Ape Con in the city, summer in the sticks, do a little dance and try not to trip!

Hey there folks! I just did the Alternative Press Expo, or APECON, this past weekend. I did great! My best show (not the most fun, however. While I did have a blast, the "Most fun" still goes out to the FLUKE we did in 2010. It was like Jeff and I were 12 year old boys who freebased Mountain Dew for that show)! So thanks to the friends and family that helped me out. Howdy to the great new folks that I met there, as well!
My most recent Hairball, "Bumper Baby A-Go-Go Versus the Giant Sucking Wound" has now OFFICIALLY become my most popular comic to date. These two guys walked up to the table, one pointed to it and said "Best title of a comic...ever", and then they walked away. They didn't even buy it. That's a whole different type of sale!
There was so much stuff to look at! So much diversity. It was actually fairly overwhelming. It was one of those cons where you walk around and see everything, take a break, and then go back for a deeper search.

It was also not the easiest of cons for me. You see, I had been rather ill in the weeks prior to the show. At one point, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off. Luckily, I did. Though, there was a stretch of time Sunday afternoon that was deadly dull. Few people walking around. No one really wanted to talk. I just wanted to go to bed and call it a day. But when it picked up, it got amazing.

Jeff Tuffenstuff couldn't join me for this show because he's back in the South, and I have since moved onto the West Coast. I did miss him. It was also odd not seeing the rest of the FLUKE gang around. Oh well,  this is a brave new world. No more South (or at least, very little. Or perhaps, not for a while...although, I do not relish the thought of getting back into that humidity with all of the palmetto bugs. Do you know that since I've been out here, I have not seen ONE SINGLE FIRE ANT, MOSQUITO, OR COCKROACH????? After 24 years, that's unprecedented). So, do you mind me reminiscing? I don't!
APE was awesome. New pastures, new comics, new projects. I'm actually working on a new Hairball as we speak. It's still in the planning stages....Keep yer one good eye out!


----CHEW

2011 Oktober Fluke Report

OKTOBERFLUKE WAS ... well, to be honest it wasn't awesome. It was okay. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good: We tabled next to Patrick and Robert (The Fluke Organizers) and had some very interesting conversations about children, music, racism, Spiderman and mutants. Later, I saw the cover that Patrick drew for Athens' Flagpole Magazine. It looked really good. Kudos.

The Poptober Fair venue in Athens' Civic Center was a huge space. Chew and I created a new table display, and I have to admit, our table looked pretty good. Before we left Athens, we had pizza and beer at Little Italy – the slices are thick, huge, cheesy and cheap. My kind of place. 

The Bad:  I have to admit that I have, until now, always taken Patrick and Robert's efforts to promote Fluke for granted – the Flagpole coverage, the posters and flyers everywhere, a venue in the heart of downtown Athens, cheap admission for the general public, their social network updates ... the list goes on and on. It's no wonder that attendance for Fluke has grown every year. Unfortunately, the folks who organized the Poptober Fair did not do the same ... 

The venue was in the basement level of the Civic Center. There was no access to this venue except for a side street, half of which was closed for construction and the other half was used periodically for fund-raising marathons. There were no signs. No posters. No advertisement. No ads or coverage in Flagpole. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. If you didn't already know about this fair, you weren't going to stumble across it. And if you did go, you had to pay $5 at the front door. The attendance was poor. I don't think anybody did well (except the vintage record swap guys).

Oktoberfluke was Fluke's ugly little step-sister. And that's okay. They can't all be winners. I am not placing any of this at Patrick or Robert's feet. I just never realized how much they did to make Fluke successful. Thanks guys.

The Ugly: Headaches, nausea, no sleep, and the loooong dark drive back home.

And Finally: I am really looking forward to Fluke 2012. She's pretty. She's tall. And best of all, she puts out. A lot.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, bought books, or said hello. We'll see you again next year!

Chew, feel free to add your two cents when you get a chance.

Optimistically and understandingly yours,

Jeff Tuffenstuff

Duhh!

Don't be shy. We don't bite (hard). Stand around, chat, get to know us, buy our stuff, bring your friends, talk shop, or whatever! We look forward to seeing you ... 

It's Fantastic!

It's the first collaboration between Jeff Tuffenstuff and Chew! It's Flex Fantastic ... a hero's journey through murky, nebulous and watery folds to find his sidekick, Klepto the flying-wonder-dog! This is the one that started it all. Buy it and finally read what everyone is hardly talking about ... Oh Vey!

'Tis the Season ...

It's the Hairball Christmas Special and the holidays are just around the corner ... so, buy someone this book already! It's perfect stocking stuffer for someone geek-chic and weird. Because you care. You really, really care ...

Total Carnage ...

