K Chronicles by Keith Knight
(th)ink cartoon by Keith Knight

*I'M LATE GETTING STRIPS UP THIS WEEK...
..Cuz I was cramming to get lots of strips done before I took off for Vegas for the holiday.

It's the first road trip for the "Fetus Formerly Known As Lil Gravy" and he was quite the trooper. Meeting his grandpappy and great unks for the first time. Four generations of Knight men on the streets of Sin City.

*SIGNING TODAY (BLACK FRIDAY) AT ALTERNATE REALITY COMICS IN VEGAS..
Thanks to the very kind Ralph and Kate, I will be signing at L.V.'s finest comix shop from 4pm-6pm. I'll be signing Complete K Chronicles books and the latest self-published I Left My Arse in San Francisco. How appropriate for this Black Friday. The address:
4800 S. Maryland Pkwy. ste. D Las Vegas, NV 89119
phone:(702)736-3673.

*CONTROVERSIAL COMIC STRIP WRAP-UP: ARIZONA..
The University of Arizona brought me out to Tucson to address the students about my controversial comic strip (the K Chronicles: Stories from the Campaign Trail). The strip was mistakenly run the day after the election (world's worst timing).

My favorite part was doing a roundtable with a group of black students earlier in the day. They voiced their frustration which seemed more about the timing of the strip, than the strip itself. What I learned from them made it clearer to me why the strip caused such a ruckus. Besides their being .1% black students on a campus of 30,000, U of A is also one of the campuses where the white fraternities had "blackface" parties on Martin Luther King Day. And the paper that ran my strip, had previously run some questionable comics in the past (albeit with another editor and staff).

I was disappointed with the turnout for the slideshow itself. But from what I heard from some black students, whites were saying "What're you complaining for? The cartoonist is black." (which is crap, by the way. If you have a problem with the strip, it doesn't matter what color I am).

Anyhoo..There was a ton of T.V. news people there. and i turned down interviews from Fox , NBC and someone else. (I felt bad for the local FOX guy, since they don't have much to do with the evil national FOX news, yet they are forever stigmatized). Everyone did a reasonably good job in reporting it. Here are a coupla links:

http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2008/11/20/News/No.Laughing.Matter-3554705.shtml
http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/KMSB_20081119_dc_jh_cartoon.1cd01dc27.html
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=9383508&nav=HMO6HMaW

After the slideshow, I sat on a panel about the n-word and Hate Speech, signed books, and met the managing editor who effed up. He and the editor both were very sincere when apologizing about the mix-up.

Thanks to Seema and Zeke for bringing me out to the campus. I hope Montclair in New Jersey does the same thing.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK....
Hi Keith,

I've written you before to thank you for the Chronicles, but have to do it again. This
one is brilliant!

I read two newspapers a day, but had not heard that Toyota continued to pay workers to do
community service during a downturn. That's enlightened management. Why can't we
Americans do that?

I've believed in the value of a passenger rail network for years, although the size of
this country compared to Europe makes the question more complex.

In any case, you're insightful as well as funny. Keep it up!

Thanks,
J.
--------
Subject: 11/26 in Salon

Dude, that sh*t was on effin' FIRE. Great comic. Thanks.

And the daily. I make a point of reading it online every day.

Take care,

--A.

-----
Hi,

I don't know if you can make this work in two panels, but here goes.
I've been a fan of "K Chronicles" for many years and have written
five articles myself for "Funny Times" during these years,
meaning I have some concept of what makes humor works,
but when all is said and done, I don't know sh*t.


So here goes:

I drive my wife's truck to a garage for repairs. A guy in a fancy
Lexus pulls in the bay next to mine. While I'm waiting in the room
disdainfully leafing through old issues of "People Magazine," there's a big commotion
from the garage.
Incredibly, the guy in the Lexus had driven across Denver at 70 mph
with a tiny, black kitten trapped in his engine compartment under the radiator.
Miraculously, she was oily, greasy and traumatized but unhurt.
The mechanics talked about taking her to the "Dumb Friends League,"
but I figured this little girl had been through enough and I offered
to take her home.
(They did make me promise to name her "Lexus.")

So I arrived at home with this 4-5 week old kitten the size of a teacup.
We cleaned her off, she fired down twice her body weight in cat food
and then declared herself the queen of the household. Lexus is
vibrant, vivacious, whimsical, entertaining.

