A WALK IN THE WOODS AND LIFE

It's been a rough, weird spring, with health problems knocking me out and dropping me behind on everything and always trying to catch up and feeling like I'm never getting anywhere. So lately, I've been trying to keep things in balance, and that means getting outside and working in our yard, or going for walks in the woods and fields around Beloit.

As always, whatever state of turmoil I may find myself in, a walk outdoors usually relieves it. Recently I've been out hiking in the Stateline Restoration Prairie, where the June blooms are rockin', or out at the J. Norman Jensen Forest Preserve, where I keep looking for Pileated Woodpeckers, but only find beautiful Orioles or Goldfinches or Red-headed Woodpeckers etc.

One of my favorite bends in the Rock River.

 

Path into the woods.

Ruins of old fireplace, out in the woods.

Sometimes the world is so beautiful, it almost seems like I'm hallucinating.

 

Can you find the Great Blue Heron in this picture?

Can you find the muskrat in this picture? 

Keep runnin' up that hill.

Just another day in Paradise.

Otherwise, I woke up the Sunday of CAKE with more hearing problems. Not as bad as following DINK, when I went wholly deaf in my right ear, but bad enough that it got me thinking. As you surely know, I went though about a decade of very serious illness, during which time I became somewhat of a recluse. My health was not good enough to travel, except in the most emergency type situations. Finally circa 2007 or so, I finally began to feel well enough to get out on the road again. At first it was difficult, but then in 2009 I turned into a road dawg. I hit every show, festival, signing and event I could reasonably or even not-so-reasonably attend. It felt great after 10 years of solitude to get out into the world, meet people again, visit new places, etc. But I'm now beginning to feel like the energy and health I'd saved up in those ten years has dissipated again. Like it's time for me to pull back once more.

I've canceled my table at SPX 2016, my one remaining long-distance show of the year. The Jenny Zervakis Strange Growths book, which we'd hoped to debut at SPX, will now debut at CAKE 2017. I'll still attend the remaining few very-local shows left (Madison Print and Resist and Milwaukee Zine Fest, both in the fall), but otherwise I'm staying put.

Clearing my slate like this is a huge relief.  Summer is here, and I'm looking forward to spending it outdoors, or drawing my own comics, or watching the Honeymooners, digging in the yard or painting the shed. Planting some real roots.

King-Cat #76 is at the printers, and #77 is partway drawn, with all the pages allotted for. I wanna have that out before the end of the year. I wanna dig down inside myself again. I promise to bring out whatever I find there.

LOVE YOU ALL,
John P.

CAKE PATTER

So, last weekend was CAKE, the beloved and well-appreciated Chicago Alt-Comics festival. In a last minute push I managed to overcome my inertia and got a small print run of the new King-Cat printed for the show. (The main run, which goes out to stores and subscribers etc, will be coming soon.) 

If you read my previous post, you know that I've been approaching if not reaching Maximum Burnout­® as far as the convention circuit is concerned. But CAKE is my hometown show, and I think the best alt-comics show in the country right now. It's well attended, well-organized, and has an extremely high quality level. It feels like an old-tyme comics show, where the focus is back on creative individuality and risk taking, versus Adventure Time wannabee clones and trendhopping, intentional mediocrity. Almost every table at CAKE is primo, with some of the best and most interesting cartoonists of our time in attendance.

 The view from the Spit and a Half table, Saturday.

 

The Hon. Zak R. Sally, my next door neighbor and best bud.

 

British writer Dean Simons and Kilgore Books impresario, Dan Stafford.

 

Sgt. Huizenga of the Lake County Sheriff's Police.

 

Mardou interviews Zak for Comics Workbook.

 

My other neighbors were Keiler and Scott Roberts and their daughter Xia, who drew a picture of a groundhog and a beaver dancing for me. 

So anyhow, the show was great. And then. Somehow I made it through the entire day Sunday, from 11-6, at one of the biggest LGBTQ Centers in Chicago, without ever hearing about the shooting in Orlando. As I was loading out that evening, I noticed all the security in bullet proof vests everywhere, and I asked what was going on. It was then that I found out what had happened.

Walking out then onto Halsted Street, the historic heart of Chicago's LGBTQ community, I was stunned into speechlessness and heartbreak. The people moving down the street, rainbow flags draped over their shoulders, it all seemed like an eerie, terrible dream.

Let me just say out loud that I treasure my many gay, lesbian, bi, trans and otherwise queer friends. I can't imagine-- if I felt as stunned, scared, and furious as I did-- how you all must feel. For whatever it's worth, my love is here with you, along with the love of all your millions of supporters.

