These Days I Remain

The Things We'll Never Know Part 3

2012-01-24T20:42:00.001-08:00

Electric Dolphins Get The Happys Part 2

2012-01-24T09:13:00.001-08:00

January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T10:56:00.001-08:00

From The Archives 3

2012-01-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Packing kinda blows. Anyway, I found this while getting my artwork in some order. It was drawn during a particularly horribly sweaty summer. No, I never did get a.c.

From The Archives 2

2012-01-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I handed over a rather sizable stack (say, roughly 1/6) of Devil Doll artwork for a small exhibition (of which a fraction will be shown). While organizing the other piles I came across this study for a barmaid character and one of the many panels that she eventually appeared in. Though not appearing in print, as this art was later scrapped for an entirely rewritten and redrawn third chapter. Other fragments from this chapter are littered about in the blog. While these particular pieces will not be in the show, a large amount of other original material will be, some previously seen in Mome and some that never made it in. More details on the show soon.

From The Archives

2012-01-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Old unfinished strip-

New York? New York?

2012-01-12T16:06:00.001-08:00

Early Afternoon 1/9/12

2012-01-09T21:21:00.001-08:00

The Square Egg and The Vicious Circle

2012-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

It is with great regret that I acknowledge the recent passing of Ronald Searle, one of my favorite artists and most consistent influences. I'd advise anybody who isn't familiar with him to read Warren Bernard's illuminating overview at TCJ. I usually keep a number of books close by for inspiration. A couple on Otto Dix, George Grosz, Max Ernst, and more than a few by Ronald Searle. The Searle book I break out most often and with most zeal is The Square Egg and The Vicious Circle (Stephen Greene Press, 1968). On the surface it's a collection of drawings from various magazines. Beyond that, it is a masterly device for innovation. A sermon on living, working and expressing. Searle shows you page after page, how to loosen up, how to keep experimenting. Anytime I feel like I'm stagnating, I reach for some Searle and soak his work in. I study those lines, I absorb the energy, and take in the wit. His distortions, along with those of the other artists I mentioned, are the most telling and accurate renderings we have of ourselves. Ronald Searle 1920-2012

2012-01-03T19:30:00.001-08:00

Roman Invasion Suite Remasters Update

2012-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

A while back I made a post about going through my old cassettes trying to find any useful material for a Romans project I was putting together. I finally found a place in NYC that can handle the DAT tapes that won't charge a huge amount of money. Later this week I'll be dropping off those EP and LP session masters and cassette session outtakes for transfers. It shouldn't take that long, maybe a day or maybe over the weekend. From there I have to edit the material and then hand those over for EQ and levels mastering. That will unfortunately take longer but will be worth it. Another thing I'm doing is trying to get ahold of pictures and lyrics that have been floating around for inclusion in a book. The book may or may not include tour journal bits or random stories for context. But I think what we'd like to do is hear from everybody that had bothered to track down this material in the first place. Whether it was the crappy compressed files that have been floating around or the actual vinyl. If you have any stories you'd like to share for inclusion, feel free to pass them along. I'll post more info as it comes in,Thanks,DVG

New Drawings 12/27/11 Edition

2011-12-28T21:16:00.001-08:00

It Would Be So Nice

2011-12-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

You'd have to be steeped in very nerdy Floyd history to appreciate this one unfortunately. The gist being that "It Would Be So Nice" was the first single released after they gave Syd Barrett the boot. Find the clip on you tube. It's worse than you could possibly imagine. These panels are outtakes from the Doomin story. There was going to be a real vomit party after the record got played but I never got around to drawing it.

File Under Future Hair

2011-12-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

A Hole To Crawl Into

2011-12-07T18:48:00.001-08:00

New Drawings (Evening) Dec 5 2011

2011-12-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

More drawings from the new book I'm working on...

Monday Morning Drawings 12/5/11

2011-12-05T09:17:00.001-08:00

Jack Davis Signing At The Strand NYC

2011-12-03T06:40:00.001-08:00

Jack Davis, legendary illustrator and cartoonist, discussed his work and signed his new career retrospective published by Fantagraphics at the Strand this past Thursday. Gary Groth moderated a discussion with Jack that took in his military service, time at The Art Students League, working for EC Comics- in particular Tales From The Crypt and Mad in the 1950's, the differences in working with the editorial styles Harvey Kurtzman and Al Feldstein, working on Humbug/Trump/Help!/Yak Yak, and film posters, amongst other things. Looking through his new book, I was amazed at how much of his work I've seen, whether I knew it was his or not. Jack Davis is everywhere. Below are some pictures I took at the event.

