I should have had my 2010 Small Press Expo convention report up by now, since it was last weekend (feels like much further away), but yesterday, Ed, Julia, and I recorded a podcast about it, so I feel like I’ve already shared my stories. What’s here is just some quick thoughts. The shortest version: it’s a great show, especially to find new, promising work, and well worth your time to attend. This year it was busier than I expected, with […]

Following up on yesterday’s news that voting was open for the Friends of Lulu Awards, the current organization President, Valerie D’Orazio, has announced on her blog (link no longer available) that she’s leaving the group at the end of the year. This is not much of a surprise — her fatigue has been obvious since the end of July, when she first began talking publicly about her tenure as the group’s leader over the past three years and the problems […]

The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics Submissions for the 2010 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics are due by October 1. I saw a ton of excellent possibilities at SPX this past weekend, so I hope at least some folks will send in their publications for consideration. Note that you must be present at the store ceremony on October 16 to win (same time and city as APE), although the winner is contacted in advance to make that happen. […]

As presented last night at the 2010 Small Press Expo, in order of presentation, these are the results of the 14th Annual Ignatz Awards. Winners are in bold with commentary in italics. Outstanding Anthology or Collection Presented by Vanessa Davis The Hipless Boy, Sully (Conundrum Press) Lemon Styles, David King (Sparkplug Comic Books) Masterpiece Comics, R. Sikoryak (Drawn & Quarterly) Red Snow, Susumu Katsumata (Drawn & Quarterly) Ten Thousand Things to Do, Jesse Reklaw (self-published) I’ve never heard of The […]

I’m honored that noted comic artist Colleen Doran agreed to take the time to answer my questions. Her lengthy experience as a freelance illustrator and her outspokenness about problems that can occur in the comic business make her someone I admire. I spoke with her via email about how to manage a career as an independent artist and advice for aspiring creators. She discusses how to stay flexible and how she’s managed the many changes in the industry over the […]

As I feared, Friends of Lulu is in danger of losing its tax-exempt status as a charitable organization. At the end of June, the IRS released a “List of Organizations at Risk of Automatic Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status”, and as shown here, Friends of Lulu is on it. (Click for bigger version. Link no longer available.) That’s an excerpt from the NY list posted by the IRS. As described, “the list includes organizations for which the IRS does not have […]