it’s been, what? a month and a half? and no one has called to check and see if i’m alive… for shame…

possible updates and new art forthcoming.

or not. i haven’t decided.

post HERO HAPPY HOUR, i have a new project lined up for release next year. here’s a peek at one of the new characters. sketched in pencil, colored in photoshop:


“clickie”

been a while, huh?

i guess the new job’s kept me pretty busy, or pre-occupied at least. the days and weeks have flown by, it’s like not even having a job… i go in and play with cool programs like flash, indesign, and other adobe cs3 apps making animated banners, static ads, and even billboard sized ads and before i know it, it’s time to go home. i don’t think it’s really even settled in my brain that there are jobs like this out there, and i’ve been able to nab one of ‘em. it shouldn’t be, but after years of sweat and frustration in restaurants, it’s kind of surreal to think about. sunday afternoons used to really suck because i’d look at the clock around 4:00 or 5:00pm and it would hit me that i only had a few hours of sweet freedom left (unless i got a dreaded phone call from one of the stores). now, i’ll look at the clock and the knowledge of what lays ahead on monday no longer bothers me. i even get a little excited about the opportunity to go to work at this awesome place.

i feel like the sludge is beginning to slide off my brain and my body and i’m beginning to run on extra cylinders that have been dormant for years. i’m becoming more creative and i really want to do more work in comics and animation or whatever else i can… i’ve fired back up the HHH machine and am knocking pages out for the next installment that we’re looking to get solicited for later this year. once the solicit comes out, i’ll post up the cover and maybe a sneak peek.

after these 2 HHH issues, dan taylor and i am cooking up a mini-series that will finally include our little geekpunk logo character. ever since our first san diego comic-con jaunt, people have been asking about that little geekpunk. it’s gonna be cool. i can’t wait to finish up this HHH arc to begin sketching new characters and maybe even trying out a slightly different, open-line style for this next project.

my son turns 5 this saturday. now, THAT is surreal. i remember the day he was born and holding this tiny little person in my arms, afraid i might hold him too tight and hurt him… y’know, all the crazy thoughts a new parent has. like, “wait, i’ve gotta take him home too? there’s no nurses there!” and all parents say this about their own kids, but nick is definitely an amazing kid. he blows my mind with his questions and his mannerisms that are all his own. people say babies have their own personalities, and i never really believed it or understood, but nick definitely had his own persona as a little baby. it seems weird now, but he was a really quiet and thoughtful looking baby, like he was considering his condition. he’d look so serious. now, he’s very loud and outgoing and funny. he’s like a sonic boom with dirt on it (i have to admit, i stole that last line from kevin smith– but it’s so appropriate).

abrupt end.

in the art dumpage. and colored, too! go look and comment!

it feels like i have a lot to blog about… first up, i had a 2nd interview w/ martin advertising today.

…i start on monday! woo! it was like they’d halfway decided to bring me in (after i had called on monday to check in and keep my name in the loop, otherwise i don’t know if they would have called me in) and needed a good face-to-face for me to punch it home how much i wanted this job and that i could do the work. i’m extremely relieved, thankful, and excited.

outside of that, i’ve been plugging away on pencils for the next HERO HAPPY HOUR (issues 1-5 plus the SUPER SPECIAL antho. available for free download on wowio.com. pimp-plug-pimp-plug). if i can get the cover done, we’ll probably try to get it solicited for the latter part of this year.

free comic book day was a blast! i got up at 1:00am last saturday morning to make the drive to greensboro, nc to spend the day at acme comics. the crew there and the locals are all great people. i met and spoke w/ a lot of people who’ve never heard of HHH and was able to sell a few sets, get the word out about the greatness of HHH, and do lots of sketches. and acme is a super cool shop, f’real… i’ll definitely be going back up there in the future for more signings and whatnot.

um… okay, maybe i don’t have a whole lot to blog about. 3 items… bleh.

but i got a job! wooooooooooooo!!!

