Goes is a new comic by Luke Kruger-Howard, from the equally new Goes Books. (I believe they launched just over a month ago.) I'll discuss the book a bit first before getting to the publishing model.

This first book has four unconnected stories around the theme of "touch." The first, and longest, is entitled "Men's Holding Group" and is about a community project a guy has started to encourage men to touch each other more. Explicitly in a non-romantic, non-sexual way. Just reaching out to another human being and connecting with them. It's a deliberate attempt to mitigate the toxic masculinity so many of us grew up with. Most of the story focuses on the group session itself, but Kruger-Howard shows readers some examples of what that might look like outside the session. Guys at the gym, the male half of the Friends cast, the high school football team... It looks like... well, basically the female equivalent of the same scenarios. This is what "normal" would be for evryone if so much of our culture didn't deliberately encourage boys to repress any physical manifestations of love.

Normally, I'd say it would be an interesting thought experiment. I've spent much of the past decade deliberately trying to get past that, and I still find it difficult at times. But it takes on a more pointed meaing today in 2021, particularly after the organizer asks, "When was the last time you were held by another man?" Thanks to the pandemic, I think literally the only person I've had any physical contact with in the past year has been my wife. No hand shakes, fist bumps, high fives... nothing. I think I did hug several friends -- men and women -- at the last comic convention I went to, but that was February 2020.

The second story, "Dead Dog," is about a guy in his mid-20s, married with a young kid, whose dog passes away at the age of fourteen. It's a very touching piece, and I was instantly brought back to when I lost my 13-year-old Quincy a few years ago. We don't deserve dogs.

"Let Me Show You Around" is about a house that is certain that it will fall into the ocean at some point, but doesn't know when, and "Goes" is a short reflection on holding on to your one-year-old. I had a little more trouble connecting with these, personally, but none of the discussions I've had with my homes have ever been that esoteric and I don't have kids, so that's hardly surprising.

I won't get into the full philosophy behind Goes Books -- you can read that more in depth here -- but the upshot is that Art is more important than Capitalism, so the books are free. Kruger-Howard only had 2000 of these printed, but he was sending them out literally at no cost. You could donate if you like, but it wasn't necessary even for the printed book. He's still giving away free copies, but now he's only able send out electronic versions of this book; I believe he'll follow a similar process with the next book.

There's definitely a potential "how good could it be if he's giving if away" concern but I, for one, found it quite enjoyable and, more importantly, thought provoking. Which is the real point of capital-A Art. I highly recommend signing up for the digital edition, and the next publication that they put out, try to jump on that ASAP. I have no idea how tenable this idea is in even the anything-longer-than-short-term so take advantage while you can. Some good and clever stuff here, and I can't wait to see more!

Here are this week's links to what I've had published recently...

Kleefeld on Comics: Do You Prefer Little Orphan Annie... Or Mae West?
https://ift.tt/3tz3awC

Kleefeld on Comics: Upcoming Comics Calendar
https://ift.tt/3fc3XhO

Kleefeld on Comics: Allied MFG Co
https://ift.tt/3blm3wI

Kleefeld on Comics: The Ongoing Balacing Act
https://ift.tt/33GhxEM

Kleefeld on Comics: Was This Creator Approved?
https://ift.tt/3oorIHG

The figure pictured here is a child's toy from the 1920s. It's based on a popular (at the time) fictional character. Now, obviously, plastic wasn't around to make children's toys out of, so this is made of wood and string. As such, there are some obvious limitations in the materials and it's not going to be a spot-on representation of the character. I mean, it's pretty hard even today, a full century later, to render a two-dimensional character into a three-dimensional figure and maintain a high degree of accuracy. Especially when you get nuances of line movements that are unique to the original creator -- think of the slightly wavering pen lines of late period Charles Schulz that NEVER got translated into any Peanuts figures.

Now, this partciular figure appears to be an animal of some kind. It's got a long snout, what appear to be ears on the top of it's head, and a tail. But it still takes on the basic upright human form. The paint suggests either a coat or perhaps a lightly colored chest.  The arms are short and stubby, and the feet appear to be pretty large. There's also a long, skinny neck.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is supposed to be George Herrmiman's Ignatz Mouse. You know, this guy...

I'm assuming Herriman didn't actually see, much less sign off on, a prototype. I half-wonder if these were even produced legally.

