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2013-04-07 20:06:48 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Santa Barbara Reminder.

Hey, Southern California: This Wednesday at 8 pm, I'll be lecturing at UC Santa Barbara's storied Campbell Hall!

Details at:
https://artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu/Details.aspx?PerfNum=2634

It's the full visual lecture on a nice big screen. Best of all, it's free and open to the public.

See you there!

2012-12-19 23:41:35 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 28 +1s)

Hi All. Coming out of hibernation for a minute to let you know about the return of my Los Angeles 2-Day Workshop this February. Details at the link. 

Might be a pretty awesome (or supremely weird) Xmas gift, depending on the recipient.

Still in hibernation while I work on the graphic novel (about 300 pages so far but I've got a ways to go). Will stumble out, blinking in the sunlight later next year, but in the meantime, expect only sporadic appearances here (and on Twitter).

Might show off a bit more of the GN soon, though. Mark Siegel offered a couple of panels at TCJ a few months back ( http://www.tcj.com/mark-siegel-part-three ) but I've really loved working on this book, so I wouldn't mind sharing a bit more. 

Have a great holiday season!

2012-09-27 18:15:21 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Coming out of hibernation today to fly to Northfield, Minnesota for this cool-looking conference on visual communication:

https://apps.carleton.edu/vizconference

...in a cool town, apparently:

http://www.smarttravelinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/northfield1.jpg

...then back to drawing, drawing, drawing 'til the book is done!

2012-06-27 15:50:30 (5 comments, 18 reshares, 32 +1s)

Here's a real stunner. A collaborative wedding announcement with some very snazzy design features and lovely illustrations:

2012-06-10 03:04:48 (17 comments, 1 reshares, 32 +1s)

Dispatch from Hibernation

This was a really nice surprise on the night before my birthday; Tom Spurgeon offering some thoughts on my '80s series Zot!.

Putting together the Zot! collection helped me come to grips with the limitations of my early work. For years, I couldn't look at those issues; all I saw were the mistakes. Nowadays, positive words like Tom's just make me feel good in a relaxing, uncomplicated way.

I'm going to be pretty quiet this year while I work on the graphic novel. It's a very big book that I'm trying hard to get right, and just drawing, drawing, drawing seems like the best path to accomplishing that now.

Eventually, I'll start sharing some of it, but right now I'm just getting up every day and working; including tomorrow. As my loving-but-frustrated family can tell you, simply drawing comics every day... more »

2012-04-30 18:32:48 (4 comments, 11 reshares, 21 +1s)

Hey! Daniel Lieske has a new Wormworld Saga Chapter up. Gorgeous art as always:

2012-04-19 23:10:14 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Good Morning, Montreal!

(...and anyone willing to travel to Montreal)

Hope you can join me for my two-day workshop next month. Sixteen hours of everything I can teach you through lectures and hands-on exercises. An intense look at the art of telling stories visually.
Details at:
http://www.centrenad.com/en/elite/2012en

Montreal. Spring. Need I say more?

2012-03-31 17:13:00 (8 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Attention NORFOLK, VA!

Join me Monday night at 7pm for a Free Public Lecture at Tidewater Community College. Link below.

(And by "free public lecture," I mean the NOT BORING kind.)

2012-03-26 15:27:54 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Attention: Idaho!
(and Eastern Washington State)

Join me this Wednesday, March 28, for a public lecture at The University of Idaho in Moscow. I’ll be speaking in the Ag Science Auditorium (Room 106) at 6:30 pm. More details here:

http://uicaaexperience.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/award-winning-comic-book-theorist-and-artist-scott-mccloud-lecture-next-wednesday

(And if you’re coming in from out of town, be sure to swing by the legendary Safari Pearl, our Moscow hosts during our 50 State Tour in 2007. I don’t have a formal signing this trip, but I plan to swing by and say hi while in town.)

2012-03-16 15:46:16 (9 comments, 10 reshares, 28 +1s)

This is the first I've seen of these. Maybe they've been circulating for years, but OMG, Lookit this guy.

