Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

Hello my British chums!
Finally got the 'Dachshund' website sortet out, voilà: bugpowder.com/andy. - Total exhaution. - I had just leaned how to scan and promptly proceeded to scan every damn page of my fanzines! Which includes a good number of comics by UK artists, like Lee and Paul and others, although only as very small gifs. I even scanned some text-pages (yes, I know, insane.)
The site also includes the very first comic. Ever. From 1783. I scanned the whole thing, over 50 jpgs on two pages. Hope you like it. You won't be able to read the text, because it's too small and because it's in German (unless you're one of the international readers of this weblog, or a not so language-lazy Brit). But I wrote a plot-outline and commentary, that should help you through.

I'm less certain about some other parts of my site. At first the Internet seemed incredibly exciting, the way one could see bits of comics by so many artists. But now that I know what a piece of cake making scans and a simple webpage really is, I'm becoming less impressed. A link to pages with one or two samples by an artist seems idiotic. It would have been better to only include the more substantial websites. Or interesting reviews. Or long interviews. Whatever, the other lists, like 'publishers', etc, seem more useful now.
Also, some of the picture-compilations I stuck together seem amateurish. That ABC list especially. It should be new scans, and all the same size. (But what size?). Please don't hold back with suggestions: andy_konkykru@yahoo.com

Finally some news about my publishing ventures. Which have been a complete disaster, saleswise. I've resigned myself to the fact that this is how it has to be, and will slowly publish more zines like before. Especially 'Zeitraum', which was in German in the first issue, and wordless in the second (still utterly ignored by everyone. At Caption it sold one copy, to a chap who bought one copy of everything on the table, at Gosh maybe two or three). Well, the next issue will be in English. I don't expect it'll make any difference whatsoever, but happen to have a bunch of stuff lying about that is better published in English, for various reasons.
(Pete, if you think plugging one's own zine like this is not on, just delete this last paragraph, ok?)

11:00 PM |

Posted by SiG

The Comics 2001 Charity Project was announced yesterday. It's a Deck of Cards which will be printed up and sold as a limited edition with the original artwork auctioned (all proceeds to Childline).

Big name artists will probably get all the juicy picture cards to do, but there's nothing stopping small pressers getting in early and having fun with the number cards. Have a read of the details and contact Kev Sutherland if you want to contribute artwork.

There's general info about the festival here, and on the Comics 2000 Yahoogroup.

9:24 AM |

Wednesday, February 14, 2001

Posted by Pete

Linkmachingo mentions a fascinating archive of New Yorker Cartoons. Unfortunately they don't seem to want Mac users to get past the browser check so I can't tell you what it's like, but it's no doubt rather wonderful and impressive. If anyone can get an email address for whoever is responsible for it please pass it on as I really want to see this stuff.

10:23 AM |

Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

That Brazilian site does have the odd comic, or comic-plus-animation thingies. Here's one almost without words, but not funny.
I don't get this one about a stranded sailor. Is sort of funny though.
By the way, nice photo on the 'non-comics' blog.
And thanks for the leaflet from Belgium, I may actually send something.

12:42 PM |

Monday, February 12, 2001

Posted by Pete

New in Personals:

My name is Myriam Kalai, I'm a smallpress artist from Belgium. I participated in several projects: Old Cake Comix, The Bries Anthology: Wind, Formaline, Women's comic world, Beeldstorm. I recently started a project based on an idea I had some years ago: a comic about "food"......

3:10 PM |

Posted by Pete

Brazillian comics (from the comix@ mailing list)

Cybercomix is a website devoted to Brazilian comics. There don't seem to be many actual comic strips on here but if your Portugese ain't too rusty...

2:25 PM |

Saturday, February 10, 2001

Posted by Pete

One of the sweetest emails ever recieved at BugPowder HQ:

i do a crappy strip for a weekly in northeast pa.

maybe you can suggest some direction to take this

if you ever get really bored

eric toffey

Anyone got any tips?

4:41 PM |

Friday, February 09, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

Du9 is back (after 2 years of beautysleep)

11:58 AM |

Posted by Dave

I've recently been looking afresh at the works of the mighty (though sadly rather dead) Edward Gorey, prompted by finding the mostly excellent "The World of Edward Gorey" for a fiver in my local remaindered bookshop. Individually many of his books seem to me almost ridiculously slight but taken as a body of work (and it amounts to about a hundred books due to Gorey's prolific work rate and the fact that he worked right up until his death last year) they amount to something unique and marvellous strange. The Admirable Website Goreyography is a pretty good, detailed resource.

