A few thoughts on the passing of Harvey Pekar

Earlier today, it was announced that Harvey Pekar, the acclaimed writer of the long running comic American Splendor, died at the age of 70. The news circulated through both major media outlets like the New York Times, and through the internet via Twitter, Facebook, and sites like the Comics Reporter. And for good reason, Pekar's presence on the comics and cultural scene helped shape what comics are today, and how they are regarded by major critics and everyday readers alike.

I never met Pekar, I don't have any enlightening anecdotes to share with you, that's a subject for others to relate. I've read a sizable portion of his work, but I probably should have read more by now. However, I was always touched by the honesty, humor, and reality that I found in his stories. That's a rarity to find even nowadays, which makes Pekar's work even more essential to the community as a whole.


To me, more than anything, Harvey Pekar is sort of a patron saint to any cartoonist who slogs through a day job they don't want be at, only to go home and work on comics that may or may not be read by anybody. It can be lonely work, and the rewards are few and far between, but Pekar's example proves that by continually doing the work and putting that work out there for people to see, you will find admirers, and new stories to tell and new avenues to explore. Maybe that's romanticizing his impact, but that's just what his work meant to me.

For every fast rising star over the comics landscape, there are hundreds more below hunched over drawing tables, writing and scribbling and sketching out ideas during those few hours between the paycheck job. Thank God we had Harvey Pekar to show us how to get it done.

Simon Schama's The Power of Art

I will confess here and now that I'm a bit of a jaded Artist. (Okay, I'm jaded about things in general, but still....). Call it the Curse of Grad School, but I have difficulty in finding warm affection for that thing called Art, even though I've been educated in it through and through and I'm attached to it as a livelihood. The 'Shock of the New' is no longer shocking nor that new, and the museums that house the Old Masters seem more like mausoleums than places of discovery.

So, I have to give credit to Simon Schama's Power of Art for at the very least forcing me to look again at the culture of Art, its history, and how it relates to me as a person in the 21st Century. I checked this out from the library with a bit of skepticism, but a couple episodes in and I was truly hooked, eating up all eight episodes in one weekend.

What was it that caught my eye? What made me a true believer? Was it the production, the artists, Schama's voice itself? That last part may not be far off, because I think what made each episode remarkable was the one thing that I always look for in a work of art: storytelling. Each episode opens and ends with a work of art by an artist, and then branches out to encompass their body of work and their personal history. In this, Schama is an impeccable guide, he knows how to spin a good yarn and to transform these artist biographies into a living, breathing narrative. And by doing this, Schama removes them from the pedestals of High Art and High Society, and shows just how connected they were to the politics, religion, commerce, and upheavals of their respective eras. None of these artists are saints, each of them is flawed, and all of them had to struggle to bring their visions to life.

Of the eight artists profiled, the one that effected me the most was Mark Rothko, surprisingly. Part of this was due to the fact that I didn't know much about Rothko to begin with, and I'm not immediately drawn to abstraction. But in the episode Schama confesses that he himself wasn't an immediate admirer of Rothko, that he too had doubts. This admission opened up the possibility for me that there might be something more with Rothko's work that I'm not seeing, that even doubters can become believers. And sure enough, I discovered that within Rothko's work there is a sense of contemplation, that Rothko is creating a place and space for the viewer to be silent in a world that no longer allows it. Schama states that Rothko treats every viewer as a 'human being, and what other higher compliment could there be than that.' One would hope that all Art would attempt the same.

There are other high points. Caravaggio's episode is excellent, and the Van Gogh episode digs deeper to understand the artist's psyche beyond just the 'tortured genius' argument. Though Schama uses 'genius' anyway, and actually throws it about just a little too much with all of the artists. But no matter, Schama is in love with his subject, and that devotion is clear through each episode. His goal isn't necessarily to educate, but to open your eyes to the possiblities that Art possesses, not only in the past, but one would hope in the future as well.

City Pages Illustrations

I made these illustrations for City Pages, a Minneapolis-St. Paul newsweekly, a month ago. All three were for an article about bad bus drivers. At first, I was going to have a unique bus driver for each illustration, but I decided to develop one character to use for all three, to bring some continuity to the illustrations.

Final Drawings and Thoughts on 'Lost'

Looking back over the past few months of posts, it would appear that all this blog has become are 'Lost' sketches that I've done either for myself or for friends. And so today I say to you, these will be the FINAL 'Lost' related sketches that I post FOREVER!!!

