NO ORDER-Giant Monster 3

Nikra (Giant Monster 3) oil 2007

Two more paintings to put up and one more issue of Tasty Treats(actually 3-but one more with Jake Ace)before the new stuff(I need to get my ass in gear). I am going to try to stay on this every 2-week Tuesday schedule-here's hoping. Enjoy

Tasty Treats #6 The Mental Health Issue, Strange Coincidence #2, and Happy to Report

So yes I did decide to skip Issues 4&5 for now(issue 4 needs it's own space as it is an experiment that failed miserably but does has a pull-out poster(which is good), and a recipe comic with Jake Ace and Martin(which is better), and the rest of the issue is ehh. Anyway we will skip back to 2004, this issue came about from the second story first, for what ever reason this guy I was working with started to sing the Ghostbusters song, then this image popped in my head of him as a kid walking around saying " I ain't afraid of no ghosts". Then I just drove him crazy about it the rest of the day, adding more to it, the bullies, the lunch box, and I even think the Autistic angle(it seems most of my ideas come from acting like a idiot at work, but it also let's me build on something and in this case it was "why the fuck is he singing that stupid song"), but by the time I got home I had the story in my head, paper ghosts and all.

The problem was that I knew the story wasn't long enough, and I had to come up with another story, thus the Jake Ace story which in a word isn't bad but the whole thing came from the idea that on Tuesdays you always get these ads, coupons, and clutter, in your mailbox, and I wanted to add a mailman character and what you see is what you get. Bob isn't a bad character he's fine, but he makes Jake into a good character which is bad. The best parts of the first story are Jake dealing with Hertz lady, the kids, and Martin, the middle just seems to lose it's way, and Bob's crazy rant should have been crazier. No complaints on the Bradley Hess story it pretty much came out how I had it in my head, even got to give some payback to a typing teacher I had. So jump to page 9 if want to read the better story.

Strange Coincidence #2 see April 7, 2007 for #1, I don't know if the scene I saw will be in the movie or if it's a cut scene(it did seem kind of long) but the movie Superbad has a scene(or deleted scene) where the fat kid is telling a story from his youth and he keeps mentioning a Ghostbusters lunch box where he keeps his dirty pictures. For some reason that struck me as odd as I knew that I would be posting this issue, and to see that scene specifically it's crazzee.

7 pages are written of Jake Ace and Crew, no outline, no idea where the story is going, it's already gone off on a tangent, once again resulting from a discussion I had with a co-worker at my present job(except I didn't drive her crazy). Once I have ten pages written I'll start drawing, will try to keep the Tuesday schedule. Enjoy

Back to the Basics, a Pleasant Surprise, and Beating-up Technology

1999 found me back in Cleveland and if it was a chapter in a book it would be titled The Last Big Hurrah(for me at least)-the body was slowing somewhat, but the spirit was still willing to enjoy..well..spirits. But the move back also got the creative juices flowing(that seemed to be the case anytime I moved), the house I moved into had very little painting space so I opted for crayon etchings(see Sept. 1 2006) and it was time for a new comic. I went back to the Jake Ace well and focused on Martin.

I liked this issue, when I finished it I felt the artwork and the writing complimented each other and I was getting comfortable with the characters. I realized that Martin was the funny one and Jake for lack of a better term was the straight-man, a story without Martin is 12 pages of Jake ranting and raving(which is not bad thing),which can get pretty tiring. The "Nurse Ratchet" woman(who does come back in future issues I don't even know if I named her yet)was based on this woman at Hertz who gave some friends and I a real hard time on payment for a rental car-we were told one price when we picked up the car given another price when we dropped it off, she did not offer much help I might as well have been talking to a rock-so here's the payback. Also when I finished this issue I knew there was something off I couldn't quite figure it out, and then my friend pointed out that it should have been one page longer-Martin passes out way to soon, which I agreed with. Maybe I'll add that page one day.

