Hi friends living the comics dream, and others who accomodate it. Hello spambots and spamesses. Good evening, internet. I have a new plan for life. I won’t go into detail lest I jinx it. Yes, thanks for asking, it does involve cardio-dance-Pilates videos streaming from Netflix.

Starting next Tuesday: A Promise Kept! Look out for a Red Flower in your underpants or a Sticky Substance in your sheets, because this website is hitting it’s awkward phase. I’ll serialize my Petrified Girlfriend comic with the frequency of pimples and pubic hairs, a page a week.

Yes, Petrified may not have been written with the intent of being dragged out that way, but at any rate it’ll give me a chance to find the story another path out into the ether. I want to finish this thing. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and I’m sorry if you’ve already read the second chapter (in O&L #3) because that’s where I’m starting. If you want to refresh yourself on the first chapter, now’s the time to do it. You may notice that between chapters 1 & 2, the style changes. A lot. You’ll have to live with it for now. If you want a consistent look, well, get the damn graphic novel! In, like, 2027 or so.

I drew this in homage to Lawrence Lee Dirk III’s Grim Bard. Last year at the CCS Telegraph Studio, he would warm up for drawing his comics by making self portraits in the adopted styles of his classmates, or eventually drawing the Bard inhabiting his piers’ comics. Then, I think he got back to doodling super heroes like a good member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society. I gave the image above to Law after he had whipped up this little number:

As a longtime superhero reader, Lawrence is a teasing student of showmanship and merchandising. He loves making peripheral products, like posters and plush dolls, archly posing himself as a snake oil salesman pushing his goods on unsuspecting kids.

I think some of his mocking commercialism rubbed off on my Baby Pat material, which has better allowed me to have my own way with autobiography, and I’d say the babies have been better for it. Memoir is a form I don’t take naturally to. It can feel desperate or needy to me for middle class white kids to slavishly record and draw their own unremarkable existence…but maybe I’d better back off that rant for now. Anyhow, our’s is a time of Self as Product.

So anyway, Lawrence countered with Wilma Whistlepig (of much Farmy Acres fame). And get this, he even cut out little stand legs for her so she could admonish me from next to my drawing table. I couldn’t best it. I haven’t. And then at the end of the year, he gave each of his classmates a mini of his complete, funny, Golden Book-sized The Grim Bard and the Immortal King’s Crescendo. So now I double owe him! I’ve also been having lots of fun following Law’s blog, even though I’ve seen everything he’s posted, just because he’s a delightful writer.

Well, after all this, my boyfriend Ben got a bit jealous and made a mashup with three of his own characters impersonating three of mine–one of whom has not yet even made her debut to the world outside White River Junction. (So look out, cause Anita’s cooommmmmin!!*)

I love Ben and I love his Grump Toast comics. From bottom-left that’s Unfortunate Face as Izzy, Asphalt Monroe as Anita and Pinky Palms as Steve. Ben actually drew this when I was pretty deep down in the dumps, feeling both stretched thin and disappointed in myself.

In particular, I felt like I’d stopped seeing any progress on Petrified Girlfriend. I’m in the middle, which people always say is the hardest part. I’m ready to persevere, now, and this week’s New Yorker profile on Pixar writer-director (/new-delver-into-live-action-adventure) Andrew Stanton was inspiring to me. The article [pay link, sorry], by Tad Friend, compares the Pixar production method with the old Studio System. I love sentimental Old Hollywood stuff, and I love most of Pixar’s movies. I want to keep sight of their spirit of upholding a duty to entertain, and to always edit, revise, and improve.

*To the tune of “Rosalita,” not “Santa Claus.” [BACK]

I’ve been really refraining from making any of those typical “Sorry I haven’t updated” posts–and believe me, it’s been a struggle–but Jeezum if I haven’t had a hard time getting back into the swing of blawging after my thesis hiatus. But the worst part about those apologies is that they assume there’s some vast audience just clamoring for new content from some unknown artist, and then feeling disappointed every day when there isn’t.

Anyhow, lately I’m catching up on projects I’ve wanted to get to since back in May, but you’ll see them when they’re ready. Meantime, did you know that a little-big con happened not long ago? Called SPX? Did you know that sweetheart Rob Clough said I was an artist to seek out there? Gahd, what a doll he is. He’s also reviewed my latest comics.

Well in other news, I’ve scanned a buncha doodles from the past year, but I’m not sure how I’ll present em to yizzall (here’s one for now –> ). Still got another big stack more to scan, so really, at least I shouldn’t be lacking in visuals on here for a while. Trynna get back in that weekly swing of things.

Also trynna remember how to get things done without a deadline…to be honest, trynna learn it. My secret thus far has always been to actually impose deadlines, for posting things online or bringing things to a convention, or what-have-you. Or to go to school. Maybe I’ll start promising comics to you, dear The Internet. Howzzat? After all, I really haven’t kept you up-to-date with what I’ve drawn over the last year. Why did this just occur to me now??