Yes, we have the entire comic featured in our comics section of this blog, but it's not really the same as owning it. The feel of smooth paper in you hands, the smell of ink, the shiny metallic staples gingerly impaling the book's spine ... uhm, too far? Besides, don't you want to own the book that will have a sequel so huge it's taken us over a year and a half to plot the stupid thing? Of course you do.

Dunn Dun Dunn ...

This one is one of my favorites. This issue of Hairball is devoted to Oink's grade school crush. Chew has knocked this one out of the park. And it's kid friendly to boot. Buy it for a kid. Buy it for your kids. Buy it for yourself. JUST BUY IT! (Okay, I admit, it's not exactly subtle advertising, but c'mon ... the book is really that good)

Curse of Cupcakes ...

Yes, of course you should buy Chew's latest foray into the critically acclaimed Hairball series (who's the critic? Me!). A fuzzy, spoiled creamy cheese frosting curse on you for taking so long to pick up a copy (special solicitor's note: all hexes are removable upon purchase at the Globster Press table).

Here's Johnny ...

We're comin' ...

That's right. We're gonna be at Oktoberfluke this year! And we've got goodies. You know you want 'em. Question: how do you feel about folk art? Well, your opinion's not that important. Wanna know how Chew feels? Then come by and pick up Fokey Dokes ... 

Meet the Witch

Well, there's not much to say. Things have been extremely busy here in the Land of the Globster. Life has been doing it's thing where it seems to prevent us from working too much on our comics. We are trudging on, albeit very slowly.
Good news, though. We will be attending OktoberFLUKE in Athens, Ga. on Saturday October 15. It will be a part of the Athens Popfest...which will include many, many bands, the Indie Craftstravaganzaa, FLUKE Mini-Comics and Zine Festival, and the Secret Record Swap.
I believe we will be located in the Classic Center. Here's a link!
http://athenspopfest.com/

Be there or be.....

Chew

Fluke 2011 Report (Part 3)

There were several books I picked up or traded for at Fluke and wanted to share these with you (clockwise from the top):


Beard by Pranas T. Naujokaitis: I am so impressed with this book's cover design, it's ridiculous. It's a wrap-around cardboard, screenprinted beard that (when dislodged and pulled from the main character's face) opens to reveal 16 page B/W story that's about a man and his ... beard. A beard that can practically do anything. The ending was hilarious. 

The Beast Mother by Eleanor Davis: I've heard nothing but good things about this book. I finally purchased a copy and I have to say it lives up to it's reputation. The story is somber, well paced, thoughtful and a little icky (but in a good way). It's just well done. Oh and the cover ... screenprinted, die-cut goodness. Inspiring.

Chalk Talk by Lauren Sparks: I can only assume that this was a class project completed at SCAD based on the opening credits of the book. I really liked it. It's short and sweet, maybe a little too short but I found the story and art to be very engaging. I've seen really bad examples of inkwashes in a lot of self published comics. Washes can make the art look too dark or muddy. Lauren on the other hand, shows an amazing amount of control and her characters really pop from the background. This book was a good trade. Thanks, Lauren!

Eleanor Davis' Sketchbook Beouija: I've become a fan of her work. Check out her website.

The Fluke Anthology: A free give away at Fluke for all attendees. I've mentioned this one in my previous post, but if you're attending a mini-con and happen to see this book ... buy it. Besides featuring "Harold," a five page story drawn by Chew and myself (shameless plug) it features "Robot Love" by Joey Weiser and "Sasquatch" by Kevin Burkhalter and Falynn K which are my favorites in this anthology.

And ...

Rashy Rabbit by Josh Latta: I love Josh's character design. His characters are so well thought out and distilled, he can't mess them up. They gesture wildly, have great body language and display a wide array of emotions. Great inks too. Josh's work is very reminiscent of Spirou and a lot of the older french children/adventure comics (and that is meant as a compliment). It's good stuff.  I can't wait to pick up another book. Go and check it out.


So that's it for Fluke report. See you there next year!


– Jeff Tuffenstuff

The Fluke 2011 Report

What can I possibly say to sum up our experience at Fluke this year? It was ... AWESOME! Alright. So on with the report:

I got up at 3:45 A.M. to get ready and pick up Chew and Klay Hillz. After several cups of coffee and a few good-morning-I'm-to-tired-raise-my-hand-high-fives we left Columbus and headed for Athens at 5:15 A.M. We rocked out to Chew's new and soulful 80's mix-tape: Horseradish Hairnets Part I (featuring the likes of Hall & Oates, Prince, Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, and Sheila E.). We stopped for Gas and Donuts and discussed Geek topics. We finally arrived in Athens at 8:30 A.M. (I'm sure we could have gotten there sooner, but I obnoxiously observed the speed limit -- sorry, Klay).

