This is your life

It lives. 180 pages of "It lives"--



I've had a couple of proof copies for months now and the early reviews have been pretty good. That's taken a little of the edge off the anxiety, but it is still a very strange thing to see a year plus of your life bound into 180 pages and reproduced times X.

Drawing comics is a Herculean task. Nearly every comic you've ever seen on a shelf is there at the expense of large amounts of effort, time and Lord knows what else on the part of the people making it. Sometimes 20 plus hour days, weeks on end. It's not a glamourous life behind the scenes, even for the rich superstars. You still have to get up and put in the work.

In the case of monthly comics, it's a mad sprint, you run like your head's on fire for that deadline. Generally when you cross it your reward is feedback, a reason to plug ahead with confidence or indignation or feigned indifference. Doing a graphic novel is fight training. It's a pre-dawn Rocky style work out. In the darkness, every day, for months, in anticipation of a bout that won't occur for years. Your investment is going to wax and wane and there are very few people to pat you on the back or tell you that you're fucking up. In my case even less so because I'm not a big name. No one was really anticipating my work. In fact there were probably a lot of people who'd rightfully written me off. This book was my first real foray back into the world of comics after a few false starts and there was nothing to back up that I could actually finish it.

So I guess the point of this is to thank all the people who had my back. To my family, friends, peers and editors. All the people behind the scenes who I will be eternally grateful for recognizing my potential and nudging me forward when I needed it. I'm indebted to you all.

As for the work? I'm fairly happy with it. I stand behind it. There are some problems sure, some my own, some due to things beyond my control. But I also feel there are also some real moments, some genuine surprises. The lessons it taught me are invaluable.

It comes out in a few weeks. I hope you guys like it.


In other news:

I'll be a guest of the CHARLOTTE MINI CON this weekend. It's a fun little one day show that Shelton Drum puts on. This will be my third year in a row and it's always a good time. I'll likely be doing some sketches, but I'm not sure how many as I'm really slammed with work. You guys should definitely come by if you're in or around the area. I mean shit, they have Pony rides:



Hope to see you there. More soon...