K Chronicles.com Blog

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*I ONCE MET CHAKA THE PAKUNI...
..a.k.a. Phillip Paley. He is the cousin of super amazing animator/cartoonist Nina Paley, who I used to hang with during my formative years in San Francisco. He came into my youth hostel for some reason and demonstrated his championship martial arts ability.

I was a big fan of the original Land of the Lost. Sid and Marty Krofft shows always scared the hell outta me, but LOTL was a bit less trippy. And it had dinosaurs every week. Perfect for a little geek like myself.

Despite the bad acting and cheezy effects, I dug LOTL for the pylon/crystal/Sleestak stuff. It always seemed very Star Trek to me.

A few days a go I was trolling online and found a Sid and Marty Krofft interview, and they said they got all these Star Trek writers to write for the show!! Finally, it all made sense!!

I'm kinda happy this big movie version is tanking. Like Starsky and Hutch, they tried to make a big, dumb, joke of a movie out of it. If they did a straight remake with good dino effects, and no-name actors playing a real family, they would've made their $$$ back in a week.

Labels: (th)ink, Chaka, K Chronicles, Krofft, Land of the Lost

posted by keef at 12:52 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*HOW ABOUT IT, DEAR READERS...
Would you be interested in attending a convention full of comic strip cartoonists? I'd like to know.
This blog is supposed to allow comments but it obviously isn't, so I'm taking comments over at the Knight Life Comic site.

Also..additional ideas would be neat to hear.

*AUGH..IT'S BEEN A ROUGH WEEK..
The doctor murdered at church..the undercover cop killed in NYC by a fellow offier..The flight outta Brazil that disappeared. THANK THE MAKER for Sasha Baron Cohen's Bruno stunt with Eminem at the MTV Music Awards (yeah, I know it was staged..Em's bodyguards would've killed Baron Cohen).

IN MY MIX:
*A player who pitches left-handed and right-handed(?!!)
*Manchester United and Bayern Munich losses
*Why don't we hand GM over to the Detroit Red Wings organization?

Labels: (th)ink, Boston sports, NCS, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 10:02 PM

*LAAAAAME-O KPCC...
My local public radio station, KPCC, didn't air the Story episode that features yours truly!! WTF?!!

The first piece of publicity I get in Los Angeles and it doesn't get aired. BAH!!

Anyway..I'm getting a lot of great emails from new readers, who came on after listened to said interview:

Keith,

i heard the interview today on NPR, thought you sounded like Chris Rock-at first
and decided to listen in. I searched for your sight on the web as soon as i got out of
the car. i'm now a fan. thanks for choosing to share your wit, drawing skillz and
intellect to make your field more legitimate. i had a short lived strip in college in our
"black" newspaper, but my fan base didn't extend outside of my bedroom.

Best to you.
peas.

F.
---
Keith,

I am a 38 year black man from Cincinnati, Ohio. I was listening to NPR
(public radio) and I heard your story. I was late for an appointment because
I wanted to hear the entire interview. I related so much to you and your
humor. At first I thought you were a white guy (sorry if I insulted you but,
people say that to me all the time; I speak proper too) then when I heard
you talking about racial issues I was pleasantly surprised. I was looking to
get some of your material book, cd, dvd anything. . . does it all have to
be ordered over the net or are you in stores anywhere? Please let me know. .

Anyway I just wanted to give you a shout out. . . keep doin what you do
bro. . .

M.
----
Hi Keith,

Listening to you now on The Story on NPR. Love your cartoons - we read them in the Funny Times. I'm especially enjoying your enjoyment of your new baby. Our kids are turning 5 and 7 and I miss the baby head smell.

K.

from the Knight Life Comic site:

Hello Keef,

I listened to your experience on NPR and thought it was absolutely refreshing and inspiring. I�ve discovered your comic strip and totally love it! I almost flipped when I read a Kojak reference in the toddler cop strip, I used to watch that in the seventies when I was about 8 or 9 and it just made that particular comic strip really hilarious. I love your character, he�s really believable. Thanks for your enthusiasm, your art and your great example in these hard times. I wish you the best but it seems you already have so much success in your life that is not related to money or fame!

Sincerely,

C.
Charlotte, NC

-----

I heard you on The Story and you were great. I hadn�t heard about you before but I�ve been reading up all evening.
P.S. I have an evil twin too. (She�d probably say the exact same thing though!)

M.
------

NPR works! Without our local NPR station I never would have heard of this strip. And it is good. I even get most of the jokes!

J.

*NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY WRAP-UP..
The NCS had their annual convention here in La-La Land, at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel at Hollywood and Highland. Basically ground-zero for everything cheesy in Hollywood.

But you know what? It was a GREAT location. The hotel was filled with a combination of actors (Ed Asner, Scott Bakula, the plain woman from the original 90210) in for a Screen Actors Guild meeting, rock and porn stars and drunken cartoonists. What a combo!!

I speak a good coupla days crashing events since I'm not a member. I hung out with Darrin Bell, Lalo Alcaraz, Hilary Price, Dave Coverly, Guy and Rodd and fellow Salem State alumnus Mark Parisi.

I did a one-on-one conversation with Zits cartoonist Jim Borgman, that will be running in the 300th issue of the Comics Journal. Jim is a great cartoonist and a really nice guy. Can't wait to see it in print!!

Overall, it was a good time. Rumor has it that the convention is headed to Boston next year. I'll be psyched to head home for it.

*I NEED YOU TO NEEDLE THE SEATTLE TIMES..
So they pick up the Knight Life.

snail:
The Seattle Times
P.O. Box 70
Seattle, WA 98111

Lynn Jacobson-Features Editor:
ljacobson@seattletimes.com

*BELOW ARE THIS WEEK'S STRIPS AND..
..a strip I did in 2000 about one of my favorite movies of all time, Do the Right Thing.
I remember when that strip ran in the L.A. Weekly, thinking he might see it and buy it off me....AND LO AND BEHOLD, he did.

Just off the top of my head are a few more of my favorite films:
Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Hairspray (the original), What's up Doc?, the Incredibles, Bringing up Baby, Three Kings, and the 40 year old Virgin.

*HEY!! I'M LOOKING FOR AN INTERN..
Somebody located in L.A. who wants to put in one day a week learning the ins and outs of the business of professional cartooning. YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DRAW!! But computer skills are necessary (photoshop, html, social networking crap etc.). And you cannot be a co-ed from Sweden (sorry).

Labels: Emails of the week, favorite films, internship, letters of the week, NCS, NPR, Seattle Times, the Story with Dick Gordon

posted by keef at 10:27 PM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

the Do the Right Thing strip I did in 2000.

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*KEEF INTERVIEWED ON THE STORY TODAY!! (TUESDAY. MAY 26TH)
I'll be interviewed by that public radio smoothie, Dick Gordon, today on American Public Media's the Story. It's a national show that is syndicated on many public radio stations, some NPR, some not. To find out when it's playing in your neckadawoods, or to listen online, go here.

Labels: (th)ink, Do the Right Thing, K Chronicles, Spike Lee, the Story with Dick Gordon

posted by keef at 2:04 AM

*BEHOLD!! THE UNBEARABLE CUTENESS OF BEING!!
How come you never post pics of yer kid? This is the most asked question of us here at Keith Knight Ink. Well, here you go. And sporting a TopShelf/Owly hat at that!!

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*EXTRA!! EXTRA!! KEEF WILL BE FEATURED ON "THE STORY"...
Nice!! One of my favorite shows on American Public Media will be doing an interview with me tomorrow, Wednesday, at 11am. I'll be talking about my career..launching a daily strip and having a kid at the same time...and the downturn of the newspaper industry. Not sure if it will be airing tomorrow night or what. Probably not. Once I find out, I'll post it.

*NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY..
is in Los Angeles this weekend for their annual convention. That means every big time newspaper cartoonist will be here. I'm not a member, but I hope to crash the cocktail party like I did in San Francisco a few years back.

I'll also be having a conversation with most excellent editorial and Zits cartoonist Jim Borgman, for the 300th issue of the Comics Journal.

Things are-a-brewin'...

Labels: (th)ink, caloric content, craigslist, Jim Borgman, K Chronicles, NCS, newspapers, restaurants, the Story

posted by keef at 9:49 PM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*WHY SO VIOLENT?
Readers seemed rather concerned about the violent K Chronicles I posted last week.

Why? I think art is a great way to work out stuff. Beats really stabbing someone in the face.

I spent a lot of last week reading the gleefully destructive Bob the Angry Flower, by my good pal Steve Notley. So's I was in the mood fer some violence . And I was feeling sad because the wifey and I were finishing up the 5th season of the Wire. A lot of my favorite characters were gettin' offed, combined with the realization that there are no more new episodes, combined with the fact that this show, the greatest TV show ever (I'm sure you're sick of hearing that), never won the accolades it so richly deserved. And then I read the double whammy of my current city of residence being the most polluted (no surprise) and the most expensive(!!) city to live in the country.

Anyhoo..The letters keep coming in from folks who want us to move to their neck of da woods. Thanks for all the invites!!

*THE KNIGHT LIFE IS A YEAR OLD!!
Can you believe I've been doing a daily and two weekly strips for over a year now? 9 strips a week. Plus a few extras here and there.

Anyway..I'm psyched I made it this far, though I hope newspapers don''t disappear too soon.

Stuff I've learned in my first year of doing a daily strip:
-you can't use "poo"
-you can't show a gun going off
-pot and penis references just don't fly
-"Cathy" is a lot better looking than her strip would lead you to believe.

Whaddaya mean you haven't seen my daily strip?!! Then go here.

Labels: Bob the Angry Flower, boston celtics, Brian Scalabrine, GOP, Knight Life daily, NBA, Rush, the Wire Michael Steele

posted by keef at 1:10 AM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

Labels: (th)ink, Condi Rice, Los Angeles, the K Chronicles, violence

posted by keef at 10:14 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*THE MIKEY J COLLECTION..
What a weird and wild experience we had visiting this exhibit last week. If this exhibit ain't on tour by next year, I'll eat my shorts.

Click here to see some of the exhibit.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

RE: SEATTLE/K CHRONICLES STRIP

Keef!

Looking for a new place to move? Why not try Vancouver? All the beauty of Seattle and San
Francisco but fewer guns and it comes with health care.

D.
Stettler, AB

----

Hey Keith -- I work at 826 Seattle -- we met there and at a few events
you've done up here.

I just read the most recent K Chronicles in Salon.com!

You know Seattle would be psyched to have you! The weather is turning
awesome now -- the farmer's markets are reopening....

Also, my husband and I had a baby right around when you guys did -- we could
open up the first 826 daycare center!

Wherever you end up, best of luck to you and the fam --

-A.
------

Long-time fan of your work, long-time Seattelite.

You'd love it here! A whole new set of genres to mock, for sure. Seattle is home to a
deeply rooted breed of passive-aggressive folk, who have slowly been supplanted over the
16 years I've lived here by people who sometimes speak their mind. Seattle still has
strangely Swedish overtunes, decades (100 years?) after the dominant population was
Nordic. Lutefisk is unfortunately widely available.

But it's a pretty phenomenal place to live. The schools are the worst part. We have many
schools that are comparable to the worst of inner-city academics -- not the violence
(there's a little), but the scores and outcomes. Also some great ones.

Which t(ea) shop is your sister's?

G.

(the t(ea) gallery!!-kk)
-----

K.

Seattle may be the only other west coast city that us real San Franciscans approve of.

By the way, I'm really delighted that the Chron is carrying your daily. (Crossing my fingers daily, I like newspapers.) I actually believe that the form fits your talent better than the weekly. Who'd a thunk? And you resisted it all these years.

Cheers,

M.

*L.A. TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOK WRAP-UP..
Thanks to everyone who came out to the coolest (weather-wise) Book Fest that I've done since moving down here. I was busy signing and selling at the McSweeney's booth in between trips to the Green Room, where the spread of eats was quite nice. Plenty of cee-lebs like Bob Barker, Valerie Bertinelli and Cloris Leachman were in the house.

*CONGRATS ON THE FIRST 100 DAYS, PRESIDENT OBAMA!!
And what better way to celebrate than having Arlen Specter switch parties, Sojourner Truth get serious props and Keith Olbermann calling out Sean Hannity?

Cheers!!

Labels: (th)ink, Emails of the week, K Chronicles, letters of the week, Michael Jackson, Seattle, tea gallery, Universal healthcare

posted by keef at 1:56 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*SEATTLE/PORTLAND WRAP-UP....
I won't be doing this again any time soon.

I thought Seattle and Portland were a bit closer together, so I threw my hat in the ring at the Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland after landing a slideshow gig for a fundraiser in Seattle. So on Saturday I got up a 5:30am in Seattle, left at 6 to go to Portland..Left early to drive back to Seattle for the slideshow gig that Saturday night..and then returned to Portland the next morn..only to return to Seattle that night.

Was it worth it? Hell yeah!! Me mum and lil sis flew out from Boston. Me, the Wifey and the Unbearable Cuteness of Being flew up from L.A. And we all went nuts at my "Evil" Twin Sister's place in West Seattle. We had a great time.

The boy handled his first flight well. No ear-popping problems. The Seattle slideshow event was spectacular. I sold a mega-ton o' books. Makes me wanna take the show on the road..

Stumptown has improved greatly from the last time I attended. New venue. More traffic. More publicity. I sold more than the last time, but not a whole lot more. At least not enough to do it again.

