Arlen Schumer, artist on “Fantastic Forty-Six,” is giving a free retrospective/lecture about the great/late cartoonist/publisher, Carmine Infantino! It will also be live-streamed. Details below.

–Dino

CARMINE INFANTINO VisuaLecture retrospective/eulogy for legendary comic book artist CARMINE INFANTINO (1925-2013), spotlighting Infantino’s definitive versions of DC Comics’ superheroes The Flash, Adam Strange and Batman! (Part of Ben Katchor‘s NY Comics & Picture-Story Symposium!)

Monday, June 3rd @ 7pm
Parsons/The New School
2 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011In the Bark Room (off the lobby)
FREE and open to the public!

LIVE STREAM: http://ustre.am/YOAD
More at:http://nycomicssymposium.wordpress.com/
http://arlenschumer.com/

Arlen also designed the Carmine Street Comics logo, an homage to the legendary stylings of Carmine Infantino.

Here’s what Arlen had to say about creating the Carmine Street Comics logo:

“I’ve known Jon Gorga for a few years, around the NYC comics scene, we’d see each other at events, e-mailed each other now & then. When I heard he was leaving Manhattan Comics a month or 2 ago to open up his own store down on Carmine Street, I immediately offered to design a logo for the store!

Usually I come in with my own idea(s) of how I’d like to design/illustrate something, but in this case, Jon & his partner already had an idea. Coincidentally, without ever seeing it, I had already taken pix of the area’s street signs on my way to visit the store for the first time, so we were more in synch than not!

And once I gave my sketches that SCHNAPPY look (for Ira Schnapp, the Great God of DC Comics hand-lettering, everything from the telescopic Superman logotype–the Coca-Cola of comic book logotypes–to every DC character logotype you can think of; for more on Schnapp, see http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/372/), I hit the bull’s-eye!”

–Arlen Schumer

(scroll down to enjoy the story)

Beacon Lights by Minneapolis cartoonist George Jurard, is a series of loosely inter-locking stories that take place over the course of 200 years.

Throughout our lives, we are perpetually in the act of pursuit. We are always seeking something in the distance— a beacon, a light, that calls us to action. But, each action has an opposite reaction, and as one person finds happiness, another can find despair.

Beacon Lightsexplores the spectrum of the human condition: the horrors we face, life’s joys, and the uncertainty that nags at us when the rug’s pulled out from under our feet. Throughout all of these things, we persist. Our beacons call to us.

Check back to Trip City every month to see George Jurard’s Beacon Lights illuminate man’s bold resilience.

NOTE: a different version of “The Future Needs You” first appeared at Studio YOLO.

Perspective is the one distinguishing aspect of life that truly makes us alone in a crowd. Other people in attendance at a particular event or function around you might see what you see, hear what you hear, but their experiences leading up to, during, and after is what may isolate their lives from yours. Shared events and differing perspectives is what inspired me to create The Reception, a collection of short stories centered around the fringe characters who happen to be at the same wedding reception during a snowy New York night.

By almost completely pulling the focus away from the bride and groom on “their big day” and shining the spotlight on friends and family I was able to take the minutiae of their imagined lives and morph them into a series of stories that could be read either individually or as a group, but have little to no impact on each other. To help me further achieve the sense of individuality I teamed up with a number of very talented comic artists and together through close collaboration we were able to experiment with a number of story elements and create a few fun stories which inadvertently became more of a mix-tape than anthology.

Each segment was written by yours truly, Mario Candelaria, with some input from the artists. The creators which I have worked with on this project are Marco Turini, Joel Lolar, Zane DeGaine, Victor Santos, Jeremy Ray, Scott Ewen, Dean Haspiel, Nathan Schreiber, and Dusty Higgins.

Read other incidents in The Reception.

–Mario Candelaria

Writer Charles Soule (Strange Attractors, Swamp Thing, Thunderbolts) and artist Robert Saywitz tell a New York love story that only graphic fiction could get right. Featuring  lettering by Shawn Depasquale,  Sal & Chrys combines romance and architectural history to realize this unique, comix short story.

Click HERE to learn more about Charles Soule’s work with Image Comics, his upcoming book with Archaia Entertainment, the pride and pitfalls of the modern comix writer, and so much more, as interviewed by Jef UK in the TRIP CITY PODCAST, Episode #14!

ITEM #1

I just finished drawing a Killer Croc story for BATMAN ’66 #2, written by Jeff Parker. It will appear in digital and print. Be sure to check out both formats as the reading experience differs.

Here’s the solicitation:

BATMAN ‘66 #2

Written by JEFF PARKER
Art by RUBEN PROCOPIO and DEAN HASPIEL
Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
1:25 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale AUGUST 21 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
From the sands of time and halls of higher learning comes one of Batman’s deadliest foes: King Tut! Tut returns to assert his royal status and challenge the Dynamic Duo with his most far-reaching plan yet to rule the modern Thebes, Gotham City! Also in this issue, doors smash in and jaws crack from the fists of the newest tough in town: introducing the 1966 incarnation of that reptilian rogue Killer Croc! How can Batman battle this brawny brute?

ITEM #2

Me and Josh Simmons collaborated on an original story for CREEPY #13 [published by Dark Horse] due August 14th.

Here’s the solicitation:

CREEPY #13

The abominable anthology turns unsweet thirteen! Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun) celebrates crossroads mishaps, Josh Simmons (The Furry Trap) and Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma) reveal a small town’s twisted secrets, and Dan Braun and Lukas Ketner (Witch Doctor) ride a subway to hell! Don’t push your luck—read Creepy!

* Glorious black-and-white art from Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma) and Lukas Ketner (Witch Doctor)!
* Frontispiece from Matt Wagner!
* Superstitious tales of the Creepy family from Peter Bagge and Dan Braun!

You can listen to my podcast interview with Josh Simmons.

Trip City Northwest correspondent Ryan Alexander-Tanner talks to Pulitzer-Prize nominated, nationally syndicated political cartoonist Matt Bors, who recently released his first collection of comics, Life Begins at Incorporation, after a successful Kickstarter campaign.  The discussion includes Bors’ early life as a fanboy, his growing political awareness, his obsessive work ethic, future career plans, and how he may or may not rather be penciling X-Men.

The Trip City Podcast is produced by Chris Miskiewicz, Seth Kushner and Ryan Alexander-Tanner

Thomas Alsop: The Hand of the Island, is an occult investigator who’s family has been charged with the task of protecting Manhattan from supernatural events for the last 300 years. He’s also the host of the popular cable TV show, “Thomas Alsop: Supernatural Detective.

The Promo for Thomas Alsop: The Hand of the Island  is based on the upcoming graphic novel series by Chris Miskiewicz & Palle Schmidt. It was directed by Christopher Piazza, produced by Spygirl Pictures, and stars Paul Bosche, Alex Jones, and James Smith.

Click here to read the 12 page short story Thomas Alsop: The Case of Dead Uncle

Palle Schmidt is a Danish illustrator/writer. He’s the creator of the crime noir graphic novel, The Devils Concubine published by IDW, and his upcoming book, Stiletto. He specializes in hardboiled crime noir. To see more of Palle’s work visit his website at: http://www.palleschmidt.com/

Chris Miskiewicz is a Brooklyn based writer/actor. He’s the creator/writer of Everywhere published at ACTIVATEcomix and Signals published on Trip City. To see more of Chris’s work visit his website at: http://welcometotripcity.com/contributors/chris-miskiewicz/

Paul Bosche as Thomas Alsop

James Smith as Marcus Rogers.

Alex Jones as Kevin Stiletto.

“Thomas Alsop: The Hand of the Island” created by Chris Miskiewicz & Palle Schmidt

“Thomas Alsop, The Hand of the Island, is an occult investigator who’s family has been charged with the task of protecting Manhattan from supernatural events for the last 300 years. He’s also the host of the popular cable TV show, “Thomas Alsop: Supernatural Detective.” 

Click here to see the live action trailer for Thomas Alsop: The Hand of the Island.

