Halloween Edits

 Resurrected specially for this Halloween posting: a couple rejected panels from yore...

"The Horror of Dracula"

BOO! Part of a continuing series that definitely caters to a completely different demographic and demarcates the comics between Alaska and Maine.
... bwaaha haaa...

Bird Girl, BBQ & Biking

"Bird Girl" bronze statue by Sylvia Shaw Judson (1936)

Time for another extended bout of introspective navel-gazing... after the fold...

Tricky Treater

An appropriately themed holiday cover illustration I did for the "District" student newspaper...

"Deady Bear"

Here's a five-page piece (+ two accompanying illustrations) done for a class assignment that keyed off of using specific reference sketches done while on field trips. By far one of the better exercises I ever learned from was taught in Professor David Gildersleeve's classes, who really pushed the field-trips. This had a long-lasting effect in the way I in turn taught my own classes, as it's simply the best way forge the links between observation and imagination, not to mention getting out the classroom, and putting practical experiences to work while in the field, as opposed to an abstracted, academic exercise. For example there would be a scene in the script that would call for a particular setting, in this case Bonaventure Cemetery (not to mention a bowling alley), and we would all dutifully research the required material PBR so as to incorporate our respective impressions into our pieces.
(more below the fold...)

"Changing Lives Through Literacy"

One of my favorite non-profits, and a really special group of folks who do wonderful & amazing things!

Volunteer, Donate, Educate!

The District/Boundary

One of the coolest gigs I ever had was being the comics editor for the student newspaper for a year. Under my tenure the comics section grew from at best one or two sporadically appearing strips to one, then two full pages of regularly running strips from fellow sequential art students. A lot (50%) of the success of such an endeavor rests with an editor, who is responsible for beating the bushes and tracking folks down to extricate submissions until it becomes routine and/or the cartoonists become habituated. Nowadays most of the editors I know are underpaid and overworked to the point where it is almost entirely incumbent upon the prospective cartoonist to explore and create their own promotional opportunities (i.e. nobody's going to do it for you, you have to make it happen).

The crowning achievement was the quarterly publication of a special issue stand-alone insert called "Boundary" that showcased graduate student work in their own full-page pieces.
Unfortunately the publication has unfortunately turned into an on-line edition, and there's only a few cartoons, which is rather feeble from an institution that has an entire department devoted to the medium. Oh well, you can lead a horse to a swampwater and all that... 
I think there's something to think about by looking at a recent example from the Center for Cartoon Study: a gorgeous newspaper was put out as an accompaniment to an exhibition "Caboose." Print isn't so much dead as it's being killed off.

Spy vs Spy: "MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction)"

Polar bears & Black bears, oh my ... political/environmental metaphor if you will. A second Spy vs Spy submission for the SCAD MAD student contest, this one a wee bit outta bounds as far as not strictly adhering to the rules: more of a merger of styles, as opposed to a flat-out emulation. It was a challenge to do one without really showing the spooks, excepting the reveal in the den. Both this piece and the preceding page (backlink) were drawn 9x12.75" on Bristol, and done in the traditional style sans shading - halftones (and the "MADfont") added for the digital version.

"PBS Alaska"

More fun with color: there are some panels that just gotta have it. This would have been probably my first digitally-colored piece, done without any knowledge or care about the CMYK printing process (as opposed to more recent adventures).This panel goes well with a later take on supporting public radio.

"(Re)Fumble"

I went and did a remix of that minicomic assignment from a couple weeks ago: this time it done got all cleaned up and colored in real purty (delux scratch & sniff version is on hold until I find some Eau de Dillo). Exported the panels as a QuickTime movie, since the physical minicomic is a different animal altogether. Also now with the bonus sound FX + cheesy poetry, via Andrew Marvell's "The Definition of Love."  Now if I can just get somebody with a voice like this to narrate it...

iSpy vs iSpy: "Boobie Trap"

A piece done as a submission to a student contest for the upcoming SCAD MAD MAD MAD Weekend.

