MURPH! book release party

see more annie murphy at http://ghostcatcomics.blogspot.com/

Event: Book Release, Art Show, and Book-Signing
for
I Still Live: Biography of a Spiritualist
A Xeric Award-winning graphic novella by
Annie Murphy
Friday, April 10th (the first Friday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox), 2009
7:00pm--10:00pm
1914 S.E. Ankeny
Portland, Oregon


Come celebrate Spring and the spirit of renewal, rebirth, and recovery
with this comic book tribute to poet, activist, and spirit-medium Achsa Sprague, and a show of original artwork from the book.

What the people say:

"I Still Live is a masterful hybrid work.
Part adaptation of the spiritualist Achsa
Sprague's diary, part history book, and
part memoir, it channels the past into the
present in a haunting and vivid way."
--Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home

"Annie Murphy has that rare gift to make
history feel immediate and urgent. I Still Live
is not only well researched but comes alive on
the page. Achsa Sprague has been revived."
--James Sturm, author of The Golem's Mighty Swing

"This was the most self-assured debut of the year by
an artist whose interests include the intersection
between spiritualism and feminism and whose style
occupies the space between quietude and poetic sweep.
As she refines her style, she will be a fascinating talent to watch."
--Rob Clough, of Sequart Research and Literacy Organization.

review at comicrelated.com
news article from Vermont Woman Magazine
#3 on Comics Journal's ten great minicomics of 2008



Thank you to Charles at Eberhardt press for printing this
new and improved, two-color off-set version of the comic,
and thanks so much to the Xeric Foundation for funding it.

I sure hope you can make it.
Sincerely,
Annie Murphy

full moon weekend

first off, thank you lamberts!
they gave us a turkey a couple weeks ago and friday i put it in the fridge from the freezer and yesterday a handful of us here in the junc had dinner together at the american parlor/red haus, which was quite nice.
i appreciated sitting down with folk and eating together. so often i either eat standing or grazing while working. and i also enjoyed spending time in the kitchen, which i don't do nearly enough as of late. having a hand in food preparation feels good for the soul.
it really felt like a sort of happy holiday. thank you everyone!
this was also made possible because i have spent the weekend teaching myself to color on the computer. being at this point is making this comic fun again. i kept re-drawing these images that originally took about five minutes and made me laugh for about fifteen. inking seemed to take forever, and felt relieved when i reached what seemed an okay stopping point. but this coloring thing: it is taking forever (i sat at this computer for about thirty-five hours on saturday). and there are intervals where i start to exclaim that this is an awesome comic and sometimes i mean it! it's good not to be sick of whatever you are working on. that too is good for the soul.
anyway, here is a peak: