Monday, March 18, 2024

RS#8 Update – Wild in the World


 
It’s been 35 years since I last put out an issue of RELUCTANT SADIST. The world is a very different place since 1989, I don’t have to tell you. Between the internet and social media alone, it’s a weird new world. I chose to continue with producing a print version of the comix as I was doing before; same size, digest-size, a folded sheet of letter or A4 size paper because I want to hold something, other than a smartphone, in my hands. A physical object, particularly a book creates a space in reality that digital never will. I like the idea that these zines could be around for centuries, traveling around from one person to another or forgotten in a box only to be discovered some decades later. I can’t fall into a story told digitally like I can when it’s printed on a paper. There’s no touch or smell, no familiar smudge or corner torn or folded like a printed copy provides. The physical is just more, well, real, so it was worth the effort and cost to have the comix properly printed.

I had 300 copies printed, which seems like a lot, but I’ve already found good homes for 40 of those, so I don’t think it’ll be long before I’m doing a second print run.

To celebrate the arrival of this new issue of RELUCTANT SADIST, I held an unveiling party, which will be detailed in another post soon. It was a fine and wild moment and there is plenty of photographic and video evidence to share.

You can order copies of RS#8 directly from me through my shop, or if you are in Riga, Latvia you can find it stocked at Bolderaja Art Bar and at Down Street Records. If you happen to find yourself in Athens, Greece, get yourself over to Jemma Comics and Press where you can find RS#8 stocked with the large selection of small press comics or even order through their website. I’m working on getting distribution in the USA and the UK, so stay tuned!

OK HW

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

RESPECTO! Gets Some Respect!

 A good news update on my comix story “RESPECTO!” (background info is in my September blog post). House of Harley, the British Comics publisher of the annual anthology publication UGLY MUG, has been doing a great job sending out review copies of UGLY MUG #7, that my story RESPECTO! appeared in, and it’s getting some positive feedback and attention.

First up is THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST (Vince Hunt, Dan Butcher and Tony Osmond) which I was unaware of until now. I believe it was Tony’s pick to review UGLY MUG #7 (please correct me if I’m wrong), which begins at the one hour and fifty-nine minute mark (1:59) and “RESPECTO!” is talked with enthusiasm, at the (2:02) mark. I really enjoy how these three guys banter about comics, even when they aren’t talking about my stuff ðŸ™‚ and will add them to my extremely-too-long podcast queue. Here’s ACP episode #433 – ‘Monster MONSTER”. Enjoy!



Next up is a YouTube based video podcast called “Talking Small Press Comics” with Larned Justin and Steve Keeter. In episode #56, they review UGLY MUG #7 beginning at the (31:35) mark and mention “RESPECTO!” twice, first at (34:58) and again at (38:02). Unfortunately, they fail to give me credit (I did sign my comic in the first panel and I’m credited in the back of the book), which was a minor thing. I do appreciate how much they enjoyed the story and art. It’s fun to watch them flip through the book and show pages to the audience via their webcams. Larned and Steve look like they are having a lot of fun looking at the comics.



This is cued to the RESPECTO! part of the talk, but if you want to listen to the entire section on UGLY MUG #7, go back to the 31:35 mark.

Last up is a traditional blog post mention in Win Wiacek’s “NOW READ THIS!” from November 30, 2023, “Ugly Mug #5, 6 & 7”. Overall Win seems to be a fan of UGLY MUG and though “RESPECTO!” is only mentioned and not talked about in detail, I do appreciate being in such great company. This was another comics/comix blog that I wasn’t familiar with and look forward to digging through previous posts and reading new entries.

Ugly Mug #5, 6 & 7

It’s very satisfying to see something you create being seen and talked about within the comics community. One of the beautiful things about the internet is how easy and immediate it facilitates community and connection. That’s a true boon for small, weird art groups to connect and support each other as these podcasts and blog do for underground (? is there really an underground scene now? A topic for another time…) art, comix, music, film, etc.



