Inkstuds interview

Hey people, I just did an interview with Robin McConnell and his Inkstuds radio program. You can listen to it here.

David King website is ALL NEW

David has revamped the Reliable comics website, it looks BE-OOOTIFUL:
www.reliablecomics.com

"I made a lot of changes to Reliable Comics to make it more of a blog/e-comics deal. For the next month or so there'll be daily postings of all the past Danny Dutch comic strips (I renamed the strip to Reliable Comics' Laugh Menu because there's a dude on flickr named Danny Dutch now and his updates are screwing with my Google Alerts, and the strip's more of an ensemble thing anyhow *making a smug Hollywood face*) and I'm going to put as much of my other comics and drawing junk on there as I can get around to. So check it out and post some comments and subscribe to the RSS feed and buy comics from Sparkplug. From now on I'll only use this site to share Hulu clips and lettering samples."

Nurse Nurse at Arthur!

Sparkplug favorite Katie Skelly got a big write up for the new issue of Nurse Nurse and the series at Arthur:
www.arthurmag.com
and here is here website, a must:
calico-comics.livejournal.com

A = A

The only trouble with Steve Ditko is how much amazing stuff he's done in the past thirty years. Where to start? I just added four new books to the Sparkplug web store. All by Steve Ditko:

• Mr. A
• 160 Page Package
• Ditko Package
• Avenging World

All are highly recommended. Check 'em out.
www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com

Comics as Poetry

"Like all the best poetry, what a reader gets out of comics-as-poetry is entirely dependent on how willing they are to truly engage the material and articulate the feelings it evokes."

The new and improved The Comics Journal Online has been redesigned, has a slew of new writers and bloggers, and is quickly filling up with a lot of great articles about comics.

And whaddaya know- the writer/critic Rob Clough has written a very good 3 part article on "comics-as-poetry" and he focuses on 2 of my favorite books: Asthma by John Hankiewicz and The Blot by Tom Neely.

Read Part 1 here

Part 2 focuses on Asthma

Part 3 focuses on The Blot

If you haven't read Asthma- get it now!

If you haven't read The Blot - what's wrong with you?

Mardou and you.

We just added three new books to the webstore. Mardou's Washing Maching, Manhole #2 and Manhole #3. All modern classics and some of my favorite self published comics.

www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com

Sparkplug at Brooklyn Comics Fest

Sparkplug had a blast at the Brooklyn Comics Fest! One of the most fun shows I've ever been to...

It made you feel good to be involved with comics. Sometimes it really hits you how vibrant and alive the comics community/movement is, and this was really one of those times. To be surrounded by a lot of fellow artists, all with really different artistic methods/aspirations/ideas who were all showing their comics that they worked hard on---what a great feeling. The space was so tiny and cozy that you really felt elbow to elbow with all these talented folks. And to have a hall packed with really enthusiastic READERS made you feel like all this work has a real audience, that it's really appreciated and enjoyed. Sometimes you will go to these things and the comics you sell will be met with a perplexed look. But this show, people really seemed to get it already and really wanted to meet their favorite comic creators. A bunch of people wanted to know when Jin and Jam #2 would be out! When IS it coming out, anyway?


Thanks to Gabe Fowler and Dan Nadel for setting up the event. I can't imagine it was easy. Here are some pictures of me and Nate running the booth, and the crowd.

Two Inspirations

We've just added two new self published books to the Sparkplug website store: I Still Live by Annie Murphy and Estrus #7 by Mari Naomi. Great stuff, take a look:

www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Phestival!

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival is this Saturday! Go check it out if you are in the New York City area. Sparkplug will be there, run by Austin English and Nate Doyle. Maria Sputnik may be showing up at our table too.

Saturday December 5th 2009
11 AM - 7 PM

184 Metropolitan Ave
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

www.comicsandgraphicsfest.com

The great Gary Arlington

May 10, 1972 in an interview with the amazing Patrick Rosenkranz, Gary Arlington had this to say when asked "What's new?"

Artlington: "Justin Green is coming out with the world's first underground comic books that's going to sell for seven cents. It's going to be pocket-sized. It's goint to have eight pages in black and white. It's one single piece of 8 1/2" x 11" paper and it's folded and stapled. I said to myself, man, I could do this, too. Anybody can put out a little comic book for seven cents. Only costs you $20 to $25, plus your time of stapling and folding. That would be a real underground comic. I think Justin has started something that's going to really catch on. You get these young aspiring artists. First of all, son, if you want to put your own comic, we got to get a lot of money together and do a full color cover. Then you've got to compete with Crumb. You've got to be really good. It's going to cost you several hundred to go down to the printer and have the insides printed. That's discouraged a lot of people. Now there's a little seven-cent comic, everybody can come out with their own comic."

As Rosenkranz points out in a foot note: this is the birth of the mini comic. Pretty amazing. I've heard complaints about how easy it is for everybody to make comics for years. For me that cheap and easy production has always been the thing that kept me interested in comix as an art form. The idea that with 20 bucks anyone can put their art out to the world. And with the internet, obviously all you need is access to the write tools (sometimes that can cost more than 20 bucks).

Anyway, that interview is from one of the best issues of the Comics Journal ever, the Ivan Brunetti one (#264). Rosenkranz interviewed Denis Kitchen, Arlington, Jack Jackson, Don Schenker, Jay Lynch, Ron Turner and Fred Todd. Fantagraphics still has copies.

Strange Bed Fellows!

Two new books added to our online store. Big Plans #4 Aron Nels Steinke and Crime World by David King! Both equally amazing.

A Resurrected Ken Kesey

The resurrected Ken Kesey is working the drive up window at Rita's Tacos, filling orders and dispensing cryptic advice.
I wouldn't usually post a link to my El Vocho comics blog here, but maybe some folks in the Portland comics community share my affection for the late, great Kesey. I thanks ya for your indulgence!

"Ya can't quit da mob!"
-Ken Kesey