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2/1/03 - Just some randome strips that got cut, or lost, or mooshed into other betterly-written strips. Not much of greatness, except for the last one. Newt is priceless, except it totally breaks the reality and is very dated.
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2/4/03 - So yeah, I'm back. San Francisco went well and it was a pleasure to meet so many people as well as see familiar faces, and friends, and artists every bit as crazy as me. So yes, back to work. :)
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2/5/03 - Amazingly enough, today's strip has nothing to do with the recent shuttle crash (I took the source photo a week-and-a-half ago). Nationalistic funerals turn my stomach as it is, being that I really have a distaste for the elevation of the celebrity, be it in art, politics, or science. I feel we are all just people, of equal importance. Their fate was sad, I agree, but hearing the days of news reports of funeral fanfare with the president even speaking, reminds me too much of war, where we blow up some civilian target accidentally, and then mourne the life of one of our soldiers who tripped off a cliff. Yes, the space shuttle victims met a tragic fate, and it is worth mourning, but no more than the black kids shot in the ghettos, or people dying from poverty or lack of health care, or friends dying of cancer.
That said, today's strip originally read: "if you're uptight in outerspace, you blow up", and it was changed out of respect for the dead. For all the dead.
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2/6/03 - Just in case you're not totally sure (I had a bit of difficulty in capturing it in the drawing) it's this exhibit, a sort-of house structure that vibrates to simulate an earthquake. Anyhow. :)
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2/7/03 - So, it's February 2003, and it's a big month for your little cartoonist over here. Yup, I'm afraid it's true, I'm turning 30. No more feeling youthful and gay, no more prancing on the lawn, no more cherry soda for breakfast. I'll be officially an old man on the 25th, and there's no denying it.
But I plan to have a good month about it. Anya (some of you may remember her dramatic brood from the back of book #3) will be visiting this month for a week. I plan to have all three books to the printer this month (he says, very hopefully). I'll even be doing a Portland Convention. I think it's on the 23rd at the center, but I'll post more details about it later, but yeah, I'll be sharing a table at it with Indigo Kelleigh. I wish I could make the Seatlle convention, both to see people and because I'm trying to drum up as much money as i can for the 3 book printings, but it was just too much.
Most of all I plan to try exercising again, and cutting refined sugars and a lot of starch out of my diet. And thus the world wags.
And you know, young and "in touch" people exercise and eat well too. Don't they?
...Don't they?...............
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2/11/03 - Umm... just wanted to mention again that I'll be at a Portland comic convention of which I can find no information online. It'll be in Portland, at the Memorial Coliseum in the Rose Quarter on Feb 23, 10am-5pm. If you know of any decent web sites for the convention, point me at 'em. I'll be sharing a table at it with Indigo Kelleigh. I'm guessing it'll be very laid back, I plan on bringing playing cards. 2/21/03 - So I fell ill this evening. I came home from work and slept, got up eventually, got done the amount of the strip you see posted here, but was just not feeling well enough to go over to the pub to draw the background. I was hoping that I could construct it from other strips I've drawn there, but I found I could not. I'll finish it probably tomorrow if I'm feeling better.
But yeah, so I hope I might see a few of you this weekend, Sunday, at the Con. I think it's $6, and hear that it's mostly an uninspiring comic flea-market, but... you know. I'll sign books and do sketches and such.
Oh, and Indigo told me where our table is: "Our table is number 101, and we're in the first island - walk in through the admission doors, cross the first aisle on the right and go into the second aisle on the right. We're about halfway down that row of tables on the right-hand side."
So... yes. Hope to see you there. :)
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2/22/03 - Feeling better, and am caught up. Yay!
So, John Allison of Scary-Go-Round (previously of Bobbins) has a pre-orderable book coming out. I've ordered my copy, and although it is not printed yet, I can tell you that I really enjoy John's work. I even asked him, and he was kind enough to say 'yes', to write the forward for the upcoming Bruno Book #8 (due out late May).
