The New Radio Journal

Reposted from Information Clearing House

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:43:00 +0000

"The Americans and British "want us to rebel against Saddam," the official said. "They think we will be so broken, so shattered by this suffering that we will do anything – even give our own lives – to get rid of Saddam. The uprising against the Baath party failed in 1991 so now they are using cruder methods. But they are wrong. These people have been reduced to penury. They live in shit. And when you have no money and no food, you don't worry about democracy or who your leaders are."

The Tragic Last Moments of Margaret Hassan

Real Life Poison the Cure

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Alex emailed this to me:

Chevron Lobbyist: ‘We Can’t Let Little Countries Screw Around With Big Companies’

Art de Flip

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Alex and I were delighted to received this message in the mail:

Hello from Galvatraz,

My name is Felipe and I like to draw, and more importantly I like to read comics. I'm writing to let you know that I finally got my hands on a copy of Poison the Cure. I always like to look through a book before buying it and none of the comic shops I'd been to were carrying it. Well it just so happens that the last time I was in Dallas there it was! I knew you guys had some preview pages up but there's nothing like holding a book in my hands to help me decide. Sure enough I was intrigued enough to buy it and to look forward to issue #2. I hope you don't mind but I drew Mugshot, Deuce, Artie, and Charlie and put it up on my blog, art de flip (http://felipevillela.blogspot.com/). If you don't mind let me know what you think. Do you guys distribute the book through any site besides your own? Thanks for the great work and I look forward to seeing the second issue.

Best Regards,

Felipe

"flip"

My Homeboy Nader

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:57:00 +0000

Just to piss them off, Ralph Nader on The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ:

"He’s just appointed economic advisers right out of the Robert Rubin school of Citigroup and the University of Chicago. His Middle East advisers involve people who actually helped write his AIPAC speech. You know, it’s a sad thing to see, because he knows better, but he’s suppressing himself repeatedly until he becomes a different person, should he be elected president."

The Next Generation

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:25:00 +0000

I wonder what this kid will be when he grows up:

"Egyptian security forces detained a schoolboy for several hours after he wrote in an exam that President Hosni Mubarak was a tyrant who ruled over cowards, an education official said on Monday."

Interview: Jeff Nicholson

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

A few years ago Alex interviewed Jeff Nicholson. I was rereading the interview a little while ago and I thought I'd post it again here:

Jeff Nicholson, unsung superstar of small press comics and stalwart self-publisher for 20+ years, allowed me to interview him October of 2004. The interview, started merely as a project for school, bloomed unexpectedly into a thorough and honest explanation both of the highlights and heartbreaks of independent comics-making. If you're interested in learning more about Jeff's work--and you ought to be--you can find whatever you want at his own site, www.coloniapress.com.

Alex Cahill: What does success mean for you as a comics-maker? Do you consider yourself successful?

Jeff Nicholson: Great question, which needs a long answer. It keeps changing. As the comics market evolves, and I age, my measure of success evolves as well. In the beginning, I wanted my book to be racked along side the underground comics I admired. A few years later, my goal was to sell 5,000 copies so I could actually make a living off of it. I actually achieved that one, but it slowly slipped away as the market dwindled. Then my measure of success became to only work on projects where I was offered a page rate. That worked for a while, but it was still a tenuous living, so I still seemed be using a living wage to define whether I was good enough, or if the market was being good enough to me for me to participate. After enough years of it not being good enough to me, I realized I was still born to make comics and couldn't stop. This was when I started Colonia, and I wanted my success to be my ability to out-perform myself, and stop worrying about the money as a barometer of acceptance.

Now I consider myself successful simply out of tenacity and the ability to adapt, and to not let my creative side get crushed. Things like low sales still affect me emotionally, because those are old wounds, but not intellectually. I know it's not my fault that the thing I was born to do offers very, very few people a living wage. I still hold a few things out there as a mark of success, like an Eisner award, or being an invited guest by Comiccon International, or even being courted by a movie studio.

There are a lot of storytelling media out there, some more accessible and respected than others. Why do you work in the medium of comics?

Pure attraction, and not an intellectual decision. When I was younger I had my hands in a lot of different media. I painted. I wrote and played music and was in some bands. I did amateur animation, claymation, voice acting, short films, prose writing, and so on. At some point I decided I had to be a master at one of these things, and I couldn't let comics go, so I had to let everything else go. The only one I sometimes wonder "what if?" is the voice acting. I was pretty good at multiple distinct voices, and some day I'll put all my old audio on the web to amuse people.

In what ways is a Jeff Nicholson comic different from all the other comics out there?

