Other Comics News Parade-O-Links 06102012

(A Dakota North paper doll by Tony Salmons stolen from The Factual Opinion.)

Just because file under other does not currently have a lot of time to talk about all the wonderful things that should be filed under other it does not mean that wonderful things are not happening. Here are some things I found interesting in the world of minicomics, small press, self publishing, zines, webcomics etc. during the week ending 06102012: 

• Frank Santorm posted a New Talent Showcase. I've been a fan of Ed Choy for a while and that new James Joyce book featured there looks really great. 
• Girls Read Comics Too has a nice reader spotlight interview with Heather Peagler. I know Heather and her husband Seth mainly through HeroesCon. Heather's "comics story" is interesting in that she came to comics as an adult and it was a non-super-hero comic that lured her in. Oh, and she's a lady. That mythical new reader that can be brought in by new quality material that allegedly does not exist? Well, there she is. Heather is also a big supporter of small press, indie, creator owned comics and minicomics. If we had a few thousand more Heather's we'd be doing pretty well. Heather and Seth blog about comics and comics events at Exile On Plain Street. Now is a good time to go ahead and book mark their page or add it to your blog reader as they are ramping up for Heroes Con. (Just two weeks away!) (p.s. Heather also posts convention sketches of Pinky and the Brain on Tumblr. One of which is drawn by me.) 
• Speaking of HeroesCon, the show is in just a few weeks in Charlotte NC. I hope to be there on Indie Island. They are going to have a Fun Run for the Hairy Cell Leukemia Research Foundation. Eric Canete, who happens to be one of my absolute favorite artists, is doing a t-shirt for the run and is offering portfolio reviews for participating artists. Details about the fun run here. Details about the portfolio reviews here. If you don't know Eric Canete's work you need to go look at his mind blowing sketches here right now. 
• The first great big full color collection of Josh Latta's Rashy Rabbit comics is on sale now. 
• A few days ago if you had mentioned the name Tony Salmons I would not have had a clue who you were talking about. But if you showed me images of the comics he worked on I would say, hey that's a lot of my favorite stuff. Michel Fiffe has a fascinating three part interview with Salmons over at The Factual Opinion. If you don't have time to read it you should at least check it out to treat yourself to some of the amazing art that has been posted. 
• This week Darwyn Cooke reminded us that your heroes will always let you down. (Unless they have the decency to die first.)
• Shawn and Adam talked a little bit about just what exactly a McGintyfest is over at The Dollar Bin. They also talked about Chris Schweizer's Crogan books. But I can't think too much about that because when I think of Chris Schweizer I think of a shot of a thing called The Kraken that nearly killed me. In a another episode of The Dollar Bin from a few weeks ago but I just listened to this week they have an interesting interview with X-O Manowar's Robert Venditti.  Oh, and then they talk about McGintyfest some more here.  And dang, that Adam guy sure does hate that Torrance character Kirstan Dunst played in Bring it On.  She's just a fictional cheerleader Adam!  Get over it. 
• Also in podcast land this week- Inkstuds had a comics critic roundtable with Tom Spurgeon, Paul Gravett and Joe McCulloch while Tell Me Something I Don't Know interviewed Teenager X and Comic Books continue To Burn in Hell. 
• Laura Hudson is stepping down from the Editor-in-Chief role at Comics Alliance.  It has been really impressive what she has done there in a short time.  I have a lot of respect for how Comics Alliance has handled a lot of the stickier issues over past few years.  But Hudson is also a very solid writer so if stepping down means more writing then that ain't bad.
• Have you read Howard Chaykin's American Flagg?  It's just about the best think ever by one of my all time favorite cartoonists.  You should probably read it.  My own collection is woefully spotty.  So, for me, the series being released digitally is kind of a big deal.  Now, I may or may not start buying digital copies of personally.  Digital comics just don't smell as good to me.  But, it's great to know it's there.  If I can find the time to dig out the issues I do have and try to put together a read through then maybe Comixology will get some of my money.  You can catch a preview of it here.  Digital actually seems to serve Chaykin's over the top colors very well.  Quick, somebody loan me the money to buy all the digital issues.  And a cell pad pod phone.  (I'll never pay you back.)  
• And speaking of over the top colors.  I talked a little bit last week about Matt Seneca's piece on Paradax.  Well, I also went blabbing about it on twitter and I was all "wah wah wah all that cool stuff came out before I ever knew comic book shops were a thing".  Sam Henderson saw my tears flooding the streets of twitter and decided to save the Earth by sending me a package of old Eclipse and Pacific Comics plus one of his own books.  And for this, Sam Henderson is currently the greatest human on Earth.  Bow before his glory. 
• Also this week had my wife's birthday.  She's pretty rad.  I kinda lover her and stuff. 

And that's just a taste of some of the interesting things going out there in the wonderful world of comics and things. I can't keep up with it all but I do keep up with a lot of it on twitter and I try to re-tweet the good stuff. You should probably follow me there. If you did something to make comics better this week then high-five!

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

p.s. Say you want a leader but you can't seem to make up your mind. I think you'd better close it and let me guide you to my twitter feed.

p.p.s. Let's pretend we went to high school together on facebook.

p.p.p.s. Google + is another place you can read the same thing I posted here.

p.p.p.p.s. I'll tumblr for ya.