From the Desk of Rob Kirby

Ha-ha-ha-haht Stuuuff

Thu, 17 May 2012 09:24:27 -0500

First of all, THREE #3 is at the printers now, delivered on time. The proofs have been proofed and Transcontinental Printing is about to go to press! Thanks to all of you who pre-ordered and remember, you can still do so with free shipping in these United States, up until June 10th! I expect at this point to get it back before then, but I’m as good as my word and you have until that date to save a couple bucks.

Boo hoo hoo, no takers on my contest from last time! No one even tried, which made me feel that maybe it’s too hard. But if anyone wants to give ‘er a whirl, please feel free. Offer still stands until the end of the month. Otherwise that’s the last time I try such any such contest shenanigans again!

Hey, do you know that the basically sold out print edition of the totally excellent THREE #1 is now available in digital format on iTunes? Yes, it’s true, thanks to that sweet Zan Christensen and his wonderful Northwest Press. I personally am still grappling, struggling to adjust to this new digital age we’re living in, but YA CAN’T FIGHT PROGRESS. (Well, I’m trying not to, anyway. Even though if you’re a cartoonist it can be a real pain in the ass.) But hey, word to the wise, my BF bought THREE for his iPad and you know what? It looks really good on there! If you will have nothing to do with digital comics, you should still be able to get a copy from Spit and a Half or Last Gasp.

Anyway, when the third issue is here in my hands will announce to one and all, count on it. Hopefully you’ll want to get it into YOUR hands. That’s my ad copy, clever huh. XO

Super-Hot THREE-eyed man image by Michael Fahy © 2012

Step right up and win yaself a copy of THREE #3!

Wed, 9 May 2012 20:20:29 -0500

Okay, Contest time!

It’s very simple: below is page 1 of THREE #3, made up of 9 panels by 9 different cartoonists. I call it The Grid. Your task is to identify each artist and which panel they drew, and email me your guesses. The first one to get it 100% right gets a copy of THREE #3 and a Ginger minicomic as well. Obviously the artists themselves, their loved ones and those involved directly with the making of THREE are not eligible. And yes, non-US residents are eligible. Game starts as soon as this is posted. My email addy is: curbside2@earthlink.net

Here’s the grid. Good luck!

You can now pre-order THREE #3 - save on shipping

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 12:25:59 -0500

Hey guys and gals. Yep, it’s true, I should be sending the THREE #3 files to the printers very, very soon! Those of you who pre-order now through 6/10/12 can save a little money and get it for the cover price and we’ll cover postage. Pre-orders are helpful in gathering those last bit of funds needed to pay the printer’s bill and I very much appreciate those of you who have shown your support this way in the past. US customers only for now, please.

The image above is from Carrie McNinch’s lovely 70‘s-era teen memoir, “Fly Like an Eagle” (the version in THREE will be in color). Rather than exhaustively reiterating that and the rest of what’s in store for this issue once again, you can go to the store here and read all about it! I’m truly excited about how it’s all come together and I hope you’ll consider making sure you get a copy hot off the presses.

Meanwhile, I have the promised Ginger The Wonder Dog minicomic available now, real cheap, for all of you dog people out there. If I sell enough of them I may be able to buy her that fancy new rubber bone I’ve been eying for her at Bone Adventure (no, not making that store name up). Won’t you please help? xo

Three Things About THREE #3

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:47:02 -0500

1. The image above is a reminder to me and everyone else that I received the PRISM Queer Press Grant last October to assist in continuing to publish THREE. I’m still so grateful for this award and to the fine folks at Prism for making it happen. It’s coming in handy, let me tell you.

2. Here is a preview page of our lead story in the upcoming issue, by the mighty Ed Luce:

Cool, huh? I also have Ed’s art appearing on my new Tumblr page and my old THREE Facebook page. Are you following me on either? Both? No? Well, don’t you think it’s time you started? (Read that last part in condescending Mary Tyler Moore-in-Ordinary People voice).

3. The ETA for the brand-spanking new issue of THREE to make its first appearance is at the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) on June 16th and 17th! I can’t PROMISE this will happen but we’re trying, we’re trying…things are looking good now but If it doesn’t happen in time for CAKE it shouldn’t be too much later than that. Feeling positive at the moment but can’t be 100% sure. The suspense is killing me. xo

A New Mini-Comics Round Up From Rob

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 17:17:20 -0500

It’s been quite a while since I’ve banged out one of these here zine round ups, pardners…but no time like the present, right? Below are five interesting, relatively new comics I’ve read in this still-young year (some were published in late 2011); once again I’m being a prejudiced discriminatory bigot and only talking about self-published, zine-y stuff. Each of these titles are worth your time and money and run a gamut of genres and styles, demonstrating again the diversity and vibrancy of the micro presses. Viva la self-publisher!

