Chilangos los Fines de Semanas

Cuernavaca is about an hour south of Mexico City on the smog-free hillside which makes it a popular weekend retreat for rich "Defeños" (I just learned this word which means people who live in the capitol), many of who own impressive property here. Hernan Cortez also built himself a palace here in 1525 after retiring from his life of conquistadoring. I'm currently holed up at the Raquet Club, built as a Hacienda in the 1930s and used as a country club for the Mexican elite for many years before being turned into a nice little hotelThe great Cantinflas owned a home here. Since he was best friends with Diego Rivera, he had the muralist install a tile artpiece in his swimming pool. The image is of Gaia, the primal Greek goddess of the earth although I am ashamed to say I was more interested in the impressive array of insect life that was drowing in the water.
There's not much to do up here since I'm not a raquet player, so I've been catching up on my comic strips. I feel very much like a colonial traveller, sipping mint julips and listening to the colorful birds inprisoned in their hanging bamboo cages awaiting the arrival of my steamer trunks (there must be at least seven waiters keeping an eye on me in case sdgg I look up) except instead of a dusty Remmington on a wobbly walnut desk there's a laptop with high speed Wi-Fi. It can't all be perfect.

Rabbits Against Topless Magic

Yes! A topless magic show. One assumes they will be pulling more than just a rabbit out of the hat. As you may have guessed I'm currently in Las Vegas for a meeting, and managed to find my way out of the casino for a couple of hours to take some pictures.

Since I'm not a gambler, Vegas doesn't hold much interest for me other than marveling at the jaw-dropping excess that demonstrates the worst aspects of life in these United States. While recreating the great European landmarks under a fake sky and pouring buxom wenches into the tightest cocktail dresses for the purpose of coaxing ever more bits of green paper from you pocket appears to be a successful business model, the retro kitsch of Frank, Dean and Sammy has all but vanished. That's me (above) being crushed by the clown outside Circus Circus.Perhaps the oddest sight in all of Vegas was this vending machine--the kind usually filled with plush toys that you can almost never hook with the mechanical claw--except that this one was filled with live lobsters. If you should be able to hook yourself a hapless crustacean ($1 a pop) the restaurant will cook and serve it for you for free!Frankly there's just too much smoke and noise and insanity in Vegas. Luckily, the public transit system offers the most peaceful refuge you'll ever find.

Cat Nipping!

IDW Publishing is releasing my favorite ever Krazy Kat story in hardback. I first saw it when it appeared in Raw many years ago and it's one of the few expanded storylines that Herriman did in his daily strips. From the product discription: "Krazy Kat's most surreal adventures were the famed "Tiger Tea" sequence where Krazy Kat imbibed of the psychedelia-inducing substance. This is George Herriman at his best in the only full-length Krazy Kat adventure story of his career presented in the same era as Terry and the Pirates and Captain Easy. Krazy & Ignatz: Tiger Tea is printed on hemp paper and showcases a rare photo of Herriman sporting a Mexican sombrero and smoking a funny-looking cigarette. A special bookmark in the shape of a tea label and string will make the readers high with happiness". It's available for pre-order here.

Soy and Kidney

Here's a sticker I did for a campaign to replace dairy products in school lunches with a healthier (but still environmentally destructive) alternative.

Fishy

This idea came from a real life “aquarium store next to sushi bar” situation on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco that I saw about five years ago. The aquarium store has now closed. Someone on GoComics pointed out that Tom Gammell over at The Doozies did a better version of this joke back in May.I agree, so from now on, no more sushi jokes from me.

Paradise Sloshed

This years Day of the Dead strip has an alcohol-related theme.

Accordion Crimes

Here's some photos from last nights Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in San Francisco. The person on the left was one of the many colorfully dressed participants enjoying the huge procession which very conveniently starts and ends one block from my house. The accordionist on the right is yours truly hamming it up for the paparazzi.
Although the atmosphere during the parade is electric, once you reach Garfield Park where the fantastic altars are set up to commemorate the dead, the mood becomes respectful and subdued.
For the record, I'm not actually playing the accordion here. If I was, the combination of those buttons would make for a terrible sound.

Thanks Maria for the excellent photos.

