Baltimore Comicon 2021 was an important return to the comix scene for me. Even though I'd roamed New York Comicon for six hours a few weeks earlier, Baltimore Comicon is family to me. And, even though it was smaller and slower than previous years (for good reason), it was spirited and heartfelt. It was soul mollifying to see peers, fans, and showrunners Marc & Shelly Nathan, Brad Tree, Randy Tischler, Roger Ash, and the rest of the BCC staff. I even got to hand out some plaques at the Ringo Awards alongside webcomics superstar Leeanne M. Krecic (which you can watch HERE). Big Ups to my travel & table mates: Whitney Matheson and Josh Neufeld.
A couple of weeks ago we filmed Whitney Matheson's one-act play, "DENNY BARRACUDA," into a short film, adapted and directed by Shannon Goldman, starring Madeleine Morrell and Lawrence Trailer. It was intense and fun and I wish we could make movies all the time. Shannon is currently editing it and we will keep y'all posted for its eventual debut.
I'm at a crossroads in my comix career. In about one month, THE RED HOOK's "New Brooklyn" saga at Webtoon will come to a close. It's been a six-year journey for me and I'm sad to see it end. I've already started hatching new Red Hook stories and I hope my creation finds a new home. If you haven't read PTSD: Post-Traumatic Superhero Disorder, please do. It's free. And you can catch up with the first four seasons in the links below. Meanwhile, I'm hustling gigs and figuring out next creative steps. Stay tuned.
My friend, singer/songwriter Kiki Holli, produced a beautiful cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This." She used some of my art from BILLY DOGMA in "The Last Romantic Antihero" for a music video which you can see/hear HERE.
My pal, writer/editor Adam McGovern, asked me to write something for his PROJECT: OBJECTIONABLE column at HiLoBrow. So, I provided him with an email I never sent to the shared studio space I currently occupy in Red Hook called "Dirty Doorknob." You can read it HERE.
Thanks to the pandemic, it's been two years since I last visited my mother, Barbara in Flagler Beach. She flew me out for the Thanksgiving holiday and we watched all of SQUID GAME, some of HACKS, and HAWKEYE. We went to the movies to see James Bond in NO TIME TO DIE and Marvel Comics' latest Jack Kirby cinematic adaptation, ETERNALS. I got to bask in the seagulls and stars from the ocean, steep in mom's hot tub, indulge a deep-tissue massage,and see a few old friends (Drew, Val, Clinton & Brittany). I hung out with mom's loyal dog Lincoln and with my "second mother"/painter, Inverna Lockpez to talk about art. Our pal Jeanne cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
On the flight to Florida I watched HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD, which had me howling in the aisle. Salma Hayek steals that movie. And, on the flight back home to NYC, I read Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, and Brubaker and Marcos Martin & Muntsa Vicente's FRIDAY: Book 1, The First Day Of Christmas. Both graphic novels were sublime. Truly inspirational.
NIGHTWORK Studio is my multimedia collaboration project with Whitney Matheson.
SCENE BY SCENE WITH JOSH & DEAN, podcast with Josh Neufeld that breaks down the film American Splendor,Harvey Pekar's legacy & growing up making comix in NYC.
