Fallcon 2009

I went thinking I was stopping after this year and came back more into it then ever. I want to write a real post but I have to head out for a while today. I will work on putting some more up tonight when I get home.

Six Years Ago Today…

Six years ago today, the weather was in 90+ fairenheit degrees… Outside.

Inside the unairconditioned little steepled church that we were to be married in it was a lot hotter.

Six years latter we have a four year old and a little one coming up on one month, and it all seems like it was yesterday.

As the saying goes, Time flies by when you are having fun.

Well, Thank you for the five funnest… greatest… happiest years of my life MAMADUCK!

Happy Aniversary!

random stuff

Time to start clearing out all the links that I have been stacking up in my favorites list…

First off, I love the idea of seeing old movies on the big screen… even if they are B Movies. That is why I am going to try to make it down to The Historic Mounds Theater for their Classic Horror Movie DOUBLE BILL Night. They will be showing “The Screaming Skull” and “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!“.

Next up is Derek Kirk Kim who has started posting his latest GN TUNE online.

I am a little ticked off at the exsistence of WINCHESTER, I Have been working on a story outline for a similar story for sometime now… Guess I was to slow. You can bet I will be getting this book though, I love the Winchester Mansion legend.

Hello Again…

Haven’t been posting a whole lot as of late. Not really sure why, just haven’t.

The first thing I need to do starting off this post is to issue a great big Thank You! to a number of people…

First off the wonderful Moggy! Not only did she donate to me when I was trying to raise a little bit of funds to keep my FLICKR account going but she cross posted it to her blog! Which I am sure where a couple of the others came from.

Another Thank you to rono64 from Livejournal and the other three people who donated annonymously for giving! rono64 does a webcomic called Project Auberdem that I have been enjoying. It is the kind of comic that I have been trying to create. A story with that old school Flash Gordon type feel to it.

And of course to my Sister, Billsand Nathan. Who always support and encourage me in my drawing!

Oh and I almost forgot in addition to the funds to keep my account someone also sent me some items from my AMAZON wishlist. Darwyn Cooke’s new GN of Parker:The Hunter and a couple other trades! Who ever you are thank you as well!

You guys are the greatest!

All right now on to geeking on cool stuff I have seen of late!

The first piece of art is this amazing drawing of The Creature from the Black Lagoon done by Brent Schoonover . This piece is actually bound for my collection. I asked Brent to do this picture for me back in May with the understanding that it would not be started until he got a lot of other projects wrapped up. I am hoping that since he has posted a scan of this piece that that means Volume 2 of Astronaut Dad has been wrapped up and we will be seeing the book on the shelves soon!

This is a great piece and will make a great addition to my Creature collection! I can not wait for it to arrive.

Next up is this really cool looking one by Zack Giallongo AKA Soggytoast on LJ Zach does a great little comic called Novasett Island (I have the issues, next time I have some money I might have to get the collection.) I really like the feel of this piece. I have been on a real fantasy kick lately and this fits in perfectly. Matter of fact I think I might break out the issues and read them again!

Ok. I was going to post more, but time has run out… so maybe I will be back later…

I will draw you a pretty picture of anything you want!

Any body want to buy a poor pathetic geek a renewal on his Flickr account?

Normally wouldnt even try this but money is tight now with the new baby on the way and some of my friends have had luck doing it… so I am offering a trade. If you buy me a renewal I will draw you one full size picture (8.5 by 11, or maybe larger if I can find any larger paper around…) or six sketch cards of anything you want!

EDIT : Went ahead and added a button.

$2.00 Donation gets you a copy of my sketchbook from last springs comic convention.
$4.00 Donation gets you a SketchCard
$15.00 Donation gets you 3 SketchCard
$25.00 Donation gets you 8 SketchCards or a full size drawing and a SketchCard.

Time to get in shape…

joined a challenge at the YMCA, The Challenge runs from July 6th until August 6th.

Have to walk/run 26.5 miles, Swim 2.5 miles and Bike 118 Miles in the course of 1 month.

By this time next month I will
a.)be in better shape
b.)In a ICU ward at the local hospital after my heart gives out.

I think I will try to keep a progress report going here on the internet, that way if you all see me slacking or falling behind you can yell at me or encourage me (which ever fits your personallity better.) to get going and get caught up.

Having said all that I should probably get up and stop being lazy and get to the Y.

Starting Weight : 248.2 Pounds
TOTALS SO FAR:
Week One Walking : 1.2 Miles
Week One Biking : 1.4 Miles
Week One Swimming :

Week Two Walking :
Week Two Biking :
Week Two Swimming :

Week Three Walking :
Week Three Biking :
Week Three Swimming :

Week Four Walking :
Week Four Biking :
Week Four Swimming :

Week Five Walking :
Week Five Biking :
Week Five Swimming :

A Literary Geek Meme in 1 Part

A Literary Geek Meme in 1 Part

1) What author do you own the most books by?

