#anthologies

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!

2010-09-29

TIME & 24 Hour Comics Day

Behold, the latest Trees & Hills anthology: TIME! 64 pages of comics about time, co-edited by me and containing my 5-page story “Take Your Time” and Daniel Barlow‘s 4-page “Great Moments In Time,” which I drew, plus a comics-filled calendar with 5 comics by me (4 Spinning World + 1 new strip), available now for online purchase.

Speaking of time, on Saturday October 2 I’ll be participating in the Trees & Hills 24 Hour Comics Day event. Come see a library full of people racing to draw 24 pages in 24 hours, and pick up a copy  of TIME while you’re at it!

2009-09-29

Home

Home page 1

Here’s the first page of “Home”, a story from the new Trees & Hills anthology Shelter. The following four pages show the house’s life after foreclosure. “Home” was written by Trees & Hills co-founder Daniel Barlow; when the original artist wasn’t able to finish the piece, I volunteered (insanely, given everything else I had to do) to draw a quick version at the last minute. I’ll post ordering info and a page from my own story soon.

2009-09-21

A Public Service Announcement

A Public Service Announcement page 1 (cropped)

Whoah, what’s going on here?! It looked like a sort of dull installment of Spinning World, and then it got all – all sexy?

This is most of the first page of my contribution to Big Sexy, an anthology I haven’t yet mentioned that I’m co-editing. The remaining pages are way sexier than anything heretofore shown on my little website, so if you want to see the rest you’ll have to get a copy of Big Sexy (to do which you’ll need to be a legal adult). It debuts this weekend at SPX (I’ll be there), and shortly thereafter will be available through Offshore Comix online and gradually through local retailers – a mere $6 for a whopping 92 pages!

Here’s the intro I wrote for the collection:

A society’s sexual art can reveal a lot about that society beyond the “basics” of what turns its people on – which I think is why some of us have such difficulty finding pornography we can enjoy without reservations. Modern mainstream porn is the porn of a sexist, racist, class-divided society.

We want something better.

The comics in this anthology express a variety of sexuality’s many aspects: social, solitary, fantastic, realistic, straight, gay, serious, humorous, and more. What they share in common is their spirit. The artists have each drawn on their interests and values to bring us something positive. They have presented sex in ways that make sense to them.

Together they present us something we hope is much more inclusive and enjoyable than the narrow visions so often sold to us as “sexy” – a Big Sexy, with room for everyone.

2009-05-14

Pulled into the public eye

Wow, I’ve been so out of it that not only have I hardly drawn anything, but I forgot to post last month’s Spinning World (and even weirder, I uncharacteristically lettered it in all caps and didn’t notice ’til afterward)! It’s up now, posted under the date it would have been.

As much as I may still(!) need time to hibernate, spring has sprung, and I can hide no more. I have a piece in the new Always Comix vol. 5: Evil. It’s an evil little book for the evil little price of $7, and you can learn more and get it here, and see a page of my comic here.

The Keene Sentinel recently interviewed me (and others) for a nice article about the Trees & Hills Comics Group (there’s even a photo – look out!). EDIT: Arg, it’s behind a subscription wall now! I’ll see if i can get a copy to post.

This coming weekend I will be staffing the Trees & Hills table at the Maine Comics Arts Festival in Portland, ME, which is clearly going to be an excellent show (organized by the fine folks at Casablanca Comics). I will, sadly, not be joining my T&H comrades at MoCCA in NYC the first weekend in June this year, but I do hope to have a new minicomic out by then.

2008-11-10

Purchase SEEDS online!

I am making a slight change to the way I update this site. For a while now, I have been posting comics and/or news on Mondays, and installments of 99 Doodles on Thursdays. This worked pretty nicely, but I now hope to take the slightly harder path of posting comics every Monday, and news or Doodles on Thursdays, to give the comics the priority they deserve – starting next week. Today we have news!

At long last, Seeds is in stock at Trees & Hills Comics Distro! Themed around FOOD with an emphasis on its social aspects, the latest Trees & Hills anthology comes with a booklet of cartoonists’ favorite recipes and a packet of organic lettuce seeds from High Mowing Farm in Vermont, all wrapped in an earthy brown cover with a red apple print (an organic heirloom apple from a local farmer’s market, of course). I co-edited, contributed a 4-page comic (sample here), and wrote the afterword. We’re especially proud of this one, and it has been selling like hotcakes (appropriately enough). We are pretty sure the initial printing will be sold out by year’s end (!), so get your copy while the getting is good! Makes an excellent gift.

