Hello, I’ve been away for a couple days, been busy…. And blame the heat wave we are currently suffering here on the lower mainland. I can deal with most things, I’m not a big fan of “uphill”, but the heat just knocks me out and I don’t feel alive until the wee hours. Up until 5AM, out of bed by 2PM. It’ll take a while to adjust to the heat!
But on to other things...

The Stalker Report!
Handy guide for anyone who wants to be were I go and soak up the radiance of the glory that is me! I do hope you know I’m kidding… anyway, I’d go to these events even if I wasn’t going…
uhhh….

On Thursday I’ll be giving a half hour talk about my life in comics to Julian Lawrence’s evening cartooning class at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design down on Granville Island along with my colleague Robin The K. It’s not open top the public of course but if you are interested in taking Julian’s course (which I understand is quite good) in the future contact him at:
drippytown@yahoo.com

And don’t forget the Bucky Fleur Twins BBQ launch for the first 3 in a series of 25 hell passports at Lucky’s this Sunday July 2nd at 3pm, I’ll be there selling and signing my copies of my Hell Passport!



Recent Works by Forg
Thursday, July 6th, The Sidebar 523 Seymour & Pender (Malone’s Pub)
Richard Forg is an old friend of mine and one of the most vivid characters in comics! World hopping comics artist (Laundryland, Liaison’s Delicious, Forg, and a host of self-published titles) and animator (Dragonbooster) in the two-fisted tradition of Gauguin, Forg is one of the most generous and entertaining people I know. He also is a very talented artist who’s work has been underrated and all but ignored, his fast and loose but exact artwork has taken on every subject from erotic, historical, science fiction and the everyday. I’m not sure what these pieces are but I’m sure they’ll be well worth checking out!

Robins…
On Saturday I went to a party for Robin and Robin. You see, the Vancouver comics scene has plague of people named Robin. There’s Robin the Fish (although nobody really calls her that, not even behind her back), Robin the K (artist/cartoonist), Robin Thompson (cartoonist and birthday boy) , DB Robin (host of Inkstuds radio show), Robin Bougie (zinester and cartoonist) and Robin’s friend Robin… the first, Robin Fisher, is leaving us to go to Montreal, reportedly Canada’s comics hot spot and Saturday was her send off
before she leaves us in a week. I think we in Vancouver haven’t really stopped to think about how important Robin has been to the cartoonist scene and what we owe her. Robin has an enthusiasm for comics that borders on the unhealthy, she brought boundless energy and commitment to the work she did here. I first remember seeing her working at Book & Comic Emporium years ago, always ready to draw customers attention to the good comics and supportive of local small pres and zinesters. She went on to work at R/X Comics where her knowledge and love of all kinds of comics helped to make R/X less of a store and more of a community centre for the local comics scene. However, her biggest achievement was the creation of the Onomanaphia Show, A radio show about comics, that ran for years on UBC radio. Now, admittedly talking about comics on the radio is a little like dancing about architecture but through a combination of interviews (with folks like David Boswell, Harvey Pekar, Canadian comics historian John Bell) , comic reviews and discussions the Onomanaphia Show promoted the idea that comics were indeed worth reading to a general audience. As far as I know it was the only weekly radio show about comics in Canada. the She had a few co-hosts in her time there, I joined as a co-host around 2000 as a moderating influence, but once again it was Robin’s boundless enthusiasm for comics, toys and Terri-Panda’s that brought listeners back. More than once I was told by people with no interest in comics that they would tune into the show just to hear us banter back and forth. Once again Robin was at the centre of something that evolved into a rallying point for the Vancouver comics scenes as just about everyone in comics was interviewed at one point or another! She also has written comics and edited two fund raising graphic novels for Little Sisters gay and Lesbian bookshop, still being harassed by Canada Customs, “What Right?” and “What’s Wrong?” on censorship and transgression. After years of effort understandably Robin burnt out on the radio show, which was taken over by another Robin and renamed Inkstuds. I’m still on it, along with co-hosts Don King and Robin the K and the focus has shifted more to interviews and creating a web presence, but all of this is merely building on what Robin Fisher started. I’d like to thank Robin here and now for all her efforts and wish her well in Montreal, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from her when she gets a show there! I would’ve said all this at the party but well, when your surrounded by a bunch of stoned cartoonists for whom ball busting is a form of high art it’s best not to betray a hint of sentiment. Best of luck Robin!
Where’s my jacket?