Did Martin Van Buren ever do a photo shoot like this? I'm thinking no.

2012-03-14 23:42:19 (4 comments, 12 reshares, 42 +1s)

Alienate me more, fellas. What could possibly go wrong?

2012-03-14 04:12:30 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Here are some odd, intriguing comics by Neil Dvorak.

Pick one. then go full screen/full width for best results. The words are kinda small.

This is the second comic that I've seen in as many weeks that doesn't really look much like anything else out there*. More please, The Universe.

[*No, can't remember the name of the other just now...]

2012-03-03 17:44:36 (16 comments, 1 reshares, 14 +1s)

Any geeks want to set up an image sharing site called FAKEECSTASY.COM starting with this image?

C'mon, I know somebody out there has the know-how... I'm just too lazy to do it myself, but it really should be done!

I'm thinking something like picmoticon.com.

2012-03-02 16:27:56 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 10 +1s)

New Woodring Comic! Let's make it happen, People.

2012-02-27 16:32:01 (34 comments, 9 reshares, 22 +1s)

I'm pretty sure that there are a lot more schools than the ones listed at the link below using comics in a meaningful way in their curricula (Stanford and NYU come to mind, for example), but this is a nice conversation starter.

Anyone want to expand the list? Is your college or university using comics in an interesting way?

2012-02-17 16:38:08 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Yo, NEW JERSEY! (and Philly and Delaware): Hope you can make it to my lecture at Rowan University in Glassboro this Monday morning. Details at the link.

See you soon!

2012-02-10 17:02:48 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 26 +1s)

NSFW! I like this messed-up video for Die Antwoord's "I Fink U Freaky" that +Jason Turner linked to yesterday on the gasping remnants of Livejournal.

Jason always finds the good stuff. I'd never seen the haunting (and apparently unofficial -- see Jason's comment below) video for Cults' "Go Outside" either until he linked to it:
Cults - Go Outside

2012-02-03 16:55:10 (17 comments, 10 reshares, 16 +1s)

What amazes me most? The video is worse than the song.

2012-02-02 06:13:15 (29 comments, 89 reshares, 98 +1s)

Holy Moly, what a beautiful 24-hour comic from Boulet. Took a couple extra hours I guess, but hey, I could take an extra week and it wouldn't look this good.

Part of Angouleme's annual 24 hour event with about 450 participants this year.

2012-01-31 21:43:02 (14 comments, 7 reshares, 12 +1s)

Utterly Bizarre Japanese Grindcore Music Video
http://laughingsquid.com/utterly-bizarre-japanese-grindcore-music-video/

2012-01-26 16:27:30 (14 comments, 30 reshares, 30 +1s)

Okay, you gotta check this out NOW. (Okay, well, maybe after work, cause it's definitely NSFW).

Patrick Farley's "paleolithic saga of sex, drugs, and global climate change." The First Word. Absolutely gorgeous.

2012-01-24 16:52:36 (6 comments, 3 reshares, 22 +1s)

Comics Sculpture anyone? Check out the work of Karrie Fransman, and while you're at it, take a look at the trailer for her new graphic novel The House that Groaned.

2012-01-11 16:25:34 (0 comments, 10 reshares, 23 +1s)

Another great movie review from Lisa Hanawalt, (whose plusname doesn't want to get all blue and linky today for some reason), made even better because she makes special mention of Benedict Cumberbatch!

[via +Heidi MacDonald ]

2011-12-21 17:45:51 (7 comments, 67 reshares, 69 +1s)

I can't vouch for all the statistics or the proposed remedies presented here (I don't know enough about the specifics), but this is a great piece of visual communication on behalf of a positive worldwide cause.

Found via our friend Jeanine Wood.

2011-12-20 07:09:16 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Here's a one-month update to Tom and Leela's journeys since losing Rosalie. Some powerful words in there...

2011-12-03 16:20:03 (2 comments, 14 reshares, 21 +1s)

"Lines were being drawn. Literally."

Josh Neufeld offers a nuanced, personal account of recent events in Bahrain.

