10/28/12

Shout-out: Marek Bennett

DIGESTATE CONTRIBUTOR:
MAREK BENNETT!

Marek Bennettwww.MarekBennett.com ) is a longtime contributor to the terrestrial carbon cycle, both through exhalations and excretions. [photo redacted]  His best-loved works include several stacks of thermal carbon reserves


and an elaborate system of interspecies managed animal-vegetable symbiocommunes 



fueled by a potent yet playful combination of manures, grasses, isopods, annelids, and sweat.  His largest manure pile currently maxes out at over 110 degrees F on a rainy day in the shade! 


When at rest, Bennett stays sharp by drawing comics related to (but not limited to):
During certain seasons, the subject can be seen shuttling frantically between schools and libraries, assisting groups of young victims in dealing with the symptoms of Early-Onset Obsessive Original Comics Creation Disorder. 

His most recent full-size mini-comic was LIVES OF THE SAINTS [ http://marekcomics.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/lives-of-the-saints/ ], detailing the gruesome deaths (sic) of eight saints found on a 16th century gothic altar in Eastern Slovakia.  


His most recent book was NICARAGUA COMICS TRAVEL JOURNAL [ http://marekcomics.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/nicaragua-comics-travel-journal/ ].  


His current webcomic, COFFEE+DUMPLING+KOMIKS [ http://marekslovakia.wordpress.com/ ], publishes daily from now until it's finally collected in book form!



Subject seems to enjoy procrastinating by grilling small or chopped vegetables, fungi, and animals over open flames.


Editor's note: Marek won a Xeric grant for his book "Breakfast at Mimi's" in the same cycle as I received one for my first book. I emailed him to see if he was up for a trade, and he was. "Mimi's Doughnuts" (the comic strip collected in his Xeric book) instantly connected with me because of my own doughnut-related experiences. My dad ran a Dunkin' Donuts throughout most of my childhood, and I worked there from about 12 years old and on (longer if you count folding donut boxes or rolling quarters from the cigarette machine while my dad counted the cash drawers). 

I mentioned this to Marek, and it just so happened that his current storyline involved a Dunkin' Donut-like chain opening up near the mom-and-pop style doughnut shop central to "Mimi's Doughnuts". We made plans for me to bore him with donut-related anecdotes after the Small Press Expo that year, but unfortunately my ride came before we could chat. 

Anyhow, it is my personal opinion that Marek's current project "COFFEE+DUMPLING+KOMIKS" is  above and beyond anything he's done in the past (that's not to disparage his past work, I just REALLY love this comic). There's a nice size excerpt of it in Digestate, so check it out!

10/26/12

DIGESTATE reviews start rollin' in...




An incredibly thorough (considering the scope of this anthology) review by Matt Brady on Warren Peace.Click here to read it!
Poopsheet Foundation doesn't seem to have a logo, so here's a Justin Giampaoli avatar!
Not to be outdone, Justin Giampaoli gives an equally thorough review for Poopsheet Foundation. Click here to read it!

10/10/12

Admiral Ackbar

For all you Star Wars nerds out there (and can we really call Star Wars fans nerds anymore? I would guess that at least 75% of humanity admits to liking SW at this point), here's a little drawing I did for cartoonist extraordinaire Jeffrey Brown as a thank you for being an upright, upstanding kinda dude.

Enjoy!


P.S. If you don't get it, you can rest easy that you are not, in fact, a Star Wars nerd. 

10/7/12

Birdcage Bottom Books at New York Comic Con!



BBB will be at the New York Comic Con on October 12 (Friday) & October 13 (Saturday) from 1 pm until 5 pm. We may also be there on October 14 (Sunday) from 1-5 pm depending on how much we have packed for our trip to Atlanta the following morning!
You can find us at the Kickstarter booth (Artist Alley at Booth N407) along with other artists hawking comics funded (in part) through Kickstarter. 
We've never been to a super-hero-centric comic convention (just indie/self-publisher-centric ones), so please come by and tell us everything will be alright. We admit that we're a little terrified. 

10/5/12

L. Nichols' "Flocks" memoir comics

Just wanted to clue you in to an opportunity to pre-order the next four issues of L. Nichols' excellent "Flocks" comic series. The first issue is available from Retrofit Comics, and the rest will be available through Grindstone Comics (you can get a subscription or order individual issues). They'll all be in full color!


10/4/12

Shout-out: Gary Fields


DIGESTATE CONTRIBUTOR:
GARY FIELDS!



Gary Fields was born with a pencil in his hand and weaned on Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Mad magazine and Rat Finks.  He's been drawing professionally for over 25 years and is really old.  He is a member of the National Cartoonists' Society, SCBWI, and hopes to create a childrens' book.  He lives in the exotic state of New Jersey with his wife, three children, and one boxer.



Editor's note: I recently met up with Gary, and I am happy to report that he looks EXACTLY like his self-portrait up there. Even down to the single drop of sweat flying from the back of his head. 

I love Gary's aesthetic. It mashes together a clean & classic Hanna-Barbera style with elements of old Jazz album covers from the '50s & '60s (a touch of Jim Flora, maybe?). There's vibrancy to all of his drawings that show how much he enjoys drawing. Really wonderful character design. 







I'm still alive

Been a while since I rapped at ya, and for that I apologize. Between the Small Press Expo a few weeks ago, the Sisyphean task of shipping out all of the Digestate Kickstarter rewards and the upcoming New York Comic Con, I have been remiss.

But!

I'm going to take a moment now to write up a Digestate contributor spotlight. So, keep an eye out.