I know I keep changing the format of Magic Whistle every few years. This newest incarnation will be sort of a full-on anthology. It was evolving into that. It’s going to have the same usual 20-something page count of my work plus the same page count of work by other artists. I feel lots of other places are doing a better job of producing arty work but I want to be more humor-oriented. Not necessarily seltzer-bottle and banana-peel funny, just stuff that would complement my own work, something more inspired by anthologies I grew up with like Weirdo and the underground comics from then (I’m old enough to have actually read some of the underground comics when they originally came out). I wanted it to continue with #16 but it will continue as Magic Whistle 3.0. It should sell more copies that way. If Spider-Man can keep re-booting so can I.
I’m not really on the pulse of the current comics scene. I used to go to a comic store once every week, now I go every few months. I’m about 15-20 years older than most cartoonists now so don’t socialize with them as much either. The non-me parts of Magic Whistle are edited by Dave Nuss, who already has a track record with Revival House Press. With this issue he’s brought John Brodowski, Manuel Gomez Burns, Jesse McManus, Ansis Purins, and Leah Wishnia. I’m also planning on running a feature on cartoonists from the past, so with this issue there’s a spread on college humor cartoons from the 50s and cartoons by the late Douglas Bagge from the forgotten NYC tabloid Comical Funnies with an appreciation by his brother (yes, the one you’re thinking of).
I’m hoping to have this come out 3 or 4 times a year. A pipe dream, I know. The main obstacle in the book not coming out more often (as has always been the case) is myself. Another possible delusion and rarity for any comics of this type is eventually having a high enough circulation to pay contributors.
It should be out sometime this winter.
