House of Twelve
Encyclopedia
House of Twelve is an independent anthology comic book
publisher based out of the New York metro area and run by artist Cheese Hasselberger. Also known as Ho12, it sponsors a monthly comic art collective held the first Wednesday of every month at Jack Demsey's Pub on 33rd Street in New York City
, New York
. They have been running since August 2001.
, Goat Reinecker and Jody Scheaffer in the fall of 2000. The four had been a part of a loose art collective at The School of Visual Arts in the early 1990s. After working for years on various projects, most notably Downtown
(an animated series on MTV
), they came together once more to do the first issue of the comic.
On the House of Twelve website, Cheese describes the origins of the group:
House of Twelve #1 contains four stories featuring characters trying to get to the much heralded House of Twelve, a thinly veiled metaphor for heaven. The four stories were mostly experiments in violent masturbation jokes.
Ho12 #1 was scheduled to debut at the Small Press Expo
of 2001, but the event was canceled on account of the September 11th, 2001 attacks only three days prior. The release was delayed until SPX 2002 where it was released to little fanfare.
Mauled! #1 is an anthology comic book with each story being a fictionalized account of actual animal attacks at zoos.
Manual Comics publisher Brian Musikoff and Cheese Hasselberger had been friends for years when Brian approached Hasselberger about publishing Mauled!. They eventually decided on co-publishing the book to make use of Brian's research and Cheese's artist contacts.
House of Twelve Ver. 2.0 was a relaunch of the book. Featuring an extended line-up of artists and a more mainstream theme, science fiction
, the book came out to varied reviews and decent sales. It debuted at the Small Press Expo
in the fall of 2003. The book featured the work of House of Twelve staple artists such as Brian Musikoff, Miss Lasko-Gross
, Kevin Colden
, Dave McKenna
, Jenny Gonzalez and Evan Forsh as well as many others.
House of Twelve #3's theme is obscenity
. It is over 100 pages and contains stories ranging from divine masturbation
to child abuse
. Created as a knee jerk reaction to the gentrification of American media, its over the top content garnered excellent reviews. Along with the regular contributors it also features the work of David Paleo, Victor Cayro (credited as The Beard), Jay Marcy, Nick Jeffrey and Ryan Snook.
The book debuted at the Small Press Expo in 2004. Initial sales were greater than expected, so much so it got the attention of Diamond Comic Distribution and in January 2005 was distributed nationally. Sales slumped after the launch, placing the future of Ho12 in jeopardy.
, Miss Lasko-Gross
, Jenny Gonzalez-Blitz, K. Thor Jensen, Dave McKenna, Kate Lacour, FuFu Frauenwhal, Chris Garrison, Frank Reynoso, Evan Forsch, Darryl Ayo, Cheese Hasselberger, Nick Jeffrey, Hugo, Brian Musikoff& Rodá.
concept, the books are created in an afternoon (usually over Memorial Day
Weekend) by the collective during the Ho12 Barbecue. The artists are broken up into four randomly generated teams and work together to create separate four page stories, a connecting story is then created to string the stories together. They are then published as mini-comics and given away as promotional books at conventions and appearances.
". Its resemblance is fairly loose, keeping the basic story of three people going into the woods and only two coming out, a trial, and it leaves the reader wondering what actually happened. For consistency the characters were culled from images found on The Live Journal Random Image Generator, an internet script that pulls the last 30 images posted on Livejournal.com. It also introduces the character of Billy Kramer, a long-haired, heavy metal
guitar player who has become an unofficial mascot of sorts. The book was nominated for an Ignatz Award for best debut comic at the 2005 Small Press Expo.
(originally based on the comic art magazine of the same name
), the mini comic is a sequel to the movie featuring the return of the Loc-Nar and it again telling tales of its corruptive powers. The book again featured four stories and a surrounding story, but the characters were created extemporaneously instead of based on real people. It was again nominated for an Ignatz Award for the best debut comic at the 2006 Small Press Expo.
. The book tells the stories of why the characters were sent to the detention
that the movie is based around. It was created on May 28, 2007 and was scheduled for release in autumn 2007.
