Supervegan's stand-up fella Jason Das gives a glowing review of the Digestate anthology. He even manages to specifically mention a large portion of the 55 contributors (no small feat)! Read it here.
I should mention that if you are ever looking for a vegan/vegetarian or even just vegetarian-friendly restaurant in any of the five boroughs of NYC, SuperVegan has an invaluable searching tool. I've been using it for years, and it often turns me on to some great places I may not have found otherwise.
Raised
and Educated in the smaller cities of Western and Central New York
State, Neil
Brideau
surrounds his life with minicomics. He writes
and draws stories of friendship, usually disguised as tales
of supernatural
calamities befalling children, his latest is the ongoing minicomic
series The Plot.
His
webcomic Sock-Monster was collected by Short Pants Press in the now
out-of-print book, In Anticipation of Hugs, and his kids' minicomics
What is This? and Write Now! were first distributed by UncleEnvelope. Neil has been vegan for nine years, and lives
in Chicago,
where he plays in the band James P.B. Duffy, and roots for the
flat-track roller derby team, the Chicago Outfit.
Editor's note: I've only just met Neil in person at MoCCA last month, but he seems like an affable fellow/chap. He works at quite possibly my favorite comic shop, Quimby's. I've never actually been there, but they consistently order comics from me, always pay on time and their logo was designed by Chris Ware. What more could you want?
I'm a little behind in posting reviews and whatnot, so here goes...
I don't think I've ever actively flagged someone down at a comic con to demand they check out my comics, but the two dudes at SPX wearing shirts that screamed "VEGAN" and "TOFU" were just too much to pass up. Turns out one of 'em (Richard De Angelis) writes a blog called Comic Book Justice, and he ended up buying a copy of Old Man Winter (which contains several animal welfare based stories). He wrote a bit about it here.
Carrie Try Harder's (those hyphenated last names just get weirder and weirder) review of Losers Weepers #1 and #2 on Inkstuds can be read here.
Nick Rennis & Eric Murphy wrote a short review of Old Man Winter on the Indie Street Radio blog. Just click right here to read it.
Justin Giampaoli airs some grievances about both issues of Supertalk on Poopsheet Foundation, but ultimately gives them a passing grade. Read the review of issue #1 here, and #2 here.
Ironically, as I started this post my little 6 week old baby was fussing to nurse.
People often ask me why I don't consume dairy. Most are generally aware of the cruelty involved in bringing chicken, beef and pork to the plate, but they still don't see how dairy farming could be harmful. Thanks to the undercover video footage below from Mercy For Animals, now you can see for yourself. Besides the fact that male calves born on dairy farms are usually sold to veal farms since they can't produce milk (and we all know the cruelty they will endure there), the cows that remain in these dairy facilities suffer tremendously.
Please take a few minutes to watch this video if you partake in dairy products. It's important to know where the food we ingest comes from. I used to think that once videos like these were released into the public that things would change. The dairy (or meat, or egg) industry would be held responsible. Sadly, as countless videos like these pile up, very little changes within the industry. Livestock are not protected by humane treatment laws the way cats and dogs are, although organizations like the Humane Society of the United States, Farm Sanctuary and the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary are working toward protecting these animals through legislation.
The best thing you can do to change these industries is to vote with your wallet. Become a vegetarian, or better yet, become a vegan. Don't support this kind of cruelty. Thanks!
Don MacPherson of Eye On Comics (the dapper fellow pictured here) gave a very kind and in-depth review of "Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales" (click on the link to read it). I'm not just saying this because he gave me a good review, but I really appreciate how closely he read my stories. He picked up on some subtleties that some have missed and was able to find merit in some of the stories that weren't necessarily in line with his own beliefs (I actually care more about whether a non-vegan/vegetarian gets something from my more "activist-leaning" comics than a vegan/vegetarian).
My great hope and greater purpose behind making the majority of my comics is that I'll be able to get a message out to an audience that might not be inclined to pick up literature or books about factory-farms, vivisection, etc. I don't expect someone to make a huge lifestyle change from reading a comic, but I do want to plant a seed in their brain. It could inspire them to seek information, or it could just add another layer to what they've already learned elsewhere. Believe it or not, a "Bloom County" comic strip in the newspaper was the seed that got me thinking. I credit that strip for my decision to abstain from meat and, soon after, all animal products almost 20 years ago!
I've been gathering artists for a book written by Bill Liederman (previous owner of Mickey Mantle's Restaurant on Central Park) about bizarre sports phrases. The title of the book, "Ducks On The Pond" is an example of such phrases. I'm excited that some of my favorite cartoonists & illustrators have already signed on to do a drawing even before we have a publisher.
Once we have several good illustrations, Bill's agents will submit his manuscript along with the drawings for publishing bids. As you probably know, I am completely ignorant when it comes to organized sports, but it really doesn't matter in this case. We don't have to actually know what the phrases mean...just interpret them in a humorous way.
The first deadline (for the proposal) is the end of this month, so in my downtime from organizing and contacting aritsts, I've done a drawing of my own for the phrase "Tote that pigskin". I was even able to get my vegan/animal welfare views in there as a bonus!
If you are interested in the project and would like to submit something, please get in touch!
My buddy Marty Key (A.K.A. Marty Violence) commissioned a painting of Duke's Mayonnaise (a southern delicacy) for his wife to celebrate Valentine's Day. Nothing says romance like mayonnaise. Apparently she burst into tears upon seeing it. I don't know if this was because she really loves Duke's or because she was like, "why is my husband giving me a painting of mayonnaise?!"
I'm pretty certain it's the former, as she's a foodie and a prolific chef. Anyhow, I'm glad she liked it, and I hope my representation of the condiment doesn't hurt my standing in the vegan community (come search my 'fridge...all you'll find is dijon Nayonnaise, I swear!).
