The Strumpet - A Transatlantic Flight of Comix Fancy

The Strumpet is going places for issue #2

2012-02-19T15:36:00.000-08:00

This year the Strumpet is going places. Come along for the ride!

Strumpet Launch!!!!

2012-01-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

Honorary Strumpet Stephen Betts.

The scene! Twas hectic.

Strumpet Editor Ellen with ace cartoonist Barnaby Richards.

Editor Jeremy Day with contributor (and past Whore of Mensa) Maartje Schalkx.

Bad boys love the Strumpet!!!

The wonderful Amneet Johal and J. Homersham.

Thanks to everyone who came, and to all of our Kickstarter supporters! Issue 2 is in the organizing stages now...in the meantime keep your eyes peeled on the blog for all the news!

Come to the Launch of the Brand-new Strumpet!

2011-11-13T05:17:00.000-08:00

Come to the launch of the first-ever issue of the Strumpet, an anthology of new comics work by exciting women artists from the United States and United Kingdom.

Fun starts at 7pm in the ground-floor party room of the Miller Pub, 96 Snowsfields, London Bridge/Borough, in lovely London town. We'll be showing the Strumpet's favourite films, listening to some of her favourite music, and enjoying the company of the UK-based artists (and, who knows, perhaps the spectral aura of some of the US artists!) Come early for cupcakes, come late for some high-quality drunken revelry.

Check out a full preview of this issue on our website - see you there!

If you are a Kickstarter contributor and would like to pick your copy up at the launch, please let us know and we'll have it ready for you to take away! Thanks so much to everyone who helped us reach our goal!

Some more Strumpet news - we will have advance copies of The Strumpet at Leeds' fab Thought Bubble convention this coming weekend, 19-20th November. Come say hello - we'll be sharing a table with David O'Connell and the ink + PAPER crowd, and Ellen will be appearing in the Comics Economics panel from 2:30-3:20 on Saturday, chaired by We are Words and Pictures' Matthew Sheret. Loads more info - plus a full programme - is available on the Thought Bubble website.

See you soon!

Kripa Joshi, now in The Strumpet!

2011-10-31T15:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Moti enjoys a night out on the town, and meet up with lots of intriguingly disguised characters, in this page from the new Strumpet.

We are so pleased to welcome Kripa Joshi, the creator of Miss Moti, to our very first issue.

Kripa speaking at Laydeez; she's in front of a photo of her extended family in Nepal.

Kripa recently knocked everyone dead at the October meeting of Laydeez do Comics, London's premier spot for discovering new cartoonists (of both genders!)

Kripa with London comics folk John Miers, Megan Donnolley and Mike Medaglia.

At Laydeez Kripa discussed her Nepalese heritage and how her travels around the world - notably to New York, India and London - have influenced her work.

Even more wonderfully, Kripa agreed a few months back to create an image for us Strumpets to use as a Kickstarter incentive. If you love fairytale princesses and knights errant on a mission, then you might want to grab this print for your very own. It's not too late - although we've reached our goal the terms of Kickstarter are that we have to stay open for business until the day we promised - that's 11th November. Which means you're in luck! Check out our Kickstarter today.

Thanks for reading!

New Interview! The Strumpets speak to PIKALAND!

2011-10-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

An exciting interview with 8 of our artists is now up on fantastic illustration site Pikaland!

Thanks so much to the amazing Melanie Maddison for taking the time to explore our fevered imaginations.

The Return of MARDOU

2011-10-13T02:53:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I'm most excited about in this first issue of the Strumpet is the fact that MARDOU, originator of the Whores of Mensa and one of our favourite cartoonists, is BACK with an 8 page story.

This story is vintage Mardou: subversively funny and vibrantly drawn (highlighted with her trademark zip-a-tone), offering a look into a gratifyingly unusual mind. Mardou rocks!

Are you a Mardou fan? Maybe you're a devotee of Kripa Joshi, Lucy Sweet or Megan Kelso? If you are - but especially if these are new names to you - may we suggest a pre-order? For a mere $10 you get a signed copy of the Strumpet air-mailed to you anywhere in the world, complete with a set of three buttons on a hand-stamped backing. Check out our Kickstarter page for more details - we could really use your support!

Thanks for reading!

The Strumpet Lives!

2011-10-07T04:58:00.000-07:00

Ellen Lindner's cover for the first issue of The Strumpet.

Strumpet Issue 1 will début at this year's Thought Bubble Festival, 19-20 November in Leeds. We'll be launching the comic on 24th of November at the Miller pub in London Bridge. And we have a group of contributors to drool over: Kripa Joshi, Patrice Aggs, Tanya Meditzky, Jeremy Day, Mardou, Ellen Lindner, and...MEGAN KELSO!!! And more! AIEEE!!!!!

Right now we're taking pre-orders over at our Kickstarter page - if you want to be one of the first to reserve a copy of Issue One for your very own, I suggest you act quickly!

Kickstarter is brilliant - it's easy to use, fills the gaping distribution hole left by Diamond, and enables us to keep all of our titles in print (as well as pay for extra expenses like contributor copies, review copies, and postage). So please, have a think, and pre-order at the level you're comfortable with. All of the prizes are fab - and you'll be making a band of Strumpets very, very happy.

Strumpets Ahead!

2011-09-26T02:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
It's been a long, crazy summer here in Whores of Mensa HQ. We've been working on a secret project - the relaunch of our beloved collective as a brand-new annual.

Why the upheaval? No one likes upheaval!!!

Well, a lot has changed for us over the course of the seven years we've been publishing comics as WoM: personal stuff and professional stuff.

Our last issue made us think really hard about what we wanted to do, as a collective. It was great printing regular work by the three of us, but having so many fantastic guest artists for our blockbuster fifth issue felt like something we'd like to do again.

Over our travels in New York and Portland, we met so many great lady cartoonists. We got excited about the possibilities of bringing female creators from the USA and the UK together for a fun cultural exchange - an exchange that, due to the failure in the personal jet-pack market and the total washout of the transatlantic Tube system, could perhaps most easily happen on paper and on the internet.

To whit, we're creating a publication, and soon a website, that will take some small steps (or maybe even some big ones!) towards that goal. And it's called...

...THE STRUMPET.

Whores of Mensa will not be going away - thanks to the generous lift given to our fifth issue by our Kickstarter supporters, we've printed 400 copies of our Party Issue - the most ever of any single WoM issue - and it's still very much in print.
It'll be sold right alongside the Strumpet, keeping the WoM flame alive (if you're coming to the party late you can get your own copy here). We're also hoping to put together a book collecting all of our best work from our seven year stretch.

Many thanks to our intern Elliot Baggott for his hard work on our new logo!

Very soon we'll be taking pre-orders for our first issue of the Strumpet, and we're planning a London mega-launch in late November to which you'll all be invited. But in the meantime, please let us introduce one of our newest artists, the amazing Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg of Portland, Oregon.

We met Lisa when we bought Cut Your Hair 3, which is about her epic travels in China. We love her work and we think you might, too!

And here's a sneak peek at Lisa's story...

We'll be back soon with more Strumpets....stay tuned!

2011-05-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Whores of Mensa USA Début!

2011-04-23T11:08:00.001-07:00

Nothing says love like farmer's market fresh caramel popcorn...ta Stephen!

Woo! It's been a crazy two weeks, with Whores of Mensa and the Comix Reader hitting two major indie comics shows - MoCCA and Stumptown - in two crazy weekends! Sarah McIntyre and Cliodhna Lyons were fantastic tablemates - thanks, ladies, for doing so much organizational work and making this super-fun trip possible! And thanks to Stephen Betts for taking the lion's share of these pictures!

Cliodhna, Sarah and I - looking awesome despite the jetlag!

First stop, the excellent Drink and Draw Like a Lady, organized by the wonderful Lucy Knisley. If you're ever in NYC, you need to check out 192 Books - there will be many, many books you'll want to get your paws on!

Here I am with the very accomplished author of Dolltopia, and fellow Angouleme denizen, Abby Denson.

As my mom would say, you need to eat. And here we are - Sarah, Cliodhna, myself and Sarah's good school friend Rose Jung, gettings a pre-con meal at Manhattan's Lyric Diner. Thank you, Lyric, for the salmon bagel big enough so that the second half became my lunch. Yum!

Sarah putting the finishing touches on our table...

At MoCCA you never know who you're going to meet. Here's Swedish comics star Joanna Hellgren, part of the group brought over by the excellent Editions Cambourakis. My husband Stephen's done some translations of her comics - they're amazing! Also in attendance were some delegates from Germany's Reprodukt press, along with a massive Scandinavian contingent - not to mention the fab fellows from Accent UK. It's great how truly international MoCCA is.

Calvin Reid, Gabrielle Bell, Joe Ollmann, Pascal Girard and Leslie Stein after their thoughtful panel - Almost True, about semi-autobiographical work. Calvin is such a great MC - he moves the conversation along wonderfully. And these guys had so much great stuff to say about the tricky process of turning your life into a comics narrative. Leslie's book, Eye of The Majestic Creature, is out now from Fantagraphics. Highly recommended!

