Tag: Mid-South Cartoonists Asociation

“Beyond The Emerald City” At Playhouse On The Square – A New Art Show By Dale Martin

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On Friday, November 12th Nicki and I eased on down the road to check out MSCA member Dale Martin‘s opening reception for his latest art show “Beyond The Emerald City” at Playhouse on the Square. We were running a bit behind getting to the show after grabbing some dinner at The Bayou around the corner, but were able to follow the black top road (Cooper Street) to it with a few minutes to spare!

It’s being shown upstairs in conjunction with Playhouse’s performances of “The Wizard Of OZ“. Talk about some fortuitous timing..!

Dale is a huge fan of the Land Of OZ, and it has been featured prominently in his “Watusi The Talking Dog” comics, zines, and art.

The art show is on display at Playhouse through December 28th, 2022 and can be visited during normal business hours and play performances.

To see the art show, as well as other art on display upstairs, just take the stairs (or elevator) to the second floor.

Dale’s show is just to the right and down that hallway. Many wonderful Wizard of OZ inspired pieces are hanging on both sides of the hallway space.

Dale and Wendy had refreshments and a pop-up shop set up at the top of the stairs near where his art pieces are on display.

There were prints, comics, and zines available for purchase, and Dale will have another pop-up-shop there on December 10th, from 10am-1:30pm.

Nicki and I really enjoyed getting to see Dale’s show, plus seeing some familiar faces including the MSCA’s Courtney and Kevin (and his friend Lisa) who were there as well when we finally arrived.

We loved checking out much of the other art by various artists that was on display at Playhouse on the Square by Priscilla Cunningham, Gerecho Delaney, Suzanne Evans, and Martha Kelly. They even had a large monitor  showing what was happening on stage at the time.

The space inside was amazing, as was the art. Really want to come back to explore more of the gallery areas and spend more time with the art.

Hope you can make it down to Overton Square to check out Dale’s “Beyond The Emerald City” art hos. Just be careful crossing the street –  Overton Square is pretty hoppin’ these days and you know how Memphis drivers can be when it comes to yielding to pedestrians, even at rainbow colored crosswalks!

Playhouse on the Square
66 South Cooper Street, Memphis, TN 38104
HOURS: Monday – Friday: 9AM – 5PM
Phone: (901) 725-0776 / Fax: (901) 272-2309
Email: info@playhouseonthesquare.org

Dale Martin, Cartoonist / P.O. Box 11291 / Memphis, TN 38111
Handcrafting comics since 1985! www.smearysoapboxpress.com

Newsletter subscription: eepurl.com/bawHc9

Mail Call From MAW Productions…Shinobi: Ninja Princess – Illuminations

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Words from our friends the Wade’s at MAW Productions:

Shinobi: Ninja Princess – Illuminations

The holidays are upon us and what better way to celebrate than with the Ninja Princess, herself, as she takes in a little downtime for Christmas in New Tokyo. However, when she sees her fellow teammate, Hamasuke, sneaking around the Tokyo streets, their adventure takes them from the Christmas Illuminations of the city to the fighting game community of a local arcade and a crazed Otaku bent on videogame domination.Order your issue here and get a Christmas card and sketch with each book.

(L-R Janet, Martheus, and Anakin Wade)

Welcome to our universe! We are MAW Productions, a comic book studio and design company based in Memphis, TN. Our stories are all based in the Toshigawa Universe. It’s a universe of ninjas, martial arts, and Oni’s all centered around a young ninja named Shianndrea Toshigawa. We currently have two (2) manga inspired series going on right now (Shinobi: Ninja Princess and Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa) with a third (Iron Ninja 5) in the works now. Our newsletter is your direct line to get special deals on merchandise and breaking information on appearances with our book series. Thank you for following us on this adventure and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Our mailing address is:mawproductionsllc(at)gmail(dot)com

You can join their mailing list by going here (scroll to bottom of the page).