Trust me, I've enjoyed doing them, but I think it's time to move on...

Locke/Man-in-Black/Smoke Monster
I have to say, this aspect of Season 6 was a personal favorite. I loved the various double-crossings and cons that went into this storyline, and I felt it shed some light on the series overall.

Hurley
A classic image from Season 1

Crazy Claire
I really enjoyed seeing the return of Claire, but I felt that she was
underused in the season overall. I wanted to know more about her whereabouts in the three years we didn't see, and how her relationship with the Smoke Monster developed over time, which had creepy written all over it.

As for the finale...I really liked how they resolved the Island storyline, and in fact I was surprised they wrapped it up as tightly as they did. There was an element of tragedy to it all, but hope as well. And I was surprised to see that the Island is literally a cork, which leads me to believe that Jacob had at some point gone down into that well to see what exactly was down there.

But the Sideways storyline...I'm still trying to get it. I've read other synopses about the finale, and more and more, my thoughts lean towards the negative. At the start of the season, I was really into it, but to find out that it didn't have a direct correlation with any of the events on the Island (such as the Incident in Season 5) was a bit disappointing. What always amazed me about the various seasons of 'Lost' was how well the writers brought everything together by the end of a season, everything just clicking into place. I didn't get that feeling this time around, and maybe that's what I'm missing.

Aside from my quibbles though, I'm grateful to the series. The creative team behind it made the story that they wanted to tell, and as a fellow storyteller, I find that inspiring. I'd like to think that my life is just a little richer for having seen and experienced this story, and met these characters. I may not have had faith in the series all the time, but at the very least it kept me entertained, and gave me quite a bit to think about it. There's a lot to be said for that, especially for a medium like television.

And so... Namaste.

MoCCA Thoughts (A Month Later)

It's been a month since the MoCCA Comic Art Festival, and I have yet to put up anything publicly about the weekend. I guess it's taken awhile to process, and only now I have something really to say about it. Be forewarned, some of my observations may verge on cynical/depressive, but I think it's somewhat healthy to acknowledge some cons along with the pros of the convention.

Financially, the show was a disaster. I didn't come close to making back my table, let alone the money that I invested in producing books and swag for the show. But overall, I had a good time. It was my first chance to spend some quality time in New York since moving to the East coast, and I got to meet a few artists whose work I really admire. And I passed out a lot of promo cards for my webcomic and website, so hopefully this garnered some readership and will have some returns down the road.

And yet, I still have no idea what people look for when attending a convention. My tablemate had a small mini-comic about a cat that she was selling for $2, and she made a killing. People would come up, look at it, and literally become giddy right at the table because it was about a cat, and they had a cat, and they could relate to it. I'm not knocking it, it was a great comic and it deserved to be picked up by as many people as possible. But the lesson I took away was that you have to have something, whether a character or concept, that is simple enough for people to pick up and get immediately. That comic that you've been slaving over for months (or years) probably isn't going to cut it, and people are most likely going to stay away from long winded series unless they can get into it with a stand alone story. At the end of the day, people are still fanboys or fangirls. They may not be looking for Spider-Man or Iron Man material, but they still want something that they are familiar with.

Probably the best advice I got was from David Malki!, he of Wondermark fame. First, he said that you should become really good at what you're making. Master it, keep at it, and it will eventually find its audience. Second, he said to wait before producing books or merchandise until people start asking for them. This way, you'll have some chance at selling your product, and you won't be stuck with an enormous bill. I honest to god wish I had heard this before the convention, because sure enough, I had a collection of my webcomic and t-shirts at my table, and the majority of them are now sitting in boxes in my apartment. Granted, I'll have this stuff for future conventions, but there's no guarantee I'll sell them there either. Sadly, it's now sort of expected that you have merchandise along with a webcomic, even before the comic itself has had enough time to gestate. In any case, David's advice was enormously helpful, and while our chat was brief, I'm glad I approached him and asked for his advice.

My one regret is not approaching more cartoonists at the convention, some of whom I had met years before. Granted, being an exhibitor at these things can sometimes prevent this, but in some ways I still feel isolated within the comics world, and sometimes I feel even more so after conventions. More and more I realize that I need to nurture the relationships I have within the larger comics community. I can't expect friendships and professional relationships to form overnight, especially when I'm only seeing these people maybe once or twice a year, if I'm fortunate enough, and so I need to take advantage of the opportunities as much as possible.

