Comic-Man

'Eye Can' on sale

2011-12-09T14:51:00.023-05:00

Your wait is finally over.
Our first book "Eye Can Win" is officially for sale:

Karim Kama wonders whether

it was his bad eyesight or lack

of effort that kept him from being

a better athlete in his youth.

Now 36, Kama overcompensates,

putting him at physical and

emotional risk. It culminates with a race against an opponent he never expected to face.

This 16-page edition collects Books 1 and 2 of the story. Treat yourself to some comics joy this holiday season for $1.75 plus shipping. And if you pre-order edition two ($1.75), due out this winter, you can get the first book at the discount rate of $1. Send order request here.

Ready to assemble

2011-10-14T11:59:00.001-04:00

While I acknowledge the unsettled matter of fair compensation/creator recognition, i can't wait to see this flick!

Disturbing discussion

2011-09-25T19:03:00.000-04:00

Maybe it's just time to leave sex out of superhero comics...period...

http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=793951161&gid=128593&type=member&item=72327339&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fblastr.com%2F2011%2F09%2Fhas-dc-screwed-up-two-mor.php&urlhash=lXlg&goback=.gde_128593_member_72327339

Paying the bills

2011-08-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

Not much about comics.

We're doing this at work. My job gives me money to make comics.

There's the connection.

Peace

modi.K

http://register.dealchicken.com/1010FP/modikwanza

The Eyes have it

2011-06-16T10:48:00.021-04:00

I found out at work yesterday, so really haven't had a chance

to celebrate completely (there was some hockey game on

last night taking up people's attention...)

My CCS thesis comic was approved. My degree is complete.

And with that, the first book under Imerge is ready to roll.
Here are the first 6 pages of Book 1. Information will soon
follow on how to buy the complete 16-page volume,
which includes books 1 and 2 of "Eye Can Win."
Eye Can Win Bk 1 sampler

Thanks to all for the support you gave that got me here.

WRJ: The NewsPaper strip

2011-05-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

OK, so I posted this to Facebook and thought it would be overkill to do so here. Buuuuut, I changed my mind and I guess the InterWeb will survive if I put this up in multiple places.

I did a 32 panel comic strip about White River Junction in the May 1 Sunday Free Press, Arts section. The idea was the writer's, Brent Hallenbeck, who thought it made sense to illustrate a piece about the arts in CCS' hometown.

As I said on my previous post, I would love to get to a point where I can look at one of my finished projects and not only see all that could have been fixed. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprise by how it looked particularly the intro panel and on the Web.

This project was A LOT of work in a short amount of time, and I was spent after it was done. I literally felt the weight of this --- and my CCS thesis addendum book -- had lifted off my shoulders that Sunday.

More on the thesis later, as I'm working out distribution plans.

Arts find home in White River Junction

On Dwayne McDuffie: What more can I say?

2011-03-06T23:22:00.000-05:00

I was so wrapped up in GospelFest, furlough, and kids being on break that I didn't even hear the news. Dwayne McDuffie had died. I wanted to wait to get myself together and post something meaningful. Every thing I want to write seems narcissistic and self-indulgent, like it's all about ME, and what he meant to ME and what I think about him. I know the suddenness of his passing is contributing to it.

But even now I can't find the right words to describe what he was to/for me. Hero. Inspiration. Kindred spirit. All of those, and yet, still seems to not say it enough.

I never met him in person, and we only exchanged a few e-mails, but I felt a strong connection through his work. A connection that ensured me that I could find a place for myself in the world of comics if I choose to work at it and truly seek it out.

Others have already either said, written or drawn more profound things to honor Dwayne. So, I'll let his work speak for itself.
My belated, but heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. McDuffie's wife, family, friends and collaborators.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_McDuffie

P.S. I know the link is to a Wiki page, but the address to his own site is at the bottom, so you can go there if you want the real...

Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man | Marvel Images | Downloads & Extras | Marvel.com

2011-01-20T12:14:00.000-05:00

Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man | Marvel Images | Downloads & Extras | Marvel.com
Man have I been out of the loop...Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, and now this

From out of the darkness..

2010-10-28T23:32:00.020-04:00

Actually an ironic title, being that I'm doing this in the dead of night.
In my attempt to breathe life back into this thing and get art up for you all to see, here are some sketches/studies I've been doing. Most are for a sports comic idea I have.
10.10 sketches/studies

OK, you'll have to go get it yourself

2010-06-01T13:14:00.000-04:00

I've been trying for a couple weeks to post this but I think the file is too big. So until I get my hands on the appropriate software, I'll have to ask you to kindly check out this link.

Imerge promo poster

The Two Mos and a Nini

2010-05-05T19:17:00.000-04:00

The kids and I all enjoyed Mo Willems. (Julius was very surprised and impressed that he worked on Codename: Kids Next Door.) Nini showed him her Cat the Cat drawing and he signed a book for her.

DZC Update: Last weeks to remember

2010-04-26T21:10:00.002-04:00

Thesis is due Monday May 3.
I go before the review committee Wednesday, May 12 at 11 to learn if it was approved.
Graduation is Saturday May 15.
How's THAT for deadlines!

Oh, and this Thursday, Mo Willems is coming to CCS (well it's at Dartmouth)! It's open to the public if anyone wants to go. How cool is dat!

DZ Update: Hot Cap news and Mo's still working

2010-04-07T11:06:00.001-04:00

I loved him as Johnny Storm; he looks funny in The Losers and he made the most of Push. But the Torch as Cap? I'll just be so confused.

Seriously he is a good actor so it could work just fine.

Chris Evans to star as Captain America and Sebastian Stan to portray Bucky in Marvel Studios' 2011 movie | Marvel.com News | Marvel.com

There's a lot of activity at the ol' Cartoon Center these days as MoCCA approaches. The school's organizers and teachers are busy making books, too.

Sturm's memorable day at the market

Taylor, Towle take to skies with Earhart

Politics, politics

2010-03-23T09:38:00.000-04:00

Nothing to do with comics, but this is what's wrong with the political discourse in our country. The link to the Politico article it's from should be included. My apologies if you feel there is not enough context.

But Rob Jesmer, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the health care law will be “a very central part” of the GOP’s campaign strategy across the country this year.

“I don’t think there’s any place that it’s going to be helpful to them,” Jesmer said, scoffing at Democrats’ assertion that they will be able to turn the tide of public opinion. “They have been selling this thing for 13 months — all they’ve been doing is selling it.”

He singled out Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who is running for the Senate, as the Democrat most likely to suffer political damage for supporting the bill. “Brad Ellsworth took the political gun, stuck it in his mouth and pulled the trigger,” Jesmer said.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34834_Page2.html#ixzz0j0SqA8qu

Picture that, he did a comic

2010-02-23T09:48:00.003-05:00

This post serves several purposes.
To break another month-long silence (there's goes my chance at at most followed blog status); to update everyone on my progress at school; and get some art on the site. I like sending readers to links so they can look at my work at their leisure. But this is supposed to be the work of a comic creator/cartoonist so there needs to be something here -- besides that crazy cool self portrait. (LOL)

So, here you go. This is taken from my zine in Comicopia, the international APA that I'm a part of. I might have mentioned here that my advisor (Steve Bissette) suggested an approach for "Punk." In any case, here's my first foray into the photo-novel.

Off page: Soledad visits Vt.

2010-01-27T14:00:00.004-05:00

I've been toying with the idea of a second blog to post non-comics related items (primarily sports and politics). Until then, you'll find posts here that are off-topic but hopefully still interesting. And so...

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien spoke at an MLK event at the University of Vermont on Tuesday. Having just returned from Haiti, much of her talk focused on what's happening there in the wake of the earthquake.

However, she was able to weave that story into King's legacy. She explained that King's key message went beyond just having a dream for equality for blacks. King's message was really justice for all; it was for an individual to look at someone else's circumstances and decide something needs to be done to help, even when there is no direct relationship. O'Brien gave many current examples where we can apply that thinking.

She shared high school drop-out rate statistics for Latinos and African-Americans, saying that 2000 schools produced 85 percent of the country's drop-outs. O'Brien compared that with the growing population of Latinos in the U.S. Does anyone see this as a problem, she wondered. Can anyone else hear the alarm bells going off?

Steps need to be taken immediately to fix public education to stave off an even larger storm. We have a starting point with those 2000 schools, she noted. So what seems like a huge undertaking, could be broken into smaller chunks, starting with 100, then another, then another. A large populace of undereducated Americans -- whatever their race -- is not beneficial to the country's welfare.

The situation is a perfect test subject, if you will, for King's plan. So you're not a person of color and your kids don't go to public school, but by helping them you make your country better. There's no time to wait, echoing one of King's key points "the fierce urgency of now."
And choosing to help will require the "dangerous unselfishness" King spoke of, being able to face uncomfortable situations to reach a collective goal.

O'Brien showed clearly how King's words remain relevant. She reminded the students, faculty, and community members how we have to look beyond the T-shirt ready catch phrases, and get to the meat of what King was trying to accomplish. Haiti is just one example, with its decades of neglect creating a weak infrastructure that lies exposed in the rubble. People need to be able to look beyond their own immediate horizon, to other other countries, cultures, social circles, and to feel it's OK to say "that's not right" and act.

King professed and practiced a servant leadership, one which showed that those "at the top" were willing to sacrifice and do the same as those who were following. They went to jail, he went to jail. They faced persecutions, he was persecuted. He didn't just watch the followers suffer, he suffered, too. Why? Because as a leader he was serving the common goal, not an individual one. There were times in her coverage of Hurricane Katrina, O'Brien said, that made it easy to see when that kind of leadership doesn't happen. She recalled how several times she walked by a dead man covered in a blanket outside the convention center. That's all that could -- or would -- be done for him, cover him up. Where was the empathy? The strong desire to do better by him?

I appreciated O'Brien's frankness, her willingness, even as an impartial reporter, to say this is wrong or this isn't right. I was impressed by her family's fortitude. She shared stories of her sister's struggles against sexism and racism and how it didn't stop from her attaining her educational goals. Of her parents, who had to endure being an illegally married bi-racial couple in Maryland. And yet, they always told their children that it was worth it because "we know America is better than that." Even when they were being spit on, they believed the promise of America was so much bigger. "The way it is is not the way it has to be," O'Brien's parents would tell them. It's the key to their success, she said. It's also a crucial component of King's message.

I couldn't help smiling when O'Brien read some of the not-so-well know portions of King's speeches, which happen to be some of my favorite lines. She was the second person I'd heard recently reminding us to dig deeper into his speeches, his mission, his legacy.
I'm glad I got to hear it.

New Year underway at CCS

2010-01-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

I got at least one thing done over the break, but now it's time to get back to work.
First off, revising my Punk script. We had a session with Paul Karasik yesterday. It gave me ideas on how I need to reexamine my story. A few things in particular jumped out at me based on his three-act story arc template:
-- My story is missing tangible complications and impediments which points to the concerns raised during my last crit, that everything panel/scene carried the same weight and it took long to get to the hero
-- script violates last panel rule as it gives no real reason to turn page; each episode feels too complete and contained
-- nothing really gets fixed at the end; might be able to get away with that, though, cause this story is more like an extended gag comic, so perhaps it can follow a different structure

So it's back to the drawing board, or should I say, the computer.

DZ update: All new Spidey

2010-01-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

At first I went "ugh", then I said "well, there's been more than one Bond" then I said "ugh" again...
Oh well, at least we had two good ones.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-movies/20100111/US.Spider.Man.4/?CID=NET_Entmain

Too Hollywood

2009-12-16T23:51:00.000-05:00

(OOPS: I knew I forgot to post this. Oh well, this is from Dec. 15.)

The closer we get to end of the semester, the pressure increases. It wouldn’t be all bad if I didn’t have to deal with other stuff like malfunctions at work causing us to stay three hours later than planned or getting a spike in my tire.

My presentation is finished for Thursday, but the test run on the Macs will have to wait thanks to the trip to the car shop today. I also managed to thumbnail two pages of my Punk script, which I presented Monday for crit. Main response was issues with the story pacing, particularly with the dense 4 grid panel layout. All the panels came across at equal weight, even the dramatic moments. What I took away from it (along with the fact that even while improved, I can’t depend solely on my drawing to get my point across) is that I might be hanging too much on the cinematic approach to storytelling. I was hyperconscious about “finding the right beat” in each panel. So much that I don’t see how although a scene looks good in my head, or would work on a big screen, it doesn’t translate as well to page – at least not the way I draw. Again, not necessarily a knock on my penciling skillz, just not where my strength lies yet.

So I went to bed at 3 this a.m. thinking, just get through a couple more days. Then I woke up and realized Copia deadline is tomorrow.

