Recurring Nightmares and Other Small Horrors.

Most people would attribute being chased by a murderer or some other monstrously devilish construct a nightmare. Though it can be quite frightening to some, to me it is more of a challenge. Most of my dreams or nightmares have been lucid for the past ten years or so. If you aren’t familiar with lucid dreaming, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the concept.

A typical dream for me will include self-powered flight and travel over large distances. If ever a monster does appear, it will usually be something I inevitably find a way to vanquish. On the few occasions I cannot overcome said monster, the dream itself becomes recurring.

A recurring dream is a dream that is experienced over and over again until some sort of resolution is found. In the past, I have had a few recurring dreams, the most outstanding of which involved being part of a team of monster hunters sent to eliminate a vampire giant. This dream would fill my nights for three years. Of course, I had other dreams at that time, but Vampire Giant would inevitably return once or twice every other month. The dream itself was so vivid that it would be difficult to forget, unlike many other dreams that would be nice to recall from time to time.

Vampire Giant finally resolved itself before I graduated high school. Neither the original dream nor the resolution has reappeared in my night cycle, though both are often recalled for daytime viewing enjoyment.

Within the past year, a new nightmare has evolved. Though not recurring, it is serialized. It involves a war between the Land of Oz and Wonderland. The Red Queen is in a dispute with the Nome King, and the more disreputable forces on both side are in constant conflict with each other. Meanwhile, there is a third faction of peaceable peoples on both sides that unite in the middle, yet are so small they have to scatter themselves across the landscape, hidden from the aggressors. In this dream, siding yourself with either side is dangerous, as you are never sure who is with which side, while remaining neutral is an immediate death sentence from both sides.

My part in the dream involves trying to get my brother and me out of this joint, magical landscape, from here on out referred to as The Wonderland of Oz, or WoO for short, and back home in the real world. We take flying swan boats, mine carts on an underground railroad, and walk on foot through countless, bustling cities. All the while, we are trying to safely navigate the combustive political atmosphere that constantly surrounds us while looking for a doorway back home.

We had already escaped in a prior dream, but now, this past evening, I find myself face to face with the WoO again. Sides had shifted, allies had become enemies and enemies have become friends. The Red Queen and the Nome Queen finally realized how beneficial it would be for both of them to join forces. Thus, a new landscape of fascist classism had been developed, where the once peaceful masses were enslaved to fuel a terrible machine that kept the King and Queen in power. To use whatever memories I had of the previous WoO as a map for safe travel through the landscape would have been suicide, as the warring had only gotten worse. Before the WoO still held a portion of its beauty and luster, but now, due to the constant fighting, there was very little left but the hollowed out husks of an Emerald City, now surrounded by cold, merciless factories producing horrible, mindless machinations for use in this newly formed empire.

As mentioned before, I am not afraid of monsters chasing me. More frightening now, at this point in my life, is trying to stay afloat while swimming against the black tides of a tumultuous society. The WoO dream encapsulates that fear perfectly. Not for quite some time have I woke more chilled with fear than with this series of dreams set in the WoO.

With that said, I will end this with a Happy Halloween.

Impatient Patient

Okay, so the title is a little misleading.

In all honesty, I was quite patient.

I waited patiently in the exam room for 45 minutes. Had I been at the dentist or the hospital, someone would have popped their head in to explain that the doctor was running late. Ironically, everyone at the optometrist lacked the foresight to offer this courtesy. Instead, the doctor casually strolls into the exam room and makes no mention of why he was tardy, nor offers an apology for the unnecessary wait.

Instead, he smiles, and pretends that nothing wrong has happened.

In fact, no one had the decency to comment on it at all until AFTER I verify that I arrived on time for my appointment, and not 30 minutes early. Even then, the only person who apologized for the wait was someone who had, up until that point, had no direct contact with me whatsoever.

Yes, I appreciated his apology, but he had nothing to apologize for. In fact, I felt compelled to apologize to him for being put into the position where he had to apologize for actions that he had neither control or knowledge of.

For the record, if you are ever running late, regardless of who you are, and you know you are running late, and you can't contact the person waiting, at least have the courtesy to spend the extra two seconds needed to apologize and take responsibility for your delay. Do not pretend everything is running smoothly and hope they have already forgotten about the time you have wasted. Furthermore, don't have someone completely unconnected to the event apologize for you only after your lateness has been commented on. They have nothing to apologize for. Do the right thing. Be forthright and accountable.

