WRITES DRAWS JOKES BLOGGS APPLES
It’s been a while since I showed off a few of the gags from my massive pile of rejected New Yorker cartoons I have in my closet labeled “Closet of Rejected New Yorker Cartoons.” Some get resubmitted so I don’t like to show off too many, but one of them was topical and the other was offensive to Frasier fans. Thus, I think it’s safe to say the short painful lives of these gags are over. You could say they can now go back to Florida and throw away all their Paleo diet books. 
This week’s Dark Horse Presents (Issue 19) features another chapter of Brooklyn Blood by Paul Levitz and myself along with other stories by a plethora of creators. Below is page one of Chapter three (sans copy).
I also did a little reportage type drawings and thought this particular one was an interesting failure. If you can tell what it is then, that’s great. But over all, it went so far off the rail it’s embarrassing. And interesting. And embarrassing…
For reasons I don’t remember, I once did some research into the mythology of the “Stag,” or the “White Stag.” Cernunnos, for example, is the stag horned god of the Celts. Thus, when I finally got around to watching the first season of “The Leftovers,” I couldn’t help but notice all the appearances of a deer and or a Stag and it’s significance in the story. I won’t go into it here as I don’t have time, and the ten people who read this will be mad I revealed spoilers for the show. Thus, Stag images were my warm sketches this morning. 
Despite the adorable GIF you see below, I don’t really care much for Valentine’s Day. It falls too close to Lincoln’s birthday and that makes me think of stove pipe hats. And that makes me think of Seaman’s Lincoln’s Birthday Sale commercials. And then of course I’m thinking about stove pipe hats again. You can see where this is going, right?
Anyway, I made my first Gif back on New Years, and found that it was a fun way to produce a quick animation. Thus, I decided to make the below GIF for one of those NPR contests. A fun contest, not one that involved thousands of dollars in prizes and or a chance to meet Leonard Lopate and accidentally call him Brian Lehrer.
I did not win this contest. Losing NPR contests is a special skill I’ve developed over the years. In fact, way back in 2007 I entered a “Thanksgiving Cartoon Contest” to be judged by Bob Mankoff. George O’Connor was one of the winners, if I remember correctly (WNYC’s web site no longer has this episode on line), but I was not even an honorable mention. Since then I have come to know and plan my secret revenge on George, but that’s another story. We won’t even go into the musical contests I’ve entered lost on Public Radio. I’m just happy this last competition has left me with a Valentine GIF that I think perfectly sums up something that I can’t, and shouldn’t put into words. Enjoy!
It’s a good thing I call my Mother once in a while, as she informed me last night that this Sunday is SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! In honor of that day, I spent time this morning warming up my fingers with these sketches of possible designs for something I’m working on that has nothing to do with the Super Bowl. I can tell you all about it some other time, but for now, we need to prepare for the Super Bowl! So…I’ll have to give my mom another call and see if she knows how to prepare for… that…
Part two of Brooklyn Blood, written by Paul Levitz and illustrated by myself, is out (was out) on stands yesterday in the new issue of Dark Horse Presents (Issue 18 to be exact). Cover and a peek at my interior art below. The issue also feature work by Rich Woodall, Carla Speed McNeil, Shawn Aldridge, David Chelsea, Craig Rousseau, Julius Gopez and others. Cover by Craig Rousseau:
Sneek peek at my bit: 
I’ve posted before about my process for working on this project and you can see that post HERE. What we’re talking about this week is covers! Covers and blizzards! The previous issue of Dark Horse Presents featured a cover by me, but as we all know there were many other cover ideas that didn’t see the light of day. Or in my case, just ONE other cover idea. Thus, I present for you here, the unused cover (sketch) to Dark Horse Presents issue 17! Pretty exciting eh? 
Whew! That was A LOT of excitement to take in just before a blizzard. Now, get out there and buy some milk and bread (and dog treats)! See you next week!
Not much to post on the first “post” holiday post. This morning I’m warming up my fingers with some sketches that could be designs for something I’m working on. Or not. I can’t type much this week as I’m fairly busy, but next week I promise to tell you about the Rum cake I made for New Years. It’ll be an amazing, exciting post! Honest!
Sketching warm ups in progress: 
This is my last blog post of 2015 as the holidays will envelope all of us next week! Thus I give you:
“My non sequitur end of year round up!” (AKA “Tears Are For The Weak!”)
End of Year round up part one:
Pie Crusts- A good part of my holiday will be spent making pie crusts. Pie fillings are easy (mostly), it’s the pie crust that’s hard, and I don’t bother with pre-made pie crusts. Life’s too short. I also may attempt a two layer cake (one layer banana and one layer chocolate. Or carrot banana rum cake as I’ve made some Banana rum bread recently that turned out great. Also, I will drink Rum while making crusts.
End of Year round up part two:
Pope Cartoon- It’s been a life long dream of mine to sell a cartoon involving the Pope to The New Yorker. This is the year that dream came true. #catholicschoolpaidoff #norumwasinvolved
End of Year round up part three:
Failures (also, I lied*)- Many great things happened over the last twelve months, but I’m not going to post them here (*except for in part two where I mention the Pope Cartoon). The sketch below is from a children’s book proposal that has been rejected by about four publishers so far. That’s how it goes sometimes. It may eventually find a home, or perhaps never. Maybe it IS really that bad. It could be time to move on to the next proposal and bury this one in the back yard. From time to time I could visit it’s grave and pour some Rum on it as one tear falls cinematically from my cheek. Or not. Rum is expensive. And tears are for the weak.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
I’ve been busy with children’s books and New Yorker cartoons of late, so it’s surprising (to me at least) that there are two comic books out this month containing stories by me.
Next week will be part one of Brooklyn Blood, by Paul Levitz and myself in Dark Horse Presents. As you can see from the small preview below, it involves skulls. It also involves Brooklyn and some blood. And a cop. Look for it in DHP issue 17 with a cover by me. The cover with a skull. 
Also, out today, I think, is issue 25 of Michel Fiffe’s unstoppable comic, “Copra.” For this anniversary issue Fiffe asked a few people such as, Benjamin Marra, Chuck Forsman, Kat Roberts, Sloane Leong, Paul Maybury and myself to contribute. I did an 8 page story you can see a small preview of below. It involves a guy with his skull breaking open. Spoilers: There will be more skulls in the story. 
I was as first hesitant to touch fiffe’s creations, but it turned out to be a fun project and I hope I did good! I certainly don’t want to be the “Tales of the Gold Monkey” to fiffe’s “Raiders of The Lost Ark.” Skulls!