Tag Archives: election

Kat Abughazaleh’s What If We Didn’t Suck? comic is a cool piece of comic and political history

The use of comics in politics isn’t something new and goes back decades, if not over a hundred years if you want to include political cartoons. But, in recent years, campaigns have re-embraced the printed page to help promote their candidates. The latest is Kat Abughazaleh who ran for Congress in Illinois’ Ninth District. The district covers parts of Cook, Lake, and McHenry counties and currently represented by Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who is not seeking reelection, in one of the most reliably Democratic districts in Chicago and all of Illinois.

The artwork was originally created as a direct mail comic illustrated by Chicago based artist and publisher Josh Blaylock, all five editions are being collected to help raise money for the campaign in a small, limited printed run.

Story: Josh Blaylock and Purveyor Creative
Art: Josh Blaylock and Purveyor Creative
Color: Jenn Chun
Letterer: Shawn DePasquale
Comic Formatting: Jamie Noguchi
Art direction: Mia Festo
Creative direction: Kat Abughazaleh

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Kat Abughazaleh turns to Comics in her Campaign for Congress

Kat Abughazaleh

The use of comics in politics isn’t something new and goes back decades, if not over a hundred years if you want to include political cartoons. But, in recent years, campaigns have re-embraced the printed page to help promote their candidates. The latest is Kat Abughazaleh who is running for Congress in Illinois’ Ninth District. The district covers parts of Cook, Lake, and McHenry counties and currently represented by Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who is not seeking reelection, in one of the most reliably Democratic districts in Chicago and all of Illinois. There’s currently about 16 individuals running in the Democratic primary.

The comic introduces Kat and inspired by a love of comcis, graphic novels, and manga, and introduces the candidate to voters, focusing on what she cares about and why she’s running.

The artwork was originally created as a direct mail comic illustrated by Chicago based artist and publisher Josh Blaylock creator of Mercy Sparx, The Disavowed, and more at Devil’s Due.

Now, all five editions are being collected to help raise money for the campaign in a small, limited printed run.

You can get your 1st edition print comic, and get it autographed, by donating $25 to the campaign now through ActBlue.

Whomever wins the primary will most likely win the general election.

Get Out and Vote

While the President and Congress aren’t on the ballot, numerous states are having elections today and we want to make sure you get out and vote.

For us, it’s clear how to vote with attacks on every institution threatening our nation, attacks on the rights of individuals, money flowing to oligarchs in a fleecing of the country and yet another transfer of wealth and leaders more focused on ballrooms, marble bathrooms, and lies than solving problems for the average person.

With a government shutdown perpetrated by one party that controls all level of government, we need to send a message that the state of things is not right and we need to respect the rule of law and elected officials need to do their jobs or step down.

We don’t reward hate. We don’t reward division. There’s a clear decision to make this election for those who get to vote. Vote to move this nation forward and not keep going backwards like we have this year.

If you’re still undecided, you can start and get more information here.

Get Out and Vote this Tuesday!

This Tuesday, November 5th is the US election and we’re encouraging everyone to get out and vote if you haven’t done so already. Over 80 million individuals have already done their duty and made their voice heard at the ballot box. Today is the official day and the last day to do so. If you haven’t already cast a ballot, you still have time today.

This is the most important election of our lifetime. That is often thrown around but from someone who has worked dozens of elections with dozens of candidates over 25 years, this isn’t an exaggeration. We have a chance to make our voice heard and say the direction we want to see this country go. Democracy is literally on the ballot.

Yesterday, I made an endorsement and think there’s one choice when it comes to President and really one party to support up and down the ballot this election.

This is a choice between an attempt to support normalcy or a continued march towards fascism and election interference. The stances of the candidates and parties are clear.

There’s so many elections are every level that are vital and could spell doom for the future of our democracy if the wrong individual is elected.

There are still lots of local races, ballot initiatives, bonds, and more to vote on, and some of these will set the direction of the country!

You still have a lot of time to figure out everything you’ll be voting for. If you need to find your polling place or what’s on your local ballot Vote 411 can help. Vote.org is another site that can help you as well.

If you go to vote and encounter an issue call the voting rights hotline at 866 OUR-VOTE. 

Most importantly, get out and vote this Tuesday!

Captain America Vote

There’s only one choice for President for the comic industry…

This Tuesday is the most important election in United States history. That’s said often lately, but, as a veteran of politics for 25 years, I can state this is not an exaggeration. The choices are clear and contrast stark. Beyond rights for women, LGBTQ, and democracy itself is on the line. One candidate, and his supporters, threaten to send back the country to a more regressive time and gut the United States government to a non-functioning shell of what it is. What protections exist will be removed harming those who reside within this nation and ripple across the world.

