Pre-Halloween

Hey friends!

Its been a stressful damn week. I had a panic attack even. Just A LOT to get done and the OT at the day job is here! Plus home woes (Fleas, Furnace... all of which I discuss on the newest Podcast)... But I am making progress. Got some commissions done this weekend, got stuff boxed up I need to mail to various places and all the USA Starslam mailers are out. I just gotta work on the overseas ones this week. All the paperwork is filled out for them and they are ready to be mailed out. Thats what I will be doing this week.

Also I spent some time today grabbing more Xmas presents off my list. (I'm striving to get all my Xmas shopping done before Nov 11th... just because!) I have also dug through all my tubs, toys, comics, books, games, etc and gathered stuff for the Nov 11th TOY SHOW in Okemos, MI that I will be set up at. I'll sell my old shit and my comics and art there. Should be a good time. A different vibe than a comic con. Much needed. Plus I need to be rid of some crap. If I make a little extra scratch for it in the meantime, why not!

In addition to finishing things off the TO DO list, I am working on the other new stuff I need to do.

Like this:


Recognize any of that? Those are some of my earliest comic work! They will all be scanned and collected into a book for next year's celebration of my 25 years in self publishing. I'm just gonna scan em and see where I can get to after that. Maybe a kickstarter? I dunno. Its old shit. Its honestly HORRID to look at. Does anyone want to see that? We'll see I suppose!

Cute kitty sitting on my kid's car seat!


Anyway, nothing new beyond that.

Bachelor Weekend

Hey friends.

Kitty-D has been out of town since early Friday morning and so I have been solo. I've managed to keep the house clean (I even did some sorting!), I dealt with some "Thinky Pain" alone and made it to work on time. Plus spent time with the kids! On Saturday I spent some time with myself by taking a road trip to Kalamazoo. I found a few gems and the trip was nice... except for the bad drivers and construction. I had forgotten how much I dislike driving on I-94 here in Michigan. Its a road that connects Detroit with Chicago. That road is an asshole driver magnet. I can't tell you how many times I've almost died on that road. Saturday was no exception. But I'm here and I'm okay.

However, my beloved Batblazer suffered an injury:

No, I-94 didn't do this. Kitty D backed up into a cement pole. She's okay and no one was hurt, but my baby got a bit of a black eye. We got tape over it now and a new light on its way. The rest is just cosmetic. No big deal, honestly. She's survived way worse than this. And plus it gives me something I can tease D about! She feels horrible about it, but honestly its really okay. I'm just glad no one was hurt. Now, if she did this to my Corvette... different story! Heh...

I had planned to get a bunch of stuff done this week but yeah... that didn't happen. I had a big round of thinky pain and some anger to work through. I was kinda moody, honestly. And I know it will get a bit worse. I gotta adjust my sleep starting tonight to do a week of overnights at the day job. And then next weekend, I got the kids for two overnights. No rest for the wicked. Hopefully I can keep my sanity somewhat. 

Even the girls are concerned for me!!

No worries folks. I will get back on the production train soon. I am in the home stretch with so much that I almost HAVE to at this point. Just gotta break free and shake off the shit and get going. This whole week has been recuperation. Just getting my brain back into gear. Dusting the shelves, as it were... literally and mentally. Summer cleaning? Maybe. That is what D is doing up north while camping. Spending time on the water and recharging while hanging out with her closest friend. I needed to do that a few times already this year. Now I'm staring at a few months of nose to the wall, hardcore grinding so I can set everything up I need to set up. When I emerge, I hope to have the knowledge which will lead to more money and overtime at the day job. (Which helps a few financial goals I got.) I hope to get my health somewhat under control. (So far its been a runaway train!) I hope to get my projects rolling and ready to release. (Always on my mind.)

So no, I didn't do much with my bachelor weekend other than cry into a pillow for a bit, work at the day job, took a stressful (but somewhat rewarding) trip, nap, get drunk and do a long rambling podcast and then spend time with my boys. Some bachelor weekend, eh? No strip clubs for me. No hookers and blow for this guy. Just business as usual.

Now if I can get my brain to shut up, I can take a nap and regulate my sleep to prepare for a week of night shifts. Pray for me, won't you? So much to conquer, so much to finish...

Sanity, find me.

