40 Years

Ive thought about what I wanted to write in this blog about turning 40. Ive gone over it a few times and I still do not know what to say. I got a million things I would love to bitch about, sing praises for, plug, scream and cry about, remember, forget, etc.  Just everything. The wickedness of the world seeps into my brain. The push/pull feelings of my own lack of time or creative rhythm beat in my head like a sore throbbing and leaking varicose vein. Im happy, grateful, excited, tired and worn out all at once. The distant past swirls in my thoughts and my future hangs over my head if I only were to reach up and grab it. But I dont. I just sit here thinking. Plotting. Pondering. Worrying.

So I wont go into any of it. I will just let the pictures of my recent life do the talking for me. Because right now, I just don't have much to say.

Not yet. 

I'm grateful for everyone who sent me an email, a private message, a gift, a twitter or facebook post acknowledging my birthday. I saw you and I appreciate you caring enough to toss me a thought. Its means the world to me. Thank you.

My girl made me a birthday cake!

My two youngest enjoying STAR WARS. Its hard to get Scotty to sit and watch anything, but he and James were glued to the TV for the most part of watching A NEW HOPE this last weekend. Maybe I will never have to sit through another episode of PAW PATROL or PEPPA PIG again. :)

For my birthday, I told my girl to not get me any presents. She of course, would not listen. She dug through my want lists and scored these.... four vintage STAR TREK TMP mint on card figures. Will go very nice in my collection!

My in laws got me a nice collection of comics and graphic novels to read, as well as a card with a large amount of money in it to get something else I want. I really am blessed to have her and them in my life.

A couple weekends ago, my coworkers and I had another vintage game night. I beat DUCK TAILS for NES...

Hard to see, but they tag teamed and beat the original GHOSTS AND GOBLINS... which as some of you know is next to impossible to do!

While they wrestled with that, I did an entire playthrough of the first quest in THE LEGEND OF ZELDA... which shows you how long they were playing it! I started Zelda here when they were on their second play through near level 5. The beat Ghosts N Goblins when I was in the middle of beating level nine. So about an hour and a half of playing just one level to my whole original quest! Some patience they got, thats for sure!

To cap it off, we played a quick run through MARIO 3. Necessary.

Lastly on the pictures front, I found this meme this week and it very much rings true. Do not worry about me folks. I am just overworked, overtired and burned out. I haven't had a true vacation since last May. I have tried to take a day for myself here and there, but it has not really helped. This coming weekend I am going away for a bit, so I hope that fills my bone dry fuel tanks. Because feeling this way just sucks. But Ive been through worse. I will push through.

Final thoughts:

I recorded the LAST EPISODE of the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW. Stream it HERE ~~ News about the new, reworked podcast is coming via my PATREON.... which will launch sometime this first quarter of the year. I have a bunch of stuff I am working on and saving for when it launches. I just want to be sure it is all ready before I pull the trigger on it and commit. I hope to shake this big draining cry of ennui off my shoulders for good and get to work on what I know I need to work on. It will be worth it when it rolls out. You will see!

Anyway, Thanks for reading and supporting. You will hear from me again soon.

~~Much love eternal, T

Taking a Break

I’ve crafted this about a hundred times in my head. Each time the depression sets in, I contemplate this. I weigh the pros and cons of the decision and each time I talk myself out of it. I know there’s no way I can ever quit doing art in some form. Either writing, drawing, creating comics, music… something will always be here for me. Because it is in my soul. It is not a part of me, it IS me. But this time the feeling is stronger than ever and I know this time what must be done. So here I am, making the leap to do what I gotta do.

That’s why coming to this eventual realization has been so difficult for me. I’ve trusted in the winds to blow me where I was supposed to go but lately I keep getting blown back to this big wall. Its too tall to climb alone and I find too many things gluing my feet to the ground not allowing me to soar above it all. I’ve entered the age of 36 not liking what I see in myself. Physically, mentally, creatively. I’ve somehow crafted a future that is bleak and not “me.” I’ve dwelled in the thoughts that I should compare and be in the game, when I am playing something else all together. All in all, it has left me with a feeling of being stunted. Unconfident. Depressed. A great Ennui.