2008-10-20

50 States Jam

i51.jpgHere’s another comic I have work in, and it’s quite an unusual project. JB Winter sent his “Izzy the Mouse” character on a tour of the United States with the help of one cartoonist from each state. Each artist received a card with a drawing of Izzy in some pose, with instructions to fill in the action, background, and a caption describing what Izzy did in their state. There are some pretty creative interpretations (all quite “family-friendly”). It’s only $1.00 postage paid for a 16 page, 5.5″ x 8.5″ tour of the U.S. – vacations don’t come much cheaper! For more info, follow the link to Izzy Challenge #5: 50 States Jam: Izzy Tours America.

I haven’t read the other Izzy Challenges, but they sound interesting. I have read Winter’s solo minicomic Noodle (issues #1 & 2), and it is worth checking out.

2008-10-13

Always Comix “Activity” Issue out now!

always-comix-4r.pngThe Always Comix “Activity” issue, featuring a page by me (sample) and many other cool activity comics, is out now! I got my copy at the Philly Zine Fest; you should get your copy here. Contains 2 recipes, 2 paper doll things, 2 spiritual practices, a mad lib comic, a maze, and so much more! Contributors include Falynn Koch, Jeremy Tinder, Will Kirkby, Josh Blair, Colin Tedford, Matt Wiegle, Alvaro Lopez, Colleen MacIsaac, Amanda Kirk, L. Nichols, Ed Moorman, Box Brown, Alisa Harris, Josh P.M., Joe Decie, Erin Griffin, and Sarah Wahrhaftig.

I also co-edited and have a piece in the new Trees & Hills anthology Seeds, which will appear for sale online soon. And coming soon to an online shop near you: Before Sleep #3 & #4, now back in print.

2008-09-15

Beach Hum preview

Beach Hum panel 1

Here’s a sample panel of a one page comic I submitted to the Always Comix “Activity” issue. I sent it in at the very last minute and haven’t heard back, so I’m not sure if I made it in; if I didn’t, I’ll post the whole thing later. If you’d like to see the whole thing, you can buy it from the Always Comix folk at SPX, or right after that at the Philly Zine Fest. I won’t be at SPX (sad!), but I will be at the Philly Zine Fest. I will also have a table at the Winchester Pickle Festival September 27, so you should come check that out; just be careful not to get pickle juice on the comics.

2008-07-06

Anthology appearances

Check it out – I have work in three current anthologies, two of which were not even co-edited by me!

sandlcover.jpgSecrets & Lies is a big, ambitious anthology assembled by Cat Garza. I have a single page in it, but that page has 48 panels and multiple endings, so it’s well worth picking up. It is also (perhaps more so) worth picking up for things like the all-new 13-page story by Stephen Bissette,  classic reprint from Rick Geary, fantasy by Shaenon Garrity & Chuck Whelon, nonfiction comic by Dan Archer, not to mention work by Colleen Frakes, Marek Bennett, Daniel Barlow & Charles Schneeflock Snow, Dan Hernandez, and so much more! 180 8″ x 10″ pages can be yours for only $19.95!

vol_3_web_cover.jpgCandy Or Medicine is a small minicomic anthology published four times a year by Josh Blair. I had a page in the Free Comic Book Day 2008 Special (now available for free download at the website), and I have a four-pager in the recently released issue #3. It’s only $1.50 shipped – click on over and pick it up!swingin_hits.jpg

 

 Of course, I also have a piece in the latest Trees & Hills anthology Swingin’ Hits, which I helped put together. I was a bit stymied by the theme (“Music”), so I ended up illustrating a piece by Keith Moriarty. I also contributed a musical collage to the bonus CD that comes with the anthology. The whole 52-page 5.5″ x 8.5″ package is a mere $5 at Trees & Hills Comics Distro!

2008-05-19

Cupcake Fate

Cupcake Fate excerpt

Here is a sample of “Cupcake Fate”, the 1-page, 48-panel multi-path comic I submitted for Secrets & Lies. Where will it all lead?

Secrets & Lies debuts at MoCCA June 7 & 8, but you can (and should) get a copy early by attending the release party 8pm May 31 at the Main Street Museum, 58 Bridge Street in White River Junction, VT. The same party celebrates the release of Colleen Frakes‘ Tragic Relief book, which should quell any doubts you may have about going. I plan to go, and so should you!

Earlier that day, I will be tabling at Broke: The Affordable Art Fair in Peterborough, NH’s Town Hall (1 Grove St.) from 10am to 4pm. The fair intends to promote innovative, affordable art outside of the traditional gallery system. It is part of the “Thing In The Spring” 3-day arts event, which will also feature concerts, movies, and more.

