"Ron Suresha (website), author of the 2002 book Bears on Bears, announces forthcoming anthology on Kinsey Sexagennia. The books commonly known as the Kinsey Report were Dr Alfred C. Kinsey’s monumental scientific publishing achievement in 1948. On the sexagennial (60th) anniversary of the publication of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, the 'Journal of Bisexuality' is presenting a double issue focusing on Kinsey’s work and life" (cont...)

My buddy Teddy of ButchBear and BEAR Mag told me to check out this artist named Steven Miller (website) because ~ well ~ since Teddy knows I like Bears in bondage, he said that there's a cool little set called 'Bound' (set - photo) that Steven made. It's very interesting indeed as well as all his other sets.

There's very little about who Steve is (just a resume, no bio, no photos) which has the observer wanting to know more about whom this artist is. He does, however, have little write-ups about his sets, and here's a snippet about what he has to say about his 'Bound' set: "Bound, rope symbolizes the mental, physical and spiritual ties that bind. Materially, the subjects are bound to self, others, and inseparably the unknown. The tied ropes are constricting or loose, a representation of the various connections and disconnections between friends, lovers and strangers. Ropes around the subjects' heads act as a metaphor for how we're wrapped up inside our perceptions and simultaneously, by emphasizing yet obscuring the face, the viewer is encouraged to consider other aspects of the body". Very, very interesting.

Head on over to his site. I'm not sure why he has 555 in his domain name ~ smiller555.com ~ but it makes me think of this song by Slipknot (if you're 555 then I'm 666)... and Bears? They are Jackpot honey Heaven 777.

Things are getting really heavy for Paul, ever since he left Andy to go back home to his family. Looks like he's drowning in the meanness that is surrounding him.

From Bruin (profile) the artist of Bear With Me: "Remember the indignities of high school, the first time someone shouted, 'Faggot!' as they drove past? Bad enough when they came from classmates; imagine poor Paul enduring them from his own family! It's all beginning to wear on the big guy, and one wonders how long he can hang on. Fear not, faithful readers.  Help is on the way! Andy is mounting a rescue mission even as I write. Stay tuned. The fur will fly".

The following is from Bruin (articles - profile), cartoonist of Bear With Me: "Ever been in one of those situations where you work your butt off on a project, only to have someone else get all the credit? Seems like Paul's in one of those set-ups with his family. It's not that Paul isn't doing anything, but rather he's not doing the 'right' things to garner his father's attention and approval. Lucky Karl; as the family Jock, he gets all the acclaim, while Paul, relegated to household duties, gets diddly. How much of this abuse will Paul endure before he snaps? Is Andy going to mount a rescue, and if so, when? Stay tuned to the answers to these and other questions in upcoming episodes of Bear With Me".

His name is Yotto Bano and the best way to describe this Spaniard's work... well... call it 'Graffiti & Urban Bear Art'. Yotto is from Barcelona and he does this incredible artwork which has a strong graffiti/urban twist to it. His stuff is so cute you want to hug the walls he's painted.

Check out his uniquely named blog Ursalalala. From there you'll get a better idea at his style, and you'll also see just where you might find his artwork. Yotto would also like to let you guys know that in case you need a wall painted with some 'gortitos', to let him know.

Once again, put on your space boots and take a flight with the hot cartooned gang that make up Bear Degeneration. This time artist Perdido (website - profile) and I (Forrest - profile) have translated episode #9. In the last episode, we left corporal Slutton to deal with Reverend Beef and his fanatics, and now we follow Doctor Puzuk as he transports onto a strange planet that forks its inhabitants...

Check Episode #9 here: page #1 - page #2 - page #3 - page #4. This cartoon is more than great, and Perdido has already done 17 issues which you can see on his Blog however they are all in Italian, and we are working hard on translating them to English. The only setback is that we have not put all of the English episodes onto one page, so you're gonna have to do a bit of digging to get caught up, but I did my best to make it easy as possible to follow this most excellent adventure. If you've never heard about it before, then start from the beginning - episode #1 - episode #2 - episode #3 - episode #4 - episode #5 - episode #6 - episode #7 - episode #8 - and for today's update - episode #9.

Great news from Italy, photographer GianOrso has updated his website once again. He was also gracious enough to send in a few photos for us, so check them out here. GianOrso is truly one of the nicest guys in the universe, and his photography is inspiring and impeccable. He has, in the past, sent us pics from time to time, so check out some of the articles that have been written about him here. Visit his Flickr page as well as his profile on TubeBear.

Claude Martin (website) aka mARTin is this most highly talented French Canadian cute Bear artist who lives in Quebec City. He has so many talents it would take awhile to list them all, however what you will find on the short list is that he's a painter, a muralist, decorative painter, singer, songwriter, teacher, info-graphic designer, photographer, plays many instruments... and can you believe he's actually shy?

Claude has not been on stage since the dissolution of his rock band Cendres in 1992, however he is still composing and you can actually download his latest work from his site. The CD is called 'Docteur Bill Board' and you can grab it free here. Claude has a very unique style of his own and his music is quite classy.

He is recently back from Europe and he says he was very inspired. He had an exhibition of his work in Nice entitled 'Portraits on Extasy' as well as displaying a series of erotic drawings in Amsterdam... he is now back and already working on his latest project of cityscapes called 'Velo City. And don't miss his next abstract show 'Fresh Paint' or 'how to protect a surface from bad weather while exposing it to critics'. He will be celebrating his 20th anniversary as a painter with this expo.