*AND IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO MY EVIL TWIN SISTER'S TEA SHOP..
What are you waiting for? She's got the best tea on the West Coast. And you can order it online!! Check her website.

*LOS ANGELES TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS THIS WEEKEND!!
April is shaping up to be the busiest month in a down year. I'll be doing my 4th event of the month this weekend at the UCLA campus in Westwood. I'll be selling books at the McSweeney's Booth as usual. I'm not officially in the program, just look for the really tired looking black man behind the table.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK..

Hello Keith,

You were very funny last night! We had to leave before I could purchase one of your
books. I would love to get one signed. Is there a way that I can do that? Have you
thought about making a graphic novel? I have just finished reading Watchmen and love
Neil Gaiman's Sandman. I also loved Persepolis and Maus. I think that you would be a
terrific addition into this genre.

Thank you for being there last night!

J.

(funny you should mention a graphic novel..i'm working on one.-kk)

-----

Hey Keith --

By all means, move to Seattle. Great city. Besides, that way you can easily get up to Vancouver!

cheers,

B.
(... er, yes. I do live in Vancouver. Why do you ask?)

------

Subject: Saturday Night

So I'm on sunset blvd saturday night leaving the Echo. And I saw below me a group of squad police cars and a ambulance. By them was a bicycle laying on the ground and a body cover with a sheet (R.I.P.) I couldn't help but think about your comic last week abouT this. Do "Not" get a bike Keith! LA is not like home in the east bay or SF where cars stop for cyclist.

-J.

Labels: (th)ink, Emails of the week, evil twin sis, K Chronicles, letters of the week, octomom, Portland, Seattle, stumptown, tea gallery

posted by keef at 12:34 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*EGADS!! WE'RE TAKING THE BOY ON A PLANE...
..to my "evil" twin sister's place in Seattle. I know I was just there, but this time everyone is coming. Mom, younger sis, the Wifey and the Unbearable Cuteness of Being.

We're just wondering how loud the boy is gonna get on that plane.

*RIP MARILYN CHAMBERS AND MARK "THE BIRD" FIDRYCH
I saw this story about a survey to pinpoint the most depressing age in one's life. After surveying a ton of people, the study pinpointed the age of 44. They said folks are happiest in their twenties and in old age.

I'm 42 and I totally get it. People in your life start dropping like flies when you hit yer mid-forties. Not just close family and friends, but all those celeb types you grew up with.
I'm not saying Marilyn Chambers and Mark Fidrych played huge roles in my childhood, but I remember them clearly; Chambers was a large part of San Francisco folklore and the Bird came up when my pops was taking me to Fenway back in the day.

I was gonna ponder this a lot more, but I'd rather draw a comic strip about it.

*PORTLAND AND SEATTLE THIS WEEKEND..
See you at Stumptown and the Food As Art event for the CD Forum (with my Mom!!)

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

Hi Keith,

I just wanted to write to say that I love your comic. I've been reading it every week on
Salon for years, and since my wife was diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer 5 months ago
(she died a week ago today) it's been invaluable to my mental health. Babies! So cute!
Honestly, I've been so happy every time a new strip comes out, nice to have a comic so
kind and friendly yet with no undertones of crazed religious self-hatred (that I've
noticed). Thanks for letting me and everyone else into your happy, gross, new-baby world.

keep up the good work,
...

(*sigh*..my heart goes out to you, man.-kk)

Labels: (th)ink, evil twin sis, K Chronicles, Seattle

posted by keef at 12:08 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*SEATTLE: TRIP 1 WRAP-UP...
Looks like Seattle has itself an honest-to-goodness Con on its hands!!

The Emerald City Comicon was a pleasant surprise. I sold out of the Complete K Chronicles by 1pm Saturday afternoon, and flew back to L.A. with absolutely no books in tow.

The crowd was nice and steady, and folks came by to say they'd write the Seattle Times to request they pick up the Knight Life.

The con was heavy on webcomics. No surprise, since the folks at Penny Arcade run this town. I sat in on a panel about the business of Webcomics to learn a few tricks of the trade.

The big reason I ran outta books at Emerald City had to do with the fine book-signing event held at my evil twin sister's T(ea) Gallery on Friday afternoon. Tons of folks came by, including my Pacific Northwest fanboy B. Giddy, Steve Bob the Angry Flower Notley, comedian Michael Cappozzola, and my ol' college pal Amanda, mother of the triplets Dirt, Soil and Hummus. Even sold a few pieces of original aht. Nice!!

Got some spanky Ethiopian food on Friday. Hung with Brett from Top Shelf , along with James Kochalka. And later met up with Miriam Libicki and her hubby, Mike.

My sis said the 70 degree weather was the first decent weekend in months. Right on.

Overall..Good stuff!! And I hope to return next year. Course, I'll be back in Seattle in two weeks for trip 2. Along with Portland.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

Keith -

As a reader of comic strips (aka the funny papers) since I was 5 years old (65 years ago)
yours is one of the best I've seen. May you never run out of ideas.

I'm moved to write because, as the parent of a great kid (now 42 years old) who dropped
out of high school & is now a successful chef in San Francisco and a real mensch, I and
my dear wife have suffered those Hope & Quinton moments for decades. Those people will
annoy you forever. Coming sooner than you can imagine will be reports from them about how
little Effie has married the wealthy athletic student body president at UCLA, and their
little Chuck has been accepted into the graduate program in macroeconomics at Cambridge,
on a full scholarship, which they need like a hole in the head since Hope was awarded a
MacArthur genius grant for her work with disgusting sculptural materials and Quinton
recently sold 6 blocks of Wilshire Boulevard to a consortium of princes of the United
Arab Republic.

They will always be with you, your friends, those a-holes, their successes dwarfing the
greatest achievements of you and your loved ones, if you let them. And since you're a
decent guy, it will be hard to take much joy when Quinton finally goes to prison for
fraud, leaving Hope homeless with her decaying sculptures, Effie's husband deserts her
for two other guys, and Chuck is diagnosed with Tourettes. But you'll love your kid a
little more for it.

Anyhow, The K Chronicles is great. Keep on keeping on, as we used to say, and I'm really
sorry I didn't know that you and your band were in Salt Lake City until after you'd gone.

Thanks for putting a smile on my face with every strip.

Good Old A
-------
I am just sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, feeling depressed about my job prospects(none) and I decided to drop you a line. I was first introduce to your work through the Weekly Dig in Boston, and "Life's Little Victories" resonated with me so much that, as an expression, it has made into my (almost) daily rotation. The ones from Iraq make me appreciate my little problems. Hey, at least I'm not under fire.

Next time you're on the East Coast(NY,NY), give me a heads up and we'll go out boozin'.

Good luck with Lil' Gravy!

Peace-J.

Labels: (th)ink, Emails of the week, Emerald City Con, evil twin sis, K Chronicles, letters of the week, Seattle, tea gallery

posted by keef at 11:50 PM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

Labels: (th)ink, Borders, guns, illegals, K Chronicles, Mexican Drug War

posted by keef at 10:56 PM

* KEEF BOOK SIGNING IN SEATTLE THIS FRIDAY
Meet award-winning cartoonist Keith Knight, on Friday April 3, from 3pm-6pm at his "Evil" Twin Sister's T(ea) Gallery.

Knight will be signing copies of his latest cartoon collection, the Complete K Chronicles, and displaying originals of his syndicated daily comic strip, the Knight Life (last seen in the Seattle P.I.). Tea, beer and cookies will be served.

Location:
Downtown - Seattle Municipal Tower
700 5th Avenue, Level 6 North
1/2 way between 5th and 6th on Columbia's South Side

Labels: book signing, complete k Chronicles, Keith Knight, Knight Life daily, seattel

posted by keef at 12:23 AM

*ATTN: PORTLAND AND SEATTLE READERS..

I need some folks to post some posters advertising my signings in Seattle (4/3-4/5 & 4/18) and Portland (4/18-4/19).

Send me an email at keef@knightlifecomic.com with your address and I'll mail some out. THANKS!!

posted by keef at 5:18 PM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*I'M GONNA BE UP IN SEATTLE NEXT WEEK..
..at my "Evil" twin sister's T(ea) Gallery for an in-store signing. Come on by, have some tea and cookies, check out some original comic art and pick up a book. It's happening next Friday, April 3rd, from 3pm-6pm.

I'll also be at the Emerald City Con (Apr. 4th and 5th at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center). It's a con I did years ago when it was just starting out. I'm looking forward to seeing how it's grown.

*LETTER OF THE WEEK..

Hey Keef,

I wanted to see please, if you could include a mention about earthhour
on your next blog post. If you haven't heard, it's a world wide
movement to get 1 billion people to turn off all of their lights
between 8:30-9:30 pm on Sat March 28th, as a vote to persuade the
nations leaders to start working against global warming. If you leave
your lights on, it means you are voting in favor of Global Warming! :)

Anyways, I am trying to spread the word, and thought you and your
audience would appreciate knowing about it. Check out the website and
the short video, it's pretty inspiring.

Thanks!

G. -San Francisco

*LITTLE VICTORY OF THE WEEK...

Hi Keith,

While I don't think that you will be able to work this into your strip, I've got to share this one with you:

I'm on a cross-country flight from DC to San Francisco, coach, middle seat. There's already a petite woman sitting by the window, so I'm hoping that the isle seat won't fill. However, what should stop at my row but a person of, how shall we say, "substantial girth" (I'm talkin' 300 pounds if the guys an ounce). When I notice him, he's messing with getting his luggage overhead, but when he sits down---he's got no left arm--gone clear up to the shoulder! Thus, I'm not crowded. Bizarre, no?!

Love your strip!

T. -MA

*CONGRATS TO JAPAN..
..for showing America how to play our game of baseball. The World Baseball Classic played the championship game here in Los Angeles and it was a thriller between the Japanese and South Koreans. Folks were cheering so loud at Dodgers Stadium, you could hear it here in Culver City.

A neat article in the Times about Korean baseball said that South Korean stadiums have open seating, so the first ones in get the best seats. Fans show up to game 2 hours before..and in the 7th inning, they pick up their trash with bags that are handed out. Nice!!

Labels: (th)ink, baseball, emerald city comicon, letter of the week, Little Victories, t(ea) gallery, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 12:55 AM

*COMICS JOURNAL #296...
The bible of the comics industry just put out their best of 2008 issue. It features interviews with cartoonist heroes Lynda Barry, Mike Luckovich and more. And a whole buncha Best Picks from industry pros.

The Complete K Chronicles made Shaenon Garrity's (Narbonic) top 5 list. Thank you Shaenon, the check's in the mail!!

Even more fabulous is the Comicopia column, where R.C. Harvey writes: "..along came the Knight Life by Keith Knight to rescue the funnies." Nice!!

He finishes with a paragraph that cannot get any better: "The Knight Life is undeniably the best new laugh- and thought-provoker on the comics page. Not since Calvin and Hobbes has there been so novel an entertainment in the funnies."

Are you kidding me? Woo-Hoo!!

I gotta get these words in front of a few editors faces. If your daily paper ain't running my strip, let me know and I'll get a package to them.

-Cheers!

Labels: comics journal, Knight Life daily

posted by keef at 12:19 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: R.I.P.

Folks,

You may have heard that the Seattle P.I. has ceased print today. But I just heard from my Pac. NW fanboy B. Giddy that the Seattle Times may pick up some of the P.I.'s comics.

Please send an email to the Times, urging them to pick up the Knight Life (which was in the P.I.) .

Here's the email:
timescomics@seattletimes.com

Cynthia J.Nash
Director of Content Development
Seattle Times

Thanks!!

Keef
The K Chronicles: 2008 Glyph Award Winner for Best Comic Strip
New from Dark Horse Comics: The Complete K Chronicles
Order now at http://www.kchronicles.com

Labels: (th)ink, automobiles, Detroit, economic downturn, foreclosures, jheri curl, newspapers, Seattle P.I., the Big three

posted by keef at 1:09 PM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

Labels: K Chronicles

posted by keef at 12:40 AM

*ROD GILCHRIST-R.I.P.
Sad, sad news to pass on. A dear friend and colleague, Rod Gilchrist, has passed away from cancer. Rod was director of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum and graciously allowed me to join the Board of Directors after I barged into his office in the late 90s and gave him a list of 20 things to improve the museum. He could've punched me in the face right there and then, but he didn't.

Instead, I got to watch first hand as the museum grew and flourished under his watch. Working with him and the rest of the museum staff is one of my fondest memories of living in San Francisco.

I was fortunate enough to visit Rod a few months back and show him photos of the Fetus formerly known as Lil Gravy. The last thing he said to me was that he was looking forward to meeting the lil bugger at Wondercon...

A public celebration of Mr. Gilchrist will be held at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum (655 Mission St.) on Fri. March 20th at 7pm.

*WONDERCON WRAP-UP..
Lo and behold, the recession is in full swing!! I say that because Wondercon was a bit slower for me this year, though still very good. It was enhanced by the presence of one Mr. Steve Notley and the first public appearance of aforementioned Fetus formerly known as Lil' Gravy.

The boy charmed the heck out of everybody, but forgot to sell books. I'm already disappointed in him.

Great party and Watchmen exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum on Friday night. If you're into the movie or the comic, you gotta check out the exhibit. It runs til July.

*WATCHMEN
Friday at midnite, I attended an Imax preview of Watchmen with Steves Leialoha and Notley. I have not read the graphic novel, so I was going into it purely with movieness on my mind so please take this assessment with a grain of salt.

