Mt. Pleasant FANTASTICON Recap!

Hey friends!

I'm back from a whirlwind of a vacation/convention appearance in my old hometown of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan! Its time for a recap of how it went down:

Every time I return to the old haunts, I have to take a stroll down memory lane and see what I remember, what remains and what is gone for good. I stopped through Shepherd and saw my old childhood home. Then we drive to downtown Mt. Pleasant and saw a few old places of note... like the BIRD BAR & GRILL... my old bar! (and also featured in the pages of my comic, PLEASANT LIFE!). Right across the street is the old WARD THEATER. A place where I worked and closed shop on back in 2001. Then of course I had to stop off at JON'S COUNTRY BURGER. All necessary stops when I am in town and full of memories! Here's an image dump:

We got to the Soaring Eagle Casino on Friday and chilled in the jacuzzi a couple of times, while sipping on some vodka and Mike bottles. On Saturday I reported to the FANTASTICON show floor and set up... but not before stopping for a breakfast pastry!

"mmm.... doughnuts..."

Iz VIGGO!

Two in the box, ready to go!

On Saturday I stayed steady. I didn't get pics of every commissioned sketch card but here are some TMNT ones I did for someone: 

I did a lot of cards for some really kind folks. But most importantly to me, I sold a lot of books! I sold out of my copies of STARSLAM 1-2, ANNA POCALYPSE and I was down to only two remaining PLEASANT LIFE books! Not a bad problem to have indeed! I also got rid of some original art and bacon bookmarks! I had a really good weekend, sales-wise... thanks to everyone who came out and supported!

It was a smaller show and more intimate to deal with people, which I prefer. Only downside to me was that the panel "room" was on the show floor and the speakers were right behind my table, behind a curtain. So sometimes people talking or music playing got so loud I couldn't hear anyone in front of me. It was a pain in the ass, but I dealt with it.

I ran into my brother, my old pals Shane and family, Jon K, Matt & Michelle and my brother stopped by and hung out for a while. And that was just a few old friends I saw. Many more stopped by and I made some new ones as well. That is always the highlight of these shows for me!

So now, I am safely back home. The dust has settled on another con appearance. Thus ends my "25th year anniversary in comics" celebration. Its been a long, strange trip, folks. But so rewarding. I'm glad to have spent it at home. But now my mind turns toward what is next. I finished the page art on STARSLAM 4 and I am beginning the new PATREON stories. Plus a new graphic novel after that. So much to keep rolling on! I cannot wait for what is to come. You'll hear all about it soon, I assure.

To be a part of it, the best way is my PATREON PAGE (Click here). You get monthly exclusive blogs, podcasts, pinups... then there are reward tiers to get monthly erotica comics and then even monthly digital commissions for 1/2 price of my regular prices! Its the best way to keep up with me as my updates here on Idiothead.com are sporadic. I invite you to join my community I am building over there. All new stuff goes there first!

Thanks to all who came out to FANTASTICON and who took the time to stop by. I'll miss you until next time. Love to you all!

--T

Bettie Page Kickstarter and other goings on

Yesterday was Harlan Ellison's birthday, so I am inspired to write. I wrote a blog back at the PATREON page I run, but very few see that. I try to still provide some content here at my trusty old website for those who still trickle in. Thank you for coming back. Either on your own or prompted by me posting of its existence on social media. Lots of things bombarding your brain and demanding your attention everyday. I'm glad you took a minute to listen to me.

I did some cards for a BETTIE PAGE card set through Dynamite comics. The set is currently on Kickstarter with just over two days left in the campaign. I want to tug on your coat right quick to talk about it. I did 100 cards for the set and I am very proud of the work I did. Here are a few to wet your whistle: 

The packs of cards are now on Kickstarter, with various options to get multiple packs, a resin statue, signed wrestler Jerry Lawler card, additional promo cards and "choose your own sketch card artist" option... where you can even choose me! And all packs come with sketch cards inside! The packs are a tad expensive, but for the bang for the buck, its a great deal... especially if  you are a fan of the pinup queen like I am! I think I am going to even get in on this one and choose myself as the artist if I can. But I'd also love to see that resin statue sitting on my shelf! To work on Bettie Page in a official capacity was a dream come true. Might be my favorite set I ever worked on! If you are a fan like me, check it out here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dynamiteent/bettie-page-deluxe-ultra-premium-trading-cards/description

