TWCL

[JohnK]

Hey everyone,

I was talking with my artist and I'd like to start an annual comic posting this year for Oktoberfest. It'd be great if other comics can get involved too. I know this is a bit last minute, but if we can even get a few to do it this year, it will hopefully grow with each successive year.

What I would like is for many comics to post a page celebrating beer on September 23rd, and link to all others involved to generate some traffic for us all. I'm going to get more details on my site this week, but if you have any interest in this at all, please email me at: tales of hammer fist at g mail dot com.

What I'll do is generate a list of the comics and links to their pages which you'll post on your own site on the 23rd. I'm sure you know how this works. I'm basically copying the model of the Valentine's Day Sex Drive.

I'll post here again when I get a page with the details up on my website this week. Thanks for checking in.
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Coffee Time Comics

[JohnK]

The Details:

Slurred Between the Lines 2013

The deadline is September 20th. We've all got busy schedules, but I hope some of you will join up.

Thanks for checking this out.

-John
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Coffee Time Comics

[Uncle Greedy]

Sadly I can't participate as my comic ins't active any more. But you might like and use this picture of Medusa as she has extra got herself a dirndl to visit the octoberfest the first time in her life. I don't think she stands any chance to be let into a tent or crowd anywher, but no one in the team had the heart to tell her.

[JohnK]

Thanks for the use of the picture. Maybe I can throw it up in the news section. I got to take a look at your website and came across your lesson in occult rock. can't wait to dig into some of that.


I'm still looking for people who are interested. Please inquire at: tales of hammer fist at g mail dot com.
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Coffee Time Comics

[Uncle Greedy]

If you are interested in occult rock, you can check out this page to hear many of the mentioned groups; it would also work as background music for the comics.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Medusas-and-Arianes-Musicpage/389841217779313?ref=hl

I also worked on an animation movie project some time ago about the connections between Lovecrafts cthulhu mythos and it's influence of reallife subculture, some fragments can be found on youtube.

[JohnK]

Very cool. I'm sure you may have heard of it, but there is a compilation series out there for download called The Doom That Time Forgot. Lots of real cool stuff on there.
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Coffee Time Comics

[Marscaleb]

We have to tie beer in with our comic? Sorry, but I'm not interested in celebrating that.

...

Maybe I should start a counter-promotion. I'll call it "soberfest" and we'll celebrate with including elements of not-drinking.
Anyone else interested?
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My webcomic: Mischief in Maytia
http://maytiacomic.com/

[Casual Notice]

Mars, I respect your dislike of drunken revelry, but...

1. Oktoberfest is a generalized harvest festival, more focused on music and the joy of fellowship than on the drinking. Harvest festivals were important in medieval Europe, then more so in the Little Ice Age, since the Harvest was a time of sharing good fortune with ones friends, and it may be the last time they saw each other (at least until spring).
   
2. Beer is associated with Oktoberfest because, at the time that the festival was growing in popularity in central Europe, Saint Arnold was promoting the drinking of beer instead of water to reduce the incidence of cholera and dysentery among the populace (boiling and an aggressive fungus like brewer's yeast have a tendency toward making tainted water potable).
   
3. Getting drunk on beer (especially American beers) is like getting an opium high on iceberg lettuce. Sure, it's possible, but there's a lot of work involved and the side effects just aren't worth it.

In the end, John just asked if anyone wanted to throw some art into his project. No one said anyone had to do a Bud Lite commercial, and no one was forcing an actual drink on anyone. I'm all about freedom of speech, but sometimes, if you disagree with someone, it's better to just not say anything.
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Casual Notice--commentary, comics and an appreciation for snappy hats.
S*P*Q*R

[JohnK]

Thanks for the laugh Mars. Here's the deal. We aren't a very exclusive group over at Hammerfist and we'd love to have you on board with your characters celebrating Soberfest. Whatever is going to spread the cross-promotion aspect of this. I think it'd be fun. I guess in the end I didn't have to stress the "drunk" aspect of this, but hey, beer is absolutely one of my favorite things in life and within the homebrew and/or beer loving community, we absolutely do not balk at celebrating with it. And like Casual said, unless you're twenty year old at a frat party you're more likely to get bloated or tired than drunk.

