Big Time Attic

Kevin Cannon's Far Arden nominated for an Eisner Award

2010-04-09T10:34:00.006-05:00

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!

Zander's Fleming Hazmat/Tommy Chicago/Uptown Girl pinup is online at Staplegenius!

2010-04-09T09:00:00.005-05:00

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!

Richard Wagner History Comic

2010-04-02T14:48:00.002-05:00

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Ghosts gets a great review at TrekInk!

2010-04-01T09:52:00.006-05:00

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.

Matthew Kriske Buys Controlling Share of Big Time Attic

2010-04-01T08:13:00.003-05:00

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!

CONTINUITY GUY Book Release Party This FRIDAY!

2010-03-31T14:42:00.003-05:00

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."

Twenty Years Ago Today

2010-03-30T05:00:00.003-05:00

Thank you, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Thank you.

Lutefisk Sushi Volume D

2010-03-26T11:15:00.003-05:00

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: The Comic

2010-03-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

The impetus for this comic is the excellent game Just Cause 2, in which a group of amoral revolutionaries are called, you guessed it, 'The Reapers'. Does no one notice that every single ominous band of killers is called 'The Reapers'? Or 'The Reavers'? I'm sorry to say that what once might have been a cool name now makes me just roll my eyes every time I hear it. So for this comic, Kevin will be playing me, I will be playing a terrible straw man argunment, and Shad will be playing Donn Ha.

Oh, and the punchline came from me actually asking Kevin what he would call a group of amoral bad guys. No hesitation; he just said "Mercenarians."

City Sound Tracks Maps

2010-03-24T17:08:00.002-05:00

Entrepreneur, music lover, and fellow Grinnellian Alejandro Oyarzabal recently asked me to draw some maps for a rock festival happening this weekend in St. Louis. City Sound Tracks features 30 bands split between two venues along the MetroLink light rail line. The maps serve to show people how to get to the venues, and to highlight various sponsors around the area.

I've got to hand it to Alejandro for being courageous enough to hire me to draw a functional map -- my maps tend to be more psychological portraits of a place than actual navigable references. This New Yorker gag is the inspiration for every map I do, because it's such an honest statement about how we view the world. That is, what we know is big, and everything else is pushed off to the side:

Anyway, here are the two maps, which will be printed side-by-side on a tabloid sheet. Note that these maps are just the art files; they don't show the business names or the ad blocks. Click the maps for a larger version.

CENTRAL WEST END:

UNION STATION:

Part of the fun of this project (as well as others, like Mark McGinty's Ybor City map) is that I came into this knowing NOTHING about St. Louis aside from the arch. And now after spending hours pouring over google street view and google earth, I'm sure I would feel quite at home walking around the Central West End or downtown area.

So if you're in St. Louis this Saturday swing by one of the venues and grab a map! If you want to learn more about the festival, check out citysoundtracks.org...

Klonowski on Klonowski

2010-03-18T11:01:00.004-05:00

Danno Klonowski, local comics raconteur, has paid me a significant compliment. When told his name and his/his character's likeness would be used in a Transformers comic that I was scripting, he boldly declared that he would get a tattoo of the panel in which the character appeared. Well, I made darn sure that that character got a panel in which he was prominent, and brandished a large weapon. Yes, my storytelling choices are influenced by only the highest muses.

As for what happened then, Danno tells the whole story in some detail at his blog, StapleGenius. But here's a hint:

Holy crap.

WhaaAAA...!!

2010-03-17T11:13:00.002-05:00

From Dr. McNinja

Bioshock 3 Game Infarcer cover!

2010-03-12T09:02:00.007-06:00

[click on images to see a larger size]

It's that hilarious time of year again, at least as far as magazines are concerned. The April issue of Game Informer magazine, out this week, has a small section inside called Game Infarcer, which mercilessly mocks all the games that they stare at all year. This year: Bioshock 3. HA! Take that, 2K games! We love your game enough to mock it!

This issue marks our fifth year drawing the cover to the section (Thanks, GI!), and to celebrate, we'd like to go through the process of creating the cover, from concept to delivery.

CONCEPT

At the beginning of every February, I start wondering when someone from Game Informer is going to call for the Game Infarcer cover, and sure enough, Bryan Vore calls up and sets up a meeting, and asks if this cover can be "in a more realistic style". Naturally, I say sure thing, then end up drawing it the way I draw everything. Professional secrets revealed!

