TGIF

I'll be off until Sunday night or Monday, folks, but just had to note that today is the last day of Alberto Gonzales's reign as Attorney General.

That doesn't change the Constitutional crisis and unprecedented expansion of Executive powers Gonzales has engineered (along with Vice President Dick Cheney), any more than it concludes unchecked surveillance and warrantless spying on Americans, or restores habeas corpus and due process, or opens the gates at Guantanamo Bay and ends the Kafkaesque plight of those held there, or ends US-sanctioned and/or executed torture and extraordinary rendition.

But, hey, it's Alberto's last day.

And that's something to celebrate today.

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Congratulations, Tim and Donna! It's a Bava!

Tomb-Sized Tome Tips Titans, Sears Orbs, Blows Mind!

My copy of Tim Lucas's absolutely stunning book Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark arrived last night around 5:30 PM.

Despite all that had to be done before I could fall asleep last night, I stole an hour at our kitchen table and enjoyed exploring the book's pages -- this is, without a doubt, the most sumptuous single-volume self-published book I have ever laid eyes upon. It's right up there with Ulrich Merkl's exquisite Dream of the Rarebit Fiend book -- but this is literally a dream book come true for me, I almost cannot believe it exists!

I chatted briefly with Tim and Donna on the phone last night to congratulate (and thank) them -- more next week, once I steal more time to love this baby!

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See last night's post, particularly if you live in driving distance of Brattleboro, VT and have some open time Monday afternoon -- oh, and have a great weekend. I'll be posting next this coming Sunday night -- intense weekend and work week ahead, so it'll be touch and go until I get out the other end of it all.

Extraordinary Gentlemen: Blurs, Black Coats, Muckmen, Shadows, Doctors, Phantoms, Fantomas and White (House) Lies

News on the home front blurs into a wider topic I've meant to post about all week. Thanks to today's conjunction of events, I can do both...

It's been a loooong time coming, but this week finally arrived at the delivery to Black Coat Press of my latest book project, Volume 1 of the four-volume archival book series S.R. Bissette's Blur. Each volume clocks in over 250 pages, reprinting my complete "Video Views" column from 1999-2001, the critical first step in my scheme to get all my professional writing archived and into print.

Here's the link to the section on the Blur book series on Black Coat Press's website, which will tell you all you need to know; cover art will be posted soon.

Black Coat Press co-founder and co-publisher (and longtime friend) Jean-Marc Lofficier turned the final document around in mere hours, and I'm presently seeing through the final proofreading of the book. I'm doing this as CCS graduate and amigo Jon-Mikel Gates works up the final cover design for all four volumes from two painting/collages I completed last year for the project; the first volume's cover will be turned in to Black Coat by the weekend's close. As noted, this is just step one in an expansive agenda to get all my writing, fiction and non-fiction, into definitive collected editions... followed by, with luck, my comics work. Wish me luck, but better yet, if you're a fan of my work, please, buy these books to ensure the viability of this project!

Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier have cultivated Black Coat Press into an impressive and unprecedented imprint. With the considerable creative alliances Jean-Marc and Randy have cultivated over the years, Black Coat Press has emerged as a one-stop venue for a lot of fine work. Prominent among the work thus far published are the first English-language translations of vintage French and Belgian pulp heroes and characters of the 19th and early 20th Century, precursors to many beloved pulp characters and concepts that emerged from America's pulp golden age.

If you're a fan of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Shadow, Doc Savage, Edgar Rice Burroughs and their kith and kin, the Black Coat library is a wealth of previously unmined riches!

Black Coat Press's website and catalogue, brimming with some fantastic new books, await you at this link, and it's all well worth a look and some purchases.

Consider, for instance, just one of the imprint's brand-new releases,

The Nyctalope vs. Lucifer by Jean de La Hire, translated and adapted by Brian Stableford with an afterword by Jean-Marc Lofficier, which is now available sporting a snazzy Denis Rodier cover (showcased above, by today's post headline).

Author Jean de La Hire introduced Leo Saint-Clair, alias the Nyctalope, in 1911 amid a torrent of his ongoing adventure serials; like most pulp author, La Hire was incredibly prolific. Nyctalope wields uncanny heightened senses, including night vision and hypnotic powers; he's an early incarnation of the super-cyborg archetype (via his artificial heart, an attribute revealed later in the hero's adventures). Nyctalope was pitted against a formidable rogue's gallery of villains (Oxus, Lucifer, Leonid Zattan, Titania, Belzebuth and Gorillard) for over three decades. Thus, according to Jean-Marc and Stableford, Jean de La Hire "created a template that was later adopted by such pulp heroes as Doc Savage... before providing the core mythology of American comic books."

Black Coat Press's new edition and translation of La Hire's 1921 adventure features the second appearance of Nyctalope's nemesis Baron Glô von Warteck aka Lucifer, Lord of Castle Shwarzrock in the Black Forest. The clash pitches hypnotic powers against hypnotic powers, with Lucifer's mesmerizing abilities dangerously amplified by the sf "teledynamo" device, with which Lucifer intends to -- hahahahahaha! -- enslave the world! This anticipates countless pulp and Golden Age superhero comics adventures; as Jean-Marc notes, "Just as Steve Rogers, Captain America, is the incarnation of the Stars and Stripes, Leo Saint-Clair, a.k.a. the Nyctalope, stood for the ideals of Colonial France between two world wars..." -- true enough.

How can the uninitiated get a handle on all this? Clocking in at over 300 pages (and 150-300 illustrations) per volume, the essential Black Coat Press purchases to begin with are

Jean-Marc and Randy's definitive Shadowmen: Heroes and Villains of French Pulp Fiction

and Shadowmen 2: Heroes and Villains of French Comics.

