Happy Halloween — Phables style

My apologies to those of you who have already read the Rafinesque storyline from the Greystone Inn archives I’ve been promoting this month.

I couldn’t resist using it as the basis for a special Halloween edition of Phables a few years back. I was always sad that the storyline din’t get the recognition it deserved when it appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News as part of a three-week storyline. So I reformated the panels into a Phables-type presentation.

Phables: Aug. 25, 2008

A few-too-many beers and a lusty rendezvous leads a Jersey college student to the threshold of love (or something darned close). Now if he could only remember which threshold. Or which door. Or how to get home, for that matter. Luckily, he’s in Philly.

Phables has been placed on a summer schedule by the Philadelphia Daily News. It will run every other Monday.

Phables: June 9, 2008

It was the late 20s/early 30s. The Great Depression and Prohibition had America in a death grip. Families were struggling to survive. And to make it through, this Philly family relied on two beverages: milk and beer.

Also, a programming note: Phables is being placed on a summer schedule by the Philadelphia Daily News. Starting this week, it will appear every other Monday until further notice.

Phables: May 12, 2008

I’ve been looking forward to going to Seattle for weeks (by the time you read this, however, I will be on my way back home). Aside from seeing three of my very closest friends, I’ve had another reason to be eager to get to the West Coast.

This Spring’s allergy season in Philly is hitting me like a sledgehammer. I remember getting sweet relief from the pollen last year when I hit Seattle, and I am desperate to stop sneezing for a couple days this year.

To that end, this week’s Phables talks abo– abou-ab – ab- ab- ACH-OOO!

You get the idea…

Phables: Feb. 4, 2008

It’s the return of a popular Phables feature from last year: Philly BINGO! Today, it’s time to play … PARKING BINGO. You know the rules… take a copy of the bingo card with you on your next trip through Philly and check off the scenes as you see them or experience them. First one to connect five in a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally is the winner!

Phables: Aug. 20, 2007

Phables

It’s stories like this that make Phables such a stand-out feature. Back in the 80s, a mystery man started cutting enigmatic messages into linoleum tile and then permanently affixed them to the road using asphalt sealer. He’d set them out on a hot day and let the tires of passing-by cars seal them to the road.

TOYNBEE IDEA
KUBRICK MOVIE 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
PLANET JUPITER

By the end of the 80s, there were more than 130 of these tiles across Philly — and then they started showing up across the globe.

No one knows for sure who started it or why. But it is as much a part of the Philly fabric as cheesesteaks and the Liberty Bell.

Phables: July 9, 2007

Phables

A monster-movie fan is on a quick snack run while his wife is in labor with their second child. At the convenience store, he sees the poster for Phoenixville’s BlobFest. Does he drive to the Colonial Theatre — site of one of the climactic scenes from the classic flick — to find out more or does he return to his struggling wife? Let’s put it this way, if he did the latter, he’d have never made a very good Phable.

BlobFest is an annual event that raises funds for the historic Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA — just outside of Philly. It takes place this Friday and Saturday.

If you go, don’t miss the chance to meet the star of “The Blob,” a bucket of the actual red silicon gel used in the movie, displayed by prop-collector Wes Shank. In an era in which many movie stars are silicon-enhanced, it’s refreshing to meet one that’s actually enhanced silicon.

Phables: July 2, 2007

Phables

Ask anybody who lives in a big city and they’ll tell you. We like it when the police catch a drug dealer, but we’d love it if they’d lock up the cretin who refuses to clean up after his dog. In today’s Phable, we see what citations would read like if they were levied for everyday, quality-of-life offenses.

Due to popular request, I’ve made this one a downloadable PDF.

Phables: SPJ Best Local Column

Phables awarded “Best Local Column” by Philadelphia Society of Professional Journalists

Last night I accepted the award for Best Local Column in Philadelphia for Phables. The award was given to me by the Society of Professional Journalists.

This was a huge event for me. I have been insisting that sequential art (uppity-speak for “comics”) could be used to improve several aspects of journalism, and Phables was my way of proving that. I stated building up to this point years ago, using comics in different ways to compliment news coverage. Once my editors were comfortable with that, I pitched Phables to them as a way to revitalize the time-worn local newspaper column. Seeing it accepted in this way is incredibly encouraging.