's Comics app for iPods, iPhones and (eventually) iPads. Despite the title, the book came out quarterly the first year. The first issue features Miss Lasko-Gross, Sam Henderson, K. Thor Jensen and Darryl Ayo. The second issue was slated to have underground cartoonist Bald Eagles (a.k.a. Victor Cayro). Apple censored the comics, forcing the publisher to reformat the book, the final issue featured comics by: Dave McKenna, Kate lacour, Fred Noland, David Paleo and Cheese Hasselberger. The third issue was released in December 2010 with more stories by Miss Lasko-Gross, Sam Henderson, Darryl Ayo and Xeric winner Nick Jeffrey.
message boards about starting a cartooning group. A date was set and a bunch of cartoonists got together at the New York bar Max Fish. It was decided at the meeting that the group become a regular gathering. While at the bar founding member K. Thor Jensen said, "We need a name, some kind of art movement
!" and Cheese replied, "More like a bowel movement." and the Bowery Bowel Movement Jams were born.
They stayed at that location meeting the first Wednesday night of every month through 2002 and early 2003. Eventually they outgrew Max Fish and moved the event to McCarthy's Bar and Grill on Second Avenue because it offered more space and a private room. They also changed the name to the Ho12 Comic Jams seeing they were no longer in the Bowery (which was something of a misnomer itself but had been retained due to its aura of chic
). The group stayed there until it closed its doors in April 2007 when they resettled at Jack Demsey's Pub, which also offers a private room and a more accessible location.
The format of the comics created has stayed the same since its inception. Each participant brings a sketchbook or note pad and draws a starting panel then passes the book to who ever is available to continue the story. Each story goes on until the either it reaches a logical conclusion or runs out of steam. All are welcome and the group has grown and shrunk over the years, from a lowest attendance of five to a peak of 24 attendees. Currently they average twelve to fifteen attendees a month.
The Ho12 Comic Jams still take place the first Thursday of every month starting at 7 pm and running until at least 11 pm, often later.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
publisher based out of the New York metro area and run by artist Cheese Hasselberger. Also known as Ho12, it sponsors a monthly comic art collective held the first Wednesday of every month at Jack Demsey's Pub on 33rd Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They have been running since August 2001.
Origin
House of Twelve was formed by Cheese Hasselberger, Chris PrynoskiChris Prynoski
Chris Prynoski born November 1, 1971, is an American animator, director, and producer.Prynoski was born in Trenton, New Jersey and grew up in Bordentown, New Jersey. He graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1994. He then spent several years working in the industry in New York, mostly on his...
, Goat Reinecker and Jody Scheaffer in the fall of 2000. The four had been a part of a loose art collective at The School of Visual Arts in the early 1990s. After working for years on various projects, most notably Downtown
Downtown (TV series)
Downtown was an animated series on MTV on urban life, based on interviews with real people. The show follows a diverse and multiracial cast who live in New York City, and presents their everyday lives through quirky, humorous, and imaginative perspectives from the characters...
(an animated series on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
), they came together once more to do the first issue of the comic.
On the House of Twelve website, Cheese describes the origins of the group:
Way back in the early '90s me (Cheese) and some college buddies had a loosely knit art collective that helped each other out on various school assignments. We called ourselves the House of Twelve (there were 12 of us then). Years later, some of us regrouped to do the first issue of the comic, the name stuck. Since then the group has evolved and grown to the beast she is today. Sometimes there are less 12, often more.
House of Twelve #1
Ho12 #1 was scheduled to debut at the Small Press Expo
Small Press Expo
The Small Press Expo is an alternative comics convention that takes place every September or October in Bethesda, Maryland. It rivals the Alternative Press Expo as the premiere convention for alternative comics creators and fans. SPX is the home of the Ignatz Awards, which have been presented...
of 2001, but the event was canceled on account of the September 11th, 2001 attacks only three days prior. The release was delayed until SPX 2002 where it was released to little fanfare.
Mauled! #1
Manual Comics publisher Brian Musikoff and Cheese Hasselberger had been friends for years when Brian approached Hasselberger about publishing Mauled!. They eventually decided on co-publishing the book to make use of Brian's research and Cheese's artist contacts.
