Tony: Buy Local When Buying a Calendar for the New Year

I’m thinking about trying to be nicer next year.

It may involve far too much effort to make it worth my while but maybe nicer is the way to go. So far the “Kansas City nice guy act” has earned this town a multitude of local politicians who haven’t kept any of their promises. Also, nice guy tax break giveaways are responsible for massive Kansas City debt thanks to attractions like The P&L District with the populace mostly unconcerned and uninterested in the details and simply happy to smile at parties.

But I digress.

This is about being nice and marking time as The American Empire teeters on the brink of irrelevance.

So A Kickass Local Calendar Would Be The Perfect Way To Brighten The New Year!!!

Here’s a bit of background on the project put together by a cadre of extremely talented local artists. Check it.

Kansas City Comic Artist Bryan Stalder is the main force behind this calender and part of the reason that I’m checking it out.

Stalder writes, draws and inks Retorts illustrated for The Northeast News. It’s an amazingly funny comic strip and while it leans toward a centre-right perspective, Bryan’s images always leave me thinking. What I admire about Stalder’s work is that he brilliantly highlights the not-so-obvious contradictions in civic life for comic effect. And offering a deadpan glimpse at the political world that’s not cynical but more often than not, inspired.

There are urls listed for the eleven other Kansas City artists who illustrated the work on the “etsy” website where ten calenders are currently for sale. I was pretty stoked when Stalder left a copy for me and his kind gesture makes me realize that maybe it’s worth being nice to locals once in awhile, at least during the Holiday season. But still only when they’re as talented as some of these folks who comprise the KC Comic Artist Scene.

Tony Botello