The Bleeker Blog

Today's Comic...no-load

2009-11-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what's going on at GoComics, but here's today's comic. (It's in the system and was emailed to subscribers this morning but Bleeker and at least one other comic were a no-show on the main page today.)

NEW BLEEKER COLLECTION!!

2009-10-16T15:49:00.002-04:00

That's right...the new Bleeker collection is finally available through Lulu.com!

With over 300 daily and Sunday strips it covers everything from robot Sumo wrestling to laser etched exploding pumpkins.

Order your copy now and get a jump on the holiday shipping!

(FYI the resolution of the preview cover on Lulu is really blurry...that's a result of their preview format..? ...the book doesn't print that way)

Re-do

2009-09-27T01:35:00.002-04:00

Today's comic is a remake of one from way back in early 2007. I always liked it and thought if I freshened it up it would make a nice addition to the new book.
I'm hoping the 2nd Bleeker collection will be available mid October...I'll keep you posted.

Comic For Local Paper

2009-09-24T10:59:00.003-04:00

There's a meeting coming up in town here to come up with a design for a new skateboard park.

So I thought I'd use the town's (unofficial..I think) mascot to help promote it. "Seguin Sam" is an old time logger/trapper kinda dude. Totally would've been into boarding if it had been around back then.

Comic-No-Load

2009-09-23T11:00:00.002-04:00

Sorry folks, for some reason the GoComics computer didn't like today's strip so here she be. Hopefully it'll be up on the main site later today.

Skip Then and Now

2009-09-21T12:45:00.003-04:00

I've been going through the archives and as always, I'm struck by how the characters have changed. Here's Skip two years apart. Funny how his head has become more round and his one eye no longer has hair over it. The pupils have become bigger too.

Okay...back to work....

The Week In Skip

2009-09-20T22:54:00.009-04:00

Sorry for the long dormant blog...been dealing with stuff and stuff's been dealing with me.

So, here is a typical week(almost) in the life of Skip Smalls to kick things going again.

Currently, I'm starting work on a new (and long overdue) Bleeker collection! Should be exciting to have a new volume for the shelf. I'll keep you posted when it's available...hopefully sometime in the middle of October.

Later eh!

The Old Days....

2009-08-05T22:13:00.003-04:00

I got thinking today about how I use to draw my comics. Here's an example of a daily strip I did 11 years ago next to one of today's...

The top comic measures 5"x16", the bottom measures 4"x13"
Here's an example of the difference in Sunday pages...

The top measures 5"x11" (the smallest I've ever drawn a strip and probably going to change...need to buy bigger pad of bristol though) and the bottom 9 3/4"x16 1/8"

When I first scaled down my originals I remember thinking "I'll never fit it all in"...now I can't imagine doing 1/2" high lettering! The old ones also had to be scanned in four parts...who said the good old days were all good?

Day 2...No Comic Loading

2009-08-02T10:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry, still not sure what the technical glitch is but here's today's comic. Until I can get a hold of someone at Go (looks like everyone's left for the weekend) I'll post the comics here.

Failure To Launch...

2009-08-01T09:39:00.003-04:00

For some reason the GoComics computer seems to randomly pick comics it doesn't like and then refuses to load them. So, here is today's comic until it gets loaded onto Go.

3 YEARS ONLINE!

2009-07-27T23:51:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe but, three years ago today, Bleeker launched online. What started as a six month trial has grown and just keeps going. Time has flown by and it feels like I'm still just getting started (...which in the world of comic strips, I probably am)
Many thanks to everyone who have supported this comic. Without you, the reader, this comic would never have had survived three years, let alone that initial six month trial!

Onward!

The carved face accurately captures the shock of seeing 3 years worth of comics!

...or the effect of drawing them...could go either way...

Here she be... 3 years (almost 12"...I've given a bunch away) of inked daily and Sunday strips

New Wallpaper For iPhone/iPods

2009-07-27T01:09:00.003-04:00

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and are looking for some new wallpaper well then look no further. Just go to bleekercomics.com download section
So far there are eight free downloads available with more to come. Hopefully there will be some new full size wallpapers ready soon as well.

Week In Last Panels

2009-07-24T13:04:00.002-04:00

Here's the previous week's comics as told by the last 6 panels. (actually 7 panels because I liked the one of Bleeker yelling "GAH!")

Progress!

2009-07-22T14:50:00.005-04:00

The dog and I explored the new overpasses at the end of my road. I should have bought a pair of Rollerblades before this opened to traffic.

...man, the camera lens on my phone is getting pretty rough...

KinderZeit Holiday Issue

2009-07-20T12:23:00.010-04:00

If you're a kid living in Germany then you may be lucky enough to have a copy of KinderZeit's special Summer holiday issue.

I received a few copies in the mail last week because three pages of Bleeker comics were included! I was thrilled to contribute and even more thrilled when I saw the finished product. It's a beautifully designed magazine with fun articles and projects. (even the paper they printed it on is nice and thick)
Congratulations to its creators Susanne Gaschke and Katrin Hornlein...and thanks again for including Bleeker!

Here are the three pages... the first is a Summer Bleeker comic, the second is a "How to Draw Bleeker" series and the third is a "Do it Yourself" comic page

Today's Comic

2009-07-18T14:17:00.004-04:00

Sorry folks. For some reason today's comic didn't load onto GoComics. (I'm not sure why because I can see the file in their system)
Anyways here she be...hopefully tomorrow's will load...fingers crossed

UPDATE...it's now posted on GoComics

Pen Problems...

2009-06-25T15:14:00.002-04:00

I think my Wacom Intuos 3 Grip Pen has a finally packed it in. It was working fine last night but this morning the first switch is sticking. It just selects everything all the time. Maybe it's the humidity...? Has anyone else had this problem?

Time to order a new one...

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2010 Announced!

2009-06-19T12:12:00.002-04:00

I just heard that the normally once every two year Toronto Comics Arts Festival will appear next year as well.
The Festival Director Christopher Butcher writes on the official blog...

"That’s right, the next Toronto Comic Arts Festival will be held Saturday May 8th and Sunday May 9th, 2010, at Toronto Reference Library. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST. And yes, we know that's Mother's Day… All of the cool moms read comics."

I had a fun time at this year's show so this is great news! For the full article go to torontocomics.com

Today's Comic

2009-06-14T01:18:00.002-04:00

Looks like there's a problem over at GoComics. Some comics aren't loading including today's Bleeker..so here she be...

Uggg

2009-06-11T12:28:00.003-04:00

This is what my head has felt like the last couple of days. Can't beat the fun of inking with a sinus infection.

Today's Bleeker

2009-06-10T15:09:00.002-04:00

For some reason today's comic didn't load on GoComics. It's on there now but if you missed it, here she be.
Dang computers!

Article in Die Zeit!

2009-06-05T17:06:00.002-04:00

There's a feature article on Bleeker in this week's Die Zeit newspaper!

For the last year, Bleeker has appeared in every issue of Germany's largest national weekly newspaper (2 million readers weekly) so it's fantastic that this is my first major paper interview.

Thanks to Catriona for the article!

Very cool!

Bleeker In Textbook

2009-05-26T11:52:00.003-04:00

After spending my years in university doodling in my textbooks, Bleeker is actually now officially in one!
Several Bleeker comics were included in the latest edition of Becoming A Critical Thinker A User Friendly Manual (Canadian Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall) by Sherry Diestler and Colleen Mahy. It's a blast to be in along side The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes, Hagar The Horrible and others.
Many thanks to Colleen for including my comics in her book and Kathleen McGill for championing them in the first place. Best of luck with the book!

Bleeker Hits 25,000 Subscribers

2009-05-21T11:28:00.003-04:00

After almost 1000 comics, I'm really pleased to announce Bleeker now has 25,000 daily subscribers on GoComics. That's something I couldn't have imagined when I started online almost three years ago.

Thanks to everyone for reading...I feel like we're just getting started!

If you swing by GoComics you'll notice a great new design to the site. Congrats guys on the new look!

Snappy

2009-05-20T13:09:00.003-04:00

This guy/gal appeared on the side of the driveway today!

For those of you who don't know, this is a Snapping Turtle...and you can guess how they get their name. This one is about 14" or 36cm and they can get much bigger. I'm not sure if this one is about to lay eggs or not. If it does I'll try and get a few more pictures. Very cool to see!

Check out the Georgian Bay Biosphere website to learn more about this species at risk.