CENTER ON HALSTED -- DONATION PAGE

CAKE AND BEYOND

Hi Folks,

This weekend is CAKE, the wonderful comix festival in my dear old hometown, Chicago.  I hope you'll come on by if you have a chance.  I'll be at Table 86 with the ALL-NEW King-Cat #75 (the All-Maisie Issue!) AND --- the new Scholastic Books edition of my previously OOP book Thoreau at Walden.  In addition, I'll have a load of distro stuff, including new and exciting work from Pow Pow Press, Conundrum, Nick Maandag, Tom Van Deusen, Noah Van Sciver, Marc Bell (Stroppy!), Pascal Girard, Not My Small Diary, Swimmer's Group, Colour Code, AND MORE!

FRIDAY NIGHT before the show, drop on by Quimby's at 7 PM for a slideshow and panel discussion with Eleanor Davis, Keiler Roberts, and myself, moderated by Hillary Chute.  These are two of my favorite cartoonists, and it'll be an honor to sit down and talk with everyone!

If you can't make it, but would like to order copies of King-Cat 75 and/or Thoreau at Walden, they are both available at the new Spit and a Half site: www.spitandahalf.com.

Thanks everyone!
John P.

CAKE 2014

Tablemates Zak Sally and Noah Van Sciver

So, my last big show until the fall -- CAKE 2014.  In only its third year, CAKE feels like a well oiled and FUN comics festival.  So many people make the trip out, and Chicago itself has such a remarkable comics scene, that the whole thing feels like a family reunion.  Add to that the laid back Midwestern vibe and you've got a winner.

Saturday I spent a bunch of time wandering around and saying hi to people; Sunday I stayed at my table and when I was away I ran around quickly picking up great comics.

Noah with the illustrious Tony Millionaire

Victor "Bald Eagles" Cayro and Becca Kacanda

Millionaire, JP, and Mt. Baldy

When Tony stood up he kept going.  Dude's like eight feet tall.

View of downtown from the rooftop deck

Mssrs. Chris Cilla and Onsmith

Lizz Hickey and Bill Kartalopoulos

Nils Balls

Nicole J. Georges earns her Comic Book Merit Badge

The great Keiler Roberts

Just a friendly tap on the horn from Aaron "#4" Renier and Jeremy Tinder

JP, Jessica Campbell, and a smilier AR

Billy Ireland's Sooper Awesome Caitlin McGurk

CAKE organizer and all-around bon vivant Max Morris

Greg Means (R) reminds Alec Longstreth what it felt like when the Blazers made it past the first round

The always charming MariNaomi

Nicole models the new King-Cat brand Muumuu

And last but not least, my roommate Twiggy

MCA's IN THE HOUSE WHACHA GONNA DO

Hey Chicago Peeps:

This Saturday July 27 from 10 AM to 6 PM I'll be exhibiting at the MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART in Chicago's SATURDAY STRIP, with two tables full of King-Cat Comix and other fine comic book releases from around the world!

Also exhibiting: Quimby's, CAKE, Megan Kirby, and Ezra Clayton Daniels (who'll be repping a buncha local cartoonists too), so come on down!  And don't forget they also have their DAN CLOWES retrospective up!).

Thanks.  BTW I was hoping to have the new King-Cat out for Autoptic in MPLS, but that is seeming dicey at this time.  I should still have it out by the end of August tho.  Look for it soon!

John P.

MCA Events page

Facebook Events page

CAKE TOPPING

John P. at CAKE with Alex Nall

(Photo by Jeff Zwirek)

Hey all, I'm way beyond behind on blog updates, but I thought I'd chime in with a very quick CAKE report.

As I mentioned last year, I'm very happy that AT LAST, my home sweet home of Chicago finally has an alternative comics con that seems to have staying power.  Having moved to a new location for its second go-round (Year One was at Columbia College in the South Loop, where I and several other souls were trapped in the Classroom of Despair), everything about CAKE Mark II seemed better.  Now, CAKE I was a fun show, and I was impressed with the number of swell comix folks who made the journey last year, but this one was special.

I can't begin to count the talented cartoonists and wonderful publishers at this year's show, but off the top of my head:  Koyama, D+Q, Uncivilized, Tugboat, Retrofit, Secret Acres, Zak Sally, Michael DeForge, Noah Van Sciver, Joseph Remnant, Jason Shiga, Chris Cilla, Lilli Carré, Laura Park, Trubble Club, Revival House, Leslie Stein, USS Catastrophe, Oily, Phoebe Gloeckner, Collective Stench, Caroline Paquita, Kim Deitch, Fanta, Ed Luce, Gabby Gamboa, Josh Simmons, Paper Rocket, Picturebox, 2D Cloud, Josh Bayer, Pat Aulisio, Cara Bean, Onsmith, Julie Delporte, and I even saw Bald Eagles and Becca Marie wandering the aisles.  Don't get mad but I'm gonna stop there.  You get the idea.