Palle Schmidt is a Danish illustrator/writer. He’s the creator of the crime noir graphic novel, The Devils Concubine published by IDW, and his upcoming book, Stiletto. He specializes in hardboiled crime noir. To see more of Palle’s work visit his website at: http://www.palleschmidt.com/

Chris Miskiewicz is a Brooklyn based writer/actor. He’s the creator/writer of Everywhere published at ACTIVATEcomix and Signals published on Trip City. To see more of Chris’s work visit his website at: http://welcometotripcity.com/contributors/chris-miskiewicz/

Learn more about Marc Maron at his website, his twice-weekly podcast, WTF, his book, Attempting Normal and his IFC TV show, Maron.

Read all 31 installments of Seth Kushner’s CulturePOP Photocomix

AXELTRON is a view through the eyes of a recent college graduate as he struggles to find simple solutions to overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and dread.  It might make you feel nostalgic.  It’s an examination into different perspectives, or lack thereof, as characters try to cope with the terrible beauty of everyday life.  It’s also filled with drugs and sex.  It will be released in 3 parts, weekly.

Read AXELTRON Parts-1 and 2

Ryan Alexander-Tanner is a Portland-based cartoonist. He was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2007 to self-publish his one-man anthology comic, Television, and went on to co-author (with Bill Ayers) and illustrate To Teach: The Journey, in Comics for Teacher’s College Press.  He also does a lot of classroom visits, to teach students how to make comics and teachers how to teach them.  www.ohyesverynice.com

Noah Van Sciver was born in 1984 in New Jersey. He first came to readers’ attention with his comic book series Blammo, which earned him an Ignatz award nomination in 2010. His work has appeared in the Denver alt-weekly Westword, Mad Magazine, and multiple graphic anthologies including Mome and The Best American comics 2011. His first book, The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, from Fantagraphics books is a graphic portrait of Abraham Lincoln’s early years and struggles with depression in Springfield, Illinois. nvansciver.wordpress.com

MENU by Matthew Rosenberg & Patrick Kindlon, is the story of a boy and a dog wandering the wastelands of a future America as they try to keep each other alive in a world running out of food. Episode Four: Angst in Akron is drawn by Sloane Leong.

Read Episode One – Remember Dodge City: http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/02/menu-remember-dodge-city/

Read Episode Two – Dodge City Conclusion: http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/03/menu-chapter-two-dodge-city-conclusion/

Read Episode Three –  Sleepless in Sioux Falls: http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/menu-chapter-three-sleepless-in-sioux-falls/

MENU: Born from the shared loss of the creators’ dogs, MENU follows a human and canine duo as they navigate the wastelands of a post-civilization America. Self-contained short stories, told non-chronologically, form a larger narrative about friendship and survival.

Written by Ashcan Press collaborators, Patrick Kindlon & Matthew Rosenberg, and illustrated by the best talent in indie comics, MENU is an opportunity to tell any type of story that fits the characters and setting. Some will be dark, others cheery, and some gross.

Pulling liberally from classic post-apocalyptic literature and buddy films, all of the series’ influences are on display. MENU is a tribute to both the memory of the dogs that inspired it and to the escapist media that got the authors through their loss. “Neither of our dogs were capable of reading so far as we know,” says series co-creator Kindlon, “but this is still for them.” 

Trip City premiers the first installment of MENU: REMEMBER DODGE CITY on February 12th with a multi-part story of revenge illustrated by Tom Scioli (GODLAND, AMERICAN BARBARIAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA).

Prepare yourself for camaraderie and cannibalism as Trip City brings you tales from the atomized society every month!

Step into the ring with 1994′s most outrageous wrestlers in this mat-pounding, head-stomping, comix-wrasslin’ event! In this episode, bad blood boils as Timberwolf Nelson defends his title against “Wrench” Gibbs. Can the Wolf fend off that no-good cuss, Gibbs?

Read Retro Slam Jam #1 by clicking HERE.

Read Retro Slam Jam #2 by clicking HERE.

Blake Sims is an artist and cartoonist living in Kentucky. He makes lots of swell mini-comix and such, many of which you can check out HERE on his blog. Sims’ work has appeared on Trip City a couple times before, teaming up with contributor and curator Jef UK to make comic-book-lyric-sheets cum music-videos titled Gonad The Ballbarian and Zombies Attack!!!, both songs by Brooklyn, sci-fi rockers Americans UK.

If you dug Retro Slam Jam #3, you can buy a b&w mini-comic from Sims directly for only one measly dollar, by emailing him directly at blake4000@gmail.com. Do it, ya ugly sumbitch!

Or, if you’re in South Brooklyn, NYC, head over to Bergen Street Comics where the first 4 issues are available now, while supplies last!

I had the great fortune to be hired by recording industry innovator Jac Holzman, the man who started Elektra Records, to collaborate with his son/musician Adam Holzman, to bring to life in comix form the now infamous “Miami Incident” and tell The Doors official, sanctioned tale of whether or not Jim Morrison truly exposed himself on stage via the new Doors App which debuts today.

Here is an excerpt from the official press release:

“Among the other centerpieces of The Story section is a graphic novelization of the notorious Miami Incident, where Morrison was falsely accused of exposing himself during a 1969 concert. The infamous episode comes to life here through drawings by award-winning comic book artist Dean Haspiel, words by Adam Holzman (son of Jac), and rare audio of Morrison recorded during the show. This section also includes the once-confidential FBI report, the arrest report, a portion of Jim’s tongue-in-cheek testimony, Morrison’s mug shot, and his posthumous pardon issued in 2010.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130507-906159.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The New York Times interviews Jac Holzman: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/07/business/media/miss-the-music-of-the-doors-theres-an-ipad-app-for-that.html?_r=0

The ancient Greeks had their angry gods of wit, strength, speed, lightning bolts and betrayal, and the Norse had their bastion of immortals wielding swords, shields, hammers, lightning and lies, too. Moralistic mythologies that were, arguably, superhero stories for all ages. It wasn’t until 1938 that America gave birth to its first sustainable superhero when DC Comics published Superman, arguably a god (albeit an alien immigrant), who “could leap tall buildings in a single bound.” In 1941, a super soldier named Captain America punched Adolph Hitler in the chin and the success of comics like The Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Wonder Woman, Batman, Captain Marvel, and so many more, opened the floodgates to new superhero lore and comic books held sway. That is, until recently.

Before movies got good enough to pick up the gauntlet that 4-color print threw down on the racks of newspaper stands and suspended disbelief that a man could fly or that a team of empowered humans and mutants could assemble to save the world, the comic book industry had to build the library that our current tech-savvy storytelling mediums could poach from. Producing decades of monthly comics during a time where the unlimited budget of a blank page pushed the boundaries of what the mysteries of science and circumstance could do to our families and friends, and the moral questions those experiments asked, achieved a creative Babylon that, to this day, is unmatched in any other medium.

There is a narrative and budgeting concern in film making called “killing your darlings,” which means eliminating the dialogue and/or scenes that don’t necessarily support the thesis of a story. In other words, some of the experimental stuff that comes out of left field and gob smacks you upside your head. In comic books, we tend to indulge our darlings and explore them beyond their original intent. Sometimes a story escapes our grasp, unlocks our subconscious, and takes us to places we didn’t see coming. For me, that’s one of the few remaining things that still highly recommends comic books.

My favorite decade of superhero creation came from the masterminds that launched Marvel Comics in 1961 when the “House of Ideas” gave birth to a legacy of characters that made a cosmic impression upon our cultural zeitgeist. The 1960s was a defining era in our nation where equal rights and the rumblings of creators rights were debated and fought for while music and literature shed psychedelic light on our minds and in our fashion and some of our comics went underground and got personal and adult. And then mainstream comics got serious and, eventually, dark. Very dark. Alas, independent cartoonists responded to our industry struggles and our American mythology with their creator-owned inventions. In 1990, Michael Allred hopscotched the angst and kept the spirit of 1960s comics alive when he created Madman and Snap City where, eventually, a team of spore-infected street beatniks called The Atomics would lead to It Girl!

