Hugo Cabret Knocks Our Socks Off
2007-02-08-11:33 p.m.

ps, the whole thing is over 500 pages long and is getting rave book reviews. Check it out.

Go Play in the Sandbox
2007-02-06-11:29 p.m.

More Filler! oops!!
2007-02-06-1:34 p.m.

But rather than just stop abruptly, I am still digging in the "unused comics archives"... ie the dusty boxes full of early scribblings when I was a poor starving massage practitioner, not yet an illustrator, really. Ie 1992ish!

Hope that is alright with y'all, til I get back on track with everything and back to the storyline.
Weirdly enough, you get to see a rare comic of liliane with a nose (10/09/92). Really, I think I did a good thing ditching the nose. And yes, it IS curious that liliane (and myself) smell things a LOT but she has no nose. It was purely aethetic I assure you, Nothing deep and Freudian.

And sorry to those of you who apparently thought there was too much french in "The Fuckin' Faggot". I guess it never occured to me, as this was the first time since I drew it, and have been selling it as a zine for 15 years, that the request for translations was made. I'll try to find some time to write a little translation of the few french bits in that story, here in the blog, ok?

Anyways, hope you like these nonstellar meanderings from the past.
Leanne

Dead Dog? And comic explanation...
2007-01-22-11:36 p.m.

Contrary to what some may think, NO the dog has not UNDIED. It is a story that HAPPENED in the past, not a story AFTER the demise of da doggy. We do that you know. Often. Delve into the past. Actually almost ALWAYS delving into the past. Not Always Always, but Almost Always... sometimes the onepagers come from very current happenings. And sometimes things are just pulled out of thin air following thought (it does happen), or discussions.

But yeah, do not in any way assume that stories are chronological. Sometimes I write about things that were a week ago, but more often it is something that was years ago, after I have had time to digest it, if it is autobio (some looks like autobio but whahaha! ... it is um, fiction. yeah) And some? Ya know, like my cat saying "I wanna be faggy"? Well, it didn't happen. My cats don't talk. OK they talk, but it is completely gibberish vocally.

So yah. Doggy is dead. Dead dead dead. Doggy in the Butchless Books storyline WAS alive at the time. It is not a new doggy, it is Muesli. So yeah, she gets to appear in retrospectives.

Now, I am off to visit my ma for almost two weeks. And no, I have not had time to draw two weeks of comics in advance. In fact, I did not have time to draw my daily comic over the weekend. I am proud to say I have beat three work deadlines so I don't have to drag it all with me... down to one contract and other stuff. What? You thought I am capable of going on vacation without taking work? haha.

And instead of trying to draw from there, with no puter to scan and upload, or leaving you sad and neglected while I am gone, I decided to break my longstanding policy of never ever uploading anything you have already read, that is available in print form. I decided to upload my first ever fulllength story, "The Fuckin' Faggot", did to recount a funny anecdote to the Butchy Door-Dyke in 1992. I hope you like it. If she hadn't found it funny, I never would have become a cartoonist!

Leave comments. I'd like that.
Wish me a safe trip.
tah!
Leanne

An Apology
2007-01-15-2:59 a.m.

Explanation? Tons of paying work finally... boring work, but paying work. And four out of town guests over the weekend. I'm doing my best. I'll try to have a comic up by early afternoon on Monday Jan 15th, my time.

Thanks for hanging in there.
Leanne

Archives updated
2006-12-18-4:56 p.m.

Angry Little Girls
2006-12-18-12:42 p.m.

Discovering new women cartoonists
2006-12-13-12:09 a.m.

I suggest you check out the gorgeous drawings (comics in acrylic paint, illustrations in oil, silkscreen on wood...) by Jennifer Tong" Beautiful beautiful. You can check out her recent strip Orifice too.

And if you speak Swedish, you could perhaps check out this crazy pig, Pink, in a swedish university paper, drawn by Ainur Elmgren. OK, you can check it out even if you don't speak Swedish... Pink the pig is funny, and has it in for George Bush II. She also has english language comics including Japanese-inspired ones.

Yes, We are NOT the USA!!!
2006-12-09-12:09 p.m.

December 8, 2006 | le 8 d�cembre 2006

HARPER�S MOTION TO RE-OPEN EQUAL MARRIAGE DEFEATED!
Prime Minister says the issue is settled

After more than a year of facing the threat that equal marriage would be taken away, we can breathe easy and rejoice: on December 7, 2006 Members of Parliament rejected Stephen Harper�s motion to re-open the divisive equal marriage debate.

The vote wasn�t even close, with the motion being defeated by a vote of 123 to 175. In every single party the percentage of MPs that voted for equality increased. That increase reflects the growing consensus among Canadians that equal marriage is settled. Even in the Conservative caucus, 13 members voted against their own government�s motion, including Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, Treasury Board President John Baird and four other cabinet ministers.

We also note that many MPs who voted against Bill C-38 (last year�s equal marriage bill) now consider the issue settled and voted against re-opening the debate, including Liberal MP Joe Comuzzi, who quit cabinet last year so that he could vote against C-38. In addition, no MPs who voted for Bill C-38 wished to re-open the issue. They all voted against the motion to re-open, including all the Liberal MPs who were Cabinet Ministers when Bill C-38 was passed.

