Having A Funday

Here's a promotional video I made a while back.  I didn't realize, I'd not posted it here.  I hope you funsters enjoy this.  Thanks for reading my cartoons.

I want my Me TV!

Here's an interview I did with Shanda Golden last Month!

My new book is available here.

My Big Mouth

Check out my interview with Tom Racine at Tall Tale Radio!  He makes me sound smart!

Let's celebrate by listening to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

Book Signing at Taylor Books!

Yours truly setting up.

Lon Kelly, myself and Greg Florence.

Bill and Helen Craver.  Bill and I have known each other since we were eight years old.

Joe Bolyard is a Charleston artist I became acquainted with on Facebook.  It was nice to meet him in person.

Steve Hill and I.  We've been friends for about thirty years.  Steve is an extraordinary musician and plays bass on the Mountain Stage NPR radio show.  He was the person who told me I should be reading the Far Side.

Beth Chesney Frampton and I.  Beth's dad baptized me when I was a baby.  More than a few folks think it didn't quite take.

My stepmother, Ruth.

A blurry shot of Nathan Diller singing in the cafe.

 My brother rocking the house.

That's Rudy Panucci on the far left.  Rudy has been documenting the local music and art scene in Charleston for around ten years.  I think someone should write a story about him.  Not sure who the woman is, but she's having fun!

My brother Brian, my sisters Kathy and Charlotte and myself.

Waiting to film an interview for the television show, West Virginia Authors.

Show host, Gordon Simmons and I talking about cartoons.  I was much more nervous than I appear.

Spread The Word

I have two cartoons on other websites this week.  It always makes me proud when someone enjoys my work enough to share it with their fellow websters.

The first is a guest strip I wrote for the Mighty Monocle.  Mighty Monocle is a webcomic by Darren Rolfe about a flabby American who is a superhero in England.  Dareen is on vacation and asked if I'd write a filler strip for him.  At first, I was reluctant, because I am more comfortable in a single panel format, but I somehow managed to drag the joke out to three.  You can see my awful hand lettering here.

The second is a panel I created earlier this year that Tom Racine of Tall Tale Radio fame, featured on his new website, Geek Papas.  Geek Papas is a podcast focusing on geek culture, and specifically, fatherhood in geek culture.  Check out their websites and enjoy yourself!  Have a great day!

Book Review

Rudy Panucci, a journalist and blogger from my hometown of Charleston, WV has reviewed my book! Please take a gander, folks!

Happy Birthday, Berke Breathed!

Let's all wish Bloom County creator, Berkeley Breathed a happy birthday!  For more on his cartooning and film career, go here.

Tuesday Toon-Up: Paperback Writer

Well, well, well, I FINALLY finished my book.  Assembling a collection of cartoons was an arduous enough affair, that I must tip my hat to anyone who ever wrote anything longer than a grocery list.  Let's celebrate with the Beatles!  Enjoy!

Great Interview With Scott Kurtz Of PVP Online!

Anyone who follows webcomics is familiar with Scott Kurtz.  Scott has been posting cartoons on the web for over ten years and created a genre in the process.  Listen to his inspiring story in this webTV interview with David Siteman Garland.

Sac Con Round Up

I always enjoy cons because I get to meet and reconnect with creators and see some strange people.  Sac Con is a one day event that takes place in Sacramento a couple of times a year and this is the fourth I've displayed - third time in artist alley.

It was great to see the Dan and Eben from Eben07 again.  I met them at Indy Euphoria last June and really enjoy both their creation and their company.  I also signed up some new funsters for email distribution of my comic.  Interesting side note:  I signed up a gentleman last year for my email who manages a trailer park and he puts my cartoons in his monthly newsletter that's distributed to all the renters in his park.  (I've considered setting up a table at RV conventions to see how my humor would go over with RVers, but I've been afraid to insult anyone.  Food for thought.)

I was looking forward to the panel session Dan and Eben were scheduled to present about making webcomics, but the whole thing fell through because there was no place to hold the forum.  We ended up having a casual conversation, rather than a full-blown panel session. 

Thinking about my con presence, it's obvious I'm going to have to step up my game.  I'm working on a better display and booth design I hope will be ready by April 16th when I'm scheduled for Decepti-Kon in Sacramento.  This is a convention celebrating the merger of American and Japanese culture.  Lots of manga and anime.  Should be interesting.

I also got to reconnect with Jason Dube of Scattered Comics fame.  jason's a great guy who has given me lots of tips on stepping up my convention presence.  If only I'd listen.

And finally, I got to meet Trina Robbins! 

You've Got My Attention!