Within the pages of Michael Allred’s It Girl!; Jamie Rich, Mike Norton, Chynna Clugston Flora, Allen Passalaqua, and Crank!, pick up where Allred left off by carrying the superhero torch that was lit in 1938 but with a 2012 twist. “Dark Streets, Snap City” deals with multi-player video gaming, social networking, identity theft, cyberspace, alternate realities and, of course, good old fashioned sibling rivalry, resurrection, revenge and redemption. The story stuff that superheroes have respectfully borrowed from science fiction, crime, mystery, romance and horror, while challenging the tropes of misunderstood monsters and sexy freaks. It Girl! keeps comics easy and fun but lets the reader take a neo-retro break from our current digital diatribes where thoughts and conversation are reduced to ticker-tape headlines and, instead, allows us to reflect our world, express our imagination, and bend our minds with the power of comic books.

–Dean Haspiel, creator of Billy Dogma

Note: my introduction was originally published in Michael Allred’s It Girl & the Atomics Round 1: Dark Streets, Snap City (Image Comics)

]]> http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/05/carrying-the-superhero-torch/feed/ 0 http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/05/schmuck-10-boston-hope/ http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/05/schmuck-10-boston-hope/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 10:39:59 +0000 Seth Kushner http://welcometotripcity.com/?p=17458

Leland Purvis is an artist and craftsman currently working in graphite and pigments on paper, using pictures to tell stories. His major works in recent years have been graphic novels, historical fiction, largely aimed at younger readers.
He prefers baseball, single malt highland scotch, the speed of sailboats and the smell of horses. And he secretly believes the national anthem should be changed to Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, and that many science fiction moves are in fact documentaries.
Purvis is a sixth-generation resident of Portland, Oregon where he lives with his wife and best friend who are conveniently the same person.
http://lelandpurvis.blogspot.com

Read past installments of SCHMUCK

SCHMUCK 1: Beer, Babes and Bowel Movements

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: Mein Roommates

SCHMUCK 2: The Burning

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: The Lap-Date

SCHMUCK 3: The Hook-Up

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: Writing (No) Class

SCHMUCK 4: Jew-Death

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: Number 32

SCHMUCK 5: A Hairy Situation

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: Send in the Clones Part-1

THE SCHMUCK DIARIES: Send in the Clones Part-2

SCHMUCK DIARIES: “Nice” Jewish Girls

SCHMUCK 6: The One

SCHMUCK DIARIES: Thanksfornothing Dinner

SCHMUCK DIARIES: The Goodbye

SCHMUCK 7: The Ex-Factor

SCHMUCK DIARIES: Unhappy New Year

SCHMUCK 8: The Double Date

SCHMUCK DIARIES: Neurotic Cinema

SCHMUCK 9: Warning Signs

SCHMUCK DIARIES: Adult Costumes

_______________________

“SCHMUCK has a heart underneath its gritty crude input from main character Adam Kessler’s friends, a belief that love will find you in the end.” – Hannah Means Shannon, The Beat

“While SCHMUCK is packed with humorous anecdotes I feel that the relate-ability of this book is the most powerful aspect of it.” – Justin Fah, Spandexless

“…brutal and honest.” -  Brett Schenker, Graphic Policy

Whenever Seth Kushner did anything foolish growing up, his mother would call him a “Schmuck,” that beloved Yiddish term of not-so-endearment. So, of course, it’s the title of his new comix semi-autobio on TRIP CITY, an online multimedia arts salon. Renowned for his books The Brooklynites (with Anthony LaSala) and Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics (With Christopher Irving) and the webseries CulturePOP Photocomix, photographer and author Seth Kushner now throws his hat into the comics arena. SCHMUCK chronicles the period after his being dumped by a girlfriend, and the ensuing cascade of blind dates, Internet hook-ups, and comically tragic situations he endured with the hopes of finding “true love.”

SCHMUCK sheds a brutally honest light on 20-something relationships. Adam Kessler, our “hero,” is based on Kushner, ten years ago – a pop-culture-obsessed photographer torn between pleasing Mom by finding a “nice Jewish girl,” and figuring out what he really wants. His internal monologue is filled with the standard inane, perverted and self-deprecating thoughts we all have but are ashamed to admit. Meanwhile, his shit-talking, sex-obsessed Brooklyn boys stand by with their own, often wacky, advice.

Chapter One  “Beer, Babes and Bowel Movements,” illustrated by Kevin Colden, (with “Photocomix” by Seth) debuted on Monday, January 9 2012. From there, a new chapters have appeared regularly on TripCity.net, alternating with the release of prose pieces titled, “THE SCHMUCK DIARIES,”  which  act as supplements to the comics.

SCHMUCK is an anthology series with different artists illustrating short “schmucky stories,” which can be read individually, or together to tell the complete narrative.  SCHMUCK artists include; Sean Pryor (Pekar Project), Bobby Timony (Night Owls), Omar Angulo (Hurricane Wilma), Shamus Beyale (The Grimm Fairy Tales), Ryan Alexander-Tanner (To Teach), George Schall, (Dark Horse Presents)  Nathan Schreiber (Power-Out), Leland Purvis (Resistance), Stephen DeStefano (‘MAZING MAN) and more TBA.

What to expect: heartbreak, diarrhea, painful STD removal, rejection, Kung-Fu, Natalie Portman, vomit, boobs, self-loathing, unkempt genital regions, sex with an ex, drunkenness, sexual dysfunction, depression, misogyny, and somehow, hope.

Influences on SCHMUCK include; Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, Alex Robinson’s Box Office Poison, Bob Fingerman’s Beg The Question/Minimum Wage, Dean Haspiel’s Street Code, Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint, Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, works by Nick Hornby, Jonathan Ames, Woody Allen, Adrian Tomine, Jeffrey Brown, Chester Brown and Joe Matt.

Seth Kushner talks to Gregory Benton, who has has been making comix since 1993. He cut his teeth on the political anthology World War 3, moving on to writing and drawing stories for Nickelodoeon, Vertigo, DC Comics, Disney Adventures, Watson-Guptil, Entertainment Weekly, as well as contributing to numerous alternate-press comix anthologies. A graphic novel, Hummingbird, was published by Slave Labor Graphics in 1996. Gregory has also produced numerous limited-edition mini-comix. Hopefully you have some. His illustrations have appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice and Fortune, among others. Most recently, his book B+F was awarded the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art’s inaugural Award of Excellence at MoCCA Fest 2013. An expanded version of B+F will be published in the autumn of 2013 through Adhouse Books in the USA and Editions ça et la in France.

[Gregory Benton and his art for B+F]

Seth also chats with Eric Skillman, a Brooklyn-based graphic designer, who mostly designs DVD packaging at his day job with The Criterion Collection.  He also deigns books, including Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics by Christopher Irving and Seth Kushner for powerhouse Books and Tales of Sand by Jim Henson and Ramon Perez for Archaia, for which he won an Eisner Award.  Eric also writes comics, including the graphic novel Liar’s Kiss, drawn by Jhomar Soriano for Top Shelf and the webseries SUCKERS, drawn by Jorge Coelho and appearing in monthly installments here on TRIP CITY.

[Eric Skillman reflects]

The Trip City Podcast is produced by Chris Miskiewicz, Seth Kushner and Dean Haspiel.

Photography by Seth Kushner

“What You See Is What You Get” is a new semi-autobio comic I did about some of the things I’ve witnessed through my Brooklyn art studio windows for the cool online, subscriber-based magazine, BKLYNR

Speaking of Brooklyn…

“Retro Rules In Haspiel’s Red Hook”
Hannah Means-Shannon wrote an insightful review of my new creation, THE RED HOOK at Bleeding Cool.

-and-

“Brooklyn Comic Artist Gives Red Hook a New Hero”
“Aiming for a pulp hero with a modern twist, artist Dean Haspiel said he wanted to create a character who was equally good and bad, drawing from a world that is neither black nor white, but shades of gray.”