Perhaps most significantly, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced after the vote that he now considers the issue settled. The day after the vote, The Globe and Mail�s front-page headline blared �Same-sex marriage file closed for good, PM says�, and Harper was quoted as saying, �I don�t see re-opening this question in the future.� When asked if the government plans to introduce a �defence of religions� act to counter Bill C-38 (as has been rumoured), Harper replied, �The government has no plans at this time.�

Even Justice Minister Vic Toews, one of the government�s staunchest foes of equal marriage, announced he was moving on. �I don�t think there�s any intention of re-opening it,� he said. �There�s been no commitment in that respect and I don�t see any prospects in that respect.�

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, who voted against Bill C-38 but opposed re-opening the equal marriage debate, said: �For me, this was just a practical matter. It�s been debated in the House. It�s been considered by the provinces, by the courts, and I think it�s time to move on.�

Most MPs, like most Canadians, have come to understand that equal marriage doesn�t harm anyone, it only makes life better for some. They have come to understand that a generous and inclusive definition of marriage actually strengthens the institution. They have come to understand that the only reason to exclude same-sex couples from civil marriage is discomfort, resistance to change and moral judgment. And they have learned that voting in favour of equality feels really, really good!!

This is the wording of the motion that was defeated:

�That this House call on the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages.�

Shortly after the vote, Canadians for Equal Marriage held a press conference. We said �This is a bittersweet day, because today does not mark an advance in equality, but rather the defeat of an attack against us. We are happy that we can now avoid years of divisive and difficult debate, but we are weary that for over a year now we�ve had to defend our hard-won inclusion in the fabric of Canadian society.�

Since the courts have ruled, the Harper government�s motion marks the third time in three years, under three successive prime ministers, that the issue of equal marriage has been debated and voted on.

Canadians for Equal Marriage salutes the political leaders who have had the courage to stand on principle and defend the Canadian way. You are champions of human rights. In particular, we would like to acknowledge NDP leader Jack Layton, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, Liberal leader Stephane Dion, former Liberal leader Bill Graham, Conservative MPs James Moore and Gerald Keddy and the many other MPs who took a courageous stand for equality.

Congratulations to the more than 12,000 same-sex couples across Canada who have been married since the Ontario Court of Appeal first allowed equal marriage in June, 2003. You are all trailblazers for human rights in a country that is � now, more than ever � a role model for the rest of the world.

EQUAL MARRIAGE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
CEM passes torch to Egale Canada

The mission of Canadians for Equal Marriage (CEM) is now accomplished, and we will be ceasing operations.

But just because the debate over equal marriage has ended doesn�t mean the advancement of equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families is over. The mission of Canadians for Equal Marriage might be accomplished, but the work of Egale Canada continues � and Egale needs your help!

Egale has been successfully advocating for equality and justice for over 20 years and has been a key partner of CEM. In fact, CEM wouldn�t have existed without Egale.

As we move beyond law reform, we face the challenge of changing hearts and minds, and of making everywhere across Canada safe and welcoming for LGBT youth, LGBT seniors, LGBT families and their children. We need a strong national organization to lead the way!

Please consider making a donation to Egale atwww.egale.ca.

Thank you once again to all our supporters for ensuring that Canada remains a role model for human rights around the world, and a country that treats all its citizens with equal consideration and respect.

Too Big and Comicspace
2006-12-07-1:04 p.m.

On other news, a new "myspace" sort of site for comics has made its appearance on the web, called "Comicspace". It has been an instant hit, with over 1000 new cartoonist members within the first 24 hours. You can check it out here.

I haven't looked it over much, and there isn't much up except for friend-collectors who have requested to "friend" me (ahhh, friend as a verb). At least one or two of them are people I legitimately know who also know liliane. Also, it is really in the first couple of days, so it seems it is growing by leaps and bounds and mutating hourly as a space...

cheers
Leanne

Settling Up with the Vets
2006-12-01-1:56 p.m.

They wanted me to give me 20% off their bill of $2300. Yes, $2300. For a dead dog.

They maintained that since she got the diagnostic treatment they charged me for, I should pay for it (ultrasound, biopies, all sorts of stuff, including a specialist checking her ears.... god only knows why, she had been to a vet three days earlier, diagnosed with an ear infection, and I brought the actual meds in with me so they could put the drops in her ears twice daily... why charge me another $35 to look at them again?). Even though I had signed an ok for $600-900 of diagnostic testing, not $2300.

The nice lady said "look, if they bring you a bunch of food in a restaurant, that you didn't order, and you eat it, you have to pay for it". Silly lady. Never play battle of the analogies with Leanne. I was um, well, if I say "I would like the menu of the day, for $50 max", and you keep bringing me food and wine, yes I will consume it, assuming it is included. At that point if you charge me $150 at the cash, you are clearly in the wrong. If someone thinks they are eating the $50 menu of the day, and you serve them $150 food, it is your mistake. But... in a restaurant, if someone brings you something you did not order, at least it is presented to you, you can query "is this included? how much does it cost?" and send it back to the kitchen uneaten.

Which option I did not have. This is more like taking my kid to daycare, saying I will pay $20 for his meal, and you feed the kid $150 of food, and then insist when I get there hours later, that since my kid ate it, I have to pay for it. Like my dog was going to turn down an echography, or say "hey, I bet this costs more than my mom authorised".

No, I had no moment where I could accept or refuse any of the treatments, either morally (ie does it make sense to torture an 11 yr old dog with if there is no hope of a cure?) or financially (can I afford this, do I want to pay for this). So i thought her analogy stunk. Twenty percent off. hah. Not to mention I don't think they were honest about the health status of my dog, in order for me to make an informed decision.

I just simply refused, and said I would find out what body to complain to: the veterinarian's association of Quebec or whatever. Interestingly enough the woman then offered that I pay just what I authorized: the visit, tests up to $900, the euthanasia and disposing of her body. I readily agreed, since that is exactly what I said I would pay for: had her fax me the bill, and faxed back my Visa card. So there ya go... $1304.72 (taxes included) for a dead dog, including 36 hours of torturing her with liver biopsies etc. Poor baby.

I also cancelled the Care Credit... which I believe is (no fault of Care Credit, though I asked for $2000 credit and they gave me $4500) what started this whole mess... the vet said to me they had a note authorising up to $4500 treatment... and that is the only place I can think they picked that number out of the air from.

