Category Archives: Events

PARTY THIS FRIDAY – SEPT 16th

Events, Minneapolis

We hope that everyone can make the debut:


“BONE SHARPS, COWBOYS, AND THUNDER LIZARDS”
———– BOOK RELEASE PARTY————-


Friday, September 16, 2005, 4-7 pm
BIG BRAIN COMICS
1027 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(add this to your blogs, Blackberrys, and events calendars)

Featuring special guest…flying in just for this party, GT Lab’s JIM OTTAVIANI!!!

The 168-page true science epic about two ruthless wild west paleontologists will be available for the first time anywhere, and Jim Ottaviani and Big Time Attic will be on hand to sign copies, tell tales, and show off the original art.

Bring in your dog-eared copies of “Two-Fisted Science” and “Suspended in Language” to get signed, or any of BTA’s individual books…or, hey, just come for the free beer and stand in the corner quietly until the beer runs out.

The Wild West provided the setting for some famous battles, but the gunfight at O.K. Corral doesn’t hold a candle to the Bone Wars. Following the Civil War, the (Re-)United States turned its attention to the unexplored territories between the Mississippi and the Pacific. The railroads led the way, and to build them we blasted through mountains and leveled valleys and exposed rock that hadn’t seen the light of day for millions of years. This is the story of Edwin Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, two scientists who found and fought for those bones, and the artist Charles R. Knight who almost single-handedly brought dinosaurs back to life for an awestruck public. Guest starring Chief Red Cloud and hundreds of his Indian Braves, the gun-totin’ and gamblin’ Professor John Bell Hatcher, colossal and stupefying Dinosauria of the New World, and featuring special appearances by The Cardiff Giant, P.T. Barnum, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Graham Bell, and a plentiful supporting cast of Rogues and Gallants from the Eastern Scientific Establishment and The Old West, the colorful supporting cast makes for a rich blend of history, adventure, science, and art.

You’re invited to be a guest at FallCon 2005 October 8th and 9th

Events, Minneapolis

The Minnesota Comic Book Association (run by the extremely generous Nick Post of The Source Comics and Games) has invited all cartoonists to come to Fallcon 2005 October 8th and 9th and get some free table space to promote themselves and enjoy the convention. This sort of generosity is rare for a convention (generally you have to pay for a table at a con… they are around 800 clams at San Diego). It is especially rare for such a first rate convention… FallCon is the largest comic convention in the state of Minnesota and is always a blast to attend.

You can download a pdf I’ve posted for attending here. The pdf includes more info about the convention and has a form to send in to let them know if you’re attending. I’ve added an area to the form you can check if you want to request that you be seated near the conspiracy.

Once you fill out the form, send it to:
MN Comic Book Association
PO Box 131475
Saint Paul, MN 55113

While you’re at it, you’ll probably want to get added to the MCBA’s mailing list as well, which you can do on the left side of their home page.

“The MCBA is a non-profit, non-aligned, all volunteer association dedicated to promoting the comic book medium, comic book creators, publishers, comic book retailers, comic book media and the comic book genre as a whole and has successfully done so via the convention & special event format for over 16 years.”

THE YEAR LONG GRAPHIC NOVEL PROJECT

Events, Minneapolis, Projects

For those of you who participated in 24 Hour Comics Day, beyond the exhaustion you felt you were most likely excited and exhilirated at how much work you could get done in a limited amount of time. We’ve decided to embark on a project inspired by the 24 hour event that hopefully will bear even more exciting creative fruits.

We are starting THE YEAR LONG GRAPHIC NOVEL PROJECT.

THE GOAL: To complete a graphic novel in a year.

THE CHALLENGE: To complete a minimum of three finished pages of comics towards a larger work by the end of each month for a year. More than three pages is, of course, excellent.

THE RULES:
1) The end of the month is defined by the end of the new six hour monthly meetings at The Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
2) While the intent is certainly to produce a lot of pages in a limited time, it is also to produce a lot of high-quality work. Therefore, you can do as much work and planning outside of the meeting time as you want to. In fact, you can come to the meetings with your required number of pages (and as many more as you want) already completed.
3) You can start at any meeting… at this time these meetings are intended to be ongoing indefinitely. It should be noted that many people will probably start at the first meeting, so if you want a good race, this may be a good place to start.
4) If you do the bare minimum, you’ll have 36 completed pages at the end of the year… 36 pages completed is the shortest length that will be accepted as a successful year long graphic novel.
5) You are not required to tell one cohesive story to be considered a graphic novel. You could do all one page strips. There are absolutely no rules about content, other than that the content must be comics.

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts has generously offered some monthly space for Minneapolis area cartoonists to draw in. We will now be meeting on one Saturday a month to draw(this will replace the Sunday Funnies meetings… times will be listed on the Cartoonist Conspiracy website).

