Intro to Mini Comix by Blake!

[Above: Blake shows a photo of the legendary Clay Geerdes as portrayed in the Michael Dowers book, Newave!]

Our old friend Blake has just released a 35 minute introduction to minicomix on YouTube.

It is quite an experience to see a comix movement one was a part of be treated as an exciting period in comic art history. Blake tracks the Newave Comix movement from the comix ancestors of the 1960s up to the 1980s.

To this day I still proudly classify myself as a Newave Cartoonist.

Go Blake! Thank you for recognizing the importance and spark of our comix genre!

Update: Blake follows this up with an addendum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jamUb7Grhc0

Treasury of Mini Comics, Vol. 1

A box of contributor copies of Treasury of Mini Comics, Volume 1 arrived in the mail today. It's a thick little guy, 848 pages but only 16.5 cm. high. Fantagraphics is selling it for $29.99.

Edited by Michael Dowers, the artists and writers included are Dowers, Leonard Rifas, Justin Green,  Gary Arlington, Jim Siergey, Larry Rippe, Richard Krauss, Lori-Ann Reif, Bob Vojtko, Clark Dissmeyer, Par Holman, Macedonio Garcia, Matt Feazell, Matt Howarth, Rick Bradford, Steve Willis, Ronald Russell Roach, Bruce Chrislip, Edd Vick, Brad Johnson, Tim Corrigan, David Miller, Colin Upton, Robert Pasternak, David Lee Ingersoll, Glen Ingersoll, Roberta Gregory, John Porcellino, Dylan Williams, Tom Spurgeon, Erik Reynolds, Molly Kiely, Blair Wilson, Jim Blanchard, Chris Cilla, David Lasky, Jim Woodring, Marc Bell, Rupert Bottenberg, Ron Regé Jr., Leela Corman, Karl Wills, Onsmith, Travis Millard, Mark Campos, Nate Beaty, Peter Thompson, Fiona Smyth, Carrie McNinch, Mark Todd, Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Connery, Billy Mavreas, Andy Singer, Noah Van Sciver, Kelly Froh, Aaron Norhanian, Max Clotfelter, Marc J. Palm, David Heatley, Laura Wady. 

For you regular Morty the Blog readers, the Willis piece reprinted here was Brave New Nazis of the Inland Enpire, which was first published in 1985. There is also a nice summation of the Outside In series.

Unlike Michael's previous Newave book for Fantagraphics, which had the same format, this book is not just concentrated on one slice of time. It is a testimony to how enduring the 14-16 cm. minicomc genre has become. Somewhere, Clay Geerdes is smiling.

Morty Comix # 2526

Morty Comix # 2526 was drawn on the skin of my right hand (I am left-handed) and Hettie breezed by to inspect the artwork before I washed it off. This might mark the first time Morty Comix was presented as body art, although it was very temporary. I suspect this is as close as I'll ever come to a tattoo, an adornment which has become a widespread fad for the last couple decades but I must confess is an art form I find unappealing. I'm not knockin' it, it just isn't my deal.

Why? Because I see the creation and consumption of art as ever evolving. Something that captivates me at age 18 will become lame and stupid by the time I am 35, 40, 50. Plus, and believe me I know, our bodies change shape like silly putty as we hurtle through time. And that changes the presentation of the tattoo.


I understand there are at least two people running around out there in the world with Morty the Dog tattoos, although I have not seen them. One of them gained his Morty body graphic long before tattoos became hip. That was a real radical leap and I do respect him for that. But what if I subsequently had suffered a severe head injury and became a member of the Tea Party or the NRA and allowed Morty to be an icon of these hater un-American movements that stand for nothing but fear, greed and ignorance?


But, that being said, apparently the late great underground cartoonist Greg Irons, an artist I admire very much, was a tattoo artist in Seattle working in the city at the same time I was a graduate student at the University of Washington over 30 years ago. And this was before tattoos became fashionable for middle class kids. Back then, the radicals got tattoos, but these days the radicals don't get them. If I had known Greg was in town I would've been very tempted to get an Irons tattoo. The guy was the Durer of our time, a gifted artist, and a big influence on my own cartooning. I loved his work.

As I recall, Bruce Chrislip (who was hosting), Michael Dowers and I were downing a beer or two (er, or more) next to Lake Union late 1984 when Bruce gave us the news Greg had been killed by a bus in Thailand at age 37. It's not fair. We were robbed of several more decades of work by a great artist. Very funny Mr. God, thanks a lot!    