House of Twelve #2
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, the book came out to varied reviews and decent sales. It debuted at the Small Press Expo
Small Press Expo
The Small Press Expo is an alternative comics convention that takes place every September or October in Bethesda, Maryland. It rivals the Alternative Press Expo as the premiere convention for alternative comics creators and fans. SPX is the home of the Ignatz Awards, which have been presented...
in the fall of 2003. The book featured the work of House of Twelve staple artists such as Brian Musikoff, Miss Lasko-Gross
Miss Lasko-Gross
is an American comic book artist and writer, known for her semi-autobiographical graphic novels.Miss-Lasko Gross was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1977. She’d always been a comic book fan, growing up reading her favorite series ranging from Fantastic Four to Love and Rockets...
, Kevin Colden
Kevin Colden
Kevin Colden is an Eisner Award-nominated, Xeric Grant winning American comic book writer and artist. Primarily known as a webcomics artist, his work has been published in print by Zuda Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Alternative Comics, and Top Shelf Productions.-Early life:Colden graduated...
, Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna was a jazz pianist. He was known for his "three-handed swing" and was a leading proponent of solo piano style.-Biography:...
, Jenny Gonzalez and Evan Forsh as well as many others.
House of Twelve #3
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
. It is over 100 pages and contains stories ranging from divine masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
to child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
. Created as a knee jerk reaction to the gentrification of American media, its over the top content garnered excellent reviews. Along with the regular contributors it also features the work of David Paleo, Victor Cayro (credited as The Beard), Jay Marcy, Nick Jeffrey and Ryan Snook.
The book debuted at the Small Press Expo in 2004. Initial sales were greater than expected, so much so it got the attention of Diamond Comic Distribution and in January 2005 was distributed nationally. Sales slumped after the launch, placing the future of Ho12 in jeopardy.
House of Twelve #4
After a three year hiatus, Ho12's flagship title returned with the 68 page House of Twelve Goes to War. It features many of the same contributors along with fan favorites Mike Dawson and Chris Radtke. It was released at the 2007 Small Press Expo.House of Twelve #5: Touching Children's Stories
The next issue was published in 2009 as an all ages comic, a series first. Contributors include: Kevin ColdenKevin Colden
Kevin Colden is an Eisner Award-nominated, Xeric Grant winning American comic book writer and artist. Primarily known as a webcomics artist, his work has been published in print by Zuda Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Alternative Comics, and Top Shelf Productions.-Early life:Colden graduated...
, Miss Lasko-Gross
Miss Lasko-Gross
is an American comic book artist and writer, known for her semi-autobiographical graphic novels.Miss-Lasko Gross was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1977. She’d always been a comic book fan, growing up reading her favorite series ranging from Fantastic Four to Love and Rockets...
, Jenny Gonzalez-Blitz, K. Thor Jensen, Dave McKenna, Kate Lacour, FuFu Frauenwhal, Chris Garrison, Frank Reynoso, Evan Forsch, Darryl Ayo, Cheese Hasselberger, Nick Jeffrey, Hugo, Brian Musikoff& Rodá.
House of Twelve Presents
Ho12 Presents is a series of movie parody comics produced annually. A variation of the 24-hour comic24-hour comic
A 24-hour comic is a 24-page comic book written, drawn, and completed in 24 hours. Scott McCloud originally came up with the challenge for himself and Steve Bissette as a creative exercise...
concept, the books are created in an afternoon (usually over Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
Weekend) by the collective during the Ho12 Barbecue. The artists are broken up into four randomly generated teams and work together to create separate four page stories, a connecting story is then created to string the stories together. They are then published as mini-comics and given away as promotional books at conventions and appearances.
Rashomon
The first of the Ho12 mini's, is based on the classic Japanese story "RashomonRashomon (short story)
is a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū.The story was first published in 1915 in Teikoku Bungaku. Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon , takes only its name and some of the material for the frame scenes, such as the theft of a kimono and the discussion of the...
