Portals #1 reviewed at Poopsheet.

I reviewed Nic Carcieri's anthology book Portals over at the Poopsheet Foundation. Check it out.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Sign up to be in Shiot Crock 16.

I will be editing the next edition of "The Comics Journal Message Board's unofficiall anthology" known as Shiot Crock. If you make comics, maybe you want to be in it.

Here are the details so far...

Shiot Crock 16 will look a lot more like a standard graphic novel than previous editions. As always, it is open to anyone that wants to send in junk.

What to submit?

Subject= anything.

Page count= 1 to 24.

Format = The final printed pages will be 6.625 x 10.25 so your live art area will be about 6 x 9. The book will be black and white. You can submit via email or mail me one paper copy of each page. If you email, it has to be a 300 dpi tiff or jpg in a zipped file. If you snail mail me, it needs to be on paper not much bigger than 8 1/2 x 11 because my scanner is small. As long as you are sending normal comics pages, I only need one copy of each page.

Now for the wacky stuff. If you want to do non-normal comics, pages, prints, oragami or objects-- for that you will need to send me as many copies as we have contributors so that number will be calculated later. These items will be packaged with the final book but will not actually be IN the final printed book. Basically, the final product will be a traditional looking graphic novel collection packaged with whatever odd goodies people want to add.

Cost: This will be determined after we get an estimated page count but right now it is looking like about $8 per contributor with an extra 5 or 6 bucks for additional copies. That's right. We will be able to have additional copies.

Sign Up Deadline: July 15ish. Soon after that we will have the final cost and I will give out email and snail mail addresses for the submissions.

Submission Deadline: September 30ish. (With hopes of having the book out by Halloweenish. That may be unrealistic but we have to start somewhere.)

What is in it for you? You get the book. There will be a review thread here where other contributors may or may not give you feedback on your work. The book will be sent to at least a half dozen critics who may or may not give you feedback on your book. If you want extra copies you should be able to get them at a low enough price that if you sell them you will make money.

What you need to post now in this thread to sign up: Name and page count.

Go here to sign up. (Yeah, you may have to set up an account. Life is hard.)

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Josh Latta's Redskin Rashy

Josh Latta's Redskin Rashy: A Rashy Rabbit Adventure No. 5

www.lattaland.com

Published by Wide Awake Press.

7 x 8" minicomic. 32 pages. Black and white with color cover. $4.00.

On sale here.

Redskin Rashy is the fifth Rashy Rabbit book by Josh Latta. I covered the first four issues here and I loved them. Josh's comics have been in my fuo best of list the past two years. So, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say I love this book too. From cover to cover, the story, the storytelling, the art, the layouts, the dialog, the paper, the cover stock, the cover print, the book design, the size, the shape etc. etc. - this is an ideal minicomic. It has and does everything I want a minicomic to have and do.

The story picks up where the previous issues left off with Rashy drowning in relationship and retail angst. I relate to this kind of stuff and Josh's delivery is always hilarious but he really ups the pace and action with this issue. By page three we have fisticuffs, blades and guns. From then on there is no looking back as Rashy is off on a wild cartoon adventure.

Rashy decides to escape it all by going "off the grid" with his pal Jimmy but ends up in another mess where they find them selves taken captive by "Wild Hare Indians". This takes Rashy in a much more traditional cartoon adventure direction than any of the previous comics. And by traditional, I mean good. As in old fashioned kids adventure comics where things happened on every page. It reminds me a lot of a specific Uncle Scrooge comic where Scrooge moves onto some swamp land to get away from it all but finds out it is populated by "Injuns". Hilarity ensued for Scrooge and the gang and hilarity ensues for Rashy as well. I think stepping up to that kind of adventure storytelling has focused Josh's game. The physical comedy in this issue is perfectly executed and mixed with Josh's already strong dialog it makes each panel a great laugh. And while the book is decidedly more like a kid's cartoon comic the subject mater and gags are still pure underground comics gold. All the drugs, booze and boobs you want from your adult comics are there but with all the fun of the best kid's comics. Like I said, it has and does everything I want a minicomic to have and do.

This is a book you are going to want to read and re-read. The pacing is so fast and efficient that it is easy to miss some great jokes. There is a hilarious panel where Rashy's co-workers are just going about their business while they can clearly hear Rashy begging for his life on the other side of the wall. I also find myself re-examining each panel for facial expressions. Each character displays their own individual level of intensity and Josh does a great job of playing around with how Rashy fails to understand or relate to any of them. Rashy has evolved from being Josh's own stand-in to being a perfect slacker everyman reacting to his insane world. I hope Josh keeps making these things forever. (For yet another Rashy variation, check out Josh's story in the WAP FCBD download The Ancient Age.)