Also you can get my new book: LATE NIGHT SHORTS vol 1 on Gumroad via digital download! Click here:

https://gumroad.com/phymns

The month of May was crazy. Appearances, hard work, hitting a comic con, and playing catch up the whole month. Politically things have gone insane. Things are ramping up and people are more divided than ever. I voiced my opinion on some things and lost a friend out of it. I suppose I am not alone in this. But I can't help how I feel about things going on. This whole thing in Georgia, Alabama and other places is scary beyond reason. Feels like we are slipping backward so much, that I don't know if we can pull out of it again. They say the economy is booming, but that is simply because everyone is angry and depressed about it all. So what happens when people are angry and depressed? They buy things. I know I have bought things. Thus, boom! Economy booms. Everyone is distracted and stupidly happy with their new gizmos. I don't blame them. You can't take it with you. And we are so powerless to stop the big chess match in Washington. So we try to stay focused at home and locally, keeping our own back porches swept off. The struggle continues.

I got a lot of things on my TO DO list. I got the Vampirella cards due next month. I got Patreon stories to get caught up on. Starslam 4 is almost 80 pages in and I want to have that done by the end of summer. Pleasant Life 2 is still being worked on. I want to finish the Porn Store tell all book by Christmas. (Perfect gift for Xmas don't you think?) I have a few side stuff I gotta get done for myself and others that I have promised. I have monthly commission work and three very loyal clients outside of all that to do pages for. Then to keep up on blogs, podcasts, etc... So yeah, its a busy time. But isn't it always? I wouldn't know what else to do with myself if I didn't have these forms of expression. I'm glad when anyone takes a listen. Thank you!

So far this year I finished the KISS card set for Dynamite, as well as a BETTIE PAGE card set I mentioned above. Both are either out or close to being out. I do have return cards available for these sets, I just haven't had the chance to promote them or sell them. I also am waiting for my proof back from the printer for my new erotica collection: LATE NIGHT SHORTS vol 1. Once approved, I'll get the books a week or two later. Then gotta mail out all the copies. This week I gotta finish some commissions for the Kickstarter and finish up others that are long overdue. I'm not the workhorse I used to be. Dragging my ass across the finish line. But I'll make it! I always do.

Thanks for reading, friends. Check out that Bettie Page Kickstarter above! It expires in a couple days. Jump on it, son!

Luvs, T

Screw It, I Like it that Way

Welcome my friends. I'm always excited to see how many people take time out of their busy days to check in with me and see how my world is creeping along on this mortal plane. To answer: Its been hectic. A busy time. Constant work. Endless TO DO list. Nothing is dissipating, only compounding. Here is a laundry list of items circling my brain today :

-Day job OT. Tons of it. I had to work two Saturdays in a row. I don't mind it when it happens (Extra "Skrilla" as the kids call it, is a good thing), but when I have my kids and I have to work I get completely depressed. It was almost to happen again this weekend but luckily it was cancelled. I took the kids out for lunches and got D a new laptop, as her old one died. I did manage to squeek out a quick trip to get vintage toys and STAR TREK books I didn't have collecting dust on my shelf yet. Currently, I am hunting the great white whale of owning all the Pocket Books series and a few Hardcovers in order of release. I'm about 65% there. Then maybe I'll read them. Who knows in this wacky world, eh?

-Fuck the Oscars.

-I decided now that I police myself and my shitty stupid feelings, I am back on the facebookz. Mostly because I missed the memes and keeping up with people I know who do not suck.

-I've been busy working on these Bettie Page cards for Diamond Comics. I am also on two other sets for them which I don't think have been announced yet. I finished the KISS cards back in November and that set should be out very soon. I do have extras if you are a fan (of either them or for some reason, me) and want some commissioned. More on that later.

-I am currently in production on a couple of different personal comic projects. I will show and talk about them when the time is right. However first up to the plate is my adult comics collection: THE EROTIC ZONE 2, which will be on Kickstarter in March. The book is done, I just need to compile it and get it all print ready.

-I am five months ahead on erotic comics for my PATREON page, which directly funds my day to day happenings and you can get commissions from. Join it to support me by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/ADAMTALLEY

-My personal life is at a noiiiine (For those Stern show fans out there).  D and I got engaged last year and we are slowly making decisions as to the wedding, which is now slated for October 2020. Right now we are just clearing the cobwebs on some debt so we can save for it. My in-laws are the best people you could ever want in your corner. My kids are calling them grandma and grandpa, and I'm very happy about that. I've really lucked out by meeting D and her family in that I found the nicest, most honest folks a schmuck like me could ever hope to run into. And my oldest son turned 19 this month. Daddy sent him a little bit of scratch and he's chin deep into his studies up in the frozen tundra of the upper peninsula at Michigan Tech.

-As far as new media I've been slowly slowly slowly consuming, I've been watching Veronica Mars with D, early The Next Generation episodes (yes, the bad ones. I haven't seen them in a long while), The classic The Twilight Zone episodes and I've been finishing the Zappa Autobiography. I got a pile of Trek and Harlan Ellison books that are next on the read pile. For new movies off my "Oh my fucking god you have never seen that" list, I can finally scratch off RAGING BULL and HAROLD AND MAUDE. Both were excellent, as I figured they would be. Also I pulled out all my model kits and got some new glue and paint thinner. Maybe do those at some point? We shall see. On my radar for the movies this year are: Alita Battle Angel, Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame, Yesterday and of course, Star Wars 9. I got a pile of video games that I haven't bothered to play yet. I had my NES classic modded by my pal JD, who put about 750 games from the NES library on it. I have yet to plug it in. I also got DRAGON QUEST 11 and only played maybe an hour and a half. Right now, my son James and I are trying to 100% LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER. Almost there. Mission accomplished. Big life goal achievement!

-To consume these things, I usually reserve my mornings and then a couple nights a week for production. Then every other night I am either watching something with D or we read in bed together. Its a healthy balance of working and then absorbing.

This next week D and I both will be working long hours and I will be focusing on pushing some of this TO DO list shit out the door.  Next weekend got some plans for a double date with some old friends I am way overdue to see. (Yes, sometimes I emerge from my nerdy Hobbit hole and get scared of my own shadow. But I do socialize at times)

Thanks for bothering to read all this and letting me tell you whats new. For those that just skipped to the end, I'm good.

--Endless Luvs, T

STAR WARS AP CARDS AVAILABLE!

Hey friends!

I'm on the newest Star Wars set from TOPPS called "STAR WARS FINEST."

I do have some ARTIST PROOF Sketch Cards available from this set and others. Here they are: 

Most are from STAR WARS but a couple from WALKING DEAD. I am blowing these out at $50 each. If you are interested, EMAIL ME HERE

Hope all is well with you my friends. Stay safe on the roads with this new weather! 

--T

Nice Break... Where Did It Go???

Hello friends.

After going through a few hell weeks of lots of OT at the day job, juggling things for artwork stuff and so much more, I got a nice stretch of a break over Thanksgiving. On Thursday we spent the day at my girlfriends parents house, eating hearty and watching the Lions lose, Trains Planes and Automobiles (A holiday must), before we went home and watched Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan. I'm happy to report that my GF liked the flick, or so she tells me. Ive never had a girl match my love of Trek and that is something I have come to accept in this life. But that is okay. More for me. I still dont understand their love of things like exotic coffees and shoes. So it goes. Luckily my girl doesn't have that shoe obsession, but she has about 85 different coffee mugs!

On Friday, I was able to get some shopping done (ONLINE! Im not a Black Friday guy at all), but I spent most of the day working on the big card set that is due next week. I got it 85% done by 5am. It was a long day to say the least. Saturday, more of the same... but I 100% finished the card set and got all my paperwork stuff done for it and a few other things. VERY productive weekend overall. D showed me this dark comedy called Lucky, which was her DVD pick to watch. On Saturday we cooked our turkey and had potatoes and dumplings again. I think I'm about turkey-ed out at this point. On Friday just for a break from it I took her to Crunchys in East Lansing, one of our favorites.

