(written by Mark Brill)

The Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians is leaving 2011 behind in a busy cloud of dust as we work our way through several year-end projects! In October CLAW was represented at the “Beyond Crayons & Finger Painting 2.0 Youth Art Project” event hosted by the B2 Fine Art Gallery in conjunction with the Tacoma Art Museum, the Museum of Glass.

The CLAW continues to expand as it welcomed Member #18, Michael Daley to its ranks during the Open Swim event in October! The theme of the artwork created at the event was Halloweenies. The results were as enjoyable as they were disturbing!
In November, our final Member’s Only meeting for the year took place at the usual Comic Book Ink venue. Plans were discussed for the upcoming Great Yearly Ceremony!

GREAT GIFT IDEAS to SUPPORT LOCAL CARTOONISTS

Winterfest on Sunday, Decemeber 4th at the Tacoma Art Museum will feature CLAW members doing sketches and selling their wares.

Dragons!

In preparation of Tacoma’s First Night Celebration, the many talons of the CLAW will be drawing dragons. Keep an eye out for them here, on FeedTacoma, our member’s blogs, and other locations between now and First Night. Further details of Dragon CLAWs at First Night will arrive as the date draws near.

Another White Elephant

The final Open Swim of 2011 will be held on Wednesday the 14th of December at the Amocat Cafe at 625 St. Helens Ave, Tacoma, and it will be our annual “White Elephant Gift Exchange”! Anyone who brings a gift (wrapped please, since unwrapping them is half the fun) to the event can participate. Numbers will be drawn, gifts will be stolen and re-stolen. (But don’t worry–everyone involved will end up with a gift!) And laughs will be had by all! Gifts are supposed to be either around $10 or something fun and amusing from one’s Closet-of-Abandonned-Presents-Past. Festivities begin at 7:30 PM.

In 2012, the Open Swim meetings will be moved back to their original dates of the forth Wednesday of each month and will be held at a new location: Dorky’s Bar Arcade! The address is 754 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402. Come join in the fun!

YEARLY END OF THE WORLD CLAW RITUAL

Finally, the C.L.A.W.’s GREAT YEARLY CEREMONY is also coming up at the beginning of 2012. Monday, January 2nd, in fact, and will again take place at the wonderful Knights of Pythias “Castle Hall” Temple, located on Broadway in Tacoma’s Theater District. Tickets for the event will be sold at several retail venues around town, such as Comic Book Ink and Dorky’s. Please see the CLAW website for further details in December. It will be a gala event featuring a cast of several and costing tens of dollars! New Council of Four Eyes members will be inducted, official “Friends of CLAW” will be honored, a MUCH-faster-than-last-year’s slideshow will be presented, and most importantly, there will be cake! Don’t miss out! Additionally, it should be noted that all proceeds from the purchase of GYC tickets will go into the CLAW Students Scholorship Fund!

MORE VIRTUAL WONDERS!

You can find us, and see CLAW members work on our CLAW DRAWS sketchbook, Facebook page and Flicker group.

October 20th, THIRD THURSDAY at AMOCAT CAFE 7:30 pm

Come prepared to DRAW DRAW DRAW your favorite HALLOWEENIE !  Whatever you think that means.  By popular vote the winners will get their pick of LEXX cult classic Canadian science fiction DVD’s.  Maybe even witness a few CLAW new member swearing in ceremonial rituals!  We will post all artwork to the CLAW DRAW site.

Outrageous #occupytacoma fun! See you there, Comrade.

Saturday October 1st, 2011 A.D.

2510 S. 84th, Suites 15A-B, Lakewood, WA 98466
(253) 761-4651

YOU WILL HAVE
24 HOURS
To MAKE a COMPLETE 24 Page COMIC BOOK

Can YOU Do it?

CAN YOU Create a COMPLETE COMIC BOOK
in Only 24 Hours?!

That is the Question that Tacoma, Washington’s COMIC BOOK INK is Challenging the Members of C.L.A.W. (the Cartoonists’ League of Absurd Washingtonians), and YOU, to try and accomplish SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1st! Starting at 10:00am THIS Saturday and Continuing ALL DAY ..into THE NIGHT..and Straight on until the NEXT MORNING on Sunday, October 2nd at 10:00am…That’s right, 24 HOURS!