“Oh what fun it is to ride…”

Finals crisis

2009-12-07T20:33:00.001-05:00

Wow, the fact that it's December is still tripping me out. Where did the semester go?

This week begins the final push to winter break and that means final projects! I'll be at the podium, so to speak, Wednesday and next Thursday, the last day of class. That's the day the seniors get to play visiting artist for the freshpersons. We all have to give a 10-minute talk on our thesis projects (first wave actually starts this week). I'm staying away from the Power Point show, going more low-tech. My talk is pretty mapped out, but I've still got pages to thumbnail and others to scan. Good thing I'm pretty much set for Wednesday's pro practice talk -- just have to decide what to wear...

As part of the thesis presentations, we had to design posters outlining our projects. These will be hung as an exhibit at the school. Not having anything drawn for my thesis to this point, made it kind of hard to come up with something to put on display for the whole wide school to see. But somehow, I did. O'boy. Modik's thesis poster

Last week, we had two days of intensive life drawing. Kriota's course focused on skeletal structure and muscles, and how they inform our drawing and character development. It was my second go-round with it, but still very helpful. Maybe I'll post some of my pieces during the break, since we did get homework. :)

A leader "imerge"s

2009-11-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

Been working some things out with Danger Zone Comics, and it looks like a name change is in order. We love the name and "DZ" has a certain ring to it.
Which is precisely the problem.
After some brainstorming and market research, I think we're pretty close to a new name. Don't want to jump the gun, but there's a hint in the headline to this post.

Week 2 Blues

2009-11-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is way past the second week at CCS. But aside from just wanting to use that catchy title, it sums up why it's been a month between posts. I had some things to work through -- and I'll leave it at that. I'll save all my woe and misery for a future auto-bio comic. (HA)

Classes have been good and the work load has been manageable. But when I look at the overall picture for the semester I'm falling way behind. I've had to spend a lot of my designated school time on non-cartooning related things (sick kids and paperwork primarily). Then again, that's life, right?

I did manage to draw up an action plan for projects, even with dates attached to them. I want to seriously pitch my novel and children's book. Michelle (Ollie) liked my internship proposal, so I'm doing some follow up research. And I settled on which titles to attack first with Danger Zone (which might be undergoing a name change).

Now, I need to get back on the path before I stray too far off course. Especially with Thanksgiving approaching because while it might be a vacation for some, it'll get busier for me.

Also, during my long Web silence I managed to complete a 4-page dream comic for class. So, remember as you're reading, this started as a dream. (HA HA) I also tried one of the "extra-credit" challenges in the piece, which was to evoke a specific emotion without using any words. I believe I got close. Let me know what you think. Schumer: A Dream Comic

Danger Zone News Flash -- Don't be afraid, they're only cartoonists!

2009-10-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

Meant to post this long time ago, but CCS faculty member Steve Bissette is taking a crew with him to a cool event this weekend in New Hampshire. You can get the full scoop at their web site but here's the gist:

The folks will be at Comic Boom in Keene, N.H., this Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m. Steve will be signing copies of "The Vermont Monster Guide," the book he illustrated. (Book cover designer/colorist Cayetano ‘Cat’ Garza Jr will be on hand also.)

The monster squad of CCS alums and students will have their comics, prints and minis for show: Denis St. John ("Monsters & Girls"), "Werewolf!" creators/contributors Nick Patten, Josh Rosen, Betsey Swardlick, Penina Gal and Jon Chad; 2009 Ignatz Award winner Colleen Frakes ("Woman King"); William Volk and maybe a few mystery guests.

The scary fun continues later right around the corner with the Saturday Fright Special Spooktacular featuring Terence Fisher’s "The Brides of Dracula" at the Colonial Theater starting at 7 p.m. I bet the masses will be howling to win a copy of "The Vermont Monster Guide" Steve, Cat and author Joe Citro, and an original Bissette sketch of a Vermont vampire at the raffle.

Good luck ya'll!

Amtrak epiphany

2009-09-16T11:39:00.007-04:00

Today, Wednesday, Sept. 15, was the first day taking the train into WRJ. It was much bouncier than I thought, but I was still able to read and not get sick like I would if I were on the bus or in car. I'm not sure about working with laptop or drawing but we'll see. Also, won't be long before the beautiful fall scenery loses its luster.

Also, this could be me reading too much into it, but I felt a sense of the divine at work as the train rambled on. I've said the school opening in Vermont was the first instance and now there's the train ride itself: the station is no more than 10 minutes from my house (the one we took so long to find) and the station in WRJ drops me off practically behind the school! Folks from/in big metro areas are probably like "what's the big deal?" But for the transportation to fall in line so well in rural, scattered Vermont is a biggie to me. Makes me wonder, is all, maybe it's just the air on the train...

Week 1 well under way

2009-09-14T22:10:00.003-04:00

And I'm not referring to the NFL season (although I did just watch the Pats once again pull out a miraculous win in the closing minutes). I had my first session of senior thesis seminar today and so classes are now in full swing. Jason Lutes already had us drawing comics...eep. I just went with it. And then we had to reveal our strengths and weaknesses. We'll see as the year goes whether I was right about mine.

As soon as next week, we're going to start having in-class crits. I need to get rolling so I can have something to show. The rest are building off stuff they started last year. I haven't even sat down with Steve and James to talk about my plans for a thesis. It will more than likely involve DZC and "Punk" in some way.

For professional practice, we're designing "identity systems," logos and other designs for use on business cards, letterheads, Web sites. After some frustrating fits and starts, I think I've settled on a nice design.

The jump-right-into work philosophy is forcing me to not dwell on where my drawing skills might be compared to the others. Now, that don't mean I haven't been peeking looks at my classmates worktables and sketch pads ...

Is my labor in vain

2009-09-07T08:17:00.006-04:00

A fitting sentiment for the day.
Even though I have it off, I got a lot of work to do. So I dragged myself out of bed early, at least for a holiday.

As I mentioned, I'm back at CCS. Went to orientation Friday where I met the new folks and got my studio space. Yea, my own studio. Sounds all official and artist like, huh?

I expected it to feel a little weird and it did at times. Me, the old-but-new guy sitting in ring of about 26 new faces, who have obviously formed their own bonds and connections. But Jason, Michelle, James, Valerie and the others welcomed me back with open arms -- literally, with hugs. One of the other seniors even offered to let me crash at their apartment on bad weather days.