That agenda and viewpoint of what they bring to the table, former President Donald Trump and the elected officials that support him, are a threat to the country as well as the comic industry as a whole.

Here are just a few ways their election would negatively impact the comic industry:

  1. Repeal the ACA – The comic industry is made up of freelancers and within the United States, that means it can be difficult for creators to get healthcare. Through the ACA, though it’s imperfect, they are able to purchase health insurance, get it even with pre-existing conditions, and the cap on payouts has been removed. With the election of Donald Trump to a second term, it would likely he’d again move to eliminate the ACA and its protections.
  2. Increase Tariffs means increased costs – A tariff is a tax levied by the government on imported goods. Donald Trump has said he’d increase tariffs in his second term. That’s a tax increase on individuals and estimates have the average increase in costs at $3,000 to individuals. But, that would also mean a possible cost of imported items related to the comic industry… like comics and graphic novels. Comics and graphic novels are often printed in China, Canada, and Mexico and would possibly see greater tariffs imposed on them. In 2019, Trump imposed a 15% tariff on most books imported from China which was eventually reduced to 7.5%. A second Trump administration could see a tariff on comics and graphic novels which would force an increase on their cover price and decrease sales. That would further threaten the industry.
  3. Even if comics could be published… we have see a “war” on books, graphic novels, and manga in recent years in a reignited culture war perpetuated by the right. Project 2025, the blueprint for a second Trump administration. Within that blueprint includes criminalizing pornography and imprisoning those who produce it. Pornography in the eyes of the right seems to include the mere mention of the existence of LGBTQ individuals, let alone stories revolving around them. It would not be a stretch to see an attempt to label comics and graphic novels with LGBTQ characters and themes as pornography and criminalize it. Project 2025 would further limit discussions in classrooms and lead to further book bans.

Beyond these three issues we’ve seen the dehumanization of groups of people, attacks and threats on anyone who disagrees with them, and more violent acts by Trump supporters, with more sure to come.

Vice President Kamala Harris on the other hand has discussed an “opportunity economy” and “new way forward.” Not only would she protect the rights of women to decide what they want to do with their bodies. Her focus is to bring down the cost and increase the economic security for Americans, including cutting taxes for more than 100 million working and middle class Americans and lowering costs for health care, housing, and groceries. She has talked about making rent more affordable, and we hope that would include businesses that are being squeezed out from their storefronts, an issue impacting comic shops. She also has stated she will expand the startup expense tax deduction for new businesses from $5,000 to $50,000 and focus on cutting red tape that makes it difficult for small businesses to grow. That’s just a small amount of what she has stated as goals of her Presidency.

Due to all the above and more, the choice is clear this Tuesday, vote Kamala Harris for President.

Join Heroes4Harris this Sunday

Hulk Smash Donate

This Sunday, join forces with the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), a slew of SURPRISE celebrity guests known for playing heroes on screen, and tens of thousands of superfans across the country for a star-studded Heroes For Harris pre-debate livestream event!

The event takes place Sunday at 4pm Eastern!

If you’ve lived to see the day that democracy heroes Adam Schiff and Alexander Vindman talk with Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride (Mandy Patinkin) about why Kamala Harris must defeat real-life villain Donald Trump, you want to attend this event.

If you can’t even imagine actors from Batman The Dark Knight (David Dastmalchian) talking politics with Bill S. Preston Esquire from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Alex Winter) and Tennessee Three hero, State Sen. Justin Jones, you want to attend this event.

Emceed by comedy powerhouse Baratunde Thurston – with cameos by some of the most legendary climate and labor activists in the country, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and lots more – Heroes4Harris is an event you don’t want to miss!

Join this roster of fictional and real-life superheroes to understand the stakes of the Harris vs. Trump debate on ABC two days later and how we can each inspire our communities to become #Heroes4Harris in the fight for a brighter, more just future.

If you have less political friends who love superheroes, and who could use a boost from the Hulk and others to get more involved in this election and watch Tuesday’s debate, please pass them this!

Halo composer Marty O’Donnell is running for Congress and claims he’ll win because he’s a “gamer”

Marty O'Donnell
Photo by Gage Skidmore

Marty O’Donnell is trying to go from composing music to composing legislation as he’s running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Announcing his campaign for the 3rd congressional district in Nevada, O’Donnell is running as a Republican.

