The Minicomic Experience

For more than a month I've been scanning and posting a ton of work in the minicomic format. All of my solo minis, so far as I know, have been included. Almost all the jams have been in here as well.

Finding all the Raining Quills artists will continue to be a challenge, but I have managed to post two issues here. Hank Arakelian, if you're reading this, drop me a line.

One artist I have yet to track down is Marc Myers, one of the more gifted Newave artists. In 1986 he visited Pullman and stayed with us for a few days. During that time Marc and I produced a mini called Little Snowjob. I would love to post it here, but I need his permission. Marc, wherever you are, please contact me.

There are many other minis where I contributed a page or two, or an essay. Brad Foster's Stuff series was one of my favorite places to be a guest. And I haven't even mentioned Outside In yet (Illustration above is Morty and I, from Outside In #2, in 1983). But all will be revealed over time.

I like the mini format, and especially used it in Century 21 as age shortened my attention span and energy level. Right now I'm working on a full length story, but find myself not really driven. So I might return to minis as the venue of choice.

Raining Quills pt. 2

It's those damn porcupines again!

This series was a different kind of jam. I drew the the first page with Augustus in a wheeled bathtub trapped under a rainfall of dead porcupine quills. Then I copied it five times and sent it to five different artists around the country. My aim was to have 5 minicomic jams, each with 5 artists, but all of them starting with the same premise.

Four of them made it back. And so far I have permissions from all the artists in two of those issues. I am grateful those cartoonists could be found after 20 years.

All four of the minicomix that made it back home were published by Starhead Comix in Seattle.

This one, part 2, was initially sent to David Tosh in Texas. He sent it up to Pittsburgh, where the incredible Wayno got his hands on it. And from there comic went to his fellow Pittsburgh area cartoonists the single named Stanley, and Mark Daniel.

This issue also has a rare accidental edition. I don't know how many copies exist, but apparently some of them included Morty Comix #1882 in the final pages. I've scanned one of those here.

Morty Comix #1882

Although Morty Comix were created as one-of-a-kind original art giveaways, for some reason Michael Dowers talked me into making this "Special Mass Production Issue" in 1990. I am guessing it was due to 4 extra pages he had to fill when he was also printing issue #2 of another series I edited, Raining Quills. Publishers abhor blank pages.

There exist some accidental versions of Morty Comix #1882 incorporated into Raining Quills #2, also published by Starhead. I assume these are few and far between.

This comic was reprinted as a 1st Danger Room Reprint Ed. in June 2005 with 5 pink copies.

In Sept. 2006 there were printed 10 yellow copies of the 1st OlyBlog Reprint Ed., to take up the slack of blank pages with a reprint of Brave New Nazis of the Inland Empire.

Apparently, Morty Comix #1882 was born to be an extra blank page filler!