Mr. E Theatre

New Year and Next Steps

2012-01-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

As the Steve Miller Band was kind enough to teach us, time keeps on slipping into the future. In the past, I have meditated on the concept of time, its existence as a unit of measure, and how it has become an omnipresent entity while doing my best to stretch and compress this dimension to fit my personal needs. From where I currently sit, I can count eight different clocks within my line of sight, each set at a different time due to careful ignorance or the toil beset upon them by their immortal ward.

Recently, there has been a cartoon circulating that displays a Mayan showing off his calendar wheel, expressing concern to his fellow Mayan that it ends in 2012, to which the craftsman replies "that's really going to freak somebody out some day." Though I understand the humor in the second Mayan's statement, I am more intrigued by the calendar craftsman himself, and the calendar he displays. Yes, it expires in 2012, but it is still useful for thousands of years. Though our tools and measures and calendars may expire, time always marches on. So why measure at all? Why not just live in an endless cycle of sleeping when tired and waking when not, regardless of the sun's position in the sky? It's not a new notion that setting our schedule by the setting of the sun is rather antiquated, especially with the growth of 24 hour conveniences. Da Vinci is said to have slept in 20 minutes spurts every four hours, a technique that added hours to his work day, yet would be heavily frowned upon in the modern workplace. Or maybe this isn't a matter of keeping to cycle, but rather keeping sane?

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. By keeping a cycle, and noting specific beginnings and ends, one has set aside points at which to assess their actions and determine whether changes need be made, even if the changes only fortify the plans one had previously been pursuing. Hence, resolutions.

Woody Guthrie wrote a list of resolutions that are familiar without being common or restrictive. For me, I like to keep my list short and sweet, as it is easier to remember and accomplish:

slow down, plan ahead, proceed with confidence.

Though it may seem small, it actually cuts a wide swath in the actions of my life. If you want something more detail oriented, I present you with the following list:

1) Read/Write/Draw more -

Over the past couple years, I have grown complacent when reading, and have developed a form of speed-reading that encourages quick sprints across the body of a text in favor of the deep diving necessary to keep information. It is not a bad thing, as it has developed a sense of thin-slicing, but it has limited the amount of information I gather from any source and has made it more difficult to make it through long pieces of narrative. This growing tendency toward thin-slicing has also had similar effects on my writing and art. Slowing down will grant me the time necessary to re-engage literature, art and life, and hopefully reduce the number of unread books on my bookshelf drastically while simultaneously increasing productivity and communicativeness.

2) Reduce overhead -

Like many, I have fallen into routines that waste time, money, and resources in general. By planning ahead, it is my hope to cut out many of these habits so as to live a simpler, more care-free life over the course of the next year.

3) Eliminate "I am horrible/fantastic" -

Recently, I came across a piece of advice that boils down to "I am horrible/fantastic: Don't think either." I have a habit of leaning towards the horrible spectrum in most of what I do, despite occasional evidence to the contrary. Whether it is in art, writing, or life in general, the idea of proceeding with confidence falls within the golden mean, or walking a path between vice and virtue, to allow for maximum happiness.

So there it is. My resolutions for 2012. What are yours?

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
- Winston Churchill

In other news, the start of 2012 also heralds a transition into the second five year period of my 15 year plan. Of course, this brings with it good news and bad news.

The good news: I met all the goals I made for myself in the first five years.

The bad news: I just barely made my mark.*

Considering the bad news isn't so bad, I see no necessarily reason to redress the first five years any further aside from using the lessons learned to head into the next five years with even greater confidence and courage.

With that, I wish you all a fantastic new year, and the best of all that can come from it!

---

*As I wrote this, I realized though the pun was not intended, it was still quite apt.

3 More Lessons - The Wonders of Penny Arcade

2011-09-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

NOTE - Over a year ago, I wrote a number of posts regarding my Top 10 Influences. Consider this to be the unofficial #11.

Penny Arcade, by Mike Krahulik
October 23, 2008

In 1998, Messrs. Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik debuted what has become the most successful webcomic to date. This is not hyperbole or opinion. This is fact. They have taken what had started as secondary content for an already established site and have turned into a cultural zeitgeist amongst a land of memes. One could say Penny Arcade did for the internet what The Simpsons did for television, but they would be wrong, if only for their lack of scope.

I could go on and on, about how they branched out into books, games (both digital and analog), conventions, a television network (does it still qualify as television if it is exclusive to the web?) and a full-blown charity that is so incredibly noble that it can actually rekindle a person's hope in humanity. Did you know they actually have their own line of clothing as well? I don't mean t-shirts here either. I mean an actual clothing line that is aimed at a specific market demographic.

Like I said, I could speak at length about the incredible kingdom they have created. However, that has already been touched upon in so many other forms, that it is pointless for me to retread on that ground. Furthermore, if you are reading this, then there is a good chance that you have taken more than one road-trip down the information superhighway, and have inevitably heard some mention of Penny Arcade. Instead, I want to talk about what Penny Arcade has done for the comics medium and what it has taught me.

ANOTHER NOTE - Before I continue, I want to establish some shorthand. From hence forth, Tycho shall refer to Mr. Holkins, Gabe shall refer to Mr. Krahulik, VG will be shorthand for video games, and PA will refer to the overall entity of Penny Arcade.

1 - Patience and persistence pays off, but don't be afraid to experiment

Lookouts, by Mike Krahulik - January 15th, 2010

Art does not sprout fully formed from the artist's head like a Grecian goddess, nor are artists born with an inherent talent or style. Everything that an artist produces that is aesthetically beautiful takes time and effort. Gabe is no exception.

If you take just a quick glance at the PA daily strip, and you may take for granted the time and effort that goes into it. It's not the hours of time Gabe spends drawing each strip, but rather the years of dedication that show up in every panel. The current look of the average PA strip took years to chisel out of nothing.

The original Lookouts strip
from June 10th, 2009

Even more impressive than Gabe's daily work are the occasional strolls down long-form narrative and solo pieces. In these, Gabe displays a keen eye that knows when to add and when to subtract detail. One of the most striking of these instances comes from the original Lookouts story from June 10th of 2009. In it, Gabe escapes the trappings of conventional, animated realism to exhibit a more etherial, impressionistic take on the background. With the loss of any solid backgrounds, swirling colors and strategically placed lines take the place of a definite setting, allowing for a world of simultaneous whimsy and worry.

The Girl and the Ghost, by Mike Krahulik
November 19th, 2009

These same traits can be found in an earlier piece called The Girl and the Ghost, from November 19th, 2008. In it, the same impression of a world found in The Lookouts is displayed in a more haunting fashion.

About a six months after the debut of the Lookouts, Gabe returns to the fertile forest playground with a solo piece that could easily be a fusion of the original strip and The Girl and the Ghost.

To often, artists can drown in the boredom of their style. Though some critics may balk at an artist's shift, it is necessary for any creative person to breath and experiment, if for no other reason than to improve upon what they already produce. In the case of PA, I am thankful that Gabe takes the time to produce solo work, because without it, the adventurous, long-form jaunts, such as Lookouts and Automata, may not exist; and though I may wish to see more long-form narrative from Tycho and Gabe, I am more than happy to take what they provide over having nothing at all.

Automata, from
June 12, 2009

2 - Creating comics can be applied to the greater good

Growing up, I loved comics. The art, the action, the writing - I loved every aspect of the medium. What I loved most were the morality lessons that were found within the pages of X-Men and Avengers. X-Men taught me that people are people, and you shouldn't discriminate based on their differences. Avengers taught me that you must stand up for what you believe is right, even if the opposition is bigger or more powerful. In essence, comics made me want to make a better world so much that I took the following, self-written oath, and still stand by it to this day: I SWEAR BY MY LIFE to change this world for the better!

In 2003, PA created Child's Play as a response to the fallacy of VG's influencing youth towards violent behavior, and I had just started college. Through intense study of writing and art, I had decided that comics were the alpha and omega of broadcasting ideas from one human to another. I was so convinced by this fact that it became the central thesis of my entire college education. By my senior year, with months left before graduation, I was infected by the same idealism that hits most college students earlier in their student career. I remembered my oath, and realized that I had been training myself all wrong. Imagine if Batman vowed to avenge the death of his parents by waging war on crime, and then four years later winds up with an art degree and no idea how to fulfill his goals because he was distracted by the shimmering allure of comics. To exacerbate an already embarrassing situation, I had just received a rejection letter from the internship I had foolishly banked the entirety of my future plans on. With graduation fast approaching, I had no idea what I was going to do after school. Instead of devising any concrete plans, I sat in my Computer Science class and gorged on PA.

Whether I had forgotten, never known, or just hadn't put the pieces together, PA had already created the solution to my problem. They had leveraged their success into actual charity. They weren't just giving money for others find solutions. They were giving money, raising money, and making the solutions themselves. In the case of Child's Play, they were raising money to purchase VG's and toys for the children's wards at hospitals to make what is a genuinely frightening play a little less scary for kids who had to be there.

By themselves, comics may not be able to cure diseases or stop wars. They can make the world a little less frightening through their own accord, but if used wisely, they can assist in collecting the resources necessary in stopping social ills and direct them towards the organizations that can.

3 - The future is nothing if not an echo of the past

One of the oft-overlooked cornerstones of PA is the commentary by PA co-creator Tycho. A person who has only read the comics themselves can be forgiven if they view PA as nothing but a series of dick-and-fart-and-VG jokes that can appeal to the masses. Inexcusable are critics who judge PA based on the jokes alone. To do so would be akin to calling Shakespeare or Mozart hacks because you believe the entirety of their work revolves around basal humor.

Tycho is a writer of immeasurable talent who is able to connect with the audience. Like Shakespeare or Dickens, he weaves the narrative of everyday life together with what the audience wants, with what the audience relates to. In fact, much like Dickens, Tycho is able to produce profusely on the perfunctory and still make you care. His interests aren't solely based in and around VG culture, but transcends the black hole of mass media and steeps itself in everything from Milton to Dungeons and Dragons.

What is a writer if his work doesn't resonate with the audience? The short answer is obsolete, but in reality, would they be a writer at all? Like all the writers of the past, Tycho could write to satisfy critics, but doesn't, because the critics aren't the target. He just writes like others breath. He, like Dickens, is the voice of the public; his words are a tapestry of the era.

Paracosm, Brikabrak, Cerebus and Mini-Comics

2011-04-09T00:03:00.000-07:00

I just woke up from a nap. It was one of those naps where there was no actual sleep, and my eyes only stayed close if I concentrated on them doing so. Really, it was just a brief period of complete and total inaction. No thought, no movement. Much like watching TV, but without the painful numbness that accompanies prolonged exposure.

When I returned to general consciousness, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. A harbinger of doom was sitting in the corner, making snide commentary. After checking all the usual sources, it was finally concluded that the harbinger was just having fun at my expense.

***

I'm closing in on finishing the first chapter of my new project, Paracosm. If there was anything for me to be excited/anxious/ecstatic/concerned about, it would be this. However, instead of taking any real pause to consider what its completion might create, I am more interested in writing the next few chapters. Especially since the conceptual format of the project is so fluid. Paracosm - Chapter 1 is a pale shade of what it was upon conception. Overall, Paracosm has a loose sense of where it should go, akin to the directions of Horace Greeley: "Go west, young man."

Move forward. The only direction I have for this project. Years of planning and practicing and preparing have ultimately left me with nothing but drive. Cast aside are any concerns regarding quality. Instead, I'm doing a project that is solely for my own interests. Most of the work that has gone into this project is just a method of chaining down a fleeing sanity disgusted with the environment it has been left to deal with.

***

The picture above reminds me of an extremely short story I wrote possibly a year ago. If you will permit, I would like to share it with you:

Where the Ideas Come From

Underneath my bed, there is a small troll named Brikabrak. He is not a troll like the ones of legend, known for eating children and other horrible things. Nor is he one of whimsical fancy, associated with granting wishes and being generally delightful. Brikabrak is, for the most part, just an ordinary troll. However, at night, when I lay my head to sleep, Brikabrak climbs out from under my bed, and whispers stories in my ear as I dream. Sometimes they are old stories, like how the tortoise got his shell. Some stories have yet to occur, such as the story of Zeta, the first child born of the singularity. But he tells stories. New stories, every night, only ever repeating himself to suit my own preferences. And as such, I have yet to banish him from under my bed. For as long as he keeps telling stories, he shall always have a place in my room.

***

I've started reading Cerebus. I'm starting with Volume 13. It is good. That is all I'll say about that.