Day One started off slow, but I ended up having a steady stream of visitors throughout the day.  One nice thing about the location was the Whole Paycheck® located on the first floor of the Center on Halsted, which made for easy access to drink and grub.  I usually starve at these things with my low-blood sugar causing me to get cranky and/or shaky-weird, but this show was more comfortable in that way.

Saturday evening my main concern was finding someplace to watch the Blackhawks game, which after some to do I managed to accomplish (sob).

Sunday morning I expected there to be a big lull, as hungover cartoonists stumbled in bleary-eyed and ragged.  And that's what happened.  Sunday was a little slower for me, but I also spent time away from my table to try to check things out.  And if there's one thing I've learned about shows it's I don't sell anything when I'm away from my table.  I managed to make it down the first one and a half aisles before having to jet back to Spit and a Half HQ.  There were so many high-quality exhibitors there, there was no way to table and still see everything.  I was really impressed by how GOOD everything I was looking at seemed.

Sunday after the show a bunch of us headed over to Joy's Noodles for dinner.  It was fun to get to hang out with people outside the show, and watch my pal Ray go head-to-head with Jesse Reklaw in the mental agility sweepstakes.  (Jesse's amazing series COUCH TAG will finally be collected in book form by Fantagraphics this fall!)

After that people wanted to go to a bar.  I wanted to go to sleep.  So it was a quiet night reading comics and chatting at my host Laura Park's house.

Monday, Laura, Noah, and I had breakfast and then I took Noah to visit Chicago Comics and the Picasso.  Then back on the road home.

Excellent.  I look forward to next year...

- - -

(I didn't manage to take a single picture, but if you're on Facebook, here's cartoonist/CAKE organizer Jeff Zwirek's photo album.)

CHICAGO CHICAGO

Hey Kids,

It's been awhile since I updated here.  Turns out I will be attending a bunch of events in my Windy City over the next few weeks, so I thought I'd give you the info:

Sun. June 9, 2013: Printer's Row Lit Fest
From 2-3 PM I'll be signing books with Zak Sally at the CAKE table, Tent HH3 on Polk, between Dearborn and Federal.

Sat.-Sun. June 15-16: CAKE
I'll be tabling 11 AM to 6 PM both days, with tons of Spit and a Half stuff;  alongside Noah Van Sciver and Joseph Remnant at Table 82.

Sat.-Sun. June 28-29: American Library Association Conference
I'll be tabling in the Zine Pavilion from 10 AM - 4 PM both days!

See you there!  (Look for real bloggages soon...)
JP

A SLICE OF CAKE*

So, the beautiful city of Chicago recently held its first alternative comics festival in a long time, CAKE.  I had high hopes for CAKE and it didn't disappoint.

For some reason Chicago has never had a sustainable alt-comics fest.  I think, and hope, that has changed now.  The CAKE organizers really worked hard at making this a great show.  They took their time and did things right, and it showed.  For a first year show, CAKE was a great success.

I was proud not only to have a show like this in my hometown, but I was amazed at the number of brilliant cartoonists and publishers who made the trek from all over the country, and from Canada, to attend.  CAKE was a winner, and no doubt will only improve as it moves forward.  If you didn't make it out this time...  next year?

Neighbors Laura Szumowski, Leslie Stein, and Zak Sally.

The Spit and a Half table.

Leslie and Zak.

St. Louis dis.

Just kidding!  Here's Mardou and Ted May, comics power couple.

Gotta love this job.

Whoa!  I was super excited to see old friend Carrie McNinch for the first time in like 12 years.  Check out Carrie's full-length, full-color comic in the new Three #3, edited by cartoonist and publisher extraordinaire Robert Kirby (to her right)!

Marc Bell and Anders Nilsen get down and dirty.

Anders' micro-edition accordion book.

"Dirt Do-og!"

Zettwoch!!

Saturday evening there was a gallery opening down the street featuring loads of great comic art.  You can't tell from this picture, but it was 1000° in there.

Photo by Jessica Campbell.

Wabash Street.

And look, my BFF Patrick Porter showed up on an Amtrak layover.

Crowd out in front of gallery/sauna.

Ol' Grandpa John enjoys a gourmet beverage and a nice rocking chair.

Photo by Julia Wertz.

That night we played Spin the Walter at Laura Park's house.

(L-R: Domitille Collardey, Julia Wertz, Tom Kaczynski, Zak Sally, Walter Wallet, Lisa Hanawalt, Laura Park.)

Don't give me that look.

These psychos from Minneapolis insisted on doing push-ups all the time.  We were all very, very impressed.

Next morning a delightful breakfast with Zak, Tom K., and CAKE organizer Grace Tran.

Yam Books' Rina Ayuyang and John P. get all surly on yo ass.

View from behind the Secret Acres table.  Like I said, the most beautiful city in the world.

*Sorry