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Link to Steve Willis interview
Interview with
Steve Willis

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MF.com's photo report on Stumptown Comic Fest 2008

The Michael Roden Benefit Portfolio
Michael Roden Portfolio
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and Order

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Bug Infested Comics
Review: Allen Freeman
Review: Joe Gordon
Review: Shannon Smith
Bug Infested History

Interviews with
Doc Boucher
DC McNamara
Joe Wehrle Jr.
Steve Willis

Media Report Comix
Media Report Comix
Review: Dan W. Taylor
Review: Kevin Bramer

Zinography for
DC McNamara
Rick McCollum
Bob Vojtko
Joe Wehrle Jr.

2008 Desk Calendar

Midnight Fiction
2008 Desk Calendar

Featuring the work of over a dozen top cartoonists from the small press and alternative comics scene:
• Sean Azzopardi
• Scott Ball
• Hunt Emerson
• Brad W. Foster
• Allen Freeman
• R. Krauss
• DC McNamara
• John Porcellino
• Bill Shut
• Jim Siergey
• Dan W. Taylor
• Bob Vojtko
• Steve Willis
The calendar fits into a calendar-style jewel case.
Download free PDF 
Order Printed Version

Sgt. A-Wall imageBob Vojtko was a major contributor to the newave comix scene. Check out our listing of the Vojtkomics library of laffs.

Links Page
Latest Additions

Artists:
Lane, Tim
Stratu

Writers:
Konrath, JA
Wells, Shirley

Gag Cartoonists
Feuti, Norm
Ricketts, Mark

Distros:
Secret Headquarters

Collectives/Publishers:
New Reliable Press

Free PDFs:
JA Konrath

Social Networks
Jay Lynch

More Comix

Horse Opera

Those Non-Reproducing
Blues

Bar Fly Theater

Nora Talbot

Simon Smith and Ronald Moss

Larry Lagoon

da boids

Farlie Fan in Cream City

Illustrations

Space and Time

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This week's feature:
Suzy by Richard O'Brien & Bob Vojtko

Click on a comic strip or here for a larger view.comic strip

comic strip

comic strip Previous                             Aug 30: A snapshot in time   

Backstory

The feminist side of Suzy was careful to question the traditional roles and goals of women in the mid-80's. But she found baby Helmut irresistible and jumped at the chance to babysit for him. Besides his unusual name Helmut was a typical baby boy. He was cute, inquisitive, and delighted in learning every new thing as he explored the world around him. Like other famous comic strip babies, Helmut was more of a deep thinker than a talker. His candid observations about his older playmates were often wise beyond his years.

The full collection of Suzy comic strips are available in a softbound book here.

Permalink to Suzy page 6.


The Mourning Star coverThis week's reviews:
The Mourning Star
by Kazimir Strzepek

With a cast of dozens of recurring characters Strzepek's epic series The Mourning Star is ambitious and richly imaginative. Set in a post disaster world, civilization struggles to reassert itself as splintered factions and bands vie for power and control or perhaps just some level of normalcy in a chaotic landscape.

Strzepek seems immersed in his epic story. He seems to know so much about his characters, their history, customs, and individual quirks that it spills effortlessly through his narrative and dialogue. His storytelling is crisp and the action moves along at a satisfying pace, yet he's able to savor the details and reveal them in an almost leisurely manner.

The story is graphically violent in places, but Strzepek's cartoony style softens its rawest moments and there's often a twinkle of sarcastic humor behind his character's facades. The story takes place over a wide range of environments from deserts to mountains and from ruins to bustling villages.The characters are inventive and original, like the dream eaters who take up residence inside their host's mouths for the night and feast on their dreams and nightmares.

Panels from The Mourning Star

I liked the square format of this volume and its pages. The page layouts vary continually and the chapters alternate between pages with white and black margins adding to the visual excitement.

This is a wonderfully imaginative and entertaining story told in comic form. I whole heartedly recommend it, but be aware that the story is continued in a future volume. Also, I must mention that the binding on the copy I bought was defective and the cover separated from the pages as I read it. It's certainly possible I got a single bad copy, but you may want to see it in person so you can examine the binding before buying your copy.

The Mourning Star is 220 b&w pages plus color cover, with perfect binding. It's available for $13 from publisher Bodega and other booksellers.

Permalink for review of The Mourning Star.


