TOY SHOW RECAP

Hey friends!

Did my one and only "Appearance" show at a TOY SHOW in Okemos, MI where I mostly sold off a good chunk of some nerd stuff I had laying around. I brought all my books, some original art and things but they didn't sell at all (just like at a real comic show! Just like old times!!) But I did sell off some of my old con prints to one guy who took a nice stack. I'm just glad that my things go to a good home, you know? I don't care at this point. My focus is online stuff like Patreon and Kickstarter here. (Plus I've had a surge in online sales at GUMROAD too! Have you got my comics digitally from Gumroad? If not, consider yourself a holiday purchase right here: http://www.gumroad.com/phymns )

The show itself was well attended and full of vendors. It was really steady all morning until like 2pm. I got to catch up with a lot of old friends I had not seen in a while. I made a few new ones too. That is what I love best about the shows. See old friends, make new ones, etc. I sold off all my "big ticket" nerdy items and of course poured that money right back into collectibles I brought back home. (so it goes) But overall I had a great time! I really enjoyed being a sort of "dealer exhibitor" this time as opposed to just selling my original stuff. A lot of people saw my books and made with the "Whoa! YOU make these??" statements. It was cute. No buyers. But hey, that ain't what its about for me. I'm just glad to go out and share my nerd love with other like minded people. I had a nerdy garage sale, I suppose. I enjoyed myself. Getting out of the house for some sun once in a while is a good thing, right? Anyway, I'll gladly do it again.

Here are some pics of things I saw and got. First up my neighbor had these cool SPOCK PJs. Oh if I were a kid again...



I found this really creepy looking Spock doll that the dude sold me for cheap. Looks like he's been smoking waaaaaaaay too many cigs... (Side note: Leonard Nimoy died of COPD from his years as a smoker. So I call this COPD SPOCK. Is that wrong?)



So I scored the Spock, a couple custom STAR WARS lego figures and I got a box of TREK CAPTAINS COLLECTION cards. I pulled two autographs and bought a third of Celeste Yarnell. She just died a couple weeks ago, so I wanted to get her autograph before anything. Might have been the last thing she signed for all I know. Good to have in my collection.



I got this original HE-MAN animation cell too. It captured my imagination. Is he tossing something, or is he gonna catch something? Either way, it made me giggle.



I found this cheap TARDIS thing that I guess is a sort of jewelry case or something? I got it for my girl. She will enjoy it. (and yes, it is bigger on the inside)




I didn't do much this week besides day job work, but I did finally watch INCREDIBLES 2 with my girl. It was a fun little flick. I'm still counting down the days until I get to see CREED 2! I'm such a massive fan of the ROCKY flicks. CREED 1 was the shit. and this new one looks to be equally as good. Can't wait!!

On the art front, I am finishing up commissions this week, inking STARSLAM BONUS PAGES (which are all finally penciled and complete BTW) and I got two new Patreon stories penciled and ready to ink. Plus some new pinup stuff. TONS of things to come from me. I better get back to it!

Later gators!

General Whatevers and Survey What Nots

Hey friends!

There has been a spike in traffic to the main site here and to the Idiothead Morning Show podcast, which I appreciate! Makes me believe that the new PATREON I will launch early next year will really hit it off nice. We got some great ideas flowing for it. Hear more from the podcast I did about it right HERE

Some pop culture type of stuff. They showed off the new Doctor Who outfit for Jodie W. Check it out:

Some David Tennant, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker homages in it. NICE!

Also, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS are apparently making a new album (SURPRISE!) and it will no doubt feature whoever their new lead singer is. Everyday they are revealing puzzle pieces... which fans are now assembling. It seems to be showing new album art. Here it is so far:

While I am apprehensive of an STP album without Scott Weiland, that of course... is impossible to do now. So I look forward to this next phase of their band and will give it a shot. They deserve it.

Im working hard on a new card set and then some STARSLAM 3 stuff. I am still writing little bits and things that will be for PLEASANT LIFE 2 and the Patreon page. All of that is to come. But for now, let me waste some time doing one of these filler survey writing things. People seem to like them, so I will keep doing them from time to time. Enjoy!

Are you an optimist, realist, opportunist, or pessimist?

A~ I think Im all four on various things. But mostly I dwell in realism.

Do you wear dresses, and skirts?

