2011

2011-12-30

New Year’s cleaning

Either last year or the year before I spent New Year’s Eve cleaning & organizing, and (contrary to how it might sound) it was pretty great. Sort of like Spring Cleaning, but for the new year. I think I’m going to do it again this year; my space has been wobbling between “almost good” and “blithering mess,” so I’d like to give it a shove toward the good. I don’t normally do much for New Year’s because it doesn’t mean a lot to me and I’m not much of a party person (though I have enjoyed the couple First Night things I’ve attended).

Whatever you do, I hope you have fun!

This post’s song.

2011-12-27

The Procrastination Paradox

The Procrastination Paradox

Transcript

Image: a fifties-style horror comic cover (title: Tales of Torpor).

In the foreground, a silhouetted man in a fedora looks at a piece of paper in his hand with the words, “To Do Today: 1. Procrastinate” and says, “Well, I can put this off ’til tomorrow – wait – I – I -”

An evil sorcerer gestures and says, “Ha ha ha! I have trapped you in – The Procrastination Paradox!”

Whoa, color! I made this for a Christmas gift shirt.

2011-12-07

Stars & Skulls Craft Fair 12/11

Logo - Stars & Skulls Crafty Craft Fair: A Craft Fair For Freaks & Geeks

Visit me at the Trees & Hills table at the 6th annual Stars & Skulls Crafty Craft Fair! Organized by Pioneer Valley Roller Derby co-founders Pink Panzer & Bazooka Joe, Stars & Skulls is the Valley’s original DIY alternative craft fair. It’s also my fourth weekend in a row tabling at art & craft fairs!

The fair will features dozens of tables of locally made jewelry, clothing, knick-knacks, housewares, tasty treats, comics and much more! PVRD will also have a merch/info table.

The fair is from 10 am to 4 pm at the American Legion Hall at 162 Russell St. (AKA Route 9) in Hadley, MA.

As always, admission and parking are free.

2011-12-06

Well

Well

Transcript

Setting: Headville – a land where everyone is a head on little legs.

A Headville woman with black hair walks through the park to an old-fashioned well, climbs into it, and lowers herself in the bucket. Eventually she reaches a cavern with a tunnel or alcove in one side. She enters it, finding a glass of water on a bump of rock. She grips the rim with her lips, flips it back to drink it, sets it back down, and exits the alcove, looking satisfied. She gets back in the bucket and ascends.

2011-11-28

Noodle Wrestling Mayhem

Noodle Wrestling Mayhem

Transcript

Announcer: “Sunday! Sunday!! Sunday!!! Pasta Grappling Association presents NOODLE WRESTLING MAYHEM”

“Elbow Drop!” A macaroni elbow does an elbow drop on a prone ziti.
“Shellshock!” A pasta shell does a Swinging Reverse STO on a fettuccine.
“Butterfly Suplex!” A bowtie – aka butterfly – pasta does a butterfly suplex on a spiral pasta.

“Be there – for gnocchi-down drag out action!” A ravioli wearing a wrestling belt yells into a microphone while behind him two spaghetti drag an unconscious gnocchi from the ring.

This strip took more research than you might expect! Selected sources:

This comic is part of the Comics Rehab Ripoff, in which I and some cohorts post at least 4 panels every 4 days to encourage our comics groove. Follow along to possibly see some of my comics before they appear here, or better still to see the good things my companions are posting. Want to join in? Drop us a line with your email address or email me at colin@colintedford.com!

