Just as I was starting to worry about the dearth of links on this blog, Mikal Dyas comes to the rescue telling about his new portfolio site which is finally ready. Check out his prints - very nice.

Here's a curiosity - Chester Brown, one of the quietest cartoonists in the world, is interviewed on CBC Radio last year by a really brash radio host about his comic Louis Riel. It starts off badly in a Biff! Pow! kinda way, but gets pretty good and is worth a listen.

Somehow this got missed this month so go quite while it's still there. The Comics Journal has audio of an interview with Jamie Hernandez up until Jan 17th which are worth the dowload having listened to them on a long train journey. Also on there are excerpts of interviews with Will Eisner on his days as a comics packager and Debbie Drechsler both from the current issue. Tops.

Just spent a captivating hour in Tezuka Osamu World, a wonderful archive of his work in mange (Astro Boy, etc) and anime. Lots of sample pages of his work and movie clips. (via Journalista)

The first stage of many in the re-doing of BugPowder.com has occurred with the re-launch of TRS2 in a lovely shade of green (to match Andy Luke's favourite mint biscuit). Immediate differences are a clearer layout and better archiving of reviews. Later developments will see a fuller integration between that weblog and this one. Expect to see the next stage soon!

Edward Said wrote a long, glowing of Joe Sacco's Palestine in last Saturday's Guardian. For some reason it isn't online, while what looks like the whole of the rest of the magazine is.

Update: here's the link.

Update #2: That link don't work anymore...

Check out the Silverfish Gallery.

James Kochalka brand hot sauce! I kid you not. I'll bet Santa's elves didn't have that.

Again from the mailing list! Lee Kennedy pointed out that Robert Crumb was on Jazz File on Radio 3 on Saturday. You can listen to the show for the next few days here and it continues for the next three weeks.

The great American cartoonist Robert Crumb plays some 78-rpm records of jazz and popular music from the 1920s and 30s from his legendary personal collection. The most celebrated examples of New Orleans jazz were recorded by musicians who had already left the Crescent City. Programme one focuses on some striking pieces of New Orleans jazz recorded in the city of its origin.

Also on the mailing list, Debra Boysk is "trying to arrange an informal comics workshop/meeting/forum thing in Bristol.
I've been making contact with some locals, and there'll be a preliminary discussion
and lunch or something on Sunday Jan 5th. I don't know if anyone here is in
or near Bristol, but if you are and you're interested, email me to discuss."

Steve block writes on the mailing list:

The Observer has a round up of graphic novels by Roger Sabin and on Radio 4
at 3:45pm this Monday, Martin Plimmer has a look at cartoon cliches,
exploring the stereotypes of the newspaper cartoon.

Great little half-animated video for JKS' Hockey Monkey song! See also his forum.

Jeff Levine's lost for life blog became a stripblog a few months ago with daily strips and sketches, and I didn't notice. Go read through his archives - lots of good stuff there.

b0ing b0ing's Mark Frauenfelder reviews Rebel Visions: The Underground Comix Revolution 1967-1972 for the LA Weekly. Looks interesting, but there doesn't seem to be any mention of any women like Trina Robbins, who were also part of the epochal movement. I'm still looking forward to reading it, though.

The 2003 French Alph-Art awards nominations are up, as brought to my attention by Egon

Andy Konky Kru has been named Rich Johnston's website of the week in this week's Lying in the Gutters. Scroll down to where it says "Everyone go and click on the link and crash his server". If Bugpowder is offline for a while, blame the gossip-hungry fanboys that read Rich's column!

Fans of Hoffnung should be amused by the visual gags of Argentinian cartoonist Quino. There's also an untranslated page with more information, if you can read Spanish. (via Coudal)

Ethan Hayes-Chute writes to inform about his mini comics and after a cursory look on his site I think they might well be worth investigating. Very scratchy, DIY style in the vein of the mythical Fort Thunder posse (whatever that vein may be) with lovely silkscreen covers.

Now up until Janurary 17th, the Gilbert Hernandez interview over at The Comics Journal Audio Archive

Working out details, we expect to be on the move with dinner then drinking, we'll be doing something somewhere, December 23rd. Contact me for more details.

London Bugpowder get-together will take place this Saturday 6th December, at the usual Fitzroy Tavern on the corner of Charlotte Street and Windmill Street, between Goodge Street tube and Tottenham Court Road tube.
Click here for a map. 6'oclock onwards...

"Illustrated children's books rely perhaps more than others on the creative relationship between the author and the artist"

Also from BlackBeltJones, Matt's post on Hiptop Nation reminded me of an idea I had a few weeks back of using photos taken on a Hiptop to create comics. It's a perfect tool for someone like me, who "can't even draw a decent stick figure" (maximum points if you can guess who I'm quoting!). I can't wait until they're released in the UK...

Com|Mix is groovy. Log-on, create an avatar and start collaborating. You'll need to max your screen, though.

(via BlackBeltJones)

Hugh MacLeod draws cartoons on the backs of business cards. They're fun.