There was already a line at the 40watt club and it continued to grow as we stood waiting. By 10:45 A.M. we estimated about 60 to 70 people were in line trying to get tables. If there is no pre-registration next year, I would really suggest (to anyone reading this and planning on going) to arrive early.  We rented a whole table this year due to Chew's non-stop-I-need-to-create-comics-and-art-all-day-long pathological tendencies (yes, I'm jealous). Yep. That's right. Chew had (count 'em) five new books on display this year. Klay spent the three weeks leading up to Fluke printing Chew's books. Chew's books look amazing. If you haven't picked up a copy, I'm telling you, you're missing out.

Speaking of books, we made it into the Fluke Anthology this year! Our little five-page story is titled Harold and starts on page 12. The anthology features stories by Drew Weing, Joey Weiser, Falynn K & Kevin Burkhalter, David Mack (and many others) and is full of comic book goodness.

Athens was like a ghost town this year (Easter weekend). Not so inside the 40watt club. With an attendance of over 400 people this year, you could feel the entire place buzzing with excitement. We sold, we laughed, had some coffee, and met some really cool people. Chew left for an hour and sold more books during his absence then when he was behind the table (I think it's part of his sales strategy). Fluke wrapped up a little before 6 P.M. and we headed over to Bizarro Wuxtry and sold some more of our books – and immediately spent the money on their graphic novel collection.

We stopped for dinner at Little Italy and attempted to eat a 18"x18" super- thick-deep-dish-crust pepperoni pizza. We're grown men. And we were hungry. We stuffed ourselves and still had two slices left over!

We left Athens at 8 P.M. Chew and Klay let me listen to the original 13 part NPR Star Wars Radio Drama on the way back and I got giddy like a 11 year-old school girl and I was totally geeking out. We stopped for some more coffee (which was horrible), talked about the day and listened to Klay snore softly in the backseat.

I'd like to thank a couple of people before I wrap this up:

Patrick Dean and friends: Thank you for creating such a cool event. Chew and I look forward to coming every year and it's getting better and bigger every single year. You guys have created something special.

Steve: Thank you for the Blake 7 DVD collection. For you to remember our conversation last year and go through all of the trouble ... you rock. Send me your e-mail and address. You're getting free books for life.

Roger (Our fan club president): It's one thing to buy our books when they come out. It's a whole other thing to drive 3 and half hours and bus friends to Athens to support the home team. Thank you. Roger is relocating to New York next week, so we wish him the best of luck and much deserved success.

Klay: Thanks for printing all the books and coming along. It would not have been the same without you. Hopefully, you all will see some of Klay's comics next year (nudge, nudge).

The Car Rental Company: Thanks for upgrading the car for free when you ran out of compacts. The upgrade was a gas-guzzler but it was roomy, quiet and comfortable.

The wives and kids: Thanks for letting us be geeks, letting us go, and sitting patiently as we recount the day's awesomeness in excruciating detail during breakfast the next day.

The Aztecs, Incas and/or any South American Indian Tribe: Whichever tribe started brewing and guzzling coffee first ... Thank you. This trip would have been impossible without drinking large amounts of hot, steamy Java.

And finally:

Thanks to everyone who came by our table. Whether you bought a book, traded or just stopped by to say hello, we really appreciate it and hope to see you next year.

Fluke rocks.

– Jeff Tuffenstuff

 

 

Chew's workin' the table



Our table at Fluke



  

 

Klay's reading his free Fluke Anthology

Club President Roger and Dan



Monkey Paw

Whew! It's been super-busy out there! I had me a deadline to finish up a couple of covers for my brand new HAIRBALLS! I know all three of you are very excited. Jeff and I have been trying to gear up for the upcoming FLUKE, which will be on April 23rd in Athens, Ga. More info to come on that.
Then there have been the travails of life, which always like to pop up and either make things really, really irksome or uber-complex. Or both.
Whoa! I think I'm on the verge of passing out. I...think...I...shall....


C----H-----E-----W

Maggy Muckalee

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed that Jeff and I have been totally geeked up about this new Carnage Cream project we have been working on. It is the culmination of years worth of interests enjoyed by us and a few friends, as well as that which sparked the mountains of derision heaped upon us by others.
So...I thought a little change was in order.
Aside from continuing on our D&D/LOTR-styled parody (which, incidentally, has grown like a large post-it shaped fungus on my dining room walls, and the 5 by 6 foot map of Secunda Terra growing on my hallway wall), I have also been working on my other project, The Black Worm. I am several pages into two books for this series. I would like to be able to finish one up before the next Fluke, but I ca'nt promise anything. We'll see how things turn out. I should have two new Hairballs and a totally new title (completely unrelated to everything else, but a sort of companion piece to Flex Fantastic.... sorta) by then.
The image you see above is from the Worm. Her name is Maggy Muckalee. She is one of the major-minor characters in the series.  She is a Riverling, a semi-aqautic river person, as well as the caretaker of Edith Fishbinder.
You might see her in a book one day.

Chew.