Battambang!

What are Lisa Mandel

Srey Bandol

Vuthy

and Sylvain Moizie-Rondet



up to at Phare art school?

Teaching comics, that’s what. More news to follow in a week.

Bangkok

In Bangkok on notorious Khao San Road. It’s like a gigantic singles bar where backpackers can buy all the ‘asian’ accoutrements they need. Still, I can’t be too harsh, just so long as they get OUT of this tourist ghetto down the line.

(Would document this circus but perhaps _after_ I’ve sorted the Indonesian fun, that comes first. )

Had my first falafel in a year. Next off to Battambang to meet Lisa Mandel, who is doing a comix workshop with PHARE art school. Gonna have to motor down to Phnom Penh after that.

News @ Haram Jedah, fresh comix on front page, and more’s a-comin’!

From 555 records - a new book of cartoons from David Nichols??

3) The Grey Tapes – Making Your Mind Up

Not the classic Bucks Fizz track, but one of the debut solo offerings from David Nichols, (Huon/Cannanes/Crabstick/Blairmailer etc). At the time of this recording David was going to call his solo project “The Powerful Owl”, but changed the name. I still think I prefer The Powerful Owl, which is maybe why DN changed the band name. Anyways, I make no secret of the fact David is one of my favourite living heroes and I hold his music and art in high regard, (so he can call his band what he wants of course). There will be a full length CD of the Grey Tapes, complete with a big book of cartoons from David later in the year. This track may or may not be on the CD. You just don’t know with David…

Unfortunately, the goss has it the distro may have gone belly up. We will see. David needs to collect his comics someday…

Also a good interview with the Donjon folks, at

http://www.bdparadisio.com/intervw/donjon/donjsfar.htm

You can translate this via http://babel.altavista.com

From the National Young Writer’s Festival:

Comics and Beer

Attention all comic makers and beer drinkers… This year the National Young Writers Festival is thinking about expanding it’s strong zine component by getting more festival-goers to read more comics. To do this we require two components: Beer and comics. We’ve got the beer aspect covered, but we need comicicians(you) to send us your comics. The idea goes that when a person buys a beer from the Festival Club (This Is Not Art main hangout) for a dollar more they receive a comic to read. This means more distribution, more comic exposure during the festival and more people reading your comics! So please send us your comics, they can be recent comics you’ve just finished making or old copies of comics you’d just like to get rid of. They can be any size with any kind of content. Or just anything that would distract a beer drinking festival-goer from spending the whole day staring into a rapidly emptying bottle. (please note that we can only pay you a $1 percomic, as the deal goes $3 for beer, $4 for beer and a comic, and let’s face it-no one buys comics! right! infact this letter actually had the word ‘zine’ in it twenty times-not even ‘comic’, which has no place in the aussie race.) Please send your zines to Sam at Octapod 3/231 King Street Newcastle NSW 2300 or e-mail:

youreye@octapod.com

http://www.youngwritersfestival.org

Ringo got da funk

Trying to draw a few things in time for upcoming Indonesia Convention. Trying to earn a little dosh as well, travel can cost even in the post-SARS era.

Most of me will be on IndoBlog for the next few weeks. http://www.qdcomic.com/indonesia/indoblog.html Check there for Michael Pee Fikaris Voiceworks Interview!

Jesse Reklaw (“Your Dreams I will Draw”) gets not one but two Ignatz nominations. Congrats Jesse!

http://www.spxpo.com/ignatzwinner03.htm

Pioneering ‘real life’ comics creator Harvey Pekar spills all in his new weblog, complete with contributions from the rest of his family (Joyce Brabner and 15 year old Danielle). Pleased to see the new ‘American Splendor’ movie is getting rave reviews, it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy. I remember when this stuff was the fringe of the fringe.

Harvey:

The underground cartoonists of the 60s and early 70s fought against the oppressor, but many of today’s comic book artists don’t seem to realize that there’s one around.

Danielle:

I would hate to be a plate of airplane food.

Damn

But… It would be cool to be the tiny salt and peppershakers…

Those things rock.

http://www.harveypekar.com

Nostalgia: Comic Book Ads.

http://www.steveconley.com/supermarketing.htm

Athonk’s Site:

http://www.pureblacktattoo.com/comicbook.htm

Grant Morrison: Comic Artist as Pop Star.

The real question is, are you Britney Spears or the Sea Scouts?

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=2662

http://www.youngwritersfestival.org/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1058517222;start=15

New ‘City of Tales’ page. Go Stefan and Clayton! http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~ringogotdafunk/cityoftales.html