http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/wondermark/~3/lfQluF_sjHc/

http://wondermark.com/?p=4690

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Thanksgiving Project! I was thrilled to receive submissions from bloggers and libraries around this spinning globe of ours. Without further ado, here are my selections for libraries; each institution below will be receiving a free copy of my latest comic collection, Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death!

Bellmore Memorial Library, Bellmore, NY

Justin wrote:

The Bellmore Library has a lot of Kid/Teen programs that everyone loves. It has Mrs. G, also known as the nicest woman of all time. Really, she helps run most if not all of the programs, bakes food for them, buys books and supplies from her own pocket for the library, and will help you with any problem you have. They have an entire wall, albeit a small wall because it’s a small library, packed to bursting with all kinds of comics, manga, Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Bone, and maybe ten to fifteen “How to Draw Comics/Manga” books. They really do have a ton of things for anyone interested in the subject. They have a lot more then that, hell, my first D&D book was borrowed from them, but I would love if this really great library, run by a really nice woman, that really likes comics, could get a really nice book by a really great cartoonist.

Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library, Bloomfield, IN

John wrote:

I am the librarian at a small, rural public library in southwest Indiana.  As one of the few institutions in our town of 2,000 that strive to bring culture into this dim corner of our nation, your book has the potential to do much good here.  Our library attracts the worthy few in our community who are not wholly content to subsist on an intellectual diet of high school basketball and dancing celebrities.  Our Young Adult population, for whom we maintain a separate room and collection, would be especially well-served by your book, which is, in my opinion, exactly the kind of original humor that creates an appreciation for the printed page and its potential.  Please help me pry their minds loose from the iron grip of Maple Story.

Farmers Branch Manske Library, Farmers Branch, TX

Alicia wrote:

The Manske Library is, like so many other libraries, feeling the pinch of a reduced budget. We had 5 staff members laid off last September and 3 positions frozen since then. Our materials budget has been cut 12%. Wondermark books such as Clever Tricks are not going to make our list of books we can buy unless we get it donated from a patron or publisher. The children need new books! Think of the children! (or adults like me who cling tenaciously to the last remnants of youth) Plus, I can’t afford to share your work with all my librarian friends, who NEED to be introduced to the wonder that is Wondermark.

James E. Walker Library, MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN

Jacob wrote:

Tennessee is going through a financial crisis right now, and Middle Tennessee State University is facing SEVERE budget cuts. MTSU also has one of the largest libraries in the state. We have a woefully small comics section in our library and, as a big fan of yours (and comics in general) I think it would be a privilege to have one of your books in our library.

Groton Public Library, Groton, NY

John wrote:

Hello!  We’re a small public library with a limited budget.  I’m a new director here and one of my goals is to open up some sections I think would be popular but have not received a lot of attention over the years.  One of those areas is humor.  Our humor collection consists of under 10 books.  1 Foxtrot collection, 1 Far Side book, and 4 Peanuts books.  I’ve picked up some humor for free lately at local charity booksales, but not very much, a couple of headlines from the Onion books.  I would really appreciate more for our humor collection, if you can.

Sophie B. Wright Charter School, New Orleans, LA

Gina wrote:

I am the first-time librarian at this school in New Orleans. It is a great school and the kids LOVE, and I do mean LOVE, to read. My biggest problem is that I have no budget to add new books to the shelves. However, the shelf that is most plundered is my comic bookshelf. (Yes, they have their own shelf. I love comics! And, so do my students.) They rarely have books left on that shelf on Fridays. I think that your book would be a valuable addition to my shelves, and since I am unable to purchase any books this year (due to financial cuts in education) — this would be a special donation to a library that is truly appreciated by its patrons.

East Carolina University Special Collections, Greenville, NC

L.K. wrote:

ECU Special Collections has a reference collection. The addition of a Malki ! item to our collection would:
- show researchers ( esp undergraduates many of whom are approaching primary materials for the 1st time) how primary materials can be adaptively relevant
- be an example to other librarians how special collections are fun too. Historical materials are not just old ledgers and dry spinsters’ diaries. But you knew that.
- put you one up on Jeph Jacques who gets a lot of attention, because his little brother is/was enrolled at ECU. He is cool enough, but giving us a book with make you #1 in our hearts by a mile.

