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I read Keef's stuff for free..How does he make any money?"

K Chronicle.com Blog

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

*SO I'M GEARING UP FOR MY TRIP TO AUSTIN TEXAS NEXT WEEK...
..where I'll be tabling at the 2nd annual Staple! Indie Comics Convention alongside folks like Tony Millionaire (Maakies) and New Orleans Indie mogul Leo McGovern (AntiGravity Magazine).

Come on out and say hello. It'll be my first trip back to Austin since the Marginal Prophets was last invited to SXSW a long time ago..

*A.P.E. 2006
Not only will I be a special guest at this years Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco here the weekend of April 8th and 9th, I've also just completed art for the official poster!! Look for it soon...

*HEY!! BOTH "THE K CHRONICLES" AND "(TH)INK" HAVE JUST BEEN NOMINATED FOR..
..Best Comic Strip by the 2006 Glyph Award committee. The Glyphs recognize Black cartoonists and comic book creators. The award will be presented at the 2006 Black Age Comics Convention in Philly this May. Wish me luck!!

*BY THE WAY..
..did folks recognize that it was a hippo giving messy birth in that last "C-Word" strip?

*EMAILS OF THE WEEK..

>K~

My partner & I moved up to Seattle in May 2005 after living in San Francisco for over 10 years. We were one of those whacky queer couples that got married at City Hall and have been together for 14+ years now. But his Mom's husband had advanced Parkinson's and he was abusing her in every way possible - it was so bad we'd both gladly prefer cancer to Parkinson's now! I worked for Nextel and I found a job in the Redmond, WA office and got them to pay for the move (Yes!!!). Then $print bought us but we were told we'd all have jobs through 2008. I got laid off the day after Thanksgiving and have been looking for work since. We really don't know anyone up here and we live in this lily white suburb and, while our neighbors are nice, we both know we're "the fags at the end of the cul-de-sac". There's no good Asian or Mexican food up here - just a zillion "Teriyaki" places much like SF's donut shops that are rumored to have been bought by Moonies in the 70s and they all pass along the same recipes to each other. Don't even get me started about the lack of BBQ... Brother in Laws? Powell's? just distant memories on my tongue. The rain, the grey, the long nights... all have been contributing to my spiraling mood and missing The City.

Then, in my mailbox came a manila envelope with your book and calendar - AUTOGRAPHED no less!!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!! I fell asleep in bed while reading it last night and awoke this morning with it still open on my chest. Potent memories of a place filled with wonderful, creative people and proof that such a place still exists. Thanks for making my week a bit better!

-e-

>Hi Keith,

One of the many reasons I look forward to hump day in this
over-the-hill town is that it brings with it a new issue of
the Weekly Dig. Your strip has been a favorite for months,
pretty much from the day I finally got around to picking up that
terrific paper; your blend of humor, style and manic energy
is a wonderful treat. So first let me say thanks, for rocking the
funny pages each week.

Your last few pieces, those concerning your and your wife's
recent health trials, have quite literally moved me to tears.
I swallowed my gut upon reading yesterday that the results
of your wife's operation and tests were nothing but
encouraging. Congratulations, for lack of a better thing
to say. And thanks again, for pulling off the profoundly
difficult task of being honest about tragedy in your
medium without losing any of what makes yours such a
great comic voice.

All the best to you and yours, and keep up the amazing work!

M.
posted by keith at 11:49 PM

Friday, February 17, 2006

*EMAILS OF THE WEEK...

>Hey Keef,

I've been without my computer for the past month, but I wanted to congratulate you on a few great strips.

First of all, I loved the strip with President-select Bush smashing a radio playing a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. The local listener-supported radio station in Tampa, WMNF, played that exact same speech. I think, given the times we're living in now, that that is probably his most important speech.

I also wanted to congratulate you and your wife on her beating cancer. I know exactly what you went through. Ten years ago, I had a tumor in one of my sinuses. It was causing all kinds of infections, robbed me of my sense of smell and taste, and was affecting my hearing.

I know what it's like to wait for the test results. Thankfully, like your wife, my tumor was benign. Also, when it was removed, my sense of smell, taste and hearing all returned to normal

I was praying for you and your wife. I'm glad life and The K Chronicles both had happy endings.

