What MASHEKA Did

This blog has now moved...

2010-10-08T21:06:00.001-04:00

... to http://www.whatmashekadid.com/. The new RSS feed is here.

Sexy Mechanical Voting Machine

2008-11-04T18:44:00.008-05:00

Oh, Sexy Mechanical Voting Machine...

So much better than those hinky 'lectronic thangs.

Your turgid red lever goes from left to right

Then back again.

CLANK! CLUNK!

Gonna vote in a new Funky President

Might not fix our stank economy

But he'll look smooth trying.

Happy Halloween '08!!

2008-10-31T11:53:00.004-04:00

I love this holiday, especially in NYC. You get to see how creative and/or slutty New Yorkers can be (“Hey look, it’s Sexy Werewolf!!”).

Since Mikhaela and I missed Halloween ‘07 (we were at 'Day of the Dead' in Mexico), we really want to do it up this year. As a special Election ’08 bonus, I’m going to keep a tally of how many Obamas, McCains, Bidens and Palins I see…until I get drunk or bored. My money is on a plethora of porn-y Palins and zombie McCains.

Oh yeah: for all you basic cable fans, I’m going as this guy.

-Masheka

P.S. If you’re going to a Halloween party, wear a freakin’ costume or keep your lame ass at home. Besides, if you’re single, you have a better chance of getting costumed booty if you get into the inherently hedonistic spirit of the holiday with your own outfit.

Out of Sequence art exhibition (and more Jupitus on the BBC)

2008-10-22T01:04:00.006-04:00

Haven't seen the ads for OUT OF SEQUENCE in THE COMIC JOURNAL and ARTFORUM because your eyes are blurry with recession tears? Then you don't know that Mikhaela Reid and I (and a slew of other artists) have pieces in this very cool exhibit in Illinois' Krannert Art Museum. Our friends John Jennings and Damian Duffy are the curators. The best part is that some of the pieces (like my 'Killing Brain Cells') will be digitally projected on the museum's walls. Here are the details:

Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics opening reception, this Thursday, Oct. 23 @ 6-8pm!

WHERE: Krannert Art Museum 500 East Peabody Dr Champaign IL 61820 WHAT: The opening reception for the Out of Sequence comics art exhibition. It is an exploration of the question ‘What is Comics?’ It is a declaration of the diversity of sequential art in the United States, diversity not just of creators, but also of content and form. Out of Sequence is a broad survey of women, small press, minority, independent, gay & lesbian, self-published, mini, underground, web and/or gallery comics creators. The opening reception will feature a talk by exhibition comics artist Mark Staff Brandl at 6pm and music by DJ Delayney. WHY: Because comics are awesome, and the gallery has been made into a 3D comic. Comics are on the wall in prints and original art, and off the wall, projected on screens, floating in virtual reality. WHAT ELSE: The Next Panel Illinois Small Press Comics Expo. Guest artists include Jerry Craft, Leilani Hickerson, Dann Tincher, and Ashley A. Woods. Special guest letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. On Saturday at 1:30 Jerry Craft will be offering a cartooning workshop, FREE to the public. To register contact Chris Schaede at the Krannert Museum: 217-333-1861, schaede@illinois.edu. For more information contact: The curators- Damian Duffy (duff@eyetrauma.net) or John Jennings (jayjay@illinois.edu) The Krannert Art Museum- (217) 244-0516

. . . . . . also . . . . . . . .

That BBC Radio interview from July, originally only up for a week, is now on the BBC's site indefinitely!! Phill Jupitus' Comic Love was so popular that the BBC extended the cartoonists' interviews into four longer 15 minute programs.

The new series is called Phill Jupitus' Strips. Our segment (Programme 2), is an extended version of that afternoon in our Brooklyn apartment with Phil, Jen Sorensen, Brian McFadden, Mikhaela and little ol' me. It aired live on BBC Radio October 14th, but you can listen to it here.