It's a very good, flawed film. The opening sequence and credits are worth the price of admission. But there are some things that work in a comic book that don't work on the movie screen. Such as Dr. Manhattan's endless contemplating. I need mutant on mutant action when I see a superhero movie.

They used one or two too many pop songs in there, also.

But it's good to see Jackie Earle Haley working regularly. And I enjoyed the ending, but am looking forward to the squid in the director's cut.

*JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME..
I just caught JCVD on DVD the other day. If you haven't heard about this movie, don't. Just rent it through Netflix or at yer local video shop and git the bootleg, cuz it's the poor man's The Wrestler.

It's basically Jean Claude Van Damme playing a pretty realistic version of himself: A down and out has-been actor with drug and marriage problems. It made some noise on the festival circuit last year, but barely played in theaters 'cept for NYC, LA, and SF. See this movie and be surprised. They should've used the tagline "You will believe this man can act".

*PJ MORTON
I've tooted this dude's horn before. He's a singer/songwriter/keyboardist who channels Stevie Wonder/James Taylor and so much more. He's amazing and will be playing the Mint in Los Angeles March 27th. Don't sleep on this dude!!

*MY OLD COLLEGE ROOMMATE IS ON THE PRICE IS RIGHT THIS FRIDAY!!
If you're reading my daily strip the Knight Life, you've been reading about Pudge, my Boston sports-obsessed bud out for a visit. He's based on the real-life Johnny C., who will be coming on down on the Price is Right this Friday. I kid you not!!

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK..

Keith:
I so enjoy your comic on the Salon site. Your character feels like somebody I know from my neighborhood or somebody I went to school with and I identify with him. That is so unusual and refreshing. Thanks for what you do. Gonna buy the book.

Regards,

E. in N.Y.C.

---

My Little Victory:

Opening the newspaper's comic page and finding out
that my favorite comic strip is the newest daily addition! YES!

I am sooo happy you are on the SF Chronicle.
I discovered you reading Funny Times.

Peace,
Vanina

(i just read that hearst and the newspaper union may reach an agreement to keep the chronicle going...BIG victory!!-kk)

Labels: cartoon art museum, Emails of the week, letters of the week, PJ Morton, Rod Gilchrist, the Price is Right, Wondercon

posted by keef at 12:49 AM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

Labels: Little Victories, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 12:47 PM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*I'M MIKE D AND I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD...
Hey ya..I've been away for a while and I got lots ta tell. But I'm still on deadline, so I won't put a full post up. Just the (th)ink comic above.

Soon enough, I will be posting about Wondercon, San Francisco, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Watchmen.

Labels: (th)ink, Duke Ellington

posted by keef at 11:52 PM

*K CHRONICLES NOMINATED FOR 2009 GLYPH AWARD!!
Huzzah!! The 2009 Glyph Award nominees were announced, and lo and behold, the K Chronicles were nominated once again!! The strip has already won the 2006, 2007, and 2008 award..I can't imagine it winning again, but as they say: "It's just nice to be nominated."

Read the 2009 nominees list here.

*2009 HARVEY AWARD NOMINATION FORM IS AVAILABLE..
Since we're talkin' out awards, could all you cartoonist and industry types mosey on over to the Harvey Awards website and nominate my Dark Horse compendium, the Complete K Chronicles, for a Harvey Award. And nominate the K Chronicles and the Knight Life for Best Comic Strip. Please?

*WONDERCON 2009 GEAR-UP..
We're getting it together for our trip up to San Francisco for Wondercon. I'll have plenty of Complete K Chronicles Collections, plus Arses, (th)ink collections and a small stash of out-of-print Dances with Sheep my very first K Chronicles collection!).

I'm also putting together a new slideshow for Saturday and I'm doing a signing at the Dark Horse booth on Sunday at 1:30pm.

Hope you'll swing by and buy!!

I'll have comics up later today!!

Labels: Glyph, Harvey Awards, Wondercon

posted by keef at 11:10 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMICS LAST WEEK?
I didn't post last week's comics cuz I was out of it and didn't put it in the proper format. But you can find 'em on the web somewhere.

*THE 17TH ANNUAL LOS ANGELES PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL...
..is happening in my hood this week. So Palms and downtown Culver City is crawling with more uppity Black folk than I've ever seen. Great stuff!!

Doubly great is the fest takes place in the cheap lil theater that shows indies, 2nd run and Bollywood flicks. This is the most crowded I've ever seen the theater and I hope it means it'll stick around for a bit longer.

I caught the Katrina documentary Trouble the Water on Saturday night at the Fest. It's this amazing doc that was half shot by a couple who videotape their experience of trying to stick it out in their Lower 9th Ward neighborhood (it didn't work out).

The footage they shot, you will not see anywhere else. The one shot of them opening their front door and seeing their whole neighborhood underwater is insane. When they go looking for bodies of family members days later (and discover some), is devastating.

All this and Kim, the woman who shot the footage, is a dope emcee. Check it out!!

The 2nd film I bought a ticket for was Faubourg Treme, another New Orleans doc about one of the earliest Black neighborhoods in the U.S. BUT I MISSED IT CUZ I WAS ON !@#$% DEADLINE!!

Enjoy my damn comics this week.

The PAFF goes til next Monday. Check it out!!

*STEVIE WONDER AND THE JONAS BROS?!! WTF?!!

Labels: (th)ink, Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 10:00 PM

*I SURVIVED TO TELL THE TALE...
..of the visit of my olde Salem State College roommate, John R. Cullinan. Pedal was put to the metal as we burned through 6 daze of pretending to be in school again. Visits to Venice Beach, the Craig Ferguson show (featuring Doc Ock!!), and Stupor Bowl foolishness.

On top of it all, John got on the Price is Right, came on down and won some stuff!! I won't tell you what cuz you'll have to watch March 13th. But look for the scrawny, obnoxious Bostonian hugging the Korean lady.

I thank my wife and child for putting up with it.

*KNIGHT LIFE COMIC NOW IN THE S.F. CHRONICLE!!
Finally!! You voted it in and now they've added it!! My daily comic is part of the roster in the Chronicle. Along with (th)ink every Thursday in their 96 Hours supplement. Now all they need to add is the K Chronicles...(Ha!!)

Thanks to Dave Weigand at the Chron for adding me. Please write to them and let them know how much you appreciate the add.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

Hi Keith!

I just discovered your cartoons- I know, I know- what planet have I been on : )
Your cartoons are some of he funniest works I have seen in a long time. My favorite so far has been the trip to Germany. The box in the cartoon shows your little nephew with arms outstretched and covered in vomit saying "give me a hug" in German. LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!!

Thanks for the laughs, but also for making social observations too. Thanks again and Best regards,

M.
---------

Keith,

I was surprised and delighted to open today's San Francisco Chronicle and
find your strip, "The Knight Life". Last year when the paper offered up
several strips to be included, based upon readers of the paper's opinions, I voted
for your strip, but (TH)INK was all they would add.

