Ben Towle
@benzilla.bsky.social
Cartoonist, five-time-time Eisner nominee, programming co-chair Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC), adjunct comics prof @ CCAD, intergalactic trader & general nuisance. Four-Fisted Tales, Oyster War, etc.
Columbus, OH (Comics City, USA!)/Palm Springs, CA
Columbus, OH (Comics City, USA!)/Palm Springs, CA
I'm rereading Count of Monte Cristo yet again. All the scenes where the Count reveals that he's actually Dantés are awesome... but the one where he reveals himself to Fernand/Morcerf is my absolute fave.
General plot synopsis of the novel in image #2.
General plot synopsis of the novel in image #2.
December 3, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I'm rereading Count of Monte Cristo yet again. All the scenes where the Count reveals that he's actually Dantés are awesome... but the one where he reveals himself to Fernand/Morcerf is my absolute fave.
General plot synopsis of the novel in image #2.
General plot synopsis of the novel in image #2.
One of my fave discoveries when co-curating that exhibit at the Billy Ireland were some truly unhinged early Fletcher Hanks drawings that turned out to be his homework from the W.L. Evans School of Cartooning and Caricature correspondence course.
December 1, 2025 at 6:54 PM
One of my fave discoveries when co-curating that exhibit at the Billy Ireland were some truly unhinged early Fletcher Hanks drawings that turned out to be his homework from the W.L. Evans School of Cartooning and Caricature correspondence course.
Hahaha I love that she has a giant "AACK" on the wall in her studio!
November 25, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Hahaha I love that she has a giant "AACK" on the wall in her studio!
And finally, this. This is the first science fiction story illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières, who would later go on to draw Valerian and Lauraline! Done in 1956.
November 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
And finally, this. This is the first science fiction story illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières, who would later go on to draw Valerian and Lauraline! Done in 1956.
We also got this batch of Hiroshi Kaizuka pages from a story that ran in Shonen Jump in 1979. I absolutely love the crowd scenes here--and especially that big panel in the last page. I don't think Hiroshi Kaizuka has ever had anything translated into English? Zero Fighter Red is is best-known work.
November 23, 2025 at 7:31 PM
We also got this batch of Hiroshi Kaizuka pages from a story that ran in Shonen Jump in 1979. I absolutely love the crowd scenes here--and especially that big panel in the last page. I don't think Hiroshi Kaizuka has ever had anything translated into English? Zero Fighter Red is is best-known work.
Here's a few very cool originals Rebecca and I acquired at auction recently. This first lot is a couple of pages from a baseball manga (obviously). It was wrongly attributed to Shinji Mizushima. It's seems pretty clearly to be Hiroshi Kaizuka--from a rental manga called Lucky 9.
November 23, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Here's a few very cool originals Rebecca and I acquired at auction recently. This first lot is a couple of pages from a baseball manga (obviously). It was wrongly attributed to Shinji Mizushima. It's seems pretty clearly to be Hiroshi Kaizuka--from a rental manga called Lucky 9.
Suitable for framing ™️
November 22, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Suitable for framing ™️
Picked up a Shaun the Sheep pin at the Cartoon Museum in London! Now added to the lot.
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Picked up a Shaun the Sheep pin at the Cartoon Museum in London! Now added to the lot.
Catching up on Mensuel Charlotte on the plane back from Thought Bubble. LOL'ing at Chris Ware inserting Charles Schulz into this strip as the granddad. (Hilariously, he's describing sneaking over a sand dune as a kid to watch the girls swimming naked at the beach.)
November 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Catching up on Mensuel Charlotte on the plane back from Thought Bubble. LOL'ing at Chris Ware inserting Charles Schulz into this strip as the granddad. (Hilariously, he's describing sneaking over a sand dune as a kid to watch the girls swimming naked at the beach.)
Beautiful sketch by Posy in
Cassandra Darke (a book which, inexplicably, has never had a U.S. release).
Cassandra Darke (a book which, inexplicably, has never had a U.S. release).
November 17, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Beautiful sketch by Posy in
Cassandra Darke (a book which, inexplicably, has never had a U.S. release).
Cassandra Darke (a book which, inexplicably, has never had a U.S. release).
Amazing early Posy Simmonds magazine parody drawing.. plus some modern process work.
November 15, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Amazing early Posy Simmonds magazine parody drawing.. plus some modern process work.
Thought Bubble day one. Paul Gravett interviewing Posy Simmonds!
