Category: MSCA Zine

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode With Info On Upcoming 2023 MSCA Events

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The first Drawing Funny episode of the new year is available for downloading.

You can listen on most podcasting platforms such as Spotify and Apple, check out the Drawing Funny website at www.drawingfunny.com, or click the player above.
(Run time 52min, 5sec)

Show notes: For the first 2023 episode of Drawing Funny I’m joined by MSCA president Kevin L. Williams (aka Soloman Blues). We took the show on the road did some recording over the weekend while in the MSCA’s secret mobile recording unit. We were on our way home from seeing the Alabama Blues Brothers perform at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, AL.

We discuss some of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association’s 35th Anniversary events that happened in 2022, some of the club’s history (founded in March, 1987). Plus we share info on upcoming events for this year including our next monthly dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza this Tuesday (January 3rd 6-8pm), our Drink-N-Draw (Wednesday, January 18th 6-8pm) and Sketchy Saturday (January 28th 10am-2pm) at 901 Comics East, and “Spamalittle” art show at Germantown Community Theatre (March 3-19).

Garibaldi’s Pizza
3530 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111
(901) 327-6111
www.garibaldispizza.com

2023 MSCA Monthly Dinner Schedule- next dinner January 3rd 6-8pm.

MSCA Drink-N-Draw (Wed. 1/18/23 – 6-8pm)

We’re going to be starting off the new year with our very first MSCA Drink-N-Draw event at 901 Comics East on Wednesday, January 18th from 6-8pm. We’ve been known to drink and draw at our dinner meetings, and at con-related drink-n-draws, but this is officially our first. 901 Comics East now has a bar, gallery space, and gaming area. We are looking to make this a quarterly event at the shop. The bar serves beer both on tap and in cans (including local brews), as well as sodas, water, and some individual pizzas and snack items. So bring your art supplies and a few bucks to order something to drink/eat while you draw. There is no theme or no real rules (other than 21 or older if you plan to drink beer), so feel free to draw or work on whatever art you’d like.

Sketchy Saturday (1/28/23 – 10am-2pm)

Saturday, January 28th the MSCA will be hosting our first “Sketchy Saturday” at 901 Comics East from 10am until 2pm. It’s going to be a free hands-on workshop for anyone interested in creating some sketchcards and sketchcovers. We’ll have plenty of sketchcard blanks and a few sketchcover comics to share (901 sells some, too), plus some markers, and extra Bristol paper to play on if anyone needs them. Please feel free to bring any supplies you’d like to use, or if you’re not interested in drawing sketchcards or sketchcovers, do come on by and bring a sketchbook to work in.

Some of you may remember many of our members getting together at Bookstar, Adam Shaw’s studio, Michaels, and other locations when we’d get together to just hang out and draw.

Like the MSCA Drink-N-Draw event (Wed.1/18, 6-8pm), if this goes well we’ll look at doing more “Sketchy Saturday” type of events in 2023. We’d like to keep these casual and more of a sharing of ideas and techniques than an actual class, but if anyone would like to host/teach a class just give me or MSCA president Kevin Williams a yell: midsouthcartoonists(at)gmail(dot)com.

These gatherings are to encourage setting aside time to draw, being social, and sharing ideas, news, and techniques with others, and give us some additional meet-ups for anyone who can’t make our monthly dinner ones at Garibaldi’s.

901 Comics East
8551 Macon Rd.
Cordova, TN 38018
www.901-comics.business.site

Just take Germantown Pkwy. to Macon Rd. (Malco and Whataburger), go about a half mile up and after the post office take the left at the 3-way stop, and then a right at the next 4-way between the school and apartments. Continue on Macon about another block or two, continuing straight after the 3-way stop at Dexter. The comic shop will be on the right in the shopping center next to the Pit Stop food truck court (Greenline runs behind the shopping center).

SPAMALOT/spamalittle (March 3-19, 2023)

Germantown Community Theatre
3037 Forest Hill Irene RD.
Germantown, TN 38138
www.gctcomeplay.org
901.453.7447

Happy New Year! Stay warm, stay dry, stay safe, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!