The Business of the Business

2011-11-27T16:19:00.001-08:00

More from the No Milk Today/The Happytime Friendship Village book in progress..

Dayglo Black Friday

2011-11-25T15:31:00.001-08:00

Another drawing from the No Milk Today/The Happytime Friendship Village book in progress.

Spectres

2011-11-23T01:34:00.001-08:00

A drawing from the follow up book to the unreleased Astronaut Blood. Book No.4 is to be called No Milk Today/The Happytime Friendship Village.

Selected Nov. 6 Drawings Part 1

2011-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

Day of Days

2011-11-05T22:03:00.001-07:00

Abstraction House Vol.2 Pg.2

2011-10-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

Tales of Abstraction House Vol.2 Pg.1

2011-10-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Some brandnewness from this morning. Plenty more to follow soon.

Sinister Secrets of Abstraction House

2011-10-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

While trying to salvage stories for the new comics magazine/collection, I came across the unfinished pages of Tales of Abstraction House. I was hoping to re-use or rewrite the existing pages, but it seems that it would be far too complicated and it would be best to just start over from scratch. And so, with that in mind, I leave you with one of the original black and white pages from the discarded version..oh well, the new stuff will be even better.

The Most Commercial Series Ever?

2011-10-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

Memoirs of Erstwhile Kitty

2011-10-25T19:42:00.001-07:00

Doomin' Pt.5

2011-10-24T18:05:00.001-07:00

I sort of violate the structure I set up with the previous pages with this particular sequence, but I figured that as this is the last page of the web version, I might as well take it to the record store previously shown in the title page.

Doomin' Pt.4

2011-10-22T11:29:00.001-07:00

Doomin' Pt.3

2011-10-20T21:53:00.001-07:00

Doomin' Pt. 2

2011-10-19T15:21:00.001-07:00

Doomin' Pt.1

2011-10-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the first page of the Doomin' parody. Each panel is a different scene from Doomin' village. Each panel will then continue in the subsequent pages. Blah blah blah.

What Once Was and Whatever Shall Be..

2011-10-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

So as you may have noticed, I borrowed the cover of the now defunct Whiskey Is The Key for Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter. It works better for that type of art and story collection. It seems to sum up these last years in NYC just fine. And with Astronaut Blood being shopped around in the publishing sphere, I thought I'd go back to what once was Whiskey Is The Key and see if I can salvage anything from that. The plan is still the same, assemble a comics collection for a debut issue that should be about 100 pages long. It'll be a mix of the serious, not so serious, utterly ridiculous, bat-shit crazy, and so forth. There will be a few parodies, a Doomin' story, Thirty Seven Going on Eighty Five, a Devil Doll satire and then some of the shorter Mome pieces of mine as well as Tales of Abstraction House. I'd say the whole thing is 75% done. It just needs a name and a publisher. More on that as well.

Astronaut Blood Update 10/15/11

2011-10-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a while, mostly due to my constant re-working/re-formatting/re-editing of Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter. What I've been doing is going through the original 160 page version and cutting out the weaker art pieces and short stories. I then brought in over a hundred recent pieces for a new version clocking in at 262 pages. I suspect by the time it hits print it'll be at least 300, as I want it to be as up to date as possible. I also re-formatted the size from 5 x 7 to 6 x 9, which was a bummer since the other books are 5 x 7, but in the end it serves the art better. Also in the works is a seperate book which will basically serve as an appendix to Astronaut Blood and will feature drawings that didn't fit in the book, sketches, journal entries/working notes, doodles, and some of the stranger short stories. I figure I'll have that one available when I do readings or whatever. More details soonish.

