The last drawing was finished and put into place on Wednesday…a day before the con started.  Zan put forth an heroic effort and laid out the book and printed and folded and cut copies of it so that it was ready and waiting when the ComiCon opened its doors on Friday!

Anyway–here is a shot of the cover of our 25 page story of a teen dealing with classmates who are bullying him because he is a little different.

You can find out more and even purchase a copy at the following link:

http://northwestpress.com/

(I believe the proceeds from this book are oing to The Trevor Project, but I need to confirm that.)

Peace out!  ^0^

Mark  B-9!

The Power Within

"What is reality?" by RR Anderson

IN A WORLD OF SHADOW,
ALL CREATURES OF TERROR
COME TOGETHER
once a year to ELECT…

PRESIDENT OF THE UNDERWORLD!

these horrible nightmare monsters have
all dumped huge sums of anonymous cash
into the creative mega-hive mind of CLAW
(Cartoonists’ League of absUrd Washingtonians)
to come up with A KILLER CAMPAIGN POSTER!

1. step 1 – pick a monster
2. step 2 – position your candidate (e.g. Mummy is old – lots of experience!, Dracula – time for fresh blood!)
3. step 2.5 – DRAW DRAW DRAW!
4. step 3 – stump speech
5. step 4 – VOTE!

secondary under-theme: EVERY BODY DRAW STAN SHAW DAY!

ALSO: OCTOBER ZINE FOLDING PARTY!

help fold zine and take one home! (you can see my page contribution attached)

Wednesday, October 27, 7:30 PM 2010 A.D.
AMOCAT CAFE in tropical DOWNTOWN TACOMA!
FREE PARKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

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

The highly experimental, outdoor adventure comic strips below were developed and ultimately abandoned for a more traditional marketing campaign. Click the strips below to read!

So much for that idea…

They were $ fun $ to draw nevertheless.

A little Brill-Toon for the Holidays

Just a little toon so everyone will remember what the holidays are REALLY all about.  PRESENTS!  ^0^

Any serious fantasy book needs a Tolkien-style map lurking somewhere round the table of contents. Click to enlarge the rough draft sketch of my Tacoma map (above).

Other items my book will include:

1. Table of Contents – COMPLETE
2. FOREWORD by John Hathaway, aka THE NEW TAKHOMAN – COMPLETE
3. Map – IN PROGRESS
4. Intentionally left blank pages – COMPLETE
5. “Fun Facts” – NOT STARTED
6. 100 of the best TACOMICS from 2007 – 2009 – NOT STARTED
7. 1 page dedicated to the WORST TACOMICS – NOT STARTED
8. Sampling of the best TACOMIC COMMENTS – NOT STARTED
9. A behind the scene cartoonist statements – IN PROGRESS
10. SPELLING + GRAMMAR corrections by Todd Mathews – IN PROGRESS
11. Tide Tables + Venn Diagrams
12. A complete set of Tacoma Action Figures – COMPLETE
13. TBA, etc.

MEANWHILE, please enjoy the TACOMIC™ Political Cartoons every Tuesday Morning! Did you know you can get instant TACOMIC CARTOON updates via TWITTER?

CLAW:  Can you tell our readers a bit about your illustration process? Do you start with a sketch? Ink/Color or Scan directly into photoshop, use a wacom etc?

ZS: I do a sketch the old-fashioned way: pencil on paper. I print out photo reference, if I have it, in black and white; I’ve tried in the past printing out ref in color but the color of the photos is distracting, I find. Then, depending on the piece and how much time I have and how I’m feeling about it, I’ll lay down some washes and stuff in gouache and scan that in and finish painting it digitally, or simply scan in the sketch and paint it entirely digitally.

I’m a very early riser, and pretty much all the campaign pictures were done between 3 and 6 in the morning, before I settled down to my regularly scheduled assignments for the day.

CLAW:  Adding Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket is considered by many political cartoonists a boon or a gift from god. Your Palin illustrations are obviously divinely inspired… can you friggin believe that?

ZS: What I can’t believe is that McCain chose her as his running mate. The painting I did of them entitled “The Morning After” truly illustrates what I think they both felt on November 5th. I know I’ve felt that way myself on more than one occasion!

By the way, I collected all my campaign satires into a book called “The Party’s Over”, available on Blurb and all the paintings can be seen in the Politics section of my website, in case your readers would like to see what we’re talking about.

CLAW: How much of a role does anger play in your political illustrations?

ZS: Plenty! I think anger is a great spark. When people tick me off it’s easy to skewer them, and to come up with ideas on how to do it.

CLAW:  Above all other political cartoonists you have managed to capture Mrs. Palin’s berserker snarl with frightening accuracy. Have you ever been to Alaska? (full disclosure: I’m from Juneau, Alaska).

ZS: No, I’ve never been up there, though if the place it littered with Palinesque individuals…well, I ain’t making plane reservations anytime soon.

About the insanely meat-eating expressions I did for my Palin satires: I used myself as a model for all her expressions. I’ve always used myself as the model for facial expressions. I have a hand mirror that I’ve grimaced and growled and snarled into for years.

CLAW: Many of our members/readers are intense fans of science fiction. Are there any behind the scenes stories you can share with us about your [Norman Saunders] dad’s Mars Attacks cards?  Does a science fiction background help you articulate (in illustration form) the horrors in real-life politics?

ZS: Hmmmm…well, I can tell you that my dad didn’t take Mars Attax seriously at all (it was just a job of “bug-eyed monsters” for him), and he was shocked when he discovered,at the one and only comic convention he ever attended, that he was a revered iller.

I have a little anecdote that I’ve often told about me and my dad’s paintings when I was a little kid. And it’s a true one. Here it is:

I used to “correct” my dad’s paintings, when he was away from his drawing board. Usually that would involve painting extra glamorous eyelashes on his damsels in distress. Years later, in my 20′s, I asked Dad if he knew that I used to do that and he said, “Of course I knew! I’d just go back in and paint them out.” It blows my mind, how patient he was about that. I’d kill a kid for doing that to my stuff!

CLAW:  Any money making/saving advice you’d like to share with your fellow artisans  (example: I recently purchased a pencil extender handle which lets me continue to use the pencil all the way to the nub)?

ZS: Hey! That’s funny you mention that pencil extender thing! I teach a senior thesis illustration class at The University of The Arts, and one of my students hipped me to that extender thing just last week. I’d honestly never seen one of those before!

Hmmm…trying to think of other tips… well, not buying stuff is a good way to save.

CLAW: Thanks for your time Zina!

Thanks for asking me to blather on!

CLAW: for more information on Zina Saunders visit ZinaSaunders.com