Some years back I was asked to do a full-size recreation of the Milk & Cheese "Merv Griffin" one-pager, only with the dairy duo yelling the customer's name. And so, "Casey Levinson". Interesting to see the improvement in my cartooning chops since 1991, but, I haven't written a strip anyone's remembered as well as that old thing.
I probably could have run this in the M&C collection. Hmm. But then again, I don't think I have a high-resolution scan of it. But then again, I co...
2020-04-17 04:55:50 +0000 UTC
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I just sold this series of gags from the Kodansha-published Attack on Titan USA anthology, and while packaging them up I found the layouts for them. So, I scanned them all and, hey, presto, here's another round of "how the sausage gets made".
And in this case, it's how the sausage gets made when you don't like sausage.
When I got the call from Ben Applegate from Kodansha USA about contributing to an anthology based on one of their manga titles I was pretty excited. At ...
2020-04-13 01:54:14 +0000 UTC
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I've been getting stuff done this past week or so at a pretty decent clip. Unfortunately, I'm in a situation where I can't show off anything I'm working on because the project is still a secret. So I'm muzzled by army brass. I'm working on the inks for a cover, and waiting for notes and approvals on the first script. I'm also working on a cover for another project I can't mention by name at this time. And I may be writing something for a web project, which would be great, as it doesn't rely o...
2020-04-10 17:34:04 +0000 UTC
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Pencil and inked versions. As the pencils took longer and longer I added more characters and details, making things take even longer.
Q: Why pencil in the black sky? A: Because that's how compulsion works.
Observation: Clayface is a rip to draw. What a fantastic character design.
Trivia: For a short while it looked like Sarah were going to get an assignment to write an episode of the Batman Animated series. The Creeper episode was dangled. I would have lik...
2020-04-07 21:57:39 +0000 UTC
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We keep a file copy of pretty much everything we work on. In the past we would either trade in the extra comp copies we didn't need to our local shop, or lug them off to conventions. We also started selling some of the stock on our House of Fun website. Unfortunately, our LCS closed last year (R.I.P. Comic Book Jones), we haven't done any shows in more than a year (with none on the horizon, for obvious reasons) and if Sarah doesn't have time to update the webstore I can't do anything on...
2020-04-04 21:40:49 +0000 UTC
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The final Eltingville Club story was my attempt to out-do all that had come before in the comic. The idea of having the characters destroy a comic convention had been in my mind for a long time, and I figured wrecking the San Diego Comic Con would be a fitting send-off for the club and the comic. Unfortunately, I was going through a very serious -- perhaps peak -- period of impostor syndrome in my life and career, and in trying to outdo myself I wore myself out, damaged my drawing hand, screw...
2020-04-03 19:30:14 +0000 UTC
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We now have a replacement webcam, and it works with the laptop. Sarah's set things up for the technical side of things but I have to figure out where I can physically set the webcam up and do whatever it is I'm going to do with it and all that. We're going to try a small test to see if things work, hopefully within the next few days. I'm really clumsy with even the most basic technology so it might be a bumpy ride.
I thought I'd ask what would be an ideal time to do this for those...
2020-04-01 21:10:23 +0000 UTC
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Some good news for the House of Fun: The only ongoing comics gig we have on our docket is still in play. So, we have some work for a while. Now all I have to do is stop passing out all the damned time. I'm sleeping crazy hours, and not sleeping regular shifts. Or I'm staring at the ceiling. In-between I type stuff or draw stuff or take my pills.
Speaking of the crazy pills, today I have to go out for the first time in some time. I can't remember the last time I was out, but that's...
2020-03-27 13:48:41 +0000 UTC
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Good morning. Been up all night, working on a script. Trying really hard to finish it to get an invoice in asap, because who knows how long everyone will have a job before the inevitable big freeze hits freelancers and staffers. Sometimes I really wish I could just learn to credibly hack script pages out. It works for a lot of people in this business with their "Page Three: They fight. Make it look cool!".
It's only a matter of time before production freezes up on most Direct Mark...
