Doug Latino’s earliest comic memories involve Mad Magazine, Mad paperbacks, and wondering if that Mr. Natural character he kept seeing on t-shirts really had all the answers. He also knew a couple of minutes in that the mom of his best friend at the time, Doug, made a big mistake taking Doug and Doug to the drive-in theater to see Fritz the Cat. He wouldn’t have gone if he had known about Crumb’s lousy film contract. He’s come back around to writing, giving it up shortly after college to pursue a rewarding career in newspaper publishing. You can follow him on Twitter at @douglatino.

Gideon Kendall always loved comics. As a youngster he copied Garfield and Doonesbury panels. He got really good at drawing the White House. Then he got into superheroes, and practiced inventing engorged fictitious muscle groups. Now he’s trying to get really good at drawing Doug Latino. He also paints garbage, works as an animation designer, and illustrates children’s books. He’ll do just about anything to earn a living, as long as it involves making pictures. Go to: gideonkendall.com

– Sarah Morean

[Above, Dylan Williams will really be missed. Below, The Dispatch is grateful for the memories.]

1. Tom Spurgeon is collecting the memories people have posted about Dylan Williams on The Comics Reporter.
2. You can contribute your own memories of a really great man in the comments section here.
3. SPX is getting bigger in 2012. Dan Clowes and Chris Ware big.
4. Congratulations to Zander Cannon on being named the featured artist for Lutefisk Sushi Volume E!
5. Congratulations to this year’s Ignatz winners!
6. This week’s featured MIX exhibitor on MPLS.TV is JP Coovert!
7. JP Coovert designs t-shirts for Target — this one could be yours! Just go to the store and buy it. It’s that easy.
8. Speaking of Halloween, do you have your costume picked out? Is it an indie comic book character? Sure hope so because want you to win a PRIZE. Stay tuned.

Submit a news item for the Dispatch via email: crosshatchdispatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Use “Dispatch” in the subject line, if you would be so kind. Or add us to your mailing lists. You heard me.

- Sarah Morean

[Above, Top Shelf offers you a $3 steal. Below, The Dispatch steals 3 minutes of your time.]

1. It’s time again for the massive Top Shelf $3 Sale!
2. Believing this a little bit makes me mope inside.
3. The trailer for Mike Dawson’s new book Troop 142 has a pretty fun soundtrack.
4. Rob Clough names his favorite comics of 2010.
5. Yours truly was interviewed about MIX for the City Pages.
6. This week’s featured MIX exhibitor on MPLS.TV is CCS grad Andrew James!
7. Did you know that Floating World Comics moved? And it looks real nice in there.
8. Halloween is coming! Will you dress as a comic book character? Because we’re going to have a contest for that. STAY TUNED.
9. SPX this weekend!

Submit a news item for the Dispatch via email: crosshatchdispatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Use “Dispatch” in the subject line, if you would be so kind. Or add us to your mailing lists. You heard me.

- Sarah Morean

[Above, the world read some comics. Below, only you read the Dispatch.]

1. Thanks again, always, for reading comics in public.
2. How did you honor Jack Kirby’s birthday?
3. There is an art auction for Dylan Williams going on.
4. Lynn Johnston recalls some memories of Charles Schulz.
5. “When Ferzat was found by passersby on the capital’s airport road, his hands were the most badly injured, in a seeming attempt to silence his pen.”
6. EVERYONE can go vote for who will be the next Lutefisk Sushi box set featured artist!  Polling ends on September 1st.
7. Flooding in White River Junction.
8. The 2011 SPX badges by Matthew Thurber are awesome!
9. This week’s featured MIX exhibitor on MPLS.TV is Sam Hiti!
10. I will be in Portland and Seattle on Thursday – Monday this week. What are the most fun things to do in either place? Tell me, please. I will be traveling with scientists. @ me if you want to meet for drinks and listen to them talk about methods and stuff. Except some of them will be computer scientists, one is a chemist, and I will only be posing as a library scientist so…just @ me if you want to participate in a very bad “walks into a bar” joke.
11. Wow, Tom Neely really should draw Popeye.
12. SPX COLLECTION AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, YOU GUYS!
13. SPX! Thank you. What a lovely idea.
14. What the what? Wacom, you so crazy.
15. San Fransisco Zine Fest this weekend!

Submit a news item for the Dispatch via email: crosshatchdispatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Use “Dispatch” in the subject line, if you would be so kind. Or add us to your mailing lists. You heard me.

- Sarah Morean

Darryl Ayo writes “Freestyle Friday” for Comix Cube. He loves discovering artists that he didn’t know about before.

Lunch Break is a short round-up of favorite webcomics appearing here each weekday at noon. Here’s something for you to enjoy over your lunch break or whenever. The premise is simple: it’s another day on the internet. Here’s a new or forgotten comic that seems interesting.

We’d love to have you guest edit Lunch Break! Check out the Contribute page for more information.

1. Lovely Day by NikkiNack // May 28, 2011
2. New Nose by Brandon Graham // May 27, 2011 NSFW
3. m – salatis – arrival by Sloane Leong // February 9, 2011
4. Making Tortillas” by KickSatanOut // October 11, 2010
5. PC: Sexy Grocery Shopping by David E. Belton II // May 27, 2011 NSFW

– Sarah Morean

Scott Mikesh is an independent illustrator and visual communications designer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After 12 years in corporate marketing and communications, Scott headed out on his own to form Scott Mikesh Creative, a freelance agency that provides eye-catching icons, characters, portraits, comic strips, storyboards and décor.

Scott’s first weekly web comic Popcorn Toons features a cast of modern-day characters including two best girlfriends, two dogs, and a robot named A.R.T. The characters were inspired by his own nieces and family dogs. The name of the strip is also an homage to one of Scott’s icons and role models, the late great Charles “Sparky” Schultz, who was originally from the Twin Cities area. Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Scott recently discovered that he had coincidentally taken art classes when he was 12 from the same correspondence art school where Charles Schultz originally received his art education and later taught.

Scott is also involved with a local youth art mentor program called Art Buddies that pairs professionals from the commercial design industry with inner-city kids to explore their own creativity and expose them to career opportunities in the creative field. He is working with Art Buddies this fall to expand the program to Bancroft Elementary School in South Minneapolis.

- Sarah Morean

[Above, James Sturm avoids a perfectly good pun. Below, the Dispatch just beeing itself.]

1. James Sturm says it’s hard to cartoon for The New Yorker.
2. Sparkplug Comic Books should run out of inventory if comics bloggers (and fans) have their way.
3. International Read Comics in Public Day is sooooo happening on Sunday. Find a meet-up or make one of your own or just read outside alone!
4. “The place of comic books at the cultural supper table has never been more secure.”
5. This is neat, a list of publishers that still accept open submissions.
6. Aron Nels Steinke would like your assistance in publishing Big Ideas #4.
7. AW. Fan art from kids! More please.
8. Save the date! CAKE is coming to Chicago on June 16-17, 2012.
9. TCAF is ready to receive your applications for its 2012 show.
10. This week’s featured MIX exhibitor on MPLS.TV is Anthony Clark!
11. Dean Haspiel reads “Beef with Tomato” at BookCourt.
12. Nominations close tomorrow for the Lutefisk Sushi E featured cartoonist spot. Nominees must live in, or have ties to, the state of Minnesota. (Tomorrow is also my mom’s birthday!)
13. Dan Olson has been working on his project “Bret Blackberg and the Fifty State Tour saga” in 24-hour-comics-style sessions. He’ll work again this weekend, starting at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe in Minneapolis if you’d like to say hello.
14. I hope Kim Deitch is being serious.

Submit a news item for the Dispatch via email: crosshatchdispatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Use “Dispatch” in the subject line, if you would be so kind. Or add us to your mailing lists. You heard me.

- Sarah Morean

Luggage tags from David King are on my shopping list. A $2 steal!

One of our favorite publishers of fine indie comics has been diagnosed with cancer. Evidently, for a second time. Can I get a “not fair?”

Dylan Williams is a man with enough on his mind. As one of the planners for the Portland Zine Symposium, he just saw the 11th year of that event wrap up, plus he’s the sole person running Sparkplug Comic Books, and now he has to deal with this major health issue (and bills). It’s unfortunate, unfair, and inspires a sense of melancholy from someone living so far away who isn’t sure how to help.

Actually, there is something you can do for Dylan at home.  It would be enormously useful and encouraging if you would go now to the Sparkplug Comic Books website and finally buy the copy of Lemon Styles you’ve been waiting for, or take a chance on another title that’s sure to please you.

Thanks to Rob Clough for getting the ball rolling on this one.

Here is the three-part interview we ran with Dylan back in 2008: 1 | 2 | 3

Here are some links to reviews of books published or distributed by Sparkplug we’ve run here on the Cross Hatch:

• Eschew #1 – 2 by Robert Sergel
• Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang
• Danny Dutch by David King
• Jin & Jam by Hellen Jo
• The Hot Breath of War by Alixopolus
• Reich #1 – 2 by Elijah Brubaker
• Edison Steelhead’s Lost Portfolio: Exploratory Studies of Girls and Rabbits by Renee French
• Asthma by John Hankiewicz
• Tales to Demolish #1 – 3 by Eric Haven
• Bookhunter by Jason Shiga
• Big Plans # 1 – 3 by Aron Nels Steinke
• You Don’t Get There From Here #5 by Carrie McNinch
• My Alaskan Summer by Corinne Mucha
• Neverland by Dave Kiersh
• Nurse Nurse #1-2 by Katie Skelly
• PS Comics by Minty Lewis
• Nine Gallons #1 by Susie Cagle

- Sarah Morean

[Above, Tom Spurgeon is a survivor, we hope. Below, the Dispatch isn't going to give up.]

1. Now is a fine time to tell Tom Spurgeon how much you care.
2. And also Dylan Williams.
3. Lisa Hanawalt has seen that new film so many of the nerds are going “ape” over. HA HA HA.*
4. Congratulations to Box Brown and the others nominated for the Philadelphia Geek Awards!
5. It’s fun to hear Grant Morrison talk about the perception of geek culture in Scotland, among other things.
6. Solipistic Pop, that wonderful British comics anthology, is trying to print a new issue and you can help!
7. Do let us know if you’re planning a meet-up for Read Comics in Public Day so we can list you on the RCiPD site and Facebook page. I’ll make the event as RCiPD then make you admin so you can even change stuff and junk. It’s that simple.
8. Chuck Forsman has created another hilarious mash-up poster. It’s going in and out of print like hot cakes though. Which is a bad mixed metaphor I guess and totally unlike a hilarious mash-up. Anyway, good luck getting one!
9. We’ll begin to invite exhibitors from the MIX wait list in September. If you’re interested in exhibiting at the Minneapolis Indie Xpo and don’t yet have a space, please join the wait list!
10. Art:21 recently interviewed Lilli Carre.
11. Lilli Carre on a skateboard: The only skateboard you’ll ever need.
12. Except there is also a Jason skateboard.
13. And one from Jason Ott.
14. Do tell Nicole J. Georges if you have her art tattooed upon you. She’ll be happy to know.
15. If you see Tim Sievert at the Texas Bigfoot Conference you could buy some sweet Bigfoot portraits from him.
16. Vincent “King Mini” Stall still draws with pencils and other fun news extracted from PUNY Entertainment about their permanent on-site art collection.
17. Cartoonists living in — or with strong connections to — Minnesota can be nominated as the featured artist for Lutefisk Sushi E starting NOW. The nomination process ends on August 25th, then the voting will begin.
18. This week’s featured MIX exhibitor on MPLS.TV is Tim Sievert!
19. If you strike the wall down, ToonSeum will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
20. Tables are now available for PIX: The Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo.
21. Congratulations to Keith Knight, Jerry Craft and the rest who are up for a 2011 African American Literary award in the Comic Strip category!
22. Christopher Butcher got a very important conversation started on Twitter.  Please chime in with your thoughts about what festivals can do to make things more profitable for artists.  I’M LISTENING.
23. Meredith Gran and your mother know you shouldn’t just give out the milk for free.
24. Leigh Walton is moving to Brooklyn.  Just a heads up so you know to start inviting him to your karaoke parties.
25. Anders Nilsen will sign and discuss Big Questions at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis on Thursday, August 18th, at 7:30pm.
26. Sarah Oleksyk will sign and discuss Ivy at Meltdown Comics in LA on Saturday, August 20th, at 3pm.

Submit a news item for the Dispatch via email: crosshatchdispatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Use “Dispatch” in the subject line, if you would be so kind. Or add us to your mailing lists. You heard me.

*HA HA HA HA HA.

- Sarah Morean