Fan Mail

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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.

City Pages Turkey Shoot

Hopefully everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. If you're not too sick of turkeys yet, swing by your local coffee shoppe and pick up a copy of this week's City Pages. I've got a few illustrations in there, as evidenced by these fine snapshots:



This issue of CP should be on stands until Tuesday.

Forgotten Miracle Illustrations

Forgotten Miracle Trailer from Forgotten Miracle on Vimeo.

If you haven't heard from me over the past few months, it's probably because I've been working nonstop on illustrations for a documentary film called Forgotten Miracle. The film chronicles the 1960 US Olympic hockey team -- the first of only two hockey teams to bring home the gold for the US (the second being the much-lauded 1980 "Miracle" team). But the 1960 team had its own miracles; it's a David and Goliath story but this time Goliath is played by the Canadians.

The film was produced and directed by Andrew Sherburne and Tommy Haines, who also co-produced Pond Hockey. They asked me to illustrate several scenes in the film where they're short on actual video footage (it was only the first televised Olympic Games, after all). The drawings -- around 60 total -- are blended throughout the film and serve as recreations of some of the great stories told by the Olympic players.

The illustrated scenes are animated in a motion design sort of way -- the pencil drawings were produced in layers so that Sherburne could create a 3D motion design effect in AfterEffects. It's hard to describe, but you can see some of that subtle movement in the trailer.

Anyway, the film was a ton of fun to work on, and I highly recommend getting a copy for the rink rat in your family. I'll probably have a few copies to sell at conventions this spring, but if you can't wait until then, you can purchase a copy at ForgottenMiracle.com. (The DVDs ship in early December).

Some teasers: