Light Riot, Departure

Standard comic book size, full color covers, black and white interior. 
From Rio Aubry Taylor, $4.50 from his web site; lightriot.com until Sept 28th at this price.

The art here has a strong manga influence, and I must admit that I am not a fan of Manga, nor do I know anything about it. Having said that , the art works very well with Rio's story.
The story, although a complete fantasy, could very well be influenced by real events in Rio's world.
Without giving the whole story away, I can tell you that Rio is visited by a creature from the Moon. The Moon creature tells Rio he has the ability to live twice!  One body is whisked away to the Moon, while the other body stays on earth.  The story addresses both of Rio's lives.

There is a picture of Rio on the back cover, and he mentioned in his letter to me that he attends the " Center for Cartoon Studies" in Vermont. If he is attending that school, he sure doesn't need any advice from me, on how to draw cartoons, he is in good hands.

Be sure to check out Rio's web page to order Light Riot, and look at his other art works 
lightriot.com

Plein Air Watercolor #1

Here is a watercolor  of a creek in Castlewood Park. Painted on August 4th 2011 outdoors.
This is part of a series of paintings that I am doing at Castlewood Park.

6" x 9" watercolor 

Watercolor

Here is a quick watercolor I did of Picasso's Coffee House in St.Charles Mo.

Watercolor Easel, made from a Camera Tri-pod

I have noticed that a lot of Plein Air Painters use a camera tri-pod for their portable easel. So, I decided to see if I could make one.
First I bought a pine board and cut it to 15" x 16"

I then purchased a 1/4" threaded brass insert to hold the tri-pod attachment.

Drilled a hole for the threaded fitting,

And then mounted the  camera/tri-pod attachment

Next I attached the board to the easel to see how it fit

That worked fine, now I needed a table to hold my painting supplies.

I found these plastic hook type things in the plumbing section at Lowes. I have no idea what they are but I thought they might work for my shelf.

I tried them on the tri-pod, and they seemed as though they would work, although they drooped a little.

I mounted my make shift bracket on a board

I added a clamp, then tried it on the tri-pod. Looked okay!

I covered the board with some rubber weaved shelf liner, and here is the finished product. I think it will work just fine. Except for one thing.....It has been a 101 in shade here for a week....I think I will wait a while before I try this out!



The Collected John G. Miller 1990-1999

Black And White, Magazine size, $20.00, available through Spit and a Half distribution.
c/o John Porcellino P.O. Box 142 South Beloit, IL 61080
  Here is John's web site with full ordering instructions                                                                                           www.spitandahalf.blogspot.com.

If you consider yourself any kind of a small press comic collector, then this is a must have book.
John Miller is one of the most unique artists in all of small press. His work is filled with his personal demons.
On the back cover of the collection is a full color strip by John dated Sun. 29th of March 1970.Featuring Captain Zappa, a character that John still draws to this day. This strip has none of the sharp edges of Johns later style, but the dialog is much the same as his current strips.

On page one of the book is an illo by John that shows his remarkable design abilities.

And as we move into the book, the strips have a balance between art and word balloons. Note the lettering, it has the same style as the drawings.

However as the years go on the strips take on a different look. Gone is the lettering that mimicked the art style. He begins to use a more standard lettering, but note how the writing starts to crowd out the illustration in each panel.

The most recent example of John's work, (not included in the book) is from August of 2010. As you can see the writing has almost completely taken over from the cartooning.

I do not know where John Miller's work is headed in the future,  perhaps he will return to his earlier style. But if you want to preserve the style that makes him so different,  for yourself, you should purchase this book.

New From ME!!

Candidcartoons: " A Cartoonist and a Cat" 16  pages, digest size, $1.00, plus postage, black and white. From Larned Justin 3741 Laura ct House Springs, MO 63051
candidcartoons@yahoo.com

A collection of one page gags featuring me, and a know it all cat.

Reich # 8

24 Pages Digest size, color covers, black and white interior,$4.00, from Elijah Brubaker

Thru Sparkplug Comics PO Box 10952 Portland OR 97296-0952

The ongoing saga of Dr Wilhelm Reich a Psychoanalyst and sex researcher circa 1930.

