Author: Sophie Yanow

Stumptown Comics Fest Debuts

Here’s a panel from my contribution to Snakebomb #1, debuting at Stumptown Comics Fest THIS WEEKEND.

I will also be debuting a new comic as a double sided 11″x17″ broadside called SITUO #1. One side is the cover/poster, printed black plus one color silkscreen. The other side is a full page b&w half-toned comic, never before seen!

And I’ll have copies of Blár, VSNQST, and Prison for Bitches. Plus more minicomics & prints.

Find me, Kane Lynch, Snakebomb, and cooliostreetcat at table D-30 at STUMPTOWN. THIS WEEKEND. PORTLAND.

L’Association Continuer

I’m following the strike at L’Association as closely as one can from Seattle.

My friend just posted, today, a letter from Jean-Cristophe Menu, director at L’Association. Nothing dire. Strikes are pretty common in France, but I do hope something can be worked out for the employees, especially in such a small company. My translation is below the original.

From: JCMENU <jcm@lassociation.fr>
Date: January 17, 2011 4:50:23 PM MST (CA)
To: J-C MENU <meder@wanadoo.fr>
Subject: Communiqué

Chers Auteurs et Amis,

Vous avez certainement pris connaissance des événements qui se
déroulent actuellement à l’Association, par le biais des
communications adressées massivement par ses salariés. Nous déplorons
que ce qui relève de la gestion interne de l’Association ait été
communiqué publiquement.

Dans le contexte que vous connaissez de la crise du Livre,
l’Association, qui n’y échappe pas, doit désormais avant tout
réfléchir aux façons de sauvegarder sa structure et son patrimoine.

Plus que jamais, nous restons attachés à la mission de
L’Association : éditer et faire vivre une bande dessinée d’auteurs
singulière et indépendante.

Une Assemblée Générale va avoir lieu très rapidement et nous allons
Nous donner les moyens de gérer cette crise interne.

Pour conclure, aujourd’hui : les projets de livres doivent tout simplement
continuer.

Nous restons à votre disposition.
Amicalement à tous,

Patricia Perdrizet, Présidente.
Jean-Christophe Menu, Editeur.

I’m trying to work on my French, so here’s a full translation:

Dear Friends and Authors,

You’ve certainly read of the events going on at L’Association, through the method of communications addressed massively through our employees. We deplore that this matter of internal affairs of L’Association has been publicly communicated.

In the context that we know as the “Book Crisis,” L’Association, which hasn’t escaped, must from now on above all reflect on how to safeguard its structure and heritage.

Now more than ever, we remain fastened to the mission of L’Association: to publish and bring to life comics from authors singular and independent.

A general assembly will be held shortly and we will give ourselves the means by which to manage this internal crisis.

To conclude, today: the book projects will simply continue.

We remain at your disposal. Amicably,

Patricia Perdrizet, Présidente.
Jean-Christophe Menu, Editeur.

More background about L’Association and the OuBaPo group is in this Wall Street Journal article, and the original posting of Menu’s email is here.

Penelope, Holy Crusader

Penelope, Holy Crusader

Francois Vigneault and Jonas Madden-Connor do ‘draw offs’ a lot where they have to draw a character based on a concept. At the East Bay Alternative Press Fair, we decided to draw D&D characters. Here I give you Penelope the Paladin. Lawful good! Something I never actually play.

I’m working right now on a fantasy story, hopefully to appear in Francois’ indy-fantasy anthology. Now that I’m in Seattle, the rain will keep me in doors and drawing!

GTD and Cartoonists

As I’m transitioning out of one place and into another (moving from Oakland/Berkeley to Seattle for the next 4 months), I’ve been taking care of business before I go, and thinking about how best to manage my time in the near future. I started looking at the ‘Getting Things Done’ book. Weirdly, I’d encountered it via a lot of cartoonists whose work I really admire: Kevin Huizenga has mentioned GTD directly a lot, and Dash Shaw said in an interview somewhere that he was into motivational books, I think maybe GTD but can’t I quite recall (Dash has said in interviews that his mom is a psychologist but despite that, he was attracted to the ‘low brow’ stuff). Kevin H has said it’s helpful for structuring his time, and has even offered some modifications and helpful additions on his blog, along with drawings. It must have sunk pretty deep into his psyche, because one of his comics in Fantagraphics’ Ganges #3 is called “Getting Things Done.”

Yesterday I was sitting with my lady, playing with my brand new iPod Touch in a coffee shop (which she got me for the holly-days/our anniversary). I was getting all excited because there are lots of GTD apps for iOS. Of course, she’s had a field day making fun of me about my recent interest in this (and who wouldn’t). But! Her friend who works at the cafe came out and showed us some new audio programming books he was about to dig into (he’s a bay area musician who’s been getting a lot of play lately). I excitedly mentioned GTD, and it turns out he’s totally hooked in! All of this really makes me wonder how many of the productive people I know have read that book.

GD3D

This app makes me want an iPhone… but I don’t *actually* want an iPhone. I want an iPod Touch. So I need to convince this developer to make it available on the Touch, and then I need to get my hands on a Touch. GeoDoodle3D.

via http://creativeapplications.net/ (my new favorite website. makes me want to play with max/msp again, but I can’t get a student copy of max5 and it’s too $$!)

ccmtm

http://comicscomicsmag.com/2010/12/tastes-change.html#comment-21562

Just had a kid come into the comic shop today (CR in Berkeley. I say kid but he’s probably my age.). He’s buying 50c books from the 90s and a recent Bulletproof Coffin issue. He’s bought good minicomics from me before without any recommendations on my behalf… I’m curious so I ask him what he thinks of Bulletproof Coffin. Says he’s seen comics do it before but this has something nice and sleazy about it. I say, not a lot of other stuff filling this ‘niche’ these days (whatever that means). Then he mentions King City. I ask him if he reads Comics Comics and he says yes. Damn, that got a smile out of me. Something there about [Frank Santoro] being a tastemaker… or were the kids already reading these books? Probably, a lot. Some, maybe not.