--T

Ps- Got a couple messages asking what I thought of the announcement of a female Doctor Who: I honestly don't care who or what plays the doctor, so long as the writing is good. We got way bigger things to worry about and be mad at, don't you think? Forget the distractions, keep your eyes open to the arseholes fucking us. Stay awake. Resist the bullshit. Get registered to vote and get active! 

Remembering Adam West (and other things)

Hey friends. Been a busy week as always. My sleep is all jacked up again but I think I've finally got myself in a nice routine... but that won't last, of course. I'm just so uncoordinated and cloudy lately. I fell at work this week. Just was bending over to pick something up, lost my footing somehow and tumbled backward into a hard wall. I got a big bruise on my head and my arm:

Ouchie!

There were fears of a concussion... but my big ol' head took the most of the impact and I came out fine. I might not remember the piano lessons anymore, but that's okay.

It is HOT here in Michigan! Monday it was 92 degrees! I've been sitting in ball soup everyday. Its causing heat rashes under my huge belly. (But I'm down 14 pounds now!) But even the cats are feeling the heat:

I was blessed by the art gods of a not so sore hand when I attempted to draw this week. I was able to squeeze five new Starslam pages out! I think I found a good way to work that isn't so taxing on my hand, and that is to work smaller. Instead of 10x15, I do the pages on 10x6.5. For some pics and scenes I'll go bigger but its helping me cut my workload down a bit. Last week I got 8 pages in on the other erotica project. About 15 more and that is done. Then I just gotta color/balloon all of it and then assemble it together. Home stretch, right? I keep getting newly colored pages back from Andy as well. I'm so thrilled with his coloring choices on the pages I give him. He sees things I didn't think about doing. For example:

I didn't think to make the floor a wooden one, or to add mirrors in the background! And leaving him the choices to make on what colors something should be is such a treat to get back and see! Its like reading a comic I didn't draw!

And speaking of STARSLAM, if you go back in my Twitter page a week or so, you'll see some exclusive NSFW Starslam pages I teased. Warning: SPOILERS! (and boobs, dicks and other things)

I'm having a rough week as far as "thinky pain" as I call it. Just random depression hitting me and then I go back up the slope and I'm okay again. I'm trying to keep myself distracted but just life and exhaustion and the heat start to take its toll. I was reading today about an artist I'm familiar with whose liver is failing and its likely he won't make it to Christmas. I wasn't this guy's biggest fan for a few reasons, but it makes me feel sad for him and his family. No one should have to go through the things he is going through with that and other health shit going on. My friend Anna was re-approved for her Kidney Transplant surgery. I know she goes through a lot as well. Everywhere I turn there is good news/bad news. But sometimes it comes back around to good again. It helps me keep a smile on and gives me hope.

However, this last weekend was some bad news:

The exclusive ADAM CLUB lost our president. A devastating loss to my personal pop culture world. When I was a kid, BATMAN became a big thing in 1989 with the upcoming release of the Tim Burton movie. Before it came out in the summer, Nick at Nite started running Batman 1960's TV Show marathons and that is where I first got my taste of Adam. I loved the show as a kid and that is where my love with The Riddler came from. I got to meet Frank Gorshin later in life before he died. I never got to meet Adam. I was near him a couple times when I was at shows, but I never bothered to get in line and get something signed. I think back again to when I was a kid and that spring/summer of 1989. My mom rented BATMAN THE MOVIE (60s, again) and taped it onto Betamax for me. I would come home from school and fry up some home made potato wedges and watch the movie. I must have watched that movie 50 times that year and into the 1990s. It was one of my first cheap Blu-ray purchases. I can recite the whole thing. Recently they FINALLY released the series on DVD/BR... I haven't bought it yet. Just been busy and don't have time to really sit down for it. As an adult it reads campy and farcical. But still, I should take the time to do it. It was my era of TV. STAR TREK was on Tv. As well as LOST IN SPACE and GET SMART.

Years later, I would enjoy Adam in random B/D movies like "Maxium Xul" or "The Happy Hooker." And then he popped up on this little cartoon I got into called "Family Guy." Everytime he was on screen in that show he was a hoot. A whole new generation was being turned onto him and his unique humor. I loved it. I haven't kept up with the show every much lately, but maybe I will trek back and see what new things he did on there.

This one sucks. I know within the next ten years a lot of my heroes will most likely be going too. Favorite actors, childhood heroes, favorite musicians... I'm getting to that age. It sucks. But at least they all leave behind a body of work to be loved and cherished for all time. And I'm thankful I got to live at the same time as some of these people. Its an amazing time to be alive and I wouldn't trade it for any other era. And before I climb the bat-rope to the heavens myself, I will sit back and enjoy what they leave behind. Thank you Mr. Mayor, Mr. West, Mr. Wayne, Batman, Adam We... You will be greatly missed.

Okay, barring any major things to happen, I'm going to get back to work. I might be quieter than usual and that is because I'm trying to beat a deadline here. I will come back soon with some great stuff to share. In my silence don't think I'm not doing anything... I'm doing plenty!

Cheers, T

Back to the Grind and a Confession

Hey friends,

Well, Vacation week is over. It doesn't seem like it should be, but it is. I worked very hard for this last week and now its gone. I did a lot, saw a lot of people I never get to see, got comic work done, reading done, went to the movies (saw SNATCHED. Not bad), Had TV marathons, went out to dinner, deep talking with friends, played video games, napped, cleaned, petted kitties, got drunk, jammed on music, drew 5 pages, lounged out in front of air conditioner, ate a shit-ton of crappy food, traveled 600 miles and back and much more.

And now its over. Back to work today. Back to the daily grind.

It really flew by, man. It seems like yesterday. I honestly could do another week of this. I'm not sure I feel rested at all. But I do get some rest coming up. There is the TOOL concert in early June. End of June is the Chicago trip. The summer will bring some fun with the kids and holidays and all that. But my entire vacation time is spent. I gotta make it to January 1st now with not much rest to have.

Honestly, that is okay. I got things planned. Things I have to do (finally). There is so much work ahead. I got probably THREE books to launch before the end of the year. Right now the focus is on my health. This carpal Tunnel thing will continue to be worked with and monitored. And I am focusing on my weight loss. We haven't had sodas in the house for almost two weeks now. I've had them if we go out but the weaning has already begun. I plan to go hardcore on the fruits and veggies until I get below 300.

I'll be brutally honest here. I think its the best way I can be in this life. I find strength in being honest. About two weeks ago, I got on the scale and I crossed a margin. An unthinkable margin. The total I weighed that day?

402 pounds.

Yes, I crossed the 400 pound mark. Severely morbidly obese. I stepped off the scale and I was in shock. I have gained 82 pounds in over a year. I am now officially one foot in the grave. I cried to myself as I wondered how it all happened. But I knew. Of course I knew. The depression led me to eat. I have a sedentary job, I snack. The sodas. The fast food. No exercise... its no mystery as to what I did to myself. I'm scared to go to the doctor. I'm scared to do anything, honestly. I don't feel right. I feel wobbly and full of panic.

But all this means is I am awake and aware of what I have done and what I must do now.

My goal is to drop 100 pounds. Right now. Immediately. So I am going hardcore. I gotta get out of the danger zone.... or die trying. And right now, I feel like living. I got shit to do. So I am going to get this freight train back on the rails and kicking ass at this thing. I'm struggling to survive and its time I woke up and get myself under control.

There are so many other things I want to do beyond just the weight loss. I have to save for many things coming up. I have to find time to get work done. I have to this, I have to that. And it will be easy to do because everything is a choice. What do you choose? What are you more hungry for? Future dreams, to live thinner and happier or what I have been doing so far with a very limited life? I wasn't created to live depressed, defeated, ashamed or condemned and unworthy. I was created to be victorious. And its my turn. I choose life.

So 'scuse me while I take care of some personal business. Stuff I keep saying I have to do but now, HAVE to do it. And I will. Because I can. And if you are in a similar boat as mine, so can you.

Anyway, back to the grind of work and getting my life under control. Meanwhile, here are some pics to entertain:

The kittens got adopted out! Chloe went to her new home and Sebastian went to one as well. The grey one (we named her Luna) was declared the winner and we chose her to stay with us. We're happy with our decision but miss all of them greatly.

Co-worker NES party.

Lots o' gamez being played!

DC represent!

Luna and Sebastian. Last time together.

Sebastian, moments before he was picked up. I'll miss that boy. :(

Here's our Luna... very cute and loving kitten.

Some edited for content and spoiler free new pages from STARSLAM 3. Its really coming along!

These Times are A Changin'

Hey friends. Lots of stuff in the blog today to discuss. Let's get to work.

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their support and kindness over the carpel tunnel thing. The last blog I posted about no more commissions and all that got a massive amount of hits and my inbox filled up a bit. Everyone giving their thoughts and advice on the situation. Believe me, I appreciate it more than you know. I hope that I didn't sound defeated in my last post, because I'm not. I just have to streamline what I can and cannot do. We all have things that happen as we get older and this is just one of those things. While I am definitely saddened by it, I'm determined to still finish my project goals. Even if those last few pages come out looking like chicken scratch! But I will not rush myself. I'm letting my body tell me what I can do. And I'm wearing braces daily:

BAHHH!!!!!

I'm going out to look at certain vitamins that might help and I am doing the exercises daily. So far, my computer work and writing don't seem to be effected yet, and that is a damn good thing. We'll adjust. The world isn't getting rid of me that easily!

Meanwhile, my world around me keeps on drifting by: 

Scott-bot enjoying some TV. Lucky devil.

Momma cat and her kittens. Its almost time to give two of them away. We already chose which one is staying...

...its this grey and white dude I've named SEBASTIAN! I think we made the right choice. But we'll be sad to see the other two go. Definitely will be missed.

Sirius Satellite radio started their 24 hour Beatles channel today, which is exciting. Their first song played: "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE." Absolutely PERFECT choice for many symbolic reasons.

I haven't been to the movies yet to see Guardians 2. I'm not in a hurry either. I didn't get to see Trainspotting 2 yet, and that is higher on the priority list for me. It comes out on disc next month. Only new thing I've watched is the MST3K revival. Its worth your time to check it out.

I've seen a huge spike in downloads of my MORNING SHOW podcast. I thank you for your continued love and support. Thank you so much. It means more than you know. 

Lastly, I want to comment on the sudden passing of Chris Cornell: 

Folks, this one sucks. SUCKS. During the grunge era that I lived in and loved (Still do), I was more into Nirvana, STP, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam than Soundgarden.  But when I first bought a CD player with one of my first checks earned from my fast food job at 16, I bought two CDs that day... The Doors Greatest Hits and Soundgarden Superunknown. I loved that album. I went to a midnight sale of Blow Up the Outside World. I loved his first solo Cd. And when he joined Rage and did Audioslave, I wasn't that into it for some reason. But he did get back with the garden and released new music and toured. I saw them live in 2015. Here's a shot from that concert at DTE in Clarkston, MI:

The dude's voice was still killer. His playing was outstanding. I was back in as a big fan. I had Temple of the Dog on rotate for the rest of that year.

Nothing has come out yet about how he died, he was only 52. It seems like every band from the grunge era has nothing but tragedy happen to their lead singers. Kurt - (Murdered), Layne - Drugs, Scott Weiland - Drugs, man I hope Chris fared better. Like his pal Andy Wood from Mother Love Bone (Later to be Pearl Jam) died of drugs too. The fact remains for us old fans that the grunge era is dying a painful death. This one hurts man. It really does. I'm sitting here listening to Temple of the Dog (his tribute album to Andy Wood and HIGHLY recommended by me) as I type this. The man had a voice. Killer songwriter. Dynamic frontman. Seems like his heart and soul was in his playing every night.

He will be missed.

Man... it sucks getting old. Seriously.

--T

EDIT-- They are saying it is suicide. If so, this is shocking man. Absolutely shocking. I don't have any words... 

Same Ol Same Ol

Here I am. No worries. Well, some were worried. I got messages from folks who were worried because its not like me to not post a blog twice weekly. I think its been about two weeks since the last one. Even longer for a podcast.

Truth is there's a few things going on and ways to explain my absence:

 #1 My major "production at home" days were Sundays. Now I am down to two of those because I keep my kids Sat-Monday morning twice a month so that knocks two of them out. The other two are usually reserved for some business that I don't have time to do during the week. So I get two nights free a month really. It kind of sucks but so it goes. At least I get to see my boys more. But that means that any time at home to do stuff like that usually takes a back seat. And my two Saturdays free a month involve time with D that we don't get during the week or with friends.... or severely drinking til passing out.

#2 Thing going on is that I am back into a major depression swing. I had to leave my therapist for several reasons and I am seeking a new one. I thought I was through some shit but apparently there's plenty more that has bubbled to the surface to help destroy what sanity I've tried to claim for myself. So I have wrote, but its been in private.... and you don't want to read what I wrote. Here on the blog and social media, I try to stay somewhat upbeat and positive. I'm supposed to be entertaining you folks. All my other writings shows a person in constant fear of rejection, inadequacy and emptiness. Its full of fear at every perceived failure and an endless need for acceptance and meaning. Its not fun to read. But it helps on some level. It gets it out of my brain. But it is easy to spiral down into the hole I've created for myself and just get the stone face.

I've really always been this way. Ever since I was a kid. It is hard to find someone who can deal with me when I'm like this and not take it personally. Thank the lords for Kitty D, who totally understands and helps me cope with myself when I am like this. We have a nice special mixture and can take on the drama when it heads our way. I got some doozies I'm dealing with right now. But she's there and helping me where she can. That is a good feeling.

You always try to dwell in the good feelings.

On the production front, you'll be surprised to know that I have been very productive on comics and things. I penciled ten more pages last week and things are rolling right along. I got a big new batch of pages to send to my colorist and I am coloring my own pages for my other projects too. Perhaps I owe you an update:

STARSLAM 3 - I got 45 pages in the can, complete. Another 22 are ready to be scanned and colored. We're getting into the major points of the storyline. So far there are about 6 major sex scenes... and thats SO FAR. So there is lots of nudity and sex this time around. I'm going all out for this last book!

PATREON R.I.P. - What does that mean? Well, I've done a lot of thinking about it, while still working on pages and things for it, but I decided that I cannot do a patreon. I just cannot guarantee my output with the depression issues and the carpal tunnel now limiting my drawing and writing. Its frustrating but I have to be honest with myself. I'm on a time limit with what I can do and how fast I can do it now.

BUT----- I still got these stories, pinups, written sex stories and things Ive sat on for years now. I decided that I will finish them and collect them in a new tradebook to be launched on Kickstarter. Probably before STARSLAM 3 comes out. Maybe end of summer-ish. I have a title and a premise. Its basically a sex anthology. For those that love my stuff, you'll love it! It will be around 120 pages or so and I cannot wait for you guys to see it. It collects everything erotica that I've done beyond STARSLAM. So that is exciting, right? Look for that soon.

PLEASANT LIFE 2 - I'm still working on it sporatically. I'm trying to decide how I want to get it out into the world. Eventually I'll probably try a Kickstarter to grab new fans for the series... but I do expect the numbers to be less considering it has no titties in it. But expect that next year.

WISE INTELLIGENCE - Remember this? This was a 4 issue mini series that writer Ryan McLelland and I did almost a decade ago. Terry Moore (SIP) did a cover for it even! We decided to get EVERYTHING together for this project and release it via kickstarter. I'm likely going to let him handle that, as I have enough on my plate right now. But I will be putting the book together for him and doing new stuff for it most likely. Will be nice to put a button on that book and have a nice collected trade of those comics that very few have seen! More on this later.

NOVELS -- Right now I got two novels (the short story/poem anthology and the tell all of my porn store days) in production. They've taken a back seat to the comics. I think once those are out my way, I'll get these done. Hopefully by Xmas or early next year. Because I have my first original novel (fiction) that I am itching to work on after that. Its something I've been half working on and writing dialog on for a few years now. Its a great idea and I would love to get it done... but all this other stuff has to get out of the way first. But consider this a tease.

So there ya go. Stuff is happening, despite my depression. I'm alive. Sometimes I'm angry about it, but I am alive. I know, that sounds dark. But I'm just being honest. I am determined to grow out of the depression that happens and continue my work. I'm determined to face everything the universe throws at me. Cause I'm not afraid to face it. I'll certainly bitch about it, but I will face it all. Sometimes, you just have to climb the mountain yourself just to show people that it can be done. I know I inspire others by what I'm doing and I am not going to let them down. I'm not doing all of this for me, I'm doing it for you. I hope you know that.

Anyway, here are some pics of things beyond all this depressing shit. KITTIES!!!!!!!!

Cuteness overload.

Sebastian. We picked the right one I think.

We will miss this Grey goober when she goes to her new home though.

Mommy is still protective.

Scott Bot lounges around.