I hope your syndication is very successful, since you have one of the
"edgiest" strips out there, including Darrin Bell's "Candorville".

I have been a fan of yours since first finding your work in the "Pacific
Sun" years ago. It was stupid of them to drop your strip, since that was the
primary reason I always looked for it.

I met you when you appeared in Santa Rosa with other cartoon artists at the
Charles Schulz museum and purchased several books available then, which I still
enjoy today. Keep up the good work and much success to you and your German
bride. Get rich and keep the humor coming!

A Petaluma fan
--------

Good job!

I wanted to write and thank you for your cartoons.I read them in the Funny Times.Your comics are clever,thought provoking,positive,and above all - funny! While many other cartoons demonstrate a rather narrow view of the world,or seem to have an axe to grind, yours are refreshingly broad in their topics and at the same time genuinely hilarious.

Thank you

-S. Glenwood Springs Co.

*LITTLE VICTORY OF THE WEEK...
Mr. Knight,

I meant to write this up a long time ago. Sorry I took so long.

About a year ago, my (live-in) fianc� went clothes shopping for me at the
local thrift shop. I love that she finds things at the thrift shop, but you
know how it is when they buy you clothes that you don?'t ask for. As
expected, I'?m not especially fond of any of the clothes (but have to act as
if I am), and hope that they will all ?somehow just disappear.? In
particular, was a pair of black boxer shorts with yellow smiley faces all
over it. There was no way I was going to wear those things, even though
they were in great shape, and fit just fine.

Then I saw an old Funny Times (from ~2006 0r 2007) on the table that a
friend had recently given me. I looked at ?The K Chronicles? (one of my
favorites, of course), and immediately noticed that your character was
wearing identical boxer shorts in the comic strip! I immediately found the
shorts hilarious and classy, and ran to put them on, and give Julie a big
thanks for the clothes!

I'?m wearing the shorts now.

(saving the world, one couple at a time!!-kk)

*COMIC CONVENTION NEWS...
I will be in Portland at this year's Stumptown Comics Festival, April 18th and 19th. Along with the Emerald City Con in Seattle earlier in the month. And Wondercon in San Francisco at the end of this month.

Labels: email of the week, letters of the week

posted by keef at 12:49 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*YEAH, YEAH..THE K CHRONICLES THIS WEEK IS FROM 2002!!
It just seemed appropriate to run it again.

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

Sir!

First, thanks for the book. Writing/drawing it I mean. Don't worry. I paid for mine.
(POWELL'S! Best reason to live in Portland!)

The commentary at the bottom of the strips was great. I've been reading the strip for a
long time now (I think in The Metro at first), and to see what you like or think about a
given strip was really cool. The girl on the train tracks in particular stuck with me a
long time. Oh, and the face on "Keith experiences a bidet for the first time" may be
your finest work. F---ing brilliant.

One note, and this is a product of having worked (once upon a time) at Streetlight
Records' San Jose store for way too long: Your editor goofed on the band I.D. for your
note on page 317. The Nails did "88 Lines About 44 Women," not Jim Carroll. I don't
doubt the editor was thinking of "People Who Died." Yeah, I know. Too much free time.
Eight years in a record store doesn't wash off easily. (An aside: I still chuckle over
the old Marginal Prophets album flyers. The "black/jewish relations" dental photo still
occupies a synapse or two.)

Cheers, and maybe The Oregonian will be more amenable to the new strip (now that I'm up
here),

P.
-----------
Good job!
I wanted to write and thank you for your cartoons.I read them in the Funny Times.Your comics are clever,thought provoking,positive,and above all - funny! While many other cartoons demonstrate a rather narrow view of the world,or seem to have an axe to grind,yours are refreshingly broad in thier topics and at the same time genuinely hilarious.
Thankyou-

S., Glenwood Springs Co.
-----------

This isn't the most timely news, but your 10/31 link has a bad link for the
phrase "here is an interview I did today". You link to the GIF in the
article, but you wanted this link:
http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2008/10/30/interview-keith-knight/

My wife and I are big, long term fans, buying all the books, reading you on
salon. I was just setting up a new computer and I stumbled across your
blog.

cheers,

t

*THIS JUST IN!!
I'll be doing my world famous slideshow at Wondercon 2009 in San Francisco at the end of Feb.
when: Saturday, Feb. 28th 4:30pm-5:30pm
where: rm 236/238

I'll be showing K Chronicles, (th)ink and the Knight Life, with a special focus on last year's historic election!!

*IT STILL FEELS FUNNY HEARING "PRESIDENT OBAMA"...
The Fetus formerly known as "Lil Gravy" began crawling this week. Funny thing is, he wouldn't do it when we were in the room. We would walk out of the room and come back 5 seconds later and he'd be across the room. He's a ninja!!

*THE FUNNIEST CONDOM COMMERCIAL EVER!!

posted by keef at 12:21 AM

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*IT WAS MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY ON JANUARY 20TH..
And what better gift to give her than the first African-American president? Thank you, Barack Obama. I saved $60 from not having to call 1-800 Flowers at 1am the night before.

*AHHH.. AND WHAT A DAY IT WAS..
Man!! It felt like Christmas when I was a little kid. I could barely sleep. The wifey woke me and got me outta bed, and I ran to the living room full of excitement. Oh, what a joy it was to see fear and divisiveness leave office and inclusion and hope move in.

Possible reasons why Cheney is in a wheelchair:
*Faking it for sympathy.
*Hurt himself shredding endless boxes of documents."
*He's trying to stay low to the ground.

What a pleasure it was to see Obama tear the outgoing administration a new poo-hole with his fine speech. Yes! Let's return science back to its rightful place! Yes, global warming does exist!!

And bravo to the crowd for giving Bush and Cheney the big send-off whilst in their helicopter (wish it took 'em to the Hague). Heckuva job, Bushie. Heckuva job.

*YOU GOTTA LOVE AN INAUGURAL BALL THAT'S PLAYING CAMEO..
And it wasn't Word Up!! I was freaking out when Stevie Wonder was about to performed Signed, Sealed, Delivered, because I thought it might contradict my cartoon for this week. But, lo and behold, they trotted out ten(!!) different people to butcher his song. What the !@@#$??

*OBAMA WILL BE ON THE DOLLAR COIN..
And it will finally succeed. You heard it here first.

Labels: (th)ink, bush, cheney, inauguration, K Chronicles, obama

posted by keef at 11:17 PM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*THE ECONOMY IS GOING TO HELL, BUT I'M STILL HAVING FUN...
Because there's a decent amount of free and cool stuff here in Los Angeles, including Peter Bogdanovich lecturing at the Hammer Museum last weekend. A Beastie Boys art exhibit opening at Gallery1988 and Judd Apatow's A Night of Funny People at the Orpheum downtown.

