BEHIND THE LEGEND

Machete Star Danny Trejo Mini-Doc by Estevan Oriol from SA Studios Global on Vimeo.

Studio Ghibli Closing?

Hayao Miyazaki says in this Cut Magazine interview (Google translation here) that Studio Ghibli may close if their new feature, ARRIETTY THE BORROWER, does not do well at the box office.

More at Geekosystem.

Below: the original trailer:



There is no US release date at this time.

Hat tip to Eddie Pittman via Kazu Kibuishi.

COMICALLY INEPT.

I've been overwhelmed by the numbers of cartoon bloggers who would like a review on this site. Fighting his way to the top of the list this week (should it be a weekly thing? Maybe it should?) is Joe from Comically Inept. I do feel duty bound to warn people that this site could be considered as NSFW, and it has some rude words scattered around it.

Joe is a willing victim. The following reviews may not be, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

© COMICALLY INEPT

Comically Inept is an interesting form of cartoon blog as it's very personal to the author, and his struggle with alcohol misuse and avoidance, but that is not to say that it's not amusing. In places it's highly amusing, as a mirror of real life. Self deprecating, witty and regularly updated. Drawing style is naive, but I think that's something that suits the subject matter the most. Listen to me? Like I'm an expert on art. This isn't art. It's real life humour, in all it's gritty reality. Enough of my waffling. Thank you Joe for being the first willing victim to a plug/review on clangnuts. Visit his blog here (if you haven't already clicked on one of the previous links). Better still, visit it, then subscribe to the RSS link.

For some reason the title of this blog looks a lot better in CAPITALS, than lower case. I don't know why this is.

If you have been affected by the issues mentioned in this blog post, and you would like your cartoon or humour blog featured, please contact me before next Tuesday. clangnuts@gmail.com

OVER SEAS

We just touched down in Thailand.. Look out for more fliks from the Asia tour.

PHOTO, FLASH, FOCUS, RECORD

Here are a couple more images of the Machete Screening courtesy of EribertoOriol.com.

Harley Schwadron Interview

It's a rare thing to see an interview with the prolific gag cartoonist Harley Schwadron. Nw that I think of it, I don't think I have ever seen ANY interview with Harley, whose cartoons I see EVERYWHERE.

So, a hearty thanks for David Paccia's Wasting Paper blog, here's a look at who Harley Schwadron is; what pens he uses (Koh-i-noor # 3 and # 2 1/2), his favorite comic strip (GRIN AND BEAR IT by George Lichty), whether he's a righty or a lefty (I assume that means drawing -- not politics), advice to cartoonist beginners ("Draw the kind of cartoons you like, try to find your niche, and pray a lot") and more.

David, by the way, is interviewing all of the cartoonists on the planet at his blog. If you are a cartoonist and you have not had an interview at David's site, then look out. He is coming for you.

SOUL SUNDAY

Here is the Original of a song that was remade by Mayer Hawthorne on his latest album.

Video: Martin Rowson

Above: a screen capture of the video.

Martin Rowson talks "In Confidence" with Laurie Taylor. Video link here.

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

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If you dont know who you are going to go see this film with, you better get it together.

It will be in theaters in 7days.

Her are some more fliks of the screening of Machete on Wednesday..
Get ready to see the film in Theaters Sep. 3rd.

CALVIN & HOBBES Parody: JOKER & LEX

This will be all around the Interwebs today. It's a CALVIN & HOBBES parody based on 2 bad guys: Lex Luthor and The Joker, and it's by Brian Azzerello and Lee Bermejo. This comic originally appears in issue #75 of DC's SUPERMAN/BATMAN comic book, which is out this week in comic book stores everywhere. I enjoyed this spoof so much, I'm going out to buy the comic.

Read the whole comic at the Forbidden Planet International blog.

Big hat tip to Joe Gordon via Peter Stanbury.

Video: Forbidden Planet Comic Book Store

Rocketboom visits New York City's Forbidden Planet comic book store.

If you've never been, then this is a chance to peek inside the place.



Hat tip to the FPI blog!

Related: Rocketboom's Rube Goldberg profile.

Tardis Materializes at MIT

Via the Doctor Who News Page:

The TARDIS has materialised on top of Little Dome at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The appearance of the Time machine on the roof of the University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts is a "hack" or a practical joke. The University has a long history of "hacks" including placing a Dark Mark over the Student Center to celebrate the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and placing a Fire Department truck on the roof of the Great Dome.