". Its resemblance is fairly loose, keeping the basic story of three people going into the woods and only two coming out, a trial, and it leaves the reader wondering what actually happened. For consistency the characters were culled from images found on The Live Journal Random Image Generator, an internet script that pulls the last 30 images posted on Livejournal.com. It also introduces the character of Billy Kramer, a long-haired, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
guitar player who has become an unofficial mascot of sorts. The book was nominated for an Ignatz Award for best debut comic at the 2005 Small Press Expo.
Heavy Metal
A parody of the 1980s animated feature Heavy MetalHeavy Metal (film)
Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian fantasy-animated film directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine....
(originally based on the comic art magazine of the same name
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
), the mini comic is a sequel to the movie featuring the return of the Loc-Nar and it again telling tales of its corruptive powers. The book again featured four stories and a surrounding story, but the characters were created extemporaneously instead of based on real people. It was again nominated for an Ignatz Award for the best debut comic at the 2006 Small Press Expo.
The Breakfast Club
Another parody of an 1980s classic film, The Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen drama film written and directed by John Hughes. The storyline follows five teenagers as they spend a Saturday in detention together and come to realize that they are all deeper than their respective stereotypes.-Plot:The plot follows five students at...
. The book tells the stories of why the characters were sent to the detention
School discipline
School discipline is the system of rules, punishments and behavioral strategies appropriate to the regulation of children and the maintenance of order in schools. Its aim is to control the students actions and behavior....
that the movie is based around. It was created on May 28, 2007 and was scheduled for release in autumn 2007.
House of Twelve Monthly digital comics
In the spring of 2010 House of Twelve began releasing digital comics for ComixologyComiXology
comiXology is a digital software and services media company that delivers comics and graphic novels through mobile applications and the Internet....
's Comics app for iPods, iPhones and (eventually) iPads. Despite the title, the book came out quarterly the first year. The first issue features Miss Lasko-Gross, Sam Henderson, K. Thor Jensen and Darryl Ayo. The second issue was slated to have underground cartoonist Bald Eagles (a.k.a. Victor Cayro). Apple censored the comics, forcing the publisher to reformat the book, the final issue featured comics by: Dave McKenna, Kate lacour, Fred Noland, David Paleo and Cheese Hasselberger. The third issue was released in December 2010 with more stories by Miss Lasko-Gross, Sam Henderson, Darryl Ayo and Xeric winner Nick Jeffrey.
The Ho12 Comic Jams
Started in August 2001 as an excuse to meet new people after a bad break up, Cheese Hasselberger drunkenly posted on The Comics JournalThe Comics Journal
The Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
message boards about starting a cartooning group. A date was set and a bunch of cartoonists got together at the New York bar Max Fish. It was decided at the meeting that the group become a regular gathering. While at the bar founding member K. Thor Jensen said, "We need a name, some kind of art movement
Art movement
An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time, or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defined within a number of years...
!" and Cheese replied, "More like a bowel movement." and the Bowery Bowel Movement Jams were born.
They stayed at that location meeting the first Wednesday night of every month through 2002 and early 2003. Eventually they outgrew Max Fish and moved the event to McCarthy's Bar and Grill on Second Avenue because it offered more space and a private room. They also changed the name to the Ho12 Comic Jams seeing they were no longer in the Bowery (which was something of a misnomer itself but had been retained due to its aura of chic
Chic (style)
Chic , meaning 'stylish' or 'smart', is an element of fashion.-Etymology:Chic is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s...
). The group stayed there until it closed its doors in April 2007 when they resettled at Jack Demsey's Pub, which also offers a private room and a more accessible location.
The format of the comics created has stayed the same since its inception. Each participant brings a sketchbook or note pad and draws a starting panel then passes the book to who ever is available to continue the story. Each story goes on until the either it reaches a logical conclusion or runs out of steam. All are welcome and the group has grown and shrunk over the years, from a lowest attendance of five to a peak of 24 attendees. Currently they average twelve to fifteen attendees a month.
The Ho12 Comic Jams still take place the first Thursday of every month starting at 7 pm and running until at least 11 pm, often later.