2011-11-02

Halloween

Halloween was quiet but good. I gave out 30 comics to trick-or-treaters. Some of the kids asked, “What’s this?”. When I told the last one, “Comics,” she said, “Nice!“

2011-10-17

Folk Gospel Pearls p.1 of 2

Folk Gospel Pearls page 1

Transcript

I enjoy old-timey American folk music, but not so much the old-timey American Christianity in some of it. Singing along to folk gospel just feels wrong to me – which is too bad, ’cause it has some great tunes! Utah Phillips said, “The Wobblies [the Workers of the World union] liked to steal the hymn tunes – ’cause they were pretty – and change the words so they made more sense.” (e.g. “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” became “Dump The Bosses Off Your Back”) For now i just draw these irreverent doodles, like an oyster making pearls in reaction to sand grit…

From THE CHERRY TREE CAROL, a song that migrated from England to the Appalachians: “Then Mary spoke to Joseph / So meek and so mild / ‘Joseph, gather me some cherries / For I am with child”

In the comic, Mary says, “Joseph! Gather cherries, for I am with child!”
Joseph, startled, says, “What?! But we haven’t even – ”
“CHERRIES! NOW!” Joseph runs away.

Later, Mary shoves cherries from a bowl into her cherry-stained face while Joseph slouches exhausted. “Mm, thank you. Mlorf.” After eating all the cherries, she says, “Ah – Urp,” then suddenly vomits all over a horrified Joseph. (“BLARF!”)

Josephs stomps away. “I’m OUT of here.”
“What? No!”

(The actual story in the song, it turns out, is Joseph refuses because he thinks Mary’s cheated on him, so fetal Jesus commands a cherry tree to bend down and give Mary some fruit!)

Here is the first of two pages I made for the alphabet-structured Hot Tea, Cold Water #3, marking the first time in a couple of years that I’ve submitted to an anthology I wasn’t co-editing. The second page, as you might expect, has more doodles from different songs.

2011-10-13

The Boy in the Cemetary p.2

The Boy in the Cemetery page 2

Transcript

The boy approached the crypt and reached for the door handle.

“wh-what are you doing?” Billy said.

The boy opened the door a little and leaned his head around it. “Hey Dad, I brought someone over…” he said.

“Excellent…” came a voice from within, as Billy stammered in fear. The door opened fully, and a skeleton with glowing eyes said, “He looks — DELICIOUS.”

Billy froze for a moment, then ran screaming in panic. “AAAAAAA!!!!”

“HA HA! Look at him go!” The skeleton laughed.

“DAD!”

The skeleton leaned against the doorway, still laughing. “He really thought I’d eat him! Hoo! The poor kid!”

“Ugh!” said the ghost boy, stomping into the crypt. “I never get to have any friends!”

Little Zero 3 - The Boy in the Cemetery cover

Get copies of “The Boy in the Cemetery” formatted as a minicomic to give to trick-or-treaters, Halloween party-goers, goblins, etc.!

Assembling the comic is pretty easy! Print the PDF double-sided at 100% (no scaling; don’t let the program “adjust to printer margins” or anything like that). Each copy of the file produces 4 copies of the comic; when you cut them apart, the pages will be in the right order for you to staple & fold. If using scissors instead of a papercutter, you may want to cut after folding. Staple in the center & fold. If you’re using a standard stapler, you may want to fold the comic before stapling or use a ruler to help find the center (at 2 3/4″). If using a long stapler, the measurement marks probably don’t go down to 2 3/4″, so line up a ruler with the one on the stapler to get the added measurement.

Check out my other Halloween comics, too!

2011-10-10

The Boy in the Cemetery p.1

The Boy in the Cemetery page 1

Transcript

It was a cold night with the moon hiding behind clouds. Billy walked down the sidewalk past the cemetery carrying his plastic pumpkin bucket of candy. He wore a black cape & hood and a mask push up on his head. He saw someone slouching near the cemetery gate – a boy his own age, wearing a ghost costume with his head uncovered.

“Are – are you okay?” he asked the boy, who didn’t seem very happy.

“Oh…” the boy replied, “I just don’t have any friends…”

“Well…maybe I could be your friend?” Billy suggested.

“That’d be swell! Would you walk to my house with me?”

“Sure!”

“Great! C’mon!” the boy headed into the cemetery.

“Uh-” Billy said. “Wh-why are we going through the cemetery?” He was looking around so nervously that he didn’t notice how transparent the boy looked now that the moon had come out from behind the clouds.

“It’s the shortest way,” the boy said.

“Are you sure there isn’t a better way?” Bill asked as the path wound near a crypt.