In honor of Free Comic Book Day on May 4th, TRIP CITY would like to draw your attention to some of the great FREE creator-owned comix we offer, including;

Billy Dogma by Dean Haspiel
The Red Hook by Dean Haspiel
Schmuck by Seth Kushner & various
Just Super by Jeffrey Burandt & Zees and various.
Thomas Alsop  by Chris Miskiewicz & Palle Schmidt
Beacon Lights by George Jurard
Axeltron by Ryan Alexander-Tanner
Sketchbook Comix by Noah Van Sciver
Suckers by Eric Skillman & Jorge Coelho
Menu by Matthew Rosenberg & Patrick Kindlon
S’Crapbook by Jennifer Hayden
Retro Jam Slam by Blake Sims
The Mission by Zees
Time Fucker by Joe Infurnari
Baby With A Mohawk by Kevin Colden
The Reception by Mario Candelaria
Sal & Chrys by Charles Soule & Rob Saywitz
John Loves Wayne by Jef UK and Donal Delay
Forever Dusty: Dusty in Brooklyn by Jonathan Vankin & Seth Kushner

AXELTRON is a view through the eyes of a recent college graduate as he struggles to find simple solutions to overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and dread.  It might make you feel nostalgic.  It’s an examination into different perspectives, or lack thereof, as characters try to cope with the terrible beauty of everyday life.  It’s also filled with drugs and sex.  It will be released in 3 parts, weekly.

Read AXELTRON Part-1

Ryan Alexander-Tanner is a Portland-based cartoonist. He was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2007 to self-publish his one-man anthology comic, Television, and went on to co-author (with Bill Ayers) and illustrate To Teach: The Journey, in Comics for Teacher’s College Press.  He also does a lot of classroom visits, to teach students how to make comics and teachers how to teach them.  www.ohyesverynice.com

On the heels of LOAD Comix 2013, I’ll be returning to SUNY Purchase for Zine Feast on Sunday, May 5th to talk with cartoonist/former The Load comics editor, Pat Giles [who's new show, CARTOON LAGOON just debuted at C2E2], about making comix for The Load in the late 1980s/early 90s, the now long defunct campus newspaper where my character, TOMMY ROCKET first appeared. The talk will be from 4pm – 5:30pm and be moderated by Zine Feast organizer, Olivia Fox, who’s father created The Load. I’ll also be selling comix and sharing a table with studio mates/cartoonists, Seth Kushner and Jess Ruliffson!

–Dean Haspiel

Powers artist and co-creator Mike Oeming has posted a process video on his youtube channel that features music by Americans UK from their album Rocktronic, wherein he pencils and inks a promotional piece for his Dark Horse book, The Victories.  It’s super awesome to watch! Oeming has long been an AM/UK fan, and the band’s logo and t-shirts have appeared in Powers Vol. 3, issues #4 and #7, which are collected in trade paperback as volumes 13 (titled Z) and 14 (titled Gods).  Go check ‘em out, but watch this awesome video first!

I got off the subway at City Hall. I sat down on a nearby bench, closed my eyes, and let the sun warm me as I waited for her. It was one of the warmer days of winter and I felt myself falling back in love with the city. She arrived with a smile on her face; the only way I’ve ever known her. We met a few years earlier through a mutual friend and instantly connected.

Music found her at a young age and formed her eclectic taste. With Haitian roots, she often calls upon her ancestors when DJing. She mixes Afro-tech, house, and other diasporic sounds during her sets. As a resident New Yorker, she has spun records throughout the city, and DJ’s nationally as well. She annually brings a piece of her hometown to Florida with Brooklyn Mecca during the Miami Winter Music Conference.

Expanding on her interest, she has become the brand-marketing director for Ocha Records. A label that attempts to release music with spirit and soul, like their name (short for Orisha, meaning spirit or deity in the Yoruba religion of Ifa) would suggest.

With her worldly musical taste, she considers herself apart of a global scene more so than any specific group. Although she does identify as part of the house movement, she doesn’t distinguish herself amongst its growing subcultures…

…we rose from the bench and headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Easily gliding through the tourists, it was our first stop on a walk through the diverse city we both call home…

-Jessica Glick

Learn more about Sabine Blaizin

Jessica Glick is a photographer, writer, and music lover. She developed an interest in photography while working at various Lower East Side music venues. Jessica started photographing local musician and has now expanded her work to include fine art and fashion. In addition to photography, Jessica has been writing since she was a child. Attempting to combine her writings with her photo work, she created an ongoing portrait/story series called VAGABOND.

View more NEW NEW YORK

Ahoy!

Sunny’s Bar is having a Mayday benefit party at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn this coming Weds. Lots of their regular bands will be playing music. They have produced a T-shirt from a comic I did that takes place in front of Sunny’s Bar to help raise funds. Hope to see you there!

http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3525674&pl=bellpl

Beacon Lights by Minneapolis cartoonist George Jurard, is a series of loosely inter-locking stories that take place over the course of 200 years.

Throughout our lives, we are perpetually in the act of pursuit. We are always seeking something in the distance— a beacon, a light, that calls us to action. But, each action has an opposite reaction, and as one person finds happiness, another can find despair.

When I was compiling and creating my photocomics for my first self-published anthology, FORCE FIELD FOTOCOMIX VOL.01, I knew I had to have a striking cover.  I got to thinking about doing an homage to things I like, but filtering it through my own aesthetic, of course.

I keep a folder on my Macbook desktop titled, “Inspiration.”  It’s filled with jpegs of imagery that excites me. I began looking through it, as I occasionally do.  Past the Kirby Fantastic Four photo collages, inventive Marcos Martin Spider-Man and Daredevil pages and David Aja Hawkeye pages, and right after the Jim Steranko Outland layouts, I came upon this image:

[Marvel Summer Special: Blade Runner, cover art by Jim Steranko]

I’ve long loved the work of legendary artist Jim Steranko and I often find myself thinking about his cover to the Marvel Comics adaptation of Blade Runner and specifically how effective and eye-catching his use of three different colored, overlapping Harrison Fords are used to convey motion/action.  I decided I would riff off of that and replace the gun from Steranko’s drawing with an old Super-8 movie camera to represent the connection to film and photography and the past.

Next, I decided I wanted to play with the sexiness and style of Roger Vadim’s sci-fi camp film, Barbarella.  Which meant I next needed to find my Jane Fonda.  Enter, the lovely and talented Zoe Sloane.  I first came in contacted with the actress/model through my friend Chris Miskiewicz when I was casting for a not-yet-produced photocomic. I’ve kept Zoe in mind, wanting to work with her and I knew she would be perfect for this shoot.

[Jane Fonda as Barbarella and stylist Belinda Martin's take on 60s Italian sci-fi]

I was determined to make a very well produced cover, akin to that of a high-end fashion magazine.  That meant I needed a team.  The first person I contacted was stylist Belinda Martin, who I’ve worked with on several advertising shoots and who I knew would be excited by my concept.  I sent Belinda some stills from Barbarella and asked if she thought she could create some sort of similar look for our model.  She replied telling me she had a great idea and she wanted to custom make something.

Belinda brought on make-up artist Stephanie Wise and hair stylist Lindsay Interrante, both of whom completely understood the 60s era sci-fi vibe I was going for in the styling.

[Stylist Belinda Martin readies actress/model Zoe Sloane for the shoot]

We shot at Zoe’s apartment.  Stephanie and Lindsay took turns primping Zoe, while I set up my strobe lighting.  I decided to use a clean and open lighting style for this, knowing I was going to be adding some effects in post. Belinda came prepared with a bevy of wardrobe choices and we ended up using three different options, but for the cover shot, we went with Belinda’s custom-made creation, which I felt had the right balance of elegance, sexiness and retro sci-fi style.

[Zoe and I aim cameras at each other during the shoot]

I walked Zoe through the three shots many times, each time trying a different variation.  The old movie camera weighs a ton, but Zoe was a trooper taking aim with it over and over.

Finally, with the shoot completed, I moved onto post-production.  I edited through all the photos and chose my favorite three shots and retouched them in Photoshop and laid them out together in the Steranko-like sequence I’ve so long admired.

[The three individual shots of Zoe layered together, as seen before final Photoshop effects]

The last step was to add a strong color tone to the three Zoes.  I had the concept to use a Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black color motif, as a playful acknowledgement of the fact I was designing this for print, which uses CMYK colors, (rather than RGB) after doing so much of my work for the web these past few years.

