I love that I get to talk to artists and writers who have inspired me or made me laugh…and Jef Mallett is definitely in that group. I’ve been a fan of “Frazz” for several years now…read my blog entry about it here. It’s smart, funny, and beautifully drawn, and as you might expect, the artist behind it is a great guy, too. Not many cartoonists can claim to have done the Ironman Triathlon, but this one can. We delve into the depths of his writing, his art, and his greatest masterpiece, the doors at the “Pizza King” in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He’s also putting the finishing touches on his upcoming prose book, “Trizophrenia: Inside the Minds of a Triathlete,” where he talks about the mindset of those wacky types who run a marathon, swim two miles and bike over a hundred….for fun. Now he’s not only inspiring as an artist, but to get me off my butt, too!
As always, be sure to check out Keenspot, a proud sponsor of Tall Tale Radio. Host your comics for free at Comics Genesis, and download their cool new iPhone app and get the first issue of “Marry Me” absolutely free.
Keenspot is also going to be out in force at the San Diego Comic Con (July 23-26), with all sorts of exclusive comics available only there, world premieres of many issues, and 14 writers and artists of some of their finest offerings. Check ‘em out at booths 1229 & 1328, and they’ll be hosting a panel on Sunday, July 26th at 11am in Room 32B! And if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be broadcasting live video from their booth at the Con! Check out Keenspot.com for more details!
And speaking of Comic Con, I will be there next week for all four days, running around trying to convince people I’m an actual member of the press. That’s right…me and Dan Rather…in the same sentence. There are a bunch of panels I’m going to try to attend this year, with high hopes of getting some high-profile interviews. I’ll be cruising the floor, of course, and talking to all sorts of people. (Hey, it’s not Comic Con unless I talk to Lex Fajardo of the excellent “Kid Beowulf!“) I believe Justin “Mythtickle” Thompson is going to make an appearance one day, and we found out today that Brock “SuperFogey’s” Heasely and his lovely wife are going to show up, too! An unexpected Tall Tale Features jam fest, baby. I’ll snag Lucas Turnbloom of “Imagine This” and we’ll sequester ourselves in a corner and talk comics and conventions. I hope to blog every day and post pictures and maybe some video, so stay tuned!
I’m also hoping to meet up with the guy I interviewed for next week’s Pre-Comic Con special, Mr. Butch Hartman of “The Fairly Odd Parents.” Butch was nice enough to give me a half hour of his time, and we had a great talk about his show, animation in general, and his upcoming projects. That’ll post on Monday, so look for it then! I’m a podcastin’ machine, baby. Trust me…after Comic Con, we’re taking a trip up to Idaho for a week, so things will calm down considerably by then.
Episode 37 – Jef Mallett: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Tom, will you be interviewing Richard Thompson at Comic con?
Joe…Richard’s been on my wish list for some time, and a couple of weeks ago I contacted him and he said he’d be happy to come on the show. I knew that he, Stephan Pastis and Keith Knight were going to be doing a panel at Comic Con, and since I’m going to be there all four days, I thought it would be very cool to have Richard on before the Con. (I’ve got Keith Knight next Tuesday!) But, Richard had to cancel once as he wasn’t feeling well…we resecheduled for this coming week, but again, he wrote me a very nice mail about having to bow out, and because he really had to focus on the Comic Con panel and other thing. Then, yesterday, he broke the news about his Parkinson’s, and it all came clear. (I suspect it’s a very complex ploy to get out of interviewing with me, but that’s unproven.
Richard has been nothing but incredibly nice and open in this time, and we are going to try to meet at the Con…I’m not sure I’ll get an interview with him there, depending on his schedule, but we will talk in the near future. Obviously, we all wish him strength and health in the coming days, months and years. I can’t wait to talk to him…”Cul de Sac” and “Richard’s Poor Almanac” are brilliant.