Linwood

ZineFest/Record Swap Coming Back To Crosstown Concourse In September

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Shared by Dale Martin(our MSCA Zine editor/publisher), here’s an opportunity for many folks to get their first-ever table set-up, have a new outlet for your books, or return to the event!

Contact Courtney Fly (courtney@crosstownarts.org) for more information and/or to reserve your table for this awesome event at the Crosstown Concourse!

From Courtney…

Hi everyone!!!!

I hope you all have been great! I’m happy to announce that Zine Fest 7, in collaboration with the Memphis Listening Lab’s 2nd annual Record Swap, is a go this year! The event will take place again on the second floor of the Central Atrium. We do anticipate a good crowd this year as the Memphis Listening Lab will be open during this time and should also help generate some extra foot traffic!  Of course I wanted to go ahead and extend an invite to you all if you’d like to participate again this year! We can provide the table again! The times are 10-5 on Saturday, September 3rd and 10-3 on Sunday, September 4th. Please let me know if you’d like to be a zine vendor this year by Friday, August 19th so I can mark you down for a table! 

Looking forward to hearing from you! Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Courtney Fly
Event Coordinator
___________________________

C R O S S T O W N   A R T S
___________________________

1350 Concourse Ave. Ste 280
Memphis, TN 38104
www.crosstownconcourse.com

 

A “zine”  (/ziːn/ ZEEN; short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation. (Wikipedia)

The MSCA has published 6 issues of the “The Good, The Bad, And The Sketchy”, a  zine anthology with B/W interiors (5″ x 8.5″) which features art by various MSCA members. It was a fun group project that we hope to return to.

Some issues have not only had art created at MSCA dinner meet-ups, but the actual zine itself has been put together at them as well!

These zines can currently be purchased at MSCA events and at local Memphis comic shops– Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics. Be sure to stop by Dale’s  Zine Fest booth and check out his numerous zines and merch.

Crosstown Concourse
1350 Concourse Ave, Memphis, TN 38104 (off N. Watkins St. between Union and Jackson)

Crosstown Concourse is a mixed use development in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located in the heart of the Crosstown neighborhood, so named for the intersecting trolley tracks at Cleveland and Poplar that connected Memphis commuters to the neighborhood in 1927.

Crosstown Concourse itself is located at the intersection of North Parkway and N. Watkins Street and is the western terminus of the V&E Greenline.

The structure stands 14 stories tall and includes 65,000 square feet of retail, 630,000 square feet of commercial office space, 265 apartments, and a high school. Crosstown Concourse was once a Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution center and retail store, which opened on August 27th, 1927, welcoming nearly 30,000 visitors on its first day.

“Bluff City Life” Interview And Clip Studio Tutorial With “Bluff City Blues” Novic Creator At MSCA Dinner Meeting

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On March 29th MSCA president Kevin L. Williams was interviewed by host Andy Mannis for “Bluff City Life”, which aired on WMC TV5 here in Memphis. Kev and Andy discussed the MSCA and our 35th anniversary this year (March 28, 1987).

If you missed the MSCA segment when it played you can now check it out online here.

On Tuesday, April 5th, we got back together for our MSCA monthly dinner meeting at Garibaldi’s Pizza. This was our second meet-up back at Garibaldi’s since we had to stop due to the pandemic back in March 2020.

We had another great turnout- not only some of our usual suspects, but folks we haven’t seen for a while like brothers Marvin and Spencer Cheveallier, former MSCA prez Charles Ettinger, and a new face- Courtney Dunn, from the Brooks Museum Of Art who heard about us from one of the postcards we recently sent out. She brought a few of her sketchbooks to show- which were great. Always love to see other artists’ sketchbooks.

I had Dale Martin sign my copy of “The Dragon Templar” comic. I picked up a copy of the first issue at The Cellar. He and writer Brad Starnes are working on the second issue now.

We had fun hanging out, talking toons, and eating pizza and pasta. Lots of catching up to do as always, sketchbooks to be looked at, drawings to be done, and more freebie swag to be had.

Towards the end of this meeting, member Antonio Johnson brought along his laptop, tablet, and extra monitor to do a tutorial on the art program Clip Studio Paint.

He showed us the basics that can be done, and took lots of questions from the group. A few members use the program and added some of their expertise to the conversation.

A few months back Charles had shown us a bit of how he used the program while on one of our Zoom meetings. He was working on the Memphis issue of our MSCA Zine. I was impressed with the what could be done with it in just those few minutes.

After last night I’m amazed to find out more about what else it can do and support, and for a very reasonable price. I really hadn’t thought about getting a new graphics program (I use Corel Draw and Photoshop), but am really tempted to get it and a new tablet for my new laptop. The question is, since I draw outside the computer left handed, and draw inside the computer right handed, do I just stick with the way things are, learn it left-handed since I’ve got to learn to use the program, or try to get comfortable with either hand- just in case..?

You can check out Antonio’s art at www.adjdesign.com, as well as purchase some of his and wife Tamika’s books, merch and apparel in their shop here.

Since the restaurant closes a bit earlier these days we didn’t have a long time to really get into what all the program can do, but it was a fun introduction to it for many of us. Thanks to Antonio for teasing us with Clip Studio Paint. I hope we can have more demonstrations at future meetings. If anyone would like to lead one, please give Kevin a yell so we can schedule it.

Also looking for guests to talk toons on our Drawing Funny podcast. I can either do a Zoom call or meet in person if needed. Just shoot me an email at podcasy(at)drawingfunny(dot)com and we’ll schedule it. I’d also be happy to interview anyone at our meetings or other events.

I’m glad we were able to have monthly Zoom meetings during the pandemic, but man it’s great to be meeting back in person again.

Don’t forget that MidTownCon is this Saturday from 10-4pm at Black Lodge Video here in Memphis. More and more cons and events are starting up again.

Also, mark your calendars- Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022 is set to be celebrated 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.

Oh, and Dale Martin has his first show of the year he’s participating in- the Annesdale Snowden Neighborhood Art Walk in Memphis. Dale does a lot of art shows and festivals around the mid-south, so keep an eye out for him and his work.

Stay “tooned” for more MSCA anniversary updates and member news. Hope you all are doing well and drawing funny!

Lin

Back To Virtual Until 2022

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Hey, gang-

I have a quick few bits of MSCA news for you. First up is some meeting updates from our Prez Kevin L. Williams…

Hi, all-

With the latest details on Covid-19/Delta Variant from the Shelby County Health Department, I am going to cancel further in-person gatherings until January 2022. We will still gather digitally (via Z00m).

I look forward to seeing you all in a week at the zoom meeting!!  Have a great week, keep well, and keep safe

Sling that ink!
Push those pencils!
Craft those words!
Doodle those digitals!

Your Prez,
Kev

For the link to join in on the Zoom meeting or to join our mailing list contact Kevin at midsouthcartoonists (at) gmail (dot) com.

Hopefully if all goes well between now and the end of the year we will be back in person in the big room at Garibaldi’s Pizza near the U of M on the first Tuesday of January, 2022.

Here is some MSCA member news…

Member Jim Palmer let us know that he’s acting in “The Secret Garden” starting this month at Theatre Memphis. We all know it’s no secret that Jim and his wife JoLynn are terrific thespians!

Jim says, “I play the “crusty ol’ gardener” BEN WEATHERSTAFF, (a nice, but small role).  Of course, ALL this could change due to Covid, but, for now, this is the plan.”

The Secret Garden                

Next Stage

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Adapted and Directed by Jason Spitzer

Touching and Sentimental. Foul-tempered, young Mary Lennox is an orphan sent from India to live in her distant family’s gloomy mansion on the desolate English moor. Once there, she discovers a sickly cousin who has never seen the light of day, a magical boy who can talk to the animals, a mysterious uncle haunted by the memory of his dead wife, and a long forgotten, secret garden hidden behind a locked door. This new adaptation of a timeless classic will open the door to the innermost places of your heart.

THE SECRET GARDEN is scheduled to open Fri. September 24 at THEATRE MEMPHIS, & continue Sept. 25, 26, 29, 30, Oct. 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,&10.  All evening performances will now begin at 7:30pm & Sunday afternoon shows at 2:00pm.