I thought I'd give you folks a peak at the online viewing I do on a weekly basis.  This is a list of the blogs, journals, podcasts and cartoons I think are intriguing.

•Webcomics Weekly•  A podcast with four creators about their experiences as online creators.  Scott Kurtz, Brad Guigar, Dave Kellet and Kris Straub are all excellent cartoonists who were at the forefront of online comics.  Their conversations are lively, insightful and sometimes profane.

•Tall Tale Features•  Tom Racine does excellent podcasts and video interviews with both online and syndicated creators.  He also features insiders in the newspaper syndication business that makes this especially well rounded.  The best broadcasting standard of any podcast I've heard so far.

•Comic Riffs•  Washington Post writer Michael Cavna's blog about all things surrounding comics, animation, movies or cartoons.  This blog is always on top as far as the latest scoop in any of the above and Mr. Cavna is a great writer.

•The Daily Cartoonist•  Alan Gardner launched TDC in 2005 as an open forum to all things cartoon related.  The comments section is especially interesting reading as the pros express themselves in what used to be newsroom only rants.

•Dan Piraro•  The Bizarro creator uses his blog to talk about the inspiration behind his cartoons, as well as a manifesto for his personal views on politics, religion, music or whatever else he considers interesting.  His writing is as funny as his cartoons.

•Rina Piccolo•  Funny, honest and candid, Ms. Piccolo's accomplishments are enviable.  She writes three comic strips (Tina's Groove, Six Chix, Velia, Dear), has been published in the New Yorker, as well as maintaining a highly entertaining blog.  All are executed with amazing quality.

•David-Wasting-Paper•  A great peek at the creators behind all kinds of comics and cartoons.


•Mike Lynch•  Daily news and deep trivia from a guy earning his living as a magazine cartoonist.  He obviously loves the art form.


•Webcomic Alliance•  Four creators deliver a weekly podcast describing the problems and (hopefully) solutions that arise for online creators.

There are a lot more folks online that I read, but this list is primarily where I go for inspiration, education and insight.  I hope there's something relevant in this for you.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Antonio Prohias!

Today is the birthday of Antonio Prohias, creator of Spy vs Spy for Mad magazine!

Here's a short bio.

Pick Of The Week - Bizarro

Dan Piraro has been a syndicated cartoonist for 25 years.  His career spans the golden years of the late 80s and 90s into the interactive world of webcomics.

Besides drawing cartoons, Piraro is also an accomplished painter, stand up comic and animal rights activist.  I saw his presentation at Ohio State University last October and he is quite funny in person.  Besides drawing one of the most inspiring panels in newspapers, he also writes a hysterical blog.  Enjoy!

Pick Of The Week - Cyanide & Happiness

Let me start this post by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  

This week's pick-of-the-week cartoon is Cyanide & Happiness.  Extremely funny, C&H has no boundaries when it comes to a joke, so reader beware if you're easily offended.  If you appreciate irreverent humor, this cartoon is for you!

The comic is written by four different individuals.  You can read more about the strip and the creators here.

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

I'll Take The Blame

It's very early in the morning when I email my cartoons out to my subscribers and I accidentally emailed a prior cartoon this morning.  Since this career is a solo venture, I have no one to blame but myself.  But that got me thinking - what if I opened a business and its sole purpose was to take the blame for everything.  Watergate, the Edsel, Chernobyl, this season of The Office.

It would be like owning a funeral parlor...  Everyone would need it.  Give me a shout if you have venture capital.  When it all disappears, I know just where to place the blame.

Happy Birthday, Ted Rall!

Today is the birthday of political cartoonist and graphic novelist, Ted Rall.  He's written for the Village Voice and the New York Times as well as Mad magazine.  Currently, he is the president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.  

Ralls' controversial and entertaining career is outlined here.

R.I.P. John Callahan

Cartoonist John Callahan has passed away.  Click here for the local news story.

Here's the wikipedia article for more background.

Happy Birthday, Garry Trudeau!

Today is the birthday of Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonesbury. Mr. Trudeau was the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer. He's also won a Reuben (the Oscar of cartooning) and has been nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2004, Trudeau made a widely-circulated offer of a $10,000 reward (in the form of a gift to the USO in the winner's name) for proof that George W. Bush fulfilled his military duties in the 1970s. No one has collected on the offer.

Jason Dube Talks Comics, Cons, And Things That Go Bump In The Night

I met Jason this spring in Sacramento.  Check out this interview with him on The Toxic Graveyard.

Jason Dube Talks Comics, Cons, And Things That Go Bump In The Night

Tuesday's Toon Up - Heroes

Today's music post is dedicated to Harvey Pekar and Tuli Kupferberg.  May they both rest in peace.