Comic Artist Steve

Reminder!

2009-08-27T12:09:00.003-05:00

Looking to make this possible on my Mac- anyone know a good emulator that's not OS 9 Classic?

Just a friendly reminder that my regular blogging (almost daily!) is at my other blogger blog, http://comicartiststevedelux.blogspot.com/. For your consideration...

2009-08-09T19:53:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder, I don't use this blog anymore, go to this one:

http://comicartiststevedelux.blogspot.com/

2009-07-03T00:40:00.000-05:00

LOL

I don't use this blog anymore, so go to http://comicartiststevedeluxe.blogspot.com/ for you Steve-fix!

New Blog

2009-02-24T09:59:00.005-06:00

Taking the advice of a friend (Kathy Schwallenbach), I set up a new blog that I'll maintain for professional uses. This new one, http://www.comicartiststevedelux.blogspot.com/, will have no YouTube videos, no goofy pics, and no "where I'm going for the weekend"-style posts.

That's what THIS blog is for!

TTYL!

Turtle Rant

2009-02-21T10:12:00.003-06:00

Today Nikki and I are going to a birthday party in Greater Minnesota- it's going to be quite a slog to get there, but it should be quite an amusing romp. I'll be missing the opportunity to see the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie playing at the Uptown Theatre in the Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis, but gaining some good merriment with people I haven't seen in a long time, and snow tubing.

I know I've ranted about this before, and I'll probably end up repeating myself, but the first TMNT movie (the live action one) is perhaps my favorite movie of all time. It eloquently summarizes the first core arc of the comics, is gritty (for a kids movie), has great cinematography, cheesy music, and a wonderful performance by Elias Koteas as Casey Jones, who is a huge character in the comics, but was only used 5 times in the original animated series- the use of Casey was strange to us who hadn't read the comics, but faithfully got up early on Saturday to watch the gnarly opening sequence (though watching Hamato Yoshi turn into a rat was traumatizing).

Then they did two sequels, followed by a live action TV show, and then another great animated show, and a so-so CG animated movie.
So it got me to thinking, after seeing the [relatively] recent CGI movie, how I would do a TMNT movie.

First off, I would set it in 1992. That year, to me, seems like a tipping point, in domestic politics, world politics, the history of New York City, and in greater American culture. The year Bill Clinton became president, upheavals in Yugoslavia and Russian, in two years Apartheid ends in South Africa, two years before the Berlin wall falls, it's a year before Rudolph Guiliani becomes Mayor, and the NYPD has been using the Broken Windows Theory to crack down on crime (though it's still a grimy, thrilling place to be), and AIDS is still considered a gay man's disease.
Culturally, there's a bunch of great movies, TV shows, video games, comics, and music, which is too extensive to list here.

By setting it in this crux of history, I can then go back and build up characterization based. If the Turtles are 15-16 in 1992, then they were probably born in 1976 or 1977. Since the mutagen/ooze that turned them into what they are now gave them human life-spans, they are truly children of the 80's. Their cultural points of reference are shaped by specific political events, world upheaval, Communism, music, movies, TV, video games, food products, and radio. Also, they're growing up when NYC was a scary place to live, the divide of the haves and the have-nots, poverty levels, street crimes, racial tensions, and gang violence was at un-imaginable levels.

But the new twist is that they're being raised by an immigrant.

More on this soon!

TTYL!

2009-02-16T08:22:00.005-06:00

This one the contest at Har Mar, and I pocketed some change. Whee! So, I've put it up again, cause dangit, I'm proud of the old gal!

Still job hunting, still network mining, still preparing promotional materials, and strengthening bonds. Yesterday I had a meeting with a woman from a magazine publisher, and possibly might've hooked up some sort of freelance project. We shall see...!

Today, I'm specifically going to be working on a promotional piece that I can leave on bulletin boards, and on a page I want to use as a submission sample to places like Mirage or DC. I also believe I can start work on a smaller, more economical version of my portfolio (that's not 11 x 17 inches!), and begin making the files ready for on-demand printing. No good reason not to be doing such.

I've got the first 20 pages of Grover's Mom drawn, coloured, and re-lettered. Perhaps soon I can work on the last 20...

Apparently, they've redone the opening title sequence to the show:

I don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, it's truly beautiful in it's design, timing, and the little tiny details. But at the same time, it feels like it's embodying everything I don't like what's happened to the show since season 10: it's wacky. I've never thought of the show when it was what I considered good to be wacky and madcap- oh sure, there were times when it was wacky, to be sure, but the humor came from taking advantage of being animated to be understated and realistic with flourishes of not-real-at-all.
The other problem, to me, is that it's assuming viewer-knowledge. And for a show's opening sequence to assume that someone watching has been watching [consistently] for the last 20 years is hubris.

On another note, I stumbled on this severely extremist fundie site the other day while gathering reference photos of pterodactyls. Now, I'm not saying that having beliefs is wrong, and I'm not making fun of Jesus Christ, but seriously? What the eff's wrong with you if you believe that dinosaurs still roam the earth?
http://objectiveministries.org/creation/projectpterosaur.html

TTFN!

Rat Fink!

2009-02-08T11:53:00.002-06:00

This blew my mind. Well, how do you think he'd sound like? This is terrific!

WTF.

I'm going to a Comic Heads meeting, and then job hunting some more.

TTYL!

Oh Sean-y Booooy...

2009-02-04T13:21:00.003-06:00

Last night I was at MCAD helping my friend Sean Lynch (http://www.tallsean.com/) letter a comic proposal. I can't go into the details, but it was a blast. It was like I was in college again, bombing through an all-nighter, sucking down mountain dew and exhausting diatribes and gossip. It got a little punchy, a little loud, and surrounded by comic students who are all in various stages of progress. Let's wish Sean good luck with the pitch!

Today I'm going to circuit city and write down some prices and brands of some of the high-def TVs on liquidation. It's going to be like a vulture picking on the scabs of a guy wandering on his hands and knees in a desert. I can't wait!

Friday is William Mitchell Prom. It's called something else, but for all intents and purposes, it's prom for law students. I'm excited to bust a move, and pass out some business cards.

Recently, I sent out a promotional CD with PDFs of my work, my cover letter, résumé, artist statement, etc... to various companies I'd like to work for. The most prominent in my mind is Bongo. I'd love to work for them, penciling or inking Simpsons comics. Say what you will about the quality of the show (I believe it's been down hill for the last 11 seasons), but the comics have been really something. I had picked up a copy of the 2008 Treehouse of Horror issue, and man-oh-man, it's effing gorgeous. The issue featured the Hernadez brothers. Really strange and vaguely homo (Homer?) erotic at the end. Great colour.

The job hunt's been going slow. I've been making a point of seriously looking each day, but finding work that's creative, and not flipping burgers has been difficult. I'm aiming high, and trying to expand my network. Dearest readers, hath thee any leads?

Well, the weather is sunny and the snow is melting, so I'm going to head out and tear some circuit city sinew. *evil cackle*

TTYL!

Winter Carnival

2009-01-22T17:08:00.001-06:00

Cool, huh?

TTYL!

Junkyard Empire!

2009-01-18T21:17:00.002-06:00

I've done this poster (and another one in the pipes) for a series of shows for Junkyard Empire, a Saint Paul-based band that combines jazz, hiphop, and radical social movement. It's pretty wild, and the first show's happening this Wednesday. Tell 'em Steve sent ya!

There hasn't been much going on. I've been trying to wrangle a position within a company that would be creative or at least lets me use the skills I learned in college. So far, I've been keeping a few to my chest, but other than that, have any leads or contacts?

I've also been playing Earthbound again. I've gotten to Gigyas, but I think I'll stop for a while to savor the final battle. The trick of playing this game? Playing it in an program that allows for sped-up time. Gone are the horrible moments of battle grinding! I can get this packed up in no time! I'm thinking of playing one of the SNES Final Fantasy's this way.!

Ever see this show? They're the bastards responsible for the Old Greg phenomenon a while ago. I particularly like this bit, cause later they reveal Charlie IRL, and it is creepy and scary as all get out. I love it.

What I don't love is the wide-screen format of Youtube. More on that later.

This? This is for JP. He knows why.

TTYL!

