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Monday, July 28, 2014

Kara A.

2004, birthday
in the style of Casper and Wendy the Good Witch
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2005, birthday
in the style of Brian Basset’s Adam @ Home
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Kara and I worked in the same department for a spell at Cartoon Network (CN). In the 12 years I was at CN, there were a couple of reorganizational changes, but at one time our group was an eclectic mix of creatives (artists, designers and writers) and marketing and sales oriented folks. Kara was part of the latter. She was involved with licensed promotions... or something.

Was Kara given to getting “Funky” at work on her birthday? Not really. But then no one’s yet invented real “Fruity-Sour-Rummy-Sweets” – um, and probably they won’t be licensing their promotions on a kids’ network. BTW, that‘s not how license promotions works.

Monday, July 21, 2014

TAGS July 31, 1994

Sunday, 07/31: Fire the works.
a.k.a. TAGS Full page #8
Black and white: black India Ink on paper as originally published.

This full page strip was originally published in a July issue of monotony, the newsletter I created and ran for about a year to have some place (and schedule) for a comic strip. The subject of fireworks best correlates to Independence Day, however the Sunday date landed on the last day of July. 

Yes, the dates were a bit arbitrary. Usually the daily strips were in a series of six consecutive days. At least they were always paired for consecutive days, none landing on a Sunday. The full page editions fell on a Sunday, as they should, following a series of four or six dailies.

Panel 1: Such a poor execution. In Monster’s right hand is a small American flag. In his left, a book of matches, from which he has flicked and struck matches which flame up in mid air.

Panels 2-9: Having drawn this for black and white reproduction, the panels alternate rendering styles to emphasize the initial bursting of fireworks contrasted with moments of less intense colored blooms falling with trailing pops and crackles. The contrast also suggests the lag between seeing the explosion and hearing its thunderous clap. I probably should have written the quoted comments in bubbles.

Panels 10-13: Casting Monster as a demanding twerp was less my intention than for him to be in the Charlie Brown role. P.11 should be “But…”; p.12 Monster continues to stand alone with smoke wafting in; p.13 Monster says, “Gats.” 


This strip also features Tanya (otter, 4th appearance), Tom (griffin, 2), Suzie (deer, 4)


Monday, July 14, 2014

Not Too Long Ago

Me (in red shirt) and The End (costumed mannequin in front) 
at the Silver Comics booth
Long Beach Comic Convention
2009
It’s was five years ago when Juan Ortiz generously shared his corner booth for his Silver Comics at the Long Beach Comic Con with a table on the side. Silver Comics, LBCC and Tuff-Girl were all at the early years of whatever they could yet be.

It continues to be an impressive beginning that Juan launched his comic promoting convention life with posters, printed cards, buttons dispensed by a 25-cent gum ball machine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen before or since such a head-on, professional-grade effort by an independent publisher/ creator in their inception years. It garnered the right reactions of “Why have I not heard of this before?” and “Where can I find more?”

This year’s LBCC is short of two months away, and I’m here making the soft announcement of having an artist alley table there. Check back here in August for confirmation.

— Bryan.

Monday, July 7, 2014