Originally created in Antonio Prohías in 1961, Spy vs Spy is now being drawn by Peter Kuper, who, as a refreshing alternative successor, has incorporated his own unique & distinctive style with their classic setups. 
While most of the situations depicted in the feature are about as deep as your average Road Runner short, I thought it'd be fun to "digitize" the conflict and make it a bit more contemporary. Next would be a plot involving the TSA, which even a mere drawing of would get you put on the list, nevermind trying to actually fly with a copy.

There are a host of YouTube videos of the feature's animations, which I don't think translate from the artwork as effectively: and posted here is one of the live-action ads which aren't as bad as one might guess, but that still doesn't absolve Ron Howard et al from shamelessly pillaging my pillars of nostalgia.

SCAD MAD!!!

Here's an upcoming gig that will serendipitously cap off my stay in Savannah: the Southeast chapter of the National Cartoonists Society in conjunction with the Sequential Art department @ SCAD is hosting an epic event featuring one of the most awesome lineups in the creative universe. And no, you are never to old to be a fanboy... I guess as long as your heroes are still alive. From the Press Release:

SAVANNAH, Georgia - The Savannah College of Art and Design and the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society will present "IT'S A SCAD, MAD, MAD, MAD Weekend," a special weekend celebration of the enduring influence of MAD Magazine's cartoonists from Nov. 11-13 at locations throughout SCAD in Savannah, Georgia.
Highlighting this conference will be "A SCAD, MAD, MAD, MAD Discussion," a panel discussion with some of the original artists from MAD on Nov. 12 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St., Savannah, Georgia. This panel will be free and open to the public.
"SCAD and the sequential art department are both honored and excited about the historical significance of hosting MAD Magazine artists with the National Cartoonist Society, Southeastern Chapter," said SCAD sequential art chair Anthony Fisher. "This is truly a unique opportunity for students to meet and learn form master artists who have contributed to the advancements in the art form of sequential art and defined cultural satire for nearly 60 years."
Self-dubbed "The Usual Gang of Idiots," the legendary cartoonists expected to appear on the panel include:

• Jack Davis. Davis was one of the original cartoonists for MAD in 1952. He illustrated the very first story in the very first issue of MAD.
• Al Jaffee. With his first piece in 1955, Savannah-born Jaffee is MAD's longest-running freelance contributor. He is best known for creating one of the magazine's trademark features, the MAD fold-in. Every issue since April of 1964 has featured a Jaffee fold-in.
• Paul Coker, Jr. Coker has been a contributor to MAD since 1962 and has appeared in over 300 issues.
• Nick Meglin. Meglin is a former editor of MAD Magazine, a position he held for over thirty years.
• 'Duck' Edwing. Edwing began his career with MAD in 1961 and wrote "Spy vs. Spy" for about 12 years, along with his own feature, "Tales from the Duckside."
• Sergio Aragones. Aragones has been at MAD since 1963. He distinguished himself with his "Marginal Thinking" strips, which were printed up, down, across, and around the corners of comic panels to fill in the margins.
• Sam Viviano. Viviano began his MAD career as a freelance artist and while still illustrating articles also currently serves as MAD's art director.
• Tom Richmond. Richmond has been a regular contributor to the magazine since 2000.

This esteemed group of artists will also be working with SCAD sequential art students in workshops and portfolio reviews.
MAD was created in 1952 by the brilliant artist and writer Harvey Kurtzman and maverick publisher William M. Gaines. The magazine quickly became known for its satirical look at all aspects of life and popular culture, politics, entertainment, and public figures. It's been called revolutionary, subversive, surreal, hilarious, and a total waste of time. (The latter by its own editors).

More to come sooner than later as the event unfolds...there promises to be some potentially interesting opportunities.