The Dark Heart of the Internet

2009-01-05T21:29:00.003-06:00

Happy new year! I had a rawkus holiday, with plenty of stollen/schtolen (German bread with fruit in it), alcohol, drama, and at the end, a new cat named Billy.

Left: Maggie. Right: Billy.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but for the most part, the situation hasn't really changed much. Still looking for steady employment (freelance gigs don't count, though I've got a few), still preparing promotional materials, still networking and schmoozing for the desired steady job, still loving and learning with Nikki, and still wasting time on the internet.

I've been preparing some promotional material to go out to prospective publishers or to request the opportunity to do a penciling, inking or lettering sample. You can see it on my website in the "About" Section. Feel free to download one of them- pass it along! Tell your friends/employers/families/peers/enemies! The promotional aspect I'm doing is a mail version of it. Wish me luck!

I've also been sitting on an idea to send to video game companies for conceptual/story-boarding opportunities. It's still having some kinks worked out, but is looking pretty sharp so far...

I wish I knew who did this. It's just brilliant.

TTYL!

Simpson Comic!

2008-12-18T00:17:00.002-06:00

I've been sitting on a simpsons comic I've drawn for about a month, and I finally coloured it and added text balloons. This, along with two other pages, are ones I plan to send to Bongo Comics Group, so I can try my hand with a pencil/ink sample.

This took an awful lot of research looking for the backgrounds, and learning using the Simpsons animation bible. I've got one more to finish, so wish me luck! If you work for Bongo Comics, my email address is comicartiststeve "@" yahoo.com.

Well, I turned 24 about 10 days ago, and still job hunting... Going to a festivus party tomorrow!

TTFN!

Don't Eat the Pictures

2008-11-28T14:16:00.002-06:00

So I had a lovely thanksgiving last night. We had lunch at my parents, diner with Nikki's aunt (and Nikki's parents), and didn't see Twilight.

So now, we're getting ready to shop at the Mall of America. It's going to be intense.

I'd put up the first part of this, but I've decided to put up the whole thing up. It's Sesame Workshop's own damn fault that it won't put this on DVD. Enjoy!

TTFN!

Thanksgiffing

2008-11-26T20:12:00.002-06:00

I've been re-arranging the living room and baking some deserts to bring with us tomorrow. And job hunting. Still job hunting.

Tomorrow's going to be fun- Nikki and I are spending the morning at my parents, watching the parade, eating, and probably sleeping, then we're off to her aunt's house in Lino Lakes (about an hour away on a normal day), and proceeding to eat even more. The day'll end watching "Twilight," a movie I can sense I'm not at all the demographic for. In fact, I know this movie isn't for me, but Nikki's gotten hooked, and I suppose it won't be too bad. Just not looking forward to that!

I've been cooking a lot recently. Here's a modified pork-chop recipe I've built on*:

1) In a large bowl, whisk one egg and a few liberal splashes of milk.

2) In a separate bowl, crush about 2 dozen Keebler brand Club Crackers (good and buttery flavored, see).

3) Cut up a large apple (I'm talking LARGE apple here) into thick 1/2" slices lengthwise. Place in long buttered/Pam'd casserole dish, with about a 1/2" space between them.

4) Soak a tenderized pork chop in the milk, and then press the soppy chop into the cracker crumbs.

5) In a frying pan greased with about 2 tbs. of butter, briefly fry the chop until it's golden brown on the outside.

6) Gently place chop on top of apple slices.

7) Repeat about 3 times, since producers usually package three or four pork chops together.**

8) If you have extra slices, might as well throw a few on top of the chops, eh? I do, anyway.

9) This is the important part- pour some apple cider into the casserole dish. Not a lot, just enough to drench the bottom of the dish. You have the chops on apples to protect them from getting cider-wet.

10) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (before you start), and cook the pork chops for 45 minutes.

* Based on a recipe from http://southernfood.about.com/od/porkchops/r/bln423.htm
** If you're not cooking for company, don't worry- these babies will taste good the next day if you re-heat them after refrigerating them.

Hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving!

TTFN

Creepy Christmas Tree...

2008-11-18T15:37:00.002-06:00

I've been looking for this electronic dancing tree. This specific one:

I've been working on Nikki and I's Christmas card for this year. Here's some of the roughs I was considering, with commentary.

Snow Flake: Looks too much like a card I saw at Target last year, and kind of generic. I imagine if I was going with this one, I'd probably go super intricate on the points of the individual flake, but meh, still something you've seen before.

Christmas Tree: Again, similar to something you've probably have seen before. Though the chance for funky colouring is there... Hmm.

Stocking with Stuffers: This would've been a high-detail photograph, probably of a stocking my grandmother knit. Things coming out would've been strange goo-gahs, like LEGO minifigs, tiny Matrushka, small bottle of flavored vodka, old game boy game, couple of Euros...

Gingerbread Cookiemen: I kind of liked this one, but the difficulty would be drawing attention to the bottom left cookieman's expression of unease.

Well, these were valiant efforts, but in the end, we picked one I haven't posted. I figure I'll post it a week after we send the cards out. Enjoy!

I've been job hunting again. There was a job, but it didn't work out, so I'm hitting the pavement again. If you have any leads...

TTYL!

November Already?!

2008-11-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

So last night, Halloween, was spent at First Ave. in downtown Minneapolis- loud music, slutty costumes, alcohol, and traffic jams! But, the important thing is I enjoyed myself! I'm not usually one to favor the club scene, but last night, with a mask and some social lube, I got jiggy with it.

In two days, I'm going to drop off some art for the MCAD Art sale going on this month (more on that as things develop). Alumni can participate, though 20% goes to the college, and I'm pledging 10% to the Alumni association. Still, it might be money!

And of course, on the 4th, is election day. I'm seeing blue skies for my candidate, but never not let your opinion dry up! Vote on the forth, and... rainbows of goodness. Something. JUST VOTE!

Here's a video:

Pretty cool, huh? Just goes to show, Scrooge is awesome!

TTFN!

DBZ? OMG? WTF? Other acronyms to display my utter disregard?

2008-10-22T06:53:00.002-05:00

So I've been trying to find anything I can about this new DBZ (Dragon Ball Z) movie that's supposedly coming out in April of next year. Mostly, All I can find are ugly production pictures and fan-videos of ugly production pictures set to over-used DBZ music.

I've come to accept DBZ over the years- it's a flagrantly over-exposed manga/anime in my opinion, of the kind that attracts bad fan pics/fics/slash. I genuinely enjoyed regular Dragon Ball, and the macho extremism of it's successor was fun at first, but got obnoxious in it's rotation on Cartoon Network. I want to see GOOD manga/anime, and DBZ to me, while it is GOOD in small doses, PREVENTS other GOOD manga/anime from coming to the USA in translation. I don't appreciate combing through walls of generic manga/anime to find what I want- hidden in clones or in-the-same-veins.

It took a fellow named Ian Gorton to explain the ridiculous fun of DBZ- the trick is to watch it uninterrupted, which usually is prohibitively expensive.

Anyway, on to this movie. It's going to be a train-wreak, and I predict an awful lot of complaining choking the internet.

Why make [comic] book adaptations into movies when you're not going to respect the source-material, or more importantly, alienate the fan-base? I'm not looking forward to The Spirit movie, nor Watchmen- those two seem like equally divisive movies in the geek community. And since I'm intimately connected to many other geeks, the prospect is unsettling.

So here's something to keep my mind off the whole DBZ/comic book movie thing. Enjoy! It's another FuncoLand commercial! Look at how old that Playstation is! LOL!

TTFN!

Obama Shurt/shirt

2008-10-20T01:29:00.001-05:00

Pending a bogus approval from the site, available soon from Cafe Press.com!

TTFN!

Young at the Xcel!

2008-10-14T23:53:00.002-05:00

I've just arrived home from an exciting evening at the Xcel Energy Center with my friend Clay, seeing Neil Young! Sounded great, fun atmosphere, and an awful lot of people sneaking pot into a public-ish space! The open acts were some forgettable band called Everest, followed by Deathcab for Cutie, and then the main event. Wonderful music, wonderful time!

