10--"Penny Arcade"--(Internet)--Two geeky gamesters, Gabe and Tycho, live out their lonely lives and wryly comment on the gaming/fan scene.
9--"Liberty Meadows"--This delightfully drawn Frank Cho strip enjoyed a limited run in the newspapers,then survives as a comic book...A hot babe,a shy veterinarian,and lots of funny animal characters...
8--"Archie"--Just what you want your newspaper comics to be:short and to the point.A joke a day,with Archie and the gang.Bob Montana started the strip in '47,later continued by the great Dan DeCarlo, and is still in newspapers drawn by Scarpelli and Boldman.
7--" Dick Tracy"--Camp classic. When I was a kid, I used to cut out all of the "Crimestoppers Textbook" things from the Sunday pages.
6--"Diesel Sweeties: Love and Pixels"--(Internet)--A 4-panel daily comic done in 8-bit graphics,that showcases the lives of a diverse bunch of Gen-Xers (Indie rock Pete, Maura,the retired porno star that lives with a robot,and her goth sister)...From the wonderfully twisted mind of R. Stevens.
5--"Doonesbury"--Sentimental fave I've followed for years...Never gets old,usually manages to stay fresh and topical.
4--"Arlo & Janis"--Jimmy Johnson's slice-of-life strip probably only seems like an inside joke to married people, but it's usually the first thing I look for when I open the paper.
3--"Bloom County"--Berke Breathed hit the mark on this one...Who can forget Bill the cat and Steve Dallas?
2--"Peanuts"--The supreme minimalist, The "Man", Charles Schultz, infused his strip with pathos and vulnerability...A most beautiful strip that will stand the test of time, as long as there is a little bit of Charlie Brown in all of us.
1--"Calvin & Hobbes"--Calvin's snowmen...dinosaurs flying F-16s...There is so much about this strip that reminds me about how much of a fantasy world I was living in when I was 7 or 8...Bill Watterston pushed all the right buttons and (wisely or unwisely) quit while he was ahead..."Come Back, Calvin & Hobbes!"

"Honorable Mentions: Local boys make good". A special tip-of-the-hat to local boys Denis Lebrun and Scott A. Gilbert...After meeting Denis many years ago when he was drawing "Aw Heck", He is now in charge of "Blondie"...and as for former Tampa resident and still friend, Scott Gilbert, his strip, "True Artist Tales", ran in the Houston Press for ten years...Way to go, guys!

THE TOP TEN COMIC STRIPS OF ALL TIME        by William Moriaty
Readers: the following list was submitted by William Moriaty last February when he mistakenly thought our then-Top Ten challenge for Best Comics meant comic strips not comic books. Following below, published for the first time, and now that it's appropriate(!), is Will's original list. ---Nolan

