FCBM4 Day 10

It's day nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Chuck Strode, who listed his five comics as:

1. Starman
2. JSA
3. Ex Machina
4. Astro City
5. Daredevil

As a fan of certain types of super-hero comics, I suspect that Chuck will enjoy the first issue of Red Menace by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo, Adam Brody, Jerry Ordway & Al Vey.

For Chuck's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Chuck's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
20 free comics sent so far
21 days remaining

Friday Night Fights: Snoopy vs. A Leaf

From Good Grief, More Peanuts! (1957). Story & art by Charles Schulz. (Click pic for larger.)

A classic? No bone about it!

Three to Read (or hear) for Friday, May 9

* American Elf: Free Comic Book Day (via Heidi)

* Inkstuds: Colleen Coover (audio) (via Dirk)

* CBR News: Graven Images: Religion in Comics

FCBM4 Day 9

It's day nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Rocco A. Bertucci, who listed his five comics as:

1. Green Lantern
2. Captain America
3. Supergirl
4. Batman
5. Uncle Scrooge

For Rocco I have the first issue of the recent Moon Knight series by Charlie Huston, David Finch & Danny Miki.

For Rocco's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Rocco's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
18 free comics sent so far
22 days remaining

Fox in the Henhouse

Bizarro is a syndicated cartoon appearing daily in something less than a million markets worldwide, and comes to you in electronic form by way of a culmination of thousands of years of inventions.

I love this cartoon, even though the premise is not mine. This idea came from my good friend, Michael Capozzola, who writes and draws "Cheap City," the weekly feature in the San Francisco Chronicle's weekend guide book thing. (I can never remember what it's called: Entertainment Guide? Left Coast Living? Your Weekend on a Bun? SF Doorway?) Regardless, it's a terrific feature and this is a terrific premise so I snapped it up as soon as he offered it.

I got two emails about this one within the first few hours of the day it ran. One from a reader who loved it, another from a reader who thought there was enough "violence against adults by out of control children" without my going out of my way to glorify it.

If that reader intended to say that Fox, as a corporation, is contributing to a crueler, more painful world, I agree wholeheartedly strictly on the merits of Fox News Channel alone. But I don't think that's what she was saying. I suspect she fears she lives in a world where wild teenagers use comics like mine as an excuse to commit heinous acts they would not otherwise consider. God help us all if she is even fractionally right.

I use the term "god help us" euphemistically, of course.

By the way, you're clicking on all these blue words to see the funny pictures, right?

A Couple of Quick Manga Questions

A couple of quick questions about manga series for those of you 'in the know':

Is Eden volume 10 the final volume of that series? (I'm several volumes behind on my reading, so I haven't read the end of vol. 10 yet; I just want to know if I should expect to buy any more?)

Also, does anyone know how many volumes Nana is supposed to last? Is it still running in Japan?

Thanks!

Tiger Bait Part 2

A reader just told me he thinks the San Francisco Chronicle didn't run my tiger cartoon on 4/30/08, presumably because it was too close to home. The SF zoo was where the tiger attack happened, so I can't say I blame them.

Another reader mentioned in the comments that he doesn't believe zoos are good things but if you're going to have them, the animals should not be able to get out of their enclosures just because they are stimulated. He goes on to say the zoo officials failed both the public and the tiger in allowing this to happen. I agree wholeheartedly.

A third reader pointed out that many people believe that Roy (of Sigfried &...) had a stroke on stage and that the tiger was dragging him to safety, as she would her young. This jives with the facts of the story and animal experts tend to agree that if he had been "attacked," he would have been injured far worse. I said the tiger "ate" Roy for comic effect, but I didn't mean it. If the tiger had wanted to eat Roy, there would have been much less of Roy left to take to the hospital.

I don't believe in imprisoning any animal for the benefit of another, so zoos and circuses are at the top of my list of offenders. Along with Seaworld and the like. I believe captivity is as painful for virtually all other creatures as it is for humans, most acutely birds and mammals because of their level of intelligence. Personally, I'd rather be dead than spend my life in jail.

Sorry for the lack of humor, just wanted to clarify.