Back in 2003 my friend Brian Vandiver and I created a strip called This Is A Low in hopes of having a syndicated comic strip. It was one of many projects that the two of us planned together, and unfortunately it met the same fate so many of our projects did, abject failure. This happens to lots of people and all you can do is throw a bunch of ideas at the wall and see what sticks.

While This Is A Low isn’t perfect, Brian and I’s little brainstorm sessions were always fun and we enjoyed cracking each other up. I hope we have the opportunity to do it more in the future. For now, I have another addition to my comic section (aka Failure Pile, to reference Patton Oswalt).

On Saturday I colored a page of Lulu & Mitzy to see how it would turnout. Ultimately, this is how I would like to do the book, but it would be very labor intensive and cost a lot to print. If only I could hire an intern or outsource it to make this achievable. Alas, I cannot. So I fantasize.

Pretty much everyone I know is aware of this by now, but Lulu & Mitzy have been picked up by a publisher. Rather than the 6-issue mini-series I had planned, L&M will be compiled into a single graphic novel, which has helped change the story a bit. Personally, I think the long format suits them and stops them from being the crass Laurel & Hardy I pictured them to be in the beginning.
Slave Labor Graphics has given the go ahead and now I am neck deep in work. I’ll have 120 pages of luscious madness completed by the end of June and the book will hit stores in late 2008. I’m really excited about this and look forward to all of the drawing and everything else that goes into making this happen. Sometimes when I am laying in bed I am eager to get on and draw the next page. Its becoming a real passion.
Babble, babble, babble. Onto the drawing.

After over a decade of failure, I have accomplished something! Sorta! In December, my beautiful wife created a fairly rigid and complex spreadsheet for me that laid out what I should accomplish to finish my book by the end of June. The goal for January was to finish 17 pages. And as of 10:12 p.m. on January 31 I have met that goal. I finished page 41 of my 120 page graphic novel. Now, it is drinky time. Accomplishment, here I come.

I have finished page 96 with only 24 more pages to go! I’ve filled up two (HaHa) portfolios now and let me tell you, the feeling of holding all of that work in my hands is amazing. It’s heavy! And it feels like life gone right. Why, if I weren’t poor I’d celebrate, but that will have to wait until the book is actually finished.

Here is a page from a project I started a little more than a week ago. Now that I’ve finished one book I just can’t stop drawing comics. This current project is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, which is to blend horror with an old-school cartoon aesthetic. For a while, I thought I would just straight up mimic old cartoons, but things just kept coming out stained with my imprint. Possibly because I am not that good of an artist. I still enjoy it and think it has a lot of potential.

Lulu & Mitzy: Best Laid Plans will be in stores in two weeks! I have been doing some marketing and publicity with the help of the great Andie East and my publisher SLG Publishing, some of which is really, really fantastic. First up, some postcards I picked up from Rocket Postcards here in San Francisco.

Yeah, they fuckin’ pop out! Woot!

Also, I will be promoting and signing the book at the following events:

November 1-2
Alternative Press Expo (APE)
“APE is one of the country’s largest gatherings of the best in indie comics, offering a venue for exhibitors ranging from self-publishers of minicomics to such large publishers as SLG Publishing, Fantagraphics, Drawn and Quarterly, Oni Press, Top Shelf, and many more.” - From the APE website

San Francisco’s Concourse
620 7th Street

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Official Book Release Party
Come to where the Tenderloin touches Nob Hill (sounds kinky) where I will have copies of the book available for purchase and, if you want, I can mar it with my scrawly signature. Have a drink and watch me be awkward.

Cafe Royale
800 Post St
San Francisco, CA

Friday, December 5, 2008
SLG Gallery
Did you know SLG Publishing now has a gallery in their storefront? Well, they do and I will be there signing books and some of my “fine” artwork will be on display alongside other SLG artists.

SLG Publishing
577 S. Market Street
San Jose, CA USA