Weekly Sketch 7/28

Whew! Been busy around here lately...but somehow, I seem to get more done and post more often when there isn't enough time to do so!

Today, some sketches:

Ghost Story

Here's the first page of a comic I did for Wide Awake 666, a horror anthology to be served up by Wide Awake Press just in time for Halloween. It features a hoary host of other fine indie contributors, including J. Chris Campbell, Duane Ballenger, Chris Pitzer, Andy Runton, and Josh Cotter, so you'll definitely want to check it out!

I actively tried to channel Guy Deslisle and Lewis Trondheim with this wordless story, and it ended up being maybe the saddest thing I've ever written. So check back in October to find out what happens next!

And to that end, here's some handy ordering information:
WIDE AWAKE 666
Full Color, 112 pages
5” x 8”, Perfect Bound
$9.95 US funds
ISBN 0-9749266-9-8
From Wide Awake Press and 3 Boys Productions
Diamond Code: AUG06 3555

Fair's Fair

This piece is from a recent Savage Love column, about a girl who surprised her boyfriend by indulging his fantasy of a threesome, then afterward demanding that he in turn indulge her most secret desire...to be with two dudes at the same time while he watched! That's dirty pool.

Sonic Siren

Here's a little "practice run" I did for a commission of Black Canary. I inked it pretty quick, and slapped some color down...I used a JLU maquette for reference, so if she seems pretty "on-model", that's why!

Sunburn

Lashina!

I drew this last week, and was thinking about donating it to the Heroes Con auction, but I couldn't finish it in time. Behold, the Female Fury!



EDIT:
In the comments section, Jay Geldhof wrote: "Now draw her face in profile....I DARE ya! That nose strap! What was Kirby thinkin'? "

Boy, he wasn't kidding!

Happy Birthday, America!

Anyone else out there working today?

The only downside to spending the weekend selling comics at a three-day convention is that the work doesn't go away, it just get pushed to the background, waiting to pounce back upon you at the first available moment. So, rather than cooking out or lounging by some water, I'm catching up on commissions of Lashina and the Golden Age Wonder Woman and writing the script and doing layouts for a comic about the local baseball team for Richmond Magazine. But hell, my wife has to work today anyway, and it's gonna be close to 100 degrees outside, so really, it's no big loss.

About Heroes Con: It was spectacular! I'm waiting on some pics, and I'll post an image-heavy report once I get my hands on 'em!

Teeny Bikini #2 is Here

Second verse, same as the first...If you enjoyed Teeny Bikini #1, you'll be happy to know that the new issue of Teeny Bikini is finished and ready to ship. The cost is $3 (two bucks plus a dollar for postage), and you can use the handy Paypal link below to order! Or, if you wanna save on postage and will be in the greater Charlotte, NC area this weekend, you can purchase a copy in person at the big Heroes Convention!

And Mack, your copy is on the way!

Who Should I Draw?

Heroes Con is next weekend, and, like last year, I'll be donating a drawing to be auctioned off at the show. This year's theme is the Man of Steel, and my question to my readers is, which member of the Superverse should I draw? I've got a poll running over at the Lurid forum, and the choices are:

Supergirl

Lori Lemaris

Power Girl

Lashina (of the Female Furies)

Superman

Please make your voice heard, and let me know which of these you'd like to see...of course, these are just my initial ideas, so if you feel like you've got a better suggestion, please share! I'll probably take opinions for the next couple days or so, and start the drawing on Sunday. And thanks in advance for your input!

EDIT: 6/28
Supergirl's the winner!

Jeepers Creepers

Been pretty busy lately, and as a result, the blog has been getting the short shrift. Here's a few bits to tide you over and keep you up to date.

The pencils to my full-color pin-up in Wide Awake #666, which'll hit stores this Hallowe'en:



..and a sketch/layout for the wraparound cover to TEENY BIKINI #2, which'll debut later this month at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC:

Super Bling

The Steelers collected their Super Bowl rings over the weekend. Too bad they don't offer them to fans as well...can you imagine how rad I would look sporting this kind of bling?



I think they're pretty cool, as ridiculously oversized man-jewelry goes...I like that they worked all five Lombardy Trophies in there.

The Best Laid Plans...

Here's a look at the original version of a recent piece I did for Richmond Magazine...the printed version (in the June issue, on newsstands now) ended up quite a bit different, as a result of fears about it's looking too Nine-Elevenish and my being out of town and unavailable to make changes as it went to press.

It's a little bit of an unusual look for me, all done in Illustrator and traced over my rough pencil sketches. I especially like the cows.

She's Lucky She So Damned Cute

Yesterday, our new dog Betty decided to take herself on a little adventure. She escaped from the back yard somehow (no doubt by jumping up repeatedly at the side gate until she accidentally unlatched it)...all I know is that when I looked out to check on her, as I do every ten minutes or so when she's outside, she was gone and the gate was open. Immediate panic...I checked all the sides of the house real quick, to no avail...when she gets out, she's gone. So, I jumped on my bike and rode around the neighborhood, jingling her leash so as to get her attention. I must've been out there for an hour, and I didn't see the slightest sight of her. I was beginning to panic...we have busy, four-lane roads on three sides of our neighborhood, and she's just dumb enough to run out into traffic and get herself flattened. In fact, after awhile, I was becoming more and more certain that this indeed had happened, and as I turned every corner I expected to see her lying in the road. Morbid, I know.

I was pissed...our other dog, Puck, knows how good he has it, and feels no compulsion to try to escape every chance he gets...I began to think if she wants out so bad, then just stay the hell out, and spare me the trouble. The problem with Betty is, she's kinda like a wild animal, in that she feels no shame or fear...hse's sweet and loving, but ultimately, she's looking out for number one. Whoever had her before we did must have done almost nothing in the way of training.

