New additions to the Etsy shop

Lately I have been focusing more on the comics than the prints with Awesome 5! #1 now in stores as well as online and Alternative City #0 now at the printer. That said, now is a great time to add some new prints!

The Obama print and The Happy Cat are from larger paintings i did for a couple of fund raisers. You can find out more if you visit our shop. Also don’t forget to like our Facebook page!

The Campaign is a winner!

With the November presidential election just around the corner, this is a great time for a movie like The Campaign. Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis star in this hilarious spoof of american politics.

Two powerful CEOs (very much like the Koch brothers) decide to back a candidate in a congressional election in North Carolina so that he can help them fulfill their diabolical plans for his district. What’s so cool about this movie is that it’s full of laughs without being too silly and if you pay attention you could learn a little about politics without having to listen to the stuffed shirts and talking heads on CNN or MSNBC.

Our movie experience was enhanced by the fact that the theatre we saw it at was pretty cool. The Century 12 in Evanston has become our favorite place to take in a flick. We usually go to matinees which are a few bucks less, and these guys extend their matinee hours to 6pm during the week and 2pm on weekends.

Another cool bonus is the piano bar called The Rhythm Room. Its nice enough to be a destination bar even if you’re not seeing a movie!

New Complicated Hair Strips and Manga Studio!

Just finished two new Complicated Hair strips that will be part of the second issue due out in the next month or so. The cool part is that one of them was inked and lettered in Manga Studio which I have been learning how to use the last couple weeks.

This is going to save me a lot of time in the future and that’s really important when you’re a staff of one. See if you can tell which is which.

Howard Chaykin’s Black Kiss Returns

I recently purchased several books on amazon. Two of them are How-To guides for Manga Studio & Anime Studio, and one is a hardcover copy of one of my all time favorite graphic novels, Black Kiss by Howard Chaykin.

Be warned that this story puts the graphic in graphic novel. It is not for the faint of heart and is definitely not for children. When I first read this almost twenty five years ago it just blew me away because nothing like it existed. Black Kiss is right there with Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns as being one of the most influential comic series of all time. If not for it’s graphic sexual content and taboo subject matter it would have received as much acclaim as the other two.

So just today I find out Chaykin is doing a Black Kiss II which tells the story behind the story. I’m going to have to pick up a copy just to see his take on his creation a quarter century later. I know that I was in a different place back then, so I assume Mr. Chaykin was also. Not only that, your art evolves over time as well. It’ll be fun to see how he draws his old characters in his new style.

Chipotle VS… Taco Bell?

When I saw the commercial touting Taco Bell’s new “Gourmet” “Cantina Bell” menu I had my doubts but I figured what the hell I’ll give it a try. I knew it wouldn’t taste better than Chipotle but I thought it might taste better than the regular Taco Bell burrito that looks kinda like a tortilla that a bird pooped on. Boy was I wrong.

Chipotle chicken burrito bowl on the left, Taco Bell Cantina burrito on the right.

The chicken was tasteless, the rice and beans were bland and what they call guacamole  was almost non existent. I choked some of mine down but Janet only took a bite of hers. Of course Chipotle costs more but it’s so worth it because of the marinated meat and more flavorful toppings. Not to mention the hormone free and ethical way their meat is raised. I could eat Chipotle every day!