Pleasantly surprised that The Simpsons movie was good actually laugh out loud good. Not great but very good. A lot funnier than any of the recent episodes I have seen, I chalk this up to the writers of the movie as it was a who's who of classic Simpsons writers from pretty much the first nine seasons. It took a minute to register that I was watching them on the big screen but the animation was great without being overdone and they even had a somewhat trippy drug scene. There's my review.

I think I'll will be wrapping up the rest of the Jake Ace Tasty Treats(maybe a painting interjected here and there),this may light a fire under my ass to get the new one sheets started, instead of spending a Saturday night ripping open my cd player only to find that I can't fix it(knowing that any repair shop would tell me to get a new one), and then punching the damn thing so the cd tray doesn't stick out. Why is it that the record player I got when I was sixteen still works and a cd player I got four years ago craps out on me.

Enjoy

Hey it's the thing that was last post now in color in this post

Yorgon (Giant Monster#2) 2007
Send it to your favorite Giant Monster fan(Kaiju if you want to get technical).
Enjoy

ART SHOW-Paintings

I will be part of a show featuring the paintings of Dave Cintron, John Howitt, and Scott Pickering, at the True Art Gallery 410 East 156th Collinwood OH. 216-383-0230. Opening is Saturday July 14th 6-11pm(show will run until August 4th) live music provided by the above named gentlemen. On my end, one painting brings a series to an end and three paintings begin a new series, featuring Giant Monsters(which seem to be making a comeback-The Host, D-War, and a new secret one from the guy that did Alias and does Lost.), so if you wanna see the guy below in full color Come on down.

mini rant-I should watch the Dvd extras or do some reasearch-plus Mystery Issue

I've been trying to reconfigure this thing so that when you click on the image it doesn't fill up the whole screen and you have to shrink it-something I can't figure out if it's on my end or bloggers end, as this only began after switching to the new version and for some reason I find it very very verryyy annoying.

In regards to Children of Men and the scene I talked about last post, I have since found out that it was culled from six takes of the shot and seamlessly put together into one long take. I guess I'll try not to fall asleep during DVD extras, or do some research before making any proclamations of greatness(it still is a great scene though).

Anyway onto Tasty Treats 3a, when I did this issue I still had the idea to have Tasty Treats do different stories with different characters. So here was my attempt to do a children's story starring Dr. Tobor, it is the only issue I had someone read before I finished it. I gave it to some friends and family and pretty much put it away, never really took it around to the record and comic stores and it has been been in limbo since. Looking at it now, it is what it is, I like the artwork and the lettering for me doesn't get better than that. The story is alright, I think when I get sentimental or mushy things tend to fall apart in my stories(it'll happen again in issue 6), so coming next will be issue 3b back to Jake Ace and the crew. Enjoy

I Didn't Realize(or Don't let the kids see this one), and a short rant.

I didn't realize it has been almost a month since the last post, I guess I have(and here comes the short rant) been preoccupied with watching how the oil companies are getting us used to paying $3.00 for a gallon of gas. Which I'm sure is common in many areas of the U.S., and is down right cheap compared to oversea prices. Still I let a Dammit fly loose when I paid $3.29, what was sadder the person who used the pumped before me had only put in $5.00 worth of gas which amounted to little more than a gallon of gas. Unreal.

Anyways if you get the chance check out the movie Children Of Men, there is a scene that starts out so subtle that you really don't realize what's happening until the shit hits the fan-no cuts-one long take-almost dreamlike how the camera moves. A scene I wish I had seen on the big screen. Here is another oldie, and I will try to get back on the 1-2 week schedule. Also expect to see more Tasty Treat issues(even the mysterious 3a issue) as new Jake Ace(one sheets) will begin to pop up here as those run out. ENJOY

Dr. Tobor rings in 1998

Dr. Tobor says good-bye to 1997 and celebrates the #1 drinking album of 97 The Oblivians-Play 9 Songs with Mr. Quintron.

