IDIOTHEAD.com -- OFFICIAL SITE OF ADAM TALLEY

They never took your Pride!

2012-02-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

Well, didn't get the new day job. I was bummed pretty hard for about an hour. But I instantly had this urge in me. Something said "Do what you love and you know you are good at." So I sat down at the table. I penciled three new Anna pages and another one of my webstrips. I'm partially inking them right now. The art Gods hath blessed me with a gift of instant work flowing out like the Titanic of tomorrow. Its a consolation prize I guess. :)

I swore I had that job in the can. I feel kinda silly now cause I started even saying my goodbyes last night to some co-workers in the thoughts that if I got the job, I wouldn't be back. They wouldn't have likely scheduled me there again, so it seemed natural to go ahead and say goodbye. Even last night I got the vibe that I wasn't going to see the place again. I did my walk through I always do on the last night of a job. Seeing things for the last time. Saying goodbye to a place you spent a lot of time at. Good and bad. It just felt like reality. So getting the call today was honestly kind of a light smack to the chin. For a while anyway. It felt like I just am not gonna (or I don't deserve) to get a "legit" or "clean living" type of day job. It bummed me out. But an hour later, I was over it and my head back in the game. Whereas something like this a couple years ago woulda taken a week or to do get over.

Nah, fuck it. I'm still standing here. I still kick ass at the things I love to do. I'll never get the call saying "No" to that! Can't stop me. Ya can't.

Onward and upward!

T

STUFF and NONSENSE.

2012-02-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Finally got around to coloring this today:"

I might make it a 2012 convention print. We'll sit on it and see what I think. I am basically doing mashups of popular album covers. This obviously taken from Wings/Paul McCartney's "BAND ON THE RUN." I got others pencilled, just gotta ink them and color them. I did a Gollum/Nirvana mash up a while back. Hope you guys enjoy it. Just something for fun!

In other news, I had a day job interview today. I have been disenfranchised with my current location and day job for a variety of reasons I will not get into. But I was presented an opportunity for a new location, more money and less drama/gross stuff. So I am hoping it connects. I should know by tomorrow and I will say what it is. I think I did very well in the interview.

I scored the new Van Halen album last night. I am anxious to listen to it and give it a review. The reviews I have been reading say that its actually better than decent, and honestly, I am looking forward to it! Bands I like are either broken up or dead, so I'll take what I can get at this point.

Anyway, thats how my week is going. Hopefully I'll have an exciting blog post to talk about tomorrow!

FB woes and thoughts for the future.

2012-02-07T11:49:00.001-08:00

I got a couple messages and emails asking about why I am abandoning FB and what caused it. To clarify: There is no single incident that caused this. Just an ongoing, nagging sensation I have about abuse and clarity of content I provide. Facebook, while great in some respects, invites a certain type of "Chatroom or message board ethics" in that you can comment to people's feed. I prevented people from posting to my wall, but could not control the feed. And sometimes I post things I am passionate about and it invites all sorts of things. And really, its silly for me to post those things in FB anyway. All I am doing is looking for a "Virtual High Five," as a pal once likened it to. And I do that plenty enough on Twitter. And with Twitter, I can control the content much more. You get abusive, you get a big fat BLOCK from me. That simple. FB makes you feel guilty and all sorts of other things. So I am forced to keep FB because I need access to certain groups I am a part of, and photos I have (which are now deemed PRIVATE for my use only). However the only content I will post will be in my Facebook group Fan page. So if you want to continue to receive updates on my work and other such related things, go there and LIKE it. Otherwise, Stick to here at my website or Twitter. I will expand no further for the forseeable future. Too many websites to maintain and it takes valuable time better spent on production. Case closed! Hope that clarifies. Anyway, all are invited and welcome to LIKE my page there. Get abusive, you get deleted and unliked from there. Dig it? Cool.

____

I've been watching my best friend (SHANE from the Idiothead.com podcast) this week and his excitement about moving into a new home. See he moved his whole family to Maryland. But his wife, understandably, missed her family here in the mitten, so they focused their energy on a way to move back. He scored a great job and since has been living here. They got a potential buyer on their house and so they started the house search. Immediately they found one that is their "dream." and after seeing pics of it, I am more than pleased. The wife and I have set on our 2012 plan to get out of credit card debt for good. After that, we planned on focusing on saving for the future and getting a place to live that would be a comfort to all of us, including the new baby that is on the way. Right now we live in a small two bedroom apartment to save money and it ain't going to work. So we have been thinking about renting a townhome. Or is it better to own a home? We've debated back and forth. No idea which is the better option. But the more I think about it, I kind of want to own a home. Although I don't really "OWN" it. But it would be "MINE" for the short while I have left on this planet. I guess its something that is in the back of our minds while we get debt free. An ULTIMATE GOAL if you will. For now, I can live vicariously through my friend and his family and feel their excitement. It really is a great house. A dream house. I'd love it. Hell, I loved their house in St. Joseph!

So overall, just gotta keep on my 2012 goals as I stated before, and just keep the dreams flowing. Maybe a seed will plant and roots take place. And the dream can become alive. We shall see.

T

Ceasing Personal Facebook Activity

2012-02-07T10:06:00.001-08:00

I am hereby ceasing all "personal" Facebook activity and moving everything to my IDIOTHEAD.com fansite right HERE. The reasons are long and varied and I don't want to get into them. There is no single reason that caused this, just a continual issue and I have just grown completely disenfranchised with. So to keep up with me, you can go there. Better yet, keep checking this blog and my TWITTER for a more personal touch. I feel I can control content better in those areas.

Cheers!

Cleanin' the Guit-Fiddle.

2012-02-06T17:28:00.001-08:00

Pulled out the ol' rusty Fender Strat tonight. Changed the strings on em:

I haven't changed the strings on it since 2005! No joke. Man were they cruddy and rusty as fuckkkkkk! But its mostly been sitting in my gig bag, unused. In fact, I haven't played it much since we recorded the three Idiothead albums from 2003-2005. The bots likes the guitar..

This is the 5th guitar I have owned. Hence its name: "Number Johnny 5." It plays good, although I'd love a Telecaster. I am cleaning it off and restringing it in an effort to get my chops back up so I can do some recording this year and next. I got Garage Band and all that and haven't done fuck all with it. Also got a keyboard and all that. Drums on the ipad. Shane and I plan to do more stuff with Idiothead when they get moved in and settled. So by summer I want to be somewhat ready with some ideas. Been listening to more music lately to get my head in the game. It relaxes me.

Anyway, thought I'd document this. I never talk much about my love of the guitar and how I've played since high school. So its time to see if I can still play, and even BETTER than before!

T

CONCERTS!

2012-02-05T02:16:00.001-08:00

I keep meaning to post a blog detailing all of the concerts I have been at and some thoughts about them. Lets see if I can remember them.

1995-White Zombie/The Ramones - What a hell of a first concert eh? This was the Astro Creep 2000 tour and I love that album. There were fireworks, pyro and it was jamming. I had never seen anything like it. The Ramones opened for them. First time I ever heard them. I went out the next day and got their greatest hits. I became a fan that day. It was their last tour for both bands. Also the Supersuckers opened for both.

1996-Stone Temple Pilots/Local H - I am a huge STP fan and seeing them was great. Local H was great too. Used to cover some of their songs in my old high school band.

1996-Metallica/Corrosion of Conformity - This was a great show to see. I should go see them again.

1997-Stone Temple Pilots/Cheap Trick - I saw STP twice on the same tour. This time I was on the floor for the first time and Cheap Trick opened. I was very close. Caught a pick from Rick Nelson. I still got it. I love Cheap Trick!!

1998-Queensryche - Saw them perform on the HEAR IN THE NOW FRONTIER tour. They played a lot from the Operation Mindcrime and Empire albums. This was the last tour with Chris Degarmo, one of their main songwriters.

1998-Rob Zombie/Korn - Seeing Rob Zombie again was a great treat. He always puts on a great show. Korn was the other act. I used to be big into them and it was a good performance as I recall. A band called Videodrone opened for them.

1999-Roger Waters - The "In the Flesh" tour. It was a great show. Half Floyd, half Waters solo stuff. There were obnoxious and scary drunk people right in front of us. Almost ruined the show for me. But I stuck it out and I am glad I did.

2001-U2 - The "Elevation" tour. Easily in my top 5 concert tours of all time. I love this show. I got a bootleg of it on audio. I listen to it often.

2001-Bob Dylan - This was his "Love and Theft" tour. I was on the floor and damn close. Man, once the band started, all I could smell was weed. The pot smoke clouds in there were so thick!

2002-Third Eye Blind/Eve 6 - They came to my local college campus and I think my ticket was free. It was an okay show. Third Eye Blind was actually better than I thought they would be. I was on MTV as a result, as it was part of the "campus invasion tour."

2004-Neal Morse - He played at a local church in Hastings, MI. I made flyers for the show and took them around to Christian book stores (He's a christian artist now). I made a good lifelong friend out of the promoter. Great things came out of this show!

2005-Neal Morse - Same place, same situation. Although this time I got to help out at the show a bit more and be there for everything. It was great fun.

2005-Meatloaf - My parents cashed in points and we saw Meatloaf when he came to the casino. I've always loved his stuff. It was a great show and he played with the audience a lot. Some old lady tossed her bra and panties at him. He tied them to his mic stand.

2010-Roger Waters - This is when he performed THE WALL live in Chicago. His 4th stop on his new tour. It was a well oiled machine and it was great to see my favorite album performed live. Wonderful show!

2010-Transatlantic - In a small theater in Downtown Chicago. Real intimate and it was great. The band came out after and signed stuff and took pics. Saw Neal Morse yet again and got my 80th autograph from him. Met Roine, Pete and best of all, Mike Portnoy! My favorite drummer. Made my best friend jealous with that one.

2011-U2/Florence and the Machine - East Lansing. My back yard! This is still considered the largest and highest grossing concert tour ever. And it was a great show. Took the wife to it and I think she gained a new respect for U2 after this. New band Florence and the Machine opened for them and they were good.

2011-Paul McCartney - Might stand as my favorite concert I have ever went to. It was in Tigers' Stadium. I sprung for floor tickets, pretty close to the man himself. It was an emotional night for me. I teared up several times. I sang along with each song. It was just awesome!

So there ya go. My concerts so far. I love going to shows. But my favorite bands are starting to wither. Either they are broke up or dying off. So my shows are starting to get fewer and fewer.

Concerts I'd still love to go see (and could see):

--AC/DC - Seems like a staple act that I should experience live.
--Metallica - I'd love to see them again. Been a long time.
--Tom Waits - this one is a no brainer for me.
--Rush - Again, a no brainer.
--Paul McCartney - AGAIN! AGAIN! MORE PLEASE!
--Dream Theater - If Portnoy rejoins ever, I might go see em.
--U2 - I'd gladly go see them on each tour they do.
--STP - Ditto

Anyway, those are the first ones that come to mind that are possible. But I'd be up for any show that sounded appealing. I almost got tickets to the Van Halen concert coming up, but they sold out. Oh well! I'm not a mega fan of theirs or anything anyway.

BONUS: COMEDIANS I have seen live!

2004-Mitch Hedberg, Gilbert Godfried, Jessica Kirshon

2006-George Carlin

(I need to see more comedy shows!)

Post MSU FORUM and other stuff

2012-02-05T02:00:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday I was at the MSU forum and it was a great time. Let lots of new people, sold a nice chunk of stuff and made some new friends. I got good advice on sketch cards from my table neighbor, chatted with Brett, Dean, Nate, Jay and others. It was just a great time. I wanna say a hearty thanks to those who came out and spent time talking with me. It was great fun. And a great way to start off an exciting year for me and the comics. The next stop is MOTOR CITY in May and HEROES in June. With the possibility of PITTSBURGH in April. I haven't ruled that out yet. Gotta crunch the numbers with the wife on that one. But still, its an exciting time to be doing all this cool stuff. I'm excited! And I bring the excitement home and make it my fuel to rock out on the new stuff I got cooking. I hope to take some time this week and go crazy on penciling ANNA pages and getting that well on down the road. I got a few new print ideas I wanna get working on too. Plus some other secretive stuff. It will be a great and fertile time this late winter.

I got a surprise email from my pal Anthony Harris who did some Anna sketches for me after re-reading the first book. Here's a sketch he did of the main bad guy, the Messiah!

He gave me some others too. I love seeing other people take on my characters. Great fun! If you got a piece you wanna send me, I for sure will print it in the ANNA 2 book! Just get it to me before June this year and it will make it into the back of the book. Call yourself published! I like it folks. Lets see it! I already got some outstanding pieces from Tim Fischer and my pal Christian Kaw from overseas. But there's plenty of room for more! Want to be a part of history? Send me a piece! I'll get you a free digital copy of the book! Word.

In other news, I haven't watched too many new things in a couple weeks. I still gotta finish SHERLOCK. I did watch a copy of HUGO, one of the films up for best picture last year. Its wonderful! Really brought me back to my Broadcast/Cinematic arts days at CMU in early film appreciation classes. I've been watching the UFC lately. Thats new to me, eh? I don't know. Something about it that is appealing. I'll probably rent some over the next week and check them out further. I think I was mostly interested in it cause Joe Rogan is a commentator on them. And I am addicted to his podcast. But I got a few new DVDs and I hope to give them a watch this week or next.

I'm trying my damnedest to kick soda this week. Its slow going. But I am down to one a day. Right now I am enjoying an Apple Juice. I know they got all sorts of additives too. But right now I am trying anything to ween me off of it. I also got some nice new veggies and fruits to help start making the transition easier for me. Keep me strong, folks.

Okay, back to your weekend. Hope its a good one!

MSU FORUM pre-game...

2012-02-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the COMICS FORUM on the MSU CaMPUS in East Lansing! 11-6pm. Admission is free! Website and details are HERE. All my prices will be 1/2 off of normal! Come get some deals and see new ANNA and WEBSTRIP art too! I'll show all those who come and ask to see it! (spoilers!)

I cannot explain how excited I am for this show. Its been a long time since I did a show. May of last year in fact. I am only about to do maybe 2-4 shows this year because of the baby and what not. So I am really looking forward to it. Mostly cause some of my old pals will be there. Thats one of the reasons I love the shows is because of the friends I have made. And seeing old fans and making new ones is great too! Just the whole damn thing is great fun.

I am not sure how this really works, cause I've never been to the MSU forum. Its not really a traditional show as there is no dealer room or media guests. Just about twenty artists. I am sure it will be slower, but the people coming will certainly be more passionate about comics and art. I'm interested to see how its going to go. I am bringing art supplies to get some stuff done during the day as well. But mostly I am excited to chat with my friends again face to face. I need that. We as artists and writers lead very lonely, sedentary lives. It will be great to get out into the sunlight and stretch once in a while!

Anyway, tomorrow it is! First appearance for the year! MSU COMICS FORUM. Come on down. Its FREE! and all my stuff is 1/2 off the marked price!

Luvs, T

ANNA 2 TEASER

2012-02-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

I keep talking about ANNA 2 progress but I never SHOW progress. So I guess I owe ya some don't I? Here's some sneak peeks at some of the pages. No color on the pages yet, but you can get a nice tease! (first image is a teaser "poster" for the series. It is not the cover)

Fall 2012. You will see the most violent, unrelenting, gory, balls out-kick ass indie graphic novel you have ever seen. I mean it. It turns the volume way past 11. Makes the first book look like a Teletubbies episode. Want a hint? "Barbed wire to the eyes." Think about it.

T

BEFORE WATCHMEN thoughts...

2012-02-01T09:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the inevitable has been officially announced today: DC is doing a prequel to what many consider the greatest Graphic Novel of all time. The net is completely buzzing and everyone is putting their two cents in. I tweeted some stuff earlier about it too. My initial reaction was that I was not surprised. It was a matter of when and who, really. I think everyone will instantly recognize that there's NO WAY whatever they do can live up to the hype or top what Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons did. And really, the prequel ideas are not necessary to the iconic story at all. But rest assured, it will sell and make tons of money. Everyone is indeed a bit curious.