I don't usually do much outside of go to the library or a cafe to draw, but this past week was an exception. Fun stuff.

HEED THESE WORDS:
The breakout star of Apatow's next film is a kid named Aziz Ansari.

*SITTING DUCK: R.I.P.
The newspaper in Olympia, WA that was running my work has shut down. The first casualty of 2009, but probably just the beginning. It was a good run and I thank publisher/editor Terry Knight for all the support and wish him good luck with his future plans.

*CONTESTS!!CONTESTS!!CONTESTS!!
I'll be entering a number of cartooning contests for the first time this year. Much props go to the Herblock Foundation for waiving the entry fee of their contest this year. They say the $$$ would be better served helping each cartoonist get through these rough times. Bravo!!

*LETTERS/EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

Dear Keith:

After seeing the movie Milk this weekend and having knowledge of Bayard Rustin, I Loved your
Dec. 11 cartoon in the S.F. weekly, few people even knew he existed, at lease I didn't until last year, when they showed the movie 'Brother Outsider' at the LGBT center here in San Francisco.

Thanks for the great cartoon , I also remember you comic 'The K Chronicles 'in the Riverfront Times in St. Louis a few years ago , so I'm a fan .

Peace ,

T.

(i just sold the original of the rustin piece to bayard's partner in the last decade of his life. -kk)

-----------

Hi Keith --

Just read "More observations of a new parent" on salon.com. Brings back lots of
memories. I remember thinking how great it was to be a new dad, and how after each new
development (first step, first words, first ....) it kept getting better. That's still
true, 18 years later.

J.

----------

Hi Keith,

I see your cartoons in Funny Times every month and I want to say THANK YOU for the one about the Big 3 vs a national railway system. Your idea about hiring unemployed auto workers sounds a lot like Roosevelt's Works program as part of his New Deal during the Depression.

I've been saying for YEARS that (back me up on this if you've travelled outside of the U.S.) if the French ran our railways and the Mexicans ran our bus system, we'd have a public transportation system that would make cars and planes far less necessary.
I'm waitin' for the day.

A.

----------

Keef...

The Seattle P-I started running The Knight Life last year, and it is the high point of the comic page along with Dilbert and Pearls Before Swine. Keep the funny coming!

This note is long overdue but I've put off contacting you because all I had
to say was a version of, "God, you're work is funny and spot on and I save your
stuff to read the last in Funny Times and I get the daily strip from
comics.com and it's hilarious and The Leman and I are an interracial couple and while
I don't even pretend to know what it's like to be Black the two of you give me
the barest hint." Y'know, the kind of email you get everyday. What prompts
this message is the Donner/Trans-Fat strip.

One of my favorite cartoons dates back probably thirty years and I believe
appeared in Playboy. A visibly distraught Santa is standing in the kitchen with
Mrs Claus, who's stirring a large stew pot. She speaks:

"So from now on it'll be Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen; Comet,
and Cupid, and Donner, and venison."

Thanks for the Santa cartoons and all the rest.

Respectfully,

- t.

(sadly, the hearst corp. recently put the seattle p.i. up for sale, and will probably kill it if it isn't sold in within the next 2 months. anyone wanna buy a paper?-kk)

--------

Hey there,

I stumbled upon The Knight Life on comics.com a few weeks ago and, I must
say, reading that comic everyday has been the 2nd high point of my morning
(maybe in a few weeks you will even bet #1 coffee ;) ). Unfortunately, I do
not remember the date, but I do remember that the comic was about
your mother-in-law and her German way of saying 'good luck.' As I had
just moved to Germany a few weeks before, I had encountered a few Germans
who 'pressed their thumbs' for good luck and my bewilderment matched your
comic persona. I then knew this was the comic for me.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when another of your comics,
(th)ink, popped up. Then, as if it could not get any better, I visited your
website posted on that comic! I have been spending the better part of my
morning browsing through your site (work? what work?)

Just wanted to let you know that I find your comics to be humorous, timely
and well put. While I enjoy the regular 'fluff' comic as much as the next
guy, I love that you are willing to address issues and use day to day life
as your inspiration. Comics and comedy that makes a person truly think about
the world around them is, to me, the best kind. To change this world we have
to look at how it really is.

I look forward to being able to buy a book or two off of your website in a
few months once I am no longer living off of an intern's salary. :)

Keep up the good work!!

H.

PS...a little victory for you...Thinking that you got a parking ticket, only
to discover it is an invite to a no cover charge, neighborhood block party
with an awesome band and (even better) FREE German beer! :)

(great email!! now, go to the store and buy some stuff!!-kk)

-----------

Labels: (th)ink, Emails of the week, letters of the week, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 11:52 PM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

(th)ink by Keith Knight

*SALUTATIONS IN THE NEW YEAR...
I got lazy and took a week off from posting. But I'm back and ready to type!!

*STUFF I FORGOT TO POST ABOUT...
You know yer getting old when pop-culture people who were part of yer childhood start dying.

Just a short list:
Levi Stubbs, Paul Benedict, Dolemite, Eartha Kitt, Isaac Hayes, Bernie Mac, George Carlin, Pervis Jackson, Sidney Pollock, Bo Didley, Jerry Reed and Heath Ledger.

And of course there was Albert Hoffman, the inventor of LSD. Here's what he wrote after dosing:

�It happened on a May morning � I have forgotten the year � but I can still point to the exact spot where it occurred, on a forest path on Martinsberg above Baden,� he wrote in �LSD: My Problem Child.� �As I strolled through the freshly greened woods filled with bird song and lit up by the morning sun, all at once everything appeared in an uncommonly clear light.

�It shone with the most beautiful radiance, speaking to the heart, as though it wanted to encompass me in its majesty. I was filled with an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security.�

Don't do drugs.

And then there was Bettie Page, who was buried in a cemetery close by here in West L.A. She never wanted to be photographed after she retired from modelling, because she wanted folks to remember her as she was, but she hadn't changed much if this recent photo is any indication. Beautiful til the end.

*SPEAKING OF DEAD CELEBRITIES..
I found this one site that has all the black celebrities that weren't famous enough to make People magazine, but you may find familiar. Go here.

*THERE'S ONLY A FEW MORE 2009 CALENDARS..
..so order them while you still can.

*I'LL BE HEADED TO SEATTLE..
..in April for the Emerald City Comic Con. It'll be the first city I've been to that runs my new daily, the Knight Life. I'll definitely be doing a signing at my evil sister's T(ea) Gallery.

Labels: (th)ink, 2008 deaths, K Chronicles

posted by keef at 10:57 AM

(th)ink by Keith Knight

the K Chronicles by Keith Knight

*HAPPY HOLLANDAISE...
Hope you and yers have a pleasant transition and a wondrous New Year!!