Veronica Falls/Pianos/NYC Wednesday 28th 2011

2011-10-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

A brace of singles brought me to Pianos to see Veronica Falls. The first, "Beachy Head", a reverb drenched charging tamborine rocker- doused in monk chants featuring a female lead vox that recalled Ludella Black and the Headcoatees. A couple songs come to mind for examples, "Pretend", "Gotta Get Inside That Boy's Mind" and also the Delmonas "Delmona, the Temptress of Love". Spooky stuff. I was smitten, this single was everything I've been craving in under three minutes. Then I had to wait for more. Time passed, and I found another single - "Found Love In a Graveyard" b/w "Starry Eyes". It was different, super melodic. I was now hooked. Then came the full length, and the vocal melodies really came to fore. The album sounds more like a singles collection than a long player with valleys and pockets. The pop chops exhibited throughout are considerable, the best of so many digested bands surfacing here in a successful merger. Sometimes I hear bits of Velocity Girl, Lush, or the Velvet Underground, but only traces, these aren't new wave post punk vultures, but rather the newest progression in etherial garage pop. They will eventually blow past even these descriptors as they are just getting started and as the baroque acapella at the end of "Misery" demonstrates, their ability to structure their vocals is one of their best assets. This was the perefect time to see them live. There was no wishing for any older material as they only have 14 or so songs to their name. I snapped a few pictures using a Mamiya 120 camera while enjoying the short and entrancing set.

Final Art For The Lovely Sparrows Screen Printed EP due in October

2011-09-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Coffee and Cigarettes

2011-08-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

During my Chicago visit I was able to meet up with Laura Park a few times for drinks and drawings. After one coffee induced session (the one that produced this among other drawings) we went to the California Clipper across the street (which is by far, the best looking bar I've ever seen) and had some Hi-balls, Campari & sodas, and tamales. We also played this game which I had never heard of called "Shut The Box". Endless fun.

Touch of Auto Bio No.2

2011-08-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Round And Round

2011-08-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

I was afraid the recent heatwave would destroy my will to do anything creative, yet I'm pleased to announce that I've had a huge drawing streak as of late and have no doubts about finishing this new book by September. It's definately the companion to Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter, which will be undergoing its last edits in October. I may be adding some new portraits from my Midwest travels Aug 10-31st.

A Touch of Auto Bio. (not contagious)

2011-07-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

Lovely Sparrows Book Update #4

2011-07-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

More spreads from the 200 page sasquatch...

Good Morning Contrast

2011-07-26T11:42:00.001-07:00

The Fair Weather & Fly By Nighters

2011-07-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I bought two books that have been endless sources of inspiration. The first being a Tashen book on Expressionism that I found as a remainder (that MoMa catalog is still too damn expensive). Besides my usual faves of the movement, I was excited to see some work by Paula Modersohn-Becker. The self portait with Camellia branch being a particular favorite. The other book is called "Genius Isolated" and features the beautiful work of Alex Toth. The two books couldn't be more different, but they both strike me in the same way. I could pour over the work for hours, educating myself with countless techniques. What caught my eye this morning was a grand looking story on the French Foreign Legion from the Toth book. I whipped out the following story as a sort of tribute and a way to expel some rattling thoughts. Enjoy.

New Sparrows Book Update #3

2011-07-23T07:45:00.001-07:00

I have to say, having finished another book before this (Astronaut Blood), I'm feeling quite good about laying out and creating this other 200 page thing. I get to break out the letraset, the all italics typerwriter, pencils, felt tips, and sharpies for the tour journal dialogue that is still being edited and of course I get to layout the photos and drawings. Meowsa.

The Lovely Sparrows Book Update

2011-07-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few rough spread comps that I did recently. Click on them to see them larger.

Most of my time these days has been spent scanning prints and drawings as well as doing some creative writing exercises for the book. There should be plenty to look at and read when it's finished. This October.

The Final Issue of Mome Now Available For Pre-order

2011-07-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Looks like Mome 22 is finally ready for pre-order. This is the final issue of the anthology and clocks in at 240 or so pages. If there was ever an issue to start with, it would be this one as it has nearly all of the artists past and present contributing to one single volume. My contribution is the 30page conclusion of my World War Two moody noir story. Included below is a composite of some original pencils and the final watercolor wash. These panels were cropped alot for the final and so I'm glad to show you a bit more of them now. Click on it to see the details.

A video preview and ordering information are available here at Fantagraphics Books.

The Seventh Kingdom; The Bootleg and Singles Alternate History

2011-07-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

In a strange way, this is a review of the new reissue of R.E.M.'s Life's Rich Pageant album from 1986. The album itself has been reviewed a few million times, and so I won't bother with that, but what concerns us here is the second disc in the set. The demos. This got me to thinking about that strange object of coveted desire, the bootleg.

