Scroll down for Buttons, Tee-Shirts, Original John P. Artwork, Music, and a list of books, zines and records I'm distributing for others!!!
KING-CAT BUTTONS
King-Cat logo in black on a white 1" diameter pin. Impress your New Wave friends! $1.00
KING-CAT POSTCARD SETS
Images from my sketchbook, circa 1998. Set of 16 different postcards on cream colored cardstock, comes in a little plastic pouch; 5.5" x 4.25", $3.00.
KING-CAT T-SHIRTS
(Our model, Mr. Jay-Bone Heller, "punks out" in his new King-Cat tee, circa 1993/1994.)
CLASSIC KING-CAT LOGO TEE-SHIRT: Black King-Cat logo professionally printed on unbleached (off-white) ORGANIC Tee-shirts; available in Small, Medium, Large and Xtra Large. Prices for shirts INCLUDE POSTAGE, as listed below:
USA: $16.00
CANADA: $17.00
REST OF WORLD: $22.00
DON'T FORGET TO SPECIFY WHICH SIZE YOU WANT!
SIZING GUIDE (Use "Men's T-Shirt" line)
* * *
OR CHECK THESE OUT: 
NOT MY SMALL DIARY T-Shirts by John P. I designed this cat picture T-Shirt for Delaine's amazing auto-bio comix anthology, Not My Small Diary. Purchase at Cafepress.com (available in four ink colors): Black Red Blue Brown
ORIGINAL ART FOR SALE
NEW!!! Posted Dec. 4, 2009:
Latest batch of ready-to-ship Original Artwork viewable here!
King-Cat Rent Sale: Help an old cartoonist pay his bills! Some of you may know that although I don’t sell my original artwork pages from King-Cat, I do happily do commissioned work for people: Anything from portraits to landscapes to wedding invitations, you name it! I also regularly make customized hand-drawn reproductions of King-Cat pages upon request.
For some examples please see:
King-Cat MySpace Page
Picasa Page
Generally speaking, prices run about $100 for a black and white drawing on 9” x 12” bristol board (image size will vary); more for color, or larger sizes, less for smaller. The price is based on the complexity and size of the request.
If anyone is interested in getting some original artwork from me, please let me know! Any questions, just ask!
Thanks for your support!
LOVE John P.
* * *
DISTRIBUTED TITLES
For the first time in about ten years, I've decided to start distributing other people's work again. These are books, zines and music that are near and dear to me, and that I think you should know about. If you want to add any of these items in with a King-Cat order, just let me know! Thanks--
DAVE KIERSH is one of my favorites. I consider him a Great American Artist-- his art addresses a uniquely American flavor of loneliness and desire, with his recurring themes of suburban, teenage anxiety, lust, "romance", and desolation.
Neverland: A long, poetically disjointed story of the attractions and pitfalls of permanent adolescence, drawn in a scratchy yet lush ballpoint style. 32 pages, 3 color covers, 2 color interiors, perfect bound; $6.00.
Dirtbags, Mall Chicks, and Motorbikes: This Xeric-awarded book features 5 short stories touching on Dave's usual obsessions, but with the depth and flavor of YA writing/Afterschool Specials: A fatherless boy lusts after his ailing mother's caregiver, a naive young girls gets in trouble at the mall, two High School kids from opposite sides of the tracks have a strange encounter in the bleachers, and more. Some of the strongest narratives Dave's produced yet, leavened with sitcom humor, all in lushly drawn full color. 136 pages, perfect bound; $15.00.
GHOST COMICS
This is a GREAT benefit anthology book with a lot of amazing comics, edited by cartoonist Ed Choy Moorman. All proceeds go to RS Eden, a Minneapolis-based substance abuse center. Ghosts of dinosaurs, transforming robots, and forgotten pasts abound in this star-studded book of staggeringly good comics.
Includes work from: Monica Anderson, Tuesday Bassen, Jeffrey Brown, Kevin Cannon, Allison Cole, Warren Craghead III, Will Dinski, Will Hayes, Hob, John Hankiewicz, David Heatley, Toby Jones, Reynold Kissling, Aidan Koch, Lucy Knisley, Mike Lowery, Sean Lynch. Jessica McLeod, Ed Choy Moorman, Sarah Morean, Corinne Mucha, Abby Mullen, Madeline Queripel, Evan Palmer, John Porcellino (a reprint of "Ghost Eyes" from KC 54/Map of My Heart), Zak Sally, Jillian Schroeder, Mark Scott, Eileen Shaughnessy, Jenny Tondera, Sarah Louise Wahrhaftig, Maris Wicks, and Jessica Williams.
176 pages, Perfect Bound, $10.00.