For information contact Box-office at 901•682•8323 or email theatrememphis.org .

The MSCA would like to welcome cartoonist Tim Jones to our group!

Tim is a self-syndicated comic strip artist from Rhode Island where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Cartooning for over 20 years, he created his comic strip, Sour Grapes, in 2013, which is currently published in multiple newspapers throughout Rhode Island, Southern Massachusetts, California and Texas. Tim is a member of ARIA (Association of Rhode Island Authors) and a member of The National Cartoonists Society.

You can read his comic at sourgrapescomic.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

I (Lin) got laid off this summer from my printing day job. Since most of what we printed was event and school related orders, COVID had caused printing orders to slow to a trickle. I was able to pick up a part time job working at Area 51 Ice Cream a couple weeks ago. The new/larger location is still on Commerce Street in Hernando, MS. It’s within walking distance of our house, so I don’t have to risk my life driving on I-55 and 240 every day- well, unless they need me to fill in any at their Crosstown Concourse location! I’m also working on some new tee designs for them and will post those later.

Nicki and I have known the Cubbage family who run A51 for years now. We stopped in for Nicki’s birthday right after they opened and have been frequent customers ever since. Oh, I’m not the only “Lin” at the shop- their alien mascot shares my name. The ice cream is scratch made in-house and several of the flavors feature produce grown locally. Great seasonal flavors, shakes, drinks, and baked goods are available. Check out their Facebook page for their daily menus, or stop by and sample some.

I recently dropped off my latest sketchcover to The Cellar out in Bartlett. It’s a “Suicide Squad” Polka-Dot Man comic with a wraparound hand-drawn cover. Done in pencil, Copic markers, black Pigma Micron pens, white Gelly Roll pen, and white Prismacolor pencil.

Lonnie Easterling’s two sketchcovers (top left and center) and my three- Polka-Dot Man, Dr. Who, and The Riddler are for sale at the shop.

I also still have several of my sketchcards that are available for sale- both official artist returns from companies like Topps, Crytozoic, and RRParks Cards and personal sketch cards drawn on my own custom blanks. The profits from those sales help fund my comics and art supplies habits..! I recently did sketchcards for an Ultraman card set, and am finishing up a Zorro set this week.

Be sure to check out the MSCA Zine The Good, The Bad, And The Sketchy at The Cellar- issues 1-6 are available for sale.

Don’t forget to snag you some free MSCA, Drawing Funny Podcast, and Memphis Ghostbusters swag while you’re there. It’s near the front door. Lots of stickers and buttons to choose from.

The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics

2737 Bartlett Blvd

Bartlett, TN 38134

(901) 382-8623

ComicCellarOnline.com

Hope you all are having a Happy 901 Day!

Lin

News On New “Drawing Funny” Podcast News Episode

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Hey, gang-

We’ve got a new news episode of “Drawing Funny“- Episode 27 – “MSCA News Update”.

Show Notes: This episode is a semi-shorter one, but lots of MSCA news like Greg Cravens‘ “Hubris” Patreon, Kevin “Nuggethead” Thorn‘s new political hat in Hernando, MS, the updated MSCA links page, thoughts on next year’s MSCA 35th anniversary (1987-2022), info on upcoming MSCA monthly meet-ups – plus local events like Free Comic Book Day, The Covington Comic Con, Disney exhibit at Graceland, and Artists’ Link art show at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Also a little bit of discussion of this year’s Superman Celebration and Supergirl Radio podcast interview, “The Suicide Squad” movie, and my recent sketchcards and unemployment situation- yay, fun…

Stay safe, and stay tooned- but mostly stay safe..!

BTW: If you want to be a part of the show, would like to have your comics project, event, or podcast featured on a future episode, or have MSCA member/Memphis art scene news please give me a yell. 30-60sec MP3 commercials are welcome, too.

You can contact me at:

podcast(at)drawingfunny(dot)com

You can hear my “Drawing Funny” promo spot here.

Hope to talk toons with ya!

Lin

.

$upport You Local Cartoonist$

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Our own Greg Cravens has a Patreon for his webcomic “Hubris”. Patreon levels begin at $1 a month!

“As the newspapers dwindle, and webcomics are the go-to for the daily comics, Hubris! is your safe-for-work/family comic. Aside from four comic strips a week (at this point), there are links to outdoorsy videos, cartooning lessons and video, absurd product reviews by people that, frankly, abuse their outdoor/recreational gear just the way YOU do, and silly stories about mishaps out-of-doors. Join Team Hubris, read, enjoy, then go outside and play, for heaven’s sake.”

There are several different sponsorship levels, some include getting original comic strip art and caricatures by Greg.

Check out the Greg goodies at:
www.patreon.com/Hubris

You can find copies of his books in bookstores and online at Amazon, and see several examples of Greg’s advertising, illustration, syndicated strips and webcomics work on his site:

www.cravenscartoonist.com


Greg also has his comic book “Stoned Ninja” available for sale at 901 Comics.

While you’re at 901, be sure to pick up one of our  MSCA zines, or Dale Martin’s “Watusi” zines. You can also pick up the MSCA zines in town at Comics & Collectibles and The Cellar.


At The Cellar you can also purchase sketchcards by me (Lin Workman), and sketchcovers by me and Lonnie Easterling.

Each are hand-drawn and one of a kind. There are both official artist returns from companies like Topps, Cryptozoic, Breygent, and RRParks Cards ($100ea)…

…and personal sketchcards done on my own custom card blanks ($25ea).

I’ll be adding more of them and hopefully soon we can get back to drawing these at the comic shop and/or at Michaels again.

We are planning to be at the Woodruff-Fontaine House next month, and back at Garibaldi’s Pizza starting in January (fingers crossed), so be sure to get Greg to scribble on your comics at one of our MSCA monthly meet-ups!

Lin

Three Amigos- Our Latest In Person Monthly Meeting

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Hey, gang-

Well, this last Tuesday was the 1st Tuesday of the month which means it was time for our monthly MSCA meet-up. The weather was amazing- especially for the first week of August in Memphis! Kevin Williams, Greg Cravens, and I met up in a shaded area of Overton Park. We had a fun time talkin’ toons and swapping freelance war stories.

The next in-person meeting will be at the Woodruff-Fontaine House on Tuesday, September  7th at 6pm. We’ll be meeting outdoors under one of the many shade trees on the grounds, so bring a chair, something to eat/drink, and any art, books, swag, etc. you’d like to share/show with everyone. I’ll have some freebie “Drawing Funny”swag to share.

Beginning in January we’ll be meeting in person back at Garibaldi’s Pizza – fingers crossed!

2022 will be the MSCA’s 35th anniversary. This was the promo flyer for the first meeting way back in March, 1987- art by Jack Cassady.

What would you like to see the group do to celebrate this milestone..? Any suggestions on making those things happen? Any upcoming 2022 events we could participate in as a group?

Bring your wish list and suggestions, plus any ways you think we could make them happen to our next meeting and let’s discuss the future of the MSCA.

Speaking of upcoming events, Dale Martin shared this Zine Fest news from the Crosstown Concourse…

“The 6th annual Memphis Zine Fest will be held inside the Central Atrium of Crosstown Concourse for two days, Saturday, September 4th and Sunday, September 5th. The event times will be 10-4 pm and this year, the Zine Fest will be in conjunction with the first annual Memphis Listening Lab/WYXR Record Swap event. There will be a lot going on that weekend and it should be a lot of fun!”

We’re planning on setting up a group table at the event. If any members would like to take a turn manning the table please give Dale or Kevin a yell. It will be the weekend before our next monthly meet-up in September. Should be a great way to promote our group and move some MSCA “The Good, The Bad, & The Sketchy” Zines..!

BTW- last Saturday, July 31st Nicki and I made a day trip up to Metropolis, IL for the annual Superman Celebration. I’ll have a blog post about our adventures in the home town of Superman on my Have Geek, Will Travel blog, as well as doing a recap on “Drawing Funny” soon, but you can see/hear us on the Supergirl Radio podcast or their YouTube channel. We were interviewed at the Celebration by Supergirl Radio co-host Rebecca Johnson. Our segment is towards the end of the episode, but you can see us behind Rebecca in the episode video on YouTube and Facebook.

