In case you’re wondering what’s happened to the website — it was hacked during the Great Timthumb Debacle of 2011. We had to delete our previous design. We’re using a temporary layout for the site and hope to have it looking better in the near future.
I have recently become addicted to CBC Radio, and today I was pleased to load the Q site and find out that Kate Beaton had been interviewed. Upon further examination, I realized that Kate Beaton has topped the New York Times Bestseller list in the graphic novel category.
I’ve been a longtime follower of Kate’s genius historical, literary, geeky and utterly Canadian comics, and I’ve never been happier to see someone succeed.
I had the pleasure of briefly meeting her at TCAF one year (I had planned to get my stuff signed earlier at an event outside the Beguiling, but aborted when I realized that less than two hours of sleep made me likely to blurt out “Walrus Milk” and run away pulling on my lower eyelids like Homer Simpson).
Kudos, Kate, and here’s to many more. Listen to the interview here.
Lately I have been fishing around for new ideas but not much have come to mind. Then I decided to think backwards and reflect on many of the old characters and ideas from my past. I started sketching things I haven’t sketched in well over a decade. Some of these characters date back to when I first became interested in drawing in the first place. These two in particular really stood out for me in those sketches. Drawing them again and redesigning them was quite fun.
I used to watch a cartoon on TV called “2 Stupid Dogs” back when I was 11 or 12. I was always more of a cat person so I started drawing 2 Stupid Cats. They usually got into stupid situations or got themselves hurt in all sorts of ways. But as I grew older I started to get into comic books like Batman and lost interest in these characters. I am usually embarrassed about a lot of things I drew at that time but these guys always get a laugh out of me.
I may use them in the future, maybe for an upcoming Comic Sins. For now I just need to keep sketching them and try to come up with good ideas.
I also need to give it a proper name… It won’t be 2 Stupid Cats.
If you’ve attended any conventions, you might have run into The Savage Bandito, aka Tom Savage, who (aside from being an all-around great guy) is a talented and prolific photographer/videographer of cosplay. Chris and a very camera-shy Erin popped up in one of his Fan Expo videos!
You can find The Savage Bandito’s page via our Facebook page (which you should “Like” if you already haven’t!)
On Sunday, August 28th, I was at the Fan Expo when a lady with a camera came by and asked if she could take a photo of me reading our comic for the second annual International Read Comics in Public Day — specifically for the “Women Read Comics in Public” blog. I said sure, and she snapped a pic. So here I am, reading Comic Sins 2…
I didn’t know about this event before now, but I’ll be sure to celebrate it each year from now on.
You can also hook up with IRCIPD via their main website or Facebook.
We attended Fan Expo 2011 this past weekend and had a great time. We’ll post about it soon, but for now, here’s something else!
I’ve now watched Witchblade, Darker Than Black, Soul Eater and Claymore, and will eventually review them all. But in the meantime, I’ll post a short list of the patterns that I see forming in the genre.
1. There will almost surely be a recent/imminent apocalyptic event.
Witchblade had The Great Quake, Darker Than Black had Hell’s Gate/Heaven’s Gate, Soul Eater had the awakening of the kishin. Hell Girl had something that I don’t want to mention as it’s late in the show and will ruin it for you. Claymore has Yoma and I’m sure they repeated the details of that about sixty-seven times but I nodded off. Anime writers like their mini-apocalypses.
2. There will be a powerful organization and usually, acronyms.
Witchblade: National Scientific Welfare Foundation aka NSWF
Darker Than Black: The Syndicate, Evening Primrose aka EPR, Physical Alteration Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency aka PANDORA
Soul Eater: Death Weapon Meister Academy aka DWMA, Arachnophobia
Hell Girl: Hell
Claymore: The Organization (…zzzzzzzzz). Claymore fails at most things, including acronyms
3. If Jamie Marchi voices any of the characters — and chances are, she will — that character will use their outdoor voice constantly.
She was Masane in Witchblade, Liz in Soul Eater, one of the Claymores in Claymore (damned if I could tell them apart) and Brita in Darker Than Black. Brita was the only one who doesn’t scream constantly and I’m going to call that the exception that proves the rule. Jamie also voiced something in Hell Girl, but I’ll have to admit I don’t remember it and people yelled a whole lot in that entire franchise since they were being dragged to hell… so let’s just say yes.
I made this picture awhile back but I wanted to share it on the blog. Art prints will be available at the Toronto Fax Expo between August 25th-28th. You can also find this and other Comic Sins related stuff over on my deviantArt page.
It’s been awhile since I made a new Scare Bear but when this one popped into my mind I knew I had to make it. I hope to have art prints ready for this at Fan Expo on the 25th. Who knows, maybe after this I’ll start making some more. 
