Glorkian! GO!

James Kochalka has teamed up with the indie game studio Pixeljam to make something he's wanted for a long time - his very own video game! I'm not even into games, but I think this is going to awesome.

They are trying to raise enough money to get the project going, and are offering some pretty amazing rewards for everybody who helps in any way. More details on the game (including an ace little animation with the american elf talking in a voice that doesn't sound anything like the voice i had for james kochalka in my head) and on how to help them reach their $10000 target at kickstart.com.


www.kickstarter.com
www.americanelf.com

Brian's Hellboy Sketchbook

When doing a google search for a specific Hellboy cover the other day, I came across Brian's hellboy sketchbook flickr set. As the name suggests, the picture gallery is a personall collection of Hellboy commissions by lots of great artists like James Kochalka, Dave Crosland, Skottie Young, Cameron Stewart, Humberto Ramos, Erik Larsen and lots lots more.

Thank you to Brian Hall for sharing his collection on flickr.

www.flickr.com/photos/transmission3000/sets/72157602065053540

Real life

The other day I was reading Anna Petterson's (one of the main characters of Marc Ellerby's comic Ellerbisms) comments about how weird it is to be parf of an autbiographical comic and have so much of your life shared with people you don't know, and I realized it's also kind of weird for us, readers, to see characters we are so used to, and whose life we know so much of, as real-life people.

I always find it strange and amusing to see a real photograph or video of somebody I know so well in the cartoon form... I guess that in my head, I almost expect them to be animated. Here's some of my favourite comic people, and the corresponding flesh-and-blood versions of themselves in all their glory.

James Kochalka - The American Elf

Adam Cadwell - The Everyday
  Natasha Allegri - Normal life
   Emi Lenox - Emitown

Marc Ellerby - Ellerbisms
Jacob Borshard - Creebobby
Lucy Knisley - ArtJournal

Super person of the week: James Kochalka

James Kochalka is one of my top heroes. His daily comic strip "The American Elf" has been going on for 10 years now, portraying every day life in a way that only he can do.

In just 3 or 4 pannels a day, he manages to document different aspects of his life in a clever, funny and most endearing way.



He has published numerous books, including including three collections of the American Elf strips, the also full of autobiographical references Magic boy and the Robot Elf, and one of my all time favourites Monkey vs Robot.

www.americanelf.com

Marvel's Strange Tales Max is finally out!

I'd been anxiously waiting for Strange Tales Max since reading about it on the fantagraphics blog a couple of months ago, and the first issue (of three) is finally out now. The anthology showcases classic Marvel characters re-imagined by lots of great indepedent artists. I haven't got my copy yet, but the idea of Jason, James Kochalka, and Junko Mizuno drawing marvel heroes is almost too good to be true.

Issue # 1 features James Kochalka, Paul Pope, Peter Badge, Junko Mizuno, Molly Crabapple, John Leavuttm, Dash Shaw, Johnny ryan, Michael Kupperman, Nick Bertozzi and Nicholas Gurewich. Woot!