Category: Member News

Supergirl Radio Podcast And Metropolis Superman Celebration 2022

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On Saturday, June 11th Nicki and I took a day trip up to Metropolis, IL for the 44th Annual Superman Celebration.

We’ve been attending for many years, and the weather was just too nice to not get out of the house. The higher gas prices had us think twice about going, but thankfully Nicki has a new hybrid that gets between 50-60mpg.

I don’t think the same can be said for Optimus Prime– but it was pretty awesome seeing this Transformer in person on Superman Square.

We weren’t the only Memphians in town. Nicki and I ran into fellow MSCA’ers the Easterling Family.

They’ve been attending the Superman Celebration for years, too! (Check out Lonnie’s cartoons at www.spudtoons.com.)

Also saw Memphians Christina and Jim Hall in Artists Alley. Mama Wanda was keeping watch over the room as usual. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Papa Cliff.

Artists Alley/Writers Way was located in the bank building on 8th street again, but the entrance had been moved around to the back of the building. It was like entering a speakeasy! Thankfully the A/C was working this year.

We talked to several folks while we were there, including artists Matthew Clark and Rick Burchett, and writer Sean Dulaney. We saw cartoonist Guy Gilchrist’s table, but he had stepped away from it while we were there. We did see actor George Newbern there behind his table.

He and actors Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum were there as celebrity guests. We got to see them all pose together with official Superman of Metropolis Josh Boultinghouse out in front of the giant Superman statue.

Just up from the statue we had a bit of a Supergirl Radio reunion when we ran into co-host Rebecca Johnson and fellow listener Dr. Nicole Green and her family. We got to meet them last year in AA/WW for the first time.

Lots of great costumes were spotted around town while we were there.

Including many Superpets that were in attendance as well, like Stephanie Perrin’s doggy Scooby!

Our boy Lex was adopted at the 2015 Metropolis Superman Celebration. He and two siblings had been abandoned at the carnival there. All found furever homes, and Lex has been part of our family for 7yrs now..! He currently lives with adopted siblings Lena and Jarael.

The animal shelter in Metropolis is the Project Hope Humane Society, and is located off Hwy45 next to the Metropolis welcome sign. We saw a few strays hanging out near the front of the building. Looks like they have some shelters built for them. We missed the fund raising tent they had up during the celebration, but now that we know where they are we can drop off some donations the next time we are in town.

We stopped by Fat Edd’s Roadhouse for lunch and had a couple bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and some ice cold Kryptonite.

It’s become a Metropolis tradition. Oh, and trust me- Kryptonite and a yellow sun can affect Earthlings, too! You might want to order a glass of water to go with it  to help stay hydrated.

Unfortunately due to some problems with the venue there was no Save The Massac Theatre auction this year during the Celebration. Hopefully they can do one next year and/or do a virtual one online. I’ve got a few item to donate to it.

Had a great time, and hope to make it back up next year. Dates are June 9-11, 2023.

You can see and/or hear more of our adventures in Metropolis on the latest Supergirl Radio podcast. It’s available on YouTube, on their website, or most anywhere you like to download and listen to podcasts.

You can watch the 2022 Superman Celebration episode on YouTube at:
And watch and/or listen on their website at:
Supergirl Radio RAINN Fundraiser Marathon Episode (Nicki and I do a Superpets segment):

Also, was sad to hear of the recent passing of artist Tim Sale. He was known for his work on the “Heroes” TV show and many comics collaborations with longtime friend Jeph Leob, including “Batman: The Long Halloween” and “Superman for All Seasons”. Hard to believe we’ve lost George Pérez, Neal Adams, and Tim Sale so close together this year…

Lin

 

MSCA – Graphic Novel Opportunity And Meeting Update

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From MSCA President Kevin L. Williams:

Hi, team,

Tom Graves, author of one of my favorite Robert Johnson books, is ready to create a graphic novel based on the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.  He came to this week’s meeting, and I think this can be a very good opportunity for someone in the MSCA!

I’ve included his novel and contact information below.  Please reach out to him for conversation and meeting about the book.  I feel certain he is open to ideas as well as work with the ideas he currently has.