I've got a job. I'm not going to go into too many details until the details get straightened out, but basically, an exciting prospect awaits, and it's thanks to LinkedIn. I've been gathering clothing for the job, and excited about the challenge of wearing a tie 9 to 5!
Until that happens, though, I've decided to volunteer at the Como Zoo's Zoo Boo. Basically, a safe place for children to dress up in Halloween costumes, see cute little scenes and themes, and get free candy and [advertising] supplements from sponsors (like mini-boxes of cereal from the MANY grain companies around the Twin Cities- Pillsbury, General Mills, etc). I've gotten the Gorilla costume for a few nights, and a fish costume for the rest.

Ooh ooh! great news! Nikki and I've bought a new bed! A Sealy Beauty Rest. We got a pretty good deal, a good payment plan, and some Columbus Day discounts- it comes Saturday, and we cannot wait for it to arrive!

The MCAD art sale is happening a few weeks early, and Alumni can participate. I've bought some frames at Good Will, and some photo paper, so I'll be working on that for a few days.

Isn't that a kick? This company got bought out by Game Stop years ago, but, sigh, sometimes I miss the colourful store-front...

Well, I've got to shower up before bed. Tomorrow's a long day!

TTFN!

Domo! Xanadu!

2008-10-09T00:58:00.000-05:00

Wow! I leave a clue, and say the man/woman in the Domo suit is quite nimble!

TTFN

Fall Con

2008-10-05T23:50:00.004-05:00

Wow. I'm pretty bad at keeping this updated lately, aren't I?

Well, to be honest, I've been job hunting and learning to network, which I've mentioned before, and not much has happened, big picture-wise.
However, I've also been working on a quarterly mailer, and walking a lot more- Nikki says she's noticed that I've been losing some weight, so that's a plus. On the job hunt front, I've got an interview as a gallery guard for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and been working on submission samples to send to specific comic book companies.
So, it's been productive, but not terribly interesting. Well, ok. One interesting thing that happened last week was having an informational interview at 3M, and this weekend was Fall Con.

Wait! What was that? Fall Con? The Twin Cities major comic book convention and all-around geekery emporium?! You betcha! Two days of meeting peers, buying comics, and seeing a lot of fascinating people, many in costume. I was helping the CH (Comic Heads) booth sell this year's anthology, and trying my networking skills on the comics community.

Another thing I was doing was an interactive comic. I present the artist with a portion of a comic where a youth is pulling apart a Kinder Surprise/Egg Capsule, only to be surprised by what's inside. What's inside is left up to the artist, and I got many strange and wonderful examples. Here's some:

Don Rosa, Scrooge McDuck artist, whose "Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck" is a highly recommended for young and old.

Tom Richmond, a premier artist at MAD magazine. Also, my employer at Valleyfair Caricature booth. Real gentleman!

Sam Hiti, local cartoonist and fine artist/poster artist.

Tom Kaczynski, another local comic artist- google him. Now. It's gorgeous. Also, his Trans-_____ series introduced me to Krtek, and that's one adorable mole- Nikki saw Krtek EVERYwhere in Prague this Summer!

I've put all the examples I got on my website. When you're there, either click on the button in the navigation section, or on the main page, on the right column. Dig it! Do one yourself, and send it to me!

Here's a video:

I can't wait until they finish that movie. I'm also terrified, since I have specific voices for each one, and I guarantee that not one of them will match the voices I imagine when I read the stories. Here's crossing my fingers...

TTFN!

The Hunt.

2008-09-19T10:45:00.002-05:00

So for the last few weeks, I've been job searching. Two days from now, is effectively my last day at Valley Fair for this year (though I might work a few weekends in October if things get tight!). My goals have been shifting, but in a good way. I have a clear(er) idea of what I want to do in the long term, and started to map my strategy for getting it. I credit Nikki with pointing me in the right direction.

I set up a Cafe Press shop recently. I haven't anything up there (yet), but I hope to have some things prepared soon. This is one I'm kicking around. Just for the surrealism...

After a diner with JP a week ago, I've decided to continue 1777, or at the very most, finish the cliff-hanger. I still want to continue the concept, with different times, but right now, give some resolution on the revolution! I've got about 7 pages written, mostly actiony fight sequences. This is part of a larger plan which I hope to have ready for Micro Con, or at least by next year's Fall Con.

Speaking of which; I'm excited for this year's Fall Con. Partially to network, but also to see some friends, make some friends, and see my MCAD professors, Barb Schulz, and Terry Beatty. Gayle, Nikki's grandmother, brought some comics back from Egypt- American reprints in Arabic- but I have a suspicion that Mr. Beatty might've been involved. I'm eager to find out!

Here's a break, with Kertk!

Google "The No Sin Zone," or get to it through "Landover Baptist Church" (both are humor sites- don't worry!). The No Sin Zone is emerging as a funny anti-McCain/Palin blog.

TTFN!

Late, are we?

2008-09-05T08:13:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been tardy... No good excuse!
Here's a truncated run-down of what has happened for the last month:

Office party was smashing success, enjoyed a day at VF with Nikki for fun, went to a wedding Nikki's best friend Susan, signed up for Netflix, bought a nice bookshelf, went to the state fair (and met senate candidate and humorist Al Franken), and have been working at VF steadily!

Now, I'm looking for a new job, since VF is now down to the weekends. Basically, as long as it'll put food on the table, and pay the rent, I'll do it. My goal is to have a job that'll allow me to work on other art-related projects or freelance in the evenings and weekends. Of course, an art-related job is a lot more preferable.

---

Oh! Here's the rules to a card game called Shit Head. I learned it Ireland, and have been teaching it to whoever will learn.

Rules:
Your objective is to not have cards in your hand. The last person to still have cards is the Shit Head.

- Dealer places three cards face-down in front of each player. Dealer then places three cards face-up on TOP of those face-down cards. Finally, Dealer doles out a hand of three cards to each player. The rest of the cards are the draw-deck. Set aside a space for the discard pile. Players have the option to switch out any cards in their hand with any of their face-up. I'll explain why later.

- Whomever has a 4 starts the initial run. If no one has a 4, whomever has a 5 starts it. If no 5, then a 6, etc.

- The way you remove cards from your hand is placing an equal or higher card/cards on top of it, factoring special cards (outlined later). A player has to take the cards into their hand if they can't beat the top card of the run, and the next player starts the new run. The values go: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A. Players need to have a minimum of 3 cards in their hand until the draw-deck is empty. If you have two to three of the same kind, you can play them all at once. For example, playing two 5s on top of a single 4. Playing four of a kind in a row or making four in a row is an automatic discard of the run, and the player who made the discard starts the new run.

- When there is no more cards in the draw-deck, and the player has no hand, they start using the face-up cards. When those cards are gone, the player draws blind the face-down cards. In either case, if they can't beat the run, they take the cards into their hand and try to get back to nothing so they can play the face-up/down cards.

- The last player with cards in their hand is the Shit Head. They shuffle and deal the next round.

- SPECIAL CARDS:
- 2: starts a run all the way back to the beginning. Can be played at any time.
- 3: "glass card." When played, it is like playing whatever it's placed on top of. Can be played at any time.
- 10: automatically sends the run to the discard. Player who discards it starts the new run. Can be played at any time.
- 7: forces the next player to play UNDER it (2,3,4,5,6 or another 7). Has to be played in sequence.
- 8: skips another player's turn. Playing two/three skips two/three players. Has to be played in sequence.

So there are the rules. Here's the drinking game version, Shit Face:
- When you pick up the run because you can't play a higher card or play a 2,3,10 on top of it, take a drink of beer.
- If you get skipped, take a drink of beer.
- Should you end up as the Shit Head, drink a shot of hard liquor.

Have fun!

TTFN!

Tuesday!

2008-08-03T22:44:00.002-05:00

So it's coming up on my website (www.comicartiststeve.com) this Tuesday, and from there on, updated every Monday and Friday. There's only 40 pages, so it's a limited in it's length, but it is a contained story with an arc.

In Other News:
- I got a really nice haircut yesterday (for the office party and for the wedding next week). This is the haircut I've been wanting for a long time, and if you go to the Ficcicellos in Saint Paul on Snelling Ave., ask for Laura. She's terrific.

- I'm starting my post-Valleyfair job search. I'm wanting to find a job that is beneficial for my future in some capacity, so I'm thinking a print shop or printers in general. We shall see...

Obama! Can't wait for Denver! Eeee!