***

April 9th is Mini-Comics Day. I may do something to celebrate. I'll let you know if anything develops. I encourage you all to try something as well. Even if it is as simple as folding a piece of paper twice and scribbling on the sub-pages, there is something uniquely fulfilling about creating something that you cannot understand until you do it yourself. The more I think about it, the more likely I am going to create some sort of 8-page monstrosity for the sake of creation. For now, I think I will end this one-sided discourse with the web in favor of meandering whatever ethereal pathways I can find between now and slumber.

Peace and Love, my very special friends!

Memetics and ME

2011-03-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

The piece pictured above, Beneath of the Mask, is such a beautiful and succinct representation of my personal ideology, I may cry. This piece resonates to my eyes as a choir of angels would to the Pope's ears.

It should be of no surprise to anyone familiar with my work or interests that memetics and the blur that occurs between life and creation are a source of much interest to me. Grant me but a few precious minutes to expand on and unravel the cosmic complexity held within this portrait and hopefully explain why the vast, spiraling abyss of memetics is so intoxicating.

Pictured above is a representation of the character V from Alan Moore's work V for Vendetta (hereafter referred to as VfV). In the book, V acts as a match for the fire of revolution in a dystopian society analogous to Moore's view on Thatcher's UK. Moore's ideas on utopia (or, the lack thereof at the time which he wrote VfV) fueled the creation of VfV which, in turn, fueled the creation of V himself. V's appearance isn't coincidental. It is in based on the legend and iconography of Guy Fawkes, a man who's legend is central to the idea of a failed idea, the Gunpowder Plot, that was in fact inspired by his own ideology.

So we have Moore's creation V, who was inspired by Guy Fawkes, whose legend was birthed by a failed idea; kill the king. However, look at the moniker of Moore's character: V. V is the 22nd letter in the Latin alphabet, a derivation of numerous previous alphanumeric systems which originated from hieroglyphs, which derived from pictographic cave paintings, which were originally conceived to convey ideas from one person to another across the distance of time and space. The alphabet, and all other logoforms, come from the same basic concept: the transmission of ideas.

Not only is V the creation of Moore, based on the idea of Guy Fawkes, whose entire legacy revolved around ideology, but his very moniker is a symbol representative in the transmission of ideas, which is in fact a major driving force in the characters psyche throughout the pages of VfV. V's very purpose is to spread ideas, as is the purpose of Guy Fawkes with his failed plot, the essential use of logoforms such as his moniker, and the very profession of Moore, his creator.

But let us return to the work of art that crowns this lengthy monologue. The image of V is constructed of numerous letterforms, referring back to the characters moniker as well as acting as numerous, individual reminders to their very essence and use as logoforms. Furthermore, the alphabetical logoforms that construct this representation of the creation of Moore are also the main medium of Moore himself, and can hearken back to the ENTIRE HISTORY of language itself, which is yet another construct built to disperse the viral reproductive constructs that are ideas.

The entire portrait is built both literally and metaphorically on the quote taken from VfV: Ideas are Bulletproof. However, maybe the quote would be more precise and better served if a single word were replaced.

Ideas are Immortal.

An idea more precise, but not exact. For ideas are not only immortal, but also living, changing, evolving. Ideas and concepts are entities as much as ourselves, as they grow and change and mature just as we do. However, they never die. Not completely. Hence their immortality.

Sure, certain ideas may disappear for awhile, but they still exist somewhere, whether they are hiding in the minds of others, or wrapped up in other, similar ideas, they always exist, and they always will.

Or so I like to think...

Recurring Nightmares and Other Small Horrors.

2010-10-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-06-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-03-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

#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

2010-03-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

#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

2010-03-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

#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.

Grant Morrison

2009-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

#4 Grant Morrison

(Note: This is the first comic creator on this list that is solely a writer. Any of the artwork associated with his stories was drawn by a separate entity.)

As mentioned in the previous post, theoretical physics are an interest of mine. Yet, they have no place in comics, right?

The first Grant Morrison penned story I ever read was his run on New X-Men. Like many of my generation, I grew up on the X-Men animated series from the 90’s. Reading Morrison’s take on the X-Men years later was both new and exciting; it was drastically different from anything I had read before from Marvel.

Later, I read his take on the JLA and was impressed. Seven Soldiers of Victory, however, was the first series written by Morrison that really made me a fan. It was in this series that Morrison’s own love for breaking extra dimensional barriers and playing with pop culture tropes was most blatantly evident.

So, why should I hold back with my love of theory if Morrison doesn’t?

The other reason I am so greatly inspired by the work of Grant Morrison is the fact that he can write super-heroes without making them campy, unless he specifically wants to.

As it stands, I cannot currently read any super-hero tripe without convulsing in spiritual disgust. Morrison is one of just a handful of writers who can take super-heroes and make them interesting. His work on “All-Star Superman” was ingenious. Every issue read recaptured the feeling of reading my first comic while not talking down to me. Furthermore, his current work on “Batman and Robin,” though yet completed, feels like a happy mixture of detective noir, circus kitsch, and psychological horror/thriller.

(Special mention should be made to Frank Quitely at this moment. Frank Quitely is a phenomenal artist who has worked on many books with Morrison. Specifically, his more recent collaborations include the aforementioned All-Star Superman and Batman and Robin,)

Lesson Learned: Comics can be as complex as you desire to make them.

Scott McCloud

2009-10-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

#5 Scott McCloud

The world is a small place. Patterns pop up everywhere, and as such, people debate whether it is coincidence or predestination. Everyone has their own opinion regarding fate, luck, destiny, and chance. In my eyes, it is a combination of the two.

If that didn’t make sense, let me try to clarify. I am a person of many interests. One of my earliest was space and theoretical physics. The relativity of time has been a concept that has always interested me, but only recently made sense to me. Conversely, the non-existence of coincidence in an infinite universe is a concept that has always made sense to me, but has only recently been of interest.

Where am I going with this?

I never really enjoyed the practical applications of physics when learning it in school. Yes, it was fun to know that given all the proper parameters, one could accurately predict at what speed a car would have to travel in order to intercept a package falling from an airplane, but for as “practical” as these applications claimed to be, they were, in fact, quite the opposite.

Instead, I started investigating the more theoretical aspects of physics. Namely, time, space, and string theory. Whereas these topics would tie knots in the heads of most students, for me it provided answers to many questions, and released much of the knotted confusion that had existed in my head prior to learning of the theories.

Later, in college, I began taking writing courses. In my mind, there was a clear vision of what I wanted to be: a comic creator. So I began taking some writing courses. They proved beneficial, but to my surprise, I was more suitably adept at creative non-fiction writing than prose or poetry. For as much trouble as I had with practicalities in high school, the more practical form of writing became my boon in college.

Despite whatever talent I may have displayed for non-fiction essays in college, it was not pointing me in the direction I wanted to go. The writing course I was taking was not teaching me about the utterly complex art of comics. I thought I could find more suitable lessons in art courses, but alas, there were still no classes directly suited to what I craved. It became clear at this moment that if I was to graduate with a degree in an area I desired to pursue, I would have to create said degree.

I left college with dual degrees. BA’s in English writing and studio art may not seem like the most form fitting combination, neither were they diametrically opposed to one another. In fact, the lessons learned while pursuing both degrees would leave most people capable of tackling many if not all challenges in life. However, if you ask at the right moment, at a time where I am particularly pensive, I may instead insist that I graduated with three degree’s.

Scott McCloud was born in Boston, Mass. The son of a blind physicist, Scott’s life should not have followed a path into comics. Yet it did. Not only did Scott pursue a career in comics, but because of the distinct background he possessed, he was able to usher in an age of comics enlightenment, and birth an age of serious, academic study within the comics medium. When talking at the 2005 TED conference, he posited four principles, which, though applicable to everyone in every field, became specifically important to my own personal endeavors. The principles are as follows:

-Learn from Everyone
-Follow No One
-Look for Patterns
-Work like Hell

McCloud, year’s prior to the TED conference, also wrote some books very important to the medium of comics. His seminal work, Understanding Comics (UC), is in itself a comic about comics. While being meta-textual at its core, it is academic first, avoiding much of the self-indulgence many other books and essays about comics and making comics seemed to linger in. After UC, McCloud wrote Reinventing Comics (RC). RC advanced many of what now are essentials in the digital comic format. Finally, since many good things come in trilogies, McCloud decided to make on of his own, and wrote Making Comics (MC).

UC, RC, and MC became my Master’s course in comics. The three books formed a holy trinity that encapsulated the entirety of my college career and morphed two separate degrees into one singular lesson. Though it would be inaccurate for me to claim McCloud taught me more than the four years I spent at college, I can honestly claim that his three books had a bigger influence on my education than any of the texts ever presented to me in any conventional class.

So why should I have began this brief essay about comics with a diversion in time and physics?

In my years of study, a few obvious, yet ignored facts about comics have become important tenants. Comics are a duality. They possess a bifurcated nature that makes it hard for most people to classify, and thus understand. Comics are both art and literature. They can encompass as broad a spectrum as any book, painting, or sculpture. The one thing that unifies the branches, however, is the mastery of time that is inherent within their creation. Neither books nor traditional art can frame time as successfully as comics can. Even film, the closest existing relative to comics, does not give its audience the control over time that comics present their readers.

Lesson Learned: Learn from everyone, follow no one, look for patterns, and work like hell!

Bryan Lee O'Malley

2009-10-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

#6 Bryan Lee O’Malley

Look around you. In any single direction, you can find fodder for a great horror film, dramatic comedy, video game, or biography. In fact, the same applies to most every day in anybody’s life. Yet, the majority of comics literature only focuses a light on the genre of super-heroics. Even if you escape the mainstream, you still have books labeled with such restraining categories as “Fantasy” or “Historical Fiction.”

Through the practice of categorizing books like this, we are harming the reader by dissuading them from potentially great works of literature because the nuances held within are whitewashed by a broad category. Likewise, we are hurting literature and art overall by telling creators their work needs to fit within one heading or another. The blunt classification used by bookstores, be they chain or independent, ultimately lessens the legitimacy of craft in the many works that pass through their doors.

But what does this have to do with Bryan Lee O’Malley?

O’Malley is, in many ways, the underground Moses of independent comics. It is by his example that many creators have been inspired to create the Monster/Romance/Ninja/Western that has been brewing in their heads since childhood. It is by his success that many publishers have deemed such formerly preposterous premises as potential successes. The meta-fictional, genre-bounding narrative of Scott Pilgrim*, broke the chains of bondage keeping many comikers within the shadow of the Big Two.

Personally, before reading any of O’Malley’s work, I had been imprisoned to the old and musty storytelling devices of old. A furrowed brow would represent anger, but how could one represent the buildup to said anger? O’Malley solved this problem by injected the influence of videogames and RPG’s into his work. Dwindling health bars began appearing over characters, alerting readers to oncoming illness, while the accumulation of experience points let the readers know that the character had learned something.

It is through O’Malley and Scott Pilgrim that I gained the confidence to break down any of the walls imprisoning creativity and add whatever tools were at the ready so as to represent the abstract concepts, such as experience and success. Life does not possess boundaries, despite how much we think otherwise, so why should literature?

Lesson Learned: Use whatever tools are necessary to get an idea across and a job done.

*For the Record: O’Malley has a few other non-SP centric, but regardless of their quality, I’m sticking with Scott Pilgrim for this brief jaunt into essay.

Osamu Tezuka

2009-10-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

#7 Osamu Tezuka

Between Apollo’s Song, Buddha, and Dororo, Osamu Tezuka has an incredible library of work. However, if you take away those three stories, he still has thousands of pages drawn for numerous other stories as well. Astroboy, for example, though geared towards a younger audience, holds up as well today as it did back then.

Before I continue, I want to take this time to address a subject that pretty much every fan of Tezuka is familiar with. Assuming Tezuka even has any critics, it could be assumed that they have not fully read and interpreted Tezuka’s work correctly. Many people unfamiliar with Tezuka’s work may notice a hint of racism in regards to some characters in his earlier stories. Though these stereotypical caricatures may have been used, it is in my personal opinion, as well as the opinion of numerous others, that Tezuka did not mean any harm by them. The common motif in ALL of Tezuka’s work, which should be noted, is the equality of all man and a dedicated love towards nature.

A great thing about Tezuka was his ablility to create such a myriad of work AND complete medical school. This man had an incredible die-hard work ethic. As if he didn’t deserve enough of the respect he obtained, he made sure you knew he earned it by the shear breadth of his work.