“We have to go this way.”

Little Zero 3 - The Boy in the Cemetery coverGet copies of “The Boy in the Cemetery” formatted as a minicomic to give to trick-or-treaters, Halloween party-goers, goblins, etc.!

Assembling the comic is pretty easy! Print the PDF double-sided at 100% (no scaling; don’t let the program “adjust to printer margins” or anything like that). Each copy of the file produces 4 copies of the comic; when you cut them apart, the pages will be in the right order for you to staple & fold. If using scissors instead of a papercutter, you may want to cut after folding. Staple in the center & fold. If you’re using a standard stapler, you may want to fold the comic before stapling or use a ruler to help find the center (at 2 3/4″). If using a long stapler, the measurement marks probably don’t go down to 2 3/4″, so line up a ruler with the one on the stapler to get the added measurement.

Check out my other Halloween comics, too!

2011-10-06

Here in the Forest p.1 (of 3)

Here in the Forest page 1

Transcript

According to an old saying, the first Europeans in America saw forests so vast that a squirrel could go from Maine to Texas without ever leaving the treetops. (A squirrel leaps from branch to branch)

They changed *that* in a hurry (The squirrel unexpectedly leaps from a branch into a recently clearcut area. An ax-wielding settler strikes a dramatic pose, crying, “Onward! For Farmland and Firewood!)

By the mid-1800s as much as 70% of the land was cleared – but with the decline of farming, much of New England’s forest returned by the late 1900s (and has started to recede again under development pressure). (An old stone wall runs through a forest)

So what’s happening in the woods these days? Hiking, skiing, sightseeing, and similar recreational activities… (A person walks along a forest road)

…and some less-similar recreational activities. (A person on a four-wheeler roars past the walker – BRAAW)

Wood is still useful, so we still log – too often still in destructive ways. (A skidder – a large motorized logging machine – sits in a clearcut area)

WOODS anthology coverHere is the first of my three pages from the latest Trees & Hills anthology Woods.

2011-08-29

Headache & Nausea p.3

Headache and Nausea page 3

Transcript

Nausea paused, glancing back at the sleeping man. “I didn’t actually wait up all night for it, though, I just kinda showed up in the morning.

“Yeah, this is pretty boring,” said Headache. “Wanna split?”

“Yeah.”

The man slept alone in his room for a little while, and then a conversation came through his window:

“Well, if it isn’t our ol’ buddy Bodily Aches!”

“Hey, what are you fellas up to?”

“Not much, just out on the town.”

“Hey, you wanna go to the bar and find someone to have us over for breakfast?”

“Sure!”

“Ha ha, all right!”

The conversation moved away, becoming indistinct except for some laughter.

The next morning, the man woke up looking happy (and bedheaded). “Whew! I feel better!” he said.

2011-08-25

Headache & Nausea p.2

Headache and Nausea page 2

Transcript

The man leaned toward his computer, wincing in pain and sickness.

“Man, I’m diggin’ this noisy music!” said Headache. “What is it?”

The man walked unsteadily to his bedroom. “I think I’m just going to go to bed,” he said.

“What?!” said Headache. “It’s early!”

As the man huddled under his covers, groaning, Nausea said, “Okay, well, we’ll see you tomorrow!” The man fell asleep and Nausea turned to Headache. “Ha ha, oh man, so one time I’m at this guy’s house, right, when he wakes up…”

Colin’s sat up in bed, holding his stomach. “Ugh, I don’t feel so good,” he said. “Maybe I should call in sick…” Nausea, sitting on the sheets, smiled. Colin started to get out of bed. “Well, maybe I’ll feel better with some food in me…” Suddenly he could feel he was about to vomit. He ran for the door with Nausea holding onto him, then threw up in the doorway as Nausea did a happy little dance.

“Ha, ha, WHAM! Just like that! it was only like two steps from his bed to the door, but it just hit him so fast!” Headache and Nausea both laughed as Nausea finished his story.

True story!