So, be advised. Be a wise pet owner when you deal with vets, who will disregard common sense and give "excellent care" trying to "diagnose with precision" to aging, suffering dogs with little or no chance of coming back to health, living a decent life, or being without pain. Get everything in writing, sign all estimates, insist on being consulted in case of any interventions above what was originally decided on, insist on being informed of any change in condition of your animal, and the prognosis of whatever he is diagnosed (or non diagnosed with). I don't know about you, but I didn't need to spend $2300 to find out what my dog died of.

Thanks again to everyone who expressed their condolences, those who laughed at the stories with Muesli, and those who reached out a hand to help via paypal. It is totally heartwarming and appreciated.
Leanne

Anonymous: please read.
2006-11-27-4:27 p.m.

Say No to Puppy Mills, not to good breeders
2006-11-27-1:52 p.m.

I do not in any way condone puppy mills, or breeding dogs as if you are manufacturing consumer goods for profit.

I do condone conscientious breeders. Breeders who check out the homes their dogs will go into, to make sure that the new owners are suitable for the breed they offer, understand the long term responsiblities of having a dog: the day to day needs, the medical attention, the financial demands, the long term committment that a dog demands as a family member.

Breeders who breed consciously, attempting to breed dogs without inherited diseases and weaknesses, undesirable temperaments etc., and make sure the animals are wellsocialised, familiar with normal home life etc.

Yes, there is an overabundance of dogs and cats. But the answer to this is not to discourage good breeders, and run to adopt the results of irresponsible puppy mills. I sometimes wonder, when I see sites of puppy mills vaunting how their "retired breeding stock" is adopted into loving homes, or pointing out how the ones that are dumped by the people the breeder sold to find good homes with dog rescuers or adopted out of the spca.

It seems a bit like inviting "good nutrition programs" into schools, sponsored by MacDonalds.

I think that the greyhound-racing industry in the States is quite happy that they can point to rescue programs and feel less guilt that the dogs they abuse for profit become happy family friends later in life.

Yes, I think it is good, laudable and excellent to adopt a dog from a rescuer or the spca and other shelters. I also think it is good to promote good breeders who produce healthy animals and don't overproduce. We could of course all stop buying food from organic small farmers and instead eat all the wasted food left over by the grocery, catering and restaurant industries. We could stop buying clothes, and only insist on wearing unsold stock from stores. We could all stop buying paper, whether it is from sustainable stock, or recycled, and just use the tons of paper dumped by companies daily (ie unused stationary when a company changes its logo: personally I have tons of paper from places like that that lasts me years, but it is not suitable for everything). etc etc etc. Given the overproduction of just about everything in our society, it is unlikely that any manufacturers really need to produce much of anything for about five years.

Same with having babies. There really is an overpopulation of people in the world. If we all got our tubes tied, vasectomies etc, there would still be enough homeless children to go around for a generation or so.

As for me? I am not really dying to have any old dog. I love animals. But I know myself, I know my lifestyle, my living quarters, my personality, my support system (whom I will rely on to walk my dog, care for my dog while I vacation etc). I know what I am willing to take on, or not take on.

Unlike most people who get cute puppies and end up dumping them at the spca or on the street.

The key is: if you cannot get the right dog for your lifestyle, do not get a dog at all. If you cannot give a forever home to a dog, no matter how its behaviour and medical needs play out, don't get a dog. You don't want to get a dog, only to find you become the problem, the one dumping dogs, while at the same time having created the demand.

And for this reason, I will not get a dog that I am uncertain about. I want a puppy of a certain breed, of a certain heritage, and I want to be there to raise and discipline it from the time it is ready to go to a home. I don't want to deal myself, or impose on my friends and fellowdog-owners, a dog who has issues I cannot deal with. If I did not have two cats already, did not live in a densely populated downtown area with high traffic, of vehicles, people, animals. If I wasn't a cluttered person with a home office, with plenty of opportunity for the untrained dog to wreak havoc. If I had a large living space where I could keep a destructive dog in one part of the house, or have space for crate when he is unsupervised, a large outside area with a tall fence, distance from the neighbors in case of barking (inside or out) or destructive outside behaviour, my own car (vs community car share) etc etc, THEN I could get a dog of unknown lineage, unknown temperament, unknown past (was he abused, no training etc) without worrying I'd have to give it up.

But I don't. I looked into Saint Bernard rescue, and just do not fulfil their requirements, other than having previous large breed experience. And I am just not enough of a dog lover (vs a Saint Bernard lover) to be willing to deal with the day to day hassles, as a single person (ie no backup if it is freezing rain, the dog has diarrhea, I am sick as well).

So thanks.

Dog Rescue is fantastic. I used some of the money that people donated in Muesli's name to give to a Saint Bernard rescue here in Canada, to help make a sick dog adoptable. Those people are fantastic. But they usually have husbands, and large houses, SUVs for the dogs, experience training fullgrown adult dogs, tall fences, don't share walls with their neighbors etc.

And the animals at the local shelter need your help too: adopt there if you can find the dog that you can pledge to for the rest of its lifetime, that fits your lifestyle as carefully as a reputable breeder would check you out.