Cartoonists with Attitude on the BBC

2008-07-22T10:23:00.004-04:00

The BBC (!!) came to our apt. last month and had a chat with Mikhaela, Brian McFadden, Jen Sorensen and yours truly about alternative political cartooning. The documentary for BBC Radio 4 is hosted by the esteemed Phill Jupitus for his show "Phill Jupitus' Comic Love'. He also talks with cartoonist superstars like Gary Trudeau, Lynn Johnston, Bill Griffith and Steve Bell so we're in very good company.

The doc premiered this weekend and will be up until 6/25 so listen to it here as soon as possible if you've always wanted to hear my voice (mumbled and slurry). The Cartoonist With Attitude segment is at the 22:20 mark.

This weekend: MoCCA minicomic for you!!

2008-06-06T13:34:00.000-04:00

On Saturday June 7th and Sunday June 8th, my new mini-comic "So, You've Been Laid Off?!" will be at the 2008 MoCCA Art Festival at NYC's Puck Building from 11am-6pm. If this is your first time getting the shaft from your "day job" (a.k.a. outsourced, downsized, made redundant), it's a handy little booklet created to guide and comfort you in these troubling times. For everyone else, it is a grim soulless reminder of the vicious circle of employment purgatory.

Have a super weekend!! -Me

Lunar eclipse tonight!

2008-02-20T11:10:00.007-05:00

Tonight, from 7pm to 7:51pm (Eastern standard time), I'll be checking out the last lunar eclipse until 2010. Hopefully it will take my mind off the final root canal appointment I have in a few hours.

Check it out during your local time zone tonight and watch out for werewolves.

UPDATE: Hmm, when I said "7pm to 7:51 pm" I must have been on crack because I didn't see anything then (and I was looking reeeeeally hard). Luckily a friend informed me of the real viewing time and we all got to see the eclipse around 9pm. Sadly, after staring at the creepy bloody moon for ten minutes, I failed to develop any enhanced superhuman powers. Pity...

"Look at me! I'm a Lady T.V.! HEY!! LOOK AT ME!!"

2008-02-13T12:33:00.010-05:00

Introducing the latest in obnoxious technology and ubiquitous marketing: The Wearable Video Vest.

Notice that the models for the 'Video Vest' website are all women wearing outfits that vary from "friendly Gap employee" to teeny weeny bikini. Only one of the leering spectators appears to be making eye contact, probably practicing a 'boob tube' joke in his head.

I know what you're thinking: "For Pete's sake, that thing looks too "Videodrome meets Teletubbies" for my taste! Isn't there a slimmer, more fashionable version for everyday douchebags like myself?"

{via Gawker/Adrants}

The Hulk Out List!!

2008-01-25T11:34:00.000-05:00

As a fan of all things Hulk, I was extremely happy to come across this list, via Fark.com, detailing every fight/calamity/petty annoyance that triggered a Hulk transformation in the '78-'82 t.v. show 'The Incredible Hulk'.

I can relate to #47, but my favorite, in terms of sheer slapstick lunacy, is #108.

BONUS VIDEO! The Hulk trips on LSD!

2007: The Year in Movie Hell

2008-01-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

What better way to start off the new year than to by reminiscing about some of the cinematic monstrosities of last year?

Worst NY Post headline ever?

2007-12-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

From the New York Post, via Gawker.com: "Ike 'Beats' Tina To Death"

It's so wrong that I laughed at this. Goddamn Post...

Rejected Sidekicks, Rejected Henchmen

2007-11-27T21:57:00.000-05:00

Behold my latest cartoon in the latest issue of UVC Magazine, The Urban Voice in Comics. It's all flipped because, I dunno, sometimes I like to make ya work for it.

Prison Break recap at Racialicious

2007-11-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

I have a recap of the Fall season finale of Prison Break on Racialicious, a blog about race and pop culture. Just in time for the writer's strike! Let's hope the writers' demands are met so they can churn out more episodes for me to dissect.