Regardless, who thought this looked anything like Ignatz? Honestly, it looks more like Krazy Kat to me! Tie a small piece of red ribbon around his neck and you're WAY closer to Krazy than Ignatz. I mean, wow. I see almost no resemblance to Ignatz at all here! I've got an old Winnie the Pooh doll that was literally just a company's regular teddy bear but they used a yellow/orange fur and threw a red, felt shirt over it, and that still feeels more on-brand than this. I know the materials weren't the most ideal for rendering a character like that, but holy cow, is that bad!

Some years ago, I noticed that I seemed to be on an unusual cycle of corrective actions. After not really paying attention to my health/diet/exercise regimin, I would work harder to improve myself in that arena. But then I'd start having difficulties with my personal relationships. When I began to address that, I noticed a decline in my comic book interactions. When I worked harder to engage on that dimension, I noticed my professional work slipping. When I got my game on back at work, I somehow dropped the ball on making sure my finances were in order. And so on... None of it ever really seemed to get devastatingly out of control, but it always seemed like a constant juggling act as I kept trying to ensure that none of it did slip too far. It always seemed like there was one more aspect to my life than I could keep under control. And over the past year, that's been even more challenging as the normally "easy" parts -- like, you know, basic survival -- have become much more difficult. (A report in February estimated that more than 1 in 5 people in the US have had COVID!)

The issue at hand, of course, is balance. Ensuring that no one aspect of your life becomes so time/thought/energy consuming that you neglect anything else that might actually be important. The difficulty, though, is that we all have a great many aspects of our lives to concern ourselves with, and it's almost impossible to quantify portions of your life. Is an hour spent at work equal to an hour spent with friends? How does that compare against an hour exercising? Or sleeping? Or reading? For that matter, does the hour you spend working between 9:00 and 10:00 equal the hour you spent working between 2:00 and 3:00 (with regard to your productivity)?

One of the options -- one that seems to be frequently taken, in fact -- is to simply ignore parts of your life that are difficult and let them atrophy. I think this is where a lot of people run into problems. Their relationships fall apart, or they find themselves with a mountain of debt, or they get stuck in a dead-end job they hate, or they wind up living in Indiana, or whatever.

One of the issues facing people these days is a wide array of seemingly contradictory information on how to live healthily. Some red meat is good for you, but it can clog your arteries. Eggs are healthy, except when they're not. Strength training or endurance? Biking to work is a great idea, but you wind up inhaling all the exhaust fumes from the cars you ride next to. You need to get some sun for your body to process vitamin D, but too much sun will give you cancer. You want to avoid germs that get you sick, but avoiding them too much can compromise your immune system.

The answer frequently seems to come down to some variation of "everything in moderation."

There's a kind of common sense logic to that, I think. If you focus too exclusively on any one part of your life, you're bound to ignore others, some of which, like I suggested above, can be pretty important.

What's interesting, too, is that same thinking applies even WITHIN segments. If you work out exclusively on your upper body, your legs are going to be look and feel weak by comparison. If you put all your work energy towards creating web pages, you'll miss the social media aspects that need attention.

So doesn't it make sense that an industry that puts all its energy/focus on superheroes is going to be unhealthy in some fashion?

This isn't new. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. It's just another way of illustrating the problem. Balance, people. Balance.

The other day, I mentioned that some unusual dealings with the Allied MFG. This is only a comic-adjecent story at best, but I do find the events infinitely fascinating and it makes me wonder about the legality of the licensing deals involved.

What would become known as the Komic Kamera was patented by 18-year-old Harold B. Shapiro in 1934. His invention wasn't entirely novel, and his patent application even states that it's basically just a modification of an invention patented by Harry Zimmerman the year before. The reason how/why Shapiro was able to find and re-engineer the device so quickly was because Zimmerman was an employee of Allied MFG Co... which was owned by Benjamin Shapiro, Harold's father. It was Benjamin who brokered the licensing deals needed to create film strips based on comic characters like Dick Tracy, Little Orphan Annie, Krazy Kat, and others. It seems as if the agreements were larger than just the film strips as Allied made other toys based on some of the characters, one of the other more popular ones being The Playstone Funnies Kasting Kit which allowed kids to create three-dimensional molded figures. In fact, many of Allied's products around this time featured licensed characters.

But, of note here is that because Allied used Harold's design instead of Zimmerman's, the royalties could stay within the family. (Indeed, Harold was still living at home with his parents, Benjamin and Louise.) There's no proof of any wrong-doing here, but it does strike me as a little sketchy at best.