Last but not least, make sure to check out his fresco webpage - Atelier Fresco - to see his most recent decorative works.

ok... that wasn't the last thing... Claude is also one of the organizers of BEARmuda (website - articles)... an event that brings together Bears to Quebec City. Their next get-together will be from August 29th thru the 31st as they plan on celebrating Quebec City's 400th anniversary in style.

mARTin is looking for an agent to represent him. Every interested person is invited to contact him by email.

The truly cute Perdido (website - blog - profile) has added another episode to his Bear Degeneration. This is episode #17. Now this is just to let you know this cartoon is in Italian, however we (Perdido and I) have been working on Englishifyizing (I made that up) his cartoons... in other words, we've been translating them, and I am working on #9 (coming soon). To see the others in English, click here (they are in the archives pages, so start from the bottom of the page)

Cartoonist Bruin (articles - profile) is back from the GALA that was in Miami, and he told me that his chorus Perfect Harmony rocked. He is now back and has updated Bear With Me, and we're now following the adventures of Paul.

From Bruin: "Paul is back home with his brother and father, but the welcome is a mixed bag: He's immediately slugged on the shoulder by his brother, and gets a less-than-supportive reaction from his father when asked about his flower shop. It's becoming clear why Paul has self-esteem issues".

There's a bit of news to share from artist Danny Babineaux. First off, he's updated his site Danny Boy Studio with some new drawings since the last time we've mentioned his work on this site (articles). He's also been selling his stuff internationally and he ships all his work all over the world. He has a new mailing list that is growing and he sends out images of his newest works. Just email him to join. He has also recently painted a picture of Kathy Griffin, gave it to her and she signed it and had it auctioned at an AIDS event in Los Angeles.

Monday signifies Bear With Me updates, and in this episode, with Mo's help, Andy has pinpointed where Paul is, however Andy needs to understand why Paul has left, so he chats with Mo a little, asking her if his social status could be the reason why Paul left ('am I a snob', he asks her). Mo says definitely not... and with a little deduction, Andy realizes why Paul has left.

From Bruin (profile - articles), the cartoonist: "As Andy and Mo mull over the reasons Paul left, the penny finally drops, and Andy comes up with a name. It seems he's on the right track, but what will come of it? I have the feeling things are going to get very interesting".

In other news, Bruin will be participating in the GALA choral festival in Miami from July 12th thru the 17th.

Put on your headphones and enjoy the latest BearPodCast (website - articles) hosted by Nard (profile) and his Bearish buddy Ray (profile).

In this episode (#215 - listen here ~ right-click to save), they get to interview Chris Knight Capone (blog - article), the Bearish grandson of Al Capone. They talk about his book 'Son of Scarface' (website). It's a fun interview and Chris is this seriously handsome Bear ~ and they even mention in the show that Chris resembles Al Capone, especially when he wears a fedora and suit.

Some other things to note are that Chris is opening up a new site soon - ChrisCapone.com - and that there is a documentary movie coming out that focuses on Chris and interviews with people who knew his father, the son of Capone, as well as Capone himself. It's all there in the podcast.

Artist Christophe Jannin (articles - blog - profile - website) sends in some updates as he plans for his upcoming exhibition in Lyon (France) which will be taking place at 'Le Station B' from July 25th thru August 15th (flyer).

From Christophe: "Winter is here in New Zealand, bloody freezing, stormy, rainy, haily. I am now counting the days before I leave to go to France for the holidays. Taking off on Tuesday night and landing in Paris on Wednesday 8 in the evening. About 22 hours flying, roughly a 30 hours trip with the stop in Singapore.

I have just finished my latest drawing entitled 'The Rite of Spring' (full image). A drawing full of optimism and very pastoral, the format is in the 'Italian way', meaning horizontal which is very unusual for me since I prefer a vertical format. In fact, physically it's two drawings, composed as a diptych but reunited with the colour version".

With Mo's 'hacking' expertise, she's helping Andy zone in on Paul. Read today's Bear With Me to keep up to date.

Bear With Me is a cartoon drawn by Bruin (profile) and his toon as well as his website is updated every Monday. Check past articles written by PlanetBears to find out more about this cartoonist and his art.

Parisian artist Guy Thomas (website - profile) is going to be showcasing his excellent material in Madrid for the very first time. It will be at the Hot Bar from July 4th thru September 15th. The exhibition is called 'Bearroco' (flyer). Guy states that this is going to give him the opportunity to pay a tribute to the Golden Age Masters of Portrait as well to his favourite subject of painting Bears which he has been doing for 10 years professionally.

In other news ~ Guy, after many years drawing mostly in monochromatic, states that he is rediscovering the joy in doing oil painted portraits; "I enjoy the strength of oil colours, sometimes on a golden background - like the Middle Age icons, of course to represent Bear-Icon... in my way".

So what's been going on over in the Bear With Me world? Andy seems to have recuperated at 100% however after getting the 'Dear John' letter from Paul, he was seriously down in the dumps. However, watch Andy as his 'Bearifies' himself in this issue... I believe this is the 1st time we actually see one of the characters morph from human to Bear... and now that he's 'Bearified' himself (I like the word), he's off to find Paul. Stay tuned.

'Bear With Me' is a cartoon drawn by artist Bruin (TubeBear profile - articles). Bruin has been recently interviewed by the Bearotic (profile) site - see the interview here.

Some news to share concerning, Bear Crusader, composed of Steve (TubeBear profile) and Sylvain (TubeBear profile) and , the Montreal based band. 1st they have a new webpage design. They have new videos for you to check out on their YouTube page, and there's new MP3s for you to check out on their MySpace site. They have some upcoming shows such as the Ottawa Bears BBQ on July 19th and they will be in Montreal on August 31st.