Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf gets Political

This may be of interest to the politically-minded among you: here we have a politician who is also a cartoonist. Progressive candidate Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf is running for the house seat in Missouri's 7th district, and he's chosen to communicate his platform in the form of several comics displayed on his website. The art is sharp, simple and stylized green-on-white, and it makes good use of iconic imagery to get its point across. It's interesting to see online comics put to political use, so if that sounds like it'd be of interest to you, pay Ladendorf's site a visit and find out what he's all about.

Here's the press release:

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For immediate release

Webcartoonist and activist Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf puts his wit against big party dollars

Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf isn't your typical comic book artist. "I'm using Op-Ed style comics to reach voters," explains Ladendorf who is running as a Progressive in the race for the house seat for Missouri's 7th district. The medium allows Ladendorf to be more playful with his message, and he is having fun with it. In the introduction of his campaign site, www.NILvsDCbs.com, the candidate is wearing a mouseketeer hat and his icon for discussing gun control is an M-16 on a leash with spiked collar.

Even with this 'edu-taining' approach the candidate takes on some serious topics such as abortion and abolishing the federal reserve. Ladendorf is quick to point out "The site will continue to grow with the campaign. I have more to say and I'll draw on this reservoir of additional issues as soon as the artist in me deems them presentable."

Ladendorf has his work cut out for him. The Progressive Party isn't as recognizable as the major parties and has the additional restriction of not being able to accept donations from special interest. Ladendorf will use the comedy circuit and the internet with a strong message to level the playing field. "I'm planning on hitting a lot of open mics until momentum takes over and I can speak at bigger venues. I haven't done a lot of public speaking but I predict my town hall meetings are going to be reminiscent of the 'A Night with Kevin Smith' series."

Max vs. Max, a new strip from Wes Molebash

Merry Christmas, everyone. For Christmas, I wish to give you a gift: the gift of information.

Specifically, I wish to inform you of Wes Molebash's latest comic offering, Max vs. Max, a strip about being your own worst enemy. The main character Max grapples with faith, insecurity, and guilt feelings in the wake of his recent divorce, and with help from friends and family, he tries to make sense of his life.

So far, the strip's off to a strong start; it's open, honest, and human, and it plunges right in with Max and his friend Reese discussing getting back in the dating game. That segues naturally into a story arc in which Max dreams about God showing up in his bed. Currently, the strip has begun a third story arc about visiting family for Christmas, and apparently Max's mom makes a mean meatloaf.

I'm glad to see Wes Molebash making comics again. He's refreshingly personal in his cartooning, and his characters are real people with real flaws. You can't help but root for them, though, because you can see something of yourself in them. Wes also brings a refreshing approach to faith in his comics that I find sadly lacking in the webcomics scene at large.

I certainly missed Wes' comics after he ended You'll Have That, and I missed them again after he put Myron and Charlie on hold to take a break from cartooning. It's good to see him back in the saddle. And you've got to love a comic whose underlying theology allows for a God who goes for coffee at 1 in the morning.

I may be giving you a Christmas present right now, but Wes Molebash gives you a present every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and it's pretty awesome. Give his new comic a look--I bet you'll enjoy it.

Can't Catch a Break

Continued from the previous installment
And of course everybody knows who Brent Sienna is

The Webcomic List Awards

Hi, everyone. Once again I break my hiatus to drop a tiny item of news for you.

As you may or may not know, The Webcomic List (www.thewebcomiclist.com) is having its first annual Webcomic List Awards. The awards are an opportunity to recognize good comics that have excelled in a wide spectrum of different areas, and for that reason alone I'm pretty jazzed to be a part of them. This coming Sunday, the 13th, is the final date they're accepting nominations, so if you know of some good comics that you'd like to see recognized for their excellence, stop by and drop some nominations.

Superfogeys: Revelations are in Store

2010 looks to be an ambitious year for The Superfogeys. SF creator Brock Heasley writes, "In many ways, I've been waiting since 2006 to tell the stories I'm gonna tell in 2010. Longtime readers, your patience will be rewarded." As I've noted before, Superfogeys is a quality comic that hits all across the comedy-drama spectrum, and it executes its retired-superheroes premise with creativity and style. If you're not already up-to-speed on Superfogeys, now's a good time to get on board.

And if you're already a regular Superfogeys reader, you've got a lot to look forward to.

Thanksgiving

Hi, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and to do a Thanksgiving blog post.

First, I am thankful for Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for the forgiveness and grace that God has shown me.

I'm thankful also for my family. I'm thankful that my parents were able to come visit me and my brother for Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful for my brother. I'm thankful that we all have time off to celebrate the holiday and spend it with each other.

I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for the friends I've made online and offline. I'm thankful for people who care about me that I can count on, and I'm thankful that I have people to care for too.

And I'm thankful for Blank It.

Have a good Thanksgiving, everyone.