Monday, January 14, 2008

Austen-esque

I keep thinking someday I will write and draw an Austen-esque gay romance. Historic homosexuality really intrigues me... I mean, it's existed for thousands of years. How did men meet each other? What sort of expectations might they have of one another? So... think Teleny minus the explicit sex and the straight stuff, set 50 years earlier. Or think Mansfield Park where one of Fanny's brothers is gay, and that's where I am headed. I have one scene worked out in my head; I really should write it down before I lose it. These sketches are from 2006 and 2007, inked in 2008.

Shamek

This past Thanksgiving, I travelled to Ireland. When I was in Dublin, I met Shamek at The George. A friendly fellow from eastern Europe, he was very much a "wild and crazy guy" in the Steve Martin & Dan Akroyd SNL skit sense. "Irish... is CRAZY. Irish... is just 'more drink.' ... French... Polish... is 'more drink—DANCE!" I had intended to color the whole drawing, in order to capture his lovely pinstripe suit, but for now I like it as is, showcasing his colorful tie. December 2007.

Beach Party Tonight



I am a huge fan of the Beach Party movies... particularly Bikini Beach and Pajama Party. After my sketch of "Candy" appeared in my book Something Fishy This way Comes, I was asked to draw "Bonehead." Candy was famous for her fringe dress and wild shimmey action. Bonehead was a big dopey guy. 2006.

Watch the Scissors

It's always great fun to go to comic conventions and see my comics pals. We had a tradition of swapping sketchbooks, so I have many fun drawings from Monica, Mike, Javi, Kyle, Brett, Tim P, and David K. The sketch here is an oldie that I drew in Monica's book. She had a page that the lower right had been cut away; I drew this boy dodging the scissor cut. It's a good scan of my pencils. I haven't really figured out how to scan pencils, but thank you Monica for knowing how. This is from APE 2005.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Welcome to Arché-City



I am asked often about the city that most of my comics take place in: the angular monument, the street names I choose, the statuary all repeat often. Well, it's Arché-City, the city I've used since I was writing Arché-Lady comics. No, Cavalcade guys will never run into her, nor will The Cupcakes, nor the cast from Things Don't Always Suck. It's just helpful for me to have an idea where all this goes down. I first mapped the city in 1993, and you see here the 6th major revision of the city (I put pieces of it in the "notes" section of the jumbo Cavalcade). Frighteningly, it's to scale. Home to nearly 1.2 million people, and America's most extensive subway system (the city is built atop a series of caves, making the addition, removal, and re-routing of subway lines a simple matter), Arché-City boasts low crime and temperate weather with 4 distinct seasons—each lasting as long as a story demands it to.

Howdy, Neighbor

My upstairs neighbor—Mikhail from Russia—who I used to find very hot. Probably because the first 4 times I spoke to him, he was wearing his trademark tight long-sleeved red t-shirt with sleep pants. He's far less attractive in regular clothes, walking along the street with his girlfriend. November 2007.

Spooky Bitch


Fans of my gone-by comic series Arché-Lady will appreciate this drawing of Rachel Moon, the little teen witch. October 2007.

Damn Sexy Frenchmen



I was in Montréal for a book signing—made a bit more possible by the French language variants of my comics published by H&O Éditions—when Phillippe rollerblades in. He made it clear he was Parisian, and not Quebecois. September 2007.

America Defeats Nazi Germany



The line art I created for the 2007 Wonder Woman Day charity auction closed at 14th highest bid price. Far from the top, but still ahead of more than a hundred other artists, including many established DC/Marvel folks. This is Wonder Woman as she first appeared in 1941 (pretty much); shown here during a V-E Day parade, hoisted on the shoulders of a sexy soldier and a studly sailor. August 2007.

les yeux bleus, les yeux verts



A fan favorite I sell @ comic conventions as a print. The green wash to the left represents the green in the guy on the right's eyes; the blue wash to the right represents the blue in the guy on the left's eyes; the blended middle represents their happy union. July 2007.

Staff Meeting Suicide



Sadly, I have cartoonishly violent thoughts during staff meetings for my day job @ MIT. Probably too many to post on Blogspot! May 2007.

APE.PPT



Illustration for the group Powerpoint presentation (.PPT) featuring Paige Braddock, Abby Denson, Justin Hall, Robert Kirby, Steve MacIssac, and me for our night-before-APE event in San Francisco. April 2007.

Turtle Love



Dopey surfer with with pet turtle, exclaimining "Doood!" Inspired by a nasty version of the same sketch by Adam Leveille. March 2007.

Mr. Crawford


Mansfield Park is likely my favorite Jane Austen novel, and Mr. Crawford is certainly my favorite Austen ne'er-do-well. He announces up front he's a scoundrel, but then you think he might not be, but yes, he is. But then he's sad about it. This is a likeness of the actor who plays the character in an '80s BBC production. February 2007.

Black Canary & Earl
























Here's Black Canary kicking local guy Earl in the crotch. January 2007.

Sketchy

I like the idea of a sketch blog... now let's see if I actually do it!