Here we have Sweaterweather and Robot Dreams author Sara Varon getting interviewed, perhaps in a leadup to her new book from First Second, Bake Sale. Sara let us take a peek, and it is INCREDIBLE! Full color, and an absolute must for anyone who likes baking, boxing, travel, or just plain wonderful comics. It's out later this summer.

I love New York, because you never know what you'll see. Stephen and I popped along to a yarn shop to buy a gift for my mother, and were treated to huge knitted space diorama with this guy as the centerpiece!

Here's a glimpse of the frankly terrifying Multnomah Falls, the second-tallest waterfall in the US of A. Guess who got to walk up to the tippy-top - AIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

And on to beautiful Portland!

In a touch befitting its status as the Stumptown festival hostelry, the Jupiter Hotel had chalkboard doors. Sarah left this super-cool drawing for me! Thanks, Sarah! (For a good time, indeed! :) )

Here's our Stumptown table setup. The night before we'd been at the Guapo Comics and Coffee pre-con party. A great opportunity to catch up with local comics pals and see some amazing art! Portland has so many great comix shops - it's pretty amazing.

Our table standee...

An inspiring sight! Molly Crabapple labored away on a piece of original art for the entirety of the show.

Portland's excellent Floating World Comics, now the ONLY place in North America you can buy the Comix Reader!
Get in, Portlanders - get in!

Stephen and I met up with amazing local cartoonists Matt Sundstrom and Jen Sorenson for one last night out...and then it was goodbye, Portland! We were very sad to leave.

Many thanks to everyone who came out and supported us at both shows, and to the New Yorkers and Portlandians for their hospitality. Each festival was an adventure! I particularly enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest...what an amazing place!

See you next time...

Exciting News: Whores of Mensa 1 Now Available as a PDF

2011-03-22T03:12:00.001-07:00

Hey there Whores of Mensa Fans!

There’s been a lot going on at Whores of Mensa HQ this month, so perhaps I should take the time to introduce myself. I’m Elliot Baggott, a second-year BA student at Wimbledon College of Art. For the past month I’ve been the official WoM Intern, helping Editor Ellen get everything ready for exciting anthology news and changes to come! But first, we have a special surprise; the digital return of long out of print Whores Issue One!

It’s been nearly seven years since Whores of Mensa first hit the British Comics Scene. Jeremy Day (then Jeremy Dennis), Mardou and Lucy Sweet met while promoting comics at Ladyfest Bristol in 2003. Since then, these ladies - with the addition of Ellen Lindner, and in Issue Five, a bevy of guest artists - have been flying the standard for women in alternative comics and producing their own brand of smart, quixotic cartoon stories.

We’re currently preparing our sixth issue - and Issue One is the best possible way of seeing how it all began and really getting a flavour for the tone of the anthology as a whole.

Jeremy Day starts us off, coping with the infuriating antics of all your favorite literary figures in “The Society of Dead Poets.”

Lucy Sweet, meanwhile, has a brush with stardom in her engagingly bizarre tell-all confession, “Justin Timberlake Laid my Laminate!”

Last, but by no means least, Mardou spins a dystopic tale of a horrifying future without comics in “Fahrenheit 50/50” and rounds off with “Dojo of Love!”, a comic about a very unusual inter-generational love affair.

Here, with no further ado, is the link to download your own copy in PDF format.

http://www.whoresofmensa.com/Whores_of_Mensa_issue_1.pdf

Issue One is free to download, but if you have enjoyed reading then please consider donating. All your donations go towards financing future WoM projects and paying for printing costs, and help to keep this wonderful anthology going!

Thanks everyone!

Elliot Baggott’s personal blog is http://surrealistetiquette.blogspot.com and his latest comic TEETH is available at many comics stores in London or by direct order.

The New Thing: London Comic and Small Press Expo This Weekend!

2011-03-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited, because this weekend the London Comic and Small Press Expo is coming to New Cross!

New Cross is also the home of the Fleece Station, the studio I've shared for the last year-and-a-bit with Gary Northfield, Lauren O'Farrell and Sarah McIntyre.

Here's a map of some places I like in New Cross, or that have been recommended to me - New Cross high street can look very forbidding, but there are a few real gems, and if you get into Deptford - well, everyone's got to experience Deptford just once. Especially now that you can get bubble tea on the way in!

Some quick notes: Meateasy is FAB for greasy American diner food (exactly what you came to New Cross for, I imagine) - but it's only open after 6, and the waits are almost as legendary as the chili dog. If you're serious about checking out London's most talked-about popup restaurant, get there before 6.

Personal fave Panda Panda, purveyor of amazing banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) and bubble tea - is legendary if you read Sarah's blog - they're also open until 9, so if you get a chance, give them a try. (I haven't given them a coffee icon - they sell too many good things to represent visually - but their Vietnamese coffee is amazing!)

One thing I haven't covered: transport. New Cross is accessible by rail, Overground and loads and loads of buses - too many to cover here! Check out the London Transport Journey Planner instead.

Please let me know if you have any questions about my map - there's a bigger version here - and hopefully, I'll see you at the show. Look for me at the Fleece Station table - I'll have Undertow, Whores of Mensa, and some great little prints Sarah and I have done just for the show.

See you there!

Whores of Mensa at London Print Studio!

2011-02-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month and I gave two workshops on anthology-making at London Print Studio, London's center for print-making excellence. Pretty exciting stuff for us small-pressers!

LPS has a great team of comics interns at the moment, including Freya Harrison, William Goldsmith, Joe Kelly and Isabel Greenberg. The interns are collectively keeping a record of their LPS experiences at their amazing blog.

Here's Issy Greenberg's take on our private workshop for Issy, Bill, Freya and Joe, in which we focused on plans for their Imagined Cities anthology.

If you like Issy's work here, check her out in No Brow Press's Graphic Cosmogony - mindblowing work in there, some of it from Issy. Highly recommended!

Thanks again to Karrie Fransman for inviting us in, and for the interns and young people who came to our workshops. And thanks LPS!

Want Whores of Mensa to come and do a workshop at your school, art centre or other institution? Email me at ellen at little white bird dawt calm, and let's talk comics!

Whores of Mensa London Print Studio Wednesday!

2011-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Whores of Mensa Head Honchette Ellen Lindner here with some news about a very swiftly upcoming Whores of Mensa teaching event.

The delectable Karrie Fransman has invited Jeremy Day and I to give a FREE workshop for teenagers at the estimable London Print Studio this Wednesday!

We'll be talking about the process of putting together the last issue of Whores of Mensa, and our very DIY approach to community building through comics.

In short, it'll be a workshop about creating anthologies - why they work, why they don't, how to get into the famous ones and - most importantly - how to do it yourself!

WHEN will all this be happening? This Wednesday, 2nd February - 5-7PM
WHERE? London Print Studio, 425 Harrow Road London W10 4RE
HOW to sign up? Either turn up on the day, or email ahead for more information - info@londonprintstudio.org.uk

Hope to see you there!

Interview with Team Girl Comic

2011-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

As you may have seen in a prior post, I recently made an awesome discovery - the world of Scotland's Team Girl Comic. Edited by Gill Hatcher, a talented draughtswoman in her own right, Team Girl Comic unleashes the storytelling powers of a cool crew of young female cartoonists on an unsuspecting UK comix scene.

Tell us about yourself. Who is Gill Hatcher?
I’m 23 and originally from Wishaw, one of the greyer parts of North Lanarkshire. I used to draw comics just to entertain my school friends, and then when I left school I started meeting people involved in the Glasgow small press comics scene. About 4 years ago I got the confidence to start photocopying and selling my work, and this evolved into Team Girl Comic. I haven’t been to art school, I studied product design which suited me because I enjoy both art and science. And now I’m doing a PhD which really suits me because it gives me the flexibility to work on comics as much as I need to!

Art by Gill Hatcher.

I’ve got quite big aspirations for TGC, and if I can find a way to live off making and promoting comics I’ll do it. The thing that’s so exciting about comics is that is it’s one of the few artistic mediums that still has so many unexplored avenues, there’s still huge scope for innovation. I think this is only just being realised, I’ve noticed a real boom in alternative comics and graphic novels in the past few years. It’s a good time to be involved.

How did Team Girl comics get started?

The group properly got together about a year ago. I had been self publishing my own comics for a few years beforehand, just photocopied booklets, but was feeling a little isolated. So I decided to try and find other female cartoonists in Glasgow to work with. At first I couldn’t find any! But from talking about the idea with people around me I realised I actually knew quite a few people who were drawing in their spare time but had never publicised their work before. Secret cartoonists! And there’s my younger sister and cousin in there too.

Art by Heather Middleton.