“This is our 3rd Year issuing the challenge,” said store owner, JOHN MUNN, “And our Homegrown Heroes, the Members of C.L.A.W., are being dared to Return to the Challenge that TWO of them COMPLETED last year…and we challenge them to bring even more of their numbers. And when I say, ‘Return to the Callenge’, it means we are hoping for the chance to put them on public display again..doing what they do best..Creating Comics while continuing to be Absurd. Every year, C.L.A.W. uses this event to promote their SCHOLARSHIP FUND and we know they will rise to the challenge again this year!”

C.L.A.W. is uses this event as an opportunity to seek out Contributors to C.L.A.W.’s Student Scholarship Fund. “One of the reasons we started C.L.A.W. was to establish a Scholarship, however meager, for Art Students interested in Comics and Cartooning,” said MARK MONLUX, one of the founders of C.L.A.W., resident of Fern Hill and Award-Winning Illustrator. “Those of us who draw know just how tight finances can be for someone who is just starting to learn their craft. Besides tuition and books, there is the ever-increasing price of art supplies. Our Goal is to help out with relieving some of the burden, even if its only a few dollars.”

• LIVE TWEET STREAM here
• OFFICIAL Facebook Event Page

What is 24 HOUR COMICS DAY?

24 HOUR COMICS DAY All Starts with a Challenge!!

The 24 HOUR COMICS CHALLENGE is for a Cartoonist to completely create a 24 Page Comics Story in 24 Straight Hours. A “24 Hour Comic” is any comic story that you make while facing the challenge…even if you take more than 24 consecutively-awake hours to make the comic or if you end after the 24 hours with a story that shorter than 24 pages.

Is this really the best way to make a great comic?

Probably not (although some really cool comics have been made this way), but that is not the real goal. The goal is to have the experience of trying. It’s a creative exercise that can teach you a lot about what you are capable of.

Who came up with the “Concept” of the 24 HOUR COMIC?

A cartoonist named SCOTT McCLOUD. Scott is the leading theoretician in the comics field. A position he achieved with the release of “Understanding Comics” an analysis of the comics form. Head on over to www.ScottMcCloud.com to learn more about Scott and his Insights!

How many 24 HOUR COMICS have been done?

Over 1000 people have taken the challenge so far worldwide. Just last year, Comic Book Ink hosted 18 People for the Challenge.

What is 24 HOUR COMICS DAY?

It’s a Celebration of the Creation of Comics. The first event was held in 2004.

Are YOU up to the CHALLENGE? Join us this Saturday at 10:00am or come in and witness the spectacle and cheer on our challengers!!

Who knows…we might have a few late night surprises for you…

The Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians formed in October of 2008. That previous summer Frost Park (named after slain police officer Frost) was saved from having a fence placed around it when RR Anderson issued a challenge to one and all that an hour contest draw on the sidewalk with chalk to see who was the greatest illustrator in the universe would be held at Frost Park. The Frost Park Chalk off quickly became a Friday tradition. But as October drew near, so did the merciless rains, which would make chalking impossible. Four magnificent souls from the contests had a lunch to discuss what could be done to keep the fun going over winter. Thus it was that the brainchild of the CLAW was born over Sushi and chalk.

The Tacoma Art Museum, recognizing an organization that was actively fun and terrific PR, asked the CLAW to become involved in some of it’s events. So it was on August 6th that the CLAW participated, for the third year running, along with many of the Frost Park Chalkies, in a chalk art competition at Tollefson Plaza, across the street from the art museum. The theme of the competition was “Identity”. The public via the TAM Facebook page will submit votes to determine the winner.

SEE ALSO MARK BRILL’S blog:

1. COWBOYS & DINOSAURS
2. COWBOYS & DINOSAURS – THE PROCESS 

The CLAW holds a publically accessible Open Swim meeting the third Thursday of each month at the Amocat Café. July had the Dockyard Derby Dames volunteering for an evening modeling session. The theme for Augusts’ meeting will be Win-Loose-or CLAW, a team drawing completion involving everyone who attends. Member-only meetings are the first Wednesday of the month and are held secretly at Comic Book Ink. If you would like to become a member of the CLAW applications can be found at the website under “About Us”. Potentials are voted in by all the membership based on their cartooning skill. You can find us, and see members work at our Facebook page and Flicker groups.

