Manic December

AAACKK! I'm working on 4 books at once!

I'm doing some penciling on American Virgin, almost the last issue. I know a lot of comic creators verbally curse collaborations and do their best work alone, but I seriously enjoy teaming up with other writers and artists. I seek out different collaborations. It makes life interesting and exciting, which i think is the point. Inking and penciling with other quality artists and writers helps me improve my own work by leaps and bounds. I've had fun drawing with Becky Cloonan and Jim Rugg.

As of today, I'm taking over as Inker on the Vertigo series, The Vinyl Underground. I take over from Cameron Stewart so I guess I have to fill some big shoes. I'll add my own stuff while keeping the high quality. I'm shocked at how perfect Simon Gane's Pencils are.

I'm over half way done with Local #11, the Toronto issue. I think this is the most tongue in cheek episode Brian and I have created and , for me, it's the most definitive statement of what the series has been all about. You'll be freaked out how good it is.

I'm handing in my final pages for next year's Minx Graphic Novel, The New York Four this week. Only now, this week, it's smacking me in the face as to how much work I've put into this monster. I initially meant to only spend 20 minutes doing tones per page and I actually spend about 40 minutes per page.

Click and zoom in on this detail of a New York Four panel. I just love the way little lines and dots coalesce to make a grand picture, don't you?

Look, I even color in the iris of the eyes. Don't you appreciate artists just a little bit more today?

Johnny Rotten

Johnny Rotten, originally uploaded by funrama.

The Lamentations Of A Lady

Kat (Katharina van Seethinbottom) has joined the 20th Century and created a blog. I implore you to go read it! Please, pack a picnic, and stay a moment. She is as feeble and weak as a crest fallen snowflake.



The little Kelly boys do Halloween:

It's just like Little House On The Prairie over here, and I'm Pa Engels. Only, they're boys and there's no black bears and they get more than a shiny penny and a licorice stick for Christmas.

Since U Been Gone

THE. STONE. IS. OUT!

This song is dedicated to my kidney stone. We've been dating for a long time and well, you know...

This is also dedicated to Brian Wood for sending me boxes of food, Terry Beatty for filling in for my class a bunch, and my editors who let me not worry about deadlines.

Worstester To Worstestest...Aw, Screw It.

Let me start off by saying this...



Ok, now that I got your attention, Let me say, I'm sorry, my tone of voice was completely out of line on the previous blog. The negativity was completely uncalled for.

I got sick the night before surgery and surgery had to be cancelled. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t life full of those miraculous surprises? Oh, and I found a wonderful new drug! So now, instead of the sensation of peeing electrically charged sewing needles, I just have the sensation of peeing your plain ol’basic household sewing needles.

Ha ha. Life. It sure has a way of keeping you on your toes! Oh yeah, the drug turns your pee Orange Crush pop orange. In addition, it creates a raging storm inside my stomach that renders me incoherent and languid. Is this what PMS feels like? Why? Why, why me? Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love pain and all. But my penis has never hurt anyone, it doesn’t deserve this. Why. It’s not fair.

I give surgery another try on Friday. I can’t wait to get more acquainted with my stone. We’ve been the best of friends. Haha. We’re going to talk until the wee hours of the night and sip hot chocolate and reminisce about all the wonderful moments we’ve shared together. Oh, like that one time when I was 18 and I waited too long to pee, and I had to fumble out of my car, falling to the ground, clutching my abdomen and screaming in pain, completely immobile and laying in the middle of some random park begging for deliverance. Ha ha,What was that waiter's name? JEAN-LUC!

Haha. sigh. Oh, but I kid the stone.

Cancel all my meetings next week. Here’s my new Itinerary:
After I smother the last remaining breaths of life from my kidney stone with a pillow and curse it for 3 hours I:

-Blow it up in the parking lot with 8 packs of Black Cats.

-Then drive over it with my car in the driveway for 45 minutes.

-Then, and only then, ignite it with 2 bags of Hickory-smoked Kingsford Charcoal in the Charcoal Chimney for several hours.

- Then cook my dinner over it. And curse it some more. Then summon a mule-headed hell-demon to dance around it, spit the acidic bile of 10,000 damned souls onto it and, finally, send it to one or more of the chambers of hell where it will have melted metal dripped on it, sliced into pieces, and suffer the heat of the iron ground for eternity.

-Next, I kick it in the groin so it knows how I feel.

-Shortly, after that, I subject it to water torture in honor of my government.. ..Because the terrorists want to take my freedom.

-Finally, I drive it to the middle of the High Bridge and drop into the Mississippi where it will flow down to the Gulf of Mexico, hopefully into the gaping maw of a Hurricane.

Ha. Heh. Hahaa. Heee. Hehe. Haa. See. I’m happy, see…