The boys helping to put together the tree on Sunday.

Sunday, I got the kids from 10 to 6pm. Driving the 25 minutes to where they live is hell on the poor Bat Blazer. See, there are some major issues going on with it. Including something coolant related and the transmission is going. I cannot really use reverse in it! But no worries... that will be fixed very soon...

My new baby?? STAY TUNED!

We got a lot of the Xmas decorations up, which the kids helped with. Finally after they left I watched that Jim Carrey/Andy Kaufman doc on Netflix and then my girl and I held hands and basked in the glow of our Christmas tree lights while watching Christmas Vacation... a holiday staple. Then I went to bed peacefully, until the damn cats woke me up at 7:30am!! 

All in all it was a refreshing break. I took naps where I could and rested my bad knee. I ate way more than hearty, I did online shopping and was very productive. But most importantly, I spent time with family. Much needed!

Now for December, I will be busy every weekend with my boys. I got the kids like three weekends this month I think. And one of the Saturdays I have free I am going to Port Huron to spend with my oldest son and do his Xmas. I think he will be very happy with his gift.

Me? I am gonna slog through the coming overtime, get the kickstarter commissions done and light the rockets under my ass to get STARSLAM 3 in the can. My Xmas shopping is 95% done and so I got that out of the way. Just a few things here and there to cross off the big TO DO list before I start to kick some ass! Lets make it happen!

Xmas present I got for the fur babies. Dont tell them!!!

The cards aint worth nuthin until that autograph is on em! Now they are worth bagz of money!! BAGZ I tell you!!

Hope your holiday went well. Be safe out there! Off to work I go...

~T

Arrested Development

Hey friends!

(Please excuse my typing. Parts of my MAC keyboard are kaput! The dashes, apostrophe, quotation marks and a few other keys do not work!)

Been a busy week. This weekend will be as well since I have the kids the whole time, but I am looking forward to playing my new MR BUCKET with them. Plus this:

Scored one at Walmart around midnight last night. They had 30 units and I was 24th in line. Lucky!! I plugged it in and played it last night. Brought back some memories! I cant wait to play some games with James this weekend and then dig into some RPGs next week!

I decided to get the SNES system as a bit of a reward for my hard work. Been busy actually artworking! So far Ive done this: 

Surprise!

And I daresay Ive kept up well with the social media stuff and podcasts. Episode #500 is coming up quick! I wrote out some new stuff for Pleasant Life 2 scenes I want to add and pulled more research for Starslam 3. I am still putting the finishing touches on The Erotic Zone. My keyboard pooping out on me has eliminated some of my short key commands I use with my Wacom tablet for when I color, so it has slowed me down a bit. But Ive been getting up early every morning to keep a routine as it were. Im getting back into the swing of things. Feels good, really. I plan to get some penciling done this weekend when the kids are here.... if they let me! Plus next week my GF will be house sitting all week so I will have no excuse to get my ass up early and get to work on stuff!

....Wish me luck!

Yesterday I celebrated this: 

STAR TREK TNG premiered 30 years ago yesterday! I remember watching TV that night with my mom and my brother. Ill never forget a Trek memory!

But I also managed to check out the first couple episodes of (gulp) STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. (sigh) To hear my full thoughts about the show so far, check out the latest episode of my Morning Show Podcast. Download via Itunes or stream right HERE ~~~~~ Suffice to say, it needs to grow on me... if it can. Sucks to know that 30 years ago, this awesome Trek show premiered and Trek has gone downhill ever since it went off the air in 1994. But then in 94, I was also playing a SNES. I am fully a kid, stuck in that year. Grunge music was in my ears and still is.... Yeah, Im never growing up! Im fine with that.

Those were the fun times. Adulting sucks. House worries, bills, day job, bad knee, worry this/worry that, people are arseholes...

Fuck it. Im gonna plug in some Zelda: A Link to the Past, while jamming on some Nirvana and then watch some good ol TNG with a big bowl of cereal. Then maybe draw on some of my funny book shit. That is what I was doing that year, and still continue to do today. Im truly in arrested development.