I am all for it.
And don't guilt people who buy one good dog from one good breeder, people who devote the next 10-15 years to that one dog. They are not the problem.
thanks
Leanne

ps, it would be really nice if you leave comments, if you will leave contact info so I can reply to you. In reply to anonymous, well, Muesli's breeder was CKC registered, but was also just a family... they were not what I call "a reputable breeder" in that as far as I know, they did not do proper checking re dysplasia etc in the parents. As for rescue dogs being "problem dogs": I am sorry, that is not what I was saying. They are almost always adult dogs. Rambunctious full grown saint bernard dogs. Who are suddenly in a new home. Without tall fences, where we exercise in a park without fences, surrounded by traffic. I live in a house where I do watercolor paintings for a living. My dog was trained not to step off a sidewalk without permission by the time she was four months old (and only weighed 35 lbs... easy enough to pick her up or discipline her), and she was kept in the kitchen only, slowly allowed into the hall and livingroom as she became housebroken, which is feasible for a small puppy, not so much for a 135 lb dog. She was never allowed into the studio, nor my bedroom. Small baby gates were used, as she was a small baby. As an adult, you couldn't even entice her into these rooms. An adult rescue saint will act like any normal dog I have ever babysat: will zoom through all the rooms etc. Sure, I might luck upon a miraculous non-gatejumping dog, who knows not to go into the street, and won't escape from a new home. But I don't so much want to take the chance that a perfectly lovely nice dog from rescue jumps a three foot fence and is hit by traffic, or runs through my studio after the cat, spilling my liquid paints onto two months of professional artwork. cheers

Translate the FRENCH why dontcha!!!
2006-11-17-9:39 p.m.

Sorry you find the French a problem... I am assuming you are meaning the last page which is online now?
The point was that you don�t need to understand. They are blathering in French about movies and tv shows... totally inane blahblah between people who don�t want to address the dead dog issue, and liliane as an anglophone is walking with, not really listening, nor participating, and the point is that she is just �there� and then automatically pauses as they walk along, blathering (and she is not really listening) because she is used to waiting for muesli before crossing the street.

So, that is why I didn�t translate. You have just had the experience of liliane, the anglophone in Quebec, who doesn�t always hear the conversations cuz she isn�t actively listening.

Now if you really need to know... they are saying:

"yes, we're leaving, Mimi!!"

"super good film on tv last night"
"oh yeah, what channel?"
"I rented a dvd"

"It was an action film on Radio-Canada" (the french version of CBC tv)
" ah, I think I saw it"

"Mine was a romance with Patrick Swayze"
"I don't know it"

"Me, I don't like Patrick Swayze"

Hehe, see what an EXCITING and pertinent dialogue that was. I call it blahblahage. Often I put in french characters chiming in, to give a Quebec flavour. But if it isn't a joke, or essential to understanding the plot, I often don't translate. If you get it, you get it, if you don't you don't... that is the experience of an anglophone or a bilingual anglophone in Montreal. Often you don't even really hear the French unless you listen. In one ear and out the other, unlike when someone is speaking English, my first language, which I cannot help but understand even when I don't want to hear it.

Hope that helps out anyone who thought they were missing something.
And thankyou for any feedback and comments. I read them all, will reply if you leave an email for instance, and check out the problem if any.
cheers
Leanne

Surfing Saints
2006-11-04-6:19 p.m.

What a goof I am. Here I am bawling my eye out. Take a look at these successfully placed rescued Saints... and esp the last photos on the page of Chaucer flying through the snow... what hilarious photos of a goofy fun saint! Look at those ears fly! The grace is astounding! Practically a greyhound! hehe.

Good thing that you cannot buy a rescued Saint over the net with paypal, or I'd have used all my vet $ donations (thank you so much everyone... your generosity bowls me over... a good replacement for a lovey saint) to get a new doggy already this evening.

Back to surfing... and then the work!
BTW here is a great rant about "Outside Dogs". Yes my doggy was a house dog (who lay a lot in the front yard where she could get hellos from all the neighbors).

Comicgen Behind in Updates
2006-10-25-9:49 a.m.

"Fun House" Pulled from Library Shelves
2006-10-24-11:16 p.m.

Alison Bechdel's graphic novel, Fun House: A Family Tragicomic, has been taken out of circulation by a library in Marshall, Mo, according to this article at Kansas City Star. How incredibly depressing. Please pressure your libraries if you have similar problems with adult graphic novels being suppressed.

Forward and Onward
2006-10-19-1:10 a.m.

I don't know if it has anything to do with the passing of doggies, but I think I need to pass onto something lighter and more cheerful (oh yes, the homebuying IS cheerful, but the story from then on?..... you'll see... later).

So, for those of you wondering what will happen next in this epic saga, you will have to wait. And for those of you who were fed up, and wanting something new, congratulations, it will happen. I may even get back to doing a page a day, what with now having no boyfriend and no dog. Frees up the schedule wonderfully, it does. Though I could use some cuddles.

Thankyou for all the condoleances. Thankyou so much to those who donated towards vet costs (and if anyone wants to buy a near-new Saint-sized wheelchair, drop me a line). Thankyou so much for reading.
Leanne

ps: I forgot to write in the $ amount on last friday's comic, so you might want to go back and reread it now, that it is drawn in. sorry!

Goodbye Bestest of Doggies
2006-10-14-1:48 a.m.

It is with great sadness that Leanne would like to announce the passing of her dearest and most loyal friend, Muesli, this evening about 11:13 pm. Muesli had a long and happy life, and was jumping to grab splashes of water in the fountain during her walk in the park (her fave game other than jumping for snow in the winter) up to 6 hours before she started having problems, around 1am Thurs Oct 11.

Muesli was diagnosed with myoasthenia gravis and megasophagus (links provided for the ever curious or nerdy such as myself:

Megaesophagus
Myasthenia Gravis

which caused problems with her swallowing, keeping water down and breathing.

Tonight, to spare her further suffering I had her put down while I held her in my arms. She was the bestest doggy til the end, wagging her tail when I arrived and kissing my face all over.

Please remember my doggy with love and happiness in your heart. She will be greatly missed.
I thank all of you who were friends of hers.
She lived for her friends.

love,
Leanne

RIP Muesli good doggies, Jan 5, 1996- Oct 13, 2006.