1. "Blondie": This shouldn't surprise anyone due to my close ties to the strip and Tampa artist Denis Lebrun, but I do rank this the supreme honor in its ability to have persisted through eight decades and still provide a world audience with a fresh and clean laugh on a daily basis. This strip has seen many others in its time come and go since creator Chic Young penned it so many years ago. It has been an honor and privilege for me to asssist Denis with the strip on an as-needed basis. In addition to being a great man, Denis is a master artist and has been instrumental in bringing the strip into the 21st Century. Chic Young and famed "Blondie" artist Jim Raymond would be proud!
2. "The Yellow Kid": Although not one of my personal favorites, this turn of the last century strip in many ways launched the daily newspaper comic strip as we know it.
3. "The Far Side": Man do I miss this Gary Larson one panel daily from the 1980's. This strip truly had me in stitches almost daily. Larson's intellectual and scientific bent on things made this a classic gem. My favorites include ants frolicking at a picnic when they see nukes going off in the distance; two mobsters moving furniture around pointing to their victim and saying "Next time this ain't the only thing we'll rearrange if we don't get our money"; a man being lifted into the air by an invisible force with a little nerdy kid saying "My invisible friend Bob doesn't like it when people don't believe in him; and a panel that simply showed a "Ship of Fools" and "Car of Idiots".
4. "Bloom County": Another sorely-missed 1980's strip was this daily by artist Berke Breathed. The stories centered around young child Milo Bloom and his strange cast of friends "Binkley" a fellow child with red hair, "Opus", a talking lovable penquin, "Steve Dallas" a huckster yuppie, and my favorite, "Bill the Cat", a burned-out cat who was killed in car wreck but reincarnated when he was cloned from his tongue which was left at the accident scene. My favorite series was their rock band "Death Tongue", with "Wild Bill Cat" doing lead vocals. The band then changed its name to "Billy and the Boingers" which released an actual record with a "Bloom County" book. Favorite song: "Let's Run Over Lionel Ritchie With A Tank". In 1988, Breathed renamed the strip to "Outland" and limited it to Sundays. As Bill the Cat would say, "Ack--thhpp".
5. "Calvin and Hobbs": What absolutely incredible artwork! This 1980's strip about a boy ("Calvin") and his tiger doll that would come to life ("Hobbs") was a very innovative strip, projecting "Calvin's" fantasies into what apppeared to be real life. My favorite scenes were those where the two would go bob-sledding and "Hobbs" would always find a way to make the sled turn over or crash-- but uninjured, "Calvin" would just laugh it off with his imaginary friend. Masterfully drawn by Bill Watterson, this strip died a premature death like "The Far Side" and "Bloom County" by the early 1990's and sadly enough is only seen mainstream in the form of images of "Calvin" on cars or pick up trucks urinating on logos or people that the drivers of said vehicles hold in contempt. How shameful...
6. "Rose Is Rose": Yes, this can be an incredibly cloying strip that result in insulin overload, but the graphics are often masterful. "Fish Eye" and "Crow's View" images are in constant use. Also enjoyable is how artist Pat Brady metamorphisizes "Rose" and her husband "Jimbo" when something, like a spring day or pile of fall leaves makes them become small children, or when "Rose" metamorphisizes from housewife to motorcycle mama when eating hot peppers or making bold decisions. This strip is an uplifting little gem.
7. "Family Circle": One of the finest family entertainment values by Bill Keane, this one panel daily can often be heartwarming without being pretentious or sappy. It continues to remain the same regardless of the rigors of time and changes in social values.
8. Tie-- "B.C.", "Beetle Bailey", "Hi and Lois": These strips by Johnny Hart, Mort Walker, and Chance Browne all had their origin in the early 1950's and continue to this day to be staples that are still generally fresh and enjoyable.
9. Tie-- "Judge Parker", "Mary Worth", "Apartment 3-G": Although I have never been a fan of serial comic strips, I always admired that they came the closest to looking like actual comics books (at least when I was a kid in the 60's)
10. "Batman" circa 1966 edition-- Had pencils by Carmine Infantino, daily inks by Joe Giella and Sunday inks by Murphy Anderson was a masterpiece comic book to comic strip conversion. This was far superior to the third incarnation in the late 80's early 90's also pencilled by Infantino. Also, the first comic strip version of the 40's and 50's was a notable effort, with "Batman" originator Bob Kane credited with the effort (though probably drawn by "Batman" ghost artists Dick Sprang or Sheldon Moldoff).

THE TOP TEN COMIC STRIPS OF ALL TIME        by Michael A. Smith
Readers: the following list also appears in this week's Mike's Rant.---Nolan

OK! This is what I'm talking about! The funny pages, man! I quickly name "Peanuts" to the Hall of Fame. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the gang will always live on in my memory. Easily my all time favorite. Here are the next 10, in no particular order:

1. BLOOM COUNTY: probably the most consistently funny strip I've ever read. From Steve Dallas to Opus the Penguin, from laying in a field of dandelions to Bill the Cat's version of "Tomorrow," the mind of Berke Breathed gave us a multitude of laughs. One of my faves ran towards the end of the strips run when one of the characters found out he was destined to join the "Family Circus" and was drawn in Bill Keane's unmistaken style.
2. THE FAR SIDE: easily the most laughs out of one panel. Far to many to pick out one fave. But if I had to: a fish heading towards the surface of the water, tail first. The caption: His tail encased in styrofoam, Carl is sent to "sleep with the humans."
3. BABY BLUES: I don't know why this strip amuses me so much, but it does. The adventures of little girl Zoe, her brother, Hammie, and their parents just hit home so much. Maybe it comes with being a parent.
4. BLONDIE: long before Denis Lebrun was drawing menu's for "Pop and Son's" Blondie was a favorite of mine. I know I can easily relate to Dagwoods love for sleeping and the occasional giant sandwich.
5. FUNKY WINKERBEAN: Though it's been around for as long as I can remember, I only started following "Funky" the past few years. It's look at today's world, along with the problems that come with it, is always touching and often very funny.
6. HI and LOIS/BEETLE BAILEY: Between Sarge and Otto or Ditto and Dot, both of these strips continue to amuse. If I'm not mistaken, Beetle is Lois's brother.
7. MARY WORTH/MARK TRAIL: I combined these two because they are very similar in that they are like short stories. It usually takes a month or so for another chapter to end. I also used to read APARTMENT 3:G, but stopped after the Kansas City Star canceled it in order to run RED and ROVER, which is basically "Calvin and Hobbes" without the tiger or the wit. Speaking of...............
8. CALVIN and HOBBES: What a great strip. And kudos to Bill Waterson for not selling out and mass marketing his characters (though I would have loved to have a stuffed "Hobbes.") Like the Carol Burnett show, Waterson chose to go out on top.
9. DILBERT: for anyone who has EVER worked, this strip is like therapy. I don't think there is anyone who hasn't dealt with a Dogbert, Catbert or Pointy Haired Boss at least once in their life.
10. DOONESBURY: No one has the balls Gary Trudeau does to consistently point out the obvious in our world. I was able to have a little insight into the comics biz last September. While appearing in the play, "Glen Gary Glen Ross," I discovered that one of my fellow actors was the inker for this strip. Following the Sept 11 attacks, he commented on how fast Trudeau decided to preempt his current strips (which were negative towards President Bush) and insert a different story line. Of course, it wasn't long until it was business as usual again.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
I always felt like an idiot because EVERYONE I grew up with could draw. Me, I couldn't draw water from a well. Thankfully, I was smart enough to save pretty much every drawing I've ever gotten from my friends so that one day I can make a fortune off of their efforts. From the early work of "True Artist's Tales" creator Scott A. Gilbert to the early fanzines of our own Nolan B. Canova, from the multitude of "remember when" comics that Matt would send me to the really bad drawings Ben Gregory would do when we were roommates, these little artistic masterpieces hold a special place in my life and in my heart.

Renegade Films, Inc. Phone: 727-688-5756 Fax: 253-736-8720 Email: rick@renegadefilms.net Web Site: http://www.renegadefilms.net

Renegade Films, Inc. Announces "Saints & Sinners 2" Film Festival

SAINT PETERSBURG, FL -- 9/29/02 -- Renegade Films, Inc. will be hosting 'SS2' on Saturday November 30th 2002 at the State Theatre in downtown Saint Petersburg. The event will showcase local independent feature-length and short films in the categories of 'Non-Horror Comedy and Drama' (Saints) and 'Horror' (Sinners). A festival jury will present awards to the winning film in each category. The purpose of the festival is to gain greater exposure for the local independent filmmaking scene and generate interest in the business of filmmaking in Florida. The first Saints and Sinners Film Festival was held earlier in the year, Renegade Films Inc. showcased over fifteen local films to a sold out theater. A Standing room only crowd helped create a lot of excitement and exposure for the many talented Florida Filmmakers who were a part of the event. The 'SS2' festival schedule features many exciting and acclaimed films from Florida film makers, including; 'Justice' - Pete Bauer, 'We Believe' - 12th Man Films, 'Gibtown' - Decoy Films, 'When shadows lie darkest' - Fear Films, 'Filthy' - Tinker Wins, 'The Pledge' - Renegade Films, 'The Uninvited' - Relic Films, 'Wonder Boy 2' - Minor League Pictures, 'Winter's End' - Jennifer Whitaker and many more . A special feature will be screened from Michael Maiello, who helped bring us the Academy Award winning 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' and 'Ciao Manhattan' . Other special guests include the Ultimate Scream Queen Linne'a Quigley- 'Return of the Living Dead', Mike Fox- 'Independent Edge Releasing' and Peter D'Alessio 'Yo Soy Irini'. Festival submissions will be accepted through October 31st at no cost to the filmmakers. Submission details, screening information, and a schedule for the event will be available at http://www.renegadefilms.net. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the promotion of the festival and we are still accepting proposals for additional corporate sponsors in our quest to help the Central Florida Filmmaking community get the exposure we feel it truly deserves. Rick Danford RENEGADE FILMS

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