There is a certain kind of surreal or off-the-wall mark on all my different series that I hope unifies them and makes them stand out.

A long time ago I read an interview with Evan Dorkin in which he said he spent the first part of his career as a comics-maker thinking of himself as an artist who writes, because he started drawing before he ever wrote. Later, after an accident that left him temporarily unable to draw, he realized he was truly a writer who draws. That always struck me as a crucial distinction for a solo comics-maker to make, even though he has to be both. Which would you say you're more of-artist or writer? And why?

This is a tough one. I've been drawing way longer than writing, and drawing came naturally and the writing was learned. This seems like an obvious artist who writes, but the thing that drives it all is the ideas, or the plot. The characters I want to create and the worlds I want to build and the situations that I want to watch and laugh at. The world building is more of a compulsion to me than the picture making. I'm like a plotter that draws and then writes the dialogue.

A lot of comics-makers get so wrapped up in their own work that other comics don't really register on their radar anymore; they'll stop reading new works and stop keeping up with what's going on in comics, sometimes out of a lack of time, sometimes out of a lack of desire. To what degree is this the case for you, if at all, and why?

100%, I have to admit. Before starting Colonia I made a decision to tune everything out, and sold off all my comics and graphic novels. This was partly to not be influenced by anything, and partly to stop coveting the "success" of other artist who may or may not have been making a living from it. I did re-purchase Bone and Love & Rockets, after deciding I wanted those influences, but I just lost the habit. Now I get a lot of free comics from younger artists who give me their books at conventions, so the work I'm exposed to is pretty fresh and enthusiastic, and I like that exposure.

How dead (or how alive, if you prefer) is comics, and how does comics' condition affect your own work?

Low sales or failed expectations still affect the old wounds. I usually need a time out after pouring so much of myself into an issue, and then looking at the pitiful purchase orders. But I don't take it personally because a lot of good artists have left the field for the same reason, and here I still am, and when people recognize that and sometimes even thank me for it at conventions, I feel really great about it. I guess the devoted fans make up for the lack of volume.

Knowing what you know now and having suffered the difficulties you have, 2004 finds you still making comics and still self-publishing them. How close have you come to leaving it all behind, and what, after 20+ years, keeps you going?

I think I've covered this in my previous answers, except to mention that I did actually "quit forever" once. I think it was about 1996. I threw away all of my childhood art and most of my comics original art. Then I went into a pretty serious depression and the compulsion to start doing Colonia, coupled with a good day job, pretty much pulled me out of that. Staying creative pretty much keeps me sane, but I keep it a hobby so trying to make a living from it doesn't drive me insane.

What's the biggest problem, either isolated incident or consistent frustration, that you've run into as a self-publisher?

The potential poor attitude of printers. My communications degree included Graphic Design and some Industrial Technology, but when printers screw up they refuse to communicate with me properly, assuming I don't know what I'm doing or what they're doing. Communication should be number one with your printer, yet some act like you're bothering them even though you are their customer. It's a naturally defensive industry, because if they "admit" they made a mistake, they could be accountable for a reprint. It's never their fault, even if all you want to do is clarify how something went wrong to avoid it happening again. I'm a pretty prolific guy, and have printed over 100,000 copies of all my individual titles, yet they make the mistake of treating me like a novice doing his first book. Preney Print, Morgan Printing and Brenner have all lost my business over this.

You have a punk kid friend who wants more than anything to self-publish a book and sustain himself only with money made in comics. What advice or warning do you have for this kid?

Owch. It stopped being realistic to me long ago. All my role models faded away. In the 70's it seemed like you could be a Jack Kirby and make wild and expressive comics for DC, if you were only good enough. Or underground comics if you were more scruffy around the edges. In the 80's you had Dave Sim to keep you going, even though no one else could repeat his success. In the 90's Jeff Smith surprised everyone, but I still think his jumping in right at the Image Comics feeding frenzy bubble had a lot to do with his success, and again, no one's been able to repeat it. Linda Medley seemed very likely to, but she wound up with the same track record as myself. My advice is never lose that enthusiasm and hope that you could somehow be that next surprise, but you've got to leave a place in your soul that is prepared for some painfully low return on your creative investment.

Does Diamond and the Previews distribution monopoly pose any real problem or threat to the self-publisher? Do you use Cold Cut or any other alternative distributors as well as Diamond?

I use Cold Cut and FM International. The two of them combined make up about 10% of initial purchase orders. In the 80's there were about 15 distributors, so it's easier to deal with now and less risky. When small time distributors were coming and going, there were fair odds one or two would go bankrupt per year, leaving you unpaid.

