F#@%ing J.T. Dockery!

So, I'm walkin' through SPX in one of my far too infrequent and much too short breaks looking at all the comics on the tables hoping to find something interesting... something special... something new... And I see this dude who looks like a young R. Crumb and talks like Tom Waits if Tom Waits was from Kentucky... And this dude is from Kentucky... And he's got this huge book that looks really crazy called In Tongues Illustrated... and the artwork is mezmerizing like it's the backwoods basterd child of a psychedlic Richard Sala and a countrified Rory Hayes*... and he's got a c.d. of his band The Smacks and I'm listening to that now as I'm writing this and they kick ass like a hillbilly punk rawk band should... AND he tells me that he used to play with Hasil Adkins (and he kindly corrects my mispronunciation of Hasil's name - sounds like "hassle" not "hay-zel") and it doesn't get much cooler/weirder than that... And then there's the first paragraph of "About The Smacks" on their myspace page:

An immortal psychic werewolf and an ethylene huffin' Old Testament prophet walk into a bar...and they play a giltter-billy rock and roll show. We are the Smacks! We are from Kentucky. And what we really wanna know, 'cause we're so tired of saying it, does cross-dressing count as lycanthropy?

SOLD!

So, anyways... I guess what I'm saying is J.T. Dockery is rad, and his book and music are among the best things I found at S.P.X. 2009!

* I apologize for using too many references because it doesn't do justice to Dockery's originality.

SPX round ups.

Two great round-ups of the Small Press Expo I spent the weekend at:
From Chris Mautner: www.comicbookresources.com
and from the one and only Rob Clough: highlowcomics.blogspot.com
Both are pretty insightful.

Portland Zine Symposium Planning

Fist planning meeting for the 10th annual Portland Zine Symposium!

Have you ever wanted to help organizing the Portland Zine Symposium? Well now's your chance! This will be the first meeting for the 2010 Portland Zine Symposium. We'll discuss dates, themes and lots of big ideas about how to celebrate such a monumental achievement to reach 10 years!

Sunday October 4, 2009
6:00 PM
IPRC (917 SW Oak #218)

SPX this weekend in Bethesda!

Sparkplug Comic Books will be at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda Maryland, this weekend (Sept. 26-27)

We'll be sitting with Tom Neely and Zak Sally's La Mano at tables W37/W38. Come by and say "hi".

This will be the east coat premiere of Sausage Hand by Andrew Smith, Neptune by Aron Nels Steinke and the Shortest Interval by Ignatz nominated artist David King.

We're proud to be publishing books by three artists that are up for multiple Ignatz Awards this Saturday night at SPX.
Promising New Talent Hellen Jo, Jin & Jam #1 (Sparkplug), “Diamond Heights,” Papercutter #9 (Tugboat)
Outstanding Series Danny Dutch, David King (Sparkplug)
Outstanding Series Reich, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Outstanding Comic Danny Dutch #1, David King (Sparkplug)
Outstanding Comic Reich #6, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Outstanding Online Comic Danny Dutch, David King

AND we'll be carrying a few books by good friends, including the amazing Ignatz nominated Wuvable Oaf by Ed Luce.

On SUNDAY at the show I'll be hosting a panel at 3pm

Comics and Community:

Dylan Williams (Sparkplug Books) leads an open and audience-inclusive discussion about the role independent comic creators, publishers, and distributors play in the comics community and how they can work together using principles of community organizing and resistance. Sally Bloodbath, Robyn Chapman, Benn Ray and Frank Santoro will talk about the internet, drawing nights, DIY networks, stores, distributors, publishers, friends, fans, clients, media outlets, tours, pooled resources, conventions and convention. Audience members are encouraged to bring their ideas.

2:30 in the Brookside Conference Room

For more info on the Small Press Expo: http://www.spxpo.com/
For more info on the 2009 Ignatz Award: http://www.spxpo.com/?page_id=22
For more info on Sparkplug Comics: http://www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com/

(the photo is of Sparkplug friends Ed Piskor and Rob Ullman at last years SPX)

KATY ELLIS O'BRIEN Show up this Weekend!!!

The Bad Apple (the store Tim Goodyear and I run) is going to be having our first official art opening this weekend (Sept. 26th) for Fun On Foster from 11-7. Come by and check out amazing art by Katy Ellis O'Brien!
www.trumpetflower.net

Publish Post

Happy Birthday Pete Poplaski!

Thanks to Tom Spurgeon for sharing the news. Today is the birthday of a favorite artist of mine, Pete Poplaski. Thanks to him for all the great art and inspiration.

And to Zorro too!
and here is another visit with PP!

A bunch of Sparkplug books reviewed by Rob Clough!

Extraordinary comics critic Rob Clough has given his time over to a thorough critique of five Sparkplug books: the Shortest Interval, Rock That Never Sleeps, Reich #6, Bird Hurdler and the Department of Art #1. Great insights as always:
highlowcomics.blogspot.com

SPX-bound

I'm headed off to SPX in a couple weeks (Sept. 26-27). I'll have more info on that soon. But in the mean time, get a load of this panel we are doing on Sunday the 27th (middle of the day), it should be reason enough to make the trek to Bethesda Maryland:

Comics and Community
Dylan Williams (Sparkplug Books) leads an open and audience-inclusive discussion about the role independent comic creators, publishers, and distributors play in the comics community and how they can work together using principles of community organizing and resistance. Sally Bloodbath, Robyn Chapman, Benn Ray and Frank Santoro will talk about the internet, drawing nights, DIY networks, stores, distributors, publishers, friends, fans, clients, media outlets, tours, pooled resources, conventions and convention. Audience members are encouraged to bring their ideas.

Reviews by Rob Clough

Two of the new books Sparkplug Co-Published with Teenage Dinosaur and Tugboat Press have Received the usually astute critical view from Rob Clough, check 'em out. Neptune by Aron Steinke and Sausage Hand, both available from our online store:
highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2009/09/mainstreamunderground-neptune-and.html


Rob also checked out a couple of the new Teenage Dinosaur books and Jesse Reklaw's 10,000 Things To Do here:
highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2009/08/minicomics-round-up-reklaw-nelson-frank.html

JULIACKS at Helsinki Comics Festival

Heyheyhey,
JULIACKS will be at the Helsinki Comics Festival September 12th and 13th in the Small Press Heaven section representing Sparkplug Comics!

If'n you are around, please stop by!

Shannon O'Leary!

One and only Sparkplug PR/Marketing leader Shannon O'Leary has been interviewed by Bitch Magazine. It focuses on the new feminist comics anthology she is co-editing. It already sounds like something that everyone is going to need a copy of, including me and you.

bitchmagazine.org/post/six-questions-on-comics-for-the-big-feminist-but

Shipping Rates had to go up.

After years of those cheap shipping rates, I've had to raise them as things have gotten more expensive. Only a slight increase but sorry about the hassle. They are still pretty cheap and it is a flat rate so the more you get, it doesn't cost more.
The new rates are calculated by paypal and are listed on the bookstore:

$3 standard and $7 expedited.

Canada is $5
United Kingdom is $12
International is $15

Sparkplug Artists Get Nominated for Ignatz Awards!

Danny Dutch by David King
Reich by Elijah Brubaker
and Hellen Jo (author of Jin & Jam)

All three have all been nominated for 2009 Ignatz Awards! Congratulations to all the artists and now I have to figure out who to pay off.

Here is a great confused review of Danny Dutch in regards to this.