VIVA MACHETE

Just a couple pictures of last night.. Congrats to our good friend and"Mexican Super Hero" Danny Trejo Code Name: Machete on the film and thanks to everyone who participated. Also to my brothers and car club LIFESTYLE, gracias for making it happen.

Video: Frank Cho's World

Above: a screen grab from the video.

The Washington Post shows us a great video, along with some informative links, all about Frank Cho's work and influences. Well worth seeing. The videos by Ben de la Cruz and Alexandra Garcia are expertly presented and made me want more.

A big hat tip to my pal Sean Kelly!

Dez Skinn's History of UK Fanzines

Above: the one and only Brian Bolland draws up this spot-on SPACE:1999 drawing for a publication titled Rich Burton's Comic Media News way back in 1973.

Go and look at Dez Skinn's site ("The British Stan Lee!"), and, in particular, at the wealth of wonderful comic art goodness on the new fanzine page. (That's where the Bolland art is.)

Glorious.

Big tip of the hat to my pal Rod McKie for the link.

Happy 75th Birthday, Penguin Books

This year marks 75 years since the publication of the first Penguin paperback, which initially went for sixpence.

From the BBC:

"With the average hardback costing the equivalent of a week's rent, in the 1930s, a good contemporary read for most was absolutely unobtainable.

"That is until Penguin's founder, Allen Lane, brought out the first sixpenny paperbacks in the now iconic Penguin colours of orange for fiction, green for crime and blue for biography."

And it was Allen Lane who accidentally created the rarest Penguin -- in the middle of the night -- and it was a collection by a cartoonist.

The rarest Penguin book? A collection by the cartoonist Bob Siné titled MASSACRE. Penguin collector Steve Hare has his copy.

"Published in the 60s, MASSACRE glories in Siné's obsessions with the Catholic church, nuns and mutilation.

"Steve says: 'Allen Lane took offence to it, so he sneaked into his own warehouses at night and removed every copy that hadn't been sold and either burnt, buried or composted what was left.

"'So, a few of these were sold but no one knows how many.'"

Image of Bob Siné cover from the Rocbo site.

Related: I covet these Penguin book cover mugs. Image from the Australian Until Company site.

Video: Jim Toomey "Learning From Sherman the Shark "

Jim SHERMAN'S LAGOON Toomey gives one of those TEDTalks.

THE DAY IS HERE

The day is here!!

Jay Kennedy Scholarship Deadline December 15th

This year's poster designed and drawn by John Martz.

From the Jay Kennedy Scholarship site:

The annual Jay Kennedy Scholarship, in memory of the late King Features editor, was funded by an initial $100,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation/King Features Syndicate and additional generous donations from Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman, Patrick McDonnell and many other prominent cartoonists. Submissions are adjudicated by a panel of top cartoonists and an award is given to the best college cartoonist. The recipient is feted at the annual NCS Reuben Awards Convention attended by many of the world’s leading cartoonists.

Applicants must be college students in the United States, Canada or Mexico that will be in their Junior or Senior year of college during the 2010-2011 academic year. Applicants do not have to be art majors to be eligible for this scholarship.

Video: Leigh Rubin

RUBES cartoonist Leigh Rubin reflects on his early influences and his cartooning successes in this 12 minute video via aPLISSKINproject.

Sergio Aragonés in FUTURAMA

Sergio Aragonés appears in a "San Diego Comic Con 3010" episode of Matt Groening's FUTURAMA series Thursday night on Comedy Central.

Wired has the details and some more pics:

The “world’s fastest cartoonist” and the world’s most badass viper pilot make special voice appearances in this week’s episode of Futurama, which features a glimpse of what Comic-Con might look like in the year 3010.

Sergio Aragonés, the speedy comics legend who made his mark with Mad magazine and Groo the Wanderer, plays himself and appears as a head in a jar at the comic book convention on a panel discussion with Futurama creator Matt Groening and head writer/executive producer David X. Cohen.

Katee Sackhoff, who played Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, guest-stars in the role of Grrl, a hot young Omicronian who wants to hook up with Lrrr, the ruler of Omicron Persei 8 who is facing a midlife crisis.

Comic-Con serves as the setting for Lrrr’s unsuccessful takeover of Earth at the beginning of the episode, which is titled “Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences.” See the screenshots above for a sneak peek at the episode. Futurama airs Thursdays at 10 p.m./9 p.m. Central on Comedy Central.