Muesli and Anne Marie... Monday Oct 9, 2006

Happy doggies with fountain, icecream, and walkies in the park. Summer 2006

Last photo of Leanne with Muesligooddoggies, Oct 13, 2006

byebye
2006-10-13-8:29 p.m.

I am so sad.

I will miss her so much.

My baby for nearly 11 years.

Byebye Muesli.

hugs,
your mommy

Update on Doggy... Stable and Suffering?
2006-10-13-2:01 p.m.

She is "stable" which means she is still trying to hork something out of her throat, and she is still hyperventilating with a rasping sound.

And the vet people aren't calling me back... called at suppertime last night when I went out for a couple hours to say that oncologist says liver biopsy is normal, neurologist says nerves are normal, orthopedist says her members are all normal except for her arthritis, dermatologist says yes she does have an ear infection as I was already treating her for, blood tests all normal. Do you see the $$ adding up?? He said she is still breathing with marked noise, and horking up water if she drinks so is on intravenous to keep her hydrated. They suspect a mass or foreign body in her throat and would like permission to sedate her.

Now why they didn't ask for that permission and do that 31 hours ago?? I have no clue. Instead they are aspirating cells from her liver and testing them.

I called last night to give my permission. They said, sorry no one here to talk to you. And they said they'd call me back this morning. no call.

When I called early am to give my permission, they said sorry no one to talk to you, we'll call you back. When I called back later am, they said the doctor would absolutely call between 1 and 2pm. It is now
2:07pm.

And when I spoke with them in later am, I said, "that is late to get permission to sedate her to look in her throat", and they replied "there are no specialists here on Friday, it will wait til Monday"

If that is true, WHY did they not get permission and look in her throat yesterday when they had her from before 5 am, and did abdominal ultrasounds, waited for blood and cytology results etc?

If they look in her throat on Monday and find she breathed in a burr she pulled out of her fur, or a piece of dog food or something so minimal, and let her choke and gasp since Wed midnight, I am going to be mighty angry at their "her condition is stable". Stable and choking and gasping is not fixed and healthy, or even diagnosed.

Wish her the best.
Leanne

Doggy is Doing Badly
2006-10-12-12:07 p.m.

Went to the first Massey Lecture.

Went to sleep and was woken up by doggy horking and horking with what seemed like something stuck in her throat. Gave her water, woke up again after less than two hours sleep when horking became constant and continual, with much water and slime horked on the floor, but no positive clearup results, and she started hyperventilating with same rasping horking sound. Called emergency vet (who could hear her horking and rasping gasping over the phone behind me), had to get a car to drive half hour across town (near the airport) to the 24 hour clinic.

$600, 6 xrays later, we know she has good heart, lungs, no stomach torsion or bloat, nothing visibly stuck in trachea, but extended dilated oesophagus, and no let up on the horking up slime and water, and breathing rasping gasping like a bellows.

So I left her there at 9am to be kept under observation, and to do full regular blood workup. Possibility of hitting $2000 if they use a scope to look down her neck, as well as all the tests. Signed up for special animal med credit. ack.

Scared and worried that at nearly 11 yrs old, she might not make it, despite good heart, lungs and great oxygen uptake. Pray for the dog, in whatever religious, secularspiritual way you desire, please. Wish me luck. And sleep. And a clear diagnosis. And a lowish bill (it is already over $600 eh).

So, no comic yet.

But you can go to Rainbow Rumpus and check out the two pages of comics I do there for kids of lgbt parents.

cheers.

Comicgen Login Back to Work
2006-09-18-3:23 p.m.

Comicgen Login Down
2006-09-17-11:45 p.m.

Cartoonist Lea Hernandez loses much in Fire: Help please!!
2006-09-06-4:51 p.m.

Please read this post on the Brian Michael Bendis board from writer Gail Simone:

Basically, Lea Hernandez has lost half of her house in a fire in addition to about 6 of her beloved pets. Most of her stuff is either trashed or smoke damaged. She's got two special needs kids that really need her attention right now, and they've all lost most of their clothes. Lea is a respected artist and creator in the comic book community, and I'm putting the word out to everyone to send her some love. Any small donation you can make to her via PayPal would be appreciated ([email protected]]

She's lost a great deal of her family's possessions, including irreplaceable art. She doesn't yet know the full accounting of what's been lost at this time.

Most know Lea as the brilliant creator of such works as Rumble Girls and Cathedral Child. She drew the Marvel Mangaverse PUNISHER book, and has drawn for TRANSMETROPOLITAN, among many other accomplishments. She is also the co-founder and original editor for GIRL-A-MATIC, one of the most important venues for female-friendly comics created to date.

Donate (PLEASE) to her paypal account at: [email protected]

I also forwarded this to those of you who have news sites or blog
frequently. If you can maybe spread the word, that would be cool, too. Lea also needs art supplies to continue working.

Thanks guys,
Philip

Philip Clark
Musician/Creator/Producer
http://philipclark.com
http://quantumcomic.net
http://dreamchildepress.com
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

Go to it people!
Leanne

Ahhhh, being a Property Owner!
2006-09-06-3:10 p.m.

So, I wish I could stop apologizing and just get back to doing a page a day, but it won't happen any time in the very near future. I hope you'll still check back every day or three, since I AM still doing new pages on this story, trying to squeeze in pencilling one day, inking another, filling in the inks another....

Cheers.
Leanne

Pre-empted by Out Games and Pride!!
2006-07-28-5:17 p.m.

So, very sorry, please read the archives, or order some books or zines if you need more liliane!

Thanks!
Leanne

Last Week No Straight Lines Exhibition San Fran
2006-06-20-3:42 p.m.

Just wanted to remind everyone that we're in the final week of the No Straight Lines exhibition here at the Cartoon Art Museum. It's been a great run, but all good things must come to an end...

