1.31.2008

Be My Valentine

I created this scandalous image as an e-card for The Stranger...folks can add their own message to that big middle block and a bunch of them will be printed in the paper! So g'wan over and send someone some love already!


1.30.2008

New Comics Day: Westward, HO!

This story is the last of the really inventive McGraw-Hill tales I did...there are a few others, and they're perfectly good little stories, but they're pretty straightforward and textbook-y, and lack the goofy energy of stories like "Where Stalks the Snakehead". It doesn't get much goofier than this one...the concept I was given was to imagine the westward expansion of settlers across the United States as if it were a reality show. I really went with it, and got into all the reality show tropes like a confessional area and an annoying host (Barry Bartman, modeled off Kirby's huckster of all hucksters, Funky Flashman).

I should also point out that this story contains the most direct and egregious swipe I've ever committed in a project I got paid for. Free sticker goes to whoever can point it out. Enjoy!













1.29.2008

All Smiles

1.28.2008

Long Time, No See

Well, not that long...but my pledge to post every day in January was undone by a crushing stack of deadlines to tend to over the weekend. I'm still getting on top of it all, actually...but I thought I'd chime in real quick to attempt at least some semblance of an update! To that end, here are a few sketches I did the weekend before last at my wife's parent's house...it's the protagonist of the graphic novel that I keep trying to delude myself into thinking I'll ever finish.



1.25.2008

Death by Eraser

From a recent Virginia Living "Olden Times" column...the story of a mysterious workplace fatality. Records from the time are spotty, but this much is known: one guy attacked another guy, but the aggressor somehow had the tables turned on him and ended up on a slab. Exactly how he met his end is another story...the death certificate enigmatically lists cause as "by eraser"!

I went back and forth about how to illustrate the "erasures" coming form the victim...nothing I tried seemed to represent the real thing very well at all. Then a pal of mine suggested I simply scan a bunch of actual bits of eraser and add them in Photoshop. Eureka!

1.24.2008

Charlotte Minicon 2008

Last weekend the fam and I braved the promise of bad weather and trekked south to North Carolina, both to visit the grandparents and so that I could spend Saturday hawking my wares and hanging out with friends at the Charlotte Minicon, hosted by the organizers of Heroes Con!

I arrived just in time Saturday morning at 10:50, the show slated to begin at 11. Heroes Con founder and organizer Shelton Drum showed me to a nice little corner of Fireman's Hall, a charming, cozy little building that also hosts wedding receptions and the like, and has a good bit more character than the hotel banquet halls and cavernous convention centers that typically host comic book shows. J Chris Campbell, Duane Ballenberger, and Justin Gammon, my pals from Wide Awake Press, arrived soon after, and the show was on!

The day breezed by pretty quickly...You could see the snow falling all day outside the windows, which is always cool. The boys from The Dollar Bin recorded several interviews, and I made some good sales and did a few sketches for fans. We had lunch from Phat Burrito, and I had a good long talk about the virtues of America's Funniest Home Videos with Heroes Con mastermind Dustin Harbin, a true gentleman if ever there was one.

After the show, the guys and I dropped by the shop that gave Heroes Con it's name, Heroes Aren't Hard To Find. I'd never been there before, and I found it to be a pretty spectacular shop: well organized, fun, comprehensive selection, the works. People speak highly about it, and I can see why. I picked up the latest issue of King-Cat and the second Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo collection...I was pretty close to picking up the Batman action figure from DC's New Frontier toy line, but decided against it at the last minute. Then, after I got home, I realized that all toys in the shop were on sale that day for 25% off. Curses!

Anyway, the snow continued to fall, and we all decided that it'd probably be best to get to where we were going before the conditions got any worse. I drove back in beautiful, steady snow for about the first 45 minutes, before it turned into boring ol' rain. It kinda reminded me of living up north, where it snows all the time, so eventually you have to go out in it. It was a nice ride, and a nice break...I listened to some music, got a burger and shake from Cook-Out and simply enjoyed not having to rush to be anywhere.

Anyhow, here are some pitchers. Enjoy!