KU(Š): This great little anthology comic from Latvia is a perfect way to expose yourself to some of the amazing work that is going on internationally. And all the comics are either in English, or include English sub-titles! So no excuse! Cheap, too.
#4: Lost in the City, August 2009 -- The fourth issue of (ku)š! is about getting lost or being lost in the city. Cover drawn by Paul Paetzel and 84 pages comics in full color from Latvian artists: Kavi::, Dace Sietiņa, Ingrīda Pičukane, Mārtiņš Zutis, Rūta Briede, Kaspars Groševs and Reinis Pētersons and international artists: Keisei Kanamachi (Japan), Lai Tat Tat Wing (Hong Kong), Paul Paetzel (Germany), Léo Quievreux (France), Rokudai Tanaka (Japan), Oleg Tischenkov (Russia), Yoshi (Lithuania), Lamelos (the Netherlands) and König Lü.Q. (Switzerland). Don't get lost in the city! 84 pages in color, approx. 4" x 6", $6.00.
#5: After Snowfall, December 2009 -- Cover by Kaspars Groševs (Latvia). The new issue has 84 pages full of freezing stories by 18 different artists: Aisha Franz (Germany), Anna Sailamaa (Finland), Ernests Kļaviņš (Latvia), Hironori Kikuchi (Japan), Ignacio Serrano (Spain), Ines Christine Geißer (Germany), Johan Klungel (the Netherlands), Kolbeinn Karlsson (Sweden/Iceland), König Lü. Q. (Switzerland), Maija Līduma (Latvia), Mārtiņš Zutis (Latvia), Oļa Vasiljeva (Latvia), Olegti (Russia), Reinis Pētersons (Latvia), Rūta Briede (Latvia), TeER (Germany) and Yoshi (Lithuania). 84 pages in color, approx. 4" x 6", $6.00.LA MANO 21: My friend the cartoonist Zak Sally is also a publisher. Beyond my own Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man, Zak has published a number of other book-form projects, and those are now available from me.
Recidivist #3 by Zak Sally: The third and final issue of Zak's Recidivist series includes the strongest work Zak has done in his "dark" style yet. Six unsettling and impeccably paced poetic narratives --- serious, weird, dark-toned work that forms a powerful whole. Nominated for two Eisner awards. A companion piece to Zak's recent book from Fantagraphics, Like a Dog, which collects Recidivist 1 and 2. 104 pages, hardcover; $15.00. 
Fear of Song CD by Zak Sally: 9 song, debut solo CD by Zak Sally (ex-LOW), is 37 minutes of sustained, restrained power/noise pop. Shades of Fugazi, recent period Low (natch), and Shellac. Not only did Zak play every note/sound on this record but he also designed it, laid it out, made the plates, printed it on his own press, did the machine trimming and folding, hand glued images to the front and back covers, hand folded, taped, and inserted each disc into the cover, and vinyl sleeve, and then signed and numbered each copy. It's called DIY. Check the La Mano site to hear song samples, and then buy a copy. $13.00.
Wait, You're Not a Centaur: Fifty fifty-word absurdist word sketches, illustrated with Denver's scratchy, weird, beautiful and hilarious drawings. Includes a full length music CD by Nate Denver's Neck, an introduction by Adam Jones of Tool, and 1,000 Elephants (including one hand drawn especially for you). Lovingly hand-produced on Zak's "obsolete" AB Dick press. Two color cover on metallic blue pearlescent paper, 120 pages, $16.00
Dead Ringer by Jason T. Miles: The most imposing La Mano release, for sure: measuring in at 15 1/2 inches long by 10 inches high, with cardstock covers and 16 heavy interior pages, DEAD RINGER is cartoonist Jason T. Miles dead-to-center shot directly to the heart of something that can't easily be explained. Somehow this book is obtuse and pointed at the same time. It's also somehow a zine and an art book and a portfolio at the same time as well, so... it's pretty singular. $14.00.JASON MARTIN: Jason is one of my favorite cartoonists, making autobio and semi-autobio (?) comics in a low-key style that's very plainspoken and direct. His zine is called Laterborn.
Laterborn #6: Features life on the road with his band, and the generosity and goodwill of the underground; High School musical memories (Smashing Pumpkins, Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam); friendship, dreams and more. I'd say the theme of this one is finding the things in life that matter to you, and what you then do with them. Excellent. 44 digest pages, $3.00.
Laterborn #7: In this latest issue Jason continues exploring his themes of friendship and time with stories about housemates, the drifting connections between old friends, and temp jobs. 28 digest pages, $2.00.