I’m very proud of my work on Phables, and seeing it take root this way lets me know that it wont be long before newspaper editors are ready to expand on this idea even further. I’ve got my own ideas, and there are probably others being formulated elsewhere.

It’s just a very good chance of good things to come.

Phables: June 11, 2007

Phables

Just in time for Wizard World Philadelphia, I’ve got a special Phables about a couple of suburban lads’ first trip to Philly for a comic convention. They wind up five cents short for the train home, and when SEPTA refuses to let them slide, they find themselves in need of a real hero.

Phables: SPJ Best Local Column

Phables awarded “Best Local Column” by Philadelphia Society of Professional Journalists

This just in… my weekly comic, Phables, has taken first place in the Local Column category of the Greater Philadelphia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Excellence in Journalism Awards.

I’m really happy about this — especially since the category is “Local Column” as opposed to “Best Graphic.” That’s a stamp of approval by fellow journalists recognizing Phables as something more than a comic. For me, it’s a big step towards getting a wider acceptance for comics as a powerful journalistic tool. Sounds corny… I know. But that’s really the kind of stuff that goes through my head. 🙂

Phables May 7, 2007

Phables

Today’s Phable realizes that this area doesn’t offer much for bird-watchers. But plastic grocery bags flying through the air? Those we have! Maybe this could be a new hobby for Philadelphians. If not, you can always try to curb your plastic bag use. But, as one correspondant shares, that can be more difficult than it sounds.

Phables April 30, 2007

Phables

Today’s Phable is an interesting look at Philly psyche. See, back in the day, people swept their trash into the street, where a Streets Department worker with a horse-drawn wagon would sweep it up every trash day. Today, people still sweep their trash into the street, but without the horse-drawn trash collector, it just gets washed into the sewers.

Phables April 23, 2007

Phables

Today’s Phable is a funny story about a woman delivering her first child. She has a unique reaction when a nun offers a solution to her intense labor pains.

So, let me pull back the curtain for you and talk a little bit about how this one got into the paper.

This will make more sense if you read Phables first. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

I brought that comic to my editor, as is my standard procedure, the week pefore it was scheduled to run.

Seeing the religious content, she showed it to a broad spectrum of people around the newsroom. She told me the reaction ran the gamut from “Fantastic!” to “Complete waste of a page.”

The negative response seemed to hover around two things. In the original version, the book was clearly labeled “The Holy Bible” and the act of throwing the Bible at the nun was visually depicted — with a resounding thump.

It was a real dilema for me. If I ran it the way it was — the way I thought it had the most impact as a humorous piece — I would risk alienating some of my readers. But would changing it be tantamount to buckling to a dogmatic sense of religion?

I gave this a tremendous amount of thought, and I finally decided to change the way the story was presented. Taking a page from Alfred Hitchcock, I let the action appear off panel, letting the reader’s imagination fill in the rest. I also made the reference to the Bible itself more ambiguous.

And here’s why: I want people to enjoy Phables for what it is — great storytelling about Philadelphia. If the presentation of that story antagonized a portion of my readership to the point that they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the story, then perhaps that presentation had to be re-thought.

I didn’t change any of the facts of the story, mind you. Rather, I chose to present it in such a way that a greater number of readers could enjoy it.

I’m sure some readers still found it offensive. Let’s face it, you don’t present a humorous piece to 150,000 people and avoid offending someone. (And that doesn’t even include the online readership.) But I think the new version was more appealing to a wider range of people.

With that in mind, here’s the original version. Please don’t click on the link if you’re easily offended over religious issues.

Phables Eisner nomination

Phables nominated for an Eisner

Phables, my weekly comic about life in Philadelphia, has been nominated for an Eisner Award, the comic-book industry’s top award!

Phables began last year as a bi-weekly comic in the Philadelphia Daily News. After an enormous response from readers, it was promoted to appearing in the paper every week. It was my attempt to re-imagine the standard newspaper “life about town” column.

To say that I’m thrilled is an understatement!

