Tom The Dancing Bug Blog

This week's comic

"The Fugitive," Directed by Roman Polanski. 

Do I know how to pick 'em, or what?!

Via "news from me":  a chart showing what's happened to newspaper circulations since I started my newspaper comic strip.

"The Fugitive," Directed by Bill Clinton

Here's a comic from 2001, about Bill Clinton pardoning fugitive Marc Rich, that I thought I'd post today.  No reason...

A Public Thanks

Thanks to those who sent me items from the Wish List -- it's been a lot of fun.  And if you haven't yet, please do send me a note with your snail mail address, and I'll send you your sketch.

Quick note about this week's comic...

This comic, a Louis "Great Imaginary Conversations" installment, is one of the rare ones that I wrote well in advance of its publication date.  I wrote it a few weeks ago, so that was well before I read Looking for Calvin and Hobbes -- at the time I wrote it I had probably just gotten involved in the MoCCA event for the book.

But the fact that it came out on Salon the same day as the Calvin and Hobbes event is remarkable.  I didn't even realize the similarity between the comic and Calvin and Hobbes until that day.  There are less charitable ways to look at it, but it does show the influence Watterson had even on a strip as unlike Calvin and Hobbes as Tom the Dancing Bug.

Looking for MoCCA

Well, Bill Watterson did not show up and participate.  Todd Bridges, who did, claimed the prizes.  Todd, unfortunately, was remarkably uninsightful when discussing Calvin and Hobbes.

Seriously, a great time talking C&H with Nevin, and thanks to those who came and sat, stood, and otherwise squeezed in to attend.  A good, good time was had by all.  And we all learned something too:  if you come across a dead animal in the woods, don't touch it.

Reminder. And an Absolutely, Positively, THIS TIME I MEAN IT Final Offer to Bill Watterson

Tonight:  My interview with Nevin Martell, author of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, about the life and career of Bill Watterson.

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, 7 p.m.
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
594 Broadway, Suite 401 
(btwn. Houston and Prince) 
New York, NY 10012
Tel. 212-254-3511
http://moccany.com/
Admission: $5 | Free for MoCCA Members

And, Mr. Watterson, if you'll come and participate, in addition to the previous offer, I'll throw in a pad of bristol board paper, a set of rapidograph pens, and ten large* FedEx envelopes, prepaid and pre-addressed to Universal / Uclick Syndicate.

-------------------------------

* large-ish

New comic

Salon has unveiled its new re-design, so you can see "Tom the Dancing Bug" in its new habitat.

This week:  Louis tries to conduct yet another Great Imaginary Conversation with New York Mets third baseman David Wright.

Absolutely, Positively FINAL Offer to Bill Watterson

Mr. Watterson,

Very clever, holding out till the last minute so you can squeeze out all the goodies you can.  Well played, sir.  Turns out your silence was the masterstroke strategy in this little chess game of ours.

So you win, and here's the new offer for coming to my interview of Looking for Calvin and Hobbes author Nevin Martell at MoCCA Thursday evening:

- a Metrocard for transportation;

- a donut, flavor your choice; 

- a large* bottle of Poland Spring water;

- a cup of coffee;

- a copy of "Landscape Painting for Fun and Profit" by Martin Pendergrass;

- a Conair Pivot Rechargeable Mustache Trimmer; and

- Forty dollars, cash money; AND...

- a copy of "The Complete 'Nancy' Comic Strips, Vol. 1, 1908-1909, "The Origins of the Lamp Post Gag";

- a large* bag of Red Vines licorice twists; and...

- I will relinquish "Tom the Dancing Bug's" title as "Best Comic Strip Ever"**, thus defaulting the title to runner-up "Calvin and Hobbes."

Act now, Bill, or I'll open this offer up to J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, Thomas Pynchon and Todd Bridges.  And believe me, one of them will take me up on it.

* large-ish

** Source:  The Internets

Absolutely Final Offer to Bill Watterson

Dear Bill,

Okay, you drive a hard bargain.  But if you'll agree to come to my discussion with Nevin Martell at MoCCA, Thursday evening about Looking for Calvin and Hobbes, you'll get:

- a Metrocard for transportation;

- a donut, flavor your choice; 

- a large bottle of Poland Spring water... AND

- a cup of coffee (per RG on Facebook);

- a copy of "Landscape Painting for Fun and Profit" by Martin Pendergrass;

- a Conair Pivot Rechargeable Mustache Trimmer (sorry, so little is known about you!); and

- Forty dollars, cash money.

This is my last offer, so consider very carefully...