Shadowmen's first volume covers many familiar names and faces -- Arsène Lupin, The Count of Monte-Cristo, Fantômas, The Phantom of the Opéra, Judex, Robur, Captain Nemo -- but it also serves as an ideal introduction to the likes of Antinéa the Queen of Atlantis, Belphégor, The Mysterious Dr. Cornelius, Doctor Omega, Fascinax, The Black Coats, Harry Dickson, Monsieur Lecoq, The Nyctalope, Rocambole, Rodolphe, Rouletabille, Sâr Dubnotal and Les Vampires. The second volume expands the pantheon, with concise overviews of Zig & Puce, The Blue Hawk, The Pioneers of Hope, Fantax and Black Boy, Durga Rani Queen of the Jungle, Fulguros, Prince Kaza the Martian, Tom X, Salvator, Satanax, Stany Beulé, Arabelle the Last Mermaid, The Conquerors of Space, Monsieur Choc, Bibi Fricotin, Jacques Flash, Super Boy, Alain Landier, Zembla, Tenebrax, The Castaways in Time, Titan, Jodelle, Luc Orient, Submerman, Olympio and Vincent Larcher, Wampus and The Other, Thorkael, The Time Brigade, Tiriel, Kabur, Felina, Photonik, Mikros and Epsilon, Phenix, none other than Frankenstein's Monster and the classic la bande dessinee icons Barbarella and Druillet's Lone Sloane. Whew!

If you need more convincing, consider this recommendation from the late, great Will Eisner, and enter this exciting new (to almost all Americans) pop culture realm ASAP.

Thankfully, Jean-Marc has also created a stellar website celebrating this amazing heritage; click this link now to tap the "Cool French Comics" site, and bookmark it for repeated visits and use.

For instance, check out the overview of The Nyctalope/Léo Saint-Clair, and see if this doesn't whet your appetite for the real McCoy via Black Coat Press's new release.

And that, as they say, is just the tip of the iceberg...

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Making the Black Coat Press volumes even more timely this summer of 2007 is the recent launch of The Shadow and Doc Savage reprint volumes, thanks to former vet comics colorist Anthony Tollin's

double-novel new editions, jam-packed with articles, essays and illustrations to sweeten these already-sweet pulp revivals.

Anthony was a key member of the original '1963' comics creative team, having colored the entire series, and it's great to see him enjoying a new career arc and great success via these lovely reprint volumes.

As you can see via the links just provided, the catalogue has grown to an impressive lineup of multiple Shadow and Doc Savage reprint volumes in short order, boasting the original pulp covers (many shot from the original paintings!) and, in the case of Doc Savage, handsome reprints of James Bama's iconic Bantam Books Doc Savage cover paintings, reportedly with the blessing of Bama himself.

Anthony knows his stuff, too, and he has surrounded himself with like-minded and equally scholarly writers, researchers and aficianados. Like Jean-Marc, Anthony has crammed every volume and the website with tons of information, retrospectives, analysis, images and trivia -- and some essential reading.

Check out Kirk Kimball (aka Robby Reed)'s excellent "How Doc Savage Inspired the Fantastic Four" essay, which persuasively makes its case for the Lester Dent pulp classic feeding the revered Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Marvel superhero team.

We're in a fertile moment in pop cultural archiving and research, and between Jean-Marc's imprint and creative partners and Anthony's new line of reprints and impressive stable of contributors, it's pulp heaven in 2007. Enjoy!

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This is long overdue: If you're a fan of my Saga of the Swamp Thing years, and the entire Swamp Thing legacy and all that the work Alan Moore, John Totleben, Rick Veitch and I spawned via the Vertigo line and John Constantine: Hellblazer in particular, you need to bookmark Rich Handley's amazing website and resource,

Roots of the Swamp Thing: The universe of Swamp Thing, The Un-Men and John Constantine: Hellblazer.

Rich has created a remarkable one-stop showcase here packed with insights, imagery and the rich history of Swamp Thing and his universe. I've only started spelunking the caverns of Rich's site, but Rich just got in touch with me yesterday via email, so look for future collaborative undertakings.

I'll be posting the link on the permanent menu at left, and linking to/from my own website's "Green Man" section in August. But don't wait until then to explore all that Rich has archived, posted and researched -- it's a stunning site!

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Well, it's taken mere hours for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's Tuesday lunacy to unravel, and the spectacle of the Bush Administration's blatant contempt for any shred of Constitutional checks and balances on their power becomes more Pere Ubu Roi.

The fact that it's our Attorney General who will have to serve contempt of Congress charges against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and President George Bush's former legal counselor, Harriet Miers -- should the House vote to follow through on yesterday's decision of the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee -- only further launches this into the realm of madness.

Whatever Tony Snow says (the arrogance and loathing every facet of this White House harbors for the will of the people absolutely seethes from their pores), it's President Bush and Vice President Cheney who have rigorously fanned these flames into a mounting Constitutional crisis.

President Bush has openly stated he won't permit any prosecutions to proceed based on possible contempt charges --

-- in and of itself, a show of utter contempt, coming as it does on the heels of his commute of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence.

How much lower can he, they sink? We're finding out.

That the recent U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruling on former CIA operative Valerie Plame's lawsuit eliminated one of the last courtroom remnants of the leak scandal,

prompting Bush's shameless dismissal of it all as having "run its course... Now we're going to move on" further demonstrates his and his Administration's egomaniacal sense of invincibility and absolute disdain for any semblance of due process.

Treason averted -- they've successfully betrayed our nation on so many levels, with such blatant transparency, it's completely impossible to keep track of any longer. Benedict Arnold, you were a piker!

______________________

I'll be posting erratically at best next week, so fair warning. We've got a lot going on, and logging on to the computer daily just won't be an option until I get out the other side of July and into the first weekend in August.

Have a great Thursday, one and all...

And to Think it All Started Here...

Yep, that's James Sturm and I moving his studio across the street to what was, in the summer of 2005, the new Center for Cartoon Studies building. Hard to believe it's been two years, but here we are -- the first graduating class, about to graduate -- tomorrow.

It's been a heady, at times heavy week at the Center for Cartoon Studies. We've completed the senior thesis review sessions, and I'm savoring a little breather between that intense block of work (the prep in particular, though I loved reading and re-reading the thesis projects -- pretty stunning group of cartoonists going out into the big, bad world this Saturday!). Tomorrow is graduation, and I've got a little work to do to prep for that.

The intensity has been in part revolving around the mounting finality of this transitional period. It's been sad to say goodbye to some folks, and that will accelerate tomorrow, as many of the folks who have been absolutely central to our day-to-day lives together are leaving after commencement to their respective family homes. I had lunch with Rich Tommaso yesterday; Rich has become a great friend, we've bonded over a number of shared interests and Rich was an invaluable part of the Drawing Workshop I helmed for the Freshmen class this spring. Rich and graduate Caitlin Plovnick are moving to Brooklyn on Sunday, and I sure am going to miss them. Of course, we'll all keep in touch, and be seeing each other in the years to come, but the reality of the community of the past two years going through inevitable, here-and-now change that necessarily revolves around the departure of so many key community members is a real roller-coaster ride.

That said, part of the transition, too, is the evidence of the new incoming freshman class of 2009 -- CCS discussion board posts from incoming fall students has been ongoing all month, and soon we'll see a new community arrive, merging with the standing CCS community and bringing all the excitement, change and transformation that implies.

Ah, CCS; I'm now part of a college community, and all that entails. I love it.

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I saw Paul Verhoeven's new film Zwartboek/Black Book last night, and I can't recommend it highly enough. This is Verhoeven's best film in years, and a genuine return to form -- what The Pianist was for Roman Polanski, Zwartboek/Black Book is for Verhoeven.

For fellow Verhoeven fans (Steve Perry, take heed!), it's absolutely critical to note that this film isn't just his return to his Dutch roots, but also reunites Verhoven and writer Gerard Soeteman, who was absolutely central to Verhoeven's often brilliant pre-Hollywood body of work. In fact, Soeteman was Verhoeven's primary collaborative partner in the whole of the director's pre-Hollywood career arc, scripting and co-scripting what remain Verhoeven's best films, beginning with Verhoeven's debut feature Wat zien ik/Business Is Business (1971) and blossoming with Turks fruit/Turkish Delight (1973) and Keetje Tippel (1975), which in many ways provides a blueprint for Zwartboek, as did Soeteman/Verhoeven's breakthrough international hit Soldaat van Oranje/Soldier of Orange (1977). Zwartboek is almost a perfect fusion of Keetje Tippel and Soldaat van Oranje, chronicling as it does the often harrowing experiences of a Dutch Jewish woman (Carice van Houten, giving a powerhouse performance) struggling to survive WW2 in Holland, and the convoluted tangle of loyalty, deceit, devotion and corruption that entails.

Soeteman and Verhoeven built upon the success of Soldaat van Oranje with the excellent Spetters (1980), the marvelously delirious De Vierde Man/The Fourth Man (1983, which also introduced actor Thom Hoffman to international audiences; Hoffman features prominently in Black Book), and concluded this ripe collaborative streak with Flesh+Blood (1985, aka The Rose and the Sword), which sadly led to an acrimonious split of the team as Verhoeven rushed to Hollywood and launched that phase of his career by directing an episode of HBO's The Hitchhiker ("Last Scene," 1986) and the classic Robocop (1987).

That Soeteman and Verhoeven are back together is something to celebrate; that they are also hard at work at a second 21st Century collaborative effort, Azazel, is tremendous news, and promises Verhoeven may at last be free of the restraints Hollywood placed on his creative life (his last American film, Hollow Man, 2000, was derivative and disappointing at best). As already noted, this new work also reunites Verhoeven with Dutch actors from his classic Soeteman era: Thom Hoffman (who was Herman, the central object of desire in De Vierde Man), Derek de Lint (Alex in Soldaat van Oranje), Dolf de Vries (Turks fruit, Jack in Soldaat van Oranje, Dr. de Vries in De Vierde Man), etc. are familiar faces to Verhoeven fans, and it's exciting to see the chemistry onscreen anew.

All this makes Black Book the theatrical sleeper of 2007 thus far. Don't miss Zwartboek/Black Book if it's playing near you, and I'll post a review proper next week when I start squirting those overdue Cine-Ketchup packets all over the keyboard. It stands, along with Das Leben der Anderen/The Lives of Others and El Laberinto del fauno/Pan's Labyrinth, as the best film I've seen thus far this year.

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Sorceror's Apprentice: Bush, Gonzales (NY Times photo)

Speaking of "loyalty, deceit, devotion and corruption," in real life,

this week's Congressional testimony yesterday of James B. Comey, former Deputy Attorney General under John Ashcroft, was a real jaw-dropper

and demonstrates the monstrous extremes that the Bush White House pursued to carry out its illegal, secret spying program against the people of the United States. I'm no Ashcroft fan, mind you, but it's startling to see how vast the ethical gulf between Ashcroft's reign and Gonzales's dynasty in the Justice Department really is, and how far we've fallen.

If you're clueless on this, it's time to catch up ("...an account of Bush administration lawlessness so shocking it would have been unbelievable coming from a less reputable source...") --

-- there's no more damning evidence of the corruption rampant in the Justice Department, and how irresponsibly current Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales's behavior has been (and how fiercely he has exercised and exercises his loyalty to his President, placing that above US law and our Constitution).

