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Hey everybody!  Sorry about the lack of blog posts lately.  My life has been on a slippery slope of increasing busyness. 

First, about two weeks ago, we had our orientation for the new students that enrolled this year.  We all got a chance to introduce themselves, go over the program, and then show them around the campus.  Some of them had been here before on portfolio days or individual visits, but it was still exciting to show them around the crock-pot of awesome where they'll be making some REALLY AMAZING comics for the next two years.  There is a real spread in the styles and artistic backgrounds of all the new students, and I'm really pumped to see what's produced. 

Since that following Monday fell on Labor day, we got a long weekend!  The following first week of class went well.  The visiting artist was fellow faculty member Steve Bissette.  A selection of work from his personal collection is currently hanging in the Colodny Gallery.  He gave a really amazing talk about the separate pieces in the show, and how they are important to him as an artist.  One of my new duties this year at the school is to introduce the visiting artists.  For some reason, I have zero problem with talking to my class, but I still get the heebie jeebies when I have to address the WHOLE SCHOOL.  I know that it was first week jitters, and it'll probably blow over.

THAT WEEKEND was SPX!  I know that SPX is almost 2 weeks behind us at this point, but all I want to say is that it was a BLAST!  Alec and I had out new pinball zine, I had a new Bikeman book, and I was in more collaborations than I can count.  I met a lot of great, new cartoonists and connected with a lot of my best buds from my old SCAD days!  The trip down was taxing (10 hours!) but it was sooo worth it, it's not funny. 

I will make another post this weekend about what's going on.  I don't want to weight you all down with text.  In the meantime, here's another FBI illustration.  DON'T TELL ANYONE!

TOP SECRET! FBI PAGE!

Here's a page from the children's book that I did with the FBI this summer.  Now, I know, I know, there is a BURNING questions that needs to be addressed here:

Is that a dog in a blue vest and a dog in Kevlar RIDING a tank?

YES.  Yes it is.  It's pretty much one of my favorite pages.  I talked to the FBI agent a little bit before SPX (i.e.-three weeks ago) and he said that the book was just going to print!  That was quick!  That was way faster than I thought it would be!  I'm excited to get my illustrator copies in the mail and see how all of the spreads look, and how the final draft of the text will sit around the images.

Bikeman page tomorrow!

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Books Books Books!

With SPX right around the corner, I just wanted to show off what I'll be selling at my table (H15) with my partners in crime: Colleen, Katherine, and Laura!  As I've mentioned once (maybe twice), I'm in more collaborations in just this one show than ever before!

First, here's Daily Catch, an ocean-themed anthology with works from me and my table mates!  Here's a couple panels from mine:

Next is the pinball zine that Alec and I have feverishly been putting together.  I've been teasing you guys with little snipits of this zine for the past couple weeks but FINALLY, after a no-sleep weekend, we've put together 400 of these slick puppies.  I really pulled out all the stops on these.  If you like pinball or comics, you'll like this zine.

Colleen and I put together a little split mini that outlines what our guiltiest-most pleasures are.  I actually had a hard time with this, since my life mostly involves comics and vegetables; niether of which I'm ashamed of.  I dug down deep though, and found some stuff to draw.  Here's they are.  They come in a plethora of colors:

Here's a page of mine from the mini:

Next is a contribution I made to an anthology about time put together by the good people at the Trees and Hills comic gang.  I had a lot of fun drawing my piece.  Here's a couple of panels from mine, just to give you all a taste!

Oh man, crystals...OLD magic...I love it.  The last thing that I will have debuting at SPX this year is the second issue of my graphic novel Bikeman.  Yes, THAT Bikeman.  The VERY SAME Bikeman that I have been serializing on this site.  I already released Issue 1 last spring, which you can pick up in the store.  I'll have Issue 2, still hot from the printers, at the show, but I'll put it up for sale on my website after SPX.  For those of you that want to read ahead, feel free to pick up the books, if not, I'll still be uploading pages here every week!

I'll also have Whaletowne, The Ruby, and the Bad-Ventures of Bobo Backslack, but those are old hat.  I can't tell you how pumped I am about the show.  Oh, I'm also super into THIS.  I'm a really huge Sparks fan.  I picked up their 1974 album "Propoganda" and it COMPLETELY changed my world!

SEE YOU AT SPX!!

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Oh man!  I've been super-duper busy getting ready for the academic year to start up.  I'm going to be teaching all new classes; it'll be a blast.  I've also been up to my neck hair in pre-SPX preparations.  I have a book that should be getting back from the printers any day now, as well as more collaborations than I've ever done.  Not to mention issue 1 of the BRAND NEW PINBALL ZINE that Alec and I are putting together!  It's going to be a thing of beauty.  This weekend I'll put up a bunch of photos of all the new stuff that'll be at the show.  For now, though, I've swiped this handy-dandy map from my partner in crime, Colleen , that shows where we're going to be.  It seems like a pretty choice spot!

Pretty Cool!  Also, I went to this WEEZER concert last night that really blew my socks off.  Once I get around to finding said socks, and putting the pieces of my BLOW MIND back together, I'll write a proper blog post.  Until then, Alec does an amazing job of summing it up right here.  It was, undoubtedly, a night that will never be forgotten.

Oh, I got an email from the FBI two nights ago and it totally reminded me that I never posted any pages from the book I did with them.  I'll try to do that this weekend too.