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Sporadic
Travel Comix #3
Tuesday,
July 3
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I'm living in Siem Reap, Cambodia - home of zillions of cool
old
monuments. Here I'm establishing the local chapter of
"Experiential
Dance for Global Peace" and enjoying the easy
life.
Highlights
include eating beetles and locusts, swimming in ancient reservoirs, riding
dirtbikes, and of course drawing comics. And
you
can catch my two seconds of fame in this summer's
schlockbuster.
BARBARA KERR (http://come.to/Ms45 ) is one of
the growing
number
of small press luminaries who has come over to explore
the
legendary nightlife.
Cheers to Melbourne comicists who gave her stuff to ferry over,
including
copies of An Other World (Kieran Mangan), Triple Zero
(Tim
Danko), There's a Dragon in the Ceiling (Stefan Neville), Pure
Evil
(Comics Journal reviewed, no less), and so much more. Thanks guys.
Naturally, wherever there's air to breathe, there's comics. Cambodian
comics
lean heavily towards romance, humor, and legends. Hoping to
show
and sell a few of these comics at San Diego Comic Con on July
19-22nd,
2001. (http://www.comic-con.org) Might
even have a few of
mine
too. DEAD XEROX is collecting stuff, go bother them.
(timdeadex@yahoo.com)
* * *
Been thinking a bit about small press development. In a lot of ways
the
alternative comics world is like an underdeveloped country. There's
very
little infrastructure, poor communications, and not a lot of citizen
organization.
And we're a community of iconoclasts, which is always
difficult.
Here in Cambodia the fashionable term aid groups use is "capacity
building".
It's easy to set up a program or institution. But to keep it
going,
that's the real trick. Say you set up a literacy program with
foreign
money. Does it collapse when the funding disappears? If
they're
smart, the planners will work to make it self sufficient, so that
program
will continue. Then the program will, in turn, help to create
more
educated people who may in time create their own institutions
and
businesses.
I think that with the small press it's largely an issue of capacity
building
too. Setting up the Xeric Foundation grants is capacity
building.
Setting up a distro is capacity building. And reviewzines like
Comics
Quarterly and Milk Bar are also capacity building publications.
They
make communication, publication and innovation more
convenient
and simple.
The process all too often seems like one step forward and one step
back.
A new distro appears while another calls it a day. New
publications
(http://www.lowla.com) emerge while others
(http://come.to/milkbar)
push back their schedule to infinity.
Sometimes
it seems like no gains are being made.
But you don't choose art - it chooses you. Which means you'll be stuck
with
the comics community for a long time. All the more reason to
develop
it in your own way.
Then again, I'm not sure this "development' paradigm is a good one.
Certainly
there are lots of critiques of development policy. And while
alt.comix
could be equivalent to a country, "Alternative Nation' is
already
a trademark of MTV.
A Jakarta comicist told me, "I want to know about the American
Underground
Comics Movement". That took me by surprise. I've
thought
of it as a culture, maybe a community, as an environment --
...it might be fun to be part of a movement.
* * *
Meanwhile, what's going on back in the rest of the world? The great
thing
about not having done a newsletter in the last few months is that
it
looks like things are actually happening.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
First up, our POLYESTER pals ain't going to jail. Wahoo!
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Dear LumpyGroovy subscribers and PolyEster Books supporters.
The big news is that PolyEster Books isn't in imminent jeopardy of
being
closed down after being raided for selling 'banned' literature in December 1999.
Those charges were dropped due to 'lack of resouces'. Instead the
police
charged me with copying and selling 'copyright' video such as Clockwork Orange
and Blair witch project. These videos were
unavailable
for sale in Australia when I had them on the shelves so I didn't really feel I
was doing anything wrong. Neverertheless my
solicitor
persuaded me to plead guilty on this charge when I fronted up to the magistrates
court in febuary. For my heinous crime I was told to
pay
$300 into the poor box and give my solicitor $800 for his services.
I was sorry that I was unable to interest Hustler magazine supremo
Larry
Flynt in funding and help fight Australia's draconian and outdated
censorship
laws. As we speak the Free Speech Inc. legal fund is about
$60
in the red, not much there in the way of resources to challenge
our
ruler's anti-democratic attitude to freedom of speech.