CARRIE McNINCH: Carrie has been at it for at least as long as I have, and is one of the die-hards of the American comix underground. Her most recent title, You Don't Get There From Here, is a diary comic in the mode of Ben Snakepit, with short daily entries, but she has created something of her own here. She struggles quite often with alcohol, depression, and anxiety, but those darker moments are leavened with her unbridled love of food, nature, and her cats. And comics. These day-to-day strips have their own simplicity and quiet rhythm, and then every once in a while she blows you away with the most exquisitely rendered landscape or portrait. I always look forward to the next issue of this great zine! The following issues are now in stock:
You Don't Get There From Here #12: Covers March-June 2009. Running, Snakes That Aren't Rattlesnakes, Blue Jays, the Aging Self. 36 mini-sized pages, $2.00.
#13: Covers July-October 2009. Rattlesnakes, Wildfires, Feels Like Fall, and Jesse the Cat. 36 mini-sized pages, $2.00.
You Don't Get There From Here Goes to Oaxaca: This one is a travel diary of Carrie's trip to Oaxaca in 2007. Dogs, Skeletons, Booze, and Food. Gorgeous! 40 mini-sized pages, $2.00.
PATRICK PORTER is one of my closest friends-- he's a painter, musician, and writer. His prolific albums are raw and real and remarkably complex and beautiful, like the blues or a painting, and deserve to be heard as such. Sad, scary, lonely and funny, they are some of the best records I've ever heard. Not for the faint of heart or "indie-rock" car commercials, but for those of you looking for the Real Deal: here it is, waiting just for you. Visit Patrick's Myspace page for song samples etc.
A Swan at Smiley's (Asaurus version): Smiley's is the World's Largest Discount Laundromat, located right here in Denver, and A Swan at Smiley's is my dear friend Patrick Porter's latest CD of amazing one-man rock n roll. Patrick's one of my favorite people, so obviously I'm biased, but even so I must say his art brings tears to my eyes. In a world filled with phoniness, Patrick is the real deal. And I wrote the liner notes. 16 song CD, full color hand-assembled sleeve, $5.00Coming Soon: The Denver Four CD series, and Bachelor Pad Blue; Bent Pants and Stray Cats (new CD from Spit and a Half Records!)
ROCTOBER is my favorite music magazine. It covers everything from Punk to Country, and R+B to Funk, and treats the hallowed greats with the same reverent but good-humored love and appreciation as the long-forgotten and fringe dwellers. A true labor of love, editor Jake Austen's honest and unbridled enthusiasm leaps from every page. Each issue includes tons of great art and weird comics, and hundreds of amusing one-line reviews. A Zine Classic.
#46 includes Nardwuar vs Flavor Flav, Soul Train in Chicago, Great Truckin' songs, reviews, and art and comics by Heather McAdams, Jenny Zervakis, Rob Dayton, Slink Moss, John Porcellino, Andrew Goldfarb, Rob Syers, Plastic Crimewave, and many many more. (Includes the exclusive "David Lee Roth Dream" comic by John P.) 128 full size pages, color covers. $4.00.
#47 Includes Michael jackson tribute, Lux Interior tribute, Chris Montez interview, Berniece Willioams, Nardwuar vs NERD and Jay-Z, and comics and art by John Porcellino, Rob Syers, Rob Dayton, King Merinuk, Andrew Goldfarb, Slink Moss and many many more. (Includes exclusive John Lennon comic by John P.) 112 pages, full color covers, $4.00.
SOUVARIS
I Felt Nothing at All CD by Souvaris: Amazing four song album by this six piece band from the UK. The songs, all instrumental, each approach the 20 minute mark... with layers upon layers of sound. Repeated and subtly evolving themes carry you into a wordless yet emotionally rich musical landscape. Reference points include Labradford, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, AerialM and Mogwai. Excellent. Hear samples here.
For King-Cat readers: I designed the album artwork, with full color digipak sleeves, and a 12 page booklet featuring an exclusive 6 page comic story. Imported 4 song digipak CD (approx 80 minutes), with comic by John Porcellino; $12.00.
STEW BREW: Creators KELLY FROH and MAX CLOTFELTER have made dozens of great comix on their own, but STEW BREW is their amazing tag-team effort. True Life tales of American Misery and Joy, told in a self-effacing and warm-hearted way.
#3: The TV Issue covers the history of Max and Kelly's love affair with the Tube, from childhood through post-adolescence. Charming, funny and a little sad, this was my favorite comic of 2009. (Cover image ripped from Profanity Hill.) 28 digest pages, $3.00.
