Lots of great events happening this weekend paying tribute to Watson Davis, also known as SIVAD- local horror host of “Fantastic Features” here in Memphis back in the late 60′s and early 70′s.

I’ll be a part of a horror art show at Adam Shaw’s studio (2547 Broad Avenue) this Friday, March 26th from 6-8pm.

Fellow MSCA members Adam Shaw, Greg Cravens, Kevin Williams will be showing their SIVAD and horror tribute art, as well as comic artists Dean Zachary and Jim Hall- and artist/wrestler/former Memphis mayoral candidate Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Beast Wishes!

Limb

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Monday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To participate, we formed the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over eighty comic book creators (both web and print) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. So it won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image. The wallpaper features characters from The Phoenix Requiem, Girls with Slingshots, Earthsong, Looking for Group, Shadowgirls, Marsh Rocket, The Uniques and three IDW Publishing titles: Fallen Angel, The Dreamland Chronicles and The Dreamer, and lots, lots more! Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime. To learn more about the Comic Creator’s Alliance visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

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BushiTales.com has donated art to this wallpaper, too. 

Lin

Writer Marv Wolfman posted this on Facebook today and I thought I’d share:

“My latest blog is the beginning of an autobiography of sorts. Take a look at: http://www.marvwolfman.com/todaysviews.html “

Met Marv in Metropolis a few years ago and got to have dinner with him and some of the Memphis Mafia. Got to talk Teen Titans, Nova, and more, and heard stories about him and Len Wein growing up and getting into the comics biz. Looking forward to more from Marv!

Lin

…well, except for a couple geeks.

Welcome to the crazy world of Geek Syndicate. Geek Syndicate chronicles the adventures of Dave and Barry, two British geeks who love themselves some comics, sci-fi, and anything else geekworthy! Geek Syndicate is based on the podcast of the same name, and features art by Harold Jennett.

Their Christmas special is underway so grab a cup of cheer and head on over!
Comic link: www.geeksyndicatecomic.com
Podcast link: http://www.geeksyndicate.co.uk/
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Looking for something fun to do on Friday night? There will be an art show on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the studio of Adam Shaw featuring some of his art in a show titled “The Heidi Series.” There will also be other artists on display, so be sure you show up! The show is at 2547 Broad Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112.

www.abshaw.com

But, the “Adam” fun times don’t end there! On Saturday, December 12, you can meet and greet with Adam Shaw, the artist of the new graphic novel, HARPE (about the first serial killers in the U.S.), at Comics and Collectibles from 2 – 4 p.m. Comics and Collectibles is located at 4730 Poplar Ave. #2 Memphis TN 38117.

http://www.memphiscomics.com/

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But, wait! Your Saturday fun isn’t over just yet–you can also see Kevin Williams performing as Riverthing, the favorite mascot of the Mississippi Riverkings at the Desoto Civic Center. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. on December 12. If you’ve never been to a Riverkings game before, you should. Skate on down to the DCC and watch an awesome game, and if you show up and find Riverthing that night and mention you’re with the MSCA, you’ll get a special photo opportunity!!

http://www.muleythemule.com/

http://www.riverkings.com/

Watch the MSCA site for frequent updates, like this week’s very fun text version of “Mule on the Street” when Muley the Mule interviewed none other than our own Sam Ray!  Ever wanted to know more about an original member of the MSCA?  Sam Ray is one of the guys to talk to.  If you missed his talk at the December dinner meeting, this is your chance to get caught up.
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More PKD!

The second part of the interview Wonton and I did with Shawn Pryor and Jon Carroll for The Black Box podcast is now available. We talk more about digital comics, distribution, web comics, Jetta, Bushi Tales, my B/W art show and Comic Whore site.