Marty O’Donnell has worked on video games such as Myth, Halo, and Destiny and began his career writing television and radio jingles. He was fired in April 2014 by Bungie, eventually filing a lawsuit claiming he was terminated without cause and had pay withheld for vacation and sabbatical time. That lawsuit was settled eventually.

O’Donnell is challenging Democrat Susie Lee and he’s parroting the current favorite talking points of Republicans like blaming our problems on big government, railing against “undocumented” immigrants, and longing for “old-fashioned family values.”

When chatting with The Epoch Times, O’Donnell said:

I’m a gamer, so I intend to win. And I’m not going to lose because somebody thinks they can spend more money than me, because they can’t.

Not sure anyone enters into these things with the intention to lose… but sure.

In a recent interview, O’Donnell said he split his interests when he was 9 years old and was a fan of both Ronald Reagan and Paul McCartney.

On why he’s running he believers you need people from different backgrounds.

You don’t want 10 engineers making the game. You want an engineer, an artist, an animator, a composer, a writer, a designer—you want people who just approach the world differently. You don’t want all designers. You don’t want all composers. They would be horrible.

Most of the time, you only want one composer.

He see that what’s happening with the US government right now as nothing compared to developing video games.

What I see happening in Congress is like a walk in the park compared to making Halo 2.

O’Connell has a tough opponent in Lee who was first elected in 2018 and received 52% of the vote when she was re-elected in 2022.

Get Out and Vote this Tuesday!

This Tuesday, November 7th is the US election in many status and we’re encouraging everyone to get out and vote if you haven’t done so already. Many have already done their duty and made their voice heard at the ballot box. Today is the official day and the last day to do so. If you haven’t already cast a ballot, you still have time today.

While it feels like a broken record to say it, but this election is vital. It will not only set the narrative going into the 2024 election but also will determine the rights of many and the direction of this country. That is often thrown around but from someone who has worked dozens of elections with dozens of candidates, this isn’t an exaggeration. We have a chance to make our voice heard and show the direction we want to see this country go. Democracy is literally on the ballot.

This is a choice between an attempt to support normalcy or a continued march towards fascism and election interference. There’s is one party that supports book bans, stripping rights away from individuals, turning many into second class citizens, and dismantling democracy. The stances of the candidates and parties are clear.

There’s so many elections at every level that are vital and could spell doom for the future of our democracy if the wrong individual is elected.

There are still lots of local races, ballot initiatives, bonds, and more to vote on, and some of these will set the direction of the country!

Important races are occurring in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, Ohion, and so many more.

You still have a lot of time to figure out everything you’ll be voting for. If you need to find your polling place or what’s on your local ballot Vote 411 can help. Vote.org is another site that can help you as well.

If you go to vote and encounter an issue call the voting rights hotline at 866 OUR-VOTE. 

Most importantly, get out and vote this Tuesday!

Captain America Vote

Get Out and Vote this Tuesday!

This Tuesday, November 8th is the US election and we’re encouraging everyone to get out and vote if you haven’t done so already. Millions have already done their duty and made their voice heard at the ballot box. Today is the official day and the last day to do so. If you haven’t already cast a ballot, you still have time today.

This is the most important election of our lifetime. That is often thrown around but from someone who has worked dozens of elections with dozens of candidates, this isn’t an exaggeration. We have a chance to make our voice heard and say the direction we want to see this country go. Democracy is literally on the ballot.

This is a choice between an attempt to support normalcy or a continued march towards fascism and election interference. The stances of the candidates and parties are clear.

There’s so many elections are every level that are vital and could spell doom for the future of our democracy if the wrong individual is elected.

There are still lots of local races, ballot initiatives, bonds, and more to vote on, and some of these will set the direction of the country!

You still have a lot of time to figure out everything you’ll be voting for. If you need to find your polling place or what’s on your local ballot Vote 411 can help. Vote.org is another site that can help you as well.

If you go to vote and encounter an issue call the voting rights hotline at 866 OUR-VOTE. 

Most importantly, get out and vote this Tuesday!

Captain America Vote

Some of Marvel’s heroes Unite to Save Democracy

With an important and vital election less than a week away, some of Marvel’s heroes are uniting to help “save democracy”. Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Rosario Dawson, Natalia Cordova, and Clark Gregg, with more being added, are coming together for a livestream event to help support the Wisconsin Democrats. They’re not the only Marvel actors to help this election, Paul Rudd recently stumped for Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman.

You can take part by donating here. Election day is Tuesday, November 8th. Get out and vote!

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