Please...

Thank you.

Halloween Costume Puzzle

What am I going to be for Halloween?
See if you can figure it out...

CLUE 1 -
The key is to use IQ
DO KPIZIKBMZ

CLUE 2 -
Squirrel?
cook://wdo.gt/9sqkMb

If anyone can figure out clue #2 and leave a comment, I'll give a 3rd clue.
First person to figure it out gets a unique Halloween prize!

Elebit Soup!

this is what i wanna be when i grow up!

Once upon a time, there was a very ambitious man. It was his goal to become the greatest comiker in the world. He worked hard, and eventually reached a point where...

...well, that's where I am now, yes? Not quite the best, no longer the worst.

So how have you been?

The past few months have been incredibly busy. Attended Springcon and made some awesome friends. Sold some T-Shirts and Mini-Comics. Then, my part time job scored a print of Iron Man 2. We had an incredible midnight show, with a sold out crowd, pre-show trivia, games, and entertainment, and free Iron Man comics. It was phenomenal. If any of you ever have the chance, go check out the Fargo Theatre. Built in 1926, it is one of the few remaining Art Deco theaters in the world. With a working Wurlitzer that plays before the evening shows on Friday and Saturday, the Fargo Theatre is one of the last remaining vestiges of Old Hollywood, where films were events. It is truly an experience to behold!

Anyways, between work and freelance, things have been busy. Here is a logo commission I did for an interior designer. The butterfly was an instant sell, but eventually, they subcontracted the typeface to an outsider. I enjoy how the negative space of the "o" doubles as the dot of the "i" in the middle option, however the one on the bottom is my favorite:





As the work is completed, however, I find myself lacking direction. Lately, I've been feeling fairly aimless. All of the major plans over the past few months went of with little or no problems, which is splendid, but now...there really isn't much coming up, and the adrenaline from previous events has left me with the aforementioned feeling of aimlessness.

So, as many people my age do, I've turned to video games.

It starts with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I finally pass the Air Castle, which, admittedly, has taken far longer than I am comfortable with. Yet, beating the boss felt incredibly simple.

So, since my local Hollywood Video was going out of business, I hit up their liquidation and picked up a couple other games which I have been meaning to play.

First one I tried was No More Heroes.



It is FANTASTIC! That's all I will say.

The other game is called Elebits.

This one is amusing, though the concept is difficult to explain (as I discovered when my bro and roommate both ask at differing points what the game is about.) Admittedly, I was hoping to score Katamari Damacy instead, but since they didn't have that, I figured I would try out the game with the second craziest cover -




Regardless, it inspired me to create some fan art -


how could the comparison NOT be made?

All this time, however, I have also been creating comics. Here is the thumb stage for an upcoming page over at World of Rando -



Then a page from the con exclusive mini -



And finally, a page from a project that I started a LOOOOOONG time ago, but never finished, that I just rediscovered today. Since all the pages were scanned and labeled, I may even be able to go back and finish it -



Mk...that is enough for now. I hope you are all happy and well, and until next time -

Fun for the Next Few Weeks

Well well well...look who we have here.

Welcome back to Masterpiece Theatre.

...

...

...

Honestly, I don't know what that was supposed to mean. So yeah...

(Ellipses Demon STRIKE!)

Oops! Far too many ellipses for one blog. My bad.

Anyways, let me tell you a short story about what is going to be happening these next couple weeks.

In three weekends, World of Rando is going to be making its Springcon debut. We will have t-shirts and mini-comics, as well as some high-quality, limited edition prints of "The Ballad of the Behemouth." For you calender lovers out there, this will specifically be May 15-16. If you are in the area, or looking for a place to go for the weekend, you should stop on by. It will be great!

In two weekends, I'll be at a charity auction doing caricatures for a group new to the F/M area called "Art Sage."

THIS WEEKEND, however, is Free Comic Book Day. Personally, I almost forgot.

*shame on me*

Double shame, considering this day is a veritable holiday for me. FCBD stands right next to 24 Hr Comic Book Day in my high holy calender. Last year, I was so excited for FCBD, that I printed up my very own mini-comics and gave them away.

This year, I plan to do the same thing.

However, I haven't a mini to offer--yet.

So, it is my goal to finish eight pages of mini-comics goodness between April 27 and April 30. That means I need to finish approximately 2 pages/day, PLUS find the time for print layout AND printing AND binding--

I suppose this project will need a cover too, correct?

This is going to mean many late nights and early mornings over the next few days, doesn't it?

Oh yes, it does. Oh YES, it DOES!

Let the madness begin.

*I love that song!*

Imagination Gallerys, Bachelor Parties, and Old Promo Posters that Exist in the Present!

Lately, I have been having these flashes occurring immediately before falling asleep and waking. Visions of art never seen in the walk of life; only hanging in the gallery of imagination.

These pieces possess majesty that cannot be captured by canvas or computer. They are creations that even the deconstructive processes of my mind cannot begin to untie. The pieces are gorgeous and instill a sense of mystery long missed by me.

Why do I bring this up?

Because it was on my mind, and I felt the need to write.

Now, I must create. Again, as in every time, I know not where to start, but feel comfort in the knowledge that starting anywhere will bring me somewhere.

Also, here is some art made for some bachelor party t-shirts:



The bachelor party was phenomenally fun. Lot's of good times had by all.

And here is an old promotional poster for "World of Rando" before it was called WoR, and before we realized we should launch it ASAP:


The story is still called "Magic Mirror," though I'm unsure why. The idea behind the "Anti-Ruin Rune" is to create a magical mark that can resist decay and decomposition. Of course, when created by the hands of a savvy business man, this means that a massive, magical corporation can be built up around him. But, that's not what the story is about. So yeah, go read World of Rando!

More next time?

Neil Gaiman

#1 Neil Gaiman

Close your eyes and let your mind fall back into a pleasant slumber. Do you see the dark robed man standing ahead of you? He goes by many names: King Morpheus, Dream, the Sandman. Yet he has only one creator. Neil Gaiman.



I end this list of creators with a man who stands without a doubt to be one of the greatest storytellers of our generation.

Gaiman was born in England and grew up reading tales from the finest storytellers of the era; wordsmiths such as Lewis, Tolkien, Lovecraft, and Poe. He started his own writing career as a journalist, gradually moving his way into fantasy fiction, and then comics. Gaiman's first foray into comics came writing the critically lauded Marvelman series after contemporary comics mage Alan Moore decided to leave the series.

Yet, why is this writer at the top of this list? What has he done that is so great?




The short answer is "everything." I'm not saying that everything Gaiman has ever written is golden. Nor am I saying that his stories trump all others. To fully explain, let me continue on to the long answer.

Before there was art, there was story. Before there was writing, there was story. Story is such an inherent part of human nature, that it has evolved into other aspects, such as religion and politics. No religion would be anything without the mythological stories that fuel belief, nor would any politician get anywhere without control over what stories hit public ears. In many ways, story can be seen as what makes humans human.Without it, where would the creative spirit be?



So how does this relate to comics? Comics can be strictly an art medium, with people experimenting with form and function to deliver a new experience. Comics can also be a tool for education and information, conveying complex ideas in easy to understand biblio-visual narrative. Regardless of how you use comics, they are still a story-telling medium. Without the story, why would you need the art OR the words?



Neil Gaiman, from my perspective, understands this. To call storyteller a profession may be belittling it, because the role of story in humanity is so much more important to our cognitive and evolutionary development. Without stories, there would be no need for books, or films, or comics, or television. Even journalists and teachers would be out on the streets if story did not exist.Yet Gaiman writes with a mastery that allows you to both see the truth and mask it from you. His mercurial correspondence to the world dances fancily without losing any sincerity. His pen, alongside those of his peers, allows the world to continue its mechanical crawl towards singularity.



With that, let King Morpheus rule over this kingdom. Let the bishops proselytize and the politicians smile for the camera; for if they did not exist, something else would, because story rules us all.



Lesson Learned: Regardless of style or medium, story is king!

Bonus Lesson: Minnesota is just as good a place as any to make comic books.

Jack Kirby

#2 Jack Kirby

I wish I could say that Kirby was an influence of mine from early on. Unfortunately, when I was a kid, I thought of him as an old, lower tier artist. It wasn't until college, when I started reading more about the creation and origin of comics that Kirby's glamor started to make any sense.



