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This is the mini that debuted at SPX this year. It is called: Thin Bear Loves His Brother.
I used scraps of cover stock from other people's left-over projects, so there are a couple of different colors out there, but they all have the same full color stickers on the front and back, and I tried to only use scraps that would match well with the stickers.
Below are pages 4, 5, and 9:
Back Cover
The mini is about 5.25" x 3.75". Some of them are a little narrower depending on where I printed them. The pages were drawn with a #3 brush and ink.
You'll be able to order "Thin Brother" from IKnowJoeKimpel.com in a few days, and probably from OnePercentPress.com if that site ever gets updated. And don't forget that Secret Acres has an awesome online store with some of my minis too.
In other news, my good friends and fellow CCS students Sean Ford and Chuck Forsman were featured in an article on Wizard Magazine's website for best books at MoCCA. Wizard magazine is probably the biggest mainstream comics magazine, so having a couple of indie guys like Sean and Chuck mentioned is a big deal! Their books are available on Joe Kimpel.com too.
And lastly, James Sturms recently published book has a review up at the Onion's A.V. Club-
"All three stories use Sturm's thick-lined, almost archaic-looking style to create an atmosphere of plainness and historical verisimilitude, which Sturm subverts with scenes of pure fantasy or extreme emotion, before returning to an eerie hush. These three stories represent some of the best American comics of the past decade, which makes James Sturm's America an essential volume for any serious comics library… A"
That's all.
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Click the above image to read The Comics Reporter's review of Satchel Paige by James Sturm and Rich Tommaso (with gray tones by yours truly).
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Here we go: MoCCA Sundays Sold OUT! It was a solid two days of traffic as buzz built around the book. Thanks to all of our friends who sent people to our table, or told them to stop by, you guys are the best. Special thanks to James Sturm for personally bringing people to the table several times; and to the CCS table for being our buddies across the way, we sent people to you and we know you sent people to us.
I had the fortunate position of manning one and a half tables at MoCCA this year by being a part of One Percent Press and the Sundays Anthology group, and I couldn't have been prouder to see books at both tables sell out, and a steady flow of happy trades going on.
It would be easy for us to milk the interest in CCS and use that as a platform to toss our books out there, but the fact is that the books we students are putting out are really good! The quality of stories, art and production are right there among the best at the show, and we've only just begun.
Photos:
JP, Becca, Sam and I drove from Vermont to Connecticut where we caught a train to NY. We packed as lightly as we could, while bringing as many comics as we could.
The train ride was pleasant and short.
Arriving at Grand Central we took a brief glance around and took off for our hotel room.
One Percent had matching t-shirts. Charming.
MoCCA took place in four rooms just like this one. It was huge and bright and white. Like a comics heaven.
"Hey guy. What'dya doin over there? D'you wanna comics? D'you wanna large format comics? Where you goin?"
Medusa, the book unfolding out onto the floor, sold out! It was written by our Jess and drawn by Alex. It was great, a real involving read with the format and flowing artwork and language.
Becca watched over the tables while I took pictures.
Alec Longstreth and James Sturm talk. About what, I wasn't privileged enough to know.
The one and only Rich Tommaso came over to our table early to check out Sundays, but was unimpressed with the size...
I mean, look at the size of his pages of original art!
This time around we at One Percent Press carried, in addition to the regular things, Alexis Frederick-Frost's two books La Primavera and Maria of Montmartre; and the books of Chris Schweizer. I was surrounded by amazing cartoonists!
I continued to take as many pictures as I could, trying to document the weekend, but I wasn't the only one:
Chuck gave me a taste of my own medicine. It was sweet and filling.
The show filled up soon, and remained constant.
The one and only Sam Gaskin had a good show with his Pizza Wizard debuting. It was easily one of my favorite books of the show. Poo on anyone who wouldn't trade with him just because it was printed on newsprint. Poo.
The Sundays table was right up against the One Percent Press table. We were one big comics family.
In addition to carrying the 54-page 11 x 17 inch anthology masterpiece Sundays, the table also had books by each of the co-editors. It was a handsome table, made only handsomer by the handsome folk behind the table.
I had four books at the One Percent table this year: I Will Bite You, the Bait & Switch, Turtle Keep It Steady, and Gag.
Here's Alexis and his wife Kristen.
Chris was a gentleman the whole show, with a friendly face for anyone and time for sketches and signatures for everyone.
Yup. We matched. Adorable.
That's Becca's "You think you're sooo funny." face.
Barry and Leon, the Secret Acres publishers treated their creators to an amazing dinner at Rialto's. This is a pic of Josie's Vegetable Napoleon.
JP and Stephen diving into Alec's Phase 7 #11.
Sundays was only 10 bucks at MoCCA, and you got a free screen-printed bag to carry all of your wares in. It will be 12 on IKnowJoeKimpel.com in a couple of weeks. But still well worth it. And you may even get some free sketches or comics along with it.
The second day started with a cookie for Chuck.
Barry and me.
Kenny Dahly playing the banjo between rows and feeling sorry for himself.
Becca's dynamic shot of my Gag minis.
WOO! Alex sells the very last copy of Sundays to some guy!
Alexis sells and signs his very last copy of Maria of Montmartre to some guy!
Ken Dahl sells a copy of Monsters #2 to some lady, who was a huge fan. Of the comic, or the mustache? We'll never know.
Chris spaces out as Day 2 winds down.
Stephen loses focus (badumbum). Thanks for such a good time Stephen!
Clutch McBastard Karate chopped my face off when I asked how he thought the show was going.
We made free sketch bookmarks for people at the Sundays table,
While Kenneth grabbed up the free wraps at the end of the show,
Stephen burned out,
Jeff kept an eye loked down on Charlito. A man of fierce loyalty, Jeff made sure Charlito didn't talk no jive to his Sundays Brothers Sean or Chuck.