Anyway, Puck and I did a wider search in the car, checking out a couple of the surrounding neighborhoods, but after two hours of fruitless searching, I gave up. I figured either she'd find her way home or she wouldn't...and I wanted to be near the phone in case someone found her (her phone number's on her tag).

Then, all of a sudden, there she is, strolling around in the front yard of the house across the street under the giant magnolia tree. I went out on the front porch and barked "Betty!", and she ran to me, then into the house, immediately gulping down an entire bowl of water. She was filthy, covered in...something. It was kinda sticky, but not stinky, maybe mud or god knows what. I dragged her outside and hosed her down, her second bath in less than a week. I while I was still pretty pissed that she'd run away, I have to admit I was happy to see her. Happy enough, anyway, that I didn't throttle her. She's lucky she's so damned cute.

EDIT: Sean, in the comments section, rightly points out that you really can't talk about how cute the dog is without at least showing a few pictures. Noted. So, at the risk of becoming one of "those" bloggers, here's a few pics of Black Betty, uncharacteristically at rest. For a more illustrative glimpse into the True Betty Experience, check out this l'il bit of video, captured by the Sassy Redhead on a girls-only trip to North Carolina back in March.

Space Girl

Here's a recent commission I did for a fan...pretty fun, I must admit. Bikinis in space...doesn't seem all that practical, but it makes a killer image! Mark, if you're reading, your artwork is on the way!

By the by, if you'd like to get a commission like this of your very own, email me with the details of your request...I'll give you an estimate of how long it'll take, charge you a measly 75 bucks, and we'll get it started!

Crooks and Liars (and Fascists, apparently!)

I couldn't let this image I created for Seattle's The Stranger go unseen by the masses. It's so seldom I get to illustrate a topic I feel so passionate about. Follow this link for David Goldstein's thoughtful and sadly appropriate essay on Bush's domestic spying program.

Transmissions from SPACE

So, SPACE...it was a kinda kooky year for me. I drove up from Virginia through a downpour on Thursday afternoon...hung out with the parents and my brother in Kent on Friday, and headed down to Columbus Saturday morning with Lurid Pal Galen Showman (BTW, it was still raining). The new SPACE-space was pretty impressive, undoubtably the best yet, at least in terms of convenience and location. I was tucked into what I thought would be an impressive little corner, with Joey Manley, Josh Cotter and J. Chris Campbell on either side of my table...but it was also a dark corner, and I think it resulted in making us kinda invisible. It's a nice room, though, and if they can just bump up the wattage on the lights a bit, I think it'll be a good location.

Sales-wise, a schizo day...dead for the first hour and a half, nuts and busy for the next three, then dead for the rest of the day...seriously, I don't think I sold a goddamn thing after 4:00, and the show didn't end til 6. It was kinda disappointing, actually...I just don't know why this show isn't more successful. I'd probably stop going if I hadn't been there all seven years (you hate to break a streak) and it wasn't so convenient to bundle it up for a trip up to visit the folks and friends.

I made a distinct effort to get out from behind the table and check out some other creators' stuff, something I've had trouble doing recently at shows where there's no one to mind my store while I'm meandering about. Met some cool new folks and picked up some interesting books...honestly, I haven't read much yet, but I'll try to remember to post when I do...or at least send out some emails. I especailly enjoyed meeting or re-meeting a couple of the Luird F.O.O.L.s from my message board, Matt and John. It's about time!

After the show, it was still raining. Galen and I drove over to nearby PF Chang's (which I'd been craving all day since hatching the plan to have dinner there around noon), only to find it choked with gussied-up teens waiting to have dinner there before the prom. The hostess told me to come back in two hours to pick up a pager, so we could wait another hour and a half for a table. Fuck that. We met up with J. Chris, Rob Venditti, Andy Runton and his friend Shana, gave 'em the bad news, and walked to an Irish pub next door, which was teen-free. It was pretty good...beers, fish-n-chips, and great company (including Rob and I swapping Borders employee stories from the mid-90s, when that store was a great place to work)...but I really had a taste for some orange peel beef.

The constant rain on the two-and-a half-hour trip back was tolerable only for the presence of Galen, and the great conversation we had about everything from porno comics to Hitchcock movies. He's one of my favorite people in the world to talk to, and I really appreciate these yearly trips back and forth to Columbus, where we've got nothing else to do but drive and blab about everything and anything. If nothing else, I'll probably sign up for SPACE 07 for that.

The pics I took were really nothing special, so here are a few links to people who know how to use a camera better'n I do.

J Chris Campbell

Jeff Manley (My neighbor at the show and an all-around hilarious guy. He ate an entire stick of butter on a dare!)

Pat Lewis

Rafer Roberts

Mike Dembicki

Off to SPACE

I'll be appearing this weekend at the Small Press And Comics Expo at the Alladin Shrine Complex in beautiful Columbus, Ohio. I'll be sharing a table with Lurid Pal Jay Geldhof and selling all the new books. I'm driving to the show, which means I'll also be bringing along a sh'load of original art! There'll also be a bunch of other great guests at SPACE, including J Chris Campbell, Josh Cotter, Alex Robinson, Mike Dawson, Rob Venditti, Andy Runton, and ('natch) many many more! If you're in town, stop by, won't you?

Weekly Sketch 4/27

Still lovin' that red pencil...

Boomin' Bust

As a reward to all the faithful readers who stuck through all the fancy learnin' this week, here's some cheesecake for dessert!

Boom and Bust-Page 6

And so it has come to this...the town is deserted, but our lowly prospector from page one is still around, hoping to strike gold once again. Sad li'l feller.

Next up: Fun with Philosophy!