Author: Smeary Soapbox Press

Handcrafted comics since 1985!

“Greetings from Winkie Country”

Another year, another “Watusi in Oz”-themed holiday piece! As many of you know, at the end of every year I send out a holiday piece to friends and family who have had an impact on my life that year, but as my audience has grown to include readers (via my website, FB, Twitter, & Instagram) I don’t know personally, I wanted to share the joy with my “virtual” friends as well. Thanks for taking the time to follow Watusi’s adventures every week. It’s much appreciated!

This year’s piece gives a peek at some of the adventure that occurred here in 2019. My Baum-length epic is entering its final phase (new episodes every Wednesday); I’d love to hear what you think about it, especially if you’re a fan of the original Oz books!

Besides this comic’s weekly presence in my schedule, I published seven other comics (including a collaboration with my friend Tom Cherry), helped kick off the Mid-South Cartoonist Association’s new ongoing comic series, made a dozen new prints, seven new paintings, and shared a gallery show with my friend Julie Nouwen. All in all, it was my most successful year as an artist yet, and I’m glad that comics can continue to be a part of my working life.

I hope you all have a happy start to your 2020! See you back here next week as we return to Winkie Country & “Watusi in Oz”!

“The barking contest (Summary judgment)”

This week’s comic is from Watusi #23 (Aug. 2007), part of a two-part double-blind experiment where I finished a batch of jam comics for #22 & Tom Cherry did the same for #23, both unaware of how the other was finishing them. The paired strips turned out to showcase the contrast in our styles which, while compatible, are very different. I tended to have overly-wordy solutions, while Tom’s were direct and punchy (and IMO, funnier)! You can see my take on this strip by scrolling down to last week’s episode, but if you want to see more of our contrasting styles playing well together, I recommend getting a copy of our new comic from 2019, Double Dip #2. It’s still my favorite single issue of all the comics I’ve published…

About the contributors: Dan Lauer is one of my APA-5 compatriots from back in the day; I love his mix of cartoony & action-packed artwork. Keith O’Brien makes wonderful postcard comics and blogs about life in Forbidden Falls, Maine. Even though Tom Cherry is a writer & actor appearing on stage, screen, & radio, he still finds time to be a cartoonist. And the world is a better place because of it!

(“Watusi in Oz” resumes in just two weeks– Wednesday, January 1, 2020!)

“The barking contest (Fine Print edition)”

This week’s comic is from Watusi #22 (Aug. 2007), part of a two-part double-blind experiment where I finished a batch of jam comics for #22 & Tom Cherry did the same for #23, both unaware of how the other was finishing them. The paired strips turned out to showcase the contrast in our styles which, while compatible, are very different. I tended to have overly-wordy solutions, while Tom’s were direct and punchy (and IMO, funnier)! While I’ll show off Tom’s take on this strip next week, if you want to see more of our contrasting styles playing well together, I recommend getting a copy of our new comic from this year, Double Dip #2. It’s still my favorite single issue of all the comics I’ve published…

About the contributors: Dan Lauer is one of my APA-5 compatriots from back in the day; I love his mix of cartoony & action-packed artwork. Keith O’Brien makes wonderful postcard comics and blogs about life in Forbidden Falls, Maine.

(“Watusi in Oz” resumes in three weeks– Wednesday, January 1, 2020!)

“One dog’s trash…”

This comic originally appeared in Watusi #7, way back in October 2003. While the main chunk of that issue was devoted to the middle section of my first continued Watusi story, it also featured strips created by students in my very first “Make a Minicomic” class. My goal with that class was to show students how they could make their own 8-page minicomic, and I led them step-by-step through to the completion of their own comic. What it really did, though, was teach myself that there’s a huge difference between creating a lesson plan and actually teaching a class, let alone motivating students to continue along the path of making art on their own. They say “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” Well, I can’t teach.

About the contributors… that’s kind of a mystery to me. Ted, Shauna, & Levi were all good students in the class, and I love the panels they came up with during this ice-breaking project before they began work on their own comics. I don’t know what life has had in store for them; hopefully something creative & everything good…

(“Watusi in Oz” resumes Wednesday, January 1, 2020!)

“Doesn’t rhyme with orange”

And, and the risk of sounding like a public radio spot, I’m thankful for readers like you! With Thanksgiving just a day away, I want to take a moment to express my thanks to all my readers– I’m truly grateful for each and every one of you who take the time to check in on Watusi’s adventures every week. I’m especially grateful for those of you who take the time to comment on my work here (which lets me know if it’s connecting with its readers, or if it’s missing the mark) … and doubly so for those of you who also support this work financially. Whether it’s purchasing a minicomic at Zine Fest, ordering the print edition of Watusi in Oz (books 2 & 3 coming in 2020), or buying a print at one of my popup events, it all goes toward giving me the time and resources that make it possible for me to create art, including this comic which you get to read for FREE.

The easiest way for you to support my work, especially for those readers far afield from Memphis, is to become one of my Patreon patrons. For as little as $1/month, you can help make this ongoing comic possible, plus get immediate access to online bonus comics, including a full-color Human Spring adventure.

Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving! (“Watusi in Oz” resumes Wednesday, January 1, 2020!)

“Old friends”

It looks like our travelers are getting a well-deserved moment to catch their breath…

… and I think I have, too, so I’m going to take the opportunity to give myself a break from the weekly deadine to play catchup on the print collections of Watusi’s time in Oz (among other projects). Never fear, though– there’ll be fresh Watusi comics coming your way in the interim: some new, some long unseen favorites, so stay tuned!

(Back to Oz on Wednesday, January 1, 2020!)