Midnight Fiction

Midnight Ramblings March 13, 2010 Edition

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:16:00 EST

Papercutter #12
Tugboat Press has released the twelfth issue of their wonderful anthology Papercutter. This time out the book features a story Rachel Bormann and Nate Powell, Joey Alison Sayers, and Mark Campos and Dalton Webb. The book is edited by Greg Means and features additional artwork by Nate Beaty. $4.00 from Microcosm (and others).

Main Enterprises Update
Jim Main announced his next round of comics and zines earlier this week. Here's the line-up for the coming months:

March—Chase #10, WTF!?! #2, and Zine of Bronze #7 will soon be available in printed editions. Currently in pre-press are Comic Fan #6, Strange Space Stories #2, Boot Hill #2, The Big Book of Small Press #1, Heroes #1, and two posters—one for Boot Hill and one with Charlton Heroes.

April—The Big Book of Small Press #1 will be available in print and Dark Corridor #4 and a Chase trade paperback are scheduled for pre-press. Writing and artwork for Chase #11 should also be complete.

Call for Submissions
Looking further ahead, work is also in process for many other Main Enterprises projects. Potential contributors who'd like to be a part of the following comics and zines should contact Jim Main for details. Deadlines are:
May 14 for Zine of Bronze #8, Heroic #1, and Comic Fan #7
June 4 for Strange Space Stories #3 and Satyr #11
July 3 for The Screening Room #1 and Dark Corridor #5
July 23 for * PPFSZT! #28 and Boot Hill #3
Aug 6 for The Attic #1
Aug. 20 for Heroic #2 and Zine of Bronze #9
Aug. 27 for WTF!?! #3 (Halloween theme)

Main is also planning a new monthly comics anthology called Revolving Door—deadline for the first issue is Oct. 15.

Seraphim #5
Ken Meyer Jr. recently reported on Tom Veilleux's Seraphim #5 in the thirteenth installment of his Ink Stains column on ComicAttack.net. The final issue of Seraphim featured work by Al Williamson, Dan Adkins, Gray Morrow, Jeff Jones, Berni Wrightson, Kenneth Smith, and Roy Krenkel. Besides his review Meyer also includes a PDF file of the issue he writes about.

Stewbrew Four and More
Kelly Froh announced several new mini comics debuting at the Stumptown Comics Fest in April. Check out Slither for cover previews!

Archie Interactive
Archie Comics announced a completely redesigned and customizable website this week. The new ArchieComics.com provides expanded downloads, interactive games, and a library of video and audio content. In addition to the latest news on Archie and his pals there will also be updates on Stan Lee's Super Seven; Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and other comics.

Microcosm BFF
Microcosm is an independent publisher with a wonderful catalog of titles. I recently heard about their BFF program. BFF subscribers help them pay for the printing of new books and zines and other stuff. In return subscribers receive a copy every time they publish something new. Subscriptions are based on a sliding scale of $10 to $25 a month, with a minimum commitment of six months. Very creative idea! Check out Microcosm Publishing for more info and a look through their catalog.

Gin Palace
UK cartoonist Rob Jackson has published Gin Palace, a 40-page anthology with work by Francesca Cassavetti, Dave Hughes, Any Mercer, Jarod Rosello, Lee Johnson, Simon M., and or course Mr. Jackson his own self. You can order a copy for £2.50 from the Rob Jackson Comics shop.

News from the Wildside
Wildside Press has revamped their website and set-up a Twitter feed. Their current 2-for-a-penny sale has been extended through March 15. It's a good opportunity to grab some great titles and get a couple of extra for next to nothing. Finally, they have a pick-pack-ship+ job opening for for anyone in the Rockville, Maryland area interested in a part-time pulpy gig. Send your resume to Wildside.

A Ditko Act 3
Bob H. at the Steve Ditko Comics weblog reports that A Ditko Act 3 is printed and will be ready to order shortly.

Dylan Williams Speaks
Jason T. Miles interviewed Sparkplug Comic Books' Dylan Williams this week over at the Profanity Hill blog/online distro.

Psychiatric Tales
Darryl Cunningham reports he's sent his new book Psychiatric Tales off to print. He expects to have copies (in the UK) in about three weeks. A US edition is planned for early next year. Cunningham was interviewed by Matt Badham over at the Comic Book Resources this week.