That’s how the all-inclusiveness concept around Team Girl Comic emerged. We started work on our first comic book, and fortunately word got round and some other cartoonists got in touch about joining in. We’ve managed to double our numbers between the first and second issue, and I hope that we can keep growing and build up a real network of varied artists.

Not everyone has the ambition to be a professional cartoonist. We range from fine artists to manufacturing engineers to schoolgirls still unsure about what they want out of life. And then there’s a few of us like me, juggling a double life of comics and ‘career’! The key thing about Team Girl Comic is that it’s supposed to be fun. Anyone is welcome to give it a go.

What's your editorial process like? How do you choose which stories to print?

Well so far, as we’re just starting out, everything submitted makes it into the comic. I’ve not yet had to deal with an unsuitable submission, especially since I want the comic to be as varied as possible. Story-wise, the comics can be about anything: politics, autobiographical, daft animals, and just because we’re an all-female group doesn’t mean the comics have to be ‘girly’ either.

What kinds of comics do you read?

I can’t speak for everyone but I mainly read what I guess you’d call ‘alternative comics’, one of my biggest influences is Mark Beyer’s Amy and Jordan strips, and I’m also a fan of artists like Peter Bagge, Julie Doucet, Dame Darcy and Simone Lia. I have to admit I’m pretty ignorant of superhero comics and manga, they’ve never interested me, although when you say you’re into comics that’s what most people assume you’re talking about. I grew up reading Twinkle, The Beano and Tintin and I still love kids comics. Right now I’m loving a lot of the DC Comics’ Minx books, their range of comics for teenage girls. And of course Peanuts is always a comfort and a joy to read.

Where can we find your work?

(In terms of in-person sales) I’m sure there will be loads of events in the next year, we’ll keep everyone posted. Team Girl Comic is available to buy from comic, music and book shops in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham (so far!). The full list is on our blog, and you can order a copy from there too.

Art by Jude Stoo.

Are you working on any additional projects?

I’ve just finished a solo project that resulted in Go Wildlife Comic, a similar format to TGC with stories about wildlife that I tried to make both entertaining and informative. Kakapos, buffalos, sea otters and the like. I also took part in 24 hour comic day this year and came up with a 24 page story called ‘The Bearoplane’, so I’d like to do something with that soon. My next project besides Team Girl Comic 3 is going to be a kids comic, but that’s just at the planning stage right now.

It's clear that there's a great comics scene in Glasgow. Who else should we be checking out?
Glasgow is a pretty good place to be if you’re making comics, there’s a growing community here that’s a mixture of professionals and people like me. Big titles like Batman and Superman are drawn in Glasgow, and although that’s not really my kind of thing it’s an encouraging environment to be in. There’s also quite a few independent shops, such as Monorail Records, Love Music and Plan B Books that are supportive of small press comics. I still think the scene’s a little more fragmented than I’d like it to be, so I’m glad Team Girl Comic has managed to bring together at least some of the female comic creators in Glasgow!

Our main contemporary is Khaki Shorts, or ‘Team Boy Comic’ as I like to call them, Glasgow’s (probably) longest running small press anthology at 11 years in the business. I’d also recommend people check out Scheme Comix by Kev Harper if you like drama, Toastycats by Magda Boreysza if you like dark tales and John Miller’s Atomic Society of Justice if you enjoy being baffled by Jimi Hendrix detective comics.

Team Comics garners an endorsement...

What are your plans for Team Girl 3?

It’s a lot of work bringing the comic out on a regular basis, between managing all the contributors, drawing your own pages and selling and promoting the previous issue, so at the moment I’m aiming for two issues per year, at least. Team Girl 2 still has a fair bit of steam left in it so it will be early next year before we see the third issue. At the moment we’ve got about 15 or so artists in the loop, including even more new people since last time so I’ve got high expectations. I’m especially excited about the possibility of seeing a comic by our youngest contributor yet and seeing the next steps of some of the new characters that have emerged from the first two issues.

Thanks a lot, Gill! Be sure to follow the ladies on Twitter - they're @TeamGirlComic - and visit them on Facebook. And look out for the ladies and their comics - especially Team Girl Comic 2, out now!

Whores of Mensa See the World: Leeds Edition

2011-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Tozo creator Dave O'Connell, four-time Whore of Mensa Ellen Lindner, Derek the Sheep artiste Gary Northfield and Stitch London head girl Lauren O'Farrell share a pint in Leeds' lovely Adelphi pub.

Thought Bubble 2010: what a crazy ride!

We experienced brilliant typography....

A brush with actual brilliance, in the form of Dr. Mel Gibson and the effervescent Suzy Varty...

Enjoyed a tour of Leeds by its owl population, crowned and un-crowned...

Here's one at Leeds' famous Corn Exchange, now a place for exchanging cash for vintage clothes and 'gourmet hotdogs' (both highly recommended.)

A big draw for Leeds and Though Bubble was a really sweet show by cartooning genius Kristyna Baczynski, who was kind enough to come along to say hello to the Whores of Mensa during the show.

Sat nav tried to drag us to the Ash Blast Car Wash (a cry for help, perhaps?) but we pushed on to Leed's historic Hyde Park Picture House.

Here's the poster for Kristyna's show.

Copyright Kristyna Baczynski, 2010.

Wit and whimsy abounded...

Copyright Kristyna Baczynski, 2010.

Even in the gents'!

Copyright Kristyna Baczynski, 2010.

Copyright Kristyna Baczynski, 2010.

Don't worry ladies, we were not neglected!

The Hyde Park has its own charms - like this fantastic stained-glass window! - and a wonderful history. It dates to just around the start of World War I. We were heartbroken that we couldn't stick around for a showing of Chico and Rita!

Congrats to Kristyna for taking home the Thought Bubble Competition prize two years ago - and extra special congratulations to Dave Shelton, for winning this year's prize!

Thought Bubble was a lot of fun - thanks so much to the organizers, and all the cartoonists who gave us some love and said hello. (And extra-special thanks to Stephen Betts, for doing all the driving!)

Comiket Fun

2011-02-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

LOTS of fun was to be had at this weekend's Comiket, and the crazy dinner afterwards! Every party should have a Lady Gaga-appreciating pianist on hand, to facilitate PIZZA DANCING!

Ahem. Anyhooo....

Here's some cool stuff that we got for the Whores of Mensa Library.

FIRST! Have you read Gill Hatcher's Team Girl Comics? Based in Scotland, these young cartoonists are all women, and they are all pretty rad. Check them out online at http://teamgirlcomic.tumblr.com/

Second, if you don't know about Blank Slate Books...well, catch up, will you? These UK publishers are getting people like Mawil, Darryl Cunningham and Oliver East the attention they deserve, and their new book, Sleepyheads, is by Flemish artist Randall C. Find out more on the Blank Slate website.

Third, you need more appalling nonsense in your life. Conveniently, Gareth Brookes' new mini, Sherlock Holmes vs. Skeletor, supplies all you could possibly want. These arch-enemies play pranks on each other that do credit to no one except, well, Gareth. And did we mention that the cover contains hand-applied stenciling, great typography, and a mushroom cloud?

Nextly, newly minted Londoner John Cei Douglas didn't have a table, but he handed us a lovely duotone print of a comic he recently completed for Leicestershire Mind, a great mental health charity. It's also included in the newest Solipsistic Pop, debuting at the Black Heart in Camden THIS FRIDAY 12th NOVEMBER (just, you know...fyi.)

We met Kripa Joshi when Ellen spoke at Laydeez Do Comics. This SVA MFA grad is just...well...we're in love with her full-colour, bubbly, fanciful comics. Pick up Miss Moti, Kripa's amazing ongoing series, from her Etsy.

And what a surprise! Jeremy had a new mini for the festival, collecting her weekly comics (which you really should be reading!) You can get copies of Please Send Help, or catch up on Jeremy's latest weekly offering, from her website.

Many thanks to Peter Stanbury for organizing a great day. So many comics to read!

Comica Comiket, this Sunday!

2011-02-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

Need a copy of Whores of Mensa 5? A badge, t-shirt or print? Care to watch Whores of Mensa 5 co-editor Ellen Lindner draw in front of a crowd for 25 minutes? Or perhaps you are just hoping to find the best of British small press cartooning, in one centrally located London room?

Any which way you see it, this Sunday's Comica Comiket is the place to be, Whores Fans. Ellen and Jeremy will be selling, signing and drawing on their comics - a rare confluence of Whores. Also, the Comiket with be sharing a space with the redoubtable Comix Mart, so you can pick up some fun Marvel back issues while you're at it - perfect for Covered Blog inspiration.

Hope to see you there!

Whores of Mensa - THE T-SHIRT!!!!!

2011-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

We have a special treat for you, our loyal readers - the very first EVER Whores of Mensa t-shirt!

Hand-printed in a very limited edition of 100 by Friend-of-WoM Andy Foot, and featuring a design by Cliodhna Lyons, Maartje Schalkx and Ellen Lindner, this 100% cotton shirt will make you hot and cool by turns!