A Darker Side coverA Darker Side
by Shirley Wells

The second murder mystery novel with forensic psychologist Jill Kennedy and Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Max Trentham follows Into the Shadows, from 2007. As the story opens Jill is taking a break from detective work, but soon finds herself tangled in a web of mystery when a seventeen-year-old schoolboy is reported missing.

Wells weaves an intriguing tale of mystery with false leads and a surly cast of prickly suspects, each with their own disagreeable backstories they feel worthy of covering up. The main story progresses briskly and Wells adds a nice mix of subplots. Foremost of which is the fragile relationship between Jill and Max; that colors their every thought and action.

Wells lives in Lancashire, where the story takes place. She brings the warmth and richness of the English countryside to the tale, flavoring it with the local culture, customs, and language.

If you like your mysteries with an anxious romantic subplot entwined with the twists and turns of a gripping hunt for a killer, you'll enjoy this fast-paced, well-written crime novel. Published by Soho Constable, it's available in hardcover or Kindle edition from Amazon and other booksellers. Shirley Wells' blog.

Permalink for review of A Darker Side.


Real Magicalism coverAugust 23, 2008 Blog Entry
Midnight Ramblings

Real Magicalism
A new b&w anthology was announced this week that features both graphic and prose fiction. Real Magicalism captures the place between waking and sleeping, that nexus between the real and unreal, where things aren’t always what they seem. Think of them as O’Henry stories, but with "snark." You can find out more here. Contributors include: James Burns (Editor), Mark Campos, Egg Embry, Jason Flowers, Ron Fortier, Chris Hamer, Jesse Jarnow, Gonzalo Martinez, Bobby Nash, Jessie Nelson, Jaymes Reed, Terry Staats, Damion Suomi, and Matthew Warlick.

The Pit and the Pendulum DVD
Production company Ray Harryhausen Presents announced their first animated short DVD this week, The Pit and the Pendulum. The classic story by Edgar Allen Poe was adapted by animator Marc Lougee and is now available on DVD.

Captain Cure
Small press comiker Ty Wakefield is well into production on a new project. This one is Captain Cure. A young boy named Jack, diagnosed with cancer, learns of a weird side effect of his chemo: super powers! Ty is taking pre-orders on the $3 book, which will be available in October. All sales proceeds go to help families and foundations in their fight against cancer. More details here.

Ladeez Nite
Cartoonist and punster Hilary Barta announced an eight page story on ComicMix this week written by John Ostrander and drawn by Barta. It's a beautifully rendered and colored story about the horny misfits at Munden's Bar and their transformational behavior.

NetDrag
Crime fiction author Bill Cameron was interviewed on Ken Lewis' NetDrag podcast about his first novel Lost Dog and his latest book, Chasing Smoke, that debuts in November. NetDrag website. Bill Cameron Mysteries website.

Permalink for Midnight Ramblings August 23rd blog entry.

Publishing Metrics of Free PDF Publications Special Report

There are thousands of free PDF files available to download from the web. The PDF format offers many of the benefits of a webpage—full color, small file size, and interactivity. But it's also portable, and unlike webpages, it delivers its content intact, both onscreen and when printed. The PDF format ensures the designer's layout, graphics, and typography will be consistent for readers across platforms and viewing applications. MF.com interviewed several small press comics and pulp fiction creators to explore the appeal of the format, their reader's response, and their overall experiences with PDF publishing. (Note: Responses were made in July 2008.)

Participants:
Josh Blair, Editor and Publisher, Candy or Medicine mini comic
Walter Bosley, Publisher and Chief Editor, Lost Continent Library Magazine
John Donald Carlucci, Editor and Publisher, Astonishing Adventures Magazine
Steve Lafler, Creator and Publisher, Manx Media (Cat Suit comic)
Jim Main, Editor and Publisher, Main Enterprises (Gnome)
Bram Meehan, Editor and Publisher, Panel Press and Spokesperson, 7000 BC Comic Collective
Michael Mott, Associate Editor and Distributor of Lost Continent Library Magazine

MF.com: What were your main reasons for offering a free PDF of your publication?

Main: It was basically an experiment to test out the waters.

Carlucci: We're trying to follow the business model touched on by Warren Ellis, John Rodgers, and Bill Cunningham. They suggested the wild experiment of publishing an online magazine that is free and supports itself with ad revenue.

Meehan: When we started Raised By Squirrels, our main goal was simply to get our book distributed as widely as possible. Our first issues were giveaways, so it was a small jump to offer files to download.
  Later, more of a plan emerged as we got a better view of the economics of the whole thing—and what suited us was publishing individual issues for free online, and then collecting them and printing a book that's offered for sale online and in stores and at conventions.
   It seems that a model like this will be the future of a lot of content—music, books, comics, whatever—where it's offered for free, but the comprehensive/deluxe/actual physical version is where the money gets made. Consumers are getting used to getting their content for free, but it also looks like they're still willing to pay creators that they appreciate for their work.
   Now, it's mostly functioning as an experiment, putting that theory to the test.

  For the 7000 BC comics collective our String PDFs are mostly a way to show the members what we did, but also try to get a little exposure outside the group.
   Another important part is getting the group's creators producing work regularly and giving it an outlet.

Lafler: To be honest, I didn't know what to do with Cat Suit. It was too short to be a graphic novel at about 45 pages, and the old school comic book format was no longer economically viable. I thought I'd pitch it to various publishers with a couple sample pages and a synopsis, and direct them to the PDF if they were really interested.
   At the same time, any fans of my stuff who wanted could take a look at it too. So it's multifaceted viral marketing, you could say.
   It was pretty funny researching the various indy comics publishers' submission policies. They ran from give up now to don't bother us. But I understand their point of view; I was pitching them because I was wary about returning to publishing my own stuff. Which of course I did anyway, as publishing is a permanent affliction.

Candy or Medicine special edition coverBlair: I published a Free Comic Book Day special issue of Candy or Medicine in conjunction with the annual event. In addition to handing out copies at comic book stores local to me, and shipping copies to various stores across the country, I wanted to offer a free PDF for people who do not live near one of the stores handing out the print version.

Bosley: I wanted to publish fiction and writers that get ignored by the trend-obsessed, greedy big media and to promote what I do and determine how big an audience there is out there for it.

MF.com: How did you spread the word about your PDF publication?

Mott: Various message boards.

Blair: My blog, the Mini Comic and Zine Scene communities on LiveJournal, and also various Internet forums.

Lafler: I shamelessly spammed my friends, acquaintances and enemies about it. I blogged about it on Self Employment For Bohemians. Amazing how electronic media has taken over the promo function for publishers. I used to swear by direct mail postcards for my various and sundry business ventures, but now I believe electronic media has flattened print promo, unless you are a credit card company.

Meehan: Several online outlets point to the free downloads or have them on their site—Online Comics, ComicSpace, and Literate Machine as well as DC Conspiracy, a group we're still ancillary members of, and we've tried a little advertising. We send out an email to a list of names we've collected at shows and such whenever a new issue comes out, which, unfortunately, isn't that frequently.
   We've also gotten some good reviews of Raised By Squirrels on websites like Newsarama, Broken Frontier, and Indy Comic Review (and, of course, Midnight Fiction) that point to the free downloads.

  We haven't publicized the String PDFs extensively. We post each issue to our website, and then post to the Cartoonist Conspiracy, an organization like ours, to the STAPLE! blog, to ComicSpace, and to Literate Machine.
   String is still a new publicaiton, and it was created in time for a couple conventions and events so we would have something to give away (or hopefully sell) that shows the diversity of work being produced. With that, and some work we've been doing getting it into comic shops, we've really been putting more effort into getting the physical version out.
   One thing we should be doing is emailing to the list of names we've gathered over the years.

Main: I used the various sites and co-ops I belonged to first. After awhile word of mouth helped out a lot too.

Carucci: We talk to similar sites as ours and cross link. We also have been blessed by having friends with high traffic blogs that have gotten us press.  AAM #3 on Issuu received almost 40,000 views thanks to John Rogers. Also, a strong website is important to draw in readers.

MF.com: How many times has your PDF publication been downloaded? Any trends over time?

Lafler: Beats me. In some ways I am a naïve neophyte of the web world. If I want to continue to be an artist, I have to focus on art making because the web will eat me alive if I let it. I love it, but my main impulse has to be ink slinging.

Meehan: We're not tracking a list of Raised By Squirrels downloads, but from our regular reports, we can see when people are downloading. It's a pretty small number; we get maybe 1-3 people a month downloading some or all of the issues.
   Unfortunately, those good reviews really haven't led to any real spike in hits. We do get a fair number when we send an email out, but it's not a terribly high percentage of those receiving it.
   ComicSpace doesn't offer any statistics; LiterateMachine does, and we've got around 20 downloads—pretty pleasing, considering their launch hasn't been really publicized.

  String #6 coverFor String, we can track from our site, and it's predominantly downloaded by group members, but hopefully they're showing it off to other people. We'll get a handful of people surfing the Web who look like they download an issue now and then.
   The only other site we can track is Literate Machine, which is a new site. We've gotten 15+ downloads on the first two issues in the few weeks they've been posted, which is nice to see.

Blair: I don’t have a way of tracking this (or at least I’m unsure of how to track this), but the website did see a spike in hits during the Free Comic Book Day weekend.

Main: At this moment, I've sent out a little over 400 so far.

Bosley: A lot. Mike's server gets hammered every month, upon release of an issue.

Mott: It varies from many hundreds of hits to the low thousands, per month. Generally, the hammering on the site is heaviest in the first two weeks after each month.

Carlucci: PDF downloads have leveled out around 1500, but it is the online readable issue we place on Issuu.com that really generates the attention.

MF.com: How does that compare of your printed publications?

Carlucci: We do the print version only for the exposure and provide copies to the writers. The print version generates virtually no interest and no revenue.

Bosley: My printed stuff is dogmeat, in comparison. But that's picking up.

Mott: Since it's a free download, it's a better amount of dissemination and exposure. However, my books are doing well, as they fall into two different markets, fiction and non-fiction.

Cat Suit pageLafler: Comics are unique in the print world because even more than novels, they are fetish objects. E-media is taking over, but comics have a singular status as a mass produced art object (unless its an obvious commercial piece, but I'm talking about art comics). Graphic Novel sales have actually increased as the web has ascended. I know, I didn't answer the question.

Meehan: Pretty much all of our Panel Press printed publications are sold at conventions, in person, and that's been a couple hundred over the past few years. I think we've made maybe six or so sales from the website in the 4+ years it's offered downloads, people who presumably at least previewed a couple issues.
   I don't think anything will be able to take the place of the sales opportunities of human interaction offered at a convention, especially as an unknown creator with an unknown product.

  For 7000 BC, since the String publication was created with the purpose of just getting printed issues into readers' hands—even for free if that's what it takes—we're passing out more issues of the physical copies. With more publicity for the PDFs, we could probably reach a wider audience, but it's tough to figure out how to get the word to them.
   Yeah, I know, that email list. I need to get on that.

Main: Gnome #5 has had many reads so far—more than my titles that have been published the normal way. Well, I'd be doing quite well if I was being paid at least a dollar for it. People like things for free!

MF.com: What's the feedback from your readers?

Lafler: I'd say it's overwhelmingly positive, anyone who goes to the trouble to download the piece already digs my stuff, I reckon.

Meehan: When we sell an issue of a Panel Press comic, we plead for any sort of feedback—even if they hate it and want their money back (and that's usually how we'll [jokingly] put it at a convention), but we've heard almost nothing from the issues we've sold, online, in stores, or in person.
   There have been a couple of instances, returning for a second or third year to a convention, where we have had someone stop by and tell us how much they like it (and maybe buy more). I can't convey how gratifying that is.

  What we've heard about the String jam comic has been positive, but there hasn't been any large response. Most gratifying is other local creators who have seen it and are interested in the group now.
   We've really only begun to get String out there. But an anthology is generally a tough sell, so we'll see what feedback we get.

Blair: I’ve had a lot of positive feedback, especially recently considering I included a copy of the Free Comic Book Day Special with review copies of Vol. 3. It’s nice to be able to put the PDF online so I can send it to friends/acquaintances who might not be too interested in a print version. Also, a lot of people really liked Colin Tedford’s comic.

Lost Continent Library #8 coverMott: Very positive so far.

Bosley: All good and encouraging and saying how much they love it.

Main: They all seemed to have enjoyed it and want me to contunue with it. It was basically going to be a regularly printed title of mine but then I got the idea to do it as an all PDF title. It's been compared to my other title Comic Fan, but at least with Gnome I can use color art and photos wherever I want! It's so inexpensive. That's why I can charge so little for ads in this title.

Carlucci: The readers have been amazing and generous in their enthusiasm for the magazine. We will be investigating other areas of availability soon such as cell phone availability and the Amazon Kindle.

MF.com: Do you consider the project successful?

Mott: So far, so good! So yes, it has been successful so far. It seems to be a unique product.

Bosley: Highly.

Lafler: Yes. Some people downloaded it and read it. It's ridiculously cool. I love print, but this is just whack. I started publishing comics in 1980, fresh out of college. If you told me what was to come, I would have been delighted. Actually, I had a sense back then that some amazing shit was coming down the pike, and I still do. We're just getting warmed up, I suspect.

Blair: I would say it is very successful. Being a fan of print, I doubt I’d ever offer a PDF-only issue. Rather, I see it as a supplement to the print issue. I plan to print a special issue for Free Comic Book Day every year as long as I'm publishing Candy or Medicine. However, if for some reason it ever got to the point where I simply could not afford to publish this extra issue, then I might consider publishing it exclusively online.

Meehan: It's all in how you define success. We enjoy making the Raised By Squirrels comic, we've had some great experiences and met some terrific people while doing it. Nobody's demanded their money back. And we feel that we're learning and improving our comics-making and storytelling skills.
   So, even though sales and exposure aren't high—and I should stress that we're not working on marketing anywhere near as hard as we should—I'd say it's successful, but only because we judge success by a different standard. And it's certainly not money.

  String is off to a great start, I think, just getting creators contributing regularly and getting issues printed and posted. Success for this is going to be kind of tough to define, since the first goal is just to get people's work out there. It looks like we're going to be carried in some shops throughout the country, so the primary method of distribution is shaping up to be print—and we'll know in a few months if anyone's buying.
   In terms of using this to generate interest locally, it's been great—we've received some press interest and coverage and met new creators. And, as it's gotten our people to start new projects and produce them regularly, or even get something into print for the first time. It's been a great boost for the group.

Astonishing Adventures Magazine #4 coverCarlucci: I wouldn’t keep at it if it wasn’t. It is an incredible amount of time and effort, but that finished product never fails to put a smile on my face.

Main: Yes, I certainly would. I just wish folks would send me more material to use though. I have requests for news and reviews and comics and illustrations and articles and ad rates in many places but they all seem to just read the requests and sit on their hands for a long time before making a move. I'm currently planning a full color PDF comic publication now.

MF.com: Do you feel the free PDF increases traffic on your other web pages or the sales of your printed publications?

Main: Only by a slight margin.

Blair: I would say it definitely increased traffic to the website and awareness of Candy or Medicine. As far as sales go, not yet.

Carlucci: I think the free PDF will keep going up as far as traffic. You have to put together as professional as possible a product to be taken seriously. Always improve on your previous issue and never slide. You are only as good as your last issue after all.

Mott: Yes, I'd have to say so. Definitely, in fact.

Bosley: Absolutely. I've also been asked to publish another magazine by comics industry pros who read LCL, and one of them is publishing one of my titles in a comic book format.

Lafler: Maybe, but it's just one facet of creating a web profile for myself as a cartoonist. I think that a cartoonist these days needs some sort of web home base, a blog, and a print presence. The trick is to keep them all humming in concert with each other. Ha ha, I got me some ways to go.

Death, Cold as Steel coverMeehan: Part of our experiment is offering Death, Cold As Steel, which is related to but separate from Raised By Squirrels, in a much more restricted way online. Previews of the beginning are available at various sites, but the whole story has to be bought. In a limited way, we can see some results over at Literate Machine, where the downloads of the free complete RBS far outpace the free DCAS preview, but nobody's buying either.
   So, overall, I'd say no, but it's difficult to draw any conclusions from our limited data.

MF.com: What improvements would you make in future PDFs?

Blair: I would have made an icon of the cover a clickable link (not sure of the exact terminology), but I’m not really sure how to do that. Also, I’d probably send out an email blast, notify comic blogs/news sites and post it on more forums.

Lafler: Simplify, simplify, simplify. Make all my sites & web offerings elegant, engaging and easy to use.

Carlucci: We have a major site relaunch coming with the release of the 4th issue in July. We are looking to become the pulp hub with the new AAM! I will be placing issue of the magazines on Lulu.com this month also for our European buyers. Amazon doesn’t seem to list the issues on their European webpages. Lulu has different format requirements and this will call for a restructuring of the issues. We went with Amazon because of the credibility and the free ISBN number that comes with placing issue on their site. 

Main: Add more color spots and experiment with the layout a bit more.

Bosley: I have improved the magazine with every issue, but ultimately I'd like the look to be even more complete and thorough than it has been thus far.

Meehan: Publicity and marketing. It's tougher and tougher to cut through the clutter and even get noticed, let alone attract the attention of readers who might be interested in your specific comic. It's clear that good reviews aren't enough to drive sales. Advertising is tricky to target, even with the added accountability of the web. And conventions are still the best way to make sales, but that's an expensive, time-consuming proposition (especially coming from New Mexico). What's clear is the need for a new innovative way to get noticed . . . and when we figure that out, you'll be sure to know.

MF.com: Any recommendations for other publishers?

Gnome #5 coverMain: Just that they should give this format a try if they haven't already. You really have nothing to lose.

Blair: I’ve recently come across a couple free PDF zines/comics and I think it’s a great idea. For me, if I like the free sample, if you will, it makes me more likely to purchase the next issue (or the sampled issue if I really enjoyed it). Plus, in my mind, the point is to communicate your message to as many people as possible, so what better way than to offer it for free?

Meehan: Though my experience with free downloads isn't really all that encouraging, I'd strongly recommend that publishers get used to offering something for free—not necessarily the whole comic, as we've done, but at least something. Especially for an unknown in today's oversaturated media landscape, you have to show what you can do, even if it's only to demonstrate the confidence you have in your product.

Carlucci: I hate to admit it, but I don’t read anyone else right now. I just don’t have the slightest amount of free time. Right now I should be laying out the new issue, painting the rest of the cover, and putting content on the new site. Sheesh, sleep would be nice also.

Bosley: Look at a PDF magazine as your advertising. My exposure with my magazine has been a thousand times what conventional advertising has ever done for me—and is far more on center with my target audience. Personally, I think traditional advertising is mostly bullshit for anyone other than corporations looking to sell to the mainstream masses via television, etc. That said, I still sell ad space in my magazine—but my rates are shamelessly low because of my attitude about the nature of standard advertising. Use your magazine to showcase your products, but don't expect to sell a damned thing. Be thrilled when you do. Another very important thing: do the magazine you want to do (as long as it's legal!) and social trends be damned. Find a niche and cater to it—but don't go after an audience someone else has already captured most of or you're wasting your time. I've found that there is usually room for one of a kind with these things. Do a magazine that no one else in that topic is doing in the way you'd do it. Finally, you have to present content your audience wants to read and see.
   I hope that's useful.

Lafler: Yes! At least four times a week, do something like yoga, walking, running or meditation for at least 45 minutes each session. I am not lying when I tell you the solutions to your problems will appear in your heart and mind like fuckin' magic if you stick to it. This applies to free PDF files, and everything else in life.

Many thanks to Josh Blair, Walter Bosley, John Carlucci, Steve Lafler, Jim Main, Bram Meehan, and Michael Mott for sharing your experiences and advice about PDF publishing. I encourage MF.com readers to download and read their excellent PDF publications. And send them a note with your comments. As you can see from their responses, publishers and editors love to hear from readers!

-R. Krauss

Permalink for Publishing Metrics of PDF Publications.


Midnight Fiction Press Publications

The Midnight Fiction Shop has the following comix for sale via PayPal or Money Order. Check the shop for more details, scans, and terms.

Bug Infested Comics #5 coverBug Infested Comics #5

Bob Vojtko's indie-fatigable Bug Infested Comics is back at last with its fifth issue! This mini-comic is a limited edition, printed in full color on heavy-weight matte paperstock.

• Cover jam by Bob Vojtko and Richard Krauss
• Murry's Garbage Worms Inc. 4-page comic by Bob Vojtko
• Fine Art Flyby, Skeeters, and Bar Fly Theater 1-page comics
  by Richard Krauss

$2.00 postage paid Buy Now

 

Media Report Comix coverMedia Report Comix

5" x 6" full color mini comix by R. Krauss. 16-pages including cover. Signed and numbered limited edition printing of 100 copies.

"Usually it's the graphic quality of a cover that attracts my attention first when viewing a new comic. Even though this publication has a striking and well done cartoon illustration, it still plays 'second fiddle' to the fantastic production quality of this mini."
Dan W. Taylor, Ka-Whump!

