Dinner And Zines- Next Tuesday, September 5th

August 31, 2023September 3, 2023

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.

Like Two Peas In A Podcast- The Workman Interviews

July 8, 2023July 15, 2023

Time for some podcasting news…my wife Nicki and I have both been on podcasts featured on YouTube.

Recently Nicki was was asked to come on the Pencilled In Podcast and talk business with hosts Lindsey and Ingrid. Nicki shared some advice on art as a business, starting/running asmall business, intellectual properties, and more on Episode 78.

She’s currently finishing up her MBA at the U of M and there will be some serious celebrating in August when she graduates!

Was always great to have Nicki with me back when I was setting up at conventions, and I value her business advice immensly!

The Pencilled In Podcast usually focuses on creating sketchcards and trading cards, but they occasionally branch out to other topics that deal with art, self-publishing, and more.

Lindsey and Ingrid both self-publish their own swets of trading cards, and Ingrid has published three volumwes of “The Art Of Sketchcards” books. I had a few of my sketchcards featured in the third volume.

When I was on the podcast back on Ep. 33 we discussed my art career and the many sketchcards sets I’ve been a part of, as well as sharing what I’ve learned over the years.

One of the more recent sets I’d been a part of was the Gabe’s Cave Season Four set.

I did 15 sketchcards for S4, and will be doing 10 more for their Season Five set later this year.

I got to talk to Gabe’s Cave owner Marty Rossen on their YouTube channel. Some of my art in Marty and his son Gabe’s collection has been featured in other of their videos, but this was the first time I got to chat with Marty.

Gabe’s Cave is an amazing comic and gaming shop in El Dorado, AR. The shop gives away sketchcards (or “art cards” as they like to say) on their YouTube channe to folks who watch and sign up. They also do amazing loot boxes as prizes- and they ship them to you for free!

I’ve got a couple of my Gabe’s Cave Season Four artist returns available for sale at The Cellar on Bartlett Avenue in Bartlett, TN.

I’ve also got many more handdrawn sketchcards for sale at 901 Comics East out in Cordova, TN on Macon Road.

I have official artist returns, as well as personal sketchcards drawn on my own custom blanks. If you’re interested in drawing sketchcards be sure to ask me about our MSCA blanks at one of our drawing events. We have them and lots of art supplies for attendees to use.

And if you’d like to hear more podcasts by Nicki and me be sure to check out the Drawing Funny podcast. You can find it on most podcasting platforms or by visiting the MSCA website or Drawing Funny site directly.

Happy Half A Century Birthday, Mike Norton!

May 21, 2023

Yep- our old pal Mike Norton is officially old. Hey, he said it on his Instagram account today.

Mike is originally from the Selmer/Jackson, TN area, but went to college at Memphis State and got his start in comics while living in Memphis and doing advertising work back in the late ’90s. He was also a member of the MSCA back in the day before moving to Chicago to become the art director for Devil’s Due Comics, and then on to drawing for DC Comics, Marvel, and more.

Mike has worked for just about every comic book company out there (and some that aren’t anymore), and has done both licensed properties and a lot of his own creator owned work.

Mike usually gets back to town each year for the Memphis Comic Expo (DonnieCon at the Aggi’cenner!) to see friends, family, and fans of his comics.

This month Mike made it out for the inaugural Memphis Libraries Comic Con at the mail library on Poplar Avenue. That day was also Free Comic Book Day, and Norton was joined by fellow comic con guest, writer John Ostrander. They both were interviewed by our own Nicki Workman. You can hear that interview here.

Keep an eye out for his net graphic novel due out this summer!

Happy birthday, Mike!

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode- Memphis Libraries Comic Con And MSCA Event News

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023

New “Drawing Funny” podcast episode is available for downloading/listening. You can find it on podcast platforms like Spotify or get it directly from the source by clicking here.

Nicki Workman interviewed comic creators Mike Norton (former MSCA member) and the legenarywriter John Ostrander at the innagural Memphis Public Libraries Comic Con on Saturday, May 6th (Free Comic Book Day)- plus I share some upcoming Mid-South Cartoonists Association (MSCA) event news.

Such as our upcoming May Drink-N-Draw this Wednesay...

…and our June Sat-Art-Day – both at 901 Comics East on Macon Road in Cordova.