Next up: Battlestar Galactica!!

2007 Small Press Expo (SPX) this week

2007-10-10T13:57:00.001-04:00

This weekend I'll be sharing an exhibitor table with CWA cartoonists Ted Rall, Jen Sorensen, Keith Knight, Mikhaela Reid, Stephanie McMillan, August J. Pollak, and Brian McFadden. So go there and buy our books 'n stuff! Also check out the SPX exhibitor list and floor plan here. Use it to stalk your favorite 'toonist.

SPX will be open to the public from 2 - 8pm on Fri., Oct. 12 and 10am - 7pm Sat., Oct. 13. Admission is $8 for a single day and $15 for both days.

What's Happenin' Now?

2007-09-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Soooo, am I embarrassed that my last post was in June and my last NJKD cartoon was, um, God knows when? (October, by the way).

The answer is "slightly embarrased. But I had all of this other stuff on my plate like:

1) I married my sweetie, cartoonist Mikhaela Reid, in a kick-ass ceremony in Lowell, MA officiated by Ted Rall, decorated by my cool new mom-in-law Beryl, catered by my new chef-in-law cousin Kevin.

And to everyone who has been wondering: Mikhaela is still "Mikhaela Reid". She would have betrayed her feminist ideals and whatnot if she didn't keep her name (besides, she likes it). And as a manimist, I refused to change my surname (though I would have been open to Brangelina-esque monikers for both of us, like "Mikheeka Weid" or "Mashaela Rood").

2) James Vincent Howell, Sr., my grandfather, passed away on September 10th. He was too sick to see his first grandson get married in person. However, thanks to video (courtesy of my friend Lorraine) and a laptop, he saw the next best thing before he passed. He taught me penmanship, the importance of lettering, and how to ride a bike. Grampa, I'll miss the way you used to tease me about that picture of my bare ass on a bearskin rug.

3) I have a regular comic in the hot new bi-monthly magazine UVC: The Urban Voice of Comics). Check out the September/October issue for my cartoon 'Urban Superpowers I Wish I Had'.

So go to your local comic book store (or record store or urban lifestyle store) and pick up a copy. And if they don't have any, throw a tantrum until they get more. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Stop reading this sentence and go already! Sheesh!

4) Oh waitaminnit! One more thing, y'all. Tonight, tonight!!

Your RSVP would be ever so kindly appreciated. And please feel free to steal this image/text/links and help us promote this event! Please!)

Who: Angry cartoonists Mikhaela Reid & Masheka Wood
What: Slideshow/signing/discussion for Attack of the 50-Foot Mikhaela!: Cartoons by Mikhaela Reid w/ a foreword by Ted Rall and Deep Doodle: Cartoons by Masheka Wood!
When: Friday Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
Where: Center for New Words, 7 Temple Street, Cambridge, Mass.
Why: You'll be sorry if you don't!
No, really, why? Because:

Cartoonists with Attitude @ Borders Bookstore 7.7.07

2007-06-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

The Cartoonists With Attitude gang storms the capital on July 7 with an edgy satirical cartoon slideshow and book signing!

When: Saturday, July 7, 2 p.m.
Where: Borders 18th & L Streets NW Washington, DC 20006 ( 202.466.4999)
Price: Free!

Celebrate Independence Day weekend with a slideshow and signing with edgy, groundbreaking and controversial alternative cartoonists from around the country! Be there or the torturers, bombers, ex-gays and wire-tappers win! Meet:

Ruben Bolling ("Tom the Dancing Bug")
Matt Bors ("Idiot Box")
Keith Knight ("The K Chronicles")
Brian McFadden ("Big Fat Whale")
Stephanie McMillan ("Minimum Security")
August Pollak ("Some Guy With a Website")
Ted Rall(Silk Road to Ruin)
Mikhaela Reid ("The Boiling Point")
Ben Smith ("Fighting Words")
Jen Sorensen ("Slowpoke")
Masheka Wood ("Not Just Knee Deep")

And in case you weren't aware, you should really read our group blog (also available as an RSS feed if you want to get all our blogs and most of our cartoons in one convenient place. We also have a not-so-frequently updated Cartoonists With Attitude MySpace page if you want to be our friend.

