Mid-South Cartoonists Association (MSCA) » Memphis

Hungry for cartoons? MSCA Dinner Meetings 1st Thursday of each month!

Lin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:12:10 +0000

The next MSCA Monthly Dinner Meeting is this Thursday, December 1st at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza on Walker Avenue near Highland and Southern. Dinner meetings start at 7PM and run until 9-10PM, or until Garibaldi’s employees start turning off lights on us and locking up! Guest speakers usually start around 8pm.

This month we’ll be discussing upcoming art show opportunities for MSCA members, current member projects, self-publishing comics, the cancellation of the MSCA Sat-Art-Days at Comic Cellar and more.

Dinner meetings are free and open to the public, but be sure to bring a few bucks to order off the menu- you’ll be glad you did! Great pizza, salads, sandwiches, and beverages to be had.

Spontaneous cartooning on napkins, sketchbooks and other drawing surfaces have been known to happen during dinner meetings so sure to bring something to draw with and/or on.

Don’t be shy- bring some of your work to show to others at the meetings. We’d love to see what you’ve been working on.

Next dinner meeting will be January 5th, 2012. We’ll be discussing the upcoming MSCA art show at the DeSoto Arts Council’s Art House in February 2012.

Hope to see you there.

Lin

Orpheum Theatre Annual Art Auction- Free Admission!

Lin — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:58:12 +0000

The Orpheum Theatre is presenting its Annual Art Auction this Sunday- August 21st.

The Orpheum’s 17th Annual Art Auction celebrates and promotes local artists in Memphis’s diverse and growing art community. 75% of the proceeds go directly to the artists, while the remaining 25% is used to fund Orpheum education programs and the maintenance and preservation of The Theatre.

This year over 2oo pieces of art including original oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings, sculptures, and multimedia projects by 70 artists will be featured- including the MSCA’s Lin Workman (“Sherlock Holmes” art above).

Silent auction starts at 2PM and the live auction starts at 3PM.

Admission is FREE, and a cash bar will be available.

The Orpheum is located at 203 S. Main Street in downtown Memphis.

New “Spud Salad” book on the menu at SpudComics.com!

Lin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:30:13 +0000

This just added to the cartoon reading menu by MidSouth Cartoonists Association member Lonnie Easterling-

Get your second helping of hilarity! Over 100 of the best single panel cartoons from Spud Comics in convenient print form. From giant monsters to gun-toting teddy bears, nothing is too outlandish in this second volume from the popular webcomic.

If you like what you see there’s more Spud Comics to devour! Scraped from the brain of cartoonist, Lonnie Easterling, this is the first volume of the best Spud Comics ever to grace the internet. Each turn of the page is sure to bring a chuckle. Featuring over 100 comics from 2008 and 2009.

You can order up some Spud Comics books, tees, and more at the Spud Shop online- http://spudcomics.com/spudshop/.

Josh Elder isn’t singing the blues…but will be at AnimeBluesCon in Memphis!

Lin — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:36:45 +0000

The 2011 Harvey Awards Nominees have been announced, and comics creator Josh Elder isn’t singing the blues!

Congrats to our buddy Josh Elder and the Reading With Pictures crew for their Harvey Awards nominations!

BEST ANTHOLOGY and BEST ORIGINAL GRAPHIC PUBLICATION FOR YOUNGER READERS

Josh has self-published comics and written for DC Comics, and has become a regular guest and familiar face in Metropolis at the Superman Celebration each June.

Josh is not only an awesome super-guy (and can prove it!), but is also the Executive Director and Executive Editor for Reading With Pictures.

Their mission-

“Reading With Pictures is a nonprofit organization that advocates the use of comics in the classroom to promote literacy and improve educational outcomes for all students. We work with academics to cultivate groundbreaking research into the proper role of comics in education. We collaborate with cartoonists to produce exceptional graphic novel content for scholastic use. Most importantly, we partner with educators to develop a system of best practices for integrating comics into their curriculum. At Reading With Pictures, we get comics into schools and get schools into comics.”

