Update 4/13/2024

Sarah finished the colors on a new variant cover for another Dark Horse series. One's been solicited (Operation Sunshine), another is for an announced project (I previewed the cover here a little ways back), and this one will be solicited...I'm not sure when. Everything is done so far in advance now, I'm still used to the days when you finished a cover for solicitation a couple of weeks before it was going in the catalogs.

So we're caught up on those and I'm hoping to start on a cover for a reprint project.

There's another reprint project in the works, but I didn't do the cover for it. I wrote some solicitation text recently for the publisher so hopefully that will be public knowledge soon. Writing solicitation text or bios are like pulling mental teeth.

Speaking of teeth, or to be exact, gums, I had my periodontal surgery on Thursday. Kids...non-kids...floss more often and more seriously. Gum surgery sucks. My thanks to some folks who helped me get in the chair, so to speak. I'm taking antibiotics and eating soft foods. Or not eating, really. I didn't have much in the fridge for myself when I left the periodontist's office, I meant to go to Costco and pick up yogurt but I had a huge headache and my mouth hurt like crazy so I just went home and sacked out in my desk chair with Winky the Pirate Cat. I still don't feel tip-top but the overall gum pain is mostly gone. I was so tensed up in the chair the whole time my neck and arm is still throbbing. Not complaining, just updating. People have it worse, this I know. I've been lucky in many ways, before this I only had to get stitches across a finger after a high school matte cutter incident.

(Our first Space Ghost Coast to Coast script was "Gun, Disease". Prophetic? No. Just popped into my head, that's all).

Speaking of the neck and arm, I have been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in my neck. I saw the neck specialist on Wednesday and he went over my MRI. I have been referred to a pain management doctor to look into possible treatments. Possibly steroid shots. I keep envisioning myself with my wimpy soft physique and a Hulk neck. I see the hand specialist again soon, I'm not sure how this bears on the carpal tunnel. That might be just left up to physical therapy and medication.

And speaking of physical therapy, last week I was informed by my PT place that the contracts changed with my provider and they were no longer able to see me. My therapist got me two more appointments so I wouldn't be cut off immediately. This week when I went in for what I thought was my next-to-last visit he told me he managed to cadge twelve more appointments out of the insurance company. He told them I still needed work done. It was incredibly cool of him to go to bat for me like that. JAG PT at New Dorp, folks, if you're local and need to go. Very nice crew. And you can go get comics at JHUComics down the block.

Speaking of comics, I'm reading Peanuts again (1971-1972). But I need another comic book. I really haven't been reading comics much these past few years.

Speaking of these past few years, they've really been kind of shitty, haven't they?

Speaking of Winky the Pirate Cat (earlier), next month will be her third anniversary in the house. She and Nutmeg are spending more time around each other in various proximities. There's still dust-ups and Nutmeg still acts aggressively but they've managed to sleep in the same room a few times and chill out. Even if no one's around (I came home one night to find them right where I left them in my studio hours before, sleeping on chairs not too far apart). They're not exactly friendly but they aren't tooth and nail. Winky is still looking to be friends. Maybe someday.

Speaking of someday, holy shit, do I dread the November elections. I mean, I dread every miserable Kafka-Vonnegut-P.K. Dick pollinated day nowadays. Genocide, hate and bigotry, but, hey, we have both eastern and western Godzilla franchises, so, what's to complain about? End of days entertainment packages starting at $15.49. Less if you don't mind commercials. JFC. Forgive me, this has been a tough month for various reasons, I'm depressed and life is uncertain in the best of times, which these are not. But I hope things are good with you, honestly. Someone should be doing good, at least. I've found that a pet helps a lot.

I want to make sure I finish everything I owe anyone this year because I can't see past 2024. Same with my debts. Well, maybe 2025 for that. 2026? It would be nice to have that worked out by the time I'm 60. A nice, round, kind of scary number. For me at least. I'm not being morbid, I'm not going anywhere (I hope), there's just so little anyone can do about anything, I'd like to at least know I handled my commitments. Especially the late ones.

Bad car luck update, thankfully a small item. The car broke down while Sarah was running errands. Luckily she was outside a garage and they helped her out. The replacement battery that AAA installed during a snowstorm a few months ago wasn't properly installed. So, they took care of that for her, and didn't charge (she tipped them). So, whew. It's still running.

Anything else? Oh, there will be a new episode of the Tear Them Apart podcast in the near future. If you recognize what movie the above image of "Honey the Cat" is from, you'll know what movie Paul and I will be discussing. It's been a long time since we had a new episode in the pipeline. We plan to do another Youtube live hangout soon, possibly with a comic book guest.

Oh, I forgot -- I'm still waiting to hear back on some story pitches I was asked to contribute to the Oni Press EC line. Fingers crossed one of them is deemed worth going ahead with. I haven't written a comic script in so long I feel like I've forgotten how. I think this would be a good way to shake some rust off before I can get back to Beasts of Burden.

Otherwise, not a hell of a lot going on. I've been watching a lot of international horror films (mostly not good) and Mirrorman episodes (wholly ridiculous) while plunked in the recovery chair the last few days. I have a pillow on my side for my arm which Winky invariably crawls onto and takes over as a cat bed. This defeats the purpose of the pillow but is too cute to do anything about. She has been extra snuggly lately, she hates when I leave the house and I've been going to a lot of extra doctor appointments these past few weeks.

I need to pack up recent art and card drawing sales to send out next week. Thanks to everyone who picked up drawings this past week. I'll see if I have anything else people might be interested in, as far as small drawings go. Original art-wise, in the past few weeks I sold the last Northwest Comix Collective page available, and another Eltingville page is on hold for a customer. There's about thirty-odd Eltingville Club pages left on the original art list, which is everything save pages that I'm keeping (the title page from the zombie crawl story) and the pages from the last two stories that aren't available because they're in fragments. I might be able to assemble the elements together to complete the art so I can sell it, but it's going to take time. The last few pages of Eltingville Club #2 had to have all the heads redrawn and digitally dropped in. A bit of a mess to do with scissors, Exacto knife and gluestick. But one day I hope to get that done. I especially hate the idea of the "riot" page not being complete (the Ecto 1 drawing was dropped into the crowd). I messed up so much inking on that issue, so many things had to be fixed on the page or with Sarah's help on the computer. Hardest thing I've ever worked on.

Well, that's enough typing. Time for my neck and hand stretches., and then I should clean up the studio so I can get back to some drawing.

Hope you are all well. Thank you for being here.

More, soon, later.