Masheka at MOCCA!!

2007-06-22T13:24:00.000-04:00

In a last minute plot twist, I managed to snag a table at MOCCA's 2007 Art Festival June 23rd & 24th with Mikhaela Reid, Brian McFadden and Ayo Brathwaite. Come see us at table C21 (right next to the Mens' pooper) and buy my book "DEEP DOODLE" for the special convention price of $8!!!!

Much thanks to my friend Devin Quin who supplied the table to me when he had to bow out (due to his band, The Scurvy Pirates, performing in the Mermaid Day Parade at Coney Island this Saturday).

Deep Doodle tour continues

2007-05-16T19:16:00.000-04:00

Mark your calenders for these dates. I may be coming to a town near you:

Fri May 18, 7pm | Philly: 2007 Glyph Black Comics Awards featuring nominees Keith Knight, Masheka Wood, Kyle Baker and other great artists at the African American Museum of Philadelphia (AAMP) at 7th and Arch Streets. I'm up for the 'Rising Star' award and Keith is up for 'Best New Comic'.

Sat May 19, 10am - 7 pm | Philly: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention w/ Masheka Wood & Keith Knight (and Mikhaela Reid). Signing and selling books all day! Temple University, Anderson Hall 11th and Berks St.

Sat Jun 9, 4pm | Detroit: Masheka Wood & Mikhaela Reid Cartoon Slideshow & Signing @ Green Brain Comics, 13210 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI

Tue Jun 12, 7pm | NYC: Masheka Wood & Mikhaela Reid Cartoon Slideshow & Book Launch Bash @ Bluestockings Books, 1720 Allen Street, NY, NY

And in a couple of days you'll be able to online order your own copy of Deep Doodle!

Aren't you excited? Hello?

C.W.A. at APE

2007-04-17T23:10:00.000-04:00

The Cartoonists With Attitude gang will be out in full force in San Francisco this April 21-22 for the Alternative Press Expo (APE). Confirmed CWAers:

Matt Bors ("Idiot Box")
Keith Knight ("The K Chronicles")
Stephanie McMillan ("Minimum Security")
Steve Notley ("Bob the Angry Flower")
August Pollak ("Some Guy With a Website")
Ted Rall(Silk Road to Ruin)
Mikhaela Reid ("The Boiling Point")
Shannon Wheeler ("How to be Happy")
Masheka Wood ("Not Just Knee Deep")

And in case you weren't aware, you should really read our group blog (also available as an RSS feed or LiveJournal feed) if you want to get all our blogs and most of our cartoons in one convenient place. We also have a not-so-frequently updated Cartoonists With Attitude MySpace page if you want to be our friend.

Cover of my book Deep Doodle, debuting at APE

2007-04-14T03:48:00.000-04:00

Here's a sneak preview of the cover of my first book. Preview copies available next weekend at APE in San Francisco!

The Effing Job

2007-03-14T23:03:00.000-04:00

Hey there! It's been awhile.

I decided "vacation" was over and that I needed to finish a bunch of stuff that was thisclose to being finished but got held up for some reason or another. This is one of them, a character display of a story I'm developing. It's loosely based on one of the strangest jobs I've had that began a month before 9-11 and ended with my firing a few days after the 2003 NYC blackout.

The Effing Job details the corporate purgatory (unlike the fine establishment that currently employs me) of a finance department that had a few interesting employee perks amid corruption, sex, layoffs, sub-basements and lunchroom tripe.