This weekend Josh will be in Memphis for the first ever Anime Blues Con at the Hilton Memphis, 939 Ridge Lake Blvd off Poplar and I-240. Stop by the con and say hi to Josh and congratulate him on the nominations, pick up a copy of Reading With Pictures, and compliment him on his awesome \S/ tattoo. He will be doing a panel on his book, Mail Order Ninja, as well as ones on writing and getting published.

And speaking of the Anime Blues Con, an MSCA Panel at the ABC will be at 3pm on Friday, July 8th. There will also be a table for the MSCA to pass out information and/or members to sell our individual wares. So keep an eye out for MidSouth Cartoonists Association members at the con.

Congrats again to Josh and Reading With Pictures, and good luck to the Anime Blues Con.

Lin

Have Cape- will travel! MSCA members at Cape-Con

Lin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:24:31 +0000

This past weekend members of the “Memphis Mafia” headed up I-55 to Cape Con in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Here are some pics from the MSCA road trip.

The event center in Cape Girardeau, MO.

Kevin Williams with a TN Ghostbuster.

Jason Negen sketching at Kevin’s booth.

Nicki Howe at our booth on Sunday morning before the show.

Me with a couple of Predators- I’m guessing they’re not from Nashville!

Brian and Bob/Snake- a couple familiar faces from Metropolis.

More familiar faces from Metropolis!

John/Ash and his “boom-stick” in the costume contest.

“Duct-or Doom”

Kids costume contest.

Team Tucci!

Me, Nicki, and “Shi” creator Billy Tucci- he’s now part of the “Memphis Mafia”!

Me, actor William Katt, and show promoter Ken Murphy with my painting of “Ralph/Greatest American Hero” that Ken bought.

Illustration I did of William Katt as “Ralph”.

Me and my hand turkey drawing with the Helock Comics guys.

Outside the Mexican restaurant we had dinner at after the show.

I-55 on the way home back to Memphis.

Crossing the Mississippi River back into Memphis on the “old bridge”.

Thanks to Ken and his Cape-crew for inviting us back!

Lin

Comic News Quickies

Lin — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:14:14 +0000

Liberty Meadows is coming back!

Frank “Monkey-Boy” Cho has regained the rights to Liberty Meadows and is working on new issues of the comic series.

According to Cho, “Issue 38 will hopefully come out end of this year.” Fingers crossed!

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“It’s Alive!”

BleedingCool.com announced the upcoming Frankenstein Alive, Alive! for IDW Publishing, from Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson.

Also from IDW…

Rocketeer Adventures Launches!

Dave Steven’s Rocketeer flies back into comic stores again today- May, 18th with Rocekteer Adventures #1.

http://www.idwpublishing.com/

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TR!CKSTER..?

So what is TR!CKSTER? A new indy comic event in San Diego near Comicon!

TR!CKSTER is a retail space: specializing in CREATOR-OWNED wares including small run and limited edition books, fine art prints, toys, clothing, and more.

TR!CKSTER is a fine art gallery space: featuring the CREATOR-OWNED work of some of today’s most influential artists and designers.

TR!CKSTER is a series of Symposia: focused, CREATOR-DRIVEN demonstrations and discussions of method, process, and theory concerning the act of creating new, uniquely-voiced works of art.

Follow TR!CKSTER on twitter- @TRICKSTER_2011 or check out their website at http://trickstertrickster.com/

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Zombies invade Memphis…Again!

This is the Memphis Zombie Massacre’s fifth year, so to celebrate they’ve decided give something back to the community with Cans-4-Brainz to help benefit the Memphis Food Bank and flood relief efforts.

Keep and eye out for some familiar MSCA and Haunted Web of Horror faces in the crowd.

More info on their site at – http://www.memphiszombies.com/

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It’s a bird…it’s a plane, it’s a Superman Celebration!

Almost time to head back to Metropolis, IL for the 33rd Annual Superman Celebration June 9-12, 2011!

Several members of the MSCA will be back again along with Super Writer Josh Elder and Super Artists Jamal Igle and Freddie Williams II and many others in Artists Alley/Writers Way.

Special guests this year include Superman Returns stars Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington, SMALLVILLE‘s Black CanaryAlaina Huffman, Superman IV‘s Mark Pillow, and Tracey Roberts Lewis from Superboy!