Cut to a few years later, a couple days after Christmas 1936. Benjamin's wife Louise opened their apartment's front door, expecting a visiting friend, when two masked men barged in, held Benjamin and Louise at gunpoint (with Harold sleeping in the other room), and stole $6000 worth of cash and jewlery. (That'd be a little over $100,000 today.) The Shapiros were one of the more well-off families in the building, so targeting them over, say, the neighbors makes sense. But knowing who they were, which apartment they were in, and seemingly that Louise would likely just open the door expecting a friend at the time also seems a bit sketchy, as if they had some inside information.

Not known to the police at this time, Louise had actually been the victim of virtually the exact same crime exactly six years earlier. Right around Christmas 1930, two men barged into her and Benjamin's apartment and stole $7500 in jewelry and cash. Harold would only have been 14 at the time, and Benjamin seemed to conveniently not be home.

A couple days after the 1936 burglary, a couple of cops came across a pair of questionable-looking guys about a mile up the road from the Shapiro's place. As the police approached to question them, one not-subtly tried hiding a small package behind a lamppost. When the police checked it, they found the stolen jewelry, and they promptly arrested the two men.

Once at the station, one of the men, Robert Lewison, confessed to the robbery. In fact, he sang like a songbird and noted the inside man who actually plotted the whole thing was by-now-21-year-old Harold Shapiro! Lewison also identified his partner in the burglary, and the other man who was arrested was considered an accomplice, though he wasn't at the scene himself.

It turns out Harold had met all three at a local boxing gym. Once they learned where he lived, they pressured him for information on who best to rob and how, since there were a number of wealthier families in the area. Harold offered up his own parents, and they spent over a week planning the operation. Harold openly confessed both to the police and in court.

Interestingly, while Benjamin and Louise did initially assist the police and filed charges against the three "thugs", they repeatedly and actively opted not to press charges against Harold. He was ultimately only indicted by the State Attorney. It was at this point where Benjamin and Louise stopped. They stopped helping the police altogether, they openly ignored the judge's orders to appear in court for any of the four men, they routinely took vacations from their Chicago home to New York and Biloxi during court dates... It got to the point where the Assistant State's Attorney had to threaten conspiracy charges against Benjamin and Louise!

The couple basically used every stalling technique imagineable -- including Louise suddenly falling ill on court days -- and it eventually paid off. Nothing was ever brought to trial, and all four men escaped any jail time. Of course, all of this distracted them from running the actual business and Allied eventually folded in the late '30s. But Benjamin created a new company, Acme Plastic Toys, just a couple years later doing basically the same thing. Somewhat more surprisng, though... Harold, now in his mid-20s, was made vice-president. Indeed, within a few more years, Benjamin and Louise retired to Miami while Harold ran the business. Even after Acme was bought out by Thomas MFG Corp after World War II, Harold stayed on until his early retirement.

Benjamin's nearly over-the-top efforts to avoid even implicating his son -- coupled with the unsolved 1930 burglary -- make me wonder if he in fact was the real mastermind behind both crimes. Did he stage the 1930 burglary to turn a nice profit to help him launch Allied? Did he later relay that story to Harold, who wanted to emulate his father? Was Benjamin protecting Harold so his 1930 crime wouln't get discovered? Or did he actually directly instruct Harold, thinking he could get away with it a second time? If Benjamin and/or Harold were willing to go to such lengths against their own family, what kind of shady behavior was involved in brokering those character licensing deals? I think there's a LOT of questions here that seem to have been swept under the rug back in the day.

Benjamin lived to the age of 86, dying in 1982, while Harold lasted until 1998, passing away at 82.

Some of the online comics events in the coming month and change. As usual, please check the time zones noted below and adjust to your location as appropriate.