And of as significant mention, Derek Kirk has at long last finished his long online comic Same Difference, another online work highly worthy of recommendation. Congratulations, Derek.
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2/25/03 - So yeah, I turned 30 today. And I accomplished the one thing I've set myself up to accomplish. About 7 or 8 years ago (too late now to think which) I wrote my novel, and since my skills were very visibly weak (even visible to me) I kept on putting it aside for a half year or year, reading it again, being still unhappy, and further editing. And finally, about a year ago, i read it, and was pleased enough. And so my goal was to do some final clean-up edits, and then get it to the printer before I turned 30, and I did it, yesterday, the 24th, in the mail, to the printer. I can barely believe it. "Loved Into Submission" a cynical and dark farce, is due for release sometime in May (or so).
So yes, 30. And i know, plenty of people have told me not to gripe, and that they have no sympathy for me, and frankly, they can just jump off a cliff for all I care. It's what I'm going through, and therefore it's real to me. I've never thought twice about my age, and turning 30 is the first age that's been difficult for me to come to terms with. I've really put a lot of time and thought into whether my career choices were wise. I mean, I love writing and doing comics, but I also need to get out of my data entry job(s) before I "off" myself or my co-workers. And I've accomplished a lot and am closer in skill and connections to an actual career, but art, in any form, is still a crap shoot. I could turn 40 and be in the same boat. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And so, has it been worth it to sacrifice the quality of correspondance, friends, relationships, all for art which hasn't seemed to pan out to allow me to quit my job? I don't know.
but that's truly my goal. To be able to work a hard day (at my art) and then in the evening be able to be social, or go for a walk, or bake bread, wihtout feeling guilt. We'll see if i can't get there in the next year or so. I know I'm close with other work I'm doing. So we'll see. But yes, art fills my soul, but I need to live life too. Everything in balance.
Anyhow, so yes, I'm 30 today. It's been a little rough, worrying, stressing, I cried a little yesterday. But I've always been a sensitive little tyke. But aside from this, I've been feeling pretty good, and I think my light box has helped a lot. :)
Hopefully you'll all be here still in another 10 years, when I'm 40, and Bruno will have further developed into a more deep, soulful, and dynamic character with an even richer and more complex life. If nothing else, I'm satisfied that I am putting all I got into creating things which I find beautiful. What else is there?
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2/27/03 - Thank you all for the warm birthday wishes. I wish I could respond to all of the emails, but allow me to say now, with my crazy life, if I miss responding to any or many, thank you.
Things roll along here though. I'm 30, and feel fine. I knew once it passed it wouldn't matter. Just one of those things.
I've decided that I won't be doing a convention report for APE or the Portland Convention, both because I just haven't had much time, and also because anyone I'd mention who i saw, I already mentioned already in my Seattle Con Report. Although I do want to say that Travis Fox (and Molly) brought me a huge smile again, and gave me a new copy of Foxymoron (click on publications) along with a mix cd soundtrack (tres swank). I mean, it's just a rough crazy zine, but for some reason the stories please me greatly.
Oh, and Craig Thompson finished his most recent opus, Blankets (following up his beautiful Goodbye Chunky Rice), and had one copy with him at APE, I'm counting the days until the final is printed. And wow, on the Blankets page, i just noticed that Dylan Horrocks has a new book called Dirty Comics coming out. I can't tell you how thrilled I am by that, his graphic novel, Hicksville is the most inspiring comic I've ever read (although, it is about comics, so maybe just inspiring to me, but I don't think so). Also, it looks like Pants Press finally has available Mostly Acquisitions for purchase, makes me glad their work can get out there.
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2/28/03 - So, as a country, we're back to alert level "yellow", and I finally started receiving spam email regarding purchasing Columbia Space Shuttle Memorial Coins. Phew, it's about time things are back to normal.
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