Another End-Of-Year Thingie...

I just contributed the following to Alex Hanson, arts editor/writer of the local newspaper The Valley News, for his year-end 'best arts in the Valley' wrap-up. And yes, I should have mentioned WRIF (White River Indy Film festival in April), but I wrote this in fifteen minutes and, well, OK, I forgot. With just 200 words to work with, verbose Bissette slipped his mickey on WRIF. Anyhoot, here's my two cents...

The high point of the year for me was the October 22 Center for Cartoon Studies fundraiser appearance of Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau at the Northern Stage, Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. Playing to a packed house, Trudeau saw to it the paying customers got their $50 worth -- plus. Trudeau’s highly entertaining 90 minute talk was spiced with video clips (from the 1977 Doonesbury TV special, a rousing tune from Rap Master Ronnie, clips from his Robert Altman collaborations Tanner '88 and Tanner on Tanner, and Duke's Motion-Capture animated interviews on Larry King and Today, with Garry's wife Jane Pauley). It was a night to remember; CCS students sold their work and Norwich Bookstore sold Garry's books in the lobby, and Garry signed everyone's purchases after stepping off stage.

The most fun my wife Marge and I had in area theaters: on stage, it was the Dartmouth revival of Hair, directed by Carol Dunne, charged by a high-octane young cast; at the movies, this summer’s fantasy sleeper Stardust (at the Nugget) scored. Special kudos to the down-and-dirty Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature Grindhouse, resurrecting the 1970s heyday of fast-and-furious drive-in double-bills and dusk-to-dawn shows. Bad taste is timeless!

An addendum for your eyes only:

Best movies I saw this year: Gone, Baby, Gone (terrific ensemble cast, excellent script, and the most assured directorial debut of the year -- from Ben Affleck, no less); The Black Book (Paul Verhoeven return to form, a grand, audacious WW2 survival tale) and The Lives of Others (hands down, best film I saw anywhere, on any screen or media). In a year of great, genre-stretching crime films (Eastern Promises, American Gangster, The Brave One, No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, etc.), Gone, Baby, Gone was the finest, in my mind.

More later, have a great (if wet) Sunday...

Back in the Blog Saddle...

...and sorry I was away so long; Criswell predicted I'd be back, and so I am! I'll be catching up today and tomorrow, so check in frequently betwixt now and Friday.

First of all, the Garry Trudeau Center for Cartoon Studies day -- Monday -- was glorious. I'll be writing about it here in some detail, sans pics; suffice to say Garry's two hours with the students and faculty Monday AM was open, candid and quite amazing, really. Garry talked to everyone in the room as peers, fellow cartoonists, in contrast to his polished (and very funny) Monday night public presentation. For the students, he covered the expanse of his career, opening with the tale of his entry into the field, and fielded questions for almost 90 minutes of the two hours.

Monday night's event at the Northern Stage, Briggs Opera House in White River Junction was sold out, and Garry saw to it the paying customers got their $50 worth -- and more. He prepared an excellent, engaging and highly entertaining 90 minute talk, illustrated with video clip highlights (the 1977 Doonesbury TV special Garry did with John and Faith Hubley, a rousing tune from Rap Master Ronnie, two clips from his Robert Altman collaborations Tanner '88 and Tanner on Tanner, and a variety of clips from Duke's Motion-Capture animated interviews on Larry King, Today -- with Garry's wife Jane Pauley -- and more). Everyone had a fantastic time, a night to remember; CCS artists/students did well with their sales table in the lobby, as did Norwich Bookstore with three of Garry's latest books, and Garry signed everyone's purchases and items after stepping off stage.

[Note: Following up on my last post, I wasn't part of the program, and no regrets -- James and Michelle asked me to prepare to moderate, and I did, but once Garry arrived in WRJ on Sunday and explained his plans, James gave a call and I happily stepped down. Hey, no worries -- it was sweet to enjoy the evening sitting next to Marge in the audience; if CCS had needed me, I was ready. Otherwise, it was a pleasure to just savor the event, same as everyone else!]

More on Garry's visit to CCS in the coming days.

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A few friends emailed me in the past day or so to bring my attention (as I now bring your) to

Brian Hughes's Again With the Comics post, "Beyond Humanity Lies...The Hypernaut!"

I'm cool with Brian running this material, though I'll note for the record the copyrights are still the property of Alan, Rick and myself, and the copyrights and trademarks for The Fury, N-Man and The Hypernaut are my property (as of 1999). I'll alert Brian to that, but go take a look.

Brian had already dissected the subsequent 1963/Shadowhawk crossover -- here -- and it's good to see folks are still curious about this odd alternative universe Alan, Rick Veitch, yours truly and our cronies concocted waaaaaaaay back in '93.

As Marc Arsenault put it, "you've been Boinged, friend" bouncing me to

Mark Frauenfelder's BoingBoing: A Directory of Wonderful Things "Tales of the Uncanny -- cool Alan Moore comic from mid90s" post.

The beat goes on...
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Had I not been offline so many days, I'd have brought to your attention sooner the fact that

VT filmmaker Jayson Argento has pulled together a boat tour up north for this Friday, and here's the link for tickets if you're interested...

...a tour that includes my best friend (and Vermont's folklorist extraordinaire) Joe Citro!

Here's Jayson's most recent invite info:

"About a month ago I met Larry Holden for the first time. He, his wife Hanne and I became friends almost instantly as we sat and drank some beers by a pond somewhere in VT. He offered to be in my next film. The reason is because he is an incredibly generous person. He hadn’t even read the script. Larry believes in art and that it can change the world. Larry and Hanne are very close to the greatest and most amazing people I've ever met. To meet them is quite inspiring. A lot of you know me well enough to know that i am very picky about people and for me to make such a statement is no small thing.

This cruise is a chance to meet Larry and Hanne, learn about the film and how to get involved, have a nice dinner and some drinks, listen to some live acoustic music, meet our new film commissioner Joe Bookchin, get a chance to talk with my friend Joseph Citro (Author), Talk with me about whatever you want, support local art, and help make a Colchester VT boy’s dream come true. Hope to see you there.

if you haven't yet please buy tickets here.
www.stoneworksentertainment.com

Wednesday the 24th is the last day tickets are on sale. you have to buy them before you show up to the boat. We tell them how many are coming so they can make the food.

Don’t miss the boat. Friday Oct 26th 5:30 PM

Thanks,
Jayson Argento
cruise@stoneworksentertainment.com"

So, final day to pick up tickets.

Sorry again I didn't post this info sooner.

Be there, if you can.
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How Green R U?

Finally, HomeyM in Jamaica, VT just sent me the news that "Vermont has lowest carbon emissions in [the] nation"

(via this Howard Weiss-Tisman article in The Brattleboro Reformer),

which prompted me to follow the link to

the Eredux website's profile of Vermont; as Howard reports, "Vermont is the greenest state in the country. They have a lot to be proud of," said Ed Arnold, an information technology specialist with Eredux. "The best way to combat global warming is to think globally and act locally and we wanted this site to help folks see how their states and cities compare."

Look up your own state (or, via this link, your own town's profile) on Eredux's site, and see where you sit, Green-wise.

So, there ya go.

Have a great Wednesday, and see you here later today and tomorrow and ever after...

Garry Trudeau Visits CCS Monday!

Garry Trudeau is coming to CCS Monday -- here's the link with the particulars --

-- and I'll be interviewing Garry Monday night on Northern Stage at the Briggs Opera House! I'm prepped and, needless to say, I'm honored. Should be a lively evening!

"Garry Trudeau, creator of the Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoon Doonesbury, is making a rare public appearance on behalf of The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction Vermont on October 22, 2007..." The evening event is sold old, but there may still be seating available for the fund-raising dinner.

Garry is spending Monday morning with the students -- and exclusive, not-open-to-the-public one-on-one session -- a session I won't be missing, either. All in all, this is a tremendous event for all of us at CCS, and Garry's commitment to the school, the students -- the next generation of cartoonists -- and the comics medium is amazing.

Furthermore, Garry has generously donated a Doonesbury original (pictured above, from his recent spring 2007 'Vermont Town Meeting' sequence) to the CCS fundraising effort; CCS launched this online auction earlier this week (on the 17th), so you've got plenty of time to bid:

EBAY AUCTION
ORIGINAL COMIC BY GARRY TRUDEAU

Original comic art donated by Mr. Trudeau to be auctioned online. The piece comes professionally framed in a black metal casing and white and black matting, compliments of Junction Frame Shop.

