Pre-order: All and Sundry

The collection All and Sundry – featuring pieces spread through myriad publications and projects over the past six years – is now available for pre-order from Fantagraphics.

And I'll be signing the book in a couple weeks at San Diego Comic-Con. When I have the signing schedule, I'll post that here.

Big Fan

In his leading role debut (with the vocal exception of Ratatouille), Patton Oswalt looks like he's put in one hell of a performance. When I heard about the film some time ago, I had my reservations... but now that the trailer's surfaced, my fears have given over to head-nodding anticipation.

(Thanks to my pal John for passing this trailer along.)

Abstract Ditko

Keeping with the Spider-Man connection: Over at Blog Flume, Ken Parille has a great examination of the abstract comics work of Spider-Man co-creator (and one of my major influences growing up) Steve Ditko. As usual, Ken's writing is thoughtful and thorough. And any excuse to take a closer look at the warped world of Ditko's art is a welcome one.

Just Like Flies, Etc.

Ah, the classic 1967 Spider-Man animated show. That theme song. Those flat colors...

I'll admit to having suffered through every last one of these episodes on DVD over the past year (a feat I do not recommend as the repetitious nature of these, particularly toward the end of the series, is too much for one lifetime, let alone one year), and was glad to see that they're available piecemeal from Marvel via the magic of the internet. So watch the evil kitsch that is Doctor Noah Boddy (above), or visit Marvel's site and peruse the nostalgia.

And why not give the Japanese Spider-Man a spin? (Hint: you will absolutely have your life improved in every way by watching this.)

David Byrne, Ear Head, and Games

For the David Byrne-founded label Luaka Bop's anniversary compilation (Twenty First Century, Twenty First Year), I designed and illustrated the packaging, including a poster detailing the history of the company. You can now watch the animated poster, so to speak, on the label's website.

And if the site's animation's not enough to satisfy your cartoon/record needs, you can play a game (below) featuring all the characters I created to symbolize each of the musical acts on the poster. If you enjoyed the game Memory, here's the indie rock version.

Our Idiot Eyes: Color

Via the blog Bad Astronomy comes one of the more interesting color optical illusions I've seen, chiefly impressive for its subtlety. I had absolutely no clue what the illusion could possibly be.

So what is it that's strange about this psychedelic pattern? The answer elicits the obligatory disbelief and head shaking: the blue and the green spirals are actually the same color (and yes, in disbelief I pulled the graphic into Photoshop and tested it: they're identical).

The relative nature of colors has always amazed me (particularly in my brief foray into color theory in college), but this is one of the more baffling examples. Bad Astronomy has a more thorough discussion of the effect, so I'll leave it to him while I'm busy getting out my black light and having my mind, like, totally blown.

Yes, Sir! Hurrah!

Franken seated! Finally! Allow me to wave my little blog flag for a moment.

One only needs to read Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" to know this is some of the best news to come along in national politics in some time. More well-reasoned, fact-driven, nuanced brains in the senate? Thank you, sir, may I have another?

(Thanks to my mom for calling me with the good news.)

"Obscure Punctuation:" Hodgman Roasts Obama

If you haven't already watched John Hodgman's nerd screed at this years Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner, please better yourself by doing so now. That he held the crowd as perfectly as he did with ever more obscure sci-fi references speaks to the depth of the true nerdiness present.

Whatever's End

Thanks to everyone who ordered drawings over the past couple weeks: the first waves of drawings are making their way to your doors, with more to come shortly.

The whole experience was a positive one (and certainly got me drawing things I never would have otherwise), so I won't rule out doing it again... but for now it's back to drawing what's inside my own head, as indefensible as that might be.

One More Week of Whatever

This Sunday (June 21st) will be the final day I'll be taking requests to draw your mom, or your mom with a stapler head, or a stapler dancing with Che Guevara while you mom looks on with jealousy. If you saw the previous post, you know the drill: $100 for a full color 7x 8" sketch, $50 for black and white. The first wave of orders will be shipping this week and on Sunday the doors will close for good (well, maybe not forever (since this exercise seems to have panned out well for all concerned), but certainly for the foreseeable future).

(OFFER EXPIRED JUNE 21st)

So look at that bare patch of wall and figure out how to fill it. You've got a few days left to make me scratch my head when I see what you've come up with.

Mother, Come Home's Soundtrack

Today Largehearted Boy posted my Book Notes: the soundtrack for Mother, Come Home, with thoughts about the story's creation and inspiration, cars in the rain, and hypothetical movie trailers.

Tonight in Brooklyn, MoCCA this weekend

If you're in town for MoCCA, or just in town to be in town: I'll be signing books and the brand new (above) print at Desert Island in Brooklyn this evening. And I don't know exactly what the below poster is all about, but it's got a lot of great names listed (including Secret Acres, who put out one of my favorite pseudo-recent books: Wormdye by Eamon Espey) and it's apparently after me, so I suppose I'll just have to saunter over to that afterward.

Then on Saturday and Sunday, I'll be signing at the Fantagraphics table at MoCCA. I'll be taking more orders for the aforeposted commissions (my favorite of the batch that came in today involved Patrick Swayze and raining bacon) and trying to remember what I was talking about three minutes ago. I'll be there from 11 to noon on Saturday and 4 to 5 on Sunday. Stop by and hand me a drawing of your mom.

The House That Whatever You Want Built

As a bit of a stopgap measure while wrapping up Life with Mr. Dangerous and not taking on any major freelance work, I'm running a limited time experiment: leading into MoCCA (June 6 and 7) and for two weeks afterward, I'll be taking commissions for drawing whatever burps out of your mind. The drawings will each be 7 x 8". $50 for black and white, $100 for color work (colored pencil, that is).

Again, this is a limited experiment (if it goes well, possibly I'll do it again some day... if not, then: not). These drawings won't be as developed as finished pages from a book or commercial work, but they'll certainly be far more rendered than anything I scrawl on a title page at a book signing. So do you need that drawing of the Silver Surfer wrestling a herpes cluster? Have you yearned for a turtle with the head of a steam shovel and the feet of Sylvia Plath? Now is the time. Bring out your weird (or your normal, it's your call). But I reserve the right to be equally weird in my execution: yes, your Abe Vigoda riding a snow crab may be done in a cubist style.

(OFFER EXPIRED JUNE 21st)

Be sure to include your address, any and all details you want me to keep in mind for the drawing (which, I should emphasize is for personal display/use/burning only, not commercial projects), and to whom you want the drawings signed (if anyone). All art will ship via priority mail (shipping is included in the pricing). Allow two weeks from placing the order. Then voila: personalized whatever it is.

Conan Approved

I'm looking forward to Conan O'Brien's debut on The Tonight Show this evening, but I was glad to see that he's taken a moment to focus even more important matters: Michael Kupperman's comedic brain as the number eight pick on his Must List for Entertainment Weekly.

I couldn't agree with Conan's assessment more, and I can't wait to see the latest Tales Designed to Thrizzle at MoCCA.

With Your Host, Charles Schulz

Via Tuono Pettinato on Facebook: A Peanuts documentary (broken into 5 parts on YouTube) where Charles Schulz discusses the making of the animated Peanuts and the role of music. It's great footage, and makes me miss Schulz's genius all the more.