Victor Cayro vs. Apple S&P

Here's a funny story, remember last week when I said that Ho12 Monthly was coming out? Yeah, well that didn't happen, crazy! Seems Apple Standards and Practices has a problem with Victor Cayro's story, The Mazk, and we're going to have to cut it from the issue.

I can't say I'm too pleased with this. Apple has a rule about comics depicting torture, which I understand, and agree with. I think they're trying to avoid something like the Human Centipede in comic form. I get that, but Victor's story is like Bugs Bunny for adults. In Cayro's story the main character is forced to strip and lick his own blood off of a car's bumper. Technically, these are acts performed under duress, which would classify them as torture, but taken in the context of the whole piece, it's a little silly to call it that.

I've been Victor Cayro's publisher for about five years and I understand that his work can be jarring to people. It's often disturbing, violent, overtly sexual and grotesque — and that's the point. He sees the world for what it is and he doesn't suffer fools who would candy-coat it, mocking them openly through a palette of pop-culture references and day-glow colors. He is, I believe, the finest artist working in comics today and it's a shame Apple has chosen to reject the strip.

Nonetheless, we will suffer on, Cayro will have another story in three months and we'll just have to cross our fingers that it'll meet Apple's muster. In the meantime, Ho12 Monthly #2 will be out ASAP with new stories from Kate Lacour and myself, as well as some selections from the Ho12 archives.

Here is Victor's story in it's final form. Torture porn, meaningless masturbation, or none to subtle social commentary?

A Mess of Video

Fantagraphics just posted a little video preview of Team 12 den mother, Miss Lasko-Gross' new book, 'A Mess of Everything' which we will be debuting at Tcaf in May. It's pretty gosh darned beautiful.

Of Jams and Men

Upstairs at Jack Demsey's at the Ho12 Comic Jam, 2/5/09

So last week's Ho12 Comic Jam was another rousing success. If we keep having nights like these I am going to have to actually start putting thought into this, which after 7 years seems silly. I gotta hand it to the old facebook, I just signed up for it 2 months ago and it's already been responsible for rustlin' back several long lost contributors and bringing in three new guys. Seems my little recruitment plan has worked, let's hope it keeps up.

We are still having issues with getting the basement reserved every month, I really need to talk to Vinne, the manager of Demsey's, about that, I know in the past the relocation to the upstairs has caused at least one person to miss the event, I really don't want that to happen again.

Kevin and Miss seem to have rocked out at the NYCC this past weekend, good on them. Check out Kevin's blog listed on the bottom right of this page. It's twitery.

Seems all our convention appearances are coming together all at once, I will have post later this week going over it all.

Off to kill zombies with friends.

Cheese

Get Drunk, Draw Comics

House of Twelve Comic Jam this Thursday

Fresh back from our trip to beautiful Rockville, MD and the awesome Small Press Expo Team 12 invites you — one and all — to our monthly Ho12 Comic Jam.  Join New York's finest young purveyors of dick and fart jokes as we get drunk and draw comics.  All are welcome, but be sure to bring your pencils, paper and thirst for excitement, booze.  

Come on out and say hello, 

Thursday, October 9, 7 pm

Jack Demsey's Pub

36 West 33rd st., NYC

In the basement

7 pm - 11ish

What is a "comic jam" anyway?  

At it's base, a comic jam is when a group of artists get together and draw a single story.  Formats vary between various jams and groups, ours tend to stick to this standard system: One person draws a single panel that sets the setting and characters, then the page is passed to the next person who draws the second panel, they then pass it to another and the process continues.  THis goes on until A) someone makes the perfect gag for the situation, B) it runs out of steam, C) it is put out of its misery for just being too goddamn awful.  

The original San Francisco Undergrounds did many comic jams, and not unlike our own, they are drunken messes involving numerous references to male genitalia and farts.  We feel that the tradition of drunk cartoonists should be carried on and passed down to the youth of tomorrow.  "Booze, Comics, Loneliness!"  This is the cartoonists creed. 

The Ho12 Comic Jams have been going strong since 2001 and have been a great place for New York's up and coming artists to cross pens with some of the best and brightest in the community.  Many of our regulars are regular contributors to not only the House of Twelve titles, but have been published by some of the best alternative publishers around, come on out and shake hands with the best.