I also have to talk about how well made this book is. This is the first Rashy book published by Wide Awake Press. I assume J. Chris Campbell handled the book design and printing because like all of his books, it looks fantastic. The above image is the back cover. So simple and classic. Everything about the books is really sharp. WAP books are always a pleasure to hold and read. The covers, the title pages, the print... if only mainstream floppy comics could look and feel this good.

So, to my minicomic reading brethren, you gotta get this comic. And to my minicomic making brethren, the bar for 2009 has been raised pretty high. Between Patrick Dean's giant issue of Big Deal and this issue of Rashy Rabbit, room on my 2009 best of list is running out quick.

Further reading: The FUO interview with Josh Latta.

And don't forget: Josh will be at HeroesCon with Rashy and his new book of Avatards.

Special Note: Josh dedicated this book to Jim Royal. Jim was an artist known mostly for his inks on a lot of DC and Dark Horse books. He passed away earlier this year. I did not know Jim but I met him a few times in passing at comics shows. I almost worked with him for about a day at the Borders in midtown Atlanta. I was the music supervisor there at the time and I had just started making minicomics. I remember going into work one day and a co-worker was excited to tell me they had just hired another "comics guy". The name rang a bell so I walked over to the comics spinner rack in Borders' magazine section and sure enough, there was an issue of Detective Comics on the rack that Jim had inked. It was kind of a surreal moment which I guess is why I have always remembered it. Upon later further investigation it turned out that I had a lot of Jim's books in my collection. Transmetropolitan, some Star Wars stuff, Birds of Prey and some awesome 80 Page Giants that I really loved. Jim had a clean but bold line. His inks were really fluid and alive. He was really good. Comics lost a gem. But more than that, a lot of my comics pals lost one of their best pals. Jim's stay at Borders was short and I don't think I ever got to work with him. I always just assumed that he picked up a comics gig and did the same thing I would have done if I had a comics gig. Like I said, I didn't know Jim but I think it is pretty sweet that Josh dedicated this quality comic to him.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

HeroesCon for the indie hipster.

(Art for this year's Indie Island t-shirt by Joe Lambert.)

HeroesCon kicks off next weekend in Charlotte, NC USA. With mainstream comics big guns like Bendis, Brubaker, Claremont and Fraction it is easy to forget that HeroesCon also hosts one of the east coast's finest gatherings of indie and small press talents in the con within a con known as Indie Island. Between Indie Island and the show's Small Press tables there is a staggering amount of talent for the indie hipster to check out. The Indie Island guest list is here and the Small Press list is here. Check them out and start making your list of all your favorite indie folks. I can't comment on all of them but here are some folks I recommend you check out...

Wide Awake Press will have an all-star lineup including J. Chris Campbell, Duane Ballenger, Brad McGinty, Josh Latta, Ben Towel and Rob Ullman.

J. Chris Campbell will have the new t-shirt pictured above for sale as well as "Neatobots collectible cards". From J. Chris, "Stop by my table at Heroes and pick up the first of an ongoing series of cards. Each one will have a bio and stats of a unique Neatobot. It's a professionally printed full color glossy trading card. I'm going to be doing a new one for each big show from here on out, so make sure you get in at the start!"

The WAP table will also have some variant cover editions of the new Fluke anthology. You need to go buy the Fluke anthology. It has this awesome dude named Shannon Smith in it. (And it's one of he best looking minicomics anthologies you are likely to see.) You should probably just go ahead and hand J. Chris about thirty bucks and just tell him to hand you all of his minis. I think I have most of them and they are all great. Some of my most re-read books in my collection. (And if you are reading this J. Money, I promise to get a proper review of your goodness up soon.)

Fellow "Wappie" Brad McGinty will be there with his new book Tobey Magquire Comics and Stories. This is a hilarious full color collection of his strips from Paper Pusher. Brad also tells me that he will have a Man-Dar DVD. I really, really want the Man-Dar DVD. You can get a peak at it's cartoon goodness here.

Josh Latta will have his new WAP book Avatards featuring "25 revealing caricatures". Don't know what an Avatard is? Go here to check them out. Josh will also have copies of Redskin Rashy which, as far as I'm concerned is one of the two or three must have comics of 2009 so far. (Review coming very soon. Soon as in as soon as I spell check and edit it.)

