Magic Books

Thanks to Superpunch I just discovered the art of local artist Marilyn da Silva. The piece above is called "The Trouble With Magic".

Frogs in Suits Against Magic

The great animator and too-talented-to-be-human Joe Murray has started his own YouChoob channel featuring his new too-edgy-for-TV character Frog in a Suit, best viewed if you're not sipping a beverage or if your computer has been rigged with a protective waterproof screen.  He's already posted two episodes (curiously starting with number 34) of hilarious shorts.  Joe is most famous for Rocko's Modern Life and  Camp Lazlo.  Trivia fact: the animation was done at Michael Jantze's studios, he of The Norm!

Frog in a Suit - Episode 34  "All Bussed Up"

Frog in a Suit - Episode 35  "Tricky Business"

Wow!

They don't make magic acts like they used to.

Poetry Against Magic

My dear friend and fellow cartoonist Kap reminded me that today is World Poetry Day.  It's a UNESCO sponsored event to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.  Here's to words making life on this planet amore tolerable [clink].

Red Scare Against Magic

In the wake of the McCarthy-like House Homeland Security Committee Meetings on the supposed radicalization of American Muslims and homegrown terrorism last week I present this gem of a novel by Vargo Statten from the red scare era of the 50s when we faced a much more terrifying and imminent threat... giant socialist insects.

Lazy Cartoonists Against Magic

Today's Pearls Before Swine implicates that today's Rabbits Against Magic strip was a result of laziness.  It's the first time in nearly three years I've used a "dark room" gag and it had to coincide with this high profile "outing" of a cartoonist's favorite short cut. Curse you Stephan Pastis.

Incidentally the excellent Pearl Blows Up, the fourth Pearls Before Swine treasury now available at Amazon for 36% off!

Not Your Father's Magic Rabbit

This is from the cover of a book by Clayton Rawson called "The Magical Mysteries of Don Diavolo".  The eponymous hero of the novel is a stage magician who uses his magic skills to solve crimes. Surely an important and much overlooked work in the ever expanding magician detective genre.

Rabbits Against Radioactive Fallout

I draw my strips about a month ahead of publication time so this ill-timed radiation-themed strip that ran on Monday was completely unintentional, as I'm sure was today's Shoe.

Since San Francisco is directly in the path of the low level radiation wafting from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant this week, I'm more than a little concerned despite the padding of the Pacific Ocean in between.  Still, we have little to worry about compared with those dealing with the enormous catastrophe in Japan. My best wishes and thoughts go out to everyone affected by the tragedy.

Little Monsters Against Magic

Does that wooden fence look familiar?  I'm honored to have been "ripped off" by the great Lawrence Roufail in his excellent Little Monsters webcomic.  He writes a charming web post about it here.

Black Rabbits Against Magic

Here's a submission from Jason Limon (no relation) for a new exhibition at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles.  Over 100 artists are included and each one is an interpretation of the black rabbit Inlé , the anti-hero from the 1972 book Watership Down by Richard Adams.

According to Wikipedia:
"Inlé is a sinister phantom servant of the god Frith who appears in rabbit folklore. He is the rabbit equivalent of a grim reaper in human folklore, and similarly ensures all rabbits die at their predestined time. "Inlé" is the Lapine term for the moon or darkness".


Here's the poster:

I read and enjoyed the the book as a child despite its over religious symbolism and actually visited the hill in Hampshire, England where the story supposedly takes place although I remember hating the subsequent Disney movie version.  Here's another contribution from the wonderfully named Bob Dob.

Fester Head

Sam Gross is one of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists.  There's a fabulous career-spanning interview him over at the Comics Journal Blog this week including some background behind his famous frog cartoon  heralded as one of the most famous gag cartoons of all time.

Peter Cottontail Against Magic

A lovely little video from UPA and Castle Films, worth watching just for the psychedelic gunshot animation towards the end.

The Last Breakfast

The wonderfully named and very talented Brian Stuckey did this rather awesome homage to Da Vinci's masterpiece using breakfast cereal mascots.  There's some great "behind the making of' photos here. Via  Super Punch.

Spaghetti Rabbit

A crazy bizarre piece from the always amusing artist Paul McCarthy called "Spaghetti Man" from way back in 1993 made out of urethane, rubber cloth and fake fur. There's a great interview with him over at BOMB Magazine.

Rabbits Against C-Sections

I love love LOVE today's Speed Bump.  Well done Mr. Coverly.

Crusader Rabbits Against Magic

Crusader Rabbit was an animated TV series from the 1950s.  It was the first of a string of hits from the Jay Ward studios who also brought you Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, Peabody and Sherman, Hoppity Hooper, George of the Jungle, Tom Slick, and Super Chicken.  Apparently, along with this pin and a card, members also got a plastic rabbit hat with ears. If I ever start a Rabbits Against Magic Club watch out for an Eightball cap and mask.

One Grand

This is actually Rabbits Against magic strip number 1000!  That's nearly three years of continuous daily posting come rain or shine with no repeats or vacations, a fact that I'm curiously proud of.  Ironically it didn't load correctly on GoComics today although I can't yet confirm it was accidentally deleted.

Red Rabbit Against Magic

The always fabulous Big Blog of Kid's Comics posted this rather fascinating yet disturbing scan of a Red Rabbit story from a 1945 Ha Ha Comic (#17).  Red Rabbit is a gambling, smoking and rather dumb animal, just the sort of roll model that post WWII AMerica was looking for. He ends up dressing as a small child while his wife pretending to be his mother gives him a good spanking!  It was drawn by Irving Dressler who went on to animate many of the classic 1960s Popeye cartoons. There was another, slightly more sanitized Red Rabbit that appeared a few years later in his own comic.

Vintage Soda Against Magic

Never heard of this delicious looking beverage before but it's definitely not affiliated with the Eightball stout produced by the Lost Coast Brewery here in California. Some brief Google research reveals that it was made for a brief time by the Red Rock Soda Company in Altoona, Pennsylvania.  Via best blog ever Mark's Scrapbook of Oddities and Treasures.

Anthropomorphic Ivy

I love this cover for "Comic Capers" issue one from 1944.  The inside features Super rabbit, Silly Seal, Ziggy Pig, Widjit (sic) Witch, Sharpy Fox, Percy Penguin and something called "The Creeper" (no doubt some cute anthropomorphic ivy character.  If you have a copy laying around it's worth $339 according to The Comic Shop.