from the Omaha Reader

When I go to cartoon lunch, I normally go to the same McDonald’s. This McDonald’s is pretty popular with the older crowd, particularly older folks who seem to be missing a few bolts. They’re usually fairly noisy, either talking to themselves or striking up random conversations with fellow diners.

I’m normally really tolerant of it because it’s kind of a unique clique of people who mean no harm, and it’s often pretty amusing. Lately though, they’ve been particularly aggressive — and not particularly effective — when it comes to singling out targets of random conversation.

This was a situation I observed today, translated to comic form.

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from the Lincoln Journal Star

Some of you may be surprised to learn that I’m not just a limousine ridin’, jet flyin’, kiss stealin’, wheelin’ dealin’ editorial cartoonist, but an illustrator as well.

Well this summer, I finished the work for “I’m All Boy and That’s a Fact,” a children’s book written by Lincolnite Katie Theisen. Now, after Katie has put in more than six months of phone calls and e-mails, I have just received word that the book is done!

Though the website still has a few typos, Trafford Publishing now has the book available on its online store. The book will be available from Amazon and Borders over the next few weeks.

I thought Katie’s bio on the page was cool, giving some insight into the origin of this story.

Katie Theisen, wife and mother of three, began writing short stories in 2005 with the inspiration of her middle child. She wrote stories for him using real situations that he got himself into. Her intent was to make her five year old son feel normal in a world where there is too much pressure for children to act grown up. She wrote “I’m All Boy and That’s a Fact!” as a gift for him after he completed a tough year of preschool. He loved it so much that they decided to share it with others.

It was a fun book to illustrate, and I told her I actually got a little sad when I completed the last page. It was like I’d spent a few months with the little boy that’s the main character. She assured me that there will be a follow up.

from the San Diego Reader

from the Omaha Reader

from the Lincoln Journal Star

Over the past several years, I’ve been asked about working for the San Diego Reader, what it’s like, what’s publisher Jim Holman like, stuff like that. I’m a freelancer, so I don’t work in the offices, but I can say that I’m really proud to work for that paper (and I doubt anyone from the paper reads this blog, so I’m not just kissing up). I’m in a job where I am expected to stand for things, and as one anonymous person recently said in a comment elsewhere, “the Reader has consistently been [San Diego's] one source of reporting on insider deals without evidencing any fear of retaliation.”

The origin of the questions often has to do with Holman’s personal politics, his involvement in anti-abortion campaigns and whatnot. I can honestly say I worked for the reader for at least 3 years, probably 4, before I had any idea whatsoever that he had any personal political causes, and I only found out because the Union-Tribune did a story on him. Never had any of his personal politics even remotely crept into the work I was doing — and I obviously do very political work.

Unfortunately, since there really is nothing to attack the guy for, his critics often seem to just assemble lists of facts, hoping that these facts will look like they expose some shady underbelly of the San Diego Reader, when instead, they do the exact opposite and reveal the integrity of the guy running the paper.

Take the latest hit piece from Voice of San Diego’s Seth Hettena: Little to Read in San Diego’s Reader. It’s basically an attack on the Reader that substitutes lists of advertisers and story headlines in place of actual critiques (Hey! The Reader runs ads from cosmetic surgeons! What a bunch of losers!).

Hettena is clever, creating a scenario in which the Reader can’t really defend itself. It sucks because the stories are crap and they’re phoned in. Um, excuse me Mr. Hettena, but the paper has won plenty of awards for its journalism. Oh … well nobody cares about awards! The Reader sucks! (more…)

from the San Diego Reader