Strange question now: how closely do you think comics and movies are related? And in your opinion how does comics distinguish itself from movies as a storytelling medium, if at all?

To me it's in the pacing and the pausing. You can dwell on something in comics, even an action sequence, and have part of the control over the pacing. With film the director and editor have total control over the pace.

Are there some things you consistently notice in other comics-makers' work that bother you? If so, what are they?

I can't say that I do.

Explain your method for comics-making. How does your work go from idea to finished page, and is your process different depending on your project?

First the plot, which usually just comes and gets me when I least expect it. I used to start taking notes right away, but now I just let it roll around in my head, sometimes for as long as a year (I'm always several years ahead on plots), until it's time to write out the full script. I don't worry about pages or panels when I write the script, which is mostly dialogue. Peculiar visual scenes are still mainly in memory. Then I thumbnail out the whole thing on 8 1/2 X 11 paper, while writing the page breaks and panel breaks onto the printed script. After that I lay out the bristol boards with a t-square, blue pencil, and special cheat sheets that have 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 panel breaks marked off. I park a laptop by my drawing board and convert the script to a comics lettering font and physically measure the width of the balloons against the tab of the text and wrap each piece of dialogue. As for the depth of the balloons, I also have cheat sheets with ticks for 2, 3, 4 etc. lines of lettering. I don't draw at this stage unless to gesture where some figures are to orient the balloons. Afterwards I print out the formatted text and light table each page, tracing the balloon around each piece of dialogue. I do this elaborate lettering process so I don't draw anything that's going to be covered up by a balloon, which is a serious waste of time. This way, all the balloons are exact before the pencilling starts.

Next I blue pencil, where I am being very free, yet virtually complete, then I pencil pencil, where I'm being very tight, then I ink with a brush. I'm essentially drawing everything three times, but I can't start tight and I can't jump from blue pencil to ink. Some artists can, and I wish I could to save time, but that's just my way. After erasing and filling in the blacks, I spray mount my printed lettering, slice it up and place it with a t-square. Then I scan it into Photoshop, and drop each page into a Pagemaker template for the whole issue.

Technically I could add the lettering after scanning, but I like the lettering on the boards for aesthetic reasons, and/or for selling the original art.

Tell me what materials you usually work with.

Plate finish bristol board, Sanford Verithin non-photo blue pencil, Eastman No. 3 pencil, Cali 001 black india ink, Windsor-Newton Series 7 #2 brush, occasionally a Rapidiograph pen for hatching grey tones, Sharpie for fills, and Photoshop for cover coloring.

Do you keep a sketchbook or a journal of any kind?

I keep a sketchbook, but it's mainly for developing new characters.

How much drawing do you do that isn't directly comics-related?

NONE! I used to do freelance art, and let co-workers or relatives talk me into drawing crap for them. Around 1989 I said no for the first time, and it's been easy ever since. I would rather clean someone's bathroom than draw something I don't want to draw for them.

I love all your work, and I'm thoroughly enjoying Colonia. I have to admit, though, I'm a little obsessed with Through the Habitrails. I think it's one of the most understated works in comics history. All of your works have at least a hint of the autobiographical (says me), but Habitrails is peculiar in that it's simultaneously the most autobiographical and the work in which the line between reality and fiction is most playfully blurred. Do you see yourself making any material in a similar vein in the future? (I mean work of similar narrative style, similar visual approach, not necessarily dark auto-bio.)

No. I actually plotted and wrote up a proposal for a sequel to Habitrails called "Unable to Forward." It's pretty depressing. I shopped it around to publishers during my Fat Elvis period of 1996. Fortunately no one bit, because it would just be too draining to draw the thing.

Colonia's charm seems to be born of your conflicting desires for its mood and context: it's historical, counter-historical and fantastic-all at the same time. How did your initial ideas for the book change as you researched and developed?

Most of it has been totally organic and subconscious. The stories just sort of happen to me. The only thing that really changed since coming up with it is that it didn't have Jack, and the two uncles were Roy and Wilbur from Father & Son. I was describing it to Linda Medley and she thought it needed a focal character that you see this world through, even if that character is plain or passive. I agreed and came up with Jack as a sort of modern day Will Robinson. Also, after sending the first issue to Todd Klein, to see if he was interested in lettering it, he pointed out some faults in the real-world-meets-fantasy "rules," and he was right and I re-wrote and even re-drew some sequences. Since then the characters just write themselves.

Now that you've been working on Colonia for a while-five years or so, I believe-and you've had a chance to see how the story is unfolding, I'm curious as to how long you see it running. Do you have a goal in mind for an issue-count or for an ultimate story? How does your professional life help out or interfere with your goals for Colonia?