2011-08-22

Headache & Nausea p.1

Headache and Nausea page 1

Transcript

A short, amorphous blob with arms, legs, & face walks down a sidewalk and suddenly waves.
“Headache, how’s it going?” it says.
“All right, Nausea,” responds a short, spiky being coming the opposite way, “What’s shakin’?”
“Not much, just – oh, hey, I haven’t seen that guy in a while – let’s go say hi!”
“Okay!”
The two run up a set of front steps behind a man with a tote bag entering an apartment building.
“Buddy! How are ya!” exclaims Nausea.
The man turns in alarm to see Headache & Nausea standing in the doorway. “Uh…busy,” he says.
“Cool!” says Nausea
They follow as he walks away.
“We thought we’d just drop by, catch up, rock out, y’know?” Headache says.
“Eaten anything interesting lately?” Nausea asks as the man sits down at a TV tray, starting to look ill.
“Guys,” he says, looking stressed, “I’ve got a lot of stuff to do, and I can’t do it with you here.”
Headache & Nausea are totally unfazed. “Aw, you can take a break!” says Nausea. “How often do we see each other?”
2011-08-18

The Water Dogs 2

The Water Dogs page 2

Transcript

Watching the distant dogs play in the water, Colin thinks, :They seem kind of small for wolves…” As they move out the picture, he thinks, “We’re in Portland – they must be someone’s dogs… very independent dogs.” He watches the water for a while after they’ve left.

Later, his roommate says, “They were probably coyotes.”

“I…didn’t know we had coyotes in New England.”

“Yeah, they’ve actually gotten to be kind of a nuisance in the suburbs.”

“Huh!”

NARRATION: Since moving back to New Hampshire, I’ve seen coyotes four times while driving. IMAGE: Headlight beams in a rural road at night, coyote walking along the shoulder.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says coyotes came to the state in the 1940s – and they’re bigger than and different from their ancestors because they interbred with wolves along the way! Now they’re common in every county.

I drew half of this page this past Sunday at the 8 Days of Weeks festival in Lancaster, NH and finished it at home last night.

Learn more about Eastern Coyotes at the NH Fish & Game Department and more about their genetic relationship with wolves at the Boston Globe.

2011-08-15

The Water Dogs 1

The Water Dogs page 1

Transcript

A man walks past some shops.
Narration: “I liked living in Portland, Maine, but after a while I missed walking in the woods.”
He walks a muddy path through tall rushes.
Narration: “A coworker recommended a river preserve just inside the city limits. As I walked in the forested section…”
SPLASH! The man looks right, then walks off the path toward a place above some water. Two distant shapes are swimming. “Ah, dogs,” he thinks. As he watches them, he thinks, “They look kinda wolfy…I don’t see an owner anywhere…”, then continues to watch them quietly.

This is the first page of the comic I drew yesterday at Weeks State Park in Lancaster, NH as part of the 8 Days of Weeks White Mountains Cultural Festival. Marek Bennett and I enticed passerby into drawing comics about the woods, the mountains, their experiences in the White Mountains National Forest, etc. – and fairness (and fun) demanded that we draw some too. I’ll post the other page later this week.

2011-08-12

Forest Comics Activity at Weeks Act Festival 8/14

Oh hey, I’m doing a thing this weekend:

Make forest comics with Weeks Act Comics Artist Marek Bennett (who will also lead a musical “Forest Jamboree”) and cartoonist Colin Tedford this coming Sunday 8/14 at Weeks State Park in Lancaster, NH. Work on your Woods anthology submission in a beautiful setting! It’s one of many great activities at the 8 Days of Weeks White Mountain Cultural Festival, celebrating 100 years of the Weeks Act (you know, the one that established the US National Forests?) every weekend in August.

2011-08-10

My Dance Power

A recent comment on Square Dance #5:

Hi there,

Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed this article. It’s obvious that you know dancing. Your site really is awesome.

Thank you for your efforts!

I’m glad that my dance power is so amazing it shines through even in totally unrelated endeavors! I’m less glad that this commenter (whose name linked to an online dance school) enjoyed the shop listing but enough enough to buy : ‘ (

At least my efforts are appreciated.