Me? There's only two reasons I am sorta interested in this. And its these reasons here:

We get new Adam Hughes and Amanda Conner art out of the deal. I know Adam well enough from the brief times I've been around him talking and even chatted with him a few very minor times. He;s one of these guys who has a tremendous respect for the classics and those things that are to be held sacred. And I honestly don't think he would involve himself in something that he didn't feel would be decent to do. So I trust his judgement to involve himself in this. We get to see him draw Silk Spectre and some blenis! (the name of the Blue Penis on Dr. Manhattan.) Also, I get to see one of my current favorite artists, Amanda Conner, do her take on a book. It will be great to see. I'm excited for them both. As an artist, it would certainly be hard to pass up that chance. Congrats to them!

The rest, like the politics and "how dare they" and "Should it be done" stuff I am just ignoring. My honest reaction is that I think it should be left alone. Cause I like stories that begin and end. And there's not much (I think right now anyway) that you could add to the story. Plus it does not have the original creator's blessing. s anything created would simply be a clever imitation. Alan Moore himself stated that in DC's decision to do this, it proves they are out of new ideas and would rather dwell in his idea from well over 25 years ago. But look, it was gonna get done eventually, so why not look for the good side in it. I'm kinda looking at this like I did for Zack Snyder's WATCHMEN movie. It wasn't necessary but kinda neat to see. It can be taken or left behind. I don't even own the DVD anymore. I used to though. And it was fun to see. But I got MY Watchmen right here on the shelf and thats fine enough for me.

I say let em play in the sandbox. Let them make their money. Let them do their take on it. So long as it doesn't DESTROY the first one by over explaining things and changing motivations of character like other prequels I know, then it should be fine. Or quite ignorable. Sorta like how we ignore the DARK KNIGHT STRIKES BACK. Or HIGHLANDER 2. It never happened. But hey, we saw it and maybe it was a great deleted scene. Just look at it like that and you should be fine. Curb the outrage and look at the good. Like I said, new Adam Hughes and Amanda Conner sequentials. They could draw anything and I'd buy it.

So who reads BEFORE WATCHMEN? We all will. You know you will. They'll get your money. At least let em do it now and get it out of the way, cause they will no matter what. We all knew they would. What else they got left anyway? :)

Good luck to those involved.

T

Top 25 albums of all time

2012-02-01T04:33:00.000-08:00

My list of my Top 25 albums of all time. (updated) and not in order that much beyond the top 10. (Not counting Movie Soundtracks, which are a completely different catagory)

1 THE WALL - Pink Floyd
2 IN UTERO - Nirvana
3 SCENES FROM A MEMORY - Dream Theater
4 BLOODY KISSES - Type O Negative
5 ABBEY ROAD - The Beatles
6 NIGHTHAWKS AT THE DINER - Tom Waits
7 TIME OUT OF MIND - Bob Dylan
8 SNOW - Spocks Beard
9 JAR OF FLIES - Alice in Chains
10 THE JOSHUA TREE - U2
11 STREET LEGAL - Bob Dylan
12 PURPLE - Stone Temple Pilots
13 DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - Pink Floyd
14 SGT. PEPPERS - The Beatles
15 MULE VARIATIONS - Tom Waits
16 WORLD COMING DOWN - Type O Negative
17 SKYLARKING - XTC
18 LET IT BE - The Beatles
19 GARBAGE - 1st Album
20 THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL - Nine Inch Nails
21 THE BENDS - Radiohead
22 THE WHIRLWIND - Transatlantic
23 ASTRO CREEP 2000 - White Zombie
24 AND JUSTICE FOR ALL - Metallica
25 BITCHES BREW - Miles Davis

Fluctuates a lot depending on mood, but I think thats pretty close. I'll bet I missed some though...

Incredibly Neato.

2012-01-31T17:56:00.000-08:00

Been doing well the last few days. Got some stuff done. Prelims and some sketches are out to clients for approval. I'm getting offers on more commissions and potential sales of my artist proof sketch cards. Its looking great so far! I'm waiting on a price quote and to pay for my printing on CHEESECAKE, so thats the hold up right now. Doing fine on it. I gotta reprint some prints and cards for upcoming conventions I got. Other than that, life is great!

I'm hoping to do a bit more "spring cleaning" around here and get rid of more crap I don't need. I need to quit saving it to potentially sell it. Instead I just need to TOSS IT. Don't even look at it. I won't even miss it anyway.

I'm quitting soda once again this week. I think I got one two liter left and then I'm done. Gonna start with a slow exercise routine. I've been researching exercises for the morbidly obese and I think I got an hour in me 3 days a week. Then I'll increase to 4. Then 5. Till then I will plan out my meals. Eat smaller portions more frequently. Usually I do it the opposite. Food first then exercise. I am going backwards this time. See what that does for me. No promises and no long "this time its for real" blog. Let me go a month and see what I can do. But I haven't forgotten my 2012 vow: that if I don't drop AT LEAST 60 pounds by December 31st, I have to quit comics for good. So I've got 11 months to do it. I hope to be down considerably by Motor City and Heroes, just to show some of you that I am serious about this and watch the fuck out!

Anyway, I will be on the campus of MSU in East Lansing this saturday for the comics forum. I'll have books, art, sketches, print cards and prints. Everything will be 1/2 off the marked price! I am trying to get rid of old stuff and make room for new stuff for 2012 convention travels and funds. So if you want to save on stuff of mine, come on out! Details on the show are HERE. Some big names coming out too. Pals of mine like Brett Pinson, Jay Jaycot, Dean Stahl, Kevin Leen, Jay Fosgitt and others. But Marvel artist Ryan Stegman and Cynicalman creator Matt Feazell! Its going to be a happening, thats for sure! Admission is FREE! I'm excited to see my friends there again. Its been a while.

Well, I was going to go to bed and get decent sleep and work hard on art tomorrow, but I think I might try to curl up near the coffeetable and try some sketching/page work. I've got the head space for it now. :)

Cheers and be safe!

T

P.S. I was saddened to hear of the sudden passing of artist Al Rio today. I've got a couple of his sketchbooks and his work is just awesome. My condolences to his family and fans. He will definitely be missed. He was one of my favorites out there today.

My Grandpa's 90th Birthday

2012-01-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today my grandfather, Earl Talley would have been 90 years old. He died in the late 80s and honestly I can barely remember him. Certain things, but not much beyond that. He was considered a stern, strict person but full of good advice and a big heart. A lot like my dad I suppose. My middle name is Earl, and thus I was named after him. But honestly, I don't know anything about him. My uncle Doug has been posting pics of him all this month on Facebook. Pics I have never seen before. Its helping fill in some of the pieces of a very important person, whom without him I would not be here. Here are some highlights I thought I'd share...

---Here he is as a young man. I'm digging that old car! Got a bit of a Brando look going I'd say.

----This is a pic of my Grandma Rosemary and he shortly after they got married, I guess. I never met her. She died in 1975, three years before I was born. I know she was very well loved in the family and several in the family were heart broken when she passed away of a heart attack in her sleep. I know my dad still gets teary-eyed when he talks about her.

---This is my grandpa with my uncle Bill. My father is the oldest boy in the family of six kids. Bill was the second oldest. He died in a rig accident in the early 70s. He was quite a crazy, rowdy person from what I gather. I understand he was even at Woodstock. I am not sure if that is 100% true, but I like to think that it is. I guess I should ask a bit more about it. But he was in the army just like my dad was. I wish I coulda met him. I'll bet he woulda been a great uncle to me. I'd love to have heard stories about Woodstock.

---This is closer to the way I remember my grandpa. He and one of his youngest boys, Steve, started an auto salvage business in Carmi, Ill. It still exists today and is quite a successful business. It is called "S&E AUTO SALVAGE" after Steve and Earl, the two owners. My parents and I moved to Carmi for one year in 1992 and I spent my summers working at the salvage every Saturday morning for a while. Dad worked there too. Eventually one year later, we moved back to Michigan.