Though Tezuka’s storytelling really carries the entirety of his work, I was influenced greatly by his artistic decisions. Reading a work of Tezuka is like watching a Disney animated featured written and directed by Orson Welles for philosophers. Tezuka can be silly from time to time, but he takes the image of his characters seriously. Regardless of how animated they look, he uses them to convey serious messages.

Lesson Learned: Whimsical art can still convey a serious message.

Jeff Smith

2009-09-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

#8 Jeff Smith

The best thing Jeff Smith did was collect Bone into a one-volume brick edition.

Now, this is just personal opinion. There are no numbers to PROVE this. However, if Bone hadn't been released in the brick format, I would have never picked it up. Had I never picked it up, I would not have read it and in turn avoided pursuing a career making comics.

With Bone, there are very few things you can critique Smith for, because for the most part, it is perfect. Smith has proved himself as a master of chiaroscuro. The choices he makes in drawing a night scene in a forest are akin to Edison discovering the light bulb.

The emotion being conveyed in each page is pure and unfiltered by the gritty screen that many comics from the 80's and 90's abused. Instead, Smith gives us Fone Bone, a character reminiscent of Tolkien's Bilbo Baggins, if Mr. Baggins were more dapper. Overall, the characters, though innocent, still make mature decisions when faced with genuine evil. Even Gran'ma Ben doesn't let her dark past force her to be brooding.

The Bone brick is what countless artists and writers wish they had created and kick themselves for being beaten to it.

Lesson Learned: A story doesn't need to be dark and gritty to be mature.

Masashi Kishimoto

2009-09-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

#9 Masashi Kishimoto

Kishimoto is author/artist of the globally popular ninja comic, Naruto.

Though lacking a wide breadth of work, Kishimoto makes up for it by going the distance. Naruto has been published weekley in Japan for the better part of a decade. His dedication and drive show up in every weekly installment of the manga, which is evident in its immense popularity.

Admittedly, the cartoon adaptation of Naruto was my first exposure to Kishimoto’s work. Though the earlier episodes were light and childish, I was encouraged to continue watching by friends. Even their encouragement would not have been enough had Kishimoto not devised an ingenious plot point, revealed immediately in the beginning that would shade the entirety of the series. Later, when the episodes caught up with Kishimoto’s original storyline, they entered a period of uninspired and tiresome stories that relied more on showing the characters fighting than developing. It was during these “filler arcs” that I fell out of Naruto fandom. However, a couple of years later debuted the release of a translated Kishimoto art book.

I paged through it while at work. The beauty of Kishimoto’s lines and the juxtaposition of fantastic elements within those few pages were more gorgeous and inspired than anything I had seen in the cartoon. Shortly thereafter, I returned to Naruto, but this time I would only read the comic work. After letting his work fall off my radar for so long, Kishimoto was able to trap me in a story of betrayal, friendship, and dedication, with characters I cared about and lessons I could learn from. Whereas the cartoon had lost some of its original momentum, Kishimoto never let his comic drop any of the passion or energy it began with. Instead, he was able to infuse it with even more power as the story progressed.

Lesson Learned: Character drama trumps total action in the long form narrative any day, but a balance of the two creates a masterwork.

Moebius

2009-09-12T08:12:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Dan decided to create a list of his top ten musicians who had influenced him the most. He then challenged me to do the same. Since I am NOT a musician, I took this to mean he wanted me to focus on comic creators.

So I did.

Here is the first of ten posts outlining the ten comic creators to influence me the most, and the lesson I've learned from them.

#10 Moebius

Moebius, aka Jean Henri Gaston Giraud, aka Jean Giraud, aka Gir, is the French comiker best known for writing and illustrating a gritty western comics serial known as Blueberry,

as well as a series of time and space spanning adventures called The Airtight Garage.

Though the work of Moebius didn’t come into my life until after college, it came at a very influential point. The work of Moebius, aside from being gorgeous, is also completed over years. Jean Giraud did not rush himself while making any of his best stories. In fact, some stories feature pages of work that jump back and forth between decades.

Lesson Learned: Great work takes time. You can’t rush genius.

Harbinger of Lists

2009-08-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Over the next few weeks, I'll be trying something a little different.

Inspired by my friend Dan, I have made a list of the ten comic book writers and/or artists that have been the most influential to my work.

Like most lists, I'll be starting at #10 and working my way down to #1.

So yeah, look forward to that.

Until then, tell me...based on this first page, should I color my next mini-comic?

Hope you all are doing well!

***

The Lord of Lunos, Page 1

Decision 7-09, or MM-CDE!

2009-07-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Salutations you AMAZING mortals!

So, I have been working hard these last few weeks, making some incredible things. Some of which are comic related.

Those of you who know me, know how much I LOVE the comics medium. Those same people know exactly HOW EAGER I am to bleed my brain of the many ideas bursting from its membranous tissue and transform it into a stunning piece of illustrated fiction. As much as I would like to jump right into a full-fledged graphic novel, it is best for me at the juncture to stick to baby steps and reach the proverbial "next level" mentioned in the previous journal.

That said, I present to you Mark's Mini-Comic Decision Extravaganza!

For the first time, YOU the watcher gets to control what ME the artist creates next. Imagine if Marvel/DC/Image came to your door and asked YOU what YOU want from them! It's like that, only FREE!

So follow this link, vote for the mini-concept you like best. In one week, the results will be tallied and the NEXT awesome mini-comic will be decided!

Remember, YOU have the POWER!

***

Manor of the Macabre Presents: Angels and Demons, or The Devil is in the Details, Page 01

Greed Trumps All

2009-07-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

I am quite angry about many things right now.

Apparently, Fox is looking to recast the voice actors for Futurama.

Stepping back, their decision to look for new voice actors is more of a disappointment than a reason for me to get angry. With most television programs, people wouldn't even notice if the writers were switched out. So why should it be any different with voice actors. Though I want all the talent from the previous episodes/movies to remain the same, I understand that during a collaborative effort such as this, certain talents aren't always available.

In this case, however, all the talent is available. Fox just doesn't want to pay the requested salaries. The thing that really torches my tiki is the comment made by the Republican Part after having applauded Fox's decision.

To quote the GOP

"We applaud Fox for this bold decision, which demonstrates exactly the kind of thinking we need for the future. A lower budget and a new voice cast will stimulate fans' imaginations leading to a fresh growth of the show. This isn't the time to be investing in something of great quality because of some future belief that quality will bring profits."

Go figure...Republicans once again vote for quantity over quality. After all, the only way to fix a leaky bucket is by throwing more water in it, right? Who in their right mind would want to look to the future and make a smart, profitable investment, anyway?

It's funny how they are so concerned about budgeting money after giving such a large throwback to executives of corporate America. Is anybody else picking up on the mixed messages here? I don't care how much money Big Oil and the Auto Industry are shoving down your pants, you have to make the smart choice when it involves a nation of people. These special interest politician's shouldn't be making any decisions if they can't tell the difference between a healthy asset and a toxic asset in the middle of an economic depression.

If these maladjusted policy-makers continue with such obvious errors of judgement, then I believe it is our duty as American citizens to find them a decent assisted-living community. Not because they should live in comfort, but because they lack the maturity level to make a responsible choice in any adult situation.

***

Purple Elephants Don't Grow On Trees

Forgetting the Memory

2009-06-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

There were many things to write about when I sat down at the keyboard. However, they have all seemed to escape me at the moment. Instead, enjoy the pretty picture while I try remembering what I forgot.

***

Spring Owl REDUX

The Flow of Things

2009-06-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

The more I work on unifying my foregrounds with backgrounds, the more realistic my backgrounds become. Though that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is annoying knowing that the harder I work the farther I get from my goal.

Maybe I should treat it more like the metaphor that frames the problem best: the rip-tide.

Whilst in the ocean, swimmers can occasionally find themselves being pulled back to the sea while trying to reach the shore. The harder they swim, the farther they get to shore. This is called the rip-tide. In theses instances, the swimmers are advised to stop swimming, as the waters will gradually return them to shore.

Maybe I should treat this occurrence as an artistic rip-tide. It could be beneficial for me to relax and go with the flow.

***

City in Ink

Moon Over My Slumber

2009-05-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

There's just something about the night sky. Screw stars...gimme the moon, and I'll be just find.

Growing up, I had an east face window in my room. The window itself was fairly small and located higher than most windows. Because of its unusual size, it never received any shades or draping. Furthermore, the only good way to situate my bed at that time was in such a way that I could look out the window while lying in bed.

There were many nights that the moon kept me up. In many ways, I felt the moon shone much more clearly than the sun ever did, despite knowing the connection between the moon's shine and the sun's glow. The moon became a good friend, a watchful eye, and the reason I could fall asleep many nights.

Since moving out of that house, I have had windows facing north, west, and south. Never again have I slept as well as I did in that one room with the moon over my bed.

***

Forest Moon

The Anti-Finger

2009-05-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Driving to the grocer, window open, Ting Tings rockin’ over the radio.

Approaching intersection. Out of the corner of my eye, a truck appears from the left.

I hit the brakes. Truck drives through stop sign.

“What the…” emanates quite naturally from my maw as the one finger salute waves the truck by.

In all fairness, I had every right to be angry. This truck almost smashes into me at the intersection. Despite the requisite fury that should have been boiling, I was left confused. For as the truck comes tumbling by, the driver responds to my ASL profanity with an equal yet opposite reaction: He raises his hands to about chin level and displays a silent film representation of Alfred E. Newman’s “What, me worry?”

Confused? Trust me…you have seen it before.

It is the same expression every child gives when asked if they ate all the cookies.

It is the display of faux ignorance drawn into every panel of Hank Ketcham’s “Dennis the Menace”.

It is, quite honestly, a non-verbal platitude reserved for the depths of Muppet Hell.

And for some unbeknownst reason, it has become the Goofus to Gallant’s finger.

In case you are having trouble visualizing it, then imagine you were holding a plate of delicious, fresh baked cupcakes. Now, bring them up to your face so you can saver the scent. Tilt your head, and remove the plate. Add a look of stupor to your face, and you have an expression I will now refer to as “The Anti-Finger.”

Anyways, as this truck nearly crashes into me, the driver flashes me the anti-finger. And what really strikes me about it is that I have seen it before.

Zoom back about two weeks. Driving down First Avenue, returning home. As I reach the stoplight, it switches from red to green. No need to stop, I continue forward. This time zooming in from the right, another truck comes barreling down the street. Given his current velocity, I realize he isn’t going to stop, so I hit my brakes. The truck just barely misses my front bumper.

My car howls in anger as I press the horn. From his raised cab, the driver looks down to me, and with a look that says, “I have no idea what is happening,” he flashes the anti-finger.

Despite escaping these costly, near-accidents without a scratch, I still want to know when did the unwritten opposite of “F* YOU” become “SILLY ME!”

***

The Anti-Finger

Sharp Mind, Slick Head

2009-04-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

For the past year, I have been doing a double dose of comics for a local newspaper. The first is a funny adventure comic, ala Donald Duck meets Johnny Quest, called BTCC. The other comic, and the focus of my current diatribe is FUH Comics.

What is FUH, you say?

Mix one part Political Cartoon with one part Ripley's Believe it or Not and stir. Serve cold and dry.

FUH - Messed-up Illustrated History.

FUH is F'd Up!

Finally, FUH is at home on Gnome Coffee. Just hit the Webcomics button and select the FUH Comics banner. Or just hit this link.

Either way, please visit the site and throw my gracious "landlord" (netlord?) a dime. He does make some stupendous coffee!

Next on the net: BTCC

LOOK OUT!

***

FUH Comics 09

Customer Disservice

2009-04-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

I don’t like my job.

You see, I’ve been working customer service in one form or the other now for the better part of three years. And it’s not the phone variety either. No, it is the face-to-face kind, where you have to stand, typically in one place, for hours on end. It’s practically inhuman.

Think back fifty years ago, and what jobs delegated you to stay standing for so long. Mannequin. Scarecrow. Decorative fountain of children peeing. All positions that have been replaced by inanimate objects.

But people don’t want to talk to inanimate objects, of course. They want someone to blame when they arrive at the store a day late for the sale (“I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t realize you were coming in today, otherwise I would have extended the sale”), or show up at the airport and hour after their flight leaves (“Sir, I deeply apologize for sending that flight off on time. That was entirely my bad. If I had known you were hammered in the bar, I would have waited for you to sober up and THEN sent the plane out”).

But seriously, no one should have to work in a place where the customers demean and berate you, and then only turn around to find the management doing the same. Especially when the management takes less responsibility than their employees while simultaneously skirting the border of legality in regards to payroll and harassment.

