Dog Boy Photobombs Keith Richards

Yes folks, Dog Boy showed up at a recent Rolling Stones show, slipped onto Charlie's drum kit and totally photo-bombed Keith!

Actually, it's a 9" x 12" acrylic painting I just finished -- priced at $175, postage included.

I'm headed back to Oaxaca as of Aug 21st, so this particular work is available until Aug 20th.

Steve Lafler

Email Steve
503-213-3671

Take My Dog, Please (Includes Free Original Sketch)

I'm offering the last dozen copies of Doggie Style: The Complete Dog Boy including an original sketch and free postage, see this link for details.

Once the stock on hand is gone, the book will still be available as a Print on Demand item from CO2 Comics, but will not include the original sketch.

The above is an acrylic painting I just made of the ol' Dog. Zip me an email if you'd like one for your walls (or your mother in law.)

Steve Lafler

A High-Low Look at my Comix Work

At this point it's fair the say that Rob Clough is the foremost writer on art comics. Under that general term, I group comics that are produced for the love of the medium, using it as a means of artistic expression (as opposed to a commercial genre vehicle.) Mr. Clough maintains his own on comics, High-Low, and also writes for the the Comics Journal.

Not only is Rob prolific, but he is enthusiastic, with a stunning, over-arching intellectual and intuitive command of his field. He is not only familiar with a huge body of books and artists, he diligently tracks new and emerging talent. He has the smarts to connect the dots and make articulate assessments of how a book works (or not) on it's own terms, but he also places it within the ongoing world of comics in particular and overall culture in general.

I was happily surprised this week to check in on Rob's comics review blog high-low to find reprinted reviews of my work in his ongoing Sequart Reprints series. Here are links:

Reviews of Bughouse Graphic Novels

Reviews of Tranny and 40 Hour Man

Rob closes his review of Bughouse,  my signature graphic novel series, asking if I will ever portray the main character, Jimmy Watts, as a mature adult who has worked through his demons. Could be, but in the meanwhile I offer this classic Scott Hoover photo of me from the early 90s. Why did I write about addiction in Bughouse? This photo offers a clue.

In all fairness, I should mention that I consider Rob a friend. He does like my work! We've only met in person a few times at SPX, but we are in semi-regular contact to our mutual enjoyment.

Finally, time for the brazen sales effort! Here is a link to the current Steve Lafler graphic novel catalog.

Steve Lafler photo by Scott Hoover.

Humberto Batista at Polanco Gallery in San Francisco July 26

Contemporary Oaxacan artist Humberto Batista shows painted collages at San Francisco's Polanco gallery from July 26 to August 30. The show opens July 26, 6 - 9 pm, at 393 Hayes St., San Francsico.

The works feature images from a variety of sources--ancient to classic images of Latin American architecture and culture, seamlessly combined with painted elements. Batista's sense of composition is dead on, drawing the eye into each work. His sure hand with the paint brush and luminous use of color create compelling dreamscapes. The viewer feels as if they're in a world they almost know, or perhaps yearned for, that is just beyond their grasp.

I've been fortunate to visit Humberto in his studio to view these singular works, take my word for it, they are spectacular. I don't have access to the collage images right now, so I'm doing the next best thing and putting some images of the artist's assemblage work into this post.

Photos: Mari Seder

The Complete Dog Boy is Here!

My long standing dream of publishing all of my Dog Boy comics in one volume comes true today!

Doggie Style: The Complete Dog Boy is a monster 488 page volume from publisher CO2 collecting my seminal indy/alt comix title. It's a deluxe oversized (8.5 x 11) volume packed with the preposterous antics of Dog Boy.

The best way to get your copy is to visit my Kickstarter page for Doggie Style and select the book at $38 (includes shipping and an original sketch on the title page.)

Click here to visit the Doggie Style Kickstarter.

You are also invited to the Doggie Style publishing bash at the Mercury Cafe (201 Octavia St., San Francisco) Thursday, July 25th at 7:00 p.m.

We'll kick things off with a performance by The Dick Nixon Experience. This will be Oaxacabilly music at it's finest with Scotty Hoover, Dave Cherry, Doyle Stewart, Jon Caploe, Jeff Hobbs and myself.

I'll have both paperback and hard cover editions of Doggie Style on hand. We are going to have a wicked good time!

Above is the cover of Dog Boy #10 from 1988. This image is reproduced in luminous blue ink on a black T-Shirt, one of the many rewards available at the Doggie Style Kickstarter project.

The Bodega Boys, Revisited

Starting in September, 2008, Thurday nights would find me throwing my guitar in the back of my car to truck some ten miles out of Oaxaca City to the town of San Pablo Etla.

The destination was Casa Raab, a rambling country spread owned by ex-pat Tony Raab. Tony hosted a weekly music jam that encompassed the range of styles--Blue Grass, Country, Rock & Roll and Blues were all standard fare.

