Check out this inspiring commencement speech to the first graduating class of The Center for Cartoon Studies by the great Patrick McDonnell at Tom Spurgeon’s excellent Comics Reporter Blog.

Mr. Spurgeon has also reviewed a recent run (May 13-19) of McDonnell’s Mutts strips having to do with writing a commencement speech here, one of which can be seen above.

On Thursday May 31, 2007 San Francisco Cartoonist Conspiracy Cell will be having our Comic Jam at the Church St. Café (formally called Muddy Waters Café). NOTE: The address on the calendar (on the sidebar) shows it at Cafe International, this is wrong.

The meetings are on the second and last Thursday of the month.e International, this is wrong. Folks start arriving around 6:30 to 7:00 pm and we usually hang around till 9-10 depending on how folks are feeling.

Work continues on the Epic battle between Robots and Bunnies. WHO WILL WIN?

The location can easily be reached from BART/MUNI.

For more information, comments, questions …. e-mail Doc Popular.

BE THERE OR WELL SHOW THEM THOSE EMBARRASSING PICTURES!!

Available for download — An Uncalled-For Ending -or- Goodbye, Ryk, the jam comic made at the June meeting, in honor of Ryk moving to California — based on actual events, and concluding with Jeff’s Sykryk homage.

Chapter nine of Kevin Cannon’s fantastic tale of arctic rapscallion Armitage Shanks, Far Arden, is online… only three chapters to go!

Click here to start reading at chapter nine.

Click here to start at the beginning.

Click here to read more about Kevin Cannon’s mad, mad project.

Click here to cheer Kevin on in his comments.

The Minneapolis Cartoonist Conspiracy meets at 6:30 until 10:00 the first Thursday of every month at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe in Northeast.

Generally, we draw collaborative “jam” comics, socialize and drink caffeinated beverages. Afterwards, we often have uncaffeinated beverages somewhere else.

The meetings are open to anyone who wants to draw with us, and the results are posted here sooner or later (and sometimes even printed).

Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe
1618 Central Avenue Northeast
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bus info here.

Please spend some money at Diamond’s while you’re there, even if it is just a cuppa coffee… they are excellent hosts, and we wanna stay welcome there.

Big Time Attic is now officially hosting our monthly jam meetings at Diamond’s… they will be supplying us with a big old plate of pastries or something each month. Thanks fellas!

Friday night was the opening of Strip: Undressing Comics, 7000 BC‘s exhibit of the comic-making process at North Fourth. It was a great time and the show looks terrific, with more than 200 pieces of art on the walls. More photos at Flickr.