Getting Out There

I've had some steady freelance design work since the spring, which is great for everything but my comics. I even forgot I had this blog going until I had a great conversation with a local comic book artist today, Justin Hubbell. When I saw the work he's putting out there, I was instantly excited to get back to the comics. So how do I balance a full-time job, freelance design work, and my passion projects? I don't now yet, but I'm working on it.

Rachel is incredibly supportive and doesn't hold it against me when we put the kids to bed and I just draw until I pass out. But, you know, I like spending time with my wife too. So I need to find balance! 

I've been working on a website that will combine my graphic design and comic work. I put some work up on Society6 this summer but I think this is just the beginning of getting myself out there. 

Pol Treidum and the Nonsense

This summer a new podcast became part of my daily routine: Star Wars Minute.

Each daily episode is a discussion of one minute of the Star Wars movie (pre-Special Edition), along with side conversations on childhood notions, the original toy line, and how a first-time viewer might perceive the characters. The first couple of minutes were spent on the opening crawl, as you can imagine, but by the time I got to the "Lifeboat Sniper" episode I was totally on board. The show recently wrapped up the first movie, all 122 minutes.

Along the way there were some very entertaining conversations around Pol Treidum, that ill-fated Imperial Officer with the 70s sideburns. Below is a poster I made for the show, inspired by the following exchange from episode #119:

Alex: "…of course, Pol Treidum and that whole nonsense…"
Pete: "Pol Treidum and the Nonsense. That's his backup band?"

They posted the artwork on their Facebook page, and there was a very warm response from other fans of the show.

Star Wars Minute is currently on a hiatus since they finished the first movie, but this month there's a live show in New York City that will focus on the Star Wars Holiday Special. Regular episodes return in January with the opening minutes of Empire Strikes Back!

The Ink Panthers Show! Episode 181

I've been spurred on through many a long night of drawing by the dulcet tones of Alex Robinson and Mike Dawson. They have a magical way of taking a conversation from comic books to fleshlights to Tony Consiglio's latest public altercation. I'm glad all three were present on the episode when they used the title card I submitted, featuring a panther-themed boy band.

The Ink Panthers Show! Episode 181: Ritchie Bing-Bong-Bee-Doh

3

I'm on page 18 of a 21-page comic I've been working on (intermittently) since the end of last November. I’ve had my heart set on completing it before I hit the one-year mark, and it looks like I'm going to make it. That may seem like a long time, but it's not bad considering how much the story changed since I first sketched it out -- at a thin 7 pages! And it's really good for me, since I'm still planning a comic based on a dream I had in January 2005 (an odd little tale about a "Lady of the Lake" and reality television, and if I ever finish it I'll post it here in full).

"3" is about a couple of figures crossing a wasteland in hazard suits, and the trouble they find on their journey. There's no dialogue, so it’s been a good exercise in body language and panel composition.

Work in Progress - The Secret Machines

I'm about halfway through a book for the kids, about a space bear named Ursa Jr. His ship is damaged and he needs to get it flying again, despite the fact that on Earth he's quite tiny. Here are the first couple of draft pages.