Next year the Superman Celebration should be back to its normal weekend of the second full weekend of June.

That’s all for this update- stay \S/uper!

Lin

 

Drawn Together- Next MSCA Meeting In Person

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It’s finally happening!

Only one week until our first in-person monthly MSCA meeting– in over a year and a half!

Tuesday, August 3rd- 6pm in Overton Park Formal Gardens.

Below is all the info from the MSCA President Kevin L. Williams:

Dear Ink Slingers, Digital Doodlers, Pencil Pushers, and Word Doctors,

IN PERSON GATHERING

The first IN PERSON gathering will be in the Overton Park Formal Gardens, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 6:30 pm!!  Bring your own chair, your own food and drink, artwork to share (I plan to have a table for us to put items on).  This area is under some trees and flowers, it’s wide-open so we can spread out.

CLICK HERE for directions. You can park in the road behind the Levitt Shell.

RULES: 

If you are fully vaccinated, masks are optional but not required.
If you are NOT fully vaccinated, masks are required.
We trust you to make the decisions that are safer for you AND our members, so do what is right and don’t be “that guy.”

You might want to bring some mosquito spray just in case…

RAIN OPTION:

If it rains, we’ll use Zoom* to gather and visit.

Future gatherings in person will be in the gardens of the Woodruff-Fontain House Museum, with more details to come!

Be Safe, Be Happy, Be Well!
Your Pals,
Kevin L. Williams
& Muley the Mule

*(You can email Kevin at midsouthcartoonists (at) gmail (dot) com for the Zoom link and/or to join the MSCA mailing list.)

Going into 2022 we are planning on being back at our usual monthly meeting joint- the U of M area Garibaldi’s Pizza. We’ll be meeting there on Walker Ave. the 1st Tuesday of each month- if all goes well! March 5, 2020 was the last time we all met there…wow!

There are a few other events happening around our area, and some within driving distance. Before heading out, be sure to check out our “Drawing Funny” Con Survival Guide episode for tips on attending and setting up at conventions and other events.

This week/weekend is the annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL – July 30-August 1. The town festival is usually the second weekend in June, but like many events, it had to be cancelled in 2020 and moved this year because of COVID. It’s only about 3hrs north of Memphis, across the Ohio River from Paducah, KY.

Lots of artists, writers, celebs, events, vendors, costumes, and corndogs- plus a \S/uper-Museum and statues! Click here to see the full schedule.

‘INSIDE THE WALT DISNEY ARCHIVES’

July 23, 2021 – January 2, 2022. Graceland Exhibition Center, 3717 Elvis Presley Blvd. in Memphis, TN (just behind the Elvis Presley’s Memphis complex).

Elvis Week (Aug. 11-17) here in Memphis is just around the corner, but this 10,000-square-foot traveling  exhibit features Disney props, costumes and more will be in the M-town through January 2nd.

Tickets: $15 (adult); $8 (child, 5-10); free (4 and under). A $50 “Passport” allows a holder to visit the exhibit as often as he or she wants to during the six months. “VIP” tickets and other options also are available.

Numerous events will be held at Graceland in connection with the exhibit. For a full calendar and for tickets and other information, visit graceland.com/exhibition-center.

Comics & Collectibles has announced their plans for Free Comic Book Day, which is normally the 1st Saturday in May. It’s been pushed back to the middle of next month, and there’s a lot happening around town to celebrate this annual comics holiday.