Your very own, personal MSCA Prez, 

Kev

FromTom:

I read the book Dean and Me by Jerry Lewis and found it very, very compelling.  In the past I read Nick Tosches book on Dean Martin (excellent book!) and I was very aware that the Martin & Lewis comedy team was the biggest act in entertainment from the late 40s until their break-up in the late 50s.  It tells a great story that I think would be perfect for a graphic novel.

I’m a lifelong writer, author of 8 books and I’ve written for many prominent magazines and newspapers such as Rolling Stone, NY Times, and Washington Post.  I think I could take on a graphic novel with the right artist and partner.

I would ultimately want someone who draws in a style far away from the modern Marvel style.  I would want someone like Marjane Sartrapi of Persepolis, Art Spiegelman of Maus, Daniel Clowes of Ghost World, etc.

I would like to find someone who already has entre into the world of graphic novels who could navigate the right publishers for such a project.

I know this is a tall order, but my hope is the right person finds a way to me to do it.  As I said last night, I’ve done almost every type of writing there is.  Also I was a writer and producer for the Emmy winning film Best of Enemies about the 1968 debates between Gore Vidal and William Buckley.  In fact, the film was my idea.

Let me know what you can do and come up with.  I hope maybe to meet again at one of your meetings.

Best,
Tom Graves
pullers2015(at)gmail(dot)com

We had a great time at the meeting talking with Tom about his writing and about all things Memphis, including our favorite shops and shows we enjoyed as kids, including the legendary local horror host SIVAD!

We also had a lot of fun talking toons, eating food, and picking up some copies of Devin Hodges‘ comic book “The Common Days Of Cade“.

Garibaldi’s Pizza is going to be closed the week of our next scheduled dinner meeting, and since it’s the day after the fourth of July we’re gonna hold off getting together anywhere in July and just wait for our next meeting the first Tuesday of August. Will have more details on the upcoming MSCA display at the Hernando Library, and hope everyone can contribute an item for it- either a sketch, published book, or other item to celebrate our association’s 35th anniversary of drawing funny in the mid-south!

“STAY TOONED!”

Lin

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode – “Sour Grapes” By Tim Jones

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A new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode is available for downloading/listening. (Click here.)
In this episode I share some local upcoming event news, plus I sit down to talk toons and discuss some “SOUR GRAPES” with cartoonist Tim Jones.
Tim is the creator, artist and writer of the widely popular, self-syndicated comic strip, SOUR GRAPES. He created SOUR GRAPES back in 2013. It’s a weekly strip about ‘Aesop‘, a miserable-flying dog; his pet cloud, ‘Ominous’ and odd family- all living in a problematic and troubled world. In 2014, the strip found its way into print starting in two newspapers in Rhode Island, where he lives with his family.
Soon after, the comic strip continued its success and started to appear in more and more newspapers.
Today, SOUR GRAPES continues to grow in popularity and can now be seen in multiple newspapers across the country.
Tim has been a cartoonist and freelance illustrator for over 25 years and he is a member of the National Cartoonist Society and Mid-South Cartoonists Association. He also teaches cartooning and speaks at local schools and libraries.
Tim has created several compilation SOUR GRAPES books and story-coloring books. He appears at various events, Comic-Cons and book signings. His next upcoming events are in July at Plastic City Comic Con in Fitchburg, MA and Terrificon at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. I’m looking forward to getting back out to conventions again this summer/fall.
Thanks to Tim for taking time out to come on the show. Hope to run into him in person at some point.
Stay well, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!
Lin
Run time: 1hr 5min 30sec
Tim Jones “Sour Grapes” Facebook – www.facebook.com/SourGrapesComic
“SOUR GRAPES” ©2020-2022 Tim Jones

Return To The Little House Art Project

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This past Saturday morning Antonio Johnson and I (Lin Workman) joined fellow MSCA member Grace Smith at the Little House Art Project in Southaven, MS. Antonio was there to share some techniques in Clip Studio Paint on his laptop, and I was there to have the students draw sketchcards. Grace is a longtime student at the art class and helped us and instructor Rebecca Treadway with getting everything set up and organized.

I’ve come out to the classes a few times now- teaching how to draw comics, covers, and creating characters with shapes.

I was first invited out by Vicky Neyman, who at the time was the director of the DeSoto Arts Council. Unfortunately for this class Vicky was home sick and couldn’t make it.

