LOCAL KICKSTARTER ARTISTS RECEPTION

Tomorrow night in Minneapolis, the Walker Art Center will host a Local Kickstarter Artists Reception, which will feature yours truly (raighne here). The event runs from 5pm-9pm, and in between, there will a Free Lecture with Kickstarter co-founder, Yancey Strickler. At the event, I will have copies of Motherlover and Little Heart. Of which, the later is on sale -- 50% OFF (now only 10$ a pop!).

photo by Noah or Robin or someone maybe?

The full list of creatives at the event are as follows: Patrick Burke, Ethan Soper, Ariah Fine, Dale Flattum, Ben Harkins, Caitlin Rae Hargatan (+Screen Printing on the Cheap), John Harris, Raighne Hogan (duh), Roxie Lubanovic, Gordon McAlpin, Joshua Nite, John Noltner, Leslie Ostrander, Matt Marka, Leo Padron, Matthew Plumstead, Carl Thompson

Pretty rad right? Hope to see yah there!

also, if youre on fb, here is a link to a little event page i set-up:

http://www.facebook.com/events/292321174212505/

Twin Cities Book Fest this SATURDAY

2dc is returning to the MN State Fairgrounds once again this weekend -- this time with Will Dinski repping / pimping / signing his latest and greatest, Ablatio Penis. Both Justin and I (Raighne) will be milling around the show floor and behind the table this time too. I'll be there when the doors open, and Justin will be there when they close, so if you like one of us more than the other, plan accordingly!

As it’s autumn out, we’ll have our fall colors surrounding AP -- expect to see Christopher Adams' 2dc debut comic Period as well as Justin's newest little inscrutable menace, RDCD Fist 1.5.

As always, the usual 2dc party favors will be on hand too, such as the on sale Little Heart (50% off!! just try and dodge that deal), the quiet beauty Startled Maggie, the wordless fable Things You Carry, the dirty Minnesotan flavors of Motherlover, Noah Van Sciver’s Ignatz nominated The Death of Elijah Lovejoy, and so on. So VISIT US already!! You won’t be disappointed, promise. 

2dc Blop Gost

Thought I'd start out this post by thanking everyone who helped make our recent trip down to chi-town memorable. Our gracious host, friend, and tireless zinefest co-organizer, Neil Brideau, can be found in the vid above putting forth some of his feelings on why zines matter to him. From what I observed that weekend, Neil seems to have unlimited energy and willingness to do whatever is in his power to make the fest a good experience for everyone. I remember being on the couch sleeping when I heard him come in around 1-2 a.m. after the zine olympics Friday night at Quimby's, only to be out the door again around 7ish for the fest at Columbia College. The guy's a machine! Anyway, thanks Neil and everyone who stopped by the 2dc table, we'll be back down in a couple of months for CAKE, which, from what I've heard thus far, should be off some sort of chain.

In further praise of near herculean feats, my co-publisher and crazyman extraordinaire, Raighne Hogan, along with a plethora of people too numerous to list here (don't want to risk leaving anyone out!) have all rallied together to make our first benefit anthology, Little Heart, a reality! Raighne and I had our misgivings as we departed for Chicago to attend CZF, as progress had stalled out for a few days at 46%, but the final week saw a very strong surge of support that helped push it over the top. When all was said and done, $9,779 was raised, which will be going into improving the book. Seeing how frazzled Raighne was becoming over making this kickstarter happen (part of why some people may not have seen him making the rounds at CZF this year, as he was taking it easy behind the table most of the day), I'm glad it wasn't for naught, as he really put a lot of himself into this book. Raighne will be providing more updates on the book soon, but for now a massive thanks to everyone who made this happen and you'll be seeing us at TCAF, where the book will debut!

Pornhounds 2 continues to accrue praise, this time from Daniel Elkin over at Comics Bulletin. In a very thoughtful review that touches on a lot of the prominent themes (and tosses in a Videodrome reference for bonus points), Daniel surmises: 

Pornhounds 2 is another incredible example of the possibilities of comics. It is a confessional, thoughtful, funny, and empowering story told by someone clearly in command of her craft. All the artists on the book contribute to the book's overall effect, adding emotional tones and focus that would not exist were this story presented in any other medium. It is a great comic book.

While PH2 is back in stock, Pornhounds 1 is out of stock again, so for those of you who have or are looking to order a copy, hold tight, more are on their way!

Raighne and I had the pleasure of chatting briefly with Matt Brady at CZF this year, who was gracious enough to have a go at two of our big releases from last year, Motherlover and Things You Carry. Vincent's book was a bit of a head scratcher for Matt, and understandably so. It's a fairly open-ended work, one that welcomes a wide range of interpretations, which for me is part of its appeal. Raighne and I have had the privilege of hearing Vincent talk about the book on numerous occasions, which has brought many insights to light that I would have otherwise missed. Even without the author's intent(s) rattling around in your head, I had fun reading this book and teasing out my own meaning before I ever heard Vincent talk about it. Despite the bouts of confusion on Matt's end, the quote below encapsulates what he took away from the book:

It's weird stuff, but it's pretty gorgeously drawn, with chunky ink lines marking out all the jumbled details of wrecked buildings, clouds that seem to be alive billowing through the scenery, stacks of oddly orderly piles of papers, and what might be an even more apocalyptic ending. This is weird shit, but I dig it. Maybe someday somebody can explain it to me, but I'll be enjoying the mental imagery it provides whether that ever happens or not.