You can read more about the Wade’s and their The Art of Family origin story in Memphis Parent magazine…

…or in Memphis Magazine – by .

You can also find Jetta and Shinobi books at local comic shops. Look for them and other locally produced comics at Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics (midtown and east). If you don’t see them, be sure to ask if they can order them for you, or add to your subscription/pull-box list. Don’t have a hold box..? Then check with the shop about starting one so you don’t miss out on any future releases. It also helps the shops know what to order and how many of each issue.

 

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Dale Martin Art Show And Reception At Playhouse On The Square

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From MSCA member and zine publisher/editor, Dale Martin:

Hi there, Memphis friends!

I’m hoping that your weekend will be a good one, and I’d like to invite you to kick if off with an opening night reception for my “Beyond the Emerald City” show at Playhouse on the Square (66 South Cooper St.)! It’s this Friday (Nov. 11), from 5-7 p.m., just off the second floor lobby.

Admittedly, this show– a fan art love letter to the novels– is more comfort food than a palate-expanding meal … but sometimes mac & cheese is just what one needs, isn’t it? To stay on-theme, I’m bringing additional Oz goodies (prints, notecards, comics) and original art for sale at the event!

Can’t make it on Friday? My show is on display until Dec. 28, and you can stop in to see it during any of POTS open hours or prior to showtime (“The Wizard of Oz” is playing thru Dec. 22). I’ll also be participating in a Holiday Pop-up on Saturday, Dec. 10 (10-1:30, before that day’s matinee) with Martha Kelly (who also has a beautiful show running now at POTS that you would enjoy) and others. You’ll learn more about that in my next monthly newsletter (if you’re subscribed to it)…

Hope to see you on Friday!

– dale.

P.S. – if you want to sign up for my monthly email newsletter (featuring comics!), you can sign up at the link below…

Newsletter subscription: eepurl.com/bawHc9

Dale Martin, Cartoonist / P.O. Box 11291 / Memphis, TN 38111Handcrafting comics since 1985! www.smearysoapboxpress.com

 

Playhouse on the Square
66 South Cooper Street, Memphis, TN 38104
HOURS: Monday – Friday: 9AM – 5PM
Phone: (901) 725-0776 / Fax: (901) 272-2309
Email: info@playhouseonthesquare.org

Another Dinner Meeting Is In The Bag- A Trick ‘r Treat Bag!

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Hey, gang-

We had another successful turnout for our November 1st MSCA dinner meeting at Garibaldi’s Pizza.

We were back in the big room on the right again.

Members brought sketchbooks and portfolios of their work to show (those are Courtney’s and Devin’s).

And Greg came with his new Con Cards game. He had some sample packs to share with everyone.

He taught folks how to play the card game. It was pretty quick to pick up. He’s looking to take the game on the road to cons around the country.

Thanks to Greg for my birthday present of a Con Cards collector tin and button. Keep an eye out here for upcoming news on his upcoming Kickstarter.

I normally try to bring some free MSCA swag and comics to share with the group. This time I had some MSCA magnets, some Halloween ComicFest comics from 901 Comics East, 3 Stooges and MST3K trading cards from RRParks Cards, candy, ConK flyers, and since we were celebrating my birthday I brought along some cookies, too.

Speaking of cookies, I share a birthday (today) with our special guest…

Cookie Monster stopped by to wish me a happy birthday, and eat some cookies!

Was glad my wife Nicki was able to come along. She actually ran into our friend Traci and got to hang with her for a bit. They haven’t been able to see each other much lately because of work and school.

Dale Martin popped in for a second, but had to leave. He did drop off some postcards for his current “Beyond The Emerald City” art show at Playhouse On The Square.