2008-08-03T01:19:00.003-05:00

CH meeting

2008-08-01T00:25:00.006-05:00

Tonight was the night the Comic Heads staff discussed the picks for this year's book. It was an intensive and well-reasoned discussion, and I think we all walked away with a good feeling about what was put into the book. There's some disagreements, but any are minor, and we all agree that we want a good book to come out in the end.

I'm feeling a little burned out with work. I'm not sure if it's normal, but despite my best efforts, I feel like my souring mood is starting to ripen on my face and in my aura. But self-awareness can lead to better self-change I figure...

This weekend's going to be interesting. Saturday is an office party for Nikki's firm. For me, this is the first time I'll be meeting her boss, her co-workers, and the other lawyers who practice there. Then, on Sunday, we're going to Valleyfair for fun. I'm looking forward to that.

Recently, for reasons I'm not too sure about, I've been obsessing about Albino people. Google it, it's pretty fascinating.

I've been working on ZulUFO. I put up a full colour pic on the website, but nothing more than that. Now, I've got some content. Probably I post that before Bert's Wake. Hard to say.

Have you seen this before? Crap video, but great pipes on this Russian!

TTFN!

Big thing going on soon

2008-07-27T13:06:00.002-05:00

I've finally finished Bert's Wake. Now I'm presented with two options. Do I format it for my website (optimal for getting others to look at my other work), or post it on this blog every few days and not keep up my witty banter (with the unstated goal of eventually having it availible on the website? Or have the comic open in a new window? That would allow for un-clutter, but isn't really a "type this in and BANG- you got it" thing is it.

In other news:

Nikki's back, and it's great! We saw Dark Knight (not going to bother with a review, you should have seen it by now anyway), played rock band, shopped, cooked together, etc. Last night was the Bachlorette Party for one of her best friends, so I have the house to myself now. I'm going to go out and grab a shirt or two, get fitted for a tux, and keep my eyes out for Spaced on DVD.

I figure it's time I threw up a pic. Here you go!

The first single avalible from Seagull Smack, coming out this november (haha...)

TTFN!

Happy Machine!

2008-07-20T01:26:00.001-05:00

Today (well, technically tomorrow) Nikki comes home! Eeeee! I am so excited!

Grover's Mom

2008-07-11T01:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been going on about Bert's Wake, oblivious that some might not have a clue what it's about.

It started when I had the notion to do a short comic where a Hassidic Jew and a Hassidic Jew Muppet were just wandering through the lower east side of New York City, conversing about a baseball game. However, it wouldn't be in English, and the two would be slipping between Hebrew, Polish, Yiddish, and some very noticable non-Hebrew/Polish/Yiddish words, like Yankee Stadium, A-Rod, menthol cigarette, etc. Taking a banal conversation, but looking at it through langagues I don't speak, a culture that isn't my own (though I've been confused for a Jew many times, and look forward to using Yiddish whenever I can), in a city I've only been to once, and one of them is a puppet with a gigantic beard, and those curls Hassids culitivate.

Then it grew into Sesame Street in a unspecified time-frame, containing elements of the 1970's, the mid-80's, and pre-1993 90's. Sort of a romanticized version of NYC, more familiar to John Leguizamo's "Freak" album, with Run-DMC and Beastie Boys, Metallica and Return To Forever being part of the soundtrack. There was no real story, other than nostalgia and slice-of-life. Sesame Street itself wouldn't have figured as a particularly central location, more just Muppets in an idealized NYC.

Then the idea of funeral cropped up in my mind. But who would die? I wasn't about to use one of the human characters, easpecially after Hopper, but MORE easpecially after David died, I wouldn't feel comfortable predicting the deaths of say, Maria (side note: Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria, is still incredibly attractive!) or Bob. So it was going to be a Muppet.
Invented character? No. It'd have to be an established character. Who'd be old enough to reasonably die in roughly 20 years? It'd have to be an "adult" muppet, so Grover/Big Bird/Elmo et al were out. So who's well known enough who's supposedly adult? The Count? No, as a vampire, he'd have ways of cheating death and is presumably immortal. Mumford? Who the fuck is Mumford? Harvey Kneeslapper? Seriously? No, it was going to be either Ernie or Bert.

Bert was chosen simply on the fact that he'd be too stoic/uninteresting if Ernie died first. Ernie is a right-brained creature, so he'd be more sympathetic, more emotionally battered by the ordeal. It's cruel, but made for a more interesting story.
The second reason, which would become more evident as a better reason, would be the creation of Sylvia, an invented chracter who is the progeny of Bert and some unknown woman-Muppet. Here, we could have a character who embodied characteristics of Bert (unibrow, long nose, slender head), yet could be considered moderately attractive.

I feel I should stop here to say that I firmly do not believe that Bert and Ernie are gay. My reasoning is based on studies that strongly suggest that characturistics mature in couples, no matter of orientation or sex. Lesbian couples, Gay couples, stright couples all share this habit, where one (usually associated with women) takes on the dynamic forward thinking "nag," the other (more often than not the male) the opposite, laid back and not as goal oriented. Knowing this, and that I fit into the latter role has helped me try to improve myself. Anyway, I believe this happens to non-romantic couples as well. Think Felix and Oscar. Have you honestly had a roommate who didn't fit into one of these catagories?
"But Steve! They sleep in the same bed!" No, they sleep in separate beds, but in the same room. Consider we've only seen that room and their bathtub, we could extract that their apartment is small, and that separate bedrooms might not be an option. I've watched a lot of Bert and Ernie in my life, and as someone with a terrific gaydar, I've never seen them do ANYthing that could be construed as gay.
And taking this further, who cares? Children certainly wouldn't, and neither should we.

The comic was started in the tail-end of senior year, and was a black & white 8-pager, 6 panels per page. It got dark very fast.
This summer, I decided to continue it.

Think of it this way; in an hour-long show, we see the characters maybe 15 minutes of the time, either in the wrap-around segments, or in shorts. So what are these characters doing for the 23 and 3/4 hours of a given day? They can't be teaching round the clock! Some certainly need to make money for rent, food, luxeries, utilities, and so forth. That time in-between is fascinating to me.

Gordon, for example, using the first episode as basis, is a teacher. Did he alway want to teach elementary school children in the inner-cities, or did he want to strive higher, and teach high school? Does/did he smoke? When he goes out to eat at a restuarunt with Susan, would they hit up a local place, or b-line it to an Olive Garden? Did the decision to live on Sesame Street made out of roots or economic downturn of the early 70's? Did Gordon have plans to run to Canada if his draft number was selected for Viet Nam? Does he stay up at night, trying to balance his check-book, listening to what radio station?

Or Bert and Ernie. What do they do for money? I imagine Ernie would work menial jobs like courier, desk security, odd-jobs, or deal a little grass on the side. Whatever the job, returning home to a half-messy home isn't a problem for him, as long as the lights turn on, the water runs, and it's warm in the winter.
Bert on the other hand, would work as a drone at some office. The kind of fellow who'd stare at a computer screen for hours, sifting through incomprehensible numbers, double and triple checking for errors before sending it to his section manager to approve and forward to the general manager. This Bert would be the kind of guy who'd blush and gufaw at "Office Space", and whose impotence at work and frustration would be chaneled into obsessive collecting and bird-watching.

Well, anyway, Bert, in this story, has died of heart failure in an unspecificed future, and reflections of his life, the petty lives of others, and an undercurrent of hostility pervades. It's not for children, shouldn't be read by children, and is intended for adults. Even an obnoxious blue monster named Grover would eventually grow up with the audience. He'd appriciate what he learned when he was four, but as a 24 year-old, putting a BFA to use, as well as paying off student loans, is more interesting than counting to 20.

Speaking of Grover, go to this site: http://www.toughpigs.com/myweekgroversmom01.htm. I'm thinking of how I could use this as a dramatic comic. The story of an idependent woman in the 1960's through the 1980's, that would work even if it wasn't starring a Muppet Monster. Could be fun...

Whew!

So here's what's been going on:

- Today it rained really hard, and there was a tornado whistle blaring. Being stuck at Valleyfair when this happens? Not fun at all. I survived, and had a productive day of it.

- Nikki comes back in 10 days! This weekend she's in Prague!

