Hey Michele, What's So Funny?

This is what I like to see in the City Pages: the featured article is a multi-page comic strip.

Pick up your [free] copy today to see the work of local cartoonists and Big Funny contributors Lupi and Bill Prendergast. You can also read it online (and comment!) by clicking here:



Good for local cartoonists, bad for Michele!

Far Arden Excerpt on New York Magazine's "Vulture"

Far Arden: The Book officially launches in four hours. Thanks for the send-off, New York Magazine!

Want to Advertise in Big Funny's Classified Section?

** NOTE: All Big Funny artists get a free bio in the classifieds section -- The call for entries below is separate **

Congratulations to the nearly fifty artists who made it into this summer's Big Funny newspaper and gallery show. We had over seventy outstanding submissions and it was very difficult to whittle it down. We usually like to be as inclusive as possible, but for this project the budget and limitations of printing an actual newspaper limited the amount of entries we could accept.

But there's still a spot for people to get their name in lights: the classifieds!

The newspaper is going to press in a few weeks, and we're looking for advertisements to throw in our CLASSIFIEDS section in the back of Big Funny. You get 50 words for $20, and all proceeds go to helping the Big Funny show exist -- Altered Esthetics Gallery is a community-based nonprofit and can't exist without your help!

Get all the details here.

Hurry, though -- deadline is May 31

Jim Ottaviani T-Minus Interview on The Comics Reporter

Our friend, collaborator, and co-author of T-Minus Jim Ottaviani gives a long and insightful interview about his space race tour de force on The Comics Reporter.  Tom Spurgeon always conducts excellent interviews, and this is no exception.  

Jim Ottaviani T-Minus interview

Ghost Comics Signing on Saturday at 4pm

Click image or scroll down for more details.




Ghost Comics Book Release Party
Sat. May 23, 4 PM
(Signing / event begins)
5 PM bands start
8:30 PM movie screening (bring a blanket!)
Arise! Bookstore backyard
2441 Lyndale Ave. S., MPLS MN (see MAP below)
All Ages & FREE!

The Xeric Award-winning Ghost Comics: A Benefit Anthology for RS Eden will be unveiled.

Artist signing 4-5 PM, bands at 5, movie at 8:30 (bring a blanket!)

All proceeds from Ghost Comics benefit local substance abuse treatment facility RS Eden.

Featuring music by:
Bla Bla Blacksheep
me you like i
the Ex-Lovers
Teenage Moods
Heating Up Dirt
Coax from Chuckanut
Mako Homura

+ Set from DJ That during the signing

More info at edsdeadbody.com


View Larger Map

T-Minus Reviewed on Boing Boing

So Tuesday was officially "All Balls Day" (aka T-Minus 00:00:00) for the launch of Zander's and my latest collaboration with Jim Ottaviani. Unfortunately we haven't received our comp copies from the publisher yet, so we can't tell you about how awesome it feels to hold the book in our hands, but this great review from Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing is just as good:

Boing Boing

Thanks to Steve Stwalley for the link!

Vita.MN on Newstands Today

Pick one up -- it's FREE.




Thanks to Leslie at Vita.MN for asking us to do the cover!

T-Minus Twelve Hours...

 
 

Avidor & Cannon Take Home Gold at Page One Awards

The Annual Page One Awards were held last night in Minneapolis. Page One recognizes excellence in Minnesota journalism. I missed the banquet, but fellow Conspirator Ken Avidor was there and sent me these details:

Magazine - Story, Design and Photography: Best commissioned illustration -- LESS than 50K
First Place
The 2008 Republican National Convention: A Graphic Novelette
Ken Avidor/Steve Kaplan - Minnesota Law & Politics
More "graphic" than "novelette," Avidor and Kaplan do a nice job summing up the RNC in a format that gives the reader the gist of the event far more efficiently than paragraphs of prose would do. Well done.

Newspaper - Editorial and Opinion: Editorial page cartoon -- 50K+
First Place
Xcape from Xcel
Kevin Cannon - City Pages
This is not a "get it at a glance" editorial cartoon. The detail and thought that went into it took some time to appreciate. The political faces are well done. Just the idea of politics as a game gives this another level of meaning. We identify with "electrocuted while punching a TV"!

Congratulations to Ken, Steve, City Pages, and all of last night's winners!

Read "Xcape from Xcel" HERE.

The Fate of Top Ten, continued...

Hey Top Ten fans, I just want to thank you for the outpouring of support I hear we've gotten about wanting to see the story continue.  It's gratifying to know that people care so much about these characters and this world that they will take the time to write in and make their preferences known.  Now, I should also say that my editor's getting a lot of mail that is less than constructive about the fate of Top Ten and what's to be done about it, so let's take this opportunity to go over a few thoughts, shall we?

1.  You get more flies with honey than with vinegar.  That is to say, you improve the chances of Top Ten continuing by sending positive emails that focus on your deep love of the series and your honor-bound promise to buy every issue that comes out than by insulting DC, Wildstorm, the editors, and the accountants and accusing them of playing bait-and-switch.

2.  Speaking of which, there are many factors that have led to the current situation, and things are not always as black-and-white as they may seem.  It's always tempting to find a villain in a difficult situation, but I can tell you that everyone involved acted with good intentions and everyone wants to put out a comic that people love and will read.

3.  This is a follow-up to this post, in which I posted a summary of events, calling it "the semi-official statement from Wildstorm through me".  While I typed that in good faith, feeling that it was an accurate representation of what I had heard, it was not in any way an official statement, and I retract that label.  I don't speak for Wildstorm, and I am not privy to their decision-making process.  

Top Ten is perhaps the most fun series I've ever worked on; I would love to have it continue and pay off the storylines which have been established.  Stay positive, and send your proclamations of love to:

AskWS [at] dccomics [dot] com

Thanks again!

Interview with Jim Ottaviani at Yet Another Comics Blog

Friend of BTA and collaborator on two projects (Bone Sharps and T-Minus), Jim Ottaviani is the man to talk to about science comics.  Here at Yet Another Comics Blog, he gives an interview about the process of making T-Minus and has some nice things to say about his co-authors.

Just Like Gramps

There is nothing better than writing a script using a typewriter font.

Now if someone could write a program that gives my keyboard the loud CLACK CLACK CLACK I'd be set for life.

Chris Ware + Andrew Bird = Awesome Short

Quimby The Mouse from This American Life on Vimeo.