March 26th, 2012
For the last five years, Tugboat Press has produced a free comic to give out on Free Comic Book Day (unofficially) and at the various conventions we attend throughout the year. This year's FCBD book is called Runner Runner and is crammed full of over two dozen stories in just 32 pages. The idea was to make the densest, most satisfying read possible. Comics are notorious for being quick reads. We hope that you'll have to settle into your comfy chair for this book (some pages have over fifty panels).
Runner Runner also marks the return of legendary Portland cartoonist Kalah Allen providing the cover art and the featured front story. It's been a long time dream to get to work with Kalah. Her minicomic Jar of Pennies is a subtle masterpiece that still holds up a decade after its first publication. Though single motherhood has pushed her into semi-retirement, hopefully this will be the start of a comic book renaissance for the talented Ms. Allen.
For the curious, here is a complete list of the amazing artists in Runner Runner in order of appearance in the book: Kalah Allen, Jesse Reklaw, MK Reed, Rich Tommaso, Drew Weing, Aron Nels Steinke, Rina Ayuyang, Galen Longstreth, Aaron Renier, Julia Gfrorer, Jonathan Hill, Joey Sayers, Matt Wiegle, Corinne Mucha, Andy Hartzell, Jason Martin, Minty Lewis, Damien Jay, Tessa Brunton, Elijah Brubaker, Robin Enrico, Nate Beaty, Lisa Rosalle Eisenberg, Alec Longstreth, Kazimir Strzepek, and Lilli Carre. Wow!
Our flagship title Papercutter is going on hiatus for the year but we have several excited projects in the works. Stay tuned.
September 13th, 2011
Dylan Williams was my friend and I loved him very much. His death has torn a hole in my heart that won't soon heal.
Over the last few days, I've been flooded with memories of my time with Dylan. The one I keep coming back to is one where he didn't even know I was there. I take the 70 bus to work sometimes and it passes outside the dojo where Dylan practiced Tai Chi on a nearly daily bases. I would sometimes see him in there peacefully going through his training forms. The last time I saw him at the dojo, he was sparing with someone. They were pushing each other on the shoulders to practice holding their balance and reversing the attack to push back. It was a cool move. Dylan was having a blast and would often break out in a big smile. I could have watched him all day, but too soon the light changed and my bus moved on down the street.
I've been trying to focus on specific memories. It's keeping him real and alive inside me and I need that.
We co-published five comics together, and I'm proud of them all. It was great working with such a good friend and such a pure soul. I'm so grateful for our time together. I will miss him everyday.
For more on Dylan, The Comics Reporter put together a collective memory page here.
July 15th, 2011
It's summertime here in Portland and life is good. So good that we forgot to update the Tugboat Press news section for four months. Oops.
As you can see there is a new issue of Papercutter out. Issue sixteen features the return of Joey Alison Sayers. Her story "Pet Cat" from issue twelve is one of our most praised pieces we've ever published, and it will appear in the next edition of Best American Comics. Also in this issue is Liz Prince, returning for her third appearance in Papercutter (her new minicomic series I Swallowed the Key to My Heart is pretty amazing stuff), and making his debut is Alexis Fredrick-Frost who is author of one of our favorite minicomics of last year, The Courtship of Miss Smith, and is part of the three headed monster that creates the Adventures in Cartooning series of books.
Besides Papercutter, we have another free comic out this year. It's called Dragons! and is half comics / half activities book for kids. It was co-edited by Alec Longstreth and features dozens of writers, cartoonists and writers. The center spread maze by Kazimir Strzepek is a sight to behold. If you missed getting it at Free Comic Book Day, you might be able to grab one from us at some of the upcoming comic book shows.
Also, don't forget that MK Reed and Jonathan Hill are serializing their graphic novel AMERICUS over at saveapathea.com. Nearly 200 pages are up now and the collected book will be coming from First Second Books in late August. Preorder now!
March 9th, 2011
Here at Tugboat Press, we are all looking forward to our 2011 publishing schedule. We have six new books in the works and we're excited about all of them. We may throw in a few surprises too as the year progresses.
To kick things off, we have a new issue of our flagship title Papercutter. Issue Fifteen brings us three new stories from some of our favorite new cartoonists. Jonas Madden-Connor returns with a full length story that will blow your mind with its worlds within worlds storyline. It's a really smart and funny and dark. Our favorite qualities in a story.
Exciting young cartoonists Melinda Boyce makes her Papercutter debut with a short autobiographical comic about trying to impress her sister and injuring herself in the process. It's beautifully drawn in painterly washes.
Papercutter mainstay MK Reed also returns (check out her amazing webcomic Save Apathea, it's rad!), this time joined by artist Drew Weing. This story is sure to cause debate between cat lovers and... the rest of us. One thing we can agree on is that Drew's back cover art is spectacular.
September 7th, 2010
After a slow summer, Tugboat Press is proud to release three new books for Fall 2010!
Yes, Let's is our first picture books for kids and our first 100% full color publication. It's written (in rhymes!) by our longtime friend and sometimes co-editor Galen Longstreth and illustrated by the amazing Maris Wicks. This is the first book of this kind for either creator, so get in on the ground floor with this one. It'll charm your socks off!
Invincible Summer #19 / Clutch #22 is the ninth annual split zine from these two mainstays of American zinedom. If you don't know Nicole and Clutch's zines, this split is a great gateway drug. Told in diary style comics, these two old pals live (somewhat) overlapping lives of zines, friends and good times.
Papercutter #14 has been a longtime coming! Nate Beaty, who has drawn the endpages for every single issue of Papercutter, finally steps forward to illustrated a big 21 page story and the front cover. And it's a good one! Written by old friend Dave Roche of On Subbing fame, their story follows Dave on a train trip through the darker parts of middle America. There is also a one pager from Jim Rugg featuring the character Bald Eagle from Jim's legendary series Street Angel. And Farel Dalrymple provides the third story. He's always been a hero of ours, so it was a real honor having him contribute to this issue.
We'd like to send our congratulations to Rina Ayuyang and Matt Wiegle from their nominations for Promising New Talent at this year Ignatz Awards.
