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Does anybody have any information on this area of west side Madison? I am an east sider and don't know much on this area. We may be moving in over there.

Thanks
 
 
17 May 2013 @ 07:51 am

Gaithersburg Book Fest

SATURDAY
I’ll be appearing at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 18th, 2013

Location: Jim Henson Pavilion
Time: 12:15pm

On the Jim Henson stage! How cool is that? Followed by a book signing sponsored by Politics and Prose.

SUNDAY
Excited about returning to the the Maine Comics Arts Festival on May 19th, 2013

I’ll be sharing a table with Raina Telgemeier and John Green.

Bone Poster

Mirrored from it's yaytime!.

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15 May 2013 @ 03:30 pm
Last night I went to Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle's premiere art school, for their annual BFA exhibition, where graduating seniors show off their final projects.  There was some great illustration on display by future art stars, Lillian Beaty and Elaine Lin, some cool motion graphics by Minie Choi, and the beginnings of an ambitious cyber-punk comic book by Lyta Sigmen.  There were also some mysterious zines with no name to identify the author, but I wrote down his name: Maxwell Watson.

The Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery curator Larry Reid was there, and noted to me that the new graduates seemed to be divided: either going full-on into digital projects with nothing 'tactile' for the viewer, or taking a step back to look at 20th century technology (typewriters, film cameras, vinyl records, books on paper) and celebrate the more tactile analog culture.
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15 May 2013 @ 03:06 pm
 
 
Where it's At: Ballard
Audio: Cliff Perry and Laurel Bliss
 
 
 
12 May 2013 @ 07:22 pm
On April 17, 2013, I did a signing at Mission Comics and Art (on 20th in San Francisco's Mission District, just 12 blocks from where I lived in the summer of 1991; nice to see the old neighborhood again).  I met up with Richard Berman beforehand and we talked about our high school days in Virginia and our favorite teacher, William S. Blackwell.  At the signing, many more friends and family were in attendance, including my Aunt Karen and Uncle Chris (down from Petaluma!), former Pulse Magazine editor Marc Wiedenbaum, who gave me some of my earliest illustration jobs, James Masente who I once collaborated with, my brother Jason, my father and his wife Mary, and Mary's son Andrew.  The big surprise of the day was the appearance one of my favorite cartoonist peers: Gabrielle Gamboa, who came down from Santa Rosa.

Mission Comics and Art

The store's owner, Leef Smith, set up a projector and screen, and I gave a talk on the making of "Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song".  Then I signed some books and left a few copies of Urban Hipster and The Intruder.  The store was great -- I also did some shopping while I was there!  So glad there is a good comic book store in a neighborhood that already sells America's best burritos.

Pulse Comics Mini-Reunion

(Oh yes, and I did indulge in a burrito before the event, and managed to spill sauce on my pant legs.  I don't think anyone noticed.)

More photos are posted here.
 
 
12 May 2013 @ 06:54 pm
So I was waiting around at Time Tested Books in Sacramento, where I was scheduled to do a signing in support of the “Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song” graphic novel.  It was April 18, 2013, and I was a half hour early.  I had asked the legendary cartoonist/musician Robert Armstrong to come and play a few Carter Family songs at the event.  I was waiting for him to show up, in the mostly empty store, to see if he needed help setting up.   A few minutes before starting time, he walked into the store, and right behind him came a bearded man in spectacles, looking very much like Robert Crumb. I quickly looked away and thought: “That can’t be Robert Crumb!” He lives in France after all.  But then again, he and Armstrong used to play together in The Cheap Suit Serenaders.  I looked back and found that the bearded man was indeed Robert Crumb, a man many consider to be the world's greatest living cartoonist.  He shook my hand and asked if Frank (Young) was going to be there.  I told him that Frank would have been there, had he known that his pen-pal R. Crumb was going to attend.

I had requested that Armstrong play few Carter Family songs, then a few old time songs of his choosing.  The two of them played a lot more than I’d expected, and treated the audience of 25-30 people to what felt like an hour’s worth of music.  The Carter Family songs sometimes had gaps in the lyrics; Mr. Armstrong (on a Gibson L5 guitar, Mr. Crumb on Banjo) apologized, explaining that he’d had to “cram” to learn some of these songs, to meet my request.  In the second half, with some instrument changes, they played material they were more familiar with, and the musical sparks started to fly.

Time Tested Books: The Two Bobs


My father was in attendance, and whispered to me: “Is that really R. Crumb?”  “Yes,” I answered.  “What’s he doing here?” – “I don’t know.”  - “Well, you didn’t give him much of an introduction.”  I had nervously introduced “The Two Bobs” and after reading a few prepared remarks about Bob Armstrong (creator of Mickey Rat), simply said: “And this is Bob Crumb, who I’m sure you all know.”  So, during an instrument change, I cited my father’s admonishment and tried to give a more proper introduction… “He normally lives in France, but is making a rare appearance here tonight. He’s a comics legend, and he’s my hero; this is a big night for me.”

Crumb interrupted: “Your hero?!  Harold Gray is your hero.” 

I agreed and added Frank King to my short list of cartooning heroes. 

As things wound down, they asked the audience for a request.  Someone said: “How about a train song?” Someone else: “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad!”  Crumb jumped into "Workin' on the Railroad" and played the whole song beautifully. Armstrong commented something to the effect of: “That’s the last word in Cornball Americana.”  They closed with a smokin’ instrumental.

When the fun was over, I managed to sign a few books and chat with some old friends who came to the event, two from my high school, one from college, and two Pulse Magazine alums (Jackson Griffith and cartoonist Michael King).  Patrons talked with Crumb and Armstrong, and I got to meet cartoonist/musician Christine Shields as well. My father talked politics with Crumb (who showed us his French medical card – “I can get treated and when I leave [the doctor’s office] there is no charge.”).  My dad concluded that now it was up to us younger folks to fix all the problems.  And so ended one of the best evenings of my life.

One final note: The owner of Time Tested Books, Peter Keat, had told Crumb and Armstrong that the Cheap Suit Serenaders had played at his wedding about 30 years ago.  Crumb and Armstrong asked the same question that was on my mind: “Has the marriage lasted?”  “Yes,” said Mr. Keat, “the marriage has lasted all these years.”  Crumb breathed a sigh of relief… “You managed to avoid the curse of the Cheap Suit Serenaders.”

Time Tested Books Event


More photos from the event are posted here.
 
 
 
Current Mood: Wow
Audio: Old-Time
 
 
12 May 2013 @ 02:38 pm


Spill the Zines have reviewed lots of zines on our latest blog post, check it out here: http://spillthezines.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/april-zine-reviews-sheffield-zine-fest.html
 
 
07 May 2013 @ 07:53 pm

The official book trailer for Astronaut Academy: Re-Entry is here!

If you like, please head over to Youtube and give this video a thumbs up + comment about the trailer and/or the book. It helps people discover the the world of Astronaut Academy!

Mirrored from it's yaytime!.

 
 
 photo DoorsAPPteaser_zps191f1c43.jpg

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

Hannah Means-Shannon reports The Doors App at The Beat: http://comicsbeat.com/the-doors-app-tells-morrisons-tale-through-haspiels-comics/

Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aqWUFI9e8oU