I don't know if Duane Ballenger has anything new for the show but he does have a new baby. Isn't that enough for you people? Me made life! And, he does a great Admiral Ackbar imprsonation so swing by and say hi.

According to Rob Ullman's webisite his new Atom Bomb Bikini book does not come out until July but I am sure he will have lots of great minicomics and prints for you. Rob is one of my favorite artists. His Grand Gestures comic is on my personal spinner rack right now. You should hit him up for a sketch. In fact, you should hit up all the "Wappies" for sketches. You will be amazed.

UPDATE: J. Chris has sent out a complete list of all the WAP goodies they will have at the show:

"The Ancient Age (very few copies)

Avatards - Josh Latta

Traffic & Weather - Robert Ullman

Broken Rekkid - Duane Ballenger

Blast It - J Chris Campbell

Neatobot Trading Card - J Chris Campbell

Decision Decider Coin

FLUKE (variant cover very few copies)

Tobey Maguire Comics & Stories - Brad McGinty

Redskin Rashy - Josh Latta

Mandar DVD by Brad McGinty

Apple Devil and Music Bot T-shirts

Heroes Convention Attack Poster

New Duane T-shirt (not pictured)

Back in print Rob Venditti's Dads

New Dollar Bin Book with WAPPIES Brad, Josh, J Chris and Pat Lewis (and some jerk named Shannon Smith)

J Chris Campbell has a story in the AWESOMER anthology with cover by Heroes Con guest Jeff Smith.

Joey Weiser will have some of the FLUKE poster "

I personally am considering jumping off a bridge because I won't be there to get all that new stuff from my favorite peeps. Pray the bridge has water below it. Pray the wappies remember me and save me copies.

My pal Jeremy Massie will be at Alterna's booth with his new graphic novel The Deadbeat. The book is a must have and Jeremy is another guy you need to hit up for a sketch. He can draw the pants off Kitty Pryde and/or Dazzler. Wait. That did not sound right.

(I stole this picture of Alec Longstreth from The Daily Crosshatch because it is awesome.)

Alec Longstreth makes great minicomics and might let you touch his beard.

Robert Langridge is awesome. I remember last year that time I didn't get to buy a Muppet Show minicomic that didn't exist because J. Chris Campbell and Pat Lewis didn't buy up the last copies that didn't exist. Cut to a year later and I did get to go to a comic book shop that did exist only to find out that they were sold out of the Muppet Show comic that does exist. Or does it? Find out at HeroesCon! (Apparently Boom will have an exclusive HeroesCon variant of the Muppets comic that does exist. For reals!)

Top Shelf will be there so you will probably want to just set aside a hundred bucks to hand them when you walk in the place. One of their newish books they should have on hand is the new Indie Spinner Rack anthology Awesome 2: Awesomer. Andy Runton will be there with all his Owly goodness as well the man behind the "based on the graphic novel" part of the new trailer for The Surrogates movie, Robert Venditti.

The Dollar Bin has posted a pretty funny HeroesCon preview podcast (that I'm listening to as I type this). (Full of profanity and tips on how to get free drinks.) They will be at the show with thier new anthology book, Dollar Bin Friends Assembled Volume 2: This is Your Brain On Comics (Any Questions?). Some dude named Shannon Smith has a comic in that book too so you will want to buy seven copies. They also hope to have some buttons, shirts, prints and all that other stuff that makes life worth living.

UPDATE: The Dollar Bin will be hosting a minicomics panel on Saturday at 2:00.

"MINICOMICS: The Best Little Comics In The World
Room 217A
Minicomics can be as simple as a photocopied booklet of stick figures or a hand-made, screenprinted masterpiece—but most importantly minicomics are comics you can makeyourself! Join the Dollar Bin’s Adam Daughhetee as he sits down with J. Chris Campbell (Attic Bugs), Drew Weing(Blar), Andy Runton (Owly), Brad McGinty (Wisteria) andJosh Latta (Rashy Rabbit) to talk about what minicomics are, how they make them, and most importantly how YOU can make them too!"

With that lineup, I promise you that panel will be hilarious.

Dustin Harbin is the creative director for HeroesCon so if you see him (and you will) then give him a thank you for his hard work but also check and see if he has any of his minicomics with him. I know he has two issues out so far. I have not seen them in person but I enjoy his strips on his blog. I don't know if he will have any time to be there in cartoonist mode but if so, check out his comics.

Andrew Mansell points out some panels of interest.