So yeah...that's why I left.

***

Easter Man 002A

Under the Weather

2009-03-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

Fargo/Moorhead is flooding. Things are calming down but are not quite finished. Mid-April is the expected second crest. Despite all this, we are also in the midst of another blizzard.

Grr…

How is it that humanity is still under the influence of its environment? Haven’t we spent millennia trying to get the upper hand on this? Tesla, among other ideas, theorized that the weather could be changed via radio waves. Though science says otherwise, it is an attempt, correct? Maybe weather can be changed via social methods. Is global warming not a method of weather control?

Truth is that weather control already exists. So, yeah…go humanity!

***

Icy Mountain Surprise!

Faux-ku

2009-03-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Felt funny this morning. Don't know why. These words were stuck in my head:

Had an odd dream
Can't tell what's real
World's a hologram.

Truth be told, there was an odd dream. There have been many odd dreams. Is this one any different?

***

BenJammin - 1500 C2

Aunt Jemimah in the White Castle

2009-03-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

The checkout girl smiled. She tried not to laugh as she asked if I found everything all right.

“Uhh…yup”

Had this been any other night, any regular night, she could have very well been flirting with me. In fact, she most definitely would have been flirting. Not tonight, though. Between my confused disposition and the boxes of microwaveable sandwiches, there was only one thought in her mind: this guy is stoned. Honestly, I really couldn’t argue with her rationality.

The last four hours had been spent in front of a computer screen, answering questions in a tutorial lesson on customer service that discussed scenario after endless, insignificant scenario. The tutorial lesson was finally complete, and I had just barely passed the assessment. Standing felt foreign, with each step feeling uncontrollably bouncy and new. My head was equally spaced-out. It was time to go, but whom would I inform? All the employees present were gathered around a computer screen watching an assembly line manufactured film, where actors, plots, and camerawork were all pulled randomly from separate boxes.

“How do I leave?" the words tumbled clumsily out of my mouth.

During the computer tutorials, my arms and legs would take turns going to sleep. Prior to this, I hadn’t known that one’s tongue could go on sabbatical as well. Had I been one of the employees, I would have commended myself on the great Slingblade impression. Thankfully, one of the employees had understood what I was trying to say and pointed to a big white door plainly labeled “EXIT”.

I left the lobby and wondered if my car had been towed. My blue Sable still needed a parking pass, but the manager kept forgetting to assign one.

“Where do I park until I get a parking pass?”

“Just park in the lot. If you get ticketed, we’ll pay for it,” he said.

“Yeah, but what if they decide to tow it?” A sign from my walk to the office had danced in my memory, stating all trespassing cars would be towed.

“That probably won’t happen,” he said with questionable certainty.

My car had not been towed. It hadn’t even been ticketed. How secure is this parking lot if they don’t notice any alien automobiles?

The steering wheel shivered under my warm hands. Leaving the parking lot, I took a wrong turn and ended up driving through the customer lot entrance

My gut and my gourd growled in agreement. Though my mind may have been filled with new information, but my stomach was emptied of old meals. I craved red meat. It had been years since my tongue lashed a fast-food burger. A tug inside my skull pulled my car into a McDonald’s drive-thru.

“HiwelcometoMcDonald’sorderwheneveryou’reready.”

Here it was. That moment between anticipation and achievement where you reach the peak of desire without actually feeling fulfilled. “May I have a Big Mac?”

“Sorrywe’reallout.”

“What?”

“I’msorrythegrill’sclosedandwedon’thavenaymoreBigMacs.”

Was it the speaker or the Speaker that made the dialogue unintelligible? “I’m sorry, I can’t understand you. Could you please speak slowly?”

“The…grill…is…closed…so…there…are…no…more…Big…Macs…”

It must have been spite that split the words. “Can I just have a cheeseburger, then?”

“No cheeseburgers either.”

“Um…” My mind was a hive of African killer bees, all buzzing to get out, “…what do you have?”

“Pop, milkshakes, pie…”

“Can I just get a soda?”

“Sure, what size?”

“Small”

I pulled through the drive-thru, and paid for my small Sprite. She had lied to me, I realized as my mouth filled with the salty, sharp taste of ordinary carbonated water. They were out of soda too.

My inner wolf still howled for the repose granted only by beef. Of course, at this time of night, everything else was closed, except the grocery store

The grocery store is a nighttime haven for those suffering from sun deprivation. The aseptic lights on the ceiling illuminated the muddy tracks on the floor. In my mind, time was of the essence…mostly because it was late and I had no desire to spend the rest of my waking hours preparing a meal whose weight would set the sleepy-time trigger off in my stomach. So I marched directly to the frozen food aisle. Immediately, a pair of boxes caught my attention. A smiling Aunt Jemimah was perched next to sterling White Castle.

“Perfect…” growled my inner wolf.

***

Forest Owl

The Soundtrack of My Life

2009-02-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

First matter of business, Happy Valentine's. I know I'm late, sorry. I hope you all enjoyed your VD. ;) Also, happy b'day to my best bud, Dan. Check out his music.

Alright, so I'm doing another of these things. Forgive me. Especially since it gets kinda weird towards the end. However, expect something more original in about a week, plus a semi-regular posting a week after that. Yup yup...things are a'rollin' . :D

RULES
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For the first question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button TWICE
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...just type it in, man!

Opening Credits: A Hard Days Night - The Beatles

Waking Up: The Greatest - Cat Power

First Day at School: Let's Dance (Bowie Cover) - The Futureheads

Falling in Love: Worms - Beth Orton

First Time: The End's Not Near - Band of Horses

Fight Song: Battle Without Honor - Tomoyasu Hotei

Breaking Up: Sabotage - Beastie Boys

Prom: Kicks - Paul Revere and The Raiders

Life: Living for the City - Stevie Wonder

Mental Breakdown: Crazy - The Kooks

Driving: If You're Into It - Flight of the Conchords

Flashback: Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson

Getting Back Together: Trains to Brazil - Guillemots

Wedding: Buddy Holly - Weezer

Birth of Child: Ramblin' Man - Isobel Cambell & Mark Lanegan

Final Battle: Everyday - Buddy Holly and the Crickets

Death Scene: Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker

***

Blood Roses

The Importance of Being Ernest (Hemingway)

2009-02-08T00:16:00.001-08:00

This will be short, I promise.

Hemingway is attributed as writing the shortest story ever. "For sale: Baby shoes, never used."

It was written on a dare to create a story using only six words. Many people claim is is also the saddest story ever.

I wish to challenge that claim.

Ready for it?

"Sad clown painting on black velvet."

That's right Hemingway, you just got served. Booyah!

***

20 - 3azZ - GRRR

25 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

2009-02-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Posting this here may be cheap, but what the heck. It's fun, right? Furthermore, there is likely to be much more bloggy goodness in the months to come. So without further adieu...

1. My next birthday is my.....25th!

2. I still chew my finger nails.

3. I come from a family of teachers.

4. I cannot see myself doing anything but comics for the rest of my life, and am willing to go bust in attaining this goal.

5. I have never been to the Pacific Northeast.

6. Being alone is pleasant to me.

7. My full name, when translated from its derivations, means "Mighty Warrior King from a Small Town".

8. I have flown an airplane.

9. Inline skating has become one of my passions. So much so, that I will typically go out skating for hours on end. Sometimes, for as long as 3hrs or as far as 36 miles.

10. It is a goal of mine to attend (or be invited to?) the Northshore Inline Marathon.

11. My goal for this upcoming year is to publish one book.

12. Last summer, I burned through three pairs of inline skates and six sets of wheels.

13. In elementary school, I would beat up bullies on occasion.

14. I view blank notebooks as beautiful objects.

15. Once, I saw Garrison Keillor perform at Concordia College, thus completing one of my life goals.

16. Shortly after #15, I forgot what the rest of my life goals were.

17. I have not had my television hooked up to receive broadcast signals for about three years.

18. I am a believer when it comes to sushi. Indian is pretty awesome, too, in large part due to curry. I'm game for pretty much any seafood.

19. I have slowly lost my appetite for meat, and have stopped buying meat products completely.

20. I miss going to school.

21. I really enjoy classical music, and prefer to listen to such whenever I write.

22. Sometimes, I stay up for days straight doing nothing but drawing.

23. My dream pet is a Bernese Mountain Dog.

24. I am tempted to get a St. Bernard

25. Sometimes, I feel like I communicate better with animals than people. Then Robert eats my food.

***

Photos from Home 004

Words to Live By

2009-01-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm right in the middle of watching Scott McCloud giving a speech. First of all, he is an amazing public speaker. Phenomenal. I would be okay in a life outside comics if I could give academic presentations as well as he does. Here's the main point, however...a slide pops up during his talk on looking to the future, and it says this:

Learn From Everyone
Follow No One
Watch For Patterns
Work Like Hell

For anyone who doesn't know me, or even those who don't know me as well as they like, I can tell you that these words are how I've lived the entirety of my life so far. Without trying to sound contrary to the idea behind it, it is important to express that this is how EVERYBODY should live their life.

Aside from any arguments about morality and ethics, this is quite possibly the best model for a successful society. Yes, people should continue to be and do good, but aside from that, they should not continue to be sheep to the shepherd. Stand up and take responsibility for life, don't let other people live it for you. Walk out your front door and make a discovery. Stake you claim in history. This is what is needed for humanity to regain its humanity.

...and now, I will return to Mr. McCloud's speech.

***

Winter Fox

I'm Still Here...

2009-01-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

Huh...over a month since I last wrote.

Not a good sign, aye?

I'm not going to make false promises and say things like "I promise to post more often". The whole attempt at frequency was what this blog was about to begin with. In the end, this was pretty much an experiment. Not a failed experiment. No, not failure at all. This was meant to gauge my limits, and now I know what those are.

Or, what they are for the moment, anyways.

A friend asked me about my resolutions for the New Year. Coyly, I told her I resolved to not make any resolutions. The entire idea is based around how long it will be before you fail, making every resolution a self-fulfilling failure prophecy. Granted, there are actually a few people who stick with their resolutions. To them, I say congratulations. You are paradigms of self-control and endurance.

That said, I'm already going to break my New Year's resolution and make a resolution.

Hmm...

That was confusing for me as well. But, let us continue...

For the year of 2009, I hereby resolve to publish a book with my name under both writer AND illustrator, increase my in-line skate speed AND endurance, and find a way to finance grad school should I get accepted.

Those shouldn't be too difficult, right? I mean, for the first one, all I really have to do is overcome my ADD long enough to finish something I start. And once it is published, I could feasibly make enough $$$ to accomplish the third. The middle one is by far the easiest, but could turn out to be the most time consuming, as my skating endurance is already taking me on 5-6 hour tours of the city. I guess the speed should be the thing to focus on there, as an increased speed would allow me to qualify for inline marathons. Should I do well enough in these marathons, I can also tie resolution two into resolution three, as many marathons award prize money for the top participants.

Oh, if not for the interconnectivity of life...

With that said, I should go to bed. Happy (belated?) New Year, everyone!

***

Project 90114 - HEYO

Dissemination and Deviation

2008-12-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Heya! How y'all doin?

I haven't been the best lately, but more on that later. First, let me explain how excited I am to be reaching my 2000th hit on DA so soon and so quickly. If you haven't checked out that page yet, you must definitely go and take a look. And if you like what you see, why not tell some others? Cheer their day with some aesthetic candy. ;) For the record, a large view of today's image can be viewed on the sight, as well as the amusing anecdote that accompanies it.

Anyways, haven't been in the best of health lately. Had to go to the ER yesterday, almost went back today. It's an odd thing to wish, but hopefully everything is just viral. :S Still, even if it were viral, the symptoms prevent adequate treatment, i.e. sleep. Wouldn't be a big deal if the body didn't need rest. I'm no foreigner to sleeplessness.

I should add a big thank-you to my lil bro Kev, my best friend Dan, and overall cool guy Joel for helping me out. It is all very appreciated.

Did some scriptwriting last night that I'm proud of. It's not even close to finished, but to have it out there and to feel it come so easily is really a splendid experience. A few quick edits and it will be tight, I feel. It hasn't come this easily since last summer. But that is another story...literally.

Don't know what else to say. Christmas is coming soon, apparently. Hope you all enjoy that time. Also, best of luck to everyone enduring the storm that precedes it.

(PS. I'll say it once again, go spread the word and work of Mark. People will be glad you did!)

