McCleary, Washington
The Diogenes Club
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 5
Bruce Chrislip is totally at home in this convention environment. I can't think of anyone in our Newaver generation of comix artists who has remained so consistently as enthusiastic about comic art over the span of time as Bruce.
He created several prints to sell at our table, including some old jam material of ours. Bruce also published an 8-page minicomic called Free Space just for SPACE 2011.
There were also a couple formboard displays with selected self-portraits from the Outside In series he originally put together back when he lived in Seattle. That's when I remember seeing them initially.
If you hang around Bruce and Joan for long be prepared to laugh a lot.
In this photo Bruce is gearing up for what will be one of the crowning performances in his comic career later the same day. And I was there to see it, and you will read about it when I reach that point in my report.
SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 4
Kim Scarborough is a fellow with a mission to gather drawings from a list of artists he admires into one sketchbook. Now he can cross off my name. I'm flattered to be in such good company.
That's Kim on the right next to some old guy.
SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 3
Steven Hager and Bruce Rosenberger publish the Dutchy Digest, a comic with regional humor and the kind of thing you'll only find through the small press. More than an entertaining comic title, it is also a cultural document that will no doubt be valuable to future historians on many levels. The duo was lucky to have one of the best locations at the exposition, right next to the entrance.
Michael Neno was one of the CLG subscribers during my editorship and someone I was really hoping to meet at SPACE. He has recently launched an impressive comic series called Signifiers.
This unfortunately fuzzy phone photo captures Steven and Bruce at their table, with Michael paying a visit.
SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 2
One of the big factors in my decision to accept the invitation to attend SPACE 2011 was the opportunity to finally meet so many people who had I known for 1, 2, even 3 decades only through correspondence. The recent passing of several of our comix comrades like Jamie Alder, Mike Roden, Steve Fiorilla, Jay Kennedy hit me hard. These were people I was hoping to meet in person some day, and I figured eventually our paths would cross. I waited too long for "eventually" to happen.
But we are not getting any younger. To put it diplomatically, I knew I needed to do this while so many of us are still above ground. And what better place to see so many comix people from our old Newave/Obscuro network at one time than SPACE?
Bruce Chrislip and I loaded up his car and headed north to Columbus on Saturday morning.
Upon arrival we were issued and assigned a table which we shared with Mike Hill and Maximum Traffic/Buzz B./Borpo Deets.
One of our neighbors, I'm happy to say, was Colin Upton, who came all the way from Vancouver, B.C.. Together we constituted the only Pacific Northwest presence at the expo. He is a good conversationalist with an understated, wry way of observing life's foibles.
Another person I got to meet right off the bat was Morty the Dog regular reader D. Blake Werts, who helped me make an emergency run to the closest available computer so I could print out a script for the next day's reading. I really appreciated his company and it gave us a chance to visit a little.
If there is any down side to events like this, it is that I don't get to really spend a lot of time with any one person. But names do get associated with a face, a voice, a personality in person. A human connection is made. And that's worth a lot.
Colin's new book, The Collected Diabetes Funnies, is a good example of how technology has made it possible for us photocopy comix artists to graduate to a more sophisticated format. I was astounded over and over at what high production values I was seeing in the physical publications. As you can see, Colin has not fallen into the lure of life beyond black and white. "Color," he told me, "Is for the weak"-- a quote I enjoyed so much I asked him to repeat it a couple times.
But we are not getting any younger. To put it diplomatically, I knew I needed to do this while so many of us are still above ground. And what better place to see so many comix people from our old Newave/Obscuro network at one time than SPACE?
Bruce Chrislip and I loaded up his car and headed north to Columbus on Saturday morning.
Above: on the trip to Columbus.
Upon arrival we were issued and assigned a table which we shared with Mike Hill and Maximum Traffic/Buzz B./Borpo Deets.
One of our neighbors, I'm happy to say, was Colin Upton, who came all the way from Vancouver, B.C.. Together we constituted the only Pacific Northwest presence at the expo. He is a good conversationalist with an understated, wry way of observing life's foibles.
Another person I got to meet right off the bat was Morty the Dog regular reader D. Blake Werts, who helped me make an emergency run to the closest available computer so I could print out a script for the next day's reading. I really appreciated his company and it gave us a chance to visit a little.
If there is any down side to events like this, it is that I don't get to really spend a lot of time with any one person. But names do get associated with a face, a voice, a personality in person. A human connection is made. And that's worth a lot.
Above: Bruce, Colin, Blake.
Colin's new book, The Collected Diabetes Funnies, is a good example of how technology has made it possible for us photocopy comix artists to graduate to a more sophisticated format. I was astounded over and over at what high production values I was seeing in the physical publications. As you can see, Colin has not fallen into the lure of life beyond black and white. "Color," he told me, "Is for the weak"-- a quote I enjoyed so much I asked him to repeat it a couple times.
SPACE 2011 Report, pt. 1
Bruce and Joan Chrislip picked me up at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport before the sun rose on Friday. Without wasting any time, we headed for downtown Cincinnati to fuel our bodies for the day of touring ahead.
And Bruce ordered something called "goetta."
Here you can see this concoction in the center of the plate. It's a sausage patty with oats and onion mixed in. That last ingredient prevented me from trying it, but it looked good.
What interested me about goetta (pronounced "getta") was how knowledge of this culinary delight was pretty limited to the Cincinnati area. Informal polling in Columbus revealed that this taste treat was an unknown to the rest of Ohio.
By the time breakfast was over the sun was rising and I got a good look at downtown Cincinnati. Somehow it felt like a much older version of Spokane.
Bruce gave us a tour of City Hall, a huge structure built before Washington became a state. Having worked there for a number of years, Bruce knew the place pretty well. Jerry Springer was once the Mayor of Cincinnati, and knowing I was walking in the very halls where he worked was oddly fun.
Among the things that impressed me about this place was the large display case of awards bestowed upon Cincinnati, especially the 2nd place plaque in the 1941 National Pedestrian Protection Contest. Also the Cincinnati in miniature display, which was gathering dust but did give me a sense of the layout of the city. Here we see Bruce and Joan next to the model, like benign gods hovering over their domain.
As we left City Hall, Bruce introduced me to Mayor Mallory, who asked me if I liked politics. As I replied I enjoyed presidential trivia my cartoonists eye could see the thought balloon above his head forming the woodscrew plus ball symbol.
But hey! I'm in Cincinnati for the first time in my life, and within 90 minutes I'm shaking hands with the Mayor. Is that neato or what?
We also visited the Union Terminal, an enormous example of art deco architecture now serving as a museum. One of the staff members proudly proclaimed the facility has the largest half-dome in the United States.
Bruce and Joan took me across the Ohio River into Kentucky where we walked through a riverside neighborhood where guys like Henry Clay used to hang out. First I walk in the footsteps of Jerry Springer, and now Henry Clay-- two showmen. Here's a nice shot of the Cincinnati skyline taken from Kentucky. The river was apparently subsiding from flood stage.
On the left you can the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, built in the 1860s.
Hobnobbing with mayors and haunting the trails of historical figures is OK, but the real thrill of the day was meeting Justin Green and Carol Tyler, two of Ohio's cartoon treasures. Justin was part of a small group underground cartoonists who created work that had a life-changing influence on my development as a comix artist. The fanboy within of 40 years ago kept trying to surface as I visited with Justin, but hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much.
Bruce and I visited their studio/home and then went out for lunch. Pictured in this hazy shot are Justin, Carol, daughter Julia, and Bruce at a local cafe called, I think, Sugar and Spice. Prediction: Julia will be an artist to watch.