I showed up at a garage with nothing in mind other then
my credit card balance and I arrived at home with
the kitten of everyone's dreams. Sometimes the universe
purrs.

By the way, my favorite "K" story of all time is #1222.
Please keep the laughs and nurturing chronicles coming.

Love and aloha,

J.

-----

Life's Little Victories..

...like, having all 6 Obama yard signs on your road stolen the same night and seeing all
of them replaced the next day, most of them by a variety of hand-made, but perfectly
legible facsimiles. Yes, we can.


I see your work in Funny Times. I love it, keep it up!

G.
-------

Labels: (th)ink, controversy, email of the week, K Chronicles, Las Vegas, letter of the week, signing

 
K Chronicles comic by Keith Knight
(th)ink comic by Keith Knight

*LYNDA BARRY JUST APOLOGIZED TO ME...
...for not including my work in the recently released Best of American Comics 2008 which she served as editor.

I just caught her and fellow Evergreen College alumnus Matt Groening at the Hammer Museum this evening. They were part of the Conversations series, where two folks have at it on the stage in the Billy Wilder screening room.

It was great fun and Ms Barry is an energetic, hilarious force-of-nature. Groening rarely does this stuff, but was willing to do this cuz all you have to do is sit back and watch Lynda go.

Some funny Simpsons clips were shown, including a French commercial where Bart ends up naked at the end of it..and he purposely stays onscreen long enough so everyone can notice his penis. Funny stuff.

*BY THE TIME I GET TO ARIZONA...
..it should be Wednesday afternoon.
That's right!! I'm being flown into Tucson by the University of Arizona to perform my world-famous slideshow, and to address the controversy surrounding the now-infamous Stories from the Campaign Trail K Chronicles strip which includes the n-word..almost....twice.

If you ain't hip to it, here's some links:
http://ravingblacklunatic.blogspot.com/2008/10/its-messenger-stupid.html
http://loudpoet.com/2008/10/29/apology-unnecessary/
http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2008/10/30/interview-keith-knight/

I'll be doing the presentation at 6pm, followed by a Q&A and panel about the N-word.

*2009 CALENDARS ARE HERE!!
I know they're a lot later than usual but I gotta lot to do. Anyhoo..This year's calendar includes my Knight Life comic strip, a new daily syndicated by United Features.
Git on over to the store and order one or many, and don't forget to email me if you want a little drawing on someone's birthday!!

Labels: (th)ink, booksigning, controversy, K Chronicles, Lynda Barry, Matt Groening, slideshow

 

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*IT LOOKS LIKE I'LL BE DOING MY WORLD FAMOUS SLIDESHOW NEXT WEEK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA IN TUCSON....
Home of the newspaper that ran the "Stories from the Campaign Trail" strip that is causing such a stir. sounds like I'll do my slideshow and then sit for a panel discussion about the N-word.

Sounds like it's gonna be on Weds. the 19th, from 6pm-8pm. I'll pass on the location as soon as I know.

Labels: (th)ink, controversy, K Chronicles

 

the K Chronicles (11/4/08 by Keith Knight

Labels: K Chronicles

 
*THE CONTROVERSY BREWS ON...

Here is my "official statement" that I gave to the Montclarion school paper, Politico.com and some newscast that contacted me.

To Whom it May Concern,

First off, it's nice to know people are still reading the paper.

In all seriousness, the strip is based on some true incidents that happened to canvassers in some battleground states.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/on-road-western-pennsylvania.html

Is it offensive? Yes. Is it sad? Sure. But that's the reality of the United States and this very unique election.

We have the first African-American candidate for president who could actually win. And folks of all colors are coming face-to-face with bias and race issues they didn't know about, have ignored or pretended didn't exist. Neighbors, co-workers, and family members are learning a little more about the society we live in.

The comic is pointing out one aspect of it. Straight-up racists are prepared to pull the lever for a black man. While some folks out there, who never thought they were prejudiced, aren't going to vote for him because of his skin color.

Should we ignore stuff like this? I don't think so.

Should it be in a comic strip? Yes!!

Comic strips aren't always "ha-ha" funny. They can be peculiar or strange or dark or embarrassing. Some of the most effective cartooning addresses serious issues. I suppose there are still a lot of folks who think comics should all be like "Garfield".