And Im fine with that.

~~~T

Newer Cards! Star Wars and Marvel

Its been a while since we've talked Sketch cards. I do the sets and then have to be quiet about them cause they take a couple months to come out and by that time, I forget to share. So here's a bulk amount of cards I've done within the last year. Enjoy!

The top left two were on WOOD. Talk about tough to take my markers!

An in-process shot of my Star Wars EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ILLUSTRATED cards.

From a Marvel Legends Card Game.

And more...

These are from a special Return of the Jedi card set that had pieces of Ewok Fur and Jabba's Sail Barge in them!

These are from a special Return of the Jedi card set that had pieces of Ewok Fur and Jabba's Sail Barge in them!

REVENGE OF THE SITH Widevision.

REVENGE OF THE SITH Widevision.

REVENGE OF THE SITH Widevision.

And that's not all. There are a couple more sets I've been on that I cannot show you yet. Coming soon!!

Thanks for reading, T

Busy Week Before GRASP EXPO!

Hey friends. I just got done working five long 16 hour days in a row, with about 3-4 hours in between the jobs to drive home, nap, get up and ready to go to the other job. By the end I was teetering on madness. Then on Father's Day, I get out of work and go get my boys and have them til 9pm, after being up from noon the PREVIOUS day. I was an absolute zombie. But... when I got back to the apartment I still put in an hour at the table to color a piece I needed for the upcoming GRASP EXPO and do some digital scans of new stuff. So yeah, I'm burning my candle from both ends and the middle. I'm virtually beside myself with exhaustion. But I got applications out for a potential new day job that will pay me decent so I don't have to do this anymore like this. Lets hope, shall we? Cause I can't keep this up forever.

This week, I got two 16 hour days, then I get my boys two days in a row, while still working at the gas station. Then a long 8 hour cashier shift, then GRASP EXPO! Its gonna be a long haul week, and I don't have any spare time to get my stuff done or packed. I'm gonna have to squeeze it in during my potential nap times. So please note what all I am doing to make this show happen for me! HA! But I'm very much looking forward to the show.

I will have a panel on Saturday at 12:45 titled "The World of Sketch Cards." I will be discussing the hobby and how to break into doing them as an artist. You won't want to miss it. :) I will have all my books there (Sans STARSLAM, as they asked me to avoid bringing porn to the very family friendly show. Understandable!) as well as prints, print cards and original art sales. So come on out and check out my new stuff! Its gonna be a lot of fun to get out and do a nice show. This little new piece is making her debut there too:

At the night job, I've been busy on new STAR WARS cards. Here's a peek at the back of them:

The new set is sure to be a doozy!

Despite my utter exhaustion, Father's Day was fun. I got my two boys and I got to skype with Cody. We talked E3 and a ton of video game stuff. Made me really want to get a 360 for the house. Although I pretty much have no time whatsoever to play games, I still would like one so I can play online with him. Would be fun. My Retron 3 is acting up and the boys are starting to want to play more video games. So I should look into investing into something for them too. We'll see. But the desire is certainly there. I'm missing out on a lot by being so busy all the time. Oh well.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this weekend at GRASP. I sure earned it, five times over! Come out and see me at the show!! But I won't be wearing glasses...

Cheers!

--T

New Starslam and Life!

Hey folks! Just a quick touch down to update on a few things. Starslam pages are flowing right along! Here is a sneak peek:

A new foe for the gang to tackle.

The talk before the big battle.

So I'm about at page 72 now. I'm a little more than halfway done with the art pages. Pages 1-69 are scanned into the computer and ready for coloring. I'm rolling things along in time to get the Kickstarter going for it by October. Fingers crossed. 

I'm also going to be busy on another Star Wars related card set. This one is a BIG one! You will definitely want to see what I got cooking this time around. Its time to get "awakened!" ;) Also I'm finally sitting down and enjoying CLONE WARS. Bout time, right? I got Star Wars fever!!

I'm working tons of hours, but luckily got to see my boys a couple days this week. They had fun too! 

Little James loves playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with daddy. But he hoards all the food balls!