I don't know where it came from but I developed the collector bug early on. If I was fascinated with something, I explored it to its fullest. Film directors, writers, bands, artists, it's almost all the same. You can only seemingly know something after you've examined it completely. It only gets strange when the need is greater than the supply of material.

Say, with writers, you can go further, collecting rare appearances in magazines. Two examples of which may already be familiar to you- J.D Salinger's "Hapworth 16 1924" from the June 19 1965 issue of The New Yorker. It's never been collected and now exists as a curious, nearly secret phenomenon. Charles Bukowski readers have probably rarely ventured into the catacombs of the groundbreaking Grove Press anthology, The Evergreen Review for the short story supplement to his Post Office novel. If you haven't read that little gem, you don't really know Post Office. A publisher with any real foresight would have added that material to subsequent additions. This is just an example of the collector mentality.

With bands, there are five areas of exploration for those with deeper needs. Usually single b-sides are the first step of the journey. I spent a small fortune on Siouxsie and the Banshee singles in my early youth. I had already owned the albums and had spied a discography that listed songs I had never heard of such as "Voices" and "Red Over White". The only way to get them was to buy the 7" singles which may or may not have been issued in the U.S. I went to record conventions and would buy them one by one with my meager finances. It was treasure hunting, no doubt about it. When I finally got their debut non album single, "Hong Kong Garden", I was a happy bastard for sure. The b-side, "Voices" was a completely weird, contorted, and fantastic swirly mess. Hot damn. Gold. The history of the song is great too. That made the hunt that much more wonderful. Obviously, many bands put complete shit on their single flipsides or worse, tracks already on the full length album. How boring.

I was already fully immersed into the punk rock by high school and in the late eighties until the late nineties existed the world of the seven inch single. Songs by bands that would vanish as fast as they appeared. There's a goldmine of buried culture just waiting to be unearthed, but the reason I bring it up is that maybe it made me more aware of the search. A couple of my favorite still uncollected singles are Lungfish's "10 East"(with an amazing painted sleeve) and Red Eye's Resevoir 7". Some others that I still love are Air Miami's "Airplane Rider", the Stacatto Reads 7", Flex Lavender, the Hoover/Lincoln split, Unwound's "Totality", the Slant 6/Make Up split, The early Crownhate Ruin singles, and anything by Indian Summer. I play those for guests every now and then. I'll usually sprinkle in one of my more lucky finds, that bizarre Van Dyke Parks Datsun commercial that was on a late 60's Warner Brothers compilation, or that beautiful face melting version of "Lullabye of the Leaves" by Ethel Azama buried on an Arthur Lyman album called Leis of Jazz. These aren't b-sides or singles, just further examples from the hunt. Both of those last examples were bought at antique/rummage sales. Sometimes it pays to take a chance. Before I forget, I lost one of my favorite b-sides, an instrumental version of "Skintight" originally written by funk band The Ohio Players, performed live by R.E.M. during the Green Tour. That was on one of those German 3inch cd singles. I stepped on it. I curse myself for that one every now and then. Goddamnit.

After b-sides come studio outtakes, radio sessions, demos and live recordings. These are nearly endless caves for exploring. Radio sessions are fun, the Kinks have some great ones, the Animals have an infamous 4 song BBC session ("Monterey", "When I was Young", "Paint It Black", and "San Franciscan Nights"). They're fantastic. They smoke the normal studio versions easy, yet they aren't there for purchase. Velocity Girl have a nice partially collected one on a Sub Pop comp, and the Smiths, Cure and Banshees have a million good ones. Some of them available, some not. The Cure have a fantastic rare song from that sweet drug drenched period 1982/1983, a song called "Ariel". It's not the same one used on the re-issue of the Top. This one is weirder, more frail and surreal. Oh yes, The Hoover WGNS live recording was also one of my favorites. There was this amazing (and at the time still unreleased) song called "Breather Resist" that had been put on a comp. It sounded like a studio recording. When The Roman Invasion Suite went on tour in 1997 and recorded our album in Washington D.C., I asked one of our hosts, a member of Hoover if there was more where that came from and he very nicely made me a tape of that radio session. He put some extra things on there too. Why we didn't ask him to play guitar on our album still baffles me.

