Brian Crane, writer and artist of the great strip “Pickles” is with me today to talk about his road to syndication, how he goes about his daily business of bringing the funny old people to life, and what it’s like to slowly be creeping on the age of his protagonists! “Pickles” is a constant top-10 favorite around the country and is truly one of those strips that sneaks under your radar. You think it’s going to be a feel-good sappy strip about elderly people, and it turns out to have one of the sharpest edges out there. It’s one of my favorites, and it’s been around 21 years for good reason!
Brian couldn’t be a nicer guy, and it was a great honor to talk to this 2001 NCS Best Comic Strip award winner!
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Tall Tale Features is dead, but Tall Tale Radio is still going strong! Make sure you update your bookmarks/links/what-have-you and head on over to TallTaleRadio.com! Get the latest podcast there and read about the end of TTF.
Here’s a video of the madness that IS the New York Comic Con! Interviews with several of my buds at the Webcomic Alliance, as well as the lovely and talented Irma Eriksson of “Imy.” Take a look at the cosplay, the crowds, the comics, and the craziness of NYCC 2011!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, thanks in a HUGE part to you, I’m off to the New York Comic Con again this year. It is an honor and privilege to have such amazing listeners. Sales of my “BookSmarts” book were better than I thought, so thank you for that. And several folks just donated from the bottom of their hearts, which is doubly amazing in this economy. I thank you all.
So, what does this all mean for you, you comics-hungry motley crew, you? Well, I fly out Wednesday, and starting Thursday some time will begin posting pictures and blog posts about New York. For me, the Con starts in earnest on Friday, where I’ll be running around the joint getting interviews, taking pictures, and, internet access permitting, maybe even doing some Ustreaming! (Last year, there was no internet in the Javitz Center, but ya never know.) I’ll be spending a lot of time with my friends over at the Webcomics Alliance, and the ever-lovely and talented “Imy” creator Irma Eriksson (who has Volume 2 of her great comic now available here), and Marc LaPierre, artist extraordinaire (hey! that rhymes!) currently of the “SuperFogeys” will be hanging out and hopefully running my camera for a time! I’m not sure when I’ll be posting video interviews…I suspect that will have to wait until my return. (My laptop can’t handle the HD stress!)
But I will be posting blogs, hopefully some audio, and pictures galore! I’m sure I’ll be tweeting like a madman, to be sure to follow me there… @talltaleradio.I’ll be doing a lot of tweeting, and probably asking some questions and interacting with a lot of people, so join in the fun!
Keep in mind that there are still some cool packages available to purchase, and I have about 20 copies of “BookSmarts” left, so click here and get yourself what is destined to be a very, very tiny part of cartoon history!
Chose the winners of the Tall Tale Radio raffle, and filmed the auspicious event with my lovely co-hosts Lucas Turnbloom and Irma Eriksson! Fun with green screen, ahoy! Congrats to the winners, Brad Diller and Ruth McFarland!
One year ago, you, my loyal and amazing listeners, helped me raise money so I could fly out to New York so I could attend the New York Comic Con and do my best to post pictures, video, and blogs about my experience there. (Click here for a video, and here for a podcast recap!) I really enjoy covering the Cons and hope that my efforts are entertaining and allow people who are unable to attend cons like San Diego and New York.
Well, it’s that time again for me to call upon your good graces to see if I can do it again! But this year, I’ve got a bunch of cool stuff to entice you! I’m no beggar…I’m a CLASSY beggar!
First off, you will be the first people to get the book the world has been clamoring to read for years now! I have compiled my old comic strip “BookSmarts” into my very first (and more than likely only) book! 72 pages of hilarity with 8 fairly average ones, yours for the ridiculously low price of $20! What a great stocking stuffer! Nothing says “Christmas” like obscure single panel gags about literature and fairy tales! (Books will ship in early October!) All copies will be signed and personalized!