Latta Rashy
Josh Latta reports he's wrapped up the latest adventure of Rashy Rabbit and is ready to start printing. A Rabbit in King Arthur's Food Court should be available soon. Latta Land Blog

Got a small, pressing news item? Send your mini comic and small press comic and pulp news to me for next week's Midnight Ramblings.

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Smart-Ass Simpson episode 19 of 19

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:24:00 EST

And so concludes the run of Smart-Ass Simpson comic strips that originally appeared in the TBG Funnies pages of The Buyer's Guide in 1980. I had long since forgotten where the story went from here, but fortunately I found the original story outline so here for the first time is a synopsis:

When Simpson and Coral step inside the police station they see it's filled with babies. The police chief tells them he's been receiving reports of meteorite strikes all over the city. Simpson explains they aren't meteors, they're spacepods. Each one contains an alien baby from out of space. But why are they all gathering at police headquarters?

While the chief and his officers are up to their elbows in diapers, Simpson and Coral take off to find Simpson's old friend Professor Gearbox. The Professor is well aware of the invading spacepods. He's been watching them as they approach Earth through an enormous telescope and has traced them back to the planet Mars.

Back at the police station, the babies reveal their powers and turn their hypnovision on the unsuspecting police. In moments the entire police force is completely under their control. The officers are ordered to find Simpson and his assistant, Coral. The detective must be stopped.

By now Professor Gearbox has unveiled a small, homemade spaceship. He's ready to take the fight against the invaders to their homeworld. Simpson agrees to join him while Coral tracks another incoming meteorite through the Professor's telescope.

When Simpson and the Professor blast off for Mars, Coral sets out to retrieve the meteor which has landed in a lake. When she arrives on site, she finds a row boat and paddles over to the approximate spot where she saw the meteor land. She uses a fishing pole to hook the meteor and is able to bring it aboard. Using a fish club she breaks open the spacepod to reveal it's contents. This time the alien inside isn't moving. As she explores further she realizes the aliens aren't babies at all—they're robots!

Meanwhile the leader of the robo-babies and several police officers have reached the Simpson Detective Agency and ransacked the office. They spot a photograph of Professor Gearbox on the wall and locate his address in a rolodex.

By this time Coral has returned to the Professor's lab to contact Simpson and relay the news that the babies are actually robots. While still in radio communication, the robo-baby strike force arrives. Coral is captured and the leader turns his hypnovision on her as Simpson and the Professor helplessly listen in.

Out in space, another meteor is spotted just outside the Professor's spaceship. Using the ships grappling arms they capture the meteor and once they have it inside the spacecraft, they break it open. The Professor immediately neutralizes the robot inside and taps into it's memory program using a sophisticated computer link that reveals everything. The robots are the precursor to an invasion force from Mars orchestrated by their leader, an alien Martian named Dr. Calum.

Professor Gearbox and Smart-Ass Simpson contact Dr. Calum via their interplanetary radio and tell him they're onto him and they'll soon put an end to his vile plans. Then they set course for Earth to stop the robo-babies.

When they arrive back on good 'ol Earth, they emerge from their spacecraft disguised as robo-babies and infiltrate the enemy ranks. Unfortunately the ruse fails and they're captured at police headquarters. Given the hypnovision treatment, our heroes fall under the control of Calum's army of robo-babies. It seems all is lost.

But suddenly the lower half of Simpson's body—the smart-ass—separates from his torso and attacks the robo-babies. He soon destroys the main mind-control console and everyone under Dr. Calum's control is freed. The army of robo-babies is quickly defeated while Simpson rejoins his smart-ass.

Dr. Calum has been thwarted, but vows in his final communication with Professor Gearbox, that the Earth hasn't seen the last of him.

The End

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Review: Secret Weirdo by Lauren Barnett

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:11:00 EST

This recent comic zine by Barnett could be classified as autobiographical. But you could also make a case for labeling it a perzine. Besides the humorous recollections of events from her life, she also shares glimpses of more intimate feelings. Her confessions are quickly discounted with dismissive quips or sarcasm, but nevertheless she drops her guard long enough to disclose a little of the secret portion of the book's title, and why she thinks she's weird.

Aside from the abstract cover and realistic sketch on the back cover, the zine's artwork is all comics. Barnett's artwork is engaging, simple, and basic. She doesn't seem to be overly influenced by other comic artists. In fact, one of the qualities I like about her art are the moments of sheer inventiveness and spontaneity. She seems to be largely making up her panels and pages as she goes along.

Some of the comics clearly begin a new idea but others are loosely connected to each other in a free-flowing narrative that blithefully transitions from one topic or adventure to the next.