We had a great time at the comic con at the library, and many nfolks stoppe by the MSCA table as well as the many MSCA members’ tables around the library con floor.

You can see lots of pics on our MSCA Facebook page.

Another upcoming MSCA event is…MSCA ART DAY IN MAY AT WFH!

Sunday, May 21, 2023, from Noon-4 our friends at the Woodruff Fontaine House Museum have invited the Mid-South Cartoonists Association to come draw at the museum. It’s a great time to practice drawing architecture, still-life, portraits, flowers, photography, and more, inside and out.

The museum is at 680 Adams Ave, Memphis, TN 38105
https://goo.gl/maps/Jr1TGEcyGLAmLY2v5

ABOUT WOODRUFF FONTAINE HOUSE MUSEUM

This Victorian era mansion was completed in 1871, has been through the Woodruff and Fontaine families, seen multiple wars and pandemics such as Yellow Fever, and once even served as the first version of the Memphis College of Art. After having been reconstructed by the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities it has become the beautiful place presented today!

You can find out more about the Woodruff Fontaine House Museum at
https://www.woodruff-fontaine.org/

ENTRY FEE AND ART SALES

Free entry for MSCA members this day only (donations to the museum are welcome). When you arrive, just let them know you’re with the MSCA. Art created this day can be sold as prints (or originals) by the house on a consignment (25% to the museum), so we hope to offer the museum a few of our pieces that they can sell – they are a 501c3 for tax-minded people.

{General admission is typically $16 (membership for the year is only $30).} The Woodruff Fontaine House has been good friends to the Mid-South Cartoonists Association (and I’ve served on the board and am a long-time member of the museum). I think you’ll enjoy all the art opportunities you can find there in its many beautiful details!

HOUSEKEEPING RULES

Keep in mind, the furniture, flooring, everything about the property is vintage Victorian, so we want to be sure we’re super-duper respective of the property and keep it as clean as possible. We can’t sit on the furniture, but we can sit on the floors (small stools or camping chairs are OK). Also, because it is a living museum with regular operating hours, be sure to position yourself in areas that tourists can easily navigate the halls and rooms of the museum.

Indoors, feel free to bring your sketch books and sketch pads, pencils, colored pencils, ink pens/brush pens, Copics, markers, cameras, tablets, and erasers (keep the eraser dust cleaned up, please). Inside, we don’t want to use inks, brushes, paints – nothing that can stain, spill, or splatter.

Outside, feel free to set up your easels, canvases, paints, ink and brushes, pastels, but if you use paints/watercolor bring along a drop cloth/tarp to work on and be cautious of your surroundings.

Don’t forget- our next dinner meetin will be the first Tuesday next month, June 6th from 6-8pm, but we are skipping July because of July 4th/Independence Day. We’ll be back to our regular schedule with the following meeting on August 1st.

Hope you can make it out to one or all of our events!

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

November 23, 2022

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

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

November 2, 2022

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

October 10, 2022October 26, 2022

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!

MSCA News, Updates, Links, and August Dinner Meeting Notes

August 5, 2022

Hey, gang- it was great to be back at Garibaldi’s Pizza again for our monthly dinner meet-up.

We had a great turn out and look forward to doing it again next month on September, 6th.

Also- I’ve got a message from the MSCA’s president, Kevin L. Williams…

Tonight’s MSCA dinner gathering was a lot of fun, and thanks everyone for the great resource information! Good to see everyone there, and look forward to next month. Anytime you have good resources to share, please do.

Here are some notes from tonight:

INTERNET

First, another call for self-caricatures and bios, including all your social media and websites, for the Members Directory section of the website. You can send that to midsouthcartoonists@gmail.com.

Also, ANYTIME that you have something that is newsworthy (even if you don’t think it is), please share it for the website and MSCA page. Art shows, publications, articles, performances – it’s all newsworthy!

Second, please share the attached graphic and link to www.midsouthcartoonists.org on your own websites/social media. Help us spread the word!

Dinner gatherings are always the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm (or a bit earlier if you’d like) at Garibaldi’s Pizza, 3530 Walker Ave.

Third, if you haven’t been on yet contact Lin Workman about the MSCA’s “DrawingFunny” podcast! It’s a good time and you get to pimp your work to the world for free!

