New Sale!

Just in time for Christmas, I received the good news that I made my first sale to READER'S DIGEST.

Not sure when the cartoon will appear -- maybe sometime after the February issue.

Here's a spolier-free sneak peek:

Great Minds...

Allen's Brain has inspired me of late. I can't stop doing brain-in-a-jar gags. Maybe there's a new feature here...?

Question: Why does the brain look different in every gag? Why can't I draw a consistent brain? It's obviously the same brain, but you wouldn't know from looking at these cartoons.

Which version does everyone like best? I admit I'm still trying to find the best way to draw a cartoon brain. Don't think I'm there yet.

p.s. My son (16) voted for the Thanksgiving brain.

One Tough Cookie

Here's a design for Christmas 2009.

The gag's been floating around for a couple of years; finally got purchased for a card.

Submit, submit, submit...the freelancer's mantra.

Bow-wow-ow!

For the past year or so I've written funny T-shirt sayings for the What on Earth catalog. I generally send them a new batch of gags every three months. Here's a recent favorite.

More than a Nickel's Worth (Part 2)

Hey! My blog is now worth $16,668!

That's more than my 401k after the stock market meltdown this week. Yay!

New Books

Just received my author copies from Stone Arch for three new titles.
Check 'em out!

Secret of the Summer School Zombies

T. Rex vs Robo-Dog 3000 (not my original title)

Wind Power Whiz Kid: A Buzz Beeker Brainstorm

(my original title: Gone With the Windmill)

More Than a Nickel's Worth?

According to this site, my blog is worth an astounding $14, 511!

For comparison purposes, here are some other comics-related sites and their respective values:

Richard Thompson's blog = $76,569

POV Online (Mark Evanier's blog) = $102,845

The Daily Cartoonist = $216,383

The Daily Ink (King Features' comic site) = $217,826

The Comics Reporter = $1,062,300

Go Comics = $1,385,378


Then there's this...

The high...
Disney's official site = $3,118,661

and the low...
Lola's official site = $293

Madly Yours (finally)

Months in the making (or at least the waiting), a new cartoon graces the current issue of MAD (issue #492, to be precise).

MAD uses funny little puns to identify each cartoonist. I am PLUGGED NICKEL, which I guess is better than NICKEL AND DIMED or NICKELODEON (which would probably invite an immediate cease and desist letter from Viacom).

Eagle-eyed readers of A Nickel's Worth (hey, that's not a bad title either) will remember that I previewed a version of this cartoon many (many) months ago on this very blog.

Love isn't pretty

A recent card design.

Unlike comic strips, greeting cards are actually fairly lucrative.

Will they eventually be replaced by online greetings? Who knows?

I'm sure the dead-tree Mother's Day cards will be the last to go. You look like a real schmuck just sending Mom an email on her special day ("What? It would kill you to go to the store and buy something, Mr. Cheapskate?")

The Usual Gang of Idiots -- Part Deux

Got another cartoon printed in MAD. Actually, I've sold another two, but I'm not sure when they're going to run.

For those keeping track, the cartoon is in issue 491 (July 2008), which should be on the stands now, and can be yours for only five bucks (cheap?).

EEK! It's a book?

Got a question for everyone.

If an EEK! compilation book were published, would you buy it? Price would be between 10 and 11 bucks -- 96 pages, black and white with full-color cover.

Please feel free to leave comments.

Thanks

Danny Federici RIP

Bruce Springsteen's longtime keyboard player died Thursday from melanoma.

Danny's last appearance with Bruce and the E Street band was at an Indianapolis show on March 20, 2008. I was fortunate enough to have been at that show and witnessed the band's -- and the fans' -- love for Danny.

We'll meet you further on up the road, Phantom.


Photo by Guy Aceto, Backstreets.com

Scary Simpsons

Now this is creepy...but kinda cool.

The Boss!

I went to the March 20th Springsteen show in Indianapolis with an old buddy from college, who flew out just for the occasion.

It was a magical show, made even more special by the return of keyboard player Danny Federici, who had been absent from the E Street Band since November while undergoing treatment for melanoma.

Springsteen brought Danny out midway through the show and "Phantom," as he's nicknamed, helmed the organ for an incredible three-song set filled with love and joy, pain and soul: "Prove it All Night," "Spirit in the Night," and "Sandy," the latter featuring Bruce on acoustic guitar and Danny on accordion, just like the old days. At the end of the song, Springsteen hugged his band mate of over 35 years and gently kissed him on the side on the head.

Check out the video from brucespringsteen.net.

Glad to have you back, "Phantom." Here's to many more unforgettable shows.

Killer Comics

I read over at the Daily Cartoonist that Tony Carrillo plans to kill off a character in his strip, F Minus.

Pretty funny, because there aren't any regular characters in Tony's strip.

I wish I coud use that gimmick, but I routinely kill off people in EEK! and more than half the characters are in various stages of being undead.

What can I do for shock value?

Jack of All Trades

I ran across this link to an Abraham Lincoln book illustrated by one of my idols, Jack Davis.

These drawings are in a more serious vein than Mr. Davis' MAD work, but they're just gorgeous. The detail, the composition, the linework: simply breathtaking.

Enjoy.

Steve Gerber RIP

Very sad news. Mark Evanier has a touching eulogy at his site.

I didn't know Steve Gerber, but I enjoyed his work, especially his Man-Thing comics from the 1970s. I re-purchased the whole run a couple of years ago on ebay and was slowly (too slowly, alas) working my way through them.

If you're so inclined, you can read Steve's blog, which chronicled his struggle with pulmonary fibrosis, along with happier subjects like his recent comics work on DC's Dr. Fate.

It's a good example of how you may not know someone, but you learn about his life and even feel a personal connection to him, through blogging.

Definitely a 21st century experience.

New Toy

My 19" flatscreen monitor arrived Friday. It replaces my very heavy, very bulky 17" monitor. I have so much more room on my desk now I don't know what to do with it.
Maybe I'll sublet it to another cartoonist.

The HPw1907 isn't a top-of-the-line product, but it suits my needs just fine.

Here's a pic. Mine didn't come with the blonde and the candy cane.

Bummer.

The Odd Couple Redux

Remember this pic?

Len Callo has provided a little insight into how it ended up on the Internet.

Read on, True Believer, for the senses-shattering origin of the famous photo and the mindblowing majesty of Jack "King" Kirby's "Valley Girl" comic!

'Nuff said!

Visit Len's website for more musical madness!

CONGRATULATIONS!

I just received an email from Scott Hilburn announcing the syndication of his comic strip The Argyle Sweater. Way to go, Scott!




Universal Press Syndicate (the home of such features as Garfield, Lio, For Better or for Worse, Cul de Sac, and old faves Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side) is launching the strip in newspapers this April.

Scott shared the news on his blog today, so I think it's okay if I mention it here.

Scott's is a real Cinderella story. He started out on Comics Sherpa, moved to GoComics, and then got picked up for newspaper syndication. The odds of that are quite high. Consider it like winning the comic strip lottery.

I've liked The Argyle Sweater from the moment I saw it on GoComics. Scott's humor is inventive, intelligent, quirky, and just a little sick. The perfect combination for a cartoonist.

Plus he draws the funniest pinatas around.

Here's wishing Scott a long and healthy newspaper career.

Monkey Business

My editor at MAD asked for a monkey-themed comic for an upcoming monkey-themed issue. I sent a couple of sketches, none of which were chosen.

I didn't send this gag, which sort of morphed from my original submission. Too bad. I think it's pretty funny.

MAD #486

Here's my second appearance in the venerable (or is that venereal?) humor mag. My comic runs in the February 2008 issue of MAD magazine, right at the top of the Strip Club section. I have some other material in the MAD pipeline that I hope appears soon.

Holy $#%*! I just looked at the cover and saw the $4.99 price tag. MAD now costs five bucks? It was just $3.99 a couple of months ago. A one dollar price increase is sure to bring in new readers. Jeez. Glad I got a few comp copies. I'm not sure that I would even pay five bucks to see my strip.

Happy 2008!

I haven't been posting much, as I've been working on various projects and have become a bit apathetic about the blog. I hope everyone had an enjoyable capitalist gift-giving season and a pleasant change of the calendar.