November 15, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Thought Bubble day one. Paul Gravett interviewing Posy Simmonds!
In case you were wondering to what extent anime is now mainstream media in the US:
November 15, 2025 at 12:17 AM
In case you were wondering to what extent anime is now mainstream media in the US:
Hahaha sad but true, Toth is a "cartoonist's cartoonist" no matter the language.
Also this is literally the first time I've seen someone cite Alex Kotzky of Apartment 3-G as an influence ( and I had no idea "3-G" = "3 girls"?)
Also this is literally the first time I've seen someone cite Alex Kotzky of Apartment 3-G as an influence ( and I had no idea "3-G" = "3 girls"?)
November 13, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Hahaha sad but true, Toth is a "cartoonist's cartoonist" no matter the language.
Also this is literally the first time I've seen someone cite Alex Kotzky of Apartment 3-G as an influence ( and I had no idea "3-G" = "3 girls"?)
Also this is literally the first time I've seen someone cite Alex Kotzky of Apartment 3-G as an influence ( and I had no idea "3-G" = "3 girls"?)
Got a modern Kindle with a 7" screen mainly for manga reading. (Keeping my ancient 5th gen with 5" screen for prose books). It's... workable, but damn, just make a tankōbon-sized e-reader, you cowards!
November 11, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Got a modern Kindle with a 7" screen mainly for manga reading. (Keeping my ancient 5th gen with 5" screen for prose books). It's... workable, but damn, just make a tankōbon-sized e-reader, you cowards!
Why can't it be both??
November 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Why can't it be both??
LOLing at the Evite sample spreadsheet for uploading guests to invite.
November 10, 2025 at 2:48 AM
LOLing at the Evite sample spreadsheet for uploading guests to invite.
Hey, thanks! This is just a one-pager... but I've got all 125 pages for my next book penciled. Should start banging out finished pages in 2026!
November 9, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Hey, thanks! This is just a one-pager... but I've got all 125 pages for my next book penciled. Should start banging out finished pages in 2026!
Revisiting this old book of mine was definitely not on my bingo card. (For a Kickstarter anthology thing that I'll send around once it's announced.)
November 9, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Revisiting this old book of mine was definitely not on my bingo card. (For a Kickstarter anthology thing that I'll send around once it's announced.)
Just finished reading this! Incredible... as usual. And I'm caught up now, which is fun—otoh I have to wait until March for the next volume 😭
November 8, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Just finished reading this! Incredible... as usual. And I'm caught up now, which is fun—otoh I have to wait until March for the next volume 😭
In class today: actual, physical screen-tone! (Kaoru Mori pages are, sadly, repros I bought at the Kyoto Manga Museum—her show was mind-blowing, needless to say.)
November 3, 2025 at 10:56 PM
In class today: actual, physical screen-tone! (Kaoru Mori pages are, sadly, repros I bought at the Kyoto Manga Museum—her show was mind-blowing, needless to say.)
In today's Mary Worth: "When the Edibles Kick In."
November 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
In today's Mary Worth: "When the Edibles Kick In."
The Atoms aren't the only Japanese baseball team with a Tezuka connection. The Saitama Seibu Lions used to use a grown-up Kimba the White Lion as their mascot and team logo.
October 31, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The Atoms aren't the only Japanese baseball team with a Tezuka connection. The Saitama Seibu Lions used to use a grown-up Kimba the White Lion as their mascot and team logo.
Congrats to the Softbank Hawks, who just won the 2025 Japan Series!
I don't have a Hawks jersey to wear in support... but I did recently acquire this cool repro Atoms jersey! They're now the Yakult Swallows, but used to be owned by a paper that advocated for nuclear power--hence Tetsuo/Astro Boy!
I don't have a Hawks jersey to wear in support... but I did recently acquire this cool repro Atoms jersey! They're now the Yakult Swallows, but used to be owned by a paper that advocated for nuclear power--hence Tetsuo/Astro Boy!
October 31, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Congrats to the Softbank Hawks, who just won the 2025 Japan Series!
I don't have a Hawks jersey to wear in support... but I did recently acquire this cool repro Atoms jersey! They're now the Yakult Swallows, but used to be owned by a paper that advocated for nuclear power--hence Tetsuo/Astro Boy!
I don't have a Hawks jersey to wear in support... but I did recently acquire this cool repro Atoms jersey! They're now the Yakult Swallows, but used to be owned by a paper that advocated for nuclear power--hence Tetsuo/Astro Boy!