Pick yours up from our Etsy shop today! (Edit: having trouble with Etsy? Please send me a mail at ellen at littlewhitebird dawt calm )

Or, buy one from us in person at BICS (this weekend!) or Leeds' very own Thought Bubble (20th November).

See you soon...

The Great Whores of Mensa Mailout of 2010

2011-02-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

Here at Whores of Mensa HQ - South London division - the Great Mailout of 2010 continues!

Chaos reigns as we try to get packages out to our Kickstarter donors in a timely manner.

What is a timely manner, you ask? Anything quick enough so that our readers get some comics without undue delays, but not so quickly that we hold up the queue at the local post office for days on end. Tis a delicate balance, and we appreciate your patience. (We're not sending out any shop or review copies until we're done - I hope that demonstrates our seriousity!)

For those of you who went for our $25 donor bracket, you will be rewarded with the above loveliness.
A Gocco print, drawn by Sarah McIntyre, designed and printed by Ellen Lindner. Who could ask for anything more?

Missed out on the Kickstarter mayhem altogether? Please, let me remind you that our current issue is now on sale in our Etsy shoppe!

In other news this lovely bit of swag has arrive in the Whores of Mensa mailbox. It's Mardou's minicomics updating of her Anais Nin bio from Whores of Mensa 4, and it's a must-have. If you're in the UK, we'll be dropping it off at Gosh! this week. Send us a message if you're outside London (but inside the UK) and would like to arrange a delivery - it's £2 sterling. If you're in the US, you'll soon be able to order it here!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Editrix Ellen Speaking Tomorrow Night (27th Sept.) at Laydeez do Comics

2011-02-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow night, Monday 27th September, Whores of Mensa co-editrix Ellen will be making her London speaking debut at the monthly meeting of Laydeez do Comics!

Ellen will be discussing her own work, as well as the process of putting together a small press anthology like Whores of Mensa. Got an idea to do your own anthology, but a bit confused about where to get started? Come on down and pose your questions to Ellen. Here's some info on the location - Ellen will be on around 8PM.

In other nice news London comics journalist Mike Leader gave us a shout in the course of the last We Are Words and Pictures radio broadcast! Lovely Philippa Rice was Mike's principal guest, which makes us only recommend this show all the more highly. Philippa's brilliant strip My Cardboard Life lights up the London comic scene. So read all about it and find a link to the download here.

Thanks for reading! Hope to see you tomorrow night!

Whores of Mensa 5 Now on Etsy!

2011-02-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

Itching to get your hands on a copy of Whores of Mensa 5? Quite a ways from our main stockist, Gosh! London?

Fear no more! We're currently selling the limited print run of Whores of Mensa 5 through ace DIY site Etsy!

Art by Emily Ryan Lerner and Maartje Schalkx

Art by Cliodhna Lyons

Art by Sarah McIntyre

Art by Ellen Lindner

Here's our page: http://www.etsy.com/listing/56811730/whores-of-mensa-5-amazing-comics-amazing

Any questions? Please let us know. And in the meantime, please take a tour of our new issue, with some rockin' sounds by the lovely Eugene Machine, our new favourite band.

Whores of Mensa 5 - On Sale Now! from Ellen Lindner on Vimeo.

Welcome to the House of Whores

2011-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an amazing turnout for our Whores of Mensa 5 launch party!

Whores of Mensa contributor Sarah McIntyre and illustrator Noelle Davies-Brock, in an unguarded moment. Photos by Jeremy Dennis.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by and bought a copy, and extra-super-thanks to Maartje Schalkx for hosting us in her incredible Old Street loft!

Our first purchase, by Richard Hayes of the Comics Creators Guild...a moment of calm....

...and then, BAM! As so frequently happened, we turned around and the room was full of people. In this case, manic Whores 5 fans!

Kickstarter supporter Sean Purdy, champion blogger Anna Jay, comics writer Dylan Wyn Owen and illustrator Noelle Davies-Brock.

The soon to be devoured spread of cakes and other treats...

Photo by Andrew Youngson.

BBC journo George South and Beaver and Steve creator James Turner.

Whores 5 co-editrix in chief Ellen Lindner, illustrator John Cei Douglas, the mysterious Ed, and comics journalist Mike Leader.

Our raging DJ, Mr. Reginald Frothy (aka Beano star Gary Northfield)

This what we like to see! Paying customers. Why, what else did you think I meant?

What more to say? Well, you can now buy Whores of Mensa 5 at Gosh! London. We're getting copies out to Kickstarter contributors asap....and for the rest of you, we'll be posting information on how to order Whores of Mensa 5 - as well as our brand-new and very exciting t-shirts and badges! - very, very soon.

2011-02-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who's gotten involved in the future of Whores of Mensa and backed our Kickstarter project to fund our next issue. You RULE! We've funded our project to 140% of our requested sum.

Here's some more good news - you still have TWELVE DAYS to pre-order Whores of Mensa through Kickstarter!

Interested? Please check out our fundraising page, and watch our lovingly crafted preview video. For only $10/£6.50, you get a personalized copy of WoM 5, and a lovely handmade badge, and both will be mailed to you anywhere in the world. For $25/£16 you get all that plus a Gocco print designed and made by Whores of Mensa.

52 pages of comics, a crazy cover, work by 12 amazing cartoonists - what's not to like?

Those artists one more time:
Patrice Aggs ****A NEW ADDITION!*** (more on her in our next post!)
Howard John Arey
Francesca Cassavetti
Richard Cowdry
Jeremy Day
Peter Lally
Ellen Lindner
Cliodhna Lyons
Sarah McIntyre
Tanya Meditzky
Emily Ryan Lerner
Maartje Schalkx

PS If you're having trouble with Amazon Payments or Kickstarter please leave a message below and we can talk about alternative ways of pre-ordering. We've only received one report of problems, but we don't want to turn anyone away!

THANK YOU!!!

2011-02-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Whores of Mensa is now on Kickstarter! If our funding goal of $750/£450 is met, everyone who gives above $10/£6.50 will get a copy of the new issue of Whores of Mensa, posted to them anywhere in the world! Plus goodies...so, give it a go!

What you need to do:
- watch our video, and learn all about Whores of Mensa and our fab new issue!
- visit our Kickstarter page where you will sign up to Amazon Payments and read all about the benefits of being a WoM 5 supporter.
- Give before 25th August. This is the biggest thing - if we don't reach our goal, we receive NADA. ZILCH. RIEN DE TOUT!

One cool thing about Kickstarter is that you can receive MORE than your stated goal. If we receive more than we requested, we may just make this issue even fatter and more awesome than the 42 pages of comics promised.
A little surprise, and an eventual reward for donors.

Thanks so much for reading! And please, help make Whores of Mensa 5 a reality.

Cover portrait: Ellen Lindner

2011-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Last but not least, Ellen Lindner, our co-editor in chief.

Ellen's a cartoonist and illustrator best known for her Undertow graphic novel and for her association with the lovely Fleece Station.

Lately she's been very busy putting Issue 5 together, and laying the foundations for fundraising. So much news to report, so very soon! Whores of Mensa 5 is on the way....

One very important note: Whores of Mensa founder Jeremy Day (née Dennis) will be presenting a comics workshop at this weekend's Caption Festival, located in very civilised and edifying Oxford. Jeremy will be kicking the Festival off on the Saturday morning, so get there bright and early!

Happy Birthday, Mardou!

2011-02-14T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy happy birthday, to a fantastic founding Whore of Mensa, Mardou! That's to you.

The perfect occasion to post Mardou's lovely drawing of herself with her amazing daughter, Veronica.

MARDOU. So chic. So graceful! So talented!!!!! MARDOU.

And Mardou will be a cover star for our next issue! So exciting.

More excitment: I can finally announce some of our story contributors.

Drum roll please....the interior artists for Whores 5 (as of now!) are....

Cliodhna Lyons

Howard John Arey

Emily Ryan Lerner

Francesca Cassavetti

Maartje Schalkx

Sarah McIntyre

Richard Cowdry

Tanya Meditzky

Peter Lally

Ellen Lindner

Jeremy Day

SO EXCITING!

Happy birthday, MARDOU! You rule. Whores of Mensa....salutes you.

Cocktails and Cigarettes: Dave and James

2011-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yay! Dave and James are here. And they've brought the essential props for a memorable get-together: ciggies and booze.

Dave O'Connell does a smashing strip called Tozo - in fact, he may be well-known to you as . Lately he's shown some amazing range, launching a line of minicomics detailing (mostly fictional) comic episodes in the life of the late, great Queen Mother; and drawing tears with a stylish French romance he started as part of Josie Long's 100 Days project.

James Petrie, Dave's husband, looks on in bemusement at this blur of activity (not to mention Dave's affection for oddly coloured drinks!)

Dave and James are wonderful hosts in their own right, and we're glad to have them at the Whores 5 party!

