from behind the curtain

Comments are bold. I'll be regular.
***

eeTeeD said...

not long ago i posted a link here to some really great art by a cartoonist named milton stein. milt worked in the east coast animation and comic book industry from the 40's 'til the 70's. he was a tremendous talent, but fame and fortune was never his. milton stein committed suicide in 1977.

nobody here could be bothered to follow the links and check out this man's incredible work.

Never assume. How do you know nobody here could be bothered to follow the links and check out this man's incredible work?

jed said...

If you want to ramble about this stuff, I encourage you to start your own blog--that's just what they're for! ... you've obviously got an agenda here, Eeteed, an agenda I think you have a right to promote. Step up to the soapbox, Eeteed, and sign up for your own blog! It's free of charge!

That's what I was gonna say!

greg said...

The color treatment in your paintings reminds me a bit of Philip Burke's work in Rolling Stone. Unless you hate his stuff, then it totally doesn't remind me of that at all.

I don't find that offensive at all. Thanks! Hell, I even like Leroy Neiman, the man they all love to hate! I don't care for the subject matter (usually sports) but I always liked the paintings.

Jed said...

These last two (Dracula and Conan paintings) are getting kind of wild and wooley. That's not necessarily bad--but I also kind of dug when you were letting the numbers show through.

I like the numbers too. But when the big brushy strokes take control I don't want to get "careful" and ruin the moment.

Benny said...

Every time I look at your blog header, the way you have the colors inverted on your caricature, it looks like a delicious shrimp! Especially with the "food safe" background color.

Funny you should say that. I am DYING to change that header because when I see it out of the corner of my eye, I see that damn Speilberg logo thing of E.T biking across the full moon! I'm changing it as soon as I find the time!

Benny said...

Uhh, Pumpie, I made the mistake of starting that story about the unwed mothers.
Now I must know more.
How can I read it???
And of course, I'd love to read the fat story.

I shall give you the magazine!

hemlockman said..

Did you have the one of Gorgo?
Now that I'm well into my second childhood, I'm constatnly searching for all of the crap that I destroyed during the first one.

I have never seen the Gorgo. I will give you extra Creature!

WARNING: POLITICS

hemlockman said..

Why am I not surprised when police detain people?

You have a very twisted view of the world. You are a bitter intellectual suffering under the mass hysteria that has gripped Our Great Nation. You ate too many pickled tomatos in your life.

hemlockman said..

Why is Mark Martin funnier than Steve Bissette?

Bissette is also too convinced that he has The Answer. His problem is aggravated by a REFUSAL to eat many foods. Proper nutrition and a balanced worldview is important. Moderation, people! Don't swing too far left, nor too far right.

eeTeeD said...

government = money + power.
the type of people who are attracted to money + power = evil.
all governments are evil. always were. always will be.
basically, anyone who has MORE than you is evil.

Sounds crazy for eeTeeD to just blurt it out like that. But sadly, I know a LOT of people who feel this way.


Bissette said...

Spread the word --
http://srbissette.blogspot.com/2007/07/war-on-our-doorstep-as-regular-myrant.html

Jay Stephens, targeted by the Department of Homeland Security -- does this suffice to wake up fellow cartoonists, or do we need more?

Alas, I remain absolutely reprehensible. I am blithe like Mr. Stephens himself.

Red tape runs amok and people get snared in it. I have sent Bissette examples of far more "gestapo-like" tactics from America's past.

Storming a religious nut's compound and killing all inside scares me more than some red tape nonsense at an airport. If that's dirty pool using a Clinton era comparison, I'll use a Bush era comparison. Sucking up to Mexico and refusing to crack down on the serious illegal alien problem scares me more than some overzealous mall cop picking on Jay Stephens.

I don't see a conspiracy of silence if the media does not jump on this. I wouldn't expect them to run a story about Jay Stephens any more than one about published author Hemlockman, or TMNT artist Eric Talbot. TMNT creator Eastman MAY approach the level of celebrity that would give the media a boner.

"They" have not come for my neighbor. That sounds like one of John Edwards' bumper stickers.

Jed said...

So please support Jay Stephens, and let us all pray that Bush doesn't cause any more serious damage to this country and our Constitution before the end of his term. No matter who follows Bush, they'll be mostly cleaning up after his mess, and oh what a mess it is. We've got an intractable war that is now undeniably our new Vietnam, the Patriot act, No Child Left Behind, possibly the most wrong-headed approach to education yet, oh hell. You don't REALLY like this guy, do you Mark?

