Back To Work Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 In my Row, Row, Row Some Rows post I described the manner in which I track my work. Over the holidays I got about half as much work done as usual, which is another way of saying I actually got some vacationing in. Well, the holidays are over, and I need to put Schlock Mercenary: Out From Under to bed this month. One hundred rows per week is the goal, and I’m already behind by five, with a mere fifteen rows representing my output yesterday. So… back to work. Filed under Cartooning | 5 Comments »

Wibbly-Wobbley, Timey-Wimey Fingers Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 I am a Doctor Who fan. In 2010 we’re getting a new Doctor, the eleventh regeneration. For folks with access to BBC and the Doctor Who Confidential special this is old news, I’m sure. With a little bit of search-fu I got what I needed from BBC Online: a name, a face, and a little official footage… At first blush? Watching this youngster talk I can’t help but see his hand gestures, and think “wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey…” Congratulations, Matt Smith. For those of you who don’t much care about Doctor Who, go ahead and watch Validation again. Filed under Television | 34 Comments »

A Movie For The New Year Friday, January 2nd, 2009 I saw two movies yesterday, one on YouTube, and another at the local Cinemark Theater. One was an execrable work with little to recommend it and that said nothing worthwhile. The other was a brilliant piece, artistic and insightful, and worth seeing. And then worth seeing again. The Spirit was gorgeous to look at, but nothing more. Sam Jackson stole every scene he was in, but in this film that’s like stealing candy from a baby. I won’t bother with a full review, because I would rather you watch something that is worth your time. Validation is a short film from 2006 that my friend Dave Brady shared with his wife, and which she then posted to her Live Journal. It makes me smile, and makes me want to make you smile. Watch this film. Get some duct-tape and a ball-gag for your inner cynic, and just watch. If anything can help us pull together through the challenges of the coming year, it is the basic principle taught here. Happy New Year everyone. Smile! Filed under Movies | 16 Comments »

Free Shipping Sale Ends Thursday Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 Just a quick note — the free shipping sale (spend $100 with us, get your stuff shipped free anywhere on the planet) ends January 1st at midnight. I now return you to your end-of-year partying. Happy New Year! Filed under Site News, Merchandise | 15 Comments »

The Perfect Gift Saturday, December 27th, 2008 Sandra came up with a definition for “the Perfect Gift” today, as inspired by our receipt of a perfect gift. And I quote: “The perfect gift is the one you didn’t know existed, but once you open it you realize it’s what you’ve always wanted.” — Sandra Tayler This stainless steel replica of a Strohl Munitions BH-209i was hand-crafted by Doc Nickel (of “The Whiteboard” fame) in his machine shop in Alaska. Let me state for the record that I’ve always thought it irresponsible for society to allow a cartoonist access to a machine shop. It’s like handing a soldering iron to a software engineer and then asking for data integrity. In Doc’s case I am forced to admit to an exception. He is an artist and an artisan, and a fine human being on top of it all. We’ve never met in person. We correspond irregularly about three times per year. Without warning he reaches out and perfects my Christmas Holiday with a gift I could not imagine existed. Now that I know it exists I cannot live without it. Good thing I’m holding it right now. I’m going to have to head down to the trophy shop and get a proper display for my BH-209 replica. It’s not “fan art.” It is FINE art, wrought by hand from the alloyed fabric of a captured imagination. The light it reflects pales against the reflection of the brilliance that created it. Okay, now I’m gushing. Two weeks ago Doc emailed me and said he was sending “a small care package.” He went on to say “It’s not a selection of fine cheeses, but I think it’ll be amusing nonetheless.” Perhaps the display plaque should read “Not A Selection Of Fine Cheeses.” Wow. Filed under Fan Art, Firearms | 70 Comments »