One of my Sunday Comix cartoonist buddies, Sam, draws an online comic strip “The Adventures of Chad Cleanly.” Its always great fun hearing her tell me (or see her doodle) ideas for the strip and the next day or so seeing them posted online. (Compared to how my ideas take weeks, sometime months before they see the light of day.)

One idea she told me about when we were on a trip last weekend (or thereabouts) was in regards to Chad dealing with a crisis of journalistic integrity (he’s a news reporter). I was glad to hear she was delving into some character-driven (compared to plot-driven) issues…

…I was also pleased to discover I was going to be a new character in the strip!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

At the Laughs At Lakeside gallery show, I met quite a few Ohio artists & cartoonists and was lucky enough to have some of them join the cartoonist group, Sunday Comix. One of them was the “newly minted” cartoonist Sue Olcott (that’s her on the left talking with another long-time local artist, Susan Sturgill).

Sue recently began writing & drawing this wonderful, quirky comic Onion City; in the vein of some of the great underground comix artists of the 60s & 70s:

At present, I don’t know how else to get a copy of her book besides you emailing here at optikstix_at_yahoo.com.

Anyway, when I saw her watercolor-styled art, I knew I found someone who could translate my (occasionally overwrought) B&W line work into and elevate it to another realm. So I asked her to color my version of Calvin & Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book; a tribute to Bill Watterson’s phenomenal comic. I think she did a stupendous job:

Cerebus Fangirl (aka Margaret) posted a bunch of photos from this past weekend.  I am so thankful for all the support I got from every one of the Cerebus Yahoo Group members who attended the show!  Below is a photo of all after the yearly post-SPACE-dinner at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in German Village.  (Maybe someday, I’ll have Blink & Sam eat there…)

Back row (left to right): Eric A, Steve B, Dave S, Jeff S, Lenny, Steve P, and Jason W.

Front row (left to right): Chris W, Larry H, Margaret, Jeff T, and little ol’ me.

-::-

She also managed to take some photos of Dave & me during our “Glamourpussy Debate” (all of which I posted on my Flickr site)…

…as well as one of me working on a sketch for an old time friend & fan from KY. (Hi, Billy!)

Waiting for my ride so that I can hang these photos on the walls at Kafe Kerouac for the Sunday Comix gallery show. I’m so excited!

A few weeks ago, I joined Martin Wagner’s Yahoo! Group. I’d read Mr. Wagner’s Hepcats back in the mid 90’s (during the Sim-Self-Publishing boom) and he quickly became an influence on my drawing style of the time. His detailed rendering and ability to draw so precisely was a trait a desired to call my own. Sometimes I think the work I do today comes close to what he had accomplished over a decade ago, but I still have a long way to go.

Anyhow, both Martin & I love the band Yes. So I ordered a print of one of my favorite pages (that’s Joey wearing the classic Yes t-shirt) along with a sketch. As a token of my esteem for Martin’s work I sent him a couple of Blink books. Well, wasn’t I surprised when I saw this a few days later!

Yesterday, my buddy Slay emails me this review by Comics Worth Reading’s very own Johanna Draper Carlson (who happens to be a member or Mr. Wagner’s Yahoo Group)!

I’d have to say my favorite quote is:

“Not the kind of edgy stuff you might equate with most alt-comix, but a nice counterbalance to that sort of work. They’re like little stories to read when you’re in a foul mood and want a pick-me-up.”

I’m certain to get a lot of mileage out of that one.

Of all the idiots I have met in my life, and the Lord knows they have not been few or little, I think that I have been the biggest.

-Isak Dinesen

I suck at writing about myself. If you ever happen to meet me in person, I can blab on and on (and please don’t hesitate to tell me to shut up) but when it comes to typing stuff up to post here…

…urg.

Well, I’d best overcome that idiot self and update this blog more often so that I might let those few people who actually read this thing know what’s going on in the land of Ink.

First off, I’m reformatting and will be reprinting all the BLiNK comics I’ve done so far. They’ll all still be digest sized and look pretty much the same, but I’m tweaking things here and there to make them more accessible to new readers.

Why?

Because this year, I plan on getting a lot more new readers.

Why?

Because (second off) I’ll be doing a lot more public appearances this year.

As such:

Feb 3 Laughs at Lakeside, High Road Gallery, Worthington, OH

Feb ? Komix @ Kerouac, Kafe Kerouac, Columbus, OH (just N of OSU)

Mar 1-2 SPACE, Aladdin Shrine Center, Columbus, OH

Apr 6 Gem City Comic Con, Student Union at Wright State University, Dayton, OH

Jun 7-8 MoCCA, Puck Building, New York, NY

Oct 4-5 SPX, Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center, North Bethesda, MD

Nov 29-30 Mid-Ohio-Con, TBA, Columbus, OH

More appearances might be forthcoming (depending on finances & other considerations).

So, I hope that this post will begin a trend for me to write about myself (idiot though I may be) and keep anyone who happens upon this site up to date on what’s going on with yours truly.