Tag: Kevin Thorn

Dinner And Zines- Next Tuesday, September 5th

First up- dinner meeting details and zine news from recent birthday boy and MSCA Prez Kevin L. Williams…

Hi, everyone, especially the digital doodlers, ink slingers, pencil pushers, wordsmiths, and enthusiasts,

Next Tuesday, September 5, 2023, is our dinner gathering.  Hopefully, folks are still in town as the day before is Labor Day!

We gather at 6pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza, 3530 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN.  Bring money for delicious food, bring art to show, bring a friend…

I’ll be there a little early to meet up with Dale Martin and help get some binding underway for the next issue of The Good, The Bad, and The Sketchy, featuring a cover by Devin Hodges!  If you want to help and have a long-reach stapler, bring it.  CLICK HERE to see what I’m talking about.

At that dinner meeting we’ll be a month away from the art due date of our next big artshow, “Drawing Blood!”  If you’re participating, be ready to bring it to the October 3 dinner meeting!

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

In other local news…

Crosstown Concourse
Saturday, September 2, 2023
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Record Swap: 10 am – 5 pm
Zine Fest: 10 am – 2 pm
Tickets: Free and open to the public

This is a two-day event, on Saturday, September 2, and Sunday, September 3.

Calling all music lovers, record collectors, zinesters, artists, punks, poets, and weirdos!

Memphis Listening Lab/WYXR’s Record Swap and Crosstown Arts’ eighth annual Zine Fest are coming together for one awesome event in the Crosstown Concourse Central Atrium!

Shop from records, CDs, cassettes, and other music-related merch and memorabilia curated by Memphis Listening Lab on the first floor of the Central Atrium. WYXR will be selling tees and other radio station merch.

On the second floor of the Central Atrium, Crosstown Arts will host its annual Zine Fest where guests can shop for zines created by local makers.

Haven’t made a zine? No problem! We’ll have a free zine-making table! There will also be a DIY zine-making station each day of the fest with demonstrations and supplies to help you get started on making your very own zine! Just bring your ideas! Think Memphis, music, literature, punk, DIY, handmade prints, photographs, whatever you want!

This event is FREE and ALL AGES so bring your friends and family!

More MSCA news…

We recently had another great Satartday at 901 Comics.

“Stay Tooned!‘ for info on our next Satartday. They[re free and open to the public- and we have free art supplies for everyone to use including paper, sketchcards, markers, pencils, and more.

Our next MSCA Drink-N-Draw will be Wednesday, October 18th at 901 Comics East from 6-8pm.

That will be followed up by the Halloween Comic Fest at 901 Comics East on Saturday, October 28th from noon-4pm. Think Free Comic Book Day but with a Halloween twist.

Artist/author and now Arkansas resident Jerry Bingham was recently in the M-town for an in-store appearance/signing at 901 Comics East on August 19th. I was able to talk toons with Jerry and get my “Batman: Son Of The Demon” graphic novel signed.

Next 901 East comic guest will be local creator and ad-man Charles Marshall on October 14th.

Some congrats are in order- on August 5th at the FedEx Forum two of our MSCA members graduated from the University of Memphis.

 

Nick Workman not only completed her masters, but was the only one in her MBA class to graduate with a 4.0GPA..!

And Kevin Thorn completed was awarded his PHD and is now “Dr. Nuggethead”!
Congrats to both of our Brainiacs.

And belated birthday wishes to our own Kevin L. Williams who has a  birhtday earlier this month!

Some sad news…

Arleen Sorkin, original voice actress and inspiration for Harley Quinn, has passed away August 24 at the age of 67 f rom multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system.

Arleen, who made her TV debut as an extra on “Saturday Night Live” in 1982, achieved major recognition when she joined the cast of the popular soap opera “Days of Our Lives” in 1984. Her portrayal of Calliope Jones Bradford earned her two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress at the Daytime Emmy Awards. Sorkin would go on to reprise the role on several occasions, leaving a lasting impression on fans. In 1992, Arleen Sorkin ventured into the world of voice acting, taking on the role of Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn in the animated series “Batman: The Animated Series” after inspiring Paul Dini to create the character while he home sick watching “Days Of Our Lives”- as well as helping to inspire many future episode storylines. Arleen’s wise-cracking and charismatic portrayal of the Joker’s henchwoman resonated with audiences. That led to invitations for future episodes and voiceovers in video game adaptations featuring Harley. She was married to Christopher Llyod– the writer/producer (not actor/Doc Brown).