The closing reception is set for Thursday night June 22, 7-9pm, here at the Cartoon Art Museum, and I'm expecting it to be one of the highest-attended events in the museum's history. I'll be sure to take some photos and post them for all of you to check out.

Please visit www.cartoonart.org for more details about the reception. If those of you with blogs, message boards and easily-updated websites can spread the word, we'd really appreciate it.

Best,

Andrew
--
Gallery Manager
Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) CAR-TOON, ext. 314
www.cartoonart.org

BTW I am going to put together a printed comic/mini with color cover or somesuch with stories such as Energy Saver as a fundraiser for my doggy, Muesli. She has hip dysplasia and arthritis esp in her pelvis, and is having a hard time getting around. At ten and a half years old she is still peppy, but her rear legs are not keeping up. After consulting with her orthopedic surgeon (yikes!), I have concluded that a dog wheelchair from Dewey's Wheelchairs for Dogs is the answer to her woes, to help keep her mobile.

So, keep your eyes peeled here for an announcement, hopefully within the next week, for a printed collectable issue of doggy stories starring Muesli. I need to raise about $460 US to cover the costs of her new wheels. yikes!!! But I figure if about 50 people out of the hundreds and thousands of liliane readers could spare $10 for a zine, we can get her back running around again.

thanks!!
Leanne

Some Site Updating
2006-05-12-12:51 p.m.

So, thanks Meaghan!

I have just done some updating on the index page as well as the previous comics' templates, so there is no longer a broken link to vote for liliane at webcomicslist. Who knows where THAT disappeared to... the whole site has gone offline, which is unfortunate since it was a good referal site for comics.

I also finally updated the Archives page which hadn't been done since August 2005. I didn't upload any new images for the page, but at least the comics since Aug are listed. I broke down the current story by month, with page numbers, so that may be helpful to some. I guess I could also do one of those drop-down plot menus so people could find the scene they are looking for, since the story is so long.

I'll try to get the Online Links page updated a bit sometime in the next week (I dare not say "over the weekend" !!)... I realize that I haven't listed current online reviews of liliane there, only in this blog. Ahhh, letting things slide!!

OK, gotta run!
Leanne

On Our Backs... and in Italy too
2006-04-08-12:56 a.m.

Liliane will appear in an anthology with work by Howard Cruse, Alison Bechdel, Tim Fish, Paige Braddock and Tom Bouden, published by Coniglio Editore publisher in Rome. As we read (no we aren't speaking), some lucky translater is tackling Reves Rubenesques, Swimming Pool Suitor and Progress!, trying to find the Italian equivalent of my english version of french accents. hah!!

So yes, it was time to find a way to scan without it taking a half hour per scan... 20 pages of scanning would have been 10 hours, if I didn't make any mistakes! yikes yikes yikes! But now we are happily up and running with TWO computers, TWO printers, a cd burner, two keyboards, two mice (mouses??) and just one monitor which we have to switcharoo. I scan on the G3 with ease, grace and efficiency, can do my photoshop work therein as well, and burn it onto a cd. And then plug the cd into the G4 to do anything else with it, internet etc. Anyways, I never thought I'd be so happy not to have sold my old G3 setup. yay!!

On other news, there is an article called Raunch Hands about lesbian and lesbian-friendly cartoonists (that's me!!) in On Our Backs Magazine. Incredibly, probably because it doesn't contain much muffdiving, you can read it online. Though there are more visuals in the actual print version. Very cool.

OK, gotta run. I am going to a conference all day Saturday, starting at 8:30 am, which unfortunately doesn't leave me the sleep time I would hope for. Oh poor me, who hasn't finished her comic page!! bad bad girl!!! Tomorrow night I swear, it will be up (that's Saturday eve yeah). cheers!

What to do while Leanne's brain is offduty
2006-04-04-11:25 p.m.

KINK INK: Silent Art Auction
2006-04-04-10:47 p.m.

A benefit for CSC's operating expenses, including its sexuality research library and archive, Kink Ink includes a silent auction of donated items, especially focusing on original adult comic art; a VIP reception featuring special porn-performer guests Fatty D and Golden Age icon CJ Laing, PLUS artists drawing art on live nude models and tasty hors d'oeuvres and swag bags for every paying VIP guest; and, after 8, a slate of performances by artists Tom Orr, Carol Queen (Peep Show), Jukie Sunshine, Marie Wade, and more! Jay Lake has just confirmed a session of live slash writing; he will produce a short story before your very eyes, using key words the audience provides!

Artist contributors to Kink Ink include Mark Bode, Alison Bechdel, Annie Sprinkle, Charles Gatewood, Donna Barr, Colleen Coover, Paige Braddock, Terry Moore, Jennifer Camper, Leanne Franson, Michael Christopher, David Kelly, Heidi Wyckoff, Carol Queen, and Ruby Pearl! Newly added: work by Isabel Samaras, Justin Hall, Michael Rosen, Larry Utley,�Fran Frisch, Jay Lake, Joe Demaree, Heather Weitman, M. Woolson,�and more! Some of the artists have donated multiple pieces. Extra special offbeat stuff from the Center for Sex & Culture's archives! Gotham's Fantasies artists will donate a percentage of any sales to CSC as well. Many Kink Ink donating artists will be on hand for the event, held the same weekend as the Alternative Press Expo.�

Auction payments may be made via cash, check, or Paypal (we will have a computer on site for people desiring to use Paypal).

And the previous night, 4/7, don't forget the prequel: the opening night for Gotham's Fantasies! Dress like a superhero or villain. All the detail at sexandculture.org -- more on Kink Ink at that URL as well, including Mark Bode's sexy KI graphic!�

Oh Woe, not another missing update!
2006-04-03-4:12 p.m.

So, instead of drawing my liliane page I am massively rushing to research new illustration clients and send out samples. Who knew it was so time consuming. Well, I guess I did, but had forgotten, since it has been years that I have been booked for months in advance, and suddenly now, nothing. Very problematic.