Editorial: "Evolution" (A Theory)

Amidst the school work and weekly cartoon features for both Alaskan and Southern papers, I was beginning to juggle the occasional editorial panel in amongst the usual nonsense. And as usual I was making and losing lots of new friends in the community with my commentary from the perspective of an outsider (a dubious habit continued to this day, no matter where I call home).

...shf shf shf...

This is the sound a despondent armadillo makes shuffling away after getting its little heart broken by a football. Just in case you ever wondered. I'm redoing an earlier assignment and using some new-found powers/additional techniques (okay, following directions).

Homage: Mark Trail

while in Savannah I had actually talked with Mark Trail's current creator, Jack Elrod, but I never made it to visit him in person as the thought of navigating the insanity of Atlanta, where he resided, was a bit more intimidating than the thought of meeting one of my childhood icons. Probably along with Ranger Rick no other character helped influence my upbringing as far as a lasting passion for exploring the outdoors and a life-long love of Nature.

Classic Panels of Yore

Here's a few more images that relate to a previous posting re: narrative art and the single-panel comic, and the continuing thesis. One of the key definitions of "sequential art" loosely, is image + text juxtaposed to tell a story. Single-panel gags do tell a story, albeit a short one, that being a joke. However, for some folks, the other crucial part of the equation is the presence of multiple panels, in sequence, as they, along with the gutters inbetween, facilitate the perception of the passage of time. Scott McCloud's already academically entrenched definition coupled with Will Eisner's (who is credited with coining the term), now has the side-effect of systematically (either deliberate or through oversight) undermining or entirely excluding the "subgenre" of the single-panel from the medium. Contrasting against this limiting and restrictive perspective are the works of R.C. Harvey, who has rebutted and championed the cause in many an essay: he maintains that the defining characteristic of a comic hinge more upon the presence of that unique synthesis of pictures and words: both working together in what one could say is a synergistic effect.

This dismissal of the single-panel is reflected in a couple ways, one symptom being the term "sequential art" itself, being used by institutions as a more connotatively serious label (a notable exception in the Center for Cartoon Studies), who relegate gag cartooning - and editorial panels - to, at best, a humorous illustration class in a different department (ex: caricature courses), or at worst, the bastard step-child in the back of the classroom, only given brief, cursory coverage at the beginning level in one general topic course. 
Personally, having flunked art classes in highschool because the art teacher was of the opinion that comics don't count, it has been a sublime irony to watch the maturation of the medium, as it has become increasingly legitimized along with its popularization. And rightfully so. But I have no patience whatsoever with the elitist ostracization of an equally valid form within the category of comic art, as it's the same bullshit sentiment reflected in the tired, old "...oh... those aren't for grown-ups" that's historically stigmatized the industry as a whole. 
This is why I usually don't even use the term "sequential art" at all anymore, opting instead for the simple, basic, and ultimately more inclusive "cartoon" or "comic art." Same goes for a "graphic novel" - it's a comic, they are cartoons (I'm reminded of the logical outcome of all these territorial pissings by Daniel Clowe's hilarious "narraglyphic picto-assemblage" take on the whole scene). And yes, single-panel gags count. Which at times is about as popular as farting in the art gallery, a class divide not unlike telling a contemporary painter that you dig Bob Ross (see related post). But hey, as I would frequently remind my own students, it's all good.

More evidence of the establishment of a stratified upper echelon is the omission of the single-panel from many, if not most, of the professional surveys being published. Casual perusal of any one of the recent massive tomes that compile classic examples of comics reveals a lack of consideration for this form of cartooning. By and large there is little-to-none mentioning of the gag format, which is ironic when one considers the very origin of comics can be directly traced back to early 18th century British publications. This perspective also has the unfortunate result of knocking another dearly-held assumption off its hallowed pedestal, that of comics being a uniquely American artform (baseball and jazz are still safe). Even if, as the splendid samples posted here attest to, the historical examples are covered, there is a falling-off of representative works when it comes to contemporary comics. Some reasons for this, and some key points to consider in defense of the single-panel format, I'll be proposing (sequentially) over the course of my next series of thesis -related postings.