2011-08-09

What I’ve been up to

Sorry I’ve been away, Internet! I thought things would calm down after Water, which they did but only relatively; I immediately had to throw myself into preparations for the next anthology Woods, then the summer cluster of birthdays, then at some point  I started having really productive brainstorms.

Current projects:

  • Pursue drawn journalism – I want to draw more nonfiction but haven’t, mainly because it’s more work. Enter “comics journalism” and bushels of excitement!
  • “Community Comics” presentation & comic (& maybe workshop).
  • Trees & Hills logo (finally)!
  • Trees & Hills anthology #11, Woods.
  • A new Halloween Comics project.
  • Make comics templates.
  • Overhaul the Trees & Hills website. Among other exciting changes, we’re gonna have a wiki!
  • Overhaul this website (again). The software’s outdated & I have a sneaky spam problem, plus I want to change some things anyway.
  • Trees & Hills reorganization.
  • Prepare for the next Offshore Comix anthology.
  • “Get organized” (ongoing, recently reinvigorated)
  • Transition from Windows to Linux. I think I can finally relegate Windows to its proper place on a dusty shelf, but I have to set up & test some stuff first.
  • Go back “on tour” – so far I have a couple events lined up this month and one in September. I expect to start doing more once the Community Comics presentation is ready.
  • Fix sleep schedule (ongoing) – more daylight hours would make all of this a lot easier! At least now when I’m up too late I’m usually accomplishing a lot instead of just reading the internet (enriching though that may be).
  • So many comics to draw!

So despite the lack of drawing, I’m plenty busy. Despite which, I promise new comics soon!

2011-06-09

A Common Resource p.1

A Common Resource page 1

Transcript

A COMMON RESOURCE copyright 2011 Colin Tedford

1. In 2001, the corporation USA Springs set its sights on Nottingham, NH, aiming to extract 430,000 gallons a day of the town’s water and convert it to profits.
[IMAGE: a tall robotic machine labeled “USA SPRINGS” strides down a curved road from the distance, toward a sign that reads, “Entering Nottingham”]

2. After initial approval from the town government, many residents objected on the grounds that the water bottling plant would drain the aquifer, draw pollutants into it, and damage wetlands.
[IMAGE: Angry protesters with signs. One speaks a word balloon containing a picture of a puzzled person turning on their sink tap and only getting a drip, and another picture of the robotic USA SPRINGS machine sucking water through a flexible pipe stuck in the ground. A man in a suit pilots the machine, and a rapidly-filling bag attached to the rear of the machine bears a dollar sign.]

3. Nottingham citizens worked tirelessly to learn the ins and outs of the regulatory system.
[IMAGE: Protesters trying to navigate a maze; the leader has a map and looks stressed.]

4. Unfortunately, they learned that the rights of corporations trump those of people, as their challenges were dismissed, or won and then overturned.
[IMAGE: The protesters, having reached a dead end in the maze, watch in alarm as the USA SPRINGS machine strides down a straight corridor through the center of the maze, just on the other side of the wall.]

Here’s the first page of my comic in WATER, the new Trees & Hills anthology. To read the rest, pick up a copy – it’s full of good comics!

2011-06-08

Thirsty for comics? WATER is here!

The new Trees & Hills anthology WATER debuted at MECAF a couple weeks ago, and now you can buy it online from our shop! You can see its hand-printed cover to the right there, looking cool in the Ashuelot River.

WATER contains 56 pages about the Connecticut River, the Weeks Act, the Lake Champlain monster, a sad lamprey, the Nahr El Kalb Valley in Lebanon, Jenny Greenteeth, childhood summers at Laurel Lake, communities fighting water-bottling corporations, and more! Includes the last comics of Mark “Sparky” Whitcomb with an appreciation by Stephen R. Bissette. 10% of all proceeds go to the Connecticut River Watershed Council.

