I Want This Hoodie

Thanks to M. Harris at Sheridan College for the kind words and awesome drawing!

Far Arden Mentioned on Comics Reporter

A day after the Habs said goodbye to the Stanley Cup, and two days after Jack said goodbye to the Black Smoke Monster (I haven't actually seen the finale yet), Tom Spurgeon lists some of his favorite goodbyes in comics, and I'm flattered that Far Arden is among them:

Read the "goodbye" list here.

Thanks to Tim for the heads-up!

Far Arden Makes the Grade at Graphic Novel Reporter

Graphic Novel Reporter has created a list of "core" graphic novels that people should consider when building their personal or institutional libraries, and I'm extremely flattered to find Far Arden among its ranks. GNR writes:

This is not a best-of list or a list denoting the most worthy accomplishments in graphic novels (although everything on each list is an accomplishment in some way, shape, or form). Instead, it's a list to help retailers, librarians, educators, and all those who are seeking to start a graphic collection to get a sense of the essential books to acquire. This is where to begin for those who want to make a small step (a core list of 10 books), a medium step (an additional 25 books), or a larger one (100 more).

Some of my absolute favorites are also on that list (David Boring, Jimmy Corrigan, Epileptic, Alan's War, Essex County, etc...) so it's obviously exciting to be listed amidst such good company.

You can read an interview I did with Graphic Novel Reporter's John Hogan a year ago here.

Thanks GNR!

Speaking of Far Arden, I've retooled the website where the entire graphic novel is still free to read online. You can check it out at kevincannon.org/288hour or read more about the book -- including reviews and interviews -- at its new main page: kevincanon.org/fararden.

Kevin Cannon's Far Arden nominated for an Eisner Award

That's right--our own Kevin Cannon has gotten an Eisner nod for his James-Bond-meets-Jack-London arctic tour de force Far Arden!

Revel in the glory and check out the formidable competition on the Eisner nominations page!

Congratulations, Kevin!

Far Arden Hits the Airwaves

By some strange alignment of the planets, Far Arden is the focus of three recent podcasts:

First, an interview with Robin McConnell over at INKSTUDS. Tom Spurgeon's blog turned me onto Inkstuds about a year ago, and it's really an honor to now be listed among the ranks of Robin's interviewees.

Also, the gentlemen at THE MILD MANNERED PODCAST made me blush with this lengthy analysis of FA.

Finally, I had a fun time hanging out with Charlito & Mr. Phil over the summer behind the Top Shelf booth, and at one point we sat down for chat. Check it out at INDIE SPINNER RACK.

Thanks guys!

Far Arden on Graphic Novel Reporter

I recently did an interview with John Hogan over at Graphic Novel Reporter. Check it out!



Also check out their main page -- there are some great interviews with Junot Diaz, Emmanuel Guibert, and local physics hero James Kakalios.

Reviews A-Plenty*

People keep writing reviews, so we'll happily keep posting them!

First up, a great review of Big Funny from Mark McGinty, our friend at The Boogle.



Next, a Far Arden review from Rain Taxi, which is notable because it's IN PRINT. That's right, a rare ink-on-paper review. You can pick up a free copy around town, or better yet go to Rain Taxi's annual Twin Cities Book Festival happening October 10th at the MCTC cafeteria. BTA has proudly manned a booth there for years, but unfortunately we have to miss this year because of a vortex of scheduling conflicts. But you should go, as it showcases everything awesome that's happening in the local literary scene, from poetry to comics to novels to children's literature.



Next up is a review of A Time to Thrill from Adrean Clark at Comics Bento. Thanks, Adrean!

---

* As opposed to "Reviews A-Pawlenty," which makes no sense.

Your One Stop Shop for Recent Far Arden Reviews

There has been a slew of very thoughtful reviews of Far Arden lately, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention them. The surreality of reading complete strangers' thoughts and criticisms of this bizarre little book has not worn off, and I hope it never does. Click on the logos to read the full review.



Review by Jillian Steinhauer


Review by Myosotis


Review by Greg Burgas


Review by Matthew Brady


Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco


Review by Nick Dutro


Review by Jared Gardner


Review by Chris Partin


Review by Kyle Lemmon


Review by John Jewitt

Top Shelf Mega Sale!

Check out this über-sale from Top Shelf:
www.topshelfcomix.com/specialdeals

I highly recommend the $3 That Salty Air and the $14.95 Far Arden.

Far Arden on MPR's Art Hounds

Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hounds is a weekly series where local artists talk about something they're enjoying in a medium other than their own. This morning Britt Aamodt -- journalist, local radio personality, and author of an upcoming book on Minnesota cartoonists -- talked about Far Arden. Thanks, Britt!