Opper panel from Brian Walker's The Comics: Before 1945. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2004.

Outcault from 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics. Maurice Horn, ed. Random House Publishing, Inc., 1996. 

Hogarth from Industry and Idleness Plate 4; "The Industrious 'Prentice a Favourite, and entrusted by his Master" 18th century. Wikimedia Commons. 

"Spammish Mosh" - Storyboarding

I've covered storyboarding here a couple times before, both from my own class and also from show & tells done for other folks, but here's  a short experiment underway for the Digital Issues course this quarter. The assignment was to submit rough pencil sketches of simple compositions on a template for eventual usage in an upcoming animatic that's essentially a Quick Time movie exported from Photoshop. My version actually was imported into iMovie (which I've previously goofed off with) and included extra editing in Soundbooth for additional features. Posted here are the preliminary thumbnails where I tried to figure out the overall sequence and identify key frames. And you can also see notes on a "soundtrack" - the exact timing for excerpting a section from a sentimental favorite of mine, "Spanish Moss" - both the original Gordon Lightfoot tune, plus an absolutely fantastic cover done by Roland Kipling that I stumbled across on YouTube (extra-special thanks for kind permission to excerpt!).

Definitely that and the sound FX (check out Freesound.org) add another whole dimension and feeling to the skit, which is essentially one long setup for an off-camera ending (wait until after the credits) that completes the gag. Even the text frames are basically used as delivery devices to pace out and slow down the sequence until the payoff. Not to mention it's a great opportunity any excuse to abuse some miscellaneous sound effects! And beside discovering "spammish," I learned the root of "mosh" comes from a Yiddish term "mish-mash." And a hat-tp to the long-lingering influence from the 1987 classic short "Your Face" by Bill Plympton, which to this day still occupies the top echelon in the pantheon of all-time animation greats (check out this documentary in the works too).

The completed storyboard pages are below the fold, and hopefully there'll be a finished product posted sooner than later, a more fully rendered version inked in and colored.

Georgia Sketches

For an assignment with an Advanced Pen & Ink course we were required to maintain a sketchbook journal to record and experiment with different inking techniques and patterns. 

 























For me it was a particularly vexing challenge to try and freehand various scenes without penciling anything in first. I was using dip-pens and brushes, and the results were of a spontaneous style that was much lively than my usual linework. It became a way to quickly fix a lasting impression in my mind that I still employ to this day - a good habit to hang on to, even after moving on for many years later I still can trace the subject matters in my mind.

Swamp Gas & Cypress Knees

Best spring break I ever had was a four-day solo kayak trip across the Okeefenokee Swamp, even if some of the alligators were longer than my boat. I suppose it was a indicative of my personality and interests that every available moment of free time was spent tromping all over the Barrier Islands or paddling a river somewhere. I never grew tired of marveling at the characteristics of the trees in this neck of the woods: the signature style of live oaks and cypress knees have sunk deep roots in my memory.

"The 1%"

"In-Box"

This goes out to all the underpaid and overworked folks whose job it is to deal with other people's shit. They've been extremely helpful to me as of late during my interactions with various bureaucratic speed bumps.

"Bayou"

Here's probably my favorite piece from the whole Georgia period: I actually walked around one day with an index card with the word "bayou" printed up on it, and faithfully recorded the phonetic pronunciation of it as said by a whole host of people. 

"Schlitz Moose"

Second only to Genesee Cream Ale in nostalgia... I don't exactly remember the details, but it's safe to assume that the malt liquor had something to do with being awful homesick at the time...