Adam chats with Justin and Duane:



Justin makes his best "Get that damn camera out of my face!" face:



Another Charlotte convention, another hot Zatanna:



Justin and J Chris furiously sign and draw sketches in copies of Wide Awake 666:



Trying to capture my awkward drawing face as I sketch Supergirl:



JCC and Duane talk to The Dollar Bin about 2007's best comics. Kinda like the Mcneil-Lehrer Report, only nerdier:





1.23.2008

New Comics Day: My Life as a Cartoonist

This week, another comic from Richmond Magazine, this one from their "Comics in Richmond" feature from a few years back. I was asked to create a strip that'd address what it's like to be a cartoonist in a smaller city. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially the center panel, which I find hilarious. Sadly, I've had even less time than usual to work on comics since this strip saw print, with several ideas and projects backing up in my brain like cars in the Lincoln Tunnel on a Friday afternoon. Ah well, I'll keep at it anyway!

1.22.2008

Bottoms Up!

1.21.2008

Dogs

Didn't get home from NC until late this afternoon, so my promised Charlotte MiniCon report'll have to wait a bit longer. I did manage to download the photos off the camera, though, among them several my wife snapped of our dogs over the weekend. I really dig the one with Puck looking out the window. He's been my boy for going on nine years now, and I think this shot really captures his personality. The other one...well, don't worry, I haven't gone all Michael Vick on ya...this is just what the kids look like when they're playing around. They were both lying on the floor and Puck was licking Betty's ear twenty minutes later. Scary stuff in a still photo like that though!



1.18.2008

Cheaters

Well, those goddamn Patriots won again. I hate those bitches. At least I'll get to wear this shirt I ordered to the Super Bowl party. Provided it gets here in time, of course...I imagine just about everybody in America who watches football would like to have one. And no, I don't think this shirt will look nearly as good on me.

BTW, all comments by "anonymous" will be deleted immediately, so don't bother, lame-o's.

Canary

Yesterday was a blast at the Charlotte Minicon, despite snow falling all day, which usually makes poeple timid about venturing out, at least south of the Mason-Dixon. Among other highlights, I finally delivered the commission piece pictured below. Look for more blabbing about the show and some photos tomorrow!

1.17.2008

Watchin' TV

I was watching LAW & ORDER last night and noticed they have a new female detective partnered with Chris Noth's character. I don't know if I buy her as a cop...she doesn't seem like much of an actor (with the schlocky, terrible writing on LAW & ORDER, who can tell?). But she's a cute redhead, so she's all right with me!

1.16.2008

Charlotte Minicon This Saturday!



I'm getting a little bit of an early start on con season this year, at the Charlotte Minicon this Saturday. I don't know a ton of details about the show, but I know that several great artists will be there, including J. Chris Campbell (who created the fine (if a little bi-curious) banner above) and Dave Johnson (and I guess, me), and that it's put on by the same fantastic folks as Heroes Con, so it's certain not to disappoint!

C'mon out, buy some comics, and maybe even a sketch! I'll be the guy in the corner looking nervous!

New Comics Day: Credit Card Frenzy

This week, it's another of the McGraw-Hill stories...this one teaching lessons about smart financial sense and keeping good credit. Sounds a little boring, I know...but I love this story, and I think you'll find it pretty engaging. Either way, it's a good lesson, and one I wish I'd gotten in junior high! I spent most of my twenties dodging calls from collection agencies of every stripe, and lemme tell ya, it was no picnic. And it seems I'm not the only one...if you've been paying attention to the news lately, you've no doubt heard that Americans are continuing to spend more than they earn, even in these shaky financial times. Paints a depressing picture for the future.












1.15.2008

A Little Something for the Folks...

...who couldn't care less about the state of minor-league baseball in Richmond:

The Sub-Mariner's cousin, Namorita!

(No Longer) Home of the Braves

About a year and a half ago, I created a strip for Richmond Magazine about our local minor league baseball team, the Richmond Braves, and the questions about the stadium in which they play, the Diamond. It was mainly a bitch-fest...since I can't stand the team's parent club, the Atlanta Braves, I find it nearly impossible to root for a team that shares their name. Their colossally dickish policy of making all the minor league teams share their name is even more galling. Similarly, the stadium in which they play is a shithole, and pretty much has been since the day it opened, a soulless, cavernous concrete bowl that lacks personality of any kind. It's typical Richmond...not that great, but it'll do. It was not a fun place to watch a game; I live less than two miles away and went to exactly one game last season, on opening day.