Images courtesy MTV. Futurama TM and © 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/08/futurama-guest-voices/?pid=602&pageid=44242&viewall=true#ixzz0xd1b5Fpm

Getting Paid

"If you kept up with my blog, you'd understand."

I sold some cartoons to a client. I emailed the finishes to the editor and invoiced him that day. (The above cartoon is not one of the cartoons. It was bought by a very good market that pays consistently on time. I'm just using it as an illustration.) This client is supposed to pay within 30 days. Over a month goes by, no payment. I sent a friendly reminder email last week and then, yesterday, I left a phone message. "Hi, uh, it's Mike calling. Just want to know if there's a check in the mail. It's my rent time. Ha, ha." (That's not a joke, really. I do have to pay New York rent, which is NOT CHEAP.) No answer. Now, it's my personal rule not to let things get behind. Sometimes there are good reasons why I don't get paid. Not all the time, but some times. I'm open to there being a problem on their side. And I want to be civil and friendly. No confrontations. Regardless, I'm frustrated that the editor won't contact me. So today I checked out the site for the magazine. This is a national mag, on newsstands from coast to coast. The site was there, operating just fine. So then I looked at this feature called EDITOR'S BLOG. One of the topics for the blog: "Freelancing has never been an easy way to make a living. Is it getting harder?" And there's a place to MAKE COMMENTS. The editor won't return my call, but he has time to blog. Hmm. Like I said, I'm not making this up. Hmm. Is freelancing getting harder? I immediately thought of Al Jaffee's Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions. "No, it's not hard since I've given up eating." "It'd be a lot easier if you'd just PAY ME." "My mom is gonna call your mom and then, oh boy, you're going to be in a lotta trouble." This isn't the first time that it's happened to me. I just try to be persistent and nice. "Is there anything else that you need? Can we go over my contact details again? Can you Fed Ex a hand-written check?" And if I get a non-responsive person on the phone, I counter with, "What would you do if you were in my situation?" Well, I won't post a comment on that mag's blog. I won't say what magazine it is. Hopefully, it will work out. Especially if I'm persistent about it. I suppose there's a chance of the editor somehow seeing this blog and -- BOOM! -- no more business from him. Ah well. The darn thing is, it's such a small bit of money to the corporate world. It's a plane ticket. It's lunch for board. It's a car rental. Besides my sweet big cat Roo getting in my way as I draw, this is another time drag; another reason I don't produce more cartoons! Too much time spent in the Mike Lynch Accounts Receivable Department.

----------------

This has been an encore presentation of the Mike Lynch Cartoons blog. The above appeared in its original form on March 2, 2006.

HE ROLLS

Half-Dozen Turkeys in the Yard

A turkey family was seen browsing in the front yard this afternoon, looking for their lunch under the birdfeeder.


Hmm. Only 3 more months until Thanksgiving!

Robert Berry on his ULYSSES "SEEN" Graphic Novel

Robert Berry will appear onstage at the Irish Arts Center in NYC on October 7th to talk about his adapation of James Joyce's ULYSSES, titled ULYSSES "SEEN."

From the press release:

On the eve of New York Comic Con, experience Ulysses “Seen”, Robert Berry’s graphic novel adaptation of the 1922 edition of James Joyce’s epic masterpiece, through commentary by the artist in conversation with Mike Barsanti, editor, and moderated by Karen Green, curator of the Columbia University Library collection of graphic novels.

Learn how you, too, can be part of the creative process, with a special preview of pages from the newest chapter, and a forum for readers to suggest settings, props and character types for the remaining chapters of the comic.

The Editorial Cartoon is the Opinion of the Editorial Cartoonist

The August 23, 2010 Daily Eastern News has an editorial "The Daily Eastern News: Why We Are Here" by Sam Sottosanto, Editor in Chief, and Emily Steele, Managing Editor. They tell us that it's hard to know what news is these days, what with hyped up entertainment news or viral YouTube videos and so on. Mssrs. Sottosanto and Steele explain who they are and what the paper is.

"We are students, not only working at the paper, but also juggling five different classes at the same time.

"The Opinions section of the paper is the only page of the paper where students get to share their opinions"

And they go on to explain the role of their political cartoonist:

"The editorial cartoon is the opinion of the editorial cartoonist. We do not, as a staff, discuss what our editorial cartoons are.

"The cartoonist decides what he or she wants to draw and it is put into the paper with the consent of the Opinions Editor and Editor in Chief."

Sounds good. The entire op ed is here.

