News archive February, 2008
Posted by Winter on February 28, 2008
The MSA Craft Studio is having a class on How to Draw a Comic Strip. It’s on Saturday, March 15 from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Brady Commons on the MU campus. Cost: MU Students $16 / MU Faculty & Staff $20 / Public $24. A class description:
Got something to say? Say it through your very own comic strip characters. This workshop will show you how to create three-panel comic strips and discuss basic concepts of drawing and character development.
As I wrote below, the craft studio also has a lot of other arty classes listed this semester that you can check out.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Josh on February 25, 2008

Mizzou Magazine has a slide show of comics that appeared from the 1920s-60s in Missouri Showme, a MU student-created magazine. You can also find them in the Spring 2008 issue.
Posted in: History
Posted by Winter on February 19, 2008

Friday, February 22nd:
The MU University Bookstore is putting on a Zine Fest from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. in Brady Commons. I don’t have the details of what it involves, but you might check the bookstore’s staff blog as it develops.
Update: The bookstore had about three tables full of zines for sale right outside the bookstore, and they had a table full of zine making materials too. Scott Z. was the only local creator that had books there. If you want to sell your stuff at the bookstore, feel free to contact them.
Saturday, February 23rd:
The MSA Craft Studio is having a class on zines from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Brady Commons. Cost: MU Students $16 / MU Faculty & Staff $20 / Public $24. A class description:
Zines are like printed blogs where you can publish your thoughts and drawings in booklets instead of the internet. Zines, popular in underground communities for decades, are finally making their way to mainstream bookstores. Let the Craft Studio show you why these booklets are so popular and help you start your own manifesto.
The craft studio also has a lot of other arty classes listed this semester that you can check out.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Winter on February 16, 2008
Cartoonist John Darkow of the Columbia Daily Tribune wants to know if you can outwit him by providing a caption for a cartoon he’s drawn.
The deadline for entries is right around the corner: Midnight, Sun., Feb. 17, 2008. The winner will receive a copy of 2008 Best Political Cartoons of the Year by Daryl Cagle, and they’ll get their winning entry published in the Tribune.
Update: The Tribune has a winner.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Winter on February 13, 2008
Recent MU grad Jim Gibbons has joined Wizard Entertainment as an Online Editor according to a press release. He will be searching for breaking stories, supervising and coordinating activities on the website and serving as the administrator for the Wizard Universe message boards.
He graduated in December from the University of Missouri with degrees in Journalism and Classical Humanities. As a student he worked as a freelancer and intern at Wizard Magazine, so he does have some background experience with the company. While in town here he worked on the Maneater and the Columbia Missourian. At the Missourian he wrote about comics creators in the midwest, and even did a story about the midmococo.
Update: Check out this interview Jim recently did at Wizard with Kansas City writer Jason Aaron, writer of Scalped for DC/Vertigo and Wolverine & Ghost Rider for Marvel.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Winter on February 13, 2008
Comic writer Steve Gerber passed away last Sunday, February 10th. He had been ill for a while and was battling pulmonary fibrosis which is a lung condition.
I’m covering this here on this blog because he graduated from the University of Missouri. He was born in St. Louis, and attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis for most of college and finished off his bachelors degree by attending the University of Missouri-Columbia for the Fall 1967 semester. According to his myspace page, he majored in Broadcasting as an undergrad. Gerber later went back to St. Louis University for a graduate degree in Speech-Communications.
Of course he later went on to write many notable comic books for both big and small publishers. He is probably best known for his creation of Howard the Duck in 1973. Gerber commented about Howard’s popularity in a Columbia Missourian story that ran on May 6, 1977. “People like the weirdness of the duck,” he said. “He won’t take bull from anyone, and he doesn’t have any superpowers.” The newspaper story also notes that he named Howard the Duck’s companion Bevery Switzler after the Switzler Hall building on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus.
The Star Clipper comic store in St. Louis has a blog post about his death as well. They’re going to be sending a condolence card to his mother who still lives in St. Louis, and if you want to add anything to the card, feel free to drop them a line or comment on their blog.
Update: Fellow mid-Missourian Mercurie has an in depth blog post about his passing.
Second update: The comics reporter has organized a page with links to Gerber tributes.
Posted in: History
Posted by Winter on February 6, 2008
The animated movie Persepolis, based on the graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi, is starting at the Ragtag Cinema on February 13th (Showtimes have yet to be set). The movie has been liked by critics for the most part, and it’s been chalking up awards at film festivals as well.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Posted by Josh on February 4, 2008





Even though the Artisan was unexpectedly closed this Sunday, we still managed to get our meeting going across the street which resulted in a two-page jam. We were having such a good time that we migrated over to Gumby’s Pizza for a trial run of the Pictures and Pitchers and churned out three more jams. With the last two, we deviated from the regular jam session and tried our hand at the exquisite corpse. With the last one, we tried drawing the sections without looking at the other parts of the picture. I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be, but making it was fun.
Be ready to do it again on Saturday at the Pictures and Pitchers event.
Posted in: Comic jams