I don’t consider myself a great teacher, but love sharing what I know with others. I always get a bit anxious before the classes start, but end up having a fun time talking toons with the students. Antonio and I both discussed writer/artist’s block and how intimidating it can be staring at a blank page. One student was worried about her characters being too similar. We gave her some ideas of how to fix that and a ‘lightbulb‘ popped on over her head. It was great to see someone’s eyes go from frustration to inspiration. We just gave a few suggestions and told her what we liked about the characters, as well as some ways to battle future creative blocks. Look forward to seeing what she does with her characters and art moving forward.

The MSCA’s Martheus Antone Wade and Kevin L. Williams have both been Little House art instructors as well.

Kevin brought Muley The Mule along and taught them how to make paper bag puppets and draw toons.

Martheus taught comic book art and some martial arts instruction.

Antonio had a \S/uper time drawing with the class and seeing some of their work in their sketchbooks and devices. Many of the students in the class work digital, while some only prefer to work traditionally. I brought along some MSCA sketchcard blanks, my markers, and some reference books. We had around 20 or so autistic art students.

I think the class had a great time, too- especially after they understood exactly what a sketchcard was! Hey, most folks don’t know what they are…I didn’t when I was first introduced to them.

I had a few students ask me, “What do we do with them..?” and “What do we draw on them..?” I explained that they could draw anything they wanted, with anything they wanted, and do anything they wanted with them when they were done.

Sketchcards are basically blank trading cards you can draw on in pencil, pens, markers, paint- or whatever. They are usually the same size as baseball cards, but some are larger and some are smaller. They can be collected, traded, gifted, or sold. I gave them all some plastic sleeves to protect their cards. Last time I was there I was able to donate some Bristol paper and markers that weren’t used for the Quick Draw panel at MidSouthCon that year, plus leave behind some art books for them to share.

The sketchcards I do professionally (for companies like Topps, Cryptozoic, Breygent, RRParks CARDS, etc.) are randomly inserted into trading card packs- kind of like golden tickets in Wonka chocolate bars. Sketchcards are very sought after collectibles and can go for anywhere from a few dollars each to several hundred…or more!

Some of the students also just sketched, filling up entire sheets of paper which is always fun. I really need to do that more often myself. Been too long since I’ve worked in a sketchbook.

The artistic autistic group recently did an art show at the Southaven Library in conjunction with the Southaven Arts Council. It’s become an annual event for the artists.

It was on display in the lobby of the library for the month of April– which is Autism Awareness Month. It was a great mix of traditional and digital art.

Thanks to Vicky, Rebecca, Grace, and all the volunteers and students at the Little House Art Project for having us out. I hope to be back again soon. Really wish I had a group like this to hang out with when I was growing up and learning. Makes me thankful for getting into the MSCA in my twenties, and one of the reasons I try to promote it and any art groups I encounter. It’s so important to share knowledge and inspire each other.
Lin

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Little House Art Project began as an idea born of an art program for special needs children, but why stop with artistically gifted, special needs teen?  Many teens yearn for art instruction. It is an opportunity for all teens to learn more about fundamentals of art.  Studies in light sources, painting still life, and more will be explored in this series of classes.

Little House Art Project
2126 Stateline Road East
Southaven, MS

Ages 12 & up – 10:00 a.m. to Noon

$20.00 – All supplies included
Limited seating  – The Arc NWMS will adhere to the most recent safety guidelines given by Governor Reeves or our local leaders.
Reserve your spot today.

PAYMENT OPTIONS
1.  Click the DONATE button to pay for your $20 class fee.
2.  Bring a check for $20 made payable to “The Arc NWMS” to class.
3. Bring $20 cash to class.

Scheduled Dates for 2022
August 13 (rsvp August 10)
September 10 (rsvp September 7)
October 8 (rsvp October 5)
November 12 (rsvp November 9)
December 10 (rsvp December 7)

Please contact The Arc NWMS for more information at
901-907-9041 or admin@thearcnwms.org.

www.thearcnwms.org/little-house-art-project

Episode 42 – “Little House Art Project”

“Drawing Funny” Hit The Road For Free Comic Book Day 2022

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There’s a new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode available for download- Ep.41: “FCBD Multitude Of Madness”. This episode chronicles mine and Nicki’s Free Comic Book Day adventures around Memphis last weekend.

Saturday, May 7th was Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022. The annual event happens on the first Saturday in May of each year and is a way for the comics industry and retailers to thank their customers, introduce new readers to comics, and a chance to celebrate comics.

The re’s a huge selection of comics to choose from each year. The comics are free for folks visiting the shops, but not free for the retailers (they pay the costs of each comic).

Each participating retailer has certain rules for the free comics, and/or offer sales and in-store creator signings and additional events.

Folks are definitely encouraged to wear a cool comic tee and/or cosplay as their favorite comic characters.

Not every retailer participates, but most around the mid-south area do, including Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics, as well as Jupiter Comics out in Moscow, TN.

Nicki and I hit three of the comic shops in the M-town. We stopped at Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics East.

We got our free comics while picking up our hold box comics. Did some additional shopping  and chatting with friends. Thankfully the shops all sell comic boxes- helped hauling stuff out to the car!

For the podcast we talked with local comic creators Dale Martin, Brad and Skoot Starnes, Matt Bowers, Gabe DeRanzo, and Janet and Martheus Antone Wade about their current and upcoming projects such as The Dragon Templar, Fathom, Memphis, Stoned Ninja, Shinobi: Ninja Princess and Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa comics. (Sorry for some of the poor audio quality- I explain the cause in this episode.)

901 Comics East had local creators Gabe, Matt, Antone, Janet, Anakin- as well as John Martin and Richard Fields at their shop for an in-store signing appearance. Unfortunately we had to run to the DeSoto Malco and didn’t get a chance to talk to John or Richard, and we missed getting to chat with MSCA member and “Stoned Ninja” artist Greg Cravens who hadn’t made it up from the Puppy Palooza at the Crosstown Concourse.

When we got down to Southaven we caught Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness and towards the end of the podcast give some non-spoiler thoughts on this latest Marvel movie.

We loved the new seating at the theater, but don’t understand why folks will pay $15 for a seat and and insist on being on their phones during the movie…ugh.

Oh, while at 901 Comics we got some sad news news of the passing of legendary comic creator George Pérez. Nicki and I discuss our George encounters and memories of him. He was not only a great creator of comics, but a fan and cheerleader of the fandom- and a super sweet guy.

I hope you got out to enjoy Free Comic Book Day. Definitely mark your calendars for next year!

Stay well, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!
Lin

 www.freecomicbookday.com

 

“Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!”- MSCA Dinner Meeting And FCBD This Week

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Attention, Citizens..!

Lots of comic action happening this week in Memphis, so gas up your batmobile and dry clean your capes.

First up is our MSCA monthly dinner meeting at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza on Tuesday, May 3rd. We meet up  the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the big room.

I’d like to get a few member interviews so if you’d like to be on an upcoming “Drawing Funny” podcast episode I’ll be there a bit early so hit me up. Would love to talk toon with ya.

Bring whatever art you’ve been working on, favorite art book/comic or recent art tool purchase to show, or some promo swag to hand out. Also, feel free to bring a friend or family member, and be sure to bring a few bucks to order off the menu. You and your stomach will be glad you did! The meeting/meet-up is casual and open to the public. I’ll have some MSCA freebies with me, too.

Speaking of freebies…this weekend, it’s BACK! Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022 is on Saturday, May 7 at local comic shops across the country and around the world. Check with your local comic shop to see ig/how they are participating, and if there are any requirements/restrictions. Here in the M-town all our local comic shops are participating- Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, both locations of 901 Comics, and Jupiter Comics out near Moscow, TN.

The midtown/Cooper-Young 901 Comics location will be having a special in store signing appearance by legendary Ghost Rider artist Javier Saltares. Doors open at 9am! First personalized signature is free and $5 for every signature after. CGC witnessed signatures are $10 each. Sketch pricing depends on size and content.

That same day out east in their Cordova location (8551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018), 901 Comics will be having several local creators in-store which includes some of our MSCA members. Slide by from 10 AM – 7 PM and say hi to Jetta/Shinobi creators Martheus & Janet Wade, the Stoned Ninja team Gabriel DeRanzo and Greg Cravens, Matt Bowers the creator of the Memphis comic, artist and inker extraordinaire John Martin, and Richard Fields creator of Lucy! They will also have a 20% off sale that day.

