“A Time to Thrill” is an automobile-themed comic strip I drew on eleven slabs of painted balsa wood. When I joined all the slabs together to form a car-shaped sculpture, the world lost the ability to actually read the comic.
Until now.
To whet your appetite for this Saturday’s Pinewood Derby Art Car show at Pink Hobo, I proudly present the gripping love story / automobile adventure, “A Time to Thrill”:
Click on image to read the whole strip
That’s right–our own Kevin Cannon has gotten an Eisner nod for his James-Bond-meets-Jack-London arctic tour de force Far Arden!
Revel in the glory and check out the formidable competition on the Eisner nominations page!
Congratulations, Kevin!
Some time ago, Danno Klonowski asked me to do a pinup for his massive crossover adventure that brought three of the best minicomics characters ever together for a romp through space and time and whatever, and so I said sure. I love drawing these characters, and in particular you may notice how similar Fleming Hazmat looks to a certain lieutenant who now graces the deltoids of a certain cartoonist.
And you should definitely go about reading the entire book here at Staplegenius!
At last night’s Cartoonist Conspiracy jam we were treated to a few scripts from Zander’s writing class at the Loft. I picked the first one off the pile, which happened to be a mini biopic of composer Richard Wagner. And the comic’s writer, Jack Phinney, happened to be sitting right across from me (I didn’t realize this until halfway through). Anyway, for your enjoyment and education, here is the product of that collaboration, complete with CENSO-STICKERS to make it suitable for our blog’s PG audience:
Click for bigger version
We’re very pleased here at BTA world headquarters that the last issue of Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ghosts has received an excellent sendoff in the form of a glowing review from TrekInk. As the writer, I am particularly happy, since the reviewer says such kind things as:
I think Cannon had a pretty good time coming up with this story. He’s given us well-crafted and believable characterizations of the Next Generation crew and a sobering image of sacrifice. Nicely done.
I greatly enjoyed working on Star Trek, and trying to recreate the formal feel and verisimilitude of the show, which occasionally made the comic feel very dense. Hopefully the action-filled rush to the finish in the final chapter pays off what must have felt like an awful lot of setup.
Looking back at the entire mini-series, Ghosts stands out as quite different from nearly all of the other Star Trek comics IDW has published, relying much more on dialogue to move the story along. As I read each issue, I could see the scenes of the Next Generation television episode of Ghosts playing out. It’s really kind of remarkable that Zander Cannon wanted to tell a story like this and just as remarkable that a publisher supported him.
It is indeed remarkable, and I heartily thank Chris Ryall and Scott Dunbier at IDW for their confidence in me. Let’s hope there will be a big rush to buy the trade paperback collection (out in June!) and their efforts will be rewarded!
UPDATE: TrekWeb has posted a review of the series as well, and they have excellent things to say about the final issue as well. The writing gets particular kudos:
The story: I’ve got to hand it to Zander Cannon, this issue ties up very neatly and, even better, satisfactory. Had you asked me at Issue #2 to predict how this series was going to go, I would have said train wreck. I’m, happily, eating my words. Data finally gets some “screen time” this issue and is able to solve a major problem on the surface, while chiming in with a perfect Data response (Page 9, panel one). Not to mention the final panel on Page 13 was nifty android understatement. On the Enterprise scientist Uul is disappearing at an alarming rate, and his chances of helping Picard and the other Alliosians is shrinking. I think that Cannon has tapped into what makes a good Trek story: characters get a chance to shine. They show their intelligence and are able to solve solutions. Picard has some really good speeches this issue, but I didn’t find them heavy handed (Page 10 and 22). Worf gets to do what you’d expect from a captured Klingon, and I found myself laughing at his response (Page 12, panel three). My favorite moment was Geordi’s realization on Page 13. Brilliant, and in front of every reader’s face every issue. I love moments like these in books where the reader learns as the characters learn. The irony of who discovered “it” was not lost on me. Page 21 was the ideal solution to the issue’s predicament. It had genuine emotion (though aren’t they going to eventually die from starvation? I’m just sayin…). And the action at the top of Page 20 is as close as you can get to a dramatic climax. My hat’s off to you, Mr. Cannon. You had me worried at times, but you pulled it off. Overall grade: A
I will definitely tell you– a review like this makes my week. Oddly enough, it’s more for the mild appreciation of a specific moment than for any overall shouts of awesomeness.