And jeepers, I am so in the middle of this storyline, but sometimes wish I could just write a onepager here and there that comes to my mind. Something simple and not in the storyline.

Maybe leave me a comment and tell me if it would drive you insane to have a page of completely offtopic comics here and there. Of course it will be a problem when people try to read the story all at once later, since it is comicgen who links up the "next page" "previous page" not me. So I can't link the storyline pages to follow and have the other offtopic ones aside.

Let me know.
later!
(and yes, I am actually taking an indoor climbing class tonight, not sending out more illo promos, so don't feel tooooo sorry for me!)
Leanne

Work Crowds out Liliane
2006-03-15-1:28 a.m.

Sorry bout that. I will try to get an update as soon as humanly possible.
But thank god for paying work.
finally.
cheers!

Austin Texas, Sat, March 4: Keith Knight
2006-03-03-1:07 a.m.

*STAPLE: AUSTIN INDIE COMICS FESTIVAL This� SAT. March 4, 10am-6pm @ The� Red Oak Ballroom in Northcross Center, 2525 West Anderson Lane.
An event to promote independent creative media: comics, mini-comics, zines, art, and self-published literature. This'll be my first time there, so come on through and bring some damned BBQ!!�
Oh..I'll also be doing my world-famous slideshow at 2:30pm.� Here's the description of it from their website:

2:30-3:30: Keith Knight: The "Other" Black Cartoonist
Award-winning San Francisco cartoonist and rapper Keith Knight (the K Chronicles, (th)ink) brings the slideshow that wowed them in San Diego to Staple! 2006. Hear the Mad Magazine contributor spin humorous tales of censorship, hate mail, the trials and tribulations of self-syndication and being mistaken for "Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder.

If you are anywhere near Austin Texas this weekend, go see him! He is GREAT!!!!!

Yay for Clearprint!!
2006-02-22-11:59 p.m.

They are just the greatest. Already I like the paper cuz it is 100% cotton, nice and transparent (I put my panel grid underneath it when I draw, and it is easy to make changes on a different sheet of paper, just put the new sheet over the already inked one, ink the new changes on the new paper cuz you can see where it goes, then scan them in separately to add the new changes in).

But their customer service quite frankly is the greatest.

A few months ago I had some problems with a new pad of paper having ink bleedthrough.
I called their tollfree customer service number (lovely it is available in Canada too, not just the states): 1-800-766-7337 and a very friendly man expressed great concern and expressposted me a new replacement pad of paper for free. Dang!

And lately I have been having problems with ghosting... the pencil is hard to get out of the paper when I erase it, and if I erase harder, my inking disappears. I think this is due to the new pencil leads I got. I have problems with it smearing too, when I do my regular illustration drawings on other paper. They are Pilot .5mm leads... H and H should NOT smudge, nor leave ghosting. So I called them up again, and the same wonderful customer service guy gave me the lowdown on the supplies they use when they test the paper, and get great crisp ink lines and no ghosting.

So I thought I would share with you, since I love the paper, and since they were so accomodating (the guy even called me back when I had just left a message saying I was having ghosting problems!)

They use:

• Berol Turquoise pencils (not leads)... #375 - 2H


• Pink Pearl erasers (surprised me! I used mars-staedtler white ones. Who knew regular pink pearl erasers are recommended by the paper manufacturer!)


• Rapidograph rapidraw ink #3084-F (says for film, but they use it on the clearprint with great results)
• and if you want to erase off the ink, apparently a sanford electric erasor with sanford white for pencil eraser #73 product #75214 works well, and doesn't ruin the paper and you can reink over it!

So there you go. My passed-on tips from Clearprint.

happy drawing!
Leanne

Keenspace not Updating on Time
2006-01-21-8:11 p.m.

I just looked and Thursday the 19th's comic is still the one up... despite me having uploaded one for Saturday. When I uploaded it there were fewer than 400 in the queue, and now there are 8436 in the queue waiting to be updated.

So, yes there is a new comic, and no, there is nothing I can do at the moment to have you see it.

But I am back at cartooning regularly, and uploading regularly, in case if you were wondering if I have reappeared or not.
yes I have.

cheers!
Leanne

Puter Conks Out on Late Return
2006-01-09-11:23 p.m.

I did finish a page today, but my photoshop or my computer or somesuch is refusing to save it... Disc Error it says. Yay. No idea what that means, but without saving the scan I cannot upload it.

Can I fix it tomorrow?
Well, I am flying to Vancouver tomorrow the 10th til the 17th at night.
So no fixing will happen on my puter during that time.

Will I find a way to upload to keenspace from Vancouver?
That is iffy.
Very iffy.

If there is a new comic, you know I found a way.
If there is no new comic, I did not find a way.
Yes it sucks.
No I don't know why with a G4 instead of my old G3, it seems to think there is not space left on the disc, or whatever. It sucks. The big time.
Big big time.

Anyways, I am not dead. Just having a life.
Haven't seen my mom in 4 years.
Will see her tomorrow after lunch. yay!

Hadn't had a lover or partner in over 2 yrs. Now have a boyfriend with two kids.
It takes a lot of time, especially over the holidays. And then the day after he goes back to work and the kids go to school, my computer refuses to save, and I fly off into the sunset.

I will hopefully get back to our normal schedule after January 18. Yes I know. yeah. uhuh.

Wish me a good trip.
cheers.

Queue of Gazillions
2005-12-19-10:45 a.m.