Don’t forget that the  “Stoned Ninja” Kickstarter still has a few days left. It has lots of great tiers and incentives, and you can back this current comics campaign for as little as a dollar!

If you go out to 901 Comics East or to the MSCA dinner meeting see about getting Gabe or Greg to do a sketchcover for you.

ADJ Design’s Antonio and Tamika Johnson, the creators of the novic Bluff City Blues will be at Bookstock Memphis Area Authors’ Festival on Saturday, May 7th from 11 am to 3 PM at Benjamin L Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave.

It’s free and family friendly- live music, food trucks and more!

Over the weekend I finished up the Star Wars display at the Hernando library. It’s been a while since Nicki and I have done a display in their west lobby. This one is to celebrate May The Fourth and Revenge Of The Fifth (or Sixth) and features some of our personal collection.

I found some stuff I was looking for, but there’s at least a few boxes of stuff I can’t find- mostly my original Star Wars action figures (blue and red Snaggletooth figure and original dozen) and some of the large dolls… I mostly just found Power Of The Force figures. They’re here somewhere either in my closet or Nicki’s. I’m sure I’ll run across them when I’m not looking.
If you’re in the Hernando, MS area and dig Star Wars and/or collecting stuffs please slide by and check the display out. It will be up for the month of May, and they are open Monday-Saturday. I tried to do a little from each trilogy, cartoons, games, novels and comics, and even added a Darth Vader sketchcard I did from my first Star Wars gig I did for Topps.
Nicki and I got together because of Star Wars and having mutual friends who dug it, too. It’s the first movie I not only remember seeing in the theater (the opening crawl/space battle🤯), but is also the only trilogy (OT) I know exactly where I originally saw them in Memphis. Unfortunately all three theaters no longer exist.
Oh, you can see (and buy) more of my sketchcards at The Cellar out in Bartlett, Tn. Check them out if you’re there for Free Comic Book Day. Lots of freebie MSCA swag to be had as well.
Hope to see you this weekend around the M-Town!
Lin

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episodes – We’ve Hit 40!

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Well, gang- the podcast has reached 40 episodes! I can’t believe it’s that many…I was just hoping to make it to more than one, then two, then three…and now around a year and a half later here we are. Going forward I’m going to make some format changes to try and improve on the show, and cut back on my editing so I can not only get more episodes out more often (and more consistently), but can have more time to work on my art.

I’ve got a “Nosferatu” sketchcard gig for RRParks CARDS, working on another Star Wars sketchcover on the drawing board, and doing some research and design work in preparation for an upcoming art project I’m developing and hope to announce soon! Oh, and I just opened a new Tee Public store online.

But back to the podcast…

In this solo episode I have some MSCA member and meeting news, more updates on upcoming conventions and events such as Free Comic Book Day and the Memphis Comic Expo(DonnieCon), as well as some memories of mine and Nicki’s Saturday in midtown Memphis visiting The Art Center, attending MidTown Con at Black Lodge, seeing a photo exhibit at Crosstown Arts, discovering the Memphis Listening Lab at Crosstown Concourse, and shopping at The Cellar and Comics & Collectibles.

Plus I talk about artist/MSCA member Antonio Johnson‘s Clip Studio Paint demo at the April MSCA dinner meet-up, and me sliding by 901 Comics, Goner Records, and Burke’s Bookstore in the Cooper-Young neighborhood this week.

Also feature the Little House Art Project and their current Autism Awareness art show (with the Southaven Arts Council) which is up through April at the Southaven Library, the DeSoto Camera Club‘s latest photo display at the Hernando Library, and some other mid-south art happenings. I also give you some John Grisham trivia, and my book signing at the Southaven Library back in the day with his brother, Mark Grisham.

The back-half of the episode is about a Facebook post I shared about “high functioning anxiety“. I discuss my anxiety, depression, and other health issues– hey, I ain’t gettin’ any younger. If you want to skip that part of the show, the local art/event news is at the front end of the show and the “Anxiety” section begins at 4om 50sec. (Art above by art by Amy Hartelust.)

If you are dealing with any mental or physical issues I hope that you listen to the whole show, and that my sharing what’s going on in my head and hands these days helps you. It was definitely therapeutic for me to talk out loud about it. Please don’t keep whatever you’re going through to yourself…talk to someone and/or seek help.