As I nervously nibbled at pizza and took notes, still questioning (in my head) this path I was taking and the money I was spending on it, James made a statement that finally put me at ease. He was talking about the adviser-student relationship which gives us rare access to working cartoonists and other professionals. That dovetailed into us having been given the time to focus on our comics/cartooning projects. For the next year, well at least two semesters, we're allowed to put most of our time and effort into our comics without feeling guilty about setting aside other aspects of our busy lives. There it is, I thought. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm spending the money. Course for me, it won't be that simple to set aside the other aspects of my busy life, the family and church. And since I do have to pay for it, there's still work.

Which brings me back to today and why I got up early to work on Labor Day. I'm working on some fund-raising ideas. As usual, I've got plots for three more novels and or graphic novels kicking around that I need to get down on paper before I forget them. And I have to prepare a financial presentation for a string of church meetings this week.

But I do want to spend some time with the family today as well. Better do it now before I have to start locking them out of the room...

"Working my way back..."

2009-05-26T14:15:00.002-04:00

I was writing an e-mail to one of my DZC partners and it prompted me to post. You all, those who are left anyway, haven't heard from me in a month. Not good.

I have been busy (that's my excuse) just not doing much on the creative side. I'm still working on my two novels, though I've hit a wall with the most complete one.
I've been sketching with more focus, essentially trying to get my doodles to look a bit more polished.
The other thing I've been trying to do is read in my spare time. It actually helps me get creative; hopefully I'm not stealing ideas, just getting hints on how to handle problems in my own books. I got through a good thriller called "Black Water Rising" by Attica Locke in about a month; still trying to finish up "Fortress of Solitude" by Jonathan Lethem, which I've been working on for like two years! In the mean I've read an Indiana Jones novel by Rob McGregor and got about half-way through "The Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jamie Ford. Nostalgia got me a few months back and I started reading/re-reading some old comics from back in the day, Spectacular Spidey, Marvel Team-Up and Cage.

Otherwise, most of my time has been trying to get some house stuff done (plant grass/water lawn) and check out a playoff game when it's on (I don't have TNT or VS). I also took on a new post at work, as community outreach guy, basically sort of the local p.r. person. And I've been spending longer hours at the paper with people gone on vacations and furloughs.

In comics related news, CCS has let me know I can come back in the fall to finish up my degree. However, the loan program I had taken out with them before is no longer offered; Sallie Mae stopped it due to the recession. BUT ... school has another loan program with a local bank, so here's hoping they'll give me the money.

And I did start this post out by mentioning me and my partner are deciding which DZC comics project to start on. So, look's like I'm emerging from my winter cocoon. Hopefully you'll hear more from me more often.

Captivating Kalas

2009-04-15T10:40:00.002-04:00

OK, so this has absolutely nothing to do with my comics, but you all should know by now that I'm a huge Steeler fan in particular, football in general. Hey, I grew up in Western Pa. what would you expect? Harry Kalas' death yesterday hit me differently than it did those generations of Philly fans who listened to him call baseball games. Kalas was the voice of NFL Films for me. He brought a sense of drama and intensity to highlights that just captivates me to this day. Here's a link to a piece from Comcast.net on Kalas and my comment should be there, you might have to scroll down to find it.
If not here's what I wrote:
"I'm sorry that I missed out regularly hearing Harry calling the Phils, because he was/is an integral part of the NFL experience for me. I was checking NFL Films to make sure he did do some of the pieces I remembered -- most notably Super Bowl X. And listening to the excerpts and tribute, I had to say out loud "you know, it just sounds right!" that is Kalas' narration. His voice brought a sense of epic proportion and drama to HIGHLIGHTS that I swear is largely unmatched. Maybe that's overstating it a bit, but I don't need to watch an entire Super Bowl, playoff game or mid-season matchup if I can just listen to Harry tell me how it all went down. Again, hearing him call an entire game must have been sweet."

Marvel stinks or sour grapes?

2009-01-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

I'm about ready to "boycott" Marvel. I work in a freaking bookstore and I couldn't get a copy of Spidey/Obama. We kept getting notices from corporate "they say it should be arriving this week..." And as I guessed it never did. However, I go to Mile High Comics and see the first printing issue (shown at right) on sale for $100.
And as for my LCS? I went there and didn't see it either but that was probably because they'd reserved their 10 copies.
Is it because we live in Vermont that we don't seem to be able to get these things? Even B&N was still waiting for the issue as of Wednesday.
How does this distribution thing work? We keep saying floppies are in danger cause graphic novels will all be sold at bookstores, yet nothing is going to the bookstores. Does this start with Marvel doing woefully inadequate print runs on books they know will sell out? And how does it benefit them to have a Spidey book for sale on Ebay at $300?
Things sell out I understand. But how can a book that never made it to store shelves -- at least as far as I can tell here -- sell out? Doesn't seem right.
I know -- life ain't fair.
Thoughts?

Novel approaches end II

2008-11-29T10:48:00.002-05:00

I'm at about 11,500 with less than 2 days to go. I'd have to skip work tonight and church tomorrow to have any hope of reaching 50k.
Here's a couple scenes I'm particularly fond of to wet yall's whistle...
Thanks to all who have sent words of encouragement my way!