2020-03-26 13:13:34 +0000 UTC
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I used to try to announce our convention appearances with quickly-done one-page comics. I was thinking about these because of all the recent news about shows and events shutting down across all fields, and how I was planning on doing some work-related traveling this year after not setting up at all during 2019. I had a signing planned for this Wednesday for the Marvel Snapshots debut, another signing being lined up for summer, and I'm assuming the convention I was set to do in a few months is...
2020-03-23 05:55:08 +0000 UTC
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I just spent an hour on a post and lost it. Thought I posted it, left the page, aargh.
I'm a downy clowny.
Two things I'll mention before I throw myself down the basement stairs -- I was hoping to post some old comics for folks to read while things are a mess, but they're on Sarah's computer, which died last week. Her folks bought her a replacement, which was really nice of them. Unfortunately, the old computer refuses to give up its secrets for the time being, ...
2020-03-22 04:49:06 +0000 UTC
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Hey --following up on the Fight-Man origin/background post, here's the Marvel handbook material I mentioned. I want to try to throw some extra reading material on here while things are so depressing and folks are spending more time indoors. Hope this is a fun read. Above is a penciled page from the 1993 Fight-Man One-Shot, featuring such famous and beloved characters as The Plug-In Maniac, Atomic Lou and The Massive Globula. Read all about 'em here!
Some time after the Agen...
2020-03-16 02:39:52 +0000 UTC
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Just to remind you, don't mix the bleach and ammonia during these difficult times. Or ever.
2020-03-13 03:05:22 +0000 UTC
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A thing for a thing.
G-pen nib and Uni-bal Signo white gel pen.
2020-03-09 08:25:38 +0000 UTC
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I Fell Down the Stairs
We did our lettering revisions for MARVELS: SNAPSHOTS FF while Ben Dewey's finished art was coming in and then the colors came in and everything was sent out with no time to spare so the book will ship on time for March 25th. That was a real goocher.
Blackwood #2 comes out next week, Veronica and Andy Fish finished up the last art touches and an extra page for #4 this past week and we all ran through the pages a couple of times and fixed whatever neede...
2020-03-06 16:24:22 +0000 UTC
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Silly or serious, comics or not.
I'll answer everyone as soon as possible, if anyone asks anything at all.
In the future, I hope to possibly do AMAs and process posts as videos, but for the time being, I can only type back to you.
Anyway, feel free!
2020-02-27 02:50:45 +0000 UTC
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Hey, folks. Couple of quick notes about a few things while I can't sleep.
First off, I know most -- if not all of you -- follow me on Instagram and/or Twitter, and are familiar with the drawings I do on index cards while I'm watching bad movies or waiting for something to print, depressed, bored, whatever.
Anyway, I'm going to give at least a dozen of them away to folks who back the Patreon, picked at random like the October giveaway we had when we launched. some of them wil...
2020-02-25 15:24:46 +0000 UTC
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I was grateful to have been asked to draw a variant cover for the upcoming Black Hammer mini-series from Jeff Lemire (with art by Tyler Crook) featuring the Colonel Weird character. It allowed me to draw some oddball stuff and play with some texturing I've been a bit obsessed with lately (stippling, Kirby dots and waves/vortices made of small, blunt lines).
I did the layout for the cover in a sketchbook (fifth image), as a quick, small rough and blew it up to pencil from on the art pad....
2020-02-22 02:17:38 +0000 UTC
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I can't remember if this signing was set up for when I was in Gainesville visiting Sarah or if it was later on and Sarah and I were there visiting her family. I do remember that the store had a life-size cardboard stand up of Dr. McCoy from Star Trek across from the table I was seated at. I'm also pretty sure no one showed up for the signing except Sarah's friend Bill, who took pictures with Dr. McCoy. There wasn't really much else to do while we waited to leave but look at Dr. McCoy and feel...
2020-02-14 05:04:36 +0000 UTC
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I wish I had a better copy of this, this is a scan of an old xerox copy (I would copy my Bill and Ted and Fight-Man penciled pages when I dropped them off at Marvel -- sometimes the copier wasn't up to snuff).
So, well, well, look at me trying to draw semi-straightforward superhero stuff back in the day. I couldn't ink for crap back then, I was learning on the job with Pirate Corp$!/Hectic Planet, Milk & Cheese and various pin-ups and strips I did for Amazing Heroes, The Comic...
