My First Review!

A few weeks ago, while in Pittsburgh for a convention, I was thrilled to get an e-mail from a friend telling me that I’d been reviewed by The Comics Journal’s Rob Clough. I was doubly thrilled to discover that it was a very positive review!

Clough has lately been reviewing all the CCS mini-comics that we gave him at MOCCA in April (what a backlog he must have!) and it’s been so much fun for us to see. Unfortunately, this delay means that the review didn’t link here (as the People’s Republic was then only a gleam in its founder’s eye), but to my old Flickr page. Also, the Mockingbird art pulled from there was not from the final book, but from a version of it I had been working on before I came to CCS. I cringe a little bit every time I see it, but still, no press is bad press!

I’m planning on sending Clough a completed “Mockingbird,” as I only gave him a preview book at MOCCA. Also, for anyone who was wondering, there is a second issue on the way. I’m not sure when it will be done, but I’m about five pages in right now.

New Logo

For my Professional Practices class I’ve been asked to create an “ID System,” essentially a set of thematically linked business cards, envelopes, stationary, etc. It’s basically an exercise in personal branding. The goal is to create something unique, memorable, personal, and legible.

One theme that I have been working with is Soviet iconography. This blog is called “The People’s Republic of Paul,” after all, and I might start playing that up more as this project continues. I was thinking about proclaiming myself “Commissar of Cartoons” on my cards and letterhead and devising a crest for that august body. I’ve worked up two slightly different designs. You’ll find them both below.

I’m not sure which design I prefer. I can make a case to myself for either one. I was wondering if y’all could help me decide. To that end, I’ve created my first online poll. You’ll find it at the bottom of the page. If you have the time, take a look at the drawings and cast your ballot. After all, a vote is a rare thing in the People’s Republic of Paul!