peace

The sun bore down on Oakledge, hot and bright. Some of the campers sought refuge in what shade was available: a bare spot under trees near the creek, the bench on the porch of the hall entrance or inside the darkened building.
For others, swimming was the only remedy. That’s why they stood in near panic on the hot concrete looking over the pool’s edge. Romeo and Rashied had said that they could only go swimming after it was cleaned…but THIS?
Julius’ fears had been confirmed. As he clutched the towel hung over his shoulder he craned his neck at the murky, muck green water in the pool. He couldn’t see the bottom, heck he could barely see down three inches. Small creatures wiggled over the surface making weird moving waves. And with every splash and mighty swing, Rashied’s net pulled out at least two small frogs/toads, which he flung into the grass over the short fence.
“I told you it was too early to be swimmin’” Romeo said from the shed, holding a net himself. “It takes too long to clean out this thing!”
“Come on, I mean what you want to do? They want to swim,” Rashied said exasperated. “We got most of the crap out yeste-day anyhow.”
“Really? That’s what’s this crap, huh?” Romeo declared as he presented a net full of frog eggs, dragonfliers, water-spiders and algae.
“Eww!”
‘Oh, God! I ain’t swimmin in that!”
“… the hell?”
“That’s just nassstee!”
Tami’s tomboy tendencies quickly began to fade. The murky green water mocked her, daring her to even step in a toe. And this was one dare she was willing to lose.
She glanced to her left again. Sure enough, Monica and her crew were still looking her up and down. Only the top of Tami’s one piece lightblue suit was visible, as she wore thin yellow gym shorts over it. Yet it was enough to show her figure which left Roderick tripping all over himself and the girls more than a bit jealous.
“Think she all that,” Ramona whispered.
Tami just laughed. Not even worth it, she thought. But then she caught Ramona’s eye. The other girl was not much taller than her, pretty as well, but with a fierce angry brown face. And when she cocked her head and bucked her eyes at Tami, it was then that she decided maybe it was worth hanging around the pool a little while longer.
Tami turned and right way met Roderick’s gaze. She relaxed her posture and softened her tone.
“Hmmph. You going in?”
“Huh, what?” Roderick stammered. “You?”
“I’m not going in by myself.”
“I’ll go in with you,” Roderick laughed. “Me and you girl, we can do this thing!”
“No you won’t,” Tami said. She turned to the Ramona-girls. Sure enough they were fuming. Mission accopmplished, she thought and turned to walk out the gate.
“No, never mind, I think I’ll wait on swimming.”
“Hol on, girl, I swear I’ll get in with you!” Roderick pleaded and walked over to Tami’s side brushing by other boys.
Julius had been half-listening. He focused on the net in Rashied’s hand and how it emerged emptier than the last time. No, it wasn’t the pool at the Y or school. But what could it hurt? The camp wouldn’t let them swim there if it was dangerous he deduced. And as a far as he knew, copperheads weren’t into getting wet.
He dropped his towel and took of his T-shirt. He tipped his head at Romeo, who nodded back cautiously. And then he jumped.
There was mininmal splash when Julius hit the water, but the sudden noised sounded like a dynamite blast. The water was warm and thick, and Julius stretched his toes searching for the bottom. The pool was deeper than he expected. Why, he thought, it looked deep! Still, he took a chance, closed his eyes and let his head submerge under into the cloudy depths.
Julius’ foot reached the bottom soon after. He took a few strokes to get his balance and check for signs of wildlife. No water serpent had bit and no frogs slithered nearby, so all was well.
He pushed his luck and decided to open his eyes. Julius was taken aback by the blackness. No green like the surface, just a deep wide darkness was in front of him. The shock used up most of his air and Julius began to blow bubbles – and was immediately sorry.
The water’s taste thoroughly surprised. It was like slimly, wet dirt mixed with the worst tasting vegetables ever. A gag reflex stuck in his throat, Julius began to panic, and shot his body toward the surface.
He broke through with a huge gasp splashing the icky water on the other campers. With two wild but effective strokes he reached the side of the pool. He dragged himself out, choking and gagging, and wiping his mouth.
“Cool breeze, you alright,?” Romeo said rushing to his side.
Rashied came up next to him and clapped Julius on the back.
“Ugh, bleech,” Julius muttered as he fiercely rubbed his eyes and face. “Tastes…nasty.”
“My bad, shoulda told ya not to drink it,” Rashied said. He grasped Julius shoulders. “See, not that bad though, was it.”
“Uh-uh,” Julius answered blinking.
“Brave man ain’t!” Romeo said standing and looking back at the others.
“Yea, I’ll give you that one, J,” Montel said from outside the fence. The girl standing next him smiled and shook her head.
The sun’s warmth on his back was nothing compared to the proud burning in his chest. He stood slowly, to full height, picking up his towel in the process. He wiped his eyes and looked to the other side of the pool. As kids began plopping into the water behind, he watched Tami and Roderick walking back to the dining hall, laughing the whole way.

The day started to cool off and Tami took that as a sign she really didn’t need to go swimming in slime. But there was something she was still dying to do. She tucked the T-shirt into her shorts as she walked purposely out the cabin door. She moistened her lips and felt the hot air drying them off instantly. Her bare feet squished in her damp tennis shoes and she kept her steady pace down the hill. She could feel it calling to her, whispering in the air.
Tami arrived at the bottom of the hill onto the gravelly main driveway of Oakledge. She turned her head slightly to the left and right, deciding it was safe to proceed and started walking again. The calling became louder, the force’s pull on her stronger. Tisha and Cleo, walking by in the opposite direction, managed to break her trance.
“Hulllo,” Cleo sung.
“We’re going to see who wants to do some double-dutch, you wanna?” Tisha added.
“Not right now,” Tami said quickly barely looking their way and her trance resumed.
The girls shrugged and walked toward the hall. Tami kept heading down and away from the building.
To the creek.

Tami was mesmerized as she looked at the still, glistening water. She slowly bent down and gently poked at it with her finger, as if she touching a living creature, a strangers puppy while although cute it didn’t know her so she had to be careful not to spook it. As she had hoped, it was cool to the touch, spared from the sun’s searing rays by the canopy of leaves on the side away from the drive. She immediately found a dry rock and sat down. With a preschooler’s earnest, she whipped off her sneakers. She stood back up and took a step. The creek bed was full of rocks, and woody debris, but Tami remained steady. She gracefully navigated the trail of stones, sizes and textures constantly changing. In few feet and the water rose just over the tops of her round, pudgy feet. She watched it run slowly over the apple-red polish on her nails and smiled.
Tami looked to her left and was made a startling discovery. The line of trees opened here, the stretch split by what looked like a spot where rocks had fallen from the opposite ledge. The result was a short clearing, a trail of smooth rocks that lead up into the trees. Tami immediately began climbing, slowly making her way up the first rock steps. She made it to the top, a giant rock slab and sat down.
It was perfect. She looked out on the creek and the rest of the camp beyond it. The campers cries and laughs were dim. She could see them, playing by the hall, in the driveway, sitting on the porch.
She could see them, but she was hidden away in her private stony paradise.
Or so she thought. She turned her head back toward the end of the creek to see Roderick and that kid with the baseball cap lumbering in her direction.