Bye, bye, Wolfowitz (if you have the computer/high-speed access, also check out the two 'related videos' on the left menu bar at the Yahoo News site, particularly President Bush's gobsmacked incredulity); hello whatever next uber-corrupt crony President Bush appoints --

-- and we wonder (like children) why American credibility is so shot in the eyes of the world.

Have a great Friday, one and all...

Zombies, Brickbats & Dragonflies

With real spring hitting, the black flies are finally out, along with the blessings of night moths and my first glimpse of butterflies and dragonflies yesterday by daylight. I love this time of year -- so, to commemorate the new awakening, here's some early morning dragonflies for you. Dragonflies courtesy of my daughter Maia Bissette ('Technicfarce' c 2007 Maia Rose Bissette) -- Thanks, Maia!

Whoa, sobering news yesterday for Chrysler's 80,000 US employees, and another major landmark in the changing times as we continue to lurch into the 21st Century.

Don't underestimate the import of this devastating turn for the auto manufacturer, which unmoors one of the true 20th Century corporate giants those of my generation grew up with as an economic anchor, for better or worse.

Seismic shocks of another kind are continuing to hammer the fringes of the Bush Administration, apart from our ruinous foreign policies and wars:

A panel of executives at the World Bank just ruled that its President (and Bush appointee) Paul Wolfowitz broke the bank's code of conduct and violated the terms of his contract,

but the big news this morning is that the second highest official in the US Justice Department, Paul McNulty, is resigning -- maybe Alberto Gonzales will yet have to pay the piper for his crimes against the Constitution?

Time will tell... keep an eye on these ongoing situations.

Not having enough real-life apocalyptic catastrophes in our own lives, my stepson Mike and I dashed out last night for the viral armageddon opus 28 Weeks Later. I had some fun with it; the film is an invigorating and sturdily made outing for most of its running time, but ran out of gas in its final act. Six+ screenwriters credited, and nothing new to add to its subgenre; it's 20th Century Fox's genre subsidiary Fox Atomic doing its bit for keeping derivative traditions we used to depend upon cheapjack producers to keep alive back in the '80s (and the second such Fox Atomic outing I've seen in a little over a month, on the heels of The Hills Have Eyes 2, which was nastier, meatier, more satisfying fare for this depraved horror addict). Still, nice to see a flick with Mike, and we enjoyed the time out -- more on 28 Weeks Later when I play Cine-Ketchup next week (after a long hiatus posting such comments, though I've seen tons of movies). I hope to see Paul Verhoeven's Black Book before then, too (a return to form for a one-time masterful director?)... lots to talk about in that department.

But here's what I really want to share with you all this fine rainy Tuesday, to wind up on a cheerier note. This just in from Colin Mathieson and Dave West of Accent UK, aimed at contributors to the Zombies anthology, but worth sharing with all of you as a report of that collection's successful debut and an update:

Dear All

Just back from Bristol earlier today so brief update on what was probably our best ever convention!

We’re very pleased to report that Zombies was a well received hit with record sales and an overwhelmingly positive response. Everyone commented on the quality of the strips, the design and the printing with the result that there was a real buzz about the book.

Thankfully many of you were there and able to share in the moment and enjoy what had to be one of the busiest Bristols ever (despite the weather!). It was great catching up with you all and registering everyone’s delight with the way the book turned out and hear of your own creative projects and ideas for Robots – actually we had several ‘new’ interested writers and artists wanting to contribute to next year’s Robots so we’re expecting another strong batch of submissions.

"An Alphabet of Zombie" (c) 2007 SR & Daniel Bissette

We are hoping for a wide coverage and distribution with us being approached over the weekend by no less than 5 separate retailers to stock both Zombies and our other release Wolfmen, with provisional deals set up with 2 others! We also had an encouraging meeting with Diamond’s representatives (and await their USA panel review with interest) so your work is getting the best chance of a wide audience and will hopefully complement and highlight your own individual projects.

Special congratulations must also go to Andy Winter, whose Hero Killers book deservedly won this year’s Eagle for favourite British black and white comic book. Andy’s award nicely follows last year’s success for fellow Zombies contributor Dave Hitchcock’s Spring Heeled Jack series, so well done chaps!

A fuller report on Bristol will follow on the website in due course and we’ll keep you informed of Zombies progress but in the meantime thanks once again for all your hard work and being a successful part of our annual anthology.

Cheers

Colin M and Dave W

Colin added, "Zombies had a tremendous reception – your cover really caught everyone’s attention and when they saw the quality of the strips inside, it was an easy sell! Several buyers mentioned your Indie Spinner interview too, so that proves the plugging works!!"

Shameless huckster Bissette signing off, reminding you to

keep an eye on the Accent UK site for photos, updates, news and ordering info -- remember, Zombies does not yet have a US distributor, so you may want to order your copies now via Accent UK --

-- and to have a great Tuesday, one and all. Cheers!

Sunday Morning Zipatone

Little Gray Dot.

So, Maia recently sent me this scan of one of her most recent drawings -- as you can see, Maia very much has her own style, quite distinctive from either her mom Marlene's (whose most recent painting & art exhibition opens in Keene, NH on April 13th) or her pop-a-rooni's (mine).

We're hoping to bring her work and mine together for a modest four-page comic story later this spring -- wish us luck.

Little Gray Dot.

Followup on yesterday's post, concerning the launch in Philadelphia last night of Cursed: The Head Trauma Remix live event (for more info, check the links on yesterday's post):

an evening email from Lance Weiler:

"Tonight was AMAZING!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to do the VO [voice over], it was a hit."

Cool.

Little Gray Dot.

Hey, one and all, the weeks of work have been successful! The last week in April brings the White River Indie Films festival (WRIF), and the program went off to the printers this week, jam-packed with info (writeups courtesy of yours truly and novelist/actor John Griesemer) and all you need to know to join us.

