Ruben Bolling - Tom The Dancing Bug Page

ON JOINING THE INNER HIVE

July 28, 2022August 8, 2023 Ruben Bolling

What is the Inner Hive? It’s a subscription service. It’s a secret society. It’s a ragtag group of ne’er-do-wells with ideas that are so crazy, they just might work.

It’s the team that literally makes it possible for Tom the Dancing Bug to exist in this world.

And we want YOU as a member! Every week, you’ll get an email with that week’s Tom the Dancing Bug AT LEAST A DAY BEFORE IT’S PUBLISHED ANYWHERE ONLINE. Plus exclusive commentary, insights, process pics, extra comics, jokes, puzzles, recipes, and all benefits accruing.

How can you join? Let me count the ways:

1. You can join on Patreon, now the most popular platform for new Inner Hivers, offering not only emails but also a website on which you can read the posts. Plus, the Patreon option offers different levels of membership, with varying benefits. (Monthly automatic recurring payments.)

2. You can join at MailChimp/CampaignZee, the platform on which the Inner Hive was first launched, way back in 2012, offering weekly emails only (no website option). (Semi-annual automatic recurring payments.)

3. You can join on Substack, the latest platform to join the Inner Hive family. (Monthly automatic recurring payments.)

4. You can avoid automatic recurring payments by joining on a two-year non-recurring membership, directly from me.

No matter how you join, you’ll earn the adoration of a grateful nation and world.

Thank you for reading this message.

-Ruben Bolling

NEW BOOK!! 👉 TOM THE DANCING BUG: EAT THE POOR!

June 1, 2022September 13, 2022 Ruben Bolling

Volume 5 of The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug is here, and is now available. It’s…

TOM THE DANCING BUG: EAT THE POOR

TOM THE DANCING BUG: EAT THE POOR covers the complete comic strip (and more) from 2007-2011. It’s the first and will be the only volume in the set to cover a full five years instead of four, breaking the scales at an impressive 248 pages.

From Clover Press’s promotional material for the book:

Clover Press’s Complete Tom the Dancing Bug program marches on with the fifth chronological volume (and third volume published to date), covering every installment of the award-winning (and two-time Pulitzer Prize Finalist) comic strip, from 2007-2011. This volume covers the years of Obama’s election and The Great Recession, with a particular focus on Lucky Ducky, “the Poor Little Duck Who’s Rich in Luck.”

But the topics also range far from the political and topical, into waffle irons, drunk shirtless guys, and particle accelerators. And of course, it also features Tom the Dancing Bug favorites like God-Man, Super-Fun-Pak Comix, Billy Dare, Boy Adventurer, and Charley the Australopithecine. It also includes other comics Ruben Bolling created during those years: a Recession-themed comic created for Harper’s Magazine; and the legendary, insane Toy Story/Cormac McCarthy mashup he did for The Village Voice.

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And why not show the back cover of the book — it’s my favorite part, because it’s some of my favorite people saying nice things:

I know that by now you’re fairly vibrating with anticipation, asking “How can I get my hands on this glorious, historic tome?”

Wow. Settle down. Kind of embarrassing. It will be available in fine bookstores and comics shops across the country this month. It will also be available in less-than-fine stores. We’re not picky.

AND HERE ARE SOME WAYS YOU CAN ORDER TOM THE DANCING BUG BOOKS ONLINE:

1. AMAZON

You can order the brand new Volume 5 of The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug, Tom the Dancing Bug: Eat the Poor from Amazon HERE.

You can also order the previously published volumes in the series from Amazon:

Volume 6: Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens (2012-2015) HERE.

Volume 7: Tom the Dancing Bug: Into the Trumpverse (2016-2019) HERE.

2. CLOVER PRESS

You can order Tom the Dancing Bug: Eat the Poor and/or Volumes 6 and 7 directly from the publisher Clover Press, HERE.

3. SIGNED/SKETCHED OFFERS: You can order Tom the Dancing Bug: Eat the Poor, and/or other Tom the Dancing Bug books directly from me.

If you order directly from me at any of the forms below, you’ll get:

-> your book(s) signed/sketched/dated by me, personalized if requested

-> Your copy of Eat the Poor will come with a special authenticated (i.e., signed) Eat the Poor bookmark. Other books will also come with their corresponding bookmarks, but only as supplies last, so they are not guaranteed.

Here is an example of a sketched book, with personalized information pixelated out. The illustration is chosen based on the book and the whim of the sketcher (me) — no requests please, that would complicate the process to the point of infeasibility.