I think it's good that people are discussing the strip, whether it be negative or positive. It shows that they care and are willing to confront issues that are often swept under the rug.

This election is the most significant event to happen concerning race in this country since the civil rights movement. It has shown us what makes this country great, and what we still need to work on. I like to think my work shines a light on both the negative and the positive.


If given the opportunity, I would love to do a slide-show on campus about cartooning, politics, race and the media. It would be nice to talk to the readers in person.

Cheers,

Keef
Creator of (th)ink &
The K Chronicles: 2008 Glyph Award Winner for Best Comic Strip
Next Signing:11/1-11/2 APE, San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center
New books:I Left My Arse in S.F. & The Complete @ http://www.kchronicles.com
Now running in a paper near you: "the Knight Life", Keef's New Daily!!
http://www.knightlifecomic.com

*AND, OUT OF ALL THE FEEDBACK I'VE READ ABOUT THE STRIP, THIS PERSON GOT WHAT I WAS TRYING TO CONVEY:

"For better or worse, it's a word with a lot of power. There are those who attempt to strip it of its power by using it casually or artistically. Here I think the power of the word is harnessed to make a thoughtful and worthwhile point about the way people are voting in this election. I have encountered people who I would consider racist who are voting for Obama in a strangely promising and simultaneously troubling phenomenon."

-this post is from Ian off of barista.net

Labels: controversy, K Chronicles

 

The K Chronicles by Keith Knight

Labels: K Chronicles

 

*R.I.P. RUDY RAY MOORE...
a.k.a. Dolemite. Don't know if y'all know who he is, but he made one of the most twistedly great Blaxploitation movies of all time, the Human Tornado.

It has everything you could possibly want: Inexplicably sped-up action, profanity, nudity, weird sound effects, and Rudy Ray Moore kicking the Man's ass.

I went to see Moore's last film, which he self-financed, during one of my last trips to New Orleans. It was the strangest movie I've ever paid money to see. The ending featured Moore zapping some guy with lightning bolts that came from his hands, which changed the guy into a drag queen, and Moore commanded him to "Swish, beeyotch!! Swish!!" And the guy involuntarily swished in high heels.

Rudy Ray Moore, you will be missed.

K Chronicles by Keith Knight (for googling purposes)

Labels: Dolemite, K Chronicles, Rudy Ray Moore

 
*WHOA!! KERSTIN'S KNOCKED UP!!
If you haven't read already, Kerstin and I just found out there will be an heir to the K Chronicles/(th)ink Cartoon Empire. Yikes!!

Thanks to everyone sending well-wishes and how our lives are over. BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS CASH. So make sure you order many of the fine products on the website. Or have me come do a slideshow at your college, high school, art school, museum, university or living room.

Upcoming slideshow in Feb: University of Florida

I'll be posting some email reactions from the strip soon. S'funny how some people still didn't get that it was a baby, even after saying the extraction is scheduled for 9 months from now.

*MOST EXCELLENT WEEKEND WAS HAD...
..With the opening party of 826LA's new Time Travel Store in Echo Park. The party was Saturday evening and it was packed. With music and food and drink in this swanky space a coupla storefronts over from the Time Travel Store.

The event was co-hosted by 826 founder Dave Eggers and most swanky director Spike Jonze (who are working on a film adaption of Where the Wild Things Are). Plenty of movie stahs in the house including Edward Norton and Princess Amidala.

It was great, but Kerstin and I cut out early cuz we had STEVIE WONDER tickets!! Yes!! I missed his tour stop at the Greek Theater in September, but it turns out he has a special fundraising show every Xmas here in Los Angeles. It was a cheaper ticket than the tour show, and from all accounts, he played a lot of the same stuff as the show at the Greek.

It was amazing. He ran through a buttload o' hits with a full band and a trio of background singers that included his daughter. This being a Stevie Wonder "and friends" show, a few guests came out to play their own hits and jam with Stevie. Two Johns.

John Mayer and John Legend.

T'was a good night. AND we saved $20 by parking two blocks away and NOT in them damn garages.

*A FEW MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE BILL WATTERSON DOC..
This is a small personal project being made by a guy who is a big fan. It's not a huge studio movie. He's just interested in hearing from folks in different walks of life who were touched by Watterson's work. I'll forward you're email to him. If you haven't heard from me, please be patient.