2020-02-09 05:48:52 +0000 UTC
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2020-02-07 19:48:22 +0000 UTC
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I'm working on the last two commissions from the previous list, having finished up a Fun Strip recreation to go along with the M&C/Kitaro piece done for Zack Davisson. Above is an over-sized piece I've been adding to over the months. Below is the Fun Strip, which is several times larger than the original. I used to draw those really small, now I just draw them small. No wonder my eyes are bad.
2020-02-07 01:20:13 +0000 UTC
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Multiversity Comics interviewed me, Veronica Fish and Andy Fish about the new BLACKWOOD series -- the first issue of which will be in comic shops next week from Dark Horse Comics.
http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/blackwood-dorkin-fish/
<...
2020-02-04 01:41:58 +0000 UTC
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The second issue of the first dedicated Beasts of Burden series was a story called "Lost", which often gets referred to as "the issue with the puppies". It's probably our most depressing story -- we've had three or four, at this point (five?) -- and probably the story that got the biggest reaction from readers.
I'm not good at outlining stories, building slowly. steadily and smartly is where my process breaks down most often because of my inability to focus and my lack of patience...
2020-01-30 04:32:58 +0000 UTC
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We did this sheet of character heads last year for a Forbidden Planet NYC sticker pack, part of a gig where we designed a piece that was used for posters, mugs, t-shirts, etc featuring the mascots, Forbiddus and Planetron. The green kaiju is Forbiddus, the robot is Planetron. We never named any of the floating heads, they're all tropey little creatures I drew as a thank you to Matt at Forbidden Planet NYC for the gig. All color work by Sarah Dyer.
Here's a link for the Forbiddus s...
2020-01-28 07:55:59 +0000 UTC
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I've been in bed sick these past two days, I was feeling pretty badly after I got home from Tom Spurgeon's memorial and had a feeling something was going on beyond just being tired and bummed out. I've been listening to old horror radio shows and checking my Animal Crossing campsite and generally feeling very crappy because being in bed for hours on end allows me to think and thinking kind of sucks these days. Ha ha.
Anyway, my friend Paul finished editing the latest episode of o...
2020-01-27 10:30:58 +0000 UTC
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It's been a busy week, with a number of our writing projects all moving forward. Here's what's happening:
MARVELS SNAPSHOT: FANTASTIC FOUR #1
Sarah and I are just got the editorial notes on the last 20 pages of our 30-page script, which Benjamin Dewey is doing all the art duties on. We asked Nate Piekos (of Blambot!) to come on board as our letterer, which he's agreed to, so we have the full current Beasts of Burden team working on the comic, which is pretty cool. Ben's l...
2020-01-25 09:06:14 +0000 UTC
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I drew this several months ago to pitch to Robert Newsome as a potential cover for his excellent wrestling zine, The Atomic Elbow. I just haven't had time to do a finished version, but hopefully a cleaner version of this will appear as a cover sometime down the line.
Previously I drew George "The Animal" Steele for the Atomic Elbow...one of these days I should try drawing someone with hair. Mr. Perfect...Dusty Rhodes...or a luchador.
Dr. Wagner...Brazo de Plata...Atlan...
2020-01-21 21:39:46 +0000 UTC
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Above: Captain America's Bicentennial Battles, pg 32. Written and drawn by Jack Kirby with inks by Herb Trimpe, colors by Phil Rachelson, lettering by John Constanza.
In 2017 I was fortunate enough to be one of the comics professionals asked to write a testimonial essay for the KIRBY 100 anniversary project published by TwoMorrows, commemorating what would have been Jack Kirby's 100th birthday. The contributors were asked to write about a favorite page of Kirb...
2020-01-21 10:06:42 +0000 UTC
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Hey, have a new Fun Strip.
This is the straight inks, if I knew how to use photoshop like an adult I'd clean up the rough spots, center the caption in panel 3, and swap panels 2 and 3 so the dates were in order.
Sometimes the strips have bugs which get smoothed out digitally by Sarah, they all have elements that need basic cleaning, stray marks, irregular border lines, you name it. She doesn't have a ton of time so I'm not gonna bug her unless it's something egregious....
2020-01-19 02:06:06 +0000 UTC
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