Bruce and I then spent the rest of the afternoon with David Chrislip. Bruce's brother was a subscriber to City Limits Gazette when I was editor, and at the time supplied me with some images of Bruce's early comic work when I interviewed him (that's what brothers are for). During this visit he produced a box of comix the four Chrislip brothers had drawn in the 1960s. They were the sort of homegrown superhero stories many of us created with ball point pen on typing paper or ledgers before the days of undergrounds and photocopiers as we taught ourselves how to draw comix. It was a fun trip back in time. Pictured: Denise, David, and Bruce.
Ohio has this restaurant chain called Bob Evans, or "Blob Evans" if you listen to Bruce. I remember these cafes from my last visit to Ohio in 1999. Bruce, Joan and I went to dinner at one and they adorned my burger with a flag! I brought the little flag home and now you can see it in this pop culture crammed display with Barney Rubble wearing a Starhead Comix pin in a Bonanza cup being serenaded by the Beatles with an alien and Santa looking on. I know, I know, it's a cliche, you've seen this a million times before, but I couldn't help it.
We wrapped up the day viewing some obscure animation and video, including a local television news bit originally aired in 1973 about a comic convention. One the interviewees included my host, Bruce!
And Bruce ordered something called "goetta."
Here you can see this concoction in the center of the plate. It's a sausage patty with oats and onion mixed in. That last ingredient prevented me from trying it, but it looked good.
What interested me about goetta (pronounced "getta") was how knowledge of this culinary delight was pretty limited to the Cincinnati area. Informal polling in Columbus revealed that this taste treat was an unknown to the rest of Ohio.
By the time breakfast was over the sun was rising and I got a good look at downtown Cincinnati. Somehow it felt like a much older version of Spokane.
Bruce gave us a tour of City Hall, a huge structure built before Washington became a state. Having worked there for a number of years, Bruce knew the place pretty well. Jerry Springer was once the Mayor of Cincinnati, and knowing I was walking in the very halls where he worked was oddly fun.
Among the things that impressed me about this place was the large display case of awards bestowed upon Cincinnati, especially the 2nd place plaque in the 1941 National Pedestrian Protection Contest. Also the Cincinnati in miniature display, which was gathering dust but did give me a sense of the layout of the city. Here we see Bruce and Joan next to the model, like benign gods hovering over their domain.
As we left City Hall, Bruce introduced me to Mayor Mallory, who asked me if I liked politics. As I replied I enjoyed presidential trivia my cartoonists eye could see the thought balloon above his head forming the woodscrew plus ball symbol.
But hey! I'm in Cincinnati for the first time in my life, and within 90 minutes I'm shaking hands with the Mayor. Is that neato or what?
We also visited the Union Terminal, an enormous example of art deco architecture now serving as a museum. One of the staff members proudly proclaimed the facility has the largest half-dome in the United States.
Bruce and Joan took me across the Ohio River into Kentucky where we walked through a riverside neighborhood where guys like Henry Clay used to hang out. First I walk in the footsteps of Jerry Springer, and now Henry Clay-- two showmen. Here's a nice shot of the Cincinnati skyline taken from Kentucky. The river was apparently subsiding from flood stage.
On the left you can the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, built in the 1860s.
Hobnobbing with mayors and haunting the trails of historical figures is OK, but the real thrill of the day was meeting Justin Green and Carol Tyler, two of Ohio's cartoon treasures. Justin was part of a small group underground cartoonists who created work that had a life-changing influence on my development as a comix artist. The fanboy within of 40 years ago kept trying to surface as I visited with Justin, but hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much.
Bruce and I visited their studio/home and then went out for lunch. Pictured in this hazy shot are Justin, Carol, daughter Julia, and Bruce at a local cafe called, I think, Sugar and Spice. Prediction: Julia will be an artist to watch.
