Insights about comics, prog rock, classic cartoons and films, higher education, sexuality and gender, writing, teaching, whatever else comes to mind, and comics. I know I said comics twice. I like comics!
First, the inevitable scanner update. I have one week left of regular access, then it goes away for several months. I'm exploring options, including going back to Kinko's and paying their ridiculous rates, trying to find funds to purchase a decent scanner, and keeping an eye on freecycle. Meanwhile, I've scanned a couple months worth of old work, and hope to augment that with some fresh material during this final week. I want to keep posting during this lull.
To that end, here's a VERY old page. This was done for a friend's zine around Pride, and ended up being used in my first self-published book Ink Tantrums that same year. I had great fun with this short series, inspired by Ripley's Believe It or Not.
I later learned that Jayne did NOT have surgery, despite the Rolling Stone article. Still something of a heroine.
The art on this is quite crude. I don't mind that. Though I'd been through commercial art school at that time, I had yet to take any classes in comic book art (aside from my Omaha internship), and had very little equipment with which to work. While I always aspire to professionalism, in this case, given the intended audience and the subject matter, I was fine with it looking rough.
Next, we'll finish up the Surrealist Cowgirls story, and a few surprises coming down the pike!
So, after several years of missing it, I finally got to PRIDE this year.
It was much more fun than I had last time.
This was a surprise, since many of the people I hoped to run into were nowhere to be found. CLCC (City of Lakes Crossgender Community) didn't appear to even have a booth, much to my dismay.
But I did run into my old friend Debbie Davis, and we had a brief but lovely chat. Pleased to see her doing so well.
As always happens, there was a spate of upcoming events that sounded intriguing. Listened to some truly fun music, but I neglected to get the name of the band, or the stage they were on!
I was surprised at how much the atmosphere had changed. When I first came out, I found the queer communities very divided and almost hostile to one another. Then as I got more involved, that attitude appeared to dissipate.
It came and went in waves. Last time I was at PRIDE, there was so much of it, coupled with rampant corporatism, that I was put off going back for some time.
This year I had the opposite experience.
I don't know if it was the day and time I went, the mood I was in, the people I happened to run into, but this year I experienced none of that. Nothing but universal acceptance and everyone in a good mood!
I heard some really good music, but I neglected to get the band's name or even the name of the stage so I could look it up later. Ah well, so be it.
I had only planned to stay till about 2 and then meet my summer students for a possible film outing. But then I stopped by the Gaylaxiconbooth,
and had a number of really pleasant chats. A very pleasant bear asked
me if I was interested in stopping back around 3 PM.
"What's happening at 3?"
"We're re-enacting the X-Men gay wedding!"
So what the hey, I thought I'd hang out for it.
Making my way back around to the booth, I discovered that they were handing out copies of the comic to be used as scripts, courtesy of our friends at The Source Comics & Games in St. Paul (thanks, Nick!). These are the fine folks who are so helpful and work so hard on Spring Con and the one day Fall Comic Book Party, and who were so instrumental in the success of the CBLDF booth (more on that later this week).
Anyway, I went to the wedding!
Here's what it looked like in the comics:
And here's what it looked like live.
Some great folks having a great time.
All celebrating three things that mean so much to me: superheroes, comics and love.
The other person shooting video said he'd e-mail me the group photo I was in, and that he'd post it with the video soon, but I've seen none of either.
Still.
If I have the money, and am caught up on my personal obligations, I think I'll try to take in Gaylaxicon. It sounds like fun.
The news at the booth was that Guest of Honor Wendy Pini had bowed out for health reasons. However, they were trying to get P. Craig Russell!
Wow. If they get him, I'm definitely finding a way to go.
However belated it may be, I hope you all had a Happy Pride!
This strip was timed for Pride, as surgery is celebrated in trans communities (or used to be, at least). It was presented as a double wide strip, taking a full half a page in a 9" x 12" magazine.
Again, some playful graphic elements, notably the title composed of scalpels and the swirling memories in the free association panel that leads into the main action.
In retrospect, this is rather sparse for an operating theater, and she is not exactly, ahem, in position for this particular operation. Also, that cart is in isometric perspective, not linear.
Ah well.
Bear in mind as you read these that they were, aside from this one, printed at about 3" w x 4 1/2"h.
These have not been reprinted in 15 years.
The reversed out text at the end of the bottom banner has been digitally re-lettered, as was the "machine that goes ping" on the side of the, well, machine that goes ping.
Next week: something a bit different.
Yesterday was swamped! Final performance of the season with Trans Voices Chorus, followed by a nice brunch with that great bunch of folks, a delightful afternoon at Pride with my ex, Jennifer (who came in from Eau Claire with a bus load of folks. Finally, the wrap party for the video shot during the first session of SES. More on SES later. I'd like to offer an insight on Pride. I didn't come up with this, one of the other members of the Choir did. But I think it's perfect. Pride is over commercialized, full of bright colors and joy, has become ritualized, and is full of people in your life that you only see once a year. Just like Christmas. That said, I was struck by the changes over the years. The addition of B and T to G and L (strangely absent from the actual content of the History Center exhibit!), the incredible freedom of the new generation, and a singing at a church service that preached tolerance, almost a Bizarro version of the world I grew up in, in a very good way! The above photo is a quiet Pride moment at the Loring Park dandelion fountain, waiting for jenny and just hanging with a few folks.
