During the pre-relaunch atrophy downtime of the blog, a number of bits of relevant news cropped up. Stuff that actually has bearing on my writing and career, as opposed to the general interest stories I feel compelled to comment on (you’ll note I am bravely resisting the urge to jump on the comedy-gold bandwagon that is Rob Ford and his recent unrevealing revelation that he did indeed smoke crack, but only because he was in a drunken stupor).

Let me give these pieces of publishing news their due on the blog before even more time passes.

First up, we have the work of Dr. Hannah Miodrag, author of Comics and Language: Reimagining Critical Discourse on the Form. Recently she wrote the article “Narrative Breakdown in The Long and Unlearned Life of Roland Gethers” for the Comics Forum which offers more academic insight into my work than I’m prepared to offer myself. Just because I wrote and illustrated the thing doesn’t mean I’m qualified to understand it. I’m no doctor. I’m barely a B.A.

Then we have the appearance of more Longshot Comics material in L’art de la bande dessinée, which is a rather ginormous encyclopedia of comics that covers everybody who’s anybody. I guess I qualify as a somebody since I’m represented. Flip all the way to page 32 of nearly 600 pages and you’ll see a reprint of one of my Movies in Longshot strips. I know you’ll buy the book just for that.

And for good measure, I need to mention that the fine folks at Proglo Edizioni have released their Italian translation of Longshot Comics Book Two: The Failed Promise of Bradley Gethers. I don’t know when this came out in Italy – the copyright notice is for 2011 – but I got my copies relatively recently. Once again, they offer more slavishly respectful handing of my material that makes me feel like some sort of legit artist who maybe doesn’t deserve to eat shit the way I’m required to in certain other writing endeavours that shall remain nameless (if easily guessable).

There you have it, a quick check list of what’s seen print lately, with no endless, fevered (literally – I was sick) blathering about ancient monetary history. And no mean-spirited levity at the expense of a sad, morbidly obese crackhead who should really be spending his money on a decent tailor rather than booze. Or crack.

Instead, allow me to close with this note of support for the embattled Toronto mayor:

Rob Ford, whatever his flaws, is a vital and essential figure in North American politics. We need him and we need him desperately. Who else, I ask you, can make Governor Chris Christie seem absolutely svelte?

The answer, my friends, is no one.

Good day.