May 5 is Cartoonist Appreciation Day!

Here is the obligatory cartoon, by B. Kliban, that is annually celebrated on this day.

Yesterday I shot a video of three new John Porcellino books published by Drawn & Quarterly. Today, D&Q released videos of four people reading stories from the books and they're really fun!

Liz Mason (of Quimby's Bookstore in Chicago) reads from King-Cat Classix:

Weng Pixin (author of Sweet Time) reads from Perfect Example:

Dan Stafford (creator of the John P documentary, Root Hog or Die) reads from Map of My Heart:

Caitlin McGurk (of the Ohio State U Cartoon Library and Museum) reads from Perfect Example:

John Porcellino has been publishing his King-Cat mini-comics series since 1982. Drawn & Quarterly has just published three anthologies of his work. I shot this video to give you an idea of what they look like. They'll be available on February 9th.

Though the total isn't in, tallies from key constituencies suggest that Ireland's referendum on approving same-sex marriage is a win for "Yes."

The BBC reports that the result became apparent not long after counting was underway, with about 75 percent in favor. — Read the rest

In conservative Ireland, homosexuality remained illegal until 1993. Even divorce only became an option in 1997. But times have changed. The first major international plebiscite on gay marriage is poised to deliver an overwhelming vote in favor of extending the institution to same-sex couples. — Read the rest

This is episode 9 of Boing Boing's Tell Me Something I Don't Know podcast. It's an interview show featuring artists, writers, filmmakers, and other creative people discussing their work, ideas, and the reality/business side of how they do what they do. — Read the rest

Josh Glenn has a great post with lots of photos of his collection of zines from 1984-1993, which he donated to University of Iowa Libraries. I hope they scan them soon!

Recently, the University of Iowa Libraries acquired the Joshua Glenn Zine Collection — somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 zines that I squirreled away during the so-called Zine Revolution (1984–93, according to my eccentric reckoning), plus scores of letters from zine publishers, plus all sorts of ephemera related to the printing, distribution, and promotion of zines including my own: Luvboat Earth and Hermenaut.

The Mayor of Mt. Holly wrote about the wonderful Chris Montez on his blog, and found this 1966 video of his song "The More I See You." Good stuff.

Oh, man how I love Chris Montez. I got turned on to him by my good pal John P.