‘Bout time I posted something you hafta look away from, isn’t it?

In conversation with Joe Lambert, I realized I may have been unconsciously inspired by his Too Far story [bottom-left page in the preview]. It’s in his new(ish) I Will Bite You! book, and also in a digest-sized anthology he put together with One Percent Press.

We’re just barreling through the summer, aren’t we? I can’t remember the last summer I’ve been so busy. I’m passing up $75-an-hour work for comes-out-to-minimum-wage work because I love it. I’m thinking big thoughts about the future, and saying goodbye to close friends on an almost weekly basis. Still, Caitlin and I are wallowing in rivers, pounding cold ones by the grill, going to movies, and just plain having a gay old time. It could be much worse, friends.

I prefer the Donald Duck mode of dress. Wear a black shirt that stands out against colorful backgrounds, and just let your bush cover your vitals. Call it a Modesty Bush.

Meanwhile! This weekend (and also the following Wednesday), maybe you should check out the Drawn-Out Storytelling shows at The Comic Book Theater Festival at the Brick in Williamsburg (meaning Brooklyn, not Colonial). Some friends and I will be drawing live illustrations to accompany live storytelling, along with a band of instruments you’ve never heard of. For a few, there will be slideshows of prepared drawings, but there’s still live drawing every night. Please come by if you’re in the area. The show dates are:

Friday | June 24 | 8:45
Sunday | June 25 | 8:00
Wednesday | June 29 | 8:45

It’s $15 for a show, but just $5 for any following performance after your first. Still, if it’s outta your price range, I’ll understand. I’d still like to see you while I’m in town. More information about the show is here.

I’ve been exercising again. Off and on. Also drinking outside in the long summer twilight. On and on. The two activities have more-or-less evened out to the same belly girth that I’ve been sporting since winter. Also been very busy with projects that pay money, and, to a degree, with some that don’t. It’s good to be busy. It’s far less depressing than being bored. I have been feeling like I’ve been neglecting my more personal work, though. Still, the Summer of Collaborative Projects is definitely proving to be just that. Also I’ve seen some good movies, like Cave of Forgotten Dreams, 13 Assassins, Midnight in Paris, uh, Bridesmaids. And what more can I ask for?

Remember that guy? He’s been going through a lot of changes, lately. You’ll see.

Whattaya know, but my alter ego has gone branding-crazy. His thirst for market saturation has taken him so far as to brazenly co-opt a national drinking holiday! Surely, this is a new low for marketing.

I know I said that I wouldn’t blog for a while, but it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and in certain ethnic circles, you get a pass from your Lentin Resolve on St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll probably blog once or twice more before Easter, too, concerning the MoCCA Fest. I’ll be there, April 9th & 10th at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Ave. It’s a good time to mention that location, history fans, because during the Civil War, the New York 69th were known as the Irish Brigade. Remember that, in case Alex Trebek ever asks you about it in the form of an answer. Anyhow, I’ll be there with Beth Hetland, Josh Kramer and Ben Horak. I challenge you to find a lovelier set of young cartoonists.

I’m not normally a fan of St. Patrick’s Day, even though it is my Feast Day. I’ve often felt that it’s too centered on perpetuating a stereotype of the Micks as all-day, fightin-mad, fall-down Drunks. Kiss Me, I’m Irish. Irish for the Day. Yaddayadda, all these beer-branded green T-shirts just so some bros can pregame on the commuter train and get hammered before 10:00 in the morning.

This year, though, for some reason I’m excited. I’m pulling out the Clancy Brothers tunes, and visions of blood pudding are dancing through my head. And so I’ve drawn you another faux-vintage little holiday web card. It’s just for you, The Whole Internet.

Yes, it’s another Buchwald sketch. I did it a while ago, and I’m still pining to get going on a Big Buchwald Project that’s looking farther and farther off. This drawing also demonstrates some loose, free, quickness that I seem to have lost for now. Yeah, I know that back leg is a little weird, but I still prefer it to what I’ve been up to lately.

I just keep thinking how much I wanna simplify things when I get to that Next Big Project. Time to Speed Things Up and Get Things Done. None of us is making a career out of comics, so why kill ourselves over it? Oy. I should stop now. Jeeeeeeee-zooey, we haven’t had one o’ these posts in a while, have we??

Folks, we’re all just livin and lovin, lovin and learnin the best we can. Do you know that I walked around in negative-18 degree weather the other day? When I walked into a shadow, ice started to form around my eyes. This was a new one for me. A step beyond the frozen snot in the nostrils. When I got back into the sun, I melted and all this water was dripping off my eyelashes as if I’d been crying.