So any of my grandiose ideas of helping to turn Australia's laws
concerning
consensual crimes around to something resembling a
similar
blueprint to what they have in the land of Windmills and the
Melkweg
were certainly unrealised.
We all live to fight another day, some things take a little longer to
right.
Perhaps in our life time, as Australian adults one government
will
grant us permission to read what we want.
We live in eternal hope.
Gonzo http://www.polyester.com.au gonzo@polyester.com.au
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(BTW
Yrs truly was offered a job by Flynt Publications in 2000 - I turned it down.
But that's another story.)
Of course, Australia has always had this nagging little problem with
censorship,
as Eddie Campbell can attest when they tried to clamp
down
on "from Hell".
From
Hell http://www.tcj.com/3_online/n_fromhell.html
http://www.tcj.com/3_online/n_fromhell2.html
In other exciting news, PURE EVIL has gotten a review in the Comics Journal.
Yawn. After "Thrown to the Wolves', we are pretty used to Comics Journal
reviews by now. Perhaps we should aim a little higher.
What ever happened to the Comics Journal
that was going to happen? Lord knows they review us enough, why not do the next
step? Certainly helps that for reference, they've got some of these scene
profiles on the web now.
(from Comics Journal #188) http://www.tcj.com/2_archives/i_youngseattle.html
(from Comics Journal #197) http://www.tcj.com/2_archives/i_youngnyc.html
NOTABLES IN THE NEWS:
INDONESIA
ATHONK has a new web page. Check out "Old Skull'.
http://www.geocities.com/pureblacktattoo/comicbook.htm
Also new Indo Comix portal, KOMIKAZE.
http://komikazemedia.tripod.com/
AOTEAROA
Meanwhile in the land of the long white cloud BLACK RIVER DIGITAL has reached
critical mass, with list traffic including reviews, awards, announcements and
more. If you want the scoop on what's happening NOW in NZ comics, this is a
place to start. Unfortunately, you need to sign up to read it, but it's a good
read. Trust me. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brd
ANT SANG's "The Dharma Punks" has premiered to rave reviews, and NZ's
Parliament recessed for the occasion. http://www.antsang.co.nz
STEFAN NEVILLE has completed "There's a Dragon in the Ceiling' with Clayton
Noone, which includes a gorgeous silkscreened cover.
SBC
Review
Also new from STEFAN is "Pickpick" with sister INDIRA and a postal
collab with JUSTIN NOMADNESS. Address at the moment is 21 beatty parade, waiheke
island, nz.
stfnnvll@hotmail.com
DYLAN HORROCKS takes tea with Silver
Bullet Comics, and whacks up his own site as well. http://www.hicksville.co.nz
He'll be in Oz for Sydney Comics Fest in September (the 8th & 9th).
Enough on the NZers - it'll make the Aussies feel bad.
AUSTRALIA
"Tall with long blue-black locks, intense ice blue eyes and an eagerness
that suggests he simply wants to get back to his work and be left alone, it's
only when DILLON [NAYLOR] speaks that you can easily decipher his wonder and
passion for the craft, and when you suddenly notice the difference between his
temperament and the striking, fiercely unique presence of a partially reformed
rock star."
Now that's the sort of writeup we in the Comics Lifestyle aspire to.
http://www.ozcomics.com/aussie/ozinterviews.asp
Pop
Culture and Two Minute Noodles: $5.00 ($4.00 plus $1 postage) in the form of
a cleverly concealed note sent to: DILLON NAYLOR, 52 Belmont Ave, Upwey, Vic,
3158 Australia
The POX GIRLS have just had
PREGNANT HALLOWEEN BONDAGE translated and published in Italocomic KEROSENE. http://surf.to/kerosene
They've got a new preferred fan mail address: 22 Golf Links Road, Hepburn Vic
3461, Australia. (P.O. box is still checked), new email, Poxgirls@alphalink.com.au
Plus there's three (count "em, three) new sites dedicated to the Hepburn
homemakers.
http://comicsaustralia.com/pox.php
http://www.lambiek.net/butcher_susan.htm
http://www.lambiek.net/wood_carol.htm
You'll note the above links are from the LAMBIEK COMICLOPEDIA, which also took
an interest in ATHONK. KEES KOUSEMAKER:
"We have a feeling Australian artists are a bit under-represented in our
list...Thanks in advance!" Kees Kousemaker,
Galerie Lambiek, Kerkstraat 78, 1017 GN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
lambiek@lambiek.net
http://www.lambiek.net
So
feel free to submit your stuff to them if you think you rate.