Sidney McMath Library, Little Rock, AR

John wrote:

Not only is my profession dominated by women, but women make up some 3/4 of my patrons as well. One thing guys of all ages check out is “graphic novels” display which is eating away at the high-traffic Reference section like a beautiful cancer. They gravitate over while they wait for their computer reservations and walk out with a half dozen trade paperbacks. I am proud to say that I have built one of the best collections in my system, but comic-strips anthologies are still dominated by Garfields and little more contemporary than a volume of Mutts or Pearls Before Swine. I would love for the first David Malki book in our system to live at my branch, so that people can see that intelligent and hilarious need not be mutually exclusive, and that you don’t need tights and capes to tell a great story.

The Churchill School, Mexico City, Mexico

Sebastian wrote:

I’m the Head Librarian of the Churchill School, a bilingual School in the retrochaoticfuturistic Mexico City… (a blob of urban infection, where postmodern strains of mutant virus mix fight the ancient warriors of  herbomedicine traditions… where the electropolice eyes follow the ways of banned subcultures, hidden in underground bunkers of concrete mayan style…) I guess down here, our overbored secondary students could make good use of these “Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death”… but I leave it to your discretion… and as Emily Bronte wrote: “vain are the thousand creeds /that move men’s hearts, unutterably vain, /worthless as withered weeds…”)

Health Sciences Library, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA

Erin wrote:

Everybody thinks of public libraries first, and then maybe about school libraries. That’s where most people stop thinking about libraries at all. I work in a different kind of library, though — one inside a hospital. In addition to helping doctors and nurses find the information they’ll turn in to high-quality care, we provide a peaceful place for patients and families of patients to feel whole again. They can check email, learn about a new diagnosis, or pick up a good book that has nothing to do with being sick. I would love it if your book were one of those.

Thanks again to everyone who wrote — I wish I could award more books, and perhaps I’ll be able to again in the future! I didn’t get anyone buying books specifically for donation, so these ten are what I will be sending out. Library folks, expect to see these coming your way in a couple weeks.

I would also encourage everyone out there — authors, readers, or just people with too many books in their homes — to consider your local library for donations. Even if they can’t put everything on the shelves, they earn revenue from selling donated materials at book sales, and in this time of slashed budgets and job-seeking and increased media literacy, it’s more important than ever that libraries stay open and available.

STILL TO COME: Results from the bloggers!

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1554

Their night just gets worse and worse.

If you want any QC Merch for Christmas you'd better act fast! Deadlines are LOOMING!

Also I will be at this awesome party-time in Austin this weekend! You should come say hi!

Some passages I wanted to keep for reference. (It's long)

( Read more... )

Tags: raqs

Christine Krizsa - Krizsa.com

Hi. I'm back.

http://threeframes.net/post/276168676

In the interest of wrapping this up this week, here's the next six ...

The Will Eisner Omnibus
W.W. Norton & Co. (Will Eisner) 2005-2007
Wikipedia article

Will Eisner's books have been reprinted many times over the last several decades, but W.W.Norton & Co. was the first publisher to reproduce Eisner's best work in library volumes. The six stories collected in The Contract With God Trilogy and Will Eisner's New York Stories are also available as stand-alone volumes, but I prefer the omnibus editions, which sport bold color covers illustrated by Eisner himself. The overall package is handled with a respect for both the artist and the medium, which was Eisner's own goal for the industry. (It's also worth noting that, contained in New York Stories is The Building, the one comic which can actually cause me to tear up)

A Contract With God
New York: Life In The Big City
Life, In Pictures


( The rest behind the cut ... )

Tags: top 21 comics of the 2000s

Hey all, first off, the Friends of the Nib show at Howard House mentioned here has been extended from its original three-day run to the entire month of December. (!!) The opening was an immense success, and the art turned in (around 400 pieces!) was gorgeous. If you're in the Pioneer Square area, please swing on by and give it a look.

Additionally, I'm dropping off some more chipboard pieces tonight for a show at Snowmonkey's House of Monsters on Capitol Hill.

Here's what gallery owner Curt Waller has to say about the events at Snowmonkey this week:

This week Snowmonkey is hosting THREE events in a row, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. PLEASE come and visit us, as the shop has been dismally slow, and we need to do good Holiday sales if we are to stay in business in the new year. And don't forget that Snowmonkey has the BEST STOCKING STUFFERS EVER! Monsters as low as fifty cents each!

THURSDAY night (Dec 10, 6:00- 10:00) is the Capitol Hill Art Walk, and we will be having an "UNDER $50" Art Sale with a variety of our regular artists, including myself, Atticus, Bunny, Jonathan Morris, and Kyle Kesterson.