…better known as “free comic book day” is next saturday, may 3rd. fcbd is about exactly what the name entails; go into any participating local comics shop and they should have a nice selection of free comics for all. and no, not all the comics are free. however, there are a lot of cool fcbd editions of comics. the fcbd edition of “all star superman” #1 is worth the trip to the comics shop alone.

this may 3rd will be the 1st free comic book day that i’m not scheduled or stuck working. and as much as i would love to hang out with the crew at kingdom comics, i’ve been invited to be a guest at a store signing in greensboro, nc. so, if anyone is in the area, come visit me at acme comics in greensboro where i’ll be signing copies of HERO HAPPY HOUR, sketching, and hopefully just having a general good time.

…what is your desire?
and hello ladies and gentlemen… explosions and fire!
good evening ladies and gentlemen, are you prepared to rock?
and hello ladies and gentlemen… let’s rock!

let’s rock, let’s rock, let’s rock… i think i wanna buy an epiphone and pull off the strings and put on a couple bass strings. the presidents‘ newest album, “these are the good times, people” came out last month. i had forgotten just how much i like this band. they’re playing next month in atlanta and if i can swing it, i’d really like to go.

anyways, in real life, i’m still on the market for a job. i’m not ruling out martin retail because they’ve had a pretty crazy week over there. after the birth of the new great grand-baby on monday, the founder (and new great grand-daddy), billy martin was found passed out at his home. he had suffered a pretty major stroke and after a brief rally tuesday, he passed away late tuesday night. services were held today and i can only offer my condolences and prayers for that family. according to my friends that work at martin, mr. martin was a great guy and a major influence in the advertising scene here in birmingham. it would have been nice to have met him…

i don’t know if God is teaching me patience and endurance or what, but i find it odd that no one else has called me for an interview. i’m more than qualified for many of the open positions i’ve applied for. and i even have people sending out my resume for me. surely somebody would have called?

okay, i’m going to go draw HERO HAPPY HOUR now (now available for free download at wowio.com). love ya’ dan.

monday, i had my interview w/ martin retail group. it was intended that i interview w/ at least 2 people, the senior vice president / director of operations and the director of the graphics department. well, martin is a big family run business and the svp is family… and the martin’s are expecting their 1st great grand-baby and she just happened to arrive at the time of my interview. i got to meet the svp, but she had to quickly run as we were about to sit for the interview. it’s very cool that the new baby was coming and that the martin’s are so tight-knit that they would all rush to the hospital, but i guess it’s kinda disappointing for me that i didn’t get to meet fully w/ the svp. however, i had a great conversation / interview (it didn’t really feel like an interview, it was very comfortable) with the head of the graphics department. we talked a bit about the martin family and she showed me some graphics sheets from past ads (they seemed pretty basic; easy layout and design work, but still fun and potentially challenging as dealers try to put as much stuff on a page as possible). i gave her some pieces / copies from my portfolio and showed her a couple flash banner animations on my laptop. we talked a bit about using flash and graphics programs in general. i’m pretty good at picking up most graphics applications, typically the interface in the programs themselves between a pc and a mac are pretty consistent. anyways, the interview ended pretty easily and she told me not to worry if i don’t hear back immediately, but she hopes i get a call from the svp before the end of the week. i went w/ the halls to lunch (my friends who work at martin). afterward, i left a message on the svp’s voicemail, thanking them for the opportunity to interview and letting her know i’d be happy to come back when the timing was better for her. hopefully, that put me kind of front-of-mind for her once she’s caught up.

so, now i wait. i’m trying not to be idle while i wait and am still looking at job postings… we’ll see. i haven’t heard anything today, but i’m not upset… yet. thpbbt!

…of HERO HAPPY HOUR. i had mentioned earlier (actually, i had stolen dan taylor’s announcement) that HHH #1 is available for free download at wowio.com. well, we’ve recently released to wowio, issues 2-4 as well! all for free download! check ‘em out!

click here for HHH #2: “Ladies Night”

click here for HHH #3: “Another Round”

click here for HHH #4: “Barroom Brawl”

GeekPunk, the publisher of HERO HAPPY HOUR also has a myspace page. visit us. friend us. chicks dig us.

i’m having a problem finding an uploader to embed flash animations into wordpress. i think that the problem may be more w/ wordpress itself… anywho, in the meantime, check out a flash banner i made for this blog at my myspace blog.