Interviews can be recorded over Zoom or in person. Email midsouthcartoonists@gmail.com or podcast@drawingfunny.com and he’ll get the message.

Fourth, Lin Workman secured display space at the Hernando Public Library to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association. They have a large 2-sided display case and a smaller single case on the other side of the lobby hall. Both have locks and can be viewed during library business hours. Display will be up for the whole month of September. The MSCA display will be a great way to spread the word about our group, its history, members’ work, and show some how-to draw examples.

Some members dropped off items at the last dinner meeting, but if you have any ‘historical’ MSCA stuff- napkin doodles, publications (personal projects/comics, magazine covers, MSCA newsletters, etc.), progression examples of your work (like our “Drawing Inspiration” art show) that you wouldn’t mind loaning us for the display, let me know when/where I can pick it up.

I’ve tried to keep up with a good collection of stuff in a box I consider our “archives” which I’ll dig into as well.

RESOURCES

Lastly, as per our discussions, I’ve attached “Wally Woods 22 Panels That Always Work” which is a great reference for drawing comics.

A few books mentioned tonight:

Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (Will Eisner Instructional Books) www.amazon.com/dp/0393331261/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RQX9FCR3S55SVK52N0A4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storyteller www.amazon.com/dp/1933492953/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_3PHJ6F2SYP08R5Z8RVYK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Websites:

Line-of-action.com is great reference for figure drawing.

Oh, and speaking of figure drawing, sign up for the Facebook group Memphis Life Drawing and go visit with some of our members and DRAW!! (Just a little money due to pay for the models.)www.facebook.com/groups/1169039783154774/

Podcasts:

www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/screen-tones-a-webcomic-podcast/id1591620548

www.youtube.com/user/tommyswass

www.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-panel-a-comics-interview-podcast/id1006337409

www.drawingfunny.com

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

BTW- don’t forget you can pick up some MSCA and Drawing Funny free swag around town at Comics & Collectibles (East Memphis), The Cellar Table Top Games and Comics (Bartlett), and both locations of 901 Comics (Cooper/Young and Cordova). We always have some at our dinner meet-ups at Garibaldi’s, too.

Supergirl Radio Podcast And Metropolis Superman Celebration 2022

June 20, 2022August 27, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can watch the 2022 Superman Celebration episode on YouTube at:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5-AxB3AX9Hs&feature=youtu.be

And watch and/or listen on their website at:

http://supergirlradio.com/episodes/supergirl-radio-superman-celebration-2022/

Last year’s 2021 Superman Celebration episode:
http://supergirlradio.com/episodes/supergirl-radio-season-6-superman-celebration-2021/

Supergirl Radio RAINN Fundraiser Marathon Episode (Nicki and I do a Superpets segment):

http://supergirlradio.com/episodes/supergirl-radio-season-5-5-rainn-fundraiser/

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

Lin

A Month Of Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Art Events!

June 1, 2022June 1, 2022

June is going to be a busy month! Here are some of the events happening in and around the mid-south…

This weekend is a double birthday celebration for Memphis comics. On Saturday it’s the 36th anniversary of Comics & Collectibles over off Poplar (between Colonial and Perkins).

That same day, 901 Comics is celebrating it’s 6th anniversary of their midtown location at Cooper/Young.

The following Tuesday, June 7th is our next MSCA dinner meeting at Garibaldi’s Pizza over near the U of M. We’ll be getting together from 7-8:30pm, but feel free to slide by a bit earlier if you’d like- and bring your sketchbook or anything you’ve been working on lately.

That next weekend has a lot happening! Up in Metropolis, IL is the 44th annual Superman Celebration. This year they are celebrating the 50th anniversary of being the official home of Superman. It’s about a 3hr drive from Memphis and is located just across the Ohio River from Paducah, KY.

Back here in Memphis, the Anime Blues Con will be going on downtown at the convention center.

That Sunday, June 12th– 901 Comics East in Cordova will be having an in-store appearance by Red Ranger Jason Faunt.

Towards the end of the month it’s time for the Memphis Crafts & Drafts Festival Summer Market at the Crosstown Concourse.

Oh, and today is a couple of MSCA member birthdays. Happiest of birthdays to Mr. J himself- Chris Jowers.

Also, happy birthday to my wife and MSCA webmaster Nicki Workman! We’re both off today and are looking forward to doing breakfast and then getting out to take some pics.