It’s a small town festival meets comic convention for some big time Superman fun- and it’s FREE!

More info at- http://www.supermancelebration.net/

Stay “tooned” for more upcoming events!

Lin

The Daily News- “Pow! Duo of Comic Book Stores See Continued Success”

Lin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:45:28 +0000

Our two LCSs (local comic shops) are featured in an article in The Daily News-

A pair of local comic shops, Comics and Collectibles in East Memphis and Comic Cellar Cards, Comics & Games in Raleigh, have enjoyed success and weathered ups and downs in the industry over the years, thanks to their extremely loyal customers.

And some local creators and MSCA members get a mention, too-

In addition to the comic shops, quite a few successful comic book artists and writers call Memphis home, including Dean Zachery, Jim Hall, Anton Wade, Adam Shaw and Lin Workman. Both local shops feature occasional book signings and meet-and-greets with the artists.

You can read the full article here- http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=57809

Don’t forget to visit these shops for Free Comic Book Day on May 7th!

Lin

Save the dates- con season is here!

Lin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:34:55 +0000

Time to dust off your costumes, break out those sketchbooks, and bag up your comics- it’s con season again!

There’s lots to see and do this year, and lots of it is local- or just a tank of gas away.

First up is the Metropolis Super Con in Metropolis, IL March 5&6, 2011.

Metropolis Community Center

900 W. 10th Street

http://www.comiccitytn.com/Metropolis_Super_Con.html

Comics, wrestlers, horror guests, writers, artists, trivia, toys, and more in the official home town of Superman.

Next up is MidSouthCon here in Memphis- March 25-27, 2011.

Hilton Hotel

939 Ridge Lake Boulevard
Memphis, Tennessee 38120

http://www.midsouthcon.org/

MSC is a sci-fi literature con, with a mix of gaming, costuming, science, fantasy art, comics, anime, guests, and more.

Comics Guest of Honor- Kurt Busiek

MTAC April 22-24, 2011 in Nashville, TN

The Sheraton Music City Hotel

3 days of anime! MTAC (Middle Tennessee Anime Convention) features content to suit EVERY fan out there. They offer a variety of programming tracks to appeal to the wide spectrum of Anime fandom and host a variety of guests so attendees can rock out with the bands and meet their favorite voice actors.

http://www.mtac.net/

CGS Super Show April 30th & May 1st in Reading, PA.

Greater Reading Expo Center

Put on by geeks for geeks. It’s more than a tank of gas to get to, but a heck of a fun party! I’ve been a couple times.

http://www.comicgeekspeak.com/supershow/

Tiger Con May 13-15, 2001 in Memphis, TN

U of M campus

Tiger Con is a three-day Japanese Animation, manga/comics, and culture convention held at the University of Memphis’ University Center.

http://tiger-con.mfbiz.com/#

The Phoenix Comic Con- Memorial Day Weekend, May 26-29, 2011 in downtown Phoenix, AZ.

Phoenix Convention Center

Not a local con, but Nicki and I’ll be there along with MSCA alum/DC artist Dave Deaty, and Stan “The Man” Lee!

Great mix of comics, anime, cosplay, celebs, and more. Not too big, not too small, just right!

’nuff said.

http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/

Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL- June 9-12, 2011.

More of a town festival than a comic convention, but lots of comics, costume contests, media guests, Super-museum, and corndogs! Think Smallville with a giant 18′ Superman statue in town square and that’s Metropolis. Many of the MSCA will be at the Artists Alley/Writers Way building on Market Street just up from the Superman statue, next door to Thor’s Gym, and across the street from the new Noel Neill statue. Most events during the celebration are free, but some may require advance tickets which can be picked up at the local Chamber of Commerce on Market Street. Lots of family fun to be had all over town, and a casino for the big kids down by the river.

http://www.SupermanCelebration.net

Anime Blues Con (ABC) July 8-10, 2011 in Memphis, TN.

Hilton Hotel

939 Ridge Lake Boulevard
Memphis, Tennessee 38120

First year con put on by Animax. Guests include MSCA member Martheus Antone Wade and MSCA friend Josh Elder.

http://www.animeblues.com/

DragonCon September 2-5, 2011 in Atlanta, GA.