---This is more like the way I remember him. He and his new wife Marion lived in a small house that was always dark as hell. There were tons of knick-knacks around and all sorts of radio shack toys and gadgets. He honestly never had much interaction with me. I remember us cousins would play in the yard and Earl would walk by and he'd jingle the change in his pocket. That meant he was going to give the kids some change. I got some from him. but I really don't remember him having a conversation with me at all. I think I had this perception of him that he was like "The Godfather" or something. Someone to be respected and not bothered. Someone who it just wasn't my place to talk to. Its a shame I never related to him as a "grandpa." I was just too young.

I remember in 1986, we drove down in the middle of the night to celebrate his Bday party. It was a surprise party. It was held at the auto salvage. It was a suprise for us all to be there. And someone rented him a belly dancer. I remember him being very embarrassed. Hell, I was! I was only 7 or 8 at the time and here I was watching this girl gyrate and rhythe. I was much too young for that. (cut to many years later I'd work at a strip club part time! Odd eh?) But I do recall it being tastefully done.

A year or so later, he was dead. Prostate cancer. I remember driving down cause we got the notice that he wasn't doing good. But we got there and it was too late. He was already dead and it was total shock. I stood by the car while my parents cried and dealt with the family. I still don't really know what I did. I just heard, he's dead and thats it. We went to the viewing. I still really didn't process what death was. It was just taken for granted that he was there in a coffin on display. I guess in hindsight it didn't hit me as hard. I barely knew the man. I wish I did.

Years later now, I can remember these tiny bits about him and get the stories from my dad and his brothers and sisters. I need to fill in the gaps for myself. I guess that is my fault. I've always had a real disconnect when it came to my family. I think that it was due to the idea that I was so much younger than them. And It was a generation before "my time." Even now when I see them, they ask me about the things I did as a kid. Like they cannot relate to me as a 34 year old man with kids and a life, etc. There's no hate there or anything silly like that. Just disconnect with some of them. Perhaps I can talk with them about Earl, Bill and Rosemary and get some sort of connection. Fill in the gaps together. I have a strong respect for history. And when it comes to my family, the gap is endless. Perhaps it is time to fix that.

Anyway, thats on me. 90 years ago a man was born whom without, you would not have me. He was considered a great man and the family has been in pieces since he left. I wish time had allowed me to get to know him better. I say to you all: Get close with your grandparents, folks. Mine were all gone before I was ten. Cherish those things and get close. Cause once the opportunity is gone, its gone forever.

Cheers, T

AWWWWWWW

2012-01-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, to lighten up a bit... (its been HARDCORE around here lately!) Here are some of the cutest animal pics I've ever seen. I got em off this new BLOG I really love. Check that out. But for now, get ready to "AWWWWWWWWW." (If you don't like animals, go flop!)

I'm Sorry I asked...

2012-01-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I asked a simple question on Facebook. I even stated beforehand that I wasn't interested in a fight, nor was I making any sort of disparaging comment about the person, but I just wanted a simple answer. and of course, it was a question about a politician and shit erupted. I asked why it seemed that Mitt Romney's religion wasn't getting any sort of attention, when in the 2008 election the religion and pastors of both candidates were under the microscope so much. I just remember there being a lot of talk that Obama was actually Muslum or something else than Christian. Now we got a front runner who is Mormon. A Christian religion, but vastly different than traditional Christian. (Not that it matters to me AT ALL, but I digress) I was simply asking why it wasn't a big deal now, and it was back then. I think I know why, but I was asking if anyone else had another spin on it. And the talk back erupted, of course.

And its been the worst I've ever seen this last three years. Never before in history has a president given the State of the Union address and someone yell out "LIAR." Never before has a president been hounded for his birth certificate. Never have they been labeled as "Hitler." HITLER? How in the name of holy fuck is Obama anywhere near Hitler? Seriously, consider that. What did Hitler do? Tell me. Do you fucking know? Has Obama killed millions? I just will never get that comparison. He's also been labled "Anti-Christ." Same thing. I just don't get it. Look, I get it, we all looked to him as some sort of "savior" or whatever. And he was symbolic of change in ourselves in a way. We elected a black man president. I thought that was some cool progress. But of course, shit was already too far gone and he couldn't stop it. And he even turned his back on some of the campaign promises he made and had to sign bills he didn't want, just to keep everyone happy. Shit is still getting worse and everyone is blaming him for it. It would have been the same for ANYONE that would have got in there, honestly. Now, I am not an Obama supporter because he has gone back on some key things I wanted. He signed shit in that I don't agree with. So I am not defending the guy. But ANTI-CHRIST? HITLER? Jesus, no one is that bad. Whoever says that is an idiot and needs to read a history book once in a while.

Its amazing that with the great expanse of social media and the fact that all our technological advances that everyone has a clear shot of having and owning great and cool things. However we cannot have a basic chat about religion or politics without it degenerating into huge fights online or in person. And in the big time, those things cause larger problems. I read recently of someone stealing a democrats' pet cat, killing it and spray painting "Liberal" on its carcass. Or a cartoonist getting threatened for brutal death for simply drawing a drawing of a religious figure. Or some group hijacking planes and crashing them into buildings, killing thousands. Or whole wars based on a belief system. I guess its nothing new, as it has been done since the dawn of human civilization. But now that the eye of the world is open with social media, we have more access to what is really going on in the world.

We live in an extremely volatile time and there are thousands of issues that everyone feels passionate about. We're all never going to agree, and that is human. To me, I don't follow these games, because I am not religious. Not whatsoever. I've never heard of a scientist killing another scientist because they didn't believe the same theories as they did. And I am not saying that ALL religious people are like that. No way. I have several friends that are hardcore religious and they really are the best kind of religious person. They don't preach unless welcomed to, they keep an opened mind and yet feel free to live the life they want to and I certainly don't mind it. That they follow a book and the example of a man as a way to live their life is completely fine by me.

However, we as humans certainly must recognize that something is fucked up. We are slowly recognizing the evils that are being done to accomplish some good, as they say. But in the end it does more harm than good. And its all in the same of something I just cannot buy into. Look, the only thing I want is basic human rights. Freedom, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. A government that is by the people, FOR the people (as was promised us), and religion and government to work for us, not against us. To have the ability to celebrate our faith and our laws, not argue against them constantly with no facts and just mudslinging. I want these things to improve our lives, not control them. There are a few key issues that I am extremely passionate about. Like gay marriage for example. I will never understand why it is illegal. It seems pretty clear cut to me. Hey, I hate guns. With a passion, cause I am an animal lover. Hunting as sport is something I would never do. But I say, let them have guns if they want them. And if I can get over my strong feelings about that, why can't you about gay marriage? What harm does that do to you?

All I want is true equality, peace and happiness. Whoever and whatever is going to bring that is what I am going to go for. And no candidate out there right now (perhaps ever) has that in mind. No one is preaching for peace and love for all. Its backbiting, mud slinging, hate. Pure and simple. From both sides, folks. Republicans and democrats. They don't care about us. Just our money. And they'll get it. And the 50-70 years you have on this planet will be spent in 40% service to them and you giving your money to them. And they aren't working for us.

I say its time to evolve ideas and adopt a new system, because the current one isn't working. I am not speaking about the US Government, but EVERYTHING. We as humans just aren't getting it right. Look at what is going on in Africa right now. The shit going down there is insane. Fighters killing babies, eating their hearts. Look up General Buttnaked and sit back and ask yourself if we are getting this thing we call life, right. Go ahead. Go research that guy. Now come back and tell me, why aren't we over there stopping that? It was said that we went into Iraq for moral reasons, right? Were they killing kids and eating their still beating hearts? No? Then...WHY THE FUCK AREN'T WE OVER THERE STOPPING THAT??? I know why, but can you hazard a guess for yourself?? Look at the wars in the middle east. North and South Korea. Burma. We just are not getting it right folks. ALL of us. All humans. We are failing. We should be helping each other all over the world instead of fighting over the small details. We cannot even get the big shit right!