Hey guys, I’m happy to finally announce a deal that has been going on behind the scenes for several months now. Matthew Kriske (aka “Kriske“) has purchased 51% of Big Time Attic, effectively making him a controlling partner in the company. Zander and I think it will be a great move not only for us as partners, but for the brand of BTA, which has lost some its “cool factor” since focusing solely on educational graphic novels.
Our new partner has promised to bring in “the Kriske touch,” which will certainly mean a renewed focus on historical portraits, spray paint murals, and ink wash paintings of our friends. We’ve already received a six-figure advance from Miramax to produce a graphic novelization of Trainspotting, and although it’s not official, Big Time Attic is considering using that money to purchase The Cartoonist Conspiracy from Steven Stwalley.
Welcome aboard, Kriske!
Local comics legends BUD BURGY and DANNO KLONOWSKI have finally wrapped up their 45-week serialized time-traveling, universe-shifting, gender-bending space opera, and they’re throwing a party to celebrate! Bud and Danno will be on hand at Altered Esthetics this Friday night to celebrate the release of CONTINUITY GUY, which they’ve collected into a beautiful little book. The cover, I should note, is of my doing and I look forward to seeing how it looks in person.
Here’s more info on the release party, which coincides with the opening reception of Altered Esthetic’s art show, “Creative Collaborations.”
Thank you, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Thank you.
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Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for another round of Lutefisk Sushi!
Pretty much everyone reading this blog is either a) familar with Lutefisk Sushi, or b) on the Lutefisk Sushi planning committee, but for those not in the know, here’s a rough outline:
Lutefisk Sushi is a nearly-yearly art show that invites Minnesota cartoonists to create and submit 160 copies of an original mini-comic. These comics then get divvied up into 160 screen-printed bento boxes (hence the “sushi”). Submissions are due June 15, but the fun starts in August when the actual gallery show opens at Altered Esthetics. The show features the sushi boxes, as well as original art from the mini-comics. Best of all, the show is NOT curated, so any Minnesota cartoonist who can print up 160 comics will get in the box.
The home base for everything sushi is: www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/sushi.
To be involved, just follow these simple steps:
1) Be a Minnesotan.
2) Create a mini-comic. How? Check out this pdf for a handy tutorial.
3) Make 160 copies of your mini. A “mini-comic” can be anything, as long as it fits in a 6″ x 8.5″ box. Read this to find out how to get a discount on printing in the Twin Cities.
4) Scan your cover. You will need a jpeg of it for the next step.
5) Fill out a submission form HERE.
6) Drop off or mail your mini-comics to: Altered Esthetics, 1224 Quincy St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 Comics must be received by JUNE 15, 2010.
7) OPTIONAL: Frame your original art from the mini-comic. Although it’s not a requirement, we HIGHLY encourage you to frame and submit your art to the show — the more art on the walls, the better! You may sell your art or label it NFS (not for sale). Mail or drop off art at the address above. Clearly label all pieces with your NAME, TITLE, MEDIUM, and PRICE. Frames should be black and NOT have glass (i.e. use plexiglass).
8) Get the word out! Blog about Lutefisk Sushi using the jpegs below, follow the show on Twitter, and most importantly… become a FACEBOOK FAN!
9) Finally, toss these dates on your e-calendar:
- JUNE 15 — Mini comics due
- JULY 31 — Framed artwork due.
- JULY 31, 1-3pm — Artists’ Potluck (come and hang out, meet fellow cartoonists, and drop off your artwork).
- AUGUST 6, 7-10pm — Show opens at Altered Esthetics.
- AUGUST 21, evening — Party at AE with the Sushi crowd and the folks from the Minneapolis Indie Xpo.
If you have any more questions, check the website or email artist liaison Dan Olson: bewilderedkid [at] gmail.com with the subject line “Lutefisk Sushi Question.” If you have questions specifically regarding the gallery show or about submitting framed art, contact Kristin at kristin [at] alteredesthetics.org.
One of the cool thing’s about this year’s show is that the featured artist, Danno Klonowski, has drawn the cover in classic red/blue 3D. Your comics are obviously not required to be in 3D (because that would be a huge hassle), but if you like a challenge, consider doing a 3D comic or submit some 3D art to the show. Each box will come with 3D glasses, so go wild! Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing tutorials on how to create 3D comics.
If you want to help spread the word about Lutefisk Sushi, here’s some art you can use:
Alright, now get drawing! We (the sponsors and organizers) can’t wait to read this year’s batch of minis!
Big Time Attic 