ACT-I-VATE'rs, and some extended family, weigh in with their Top 5 favorite COMIX and Top 5 favorite ANYTHING ELSE that were either new to all of us in 2011, or just new to them. Happy Holidays!



ACT-I-VATE TOP FIVE 2011



DEAN HASPIEL

( w/a Billy Dogma )



I can never do these Top 5 Lists justice. So, rather than go insane rifling through my shelves, boxes, and towering stacks of stuff that would make a seasoned hoarder cringe, I decided to restrict myself to knee-jerk reacting my Top 5 favorite comics and non-comics in 5-minutes. Any one of these items either made me laugh, cry, stopped my heart, made me jealous, made me think different, or just gave me the steam to get through the next page on my art table:



MY TOP 5 FAVORITE COMICS 2011

SCALPED by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera [Vertigo]

DAREDEVIL by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, and Paolo Rivera [Marvel]

GODZILLA: Gangsters and Goliaths by John Layman and Alberto Ponticelli [IDW]

PLANET OF THE APES by Daryl Gregory and Carlos Magno [Boom!]

ZEGAS #1 by Michel Fiffe [Copra Press]



MY TOP 5 FAVORITE NON-COMICS 2011

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, directed by Rupert Wyatt

PARIAH by Bob Fingerman

WTF Podcast by Marc Maron

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL [The Compete First and Second seasons], created by Rob Corddry

TKOL RMX 1234567 by Radiohead



LELAND PURVIS

( w/a Vulcan & Vishnu )



COMICS-RELATED

1 SALVATORE, VOLS. 1&2. New Nicolas de Crecy (in English!) from NBM.

2 BLUE ESTATE, Victor Kalvachev, art by Nathan Fox, Toby Cypress and others.

3 PETROGRAD, artist Tyler Crook. A really phenomenal debut.

4 VIETNAMERICA, GB Tran's family memoir about coming to the U.S.

5 QUENCHED CONSCIOUSNESS, Moebius artblog. http://theairtightgarage.tumblr.com/



NOT-COMICS

1 THE NATIONAL (band) I'm late to the party, but my favorite music

this year (with the possible exception of the new Tom Waits album.)

2 SURFACE DETAIL, Iain M. Banks. Another 'Culture' novel. He can't

write enough to suit me.

3 LIE TO ME (TV) Tim Roth as a deception expert. Great fun.

4 ROBERT FAWCETT, THE ILLUSTRATOR'S ILLUSTRATOR. High time we had a

real monograph of this guy's work.

5 BLUE COLLAR/ WHITE COLLAR, artbook by Sterling Hundley. If you're at

all interested in modern illustration, you should give Hundley a look.

And this book is the best way to do it, beautifully designed by Chris

Pitzer.





DOV TORBIN

( w/a The Revolution Will Be Televised )



COMICS:

1) HABIBI by Craig Thompson

This book firmly places Mr. Thompson as the top cartoonist in America. As far as pure cartooning skill goes, no one can touch him right now.

2) SNARKED by Roger Langridge

It's always nice to see a comic done by somebody who's perfected the language. A very charming comic that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

3) NEDROID by Anthony Clark

My favorite web comic. Funny without being profane (a rarity these days).

4) CHESTER 5000 by Jess Fink

The best sex comic I've ever seen. Although repetitive, it blew me away the first time I saw it.

5) ALL-NEW ADVENTURES OF CARTOON BOY by John Kerschbaum

An ACT-I-VATE comic for good measure. Pure fun and Kerschbaum's colors are great.



TOP 5 EVERYTHING ELSE:

1) BREAKING BAD

This season came to a great climax full of explosions, betrayal, twists, and half-melted faces.

2) GOTYE "Somebody That I Used To Know"

Been listening to this song a lot these past few weeks.

3) FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Great voice. She's like the new Annie Lennox. I like her a lot more than that Adele lady.

4) THE BRUINS

I never in my life thought I would get excited about hockey...but I did.

5) FIGHTING THE MAN

Although the future is uncertain, I believe all the recent revolutions in the Middle East and Occupy Wallstreet movements in America will create a brighter tomorrow. As an artist, it's always exciting to see people fight for what they believe in and speak out about how they feel.



MICHEL FIFFE

( w/a Zegas )



TOP COMICS

1) GANGSTA RAP POSSE #2

2) DAREDEVIL 4 & 5

3) TONY SALMONS' UNPUBLISHED MONQ COMIC

4) PRISON PIT 3

5) RUBBER NECKER 5



TOP EVERYTHING ELSE

[See above, I know nothing else about the world around me. What's an "Occupy" anyway?]





NICK ABADZIS

( nickabadzis.com )



COMICS

1. LOVE & ROCKETS NEW STORIES No.4 - Jaime Hernandez's The Love Bunglers, part 2 (Fantagraphics). Sublime work and my outright favorite strip of the year.

2. THE ADVENTURES OF HERGÉ - Bocquet, Fromental & Stanislas (D&Q). Ligne-claire bio of Tintin's creator. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, expecially if it's so lovingly done.

3. EVERYTHING WE MISS - Luke Pearson (NoBrow). Short, sensitive tale of love and reality gone awry, beautifully presented and printed by the ever-reliable aesthetes at NoBrow Press.

4. LEWIS & CLARK - Nick Bertozzi (First Second). How to make history grab you and take you on a journey. Fluid, easy and utterly engaging, Bertozzi's up there, this country's Joann Sfar.

5. PINNOCHIO - Winshluss (Knockabout/Last Gasp) Hilariously pessimistic and scratchy retelling of Carlo Colludi's classic fairy tale. Essential.



EVERYTHING ELSE

1. KATE BUSH - 50 Words For Snow

2. BRIAN ENO, just for being Brian Eno

3. GAME OF THRONES

4. BOARDWALK EMPIRE

5. DEREK JACOBI as King Lear at BAM



JENNIFER HAYDEN

( w/a Underwire )



MY "TOP 5 FAVE COMIX FROM 2011":

#1--HABIBI. By Craig Thompson. This book is unbelievable. If you had to give someone a book to show them what a graphic novel can be, this is the book to give them. It is about the origin of language, art, stories, people, and how they are all intertwined from the start.

#2--THE INFLUENCING MACHINE. By Brook Gladstone and Josh Neufeld. Fantastic exploration of the development of news media throughout history, forcing us to think about what we should expect from our web-scrambled media now. I gave this to my eighteen-year-old to read, because I think he's the next Jon Stewart, and this book will give him a leg-up. Neufeld's art makes Gladstone's points really hit home.

#3--EVERYTHING IS ITS OWN REWARD. By Paul Madonna. I can't believe I never discovered this guy until now. This is not sequential art, so not strictly speaking a comic, but it is a lovely, original combination of text and art. It's a collection of Madonna's "All Over Coffee" strip in The San Francisco Chronicle. Each image is a gorgeous sketch of some corner of San Francisco, with a hand-written text, just a fragment, usually fiction, layered on top. Not people, but people-residue, amazing.

#4--MID-LIFE. By Joe Ollmann. So. Damn. Funny. This is a graphic novel about a forty-something guy, father of grown kids, remarried with baby, parenting, fantasizing, and generally being a sweet, bewildered douche-bag. I just loved this book.

#5--EYE OF THE MAJESTIC CREATURE. By Leslie Stein. I also just discovered Leslie's work, and I think it's so great. It's about her days as a twenty-something, working, wondering, spending time with her guitar who drinks too much. She has such a light, funny touch, and has such a great sense of what it is to be alive--and the art is really wonderful.



OKAY--MY TOP FIVE "OTHER SHIT FROM 2011":

#1--Cynthia von Buhler's SPEAKEASY DOLLHOUSE

#2--My new niece LUCY

#3--HIGHLANDER'S FAREWELL, album by Natalie Haas and Alasdair Fraser - some great Irish fiddling, paired with cello.

#4--Joan Didion's book "BLUE NIGHTS" - this chick isn't afraid to look pain in the face.

#5--ACUPUNCTURE--not, strictly speaking, from 2011, but that's when I discovered it, and the shit WORKS, man. It WORKS.



JAMES SMITH

( w/a Gang of Fools )



COMICS I LIKED IN 2011:



1) Really digging Remender, Opena and White on UNCANNY X-FORCE. Gorgeous art with a story I can't make heads or tails of, and somehow don't care.

2) It didn't come out in 2011, and it's been cancelled, but I just read Langridge and Samnee's THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER and it was a lot of fun and really well done.

3) BUTCHER BAKER. I hope I get to see more of what Mike Huddleston was doing here, in more places.

4) Gabby Shulz's webcomic SICK.

5) Page 113 of HOLY TERROR. (Frank Miller)



EVERYTHING ELSE:



1) Music: SIR LUCIOUS LEFT FOOT: THE SON OF CHICO DUSTY. When I realized I'd just heard the last song and the album was over, I got a little sad.

2) Politician: HERMAN CAIN. Because otherwise I wouldn't even be paying attention.