***

Ostre Muse 03

TRICK OR TREAT COMPLETED

2008-11-22T01:22:00.000-08:00

First off, I would like to apologize for neglecting this blog. Usually, it is my intent to post on Tuesdays. However, I have been working on a project since mid-October that was meant to be finished in time for Halloween. Due to a number of detours, both expected and unexpected, the project was not completed until RIGHT NOW. This week became the final push necessary to complete the project, hence the delay in posting.

The project is called TRICK OR TREAT. It is a fourteen page mini-comic telling the "origin" of Dom Bones and Jacko. It is both my story with Dom and Jacko, as well as my first mini-comic. Based on the experience, I can promise you that it will not be the last of either experience. :)

The plan from here on out is to print up a number of hard copies to pass out to friends as well as post the pages online. As for now, however, I'm going to bed. This big final push was exhausting. I am both glad to be done, and excited to move on to another project, so I can utilize all the techniques learned more effectively.

Have a great week, y'all.

***

The Return of Dominic Bones BW

MOVED!

2008-11-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well, the move is over, unpacking is almost complete, and and halloween was enjoyable.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me out this last week. Everything was very much appreciated.

And now, this:

"Who’s got the sweetest disposition?
One guess, that’s who?
Who’d never, ever start an argument?
Who never shows a bit of temperament?
Who's never wrong but always right?
Who'd never dream of starting a fight?
Who get stuck with all the bad luck?
No one but Donald Duck!"

Donald Duck is the property of the Walt Disney Corporation, or some such entity.

I hope you all have a great week!

***

Portrait of a Duck

Moving (BARF)

2008-10-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the late post. Moving has decided to occupy the entirety of my time. Where I would much rather spend my days at the drafting table, drawin' up a storm, relocating has become number one priority.

Hrrm...

I did find time to make this before all the hullabaloo started, however. I hope you find the quote as inspiring as I did.

One last word...I did find time to see "Ghostbusters" on the big screen last night. Boy, if that isn't a great film, I don't know what is. Why is it that so many movies from the 80's (Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, the Goonies) are so great? It almost seems like there was a film-making pinnacle where special effects and screenwriting were both on equal ground, and since then, special effects and CG animation have just taken the place of a good story. Can anybody point me towards a modern exception?

Time to pack up! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween! :D

***

The Flame 102808

The Forest of Solitude - Part 3

2008-10-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

For hours, Dirk walked. Given his lack of destination, and the lack of any sentient life around, Dirk didn't care which direction he was walking. Odds were, he figured, there had to be something found in the Forest of Solitude that could help him escape the timeless trap. For the duration of his walk, Dirk would shift his shades amongst the variety of scanning functions it possessed.

Tired from the monotonous trail he was traversing, Dirk decided a higher perspective could give him a better layout of what was in front of him. Picking the tallest tree in his vicinity, Dirk attempted to climb above the tree line. A few failed attempts to climb later, and Dirk decided to use the third of his three marvelous devices, the Golden Rod.

The Golden Rod, in its original capacity, was a general issue weapon found amongst soldiers in the alternate timeline where Dirk had his first mission. The Golden Rod had the ability to transform itself into any armament imagined by its wielder, as well as enhances the wielder's athleticism. In the hands of Dirk, however, it became far more dangerous and incredible. By interfacing the Chronoton Dynamo's central core with the digital sentience of the Golden Rod, Dirk was able to unlock abilities possessed in the rod that would have been prohibited from the typical foot soldier's use, including full biological boosting capabilities.

Utilizing the Golden Rod, Dirk leapt upward from branch to bough until reaching a thick mist that lingered in the forest ceiling and obstructed the sun. Determining the mist as being non-toxic via a forensic scan from his shades, he pushed his way through the vaporous curtain to look upon the sky.

Whereas one would expect to witness a blue cascade hovering over the Forest of Solitude, Dirk discovered that in reality, beyond the mysterious mist, there was nothing. Above the mist, Dirk viewed an ebony sky as ink. Though black, the sky was still illuminated. A crimson son shone over the bed of mist that blanketed the Forest of Solitude. Dirk scanned the red sun to see if it was the temporal anomaly he was sent to repair. With reports reading negative on the sun's involvement in the era's aberration of time, Dirk descended back into the Forest of Solitude.

Dirk decided to rest in one the tree's boughs before returning to the forest floor. He sat there and thought about his options. With the rod boosting brain functions and the Dynamo providing probability scenario feedback, Dirk had theorized and tested over a hundred escape scenarios in under an hour without finding anything that could provide him respite.

Dirk groaned. "Maybe if I found a way to upgrade the rod again, then I could think of a probable way to escape." With that thought, the Dynamo began processing upgrade scenarios for the Golden Rod, itself, and the Shades.

"No...I need to upgrade the shades!" Dirk realized.

Just as he had unlocked the Golden Rod's full potential using the Dynamo, Dirk created an interface between the Golden Rod and his Shades to boost the scanning power. Connecting the rod to the Shades, Dirk now wore a set of golden, wrap around sunglasses, which allowed him to see the entirety of the world. Equations regarding the descent of individual air molecules in the environment began filling up Dirk's view screen.

"Whoa..." The pure stream of unfiltered information quickly overwhelmed Dirk. "Limit display parameters to basic sentient necessities." The information disappeared, and all Dirk saw was a simple arrow. Flummoxed, he increased search functions. Still, the arrow sat in front of him. "Dammit!"

Before he could remove the rod in frustration, Dirk noticed that the arrow would change direction depending on what direction he was looking. If he looked straight ahead, the arrow pointed down, but if he looked down, the arrow pointed forward. Finally, Dirk found some direction.

Having descended the tree, the arrow urged Dirk to continue forward on the path he had originally been walking. Meandering further into the forest, Dirk was caught unawares when a few equations began popping up again, this time in accordance with the arrow, however. As the arrow lead him along a predetermined path, it occasionally pointed out unusual flowers or fungi, and brought up their basic chemical equations. Dirk's brain, backed by the rod’s continual bio-boost, began reading the equations more as names than as numbers and letters. Long strings of identifying code were soon seen by Dirk as simple as the names "Bob" or "Tim" on a nametag.

Following the arrow with steadfast pace, Dirk soon came across an open grove. Within the grove was a boy. "Why didn't the Shades pick him up earlier?" thought Dirk.

The child in the grove appeared to be only three or four years old. He was dressed in a pair of smooth, creaseless yellow overalls and a long sleeved red shirt. His skin was pale, but his hair glowed blue. Surrounding him were small floating globules of liquid. Every couple of seconds, a new globule would emerge from the boy's eyes.

Dirk stood outside the grove observing the boy. "What is he?" thought Dirk. A deluge of information filled his visor, and Dirk was overwhelmed. His brain felt as if it were a balloon filling too quickly with air. Unable to withstand a moment more of this incredible data flood, Dirk removed his Shades and cradled his burning, tearful eyes with his palms.

"Are you sad too?"

With blinded eyes, Dirk stumbled backwards. "What?"

Floating a few feet away was the boy. "Why are you sad?"

Dirk removed the rod from his Shades before putting the tinted lenses over his eyes again. "I'm not sad."

The boy tilted his head. "Then why were you crying?

Dirk's lips curled to the left. "Heh...so that's what you were doing. Crying?"

The boy nodded.

Dirk's Shades gave him some basic information regarding the boy. "So...you're a child...but you're more than that, aren't you?"

The boy nodded again.

To Dirk, the information provided by his shades looked familiar, but he wasn't sure why. "What is your name?"

"I had many, and now, none."

"What do you mean?" asked Dirk.

"Before," said the boy, "there were many of us. We ran wild amongst the world now covered by these silent woods."

Dirk sat to listen to the story.

"Then, there was a great catastrophe. In order to save ourselves, we learned. We learned how to live on within each other. We learned to consolidate knowledge so it would live on beyond any one person. And by doing that, we learned how to live on ourselves. Now, we are many, but have become one."

"And you are that one?" said Dirk.

"Yes," said the boy, "but even though there are people inside of me, I am lonely."

"I see..." said Dirk.

"Tell me," said the boy, "you are only one, correct?"

"Yup. Just me," Dirk crossed his arms, "No one else."

"Then what is your meaning?"

"What do you mean?"

"What is the purpose of living if you are alone? My purpose is to keep my people alive, so I live. But you...what is your purpose? What does your life mean?"

Dirk thought for a moment. "I think you have it wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"I don't believe that any one person has any single meaning, or that there is any over-riding purpose to life itself."

The boy smiled "There are many of me, and only one of you. How can all of me be wrong if we are all in agreement?"

"It's happened before," said Dirk.

The boy thought for a while, "True. But if life has no meaning, why don't you just die?"

Dirk stood up. "Just because I don't believe life has a single meaning doesn't mean I can't give my life a meaning. Or multiple meanings for that matter. My theory is, you have to always look forward."

"Oh." The boy was now hovering next to Dirk, looking up at him. "Are you God?"

"No."

"Then who are you?"

Dirk kneeled down to eye level with the boy. "My name is Dirk Mason."

"Thank you Dirk Mason." The boy smiled. "You have answered my questions and made me happy. If you hadn't come along, I would have quit existing."

"Well," said Dirk, "you're welcome. I'm glad I was of some help."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"I don't suppose you can help me get back home?"

The boy looked quizzically at Dirk. "Hmm...you are from the past, aren't you?"

"Yes," Dirk said, "how did you know?"

"Your coding is very primitive." The boy explored Dirk. He was especially curious about Dirk's watch. "Is that a Chronoton Dynamo?"

Dirk was surprised that the boy correctly identified the secret of his wristwatch. Then, his shades flashed a familiar signal. Dirk had just unwittingly corrected a temporal disturbance. "What..oh, yeah."

"You'll need chronotons to fuel your trip home, then." The boy reached out and touched the watch face.

The dynamo jumped to life, once again brimming with the energy necessary for it to function properly. "How did you know that?"

"Time travel is like breathing to us," said the boy, "eventually, your race will reach its pinnacle and become like us."

Dirk had already prepared the necessities to open the corridor back homeward. "Well, thanks."

"You're welcome"

"So when I get home and fill out my report, what do I call you?" said Dirk.

The boy smiled. "From now on, I think we shall be known as Sprite."

If there had been a smile on Dirk's face, it was gone before the dynamo enveloped him in the sapphire sphere and brought him home.

***

The Birth of the Sprite 03B

The Forest of Solitude - Part 2

2008-10-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

Dirk dropped his backpack at the door once entering his apartment. Seated in front of his computer, he did a quick scan of his email, news sites, and conspiracy homepages, checking for anything new, hoping to find something to garner his attention. Dirk was disappointed to discover a lack of any new updates on the websites he frequented. Nor did he have any new email. Leaning back in his desk chair, Dirk surveyed the room, searching for any uncompleted homework, unread book, or unfinished project. Nothing on Dirk's desk or shelves or in the whole of his apartment was left unaccomplished. He had made sure of that a week earlier when he took a static time siesta.

With silver bands reflecting the ambient light of the room, Dirk's wristwatch was the only item he found mildly interesting. It wasn't the time-keeping capacity of the watch that interested him, however. It was the pure scientific majesty that it represented. The tick-tock monotony was only a shell masking a far greater device known as the "Chronoton Dynamo". For Dirk, the Chronoton Dynamo represented more than a personal time machine. It was the key he used to open doors to other eras. It was the tool he utilized to repair broken epochs. Most importantly, it was the ship that rescued him from a timeless purgatory while running from childhood monsters.

To the naked eye, the sapphire face of Dirk's watch was resplendently azure. Behind the shaded lenses of his ever worn sunglasses, Dirk saw something far more majestic. The second of three items in Dirk's possession that teetered on the edge of high tech and high magic, his shades allowed him to see beyond the limitations of the naked eye. With but a thought, Dirk could shift between viewing the world in visual sonar representations, making accurate medical diagnosis on strangers in the street, or witnessing the cross between second, third, and fourth dimensions. The vast catalogue of options in these optical wonders had yet to be fully realized by Dirk. Yet, he had his favorite tricks. Looking upon the Chronoton Dynamo, for example, revealed a visual orchestra of spinning, stretching, snapping light, or the inner workings of the Dynamo itself, whereas a combination of manipulating the spectral range and infrared intensity granted Dirk the ability to see everything as clearly and colorful in the dark as in the day.