- Nikki's sisters are coming over on Sunday to play Rock Band. I'm considering paying Amber (the youngest) to help me clean the apartment before Nikki arrives. I'll ask her then.

-

TTFN!

Unnessesary Censorship

2008-07-06T23:08:00.000-05:00

This is soooo... wrong? Is wrong the word? Well, seeing as Bert's Wake is going to be a little filthy...

Rock Band, Oy vey!

2008-07-06T00:46:00.002-05:00

So right now, I'm a tad bit blitzed out of my skull on Ocean Spray brand Cran-Apple and vodka, and a little bit of beer for good messure, and my iTunes is playing "Shiney Happy People" by R.E.M., with "It Must Be Love" as sung by Alan Jackson up next. Tonight, I had Ali, EP, Reny, Anna, and Cat (Kat?) over for Rock Band and beer.

I bought Rock Band for Wii last week, and bought another guitar unit today, and today was the first time I had four people on all the accoutraments. It was awesome. I recomend it to everyone who has a Wii, cause you have weeks (months if percentages really are a badge of honor) of content, and much entertaining music.

Speaking of music, here's The B-52s.

Really 90's, eh? This is the backdrop of how I'd produce my TMNT movie, where the entertainment culture is ragtag, colours bright, and throw-away music like this is the height of popularity. By setting a movie in 1992, you get:
- The tail end of Apartiphd (death-throes)
- The end of Communism
- Mortal Kombat Vs. Street Fighter
- Mode 7
- Clinton in the White House
More of this later.

I miss Nikki greatly. She comes home in about 15 days, and I eagerly await the 21st.
VF has been going great, with the Forth of July being quite a cash cow! I'm not working at Hollywood Video anymore.
Wall-E is terrific.

Well, I got to get up in about 7 hours, so...

TTFN!

Wow. Miao.

2008-06-29T03:32:00.001-05:00

Bert's Wake

2008-06-28T10:36:00.002-05:00

I've been working on Bert's Wake. I'd start putting it up now, but as I continue to write new scenerios, it comprimises the tenative order. How does a scene with Grover and Chas discussing a past relationship fit in when bookended with Sylvia and Prarie discussing the samething, but from another angle? When does Grover buy weed? It has to happen before Chas bitches about his apartment to Telly.
So I've decided to finish the whole thing, and release a page once or twice a week. This allows me to have time to work on something else in the meantime.

In Other News:
- Nikki's aunt Laura and uncle Will are swinging by the apartment later to give us an old couch. I am dubious to how it will fit in the scheme and layout, but theorhetically, it should fit...

- HBO's John Adam's is on DVD, and it is superb. Here's a clip:

This trailer is a little skewed to show the Revolution, but in reality, the revolution itself only happens in two of the seven episodes, and more of the series focuses on his vice presidency, this presidency, retirement, and early career. Every episode is amazing, and more than once made me cry.

- I've been contemplating buying Rock Band for the Wii. It seems like a good investment, but it is pretty expensive.

TTFN!

Futurama Movie/Adult Sesame Street

2008-06-24T23:56:00.002-05:00

So today, while waiting for customers, I drew out 6 pages of Bert's Wake. I still have to color and reletter them, but still, that's 6 pages down, and about 6+ pages left to go, with the possiblity of more. There are still transitions to add.

Tonight, I watched the new Futurama movie, The Beast With A Billion Backs, with Dad. It's pretty good! Not terrific, and I'd say I liked Bender's Big Score much more, but still, was good! Recommended.

TTFN!

George Carlin is Dead!

2008-06-23T12:12:00.002-05:00

George Carlin, has died of heart failure. He was 71. I'm sure there are more impressive or informative eulogies, but for me, George Carlin will always be the first comedian I ever listened to and remembered (key word).

It was the mid-90's. Dad and I were driving to Gen Con (back when it was in Milwaukee), and he put in a tape into the Mazda 323. Usually he forced me to listen to his questionable taste in music, but this time was different. The tape commenced with Steven Wright, then some lewd Bette Middler stand-up, but the B-side was George Carlin.
My dad had never swore in front of me, didn't listen (as far as I knew) to movies or music with swearing, and judging by the sci-fi and fantasy paperbacks he owns, didn't read books with swearing. So here, on this tape, was a revelation: I could laugh at comedy that was funny, raw, and extremely salty, with MY DAD!
It turned out he had more Carlin tapes- I listened to them all until the magnetic tape warped, and then started to illeagally download tracks off bearshare.

So George Carlin, god bless you, and hopefully, we'll rub elbows when my time is up.

In other news:

- Nikki got to The Hague safely, and her luggage should be in her hands as we speak. I miss her, but it sounds like she's doing just fine, and it makes me feel better.

- I watched Perseloplis last night, it's terrific. Out tomorrow!

- Saturday night, I got drunk at JP and Ali's. Saw a lot of people I hadn't seen since graduation, and got a chance to relax after the plane drama...

TTFN

Bless the folks at United

2008-06-20T23:04:00.002-05:00

Well, It's been too long since my last post, and now, I have need to start updating, and to explain, here's a story of what's gone on in the last 24 hours.

After getting off of work, Nikki and I spent the night extreme morning packing and end-tying, money and document shuffling, all toward the goal of her departure to Europe. We didn't sleep until 4 AM, and even then, that sleep wouldn't last more than 5 hours. The packing kept us hopping until I drove her to the airport, where I watched her leave for O'Hare.
Don't worry, she'll be back.
Nikki's off to Europe for a month abroad, with a university in Pennsylvania, to study law in European centers of legality (Brussels, Den Hague, Strausbourg, Vienna, Luxemborg).
Watching her go though security was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time.

Well, the excitment didn't end there! You've no doubt heard about the horrible flooding in Iowa? Well, it hasn't gotten that bad in Minnesota, but the weather sure makes things harder than they should-

You know what? I'm going to break from the story for a sec. It's June, and we've finally hit a day that was 80 degrees. Remarkable, huh? May was shot to hell, with cold, and wind, and rain. It was very uncharacturistic of the midwest that time of year...

- Anyhow, her flight was delayed. It did eventually get off the ground, but it's ETA was exactly one minute before her connecting flight to Schiphol (Amsterdam) would take off. From about 4:30 to 7:45, I spent with my ear to the phone, trying to shore up an alternative. She had to be in The Hauge by 21st! Orientation starts the 22nd!
It was grueling, but United Airlines was able to get her onto a plane to Heathrow (I would rather have spared her the horrible experience of Heathrow for that of Gatwick, but beggers can't be choosers), and a connecting flight to Schiphol with their partner, British Airways.
Now, Nikki should be close to the Atlantic by now, if not proceeding across it. More later...

So here's why I'm going to be more prudent about my updates.

In other news:

- I recently got an old scanner to work for my computer, and have been busy scanning old scraps of magazines and comics. Junk paper I've held onto for too long, but don't need to have hard copies of anymore.
The scanner has also gotten me excited to create installments and updateable content for the site. I'm continuing Bert's Wake (for those of you who would know) and expanding it. I'm also excited for the prospect of illustration. A book explaining artistic symbols in western art has gotten me peaked (sp).

- The job at VF is still good and strong. The commute is a pain, but otherwise, I can't complain. I've even had people specifically ask for me! It's flattering, but awkward when it's not my turn...

- Persepolis is on pre-street this week. I haven't the energy to watch it tonight, but tomorrow might be a good time to check it out. I'm excited, since I've not read the book (sorry!), so the experience of watching the cartoon won't be spoilt by comparison. I'll undoubtably read it after I see this movie.

- I bought a copy of Issac Asimov reading some of his short stories in 1990 on iTunes. It's a worthwhile $15.99, as his stories are amazing, and something I hold up as quality scifi, as a benchmark to attempt to reach, an influnece, and perfect short fiction. Also, he pronounces "Robot" as "Rhr-butt" (or "Ribbit").

Well, it's not prohibitably late, but I am quite sleepy, so I bid thee a solid good night!

TTFN1

I'm not dead, just working

2008-06-03T15:13:00.002-05:00

Howdey ho, True Believers!
So, Yikes! I've been away from this blog for about 20 days. Sorry about that. I've been working at Valleyfair as a caricature artist. That's been working pretty well, except for the commute. 30 minutes in both ways, and almost $4 a gallon...