3) TV: LOUIE. It’s funny because it’s true.

4) Cartoon: JUSTICE LEAGUE SEASON 2 EPISODES 19 AND 20: HEREAFTER.

Grieving Batman and a villain who spends eternity watching everyone on Earth die. Also, Clark Kent as Mad Max. Just barely squeaks by that season's episodes 9 and 10, HEARTS AND MINDS, where the villain is an Insane Space Baptist.

5) Podcast: WALKING THE ROOM. Because they give me something horrible and sad to rise above.





THOMAS BAEHR

( w/a The End Is Here )



COMICS

1. NORDGUARD, BOOK 1: Across Thin Ice by Tess Garman and Teagan Gavet (same style as Blacksad, the artist is almost at the same level, but a total different kind of story and genre)

2. BOUMERIES VOL.1 by Boum (just awesomely funny!)

3. LADY S. #3: Game of Fools by Philippe Aymond and Jean Van Hamme (there is nothing that does not suck you in what is written by Van Hamme)

4. UNDERWIRE: by Jennifer Hayden (the goddess of almost everything)

5. CAFFEINATED TOOTHPASTE VOL.1: The Good and the Bad by Josh Bauman (also awesomely funny)



EVERYTHING ELSE WITH NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

- EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN: ALLES WIEDER OFFEN (the latest of this German band, okay not from 2011, but who cares when you get songs like "suseJ"?)

- OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANS: same (J.Robbins new band!!!!)

- GAIL COLLINS at the NYTimes Op Ed

- HOT - LIVING THROUGH THE NEXT FIFTY YEARS ON EARTH: by Mark Hertsgaard (way more people should have read that)

- THIS IS ENGLAND! (British movie, not from 2011, but I finally had the chance to see it this year - and it is THAT good, mate.)





DIRK MANNING

( w/a Farseeker )



TOP FIVE COMICS OF 2011



B.P.R.D.

While HELLBOY is clearly Mike Mignola’s better known creation, more and more readers are coming to discover that – while the former is a great character and offers scads of great comics in his own right – B.P.R.D. is where the action is in regards to the Apocalyptic threat Mignola and company have been building towards for years. Highlighted largely by the amazing artwork of Guy Davis (although that torch has now been passed), B.P.R.D. is a no-holds-barred action comic with a dynamic and monstrous (yet very humane) cast where the only constant is change as the Doomsday clock is now mere minutes away from hitting midnight.



JONAH HEX

Despite (or perhaps because of) my lack of emotional investment in most corporately-owned superhero comics, I’ve been a big proponent of DC’s “New 52” from the beginning. The only downside, in my eyes, was the change in format of Palmiotti and Grey’s JONAH HEX. Formerly a series of “done-in-one” stories with each issue illustrated by a different artist, the series has now changed to ALL-STAR WESTERN and features a consistent (albeit very good) art team and longer-term story-arcs. I, too, was came late to the party concerning JONAH HEX due to my inability to believe the hype of everyone else who read the series, but when I finally gave the series a shot I discovered one of the most invigorating and original comics in the pre-“New 52” DC line-up. With the release of “Bury Me in Hell” this month the whole run is now available in TPB form. Start anywhere and discover what prove in the long run to be the most underrated comics of not only last year, but the last decade.



NEONOMICON

As a huge fan of both Alan Moore and H.P. Lovecraft, I thoroughly enjoyed the TPB adaption of his prose short story “The Courtyard” (illustrated by Jacen Burrows) by Avatar from several years back and was thrilled to hear that his last non-LoEG-related comic work would be a sequel to this work. Moore himself described the series as being especially dark… but even his repeated warnings did not brace me for the truly horrific nature of this series. By portraying physical and sexual acts of deprivation without ever glorifying them combined with creating a masterful tone of suspense and dread by using great pacing, in NEONOMICON Moore produced one of the most genuinely frightening horror comics in recent memory. While this series (now released in a TPB-collection that also includes the previously released two-parter THE COURTYARD) certainly won’t be for everyone, any fans of horror – especially of the Lovecraftian variety – would do very well in checking it out.



SCALPED

Given that I already included JONAH HEX on the list a moment ago, I was hesitant to include a second western-ish title (let alone a second Western-title from DC Comics) in my Top Five… but then I remembered that SCALPED is much more “noir” than “Western” and that, quite frankly, it deserves to be here. A modern noir masterpiece, to say this book is dark is akin to saying the sun is hot or the ocean is deep. In SCALPED (which focuses mainly on a troubled Native American returning to his reservation as a double-agent for the FBI with the task of bringing down a fellow tribe member who has grown to become a corrupt casino owner/crime Kingpin) Jason Aaron and company are unrelenting in both the depths to which they will punish the books large and tragic cast as well as the whiplash inducing twists and turns that reveal themselves as the series continues to barrel along at a breakneck pace. This book is the spiritual successor to PREACHER that fans around the world have been waiting for.