Life has thrown a lot at me, especially this last year. I’ve barely held on. I kept standing. I kept pretending it was all okay. But in reality I was drowning. I was too proud to admit defeat (for now). My health has declined out of control, my finances look like Hiroshima, my family life is a constant struggle and I know I have been strong too long. I never cry. Never. But lately, I do. For no reason whatsoever. But I am too proud to let anyone, even my wife, know it. During times I should be up and working while everyone is asleep, I am sitting in a chair crying. Because I know I cannot do this anymore. I need to change it all. I need a self-imposed rehab of sorts.

It is with all of this in mind, that I am now announcing a break from everything involved with my work. I will not be business Facebooking, Twittering, Deviantarting, Hentai Foundarying, etc. Blogs and podcasts will continue but will be more sporatic. I know there might be something that will pop up that I'll feel strongly enough about to comment on, so blogs and podcasts shall continue but not quite as often as before. All plans for Starslam Kickstarter and digital content launch are on hold until such time as I feel like I can take it on. As of today, my paypal account will be closed down (since it was hacked recently, I got a fear of it anyway). All book sales will still be available but I shall not be taking on any commissioned artwork. All productions shall cease and be shut down for the time being. The time table is for me alone to know. Rest assured this is not the end of me. I will return. But right now there are things I need to focus more attention on and the rat race is dragging me down. I do it to myself, I recognize that, and therefore I am changing it. I just want to play in my own head again. I need to pursue what made me happy about doing anything creative in the first place. I am going to embrace the changes in my life and relieve myself of some pressure. Again, all self-imposed pressure. Not your fault. But I recognize where I am falling short with myself and I am now correcting it.

My creating will continue. I am still going to finish things like Starslam, Anna Pocalypse 2, the porn store novel, etc. But I am not imposing myself on any deadline. I will still take on the occasional sketch card gig from trusted companies. I will still work privately on my own things. However I will not be discussing them as much as I did in the past. Sometimes I feel doing so, for me, is a sort of vanity that makes me feel like such a tool. I feel like I am just verbally jerking off when I do that, when I should be polished enough to just let the work be what it is without a million words why and why not, explaining its existence.

For now, I got a night job and I am going to be focusing on that. Getting back to my roots. Getting out and talking to people again and discovering who I am after living in my own head for so damn long. And before long, the pencil will be picked up and put to paper again. Please, don’t worry about me. This is not a cry for help or attention. This isn’t a career suicide. I’m not jumping off any ledge at all. I am just stepping away from the mic for a while. I’m okay. I just know when I’ve done too much to myself and I need to hunker down and take care of business. I will emerge again like a phoenix out of the fire.

I just simply have to go away for a while, and dream it all up again. Believe me, I’ll be back sooner than you think…. And better than before.

Thanks everyone for your support over the years and don’t worry. I’ll be back to show you whats new again. For now, I am excited for the future and changing my life around for the better. See you on the other side!

Cheers, peace and love,

T

Trying to find a new Routine...

The days drift on, I do what I can with what I got. Living check to check, freelance gig to freelance gig... hoping the pay comes in, and it doesn't. Hoping I can push this and that bill off for another week. Tis the world of the freelance artist.

But all is not lost! I am in the process of still looking for employment help. I scored a DREAM interview at a DREAM job this week. As I applied, I didn't think I had a snowballs chance. Its too perfect. Too good to be true. I don't deserve it. But sure enough, I got an offer for an interview. Sure its just an interview, but after months of "NOs" and let downs every day about no money rolling in, the potential of a dream come true opportunity is quite refreshing. So I will go to the interview hoping for the best. I shall present my best. Maybe I'll score the gig, maybe I won't. Come what may, and I shall adjust, like always. But I am excited for the potential future.

I am always adjusting in life. But lately, there's been some things come along that I just cannot quite work around. My duties as a dad are #1 in my life. But in doing so, the idea of having a consistant creative schedule is increasingly difficult. To set aside time to draw or dream up a page of words is fewer and fewer. Right now, I have a stove full of projects cooking and no time to get to any of them. I do little commissions here and there and they are fine. But no forward progress is made at all to help clear the stove and serve the meal. I had a nice run early this year by publishing four books and that felt damn good. But I haven't been able to hit the road much to promote them. And now I am back in the studio wanting to get the next stuff done and I cannot.