 

I’m solo again for this 40th episode. Lately I’ve seen a lot of comics creators online ask, “Where do I begin?” Well, “Just start making comics.” seems like the most honest answer, but I know that there’s a lot more to that question. I don’t have all the answers, but I do share my my comics origin story and thoughts on creating comics.

I offer up some advice, resources, cautionary tales, and more about making comics and getting them out there to readers. Lots of ways to make comics these days, and lots of ways to read comics, too. I’ve seen both the pros and cons of doing cons.

I don’t offer any real advice on breaking into comics, because like writer/editor/publisher Mark Waid has said, “Breaking into comics is like breaking out of jail: once you find a way, that way is closed forever.” It’s different for everyone. I do however encourage making comics- and hope the info shared in this episode will help you not only avoid the pitfalls I did creating my own comics, but also enjoy similar positive experiences like I did. Looking back they far outweighed the negative.

If you have any questions I didn’t cover feel free to stop by one of the MSCA monthly dinner meetings at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza (1st Tuesday of the month at 7pm). Our next one is on Tuesday, May 3rd. If you’d like to share your experiences creating comics I’d love to have you on the show, just drop me a line at podcast (at) drawingfunny (dot) com. I’m hoping to get out more and record in person. Also always looking for any member and/or local event news to share on the show.

Stay well, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!

www.drawingfunny.com

PS: If you’d like a “I Have Anxiety.” print or sticker, or see other art by Amy Hartelust go to: www.amyhartelust.com

Stoned Ninja Has Kicked Off Another Kickstarter- Stoned Ninja #1 SAP

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Gabriel DeRanzo and MSCA member Greg Cravens have kicked off another “Stoned Ninja” Kickstarter, and are hoping you’ll get their back by being a backer for this current comics campaign.

Stoned Ninja #1 SAP! This comics fundraiser is for The Second Advanced Printing of Stoned Ninja: A New Strain of Hero #1. It features remastered cover art by Greg Cravens and Gene Fayne.

Stoned Ninja is the story of Kazunori Takagi, a ninja who finds a mystical strain of weed that gives him super human abilities! This New Strain of Hero uses his skills to defend Reef City from evil!!

Pledges start at just $1.00, and go as high as up to $420.00. For local backers in the M-town, they also offer a no shipping fees option– just pick up your Stoned Ninja stash at  901 Comics once the copies are back from being printed.

Several stretch goals are included- and we all know how important stretching can be!

In addition to the new remastered cover art by Greg Cravens., there are also a couple variant covers being offered.

“Action Figure” variant cover by Greg Cravens.

“Bloody Ninja” variant cover by Dusty Jonakin.

You can get a taste of the comic (and some Stoned Ninja edibles) around town at places like 901 Comics and Whatever or by going to their websites www.stoned.ninja (if you’re 21 or older) or at www.stonedninja.com.

Lots of comics and merch to be harvested including variant covers and blank sketchcovers.

If you’re in the Memphis area be sure to say, “Hi!” (or “High..!”) and have Greg draw all over your comics at one of our monthly MSCA dinner meet-ups at Garibaldi’s (a great place to have the munchies), or at the upcoming Memphis Comic Expo(DonnieCon).

The campaign is currently at just over $2K and has already smoked its $1,000 funding goal (so to speak) which means this project will become a reality and not just a pipe dream for the Stoned Ninja team and their readers.

But the guys are looking to go even higher to unlock those stretch goals for their backers. They’ve got 26 days to go on Kickstarter and could still use a hand with this campaign.


Kickstarter profile: Stoned Ninja Comics
Websites: stonedninja.com or stoned.ninja

 

901 Comics
2162 Young Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104

“I’m Going To Midtown!” – Midtown Comic Con at Black Lodge and “Memphis Quarantine” at Crosstown Arts

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This weekend Nicki Workman and I headed over to midtown to do some running around and just get out of the house. It was just too pretty to stay indoors!

Our first stop Saturday was The Art Center over on Union Avenue. It’s been a while since I’ve been by the shop.

I had to check out their stock of Copic markers. I saw online that they had them, and I’m always looking for another source.

I was also happy to see they still sell sketchcard blanks and physical comic pages for creating comic books, manga, and comic strips…sweet!