OK HW

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

The Last Logo

 2023 has been a big year for Weaverwerx; a resurrection of sorts after years of little to no activity. I have taken a workspace in the old Kino Studios in Riga, Latvia and have begun to pursue comix, drawings and film projects again. As part of this new era, I have revamped the Weaverwerx website, which was the perfect opportunity design a new logo. Now embarking on a new logo design may seem like a simple process, but even the "richest" and "smartest" person in the world can fuck it up, resulting in losing years of positive branding, good will and billions of dollars. Luckily I don't have those kinds of pressures on me. I'm just this guy trying to carve out my own tiny niche in the real and virtual world. The only person I need to please is myself, but that is easier said than done. I'm a fickle, difficult to please customer when it comes to my own work and have a special mutant power for overthinking that would give Professor X a headache. Somehow I managed to find my way, creating and discarding a dozen different concepts before landing on one that feels right, so right in fact that it will likely (always leave yourself an out) be the LAST WEAVERWERX LOGO. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the new look.

Yes, it is a critter, animal, creature of some type and needs a nickname, which I am puzzling out. Any suggestions? I think of artistic ideas as being like creatures roaming around looking for a worthy person to be their portal into our world. These ideas animals can be enormously powerful and lucrative and creative people bring them forth with nothing more than a pencil and blank sheet of paper. This critter here is hungry and lustful and curious. It wants your attention. I wanted this logo to be part watchdog, part chupacabra, part feral cat, and part alien from another world. I want it to guard my back, but also push me when I need it, like everyday. From a design point-of-view, I wanted an image that would stay in folks' minds and not be confused with another thing; not too complex, but not too simple. Maybe even something that will provoke some affection. I also think it'll look damn fine on a t-shirt!

Time to show how the sausage was made. Here are my raw, rough brainstorming sketches as I worked through various possibilities, including some boring, too generic non-character options.




Some of those "shrunken head" and Tiki God-ish designs could wind up making cameo appearances in some future comix stories, so keep your eyes peeled.

The previous Weaverwerx logo was a simple hand-drawn with scribbly circle around it, which I call the "Hairball Logo". I'm ditching it because it is too generic. It could be used for a hair salon or a bar or sock company, whatever. I like the hand-drawn quality, but that's about it. I only used this one for a couple of years, so it was really just a placeholder.

Before that one, I had been using this dapper chap with the square head and formal suit. This design originated in the late 1990s and was fun, but it looked too much of it's time. I do like the "round peg in the square hole" head and the "W" suit collar. It was also a load of fun to animate, but times have changed, so time to say adieu.



Now that the Logo saga has been been settled, time to get on with creating some actual content or something...

Keep smiling,

OK HW



Wednesday, October 25, 2023

UGLY MUG #7 – RESPECTO! Finds a Home in the UK Comix Scene

It has been too long since I had a comix story in print, actually in any form available in a public way. You would have to go all the way back to December of 2010 (!) where I had a three-page Xmas story called “Santa Dali” printed in the zine "Pork Belly: Special Santa Issue”. How and why it's been so long since I dropped out of the scene is no matter, just too busy living, but now I'm back with a four-page story called "RESPECTO!" that is right at home in the pages of UGLY MUG #7, an annual British anthology of weirdness lovingly curated and published by The House of Harley. UGLY MUG is a print only publication that can be ordered through the HOH website. Besides my tale, the rest of the 120 pages is filled by a stable of wild ink-slingers including SAVAGE PENCIL (The Legend), John Bagnall, Ed Pinsent, Tom Baxter Tiffin, Jason Atomic and many others.

