News and Notes, June Edition

• I could almost fill this whole thing with Noah Van Sciver updates. First, Noah Van Sciver has a Tumblr (make sure to check out the issue of Alpha Flight he drew). He will also appear in the Best American Comics 2011 and in MAD Magazine. He also released a possible cover to his much-anticipated graphic novel, The Hypo. And Sean T. Collins reviews Blammo! #7
• Sam Spina has a new comic out. He's also now a Xeric award winner!
• Rob Clough reviews Rob Jackson's The Gods Must Be Bastards. He also reviews Candy or Medicine Vol. 13. The Poopsheet Foundation reviews Vol. 13 as well.
• Isaac Bidwell and Cayetano Valenzuela will have pieces in a show in San Francisco.

Record Store Day 2011

If any of you are in Cincinnati, stop by Shake It Records tomorrow for Record Store Day. There will be 50 free copies of Candy or Medicine available. Don't worry, long time fans, it's just the Free Comic Book Day 2009 issue. I chose that because not many people in Cincinnati have seen it because I was living in Syracuse, NY when it was originally published. I wanted to offer something on that day because it's a cool idea, Shake It will be packed, plus they sell my comics there, so hopefully if someone likes the free one, they'll pick up one (or more) of the regular issues.

A portion of the comics section at Shake It, where you can barely make out some issues of Candy or Medicine

Shake It's storefront

Top Ten Mini Comics of 2010

I've seen a lot of Best Comics of 2010 lists recently, but not many best mini-comics lists. So I thought I'd remedy that. Here are ten of the best mini-comics I've read this year. I've read some other really good ones, but these are the ten that really stood out to me. In no particular order:

Unemployment 2 by Antonio Rilievo

Thelonius Mancat by Peter Lazarski

Sharker the Forgotten by Sam Spina

Tranz by William Cardini (I think this might have come out in 2009. Either way, it's good.)

Salad Days by Minty Lewis

Spaz! #3 by Emi Gennis

The Wizard by Bobby Mono

Noah Novella  by Noah Van Sciver

Vicious Robot Tuesday by Jeff Elden

[No image of this. Sorry]

Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s (Ok, ok, I realize this isn't actually a mini-comic, rather than a gigantic collection of mini-comics, but it's definitely a book worth owning.) 
 

Non mini-comic worth mentioning: Orc Stain by James Stokoe. The only mainstream comic worth buying this year.