Dirk sighed. He crooked his head and looked at the black bag left at the door. "Early bird gets the worm," said Dirk. Combining an x-ray spectrum with a data retrieval option, Dirk collected the necessary coordinates for his mission without opening the mission statement or backpack. Twisting the dial that encircled the watch face, Dirk entered the information into the Chronoton Dynamo. The Dynamo then flashed and spun its own dial. A turquoise sphere surrounded Dirk, who witnessed again the acceleration of time around himself while standing anchored in the glowing aura of the wrist mounted Dynamo. The passage of time slowed down outside of Dirk's bubble. Once it finally stopped, Dirk stood amidst tall, writhing trees, and luminescent spores. A thick mist crawled the forest floor like sea jelly. The wind both carried and caused the only sound within the woods. Dirk stood in the Forest of Solitude.

With his shades, Dirk scanned for potentially dangerous life forms. His lenses showed a lack of life outside of the flora and fungi. "Peaceful," Dirk said. Dirk then scanned the data his shades collected from the mission dossier, searching for goals and prerogatives. Unfortunately, in the haste to occupy his impatient mind, Dirk did not allow his shades the time necessary to collect all the dossier's data. "Ah man," said Dirk. Raising his left wrist, Dirk's right hand spun the dial again. This time, however, nothing happened.

Dirk’s mind raced through numerous possible explanations. He ran a quick diagnostic to determine what caused the malfunction. To his dismay, Dirk discovered it was not a malfunction at all. The Chronoton Dynamo was empty. Its natural collection of ambient chronotons was inhibited by the lack of any chronotons in the environment. "No," said Dirk. Running a quick time scan, Dirk had hoped to disprove what he feared was the case. Unfortunately, the evidence only cemented his suspicions. Dirk was trapped at the end of time.

***

The Forest of Solitude 07

The Forest of Solitude - Part 1

2008-10-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

(Note: These next three posts, I'm going to try something new. My plan is to offer up a serialized story complete with illustrations. This experiment will last three posts. Whether you like it or not, tell me. And if you hate this, please bear with me. )

“The Sprites won’t leave me alone,” said Dirk.
“And why should they?” responded Dover, “You’re their hero.”
“I was just fulfilling the task at hand,” Dirk said, “liberating the Sprites from whatever lives of servitude they were living under the imps was solely used as a diversionary tactic. If there was a dragon, I probably would have set that free instead.”
Dover stood up from behind his oaken desk. “Your intentions, whether benevolent or not, are beside the point. You saved an entire race of pan-dimensional beings.”
With five short steps, Dover stood behind Dirk and placed a hand on the young man’s leather coated shoulder. “It would be rude for the Sprites to act in any other fashion.”
Dirk’s sunglasses masked his rolling eyes, but the annoyed sigh was more than audible. “Fine. I get it. Gratitude. But aren’t they breaking some sort of dimensional treaty by following me around everywhere?”
Dover groaned wearily as he took a seat in the chair next to Dirk. “They are following all the rules of extra-dimensional travel. Trust me.”
“Fine,” Dirk’s grasp tightened on his backpack. “Before I leave, any info on my next mission?”
Dover reached across his desk and grabbed a leather-bound folder. “This is the dossier for your next mission. All the information you need is in here.”
The Minuteman insignia on the cover of the dossier caught Dirk’s eye as Dover handed the folder over. “Can’t you just give me an oral synopsis?”
“I can see my predilection towards discussing mission specifics has spoiled you,” Dover stroked his silver moustache, “Unfortunately, I must conclude this conference quickly. There is a very important meeting I must not be late for. Furthermore, this mission requires extra knowledge of your date and surroundings than what I would be able to tell you if we followed the pattern of our previous mission briefings.”
With the backpack unzipped, Dirk slid the dossier into the bag thoughtlessly. “I’ll read it later. Can you give me the basics before I go home?”
“The mission takes place in an era known as the Forest of Solitude,” said Dover, “now if you will excuse me, I must prepare for my meeting.”
“Since when is Father Time worried about being late?” said Dirk, who tried to hide a mischievous smirk.
“Never you mind,” said Dover, who had twisted himself in a most uncomfortable position in order to look Dirk in the eye.
With the grin disappearing into his usual grim façade, Dirk left with a courteous farewell right before a glowing-white sprite blinked into existence on Dr. Dover’s shoulder.
The sprite spoke to Dover. Had anyone else been in the room, all they would have heard was a melodic choir of chimes and bells.
“And that’s why I gave him the dossier,” said Dover as he stood up. “Now, would you care for some tea?”
The sprite chimed cheerfully.

***

Grassy Knoll

Relaxation

2008-09-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

Silence is never silence. To stop and listen is to realize this. Even with the absence of all other sound, silence has a song of its own. A song so beautiful and melodic, that it disarms the most wound-up of tin soldiers.

The song lifts you and holds you in its arms. It cradles you and keeps you warm. The song whispers in your ear…

Hear it? The song sings its harmony at all times. But it is silence. And silence is to be overwhelmed.

To embrace the song is to know a waking sleep. The tingle in your body lets you know that it is there. Hairs stand to attention as the song trumpets its quiet call. Let yourself ascend as the silence empowers you with sound. You have the loudest roar. You are the maestro. It is your orchestra, so conduct it how you must.

Still, the silence is nice. It is there. The quiet, peaceful, relaxing murmur of nothing is always playing in the background. Silence is the serenade, the mellow mood music to existence. Let the static refrain of tranquility embrace you, for it is invigorating. Sit and let the quiet din of silence gently rock you in its arms, and listen to the hum of its breast.

***

Relaxation 08

Blood

2008-09-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

The theme for today is blood.

Blood is not about violence and gore. Blood is about life. The only purpose it has in the depiction of pain and suffering is the loss of life. Vampires aren’t scary because they are monstrous. On the contrary, most vampires are depicted as quite seductive. The fear that vampires induce is that of giving up ones life to another involuntarily. To have one take your life without permission is true horror.

However, the theme isn’t horror. The theme is blood. As mentioned before, blood is life. So what is life? Life is passion and excitement and adventure. Life is love, and for me, love is family.

Some say you can’t choose family. I beg to differ. Family is those who help and watch you grow, whom you trust and trust you. Family can be a parent or a sibling, but just as often, family is the people around you. Family is friends, and friends are family, for family are the ones you love, and if you love those around you, how can they be any less than a brother or sister, mother or father. Family is love, family is life, hence family is blood and blood is family.

Blood, life, family, love, all similar, all different. Have comfort knowing blood flows through your veins. Give comfort to those who need it. Share your family with those who need it. Live life, love life, and love each other. We all share the same blood, even though it may be different.

***

Blood 04 WIDESCREEN

Fo Sho...

2008-09-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

For starters, here is the link for a one step tutorial that can help you draw anything. ANYTHING. And it works too! So if’n you are an illustrator, or possibly just an art appreciator, you must take a look at this.

Now that I’ve done my part to help the artistic community, we shall continue to new.

NEWS NEWS NEWS!!!

On October 3^rd, my work is going to be shown in a show out in Portland, Maine. That’s right; watch Mark pwn the east coast. The show will be called Photo-Impressionism and features a number of my works. The selection has yet to be finalized; though it will definitely contain “Girls Like Girls 03,” one of my favorite images as of late.

The opportunity came about as part of the deal made regarding the logo that was displayed in the last post. After the job was completed, the logo was shown around, which sparked interest in the logo’s art brethren. When the art was viewed, it was loved. Soon, I was asked whether it would be okay to show the art out there.

“Sure”

About a week later, word was sent that everything was set up and that the work could be shown. So now, it is my task to decide on the images that will be shown, have them printed, and send them out to Portland along with a variety of freebies to help promote my various works.

And that, my friends, is that. Come back later and I’ll show you how to train a dozen elephants to provide you with all the peanut-butter sandwiches you can eat.

***

Girls Like Girls 03

Adventures With Deadlines

2008-09-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

So, guess what? The commission based business of my freelance illustration and design is actually going pretty well. Incredibly well. STUPENDOUSLY WELL.

Too well?

Maybe. Fact of the matter is, my feet are in so many graves right now, Death may as well be my moniker.

But I love it. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it.

Not too long ago, I finished a logo design. Specifically, the one featured in today’s post. It is for a friend who is starting a business as a yoga/Nia instructor. She wanted the logo to convey the movement of dance as well as the beauty of an amaryllis. In her opinion, the logo captures that perfectly.

In other news, another friend has decided to start the process of scripting a webcomic. He is so awesome that he even lets me help some. Rock on, Jon! Rock rock on!

Anyways, I have been doing some pro bono illustration for him. It is 100% fun and helpful for both of us.

Today is beautiful outside, so instead of writing more here, it is my duty to experience this bewitching autumn afternoon.

TTYL

***

Joy Bliss Wellness Logo

Laborious Labor Day

2008-09-02T08:42:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the tardiness in this most recent of posts. The Labor Day weekend walloped me many times over. As well as the week leading up to it. Nevertheless, at the very least I can provide you with some visual goodness.

Stay well, be good, and do something nice!

***

"The Fools 02"

1000+

2008-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well…after 2 years, my deviantart site has finally reached over 1000 page views. The morning of the 19^th started off around 980, and by noon it hit over 1000. I know I’m excited, how about you? Regardless, you should check it out.

In other news, I have now reached act 3 of my script project. Good news, I really enjoy how act 3 is turning out. Bad news, acts 1 & 2 will require major rewrites for act 3 to make any sense. Grmbl.

Now, it is time to divulge future plans. Someone asked me the other night “What do you want to do in 10 years?” The only answer I had would be to continue what I am already doing, only bigger and better. Which means, hey, a lot of fun is yet to come. So, prepare…things will be getting real good real fast. Tell your friends, tell your family, and tell your coworkers, because once the hammer falls, everyone will want to be on the ground floor. Don’t leave anyone behind. Become that cool friend/sibling/child/employee that introduces people to the hot new trends in media. Be the person they remember when asked “Where were you when you discovered Mark?” Step up soldier! It’s time to change the world.

***

Today’s illustration is in commemoration of 1000 page views. I’m still excited about that massive leap.

100 Years and Going Strong

2008-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

For any artist or storyteller, today is a holiday that trumps every holiday, whether national or religious, for it is the 100^th anniversary of the first animated cartoon being released to the public.

Emile Cohl, the father and creator of the first animated cartoon, was born in France while it was under the rule of Napoleon III and was a member of the long forgotten Incoherent Movement in art.

Fantasmagorie, the title given to Cohl’s creation, is named after a mid-19^th century magic lantern, the fantasmograph. The cartoon is comprised of 700 double exposed images, and totals about two minutes in length. It follows a stream of consciousness narrative that followed in the main tenants of the Incoherent Movement. The individual cells were drawn on white paper with black lines, however Cohn reversed the negative, so the entire animated sequence looked like it was done on a chalkboard. Further, the cartoon combines animation with live action.

Today, animation is far more sophisticated with the replacement of computers over the traditional cell-based animation. However, knowing the process that went into creating Fantasmagorie makes it even more revolutionary for its time by utilizing techniques that are both common and uncommon in film today.

***

The illustration for today is a bit of “fan-art” commemorating Emile Cohl’s achievement.

Bond James Bond

2008-08-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I love, it is a Bond film. Before the days that sunless hair ran my body rampant, Bond gave me a view of what a life could/should/would be like given the proper discipline. Granted, I have never been one for discipline. Still, fantasy is a nice escape, aye?

Anyways, come November 7^th, I will have another taste of the sweet, sweet nectar that Ian Flemming left the world. Given the trailers for “Quantum of Solace”, this could be another great Bond film. However, being the armchair detective that I am, it turns out that “QoS” may not be the most action packed adventure that bond has faced.

For those of you not floating down the river of trivial knowledge, here is a brief synopsis of “QoS”:

"Quantum of Solace"

"Quantum of Solace" is not a spy story and James Bond appears only in the background. Told in the style of W Somerset Maugham, the tale has Bond attending a boring dinner party at the Government House in Nassau with a group of socialites he can't stand.