FRIDAY night (Dec 11, 4:00 - 9:00) we are hosting a special jewelry sale featuring the jewelry of Diane Anderson. who has some consigned work in the shop as well.
Her FB event reads: "Jewelry is handmade by Diane and is hammered fine silver & sterling silver with semi-precious gems. Come say hi & enjoy a glass of wine and celebrate the season!
Check out this super-secret shop location. I will be donating a percentage of profits towards a friend's cancer healthcare. Snowmonkey's is child friendly so bring the whole family."

SATURDAY (Dec 12, 2:00 pm) we are hosting "The Kids are Making it Themselves," presented by Coco Howard. "An exhibition and sale of handmade plush characters from forty or so of Seattle's finest kids." This is a culmination of a creature-making class that Coco has been teaching, and should be super awesome!

Please come check out these events, and don't forget to tell EVERYONE you know about Snowmonkey's!

Snowmonkey's really is great and quirky, and if you're looking for unusual holiday gifts, I'd highly recommend it.

My pieces for the Snowmonkey show:





Howard House: (http://www.howardhouse.net) is located at 604 2nd Ave Seattle, WA 98104; (206) 256-6399.

Snowmonkey's House of Monsters: is located at 1205 E Pike, Ste 1A (enter through bluebird).

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1612

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December 9th, 2009: A Softer World has a new book out, AND they're having a launch party in Montreal next Monday, on the 14th of December! Details are here. You should come! – Ryan

http://tigsource.com/articles/2009/12/09/solium-infernum

Now this is how I like to imagine Hell: filled with bizarre demons and monsters, yes, but also rife with nefarious politics. Cryptic Comet’s Solium Infernum is a turn-based strategy game where you control one of up to six archfiends vying for control of Hell. The goal of the game is to have more prestige than your opponents by the end of the game. Combat definitely plays a crucial part in this, but it’s only one of many ways to further your means. In fact, you can’t even engage another archfiend unless they’ve declared a vendetta against you, and goading them into one can be even more fun than fighting…

I’ve only played the demo myself, but the few reviews I’ve read seemed giddy about it, and I can see why – SI offers up a version of Hell that is as dark and compelling as any I’ve seen in a while (it reminds me of Wayne Barlow’s novel God’s Demon, which is a good thing). The theme lends itself really well to the strategy, which is as much about intrigue and political posturing as it is moving troops around. I also have to give credit to artist Matt Bradbury for doing a fantastic job on the flavor art in the game.

Solium Infernum can be played single player, although the AI feels a bit lackluster (this has been addressed somewhat in patches following the game’s release). Multiplayer is handled through hotseat or play-by-email (PBEM). If you’re a fan of turn-based strategy games, you should check it out. Here’s a handy (and entertaining) tutorial to get you started.

Time-permitting, I’d really like to take a closer look at the full version ($30) and try multiplayer. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far.

TIGdb: Entry for Solium Infernum

http://feeds.penny-arcade.com/~r/pa-mainsite/~3/SByklMXaOsw/

This one is from SimplyRecipes. They call it a stew, but it's got lemon and mint in it, and that sounds Moroccan to me.

6 servings.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound lean lamb shoulder, on the bone, trimmed of fat, cut into 1-inch cubes (so I guess it's not on the bone any more, is it? I just used some lamb steak we had in the freezer.)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Sweet Hungarian paprika
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes (FOUR POUNDS ARE YOU KIDDING ME? We had half of a large squash left over from Thanksgiving, I used that.)
1 14-oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
Salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried mint

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper on the meat. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Add the meat and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until all the juices evaporate, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, 1 Tbsp of paprika and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until the mixture begins to carmelize (or caramelize, even. Good heavens, SimplyRecipes). Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.

Add the squash, garbanzo beans, tomato, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I left this out, I think I probably salted the meat instead), and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. Season with salt. Transfer the stew to a shallow serving dish.

Rub the 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and dried mint through a fine sieve. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat, until a speck of spice dropped into the oil sizzles. Add the sieved spices and stir for just an instant. Swirl the seasoned oil into the stew, stir once and serve hot. (I don't have a sieve. I mashed the mint with my fingers, no one in this house is afraid of spice chunks. The directions make it sound that you will have a swirlable oil as an end product; what I got was a paste (maybe because I didn't sieve the mint? Serves me right) but I worked it into the stew and it was just fine.)

Really good over couscous. Really, really good.

Tags: food is love

I have a couple more winner recipes that I need to blog so I don't forget them. this one is from Food & Wine; my original plan had been for a kale ragout with morel mushrooms over polenta, but then I found out that, to make the recipe as printed, I was going to have to spend $80 on morels, and there was some quick rearrangement of the menu as my brain said OH HELL NO.