*EMAILS/LETTERS OF THE WEEK...

Hi there,

I emailed you yeeeeaaars ago saying I really liked your stuff as I saw it online. I work as a part-time freelance cartoonist here in Ireland and have periodically checked out your site to see what you are up to. I work full-time in a bookshop and when I heard you were publishing your stuff with Dark Horse in a kinda omnibus edition I ordered it for the shop (in all of Ireland ((this includes Northern Ireland) there are about 6 comic shops so outside of them we are probably one of the best stocked comic wise regular bookshops in the country and my boss still can't believe how well comics sell). I put it aside for myself in my pile of stuff to buy (it's a pretty big pile everytime) when it arrived and after coming home this eve, conking on the couch and now not being able to sleep I started reading the book beside my girlfriend who is currently drooling in sleepy bliss. She would be liable to beat me with it if I woke her and it is a hefty book so with
that in ming I have had to move from the bedroom to the sitting room as I cannot contain my laughter.

Thanks for a great read. I am only about one third of the way through and I will be mentioning it on me blog thingummy that I have started only this week. Anyway thanks I near wet meself with laughter. Please bring out another sometime and if you can ever make it to the Dublin Comic Convention it would be class!

All the best for the Christmas

A.

(yes!! somebody bring me out to dublin as a guest!!-kk)
-----------------

Mr. K.

Having finished the Complete K Chronicles
(which I checked out from the local public library)
I just had to give a little bit of support...............
for my appreciation of your work, wit, and the worth
of what you added to my last couple of days.....

thanks, M.

(props to his local librarian!!-kk)
--------------

Hi Keef,
I just wanted to say keep up the great work. I discovered you through Funny Times and read you regularly on Comics.com.

A middle-age-middleclass-suburban-white-guy-fan.

Sincerely,

B.

(53-year old white guys are my bread-n-buttah.-kk.)

-------------
Dear Keith:

I see your work reproduced in Funny Times, and it's the bomb. Funny and smart is really
hard to achieve, but you're doing it.

Thanks for keepin' on.

J.

(the FBI came to my house asking about this "bomb" stuff.-kk.)

--------------

Mr. Knight

Hi, I am from St. Croix but saw that you will be gracing our shores In Dec 11! Great to have you here. I am a big fan of comics in a variety of forms and I am glad that a socialy concious artist is comming. We have issues we do not like to disscuss or face locally here. You could give us some perspective on that from your point of view.

I had to ignore my passion for comics because I was told " Be practical" Well I did and the passion for comics is still there! My passion for my "socially accepted" career choice is waining. Would love to have you on St. Croix sometime. But do enjoy your stay!

S.

(please bring me to st. croix!!-kk)

------------
Keef,

After years of getting my fix monthly through funny times, I opened my monday minneapolis star/tribune to find they had your strip. Yes!!!
With zippy in the st paul press/dispatch I my morning reading is now fulfilled

(they're referring to my new daily, the knight life, check it out at:
http://www.knightlifecomic.com)

Labels: (th)ink, Emails of the week, letters of the week, the K Chronicles

posted by keef at 12:24 PM

IN THIS ISSUE:
*Complete K Chronicles makes Top 5 on Wash. Post list
*Keef interview in the Believer
*2009 Little Vics/Mega-Mix Calendar!!
*Free eMPee Live CD offer
*Keef Comic Art Exhibit: Where to next?

Dearest K Chronicles/(th)ink/Knight Life readers,

Happy Holidays to all!! It's been one crazy, nutty year. The biggest and best so far.

Top 5 2008 Highlights:
*the birth of the Fetus Formerly Known as Lil Gravy
*the launch of my syndicated daily "the Knight Life"
*the 500-page Dark Horse collection
*my 40-piece exhibition at the Cartoon Art Museum
*and a goddamn Black President-elect!!

There were a lot more crazy things, including comic strip controversy and a slideshow performance in the U.S. Virgin Islands!!

I want to thank everyone for all the support over the years. And all the new folks just discovering my work. 2009 is shaping up to be a very interesting year. Let's hope we all make through in one peace.

*COMPLETE K CHRONICLES MAKES THE WASHINGTON POST'S TOP 5 LIST..
of comic and cartoon related releases for 2008!! Nice!! If you haven't got yours yet, whatcha waitin for?!! It's HUGE!! Go to the K Chronicles.com store and click the link for the lowest price courtesy of Amazon. (it's too damn big to sell out of my apt.) http://www.kchronicles.com/store

*KEEF INTERVIEW IN THE BELIEVER..
The Nov./Dec. ish of McSweeney's fine literary journal the Believer has a most swanky interview I did with comics journalist/animator/cartoonist Chris Lanier. It's really cool cuz they get great artists to illustrate the interviewees. Tony Millionaire did mine. Below is a link to a preview of the interview:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200811/?read=interview_knight

*THE 2009 LITTLE VICS/MEGA-MIX MONTHLY CALENDAR..
I usually have this out by July, but babies change everything!! I got a limited supply of these things that are ready and rearing to go at $12 a pop, or 3 for $30. Send me an email and I'll personalize birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
http://www.kchronicles.com/store
!!IF YOU ORDER BY THE 19TH, I CAN GET IT TO YOU BY XMAS (STATESIDE ONLY)!!

*FREE LIVE MARGINAL PROPHETS CD!!
Anyone who orders 3 items or more will receive the Marginal Prophets Dead Hippie Bootleg fer free!! It don't matter what 3 things you order, you'll git it. It don't say anything on the site about it..This offer is only going out to you, yeah, YOU. Because you're special.

*40 PIECE KEITH KNIGHT CARTOON EXHIBITION..
My run at the Cartoon Art Museum is done, so I'm looking to take this exhibition on the road. I'm looking for suggestions. MOCCA in New York City? Anyone have a contact? the Studio Museum in Harlem? Anyone have suggestions for venues out side the states? I'm looking for places, so if anyone knows of a perfect venue for the exhibit, send me an email.

*EDITORS TO PESTER..
If anyone is interested in having my daily comic strip in their local paper, send them an email asking for it. There are a couple of places I am currently trying to get in, so if you have a minute, send an email to:

Kyrie O'Connor-Houston Chronicle
kyrie.oconnor@chron.com

Tim Fitzpatrick-Salt Lake Tribune
fitz@sltrib.com

Tell them the Knight Life rocks your world!!

(let me know about places that would like the K Chronicles and/or (th)ink too!!)

IN MY MIX:
-the Wire
-Snow in New Orleans?!!
-the joy of shoe-tossing

Happy 2009!!

Keef
Creator of (th)ink &
The K Chronicles: 2008 Glyph Award Winner for Best Comic Strip
Next Signing: 2/27-3/1/09, Wondercon in San Francisco
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

Labels: dec/jan newsletter

posted by keef at