Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dunja Jankovic and Hellen Jo reading in Portland.

Zinesters Talking: Hellen Jo and Dunja Jankovic
Friday, April 17, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Central Library, U.S. Bank Room 801 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland

Celebrate the Stumptown Comics Fest with Hellen Jo and Dunja Jankovic. Hellen Jo is the author of Jin and Jam #1, a comic about surly teens trapped in the 'burbs. Dunja Jankovic is the author of Department of Art, a Kafka-esque story about time and procrastination.

Jin & Jam reviewed!


Jin and Jam #1 just got a write up at alltooflat.com
http://www.alltooflat.com/about/personal/sean/2009/03/comics_time_jin_jam_1.html

Comics Reading Event at GUAPO!



COMICS PARTY!
Friday April 17th, 7-11pm, FREE
Guapo Comics & Coffee, 6350 SE Foster Road, Portland
503-772-3638

Sparkplug Comic Books, Guapo Comics & Coffee, Tugboat Press, Teenage Dinosaur, MacTarnahan?s Brewing and the Kukoc Awards throw a party! This gala opening party for the Stumptown Comics Fest will include a comics reading, art show, multi-book premiere, and awards presentation. About as much as we could pack into one evening.

Eight cartoonists will be reading from their work, blown up large for the whole world to see. Readers will include Calvin Wong (2009 Kukoc Award nominee: Ramble On!), Tom Neely (2007 Igantz winner: The Blot), Corinne Mucha (Xeric Award winner: My Alaskan Summer), Hellen Jo (Jin & Jam #1), Jason Martin (Laterborn), Colleen Frakes (Xeric Award winner: Tragic Relief), Julia Gfrörer (All the Ancient Kings), and Jon Chadurjian (2008 Kukoc Award nominee: Leo Geo)

The Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration will be presented during the reading. This prestigious award recognizes self-publishers of small-press, hand-made comics (sometimes called "mini-comics"), and includes a cash prize of 450 bucks.

On display will be "Spaced Out," an art show on the theme of outer space, with works by local (and internationally recognized) artists Zack Soto, Dunja Jankovi?, Theo Ellsworth, Chris Cilla, Sean Christensen, and Andrice Arp.

Seven comic books will make their debut: Reich #6, Papercutter #9, Jag Off, Hey, 4-Eyes! #3, Department of Art #1, Dookieball Jones, and *FREE COMIC BOOK* Bird Hurdler--an anthology of Portland-based cartoonists who will all be present at the event.

Beer from MacTarnahan's Brewing and other drinks & eats from local businesses will be provided.

Take yourself out for a night. You deserve it.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Brilliantly Ham-fisted (New Edition)


NEW from I Will Destroy You!

I'm defying the downturn in the economy and it's effects on the comics industry by publishing a new comic book!

This is a collection of my comic strip poems. I previously had xeroxed minis of this book available at SDCC and APE, but this is a new official printing. Plus it has 4 new strips that were previously unavailable. That's 23 comic strip poems + a snazzy new cover for you to enjoy!

It will debut at the Stumptown Comics Festival in Portland, OR, later this month. I will be sharing a table with Teenage Dinosaur next to, or near, Sparkplug Comic Books. After that, I will be offering it for sale in my webstore and through select distributors.

Read reviews of the mini-comic version by Geek Magazine, The Daily Cross Hatch, Rob Clough and Sean Collins.

(thanks to Sparkplug for letting me hype my crap on their blog)

Monday, March 23, 2009

I got interviewed for Robot 6 blog.


I was kind of into what I was saying but I accidentally sent it out before editing it so you get a pretty unrestrained bout of stupidty at the Comic Book Resources "Robot 6" blog.

Rina Ayuyang at the Cartoon Art Museum in SF


CARTOON ART MUSEUM
SMALL PRESS SPOTLIGHT ON RINA AYUYANG
655 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA
March 14 - June 14, 2009
http://cartoonart. org

Beginning on March 14, 2009, the Cartoon Art Museum's ongoing Small Press Spotlight will feature the art of Rina Ayuyang.

Rina Ayuyang first became interested in cartooning while growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she spent mornings watching Merrie Melodies cartoons, afternoons reading the newspaper funnies and Mad magazine, and evenings scrutinizing illustrations in various children's books right before she'd fall asleep.

After focusing many years on painting and conceptual art in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, she reunited with her first love--comics- -in 2001, and began self-publishing Namby Pamby, a semi-autobiographic al series which focused on the humorous side of the ordinary, everyday moments of one's life.

This Small Press Spotlight exhibit showcases original art for Ayuyang's soon-to-be released graphic novel which will include new stories and old favorites from the Namby Pamby mini-comic series. The book will be co-published by Sparkplug Comic Books and Tugboat Press in Fall 2009.

Also included in this exhibit are samples of her sketchbook strips which she posts daily on her web blog, Doodle Bug Central. She recently self-published a minicomic entitled "doodle daze" that collected favorite strips and illustrations from the web blog in a pocket-sized print format which was nominated for the 2008 Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration.

More of Rina's comics work can be found in various comic anthologies, notably SPX 2005, True Porn 2, Friends of Lulu's Girls Guide to Guys Stuff, Stripburger, Unicorn Mountain, and the upcoming Snow Stories anthology.

Besides drawing comics, she has co-founded an online magazine called Creative Skin (creativeskin. net) which has showcased the work of writers, photographers and cartoonists from around the globe. She currently co-hosts The Comix Claptrap, a comics podcast with fellow Bay Area cartoonist Thien Pham in which they interview influential cartoonists and discuss various issues concerning the comics and small press community.

Rina currently resides in Oakland, California, with her husband and cat. You can view more of her work at her website and blog, www.rinaayuyang.com.


About the Small Press Spotlight:

San Francisco has been a hotbed of innovative, groundbreaking comic art since the late 1800s with the advent of the modern comic strip. In the1960s, the Bay Area gained further notoriety when cartoonists like Robert Crumb, Spain Rodriguez, S. Clay Wilson and Trina Robbins launched the underground comix movement from San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Today, some of the biggest names in alternative and small-press comics hail from the Bay Area, and the Cartoon Art Museum's Small Press Spotlight will focus on these talented individuals.

The Small Press Spotlight is funded in part by The Zellerbach Family Foundation and The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Chris Wright on Inkstuds

Photobucket
Man, this is totally one of my favorite interviews I've heard recently. Chris Wright is really is really open about his process and life. Take a listen at Inkstuds here.

Friday, March 13, 2009

New Sparkplug Reviews



We've gotten a few books reviewed recently:

The Airy Tales at Indie Street Radio
Danny Dutch and Jin & Jam at High-Low
Reich #5 at High-Low

All really good. It is so cool to hear that people appreciate the books!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Guapo on the News!


A really awesome story about Micro-loans, and Sparkplug next door neighbors at Guapo Comics & Coffee was just on the local news. Megan is totally heroic.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Tom Neely's Creepy #46


Following Jim Rugg's awesome cover of Tales to Demolish on Covered, go see my version of Creepy #46 alongside the original cover by Spanish artist Sanjulian.