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Juicy Mother

January 18th, 2005

That’s the title of a new comix collection from Jennifer Camper and Soft Skull Press, available here. Alison’s “Oppressed Minority Cartoonist” panel is in there, along with a comix jam she did with Camper, Howard Cruse, Diane DiMassa, Rupert Kinnard, and Ivan Velez, Jr.

From the publisher’s blurb: “Juicy Mother includes comix about an older butch dyke and her Lolita, an African-American gay man coming of age, an Arab Muslim dyke searching for her identity, two big hairy men getting married, a cynical Latina teen encountering aliens and a wild cartoon jam. In a genre especially known for being dominated by straight white men, Juicy Mother is an alternative to alternative comix. The collection places emphasis on the voices least represented in the comic world. As such, the stories within are exceptionally exuberant and carefree.”

Book 11 Update

January 11th, 2005

We have a title: Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For . Descending on an independent bookstore near you this October [cue spooky body snatcher music.]

New Web Format Thingy

January 11th, 2005

Those of you who read the strip regularly on Planet Out will have noticed this by now, by for anyone who hasn’t figured it out yet, here’s a tip: if you want to see the whole DTWOF episode at once instead of clicking through it panel by panel, scroll down the page and you’ll see some options. Click on “see the whole comic strip.”

Not sure why they changed it. Perhaps the comments here and on the Planet Out message board made an impression…?

Cool Quiz and Question

December 21st, 2004

The enterprising and cyber-savvy “taxishoes” over at the DTWOF Livejournal Community has created a DTWOF quiz which asks the whimsical question, “Which dyke in Dykes To Watch Out For are you most like?” Anyone can take it. Feel free to post your results here.

Also, we’ve encountered several complaints on-line regarding Planet Out’s new strip multi-screen format. Is it really that bad? They didn’t consult us about it. What do you think?

Comix Fix, Part II

December 21st, 2004

Wow — so exciting to read everybody’s comments about where they read DTWOF. Thanks for your input. Nice to see so many people are keeping tabs on this evolving blog.

A suggestion for those of you who said you can’t find the strip in your local paper, but would like to: I submit Alison’s cartoons to editors all the time, but my cover letters and sample strips are probably less effective than a few smartly worded emails from some local readers. I think DTWOF is perfect for alt. weekly audiences (Burlington’s alt. weekly, Seven Days, runs the strip). But alt. weekly editors are more likely to listen to their readers than to me. Feel free to write to them and demand (yes, demand!) that they carry the country’s most interesting comic strip with the word “dyke” in the title.

And fyi — as far as we know, Between the Lines in Michigan is still running the strip. They still pay for it, anyway. Remember, it comes out every other week, so sometimes there will be an issue without a strip. I think Washington Blade is still carrying it, though they tend to print it sporadically. If you want more regularity, send ’em an email. Can’t hurt, right?

Pssst…wanna buy some comic art?

December 14th, 2004

Alison’s been too busy working on a lifeblood-sucking graphic novel to take on her usual freelance work and speaking engagments this year. So now, in a flagrant attempt to drum up some cash, she’s selling a batch of recent comic stips at the low, low, bargain price of $200 each, plus shipping. (Normally, when she’s not so desperate, these go for upwards of $450.) These are hand-drawn, signed originals. Each strip is drawn in india ink on two separate pages of 9×14 archival bristol board. Eminently suitable for framing. Start your own art collection! If you’re interested in purchasing a strip, contact us at dykes@dykestowatchoutfor.com.

Here’s a short description of each piece, and a link to it on the PlanetOut archive.

#419, “The Candidate.” In which Lois strategically pads her Bush flightsuit, and we meet Ginger’s future dog.
#426, “Breastiality.” In which Ginger dons a wonderbra and Stuart ponders becoming a stay-at-home dad.
#437, “Betrothal or Betrayal.” In which Clarice and Toni stand in line to get married at City Hall and Mo makes a nuisance of herself.
#445, “A-lyin’ in the sand.” In which Mo’s friends stage an intervention.
#450, “What is the first part of politics? Education.” In which Ginger expounds on the timeliness of Orwell’s “1984.”

UPDATE (12/16) Wow. All of these have been purchased. Or claimed, anyway. Thank you, everyone! The sales haven’t been finalized yet, though. If you’re interested in a strip, feel free to let me know in case something falls through.

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.

Comix Fix

November 30th, 2004

Browsing the website for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, I found this interesting story from Wired magazine about the decline of newspapers.

Wired‘s Adam Penenberg references a focus group conducted by the Washington Post in September. Participants, all of them 18-34, said they wouldn’t accept a Post subscription even if it were free. Why? Penenbeg says, “The main reason (and I’m not making this up): They didn’t like the idea of old newspapers piling up in their houses.” The Post, fyi, is losing 4000 paid subscribers a month.

The article goes on to say that these younger readers are consuming news via the Internet, by visiting blogs and using news aggregators and other filters to digest news. Now, obviously Alison and other indie cartoonists aren’t relying on papers like the Post for their livelihood, but they are relying on glbt papers and alternative weeklies, who pay to feature comics. I wonder how this trend is effecting those alternative news sources, and how it will effect indie cartoonists like Alison.

All of which leads me to ask where all of you read DTWOF. Do you flip through a gay paper? An alt. weekly? Do you find the strip on-line? Wait until the books come out?

Where’s the ideal place to read a lively, engaging comic strip, particularly this one?