New Super Crazy Cat Dance

I recently finished coloring and expanding artwork for a new edition of The Super Crazy Cat Dance for Blue Apple Books. The artwork here is probably not going to be used but I love it so much I had to post it. We're expecting a release date for fall 2010.

Happy February

Comics Journal Review of Big Plans 4

Recently Rob CLough posted this review of Big Plans 4 over at The Comics Journal. This is one of the more interesting reviews I've read about my work.

Inkstuds interview

I recently did an interview with Robin McConnell and his Inkstuds radio program. My voice sounds much weaker than I thought I sounded. Also I realize how much I sound like my brother. ha.

Living on the west coast makes me grateful for any snow we can get. This happened a couple of days ago and as I left the house to go on a walk I ended up in an impromptu snowball fight with two other cartoonists.

My gift to me

Sherman Alexie

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sherman Alexie
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Watch this interview with Sherman Alexie on the Colbert Report a few weeks ago. Besides being a really entertaining interview, Sherman Alexie talks about why he's against the digitizing of books.

super crazy cat dance

I've been taking all the original artwork from The Super Crazy Cat Dance and expanding it to fit a new format. I'm having to splice in the original artwork into a new sheet of bristol and then drawing to the new size. The drawing above is actually a bit wider than it will really be when printed. I'll have to crop it. I'm doing all of this for a new printing of the book in full color. It isn't a definite deal yet but it looks like I have a publisher for it. I'll post more later.

Best two zines of 2009

While the world of self-published comics seems to grow bigger with each new year, I feel like the traditional prose-type zine has become strangled by this new love for comics storytelling. So this is why I'm letting you know that there are some great non-comics zines out there being made today. My two favorite zines this year are Somnambulist 15 by Martha Grover and the newly revamped I Was Born But 2 by Emily Nilsson. Both are excellent.

Somnambulist 15 is my favorite issue so far and deals with the Grover Family meetings where each member of the family airs their grievances, frustrations, and family responsibilities. The dialogue is so honest and true. By the end of the issue we come to know this family better than we could have if it were told any other way. Probably the funniest thing I've read in a while.

I was Born But 2 tells several weird true and almost forgotten stories about mental illness and strange people. From detailed biographies of Opal Whiteley, The Papin sisters, The Gibbons Twins and movie reviews such as the obscure Crispin Glover film What is It?

Oh Theo

I know people don't really buy physical music anymore but you should because people like Theo Ellsworth are making some pretty amazing artwork. Coming off the heels of the grammy nominated Menomena artwork by Craig Thompson, Brent Knopf of Menomana this time recruited Theo to do his new solo album.

I had no idea Theo was working on this and then today, in front of Music Millennium in Portland, I saw one of those bus stop billboards with Theo's artwork and I was like, "What the $*F#C."

Good work Theo!

cargo bike story

Listen to this great story on cargo bikes my friend Deena Prichep produced for NPR.

Big Plans 4 Review/Parcell Press

Here's a review of Big Plans 4 from Optical Sloth! Also, Big Plans 4 is now available from the amazing PARCELL PRESS.

Big Plans 4 at Sparkplug

Check out Sparkplug Comicbooks. You can order Big Plans 4 along with Sparkplug's newest books by David King and Rina Ayuyang!

an old story revived

Since I've been in graduate school there has been very little time for me to think about my books let alone draw. I have been searching for my next project and I think I've finally found it. These drawings here are old. This is artwork I made back in 2005 when I was working on a book called ISTANBUL. This project was far too epic for my inexperience to handle so I put it on the back burner. Now that I know what I'm doing...I'm going to go back to my original story and make it better and really script it out before I start drawing this time. I will not use any of my old artwork but I thought it was interesting- all my old labor intensive hatch-marks.

interview

Here's a short little interview I did with Synthesis Magazine this past week. This comic is from an old sketchbook and has nothing to do with the interview.

Neptune on Good Reads

Neptune is now up for anybody to review on goodreads.com That is if you're interested in letting me and other people know what you think of it.

Big Plans 4 at Buyolympia.com

Big Plans 4 is now up for purchase from the good folks at
Buyolympia.com. This book collects the story "The Intruder," which I serialized on the Top Shelf 2.0 website this past Spring and Summer. Also there's an additional side story with my Wolf-man character.

Back from the printers

Not quite in time for SPX or APE but Big Plans 4 is finally done. This is probably my favorite of the series so far. The printing is super-fantastic and it's on a much heavier paper stock this time around. Ordering information will be coming soon. If you're in Portland I should have it to most of the shops within the next week or so.

Neptune reviews

Here are some different reviews of Neptune. Check them out if you're interested.

Readaboutcomics.com

Optical Sloth

Poopsheetfoundation.com

High Low

rejected material

I rejected this material from Big Plans 4 because after I created it I realized that it was a little too egocentric, contrived and uninteresting to anybody besides myself.

This is the most recent commission I've done and the first gouache painting I've ever made. I think from now on I'll use gouache to color instead of using colored pencils like I previously had.

This is Where I will be