Laugh Tracks

NEW COMIC ALERT! Warped by Michael Cavna

 

 

Warped by Michael Cavna

 

Before there was "Hamilton," there was the syndicated comic strip Warped, in which mash-ups of pop culture and twisted history have included such sights as Francis Scott Key rapping to his star-spangled anthem (with James "Puffy" Madison on the turntable). Warped is the daily strip created by Washington Post "Comic Riffs" columnist/cartoonist Michael Cavna. From Alexander Hamilton's legal tender to the app-happy age of Tinder, Warped blends the old and the new in hilariously innovative and thoughtfully topical ways.

 

Get historical. Get timely. Get Warped.

 

Follow Warped on GoComics!

SHERPA BOOK GIVEAWAY!

 

Comics Sherpa is a separate cartoon galaxy within the GoComics universe, where close to 200 independent cartoonists post their work. (To visit, click SHERPA on the green bar at the top of this page). In the thirteen years of Sherpa’s existence so far, over 1,000 different features have appeared.

 

As the site’s Aide de Sherpa, I’ve heard from numerous creators over the past few months about books they have self-published, so today we are offering a Sherpa Book Giveaway of the six titles below. All except Dysconnected are signed by their creator.

 

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your FIRST and LAST name. Limit one entry per person. This giveaway is limited to residents of the U.S. and Canada. The contest will end on Tuesday, September 20^th, at 5 p.m., EST. The winners will be randomly selected, and announced on this blog that evening.

 

 

 

BATCH REJECTION: New Century Modern
by Garey Mckee

 

This single-panel feature mimics the classic style of early to mid-20^th century magazine cartoons while exploring the mundane, everyday foibles of 21^st century technology.

 

 

 

View strip here.

 

6 x 9, 152 pages, pb, b&w, Ten Spot Publishing.
Available via Amazon.

 

 

 

 

DYSCONNECTED: Isolated By Our Mobile Devices
by Anton Scamvougeras

 

In the future, the happiest, most content and satisfied people will be those of us who learn to best manage our relationships with our technology. This hefty and elegant collection, which combines Dysconnected art with quotes on the subject, was described by a Vancouver book critic thus: “Easily one of the best books of the year.”

 

View strip here.

 

11 x 8 1/2, 160 pages, pb, b&w, AJKS Publishing.
Available via Amazon.

Website.

 

 

GREEN PIECES: Green From the Pond Up
by Drew Aquilina

 

This eco-comic explores wetland life through the denizens of one particular pond. Iggy the claustrophobic turtle and his friends -- Radic, an annoying dragonfly; Cabby, an omnipotent techno-bullfrog; and Roc, a rogue raccoon -- have adventures that entertain, while the strip manages to convey a lot of interesting information about the lives of plants and animals.

 

View strip here.

 

8 ½ x 11, 197 pages, pb, color throughout. Green Pieces Studio.
Available via Amazon.

Green Pieces Cartoon Studio.

 

NEVER SETTLE FOR THE STATUS QUO: A Magnificatz Collection
by Steve Ogden

 

Magnificatz is about a longsuffering ingenious guy and his two precocious cat advisers. Steve Ogden’s beautiful art is well featured in this collection, which also includes a fascinating illustrated account of how the strip evolved over 25 years -- from Croker’s Gorge, to Silas & Max, to Doctor Magnifico, and, finally, to Magnificatz. Formerly on Sherpa, the strip now appears on GoComics.

 

View strip here.

 

8x8, 126 pages, pb, color throughout, Wishtales Publishing.

Available at http://wishtales.bigcartel.com/
Website.

 

 

 

NO ORDINARY LIFE: Why is the Coffee Always Gone?
by Justin Baglio

 

“Simple. Fun. Amusing. Don’t overthink it!” suggests this full-color single panel's creator. “Just sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy.” His takes on modern life have appeared on Sherpa for four years.

 

 

View strip here.

 

6 x 9, 66 pages, pb, color throughout, CreateSpace.
Available via Amazon.