Bruce and I then spent the rest of the afternoon with David Chrislip. Bruce's brother was a subscriber to City Limits Gazette when I was editor, and at the time supplied me with some images of Bruce's early comic work when I interviewed him (that's what brothers are for). During this visit he produced a box of comix the four Chrislip brothers had drawn in the 1960s. They were the sort of homegrown superhero stories many of us created with ball point pen on typing paper or ledgers before the days of undergrounds and photocopiers as we taught ourselves how to draw comix. It was a fun trip back in time. Pictured: Denise, David, and Bruce.
Ohio has this restaurant chain called Bob Evans, or "Blob Evans" if you listen to Bruce. I remember these cafes from my last visit to Ohio in 1999. Bruce, Joan and I went to dinner at one and they adorned my burger with a flag! I brought the little flag home and now you can see it in this pop culture crammed display with Barney Rubble wearing a Starhead Comix pin in a Bonanza cup being serenaded by the Beatles with an alien and Santa looking on. I know, I know, it's a cliche, you've seen this a million times before, but I couldn't help it.
We wrapped up the day viewing some obscure animation and video, including a local television news bit originally aired in 1973 about a comic convention. One the interviewees included my host, Bruce!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Off to SPACE!
Well gang, I'm leaving in a few hours on the redeye for Cincinnati where I'll hook up with my old friend Bruce Chrislip and then we'll attend SPACE in Columbus Saturday and Sunday.
Aside from Bruce Chrislip and Mike Hill, I don't believe I've met any of the other likely attendees in person. I am so looking forward to finally making that connection with my comix comrades, old and new, on the other side of the Mississippi.
See you soon!
How to read an "edition" statement
Although the commercial publishing world has a distinction between what constitutes a "printing" as opposed to an "edition," many comix collectors regard the two terms as one.
If you have one of my old comix from the 1980s, here's how I frequently marked my comix: The first editions usually had no statement, subsequent editions generally had a circled number (edition number) followed by month/year. The example here means 3rd edition, January 1985.
I didn't do this with all my titles, but many of them from the mid to late 1980s had this type of marking.
The Tragedy of Morty, Prince of Denmarke, Act 4
Tragedy 4
1st edition, 1984, 50 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, January 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, February 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, July 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a print-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 green, 2 pink) regular digest size.
Page 25, panel 1: A reference to Morty the Dog's prototype, Odd Dog.
1st edition, 1984, 50 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, January 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, February 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, July 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1985, 30 copies, orchid cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a print-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 green, 2 pink) regular digest size.
Page 25, panel 1: A reference to Morty the Dog's prototype, Odd Dog.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Tragedy of Morty, Prince of Denmarke, Act 3
More
1st edition, 1984, 50 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, August 1984, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, January 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, June 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, April 1986, 6 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a reprint-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 yellow, 2 pink) regular digest size.
The thickest of the 5-issue set. The cover was later used as a poster image for Washington State University's Counter-Culture Comix exhibit.
The last panel on page 25 is one of the funniest lines in the entire series. This came from Lynn Hansen. Lynn was visiting me in Pullman, Washington from his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho at the time I was drawing this particular part of the story and he suggested this ad lib.
1st edition, 1984, 50 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, August 1984, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, January 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, June 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1985, 30 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, April 1986, 6 copies, yellow cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a reprint-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 yellow, 2 pink) regular digest size.
The thickest of the 5-issue set. The cover was later used as a poster image for Washington State University's Counter-Culture Comix exhibit.
The last panel on page 25 is one of the funniest lines in the entire series. This came from Lynn Hansen. Lynn was visiting me in Pullman, Washington from his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho at the time I was drawing this particular part of the story and he suggested this ad lib.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Tragedy of Morty, Prince of Denmarke, Act 2
Morty
1st edition, 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, June 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, August 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, December 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, June 1985, 30 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, October 1985, 30 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
7th edition, April 1986, 10 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a print-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (2 blue, 3 yellow), regular digest size.
1st edition, 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, June 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, August 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, December 1984, 30 copies, dark pink cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, June 1985, 30 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, October 1985, 30 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
7th edition, April 1986, 10 copies, pink cover, enlarged digest size.