From Dale:

Made up of a selection of comic pages from my story, along with other Oz-inspired artwork, my “Beyond the Emerald City” show will be on display from October 14-December 28, 2022, in conjunction with Playhouse’s staging of “The Wizard of Oz”. That fortuitous timing (pointed out to me by someone else, since I had totally missed the opportunity it presented) was just too good to pass up, even if it meant completing work for the show on a tighter schedule than I’d have liked. Pushing deadlines can work when it comes to publishing comics online, but my paintings need time to cure before varnishing! Still, it all came together, and has made for what I think is a really satisfying show.

“Beyond the Emerald City” is an exhibition of OZ-themed comics & artwork, on display Oct. 14-Dec. 28, 2022 at Playhouse on the Square, 66 South Cooper St., Memphis.

  • Please join Dale for an artist reception on Nov. 11, 5-7pm!
  • He’s sharing a popup shop with artist Martha Kelly on Dec. 10, 10am-1:30pm!
  • To read “Watusi in Oz”, start here. You can read the newest Watusi comic here.

On stage: “The Wizard of Oz” (Nov. 11 – Dec. 22) – get tickets here.

Other art on exhibit at Playhouse on the Square is by Priscilla Cunningham, Gerecho Delaney, Suzanne Evans, and Martha Kelly.

You can find lots of words (& some pictures) on Dale’s blog. You can find lots of pictures (& some words) on his Art and Illustration page. Comics, of course, have both…

The Monster Market closed up shop on Halloween night. Dale and I both had art for sale in the online storefront. Don’t know how well it (and we did), but the kickoff party on October 1st was slammed!

After our month long MSCA display in September at the Hernando Library Kevin and I put up a Ghostubsters one in it’s place for October.

The library has 3 glass display cases in their west lobby entrance- one small and two larger.

We put a mix of the Ghostbusters movies, animation, and more form our collections, including some Memphis Ghostbusters and signed items.

Unfortunately we recently had to take it all back down to make way for their next displays. We hope to more displays and events with them in the future.

After the last Drawing Funny podcast episode, I realized we that I just reached the two year anniversary, and am now moving into season 3!

I started the podcast during the pandemic to help keep the MSCA members updated, record/save some of our zoom calls, talk toons with guests, and get the word out about our group and local happenings. Hopefully listeners have enjoyed it. If you haven’t checked it out yest there are close to 50 episodes available to download. Just go to www.drawingfunny.com or anywhere you like to listen to podcasts.

Before I get out of here our next dinner meeting will be Tuesday, December 6th, from 6-8pm. Hope you can make it out, and if you got any Con Cards be sure to bring them along to play. We’ll also be ding an art swap- more info to come on that.

Lin

Garibaldi’s Pizza
3530 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111

(901) 327-6111
www.garibaldispizza.com

October Happenings

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Hey, gang- got a blog post full of art happenings and MSCA news for you.

We had a good turnout for our October dinner meeting at Garibaldi’s Pizza, and lots more freebies available for attendees. And since it’s October there’s lots more going on around town this month.

MSCA member Dale Martin has a busy month ahead: two art shows – the latest Nasty Women Memphis show Choice at Marshall Arts, 639 Marshall Ave. (closing reception Friday, Oct. 21, 6-8 pm), and OZ inspired art in Beyond the Emerald City at Playhouse on the Square in conjunction with their staging of “The Wizard of Oz” from October 14-December 28, 2022 (artist reception on November 11th and pop-up shop on December 10th)…plus the Memphis Monster Market online now through the end of October!

Get the whole scoop (and the latest Watusi comic) in his October newsletter. You can subscribe in the link below…
https://mailchi.mp/5cc9bec9a392/ssnews1022

Speaking of the Monster Market– it’s currently open online and the in person kickoff party was a blast!

They had an amazing turnout for the one night only event at Marshall Arts.

There was a photo booth, a wall to draw on, framed art on the wall to check out, items to buy…

…and did I mention there was an open bar..?

Lots of fun items were for sale by many of the Monster Makers…

…and we saw several familiar faces at the event. The lines to check out were very long but continued to move along throughout the night, right up until closing- which is a great sign!

