Sunday, January 31, 2010

January 31, 2010 LA_X



Spoilers.

On hopefully upcoming Project #1 - the reason for meeting with that publisher in Boston, who knows all about cartoon aardvarks and is trying the whole creator's rights thing, so it gives it a marginal connection to Cerebus.

On hopefully upcoming Project #2 - one of the reasons for having lunch with Jef "Frazz" Mallett, yesterday, and it also has a less marginal but still marginal connection to Cerebus.

On my sabbatical request for 2011 - if it all comes off, you better enjoy this past 3 weeks of postings, cuz a year from now there is not going to be too much posting going on from where I will be.

At 6:00 PM Hawaii time last night, ABC previewed episode 6.01 of LOST, which officially launches on Tuesday. From a hotel room across the street from this super-duper big screen, using high-tech audio-video equipment, someone recorded it and posted it, and as of about an hour or so ago, it was still up there... for those of you, like me, who read the last few pages of mystery books first... who read the movie spoiler sites before going to a movie... and so on. It only enhances the whole experience for me when I read/see because it reduces my anxiety. And I can pay attention better. Whatever. It's my way.

That image up top?

Figure it out.

Or not.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

January 30, 2010

So I'm sitting at a meeting with a potential publisher, a few weeks ago, in Boston, the day before meeting Margaret for brunch. It's an interesting company because they are trying to solve the problem of textbook publishing by using a combination of creator's rights philosophy and print-on-demand technology to keep the copyright in the hands of the author and the ultimate decision to print in the hands of the student. Sound familiar? Okay, so, that was all fascinating to learn.

Later in the conversation, figuring that this publishing guy would not really know that much about comics, I figured I would convey my support for what they were doing by expressing general support for this mode of operation in the history of the independent comics, and the way comiXpress is built on exactly the same thing.

HIM: "That's interesting. I did not know that. But we should talk about comics sometime."

ME: "Really? Why?"

HIM: "I was always a big fan. Mostly a Marvel guy from the Big Two, but my real love was for the independents..."

(he pauses here long enough for me to have an entire series of conversations in my head about what might or might not be coming next, including the option that he was actually about to say "...like Cerebus.")

HIM: "...like Cerebus."

ME: "Holy shit. Do you have any idea who you are sitting across the table from right now?"

I suppose he could have thought that I was anyone from Gerhard to a indy-comics serial killer. I started to talk aardvarks, Aartvark, and the collection. And then he jumps in with his favorite stories, issues, characters... and the next 30 minutes is spent on all things Cerebus.

Friday, January 29, 2010

January 29, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 01 (prelim)

. . . ...1.

Thanks for tuning in to 23 days of prelims on issue #13. I think there are some quite interesting differences between the prelim version and the final version that give a little bit of insight into the creative process (that would be PROcess, with a long "o" sound, Canadian, that is). I presume that one day we'll hear the analysis from Dave himself, if Cerebus Archives is still around (which, ever since I cannot just check it off on my Capital City Comics order, is unordered, figuring to wait for a few issues to accumulate before ordering).


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

January 19, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 11 (prelim)

Page 11 - starting the first half of the issue... or is it ending the first half, it's page 11, after all... or is it starting the second half because it's the 12th page I've shown... meh...

Page 11.


Monday, January 18, 2010

January 18, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 12 (prelim)

Page 12...



And, it is not so often that you find an actual cool thought, proverb, or aphorism inside a fortune cookie, top-10 list, or Dove candy wrapper, but I did. It was not a new idea, but I thought it was expressed rather nicely.

"Be yourself... everyone else is already taken."

Sunday, January 17, 2010

January 17, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 13 (prelim)

Page 13.




Top 10 thoughts for 2010.

Number One!

Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers: What you do today, might Burn Your Ass Tomorrow


And, today's bonus feature: Chemist meets Chemical Engineer!

Yesterday, Cerebus the Original Aartvark met Cerebusfangirl! We had a lovely, chaperoned chat over a late breakfast at a très chic French Bistro on Kenmore Square.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

January 16, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 14 (prelim)

Page 14.




Top 10 thoughts for 2010!

Number 2.

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is Weird and people take Prozac to make it normal....

Friday, January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 15 (prelim)

Page 15 on the 15th...



Top 10 thoughts for 2010.

Number 3.

Why is it that a slight tax increase cost you $200.00 and a substantial tax cut saves you only $30.00?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 14, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 16 (prelim)

Page 16.



Top ten thoughts for 2010.

Number 4.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather: It pays no attention to Criticism.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 13, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 17 (prelim)

Page 17:



Top 10 Thoughts for 2010.

Number 5.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

January 12, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 18 (prelim)

Page 18:



Top Ten Thoughts for 2010.

Number 6:

Some people are like a Slinky...
Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 19 (prelim)

Page 19:


Top 10 thoughts for 2010.

Number 7.

"Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks."

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 20 (prelim)

Page 20...


Ten thoughts for 2010.

Number 8:

"Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich."

Saturday, January 09, 2010

January 9, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 21 (prelim)

Page 21...




Ten thoughts for 2010.

Number 9:

"Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die."

Friday, January 08, 2010

January 8, 2010 Cerebus #13 p 22 (prelim)

Let's take these in reverse order, shall we? It will interfere less with your memory of the issue by short-circuiting your expectations-engine.



And while you are still here, a bonus. I usually read, half-smile, and then delete things like "top 10 thoughts for 2010" when they come in the email. But I got one a little earlier today where I basically enjoyed all 10 of them.

So here is something else you can come back for: Top 10 thoughts for 2010...

Number 10:

Life is sexually transmitted.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

January 7, 2010 Cerebus #13 prelims Cover

I received the full set of preliminary drawings for Cerebus #13, including the one for the cover. So, for the next 20-something days, I'll be presenting the prelim along with a scan of the published page. Lots of detail if you click on the sketches.