For all of the SIGNED/SKETCHED OFFERS below: If you would like the books signed “to” a particular name (your name, the name of a gift recipient, etc.), type that name in the field below. If not, you can leave that field blank. The book(s) will still be signed and sketched in.

If you are a member of the Inner Hive, enter the email address you use for that membership in the indicated field. If you are not, no problem, you can leave that field blank.

This offer is for U.S. deliveries only (includes Media Mail postage).

But I welcome international orders! For deliveries outside the U.S., please contact teamdancingbug at gmail dot com

UPDATE 9/13/22: THE PREVIOUSLY DISPLAYE OFFERS ARE NO LONGER ACTIVE

TO PURCHASE TOM THE DANCING BUG BOOKS,

INCLUDING THE NEW BOOK, TOM THE DANCING BUG: ALL-MIGHTY COMICS

(VOLUME 4 IN THE COMPLETE TOM THE DANCING BUG),

GO TO THE TOM THE DANCING BUG STORE, HERE.

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The Berryman Award, from the National Press Foundation

May 31, 2022May 31, 2022 Ruben Bolling

I was honored to accept the 2022 Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning at the National Press Foundation’s Awards Dinner earlier this month.

Here I am delivering my speech. Among my fellow award recipients on the dais were New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet and CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell. You can barely make out on the screen at that moment my comic, The MAGA Matrix.

I offered the following apology on Twitter yesterday:

Here is the video of my speech:

NYC: Tom the Dancing Bug at MoCCA Fest 2022

March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 Ruben Bolling

UPDATE 4/1/22: All systems are go. I'll see you there. Any further messages about the event will be on my Twitter feed: @rubenbolling

Anyone in, or around, or willing to travel to, the NYC area:

I'm planning to be at the Society of Illustrators' MoCCA Arts Festival 2022 on Saturday, April 2, 3pm – 5pm: Metropolitan Pavilion located at 125 W 18th St, New York, NY 10011. An entrance ticket is required.

I'll have a limited supply of my books Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens and Tom the Dancing Bug: Into the Trumpverse(Volumes 6 and 7 of The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug, respectively) that I'll be signing/sketching/selling, at cover price. (I'll also have some Super-Fun-Pak Comix Readers and Tom the Dancing Bug, Without the Bad Ones, not sold at cover price). I'm also happy to say Hi and sketch for anyone who comes by, whether purchasing or not.

You'll find me at the National Cartoonists Society table, Table C252.

(Cash or Venmo.)

But check back at this space to confirm before coming! We're living in a time when things could change for the event or for me, and if there's any change in plans, I'll post any updates right here.

Info about the books: bit.ly/TTDBbooks

Donate to UNHCR… and maybe win a book?

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 Ruben Bolling

Like many people, I'm not sure what to do in the face of all this evil and suffering. I've read that one of most effective ways to help is to donate to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, because they already have existing infrastructure on the ground and can use your money to help people immediately.

I've donated, and I'm doing another tiniest drop-in-the-bucket thing: Anyone who also decides to donate to UNHCR can email me and enter a random drawing to win a signed/sketched copy of the new book, Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens.

Here's how to participate:
1. Donate any amount to UNHCR;
2. Send a screenshot of the receipt or forward the confirming email to teamdancingbug@gmail.com; and
3. Use the subject heading TOM THE DANCING BUG UNHCR DONATION.

You'll be entered in a drawing for a free book.
Donate and send the email between today at 2:00pm ET through Sunday night 11:59pm ET to qualify.
If you win, I'll email you back for your postal address.
USA addresses only please.

Thanks,

Ruben

3/9/22 UPDATE:

The winner of signed/sketched copies of Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens is Anthony Severo.

And the winner of another drawing, just for participating members of the Inner Hive, is Jim Hodgson.

So grateful that this little gesture generated thousands of dollars in donations. THANKS to everyone who participated to help the Ukrainian people! And thanks to everyone who donated to the Ukrainian people in any way, through my contest or otherwise! -Rb

THE TOP TEN TOM THE DANCING BUGS OF 2021

December 31, 2021December 31, 2021 Ruben Bolling

The annual Countdown of the Top Tom the Dancing Bugs of the Year has been completed, and is now available for your convenience in its entirety on one page, HERE.

THRILL to the mathematical, scientifically determined rankings, right up to the shocking conclusion, as an unprecedented development has led to the most astonishing #1 pick in Tom the Dancing Bug's Countdown History!

