Firstly special thanks to Comic Book Ink owner John Munn for the use of his fine establishment whom all CLAW members have concluded is the ultimate NERD MECCA in Tacoma, WA.  Surrounded by buxom, scantily clad, super heroine statuettes and boxes of minty fresh comic books elite members of the Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians High Council held congress to vote on imperative matters all things cartooned.

1. ART ON THE AVE. – members asked about status of this event. Took roll on who is available to attend. RR Anderson lives within walking distance so he was assigned first shift. Mark Monlux can do afternoon if a table is available for poster sales and zine presentation.  If no table is available members will stage a walk out. We will see.
2. URBAN ART FESTIVAL – STOWE is our point man on this, need to confirm dates, who is available. He’ll follow up on this.
3. CLAW ART SHOW AT TACOMA ART SUPPLY – Warren needs art from us ASAP for opening in AUG 1.  He has offered to mount on foam core board for us. Frost Park art work is ideal for this event.
4. 24 hr COMIC BOOK DAY – coming up in October. Comic Book Ink has offered to host up to 6 or so CLAW members to participate. Comic book Ink is a union operation so strict 24 hr comic book day rules apply (so not like those spawns of insomnia Cartoonists Northwest clowns  north I-5).
5. Iron Artist Competition at Tacoma Art Museum – RR is team leader. Why? Nobody seems to know; however, this event is happening at end of the month and we will dominate. Construction of a ‘super fez’ was mentioned as a thought experiment; members are intrigued. Happening July 31st.  Lots of silly questions were mailed to us in a form letter. Will add to wiki for TEAM CLAW to ponder. Need to remember to bring tools. AND ask for a spot with POWER outlets.
6. STANLEY SHAW – talked about how much of a weenie this cartoonist is for refusing to join THE CLAW. The man has inside info to working for CityArts… Mark was assigned to pump him for more info.
7. CLAW ZINE ISSUE NO. 003 DRAFTING STAGE – with issue no. 002 hitting news stands in your friendly neighborhood participating Tacoma businesses now is the time to get issue no. 003 cooking.  RR was assigned editor and the theme we decided on is “THE CITY OF DENSITY” a parody of Tacoma’s famous tagline “The City of Destiny” made famous by George McFly in that Back to the Future film when he says to his future wife: “You’re my density!” We will apply this to comics; trying to fit in as many different vignettes on one page for each member inspired by Electric Elliots tiny strips from Zine ISSUE  NO. 1.
8. OTHER BUSINESS – sadly new member Jeff was the only member unable to attend. We managed to fold many more bundles of zines thanks to help from Member Mike’s wife (who escaped the fate of wearing the fez of shame). Did we mention how incredible Comic Book Ink is? Man that place is SERIOUS AWESOMENESS! Also apparently there is an all you can eat sushi place over on 38th that is rad.

this concludes the secret meeting notes. Please burn this monitor after reading.

Here is a brief summary of the minutes for our secret meeting 8:30 PM, March 10, 2009 @ Madoline Cafe.

Master Cartoonist Stan Shaw Draws Councilman Mark Monlux with Giant Novelty Pencil

Attendees:

1. RR Anderson (member #2) [proxy for Elliot Trotter (member #1)]
2. Mark Monlux (member #3) [proxy for James Stowe (member #4)]
3. Stan Shaw (member in training)

Consent Agenda:

• Monlux report on non-profit status
• Monlux report on scholarship status
  MOTION: Extend the deadline for Scholarship of April 15 2009. Monlux to post on blog,  Anderson to post flyer downtown. Monlux send out Tacomaarts-listserve and Anderson to volcano. Monlux to sending out email to his few school contacts.(Monlux/Anderson) PASSED
• Monlux report on 24 hour comic
• Monlux report on treasury
• Monlux report on Trotter’s interview filming
• Anderson report on Wayzgoose status
  MOTION: That Anderson go to Kings Books choose a poster for Woolworth display and for raffle. Anderson also to select good and bad copy of poster. One for archives on lucky member’s wall and one for members to doodle on for future project. (Monlux/Anderson) PASSED
• Anderson report on Art Museum request
  MOTION: That the CLAW fulfill the request of the Tacoma Art Museum to show chalking expertise on Sunday April 19. (Coinciding with How Things Work Presentation) This event to be announced to participants as the kick off to the 2009 Chalk Challenge season. Anderson to request monetary compensation for the the scholarship fund and/or coffers. Prize for Chalk contest already arranged. (Anderson/Monlux) PASSED
• Looking over Shaw’s cool comics
• Rest of meeting speaking in tongues and auto-mystic drawing
  MOTION: To have next meeting as Open Swim at Mandolin Cafe at 7:30 Wednesday, March 25th 2009 (Mark/Elliott) PASSED

Current Action Items

Each action item should specify the task, the person responsible, and the due date.

TROTTER

• to do tape video interviews of member, One down.

ANDERSON

• to do more interview for CLAW. Requests other seek and do interviews as well.
• to confirm event with Tacoma Art Museum
• to follow through on selecting posters for Wayzgoose presentation at Woolworth

MONLUX

• to start form filing of non-profit status

STOWE

• tba

SHAW

• to photograph office and post via Flickr.

HOMEWORK PROJECTS FOR ALL

• self portrait that’s 400×600 pixels (by 3/25/2008)
• banner art for website

Completed Action Items

• First Newsletter Comic
• Wayzgooze Poster

TACOMA, WA – December  12, 2008 – On Wednesday, December 10th 2008, in the backroom of the Mandolin Café in Tacoma, Washington, four cartoonists wearing burgundy colored fez gathered and signed the charter of The Cartoonist’s League of Absurd Washingtonians, otherwise known as The CLAW.

And so the great book says: exiled by the masses into the bowls of the internet, the lone warrior, Electric Elliot Trotter, approached Tacoma’s own benevolent white knight of cartooning, RR Anderson.  Referencing an existing notion to start such an absurdly ridiculous group, the two blew the horns of shadow, calling upon the greatest cartoonists the South Sound had to offer.  Within moments (days to you mere mortals) two had become four, now joined by the cartoonist from the eighth dimension, Mark Monlux and the ever-present threat to humanity STOWE.  With their unruly powers combined, the band sought to establish themselves so that all marks of disinnovation and anti-creativity (or antivity) were isolated and abused to destruction while harnessing humanity’s last breaths to welcome in our future robot overloads. “More than anything else I think we were all looking for an excuse just to sit down with other artists and have fun doodling,” said Mark Monlux. “Oh, that and wear fez and have a secret handshake.”

This not-so-secret secret society does have at its heart a nobler goal then a bunch of man-apes chanting about zombies and robots in its semi-cryptic rituals. The CLAW Scholarship will be granted to art students of merit who have shown and interest in the mystic study of sequential art and dragon slaying.

The CLAW meets twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. To find the current venue details, or information on becoming a member, visit http://www.cartoonistsleague.org or pay the ultimate price!