Happy Holidaze!!

Keef

Labels: 826la, baby, K Chronicles, Stevie Wonder show

 
*THANKS FOR ALL THE HOLIDAY ORDERS...
I just got a fresh supply of "Strange" in from the Top Shelf fellas. So all orders are being filled over the next coupla daze.

*S'FUNNY HOW FOLKS THOUGHT THIS WEEK'S K CHRONICLES WAS TRUE..
No, there aren't real women giving birth in the front yard of a Bel Air mansion's Christmas display. But thanks for asking. Wanna buy a bridge? Or name a star after somebody?

*LOOKING TO DONATE TO A GOOD CAUSE THIS HOLLA-DAY SEASON?
It's a tax write-off! ! It makes ya fell good!! It'll come back to you two-fold!!
-826la
-826Valencia
-Cartoon Art Museum
-Just Think Foundation
-Planned Parenthood
-ACLU
-Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

*OHMIGOSH!! SHOCK OF ALL SHOCKS!! LOOKIT ALL THE BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO'VE DONE STEROIDS!!
I remember coming home from San Francisco in '91-'92, and seeing a few of the fellas in my 'hood who were a year or two younger than me and my buds. They're bodies had ballooned to completely abnormal sizes of muscle. They had Popeye arms. Necks the size of elephant calves. It was insane.

So if those guys were on steroids that far back, YOU KNOW the pros were on 'em even earlier than that.

Kovak! I told you Clemens was on 'roids years ago.

Labels: donate, holiday orders, K Chronicles, steroids

 
*HAPPY TURKEY DAY...
Well. More like sad turkey day.

Concerning this week's K Chronicles. I always enjoy bringing back the Turkey character, and I liked having the opportunity to comment on capital punishment. For the record: I am a meat-eater, but I hope to grow out of it.

*CARTOON ART MUSEUM WRAP-UP
Thanks to all who came out to say hello at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I was told it was the most popular Artist-in-Residency they've ever had since they started doing it in 2002. No doubt folks were excited about what's in store for me in the next few months. I will have an official announcement soon.

Go check out the CAM's Mary Blair show that's up right now. If you haven't heard her name before, you'll know her work. Beautiful.

Big shout-out to Andrew Farago for setting everything up.

*K CHRONICLES IN THE MOVIES!!
I was asked for K Chronicles krappe to hang in a booth at a faux comic-con set for the upcoming film SuperHero. It's being made by the Scary Movie folks and is a parody of all the superhero films (obviously). I think it's coming out in March, so make sure to illegally download it!

Labels: cartoon art museum, K Chronicles, movies

 
*OH YEAH, I FORGOT..I HAVE A BLOG..
Sorry folks...I've been on the road and bad with the blog upkeep.

*LAS VEGAS...
The wifey and I made a little jaunt to Las Vegas to visit ye father and to consume too much casino buffet food.

What brought us out there was an Arts conference that scheduled a workshop for myself and co-author Mat Schwarzman of the Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts. He brought some supr-talented youth from New Orleans with him, whilst I hawked the book guerilla-style with my "Ask me about my Comix" sign.

*THE K CHRONICLES NOMINATED FOR A HARVEY AGAIN!!
Yeehaa! High off of my win of a second Glyph award, I got word that the K Chronicles has been nominated for a Harvey for best comic strip or panel for a second year in a row!! I'm up against some serious heavy-hitters including Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury and Patrick McDonnell's Mutts. Yikes!! I need anybody who is remotely involved in the industry to vote for my ass here.

*I'M CURRENTLY UP IN SAN FRANCISCO..
..recording the last two shows of SPARK, the Bay Area Artist documentary program I narrate. I'm getting all teary-eyed knowing that this may be the end, but I'm hittin' the Red Sox/Oakland A's game this afternoon with ye homies to keep my spirits up. Them slumpin' Sox better turn it around!!

*ALSO IN SAN FRANCISCO THIS FRIDAY..
A K Chronicles original art will be auctioned off this Friday along with a bunch of other good stuff at the League of Young Voters annual art auction Picture Progress. The event will have food, drink, music, art and will just be overall groovy. Get all the details right here.

Labels: Beginner's Guide to Community-Based Arts, Harvey Awards, K Chronicles, Keith Knight, Las Vegas, Mat Schwarzman, original art, Spark