For once, let’s not bury the lede. We have BIG NEWS: How big? A new member, that’s how! Cartoonist and illustrator Colleen Coover has joined Mercury Studio. Her work blew us all away from the first, and she gets even better with every project.

Colleen first made a big splash with her Eros Comix title Small Favors, widely regarded as one of the most enjoyable adult comics available anywhere. From there, she moved to Oni Pres, where she and Root Nibot created Banana Sunday, an all-ages comic about the high-school adventures of Kirby Stienberg and her three talking apes.

Here’s a recent interview with Colleen at what appears to be a gorilla-centric German website. And you can download a pdf preview of Banana Sunday at the publisher’s site

Colleen’s currently hard at work on Freckled Face, Bony Knees, And Other Things Known About Annah. I’ll try to get the okay to run some pics from it when I get the chance. In the meantime, go take a look at her portfolio and see just how much she rules.

Do we get letters? We get letters.

Kieron Dwyer writes:

“Just wanted to spread the word about my friend (and maybe yours) Shannon Wheeler, whose world premiere of Too Much Coffee Man Opera opens this weekend here in Portland, at Brunish Hall. It might surprise you to know that it’s the first opera based on a comic book! All the basic info is on http://www.tmcm.com/opera and you can hear a sample there.

The dates are Friday and Saturday nights, Sept 29-30, and its selling quickly, as I hear it. Where can Shannon take TMCM from here? Only time will tell. Tickets available on Ticketmaster as well as at the box office”

And Indigo Kelliegh writes:

“I just finished updating both the Exhibitors List and Floor Map pages
at the site, http://www.stumptowncomics.com. All you exhibitors should now
have table numbers listed after your names, and you can find your table with the handy, downloadable Map! “

Checking things out, it looks like I’m at table 69, between Dennis Culver and the great Sean Bieri, who’s coming all the way from Hamtramck, Michigan, where cartoonists rule with an iron heel. Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett will be at tables 73 and 74. And Colleen Coover will be at table 90 with her partner Paul Tobin/aka Root Nibot. I’m sure other Mercury members will put in an appearance, too. Keep your eyes open for middle-aged men pushing strollers.

More raves for Jeff Parker, a man in serious danger of being noticed by his publisher:
Comic Book Revolution | The ISB | Comic Pants | Maniacal fans at CBR | Steve Reads | Johnny Bacardi | Poormojo.

Let’s end things on a different note than usual. Forget comics for a moment and listen to Myron Cope, the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers taking time out from a broadcast to discuss giant green macaws.