Its mainly because I only have a 3 hour window during the day to get things done. It can be frustrating but it is necessary. I suppose I sometimes miss the days where I could take a nap then hit the cafe and light pencil 5 pages and write in my sketchbook, do a poem or two. But I cannot anymore. So I am struggling to find a routine. I have to, because the kids crave routine. I guess I do too. I just feel odd not being as productive as I used to be. I feel weird not putting the finishing touches on a thing, wheras the 20 pages I have ahead of me feels like a mountain in my way. I'm trying to push myself through the slush and get things rolling. I think my mind would be clearer if bills were not a factor. We were fine before James' surprise surgery sort of derailed us badly.

Thats why I am hoping big for this job to connect. I need this. I need to get out and talk to other people. I need it so bad. I need to be on my feet and kicking butt again. I need to do things to improve people's day and feel like I did a good job. I didn't realize how much I missed that, and I need that in my life.

Come what may, I shall adjust. I shall find a new routine and I will stand next to the mountain, chop it down with the edge of my hand. Cause I'm a Voodoo Child!

Get it?

Anyway, things in general are well. Don't worry about me. I'm just checking in and letting you all know I am alive and well. I'm doing great and I got hope riding in my saddle with me. Lets do this thing and kick some arse!

T

Cherry Capital Con Recap!

Whew! What a weekend. Just what I needed in fact! I'm back from the great Cherry Capital Comic Con and it was great fun. I got to finally visit Traverse City, Michigan and enjoy the scenery. First up when I arrived on Friday, I headed straight to RPM Records, which is near the mall. I traded some vinyl in and shopped for some new stuff. Here's some pics from the store:

They had pretty much every record from every mainstream artist I could think of. Some used, mostly new. Great prices! Store was well layed out and big! I coulda spent hours in there digging. 

On the wall were some autographs for sale, including a complete NIRVANA autographed 8x10. But I was interested in the Pink Floyd one: 

I HIGHLY recommend going to the store if you are in the area. I for sure will be back!

While at the show, I got some nice visitors... including one in particular who thought ANNA POCALYPSE was HOT! 

Some obligatory photos of my hotel room and view out the 12th story window of Lake Michigan. Very pretty area: 

On Sunday, my pals Matt and Michelle came and hung out with me the last three hours of the day. It was great to see them!

It was a long great weekend and by Sunday I was beat. I sold some good stuff, had great fun, had long late night talks over some beers and I came home with some new ideas and a refreshed mind. I desperately needed this vacation and despite the ups and downs of the weekend (I.E. my beloved cat Jake's death on Friday before the show), I had good fun. I kept focused on trying to have a good weekend and I did. Thanks to all who came out to see us and took something of mine home. Also major thanks to Rob, Mike and all the staff/volunteers of Cherry Capital Comic Con. It was a great time! 

MAYHEM and STAR WARS VII (plus Cherry Con)

Hey folks! All the TALES OF SEQUENTIAL MAYHEM #3 books have been mailed out. Thanks for supporting our Kickstarter! I do have about a dozen personal copies available if you need one. Simply EMAIL ME HERE to order one. OR I will have them at this next weekend's CHERRY CAPITAL CON! See you there.

This newest Kickstarter really went well and after seeing and talking with other friends about their success at KS, I got more ideas to make the next one even better. So when we rock #4, it will be even larger! but for now, I am enjoying the fruits of the labor and a job well done and finished!

So GODZILLA is in the theater and I haven't seen it yet. I'm waiting for the crowds to die down a bit. I don't really dig seeing movies in the theater for various reasons. I guess I'm an old curmudgeon and can't deal with crowds. But I will see it, as I am dying to. Its about the only current thing on my radar.

However, I cannot help but be excited about STAR WARS VIII beginning filming. Not only are some of my old heroes coming back but it also means fresh blood, new toys, new cards to work on, and more. Plus now my kids get the thrill of seeing Star Wars on their terms now. The old sting and fights about the prequels and their dissapointment seem a dim memory. All I am left with is the excitement. I really don't want to build it up too much in my head, but I cannot help it. I keep checking out the toy aisles and considering rebuying lots of my 90's Star Wars toys to have them in the box. Also get the vehicles to play with the kids. I just want to be ready! Yeah, I'm in my late 30's but I am not checking in my kid gloves yet. In other words, the force is strong with me! Always.

