Well folks, this comic introduces Brook, who you may or may not remember from Mangled Stare. If you follow Mangled Stare, Brook was introduced back in issue 155. If you're wondering, no, this isn't an arbitrary crossover. Brook actually does belong in this universe and in Mangled Stare. You'll see how things work out. Mangled Stare's creator and my good friend Will Rodriguez will be handling the comic this Saturday, since I'll be away at Kalachakra 2004. That means I'll be busy from May 1-5, receiving initiation. The Dalai Lama's going to be there administrating proceedings, so this is something really special.

Anyway, short rant for the day. I'll see you all next week after Kalachakra 2004.

This Thursday's comic is a "worm people" comic. It's similar to the super-deformed "chibi" gag that a lot of artists use to be cute, and I feel it's a very effective way of punctuating a comedic situation.

Oh who am I kidding? I'm a lazy bastard, that's why the characters are worm people.

All kidding and shamelessness aside, I'll be cranking out a few more comics before May hits. From May 1st to May 5th, I will be wholly absent for most of the week due to the fact I'll be attending the Kalachakra 2004 ceremony, hosted by the Dalai Lama here in Toronto. It'll be an honour just to be in the Dalai Lama's presence, and I do think I'll enjoy myself. It's just a matter of patience overall, since most of the function will be meditation. I'm a restless sort a lot of the time, but for important events I can control myself. Just don't expect any updates to the site during that period.

Until then, I think we'll be on a Thursday-Saturday schedule.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Well, about a week and a half ago I managed to strain my arm quite severely while in kendo class. For that duration, I've been unable to draw anything at length without a round of shooting pains. But the comic's finally done and up, and I'm better so no more excuses. This comic actually came out quite nicely, and I think I've settled on a way of constructing panels and adding backgrounds, etc. Everything in the background was added in with Photoshop, as opposed to my usual ink work. This method works much more nicely for crowds and lighting I find, but I'll continue to do most buildings and interiors with pen.

I went to see Kill Bill Vol. 2 with my uncle yesterday. We're both big on martial arts movies and general pop culture. For a guy who's not "in style", my uncle certainly keeps up with what's spiffy and tends to move with the times quite easily. Thankfully, he's not one of those "teenagers in an adult body" though. But I digress. Kill Bill Vol. 2 is markedly less violent and bloody than the first part, and a far, far better movie for it. It allows sufficiently more character development, especially on the part of Budd, Elle, and Bill. The part with the Chinese kung-fu master Pai Mei is especially well done, especially a certain scene involving chopsticks. Those who've already watched it know what I mean.

I'm rather mortified to hear some reactions people had to the movie though. A couple of my American friends from down in Texas told me that when a certain someone gets an eyeball plucked out, the crowd started laughing. There is absolutely nothing funny about the scene. Nothing. It's gory, it's fairly icky, and it has a "whoa" factor to it, but it's not funny. But hey, some people are twisted.

Anyway, I've got class today so I'm heading off to catch some shut-eye. Enjoy the comic, folks!

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Mù... Huo... T`u... Chin... Shui... Wood creates fire, fire gives forth ash, ash compacts into minerals, minerals uphold water... Come forth effulgent light and consume the darkness.

Don't mind the pre-rant, I've been researching Taoism in depth lately. It's quite an interesting field when it comes to science, but somewhat incomplete compared to Indo-European systems. Its philosophy on the other hand is quite profound.

Now then, Old Home is open. Sorry there hasn't been an update this week, I managed to injure my shoulder and it pains me to draw. C'est la vie as they say, but it should be better in a few days. Meanwhile, check out Old Home and tell me what you think. It's also accessible from the "Artwork" link in the menu bar, so use that in future. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, April 08, 2004 | Archived Commentaries