Help Build a New Comix Zine!

Bruce Chrislip, Colin Upton, Blake Werts

SPACE 2011, Columbus, Ohio

Our friend Blake Werts has either lost his mind or is a visionary (I'm going with the latter, but he might wind up in the former after a year or two of this project!). 

Please take a look at this news release and give Blake some feedback. I have already contributed an essay for the first issue:

 January 18, 2014

Charlotte, NC


Greetings mini comix fan,

It all started when I made a half-joking proclamation to Dan W. Taylor, "We
should start a mini comix news zine!" Dan wasted no time responding, more or
less, with "Blake, that sounds like a great thing for YOU to do.." Fast
forward a few years and I still have the itch. This idea was mentioned in an
email exchange with Richard Krauss, and next thing I know I was getting both
words of encouragement and lots of great suggestions on how we could make it
happen. Would it be possible to recapture some of the "paperNet" of years
past? I won't be so bold as to say we'll rebuild the sizable networks that
congregated around Clay Geerdes' "Comix World/Comix Wave" or Bruce Chrislip
and Steve Willis' "City Limits Gazette," but I'm excited to give it a try.
All I need is a little help from you..

Below you'll find a few questions to gather current information. It will be
compiled and published in our first few issues. Then, as you create new
material, or have updates that you'd like to share with the community, just
let us know and we'll help spread the word. Also planned are interviews,
biographies, histories, artwork, and maybe a few surprises from Steve
Willis!

Please help us get this started by answering the enclosed questionnaire and
returning it to me as soon as you get a chance. Of course, you can email
your responses to me at bwerts@vnet.net if you'd rather.

Much appreciated!





D. Blake Werts
12339 Chesley Drive
Charlotte, NC 28277



Please answer and mail/respond to:

        D. Blake Werts

        12339 Chesley Drive

        Charlotte, NC 28277

        bwerts@vnet.net



1. What's happening? Are you currently active in cartooning or any other
creative endeavors?


2. Do you have any new comix or zines available? If so, what are the details
(size, page count, cost)?


3. Do you have any older comix or zines available? If so, what are the
details (size, page count, cost)?


4. Will you consider trades?


5. Best way to contact you? Postal mailing address? Email address?


6. Besides this newsletter, how can readers keep up with your work? Are you
are active online?


7. What would you like to see in a newsletter / zine about mini comix?


8. Any announcements you'd like to make?


9. Would you be willing to contribute a spot cartoon or cover artwork for an
issue?


10. Any other mini comikers we should contact?


-----------------------------------

White Buffalo Gazette

 

When I was in Butler, PA last summer I had a chance to meet or re-meet local Keystone State cartoonists Tom Rehm, Buzz Buzzizyk, Wayno and Mike Hill. And Chrislip even came from the wilds of Cincinnati. In fact, I believe I even saw the mysterious Borpo Deets, who showed up at the Future Tenant show in Pittsburgh wearing an obvious ill-fitting toupee and an unintentionally humorous false beard in a comical effort to conceal his identity. He had a glow in the dark necktie that had the words. "Will you kiss in me the dark, baby?" When I looked at him and said, "Oh, you must be the infamous Borpo Deets," he swiftly made some feeble excuse about an alligator in his SUV that needed tending, darted out, and never returned to the show. 

Anway, the above promo is the siren call for Obscuro cartoonists to show their stuff. All you comrade weirdo cartoonists should heed this invite. Buzz Buzzizyk has a special eye for the iconoclastic and revolutionary comic art. 

 

Mike Hill Covers the Obscuro Bezango Show

Mike Hill of Worker Poet fame also performed a bit of photojournalism for the Rehm/Traffic/Buzzizyk Obscuro Bezango show in Pittsburgh's Future Tenant gallery. But unlike me, Mike uses a real camera and is an accomplished photographer! He has graciously given me permission to select a few of his photos. None of the artists wished to have their faces posted online, so I have to dance around that as I select:

Tom had cleverly hidden the part of the exhibit with my own comix art under that red covering until the last minute. I was touched-- and impressed by his stealth. It didn't make me feel so bad about hiding all those Morty Comix in his house!

That twisted face has scrawled on the reverse side something about the mysterious "Borpo Deets," who I am convinced was the mentor to all three artists in the show.

 

A break during the final stages of setup. My West Coast sensibility was prepared for massive humidity, but it actually was pretty nice the week I was there. Notice the Big Eyed Bean From Venus in the window. It was fun watching folks react to it as they walked by. 

 Opening night. Willis, Wayno, Chrislip

 Willis, Chrislip

 It's the shirt that draws these beautiful women to me

For your readers in the Pittsburgh area, this show is continuing to September 1st

Morty Comix # 2613

Morty Comix # 2613 was placed in a nonfurtive way in Bruce Chrislip's drawing notebook during the Obscuro Bezango show opening at the Future Tenant gallery in Pittsburgh. In fact, Mike Hill even photographed the event and the flash on his camera was caught in my first photo here.

Obscuro Bezango Show 6

The Opening Night.  An astounding thing happened. Five of us from the old City Limits Gazette crowd were there at one time: Left to right, Bruce Chrislip, Tom Rehm, Wayno, Mike Hill. I was the 5th but how can I be in two places at once?

I was too busy schmoozing to take many photos, but I did document the following for you students of Newave Comix.

 Hillary chats up Bruce

Wayno, Chrislip, Hill. This was first time I have actually met Wayno in person, even though we corresponded off and on since the 1980s. He was a wonderful contributor to the Bil Keane Watch in City Limits Gazette and a major part of the spark in that title. He brought me a package of coasters, in part to replace my coffee stained and much loved Scottie's Bar coaster in my studio.

 Mike Hill, Bruce Chrislip

A graphic of the mysteriously vanished Maximum Traffic is on the wall

Bruce braved a four hour drive from Cincinnati to attend this opening. As the historian for our brand of comic art, his presence gave the event a a few more "chops" as they say in West Pennsylvania.

But too soon it was all over and the crowd spilled out to the night streets of Pittsburgh. Buzz Buzzizyk, Maximum Traffic, Tom Rehm, all free spirits inspired by the shadowy Borpo Deets, had their night of being honored.

Obscuro Bezango Show 5

A large piece of foamboard in the front window was open for graphic expression by gallery attendees

Morty Comix # 2596

Morty Comix # 2596 was left on some trim behind a chair in a Bob Evans restaurant in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Bruce Chrislip calls this chain "Blob Evans," and the satisfied local character in the last photo illustrates this point.