Then, I dropped in the FORCE FIELD FOTOCOMIX logo I’d recently designed, along with a preview image of some of the material contained in the book, with the buzz words, “horror,” “romance” and “mystery.”  I used white as the background color because I felt all the elements would visually jump off a sea of white and I’ve long noticed that magazine and comic cover that are primarily white have a way of standing out on the shelves.

-Seth Kushner

FORCE FIELD FOTOCOMIX VOL.01 is available for purchase at my Etsy shop, as well as at Jim Hanley’s Comics and Forbidden Planet in NYC and at Escape Pod Comics in Huntington, NY.  Also, catch me at ZineFeast at SUNY Purchase on May 5th, where I’ll have copies for purchase.

Read reviews of FORCE FIELD FOTOCOMIX VOL.01 at Bleeding Cool, The Beat and Robot 6 @Comic Book Resources.

NOTE: Please allow a minute for the gallery of comix to populate above
(which you can click thru using the left & right arrows or just click on the actual images).
Meanwhile, enjoy the historical recollections below.
Thanks!

“Dusting off lost lampoons” by Dean Haspiel

It was on Facebook that I discovered a SUNY Purchase alumni page that led me to reconnecting with old college classmates I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of in over two decades. It was there that a dialogue about our campus newspaper, The Load, sparked the idea of revisiting our comix and picking up where we left off so many years later. Alas, we couldn’t locate some people (I would have loved to see more new Lovely Prudence by “Maze” and bar napkin scribbles by the polarizing John Bligh, and the inimitable, Shasti O’Leary), but we didn’t get everyone to do it and, tragically, some of our favorite cartoonists have passed away (RIP Scott Russell and Greg Rail). However, with the help of former Load comics editors Dave Foster and Pat Giles, we were able to rally some of the troops to dust off their college creations and extend their stories, inject another few panels of life into otherwise lost lampoons. I got the opportunity to give my existential antihero, Tommy Rocket, a chance to express what made his misanthropic mind tick. Where his son, Billy Dogma, currently tells tales about trying to get romance right, Tommy Rocket, it turns out, is what happens when you get romance wrong. Heartbreak, I believe, we all can relate to.

Back in the late 1980s’, Tommy Rocket was aided and abetted by my old school chum/filmmaker cum nomadic archivist, Chris Cliadakis. Originally, Tommy Rocket was my parody of “Clak,” but it was his idea to spin him into an alternative version of a Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Road Runner cartoon. Where Wile E. Coyote met the same fate, every damned time, Tommy Rocket’s bleak credo would be repeated while the visual narrative would switch up; abolishing the people, places, and things that annoyed us every two weeks. What can I say? We were in our twenties. We were punks. Tommy Rocket was my spaghetti western “man with no name,” my Marvel Comics’ Punisher, my anti-Goth with a gun. Later on, I would resurrect Tommy Rocket in a Billy Dogma story called “Fear, My Dear” that revealed their father and son relationship. For Load Comix 2013, I decided to tell a story called “Legacy,” the last Tommy Rocket story…for now.

I would like to publicly thank, Pat, Dave, and Deborah Taylor, former Load editor-in-chief, for helping me cobble this event together and bringing historical context (please read their wonderful essays below) to a time and place that meant a lot to me and my growth as a cartoonist. I also want to thank all the cartoonists who contributed to this celebration. It was a real treat to see these characters again. I hope you, the reader, gets a kick out of this small sample of what SUNY Purchase was like when I attended.

Coincidentally, SUNY Purchase is holding its very first comix/music/food inspired event called Zine Feast on May 5^th, organized by Olivia Fox, the daughter of the man who created The Load in 1972. Me and Pat Giles will be there doing a panel where we’ll discuss our time making comix for The Load before the digital wave changed everything.

–Dean Haspiel

Load Comix 2013 cover by Dean Haspiel. Photograph courtesy Shane Wilson.

***

“Proof of Purchase” by Pat Giles, former The Load comics editor

In 1986, I ran out of money. Well, at least enough money to keep attending The School of Visual Arts, in NYC, where an aspiring cartoonist could receive a proper education. I had already been accepted by SUNY Purchase a year earlier, so what the hell. Could be fun. They teach Fine Arts and all I really needed was an art education I figured. Just learn to draw better; the rest will sort itself out.

It turned out that the thing that would shape my career the most was not the classes, but the school newspaper, “The Load;” specifically, the comics section. I was lucky enough to be at a school in a moment where a wave of budding cartoonists and illustrators were all assembled together at a fine arts school. What an amazing grouping of talent; Dean Haspiel, Shasti O’Leary, Jonas Land, Jared Osborne, Kurt Marquart, Matt Maley, John Bligh, Ed Murr, Dave Foster, Josh Saitz, Kevinn Fung, Leo Gonzales, Ian Charao, Al Diaz and more. Most of us ended up in art careers, and speaking purely for myself, my “Load” experience was a fantastic training ground.

All of us were outcasts in a conservatory environment. All of us would struggle, on some level, with the more formal pretensions of the Visual Arts department that shunned our commercial leanings and (in the faculty’s view) juvenile preoccupations with cartooning.

Looking back now, maybe some of it was awful and juvenile, but no more so than my suitcase full of figure drawings and still life studies of old lamps and bottles from my days there. Enthusiasts of mid-century abstract expressionism ran the department, so we were bound to congeal in rebellion. Congeal and rebel we did! We all found a second home under the masthead “The Load.”

“The Load,” a terrible name for any publication, was nonetheless an award-winning and respected school paper, run by upper class men who were very serious and conscientious people, Jens Wilkinson and Deborah Taylor. During my freshman orientation weekend in September 1986, one of my new dorm-mates suggested I go to the first school newspaper meeting and try my luck. I thought, great, this could be a way to apply my cartooning skills. It was already apparent to me that the Art Department faculty had a less than positive view of cartooning.

Each section of the paper had it’s own editor, and “The Cartoon Page” was edited by a nice guy, a sophomore, Dave Foster. He published my cartoons happily, and I soon got the attention of the Co-Editor of the paper, Deborah Taylor, who asked me to do an Editorial Cartoon, that would accompany the very important and prestigious editorial page.

It was the Reagan Era, and anti-establishment, anti-government, liberal, humanitarian causes were the rage. I really enjoyed editorial cartooning. I could be serious! I could be interesting! I could crystallize the thinking of smart people on the editorial staff into one simple drawing. It would become a regular feature called “No Purchase Necessary.”

By January of 1987, I got my big chance, and was bumped up to Editor of the Cartoon Page, and I leapt at the opportunity. I felt like the page was an under-leveraged asset for an Art School. I thought it needed some consistency in design and layout. “Column” lengths needed to be applied to the strips being submitted. You couldn’t just accept anything in any dimension; this was a time of paste-ups and mechanicals, it was difficult to puzzle together a page that looked and felt consistent. Let’s get professional, people! (Looking back at the looseness of Dave’s layouts, I am impressed he was able to do what he did with such open “specs.”)

From there, dumb luck and good timing set in. I became friendly with a crowd of guys down the hall who were all comic-book geeks who went to art school for the same reason as I did. They really wanted to be cartoonists. Jared Osborn, who was already doing a strip for Dave called “From The Pulpit” about a sarcastic priest who would lecture the audience like a chiding stand-up comic. Then I met Matt Maley, who was doing really great strips called “Winston Vs. Life,” (later called “Angst”) in the spirit of Burke Breathed, (who at the time was the idol of strip-cartoon geeks.) The Belushi of their Suite, a guy named John Bligh, would eventually be recruited, and became the uncontrollable “id” of the page, more on his stuff later.

On the other side of the dorms was a guy who was in my drawing classes, Jonas Land, who had a serious graffiti style, and looked like the toughest skinhead in the world, but was actually a super nice and sensitive soul. He was my first real recruit. I knew he would do great comics and he did. Another guy, Ian Charao, who was a really good illustrator and a deadpan funny guy, started to contribute, too. My buddy Ralph DeMarco, a literature student, created some of the funnier strips about an unwelcomed “College Nerd” going to an arts and humanities school. We also needed some non-male perspective. Shasti O’Leary provided that, and with her shear talent in design and storytelling, she had us all outnumbered.