 

 

 

LILI AND DEREK
by Maria Bruno & Michael Paraskevas

 

Lili may be the most conceited cartoon character ever, and is admirably attended to by her faithfully patient and ever-forgiving friend, Derek. Featuring wonderful drawings by Paraskevas (creator of another Sherpa feature, The Green Monkeys, and co-creator of Nickelodeon’s Maggie and the Ferocious Beast), this large-format book is beautifully produced, with elaborate detailed endpaper collages.

 

View strip here.

 

13 1/4 x 9 1/2, 48 pages, hc, color throughout, Lili Land Books.

Paraskevas Studios: http://jrkrol8.wixsite.com/paraskevasstudios/about

 

FÜN FACTS! Comics Titles Are Important

Every so often, I like to take a break from my time at the dog track to give all you aspiring cartoonists out there some advice. Nothing will ever say "hello, I'd like to spend some time with you and I'm not saying that in a weird way" to your audience more than your comic's title.

 

So you should think it over VERY carefully. You don't want to get stuck with something that will seem dated or inappropriate should the comic run for 70-140 years. Here are some original titles that were changed at the last minute (and Phew! almost always for the better). See if you can guess what comics the 11 titles below are today. 

 

1) Heavenly Nostrils

 

2) I Hope Someday I'll Have Real Friends

 

3) Li'l Folks

 

4) I Can't Stop Thinking About Lynda Carter

 

5) Ripley's Believe Me or I'll Step on Your Toe

 

6) Oh, That Consistently Foolish But Also Humorously Giant Dog!

 

7) The Comic Strip That Would Never Ever Have a Finale Every Day

 

8) The Gourd Who Sat Too Long in Brine

 

9) Iphelia Payne: Noisy Widower

 

10) Fritzi Ritz 

 

11) Off the Merkin!

 

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

Lili and Derek  9-13-16

 

 

 

 

Ron Warren  9-13-16

 

 

 

 

 

Suburban Fairy Tales  9-13-16

 

 

 

 

 

Onion & Pea  9-14-16

 

 

 

 

 

No Ordinary Life  9-15-16

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.

 

 

Hot Qs!

 

We handle a lot of fan mail here at the GoComics HQs and I'm always surprised by some of the requests. Here're a few from lately:  

 

1) Would Garry Trudeau send me an autograph? 

 

2) Would Bill Amend write a congratulations letter to my Eagle Scout? 

 

3) Does Scott Hilburn know what he does to my emotions? 

 

4) Does Bill Watterson understand that I have no intention of ever learning Chinese? (你是大自然最伟大的奇迹)

 

5) Matt Davies, I'm writing you to comment on the cartoon I seen in the news paper! Do you even go to church? 

 

7) Is Wiley Miller as nice in person as he is in my dreams?

 

8) Would Gary Larson draw a comic based on a joke I wrote for my grandfather's birthday? I need it next week.

 

8) I am currently incarcerated in Giles W. Dalby Correctional Institute in Texas, would Will Henry be my pen pal?

GOCOMICS TAKES ON NEW YORK CITY

 

After a busy summer working tirelessly on the new GoComics experience (coming this fall!!), attending San Diego Comic-Con, and keeping hard at work with our creators back in KC, we’re excited to announce that we’re headed back to New York Comic Con!

 

There's plenty of surprises and goodies for fans who visit our booth (2219)! Not only will we be selling hilarious merch, we're also giving attendees a chance to preview the brand-new GoComics.com, AND we'll have FREE creator signings, daily giveaways, and much more:

 

• Sneak peek of the NEW GoComics.com: We're so close to rolling out our new website to give you an unparalleled online comics experience. Can’t wait to see the site? Get a sneak peek and sign up as a beta tester at our booth! Bonus: We'll give you a FREE “Read Comics Every Day” lanyard!

 

• Daily Giveaways: Toss your name into the fishbowl at our booth for a chance to win our daily featured prize! We’ll be giving away complete collections of The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes, plus an Awkward Yeti prize pack, and special Big Nate prizes to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

 

• FREE creator signings all weekend long! We’re hosting FREE, hour-long cartoonist signings at our booth! Stop by to meet Bill Amend (FoxTrot), Sarah Andersen (Sarah's Scribbles), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate) and Nick Seluk (The Awkward Yeti). Signing schedule below.