We'll let you guess the outcome of Dave's rendez-vous with that cocktail - it does look deadly! In the meantime, why not check out his work at his website?

The deadline for submitting work to Whores of Mensa 5 is this coming MONDAY, 1st June...how are you doing? If you'd still like to submit a drawing, but would prefer to spend the Bank Holiday in the sun, just comment and let us know, or drop Ellen a line at ellen (at symbol) littlewhitebird dawt calm We're prepared to be lenient!

Thanks, Dave, for a smashing drawing! Hope your better half will get you home all right!

Tammy Taylor In Full Flow

2011-02-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here at Whores HQ we're swooning over Tammy Taylor.

She's here, she's dancing, and she's got her trademark goggles perched oh-so-delicately on her elegant 'do. Triple swoon!

Check out Tammy's neo-manga delights on her website. And catch Tammy - not to mention Whores of Mensa co-editrix Ellen - at the MCM Expo, coming up on 29-30 May at ye olde Excel Centre.

Thanks a lot, Tammy!

Now that the dance floor's been, urm, activated (any better word for it? we're not sure), are there any other potential WoM shape-throwers out there? Remember, the deadline approacheth - 1st June.

Come dancing!

Boys are Here! Shug and Al Come to the Party

2011-02-14T08:57:00.001-08:00

Hugh "Shug" Raine and his friend Al Maceachern are here! Hello gentlemen!

We had the pleasure of making these gents' acquaintance at the recent UK Web and Minicomics Thing.
Hugh lives in Dewsbury and keeps the world up to date on his excellent work via http://reetcomic.co.uk Al distributes his thought-provoking comics and dance-provoking posters at http://www.amdrawing.co.uk

Thanks for the drawings, dudes!

We're behind on documenting the attendees but the party is in full swing! The 1st June deadline approacheth - if you're coming down, get your skates on! (Note to U.S. readers - this is a U.K. colloquialism meaning 'hurry up' - no actual skates are required to gain ingress.)

More drawings very very soon - and keep 'em coming!

Happy Birthday Peter!

2011-02-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

Whores of Mensa are looking forward to the Comica meetup this Thursday in London, organized by the excellent Peter Stanbury. It's from 6-9 at the Royal Festival Hall bar - look for the man with the fez! And pick up one of these.

Happy Birthday, Peter! You make London a nicer place.

Gocco Fun for the Thing!

2011-02-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

Some recent Whore-ish delights:
- reading Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters (redefining bodice-ripping for a new century)
- watching Season 3 of Mad Men ("You went through my things, Bets!" SOB.)
Oh yeah, and...
- Gocco printing these nifty invites for would-be Whores of Mensa cover stars!

We handed these out at this year's UK Web and Minicomics Thing, and so far the response has been phenomenal!

We'll be blogging the newest round of portraits soon...but I'll say one thing....now there are BOYS at the party! Nice, talented boys...

PS Any more takers? We've still got some invites...

Superheroine Sarah Zaidan!

2011-02-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

Sarah Zaidan came to us via a friend - and isn't it great when your friends invite interesting people to a party?

Sarah has this to say for herself:
"I hold a BFA in Sequential Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an MA in Illustration from Kingston University. I am currently in the fourth year of a PhD in Illustration, also at Kingston, where I am analysing the male superhero through time using a fully interactive Flash interface."

Well, we're impressed! Check out Sarah's work on her website : http://www.mittie.org

Keep these amazing drawings coming! Ladies and men, all are welcome at the Whores of Mensa 5 party!

We're working on a super-secret project for the UK Web and Minicomics Thing, to entice further hordes of party-goers into the Whores Mansion - stay tuned, and all will be revealed!

And in the meantime...thank you, Sarah!

New arrival: Bee Stedman

2011-02-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Bee, being a fifteen year old artist-in-training, heard of our party and wangled an invite.

We're looking forward to chatting with her about manga markers and our mutual love of monogrammed clothing.

Great stuff! Thanks for coming, Bee!

PS Come to table 16 at next Saturday's UK Web and Minicomics Thing to say 'ello to Whores of Mensa contributor Ellen Lindner (you may know her better as ), and get the skinny on Whores of Mensa 5! We're hoping to have some spiffy invites printed up, to publicize our drawing project....see you there!

A Star is in the House - Bishakh Som!

2011-02-14T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hold the presses, kids...one of our favourite cartoonists just wandered into the Whores of Mensa party.

Bishakh Som, sui generis comics immortalizer of kitties, utterly unique creator of previously unimaginable environments, won the Xeric grant in 2004 for his collection Angel. He contributed to Hi-Horse back when that redoubtable assemblage of Joan Reilly, Howard Arey and Andrice Arp still published - today he's turning into a bona fide art star, with his first gallery show this year.

Check out Bishakh's Lambiek profile. Want a story? Take a peek at his amazing tale of Crumbelina or embrace the emotional tectonics of Come Back to Me - both will knock your socks off.

Thanks, Bishakh!

More cover drawings, coming up!

EDIT: Mr. Som has informed us that he now has a real live website: http://www.bishakh.com
It is pretty amazing, so go check it out!

Cover drawing number 2 - Sarah McIntyre!

2011-02-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

London-based illustrator and cartoonist Sarah McIntyre has been a good and stalwart friend of the Whores for many years now, and so it was with great pleasure that we received her contribution to the giant wraparound party we'll be putting on the cover of Whores of Mensa 5.

If you don't know Sarah's work, you are officially missing out - check our her portfolio online or view her almost-daily updates on her livejournal.
But best of all, stay tuned to Whores of Mensa 5, because Sarah's promised us a two page comic, to boot! Yahoo!

Thanks a mil, Sarah - more cover drawings to come!

PS We need approximately 60 self-portraits, so, please, don't be shy - just have a go (and be creative)! Please make your portraits like Sarah's, full-length, and at an adequately high resolution to print well at about 15 cm/6 inches. This would mean approximately 300dpi - and in terms of file size, anything from 600k to 10 M is acceptable. For many of our contributors 'party mode' means sitting around drinking - which is fine! But please be creative. When you're done, simply email them to Ellen at ellen at little white bird dawt calm - and let us know something about yourself for the Key to All the Drawings. Oh, and yes - men are allowed, indeed encouraged, to participate! That's it - thank you!

* * *

Awesome first cover drawing - Lee Kennedy!

2011-02-14T05:03:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Lee Kennedy for the first of what we hope will be many submissions for our composite party-down cover for Whores of Mensa 5.

Don't be a wallflower - send yours in ASAP! Final deadline is June 1st, and we'd like as many international cartoonists as possible to submit a fun, possibly frisky drawing of themselves in full party mode.

Other news? WoM Ellen Lindner will be at table 16 at this year's amazing UK Web and Minicomix Thing, taking place in the Great Hall at illustrious Queen Mary University, Mile End, London. Come on by to see the cream of England's small press scene, and possibly pick up a copy of Ellen's Undertow graphic novel.

Ellen will be happy to answer any and all questions regarding Whores 5 - hope to see you there!

EDIT: Interested in submitting a portrait? Please make your portraits like Lee's, full-length, and at an adequately high resolution to print well at about 15 cm/6 inches, and email them to Ellen at ellen at little white bird dawt calm. Thank you!

Whores of Mensa 5 - Update and Pencils from Ellen!

2011-02-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

From Ellen:

Lots of work going on with this at the moment...a 12 page story set in 20's London, for the "Entertaining/Parties" issue (actual title TBA - but you get the gist.)

Mardou's taking a break for this issue so we've invited a gang of awesome guests to our Whores of Mensa cocktail party. Come June 1st we'll be naming names...I'm excited!

On a related note, we're looking for scores of international cartoonists and illustrators to draw themselves in party mode for our giant, wraparound, collaborative cover - anyone interested?

If so, please send me a mail at ellen at little white bird (no spaces) dawt calm

More to come!

Whores of Mensa at the ICA on Sunday!

2011-02-14T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

This Sunday, November 8th, Ellen Lindner and Jeremy Day will be at the ICA in London, participating in Comica's annual celebration of small press comics, Comiket!

Organized by comix legend Paul Gravett, Comiket is the best place in London to get a sense of the independent comics scene.

Come along for Whores of Mensa rarities, as well as Ellen's Undertow graphic novel and Jeremy's excellent minicomics.

Festivities start in the ICA theater at 1, and stick around for fun in the ICA bar afterwards.

Hope to see you there!

Whores of Mensa - Hiatus No More

2011-02-14T04:57:00.000-08:00

Caption Fairy photo courtesy

A lot has happened in WoM-land since our last post. Most recently, Jeremy and Ellen met up at Caption for a top-secret Whores of Mensa summit meeting. But there's more.

To start, we weathered a potentially disastrous request to stop using the name 'Whores of Mensa'. Thank you thank you thank you to the CBLDF and Ken Norwick, ESQ, for getting us out of quite a pickle.