Okay, I got a TON of things to get done before next weekend. This week is going to be a complete blur. Really looking forward to the Cherry Capital Comic Con and I hope ya'll can make it out. See ya there!

Cheers, T

YEAR SO FAR... PROJECT UPDATES

Time to assess where we are at and do some updating on where things are so far for the year!

CONVENTIONS: Upcoming is CHERRY CAPITAL CON May 23-25th. After that there is a possibly of a return to Detroit or Grand Rapids. I am not ruling out maybe one other midwest type of show sometime in the year. But we'll see. I'd like to hit a couple Michigan based comic shops and have store signings and move some of these books. Once things die down, I'll make plans.

PLEASANT LIFE: the 475 page collection is out and you can order it HERE - It collects EVERYTHING from the series and has tons of bonus material including a new exclusive 7 page story. There is no immediate plans for a follow up but maybe some day down the road.

ANNA POCALYPSE: The reprint/new cover/recolor version is out and available HERE - The sequel has 70 pages of art done and will be worked on/completed later on this year for launch in 2015. Next year there will be a BIG PUSH to sell Anna 1-2. Look out!

STARSLAM: Currently on 65 pages posted. And here is the big news: After this current chapter goes up, there will be no more updates, as I am going to be pulling the pages down (eventually) and recoloring them. Then I am finishing colors on the rest of the pages and launching them into a kickstarter. Friends and fellow artists are having great success launching adult related comics on Kickstarter and I believe it might be a great chance to get Starslam into the hands of more people that way. So look for that this fall launching as an all digital book and a chance to get some art or MAKE some art yourself! So big news on this front! Expect much more soon...

TALES OF SEQUENTIAL MAYHEM: Book #3 just got back from the printer and Kickstarter orders are being mailed out. After the smoke clears, I will have copies to sell in the store and at conventions but give me time to sort out the Kickstarter orders first. We will be doing a #4 in the future and doing it once again through Kickstarter.

PORN BOOK: Two chapters still need to be written but has taken a back seat to paid work and getting my comic books back in the online store. But I will get time soon to sit down and complete it. Once then, I shall edit it and do touch ups. Then decide how I want to publish it. Find a company to do it for me? Launch it through Kickstarter? Self Publish through Lulu? Its all up in the air. We'll see where the winds blow me at that point.

MORNING SHOW PODCAST: still continues! Just posted episode #235 today. Download via Itunes. Also enjoy the resurgence of other old podcasts on Talkshoe like Tim's Late Night Lounge and Studio Chatter. All available on Itunes.

IDIOTHEAD MUSIC: Believe it or not, I got an email recently about the possibility of new music coming from our comedy band. As of this time, there are no plans. However you never know what the future holds.

YOU TUBE CHANNEL: I will be uploading new videos at some point. Plenty of footage for various things has been shot. Just need time to sort it all and edit it. I'll probably take more videos at Cherry Captial Con too. Give me time.

SKETCHCARDS: No new sets due at this point. Once Pinups/Pitbulls is out and Sherlock Holmes Memoirs is released, I have nothing on the horizon for more card work. Possibly more in the future but we shall see.

So... that gives a nice update as to where we are going. Things are rockin' and rollin! Thanks for checking back and caring.

Cheers, T

FREE COMIC DAY RECAP

Hey all! Whew what a day! I spent my 9:30am-4pm all day at Clems Comics in downtown Lansing for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! This was my third year in a row and I always love coming out. Everyone is always very welcoming and nice and the kids are excited to get sketches and comics.

I was so busy at the show that I really didn't get to take many photos but I grabbed some from some friends. Here are some pics courtesy of my pals Cristen and Nick:

Again, a wonderful time. Thanks to all who came out to support local comic shop businesses and independent artists! Your money spent is more than just about buying a little cool thing to have. Its also putting food on my kids' table and keeping my lights on. I thank you. Also to Clem's Comics for allowing me back year after year and putting on a damn fun time. They really take care of us artists and we appreciate it. It was great to see friends new and old. Also a great pal dropped me off some great vinyl! YAY!