 

• Epic Big Nate Birthday Bash: The Big Nate comic strip is 25! Join us to celebrate Big Nate’s birthday with creator Lincoln Peirce. We’re featuring a two-hour signing, party favors, and giving away a copy of the brand-new book, “Epic Big Nate” — an epic compilation of Peirce’s favorite cartoons from the past 25 years, plus all the details you’ve wanted to know about Big Nate and its creator. You won’t want to miss this!

 

 

All of this and more awaits you at booth 2219! Stay up-to-date by following us on Twitter and Instagram — we’ll be sharing photos from the convention floor. We hope to see you there!

 

GoComics Signing Schedule

 

Friday, October 7

1 - 2 p.m. — Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine)

3 - 4 p.m. — Bill Amend (FoxTrot)

 

Saturday, October 8

10 - 11 a.m. — Sarah Andersen (Sarah's Scribbles)

1 - 2 p.m. — Nick Seluk (The Awkward Yeti)

3 - 4 p.m. — Bill Amend (FoxTrot) / Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine)

 

Sunday, October 9

10 a.m. - 12 p.m. — Lincoln Peirce (Big Nate) / Big Nate Birthday Bash!

A Great Books Explosion!

I was recently minding my own business at the local book store searching for "Microwave Cooking For One" when I spotted some sensational new books. 

 

                                  

 

Life of Zarf: Troll Overboard is Rob Harrell's third installment of the best selling Zarf series. You might remember Rob as the cartoonist behind Big Top and Adam @ Home. Rob's a real crackerjack when it comes to storytelling and his wonderful art just flows out of him like icing onto a birthday cake. 

 

                    

 

I was so excited to see Rob's book that I did a celebratory spin, only I used too much thigh power and I did a 540 which left me face-to-face with Mark Pett's latest. It's called "This is My Book" and it's got a panda and some pop-ups and a painter who looks a little like bit like the author. Great for people who like fun. Mark, of course, is the mistermind behind the Lucky Cow and Mr. Lowe comics that can be seen every day at the GoComics. 

 

                                       

 

And then, last but unleashed, is Lucas "Imagine This" Turnbloom's newest. Lucas co-authored the book with noted Hollywood person Greg Grunberg. Certainly we all remember Greg from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Heroes" and most memorably as Gatman in "Melrose Place." As to the book. I'll let my Amazon review speak for itself: 

 

I read Dream Jumper with a large smile on my face and a tumbler full of buttermilk on my nightstand. I've been saying for years that Lucas Turnbloom was going to touch the stars and then land his space rocket on a barge in the ocean. Which is harder to do than it sounds.

This book is as beautifully and lovingly done as Turnbloom's hair. It's a good read that says something about life but also about those of us who aren't afraid to be loved and also those of us have adventures with large birds like my dad used to.

I predict a major breakthrough for Turnbloom and all his great cartooning and hair combing. And FWIW, if you ever get to see him performing live on his cor anglais do not miss it. Those are magic fingers!

 

**

 

That's three great new books by three great GoComics cartoonists. What a world we live in!

 

Related articles

Meet Your Creator: Lucas Turnbloom (Imagine This)

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

 

Girth  9-9-16

 

 

 

 

Inkwell Forest 9-9-16

 

 

 

9-9-16

 

 

 

 

Zombie Heights  9-10-16

 

 

 

 

9-11-16

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.

 

 

NEW COMIC ALERT! Poorcraft by C. Spike Trotman

Poorcraft by C. Spike Trotman

Poorcraft is the essential comic book guide to practical urban and suburban frugality! Whether you're new to independent living, a recent college graduate or just downshifting to a simpler lifestyle, Poorcraft can help you with everything from finding a home to finding a hobby, dinner to debt relief, education to entertainment. It's time to cut your expenses! Or just make sure they never pile up.

 

Follow Poorcraft here!