SAVAGE PENCILS exhibition wowed 'em in Sydney. So when's the next one? http://www.siliconpulp.com.au/savpmed.htm
AMBER CARVAN has just finished an 8 page story for Dee Vee. And Big Smoke 8 is
nearly out! Plus she is the secret force behind http://noise.net.au
.amber@noise.net.au
NICOLA HARDY is now a
bonafide part of the establishment, receiving government funding.
http://www.remyforum.net/content/page.asp?/name=mg_satanlives
MICHAEL PEE FIKARIS is
preparing a new 80 page comic with KIERAN
MANGAN.
frothindustries@hotmail.com , silentarmy@the-pentagon.com
KIRRILY SCHELL is being
an inconspicuous artyfarty in McScotland, eating lots of haggis. Rippa!
ANGELO MADRID will have his site up any day now.
http://www.madridtoons.com/index.htm
ANNA BROWN, where are you?
http://www.lowla.com
Hmm...hey, can anyone find out what happened to the M/C REVIEWS comics issue?
USA
BRIAN RALPH chills out with Megomatic Ms. Kelso.
http://www.girlhero.com/BR_Interview.html
MEGAN KELSO herself at
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/monkey/index.htm
TATIANA GILL (of LIFE AFTER TINTIN fame) and JON POYSER (PRETTY SURE) get
namechecked at http://www.tcj.com/3_online/w_minicomics2.html
CHE GILSON is still around. Preoccupied with her new celebrity status and her
slowly-healing wrist.
http://www.psycomic.com/news/archive/20000221/news20000222.shtml
RICK BRADFORD has gotten a haircut, and also has a new issue of POOPSHEET
online. Keep Mr. Bradford appraised as to what you're doing - as he occasionally
writes reviews for "mainstream" periodicals.
http://www.angelfire.com/zine/poopsheet/
SUBMISSIONS
Small Press Comics - the best route into the mainstream. After all, it worked
for Art Spiegelman, Dylan Horrocks, Bill Messner-Loebs, Glenn Dakin, and Evan
Dorkin. (Failing that there's always theatre.)
And to get a little notoriety, you could try submitting for reviews -
Silver Bullet Submissions
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/smallpress/spsell.htm
Submission form
http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/smallpress/spsubform.htm
- or writing reviews -
"Are you interested in writing reviews of comic books to be published here
at OzComics.com? If so, OzComics.com is in need of your services. Contact us to
show your interest. http://www.ozcomics.com
"
- and just generally circulating things around.
http://www.qdcomic.com/misc/promo_fun.htm
Next up? Franchising.
http://www.cafepress.com/punkplatypus
URL CORNUCOPIA
If you have time to actually READ these, you have no life. But if you don't have
a life, this might be time well spent, then.
Limited edition of 200
http://www.studygroup12.com
English Happenin' Distro
http://bugpowder.com
Ghost World Trailer
http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/ghost_world.html
Look for Chris Ware interview
http://radio.cbc.ca/programs/bnw/archive/index.html
Brazilian Comix.
http://www.uol.com.br/front
French Comix
http://www.lapasteque.com
Attitude
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/
http://www.mcsweeneys.org
http://www.mcsweeneys.com
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Angouleme.
Alternative Press Expo.
Small Press Expo.
National Young Writers Festival.
Noise Festival.
OzCon.
Armageddon Convention.
Ignatz awards.
(You're a smart kid, do a web search.)
Um, hope you weren't waiting for me to remind you about the SPXPO book. In
"99 Bruce Mutard and Stefan Neville got in, what's to stop you next time?
Bet you never imagined you'd get reviewed in the Comics Journal (ghasp!) either.
And to think some countries don't even have comics shops. Good god, the
humanity!
((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
Yrs truly: http://freespeech.org/qd/
Newsletter archived at:
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fcomicsaustraliaannounce
and http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/smallpress/news.htm
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