SO: With that, I have lots of materials to restock for my next trip: CHERRY CAPITAL COMIC CON on May 23-25th in Traverse City, MI. I got a couple new prints to finish coloring and do up for the show and other things. Also, I have got a slew of commission work lately, which is great. The wife and I talked about the recent murmurings of me possibly getting a part time night job. But with the increase in sales and freelance work, its now a reality that I am prolonging that decision. You guys all really came to my aid and I cannot thank you enough. Right now I have a huge TO DO list that is going to take me the rest of the month and thats great! My bills are getting paid and I am very happy! Thank you, Thank you!

In other news, I got my TALES OF SEQUENTIAL MAYHEM books and my PLEASANT LIFE books back from the printer! So I am filling out preorders and kickstarter orders and they will be going out next week. Bare with me as I got a ton of stuff going on. But I am looking over the books and goddamn don't they look dope as hell! THANK YOU for the support! and if you haven't ordered Pleasant Life, you can right HERE

Whew... okay.. I know I got a million other things to say but I am exhausted. Better cut this one short. Have a great weekend!

Cheers, T

NEWS GALORE!

Hang on folks! This is a lot of info to get through so bare with me!

First of all, this weekend is the big FREE COMIC BOOK DAY signing! I'll be at Clems Comics in Downtown Lansing from 11-? on Saturday the 3rd for FCBD. I'll have books, art, prints, sketches and more! Kids 12 and under get free head sketches! I also made 4 new prints that will debut at the show! Fans of Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Star Trek and Doctor Who will be pleased. Also some re-colors of old favorites will debut at the show. All show details are HERE - It really is a great event and family friendly too. Doesn't cost a thing to come get a free sketch and comics for the kids. Plus come to see the artists draw! As a bonus, my buddies Sherief and Daniel will be with me at the show and we'll be doing art on an exclusive print that will debut at Cherry Captial Con! Its TMNT related. I started the art and they are going to finish it and it will be a show exclusive! So come see that and buy some stuff from us! All funds I make will go to pay for my trip to:

CHERRY CAPTIAL COMIC CON! May 23-25th. I'll be there all weekend. Copies of Anna, Pleasant Life and my Artbook will be there, guaranteed. (unless I sell out online suddenly! Who knows!) Details on that show are right HERE

The latest sketch card set I worked on is out. Its called Pinups and Pitbulls. Its through Galan Art. For those who found me via that set and come here, welcome! I do have APs available from that set and from the previous set he did, called Contemporary Pinup Puzzles. The cards are NSFW and for Adults. But EMAIL ME HERE if you are interested in any of them. Some are blank and can be commissioned for whatever you want! I also have some promo cards from the set. Here's a pic of them:

Okay a break from the plugs. Here's my dog Poppy and I. 

Okay, the BIG NEWS is that I got notice that my PLEASANT LIFE books and the ANNA REPRINT/REPRINT has shipped today! So I should have those next week and I will fill and ship orders by next weekend after sketching in all of them.

What is the ANNA REPRINT/REPRINT you ask? Well, after my review at Geek Life Podcast, I decided that I could touch up the colors on the first book a bit. I didn't want to go in and recolor the whole thing, but change the hue and saturation a bit. Also, I could fix a raised eye in some places. But as luck would have it, when I got the initial order of my books from Ka-blam, there were some mistakes in printing. Some cut offs, fonts not embedded and some damage in shipping. So, after talking with the agent there, they offered to reprint my order and I had to resubmit the files. So I took the opportunity to just recolor it a bit and then fix a couple mistakes here and there. So this is the REMASTERED ANNA POCALYPSE! And Ka-blam was gracious enough to let me keep the previous books as well. So I got double the amount! I mostly will be using the first order to give away and have as back stock and sell the main remastered ones.

Its essentially the same book but with minor color correction changes. Here's some page comparisons. The older page is on the left and the re-colored versions are on the right:

 So as you can see, its a little less "out of the tube" of color. Which was the complaint in the first place. Hey, it was my first time ever doing a color comic! Not too shabby for that eh? But trust me, Anna 2 will have a completely different color pallate. I already planned on that. So anyway, both ANNA and PLEASANT LIFE will be in stock by next week. Got your copies on order yet? If not, what you waiting for? Order online right now by going to my online store right HERE

This week, I got hired to do some commissions of sketch covers. The intention is to do them through the CGC and get them slabbed and graded. Here's a couple I have finished already:

The clients are great to work with and I am pleased with how it is going. Sketch covers scare me a bit because some covers have an off glossy stock that don't take my copic markers too well. But I am working slow and steady to make sure I don't get those muddy mixes of inks and markers. Luckily so far I've been okay with it.