It should be noted that this is an open studio time for all cartoonists… you are not required to participate in the Year Long Graphic Novel Project to come and draw with us.

The first meeting will be July 16th 10AM-4PM in the MCBA Flexi Space (for those of you who were at the Spot On Festival, this is the room Big Time Attic had a table in, next room over from the space where we had part of the 24 Hour Event).

July 16th 10AM-4PM
The Minnesota Center for Book Arts
The Open Book Building (in the Flexi Space)
1011 Washington Ave S, Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN 55415
PHONE: 612-215-2520

SPOT ON FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND JUNE 11-12

Events, Minneapolis, Projects

The Spot On Fair is this weekend and it should be fun… It is part of the Spot On: The Art of Zines and Graphic Novels gallery show that has been there since April 9th (and has recieved some favorable reviews) Many conspirators are participating. There will be a conspiracy table (as well as tables for many other cartoonists and zine makers) where any conspirator can bring comics to sell, and we’ll attempt to manage it (Please put prices on the cover of anything you want to sell, and give us a sheet with the price of the books and the number of copies you’re leaving with us… we absolutely will not deal with your books if you do not do this, unless you talk us into it). We accept no responsibility for lost or stolen books.

This is also intended to be a trading festival, so regardless of whether you have something to sell, bring comics and zines to trade to people for their comics and zines.

Here is the schedule:

SPOT ON FAIR SCHEDULE


Saturday June 11 (10-5)

10-12 Family Day – Zines

Construct your own zine with Alec Mueller – comic artist and By Design graduate.

1-2:30 Craft of Cartooning: Tips and tricks from Cartoonists

Featuring:
Kirk Anderson
Ken Avidor
Andrey Feldysteyn
Shad Petosky
Andy Singer

3-4:30 Cartoonists and their influences

Featuring:
Ken Avidor
Andrey Feldysteyn
Steven Stwalley

Sunday June 12 (12-5)

1-2:30 Tom Cassidy


3-4:30 Mini-Comics: the Art of Making Comic Books by Hand

Featuring:
Bob Lipski
Doug McNamara
Danno Oschendorf
Quillan Roe


Shad Petosky and Rana Raeuchle will also be participating in some of the panels… I imagine some other folks may join in as well.

Thanks much to Big Brain Comics for donating the table for the Conspiracy… Big Brain, if you didn’t already know, is just a half a block away from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, who is hosting the fair, and houses one of the most amazing masses of comic literature you’ll ever see in one place. Thanks also to Book Arts and Jeff Rathermel for concieving and organizing this event.

The Minnesota Center For Book Arts (MCBA)
(at the Open Book)
1011 Washington Ave. South
Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55415

www.openbookmn.org
www.mnbookarts.org

Hope to see you there!

REMEMBER MOM THIS WEEKEND

Events

And how she threw away all your comics when you were a kid by going to your local comic store to celebrate our favorite holiday of the year… FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is May 7th!

Apparently there is some other holiday this weekend too.

“We know that when we start talking about Free Comic Book Day it sounds like we’re talking about Ride A Lucky Dragon Day or Dance the Dance of Magic Dancing Beans Day. Here’s the thing though, Free Comic Book Day is real. It’s a real day when real jolly comic book retailers across the land give free comic books to anyone who goes to their stores.” -Shad Petosky of Big Time Attic

And they are giving out some doozies this year… like this one for example:

———————————–

Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards: A Tale of Edwin Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh, and the Gilded Age of Paleontology fcbd edition

by Jim Ottaviani, Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon, and Shad Petosky

Dinosaurs! Cowboys! Scientists! What more could you ask for? This special FCBD Edition offers a complete short story and tantalizing introduction to the fall’s upcoming graphic novel. In addition to the cowboys, dinosaurs, and villainous men of science Bone Sharps also features the world-renowned artist Charles R. Knight, Chief Red Cloud and hundreds of his Indian braves, the gun-totin’ & gamblin’ professor John Bell Hatcher, and special appearances by the Cardiff Giant, P.T. Barnum, Buffalo Bill Cody, and a supporting cast of rogues & gallants from the Eastern scientific establishment and the Old West. Cover by Mark Schultz.

———————————–

There are a bunch of other great looking books coming out for the holiday… besides Bonesharps I’m particularly looking forward to SUPERIOR SHOWCASE #0 FCBD EDITION, ALTERNATIVE COMICS PRESENTS FCBD ED 2005 EDITION, COMICS FESTIVAL! FCBD EDITION, THE ADVENTURES OF PAUL FCBD EDITION, FUNNY BOOK FCBD EDITION, and KEENSPOT SPOTLIGHT 2005 FCBD EDITION. You can read more about all of these fine, fine, fine looking books on this page.

