Mayday! Big Funny Submissions due tomorrow!

We've had a number of GREAT entries come in for Big Funny, but there's definitely room for more. I'm looking forward to seeing the final batch on Saturday morning.

Artists, don't forget to register at Altered Esthetics website here.

Full details on Big Funny submission guidelines and gallery info are at:
www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny
Once the submissions are in we'll be building a bigger website with more detailed information about the Big Funny newspaper and the August show at Altered Esthetics gallery.

WhaaAAA...!!

Top 10 Season 2 continuing?

UPDATE:  I've just written about the situation in another post;  you can find it here.

UPDATE:  I've been given an email address that fans wanting to make themselves heard about Top Ten continuing can use to contact Wildstorm:

AskWS (at) dccomics (dot) com

Let's let them know Top Ten has some fans out there!  But ask nicely, won't you?  For me? 

This week saw the release of Top 10 Season 2 #4, the supposed end of the 4-issue series.  As people read it and wonder why all the plot lines are not resolved, here is a semi-official statement from Wildstorm through me my take on the situation:

The series was originally conceived as an 8-issue story with 2 standalone specials.  The first special, focusing on the courtroom dramas in a superhero city, is coming out next month with art by Da Xiong.  Wildstorm and DC are looking at the sales and response on these 5 comics and using that to determine how to continue the series. 

We're hoping that the responses to the special will be good so that we can continue this series, which seems to be relatively well received, critically.  Here is a new review of #4, from Comic Book Resources:

Top 10 Season 2 #4 review

EDIT:  Wildstorm has not made any official statements on this matter, and to my mind the decisions that they made have been understandable.  I apologize if I portrayed them to be unreasonable or unresponsive.

EDIT:  Rich Johnston has put out a call to save Top 10 on his Lying in the Gutters column on Comic Book Resources.  Thanks, Rich!

MicroCon 2009 Photos

We had a great time at MicroCon yesterday. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth!


The table set-up


Take your baby to work day, part 1: Zander and Jin


Take your baby to work day, part 2: Shad and Dmitri


Tim Sievert and Matthew Kriske


The original BTA line-up ... plus 1

Save the Date

Zander and I are having a signing/party at Big Brain in June, the weekend after MoCCA.



For more details, pick up a postcard tomorrow at Microcon, or go to:
www.bigtimeattic.com/launch

BTA & Friends News Round-Up

SUNDAY, APRIL 26 is MicroCon. Zander and I will be there with our standard array of bric-a-brac. MN State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Details here.

Steve Stwalley has a cool t-shirt design on Threadless. Go vote!

And Puny is up for a webby for their animation work on Yo Gabba Gabba! They need your vote, too!

"Xcape from Xcel" Wins Page One Award

According to the City Pages blotter, my contribution to last summer's City Pages Comix Issue will win an award at the upcoming Society of Professional Journalists Page One Awards. I had no idea this comic was even up for an award, so it's all the more surprising.

City Pages is really good to local cartoonists -- for the past two years they've published a Comix Issue, giving us a chance to get our art in wide circulation (50,000+ papers) and on the web. Each year has a theme; 2007 was "Tales from the Twin Cities" and 2008 was "When the Elephants Come to Town."

You can view the winning entry, Xcape from Xcel, here:

Zander and Kevin's Inks inspired Frank Miller!

** UPDATE ** We forget to mention the most important part of the story -- that Shad Petosky of Puny caught this bizarre error. However, I don't know what's worse, that our picture was put into the Spirit DVD featurette or that Shad was watching the Spirit in the first place! Anyway, good eyes, Shad! 

--KC

On the extra DVD features of Frank Miller's movie The Spirit, there is a section in which he talks about his influences. As he inevitably talks about Jack Kirby, there are long panning shots of several Kirby pages. Someone wasn't on their toes, though, because one of the pages was this one...



...which Kevin and I inked for a Flickr pool in which Adam Koford dared artists to ink better than Vince Colletta. My side (the right side) is very similar to Kirby's classic style, but even a cursory glance will tell you that Kevin's left side is not. Not even on Kirby's weirdest day did he put Xs on the eyes of an unconscious character.

