oh kevin...

from kevin huizenga's blog:

I've decided that Or Else (the series) is done. It doesn't make sense to do it this way anymore. Drawn and Quarterly have been great and I want to thank them. For sure I will still be putting out a lot of books and zines, forever, so save your pennies, and watch this space for more news as it becomes available. Thanks for reading.

(Or Else #6 will not be published, but this was going to be the cover.)

some things just don't make sense.

female desire

once every so often i come across bbc radio 4's women's hour or some newspapers women's supplement. to my frustration the topics discussed in these media are more often than not as relevant to men as they are to women.
as i was taking a break from cleaning my room today and having already spent enough time researching the new bike i desire i stumbled upon this article on the new york times website. rather than being stuffed into a part of the paper directed only at women, it graces the cover of their magazine this weekend.

the image by francis picabia that has been lying around on my desk couldn't be better suited if it tried.

february is waiting for us

let's face it: january is in its death throes and february is showing more than just a bit of ankle.

on sunday the 1st of feb things kick off with the alternative press fair in euston (see also a couple of posts down). i'm not sure whether i'll be selling my mini there, but if not i will definitely be skulking around, checking out the work on sale.

then the ica follows things up by hosting talks by adrian tomine and jeffrey lewis in february. toby litt will be talking to tomine about 'shortcomings' his latest collection of 'optic nerve'-issues on the 3rd and jeffrey will be talking about alan moore's 'watchmen' on the 24th. tickets are going fast so get a move on if you want to attend.


for those of you who are interested in such things: paul hornschemeier did the cover art for toby litt's 'hospital'. (i gave it to my mum for christmas last year. she read it. she liked the cover.)

beethoven and schulz

when we were very little my big sister collected peanuts related books, figurines, towels and other bits and pieces. not really understanding peanuts or the idea of collecting, but wanting to emulate her i embarked on a mission to collect mickey mouse and walt disney related merchandise.
in spite of the charms of mickey mouse shaped piggybanks and minnie mouse dotted bikini bottoms (sized for 5-7 year-olds), not to mention a very politically incorrect mickey mouse cardgame (in which mickey discovers a 'negro' inside a box delivering an elephant from africa), my sisters collection was always going to age better than mine.

the other day i came across this article on the new york times website, which increased my respect for both my sister's good taste as well as schulz' creation even more.
as it turns out schroeder, the piano playing character in peanuts, plays existing pieces of beethoven in the comic strip. furthermore the pieces schulz chose for schroeder to play actually add to the meaning of the stories he wrote.

taster

i am slowly but steadily approaching the end of my new comic. here's a tiny illegible mock up i included in an application for the comic artist residency at the v&a. the deadline for which closes today.