“Knew that was homegirl,” Roderick snickered back to Julius who was slowly maneuvering his way over the slippery rocks. Every step seemed precarious and he’d had enough swimming for a day. Roderick moved with determined steps, no care for treacherous terrain, Julius thought. He seemed hell bent on reaching that outcrop and that girl he’d called “superfine.”
Tami was slipping on her last shoe when the Roderick’s face reappeared. She looked the dark, lanky kid over. He was not unattractive and he had a likeable air about him. But his smile. She stared at the perfectly white teeth, set against the black skin. Roderick’s smile was both disarming and alluring. It was congenial and creepy all in one toothy expanse. Combined with his manical cackle, you wanted to laugh with him and get away from him. Tami folded her knees to her chest and closed her eyes.
“What’s up, sexy,” Roderick said madly and plopped down on the rock beside Tami. He misjudged his seat and slipped, almost sliding down into the creek. He stopped his slide, recovering his footing, and just laughed. Julius stood near the creek bed and just shook his head.
Tami opened one eye.
“Sure you wanna sit here,” she asked slyly.
“Just wanted to see why you up here all by yourself,” Roderick replied, entering full flirt mode. “And keep you company.”
“Company?” Tami giggle-snorted. “That’s what you call you being?”
“Rod, quit bothering her, man,” Julius called up to them. He was now standing a few feet away at the base of the outcrop. To Tami it seemed he had established a buffer zone of some kind, as if he was trying to give her and Roderick privacy while still being in the picture. Probably why she’d forgotten he was there, she thought.
“Ya’ll not botherin’ me,” Tami sighed.
All three noticed the inclusionary “ya’ll.” Roderick looked at Julius who looked at Tami who looked straight ahead. Julius’ attention quickly returned to a compelling rock structure in the creek. Roderick, sighed quietly, and turned back to Tami locking his eyes on her heaving chest.
“What’s your shirt say?”
Tami turned and looked quizzically at him.
“There,” he said pointing and coming within a fingertip of touching her chest. “Whatsit say?”
Tami grinned. She tugged slowly on her shirt, a flirtatious move that made it easier to see the writing on her shirt -- and other things.
“Super chick?”
Tami shrugged, leaning back on her elbows to give Roderick a clearer view.
“Think it’s sheek, ain’t it,’ Julius chimed in from below. “Think that’s French.”
“Oh, see that’s more like what I was thinkin’,” Roderick laughed.
Tami raised an eyebrow at him.
“You know it girl, you know what you like! Make me wanna sing some Rick James!”
Roderick jumped up on the rock and an air guitar instantly appeared in his hands. He began to strum it wildly: “Boooom, boom, boom, buh-bump, buh-bump! Boooom, boom, boom, buh-bump, buh-bump!”
The he started to sing -- loudly.
“She’s a very kinky girl, the kind you don’t take home to mama!”
Tami rolled her eyes.
“She’s a super freak, super freak, she’s soooper freaky, ya’ll!”
Roderick ended the verse with a wild shriek and cackled. Tami couldn’t stifle her laugh. Julius just stared in utter amazement at Roderick, who bolstered by his audience’s response, sang the chorus louder and louder while adding pelvic thrusts and wagging his tongue.
“Super freak, super freak!” “That’s what you are aint, Tam,” he cackled. “You like that don’t you,” he said accentuating his hip movements.
Tami laughed loudly, clapping her hands and throwing her head back. Julius cracked up as well, but then he noticed that the commotion caused those nearby to look over at the creek. He felt a wave of embarrassment rush through his body, and suddenly he wanted to run over and pull the plug on Roderick’s performance. But he paused. Smiled, and then just kept laughing.

Novel approaches end

2008-11-26T09:52:00.003-05:00

OK, so I was going to wait to update when I hit the 10K mark, but that seems a bit far off. I'm near 8500 words now. Yes time is running out but the NaNo organizers suggest that people just keep writing even if they aren't going to make the 50K goal.
So I'm plugging away, when I can. This is a very humbling experience as it reveals a lot about one's work habits (I can procrastinate with the best of em), knowledge and memory (mine seems to be fading fast)!
Here's the intro to the story's other main character. Again, typos, grammar, etc. ahead.

Tamalia’s boots clicked and scratched across the concrete in harmony with the jingle of her chain belt. She looked at the well-traveled bus with its peeling Premium Coach Lines logo and rusty bumpers. She thought back to the raggedy flier with the rageddy picture of a raggedy looking camp.
And I hope I brought my tennis shoes, she thought.
“I hope you brought your tennis shoes, Miss Thing,” said the tall thick African American woman walking beside her. Tamalia cocked her head up at her mother – and smirked.
“Should be in here,” Tamalia said and slighted raised the pink canvas duffle bag at her side for her mother to see.
“I saw you put them sandals in there, Tami, but I didn’t…”
“Ma,” Tami interrupted, “I put those in there, too. I got what I need.”
And if not, no big whoop, Tami thought.
“Come on then,” her mother, Regina, acquiesced. “They gonna leave your butt.”
“Not if they know better,” Tamalia said with mock disgust.
“You ain’t never lied,” Regina cooed with her husky voice.
The two looked at each other and giggled.
The thin man was pushing on some bags in the luggage compartment, huffing and puffing with every bend and twist. He put his hands on hips and turned to see Regina and Tamalia. He was struck immediately by the older woman’s height, curly afro and thick-rimmed glasses. Then he glanced over at the 15-year-old gliding up beside her with the a shorter, moister-looking afro and tight pink polo shirt.
“Let me get that for you,” he blurted reaching for Tami’s bag before she had a chance to offer it.
Tami gracefully handed the duffle over. Out the corner of her eye, she saw her mother staring at the young man with her hands on her hips and shaking her head.
“Uh, hmm, where’s a …” the man hemmed and hawed, moving sporadically up and down the length of the bus, cradling the duffle in his arms like a newborn. He finally settled on a spot, snatching an ugly yellow suitcase out. He was nestling the duffle into its holy manger when a smooth voice shouted from behind.
“Wait! Oh, snap. Could I get my Walkman?” Tami asked.
Without hesistation, the young man removed the dufflebag and proffered it to her. She reached in and pulled out the gray/blue rectangle and carefully unwrapped the tangle of black headphone cords. With a smile, she thanked the thin man, who nodded and quickly returned it back to the bus.
“Raash,” a darker brown man called to him from the front of the bus. “You done man? We gots to get rollin’!”
The thin man reached down for the yellow suitcase and almost angrily laid it on top of Tami’s duffle bag.
Walking over to the bus he saw the older man and another smiling at him. He glanced back at the two females. Looked back the guys and whistled softly.
“Maaan, you see, whoo, trying to get a brother in trouble already!”
Tami smiled inwardly and pretended to be completely concerned with attaching her Walkman to her waist. She also surveyed the small group of kids mingling about. And, it seemed, every way she turned she ended up catching the eye of some boy.
Again, she smiled.
“Try to have fun without being too wild,” her mother said to the sky. “And don’t be thinking about them boys, either.”
Again, Tami looked up, amazed at her mother’s perceptiveness. She thought it was a little weird, but loved it.
“Hmm, tell them not to be thinking about me!” she said twisting her full lips.
“Yes, well some things can’t be helped can they?” Regina whispered.
They cracked up again.