Your Florida Fanboy,

S.

(Thank goodness for non-commercial, community radio stations..please support yours by making a donation during their fund drives..-K)

>Just read the latest strip. (Almost brought a tear to my eye, but I certainly can't let that happen, can I?)

Glad everything with Kerstin turned out OK!

Now, you need only take care of both of you.

E.

>I can imagine you got tons of similar emails this
week, but I just had to say that I'm so happy that
your wife is ok. I cried when I read this week's
strip.

I don't know if you remember or not, but my boyfriend
and I came to see you when you spoke at that art
school in Cleveland in the fall. I had a great time,
and I just love your work!

Hugs to you both.

-E.

>I read your comic today and got misty-eyed in a totally un-manly way. As
someone who watched his Mom survive cancer and then had a scare myself, I
can totally identify, and I'm SO glad everything turned out well!

Love to you both,
A Longtime Fan

>I'm so happy for you and Kerstin! I hope she has a speedy recuperation and that the two of you are back out and about soon. Thank you for sharing your ordeal with us - that was amazing and moving.

Sincerely,
A.

>Keith,

Thank you for your cartoon in Salon, about your good news. I'm happy for you. I'm a writer of humor, but you're a comic genius, and reading the Chronicles always makes me laugh. Your wife must be a high soul as well.

All best happiness and blessings,

J.
Independence, ORegon

>Mr. Knight,

I've been reading your comics for years on Salon.com, and I just want to say that my heart went our to you and your wife when I read the strips of the past few weeks. It's clear that you adore your wife. I just lost my beloved husband in October, so I'm very glad for you and your lady that you will not have to face that terrible emotional cliff.

May Kerstin continue to heal, and this be an episode you never have to think about again - except to remember to keep appreciating and loving each other, because life is too short not to.

K.

>Hi Keith - I love your work. I was so happy to hear
your wife's OK that I bought some stuff on your
website to help you pay those medical bills.

Best to both of you,

M.
posted by keith at 12:39 AM

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

*WONDERCON/COMICS4COMIX WRAP-UP...

Thanks to everyone who came out to Wondercon this weekend. Plenty of folks came by to say hello with extremely concerned looks on their faces, wondering if they would see the wifey all doped up, recovering from her recent surgery.

Most were surprised to see how "recovered" she was. It's been about a month since the surgery and she's a healthy gal, so she's doing really well.

My heart goes out to all of you folks who have mentioned that they have friends and family who are going through what we went through, but the prognosis wasn't so positive.
If my comics made you feel even a little bit better, there are a couple more that you should check out:

Brian Fies won an Eisner Award last year for this serial comic about his Mom's bout with cancer: http://www.momscancer.com/

And then there's the Harvey Pekar classic, "Our Cancer Year"

Anyhoo..Wondercon was a bit slower for me this year because I wasn't premiering a new book, but it was pretty dandy nonetheless. The new location at Moscone West must've attracted a lot of folks off the street wondering where all the stormtroopers were coming from.

I hung out with Tom Beland ("True Story: Swear to God), and Hip-Hop cartoonist Age Scott and his art and business partner Bruce. We ate like kings at Tu Lan, the great dive restaurant on 6th St. in Ess Eff.

Tom's latest comic is all about how I took him under my wing when he did his first Wondercon years ago. He had just a few zines..

Since then, he has cornered the romance comic market with his amazingly touching comic stories of life and love in Puerto Rico with his wonderful wife, Lily.

And at the end of the Con, Tom found out that the ABC Family Network has optioned his comic.

HBO...I'm waiting...

Oh..And the party at the Cartoon Art Museum, Comics4Comix, was a blast. Great food, great comics....AND my piece sold at the auction (Yes!!) Thanks to everyone who attended.

Oh..And remember the name Will Franken...the kid's gonna be a star!!
posted by keith at 12:24 AM

Friday, February 10, 2006

*EXTRA!!EXTRA!!
You heard it here, first. Dan Piraro of "Bizarro" fame will be the secret surprise guest at the Cartoon Art Museum's Comics4Comix event, tonite. And magazine cartoonist Gahan Wilson (Playboy, the New Yorker) will be doing a little performance.

