Upcoming: NEW COMIC pre-order! (Plus other stuff)

Hey friends!

I couldn't sleep well tonight. I woke up super early thanks to a combo of extreme dry mouth and that good old "just couldn't get comfortable" feeling. As always, I got a lot on my mind. Health stuff. Work stuff. Its all a jumble. But I felt like, lets get up and do something.

I'm in post-production of my latest comic. Its a short floppy horror anthology like the old EC horror books but its in honor of my friend Caleb who passed away last year. He was a massive horror fan and when I was in my own head about what I can do to help his family and his friend's family, this is what I came up with. It will be a 28 page book. Three stories, all ZOMBIE related. It will also have pinups, fun old fake ads like the old comics (Xray glasses, etc) and a few other surprises. Caleb himself appears in the book on a few pages intro-ing the stories as our resident horror host, cryptkeeper style! He would love this, I think. I hope. And most special of all: His daughter will see her first work ever published in the book! Its really gonna be a special occasion!

Yesterday, his pal Joe posted a pic of some of the pages from the book and people are saying some very kind words about the project. Its really got me jazzed to finish it and get the kickstarter up and running. I'm hoping to have all the art stuff done this week and finishing up final PDFs by next week. Then I will launch the Kickstarter for it. Incentives right now include digital copies, sketched copies, original art pages, commissions and other stuff. Its gonna be a basic and quick pre-order Kickstarter that I don't think will draw out too long. I'll order enough books to fill the orders and a few more for future sales at horror cons. Then the money that is left will be divided up between Caleb's family and then the Arlee Rodgers Surgery Fund for his friend Joe's daughter. I will not see a dime of profit from this project.

Right now, the title is "TALES FROM THE GORE" and its being presented by 12 Gauge Gore. I'm hoping to premiere it at Horrorhound Cincinnati in March. Here's some sneak peek pics of various things related to the project:

A look at our horror host CALEB in action!

A page I teased mid-last year finally gets a home in the new TALES FROM THE GORE! A special little tale!

Laying it all out...

A zombie story about Xmas time I drew a long time ago FINALLY gets a home in print!

And the book includes a faithful reprint of one of my favorite zombie related horror stories I have ever done.

 It has been a long time since I did just a quick 28 page comic like this. I tried to make it as painless as I could. Working on it was hard enough sometimes, but I just felt like I had to do this. I hope we sell a lot of copies with this project and the money earned can help out his family and friends as much as possible. It is also a form of therapy for me to just do something. Sometimes, you feel so helpless that just DOING SOMETHING makes one feel better.

The Kickstarter will launch before the month is over. A couple weeks. Look for an announcement very soon!

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I'm working through it folks. I'm trying my best to get back on the horse and finish this race. But I also am taking the time to slow down and just live a bit. I'm watching the movies I've always missed out on. I'm reading articles and chasing the whimsies. I'm taking the time to enjoy what I can and when I can around the craziness of my life. Some days I can literally feel my body breaking and my mind oozing out of my head. I need distractions.

Luckily, I got a great gal who listens to me, supports me and loves me. She always makes me laugh:

She's such a goof sometimes, I love it!

 I am aware fully that life is short. And I'm trying every day not to waste it. I saw this graphic the other day and it stuck in my head: 

I've worked hard at my dreams and day jobs since I was 16 years old. And there is so much more to do. New car, new home, new travels, raise my boys... so many things on the bucket list to get done. Not just artworking but life in general. But I am also noting that I deserve a break from it all too. I'm toying with getting a modern game system so that I am not out of the loop when it comes to what my kids will want someday, or to what my 16 year old is talking about. I'm tired of feeling like a man out of time, stuck in arrested development. And plus I deserve some fun too! So don't be surprised if I am posting some pics of a new PS4 sometime soon.

If my life has to drain a bit for me to stop and enjoy the smell of the flowers once in a while, so be it. Its a worthy life to live and I've earned some peace.... Don't you think?

U2 announced a JOSHUA TREE 30th Anniversary tour. I might go. Just because. Why not. Right?
Chase the whimsies! Carpe diem.

Maybe in these things, I am getting better. Healthier. I'm not beating myself up as much for not working as hard. Maybe thats a good thing. Instead of thinking where I SHOULD be, enjoy where I AM NOW... what a concept! Am I capable of relaxing? I'd love to find out.

But also this week: I got asked from three different sources for commission work. The downloads of the Idiothead Morning Show Podcast and the blog hits remain constant. People are still out there and they care! I can't begin to explain what that means to me that you've stuck with me through all this shit! And all the positive words and vibes floating around about the Caleb comic really got me jazzed up, man. Seems like every day people are asking: When is Starslam 3 going to come out? How about the new Pleasant Life?

Point is, people care and still want me doing it. That is freaking awesome! I appreciate it, so much. I know I got an ending in site for all these things and I hope to achieve that. Its a ways off and I want to enjoy it while I can. Because life is a journey. Chase the dreams and whimsies and then come back to Earth and relax a bit with those you love in a home you earned. But I promise all these things to you. We're gonna land this bird and its going to be the best time ever. Maybe my zeal for these things is returning. Maybe I'm just ready to go again. Who knows, but right now, it just feels really good.

I'm keeping it together so far in 2017. How about you?

--T