Oh yes. Nearly lost my point. All this to say that all of this seeming surplus existed and if you were in the right place and time, some of it was available to you. In 1989, I had exhausted completely the whole of the R.E.M. purchaseable catalog. I then saw in the LP section of my favorite record store three albums I had never seen before. They looked weird. The song titles were familiar, they were songs I may have already had, just in a strange order or hanging out next to songs from other periods. I was intrigued. This was my first encounter with a bootleg. I bought two them and reasoned that I'd come back for the third if these other two checked out. The one I left behind was called "Ripe, Goergia Peaches". Never did see that one again. Shit. Lost my chance. Anyway, I put on the first and best bootleg called "Mumble". Whoa. What the fuck. Whoever sequenced this thing had a great sense of humor. At the time I was horrified. The sound was muffled. A million layers of shag carpeting seperated the listener from the recording. The first song on there was the demo version of "Underneath The Bunker". Very, very strange. Not only did it not sound like the album version, it sounded perverse, alien. I hated it and loved it all at once. Messages from the phantom zone. It continued. Tortured hellscapes followed. These next songs weren't demos but live recordings. They sounded desperate and frantic, musicians clawing their way out of some burning void. "Gardening At Night", "9-9", "Windout", "White Tornado", and "Pretty Persuasion" followed. I've never heard them sound like that. It was a violent recording. Unhinged. Demented. Raw. Maybe it was from 1985. Probably the ass end of 1984. Mike Mills is playing his Rickenbacker. You can tell from those deep tones. I don't think he used it in 1985. Side one ends with another 1986 demo, "PSA", later to be known as "Bad Day". There are three versions of this song. The new recording, the old one from their "I Feel Fine" comp and finally this one. The real one, ie; the one I first heard. It's complete with shit harmonica solo. And that side ends. Side two is not nearly as good, though you do hear a third Pageant demo of "Cuyahoga". It's half finished. Sounds great that way. The chicken cluck of Pete Buck's guitar rings true without the missing vocals. It's eerily beautious.

Fast forward a million years. Three of those tracks are now available on the second disc of the Life's Rich Pageant reissue, along with 16 that I hadn't heard. It's weird. The fidelity is clean, and I appreciate that, it's funny though, I do miss that sonic murk. Before I close, let me mention that Peter Buck is a huge fan of music and usually his best interviews are when he hips people to the albums or bands he's just checked out. I found out about Mission of Burma, Gang of Four and Wire from those interviews. Nobody else was talking about them (in 1987/88). Anyways, he also collects R.E.M. boots and should they ever think of it, he could probably curate the best alternate history archive series that could blow some minds.

New New Book

2011-06-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Since the Astronaut Blood book sits in limbo, I've decided to put my energies into a new sister project for Austin, Texas band, The Lovely Sparrows. I've been working with them for a while now, and I'm basically in charge of their imagery. We've been talking back and forth for a bit on the topic of the new album and the music industry in general, and we've decided to take the apathetic market on head first by issuing a 2oo page book of art to accompany the album instead of the usual 4 panel booklet or more likely, nothing. I recently got back from Austin and shot 2o rolls of film on the band, surroundings, etc. and will eventually combine those with a plethora of brand new drawings and writings to form a complementary whole to both their full length album and my still unreleased 200 page book Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter.

The completed first run book/albums will be available this October.

Lost & Found

2011-06-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some pics I just got back from the lab.

New Drawings 6/5/11 and 6/7/11 Edition

2011-06-09T00:52:00.000-07:00

Here we have a few new drawings for the Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter book and also some watercolors from a recent visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

The Cheese Castle

2011-06-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

A while back my sister spied some pictures I took of a board game I created for somebody I was rather smitten with. Instantly, my sister demanded one for her birthday, and here I am, slightly late posting pictures of the new game in progress. It's rather ridiculous. I asked her if she wanted the family appropriate or raunchy fun edition. Luckily I knew she'd choose the fun one. It even has a soundtrack, but I can't disclose that until later. Board games rule. Make somebody happy, and design one too.

Sunday Afternoon Drawings (Pt.1) 5-8-11

2011-05-08T13:01:00.001-07:00

Sunday Morning Drawings 5-8-11

2011-05-08T09:39:00.001-07:00

Another Astronaut Blood Book Preview

2011-05-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

Unreleased Mome Story

2011-05-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is something I turned in for issue #15 but didn't see print for some reason or another....

Sunday In The Park I Saw

2011-05-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

Astronaut Blood Book Update

2011-04-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to announce that a 160 + page version of Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter was mailed off for a first look to a potential publisher. I wish it hadn't taken so long to put together, but the sequel to Journey By Ferry To Celibate City or Thigh Town is damn near finished. Like Journey, it's crammed full of new art, short stories, photography, and nuggets of the absurd. The New York Years Pt.2. More details soon.

Tales of Abstraction House Pages 1-4

2011-04-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

The End of Mome

2011-04-12T16:53:00.001-07:00

The cat has been let out of the hydroplane. Eric Reynolds, editor of Mome, Fantagraphics head honcho #3, and overall fantastic human, recently confirmed the whispers via several comics news sources, (Comics Reporter, Robot 6, Comics Journal). Mome will indeed cease to exist with issue #22, which is due to see its debut at the big San Diego shooboodoowop (July 21st). I was informed of all this earlier, as were all of the Mome artists, via an explanatory email which concluded with a request for final contributions from everybody past and present.

I was very sad upon hearing the news. I took the ideas behind Mome very seriously and experimented with all of my submissions, trying out various storytelling methods and drawing techniques that were not always comfortable but very necessary in order to find out where my boundaries were.

The first story I turned in, Parallelograms (Mome12), was an attempt to merge my usual fine art pen and ink technique with the comics form. It was a rough adjustment, although closer to my liking than my previous mini-comics efforts that ended in 1997. Essentially I felt like I wasn't bringing anything to the party back then and so I stopped. Parallelograms was my first comics work since 97' and was I was quite smitten with the idea of coming back to the fold. I'm very thankful to Eric for giving me that opportunity.

For Mome 13 I chose to submit The Marriage Tree, an ink and coffee wash story done in a very jigsaw layout. I had felt confined at various points during Parallelograms, and deduced that I needed more room, more paper to experiment with and destroy if needed. The Marriage Tree was my first submission using the method of cut up and joined panels and I have employed this method for most of my subsequent stories.

Mome 14 contained a shotgun blast of one page stories, each one rendered in a different style. I had delivered 10 pages and 7 of them eventually saw print. For these stories I utilized watercolor, ink wash, coffee wash, computer color, and plain black and white ink. The content of the stories had all come from my short fiction. I was curious to see how they would work in contrast to Parallelograms and The Marriage Tree, which both utilized fable type subject matter. The results were mixed, but the lessons learned proved valuable.

Mome 15 was trouble for me. I had given Eric a two page story, The First Blush of Hope(which eventually appeared in Smoke Signals as a one pager), a one page color piece, The Lying Bastards of Xeta 8, a black and white one pager, These Days I'm Not So Sure, and 17 pages of a serial called The Devil Doll. Obviously I gave Eric too much stuff and quite frankly I hadn't warned him about the serial. This more or less lead to my absence from #15 and #16.

Mome 17 saw the eventual release of The Devil Doll and These Days I'm not So Sure, which was great as it allowed for me to contrast multiple working styles again. The Devil Doll was done in heavy gray ink washes for that old movie moody noir experience. These Days was a story which was more in line with the stuff I do naturally and quickly, short absurdist situational fiction, rendered in stark black and white. The Devil Doll provided a challenge to do something that I had never tried before, extended genre material that was more methodic and rigorous. It was also material that I was always enamored with, as I had been reading books like House of Mystery, Weird War, and Tales From The Crypt since very, very early on. The experience has been an ass kicker to say the least, as there's nothing like working outside of the normal artistic repetoir to strengthen the chops.

Mome 18 had the second chapter of the Devil Doll and no accompanying pieces. The work for part 2 was noticably crisper, with better shadows and more mood. I also chose to disrupt my rigid, self imposed 6 panel square grid by the end of the story. I think at this point I had come to realize that the serial was going to hog up my submissions in Mome due to competitive space.

Mome 19 saw almost all of the new regular artists bumped in order to allow for a special theme issue to occur. Mome 19 in effect had a roster and look that was very similar to another Fantagraphics anthology, Hotwired.

Mome 2o had the third Devil Doll installment, this time featuring a slight browinsh tone, further grid deviations, and a two page color interpretation of one character's D-Day trials, utilizing symbols, repeating patterns, multiple mediums, and a larger grid against white instead of the usual black.

I figured there were about three more chapters, and so I decided to jump into full color for the next Devil Doll installment (Mome 21). For this chapter I used live models and painted every panel with watercolors which was a real twist as I hadn't really messed around with them extensively. Developments also included further character definition and a mood enhancing muted color palette.

And alas, we are back to where we started, issue 22- the end. Now, the announcement that the series was ending struck me a couple of different ways. I was bummed out that The Devil Doll was my last story as I had many other kinds of stories to tell, but I was also struck by the notion that I still has two chapters left of this story to draw. I asked Eric if he could fit in a double sized last chapter and he confirmed that he indeed could. I then set to begin the work, again using live models, watercolors, and other mediums to express the growing paranoia and disintegration within the story. I had various false starts, and a pile of panels that I scrapped for various reasons. Finally, the deadline hovered and I delivered the last 31 pages using two weeks of uninterrupted studio time. The work is among my finest and I feel it caps a long and strange journey in experimentation that began with Mome 12. It's unfortunate that Mome comes to a close, but I am indebted to Eric for the experience, his open natured approach, and his understanding.

Recent watercolors

2011-04-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook

2011-03-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Something from the pile..

Eat The Wizard

2011-03-10T19:20:00.001-08:00

This is a drawing from the booklet that accompanies an album I finished with a friend of mine, Erin Gibson. We got together for seven days and just wrote songs all day and all night, drew pictures and cobbled the best results into a full length 35 minute type experience. The idea was to experiment and see what we could do on the spot with little regard for being dreadfully serious or self concious. Some of it was almost narrative, not unlike performance art, sometimes using items in the room as lyric triggers. So, we finished compiling the record and the 80 page booklet is pretty much laid out and will feature art and scribbles from Erin and I. Should be available for ordering in April.

Breakdowns..

2011-03-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Things start to get a little crazy in the final chapter of the Devil Doll..

Exit Music For Elvis Fur No.24

2011-02-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

Exit Music For Elvis Fur No.0

2011-02-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

Coffee, Ink, & Astronaut Blood/Morning Sketches

2011-02-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

This morning's watercolor..

2011-01-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is another panel from the WWII noir story concluding in Mome 22. When this thing reproduces it'll be 2 inches wide.

Mome 22 Sneak Peak

2011-01-23T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here's page one from the conclusion of the Devil Doll serial from Mome 22...

Squashy Scoundrel Soup (key players of)

2011-01-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Today's experimental deviant soup consists of the following plus a few unseen items such as chili peppers, thyme, & chicken stock. I'll let you know later if this was all some horrible mistake.

The Haps (End of the year edition)

2010-12-29T16:36:00.000-08:00

Strange, things are now barreling fast down the road and if I have any control over this overloaded work truck, I'll be delivering the goods over the course of 2011. If I wrap them up soon. Soon being between now and the end of March. Let's see if this makes any sense.

ENOUGH ASTRONAUT BLOOD TO LAST THE WINTER
This 200 page collection of short fiction & art is in the layout stages. I'm still getting some contact sheets back from the labs, writing some spontaneous short, short fiction and drawing some bits of weirdness to round out the book. It's a balance, y'know. It turns out I've been skimping on the non-sequitors. As soon as the rough layout is finished (within the next month or two, I'll pitch it and hopefully it will emerge early 2012.

UNTITLED LOVELY SPARROWS ALBUM BOOK
A year or so back, maybe longer, I started working with Shawn Jones of The Lovely Sparrows on an arty book to accompany his band's new album. He's about finished with the record and so Shawn will be coming down to Brooklyn for a week so that we can finish the book portion of it. Also, we'll be recording tracks during the evening for a secret project. A working holiday, my favorite kind. This takes place and wraps up mid January.

THE DEVIL DOLL
This is the serial WWII Noir/Horror graphic novel I've been working on with Michael Jada that's been running in the Mome anthology. I'll be delivering the last few chapters by the end of February. I'll be revising the first chapter, and adding a prologue which will then round out the 80+ page book for the compiled pitch. Maybe another early 2012 book.

HEARTS IN EXILE
This is the one man comics anthology I've been working on for the last two years. Originally it was called Whiskey Is The Key, but lately I've been re-evaluating the material and format. It will house some isolated pieces, such as bits from Mome and also some steady characters that will be fleshed out over time. The first issue will clock in around a hundred pages or so and come out anually if all goes right.

EBERSOLE VERSUS CARBERRY
In February, Erin Gibson and I will be finishing our album of weirdness produced under the banner of Ebersole Versus Carberry. Part dancy, part dissonant, part eccentric, part electric boa.

Harpsichords

2010-12-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

Another poster for Austin, TX band, The Lovely Sparrows.

Imitation Objects Interview

2010-12-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

Writer, editor, comrade, and fellow whiskey & profanity enthusiast, Jen Hazen, takes time out for a q&a with me on her recently launched new york art/design/music/lifestyle blog, Imitation Objects. Questions asked include my top musical choices for invoking art, influences, and who the mysterious women are that haunt my drawings. Take a gander and see what Miss Hazen and her crack team of specialists have curated especially for you here.

Poster#3

2010-12-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

Trippy alternate poster I finished today for New Years

Poster #2

2010-12-01T14:18:00.001-08:00

Another new one..

Floating Kabarette Poster #1

2010-11-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

A recent freelance project for Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn...

New Book In Progress

2010-11-22T09:43:00.000-08:00

untitled

2010-11-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

2010-11-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

Jazz Impressions Of The Greats

2010-10-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

So, there's a new blog out there called Repaneled which is not unlike Covered in that it offers artists a chance to reinterpret previous comics art. The difference being Repaneled does panels and Covered does covers. I've previously worked with Covered where I did two New Mutants (The only mainstream title I'd ever consider doing art chores for provided Claremont wrote it and it was set in 1985)covers and an Eightball cover. While working on something for Repaneled I did these. Click on the images to make them bigger.

From My New York Diary by Julie Doucet / Drawn & Quarterly

From Cecil & Jordan by Gabrielle Bell / Drawn & Quarterly

From New Love No.2 by Gilbert Hernandez / Fantagraphics

From Cecil & Jordan by Gabrielle Bell / Drawn & Quarterly

From Locas by Jaime Hernandez / Fantagraphics

The Gravy Train To Weirdness

2010-10-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Enough Astronaut Blood Cover Draft

2010-09-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

The cover to the ever so mysterious Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter. The third art monograph/short lit collection. Details later.

Roman Invasion Suite Tour Poster 1997

2010-09-15T08:06:00.000-07:00

One from the archives..

The Devil Doll Part 4, Work In Progress

2010-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here's page 4 from part four of The Devil Doll, currently scheduled for print in Mome 21.

2010-08-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

Devil Doll Part 4

2010-08-25T17:51:00.001-07:00

Here's page 3 of The Devil Doll Part 4. Things get moody.

New Book Shaping Up

2010-08-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

The to do list seemingly never shrinks but I have noticed that efforts to finish book number three- Enough Astronaut Blood To Last The Winter, have gathered speed. Here's a fresh drawing heading for the that pile. Shooting portraits this weekend too.

I Couldn't Resist

2010-08-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

This is a fragment of my Moomin parody that will be in Hearts In Exile No.1

Devil Doll Part 4

2010-08-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple panels from page 4 of part 4.

New Drawings (Early July) Part1

2010-07-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

New Drawings From Tonight O Sticky (Part 2)

2010-06-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

New Drawings From Tonight O' Sticky (Part One)

2010-06-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Some of these will be used in book no.3 (Astronaut Blood) and for sale later this week.

Whiskey Is The Key (post-preview preview)

2010-06-14T17:31:00.001-07:00

Page one of the alphabet..kinda

Whiskey Is The Key (post-preview preview)

2010-06-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Page one from another story..

Whiskey Is The Key Says Me (post-preview preview)

2010-06-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Page one from the Hangtooth story..

Whiskey Is The Key (post-preview preview)

2010-06-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

Page 11 of Tales of Abstraction House. (To figure out what the hell's goin' on, see previous entries, ed.)

Whiskey Is The Key (preview)

2010-06-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Gettin' Lippy With DVG

2010-05-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent interview with me discussing Journey By Ferry To Celibate City or Thigh Town and other things, over at the Barnes & Noble site.

Whiskey Is The Key Says Me (post preview, preview)

2010-05-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

More Tales of Abstraction House. Hey, who the hell is gonna put this damn thing out?

Claudette

2010-05-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

An early draft of something I have in the works for Fantagraphics as a replacement for The House of No. More on that soon.