See you there!!
posted by keith at 10:04 AM

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

*I DON'T WANT TO COMMENT ON THIS WEEK'S STRIP..
..cuz there's some folks who won't be seeing it til next week..Once it is out all over the place, I'll write something about it.

*COME JOIN KERSTIN AND I AT WONDERCON..
..if you're anywhere near the Bay Area this weekend. We'll be at the Moscone Center West during the day (Fri./Sat./Sun.) and at the Cartoon Art Museum on Friday night for their Comics 4 Comix benefit. Kerstin will have her cards with some new designs..

*MY TAKE ON THE...

1.ANTI-ISLAM DANISH COMICS: Funny how all the right-wing hacks screaming about freedom of speech wanted to take out anybody drawing anti-Bush cartoons post-9/11.. If these cartoons had a point, I'd be all for them, but they seem to exist solely to piss people off..and that's not right And it ain't about being "P.C." (which is a term made up by whiners)..there's no such thing as "P.C.", it's called respect... Please understand that I don't condone tearing up sh*t, either..

I'm now hearing that the same Danish magazine rejected strips making fun on Jesus because they didn't want to offend anybody. Not sure if this is true or not, but if it is..

2.SUPERBOWL: Yeah, the officials screwed the Seahawks out of yards and points...AND Big Ben didn't get in the endzone..but Pittsburgh would've won anyway. The REAL tragedy is WHY DIDN'T BURGER KING RUN THAT GREAT AD WITH THE BURGER KING RUNNING THE STEVE YOUNG TOUCHDOWN?!! Yeesh...
posted by keith at 12:52 AM

Monday, February 06, 2006

*THANK YOU, EVERYBODY..
Not only for the well-wishes and kind offers concerning my wife...But also for voting for "(th)ink" to be added to the C-Ville Weekly. Your votes made me go three for three in "cartoon contests"..Man..I wish every paper did it.

*BUSY, BUSY WEEK THIS WEEK..
I'm doing a roundtable panel discussion at San Francisco's PBS affiliate KQED, talking about my Spark! appearance. Spark! is this really cool artists show that I was profiled on (you can see the piece by clicking on the URL in the "Links" section of this site. Anyway..if you wanna come by and check it out, email KFarr@kqed.org for more info.

I'll also be at the Wondercon Comics Convention here in S.F. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Wondercon is fast becoming the other really big convention to hit on the West Coast for the Geek crowd. Last year on Saturday, it was San Diego busy!! Anyway..I'll be in Artists Alley AA-32, with my "well on the road to recovery" wife, who will be selling her cards. It's happening at Moscone West and 4th St. and Howard in downtown S.F. Fri. 12-7pm, Sat. 10am-7pm and Sun 11am-5pm. I'm sure these hours ain't exact, but they're close.

The last but biggest thing is the Cartoon Art Museum's Comics 4 Comix event on Friday, Feb. 10th at 8pm. This is where we really get loose and have a lotta fun laughing, drinking and eatin' food. Come on out and bid on the piece I'm donating for the silent art auction!! In fact, if you're coming, let me know of a strip you'd like to bid on...
Where: Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission St. near 3rd. When: Friday, Feb. 10th @ 8pm-11pm
$15-$35 sliding scale.

*THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY TO POST AND THE C-WORD STRIPS ARE GONNA END THIS WEEK..
so here's the last that I'll post . Thanks to everyone..

>Mr. Knight,

I got to meet you, your wife and your father at a comic book shop in
Las Vegas a few years ago. She was even kind enough to sign a copy of
your book for me. She seemed like a good egg and I hope she's okay.

J.
NJ

>We too add our voices to the choir of good peeps sending their love to you and Ms. Keef. Hang in bro...love will guide you.

m. in (frozen) new hampshire

>My heart and good thoughts are with you and your wife during this difficult time. I sure hope everything turns out okay, even if it�s not what you want or expect. Life is like that. It�s unfair and random and annoying and frustrating and seemingly heartless. The ground shakes and quivers, you can�t find your place, but then, in the moment you least expect it, you do. You will.

