Comic-Con Countdown: T-minus 30

Comic-Con Countdown T-minus 30:

SD Comic Con comes to town in a month! This may be the last year I get to go all 4 days, based on the way things are going, but I'm really looking forward to seeing friends both personal and professional, and finding some inspiration for my own creative endeavors. So, for the next month I will present some of my favorite Comic and Pop-Art memories and milestones to help us all get in the mood.

This month marks the 31st anniversary of the launch of a comic near and dear to my heart: GI Joe, by the indomitable Larry Hama. Hama defined GI Joe for most fans of the property, and variations on his themes is usually met with controversy at the least, and derision at worst. Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Zartan, Cobra Commander, Scarlett, The Baroness, Destro, et al; The characters Joe fans know and love were defined by Hama in the comics, who wrote the file cards found on the back of the figures as well.

Those who know me know how much GI Joe means to me as a pop-culture property. Check out this commercial for the comic, and let me know your favorite memories of GI Joe.

 

What the Heck is Up with Invictus? (And who cares...?)

Another post to tell anyone that's listening - I haven't abandoned Invictus yet, but time has abandoned me.  Since the year began, I've been struggling to decide how to proceed with the numerous artistic projects I've taken on, and frankly, it's drawn me out thin like an overstretched rubber-band.  Comic Con is coming up, and with no Invictus pages, and no comic pages of any sort, I'm feeling rather bummed.

However, that's not to say I've been lazy.  The bands roll on - Cotton the Machine is putting the finishing touches on our new album.  The record I did with The Secret Seven is almost done, save for mastering .  In fact, you can listen to it right here. Check out "How to Imitate Thunder. 
I've also managed to do some prose writing for a local performance group called So Say We ALL.  My last story was all about collecting GI Joes, so...there is that.

Probably most difficult; On February 28th, my dad passed away from a massive stroke.  It wasn't unexpected, but it was sudden, and fast, and shocking.  His name was Joe, and he was my favorite GI Joe.  I miss him all the time.  But I'm still living, and am thankful to God for that, and for a life well lived by my father.  You can check out a blog post I wrote about it right here.

So...when will Invictus come back?  I don't know yet, but I've got the itch to get the story told, so I hope soon.  Thanks again for all who continue to check in.  I'll be having a birthday in June, and I already know what I'm getting...you might see a certain Soviet team invade my Joe universe.  Maybe...

New Year - I got nothin'

I don't know that anyone really cares for excuses so I'll just say - it rained.  A lot.  No Invictus pages yet.  HOWEVER - I got a new camera for Christmas from my lovely wife, so...

Nothing else to say on that front, really.  I hope everyone had a great Holiday season. 2013 looks to be another interesting year for all of us - I can dig it.  The best memories are those that you survived rather than floated through.  Here's to new challenges and new creative endeavors - as well as continuing some old ones. 

Gearing Up to Wind Down

I'm about to go on a little vacation, and I'm pretty stoked about what I hope to get done, (aside from eating a lot, enjoying the family, and celebrating Christmas and the new year...) I was messing around with some Joes on my desk today, and the spark ignited - I will be making it a point to have new Invictus pages up for the new year, by hook or by crook.

Also, I'm aiming to work on a couple pieces of prose I've had rattling around in my head for a while now. My friend Mike Baron, who came to prominence writing the comic Nexus in the 80's (Seriously - one of the best indy books ever made) had this to say about writers:

 "Writers are people who have to write. They write every day. They don’t talk about it, they do it. People who don’t write every day are not serious writers. All right. Five days a week, minimum. This is about writing comic books, but it applies to all fiction."

 I was glad I read that AFTER spending last night writing a full first draft of a short story tentatively called "Not Enough Time". But it encouraged me not to stop after every small victory. Forge ahead. Write. I could say more, but why talk about it?

 To all who check in, Happy Holidays, and for those brothers and sisters who will celebrate Christ's birth in a couple days, Merry Christmas!

Cogs - by Cotton the Machine

Here is a little live action from earlier this month.  You can't see me - I'm on drums.

More Art - and a recording update

This is a test of the first page of a project I hope to have fully underway in a couple months.  I'll probably have to do a couple revisions of each page before I'm fully satisfied, but I feel like I'm finally on the right track.

Invictus is kicking my ass - in that, I have big plans, but not a lot of time to execute.  Mainly because my "sets" are off-site.  I have some vacation coming up, and I hope to get the next act filmed during that time.  Be assured, I haven't given up, and seeing a post by Justin at Generals Joes today, I'm even more inspired to get back to it.  Ah, life.

Finally, I'm hip-deep in co-producing the new album by my band Cotton the Machine.  We should have it out near the beginning of the new year, but feel free to like us on FB and check out our recent live videos to get a feel for what we're doing.

Thanks, folks, for visiting regularly.  I know I've been silent, but it's encouraging to see that people are taking a minute to stop in and see what's what.

Oh work...

I'm still here, but I'm overwhelmed.  Between crazy work days, busy weekends with the kids, and too much music (a good thing) I've had to put off Invictus for much longer than I'd hoped.  I was scouting out locations this weekend again, and have some tentative plans for a shoot - we'll see.  I know - promises, promises.  Invictus isn't done, but my time is short, and I want to do the best I can for the story, so please be patient and check back.