In Other News

• The Tribulations of Mr. Fiddlesticks
• NEW CLAW member spambot comic launched!
• NEW CLAW member zombie comic  launched!
• NEW CLAW Draw’s the Derby Dames
• NEW CLAW member no. 17 – welcome Brandon!

One Ringy Dingy

Comic Book Ink and the C.L.A.W. (Cartoonist’s league of Absurd Washingtonians) are inviting you to “Be A Hero!” The CLAW, in response for all the previous support given by Comic Book Ink, is looking to return the favor. The CLAW’s goal is to raise $1,000 to purchase a share of Comic Book Ink, with the eventual profit from the share going into the CLAW Student Scholarship Fund. Caroonists and Comic artists will be descending on Comic Book Ink on Saturday, June 25th from Noon to 5:00 pm. For everyone who makes a donation these fine artisans be drawing you or a loved one as a Super!

And the fun doesn’t stop there! From 5 p.m. on the artists are going to head next door to the Green Pup Sports Bar for a Drink and Draw! Artwork created at the Drink and Draw will be display on Sunday at Comic Book Ink and available for purchase via a silent auction. Come in and mark down your bid on your favorites.

Out of town but still want to participate? Just go to: http://www.cartoonistsleague.org and click on the donate button. All donations made during the weekend of June 25th and 26th will go towards into this unique effort to support a local merchant who’s has been a long time supporter of local artists and gamers in the community.

To see a continually updated lists of participating artists visit:
http://www.comicbookink.com

The C.L.A.W. Student Scholarship Fund
This scholarship is given yearly to an Art Student to aid in their ongoing studies of sequential art, and continues to get larger each year. With a humble award of $100 in 2009 the scholarship had grown each year, with last scholarship being $908. This generosity was in no small part thanks Comic Book Ink who was been both a donator of fund but also acting as the venue for the 24 Hour Comic Challenge in November, the C.L.A.W.’s primary fund drive. It’s the C.L.A.W.’s deepest wish to keep Comic Book Ink open and alive, so that they can continue to be one of the truly socially active retailers in our community.

[Gong - Gong - Gong]

Q: What Are Robots?
A: [redacted]

Q: Zombies Must Die!
A: [redacted]

Q: [clapping]
A: [redacted]

Please be seated!

ITEMS OF DISCUSSION:

1. MEMBER ONLY + SPECIAL GUEST C.L.A.W. BBQ will be held at STOWE‘s house. Event will be combined with STOWE’s Meaties BBQ tournament. Weird vegetarian food will be served to space aliens who cannot process earth meat. If you would like to attend, contact your favorite CLAW member for secret location and time.
2. CLAW VS. WORLD bowling challenge (canceled)
3. CLAW subdomain member sites – ACTIVATED!  So far the only one in use is BOTFans by Honorable Botmaster Stowe. If you’re having trouble accessing your personal subdomain contact RR.
4. NON PROFIT STATUS? – Monlux reports can’t find proper forms [whatever!!!].
5. CLAW FACE BOOK GROUP – RR reports CLAW member RSS Feeds have been jammed in there for automatic member posts. JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP!
6. GOAL – post more AMAZING ITEMS on our CLAW blog! like This Guy!
7. SHOW AND TELL – RR Anderson has acquired a THEME SONG for his television drawing show. Thanks Death by Stars!
8. SHOW AND TELL – Mark Brill, STOWE both have new art blog/comic projects (see #6, #3)
9. SHOW AND TELL – RR Anderson is still selling copies of his TACOMA POLITICAL CARTOON FUNNY BOOK!
10. CLAW GIANT COMIC ANTHOLOGY – in pre-production now. ALL NEW ORIGINAL STORIES! A REAL COMIC BOOK! STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES.

CLAW MAY OPEN SWIM MEETING NOTES:

CLAW cartoonists and several CLAW fans gathered at the AMOCAT CAFE to draw FEMALE VERSIONS of FAMOUS MALE TRANSFORMERS…

[please post pics.. most of mine turned out blurry]

[R2-Dcup2, not actually a Transformer Robot by Debivans?]

[Kickback, Grasshopper Robot Transformer by RR]

EVERYBODY who DRAWS votes…  and the grand winner is….

MARK BRILL! NICK BUTTLER! JAMES STOWE! Right?  I think.  Please post your winning entries!