When I get to Game Informer World Headquarters (about 3 miles from here), the guys all sit down with me and give me the pitch: Bioshock 3, with Big Grandpas. But the best part is: they give me a sketch.

[notation added by me]

I love it when people do sketches. Sometimes people think I'm going to laugh at them or are embarrassed to show what they've done, but I love seeing what people have in mind visually even if they "can't draw a straight line", because it saves me from trying out all the composition pyrotechnics at my disposal. Any artist knows there are millions of ways to lay out the same picture, but the simplest ones are frequently the best, and if that's what the client has firmly in mind, it's usually a good idea to go for it. In the process of making the sketch, the client can also see some potential for ideas and put them down, instead of just making a list or having to remember them. It also lets them see if they can even envision a visual way to communicate the joke, which is a good indicator as to whether I can, as well.

During the meeting, since everyone could see the sketch, we could jump off into ideas a lot faster, and we quickly came up with things like the daily pill container, the Fiber valve (that was Joe Juba), Android Ryan (also Joe), the idea of being at a Denny's-like breakfast place, the Rapture background, and the Prune Juice syringe. These sorts of "list" drawings--ones that contain subtle in-jokes around a given topic--are always my favorite because they're very information-heavy, and are less concerned with rendering, which I enjoy, but is not my particular forte.

Also, Joe lent me a Big Daddy doll--er, action figure at the meeting, which was very helpful in drawing details.

INITIAL PASS

What I like to do when I start a job is to try to ride the wave of enthusiasm as much as I can, and frequently this means I can really make some headway. When I come back from a meeting with the guys at Game Informer, we've been brainstorming and joking about the image, and the game, and other funny obscurities that could make it in there, and so I'm bursting at the seams with ideas. So even though it was late in the day and I needed to get home, I quickly sat down and sketched out what was in my head for the Big Grandpa and the Little Sister Nurse.

This gave me the chance to distill down some ideas, cement some gags in there, and think of some new ones when a corner of the drawing is looking kind of lonely. As you can tell, it also allowed me to basically lock in the general "camera angle" of the drawing. This was a pretty lucky break--it doesn't always happen that way--but just dashing stuff down without overthinking it often gets the simplest (and best) results.

The next day, I took another sheet of paper and drew around all the other elements of the drawing: the environment, the signs, the greeter, etc. I married these two images in Photoshop and dropped in a Game Informer logo and Bioshock 3 graphic for placement so that I could send it off to the guys for feedback.

This part also allowed me to add more jokes--the Denny's-like Ryan logo, the sign advertising the specials that looks like the Plasmid upgrade graphic, the Little Sister ornate escape hatch, the detailing on the seats and host stand that are similar to the doors in the game, and the gold-glowing rose in the tonic container way in the background. If you look closely, there's even a cash register on the far right, just like in the game. But then I realized host stands don't have cash registers. This drawing will be nothing if not accurate!

PENCILS AND INKS

The sketch is relatively tight, as you can see from how similar it is to the final drawing, so the next step is to blow it up in Photoshop and print it out in 10% cyan on a big sheet of paper. From there I can go in with pencil and brush and create the final linework.

Now, normally, people pencil the whole image before inking, but I'm kind of impatient, and sometimes if you're sure about a section of the drawing (that is, you're sure it's going to be in shadow or something), it can be useful to go ahead and ink it. It can frequently give you better ideas on how to pencil the rest of the page, and it sets a certain style.

When I was finished with the foreground inks, I sent the image to Game Informer again, just to show them some progress, and it yielded a valuable addition. While I had added jokes to the sign and the menu, I had entirely neglected the "Please wait to be seated" placard. If you've played Bioshock, you know that there is a perfect addition to make to this sign, and Jeff Cork pointed it out. "Please..." was changed to "Would you kindly..." and our drawing was now officially stuffed as full of jokes as we could make it.

COLORING

Coloring is difficult for me, particularly things that have to be relatively atmospheric. I tend to like to color with flat colors rather than with a layered, textured look, but I tried to blend the two for this illustration.

