Carrington’s World is Nominated for an Ignatz Award!

Well, bust my buttons! My mini comic Carrington’s World is nominated for a dang Ignatz Award for best Mini Comic! I guess this means I’m going to have to reprint it and actually go to SPX in September! I’m taking a break from social media right now for mental health reasons, so I was late to find out. Actually, it was so nice to hear about it from a friend than a tweet!

It’s my first Ignatz nomination and even though my experience as a juror back in 2016 taught me that being nominated, while an honor, is also a miracle (considering the sheer volume of submissions and the anonymous system of ranking and voting among the jury members), I always hoped I would get a nomination. I am so pleased that something made it through the meat grinder of that process. Thank you to the Ignatz jurors!! I hope you still like comics after that giant job!! If not, Comics still likes you and will wait for your recovery and return!

This mini was something I threw together last spring when I thought I was going to go to MoCCA, but didn’t. I’ve always wanted to make a mini about the artist Dora Carrington and now I have and now I get to be nominated for something that is like an Oscar to me! Well, there you go!

If you’re going to be at SPX on Saturday, September 17th, you can vote for me while you are there or any of the other amazing cartoonists nominated (seriously, what a list!!!!!). CORRECTION: I just found out that they will not be doing on-site voting this year, so if you want to vote you can! All you have to do is request a ballot here! If you’ve read the comic please consider voting for me! Thank you!

Rainy Day Music

Yesterday totally spontaneously, I made a twitter thread about one of my favorite things to study–rain in comics. Growing up in California, rain was my only association with “weather” and I learned to draw it by studying Tintin comics. Ever since then I’ve had a fascination with how cartoonists and illustrators draw and evoke this atmospheric weather pattern. It was a strangely fun thing to do and people shared some of their favorite depictions of rain in comics. Rarely, is Twitter that pleasurable! I finished the thread last night with this comic I made two years ago when I was experimenting with pen lines, so I thought I’d share it here in case you aren’t on twitter–and who wants to be these days?

New Comic in latest issue of NEW CITY Magazine!

I have a new four page comic in the latest print issue of NEW CITY in Chicago! It’s an outtake from my memoir and is a story about visiting my mother at her job building the set and stage for The Rolling Stones Tattoo You tour. Don’t live in Chicago? Not a problem! You can order it here!

Get it while supplies last!!!

4 page comic on Daphne Du Maurier on Patreon and All the Sad Songs Featured on Backlisted!

It’s Friday which means there is a new comic on my Patreon! This week it’s a 4 page comic on the British writer Daphne Du Maurier’s obsession with the estate Menabilly. Menabilly was the inspiration for Manderley in her world famous novel, Rebecca. You can access it now along with many other comics and posts for a modest rate!

New comics are still coming every Friday along with occasional posts about my memoir in progress and thoughts about comics as a creative practice. I have really been enjoying having a space to share what’s been happening in my world–come on in! It’s colorful there!

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

On Monday I had the delight and shock of my life when I discovered that ALL THE SAD SONGS was featured on my favorite podcast Backlisted! Some of you might remember me gushing writing about Backlisted in December when I shared my sketchbook spread of Queens of Crime. Imagine my shock to hear Andy Miller, writer and editor and co-host of Backlisted sharing ALL THE SAD SONGS as his pick of what he had been reading and loving this week! WHAT?? IS THIS REAL??

It’s hard to adequately say what this means to me. That podcast has done more for refueling my inner life in the last year than anything else has in years. In some ways it has recommitted me to a life of reading and writing in a way that I had forgotten was possible. Andy and John Mitchinson, and their array of guests, are so smart, funny, generous, and engaging that it’s truly infectious. To be included in that show and to be read (and praised) by Andy Miller is just…mind blowing (to say the least), and (dare I say it?) deeply affirming. Not all attention helps refuel, but I have to admit, this puts some strength in the heart for me. In the words of Tom Waits, I’m going to take it with me when I go.

It’s perfect timing because ALL THE SAD SONGS just went into a second printing! After a brief period of it possibly going out of print in the US, Retrofit decided to do a modest second print run, and I just got the first shipment of new copies. The price will be going up once my current supplies go out, so if you have been sitting on it–now is the time to get it!

Limited Edition of CARRINGTON’S WORLD

I have a super duper limited run of a mini comic I made about the artist Dora Carrington in my shop! (SOLD OUT!!) This comic on the life and art of Carrington and the influence her illustrated letters had on me was published in print form only at New City out of Chicago last year. I had a fantasy of making a Carrington mini to go along with it, so that’s exactly what I did! Then I decided, let’s go whole hog: end papers and a cover–all inspired by this beautiful artist!

I made these when I thought I was tabling for MoCCA two weeks ago, but when I didn’t I gave most of them to my generous top tier patrons over at Patreon. I have around 10 left and once they are gone they will be gone forever–so get them while you can!

7 pages of full color comics, with a 6 page mini insert inside. In my Etsy shop now! $5!! Get them while they are hot! (SOLD OUT!!)

THANK YOU, but they are SOLD OUT!

Still here in COVID Land

Here we are still in the trenches of COVID! There have been new developments even since these entries–so Poppy is still home for the time being. Some of us are getting more sick of it than others!

Isolated But Not Alone

This sucks folks, I’m not going to lie, but if anything this has shown me how connected we are. What an abundance friendship and family is. It’s keeping us afloat!

Cough Cough

Again, I want to say: we understand that home testing kits have a margin of error. We continue to remain vigilant and isolated. Stay safe everybody!!

Twist!

And just in case you are worried: we know that home kits give false negatives and are still isolating and taking every precaution we can. Graham has completely recovered from whatever was ailing him.

And So It Begins

I decided to keep this diary going as long as I can. It’s mainly for my family’s record, but I thought I’d post it as long as it makes sense (and my health allows). Yesterday was the first full day of COVID-19 in the house–and it’s catching! Or is it??