Take Bob’s Burgers, for example. Do those Mission-style Victorian buildings in the background art look familiar? That’s because they were designed by local artist Sirron Norris. The character design in the show was done by none other than Jay Howell.

Regular Show, a hilarious Cartoon Network show about a couple of 23-year-old dudes who are also animals, features the writing/storyboarding talent of local indie comics darlings Hellen Jo, Calvin Wong (my bro!), and Minty Lewis (additional voice talent)! I have it on relatively shaky authority that pages of Mission Mission may have been source material for the cutting-edge fashions in this episode:

More recently, Jay Howell has announced his own show on Nickelodeon called Sanjay and Craig… with and additional Mission bonus: music by thee Oh Sees!! Check out the awesome promo for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7nP1p7MARw

Granted most of these jerks have moved to LA to, you know, actually make a career out of art. Zinefest doesn’t pay the bills. Still, let’s take every opportunity to claim all the credit for their talent just like Modesto tries to do with George Lucas.

Tonight, at Mission Comics and Art, my brother Calvin Wong and his girlfriend Hellen Jo are back in the Mission with a release party for their new comics: Ramble On #2 and Deep Cuts. It starts at 7pm.

We recently lost them both when they took a gig working for Regular Show for Cartoon Network in Burbank. The show’s creator apparently likes to poach indie comic talent from the bay, and they also feature Berkeley’s Minty Lewis as voice (for a nerdy racoon) and writing talent. It is a a hilarious cartoon, though.

If you’re into this stuff be sure to pick up these hott, limited-print-run, comics and triple-polybag them immediately. Then obsessively look up their value in each month’s issue of Wizard comic book magazine and price guide.

Oops sorry, thought this was 1994 for a second.

The bad news is that Hellen Jo, longtime Mission art babe known for her brilliant illustrations of gnarly ghosts, Lady Gaga, Kristen Schaal, and other amazing stuff, is moving to Burbank to work on Regular Show. The good news is you get to buy all of her cool stuff this weekend:

Yes, I know garage sales happen all the time, but this one has a pretty flyer and you can bet your ass there will be kick-ass comics, crafts, guitars with all sorts of pointless switches all over them, and probably more conventional practical items like toaster ovens.

Also, if you’ve got an eye on Hellen’s bitchin’ pigeon helmet (which will also be up for grabs), you’d better move fast. I’ll bet you’re not the only one:

Here’s the FB page, and craigslist for the sale. It’s Saturday from 12-5pm.

Update:

Cancel the BYOB… KEG.

Mission-based artiste, Hellen Jo drew this portrait of singer, songwriter, fashion-troll Lady Gaga. I’m not particularly hip to the music of today, but I think it’s pretty bitchin’. On her site you can see the whole “making of” process.

Hellen is pictured below, to the right.