Friday Apr 2nd - 7pm "Escape From Dullsvile" by Andy Ristaino

Mission:Comics & Art presents "ESCAPE From DULLSVILLE", a solo show featuring the artwork of San Francisco local artist Andy Ristaino. Ristaino has been described as the "William S. Burroughs/Charlie Kaufman of alternative comix" by the locally founded arts and culture magazine, Hi-Fuctose.

His comic book work is most recently featured as the kick-off story in the prestigious Image Comics anthology, Popgun Volume 4, and his own book "ESCAPE From DULLSVILLE" collecting his long running comic Life of a Fetus. DULLSVILLE chronicles the adventures of a claustrophobic fetus that decide to escape the womb and go on a road trip and the book contains the entire story so far as well as over 80 pages of never before published original material. When initial orders for the book fell below SLG Publishing's requirements, Ristaino mounted a successful internet campaign to raise pre-orders of the book to more economically feasible levels and the book is now set to be released on Feb. 24, 2010. His work was most recently exhibited at the SLG Boutiki Gallery in San Jose, CA. Risitano's comics have also been published in Nickelodeon Magazine, and comic book anthologies such as Meathaus S.O.S., Spectrum 16, Tales of Hot Rod Horror, Spark Generators 2, Pet Noir, and Go for the Gold.

His solo show at Mission: Comics & Art will showcase original comic pages, a wide variety of illustrations, and some album covers for the San Francisco band Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, and will open, in conjunction with the comic book convention WonderCon, on April 2nd, 2010 with an artist reception starting at 7pm. Then the following evening, April 3rd, Andy Ristiano will gather his compatriots for an evening of live music at Mission: Comics & Art.

"ESCAPE From DULLSVILLE" by Andy Ristiano
Showing: Apr. 2, 2010 - Apr 28, 2010

Opening Reception: 7pm Apr.2, 2010

Agents of Venus CD Release Party Apr.3, 2010

NYC psychedelic powerpopsters Agents of Venus playing a rare live acoustic set in honor of their brand new 13 track Cd release entitled Boduvt (pronounced boe-doovt)
Go to www.AgentsofVenus.com and www.AgentsofVenus.blogspot.com for more info

Mission: Comics & Art
3520 20th St. Suite B
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.MissionComicsAndArt.com
415.695.1545

Ristaino grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts on a TV diet of Starblazers, Force Five, Battle of the Planets, GI Joe, Dr. Who, and, for variety, The Price Is Right. He went to school at the Rhode Island School of Design, majoring in illustration and animation, and has made San Francisco his home since 1999. He also plays theremin and makes noise with a number of local bands.

For more information, please see:
www.MissionComicsAndArt.com
www.skronked.com

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March Book Club - Y: The Last Man Vol. 1

For March the Book Club takes on Y: the Last Man Brian K. Vaughan's epic story that follows the last man alive, Yorick Brown, in a post-911 world where every other animal (except is monkey) with a Y chromosome has suddenly died. The world is hanging together by a thread with the very real threat of extinction in a generation, unless Yorick, the mysterious super-spy Agent 355, and geneticist Dr. Alison Mann can somehow figure out why Yorick survived. But all he wants do do is make is reunite with his girlfriend Beth, who was in Australia when the plague hit.

Join us by reading Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 by the March 23rd 7pm

Light refreshment will be provided.

Saturday March 13th - "Ascension to Detail" by Aaron Zonka

Mission: Comics & Art presents "Ascension to Detail" by Aaron Zonka. Zonka's work populates an absurdest world with pop-culture icons, drug-enthused maniacs, and terror bears. In "Ascension to Detail", Zonka's first solo shows, both his recent work with oils, as well pages form his comic book in progress, "Terror Bear".

"Ascension to Detail" by Aaron Zonka

Opening Reception: March 13, 2010

Showing: March 13 - March 28 , 2010

Mission: Comics & Art

3520 20th St. Suite B

San Francisco, CA 94110

www.MissionComicsAndArt.com

415.695.1545

Aaronk Zonka studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, but is a Bay Area native. Besides making art, he's also an active musician, playing with bands such as Dust Collector and Azura. Recently he's also taken a leading role in organizing a series of art and music happenings with the moniker "Under the Table" in San Francisco's Portola Distisct. Talking about his own work and inspiration, Zonka writes:

"I make art because it gives purpose to my path and acts as breadcrumbs to look back on where I have been. I make art because the act of creation is like breathing and I wouldn’t function without it. I make art to have a physical forum for my imagination to reveal itself. I make art because I have to.

My work is meant to mean different things to different people. The meaning of my imagery is revealed after I have made it or during the process, never before. I have preconceived notions of what I want my work to look like but not of its significance. I love the idea that my subconscious speaks a language for my consciousness to unravel.

My body of work is an internal digestion and reflection of my life. It is constantly changing with the way that I look at past paintings and the way I envision new ones. Sometimes I know exactly where I’m going sometimes I’m lost in the dark. I try to avoid dogmas that create boundaries and concrete statements that limit myself as an artist. But I am always living, experiencing and creating. Whether external creation or internal I am always making something."

For more information see:

www.missioncomicsandart.com

www.flickr.com/photos/aaronzo

Aaron Zonka

Azurartist@gmail.com