Hey, you are keeping up with the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW PODCAST right? You better be! Loads of inside info there and its all free! Have me in your ears for 15 minutes 2-3 times a week! Click on link there or subscribe via Itunes. FREE!

Over at STARSLAM, things are heating up big time. We're now in the fallout of the events of the death of Draid and how its effecting things. But there will be no rest for our heroes as a major baddie steps up to the plate! If you are over 18 and enjoy adult related content in your comics, go read it right HERE - New page up every Monday!

Lastly, I've been asked a lot recently for commissions and I am ALWAYS taking commissions. Adult related and not. ALWAYS! Simply EMAIL ME HERE  and we can discuss what you need done. All proceeds go to feed my family and keep my lights on. Thanks!

Okay, whew! I think thats everything. Thanks for reading and thanks for the spike in website hits and downloads! I appreciate it! We're rockin' and rollin' in this big 20th Anniversary in Self Publishing year. And with these shows coming up, we're ready to take off!!!

Cheers with peace and love,
T

Astonishing Updates from Office of Adam

Hey yo! Big week of happenings. A small bout of depression, that was destroyed by a grandly kind gesture. Details are in episode #230 of my IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW PODCAST which you can subscribe to via Itunes or listen to right HERE - And please do. It explains so much.

So thanks to that, my book printing is back on track and I should have the Pleasant Life books here within a month or so. There still is time to take advantage of the big sale I have on the books! Get Anna 1, Artbook and Pleasant Life... over 700 pages of content from me! All for one low discount price. Please take advantage of the sale by clicking HERE

OR if you just need PLEASANT LIFE, order via the online store right HERE

----Order a book and keep me from being a saaaadddd panda....------

No seriously, it feed my family, funds my work and I appreciate it!

In other news, I am working on new STARSLAM strips and new prints/art pieces for con season. So those that follow my two deviantarts will get some new content. I'm also doing newer card samples for the card companies so I stay in their line of sight for freelance work. Anything to keep me from taking on a night job. This first quarter of the year has been tight all around for everyone. So sales have been real low. Commissions have been sporatic. So I am just throwing everything I can at the wall to see what sticks in an effort to keep this train going. Luckily I have had people step in and help when it has been dire. I would be sunk without them miracles in my life. So I continue on and keep working on my stuff. Here's my current time table:

MAY - Free Comic Book Day at Clem's Comics - Lansing, MI
            Cherry Captial Con 23-25th

June/July - finish all STARSLAM art and start to put together the big book collecting all of the strips.

August/September - Finish two novels: Porn Store memoirs and my short story/poem book. Find a publisher or work on self publishing it.

October - (Maybe Detroit Fanfare?)

November/December - ANNA POCALYPSE 2 art
                                      Printing and releasing STARSLAM collection!

2015 - Release Anna 2 book, all novels, Mayhem 4, and one more solo project. Hit more conventions.

--------------

So thats the plan anyway. Time to set some goals and make them happen. Off I go! Have a great week, everyone!

Cheers, T

Pleasant Life Timeline

To give an idea of the long history I have with these characters, I've put together a timeline for the book and the milestones. It is a major part of my life. You can order the book right HERE. But for now, enjoy this trip down memory lane.

1994-1995 I drew the 16 pages to “Amazing Bud” over the winter months and into March of 95. I then printed them in my graphic design class on the offset press. It was 150 copies. I sold them to friends and local shops.

1996-1997 I draw several pages for what would be “Amazing Bud 2” but graduate high school and stall on finding a printer to do it cheaply. Concept is abandoned.

1998 I change the title to “Pleasant Hymns” and start a new #1. I get about five pages done before stalling on the concept.

Dec. 2000 My mother dies .

Mid-2001 Inspired after my mom’s death I decide to make “Pleasant Life” into a comic series and put her death into it. I find a local printer in Shepherd, MI that is willing to print 300 copies for me for $400.

Jan 2002 Pleasant Hymns #1 is released. Local newspapers and Tv programs interview me and run stories.

March 2002 Pleasant Hymns #2 is released. Cm Life newspapers run the story. Grim Printing does the printing.