• May 11, 6:00pm EST
  Comic Artists Zachary Wilcox & Kenny Porter discuss FEARLESS
  Join The Doylestown Bookshop as they welcome comic artists Zachary Wilcox and Kenny Porter as they present their new graphic novel FEARLESS. While a book purchase is not required, they invite you to support the authors by purchasing their book HERE. Zach will personalize any copies of FEARLESS purchased leading up to and during this event! (Please note who you would like the book inscribed to in the order comments section at checkout.)
• May 11, 6:00pm ET
  Howard Chaykin – Part III: PARADIGM IN PRACTICE
  The Paradigm in Practice deals with writer tools for story breakdown, and also the hidden nuances of comic storytelling. How should you format a script, regardless if you’re working with an artist or drawing it yourself? Why do panel borders MATTER? How can a conversation become the greatest action? How do you best bring the reader into the time-and-place setting of your story? All this and more is addressed by one of comics’ greatest storytellers! CRUCIAL information for pros, and deeper appreciation for enthusiasts! Chaykin’s Paradigm classes are not prerecorded YouTube videos or seminars you just silently watch. These are live, interactive classes in an intimate and friendly Zoom video setting where you get to ask Chaykin questions and he gets to see YOUR work in real-time. Registration: $30 US.
• May 11, 6:30pm (EST?)
  Interpreting the Past Through Comics
  Visual History: Interpreting the Past Through Comics explores how creators have used comics and graphic novels to tell the stories of the Civil Rights Movement, Japanese internment, and our current rash of police violence against African-Americans in new and accessible ways that reach wide audiences that may not frequent library stacks or academic lectures. Featuring Justin Eisinger, Brian Hawkins, and David Walker.
• May 12, 6:00pm IST
  Fête de l’Illustration & de la Bande Dessinée: Live Readings + Q&A
  Illustrators Ireland & The Comics Lab have selected the most promising indie comic makers from Ireland and France to bring their comics to life. The experience is a fully immersive storytelling event that combines illustration, sound, and live performance in what feels like a cross between theatre and animation. This year’s performers include Sarah Bowie, Philip Elliott, Clare Foley, Debbie Jenkinson, Julien Laloy, Elida Maiques, Melody Ung, Eoin Whelehan. Live talks moderated by Illustrator Philip Elliott. Event in English.
• May 12, 6:30pm EDT
  Spark Comic Jam 2021
  Guess who’s back?! The Spark Comic Jam returns for a second round! Join Jordan Sparks and his friends Mystayre, Jiayi, and OkappiVX once again as they collaboratively create wacky comics together live on stream! Don’t know what a Comic Jam is? Well we’ll introduce you to this sparktacular comics concept!
• May 12, 8:00pm ET
  Women in Comics: Early Innovators and Creators
  Celebrate ground-breaking comic book creator Lily Renée's 100th birthday! Event moderated by Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson with special guests: Colleen Doran, Trina Robbins, Kim A Munson, MariNaomi, and David Armstrong.
• May 12, 8:30pm CDT
  'NYC in Comics: A History of Comic Art's Ultimate Backdrop' Webinar
  Join the New York Adventure Club as they celebrate and analyze three of the greatest versions of Batman, aka the Caped Crusader: the Batman TV series (1966-8), Hall of Fame comic book artist Neal Adams’ legendary Batman run (1968-74), and Warner Bros.’ groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series (1992-5). explore how New York City has been depicted in comics, graphic novels, and the superhero genre throughout comic art history, from realistic carbon-copy environments to thinly-disguised versions seemingly different by name only. Led by Arlen Schumer. Registration: $10 US.
• May 13, 12:00pm EDT
  Nuances of Racial Bias in America: Making Art in Response to Anti-Asian Hate
  Join Academic Director Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Ph.D., and Columbia's M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program for a webinar exploring current issues and how tactics such as conflict analyses, restorative justice, and role-playing simulations can help to resolve them. Fisher-Yoshida will lead a webinar conversation with four NYC-based Asian-American artists about creating work in response to the latest surge in violence toward Asians in this country and why visibility and speaking out are more important than ever. Panelists include: Cindy Trinh, Yao Xiao, John Lee, and Connie Sun.
• May 13, 6:00pm IST
  Fête de l’Illustration & de la Bande Dessinée: Pénélope Bagieu's 'Les Culottées" Screening & Talk
  Seven episodes of the animated series Les Culottées (Brazen). Initially published in Le Monde Blog, Pénélope Bagieu's Les Culottées shines a new light on 30 women, each revolutionary in their own way. The portraits were collected into 2 award-winning, best-selling graphic novels that won the prestigious Eisner Awards. The screening will be followed with presentations by French directors / animators Charlotte Cambon and Phuong Mai Nguyen who adapted the comic book. Screening & talk in English.
• May 13, 6:00pm (ET?)
  Shary Flenniken with Sarah Glidden
  Something of a landmark publication is celebrated here today as once-up-a-time Seattle cartoonist Shary Flenniken (now based in Brooklyn), will be joined in conversation by cartoonist author Sarah Glidden, on the occasion of the release of Trots and Bonnie (New York Review of Books Comics). This book brings together, so far as we know, the first appearance in book form of Trots and Bonnie, who appeared back in the day in the pages of National Lampoon, where Shary Flenniken was an editor forty years ago. Shary Flenniken’s work also appeared in such magazines as Mad, Premiere, and Details. She was a pioneer in her time - and the work, as response to Trots and Bonnie’s publication, is no less fresh than it was years ago.
