In this second part of our interview with the Old Jewish Comedians author, we discuss the late-Mickey Freeman, the search for Don Rickles’s real name and why Sid Caesar called Fantagraphics to yell at Kim Thompson.
[Part One]
We all knew it was a possibility, certainly, but I don’t think any of us really expected it to happen — I know I certainly didn’t. After asking cartoonists to recommend their favorite Sparkplug titles (which we continue to whole-heartedly recommend, of course), we got a note from Dylan Williams’ close friend, cartoonist Tom Neely, letting us know that Williams was doing well, was in good spirits, and was genuinely touched by the outpouring of support and love directed toward him and Sparkplug. And besides, Williams had already tackled this before, and was seemingly stronger before it.
Most of us heard the news on Saturday night, as many of our friends and colleagues were prepping for the Ignatz awards, a celebration of the industry to which he’d devoted his life — an event it no doubt pained Williams to have to skip. And despite all the evidence, disbelief was my first reaction, finding out the news in Twitter of all places.
There’s just not enough space to list the reasons why Williams was important and well-loved–in an industry so fueled by internal drama, it’s hard nearly impossible to find someone who’s managed to come out of the relentless gossip unscathed, but I can honestly say that, in all of my years in comics, I’ve never heard a negative word spoken about Dylan Williams. He was, so far as I can tell, universally loved in this world. Williams devoted his life to alternative comics and his love for the medium shone through some of the most important indie titles of the past decade and projects like the Portland Zine Symposium.
Williams seemed a perpetual positive character both at shows and through all of our interactions online as a supporter of what we do here, and, as evidenced by Neely’s note, it was a positivity that Williams carried with him until his much too early end.
Baffled by how to approach such a loss, I reached out to some mutual friends (Williams had plenty of those), asking for stories and remembrances to help us drive home just how important he was to all of us and the community we love. There was, not surprisingly, an outpouring of grief on the subject — also not surprising is the fact that many folks are still processing the whole thing and attempting to figure out how to address the matter. We’ve collected a few responses below, plus memorials from cartoonists’ personal blogs.
And for those still looking for the right words, we’ll continue to build out the list for as long as people have additions. Please add your own in the comments below.
–BH
Attending the book release party for the last volume of Old Jewish Comedians was one of the great pleasure I’ve been afforded thanks to this site. The event, fittingly, was held in the legendary Friars Club in midtown Manhattan, with the likes of Joe Franklin, Mickey Freeman, Larry Storch, and Jerry Stiller all present to celebrate the Drew Friedman’s collection of comic portraits.
Earlier this month, Fantagraphics released the third and final entry in the series, yet another tribute to the cartoonist’s love of capturing every wrinkle and liver spot of a well-seasoned face.
We sat down with Friedman to discuss the new collection and the club’s place in comedy history.
I wasn’t even supposed to be here today—not in this city, not in this country. I had big plans for staging a Read Comics in Public Day photo at Newark Airport, or maybe in a plane over the Atlantic on the way to Berlin. We’ll all have to settle for the above shot taken atop a table in a bagel shop in Astoria, Queens. But even with that pang of disappointment in mind, there’s something oddly romantic about the concept of reading comics at the end of the world.
The worst of Irene has passed over us, but it’s still ominous out there, all windy and gray and wet, pieces of trees in the street and the fronts of numerous stores still taped and boarded. The subways are still blocked off, so there’s not a lot of opportunity to leave my neighborhood, so for today’s second annual RCiPD, it was just me, an everything bagel, and a copy of D&Q’s upcoming Daybreak collection—an appropriate choice, given the chaos outside.
Images of the event have been pouring in all day, and from the looks of it, our friends across the globe have been faring much better than us. We’ve received submissions from Germany, Brazil, the Philippines, all over the US, and more. And we’re expecting the images to keep coming in, as the day progresses, given the tremendous feedback we’ve seen with the countless planned meetups.
I’ve pulled a few favorites from today’s event (so far). Please check them out, after the break. And a special thanks to Wired, USA Today, Comics Alliance, and all the other countless people and publications who have spread the word this year.
-BH
We need Dylan Williams. Over the past several years, his work has become as vital to our community as that of any cartoonist. His Portland-based Sparkplug Comics has brought a parade of talent across our periphery, debuting books by artists that may well have never gotten their due from the larger independent publishing house — and that’s only one aspect of his role in the greater comics community.
And now, sadly, for reasons outlined by Sarah, Dylan Williams need us. Doing what you love doesn’t also afford one a large safety net, and now, after he’s given us so much, it’s time for us to give a little back. Doing so is as simple as buying some books from his site. You get comics, you help a friend. Sounds like a good deal to us.
In the off-chance that you need a little more convincing, we’ve asked some our favorite artists to recommend one of their favorite Sparkplug books for you to add to your cart. Not surprisingly, many had trouble picking just one — a plight we can certainly appreciate. We will be adding cartoonists’ favorites for as long as they keep coming in.
In this third part of our interview we discuss animation, an absence of dialog, and The Wolf soundtrack that never was.
We wrap up our interview by discussing the importance of starting small, the pitfalls of the music industry, and promoting Cleveland after the death of Harvey Pekar.
In this second part of our interview with The Wolf author, we discuss the pluses and minus of the panel format, the natural evolution of drawing styles, and the importance of being able to toss away false starts.
[Part One]
In this third part of our interview with the Cleveland cartoonist, we discuss drawing the perfect Harvey Pekar, being embarrassed by your early work, and how best to grow beyond your influences.
Released in 2007, The Blot easily made my year-end top 10. The largely silent book was steeped in certain comics traditions, owing a lot to the works of pioneers like EC Segar, while managing to be something entirely its own. And as far as most of us were concerned at the time, its author, Tom Neely came seeming out of nowhere.
It’s taken a few years for the cartoonist to issue a proper follow up, finally releasing the self-published The Wolf this summer. Of course Neely has kept plenty busy, through a slew of minis, design work, and collaborations—perhaps most notably the Igloo Tornado Rollins/Danzig tribute, Henry & Glenn Forever.
We sat down with Neely to discuss the genesis of his latest book, the importance of imagery, and taking long walks in the forest.
BROWSE 