You can hear Art Hounds archived on mprnewsq.com, or listen in today at 4:45pm to 91.1 FM for a rebroadcast.

Recent Book Reviews

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon on Marty Devine's MAD WORLD, The X-Librarian, Savannah Morning News, and Telegraph-Journal.

Far Arden on Bookforum and School Library Journal.

Stuff of Life on The Johnandjanaverse.

Big Funny on Newsarama

Two Far Arden Reviews & One Radio Drama

Thanks to Britt Aamodt and KFAI 90.3 fm for having Zander and me over to the recording studio last week. We chatted about T-Minus: The Race to the Moon and Far Arden, and those conversations have been turned into radio dramas! The Far Arden one went live a few days ago, and the T-Minus one will launch on July 20* (yep, the 40th anniversary of the moon landing).



* (Speaking of July 20th... if you're in or around the Michigan area, stop by Vault of Midnight for Jim Ottaviani's official book release party of T-Minus. Vault of Midnight, 219 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104)


* * *

Also, many thanks to Matt Peckham and Brandon Schatz for their recent reviews of Far Arden. Matt calls the book a "glorious pulp throwback" which is a huge compliment.

Top Shelf Special Offer

Can't make it to the San Diego Comic-Con this year? Top Shelf feels your pain, and is offering FREE SHIPPING on some new releases (including Far Arden) through the month of July. Click your mouse on the logo for more details:

Two Great Reviews on The Boogle

Check out Mark McGinty's reviews for T-Minus: The Race to the Moon and Far Arden at theboogle.wordpress.com.

Thanks, Mark!

... and don't forget, Far Arden comes out TOMORROW!

Two More Far Arden Reviews

Two more reviews have hit the airways, which is great considering the book isn't even out yet.

First up is fellow Cartoonist Conspirator Ted Anderson at the Examiner:

The Examiner


And all the way from London (which is where the Shanks character was created, incidentally), is Richard Bruton at Forbidden Planet:

Forbidden Planet

Thanks guys!

Tom Spurgeon & Alex Dueben Interview Kevin Cannon

I recently chatted with comics journalist and long-time Far Arden supporter Tom Spurgeon about life, love, and comics, as part of the CR Sunday Interview series. So if you want to learn about the time I lived in a theme park for three weeks, or get a behind-the-scenes look at a Far Arden easter egg, then this is the interview for you.

comicsreporter.com

And I got so caught up with the MoCCA convention and the launch party that I failed to post about this interview with Alex Dueben at Comic Book Resources. Alex and I get down and dirty about the creation of T-Minus and Far Arden, and how I ended up at Top Shelf.

comicbookresources.com

Sound Effects in Far Arden

Kevin's tour de force graphic novel Far Arden is hitting stores this month, and in honor of its unique* mix of cartoonishness and high adventure, I've compiled this list of the sound effects that grace its pages. Such a compendium of universally descriptive emanata has never before been seen because Kevin has a rare condition that we in the comic book business call onomatopoeia-deafness.

So here, for your pleasure, are the 271 sound effects in Far Arden. Be advised, if you read it very, very closely, there may be some spoilers.

PUNCH!

HEADLOCK!

CLICK!

LAND!

LEAP

CUT!

SLAM SHUT!

CHIP! CHIP! CHIP! CHIP!

FLING!

ROUNDHOUSE!

FACE PUNCH!!!

JUMP

RESCUE!!

EAT EAT EAT

DIVE!!

PUNCH!!

HUG!!

CONSUME CONSUME

DING

BURST IN!

WALL PUNCH!!

SCREAM

POWER RUN!!

PANT! PANT!

PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT! PANT!

UNTIE!

TEAR OPEN!!

HOP HOP

PUNCHIN' STANCE!!

FLYING BODY PUNCH!!

HIT HIT HIT HIT

HIT

CRUSH!!

LOCK!

SPIT

SLEEP. SLEEP. SLEEP.

SLEEP

SKIP

HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR

KNEE SLAP

HAR HAR HAR HAR HAR

ANGRY GRAB!

TUG

WALK TOWARD DOOR

SCREAM

OPEN

<-REVEAL->

SQUINT

BLISTER BLISTER

DRAG INSIDE

RCAN ATTACK!

RIP!

FOLD!

TUCK!

BREAK THROUGH!

KICK OPEN!

PUNCH!

PREPARE...

PUNCH ONE!

PUNCH TWO!!

HIDE!!

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN

MISS!

WHUMP

SMASH

PUNCH PREPARATION

RUN

DUCK

CRANK CRANK

CRANK

CLEAR THROAT

BEAT BEAT

GASP!

