I just learned that Stone Soup will be begin appearing next Monday in the Springfield, Illinois, State Journal Register. Wooooohoooooo and hello to all my new Midwestern readers. I'll try not to disappoint!
For those of you in the Northwest, I have an event coming up in Eugene, Oregon...
On October 3rd I'll be introducing David Hajdu, author of "The Ten Cent Plague", at the Eugene Public Library. The subtitle of this book is "The Great Comic Book Scare and How it Changed America", and David will be addressing censorship issues.
From David Hadju's Website...
When we picture the 1950s, we hear the sound of early rock and roll. The Ten-Cent Plague shows how-years before music-comics brought on a clash between children and their parents, between prewar and postwar standards. Created by outsiders from the tenements, garish, shameless, and often shocking, comics spoke to young people and provided the guardians of mainstream culture with a big target. Parents, teachers, and complicit kids burned comics in public bonfires. Cities passed laws to outlaw comics. Congress took action with televised hearings that nearly destroyed the careers of hundreds of artists and writers.
Books will be signed by both David and I, and a good time will be had by all.
Between now and then, on September 19th and 20th, I'll be appearing in Marceline, Mo. at "Toonfest". I'll be sharing the stage with fellow cartoonists Dave Coverly, Greg Evans, and Michael Jantze. There'll be a parade! Come on down.
Hey Jan-
started reading your cartoon on GoComics.com a few months ago. I just stumbled upon it, and am quite delighted with it. I like how you protray life a little more realistically than most comics- Val never seems to catch up!
I'm not a parent myself, but Holly is driving me CRAZY. I hate looking at myself through her (26 yo now, watching 12/13 is hard to do!). I was wondering, is Val going to put her in martial arts?
I just started martial arts myself last year, and love the way children change when they come in. They seem apathetic and lower self esteemed, and then all of a sudden perk up over a few months. People yelling at you + Pushups = Kids getting whipping into shape (literally).
It would be neat to see Holly and Alex maybe bond in something like that =D
Thanks again for the strip. It's interesting, well illustrated, and I love the gamit of Val's facial expressions!
P.S. Hapkido is my prefered martial art XD
Posted by: Melissa | September 11, 2008 at 03:31 PM
Hello Jan~
This morning I completed reading the entire StoneSoup archive on gocomics.com. It took me about three months to read all ten years of comics and I am now officially addicted to your work. It has really been a pleasure watching Val, Joan, and the family, hurdle through the chaos of family living. Luci was a wonderful addition by the way (I actually teared up when she was born). Thank you for bringing a smile to my face each day, I look forward to seeing the Stone family every morning. Have a good one!
~charity
Posted by: Charity | September 19, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Thank you Melissa and Charity for your kind comments. It's so wonderful to hear from "converts", and so rewarding to know that my ideas and humor are bringing cheer to others. It's such an honor to have a comic strip, such a lovely career, so much fun. But it's all about the readers.
Melissa, I like your martial arts idea. Hapkido? Fun!
Charity, I teared up writing the Luci birth series too. It was written from the heart and from the experience of being at the homebirth of my 3rd grandson.
So glad it "got" to you!
Posted by: Jan Eliot | October 01, 2008 at 06:22 PM
Lovin' Gramma moving to her own set of drums. I have clipped so many of those strips!!!! Especially when they wanted Gramma to babysit and said she was thinking about it 9as she was tied up in the back room. Please keep her coming because rather than answer to my sons' ridiculous request--- I simply hand him the cut out of your strip. Thanks for keeping me sane and smiling! RUTH
Posted by: Ruth | November 19, 2009 at 01:41 PM