Robert A Heinlein. Own everything he wrote in one form or another. Slowly trying to get all the Hardcovers.

2) What book do you own the most copies of?

The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs I own a first edition HC, three different paperback versions (Bought for the different covers) and The Modern version of all three books of the series all collected together.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

Nope I have horrible grammar and writing skills so why would I care?

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Tara Chace from Greg Rucka’s Queen and Country series.

4a) What fictional character would you most like to be?

Someone who has survived the end of the world type outbreak (along with my family I wouldnt want to have to watch them die)…

4b) What fictional character do you think most resembles you?

Donald Duck.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?

The Stand by Stephen King.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

The Tripod Trilogy.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

World War Z. It wasnt a bad book. I was just a little let down after all the hype.

8 ) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

The Secret life of Harry Houdini

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

Traction Man meets Turbo Dog. Just to make sure to remind people that life should be fun.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?

JK Rowling. Forget if the books themselves are “literature” look at how many people actually read a book because of her.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?

Nothing, I am always so let down in the movies…

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?

Anything I have read.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

When I read the Monster Island series I kept dreaming I was a zombie fighter.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

The Conan the Barbarian series.

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Les Miserables.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

Othello?

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

The Russians.

18) Roth or Updike?

Updike, not a big fan of Roth.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Neither.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Shakespeare.

21) Austen or Eliot?

Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

Havent read a ton from the Beat Generation, and dont have much desire to.

23) What is your favorite novel?

War of the Worlds or Frankenstein.

24) Play?

Julies Ceasar by William Shakespeare.

25) Poem?

A number of different ones by ee cummings. (Tea’s Fault.)

26) Essay?

Can’t Say I have one…

27) Short story?

An occurance at Owl Creak Bridge.

28) Work of non-fiction?

The Coming Plague.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

Robert A. Heinlein.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

James Patterson. I like his books, but he is just a machine now. Doesnt even write the majority of the books with his name on them.

31) What is your desert island book?

The Stand

32) And … what are you reading right now?

I am reading all of the following right now. Each book is in a different spot and what I read is based off of where I am at the time.

DC Showcase: Blackhawks V.1
Critical Space by Greg Rucka
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck
Flash Gordon – Mac Raboy years V.4

TOMD – Dalek

What geeks desk could be complete without a Dalek sitting next to the computer. Of course the Desk would be even more complete if it had a Cyberman and Sontaran standing with the Dalek. Those will be added someday, when I have a job again or when I win the lottery.

The three of them (dalek,cyberman and sontaran) hold a special place for my geek heart. When I first found Dr. Who as a young geek it was watching the Tom Baker Episodes Genesis of the Daleks,Sontarran Experiment and Revenge of the Cybermen. As much as I love the current run of Dr. Who these episodes will always be the best in my mind. The Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan taking on the galaxies worst to save the day.

Artist to Watch – Grant Gould

Grant Gould
Website
Deviant Art

Grant is a great guy, and an amazing artist on top of that. I have more original Grant Gould pieces in my art collection then any other artist. I have had the chance to talk to him at a number of different conventions and he is always one of the most polite and down to earth artist at the cons. I have been collecting his yearly sketch books from the very first time I meet him and waiting very patiently for him to put a comic out. This past year that wait finally came to an end. Grant finally had a book coming out!

This past year SUPER REAL GRAPHICS published Grant’s first book. The Wolves of Odin summed up as brief as can be is Vikings Vs. Werewolves. While the art in the book was everything that I had hoped it would be coming from Grant, I was a little let down. It ended way to soon. I was hoping so much for it to go on much longer then it did. Hopefully this is just the start and we will see more stories from Grant.

I think that Grant is best known for his work with the trading card companies doing sketch cards for the various sets. He has done sketch cards in way to many sets for me to even try to start listing here. He has also contributed the art for a base card in the Star Wars Galaxys volume 4 set as well as one of the Lord of the Rings card sets.

Of all the art that I have collected of Grant’s, I think by far my favorite is a Rocket Raccoon drawing that I bought off of him at last years FALLCON. I loved Rocket when he first showed up in Marvel Comics way back when and he is what got me to read the Annihilation miniseries from Marvel Comics which led me into the relaunch of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Rocket drawing is not only one of my favorite pieces, but one of my top two favorites in my whole collection.

And now just to make you jealous… My Rocket Racoon picture of Grant’s

A Year and a Day…

**Crossposted from the home of my new webcomic**

A Year and a Day is going to be an ongoing attempts at insanity.

Starting July 8th 2009 this will be the home of my ongoing as yet to be titled webcomic.

Further details will be posted Monday June 14th 2009.