We’ve got attitude, too.

December 14th, 2004

In 2002, Ted Rall included Alison and 20 other cartoonists in his funny and insightful indie comix anthology, Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists. I got a free copy, but I would have gladly paid for it. Mind you, I’m employed by one of the contributors, but I think it’s a great resource for anyone who’s bored with Garfield, Hi and Lois, and Family Circle. It includes sample strips and interviews from cartoonists like Mikhaela Reid, Keith Knight, Aaron McGruder, David Rees, Tak Toyoshima, and Shannon Wheeler (and Alison).

Last Sunday, Roger Sabin of the Guardian, UK, published a generous write-up of Attitude 2 in his Books of the Year 2004 column. He specifically cites Alison’s work, and calls the book a “spiky affair.”

Money quote: “This is satire in an angry-youth-with-piercings mode. The spiritual forebears are the cartoonists of the 1960s-70s underground (Robert Crumb et al) but the use of clip art and scratchy line techniques mark this out as a very contemporary collection, and happily the humour is of high quality.” Happily indeed.

Here’s a link to the book on Powells. They’ve also got it on that other on-line book-buying site, but I can’t remember the name of it. Starts with an A… Ama-something?

Fascinating

December 10th, 2004

Hey, thanks to everyone who responded to the question about where you read the strip–in print or online. It was really interesting and useful to get all that information. Not sure what I’m gonna do with it yet, but you gave me a thought-provoking glimpse into the evolving media landscape. For now, I’m just psyched you’re all reading it, whatever the source.

Mission: Buy

December 2nd, 2004

This is the mission statement of the Center for New Words: “To use the power and creativity of words and ideas to strengthen the voice of progressive and marginalized women in society.” You can support this noble aim and at the same time get some gift-shopping out of the way by going to their online celebrity auction. You can bid on an original DTWOF strip. Or perhaps you would rather have Katha Pollitt edit your manuscript. Or Dorothy Allison record your answering machine message. It all ends on December 8, so go check it out.