The weekend after that, I’ll be tabling at MoCCA in NYC, where Trees & Hills will debut its Swingin’ Hits music-themed anthology (I have a comic in it and a piece of music on the bonus CD). I should have a new minicomic out in time for either Broke or MoCCA. Whew! After that, things should quiet down for a while.

2008-04-25

More Free Comics

fcbda.jpgThe second issue of the Trees & Hills Comics Group’s free monthly comics flyer TWIG is online now, leaving you enough time to not only read it, but download the PDF, print, copy & distribute it to your local comic shop & other places by Free Comic Book Day!

Speaking of Free Comic Book Day, the Candy Or Medicine Free Comic Book Day 2008 Special is out now, featuring comics by myself, Rob Moses, Ray Negron, Alberto Pessoa, Steve Rack, & Brad Foster; check your local comic shop for it on Saturday, May 3. The release of Candy Or Medicine #3, which includes a strip by me, has been pushed back; it will be out by May 15.

2008-04-03

Free Comics – and more!

I’m pleased to announce the launch of TWIG, the new free monthly comic I’m putting together as part of the Trees & Hills Comics Group. Every month a new sheet of paper covered with local comics will appear, as if by magic, around Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts – and of course the internet. It is excitingly decentralized – anyone can download it from the website to print and distribute! Check out the first issue at http://www.treesandhills.org/2008/04/twig-1/ .

In other free comics news, I will have a strip in the Free Comic Book Day edition of Candy Or Medicine. I’ll be visiting shops that day to socialize and dole out copies of TWIG and Candy Or Medicine. I also have a strip in Candy Or Medicine #3, due out April 15.

This coming Tuesday, April 8, from 6-8pm I will be at the opening reception for “Accounts of Events: Narrative Works by Connecticut Valley Artists”, an exhibition of comics-related art at Greenfield Community College’s Downtown Center, 270 Main St, Greenfield, MA. Come on by, say hi, see the art (it’s good stuff)! Have some Moxie & Ding-Dongs (someone has to)! Continue reading →

2008-02-15

The Eternal Soup p.8 (the end!)

The Eternal Soup page 8

THE END.

This is Comic Rehab Ripoff Round #6. For anyone to whom this wasn’t already apparent, I didn’t use any pencils on The Eternal Soup, just felt-tip on business cards – not necessarily the best approach for something that was originally intended to be a calling card, but whatever. Four days hence: the final round of the Comic Rehab Ripoff! What will it bring?

(This comic appears in Candy Or Medicine #3.)

2008-02-10

The Eternal Soup p.7

The Eternal Soup page 7

Join me four days hence for the “thrilling” conclusion! This is Round #5 of the Comic Rehab Ripoff, which has so far done a better-than-expected job of motivating me. And now that I think about it, there are diary cartoonists out there who draw four panels every darn day – so that is a goal I plan to aim for. I think after Rehab maybe I will try to do at least two and work my way up.

Another nice thing about Rehab is that it’s forcing me to scan on a regular basis.

(This comic appears in Candy Or Medicine #3.)

2008-01-30

The Eternal Soup (p. 1-5)

The Eternal Soup page 1
The Eternal Soup page 2
The Eternal Soup page 3
The Eternal Soup page 4
The Eternal Soup page 5

6/1/10 – Sorry, I know this format doesn’t work great with the new navigation. Click here for next page >

I started drawing this business-card-sized comic some time ago, then let it languish…until now. Thanks, Comic Rehab Ripoff! There are 3 pages left to draw (though at this point I don’t know if I feel like going to the trouble of making the tiny minicomic – I may just print as 4 pages of a quarter-size mini with some other stuff). The first new panel is the last one on page 4 (with the hypnotic yeti); page 5 is all new. It’s all drawn on the back of outdated business cards (4 cards of art to shrink to 1 card-size page).

(This comic appears in Candy Or Medicine #3.)

2007-11-11

New Stars release party this Saturday

newstars-flyer.jpgThe Illustration Show yesterday was fun; the good times lined up for this weekend include the New Stars release party this coming Saturday, which is where I’ll be. Check out the calendar over at Trees & Hills for other cool comics happenings of the future. Also don’t forget to stop by the Trees & Hills Distro to get your copy if you can’t make it to the party.

Here is some altruistic shilling for those who feel compelled to buy things for the still-distant winter holidays:

-Diane DiMassa‘s Hothead Paisan calendar – a must-have for any discerning household! Get one for you, and one for a friend.

-Anne Thalheimer’s chompy monster hats – another must-have! They come in a range of colors & styles and cost a mere $10 – email Anne for more info: motes at simons-rock dot edu.