Blue Moon Blog

Happy Halloween from the Blue Moon Crew and Frankie, our Hallow’s Eve pal for about a decade!

Like yesterday’s Halloween decoration, this Jury From Hell was done with colored pencils, over a black marker line drawing on a wine-colored matte board.

We’ve been displaying this homemade Wolfman poster every Halloween for the last deacde. Done with colored pencils on black board, with a splash of white-out to make it pop. It’s measures about 4′ tall.

Continuing to get in the mood for Halloween, these three pieces complete the set of Pixilated Monster postcards I published in 1992.

The Muckety-Mucks are some of my favorites from the postcard set, having been developed in my sketchbooks in the mid-’80s. Glancing at the date, I’m reminded I produced this piece for the 2nd annual Halloween mini-comic (same as for Mummy Gumbo). I’ve a couple scripts written for Mucks children’s book, but it never fully developed, and it would have to wait now anyways, getting in line behind a few other projects. I’ll try and dig out some of those early Mucks sketches and post ‘em here before the Big Scary Day.

Similar to the Screamin’ Meemies (posted yesterday) these guys are all shook up, riffing off another old term. “Heebies Jeebies” is the name of one of Louis Armstrong’s earliest hits, and a historic and superb jazz recording to boot.

Easily the most violent of the ten cards, I was able to cut loose and get gross with these Zombies. Eew.

Rounding out the set are three cards I’ve posted previously on this blog: Funrunts, Husks and Space Waster. I’ve a few of these sets left, I think, and may make them available at our Blue Moon Shop here at this very site.

As Halloween is nigh upon us, it seems the perfect time to finally display the rest of the series of Pixilated Monster Postcards I published as a set in 1992.

I still like how this Mummy Gumbo piece stands out. Because of the dance poses (especially on the lower right — Tequila!), it puts me in mind of Pee-Wee Hermann, who’s Saturday morning show was still on the air at the time. All brush on this one, which was actually done in 1987 for a mini-comic collection and served as the catalyst for the eventual postcard set.

About half of these monsters are visual depictions of fun terms, in this case quite literal. This was done with a crow quill on craft-tint paper.

Here’s another group of creatures with a name taken from a recognizable term. Many of these monsters were cooked up in my sketchbook, sometimes trying to find the right look for a certain predetermined term, other times I applied a name afterwards. This one looks too busy to me now, but certainly conveys lotsa manic energy.

A spiky vampire of some kind, done with a combination of brush (figure) and crow quill (background and border).

Check back in tomorrow for the balance of the set.

Well, this is not the Cubs illustration I thought I’d be drawing next. I had something else in mind, more like my last Cubs post.

But they blew it again, in classic horrendous fashion, perhaps reaching new depths, beyond any suck or choke in their history. What I present above signifies not only how the team performed, but the point of despair to which they’ve brought every Cub fan on the planet.

I’ve come now to believe no Cubs team will ever win a World Series again. As the first pitch approached for their first playoff game, I went from excited to nervous. And while watching before the game began, the crowd at Wrigley was eerily silent. It felt like all of Cubdom was holding its collective breath. And then the Cubs played just like that…again. Cubs players can say they don’t pay attention to or believe in curses, but when it comes down to it, there’s a tremendous pressure that I’m not sure any Cubs team will ever overcome. Many said all year “It’s Gonna Happen.” I’ve got news for them: It’s never gonna happen.

Sure, hope springs eternal, and maybe I’ll sing a different tune come April, but if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go cheer myself up and watch the DOW.

Great actor, even better guy. We’d heard this was coming, but still so sad.

Growing up, Paul Newman was one of a pair of actors of whom I was most aware. Both about the same age, they’re gone the same year, only a few months apart.  I drew Heston when he died in April.

I’ll post another Newman drawing, and a list of my favorites of his movies, as soon as I’m able.

Some think it an anti-climax, given the Cubs were division champs last season, but man, is it fun for this old Cubs fan to see them dominate and clinch handily this year. This is just the first step if they’re to win their first World Series in exactly 100 years, but the team and their fans certainly deserve to celebrate a bit before the playoffs begin.

Growing up in Chicago, I saw plenty of Cubs games on WGN, and made tons of trips to Wrigley Field with my Mom, brothers and Grampa. In the early ’70s, a grandstand seat was only $4, a far cry from the prices today, especially at Wrigley, especially this year. It’s a shame it costs so much to get a seat nowadays, but there’s nothing like a game outdoors at that old ballpark — the sights and sounds an smell…fun! Over the years, all that has brought people out to the field, even when the Cubs weren’t at all good.

They were no good by the time I started paying attention and watching games, collecting baseball cards. While sorting my cards and checking stats, I was drawn to Johnny Bench and the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati, but always rooted for the Cubs (except when they were playing the Reds, or course). It was fun to follow a winner during the ’70s, but the Reds as a team haven’t done much for me since, and even living in Minnesota now, it’s the Cubs who make me giddy as each season approaches. That Cubby Blue is in my veins, it seems.

This Spring, it was a cinch to see they were gonna be good, so I ponied up the dough and got the baseball season cable package. One of the many advantages to working at home is to be able to watch or listen to anything you want while you work.  So, I haven’t missed many games all year, and was able to know the team inside out, track their ups and downs (mostly ups) and enjoy the big moments. One forms a special bond with a team, being able to follow them so religiously you get to know the strengths and weaknesses and get in the groove, ride the rhythm with the team. Once they get to the playoffs, that all makes it even more fun to watch.

Now, anything can happen in the post-season (that’s a bruised and cautious Cubs fan talking), but this team seems to be something special. They have no real weak spots, with great starting pitching, a more than solid bullpen, and a Cinderella story with a rehabilitated Kerry Wood in his first year as the closer. They’re a deep team, with all players throughout the roster contributing all season.  In tonight’s win over the Mets, pitcher Jason Marquis hit a grand slam while pitching seven solid innings. They can strike an opponent at any time from many angles.

I sure will be disppointed if they don’t make it to the Series — ’cause they should. And I hope they win it all. It would be quite a capper to an already magical season…and to the 100-year drought. Go Cubs!

Work on my children’s book, Night of the Bedbugs has kicked into high gear recently, and I’m glad to be able to devote some time to it for a change. It feels great to check off more and more pages as finished. I’m still planning for the book to be a deluxe multi-media package, and began writing today another tune for the CD that will be included with the hardcover book. Below is another snippet of preview art.

From a postcard set I released years back, here’s an image with the earliest appearance of my Bedbugs. A couple years later, I painted on the nursery wall a mural featuring the FunRunt pigs and many Bedbugs. At the time, I think I considered the other alien creatures also to be FunRunts, but that didn’t last long before the pigs took over, and Bedbugs became an entirely separate thing.