A~ I have never worn a dress or skirt. Maybe some Halloween. I wonder what I would look like as a woman.... something to talk to my therapist about.

What is your hair like?

A~ A mishmash of nonsense.

Does time go by fast or slow to you?

A~ When I am at home, it goes fast. When at work, it goes slower than snail snot. 

Favorite sweet food?

A~ Probably cheesecake.

Tea, coffee, or hot cocoa?

A~ I like coffee. Dont drink it super often like I used to. I should start back up. And I enjoy some cocoa in the winter months.

Space, Ocean, City, or Forest?

A~ All three have some value. But I would prefer space.

Favorite game as a child?

A~ If it was a board game, maybe CLUE. If it were video games maybe Atari: SPACE JOCKEY and NES: LEGEND OF ZELDA.

 Describe your life in 3 words.

A~ WHAT... THE... FUCK...

What makes you smile?

A~ Good food, good friends, good news.

Have you ever cried in a book or movie?

A~ Dont recall crying at a book. Movies Ive cried at: About Schmidt, Forrest Gump, Gran Turino, Star Trek 2 (natch).

Marriage or kids?

A~ Was married once with 3 kids in total.

Who’s your 3 am thought?

A~ I miss Caleb. My mother. Gloria. Uncle Richard. I hope I am wrong and I get to see them again someday.

Do you like candy? What’s your favorite candy?

A~ Ill eat some candy every now and then. Fav candy bar is either Kit Kats or Whatchamacallits.

Favorite holiday?

A~ I like Halloween the most but I get gooshy and soft around the thoughts of Christmas.

Favorite season?

A~ The fall. It needs to last longer.

Cat or dog person?

A~ Moreso cats.

Favorite time period? (80′s, 60′s, etc.)

A~ 80s to early 90s. After 1996 or so things started to really suck.

Favorite fashion fad that went away?

A~ Man, there are several that went away that I liked. I liked girls with the hairspray in the 80s. I liked Grunge, so I kinda stay there mostly. I'm slowly reacquiring my flannel.

Do you flirt?

A~ I am oblivious to what that is or how to do it. Do I use pet names on random stranger girls? Not at all. I would hate that. Im oblivious if anyone flirts with me. No idea.

What’s your style?

A~ A mishmash of nonsense.  Whatever fits, I sits.

First love?

A~ This gal named Bianca. Although the girl before her really had me a bit too... but it was brief.

Last love?

A~ It is going to be D. No doubt. Even if she wises up and leaves me, I am retiring from all of it. So D will be the last one I will ever give my heart to.

Do you think people have any misconceptions about you?

A~ Maybe. But that is on them I suppose. I dont hide who I am or what I think. If they misinterpret that, then that is on them.

What’s something you wish you could understand better?

A~ Probably computer science of some sort. Scripting or HTML code. Seems like that knowledge would be used a lot in my life. But I zone out and drool when it comes up.

Have you ever injected a drug?

A~ Never

Where is the shirt you are wearing from?

A~ No shirt on currently. (hear that ladies!?!?!?!?! CALM DOWN!)

Whose bed did you sleep in last night?

A~ My own that I bought and paid for muthafukka!

Do you think the whole day is better if you smoke pot?

A~ It probably would be, but I havent touched the stuff in years.

 Have you ever touched a dead body?
A~ No. I have a fear of it. I dont think I ever could, unless someone died in my arms. I could handle that. But post embalming after a few days? No way. I cant even touch the coffin they are in.

Ever played Grand Theft Auto?

A~ Just San Andreas and GTA5. I have GTA5 now. Pretty fun game.

How old will you be in 3 months?

A~ The dreaded 40. Over the hill. My life is over.

What is something you regret doing today?

A~ Ive only been awake for an hour. Far too early for me to fuck up anything yet. But wait a couple hours Im sure I will drum up something. 

The last male you spoke to … is he attractive?

A~ It was probably Zillins. I aint gonna fuck him.

If your ex called right now, would you answer?

A~ I let all calls go to voice mail except if my dad or brother calls. So Id see what they wanted and see if I need to reply. I don't have a problem with my exes, depending on what they wanted from me.

Is there a dictionary on your bookshelf?

A~ That is what the internet is for, silly!

 Do you have any pet names for the person you love/like?

A~ several.

Who was the last person you had a serious conversation with? What is your honest opinion of that person?

A~ Probably Zillins or Dori. I like them both a lot. I see them more than I see anyone else in my life.

Who was the first person you dated? What is your honest opinion of that person?

A~ Her name was Krista. I was in puppy love with her. She was my first kiss. We ended it so long ago and I am not sure where she is or what she does now. I wish her well.

If you were angry/upset, who’s the first person you would generally go to?

A~ My girlfriend, of course. If I needed a male perspective I would probably talk to Shane or Zillins. They got good heads on their shoulders.

When you feel like crying, do you generally hold back, or just let the tears flow?

A~ Naw if I feel I need to, I do it. I cannot bottle things up in me. It must flow.

Are you allergic to anything?

A~ Dogs, Dust, Bullshit.

Do you think that things will get better?

A~ Man, I fucking hope so. Cause shit sometimes seems pretty fucked up.

Have you ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

A~ Yes, love it! I didnt get to watch it this Halloween season though. Shame on me.

Ever been to a bonfire party?

A~ Used to have them all the time back in the motherland of Beal City. I miss doing them. Proably never again... and definitely not with the people I went there with before.

Is your dad bald?

 A~ No, but I am thinning in the front for some fucking reason. Thanks Obama!

How long do you have until your birthday?

 A~ Just under three months. Then I will be old as fuck. One step in the grave.

Recent Stuff Absorbed

So it seems in my boredom with the wife gone, I've finally started cutting things down in my Netflix que to watch. Just a bunch of movies and TV shows I keep putting off. Here's a list of some of the stuff I've watched this week:

Airplane 2 - A classic. Watched this late one night cause I wanted something I could ignore. Did the trick

Airheads - Its been a while since I saw this flick. I forgot Lemmy was in it for a millasecond. I say this movie still kinda holds up. Way better than Empire Records did.

Nymphomaniac Vol 1 - Lars von Trier's new arty film about a nymphomaniac. I found it VERY slow paced and I skipped through half of it after about an hour and change in. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for some art film style of watching. I don't think I can recommend it based on what I saw, really. But maybe if I have 6 hours to kill and want to watch the whole thing (not very likely on the time aspect) I'll give it a shot in the future.

Doctor Who - Finally cuaght up with the new season and its good, but I'm trying to figure out when they will end this season long arc of the Doctor being all dark and indifferent. I gotta imagine its turning people off. But I'll see till the end of the season to see how it all plays out.

South Park - New season started and its okay. I haven't watched the newest one though.

Family Guy/Simpsons Crossover - It was okay. But coulda been muuuuch better. Don't know what I was really expecting though.

Jay & Silent Bobs Cartoon Movie - Honestly, I didn't make it 30 minutes into this. The animation really didn't grab me and the jokes weren't that great. Bummer. I wanted to like it.

Sherlock - Watched Season 3 finally. Very great as always. I am a total Cumberbitch.

Night Gallery Pilot - I had forgotten I saw parts of this as a kid. The first part stars Roddy McDowell (one of my top 5 favorite actors) and a scary story about a painting. I remember how it fucked me up a bit as a kid. Very "Monkey's Paw" in feel. I loved it. Its on youtube, watch it!

Star Trek Animated Series - I showed the kid some of these. We watched a couple episodes I watched years and years ago but barely remember. I should sit down and watch them all really.

But the biggest thing I've been watching is THE MUNSTERS. I am beyond late to the table on this one. I casually saw it as a kid but wasn't into it. I decided to finally sit down and give it a shot like I recently did to M*A*S*H. Boy am I glad I did. I am in love with the show. A lot of the same actors pop up from Trek and Batman of the era. I'm only about 10 episodes in but I am savoring the experience. Really dig it. Perfect for the Halloween spirit!

---

On the work front, I have been working on cards and coloring Starslam at the same time. Everyday I am doing something on either one. Good pace. My dizzyness spells seem to have went away. No idea what it was. Maybe my blood pressure has gone down. Maybe I had some inner ear or vision crap that was bothering me. No clue. Just glad its gone!

This weekend I gotta take my stereo receiver in for repair or replacement. Hope its not expensive. Also I gotta work the night job Fri-Sat, so my sleep will be off again. We shall see how I recoop from that once again.

Thanks for checking in folks. Make sure you are keeping up with my MORNING SHOW PODCASTS to get my day to day talkings and bitchings. Easier for me to talk there than to type. Sometimes anyway...

Cheers! T

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey - FALL plans

Oh boy folks! Its almost time! Tomorrow Doctor Who returns after a looooong 9 month wait to see how Peter Capaldi does in the role as the 12th (13th?) Doctor. I am very excited to see how they are going to run the show. Obviously the dynamic between Doctor and companion will be greatly different now. I'm sure there will be a lot less flirting and more darker, cerebral tones with this new guy. Its always weird when a new Doctor comes along because it takes a while to warm up to him but after a time, he turns out as awesome as all the others. They put their own spin on it. Sure there have been a couple that many would cite as their "least favorite," but still, they had good stuff going on. Doctor Who always does.

I spent some time this week to watch more Tom Baker episodes like, "Planet of Evil," "Brain of Morbuis" and "City of Death." I'm really digging on Baker right now. He and Tennant are my favorites by far. I think I'm not alone in that however. I also love Troughton and Eccleston. Its ALL really good. No complaints on any of it from me!

Also coming up is WALKING DEAD. I am completely enjoying what they are doing with the series. I really look at the comic and the TV show as two seperate things now and I'm glad for that. I'm excited to see whats next.

And of course, football season has begun. Tonight I watched another Lions' pre-season game. I'm getting excited for the season. New players, new coach. We'll see!

I'm making it my goal to watch something new every week. This week I finished off my great M*A*S*H marathon of watching the series all the way through. I never have done that before. I also actually went out to the movies and saw GUARDAINS OF THE GALAXY, which I will give a B+. I have a bunch of stuff I keep putting off on my netflix cue. Time to commit to watching it. Soon the wife will be gone for six weeks, so I will be quite lonely. I plan to watch and keep up with some of the shit on my Netflix list. Been delaying shit too damn long.

I also plan to get some work done in the next 7 weeks. Scott goes back to school in 10 days and that means I can get some rhythm going at home as far as creating stuff during the day. We'll see how it rolls. But he'll be in classes from 7:30-4pm. Everything is going to be a bit of a juggle with her gone. But I intend to make the best of it. When she gets back, she starts her new job. More money, waaaaaaaay more opportunity. Its quite exciting. If everything works out, all our goals shall be achieved within 2-4 years. I will have no worries by the time I am 40. That would be goddamn awesome! I've been scraping by barely all my life. Glad shit will finally pay off for us. I'm proud of her and her hard work. She's also dropped 72 pounds and is training for a 5k. AMAZING! I really lucked out by finding her, and she puts up with me!

Anyway, I'm going to hit the bed early and get good sleep tonight. Tomorrow is another day and shit is getting brighter and brighter for my life. Glad to finally see things on the mend. Lets hope this upward trend keeps on chugging along!

Cheers, T

The Days Slip By...

Its been a while since I posted a non-business-y blog here so I thought I'd write to everyone a bit.

First of all, the looks at the site and the downloads of the Morning Show podcast have been steadly increasing. I thank all of you for coming out and also staying interested. Even in the downtime of me not releasing anything new, I try to keep good content coming like podcasts, blogs, daily FB and Twitter posts. So thanks. I will be retooling the sit a bit soon and making an all new COMMISSIONS and ORIGINAL ART SALES section. Also promoting my FB and Twitter links more. Give me some time on that. But I appreciate the attention. So much on the net is trying to gain your interest but you keep coming back. I thank you. I'll always continue to keep up my end of the bargain.

Today we went and picked up our cat Jake's ashes. I couldn't help but get a big lump in my throat upon seeing the tin its in, which finally developed into a bit of tears when I got home. I guess it sort of cements the reality a bit more in my head. See, I wasn't here the day we had to put him down. So its always sorta felt like he was simply upstairs sleeping somewhere. Other than the little reminders of him not coming down at 7pm on the dot asking for food or rubbing on my legs when I did put the food down, it just felt like he was here. But now its more of a "reality" that he's not. That sucks. Its one week now, to the day that he's been gone.

Mostly its been out of my mind. I've been keeping busy with laundry, deep cleaning things around the house, rearranging my office a bit. I haven't got much work done beyond some small commission stuff. I am hoping to get into a rhythm this weekend of solid production on my own stuff. I got a list growing a mile long and I am tired of the distractions.

I've taken some slow personal time to listen to podcasts to keep me laughing. I watched some Tom Baker Doctor Who and finally sat down to watch Iron Man 3. I missed it in the theater. I still haven't seen Godzilla (2014) and don't really have the drive to go to the theater to go see a flick. I've just been on autopilot really. The thoughts on my mind about the things I need to work on that I learned at C4 have got my brain in a good place. I know what I got to do, now its just a matter of doing it.

Things are on the rise. My step-mom's cancer is shrinking, so that is great news. I'm almost sold out of my new print run of Pleasant Life books. Those commissions I have done have come out quite satisfactory and I apply for new gigs daily. My head is in the game and I am doing it. I got my goals set and a plan in motion. I simply just have to put the car into gear and hit the gas pedal. It will happen. It always does.

One thing I want to do immediately is do a quick kids' book about Jake. I already got the style and plot laid out. A simple 12 page thing resembling a kids' book. Maybe put it together and sell it as an all ages book at the shows. All my life I dealt with my problems through my comics. Mom's death was in Pleasant Life, Milo was in Anna Pocalypse... and certainly Jake will be no different. Its theraputic for me to do so. So I hope you enjoy it when its done. Soon. Very soon. It will be good for me to do that, I think.

As we approach mid-year, I reflect back on 2014 and what a bummer of a year its been. From the very beginning of January with my dad's heart attack, crap winter, step mom's cancer, James' surgery, money woes, freelance struggles, lack of shows, lack of sales, Jake's death and other stuff... its just been a weird 6 months. But there's also been some great times. The wife and I get to get out of the house once in a while now. We've made some great new friends. We spend time together now and I still am improving on my work. Plus I got all my books back in print and our Kickstarter was funded. Its been equally as good. I don't focus on the negative all the time. I am fully aware of what is going right for me too. And we've got nowhere to go but up. Onward and Upward as I always say.

Thanks all for caring and the emails/messages you all have sent. They mean the world to me. But we're okay. We're rockin'. Pedal to the metal. You'll get a lot from me very soon. You haven't seen anything yet.

Cheers, T

New Stuff and Goings On

Hey everyone! Some new copic samples for ya. Mostly Doctor Who related.

This week I re-submitted ANNA POCALYPSE to Ka-Blam. Reason being when my books were shipped, a couple of them were damaged in the package. Also one of the narration fonts was not embedded and came out different. Its not too bad but they offered to reprint the entire order for me for free if I sent them new files. So I took advantage of the situation and went back on the advice of the podcast review I got last week from GEEK LIFE and played a bit with the hue saturation on the pages. So the colors are a bit dimmer and not so "on the nose" as it was in the first print run. Also fixed a couple minor things such as a few right eyes being too high on the page, again on their suggestion. SO, I should have those redux issues in the next couple weeks. However, they are letting me keep these previous ones, so the book is still available. Not to say the version I have is bad at all, so don't worry. I'm just glad Ka-blam is being cool about it. And now I can make the colors somewhat "match" what will come in ANNA 2. The color pallate in ANNA 2 will be much different than ANNA 1. Because I've learned a lot in the years since I first published the book. You'll see.

Meanwhile, I am working on new pieces for con season and maybe a couple new print ideas. I will be giving away free prints to anyone who buys books at my table. Also gearing up for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY on May 3rd at Clem's Comics in downtown Lansing, MI. I will be at the table from 11-2pm at least and possibly a bit after. Come see me!

We did some spring cleaning around the house and did a crapload of laundry. My oldest son came to visit and we had a great time as well. Now life returns to normal and I am busy trying to score new clients for commission work to keep me afloat. Things have sorta got slow in this first quarter and book sales are sorta so-so as well. Now that I got Mayhem at the printer and off my plate, plus the reprints of Anna, Pleasant Life and I got the Artbook done, I can focus on everything else now. Prints, new art pieces, coloring better, Starslam pages, and then finally ANNA 2! And somewhere in there finish this Porn Store book. (Also for the fans of the ADULT section of Idiothead.com, I am planning more PORN WORLD WEEKLY strips. Just give me time on them, thanks.)

SO: Shit is crazy around here. Lets keep up the pace and keep crack-a-lackin!

Cheers, T