News: 2007 Glyph Awards and Other Heroes

2007-03-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

You should know that I suck at self-promotion. If I didn't, then you would already know that I've been nominated for the Rising Star award for the 2007 Glyph Comics Awards. You can check out all of the other nominees (including fellow Cartoonist with Attitude Keith Knight) here:

The ceremony will be held at The African American Museum in Philadelphia on May 18th followed by the 6th annual East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention on May 19th (cough *birthday* cough).

Ms. Mikhaela Reid and I will also have work featured with other cartoonists in the Other Heroes Art Show from April 3-25 2007 at the Jackson State University Art Gallery. It's curated by two great artists, John Jennings and Damian Duffy of Eye Trauma. You really should get a move on and book a flight to Mississippi as soon as possible to catch this gallery exhibit. Hey, I'm not kidding people, get going!

Dystopia Tuesday!

2007-01-09T16:01:00.000-05:00

Today marks the long-awaited DVD release of Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" a film which could be the companion piece to Alfonso Cuaron's incredible world-gone-infertile "Children of Men", another dystopian movie which you should have already seen by now.

"Idiocracy" stars Luke Wilson as an average-joe army grunt who is drafted for a year-long military cyrogenic experiment that lasts 499 years longer than he expected. He awakens to an America that has devolved into a nation of slang-spouting imbeciles and, by default, becomes the smartest person in the world.

After the success of "Office Space" and "King of the Hill", you'd think that Judge would have some clout, but his latest satire is infamous for being swept under the rug by 20th Century Fox's abysmal and virtually nonexistent marketing campaign. Only released in 125 theaters (amazingly, none of them in New York) "Idiocracy" was met with mixed reviews and only grossed a mere $438,653.

Was the advertising squashed because the studio was afraid of offending potential ticket-buyers? Or was it because the movie skewers corporatism (future Starbucks franchises offer lattes and handjobs), anti-intellectualism, and Fox News?

I haven't seen "Idiocracy" yet, so I can't vouch for the quality of the film, but I'm a huge fan of Judge's work. I would have skipped work to buy a copy as soon as the stores opened, but I have to earn money and shit.

Oh please please please I hope it's funny...

-Masheka

PS Oh, and there will be new and frequent toons coming, so calm down.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-21T08:22:00.000-05:00

And don't forget to watch the mid-season premiere of Michael Richards's new show "Kramer Kramer Kramer!"

Mike Tyson vs Everything

2006-10-20T11:22:00.000-04:00

Purity Balls

2006-10-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

The dance sensation that's sweeping the nation. Click panel to see full cartoon.

Dirty Letters: "g"

2006-10-04T12:08:00.000-04:00

Dirty Letters: "s"

2006-09-22T00:42:00.000-04:00

I was going to do "a" next and finish up the vowels, but I had to do this one.

Man, I can almost smell it...

Flame On!

2006-08-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

Heat Wave

2006-08-09T23:51:00.000-04:00

Dubya's Tips on Dealing With Black People

2006-08-02T23:49:00.000-04:00

Capt. Tony's Saloon

2006-08-02T00:49:00.000-04:00

My friend Carissa was in Key West, Florida awhile ago and stopped by this landmark saloon. One of the walls are covered with the business cards and contact info of travelers from around the world who want a pint in one of writer Ernest Hemmingway's favorite bars. So she decided to slap one of my cards up there. Thanks C-Po!

Summer Movie Hell

2006-07-19T14:57:00.000-04:00

On second thought, I'd probably pay to see "Axe Fight".

Masheka News - ECBACC & MoCCA

2006-05-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

Mark your calenders!! Short notice but if you happen to be in Philadelphia, PA this weekend, stop by the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) where I will be hawking my wares (including my previous toon collection What Masheka Did, my new collection Not Just Knee Deep, color prints, original art, and buttons, buttons buttons!!). And wish me a happy birthday!! Then next month, Sunday June 11th, I'll be at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MOCCA) with the beautiful Mikhaela B. Reid to premiere "Ask Me About My Nut-Kicking Business". We're not on the exhibitors list (yet), but we'll be there. More info to come!