Comic-Man becomes ... NOVEL-Man!

2008-11-17T22:23:00.002-05:00

OK, so it's been a little over a week since I embarked on this little trip. And where are we on the road to 50K words? Ta daa -- a whopping 4,650!!
Yea, most folks are in the 25K-30K range by now.
So why am I posting here when I should be writing? Good question!!!

Here's some opening grafs for you to peruse; spolier --- typos and grammar issues ahead! :)

Julius flung the fraying mustard-yellow suitcase into the bus luggage compartment and quickly returned to the curb, trying to blend back in with the crowd. He almost made it.
“Uh, hey, m’man, can you get that in there a little farther?”
Julius’ shoulders drooped and his head rolled forward under the weight of the words. He turned reluctantly to face his accuser, a thin young man with wild curly hair and a sketch of a mustache on his light-brown face. His big smile compelled Julius to step back toward the bus.
“Got a few more people comin’. Gonna need the space,” the man said, still smiling. Julius smiled back and immediately wished he could wipe it off his face.
He reached out his right arm and used the tips of his bony fingers to move the suitcase up and back. It seemed to glow among the rest of the backpacks, duffle bags and he had to turn away. As he did he looked around at the rest of the campers’ traveling gear. Much more suited to the trip he thought, but then his eyes settled on a set of white plastic Giant Eagle shopping bags, with clothes showing throwing the stretching plastic.
Maybe I should be chill and count my blessings, he thought.
He readjusted his black and gold Pirate baseball cap for the 20th time, then stuffed his hands in the pockets of his red Members Only jacket and walked back to the curb. Knew you weren’t going to need no coat, he berated himself, then remembered it wouldn’t fit the suitcase so he had to come up with some way to bring it. Julius was still debating the decision with himself, a full trial session going on his head, when his mother tapped him in the chest.
“Did you get your brother and sisters’ on there also,” she asked him. Although, Juanita Carol Crawford didn’t really ask her kids anything and Julius answered with that in mind.
“Yes, ma, I did theirs first.” The Pirate cap required another adjustment.
Juanita stood eye-to-eye with her oldest son, now 15. She looked at his face and saw the worry. Yes, he was now getter taller than her and soon would be in high school, but she couldn’t help but still see a timid eighth-grader hiding beneath the brim of the oversized baseball cap. She wanted to reassure him. She wanted to pop him and say “get it together.” As usual, she tried to do both.
“When ya’ll get there, find out if you and your brother can be together, in the same bunk or whatever,” Juanita strategized. “They might split ya’ll up by ages, so it might not work. If not, try to stay together. The girls will probably be together anyway.”
Orders received, Julius looked up and scanned the crowd. He saw his sisters, Latisha and Cleo, nodding their heads furiously and laughing with three other girls. Then Cleo shrieked as their brother Antony came up from behind clapped her on the back.
“Oww, dang, whachyoudoin’,” she wailed. She balled up a small powerful fist and rapped Antony in his frail chest. The 10-year-old bellowed, “Dang, what was that for! Always gotta be hittin somebody,” he muttered as he turned to walk toward Julius and their mother.
Julius watched the exchange. He watched the other girls, one light-skinned with jetblack permed hair, the other a honey brown with short hair, big hoop earrings and glistening full lups. Both had beautiful smiles.
“J?” “J?”
His mother’s voice snapped him out of his daydream.
“Pay attention while you’re gone, alright?” she pleaded.

NaNoWriMo update

2008-11-12T08:51:00.007-05:00

So, I banged out the premise/structure/plot for a story yesterday...and then decided to scrap the whole thing and write about something else. This is not starting off well! (ha!)
I'm much more invested in the new idea so I think I should be able to write it fairly easily. The NaNo site tracks your word count and lets you upload excerpts of your work, but I may just post some things here. If so, feedback of any kind would be great, although the spirit of NaNo is to really do all your editing and polishing in December.

Also keep checking back here for word on a new Internet comic venture that I and my crew at DZC are planning.

Hi ho a deerio, NaNoWriMo we will go...

2008-11-10T21:12:00.005-05:00

Folks, I know it's been a while (that means you Mr. Campbell (smile)) but I am still among the living -- it's my spirit that feels dead.
Yes, Mr. Upbeat has been getting beat up lately. Need something to cheer me up.
Let's see new president, cool.
Oh and I've taken up the challenge with National Novel Writing Month to complete a 50,000 word story by Nov. 30. Hmm, now whether this leads me into deeper depths of despair remains to be seen.

Wish me luck peeps!

"He gave up a job...": Chapter 5 The End?

2008-09-17T10:26:00.006-04:00

I can't remember how but a letter bearing the insignia of the Center for Cartoon Studies came across my desk in '05. Something that can be described as a bug-like early-warning system began tingling in me. This is a story that had to be written! A comic book college, here in Vermont! No way! And just as I was beginning to delve into a Green Mountain comics scene that was vaster than I had expected.

Luckily the editor and a reporter in the Freep's Living department believed the same. Even luckier was they let me pitch in with the first article.

I wasn't only doing research for my part of the story. I was also checking this place out as a possible destination site.

Two years pass, (not to write the article!) I finally take the plunge. I send off an application package to CCS. Now, my rough, crudely drawn, six-page comic about robot wrestlers (yes, you read that right) has me a little anxious. I hope that my riveting, well-written essay on why I love comics and another on the meaning of "future/time" will win the review committee over.

I guess it does, because I'm accepted. After sweating over financing, housing arrangements and my family's state of mind, I enroll and start class in September, 2007. I've finally done it. The lifelong dream is finally coming to fruition. I'm going to make comic books.

Well. I made one. Any more remains to be seen. Why? Well, if this were a comic this would be the dramatic, series shifting, life-altering plot twist: I've had to put school on hold. The upheaval in the Kwanza household this summer has left me little time to deal with things directly related to my comics career (aside from buying comics as "research"). I've managed to squeak in a couple zines for my APA, comicopia. I plotted out some issues for Punk.
But as of the first day of class last week, I still didn't have a steady job, a loan for school or the certainty that all was back-to-normal at home.

How long before I return? Hopefully, just a year. What will I do in the mean? One thing is to be more consistent on the blog. It's supposed to be about my doings as a comics creator. School was just a part of that. A BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC part -- but just a part. I need to keep writing. Keep honing my drawing skills. Stay in the mindset that I want to do this as a career; maybe a side venture, but not a hobby.