FACE KICK!

SLICE!!

KICK!

HIT!

JUMP!

CHATTER

KICK

CLIMB!

LOCK!

POUND POUND POUND

FEEL!

RUB

RATTLE!

WRAP! WRAP!

BREAK THROUGH

SQUIRM SQUIRM

CLIMB!

DUST OFF!

RUN

RUN AWAY

LOOK LOOK

HANG UP.

KNOCK KNOCK

YANK! CONCEAL! HIDE! STUFF!

RESTRAIN

MOPE.

LISTFUL KICK!

ANGRY ORPHAN PUNCH!

WHIMPER

SNAP

PAT PAT

HUMAN-SIZED BITE!

CRACKLE!

BICKER! BICKER! BICKER!

SLICE

RUN AWAY!

PUSH OFF!!

MID-AIR GROIN GRINDER

TUCK 'N' ROLL...

...AND RECOVER!

GROAN

MISS!!

DODGE!

MISS

DUCK!

HIGH-FIVE!

ROLL!

SCOOP!

PEEK

INHALE!

CAST ASIDE

COMMOTION COMMOTION!

SNUB

HUG

HUG

HUG

PULL ASIDE

FACE AWAY

DIVE!

SHIVER SHIVER SHIVER

RUN

ROAR

THROW UP A LITTLE IN MOUTH

MID-AIR GROIN GRINDER

PUNCH!

THROW

HUG!

KICK

CHOMP

RUMMAGE

TWIST OFF

STRANGLE

POUR

DRINK

UNCLIP

POUR

WRITE WRITE

SHAKE!

RUN RUN

HANDSHAKE!!

CLIMB! CLIMB!

OPEN

RECORK

FLAP FLAP FLAP

FLAP FLAP

FLAP FLAP FLAP

AWAKEN

TIE

RUN

SCAMPER!!

HUFF 'N' PUFF

BORED KICK

LIGHTS FLICKER!

SPIN

WRAP

RUN

HIT

BREAK!

KICK!YANK!

PULL!!

PUNCH PUNCH

CAST ASIDE

FLICKER BACK ON!

BONK.

STRUGGLE! STRUGGLE!

TIGHTEN

ROLL

LIGHT

DRAG ASHORE

RUN RUN

TWIST!

PULL! CRUNCH CRACK BREAK

SOCK!!!

UNVEIL!!!

FOLD

POSSIBLY GIVING WAY

TIGHTEN!

RUN!

BEE LINE

LOCKED!

POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND! POUND!

TIE

HUG!

RUMBLE!!

FALL

CLICK

STRUGGLE

LIGHTS FLICKER

BREAK IN!!

SHUT DOWN!

SMASH

CLIMB IN!

PUNCH!

WHUMP

POP!

SCURRY!

GRAB!!

WIPE

RUB

JUMP!

DIVE!

KICK OPEN!!

DRAG OUTSIDE!

HEADLOCK

PULL OFF SUNGLASSES!

BLISTER!!

HUG

WALK INSIDE

HOODIE STRING PULL

SOB!!

CRY CRY CRY

CRY CRY CRY CRY

CRY CRY CRY

PULL ASIDE

GESTICULATE

TURN AROUND

DOUBLE TAKE!

KISS

SNIFF SNIFF DRINK

SCRAMBLE

SIT

GRUMBLE

KICK!

DOUBLE-FIST PUNCH!!

FIST CATCH! FIST CATCH!

WIPE

CRAWL UNDER COVERS

NUZZLE

UNMASK

CLIMB!!

RUN!

BARK! BARK! BARK!

RETURN

PICK!

SUCCULENT BITE!

NOTICE!

PULL

RUNNING HUG!

SQUINT

KNOCK KNOCK

HANDSHAKE!

SCRAMBLE

HUG!

TUG

CHEW

CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW

GET UP!

PANT! PANT! PANT!

CONVULSE CONVULSE

LIFT!!

CONVULSE! CONVULSE!

LIFT!

TWITCH

NOTICE!

TUCK IN POCKET

SHUT FIRMLY!

SNIFF

SHRUG.

OPEN

*unique, that is, until his next book.

Launch Party Reminder!

Remember to mark your calendars for June 13, 2009 -- the launch party for FAR ARDEN and T-MINUS: THE RACE TO THE MOON. Read all the details at:

bigtimeattic.com/launch




Okay, now off to MoCCA...!

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!

Save the Date

Zander and I are having a signing/party at Big Brain in June, the weekend after MoCCA.



For more details, pick up a postcard tomorrow at Microcon, or go to:
www.bigtimeattic.com/launch