Blue Moon Blog

Here’s a sample/preview page of an evolving project I’m working on right now with writer, Alex Grecian. How it progresses or whether it’ll be published is a matter still to be decided and discovered, but it’s fun to work on when I’ve time. Something different style-wise than Bedbugs and for a slightly older audience, more like ages 9-12 rather than 4-8.

If all goes well, I’ll have chapter 1 or more for sale as a mini comic or chap book at the Minnesota Fall Convention on Saturday, October 16. No promises.

Sorry, I’m way too busy right now to barrage you all with another slew of faces by Toth, but have another little gem to share instead.

In the mid-’90s my pal and Trollords partner Scott Beaderstadt and I decided to release a (as it turns out, ill-fated) Trollords Classics collection. It featured the first three issues of Trollords (originally published in 1986, as well as as a new story called Death Dreams, which focused on the Trollords arch nemesis, Death. In the 30-page story, we got to see things for Death’s point of view, and in a large double-page spread his visage from a variety of perspectives. To convey this, we asked as many artist as we could think of and contact to contribute a 2″ x 2″ piece of art with their depiction of “death.”

We were pleased to receive back pieces from Scott McCloud, Michael Golden, Alex Ross, Steve Rude, Adam Hughes, Dave Sim, Neil Gaiman, Kyle Baker, Berke Breathed, Terry Gilliam and Will Eisner, among many superb artists. But nothing made my heart skip as when I pulled out the simple piece sent by Alex Toth.

Some folks depicted their characters, or a skull, conceptual or spiritual takes on the theme. But nobody offered a more pure expression of the idea.

Seeing it for the first time, as bleak as is the outlook, I had to smile. How perfectly Toth. Perhaps he was an atheist, or maybe he knew we all really don’t know what is in store for us “after.” But this simple black square is one of my most prized possessions.

Maybe he was being profound, or perhaps he was just being…lazy.

= - )

Next week, more Toth, and I’ll try and have those faces at the ready.

I’m working on some new material for an old project with cartoonist and Megaton Man creator, Don Simpson. More news about that sooner than later.

This morn he surprised me by sending some drawings I did of Megs for him as a gift now over twenty years ago…

They’re not bad, and kinda fun to see after all these years, even if they don’t do justice to Don’s take on his own character. Though he’s not drawing comics on a regular basis, he has a couple things in the works, so keep an eye out. I’ll update here.

My longtime friend, editor and collaborator, Brian Augustyn asked me to draw up a little portrait for him, and it was fun to do. He intends to use it as a profile pic option for his Facebook page, and perhaps to spur other artists to contribute one of their own.

Not only could you respect his acting talent, but I enjoyed observing his evolution over the years. From James Dean pal and a young Hollywood pretty boy being groomed by the studios; to hippy and drug-crazed rebel, independent upstart and entrepreneur; and finally to cleaning up his act, still a political rebel in his old age, but then by going against the grain of the rest of his baby-boomer peers, turning more conservative.

What a life he led. You never knew where he was going to stand, but what a character! And it looks as if he fought cancer towards the end with a smile on his face.

Here’s to ya’, Mr. Hopper.

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth.

Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863

I did these couple of small Bedbugs sketches at the MN SpringCon last weekend, keeping them in hand, probably for sale at etsy.com or at the Bebdugs site. I’ll update here and at the Bebdugs Facebook fan page.

If you haven’t seen the latest Bedbugs video, check it out at the YouTube bedbugsfun channel. It’s been a big hit at school appearances so far.

Took a break from all the cute Bedbugs sketches to do a couple of a more gnarly tone, one of The Demon, and one of the Human Torch. Done of 5.5″ x 6″ on bristol board.

The family has been listening to ’70s rock the last couple weeks, especially during games of the card game, Pounce. While playing what is essentially a face-paced version of solitaire for four, there’s a tendency for people to chatter, sing, whistle and make noises. If we have background music, it helps a bit towards getting everyone in sync and on the same page. Steely Dan is one of those groups we’ve been listening to, and one of our favorites to sing along with is their Get Along, Sweet Chinaman, which some have apparently misnamed as Kid Charlemagne. In honor of the tune, I did this sketch:

Other than my fave tune of theirs, Reelin’ in the Years, I’ve never loved their music, finding it a bit long, rambling and esoteric, the vocals an acquired taste. But listening lately to their best, I’ve found I know and like most of their tunes - they must’ve played the heck out of these tunes on the radio in the 70’s and ’80s. By chance over the weekend, I saw a commercial for a Midnight Special DVD, including a quick snippet of the band doing Reelin’. Gosh, that Walter Becker was not an attractive man - a face for radio!

Walter Becker, center top; Donald Fagen, 2nd from left

He’s improved with age, though, a much better look:

Fagen & Becker, circa 2007

After disbanding in 1981, they regrouped for concerts in 1993, and released two studio albums, in 2000 and 2003, respectively. I’ve gotta check those out, ’cause they don’t seem to have missed a beat.

A huge stretch from my last sketch, another old man…