As Promised: TASTY TREATS #2

This one was done down in North Carolina, I thought these guys would rotate stories with Jake Ace. That did not happen, and though I still like the image of the two, stories did not really pop into my head. The story here is based on the fact that I had at one time been able to take these long vacations and spend money like a lunatic, which was not happening while living down in North Carolina or now for that matter. This issue I tried to clean up the lettering and the artwork, which I think I succeeded in more or less.
---This is Honest to your God of Choice True: I had just finished the issue, STORY and art were all done when a week or two later I'm watching The Simpsons and there is Krusty on stage doing his act and getting booed. He's getting booed for the same reason Max or Fuller is getting booed for telling old jokes-later in the episode he tries to figure ways to become "hip" kinda like the scene in this issue. Since I had not made any copies yet I was afraid that people would think I stole from The Simpsons which was not the case. This seems to have happened to me a couple of times, most recently I liked the idea of a doorway to another dimension or hell and was planning on doing the a new strip on that, but all of a sudden the Sci-Fi channel had a show like that, and there is some movie coming out with Robert Englund, and a direct to dvd movie, so I stopped thinking about such a strip. Now I have to come up with something else.

Rant #3

Still flabbergasted by what my first full paycheck looks like, I'm driving home from work wondering how I'm going to pay for bills and lead any kind of life-this happens SOOOO....

Subbing Dream

Quick strip from mid 90's, was doing a lot of substitute teaching then. I'm usually not one to jot my dreams down(usually don't remember them), but the bad lettering says different for this one. This is typical of my dreams very mundane everyday stuff, no flying, no outer space, no crazy landscapes, don't know what that says about me but ANYWAY...Expect Tasty Treats #2 next week or the following week. Enjoy

Meeting or It's Been Awhile

Done before a meeting(one of my first), nice to know that I can still doodle like I used to way back in my school days. On the new comic front, first page is written and some kind of outline is done. Enjoy the doodle.

Hey Doc! Happy New Year from 1995

Dr. Tobor going into 1996-the #1 drinkin album of 1995 was Solid State by Blue-great album-great live band.

Mural long dead and covered

Here's a sketch for a mural that I painted for my friends pizza place. The mural did not get much exposure as it was in the basement on your way to the bathrooms, and my friend closed the place up within six months. A kosher pizza place took over the space, and I assume covered up the mural(there was a shit load of oil paint on that wall though). I wonder what the initial reaction to the mural was, it was the biggest piece I had ever done, took forever for the oil paint to dry. Never got a picture of it as the hallway was too narrow, but the sketch is pretty dead on, think a box of crayons and a coloring book page--Hey for you adventurous types get to it!!

Maze or Best Movie I'll See in a Theater this Year

From an old issue of Gank, thought I would put this up in honor of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth finally making it's way to our small town. I would truly be a happy man if he continued with the Mexican/Spanish small movies, but then I also had a great time watching Blade 2 in the theaters(I liked Hellboy but he really needs to stick with the R rating). I'm not going to spoil anything just let me say this isn't a Disney fairy tale and deserves it's R rating. Enjoy the maze.

Friday even though it's Thursday

Warts and All

I never claimed to be a decent letterer, in fact I would claim to be a horrible letterer. It was the main reason I got out of graphic design(this was before computers, and you had to color in letters in gauche), most of my projects looked like a two year old did it(I really was in my own kind of hell). I can't say my lettering has gotten better but I try a little harder now, but looking back at this issue I can say that it is readable and uhm..well..is readable. It has come into my head to redo this issue, but looking at it now I say it holds up well, the only thing I would change is the cover(which I may still do), following the same design as the issues that follow. So welcome to the world of Jake Ace, Martin, and Bradley Hess, I hope you enjoy.

80 Proof Comix Presents Tasty Treats Vol.2 #1











A word about the gag strip, it's based on two friends who used to make Super 8 movies who thinking about it now would have made a great comedy team.

Hard copies are available email me for details.