I don’t really do caricatures of people, so I was a little nervous about drawing Turkmenbashy in Joe and Azat. I suppose that Turkmenistan being the out of the way country that it is I could probably draw just about anything and most people in the U.S. wouldn’t question it, but I knew that at least some people who had been to Turkmenistan were going to see it and I didn’t want them saying, “You totally botched the bashy.”

So I kept things simple and I think it turned out all right. I also always liked Ted Rall’s drawings of Bush which weren’t the most accurate, but definitely gave you a clear impression of what Ted thought of him. So my Turkmenbashy is just a little bit cross eyed even though he wasn’t in real life.

First off, for The Big Khan, a rave from Tony Isabella of Comics Buyers Guide:

“Riveting. The emotions that drive this graphic novel make it a genuine page-turner with a satisfying conclusion. With admiration for Kleid’s riveting story and Cinquegrani’s deft realization of the characters and locations with which he has brought that story to life, The Big Kahn earns the full five out of five Tonys. It’s a masterpiece.”

Comic Mix on Rall’s Year of Loving Dangerously:

“Much of the strength in this remarkable account comes from Pablo G Callejo’s artwork. The Spanish artist keenly captures the look and feel of New York City during the go-go Reagan years. His people are wonderfully varied and his attention to detail is excellent, from clothing to color. His artwork is ideally suited for this cautionary tale and made reading it a lot easier.
This is an important work in that it lays bare a man’s life and shows how easily things can go awry and why society needs safety nets.”

Susan Boslough of Playbackstl, provides an interesting insight on Rick Geary’s Famous Players:

“Geary provides a nice overview of the case as well as sketching in some background about early Hollywood, and he has the dramatist’s instinct for maintaining the reader’s interest by carefully timing the release of crucial information.
Each chapter of Famous Players is introduced by a “Stars of the Photoplay” image of a famous actor of the day, one of which has a notable connection with Taylor. Gloria Swanson’s greatest creation, Norma Desmond, was named after William Desmond Taylor and Mabel Normand. The name was aptly chosen, as Desmond’s fictional life in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard encompasses the glory days of the silents while coming to a conclusion even more lurid than anything in either Taylor’s or Normand’s careers.”

And by the way, Famous Players just shipped its paperback edition at $9.95, in time for Xmas!

Seattle’s The Stranger on Vatican Hustle by Greg Houston:

“What’s the art look like? It’s kind of Ralph Steadman-y. Nice and messy and whorl-y. I like it a lot.
Do you recommend it? Yes. Blaxploitation parodies are definitely played out, but Houston has an alternative enough edge to his work that this book is visually and structurally interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing more work by him.”

They also reviewed Things Undone by Shane White and while they liked the art, thought it came up short, alas.

Howdy! The holiday season is upon us and as you race through your Black Fridays, Gloomy Back-to-Work Sundays and the like looking for that perfect gift to stuff yer stockings or brighten your menorah, might I suggest the perfect gift?

Yes, that’s right! Pick up a copy of my latest graphic novel, THE BIG KAHN (with Nicolas Cinquegrani for NBM Publishing) and give your friend, family member, boss or lover the gift of sequential drama.

And if you’re in the New York/New Jersey area, personalize your gift by joining me at Jim Hanley’s Universe in Manhattan on December 3rd from 6PM to 8PM for their End of the Year Spectacular Blow Out signing! I’ll be signing copies of THE BIG KAHN, BROWNSVILLE and more with my pals Stuart Moore, Fred Van Lente, David Gallaher & Steve Ellis, each incredible talents whose books would make great gifts, as well.

Jim Hanley’s is located at:
4 West 33rd St.,
New York, New York
(opposite The Empire State Building)

If you’re not in the area and can’t make the signing, please consider THE BIG KAHN as a holiday for friends and family, as well. It’s a drama about loss, lies, belief and renewal and a graphic exploration of a family secret so well-hidden, even the family didn’t know about it until it was too late. Check out previews and reviews of both KAHN and my first book, BROWNSVILLE, at the NBM site.