So, there you have it, my thoughts on MoCCA. Some good, some bad. Onto to the next one...

Oh, and Kate Beaton is awesome. She makes comics about history. READ THEM. Hark! A Vagrant

More 'Lost' Commissions

Jack in the Hatch

The Smoke Monster/Man in Black


Charlie and Desmond in the Looking Glass

Another 'Lost' Commission - Two Lockes

This 'Lost' commission requested by a friend offered me a unique challenge: showing two versions of John Locke together, one the actual person that we knew for 5 seasons, and his current incarnation as the Smoke Monster/Man in Black. Since we haven't actually seen the two Lockes side-by-side, I decided to go with a more symbolic route, kind of a battle for the soul of John Locke. It also gave me a chance to use two elements that were essential to the character of Locke, his handicap and his suitcase of knives.

And credit must be given where credit is due. The idea for the smoke-from-the eyes came from artist Jared Stumpenhorst. I first saw his 'Lost' illustrations at io9, and I thought this particular feature was inspiring, and would be appropriate for this illustration. I don't know if this would be considered sheer stealing, or perhaps a little creative borrowing. I hope it's the latter. Either way, please check out his work, it's really quite excellent: Jared Stumpenhorst-io9

'Lost' Sketch Commissions

Recently, I've been doing some 'Lost' sketches for friends in commemoration of the final season that is quickly reaching its conclusion (May 23! Holy Smoke Monster!). I've been happy to oblige since I've been meaning to tackle the variety of characters that the show offers, and these first three have provided some unique opportunities and challenges.

Neil, aka 'Frogurt,'
aka the guy that gets shot with a flaming arrow in Season 5
(Don't know who Neil is? Don't worry, neither did I. Thank the internet for Lostpedia!)

Desmond and Daniel Faraday
from Season 5

Ben Linus
from Season 2
(At first, I was thinking of drawing Ben turning the wheel at the end of Season 4, but instead I went with his debut in Season 2, where he was a captive in the Hatch.)

There will most likely be more of these in the weeks ahead. This project has kind of bumped the 'Lost' kid comics from my plate, but I may get one or two more of those out before the end of the season. If only I could make time...

MoCCA Art Festival! This Weekend! April 10-11!

This up and coming weekend, I'll have a table at the MoCCA Art Festival in New York City! I'll be sharing it with illustrator Ulana Zahajkewycz, who will be selling unique and delightful comics and art. If you're in the New York area, please stop by!

What will I be selling? Here's a rundown:
* 'The Ballad of Toby & Sara: Tracks 1-4'
* 2 'Toby & Sara' B-Sides: Visitors and Creme Brulee
* A sneak preview of the 'The Ballad of Toby & Sara: Meetings and Greetings'
* 'Supernova Lullaby: Every Galaxy has its Problems...' (a collection of the first year of the webcomic, brand new!)
* Buttons!
* T-Shirts!

For more info, please visit: http://www.moccany.com/content/mocca-festival

Hope to see you there!

Lost - Jacob's Cabin

Another 'Lost' comic. I think the next one will feature Jack and Ben...I think...

Lost-The Hatch

So, with the last season of 'Lost' in full swing, there's been a lot of fan art floating in the Inter-webs. I've been doing art based on the series over the past six seasons, but this is my latest contribution, and it's a bit different from my previous attempts. I'm going to try and do more of these in this style before the end of this season, but it depends on whether time permits. Don't worry, I'll come up with something!

Click on the image for a larger version.

The Making of Torex

For a little over a year, I've been working on a webcomic called 'Supernova Lullaby.' The basic premise is to show the everyday problems of another galaxy, centered around a group of friends; the shy and neurotic Froiberg, the scientific genius Ogglethorpe, the overconfident Hurster, and his girlfriend the sweet but feisty Meranda. However, over the course of this time, the series has accrued its fair share of supporting characters, each with their own personality traits and distinct back stories.

One of these is Meranda's ex-boyfriend Torex. Torex has a become a central character in the current storyline 'Alien-kind's Best Friend.' Recently, I felt it necessary to remind the readers of the comic of the connection between Meranda and Torex, and when I linked to the previous comics that he appeared in, I happened upon the realization that his character design is now dramatically different.
Above is the first appearance of both Torex and Meranda, from the fifth installment of 'Supernova.' And below is the second appearance of Torex from the seventh week, where we witness Meranda's break-up with him.
This is how Torex appears now.
This is a pretty dramatic difference, even though several elements are similar. His neck still merges with his head, except his cranium is now wider. His nose is the same, and his hair is still composed of spikes, though they are drastically shorter than before. The most obvious change is the removal of the third eye.