What do a bunch of thirty something guys do when they get away from the girls for a night? Do they hit the strip club and the hooters? Nope. They have a NINTENDO PARTY! A bunch of my co-workers got together a couple weeks ago on my only night off and did this gathering where we played through Ninja Gaiden 2, Punch Out, Excitebike, Kung Fu and many other games. It was a lot of fun and we're already planning NES championship night 2. 

Lastly, a note a screenshot reminding me that there are some out there who care: 

I thank everyone for their messages and care. I'll be okay, no worries. I'm gonna work with this new therapist and get to a good place with the shit plaguing me. But rest assured... THE WORK WILL CONTINUE!

Cheers, T

Random Things That I Am Excited About + General Gripings and Updates

Hello friends! I haven't had a lot of free time to podcast or write a blog here for a few days. My day job schedule has been up and down with covering vacations and now new training on some new skills. I'll be doing that all summer. So far the new stuff is not hurting my brain too much and it really is helping me advance my skills and abilities in the world of graphic design to more modern industry standards. In every job I've ever had, I always strive to be a "backbone" to the place. After many places treating me like shit and asshole customers/co-workers, its a relief to be somewhere that I actually like going to, get along with everyone and I can expand my knowledge and skill set. There are problems, sure... but I rarely deal with them directly. Now I probably will a bit more, but that's okay. I think I can bring a lot to the table. In not just skills but attitude in dealing with the problems.

On the health front, diet is still at a stand-still. And my carpal tunnel is still in full swing. Its got to the point that even as I am typing here, my right hand will just randomly go numb for a few seconds and then go back to normal. I dismantled my upright art desk and got a smaller flat table to draw at. This will help things a bit. I got a brace as well and do daily hand and arm exercises. But gripping things, pulling up things with my right hand does cause pain. I guess its just something I will have to live with now. (Good thing I jerk it with my LEFT hand! TMI...)

The good news is that it doesn't seem to effect my drawing too much. This week I inked two commissions and SEVEN new pages on Starslam 3! I got back some new colored pages from Andy and once again, the dude killed it! We're becoming a well oiled train now and ramping up production on this book. I am hoping that by after summer I will have a clear picture of when we can do a Kickstarter for it. Also I am still working on Pleasant Life 2 pages (randomly) and pages for the short Patreon stories. Its all rolling along. Its a nice creative outlet for me.

--- KITTIES! ---

I'm happy to report that all three have their eyes open now and are randomly deciding to crawl out of their crib and explore. Still VERY shakey and nervous, but cute as hell! We seem to have found homes for all of them, so that is good. It will be hard to see them go.

Things from my pop-culture front:

Today, the first new season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 hits Netflix. They raised a lot of cash via a Kickstarter two years ago and now here it is. Patton Oswalt plays a character too. I've been a fan since I saw the show on Comedy Central back in 1990. Then Dean loaned me his tapes back in college and I fell in love with more episodes I have never seen by that time. I now own all the first 5 seasons and random other ones. I still haven't seen EVERY episode, especially the ones from when the show went to the Sci Fi channel, but that is ok. I've seen the best and know the best. And this new guy, Jonah, I love from the Nerdist Podcast. He will do great. It premiered on Netflix today and I will spend some time this weekend and next week digging through them. Its great to know that no matter how much time passes, I can still relive my favorite stuff from the past all over again. Cause the best stuff always comes back!

I feel like I am toy crazy lately. I pretty much got all the DVDs/BluRays I want, so now I've shifted attention back to CDs, Toys and Games. I picked up another Jedi Luke last night (my favorite version of Luke Skywalker) and I'm scouring ebay for some lost gems from my youth. Mostly window shopping for now. Cannot go too crazy with money right now. But I'm always on the lookout for CD special editions of my favorite albums as well. And on the video game front, there will be a cool Disney collection coming next week which will have a copy of DUCK TAILS 2 on it! (Rare to get on the NES) Unfortunately, I was dealt the harsh news that Nintendo is halting production on the NES CLASSIC... I never got one unfortunately. They went on sale in Nov 2016, and scalpers scoop them up in stores for $60 and flip them on ebay for stupid money. Now they will go even higher. I am VERY resistant to their bullshit so fuck it, I will just go buy all the cartridges for those classic games for my NES. Might as well, since I'm spending the same amount of cash. But then I am also investing in my collection and not some asshole's pockets. I scored a few random gems on my recent trip to Midland/Saginaw and that has me hyped up for some gaming.

