June 10, 2010
Spring Cleaning

   Admit it. You knew I'd come back one day.

   I had to research my last blog to find out what I have or haven't told you during my hiatus. I almost had a blog ready to go last year, announcing that I would be have a six-month inking stint on Wildcats, but that time has come and gone already. When I finally submitted my blog, Webmaster Chris informed me that it was hopelessly outdated, and I should come up with another from whole cloth. Good thing I have Chris to smack me into reality. Or however close to reality I can manage.

   The funny thing is, I really hadn't had much to say this past year. When I think back to the earliest days of this website when I committed to a weekly blog, I think I ate up too much material too soon. I've already reminisced about breaking into the comics biz, as well as nostalgic stuff from my youth. The alternative is coming up with fresh stuff-too much pressure! Gleep!

   Anyway, due to the lack of space on my bookshelves, I've gotten into Spring cleaning mode . Buy another shelf for a rapidly-shrinking workspace? Maybe, but just not yet. (incidentally, If you're planning on marrying an artist, beware: Any and all flat surfaces are fair game to lay down artwork, as my lovely wife has learned to her dismay). Hey, those enormous metal flat files take up a lot of room and don't come cheap! I've tried cutting corners by purchasing some 3-tiered plastic bins, but if you put too much paper in them, they make the drawers sag, and you can't open them! Wotta drag! Where was I? Oh, yeah, Spring cleaning...

   So I'd been studying my collected editions of comics, both hardcover and soft, purchased over the years, and came to the painful realization that I was going to have to let some go. Some books have sat for years, waiting for "just the right time" to read. Some have been started, but set aside for lack of interest (by the way, it's not a crime to not finish a book if you can't get into it). Time to unclutter my shrunken reading space. Most of the books aren't what you'd call rare or in demand so my local library got a substantial boost of the graphic arts kind. If someone else catches the comics bug due to my contributions, everybody wins.

   I'd made sufficient room on my shelf for the new Peter Bagge original graphic novel Other Lives by Vertigo/DC. Bagge once again skewers with his alarmingly on-target insights on the human condition. Thought balloons, a device discarded by mainstream comics, only serve to enhance and advance Other Lives's story. Bagge's characters are relatable and nerve-touching. Any time I've felt embarrassed, I've pictured myself in a Bagge pose, shrugged shoulders and wandering eyes, looking for a crawlspace to escape to. Frankly, you don't need me to validate Other Lives. The cover comes with a quote from fellow comics master Daniel Clowes.

   Another indulgence is the third Atlas Era Tales To Astonish Marvel Masterwork with Kirby/Ditko/Heck monster goodness, most stories rarely or never reprinted. Most of it was new to me anyway. I've noticed in both this volume and previous ones, that a lot of covers were reused interior splashed pages or panels. It's quite telling that this was the period that Atlas/Marvel was hanging on a shoestring budget a year or two before The Fantastic Four would begin to change the companies fortunes. Now we have the awesomeness that is Iron Man 2 in theaters! Imagine that! (And special effects have gotten so good, that I feel confident the Green Lantern movie will rock).

   Back to Spring Cleaning: I had the same lack-of-space considerations with my overstuffed DVD collection, rummaging through them with exclamations ranging from "what was I thinking?" to "I'll watch a paint-drying channel before I ever see that movie again!" And again, the "waiting for the right time" movies that just sit there. I had three unviewed DVDs that were the third in their respective series (Die Hard with a Vengeance, Matrix: Revolutions and X-Men: The Last Stand), so I committed to watching them this past week. It was watch or toss time. I first went with the X-Men movie, and I remember, for the longest time, being hung up on not seeing it because Bryan Singer wasn't involved in it. But I've seen X:Men Origins:Wolverine since then, so it opened my mind. Guess what? X-Men: The Last Stand is a pretty cool superhero movie, and I officially regret not seeing it in theaters! Same for Matrix: Revolutions, which started with the same talky drivel (that stalled the second movie) but really built up a nice head of steam towards a spectacular wrapup. If you ask me to explain how the matrix works, I'd only leave you as confused as much as I am, but it was a hell of a ride! Die Hard 3 would've made a good Batman movie with the mystery bomber angle. So three for three for those of you who love reviews of movies you probably already saw as far back as the Clinton administration. I'm probably way below the national movie-going average, because I'd rather read comics or watch YouTube.

   This will be my current movie-catching-up week, so I do plan to step out of my safety zone and see actual movies on da big screen! We have a great season for comic-book movies like Kick-Ass, The Losers and of course, Iron Man 2 (already ordered the AC/DC soundtrack). I'm especially looking forward to August's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. You can't go wrong with the director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, IMHO. Do the kids still write "IMHO"?

   Spring cleaning Inking tip of the day (on the occasion you have the arduous task of cleaning your clogged rapidograph pens): If you run out of rapidograph cleaning solution, a litte amonia in water should do the trick. Provided you're using a sonic-cleaner, which is used for cleaning jewelry. Remember, I said A LITTLE amonia! I don't want you passing out due to me. I assume no responsibility in all this. On second thought, forget I said a thing. I don't need the aggrivation. BTW, don't forget to rinse the pens in water

   Usually, this is the part where I'm plugging something, but I can't. The project hasn't been announced or scheduled yet, but it's really cool, trust me. In the meantime, I'm working on a pet project in the Silver Age style, more of which I'll share with you as I get closer to finishing it. As for commissions, we've added two new ones on page 12 and two more start page 13! Enjoy!
 
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