Yeah, me too.

I’ll race you to the Comic Jobz Web site.

It’s been quite an exciting first year for Trees & Hills: numerous get-togethers at apartments, cafes, food courts, and Centers For Cartoon Studies; the growth of this website from nothing; meeting lots of cool cartoonists; appearances at the Boston Zine Fair in Boston, MA, The Comic Book Show in Nashua, NH, and the Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, OR; and of course the release of our first anthology, Trees & Hills And Friends (60 pgs with 19 comics by 22 artists). Next year: more events, anthologies, appearances, fun!

Here’s a link to one artist’s summary of the year (it’s just mine, don’t get too worked up).

Hope this year was good to you, and that next year is better!

Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-eyes, True Porn), who currently has a fellowship at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vt., is totally cool. We here at Trees & Hills cub house have suspected this for awhile.

But now there is proof!

Robyn landed spot #99 on Whitney Matheson’s Top 100 people list last week. Matheson, for those ignorant of such things, is USA Today’s awesome entertainment columnist, who has never hidden her leanings toward all things comic.

Robyn is in great company too. She beats out Bob Balaban. Comes 19 before David Lynch. Comic writer Robert Kirkman is only six spots ahead.

We don’t know if we agree with the chronology of this sequence (Lynch maybe), but we do agree that, sadly, Robyn is not as cool as meerkats (#85).

The Trees & Hills 3rd Saturday meetup won’t be happening this month due to schedule conflicts, and the same goes for the 3rd Tuesday Creators’ Group at Modern Myths. However, next month look forward to another T&H get-together, plus anthology release events, and the new Western Massachusetts Comics Schmooze (date tba).

The Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vt. is having a huge holiday silent auction Saturday from 1-4 p.m. On the bidding table are items signed by Will Eisner, Stan Lee, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Seth, Frank Miller and Scott McCloud.

For more information, jump over to the school’s announcement on their Web site.

Westminster, Vt. cartoonist Jade Harmon (left) gave out free caricatures during the gallery kick-off at the Brattleboro Commons newspaper office on Friday, Dec. 1.

The gallery showing featured work by Harmon and New Hampshire artist Marek Bennett, along with photographs from the first year of the independent community newspaper’s publication!

And not only is Harmon a new member of the Commons’ Board of Directors, but she also organized the month-long gallery showing.

Here are some upcoming events:

Tue. 12/5 (6:30pm): Comics Creators’ Group meets at Modern Myths, Northampton, MA.
Wed. 12/6 (6pm): Sean Wang signing at Modern Myths, Northampton, MA.
Thu. 12/7(5-8pm): E.J. Barnes art opening at the Amherst, MA Chamber Of Commerce. The show (”Odd Ducks: Avian Art for Cartoons, Comic Books And Animation”) runs through December.
Fri. 12/8 (5:30-8:30pm?): Anne Thalheimer’s “CHEAP ART!” exhibit closing reception, the gallery at A.P.E. (3rd floor of Thorne’s), Northampton, MA. The exhibit runs through 12/11.

More details, calendar listings, etc. to follow; I’ve been meaning to post these for a while.

Brattleboro, Vt. just can’t get enough of Marek Bennett and Jade Harmon, two Trees & Hills members from New Hampshire and Vermont.

Both had work that appeared in the Trees & Hills gallery showing at the Twilight Tea Lounge in November. And each now has art that appears at a gallery showing for the Commons newspaper in Brattleboro for December.

Bennett’s “Mimi’s Donuts” and Harmon’s “Northminster North” cartoons appear in the monthly independent newspaper.

The gallery showing kicks off Dec. 1 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 139 Main Street in Brattleboro.

The showing also coincides with Brattleboro’s Decemberfest celebration and it’s First Friday art work. A press release about the Common’s gallery showing can be read here and information on the Gallery Walk event can be read here.

Critically acclaimed writer and artist Sean Wang will be appearing at the New England Comics store in Brockton on Thursday, December 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. The local comic book creator will be signing at the store to promote the release of his new project, MELTDOWN, published by Image Comics.

MELTDOWN tells the story of a reluctant super-hero whose own fire-based powers are killing him, melting him down from within. He has only 7 days left to put his life in order and make amends for a lifetime’s worth of mistakes and regrets.

MELTDOWN is a two issue prestige-format mini-series with issue #1 scheduled to be in stores December 6, 2006.

More information on Sean Wang and MELTDOWN can be found at www.seanwang.com

New England Comics (Brockton store) is located at East Crossing Plaza, 744
Crescent Street, Brockton, MA. Website: www.newenglandcomics.com
Image Comics: www.imagecomics.com

The Lowell Sun is putting together a reader comic page and is looking for submissions. Read all about it here.