The grand-daddy of all Sci-Fi cons- costuming galore!

http://www.dragoncon.org/

Nashville Comic and Horror Fest October 1 & 2, 2011

TN State Fairgrounds- Nashville, TN

30,000 sq feet – FREE PARKING, film festival, trivia contest, costume contest, comics and media guests, and more!

http://www.comiccitytn.com

I don’t have all the info for the upcoming Cape Con in Cape Girardeau, MO this summer (June 24-26), but it’s a fun con and only about 2-3 hours away and near Lambert’s Cafe- home of the throwed rolls!

Also, ConNooga was this past weekend in Chattanooga, TN- but you can find out more about next year’s con on their site- http://www.connooga.com/

If you know of any local cons or ones worth the drive please post any info you have on our forums in the Con Season 2011 thread of the Toon Rendezvous section.

Lin

Star Wars Hits Close To Home

Lin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:13:57 +0000

This Monday I was on Fox13′s Good Morning Memphis and news talking about drawing Star Wars sketch cards for Topps.

I talked about working on the Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Galaxy 6 card sets…

…and of course who would win in a fight- Batman or Vader?

I had a lot of fun drawing and joking around in the Bat-Cave (my studio).

I did a total of 106 sketch cards for each set (mostly in markers) and hope to do more in the future.

The Empire Strikes Back cards are in stores now. Galaxy6 cards will be out in stores this spring and the above Topps promo features my Anakin card.

You can see more of my Star Wars sketch cards on my site- LinWorkman.com and see the Fox13 video here.

May the force be with you always! Yub-yub!

Lin

Sunday Funnies to go- on your letters!

Lin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:24:49 +0000

Whenever I go into the post office and they ask if I need any stamps I always ask them, “Do you have any cartoon ones?” and they usually reply with a “Sorry, no.”

Yesterday was different! I bought two panes of Sunday Funnies stamps!

Beetle Bailey, Calvin and Hobbes, Archie, Garfield, and Dennis the Menace!

Here’s the description on the USPS website-
These are the 44–cent Sunday Funnies commemorative stamps, available as a Strip of 5 stamps, a Block of 10 stamps, or a Pane of 20 stamps.

On July 16, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio, the Postal Service™ issued a 44-cent, Sunday Funnies commemorative stamp in five designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps, designed by Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, Maryland.

The Sunday Funnies stamp pane honors five of our most beloved comic strips: Beetle Bailey, Calvin and Hobbes, Archie, Garfield, and Dennis the Menace. Art director Ethel Kessler selected the images that appear on the stamps.

The Beetle Bailey stamp features Beetle, smiling calmly while Sarge loses his cool.

The Calvin and Hobbes stamp captures the precocious 6-year-old and his tiger pal making scary and ridiculous faces.

The Archie stamp features Archie sharing a chocolate shake with brunette Veronica Lodge on his right and blonde Betty Cooper on his left.

The Garfield stamp features the crabby tabby standing back to back with Odie, a carefree, energetic dog.

The Dennis the Menace stamp features 5-year-old Dennis, dressed in red overalls and striped shirt, running off to some new adventure.

Issue Date: July 16, 2010

I didn’t realize these came out this summer, so hopefully your local post office still has some in stock. If not you can get them on-line.

Hope they do more toon stamps!

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Usually around the holidays the dinner meetings tend to have a lighter attendance, but this month’s was an exception.

We had about 16 folks show up at Garibaldi’s Pizza to discuss cartoons, member news, the association’s website, and more.

MSCA dinner meetings are the first Thursday of each month from 7-9pm at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza location off Walker and Highland. If you love cartoons we’d love to have ya!

The meetings are free and open to the public, but feel free to bring a few bucks to order off the menu, as well as some art to show or news to talk about.

Also be sure to sign up in the MSCA forums and get to posting about industry news, your art work, or to check out what others are doing. A new members gallery will be going up on the website soon and info on how to submit art , links, and bio info will be posted there in the clock tower thread by our webmaster Nicki.

Lin