This week I’ve had a few folks reach out to me on local artist Mitch Foust’s recent passing (August 25). He and I had our falling out years ago, and only spoke in passing a few times at local conventions. We’d worked together with A.G. Howard and Greg Cravens for many years back in the late ‘80s and ‘90s and I do still have a lot of good memories. That’s me, Mitch, and A.G. at the 1992 Memphis Fantasy Con in Memphis.

My heart goes out to all his family and friends. I know they are hurting, and was glas to see so many people recalling positive experiences at cons and their appreciation of his art. He was very popular in the Sci-fi/fantasy community, did dozens of comic and book cover art, was a co-creator/publisher of “The Last Generation” comic book series, and co-founded The Wild Hare/Animated Jack’s retail stores in Memphis. I haven’t heard an exact cause of death, but 59 is way too young to leave this world.

Here are the visitation and funeral arrangements details:
Jerry Michell Foust Obituary – Memphis, TN (dignitymemorial.com)

Hope yo see you all this next Tuesday night at Garibaldi’s.

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Lego…” – Christmas LEGO Display By Kevin Thorn And Upcoming Brick Con

If you are a fan of LEGO have I got a couple local things to share with you.

First up, for the holidays a new Christmas LEGO display by MSCA member Kevin Thorn is now up at the Hernando Public Library for the month of December..!

He and his little helpers have a few new additions and have rearranged the layouts from last year’s display.

Kevin is not only builds with LEGO for fun, but has used the bricks for various projects in his freelance work. He is also one of the Planning Commissioners for the city of Hernando and is currently working on finishing up his PHD at the U of M.

There are two large cases on one wall, and a smaller one across the hall in the west lobby entrance.

If you get a chance to stop by the library, the LEGO display will be up for the rest of December. It is free to experience and open to the public during normal business hours (see below).

if If you didn’t make it out  to see the last two displays Kevin Williams and I did there you can see pics of the MSCA 35th Anniversary and Memphis Ghostbusters displays by clicking the red links or going to the MSCA Facebook page.

If you’d like to share some of your collection and set up a display please contact the Hernando Library-you can scan the QR code for more info.

And like the Southaven Library, the Hernando Library has a lot of art making opportunities. The library is located on Commerce Street near Hwy 51 and the Courthouse Square in Hernando, MS- about 15min from Memphis.

First Regional Library
(Hernando Public Library – established 1950)
370 W Commerce St
Hernando, MS 38632
www.firstregional.org

HOURS:
MONDAY  9:30-7:00
TUESDAY 9:30-7:00
WEDNESDAY 9:30-7:00
THURSDAY 9:30-7:00
FRIDAY 9:30-5:30
SATURDAY 9:30-5:00
SUNDAY CLOSED

And for our second LEGO event…

This spring, the LEGO are coming, the LEGO are coming..! (Yes, the plural of LEGO is “LEGO“.)

Memphis Brick Convention LEGO Fan Expo is coming to Memphis area  at the Landers Center (Southaven, MS) on April 22 & 23, 2023.
LEGO displays, LEGO masters, vendors, meet & greets, & MORE!From their website:Brick Convention is the ultimate LEGO® fan event, built by LEGO fans, for LEGO fans.

Some of North America’s best LEGO® builders will gather to display their incredible LEGO creations in the Fan Display Zone. Professional LEGO artists from around the world will be onsite showing off their works and available for meet-and-greets.

There are THOUSANDS of LEGO® bricks for you to play with in our multiple BUILDING ZONES.​

See the latest LEGO® sets to buy as well as specialist retailers selling cool vintage and collectible rare sets and accessories too. Plus lots of fantastic LEGO® themed gift ideas for fans of all ages. 

This is a MUST for all fans of LEGO® whatever their age!

According to their site, “tickets are selling out fast”. You can buy your general admission ticket with an exclusive 20% off by clicking here, otherwise they are $14.99ea. Children 2 years old and younger are free. Valid for Saturday or Sunday, 10am-1pm or 2-5pm. Please note that the exhibit hall will be cleared out at 1pm each day. A portion of the proceeds will go to the all-volunteer nonprofit organization — Creations for Charity.