My story "RESPECTO!" has two inspirations; first was an unfortunate message exchange with an unhinged individual hurling insults and threats at me and in the same breath demanding respect, totally unaware of the hypocrisy of what they were saying . It made me think about what respect is and how do we go about trying to get it. The second inspiration was to use the bizarre and beautiful African masks that I love to study and draw. There may be some who will call this "cultural appropriation", but my intent is to show my respect for this art and culture. These are not my designs, just my interpretation. To dispel any confusion, I have included the origin tribe and region information with each character and hope people will be curious enough to do their own research and learn about African tribal art.


OK HW

Order UGLY MUG #7 at The House of Harley

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

REJECTION! The "Burls & Gnarls" Tale

 

Page one - Would you read more?
I am making stuff again, specifically comix stories and have been trying to get them published, but that is easier said than done.  My first story of this new era is an eight page tale  called "Burls & Gnarls" I created in January of this year and it's about a guy haunted by weird trees he sees along the icy winter streets of Riga, Latvia. It's an old school black and white, ink on bristol board effort built on top of a beat-like poem of existentialist angst with a touch of defiance. Here's the first page as a taste. (I'm not going to put the whole thing online as I have other plans for it)

After reading this first bit, would you feel compelled to turn the page and read more? Well, I submitted it to three different comix anthology publications and it was rejected each time, so I guess for some people, the answer is "No thanks". It never feels great to not have your work included, but this isn't my first time in the barrel, so I cried in exactly one beer and shared the bad news with my inner circle who did what good friends do and they jumped in outrage and shock, shaking their heads in disbelief that my offering was turned away. It is not a fair or just world generally, so it's necessary to have thick skin and supportive allies to manage such times. Having been on the other end of the stick, I understand that not everything can be included and some things have to hit the floor. It is part of the process. It's never easy putting together a creative project made from many contributions. The important thing for me is putting the work out there. Once the piece is submitted, I have won because I'm participating in the creative community. I take solace knowing that Frank Herbert's "DUNE" was rejected by twenty publishers before it found a home. (side note - I am not comparing my work to that masterpiece). The lesson learned is you do your best, work to your own highest standard and then keep submitting it until it lands in front of the right eyeballs. Don't give up. 
Another taste - page four

So, what will become of "Burls & Gnarls"? I've decided to use it as motivation to publish issue #8 of RELUCTANT SADIST, picking up where I left in 1989, a mere thirty-four years later. My goal is to lash together a 16 or 24 page digest-size comix by the end of 2023. Watch this space!

So that is final rejection lesson to be learn and that is, if you no else will publish your work, DIY baby.

Keep smiling,

OK HW


Thursday, March 23, 2023

I Was a DJ for a Day...

 KuÅ¡! Radio

"I am a D.J., I am what I play..." 
(With respects to David Bowie)
I was a radio D.J. for one afternoon in February, in fact on Valentine's Day no less. How does one go from underworked and obscure comix art/writer/actor/whatever to rocking a live broadcast over the interwebs to an audience of dozen(s) with no training or experience? As it is so often in this world, you got to know somebody, and in this case, that somebody was KuÅ¡! Komikss honcho David Schilter. He messaged with a question, "Hal, have you ever done Radio?" and the details were hashed out from there. Seems that one of the resident artists visiting in January, Anu Ambasna has a radio show on NTS Radio in Britain and needed access to a recording studio to produce her show while in Riga. This led to the idea of creating a pop-up studio, so why not get more comix artists to do some shows while all the equipment was set-up? And that is how KuÅ¡! Radio was born!
Michael holding the tech together while I run my mouth
All of this was only possible because of the technical expertise of Michael Holland, who is also a radio DJ on a NTS show called "Onotelsa", also the name of his indie record label. Michael is one of those laid-back cats that just made everything so simple and easy, that even a completely clueless radio newbie like myself was able to produce something that sounded coherent even on a live broadcast. Michael's constant encouragement and steady streams of "yeah, yeah"s' put me in the right flow to chat in between blocks of music and my hour time slot flew by too quickly!