8 servings. I cut it down to fit what we had, which was half a bunch of kale and three chicken thighs.

As published:
1.5 lb kale, stemmed (I used half a bunch, cut the stems out and then chopped it into chunks)
1.5 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick (I used .75 lb.)
1 medium onion, sliced thin (I used about a half an onion, I think? Cut into slivers)
1/4 c olive oil (I used more than 1/8 a cup)
salt and pepper
8 whole chicken legs (or, three chicken thighs, which is what was in the freezer)
1 t paprika (whatever, just use how ever much you want)

Preheat the oven to 450.

Toss the kale, potatoes and onion with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread it in an even layer in the bottom of a large roasting pan. I ended up adding a drizzle more olive oil to make sure everything was coated.

If you're using whole chicken legs, there is some business about cutting partially through the joint; I wasn't paying attention but I'm sure it's TERRIBLY IMPORTANT.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and paprika, and set it on top of the veg.

Cover the pan with foil, and roast in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes (be sure to get your husband to move the rack in the oven after it's been preheated to 450 for a good long time).

Uncover, and roast another 30 minutes, until the chicken is done and the veg are tender.

I was not sure at all that this would work. I am having a romance with kale right now and am making up for all those years I didn't eat any leafy greens by getting a kale mad-on whenever I can, but I wasn't buying the whole yummy-crispy-roasted-kale thing.

Dude, it's serious. Make sure it's got a nice coat of oil on it and some kosher salt. DAMN.

Tags: food is love

I've been told that the reason I'm having such difficulty finding a man is because I'm extraordinary... I like that theory... ;-)

So, uh, there's kind of a big thing I haven't talked much about yet, and you'll forgive me if I have neither the time nor the energy to talk about it now (I will eventually, I swear -- there are some hilarious stories that involve gallon jugs of urine and stuff). In a nutshell, my stepmom, Dede, has crap kidneys and in August I entered the process to see if I can be a living donor to give her one of mine. The tests have been heavily involved and take aaaages, but things are looking good; I have two final tests as well as a meet-n-greet with the surgeons this December when I'm home for the Christmas, and I'm quite optimistic (I'm pretty fucking healthy, yo). We'd hoped that she would be able to avoid dialysis and just go straight to transplant early next year, but my Papa reported today (an inauspicious day for my family -- my mom died eleven years ago this very day) that Dede's most recent blood tests don't look so hot and the nephrologist called her at home to discuss the possibility of going on dialysis before Christmas. They're making the decision this Thursday.

I'm not sure if you're a prayin sort, but if you are, I sure would appreciate prayers (good thoughts, ju-ju, whatever you've got) for Dede, my Papa, me, and even those doctors right now. We could use it.

http://xkcd.com/673/

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1553

Poor Marigold. She's just not built for the verbal sparring like Faye is. Also, is it weird or just a sign of my obsessive compulsive disorder that I've had Marigold's hairstyle change planned out since I first introduced her?

Don't forget, I'm gonna be in Austin, TX for WEBCOMICS RAMPAGE this weekend!

See you tomorrow!

http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1552

gajhluaghluaghl

I need to make these shorter, around a hundred words per entry, because it’s just taking too long. I doubt this’ll break any hearts, because I’d be actually a little concerned if anyone out there was hanging on my every word (if you are, though, bring me a Cadillac).



Lone Wolf & Cub
Dark Horse (Kazuo Koike, Goseki Kojima)
Wikipedia Article

First Comics made a well-intended inaugural attempt to bring this essential Japanese comic to the States, but its cancellation less than a third of the way through left most American fans pondering the eventual fate of Itto and Daigoro Ogami for more than a dozen years.

Weighing in at 28 volumes and almost 9000 pages, Dark Horse’s reprinting finally brings the conclusion to American shores, and it’s jaw-dropping in its violent elegance. Not every story in the collection is a masterpiece – no shortage of the stories are episodic, in which the overarching storyline is secondary to a separate vignette – but the entire collection is an epic worthy of the title; even the most absurd moments (the installation of a gatling gun into a baby cart comes to mind) are handled with an ominous ceremony which renders them mythic. It’s almost criminal that it took three decades to get this book fully translated for American readers.

There are a whopping 28 volumes of this series, but the first three give you the essentials, plus the conclusion - you can search for other volumes from there.

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 1
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 2
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 3

Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 28

Tags: top 21 comics of the 2000s