Moving on to Motherlover, Matt wasn't exactly sold on this book, but "...while it's not necessarily something I would seek out, I'm glad I read it, just to get a feel for what kind of comics they make." I can see where he was coming from with how this book struck him, but how he took it was sort of the point. This is a book that explores the ennui and confusion of youth in multiple ways, which doesn't always make for pleasant reading. Raighne and myself are drawn to these kinds of stories and cartooning styles, as they resonate with both of us in ways we don't find a lot of, at least locally, and this book was our way of adding that dimension to the collective voice of the Minneapolis scene, for better or worse. But enough defense, to each his own, and thanks Matt for taking the time to put some thoughts down on both books for us. Better to elicit a less favorable reaction than no reaction at all!

Check back here in a few weeks for more on 2dc's April events: Stumptown with Vincent/King Mini Stall and a one of a kind release party for Prizon Food vol. 2!

Motherlover Press Release!

2D Cloud is proud to present Motherlover, an anthology in the vein of Drawn & Quarterly Showcase with a focus on some of our favorite Minnesota-based artists. In finer comic shops and bookstores in mid-February 2012!

Minneapolis, MN – January 12th 2012:

“The darkness of this book’s themes should not daunt an adventurous reader, because Motherlover explores work that is both emotionally powerful and uncomfortably familiar.”

- Rob Clough, comics critic for The Comics Journal & High-Low

Motherlover has its roots deeply embedded in Minnesota, with the four creators involved in the book hailing from different corners of the state: Nicholas Breutzman from Rochester, brothers John & Luke Holden from Bemidji, and Raighne Hogan from Minneapolis. The stories themselves have pronounced autobiographical undercurrents, each exploring the tensions, confusion, and mis-perceptions of youth. For some, these feelings circle around sex and how it can be a source of mystery or frustration, depending on where one is in life and the world. Others encounter the loneliness and ennui that is found just as easily in both rural and urban environs. These themes help illuminate much of the push and pull in Minnesota for a lot of creative types – something that compels us to venture beyond our borders, yet that same something that draws most of us back again. While these sentiments can certainly be found throughout the work, there is plenty to be discovered that’s not restricted to any particular locality.

About the Artists:

Nicholas Breutzman is the cartoonist behind the graphic novella Yearbooks, which came in at #24 in The Comics Journal’s top 50 comics of 2009 and was nominated for inclusion in Best American Comics 2010 by Neil Gaiman. His work has also been featured in anthologies like the Good Minnesotan series as well as Critical Citadel and more recently Pornhounds 2, with Sharon Lintz. Nic’s story You Can’t Be Here, featured in Motherlover, was also recently announced as a Best American Comics Notable for 2011.

Luke Holden, maker of zines, adventures, and art. Luke and his brother John are frequent collaborators in various creative projects, from punk/jazzy-guitar/folk music to spoken word, zines, and comics. Their work has appeared together and separately in the pages of Good Minnesotan as well as their zine series, Detrimental Information.

John Holden is a spoken-word artist and lapsed video blogger — at their height, his videos reached nearly 2 million hits on Youtube. John’s writings have been illustrated by his brother Luke and his friend Nic Breutzman in the pages of the Detrimental Information series and the Good Minnesotan anthology respectively.

Raighne Hogan is the co-publisher of 2D Cloud and colorist behind Yearbooks, Motherlover, and the covers of several 2D Cloud releases. Raighne’s past work has appeared in the Good Minnesotan anthology series, which he also acted as lead editor for during its four-issue run.

About the publisher:

2D Cloud is a micro-press comics publisher based in Minneapolis, MN. They publish paper-craft art books, minicomics, and graphic novels by an assortment of creatives, such as Noah Van Sciver, Nic Breutzman, and Vincent ‘King Mini’ Stall, amongst others. Recent releases include Things You Carry by Vincent Stall and The Death of Elijah Lovejoy by Noah Van Sciver, hailed by The Comics Journal’s Rob Clough as “…his single strongest work to date.” and that his involvement with 2D Cloud made “…this the best looking comic of his career”. Another semi-recent 2D Cloud release, Good Minnesotan 4, placed at #2 in The Comic Journal’s Top 50 Minis of 2010

Motherlover was made possible via a kickstarter. 

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Best American Comics Notables: Nicholas Breutzman

Nic Breutzman, as you may recall, has two stories in Motherlover; Photograph and You Can't be Here. The latter of which was recently selected as a Best American Comics 2011 Notable! Woohoo! He was also recently featured in Metro Magazine with an exclusive comic focusing a bit on Saint Paul! Go check it out!

That comic sorta ties into a new book that Nic has been beavering away on for the past two years or so. We will begin serializing it online early next year. More on that later. If you would like a peek, the first nine or so pages were previewed and featured on MPLS.TV a month or two back. The image at top is from said book. And if it isn't obvious, I colored 'dem pages.

For reference:
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:

Motherlover is now in the shop and Nic has some more collaborative work with Sharon Lintz via Pornhounds 2 in the shop as well. We will have more news on that soon. In the meantime, why don't you visit Pornhounds.net