All of the KuÅ¡! Radio shows have been archived on Sound Cloud and there is not a dud in the lot, so check them all out.
Here is my show and I'll put the playlist underneath with a few notes about my choices.

"On a Coconut Island" - Louis Armstrong

I named my show after this tune as it paints a lovely picture of a tranquil dream world of spiced winds and bottomless Tiki drinks. Plus it's Louis Armstrong which is always the correct choice.

"I Want You To Be My Baby" - The Royals
This was a Valentine's Day pick that I first heard on an overnight show off WWOZ the New Orleans public jazz station. I love the lyric, "If you're gonna be my baby, then act like my baby and do it now! UH!"

"Basic Hip" - Del Close & John Brent - The Beat Generation, Volume 1
Just a fun rap. I think the world is forgetting about being "hip" and this needs to be corrected.

"True Love Will Find In The End" - Daniel Johnston
I'm late to knowing about Daniel Johnston, but it only took one listen to this song for it to become an instant classic in my heart. This section always brings a tear to my eye when I think about all the lonely people who won't or can't step into the light.

"True love will find you in the end

This is a promise with a catch

Only if you're looking can it find you

'Cause true love is searching too

But how can it recognize you

If you don't step out into the light, the light"

"Garter Belt" - John Lurie - Down By Law Soundtrack
Love this soundtrack and movie and the world it portrays. Another V-day pick for the darker side of romance.

"1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
The centerpiece of my show. An epic psychedelic masterpiece that is like listening to a Heavy Metal (the French SF comics magazine) story of a dystopian future where humankind has to flee into the sea because the surface is destroyed from pollution and war. But that would never happen, right!? The song runs 13 minutes, 25 seconds and Michael encouraged me to talk over it or cut it short, but I think it's a song that doesn't get enough attention because it's too long, so I rolled it out in its entirety. Weirdly romantic enough to also fit the V-day vibe.

"We Want You To Click Play" - Uglyography
Uglyography is a Norfolk, Virginia based two-man band and one of my dear friends, Sam McDonald is one of those two guys. I picked this because of the "Surf's Up!" lyric which connected to Coconut Island in my mind and that it's a bouncy, poppy tune. Full disclosure, I created a music video for another cut off this album, "Evil Rays" and you can check that out on my Vimeo page.

"16:53 This World" - Neil Bruce (Light B4 Sound) - 11:53 Album
A bit of electronica to balance out the pop of the last tune and this one is also created by my pal Neil Bruce. Yes, I am dedicated to shamelessly promoting my friends creative projects and it's all the easier when they make such beautiful stuff as Neil does here. Check out the whole album on his Bandcamp page and buy it if you really dig it! Neil's website.

Deep in the heart of Kuš! Radio

"Yip Roc Heresy" - Slim Galliard
My old (as in, we have been friends for 40 years) amigo Michael "WingDing" Wingfield first hipped me to Slim Galliard and this tune when he put it on a mixtape, like physical cassette tape (you young folk will just have to google it) he made while DJ-ing at a Berlin radio station back in the 90s. I love this tune because it's so silly and DADA, which is where WingDing and I like to meet.

"Uncool" - Del Close & John Brent - The Beat Generation, Volume 1
For those folks who needed the "Basic Hip" lesson, more helpful advice to be less square...

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" - Cannonball Adderley Quintet
A song that warms my heart and is a hug for this old, tired, beat-up world and all the suffering people clinging to it. Put on repeat until the bad thoughts quiet down.

"All the World is Green" - Tom Waits
"I fell into the ocean and you became my wife." Is the opening line to this sleepy love ballad by my favorite singer-songwriter and man of mystery and old hats, Tom Waits. I dedicated this song to my wife Ieva during the show and explained that first lyric also can serve as a super mini-autobio for how I wound up living in Latvia. Good tune for a slow dance.

"California Dreaming" - Lee Moses
Best fucking version of this song that has ever or will ever be recorded. Period.

