GUNK'L'DUNK online newsletter for/adhesive force between readers of Larry Marder's TALES OF THE BEANWORLD Vol. 2 #5 March 12, 1998 Gunk'l'dunk is here to provide a forum for fans of Larry Marder's TALES OF THE BEANWORLD (TOTB), and to promote wider readership of this unique comic. It's been well over a year since the last issue. And yet the next all-new Beanworld book still isn't scheduled. Compiled by Bob Heer, bg549@torfree.net E-mail me to comment or contribute, or to get on the distribution list to get future issues and the occasional other Bean related thing in your e-mailbox. Back issues of v2 available on request. Founded by Jeremy York (editor, v1 #0-#11) -------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ETC. Hoka hey, all. Since the last time around most of the movement on the Beanworld front has been reprints, with minimal new stuff. There's also been one massive interview published. As usual the e-mail distribution list for future issues of Gunk'l'dunk and other Beanworld news still exists. Up to about 70 members now. E-mail me if you're interested. -------------------------------------------------- THIS ISSUE'S CONTENTS Introduction Contents page (you's readin' it) Beanworld Addresses Recent Bean Sightings Heyoka In Cyberspace (Beanworld Online) The Beanpoll Results Review - Giant-Size Mini Comics #1 In Future Issues... -------------------------------------------------- BEANWORLD ADDRESSES Just so everyone knows, here's the current address of Beanworld Press The Beanworld Press 363 White Cap Lane Newport Coast, CA 92657 And there's a Beanworld Press e-mail address now, beanpress@aol.com -------------------------------------------------- RECENT BEAN SIGHTINGS The second printing of the second TOTB collection came out a while back. The first printing of the third collection is apparently going to be out within weeks, if not days. Ordering info (ISBN for regular bookstores, Star re-order code for stores dealing with Diamond) where known is BOOK ONE $9.95US ISBN 1-887245-00-6 STAR1023 BOOK TWO $9.95US ISBN 1-887245-01-4 BOOK THREE $11.95US There's a huge 45 page interview with Marder, conducted by Heidi MacDonald, in THE COMICS JOURNAL #201. Well illustrated with a lot of stuff from Marder's files, and an informative interview too. Marder's apparently a regular interviewee (sometimes with Dave Sim) and article writer for Charles Brownstein's fanzine FEATURE, generally on industry issues but with some Beanworld stuff. Only one I've been able to find is v3#2, with a 14 page Sim/Marder interview, but Marder's also listed as being in v2#1, v2#5 and v3#4. The story in GEN13 #13B was reprinted in GEN13 #13 A B AND C COLLECTED EDITION, non-Marder beans and all. Marder also contributes a short blurb about the crossover at the end of the book. PATTY CAKE #7 (Permanent Press, 1996) by Scott Roberts has a Beanworld comic in the story "The Unkindest Cut". There's apparently a non-Marder Bean in a British comic called SLEAZE CASTLE: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT PART ZERO. -------------------------------------------------- HEYOKA IN CYBERSPACE (BEANWORLD ONLINE) Since the last issue I decided I had a pressing need to have my own webpage, and of course the second thing I put up there was some Beanworld stuff. Mostly back-issues of Gunk'l'dunk and the Marder checklist. You can check that out at http://www.geocities.com/area51/dimension/1428/marder.htm Other people with Beanworld pages you can check out are Alex Rosenheim http://www.seas.gwu.edu/student/arosen/beangif/bean.html and Mark Irons http://www.proaxis.com/~half/BeanWeb/Introduction.html Over at the Mania website they've interviewed Marder a few times, mostly about Image crap, but there's some interesting stuff in there. I found out that Marder writes the solicitations for SPAWN, which I've always thought were amusing, though maybe not in ways Marder intends. Here are links to them (the second is the unedited transcript of the third). http://www.mania.com/comics/intrview/larrymarder.html http://www.mania.com/comics/intrview/larrymarderqa.html http://www.mania.com/comics/intrview/larrymarder102497.html -------------------------------------------------- BEANPOLL RESULTS There wasn't much consensus on the poll from v2#4. I got 17 responses, here were the answers 1. What was your first exposure to Beanworld? There were three people there from the beginning, and two who started with #20 and two with the first collection. Other than that it was scattered across the remaining issues, plus one person starting with the SCOUT crossover, another with TOTAL ECLIPSE and a third with the Feazell story in ZOT! #34. 2. What's your favourite issue? "Beanish Breaks Out" (#4) was really popular, with six people choosing it. Origins really are beloved, with #20 and #21 getting four and three votes respectively. "New and Improved Gunk'l'dunk" from #7 was the only other multiple vote-getter, with two (including mine). 3. What other books do you recommend to Beanfans? No big surprise, ZOT! got the most mentions, with three. Two mentions went to BONE, AKIKO and CEREBUS. Other than that there were lots of things with one mention. KANE, A DISTANT SOIL, PATTY CAKE, COVENTRY, THE JAM, SCUD, STRAY BULLETS, CYBERFROG, MADMAN, MAXX, WOLFF&BRYD, OZ, ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY, LEAVE IT TO CHANCE, TALES FROM THE BOG, COPYBOOK TALES, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, HATE, RAREBIT FIENDS, KEIF LLAMA, BERLIN, CAGES, JIM, POISON ELVES, ACTION GIRL, RANMA 1/2 and FEMFORCE. No, I'm not sure if this proves anything.... -------------------------------------------------- REVIEW - GIANT-SIZE MINI COMICS #1 GIANT-SIZE MINI COMICS was a four issue series published by Eclipse in 1986/1987 as a sort of sampler of the wide range of mini comics out there, most of which people would never see. Larry Marder edited the first issue, including several of his own pages. The cover is by Marder, with some weird stick-figure style figures that I don't think I've seen him use elsewhere. Also a giant hand and a colourful mini comic. Not bad, but most Beanworld covers are more striking. "Unca Xaspa, the hip insect" no doubt has some future relevance to the Beanworld, based on the short comment made in Xaspa's appearance in a Beanworld letter column. Still not sure what. I'd guess we'll find out shortly after the Mystery Pods hatch except that other comments Marder has made suggest otherwise. Anyway, a cute little page. "Around like a do-nut" is one of my absolute favourite Marder bits anywhere. It's a remarkably clever never-ending story that still makes me laugh after hundreds of readings (I've got a copy of it pinned up on my wall) and demonstrates just how expressive Marder's art can be with such simple figures. Worth the price of the book (or check out THE COMICS JOURNAL #201, where it's reprinted along with a rough version). "Heyoka" is the last of Marder's pages here. Of course, we now know what a Heyoka is (or isn't), but for a long time this was an intriguing hint of what was to come in the Beanworld. A most amusing creature, I hope Marder hurries up and gets him back to the Beanworld. Of the other contributions, I thought they were okay, though nothing stood out. Steve Willis' stories were nicely surreal, "The Conversation" by Hank Arakelian was an interesting experiment, Mike Bannon's "Tales of the Kidney Beanworld" was as goofy as you'd expect if you're familiar with Bannon. Pretty fair job as anthologies go. -------------------------------------------------- IN FUTURE ISSUES Um, I dunno. You'll know when I do. Bob