One of us - Madame Mardou - had a beautiful baby girl. Mother and baby are both very healthy and happy, and living it up in the STL.

Another one of us got married - you once knew her as Jeremy Dennis, but now you can now call her Jeremy Day.

Now we're back on track - better than ever, you really could say - and ready to start putting together a fifth issue, with some soon to be announced guest artists.

Whores of Mensa Issue 5, theme to be announced shortly, will be out in summer of next year. But in the meantime, stay tuned to our own personal Pravda (that's this blog) for all kinds of updates.

This weekend...

2011-02-14T04:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend presents an excellent opportunity to meet two of your favourite Whores of Mensa, in an intimate and convenient urban setting:
THE THING
Yes, the legendary THING is back in the East End, this very Saturday, 28th March!
Feast your eyes upon Jeremy Dennis and her mini-comics!
Enjoy Ellen Lindner's brand-new Graphic Novel, Undertow, debut'ing at the fair!
Purchase two of the four issues of Whores of Mensa - we'll have copies of issues 3 (Harem/courtesan theme) + 4 (Les Dames de Paris), and Mardou's Manhole no. 3!
Can't wait to see you there!

Girls Who Draw - This Thursday!

2011-02-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

Comicker Tanya Meditzky and super-talented pals Girls Who Draw are hosting an excellent-sounding private view this Thursday in London - if you're in the Capitol, do stop by and check it out! Their stuff is so rad, and at least one of the Whores of Mensa will be in attendance.

Another 'do we'll be gracing wiv our presence? Check out table 14 at the upcoming UK Web and Minicomics Thing - we'll be there! March 28th, baby! Pick up Whores 4 - Les Dames de Paris - and an advance copy of Ellen's graphic novel, Undertow!

So much to look forward to - see you there!

Zine Fest - London - This Saturday!

2011-02-14T04:47:00.000-08:00

Come one, come all, Whores of Mensa will be exhibiting this Saturday as part of The Women s Library Zine Fest!

Contributors include current and former Whores of Mensa Ellen Lindner, Jeremy Dennis, and Lucy Sweet, as well as Lizz Lunney, Karrie Fransman, Erica Akerlund, Lady Lucy, Flo Brooks, Kate Evans, Liz Greenfield, Leonie O'Moore, Carol Swain, Tanya Meditzky, Francesca Cassavetti, Isy Morgenmuffel, Sally-Anne Hickman, Laura Stimpson, Karoline Rerrie, Sarah Lynch, Siobhan Bowers, Rachael House, Lee Kennedy, Jackie Batey, Iro Tsavala, Mireille Fauchon, Emma Welch and Susie Rumsby.

You can find the Women's Library at London Metropolitan University on Old Castle Street. This event is FREE but booking is required - go to the booking page for all kinds of useful info.

Enjoy! And many, many thanks to Melanie Maddison for getting us humble Whores o' Mensa involved!

Whores of Mensa Issue 4 - Finally Here!

2011-02-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

It's true! It's here! And it's yours for the taking.

Our new issue is all about the ladies of Paris, and it melds biography, autobiography, lit-inspired fantasy and more into a confection worthy of the city of lights itself.

Specifics, you say - you want specifics. Well, Mardou's epic tale of the life of Anaïs Nin is required reading if you've ever pored through a published diary - Nin's is the definitive daily journal of the 20th century. Jeremy brings fashion, goldfish and H.P. Lovecraft together in a tale of dance and the void between worlds. And Ellen creates a collage out of the life, art and writings of Lee Miller, photographer, muse and war correspondent extraordinaire. Not to mention a few extra features: an interview with San Fran comix diarist Vanessa Davis, and a letter from a real, live Mensan! He wants to recruit Mardou for a hand of bridge - and maybe more?

Check out our web-page for previews, details on how to order, and a big ol' zoom view of our Sergeant Pepper-style cover.

EDIT: You can now buy WoM 4 from Gosh! and Forbidden Planet - just check out our order page for details.

PS Missed issue 3? Ellen's Etsy has some more copies - but they're going fast, and will soon number only in the single digits.

Whores of Mensa 4 Debuts TOMORROW!

2011-02-14T04:43:00.000-08:00

Hello readers,
After many a delay, the 4th issue of Whores of Mensa debuts tomorrow, November 22nd (or 22 November, as you prefer), in London!

Catch up with Ellen and Jeremy tomorrow at the ICA for Paul Gravett's Comica Comiket.

The rough schedule - Jeremy from 2-7, Ellen from 4-7. Get a signed copy of the new issue (sneakiest of peeks above).

Can't make it to London? Nowhere near the UK? You can still get a copy!

UK comix freaks, check out Ellen's Etsy shop for the new issue as of Sunday.
US resident? Ted May's It Lives shop will have some soon, along with other retailers in coming weeks.

For this and all other news concerning Whores of Mensa, check out our site: http://www.whoresofmensa.com We'll be putting the new issue up with previews, extra info, etc, all in the coming days.

We're totally confident this our best issue yet - can't wait to hear what you think!

Last week to catch Jeremy at Harrods!

2011-02-14T04:42:00.000-08:00

Until October 31st, you've still got time to see Jeremy Dennis as part of the amazing, the incredible "Comic Timing" show at London's poshest, swankest, most-comix attuned department store, Harrods!

Organized by Rufus Dayglo, Tank Girl artiste extraordinaire, "Comic Timing" puts Jeremy in the company of British comics greats like Alan Moore and Raymond Briggs. Well deserved, we say!

Here's a link: http://www.harrodsthatsentertainment.com/circle.php

And here's a review: http://londonist.com/2008/10/review_comic_timing_at_harrods.php

Our advice: run, don't walk! And in case you can't make it to London, here's the lovely strip Jeremy has loaned to the show.

PS If anyone's in London, and would like to go to Harrods over the weekend, do comment!

Some more Parisian ladies...

2011-02-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Nadia Boulanger, composer, teacher and pioneering conductor!

And also Ninon de Lenclos and Francois Sagan.

"A shining example of the triumph of vice, when directed with intelligence and redeemed by a little virtue."

"I believe in passion. Nothing else."

For Dave....

2011-02-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks to David O'Connell, otherwise known as , for an excellent suggestion for our Dames de Paris cover - Carole Bouquet!

Star of Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, face of Chanel Number 5, Carrie's love rival in, well, one episode of Sex and the City (though she did play an important role in helping ol' Car figure out...oh never mind), and, of course, erstwhile spouse of Gerard Depardieu...quelle carriere!

Our APE launch approaches speedily...rest assured, the Whore of Mensa blog will keep you up to date! Never fear!

And in the meantime, thanks, Dave! Les dames de Paris te saluent!

Cover preview!

2011-02-14T04:15:00.001-08:00

Check out the first of our Dames de Paris cover drawings! A selection of Parisiennes of all times, nations of origin, and, occasionally, degrees of fictionality.

Here we present Brigitte Fontaine as drawn by Sacha, Simone de Beauvoir and Madame de Maintenon by Ellen, and Adele Blanc-sec by Sacha.

Is there a Parisian lady you'd like to see on the cover of Whores of Mensa 4? Comment and let us know!

Ladies of Paris and Oxford

2011-02-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

Whores news aplenty!

First and foremost, we have a new and improved release date for Whores of Mensa issue 4: it will now debut at APE, Nov. 1st and 2nd in San Francisco! If you're attending the con, look for Mardou and Ted May! More details to follow!

We now have some pics from Ellen and Jeremy's recent Oxford outing, the Caption Comix Collective show at the wonderful Jam Factory!

We had a lovely time meeting up, drinking lovely beers (the Jam Factory has Anchor Steam!) and talking politics, music, and Whores 4. Here are Jeremy and Ellen in front of some selections from Jeremy's weekly strip.

Ellen with her story for Whores 4....

The room at large, with coordinator in the lower left. Thanks a lot, Andrew!

Can't wait for Whores 4? Mardou has been working like the Eliot (our feminist version of 'working like the Dickens') on her drawings for the cover! The concept is still hush-hush...but take a look at these beauties!

And that's just one entry's worth! We'll be posting a selection of cover drawings here soon, but in the meantime, go to and scroll, baby, scroll!

One last little news slug...many of our Whores retailers are sold out, but Ellen has just started selling her last few copies in her Etsy shop! Take a look!

Complete Your Collection!

2011-02-14T04:07:00.000-08:00

All 3 of the current generation of Whores of Mensa contributors have new stuff for you to look at, love, and possibly buy!

First up, la bella Mardou (center). Her long-awaited new entry to her Manhole series is here. Number 3 is big (40 pages!) and beautiful. Everything you need to know about ordering it, including some sweet preview pages, is here.

Second, we’ve got Jeremy, with Owl is Angry (right). It’s got hand-sewn ornamentation and it’s shivering with carnivorousness. Love! Ordering info here

Ellen’s first-ever educational graphic novel, Little Rock Nine, just hit stores! (Crazy image left - preview).

