Gonna Make You My Bisquits

New outlet for my brain. Details soon.

Further Studies

Astronaut Blood/Sasquatch Verde & The Future

A week from tomorrow I'll be on my way with all of my worldly doodads and whatnots for my new home in Minneapolis. While in Michigan I've been wrapping up post funeral arrangements and setting things up for my move. In addition, I've put together several different versions of the Astronaut Blood book, all of which left me confused and unsatisfied. The old hand held papaerback format just wasn't working. Over half of the work included was also originally in color. Blowing it out in my old preferred paperback format just wasn't suiting the work anymore. It needs to be bigger and in color. Also, releasing my work every four to six years was becoming a real drag. Organizing and scanning it the end of the cycle was becoming a pain in the ass, and I've been wanting to do something more regular for momentum purposes. Tie this all in with my return to oil painting and you've got quite quandry. The best way to keep it all together, tidy, and handsome, is to collect it, put it on good paper, and put it under hardcover. Unfortunately, that manner of spiffy book will cost more, but it's the most appropriate delivery method for my work. The upside is that they'll look good and come out regularly 4-6 times a year.

The books will be in an 8x10 format, color & black & white on matte paper, hardcover, 160 pages, and available via direct order or at forthcoming exhibitions. The first three volumes will consist mostly of work from what would have been in Enough Astronaut Blood, some redesigned and refashioned work from the out of print Shutdown Vol. 3, along with a few paintings from inbetween those periods. After those three volumes, the subsequent books will be up to date collections of post New York period work. I started a separate Tumblr blog for this project, which will be known as Sasquatch Verde. I'll keep posting things on this blog that may or may not relate to that idea. I thank you for your patience. Beleive me when I say this has been a real pisser, and a real relief. These last few months have been crushing.

Brides of Neptune/These Days I'm Not So Sure

I guess I've been having what you might call time management problems. Yesterday I was about to post another page from Abstraction House when thee olde computer took a dump. I had to sit back and think about it for a minute. This bastard machine isn't to blame. It's got too much shit to think about. Just like me. We have this sort of hiccuping thing in common. The fact is, there's no longer a deadline for Whiskey Is The Key. It's grown into a sort of dumpy ass monster. Maybe by the time it's done it'll be 250 or so pages. I'll probably look for a grant to put it out.

Anyway, this past year I've drawn about 100 pages worth of comics for it. Then there's this other thing, The Devil Doll. That's been appearing in Mome and I'm set to deliver the next 12-15 pages by May 15th. I've drawn a good 30 pages worth of that this past year. Delivering that means I can't work on Whiskey. That's fine, I like the structure that the Devil Doll imposes. The script is a grower. Anybody that's has an inkling of what it's all about or what's about to happen has no idea, and I like that. Chapter 4 gets very weird.

But then there's Enough Astronaut Blood To last The Winter, my new collection of short stories and art. I'm applying for a grant to publish that by, well, this friday. That's two hundred pages of new art and short stories post the Journey By Ferry book. Sounds like a busy schedule right?

Oh yes, there's the weekly visits to hustle speculative cartoons at the New Yorker.

Annnnnndddddd, the work I'm doing for the Austin, Texas band, the Lovely Sparrows.

And a day job on top of that. I'm not complaining, just voicing some sort of tiredness. This ambiguous nebulous art matter floating forever. What is it. Who shellacs it? Who tells it to lie down, take a nap? I don't have any answers really, I'll just keep posting the work as it gets finished. god have mercy on that ol' liver.

P.S. Today I forked over some blood money for that art of Jamie Hernandez book (yeah I know, worth every penny.). It's overwhelming how good it is. Inspirational, really.

I got to meet him at MoCCA at our joint (Fantagraphics) table and had him sign a book for a friend but didn't get a chance to chew the fat since there were forty million people behind me. I wanted to ask him if he'd be willing to give Ray a shave.

Sketchbook #1