Laser Moose Will Sear Your Soul ... and Your Skin

 

 

There is a moose that roams the woods: waiting, waiting, waiting. Lasers from his eyes, ice water in his veins. This is not your father's gun-toting weapons-grade elk. This is LASER MOOSE! Now in handy book form, Laser Moose will take you on the wildest ride. A ride in a convertible PT Cruiser with a modified Ferrari engine! Then you'd have the looks and the power ... just like Laser Moose.

There are great stories in this here book and the characters got the best kind of dialogue that I like. I'm recommending this to my book club and I think it would be a natural TV show on one of the more sophisticated networks where you could show the Laser Moose laser (with his eye lasers) other evil creatures heads off without fear of reprisal from a censor. Take that, censors! We hate you!

 

I give it FIVE STARS (out of four).

 

*GOCOMICS BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Read here and now how Doug Savage created the awesome cover. Doug is also the creator of the sublime Savage Chickens that runs on the GoComics. 

 

 

                                    

 

 

* not really exclusive. Sorry I lied. 
 

 

Next Stop Benton-ville!

If you're like me and you love web sites, you may have spent some time over on reddit.com. Reddit is an interesting place and has lots of different subjects to read about and pictures to enjoy and/or be horrified from.  

 

One section I love to read is www.reddit.com/r/comics. If you go there on any random day, the odds are She-Hulk-strong that there will be at least one comic in the Top 10 from noted Michigander Jim Benton. 

 

Jim is one of the top posters on the comics' subreddit and last summer he sent more than 550,000 pageviews to GoComics in a single day (see below for the comic that drove all that traffic). That's pretty amazing considering we do between two million and three million pageviews on an average day. Thanks, Jim!

 

Jim has a new book that collects all his best gag comics from the last few years and it made me laugh until every last piece of my jewelry fell off (even the oversized medallion). It's called "Man, I Hate Cursive" and it's available for presale now. Even the book cover is a humdinger! And that's one cute lemon! I'm giving it my highest rating = FIVE STARS (out of four).

 

 

 

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

 

All In Good Time  9-6-16

 

 

 

 

Bolts & Nuts  9-6-16

 

 

 

 

9-7-16

 

 

 

 

Buns 9-7-16

 

 

 

 

9-8-16

 

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.

 

 

NEW COMIC ALERT! Everyday People Cartoons by Cathy Thorne

 

Everyday People Cartoons by Cathy Thorne

  

Everyday People Cartoons features comics about women, and the people who love and annoy them. It focuses on people and our experiences with relationships, parenting, friendships, healthy living and the never-ending quest for inner peace.

 

Follow Everyday People Cartoons here!

 

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

 

 Batch Rejection  9-2-16

 

 

 

 

9-2-16

 

 

 

Professor Herbert and G.E.O.  9-2-16

 

 

 

 

Something About Celeste  9-2-16

 

 

 

The Boobiehatch  9-2-16

 

 

 

Gravy  9-4-16

 

 

 

 

 

Adulting  9-5-16

 

 

 

And now...  9-5-16

 

 

 

 

One Funny Golden Retriever  9-5-16

 

 

 

 

 

9-5-16

 

 

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.

 

 

I DID SOMETHING CRAZY YESTERDAY

Yep. New Facebook and Twitter profile picture. Initially, I was scared of the change, but the reception has been amazing. One person I know summed up the deafeningly positive public sentiment on the subject when they said 'What the?" 

 

Other folks had inquisitive questions about the art. So I decided to assemble a handy FAQ. Here are the Top 10 questions following my desperate, delightful and inexplicable change of my FB and twitter profile pics. 

 

10) Did you draw that? And if so, could you draw me shooting a flame thrower at a centaur?

9) Why did you draw yourself so much skinnier than in real life?

8) You cannot possibly jump that high.

7) You look like the chubbiest baby I've ever wanted to kiss.

6) Is that cheese shirt edible?

5) Did you have a bad relationship with your dad too?

4) What is the jaw dropping association between dry cleaning and Scientology?

3) Is it false advertising to call them jalapeño "poppers"? I've never seen a single one of them "pop."