My day job has basically saved Colonia by keeping me from burning out. Slow but sure is better than quitting. I have two more arcs in mind, which might be about the size of the first two arcs, which would put me out to about 22 issues. Beyond that, I don't know if it will end or more arc ideas will come along and find me.

Images © Jeff Nicholson

An exercise with Damascus Steel

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:35:00 +0000

The term Damascus steel refers to an old style of Syrian sword making and also to the type of ore used for this weapon smithing technique. The swords produced were famed for their quality in sharpness, lightness of weight, strength, and balance. They were prized for their ability to cut through the lesser quality Crusader swords that they often encountered. The most legendary story that details the amazing attributes of Damascus steel is the oft repeated and wholly mythical meeting of Salah al-Din and Richard the Lionheart. Although, in truth, the two military leaders never even saw each other face to face, they were famous rivals. Regardless, here is my own retelling of a remarkable meeting that never took place.

*     *     *

It is said that at one point, King Richard of England was Salah al-Din's prisoner of war and the two men were spending much of their leisure time together. On one particularly hot afternoon, they were lounging in a comfortable tent, surrounded by soft pillows and several servants. Legends say that it was on this day that Europeans first learned of the desert they would imitate and call sorbet. The foreign invader and his entourage complained about the heat, and Salah al-Din, famed for his generosity as a host and otherwise, ordered his own servants to bring them sherbet, or in the original Arabic tongue, sharba, a sweet mixture of water, crushed ice, and fruit.

As the two seasoned generals sat upon plush cushions and sipped delicious refreshments, they indulged in a conversation that routed itself to the art of combat only minutes after it had begun. They debated tactics and strategy and as they spoke, Richard spotted Salah al-Din's curved, thin scimitar. No doubt the English king equated the structure of the narrow blade with frailty, for his tone quickly became boastful and aggressive. “How is it, my gracious friend, that you hope to survive in battle wielding that iron twig so ready to shatter?” he asked the unperturbed Kurd. “After having tasted your hospitality, I would be much saddened to hear of your demise.” He said this as he drew forth from a scabbard laying at his side his own weapon, a mighty bastard sword with a blade thick enough at its base to hide a human head. He heaved this sword and pointed it in turn at each of Salah al-Din's servants and then finally at the Kurdish noble himself. The gleeful anticipation upon King Richard's face as he performed this act was poorly hidden indeed.

“You may safely let your worries float away from your heavy heart, King Richard,” Salah al-Din responded. Holding his scimitar up in front of him, he ran his finger along its edge for a short distance, leaving a thin line of red in its wake. “This blade brings death only to those who choose to face me openly upon the battlefield.”

“We shall have a contest then, and no blood shall be spilt,” said King Richard. He beckoned to one of his retainers, who came hastily forward and stood before the king. Richard pointed to a morning star tucked half way through this man's belt and the servant quickly freed it and handed it over to his liege. The king grasped it, turned to Salah al-Din, and placed it upon the ground before him. “Look now, my Saracen friend, as I show you unsurpassed strength and spirit.” His biceps expanded then, as muscles labored and tensed, bringing the bastard sword over his own head. Arms strained once more as the sword came back forward, gaining momentum and crashing into the metal handle of the weapon upon the floor. Every eye in the room had followed the descent of the blade and now looked upon it still, its tip resting next to the cracked hilt of the chained mace. Applause broke the stillness of the air and a broad smile stretched across Richard's face. “Put anything in front of my blade, and I will destroy it,” he proclaimed.

“Very well, good King. Your challenge is met,” said Salah al-Din. The Kurdish Prince grabbed one of the many soft pillows scattered about the tent and tossed it atop the ruined morning star laying at Richard's feet. “Cleave that,” said he then. The king glanced at the pillow, and wasting no time, brought the sword down once more with his fullest might. The dull edge connected with thin, finely woven thread and the impact was absorbed harmlessly and completely, deflecting the blade down the side of the fabric. The English noble, lips thin and cheeks taut, looked slowly up at his competitor. No applause was heard and not a word was dared issued forth. All stood still and this time, there was no tepid air to be disturbed. The servants in the room began to eye their respective masters, waiting for any cue when finally, Salah al-Din stepped forward and pointed his scimitar at the king. Its silvery shine caught God's light piercing through the curtains at the tent's threshold and it split and sent this illumination into all corners of the shadowy abode. The prince then turned his wrist, causing the blade to face upward towards the roof. His eyes never left the king's and the king's never left his as he pulled free from the sash around his waist a silken napkin folded over several times. Holding it by its tip, he shook the napkin loose before moving it over the upraised blade and letting it go. It floated down slowly and evenly, pausing momentarily when it landed along its middle upon the sharp steel. The silk bent slightly and its weight caused it to be parted into two before it was allowed to continue down to the dust of the earth. Salah al-Din hummed approvingly, paused, and turned then his attention to the pillow.

