Alixopulos at Quimby's Saturday Night - 10/11!

CHICAGO’S FINEST WELCOME
ALIXOPULOS AT QUIMBY’S!!!

October 11, 2008, 7 – 9:00 PM
Quimby’s Comics
1854 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.quimbys.com/

Come celebrate the release of Trevor Alixopulos’ 2008 Ignatz Award nominated graphic novel, The Hot Breath of War by Sparkplug Comic Books, with some of Chicago’s finest emerging cartoonists. Join Trevor’s friends and fellow 2008 Ignatz Award winners and nominees Laura Park, Lilli Carre and Jeremy Onsmith for a signing to celebrate the release the Hot Breath of War.

The Hot Breath of War explores love amidst conflict and the seduction of violence itself. Trevor lives and draws in Santa Rosa and is also the author of Mine Tonight (also by Sparkplug Comic Books).

"a genuine joy to read."

-Rob Clough, Sequart.com on Alixopulos’ Graphic Novel Mine Tonight (also by Sparkplug Comic Books)

Hot Breath of War Review

The Hot Breath of War by Trevor ALixopulos just got a great 5 star write up on Comic Critique. Take a look: http://www.comiccritique.com/columns/gcolSt514.html
(also they don't like hotlinking)

Happy Accident Soiree at Desert Island!

Yah mo' be there.

My Favorite Momentos of SPX

SPX was super fun this year! In addition to having the privelege to lose Ignatzes to so many talented publishers and creators, Sparkplug had, what I am fairly certain was a collective blast. While I had an all around tremendous time, what follows are my five favorite moments:

1) Wiping poop off my step cat's butt the morning after Gabby Schultz, Jesse Reklaw, Sean Ford, and me drank an entire bottle of whiskey. This moment, while not really an official part of SPX programming, was nonetheless imortalized by Jesse in his tour diary:

2) Reading the "normal lady" part from Gabby's rad rad rad excerpt from Welcome to the Dahl House at the Atomic Books SPX-plosion party. Jesse read the boy part

3) Driving to SPX on Saturday with Kim and Ben (embedded video to follow as soon as Ben stops playing Wii or gets off the google and sends it to me).

4) Running into Brett Warnock at the post Ignatz ceremony fondue and cocktail hour and meeting Swedish cartoonist and rapper dudes extraordinaire, Simon Gardenfors and Johannes Klenell. They are so cool! They know my friend Christian Pallin who is pretty much the King of all of Sweden (although I can find no evidence of it on the interwebs) and who is not related to Sarah Palin in any way shape or form.

Look! Here's Simon rapping!

Check it out! Here's Simon's Wikipedia entry!

Top Shelf is putting out a book of Simon's comics which I think is going to be AWESOME. You can read about Simon and some of his fellow Swedish cartoonists' work in this write up on Comic Book Bin of "From the Shadow of the Northern Lights", an excellent Swedish comics anthology that Johannes edited and published through his Swedish based publishing house, Galago, that I believe Top Shelf is distro-ing:

5) Spending quality time with Theo Ellsworth on the ride back to Queens with Secret Acres. Theo is a really nice fellow. He politely listened to me blather on endlessly about all of my insights about how everything that is wrong with America today can be gleaned from a single viewing of I wanna work for Diddy.

Additionally, peeps of Portland should be on the lookout for for Theo's new catch-phrase (stolen from P. Diddy) which I believe I thoroughly convinced him to adopt and to employ under any and all circumstances:

"Yo that's whack. I roll with God all the way, y'all."

Theo may have just been being polite but I think he might also start saying it all the time too. I can't be sure though due to my East Coast location, so people of Portland keep me informed as to whether or not the aforementioned catch-phrase enters Theo's lexicon, n'kay? Thx.

XOSO

Clamix Cloptrip

Rina Ayuyang and Bill O'Reilly have started a comics blog. It is pretty funny and they interview Vanessa Davis and Josh Frankel. It is worth a listen:
comixclaptrap.podomatic.com
The role of Bill O'Reilly is played by Thien Pham

Loads of new distributed comics at SPX!

SO Many new books at SPX!
Spaniel Rage 2008 by Vanessa Davis
Department of Art (Ignatz Nominated) by Dunja Jankovic
Sweetheart #3 by Austin English
Eschew #1 by Robert Sergel
Stumblers #1 by Jeff LeVine
Tranquil Time by Onsmith and John Hankiewicz
Fine Tooth by Onsmith and John Hankiewicz
Tranny by Steve Lafler
Water Flies by Renee French
The Natural World by Damien Jay
I Am Often Mistaken For Miles Davis by Sarah Louise Wahrhaftig
Plus On Sait by Julia Gfroerer
All the Acient Kings by Julia Gfroerer
Real Madness #2 by Bobby Madness
The Marty Chronicles by Liz Dunning and Teppei Ando
Manhole #3 by Sacha Mardou
I Cut My Hair by Lisa Eisenberg
Estrus #6 by Mari Niaomi
Avenging Mind by Steve Ditko
Cryptic Wit #2 by Gerald Jablonski
Laterborn #6 by Jason Martin

And lots lots more. Seriously. But no Tim Goodyear, sorry.

SPX-plosion Party on Friday Night!