>You made me laugh out loud for real. I hope everything's ok.

>Keith--
I'm just a random reader, and I would probably never have tried to contact you otherwise, but I wanted to tell you that I'm really sorry to read about your wife's health problems. I enjoy the K Chronicles a whole bunch, and I read it every week. You're smart, funny, and your work is really cool. I'm sad that something like this happened to you and Kerstin and your families.

I have nothing to offer but my good wishes, and prayer, and I'll deploy both on her behalf and yours. I hope the operation went well, I hope she is fine now, and I hope for the best for you.

J.

>... on the progress and well-being of your wife.

I enjoy your strips enormously and frequently pass them on to my friends. You pack so much truth (and raunchy humor!) into your strips. When I read yesterday's "KChronicles," I was truly moved by the report of your wife's recent diagnosis. I've been in YOUR shoes: my partner was in your wife's shoes.

Please know that I care. I'm not in the habit of writing fan letters (I AM of a "certain age," after all), but I just had to let you know how touched I am by yesterday's strip about the C-word and how its new meaning has crept into your vocabulary.

G.

>Keef & Mrs.:

If I read your latest strip correctly, you & your wife are experiencing the
worst of what life can present. I just wanted to offer heart-felt support &
best wishes throughout your ordeal. My mother suffered w/ lympho sarcoma (a
blood cancer) for many yrs b4 she finally succumbed to it. But that was
when I was only 2 (43 now) and modern medicine has come a long way in
treating many forms of cancer. I guess all I want to say is you're in my
thoughts and I'm hoping for the best possible outcome for you both.

Please be well,
J.

>Keef,

Well, in no uncertain terms, I give my best to you
and the Mrs and hope she has one helluva benign
growth. And to also say, I hope that she has a VERY
fast recovery!!!

I just got back from Minneapolis where I spent the
weekend with an old friend who has been diagnosed with
Leukemia and is undergoing chemo. I went there to
spell his wife in taking him to the treatments, but
when we got there, his white blood cell count would
not allow him to take the treatment this week. No
question, this stuff just sucks......

So here is an e-mail with LOTS of support from your DC
home base!!!!

My Best To All,
W.

>Keef I'm praying to what ever god will listen that your beloved will be fine.A guy like you has to have a sane base. I love your work and I want nothing but the best for you.

>Dear Keef,

Here's the million-and-oneth support letter. I just read part two of the c-word saga. The first part scared and moved me. The second part made me cry. Which is good, in an artistic sense, because you wrote something very touching. But bad because I read your comic at my desk at work. So not only am I sitting here at my desk trying to pretend I am working, I am also sitting here at my desk trying to pretend I am not crying.

I don't know what the time lag is on getting the comic out, or what might be going on in your and Kerstin's life at this moment, but I am also visualizing something positive. I am imagining little cartoon versions of the two of you, older, potbellied and wrinkled, with little cartoon crinkles around the eyes, slight little cartoon old people hunched backs, leisure suits, and canes, walking hand and hand. I am imagining the two of you, many many years from now, still together and ok. Yes, my psychic ability to see into the future tells me you are still going to be wearing that funky knit cap! I'll continue visualizing it from time to time, it makes me smile.

I'm sending much love. -

J., Mountain View, CA
posted by keith at 1:38 AM

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

*MORE!! MORE!! MORE "C-WORD" EMAILS...

>Thank you for cheering or inspiring my Wednesday mornings. After reading this morning�s strip, though, I�m sending good thoughts and love to you both. You�re in my prayers. May you be rejoicing in a good prognosis soon!

J, Seattle

Dear Keith;

>I'm a white 42-year-old male and I absolutely love your strip and your sense of humor and frustration. I just read the one about your wife and the c-word and I'm hoping and praying that this will all turn out all right. Your experiences strike very close to home for me and it's so damn hard when all you can do is take things one day at a time, and hang in there.

Please know that there are many of us out here who are with you both during this time.

A fan

>I hop everything works out buddy that's a nasty blow! Your both in my payers. Beyond that I don't know what to say
R.