Bond makes a remark after dinner when the other guests have left in order to stimulate conversation, about always having thought it would be nice to marry an air hostess. This solicits a careful reply from the elderly Governor of The Bahamas who tells 007 a sad tale about a relationship between a former civil servant he calls Philip Masters, stationed in Bermuda, and air hostess Rhoda Llewellyn. After meeting aboard a flight to London the two eventually married but after a time Rhoda became unhappy with her life as a housewife. She then began a long open affair with the eldest son of a rich Bermudan family. As a result Masters' work deteriorated and he suffered a nervous breakdown. After recovering he was given a break from Bermuda by the governor and sent on an assignment to Washington to negotiate fishing rights with the US. At the same time the governor's wife had a talk with Rhoda just as her affair ended. Masters returned a few months later and decided to end his marriage, although he and Rhoda continued to appear as a happy couple in public. Masters returned alone to the UK, leaving a penniless Rhoda stranded in Bermuda, an act which he'd been incapable of carrying out merely months earlier. But Masters never recovered emotionally, nor recaptured any spark of vitality. The governor goes on to tell Bond how after a time Rhoda married a rich Canadian and seems to be happy. When Bond remarks that she hardly deserved her good fortune, the governor says that Masters had always been rather weak, and that perhaps Fate chose Rhoda as its instrument to teach him a lesson. The governor then reveals that the dinner companions whom Bond found so boring were in fact Rhoda and her rich Canadian husband. Bond then tells the governor Rhoda was much more interesting than he had thought.

While the story does not include action elements, as other Fleming tales do, it attempts to posit that Bond's adventures pale in comparison with real life drama. Bond reflects that the lives of the people he passes somewhat superficial judgements upon can in fact hide poignant episodes.

-Taken from Wikipedia

Okay, so in all honesty, that is NOT a true synopsis of the film. Instead, the film, like many of its predecessors, borrows the name from an existing Bond story, and takes liberal liberties in adapting the text. In this case, “liberal liberties” translates to no actual loyalty to the text whatsoever.

Still, that being the case, there are a couple Bond movies I hope are made which stay true to the source material. For example:

"The Hildebrand Rarity"

In "The Hildebrand Rarity", Bond is on holiday in the Seychelles Islands with his friend, Fidele Barbey. Through Barbey, Bond meets an uncouth American millionaire named Milton Krest who has offered the two the job of aiding him in the search for a rare fish named "The Hildebrand Rarity". After agreeing to help, the three as well as Mrs. Elizabeth Krest set off aboard the Wavekrest in search of the fish. During the journey Bond learns that Milton verbally and physically abuses everyone around him, specifically his wife whom he punishes with the use of a stingray tail he dubs "The Corrector". After finding the Hildebrand Rarity, the party returns to the Wavekrest and sets sail for port. Along the way Krest gets drunk and insults Bond and Barbey and also schedules an appointment for his wife with "The Corrector".

During the same night Bond hears Mr. Krest choking, after which Bond discovers Krest has been murdered and the rare fish was stuffed into his mouth. So as not to be entangled in an investigation for the murder of Krest, Bond throws him overboard and cleans up the scene of the crime. The following day, after the Wavekrest has reached port, no one knows what had happened to Mr. Krest and all presume he fell overboard. Bond investigates both Barbey and Mrs. Krest and finally comes to the conclusion that Mrs. Krest had murdered Milton in an act of revenge for the way in which he had treated her, although she never admits to committing the crime and Bond never asks

-also taken from Wikipedia.

Really, what is better than a fishing film starring James Bond? Of course, if ichthyologic adventure isn’t your cup of tea, there is always this classic 007 yarn:

"007 in New York"

A brief tale in which Bond muses about New York City, and his favourite recipe for scrambled eggs, during a quick mission to the Big Apple to warn a female MI6 employee that her new boyfriend is a KGB agent. It is notable only for including a rare humorous conclusion, and for its mention of Solange, a young lady of Bond's intimate acquaintance who works in a shop, Abercrombie's, "appropriately employed in their Indoor Games Department".

-yet again, taken from Wikipedia.

So, if you are looking forward to faithful adaptations of already established literature, look no further. Seriously! You will probably never find any. Instead, be GLAD that people take time to make films more interesting than the literature they are meant to represent. I mean, there is honestly some pretty boring stuff out there.

***

Now Viewing: Girls Like Boys 3

The Green (Skinned) Mile and "Impressions of a Tree"

2008-08-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

Of all the odd dreams a person can have, this was in contest for the prime position.

Have you ever had a dream that makes you feel overly emotional? One where you feel like crying because you sympathize for the plight of the characters involved? Personally, I was just moved by the life of Killer Croc from Batman: TAS.

Apparently, the dream consisted of working for a nearby prison. It was my responsibility to represent the prisoners. One of my “clients” happened to be infamous Batman villain Killer Croc. The more I got to know him, the more I started to care for him. The guy received a bum rap from life. Everyone misunderstood him. And, a few days before his execution, I had the opportunity to see the soft, creamy center hidden by his tough, calloused hide.

In the dream, KC was charged with kidnapping and eating children. Except that he never ate meat. Evidenced from my time with him, he was a strict vegetarian who, even for his last meal, chose not to taste the bitter flavor of flesh. Furthermore, in a turn straight from The Green Mile, he tamed and befriended a squirrel whom he named Chipper.

At the end of his life, I didn’t see the monster shown to the world, but the sorry, repentant man that he had developed into. Literally, instead of waving goodbye to KC after spending time with him on his last day, he looked like a skinny Michael Clarke Duncan. In the end, the experience was moving, yet I’m not sure why.

***

The illustration this week is taken from photos snapped while doing research for a piece of commissioned artwork. With still images like this, I always have trouble coming up with a name. On my deviantart account, it is called “Tree in the City”. Looking at it again, the name “Impressions of a Street Corner” seems more appropriate. What are your thoughts?

Skate Fate

2008-07-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

If it weren’t for the power of the warranty, I would be in the midst of a very expensive habit.

As some of you may already know, in-line skating is a major escape for me. When I blade, it takes hours upon hours, miles upon miles. It feels great before, during, and after the journey is complete. Unfortunately, my skates can’t handle it.

Yesterday, I received my third pair of skates in under a year. The first pair was paid for, while the second and third was exchanged due to manufacturer defect. The first defect involved the wheels splitting down the seams. The second pair of skates had the same problem, but instead of replacing the entire skates, the wheels were switched out initially. Later on, though, I had to bring the skates in because half of a front axel had fallen off. They found a replacement part, fixing the problem. Then, they noticed that the boot portion had torn from the skate. Hence, the second exchange under manufacturers defect.

It is not my intent to disrespect the company that makes the skates I am using. K2’s are the most comfortable, smooth riding skates I have ever used. Theoretically, a less fanatical skater would find the K2’s to be everything they want. Me? The guy at the repair shop summed it up:

“We should cut some aluminum around your foot and add wheels. That will probably keep you from burning through your skates before the end of summer.”

(BTW: The picture above was taken during a trip to Geneva, MN for Project: Earth. It was edited to emphasize the most dramatic, narrative portions, and describe the overall feel of the event.)

Barely There, Again and Again.

2008-07-21T10:55:00.001-07:00

You know how before, I was alluding to a secret project? Well, it is finished. At least, the first step of the first step is completed.

Act One of Barely There and Back Again is written. It is going through the steps of being edited, and layouts will soon be polished off, meaning that fully finished pages are right around the corner.

For anyone unfamiliar with Barely There, it is the comic strip that haunted me throughout college. It was in the college paper, and showed me just how hard it is to be a syndicated cartoonist. BTBA is different from that, however. BTBA stars all the characters from BT, as well as some new ones. It will contain jokes, but will mostly be a journey for Mike. It is the comedy adventure I would like to read. And it will be long.

In terms of display, each page will be displayed here. I haven’t decided whether I will post a page-a-day, post a group of pages a week, or just post it all at once. If anyone has any suggestions, please share. The first page, however, won’t hit the site for another week at least.

Until then, here is another old illustration from the same period. It is a single, colored panel from the other comic I created during that time. So...Enjoy!

A Comic Survey

2008-07-15T01:05:00.000-07:00

Having thought about this for a while, it is my decision to update this at least once a week. From my standpoint, once a week still grants a self-imposed deadline while not interrupting my general creative work.

With that said, this week is going to be a cop-out of sorts. I’ll be going to help my brother out at camp for the next few days, and I found the following survey while browsing my favorite sites, which eventually lead me to back-link to the original survey. So…enjoy this window into my creative psyche.

PART ONE: COMICS PERSONALITY TYPE

Name: Mark Elton

Age: 24

Sign: Cancer

Introverted or extroverted?

Both. During the winter, I am generally more intro. Summer, extro. Overall, it really depends on my mood.

What are your top 5 procrastination tools?

1. Research

2. Internet

3. Napping

4. Movies

5. Cleaning (seriously)

What gets your juices flowing?

In order for me to get inspired, there generally needs to be incredibly good art, activity, or some combination of the two.

PART TWO: COMICS CONSUMER

What kind of comics do you like to read?

I read most comics, but predominately find more enjoyment within the works of independent creators.

What kind of comics do you dislike?

Superhero books featuring major tier characters (Batman, Spiderman, Superman, etc.) are snorefully dull. Comic books that feature a combination of those major tier heroes are the paramount of stagnating prose.

When were you first introduced to comics?

The Sunday comic strips were present at an early age, but comics go all the way back to third grade, where a classmate passed me a copy of a Pizza-Hut promotional X-Men comic. After that, I would pick up random single issues of various books at gas stations during family vacations that would usually occur over the holidays. The event that pushed me into inescapable fandom, however, was when I received an entire long box filled with an assorted collection of comics, ranging from Avengers to X-Men, Ewoks to Heathcliff.

What were some of your first comics?

The first comics that really hooked me were X-Men, probably because of the cartoon that was airing around that period of my youth.

When did you first get "The spark"?

I’ve always enjoyed drawing. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at a café table, asking my mom to draw me dinosaurs, and then trying as hard as possible to imitate the drawing. As years passed, notebook after notebook would be filled with TMNT, X-Men, and various Disney characters. When I realized that people could get paid to draw these characters, I was hooked into reading whatever comic strip or book I could get my hands on, including a foreign collection of Donald Duck in a language I could barely read.

What is your favorite animated movie?

My favorite animated film is actually Fantasia. Every new musical segment presents a fresh animated film. It could possibly be considered as the first animated anthology.

What is your favorite anime series?

I don’t watch much anime. There was a period during my sophomore year in college that included an embarrassingly dedicated addiction to Naruto. Thankfully it was only a phase. Now, however, Futurama never seems to get old, regardless of how many times the episodes are watched, and Venture Bros. is utter genius!

PART THREE: COMICS CREATOR

What kind of comics do you make?

My work is best described as an amalgamation of action-adventure stories and philosophical discourse.

When did you first start making comics?

In early high school, the first pathetic seeds of comic-strippery developed. As a freshman in college, the first full-page, full-color creation was made. Sophomore year brought the first multi-page story, while junior year introduced the serious study of page-layout and character design. Finally, senior year was the cherry, where I had the opportunity to draw a weekly comic strip for the college paper and a monthly, multi-page serial for the gaming club newsletter.

What are your favorite comic artists right now?

My fave artists at the moment include Bryan Lee O’Malley, Skottie Young, Darwyn Cooke, Dan Hipp, Mike Mignola, Masashi Kishimoto, and the ever-lovin’, immortal work of Jack “King” Kirby.

What are your main influences in comics?

Jeff Smith’s Bone is an epic size story with Disney-like sensibilities. Mike Mignola’s blend of gothic horror and traditional folklore displayed in his distinctly dark, noir-nouveau style encapsulates the balance of art to story relativity that I strive to achieve. Kirby has an immense divinity on the page; one of the few artists that can actually capture a massive, celestial scene within paper borders.

Given that comics is probably fifty-percent art, maybe more attention should be given to writing. Grant Morrison is a creative genius within the fences of mainstream work (Seven Soldiers of Victory, All-Star Superman), and an utter savant within the free-ranges of independent books (The Invisibles, We3). Alan Moore, writer of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, stunned me with the brilliance of Black Dossier. Seeing him seamlessly sew the common comic book format with retro pulp prose opens doors to the future possibilities that comics can contain. And, of course, Neil Gaiman, though not nearly as out-there as the two previous poets, has a way with words that harkens back to Shakespeare. He’s tomorrow’s bard in today’s books.

On an international stage, Moebius has a tounge-in-cheek, cross-genre fantasy leaning that is missing very little, if anything. I have probably read Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 at least ten times in the past two years. O’Malley’s story is completely relatable while still being utterly fantastic. Finally, Osama Tezuka, the Manga-God, is an inspiration because of his mature stories hidden within Disney influenced art.

Artistically?

I really feel like this is the third time this question has been asked, so let’s shake it up a bit. The art of Alphonse Mucha and Norman Rockwell really jazzes me in the traditional sense. Masashi Kishimoto’s line is realistic without losing any stylistic leanings. Darwyn Cooke’s page layout is reminiscent of the best in cinematography.

Who do you admire in comics?