CEOs

2006-05-04T10:10:00.000-04:00

Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic and Re-Segregation

2006-04-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

Dirty Letters: "u"

2006-04-25T09:55:00.000-04:00

Soul Man 2

2006-04-12T23:57:00.000-04:00

The GOP

2006-04-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

Part of an April Fool's gag thingie where a bunch of cartoonists (Ted Rall, Mikhaela Reid, yours truly, Elena Steir, Matt Bors, Scott Bateman, August Pollack, Kirk Anderson and others) professed our love to all things Bush, Republicans and their ilk. It was only up for 4/1/06, so if you missed the other cartoons, well, tough titty... Read Editor and Publisher's online article about the toons here.

Dirty Letters: "o"

2006-03-19T00:42:00.000-05:00

Holy Calamity!

2006-03-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

This song was stuck in my head for awhile. After a recent series of frustrating setbacks, I had to draw it out. Feels better than yelling out the window "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Ask Me About My Nut-Kicking Business! (preview)

2006-03-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

A panel from my upcoming story, soon to be unveiled at MoCCA's art festival in June 2006. The main character is based on a goofy (and slightly scary) dude I worked with when I was a temp slave. By the way, some of my friends have been sporting my blue & white Nut-Kicking buttons around NYC. If you happen to see one...well, ain't you special?

Mardi Gras Floats You May Have Missed

2006-03-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

How Will You Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?

2006-01-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

Dirty Letters: "i"

2006-01-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

Dirty Letters: "e"

2006-01-12T16:32:00.000-05:00

A work in progress. Not only will this be in watercolor, but eventually it will be one of 26 pieces. I wanted to do the vowels first, the letter "e" in particular because it appears the most in written language (and almost always the first vowel bought in "Wheel of Fortune").

The Patriot Act Xmas Gift Guide

2005-12-24T03:46:00.000-05:00

One more shopping day!

The $7,000,000,000 Bird Flu Plan

2005-11-23T02:48:00.000-05:00

So sorry for the delay, folks. Apparently I can't draw with my feet...

Supreme Court 3000

2005-10-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

New Hybrid Cars

2005-10-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

Click to enlarge.

Aztec Tat

2005-10-03T00:09:00.000-04:00

Get a load of my brand new tattoo... It's also my first tattoo, inspired by a trip to the Guggenheim to see the Aztec exhibition. I just got it Saturday so it's all crusty and tender like a fishstick... If you want one this nice, check out Yoni's work at New York Adorned.

Gimme Gimme!

2005-09-28T23:38:00.000-04:00

Now on sale: signed copies of my first-ever cartoon collection, What Masheka Did, a 16-pager featuring my latest strips (like "New Fall Shows" and "Duh vs. Doy!") and some gems and rarities from the Masheka archives not available online.

Buy a signed copy now for $1.25 + 50 cents S&H each via PayPal:

Dedicate books to:

While you're at it, why not get a copy of Good News, my friend Mikhaela's third cartoon collection, featuring 40 pages of her best cartoons from the past year (from "Operation Heterosexual Freedom" to "Let Them Eat Toxic Sludge"). Get your signed copies with cute little sketches of Mikhaela or the guitar-playing vacationer-in-chief while they last. Yellow cover (interior is black and white).

Buy now for $3.00 + 80 cents S&H each via PayPal:

Dedicate books to:

New Fall TV Shows

2005-09-18T01:13:00.000-04:00

New Status Symbols

2005-08-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry, it's been awhile. Click to enlarge.

Killing Brain Cells

2005-08-02T23:53:00.000-04:00

for a proposed MTV show

Krunt Factory

2005-07-24T01:31:00.000-04:00

Inside Hollywood

2005-07-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

Never again will I do a weekly comic with so many panels. Click to enlarge.

Splut!

2005-07-16T05:45:00.000-04:00

Duh!

2005-07-07T23:15:00.000-04:00

The first of many. Click to see my full-size Thang. -Love, Masheka.