FRIDAY 1.30 PM

THE ART OF THE COMIC STRIP | Room 216

Andy Mansell sits down with some of the greats of strip cartooning, including Richard Thompson (Cul De Sac), Jim Scancarelli (Gasoline Alley), Marcus Hamilton (Dennis the Menace), and June Brigman (Brenda Starr). Don't miss this look into one of America's oldest and most unique art forms, the newspaper strip!

SATURDAY 12.30 pm

MAKING COMICS FOR ALL AGES | Room 217A

Join moderator Andy Mansell as he sits down with Jeff Smith (Bone, Rasl), Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show Comic, Fred the Clown),David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Chris Schweizer (Crogan's Vengeance) and more as they discuss making comics that kids and adults alike can enjoy! Sure to be a can't-miss conversation.

SUNDAY 1.30 PM

HISTORICAL COMICS | Room 217A

The Heroes Discussion Group's own Andy Mansell sits down with three of comics most talented voices to discuss dealing with history (both real and imagined) in comics and graphic novels. Featuring Jason Lutes (Berlin), Matt Kindt (Superspy), and Jim Ottaviani(Suspended In Language), this is sure to be a triple-fascinating panel discussion!

Ben Towel informs me that... "Midnight Sun cartoonist Ben Towle and Thought Balloonist blogger Craig Fischer host an extensive tribute to one of the most creative and enigmatic figures in comics: Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko! The first hour will be a screening of Jonathan Ross’s provocative BBC documentary In Search of Steve Ditko (2007), featuring interviews with John Romita, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and other high-profile Ditko fans. Following the documentary, two comics legends who worked extensively with Ditko–writer/editor Roy Thomas and artist/editor Dick Giordano–will share their memories of the man and his art. The tribute ends with Ben, Craig, and cartoonist/educator Chris Schweizer analyzing their favorite Ditko pages and dissecting Ditko’s contributions to comics history." Sounds pretty freaking cool to me. Ben also just posted a whole bunch of info about other stuff he will have going on at the show. Check it out at his blog. (Which reminds me. I got Midnight Sun at HeroesCon last year and it is great.)

Ed Brubaker will be there and apparently there is some big thing going on with this old obscure character called Captain America. I know he's a big mainstream star now but to me he will always the be the indie guy that did Deadenders. I loved that book.

An up and coming indie comics artist by the name of Jeff Smith will be on the Island. Maybe you've heard of him. He did this thing called Bone. Personally, I'm more excited about his new book Rasl. Rasl is one of the main thins keeping me going to comic book shops. I've never met Smith but I hear he's a swell guy. I suspect you will want to find his spot early and get in line. Here is a look at his HeroesCon schedule.

Random thoughts:

Bring some pocket sized portable food. Granola bars etc. The food in the center is no better or worse than what you would expect but to get it you have to stand in line and waste time that could have been spent on comics or a proper meal. Treat yourself to a real lunch or dinner. I recommend Fuel or Uno for pizza and Phat Burrito for, well, fat burritos.

Try to find some time to just enjoy the city of Charlotte. It is amazingly clean and friendly. It's like they just built the whole city last week for a movie or something. I really love the place. One thing I really like is that you can walk it. From the Westin or any of the hotels near the convention center you can easily walk to nice resturants or bars. I used to live in Atlanta. Ya know where you can walk to in Atlanta? No where. No freaking where.

I've always been able to park in the Westin's garage for free (even though they once told me it would be $30). This might work for you but if it doesn't, don't blame me. I'm certain that if the gate is closed and you can't get out that if you hit it at around 35 mph you will be able to bust out with minimal damage to your car.

Bring an empty bag to haul all the loot you are going to pick up.

Don't feel like waiting in line to meet a creator? Just hang out at the Westin's bar on Friday or Saturday night and you will probalby be able to have a drink with them. I'm serious. It is a super laid back show.

Speaking of the bar. BYOB. Buy bottled beer of a brand you know every bar has (Miller Lite) and you can drink it by the Westin's bar or the Westin's lobby and the bartenders will be too busy to worry about whether you bought it from them or not. (Be nice and leave a tip if you use their tables though. This is a civil society here folks.)

If you make comics, have all your books and stuff together before you get there and don't expect to find a Kinkos nearby.

Hydrate. Something about convention center air and flourecent lighting sucks the life out of most humans.

Give Shelton Drum a hug.

Tell Herb Trimpe you love him.

Have fun at the con you crazy kids.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

p.s. Thanks to all the folks that hooked me up with the info.

p.p.s. If you have any other indie/small press/minicomics news you think should be included in this report then just let me know.

p.p.p.s Tom Spurgeon has posted a list of ten things he likes about Heroes Con at The Comics Reporter. I like them too.