I dropped off some swag for their customers, and I bought a few of their stickers and some other art supplies. (You can see more about my shopping experience here on my Lin Workman site.)

Our next stop was the MidTown Con at Black Lodge over on Cleveland. It’s was their inaugural mini-con.

When we first walked in it was obvious that many others had this event on their list of things to do on Saturday. The place was much bigger on the inside than I had expected, and definitely much more attended than I had expected as well.

The first folks we recognized were Gabriel DeRanzo and MSCA’s Greg Cravens with “Stoned Ninja” comics.

Apparently due to hunger Greg got one of his prints confused with the Stoned Ninja gummies!

I also ran into fellow MSCA member Jason Negan. Due to work and the pandemic it’s been too long since we’ve talked in person.

I also got to run into some other local artists at the show, such as Devin Hodges/DIAST Cartoons and The Common Days of Cade comics.

Billups Allen and Cramhole zine.

And artist/cosplayer Nora Childers, who is part of the Indie Artists Market (just around the corner from Black Lodge). She’ll be a part of the 901 Heroes Fantasy Wars cosplay fashion show at Black Lodge on Sunday, April 24th from 5-10pm.

I saw a lot of toys, comics, art, apparel and more. They even had a concession stand- and restrooms which I really appreciated.

Nicki brought along her new mirrorless Sony to play with at the show. Thankfully she only wanted to shoot me with her camera, and not what she’s usually packin’ when we go around Memphis..!

We ran into local cosplayer supreme Kelldar…

…as well as a couple other cosplayers like this Mando and Harley. We had to cut out just as their costume contest got underway.

More and more folks were arriving and we felt the need to create a bit of space for them. Really glad the MidTown Con was such a success. I don’t know if the vendors did well, but I did see a lot of folks buying and selling. Overall it seems like folks are ready to get back to attending conventions and events.

Since we had parked at the Crosstown Concourse and Nicki had her camera, we decided to visit it next. It’s on Cleveland just half a block up from Black Lodge. Again, the weather was extremely nice out so we enjoyed the short walk.

We grabbed a few drinks at Farm Burger and walked around the Concourse.

We enjoyed checking out all the artwork hanging around on the walls.

We headed up the stairs to walk around the Crosstown Arts section on the second floor.

We noticed that there was an photography exhibit going on. It was “Memphis Quarantine” by photographer Jamie Harmon, who photographed 800 plus dwellings and over two thousand people between March 13th and May 31st of 2020- averaging 13 photoshoots a day lasting between 15-30 minutes..! Each home/person/family received a private web link with edited images they could download and have at no charge. (You can read more about the photo shoot here.)

There were photos everywhere we looked- all around the foyer area and in the large galleries. Two things I didn’t realize until last night. One- the show ended the next day, Sunday April 10th (today). And two- Jamie was actually hanging out in one of the areas. Had no idea what he looked like, and he was talking with folks so we tried not to bother them. Wish I had known both then!

If you missed the show, check out the website where they are doing preorders for the Memphis Quarantine book at www.memphisquarantine.com ($70ea).

When we were at Farm Burger earlier I noticed the guy behind the register was wearing a Memphis Listening Lab tee on. I asked him what that was and he said it was upstairs.

Yep, it wasn’t here the last time I had stopped in at the Concourse. Here’s the scoop on MLL–

Memphis Listening Lab is a curated collection of music and music history, a forum for music-related talks and performances, and a music education, appreciation, and experimentation space located in Crosstown Concourse. The MLL mission is to provide the community with opportunities to study, research, and enjoy popular music by way of a steadily expanding catalog of resources that represent the rich musical heritage of Memphis.
You can find out more about MLL here and buy some merch here.

We headed back downstairs to turn in Nicki’s photo pass. This was the first time I’d seen someone behind the boards at the radio station. Usually I’m there a bit later, and I’m not sure if they were in the studio during the pandemic or not.

After we left Crosstown, we headed over to The Cellar in Bartlett, and then over to Comics & Collectibles off Poplar. It’s been about a month since we’d been to either shop.

I’ve got sketchcovers and sketchcards for sale at The Cellar – each hand drawn and done in markers. MSCA member Lonnie Easterling has some sketchcovers for sale there, and I noticed another artist had added their sketchcards as well.