4560 Venture Drive
Southaven, MS 38671

www.landerscenter.com/events/detail/brick-convention
www.brickconvention.com/

Hope you get a chance to check out Kevin’s LEGO Christmas display and visit the Brick Con.

Lin

The name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”. It’s our name and it’s our ideal.

The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder.

www.lego.com/en-us
www.lego.com/en-us/history/

News On New “Drawing Funny” Podcast News Episode

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

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Drawn Together- Next MSCA Meeting In Person

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

Stay Safe, Stay Warm, and Stay Tooned! New “Drawing Funny” Episode and MSCA “Winter” Zine Available

 

It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to get out of the house and visit together at Garibaldi’s Pizza for our monthly dinner meet-ups. It was always one of my reasons to get out of the house, even if my wife had to push me out the door when I didn’t feel like being social. I always felt better once I sat down and started talking toons with my fellow MSCA members. Hopefully we’ll be able to resume our group dinners and drawing nights sometime in 2021, but until it’s safe to get together in person we’ll continue to do our monthly MSCA zoom calls on the first Tuesday of each month.

Available online now is the Drawing Funny Podcast, Episode 10 – “Procrastination”. It’s the Mid-South Cartoonists Association’s December Monthly Zoom Meeting– well, most of it. We talked toons, discussed what’s happening around the M-town, swapped ideas on self-promotion/increasing eyes on our artwork, and how to make money with it and commissions during a time with no (or few) in person conventions.

We also discussed a couple of our favorite art books.

This monthly video call happened back on December 1st, and honestly with everything that’s been keeping me busy since this one was recorded it now qualifies as a “Flashback Friday” episode..! This one turned out to be a long episode and clocked in at just under 1hr 55min. As usual it was weird to not go hang out in the Garibaldi’s parking lot and talk for another hour or two like we tend to do in person.

You can find website and social media links for many of our MSCA members on the group’s Members Directory page, and the “Winter” zine issue is now available for purchase in local Memphis area comic shops.

901 Comics (Cooper/Young) – 901comicsmemphis.com

The Cellar Table Top Games & Comics (Bartlett Blvd.) – comiccellaronline.com

Comics & Collectibles (Poplar Ave.) – memphiscomics.com/wps

Next issue will be “Memphis” themed, and there is no buy in costs for members to participate. If you’re not on our MSCA mailing list contact El Prez Kevin L. Williams and he’ll make sure you get all the upcoming club info.

Happy Holidays– stay safe, stay warm, and stay tooned!

Lin

#supportyourlocalartists

#supportyourlocalcomicshops

#happyholidays

#wearamask

Our 2nd Zoom Meeting Was Out Of This World!

We had our second MSCA virtual dinner meeting on Zoom Tuesday night.

Thanks to Kevin “Nuggethead” Thorn for setting it up for us. He couldn’t stay for the meeting, but turned over the reigns to me (Lin) to let in folks who wanted to join in on the call.

We had a special VIP guest show up for the meeting- MSCA founding member Jack Cassady stopped by to catch up with us.

We got up close and personal with Jack for a minute or so, but as soon as he and Kevin Williams got their web cameras situated we got to talkin’ toons. We talked a lot about how the MSCA came into being, the first meeting, Jack’s other group he started in Florida, his teaching job, the NCS, and him repeatedly jumping out of perfectly good airplanes- over 1000 times…!

We also had a special appearance by Jason Negen’s new puppy! My wife Nicki and Jim Palmer’s wife JoLynn also popped in to say hi. Nicki even brought me chicken wings to eat.

Kevin Williams and Antonio Johnson had cooler backgrounds and spfx than the rest of us.

We spent several minutes at the beginning of the meeting just laughing at Kevin in outer space and the digital pizza party hat or sunglasses he was wearing.

Towards the end of the call Greg Cravens was able to join us for a bit. He was working late on a project and had finished just in time to join in on some of the virtual fun. Was glad to have Cravens join us and get a chance to speak to Jack.

It did feel weird that when we got done with the meeting we couldn’t walk outside Garibaldi’s Pizza and talk for another couple hours like we normally do when we meet in person.

We’re planning on making this a monthly event on the first Tuesday of each month until we can safely meet up in person again. If you’d like to be a part of it shoot Kevin Williams an email for an invite- midsouthcartoonist (at) gmail (dot) com. Just put “MSCA Zoom” in the subject line.