Like Dale (Smeary Soapbox Press), I’ve got some of my Scared Silly and Monsterpieces for sale.

They had to go online only because of the pandemic, but I hope that next year they can get back to being an in person pop-up shop again.

If not and it’s still a virtual storefront, I do hope they throw another kick-off party like this year’s shindig. Nicki and I had a great time shopping and talking.

Last month MSCA president Kevin Williams and I put up a display at the  First Regional Library in Hernando to celebrate the Mid-South Cartoonists Association’s 35th anniversary. Now  we’ve got a Ghostbusters display up for October.

It’s filled with items from mine and Kev’s personal collections including autographs, patches, and equipment. You can check it out in the library’s lobby all month long during the library’s normal business hours. You can also check out more about our Memphis Ghostbusters group here.

RiverArtsFest is a celebration of fine arts and fine local music with live artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities for all ages. More than 150 artists from around the country and right here in Memphis gather to exhibit and sell their latest works of original fine arts in what’s become the largest juried artist market and urban festival in the Mid-South. The event is Sat, Oct 22 – Sun, Oct 23 from 10:00am-5:00pm. Adult tickets are $10 for 1 day, and $15 for 2 days. Children (6-12yrs) tickets are $5ea and kids 5 and under are free. The 2022 RiverArtsFest will be held on Riverside Drive in Downtown Memphis, TN.

The Midtown Con will be back at Black Lodge (405 N Cleveland) on Saturday, October 29th from 10am-5pm. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free. That same day 901 Comics East on Macon in Cordova will be celebrating Halloween Comic Fest in-store. Free comics, cards, and more will be available.

 

At Crosstown Concourse– FRIGHT-TOBER movies, because “free” fits everyone’s budget, especially artists…

Soulsville USA Festival is 10/15, with free admission to the Stax Museum.

Come see MSCA member Jim Palmer at Germantown Community Theatre(3037 Forest Hill Irene RD., Germantown, TN 38138) in:

AN INSPECTOR CALLS    Oct 21 – Nov 6, 2022 

In 1912 pompous industrialist Arthur Birling, who has hopes of a knighthood, his superior wife Sybil and young son Eric are celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila to eligible Gerald Croft when they are visited by blunt Inspector Goole. He tells them of the suicide of a young woman named Eva Smith and though they all claim not to have known her the inspector demonstrates that each in their own way contributed to her downfall.

Don’t forget, we’ll be having another MSCA group art show at GCT this spring during their production of Spamalot.

Lonnie Easterling is enjoying working digitally and has been hitting it out of the park with his #FrightFall2022 drawing challenge toons.

This last weekend, DaMarco Randle, the Wades (Martheus, Anakin, Janet), and Kevin Williams participated in this year’s Paint Memphis in the Broad Avenue Arts District area.

Oh, and thanks to 901 Comics for having comics legend Joe Staton in for a couple signing appearances at the first of October. Nicki and I got to stop by the 901 Comics East Macon Rd. location to see Joe and get a few comics signed before heading down to the Monster Market opening.

901 Comics (both locations) along with Comics & Collectibles and The Cellar will be celebrating Halloween Comic Fest on the Saturday before Halloween (Saturday, October 28th) with some freebies while they last. If you can’t make it by, you can still download some free digital comics by clicking here.

Hope you all have a Happy Halloween, and can make it out to our next MSCA dinner meeting on Tuesday, November 1st/All Saints Day from 6-8pm. We might have some surprises for you to enjoy..!

Lin

PS: Happy Birthday to MSCA member/former Prez Charles Ettinger!

Dinner And Drawing – Our Latest MSCA Get Together At Garibaldi’s

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Hey, gang- we recently got together for our monthly dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza over in the U of M area off Walker and Highland near Southern.

We had a good turnout again this month, and had a good time discussing what everyone has been u to lately and sharing some art.