Phables March 19, 2007

Phables

Today’s Phable is a two-fer. First, find out what happens when an out-of-towner can’t find her car in the 30th Street Station parking lot. Part Two is a follow-up to last week’s Phable in which some guests who are interested in mafia history wind up eating at the Bomb Bomb Barbecue Grill, thanks to their South Philly host. Although the Phable never says anything about the eatery being a mob hang-out, some people have read it that way, and the owner, Frank, has been fielding questions ever since. He says it’s not: The twin bombings were over a chef who came to work for the restaurant from another tavern. It wasn’t a mafia turf war. He explains.

Phables reaction

Phables reaction

It seems as if my first Phable of the New Year has already irked a reader or two. For example, Brendan not only wrote me an e-mail, but linked to his blog as well:

Twice in the same “Phables� strip, Brad Guigar writes, “Only a mom knows how sometimes the fear of one’s own death has nothing to do with one’s own life.�

Right, “only a mom� has any sense of responsibility or devotion to the family. “Only a mom� knows what it’s like to have children who depend on you for everything from daily meals to moral guidance to help with homework. We fathers have nothing to do with our families: why, if you took away the paycheck we contribute, what else do we offer, other than nothing? We don’t have any involvement with our kids, other than providing half their chromosomes. And since we’re not moms, none of us dads have any idea of how “fear of one’s own death has nothing to do with one’s own life.� Read the whole post. (Warning: Very strong language.)

Phables returns Monday

Phables returns Monday

Phables, the full-page, longform comic about life in Philadelphia that I created for the Philadelphia Daily News, will return this Monday. As I reported earlier, it received such a strong response that it will now be a weekly feature, updating every Monday.

That means I’m going to need twice the number of Philly-themed stories, so don’t hesistate to e-mail me with yours!

Phables Oct. 30, 2006

Phables

A new Phables updates today. My apologies to those of you who have already read the Rafinesque / Curse of Transylvania storyline from Greystone Inn.

I couldn’t resist using it as the basis for a special Halloween edition of Phables. I was always sad that the storyline din’t get the recognition it deserved when it appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News as part of a three-week storyline. So I reformated the panels into a Phables-type presentation.

Deeper still, it’s kind of a victory dance of sorts. See, I wanted this to be the inaugural Phable when I originally pitched this project to my supervisor. It would have run during one of the years supposedly affected by Raf’s seven-year curse.

2004.

That’s right, I pitched Phables for well over a year before finally being allowed to launch it earlier this year.

If you ever see me in person, ask me about the real punchline to that story. Needless to say, I can’t post it here.

Phables Oct. 02, 2006

Phables

A new Phables updates today. This is already one of my favorites. It’s a look at one of my favorite spots in Philadelphia: Eastern State Penitentiary.

Eastern State was built in the 1800s as a new kind of prison. It was built to instill a sense of penance in the prisoner — thus the term “penitentiary.” To give you a sense of how advanced the building was, every prisoner had indoor plumbing (including a toilet). The President of the United States at the time (John Quincy Adams) could not say the same of his White House.

When Charles Dickens visited America, he wanted to visit two places: Niagra Falls and Eastern State Penitentiary.

It’s also considered one of the most haunted places in America.

Every October, Eastern State converts part of its interior in a “Haunted House” attraction called Terror Behind the Walls. It’s incredibly popular, with lines snaking around the block every night. The money made this month will fund the excellent historic restoration of the prison throughout the year.

Today’s Phables doesn’t talk about any of that stuff (except the haunted house part). It’s a collection of ghost stories from inside the prison walls.

Phables, July 24, 2006

Phables
A new Phables updates today. This one is a story from 1986 about a crime — and help from an unexpected source. It also has a moral that holds added resonnance in this summer of increasing crime in this city: When we stand together, crime doesn’t stand a chance. I’m really proud of this one and I hope you like it, too.

Phables, June 12, 2006

I’ve been getting a lot of positive response about today’s Phables.

It’s about all the annoying things that people do on the road. I’ve made it into a game. Now, when you see it happening, instead of getting angry, put an X in the corresponding box.

First one to get five in a straight line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) gets to yell: PHILLY ROAD BINGO!

Due to popular request, I made a letter-sized PDF for you to download and print. Go play in traffic.