Available as a print-on-demand title, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (2 blue, 3 yellow), regular digest size.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Tragedy of Morty, Prince of Denmarke, Act 1
Tragedy of Morty
1st edition, 1983, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, February 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, May 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, August 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, May 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
7th edition, October 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
8th edition, April 1986, 12 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
Offered as a reprint-on-demand, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room Reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 blue, 2 red), regular digest size.
This five issue series (a book for each act) was started in Spring 1983 when I lived in Olympia and I brought the project with me across the state to Pullman when I moved there in June/July. The final act was finished at the start of 1985, meaning the whole thing took me over a year and half to draw.
Hamlet is my favorite play. Shakespeare threaded a lot of humor in this tragedy and I wanted to bring that out.
Keeping all five acts in print at the same time was not easy. The 12 copy print run of the 8th edition must've been some effort to top off a complete set.
Someday I want to publish all five acts under one cover. When I do the book will be just about 200 pages.
The final image on the above scroll can be ignored. Somehow my current self-portrait slipped in there.
1st edition, 1983, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
2nd edition, February 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
3rd edition, May 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
4th edition, August 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
5th edition, November 1984, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
6th edition, May 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
7th edition, October 1985, 30 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
8th edition, April 1986, 12 copies, blue cover, enlarged digest size.
Offered as a reprint-on-demand, 1994, regular digest size.
1st Danger Room Reprint edition, August 2005, 5 copies (3 blue, 2 red), regular digest size.
This five issue series (a book for each act) was started in Spring 1983 when I lived in Olympia and I brought the project with me across the state to Pullman when I moved there in June/July. The final act was finished at the start of 1985, meaning the whole thing took me over a year and half to draw.
Hamlet is my favorite play. Shakespeare threaded a lot of humor in this tragedy and I wanted to bring that out.
Keeping all five acts in print at the same time was not easy. The 12 copy print run of the 8th edition must've been some effort to top off a complete set.
Someday I want to publish all five acts under one cover. When I do the book will be just about 200 pages.
The final image on the above scroll can be ignored. Somehow my current self-portrait slipped in there.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Comics at the Crossroads Coming to Boise
The "Comics at the Crossroads" exhibit which was presented at the Maryhill Museum last fall is heading for the Boise Art Museum August 20-November 22, 2011, according to BAM's website.
Here's the blurb:
Here's the blurb:
For decades comics have largely been viewed as light-hearted action comics and amusing stories told through simple line art. But in recent years, comics have moved from the cultural fringes into the artistic and literary mainstream. Comics at the Crossroads: Art of the Graphic Novel, showcases the work of 40 Pacific Northwest artists who represent established as well as emerging talents. Contemporary comic art addresses a wide array of serious literary, social, cultural and political issues. This exhibition will feature a variety of comic styles in previously published and unpublished original drawings, including sample page spreads and book covers.
A special feature of the exhibition will be a site-specific large-scale drawing installation by Daniel Duford, an artist and writer who teaches at Portland’s Pacific Northwest College of Art. Daniel’s wall drawings, comics and sculpture are meditations on mythic heroes of American culture
And now, for the literary portion of this blog
This broadside was found last Thursday in a toilet stall of a men's restroom of a certain office building filled with serious white collar professionals in Tumwater, Washington.
I'd like to say that when I saw it I laughed so hard I lost my aim and urinated all over the floor. But that would be such a cheap laugh and I'm above such things. So I won't say it. So please forget you just read the previous three sentences. Or, actually, the previous four sentences plus this very one you are reading telling you to forget reading the previous four sentences. But you can still read the first sentence. OK, now here's the deal. Forget you read this whole paragraph and just read the first sentence over again (now revised) that says:
This broadside was found last Thursday in a toilet stall of a men's restroom of a certain office building filled with serious white collar professionals in Tumwater, Washington. I found this slightly amusing.
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