The Cartoonist Conspiracy just got its first foothold in Europe… the Aviano Cartoonist Conspiracy (Aviano Air Base, Italy)! Benvenuto! Può il vostro flusso dell’inchiostro come un fiume. Hopefully that means what babelfish says it does!

The opening reception for the Sunday Comix exhibit, “Komics @ Kerouac,” will be held at (where else?) the Kafé Kerouac (just a few blocks north of Lane Ave.) this Friday, Feb 1 from 7-11p. You can meet the artists, look at their art up close, watch those cartooning fools create a live Comix Jam before your very eyes or just ignore the whole damn thing and get yourself a nice cup of Toni Morrison or Franz Kafka. Free food will be available as well as plenty of beer and booze. (They carry the full line of Great Lakes Beers and they are the only Bar in Columbus that recycles all their Bottles and Cans!)

“Komics @ Kerouac” will feature the framed art work of Matt & Ellen Wyatt, Ray Tomczak, Molly Durst, Andrea “Sam” McEnaney and Max Ink. Their books as well as those of other Sunday Comix members will be available for sale throughout the month of February.

Kafé Kerouac is located at 2250 N. High St. in Columbus, hours are Mon-Fri, 8am to 11pm, Sat, 10am to 11pm, and Sun, Noon to 10pm.

The Cartoon Art Museum is honored to celebrate the life and work of cartoonist Creig Flessel with a special exhibition opening on Flessel’s 96th birthday, February 2, 2008. The exhibition will include over 30 examples from Flessel’s long creative career, including original comic book artwork from the 1930s, newspaper advertisements from the 1950s, comic strips from the 1960s, Playboy cartoons from the 1980s and recent commissioned artwork from the 1990s onward.

Mr. Flessel created both the Sandman as well as the Shining Knight who are still part of the DC Comics Universe. The San Francisco Chronicle has a list of 11 things about the artist HERE.

Mr. Flessel is still doing art as well, check out this nice drawing he did for the late cartoonist Phil Frank when he was in the hospital. If I can only be so lucky to create art half as good when I am 96 years old.

So, I found a space to show some of the comicbook inspired work that i’ve been creating lately. It’s really unofficial and last minute, but the art will be there! As well as food and booze available at the cafe bar. It’s really a nice place, so there’s a chance that my work will be up for a very limited amount of time, if you know what I mean. So come on by. There might be a band playing abstract jazz things. Maybe not. Embrace the chaos. San Francisco! Yes!

Cheers!

– mike

I’m curious how many conventions are out there that offer free table space and attendance for creators. I’ve mentioned the wonderful Minneapolis conventions FallCon and MicroCon as two examples of this rare practice in the past… they both offer free table space to any creator who asks for it until table space runs out. Josh Blair mentioned Syracuse Heroes Expo, Ithacon and the Ithaca Winter Comic Book Show on my personal blog here. Are any of you aware of any other conventions that do this? Please let us know in the comments.

The Cartoonist Conspiracy San Francisco is calling all Bay Area Artist to come and draw with us. Our next meeting is this coming Thursday January 31st, so bring your favorite drawing tools and come on down.

We meet on the second and last Thursday of each month at the Church St. Café from 6:30 pm to sometimes between 9 and 10 pm.

WHEN: Thursday January 10, 2008 and Thursday January 31, 2008.

Here is where we are: (the green cabin is the café and the blue markers are MUNI bus stations)

View Larger Map

In her popular comics blog The Beat, Heidi MacDonald today asks the question “Minneapolis – a Mecca For Cartoonists?” (in reference to this webpage). If you are a Minneapolis cartoonist, you probably already know the answer to this… you can share your opinions on the subject in the comments on her blog.

For those of you pondering the question, I refer you to this previous post on this blog on the last five years of activity of the Minneapolis cell of the Cartoonist Conspiracy.

UPDATE: I think Heidi got the link from Tom Spurgeon’s excellent Comics Reporter blog… unfortunately, Tom doesn’t have a commenting system.

Dear Pencil-Pal,

The St. Paul cell started 2008 with their best-attended meeting ever. Seven co-conspirators combined to create “Peanuts Vs. Prince” which you can see for yourself by clicking here:

st.paul/stpjam04.pdf

Why can’t I have a normal blog like everyone else?