WATER features the talents of Daniel Barlow, Marek Bennett, Stephen R. Bissette, Jesse DuRona, Glynnis Fawkes, Sam Leveillee, Matt Levin, Mike Lynch, Madsahara, Elizabeth Neronski, Colin Tedford, Anne Thalheimer, Mark “Sparky” Whitcomb, and Matt Young.

Go get it!

2011-05-30

How many pages have I drawn & printed?

A fellow cartoonist writes, “I’ve walked around telling people I’m a cartoonist, but how many comics have I really done? Whole comic books, mini-comics, strips all together? Fifty full pages of comics? Eighty?” I’ve had similar thoughts on occasion, so reading this made me wonder just how many pages I’ve drawn and published.

It turns out the answer is around 290 (using a 5.5″ x 8.5″ page as a standard unit).

  • 5 issues of Square Dance = 104 pages.
  • 5 issues of Before Sleep = 80 pages (I’m counting each page as half a page because they’re only 5.5″ x 4.25″. Note also that I only printed half of the strips I drew for Before Sleep).
  • Entries in 9 Trees & Hills anthologies = 38 pages (12 of them written by other people).
  • Entries in other anthologies (Always Comix, Big Sexy, Candy or Medicine (small pages counted as half), High Maintenance Machine guest strip (small counted as half), and Secrets & Lies (large page counted as double) = 14 pages.
  • 24 hour comics = 48 pages (not counting the second one, part of which I used in an issue of Square Dance & the rest of which remains unpublished. The first one had 8.5″ x 11″ pages, but I’m still counting it as just 24).
  • Minicomics not yet reprinted in Square Dance = 6 (all small pages counted as half or less).

If I counted comics I’ve published online but not on paper, it would add another 90 or so pages.

Those 290 pages are spread over the seven or so years(!) since I decided to “be a cartoonist”, averaging about 40 pages (or about two zines) a year. That’s less than my current goal of 100+ pages a year, and I know people’s who’ve drawn my seven-year total in much less time, but I still find it a comforting number. It’s not bad for someone who works a day job and devotes a lot of time to non-drawing comics activities (ie, co-organizing Trees & Hills),  and I hadn’t realized I’d drawn & published so many pages.

Here’s to many more!

2011-05-26

Continental breakfast while you wait

New comics are still a little ways off, as there are a couple anthologies I want to submit to with June 1 deadlines – hopefully I’ll make one of them (two seems very unlikely). In the meantime, I’ve brought in a band to entertain you:

MC Toasty Toast & DJ Cherry Muffin

Stand back when they bust out the jams!

2011-05-25

Back from making Water (ahem)

Sorry I haven’t been posting comics lately. I got caught up in last-minute anthology production rush and the touring season. The new Trees & Hills anthology Water is out and coming soon to an online shop near you!

For copies of the Trees and Hills comics anthology "Water"

2011-05-12

Broke – an affordable art fair Sat. 5/14

This coming Saturday, May 14 from 10am-4pm, I’ll be tabling at Broke – an affordable art fair, part of Peterborough, NH’s Thing In The Spring. Broke is a multidisciplinary arts event that has taken place in Peterborough, NH three times since its inception in 2008. The Broke philosophy is simple: art is for everybody. All Broke events are free to the public, and *broke vendors commit to presenting at least 75% of their wares for less than $50. It’ll be at the Fellowship Hall of the Union Congregational Church in Peterborough, NH. Come out & say hi!

2011-05-03

Surprises from Headville

The other night on a whim I Googled “Headville”. I guess I thought the only results would be mine (see Winter & Spring in Headville if you don’t know what I’m talking about), but it turns out there are other things with that name.

As far as I can tell it doesn’t exist anymore, but apparently there was a place called Headville in Vermont, as evidenced by the postmark on this postcard (I’d be tempted to buy it if the word “Headville” weren’t cut off the way it is). There’s also Headville Grain & Feed in Kansas (not Headville, KS, though). The business info site identifies itself as “a D&B Company”, which I guess stands for “Dun & Bradstreet,” but coincidentally is also a common abbreviation for “Drum & Bass,” a type of music I’ve enjoyed for years. Then there’s Headville, LLC in Colorado. That site gives no indication what they do so I was totally going to call them, but I Googled instead and found their Twitter, which tells me that it’s not only “a high quality smoke shop”, but also has “locally made tees, jewelry, ceramics, and fine art.”

