Thank you, Heather Hogan, for this awesome list… and including Jane’s World as part of it. Autostradle has compiled a great list of graphic novels, including some of my personal favorites from the past year. Check out the full listing here: http://bit.ly/2VdrB2s
The Jane’s World anthology, published by Lion Forge, is available here:
Jane, in front of her trailer, with simple watercolor wash.
I haven’t posted in a while. Been feeling kinda blue. Maybe it’s December. Maybe it’s feeling overwhelmed by the world. Maybe it’s being too far from family for the holidays. I really have no idea. But I came across this image from last year and it captured exactly how I’m feeling at the moment. I thought I’d share in case you’re out there feeling blue as well. You’re not alone. And no doubt, the feeling will pass. The Winter Solstice approaches. #WinterFeels
In honor of Halloween: The time Chelle and Jane dressed up as Catwoman and Batman.
I’ve thought of posting something for the past days about the final week of Jane’s World, but I’ve been a bit of a mess. Some days happy, some days sad, overall, feeling bittersweet about letting my friends on paper go their own way. I decided the two hardest words in the English language might be, “the end.”
How ironic, that Jane’s World, a comic strip too risque for mainstream papers twenty years ago received a send off from one of the biggest mainstream papers, The New York Times. I would be lying if I said that didn’t mean something to me. I’d like to thank George Gustines for writing the story and for chatting with me about my two decades with Jane.
Jane’s journey was my journey in some ways.
I’d been thinking for more than a year about how to bring the comic to a close. I was feeling ready to work on other projects but it’s too hard to write new characters when other characters are still filling your head with chatter. I knew I needed to let Jane go in order to write other voices.
In college I wrote this quote in my sketchbook. I’m not sure who authored the quote, but I’ve returned to it time and again when faced with big, life-changing decisions. The quote reads: “The important thing is this, to be willing to sacrifice at any moment what you are for what you can become.”
Letting go is difficult, but necessary.
The good news is that Lion Forge recently released an anthology of the twenty-year run of Jane’s World titled: Love Letters to Jane’s World and it’s available everywhere books are sold.
In other news, just yesterday, the syndicate who manages GoComics said that they’ll begin rerunning Jane’s World from the beginning. The first of the classic strips will appear November 5th. So for those of you who missed Jane’s goofy, humble beginnings… here’s your chance to catch up.
Thank you to my readers for all the supportive emails and comments. Seriously, your kind words meant the world to me.
So, here’s to letting go… and looking forward to what comes next 🙂
I’ll be in New York next week for New York Comic Con. My schedule officially starts Thursday afternoon. I’ll be signing the new Jane’s World anthology at the Lion Forge Booth and Femme Magnifique at the IDW booth on Saturday. Here’s a quick schedule. I hope to see you there!
Thursday, October 4, 2018: Lion Forge Booth #1936, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
PANEL:
Friday, October 5, 2018: Fandom for Teachers: The Educator’s Guide to Comic Con
2:45-3:45pm @ Javits Center Room 1C03
Comic Con has become a phenomenon that has changed the face of not just popular culture but all aspects of life. With the push to include graphic novels, film, and even cosplay into the 21st Century classroom, these events have started to cater to educators through programming, author events, and classroom-friendly content. This panel will offer educators new to Comic Con tips and tricks from seasoned educators who can show them the ropes on how to get the most out of their fan fest weekend!
MORE SIGNINGS:
Saturday, Oct. 6, 4:00-5:00: Femme Magnifique signing at the IDW booth #1844
Saturday, Oct. 6, 5:00-6:00: Signing Lion Forge Booth #1936
Yes, folks… for those of you who know me, this photo was taken on the rare occasion when I was not wearing a plaid shirt. Luckily, I had a plaid jacket on hand.
Join Jane’s World creator Paige Braddock on the Garden Terrace of the Gravenstein Grill to celebrate the release of Love Letters to Jane’s World, the 20th anniversary anthology of her award-winning comic strip.
Join us on the Garden Terrace of the Gravenstein Grill to celebrate the release of Love Letters to Jane’s World.
Copperfield’s Books will be on hand in case you want to purchase a book at the event and have it signed.
When: September 21, 2018, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Where: The Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol
See you there !
Today’s Jane’s World comic:
I just had to share a small bit of backstory on this one. We haven’t been having flooding in California lately. Unfortunately, just the opposite. It is extremely dry here. So that part of the comic isn’t based in reality, but the disaster element, and the DMV are. My wife was away one week in May, so of course I promptly went out with a pal of mine to see a science fiction movie and then for BBQ afterward. It was only a short time later that I realized something was horribly wrong with that bit of pulled pork I’d eaten. I suffered twenty-four hours of food poisoning and was just beginning to feel better when my tiny dog, Buddy Barker, cornered a skunk in the yard and got sprayed. Having only just recovered from being deathly ill, skunk smell was not helping with my recovering. The next morning, as I was getting packed to travel the following day I realized my driver’s license had expired. Gah! I had no choice but to cold call the DMV for a replacement because I needed a rental car when I arrived at my destination. (It only took five hours in line.) Are you keeping count? I suffered food poisoning, getting skunked, AND the Department of Motor Vehicles all in one week.
I’m not sure which is more zany sometimes, Jane’s World, or mine.
Happy Friday.