Kirby wasn't the best draftsman. If you wanted realism, Kirby was not your man. What he lacked in fidelity, he made up for in dynamic layout and fantastic spreads. Kirby didn't recreate life. Kirby reinvented life. He turned the boring and mundane into the bold and miraculous. His pages were crammed with more cosmic action and divine adventure than even modern cinema can recreate. To read but a panel is to get pulled into a wondrous world of of gods and monsters. The art from his hand is like a trap meant to capture the imagination.





Yet he wasn't an artist.

Jack Kirby did not view himself as an artist. Rather, he saw himself as a husband and a father, working to provide for his family. He would start at the top right corner of his drafting paper and draw until he reached the bottom left corner. He didn't work to create pieces of art, he worked to create a life for his family. In doing so, he was able to save the comics industry and reinvent it over and over again, over generations. Kirby was not obsessed with one particular genre of worked, but told stories that touched upon both the earth and the heavens. His street characters showed the grace of gods, while his gods possessed the fallibility of men. His influence can still be felts generations later amongst artists the world over.



Jack Kirby wasn't an artist.

He was a god among men who worked for the betterment of others.



Lesson Learned: Hard work and persistence pays off.

Mike Mignola

#3 Mike Mignola



I don't remember when it was exactly. I just remember sitting in bed, reading Wizard, seeing the cool guy with the trench coat and goggles.



Yes, I thought they were goggles. Many people did.

Regardless, it would have been years ago.

In those days, the only access to comics I had was via gas station magazine racks. They weren't found in my hometown gas stations either. Only on road trips with my family could I find comics. There was also a cardboard box filled with old comics given to me by an older kid who felt he had grown out of them. That was where the issue of Wizard came from: already a few years old by the time I read it. So really, Hellboy wasn't new. Hellboy wasn't exactly an established property like it is now, but it wasn't new. However, it was new to me. Probably the first non-superhero comic I was aware of, and I couldn't even page through it because what interstate gas station would have copies of Dark Horse comics.

It wasn't until years later, my freshman year in college. I had weaned myself off comics previously, but just like any habit, it found its way of getting back into my life. It was during this period that I was finally exposed to Hellboy. The first movie was going to be out in a few months, and Seed of Destruction already had the big sticker advertising that fact on the cover. Maybe I was a poser for reading a series because it was being made into a film, but in actuality, I wanted to uncover that mystery presented to me in my early adolescence. I wanted to find out what that trench-coated guy's deal was.

Spoiler Warning: Hellboy isn't wearing goggles. They're horn stubs, sanded down to prevent unnecessary goring.

***

Mike Mignola cut his artistic teeth drawing pages for the Big Two. At Marvel, he did projects like Alpha Flight and Rocket Raccoon. At DC, he was allowed to play with some of the higher profile characters, such as Batman in Gotham By Gaslight or Superman in Cosmic Odyssey.




Yet Mike never felt entirely comfortable drawing these titanic characters. He grew up reading HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard, and was more interested in folklore and ghost stories than masks and secret identities. Really, Hellboy was his dream project, and the fact that Dark Horse let him do it was a phenomenal break, considering how finicky an audience can be towards stories that are far removed from capes and criminals. But he did it. Mike made Hellboy. And people rejoiced. Later, Hellboy became a franchise, spinning off tertiary stories about Abe Sapien, the BPRD, and even the "mythical" Lobster Johnson.



***

At a time where many fans were growing ill of continuous exploration of the superhero expanse, Hellboy shone like a beacon in the dark. It acted as a sigil granting other artists the confidence to go ahead with their own stories, regardless of how lacking it was of spandex. What started out as a small, creator written and drawn story, has become a multi-tome epic that has not only spawned two feature length films, but also numerous spin-off books. Many artists, independent or otherwise, cite Mike Mignola and Hellboy as inspiration for their own titles. All of this, and it still continues to feel fresh with each new story arc.




Mike Mignola did not change his style of drawing to conform to industry standards. He did not write the same stories that had constantly been seen as best sellers. Mike Mignola went against the grain, and persevered. Mike Mignola did all this, and he was all the better for it.

Lesson Learned: Do what you want, and the fans will come to you.