And apparently there's a musical Gorey Stories, running somewhere in the US at the moment too. Intriguing prospect.

10:30 AM |

Posted by mooncat

Bored of your drab background on your computer? - try some Evan Dorkin desktop patterns from his & Sarah Dyer's House of Fun.

Personally - I prefer the desktops offered on Jim Woodring's site of his splendid kookiness.

have a scout round each site while you're there - there's entertainment to be had.

1:15 AM |

Tuesday, February 06, 2001

Posted by Pete

Torrez.org - a weblog inspired (in design at any rate) by Chris Ware. And very nice it looks too!

3:35 PM |

Posted by Pete

New in BugPowder Personals

Artists wanted to provide spot illustrations for THE IMPLAUSIBILITY OF REASON. Artists must have an ill sense of humour and wish to handle characters who look like they have various mental, emotional and physical retardations and/or deformities, Exploding abdomens and anything that`s seriously fucked up or in bad taste.

2:20 PM |

Monday, February 05, 2001

Posted by Pete

Steve Bissette stuff

I originally went to the Steve Bissette faq for info on whatever happened to his self published Tyrant comic (may re-appear this year!), but there's a load of other stuff on there of interest. Old, but nethertheless of interest.

5:06 PM |

Posted by Pete

Celebrity News from the Vertigo mailing list

"Shelly Roeberg [Vertigo editor] very recently married artist Philip Bond [90's Brit-artist guru and indirect father of a thousand SP comics] and now she's Shelly Bond." Dunno if that matters to anyone, but there it is.

3:00 PM |

Sunday, February 04, 2001

Posted by Pete

Soon to be weblog-team-member Stephen Prestage writes:

Stragehaven news

Bugger me sideways. Hollywood moves in mysterious ways. The cash injection from the film & tv sales does not appear to have brought anything like a schedule to Stranghaven's publication, with the next issue being a tentative spring 2001. However, it does mean that www.millidge.com actually works. With content and everything, instead of the under construction notes which have been on it for two years. We might even see three issues this year. No breath holding though. I wouldn't mind, but it's one of the few comics I care about to want a lot more of. Now, if only we can can get the celluliod gang to throw cash to newcastle. Forget Sylvester trying to save a certain iconic carpark after trashing a certain iconic film, it's the Gratuitous Bunny I'm concerned about.

11:23 AM |

Saturday, February 03, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

'Small Press News' (with annoying fancy html which my IE doesn't like)
Messageboard, Reviews , Interviews etc:
Perry Lake Bares All
Jason Wright Tells it like it is.
Edmonton Small Press Association Q & A
Johnny Gonzales Makes A Statement
A Small Press Fan Has His Say
Sal Cipriano Tells SBC What We Want To Know
Q-Ray (AKA Dr. Clint Cue) Answers SBC's Questions
Brad Yung And SBC Swap Tall Stories
Moira Janet Clunie And SBC Have A Chat
K. Thor Jensen Chats With SBC
Rachel Hartman Chats With SBC
Robert H Syrett Chats With SBC
Shane Simmons chats with SBC
Amy Ahlstrom chats with SBC
Karl Thomsen chats with SBC

7:23 PM |

Posted by Pete

Andy Luke, of TRS2, gets into the spirit of things with a rousing call to arms regarding the Comics 2001 festival in Bristol this Easter. In his current essay/rant The Visibility War - Part One : Comics 2001, A Call To Victory he's encouraging all small press and underground comics creators to come together for one weekend to make a stand, before all buggering off again to make comics.

"In addition to bringing out our new booklets, this May, we should make an effort to bring back into print the classics and collections. We should stock or have stocked the very best of our works and show the uninitiated why we count. "

Andy Luke and m'self wil have a double table at Bristol (being both BugPowder and TRS2 in one). Shane Chesby will have his Smallzone table and Dek Baker will represent the Birmingham-and-related crew. I'm currently finialising how I'll be getting stock for our table - probably paying up front for copies of some stuff and doing SOR on other, depending on price/format - but do get in touch if your interested in what Andy's going on about. I'll be cracking on with concrete plans in March (after moving house).

