITY PANEL
Indie Comics and Self Publishing! This panel offers our audience insight about the process of producing independent comics and self-published comics and doesn’t skimp on the pitfalls and hurdles that must be overcome. Self publishing can be excruciatingly difficult and endlessly rewarding. Join some of the best in the business for this sure to be lively discussion. Our panelists include: Jim Rugg (Afrodisiac, Street Angel, Comics Comics), Steve Bryant (Athena Voltaire), Matt Kindt (Super Spy, Strange Tales, 3 Story), Jeffrey Brown (Clumsy, Unlikely, Sulk, Incredible Changebots), Andy Jewett (In This Corner, SICKO, Awesome 2: Awesomer), Shawn Pryor (Mercury & The Murd, Wasted Wonderland)

SUMMIT CITY COMMISSIONS
I have time for one more commission for Summit City. If you're interested email me ASAP. It's $100 for an 8 x 10, b/w drawing.

Carnegie Library in Oakland

Listen up, Pittsburgh Peeps! I'm flapping my gums at Carnegie Library (Oakland).

Date: Monday, May 17, 2010
Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main (Oakland). I think it's going to be in the teen meeting room, but just ask someone if you can't find it.

I hope you can make it. I'll bring along some art, scripts, thumbnails...juggling equipment? This is a monthly event, I'm very happy I was invited to participate. Check it out. If you can't make it to this event, flag it on your calendar. They meet every month, cover different topics, have different guests, and basically talk comics in a way that's slightly different than your local comics store (and hey, combo the evening with a quick stop at Phantom of the Attic in Oakland before you swing by the library - that's my plan for tomorrow).

TCAF, I'm on a panel (and a few other GEMS)...

...come and see me say, "uh, like," and "y'know," over and over, while rubbing the sleep out of my weary eyes. It will be way more fun than browsing a room full of the world's greatest cartoonists with their fancy new books and art.

Here are the details:

HOW YOU DRAW: HOW DOES ART AFFECT STORY?
Saturday, May 8th, 9:30 – 10:15am, Learning Center 1

People make comics to tell stories. But how are those stories affected by the art style they’re told in? What are the ways that art style change the content, audience, and storytelling for a comic? Do artists choose their style, or does their style choose them? Featuring Dave Roman, Salgood Sam, Jim Rugg, James Turner, and Abby Denson. Moderated by Walter Dickinson.

After the panel, you can find me at:

TABLE 146 (next to Adhouse Books)



INK PANTHERS:
I'm on an episode of Mike Dawson's and Alex Robinson's Ink Panthers podcast.

THIS IS JUST AMAZING LOOKING:
Not sure much about this, except I think it's really beautiful. Jean Josef Jesus at Arthur magazine - check it out.

TCAF, I'm coming for you

Heading to Toronto on Friday for the great TCAF. Hope to see all of you there! I will have copies of my new mini-comic Rambo 3.5, my usual assortment of books (Afrodisiac, Street Angel, One Model Nation, Guild), a few copies of the PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love (and I'm tabling next to Young Adult novelist and Janes co-creator, Cecil Castellucci so you could have her sign them and write something nice), color prints, iron-ons, stickers, and original artwork (ranging from loose sketches and illustrations all the way to finished pages).

On Saturday morning, I'm participating in a panel, hopefully we're not all still asleep:

How You Draw: How Does Art Affect Story?
Saturday, May 8th, 9:30 – 10:15am, Learning Center 1 (1st floor, in the main atrium space)

People make comics to tell stories. But how are those stories affected by the art style they’re told in? What are the ways that art style change the content, audience, and storytelling for a comic? Do artists choose their style, or does their style choose them? Featuring Dave Roman, Salgood Sam, Jim Rugg, James Turner, and Abby Denson. Moderated by Walter Dickinson.

QUICK LINKS:

Multiversity Comics recently interviewed me.

The National Post interviewed a bunch of TCAF participants. This is mine.

Amber Love posted our interview at The Girls Entertainment Network.

EVENTS:

Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Cartoonist and author Rina Ayuyang will be reading selections from her graphic novel "Whirlwind Wonderland" at the Toonseum.

Monday, May 17, 2010, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
I'll be talking at the Carnegie Library in Oakland for their graphic novel discussion group. Please check it out so I am not talking to myself.