I've added quite a bit to the website, including a maze composed of some little comic panels I doodled when I was bored. Give it a shot!

Not much has been going on recently, other than VF, hollywood video, and looking for freelance...

TTFN!

Anticipation

2008-05-13T20:52:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, is the first day of my job a Valleyfair. 10 to 5, I'll be working as a caricaturist, practicing my skills, and god-willing, in the horrible weather we've had for the last week, make some scratch!

However, I'm excited for afterward, when Nikki and I will meet up at MOA (mall of america) to see Iron Man. Yep, still haven't seen it yet...

This is a terrific movie. I know it's been out for a while, but wow!

TTFN!

I am a graduate now!

2008-05-11T16:41:00.002-05:00

So, by hook and crook and the blood and sweat of my brow, I have earned my BFA degree in Comic Art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

- Insert cliche'd comment about entering the real world and how difficult it's gonna be-

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been working at Hollywood like a dog, tying up loose ends at MCAD, putting up the show, and in general, relaxing as much as I can, because come Wednesday, I'm working the summer at Valleyfair as a caricature artist. It's gonna be fun on the bun.

Graduation itself was a blast. The ceremony was entertaining and didn't drag, and I didn't make an ass out of myself! I'm going to miss going to MCAD regularly, but I'm excited about my future. I'll be working on promoting myself and getting some sort of regular job this summer in tandem with Valleyfair.

Tonight, I'm shaving my beard off. I've gotten so close to this one, and it's going to be tough removing it. I look strange without one. Oh well, a sacrifice to be made if I want to earn money at VF... I also got a dentist appointment tomorrow, and to kill two birds with one stone, I'm heading to VF to get my papers and I.D. made. I hope to relax in the evening, perhaps hang with Matt and discuss a promo postcard for a bass performance he's doing in the fall.

TTFN!

DONE INKING!

2008-04-16T02:54:00.003-05:00

Well, at long last, I've finished inking.

Now, I've got to letter five pages, and then colour the lettered/inked pages, but shouldn't take too long to do before I put up the senior show next week.

Speaking of which:

Pretty cool, huh? This Friday, I'll have a preview made available on my website (I could put it up now, but I'd rather wait until the end of the week).

I'm very sleepy right now, and I'm rather pleased how much I got done. It's enough to keep me from thinking about what is left to get done...

TTFN!

Micro Update of sorts, followed by rant.

2008-04-11T10:20:00.003-05:00

I got my senior show space allocation assignment, and I am not terribly happy with it. I'm not on the first floor (which I was hoping I wouldn't be on), and I'm not on the third (which can be a kiss of death for casual foot-traffic), but I'm not where I'd like to be. I was hoping for being close to the skyway connecting the two buildings, or even better, closer to the service beurau, the MCAD print shop.
Where I am, is sort of tucked away, in gallery 215, next to the 2nd floor undergrad design studios. To be fair, it is possible to see my show from the hallway I wanted, and I get a lot of space to work with, so I guess it could be worse.

I'm about ready to send off my promotional postcard to www.overnightprints.com. I've got to send the files tonight if I'm going to reap any benefits of getting interest, but I've got a good feeling about what I've got to work with. As soon as I get them, I'll finally go on about what I've been working on, and so forth. I'll also post a few pages on the website if you can't make the show.

Speaking of the show, I've got three more pages to ink, but if today is a work day, by the end of the day, I'll have only one left. We shall see...

Last night, Nikki and I watched Juno on pre-street (working at a video store means I can watch movies a week before they come out). It's cute, and much has been written about it. Jason Bateman's character is an asshole. Immediately afterward, I put on TMNT, and tried weakly to defend it- it's kind of garbage when compared to the first live-action one, quite frankly.

Do you live in the Twin Cities? If you do, watch the f**k out. The weather has been grabbing us by the shorthairs, and yanking us around. It's almost mid-April, and we've got THUNDER with SNOW. Comedian Lewis Black, in a stand-up routine, complained that weather like this isn't even mentioned in the bible! To be fair, it doesn't snow frequently in Israel (if at all)... Does this horrible horrible bitchslap of weather protend doom for the midwest? Short answer, probably.

TTFN

Flame Burger

2008-04-08T13:48:00.002-05:00

Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi!
The Convention went terrific, and I hope that this weekend, I'll have a copy of a mega-jam comic I participated it (or from some people's perspective, controlled, managed, or hijacked!). I need to grab a copy from Barb (Schulz), and I'll either post it here (probably not), or on the website (under the comic section).
As for the convention itself: I made out pretty well, and probably made the most in terms of profit (+$40). There was a lot of people, and a lot of commeradery, and trading of mini-comics was prevelant. Some of my favorities were by Evan Palmer (google him!), and Renny Kissling (known on the internet as Reynoldbot).

I've begun to prepare my promotional postcard. I'm sending out postcards to publishers, companies, and corporations, and using the balance of them to promote my senior show around town (libraries, coffeshops, liquor stores, resturaunts, comic shops, bookstores, etc.) It's gonna be fun.

I have THREE more pages to ink, then FIVE pages to letter, then I can colour it! Groan...

Here's a video I like. I haven't posted a video for a while!
I saw the live-action Chipmunk's movie, and throughly enjoyed it, even though I set out to hate it. It won me over with the very first song sung, an acapella version of Dan Powder's "Bad Day." Even so, here's the classics. Don't screw with the classics!

TTFN

Mini-Comic-Con

2008-04-04T01:25:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Mini-Comic-Con (MinComCon), and it's going to be great. I'll be premiring "Bert's Wake," which I'll be slowly including on my website, and I'm selling others of my wares as well. Hopefully enough to buy a beer or two during happy hour at Poncho Villa's (great Mexican resturaunt on Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis).

I've got three and 2/5's pages left to ink of my final. It's been grueling! Pretty soon, I'll be creating my promo materials. Keep your eyes peeled!

I finally watched "There Will be Blood." The best thing is the music, and Day-Lewis's eyebrows. I've been enjoying telling customer's at work how much they'll want to watch it, by essentially reanacteding the Milkshake bit. I'll be speaking like that for days...

I'll probably keep an update of how the con goes tomorrow, so keep your eyes open.

TTFN

Whoa... What's that?

2008-03-31T09:39:00.004-05:00

Hiya hiya- Soooo... It's been a while! And I got a good reason why!

There has been some internet difficulties; I haven't been able to do anything worthwhile for a while, internet-wise. So thank goodness I'm at MCAD, where the internet flows freely like ambrosia from the horn of eternal pleanty!

Last week was springbreak, and what a break it was. I spent most of it working on my senior project, with some time working at Hollywood and sleeping. I'm pleased how my project is going, and I'm about 4/10th's done. I still have 2 pages to draw, 5 pages to ink (which include the aforementioned 2 undrawn pages), letter those aforementioned 5, and colour all fifteen pages. But I'm on a roll, and pretty soon I can start making my promotional material for the senior show. I'll almost certainly be advertising the shit out of it on my website (www.comicartiststeve.com), and be making postcards.

The other big thing that happened over springbreak was seeing Blue Man Group at the Excel Energy Centre in Saint Paul. Nikki's parents took us and her sisters to see them. The opening act was pretty "eh...", a guy named Mike Relm whose act pretty much felt like some bored Myspacer with a turn table. He wasn't a very good MC, and wasn't good at integrating his media.
BUT the main event was awesome.
I had seen BMG previously at The Luxor in Las Vegas, and both shows were terrific. This show had little of their original music (meaning music from their original CD and show), and had more lyrical music, but was none-the-less exhilerating. Nikki and I noticed that most of the music that had lyrics (with the exception of a cover of "Teenage Wasteland" by The Who) was really depressing, and if it weren't for the skill of the musicians, it would've been a gothy, angsty wrist-cutting fest. Anyway, great show!

I heard from Tom Richmond that I am indeed working at the caricature booth this summer. I'm excited about that!

One last thing: the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie is great. It's not really good, but it's a lot more watchable and enjoyable that I thought it would be, and here's what convinced me I wasn't wasting an hour and a half. When the movie starts, the first thing you hear is that Dan Powder song (the "you had a bad day... turn it around" one), and it's sung acapella. First off, it's such an unusual pick, second, it's sung really REALLY well, even at high speed, and third it's sung acapella. It's not a solid reason not to hate a movie, but it works for me!