• May 13, 7:30pm EST
  Get to the Point! A Source Point Press Interview
  Don't miss Bob Salley and Dr. Christina Blanch, writers of the new series BROKEN GARGOYLES: SIN AND VIRTUE, on Get to the Point!!!
• May 14, 4:00pm IST
  Fête de l’Illustration & de la Bande Dessinée: Create a Comic Strip with BDnF Children Workshop
  Children from 6 to 9 years old are invited to create their own comic strip using the free app BDnF! BDnF allows users to make comics, graphic novels or any other narrative combining both images and text, drawing from hundreds of graphic elements (characters, objects, decorations and bubbles) specially designed or taken from the digital collection of the BnF (France National Library). Everyone will get to create and export their own comic with the assistance of Guillaume Clerton from The French Library. Event in English.
• May 14, 9:00am EST
  TCAF LED: Keynote: Jeff Smith, in conversation with Mark Askwith
  TCAF Libraries & Education Day is a day of programming aimed at teachers, teacher-librarians, librarians, library workers and collection managers who want to know more about incorporating comics and graphic novels into their collections and classrooms. Their 2021 keynote speaker Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL, Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil) will be in conversation with Mark Askwith.
• May 14, 10:15am EST
  TCAF LED: Challenging Indigenous Stereotypes in Comics
  Governor General’s Literary Award-winning author David A. Robertson will discuss the far-reaching impact and real-life implications of presenting stereotypes as the truth. The talk will dive into the representations and sexualisation of Indigenous women and its societal impact, the culpability of this media, and what impact positive representations can have on healing.
• May 14, 11:30am EST
  TCAF LED: Memoir Comics Workshop With Robin Ha
  Making comics is fun and all it takes are blank papers, a pencil, and a story to start it. Join cartoonist Robin Ha to learn how to turn your daily life into comics. In this workshop, you’ll get a basic overview of the comics-making process from developing your story, making layouts, to drawing the final pages of your comics. You’ll also learn about the drawing materials and the elements in comics that you can use to make unique and creative comics. All ages and experience levels are welcome!
• May 14, 12:30pm EST
  TCAF LED: Social Mingling Session
  Wondering about all the great books that are coming out this Spring? Come in and chat with publishing representatives and creators from Scholastic Canada, Penguin Random House (1:00pm – chat with Cale Atkinson, creator of the new Simon & Chester graphic novel series, geared toward kids 6 to 9), Harper Collins, Fantagraphics, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group + First Second! See sneak previews of some of the books available this year. Want some recommendations for your class, program, or library? Go right to the source and see what’s available. Float between their online rooms, explore their catalogues and connections, come and go as you please.
• May 14, 1:30pm EST
  TCAF LED: Good for Health, Better for Education: Science Fiction Comics
  Inspired by the tagline “Good For Health, Bad For Education” from sci-fi cyberpunk graphic novel series AKIRA, Good for Health, Better for Education is a panel discussion between creators J. Torres, Ronald Wimberly, S.M. Beiko, librarian Kim Hull and moderator Angélique Roché. The program will explore the future of sci-fi graphic novels and the value of incorporating them in classrooms and libraries, from AKIRA and beyond.
• May 14, 2:45pm EST
  TCAF LED: The Graphic Medicine Confab: Am I Teaching Graphic Medicine?
  Join the Graphic Medicine Confab collective of cartoonist/educators Georgia Webber, Joel Christian Gill, Benjamin Schwartz, Kriota Willberg, and their guest librarian Matthew Noe for a panel moderated by Katherine Stebbins. This dynamic group shares their interests in graphic medicine topics including illness narratives, history, racism, surviving trauma, and more. They describe multiple approaches to teaching graphic medicine to medical, artistic, academic, and self-care populations. When you combine various resources, teaching objectives, course topics, and classroom exercises, it becomes evident that there are many different ways you could be teaching graphic medicine.
• May 14, 4:00pm EST
  TCAF LED: Comics Publisher Speed-Dating
  Join NBM/Papercutz, Renegade Arts Entertainment, Highwater/Portage & Main, and Arsenal Pulp Press for a series of short sessions to learn about new and forthcoming graphic novels from each press and meet creators. Over the course of this session publishers will rotate between your break-out rooms in 10-15 mini-sessions that offer a mix of presentations and Q&A session!
• May 14, 5:00pm EDT
  CCOL TCAF Mini Comics Read Aloud
  Join artists Robert Liu-Trujillo, Duachaka Her, and Nina Slykhuis-Landry for a live event of mini comics readings with the Canada Comics Open Library! Each artist will perform a selection from their comics and then there will be a Q&A with the audience.
• May 14, 7:00pm EST
  TCAF: R. Sikoryak’s Comics Carousel
  R. Sikoryak’s Comics Carousel is the place where comics and performance meet picture shows. A talented array of creators join Robert to offer an illuminating intersection of comics of the moment. Showcasing Abby Denson (Kitty Sweet Tooth), Decur (When You Look Up), and John Jennings (After the Rain) this Carousel offers comics readings, performances, and introspective looks at a range of comics from the fantastical to the introspective, juvenile and adult. Take a spin and stay to ask some questions about the varied and wonderful world of comics!

