More Flyers from 2011

Nancy can't catch a break

Luckily, even my hack contribution couldn't sink Josh Bayer's awesome Suspect Device comic - an anthology of artists reworking two separate Nancy panels into a new story. It's no surprise that Nancy is horny, homicidal, or high (the crucial 3 H's) in many of these stories, but other stories are more abstract, and some even suggest a quiet complexity. Most of the art is great and the wraparound cover by Jon Vermilyea is epic:

Included in the first issue are comics by Edwin Vasquez, Sam Henderson, Lizz Hickey, Box Brown, Nikki Burch, Ton Hart, Pat Aulisio, Kevin Scalzo, Anne Emond, Marina Gagarina, and more. Future issues promise to be even better, so keep your eye out for this title.

Blarg Solo Show

My solo show at 1-2-3-4 GO! Records in Oakland is now officially over. It was extremely fun and gratifying to put together and so great to see friendly faces at the opening. Thanks to everyone who came, those who bought art, Barker & Rob for working, and special thanks to Steve for hosting. Here are some images of the paintings featured in the show:

                                         

Were Biker - SOLD

Wolf Bait - SOLD

Bitter Critic - SOLD

Chelsea Starr - SOLD

Girls Jacking Off To Rock n Roll High School

Marmadyke - SOLD

Sex Trafficking in Middle Earth

Atomic Pants - SOLD

Hillbillies in love & Chicken Girl - SOLD

Pizza Girl - SOLD

Select prints may be available in the future.

I LOVE LISTS

Someone (foolishly) asked me for my top ten in an interview recently. Little did they know, I LOVE LISTS. My lengthy guide to life's finer things was cut from the magazine, but I think you need to know about them, so I'm posting it here.

Liz Suburbia - Hilarity is crammed into every nook and cranny of Liz's comic 'Cyanide Milkshake'. Plenty of sex, punk, & B-movie references on every page. Goofy ads for fake products like Man Merkins and movies like the post-apocalyptic blockbuster 'Sex Beserkers' (Rated G for GWAR) are interspersed with short narratives featuring weirdo teens, zombies, and dogs. Reminiscent of classic Milk & Cheese-era Evan Dorkin. My new favorite comic. I love her.

Barfing Cat - by Liz

Melodee Lounge - This is the first bar that ever made me consider becoming a late blooming barfly. Hidden in a strip mall in El Cerrito, CA, covered in flocked wallpaper and populated by the cast of Twin Peaks 2011. Sometimes old punks bartend here, sometimes it's just a dude. Dive bars in CoCo County are a unique brand of hairy, but this one is primarily friendly-hairy. There is even a stand-up comedy night where I once witnessed an underage girl lying on the floor telling queef jokes. 

Internet dating - A lot of people recommend it, but it's just like when people used to talk up dumpster diving to me. They would weave tales of people finding bags of money or free beer in a dumpster but the only thing I ever found in a garbage can was garbage. However, just in case you're not feeling paranoid enough in your life, making an internet dating profile is a great way to announce to all of your coworkers, your landlord, and random creeps on the bus that you're horny. 

Hell Dream - Awesome short animation filled with a cartoony version of Heavy Metal fantasy art, lots of blood, and metal guitar riffs. Animated by Jim Dirschberger, art by Skinner.

Norman Pettingill - Hillbilly postcard art at its finest. The Fantagraphics book of his collected artwork is a dream come true.

Joey Sayers - Joey Sayers makes some of the funniest gag comics in the current mini comic kingdom. Sharp, absurdist humor that is simultaneously wacky and dark. Get stabbed in the face and land in a pile of whoopie cushions.

Pleasant Gehman - Pleasant Gehman is an inspiration. O.G. LA punk rocker, current glamour girl. She wrote a book called "Escape from Houdini Mountain" and earns a living belly dancing around the world. Recently she's been in a couple of low budget movies (alongside people like Jane Weidlin, Mink Stole, Karen Black, & Daniela Sea) - as a jailhouse dyke and a suburban swinger. She's a living icon!

Sally Cruikshank -  Sally Cruikshank makes(made?) hand drawn-and-colored animation in a psychedelic 80's new wave mixed with old school Fleischman Studios style. Most of her movies star a fucked-up looking duck named Quasi. In addition to short films, she made animation for Sesame Street and the opening sequence for movies like Mannequin.

If I could have someone else's animation career, it would be Sally Cruikshank's.

Burger Records - Burger Records puts out a lot of product but the most crucial is Cassette Tapes! Tapes are cheap enough that you can take a gamble on buying one at a gig and possibly find some awesome new tunes. Furthermore, my busted car only has a tape player. Lee Noise has stellar taste and puts out lots of obscure junk, old classics, and weirdo new tunes.

Al Jaffee - The genius behind the most important invention of our time - the Mad Fold-In. His 90th birthday was this year. If after 90 years you still don't know who Al Jaffee is - kill yourself.

Stink Lines + Flies = Fine Art

Blarg Art Show

I wanted to call this show "Carnal Comics Art Show" but forgot there's a porn comics publisher with that name. Thwarted again. But carnality is the theme. All new ridiculous NC-17 comic art by Janelle Hessig.

Thursday, July 21st, 2011

6-9pm

423 40th St, Oakland

Part of 1-2-3-4 GO 's Anniversary extravaganza. Happy Birthday, sucka!

Four Mexicans & A White Girl Walk Into A Gallery...

The show was curated by Jaime Crespo - an old school skater and surfer who makes autobiographical/biographical comics (including stories about when he lived/worked at hotels in the Tenderloin in the 80's). I've been a fan of his comics for a long time, so when he asked me to participate, I was honored. 

Punk Comics

Maximum RocknRoll #332: Punk Comics Issue

I've dreamed of putting together a PUNK COMICS anthology for years and was psyched that Layla and Mariam from Maximum Rock N Roll were into this idea. I would never have had the funds to put together something like this on my own and, futhermore, MRR is cool. It was a lot of work, a lot of miscommunication & confusion, and I can't believe they go through that shit every month.

Included in this issue are interviews with Ed Luce (Wuvable Oaf), Mimi Pond, Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets)(conducted by Ariel Awesome & Paul Curran), and Gary Panter (Jimbo, etc)(this was an older interview conducted by Avi Spivak). There is also an essay about obscure bad ass comics hero of yesteryear, Shawn Kerri. Comics by:

Avi Spivak, Liz Suburbia, John Holmstrom, Bobby Madness, Dennis Worden, Cristy Road, Ben Snakepit, Ted May & Jeff Wilson, Janelle Hessig, Craig Bostick, Fly, Caroline Paquita, Jaime Crespo, Kaz, Josh Bayer, Ben Lyon, Alex Ratcharge, and Liz Baillie. Cover art by Eric Hone

Sold OUT, both through MRR and Last Gasp, but I've seen some copies floating around.

Since this issue came out, I've been blogging about comics on the MRR website and helping to curate a monthly comics page in the print magazine. Please get in touch if you want to contribute!

Some brief notes on the unholy union of punk and comics: It's a terminal eye-roller whenever yet another person claims "punk rock saved my life". Alright, enough with the dramatics, Sylvia. Stick your head in an oven already! However, punk rock and comic books did give me a purpose and an outlet outside of my regular schmoe-y ass existence. They share a lot of similar themes: juvenile escapism, societal alienation, general freakiness, art shit. Comics are more solitary - it's just you and the page and the world that exists between the page and your brain. Punks have shows, bands, zines, and you might even get laid. I've never heard of anyone getting laid at comics convention. Maybe steampunks get sex for having the biggest timepiece & tophat combo, I don't know, but not any regular cartoonists that I know about.