I’ve Made It!
You know that your book has officially become part of the pop culture lexicon when you find it amongst other books on a shelf at the Half Price bookstore! Yes, as I discovered recently, a copy of Vol. 1 of my Zombie Boy Comics collection, Some Kind of Horrible has wound up on a shelf at one of the biggest used book store chains in the nation. And hey, it’s shelved amongst other comic strip collections such greats as Garfield, Family Circus and Zits! I couldn’t be more proud!
Slabbed!
It’s official! My first self-published comic book, Zombie Boy #1, has been slabbed in 9.8 condition! My pal, Jeff Smith had this graded and slabbed for me as a gift. Thanks, Jeff! Now I know I’ve arrived, lol!
Gorr by John Sutton
Here’s a sketch of Gorr drawn by the inimitable John Sutton on the frontispiece of my copy of the third collection of his Petri Dish Comics, Get Your Finger Out of My Experiment. Of course, now the book no longer belongs to me, but to GORR! Thanks a lot, John! Now, I’ll never get it back! This book is just one of John’s many great books, including two other collected volumes of his Petri Dish strips and I Once Doodled a Fish This Big, a hilarious collection of comics and doodles. They can be ordered on Amazon. Be sure to follow John on Twitter and Instagram.
Of Wet Paint and Dreams
Not only is JE Smith an artist, an auteur, a writer, a critic, and an overall visionary he is also my best friend! Way before I ever got into self-publishing, Jeff was producing fanzines, beginning with Cygnus in 1981, a fanzine which he changed the name to Wet Paint with issue #8. Jeff published 43 issues of this fan-favorite collector’s item. Jeff’s art is in a category all unto itself, he illustrated all the covers of his fanzines and they are each and every one a masterpiece! He also wrote/drew and published the comic book series, Bulletproof and Complex City (plus a Complex City trade paperback). Jeff creates great art, including sci-fi and horror posters and vivacous pin-ups. You can see his work at Never Comics.
I can’t say enough good things about Jeff. He’s a mighty powerful inspiration, the creator/producer of the web series, Stella B. and the Busted League, SideKICKED, the short horror film, Symphony, and the uproarious Star Trek spoof, Ronnie Redshirt. You can see these fab filmations on his YouTube channel, Bulldog TV. Bulldog is an apt description of Jeff himself, a tenacious creator who always does what he says and always finishes what he starts.
His latest project is a slam-bang new Wet Paint, a gorgeous return to self-publishing, with 52 pages of articles and art by JE Smith, Steve Bissette, and other fan faves. PLUS, the first 99 copies will come with a value-added bonus, a full-color signed print by Jeff himself, celebrating a classic monster movie! You can order a copy for yourself here.
Jeff truly is inspiring and a creator well worth supporting. Pinky swear!
Zombie Boy by Scott Jenkins
Look at the great art I got from the fab Scott Jenkins for Zombie Boy Comics’ 10th Anniversary! Scott is a long-time friend and the creator of the irreverent and hilarious Pudding Hill, which you can find at Scottie Draws. I’m thrilled to get a drawing from Scott featuring ZB and Gorr, to see them through his rambunctious talent. The venus flytraps are a nice touch! Thanks, Scott!
You can follow Scott on Twitter: @ScottieDraws