• May 14, 7:00pm EST
  Making Poetry Comics
  Join The Believer this Friday for a workshop on making poetry comics, led by Bianca Stone. Poem provided; no need to write one in advance.
• May 14, 8:00pm EST
  TCAF: Life Into Comedy
  Life into Comedy addresses incorporating life experience and presenting it in the comedy genre with a particular focus on the process of holding life events and producing comedy through sequential art. Meichi Ng (Barely Functional Adult), Shary Flenniken (Trots and Bonnie), Thom (Casa Rodeo), Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota (Johnny Wander) are in conversation with moderator Boum.
• May 15, 11:00am IST
  Fête de l’Illustration & de la Bande Dessinée: Comic Design with Sarah Cunningham Children Workshop
  Irish illustrator Sarah Cunningham will help children from 8 to 12 years old to create their own comic strip. The workshop will focus on character design and comic creation. Sarah Cunningham uses light and colourful images to discuss serious topics such environment, animal rights, equality, mental health and body positivity. Event in English.
• May 15, 1:00pm EST
  TCAF: Kids Like Me
  David A. Robertson (Breakdown), Jennifer Haines (founder of The Dragon comics and game store), Yehudi Mercado (Chunky), and J. Torres (Planet Hockey) discuss the genuine representation of BIPOC storytellers and characters. What happens when BIPOC characters and their stories are centred in comics? How does the existence of these narratives impact young BIPOC readers?
• May 15, 3:00pm EST
  TCAF: Harm Reduction & Comics
  An incredibly important panel discussion featuring Michael Linnell (Linnell Publications), P.J. Patten (Tower25), and moderated by Ruthie Titus from Pieces to Pathways. We will talk about comic arts and its relationship to facilitating language around harm reduction through nuance and genuine narratives. In other words, keeping it 100.
• May 15, 5:00pm EST
  TCAF: No Holds Barred
  “No Holds Barred,” featuring Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets, Queen of the Ring: Wrestling Drawings), Katie Skelly (Queen of the Ring: Wrestling Drawings), Jarrett Williams (Super Pro K.O.!), Aubrey Sitterson (The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling), Chris Moreno (The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling), and moderator S-Quire Johnson, is a discussion about the impact of pro-wrestling in our lives as artists who are inspired by history and culture. They’ll talk about:
  • The history of women in pro-wrestling.
  • What makes us fans of pro-wrestling.
  • How pro-wrestling informed our artistic practices, and much more!
• May 16, 5:00pm EST
  Cartoonist Coffee
  Using Zoom's break-out rooms, we'll randomly split participants up into small groups to have 15-minute conversations. Get to know new cartoonists, spend time with friends you haven't seen in a minute! When the 15 minutes is up, we'll reshuffle participants for another small group conversation! No jerks! Bring your own coffee/tea/water/etc.
• May 17, 7:00pm BST
  LDC Monthly Online
  A live LDComics online event with guests sharing illustrated presentations about their comics work, career-life tips, latest graphic novels and more! Guests this month are MK Czerwiec (aka Comic Nurse), Lee Lia, and Anne Mette Kærulf Lorentzen.
• May 18, 12:00pm ET
  Comics Creators Getting Coffee
  Join Blue, Barry & Pancakes creators Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson for an Instagram Live event! Brought to you by :01 First Second and Comics Relief.
• May 19, 6:00pm (PDT?)
  Grownups Unite! Sandman Vol. 1
  Join the Grownups Unite! crew as they discuss, Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes on Wednesday May 19th, at 6 p.m. Come join your fellow adults who love comics and graphic novels! Sacramento Public Library staff will also highlight new Graphic Novel titles for adults.
• May 20, 8:30pm CDT
  'The Silver Age of Comics: Rise of the Flawed Superhero' Webinar
  Join the New York Adventure Club as they explore the Silver Age of comic books, a period between 1956-1970 that introduced hyper-realistic superheroes into real-world settings, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Led by Arlen Schumer. Registration: $10 US.
• May 22-23
  COMIC ART LIVE - Matt Wagner
  As part of Comic Art Live, Matt Wagner is offering the following exclusive experiences through TalentTalk:
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (2.5 x 3.5) inch sketch card of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (4 x 4) inch sketch coaster of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  Meet-and-greets will take place on May 22 & 23. You will be assigned a time. They are scheduled for five minutes, where you’ll be able to say “hi” ask a couple of questions, and SEE Matt with your drawing! Registration: $125-$175 US.
• May 22-23
  COMIC ART LIVE - Dan Jurgens
  As part of Comic Art Live, Dan Jurgens is offering the following exclusive experiences through TalentTalk:
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (2.5 x 3.5) inch sketch card of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (4 x 4) inch sketch coaster of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  Meet-and-greets will take place on May 22 & 23. You will be assigned a time. They are scheduled for five minutes, where you’ll be able to say “hi” ask a couple of questions, and SEE Dan with your drawing! Registration: $175-$225 US.
• May 22-23
  COMIC ART LIVE - Andy Lanning
  As part of Comic Art Live, Andy Lanning is offering the following exclusive experiences through TalentTalk:
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (2.5 x 3.5) inch sketch card of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (4 x 4) inch sketch coaster of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  Meet-and-greets will take place on May 22 & 23. You will be assigned a time. They are scheduled for five minutes, where you’ll be able to say “hi” ask a couple of questions, and SEE Andy with your drawing! Registration: $100-$125 US.
• May 22-23
  COMIC ART LIVE - Howard Chaykin
  As part of Comic Art Live, Howard Chaykin is offering the following exclusive experiences through TalentTalk:
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (2.5 x 3.5) inch sketch card of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (4 x 4) inch sketch coaster of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  Meet-and-greets will take place on May 22 & 23. You will be assigned a time. They are scheduled for five minutes, where you’ll be able to say “hi” ask a couple of questions, and SEE Howard with your drawing! Registration: $125-$175 US.
• May 22-23
  COMIC ART LIVE - Kevin Nowlan
  As part of Comic Art Live, Kevin Nowlan is offering the following exclusive experiences through TalentTalk:
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (2.5 x 3.5) inch sketch card of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  • Private meet-and-greet + ORIGINAL (4 x 4) inch sketch coaster of a character of your choice + shipping/handling
  Meet-and-greets will take place on May 22 & 23. You will be assigned a time. They are scheduled for five minutes, where you’ll be able to say “hi” ask a couple of questions, and SEE Kevin with your drawing! Registration: $150-$200 US.
• May 25, 8:30pm CDT
  'Superman: Analyzing the Fleischer Studios Superman Cartoons' Webinar
  Join the New York Adventure Club as they analyze the Fleischer Studios' smooth-flowing and higher-quality Superman cartoons, and their incalculable influence on today’s animators, film directors, and comic book artists. Led by Arlen Schumer. Registration: $10 US.
• May 27, 8:00pm CDT
  Howard Chaykin + Mark Waid
  Howard Chaykin rarely works with other writers, preferring to draw his own scripts. One writer he will always work with is Mark Waid. Why? “Mark Waid is one of the two writers with whom I’ve worked with a genuine understanding of the real estate of the comic book page.” Comics is ultimately a collaborative medium (Chaykin will tell you about the SIX participants). Now, Chaykin and Waid will take you inside that collaborative process with BOTH some informal shop talk and philosophy AND some very hands-on examples of how a writer writes, and how an artist transforms written direction into a visual narrative. Waid and Chaykin will pull from their shared experience and show you what matches up, what gets BETTER, and WHY. Registration: $150 US.
• May 29, 9:00am WAT
  PHCity Comic Con
  An avenue for showcasing storytelling creativity in its multimedia forms of Comics, Films, Novels, Animation and Games. PHCity Comic Con is an event for fans of comic books, games, novels, film, anime/animation and cosplay to mingle, network and have fun.
• June 4, 6:00pm ET
  Howard Chaykin – Part I: PARADIGM
  Comic books rule our cultural landscape today—look no further than all the top-grossing movies. But HOW is the language of comics constructed? What do shapes, distance, and movement tell us about time and journey? And how is this all connected (no lie!) to live theater? In this visual demonstration, Chaykin walks participants through the PARADIGM, the perfect and archetypal visual to illustrate the hidden language, syntax, and vocabulary of comics and the comics page. BONUS: Participants will also get an ACTUAL three-page excerpt from a comic book script to follow and use what they’ve learned to create a layout based on the principles of the paradigm. Participants ALSO have the option of sending their layouts to Chaykin after the fact of a real professional critique! Registration: $30 US.
• June 5-6, 12-13
  IMAGINATION 101 with J.M. DeMatteis
  Join master storyteller J.M. DeMatteis for two weekends exploring the realms of imagination, from the metaphysical to the practical. They’ll ponder the big questions...
  • Where do ideas come from?
  • What part does will play in the creative process?
  • Is the best writing actually an act of channeling?
  • Do we create the story or does the story create us?
  ...and tackle the day-to-day realities of a career writing superhero sagas, fantasy epics and animation. Registration: $699.99 US.
• June 11, 6:00pm ET
  Howard Chaykin - Part II: PARADIGM BEYOND
  Whether you’re a beginner trying to find your artistic voice or seasoned artist looking to hone your visual language skills, comic book artist/writer Howard Chaykin’s Paradigm art classes exclusively on TalentTalk teaches aspiring artists what shapes, distance, and movement tell us about time and journey. In this visual exploration, Chaykin takes you inside storytelling to walk you through page layout and show you WHAT works and WHY. Registration: $30 US.
• June 18, 6:00pm ET
  Howard Chaykin – Part III: PARADIGM IN PRACTICE
  The Paradigm in Practice deals with writer tools for story breakdown, and also the hidden nuances of comic storytelling. How should you format a script, regardless if you’re working with an artist or drawing it yourself? Why do panel borders MATTER? How can a conversation become the greatest action? How do you best bring the reader into the time-and-place setting of your story? All this and more is addressed by one of comics’ greatest storytellers! CRUCIAL information for pros, and deeper appreciation for enthusiasts! Registration: $30 US.