I've seen worse. I don't like politicians in general, but I've seen slimier examples than Bush.

Rather than tearing your hair out over the most dangerous man on earth (that's actually what Bissette called Cheney, so I'm not quoting Jed exactly, but you get the idea) please get some perspective and calm down. We could all go up in a nuke ball tomorrow, or our children's children may create Utopia.

8 comments:

SRBissette said...

Why, I try a new kind of food every day! You've a far, far more limited nutritional regimen than I, Marky-Mark.

You'll always be funnier than me. But go ahead, just TRY to scare me!

Mike Dobbs said...

Mark: I was gonna comment, try to write something profound, but I'm dogged tired and still have to lay out the paper.

Maybe the Jay Stephens things is just too ordinary to be impressive, but it's the oridinary things that can affect most people.

The lack on consistency in how the borders are policed area real concern to me. Frankly since my wife is a British subject with a alien card and a British passport we wouldn't attempt to go to Canada for fear some bonehead border guard wouldn't let Mary back in.

Yeah, I know. In your eyes I'm being paranoid. In my eyes I'm cautious.

BonzoGal said...

That isn't paranoid- I work at a company with many legal alien employees, and at least a half-dozen of them have had trouble at the Canadian border, even with all their paperwork in order, etc. It's gotten weird out there.

Speaking of variety of food items, I ate some anise bulb the other day and it was deelish. I also finally found a recipe that will allow me to use this giant jar of sour cherries I've had sitting in my cupboard for a while now. And I ate some chorizo that Eric stuck in a jar with olive oil, juniper berries and garlic.

Where does one find a pickled tomato?

BonzoGal said...

Oh yeah, and I'm making home-made root beer! And I bought another MAD Reader! And watched some episodes of The Tick! What a great weekend!

Jed Alexander said...

So...

I'm hard pressed to think of a president who's done more damage to this country than Bush besides Nixon. Seriously. I don't think I'm over reacting here.

And you're right in there with Eeteed with this "well the Jay Stephens thing pales when you consider..."--that kind of relativist thinking totally sidesteps the issue, the issue being: airport security is broke.

And where do you stand on the relevance of newspaper comics at the moment? are you with me or ag'in me? I mean, I already know how you feel about awards and stuff, and I'm always hearing about how great Mutts is supposed to be, though it's never struck my fancy, and I refuse to even consider Dilbert. Doonsbury is just kind of ugly. It's had its moments, but as far as good comics go, eh.

I'm just saying---the forms gone belly up. The only strips I see that are any good any more that come out on a regular basis are from free weeklies, and when I mentioned them to Stephens, he said I was making an "underground vs. above ground argument" or some such thing--that I was smiting the Rubens and their practices because it was just too mainstream for my tastes. But just look at the shit that's floating down that particular stream these days! I mean, come on, Get Fuzzy? Or what watered down version of Blondie by what descendant of Chic Young happens to see print these days. It's embarassing.

Mark Martin said...

Make up your mind. If relativist thinking is taboo, then eeTeeD is right - Milton Stein's woe is totally as relevant as Jay Stephens' woe!

Newspaper strips suck. Except for Mutts. It CAN suck, but it is great more often than not. McDonell is the only person I know of who is actually creating a great strip under the insane constraints of newspaper syndication, and that is pretty damn hard to do! You give McDonell props or I'll kick your ass!

Jed Alexander said...

WOw, I totally misused the word "relativist". How embarassing.

What I actually meant, was that you were using examples just as NOT relative as Eeeteed. But I don't know how to use big words, apparently.

And I really haven't given Mutts a good look.

I have to say I'm relieved you don't like Dilbert.

James Robert Smith said...

I actually had the Gorgo figure some years ago in my greedy kid-like hands, but some other oaf also going through his second chilhdood offered me much money for it and the (capitalist)adult inside me took the cash. Alas!

I rarely argue politics with anyone, because it does no good. Everyone's minds are made up. It can be hard on friendships. As proof of this, I admit that I'm a left-wing atheist radical, and my wife is a relatively conservative Republican type Christian. We don't discuss politics or religion much at all, and we certainly don't argue about it. To do so would only create rancor in the household. (Damn. That's the first time I've ever used the word "rancor". See what you made me do?!)