Outside-In: The History of a Comix Series

I have no memory of drawing this or why it exists. Looks like it was created in 1989, but if it was ever published I am not aware where. Michael Dowers sent me these pages in the recent stack of original art he returned.

More Original Art!

Michael Dowers just sent me a huge package of original art I had apparently lent to him since the 1980s I had forgotten about. Thanks Michael! What an unexpected arrival in PO Box 390! A treasure trove of memories!

This work will probably be made available for sale very soon, as in starting today or tomorrow.

In taking an inventory here's what I find:

Stories (I will eventually track down the original publication source for all of them):

"No Cigar" (12 p.)
"Dredging" (4 p.)
"Rainmaker Painraker" (12 p.) from Storm Warnings. Conventional mainstream minds liked this piece, but I hated it. Go figure.
"Slim Chance and Fat Fate" (7 p.) also from Storm Warnings.
"Chow Time" (4 p.)
"I Love, Er, Like Seattle!" (2 p.) This was the only piece I drew as an original work just for the Seattle Star that was not a reprint aside from a cover for one issue.

Entire books:
Cranium Frenzy # 7 (1994). (19 p.)
Bezango (1994). (24 p.). I am torn about offering this art for sale for three reasons. First, this comic was later reprinted as a nationally distributed comic under the Starhead label with the title Bezango Obscuro. That jacks it up a notch. Second, as a nationally distributed comic, it left the fold of the obscure and my character Floating Baby Head was widely read. This character is now used in the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb, and I am still interested in investigating possible legal action against Walt's regime for stealing my idea. I know, it's a David v. Goliath scenario, and if I try I'll be crushed like an insect in a manner that will ruin me. But that concept was mine first in a national commercial comic and the original art can serve as a court exhibit. I feel very ripped off, even if it was possibly unintentional. Third, the upcoming documentary on NW cartoonists is called Bezango WA and I suspect this "Bezango" term will not go away. If that is the case, I now hold a precious primary source document that should reside in a public depository, like the Washington State University Comix Collection.
Xenophobic Knives and other Love Songs, Pt. 2 (1991) (12 p.) 

In addition, Michael sent three pages of an unpublished work called "Outside-In, the History of a Comix Series." Looks like it was drawn in 1989. Michael says he left p. 4 in a scanner, so when he sends that one I'll post the whole thing here. I must admit I have no memory of drawing this thing or why I drew it.

Still deciding whether or not to sell each page individually or as a set. I'm open to offers before I post. You can check out my other art and comix for sale here:

 http://www.mortythedog.com/p/comix-art-25-sale-includes-new-items.html

[Update: "I Love, Er, Like Seattle!" is no longer available]

[Another update: "Dredging" has been spoken for]

Random Drawings, ca. 1977-200something

I'm continuing to excavate material as I clean out the studio. Here are several random drawings from notes, letters, and other ephemera, mostly centered from 1977 to about 1983. The academic quarter drawing of an unnamed Morty is one of his earliest appearances, probably in 1978. I included it in a letter and it was never published. A blue card has a draft of Ofeelya from my Tragedy of Morty series. A 1977-drawn two panel view of Seattle anticipated my one-pager for the Seattle Star years later. I think the final page had something to do with one of my brother's plays and is the only piece from Century 21.

Newave! Promo Mini Comic

Here's the page I contributed to the 8 page minicomic Michael Dowers printed up to promote his Newave book. Other artists included, XNO, Wayne Gibson, Wayno, J.R. Williams, David Lasky and Jamie Alder in what was probably one of his last published drawings.

City Limits Gazette # Mermaid, mermaid, have you ever seen blood? (Sept. 1992)

Logo by Chad Woody, the number for this issue came from a song my innocent little daughter just made up while playing on the swingset, Bob Richart on Wayno and Wow Cool!, Gary Usher joins us, not buying Comics F/X, comix reviews by Lynn Hansen, Edward Martin III compares Morty and Garfield, Michael Neno on the Fred question, CLG reader profile of Lynn Hansen, Bil Keane Watch by Mike Lee, CLG reader profile of Michael Dowers.

I'm including the Morty/Garfield strips Ed is talking about. The Morty strip was drawn in 1986 for The Cooper Point Journal and reprinted in Morty Without Tears ; and, Planet of the Bobs (1989)