Related: John Klossner asks how we identify what's an important news story at his FCW blog titled Social media, parasailing donkeys and the news crisis.

SHE DEVIL

She is has her eye on you...

Cartoon Invoices

I've gotten a couple of emails asking how to invoice, what IS an invoice, etc.

So, let's take a chapter from the ol' MIKE LYNCH COLLEGE OF CARTOON KNOWLEDGE.

It's great when you get that letter, email or phone call letting you know that you sold a cartoon. A lot of the time, when I'm home with a snoozing cat next to me, drawing, I can only wonder, "Are these funny? Funny enough to SELL?!"

A sale is vindication that you did all right. You targeted a market, came up with some appropriate, sellable, professional work. But, better yet, someone else thought what you did was funny, and they have money for you.

And, they tell you, please send an invoice.


An invoice is, as you all ready know, the bill that the accounting people need at the magazine, ad agency, Web site or wherever you sold your work. For me, it's usually a magazine or Web site.

I put the above invoice together in Word, based upon typing the word "invoice" into Google, and then picking and choosing what elements I wanted.

YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO. goes at the top. I make my name big, since that's the name that goes on the check. I include my Social Security number.

Early on, I had my NAME and, right under it, MY WEB SITE -- both in big letters. One time, a client mailed me a check made payable to my Web site. It took 2 phone calls and 4 weeks til I got another, correct, check. Now I just put my name up top in big letters -- and then I ask again to "make check payable to Mike Lynch" at the bottom.

BUYER'S INFO. is all the information you have on your client. You need this. It really helps to have their phone number, email, etc. on file. If you don't know their phone number, email them and ask. Tell them YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT. For a first time client, I want all of their information. And I do ask, if given a PMB or PO or Suite number, for a real bricks-and-mortar address.

INVOICE NUMBER & DATE You may want it for reference. Usually, when the payment arrives, the number and date will be on their check to you so you can cross reference. If you get the check and there's a problem, then having these numbers on your original invoice will enable the accounting people to figure out what happened. Recently, I sold a couple and when I got the check, it was for half the sale. I found out that it was my fault: in the Total column, I only noted one sale. A dumb mistake!

ITEMIZED LIST OF SALES ensures that everyone understands that the sale is for a particular cartoon. I put a number on the back of all my cartoon originals, and that gets written on the invoice. It means nothing to the buyer, of course, but for me, it tells me exactly which cartoon I sold. I also write the caption or general description of the cartoon on the invoice.

TERMS OF SALE is something that you want to consider. Mine establishes legal authorship of the work, letting the buyer know that the cartoon is mine. In other words, the person buying the cartoon does not now own the cartoon. The routine sale is for one-time use. Rarely, just every once in a while, someone will think that they now own a cartoon you made and that they can put it on t-shirts, etc.

- The following is a revised version of a June 6, 2007 blog entry.

Arrested for Sketching

Ram Hull draws with a forbidden fat marker in Wichita's Riverside Park on August 21, 2010. He is an illustrator for the WSU paper the Sunflower. Photo by Fernando Salazar/The Wichita Eagle.

Dateline: Wichita, Kansas:

You are an artist. You are outside, sketching. It's your job.

Then the local police see what you are doing and arrest you. You will be in jail up six months and fined up to $1,000. Hey, they are just doing their job.

As The Wichita Eagle's Tim Potter writes:

Wichita police say a new ordinance outlawing broad-tipped markers and spray paint on or near public property will give them a needed tool to fight an increasing graffiti problem. But a few days after the City Council approved the ordinance, some residents say they worry that innocent people who use the materials for legitimate purposes, such as artwork, could be fined or jailed.

Under the law, expected to receive final approval Tuesday, people are banned from having spray paint, broad-tipped markers and other potential graffiti tools on or within 100 feet of public property. Violators can be fined $250 to $1,000 and jailed for up to six months.

Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/08/23/1458334/citys-graffiti-law-stirs-up-worries.html#ixzz0xQxf4Nqn

Cartoonist Charlie Rodrigues

The I'm Learning to Share blog shares some great cartoons by Charlie Rodrigues in two parts:

• Part one
  
  
• Part two

Video: Joe Wos

SOUL SUNDAY

Here is The Impalas version of "I can't see me without you"...

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

We just added this one the collection in the shop..

Video: Noah Van Sciver

Noah Van Sciver, who has been nominated for an Ignatz Award, talks about his comics.

Why Is MoCCA's Forthcoming Al Jaffee Exhibit Funded via Kickstarter?

