Our Innaugural Yelps, Blips, and Clicks

Thanks to everyone who showed up early enough on February 15th to see Music Hall's first foray into live performance. The experiment went better than expected and we're already looking forward to refining our methods and songs for future outings (as to when those shows will be, stay tuned). In the works: the Music Hall web site, new songs and recordings, and, of course, stickers and other needless paraphernalia.

Our thanks to Sara for the pictures and to PK Hooker, that phantasmal third Music Hall member, whose Pusy Gums Johnson masterworks continue with Hole Buncha Cats. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen. Add him as your pal. Add Music Hall while you're at it. We'll give you a sticker. I mean, when they're back from the printer.

Steve Gerber, 1947-2008

Steve Gerber, the creator of Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown, died Sunday, and the comics world lost one of the more original mainstream writers to come along in decades.

In addition to being an inarguably excellent writer who time and time again smuggled originality into mainstream publishing institutions often resistant to unbridled voices, Steve was an inspiration to innumerable creators, through his battles for creative rights and ownership. I received the news of his death as I was handing in the final files for Omega the Unknown issue six, and was concretely reminded how much he's influenced a generation of authors in love with this medium and its possibilities.

He will be missed, and my thoughts and condolences go to his family and friends.

A far more in-depth examination of his career can be found on The Comics Reporter and some of his fans' and friends' reactions and support can be found on Steve's blog.

The Recent and Forbidden

It occurred to me this morning that most of what I've spent the last few weeks working on can't be legally shown to anyone just yet. Which of course made me want to immediately show it. Or anyway, clips of it. Let it not be said that I'm in any way brave. Nor let it be said that Rupert Murdoch or Stan Lee can now justifiably kill my family.

Rupert's connection to my schedule of late involves the above two clips. One from a comic strip about Stallone's reprisal of "Rambo," the other from a comic strip about Michael Jackson's re-issue of "Thriller." What does that have to do with Mr. Murdoch? Strangely enough these strips were commissioned by the Wall Street Journal. The "Rambo" strip ran last week, I believe "Thriller" runs today.

Though I'm not sure when it's running, I also had the honor of working on a Michael Kupperman written cartoon for Nickelodeon Magazine. Michael's one of my favorite people in comics, and while this cartoon – "World's Worst Comic Book Heroes That Never Existed" – is great, I don't know how he'll ever top "Mickey Rourke's Pubic Hair Stencils." Perfection!


Then there's the also-can't-show panels I'm contributing for issue six of Omega The Unknown (issue five is now out in stores apparently). I'm drawing the panels of the comic that an incarcerated Omega is reading, within the comic (my pencils are in blue, Farel Dalrymple's finished panels are in black, both will be colored in the final version). I noticed while piecing together the graphics for this post that the framing of the Mink drinking panel is the same as the contemplative, elderly Stallone from the Wall Street Journal strip. Looks like I'm calcifying in my old age too.


The one item I can show without worry of a protracted legal battle or having my knee caps sawed off is this illustration for The Poetry Foundation. Fare thee well, nose.

"Natural Born Mope"

Thanks to the crew at Inkstuds for tolerating my rambling and music choices for an hour. And thanks to those that listened and made efforts to decode my mumbling. For those that missed it and still want to immerse themselves in sentence fragments and false starts, the show is perma-linked (right word? probably not.) here.

Another Hour of Noise Pollution

This Thursday, February 7th, at 4pm (CST), I'll be doing that verbal ping pong between narcissism and self-deprecation, courtesy the interrogation of the gentlemen at the Inkstuds radio show/podcast. The podcast is available on iTunes or through their site.

Listen intently: see if you can guess the liquid volume of my sweat.