The issue opens with a rant about sexist commentary, but turn the page and we find ourselves launched into a TV news take-off with a gag about ice cream. This morphs into Barnett confessing directly to her readers that she is secretly weird, building her case with childhood recollections that grow progressively more, well, weird.

There's more adventures featuring the cat police, Master Driver and Navigirl on a trip back from Jersey, a whimsical experiment about freezing an egg, and several others. Some of the antics are funnier than others, but they're all amusing and the fun Barnett has putting them down on paper is apparent.

Secret Weirdo is 18 b&w pages, with a full color self-cover that brings the page count up to 20. It's 5.5" x 8.5", handmade, untrimmed, with saddle stitch binding. Barnett runs a blog called Me Likes You Comics that she updates frequently with cartoons and quips. Secret Weirdo is available for $5 there, along with several other comics she's self-published.

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Review: Weltschmerz #2 by Clark Dissmeyer

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:25:00 EST

The second issue of Clark Dissmeyer's (aka CAD) Weltshmerz is another great collection of assorted gags, comix, and sketches made late last year. Dissmeyer has an irreverent sense of humor that he applies to sarcastic quips, slapstick gags, and social commentary.

As you can tell from the title, Dissmeyer is fond of German. He even includes a couple of comix and captions in Deutsche, so I had to give google translate a spin. The two episodes of Lad and Cara are jam comix between CAD and Lara M-R. Lad speaks in German and Cara switches between German and French. Thankfully 95% of the book is in Englisch.

Most of the pages are comix. A couple are full page gag cartoons and CAD includes a few sketches made while communing with nature in the forest. They're nice pieces and serve as a useful pause between all the frenetic humor.

Welschmerz #2 is 36 b&w pages, including the self-cover. 5.5" x 8.5", handmade, with saddle stitch binding. It's available from the artist through his page on Poopsheet Foundation. He'll take money, but prefers trades.

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Midnight Ramblings March 6, 2010 Edition

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:41:00 EST

This month's calendar cartoon was created by Brian Buniak. The character with the vacuum cleaner is Bent Lemons, an over-the-hill hippie created by none other than Bob Vojtko. The two gals he's disrobing are Brian's creations Babette and Apricot. Brian added the color using watercolors. Download a copy of the 2010 Midnight Fiction Desk Calendar.

Brian's work has been published in Mad, The Daily News, Cracked, Dark Horse Presents, The Limbaugh Letter, 101 Dionsaur Jokes, The Big Book of Weird West, Bad, Martyrs, The 70s, and many more. For more of his work, news and events he's connected with, and contact info visit his website Brian Buniak.

Josh Tonn's CCC
What happens when you combine Golden Age superhero comics with over-the-top R-rated humor? You get Costumed Crimefighter Comics. Last year Josh Tonn put pen to paper and started cranking out quarterly issues of his vision.

Tonn provided some background on his projects via email, "All my characters and story ideas have been floating around in my head since high school (I'm 26 now), and it took me a while to figure out the best way to intro everything. I'm a huge fan of team books, which is where I'm heading, but realized it would be best to start smaller so that readers could grow to like the characters. I tried to hit on many of the superhero archetypes found in comics, esp. Golden age stuff, when I came up with my various heroes.

"Keep in my mind they have all evolved over the years to what they are today. Also, a big part of my heroes and stories are somewhat autobiographical. But in my humble opinion, I never really liked "slice of life" indie stuff, at least for my stuff. I figured who'd want to read about me when I could just incorporate that stuff into a fun superhero type story. Comics should be fun, right?

"I have big plans for my comic and I've only just begun. I have 8 pages left on issue 1 of my new series, Stupid Funny Comics, which is a minicomic filled with all my non-superhero stuff. Basically I plan on working on both of these series for awhile, as I try to somewhat market my Ace Comics brand at small press shows (I will be exhibiting at SPX this year in Sept.) and online via Facebook (Ace Comics Fan), until I can do an actual webpage.

"Right now its all just labor-of-love stuff, a way to get all my ideas published and copyrighted, and at the same time make people laugh."

Tonn plans an eight issue run for CCC with a double-sized annual that will lead up to the formation of the Super-Awesome Squad. The first four issues of CCC are available now to $2 each, plus postage. They look great. Contact Josh Tonn via email for more information.