It could be important, but at the very least it'll be fun, and that's the point.

4:16 PM |

Posted by Pete

Jamie Hewlett news

As mentioned previously, Mr Hewlett is involved in a modern dance beat combo going by the name Gorillaz. Their official site has just been launched and while it does benefit from a fast net link it's a stonker. Loads of rooms with bits and bobs, most of them drawn or designed by Jamie. I especially like the Atari ST emulator. If anyone finds any Hewlett comics in there, do let me know.

3:10 PM |

Posted by Lee

After seeing Grant Morrison on Disinfonation the other night, I resolved to remedy the gap in my cultural life and blew some redundancy money on the first Invisibles collection, which I'm about to read...I've made a sigil already (If it works for him,..how rich is he?...it's gotta be worth a try.) Anybody who mocks needn't come begging to me for handouts and sexual favours when I transmogrify into a gorgeous young rich person . Hey, even if I only get abducted and taken for joyrides with aliens,that will be an improvement.. .I can't believe how lush that Lambieksite is.Loads of visuals;every creator you can imagine, almost, even moi ! You could surf it for hours.

5:03 AM |

Friday, February 02, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

(Paul:Makes me wonder if he's showing off by producing web pages that are well over 800x600...   It's like saying, "My monitor is well bigger that yours" . Hmph! )

And I was worried that my iMac screen might be too large a minimum size for my homepage!! (which is kept the same size by dodgy tables)
But this Jane's High School reunion is the right size. Just added it to my 'Complete Stories' page, the comic by Matt Abbiss too. - Oh, see what you mean about the size. It's just about ok for the comic you link to. A greater problem is the filesize for this type of story. You really need a lot of pages to get into it. Talkin of which: If you like Box Office Poison you may be interested in this newsitem from Topshelf :

APRIL 2001 FEATURES BOX OFFICE POISON By Alex Robinson
Top Shelf is proud to announce the complete, 608-page (!!!) BOX OFFICE POISON graphic novel. This perennial fan favorite is so wonderfully written that the series screams for an all-up collection. As big fans of the comic book series know, this epic story of Sherman, Dorothy, Ed, Stephen, Jane, and Mr. Flavor is not to be missed. Alex Robinson’s completely natural and inspiring knack for dialogue has made his story of dreary jobs, comic books, love, sex, messy apartments, girlfriends (and the lack thereof), undisclosed pasts, and crusty old professionals one of the most delightful and whimsical books to hit the stands in years. This definitive edition -- a playful examination of human mating rituals and dead-end jobs -- will be for keeps!

4:28 PM |

Posted by mooncat

Alex Robinson did a fine comic a wee while back called Box Office Poison & now seems to be doing some more of that self publishing thing with Cave City. Here's a sample of what it all looks like.
Makes me wonder if he's showing off by producing web pages that are well over 800x600...   It's like saying, "My monitor is well bigger that yours" .
Hmph!

6:54 AM |

Posted by mooncat

Heh... just trawling around Dylan Horrock's Hicksville site & came across this (online) small press comic with superheroes that he done a couple of years back.

4:58 AM |

Thursday, February 01, 2001

Posted by Pete

Over in the Gallery I've posted up a new strip by Matt Abbiss, Harry and Barney in "A Walk In The Park". Enjoy!

2:41 PM |

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

Maybe the description of Spanish comics was confusing. Paul unerringly got the Martins mixed up. The most distinctive one is called 'Angel'. Some more about him on Fucine Mute: Article with samples, Interview with large photo , Interview with wacky morphing photo.
Fucine Mute also has something about British mainstream artist Steve Pugh.
More foreign coolness, a hip looking Italian undergroud zine: here are 10 cover of Interzona and here a bunch of stuff that they are distributing, lots of it, including a 'Bad Mutants' cover by Marcel Ruijters. Marcel had some pages in my little Zeitraum wordless issue, which, by the way will go online in mini-gifs in a few days, all 32 pages... (only little, so you will still want to buy the thing.) (Or not, as the case may be.)
The growth of the Artsamples Collection has come under doubt, because of Bugpowder's space restrictions, but as it happens, letters M and R are the ones already included, and included on them are the abovementioned Martin and Marcel Ruijters respectively. The Martin page was sent to me by Jenni Scott from Spain.

11:55 AM |