I saw some copies of The Dragon Templar by Brad Starnes and MSCA’s Dale Martin, sitting next to a Fathom comic with a Skoot Starnes cover, and just above some of our MSCA The Good, The Bad, and the Sketchy zine on the shelf at The Cellar. Later at Comics & Collectibles we saw copies of Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa by Martheus Antone Wade, Janet Wade, and Kevin L. Williams .

If you need acrylic stands for your collectibles be sure to check out Charles Ettinger‘s at The Cellar, or on his Etsy shop- www.etsy.com/shop/LaserheadStudios.

You can always find freebie MSCA and Drawing Funny podcast swag at Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics in the Copper/Young neighborhood.

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend. If you were set up at the MidTown Con I hope it was a success for ya!

Lin

 

Black Lodge Video
405 N Cleveland St.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 424-1514
blacklodgememphis.com

 

Crosstown Arts
Crosstown Concourse
1350 Concourse Ave #280
Memphis, TN 38104
crosstownarts.org

The Art Center
1636 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 276-6321
The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics
2737 Bartlett Blvd
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 382-8623

901 Comics (Cooper/Young)
2162 Young Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 421-8819
901-comics.business.site

Comics & Collectibles
4730 POPLAR AVENUE #2
MEMPHIS, TN 38117
901-683-7171
memphiscomics.com

Little Art House Project Autism Awareness Art Show And Reception

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Last night (Thursday- April 7, 2022) I got to attend the reception for the Little House Art Project‘s Autism Awareness art show. April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month. Little House Art Project is a combined art class for special needs and typical young adults ages 12 and up.

The show was put on by the Southaven Arts Council at the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library in Southaven, MS. The library has a nice gallery space in their front lobby area. (The MSCA had a brief showing there, but unfortunately the library had to close that week due to COVID.)

There were about 13 art house students that participated in this show- each doing 2-3 pieces of art. Some were originals, some were digital prints.

One of the participating artists was the MSCA’s own Grace Smith– AKA “Warrior Grace” and/or “Creator Grace“.

Grace works digitally in Procreate on a tablet, and loves to draw in a manga/anime style on it and her smart phone.

There were many different styles of art and mediums used, and they varied in size and details- but all were fun.

My favorite was this monkey painting..!

I really enjoyed getting to check out all the art, and talk to many of the artists that attended. There were a few artists I didn’t realize were participants until after I got home from the show. It had been a while since I had seen Grace at one of our dinner meetings at Garibaldi’s or drawing  nights at Michaels in Olive Branch back before the pandemic.

Grace, Austin Almond, and Austin Richards (above with his blue dog painting) were all interviewed by Fox13 Memphis’ Mandy Hrach. You can see the video here and see pics here.

The artists did great on camera discussing their art, autism, and why they love creating art.

Austin Almond , art house director Vicky Neyman, and a few others were also interviewed by a reporter from the DeSoto Times-Tribune newspaper (click here for the story). Austin works at the Germantown Community Theatre where we had our latest MSCA art show.

I’ve known Vicky since I first joined the DeSoto Arts Council back when she was that art council’s director, and she’s a former Southaven director. She does amazing work with her “art kids”, many have grown up in her art classes. I’ve taught art classes at the art house before (as has Kevin L. Williams and Martheus Antone Wade) and look forward to getting to draw funny with them again in mid-May for some Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Congrats to Vicky, Grace, and all the Little House Art Project participating artists. Little House Art Project is a program of The Arc Northwest Mississippi. The show will be on view in the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library until the end of April. They look to do another art show next year in April for Autism Awareness Month.

M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library
8554 Northwest Drive,
Southaven, MS 38671
Phone: (662) 342-0102
Fax:     (662) 342-0556
south(at)firstregional(dot)org

Southaven Arts Council
2126 Stateline Rd E
Southaven, MS 38672
Little House Art Project
2126 Stateline Road East
Southaven, MS

Little House Art Project began as an idea born of an art program for special needs children.  but, why stop with artistically gifted, special needs teen?  Many teens yearn for art instruction.

Little House Art Project is an opportunity for all teens to learn more about fundamentals of art.  Studies in light sources, painting still life, and more will be explored in this series of classes.

Please contact The Arc NWMS for more information at
901-907-9041 or admin@thearcnwms.org.