SAVAGE DRAGON

I don’t think there was a more satisfying, enjoyable, or downright riveting story-arc in all of 2011 than the “Emperor Dragon” storyline in SAVAGE DRAGON. When Dragon’s original personality of a wicked alien warlord is awakened within him, what transpires is a harrowing and violent series of events in which Dragon, now identifying himself as “Emperor Kurr” (his real identity before being left on Earth in a burning field two decades ago), sets out to claim the Earth as his own, viciously wiping-out anyone is his was with intelligent, laser-like precision. There’s been a lot of series over the years in which the hero temporarily becomes the villain, but in 2011’s biggest story-arc, it is revealed that Dragon really is (or at least was) a villain, and the result is a rampage through the title that results in one of the most dramatic upheavals in the status quo of any comic of the last year. Lives are lost, worlds are destroyed (both metaphorically and literally) and 20-year-old Easter Eggs finally hatch, resulting in the most exciting and unpredictable (and perhaps a bit under-appreciated) superhero comic currently on the shelves of 2011 being Erik Larsen’s SAVAGE DRAGON. Even someone who has never read the title before could pick-up the “Emperor Dragon” collection and find themselves drawn into a the dynamic and engrossing struggles put before the cast of this modern action-adventure gem that fully embraces all the best qualities – and potential – of a superhero comic where the only constant is real, uncompromising change.



TOP FIVE NON-COMICS OF 2011



TRANSMETROPOLITAN: ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Also graciously billed and authorized as TRANSMETROPOLITAN: VOLUME 11 by DC Comics, this charity artbook (spearheaded by Susan Augér to raise money for ACTOR and The HERO Initiative) and fully supported by original TRANSMETROPOLITAN creators Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson features hundreds of pages of pin-ups, short stories, photos and more all set in the world of TRANSMETROPOLITAN. An oversized hardcover (some of which even came in a slipcase), TRANSMETROPOLITAN: ALL AROUND THE WORLD was not only one of the biggest “feel-good” released of 2011, but also one of the most must-have ones to boot. A success on every level, anyone lucky enough to have a copy can tell you it is a procession to be cherished.



ALAN MOORE: STORYTELLER

There have been several books – especially in the last few years – that have discussed the work of Alan Moore, but none are as ambitious, detailed and ultimately rewarding as ALAN MOORE: STORYTELLER by Gary Spencer Millidge. A chronological work of his life and work broken into detailed yet bite-sized bits – all with the support and cooperation of Moore to boot – this hefty tome will most likely prove to be the most definitive book of its kind on the subject of Moore… and it also includes a CD packed with over a dozen songs/performance pieces written, recorded and/or performed by Moore to boot, making it a winning package from cover to cover for anyone who is engrossed with the man and/or his work.



ADELE

The rise of mainstream attention and adoration for this remarkable singer in 2011 is, if not overdue, at least definitely appropriate, and while at this point almost anyone with a radio has most likely been deluged with the one-two-three punch of “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain,” really, there’s not a single dud among the whole collection of songs that comprises “21,” meaning the five or six of you out there who – for whatever reason – haven’t yet succumbed to purchasing the album are really not hurting anyone but yourselves… and why would you ever want to do that?



FRINGE/THE WALKING DEAD (tied)

I hate it when people put “ties” in Top Five/Top Ten lists… but, really, there’s no way around it here.



Admittedly (and obviously) I’m late to the game on FRINGE, having only just discovered and finished the first season at the tail end of this year… but, damn, what a show. While I could not bring myself to slog through LOST, finally giving-up on the series mid-way through the second season, FRINGE seems not only to have learned from some of the missteps of the former, but also its successes (as well as the successes of THE X-FILES, a show that was clearly the forerunner to both shows). Starting almost obstinately as a “science fiction mishap of the week” series, throughout the first season FRINGE slowly but steadily revealed a “big picture” concept that has limitless possibilities of awe-inspiring potential. Despite the fact that I can’t help but feel that Warren Ellis deserves some sort of official recognition in the credits for the premise of the show (which, in my eyes, derives – at least – a lot of inspiration from his collected woks), FRINGE – in its first season alone – has become the most exciting and exhilarating shows on TV (tied with THE WALKING DEAD).