TTFN

SPPPPPPPP-RRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGG BRRRREEEAKKK!

2008-03-24T23:03:00.001-05:00

This week is MCAD's spring break. I'll be spending it working on my senior project, and my CH submission. I've also been spending a lot of time developing my website. It's looking pretty swell!

Today and two days ago

2008-03-16T12:16:00.004-05:00

Today is (ba-da-da-daaaa) the Comic Heads meeting on rediculously raunchy, scandalously sex-saturated, salaciously steamy, tenaciously titilating and tempting, and expertly extreme porn comics. Or rather, porn comics AND porn in comics, sexuality and sex issues within comics, distinguishing lines between unneccesary and mysogynistic versus tasteful and logical within a mature narrative. It's going to be fun.

I'm going to have to miss some of it though, having to leave at four to get to work on time.

Two days ago, instead of Senior Project, we had a portfolio review with representatives from various companies and businesses. Rows and rows of us eager design-department majors, hoping beyond hope that maybe, just maybe, one of these people with ties to work and employment opportunies, would stop; stop and look through our stuff, offer their two cents, and an exchange of business cards would hopefully result in the bonding of two creative energies.

I don't want to go on into how I felt the day went, but I do feel that I made some useful contacts!

Soon after leaving MCAD, Nikki and I went to The Wabasha Street Caves for the William Mitchell Spring Formal (read: lawyer prom). I hate parties like this one. I'm surrounded by many better dressed people I don't know who have been losing their inhibitions long before I could even begin to catch up. And on top of that, the DJ doesn't have any music other than club music, which seems to imply a lot of hip hop and rap. At the end of the night, one of Nikki's friends read the DJ the riot act for not having a slow song to sway to. The man literally had nothing but hip hop, and was playing nothing but hip hop in such a classy, 1930's speak-easy. Pitful.

But I went for Nikki, so I can't say I didn't entirely not enjoy myself.

TTFN

Desert Island DVD Game: Rules

2008-03-12T13:25:00.002-05:00

I have a method for sizing up people. It's not completely fair to use this as judgement, but it's a pretty good indicator for who someone is based off their pop-cultural preferrences.
Basically, the rules are simple, and begins with this senerio: You [the person being asked] are marooned on an island, possibly forever. There's fresh water and fruit trees, and with some conservation and fishing, you could live indefinately on this island. Now here's the one bullshit aspect- you have a portable DVD player, an infinate supply of power for this DVD player, and only five discs.

You are only allowed five discs. If you want to bring TV-On-DVD, you still only get five discs. You can't count a 4-disc show as one disc. If you are comfortable taking a 4-disc show, filling up 4 of the 5 spots you get, that's fine.
The idea of this is to pick what you'd be able to watch over and over (when you're not busy surviving) for the rest of time. Is that movie you claim as your all-time favorite really what you'd want to watch over and over?
The goal for me, is hopefully open up minds and think seriously about what you'd bring with you. Variety? Conforrmity? Kids-movies?

The way this is an indicator of personality is that it reveals what people are entertained by, and using that information, cross-referencing it with your own knowledge and taste. For instance, someone who'd list nothing but National Lampoon movies is either a effing idiot, a tasteless hack, or strangely inspired (it's a ballsy move to watch the same five NL movies for the rest of you life).
A person who picks nothing but foreign films, documentaries, and thinky-dramas could be a psuedo-intellectual, a genuinely dry nerdy-type, or comfortable reading subtitles.

The other way of looking at this test is how comfortable people are opening up, or how comfortable they are making such a heavy-despite-proproserous task.
A new co-worker whom I barely knew for maybe 15 minutes told me she'd bring "Pirates," a high-budget porn movie. Another co-worker from another job took the test seriously, and would make amendments to his list as if tomorrow I'd push him off a plane over the pacific, set up with a backpack of DVDs, a player, a sleeping bag, and a signal mirror.

My List is such:
- The Sandlot
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Original Live-Action Movie
- The Mario Bros.
- Clerks (10th Anniversary Disc 1)
- Futurama (Season 3 Disc 3)
I might make some changes, but for the most part, if I had to rough it with this magical DVD player, I'd be prepared. How about you?

---
Another game I play with people is the "who'd play you in a movie?" game. I have a few rules for this as well:

- The actor or actress has to be alive. (So no Heath Ledger)
- The actor or actress has to be at least 10-15 years (though you can stretch it to 10-20 depending on the actor) within your actual age. (So no Charleton Heston for a 22-year old)
- The actor or actress doesn't necessarily have to look like you (modern makeup is spectacular), but can act like you with some training or method (kind of like Cate Blanchet playing Bob Dylan).

That's it.
Using this criteria, guess who'd play me.

Remember, I've got a new website: www.comicartiststeve.com

TTFN!

Domain!

2008-03-10T19:10:00.002-05:00

It's now official: my website is now-

www.comicartiststeve.com

How cool is that? Well, in the grand scheme of things, probably not very, but for me, pretty darn cool!

Tonight, I've started to ink my senior project. I don't forsee the inking stage to take nearly as long as the penciling stage- in fact, I'm banking on that. I still will need to do my colouring (I planned on doing limited colour in the first place) and lettering.

Well, I'll drop in this movie I found. I'm pretty excited about this, cause I've been looking for this video tape for a long time, and now I can relax a little now that I've found it on Youtube. Go to Youtube and find the other 7 of 8 parts!

Next Sunday is another CH meeting. This one is dealing with sexuality, sex-comics, sex in comics, and sexual issues with comics, and how it's more acceptable for a gal like Girl-Casey to discuss these, and kind of spooky if a guy like me did. It promises to be interesting with lots of ridiculous pictures of raunch, erotica, filth, and lots of uncovered genitals.

TTFN

Website, cards

2008-03-08T21:04:00.003-06:00

Well, much has happened. In short, I hate my job, but am keeping it up until the summer, when I'll basically be doing caricatures nearly full time. Also, I've bought a domain name. Soon, so soon, I'll have the domain name of www.comicartiststeve.com as my permenant website address. It'll be pretty swell!

TTFN!

Another big update!

2008-02-20T01:21:00.002-06:00

When last I touched base, I had Larry Gonick as my mentor (so far, so good). Now, I have Rick Geary as my mentor as well! This is fantastic, as I love and respect both men's work, and both are well known for their histories series (Gonick for Cartoon History of the Universe, Geary for Treasury of Victorian Murder. Both are terrific), which ties in terrifically with my project.

Last night I finally watched "Alien" full-thru. I had seen much of it, but not all of it. I knew what to expect, but I hadn't a clue how it got there. It's very unsettlingly sexual. Ash, played by Ian Holm, reminds me physically (and partially attitude-wise) to my boss.

I think I'm coming down with something. It doesn't hurt to breathe, but it feels better to breathe shallow rather than deep. I've also been coughing more. Soon after I'm done here, I'm popping a nyquil and going to bed. Wish me luck.

TTFN

Update of the last post

2008-02-17T02:28:00.003-06:00

I got Larry Gonick as my mentor! This guy's most widely recognized work for someone who doesn't follow comics in-depth is The Cartoon History of the Universe parts I-IV, though he has several smaller books on the history of the usa, sex, physics, math, biology... each one a case example of what teachers should be using in their handouts, because the information he's saying is clear, consise, and funny.

Now, all I got to do is send him pdf's of my work so far. I've got 3 of 15 done, and another 12 to go. I've decided to send him pages in groups of 5. Tomorrow after or before work, I'll start on the next page (chonologically page 5- I decided to wait on page 1 for some reason I can't remember why) after getting some inking done.

In other news, I finally watched Conan the Barbarian for the first time since childhood (the childhood where I don't clearly remember events or what actually was said). My god, this is my kind of movie. I made the realization while watching that I wonder if I would have survived such a grueling hardship such as Conan undertook, and the awnser is a solid no with a but. The but being that in a world I live in now, I'm probably closer to Conan than any other fantasty figure. Probably explains the fantasty metal and bizare terms I use frequently. Alas, there shall not be lamentation of the women for many moons until I battle once more...

It's late, and I can't sleep. I want to, but I doubt sleep will come before 3 or 4 in the morning... grr. Wish me luck.