MEANWHILE!   STUNNING CHALK ART EVERY FRIDAY NOON AT FROST PARK in tropical DOWNTOWN TACOMA!  9th and Commerce!

watch in REAL TIME on FeedTacoma.com

That’s right… The Cartoonist’s League of Absurd Washingtonians are launching their own webcomics on their very own webdomain. BOT FANS, a daily webcomic illustration the creative comments recieved from spam bots, is the first comic to be published under the CLAW banner.

To learn more about it and follow BOT FANS just go to: http://botfans.cartoonistsleague.org/

And keep checking back here as more  CLAW members begin to publish more webcomics in CLAW approved internet space.

Finally cartoonists making comics on a cartoonists website.

What will we think of next?

At the last 24 Hour-Comic day, i began a project with my friend and writing partner Zan Christensen.  It was a comic about bullying and one boy’s efforts to overcome it and although we didn’t finish it at the event, we did continue to work on it actually did a limited print-run to debut at this year’s Emerald City ComiCon.  Now we are trying to raise funds through Kickstarter.com to do a large, color print-run that will hopefully be published in time for San Diego ComiCon, through Northwest Press.com (Zan’s publishing concern.)

Well, now Zan and I have been named “Heroes of the Week” on Michael Hulshof-Schmidt’s “The Sollipsistic Me” blog site.  He writes about the comic and what it’s trying to accomplish in raising awareness about the issue of teen suicide because of bullying.  You can read more about it by following this link:

http://hulshofschmidt.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/hero-of-the-week-award-april-29/

“Hero” is a bit of a strong word, but I certainly appreciate the recognition!

Donations can be made to the Kickstarter.com site here:  (Please copy and paste into browser.)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zan/anti-bullying-comic-the-power-within

It is SCHOLARSHIP TIME AGAIN!  Deadline March 15. YOU COULD get $900 if you charm us with your cartoon drawings. Apply within!  http://www.cartoonistsleague.org/scholarship/

Featuring:

• Mark Monlux’s Movie Comic Critic by Mark Brill
• RR’s Tacomic/Learn 2 Draw in 3D! by Adam M. Botsford
• Mark Monlux Movie Comic Critic by Mark Brill
• Stowe’s SCATS by Debivans
• TO’T's Fail Whale by The JinxMedic
• Stowe’s SCATS by Debivans
• TO’T's Bean Town by Mark Monlux
• Electric Elliot’s Bob the Dog by RR Anderson
• The JinxMedic’s O&J Crow Comic by Thorax O’Tool
• Adam the Alien’s Adam the Alien Comic by Chris Tirri
• PLUS A SPECIAL BONUS TO’T's DOOMAFUDGE MINI POSTER FOLD-OUT by Nick Butler!

DUDE!

Lance Kagey has been awarded FRIEND OF CLAW status by unanimous vote during a secret members-only meeting of the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians (the C.L.A.W.) I was picked or volunteered to craft his invitation/notice so this is how I chose to honor that commitment. It is no small secret that I am intensely jealous of other artists who are picked to work with Beautiful Angle on a wheat paste poster project… but that is a story for another time. What is important now is that we honor this work-a-day letter press savant by disparaging his main competition, namelyChandler OCD’leery and Jessica Spring Tide.   Today the Tacomic honors savage manliness; just look at these guys. They’re all stubble, ruddy and pot bellied… that’s REAL AMERICA folks.

Congratulations LANCE KAGEY: Friend of the CLAW!

You’re invited to..

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS TEMPLE
7PM, Monday January 3rd.

EVENT DETAILS: http://www.cartoonistsleague.org/have-you-received-a-personal-invitation-to-the-grand-yearly-ceremony-of-the-claw/

More From Kings Books Website:

October 12 * 7 pm. Ted Rall Talk.
Join us as we welcome political cartoonist Ted Rall as he talks about his new book The Anti-American Manifesto. The book is a new manifesto for an America heading toward economic and political collapse. While others mourn the damage to the postmodern American capitalist system created by the recent global economic collapse, Rall sees an opportunity. As millions of people lose their jobs and their homes, they and millions more are opening their minds to the possibility of creating a radically different form of government and economic infrastructure.

