Count It

Joyteeth!

Wowie Zowie

I'm blushing.

This is a really, really nice review of my first collection of Freddy stories (buy it here!) and a mini from fall 2008 called Dear Bill (read it here!) from Rich Kreiner at the Comics Journal's most recent Mini-Comics Monday. Here's a quote: (man, does this guy have a way with words...)

"These comics by Melissa Mendes are the strip equivalent of haikus, rigorously trimmed distillations of concrete, evocative moments bespeaking clarity and insight. Like those terse, concrete poems, these cartoons achieve an air of untroubled spontaneity. But instead of reflecting upon the natural world, they preoccupy themselves with social and domestic conditions rooted in — should we be so lucky — shared experience."

Gosh. Thanks Rich!

Right now, I am working my rear end off on my thesis project at the Center for Cartoon Studies, which is a new collection of Freddy stories (and possibly more). Here is a little preview panel:

In other news, we're not going to TCAF anymore. It's kind of sad (TCAF is AWESOME!), but we're poor, and plus I couldn't go anyway because it's the same weekend as my little sister's senior thesis show at Hampshire College. Go Amy!!!

It's a New Lookin' Store!

Gawgeous. Love it. Fahbulous.

Soon to have an affordable, classy, $10 pieces of art available once a month, by Chuck or myself.

Dead Ed's a deadhead

Joyteeth!

I'm trying, trying to get better at coloring on the computer. But I think I still suck.

However, I forgot how awesome the Gratetful Dead skull and roses is. It used to scare the crap out of me as a kid when I saw the sticker on my Uncle's window. But now I think it's freakin' sweet.

RIP

JD Salinger died today at age 91. "Nine Stories" remains one of my favorite short story collections of all time.

Howard Zinn died yesterday at age 87. Reading "A People's History of the United States" totally changed my life.

Shiny Shiner

Joyteeth is still going!

Newts

Here's a comic starring Freddy that's in the newest issue of 7days, a Vermont weekly newspaper.

New Goal: New issue of Freddy will be out and ready for TCAF 2010!!! I'll be tabling with Chuck Forsman and Sean Ford! James Sturm will be there with his new book, Market Day!! I looooved TCAF last year and I'm excited for this year too. Clearly.

Dogs!

As many of you know, I freaking love dogs. I just think they are amazing. Which is why I'd like to draw a portrait of your dog for you. It could be your dog, or your friend's dog, or a dog movie star that you really love, like Beethoven.

Please contact me for pricing info. Thanks!

This is Sammy, the dog I had growing up. He always had a guilty look on his face from those eyebrows, which made you love him all the more.

This is Ziggy, dog of a friend, one of the smartest dogs I ever met.

Nelly

Nuala Frijolita

She smiles.

Roscoe

Vegas and Uzi

Dane!

I just want to take a moment to appreciate cartoonist Dane Martin. If you have not seen his work, look at it. He has a way with words that I absolutely love, and he's been posting lots and lots of stuff on his blog.

Thanks Rob!

A review of Freddy and the mini I did for SPX called Birthday!

Rob Clough has been doing lots of great reviews of CCS alumni and current students for th

e Comics Journal. Here he reviews me along with two of my talented classmates, Jose-Luis Olivares and Garry-Paul Bonesteel. I've been reading Rob's reviews since before he was doing them for TCJ, and I've always appreciated how closely he reads everything he writes about, and how attentive he is to things that work and don't work. So thanks

Rob!