Comics Alternative and High-Low

After a successful Kickstarter launched Kilgore's spring line, Rob Clough on High-Low reviewed the books, Reign of Crumbs included.  

Also this week, The two guys with Phds at Comics Alternative recorded a great conversation about self-published comics, autobiography, and the trials of children, starting with Greek Diary, and continuing with Summer Pierre's Paper Pencil Life and Katriona Chapman's Katzine.

It's exciting to hear Derek and Andy discuss my book in such vivid detail.  Andy commented that as a kid he would have loved the chance to travel to Greece--or anywhere-- (as I would have) and my kids don't know what an opportunity they have.  You tell 'em, Andy!  They also discuss my job as archaeological illustrator and my past adventures in Greece.  

They also suggested bringing the the adult children of aubiobio cartoonists together in 15 or so years to discuss their reactions to having appeared in their parents' pages:  Summer Pierre's son, Keilor Roberts' daughter, James Kochalka's sons--but hopefully those kids will be too busy running the world to talk about their parents.

No Fair!

No Fair! collects 32 pages of comics about my kids from 2015, a some of which were published on Muthamagazine.com.  This book comes before Reign of Crumbs, 70-pages, newly published by Kilgore Books.   No Fair! is now available in my shop.  By the way, though my book Alle Ego is sold out of my shop, it and Greek Diary are for sale at Birdcage Bottom books.  

NoFair!Cover

Atalanta in Resist! 2

A 2-page comic of mine about Atalanta and Free To Be You And Me will appear in Resist! 2, coming out July 4th.  Keep scrolling down to read it--and then order/buy a copy at your local comics store!

A word from the Resist! team:

RESIST Volume 2 is hot off the press! The issue looks gorgeous - we couldn't be more thrilled. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for each and every one of your funny, angry, smart contributions. We loved them all so much that we stretched the issue to a thick 96 pages. 

RESIST Volume 2 will be officially released on July 4th, 2017. It will be given away free in comic book stores and book shops and by volunteers who pre-order on our website. Please don't hesitate to encourage your local shops to order a box through Diamond Distributors - all of the info is now on the homepage of our website. Soon, a list of participating stores will be there as well. 

We've been so inspired by your hard work and support. This project could not exist without the generosity of time and effort each of you has put into it. In a moment where every news alert has us cringing with shame at being American, you make us deeply proud. We can't wait to celebrate July 4th, and to share the final printed book with you.

New Book: Reign of Crumbs

I'm excited to announce a new book: Reign of Crumbs, published by Kilgore Books.  You can read and hear all about it on the Kilgore Kickstarter, along with the other books in Kilgore's Spring line-up.  Supporting the Kickstarter will help get all these books published--don't wait! 

Reign of Crumbs is 76 pages of brush pen drawings about my family over the course of year's worth of kids' antics and bedtime conversations.  Several of these cartoons have appeared on Muthamagazine.com

Bed of Tarantulas

El viaje más caro | The Most Costly Journey

I drew a short comic for the Vermont Folklife Center's series of comics about and for the migrant workers of Vermont.  It's also in Spanish.

The Most Costly Journey (in Spanish, El viaje más caro) is an ethnographic cartooning project that employs collaborative storytelling as a tool to mitigate loneliness, isolation, and despair among Latin American migrant farm workers on Vermont dairy farms.

The Most Costly Journey is a collaboration between the Open Door ClinicVermont Folklife CenterUVM Extension Bridges to HealthUVM Anthropology, and Marek Bennett's Comics Workshop.

MoCCAfest Silver Medal to Greek Diary

I'm very honored to have received the silver medal for long form comics for Greek Diary at MoCCAfest in New York.  Penelope Bagieu's book California Dreamin' won the gold--it was a dream to meet her and to read her book on the plane home.  This book made me feel like I was carrying the wild sprit of ambitious and joyful comics home with me.  R Sikoryak's brilliant Terms and Conditions won the other Silver in long form.  On the jury for this award were Rutu Modan, Maelle Doliveux, Nick Bertozzi, Joan Hilty, and Josh O'Neill--each of them produces work that I admire.  Jason Little and Lauren Weinstein were also involved--how I love them!  (Lauren wasn't there because she has a new baby.)

Most enjoyable this weekend was to be behind a table with Jennifer Hayden and Summer Pierre. Ellen Lindner and Alissa Harris were right next door.  (On the other side was Fantagraphics). The work and the company of these women give me energy and crack me up. With Ellen, I'm co-editing the Strumpet 5, transatlantic anthology of comics by women, coming out this fall.  