 

 

More freebies were available for folks who attended. Kevin brought some more MSCA postcards, Jack Chapman brought some art books to give away, and I brought along some Free Comic Book Day comics from my day job at 901 Comics East, more MSCA sketchcard blanks, and a few of the promo trading cards (featuring my art) from the upcoming Nosferatu Series Two card set produced by 4 different publishers: RRParksCARDS, Attic Cards, Leg Day Cards, and RJF.

I’ll bring a few more freebies to the next meeting in October including the Nosferatu promo cards, and some new MANOS trading cards I just received in the mail.

Oh, don’t forget that  if you stop by any of our local Memphis area comic shops- Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics, or The Art Center you can snag some free MSCA and Drawing Funny podcast swag.

We discussed a lot of the recent events like the Zine Fest, and upcoming events like Monster Market, Memphis Comic Expo/DonnieCon, MidTownCon, annual NCS Fest/Reuben Awards, and the ongoing MSCA display at the Hernando Public Library.

annual

The Monster Market is an on-line store which features original art, prints, and other monstrous merch. There will be an in-person open house on October 1st at Marshall Arts. I’ll have some of my “Scared Silly” prints, canvases, buttons, stickers, magnets, and more available for sale there, as well as some of my hand drawn sketchcards. Dale Martin will also be a part of the artist line-up for this year’s market.

The Memphis Comic Expo (AKA “DonnieCon“) is back in the M-Town with over 70,000 square feet of expo space featuring comics, artists & writers, a cosplay contest, panels, vendors, voice actors, food, drinks, and more!

Agricenter International
(Entrance in Wing C)
7777 Walnut Grove Road (near Germantown Pkwy.)
Memphis, TN 38120
FREE PARKING on premise.

Expo Hours:
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
VIP Ticket holders will have early entry privileges at 9:30am both days.

Tickets are now on-sale, but VIP tickets have sold out.

Our own Greg Cravens is the Membership Chairman for the National Cartoonists Society and will be in attendance for the NCS’s annual meeting and awards. This year it’s being held in Kansas City, MO. If you’d like to find out more about becoming an NCS member, be sure to ask Greg about it, or check out the NCS website at www.nationalcartoonists.com.

When I got home from the MSCA dinner I had some NCS Icons pins waiting for me in my mailbox. You can order some here. I also recommend checking out the NCSFest online. Lots of great interview, panels, and other cartooning videos to check out.

And speaking of checking out some cartooning, the Hernando Library display cases are full of original art, printed comics and zines, newsletters, promotional materials. art show invitations, and more from the club’s 35 year existence in the Memphis area.

 

We showcased some production art and tools of the trade from back when art was literally cut and paste, like some examples of  our early logo and original promo flyer.

 

We tried to include some original art and notes next to the finished printed materials to show a peek of the  process of creating the art.

It was fun to be art archaeologists and MSCA historians as we dug though the club’s archive box and history scrapbooks. There was so much we had forgotten about or didn’t know about. Definitely a learning experience for Kevin and me. Soooooo much more we wanted to display, but just ran out of room.

 

We’ll see about adding in other items next time. We’d love to do a future  one  featuring original comic art and final printed pages/covers by MSCA members.

If you get a chance to stop by the library it will be up for the rest of September, and will be followed by a Ghostbusters display by the Memphis Ghostbusters. Oh, and for the holidays a LEGO display by Kevin Thorn is coming up in December..!If you can’t make it by, you can see more pics on the MSCA Facebook page, and a few more will be added as soon as I get the pics Kevin took while we were there.

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

The dinner meetings are casual and open to the public. 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- and any art questions you may need answers to.

Please be sure to introduce yourself and let us know you’re there to hang out with the MSCA.

The room is reserved, but occasionally some folks don’t realize it and unintentionally join us.

 

 

This month there was some drawing done during dinner…go figure! There has been talk about trying to get back together to do more zines, and we will have another art show at the Germantown Community Theatre in spring 2033.

