In honour of KM's upcoming lucky 13th issue, with the theme of "nature or nurture," we're opening an online debate. Which is the most important factor in shaping human beings? Does it matter? Do you remember watching the feral girl movie in high school? Creepy, eh? To get the discussion going, here's the official Wikipedia page on the topic.

Just announced: the ballots are in, and SKIM has been nominated for a Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent.

Congratulations to Mariko and Jillian Tamaki and their fellow incredibly talented finalists!!! The awards will be given out September in Toronto.

The Doug Wright Awards were established to cast a spotlight on the wide array of comic artists and cartoonists working within Canada.

On June 23rd, Toronto readers are invited to join the creators of Mendacity, Tamara Faith Berger and Sophie Cossette, in celebrating the launch of their new Kiss Machine Presents publication.

Details: Friday, June 23, 2006. 5-8 pm at The Embassy in Kensington Market (223 Augusta Ave, Toronto). Refreshments will be served.

Purchase a copy of Mendacity here.

An uncompromising story about the international sex trade by writer Tamara Faith Berger and artist Sophie Cossette.

In one reckless stab at making something of her life, Inna Rosca, a tough, young, Moldovan woman gets caught up in a human smuggling ring. Mendacity tells the tale of Inna’s navigation and survival of the brutal passage from her hometown, Chisinau, to a seedy brothel in Tel Aviv.

Revolution means different things to different people. It’s been romanticized and mythologized for eons.

Lately, though, it seems that with all Che Guevara T-shirts, Comandante Marcos balaclavas, and Mao hats, capitalist interests have... well... capitalized on revolutionary heroes and turned them into another means to make a buck.

We at Kiss Machine still cling to our fantasies, so we set out to discover how the community of people who contribute to our magazine still “fight the good fight� and what they consider revolutionary acts.

Wow, we at KM's HQ are very flattered! Unbeknownst to us, Kiss Machine was selected as Broken Pencil's October Zine of the Month. Praise and all that right back atcha, BP...