Speakeasy for March 26th

I'm behind on posting this one, but nonetheless, here is last week's Wall Street Journal bit. Green Day The Musical? Your reaction is probably about the same as mine.

Speakeasy for March 19th

It slipped my mind to post this week's scantily clad Wall Street Journal drawing. My apologies to all the Nordic detective fiction enthusiasts for the oversight.

The Goopy World of Josh Holinaty

I just recently came across Josh Holinaty's work via the Covered blog, but I'll be keeping an eye out for it from now on. Click through his portfolio site or check out his blog. There are heaps of weird to enjoy.

This Weekend's Speakeasy

This week's Wall Street Journal Speakeasy cartoon is up, concerning a collection of Mr. Salinger's correspondence.

Last Weekend of Whatever You Want

A reminder that this Sunday, March 14th, is the final day to get in any requests for drawings. (For descriptions of the various options, feel free to read the original post.)

(OFFER EXPIRED MARCH 14th)

Steve Seeley's Creature Project

This project is from a few years ago, but as I just had the good fortune to meet Mr. Seeley this past weekend, I'd feel remiss in my pointing duties if I didn't post something about it. Click around on Steve's site to see the varying invasions.

Comic Symposium of Chicago: Tomorrow

If you're in the area of downtown Chicago tomorrow or Friday, The School of The Art Institute of Chicago will be hosting a series of panel discussions on comics featuring a gaggle of cartoonists, myself included. I'll be saying things I won't recall afterward in the following environment:

Thursday, March 11th
Comics, Art and the Between
5:45pm-6:45pm
SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.

Moderators:
Bad @ Sports and Guest Jason Dunda

Panelists:
Paul Hornschemeier
John Porcellino
Christa Donner
Bernie McGovern

For information on all the panels and panelists (including, among others, Jeffrey Brown and Anders Nilsen), visit the Symposium's site.

The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy

Today marks the first of a recurring cartoon/illustration I'll be doing each weekend for The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog. I hadn't previously realized the satisfaction that comes from putting tiger stripes on things. Thank you, James Cameron, you changed my life.

Put Some Clothes On Already

After a couple months of testing graphics, washing and re-washing test prints from different vendors, putting to rest any doubts about longevity and quality, and just generally being prissy and picky, I'm relieved to finally launch The Forlorn Funnies Shirt Shop.

The shirts are individually digitally printed, to produce an exceptionally solid quality (a bit of a surprise for silkscreen snobs such as myself) that I would liken to old school iron-ons. Currently there are only two designs up for the various products, but more will be soon to follow. Until then, happy wearing.

Strange Tales Convergence

Tomorrow, two great comic shops, Chicago Comics and Challengers, are teaming up for a two-event signing royale featuring Becky Cloonan, Michael Kupperman, Jeffrey Brown, and myself. We all have work in the newly collected Marvel Strange Tales and we'll be signing copies of that book (which I've not yet seen) and whatever else you decide to haul into the stores. Stop by and listen to us wax dorkish and complain about this Sharpie running out of ink.

From Chicago Comics blog:

Schedule of Events:
Daytime @ Challengers
1pm – Formal Q & A Panel at Challengers with Strange Tales contributors Becky Cloonan, Michael Kupperman, and Jeffrey Brown
2pm – 4pm – Signing with the artists**

Nighttime @ Chicago Comics
6pm – 8pm -Signing with the artists at Chicago Comics**
8pm – ?? Official After-Party
**Purchase of the Strange Tales hardcover from EITHER store (with proof of purchase) the week of the signing is required to attend the signing!!!

Game Over 3 at GRSF

March 12th marks the opening of Game Over 3, a show of video game-inspired artwork hosted by Giant Robot San Francisco. If you're in the area, stop by and take a gander. You can see the flickr set of some of the artwork here. And below are my contributions. (Nerd bonus points go to the first person to name all three games that I'm aping.)

You Are About To Be Hurled

So... apparently this happened in 1979. Has anyone seen this? If so, are you okay?

(Keep your eyes peeled for the why-the-hell-did-you-include-this-in-a-trailer elevator shot.)

The Revenge of Whatever You Want

To help keep the bills at bay while working on the inaugural issue of Forlorn Funnies, I'm once again running a limited time offer (from now through March 14th) to draw whatever you want. And responding to various e-mails and requests, this time around there are more options.

What are the options? You've got three ways to go: your cubist portrait, three word association, and the classic: whatever you want. (I've also provided a few options for various sizes for people wanting larger works (going all the way up to 18 x24").) To explicate the options a bit: you want to see how your mom and your cat look fractured into a non-fixed perspective? The Cubist Option is your friend. You want to spit out three words of your choosing and see what my brain does with them? Go for the Three Word Option. You need to see the bassist of Slayer throwing lawn darts with a panther? Then it's time to get Whatever You Want. Get it 18x24 and make all the other panthers jealous.

As a reminder: these drawings won't be as developed as finished pages from a book or commercial work, but they'll certainly be far, far more rendered than anything I scrawl on a title page at a book signing. (A few examples of last summer's results are above and below.)

(OFFER EXPIRED MARCH 14th)

Be sure to include your address, any and all details you want me to keep in mind for the drawing (which, I should emphasize is for personal display/use/burning only, not commercial projects), and to whom you want the drawings signed (if anyone). All art will ship via priority mail. Allow two weeks from placing the order. Then kaboom: your personalized cubist/three-word/whatever it is.

Yapping at The University of Chicago

As a sort of introduction to the campus before I begin teaching a course in the Creative Writing department (a course titled "Writing the Graphic Novel"), I will be speaking at The University of Chicago tomorrow. The talk is open to the public, and it is my understanding that there will be snacks. Let me repeat the seriousness of this event: snacks.

I'll be going over a variety of projects, both past and future, as well as discussing some of my convoluted process for producing work. And I solemnly swear to discuss the below two comic books (two of the first comics I ever owned). Godzilla will have his day in the Wild West, turkey.

Here is where and when the Karate-Kid-as-a-metaphor-for-Aryan-disco-militants discussion will occur:

Wednesday, February 24
4:30-6:30 pm
Classics 110
University of Chicago
1010 E. 59th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

Prints From The Flat Files (Redux)

Since I've been receiving e-mails about this: yes, there are still prints available from the previous post (though The Holy Consumption posters (of which I had very few to begin with) are almost out). You can purchase them here (or just scroll down a bit).