Oooh, Mr. Geisel

You gotta love this! Thank you Jim Benton.

Movies Featuring Cartoonists Part 1

Columbia just released the 1944 Screwball comedy "She Wouldn't Say Yes" on DVD starring Rosalind Russell. The plot centers around Russell who plays a psychiatrist (the immovable object) and Lee Bowman, a wartime cartoonist (the irresistible force) who draws a comic strip called "The Nixie". Rosalind Russell is such an interesting leading lady since physically she was a long way from the classic petite leggy blond so beloved in wartime pictures, although she looks pretty dashing in Travis Bainton's wardrobe.

The comic strip is about a little whistling pixie who helps people banish inhibitions. It's drawn in a four panel pantomime format and incredibly (by today's standard anyway) runs the full width of the page! Sadly the real cartoonist doesn't get a credit.

Comics Sherpa

An ad for Comics Sherpa featuring alumni Mythtickle, Imagine This, The Argyle Sweater, Bob the Squirrel, Bleeker: the Rechargeable Dog and Rabbits Against Magic, all now on GoComics along with fellow ex-Sherpa strip 2 Cows and a Chicken.

APE with a Twist

From Tom's highly complimentary intro: "Roving Tall Tale Radio reporter and master cartoonist Jonathan Lemon returns! Lemon headed off to the Alternative Press Expo (APE) up in San Francisco last week, and snagged interviews with the likes of Ted Rall, Keith Knight, Shannon Wheeler, Stephanie McMillan, Paige Braddock and Lex Fajardo, along with several others! Lemon always classes up the joint with his charm and sex-ayyy accent, and as the brilliant mind behind “Rabbits Against Magic,” he knows what questions to ask. There’s great stuff in here from some of the best in the biz up at one of the coolest conventions around. Take a listen, and be sure to check out “Rabbits Against Magic” over at Go Comics!, as well as his always funny and insightful blog!"

Man Showing of his Cabbages

Spreckles, California is an odd town. It's where John Steinbeck worked as a kid in the sugar refinery (now a national monument) and there's really not much else there. Recently, the town installed huge twenty foot tall cut out farm workers in the fields which are still worked by regular sized 3D farm workers. I really liked this proud farmer with his cabbages.

The Subtle Hues of Pigmented Liquid

This is a close up of a strip which I water-colored as a gift to Ollie and Quentin creator Piers Baker. I usually color my strips in Photoshop which is a lot quicker and reproduces better.

The Black Bird

My favorite mystery/crime author of all time is the great Dashiell Hammett who wrote The "Maltese Falcon" in 1930. He also wrote four other novels: "Red Harvest" (1929), "The Dain Curse" (1929), "The Glass Key" (1931) and "The Thin Man" (1934)) all of which were made into movies. Here in San Francisco where he lived and worked, there are numerous monuments and landmarks featured in the films, life and writing. John's Grill downtown is the ground zero for Hammett enthusiasts with what is essentially a Hammett museum. Above you can see me in front of a case containing a replica Maltese Falcon. The previous bird (one of the several made for the 1941 movie with Humphrey Bogart) was stolen last year! Not many people know Hammett also wrote a comic strip back in 1934 called Secret Agent X-9.

I Suck

Of course the real reason that the vacuum cleaner isn't working is that I forgot the draw a power cord on it.

Gorillas in the Mix

The Cartoon Art Museum had a party for the Monsters of Webcomics exhibition on Saturday. He's me (on right with magnifying glass) with a gorilla (left) who answered to the name of Mike.

Lumpy

I don't drink coffee for this very reason. Apparently instant coffee used to be sold in cubes. I'm glad they stopped otherwise this cartoon would not have worked.

I Saw it on the Comic Vine

The Comic Vine people talked me into appearing on camera during the APE show. My few seconds of fame start around the 6:30 mark. I look (and felt) very uncomfortable but I sure look tall. Thankfully the always amusing Michael Capozzolla came on after me to save the show.

Sticky Issues

Originally I had "Superglue" as the punchline instead of "Epoxy". In the end I thought Epoxy was a funnier word and probably would adhere more than Superglue.

Ape Man

I had a lot of fun at APE this weekend! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and donated money to the Cartoon Art Museum.