It's a great short comic, and I really like the format they're using on the Cartoon Movement site. Perfect for tablets, which I assume is the strategy, but also great for reading on the Web.

2011-11-30 17:32:46 (7 comments, 10 reshares, 35 +1s)

Got an email from a (relatively?) new cartoonist named Stephen McCranie this morning. Apparently he's starting up a blog on the creative promise that looks like it might offer some interesting observations. Link below.

In other news: Arthur Christmas is a much better movie than you think it is. See it. Ivy and I are on a campaign to spread the word on this one.

Oh, and does anyone else think the most startling effect in Scorsese's gorgeous 3D Hugo (gotta see it in 3D) is Sacha Baron Cohen's looming giant close-up?

2011-11-19 01:46:19 (14 comments, 2 reshares, 16 +1s)

Just learned that +Tom Hart and +Leela Corman's beautiful daughter Rosalie Lightning has died. This is about as bad as news gets. These are precious, beautiful people the universe should have been watching out for.

I briefly saw for myself how deeply Tom and Leela cared for their girl when she was just a baby, not that long ago when I saw them in Brooklyn. Tom had her in a sling as we ate lunch. Leela checked every few minutes to see that Rosalie was okay; so protective, we were gently making fun of her.

Lauren Weinstein has a fund (link below) for some practical help for the couple, but beyond that, all we can do now is offer our love and condolences.

2011-11-04 14:59:34 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

MINNESOTA AREA LISTENERS: Going to be on Midmorning with Kerri Miller shortly. Tune in, Call in, Say hi.

2011-10-28 15:57:57 (12 comments, 18 reshares, 27 +1s)

This is a great idea from our old pal Nat Gertler: Every time you see a Kirby-based superhero movie, give "A Buck for Jack." Click for details. (I gave retroactively!)

2011-10-27 03:23:16 (14 comments, 15 reshares, 11 +1s)

Okay, I'm not buying into this—yet.

But I have to say, it sounds intriguing.

2011-10-25 16:28:35 (7 comments, 77 reshares, 153 +1s)

Found on Facebook. This is a great Halloween idea!

2011-10-25 15:38:38 (5 comments, 22 reshares, 38 +1s)

The legendary Todd Klein (quite probably comics’ best all-time letterer, and an old pal of mine from my DC production department days) and artist Shawn McManus have released a truly unique comics gift for the upcoming holidays: A Freelancer Game Board!

Order yours here:
http://kleinletters.com/BuyStuffTop.html

Learn more about the creation of the board here:
http://kleinletters.com/Blog/?p=16848

And get a closer look here:
http://home.comcast.net/~tklein28/GFLarge.jpg

We're so getting one...

2011-10-21 16:02:33 (4 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Please consider helping the great Al Davison over the top for his excellent Kickstarter project!

2011-10-19 16:06:34 (15 comments, 14 reshares, 25 +1s)

WHATISITWHATISITWHATISIT:
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT.

2011-10-11 00:02:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

In a previous life I was a photographer in Asia, recording the fast disappearing traditions of that continent. I traveled between Turkey and Japan for about 8 years in the 1970s, with two cameras and 1,000 rolls of film. I photographed horsemen in Afghanistan, remote monasteries in Korea, weird religious rituals in India, and the everyday grace of village life. Ten years ago Taschen published the best of my photographs in a fabulous photo book called Asia Grace. Today I am publishing that book as an iPad/iPhone app. In many ways it is much better than the book. The photos are dazzling bright, they have captions (the book does not), and there is a google map showing where each photo was taken. And it is only $3.

We are headed into an Asian Century, and as fast as possible Asians are leaving their past behind. But there is no better way to see where they (and thereby all of us) are headed than to... more »

2011-10-06 16:15:02 (19 comments, 9 reshares, 40 +1s)

A few brief thoughts on Steve Jobs over on the blog:

2011-10-03 15:49:49 (31 comments, 62 reshares, 96 +1s)

Much of what was the city of Detroit now lies in dystopian ruins. These photos were captured by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre last year for their book, "The Ruins of Detroit." Haunting and startling. It is a reminder of what happens when capitalism, and a city, starts to crumble.

