Amazon advertises my own book to me

This got emailed to me over the weekend:





Yes, my own book, Harvey Pekar: Conversations, was one of the featured Pekar titles. I immediately considered ordering another five copies, it was so convincing.

Our first guest ComicsDC logo

I was touched, touched I say!, when I got this logo in the mail today from cartoonist David Hagen who found this blog via Our Man Thompson's (thanks, Richard!) and now says he's a faithful reader. David's kindly granted me the use of his drawing, saying "Yes, it's yours to do with as you wish. I'm seeing coffee mugs, sweatshirts, and baseball hats in time for Xmas!"

Having had sooo much fun drawing stick figures on a computer lately, I asked about his technique and he replied, "I draw the line art on paper and scan it and then add the color in photoshop. Snap, crackle, pop!"

To thank him for his kindness, I suggested he start a blog too, instead of working on a promotional website for his freelance cartooning. Pulling out all stops, I cited our mutual friend Richard's success - "He did his on a dare and now look at him! He's a successful, almost award-winning cartoonist, and I'm sure he'd agree that he owes it all to his blog." David immediately rose to the bait and started Hagen Illustration. Demonstrating a true instinct for cartooning success, his first post features actual cartoon nudity!

This guy's going to go far, and you might have seen him here first.

Thanks again, David! The products you mentioned are on Zazzle now... each with a credit line to you as well.

ComicsDC logo - 2nd shot

Ok, here's the second attempt.



The photo is one from the 1890s from the National Museum of Health & Medicine - see their flickr site for the full-size image which shows the unpaved road out front of the Capitol.

ComicsDC logo - first shot

I'm obviously not an artist, but I kind of like this one, and Our Man Thompson approved of it. I'm sticking it on a Zazzle mug now. It's also on a magnet so you can stick it on your computer and remember to check this site (if it wipes your hard drive, I don't want to hear about it. You should know better than to put magnets around computers).

Best of DC 2008 - Richard Thompson is Best Cartoonist!

From Washington City Paper's 2008 Best of DC (April 18, 2008)...

Best Cartoonist - Richard Thompson!

...and the crowd goes wild!

Mark Athitakis has a nice writeup of Richard's virtues. The WCP also selected this site as...

Best (Comic) Art Blogger - ComicsDC

Thank you very much! That's very kind, especially after I beat up on the WCP so much this past year about their comics losses. I now feel a very teensy bit guilty. Teensy though.


Both of these were spotted by my friend and houseguest Nick "The System of Comics" Nguyen.