Ted Rall is twice the winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Rall is a political cartoonist, opinion columnist, graphic novelist and occasional war correspondent whose work has appeared in hundreds of publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Village Voice, and Los Angeles Times. His cartoons appear in approximately 100 newspapers across the US. Rall is President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

CLAW = CLAW
Ted Rall = TR

CLAW: Dear Ted Rall, you and a team of bearded political cartoonists have returned from a self-funded, un-embedded trip to Afghanistan on a fact finding mission for political cartoons. How is this even possible?

TR: With money and stupidity, all things are possible.

CLAW: PART 2 – Did the beard disguise really work?

TR: Incredibly, it worked too well! We got detained three times by nervous Afghan National Policemen convinced we were either Pakistani suicide bombers (“Say something in Pashto!” My answer: “I’m American. We don’t even speak one language!”), American Talibs, or miscellaneous Bad Santas from the Hindu Kush. We had to get serious trims in order to fit in.

Courtesy of Tedd Rall

CLAW: What’s so important about sending a cartoonist to Afghanistan?

TR: Well, we did win the war. Surely that counts for something.

CLAW: Please give us a sense of your field cartooning techniques. Laptop? Scanner? Do you use a wacom tablet?

TR: Typing paper, Rollerball pen, portable flatbed scanner, laptop (used for scanning and Photoshop). Delivery via laptop attached to BGAN satellite modem, which is powered by solar panels and portable battery charging device.

Courtesy of Tedd Rall

CLAW: What did the Afghan people think of your drawings? How did the people of Afghanistan react when you told them you were a cartoonist?

TR: They were into them. They especially liked Matt Bors’ stuff, since his style is more realistic. They were fascinated by the idea of reproducing something you could see on paper. Apparently no one does this there anymore, which is in some ways more expository about the trials and tribulations of Afghanistan than the death count. They do have cartoons in Afghan newspapers, but those only circulate in Kabul and few people buy them.

Courtesy of Tedd Rall

CLAW: Did the Qur’an burning bumpkin news story give your expedition any problems?

TR: Fortunately the chaos created by that moron began to break as we were heading toward the Iranian border.

CLAW: Recently one of our sister cartoonists, Molly Norris of Seattle, has disappeared into the rabbit hole of the FBI witness protection program (or something to that effect). Your thoughts?  What went wrong? What can we do?

TR: Needless to say, that sucks. But I said it anyway. I’m not impressed by her cowardice, however. Death threats are standard-issue for cartoonists who work in the political realm. I get them, Garry Trudeau gets them, David Horsey gets them. If you’re afraid of being threatened or even getting killed for your opinions, don’t publicize political opinions. If the best counter to bad free speech is good free speech, the best counter to attempts at censorship is a refusal to be silenced.

I wish Molly had thought things through more before publishing on the Internet. I also wish the cartoonist and journalist communities had done the right thing and rallied around her. Too often cartoonists get thrown to the wolves. It’s happened to me and many others. We should look out for one another.

It’s not too late, of course, to launch a big PR campaign against this successful stifling of a journalistic voice.

CLAW: Several of our C.L.A.W. members are in the service. One guy drew this cartoon… about how popular the 1988 Israeli film “The Beast” is on base.  How well do you think that film holds up today (not counting Stephen Baldwin’s Russian accent)?

TR: I am partly responsible for “The Beast”‘s “low box-office statistics.” I haven’t seen it.

CLAW: Any advice to CLAW members headed to Afghanistan or Iraq right now?

TR: Are you fucking crazy?  Or just stupid?

Courtesy of Tedd Rall

CLAW: How many cartoonists does it take to end a war?

TR: At least four, apparently.

Courtesy of Tedd Rall

CLAW: What is next for Ted Rall, Adventurer/Cartoonist?

TR: Writing the book about the trip. That will keep me busy until spring. I’m touring “The Anti-American Manifesto,” a tome with the world’s most lowkey title ever, this fall. And I’m working on a coupla graphic novels. I’m itching to go somewhere exotic and dangerous again, of course. I never feel happy unless I have weird plane reservations.

BONUS QUESTIONS

CLAW: What do you think about cartoonists who manufacture books with no actual cartoon drawings in them?  Isn’t that like when Jim Carrey plays dramatic roles and expects people to take him seriously?

TR: Actually, I like those Jim Carrey movies.