The End of the Fucking World (issues 1-5) by Charles Forsman

Serialized in five 12-page mini-size comics thus far, The End of the Fucking World introduces us to a sociopathic teenager named James, his dissociated girlfriend Alyssa, and their retreat from normative society. Edged in the blackest black, TEOTFW culminates in a shocking act of violence by the fifth issue, definitely appearing to be headed into Badlands territory. Forsman’s art is what is often referred to as deceptively simple but he seriously knows what he’s doing, displaying an impressive economy of line. I’d initially ordered just the first three issues to sample and upon finishing them immediately ordered the next two and plan on getting more as they become available. Good, gripping, scary stuff.

Slashers 101 by Stacie “Final Girl” Ponder

It takes a certain kind of person to be a fan of the low rent, super-cheesy genre of film known as the slasher. Stacie Ponder is one such person. From acknowledged drive-in classics like the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (’74) and Halloween (’78) to cult faves like 1974’s Black Christmas to outright crap like Graduation Day (’82) and sublimely ridiculous, so-bad-it’s-surreal curios like Pieces (’82), Ponder has seen and loved them all, chronicling the genre on her fab website Final Girl (BTW, if you don’t know what a Final Girl is, look it up.) Now she’s branched out and produced this comic, a very funny, affectionate primer to all the tropes of the genre, everything from stock slasher characters like “The Jokey/Nerdy Annoying Guy” and the “Ineffective Authority Figure” to the various types of killer masks (hockey masks, sackcloths, etc). There’s even a reminder of the one slasher to feature a final Boy instead of girl (1981’s The Burning), and so much more. Slashers 101 is smart and witty and way more fun than even a TNT network Friday the 13th marathon (and yes, those are fun but then I’m that certain kind of person who thinks so. So there).

Eyeball Suck by Andrew Lips

Andrew Lips is a young gender-variant Brit who makes music and art and hitchhikes around the UK, in between fretting and falling in unrequited love and making zines. Eyeball Suck is an artfully artless good ol’ fashioned zine-type-zine, full of comics and put together with sweet charm and a seeming complete lack of guile. My copy of Issue #6 also came with a homemade cd called 14 lo-fi Love Songs, which is exactly that, a quite appealing, tuneful and clever song cycle. I just wanted to give Eyeball Suck and its creator a big hug, honestly.

Miss Lonelyhearts #1 by Gabrielle Gamboa

Miss Lonelyhearts is the classic novel written by Nathanael West during the Depression era (1933), in which an advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist becomes embroiled in the desperate lives of his readers, with tragic results. According to my research, West envisioned it as a novel in the form of a comic strip, so how perfect is it that Gabrielle “Gabby” Gamboa has adapted the story as a serialized comic book? Gamboa is a veteran alt-cartoonist: I’ve seen her work in books as far back as 1994’s all-girl anthology On Our Butts and in Megan Kelso’s 2002 Scheherazade compilation. She’s always specialized in period pieces and it makes sense that she would be attracted to this material. This first chapter of her adaptation immediately drew me in; she took to heart West’s comic strip aspirations, and in her visualizations of the letter writers each scribe is depicted as resembling bedraggled or corrupted versions of iconic comic strip characters such as Popeye, Little Orphan Annie, or Nancy and Sluggo. Gamboa’s return to the scene is very welcome and I eagerly await the next chapter, and then the next, and the next after that…

The Greatest by Kelly Froh

Kelly Froh is possessed of a long resume of minicomics titles, among them the seven issue run of the autobiographical Slither and the Ignatz-nominated Stew Brew (with partner Max Clotfelter). The Greatest is a tribute to some senior citizens Froh has worked with during her years of employment in assisted living housing. This is a warm, whimsical, beautifully realized little booklet – in full color, no less – honoring with affection and humor some folks who likely don’t otherwise get a lot of kudos or attention thrown their way, if you know what I mean. Froh writes admiringly of her subjects: “The seniors I have known have shared the stories of their lives with me…They have spent sixty to ninety years living their lives; learning, growing, exploring, loving, losing, “getting ahead”, “settling down”, all of it. They are fully realized people.” This one’ll put a smile on your face.

All Images © by their respective creators (in order of appearance): Andrew Lips, Chuck Forsman, Stacie Ponder, Gabrielle Gamboa, and Kelly Froh