Dale Martin, Cartoonist

Look, I know dogs don't sweat. Just pretend it's _that_ hot, okay?

“Hot, hot, hot!” « Previous      Next » While I usually try to avoid dream endings on these one-pagers (especially when there are other artists involved; I don’t want to invalidate th…

All set up for today's Artists Market! Two dozen makers on tap to meet your upcoming gifting needs! We're open at 330 Fogelman Dr. til 5:00, so come on out!

We're up & running 'til 4! Come on down to & shop for local art & comics from the members of Lots o' entertaining artwork for every taste!

My busy weekend (3 of 3) wraps up with a Sunday artist market you won't want to miss...

On Sunday, Nov. 19, University Schools hosts their 3rd Annual Holiday Market! It runs from 11am-5pm, 330 Fogelman Drive on the U of M campus. I'll be there with holiday & Memphis-themed prints, notecards, and drawings. And, of course, comics!

This one-stop shopping bonanza has something for everyone on your gift giving list, and lets you support 25+ local artists (including Angi Cooper, Gifts From Nature, The Hammered Pear, Shannon Maltby, Sarah Terry, Black Swan Candle Company, Eric Echols, and more): paintings, clothing, ceramics, jewelry, photography, graphic design, confections, body care, and home decor products are on tap! While this is my first time exhibiting at this market, as a customer at a past show, I can tell you it's a fun mix of vendors in a lovely (especially if it's a chilly fall day) indoor venue. It's a great chance to buy for those one-of-a-kind and difficult to shop for friends and family members on your list!

The Market is a fundraiser for University Schools; 15% of sales goes to support the school’s Visual and Performing Arts programs. Located directly across the street from the Holiday Inn on Central; there's also a parking garage next to the school.

How's your Saturday look? Mine looks like fun! (2 of 3)

Saturday, Nov. 18 is the Mid-South Cartoonists Association (MSCA) "Festival of Cartoon Art"! It's live from noon-4pm at the Germantown Community Theatre (3037 Forest Hill Irene Rd, G'town), and I'll be there with a mix of comic-related items, holiday merchandise, and my Memphis-themed artwork!

I'll be joined in the GCT rehearsal hall by a host of other Mid-South cartoonists, including a group sampler table & artists Kevin L. Williams, Greg Cravens, Courtney Dunn, Charlie Forrester, Antonio Johnson, Katie Jones, Connie Lampen, Jason Negen, and Lin Workman!

It's also your final chance to take in the MSCA art show "Drawing Blood", as it's coming down that day. I think this has been our strongest group show yet, and features a range of material from the goofy to the chilling.

Good Groceries Mobile Dining will be there selling snacks & lunch, too! It's FREE to attend, so come on out & purchase some Mid-South art!

I have an exciting weekend ahead (1 of 3) ... and you're invited to join me!

Thursday night (5:30-8pm) kicks off the annual Arrow Creative Holiday Bazaar with their ticketed First Dibs party! You'll get first pick of incredible artwork from 100+ talented local artists & creators, all in Arrow's gorgeous one-roof creative district (653 Philadelphia St.). You can find a selection of my holiday and Memphis-themed merchandise there, along with a couple of pieces of my framed artwork! The ticketed event will feature food & desserts from Railgarten & Frost Bake Shop, seasonal cocktails & mocktails⁠, music⁠, and MORE! Your purchase of a First Dibs ticket will directly support Arrow's mission to keep Memphis Creative! ⁠Tell 'em I sent you!

But First Dibs is just the start! The Holiday Bazaar runs thru Dec. 22 to help you tick off all the boxes on your holiday gift lists! Special events featuring spotlight artists include Small Business Saturday (Nov. 25), and a Marketplace in Motion (Dec. 16-17). Check out the Arrow website or their feed for details!

Hope your Halloween was a treat!

