Flurry of coverage

For some reason, this week has been choc full o' media coverage for both Karen and I. Kind of weird timing since we'll both be essentially closing up shop for a bit once baby Lulu makes an appearance.

Modern Dog did a one page feature ("Art Attack") on my pet portraits in their winter issue (on the newsstands now!). A very nice push just before the holiday season. I don't think the article is on their website, so you'll just have to be all luddite-y and pick up the actual magazine if you're so inclined.

The fantastic Kat Irannejad did an interview for Brooklyn The Borough (click to read it) in which I don't come across like a rambling incoherent imbecile (no small feat!). She managed to rein in my stream of consciousness anecdotes and such into a readable piece. The interview also got picked up by The New York Times 'City Room'!

Matthew Brady of Warren Peace did a short n' sweet review of my 'Tales of Good Ol' Snoop Doggy Dogg' mini-comic.

Karen's kind of freaking out because she got a wonderful opportunity that she can't pass up just before she was planning on wrapping up work at the Anomaly Jewelry factory (our living room) for a while in order to concentrate on Lulu. The Golden Globes Award ceremony contacted her to participate in their celebrity gift bags. It's a tremendous opportunity, but also a TON of work. I'm trying to help out in any way I can, but unfortunately I don't know the first thing (well, maybe the first, but definitely not the second) about making jewelry. Add that to holiday orders and being 9 months pregnant, and you can understand her sense of being overwhelmed.

On that note, there's a great feature on Karen on Shana Logic, a blog that promotes indie creators and retailers.

Comic Anthologies, Baptist Choirs

I just finished a new four page comic for the upcoming Dapper Chap #6 comic anthology. I've posted one of the pages here to entice & titillate you. Now it's time to get back to work on Losers Weepers #2.

Last Sunday I went to see The Bobby Lewis Ensemble in Harlem for their Thanksgiving service. My friend's sister is one of the singers in the choir. I can't tell you how much I love gospel music. I don't often get to see it live, so this was especially thrilling. Plus, three of the church members (including my friend's sister) shared their testimonies. It was kind of like an AA meeting, but with more Jesus thrown into the mix. The music and Pastor Lewis' service was so moving that by the end people were openly weeping and hugging.

I'm not a religious person, but I really do appreciate the power of a good sermon. Bobby Lewis reminds me of my friend and bandmate David Grant. In fact, we had David officiate our wedding. Both David and Bobby have a great sense of humor and are riviting to watch. Plus, they both have some pipes on 'em.

Although I can't take that leap of faith to believe in the miracles described in the Bible I can't argue with the sincerity and warm feelings that resulted from the service. In fact, Karen's been giving me a hard time with how Bible-centric I've been as of late. I just finished reading A.J. Jacobs' book detailing his attempts to live according to The Bible (hilarious and educational!), Jonathan Goldstein's "reworking" of biblical stories ,"Ladies And Gentlemen, The Bible" (hilarious, not so educational) and am currently working my way through the actual Bible (found it on the street). Oh, and I have been meaning to pick up R. Crumb's comic version of the entire Book of Genesis.

35 Weeks Pregnant!

Check out Karen's stubborn belly bulge. Judging by the massive amount of activity in there, Lulu can't wait to get out into the real world and get a job.

Pigeons!

I have a soft-spot for pigeons. Many people view them as "rats with wings" (a trend possibly started by Woody Allen's quip in the 1980 film 'Stardust Memories'), but I, for one, relish their company. As you may know, New York City is not my first choice of places to live (not even my 10th). One of the things that keeps me sane is the pigeon and squirrel population. Along with roaches, rats and mice, that's about the extent of the city's wildlife.

Pigeons are incredibly athletic, gregarious and clean birds. Their tendency to hang out in big groups (thus generating huge amounts of poop concentrated in one area) is what gets them in trouble. It doesn't help that people feed them bread and other processed foods that cause their droppings to be rock hard and especially difficult to eradicate. Pest control companies help spread the myth that they carry disease (they can, but it is extremely rare that it transfers to humans) to keep themselves in business.

Anyhow, I for one love watching them. This explains why they crop up (that's a pigeon pun, by the way) so often in my artwork. Here are two recent examples: A comic for an upcoming anthology and a mural in our future baby's room.

King Con

Me n' Sophia shared a table at King Con in Brooklyn this weekend. I had to miss the first few hours of the first day to attend a baby birthin' class (some of my least favorite birth-related phrases include "bloody show", "sweep the membrane" and "ripened cervix"), but it was in full swing once I got there.

This was a new con mostly favoring local comic artists. It was a nice change of pace from the sometimes overwhelming MoCCA and SPX. The show was small enough that most attendees perused just about every table instead of homing in on the larger small-press tables (an oxymoron?).

It seemed like Regan, the organizer, was doing just about everything herself, so there were understandably some small problems. Hopefully she'll outsource some of the work next year to save herself from a mental breakdown.

The table across from us was full of talented and especially nice folks (L. Nichols, Darryl Ay0 and Matt Wiegle, some of whom I recognized from previous conventions. I traded a bunch of comics with them, which I look forward to reading.

I'm now finishing up a new two-pager for a comics anthology slated to debut at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. I wasn't able to get a table there, but maybe I'll be able to squeeze some books onto the aforementioned anthology's table (if they get one). Anyhow, I'll post that comic soon.

New pet portrait / King Con

I just got back from a funeral for my uncle Will in Detroit. He was one of the nicest, sweetest guys I've ever met, and I'll miss him. Despite the terrible circumstances, it was great to see my mom's side of the family (I don't get to hang out with them very often, unfortunately). I even got to meet Will's son and one of his daughters, both of whom I'd never met previously.

It's been hectic since I got back to Brooklyn. My band had a show on Halloween (and, as predicted, injuries were sustained). My Fed-Ex guy showed up at the show along with two members of his metal band ('Deadzone"). For some reason, I found it hilarious (and...touching?) that he came. Our friends Sara & Erika threw a really great baby shower for us the day after. It's always nice to be surrounded by a ton of close friends, especially when they're shoving presents at you. We got some great stuff for Lulu. She will be dressing like David Bowie, apparently.

I've been working on a mural in Lulu's room, which I'll post when I'm done. I'm working on a two-page comic for an anthology due in about a week. Sophia Wiedeman and I will be once again sharing a table at the upcoming King Con in Brooklyn this weekend, so c'mon by and pick up some new comics. Lastly, I'm working on a few pet portraits. Just finished this one of two cats who have an antagonistic relationship. I tried to convince the client to go with a pro-wrestling theme, but her husband is a football fan, so...