NOAH VAN SCIVER is a young Denver cartoonist who seems to channel the spirit of the old undergrounds. That's not to say his comics are a nostalgia act-- they are all up-to-date with the modern world-- but they have that self-deprecating, absurdist take on urban struggle, squalor, and grittiness that the classic undergrounds had. Blammo documents the big dreams of a talented and driven misfit who has had work published in Mome and the Comics Journal, as well as on the Top Shelf site. For sample pages click here.
#3 The Future, Carter and the Bear, Winter, Chicken Strips, Sad Youth, Scott, Early Morning Blues, Sad Youth Pt. 2, and lots more. 32 comic-sized pages, full color covers, $4.00.
#4 Naked Guy, Mercy, Denver Spider Man (one of his best comics), Chicken Strips, Bad Dream, Bob Dylan, The Life of a Cartoonist, The End of an Artist's Career (another great one), letters and more. 28 comic-sized pages, full color covers, $4.00.
#5 Thank You, Speedy Steve the Fastest Balding Man on Earth, Ancient Mesopotamia, Chicken Strips, Weird Denver History, Oh You're a Writer, Prison, Greyhound Misery, letters and lots more. 28 full color comic-sized pages! $4.00
JENNY ZERVAKIS: Jenny is one of my favorite cartoonists of all time, and one of my biggest influences/inspirations. This is the first issue of Strange Growths in 6 years! And it came not a moment too soon. I practically wept when I opened the envelope. Jenny's stories are vague and beautiful, with a gentle, dry humor runnng through them, and her art is perfectly scratchy and simple. This new issue features a couple soon to be Strange Growths classics, like Icebergs and Tell Us How You Really Feel. I know it cost Jenny a lotta dough to get this new one out, so please help support this great American artist!
Strange Growths #15: Iceberg, We Can Be Heroes, Tell Us How You Really Feel, Beach Trip, and May Is the Month of the Rose, plus much more! 24 digest pages, $3.
KING-CAT GARAGE SALE:
Misc. Stuff for sale: the following books are in limited quantities! Please write first to confirm availability!
An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume 2. Beautiful collection of "alternative" comics edited by Ivan Brunetti. Includes work by R. Crumb, Harvey Pekar, Chris Ware, Seth, Kaz, Kevin Huizenga, Gary Panter, John Porcellino, C.F., Joe Matt, Chester Brown and many many more. 400 pages, Yale University Press, Hardcover; Might have a small ding or two on the cover, but otherwise perfect, unread copies. Cover Price: $28.00 SALE PRICE: $16.00. Signed by John Porcellino.
The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger: The Kin-Der-Kids and Wee Willie Winkie's World. Lovely poetic comics from one of the early American masters. 56 full color pages, Fantagraphics, paperback; Unread copy in perfect condition. Cover price: $16.95, SALE PRICE: $12.00.
SPIT AND A HALF MUSIC
"A Revolution in Softness"
From 1985-1996, Spit and a Half Records released understated, honest music by such diverse bands as the Felt Pilotes, Circus Maximus, Flywheel, the Cannanes and the Virgo Snakes. Styles ranged from folk to pop to punk rock, but it all had the "Spit and a Half Sound." The following records are still available. Please give them a listen!
Seven-Inch Vinyl Singles:
Felt Pilotes Never Satisfied ep: Melancholy singing over sparse, folky arrangements make this the perfect record for rainy days and broken hearts. Includes "Never Satisfied", "Hey Jane" and "Walk On By." Slow, sad, pretty pop. 3 song 7" - $3.00
Felt Pilotes Moving Day ep: Spacier and more crooked than the first single, on their follow-up the Felt Pilotes sing more lonely songs in a shaky voice: simple-hearted folk-pop for a new age of Indecision and Desire. Includes "Moving Day," "Another Day" and "Kathy's House." 3 song 7" - $3.00
John P. and Bob S. Porky's Revenge / American Baby ep (Big Yucky/Spit and a Half co-release): 4 song split single by John of the Felt Pilotes and Bob of the Virgo Snakes. John's side gives us his quietest, saddest (and prettiest) yet, while Bob reflects on life and loneliness over ultra-distorted skronk. True blue inner sanctum rock. 4 song 7" - $3.00
Jon Pinnow Sweet Kansas (Newshole Radio/Spit and a Half co-release) Pure and tender, barely-in-tune acoustic love songs and lullabies. Like a freight train whistling through the midnight prairie, this record is lonesome and joyous at the same time! With special musical guests John P. and Robert Schneider (of Apples in Stereo). 3 song one-sided 7" - $2.50
AUSTRALIAN POP SERIES This was a series of split 7" singles by a bunch of great and underappreciated Australian groups.