The WRIF site is now up and running, with downloadable schedule, tickets info, etc., check it out!

More on this as we get further into April -- but suffice to say, if you want to schedule a visit to White River Junction when you'll get to visit CCS, see & hear yours truly speak (I'm presenting two events: the April 22 Green Mountain Cinema history-of-VT-filmmaking talk, and the Friday, April 27 VT & NH filmmakers panel), and see some fantastic films, the last week in April is the time to do it!

Little Gray Dot.

This just in, from delightful Dwight L. MacPherson, down south in Tennessee:

"I am so happy to see that you are drawing again! Your work for Accent UK's Zombies looks absolutely phenomenal!

I have a story which will appear in their upcoming Robots anthology, which is how I became aware of your involvement with the publisher. I hope this is the beginning of the next 'Bissette wave,' because I want to sign up for the duration!"

Garsh, thanks, Dwight, and I look forward to seeing your work in Robots. Though my retirement from the US comicbook industry stands (and will stand), I am at last drawing again -- as noted repeatedly on this blog, thanks to my now-adult children (Dan and Maia) and everyone at the Center for Cartoon Studies -- and efforts like Dan's and my comic in Lance Weiler's indy gem Head Trauma, the minicomic the CCS seniors and I concocted for the Halloween 2006 Heretic DVD release of Lance and co-director Stefan Avalos's The Last Broadcast, and the upcoming Accent UK Zombies anthology are indeed the first wave of much new work.

I've got a book agent, and working toward the best I can muster in this new phase of life and my creative life. Keep your eyes on this blog, it'll all be posted here -- and wish me luck.

Little Gray Dot.

It's been a while since I posted fresh links to the Center for Cartoon Studies student blogs and websites, and I'm gonna make up bigtime for that this morning.

For instance,

architect/artist/cartoonist (and CCSer, natch) Alex Joon Kim just launched his new blog, posting his art, insights, and oh so much more.

Alex says, "There isn't much up yet but it'll fill up soon enough. I promise to keep it as un-obnoxious as possible." Heck, what's the fun in that?

Little Gray Dot.

OK, let's get down to it -- Over the next two or three days, I'll post every CCS student site, blog and link I have access to. Check 'em all out! There's some terrific work here, and lots of inside info on life at CCS, for those discerning viewers. Now, I try to tantalize with a glimpse of what you'll see -- but the snapshots of art from the sites/blogs are just what grab my eye.

For instance, back when I was first posting the CCS student links,

David Giarratana's site was accompanied by a selection of his art not to his liking, so I'm remedying that here and now. The image here is one David prefers you to see.

The rest of the links this morning I'll post sans art, if only because I'm running out of time (and posted most of their art with previous links) --

Little Gray Dot.

So let's get this going, shall we? Seniors first. Josie Whitmore has traveled and lived and drawn and worked in some pretty stunning parts of the globe, and that's all reflected in her drawings and writing -- who she is, what she does.

Here's Josie Whitmore's online heaven, awaiting your visit!

Little Gray Dot.

Andrew Arnold awaits you here --

-- though I should add we're all missing Andrew, as he's living and working (at DC Comics!) in New York City. Andrew pops up at CCS in person as time permits, and is working through his senior year with aplomb; still, we miss ya, Andrew!

Little Gray Dot.

As previously noted (weeks, months ago), seniors

Colleen Frakes and Jon-Mikel Gates share a marvelous website/blog realm, and there's a lot to see there.

Check it out, pronto, Tonto! They've both been doing some simply stunning work this year, and some of it (but not all) is on their blog for you to savor.

Little Gray Dot.

Mucho art (and CCS students's first published graphic novel work) is showcased at

Xeric-award winner Alexis Frederick-Frost's site, well worth an immediate visit and round of exploration.

Alexis has already carved out a singular niche with his comics work to date, and that's just the tip of the metaphoric iceberg -- watch this cat. He's going places!

Little Gray Dot.

You want more than art? Check out

Sam Gaskin's multi-media potpourri of music, comics, photos, comics, and -- so much more!

Sam's cooking this year like never before on an amazing, breakthrough batch of pages I can't wait to tell you about here -- when Sam's damned good and ready for me to do so. Say the word, Sam!

Little Gray Dot.

A showcase to individual and communal efforts is posted

at Adam Staffaroni's "I Know Joe Kimpel" site, where you can link to Adam's work (including his ongoing comic strip, moving into its second year) and a one-stop shop site for CCS mini-comics by Adam and his fellow CCS students. What are you waiting for?

If you check out only one CCS site this morning, make this the one.

Little Gray Dot.

For those of you seeking truly organic art and comics,

you can't go wrong with Ross Wood Studlar's selection of all-nutritious, all-organic art and comics.

I can't say more, really, without showing my stripes -- y'see, I'm working with Ross this semester as his thesis advisor and mentor, so I'm doting on the fellow and his work.

'Nuff said on CCS links for today, but to wrap up this morning's post --

Little Gray Dot.

As any cartoonist knows, you get enough little gray dots, you get a pattern.

We used to call it 'zipatone' -- those sheets of dot patterns on self-adhesive sheets that created gradations of tone for easy reproduction in the old 20th Century print technologies -- that, in varying densities of arrangement and design, formed shades of gray, from the lightest gray to near-black.

You get enough little gray dots, you get deeper and deeper gradations of gray.

You pack enough little gray dots together, you get black.

It's getting mighty dark.

Have a great Sunday, one and all...

Little Gray Dot --

-- that's what Mark Martin keeps posting to note the utter insignificance of the various scandals and outrages manifesting around this clusterfuck Presidency.

He's right.