Here are the details from C&Cs for this year’s FCBD…

Annual FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is Saturday August 14, 2021!
Due to the pandemic, this year will be a little different than previous events. Please see below…
1. MASK REQUIRED. No exceptions. This applies to ALL customers, including vaccinated individuals and children. Masks will not be provided, so don’t forget to bring your own. This is to protect everyone including those with weakened immune systems, our St. Jude patient customers, and children that are not old enough to be vaccinated. We appreciate your cooperation.
2. LIMITED NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS INSIDE THE STORE AT ONCE. We will have an employee at the entrance monitoring the number of customers in the shop, so there may be a wait to enter.
3. 20% OFF STOREWIDE – excludes, Sideshow Collectibles, new comics and previously discounted merchandise.
4. MINIMUM PURCHASE OF of $5 (before tax) required to obtain Free Comic Book Day books. Limit one copy of each book per person that makes a $5 or more purchase.
(Previous FCBD comics.)

901 COMICS EAST GRAND OPENING!!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 @ 10 AM CDT

FCBD will also see 901 Comics opening a 2nd location out in Cordova near the Wolfchase area- 8551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018. They have special guests Denys Cowan (Sat/14) scheduled for the grand opening (EDIT: Denys has had to cancel and the Grand Opening had been pushed back a week- will be doing FCBD both weekends), David Yost (Blue Power Ranger) on Sunday, August 15th from 12 PM – 4 PM, and more guest signings to appear later in the month.

They also have done some recent remodeling to their original Cooper-Young location. You can still find our MSCA zine, Watusi zines by Dale Martin, and Stoned Ninja comics by Greg Cravens there.

A new con has thrown its hat into the ring here in the Mid-South. The Covington Comic Con will be on FCBD- August 14th in Covington, TN. Bluff City Batman and his Batmobile as well as Eric’s Secret Stash toys/collectibles will be there.

Speaking of hats, congrats to our own Kevin “Nuggethead” Thorn. He’s wearing another hat around Hernando, MS moving forward. Kevin was recently appointed to the Hernando Planning Commission by newly elected Mayor Chip Johnson. Kevin will be helping the mayor and board of aldermen with the future growth of Hernando, which is the county seat for DeSoto County.

I (Lin Workman) recently just finished up some more ULTRAMAN sketchcards for RRParks Cards. These are the second batch I’ve done for this card set, and they will be randomly inserted in the card packs.

You can see my first set and some step-by-steps on my site- linworkman.com. I’ve got Zorro and Halloween/horror sketchcards on the drawing table next. I’ll have artist returns available for sale for each set.

I’ve got some of my Ultraman and other artist’s returns for sale at The Cellar over in Bartlett, TN. There are some sketchcovers for sale there as well.

Be sure to snag some swag while you’re there. Free stickers and buttons are available while they last.

Also, they carry copies of our MSCA Zine. You can also purchase some at Comics & Collectibles and 901 Comics in town and pick up some of the free swag, too.

That’s all for now- stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay tooned!

Lin

Meetings and Podcasting – What’s Up With The MSCA This Summer

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Here’s the latest meeting news from MSCA’s President Kevin L. Williams:

Dear Ink Slingers, Digital Doodlers, Pencil Pushers, and Word Doctors,
The response to in-person meeting “outdoors” for now was positive, so we’re going to press forward as mentioned below!
JULY ZOOM GATHERING!!

The next MSCA Gathering will be Tuesday, July 6, 2021, at 7 pm on Zoom.

If you’d like to join in on the meeting and didn’t the most recent group email, you can request the link by emailing midsouthcartoonists(at)gmail(dot)com.

IN PERSON GATHERING

The first IN PERSON gathering will be in the Overton Park Formal Gardens, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, at 6:30 pm!!  Bring your own chair, your own food and drink, artwork to share (I plan to have a table for us to put items on).  This area is under some trees and flowers, it’s wide-open so we can spread out.
CLICK HERE for directions. You can park in the road behind the Levitt Shell.

RULES: 

If you are fully vaccinated, masks are optional but not required.
If you are NOT fully vaccinated, masks are required.
We trust you to make the decisions that are safer for you AND our members, so do what is right and don’t be “that guy.”

You might want to bring some mosquito spray just in case…

RAIN OPTION:  If it rains, we’ll use Zoom to gather and visit, but you’ll still be required to provide your own food, drinks, and chairs – J

Keep your eyes open for details about a possible, cooler, new place for outdoor gatherings!

MSCA WEBSITE STUFFS!