And it took me three drawing sessions to draw in all the tiny buildings in the new page's cityscape.
But WAIT! where IS that cityscape? goldang... I just checked and it isn't posted yet. Keenspace/comicgen seems to be stuck on the updating again. I uploaded a day ago and there was a queue of 1900 strips. Today I looked to see what was up with the new page not appearing... there is NOW a queue of 7000 strips waiting to be updated by the site. ack.

so, just so's you know there is a new page, and you are not the only unhappy comicsgen fans right now. 7000 strips uploaded and not public yet. sheesh.

OK, hope you're managing to squeeze in work, play, christmas shopping and office parties! What a time of year!
cheers!
Leanne

Leanne Snogging and Having a Life!!!
2005-12-12-12:40 p.m.

Yes, I have **TTTTAAAAA DDDDAAAAAAA****!!!!!

... a boyfriend!

yikes!
Someone who has actually committed to um, saying he likes me and we are going steady! Just like when I was 16!! The last time this happened was three days before i left for Banff School of Fine Arts for 7 months.. in 1988. And no, THAT relationship did not even last out the first long-distance month.

So, yeah, this past weekend, I prioritised crazy insane things that are totally out of this world: talking with another adult! kissing! eating meals together! hanging out with his kids! walking in the woods with the kids and the dog! eating more meals together! sleeping and cuddling!

Egads! a queerfriendly artsy funky guy around my age, a great dad, talkative, playful, affectionate, intelligent (though he'll argue that he's not), cute as can be, and lives just around the corner. Dang!!

I did do two pages of comics for this website... hopefully they'll eventually post it, sooner than later. Scroll down a wee bit on the Stories page... they have placed the icon for my comic below the fold. ack. The previous two two-pager stories should be there already, if the Dec pages aren't yet up.

So yeah, I am NOT apologising for having a life... FINALLY! More just saying what is up, yay!!!!
I am just posting the Friday comic now, and I WILL try to get another page done today for Sunday, and one tomorrow for Tues, and then we should be back on track for the page bi-daily.

cheers!
Leanne

Not Done til we Get There
2005-12-06-11:24 p.m.

Hello Leanne,

I discovered your site about six months ago, and I have to tell you I've read through all your archives, not to be satisfied with the daily updates! Your illustrations have a deft touch that softens but doesn't detract from some of your statements on love, lust, sexuality, gender, class, nation, and everything else. Your comic "I Once Loved a Girl" moved me to tears the first time I read it.

That said, I would like to gently encourage you to wrap up your current story. I can certainly sympathize with your message, being a student myself, but the storyline has been going for nearly two months, and I'm eager to see what new, exciting directions you can take the strip in.

Keep up the great work!

From California,
Theresa

Glad you like my stuff, appreciate that you made your way through all the archives.

Sorry bout the current story. I haven�t been getting done a page a day, so it is obviously ending up being more than twice as long.
Sorry that it isn�t going to �wrap up� soon... the story is about �I used to be a nouveau riche�. I am sorry I got carried away with the middle of it. That�s the problem with adlibbing. But the story isn�t �I used to be poor�, or even �I am rich�, but �I used to be nouveau riche�, so we have to get her earning money, out of the hole, rich, getting used to being rich, and then becoming a �used to be� rich. Ya aren�t gonna get that in the next two days.

So, sorry. You can always order the 42 minicomics (ok, only about 32 of them are not online) and the three books if you want something else to read. If that�s not ok, you�ll have to lurk at another site for a month or two, and then come back to see what new exciting directions I can take the strip in.

That�s what happens when your creator is an independent not for profit, doin this in her own spare time on her own dime for herself kinda gal, instead of a paid by someone to please the public kind of gal... she writes what she wants and gets done when she wants.

Thanks for taking the time to write!
cheers!
Leanne

I'd also like to point out that I have also done eight pages for the upcoming Juicy Mother 2 book edited by Jennifer Camper, a colour page for Girlfriends magazine, and work for Rain*bow Rumpusdotcom for children with lgbt parents, as well as illustrating multiple children's novels and textbooks in the last two months. If you can find another cartoonist who does a page a day or every two days for free as well as all that, I congratulate you. But right now I am experimenting with actually starting a love and sex life too for the first time in 2 1/2 yrs... so it is possible I cannot dedicate all my time to keenspace.

Anyways, I appreciate the support and the requests. It would please me too to be onto the next adventure. But unless I write "to be continued later" (and we know that when I did that with three different minicomic storylines they were continued never), or start doing five or six pages a day, we are stuck with where we are going until we get there.

Cheers!
Leanne

Read Both Pages
2005-12-05-1:45 p.m.

Keenspace on Queue
2005-12-04-2:42 p.m.

Ellen Forney Ties the Knot in Vegas!!
2005-12-02-2:38 p.m.

Crush Derails Comic Update
2005-11-23-5:12 a.m.

Golldang, I have become one of those horrid cartoonists who post guilty excuses instead of their comic update! I hate me i hate me! But the guy is sweet though!

Leanne

Liliane and the MeatMen!!
2005-11-08-5:39 a.m.

And I just went over to Prism.org since they just sent us an email about updating our profile categories, and it turns out that my profile there, and apparently my liliane keenspace site, are EROTICA. They have got to be kidding. Take a look at the company liliane is with!! Lots of juicy oversized dicks, I tellya!

Boy oh boy, are readers going to be disappointed when they get to liliane, and she's all skinny lines, and stories about dogs, LUGS and political lesbians, queer politics and my financial ups and downs. Dang. One could go VERY LIMP looking for erotica in liliane.

So, I wrote them to see what the heck is up.
Maybe y'all could write too. Unless of course you jack off to liliane all the time.
whooo hoooo!!!!

Szerzoink?
2005-10-29-11:17 p.m.

Here I am on a page from Hungary (i think), listed next to Charlotte Bronte, Ernest Hemmingwayand Lucy Maude Montgomery! Anyone read Hungarian??

Leanne

FTP, such a GOOD Idea!
2005-10-23-6:56 p.m.

Sorry!

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