A clip of the video is here:



While I scratched my head in wonder, Kevin pointed out that this image on our website was a healthy 1500 pixels wide; better than most images of Kirby art on the web.

Here's the original on our office wall, where it's been hanging for the past two years:

Ghost Comics Release Party!

Ed Choy Moorman is throwing a book release party for his Xeric-winning anthology, GHOST COMICS, and you're invited.

I've got a four page story called The Architecturons inside, and other contributors include Zak Sally, Will Dinski, Sarah Morean, Jeffrey Brown, John Hankiewicz, John Porcellino, Reynold Kissling... and too many more to name. Actually, the complete list is here.

Ghost Comics Book Release Party
Sat. May 23, 4 PM
(Signing / event begins)
5 PM bands start
8:30 PM movie screening (bring a blanket!)
Arise! Bookstore backyard
2441 Lyndale Ave. S., MPLS MN
All Ages & FREE!

The Xeric Award-winning Ghost Comics: A Benefit Anthology for RS Eden will be unveiled.

Artist signing 4-5 PM, bands at 5, movie at 8:30 (bring a blanket!)

All proceeds from Ghost Comics benefit local substance abuse treatment facility RS Eden.

Featuring music by:
Bla Bla Blacksheep
Lambs of God
the Ex-Lovers
Teenage Moods

The 288-Hour Graphic Novel Challenge Described on Powell's Blog

Powell's Bookstore Blog is in the middle of "Top Shelf Week" and they invited me to write about Far Arden. Being a little rusty at straight prose, I instead drew a comic strip detailing the birth of the 288-Hour Graphic Novel Challenge. The strip itself is more about our local 24 hour comic day events here in Minneapolis, and even co-stars local hero Steven Stwalley.

Every year after 24 Hr Comic day I swear "NEVER AGAIN." I haven't followed through on that threat yet, but hopefully this Powell's cartoon will illuminate why I -- or anyone -- would vow to steer clear of 24HCD in the future.

Powell's Blog

The Perfect Art Storm Hits Next Weekend

Two don't-miss
gallery events are headed
our way in a little
over a week:



First up, Altered Esthetics is celebrating their fifth birthday (which makes AE just slightly older than BTA). Look for live music, food, and even a wooden puzzle-like AE logo that Zander, Steve, Danno, and others and I have contributed to.

And for those who like collectibles, an original FAR ARDEN book will be raffled off. There were only 100 of these made, so if your bookshelf feels a little light and you're feeling a little lucky, why not drop a handful of raffle tickets in the Far Arden bag?

ALTERED ESTHETICS 5th B-DAY PARTY
where: 1224 Quincy St NE
day: Friday, April 17
time: 5pm - late (Raffle ends at 9pm, so buy those tickets early!)

more info:
alteredesthetics.org
facebook & twitter




The following night make sure to check out Puny's PINK HOBO gallery for their paper show. The list and caliber of artists is unbelievable -- check out their website below to see what I mean. Go and enjoy, but please, no open flames near the art.

PINK HOBO'S PAPER TOY AND POP-OUT SHOW
where: 507 East Hennepin Ave
day: Saturday, April 18
time: 7pm - late

More Info:
pinkhobo.com
facebook & twitter

New BTA Website

The yeti has left the building.



As much as Zander and I loved the website that Puny created back in 2006, we thought it was time to create a site that actually reflected who we are: two guys with similar surnames who write and draw comics.

Fans of the yeti can still see the old man in action here.

Lettering Essentials: the Character Chart

If you letter on the computer you know how much fun it is to dig for those special characters that are hidden somewhere on your keyboard. Through sheer will I've been able to remember where the ellipses (option semicolon) and em dash (shift option dash) are, but after that I'm lost. Fortunately, the nice people at Blambot have created a character chart showing you exactly what to punch when you're in need of an O with an umlaut or the highly prized fraction with one zero in the numerator spot and two zeroes in the denominator spot.



There are several charts like these floating around the web, but I like Blambot's clear PC/Mac distinction and their bold use of the color red. You can find it here.