Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa – Last Chances has been available for digital download ONLY in black and white thanks to some pirates, but NOW you can get it in FULL COLOR at Toshigawa.com!!  Be sure to check it out!  Page two is now in the webcomics feature of the website.

Martheus Antone Wade, creator of Jetta, is a part of a team with Adam Shaw, Andrew Chandler and Dean Zachary in the retelling of the Story of David.  You can read about it in Friday’s Commercial Appeal.  Thanks to Jim palmer for sending the heads-up about the article and the following scan!  (If someone can share a link that I couldn’t find I’ll gladly post it).

A few plays to mention:

Continuing on with “Palmer in the News:”  Our own Jo Lynne Palmer is starring in the lead role for Driving Miss Daisy! This will be performed at the Lohrey Stage of Theater Memphis. You can visit the website at TheatreMemphis.org. Friends and Family Night is this Thursday at 7:30pm.

Mama Shenks shares that Kashief Crane is in Charlotte’s Web at the Germantown Community Theatre and is trying to see about getting a group together for Saturday 24th.
April 9- 25 Tickets $15-$20, 12 and under $10
Showtimes:
Thursday, Friday & Saturday @7pm
Matinees: Saturday & Sunday @ 2:30 pm
SEC/NCSer Doodle Lyle says:

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let all friends, fans, and supporters know that my latest Graphic Novel (or web-comic if you prefer) is now online at www.darkcandle.net

Dark Candle is a graphic novel set in 10th-century Bavaria. It is both realistic (in terms of the graphic style used and the period context) as well as imbued with a fantastic element. We have begun web publication of the first of six or more individual chapters which will comprise the entire arc of the completed novel.

Updates are weekly on Thursday evenings. The story is free to view and hopefully will be compelling reading for everyone.

Here’s a bit of what some people are already saying about Dark Candle:

“As an accomplished illustrator, Lyle’s masterful use of close-ups, long shots and combinations give the storyline the dramatic graphics that lead the reader eagerly to the next page.”

–Marcus Hamilton

“Dark Candle is an intriguing story combining an historic medieval setting with a timeless tale of romance.  Lyle’s art lends cinematic pacing to the story and captures the drama in such a way that the reader will feel immediately engaged with the characters.  His expert draughtsmanship has the classic illustrative look that conveys the period with convincing detail.”

–Jack Pittman

(Now I just have to live up to all this preliminary praise–blush).  Please do drop by the website www.darkcandle.net and see what all the fuss is about.

And, of course, if you’d rather not receive this sort of update from me, please let me know–I promise to remove your name from any future mailings.

Thanks for your continued support!

jel -

James Lyle (NCS)

SEC/NCSer Al Bigley shared this information recently:

Hi!

A new comics and pop culture blog has begun! Helmed by comics artist Al Bigley (GEMINAR, AVENGERS WEST COAST, BATMAN ANIMATED, ARCHIE, SONIC), this site will not only re-visit Silver and Bronze Age comics oddities, but also look back at Al’s artwork from his childhood, in a humorous, lighthearted way!

Check it out! Thanks!

Link below!

Best,

Al

http://bigglee.blogspot.com/

This marks the 15th year since Calvin and Hobbes said goodbye to the comics pages. Creator Bill Watterson, who grew up in Chagrin Falls and still makes Greater Cleveland his home, recently answered some questions via e-mail from Plain Dealer reporter John Campanelli. It’s believed to be the first interview with the reclusive artist since 1989.  You can read the interview by clicking on Bill’s portrait below.

For many newspaper readers, flipping back to what used to be called the funny pages is bittersweet. It’s dependable amusement, yes, with Funky and Garfield and Beetle, but it’s also a daily reminder that someone’s missing.  Read the whole article at The Plain Dealer.

Greg pointed us to this article.

A thread has been open in our forums to share images with one another of our broke-down selves!  You know, bones, noses and such.  Not broken wallets…we can see that anytime!

Roy Disney dies‏

Fighting the Eisner regime at Disney on behalf of traditional animation vs. CGI to the point that he was forced into retirement several years ago, Roy Edward Disney succumbed to stomach cancer on December 16, 2009 at the age of 79.

His dad Roy O. Disney co-founded Disney entertainment business with his uncle Walt Disney in 1920s. Like his famous uncle Walt, Roy worked on the creative side of the business, rather than following his father on the finance side.

Roy E. Disney received two Oscar nominations in 50-plus year career. “Little Mermaid” and “Lion King” were among the successes when Roy E. Disney headed animation.

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Actress Brittany Murphy dies in LA at age 32

Actress and voice of “Luanne Platter” on more than 200 episodes of Fox’s “King of the Hill”, Brittany Murphy collapsed at home and died about 10 a.m. Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in “Girl, Interrupted,” “Clueless” and “8 Mile”.

Also starred in the comic book based film “Sin City”.

With members like Matt, Alex, and DaMarco studying at the Memphis College of Art, you know that the Holiday Bazaar will be full of fantastic art!  Get great art for a minimal price.  Cheese and wine will be catered by Bosco’s, and I know that DaMarco will be participating as one of Santa’s Elves to help you carry your purchases to the cars.  Click the image below to learn more.

CARTOONIST/ANIMATOR BILL PLYMPTON visited the Memphis College of Art this month, and DaMarco Randle has written a re-cap to accompany his photographs:

Bill Plympton is considered one of the more clever and original animators.

As a child born and raised in Portland, OR, his dream was to draw with his fanatacism ‘drawn’ to Walt Disney with whom he felt animation died. During that time (1966), there weren’t any animation classes so any artistic advances had to be self-taught.  “To be an illustrator, you must do two things: think of ideas fast and draw fast.”

As times got hard, he decided to publish his own stories, which included drawing the sketches and scanning them into the computer, then composing them together.

In 1985, he published his first animated film called “Boomtown,” which taught him that to be a good animator “you must have a good sense of humor.”  Since then, Plympton has been the topic of discussion at San Diego Comic Con, even now having been Oscar nominated for his short film in the 2005 Kanye West video Hear ‘em Say. 

You can see clips of his cartoons on his official website by clicking his image below.