Memorial Day weekend posts dedicated to ‘house cleaning’ — sharing myriad tidbits of info, art, links, etc. I’ve been meaning to share. I’ll be all over the place with these, so sit back and enjoy…
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* The Center for Cartoon Studies graduation of the Class of 2009 was last weekend at almost precisely the time I’m writing this post.
It was a grand event, our third graduating class in this experiment in education, and I’m proud as a peacock to be part of all this.
Congrats to all the graduates, and I’m happy to note
There’s already a smart batch of new comics out in the world thanks to these young cartoonists, and some of them will be debuting at MoCCA next month — a solid reason for making sure you’re at that spring NYC con in June.
More news, links and updates before then.
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“I’m home, always home.”
Copper stands rock-solid, squints at the noise from across the street.
As usual, the cops didn’t show until long after the action was over.
Copper squints and spits over the railing.
“If you need a statement, you know where to find me.”
“We won’t be needing a statement, sir.”
Copper’s eyes shift downward, to the young policeman’s face. It’s the first time he made eye contact with the kid.
The policeman is a kid – hell, even I can tell he’s barely out of the Academy. I can see that from where I’m looking out, three houses away.
“No questions, nothin’ at all?”
Copper spits again, looks from the man in uniform doing nothing to the men in uniform across the street, also doing nothing.
“This is the sixth house they’ve gutted in this neighborhood.”
“Yes, sir, we appreciate your calling it in.”
“I seen it all and I called it in – twenty-six hours ago.”
Copper lets that one stand. He tilts his head, cocking his neck, staring the policeman down.
“I’ve called in every goddamned one of ‘em.”
I can see the white of the cop’s scalp when he looks away from the old man’s glare.
The kid clears his throat and looks down, as if there were something of importance in his hand. He already closed his notebook. What can there be to look at? He doesn’t even have calluses to gander at.
“City just doesn’t care, does it?”
His crewcut is too close, like a fresh military cut. His scalp gleams like a baby’s knee. This kid is green, the type that needs a weekly trim and says so, as if that were part and parcel of being a cop, to make up for doing nothing.
“But come tax reassessment time, the city is right at my door.”
Of course they send him to talk to Copper.
“I’ve got one question, officer.”
“What’s that, Mr. Cyrus?”
“What’re you going to do when they come after my house?”
If there is a reply, he doesn’t stay long enough to hear it.
The screen door slaps closed without a whisper from the hinges. Copper keeps everything ship-shape; no squeaking door on his watch.
It doesn’t matter. The cop is on his heel and away, too. His polished shoes are too smart on the tarmac, the crease of his pantlegs sharp as a papercut.
He shakes his head and mutters something I can’t make out, and his cop cronies make some wise-crack back at him and they all have a hearty laugh at Copper’s expense.
Anything to clear the air of the old man’s comment, ignore the truth of it, pretend it wasn’t said or heard, or didn’t matter.
I lay low, and watch the old man’s porch.
- Opening of “Copper” by Stephen R. Bissette
* I announced the sale of my newest short story “Copper” to the upcoming walking dead anthology The New Dead (St Martin’s Press, planned for spring 2010 release) earlier this week.
– and I’ll add the news here that Cayetano ‘Cat’ Garza, Jr. and I will be doing the cover art and adding four color interior illos to the package, too.
Cat’s hard at work on the cover art as I write this, and we’re happy as can be to be part of the Subterranean Press edition. Thanks to The New Dead editor Christopher Golden and Subterranean Press publisher Bill Schafer for being open to the opportunity, and for the quickest negotiation-to-agreement process of my entire life.
“Copper” excerpt ©2009 Stephen R. Bissette.
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* Having mentioned my personal affection and debt to the venerable classic of weird-but-true stories scribed by C.B. Colby and published in various editions since the 1940s under the title Strangely Enough!, I also wanted to share a link I stumbled on concerning a literary hoax concerning Colby concocted by none other than Michael Chabon.
Good to know Colby’s reach as a writer had this profound an impact on at least two generations, and Chabon’s audacious bit of chicanery (“…C. B. Colby was actually a Holocaust survivor named Joseph Adler who wrote of his experiences in a memoir, The Book of Hell. Except Adler wasn’t a Holocaust survivor at all; he was a former Nazi named Viktor Fischer…”) only adds to the Colby mystique.
Once I lay hands on my copy of Strangely Enough!, I’ll write about the most haunting story in the entire book, which Bob (James Robert Smith) recalled, too, in his Myrant comment last week…
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* Frequent Myrant reader and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles obsessed artist tOkKa sent me these two glorious color pieces derived from my own 1990 submission sketch for TMNT toy proposals, namely Terrible Terror-Pin and my rendition of Steve Murphy’s Snappy Warhol.
Here’s a refresher on my vintage 1990 sketch, followed by tOkKa’s creative recreations/revamps of both:
As already noted last week, I’m already mucho thankful to tOkKa for turning me on to
I’ve reestablished contact with Steve this past week, and will be catching up with Ryan ASAP this weekend. Bog info/posts to inevitably follow! Thanks much, tOkKa!
Terror-Pin/Tokka © and TM 1990, 1991, 2009 Mirage Studios, Inc., per revised legal agreement with Mirage Studios, Inc.; Snappy Warhol (unless otherwise licensed) ©1990 Stephen Murphy; tOkKa illustrations of both ©2009 tOkKa.
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* Finally, a live performance video on YouTube from my son Daniel!
This is from a May 10th 2009 session in Dan’s almost-home-town of Marlboro, VT, and I’m indebted to both CCS Pioneer Class of 2007 grad Sam Gaskin and Dan’s mom Marlene O’Connor for sending me the link within 24 hours of one another — thanks, Sam! Thanks, Marlene!
This brought back memories of Dan getting so into the Neutral Milk Hotel album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) at age 18 that he borrowed Marge’s guitar and taught himself how to play by teaching himself his favorite songs from that classic album. “The King of Carrot Flowers” was the song he mastered first, and he went from there — and that, as they say, was that.
Daniel has since plunged himself into music, and it’s become his life path — one very different from anyone else in the Bissette expanded family circle, and distinctly his own.
Inspired by the Elephant 6 collective experience (from which Neutral Milk Hotel emerged), Daniel has also met Laura Carter and made the pilgrimage to the music commune/collective down south Laura and others created.
Daniel’s own songs are amazingly eclectic; these particular tunes, as noted, brought back vivid recall of Dan’s transformative experience with Jeff Mangum’s songs and the Elephant 6 music — without further ado, here goes. Enjoy.
–>> Steve, .. i totally missed this. It’s been up for weeks and weeks now
I am so honoured.
I am in shock !!
Guess you zapped me again !! !!
–>> HOLY CROW !! !! DAN IS F7ckin AWESOME !! MY GOD !! !!
Well, it’s been a while since this was posted, but I was just directed here by my pal Tokka. I can tell you he’s more than a little happy that you enjoyed his work. Also, I have to say, it’s awesome that you’re working with Cat Garza … The guy is from my hometown. I used to work with one of his friends at our local newspaper, and we’re all pretty proud of the guy for his success in the comic biz!