Size of original framed:
12 1/2" x 22 1/4"

DATE AUCTION BEGINS: Wednesday, October 17
DATE AUCTION CLOSES: Tuesday, October 23

Here's the link to the auction, folks; check it out, place your bid!

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For those who care, the autumn colors are at peak here in mid-state VT. It's been a leisurely, lovely fall thus far, but the brilliant oranges, reds and yellows are setting the hills and mountains 'aflame,' and it's a treat to drive to and from work and errands daily. So, heads up, eyes open.

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I'll be posting off and on this week (and likely not at all this weekend) as I've been invited into a book project with Chris Golden, and pouring all my free time into that effort for the near future. I'm also working on a new comic story for an anthology my amigo Cat (aka Cayetano Garza) is pulling together for spring 2008 publication. Needless to say, my time Monday is pretty tight, too, with Garry coming to town... it's all good, but it will keep me off daily blogging for a stretch.

More on the Trudeau visit, the book project(s), and much more -- including more Halloween horrors! -- as time permits.

Have a great weekend, one and all --

October Offerings at the Center for Cartoon Studies:

Dead Man's Hand & Doonesbury Delights

As noted in the last two posts, I wrapped up my own six-page contribution to the upcoming CCS-spawned anthology Dead Man's Hand, brainchild of CCS seniors and the portmanteau's editorial team of Christopher Warren, Denis St. John, Matthew Young, Morgan Pielli and alumni Jon-Mikel Gates.

Chris (who did the production on my son Daniel's and my own "An Alphabet of Zombies" for the Accent UK Zombies anthology) scanned, cleaned up and prepped my story for publication last night, so I'll be posting a page or two of the story here starting tomorrow.

In the meantime,

here's the link to the Dead Man's Hand site -- updates and much, much more art to follow, as the team gets the book together for its SPX debut!

Here's the SPX link for more info on the convention itself --

-- and note that CCS once again has a table at SPX. SPX will be held in Bethesda, MD on October 12th and 13th; CCS will be at table W22, near the door and registration table. I won't be there (my convention days are over), but that's where you'll find Dead Man's Hand and many, many other great CCS student/artist/faculty creations!

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Garry Trudeau Visits CCS in October...

Garry Trudeau is coming to CCS later this month -- and here's the promised link with the particulars!

"Garry Trudeau, creator of the Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoon Doonesbury, is making a rare public appearance on behalf of The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction Vermont on October 22, 2007..." Seating is limited, so if you're in the area and you're a Trudeau/Doonesbury fan, don't wait to snag your ticket ASAP!

Furthermore, Garry has generously donated a Doonesbury original (pictured above, from his recent spring 2007 'Vermont Town Meeting' sequence) to the CCS fundraising effort; CCS will be actively promoting this online auction beginning October 17th, but here's the current announcement:

EBAY AUCTION
ORIGINAL COMIC BY GARRY TRUDEAU

Original comic art donated by Mr. Trudeau to be auctioned online. The piece comes professionally framed in a black metal casing and white and black matting, compliments of Junction Frame Shop.

Size of original framed:
12 1/2" x 22 1/4"

DATE AUCTION BEGINS: Wednesday, October 17
DATE AUCTION CLOSES: Tuesday, October 23

A direct link will be posted here on October 17.
You will be able to click here to place your bid!

Ditto from here. More info as we get closer to Garry's visit...
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The leaves are changing color here in Vermont, and it's fall, folks. As an email from Jamaica (VT) amigo HomeyM notes this AM, "All leaves have embedded in them three pigments: chlorophyll (green colors), carotenoid (the yellow, orange and brown colors), and anthocyanins (red, blue and purple colors). During the long days of summer, chlorophyll is continuously being produced, resulting in green leaves. As the days get shorter and cooler, chlorophyll production slows and eventually ceases. When this occurs, the carotenoids and anthocyanins present in the leaves are unmasked and show their colors. The timing of these colors varies by elevation and by tree species." It all adds up to the trippy Vermont autumns I love, just by opening my eyes every single morning!