"Here at the End of the World" - Alex McMurray
Alex McMurray is a New Orleans fixture who first came to my attention when he was part of a band called Royal Fingerbowl about twenty odd years ago. It is easy to draw a direct line from the Beats, through Tom Waits to Alex McMurray and this is a very good thing. McMurray has IT whatever that special sauce is to stand in the light of the crack in the universe and share what he finds there with the rest of us and we are all better for his words and music. This song is a comfort on the bad news days and now it feels like they are all bad news days or maybe, "bad news" or "worse news" days. For my ear, he perfectly captures the mood of our time as we collectively "listen for the terror through the wall" as Allen Ginsberg presciently wrote decades ago in "HOWL". So let's...

take our shoes off and dance real slow
while we wait for the fireworks show

"People" - Lord Buckley
Lord Buckley because he is still cool, always will be cool and it is because of his eloquent and compassionate spirit for sharing his gift with us people. Blow Daddy, blow... 

Saturday, July 2, 2022

Kuš! It! Kuš! It Real Good...

Greetings from Riga, Latvia. As of last November, this has become my new home. This is my second time living an ex-pat life. The first time was in Ireland back in 2003-2005. The Latvian language and culture are less familiar for me then Irish culture, which is embedded into the American identity. I'm slowly learning Latvian and gain more of an appreciation of the deep and ancient cultural ways here. It is always good to keep your mind and heart open to new ways of living and looking at the world.

As an ex-pat, I'm also always searching for anything (books, movies, music) to cling to and give me some comfort when my brain has reached maximum saturation of the unfamiliar. Comics definitely fall into that category, especially of the small press variety.  I was fortunate to learn about kuÅ¡! komiks (kuÅ¡! (pronounced - koosh!), a Riga-based comics publisher, organizer of exhibitions, artist residency host and generally promoter of all things comics related. John Porcellino of King Kat fame had mentioned kuÅ¡! to me in an email and another local artist friend also had encouraged me to check them out.  On the publishing end, kuÅ¡! have two on-going projects; the Å ! anthology collections put out a few times a year and mini-comics that are single artist, one-offs. I recently emailed kuÅ¡! asking where I could find their comics here in Riga and received a quick and friendly reply from David Schilter the founder of kuÅ¡!, letting me know about the one comic book shop in Riga that stocks their pubs and inviting me to visit kuÅ¡! HQ sometime! Wanting to sample some kuÅ¡! as quickly as possible, I made a visit to COMICS LV (in Latvian or Russian - use the Chrome browser to translate easily into English), a jolly, small shop packed with comics, graphic novels, figures and anything else a fan-human might want to buy. I inquired about kuÅ¡! and was guided to a box with a few dozen copies of Å ! and mini-comics. I choose one mini-comic; (mini kuÅ¡! # 11 'All You Need Is Love', Emmi Valve, January 2013) and one Å ! anthology; (#42 'Scientific Facts', August 2021). The story theme of friendship of "All You Need Is Love" grabbed my attention, as well as Emmi Valve's loose, personal drawing style and moody watercolor palette. The longer "Scientific Facts", is an international collection of a few dozen artists (as are all issues of Å !) featuring a wide range of art and writing styles, from the traditional to experimental, so there is something for everyone. I love the size and feel of both pubs, well-designed and printed on quality paper. I'm looking forward to visiting the kuÅ¡! HQ sometime soon and adding a few more pubs to my collection! I am actively seeking inspiration to get my creative life back on track. (book project update - don't ask)

kuÅ¡! ships internationally, but has distribution partners all over the world and lists all this towards the bottom of their shop page. I'm not surprised to see that John Porcellino's Spit and a Half is one of the many USA distributors, so my American friends, get over there and check out some kuÅ¡!

OK HW

PS - here's the title background. -  "KuÅ¡! It! KuÅ¡! It Real Good... "(sing as... https://youtu.be/vCadcBR95oU)