We'd set up and play by Tony's Bodega (workshop) in a remarkable setting. There is a stone patio with the building looping around it, creating near perfect acoustics. A few seats ring the patio, welcoming the audience into the fold. Trees spring up on all sides, framing the moon, the clouds and the night sky.

A ramshackle array of regulars and swashbuckling visiting musicians would pass through, from a steady supply of California lawyers who fancied themselves the second coming of Jerry Garcia, to Kim Burly, an actual Grammy winner from the Canadian group the Stampeders!

Tony would croon & strum, taking frequent breaks to top off everyone's mezcal, audience and players alike. We'd take turns leading tunes from an every evolving repetroire.

I was drafted into this singular weekly scene by one Todd Spiehler, a polymath musician who was equally at home on guitar, harmonica and mandolin. I could barely play when I first started in with "The Bodega Boys", but Todd had no problem with that and showed me the ropes. What a generous soul!

 

Tony Raab, photo by Jeff Charles

Tonight, it's Thursday night and I miss the Bodega Boys. It was never professional, and wasn't meant to be--just people standing up together to make some music and have a ball. It's where I learned to play in an ensemble, and more importantly, to listen to what's being played!

Tony has been working in the States mostly for the past two years. He drops in here and there and convenes  his magic jam with his good-natured hospitality, but mostly he's away. Across the street from Casa Raab, the Bodega Boys have continued at the home of master washtub bass player Bill Black. This man, in full swing on the washtub, is a sight to behold--a true artist, a beautiful human being and the heart and soul of the Bodega Boys. We are now the Pool Boys as it were, convening on a less frequent basis by Mr. Black's pool

So, the weekly Thursday session is no more. The pool sessions are infrequent. Indeed, the Bodega scene has attracted more and more expats who like to play a bit, and several local bands have sprung out of the weekly jam. Fine bands they are, playing here and there in Oaxaca, but the freewheeling mayhem and profound good cheer of those magic Thursday evenings seems to have passed us by.

This is all by way of introduction -- I'm linking to a piece here that I posted four years back, about a night with the Bodega Boys.

I think I captured a bit of the feel in the piece, do enjoy it!

Steve

Jack Black Song - New Home

I've reposted the cartoon video for my song Jack Black here. It's produced and performed by my defunct band, Radio Insecto (Bill Stair and myself).
This tune is an homage to Mr. Black, but it also pokes fun at him for making some less than stellar flicks.

Enjoy!

Steve Lafler

Electrical Heart Block:Try Taurine

I just posted a piece on my running blog about the amino acid supplement Taurine at this link.

I used it to mitigate an electrical heart block condition, and want to spread the good word on this.

Video: How to Fund a Startup

Sent in by Amy Clark, a great video on how to fund a startup business.

Click here to see it.

Steve Lafler Paintings & Comic Art at Ebay

I've posted some original Dog Boy art and Bughouse acrylic paintings on auction at Ebay.

Click on the words Dog Boy or Bughouse to see the auction for that item.

Email me with questions, etc.

Steve Lafler

Dog Boy "Dogumentary"

I've put together a documentary short about Dog Boy, my 80s comic book series. Here is the link to the documentary video.

I had an ecstatic time writing, drawing and publishing Dog Boy, which enjoyed a 17 issue run from '83 to '88. The character also appeared in several stories in my 90s comics anthology Buzzard.

Dog Boy first appeared in my title Guts #3 in the summer of 1982. I was so taken with the character that I instantly decided create a comic magazine around him.

All this took place as the independent/alternative comics movement emerged. The revolutionary underground comics movement of the late '60s had stalled with the '73 Supreme Court ruling on obscenity, and mainstream comics were mired in their own small world, folding in on themselves. With the appearance of Seagate distributors and a handful of indy comics at the end of the 70s, the ground was seeded for dynamic change in the world of comic books.

Indeed there was a mini explosion of indy comics at the dawn of the 80s. There were profitable small press comics like Cerebus and Elfquest, along with the Comics Journal beating the drum for innovation. Comic specialty shops sprung up along with distributors to serve them like Bud Plant. Pacific Comics started publishing and distributing, going great for a few years before bombing out in a blaze of glory.

I published my first title, Mean Cat, in the spring of 1981 and sold 400 copies to Glenwood distributors, and another several hundred from my own frenzied marketing efforts, leaving no stone unturned. Mean Cat was favorably reviewed the Comics Journal along with another interesting self-publishing debut entitled Love and Rockets. Cat Yronwode also gave a thumbs up to Mean Cat, reviewing it for the Comics Buyers Guide.

Soon after the success of Mean Cat, I revived the idea of Dog Boy, who had first appeared on a poster for a rock and roll show/publishing event from March of 1980.

These days, Dog Boy enjoys a renaissance with weekly posts at the fantastic CO2 webcomics site, the brainchild of former Comico publishers Gerry Giovinc and Bill Cucinotta. Weekly posts can be read here. 

