But this is just something I’m gathering resources for, mainly because it’s in my mind and I find I have to exhaust ideas when I have them. Still not sure what to do about 6-Commando, if anything. But this is a short-haul civilian spaceship – those of you who played Subspace in the old days may see a resemblance to the bomber. But this ship is not armed so it’s purely for getting around in.

As you do.

I wish this were my “grand return” but it isn’t. I’m now in my mid 40s and I’m running a small business and comics don’t make up a whole lot of my time because I don’t have a lot of it. I also had a bunch of irritating experiences in the past few years – some of them downright lousy – which soured me on a lot of the comics world. Some weren’t even directly comics related but just happened at the same time, and therefore are associated with the time in my life when I was making comics more actively, and so are all rolled up with it and color my whole experience; some were more direct, but fuck it, it’s over with and I’m not going back there.  Either way, suffice it to say that I decided that I’m getting too far on in my life to bother with things that irritate or upset me for no tangible return. And although I am probably being unfair to a lot of people, I’m under no obligation to be fair to people who haven’t been fair to me. What does it mean for 6-Commando? I don’t know yet. Not a great answer but there it is.

But that’s enough outta “Grumpy Mr. Average.” Happy Mr. Average still does find time to draw, just not a whole lot of it. And the above is just something that came to mind recently when talking with a longtime comics collaborator of mine. What is it? It’s Fuxtr Xeed and Syberious Bimb. And who are they? Hell if I know. But it just goes to show you that I do still draw once in a while.

Yes, that’s right. I might actually make it!  Of course now I have to leave the country again for another week, goddamn it.  But Season 1 is almost done!

Big busy week, to be followed next week by another… big, busy week.  Fact is, when you hit middle age and you have a career nearing the two decade mark, you have MORE to do every day, not less.  This week I’ll be traveling overseas, yet again, for several days.  However, I did have a profitable weekend: the rough manuscript of 6-Commando Season 1 is complete, and I’m taking some parts with me on my trip to work on in my down time – if I have any down time.

Not quite bad news, but it turns out that, apparently, the original drawings I did for the first chapter and a half of 6-Commando may have been inadvertently destroyed back in 2012, during Hurricane Sandy.  I lost quite a bit of artwork then when the storage unit below the house where I was living at the time flooded out.  I can’t confirm it but suffice it to say that the originals are gone and I can’t find them.  Which is a bummer but there it is.

So I’ve got about four pages’ worth of reconstruction I have to do to Chapter 2.  And I had also forgotten that those pages were in black and white because of my at the time transition from hand drawing to digital, so I’m pondering whether to make the reconstructive work minimal in the interests of maintaining the originality of the piece, or trying to complete them in color.  I lean towards the former at the moment, as this edition is mainly about showing my work, and leaving the “corrected” version for a Director’s Cut later down the line.

And I have to tell you, this book shows a HUGE development from the first page to the last – if nothing else it’s an artifact of the time and (maybe!) a demonstration that the best way to learn something is to dive the hell in and screw “not good enough.”

It’s also rekindling in me a little confidence about this story and where I was going with it.  The early chapters have some ambitious ideas and visuals that, frankly, came out better, for a beginner, than my memory had let me believe.

But enough out of me.  When I’m back from abroad, there’ll be more.  And so far, the book is looking VERY much the way I want it to.  I’m feeling good about making a July 5 deadline for the printer.

Keep on keepin’ on, everyone!

It’s been some hard work lately, and it’s not over yet. But here’s some news for your face.

As you can see above, my upcoming Next Comic, which I’m coauthoring with a longtime-first time collaborator of mine from my years living in the Caribbean, is zeroing in on its final look. Art historians of the future will refer to this as the start of my Film Noir Muppets Phase. But I’m happier with this than I’ve been with any of my graphic art in a very long time so I’m not going to do a ton of complaining about it.

Second. In re: 6-Commando, it seems that, through the luck and extreme generosity of one Anthony Bourne of Bourne Creations, a long time supporter of 6-Commando and an incredibly accomplished (and better-published!) graphic novelist and designer, I will be at the Small Press Expo this year! And that means something else: Season 1 of 6-Commando, “Last Night Was The End Of The World,” will be going into print as soon as I can get the proofing done and the manuscript off to the printers.

‘More on this story as it develops,’ as the fellow says. In the meantime, you owe it to yourself to read, and to buy, Tony’s amazing work. Find him on Amazon, and at https://the388th.com.  The guy draws direct ink to paper. It’s astounding. Really an astonishing honor to be sharing space with him at the Expo, and I hope we’ll see you there!

It’s been a really, really long time, hasn’t it?

Well, I continue to get kind, encouraging notes and emails from lots of different people, so I thought I’d check in, although it’s still going to be irregular for a while.

First and foremost, the above: I’m drawing again! How I find time for this, I don’t know, but it’s partly due to the enormous amount of air travel I’m doing at the moment.  I’m dividing my time between three states and two countries, and have been for the past year or more.  But a friend of mine, also a talented writer, agreed to collaborate with me on a graphic novella in a very unique style, and the above is a little preview of what we’ve been working on.  It’s a noir mystery thriller featuring muppets.  Yes, you have that right.

Well, not muppets exactly, but definitely cartoony people.  My mother, one of the few to have seen my work over the holidays, calls them “the weird nose people.”  Well, okay.  But it’s the first serious bit of art I’ve been able to engross myself in for nearly two years, so it’s not nothing.

Okay, so, second, I will NOT be going to SPX this year.  I’d been hoping to use it as a venue to resume 6-Commando and the above project in print, finally, but alas it was not to be.  But still, it was worth a try.

And as for 6-Commando, I’m still not ready to come back to it, for a number of reasons.  I will come back, I think, but a number of experiences I had a few years ago – death, arguments, quarrels over stupid things, and, now, the disappearance of people I know and love into war and violence, have not left me in a position to continue this story with a fair mind to the characters in it or to the story that I intended to play out.  And instead of changing the story to match my mood (which would be unfair and probably petulant and capricious) I’m giving the whole thing a very long and continuing rest.  It’s not done, and it’s not over, but I’m not ready for it yet.

In the meantime, my thanks to everyone who’s given me support as I’ve sorted myself out.  Things are happening.  They may not be what I wanted or expected, but they are happening nevertheless.

Also – if anyone is a colorist and is interested at taking a stab at a very unconventional comic, let me know.  No guarantees as it’s early days yet, but I’d be interested to talk at least.

I got nothing.  Neither a reason nor an excuse.  I’m gradually coming back around to comics, and finding it simultaneously interesting, fulfilling, and deeply depressing.  I don’t know how to say it any better than that, but there it is.

I’m right on the edge.  I don’t know what comes next!

I took a swing today at Captain Da Costa, native of the Azores, acting 2IC of Rucker’s armored company, and a very competent armor commander.

I’m sadly shocked by my prophetic powers given last week’s title and the events of the following seven days.  But you don’t come here to listen to it from me.  But if you’re willing to tolerate a little sermon from me this week, I’ll say this.  Someone I know from college said something extremely interesting to me yesterday, which I thought I’d share.  “Try not using the word ‘obviously,’ maybe for a week or so, and then see how much easier it is to see things from someone else’s perspective.”  Interesting idea.  “Obviously” is a word we use when we wish to assert that something is so plain that not understanding it renders the other person pointless to argue with, but maybe we’ve gotten too used to overusing or misusing it.  It too easily becomes a way of dismissing things you’d rather not take pains to comprehend, a kind of shortcut through your higher brain functions that cuts off a lot of difficult or complicated thoughts you might prefer not to have.  It hems in your own perceptions by making it easier to accept what you assume or would prefer to be true, and encourages you to do more asserting and less persuading.  And just admitting that you can see things from someone else’s perspective is not, as we all seem to believe right now, an act of disloyalty to our own side, for those of us who know “sides” at times like these.  If nothing else, maybe consider it an act of charity, because something’s gotta give.

Thank you, Colin.  Pretty powerful stuff for a text message, so I just thought I’d leave everyone with that.

I’m going to try it, myself.