August 2005 Archives

Just got confirmation that I am going to be interviewed about MOPED ARMY on WIDR 89.1 FM, Western Michigan University's student run radio station on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th from 8pm-9pm. Bay, from the Moped Army, is doing the show and will be grilling me with the hard questions, which means I better come up with some actual answers that aren'y complete bullshit!
In theory, that is the same day that MOPED ARMY hits comic shelves internationally (barring any shipping mishaps or UPS strikes), so I will be in a good mood to blab about the book. Tune in and hear the trainwreck as I am placed under the hot light of radio journalism!

It's up and it's spectacular!
James Sime of ISOTOPE COMICS has posted a HUGE preview of MOPED ARMY on his ISOTOPE mega-site, and it's all full of love.
Check it out here: ISOTOPE COMICS.
And Damn, James writes good copy. Hell, I'D buy my own book based on his description.I should have him do all my ad and blurb writing from now on. The dude has a talent.

Well, it was bound to happen sometime, but on Monday of this week, my hard drive in my laptop went BOOM!

Luckily, it went full boom AFTER I had taken it in to the School of Art tech department, had them back up the drive on a remote server and I rescued my email, web bookmarks, etc. THEN it crashed hard. Hard enough to warrant a trip into Apple for a brand new spanking drive. Amazingly, it was just one of those things; no mis-treating by me, no "let the gorillas play with the PowerBook" scenarios, it just....went.

The most amazing thing that happened, however, had nothing to do with the computer. I found myself almost freaking out with the prospect of being REALLY offline. Sure, I could check email on Jane's computer, but not having access (I mean REALLY not having access) to my online world was kind of freaky. I hadn't realized how much I depend on having INSTANT access to people and places via the internet, and being denied it, even for a few days, was almost like the heroin withdrawl scene in "Trainspotting". Just ask Jane, I was a lost soul in some ways, hitting her up for time on her machine. I was just like a junkie... "Hey Jane, I need to check my email REEEEEEEALLLY bad, man. Hook a brother up. Please, just 5 minutes.."

But now I have a loaner until mine is fixed, and God Bless OSX, TIGER came in and updated EVERY SINGLE THING ON ITS OWN. Hell, it did everything except pat me on the head and tell me everything is gonna be all right. THAT'S why I love Mac.

OK, this has NOTHING to do with all the comic hype in the blog recently, but Jane and I were flipping channels last night, just about ready to give up and do some actual work, when all of a sudden, both of screamed the words "KILLER SQUIDS" at the same time as we flew past the Discovery Channel. Needless to say, we both spent the next hour watching a program with actual footage of big, man-sized Humboldt squids in the wild, being caught by fisherman, filmed by divers... IT WAS AWESOME!!!

Sorry, but I've had a lifetime love affair with squids and octopuses, but thanks to cruel fate have never actually seen one in real life (some bullshit at the Shedd Aquarium about "she's sick" or "she's having babies" when I went there as a kid). And I am the sap of the world about watching shows that promise a real hunt for the "giant squid", only to have five minutes remaining in the show and the narrator announces "...and still, the giant squid eludes man and his cameras, continuing to be the stuff of myth and legend..." AHHHHHHHH! I CALL BULLSHIT!

So imagine my joy at seeing a special that actually had some decent sized squids in it that I could see and watch move around and use them tentacles. I was in squid geek heaven.

I also know I married the right woman when we both did the "wait-a-minute-wait-a-minute-wait-a-minute, back up I saw something about squids" squeel at the exact same time. Still waiting for some film of a real giant squid, but till then, I'm now a much happier camper.

MUSIC FOR TODAY:
M.I.A.: "Arular" (Damn, this album is good!)
The Beloved: "X"

OK, so I get this email from James Sime, who runs one of (if not THE) coolest comic stores in the USA, Isotope Comics-The Comics Lounge. This guy is a legendary character in the industry, being a HUGE supporter of small press books, running around in snappy zoot suits with a hairstyle that makes Kramer look like a monk, and an un-quenchable thirst to find new ways to get comics to the common person. He and his staff leave books on subways, they are notorious and loved for the parties they throw, and Sime himself has come to be known as "The Comic Pimp", meaning that when he finds something he likes, he promotes the shit out of it! Funny thing is; this isn't an act. This IS how James Sime is, and he is one unique individual.

