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
Hahaha now he's canceled the Atlanta show.
Again, so glad I bailed on flying to ATL to see this fickle buffoon.
Again, so glad I bailed on flying to ATL to see this fickle buffoon.
January 17, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Hahaha now he's canceled the Atlanta show.
Again, so glad I bailed on flying to ATL to see this fickle buffoon.
Again, so glad I bailed on flying to ATL to see this fickle buffoon.
In the mail today.
Not sure if my caveman-level French is up for the task, but I'm gonna take a swing at it!
Not sure if my caveman-level French is up for the task, but I'm gonna take a swing at it!
January 16, 2026 at 6:30 PM
In the mail today.
Not sure if my caveman-level French is up for the task, but I'm gonna take a swing at it!
Not sure if my caveman-level French is up for the task, but I'm gonna take a swing at it!
Lunchtime mini Comics reading. No idea where I got this, but it's beautifully drawn and the production value is really nice. I love square single image per page comics.
January 15, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Lunchtime mini Comics reading. No idea where I got this, but it's beautifully drawn and the production value is really nice. I love square single image per page comics.
Aw yiss! Fishbone in Columbus in the spring!
January 15, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Aw yiss! Fishbone in Columbus in the spring!
I dunno who's out there scanning old sewing patterns, but they're doing god's work. Absolute gold for period clothing reference.
January 12, 2026 at 7:32 PM
I dunno who's out there scanning old sewing patterns, but they're doing god's work. Absolute gold for period clothing reference.
Hahaha catching up on Mary Worth and glad I did or I'd have missed Ian releasing a random cat into the house to kill and/or chase away his wife's beloved parrot.
January 11, 2026 at 2:55 AM
Hahaha catching up on Mary Worth and glad I did or I'd have missed Ian releasing a random cat into the house to kill and/or chase away his wife's beloved parrot.
Also, here is Jhonen Vasquez signing on of the 452,000 pieces of Invader Zim merch he was asked by fans to sign.
January 9, 2026 at 2:29 AM
Also, here is Jhonen Vasquez signing on of the 452,000 pieces of Invader Zim merch he was asked by fans to sign.
Moving phone pics to the computer and found this from CXC '25. Check this gang of comics folks! Clockwise from left, that's me, Tony Moore, Tony's partner (ack--forgot her name), Frederik L. Schodt, Charles Burns, Chris Pitzer (Adhouse), and Eric Reynolds (Fanta). A great evening out!
January 9, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Moving phone pics to the computer and found this from CXC '25. Check this gang of comics folks! Clockwise from left, that's me, Tony Moore, Tony's partner (ack--forgot her name), Frederik L. Schodt, Charles Burns, Chris Pitzer (Adhouse), and Eric Reynolds (Fanta). A great evening out!
Cintiq acquired! Now I've got a real studio going out here. 🌴🌴🌴
January 9, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Cintiq acquired! Now I've got a real studio going out here. 🌴🌴🌴
Next read from the mini-comics shelf. I love Shawn's work and his minis are always so beautifully put together.
January 8, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Next read from the mini-comics shelf. I love Shawn's work and his minis are always so beautifully put together.
Beautiful morning in Palm Springs!
Getting back to a project that I kinda fell off of around CXC time: a group chat/reread of Jim sterenko's History of Comics.
Getting back to a project that I kinda fell off of around CXC time: a group chat/reread of Jim sterenko's History of Comics.
January 8, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Beautiful morning in Palm Springs!
Getting back to a project that I kinda fell off of around CXC time: a group chat/reread of Jim sterenko's History of Comics.
Getting back to a project that I kinda fell off of around CXC time: a group chat/reread of Jim sterenko's History of Comics.
Some recent reading:
January 7, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Some recent reading:
Still getting the studio set up out here in Palm Springs. Just ordered a cintiq but still a little bit sparse decor-wise. Can't beat the view though!
January 7, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Still getting the studio set up out here in Palm Springs. Just ordered a cintiq but still a little bit sparse decor-wise. Can't beat the view though!
Finally getting some time to dig in to my stack of minis. This one a friend brought me back from a trip to Paris. Loving this one (not surprising given the artists). Left-facing pages are conversation. Right-facing are showing a parallel event.
January 7, 2026 at 6:39 AM
Finally getting some time to dig in to my stack of minis. This one a friend brought me back from a trip to Paris. Loving this one (not surprising given the artists). Left-facing pages are conversation. Right-facing are showing a parallel event.
Now my phone is grinding salt into the wound.
January 4, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Now my phone is grinding salt into the wound.
Wait, seriously--AGAIN? "Adverse reaction to prescription medication"?
January 2, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Wait, seriously--AGAIN? "Adverse reaction to prescription medication"?
It's very much still a huge thing here—accounts for more then half of all comics sold in the US!
December 26, 2025 at 12:36 AM
It's very much still a huge thing here—accounts for more then half of all comics sold in the US!
It's a nerd-a-licious Christmas!
December 25, 2025 at 6:47 PM
It's a nerd-a-licious Christmas!
Ahhhh... That's more like it!
December 25, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Ahhhh... That's more like it!
Current couch reading. I'm not as interested is Air Pirates as a lot of comics folk but, this is still a really interesting issue nonetheless—particularly the interviews with Bobby London and Kaz as well as the Ratt Fink/Ed "Big Daddy" Roth stuff.
December 24, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Current couch reading. I'm not as interested is Air Pirates as a lot of comics folk but, this is still a really interesting issue nonetheless—particularly the interviews with Bobby London and Kaz as well as the Ratt Fink/Ed "Big Daddy" Roth stuff.
Very unusual weather here in Palm Springs for Christmas time—cool and rainy... but kinda beautiful in its own way!
🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄
🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄
December 24, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Very unusual weather here in Palm Springs for Christmas time—cool and rainy... but kinda beautiful in its own way!
🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄
🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄
Hahaha this AI-drawn slingshot is 100% hilariously bad.
Genuinely baffled by how AI bros see stuff like this and then are like, "We should totally be using AI for heart surgery" or whatever.
Genuinely baffled by how AI bros see stuff like this and then are like, "We should totally be using AI for heart surgery" or whatever.
December 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Hahaha this AI-drawn slingshot is 100% hilariously bad.
Genuinely baffled by how AI bros see stuff like this and then are like, "We should totally be using AI for heart surgery" or whatever.
Genuinely baffled by how AI bros see stuff like this and then are like, "We should totally be using AI for heart surgery" or whatever.