So, much like the Great Word Processor Crash of '94, my dream to make comics has taken a mortal blow. But hey, no one stays dead in comics, right? Stay tuned for more true believers. Stay tuned...

"He gave up a job...": Chapter 4

2008-08-27T11:25:00.000-04:00

When last we left you, Modi had "come to his senses..."

While I had practically given up on my future in the comics field, I was encouraged by the success of others. Particularly independents and black/African-American comic creators such as ANIA in Atlanta. Milestone's arrival in 93/94 blew my mind.

I came across a Web listing for Reggie Byer's "Kidz of the King" a Christian comic book, but I couldn't get a copy. Maybe a year later, I'm packing up after teaching a Church School class when our superintendent comes up to me and hands me a copy of the first issue asking, "Have you ever heard of this?" All my oohing and 'Oh my god'-ing got me quite a few amused stares.
The kicker? The book was published by UMI, which makes our church school materials, and one of my back-burner ideas had been to approach UMI about doing a comic!

It was '03 and the flame was rekindled. Two years later, the news of a full-fledged comic book college coming to Vermont added the starter fluid.

PUNK #0 online -- sort of

2008-07-03T12:51:00.010-04:00

Discipline.
Consistency.
Commitment.
Sounds like a sports mantra or military oath. But as my fellow comic creators and bloggers know, those are also important to us! I'm being reminded that I have to make the time for my comics career and not wait until I can get a moment to work on things. Part of it is scheduling. Part of it is not being lazy: "yea, you're tired, but we got work to do." Part of it is overcoming the fear that it's a waste of time.
Things come up, like illnesses out of nowhere. Life.
But I've got to be diligent. I've got to make it happen (with some help from the Almighty). My hesitation cost me a $500 illustrating gig.
That said, my promised update on the availability of Punk is long overdue. Here is the first half of the issue. As soons as Comcast fixes my Web issues, I'll have more for you.

"He gave up a job...": Chapter 3

2008-06-17T08:54:00.004-04:00

From middle school through high school I read -- and bought -- more comics. I drew copies of my favorite covers; I designed characters and costumes and took a cartooning/comics class here and there.
But it was all on the periphery, off in the background. I was being steered to "serious writing" now. My dad gave me "Blame Me on History," the scathing anti-apartheid autobiography of a South-African writer/journalist named Bloke Modisane. See any message in that?

My journalistic tendencies were coming to the front. I nagged our neighbor Mark to let me be an intern at the Pittsburgh Courier. I wrote for a couple of school newspapers. I also voraciously kept a journal, chronicling the events of the day and my feelings about them. And now, I wrote short stories, not comics, about my crew's adventures -- going to parties, hanging in Oakland, fights/near fights, various episodes with the police, etc.

When it was time to go to college, I applied to the journalism schools at Ohio State and Northwestern. Didn't get in, but got accepted at Oberlin, go figure... For grad school, however, I majored in print journalism at Boston University. With my French degree from O.C., it seemed I was moving along on my path as an international journalist/correspondent.

Eventually even my drawing fell into the margins of my notebooks. Comics and art became a hobby, not a serious venture. A word processor crash in 1993 that wiped out my drafts/outlines for my Universe Comics characters seemed to be a sign to finally end my comics creating dreams.

"He gave up a job...": Chapter 2

2008-06-04T17:33:00.001-04:00

What I was reading became what I wrote. Initially, I wanted to be a mystery writer. Why? 'Cause Encyclopedia Brown and the Hardy Boys were my favorite books to read. By the fifth grade I had written several Brown mysteries, come up with my own boy detective, and created Idom the Wonder Worm, who solved mysteries (and looked a lot like Richard Scary's worm character wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat).
Notice the inclusion of "wonder" in the title, a very comic-bookish term. Comic books still had a hold on me. So, it's no shock that my first original comic book superhero team was a group of super powered crime solvers, not necessarily crime fighters, called…The Detecters. Hey, I was young, subtlety was not my forte.
The Detecters remained largely character profiles until the seventh grade when my crew and I decided to do our own comic: we’d write it, draw it, mimeograph it at school – yes, I said mimeo not copy machine; our teachers even gave us some of the carbon paper to draw on – and sell it to our classmates. The selling idea quickly went by the way side and I didn't complete my section in time for the "press run." But going through the process and having a real-life book at the end of it, made the idea of creating comics as real for me as writing the next-great mystery novel. The seeds for the "Modi Comics Group" had been planted, but their germination period would be a long one -- like 9 years.

He gave up a job with benefits for this?????

2008-05-29T14:00:00.004-04:00

Surprisingly enough, folks have asked to hear more about me: specifically, why comics?

It's a fair question because I've wanted to be a writer since childhood and my interests included fiction and newspapers as far as I can remember. So, having a degree in journalism and working at the largest newspaper in the Vermont, would seem to indicate that I had achieved my goal.

Not entirely. "Comic-Man," my alter ego, was begging to be free.

Sometime early on, I decided to start illustrating my ideas, either as standalone drawings or as a comics. I can't remember what made me start drawing. I can, however, remember some of the earliest things I drew: Underdog, Mighty Mouse, my own Peanuts comic strips and Spider-Man, usually just his webbed-head.

Obviously, I was enamored with cartoons, but it was comics that bridged my two loves. Three loves, actually, as comics also fostered my passion for reading.

It began with an issue of Superman. It was a story about a guy who was able to beat Supes because of a watch he had. I had to be pretty young, -- 4 1/2 - 5 years old -- because my comprehension didn’t pick up on the fact that the guy had kryptonite in the watch. "Ma," I remember saying, "I want to get more of these." "OK, learn to read," she answered. And it was on. (At right: The first comic book I "read." )

And finally, without the thunderbolt...

2008-05-24T13:48:00.010-04:00

So, you're asking, "what has he been doing since the origin of this blog 10 months ago?" Well, I'd like to say that I was working on writing, drawing and publishing my first complete comic book.

And I can.

What you have here is the cover for "Punk" Issue #0 -- my first comic series. Published under the banner of Danger Zone, "Punk" is slated to be a 12-issue book. Issue #0 was my final project for my first year at CCS (Center for Cartoon Studies). And big ups to Sante for the sweet back cover ad!!

Stay tuned for updates on when and where the entire book will be available and/or how to get copies. How's that for a cliffhanger ending?