And all for free! How do they do it, you may wonder, wonderingly, with a question mark, the way you do. Well, Virginia, you see, Free Comic Day succeeds through the “Spirit of Free Comics.” Similar to such spirits as the “Spirit of Christmas” in that it spreads joy and good cheer throughout the land by giving, it is also similar to the “Spirit of Crack Dealing” in that it operates on the principle “try one for free, and we know that pretty soon you’ll be hooked.”

There are creator signings coinciding with the event all over the country, including at Big Brain Comics, where Shad, Zander and Kevin from Big Time Attic will be signing the Bonesharps book… Chris Jones (Batman Strikes) will also be at the event, signing THE BATMAN STRIKES! #1 FCBD EDITION.

CARTOONISTS IN THE PARK SUNDAY MAY 22nd

Events, Minneapolis

I’ve just reserved a space for a Conspiracy pot luck in BOOM ISLAND PARK (B) May 22nd from 9:00 AM to 3:00PM. All cartoonists are welcome, whether or not they affiliate themselves with our conspiratorial asses. This is intended to be a social event… there may be some drawing, but frisbee is just as likely.

BYOB, bring food, bring frisbees or whatever outdoor stuff you like to mess around with. Bring your significant others (including kids). You could also BRING YOUR SUBMISSIONS TO WEIRD ILLUSTRATED (Deadline May 23rd) if you’re submitting.

Info is below… the policies listed aren’t mine, but the Minneapolis park services… I will not be counting beer points, and the number of beer points collected during the day will be between you and the aspirin bottle. Don’t know if parking fees apply on Sunday or not, but I highly doubt it.

—————————

Location: Boom Island B
8th Ave. NE & Sibley St. NE
Time: SUNDAY May 22 2005 9:00AM
Duration: Half Day (6 Hours)

Policies: 3.2 Beer only, no kegs. No amplification. Please help out by packing out your trash. No driving or parking on the grass. No staking into the ground. Fires permitted in grills only. Parking at Boom Island parking lots are $.50 per hour. Please recycle using containers where available, Thank You.

Roll Call for 24 Hour Comics Day Minneapolis

24 Hour Comics, Events, Minneapolis, Projects

Here’s who’s in at this point (in the order they signed up, with an asterik next to those who are in for their second year)… we may end up with a few more stragglers…

Quillan Roe
*David Steinlicht
*Danno Ochsendorf
Nathan Lauster
Troy Cummings
David Wolter
Carl Nelson
*Sean Tenhoff
Tone Redmon
*Ken Avidor
Phil Redmon
Scott Williams
*Kevin Cannon
Zander Cannon
Tim Jennen
Dan Frye
Gail Catheryn
Andy Devore
*Adam Wirtzfeld
Shane Stevenson
*Steven Stwalley

That would be 21 noble fools. Three more and we have one for every hour.

Shad Petosky will also be returning in his role as intrepid reporter on the scene.

24 HOUR COMICS DAY IS COMING UP FAST

24 Hour Comics, Events, Minneapolis, Projects

I’ve updated the Minneapolis 24 Hour Comics Day website with Zander’s poster and some additional info:

Also, I’ve posted info to the blog on the national site.

24 Hour Comics Day is coming up fast… we’ll be discussing it in a bit more detail at the Sunday Funnies meeting this weekend. If you want to volunteer to help, come on over to Grumpy’s… and if you know anyone who wants to volunteer, tell them to come (or contact me).

If you want to hang posters to promote the event, please do so! You can either arrange to get some from me, or, better yet, you can print them up yourself using the downloadable poster here.

If you aren’t a Minneapolis conspirator, check here to find a location near you.

Spot On Show

Events, Minneapolis, Projects

Went to the opening of the Spot On: The Art of Zines and Graphic Novels show in Minneapolis last night, and it is quite spectacular. While it showcases the work of local cartoonists, it also highlights the work of cartoonists from around the world. Being Book Arts, as much of the emphasis is on the presentation of the comics and Zines in the show as it is on the contents of the publications. They had a huge turnout last night, especially considering almost all of the area parking was taken up by Minnesota Twins fans going to the game. If you missed it last night, there is no need to cry since it will be up until June, so you still have plenty of time to catch it. Thanks much to Jeff Rathermel at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts for including so many of us in the show (and thanks to conspirator Chris Coffey for helping Jeff set up the wonderful presentation of all the works).

Speaking to Jeff last night, I also got confirmation that we will be able to use the space at Book Arts for the full 24 hours of 24 Hour Comic Day, which is wonderful. We were wondering a bit what we were going to do with all the elbows in the wee hours of the morning, and this has solved the problem… Book Arts will provide us with an ideal space to work in and have a little space to spead out a bit. At this point we have 20 artists signed on to participate in our Minneapolis 24 Hour Comic event… more information about this will be coming soon. To read more about it now, go here.

Also, I should note that we NEED VOLUNTEERS to help with this event. If you are not participating and can help out, or if you know some people that would be interested in helping out, please let us know.