Ah summer, a time of cervezas, unchecked turpitude, and the inevitable fallout known as August. Guess no one told us summer has arrived, because 2D Cloud has been too busy pestering our friends (that's you) and loved ones (that's probably you) about this little project known as Good Minnesotan 4. Raighne slaved over this gem of a anthology earlier this spring and has just about rallied the last of our new troops into what will be our finest hour as promoters of local comics/sequential artists.
Check it:
+$110 (Non-internet monies)= an astounding collection of cartoonists/artists who are just mere weeks away from being gathered together within the snug confines of ink-slathered elephant poop paper! Thanks so much to everyone who threw down some money, especially in these times of broketude to help us fund this thing. We are beyond grateful and we hope you enjoy the gifts that will be making their way into your hands in the coming weeks. Now comes the fun part for us, nailing down who is printing this (as of now the covers will be going to the Lab and the comics will likely be printed under the watchful eye of the masterful Tom K. of Mome/Uncivilized Books fame) and then getting these guys assembled in time for MIX! Can't wait to see this thing fully grown. Doing these anthologies over the past three years has been great and we hope people enjoy this final installment as much as I know we have and will. A side note: although we didn't raise double the goal amount, we will still be aiming to print twice the projected copies, meaning 500 instead of 250!To segue ungracefully to last weekend, thanks to Zak Sally for his gracious invite to be a part of his 2nd Annual Report (can't help but think of the Throbbing Gristle record of the same name every time I hear this title, hope it was a reference). It was fun sharing horizontal door space with Tom K. and Camden/Cole's noise ephemera while sweating to the faint hum of aged arcade machines. Was definitely a memorable summer show, we hope to do it again if Zak will have us.
Rounding off a week of greatness for 2D Cloud was another shot in the arm from our staunch supporter and discerning comics connoisseur Shannon Smith on his minicomics blog File Under Other. As usual, Shannon doesn't hesitate to surround us with impressive company in his reviews of our anthologies, as evidenced by lines like:
Like Kramers Ergot or Mome, Good Minnesotan is a really good snapshot of the state of alt comics at the moment of production. But unlike Kramers or Mome the product has a much more home made feel.
Although I typically feel a little sheepish putting our books in league with these captains of industry, I do feel our final issue reaches as close to the lofty standards those books set than any of our prior anthologies. Thanks as always to Shannon and best of luck with the book he just edited, Shiot Crock Sixteen!
And finally, I, Justin Skarhus, will hopefully be making semi-regular appearances on this and the Itchykeen Art Fiends blog from here on out, as I'm now along with Raighne the co-publisher of 2D Cloud. I've been working with Raighne on comics we never made since we were in high school and I'm looking forward to our 'formal' partnership at the helm of 2D Cloud. Look for 2D Cloud as repped by Shaun Feltz at the Caffetto Craft Fair on Sunday!
