Thanks Rob!

Rob Clough just reviewed Kids and a bunch of other anthologies....

"Everything about this anthology is well-designed without being overly fussy; I love the touch of the photos of the contributors as children being posted on refrigerators (complete with magnetic letters that spell out "comics" holding them up) as well as the hand-stamped letters spelling out "Kids" on the cover in paint. Hopefully there will be future volumes of this anthology."

Thanks Rob!

Maybe we'll be doing another one...just sayin'....

David Libens is a Belgian cartoonist and co-founder of the publishing house Lemploye du Moi in Brussels. He currently lives in White River Junction, VT, where he's been the 2011 Fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies. You can read his comics at his site, Badaboum Twist.
David contributed an autobiographical comic about him and his family deciding on whether to stay in Vermont or move back to Europe. It's a very sweet comic; preview the first page:

KIDS Contributor Joe Lambert

Joseph Lambert is a dookie caca poops.
He created a two page story about two boys falling asleep and talking to each other. It's really cute!


His collection of comics, I Will Bite You, was recently put out by Secret Acres. You can also read a lot of his comics on his site!

Kids Contributor Jose-Luis Olivares

Jose-Luis Olivares ate grass, play-doh, and boogers...and may still do. A co-editor of the Kids Anthology, Jose helped design and layout the book. "Made of Sand" is about a little kid who finds a tiny princess starfish on the beach:

Kids Contributor James Hindle

James Hindle is an illustrator, cartoonist, and designer living in Northhampton, MA. He drew a 4-page story, 'Trash Heap,' about a teen friendship gone sour:

Make sure to read James' excellent comics, 'Little Wolves' and 'Unsettled,' available on his site!

KIDS Contributors Amy and Melissa Mendes

Sisters Amy and Melissa Mendes grew up in the woods of Western Massachusetts, where they built houses for fairies and covered themselves in mud. Now they both draw comics and illustrations, and create crafts with their mom at Little Crafty Birds.
Amy contributed a 2 page story called "Brave" that features the three ladies outside their house in a rain storm:



Melissa is the co-editor of the Kids anthology and came up with the idea for Kids! She drew a 3-page story about a kid who wonders what his house looks like from the outside:



Check out more of Melissa's work at her website, and stayed tuned for her Xeric-award-winning book, Freddy, which will be super cute and interesting!

KIDS Contributor Dane Martin

Dane Martin draws Salt Mines Comic Books in a underground dwelling full of cartoonists and slime. You can tumble after him on tumblr, spot him on blogspot, or get him at the source.
Dane created the 4-page comic, 'Bad Place,' featured in the KIDS anthology. First page is above!

KIDS Contributor Chuck Forsman

Charles Forsman draws great comics, and he puts a ton of them online, including his series Snake Oil, all of which you can read at his website. He also has a sweet shop, The Oily Boutique, where you can buy his handmade comics and the Sundays anthologies.
Chuck's Kids contribution, Witch Beach, concerns a precocious little girl and has a nice John Stanley vibe. Here are the first 2 pages:

KIDS Contributor Nate Beaty

Nate Beaty is currently perfecting the draw-fast-engouh-to-start-a-finger-fire technique in Chicago, IL. Regular updated comics and other titillating tomfoolery can be found at his website!
Nate has the longest story in the Kids anthology, a great peak at a group of kids obsessed with break dancing; here's the first 3 pages of the 11-page story:

KIDS Contributor Alex Kim

Alex Kim is a Xeric award-winning cartoonist currently living in Vermont. You can read a ton of his comics on his website in full-color. He is also an editor of the Sundays anthologies alongside Chuck Forsman, Joe Lambert, and Sean Ford.

Alex contributed a story about a meddlesome little girl named Brucie. Check out the first two pages below:

KIDS Contributor Max de Radiguès

Max de Radiguès is a cartoonist from Brussels, Belgium. He's a member of the publishing house L’employé du Moi and was a fellow last year at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Max was once a kid and still is a little bit... Check out page one of his story, "The Witch's Transforming Potion," one of two comics in the Kids anthology with a witchy theme:

Max's book, L’âge Dur, is out now! It's a French-language graphic novel about being a teenager:

l'âge dur from Max de Radiguès on Vimeo.

KIDS Contributor Lydia Conklin

Lydia Conklin is a cartoonist and fiction writer living in Madison, Wisconsin. Her work has appeared in Narrative Magazine, New Letters, The Minnesota Review, and other publications. We were really surprised that both Robyn and Lydia shared a passion for leopard print at such a young age! Lydia contributed the five-page story, "The Kittens Hate You," which reminds readers of the super-close bond children have with animals:

KIDS Contributor Robyn Chapman

Robyn Chapman grew up in Alaska and draws comics about it sometimes. She's also been an editor of many great comic anthologies, including True Porn, Hey 4 Eyes, Make: Comics about an Intimate Act, and most recently, This Isn't Working: Comics about Ex-Boyfriends. We're really excited that Robyn is starting her own publishing house, Paper Rocket, where she will continue to produce beautifully crafted handmade comics. Thanks, Robyn, for your touching story, "Krissy," which appears in the Kids anthology. Read the first page below:

KIDS updates

Thanks to Rob McMonigal over at Panel Platter for his review of Kids!
Rob writes:

Kids is a themed anthology of stories having to do with childhood in some way. Whether it's looking back at a time past or seeing things as a child sees them, the stories all have a strong connection to the idea of what it is like to be a child.

We also just mailed out comics to several comic shops. Look for the Kids anthology at these awesome establishments:

Ada Books, Providence RI
Million Year Picnic, Cambridge MA
Casablanca Comics, Portland MA
Chicago Comics, Chicago IL
Quimby's Bookstore, Chicago IL
Copacetic Comics, Pittsburgh PA
Dr. Comics & Mr Games, Oakland CA
Jim Hanley's Universe, NYC NY
Bergen Street Comics, Brooklyn NY

Coming up, profiles of the Kids anthology cartoonists!

Guess Who?

Kids is ready to be ordered online!
$7 via paypal...

We're also giving a copy to the first 2 people to correctly identify the cartoonist based on their baby photos:


Guess who?

Melissa Mendes

Robyn Chapman

Chuck Forsman

Nate Beaty

Lydia Conklin

Alex Kim

Joseph Lambert

Amy Mendes

Max de Radigues

José-Luis Olivares

James Hindle

Dane Martin

David Libens

Please send your guesses to
joseluis.olivares@gmail.com!

Saturday with KIDS

Kids, the first anthology edited by Melissa Mendes and me.



Comics about growin' up



Comics about Young'ns


Featuring Comics By:

Melissa Mendes

Robyn Chapman

Chuck Forsman

Nate Beaty

Lydia Conklin

Alex Kim

Joseph Lambert

Amy Mendes

Max de Radigues

José-Luis Olivares

James Hindle

Dane Martin

David Libens

Come see us at MoCCA! We'll be at the Sundays table--tons of great debuts from my friends.

Nate Beaty!

Nate has posted a few preview images of his comic that will be in "Kids". I've read it. It's amazing. You'll want to read it too.

More Favorite Kids

Tatum O'Neal

favorite kids

Preview of the cover...

by Max de Radigues!