Steve Lafler

Hey Portland, Manx Wants to Print Your T-Shirts

Manx Media screen prints custom T-Shirts in Portland, Oregon.

Here's the details at this link on the Manx Custom Screen Printing Blog.

David Perkin pulls the prints at the shop over in St. Johns in North Portland. I handle the pesky business details from my laptop in Oaxaca. Having been in the T-Shirt biz for a good while, we happily guarantee the quality of our product.

Call me at 503-213-3671 or zip me an email for a quote on your shirt printing job.

Steve Lafler, proprietor

BENB T-Shirt Returns

I've added a Benb T-Shirt to my online shop at Cafe Press.

Benb was the inadvertent star of my college daily comic strip Aluminum Foil, featured in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian from 1976 to 1979.

He always smiles, never talks and is an incredible bumbler who somehow always comes up smelling like a rose.

You can order the Benb T-Shirt from my Cafe Press T-Shirt shop starting at $17.99.

Steve Lafler

Wholesale TShirt Printing Sale this week

My Manx Media custom screen print shop is offering sale prices on orders of 100 shirts this week.

Steve Lafler

Digital Environment

what can be done in the mobile environment
Boomers and X's are ready for retirement
Kids today are making digital tools
Old duffs checkin' websites
that goes good with gruel

 Mobile tools are de riguer

Old school home page

is past for sure

rich media buzz word

stuck in your head

chase in your dream

once you're in bed

Buy or Die! Holiday Catalog

I've created a killer catalog of my graphic novels and T-Shirts for the Holiday Shopping Season. Click on the art below to start shopping.
Happy Holidays,
Steve

http://stevelafler.com/2012/11/20/steve-lafler-catalog-graphic-novels-ts/

Geeks of Doom Reviews Bughouse

 The cover of Bughouse #1 from 1994, which is not part of Menage a Bughouse.

A comic review site called Geeks of Doom gave my 2012 collection Menage a Bughouse a thumbs up review.

While the new book is not exactly breaking any sales records, it's certainly garnering some good press!

You can buy Menage a Bughouse here. Can't think of a better holiday gift, an entire world you can fall into for a few days for a mere $24.99!

Self Employment & Entrepreneurial Tips

I've compiled a list of links to recent pieces I've penned on the entrepreneurial life.

Topics covered include guerrilla marketing, mobile advertising, and financing your small business.

Enjoy!

Steve Lafler

If I can get paid to do this, then I'm doing something right!

Photo of Bill Stair and Steve Lafler by Jeff Charles

Self Employment and Social Security

Social Security benefits are available to owners and workers in the small-business sector. Self-employed sole proprietors are required to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes in addition to federal tax on their income. Sole proprietors file Schedule SE, Self Employment Tax as part of their annual federal tax return, paying into the Social Security and Medicare systems. Both incorporated and sole proprietor-owned small businesses use IRS form 941 for paying payroll and Social Security taxes for their employees, but in this case the Social Security tax is based on payroll amounts rather than business income.

Sole Proprietors

Sole proprietors file a Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business along with their form 1040 each year with the IRS. Business income and expenses are reconciled on Schedule C to calculate net profit for the year. The net profit is entered on Schedule SE. The sole proprietor figures out their self employment tax using this form. This tax consists of Social Security and Medicare taxes for those who run businesses as sole proprietors.

Schedule SE

Sole Proprietors earning more than $400 annually in net earnings from their business as figured on Schedule C must file the Schedule SE. Church employees who had income of $108.28 or more must also file Schedule SE. Self employed individuals receiving social security or medicare are required to file a Schedule SE regardless of age.

Self Employment Tax Deduction

Self employed sole proprietors can deduct a portion of their self employment tax on form 1040 in calculating their adjusted gross income. The deduction is equivalent to an employer contribution to social security that regular payroll employees are entitled to. The deduction affects only income tax, not self employment earnings or tax. The self employed are also eligible to take a deduction for health insurance costs. The instructions for form 1040 and schedule SE include information on claiming this deduction.

A Self Employed T-Shirt Geek

Self Employment Tax Rate

The Self Employment Tax Rate for 2011 and 2012 is 13.3 percent, with just over ten percent of it earmarked for social security. Income earned after $106,800 is not subject to the social security tax. The rate of self employment tax is subject to acts of congress and can change.

Form 941

Small business employers use IRS form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return to remit payroll taxes to the IRS. They report and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes along with federal income tax withheld.

The brilliant Jim Woodring gave my new graphic novel collection Menage a Bughouse a very nice recommendation on Boing Boing a few days back.

The post got some nice bounce in the comics industry news, with Heidi MacDonald giving it some play in The Beat and Tom Spurgeon providing a link on his excellent Comics Reporter site.

You can order Menage a Bughouse from the publisher here.

Thanks Jim!