We like diversity. Within our own comic team we pretty much have 3 different levels of drinkers. There's me who brews and loves trying new things so I always have something on hand. Tobias is too busy child-rearing and free-lancing so I would say he's pretty moderate if he drinks at all, and then Stephen I don't believe indulges at all. Even when he goes to his Drink and Draw event I believe he drinks soda. So what I'm trying to say is you're welcome to join in as long as your characters are having fun. This shouldn't be controversial. Life is pretty simple. Some folks do this. Some folks do that. And they've been doing it for a long time.

Casual, I have to disagree with one point. Since homebrewing was deregulated back in the 70's, Americans have grown up a lot with what constitutes good-tasting beer. We are no longer the lager nation. Though I've never been to Europe, I can't imagine their shelves are more diverse than ours. I'm not a nationalist or anything, but we do pretty damn good these days, and other countries, including Belgium, have their work cut out for them.

Cheers!
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Coffee Time Comics

[Uncle Greedy]

1. The Oktoberfest is an original bavarian tradition based on a bavarian (not generally german) law from the 16th century that only allowed brewing beer in a certain time between september and april. One of the reasons for this law was the bavarian preference of bottom-fermented beer that needs lower temperatures in brewing. The brewers created a longer lasting beer in march for the following months; the remaining stock of the stored march-beer was served on the Oktoberfest to be used up as new beer was being brewed again. So it was mainly a beerdrinking festival in the beginning, and not only one, but several ones on different places in bavaria. The later famous Oktoberfest in munich didn't occur before the early 19th century, as it was founded by Ludwig I who tried to revive his version of the ancient olympic games, adding horseraces and more. From this time, it turned from simple local beer-consuming celebrations to a large event that is now known as Oktoberfest.

2. As I said it is original a bavarian tradition, but many people mistake bavarian traditions as generally german. This is actually like mistaking all americans to be mexicans or assuming that everyone from the united kingdom is irish. In fact, most german see the stereotype of the traditional bavarian as funny character; some rustical, sturdy people drinking already beer as toddlers, wearing traditional costumes all day, beating each other and everybody else up as entertainment and doing funny dances including slapping and kicking each other. Maybe they can be compared to the hillbilly stereotype to some degree.

3. I agree it is all about fun, and if Marscaleb will promote a "Soberfest", I will add a drawing to that as well.

[Casual Notice]

First, my assumption of the history (based on general harvest festivals and their beginnings) was clearly dead wrong. I apologize, and I withdraw everything I said above.

However, I can find no reference to any law governing the production of lagers, only the harsh reality that laagering is impossible during the warm summer months in the absence of refrigeration. Most references cite the marriage of Ludwig I in a public festival in Munich, as the official origin, but the good ones hurriedly note that people were getting together for first batch tastings for a while previously.
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Casual Notice--commentary, comics and an appreciation for snappy hats.
S*P*Q*R

[Uncle Greedy]

There wasn't a law that allowed only to produce lager, but there was the bavarian law in the early 16th century by duke Albrecht V that did forbid to produce beer except between september and early april. The production of Märzbier (similar to lager) was a result of this law, as it could be stored during the time of prohibited brewing. The beer was stored in special cellars, often in combination with cut ice.
Of course this law lost it's meaning today and the actual beer is no longer identical with the former Märzbier.
So the origin is:

September: beginning of the bavarian beer-brewing season (bottom-fermented)
March: Close to the end of the beer brewing season, brewing special Märzbier for storage.
Oktober: Drinking up the left-over Märzbier (=march beer) at the Oktober Fest
September: beginning of the new beer-brewing season
etc.

[Uncle Greedy]

Now I have to more pics for the Oktoberfest-event, one of them a sketch, the other one finished.
http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/247/e/e/arioktweb_by_steampunkgorgon-d6l1jp1.jpg
http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/250/0/5/arianebeertestweb_by_steampunkgorgon-d6lccog.jpg

And just in case, here is a later one of Ariane vistiting the Soberfest after all the drinking.
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/251/a/c/soberfestweb_by_steampunkgorgon-d6lk5fa.jpg

[JohnK]

Great pictures and great history lesson Greedy! I'll be sure to use one of your drawings for the event.

If anybody else is interested, you've got until the 20th to let me know. Plenty of time to get some art done!
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Coffee Time Comics

[Spencey]

Is it a comic or just a single comic image you need?
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