Come on down to see Shad, King Mini, Tim Sievery and a bunch of great artists and designers from Minneapolis screen print over top of each other’s stuff.

There is also a cool gallery show with BTA spin-off PUNY showcasing blunders and over-prints…live music..and booze:

Just a friendly reminder.

Please join us on March 24th from 2:00 – 4:00 PM at Cafe Driade* in Chapel Hill, NC.

Currently weather conditions for Saturday are for partly cloudy skies and 84°.

*if the weather is nice, otherwise we will meet at Open Eye Cafe in Carrboro, NC. Same time.

ncwccc.com

Saturday Open Studio

The Rice Cartoonist Conspiracy is meeting from 7:00 -9:00 pm on March 10, 2007 at the Rice Print Shop art gallery on the 2nd floor of 310 Division St S, in Rice, MN. Join us for a pleasant evening of art, pizza and conversation. Art supplies are available for those who lack them, but for maximum joy, bring your favorite implements of destruction.

Also on the same night get a preview of our new photography exhibit featuring the work of Sloan Thrasher, Linda Tenney and David Carlyon.

Hope to see you there!

Questions? Call 320-393-3349 or, our weekend like at 492-0475. Alternatively, you may email us at info@riceprintshop.com.

Thanks! 🙂

Fantagraphics, one of the world’s finest publishers of comic art, is seeking financial aid to help battle their current legal woes with writer Harlan Ellison. You can read more about it here.

Here’s a small excerpt…

Here’s how you can help:

1. BUY OUR BOOKS. Yes, we know you’re probably already doing this, but surely this is a good time to give all your friends and relatives gifts. Seriously, we have a web site full of beautiful books and the sale of our books helps pay our lawyers.

2. GIVE US DOUGH. You can donate money to the Fantagraphics Defense Fund if you’re so inclined. This money will be deposited in a separate account and used exclusively to pay our lawyers. We know that there are hundreds of good causes to contribute to; we know that most of our readers are on a budget; we know you have your own problems; we know your life does not revolve around helping Fantagraphics; and we appreciate that you have probably bought our books in the past and will probably continue to buy those books that interest you. No pressure. But, if you have the money and want to support us, we will be deeply and sincerely appreciative of anything you would be willing to donate — from five bucks to, well, the sky’s the limit. A handful of big donations from the well-off would help us immensely. Small contributions, even letters of support, will boost our morale.

Hi everyone! I haven’t posted anything here in a while. Just wanted to show you all this image from my new Tommy Robot blog.

http://tommy-robot.blogspot.com/

I’m trying to do more of comics online ’cause it doesn’t cost me money. Hope you all like it!

John K, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, among other things, has an excellent animation blog where he frequently offers cartooning and animation lessons. The esteemed Mr. K can be dogmatic about what he views as the right way to do things, but a lot of the information he provides is really great. The latest one, which I found particularly interesting, is the fourth part of a discussion on animation backgrounds. From numbered page images, it looks like he is putting these together as a book, which I will be looking forward to.

Part 1: General Style Theory
Part 2: Contrasts in Shapes
Part 3: Contrasts in Direction and Size
Part 4: Organic Shapes and Forms
On simple color backgrounds

You have until March 15th to enter your mini-comics to win an Isotope Award for Excellence in mini-comics.

Judges Announced, and Submissions Accepted!

Bring Your Best for the Fifth Annual
Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics

SAN FRANCISCO (January 16th, 2007) San Francisco comics retailer James Sime, proprietor of Isotope – the comic book lounge, announced today that submissions for the fifth-annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will be accepted until March 15th at midnight. “In 2007 one mini-comic creator’s career will be forever changed,” said Sime, “So fire up your xerox machines and get ready to submit your minis for the fifth annual Isotope Award!”

The five comic professionals who will serve as judges for the Isotope Award this year include:

Danica Novgorodoff – 2006 winner of the Isotope Award for her mini-comic A LATE FREEZE. Danica is a comics author, artist and also a designer for First Second Books.

Johanna Draper Carlson – Publishers Weekly writer, and the brilliant mind behind Comics Worth Reading. Johanna’s open-minded reviews and enthusiastic reporting set the bar for commentary throughout the industry.

Jason McNamara – Xeric award winning author of all-ages graphic novel FIRST MOON, PopImage columnist, & returning Isotope Award judge.

Kirsten Baldock – The Isotope’s Special Projects Director is also a librarian, bartender, and the author of the SMOKE AND GUNS graphic novel.

James Sime – Proprietor of Isotope – the comic book lounge in San Francisco.

The award, a beautiful trophy sculpted by designer Crowe, made entirely from carved ebony fossil stone and satin silver, has also launched the professional comic careers of Rob Osborne (1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION), Josh Cotter (SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST), Daniel Merlin Goodbrey (THE LAST SANE COWBOY), and now Danica Novgorodoff (A LATE FREEZE). “The attention this award has brought to our winners always brings us such joy,” said Baldock, “Osborne, Cotter, and Goodbrey’s minis have all been picked up by great indy publishers, and Danica Novgrodoff’s A LATE FREEZE is now available through Diamond Comics Distributor. What could be better than that?”

Entry to this competition is five copies of your mini-comic sent to Isotope’s address (326 Fell St. San Francisco, CA 94102) before the March 15th deadline. The award will be given out at a grand ceremony during APE AFTERMATH at the Isotope in conjunction with San Francisco’s ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. San Francisco’s APE convention has been a forum for small and independent publishers in the industry for many years. Because of the nature of this award, the winner will be contacted in advance and must be present at the Isotope at 9 PM on Saturday, April 21st for the award presentation ceremony.

“Get your submissions in and give yourself a chance to grab the gold and the glory that we all know you deserve!” Sime said with a smile, “And don’t forget to order a copy of Danica’s book on page 281 of the January Previews!”

For more information contact the Isotope at (415) 621 – 6543 or at isotopepromotions@gmail.com

7000 BC has joined the Conspiracy!

Sweet 7000’s Baaadassss Comics [7000 BC] is a Northern New Mexico-based nonprofit providing opportunities for comics writers and artists to develop their personal styles and storytelling “voices,” while promoting an understanding of the cultural significance of comic art through seminars and workshops. 7000 BC members are a diverse group whose work ranges from “traditional” comics fare to autobiographical to truly experimental.

Information on monthly meetings, educational programs, upcoming conventions, and other news is posted at the 7000 BC Web site and members’ work is available at the 7000 BC store.

New members from Central and Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Espanola and beyond) are always welcome.

Send an email for more information. Or just to say hi.

This 5-minute slideshow covers the Comic Creators Network of Kansas City from 2002 through 2006, and includes photos from sketchbook parties, coffeeshop gatherings, comicbook art shows, CCN convention tables, and 24-hour-comic events. As a new cell to the ICC, I thought this slideshow would sort of introduce us to everyone.

Its a youtube.com video…so click here to view the streaming video right now….

Mark Stinson – voidpulp@yahoo.com