We played several rounds of Werewolf at Barry & Leon's place Sunday night. They were the greatest of hosts, hospitable and hilarious. And Sean was the greatest of chameleons, blending into walls.
Becca watching our luggage and looking pretty.
JP was pretty too. And also the fastest man alive.
Thanks to everyone who made this weekend amazing. Extra thanks to Jamie Tanner and Jillian Tamaki for making some great books and giving me something amazing to read on the way home.
And extra special thanks to Stephen for being immediately personable, hilarious and charming; to the Sundays crowd for letting me be a part of the fun; to Barry & Leon for friendship and encouragement, blanketed pigs, margaritas and gelato; to Alexis and Kristen for being consistently easy-going; to JP for freakin' everything; and to Becca for being the best. I'd like to do reviews of my favorite books this week. Keep checking back and thanks for the support.
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Here are a bunch of photos I never posted, but have been meaning to.
On the last day of class we were treated to a presentation by our dapper fellow Gabby "Ken Dahl" Schultz. Go to Steve Bissette's blog today for part two of Gabby's interview to figure out why he has so many freakin names.
He was so nervous that he wagged his hand for thirty minutes before leaping through the door, leaving a Gabby shaped hole.
The last days of class came and went with everbody in high gear with short nerves, and low sleep.
But we made it. Here we are in James Sturm's Cartooning Studio 1 class, our last class of our first year at CCS.
I wish I had a photo of our first assignments. In James class we pretty much did all of our homework as comics, and not only that, but were required to make enough copies for everyone in the class. Sometimes this was easy as photocopying a single page for everyone, but often the bar was raised higher and higher as students used the available resources to create some truly awesome mini-comics.
These are the first year's final projects. Each one was a monument to the creative achievements made by the creator that year, and all of them, absolutely each one was the peak of that person's year's work. As it should have been. I don't have all of them in the photo, but there were roughly 16 or 17 all together.
Our Reading & Writing professor invited us to a dinner at her house that night. It was a good time, thanks Sarah.
Here we are playing some wiffle ball.
Penina and Amanda Ann are berating the dog. Mocking his inability to speak, and his lack of thumbs.
Badass B-Rye!
And here's a picture of our ever-lovin Rich Tommaso in a tree!
JP Coovert's dog London, chillaxin to the maximum.
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News - My old pals Alex and Alexis were mentioned in Publishers Weekly in regards to their work with Nomad Press, a local publisher and ad agency.
As part of my final project for James Sturm's Cartooning Studio class I put together a mini comic* and a sketchbook collection. The Collection included pages from my sketchbook like the one below, and the ones I'll post over the course of this week and the next. The sketches were unplanned and spontaneous, but also focused on ideas and characters that I planned on using in a short story, that was also included in the book. I don't think it worked, but it sparked a few ideas that I'd like to play with and see where they go in the future.
Anyway, here's a page:
Drawn with a Pentel Pocket Brush. Roughly 9" x 11".
*Grumpus - which will be included in Indie Spinner Rack's anthology, Awesome!. It sounds like the Awesome! anthology will be pretty sweet, featuring comics from a number of incredible talents including Al Columbia, Jonathan Adams, Nick Bertozzi, Renee French, Roger Langridge, Alec Longstreth, Liz Prince, Andy Runton, Jamie Tanner, and four of us from CCS: Alexis, Chuck, JP and myself. I am honored to be a part of it, and I can't wait to see it!
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James and I put this together for this year's graduating class. He wrote the text and I put the image together, coloring it in Photoshop, drawing the original art with my new Pentel Pocket Brush, my new best friend.
Front
Back
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Saturday saw the graduation of the very first class of The Center for Cartoon Studies. There was a commencement with guest inaugural speaker Patrick McDonnell, creator of Mutts; live accordian music; and a lovely cast of graduates with lively spirits and a truly awesome body of work behind them. The group of 18 cartoonists spent the last two years paving the way for future classes, helping the school work out some of its kinks and rough spots, and every class to follow will be grateful.
A few of them have some work up at I Know Joe Kimpel.com that you can preview and purchase, and the I Know Joe Kimpel blog is up and running with posts from their class and mine.
Some photos of the commencement events:
The commencement ceremony was held the Briggs Opera House in downtown White River Junction, just a block from the school, due to the rain. It was a nice, cozy little venue, and comfortably held everyone's family, with everyone able to see the stage.
This is the only picture I have of our year's dapper Fellow, Gabby (Ken Dahl) Schultz, in which he is not flipping me off. He was recognized during the ceremony, but not to the extent that I would have liked to have seen. Thanks Gabby for all of your time spent with us!
This time I wasn't the only jerk with a camera in everyone's face.
The graduating class of 2007 at The Center for Cartoon Studies. Congratulations guys!
I have a bunch more photos on my flickr account, including half a dozen different versions of the above photo.
The above image is one of my favorites - Andrew has that smug, mischievous grin but Emily just doesn't care.
The main faculty was awarded with signed cards drawn by some of the class members. on the left is co-director Michelle Ollie, next to Steve Bissette (instructor extraordinaire) in the middle, and on the right is co-director James Sturm.
It was a spirited afternoon, with the public invited to the school to join the students, their families and the faculty at the school for the senior's thesis exhibit.
Xeric winner Sam Gaskin enjoys his accomplishments, and looks smooth while doing so.
Everyone cleaned up nicely, I must say.
Despite the constant drizzle, the cool breeze was comfortable, and I felt the afternoon was a classy and calm end to a great year. I hope it was nice for the senior class and I wish them well.
That evening a few of us celebrated at the India Queen, ending in a night at the school playing ping-pong. The way it should have been.
More pictures at my flickr page.
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