"Beaver Run"

One of the benefits of moving out from the city of Savannah and into the surrounding countryside was easy access to the many local bluegrass festivals that took place all the time. There are a regularly scheduled series of weekend festivals that would happen all across the South, on Thursday/Friday/Saturdays - not much happens on Sundays in that neck of the woods, and the events are all family-friendly, with no alcohol allowed (although I eventually clued in on exactly what was in those oversized thermos mugs carried by many an older gentlemen). A few savvy farmers have realized the economic incentive behind leveling a section of their fields, putting in some septic tanks and erecting a stage to host the many bands making the rounds. These gigs take place largely across a network of venues that were particularly convenient to caravans of retirees in their motorhomes. 
My favorite was at Beaver Run (hosted by the Lonesome Whistle Band) that happened twice a year about a half-hour drive away from my home at the time in Eden, GA. I would take along the Honer 5-string and camp out for a couple days, while lotsa folks took pictures of the pickup with Alaska license plate parked out by the edge of the cotton field.

"Got There"

*Update: this one will now appear in Down East Magazine! Another submission for back up North (well, only to Maine, so halfway). Besides the local vernacular, it's based on a true story of my first ever solo tromp around that neck of the woods. And that's all I'm gonna say at this point, so as to not tarnish the image of the rugged, seasoned Alaskan outdoorsman. >koff<

Take it as a metaphor, if you will, a commentary on current events that have been taking their toll as of late. On a related side-note, I really missed being back home, wherever the hell that is, at least for the annual 24 Hour Comics gig, which this was the first year in many that I didn't either spearhead or participate in. But rumor has it the event went of well enough back in Fairbanks (thanks to Lucas Elliott for stepping up to the plate). There is no small irony in being that I'm currently immersed in a freakin' sequential art department of all places, but everybody in this cartoon version of boot camp was and is simply too damn busy drawing comics. As the countdown continues to the quarter's end, there will be by default innumerable instances of involuntary 24-hour comics being drawn. 

Narrative Art

“Paradise” Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1530, oil on panel (81 x 114cm)

Excerpt from a page in my thesis, wherein I attempt to inject the medium of comics, or sequential art (specifically the single-panel cartoon) with some academic artsy-fartsy. One of my contentions is that gag panels share many of the same characteristics of Fine Art, notably the narrative, and I posit that there needn't be a series of panels in order for a piece to be depict a narrative (not a point of contention within most fields of art, esp. in an illustrative sense - the trick here is to link it here with cartoons) and to this end I offer two telling examples.

Exhibit A (posted above) is “Paradise” by sainted German Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder. In his lavish composition we see Adam and Eve's adventures in Eden (Eve's creation from Adam’s rib, seduction from the serpent, shameful hiding, admonishment from the Lord, and consequent expulsion).

Complimenting this image is a Exhibit B (posted below): a similar scene where Billy meanders through an atypical “Family Circus” tableaux from creators Bil and Jeff Keane. 
Hmm... get it? Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words...

“Family Circus” panel by Bil and Jeff Keane, 2001, pen and ink

"Jerkwater" - Color Sunday strip

Abstract

Norris Hall: Sequential Art Department @ SCAD

Talk about great fodder for posting: aside from the cartoons + coursework (some of which can double-dip as material for the feature up north) I'm stepping up production of the thesis paper. My newly re-formed committee chair, members, and department head have all officially signed off on the synopsis, and the bibliography has sprawled out to over forty cited works. And no cartoons even. Yet.