For the background, I drew outlines of the buildings with dots for windows, then made several layers, each with a layer of blue to indicate distance. Here was the final opportunity to make jokes, so I threw in a few Ayn Rand references (the signs saying "Roark" and "Galt", two Randian heroes, and the Atlas-shaped building (pre-shrug). In case you don't know, Ayn Rand's works, particularly Atlas Shrugged, were a major influence on the philosophy of Bioshock and Rapture, its underground city.

Gloomy blue and glowing gold were the basic colors for the game of Bioshock, so I created a warm gold light spot in the lower right to focus attention, then colored all of the figures with gold highlights coming from that direction to unify the scene. The background could stay a largely uniform neutral blue that would pop out the figures. As a final consideration, I did something I rarely do--I added a glow to certain things: the Big Grandpa's eyes, his lightning bolts on his hands, and the Little Sister's eyes. When put into an image that is mostly flat colors, effects like that can be quite striking.

PRINTED IMAGE

When the image makes it into the magazine, I always hold my breath a little, hoping that it will look okay. These days you can be pretty sure that what's on your screen will print out okay, but you never REALLY know. I was thrilled when I got this one in the mail. As you can see, they moved the image up and zoomed in a tiny bit, overlapping the top of Big Grandpa's fiber tank with the logo (I provided another layer of just the top half of that figure in case they wanted to do that), and they extended the shadow in the lower left to get in the copy for the joke, which I'm glad they did. I feel like the image is solid, and a good joke, but it does need a little explaining.

So go out and find the April issue of Game Informer! It's the one with the Portal 2 cover. Ah, not only a drawing in an issue of Game Informer, but one about the sequel to my favorite game. It's the icing on the cake.

Busy August for Minneapolis Cartoonists

2010-03-08T11:04:00.003-06:00

Prepare for two big cartooning events to drop in Minneapolis this August. First is the nearly-perennial Lutefisk Sushi mini comics show at Altered Esthetics (view last year's website). I'll have much more to say about this show at the end of the this month, but for now just know that it's happening, and it's time to start planning your mini comic.

The other big event is the first ever MIX: Minneapolis Indie Expo, organized by Sarah Morean and Andy Krueger. The show is a one-day celebration of indie comics and local talent, and there will be a bake sale! The show is free for visitors if you want to just wander around, but if you want to sell some stuff the table rates are cheap! Sign up here. The official bullet point list of amenities is as follows:

Affordable exhibition space (starting at $20)
Free admission
Plenty of outlets for electronics
Free wi-fi on site
A reading room
A bake sale
And more!

It all drops August 21, 2010 at The Soap Factory, with a major party at Altered Esthetics afterwards.

But don't take my word for it ... check out the King Mini-adorned website, and see how many local cartoonists you can spot in the intro video:

mplsindiexpo.com

Tim Sievert Comic in Metro Magazine

2010-02-15T08:07:00.003-06:00

BTA alum Tim Sievert graces a page of Metro Magazine, not as an underwear model this time but as a cartoonist:

click to read a bigger version

Congrats, Tim!

The Cigar Maker Maps

2010-02-12T16:52:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I only knew of Ybor City as a reference in a Hold Steady song. Now I could probably do a decent job giving walking tours of the place. That's all thanks to local author Mark McGinty, who enlisted me to draw two maps for his upcoming Ybor City-based novel, The Cigar Maker. Mark blends fact and fiction to take an engaging look at the Ortiz family as they move from war-torn Cuba to newly founded Ybor. I had the pleasure of receiving an advance copy of the book, and in all honesty I couldn't put the thing down -- it runs at a fast clip, expertly blending pulp adventure with a thoughtful portrait of turn of the century Cuba and Florida. Keep an eye out for The Cigar Maker during Art-a-Whirl this spring, when Mark plans to release it to the public. In the meantime, you can read more about the novel (and even PREORDER it) at TheCigarMaker.net. And keep an eye out for the book's cover, which will be created by veteran cartoonist conspirator Lupi McGinty.

Ybor City (click for larger image):

Florida and Cuba (click for larger image):

TheCigarMaker.net
TheBoogle.wordpress.com

Hacker's Guide: The SEQUEL

2010-02-12T12:54:00.003-06:00

With the Winter Olympics gearing up tonight, golf is probably the last sport on people's minds. But take heart: the snow will eventually melt, and soon you'll be traveling all around the Minnesota and Western Wisconsin region, wondering which golf course to check out. That's where Bruce Stasch and his popular Hacker's Guide comes in. He's introducing a fat new addition to the Hacker's Guide series, and Zander and I designed the cover and the illustrations. Here are a few art samples, but check out the book for more. And consider PREORDERING a copy -- it's the perfect book to keep in your car along with your Hudson Map and the first Hacker's Guide.