$3 postage paid Buy Now

Funny Paper #3 coverFunny Paper #3

A few remaining copies of this 8-page, B&W mini comix published in 1980 are still available.

Comix by Tom Fisher (cover), Brad W. Foster, and
Richard Krauss. (5.5" x 8.5")

$8 postage paid Buy Now

 

Funny Paper #2 coverFunny Paper #2

A few remaining copies of this 8-page, B&W mini comix published in 1979 are still available.

Comix by Brad W. Foster (cover), Bob Vojtko,
Richard Krauss, and Gary Whitney. (5.5 " x 8.5")

$8 postage paid Buy Now

 

Midnight Fiction #2 coverMidnight Fiction #2
A few remaining copies of this 24-page, B&W small press comix published in 1976 are still available.

Comix by Dan Marcum and Richard Krauss (Da Boids, Smart-Ass Simpson, Larry Lagoon, Dusty, and Crawdad Jones). (8.5" x 11") Staples are slightly rusty, due to age.

$12 Postage Paid Buy Now

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Midnight Fiction.

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Items For Sale:
Midnight Fiction Shop

Big Ideas cover
A Distant Soil #1 VF $2
Adv. Illus. #1 NM/VF $3
Alien Encounters #1 VG $3
American Film Dec-Jan
   1977 VG $3
American Film Mar
   1977 VG #3
Amer. Rowhouses VF $3.99

Asimov's SF Adv. #1 G $5
Baron Van Mabel's Back-
   packing VG $24.95
Big Ideas (autographed)
   VF $14.95
Bizarre Adventures
  #25 VF $5
  #28 & 31 VF $8 each
Black Ghost Apple Factory
   VF $3.99
The Black Master by
   Maxwell Grant FN $6.99
Bop #1 VF $5
Brood (Fantagor #5) VF $10

Castle of Frankenstein #4
Castle of Frankenstein
#4 Fine $15
#9 VG $12
#12 Fine $12
#14 & 15 Fine $10 ea.
#17 VG $8
#18 & 21 Fine $10 ea.
#23 & 25 Fine $10 ea.

Midnight Fiction ShopCinefan
Chaplin (Dell one-shot)
   G $2.50
Capt. Future's Challenge
   by E. Hamilton VF $6.99
Cinefantastique
   Vol. 6 #2 VF $20
   Vol. 8 #1 VF $15
Cheval Noir #16 VF $2.95

Comics Scene #4
Comics Scene
  #1 Fine $10
  #2 Fine $8
  #3-11 Fine $6 ea.

Comix International
   #1 VG (all Corben) $50
Crazy Magazine #1 Fine $10
Creative Film-Making
   VG $3.99

Midnight Fiction ShopCreepy #34
Creepy Magazine
  #16 VG $5
  #18, 20, 21, 23 Fn $6 ea.
  #24 VG $5
  #25 Fine $6
  #34 & 35 Fine $6 each
  #40 & 42 VG $5
  #43 & 45 Fine $6 each
  #48 & 49 Fine $6 each
  #62 Fine $6
  #75 VF $7
  #83 VG $5
  1970 Yearbook VG $6

Dark Horse Presents #49 coverD'arc Tangent #1 Fine $4
DC Special BR Digest #23
   Green Arrow VF $9.99
The Death of Captain Marvel
   Marvel GN VF $24.99
DH Presents #49 VF $2.95
Don't Think of an Elephant
   VF $5.95

Dreadstar Marvel GN
   VF $10.99

Eclipse Magazine
   #1 VF $5.95
   #2-8 VF $4.95 each

Midnight Fiction ShopEerie #4 cover
Eerie Magazine
  #4 VG $5.99
  #10 VG $5.99
  #29 VF $9.99
  #30, 40 VF $8.99 each
  #45 VG $4.99
  #49 F $5.99
  #55 F $8.99
  #58 F $10.99
  #60 VF $15.99
  #62 F $9.99
  #64 VF $9.99
  #68 F $8.99
  #77 VF $8.99
  #79 VF $15.95

Epic #4 cover
Elfquest (WaRP)
  #13, 17-19 VF $4.95 ea.