April 2002 Pleasant Hymns #3 is released. Cm Life newspapers run the story and I appear on Campus TV program “Prime Time with Jared.” It also is reviewed in CBR. Grim Printing does the printing.

May 2002 My first con appearance as a publisher/Artist at Motor City Comic Con.

Oct 2002 Pleasant Hymns #4 is released. Grim Printing does the printing. I am featured in Mt. Pleasant Magazine.

March 2003 Pleasant Hymns #5 comes out. SPXPO in Florida does the printing.

August 2003 Pleasant Hymns #6 comes out. I am featured on the local News in a TV segment.
SPXPO in Florida does the printing.

February 2004 Pleasant Hymns #7 comes out. SPXPO in Florida does the printing.

December 2004 I graduate Central Michigan University with an art degree.

January 2005 Pleasant Hymns: THE DIRECTORS CUT (#1-7, 8-9) is released. It is reviewed in CBR and on Newsarama. OPM in Pennsylvania does the printing.

August 2005 Pleasant Hymns: GEEKS GONE WILD is released. OPM in Pennsylvania does the printing.

January 2006 Pleasant Hymns: THE MIRROR UNIVERSE SAGA is released. OPM in Pennsylvania does the printing.

January 2007 Pleasant Hymns retitled to “Pleasant Life” and a new #1 is released. Intended to be a new series/continuation under a new title. Ultimately scrapped and it was decided to put what would have been the 10 issue series into one big tradebook. Comixpress does the printing.

August 2007 Artist Jay Fosgitt begins art on what was to be a Pleasant Life Halloween Special but the concept is abandoned. 

2008 PLEASANT LIFE: WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND tradebook is released. Effectively ends the series. Comixpress does the printing.

2009 All Pleasant Hymns/Pleasant Life books go out of print. The characters in the series are featured in CBLDF LIBERTY sketch card set.

2014 I put together a new collection of all four tradebooks, plus tons of archived bonus material and a new 7 page bonus story for the PLEASANT LIFE COMPLETE COLLECTION that is due out in April. Ka-blam does the printing.

Future – (?)

 

Why did I choose this Life?

I had to share THIS today. I read this and I swear to God I had to bite my lip hard to not cry. Cause Bill Waterson said exactly what was in my heart for a long time. In a clear, sharp way. And this cartoonist took his words and made visuals to them, inspired by Waterson. I have to share it. This is my life exactly.

Too many times I am made to feel ashamed that I didn't chose a "real" job or to climb some ladder for another company that time and time again, always let me down. I've discussed the stories of how that happened on the Idiothead Morning Show podcasts before. How I tried to put my faith in a job, only to be declined for my efforts. Same with my wife. Same with my dad, who put in a lifetime of hard work and service to a place, only to be left out to dry and retired in semi-disgrace.

I always knew I didn't fit in with that. I didn't want to live my limited time in this existance like that. I wanted to pursue a life of friendship, love, being a parent, being a writer, an artist... giving back to this world what it gave to me. Sure I was worried about money at times. It is natural you want to feed your family! But it seems I'm always taken care of. I'm always supported. And I thank you for that. Believe me, its not easy. There's worries. Sometime the check takes its sweet time getting here. Sometimes there's no paid work to be had. There's people who look down on me or try to shame me. Make me feel like less of a person because of my choices.

But fuck you. I'm still standing here. I'm still Adam Talley. And you can't take away the things I've done. You can't take away the people whose lives I've impacted. Family, Friends, Fans... you can't stop em. You cannot take away what I've learned, the visions in my head and the things I will do with them. You can't stop me.

But please read THIS COMIC, because I think it hit the nail on the head about me. I really connected with it. You wanna know why I choose this hard life, here's why.

T

CONTESTS! - Name My Books!-

Hey folks. A couple fun contests for you.

I'm currently working on two projects: One is a 120 page full color artbook showcasing my best work and sketches and other things from the last 20 years. This is to celebrate my anniversary in publishing comics. It will cover all comic projects I have done art on, prints, sketches, pics, personal bio and much more. Its a real nice collection and in full color. Right now, I got a possible title, but I am open to more suggestions. If you can EMAIL ME a title that trumps the current one I have in my head for it, I will give you a sketched in copy of the book when it comes out late this year and a personal thank you in the liner notes.