The guys at Penny Arcade have captured the future in terms of entertainment marketing. Their business model is a sterling example of the future of capitalism - a digital economy.

I Took A Brief Hiatus...

2008-07-11T16:29:00.001-07:00

…and now I’m back!

Last Tuesday was my birthday. Celebration of said birthday consisted of floating down the Ottertail River with some friends, eating BBQ chicken pizza, playing Apples to Apples, and watching a movie, all in that order.

Wednesday was spent having lunch and cake with family during the mid-day, and Chumley’s Trivia in the evening. PS. WE WON! This is our second time in a year. WE’RE ON A ROLL.

On Thursday, my internal clock woke me at 5am for no apparent reason. After showering and dressing, I picked up my paycheck and reclaimed my forgotten X-Drive. The eve was spent teasing my mono-infested roommate. Poor guy.

And now for the important news! The seeds of commissions past have begun to sprout and flower. Two more works are, well…in the works. Pictured below is a joint test for one of the commissions as well as the “secret” future project.

Also, the roommate issue may be coming to a solution. No details yet, but lets hope for the best, aye?

I hope you are all having a nice day!

Freedom Freedom Freedom, Oy!

2008-07-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

I just received a haircut. As most barbershops or hair salons are apparently closed on July 4^th, it was required for me to drive out to West Acres. Given my annoyance with the length of my hair, it was a relatively small price to pay. However, while there, it came to my attention that the mall may be one of the saddest places to be on the Fourth of July.

On a typical day, the mall will be crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder, with people rushing to feed the beast of capitalism. Today, however, they are appropriately free from such responsibilities. Practically no one occupied the mall today. There were more people working behind the counters than there were people actually shopping. The woman cutting my hair was especially saddened to be working on the fourth.

Wandering the lone catacombs of West Acres, I find myself in Software Etc., lost amongst the walls of next-gen consoles, MMORPG’s, and advanced strategy guides.

“Can I help you find anything?” asked the cashier.

I wasn’t looking for any merchandise, but apparently conversation was needed. We started a discussion on the pros and cons of the Wii, the best VG’s out there, and the generals of Nintendo’s current business model. It was a nice convo, which ended when a small family came to the till to purchase a new game.

In other news, Michael Turner died a few days ago. For those of you unfamiliar with his work, I suggest you hit the link. He was a phenomenal artist who rose to appropriate fame quickly and died too soon.

Happy Independence Day, all!

Summer Sparrow

2008-07-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I present you the second of my Bird Season portraits, entitled Summer Sparrow.

Summer is equivalent to the young adulthood of the seasons, the period where people are journeying from youth to find their purpose in life. To represent the journey, the sparrow was chosen for its migratory practices.

The death and rebirth of winter and spring will follow soon.

(Barely) There and Back Again!

2008-07-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

HALLO, ALL! I just returned from an incredibly enjoyable road-trip with friends. Hopefully tomorrow I will be in the right mindset to tell the story in full format. For now, a turret of current events shot to you at the speed of “read”:

GOOD NEWS:

-Just discovered the greatness of Kupek (aka Bryan Lee O’Malley). He’s great, so check him out.

-Reconnected with one of my best high school friends after an approximate four-year hiatus.

NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS:

-One of my roommates is moving out, leaving the remaining roommate and me to possibly search for another. Any takers?

-Lost countless rounds of the movie game, reducing my film savant-hood to a mere film aficionado.

GREAT NEWS:

-I have been working hard on a project. Not enough has been completed to make any definite reveals (BLATENT CLUE: The title to this post is dual in its nature.), but it consists of returning to an old project that seemed to garner some acclaim on it’s own. Overall, I am quite pleased with what exists.

And with that, I bid my adieu. Y’all have a great day and enjoy this small, random illustration.

Add 1 TSP. Friend Request...

2008-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

If creativity is the spice of life, then facebook.com is the cookbook.

What would drive a sane mind to make such a statement? Take a look at the website. If you have any friends, you will eventually see one of the following:

-an invitation to join a group reclaiming lost phone numbers.

-an invitation to join a group for a specific television show.

-an invitation to join a group “One Million Strong” for something.

-sepia tone photographs.

-applications that measure your genius.

-applications that “hatch eggs”.

-applications that allow you to draw on someone’s wall

The list goes on forever. I haven’t even scraped the surface of what exists on facebook.com. My roommates were previously addicted to a game that was basically a MMORD (Massively Multiplayer Online Recruitment Drive). They would spend hours capturing other people and building reinforcements. Instead of just posting a picture of oneself anymore, people are spending the time posing and editing their photos so they look like they may have been taken in a different era or by a professional photographer. In some cases, they view themselves as models, throwing themselves out into the facebook.com community for the optical delight of friends and users alike. Requests to reclaim lost phone numbers are now pleas to feed or donate to new phones.

The point being this: someone had to think of this. Not only that, but the original thoughts inspire others to make their own interpretation. Just like cookbooks teach people to cook, facebook.com is teaching people to be creative. Granted, the ability to grill a burger doesn’t make someone Wolfgang Puck. Taking a black and white photograph, or creating the “Super Hatching Intelligence TV” application doesn’t make anyone a creative genius. If anything, it takes these standards and lowers their legitimacy by making it passé.

At this point, you may expect me to beg people to stop imitation. Yes, I advocate creativity and originality above all else, but facebook.com is really a great tool for an artist. It acts as a BS Detector. If everyone else is already doing it, then it is not genuinely creative. Never before have creative minds had such an easy reference to determine the validity of their work.

To wrap this up, next time you receive an invitation to join the “Creative Underground’s Local Troupe”, thank facebook.com for disseminating creativity and ascending true artists.

Save a Life, Be Different!

2008-06-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

It is always strange when an icon dies. Especially when the person was a cultural icon who instigated change. George Harrison, Mike Wieringo, and now recently, George Carlin, are all men who, though I have never met, I have had respect for because of what they did in life. All of them were bold enough to take grasp of social norms and shatter them in some way, not because they wished to frighten or offend, but because they desired to show people that different didn’t necessarily mean bad.

Too often people are frightened by the idea of “different”. Yes, to an extent, it is a sort of survival mechanism. I mean, if you ate green cabbage all your life, and suddenly you found a head of blue cabbage, wouldn’t you be suspicious about taking the first bite? Blue cabbage could be poisonous, however it could also be delicious. No on knows until that first step is taken. However, even after that first step, people remain suspect to the “new” thing. And maybe they should.

Even if the only argument for “normal” was survival, it is important to point out that conformity kills. A bold statement, yes, but to take a step back from the immediate and look at things in the long term, one can see truth to that statement. Inbreeding causes unhealthy, incomplete genetic offspring. Cultural solidarity causes wars of conversion. Everything that results from creating uniformity also creates lower quality and harm.

Bottom line; go out of your way to be different. Do no harm, but still be different. Sing in a public place. Wear that comfortable shirt that looks ridiculous. Dance if you want to. Have no fear being different; you are doing a public service. In a world of “A” students, it is the “B” student who is the real genius.

Bird Season - Autumn Raven

2008-06-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

After too many weeks, Autumn Raven, the first portrait in a series entitled Bird Season is completed.

Birds have always had an air of mystery. This may have to do with their ability to fly, but not because of the mechanics of it. A bird’s natural soaring ability has always mocked humanity, as it lends to an idea of being closer to God. The wonderment brought about by this “divine messenger” quality of theirs is why I hold our feathered friends in such high regard. Their ability to commune with a greater pantheon on high leaves us literally in the dust. In this sense, birds are symbolic of a connection to a greater power.

In Bird Season, I attempt to connect this symbolism with the seasons of the year, which, in fact, act as metaphor to the life cycle itself. Matching the proper avian avatar to the appropriate stage in the life cycle was the driving motivation behind this series.

Autumn is a gateway to the gentle repose that is winter. The life that once was is now slowly dwindling. As such, the raven was an obvious choice, given its ancient tradition as a harbinger of death.

Hopefully, the happier seasons will be completed soon. I am especially pleased with my concept for spring, and excited to see how summer fares.

A Gift Under the Stars

2008-06-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Note: This was originally posted on my previous Blog. It is nothing new, but still good.)

Words are etched in chalk on the parking lot pavement, but I ignore them. I came to the park to enjoy the autumn weather, but am too lost in thought. The angry, metallic taste of blood is an uninvited reminder of last night, when I sat in bed awake, nervously gnawing at my lower lip.

Not a soul was to be seen in the park, nor anywhere around. The chilly, noontime breeze, and the abnormal, eerie silence caused me to shiver briefly. Had it not been for the sun shining down though the bare branches, the lifeless hum of the world around me would have brought me into the same trancelike state from years ago, when I would stay awake under the stars of dusk until the morning dawn, fixated on the creation of whatever project captured my attention.

My body yearned to rest. The creative trance would have been a pleasant repose, as last night was broken by numerous attacks of worry and panic in regards to student debt and whether I was wasting my time following my creative passions. The latter thought was quickly vanquished by the unerring resolve that bade my passion for the arts as actual potential. Concerns of debt stuck with me, as my increased heart palpitations could attest to.

Within view, an old wooden park bench became the destination of my walk. The strides to the park bench made it feel farther away than it looked, but upon arrival, the thoughts focused on keeping each foot following the last were redirected towards the serenity found within sight of that spot.

I quickly pulled out pencil and paper after finding the most comfortable position on the park bench. The sight of nature will always calm me, but the arch of lead flowing across a field of white is what keeps me sane. Stroke after stroke revealed more and more of the image hiding within the plane of paper. Stopping only briefly to decide whether to draw what is seen or what I want to see, the study was completed quickly. Even though the meditative state I was hoping to reach eluded me, the result of the exercise was nevertheless pleasing.

Leaving the park, I took a moment to ponder the words that greeted me deafly upon my arrival:

“I promise I will never forget such a perfect gift under the stars.”

Stars are a powerful symbol. As children, we wish on the first, brightest star we saw each night. Whenever we see a falling star, again we make a wish. Stars mesmerized the ancients, who associated them with the god and heroes. Many people still look at the stars and associate them with their spiritual beliefs.

In truth, stars are just balls of cosmic gas, burning brightly enough to transmit their light thousands upon millions of light-years through the universe, making them visible upon our meek little world. Yet, knowing this, I still believe there is something magical about the stars. It was during the cold winter nights of old, when the fresh snow would compete with the twinkle of the star field, that I would always find myself reaching the pinnacle of my creative potential. Even though the sun blankets the daytime sky, the stars are still up there. We still stand under the billions of twinkling lights that greet us night after night. A promise made under the stars, just like a wish made or a gift given, has a powerful history behind it. Likewise, the record of a gift made under the stars has the capacity to remind me of a potential hidden, yet soon to be fulfilled.

2008-06-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

One goal The Ballyhoo Collective has in mind is to protect the creative rights of its contributors while still distributing the work. The following is a link regarding Creative Commons, or "CC" licensing.

CC licensing is encouraged because of its ability to spread and protect an artists vision simultaneously.

We hope that this post has been informative and beneficial.

The Start of Something New

2008-06-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I spent a few hours putting together the semblance of a website for the group that is forming within the next few days.

Personally, I am nervous. I have the utmost confidence that Ballyhoo! will succeed, but the real fear comes from not knowing what will happen after.

In other news, it is possible that one of my favorite presidential facts may not actually be true. Years ago, in middle school, William Howard Taft became a man of myth amongst my peers. Taft, the twenty-seventh President of the USA, was known for being obese. A little known fact of entertainment was that Taft had stuck his toe in a bathtub spigot, resulting in the phalanges of his foot getting caught, trapping Taft in a bathtub for some time.

Or, at least I think this happened.

As entertaining as this story is, the probability of its factuality is tainted by the discovery of the early internet. The now dead website, www.drzaius.com, acted in the capacity of presenting the viewers with utter absurdity. It had various running jokes, most of them dealing with Wilford Brimley, Charleton Heston, and, not surprisingly, William Howard Taft.

My memory of that time is pretty hazy, however I remember much mockery of the 27th pres. I can't remember quite what they mocked him for, aside from his obesity, but with the little remembrance of it that exists leads me to wonder if maybe Taft's bathtub incident was nothing more than a joke. If this is the case, I will be admittedly disappointed. However, it is a blatant lesson in how history changes with time.

Let it be known, "History" can be a dangerous thing, however is still utterly important.

This is the first post

2008-01-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

Here I am, testing the waters for a new blog site.

This is meant as a test, allowing me to freely manipulate the image of the site.