Elric-The Dreaming City
   Marvel GN VF $19.99
Entertainment Weekly
  #1 Fine $5.99
  #5 Fine $4.99
Epic Illustrated (Marvel)
  #1 VF $11.95
  #1 Fine $9.95
  #2-15 VF $5.95 each
  #16, 18-24 VF $5.95 ea.
Esquire May 1977 VG $4.95

Midnight Fiction ShopFunnyworld #15 coverFandom Confidential
   #1 Fine $5.95
Fantastic Films #3 VF $5.95
Fantasy Illustrated
   #1 VF $8.95
Feathered Serpent
   by Edgar Wallace G $2
Felix the Cat's Greatest Hits
   Vol. 1 VF $4.99
Fifth Discipline (Hardcover)
   VF $9.99
Films in Review
  Dec. 1973 Fine $5.99
  Jan. 1974 VG $4.99
  Feb. 1974 VG $4.99
  Mar 1974 Fine $5.99
  Apr 1974 Fine $5.99
  May 1974 Fine $5.99
  Jun/Jul 1974 VG $4.99
  Oct. 1974 Fine $5.99
  Nov. 1974 Fine $5.99
  Dec. 1974 VG $4.99
Focus on Film
   #16 VG $14.95
FocalGuide to Shooting
   Animation Fine $3.99

Funnyworld
  #14-16 VG $24.95 ea.
  #18-21 Fine $24.95 ea.
Gates of Eden #1 VF $5.95
Goblin #2 VF $9.95
Harpoon #1 Fine $12.95
  #2 F $9.95

Midnight Fiction ShopHeavy Metal Jan. 1980 cover
Heavy Metal Magazine
  (#1) April 1977 FN $34.95
  (#2) May 1977 FN $19.95   (#2) May 1977 VG $14.95
  July 1977 FN $12.95
  July 1977 VG $9.95
  Aug 1977 VF $14.95,
  Aug 1977 F $12.95
  Sep 1977 VF $12.95
  Oct 1977 VF $12.95,
  Oct 1977 G $5.95
  Nov 1977 VF $12.95,
  Nov 1977 G $5.95
  Dec 1977 FN $10.95

  Jan-Mar 1978 VF $11 ea.
  Apr 1978 VF $8.95
  Apr 1978 FN $6.95
  May 1978 FN $6.95
  Jun-Oct 1978 VF $9 ea.
  Dec 1978 FN $6.95

  Jan 1979 FN $6.95
  Feb & Mar 1979 VF $9 ea.
  Apr. & May '79 VG $5 ea.
  Jul 1979 Fine $5.95
  Aug 1979 VG $4.95
  Sep 1979 Fine $5.95
  Oct 1979 VF $6.95
  Dec 1979 Fine $5.95

  Jan. 1980 VG $4.95
  Feb. 1980 F $5.95
  Mar. 1980 VG $4.95
  Apr. 1980 VF $6.95
  May & June '80 VG $5 ea.
  Aug. & Sept. '80 FN $6 ea.
  Oct. 1980 VF $6.95
  Dec. 1980 Fine $5.95

  Jan. 1981 Fine $5.95
  Feb. 1981 VF $6.95
  Mar. 1981 VG $4.95
  Apr. 1981 VF $6.95
  May 1981 Fine $5.95
  June 1981 F $6.95
  July 1981 VG $5.95
  Aug. 1981 Fine $6.95
  Sep. 1981 Fine $6.95
  Oct. 1981 Fine $6.95
  Nov. 1981 VF $6.95
  Dec. 1981 Fine $5.95


  Jan. & Feb.'82 VF $7 ea.
  Apr. 1982 VF $6.95
  May 1982 Fine $5.95
  Aug. - Nov. '82 VF $7 ea.
  Dec. 1982 Fine $5.95

  Jan. - June '83 VF $6 ea.
  July & Aug. '83 VG $4 ea.
  Sept. & Oct. '83 FN $5 ea.
  Nov. & Dec. '83 VF $6 ea.

  Jan. 1984 VF $4.95
  Mar. 1984 Fine $3.95
  Apr. 1984 Fine $3.95
  May 1984 Fine $3.95
  June 1984 Fine $3.95
  July 1984 Fine $3.95
  Aug. 1984 VF $4.95
  Sept. 1984 VF $4.95
  Oct. 1984 VF $4.95
  Nov. 1984 VF $4.95
  Dec. 1984 VF $4.95

  Jan. 1985 VF $4.95

Midnight Fiction Shop

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Original content Copyright © 2007 & 2008 Richard Krauss.
All other copyrights belong to their respective owners.