I apologize if this blog falls rather comatose through the summer months. I’m presently working on the end portions of Volume 2 and a related, sizable project I’ll talk more about later. Here’s some more filler material and ask-box responses for the interim, though.
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More text and stupid pictures after the break.
While on the unfortunate topic of stolen art, I suppose I’ll go ahead and ask a 4th of July favor. If you see fireworks with Lackadaisy art on the packaging, please don’t buy it. The art is stolen - no less than 7 different paintings. I’ve known about this for about a year, but so far all attempts to contact the manufacturer/distributor have yielded no response or left me at voice messaging dead ends.
These photos are from someone who spotted them and was kind enough to contact me about it.
Jake’s Fireworks is the name of the company, and they appear to do their own manufacturing in China (which ostensibly means they create their own packaging too).
The product listing is here on their site and in their wholesale catalog.
Please don’t send any well-intentioned emails to them or anything. I’m trying to resolve this without resorting to anger and threatening messages. Jake’s Fireworks distributes all over the place, though, so I’m just putting out a request for anyone who might be in the market for holiday fireworks to not buy any with stolen art on them. =/
Anonymous asked you:
I know its not lackadaisy related, but did you allow anyone to use your characters? I just saw my compatriots playing a slot machine app on his ipad called cat slots: kitten cartel. It looks live they are using a cheap knock off of mitzy, atlas, wick, etc.
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No, it’s not authorized. I’ll have to download it to get a closer look, but it appears they might have copied, modified and recolored my work. Unfortunately, with art in a state of mostly copied but not directly stolen, it’s not likely there’s anything I can do about it (except fume silently).
still-the-best-1973 submitted:
Hello there! I’m a longtime reader of the comic and a fairly large fan, and as my way of thanks for brightening my day with your bootlegging feline shenanigans for the past four-or-something years, I wanted to share this with you; the first track of what I hope to eventually turn into a small three-or-four track EP inspired by Lackadaisy! I’ve been working on the project on and off for about two years now (inbetween the many other projects I’ve spread myself over in that time), but I hope to have the whole thing finished in no more then maybe a couple of months. In the meantime, however, I hope this silly little jazzy ditty I’ve put together puts a smile on your face!
- Decon
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That was a fun listen - it did put a smile on my face. Thank you so much! I’m honored, really, and reminded that as much as I draw comics selfishly for my own gratification, it’s probably the resulting creative transactions with other types of artists that make it most worthwhile.
cinnamonpug submitted:
I didn’t realize my baby sis was looking over my shoulder as I was reading Lackadaisy until I heard her break into uncontrollable giggles at one of Rocky’s expressions. I decided to let her look at the pictures, figuring the heavy subject matter would go over her head. She was completely enchanted and began drawing pictures of the characters. She claims this portrait of Rocky is the best drawing she’s ever done :)
Rocky by Sunny, age 6
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I had a pretty crummy week, but this made it so much better I almost cried.
I’m okay. Thanks for asking. I ‘m sorry I don’t have anything very substantial to share right now - I’m working on that - but I’ll post some small stuff here this weekend.
It’s kind of an imitation of the sort of posturing cats do when they’re bristling at each other and threatening violence - they turn their heads down, pin back their ears and glare daggers. It’s just intended to put an occasional predatory animal angle on Mordecai’s otherwise bookish countenance.
It’s available here in two sizes.
Thanks for your interest!
It has been optioned before, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot unless all of the right pieces happen to fall into all the right places all at the right moment…or you have an IP that’s just so wildly, phenomenally successful that producers with the right connections are clamoring over it.
I don’t know if I would want it to be a show. That would depend on a lot of things, like how much creative control I’d be able to maintain…which would probably be little to none, and I care too much about the whole thing to relinquish it to someone else. Anyway, dwelling on it isn’t warranted. It’s not threatening to happen.
It’d be fair to say he’s a little angry at everyone about everything.
(nabbed from James Sturm’s article on www.cartoonstudies.org)
Chuck Forsman and Melissa Mendes were kind enough to return to WRJ last week as visiting artists. They talked about their comics, Oily Comics, and life after CCS. During the Q&A a student asked what advice they wish they had…