I just learned that Trainspotting 2 is finally in Lansing! So I will go see that maybe this weekend. Necessary. Been waiting to see this flick for a while now.

I'm planning a trip to go see my dad in May. Then I will be back in Illinois (Chicago area) in June for Exxxotica Con. So, exciting things are on the horizon. Right now its just the daily grind to get through and the worries over my car randomly acting up. I drive it across town every day, sometimes twice. That gets hard on a 20 year old vehicle. I hope the thing its doing now isn't too expensive. :(

Anyway, just thought I'd give a general update on everything in my world. Much love to you all!

--T

Re-Applying For My Dream/My NSFW Smut Comics...and Kittens!

Hello my friends, welcome back.

In an effort to aid my re-applying for my dream job that I've been doing since 1994, I've been evolving my thinking and my business model. This is something I started early last year but it got shelved as I dealt with everything that happened in the personal life. Now that the smoke has cleared, and I've got more clarity and research done, its almost time to get rolling on it.

Before I get to that, some personal postings: 

This weekend Kitty D and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary with a trip to Mongolian BBQ... one of our favorite places!

Good news! Our cat Belle had her kittens! In total there were five born, but two didn't make it. It was a tough thing to see happen and deal with. But so far, three are healthy and strong. For the first week its constant nursing and tiny mews. But within a couple weeks here, they will be crawling all over and digging those tiny claws into my leg and what not. We're talking with some various folks to get them good homes to go to. We didn't know Belle was pregnant when we got her, so we got quite a bargain I say!

Now on to business: Check out some newer art...

Spoiler free peeks at PLEASANT LIFE 2 and something else that has been secret for a while...

I started out last year with the drive to launch a Patreon page dedicated to new exclusive NSFW adults only comics. Some would be side Starslam stories but most of them would be stand alone erotica and only exclusive to the Patreon supporters and followers. I shelved the comics and stories I was working on when everything in the personal life got in the way. But now that the smoke has cleared and I've been more productive that usual, its time to start thinking about doing that again.

What I want to do is get a few stories in the can and then launch it. Right now, it will be set up in such a way where you get one exclusive story a month, a few side erotica/humor comics, stories and blogs/vlogs/audio exclusive to ONLY the Patreon. It is my intention to take the momentum I've harvested here on my idiothead.com site and bring it over there as well and build a nice community of followers and supporters. I really hope that you will consider following me over there. I intend to keep the prices low for my supporters and use it as the new business model for me to do things.

Crowd funding is the way of the future. And through those efforts I've done on Kickstarter, I've discovered that the majority of my audience likes and enjoys my NSFW content. Its something I've grown increasingly comfortable with and needed to find a way to get it out to everyone. Taking smut books to a family friendly comic con isn't ideal. But Patreon and Kickstarter seem to have a lot of like minded folks who want to support good adult content. And I've strived to keep my things female friendly and sex positive.

I started this movement in my work back in the mid-2000s when I started taking on more adults only commission work. And in 2009 when I started STARSLAM as a superhero erotica comic. Then it became a webcomic in 2011. Then a Kickstarter in 2014. Its just snowballed from there. And currently, I'm busy working on the third STARSLAM book in the trilogy! Check out a newly colored page right here: 

Andy's colors are just killing it, man! Its never looked better.

With Kickstarter working with my Starslam work and Patreon backing up my other NSFW content, this will keep the business afloat for me to continue other endevours. Like my slice of life comic: Pleasant Life and other stuff I have planned. So expect PLENTY from me in the coming days.

Right now, I'm planning on launching the Patreon page sometime this summer. I could launch it today if I wanted to, but I want to be sure that the stories are all set in my backlog before I attempt a launch. I really want to come out the gate with this thing on all four legs and moving. I'm gonna chase the whimsy and see where it goes. Its been my plan all along.

So the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. This is what I've been teasing and building towards until life got in the way. But now we're almost ready to go. Will you be willing to join me at the Patreon and support the new comic work I will be doing? Do you like the way I write and draw erotica comics? Will you help me build that community there as you have supported me here?

We're in this together, folks. Help me make the leap toward the future and we can get new readers involved with what we're doing here. Onward and upward!

....I intend to!

--T