Earl and Mooch Turn 15 on September 5th!
It was 15 years ago this month that MUTTS first appeared in just 75 newspapers. Now in over 700 papers worldwide, it's amazing to see how MUTTS has evolved and continues to unfold.
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, Patrick! We wish you many, many more MUTTS years.
Wag! and Guardians of Being: Available Early!
Patrick has two new books coming out this month: Wag! his latest children's book - starring Earl and Mooch (with a special guest appearance by Shtinky Puddin'), and Guardians of Being, his collaboration with Eckhart Tolle. Guardians of Being will help you realize (if you haven't already) that animals can bring us into the present moment, bringing us true happiness and inner peace.
The BARk Magazine: Interview with Patrick
Guardians of Being, the pairing of Patrick's MUTTS artwork with Eckhart Tolle's teachings, will be available soon. We were thrilled that Bark Magazine published a interview with Patrick online
centered on the book. In it, Patrick describes what he feels is the most important project he's been a part of to date.
And be sure to pick up the latest issue of The BARK for a wonderful print review of the book. Thanks BARK!
WAG!: Signed Copies Available
Recently Patrick flew to a book warehouse in Indiana and spent the day signing 2,000 copies of Wag! These signed books will primarily be distributed to independent bookstores nationwide. We can't say which stores will have the signed copies (we honestly don't know!) but you can contact your local bookstore and find out if they will be getting them and to reserve your copy. You can locate independent sellers at Indie Bound.
And check out this new video of Patrick describing Wag!
Guardians of Being: More Early Reviews!
Here are some other early reviews of Guardians of Being:
The latest issue of Modern Dog Magazine: "...beautiful, thought-provoking and enlightening"
The New York Daily News online: Dog lullabies and cat tales make up latest offering of pet-themed books
Diana Page Jordan blog: Eckhart Tolle in Cartoonland: Guardians of Being
Lunch. blog: Joy in Simplicity, Stillness Among Furry Folks
Get Your MUTTS iGoogle Theme
In June, we received an email from Google - yes, the Google. They wanted to know if we would like to create a Muttscomics iGoogle theme. iGoogle is esentially a customized internet homepage with lots of bells and whistles. An iGoogle Muttscomics theme will allow you to have MUTTS images on your customized iGoogle homepage.
Our own Elena Nazzaro worked with the folks at Google to create the Muttscomics theme. Be prepared for a real game changer if you don't yet use iGoogle. We think it's the greatest thing since the Mutts Musings blog! Here's how to get the theme
. Use MUTTS to personalize your home page, and don't forget to give us some stars!
If you do not yet use iGoogle, this is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with this fantastic tool. Try it, and make MUTTS your theme!
The Art of UP!
The Art of UP features some concept drawings for UP by Patrick McDonnell! If you haven’t yet seen UP, we highly recommend you go see this extremely creative, wonderfully satisfying new movie from director Pete Docter and Pixar.
And be sure to get a copy of the book. Pete Docter is quoted, “Patrick’s work has a wonderful charm, a great sense of character, and a deceptively simple complexity to it. He seemed a perfect fit for UP, and sure enough he came up with some great ideas.”
Abstract Comics, Gallery Show, Book Tour
Abstract Comics, a new book edited by artist and art historian Andrei Molotiu, is a compilation of abstract comic art starting with Saul Steinberg. It includes Bob Crumb, Gary Panter and our own Patrick McDonnell, who drew abstract comics during (and shortly after) his college years.
If you are in the NY area, come to Jim Hanley's Universe on Thursday, 9/10, to meet Patrick and several other contributers to the book. That evening the James Gallery at CUNY will host an opening of the show Silent Pictures, which will feature art from Abstract Comics. On Saturday, 9/12, there will be a panel discussion on abstract comics
at MOCCA. For more details on these events, visit Publisher's Weekly's The Beat.
Patrick begins his fall book tour (for Wag! and Guardians of Being) this month in Denver, Colorado at the Mountains and Plains Independent Bookseller's Association's annual trade show, where he will be signing books and speaking at the Saturday breakfast. Later that day he will be at Tattered Cover, and at Barnes and Noble.
Amelie Smiles for Her Close-up
It's coming up on six months since Amelie had her own personal shelter story, which ended with her becoming a member of the McDonnell family. Things are beginning to settle in, and she's really becoming a truly great dog. It's love!
Amelie is still completely ball crazy, but is, thankfully, getting over her propensity for getting carsick.
Julia W.: Latest Report from India
Julia W. is our youth correspondent with a big mission: she is doing all she can to raise awareness about our beautiful planet and the people and animals who share it. We are all so lucky to have young people like her among us. Jules spent some time in India this summer; read her wonderful report!
The PetCast Interview
On July 11, Petcast did an extensive interview with Patrick. Patrick speaks about his own companion animals, including Earl and new best friend, Amelie. He also describes his work schedule, comics in general and Guard Dog's future. Emily and Steve asked Patrick about his inspirations behind Shelter Stories, Mooch's little pink sock, and the history of the comic dog Earl. Patrick's also spoke of his collaboration with Eckhart Tolle in Guardians of Being, and his new children's book, Wag!
The show is listed as No. 210. You can listen now or download for later. Thanks, Steve and Emily!
Day of Peace Celebrations: September 20 and 21
Each year members of Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots come together with others to promote peace in support of the United Nations International Day of Peace. This year there will be celebrations in over 40 countries.
Patrick will be honoring The Roots and Shoots International Day of Peace with a special MUTTS strip which will be in the newspapers on September 21st.
MUTTS Shines the Light
This summer, Patrick did a few series on which we've gotten a lot of feedback. Three in particular seemed to strike a real chord with MUTTS readers. The first was the puppy mill Sunday page which described the horrific conditions that the dogs have to live in, and the rescue one dog experienced. HSUS posted an article and reprinted the strip.
In August, Patrick did a week-long series on the plight of sharks which drew a lot of comments (many pro-shark, but also some from readers who just didn't underestand why we would want to save sharks from extinction(?).
And finally, pictured below is a MUTTS daily that was a head scratcher for many. "Where is the joke?" But Automotive Acne understood it - in triplicate!
THANK YOU to everyone who responded to these strips!
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