I spent The Emerald City Comic Con’s first Friday attempting to catch up on deadlines…Didn’t work very well. But I did catch up with the likes of Scott Mills, David Walker, Miriam Libicki and her husband, Steve Notley, and more.
Also spent a lot of time making copies for the busy-ness that will be Saturday.
*LOBSTA TRUCK!!
America is experiencing a gourmet food truck trend that originated in Los Angeles with the Kogi Taco Truck. Well, I think I just found my personal favorite:
Whoa—It’s been quite a week. With the comics industry losing a major, major force in Mr. Dwayne McDuffie. If you don’t know who he is, just look at the incredble amount of nice sh– people are posting about him all over the web.
I first learned about Dwayne when the Comics Journal featured him and his Milestone cohorts, in the “infamous” Black Comics issue in 1991 (?). I say infamous because people wrote in to say how racist it was to have a “Black issue”, and how there would never be a white issue.
It prompted me to write the mag and say you could’ve considered every Comics Journal issue before that as “White” issues. I also wrote that I never would’ve picked up the Comics Journal if it wasn’t for that black issue. So thanks to them for doing it.
They printed my letter along with a fancy pants drawing I did. It was my official arrival on the national comics scene.
Anyhoo, since then, Dwayne had conquered the comics world. He has written for just about every major superhero out there on the scene today. Because of Dwayne, a generation of kids are wondering why there’s a white guy playing Green Lantern. His latest project, the animated All-Star Superman, was released just last week. Dwayne was supposed to do a signing at Golden Apple Books in L.A. this past Weds. Instead, it became an impromptu memorial.
There was laughter. There were tears. Folks talked about how generous he was with his time. I should know. Dwayne was one of the panelists on my inaugural Nappy Hour panel last summer at San Diego Comic Con. It was an honor and privilege to have him participate. He certainly had more important things to do.
The one thing I kept on telling people at the memorial was that I wouldn’t have driven all the way across town if Dwayne was alive and doing the signing. I would’ve thought it too much of a drive.
That’s going to change..I/We need to get out and support fellow creators as much as possible.
Cuz you never know when they might be gone.
My upcoming post will focus on my conversation with Ms. Kamala Harris, whom I believe will be the first female president of these United States!
*THE SILENCE WAS DEAFENING in readers response to the latest K Chronicles where the Incredible Cuteness of Being meets a girl in a purple wheelchair.
For a brief moment, I panicked, thinking I may have been the only one who thought it was worth comic-stripping. But the comment by ” Tom” broke the ice. And now they’re coming in from all over.
LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK:
“Keith, I lOVE this one! Don’t know if you were aware my oldest (15) has cerebral palsy and uses a w/c. Toddlers are great at asking the obvious, even if they don’t say a word! Give him a squeeze for me : )”
J. from Massachusetts
I read “The Complete K Chronicles” this past week. I’ve always liked your
work, but seeing so many years of it, altogether, I had a whole new
appreciation for it. I realized for the first time how well you use
seemingly casual details in each panel to build toward your punchline. You
have a marvelously deft way of bringing together the personal and the
political. I think this book should be in the Smithsonian as a snapshot of
American life.
P.S. You and I spoke briefly when you came to University of Puget Sound,
here in Tacoma, Washington, about two years ago. I thought you gave a nice
presentation to the students here.
-P. in Washington
Dear Mr. Knight:
I enjoyed your tattoo/circumcision comic on Saturday, January 29, 2011.
Were you inspired by the circumcision ballot initiative that is circulating
in San Francisco? I’m one of the organizers of the ballot initiative, and
I’m a big fan of your comic. I was tickled pink to see this on Saturday.
And I love the “mom” tattoo on the child’s back. Hysterical!
Thank you. Keep up the excellent work!
Sincerely,
R. in San Francisco
Keith
I send a Quote of the Day out to about 150 folks or so, and growing, every work day. Its not just a quote off the list–its based on my inspiration for the day, whatever that is.
Reading this month’s Playboy…the Feb. centerfold is a gorgeous woman from CA, “the goddess-like marvel of an African-American father and a mother of German descent.”
Thought you might get a kick outta that, Keef!
-GJ
(I really enjoy the diversity of my readership!!:)-kk)
*A WORD ON SUPERBOWL HALFTIME SHOWS..
Yes, the Black Eyed Peas were terrible (this blogger nails the BEP problem right on the head), but I don’t blame them. I blame the NFL for booking them.
The NFL shoulda booked some country acts, bein’ it was Dallas and all. NFL, HEAR ME OUT: Do hip-hop again for the Super Bowl(perhaps in New York and Giants stadium in 2014). Book Jay Z, who’ll be guaranteed to bring Beyonce and/or Kanye West, toss in some old school with the Beastie Boys, and have it all performed live with the Roots (from Philly) as the back-up band.