By February, we were already getting good buzz, and the recruits starting walking in to meetings with strips that fit the size specs. Scott Russell, who sadly passed away several years ago, contributed the absolutely wicked and hysterical “Fabuman” (in every sense of that word). Kurt Marquart had a strip called “Yikes!” and we all cruised along doing strips for the rest of the semester. The new freshmen had arrived, and we were making our mark.

Every “Richie Cunningham” needs his “Fonzie,” and so it came to pass, one day Dean Haspiel sauntered into the newspaper office with a stack of installments of “Tommy Rocket.” This strip was so well put together; it even had duo-tones in it. It was exactly perfect in dimension, and it was drawn and staged beautifully. Haspiel was a fully formed artist who was already working in the business and had done an internship with Howard Chaykin. And he was a rebel’s rebel. He called them “COMIX.” All our games needed to be raised now.

For the next few years, we created a sanctuary of stupid, smart, angry, obscene, sensitive, thoughtful, outrageous, pointless, happy, and sometimes funny comics that the Campus population would happily chew through every other Wednesday. We would make fun of each other in very “meta” references to one another’s story tropes, before we knew what “meta” or “tropes” even were.

We would get into trouble more than once for crossing lines into obscenity, not surprising for a college paper. John Bligh, our “id,” would regularly push the limits of what was printable. We would often trouble the consciences of the editorial staff, (Deborah Taylor can speak for herself here) and we definitely aggravated the faculty and administration, sometimes deliberately.

There was one group of students who were particularly offended by our work: “The Believers.” This was a campus organization of born-again Christians. At an art school in the eighties they were truly the rebellious outcasts. They maintained the position that their student activity fees were going towards funding “The Load,” and that they had a right to say how that money should be spent. Obviously, strips like Bligh’s “Piggies” that honored the literally shit-eating performance art of Divine, or the regular random mass murder featured in Haspiel’s “Tommy Rocket” did not comport with the belief system of Born-Again Christians, much less the average college student. We were either loved or hated. Not much in between.

I remember, vividly, a “Believers” meeting I attended in order to be diplomatic and courteous, and to try and convince them that we had as much right to free speech as they did. Of course since we were all in a Humanities college, everyone was an amateur Plato, and the students at that meeting had long, complex, tortured reasons as to why it was not fair for their dollars to be spent supporting speech they found morally offensive. This was also at the height of the national debate over arts funding, driven by controversial artists like Robert Mapplethorpe and especially the “Piss Christ” photograph by Andre Serrano. We had ground we needed to protect.

The meeting became even more important when Matilda Cuomo, yes the First Lady of New York State at the time, saw one of Bligh’s “Piggies” comics that, well, let’s just say it was very offensive and involved clergy members. And since I was the editor who printed it, I needed to defend it.

I brought my friend Ralph DeMarco, (“The College Nerd”) to the meeting with me as a backup, because I needed another liberal who could argue the value of free speech in an era of increasingly conservative pressure on the arts. But they were truly offended by some of our work. Halfway through he meeting Ralph whispered to me, “You know, they have a point.” (Never bring an open-minded liberal to a Bible fight. I think I muttered “Jesus Christ, Ralph.”) But you know what, he was right. They did have a point. We had offended them. We had offended their beliefs. Free speech was their right, too, and they were pissed.

Fun and games had now become a tense situation.

The group of artists was emboldened by this tension, as well they should be. We formed “Va-Va Comics” with the help of Henry Bar-Lewaw, that was funded differently than the paper (I don’t remember how) and we created one issue of “Va-Va Comics,” which I guess these days would be considered a mini-comic. We used the campus copy machine (Thank you Maryanne Lutomski, who had a key to the copy shop) to create a comic we sold at the Student Union office. We had enough for a second issue but I think we did not have enough mental bandwidth to finish it, you know from the drinking and the painting that had to be done to graduate.

But we never missed a deadline on “The Load.” We never had a shortage of submissions. We even expanded from one to two pages and never went back. Each semester our roster grew. Every other Sunday night I would roam the campus in my long overcoat (which was in fashion those days, ugh) knocking on apartment and dorm doors to pick up procrastinator’s strips to layout and send to press the next morning. Sometimes I would have to stop and drink with folks, and I always knew that I had to make John Bligh, Ed Murr (the talented yet irregular contributor) and Matt Maley’s apartment the last stop, since some moderate to heavy drinking would have to happen in order for me to get out of there with enough strips to fill my page slots.

For me, the experience helped me to understand how to work with other artists in a professional way. I’d go on to organize and be part of other anthologies in my adult life, supervise teams of animators and designers, and I’d always felt like my true foundation was in that early experience of trying to herd cool cats into one cohesive reading experience. I never gave anyone advice (I think), or tried to push one style over another (I think). I tried as hard as I could to keep up with my ink jockey classmates. I always tried to respect the craft and dedication of my colleagues. And after all of these years have gone by, I am happy to be able to raise a metaphorical (and hopefully soon an actual) glass and say, “Cheers.”

–Pat Giles

After graduating from Purchase in 1990, Giles kept drawing “The Big Problem With Marshall,” which became a very early web comic in 1994, then appeared in the Load-Alum-led anthology “Kansas Thunder” and in the “Monkeysuit” series of anthologies. “Marshall” was collected as a TPB in 2001 by Monkeysuit Press. Giles has had a successful career in animation, working as a designer or art director on seven different TV series, including MTV’s “Daria” and Disney’s “Stanley.” For the better part of the last decade, Giles has used his animation skills in advertising as a Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi. He recently formed his own creative shop with Manny Galán, Pat-Man Studios. Giles also worked on the award winning “Captain Cornelius Cartoon’s Cartoon Lagoon” and just completed a new comic, “Dober-Man and Pigeon” debuting at Chicago’s Comic and Entertainment Expo in April 2013. Pat Giles lives in Long Island with his wife and two beautiful daughters. He has never gone back to his old school.

***

“Apathy Versus Activism” by Deborah Taylor, former The Load editor-in-chief

When I started as a 19 year old freshman at SUNY Purchase in September 1985, the student newspaper, The Load, was struggling with technical and organizational difficulties. The staff had not been able to publish their opening issue for the academic year despite working hard to prepare it. Not only was it a time of personal transition into adulthood, but it was also a time of transition socially, politically and technologically.

In the Fall of 1985, The Load was produced using a Verityper 766 typesetter into which text was entered, formatted and then printed out on chemically soaked photographic paper. It was then trimmed and pasted onto the layout pages. Photos were manually sized and headlines printed and added. The bulky pages were taken to a printer in the meat district of Manhattan in the wee hours of the night.  It was a caustic process in more ways than one. (See: http://bogotadc.quebarato.com.co/bogota-d-c/fotocomponedoras-artes-graficas__3375E2.html) The typesetter repeatedly broke and was expensive to fix and the funding stream was dry. Needless to say, the staff was demoralized.

I was privileged to have a leadership role at The Load starting almost from the first day I walked into the Campus Center South basement offices. My first issue was as Assistant News Editor starting with the October 7, 1985 issue– the first of the semester. Issues that were capturing attention included student voting rights, the legal drinking age being raised to 21, and the budget woes plaguing the SUNY system, and the rest of the county as a result of Reagan era fiscal policies. Education was becoming more unaffordable for more people at a time when paychecks were shrinking. Nothing new there! The Load was staffed with bright, energetic and dedicated students working to create a paper, but stumped by not having the resources to create a consistent and timely newspaper. The Load was a newspaper that had been led previously by brothers Adam and Eric Nagourney and Timothy McDarrah who were working in the field of journalism at the time. Attention to Arts was a priority at an institution renowned for for its multiple arts programs. The Load extensively covered visual and performing arts and included a creative writing page (Argot) and the Cartoon page. Photography was a valued part of the paper.

Change happened fast in the 1985-1986 academic year. I was News Editor in January and Co-Editor-In-Chief with Jens Wilkinson by the February 19, 1986 issue. We buried the Verityper 766 in early 1986 and typed several issues on IBM Selectrics. By April 1986 we entered the computer age. We obtained funding to purchase two Macintosh computers and a laser printer. While the technological issues were not completely solved, having reliable equipment made it easier for all to produce the newspaper and expand its coverage.