Oh we've had people come and tell us that we're doing this wrong and we gotta wake up from this nightmare to come together. Ghandi, Lennon, King, and um, whats that one guy's name... JESUS! And what did we do to them? We fucking killed them. We can't handle that. Much better to bicker and fight over small details, like what religion a candidate is or isn't. Or lets see the birth certificate. Or can we take the oil from this country. Or can we grow heroin in Afghanistan to fund war efforts. Or can we allow the gays to marry. Or women to vote. Or.. or... or....

I shake my head at it all. And I refuse to play in this game anymore. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am done voting. I'm done. I'm waiting at the evolutionary ladder. Those that want to better themselves, evolve ideas and come together, come join me. But I am done. I try to keep up and get informed and all I get back is bickering and name calling. Can't have a civil discussion. We can't take care of each other. So, I'm sorry I asked. I shouldn't care about these cock suckers anyway. Its all the same hand controlling it all. so fuck it. I give up. I'm gonna stay here at the ladder, waiting for humanity to catch up. Likely they will not, and I'll live out the rest of my limited days waiting on a dream that will never come. True peace is unachievable because of who we are. The most primitive primates on the ball of dirt floating in the endless nothingness. But in the meantime, at least we got great art, writing and music coming out of it.

Fuck politics. I'm out.

T

(Part of the reason I created ANNA POCALYPSE is because of this stuff. Its a world where the slate is wiped clean. And ANNA fights the last remaining evils of the old world. Its also why I love zombie fiction. Cause those old ways are gone and its now basic survival. Its why I love STAR TREK, cause we've got over the old crap and stopped fighting. Now we explore outer space together, in peace. They see people on other planets who haven't got it right yet and reflect on how they used to be and how they can help this planet of strangers to see the same things they changed in themselves. The best of FICTION. Oh how I wish it were reality. I dream of a zombie world. or a life in outer space exploration. Hey, at least I wouldn't have to deal with the long lines at the Secretary of State's office anymore.)

Progress!

2012-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm on a lot of sleep deprivation, but I am making great headway. #1 is the fact that I am completely 100% done with both Marvel/Upper Deck sketch card sets. The 90 cards plus 6 Artist Proofs for the AVENGERS MOVIE SET were due Feb 10th and I got them done. And the 90 cards plus 6 artist proofs for the MARVEL BEGINNINGS 2 set weren't due till April 2nd, but I have them done as well! I wanted to finish them both timely to prove I could do it and do quality. To be honest, I'd take back about 20-30 cards and redo them, but isn't that always the case? But I say anyone who pulls them will be satisfied. They are all in color or grey copics. I didn't skimp. Every pose is different. I am hoping there will be more work with Upper Deck and Marvel in the future. We'll see what they think! For now, I am gonna send these in via fed ex next week and have that completely off my plate. One major project done!

The second project I have been working on this month was 32 illustrations, plus cover for this short story collection from a retired police officer. Its odd how we met actually. I sold him a book on ebay and the mail screwed up the packaging and the cover tore. But we were cool with each other and somehow we struck up a conversation and he offered me the illustration gig to a book he was working on. So, a few emails and a contract later, we're working on it. I got the stories and did thumbnails for approval. Then went to finals. I mostly did cartoony work and accented them with copic colors. Now I am working on the cover. Pencils of which are right here:

It was quite different to work on and I had some fun doing it. The stories are quite funny and it will be a great read once its all together! I will pass along a link to where to order it once he has it online or a way to mail order it. However he is doing it, I am not sure. But I will certainly pass it on so you fine folks can get in on it. I think he might do a giveaway of my original art to those who order early enough! We'll see. Thats his side of the street. I am just the hired gun. BUT- I will say he was very easy to work with. He never art directed me and it was one of the most simple working relationships I've ever had. Would be glad to do a follow up with he remembers even more stories! Anyway, I will share the cover final once its approved and colored and some of the illustrations to you when I can.

SO: Two major projects down. CHEESECAKE is going to be PDF'd and at the printers by tomorrow. Possibly tonight even. We'll see how it rolls. I took most of the day off last night and today to watch some movies. I watched ATTACK THE BLOCK (pretty good) and the CONAN THE BARBARIAN remake (Decent, but nowhere near my love for the original). Also I started to check out the BBC show, SHERLOCK. It is absolutely, absolutely outstanding. and I am very excited about this. Martin Freeman plays Dr. Watson, and I've always liked him from the UK OFFICE to HITCHIKERS GUIDE. And not to mention that he's playing BILBO in THE HOBBIT!!! So thats a major reason to watch. The other is Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Holmes in SHERLOCK... he's cast in a major role in the new STAR TREK movie. Rumor is he plays the villain. So I had to see what he's about. And he's a scene stealer, that one. He's great and I am excited to see what he's going to bring to my Trek.

Watching the show has reminded me of when I was a kid and I read a few of the old Holmes' short stories in school and at home. My favorite was "The Red Headed League." I also watched some of the old movies with mom back in the day. She was big on that stuff. Holmes, Agatha Christie, Poirot, Murder she Wrote, etc. I really should revisit that stuff more. I've seen a Poirot on Netflix here and there, but really only have it on while I am drawing. I also should watch way more BBC shows than I do now. I honestly never have seen all of the UK OFFICE. Nor have I watched much of shows I should like. Such as RED DWARF, BLACK ADDER, etc. Outside of Python, Doctor Who and a couple others, I am pretty green on BBC TV. Seems I have catching up to do. I like their TV. No laugh tracks, neat concepts (original mostly) and short seasons so its easy to digest and enjoy. I like.

Anyway, now that these two major things are off my plate, I am back to working on ANNA 2 and the adult Webstrip. So expect me to carry the momentum of heavy workload into those projects to get those bitches done and in the can! Told ya. 2012 is my year!

(Um, thats not to say if you want a commission or hired work from me that I certainly wouldn't take it. I do have a family to feed after all, and I am pretty broke at the moment!)

Anyway, have a great weekend. I only got one day job work shift this weekend on Sunday and the rest of next week off. I am gonna stay focused and productive. Lets do this!

Much love, T

2012 Projection so far...

2012-01-25T20:04:00.000-08:00

thought I'd deliver an update as to my 2012 workload and predictions now that we are almost a month in. So here are a list of projects and updates on them:

CHEESECAKE PINUP BOOK - Goes to the printer finally this weekend. The art and layout is completely done, except for the cover. Which would take an hour or so to build the template to print it. But will be done this weekend and out by February as promised.

ANNA POCALYPSE 2: Going fine. I am about 1/2 way done with the art. Been slow going while I work on paid projects but I managed to do two new pages last week. I'll probably get to 2-3 more this weekend. Unfortunately these sort of things take a back seat to paid work, which is understandable. But rest assured it will all be done later this year and will come out. Its definitely more gory and violent than the first with a lot of surprises in it. This is a book that you will be talking about, thats for sure!

WEBCOMIC: As promised it will launch this year. I am almost far enough ahead to go ahead and launch it but I want to ensure it will have the right layout and feel before I proceed. Trust me, it will be worth the wait. And it is ADULT in nature. and will be 100% FREE. some place to spend your lunch hour, I can promise you that.

WARFISH: The all ages book that my wife came up with the idea for. well, I had hoped to rock on it some time this year, but the wife has to sit down and write the story with some guidance from me. She hasn't done that yet. (Writers, I tell ya!) So I think this will be pushed back a bit. The art will be simpler in form than anything I have done before, and likely will be a dialog free book. So it will be easy to slap together. Its supposed to be a stand alone comic book size or so. 22 pages or the like. Its just a matter of her finishing the idea. I'm passing the blame to her! And she's busy working and creating life in her belly. So there. :)

LINGERIE PARTY MASSACRE: A one shot comic I promised last year but never got to finish. I am hoping to work on this later in the year and get it out early 2013 or around Halloween if I hit a streak of solid work time to spare.

PLEASANT LIFE SEQUEL: Yes, I announced the Pleasant Life sequel earlier this month. The script idea and plot outline is written down, but no full script yet. I have sort of developed this short form script writing process where I do an outline with some dialog and avoid having to do a full script like I did in the early days. Saves time. But the concept it complete and I will start actual artwork on it once Anna 2 is done. 2013 is the release for that I think. Totally. It will be an 80-100 page GN again. I will also likely draw it on smaller paper to make the process go faster and cheaper. And, IT WILL BE IN COLOR! So there is that.

