This week’s Inner Hive mailing contains information about a late-breaking public appearance that I wanted to get out to all Substack participants — both Inner Hive members (paid) and Tom the Dancing Bug Review subscribers (free) — so I’m experimenting with a Paywall break.
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TOM THE DANCING BUG
10/10/23
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(When this comic is posted on social media later this week, I will thank two particular Inner Hive members: long-time member Fritz Goebel and new member Trixie for being on the Tom the Dancing Bug Team. If you'd like to be publicly acknowledged as an Inner Hive member, respond to this email, or send an email to teamdancingbug@gmail.com, subject heading INNER HIVE SHOUT OUT, with the name by which you'd like to be acknowledged (e.g. your full name, or first name/last initial, or nickname, or social media handle, or secret code name, or etc, and you'll be in the queue.)
I've got to say at the start that while this week's comic is about inflation, economics, science fiction, and Rembrandt paintings, that in no way reflects any indifference to what's happened in Israel. I'm devastated by what's going on, and it's very much, probably unhealthily, on my mind (as I curate what I will even allow myself to see what's on the news).
But that doesn't mean I want to, or even can, do a comic strip about it. This comic was conceived before that occurred, and I don't have the ability to switch gears that quickly. Nor do I think I could even draw a comic strip about that horrific event. Nor do I think it's my job to do so.
Tom the Dancing Bug is not The Comic Strip of Record, and I simply don't write about things I don't want to write about. It's times like this I'm so thankful I'm not an on-staff editorial cartoonist (to the extent that job even exists anymore), required to draw comics about every big story.
Anyway, I know you guys fully understand -- I just wanted to get this out.
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Is this a good time to chirpily announce that I'll be doing two signings at the New York Comic Con this Sunday?
From the blog:
One is with the National Cartoonists Society, at table #4106, where I’ll be selling /signing / sketching in copies of the new book On the Trail of Tom the Dancing Bug. I’ll bring along some other books in addition. You might want to come early (and come often), because there’s only so many books I can lug around. I’ll be sure to be there 10am – noon.
Then from 2pm-3pm, I’ll be at the Z2 Comics table, #4509, where I’ll be participating in a signing for the book The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic, for which I contributed some pages. The answer to your question is: No, “Weird Al” will not be there. Just a bunch of happy-go-lucky cartoonists who are all his close, personal friends.
Check back here [the blog page] for any changes or updates prior to Sunday. On Sunday, any unanticipated changes or updates will be announced (unfortunately) on Twitter/X at @rubenbolling.
GUARANTEED: High fives, fist bumps, belly laughs, kissed babies, lifelong friendships made.
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