With practiced restraint he snapped the sword upon his target and brought it back up again in but one second and a long, straight incision appeared along the length of the down bedding, intestinal feathers spilling forth from both sides of the wound. After several gasps, all in the room bowed and silence would have sustained if not for the mumbling of one of Richard's retainers, his words mentioning something of infernal magic, Saracens, and assured damnation.

*     *     *

Eventually, the ore used in the making of Damascus steel ran out and the master weapon smiths stopped teaching their apprentices the techniques they practiced in the creation of these swords. Those secrets then died with that generation of artisans and were henceforth doomed to the lamentable existence of historic novelty.

Not to get all mushy over here, but...

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:37:00 +0000

Gary Gygax died today. He was the only person I've ever approached in my life in which my status and demeanor were very clearly that of the fanboy. We had a brief email correspondence when I was thirteen or fourteen years old and reading the series of novels he wrote starring Gord the Rogue. I had finished the first two books and I was unable to find the rest of them anywhere. I gave up on brick and mortar book shops and back then, Amazon.com sucked. I decided to try to find the big guy himself and after a while, my Internet ninja skills provided me with his email address.

When I emailed him and bugged him about my problem, he told me about how most of those books had fallen out of print, a most shameful mar on the painted whore face of literature indeed, but then he offered to send me the next two books in the series from his own supply, which he did, and they arrived promptly. I enjoyed them, but not satisfied with the books alone, I demanded that he also answer my many questions on TSR and D&D. Being a swell fucking guy, he answered every one of them thoroughly, never showing impatience or irritation despite the indiscretion of several of my inquiries.

I played D&D. He made D&D. Damn.

Peace out, Gary Gygax.

Indie Spinner Rack, Yuri Kochiyama, Afka

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:59:00 +0000

I've been getting more and more obsessed with Indie Spinner Rack these days. Here is a link for anyone who hasn't heard of this radio program yet. It is the bomb. I've been unemployed for way too long now, yet despite this, I can't help but listen to Charlito and Mr. Phil until four or five in the morning every day. I then wake up way too late and effectively cut in half the time I have to submit resumes to businesses while they're still open. It's getting dangerous, but I can't stop. They're too good. I'm going through their entire catalogue from the beginning. In fact, I just found their easter egg and it was so fun to listen to. I couldn't believe it.

-----

Check this out. It will make your heart bleed: "Forty-three years ago this week, Malcolm X was gunned down in the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem. Yuri Kochiyama cradled his head as he lay dying on the stage. Kochiyama’s activism began after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when she and her family were held in an internment camp along with more than 100,000 Japanese in the United States."

-----

Afka waterfall, Lebanon
Photograph by Khaled Fawaz (possibly)

It's like that. Just chillin'.

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Magic misplaced
Audacious whims
Reflexive and steady
Target of jealousy
Intuitive demon
Never say die

Lingering love everlasting
An attack on your soul
Without fear
Reducing your inhibition
Encapsulation in DVD format
Nonstop genius penetration
Continuous explosions
Ending monotonous nights.

Staples is selling seventy-two inch, five-layer book shelves for $30 each. Shipping is free, but the deal only lasts until the 23rd of this month. Check it out. The book shelves are probably as low quality as you can get, but it's still a pretty good deal.

Hafiz al-Asad

noreply@blogger.com (Jad) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Hafiz al-Asad, the late father of the dictator of Syria, came from a small village in the northwest mountains of that country. During the time of Hafiz' grandfather, a boastful Turkish wrestler came to the village and claimed that he could beat anyone there in a fair wrestling match. Hafiz' grandfather, who was a burly man not easily intimidated, stepped forward and accepted the Turk's challenge. Hafiz' grandfather's name was Sulayman.

The two men began their battle, but it was ended almost immediately when Sulayman grabbed the Turk and effortlessly picked him up and threw him into the dirt. It was clear to all that the Turk was trounced and from that day forth, the villagers referred to Sulayman as al Wahish: "the animal, the savage, the wild man." Al Wahish functioned as Sulayman's title and the village awarded his whole family this word as a surname.

Later in his life, Sulayman had accumulated such a great amount of honor for himself and his family that his prominence could no longer be denied. The four families who ruled that village came together and decreed that from henceforth Sulayman would no longer be the Wahish. He was now al Asad--the Lion.

This is a true story.