Dinner gatherings are always the first Tuesday of the month  starting at 6:30pm (or a bit earlier if you’d like) at Garibaldi’s Pizza, 3530 Walker Ave..Our next one is Tuesday, October 4th.

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- lots of great pasta, sandwiches, and pizza to choose from!

Hope you can make it out and join us for dinner…and some cartooning conversation.

Lin

Garibaldi’s Pizza

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

^Additional photos by Kevin L. Williams.

MSCA On Display In Hernando

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Kevin L. Williams and I stopped by the First Regional Library in Hernando, MS on Saturday, September 1st to set up the Mid-South Cartoonists Association 35th Anniversary display.
It was tricky trying to represent the 3 and a half decades of MSCA history, but hopefully this will get the word out about our cartooning group!
The display cases are full of original art, printed comics and zines, newsletters, promotional materials. art show invitations, and more from the club’s 35 year existence in the Memphis area…
…and includes some production art and tools of the trade from back when art was literally cut and paste- wow, how times have changed!!! (The pen with cork is the same that Charles Schulz used to draw the “Peanuts” strips. Greg Cravens brought Kevin and I both one from the Schulz museum in Santa Rosa, CA.)
The displays also show some of the conventions and events we’ve been a part of. We helped start Artists Alley at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, and have a brick in front of the Noel Neill/Lois Lane statue. Our original one (in photo above) was broken and later replaced. We got to keep the original and Kevin had it glued back together.
Our own Con-Sequential is also represented, as is our involvement with Rock103 and their former morning show, The Wake-Up Crew.
The displays are in the west lobby of the library and are open to the public to see during business hours (see below).
There is a large two sided case on the left side of the hallway…
 
Inside are some of our art show invites like the Drawing Inspiration process show we did with the DeSoto Arts Council, and original art including our Are Cartoons Art? Askew Nixon Ferguson show , NWCC Peanuts/Schulz tribute show, and So Scary It’s Funny/So Funny It’s Scary Halloween show we had at Overton Square.
We would love to do another display to spotlight the MSCA and cartooning in the future- maybe have some original comic pages and the printed comics they’re from, and an art demo by members at the library.
Definitely interested in doing more there. (That’s a pic of Greg Cravens and the late Bob Bindig at the Ohio State Festival Of Cartoon Art, their sketches of Shoney Bear and Big Boy done at the event, and one of Greg’s “Shoney Bear” comics.)
Honestly, there was so much more of the MSCA we wanted to showcase but ran out of room!
If you get a chance to stop by after Labor Day it will be up for the month of September, and will be followed by a Ghostbusters display by us. Oh, and I heard a LEGO display by Kevin Thorn is coming up in December..!
If you can’t make it by, you can see more pics on the MSCA Facebook page, and a few more will be added as soon as I get the pics Kevin took while we were there.
Thanks to head librarian Jesse Pool and his staff. Nicki and I have always enjoy getting to curate different displays at our local library (Batman, DC Comics, Harry Potter, hockey, Star Wars, comics/animation), and hope the folks who visit the library enjoy experiencing them.
It’s great to get to share our collections with others, and love getting to discuss them with the people passing by as we’re setting the displays up.


I hope you get a chance to come out and see it all!

Lin


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

established 1950

HOURS:
MONDAY  9:30-7:00 (Closed Labor Day)
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

One Week Until Dinner…Hope To See You At Garibaldi’s Next Tuesday!

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Just a quick reminder about our upcoming MSCA dinner meet-up for next month on Tuesday, September 6th– which is next week already!

We’ll be getting together again around 6 or 7’ish at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza at 3530 Walker Ave. – right across from Tiger Books Store and just off the Highland Strip (heads up- there may still be some road construction on Highland).

The dinner meetings are always free and open to the public, but you may want to bring a few extra bucks to order something off the menu to eat and/or drink.

Also, be sure to bring some of your latest work and something to draw with. Doodling does happen during these events, and it doesn’t matter what hand (or foot) you draw with.