“The hungriest vampire” « Previous      Next » I’ve spent the past month reveling in the Halloween spirit: a vampire-themed art show, a monster-themed market, a Halloween comic fest, and wor…

If you find yourself out on G'town Parkway getting the finishing touches for your Halloween costume, drive a little further east to check out the MSCA's Halloween Fest at 901Comics East! It's FREE to attend! Come in costume or come dressed as yourself & meet local creators, enjoy comics, candy, a costume contest, and 20% off store merchandise. I'll be there from noon-4 with a selection of my spookiest prints and Halloween comics, so come on out to 8551 Macon Road & say "boo!"

(* Halloween not your thing? Don't worry, I've got a couple of Holiday events planned for mid November, if you're more in the mood for Memphis-themed art.)

Two days until .market opening night party! Snax, drinks, music, & an AR surprise! 5-9 Friday the 13th (when else) at the Medicine Factory (85 Virginia Ave. W)! One of my many Monster Market exclusives are monsterized versions of my trading card set "You Are What You Eat!" Monster Market runs live & in-person thru 10/18; don't miss it!

Starting to get in the Halloween spirit...

“Fang you very much!” « Previous      Next » Tis the season … the season of Halloween-themed shows, at least for me! A vampire-themed art show, a monster-themed market, and a Halloween com…

The 8th Zine Fest continues today from 10-2 at - come check it out! Lots of cool zines & art for sale!

I'll have a batch of new-to-zine-fest titles for sale this weekend at Zine Fest! It's 10-2 Saturday + Sunday, on the second level of the atrium. Come on up & say "hi"! (cover artist of The Good, the Bad, and the Sketchy #7)

Looking for something to do this weekend? Might I suggest Crosstown Arts' Zine Fest? You can find me there, along with the newest zine from the Mid-South Cartoonist Association...

It’s game on! After a pandemic break, the members of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association are getting the band back together to release the newest issue in our digest comic series, The Good, the Bad, and the Sk…

Drew Boynton joins me in this week's all-new Watusi comic!

“Talk show” « Previous      Next » This episode finds me jamming with one of the earliest Watusi contributors, fellow APA-5 alumnus Drew Boynton! He wrote and drew all the Doggie parts…

It's a birthday celebration for the king of comics in this entry in my "influences and inspirations" series...

Influence & inspiration: Jack “King” Kirby Today marks the 106th anniversary of the birth of one of the most legendary creators in the history of comics, Jack “King” Kirby! Something I like to do at my shows (if the venue allows…

There are a lot of little dog drawings in this week's new Watusi comic...

“The construction zone” « Previous    Next » It’s another collaboration with the me of 20 years ago! Even tho I didn’t manage to finish the story in a single page, I’m pretty happy with th…

Winner winner pizza dinner! is the proud winner of an original 5x7" pencil drawing! Splurging on the three-pack paid off! Selling tiny artwork at till 9!

Come check out show! Tiny original works of art for sale 6--9 at

On my work table today: packaging up artist for my next event: 7/16, 6-9 at ... my sets are 3 tiny works of original art (pencil drawing, ink drawing, ) + bonus minicomic in faux packaging. And random prize cards will win a larger drawing! Stop by if you can for affordable fine art + new summer cocktail menu! art

Next art showing: July 16, 6-9 at Crosstown Art Bar!

Hot off the Press: You Are What You Eat! I previewed this project a couple of months ago for readers of my newsletter (what, you’re not on the list? Then subscribe here!), and now my artist trading card set, “You Are What You …

Happy July 5th!

“Boom! Boom! Pop! Pow! Pop! Pop! Boom!” « Previous      Next » This episode may be as close as I’ve ever got to the vibe of a “Mutts” strip, and as simple as it is, I’m really happy with i…

So glad to be back in the mix for another season of .market ! I have a couple of all-new items in the work; swipe for a sneak peek at one of my Monster Market exclusives...

It's a mix of the old and the new in today's Watusi comic...