In regards to THE WALKING DEAD television series, I see a lot of people online panning the first half of the second series, tagging it as a “boring” series that only got exciting in the closing moments of the last episode. This disheartens me greatly, since it seems to ignore the fact that this first half of the season has done such a phenomenal job building-up an emotional investment in all the characters, none of whom at this point could be considered by even the most jaded viewer as “zombie bait.” Like FRINGE, THE WALKING DEAD has taken an extended amount of time to get us to invest in the characters, and that makes their struggles all the more engaging and discussion worthy to mainstream viewers across the would – something fairly remarkable for a set of shows that are unabashedly science fiction and horror, respectively.



THE MUPPETS MOVIE

The Muppets have returned to the big screen – and the mainstream – with one of the most heartwarming, hilarious and human films of the year. If you don’t know or understand what’s so great about this, go watch the movie, because I refuse to believe that anything other than a lack of seeing the film could lead to this same conclusion.





JIM DOUGAN

(Writer, SAM & LILAH )



Top 5 Comics/Graphic Novels for 2011 (not in order)



VIETNAMERICA by GB Tran. Complex, ambitious telling of Tran’s family history and their journey from war-torn Vietnam to America (hence the title). Tran makes fine use of the unique storytelling potential of the comics medium without descending into trickery or losing sight of the very real people at the heart of the story. There needs to be more graphic novels like this. Many, many more.



THE SHOW MUST GO ON by Roger Langridge. For longtime fans of Roger Langridge, Christmas came in September when this book was released. There is more pure cartooning mastery – and laughs - on every page of this book than in most cartoonists’ careers. And there are 200 pages.



ZEGAS #1 by Michel Fiffe. It would be easy to say that this book is Fiffe “coming into his own” as a cartoonist, but that would underestimate just what a giant success this is, not only for Mike but for everyone interested in comics as an art form. Inventive, formally daring, disturbing, and beautiful, all at once. I can’t wait for the next issue.



THE LOVE BUNGLERS (in LOVE AND ROCKETS: NEW STORIES #4) by Jaime Hernandez. In the last issue, Jaime punched me in the gut and broke my heart. In this issue, he gives with a few more punches before piecing me back together. It’s hard to remember being so emotionally affected reading a comic. Just pure brilliance.



DAREDEVIL by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin. This is the way superhero comics should be done. Clear, direct, exciting and fun storytelling that still manages to be innovative. There’s been a lot of noise about DC’s New 52, but in 20 years, most of that will have been forgotten, while fans and students of the form will still be reading and enjoying this, picking it apart for the ample lessons about writing and art than can be found throughout.



Top 5 Everything Else for 2011 (not in order)



ONLY IN DREAMS by Dum Dum Girls. What do you get when you have Chrissie Hynde front the Ramones to play a bunch of Ronettes songs? This.



ALL DAY by Girl Talk. A lot of times, mash-ups feel very, uh, 2003. But this record is just a mash-up like Guernica is just a wall hanging.



CENTIFOLIA by Stuart Immonen. (Kind of a cheat, since this could technically be considered “comics”, but it’s really more an art book and collection of sketchbooks. So there.) I can’t think of anyone with broader and more developed skills in the world of cartooning, illustration, and design than Stuart Immonen. Any number of things on display in these books (vols. I and II) are exceptional in their own right, but taken as a whole the versatility is simply dazzling. Especially when you remember it’s from the guy who also drew the big Marvel event comic of 2011, FEAR ITSELF.



DC UNITED signs Dwayne DeRosario. The fact that my team managed to pick up one of the 2 or 3 best players in the history of MLS (the American pro soccer league) is cause for celebration. That he was basically stolen in a trade from the much-hated and perennially-underachieving New York Red Bulls is even better.



UNCLE VANYA at the Kennedy Center. I was lucky enough to see this performance, featuring the galactic cast of Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Richard Roxborough, and Jacki Weaver. Reading the play (which I found a bit dull) was no preparation at all for the tour de force entertainment in seeing it live. The best argument ever for the fact that plays are meant to be performed, not read.

Hey Friends!



My first book of comics, UNDERWIRE, is now available for pre-order in the Diamond Previews Catalog, Diamond order code: AUG11-1205. The book contains twenty-two of the original webstrips, plus seventeen new pages of comix and art. Not to mention a kickass introduction by Dean Haspiel. And to think it all started right here, as a monthly webcomic on ACT-I-VATE.com!