I dare anyone to disagree with me.
(note: Well wishes to Beastie Boy MCA, who is battling cancer)
And let us all enjoy the finest halftime show of recent memory with Prince (“Get off the stage Kim Kardashian”) Rogers Nelson.
Wow..Talk about a busy month. January was the type of month I’d like to have consistently. A college gig here, some freelance work there..
And on top of that, I scored this primetime comedy gig doing a part of my slideshow at the Axis Mundi event at the Actor’s Gang. The show is produced by kick-a@# photographer Dan Dion and big-time comedian Paul Provenza.
The show’s theme was “White Guilt Night”, to celebrate the kickoff of Black History Month. The night started off with a brief history of the black man in America, performed by Billy the Mime.
Now, I know what you’re thinking–a mime? But believe me, this dude kicks ass. He had the sold-out audience captivated as he went through the African slave trade, the Civil War, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights struggle, O.J., Rodney King, Michael Jackson , right up to the election of Barack Obama. It was amazing.
‘Course, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my pieces Black Mime and an early video piece I did called Mime Hunting for my cable access comedy Bruno MacPush.
I did a series of strips involving Mime Hunting for the Knight Life, too. Here they are.
Billy the Mime was followed by fellow SF ex-pat Mark Silverman, singing about huge black penises.
Provenza followed with a series of slides, videos and the like and asked “Racist or not racist?” Some of the images were stuff like this.
I went next, pulling out some of my favorite race-based strips. Plus, a few of my more controversial ones. Despite a glitch or two at the beginning of the set, it went well. I got some good laughs. And sold a bunch of books and prints after the show.
The real nice thing about the night is people I knew actually came out to the show. LA is so big and vast, you never know if one or two folks will show–but I had at least 15-20 people show up, including an old roommate, a fellow cartoonist, a famous slam poet and a colleague form 826LA.
*sniff* I felt a sense of community!!
Anyhoo..I hope to do more shows in the near future. Keep an eye out here for any announcements!!
*USF/TAMPA GIG WRAP-UP..
I did one of my world famous slideshows at the University of South Florida (which really isn’t in south Florida) last week. On the same day as the one and only John Waters was doing a FREE show in the building next door!!
He was doing it later, though…so know scheduling conflict..I wouldn’t want to take any of his crowd away :)
Visiting the campus was really cool ..and I HAVE to say this..the African American Studies department had the finest dressed faculty I have ever seen in my fifteen years of doing gigs. Bravo!
But really–if we don’t end up living in one of the cities I’ve been harpin’ about over the past year, I’d want to move to a college town. I attended a Big East college basketball game–and it was just like an NBA game, ‘cept waaay less expensive!! Go Bulls!
And like I said, John Waters for free to anyone who got there early enough. Waters is doing the same gig here in LA at UCLA’s Royce Hall, but it sure ain’t free.
Anyhoo…My gig was standing room only (thanks to the free food!). Some good questions asked–and I think the students enjoyed it!
Special thanks to uber-reader Larry for turning the school onto my work. And also to him and his wife for lunch and inviting me to a nudist resort.
*KUSF R.I.P.
As I past the University of South Florida’s college radio station (WUSF), I couldn’t help feeling sad for the demise of KUSF, the University of San Francisco’s radio station that recently had their signal sold by the school for $3.7 million.
That may seem like a lot, but it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to having an FM broadcast signal forever. That money will be used up in a year to make up for some budget shortfall, and the school will eventually see that they effed up real bad.
Anyhoo..the recent comic I did about the station really made the rounds. It was nice to be back in San Francisco again–sorta. I wish I coulda been there in person to join the protests and to speak to the SF Board of Supervisors.
Below, volunteers attempt to find out what happened the day KUSF was shut down:
If you want to join the fight to save KUSF (the sale isn’t set in stone yet–it’s gotta get approved by the FCC), go to http://www.savekusf.org.
*A NEW WAY TO SUPPORT THE SITE!!
Do you like the unfettered deliciousness of comic strip madness that drips from the orifice of this site twice a week? OF COURSE YOU DO!! So show some love by sponsoring this site! Your non-tax deductible contribution will ensure more comic strip foolishness to come. Become a patron of the arts by going here!!
To all my Peeps in the So-Cal area: I will be hitting the stage this Tues. 2/1, alongside big-time comedians Rick Overton, Eddie Ifft, Suzanne Whang, Ngaio Bealum and Mark Silverman on Axis Mundi night at the Actor’s Gang on Venice Blvd. near Culver City downtown. I need a lotta people making noise since it’s my first legit L.A. gig. Come on by!! In celebration of Black History Month, the theme of the night is White Guilt!! It’s pay-what-you -can..Doors open at 7pm. There’s an outside bar behind the stage. Show starts at 8pm.
Tues. 2/1, 8pm @ the Actor’s Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd. City of Culver
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