Anyway, negotiations have been going on forever as to when and how the city would replace the existing ballpark. The Richmond city government, in their usual style, has been unable to get anything done or come to any kind of conclusion. The Braves, in turn, have been hinting at picking up and leaving town. Today, it was announced that they will move, and will play in a suburb of Atlanta starting in 2009. On one hand, I'm glad to see them go...unlike most minor league teams, the R-Braves were owned by their parent club and not a local organization, and were usually treated as an afterthought. On the other, I'm pretty sure (despite what I say in the strip) that Richmond will not be able to get its shit together and get another team, so baseball in the city is pretty much dead for the foreseeable future.

Shame on the city government of Richmond for being such a bunch of useless, do-nothing idiots, and fuck the Atlanta Braves (and their parent corporation, whoever it is this week) for being a bunch of thoughtless, apathetic dickholes who never gave a shit about Richmond in the first place.

1.14.2008

Savage Love Update

So, if you're a reader of Savage Love in the Washington City Paper, you probably saw this image in the most recent issue. Hope you liked it, 'cause you're gonna be seeing a lot of it! It's the new permanent illo, which'll grace the page every week instead of an illustration specific to the column. Obviously, I'd much prefer it was a new image every week, but I suppose this is better than nothing.

A word about the design...I figured that the best approach to take would be to address the spirit of the column, and what makes it what it is. The thing will keep running every week for who knows how long, so the trick is to be timeless. To that end, I picked a few random objects of kinky obsession - a high-heeled shoe, a bullwhip, a vibrator, and a girl's perfect ass - and had them surrounding a typical, should-know-better-but-can't-help-himself Savage Love letter writer... drenched in flop-sweat, naturally. Finally, I thought rendering the whole mess as if it were an old-timey, Grandma-stitched sampler would give it just the right level of absurdity and ridiculousness.

1.13.2008

1.12.2008

Here, Queer

Here's a spot I did for The Stranger...Gay kid from the sticks arrives in the big city for college, ready to paint the town red (or at least pink). No one cares, they've seen it all before.

1.11.2008

Never Hear the End of It

The first record I bought last year was Never Hear the End of It by Sloan. It also turned out to be the best. 30 songs, and not a stinker in the bunch!

1.10.2008

New Inks

Unable to find my preferred brand of ink (Koh-I-Noor drawing ink) at any art supply store here in Richmond, and too cheap to drop six bucks for sipping on a three-dollar bottle from Dick Blick, I've been auditioning a couple different brands the last few days. Among them are Windsor & Newton Drawing Ink, and Dr. Martin's Bombay Black India Ink. I don't like either of them as much as the KohI-Noor...The W&N, with which I inked these figures, is a little too thick. And the Bombay...well, it's fine, but for one thing: It tastes funny. I'm sure it sounds weird, but I once heard from some artist I respect (although not enough to remember who they are) that nothing is better for keeping a nice sharp point on a brush than good ol' saliva. So, every time I get done washing it out, I give it a drag across my tongue (I'm sure you're thinking, wow, that's way too much information...but it works!). Anyhow, the Bombay has this acrid chemical taste to it that kinda makes me gag. Ah well, I guess I'll have to get used to it, or pony up the cash for the good stuff!

1.09.2008

New Comics Day: Josie Taylor

This week's comic is "Josie Taylor", the lead story from issue #6 of my late great mini-comic series, FROM THE CURVE, published in 1999. That was a great year in some ways, with my career as an illustrator really beginning to take off...But it was a pretty damn rough time socially, as I was having a really hard time meeting anyone, and could feel my twenties fleeting away. Obviously, I'm no longer the sorry bastard I was when I wrote this strip, thank heavens. Still, I think it's an example of turning misery into something positive, as even eight years later it's one of my favorite things I've done.









1.08.2008

Civil War

In recognition of today's New Hampshire primary, here's a piece I did for Las Vegas Weekly last year about couples with different political affiliations. What a pain that'd be, eh?

1.07.2008

The Shark

Another recent Savage, about a guy who just can't get enough of...well, you can probably figure it out. Kudos to my pal Eric for suggesting the shark teeth. It really adds something.

1.06.2008

Bro's Before Ho's

This image is from a recent Savage Love, 'natch. The letter writer's quandary? He spotted the girlfriend of one of his fraternity brothers putting the moves on another of his fraternity brothers at a kegger. Should he blow the whistle on her? Or mind his own business?

Also, lest you think title phrase is just a clever joke from 30 ROCK, I actually overheard some douchebag say it in all seriousness to his pal in a bar in Ohio over my Christmas vacation! I tells ya, people out there scare me. I'm putting Evie in a convent the minute she turns thirteen.