I'll be debuting UNDERWIRE at Small Press Expo (SPX) this September, and the official release date is mid-October. I'm planning to attend New York City-based conventions this fall, where I'll not only have copies of UNDERWIRE, but also prints of surprise stand-alone art from the book, plus a new minicomic, AND a line of jewelry called UNDERWIRE Wearables, made of images from the comix. (For more info: http://www.goddesscomix.blogspot.com/).



As always, thank you for support!



--Jennifer

Hey there--



I recently had the good fortune to draw lead character designs and mock EC Comics-inspired covers for SyFy's WAREHOUSE 13 motion comics series, "Of Monsters and Men," produced by 23D Films. Here is a link to an expansive blog-post I wrote about my experience along with 36 exclusive images of my designs: http://man-size.livejournal.com/540925.html



Enjoy!



--Dino

CulturePOP Photocomix Tribute to "Our Man" Harvey Pekar (RIP)

by Seth Kushner

Edited by Jeff Newelt & Dean Haspiel

Interview by Christopher Irving

See it--http://activatecomix.com/104-25-1.comic



Seth Kushner's CulturePOP: Photocomix Profiles of Real-Life Characters returns (see info below for previous 24 episodes) to ActivateComix.com on Tuesday, July 12 2011 with a special tribute to Harvey Pekar, on the one-year anniversary of his death.



The 25-page piece, the 25th CulturePOP profile, features photos of the autobio comix pioneer, taken by Kushner just a few months prior to his untimely death, fused with quotes by an interview conducted by Christopher Irving the day of the shoot, to make a "fumetti" / photocomix equivalent to an American Splendor comic.



In addition to the words of Pekar himself, the piece includes photos of, quotes from, and illustrations by some of Pekar's collaborators; Josh Neufeld (artist, American Splendor), Dean Haspiel, (artist, The Quitter + American Splendor), Jeff Newelt (editor, Pekar Project & upcoming Harvey Pekar's Cleveland), Ted Hope (American Splendor film producer), Joseph Remnant (artist, Harvey Pekar's CLEVELAND) Shari Springer-Berman & Robert Pulcini (directors, American Splendor film) and Michael Taylor (script supervisor). Plus, Joyce Brabner, Harvey's widow and collaborator talks about her plan to have a monument erected to Harvey in Cleveland.



"I didn't know Harvey very well at all, not personally at least." Kushner says. "I knew him as many did, through his comics, and the great film, American Splendor. I've worked with Dean & Jeff on this tribute for months and I hope it will stand as a fitting one to a man whose seemingly ordinary, but unique voice, influenced and uplifted so many. Harvey Pekar, a seemingly ordinary guy from Cleveland, a former file clerk, made an indelible mark on comics, influenced several generations of comics creators, and died too soon."



See it--http://activatecomix.com/104-25-1.comic

Several months back, I heard from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, asking if I'd like to contribute an original piece of art for a book they were producing for charity based upon the Vertigo Comics series, TRANSMETROPOLITAN, by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. I quickly jumped at the chance, even though I was ashamed to say I had never read the book. Yes, I was a huge fan of the creators from their other projects, but somehow the long running Vertigo series slipped by me. Hey, I read a ton of comics and I can't read everything, right? Right? True, but sometimes the really good stuff slips by, like TRANSMET.



I saw the list of contributors, (see list of heavy-hitters below) and knew I'd have to do something special to earn my place among them. I'm not a "comics artist" per se, I'm a photographer, so I needed to play to my strengths. I decided I'd do a Photocomic, like what I do with my CulturePOP series. But, what would be the narrative? Step one, was read at least one of the books and get a feel for the characters and story.



I quickly devoured the first collection of 6 issues and found myself hooked. How did I miss this series initially? Reminder: One can't read everything. Right. Within two weeks I read 6 volumes and decided my homage to this brilliant series shouldn't be a recreation but some sort of commentary.



The lead character, Spider Jerusalem is a Hunter S. Thompson-esq journalist in a future world rank with corruption. Ellis's commentary felt as fresh to me now as I'm sure it was when the books were first released. Spider, a champion of the truth, could be a prophet for the disenfranchised. People would want to be like Spider. I would do a piece on a guy becoming Spider.



A quick call to my bald buddy, musician and Bald Freak Music label owner Ron "Q*Ball" Scalzo, and a plan was in motion.



I ordered a pair of Spider's signature glasses from etsy.com and seeing Ron in them, it was amazing how much he resembled Spider. A wig was used for panel 1, since Ron's already bald, and thanks to Kenny at Kings County Tattoo for standing in on panel 4. The background in the final two panels come from some photos I had from last years New York Comic-Con at the Jacob Javits Center.



I should be getting my copy in the mail any day now, so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's contribution and seeing how mine fits.

