I’m very pleased to announce that my short comic “Domestic Men of Mystery” will be included in this year’s Best American Comics! The piece originally ran as Fathers Day “Op-Art” on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times. You can read the comic in it’s entirety here. The book will be available later in the year but you can pre-order on Amazon.

Thanks Alison Bechdel, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden! And thanks again to Aviva Michaelov for originally commissioning the piece.

Some of you may have already noticed, but I’m making it official: I’m only posting SMMA comics at mutantmagic.com from now on. You can follow the kids’ adventures via tumblr or RSS. There’s just too many of them now and there’s progressively more morbidity and swearing, so I’m trying to make it a separate thing. This blog will focus on the usual illustration and comics topics.

If you haven’t been following, you’re in for a treat. I’ve been posting regularly and you have lot of little comics waiting for you.

Here is a piece I made for a Unicef benefit at Giant Robot. It will appear on waterbottles available for purchase at the show opening. Info for the event below.

I’m featured in the current issue of Communication Arts (Mar/Apr). Thanks to Rebecca Bedrossian and Jim Hanas. Here are a few spreads to look at!

I will be speaking with Sam Weber at the California College of Arts next Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 7–9 pm. The event is open to the public, I’ve been told. All info here.

In 36 hours I will be in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan eating my German mother-in-law’s lebkuchen. Studio will reopen Dec 30th. Please email me if you need to get in touch.

Here is our crafty tree. We made all the ornaments with Chelsea and Chris. Merry Christmas (or whatever you fancy).

This is the first picture I drew on my NEW CINTIQ! I don’t plan on stopping drawing with actual ink, but I’m more than happy to not have to scan in sketches upon sketches anymore. They’re so much more beautiful with a pencil, true, but no more functional. PLUS, there may be a new graphic novel project on the horizon….

I’m at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival today (Saturday). I’m signing 6-8 at the D&Q table (#42).

But if you see anything at BCGF, go see LYNDA BARRY, who is giving a talk at 1. I saw her this week at the 92 St Y and was thrilled.

1. The Studio will be closed (again!) from Nov 25- Dec 2nd. I will be checking email though.

2. The Comics Journal offers an interesting analysis of SKIM.

3. I designed these tees for Desert Island comic shop! They’ll be available at the BCGF! Which I will be attending. I will be signing at the D&Q table on Saturday, 6-8. Info in link.

4. A big thank-you to Craft Goddess Jenny Hart at Sublime Stitching, who mentioned my Monster Quilt on her blog today. Fun fact: it was one of Jenny’s starter kits that actually eased me into embroidery. Tiny world.

5. Math is hard. I’m taking a quilting class…. and it turns out quilting is a little more than just picking out delightful fabrics and happily humming along with your sewing machine? But I persevere. I will show you the results in a few weeks. Respect to the little old ladies, y’all.

The Studio is closed! I return Nov 9.

Details of Dutch Book Tour here.

Some other parting news notes:

-SKIM is on the long list for Canada Reads Novel of the Decade! Wow. Voting is open to ANYONE. Vote here!

-I’m in good company for Robin McConnell’s INKSTUDS book, which is comprised of interview transcripts from his excellent podcasts. I am always cutting Robin off in our interviews. Because I am rude. AND I LOVE COMICS!

-This is a freaking amazing magazine cover.

(Cats above are for MORE Magazine. AD Claudia Ameida.)

Skim will soon be available in another language. So far we’re up to French, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch… Italian and Portuguese are to come! The publisher is of the Dutch editionSherpa and they’ll be be shuttling us around Holland and Belgium in a little under two weeks!

Here is a list of events:

Tues, Nov 2
5: Presentation and Press Release, Lambiek (Amsterdam, Holland)

Wed, Nov 3
Lecture/Workshop, Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam. (closed to public.)
4-6: Signing, Stripwinkel SJORS bookshop (Dordrecht, Holland)

Thurs, Nov 4
3-5.30: Signing, De Stripkever (Mechelen, Belgium)

Fri, Nov 5
12-2: Signing, Het B-Gevaar (Brussels, Belgium)
4-6: Signing, Het Besloten Land (Leuven, Belgium)

Sat, Nov 6
11-4: Launch and Signings, Stripkunstbeurs/Comic Art Show (Utrecht, Brussels)

(If you’re an illustrator and have no interest in comics at all, please also come say hi! I will not pressure sell to you!)