The thing with the most results was Headville, which as far as I can tell from skimming their uninformative, script-requiring page and other search results, is some sort of video mystery puzzle. But the best result so far was a track by Isness called “In Headville” – I like it pretty well and It’s not a bad fit for the comic, so now there’s a soundtrack to listen to while reading Headville comics!

2011-04-19

I’m on Etsy!

I didn’t think I had any use for Etsy because I already had a shop on my website, but Josh Blair’s post about it changed my mind, and now I’ve finally set up there. If you like buyin’ things on Etsy, get on over there!

(You may notice I’m selling the anthologies I’ve co-produced there; I plan to do the same here, but not ’til after I redo my shop.  I was going to set up a separate Etsy shop for Trees & Hills, but the process to post a new item is cumbersome enough that I don’t want to do it twice for each item.)

2011-04-18

More Spring Tour dates

I had a good time at Paint & Pixel this weekend! If you missed it, you can still catch up with me at these events:

  • May 7: Free Comic Book Day Festival (Rochester NH). Free Comic Book Day is a highly publicized national event. Comic Shops across the country bring in hundreds and thousands of people on this day! The city of Rochester is unique in that Free Comic Book Day is promoted as a city-wide festival, organized by Jetpack Comics and the Rochester Main Street Association. 10am-4pm, multiple locations (cartoonists will be at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 40 Columbus Ave. For more information, email Ralph at jpcomics(at)worldpath(dot)net.
  • May 14: Broke – the Affordable Arts Fair (Peterborough, NH). Broke is a multidisciplinary arts event with a simple philosophy: art is for everybody. All Broke events are free to the public, and Broke vendors commit to presenting at least 75% of their wares for less than $50. Broke will take place from 10am-4pm at the Fellowship Hall at Union Congregational Church, 33 Concord St. Broke is part of the Thing In The Spring, an annual weekend of art and music.
  • May 22: Maine Comics Arts Festival (Portland, ME). The Maine Comics Arts Festival (MECAF) celebrates the wonderful world of comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, web comics and more. The festival will feature a wide variety of comic creators, writers, artists and publishers. 10am-5pm in the beautiful Ocean Gateway Building on the waterfront. Admission: $5 (kids 12 & under free). Presented by Casablanca Comics.

Hope to see you!

2011-04-07

Square Dance #5

Square Dance 5 cover

click to enlarge

Featuring: the secrets of “Cupid’s Mission”, the strange story of “A Boy and His Gum”, the possibly useful advice of “Pro Tips For Tabling At Comics Conventions”, the seasonal wonder of “Spring in Headville”, the Spring installments of Spinning World (strips about time and culture: holidays known & unknown, plus “Great Moments in Nuclear History”), and more!

5.5″ x 8.5″, 24 pgs $2.00 Buy it here
2011-04-04

Sam and the Prophecy of the Allrus

Sam & the Allrus coverMy third 24-hour comic: 24 pages drawn in 24 hours!

Sam is an ordinary boy who likes to read about magic and dragons, until one day he is inducted into the secret world of wizards. Plunged headlong into adventure, he will learn about his connection to an ancient prophecy and a mystical walrus.

“Peg, is this right? A mystical walrus? It sounds like it might be a typo.” – Jane Ruffis, copy editor

“No, that’s right, a mystical walrus. It doesn’t make any sense to me, either, but apparently the kids love it.” – Peggy Broswell, senior copy editor

5.5″ x 8.5″, 24 pgs $2.00 Buy it here
2011-03-24

Wizard

Wizard

Transcript

1. A wizard performing a magic ritual at an altar: “AZNHORUM BINCLEITH IOR VANRID ECSORETH”
2. “ECTHOR!” Wizard raises arms and sparkly fire erupts on the altar.
3. A sandwich has appeared on the altar. Wizard smiles & licks lips.