From the CBLDF site - It has been nearly ten years since the release of the final issue of TRANSMETROPOLITAN, the Eisner-nominated comics series from writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson. This art book features all new illustrations from the top talents in Comics, with the original co-creators participating, donating a brand new cover and a foreword for the book!



TRANSMETROPOLITAN combines black humor, political scandal, and moral ambiguity to look into the gonzo mind of an outlaw journalist and The City he inhabits. Aided by his embattled Editor and his two Assistants, the protagonist blazes a path through a futuristic world of skyscrapers and technological wonders, dark alleys and unspeakable depravity.

The TRANSMETROPOLITAN Art Book is a lovingly crafted and designed tribute to a seminal work. Contributors include:

Aaron Alexovich, Stephanie Buscema, Jim Calafiore, Stefano Caselli, Cliff Chiang, Richard C. Clark, Kevin Colden,Katie Cooke, Molly Crabapple, Farel Dalrmple, Camilla d'Errico, Gary Erskine, Richard Friend, Dan Goldman, Cully Hamner, Lea Hernandez, Phil Hester, Rantz Hoseley, Matt Howarth, Seth Kushner, Jonathan Luna, Milo Manara, John McCrea, Moritat, Dean Motter, Eduardo Risso, Darick Robertson, Jimmie Robinson, Stuart Sayger, Tim Seeley, Fiona Staples, Bryan Talbot, and many, many others.

The book is available for order now.

STAN “THE MAN” LEE MONKEYS AROUND FOR CHARITY!



Comics legend, Stan “The Man” Lee, and Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel, have joined forces to close out Panels for Primates with a bang. “Collaborating with Stan Lee is a dream come true,” says Haspiel. Their comic strip, Even Gorillas Have Pride!, viewable only at ACT-I-VATE from June 1st onward, can be found here: http://act-i-vate.com/114-36-1.comic



Panels for Primates is a charity anthology of primate comics curated and edited by Troy Wilson and facilitated by Mike Cavallaro, that has been updating with new material every Wednesday since October 2010 at ACT-I-VATE (http://act-i-vate.com), all to benefit the Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, KY. Like every webcomic on ACT-I-VATE, the Panels for Primates archive can be viewed absolutely free. But if Panels for Primates readers like what they see, they are strongly encouraged to swing over to http://www.primaterescue.org/ and make a donation.



Other prominent contributors include Fred Van Lente (Cowboys & Aliens), Mike Carey (The Unwritten), Rick Geary (Treasury of Victorian Murder series), Stuart Moore (Namor: The First Mutant), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Colleen Coover (Gingerbread Girl), Faith Erin Hicks (Zombies Calling), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and Roger Stern (The Death and Life of Superman). In all, 56 generous creators from seven countries have donated 127 pages of all-new material for the cause.



The mission of the Primate Rescue Center is to alleviate the suffering of primates wherever it occurs by:



-providing sanctuary or referral to appropriate facilities;

-working to end the trade of primates both in the United States and abroad;

-educating the public to the plight of primates caught in the breeder/dealer cycle;

-assisting researchers and zoo personnel in finding appropriate placement for surplus primates;

-encouraging compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and animal welfare statutes.



They currently provide lifetime care for 11 chimpanzees and over 40 monkeys.





ACT-I-VATE, the premiere webcomics collective conceived by Dean Haspiel, debuted February 2006, features original, serialized graphic novels, and is updated daily. ACT-I-VATE’s hand-picked artists produce their signature work sans editorial oversight and offer their personal comix for free to an ever-growing audience of loyal readers. The site is known for having lifted the veil between creation, creator, and reader by providing a forum for spirited dialogue between audience and auteur.



Stan "The Man" Lee has quite possibly exerted more influence over the comicbook industry than anyone in history. He created or co-created 90 percent of Marvel's most recognized characters, which have been successfully licensed and marketed since 1965.



His famous co-creations include Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Thor, and Iron Man, among many others. Lee, known to millions as the man whose superheroes propelled Marvel Comics to its preeminent position in the comicbook industry, first became publisher of Marvel Comics in 1972, and is presently the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. Lee is also the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Creative Officer of POW! Entertainment.



