2007 New Year Kick-Off Super Blog with A Pickle On The Side.

Ryan Kelly and Local was mentioned in the Sunday New York Times (Big Time!) via the lengthy Brian Wood feature.

Local, an independent title published by Oni Press and illustrated by Ryan Kelly, is a quieter story, but it also has a strong sense of place, albeit a shifting one. The series follows a woman living in a different part of North America with each issue. Both series “comment on how important where you come from can be to a person,” Mr. Wood said, though he has to rely on friends and strangers to get the local details right, sometimes even calling comic-book stores for information and photographs. (He needed less assistance for Issue 6, which took place in his own neighborhood, Park Slope.)

Gene Hasaid this:

"I also traded Ryan Kelly for a page of comic artwork. But I did it on the condition that he let me pick a page five years from now, after he's bloomed into a pop culture phenomenon. Like Paul Pope and James Kochalka rolled into one! So join me on his coattails and check out his latest book Local with writer Brian Wood. You can see some of Ryan's painted work here..."

C'mon,don't lie, you'd put that in your blog if Gene Ha said that about you.

I got Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier Absolute Edition for Christmas. It is Breathtaking. Hey, if someone's going to ask me what I want for Christnas I'm going to DARN SURE tell them!!



I'm hard at work on a new original graphic novel (art not write) that will be announced later this year with the release date to-be-determined. It's very exciting. But it has been a trial to get started on it. Slow at first.It's making me a better artist, I believe. The preliminary designs have been a real workout, but once I pick up momentum it will really flow. I can't say anything about it. But when I can, I'll post a bunch of sketches and process work on my site.

Local is still going strong. Everyday is a trip to the candy store working on it. The work pretty much flows out with a minimum of fuss and difficulty. When I do get work, I work very fast. I try to stay caught up with Brian. It seems like he's writing 5 books at once. 4 more issues to draw. And, I helped plot issue 11, Toronto! exciting!





I needed to make an official purchase before the ol' digital clock flips over to 2007 (for tax-write off purposes). When you're a self-employed worker, you kinda' have to do this. And, I haven't spent a lot on "stuff" this year. Normally I'm required to spend a lot on framing, printing and art supplies. So, I ran out and got a an easy-to-use, simple Canon digital camera to take reference photos for work and shots of my son (one of many) in his first post-New Year's binge.

Whoa there, hoss!! Better stay off the sauce!