>Hi

Long-time fan who just wanted to express her condolences during this awful time. I've always enjoyed your comics, and the way you depict your wife is so sweet and loving. She seems like a great person. Tell her if she wants some cheerier websites, you can't go wrong with:

www.dailypuppy.com
www.dailykitten.com
www.cuteoverload.com
or even www.chucknorrisfacts.com

Cheers & Best Wishes,
C., Ontario Canada

>Keith,

Just read the latest 'K Chronicles' on Salon, and was
shocked to read about your wife. My best hopes and
wishes go out to the both of you, I fervently hope
that this all turns out well.

Sincerely,
J.

>Keef,

Thinking hard about you back here in the Boston Area.

This is the game age plays. You used to go to the doctor and they'd bang
your knees and look up your nose and ask you about how many people you've
had sex with in the last six months. Suddenly that number drops to one and
hangs there and on a later visit the doc puts on a rubber glove and his and
your relationship changes forever.

From there it's a long parade of cysts, spots, swellings and tests. You
remember how much people who could talk about nothing but their health
problems used to piss you off, but now it seems like a natural topic. That
and real estate.

I can't say "welcome". What I can say is that these doctors can do amazing
fucking things nowadays. Have faith and know that there are zillions of
people out there pulling for you.

Much love to you and your wife,

D.

>Keith-

Just read your 25jan06 strip in Salon--even though we've never met, I'm sorry to hear the news. My wife and I went through a similar situation a few years ago: She had an "indolent carcinoid" on her lung. After surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, she's been clear without needing any chemo or radiation therapy, and we now have a beautiful daughter (not directly related to that medical situation :^)

I wish you and your wife just as clear an outcome. Stay strong.

pg

>Keef,

I expect that you are probably getting a fair amount of "I've been through this too" type of messages, but I thought that I would write anyway.

About eight years ago I started to have a pain in my shoulder that I thought was a pulled muscle. After a biopsy, multiple CT scans, MRI's, bone scans and everything else the doctors could think of, they diagnosed me with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I was 25 at the time and it just about wrecked me. My saving grace in all of what followed (chemo therapy and subsequent hair loss - I got it back, radiation, etc.) was my wife.

She was a pillar of strength and support that I couldn't have done without. She never left my side, never turned away when I started to pity myself. She made it possible for me to believe that I could beat cancer and that it wasn't the worst thing that could ever happen to me.

I have a clean bill of health now and a slightly deflated view of my own invincibility, but I'm not afraid anymore. Throughout the entire ordeal she never allowed me to be afraid. I hope that everything turns out well for your wife and that you will both look back on this in ten years and think, "that was some freaky shit, huh?".

I guess I'm trying to say that as much as your wife may need medical attention and treatment, she will need you that much more. Try to be strong for her, and for yourself. At the end of the day, you both represent what is best about the other.

Regards,

R.

>Mr. Knight-

First, my prayers are with your wife and with you. Thanks for producing such a great and honest strip.

Second, as a small and hopeful attempt to provide reassurance, I'll tell you my tale of chest tumors. I faced a very similar situation when I was 17 years old. I had a bad cough and a chest x-ray revealed a "concerning mass" that warranted a C/T Scan. Well, the CT scan revealed a tumor about the size of a grapefruit--mine between my esophagus and my aorta. Facing that at 17 was not easy... and doctors have a very annoying habit of couching hope and the possibility of good news with the warnings of just how horrible and swift death may come.

My doctors decided not to take it out (because that would have meant taking my heart out of my chest to get to it...) without a biopsy first. I endured a needle biopsy, which involves a large needle, going through your breast bone. It was every bit as fun as you might imagine.

I'm very glad they did that, though. It turned out that my tumor was a calcified lymph node--probably the result of an untreated histoplasmosis infection from when I was a kid. Because it wasn't malignant and the surgery to remove it was so risky, they left it in. I have C/T scans every few years to make sure it doesn't grow, but that was 17 years ago... I'm now 34 and doing just fine. Okay, I need to lose some weight, but I'm generally healthy and happy. I hope your wife's adventure has a happy ending as well.

-D.
posted by keith at 12:52 AM

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