Reich travels to America in 1946. And is interviewed regarding his Energy Accumulator. The interviewer jumps to the conclusion that the Accumulator cures cancer. The same problem Reich had with the Norwegian press in Europe. He says "They Crucified me for it too, Vultures"

He continues his experiments in America, his Daughter comes to visit him, and they discuss strained family relations.

Brubaker's art work has the flavor of 30's and 40"s setting the tone for the story.

Not every ones cup of tea, that's for sure. But keep in mind this complete series could become a must have for a serious small press collector.

06/17/2011 New From Sparkplug Comics

" The Disgusting Room" 48 pages tabloid size 10.5 x 15. Full Color $6.00 By Austin English

Sparkplug Comics PO Box 10952 Portland OR 97296-0952

A comic book? No, I don't think so. I see this publication as a program for a gallery exhibition of the paintings that make up the book. I think the only way one could appreciate the art work would be to see the original paintings. I have no idea how large the originals are, but I imagine them to be quite large. If you could see the originals you could see the collage work, and the texture of the brush strokes. One could also make a determination as to whether the paintings are good paintings or not good paintings. And I am quite sure there would be plenty of arguments on both sides of that question.

There is a story, however I think it exists more in the mind of the Artist than in the book. Once again Dylan Williams of Sparkplug steps over the edge to bring art comics to his readers. I hope some of you more daring comic book readers will give this one a try. And please feel free to e-mail me back to let me know what your take on this book is. After all I may be way off base on this one, and missed the entire point! ( candidcartoons@yahoo.com)

Catalog From Sparkplug Comics

Sparkplug Comics Has published a catalog of all the titles they publish and distribute. This is a great way to read a little about each publication, then order the ones you like.

You can get a copy of the catalog from Dylan Williams, Sparkplug Comics PO Box 10952 Portland OR 97296-00952.

New from Sparkplug Comics

The latest book from Sparkplug is Habitat # 2. It's 48 pages, Color cover, 7.5 x 10.25, cover price $9.00.

What I want to do with this blog is promote small press comics, and small press publishers. So trying to review this book is difficult for me.

I will just have to admit that I have no idea what this book is about. It does have some interesting art work. And it might be fun to try and figure out what the artist, Dunja Jankovic is driving at with this approach.

If you would like to challenge yourself, you can purchase the book from Sparkplug Comics at PO Box 10952 Portland OR 97296-0952. Give it a try, then let me know what you think!!!!

A Cartoonist and a Cat 1/20/2011

Three new books from Sparkplug Comics

You can order these books from Dylan Williams, Sparkplug Comic Books, PO Box 10952 Portland, OR 97296-0952 dylan@sparkplugcomicbooks.com

"Flesh and Bone" 40 pages 6x8.5 color covers. $6.00

by Julia Gfrorer

Flesh and bone is an adult readers only, folk/fairytale that takes

place around 1798. A young man's one true love has died, and he was so in love with her that he also wants to die to be with her. He enlists the help of a witch, because he fears if he commits suicide he will face eternal damnation and never see his beloved Anabel.

Jadwiga, the witch, prepares type of potion, and in doing so calls up Buer being with a

Lions face. They discuss what to do about the young man that has asked for Jadwiga's help. In the mean time the young man hangs himself.

Very nice artwork, if not the happiest of stories

"The Heavy Hand" 108 pages 6x9 Color covers $14.00 by Chris C. Cilla

I think we all know that comics rank about last in the fight for the entertainment dollar. With that in mind it is up to the new Cartoonists to continue to bring something different to sequential story telling. There is a need to break any existing rules and go beyond the established norm.

One of those rules is, when telling a story be sure to keep the reader in mind, don't think the reader will know what in the cartoonists mind, is so clear. It is up to the Cartoonist to convey his story, through the dialog and pictures, so the reader can follow a long.

I believe Chris Cilla intentionally breaks that rule. This book , in my opinion, has been done more for the artist than the reader. The reader here is along for the ride, If the person reading this can glean a few tid bits of insight into the cartoonists mind that's great. Then Chris has not compromised his intent, and the reader has a little more to think about.

