Today's the day

Read more at the Cartoonists of Color Draw-In web page. I've posted several links to articles, and a couple mp3's of interviews I and the other guys have done regarding the action.

Geek Tuesday: Iron Man animation, conclusion

February 10 comics page demonstration mentioned in Newsweek

The upcoming February 10 minority cartoonists demonstration was mentioned in the January 28 issue of Newsweek, on page 14. Check it out or see the brief interview online.

Rambo, McCain: It's only a coincidence

Sylvester Stallone today endorsed John McCain, Vietnam POW, for President. I'm sure it absolutely, positively has nothing to do with a certain film that's opening tomorrow. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

Stallone said of McCain, a Vietnam war veteran who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, that "there's something about matching the character with the script."

"And right now, the script that's being written and reality is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged like a rough action film, and you need somebody who's been in that to deal with" it.

...I think.

Geek Tuesday: Iron Man animation, part 2

If only Bush had watched What's Happenin'

If this sort of thing had happened in 2000, it might not have cost me nearly $40 the other day to fill up the tank on my tiny Ford Focus, two towers might still be standing in New York, and the name "Greenland" might remain an oxymoron a little bit longer:

Geek Tuesday: Amazing Iron Man animation

Check this out. If Lemont knew about this, he might not set foot outside his apartment for days, waiting for the next installment:

I Killed Journeyman

If Lemont knew the whole story, he'd probably quit the strip. I know he wouldn't want to work with me ever again.

The truth is: I killed Journeyman. I've concluded that's the only logical explanation. Nearly every show I love ends up canceled by the end of its first season. "Space, Above and Beyond," "Firefly," "Odyssey 5," etc. The television landscape is littered with the corpses of Shows Darrin Loved.

According to someone close to production who e-mailed me today, "Journeyman" isn't dead yet. It's sitting frozen in the driver's seat of an RV that's dangling over a cliff, and NBC hasn't decided whether to save it or let it plunge to an early death. Maybe if I apologize for admiring the show's sophisticated writing, its surprisingly (for network TV) moving acting, and the sense that it's all leading to something big -- maybe if I promise not to watch it anymore -- NBC will save Journeyman. After all, broadcast TV is filled with shows I would never watch, and I'm sure you'd agree that it's no coincidence those shows are successful.

Maybe you never tried Journeyman, or maybe you gave the first couple episodes a try and thought it wasn't going anywhere. If you thought Journeyman started slowly, or you missed the last couple episodes, watch them right here, right now. And then tell me you wouldn't like to see where the next few seasons might have taken us.

Or better yet, tell NBC.

Merry War-on-Christmas!

I'm taking a break from e-mail & the Web until Wednesday, but in the meantime, enjoy this Christmas song.
Merry War-on-Christmas!
-Darrin

Friday Movie: The Jerk

Sometimes revelations that the President's been lying about WMD again and "can't recall" hearing about the CIA's torture-tape coverup make you want to write out a long, detailed, link-filled post. Other times, it can make you want to tune out and watch Steve Martin:

Looking on the Brighter Side, part 1

With all the talk about unsafe amounts of lead in Chinese-manufactured children's toys, toothpaste, etc., nobody ever mentions the positives. For instance, there is some evidence that lead-lined diapers can, on rare occasion, bestow superhuman breakdancing ability.

"Harry Potter" Disapparates from Catholic School

...Last month, students [at St. Joseph's Catholic School] found that their favorite series had "disapparated" from the school library, after St. Joseph's pastor, the Rev. Ron Barker, removed the books, declaring that the themes of witchcraft and sorcery were inappropriate for a Catholic school.
"He said that he thought most children were strong enough to resist the temptation," said one mother who asked that her name not be used because she did not want her family to be singled out. "But he said it's his job to protect the weak and the strong."

Way to go, Reverend Barker. Good thinking. Why, if you let some of your more feeble-minded students read Harry Potter, the next thing you know they're all going to be flying around on Norwegian Ridgeback dragons, trying to coax angry giants out of their caves, or shooting patronuses out of their wands at Dementors, left and right. It would have been utter chaos.

Next I propose they ban Dr. Seuss, just in case any of the slower kids get it into their minds to discriminate against un-starred Sneetches.

Stephen Colbert Meets the Press

Decent satire, but Colbert should think about studying the renowned performance artist Tom Tancredo. Nobody does absurdist humor as well as that guy.

Penguins are always stealing jobs from Latinos

If you live in Houston, you may have noticed that the Chronicle, in an effort to provide entertainment geared toward Houston's large penguin population, has replaced the comic strip La Cucaracha with a strip about a group of penguins living in the Arctic Circle -- a subject that's obviously far more relevant to Houston readers than a strip about Latinos and immigration. The Chronicle has one of the largest comics sections in the nation. Surely they could've found something else to cut (maybe something whose creator died during the Black Plague).

If you're a Houstonite (or if you're not but you still read the paper) and a La Cucaracha fan, let the Chronicle know what you think about that by emailing comics@chron.com or calling 713-362-3222.
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The South's Gayest Comic Strip

Bad timing can be a very funny thing.

This week, Candorville debuted in the Raleigh News & Observer on a trial basis. They'll be testing it out for four weeks. The Raleigh News & Observer is one of the largest papers in the South (Mason-Dixon line and geography notwithstanding, it is the South - you're not fooling anyone, "North" Carolina).

Naturally, the week with which we introduce their solidly-conservative readers to Candorville happens to be a week that discusses civil rights by lampooning a closeted Republican Senator who trolls for gay sex in public restrooms. The readership is predictably amused.

Apparently "Candorville is a hog farm lagoon" is some sort of affectionate Southern colloquialism.

Check out all the other praise, and add your own (ONLY if you live in North Carolina and read the News & Observer) in their online forum. And again ONLY if you're a local News & Observer reader (no cheating, please), the News & Observer wants to hear from you. Write to them and tell them whether you want Candorville at comics@newsobserver.com.

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A letter to hip-hop

C-Dog would not be pleased...

"And now, for a moment of Zen"

Came across this on This Modern World. Thanks to the Internet, our most embarassing moments can now live on forever:

Tom Hanks is James Bond

I would so definitely see this...

If the Media were Liberal...

If the Media were truly Liberal, this (minus the sarcastic bookends) is the kind of thing we'd see during the day after Oprah, instead of after Midnight on a Saturday:

"Stephanie Miller Show" goes slumming with Candorville's Darrin Bell

For some unknown reason, Elayne Boosler, guest hosting the Stephanie Miller Show on Jones Radio Network (& aired on many Air America affiliates), decided to spend a few minutes interviewing yours truly this morning. I didn't post about this beforehand or tell friends or family because it would scare the hell out of me knowing that people were actually listening to me live. "They" say most Americans fear public speaking more than they fear death, and for a cartoonist who's used to spending his days alone, half-naked in a tiny studio with only his characters to keep him company, death would be #3. #2 would be having to wear pants.

Still, I sit for interviews whenever I'm asked because, hell, this is a dream come true for me -- creating cartoons that strangers (who don't owe me anything) spend a few precious, irretrievable seconds out of their days to read -- and when someone asks me to talk about that on the radio or TV or a panel discussion, it's a reminder that it's actually happening, that that little kid who "wasted time" drawing Optimus Prime and Snoopy in his textbooks actually became what he wanted to be.

Here's the interview. Behind this buffer of time, it isn't so scary. From today's Stephanie Miller Show: