State of Beings #12: Hawaii

Relinquished from my brain with City Limits Gazette # It's no fun being in a tiger suit alone, or an elephant suit either (Sept. 1992).

The real Bob Barker, who was a famous game show host and is apparently still alive and kicking, is also a Washington State native.

Phone photo 115

Look carefully. This is my self-portrait phone photo shot.

City Limits Gazette: Lynn Hansen Interview

This is from City Limits Gazette # Mermaid, mermaid, have you ever seen blood? (Sept. 1992). The issue's name came from a song my sweet little 4 year old daughter had invented and was singing with innocent joy.

One of the CLG features I enjoyed publishing were interviews with subscribers. Here's one with Lynn Hansen, who would've been 52 years old this month. He died in April 1995.

Lynn was a collector and had a regular comix review column in CLG. He was also my friend. Although he had been a house guest here in McCleary several times, and we talked on the phone and corresponded frequently, I found him to be an all-around enigmatic fellow who left a lot of mysterious loose ends when he departed. Believe me, I could write a long book about him, and maybe someday I will.

Notice also I included a sample of the "Bil Keane Watch." More on that later.

Phone photo 114

Shhh. Look! A deer!

State of Beings #10: Florida

A sordid truth unleashed upon an unsuspecting world as a supplement to City Limits Gazette # Mongo gasoline (May 1992).

And I still don't believe there is such a place as Florida.

Phone photo 113

State of Beings #9: District of Columbia

One of only two issues in this series printed in enlarged digest format, inserted with City Limits Gazette # Lilacs out of the dead land (April 1992).

An earlier version of this comic was presented in a library display case at The Evergreen State College in the mid-1980s when I was employed there. It was probably around Columbus Day. Although the comic had a good response from many students and staff, there was quite an angry uproar from one segment of the student body who felt Columbus was an unworthy subject to bring up in a humorous way. Frivolity, it seems, is only for the bourgeois and oppressor class.

Apparently they had not learned the best revenge toward your political enemies to make them an object of laughter. Anger only feeds them. Whenever someone from either political extreme gets upset at one of my comix, I feel like I've done my job as a cartoonist. This particular case, however, was unintentional-- sort of a happy accident.

This method of connecting dots to tell a story was also used in my online-only UML series, which ran in OlyBlog for awhile.

Phone photo 112

A photo from beyond. I took it during my near death experience.

Disappointing, isn't it?

State of Beings #8: Delaware

From an issue of City Limits Gazette in March, 1992. The numerical designation consists of symbols that were available on my electric typewriter keyboard, but not on this HP computer one I'm using now.

No doubt I had a cold while drawing this story. The book Dead Gramps Jubilee I'm reading on the bus is a reference to the "Bil Keane Watch," a CLG feature I'll be getting to in the near future.

Actually I have been to Delaware. I didn't see the character mentioned above, but I did meet an aide to Gov. Tribbitt (the Gov. could be heard talking in the next room) in the Capitol building in Dover. I'm enjoying watching their current election campaign for the U.S. Senate with that loonie who is not a witch. Makes me want to propose doing away with elections and just filling public office by lottery, like we do for jury selection. It couldn't be any worse.

Phone photo 111

City Limits Gazette: The First Year

An editorial from CLG # Jobbo Bonobo's Night Terror (Mar. 1992). A little snapshot of the way were were.

Phone photo 110

State of Beings #7: Connecticut

Originally provided for your viewing pleasure with City Limits Gazette # Kitty McAdoodledoo (Feb. 1992).

If isn't porcupines it's those darn floating baby heads again! Also that ever-present song about underpants that keeps surfacing in these comix. Sheesh. And the fork in the head too! A lot of perpetual iconic images from my comix rolled into one little story. What does it all mean, anyway?

At least that underpants song is brief. Heh-heh. Get it? Underpants? Brief? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Phone photo 109

State of Beings #6: Colorado

Arrived on this planet with City Limits Gazette # Look Ma, no brain! (Feb. 1992)

I picked in Ouray, Colorado in 1888 to retell Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. My great-grandfather had been a silver prospector there at that time.

Phone photo 108

Recreation, The Dalles, Oregon

State of Beings #5: California

Given as a present to the world along with City Limits Gazette # Aged Richie Rich on his deathbed whispering "Rosebud" (Jan. 1992).

This was, as I recall, the result of a dream. In real life I could care less about baseball.

Even so, this is one of my favorite comix, although it still doesn't come close to Mr. Crawford Raises Herfords, Too-- a work that separates the wheat from the chaff when it comes to reader galactic awareness of life's mysteries.

Phone photo 107

Fishing platform, the Dalles, Oregon - The Dalles Dam - Columbia Hills, Washington

State of Beings #4: Arkansas

Arrived as a special contribution to Western Civilization with City Limits Gazette # H 1/4 (Dec. 1991).

My brother actually had a Caspar the Friendly Ghost doll that talked when you pulled the cord on it's neck. Then his white fluffiness gave way to threadbare groadiness, and his utterances began to sound like something out of the Exorcist as the little record inside his plastic head started to wear out.

I'm pretty sure I used this concept in a longer story-- just can't remember where.

Phone photo 106

State of Beings #3: Arizona

Arrived with City Limits Gazette # Chock full o' frogs (Oct. 1991).

True story.

Now in almost 2011, 1991 is to me what 1971 was in 1991.

The book I'm holding, Ol' Memory Bank, is still around here somewhere but I can't remember where I shelved it.

Phone photo 105

Sage

State of Beings #2: Alaska

A supplement to City Limits Gazette # dead porcupine icebox (Oct. 1991).

The cranium stage idea was later developed a little more in an issue of, appropriately enough, Cranium Frenzy.

The Mysterious Lady is based on an unintentionally chilling local advertising icon.

Hmm. Alaska. "Icebox." "Chilling." Is it me or does someone need to turn up the heat in here?

Phone photo 104

Lone Pine Tree Village, The Dalles, Oregon

State of Beings #1: Alabama

This was the first of a series of irregular comic supplements I included in the biweekly City Limits Gazette. They were usually 4 p. digest-size things, making them sort an extended minicomic.

The first issue was an insert to CLG # Banjo on my knee (Sept. 1991). As you can see I employed a creative numbering system simply to screw up serials librarians and their neat little check-in cards.

I'm guessing at this point in CLG's history the print run was between 50-65 copies.

This issue contains probably my only caricature of George Wallace, who was still alive at the time this was published.

Phone photo 103

Lone Pine Tree Village, The Dalles, Oregon