More Americans know and care about (with collective necrophile obsessiveness) the ongoing Anna Nichol Smith clusterfuck than know, care about or even recognize the name "Alberto Gonzales." Fantasy scenarios about Katie and Tom and their baby and Scientologist doctrine and 5-hour-sauna-torture-of-Katie, and Brad and Angelina, or poor Johnny Depp's daughter ("The Agony of Johnny Depp!") are more pressing than the War(s), Abu Ghraib, Guantanemo, than tax cuts and -- well, you get the idea.

But that doesn't mean you ignore the reality, join the lunacy.
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All I'm focused on yesterday and today week is CCS and our visitor Rob Walton.

Having a great, productive week, or so I think; really solid pair of sessions with the students yesterday, I think -- but all that matters, really, is what the students have to say about it amongst themselves, which I'll likely never know.

Seemed to go OK, though. Inking demo was fun, too -- Rob inks Bissette pencils, Bissette inks Rob pencils, tips and taps. Staging exercises. Sharing info, knowledge.

That matters.

Have a great Thursday -- gotta run!

I'm Taking the Fifth, Too

I was going to post, but fuck it --

I'm going to take the Fifth, too.

I'm going to torture with impunity and incarcerate any kangaroo-skinner I damn well please without charges for five years or more if I want to. I'm gonna insist anyone in my camp can lie whenever they want, and call that a "reasonable offer" endlessly. I'm gonna stand by Alberto and dis Democrat (heh, heh, "Democrat") Presidential candidates whose wives have cancer while I carry on my steadfast support for the nation's first cyborg Vice Prez, without seeing a hint of irony in that.





Ah, shit, I can't do any of that.

Actually, I'm gonna go finish (sigh) our taxes.

Have a great Tuesday, fellow peons.

They're Back,
& They're Late

Damn these Christian dating services!

Tempting me again, and late!

And look -- now the woman is in the clearly dominant position. I'm mere passive, docile drone fodder, hungry for a compatible Christian (but dominant) mate.

What is Jesus telling me now??

I'm so confused and hapless, woe is this poor li'l sheep. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, for he layeth me down with saucy brunettes who tuck their glasses (note: not sunglasses) upon brunette pastures of hair, and whom dangleth their pearls o'er my heaving hairy chest, and show a bit of their underthings beneath their clothing, yet hiding their cleavage and thus increasing the temptation to my yearning, aching Christian-dating-doting libid -- uh, soul, even though I'm married."

First Alberto Gonzales, now this. Soon, I shan't know right from wrong any longer.

Have a great weekend...

It's My Birthday!

Yep, 'tis.

Wish me luck!
____________

Amid a busy period of completing work on programming the upcoming April WRIF (White River Indie Film festivities, which now span almost the entire final week in April), my duties have included writing the synopses for the films we've selected. These include almost all the films I've written about at length on this blog over the past month or two; boiling that blather down, I arrive at:

51 BIRCH STREET: "When it comes to your parents, maybe ignorance is bliss," filmmaker Doug Block says at one point during the multi-award winning 51 Birch Street. This is, literally, the real-life The Bridges of Madison County: Doug and his two sisters help their father clear out their suburban family home after his remarrying only three months after their mother's death (and over 50 years of marriage). In the process, they find their mother's extensive diaries, and therein a doorway to her most personal secrets and the reality of their married life.

ABSOLUTE WILSON: Filmmaker Katherine Otto-Bernstein’s exploration of renowned theater & dance director Robert Wilson's life embraces it all, from his ongoing non-verbal movement & dance therapy work (with brain-damaged children and paralyzed patients) to the theatrical work he is now renowned for. The variety of Wilson’s theatrical creations -- the stark, iconographic imagery and movement; the inventive play with sound & music; the use of color, costume and body language -- are showcased throughout, accompanied by onscreen interviews with Susan Sontag, Philip Glass, Trudy Kramer, John Rockwell, David Byrne, Jim Neu, Earl Mack, and many others.

BAMAKO: Abderrahmano Sissanko's new feature functions on many levels: African agitprop, pragmatic portrait of a world tribunal in a pauper's kingdom, meditation on 21st Century colonization, a sheathed castigation of the World Bank, G8, IMF and the malign influence of Western capitalism -- once this cinematic machete bares its blade, it cuts deep. “It is a work of cool intelligence and profound anger, a long, dense, argument that is also a haunting visual poem.” — A. O. Scott, The New York Times

BRICK: Retrofitting the milieu of Raymond Chandler and Humphrey Bogart crime thrillers to a contemporary California high school, this unique teen noir evokes dark gems like Over the Edge, The River's Edge, Heathers, Kids, and Bully, but trumps them via its complete submersion, sans irony, into its universe. The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew were never like this: as its oner hero (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ferrets out his ex-girlfriend’s killer, the 21st Century post-Columbine Bush-era underbelly of youth culture is explored with mesmerizing, gripping immediacy.

DECAY OF FICTION (installation): A compelling meditation on malingering cinematic spirits in Los Angeles's now-abandoned & crumbling Hotel Ambassador. An uncannily shot and edited exploration of the physical (and metaphysical) environment... and all the while, 'ghosts' of performers, diners, thugs, children, hotel staff and various denizens of 1940s movies and the hotel's past rerun their long-past interactions. A brilliant conceit, mesmerizing and completely original.


THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON: Welcome to the life and times of ‘fringe’ cult musician and artist Daniel Johnston! Having recorded himself from an early age (audio diaries, songs, super 8, video), this biographical documentary offers an introspective, incredibly detailed record of his thoughts -- which become even more compelling as it becomes clear that Johnston is wrestling with serious mental problems. A one-of-a-kind portrait of a fascinating and influential 21st Century creator.

THE FOREST FOR THE TREES: A stirring portrait of Earth First activist Judi Beri and the Leftist legal team which represented her (led by the filmmaker’s father, Dennis Cunningham, who also defended the Black Panthers in the ‘60s and ‘70s) in a lawsuit against the FBI launched after Beri survived a mysterious car bomb attack.