Main Enterprise PDFs
Jim Main is making low cost PDF versions of his line of zines and comics available. As production is completed and he sends them off to print, he's adding the PDF versions to Main Enterprises, typically for $1. This week he's added Chase #10, his comic book series with artist John Lambert. The 20-page issue features part two of the Deep Cover story.

Also this week, another of Main's (formerly) mini comics has expanded in size. The second issue of WTF!?! was announced in a new digest-size format. The 20-page issue includes work by Wade Busby, Lance "Doc" Boucher, Josh Blair, Dan Taylor, John Lambert, Scott Shriver,Terry Pavlet, Ed Jackson, Michael Grassia, Jack Bertram, Barry Southworth, Brad Foster, Bill Shut, and Marc Haines. The PDF version is available for download for $1. WTF!?! #2 will be available in a print version in a week or few.

The H-Boyz
Clay and Blake Hatrison have released the first issue of their H-Boyz Comix. From their press release: "Equal parts rock-n-roll behemoth and sequential hedonist propaganda hate machine, The H-Boyz represent much more than an epic two-person DIY death rock experience. We [They] herald the resurrection of the great American underground comix movement." Adults only. You can preview their new comix on The H-Boyz website and order it for $4.

Train Are . . . Online
The new issue of Oliver East's Ignatz-nominated Trains Are Mint, issue #6, is now available to read in its entirety on his website Rolling Stock Press. With the cost of print and postage, East decided to post the latest issue online. Thanks to Joe Gordon for the tip.

New Top Shelf Website
In case you missed it earlier this week, Chris Staros announced a redesign of the Top Shelf website.

Two from Lara M-R
Lara M-R recently completed a pair of new mini comics. How Rice is Made and Om Box are both limited edition, handmade, digest-size comics that sell for $2 each. To order contact Lara through her page on Poopsheet Foundation.

Summer Vacation
The 43rd issue of Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories is like no other in the series. The photograph of Corrigan communing with a bass foreshadows the eight page report on How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Looks like pretty interesting stuff that'll be fun to read. The main feature is backed up with a three page installment of the Tyran saga that left off in issue #40. It includes the back cover, so there's one page of it in full color. Single copies of Tim Corrigan's Comics and Stories are $1.50. Twelve-issue subscriptions are $15. Order from New Voice Media. You can also read the adventures of Corrigan's long-running series Mightyguy online at Smack Jeeves.

Alterna Digital
Indie comics publisher Alterna Comics has announced a full suite of PDF comic download vendors where you can order low-cost digital versions of their titles. The site include Drive-Thru, My Digital, Eagle One, and ComicsXP, as well as mobile hosts Robot and Comixology.

Newave! Update
Tim O'Shea interviewed editor Michael Dowers about his new book Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s recently on Robot 6. And Comic Related posted my review of the 892-page anthology earlier this week.

Captain Hazzard #2 New Edition
Airship 27 Productions and Cornerstone Books announced the release of a new revised edition of Captain Hazzard - Citadel of Fear by Ron Fortier and Martin Powell this week. Published over four years ago, when Fortier first began a new series of Captain Hazzard adventures, the original publisher's inventory was nearly exhausted.

"I'm so thrilled we have it available again," said Fortier. Both he and Powell began their writing careers in the world of comics, each earning acclaim for their handling of classic pulp characters, Powell for Sherlock Holmes and Fortier for the Green Hornet. Over the past decade they have simultaneously turned to writing pulp fiction and are considered two of the finest amongst the new generation of pulp scribes.

When the world's leading scientists begin disappearing without a trace, Captain Hazzard and his team find themselves on the trail of a criminal mastermind known only as the Green Dragon. Battling an army of mind-controlled zombies, their adventure leads them to a fantastic hidden fortress of wonder and terror and a final confrontation with the forces of evil. Horror and thrills await them at every turn, all culminating within. . .The Citadel of Fear!

Join the fighting five; cowboy sharpshooter Jake Cole, playboy-surgeon Martin Tracey, noted physicist Washington MacGowen, ace pilot Tyler Randall, and crime reporter William Crawley, as they follow their leader, the relentless Champion of Justice, Captain Hazzard in this pulse-pounding pulp classic. Edited by Fortier with designs by Rob Davis and sporting a brand new cover painting by Laura Givens.

Aside from being available at the usual book outlets, Captain Hazzard - Citadel of Fear can be purchased directly from the Airship 27 on-line store. Thanks to Comic Related for the tip.

Got a small, pressing news item? Send your mini comic and small press comic and pulp news to me for next week's Midnight Ramblings.

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