Jim Keefe is the current artist of the Sally Forth comic strip. From 1996-2003 he was the writer and artist of the Flash Gordon comic strip. A graduate of the Joe Kubert School, Keefe likewise teaches Comic Art. Teaching and speaking engagements include SVA in Manhattan, Hofstra’s UCCE Youth Programs, and most recently the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Being that I am the totally unauthorized official Minneapolis artist for the famed High Kings, I thought I’d show you some art I did for their upcoming show at the Cedar Cultural Center. So first, here’s the inks.
And here it is cleaned up with type and color put in digitally.
And here’s my unabashed plug… The High Kings
with Adam Coolong and Tony Comeau
at the Cedar Cultural Center
Tuesday, August 22, 2015 – 7:30pm
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Advance: $22.00 – Day of show: $25.00
Seated show; all ages
PFC Exhibit (“Pierre Feuille Ciseaux” or “Rock Paper Scissors”) at MCAD prior to Autoptic – August 7, 2015
Bart King, June Julien Misserey and Jenny King
Mathieu Bouillant (facing camera)
Barbara Schulz.
Light Grey Art Lab Exhibit prior to Autoptic – August 7, 2015
Street in front of the Light Grey Art Lab Exhibit Jean-Christophe Menu (pink shirt), June Julien Misserey (dark grey shirt), Mathieu Bouillant (to the right of June holding camera), Mathilde Harmand (holding proofsheet), Marina Courtois (in red), Paulette Rossi (in dark grey holding camera) and Zak Sally (far right).
June Julien Misserey and Zak Sally in foreground.
Barbara Schulz and Zak Sally.
Light Grey Art Lab Exhibit Anders Nilsen & Zak Sally
April Yolando Kasulis, Andrew George, John Wilinski, Jack Kotz, Marissa Luna, Ben Tye and Kat Bride.
Autoptic Festival 2015
Tessa Keefe manning my table.
Robin Sheldon & Nick Peters.
Happy daddy, Bart King.
Kitty Berry.
Maddi Gonzalez, Spencer Amundson and Marissa Luna.
Maddi Gonzalez, Spencer Allen Amundson, Marissa Luna, Melissa Mariko Kieselburg and Andrew George.
Alexis Cooke and Hedwig Vinson.
Mandie Brasington and Jaime Willems.
Tom Kaczynski and Barbara Schulz.
Amaya Goldsmith.
Scotty Gillmer & Caitlin Skaalrud.
Carl Thompson, Scotty Gillmer & Caitlin Skaalrud
Paul Fricke.
Blue Delliquanti
Kyle Harabedian.
Mason Sklar (on right)
Christian Moser and Andrew Herbst (standing)
Erik Munson.
Erik Munson and Chan Chau (standing)
Ann Ryan, John Wilinski, Chase Van Weerdhuizen and Maddi Gonzalez.
Tyler Page
John Bivens and Alex Mitchell
Bryan Bornmueller and Ursula Murray Husted
Panel discussion
One of the many Autoptic paparazzo. aka Amaya Goldsmith
Back room for artists to take a breather.
Not many conventions cater to their exhibitors with pastries like these – just saying…
Jim Keefe and his whole crew (Tessa, Anna, Leo and Sophie).
When a scene in Sally Forth calls for a specific locale (grocery store, movie theater, etcetera) I’ll often use spots around my hometown of Minneapolis for reference. For Hil and Faye’s local comic book shop I picked Comic Book College.
I use this comic book shop as it holds some nostalgia for me. When I was growing up in Minneapolis in the 1970s the collector’s market for comics was just getting underway. The two places to get back issues were Shinders on 7th and Comic City. Shinders on 7th was torn down decades ago but Comic City survived, morphing over the years into Comic Book College.
And now Comic Book College is moving to it’s new location at 4632 Nicollet Avenue.
So here’s wishing Tim Lohn and his crew all the best at their new location!
Tim Lohn with original Sally Forth page featuring Hil and Faye going to Comic Book College.
12/4/2016 Sally Forth page Tim Lohn is holding in prior pic.
Comic Book College is open and ready for business!
LOTS of space for comics – more drawers and display units yet to be delivered…
Kids section by front window getting organized.
Long row of new comics.
Back issue drawers with graphic novel shelves on top.
Tim Lohn on day one at the new location.
Talked to owner, Tim Lohn, and he said he didn’t quite get everything over to the new store yet, but they are open with what they’ve got so far and will just keep working on it over the next few weeks.
And coming up Saturday at Comic Book College – Emil Ferris!
I just found out that my niece Heather thought that Spider-Man’s webbing is organic (like in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films) as opposed to a device that Peter Parker created.
For her to make this mistake is bad Uncle-ing on my part. So to rectify this I’m posting the following pages from the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spider-Man’s co-creators, and the ultimate authority on all things Spider-Man.
My daughter Anna to a friend’s mother: “My Dad can’t come out east when we go because he has to get work done first.”
Friend’s mother: “But why, doesn’t he work out of the home?”
Quick aside; I moved in with my brother for about a year when we first moved to Minneapolis. He said, “I always thought working from home would be great…until I saw you do it. Realized that working from home means you NEVER LEAVE WORK.“
Add to that (and in no particular order);
No paid sick days.
No tech department to fix your computer.
No health benefits.
No HR department to make sure you get paid.
No 401k.
Never mind someone “at the office” to fill in for you when you’re not there.
(Much less clean up and empty your waste basket during the night shift.)
And just to clarify, I get no health coverage through my work but I do get coverage through my wife’s job.
This is not the case for MANY freelancers who are one sickness or accident away from bankruptcy. GoFundMe accounts seem to crop up daily for fellow freelancers (sick or aging) caught in this trap.
Yup, just another day in the merry land of freelance-land!
