Update 5/14/25

Hey, folks. Things are going to be a bit slow this coming week or two, due to my colonoscopy and a family member recovering from surgery. Also, my increasingly busy workload. I'm trying to get a bunch of things done this month so the Patreon might be a little light on posts this month.

Or not! I'm just letting you know things are hectic for a number of reasons.

The good reasons are...well, cripes, I can't tell you about those. But some things dropped in several laps this past week or so. one wholly unexpected. Both required me to sign NDAs. Neither is a guaranteed done deal, but both are super interesting and worthy of crossing fingers for everyone involved. And another thing happened that I wish I could tell you about, it will likely come to nothing but professional integrity prevents me from telling a tale. Someday I hope I can discuss all these things with you.

Besides that, my first script for an anthology comic has been finished, revised and approved. It is in the hands of the artist and I'm looking forward to when this is announced. My second script is due next month around this time. I think it'll go more smoothly than the first one did because I shook some writing rust off while working on it. It's also a more straightforward script, fewer characters and less plot and texture to fit into the short form.

On Saturday I was a guest at the New Dorp Comic Convention here on Staten island, and I was overwhelmed by the turnout for my appearance. I literally didn't have a minute to myself while I was there. I haven't been to a show in a long time and I was exhausted afterward. I hope I can do some other shows next year if there's any interest from other convention promoters. I'm also hoping that if Dark Horse sets up at NYCC later this year I'll get to do a signing for the Beasts of Burden Omnibus. Which seems to be selling well, from what I understand.

I'm doing layouts for a four-page comic gig for friends that my schedule pushed back from last year. I've got several commissions on the drawing table that I'm pushing along, three others in roughs to assembled onto Bristol.

I have a lot of social media DMs and messages to wade through, last week I answered over 120 messages from Instagram and Tumblr alone, not counting e-mail, Bluesky and the Patreon. I've had to take time off the last few days from answering people because it's 1) time-consuming and 2) hurting my hand. Folks tell me to use voice-to-text or whatever it's called but I have a problem with those things, I talk too fast and mention too many arcane nerd things that don't get picked up and transcribed correctly. I also talk way more than I type, which kills the time-saving benefits. So, for now, I stick with typing. I can see switching over some time when my hand is a claw, and I will have to learn to control my speech. Which I should have learned to do fifty years ago, I guess.

I have three interviews scheduled in the next two weeks, two podcasts and one fan magazine. Two are about old projects of mine that I'm rarely ever asked anything about (in one case, it's a blessing).

I saw Devo last week and they were terrific. I have a ticket to see The Descendants in August with friends, which I'm looking forward to because I've never seen them. I wanted to see The Damned later this year but they're playing as part of a festival and while I like some of the bands on the bill I'd rather just see a Damned show. Maybe they'll add something. I'm not up for a festival where I don't like half the bill, even if they have an AARP mosh pit.

I scored a copy of Phoenix volume 3 for $35 with shipping on eBay. Three more to go and I'll have all the material. I think it'll take about twenty years.

Next post is about Winky. I hope to scan some Welcome to Eltingville storyboards soon and get those posts going again. Also the next World's Funnest post, that's been o the back burner for a while. And other stuff.

More later, soon.