CLAW: [in reference to Molly Norris death fatwa] How hidden, if at all, is your home address, phone number, and the route you take to work every day?

TR: As hidden as they possibly can be. But I don’t worry about Islamic radicals. I worry about American right-wing nuts. Cartoonists, particularly political cartoonists, who blog their private lives, including references to their children, are out of their minds. This country is awash in high-caliber weaponry owned by people with low-caliber intellects.

CLAW: We all face revisions, but how many is your limit with your editor before you curse and or threat and or beat them with a blunt object?

TR: Three. I’ll go two rounds of edits without complaint. The third time, whatever it is should have been brought up the first two times.

CLAW: Do you consider the internet your friend, or a demon that demands it’s tribute?

TR: An impecunious demon. It must be fed, and it gives little if anything back.

CLAW: We all have that one thing we find incredibly difficult to draw, what is yours?

TR: Animals.

CLAW: See you at Kings Books in Tacoma (the city of destiny) !

[CLAW was disturbed to read about the plight of City Arts Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris who went into hiding after she drew a EVERYBODY DRAW MOHAMMED DAY cartoon and ended up on a terrorist hit list. We contacted every state and local elected official we could think of... the only one man enough to give us a comment was Mr. Marty Campbell of the Tacoma City Council]

from marty:

RR,
Thank you. As a video store owner I am often witness to needless censorship and overreacting responses.

I believe that political speech should not only be protected, but also defended.  The same is true for an artists work.

I think every artist should be prepared to be criticized and maybe even rejected, but they should never have to fear for their life or the lives of their family and friends.

I’m sure Molly understood there may be a disproportionate response to her cartoon as there has been in the past, and yet she took the risk. If we are willing to spend $$ to rescue mountain climbers, river rafters and people trying to sail around the world when they take known risks, don’t we owe the same to those who risk their lives in the name of free speech.

I am disappointed that the course of action to protect her right to free speech is to effectively end her ability to speak freely.

Marty Campbell, Tacoma City Council – Position 4

Don’t forget to visit The CLAW tomorrow at Comic Book Ink during the 24 Hour Comic Challenge.

Come vist the CLAW at the 24 Hour Comic.

THIS SATURDAY

OCTOBER 2nd

24 HOURS

To MAKE a COMPLETE

24 Page COMIC BOOK

Can THEY Do it?

Can YOU Do it?

CAN YOU Create
A COMPLETE COMIC BOOK
in Only 24 Hours?!

That is the Question that Tacoma, Washington’s COMIC BOOK INK is Challenging the Members of C.L.A.W. (the Cartoonists’ League of Absurdists Washingtonians) and YOU to try and accomplish THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2nd! Starting at 10:00am THIS Saturday and Continuing ALL DAY ..into THE NIGHT..and Straight on until the NEXT MORNING on Sunday, October 3rd at 10:00am…That’s right, 24 HOURS!

“This is our 2nd Year issuing the challenge,” said store owner, JOHN MUNN, “And our Homegrown Heroes, the Member of C.L.A.W., have returned to the the challenge that 2 of them COMPLETED last year…and they are bringing more of their numbers. And when I say, “Returned to the Callenge”, it means we have offered them a chance to be on public display again..doing what they do best..Creating Comics while continuing to be Absurd. We are also excited that C.L.A.W. are going to be once again using this event to promote their SCHOLARSHIP FUND!”

C.L.A.W. is using this event as an opportunity to seek out Contributors to C.L.A.W.’s Student Scholarship Fund. “One of the reasons we started C.L.A.W. was to establish a Scholarship, however meager, for Art Students interested in Comics and Cartooning,” says MARK MONLUX, one of the founders of C.L.A.W., resident of Fern Hill and Award-Winning Illustrator. “Those of us who draw know just how tight finances can be for someone who is just starting to learn their craft. Besides tuition and books, there is the ever-increasing price of art supplies. Our Goal is to help out with relieving some of the burden, even if its only a few dollars.”

What is 24 HOUR COMICS DAY?

24 HOUR COMICS DAY All Starts with a Challenge!

The 24 HOUR COMICS CHALLENGE is for a Cartoonist to completely create a 24 Page Comics Story in 24 Straight Hours. A “24 Hour Comic” is any comic story that you make while facing the challenge…even if you take more than 24 consecutively-awake hours to make the comic or if you end after the 24 hours with a story that shorter than 24 pages.