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KOTOR Kitties

Our recently adopted kitties Zayne and Jarael were recently mentioned on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic author John Jackson Miller’s webiste “Faraway Press”. JJM is a former Memphian and is a comics/writer guest each year at Midsouthcon. He’s written for things like the Comics Buyer’s Guide magazine, comics (Star Wars, Iron Man, Indiana Jones), role playing games, and does a web comic called Sword & Sarcasm. If you get the chance to catch one of his panels do, or if you see him running around with his short box of comics at a con stop and pick up a few issues from him. Be sure to tell him Lin and Nicki sent you!

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That’s all for this week’s Pimp It Friday. Stay warm!

Lin

The second part of the interview Wonton and I did with Shawn Pryor and Jon Carroll for The Black Box podcast is now available. We talk more about digital comics, distribution, web comics, Jetta, Bushi Tales, my B/W art show and Comic Whore site.

Click here to go to the Black Box Podcast site.

I’ve got some news about mine and Nicki’s recent adoptions, last Friday’s art walk and George Hunt art show, Adam Shaw’s upcoming art show this Friday and more on my LinWorkman.com site. Check it out if you get a chance. Pics from last night’s Hernando Christmas parade will be up there later this week.

Type at ya later,

Lin

Last night at the monthly MSCA dinner meeting our guest speaker was cartoonist Sam Ray, MSCA member and creator of the “Business As Usual” comic strip.

Sam discussed how he got into cartooning, writing for “Hagar The Horrible”, and sending cartoons to the syndicates and magazines.

After I saw the above cartoon in the Commercial Appeal (the newspaper here) this summer I told him I really dug it and said that if he ever wanted to sell the original to let me know. He said, “Heck, if you like it that much I’ll give it to you.” and he did last night at the meeting! I asked if I could at least buy him a beer. He said, “Ok, you twisted my arm.”

Sam’s one of the original MSCA members and a great guy to talk toons with. You can read more about Sam here.

Something else I wanted to talk about is “The 7th Son”. I found out about this story and it’s author J.C. Hutchins on a recent Comic Geek Speak episode (episode 739). The novel is available in print and as an audio book podcast you can download and listen to (which is what I’ve been doing). If you like sci-fi and/or a good thriller be sure to check out this book. I’ll post a review of it once I’ve finished listening. I’m up to chapter 12…

Oh, don’t forget that the 1st Annual Broad Avenue Holiday Art Walk is tonight here in Memphis from 6-9pm. Blues artist George Hunt will be showing some of his paintings at my day job West Memorials. I’m a big fan of his work! For more info click here.

Hope you have a great weekend- see ya back here on Monday.

Lin

The PKD Black Box Podcast

Episode 3: Roger Corman & the Memphis Mafia battle Ninjas.

Oh, don’t forget to check out LinWorkman.com to find out more info on the First Annual Broad Avenue Holiday Art Walk featuring artist George Hunt!

Type at ya later-

Lin

I’ve mentioned this comic before- done by my friends John Ostrander (writer) and Jim Hall (penciler), but since Jim‘s singing is coming up next weekend I thought I’d mention it again.

Star Wars: Purge comic signing:

November 28th from 12:00-3:00

Comics and Collectibles

4730 Poplar #2
Memphis, TN 38117
(901) 683-7171

http://www.memphiscomics.com/

Members of the Memphis Star Wars Fan Force will be attending.

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March 27-28, 2010

Buy your ticket to the CGS Super Show early and you could win a sketch by artists Mike Norton, Brent Schoonover, Alex Serra, Chad Cicconi, Kat & Josh (Titanium Rain), Katie Cook, Mike Schwartz, Julian Lytle, Andy Jewett, Pasquale the Balloonisimo, original comic art from Martheus Wade, or an original painting by me!

More info on their forums.

Scarlet Rios and Bryans

The Comic Geek Speak Super Show is a great show- good sized enough to meet a lot of creators face to face, but not too big to worry about lines. And many of the creators and podcasters you can hang out with after the show at the Third and Spruce after hours parties.

3rd & Spruce with the CGS Gang

Show Hours

Saturday: 10:00 – 6:00

Sunday: 10:00 – 5:00

Tickets available here.