The boys playing some old skool Mario Bros. Scotty can beat Level 1 all by himself now! He still has trouble jumping over some of the taller pipes, so I help out. But he's doing great. Hand to eye coordination will definitely help him with his learning skills I would think.

BTW, Scott-bot graduated Kindergarten and is moving on to First Grade! He's kicking autism's ass and I'm quite proud of how things are going. My oldest is entering his Sophomore year of high school. Damn where does the time go!?!? James starts pre-school next year. WOW!

This weekend we are visiting some family and on Sunday I am seeing RUSH in concert! You better believe I'll have pics and audio to share. Maybe some video if I feel like doing that. But I mostly want to take in the experience. It might be the last time they tour for various reasons. So I don't want to miss a second of it all.

Anyway, have a great weekend my friends. The work continues!

T

New Stuff Going On

Hey friends! I'm gearing up for this weekend's comic fun-fest! First its my FCBD signing at Clems Comics in Lansing from noon-6. Then on Sunday its the Capital City Comic Con in Haslett at the high school. Looking forward to it. I'm sure the buzz of the weekend will be AVENGERS 2... which I haven't seen yet. I don't to go to the movies much at all. I still haven't seen Captain America 2 or Thor 2. Life got crazy!

But here's some pics to show off newer stuff. First up, I had my kids over last week. They had fun, as usual...

James loves Daddy's old Nintendo stuff.

He also loves Daddy's hat! 

Scotty loves Daddy's light gun too. He calls it a "Pew!" Like, PEW PEW! Heh...

One of the card sets I did for Topps has come out. The STAR WARS: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK ILLUSTRATED. Here are just a few of the cards I did for the set...

Here's just a few I did for the set. Lots of fun!

I had the privilege of drawing some cards that were signed by Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew! Pretty sweet, eh?

Lastly, I've been working on new PLEASANT LIFE pages.. Here's the proof!

The first three are PLEASANT LIFE. The other is a pinup in an upcoming book of music/pinup girls I am working on. Nice!

Thanks for checking back, folks. Come out and see me this weekend!!!

T

New Stuff!

Hey all. Taking a break from a galaxy far far away to do a quick update bloggy blog. Hope all is well.

I'm mailing out STARSLAM books starting this week. So if you ordered one, be sure to look for them cause they are coming soon! Probably a little longer for my overseas friends due to shipping times.

Recently, I've been branching out and trying new things. I get very tired of routine lately and I felt like I wanted to go out and sample more waters of life. So I have tried new restaurants and dishes I've always wanted to try. And here are some pics to share:

My girlfriend introduced me to Sushi. I got a 101 lesson in what stuff was and how to eat it. Even used chopsticks for the first time (yeah, I know!). I really enjoyed the soup. Sushi was okay. I'm not a massive fan of it. But at least I tried it. I've always wanted to. Bucket list, scratch off!

I've also branched out and tried more vegetables. Broccoli and Asparagus, specifically. This is a turkey/spinich meatloaf with mushrooms. Talk about yummy yummy!

I have heard about this place in north town called THE GOLDEN HARVEST. A dive breakfast joint that only seats about 20 people at a time. You stand outside in the cold for about 45 minutes but the food and atmosphere is WELL WORTH IT! I have a new favorite restaurant in town! 

Here is the outside of the place. They pipe music outside to keep you warm while you want for a table to open up.

Inside the walls are covered with little odd trinkets and signs. The music blares loudly. On this occasion when we visited, I heard Radiohead's OK COMPUTER album in full, also Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys! Fuckin' awesome!!!

Their signs are hilarious and the best!

Their bacon is the thickest I've ever tasted. Very flavorful. Their hasbrowns are mighty and their toast is unlike any other toast I've tried. Kinda greasy and crunchy. I really wish a show like DINERS DRIVE INS AND DIVES would visit the place and show off how things are done!

By our table today, we had some interesting little trinkets to check out...

Here is a youtube documentary about the Golden Harvest restaurant:



Yeah, we should all strive to step out of our routine and comfort zone and try some new things once in a while. I vowed to do something new every week. And so far, I am enjoying the hell out of it! I guess, thats just called... living!

Okay, back to artwork on these cards. Then STARSLAM 2. And working two jobs. And somewhere in there, SLEEP! HA!

Luvs, T