Lin Workman is working hard on www.midsouthcartoonists.org and still needs several folks’ caricature, bio, website(s), and preferred contact methods.

Send website info to midsouthcartoonists(at)gmail(dot)com.

Don’t forget to check out www.drawingfunny.com – our official podcast. If you are interested in being a guest on the show and/or want him to pimp your publications and wares, email Lin at podcast(at)drawingfunny(dot)com.

Hope to see you at each of the events above!

Be Safe, Be Happy, Be Well!
Your Pals,
Kevin L. Williams
& Muley the Mule
__________________________________________
Well, since Kevin mentioned the podcast…
A new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode is available- Ep. 23: Winston Gambro.
Winston Gambro is a graphic designer by day, and comic creator by night. He’s created the comedy webtoon “Gumshoe City“, which has detective Meatball Matthews journeying out of his element when his best friend disappears and leaves behind a dead body; his online cyberpunk mystery “Overflow“, that has Ava Lee, a private detective attempting to prove her brother didn’t commit a war crime and possibly stop the end of the world; and his anthology comic series “Rex Radley: Boy Adventurer“, an all ages book that was inspired by every awesome cartoon made to sell toys (and was successfully backed by two Kickstarter campaigns). Winston currently lives in Aurora, IL with his cat, Hazel.
“Overflow” webcomic – www.overflow.thecomicseries.com
“Gumshoe City” webcomic – www.gumshoecitycomic.com
You can purchase Winston’s comics at- www.gumroad.com/winstongambro
Speaking of purchasing comics…be sure to stop by 901 Comics in Cooper/Young.
Our own Greg Cravens has issues of his comic series “Stoned Ninja” available for purchase- only $4.20ea. I picked up a blank sketchcover variant issue. Sketch ’em if ya got ’em!
You can also buy our MSCA Zine, as well as Dale Martin’s “Watusi“. Issues of the MSCA zine are available at Comics and Collectibles (Memphis, TN) and The Cellar Tabletop Games & Comics (Bartlett, TN), too. Be sure to snag some free MSCA and Drawing Funny swag while you’re there.
Before I go, I’d like to say congrats to my wife Nicki Workman. She has officially completed her first year of grad school, and did great this week on her first test of this semester. She’s been attending classes online for the U of M. She has a ways to go before they award her a Masters degree, but she’s doing great- and while holding down a full time job in a pandemic! I’m extremely proud of how hard she’s been working towards this goal, and how amazing her grades are- she is the smart..!
Hope to see you on the Zoom call in July.
Lin

Sweet Things In Store For You At Local Comic Shops

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This just in…the latest issue of “The Good, The Bad, and the Sketchy” zine! Issue #6 has a Memphis theme and features a cover by MSCA member Charles Ettinger. You can purchase a copy at any of the 3 local comic shops here in Memphis- Comics & Collectibles, 901 Comics, and The Cellar.

If you’ve missed out, there are still copies of issues #1-5 available, too.

While you are there be sure to snag some free swag– MSCA, Drawing Funny podcast, and Memphis Ghostbusters items are available while they last- buttons, pins, stickers, magnets, and more.

At The Cellar you can purchase some original art by MSCA members!

There are hand-drawn sketchcovers…

…and hand-drawn sketchcards available, including official artist returns from sets like Star Wars, Transformers, Mars Attacks, and more.

Two new Ultraman artist returns from RRParks Cards were recently added to the inventory of sketchcards.

Each is a one of a kind original art piece drawn by Lin Workman (me).

I did 10 sketchcards for the set, plus the two artist returns. You can see how I created them and others on my site- linworkman.com.

April 2nd was World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month.
Southaven Arts Council is pleased to exhibit artwork by artists who participate in Little House Art Project, which is sponsored by The Arc Northwest Mississippi, in the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library gallery. The Arc Northwest Mississippi is an advocacy organization for individuals of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Gallery is open to the public during normal library business hours.

BTW- if you are interested in starting up a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaign for your own art project, check out some of the Drawing Funny podcast episodes. We will have other episodes on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, and Patreon coming up. You can find links to other comics related podcasts on our MSCA links page.