Senior Project

2008-02-13T14:54:00.002-06:00

I've begun working on my senior project. I've cleaned off my work space, and tonight after some errands, I'll be working on penciling the first page (or better the second, since I want to manually draw in the titles). It's going to be a long couple of weeks, balancing work at Hollywood (video), making time for Nikki, finding work, and getting these pencils ready for inking.

The biggest road-block so far is finding a mentor. I need to find a professional comic artist (preferably one I'm inspired by or influenced by) to be my mentor. basically, all I need them to do is look at my work that I send them as they get made, for them to say "ooh, this looks great, but I'm not sure this _____ is working in the _____ panel...". No paper work, no offical forms, just casual critique. So far, I've tried Bill Wray (www.bigblownbaby.com), Phil Foglio (www.studiofoglio.com), Stan Sakai (www.usagiyojimbo.com), and Gilbert Shelton (www.ripoffpress.com).
I'd love to get comic artists from Europe to mentor me (using translating programs to bridge the gap), but so far, finding contact information is proving difficult.

So wanna know what I'm working on?
Well, I'm gonna keep it close to my chest until the senior show, but I can offer you this: In 1776, the United States of America was born. In 1777, that baby was dying!
There's a clue on my website if yer dying for a hint...

Speaking of website; I'm shopping around for inexpensive webhosting (or at least webhosting that's reasonably priced). I don't put stock in website claims, nor stranger's suggestions (and by strangers, I mean the user testamonies- I'm suspicious of anything that the website would put up, regardless of how postitive or negative it is). So far, I've been following up InMotion Hosting, suggested by Ali. It looks good so far...

I've been listening recently to Dan Savage and Kevin Smith's respective podcasts. I think Savage is thiiiiiiis close to defining a Huckabee, sort of like he did with Santorum. It's going to be exciting, since Huckabee has a chance now that Romney is gone.

Speaking of politics, this is going to be a spectacular year for negative campaigning. Nikki would disagree with me on this issue, but I find negative tactics hilarious, especially when the tactices blow up in the candidate's face. It's payment for making foolish decisions that are no good for the country. Right now, I support Obama, and I'd like to speculate that he'd take Edwards as his running mate, though I'm not keen on Edwards for his suspicious litigating of malpractice suits...

Well, I'll continue on this later. TTFN!

Super Duper!

2008-02-05T15:50:00.000-06:00

The meeting went well, and evil was punished at the big game! Go Giants.

I am having anxiety over my post-graduate career options. Those nervous little butterflies of self-cruelty are wracking my spine and belly.

Also, Waitress is an awesome movie. It's rare that I really despise the bad guy these days. It's nice to boo a well-crafted villian, or in this case, an alcoholic prick who treats his wife (Keri Russel) like a dirty dishrag. Check it out.

Oh! I also caught this surreal Russian Cinderella called "Zolushka." Sort of Moulin Rouge meets tacky Euro-pop meets the pink and yellow swirly flashes when you are dizzy or get up to fast. Check it out:

iTuned

2008-01-30T19:04:00.000-06:00

I've been downloading a lot on iTunes recently- more than usual, which is essential any number above nil. So here's what I've found for myself.

- Katusha, by Moscow Nights (this group does Russian Folk, but their first CD is shit. The second one is much, much better! More energy, better sound tech, and a little faster)

- Through the Fire and Flames, by Dragonforce (say what you will about Dragonforce, but it's a fun song. Check out the music video:

- Samba Beach, by Mason Williams (easy listening from the guy who wrote classical gas)

- Whiskey in the Jar, by The Pogues (screw Metalica, their cover of that classic Irish song is weak compared to genuinely salty Irishmen. I'd recommend pretty much everything they perform)

- The Ballad of the Greenland Whalers, performed by The Chad Mitchell Trio (this is a fun performance of the soul-crushing career of whaling, in a part of the world where barely the sun shines. Yet, the song is plucky)

Other than that, I'm procrastinating. I'm excited, though, because my friend Bug is working at Valleyfair this year at the caricature booth. Those of you who are familiar with her work will know how she'll fit that job like a glove. If you aren't familiar with her, check out her site: http://www.unfortunatefrancis.blogspot.com/

I took a tour at UPS last night to find out if I could get employment there. It wouldn't work, though, with my schedule, and the fact I don't want to work midnight to 3 or 5 AM. I like sleeping next to Nikki. Still, it's very cool to see the massive warehouse, where the millions of packages are being arranged like Tetris blocks.

This weekend, on Sunday, I am giving my presentation for CH. I'm very nervous about it. Basically, my break-down is:
1) Free-association rant of my feelings of setting as character.
2) Examples of comics that use setting as character (mostly European works).
3) Examples that don't (and are popular).
4) Photos of Europe that help cement my point.
5) A plea to at take what I am trying to say in your own comic work.
6) Virtual Springfield.

But luckily I have friends to help, and I plan to turn it into a group discussion more than me gabbing and stuttering!

Well, all for now. Ádh mór ort!

Comic Heads Meeting

2008-01-23T14:15:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to write some notes for a CH meeting I'm heading on Feb. 3rd. The topic is "Environment as Character," and I'm deciding to split it into a discussion of environment influencing culture and thusly influencing character, and the second half, treating the environment and setting AS a character. It's difficult, cause I don't want to sound like a jackass, but I also want to make a point to a bunch of young comic artists (young in that they are freshmen and sophmores, unlike me- a senior).

Oh! I forgot to explain what CH, or Comic Heads, is. CH is a yearly anthology publication of comic artwork. I am one of the assistant editors, though my official title is marketing editor. The editorial staff asks for submissions from comic art students on campus, and we're also looking for comic art submissions from those who aren't comic art students. So the fine artists, the graphic designers, the film makers, the animators, the sculptors, the printers, the visualisation students, and the photographers are all encouraged to submit work to the publication.

The point of courting the non-comic students is simple: the comic art community at MCAD is getting incestous. We need new blood, new ideas, and new methods of working/mediums in comic art, and new ways of approaching sequential storytelling.

Anyway, I'll start posting samples of what I got within the week.

Okay, real first post. Um... Cloverfield?

2008-01-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

So who saw it? Cloverfield, I mean. Was it not awesome? I'm rather pleased America gets its own Godzilla-Equivalent. I'm publically about to rant, so bear with me...

If you look at Godzilla as a metaphor of nuclear bombs and post-WWII shame, and mind you, this is original Godzilla here, any chance of a serious version in America is not going to work. When Godzilla first came out, our sci-fi metaphors were centered around invasion and infiltration, which coincided with our fears of having no-good reds moving next door and taking over. It could never compete with the pure terror of having miles and miles of your country leveled to the ground in less time that it takes to say "Jack Robinson."

Subsequent Godzilla films undermined the ferocity of suddenly having a gigantic monster fucking up your shit. Godzilla becomes a savior figure, and defends Japan so he can continually punish her people for... I don't know. Having a warrior culture that was obliterated, young people who don't respect their elders, and a unhealthy national sense of masochism.

The American Godzilla, high off of new found special effects and movies like Alien3, tries to hip up the myth, and turn Godzilla into the fault of the French, and turn what is more "Beast from 2,000 Fathoms" into another mindless animal. It lacks metaphor, purpose, and a suspension of disbelief (though having terrific visuals for the time...). America can have its big monster movie, but without something terrifible for it to represent...

9/11/01.

Terrorism's been around since the 70's, but really, until that moment, it happened elsewhere. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Lebannon... Whatever. Suddenly, though, it's happening to us. We are taken off guard, and there's nothing we can do but guess, theorize, and shit our pants over. It's random, unexpected, and faceless.

Cloverfield works, I think, because of that mindframe. Our monster (as opposed to Japan's monster) is hardly ever seen clearly, and when it is, it portends disaster. We don't know what to do about it, the government doesn't seem to know what to do about it, and the ambiguity of the ending suggests that a monster might attack us again, when we're least expecting it.

Check out this Cloverfields Wikiportal here. It's pretty awesome, and goes somewhat into detail over the alternate reality game.

Here I am!

2008-01-21T17:43:00.000-06:00

Can't say to much now. Just set up the blog pretty much right when I need to head out to diner with Nikki's parents.

Posting this to say that I now am on this site, that I am tinkering with my layout, and that soon, so soon, I'll be posting regularly!

TTFN!