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Participate in the 2nd Annual Mini-Comics Day: May 26th, 2012

mini-comics, Mini-Comics Day, News


(Above image by Dan Murphy)

May 26th, 2012 is the date for the second annual Mini-Comics Day, celebrating the art of cartooning and creating hand-made comic books (the first event was held April 9th, 2011).

On Mini-Comics Day, participating cartoonists from around the world will write, draw, and print copies of a mini-comic, completing the entire process from start to finish in a day or less. Anyone in the world can participate.

Mini-comics have been democratizing the art of making comic books since the 70’s or earlier… with the popularization of photocopiers, it became apparent that anyone with an inclination and some spare change could print a little comic book. Wildly varying in both form and content, mini-comics are a wonderful synthesis of cartooning and hand-made art objects.

Guidelines: To participate, create a mini-comic from start to finish on May 26th, 2012 (including writing, drawing and printing it). You can make your mini-comic by yourself or with other artists.

Format: Your mini-comic can be any size, length and format you desire. A standard mini-comics size would be eight 4.25″x5.5″ pages (which can be made from one 8.5×11 sheet of paper printed on both sides).

Help: For more information on how to make a mini-comic, see the Cartoonist Conspiracy’s mini-comic tutorial How to Make Mini-Comics. More resources can be found here.

Submit: Optionally, you can post information and/or images from your comic on this blog. Contact for an account to post here.

Bonus points: If you are working with a group of cartoonists, you may want to consider collecting your mini-comics together to distribute as a set. Bags, rubber bands, or boxes all work great for this purpose.

Also, you may want to consider trading copies by submitting some to the Mini-comix Co-op.

Events: Mini-Comics Day events will be organized at different locations around the world. You can read more about how to organize an event in our FAQ. The purpose of Mini-Comics Day events is to provide a place for cartoonists to draw and/or print their comics, and possibly to trade or sell their minis if they choose to. In 2011, we had 17 event locations participate internationally.

If you would like to organize an event, contact us at so we can promote your event and add it to our event listing.

About The International Cartoonist Conspiracy: Founded in Minneapolis in 2002, The International Cartoonist Conspiracy is a loosely organized group of cartoonists with cells all over the world. The Conspiracy has been responsible for many collaborative projects, including anthologies, gallery shows, and numerous jams every month. Any cartoonist anywhere can start a cell, and anyone with a desire to draw comics is encouraged to participate.

MIX Links

event, Events, Festivals, Minneapolis, MIX, mn, News, press, show

This morning I was sent a link to an huge quantity of interviews with exhibitors at last month’s delightful MIX convention by Fancy Pants Gangsters. You can check them out here.

That made me realize I don’t believe I have yet posted a link to Tom Spurgeon’s amazing and enormous MIX link roundup at the Comics Reporter. You can check that out here.

Get your mini-comics ready… only 23 months until the next MIX!

Donation Request to Benefit ALS Sufferer

Good Causes

Dennis Steele asked me to post the following:

I’m helping a friend of mine with a benefit he’s organizing for an employee at his company who’s battling ALS. The benefit is on Dec. 10th in Hopkins, and features martial arts of various forms and disciplines. There will also be a silent auction. Which brings me to the reason I’m emailing you, I was wondering if you knew of anyone that would be willing to donate some art work for the silent auction.

You can contact Dennis at dsteele(at)mntalent.com

Tom K Writes About the Twin Cities Comics Scene at The Comics Journal

Minneapolis, mn, St. Paul

Tom K wrote up a “scene report” about the Twin Cities Comics scene for the Comics Journal… you can read it here. He was nice enough to give us a great mention in the article:

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy is an organization of cartoonists structured like a terrorist cell. There are no leaders and yet is seems well organized and manages to put on several comics oriented events every year. The most prominent of these is Lutefisk Sushi. It’s an almost annual series of mini-comic filled ‘bento-boxes.’ Each box is screen printed and designed by a different cartoonist. The box is released in conjunction with an exhibition of the work collected in the box. The ICC also organizes a well attended 24-hour comic day, a monthly comics jam and a number of other projects and events. They are always welcoming to new cartoonists. Their fez covered heads are a prominent staple at all local comics events.

Reminder! Special Jam at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Tomorrow, Thursday November 17th

event, Events, jam, Minneapolis, mn

As part of their Third Thursday program, we’re having a special Third Thursday jam this month at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts next Thursday, November 17th (note that this is instead of the regular third Thursday St. Paul jam, which is cancelled for this month). It starts at 6PM and goes until 9PM. The cartooning activity will happen in Studios 111-113 on the first floor. Here is a pdf promoting the event.

The theme of the jam will be Warriors and Vixens, which is the name of the Third Thursday event. We won’t be doing the usual numbered pages, we’ll be doing isolated pages. The MIA will be providing paper and materials (although you’ll of course want to bring your preferred tools).

As always, it is open to anyone who wishes to draw. The more the merrier… so please tell your friends.

You’re encouraged to bring some of your print work along to populate a few reading lounges they will have set up, which should be a very good opportunity to get your work seen. The publications you bring are not intended to be a donation… you should take your books with you at the end of the event. The guards will be informed that it is cool for us to carry our publications out with us.

This is a part of a cross-promotion with other stuff going on at the MIA relating to their Edo Pop show of Japanese prints, relating them to our modern culture.

The Cartoonist Conspiracy Now Has a Google+ Page For Some Reason

Conspiracy Website

We now have a Google+ page. Will it be useful and fun, or simply a redundant, annoying, and possibly intrusive waste of time? I guess we’ll find out. At least it isn’t in the gated community of Facebook!

Update: In the comments, Doc Pop, who had his account shut down by Google for using the pseudonym everyone calls him, argues that Google+ is more of a gated community than facebook. Dammit, Doc, can’t we just agree to hate them both?

Special Jam at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts Thursday November 17th… and Related Events

event, Events, jam, Minneapolis, mn, St. Paul

As part of their Third Thursday program, we’re having a special Third Thursday jam this month at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts next Thursday, November 17th (note that this is instead of the regular third Thursday St. Paul jam, which is cancelled for this month). It starts at 6PM and goes until 9PM. The cartooning activity will happen in Studios 111-113 on the first floor. Here is a pdf promoting the event.

The theme of the jam will be Warriors and Vixens, which is the name of the Third Thursday event. We won’t be doing the usual numbered pages, we’ll be doing isolated pages. The MIA will be providing paper and materials (although you’ll of course want to bring your preferred tools).

As always, it is open to anyone who wishes to draw. The more the merrier… so please tell your friends.

You’re encouraged to bring some of your print work along to populate a few reading lounges they will have set up, which should be a very good opportunity to get your work seen. The publications you bring are not intended to be a donation… you should take your books with you at the end of the event. The guards will be informed that it is cool for us to carry our publications out with us.

This is a part of a cross-promotion with other stuff going on at the MIA relating to their Edo Pop show of Japanese prints, relating them to our modern culture.

Here are a couple of other related events happening. The first one was forwarded to me by our own Jamison Penny, and is happening November 15th in Hopkins:

A Cross talk about Comic Books, Helmet Girls, and Heros with Camilla d’Errico and Joshua Dysart (moderated by Katherine Milton, Director of Learning and Innovation at the MIA) Tuesday, Nov 15th 6:00-8:00 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN 55343

Come and enjoy a lively dialogue between two highly sought after graphic novel artists, as they discuss their creative process, collaboration in the digital age, the graphic novel business and more. There will also be a question and answer period. The event is free and no reservation is required.

Joshua Dysart is a New York Times bestselling author of 16 graphic novels, most widely known for his monthly comic, Unknown Soldier, which deals with the war in Uganda and the exploitation of child soldiers. Other collaborations include Greendale with musician Neil Young, and Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment with Deepak Chopra. Award-winning graphic novelist and collaborator Dysart integrates world mythologies, art history, social studies, and contemporary politics into his accompanying stories.

Camilla D’Errico is a Canadian comic-book illustrator, painter, and visual artist. Her clients include Dark Horse Comics, Image Comics, Random House, Tokyopop, Hasbro, Disney, Sanrio, Neil Gaiman, and video game companies. Her own characters and properties include the popular Tanpopo and Helmetgirls. Borrowing from Japanese manga, D’Errico illustrates stories with an ethereal lyricism that references Japanese prints, such as those on view in “Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints” in the Target Galleries at the MIA.
Special thanks to the MIA for making this presentation possible. Joshua Dysart and Camilla d’Errico are in the Twin Cities to support of the exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints. Their work with the MIA will largely be in demonstrating the ways in which contemporary pop culture as seen in graphic novels and comic books have deep roots in a Japanese aesthetic and form.

re: Joshua’s work:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8221128.stm

http://joshuadysart.com/unknownsoldier/?p=454

Camilla d’Errico’s work:
http://http://www.camilladerrico.com/

http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/05/09/video-interview-artist-camilla-derrico-helmetgirls-origins/

And, forwarded by Katie Wildfong at the MIA, and is happening November 16th at the MIA:

Free Upcoming Event at the MIA: Joshua Dysart Discusses “Unknown Soldier”

I am writing to let you know about a free event hosted by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts from 3 – 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16.

Acclaimed graphic novelist Joshua Dysart will discuss his experience researching and writing the comic book series “Unknown Soldier,” set in war-torn Northern Uganda. The story’s protagonist is a Ugandan-American doctor who returns home to aid victims of the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony. “Unknown Soldier” highlights the ongoing civil unrest in central Africa. This talk is particularly timely in light of the US military deployment to Uganda announced last month.

Joshua Dysart has received numerous accolades for his work, including a Glyph Comics Award in 2011 for best writer of a comic made by, for, or about people of color, and a nomination for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award, also in 2011. His work on “Unknown Soldier” has been covered by The New York Times, the BBC, and other international media:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/12/books/12unknown.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8221128.stm.

This talk will take place on Wednesday, November 16, at 3 p.m. and will be held in the Pillsbury Auditorium. It is open to everyone; no reservations are necessary.

We hope you can come, and please feel free to invite others!