iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Agreed. Bear would at least be swift.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

3 Bears tip jar is full. 1000 rats is empty. These people are delulu.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Happy First Peanuts Strip Anniversary to all who celebrate. Oct 2, 1950:

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Check the Chris Foss designs for "the Derelict," the alien spacecraft eventually designed by H.R. Giger.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Been reading my way through this since it showed up yesterday. Fascinating stuff--looking forward to the whole series! (Well worth a Patreon subscription if, like me, you're a spaceship design nerd!) Had no idea Chris Foss was so involved in Alien initially.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Wait... is the gag here that the parrot has heard Ian in the throes of ecstasy w Mary Worth? If so: (a) yuck, (b) that's actually a pretty funny gag.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Stephen King by Naoki Urasawa. Neil Young t-shirt is a nice touch!

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

R.C. Harvey was one of the greats. Beautifully-written and spot-on analysis of J. Wellington Wimpy:

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yeah, totally agree. I think that's why he was so good with Dr. Strange and Spider-man. Neither would have worked as big, jacked-up Kirby-style characters.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm more a Dr. Strange guy, but yeah Ditko's my fave Strange artist--and, like you, I came to his art only later after reading comics mostly in the 80's.

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Derf Backderf @derfbackderf.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And let the memes commence.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

To be fair, $200 is roughly the price of two beers at Dodger Stadium. 😛

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just looked. Good Lord you weren't kidding were you?!?

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Unboxed him! He's surprisingly substantial—weighs a ton. (Although, I suppose if you're running a payroll of $300 million dollars a year you've got no excuse for giving out poorly-made bobbleheads.)

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A while ago I got asked by a newspaper writer to comment on the weirdness of Steve Ditko's artwork. He used pretty much none of my response... but I posted it on my blog. Check it out, Ditko heads! #Ditko #Comics www.benzilla.com/?p=8080

benzilla.com

Why is Steve Ditko’s Art so Weird-Looking?

I recently received an inquiry from a writer at the Daily Telegraph, asking me a few questions about Steve Ditko’s art style for an article he was working on–presumably to coincide with…

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In the mail yesterday. Family in LA doing the lord's work.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

You really can't do a comic that takes place in the 90's unless you feature at least one character w the ridiculous then-trend of wearing shorts over long-johns.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Usually the last step before I start inking is to go back and tweak the characters at the beginning of the book so that they match how I draw them at the end. And, always, having to correct head/body ratio.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Someone on Reddit put together this WHA 2016 to 2026 character style changes comparison. I see ppl occasionally *complaining* about this. I'm like, fool, I'd be lucky if I got this little "character design drift" in a single one of my ~100ish pg books!

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Colin Smith @colinsmith.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Batman & Alfred in the Bat-Cave, by Roger Langridge, who makes everything here look authentic and fun.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Sorting through a bunch of stuff pre-house renovations and unearthed these great WHA postcards we got at Angoulême and then apparently forgot about!

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Patch Zircher @patrickzircher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A panel that was key to John Byrne's success is this horizontal, diagrammatic panel establishing character position & relationships to each other, allowing for movement and text, and not taking up much space. He must have done this a hundred times. Keeps a story clear & running like a clock.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Or imagine if it were one of the better-loved ones: Midvale School for the Gifted, how dinosaurs really went extinct, cow tools, objects in mirror are closer than they appear, etc.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Dayummm that Far Side original sold for $112K. That's a crazy price for a single-panel gag strip. Assuming it's because you pretty much never see a Far Side original in the wild (this is the first one I've seen on the auction block for sure).

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gabriel @gironda.org · 24/09/2026

girl, you’ll be a moomin, soon

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Cartoon Crossroads Columbus @cartooncrossroads.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

CXC 2027 Exhibitor Applications are NOW OPEN! Want to exhibit at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus? We want to see what you're making! Applications are open now through November 3 at 11:59 PM EST. CXC 2027: April 15–18, 2027 Expo: April 17–18 Apply now → airtable.com/app2SGD1Urob...

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This is a hilarious story... and a great example of early fanfic. Nothing new under the sun!

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Tom Shapira @tomshaps.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Typical Comics Journal writer

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

My favorite French comics word is "gaufrier," which literally means waffle iron, but is used to connote a regular panel grid on a comics page—which totally makes sense.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

TIL there's a French word for jungle adventure comics that are derived from/similar to Tarzan.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This would have been a good email to send out, ya know, yesterday?

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hahaha. From the Frank Miller biography:

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Spotted this on the bookshelf at the Wexner Center bookstore last night and did a double-take. This is been OOP forever... but apparently not any more! Amazing anthology of vintage kids' comics. In addition to Art & Françoise, Jeet Heer and Jeff Smith worked on this I think?

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Also note: CXC strives to keep table rates as low as possible for artists: half-table is $100, full is $200. That's about half of most other indie shows. We also reserve a full in-town hostel for exhibitors that's under $50/night IIRC depending on room. And admission to the show is always free!

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Exhibitor applications for CXC 2027 are now open! Note that we're in the spring now: April 15-18. mailchi.mp/cartooncross...

mailchi.mp

CXC 2027 Exhibitor Applications Are OPEN! 🎉

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

It's laborious, but really having fun with background characters in In the Weeds, like this pair of bomber jacket-clad punk aplacas.

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Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Should've called a Twins game but MLB has no fucking whimsy on staff

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Was at an event at the Thurber House last week. Artists-in-residence, visitors, etc. sign the inside of one of the upstairs closets. Here's a few: Cathy Guiswhite, Columbus's own Raf Rasado, Elvis Costello, and Patrick McDonnell.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Tomorrow in Columbus, y'all! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This panel in the new Tony Millionaire comic is truly one for the ages.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Morrissey performing at Riot Fest in a Morrissey t-shirt is Peak Morrissey®.

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Ben Towle @benzilla.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

(Three if you count the <cough, cough > "unofficial" ongoing translation of Final Manga Classroom. I read the first chapter, but am gonna hold out for the official translation.)

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