Wednesday, November 18
7PM. Free. Red Emmas.
Mount Vernon, Baltimore.

Our all-time favorite Latina punk-rocker-illustrator-novelist is back on tour and headed to Red Emma’s on November 18! Fresh off the European Sister Spit tour, Cristy Road is travelling the nation reading from new work and presenting new illustrations to delight and disgust. Her repertoire consists of ten years of independent publishing, two graphic novels, and countless illustrations for a broad slew of magazines, record album art, concert posters, and political organizations. Absolutely iconic work, filled with images of real people doing real things – explicitly NOT the representational model of human perfection that Western art teaches us to expect. Don’t miss this one, you’ll be glad you came.

More Info: http://www.redemmas.org/event/1765/

Wednesday, November 18
7PM. Free. Atomic Books.
Hampden, Baltimore.

Paul Hornschemeier will discussing his new graphic novel collection All And Sundry and Jay Ryan will be talking about the new book collecting his rock poster art, Animals And Objects In And Out Of Water.

Note to self: pen doodle on computer printer paper scans shittily.

I was chillin at my parents this evening and I had a chance to gaze upon the wonders of cable television (read: any television) for the first time weeks. Luckily Camp Lazlo was on Cartoon Network, and seeing as how that’s one of the best kids (read: kids of all ages) cartoons on TV right now, I decided to tune in.

Who should I see on the credits for the first time? None other than Kaz, for storyboarding. I had never realized before, but Kaz has been doing the storyboards for CL for two seasons so far. Who the hell is Kaz, you say? He’s that dude what does the most excellent comic titled “Underworld”. If you’ve never read it, you should do yourself a favor. You can see a bunch of the strips here.

This had me thinking … it’s awesome how some of the best alt comix artists are also involved with the creation of more mainstream projects these days. At least the kids of the next generation(s) who are into it (read: Camp Lazlo) are getting something of quality. It’s legues better than the totally lamoid alternative at 6:30pm on a Wednesday night, Room Raiders, that was trying to eat my brain on MTV. Long story short, I think its pretty awesome that these super talented humans can share their creations with so many other humans. What they do makes me happy. I hope one day, I’m doing something like that.

*mind explodes*

August 30, 2005:

With two seasons of Cartoon Network’s Camp Lazlo under his belt, Kaz embarks on co-writing Derek Drymon’s pilot cartoon for Nickelodeon. Derek Drymon was the Creative Director on SpongeBob SquarePants — and by Creative Director we mean the number two man on SpongeBob. Derek is funny and talented and originally from New Jersey (like all the greats). So it’s an honor that Kaz was tapped to help him write the pilot episode for his top secret show. After that, Kaz returns to Camp Lazlo for season three. Camp Lazlo is now the highest rated show on the Cartoon Network. How the hell did THAT happen? Hey, would anyone like to see a major publisher put out a Kaz retrospective book? Well, it’s in the works. Also now in the works is a short animated cartoon based on Kaz’s last comics story for Little Lit. Has Kaz gone Hollywood? Nah, just Burbank.

Soyler gallery @ Streetsy

I’ve realized that I am at the age where I’ve forgotten more books I’ve read than books I’ve left to read in my lifetime.

Yes, it’s wildly depressing. For most books, I can just remember feeling that they were good, but the details are pretty fuzzy.

So, the Mobtown Shank Reading Club this year will be about revisiting some classics and seeing if they hold up. And the twist is that they’re all graphic novels. If you’ve never really gotten into comics or jumped in late, this would be a good chance to get into some great titles and tear them apart!

We’ve got the year planned out, so drop in when you want, or go for the whole ride:

January – V for Vendetta
February – Watchmen
March – Dark Knight Returns
April – Love & Rockets Book 10
May – I Never Liked You
June – Buddy Does Seattle
July – My New York Diary
August – Jimmy Corrigan
September – Our Cancer Year
October – Cinderalla
November – Ghost World
December – Black Hole

Discussions will be held at the end of each month over at Frazier’s.

Email me to be kept in the loop and for your secret decoder ring.

And we still have our Lost Book Club. We’ll be discussing A Wrinkle in Time in January.

I posted my article on Anders Nilsen on Beatbots tonight. Read it here.

Trying to make my own comic has been on my mind a lot lately. To be honest the main reason I haven’t seriously attempted making one is because I’m scared. Be it serendipity, I cannot say, but I ran across this article after I stumbled upon the Young American Comics site. Making Your First Mini-Comic is a really wonderful article that has put a little spring in my mental step. All this was sparked after reading an interview with Paul Hornschemeier (it’s pronounced “Hornsh-meyer”, I finally discovered) in Mome Volume 1, what R got me for Xmas.

I think I’m going to go ahead with the Bartleby and Brixton strip that R and I talked about last week. Wherein the ghost of our dead hamster Bartleby haunts our cat Brixton, and they fight all the time but deep down they are frenemies. Other people in the strip with be R and myself, Mona and Basil, in Peanut’s adult-esque appearances. No one can see or hear Bartleby but Brixton.

Or something like that … Guess I need to learn how to draw animals now.