I printed 30 copies of Greek Diary.  A few are available in my shop, and then they will be available through Birdcage Bottom Distro.   

Vive this comics community!

PS  I won a MoCCAfest award last year too, but for a completely different project, AlleEgo (Other Self), also a biographical story that takes place in Greece, but 20 years earlier, and is fictionalized, not diary comics, and a larger format with a greyscale wash.

Ladybroad Ledger is out

The Burlington, VT femme Alt Comics, The Ladybroad Ledger is now available in locations across Vermont and to order.   
Ladybroad Ledger is a twice annual publication to promote comics and comic art by femme Vermont cartoonists.  I drew the cover comic and Stephanie Zuppo interviewed MOI inside the issue. 

I drew this comic, Ancient Party, before the election, with an ominous feeling for what would happen.   

AncientParty.jpg

SevenDaysVT story about Resist!

SevenDaysVT featured a story about Resist! and my contribution, a comic about Miriam, a Syrian archaeologist I worked with in Homs in 2002.

I ordered a box of 50 copies of Resist! that I'll distribute around Burlington, starting with Phoenix Books.  If you're in town and would like a free copy--and you're quick--you will be able to find them there in the next few days.   Or order on line  (for $10) while supplies last!     

Happy Holidays!

The last few days I've taken a break from digitally editing my Greek Diary to make the watercolors of Egyptian and Minoan patterns.  Working out the patterns on graph paper and painting in watercolor are a vacation in themselves.  Happy holidays to all!

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Resist!

The comic below will be part of Resist!

RESIST! will be published as a special issue of Gabe Fowler's tabloid newspaper, Smoke Signal.   30,000 copies will be distributed for free on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2017, in Washington D.C.  Further distribution will occur at the Women's March on January 21st and throughout the United States. 

It is guest-edited by Françoise Mouly, art editor of The New Yorker, and writer Nadja Spiegelman. 
 

I plan to write more about my time in Syria in the future. 

New to Patreon!

I've just created a Patreon account in order to post my Greek Diary project!   Every week I will post pages from diary comics I kept in Greece:  part about working as illustrator on an excavation, part about traveling to islands with my family.   I will post pages I drew while traveling and continue to create new pages that add context and memories of my first and many subsequent trips to Greece over nearly 20 years, especially Santorini, the site of the beginning of the romance with John 13 years ago.  This book is currently around 160 pages. I plan to add to this number over the next months.

This project feeds Alle Ego, another book (in progress) about friendship and romance on my first trip to Greece as a grad student.

Three Stones Make A Wall

I’m excited to be illustrating the latest book by Eric Cline, best selling author of 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (2014), Princeton, NJ. For Three Stones (also to be published by Princeton) I’ve drawn many sites I’ve visited (Troy, Mycenae, Delphi, Saqqara, Palmyra, Masada, Qumran, Megiddo, Pompeii, Rome) and some I haven’t (Tikal, Machu Picchu, Mesa Verde)–it feels like I’ve been revisiting them all in pen and ink.  Eric’s book is a lively and engaging overview of the archaeology of these places, enhanced by his depth of experience in excavating and teaching.  I cannot wait to see this book!

Submissions to the Strumpet are Open!

I am very pleased to co-edit the next issue of the Strumpet with my friend and Strumpet founder Ellen Lindner.

The theme for this issue is Origin Stories. Where did you come from? How did the stuff you love or hate begin? Answer the question – how did we get here (particularly relevant in this year of massive political change)? Renaissances and re-inventions of all kind are also welcome, and we encourage you to look all around the globe, as well deep into your own history, for your fictional and non-fictional tales.  Surprise us!

We have instituted a suggested page count of 1-3 pages for newbies, 1-6 pages for folks we’ve published in the past. Want more? Please shoot The Strumpet an email at strumpetcomic at gmail dot com and pitch us your idea. We are also happy to look at scripts or roughs and give editorial tips.

Deadline:

March 1st, 2017.  No exceptions! (Seriously, anyone who’s been in The Strumpet before can tell you – we are reasonable, though strict, about enforcing the deadline.)

For more information and details, head over to Strumpet HQ.

Kenchreai, Greece

It’s the time of year (June) when my heart turns to thought of drawing pottery on the Kenchreai Excavations in Greece.  I’ll be there for two weeks of illustration work on the project and then two and a half weeks of travel to Islands with my family.

Καλή διασκέδαση!