Second contest is I am working on a first draft novel of my stories/experiences in working in 3 different adult book stores. This will collect everything I learned about being successful in the sex retail industry, all the seedy customers I dealt with, the unique situations I faced and the people I met. It will be part informative, part biography and part comedy. Also will have interviews with sex workers, other retail people I worked with and more. Shooting for about 250-300 pages in final. And this will be a written non-fiction novel. My first! I am hoping to pitch it to several publishers and if that goes nowhere, I will self publish it like I do everything else. BUT... I don't have a title! I need one. If you got a good idea for one, EMAIL ME and if I choose yours, you will win a free copy of the book when its released and a special thank you note printed inside from me.

These contests will go on until I have a winner. So come up with some ideas and email me! Be a part of my production team!

Cheers, T

Post-Convention thoughts...

Well folks, its been a crazy week. In what should have been a week of me coming down from the high of having a nice vacation (one I was sorely overdue), I returned home and hit the pavement face first with a nice bout of depression. There was family drama, some old friend betrayals, various minor worries about finances and check delays. And natch, everyone that owes me money either never responds to emails or simply just disappears. Um, I got bills to pay here! Guess I better work on my business practices.

On the positive side, those who listen to the IDIOTHEAD MORNING SHOW’s latest episode will know  I took the deep plunge and parted ways with my day job. Thus I am now a full time stay at home dad and artist. So there’s a whole wave of new and unique stresses and worries that come along with that. I gotta make my work into money for my family. Before it was always considered a bonus to what I did. Now I have to evaluate my “worth” and make it stick. I am considering all options at this point. I am going to be reprinting my long out of print comics (Anna Pocalypse and Pleasant Life). I will be making up a new table set up for next year to capitalize on the prints and print cards to keep that end of things rolling strong. And commissions/freelance work will need to get evaluated as well. I had considered doing a price increase and I think I will very soon. I have to revamp the online store here a bit and update things.

So that’s all on my mind. Luckily this week to help combat the stress and everything else, I got to spend some time with the wife. Its been refreshing to reconnect and enjoy our 10^th year Wedding anniversary. Both our schedules have been hectic the last month due to her new job and my various pressures. But starting tonight I am getting back to work. I am working on new samples to send out to various companies to look for freelance gigs. I gotta color and letter some new Star Slam strips as well. Any day now too I should have my Star Wars return AP cards for sale, as soon as I get them back from Topps. So that will help finances too.

Lastly, this week I have been putting together my big celebratory artbook collecting my best pieces and never before seen stuff from the last 20 years of me doing this. This should be available by Christmas, to celebrate twenty years of working in comics. I got about 15 pages left to put together and then the cover. I will be putting out a contest here on the site to help me name it, as well as ordering info. I am hoping to have this completed by Sept/October time and have it up for pre-order. Then have it shipping by November/December. We’ll see. But more on that later. Just know that its being worked on. It will have a lot of sketches, process stuff, pics of my favorite pages from all my comic work, history, bio pics, inside info on all my projects I’ve ever done up to this point and more. A real celebration of 20 years of hard work!

Anyway, things are getting better. We’re on the mend and hopefully get back to where I should have been after Wizard World, before everything slamming my emotions at once derailed me.

Thanks for checking back!

WW CHICAGO recap

Well I am back from WW Chicago. The show went excellent and I made sales goals and new friends. And hung out with old ones. Very relaxing! I wish I could say my return home was equally as great. Lots of drama and even a great stab in the back. Oh well. I'm a firm believer in that if your right eye is causing you suffering, cut it out and toss it. I'm going to be applying that way more often. Lots to think about.

Anyway, about the show: It went spectacular. I remember the first Wizard World I exhibited at, I made $50 at. Then the next about $100. This time was way beyond that. It felt great that I had earned myself to a level where I can walk out comfortably. Its not so much the money, but the feeling that people are digging what I am doing. It makes the hard work well worth it. I'll probably do a play by play on the next Idiothead.com Morning Show Podcast (downloadable at Itunes!).

But now... back to reality! (heh) Well, in the next coming months, there's gonna be some changes and some evolutions to me as a person and an artist. We'll see what comes of it. For now, lets look at some pics from the show! Hotel, show floor, commissions, Brian and I's trip to a Tiki Bar, my first Chicago style pizza and more! Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who came out to see me! You guys rock! Onward and upward.