Fan Mail

2010-01-27T11:30:00.003-06:00

If you're wondering what the best part of our job is, that's pretty easy: It's getting to open letters like this one from 7 year-old Michael, a budding animator who took a tour of Big Time Attic headquarters last week:

Detail:

[ click for larger image ]

City Pages Illustrations: Meet the Lobbyists

2010-01-21T10:48:00.003-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since we've blogged, etc, etc...

Hey, grab a copy of this week's City Pages to see some illustrious renditions of your favorite capitol lobbyists. Here are my top three favorites, in order of how enjoyable they were to draw:

MARYANN CAMPO:

DICK DAY:

KEVIN GOODNO:

Pink Hobo Wins L'Etoile's Heart

2010-01-06T16:07:00.003-06:00

Congrats Pink Hobo! L'Etoile has named you best new gallery of 2009. But you already knew that, because you mentioned it on the Twitter.

Far Arden Sneaks on to a Few "Best of the Year" Lists

2009-12-22T11:51:00.004-06:00

It's the end of the year, and comics bloggers everywhere are constructing their "best of" lists for 2009, and it'd be a gross understatement to say that I'm thrilled to see Far Arden grace some of these lists.

Here are three that I've run across:

New York Magazine

Flashlight Worthy

The Montreal Gazette

Far Arden Hits the Airwaves

2009-12-14T10:59:00.003-06:00

By some strange alignment of the planets, Far Arden is the focus of three recent podcasts:

First, an interview with Robin McConnell over at INKSTUDS. Tom Spurgeon's blog turned me onto Inkstuds about a year ago, and it's really an honor to now be listed among the ranks of Robin's interviewees.

Also, the gentlemen at THE MILD MANNERED PODCAST made me blush with this lengthy analysis of FA.

Finally, I had a fun time hanging out with Charlito & Mr. Phil over the summer behind the Top Shelf booth, and at one point we sat down for chat. Check it out at INDIE SPINNER RACK.

Thanks guys!

"Forgotten Miracle" in NY Times

2009-12-11T16:14:00.006-06:00

Stu Hackel has a great write-up of Forgotten Miracle in today's New York Times "Slap Shot" blog.

Also check out a post by sportswriter E.M. Swift, who was one of the experts interviewed for the film.

Forgotten Miracle trailer
Forgotten Miracle website

Steinlicht Book Signing This Saturday!

2009-12-09T15:09:00.003-06:00

This Saturday at Big Brain Comics, David Steinlicht will be signing copies of his new book Cornered!, which is a collection of his strips from the Pioneer Press. David writes:

Now available: “Cornered!” A collection of comics from the Pioneer Press newspaper by David Steinlicht — published by Nodin Press.

This Saturday, from 4 to 6 p.m., you can buy the book and get it signed by the author, at Big Brain Comics in downtown Minneapolis.

Great Christmas gift. Excellent Chanukah gift. Perfect Kwanzaa gift. Super solstice gift. Nice stocking stuffer. Use ‘em for holiday party favors. Just the thing for grads. Mom will love it — Dad, Sis and Junior will, too.

And at $19.95 per copy, it’s budget friendly. Color cover, 274-page B&W interior.

(Note to those of you who purchased the self-published edition of “Cornered!”: Don’t get all worked up. It’s the same book, mostly. There are 11 additional comics, one more intro page, another index page, a Library of Congress number, a ISBN number, a bar code, an author picture and a snappy new cover design.)

The signing is from 4-6 pm, but if you can't get enough Steinlicht in just those two hours, swing by the MCBA next door from 12-4 for Saturday Open Studio.

Details on the BOOK SIGNING.

Details on the OPEN STUDIO.

Happy 7th Birthday, Cartoonist Conspiracy!

2009-12-08T11:11:00.002-06:00

In honor of the Cartoonist Conspiracy's seventh birthday, I thought it would be fun to publish a version of this month's jam that would actually be appropriate for a 7 year-old. Enjoy!

[ click image to read pdf -- caution: 10 mb ]

As always, you can read the original jam -- and all previous jams -- at cartoonistconspiracy.com.