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That's all for today, have a terrific Tuesday... "Tenderfoot" peek tomorrow, and more!

Garry Trudeau, Petro-Paleo Art, Prez Privilege and Private Platoons

I'm cramming for an afternoon CCS lecture on Garry Trudeau (who is coming to visit The Center for Cartoon Studies in October, participating in fundraising for CCS and more!) and mystery novelist and fellow CCS instructor Sarah Stewart Taylor and I have a heady senior thesis class ahead I want to do a little more prep for. It's been a little weird resurrecting art from a beloved project writer Tom Veitch and I never could find a publisher for -- Grumm, which we pitched to Archie Goodwin at Epic (shot down due to a Native American component to Tom's narrative concepts, though one that was not central to the miniseries; as Archie put it, "Coyote and Time Spirits just haven't done that well for us") and Karen Berger during Vertigo's first year (and which, after a year, was rejected, though the rather clumsy conversation with Karen that followed at an otherwise pleasant lunch together at the World Horror Con I've ever attended left me with the impression Karen simply had not read the proposal, or had forgotten it completely -- sigh). Grumm still looks pretty good to me, and the proposal and sample art holds up well; anyway, this is part of what I'm bringing in to share with the seniors today.

On a completely unrelated track, I've also been excavating and prepping an expanded dino comics history piece, which has led me into research on the 1930s Sinclair Oil dinosaur promotional artists and campaigns, a curious slice of petro-promo history I'm finding more fascinating than I should. More on that -- later.

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Will the Congress ever step on this ceaseless expansion of Executive privilege and domestic spying program?

I can't see how, given the fact that the Republicans are still calling the shots in the Congress -- note the 4-vote loss last night of yet another Democratic bill intended to somehow curb President Bush's Iraq War "strategy," in this case an attempt to limit the length of a soldier's Iraq combat tour. President Bush's allies blocked the bill.

Huh, so the interminable tours -- which have precipitated the highest suicide rate in the history of the U.S. Army and the National Guard -- will go on. As I've pointed out here before, this treatment of our soldiers is oddly parallel -- almost identical -- to that of those imprisoned in Guantanamo and elsewhere in this interminable "War on Terror." How long can anyone hold out once they find themselves in what is, essentially, service/imprisonment without defined parameters, limit or end? This Kafkaesque nightmare for those entrapped in Bush's concept of "service" and "justifiable incarceration" is an abomination, a form of psychological torture the Congress has sanctioned now (with inaction, and refusal to debate or act) for years now.

Is this how the GOP honors our servicemen? Is this how they "support our troops"? How long will we stomach the Republican stonewalling of any change, however incremental, in the Bush policies the American people have had enough of? Honestly, with precious few exceptions, I simply cannot see how anyone can continue to justify this reprehensible crap. The Republican refusal to honor or impose any measure of checks or balances is reaping the whirlwind, and we all will pay (but none more than military families, still the only part of the American public to bear the brunt of sacrifice in the wars Bush is intent upon treading water within).

The complicity of the still-Republican-led Congress in all the various shitstorms coming to a head presently begs the question: how can any American conscientiously continue to support the party?

In other quarters, the lack of Congressional oversight -- again, blame the GOP Senators (and complicit Democrats like Joseph Lieberman, who is behaving like an ideological scum-of-the-earth, crowing over the blocking of the bill last night) who have rubber-stamped and refused to probe such a plethora of insanity that one doesn't know where to even begin. Inaction is as hazardous as action: for instance,

will the privatization of foreign policy operations ever be addressed, in any public arena? There's reportedly more private contractors in Iraq than there are US military serving -- all quietly established as if it were "business as usual."

For excellent historical reasons, "most countries forbid their citizens fighting in foreign wars unless they are under the control of their own national armed forces,"

a premise the Bush Administration blithely ignored (as they have other facets of the Geneva Convention). With the usual perverse skewed logic of this hyena pack, they've conveniently forgotten

the role similarly hired hands -- the Hessians -- played in the American Revolution, and our colonial forefathers's "insurgent" defeat of both the Hessians and the army of their employer, Great Britain, though of course Blackwater is paying its mercenaries much better these days.

But of course, that's not a lesson learned, nor does the Bush Administration or GOP care to make that correlation.
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Have a great Thursday...