Get a glimpse of our Gosh! photoshoot here courtesy of Miss , a stalwart ally of the WoM crew. Thanks ever so much for the write-up, Sarah!

More news very shortly concerning a very exciting art show....

Whores 4 Sneak Peek!

2011-02-14T04:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings, readers...

So, some updates on the eagerly awaited Whores of Mensa 4 - the Paris issue. Except, in true WoM fashion, it seems to be morphing into “Les Dames de Paris” - the Ladies of Paris issue! (Working title, of course.)

Ellen and Sacha will be duking it out in a biographical duel, pitting Lee Miller against Anaïs Nin.

Here’s a scan from Ellen’s pencils:

And Jeremy? She’ll be taking us deep into the night....with the Cthulhuettes!

En garde! We’re still thinking a SPX or Caption release date - stay posted!

PS Whores of Mensa is now available at legendary comix emporium Quimby's, of Chicago! Thanks, Quimby's!

Incidentally, issue 3 is almost sold out - if you'd like a copy, act fast! You can find out more on our ordering page.

Thanks for reading!

Joan Reilly and Mastering the Art of Drawing Julia Child

2011-02-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

As a worthy finale to our Lady Chef Drawing Challenge, itself a warmup for the upcoming fourth issue of Whores of Mensa, we offer you three drawings by New York artist Joan Reilly.

Joan has a redoubtable history in the comics trade, having been part of the Hi-Horse collective - comprising Joan, Howard John Arey, Bishakh Som, and Mome star Andrice Arp - since its founding in 2000. She is also a regular at in Brooklyn.

Here’s what Joan has to say about the many drawings of Julia Child she’s done over the last few years:

“The very first Julia image I made was done in the style of a Russian icon, and I was inspired to do it as a birthday present for my husband, who has been a huge fan of Julia Child since he was a kid.
Early in our relationship, we started watching DVD's of her old shows, and marveling at what a fantastic and funny person she was. Then I became fascinated enough to read her biography, "Appetite for Life," by Noel Riley Fitch, which is excellent.

When I was invited to create an installation for the Opolis show, curated by Jason Little, in which cartoonists were challenged to tell a visual story using a 3D model of a city block, I chose to tell the story of Julia's life by re-creating pivotal scenes and housing them in models of the buildings were they occurred. So the black-and-white line drawings of her at different ages were character studies for that exhibit, and then the color scene of Julia having dinner in China with a bunch of servicemen is one of the scenes I created for the installation.”

Thanks, Joan!

PS If you want to read more about Julia Child, Random House has a fantastic group of primary source documents - scouting and editors' reports - on Mastering the Art of French Cooking here.

Elizabeth David and the Frozen Expanse

2011-02-14T03:59:00.000-08:00

Ellen L.'s contribution to the chef challenge has finally arrived at Whores HQ!

Ellen writes:
"I am currently reading Elizabeth David's amazing 'Harvest of the Cold Months', a series of essays detailing the history of ice creams and ices. ED is often credited as the person most responsible for popularizing rustic French and Italian food amongst post-war British cooks, but she was also a devoted food scholar. Like Michael Pollan's 'The Botany of Desire', 'Harvest' offers both an overview of a particular idea - in this case, the notion that extreme cold has been a more longstanding and more influential part of the cook's repertory than we imagine possible - and loads of interesting foodie trivia. Anyhow, I highly recommend this very interesting livre de glace, and offer this drawing as a tribute to ED's elegant and incisive writing."

Thanks, Ellen!

This formally wraps up the challenge - but we have one last treat for you! On Friday, a guest artist will show off some of her drawings of one of the most famous lady chefs ever! Hint: the chef in question was a spy before she became a cook, and attended the alma mater of one of the WoM's. Still guessing? Come back Friday for the answer and some fabulous drawings!

Sally Clarke - Elle est chef

2011-02-14T03:57:00.000-08:00

Sarah McIntyre, Madame - has stepped up to the chef challenge.

Read more about the somewhat coercive - and intensely francophilic - circumstances that brought this image to life on Sarah's blog.

But really - can you believe she drew this on a library floor? Quel genie!

And now, Sally. Who says there are no great British female restaurant chefs? Sally Clarke is a bright light on the London foodie scene with her restaurant Clarke's and - to the eternal gratitude of residents of urban Britain and elsewhere - patisserie advisor to Pret a Manger.

Thank you, Sarah!

Now someone needs to get tough with Ellen.

Lindner? Service?

Isa Chandra Moskowitz In All Her Vegan Glory!

2011-02-14T03:56:00.000-08:00

Entry number two comes from Mardou!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the Brooklynite proprietor of the Post-Punk Kitchen, a source for fantastic vegan recipes (the spicy sweet potato soup is pretty darn good, if you're looking for a starting point on the road to Vegan). Go to the PPK for a great and informative blog, and loads of cooking videos!

Isa C. is also the author of the very impressively titled Veganomicon, an all-encompassing treatise on meat and dairy free cooking which several of us Whores of Mensa are itching to try.

Yay, Mardou!

So now we're just waiting for Ellen to shout "Yes, chef!" to the current challenge. To remind you all why we're running this challenge, it's a warmup for Whores 4, the Paris issue! We're getting our drawing muscles in shape and focusing on the future - more on Whores 4 very soon!

Remember, there's still time to join in on this challenge - we're accepting entries until April 30th.

The Versatile and Mellifluous Sophie Grigson!

2011-02-14T03:53:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Dennis has provided us with our first challenge entry. She wowed us all with her Agatha Christie during the last challenge - has she outdone herself?

I think maybe!

Sophie Grigson, for our US readers, is part of a lady chef dynasty, being the daughter of esteemed food writer Jane Grigson. A food writer and TV presenter, Sophie's been all over town, culinarily speaking, but a personal fave has to be her Sainsbury's Student Cookbook. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, try the Eve's pudding (apples cooked under a light, fluffy cake-like layer for ultimate gooey-ness) or her peanut butter cookies. Yum!

More info on Sophie? Try here for a full-ish bibliography.

Rumors are afoot that Mardou's entry is on the cooker, so to speak....any more takers? ;)

Whores Cookoff!- on paper, that is.

2011-02-14T03:51:00.000-08:00

Consider this an announcement for the next Whores of Mensa drawing challenge!

Forget Heston Blumenthal, Mario Batali or even Brother Rick Curry, author of The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking (don't ask). This seasonal drawing challenge is in honor of female chefs everywhere!

Draw your favorite lady chef - you know you've got one - and send it in before April 30th, and we'll post your drawing on our blog. By 'chef', we don't necessarily mean a shouty person wielding a cleaver - whether you choose a TV chef, a cookery writer, or the owner of your local bakery, we want to see your interpretation.

Need inspiration? Check out Thomas McNamee's History of Chez Panisse, a brilliant recounting of Alice Waters' founding of the pioneering restaurant, a book now being read in at least one Whores household.
Or Cooking Like Mummyji, a combination cookbook/introduction to Punjabi culture by the fantastic Vicki Bhogal - great if you like healthy Indian food!
Or if you're a Cordon Bleu kinda gal (or man), try Elles Sont Chefs, Flammarion's giganto profiling of the best European female chefs, complete with luscious recipes.

Enjoy! We can't wait to see what you'll come up with.

PS We're thinking about archiving the wonderful drawings we received as entries for the last challenge on the WoM website - stay tuned!

PPS For this challenge we're not making it a mystery challenge (ie, you can choose your own chef!) but we're more than happy to supply a chef if you're looking for a surprise. Just comment and ask, and ye shall receive!

Whores of Mensa Press Roundup!

2011-02-14T03:35:00.000-08:00

Sally, Girl Reporter says:
"Bored with Private Eye? The New York Times? That three volume biography of Picasso that's been trying the structural integrity of your nightstand? Well, you're in the right place!

Read all about Whores of Mensa contributor Ellen over at Matthew Badham's fab new blog, Overspill! (Here's a permalink, if that isn't working for ya.)

Don't miss this article on Mardou and her honey Ted May (along with some other luminaries of the fantastic St. Louie comix scene) on the St. Louis Riverfront Times site!

Check out this classic, in-depth (and quite richly illustrated) interview with Jeremy!"

Still not enough Whores press for you?

1: What is your earliest memory?
Rampaging through the garden with a pink squeaky rubber hammer.

2: Who was the first love of your life?
John Travolta in Grease. I used to lie awake at night trying to
calculate the age difference and working out when we could get married.
When I wasn't doing that I used to prance around pretending to be Olivia
Newton John by unhooking the straps of my nightie top and trying to be
sexy. It would be a matter for the social services these days,
probably.

