SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 15

Bob Corby (left) and Kel Crum (right) invited me to participate in a reading of our comix. The panels were displayed on a screen as we narrated them. I was a little frightened at the prospect but the experience was more fun than I expected.

Kel told me he sometimes feels like an oddball among oddballs, which brought my reply that means he just doubled his odds. A professional in the radio world, Kel did a great job reading his work. Kel's stories lent themselves well to out loud reading. One tale included his main character, Cornelia. My favorite was the comic about the fellow who kept having his head fall off.

Bob Corby was next. Bob is the organizer of SPACE, which must be a very big job. His humor is gentle and personal. He read from his mini, Why I'm Not Musical, a comic with great graphics that really fit the mood of the narrative.

I read from Ambergris, which meant I had to sing a little. I'm sure my local friends and family will cringe when I say that, since I'm known as the second worst singer in the world, after Jim Jarvis (another McCleary guy). Then I read "Edgar Cayce Talks to the Dead," and finally "How Cats Got That Way."

It wasn't until that morning that I figured out exactly how the tune of the Ambergris song went. And I didn't know how Morty the Dog's voice was going to sound until I actually started reading the cats story.

Thanks to Kel for instigating my participation and to Bob for his great patience in guiding me through the technology of sending my work ahead of time. The resulting fun was worth the anticipatory nervousness.

Phone photo 87

Another shot of the sign mentioned in the post for the minicomic Write-In Morty the Dog for McCleary Mayor! The sign was painted and anonymously left by local troublemakers Jim and Eddie Jarvis. At least that was the results from my Ronco DNA Analysis Home Economy-Size Kit.

Write-In Morty the Dog for McCleary Mayor!

First published April 23, 1999, 51 copies on white paper.

2nd ed., April 26, 1999, 75 copies on yellow paper.

3rd ed., May 15, 1999, 30 copies on yellow paper with press release.

4th ed., May 23, 1999, 30 copies on yellow paper handed out at an art lecture at South Puget Sound Community College for Jane Stone's class.

As far as I can tell, the 2nd-4th editions are identical to each other. I marked my own copies, and apparently I don't have the 3rd ed.

The entire comic was printed in the Montesano Vidette, May 20, 1999.

5th ed., July 13, 1999, 60 copies on green paper.

6th ed., Aug. 16, 1999, 50 copies on goldenrod paper.

7th ed., Oct. 1999, 50 copies on blue paper.

8th ed., Special SPSCC ed., Mar. 5, 2000, 26 copies on cardstock (14 green, 11 red, 1 yellow) printed for a class lecture.

The 9th ed. was the the 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed. in June 2005 with 5 copies on red cardstock.

Morty was, I think, the first announced candidate for the 1999 McCleary mayoral election, making him the frontrunner for awhile.

Lots of local issues here that probably won't make sense to an outsider. This comic did get a number of people very upset and an equal number very amused. As you can imagine this didn't make me very popular with the town pillars. By word of mouth I heard Morty took about 5% of the vote as a write-in. His tally didn't have an impact on the outcome.

Shortly before the election I awoke to find a large Morty for Mayor sign hanging from my front fence. The authors of this work have never identified themselves, but I suspect they have the initials of Jim and Eddie Jarvis. I still have the sign in my garage.

Attached are articles from the Olympian (6-7-99) and Montesano Vidette. Photo of Morty sign by Sarah.