My first close inspection of the Cartoon page, and the headaches that it brought to the editorial staff, was spurred by a Letter to the Editor that was published in our first issue as co-editors-in-chief. The letter refers to a cartoon entitled Clarence N’ Adolf that had been published on January 29, 1986. I do not know who created it. The letter writer was concerned that the cartoon stereotyped “black inner-city youth” by having the character Clarence join forces with Hitler to break-dance, solicit drugs, and harass women in Port Authority resulting in the duo being jailed so that Hitler can write Mein Kampt II. The letter writer wondered what the editorial policy was and why something so offensive was published. This letter started a dialogue among the editors about what would be published, how it would be decided, and what our responsibility was to the students who paid for the publication of the newspaper through the student activity fee and the wider community. My part in that discussion continued until I left The Load in the Spring of 1989 for life with a BA.

How did a group of young, idealistic, creative and opinionated Loadies make editorial determinations? One of the overriding themes expressed in Load content during this period is the tension between apathy and activism. The articles, cartoons, editorial columns and letters consistently refer to an apathetic and uninvolved student body. There are constant pleas for participation in student government, organizations, action activities and college leadership. In juxtaposition, the Student Senate was replaced by The Student Union in September 1986. The student governing body changed from being a representative body to a participatory democracy. All students could now vote on all issues brought before the Student Union, including budget issues that affected how the student activity fee was spent. Students were protesting apartheid and advocating for divetiture. Students protested cuts to the SUNY system and education.  The Load staff during this period tended to make decisions based on consensus. And, those who made up the consensus were the people who contributed long hours over multiple weekends. Many times I did not agree with the consensus, but I remember having to defend our decisions many times to advertisers, administrators, angry students, friends and family. The Load was a newspaper written by students and for students. The comix page(s) tended to bring in the most complaints– not unexpected with depictions of bestiality, violence, and commentary on sensitive subjects offered in a profane manner.

With the consistency of staff and funding during this time period, The Load was able to expand. The Cartoon page, edited by Dave Foster, was able to draw more regular contributors since the work was getting published regularly. When Pat Giles came on staff we started publishing editorial cartoons that tied in with the news that was being reported. In November 1987, we were able to add two packed pages of comix. Comic art began to fill in white space left on other pages and reflected the content of those pages. Consistency of staff and regular editorial staff meetings led to the integration of the different elements that made up the paper to create a consistent look and feel. Comix artists also started creating consistent and regular strips that had a great following. As the paper continued to develop, the comix artists often played off of one another. Woe to those who fell under mass attack by comix!  The pages were discussed regularly by many people with both admiration and disgust. Readers were led to think. Readers, as well as the editorial staff, were forced to articulate their opinions and critically assess the material before them.

Several years ago I was thrust into another technological adaptation. My kids got Facebook, so I had to get an account as well. Again, I am led into fulfilling creative relationships and collaborations. It’s been great to see Pat as the Lucky Charms leprechaun and Dave sing with Bubbles and raise his kids. I spent one Christmas break crying over Sonya’s story set to Dean’s art in Cuba: My Revolution. Now, thanks to Dean and Pat, we can revisit the work of many of the talented artists who helped create a thought-provoking student newspaper during the late 1980s. Thanks!

–Deborah Taylor

]]> http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/load-comix-2013/feed/ 4 http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/alextron-1/ http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/alextron-1/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:38 +0000 Ryan Alexander-Tanner http://welcometotripcity.com/?p=17125

AXELTRON is a view through the eyes of a recent college graduate as he struggles to find simple solutions to overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and dread.  It might make you feel nostalgic.  It’s an examination into different perspectives, or lack thereof, as characters try to cope with the terrible beauty of everyday life.  It’s also filled with drugs and sex.  It will be released in 3 parts, weekly.

Ryan Alexander-Tanner is a Portland-based cartoonist. He was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2007 to self-publish his one-man anthology comic, Television, and went on to co-author (with Bill Ayers) and illustrate To Teach: The Journey, in Comics for Teacher’s College Press.  He also does a lot of classroom visits, to teach students how to make comics and teachers how to teach them.  www.ohyesverynice.com

This past weekend, I wad tipped off to the fact that there is an exhibition of my work in Albee Square, in downtown Brooklyn.  The photos are all a part of a campaign I worked on during the spring of 2011 with the award-winning branding agency, Co-Op.  The project was to brand the soon-to-be developed City Point, a high-end mall in downtown Brooklyn.

The concept of the campaign was to cast real Brooklynites to represent the future shopper at the mall, and to shoot them in real Brooklyn locations. The project was right up my alley, since I co-authored the book, The Brooklynites, where I photographed over 300 real, live Brookynites, and having worked on several Brooklyn-centric projects over the years, I can confidently refer to myself as an “expert” on the borough where I was born, raised and proudly reside.

After several rounds of casting, the subjects were narrowed down to 24, including; singer/songwriter Maya Azucena, poets Caits Meissner and Tishon Woodcock, stylist Belinda Martin, DJ Jason Jinx and many, many more great subjects including some old friends and even my god-daughter.

I love that my photos are being exhibited in a very public space in Brooklyn.  I’ve long believed art should be available to everyone–every man and woman on the street–and this display does just that.

If you happen to be in downtown Brooklyn, please have a look at my work in Albee Square, at the edge of the Fulton Mall, on Decalb Avenue, just off Faltbush Avenue.

Get a closer look at the photos here.

-Seth Kushner

So What? Press, the new publishing imprint headed by Dave Kelly & Lara Antal, is set to release Breakers, an anthology of comics featuring Ellen Forney, Dean Haspiel, Megan Kelso, and twenty-two other outstanding cartoonists.

The book will have its East Coast premiere at Desert Island, 540 Metropolitan Ave., Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, April 25th at 7:00 pm.  The event is free and open to the public.  Beer and cookies (in the shape of sharks) will be provided. The book will be offered at a discounted price of $10.00 at this event.

It will premiere on the West Coast the following weekend at Stumptown Comics Festival, April 27-28, in Portland, OR.

This anthology collects work created during Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #147, the second only residency to be offered by the institution in comics and cartooning, which took place in October, 2012.

The publishers hope you will join them for these events.  The book will be available in stores and online the following week.  So What? Press handles all distribution worldwide. For more information, visit www.sowhatpress.com.  All inquiries can be directed to sowhatpress@gmail.com.

From the back cover:
In October 2012, twenty-six comics creators descended upon Central Florida for a three-week residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts.  These lost souls were set adrift in an incubator of creativity amidst killer sharks, a local nude beach, and other primordial nature.  Under the tutelage of Ellen Forney, Dean Haspiel, and Megan Kelso, a body of work was generated that interwove many similar themes based on their new found tropical isolation.  What you hold in your hands is a summation of that experience, a document of a wondrous blur of creative freedom, and perhaps an artifact of a comics paradise lost.

]]> http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/breakers-launch-party/feed/ 0 http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/retro-slam-jam-2/ http://welcometotripcity.com/2013/04/retro-slam-jam-2/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:16:09 +0000 Blake Sims http://welcometotripcity.com/?p=17166

Step into the ring with 1987′s most outrageous wrestlers in this mat-pounding, head-stomping, comix-wrasslin’ adventure! In this episode, those blasted Ruskies invade the stadium! Can Uncle Sammy defeat the malicious mauler from Moscow…Rasputin??

Read Retro Slam Jam #1 by clicking HERE.

Read Retro Slam Jam #3 by clicking HERE.

Blake Sims is an artist and cartoonist living in Kentucky. He makes lots of swell mini-comix and such, many of which you can check out HERE on his blog. Sims’ work has appeared on Trip City a couple times before, teaming up with contributor and curator Jef UK to make comic-book-lyric-sheets cum music-videos titled Gonad The Ballbarian and Zombies Attack!!!, both songs by Brooklyn, sci-fi rockers Americans UK.