This is just one more approach to bending the limits of what comics can be. It may not be for everyone, but the days of trying to appeal to a huge audience are probably in the past. Like it or not the new cartoonist have to stretch the boundaries of sequential art.

'Lemon Styles" 40 pages 10x10 $9.00 by David E. King

Well I believe that most of what I said about "The Heavy Hand" applies to this book also. The book is billed as a series of one page gags. But here again only the artist understands the full meaning of the gag. In the page that I have chosen to to post here the dialog goes like this: panel one "sometimes there is a tickle in my ear! Panel two " I consume the trees of home" Panel three: " I devour the ghosts" Panel four: " Haw haw haw ha haw ho ho haw". Now, I don't know what that means, I don't know if it is funny, or not. I do know the art work is very cool. I love David's style.

But here again the reader is a bystander left to figure out the artists intent. The artist only gives the the subtlest of clues.....

Sparkplug Comics

Dylan Williams of Sparkplug Comics has just sent me 9 books, all posted below.

These are more than just comic books, they are Art Comics. Dylan is doing more than just publishing small press comics, no, these go beyond that label. It takes some one brave enough and with a solid vision of what comics can be to take the risks involved in publishing books that have routes in the Dadaist, and Fluxus movements.
Thanks for sending the books Dylan, I hope this blog generates a few sales.

Dadaism

A European artistic and literary movement that flouted conventional aesthetic and cultural values by producing works marked by nonsense, travesty, and incongruity.

Fluxus

International avant-garde group of artists founded in Germany By U.S. artist George Maciunas. Opposed to tradition and professionalism in the arts.

You can purchase any of the books reviewed below from:
Sparkplug Comic Books
PO Box 10952 Portland OR 97296-0952

dylan @sparkplugcomicbooks.com

REICH 5,6 and 7

24 pages each, color covers, B &W interior, 6" x 9" by Elijah Brubaker $4.00 Each

The on going story of Dr Wilhelm Reich a psychoanalyst and sex researcher circa 1930.

A difficult subject to be sure, but the art work here is outstanding. Once again another brave cartoonist tackling a subject that not everyone will appreciate. But you just might learn something who knows?

DEPARTMENT OF ART

28 pages, color cover, black and white interior, 7.5 x 10.25 by Dunja Jankovic $6.00

Here is an art comic, that in my opinion, represents dadaisim in comics. It is a brave thing to do, art for art's sake. I am not sure how many will appreciate it, but those who do, and purchase the comic,may very well have a collectors item on their hands!

THE ROCK THAT NEVER SLEEPS

36 pages color cover, black and white, with single color interior 9" x 6" by Olga Volozova and Juliacks $6.00

Truly this falls under the category of art comics. Two artists collaborate and blend their unique drawing styles, to create a surreal book.

NEPTUNE

160 Pages Digest size color cover, black and white interior, by Aron Nels Steinke $14.00

Aron owes a lot to John Porcellino, with regard to his drawing style, and that is not a criticism. John paved the way for a lot of fine cartoonists.

Neptune is an all ages story about a girl, her brother and their dog Neptune. There is a hint that Neptune just might have supernatural powers... or do we have a little girl with a big imagination? You will have to read the story and form your own opinion.

SAUSAGE HAND

80 pages Black and White digest size, by Andrew Smith $ 6.00

The pen and ink work in this book is outstanding, and the drawings are exaggerated to their fullest.

With regard to the story, I will post part of Dylan Williams' Synopsis:

The story follows a mentally unstable character names Sausagehand in his exploration of a mall and its inhabitants.

THE SHORTEST INTERVAL

20 pages, color cover and interior, mini by David King $3.00

Here is a mini that takes on a rather large subject.... the first instant of the universe! David makes it clear on the last page of the book that he is not a scientist, and does not understand physics or anything. But it is pretty interesting, and you won't find another mini comic like it!

ESCHEW

36 Pages Black and white Digest size By Robert Sergal $5.00

A slice of life book, however an unusual slice! The book features very stark black and white art with no cross hatching. Along with the stories, Robert throws in two pages of portraits called " Sex offenders who live near me" I guess it is for the reader to decide if these are real people or not. But if you live in the Boston area take note!