Monday, February 8, 2016 — Cupertino, California — Alternative Comics is very excited to announce that John Porcellino’s publishing imprint Spit and a Half, and its flagship title King-Cat Comics and Stories are joining our publishing co-op with the 25th anniversary 75th issue of King-Cat. The long-awaited All-Maisie issue features the life story of John’s beloved cat Maisie Kukoc, who lived with him for 15 years. The 48 page black and white digest will be the first solo King-Cat comic book to go out direct to comic shops through Diamond Comic Distributors bearing a barcode. King-Cat did previously appear in split standard comic book-sized editions paired with Joe Chiapetta’s Silly Daddy, some two decades ago; and, collections of King-Cat have long been available to the direct market through Drawn & Quarterly, and La Mano 21. King-Cat #75 will be in comic book shops in April, 2016.
John announced recently on his blog that he is hoping to get back to a two-per-year schedule with King-Cat. Issue 76 is already well on its way to publication soon. Spit and a Half is further expanding its publishing efforts with Porcellino’s South Beloit Journal, a compilation of a three month span of daily diary strips from 2011 (some were previously excerpted in King-Cat #72). This summer will see the release of Spit and a Half’s first book form publication, a 200 plus page collection of Jenny Zervakis’ seminal Strange Growths comics. This is a project that John has long wished to see come to fruition; “I think this is a great move, I’m excited to be able to bring this work to a wider audience”, Porcellino commented.
“This might well be the best single issue of King Cat that John has done.” —Kevin Bramer, Optical Sloth
“Porcellino’s a real hero of comics, it’s true, but he’s also like any first-time comics maker in his desire to connect. There are things in my life I appreciate more for having Porcellino’s perspective, and I’m very grateful he’s made it to this anniversary issue.” —Tom Spurgeon, The Comics Reporter
King-Cat #75
48 page B&W comic book
In stores April, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-942801-01-6
Diamond Code: FEB161063
$5.00
John Porcellino was born in Chicago, in 1968, and has been writing, drawing, and publishing minicomics, comics, and graphic novels for over thirty years. His celebrated self-published series King-Cat Comics, begun in 1989, has inspired a generation of cartoonists. Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man, a collection of King-Cat stories about Porcellino’s experiences as a pest control worker, won an Ignatz Award in 2005, and Perfect Example, first published in 2000, chronicles his struggles with depression as a teenager. King-Cat Classix and Map of My Heart, published in 2007/2009, offer a comprehensive overview of the zine’s first sixty-one issues, while Thoreau at Walden (2008) is a poetic expression of the great philosopher’s experience and ideals. According to cartoonist Chris Ware, “John Porcellino’s comics distill, in just a few lines and words, the feeling of simply being alive.”
Porcellino’s work has been translated into French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Italian, and Korean. He currently lives in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Spit and a Half is a comix distribution service and publisher founded by John Porcellino in 1992. In addition to Porcellino’s own work, King-Cat Comics, Spit and a Half has published work by the cartoonists Jenny Zervakis, Tom Hart, and Jeff Zenick.
SpitandaHalf.com
King-Cat.net |
