SPX, Pennsylvania, and life

Every year, Melissa and I load up the car with comics, drive to Bethesda, Maryland to sell comics. After that we load whatever is left into the car and drive to my mom's house in Pennsylvania where we see family and friends for a few days. Then we drive back to Massachusetts.

SPX is sort of the closest thing to a hometown show for me. It was the first show of its kind that I ever attended in 2004 or 5. This year, as you probably know, was quite good. The guest list was golden, the money and alcohol flowed, and the internet became tangible.

For me, this year felt like a solidifying of Oily Comics as a project and force in my life. In my head I am always arguing whether or not to retire it at the end of the year or to keep it rolling. I think enough people coming up and talking to me about it has made me realize that this thing is a thing. So I've decided to keep this ball rolling and see where it goes. See what colors I can print in. See how long my risograph will run.

I'm a fan of Tom Spurgeon's list of thoughts about shows so I am going to try that. Here we go.

• Meeting a handful of FOOCers and seeing membership cards in their wallets. Ridiculous and great
• I've noticed a lessoning of my usual starstruck paralyzation. I talked to people I was previously scared to. Hey, people are nice. Give them a chance.
• Having comics be put into the the Library of Congress and the Dylan Williams collection at OSU.
• North Bethesda is still a scary place. At one point I was standing in a parking lot waiting for my lunch all alone, blackbirds were eating trash, Bad Company was playing out of a car stereo and Francoise Mouly was walking down the Rockville Pike with a drug store bag in her hand.
• Michael DeForge and Patrick Kyle are a like a quiet beavis and butthead. Not sure what this means but I am saying it.
• I drank bourbon all weekend and stayed away from beer. This was a good choice. Beer makes me feel gross inside.
• One guy came up to the table and bought every single Oily comic on the rack. I am pretty sure that there was someone or two or three sending a lot of people my way. I heard it a million times over the 2 days. So thank you to whomever was doing the sending. My money is on Annie Koyama.
• I bumped into Matt Seneca, Chris Mautner and Jog of Comic Books are Burning in Hell and thanked them for talking about me on the air. Those are some nice boys. I can't wait to read Seneca's Daredevil comic.
• Thanks to table mates Melissa Mendes, Alex Kim, Sean Ford, and Joe Lambert for always being perfect.
• Loved talking shop with Rich Tommaso. I hope I can be half the cartoonist this guy is when I grow up.
• I got to listen to Noah Van Sciver gripe which is always a pleasure.

Alright, I've run out of things to say. I'm tired. Time to crash. Here are a few more pictures from the trip. Stay tuned for new Oily Comics. Will get the September releases up on the store by the end of the week. Shipping subscriber copies tomorrow.

Birthday pie from mom.

Birthday present for my brother. Dan Zettwoch Cardinals print. 

SPX 2011 and pictures of me and my cat

Hey Jerks,

It is the time of year where the cartoonists take showers and drive to Bethesda, Maryland to be reminded how painful real life interactions with similarly introverted people can be! Go Team Comics! Wait...First there is this picture of me destroying a horrifically rotted picnic table.  Look at that man, everybody!

Awesome, huh?  So yeah the Small Press Expo is happening and the only thing I am freaking out about is that Melissa "Hollywood" Mendes has a beautiful book coming out! Wait, guys. Look at this picture of our friend, Bruce.

I know, right? Look at those fuzzy lips. Holy shit.
Anyway. If you came to read about Chuck Forsman, here is what I'll be doing this weekend. Hanging out at the Sundays table (D2) with copies of Sundays Forever Changes, The Ground is Soft, and a new 12 page mini comic I did for the show called The End of the Fucking World.  I want to formally apologize to my mom for the swear word. She thinks it is lazy of me but I really like the power that swear words hold. Especially for kids and teenagers.  Anyway, this is a pretty dark little comic. It's format was totally inspired by my good friend Max who has been doing this awesome mini comic called Moose. He has done 3 issues so far and I recommend you get them. I could tell he was having so much fun just playing and doing it as he went which is what I wanted to do with this. It's part one of whatever and it'll be cheep. Probably be like a dollar or something. Here are some pictures of that hot little item.