3: What's the worst trouble you've been in?
Hmmm... well, I had a bit of a hairy moment once when I was sent to
review a really ghastly end-of-the-pier show featuring the Krankies and
Bucks Fizz for a national Sunday newspaper of some repute. One of the
crap acts was this guy called Christian, who was a horrendous local
cabaret singer in Glasgow in the 80s. Not being a native of Glasgow, I
had no idea who he was, and he was so covered in bright orange make up I
just figured he was a cut price Tom Jones impersonator and made lots of
jokes in print about his barbeque tan. It was only when he phoned up the
paper threatening to take them to court that I realized that underneath
all the day glo panstick he was mixed race, and I was basically the next
Jade Goody. Oops!

4: With which historical figure do you most identify with, and why?
I'm quite enamoured of those 1920s actresses with loose morals, like
Tallulah Bankhead and Clara Bow. Nobody gave a toss, everyone was
constantly pissed and riding around in cars the size of tanks, and the
outfits were amazing.

5: Who's your all time hero?
Courtney Love circa 1992.

6: Which song best describes you?
On a good day - She Belongs To Me by Bob Dylan for the line: 'She's got
everything she needs, she's an artist, she don't look back.' On a bad
day - Dude Looks Like A Lady.

7: What are you reading right now?
Doctors and Nurses by Lucy Ellmann - it's amazing, an incredible comic
rant about the state of the NHS. It's truly original and angry, full of
capital letters and exclamation marks and references to CUNTS. It's so
refreshing to see the word CUNT in print, especially in capital letters.

8: Which book do you wish you'd written?
Slaves Of New York by Tama Janowitz.

9: If you were stranded on a desert island who would you choose to be
your Boy Friday? Elaborate!
Jack White. He'd be good with his hands and could probably whittle some
kind of ornamental gazebo out of twigs. In the evenings we could sing
songs around the fire and in the daytime his large packet would be very
handy for providing much needed shade.

10: What's your worst habit?
Being a stressed out bitch, picking my nose, not phoning people back.

11: Name a quality you cannot abide in others.
The misplaced self confidence of idiots.

12: Name an over-rated virtue.
Femininity.

13: What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Don't listen to anything anybody tells you unless it corresponds
directly with something you already decided to do.

14: Did your school teachers like you?
Some of them did, others didn't. My biology teacher wrote in a report
that I was cynical - when I was 12! But the art teacher loved me - too
bad he also 'loved' quite a lot of 14 year old girls - he got done for
feeling them up in the supply cupboard.

15: What would your motto be?
Work hard, eat lard!

16: Who've you met that's famous?
Ooh, let's see...I've met all the A-listers - Ann Maurice from House
Doctor, Colin and Justin the gay interior design duo, Carol Smillie...I
did once have a ridiculous night of 90s Britpop debauchery at the
Groucho club with Keith Allen, Alex from Blur and Damien Hirst, and
spent most of the night on a sofa with the comedian Rob Newman, who told
me my cartoons were sexy, then nicked my fags and fucked off. Ooh, and
I've stroked a Stroke -the hot one who went out with Drew Barrymore. I
touched the back of his leather jacket and then mysteriously got
pregnant a few weeks later. Co-incidence? I think not...

17: Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Kate Winslet after a lot of chips and cake. Or Victoria Wood.

18: Got any good scars?
I've got a large iron burn on my arm - proof, if needed, that ironing is
shit.

19: Do you have a nemesis?
Nicola Pickwell, my arch enemy from primary school.

20: How would you like to die?
At the age of 97, sitting on the lap of a good looking italian boy with
high cheekbones.

Intervista: Vanessa Davis!

2011-02-14T03:32:00.000-08:00

In what will be the first in a series of occasional interviews for the Whores of Mensa blog, Mardou asks Spaniel Rage creator and New York Times contributor (not to mention stalwart of the Bay Area comics scene) Vanessa Davis TWENTY.... QUESTIONS!!!

1: What is your earliest memory?

I think it might be some images from visiting my Grandpa in Miami Beach. I remember a pink plastic block in a set of other primary colored ones, and I remember his big gold Chai necklace, at my eye level when I sat on his lap.

2: Who was the first love of your life?

It was a tie between Luke Skywalker, Tom Brokaw, and my rabbi.

3: What's the worst trouble you've been in?

Being in trouble is one of my absolute biggest fears. Staying out of trouble has affected a lot of my life and experiences (or lack thereof). I've probably done things that have made me suffer worse than the times I've actually been "in trouble," but it was those times that were the scariest. Once I slept through a lunch appointment with an older cousin, and she hasn't really forgiven me. Another time I pressed every button in a hotel in Tel-Aviv and an old lady yelled at me across the lobby. And I got sent to the principal twice--once for digging my nails into a boy's arm and once for throwing a chocolate milk carton at a boy, and the driplets of milk sprayed all over the cafeteria wall. I thought my mother would kill me for all of the above things but she actually defended me. She was the one I was most scared of being in trouble with, but I don't ever remember being really punished.

4: With which historical figure do you most identify with, and why?

OK, I've been thinking of someone for this for so long, and I can't come up with anything. I'm sure as I send it off I will think of someone I've always likened myself to and be sad. But then again, likening yourself to someone is usually best kept to yourself.

5: Who's your all time hero?

My dad.

6: Which song best describes you?

"I Wanna Live" by the Ramones.

7: What are you reading right now?

Since May I've been exclusively reading the Travis McGee series by mystery paperback writer John D. Macdonald. I've read 13 of them so far and there are 21. They were all written in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and they involve Travis McGee, a "salvage consultant" who lives in Fort Lauderdale on his houseboat, the Busted Flush, which he won in a poker game in Palm Beach. Basically in every book Travis gets wrapped up in some con where someone was killed or blackmailed for money, and he goes and figures it out. He's irresistible to women, and the finest male specimen known to everyone. He's also really prissy and curmudgeony in his philosophical musings, and he talks a lot about corrupt Florida government, how Florida is getting too overdeveloped (back in the 60s, I can't imagine what he would think now), and how much he loves Florida. I just finished "The Long Lavender Look" and I have "The Empty Copper Sea," "Free Fall in Crimson," and "Dress Her in Indigo" lined up next. But I am really excited to read "The Green Ripper."

8: Which book do you wish you'd written?

Any of the Harry Potter books.

9: If you were stranded on a desert island who would you choose to be your
Boy Friday? Elaborate!

Guys are useful. But in the desert island that is my life, my boy friday is Trevor Alixopulos. He is resourceful and we get along.

10: What's your worst habit?

Not getting things done--bad time management. I haven't updated my website since I launched it in 2003. I'm almost a year late on my book. My student loans are...in a bad state. It's a combination of bad personality traits/behaviors that culminates in me just being a flailing spaz.

11: Name a quality you cannot abide in others.

There are so many! I'm grumpy about other people a lot. It often comes down to people's defense mechanisms. Usually when someone is being an asshole you can chalk it up to some defense mechanism at work, and that gets annoying. Like people who use me to make themselves look/feel better. I also hate people using me in general. I also get skittish about people getting close to me specifically to get closer to people I know. Lately though my general pet pet-peeve is people being unrealistic about themselves. When people say they are one way but aren't really. It seems like a lot of people in my life are into that at the moment.

12: Name an over-rated virtue.

Saying what's on your mind. I don't see how that's awesome. Usually people could use a moment of reflection before they open their mouths. Also a lot of people love to talk about how "honest" they are or are being, when really they're just being hostile. It's like people equate "honesty" with "the truth" and that's just not the case. The truth is objective, honesty is subjective. People who don't understand the insubstantiality of their convictions--just silly.

13: What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Stop worrying and do what you want.

14: Did your school teachers like you?

I was pretty obedient, as I mentioned above. Obviously a lot of teachers like that, but it annoys other teachers. I had one really self-righteous astronomy teacher who hated me because I fell asleep in his class every day and I was applying to go to Vassar. Now I see why he thought that was obnoxious. I had another teacher, Mr. Walter, who taught art history, who LOVED me. He was very eccentric and had one red contact lens. He used to tell people it was "the eye of the dragon." After I graduated high school he pasted a large black and white photo of me in his classroom and would talk to it, as though it was me, in front of his other classes. I never witnessed this.

15: What would your motto be?

Do it and screw it. It's a little bit like the best advice I ever got--except the best advice was from my dad and was in reference to being obedient to my mom (or authority figures in general) and "Do it and screw it" is from my mom.

16: Who've you met that's famous?

I'm happy because lately when I look at magazines they are talking about people I know! Maybe not in like, UsWeekly or anything, but that's fine. I babysat Midge Ure's kids once. I've made out with two twee rockers but that's too embarrassing to be worth naming names.

17: Who would play you in the movie of your life?

Gary Oldman.

18: Got any good scars?

I have a huge long surgery scar from my waist to my butt. People annoyingly ask me if it is from a tail, but it's not. I had a spinal lipoma when I was born and had a big surgery on it when I was 7. It prevented me from becoming paralyzed. When I get massages the massage therapists are freaked by it.

19: Do you have a nemesis?

Ha, ha, yes I do!

20: How would you like to die?

This question freaks me out.