GIVE THE GIFT OF AN INNER HIVE GIFT MEMBERSHIP

December 18, 2021December 18, 2021 Ruben Bolling

This holiday season, you can give that special someone(s) a Gift Membership(s) to Tom the Dancing Bug's INNER HIVE.

That's right, you can give a loved one / friend / frenemy a membership to the INNER HIVE, and from the moment you sign them up and throughout 2022 they will receive the weekly INNER HIVE emails containing:

– that week's Tom the Dancing Bug comic, at least a day before it's published online; and

– exclusive commentary, extra comics, contests, giveaways, word-find puzzles, and advice for the lovelorn

and all other benefits and privileges of membership will be conferred up on them.

$29.99. Simply sign up here, by entering the recipient's name and the email address the INNER HIVE mailings should be sent to:

It is for you to inform the recipient of the gift. The recipient will simply receive the next INNER HIVE email after you sign them up.

You can also use the above form to RENEW an existing gift membership.

More info on the INNER HIVE is here.

IT'S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING, EVERY DING-DONG WEEK, UNTIL IT STOPS.

Thank you, and have a Merry Everything.

Terms and Conditions apply. They always do.

The Gift Membership will end 12/31/22.

Payment is for starting the membership. Recipient may cancel at any time (there's no accounting for taste).

This $29.99 offer is for an Inner Hive membership through MailChimp. $77.00 Inner Hive Gift Memberships through Substack can be purchased here.

If you purchased a $77 Substack gift membership prior to the date of this announcement and would like to switch to a $29.99 MailChimp gift membership, contact me at tomdbug at gmail dot com

Any other questions, also contact me at tomdbug at gmail dot com

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Giant Wombats, Tom the Dancing Bug won the Berryman Award!

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021 Ruben Bolling

Hey, Tom the Dancing Bug just won the Berryman Award from the National Press Foundation!

I'll be traveling to Washington, DC on February 9 to accept the award at a gala dinner. I hope there are tacos!

I'm really honored, and I know I'm repeating myself, but I don't care: Anytime I'm given any honor I only want it to reflect on the people and entities who partner with and support me and Tom the Dancing Bug:

My web clients, BoingBoing.net, DailyKos.com, and GoComics.com, who have always shown great faith in the comic strip, and have brought it their great and incredibly enthusiastic audiences;
Andrews McMeel Syndication, who has been a valued partner and great friend for almost 25 (!) years, and all of Tom the Dancing Bug valued print clients; and
The Inner Hive, the team that every single week makes the very existence of Tom the Dancing Bug possible, and much more fun.

Anyway, my thanks to the National Press Foundation. I'm grateful to the judges for finding something worthy in my comics, and for finding that cartooning in general is worthy, apparently a view that is not universally shared among judges of cartooning awards.

So I appreciate the recognition, but I want to give a shout-out to my colleagues in the U.S. and all over the world, doing some of the most groundbreaking, innovative, brave cartooning in the history of the medium, in increasingly dark and difficult times! I'm proud to be with you!

One of the comics in the package cited by the Berryman judges:

(From January, 2021)

Join the Inner Hive team here

Oh, and new Tom the Dancing Bug books are coming out!

About Tom the Dancing Bug

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021 Ruben Bolling

Here's the About Tom the Dancing Bug page in the new book, Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens:

And the Back Cover:

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LINK FOR INFO AND TO ORDER THE TWO NEW TOM THE DANCING BUG BOOKS

Cartoonists Rights

June 26, 2021June 26, 2021 Ruben Bolling

I'm happy to announce that the winner of the random drawing in the Book Contest to Benefit Cartoonists Rights Network International is Colin Maroney. He will be getting a copy of the 2020 book Tom the Dancing Bug: Into the Trumpverse.

My heartfelt THANKS to all who donated and participated in the contest. As I said in announcing it, the proof of the cartooning art form's vitality and impact is the fact that authoritarians and extremists all over the world are threatening, persecuting, and even killing satirical cartoonists for creating their art. And yet here in the U.S., cartoonists are marginalized in just about every possible way by the world of Journalism of which we are supposed to be a part. In my own tiny, inconsequential corner of this issue, no Pulitzer Prize was awarded this year in the cartooning category, despite two very deserving cartoonists (and, yes, myself) being named Finalists, not to mention the amazing work done by many, many of my colleagues in a year of unprecedented events.

I started this contest on the spur of the moment, to help cartoonists in real danger in any small way, and I'm so heartened by my readers' response. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the outpouring of support for these brave artists.

The contest is over, but of course you can donate to CRNI any time you like!

THANK YOU,