New interviews and reviews can be found at the following links:

The Daily Oklahoman
This Week in New York
Now Read This!

Thanks for considering the book… and looking forward to seeing you at Jim Hanley’s on the 3rd!

We live in a crazy time when pimps are  looked up to by our youth. What happened? When I was a kid, pimps were the bad guys. You couldn’t watch an episode of Starsky and Hutch, Baretta, Mannix, the Mod Squad or even Barnaby Jones without seeing a hard nosed flatfoot taking down some vile pimp. It was a staple of broadcast television! Pimps were mean guys in crazy oufits who lived off the backs of poor young girls who came to the big city seeking fame and fortune only to find drug addiction and sorrow.  Am I the only one who remembers this?

There’s a pimp character in my new book, Vatican Hustle. Like pimps of yore, he’s a bad guy who’s ass is just asking to be kicked. His name is Geech Bradford, the White Pimp, and he’s based on a character I created in the mid ’90’s — Geech Bradford, Teenaged White Pimp. As you can see by the panel above, Geech is still white but he’s not a teenager anymore. Now, he’s a creepy looking older guy with a really bad complexion. Upon drawing the new incarnation of Geech, it ocurred to me that he looked a bit like ’70’s megastar, Mr Paul Williams. While unintentional, I think this is a good thing.

For those too young or too square to know who Paul Williams is, suffice it to say that he is a multi-talented entertainment God! From writing Evergreen (possibly the most saccharine song of all time),  to singing a bunch of hit tunes himself, to acting in such wondrous fare as Battle for the Planet of the Apes, The Cheap Detective, Smokey and the Bandit (and sequels) and Phantom of the Paradise, this little guy had the golden touch! I particularly liked his guest starring role in a classic Odd Couple episode…but I digress.  Believe me,  the guy was everywhere.

Anyway, Geech Bradford is an old school pimp and his encounter with an angry Boss Karate Black Guy Jones ends unpleasantly for this ugly deviant. And that’s the way it should be!

While you’re coming out of your slumber you might find reading THINGS UNDONE to be the pause that refreshes.

Sacramento News & Review said:

“Want to see a zombie? Look inside your self. In short, White has turned horror graphic novels back on their heads by pointing out exactly who is the monster in this tale. Very well done.”

=s=

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art will host Ted Rall presenting his new book The Year of Loving Dangerously, his graphic memoir on a fateful year where the main issue became basic survival… in a very unusual way. The book is beautifully painted by Pablo (Bluesman) Callejo, a first for Ted to just write.

He will talk in person about that year, what it meant to him and the not easy process of bringing this all back up. You can see from recent posts that it’s already garnering great reviews.

So, if you’re in nyc Thursday Dec. 3, come meet Ted Rall and get him to sign some books by him that MoCCA will have which we’ve donated to them to help them raise money.

While saying this may fall short of a must-read, Michael Lorah at Newsarama says:

“Rall does a fine job laying out the story, weaving his year of dangerous love with flashbacks that explain his predicament. It’s an impressive balancing act, and he makes it work. The dialogue is convincing, and most of the women are presented as realized, if perhaps needy, young ladies.

If you’re a fan of comic memoirs, yet maybe a little sick of socially inept, nebbish autobio, Rall provides an effective antidote. “

“You can’t get enough of these characters from page to page; you want to read what other sick shit the Holiest of Holies has gotten himself into lately. You want to see the Boss Karate Black Guy Jones tap some tail and kick some fat ass. Houston’s art is just as exaggerated and over-the-top as his stories, and every character receives the royal and perverted treatment. Tits are huge, wrinkles and saggy jowls are pronounced and packages are spared no expense. Jones’ outfit of platform heels, pin-striped bell bottoms and UFO style afro alone helps make the book massively amusing.”

Comics Waiting Room

“Through White’s impeccable dark humor asnd expressive cartoon-styled art, Rick Watts lives the grand collection of life’s little disasters that are instantly recognizable in our own lives. *** 1/2″

Karen O’Brien, Comics Buyers Guide