GRBAVICA: When uneasy pick-up lines like, “I’m sure I know you” leads to the commonalities of “Maybe you go to postmortem identifications?”, we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. Welcome to Grbavica, a modern metropolitan European city haunted by fresh memories of the Bosnian conflict, experienced via the day-to-day life of traumatized Esma Halilovic and her teenage daughter Sara. A potent, moving drama of Bosnian life in the 21st Century.

THE HAND OF GOD: A fiercely intelligent, introspective, concise and surprisingly comprehensive dissection of the notorious Massachusetts Catholic Church scandal involving priests who were habitual child molestors. Director Joe Cultrera chronicles the case history of his older brother Paul, and the impact Paul's eventual disclosure of abuse (8 years before The Boston Globe ripped the lid off the wider scope of scandal) had upon Paul's entire family and community.

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS: James Longley's intimate, three-part portrait of the current situation in Iraq as experienced by Sunni, Shiite and Kurd individuals, each in their own corner of their war-torn country, sans polemics other than those manifest on the streets, in garages, in the city centers and mosques. Longley's meditative, poetic exploration of Iraq through the faces, plight and eyes of its people was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature.

JESUS CAMP: Fascinating, compulsive viewing, whatever one's orientation to the subject. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady capture the lives of those involved with an evangelical camp (ironically based in Devil's Lake, North Dakota), from the organizers to the parents and attending children, focusing on three of the attendees, Levi, Tory and Rachael. A truly exceptional and timely documentary.

MANHATTAN, KANSAS: NYC-based filmmaker Tara Wray returns to her childhood home in Kansas to reconnect with her mother, seeking some resolution for her difficult childhood and teenage years, and their co-dependent relationship. Unexpectedly, this process proves to have a cumulative, positive impact on both Tara and her mother; a most unusual, provocative autobiographical documentary.

...and so on and so forth. We'll be showing all this, and much more, end of April.

Alas, some of our choices have been, despite the provision to the group of screeners, yanked by their respective distributors, including the excellent Ralph Nader documentary An Unreasonable Man. How unreasonable of them. As one committee member noted, "how Nader-like!" Too bad, but it's still shaping up to be a great festival.

The April event is still coming together, as is the website announcement, but anyone living in the area should keep an eye on

WRIF's website for upcoming news, scheduling and announcements --

-- hope to see some of you there!

_________________

"I acknowledge that mistakes were made here... I accept that responsibility."

We've heard variations on that from the President and members of his Administration since the (ongoing) Hurricane Katrina debacle, but "I accept that responsibility" apparently never, ever means really assuming any responsibility in this Administration, unless you're part of the current Walter Reed Hospital scandal, which has military leaders falling on their swords right and left (the better to ensure no blame arrives at the Commander-in-Chief).

The latest declaration of "I accept that responsibility" followed the revelations from recently-released documents revealing a two-year campaign by the Justice Department and White House to purge federal prosecutors has prompted a fresh call for Gonzales's head.

but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales rejected the yowls for his resignation --

-- no surprise there.

The mistakes made he might be referring to most likely be the release of said documents, since "don't get caught" seems to be the only meaningful context for the ongoing Bush Administration troubles. Gonzales added, "I believe very strongly in our obligation to ensure that when I provide information to the Congress that it's accurate and that it's complete," which is disingenuous at best from the man who has so firmly stonewalled Congress every step of the way since his confirmation hearings -- which is, after all, when Congress should have shut this former Bush attorney out. But that would have taken a backbone, and a majority willing to do more than rubber-stamp that process.

In the meantime, in the face of the South American-touring President's call for more troops, we find out, via

homophobic statements from the Pentagon's top general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Peter Pace,

that the military's policy against any gays serving their country has so far resulted in the discharge of "more than 10,000 troops, including more than 50 specialists in Arabic," since President Clinton instituted the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1994.

Hmmmmm, the Pentagon could sure use just about 10,000 troops, especially those 50 specialists in Arabic, just about now -- if they could pull their homophobic heads out of their homophobic asses long enough to think straight (with something other than their little heads).

The most astounding statement amid the flurry that followed General Pace's mini-screed was no doubt White House spokesman Tony Snow's claim that President Bush "has always said that the most important thing is that we ought not to prejudge one another."

Huh. When was that? From the man who prejudges everything, to all of us. A love button.

But let's keep this all in perspective. I mean, it ain't so bad -- I heard last night on German radio news that thanks to Zimbabwe's governing ZANU-PF party's two-year extension (back in December) of President Robert Mugabe's reign and the subsequent atrocities, the life expectancy of the average Zimbabwe woman is now 34 years of age.

By comparison, we've all got it sweet.

________________

And in that context, we're all lucky folks. I certainly am.

I'm 52 as of today -- I've outlived some dear friends, I've got a great job, CCS has reawakened my creative life, I'm happily married, live in a new home, I have friends and family and two incredible now-adult kids I love, and to my mind any day over the half-century mark of life is a day worth celebrating.

And hey, I've got you, don't I?

I'm outta here!
Gotta teach!
Gotta draw!
Gotta move!

[Reminder: I won't be posting regularly again until Monday, most likely. See you here as time permits...]

Everyone: "Ahhhhhhhh, it was a tough week for the White House..."

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard "It's been a tough week for [insert corrupt White House official here]" on TV or radio this week.

It's been tough for this pack of dogs because reality, as always it will, is catching up with each and every one of 'em -- and fast, though not fast enough.

Let's start, arbitrarily, with the current Administration's top two law enforcement honchos, who

admitted this week that the FBI broke the law under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's ongoing refuting of the U.S. Constitution (see "Gonzales, Mueller admit FBI broke law").