Is this really the best way to make a great comic?

Probably not (although some really cool comics have been made this way), but that is not the real goal. The goal is to have the experience of trying. It’s a creative exercise that can teach you a lot about what you are capable of.

How many 24 HOUR COMICS have been done?

Over 1000 people have taken the challenge so far worldwide. Just last year, Comic Book Ink hosted 18 People for the Challenge.

Are YOU up to the CHALLENGE? Join us this Saturday at 10:00am or come in and witness the spectacle and cheer on our challengers!!

Who knows…we might have a few late night surprises for you…

(special thanks to John Munn of Comic Book Ink)

Talons of the C.L.A.W. were invited into the secret underground lair of seminal wheat-paste duo BEAUTIFUL ANGLE for an initial letter press team social and discovery project meeting–the project being namely LOCAL CURRENCY.  Morgan Alexander, owner of the AMOCAT CAFE has already signed up to be the first Tacoma business to accept this new money (read his Local Currency blog post here).

But first, A quick initiation ritual…

Special thanks to team Beautiful Angle for use of their handsome garden!

Please welcome DEBIVANS, NEW MEMBER NO. 13

And now for a never before seen, behind the scenes, underground tour of the Beautiful Angle letterpress studio…

Talons of CLAW awestruck by the intricate vintage machines..

Lance and Tom of Beautiful Angle invented “ART” in Tacoma, they have no problem showing us how it’s done.

Stowe has a go. “Keep your fez tassel out of those gears!” Bellows Lance.

Soon the tiny cave is filled with the latest ‘adult themed’ Beautiful Angle poster.

Extended viewing BONUS photo albums!

1. Mark Monlux candid photography
2. Adam M. Botsford’s flash powder camera (via Mark Monlux)
3. Adam M. Botsford original super-candid photography

Stowe, Monlux and Brill mid embrace PHOTO COURTESY OF NEWS TRIBUNE

For local cartoonists, a league of their own

by ROSEMARY PONNEKANTI; [Tacoma] News Tribune STAFF WRITER

It’s hard to be serious when you’re holding a conversation with a guy who’s wearing an eyeball-topped fez and maniacally drawing a goofy bear on his computer. That would be James Stowe, Tacoma cartoonist and one of the founding members of CLAW, the Cartoonists’ League of Absurd Washingtonians. Nearly two years old, CLAW is the epitome of tongue-in-cheek geekdom – but through open sessions and private gigs, the dozen or so members also work hard to support local businesses, the Tacoma art community, and the fine art of having fun with pen and ink.

Read more: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/08/01/1285188/a-league-of-their-own.html

Every year The CLAW selects one lucky “at risk youth” (at risk of being seriously awesome) and awards them the YOUNG CARTOONIST OF THE FUTURE Scholarship consisting of a over-sized novelty check for photographic purposes and a large sum of money. This year The CLAW was able to AWARD $370 dollars to Ms. Amelia Davis, an art student at Cogswell Polytechnical College in Sunnyvale, California.

While Amelia tries to eat her novelty check, why don’t you browse her inventory of amazing illustration art here at http://lupis-fox.deviantart.com/ Yes!!!! Excelsior!

Learn more about the CLAW scholarship and see past winners here.

Meeting is called to order. SECRET CLAW OPENING RITUAL: What are Robots? Robots are Cool. Zombies Must Die! Shoot ‘em in the head. [One CLAP] Ceci nes pas une pipe. [Rotate Self 3 Times]

Old Business

1. CLAW vs. the World Bowling Challenge . . . ?
2. Non Profit Status? Mark Monlux is much to busy to do the paperwork.

New Business

1. Adopt Amocat as new Open Swim meeting space – RR tasked with talking our way in there.
2. CLAW online store – So far only RR has posted anything
3. STAN SHAW REPORT – motion to taunt professional Tacoma cartoonist Stan Shaw PASSED.
4. Beautiful Angle Local Currency project – limbo. Motion to pester Lance exponentially in September PASSED.
5. Tacoma Art Museum – members committed to July 31st CLAW team-up with Frost Park Community Chalk Militia to bring chalk art to dead concrete of TAM. Passed.
6. FeedTacoma.com Comics Page – Members discussed picking a day to post their comic strip. New members are still thinking of new strip ideas.
7. Agreed to appear on PODCAST: Northwest Convergence Zone – Sunday July 25th at about 5PM?
8. JUNIOR CLAW CADET NO. 12 to be voted in soon! Check out Shawn Clayton

Show and Tell

• Mark Brill has a new gay-furrydom time travel comic out. UNBELIEVABLE + ASTONISHING!
• Stowe gave a preview of his latest SCATS web comic
• VEX zine is interested in a CLAW collaboration… RR brought in his VEX zine collection.  CLAW’S MESSAGE TO VEX: Show us the money! Minimum donation to CLAW Scholarship fund is $150.