So, why am I telling you all this?
Check THIS out:

"Congrats on your new book and the Two Stroke Tour, I
absolutely love the idea!
Although I'm not going to get to be one of the
retailers participating in the event I would be
interested in doing a lil' promotion for MOPED ARMY on
my pretty damn heavily-trafficed daily update blog.
The Isotope Communique is known for providing
information on cool comics news, spotlighting strange
and glorious SF cultural events, celebrating that
which we love on the internet..."

Followed by this after I responded and divulged who I was married to:

"You're married to Jane Irwin (falls down and rattles
brain around in skull like a marble in a bathtub)!
Wow, what a small fucking world... I've been a fan of
your LITTLE WHITE MOUSE for longer than I've been a
retailer and gotta say you two must have an awesome
household of creative coolness with the two of you
there. Very, very cool.
Thanks for the enthusiastic response, all the glorious
tools to make my job easier, and of course for making
such great books that I get to spread the love for."

Long story short, he's gonna drop MOPED ARMY into his Isotope blog and let the magic happen!
To see more of the fun, or to check out the blog yourself, go here:
http://www.isotopecomics.com/

MUSIC FOR TODAY:
David Sylvian: "Blemish"
Royksopp: "The Understanding" (yes, still! This damn album has gotten under my skin)
Japan: "Tin Drum"
Ultravox: "Vienna"

With the release of the MOPED ARMY graphic novel, Paul Sizer will be hitting the road over the next few months to promote Cafe Digital's first official release with a signing tour across Michigan and beyond. At each location, local branches of the real life Moped Army (the inspiration for the graphic novel) are encouraged to show up with their mopeds to show the public the amazing organization that is the Moped Army. Along with the new book, Paul will be bringing original artwork to show and official MOPED ARMY 2277 patches to sell to each signing, with the full brand new MOPED ARMY displays at the convention stops. Share the dates with your friends and spread the word as the TWO STROKE INVASION rolls into your town!
They own the skies, but WE own the streets!

Paul Sizer's MOPED ARMY "TWO STROKE INVASION" SIGNING TOUR 2005

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: GREEN BRAIN COMICS (Dearborn, MI), 11am-6pm
13210 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, MI (313-582-9444)
GREEN BRAIN COMICS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: FANFARE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT (Kalamazoo, MI), 11am-1pm , 4pm-7pm
4415 S.Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo, MI (269-349-8866)
FANFARE SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 23-25: SPX (SMALL PRESS EXPO), Bethesda, MD
SPX (SMALL PRESS EXPO)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7: 1977 MOPEDS, in conjunction with the October ART HOP (Kalamazoo, MI), 5pm-9pm
248 N. Burdick St. (on the downtown Kalamazoo Mall) Kalamazoo, MI (269-344-1977)
1977 MOPEDS

OCTOBER 15-16, MOTOR CITY COMICON, Novi, MI
Motor City Comicon

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29: SNAP! SMALL PRESS COMICS FESTIVAL, sponsored by GREEN BRAIN COMICS
SNAP! COMIC FESTIVAL

NOVEMBER 26-27: MID OHIO COMIC-CON, Columbus, OH
MID OHIO COMICON

So I'm working this morning when out of the blue, I get an email from one of the editors of UTNE magazine, who says he was just "surfing for artistic inspiration and happened to find my site", and then asks me if I'd be interested in doing any covers for their magazine.
CRAZY!
So of course I said HELL YES! (well, just yes, thank you, really). We'll see, he's running it by his editor. He said "Some of your illustrations look like they would make a great cover for Utne magazine. I believe your work has the hipness and energy that we seek."
We'll see, but it could be pretty groovy...

MUSIC OF THE DAY:
Miles Davis: "Birth of the Cool"
Telepopmusik: "Genetic World"

Hell YES! It's true and it's cool.
Dan Kastner and Simon King of the Moped Army are featured in the latest issue (August/September 2005, pg. 25 and 129) issue of BUDGET LIVING magazine. There's cool pics and a small article (they refer to the guys as "easy riders from Kalamazoo (who) kicked conventional motorhead machismo to the curb" and refer to mopeds as having "retro vibe and geek-chic appeal"). Pretty cool, and nice shots of Dan and Simon. Bravo guys!

Boldly go to your local newsstand and proclaim in a loud voice, "One copy of Budget Living, please!" And if they give you any crap about buying a "magazine for girls", rev your bike outside their place for 20 minutes or so...