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Play it again, Jim!

My friend and fellow cartoonist Jim Palmer stars in “The Seafarer” at The Circuit Playhouse here in Memphis.

The Seafarer is a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It’s Christmas Eve, and Sharky has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother who’s recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of a stranger from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. Sharky may be playing for his very soul. “…a midnight-black comedy that wrenches laughter out of the despair of frustrated men whose lives have come to naught.” – Wall Street Journal.

Click here for more information on this play.

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Oh, speaking of MSCA members, artist Adam Shaw will has some upcoming comic signings for his OGN “Harpe“. Writer Chad Kinkle will participate in some of these signings as well.

That’s it for this week-

Lin

Almost a year ago, Lin mentioned that he’d love to have a website of his own.  I asked him why he didn’t have one, and he informed me that technology exceeding email, Photoshop or Microsoft Word made his head hurt.  He didn’t have a clue where to start.

I’m a tech geek at heart and have worked in or with IT departments most of my professional career.  My current employer is an e-commerce company, and our product is our website.  This means my paycheck (and my ability to pay my mortgage) is dependent upon our website.  Needless to say, my co-workers and I take that very seriously, and I knew that I could help Lin by applying some of the knowledge I have accumulated over the years.  So, I volunteered to build him a website, and the result is www.linworkman.com.  This site followed a few months later.

From time to time, I’ll offer tips, suggestions and tools to help you promote yourself and your work online.

Now that the introductions are out of the way, I’ll start off with providing general guidelines for developing your online presence.

The Plan Can (and Probably Will) Change, But Have a Plan

I’m a planner by nature and by profession.  I drive people nuts with my insistence upon having a plan, but a well-developed plan can save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

Before you starting building websites, sit down and determine what you are looking for in a website.  What should the website look like?  Would you like to be able to post new sketches?  Would you like to sell your work online?  How much can you spend on creating and maintaining your website?

I had several conversations with Lin, who was the Vice-President, and Kevin Williams, the current President, before building the new Mid-South Cartoonists Association website to determine what they were looking for and what goals were they trying to achieve.  Kevin provided sketches of what he’d like the website to look like and a list of features he would like to see.  These conversations gave me the outline to work from in creating the website and saved me from re-work later.

Plans are wonderful things, but you also need to be flexible and adaptable.  Things will happen, some happy and some not-so-much, that will lead you down different paths.

You Don’t Have to Be a Tech Geek to Have a Website

There are a plethora of tools, many of them free, that makes building and running websites easier than ever before.  I’ll highlight many of these tools in future articles.

Websites Don’t Have to Be Expensive

What are the costs associated with running a website?  Well, that’s going to vary, based on your service providers.  I’m currently spending approximately $100/year to run Lin’s two websites and the Memphis FanForce site.  What comprises that cost?

• Domain Name – Your own, unique domain name (or web address) is crucial.  Keep it simple by purchasing www.yourname.com or www.yourcomicbookname.com.  Make it easy for people to remember the web address and associate it with you.  This is going to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $10/year.

• Hosting Provider – I’m currently paying $6.99/month with GoDaddy, but that allows me to host multiple domains on one account.

You do not have to purchase your domain name from your hosting provider, but you often receive discounts by purchasing the domain and hosting in a bundled package.

For one domain and single site hosting, plan to spend approximately $70/year.  Again, your mileage will vary.  Please note, I’m assuming that you already are paying an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as AOL, Comcast, AT& T, etc, for your Internet access.  Otherwise, how are you reading this and how do you expect to update a website regularly?

There are free blog alternatives available, such as WordPress.com, Blogger.com, etc.  There are also companies that offer free hosting of your website; however, these providers pay for offering you the hosting for free by placing ads on your site.  The free alternatives also lack the ability to heavily customize your site and install software.

Remember, you often get what you pay for.

Have questions?  Have a specific topic you’d like to see addressed in future articles?  Drop me a line at webmaster@linworkman.com.

- Nicki