SECRET CLAW CLOSING RITUAL: What are Robots? Robots are cool. Zombies must die! Shoot ‘em in the head! [1 CLAP] Beware the flying monkeys.

It’s FREE to attend. Free to mingle. $4.00 for an elusive tile. And well meeting the C.L.A.W….priceless.

(Disclaimer: For legal reasons, value may not be assigned to meeting any member of The C.L.A.W as most victims are haunted by the experience well into their senior years.)

Monkey Tile Preview

Monkey Tile Preview

Monkey Tile Preview

Monkey Tile Preview

Here are some details:

100th Monkey Tacoma

Location:

The Stonegate
5421 S Tacoma Way
Tacoma, WA 98409

June 23rd 7:30 to 9:30.
Band: Mr. FUSION
Tile artist: THE CLAW

Bring food and beverage to ‘share’ and measly $4 for collector art piece and support the monk

NO cost art community building

A special note from the artist:

Dear reader,

Please join us in an effort to lessen our shame as fez wearing artists. We hope that through community awareness, other artists will take us more seriously. Only with the help of viewers like you can we overcome the life of oppression that awaits us. Shed some light on the plight of the artist.

And while you’re at it take home one of these cute monkey. They need loving homes where they can be admired and doted over.

Humbly yours,

-Adam M Botsford

ps: If you’re making baked good to “share”…The C.L.A.W. really likes cookies. Big ones! Much thanks.

see more of our cartoonist absurdity in our flickr pool.

Go to http://www.cartoonistsleague.org/scholarship/ and get your forms in by MARCH 15th in order to be considered.

RR's MS Paint Parody of Far Side Cartoon Art

Remember the Far Side?

Elliot Trotter, Mark Monlux, James Stowe, RR Anderson Photo by Kevin Freitas

Rumors have been flying for the last month about the CLAW’s Great Yearly Ceremony. For a secret society that has been not-so-secret with its secret ceremonies, this secret ceremony was kept…well…pretty secret. In fact only a select few other than the membership were invited to the event, which was his in the historic Knights of Pythias Temple in Tacoma, Washington on the dark and gloomy evening of January 4th 2010. The extravaganza showed the changing of the guard with Two of the Four Eyes stepping down, and Two new victims being called into leadership.

Unlike other organizations, which have a democratic process to determine leadership, the CLAW thrust leadership upon its hapless membership. When you are called, you serve. Bu wa ha ha ha ha ha!

Shaking their mantle of responsibility were Elliot Trotter and RR Anderson, the masterminds behind the CLAW’s conception. Now sharing in the wealth of chores and labors are Jeff Hawley and Michael Shaudis. Remaining on the council for another year of sterling leadership are Mark Monlux and James Stowe.

The CLAW also took this time to semi-publically thank the Friend of CLAW, individuals who proved themselves to be very strong supporters of the CLAW. You’ve seen the invites, now you get to meet the recipients:

Kevin Freitas, Warren Caves, John Munn and Dave L. Photo by Kevin Freitas

Kevin Freitas – Photographer Extraordinary, and creator of FeedTacoma.com
Warren Caves – Owner of Tacoma Art Supply
John Munn – Owner of Comic Book Ink
Dave L. – A Really Good Guy

Yet more rumors abound! It’s possible that the CLAW might make next year’s Great Yearly Ceremony available to the public. If you think that tickets, supporting the CLAW Student Scholarship Fund, would be a good idea, then let the CLAW know.

The CLAW sends a special thanks to the Knights of Pythias. The CLAW encourages its reader to check out the Knights of Pythias, who believe the ideals of loyalty, honor and friendship.

And here is Adam the Alien’s special Vlog-Tag of the event”