Pardon me for deriving absolutely no comfort from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller (pictured, below) saying they're going to "fix this," or Gonzales's claim that he might pursue "criminal charges against FBI agents or lawyers who improperly used the USA Patriot Act in pursuit of suspected terrorists and spies." Gonzalez, Mueller, and all those directly involved in this entire affair have abused their powers throughout their participation with the present Administration, and now we have 126 pages of damning evidence proving all that those of us who howled at the initial revelations concerning the illegal extension of the USA Patriot Act to spy on Americans were right, damn it.

Thus far, thanks to Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine's current audit, we now know agents appropriated personal data on citizens sans official authorization, "improperly obtained" phone records sans authorization, and "underreported" (i.e., lied) to Congress about how often agents used national security letters to "ask " (i.e., demand) various businesses, institutions and employers to turn over customer data.

It's everything many of us feared -- and worse.

And this, I betcha, is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the meantime, in the wake of the guilty verdice against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, which may indeed prompt a Presidential pardon (curious to see, though, when President Bush plays that trump card -- after all, his pop-a-rooni pardoned the Iran-Contra culprits, who now serve under George W. -- our tax dollars at work), we must note that

the Guantanamo Bay camp kangaroo-court tribunals have, at last, begun.

The shame of America is at last reaching courtroom status: these tribunal hearings (involving many seized by the CIA overseas, illegally imprisoned via "extraordinary rendition" abuses of all international and domestic laws and/or treaties, and tortured) are being held with no defense lawyers present; reportedly, the three-man military panels will consider "evidence obtained by force" as viable. Welcome to Amerika, as the '60s radicals and revolutionaries used to say.

Furthermore, as also predicted by myself and everyone else who paid attention to more than the bullshit Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al have shoveled since March of 2003, it's proving increasingly impossible to maintain troop levels in this God-forsaken war --

but don't take my word for it; see "Pentagon struggles to find fresh troops," circa this morning.

"Why would any rational person serve under this Commander-in-Chief?" is the growing White Elephant in this quiet disaster taking shape, which I still fear will lead to an inevitable draft -- unless the government arrives at some more creative solution, like using military service to clear personal or family debt in the face of the growing economic crisis (similarly underreported in US media). "Why, indeed?" one must also ask, given the stellar care vets can expect

upon their return home after serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., further exposing the monumental incompetence, indifference and lack of even the basest empathy harbored by the Chicken Hawk President, Vice-President and Administration for those who serve their craven reliance on militaristic 'diplomacy.'

The chicken-hawks are at last being taken to task for their Katrina-like follow-up to their unending "Support Our Troops" retorts to any questioning of their decisions, methods, and madness.

You know it's bad when our President considers

a trip to South America (here seen with with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the start of their meeting in Sao Paulo)

preferable to facing the music in D.C. or pondering the weakest rating of any second-term president in 56 years.


It's even more incredible that he's South of the Border as

the the Bush administration considers a risky military rescue of three Americans held hostage more than four years by "drug-trafficking leftist rebels" in nearby Colombia --

-- or hadn't you noticed that was going down?

And that, again, is just the tip of the iceberg. Don't even get me going on the tax situation, including the encroaching damage the Alternative Minimum Tax of 1969 is wreaking among middle-class taxpayers in 2006, even as Bush crams his tax-breaks-for-the-rich down our collective throats. Don't even.

Hooooooooooboy, it's going to be a wild March. In like a lion, indeed!

Have a great Saturday.

Gonzales's Labyrinth

Huh, so those expecting full-blown fantasy were disappointed by Pan's Labyrinth (see comments on the blog, previous days) because it's about the horrors of war? Reckon I should have posted my comments last week. I'll get to it, but in the meantime, needless to say, I'm perversely bemused by the echoes of Goya and the current Bush era, which abound. The film is more timely than almost any film now on US screens, especially for its fusion & collision of fairy tales, wish-fulfillments dashed, and the face of real war (embodied most memorably in its pro-Franco commander, among the greatest ogres of contemporary cinema).

Recently, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales gobsmacked members of the Senate Judiciary Committee with his liberal -- nay, radical -- interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. In Gonzales's labyrinth, the citizens of the United States have no constitutional right of or to habeas corpus.

This isn't news, per se, given Gonzales's previous statements and writings, but it does represent a new extreme in the increasingly transparent, utterly blatant fascistic beliefs of the current Administration.

Per the recent editorial in The Sacramento Bee and other print and online editorials, it's worth noting that the writ of habeas corpus ("produce the body") predates the U.S. Constitution and has been a bedrock legal premise for over eight centuries of Western civilization. That's a lot of precedent for an Attorney General to buck, but Alberto flinches not. Like the general in del Toro's film, he doesn't blink, even as he smashes a bottle across an innocent man's face and grinds the shards into eyes, lips, nose -- Gonzales is likewise a tough cookie, folks. He tramples rights and wipes his culo clean with the Constitution without a hint of regret.

In short, habeas corpus requires that any time a person is detained, the government must produce the prisoner in person and then clearly state why the individual is being detained; the prisoner (aka "detainee") must then either be charged or released. Period.

But Gonzales, with a somber face, testified to the Judiciary Committee, "...there is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution; there is a prohibition against taking it away."

Senator Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania): "Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. The Constitution says you can't take it away, except in the case of rebellion or invasion. Doesn't that mean you have a right of habeas corpus, unless there is an invasion or rebellion?"

Gonzales: "I meant by that comment, the Constitution doesn't say, 'Every individual in the United States or every citizen is hereby granted or assured the right to habeas.' It doesn't say that."

Specter: "You may be treading on your interdiction and violating common sense, Mr. Attorney General."

Make no mistake, the ogres are in power, and they're indeed eating children... including our own.