I bet he’d think splitting atoms to boil water is a great idea.

2011-03-21

April 16: Paint & Pixel Festival in Northampton, MA

I’ll be tabling for Trees & Hills at a new comics festival right in our own region!

April 16, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Northampton Center for the Arts, 17 New South Street, Northampton, MA

Celebrating illustration online and in print, Paint & Pixel showcases Western New England’s talented book illustrators, comic artists, and cartoonists in one venue. Meet and get to know talented creators and their work ranging from sci-fi and indie comics to award-winning children’s books, prominent webcomics and comic strips. The annual event is open to comic and art lovers alike and promises to be the region’s largest gathering of talented illustrators.

Admission: $4 for adults, $2 for children 6-12, Free for children 5 and under

More info: paintandpixelfestival.com

2011-03-09

The Comics Journal reviews Square Dance #4

This particular edition of Colin Tedford’s Square Dance suggests what underground comics might have been in their nth iteration if maybe America and its cartoonists had progressed differently. For instance, what if, when head shops disappeared, the undergrounds migrated and were sold in farm and feed supply stores?

…so begins Rich Kreiner’s review of Square Dance #4 at The Comics Journal.

(If so inspired, you can of course buy Square Dance #4 here or here.)

2011-03-04

The Unexpected Volume

Recently while perusing the used children’s books at Toadstool, trying to decide what to read to some 3rd-graders, I found something surprising on the shelf: The Haunted Looking Glass: Ghost Stories chosen [and illustrated] by Edward Gorey – for $3! (click image to enlarge)

I probably wouldn’t have bought the book just for the illustrations, much as I love Gorey’s work  (and the book is physically charming), but having gone through a period of strong interest in ghost stories this past fall, I think it’ll be a fun read. It includes Charles Dickens’ “The Signal-man”, perhaps my favorite of the stories I read last fall, and a bunch of others I don’t know.

2011-03-02

Adventures in reading

Yesterday morning I trooped down to the local school for to instill a love of reading in the young folk as part of Read Across America. First I ate pastries in the library with other volunteers, then we all went to the cafeteria to watch the principal talk and the kids sing a song about Dr. Seuss (whose birthday is today), take the “Reader’s Oath”, and enact a theatrical performance of Green Eggs and Ham. There was also a special visit by large-headed superhero Word Girl.

After that everyone went back to their classrooms. I read part of The Pirates’ Mixed-Up Voyage by Margaret Mahy to a class of 3rd-graders, then answered some questions about being a cartoonist & whatnot. I left them with a picture of Garfield and a chihuahua reading on a horse under the watchful eye of Old Man Winter (the elements were all suggestions from the kids).

Overall it was fun! It was a bit of a trip to visit my old elementary school as an adult. The school library has a nice comics section now. I also saw an Alfred Hitchcock collection of stories for young folk, and I wish I’d thought to photograph the bizarre endpapers..

2011-02-21

A Boy and His Gum 1

A Boy and His Gum page 1

Transcript

Boy exits store, excited to chew the gum he just bought. He fumbles & it flies out of hand onto a lawn with a sign: “KEEP OFF MY GRASS!”
Boy walks nervously onto lawn, looking around frantically. “Wow, it landed right on this flower!” he says.
Flower opens into a giant round toothless maw. Boy, kneeling: “What the-?”
GLOM! Flower maw closes around Boy’s upper body.
Flower sucks Boy in. We see only his feet sticking out, then just a lump in the flower stem, then the flower maw is small again. Flower maw: “BURP!”

Oh my gosh, what now?!

2011-02-21

Where was I?

Man, I slid right into Slump-town as last year came to a close. No good! But I’m starting to dig myself out. I now have scheduled drawing time with Brattleboro Comix Lab founder Daniel Kornguth twice a week, which should help a lot. I drew a whole page last week! (see above) Aiming for two this week. I still need to post my 24-hour comic in the Shop, and in March I intend to release the Spring-themed Square Dance #5. Comics ahoy!