The Mighty Andar by Jeff Lemire

This drawing is of my character The Mighty Andar as interpreted by a really great cartoonist named Jeff Lemire.

Something I've picked up from self-publishing comics guru Alec Longstreth is the idea of sending my comics to people I'd like to have read them. I've sent copies to people whose work I admire, with the invitation to make comments or even do a quick sketch for the letters page. (I know, I've got a lot of nerve, don't I?)

Lemire makes great comics for grown-ups like the Essex County graphic novel trilogy that USA Today called "a devastatingly beautiful series of tales" that "highlighted the human experience from the magic in a child's imagination to the sorrowful regrets of old men". His new series is Sweet Tooth, "a post-pandemic world devolved into a population of human/animal hybrid children being hunted by paranoid humans."

Happy Turkey Day!

This is a parody of the cover for Action Comics #52. The original is below:

The Sightings Continue

More proof that the Mighty Andar is more than an urban legend. The Giant Chicken also reveals that he has an altar ego, but whether he is a true threat or benevolent is ambiguous at this point.

Sketches from a Poetry Reading by Billy Collins

I had the wonderful opportunity to hear a poetry reading by esteemed poet Billy Collins at the National Writing Project Conference in Philadelphia. To be honest, his work was new to me -- and it had been years since I'd attempted to enjoy contemporary poetry -- but Collins' work is accessible, understandable and funny! While he read, I sketched him in my sketchbook. Later, I bought one of his books to have him sign and talked to him briefly -- one of the really great things that happened during this trip. I also gave him a copy of Eclectic Comics #3. He said that he loved comics. One more reason I have a new opinion of poets!

Below is a video of him reading one of his poems elsewhere.

Quotable Quotes

Sketchbook drawings of people I think are interesting, along with something they had to say.

ABC #24: Bright Eyes

When last we heard from The Mighty Andar, he was thrown 20 feet by a giant chicken.

The Art by Committee Challenge this month is to illustrate this random quote from a science fiction novel. I have no idea what novel or anything about the story.

“He is shorter than I remember, and thin. His fur is grayed to white in a fringe around his head, just below his ears. His coat is dull, thinning, and coarse. His eyes, so bright I…”

Regular readers of this blog know that I am trying to piece all of these into a cohesive story. Below are two pages. The second is the one I did to illustrate this challenge. The one above it is one I did about a year and a half ago, to put it in context.

Life Imitates Art?

Here I am with my friend Rich Macik, who happens to be dressed as a giant chicken. This is during the school Halloween parade. Regular readers may recall that the Mighty Andar Recently battled a six foot chicken. This goes to show -- be careful what you visualize, because many times these things come to pass!

The Journey Begins

This graphic shows the Dissertation Sequence for Northcentral University, which I started today. It's broken down into eight three-credit courses. At the end, I will have a Doctor of Education degree (EdD) in Curriculum & Teaching. Wish me luck!