If you dug Retro Slam Jam #2, you can buy a b&w mini-comic from Sims directly for only one measly dollar, by emailing him directly at blake4000@gmail.com. Do it, ya dag burn commie!

Or, if you’re in South Brooklyn, NYC, head over to Bergen Street Comics where the first 4 issues are available now, while supplies last!

From the Archie Comics/Red Circle press release:
http://redcirclecomics.com/2013/04/22/red-circle-comics-announces-haspiel-and-waid-to-team-on-new-series/

Eisner Award winning writer Mark Waid and Emmy winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel are teaming up to launch a brand new series – The Fox. Taking place in the Red Circle universe, this exciting creative team will deliver an innovative, action-packed superhero story starring the fabled pulp hero.

This thrilling new addition is a shake up to the Red Circle lineup. The previously solicited New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow will receive a new release date in early 2014. The critically acclaimed New Crusaders series received high praise and year-end “best of” acknowledgements, dubbed “one of the most enjoyable and surprising books on the stands” and response to The Fox will no doubt echo that sentiment.

The first volume, New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes, is now available for order in Previews. In addition, this summer’s forthcoming New Crusaders: Legacy TPB features both new and iconic stories including Alex Toth‘s run on The Fox, and contributions from comic book legends Steve Ditko, Carmine Infantino, and more.

Red Circle Comics is home to Archie Comics’ super hero properties, most notably The Shield, The Comet, The New Crusaders, and The Mighty Crusaders. Consisting of super heroes who emerged during the Golden Age of comics and remain relevant today, the Red Circle stable of characters have a storied history that continues to grow denser with the highly publicized New Crusaders launch.

I will be performing some of my comix, be in conversation about my career with artist/teacher, Andrew Prayzner, and reviewing some student portfolios at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT @1pm on Tuesday, April 23rd. The event is free for the public, too.

http://branford.patch.com/groups/anson-smiths-blog/p/noted-comicbook-illustrator-dean-haspiel–to-speak-at-hcc-tuesday-423-at-1-pm

Perspective is the one distinguishing aspect of life that truly makes us alone in a crowd. Other people in attendance at a particular event or function around you might see what you see, hear what you hear, but their experiences leading up to, during, and after is what may isolate their lives from yours. Shared events and differing perspectives is what inspired me to create The Reception, a collection of short stories centered around the fringe characters who happen to be at the same wedding reception during a snowy New York night.

By almost completely pulling the focus away from the bride and groom on “their big day” and shining the spotlight on friends and family I was able to take the minutiae of their imagined lives and morph them into a series of stories that could be read either individually or as a group, but have little to no impact on each other. To help me further achieve the sense of individuality I teamed up with a number of very talented comic artists and together through close collaboration we were able to experiment with a number of story elements and create a few fun stories which inadvertently became more of a mix-tape than anthology.

Each segment was written by yours truly, Mario Candelaria, with some input from the artists. The creators which I have worked with on this project are Marco Turini, Joel Lolar, Zane DeGaine, Victor Santos, Jeremy Ray, Scott Ewen, Dean Haspiel, Nathan Schreiber, and Dusty Higgins.

Read other incidents in The Reception.

–Mario Candelaria

The Zap City vigilante known as, “The Gentleman,” recently discovered that his girlfriend and crime-fighting partner, “Classy Lass,” had been cheating on him with his arch-nemesis, “The Punk.” He subsequently turned in his mask, gave up his beat, and sunk into depression. Can The Gentleman get his groove back?

After the villains, come the artists. After the artists, come the bars–then the coffee shops and boutique stores. Once the boutique stores arrive, here come the heroes! Capes and cowls are just another wave of gentrification here in Zap City, jewel of the Meta East Coast. Think you’ve got problems? My landlord was bitten by something radioactive on the subway, and has since gained the proportional strength and stench of a rat! Just super.

Just Super: “How The Gentleman Gets His Mask Back,” by Jeffrey Burandt and Ben Rosen, is the fourth short story in the Just Super series, created by Jef + ZEES.

Click HERE to read Episode 1, “The Gentleman No More.”

Click HERE to read Episode 2, “Bibbin’s Bodega.”

Click HERE to read Episode 3, “The Tragic Air Of Miss Chiff.”

L.A.-based cartoonist Ben Rosen makes one of my favorite comics in the world, no lie. It is titled, The Adventures Of White Cat, and there are two amazing volumes that you can buy from him directly HERE.  Rosen has also appeared on Trip City once before, with the too-cute-for-words, “Americans UK Babies,” available to read HERE.

Christa Cassano wrote the latest Studio YOLO challenge, “Aporia,” and I gave myself an hour or two to draw it. I didn’t fare as well as James Greene, Meghan Lands, and K-Fai Steele but it was a fun one to do. Big ups to Jp Pollard! I hope a few more solutions trickle in.

http://studioyolo.com/timeline/aporia/

I will be reading “Boy Loves Girl Hair” and discuss the influence of NYC in my comix with a group of great cartoonists in Soho, NY.

–Dino

CBRT: BLAME IT ON NEW YORK!
How The Big Apple Influences Comics Creators

Wednesday, April 17, 2013
7:00pm – 9:00pm
The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art 138 Sullivan St. (between Prince and Houston) New York, NY 10012

Tickets: $10 in advance at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/362643, $15 at the door.

The Empire City, the City that Never Sleeps, The Big Apple. By any name (including Gotham City and Metropolis), the variety and diversity of people and places in New York City has had greater influence on comic book storytelling, both words and illustrations, than anyplace else on Earth. Our distinguished panel of NYC-based writers and artists, including

AL JAFFEE (MAD Fold-Ins)
PETER KUPER (Spy Vs. Spy)
DEAN HASPIEL (Bored to Death)
R. SIKORYAK (Masterpiece Comics)
MIRIAM KATIN (We Are on Our Own)
BOB FINGERMAN (Minimum Wage)

–will discuss with moderator DANNY FINGEROTH (Disguised as Clark Kent) how the Naked City inspires and permeates their work.

Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/272101036258146/

Read all 31 of Seth Kushner’s Photocomix profiles here.

DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF, PH.D., is a world-renowned media theorist whose twelve books, including Life Inc and Pro­gram or Be Programmed, have won prestigious awards and have been translated into thirty languages. He is a commentator on CNN and a contributor to the Guardian, Discover, and NPR. He also made the PBS documentaries The Merchants of Cool, The Persuaders, and Digital Nation. He advocates for digital literacy at Codecademy.com, and teaches at NYU and The New School. He lives in New York with his wife, Barbara, and daughter, Mamie.

Douglas Rushkoff’s latest book is Present Shock and is available here.

Visit www.Rushkoff.com

Noah Van Sciver was born in 1984 in New Jersey. He first came to readers’ attention with his comic book series Blammo, which earned him an Ignatz award nomination in 2010. His work has appeared in the Denver alt-weekly Westword, Mad Magazine, and multiple graphic anthologies including Mome and The Best American comics 2011. His first book, The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, from Fantagraphics books is a graphic portrait of Abraham Lincoln’s early years and struggles with depression in Springfield, Illinois. nvansciver.wordpress.com

Step into the ring with 1989′s most outrageous wrestlers in this mat-pounding, head-stomping, comix-wrasslin’ adventure! In this episode, it’s class warfare between Gator and The Natural. Can ol’ Gator take that pretty boy down a peg or two?

Read Retro Slam Jam #2 by clicking HERE.

Read Retro Slam Jam #3 by clicking HERE.

Blake Sims is an artist and cartoonist living in Kentucky. He makes lots of swell mini-comix and such, many of which you can check out HERE on his blog. Sims’ work has appeared on Trip City a couple times before, teaming up with contributor and curator Jef UK to make comic-book-lyric-sheets cum music-videos titled Gonad The Ballbarian and Zombies Attack!!!, both songs by Brooklyn, sci-fi rockers Americans UK.

If you dug Retro Slam Jam #1, you can buy a b&w mini-comic from Sims directly for only one measly dollar, by emailing him directly at blake4000@gmail.com. Do it, ya filthy mutant!

Or, if you’re in South Brooklyn, NYC, head over to Bergen Street Comics where the first 4 issues are available now, while supplies last!