EXPENDABLES #4: Brett has promised me to send the script to #4 to me soon and I have "all year" to work on it. Likely, I will do stuff on it off and on and complete it as I can. Maybe late summer for completion. Again, depending.

SKETCH CARDS!!! -- AVENGERS set is done. I have about 35 cards left to do on the Marvel Beginnings 2 set and those will likely be done by the 30th of January, well before the deadline! And then I am supposed to get blanks for a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD card set. I got notice that they will go out in the mail soon. so when those show up, I'll do those. I am ahead of schedule on these and its great!

MISC. PROJECTS: I am almost finished with illustrations for a short story book from a retired Police Officer about calls he went on. It has been a lot of fun to do! I should be complete with the illustrations and the cover hopefully by this weekend. Only ten to go! I was in talks to do illustrations for a children's book possibly, but I am working out the deal and details with the writer. Lastly, I am working on a couple written books that I might shop to publishers or go through Ibooks and publish myself. One involves stories from my time in the adult store industry. another is a collection of short stories. We shall see on these.

PODCASTS: Going strong. I will do another IN THE TRENCHES likely next week when I am free. Also I am overdue for a new "Drunken DVD Commentary." We'll see what we can do next week. Still plenty of Bigfanboy and Sabo & Son podcast appearances to keep you hearing my voice. All through itunes and talkshoe.com.

CONVENTIONS: I will be on the MSU Lansing, MI campus for COMICS FORUM on Feb 4th. 11-5pm. I will have GNs, art and prints to sell. Come see me! Details HERE.

May 18-20th I am planning on the MOTOR CITY COMIC CON.

in June there is HEROES CON in Charlotte, NC.

All other con plans for later have been postponed in anticipation of the new baby arrival in Aug/September. So I MIGHT do one more show late in the year. Too early to say.

______________

So it looks like we are in good shape. We're on our way!

T

34 Years Ago Today.

2012-01-24T09:28:00.000-08:00

34 Years Ago today I was held in my parent's arms for the first time. I entered the world screaming and haven't stopped since. Years later, I am just hoping for a handy from my wife to mark the occasion. Heh. Cheers and thanks for the well wishes everyone!

Well, the block of day job work shifts are over. I got about 10 more illustrations for the cop short story book and then 60 cards for the Marvel Card Set to get done all this week. I need one of them good productive weeks! On the good side, last Thursday or Wednesday I did two new pages for Anna Pocalypse 2. Some gore tastic pages. I showed one of them on my TWITTER. You best be following or else you will miss the goodies!

Wife started her new store and she loves it. I'm really glad she fell into a great situation out of the crappy thing I feel her employment has done to her. It still screws certain future plans I had hoped for, but we'll deal with it.

Well, I got a ton to get done today and the bots is moody (natch, on my birthday no less). No, artists don't even get their birthday off. Especially when I am so behind!

Off I go. Cheers! Lets do this again next year.

GAH!!!!

2012-01-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Hey all. Had two straight 10 hour shifts at the strip club day job this weekend. Two more to go. 8 hour shifts, so a bit easier. And I could use a bit of quiet. Lots of drama, fighting, theft, drunkenness and other unmentionable activities. But I got two more shifts to go. Halfway done. And then back to the real job.

On that front, I got A LOT going on. Finishing illustrations for the cop short story book. I got about 60 MARVEL BEGINNINGS 2 cards to go. I should be done well before the deadline and I can send in both card sets at the same time.

Other than that, BUSY! So I will keep this short. Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and doing fine. Could use a vacation though!

Quite note: I will be on the MSU campus in Lansing, Mi for the COMICS FORUM on Feb. 4th. Details to come. But me and a few of my comic pals will be setting up shop and selling our wares. Come on out!!

Cheers, T

Autism, Smauhtism.

2012-01-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

The school that Scott goes to called today and said they want to set up another autism test for him. The test is pretty much the same as last time. "Put the red block on the red square," stuff like that. He does some of it, but mostly loses interest quite quickly.

Basically, he is stubborn. He works on his own time and does what he wants. He listens when we correct him, like "its bedtime" or "go sit down." He listens to that. But everything else is on Scott time. He's always been that way. He was born a month early cause he wanted to be. He ate when he wanted to. He crawled and walked when he wanted to. Now with speech its the same. And he certainly has got better in the last two months. He will never talk when we prompt him except when we say "we're gonna go out." He'll say "GO!" or "bye bye." Stuff like that. But then on its surprise words. like the other day out of nowhere he dropped "Cookie." and then last week he said "Squidward." Just random. He's always imitating speech gestures and patterns from movies or cartoons he has seen. And he rewinds/forwards DVDs to certain parts that he likes. He goes to certain discs that have scenes or menus that he likes. Give him my ipad he can skim songs, go to videos, boot up netflix, select what he wants on it and play it. Skim it to the exact part where the credits start to roll on the play bar. He knows exactly where it is.

My brother Michael never did any of the above. He is nine years older than me and fully autistic. Or Mentally Handicapped if you like. Whatever term you prefer. He does none of this. Never did. He would hand you glasses or a bag of chips and then just sit there. He never interacted. Never looked at you. My parents put him in a home when he was 15 cause he was so violent they couldn't handle him. He learned some small skills there. But no where near the skills that Scott has.

So its for those reasons I believe Scott to not be full autistic. He might have some sort of mild learning disorder, or an extreme case of stubbornness. I'll give that. But full autistic? No way. I don't buy it. I've seen autistic kids and adults practically all my life and he's nowhere near that.

I find it difficult to explain this to people. I get upset sometimes when we are out and I see a two year old who can talk great and they flash us a look like "Well, my kid talks, whats wrong with yours?" People assume that cause he's 3 and not talking as much that he must be a retard. (Oh how I hate that term) For the same token I talk to people all the time who say their kids didn't talk till they were 4-6 years old and now you can't get them to shut up. They always say that exact same thing. "You can't get them to shut up." I know one day Scott will talk in a way we deem "normal." And I know he won't shut up. But no way will I ever tell him to. I want to hear what he has to say. A couple of months ago I was in a store and some kid was talking a lot. and her dad screamed at her to shut the fuck up. How I wanted to punch that mother fucker right in the face. I'd give anything for my kid to talk that much. Fuck you.

No. No way is he full autistic. I know its in my genes. It runs in my family. The dormant gene is somewhere in my blood. But Scott doesn't apply. He's too smart for it. My son Cody is too smart for it. I don't buy it. Schools and programs seem too protective in today's age. They are quick to label something and slap some medication on it. I'm going to go ahead and get the test done. And we'll see what is all said. I will do what is best for him. But I still know they are wrong. Scott will show them all. He'll prove it. In his own good time. This isn't hopeful blind parent talking. This is a person who has lived it and knows for sure.

T

Calmer today.

2012-01-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well I am a bit calmer today than on Monday. The dust has settled and the good news is that the wife gets to come back to Lansing for work. I no longer have to worry about her driving the 45 minutes to Jackson in the ice and snow. It was scary some nights, but that is over. I'm still mad at Walgreens for passing her up yet again for promotion, but it is what it is. I am a firm believer in that everything comes to a person who waits. And it will come for her. Or not. Whatever is meant to be shall come to pass. It always does. Even if a thing is bad at the time, later on, good things come from it. I am just angered on how it was handled toward her. It seemed disrespectful to dodge her and not answer her as to who, when and why. Almost as if everyone knew it was bullshit, and didn't want to explain it to her cause there is no explanation. Oh well. She is over it and so am I. Onward and upward. But still, for my part, Walgreens will get no more of my money. I continue my boycott, until they can prove to me their bias on promoting women is non-existent. So far, I've seen my girl bust her ass, work and dedicate her life to the place and she keeps getting passed up. There has to be a reason beyond what I can see. It will prove an interesting year to see how this evolves.

Meanwhile as a result of this, some of my 2012 plans are now in jeopardy. My plans to go to NYC and other places are now gone. My ability to finally quit my day job are pretty much gone. Unless my parents hit the lottery or some such thing happens. But I still plan on MSU Forum, Heroes Con and Motor City Con at least. Whatever else shall appear to be a bonus at this point. Sucks, but its the hand I am dealt. The only way to fix it is to generate funds. YOU Can help of course. Visit the ONLINE STORE and order a commission or a book for yourself or a friend. Every little bit helps me keep the business afloat. Appreciate your support in the past and in times to come. Thanks all!

I have spent the last few days working and working on catching up. I am deep into the illustrations for the police short story book. Also I got about a 1/3 of the MARVEL BEGINNINGS cards done. I hope to keep pumping on those the next two days because I work Friday-Saturday. Hopefully all goes smoothly. I could use a break. Last night while drawing the wife and I sat and watched Kill Bill 1-2. Then I fell asleep to reading some Game of Thrones ipad book. A nice distraction.

Oh well. Back at it. Have a great week everyone. and sign all the petitions you can to stop SOPA and PIPA. Or this world is gonna be much different than it is now. Trust me.

T

My Ten Favorite Comic Series of All Time!

2012-01-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

Its an early morning. Gotta get my brain working. You get a big pretty pic filled blog and a list! My Top favorite comic series of all time! Here we go:

PREACHER - This series is by far my favorite comic series of all time. Its action, humor, fear, scares, drama and guts all rolled into one. For a kid raised on John Wayne movies, this one is hard to beat. It seems every character, no matter how small has a bit of business to do. And when certain characters show up or betray others, you REALLY feel it. By the end, there are no loose ends. Its all tied up nicely in 66 issues plus a few mini series as a side note. Just wonderful. I re-read it every year. It got me loving comics again.

ROCKETEER - This is actually a newer one on me. I never read the books as a kid, but I loved the movie. Now as an adult, I got the new collected edition with the new colors done on them and my god the art is beautiful! I just pour over every page. And its a fun story to boot! Just good old time comics. I like it!

INVINCIBLE - Currently one of the only superhero book I read. I don't know what it is that keeps me reading it, but its just so masterfully told. The characters are interesting and extremely well drawn by Ryan Ottley. Kirkman does a great job keeping your interest in the series. It takes an old tired idea and just gives it life. Wonderful comic!

TRANSMETROPOLITAN - Another series that I re-read once a year. This book is a stroke of genius. And the more and more I live in this world, the more the world of the future in this book just seems like its actually going to happen. And spider Jerusalem is probably the most interesting characters to read about in all of comics. This is Warren Ellis' and Darick Robertsons' masterpiece!

THE WALKING DEAD - Kirkman strikes again. I just love this book. Anything can happen at a page's turn. Nothing is sacred. I like how its less about the zombies and more about survival and the human moral value system's breakdown. I love it.

BRU-HED - When I was first starting out, I met this guy Mike Pascale at a comic con. I was turned on to his books. I love good humor comics. Especially if they are offensive. And by comparison to other books I've read or done, his seems quite tame now. But it still holds a special place in my heart. He has done a mini series and a few stand alone books with the character. All of them, equally great. If you like humor, you'll love this as much as I.

DANGER GIRL - A series that is just a lot of fun to read and look at. I've always liked J Scott Campbell's work since Gen 13. And man has he grown as an artist! This book is everything you want it to be. So good, it would make a great movie. But it doesn't need to be, cause the comic is fun enough. It IS a movie!

TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD - Everything you want an indie slice of life book to be. The ultimate love story. Brutally honest, embarrassingly honest and just damn good. Tom Beland is a brave creator to put his life out there like he does in this book. But we are better people because of it. Heartbreaking, heart warming all in the same pages. Masterfully done.

EMPOWERED - Another newer one but man is this series a lot of fun. A post-modern, deconstructionist piece on superheroes, with a ton of T&A tossed in. What is not to love?

100 BULLETS - The reason I love this book the most is cause of Eduardo Risso's art. The pages he does just flow like no other. And the Dialog Azzarello does is just dances off the page and into your ears. And the moral stories that keep popping up just are wonderful. I love the stand alone issues like the Marilyn Monroe one or the waitress who kills her husband cause of the secrets she finds out about him. Just heart wrenching. Well done!

HON. MENTIONS: Watchmen (a staple), Tom Strong Tales, Strangers in Paradise, The Maxx, Optic Nerve, Stupid Comics.

BUSY WEEKEND!

2012-01-15T12:03:00.000-08:00

Been busy as hell folks. Sorry for the lack of updates. But I am taking a break in between stuff and trying to post some latest for you all.

I was able to record a new IN THE TRENCHES podcast with guest: William BLankenship (@3ill on twitter). It was great to talk to him. Search for the show on Itunes or go to The PODCAST NATION link to your right here and search on Talkshoe.com. You will have to have a talkshoe login to get it there. Sign up. Its FREE!

My two Pleasant Life tradebooks are still available for FREE DOWNLOAD right HERE

I'm putting the finishing touches on the CHEESECAKE PINUP BOOK and then getting it to the printer. There was a slight delay cause of my current workload. Sorry to those who pre-ordered. You know me, I'll toss in more freebies into your packages for the make up. Free drawings, etc. Its how I do. Anyway, it goes to the printer Monday and I think things will run smoothly as always to be on time for the February street date as promised. I had hoped to be done by the 1st of the year, but time and life got in the way. Book is still available for preorder right now! Click on the link to your right! See boobs and butts. Free sketch inside.

I finished all 90 of the AVENGERS cards for Marvel/Upper Deck. I am now busy on the Marvel Beginnings 2 cards. Going slow and steady to do my best on the cards. I'll show the results when I can.

I am also busy doing thumbnails and illustrations for a book of funny stories from a former police officer. I got a bit of work to do on it this week and next and I hope to be mostly complete with it by then. Its a fun project and a nice distraction from my norm! I'll show you all some of the results later on.

Newest things I watched while drawing was Battle: Los Angeles (not bad. A tad cliche though). And I watched Xmen: First Class finally (quite good). I hope to get to watch Sherlock and some other stuff this week when I get a chance in between sketch cards.

After all this, I am working on a couple new prints for 2012 convention season. I got some killer sketches and ideas to work on. Including what I am dubbing the best Firefly print idea ever. Yeah, I said it. I means it. You'll see. And then after that, back to Anna 2 and Adult Webcomic pages. I am itching to get back to sequentials. Hopefully this week I can continue to pump all of these things out and get back on track. I was on track but I had to pick up a couple day job shifts due to some employees quitting. Oh well. Money is money. Right?

Lastly, I got my birthday money and ordered Invincible Ultimate Collection #5 and Walking Dead Compendium #1 from Amazon.com. Both have arrived and they are killer! I love the Invincible Hardcovers. I might have to upgrade all of them that way! We'll see.

Anyway folks, thats whats up with me. Have a great week!

T

Goin' Digital...

2012-01-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Yeah, this blog post might get me in trouble, cause its such a hot topic right now. But I have thought about it, and I have decided to go ALL DIGITAL on my monthly comics from now on.

Reasons why:

THE CONVENIENCE and TO SAVE MONEY. There are now day of releases on all comics. When I have to go get my comics, I have to get the whole family ready, drive across town to East Lansing, dodge about a 1,000 college students and potential car wrecks to do so. then I have to park in a lot that is at least .60¢ for the 10 minutes that I'd be there. Climb the stairs to the comic shop I go to. Grab an employee to get my box pulls and then purchase and leave. Get food for the family (usually FIVE GUYS, which is a BAD IDEA for someone trying to cut down on their bad food intake) and then drive home, spending a bunch of gas in the process. Up front, the digital comics are around the same price ($2.99). They fall to $1.99 the weeks after release. So if I can hold off, I can spend less on some series, if I like. so when I say SAVE MONEY, I mean the wear and tear on the car, the gas, the food and all that is tacked on with a trip to go get comics. Not the shops' fault, but the situation I live in.

I spent today going to the comic shop and seeing the process. It was exhausting. Then a few minutes ago, I curled up on the couch, opened up the Comixology app and purchased a few more comics and read them easily. Zoomed in on the art and enjoyed myself. So the difference in what I am trying to get out of the experience is what is the factor here.

I AM NOT A COLLECTOR. I used to be. I had 8 long boxes of bagged and boarded comics. I don't care about value really. I lug those things around from apartment to apartment and I probably haven't looked at them in years. Why do I keep them? What do I enjoy? TRADES! Graphic novels baby. Full runs I can read on the can and dog ear them, then return to the story later. Thats what I like. So I can never fully give up PRINTED comics. But monthly floppies? They are on the way out of my life. I stack the comics I buy and they just sit there. Until I upgrade to trades on them, and then I just give the floppies away to friends. Either way, I am spending the same amount. But I avoid the wear on the car, the gas, the food, the parking and the potential death to myself or hitting a college student walking on the MSU campus.

STORE DRAMAS. Now this doesn't so much apply for 21st Century Comics in East Lansing, Mi. The owner is a great guy and the employees for the most part I've never had a problem with. Good people there and its a great well rounded store. But in the past, I've gone to other stores that seem to be run by jaded, quiet people or just people who are so socially awkward that they do not know good salesmanship. Or know when to shut up. Or what to recommend to someone. Its a lost art. And then you got the gamers in the stores who look at the comic readers with a certain amount of judgement in their faces. Why? I don't know. But they are there and you are an interloper in their space cause you came in to get the newest Invincible comic. There's more but I don't want to get into it.

There's been talk for the last couple years of how print is dying and digital is gonna win. Yeah, it is inevitable it seems. My generation is going to have the hardest time with that. The bots will not have that. He will likely start 1st Grade needing an Ipad and what not. So he can get comics any time he wants them. The art of the look, the thrill of the hunt will be forever lost. And you know, I'm slowly coming to terms with that. I like it. I went all digital on my music last year and I don't miss it at all. Sure I get the urge to go buy a CD now and then. But when I do, I feel stupid when I get it home. Why did I need this? I can just get it on Itunes, read the lyrics online, etc. The artwork, yeah. But I mean, artwork on albums is a lost art anymore. Hell, ALBUMS are a lost art anymore!!! So why bother with it? Times are a'changin, so why not roll with it?

However, I do feel some guilt. Cause comic shops are a place of nostalgia and I am not about to help run someone into the ground and to the unemployment line. So I suggest a happy medium. I'll get the monthly comics DIGITALLY, and then reserve comic shops for trades, games, toys, etc. That way everyone be happy. Yes? Its still a hit, but I am not about to help contribute MAJORLY to the comic shop's downfall. They've supported me by hosting my books for sales and my signings, and I am not gonna abandon them. but for monthlies, I am rocking digital. I bought my last physical INVINCIBLE today. I will finish off floppy copies of THE BOYS and STAR TREK, but once those series are over (this year), I am done with monthlies in that form. Going digital then buying my trades there. Plus, I am gonna get hardcover trades from now on. More cool stuff in a nice bound format that will last and I don't mind taking into the can. Plus the bots can read them one day. I like it.

Comixology is so cool. I can buy the latest Batman, or the ones from the 40s. Its just a cool idea. Hard to not enjoy. Plus I wager I'll be buying MORE comics. Cause I am constantly thinking "oh, I like that guy's art. I might get his book if I remember it next time I am at the shop." I never remember. Or if I do, the book is so under ordered, its not stocked. So this way, I will ensure I get it. and TEN SECONDS AFTER I WANT IT!!!! Thats the main thing right there. Its 2012. Get the net.

So I am sorry if anyone takes offense to my thoughts here. But I am just simply stating that for now, I am embracing the concept of digital monthlies. Trades, I'll NEVER give up on. Shops, I'm still gonna go in ya. You can't keep me away. But for a routine daily, I'm going all Tron, n'shit.

Cheers T

PLEASANT LIFE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2012-01-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been sitting on this for a year, and here it is. PLEASANT LIFE: The Ten Year Anniversary!!! Yes folks, ten years ago this month, I started my longest series to date. Seems like yesterday if you ask me.

Shoot to 1994-1999. I did some comics through my graphic design class and a local amateur group on the college campus. After becoming disenfranchised with sueprhero comics, I wanted to go another route. I had characters and I wanted to do a new slice of life style comic built around my friends and using main characters inspired by myself. However, I wanted an emotional center to the book. I just didn't have anything to SAY. As fate would have it, I got that wish.

2000-2001. My mother dies of cancer. That event changed my life in so many ways. I lost my job, my relationship, my apartment, my family relationship was strained, I was starting to fail college. I just checked out for a while. I wasn't there. But finally, something in me woke up and realized that I could channel all this stuff into something. I went right back to comics. I put my lead character I had for the slice of life book (based on me anyway) through what I was going through. His mother was dying. She dies in the 2nd issue. He deals with it. His friends provide the tough and the comic relief. It was very therapeutic for me to do that.

2002. The first issue printed and run from Grim Printing in Shepherd, Mi. I remember driving through a bad snow storm the 20 miles to get there. I paid my bill, got my box of 400 comics and took them to the car. I opened the box and held the first issue in my hands. Instantly, I wept. Hard. I clutched it to my chest. It seemed like finally after all this time, everything I had gone through the last year, I was finally free. I was proud of it. I hadn't fell into drugs or alcoholism to solve or ignore my problems. I dealt with it publicly. And here was the result. I am very proud of that moment. (Even though minutes later I started digging through the book noticing all the mistakes I made and improvements I needed to build on!)

All throughout 2002-2003 I did 7 "ashcan editions" of Pleasant Life:

Finally in 2004 I decided that I wanted a nicer looking product. So I grabbed issues 1-7 and what would have been 8-9 and collected them into a tradebook called "THE DIRECTORS CUT." Each year that followed I did another graphic novel in the series. "Geeks Gone Wild," and "The Mirror Universe Saga." Here they are below:

These books are long since sold out. And I have no immediate desire to reprint them in their current state. Why? Well, when you grow as an artist, its hard to back and look at your past mistakes. Your "growing pains," if you like. Plus I was maturing as a person and wanted to move on. However I wanted to give it one more go. I wanted to do a stand alone story that NEW people could read and OLD fans could enjoy equally. That is this book:

And that book still is in print and you can read and enjoy it by ordering it right HERE. So in 2007, I wrapped up the series for good and moved on down the trail. I am very proud of the series and it is indeed the most personal thing I have ever done to this point. While I am proud of the recent accomplishments I have done and I'd say my work on Anna is far superior, Pleasant Life still will always hold a special place for me.

SO--I wanna celebrate the 10th Anniversary of me crying in my car holding the first issue. But I wanna celebrate with all of you. So I announce the following:

Go to THIS LINK RIGHT HERE and you can download the second and Third Pleasant Life tradebooks for FREE. The books are called "Geeks Gone Wild" and "The Mirror Universe Saga," and they are yours free to download and read as my gift to you. Just click on the link, download, unzip the file and read it your computer, or with any PDF reader on any tablet device. My gift. This one is on me. However, I do urge you to understand that the art in those stores are very old and its what I was doing back then. I hope you can see my evolution from that point till now. But the fact remains that I am very proud of those stories! So download away. Pass it around. Bootleg it. I don't care. Go for it. And hey, if you feel guilty about it, you can always order another book from me through my online store.

There is another announcement as well. But you guys are gonna have to go fish for the details. Go to ITUNES, or TALKSHOE.COM and download the latest episode of the IDIOTHEAD.com podcast. There I announce that I am working on another PLEASANT LIFE tradebook of a brand new story. I drop hints and details and a possible date. I'll let you download and listen to it. (also you can hear my toddler play ANGRY BIRDS in the background. Always fun.)

So thats it. Thanks everyone. Download away and thanks for 10 years of great memories. And as it seems now, it is only the beginning! HOLY BACON BITS! Pleasant Life is coming back! Its been said that you can never go home. I'm gonna prove that wrong. 2012. Pleasant Life returns. ;)

--ADAM T.