The book is available for purchase here: http://www.amazon.com/RUINS-DETROIT-Yves-Marchand/dp/3869300426

2011-10-03 15:34:55 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Hey, Los Angeles!

Tonight (Monday, Oct 3) at 8:00-9:30 pm, Derek Kirk Kim is going to be hosting a screening of the FULL Mythomania series at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo!

Ivy and I will be there. Hope you will too.

More details at the YouTube link below and at the Mythomania Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mythomania/113539398739815

2011-10-01 16:33:07 (12 comments, 11 reshares, 36 +1s)

Good luck to everyone participating in 24--Hour Comics Day today!

My reward for doing the first one (over 20 years ago) is that now I never have to do it again. Heh-heh.

If you'd like to follow people's minute-to-minute progress on Twitter, use the hashtag #24hcd: http://twitter.com/search/#24hcd

And of course, check out the official site below.

2011-09-30 21:48:40 (1 comments, 11 reshares, 31 +1s)

New Emily Carroll comic, People!

Be sure to read the quick intro on the blog, so you'll know what to look for.

2011-09-28 21:10:46 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

OTTAWA AREA: I'm scheduled to be on CHUO 89.1 FM shortly, for a brief talk re 24 hour comics if you'd like to tune in. :-)

Streaming might be available at http://chuo.fm though It's not working for me at the moment...

2011-09-27 15:32:46 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 20 +1s)

David Balan has some interesting observations on my 2005 webcomic "The Right Number." [via +Forrest Helvie ]

2011-09-27 00:31:07 (43 comments, 57 reshares, 75 +1s)

Oh my God, he's SO RIGHT.

(Note: The headline doesn't mean what you think it does).

(via +Shelley Ferguson )

2011-09-22 16:41:50 (31 comments, 27 reshares, 75 +1s)

Elizabeth Warren on Debt Crisis, Fair Taxation

2011-09-22 15:18:02 (26 comments, 86 reshares, 68 +1s)

Darryl Cunningham wraps up his series of Science Denial series in grand style.

If only this stuff could reach every classroom in America...

http://darryl-cunningham.blogspot.com/2011/09/science-denial.html

2011-09-20 15:23:05 (26 comments, 9 reshares, 46 +1s)

Craig Thompson's Habibi is out today.

Mine is on order at Amazon, so I have to wait a few days, but that doesn't have to stop you. If there's any sense out there, every bookstore and comics store will have a copy or three.

Curious to hear others' reactions. All I know right now is that every page/panel I've seen so far looks gorgeous.

http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Craig-Thompson/dp/0375424148

2011-09-17 15:18:17 (8 comments, 19 reshares, 51 +1s)

My big brother John emailed me today to point out that the following news story about online gamers collaborating on AIDS research breakthroughs was also a reminder of the power of cartoons.

Apparently the visualizations of these HIV protease folding challenges was done in cartoon form. Even called them "cartoons," I gather.

"Amplification through Simplification" was my bid to describe it in 1993; that power to condense and abstract meaning from an image by removing all irrelevant data and conceptualizing the rest into something like a letterform.

Stuff like this, or Hans Rosling's 2007 TED talk, or the RSAnimate series, are all tapping into that power, with increasingly impressive results.

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/09/online_gamers_enlisted_by_univ.html

2011-09-14 20:32:37 (15 comments, 7 reshares, 33 +1s)

Understanding Comics has been making it onto the oddest lists these days...

2011-09-14 15:36:21 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 8 +1s)

Attention: Southern California!

My full 2-Day Workshop returns to the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art February 4-5.

16 hours of everything I can teach you through lectures and hands-on exercises. An intense look at the art of telling stories visually.

Here’s the link to SIGN UP.

http://reg125.imperisoft.com/LAAFA/ProgramDetail/3132383935/Registration.aspx

As always, availability is limited. See you in February!