Emmy award winning artist, Dean Haspiel, created the Eisner award nominated BILLY DOGMA and the semi-autobiographical, STREET CODE. Dean has drawn many great superhero and semi-autobiographical comic books for major publishers, including graphic novel collaborations with Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, and Inverna Lockpez, and illustrates for HBO's "Bored To Death." www.deanhaspiel.com



For more information, please contact:

Troy Wilson, Editor, Panels for Primates

troyagain@gmail.com

Cousin Corinne's LIVE COMIX BLOCK launches w/a presentation of Nick Bertozzi's LEWIS & CLARK and Jason Little's MOTEL ART IMPROVEMENT SERVICE, MC'd by Jah Furry aka Jeff Newelt, on Friday, May 27th @7pm at BookCourt, 163 Court street [between Pacific & Dean], Brooklyn / 718.875.3677.





Cousin Corinne's LIVE COMIX BLOCK launches w/a presentation of Nick Bertozzi's LEWIS & CLARK and Jason Little's MOTEL ART IMPROVEMENT SERVICE, MC'd by Jah Furry aka Jeff Newelt. Slides, music, comics, performance, refreshments.

FREE!!! + Nick Bertozzi will be showing images (first time anywhere) of his upcoming graphic novel JERUSALEM written by Boaz (REMEMBER THE TITANS) Yakin



http://nickbertozzi.com/

http://beecomix.com/



John Hodgman re LEWIS & CLARK

"Nick Bertozzi's comics do more than bring history to life: they reanimate these long dead souls and make them human again. I would buy this book just to see Thomas Jefferson tending the roses. But it's dark-locked Meriwether Lewis whom we truly see for the first time through Bertozzi's pen: brave, fallible, ambitious, funny, brilliant, crude, transcendently ambitious, tragically mad all at once. Bertozzi captures in pictures the epic grandeur and quiet desperation of the Lewis and Clark expedition as no dumb book of prose ever could."

Today at ACT-I-VATE, we feature "Hurricane Wilma," a one-shot guest webcomic by writer/artist, Omar Angulo: http://www.act-i-vate.com/127-1-1.comic



ENJOY!



Omar Angulo is a graphic artist, illustrator, designer and noise maker documentarian with the ability to draw from a wide array of influences like film, music, history, subculture, rocket science and brain surgery.



Based in Miami, Florida, Omar Angulo's art is a graphic combination of mark making, music, comics, film and design. Since the 1990's he has collaborated with artists, labels, and promoters creating album art, custom packaging, and limited edition collectible art and merchandise. Omar is perhaps best known for his punk rock album covers and his poster art for bands across the musical spectrum including artists such as Against All Authority, Alice Cooper, Bad Brains, Beyonce, The Cool Kids, Danzig, Dethklok, Gogol Bordello, The Melvins, The Misfits, Q-Tip, Subhumans, Ted Nugent, Lightning Bolt and many others...



He could be found drawing, making comics or putting out music with his label Audio Electric under one of the many alias' that fall under The PRJCT13 (documentarian projects).



contact: omar@omarangulo.net



http://www.omarangulo.net

CulturePOP Photocomix may be done for the moment, but I'm still doing Photocomix. I've collaborated with writer Chris Miskiewicz on his EVERYWHERE Anthology. The piece, SPIDERS EVERYWHERE, is an homage to B-movies of yesterday and features a young woman being terrorized by thousands of creepy, crawly SPIDERS!



SPIDERS EVERYWHERE is Written by Chris Miskiewicz, Photocomix by Seth Kushner, edited by Dean Haspiel and starring Cat Cabral, David Blatt and Gerry Perrer.







See it here - http://activatecomix.com/120-5-1.comic





The premise for, EVERYWHERE created by Chris Miskiewicz, is simple: You wake up to find that millions of animals have appeared EVERYWHERE around the world at the same moment. What happened and what does it mean when the natural world has gone horribly wrong? Every month Chris teams up with a different artist to illustrated his latest tale. Past contributors have included; Andrew Wendel, Rick Parker, Bobby Timony and Nathan Schreiber.



Working on SPIDERS was a unique challenge for me. Aside from shooting it in a style similar to that of a dramatized film, I had to create literally thousands of spiders! Chris proved to be an ideal collaborator by writing a well-paced script, casting actors and providing egg and cheese sandwiches on the day of the shoot.



Comments welcome and appreciated, as always. Hope you enjoy it!

This past weekend, myself and a few fellow ACT-I-VATErs sat down to record a discussion with The Webcomic Beacon. It was all done over Skype, so at least I assume everyone was sitting.

We each spoke about ACT-I-VATE, it's history and how it works, as well as the evolution of our individual projects and future plans. Included in the discussion were:



Troy Wilson of PANELS FOR PRIMATES, Chris Miskiewicz of EVERYWHERE, Seth Kushner of CulturePOP, Dov Torbin of THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED, and James Smith of GANG OF FOOLS.