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. 

 

Morty Comix # 2639

Morty Comix # 2639 was drawn on a cinderblock in a basement of a cabin in Butler County, Pennsylvania. This drawing joined others on the wall including work by Mike Hill, Edward Bolman, Spaz, Maximum Traffic, Delaine Derry Green, and the mysterious Borpo Deets.

Phone photo 2733

Maximum Traffic fly on guitar

Butler County, Pennsylvania

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

Phone photo 2685

Morty stencils by Max Traffic

Butler, Pennsylvania

Morty Comix # 2608

The fate of Morty Comix # 2607 is so obscure even I don't know where it landed! But it has to be somewhere in Butler, Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, let's stroll to downtown Butler, where I placed Morty Comix # 2608 in the back cover a sample book in a print shop-- the same print shop that has printed the work of Tom Rehm, Maximum Traffic, Buzz Buzzizyk, and even the mysterious Borpo Deets.

Obscuro Bezango Show 3

Tom Rehm had been housing Maximum Traffic's Machine to Take Over the World at his cabin up in Butler County, Pennsylvania. We disassembled the piece, squeezed the thing into the back of a van, and reassembled it at the Future Tenant gallery in Pittsburgh. This interactive work of art became the centerpiece of the Obscuro Bezango show.

Obscuro Bezango Show 2

I was invited to Pittsburgh to be part of a mission-- to assist Obscuro Bezango show curator Tom Rehm in setting up the exhibit at the Future Tenant gallery.

It is interesting Pittsburgh International Airport is not named after anyone. I propose they name it Borpo Deets International Airport after the mysterious West Pennsylvania art guru who apparently was a mentor to Tom, Maximum Traffic and Buzz Buzzizyk.

Anyway, I noted that a large T-Rex skeleton greeted me at Borpo Deets International Airport. And somehow, feeling like an old Newave dinosaur as I dove into this project, this seemed appropriate.

Tom took me up to his sanctuary in rural Butler County, where he had an extensive collection of art on display by Traffic, Buzz, Deets, himself, family members and friends. It is an impressive gallery I was honored to visit. Here's a sample:
 

 The ceramic coin kiln!

 A jam by Max Traffic and Mike Hill

They say an unintentional skull can be seen on the left hand side