We’ll be discussing the upcoming MSCA display in September at the Hernando Public Library, and our group art show at the Germantown Community Theatre next year. We will have some freebie swag for those who attend. If you have any news you’d like to share with the group please do!

Hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it this time be sure to mark the 1st Tuesday of each month on your calendar.

MSCA Members Featured On TV, On-Line, In Print…And In Person!

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Hey, gang-

Lots to talk about- it’s been a busy week or two for several of our MSCA members…and one heck of a milestone for one!

Yep, happy 50th birthday to our president Kevin L. Williams!

Kevin celebrated half a century of being on this rock by hanging with friends last Saturday at First Congregational Church in the Cooper-Young neighborhood.

Muley The Mule And Friends performed for a room fool of party-goers and were joined by a special guest(s)…

Kevin’s friend Zach Haumesser and puppet pal Sebastian T. Frog flew in from Buffalo, NY – and boy were their wings tired..!

Okay, yeah- that joke was pretty bad…

Muley/Kevin and Sebastian/Zach performed with Missy Mule/Janet Wade, Buford Dog/Martheus Antone Wade, and Roy Duck/DaMarco Randle.

 

They did several numbers before we all had cake, and believe me there was plenty of cake, cookies, and other goodies to be had.

 

I really think Sebastian was just there for the cake…never get between a hungry frog with a fork and dessert!

 

 

Out in the hallway as we all made our way in there was a huge sketchbook for everyone to sign in, write birthday messages, and/or draw in which was a lot of fun to add to- and look at!

Before Nicki and I went by the birthday party, we had to stop by Marshall Arts (over near Sun Studio) to drop off my merch for the upcoming Monster Market in October.

The Monster Market is an on-line store which features original art, prints, and other monstrous merch. There will be an in-person open house on October 1st at Marshall Arts.

I’ll have some of my “Scared Silly” prints, canvases, buttons, stickers, magnets, and more available for sale there, as well as some of my hand drawn sketchcards. Dale Martin will also be a part of the artist line-up for this year’s market.

Speaking of sketchcards, I was on Episode 33 of the Penciled In Podcast, with hosts and sketchcard artists Lindsey and Ingrid. You can watch the episode on YouTube here, or listen on Spotify here.

We not only talked about drawing sketchcards, but also my beginnings in art, being a member of the MSCA and DeSoto Arts Council, art techniques, donating art to charities, and some of the times I’ve actually taught art classes like at the DAC and Little Art Hose Project.

My art has been featured on the promo cards for the upcoming Nosferatu Series Two trading card set being published by Attic Cards, RJF, Leg Day Cards and RRParksCARDS (4 publishers teaming up to produce a single card series). I’ll have sketchcards as part of that set, plus if anyone would like one I’ll have a few of the promo cards with me at the next MSCA dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza on Tuesday, September 6th. I’ll also have some MSCA sketchcard blanks and other swag with me, too- just ask if you make it out to join us.

A few months back Kevin Williams had been featured on TV5’s “Bluff City Life“. Last week, we had two more MSCA members featured on the show…

.

This time is was Martheus and Janet Wade from MAW Productions at  ToshigawaUniverse.com.

They were on with host Gina Neely to discuss their two creator owned comic series “Shinobi Ninja Princess” and “Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa“, working on comics as a family, and having their comics picked up by Scholastic. You can watch the interview online here.

And in other news- Roy Duck’s right-hand man DaMarco Randle was featured in an online interview with MemphisVoyager.com.

DaMarco discusses being inspired as a kid by watching art programs on TV, later earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Memphis College of Art, recently creating murals around Memphis, and the importance of always having a strong support system around him.

You can read the interview here and see more of his artwork at www.DamarcoArts.com.

If you have any member or industry news be sure to let me or Kevin know by emailing us at midsouthcartoonists(at)gmail(dot)com.

Lin

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
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C R O S S T O W N   A R T S
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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.