So, what happened? What made me change his design and features? Why didn't I hold true to my previous rendering of the character. I think the following sketch holds a clue:
This was a sketch I drew at the Philadelphia Alternative Comic-Con back in September 2009. At the time, I was just beginning to think about the story for 'Alien-kind's Best Friend,' and I knew Torex was going to play a big part. I also knew that I wasn't terribly happy with Torex's previous design, and so I sought to change it. And this is where it all came together for me. The other thing that caused the change was 8 months, the time from when I first drew the character to the beginning of 'Alien-Kind's Best Friend.' In that span of time, I started thinking about the different kinds of aliens that made up this galaxy, and I wasn't sure how to make Torex's previous rendering fit in.
Am I just trying to let myself off the hook for this? Kind of. Should I have been more faithful to the continuity? Probably. But I think one of the great things about this series (which is still a very young series) is seeing how these characters develop, from both the storytelling and aesthetic aspects. And I think I recognized that I would need to change Torex in order to make him more appealing to draw. As I heard Scott McCloud say one time, if you're going to draw a character over and over, you better like to draw that character.

I hope that's reason enough.

From the universe of 'Supernova Lullaby'

It's been a while since I posted (as always), so I thought I would pull some stuff from the sketchbooks that's been sitting around for a while. All of these come from the universe of 'Supernova Lullaby.' They may all lead to bigger and better things down the road, but for now, they're just sketches (albeit, a bit more elaborate than I am use to).

'The Watcher Zuba-elle announces the conception of Karsi Wipsi the Forsi, Son of Yoh Shaboh, to the Sacred Mother Esmer'ta.'


Preliminary poster for the film '200,00 Parsecs Under the Nebula,' based on the digi-novel by Jobel Vursus.

One of the many terrors of the planet Arkham 9-99
(My personal favorite!)

Sneak Peek: 'The Ballad of Toby & Sara: Meetings & Greetings'

I decided to post some of my in-progress pages for Track 5 of 'The Ballad of Toby & Sara: Meetings & Greetings.' It's been more than a year since I released Tracks 1-4, and while I can give you multiple excuses for the long delay, ultimately, I think it's been beneficial to the comic. It gave me a chance to really think about where the series should go in terms of storytelling, and how the artwork would be integrated with this. If this analogy helps, Tracks 1-4 set the chess board for the story, and Track 5 is where we see the first moves of the characters.

Overall, Track 5 centers on the former archangel Raphael, known to the people he meets as Ray Azzarus. He arrived in Omaha at the end of Track 3, and we discovered the first impressions of his true identity in Track 4. While the mystery surrounding him won't be completely solved in this chapter, the connection between his past and present situation will hopefully be more clear to the reader, and how his presence will prove fateful to both Toby and Sara.

Also, one of the challenges that I faced in this chapter was portraying the ancient city of Nineveh, which plays a part in Raphael's past. I didn't want to treat it as some uber-exotic Oriental land of wonders, but give the city some element of plausibility . I've made every effort in my research to present it with a degree of accuracy, but I've had to take imaginative and artistic liberties in some places. Any suggestions for sources would be helpful, if you have any.

And of course Toby and Sara play a large role in the chapter. I tried to enlarge their respective worlds while not distracting too much from the main narrative force of the story, which is the introduction of Raphael to both Toby and Sara.

So, when will this chapter be complete? I'm aiming to have the next book ready in time for the MoCCA Art Festival in April. When it's ready, I'll let the readers of this blog know, and the finished comic will be posted to my Web site. Stay tuned...

A Couple More X-Men

Finished the colors for two more X-Men sketches that I did some time ago.

Toad and Blob
For these characters, I was going for more of a disaffected youth vibe, hence the lack of any real costumes or uniforms. Just two guys with odd powers that have a chip on their shoulder. Also, I was thinking of Jorge Garcia (Hurley) from 'Lost' as a basis for Blob.

Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde)
When I originally did this drawing, I completely forgot about Lockheed, Kitty's pet alien dragon. I could dodge this and say this is from her 'pre-Lockheed' days, but something tells me that wouldn't cut it.