Tom Spurgeon asks why the upcoming Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art's Al Jaffee exhibit is being funded by Kickstarter. He not only asks the question, he contacted MoCCA Chairman Ellen Abramowitz.

"This show was presented to us on relatively short notice and Kickstarter is an ideal vehicle for raising funds for small, popular projects in a brief time frame."

Funding for museums is always an uphill battle, and this is the first time I've seen Kickstarter used for a gallery show for a name institution (although I am willing to bet there may have been others).

Al sure is very worthy of a retrospective, regardless!

Related: A NY Times 2008 profile of Mr. Jaffee (and scroll down for the multimedia MAD fold-ins!).

LICK A SHOT

HE IS COMING..

&

"The Sister"

has his Back.

BRASS MONKEY

Here is a recent piece on a client who wanted to get a piece that captures a moment from his childhood. He told a story of his zoo experience at the age of 5..

Video: Dan Clowes Talks About WILSON

From a May 5, 2010 appearance at The Strand in NYC. Earlier, when I posted this, the videos were incomplete. That has been corrected. It's all here and it's in 5 parts.

UPDATE: The "Crippled KFC Chicken" Statue by Harry Bliss

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the city of Louisville, KY have a problem and it's called Kentucky Fried Chicken. Louisville is the headquarters for Yum! Brands, which owns the KFC franchises.

New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss designed the above 5 1/2 foot tall bloody chicken statue to show the inhumane treatment that chicken suppliers use. PETA petitioned to put the statue on public display. Louisville Metro Government denied their application.

PETA says this violates their first amendment rights. An appeal was filed yesterday.

Dan Klepal of the Louisville Courier-Journal has the story.

UPDATE: Louisville says PETA cannot display the chicken on its streets.

Geller: Okay to Hate

So called "human-rights activist" Pamela Geller: It's OK to hate Muslims because of threats to cartoonists.

No it isn't.

PC Mag: THQ's uDraw Tablet for Nintendo Wii

Above: Cartoonist Jason Pyke, one of the developers of the new Tablet, demonstrates his art on the THQ uDraw GameTablet for Wii.

Carol Mangis, writing for PC Magazine, reports on the uDraw Tablet for the Nintendo Wii, which was unveiled August 17th. It will sell for $69.99.

"Using the uDraw was like using a simpler wireless Wacom tablet; the Wii Remote docks in the tablet to provide connectivity. The 4- by 6-inch drawing surface provided plenty of room to draw. Getting started and figuring out the various controls was fairly simple (and then I found the tutorials, of course). Not so easy was controlling what I was drawing; it'll take some practice for me and I suspect for most people. But the possibilities are a bit mind-blowing!"

More photos and demo videos at the PC Mag link above.

SI SE PUEDE

Rina Piccolo Illustrates Other People's Tweets

Rina Piccolo has come up with such a fun idea (wish I'd thought of it!): taking other people's Twitter messages (yes, yes -- Kanye West is included), and illustrating them. Go see her Cartooned Tweets! The result is surreal and wonderful-to-look-at.

Above: Rina illustrates a real Tweet by cartoonist Matt Diffee.

E. Simms Campbell: A Nightclub Map of Harlem (1932)

E. Simms Campbell (1906-1971), an African American cartoonist, drew the above map of the places to go in Harlem circa 1932. Mike Thibault originally posted this, after a great deal of searching

"I was at my friend Jojo’s house about a year and a half ago, watching some old VHS tapes of dance stuff she had. Among the home movies she had was a taped documentary featuring Cab Calloway. He was checking out this amazing cartoon map of Harlem from back in the 30’s and remembering all the places. Since then I’ve been trying to find a readable copy of it. A while ago I found that the title is “A Nightclub Map of Harlem” and it was drawn in 1932 by E. Simms Campbell, a cartoonist who went on to great success with his drawings in Ebony Magazine.

"... Cab Calloway made a joking comment about what a deal those marijuana cigarettes seemed at the time of filming, '2 for $.25.'"

Campbell had a long list of major league clients for his gag cartoons (Esquire, The New Yorker) and this is a major find by Mike. Click to supersize.

Hat tip to Frank Jacobs at Big Think, who provides more historical background, including the fact that A Nightclub Map of Harlem was used as endpapers for Cab Calloway's 1976 autobiography.

SPANISH CARAVAN

Here are a couple fliks of us posted up at the place Lifestyle C.C. named "The Lot" and the place we have held meetings for over 35yrs..