Very truly yours,

C. Conspiracy

REMIDER:
We’re a little less than 2 months from the MARCH 15th deadline to submit comics and art for the 3rd LUTEFISK SUSHI, to be held at ALTERED ESTHETICS in May (during ART-A-WHIRL!).

A reminder of what you need to do in order to particiapte:

1) You must live in Minnesota.

2) You must provide us with 160 copies of your comic. Not 161, not 159, not 2,364. 160.

Your mini-comic canbe no larger than 5.5″ x 8.5″, or it won’t fit. It can be any format and length.

Please only submit one title, as space is limited.

3) You must matte, frame, or otherwise make presentable and hangable any originals you intend to have displayed.
If you don’t do this we will not hang your work… frames can be purchased cheaply easily enough at thrift stores and other places.
It is not required that you display originals, but it is encouraged.
Submitting multiple peices is encouraged, be know we may not have space for everything.
Put your name and the price of the piece on the back of the piece (note when pricing that the gallery gets 30% of the sales price).
All art SHOULD be priced to sell.

4) You must submit everything by no later than March15, 2008.

5) You must include the form at the bottom of this call with your submission(You’ll have to highlight and print off).
Submissions without forms will not be included in the show.
There is also an ADDITIONAL submission form for the gallery you will have to fill out when
you drop off your comics/original art at BIG TIME ATTIC.

6) You may submit up to 20 other comics you’ve previously done to be sold at the gallery during the show. They MUST have your name and a price clearly visable. Please also include a little placard with the comics title/your name/ price.

7) Every participant will receive a bento box.

You must show up on opening night to pick up your BentoBox, or you must make other arrangements before thenif you plan on getting one.

8) You must pick up your remaining original artwork,unsold comics and money (if any) at the end of the show. Any money or artwork not picked up by the artists will be kept by the gallery to do with as theyplease.

9) While it is not required, your assistance would be greatly appreciated collating the Bento Boxes at the collating party. We will also be looking for many volunteers to hang out and draw jam comics during art-a-whirl. You’re also encouraged to suggest and organize other related activities for the month.

We intend to include in the box all submissions thatmeet ALL these criteria.

Please read the criteriacarefully before submitting, as it takes a LOT of ourtime and resources to go back and hassle people foritems they are missing.

Entries not meeting ALL of the above criteria will NOT be included in the box.

First come, first served, so get your submissions in early.

Profits from the originals and comics will be split with the artists and gallery 70 (artists)-30(gallery).
Profits from the Bento Boxes will go first to reimburse our miscellaneous production expenses,and then to the gallery (which is a wonderfulnon-profit organization we are thrilled to be involvedwith).

Lutefisk Sushi Volume C is being sponsored andorganized by The International Cartoonist Conspiracy(http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/), Altered Esthetics(alteredesthetics.org) and Big Time Attic(http://www.bigtimeattic.com/).

LUTEFISK SUSHI VOLUME C PARTICIPATION FORM

Name:

Address:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Name of the work you are submitting to the Bento Box:

Indicate prices of any originals included here (and onthe backs of the originals):

Indicate prices and titles of any comics you are selling here (and on the books.. also include a folded 3×5 card with the name and price of each book you aregiving us to sell):

I am aware that The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, Big Time Attic, and Altered Ethetics donot insure or agree to be responsible for any theft,damage, or loss of any article. I freely choose toexhibit in Altered Esthetics and I agree to accept anyand all loss, theft, or damage resulting directly orindirectly from registrant’s participation in theseactivities. In return for the benefits I will receive fromparticipation, I agree to not sue or to hold theorganizers, their directors, officers, employees,agents, and volunteers responsible for any loss,theft, or damage connected with registrant’sparticipation in the exhibition.
SIGN HERE:

Send this form along with your submissions to:
BIG TIME ATTIC
1618 Central Ave. NE Suite 216
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 521-7423

Questions? Contact Danno at staplegenius at yahoo.com

Yep.

Not the complete awesome experience some make it out to be(I’m looking in your direction aintitcool), but a great time at the theatre nonetheless.

It was like THE MIST without the emotional attachment that made my soul ill afterward, but it very much pleased my inner Grand Theft Auto Demon.

Granted, both my wife and daughter got motion sickness from the BLAIRWITCH-cam, but I think can only adds to the rollercoaster that is the JJ AB-sperience CLOVERFIELD.

Now…if KEN AVIDOR will only do a comic about a giant multi-limbed beast that destroys Washington DC called “KLOVERCHAR”…