2) Is Wiley Miller as charming in real life?

1) What hair products does Stephan Pastis recommend? 

 

Good luck!

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

 No Ordinary Life  8-30-16

 

 

 

 

8-31-16

 

 

 

8-31-16

 

 

 

 

Mary's Nature  8-31-16

 

 

 

 

8-31-16

 

 

 

 

 

The Gray Zone  8-31-16

 

 

 

 

 

The Rocks  9-1-16

 

 

 

 

Zombie Heights 9-1-16

 

 

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.

 

 

Top 10 Things Not to Include in a Submissions Packet

Hello, folks, great to be back blogging regularly again. It feels quite real to the touch. So thank you for all your kind notes and limited booing.

 

Did you know we have an open submissions policy at GoComics/Universal Uclick? Well let me just say it makes for some interesting mail. Here are 10 friendly suggestions of things NOT to include in your next comic submission. 

 

10) The best kind of Lasers.

 

9) Jon Bon Jovi ... in person ... duh!

 

8) Richie Sambora's wig is really convincing.

 

7) Singing along to "Living on a Prayer" but instead saying "lemon on a pear" like we did when we were all still friends.

 

6) A light show that will knock your socks off.

 

5) $12 domestic mass-market beer? $13.50 jalapeño poppers? WTH! 

 

4) That stoner from high school who still owes you money. What's his name again? Toby? Todd? 

 

3) Thinking to yourself, "There is absolutely no question that Lara in accounting would finally go out with me if I were to get a 'Slippery When Wet' tattoo on my neck." 

 

2) Drum solos that don't go on long enough, Tico. 

 

1) Wishing they'd turn up the fog machine so I could convincingly pretend I was Sherlock Holmes. I didn't lug a Meerschaum pipe through all these crowds for nothing!

 

Good luck!

Royalty Statement Snail Mail Poetry Slam

 

I am a very busy person: meetings, contract negotiations, every morning at the dog track, etc. But every so often while signing royalty statements I'll have a little extra time on my hands and I'll include a little note to the creator.

 

Sometimes, I'll say something to the effect of "Hello there, You! You're fabulous!" While other times I won't be so formal and I'll just say, "Hey, there, person, who I'm very likely to be delighted to do business with!"

 

And occasionally, I'll just go a little nuts. Like this poem I wrote to Jan "Stone Soup" Eliot, complete with self-portrait and a humanizing quip.

 

Now, I imagine most of the recipients of these hysterical outtakes probably laugh themselves silly for an hour or so but then move on with their lives. But no, not Jan! Jan choose to throw down the "Snail Mail Poetry Slam Gauntlet!" Who else could have rhymed "Kansas" and "J. Francis"?

 

Well, I say "Gauntlet Acknowledged!" 

NEW COMIC ALERT! Sketchshark Comics by Megan Dong

Sketchshark Comics by Megan Dong

 

These comics consist of silly thoughts, occasional observations and too many impossible facial expressions. Strips vary, but they frequently feature washed-up shark actors, nippled male-cats and odd merfolk.

 

Follow Sketchshark Comics on GoComics!

COMICS SHERPA: EDITOR'S PICKS

 

This recurring LAUGH TRACKS feature highlights individual Sherpa strips and panels that for one reason or another caught the fancy of the aide de sherpa. It could be anything; the drawing, the writing, the humor, the coloring, that they tried something interesting, or that it's a new step for that particular creator.

We hope this quirky sampler will alert you to features you might not yet have noticed amid Sherpa's abundant, ever-changing, and eclectic mix, and that it gives Sherpa creators a modicum of helpful feedback.

 

 

 

8-23-16

 

 

 

 

8-23-16

 

 

 

 

8-23-16

 

 

 

 

 

The Neighborhood  8-23-16

 

 

 

 

 

8-24-16

 

 

 

 

8-24-16

 

 

 

 

Dust Specks  8-24-16

 

 

 

 

 

8-24-16

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smith  8-24-16

 

 

 

 

 

Stale Crackers  8-25-16

 

 

 

 

A complete list of all the Sherpa features can be found here.