There will be some funnies, as I'm marshaling a defense of my own chosen field, that of the single-panel, or "gag" cartoon. There is a subtle irony in making a case for comics to be, well, taken seriously if you will. Within comics there has been a concerted effort amongst practitioners and academics alike to lobby for the artforms legitimacy, and, if not somewhat begrudgingly, the medium has increasingly become accepted into both art and literature. Two key advents of this are the exponential offerings of "graphic novels' in the market, and the proliferation of "sequential art" courses and departments into college-level curricula. However, that being said, this paper aims to address a pet peeve of mine (ie. an admitted bias) (natch): the subtle slighting of the "subgenre" of single-panels, an oversight that I intend to address through a variety of perspectives. Rebutting some of the conventional wisdom and territorial pissings has been a challenge, and a real kick in the creative ass. Focusing my energy and sustaining output over such a writing-intensive project is rewarding in many ways, as it consolidates the mulch-pile of miscellaneous resources and personal anecdotes I've uncovered and accumulated over years of experience in the field, in the trenches, and in the classroom (on both sides of the easel). That and I still managed to learn a whole bunch more cool stuff, which is always a bonus. Now if I can just avoid writing like it's another extended blog post... and as my father has pointed out, growing up on a steady diet of Moorcock and Lovecraft does wonders for the adolescent imagination but leaves a lingering literary stench that spawns pustular prose and other execrable opuscular aspirations.

 *Update: as of today the first draft, all 27-pages (+ another 13 in supplemental material) has been put out for review, and is undergoing editorial revisions and proofreading by some editors. In the meantime, below the fold, here's the synopsis...

Norris Hall: backyard

"Jerkwater" - Color Sunday strip

The opening B&W panel was a sort of homage to "Iron-Eyes Cody," who left an impression on me as a youngster with the series of "Keep America Beautiful" anti-littering PSA's that started running on the second Earth Day in 1971. The strip's content and commentary was inspired by the omnipresent stench of pulp mills that are scattered about the coastal waters of Georgia, which also made a lingering impression on me as I explored the barrier islands on many a hike. Odd that in theory it's the same ocean, but the Atlantic just doesn't seem to affect me the same way down here as it does up there.

"Jerkwater" - Color Sunday strip

As part & parcel of the syndicate submission packets, along with a month's worth of daily material, it's prudent, if not expected, to demonstrate skill in the color Sunday strips. Taking advantage of the expanded real-estate by concocting longer narrative sequences is also another good exercise in flexing the funny muscles.
And I still think about this particular aspect of the Southern vocabulary: the "alraht" or "owra" or any number of variations on the "all right" theme that seems to be the routine, catch-all, default acknowledgment of the presence of another person.Yankees either just nod or wave. Alaskans would just ignore you.

"Jerkwater"

This series, the first submission I ever made to all the principle syndicates, was soundly rejected as a matter of course, but was a good exercise to undertake regardless. With hindsight it was probably a good thing, especially given my ambivalence to most of the content currently stagnating on the funny pages, and independent attitude towards alternative and regionally-themed material. What the challenge was for me was to generate a cohesive body of work in a consistent style with a recognizable cast of characters, each with their own individual personalities, something that stood in contrast with the weekly gag panel cartoons, that up to this point was my only area of experience. That and alligators and catfish were something completely new, totally alien and really fun to draw.

Gator Country

Here's the debut of who would become the second of two reoccurring characters that would eventually adopted into a developing feature called "Jerkwater" which I'll be posting some samples from.

"Fumble"

Hooray, vectored art is back! Just kidding: it's been almost a year since I swore off doing any art that way anymore. And it's not a clumsy Freehand zombie either, but one of those contemporary Illustrator ones, that can run really fast. Either way the rotten corpse still stinks, and I thoroughly despise wading into one of the most non-intuitive graphics programs ever devised. Mind you, that's spoken as someone who used to rely on firing up in Mac OS 9 so as to use the primitive one-trick pony program of "Streamline," not to mention being a child of Freehand. Now get the hell off my digital lawn.

"Peach Pits"

Somewhere in storage back up Alaska there's a full-color CMYK file of this piece, but here's the grayscale version anyways. It was one of the two works from the Sequential Art department selected for exhibition in the “Watch This Space” 1st Year Graduate Group Show, Spring Quarter 2002, at the Pei Ling Chan Gallery in Savannah, GA. 
Obviously I was really having a bit too much fun with the local accents, plus maybe just a small hat-tip to the phonetic flavor imparted from an infusion of research into "Krazy Kat" by George Herriman. I also adopted the title "Peach Pits" as the name for a single-panel gag feature that was running concurrently in the student newspaper at the time. And yeah, that's the original G-3 iMac pictured there, my humble first computer.
This piece would also be exhibit "A" as evidence of the local flora & fauna starting to weed its way into my work...

