Don’t judge a book by its cover. That’s what we’re told. This applies to comics as well, as the cover artist is often not the illustrator. But while visiting the Comicshop in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighborhood last weekend I judged a book by it’s cover. Covers. Digging through boxes of deeply-discounted books (the Comicshop is moving after 30+ years in their current location, so a big sale) I found singles of Jack Katz’s The First Kingdom. Not being familiar with this book, I was blown away by one cover after another. Flipping through some of the richest art I’ve ever seen I knew my judgment was sound, that this surely would be a rewarding read. And so it is.

Jack Katz’s The First Kingdom Book 12, published by Bud Plant, Inc., 1980.

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“Just feel that good clean power surging in from the dark…Ah, but listen to her! She’s driving in, she knows what she wants, there’s no hero or devil on earth that can talk back to her…Come on in, girl!” The man talks over his beloved sea to “The Voice”; both having isolated themselves out there, away from the City and its people. This is one of my favorite lines from “The city wears a slouch hat”, a radio play written by Kenneth Patchen with a score by John Cage. It was broadcast on May 31, 1942 by WBBM radio station (Columbia Broadcasting System in Chicago) and is the Voice’s surreal journey through the City, culminating in a message for humanity in a time of World War.


“The city wears a slouch hat”, a radio play written by Kenneth Patchen with a score by John Cage. Cover art by Patchen.

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I am so impressed and inspired by Renata Morales’ Fall 2010 collection. The output from her Montréal atelier over the last three seasons shows a delightfully idiosyncratic and highly technical style. It is a rare treat to find designers who aren’t slaves to the trend weathervane; who blaze their own trail. Below are some looks from her Fall 2010 collection.

From the Renata Morales Fall 2010 collection modeled by the stunning dancer, Mistaya Hemingway.

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There was an electric spirit in San Francisco’s City Hall the day I got married. Mayor Gavin Newsom had recently legalized same-sex marriage and I will never forget how moved I was to be getting married alongside same-sex couples. The news today that a federal judge has struck down Prop 8 makes me deeply happy.

From the SF Chronicle: Stuart Gaffney (left) and his husband John Lewis wait at the Philip Burton Federal Building for Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker to issue his ruling on the constitutionality of Proposition 8 in San Francisco on Wednesday.