Vol. One: CANNANES / SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE: This one features Sydney shamble-rock masters the Cannanes, giving us two minimalist songs (just Stephen's thrashing guitar and Fran's bittersweet singing) and the flip is a great rocker by S.W.E. (their US debut) that sways between a noisier Teenage Fanclub and a sweeter Sonic Youth. Wow, first orders get white vinyl! 3 song 7" - $3.00
Vol. Two: BLAIRMAILER / FLYWHEEL #2 features one tune each from the shambolic brother-duo of Michael and David Nichols (Blairmailer) and the catchy noisy guitar-rock quartet of Flywheel. Blairmailer is like an edgier Cannanes and their song "Phenomenal Trousers" skews all over the place, from wah-wah to bouncing bass, to a great fuzz guitar solo. Then Flywheel comes at you with "Been A While", dropping a power-pop bomb with a worried, full-ahead guitar attack. Rockin'. 2 song 7" - $3.00
Vol. Three: ASHTRAY BOY / CLAG This 45 RPM hoedown features Ashtray Boy's "Golden Fingers", a rollicking Pogues-esque shanty that'll stick in your head all day. On the flip, pop-rockers Clag destroy your sensibilities with "Bike" -- a down home country ode to a new blue, bike -- and then follow it up with "Running Amok," a blast of super-charged punk sludge that's closer to Flipper than anything that's been on Spit and a Half since Bryce Hammer. Personal biases aside, this is a great single! 3 song 7" - $3.00
Vol. Four: CAT'S MIAOW / STINKY FIRE ENGINE The final APS single is the poppiest of the bunch! Cat's Miaow gives us two tunes done in their buoyant acoustic style: the lovely "Smitten" and an ace cover version of Maxine Nightingale's 1970's smash "Right Back here We Started From." On the flip, Toytown wonders Stinky Fire Engine drop one of their addictive casio classics in "Flebus." This is a fun one: file under "Disco Music." 3 song 7" - $3.00
Compact Discs:
Felt Pilotes Wonderful Summer Features seven songs recorded by Robert Schneider at Elephant 6, including slow, sad classics like "Long Night", "Say Goodbye", and "Like a Storm" plus a few loud ones and even a happy song! The CD is rounded out with the previously unreleased "June My Dear" ep featuring the epic title track and two other favorites. Taking its cue from where the singles left off, this is minimalist, mainly quiet and mainly sad, folk-based rock and roll. Comparisons to bands like Galaxie 500, Velvet Underground, Neil Young and Nick Drake usually surface, and fans of introspective, slightly dysfunctional rock should check it out. 10 song CD, $10.00
Felt Pilotes Digital Tenderness This 2007 release is a homemade CD-R that compiles the two vinyl Felt Pilotes 7"s (Never Satisfied and Moving Day -- see above). It's a straight transcription from the actual vinyl, so expect a little surface noise! 6 song CD, $5.00
Flywheel Dirty On The Shovel Flywheel's tremendous debut album. Noisy, garagey rock n roll numbers like "My Worst Fear", "Super Roadie", and "It's Been A While" (also available on 7" vinyl, see above) that vie for time with the haunting pop balladry of "Rod Stewart" (one of my favorite songs ever) and "Fridge" are just a portion of what this record's all about. From the chunky Power-Pop opener, "After All", to the loping regret of "It's Over", Dirty on the Shovel is a classic of Australian Pop. Seriously, there are few bands I believe in more than Flywheel-- it will be worth your while to give this one a chance! 13 song CD, cover art by David Nichols, $10.00
Virgo Snakes s/t (Big Yucky/Spit and a Half co-release) My friend Bob Schaefer was a money man-- he even worked on the Chicago Board of Trade for awhile-- but it didn't take too long for the greed of that world to sour in his stomach. One day he quit his job and started a punk band-- the Festering Rinyanyons. The Festers wrought their unique brand of mayhem across the Midwest for several years, fast becoming one of the finest purveyors of punk-noise-thrash throughout the land.
After the Festers imploded, Bob started the Virgo Snakes-- which is him on guitar and singing and Bob Lindell (ex-HEHS Marching Band) smashing the shit out of whatever junk he's added to his stripped down drum kit at the time. The noise they make as a duo is just as intense and out of control as the Festers, but something else has creeped in too-- a kind of melancholy pop weariness.
This is their self-titled debut album, collecting most of their early recordings, and it swings bi-polar between these two extremes of utter end of the line rage and broken-hearted pop introspection-- ragged but gentle too.
So, the paint by the numbers pop kids think the noise and anger are unsettling and the stay inside the line punk kids think the bare emotions and openess are wimpy, so where does that leave the Virgo Snakes? 13 song CD, $10.00