"Alligator Tears"

As it happens, only last week was I alerted to a tragic event that's literally contaminated my pastoral and picturesque recollections of all the times spent upon the Ogeechee River here in Georgia. 

King America Finishing, Inc. was busted dumping chemicals into the Ogeechee River for the past six years without alerting the Georgia Environmental Protection Department (who seriously needs a better spokes person with at least some sense of tact after being quoted at a recent community meeting “We said the water was safe for swimming. We didn’t presume people would be dumb enough to swim with a bunch of dead fish”). As has been astutely pointed out by some local editorials, the legislative response has been more than a little disingenuous since these have been the very same politicians from the very same party who have been responsible for systematically undermining "intrusive and burdensome" regulatory oversights at the local, state and federal levels. 
You bastards. 
Hard to tell which is more toxic, the effluent lies from their lips or the sewage pumped out from the companies who pay them off.

Ogeechee warnings posted again

Ogeechee River swimmers get blisters

Ogeechee fish kill prompts lawsuit

Class action suit alleges company knowingly released caustic chemicals into Ogeechee

EDITORIAL: Ogeechee fish kill: Outrageous settlement

Ogeechee Riverkeeper investigating Ogeechee River spill 

And so this editorial panel serves as an unfortunate postmortem postscript to the nostalgic memories I have of a truly special time and place...

Support Ogeechee Riverkeeper

YouTube Surfing

Been slowly compiling a YouTube playlist of cartoonists who have either interviews, documentaries of demonstrations up on-line. One can waste some serious hours while trolling the tubes for hidden gems, but they're out there.

Some that I’ve caught recently have featured Jimmy Margulies, John Callahan, Herbert Block, Mike Luckovich, Jack Kirby, Peter Bagge, Chip Bok, Milt Caniff, Robert Mankoff, Dan Piraro, Maurice Sendak, Matt Groening, Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, Seth, Charles Burns and others.

Feel free to send along or post any links to some of your favorites...

 

On the Banks of the Ogeechee River

Here's a couple snapshots of the neat little 2-room cottage I rented for the majority of my tenure in Georgia 8-10 years ago. Though with the benefit of hindsight it's a big hint that if the place is built up on stilts, there's probably a real good chance there will be a flood sometime. And so for one memorable week during my last quarter of classes I actually wound up canoeing from my house to where the pickup would be parked up by the main road. The water peaked at three steps below the door, and made for some mighty interesting moments while sitting there perched over the torrent, contemplating the ebb and flow of Life.
Many a good time over my tenure down South was had out on this porch; overlooking the slow and easy flow, immersed in the surround-sound of crickets, frogs and birds, and waiting for the fireflies to come out for their nightly waltz with the stars.

The sunken living room was framed in by some big windows that every evening, at the "magic hour," would stream in the sunset as it was reflected off the river out front. Filtered through the Spanish moss hanging off the live oaks that cradled the house, it suffused the room with a peaceful, translucent glow. That is, until it was time for banjo practice.
The Ogeechee River is the longest river left undammed on the East Coast, and I got to spend many a day exploring its length by kayak and canoe, paddling up and down a ten mile or so section as it meandered its way though this neck of the woods. Every so often I was treated to unexpected diversions that merited a temporary beaching and foray on foot. Similar to this past summer's experience out on the island in Maine, the daily ritual of observation opened up a meditative quality and deeper appreciation about the always shifting personality and subtle moods brought about by changing conditions, seasonal fluctuations and time of day. It is a beautiful river and it, along with all the folks I met along the way, made my stay in Eden a wonderful memory I'll never forget...

UPDATE: To be continued in tomorrow's post... now that they've gone and fucked it all up....