The image here is a "Komic Kamera" from the Allied MFG Co. circa 1934. Looking through the eyepiece on one end, you could see an enlargement of a filmstrip backlit from a hole on the opposite end. The knob on the front cranked the filmstrip forward one frame at a time. It essentially acted liked a ViewMaster but without the stereoscopics to produce the 3D effect.

Judging by the images on the unit itself, it was mostly used to present comic strips. (The back side features Krazy Kat, Dagwood Bumstead and others poorly drawn versions of comic strips characters popular around that time.) The only strip example I've seen featured illustrations; I'm guessing the black and white linework was cheaper to produce in this format than photos and/or color? You swap the film out like you would with a camera of that period, and you could purchase new film strips with other characters/stories for (from the one advertisement I found) five cents.

Now, here's the interesting bit. The one strip that I've seen up for auction was NOT in fact a popular Sunday strip character, but parodies of popular celebrities of the time. Here's the title image...

The story, from what I can tell, is basically just a sex romp with no appreciable differences from a Tiajuana Bible! There's some pretty lewd imagery and a variety of celebrity appearances like Jimmy Durante and Samuel Goldwyn (of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer fame). The story is a little over 30 frames long, so substantially more detailed that a typical Tiajuana Bible, and the art at least in this particular one seems of considerably higher quality.

The steroescope was around long before ViewMaster came into being -- the earliest ones date back to the 1830s! But ViewMasters' big revolution was in using them to present stories instead of just scenic images. I argued back here that this made those reels comics. But evidently, ViewMaster wasn't the company to come up with the idea in the first place. These peoplee were doing comics and comics porn decades before!

And what I find really amazing is that these ever existed. Compared to a Tiajuana Bible, these must have been incredibly highly priced just to cover the basic costs. That ad I mentioned cited a retail price of 39¢ -- about the equivalent of eight bucks today. Eight dollars for what's essentially a viewer for a six-page comic book, plus another dollar for every additional six pages. I was always under the impression that smut from that era was produced as cheaply as possible because it was all under the table. Evidently, though, there were several socio-economic levels in that particular black market!

One other interesting addendum to this: the Allied MFG Co. folded before World War II. It's a topic I hope to do a little more research on before I get into it here, but it seems like the company's owner was robbed of several thousand dollars by his own adult son in a mob-style hit. The subsequent legal fees and general distraction of the scandal seem to have contributed to the company's downfall. But let me do some more digging before I get into that!