"I move things around," he has explained, "till they become sharp and clear, till they are in the right location. And it is at this stage that I discover the work's true voice and structure." Michael Ondaatje on writing.

Andy points out, and rightfully so, that this is a "must-post." The winner is a former teacher of my goddaughter's sister. Now, if the movie were only available online . . .

Raised By Squirrels, Squirrel Tales, and Death, Cold As Steel — along with projects from 7000 BC members — will be a part of Strip: Undressing Comics, an exhibition examining the comics-making process. The show opens Friday at VSA North Fourth Art Center in Albuquerque and runs until July 21. Some photos of the show coming together are at the Fakin' The Funk blog.

Frank Miller's Gravity's Rainbow — and more, in an LAT article about the covers for Penguin books.

The Joker goes viral.

Even though they've been out for a while, Raph just ran across this article about the Penguin James Bond covers.

The DC Conspiracy's Free Comic Book Day comic is available for download. A nice sampler from the talented group.

Smallest Date Ever, the jam comic we made at yesterday's 7000 BC meeting.

"I'm hooked, I admit it, can't wait to see where this whole thing is going, and I love the idea that it's probably going to take years for the picture to come into any kind of clarity." Optical Sloth reviews of Los Alamos and Death, Cold As Steel #1 have been appended to the review of volume 1.

Being mistaken for dead — it's a terrifying prospect. So is losing your memory, with no sense of who you are and what you're doing. And then there's the feeling that everyone's out to get you . . . .

But for the protagonist of Doe, Jane, that's just the start of her day.

Read the rest »Jason DeGroot and Marc Haines, the guys behind The Colony, have kicked off a new story in a big way. An unidentified woman who's supposed to be dead awakens in morgue with no idea who she is or how she got there. When, all too conveniently, a doctor comes to her aid, it sets in motion a series of events that brings some truly nasty (and bizarre) characters into the action. Seems that there's some pretty powerful people who have an interest in Jane being dead.

There's no narration here, nobody leading you through the story. There's none needed. Jason's rapid-fire dialog establishes each scene quickly and each character's place in it. There's plenty left unexplained — but there's nothing left out as we're given enough of a glimpse to tell us about the world that Jane inhabits, one that she knows nothing about herself. And, even though she's demonstrated some unusual proficiency in a fight, it's enough to make us feel scared for her.

One of the things I like best about Marc's work is his character designs (I've even enlisted his help for RBS). It's caricature in that he's able to capture their essences with a simple illustration — everything from line weight to clothing helps define them at a glance, even little details like the drinks they leave at the bar. And when he's creating folks like Jethro Deathrow and All-Beef Patty to inhabit the pages, it's a real treat. The layouts are expressive and dynamic, providing a kinetic rush to a story that already starts at high speed.

Marc writes that this is his "tough chick book." It certainly is. But it's also gonna be a lot of fun, and it ain't gonna be what you expect.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Doe, Jane is available by emailing Repercussion Comics.

Jason and Marc will be at the I-Con in Des Moines this weekend — showcasing a bunch of independent comics, including the first issue of Doe, Jane.

Kate and Chris are huge in China.

Well, the settling in to the new place has taken more time than expected, what with the real world intruding, the occasional day of actually nice weather, and all the fun that isn't getting the kitchen unpacked. But Monica's preparing Death, Cold As Steel #3 for the printer right now. And artwork from that series, as well as a bunch from RBS/Squirrel Tales is going to be on display in Albuquerque at an exhibition of the comics-making process. More details on that later.

Helvetica is 50, notes Adrants.

Update: And, really, why would you want to use anything else? Via Design Observer.

From last week, Richard Thompson's look at Free Comic Book Day.

Order your copy of Doe, Jane.

Could it be? A new Gone and Forgotten?

An interview with Jake and Laura about Softshell.

It's Free Comic Book Day and Free Mini Comic Day around the country today. Celebrate — download a comic over there to the left.

Just about recovered from APE and Squirrel Central has completed its (last, hopefully for a long time) move, though there's plenty of unpacking to be done. Just got the computers up and running so we'll be wrapping up DCAS 3 and getting that to press soon. In the meantime: Los Alamos, the typeface.