So you can get TEOTFW at the Sundays table and I will be signing nothing probably at the Fantagraphics table.  I'm thinking of it more like I get to hang out with Jimmy Ruggs, Ted Stearn, and Drew Weing for an hour and watch them sign books.  I'm there cause I have a story in the new Mome. Here is when you can see me staring into space:

Saturday 11:00 - 12:00 PM     Chuck Forsman / Jim Rugg 
Sunday 12:00 - 1:00 PM      Chuck Forsman / Ted Stearn / Drew Weing 


I've been listening to a lot of Byrds records lately. From like The Notorious Byrd Brothers to the end of their run. All the country stuff.  I just can't get enough. Now I am delving into the members offshoots like Gram Parsons, Michael Clarke, and Gene Clark. Found some amazing albums that I have never heard of like this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Expedition_of_Dillard_%26_Clark
And this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Other


Fun fact: Did you know the Eastern Coyote which runs by our house at night has Red Wolf in it and some think they should reclassified as wolves. 

when in bethesda, go here, after you have breakfast of course

This table will have whatever Sundays we have left and comics by me, melissa mendes, joe lambert, sean ford and alexander kim.  If you won't be there. Don't forget you can always buy stuff at the oily boutique and tax-free internet prices.

small press exposition

• I ran out of Snake Oil 3 and 4.  This was good and bad.  Sorry to those that didn't get one.  they'll be for sale online and in the usual stores soon.


• I met Albert Columbia


• Sean kicked ass with Only Skin 4


• Colleen won a brick


• this is my favorite show


• the room was extra cold on sunday

SPX/Snake Oil 4

Hey true-believers.  Sorry for the lack of Gerry and Olga last week.  Bad news:  no Gerry and Olga this week.  Good news:  New Snake Oil issue at SPX and online after.  Getting this ish done is taking my attention from Gerry and Olga.  Good thing I'm not working for a newspaper.  Below you can see the new cover.  No screen printing this time.  thought I would change it up with some watercolor.  It'll be 28 pages long.  If you haunt SPX, I'll be at table G5 with Sundays, Sean Ford, Joe Lambert, and Melissa Mendes.  We'll have the reprinted Sundays 3 and Sean will have Only Skin number 4!!!!  Eat it! Tell your friends.  PLEASE stop by and introduce yourself.  Ask me to draw you something.  I will.  Oh I think I'll have a new screen print for sale on the cheap.  I'll throw up a pic when it's done.

Until then...

SPXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hello my friends.  Just a quick update.  Snake Oil will be at SPX this weekend.  Please come to the show.  It will be awesome.  I will not have snake oil 3 available since the slaves are still doodlin away at it.  buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut  I will have a new mini-comic called DAFFY.  It will be filled with various stuff I've done the last few years plus an all new strip called:  I am not ok with this: The Death of Bright Path.  It will be a mini comic but it will clock in around 60 pages so it should keep you entertained for at least 5 minutes.  It will have a screen printed and hand-lettered cover and the guts will be on a grayish paper I have been saving for something special.  no pics of it here yet.  You'll just have to come and see it.  I'm sure it'll be for sale in the webstore shortly after I return from SPX.  As always I will be at the table with the SUNDAYS banner hanging on the front, right next to our friends at OPP with their better-designed books and music and smiles. 

OH yeah, I forgot.  The next issue of the Comics Journal (#293) will print my story, Mickey the Man, from Snake Oil #1 along with a bunch of folks from my class at the center for cartoon studies.  Thanks to that publication's editors for thinking that was a good idea.

and now i present you with a buff butt:

Ignatzzz

So I figured I'd make an official post about this. Snake Oil has been nominated in 3(!?) categories for the 2008 Ignatz Awards.  They are Promising New Talent, Outstanding Series,  and Outstanding Comic.  The ceremony happens saturday night at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD.  I will be at the show tabling with my talented mates: Alex Kim(Wall City, Xeric), Sean Ford(Only Skin), and half of Joe Lambert(Turtle Keep it Steady).  We'll be right next to our friends at One Percent Press(as usual) at table G1.  We are pretty close to the main entrance, which is awesome!  I will have Snake Oil 1 and 2 for sale as well as a new mini(i hope)  I'll probably have some prints too.  Of course, we'll have copies of our anthology SUNDAYS 2 and a snazzy screenprinted bag if you buy one.

Remember kitty kats!  You can buy Snake Oil at the webstore on your right or in the real world at the following fine establishments:  Jim Hanley's Universe, Forbidden Planet, Chicago Comics, Quimby's, Comic Relief, Atomic Books, Heroes Are Hard To Find.

If you are a retailer or you would like your shop to carry Snake Oil Comics then please contact Tony Shenton for Wholesale:  shenton4sales@aol.com

Oh and my friend/housemate/fellow cartooner, Colleen Frakes, drew me this awesome fan art for my birthday.  Check it!