Typhon Haiyan (Yolanda) relief benefit!

Rina Ayuyang of YAM Books put together a bunch of ebay auctions to help out survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. There is tons of great original art & comics, including a lot of six books from us at Birdcage Bottom Books.

The auction ends soon, so please go bid now!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281211774844?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Reviews on Roctober Magazine blog

So, before I start posting the afore-promised interesting stuff, here are a slew of reviews by Jacob Austen on the always excellent Roctober Magazine blog:

Read the review of Old Man Winter and the first two issues of Losers Weepers here.

Read the review of It's Dream Time, Snoop Doggy Dogg! here.

Read the review of Snakepit 2009 here.

Read the review of Supertalk #1 here.

Reviews n' Such

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.

For Nerds Only

In preperation for my upcoming media blitz for Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales I'm having these nifty/nerdy bookmarks printed up.

I actually use book marks, but I'm sure I'm in the minority. I have this irritating (to the wife, anyway) reverence for books. I refuse to break their spines (Karen relishes doing so), and I ALWAYS use a bookmark.

Anyhow, I'll be leaving piles of these at my local comic book stores, sticking them into each book I sell and giving them away at any conventions I have a table at.

In other news, I've started inking pages for my "Tales of Snoop Doggy Dogg" mini-comic. The cover is pretty much done as well, but I've tried using a small linoleum block print to add some color without great success. I can't seem to get the registration to work out properly. I'm going to visit the cheerful pudgy Scottish (Irish?) guy that runs a tiny custom stamp place in the neighborhood to see if he can attach a handle to my linoleum block. That may fix the registration problem.

Cathy always knows just how I feel

It's been a hectic last few weeks.

I apologize for the fact that you have to look at Cathy and her diet soda over there, but most everything I'm working on is either in the sketch stage or is mind-numbingly boring self promotional type stuff.

"Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales" is currently being printed (I should get the books next week), so I'm compiling a list of magazines, blogs, newspapers, etc. to receive review copies. If you have any suggestions, pass 'em on. I've also been designing business cards & press releases to include in the press packets.

I don't know if any of you watched "Death on a Factory Farm", the documentary I suggested last week, but it was fantastic (in a disturbing kind of way). I wasn't previously aware that it was another film by Sarah Teale who was responsible for the equally disturbing "Dealing Dogs" doc. After watching "Dealing Dogs" I'd tried to get in touch with the undercover investigator. I was hoping to do a comic based on whatever information I could get from an interview with him.

I wasn't succesful finding him then, but the day after I watched this new film (which uses the same undercover investigator) my friend that works at the Humane Society in D.C. called me to see if I was still interested in contacting him. My buddy's buddy is buddies with the cruelty investigator, so he's going to pass my contact info. on to him. I hope he calls!

Interestingly, it does tie into one of my current projects. I've mentioned that I'm doing a comic adaptation of Gail Eisnitz's "Slaughterhouse". She is a chief cruelty investigator for the Humane Farming Association (HFA). HFA funded and organized the investigation documented in "Death on a Factory Farm". The circle is complete.

The deadline for the "Ducks On The Pond" book is coming up (March 31), so I'm trying to whip these contributors into shape. So far only Jeffrey Brown and myself have finished a piece, but I'm hoping all of the others who have promised something will deliver.

I'm almost finished sketching 3 new two-page comics about dreams I've had involving Snoop Doggy Dogg (I'm told he just goes by "Snoop Dogg" these days). I've also finished the cover for the Snoop comic, but I'm experimenting with hand-carved rubber stamp prints on it, so I'll post it later when I find one I like.

Partied Heartily

I'm pretty certain that one of the only people who actually read this blog is my mother. She informed me that I haven't posted anything in a while. So, this post will be bittersweet for her. On the one hand, I AM posting something, but on the other hand there is mention of not one but two old mens' penises.

I went to the "I Saw You..." book release party at Desert Island on Friday. It was so crowded that I couldn't even reach into my pocket to get out my camera for a photo. They made little tiny buttons for the contributors to wear. Each button had an image taken from that artist's page. My button focused on the old butcher's penis (you'll have to buy the book to see what I'm talking about...please buy the book!!). The guy who was handing out the buttons (who was also one of the artists featured in the book) also had a penis on his button, so I wasn't the only one.

Now, for the mention of the second old man penis: When I sent out a mock-up of the book I'm self publishing (Old Man Winter & Other Sordid Tales) to a handful of other cartoonists that I admire asking for criticism, one of my favorite responses came from Kevin Huizenga. Among other things, he pointed out that the protagonist's penis was not properly age progressed. I actually took his advice to heart and added in some additional wrinkles!

Anyhow, the release party was a lot of fun, and I thank all of my friends that came out for it. It was freezing out that night, so I really appreciate the effort. Afterward, we were able to race back to my neighborhood to catch the last half of Dare Duke's show at Banjo Jim's. I bought his new album, and I'm happy to report that it's really really great.

Applying for the Xeric Grant

So, being the masochist that I am, I've applied for a self-publishing grant from the Xeric Foundation. I've gathered a bunch of my comics, including a long one loosely based on an old man that comes into Utrecht Art Supplies (I work there one day a week). He breaks my heart every time I see him. Getting old is a bitch.

Part of the process of putting together the application was getting cost estimates for printing. This has been a real eye-opener for me. It's no wonder nobody makes any money from publishing graphic novels! It also makes me that much more appreciative of the bells & whistles people like Chris Ware and Jordan Crane work into their book designs. Anytime you see a die-cut cover or even something as simple as an untraditional sized cover you know it cost some bucks.

I'll hear back from the Xeric Foundation in November (I think), so wish me luck. Or don't.

You can see most of the comics I'll be including here. I don't think I'll be able to afford to print them in color, so revel in the dizzying full color while you can!