Raiders Of The Blorched Snack / I've a Right Attack Of The Clones

Today I was reacquainted with some food thought long since digested courtesy of some godawful bug either Jekyll or Hyde managed to gift me.

Seriously I swear I recognised some of the popcorn I had while watching Raiders for the first time at the Adelphi cinema in Dublin (and there was also something blue ???) sloshing around in my splatterings. The kids? Fine. They contract these hellish bascillae like us grown ups acquire spam.

Early childhood immunity is so unfair.

At least I'm lighter.

Mrs. H however is not so good.
Along with one's occasional blorching, She's had to listen to a rotating snorathon for the last 50 or so hours and is just about reaching tipping point. What can I say, J&H appear to have inherited their dad's sinuses. Sorry boys, get set for miserable summers and a life spent learning to appreciate the great outdoors - at strictly sub-zero temperatures. I should probably lock up all the pointy articles before bed.

Just to be on the safe side.

Some good things happened too though, my buddy Nick's comic book sold out!! His blog's up here http://nickroche.blogspot.com/ I really couldn't be happier for him.

Buy his book if you haven't, it's about these little known silicon based automotons called...hmmm, I want to say StopBots??

I've been introduced to one of my very favourite artists blogs, his name's Dermot Power and you can view his extensive portfolio here http://www.dermotpower.com/home/index.html

I've always admired Mister Power's art, his work has a very believable weight to it that makes even the most fantastic of his images appear plausable. Over the years I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot of artists but I've never met DP, I did once meet a brother of his a million years ago via a mutual friend but couldn't summon the courage to shift the topic of conversation over to his brother's work. I mean how do you do that anyway?

"So yeah, you're a great guy and everything but I was wondering, do you have any brothers, specifically ones who draw, professionally, for lucasfilm?"

Any artist I've met in the last few years will probably tell you I've changed.

Oh and Starman 81 came out - thanks to Dave in the FP for keeping me a copy of what turned out to be one of the best written books I've read in aaaaaaaaaaaaages. But I'm probably biased.

Anyway let's get onto the main event, all this lapsed irish catholic self-effacing procrastination had to be leading somewhere right?

Ok - here goes..

Ladies (suuuurrre) and Gentlemen allow me to introduce to you a chap whom I hope you shall in the days, weeks and months to come learn to appreciate and support (when the time comes, more on that later), I give you Rodney Tentakle as rendered by the incomparable talent that is John Cullen. Check out his blog here http://jcullen.blogspot.com/

Rodney is the star of a little strip John and myself have been working on recently.

The book's all about those painful years when you were too young to be "teenagers" and too old to be "kids" and the general mortification that comes with every waking moment you're in your parents presence. Which is augmented slightly for Rodders as his folks were once the world's deadliest supervillains.

Stay tuned and keep watching the - bleerrrgghhhh.

Right Now That That's Out Of The Way...

Ok, so November ended rather unexpectedly in the delivery ward of the Coombe hospital with my wife breaking the land speed record for delivering a healthy baby boy and me just about upright.
Since then it's been the usual theme park selection of impossible highs and ridiculous lows and to top it all off we had to put up with christmas in the middle of it all too.

New Years was surprisingly enjoyable our ever ready baby wrangler was on hand to keep an eye on Jekyll and Hyde and we were free to enjoy the snow strewn streets of our lovely city.

As picturesque as it was getting home was some adventure.

So merry christmas, happy new year etc, do the resolutions and try to enjoy them.

And let's all get back to work.

This year being;
Rodney Tentakle
Downstairs (Redux) Both of which will hopefully be entering competition at some point.
and quite possibly something about a very, very nasty tree.

Now where did I leave my gym gear....

October turned out to be a bit of a surprise – Three more books in the works and a publisher who wants them! I’m slightly amazed at the level of ignorance displayed by the ohsocoolandnotterriblyrealistic
posse when it came to supporting the work but begrudgary tends to be a fruitful opponent so the next years worth of projects should be the best yet.
Detail is on my mind – A LOT – the devil (whom I’m pretty sure is merely an imaginary construct invented as part of a wider effort to keep the likes of you and your mucky little thoughts in line) really is in there.
And detail is something I’ve skimped on over the years. Identifying ones weaknesses is the first step to overcoming them and hopefully I’ll address mine. Firstly no more skating! Every line in every panel is there to serve the story. I’ve been too wrapped up in character building recently to focus on story and my works suffering as a result. If you see anything remotely flabby in the next few strips from myself you’ve full permission to call me out on it.
Secondly less concept more plot – sounds simple – let’s hope it is.
Let’s keep a close eye on this one too.
Finally………take every opportunity to find learnings in everything I read / see / do.
Oh December - You're going to ruin me.

First! no? Ok, Fourth!!

What an unbelievably weird month.

http://www.zudacomics.com/node/1470

Being in an online competition where your target market is operating in a different time zone is just odd. It's santa-esque dropping off little digital packages of brilliant Sliney art set to my words to "friends" in the middle of their night.

But, yeah, we lost - but so did nine other strips, and before that so did a whole bunch of people so I don't feel too bad about it. - In fact it was pretty cool just to have made it to the final and to come in within the top five was nice too.
We both got some great feedback and made some brilliant connections. For the most part the criticism we received was mostly constructive, mostly.
There was of course a certain amount of negativity vibed our way but that's always to be expected - which is a shame but that's all.

If you'd told me five weeks ago that I'd be doing 15 minutes on the Gerry Ryan Show discussing Zombies, SuperPowers and the future of Marvel comics I'd probably have agreed with you - but secretly I'd know it wouldn't be a runner, but what-do-you-know I did, scroll down here http://www.rte.ie/old2fm/podcast/podcast_gerryryan.xml and you'll find me and my face for radio.

Anyway what a great experience - if you're sequentially inclined I'd urge you to take a shot at Zuda.

Huge thanks to Will Sliney - quite obviously couldn't have done it without you.