See this wireframe diagram scrawled on a spiral bound cocktail napin? This drawing is going to change the world. And by world I mean Tacoma World and by drawing I mean the idea it represents: A FULL ON FEED TACOMA SUNDAY COMICS PAGE by your friendly neighborhood cartoonists. A line up of strips including but not limited to:

• MARK MONLUX with The Comic Critic and The Return of Stick Man
• RR Anderson with THE TACOMIC (political cartoon)
• ELECTRIC ELLIOT with Bob the Dog
• STOWE with DADDY’S NUT SHOT OF THE DAY
• Jeff Hawley with LOG JAM!
• MIKE SHAUDIS with Ocryx and Joe
• And MORE YET TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Why is this any different than other local collective comic sites like ALASKA ROBOTICS?  Because we are wedding LOCAL COMICS to a LOCAL NEWS/CLASSIFIED/BLOGGING site feedtacoma.com. At long last there will be absolutely no reason to purchase a newspaper like the TNT.  What is more you’ll have a strong personal connection to every comic strip illustrator.  For example say you’re sitting in a favorite dining establishment. You look over and see one of us at another table eating a sixth avenue dog or something.  You can say “hey man I like your cartoon strip!” or “Hey I thought your last strip was a real stinker! Why don’t you draw something funny like you used to do”  We’ll say Yes! You’re right! and BLAMO! A personal connection has been formed.  Next week you can tell your lover “Look, I told him to be funny again and heck if he didn’t do it! HAR HAR HAR!”  You just can’t do that with national syndicated strips.  You think the creator of GARFIELD gives two halibut craps about your and your problems?  NO SKIPPY!

Not only will our strips collectively be awesome, but you’ll be able to buy the strips.  You’ll be able to interact with the cartoonist instantly through comments. You’ll be able to sponsor a strip through cartoon product placement AND OR banner advertising.  YOU’LL BE ABLE TO DRAW IN THE FRIGGIN COMMENT BOXES!!!!!!!  HOLY CRAP I JUST BLEW MY OWN MIND!!!!!

Tunnel by Mark Monlux

Is that sense of isolation closing in on you? The CLAW (Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians) will be having their Open Swim this Wednesday evening. The Open Swim is for both member and non-members. Anyone who wants to be part of the festivities is welcomed. Besides the usual hijinks of doodling and preparing the path for the robotic overlords, there just might be a secret ceremony performed. The time and location are:

Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. July 22nd 2009
The Mandolin Café
3923 S 12th St
Tacoma, WA 98405
(In the New and Improved back room, to the left of the performance stage.)
RSVP if you can, space is limited. Feel free to bring a friend, but as this is an adult only event, no kids.

If you would like to get a direct email informing you of CLAW meetings and events click on the membership page and subscribe to the email list.

New Member Michael Shaudis

June 24th 2009 was a momentous day in the life of Michael Shaudis. Having undergone the initiation ceremony at the CLAW’s Open Swim, he has now joined the ranks of absurdity. The new and improved back room at the Mandolin Café was filled with rejoicing, and an unusual amount of tea given the amount of testosterone in the room. Did I mention that our room sponsor, the Mandolin Café, has remodeled and now has a new and improved kitchen along with a enlarged back room that small, and even semi-big, group can rent for meetings and secret gatherings? Well, they do and might consider it a place for your next gathering.

Topics discussed were a comic page on Feed Tacoma, ideas tossed around at a recent Tacoma Circus meeting, Iron Artist at the Tacoma Art Museum, 24 Hour Comic Challenge coming on October 3rd 2009, the cultural significance of Eddy Izzard, and whether David Carradine truly was wearing fishnet stockings as he passed into the sweet hereafter. In short, if you weren’t there you missed a heck of a good time.