“Dog tired!” « Previous      Next » Revisiting another vintage starter panel this time, comic improvising with my younger self. Definitely leaning into nonsense with this one, but that&…

Some food-themed , , and drawings, all in that tiny 2.5x3.5" format. I'm enjoying the deep dive I've taken into this subject, and also kinda sad it's wrapping up. Naturally, I've gone overboard with some fake packaging...

Here's one of my comic art inspirations: Jim Aparo...

Influence & inspiration: Jim Aparo Last weekend was the Memphis Libraries Comic Con, which was a really positive experience, pretty much all I was hoping for from a more reading-centered con. There were lots of engaged readers &…

This Saturday's going to be a good day to read comics ... but aren't they all?

Let’s go: Memphis Libraries Comic Con! It’s almost here– the inaugural Memphis Libraries Comic Con! I’ve heard good things about other comic events hosted by libraries, and I’m looking forward to being at a comic…

So I took a little road trip to Tuscumbia...

“Pop! The Art of Comics” I don’t always do a good job of documenting my gallery shows, but I was able to turn that around this week when I visited “Pop! The Art of Comics” at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art. I made the …

Today's new Watusi comic!

“Lester the barking boy!” « Previous      Next » I thought I’d revisit another of my old Watusi starter panels, especially since I’ve never really used Lester the barking boy all that mu…

Watusi interviews his mail carrier (some day off _that_ is!) in my newest comic...

“What I ask about when I ask about running”* « Previous      Next » One of the things I’ve been doing during my Watusi retool project is get a better handle on the role his large supporting cast plays, and these…

I figure I'm long overdue to spotlight my Memphis prints...

Anemoia and the Mid-South Coliseum As I’ve delved more and more into the history of Memphis and its hallowed places that have fallen into neglect or are no longer with us, I’ve found myself experiencing nostalgia for a p…

Opening reception 5:30-8 tonite! 3037 Forest Hill Irene Rd. for
Mid-South Cartoonists Association (MSCA) latest gallery show, "Spamalittle" (in conjunction w/ Germantown Community Theatre's "Spamalot"). I've got a few -themed pieces & a knights 'n dragons Watusi print in the show. Can't make the opening? It's open for viewing any time the offices are open (noon-4, Tuesday-Friday).

I get a little help from my friends in today's new Watusi comic...

“UNidentified!” « Previous      Next » While my focus with these Watusi comics has moved on from the improvised jam comics of its early years, its still fun to stretch those muscles and co…

Watusi's not kidding around in today's new comic ...

“Aliens among us!” I call this the “Killing them with kindness” version of this story starter! As I’ve been looking back at the starter panels from Watusi’s first few years, I couldn’t h…

Happy new year! It's been a few years since I made one of my "New Year's resolutions" posts, because these pandemic years have shown me in the plainest manner possible how easily plans can be washed away. As a result, I've pretty much stopped trying to make a year's worth of creative plans at one time ... and to go with the flow when what plans I…...

Everything old is new again Happy new year! It’s been a few years since I made one of my “New Year’s resolutions” posts, because these pandemic years have shown me in the plainest manner possible how e…

It's time for me to take a social media break, so I'm scaling back (for the most part) to just mirroring posts from my blog & webcomic:
* blog: http://smearysoapboxpress.com
* webcomic: http://watusithetalkingdog.com
* subscribe: http://eepurl.com/bawHc9
Cheers!

Look, it's a new Watusi comic! Well, new-ish...

“D– T– of the Month Club” Yep, it’s another “done in one” episode, this time killing two birds with one stone for me: I tried to shoehorn the ending panel from my “backwards” jam (where I start…

Hi! Just testing the auto-post feature of my blog...

The bull(-headed) moose It took me a while to track down the artwork for this comic (which is at least as accurate as your average TV biopic), but an MSCA art show coming up next month gave me the impetus to do so. The …

50 years ago today...

I'm a Monster Maker for this year's Monster Market! It's open online October 3-31, with an in-person grand opening on October 1st at Marshall Arts (near Sun Studios)! More at https://www.memphismonstermarket.com/