Comics for the ... generation

Why Nothing New?

2005-12-20T16:41:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the lack of updates. Life (sickness, travel, etc) got in the way. In fact there won't be any updates 'till after Christmas probably. Just wanted to let all of my readers (all three of you) know that I haven't forgotten you...

Flow - Page 14

2005-12-14T23:59:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
3 panels new, 3 panels old. Can you tell which is which? I threw away 5 panels I had done back in '98 since they started a plot line that even I didn't understand. As for how the 24 minute comic fits into Flow, that will be clear tomorrow. (Well, part of it will be clear tomorrow...)

My New World - A 24 Hour Comic

2005-12-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

A 24 page comic done in 24 continuous hours. Warning: This is 24 pages of about 100K each, so it could take a while to fully load up...

Well, this is why I didn't have a new page of Flow up yesterday or today. I did this whole thing (including the colouring) in 24 hours. I think it turned out pretty good. My previous 24 hour comics are here and here. Please let me know what you think in the comments section.

Flow - Page Thirteen

2005-12-09T23:51:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
This is the last full page of 1998 stuff. Monday's will be half 1998 stuff, half brand spanking new.

Flow - Page Twelve

2005-12-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
That last panel is for Chris who is always telling me that I can draw in colours other than black.

Flow - Page Eleven

2005-12-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
The first of the 1998 pages. In my eyes, this is a hugely clunkly page. The drawing is stiff (or just bad, like the standing cat in the last panel). I think this was the first drawings I had done in ages when I did them.
On the up-side, it looks like I will be attempting my 3rd 24 Hour Comic sometime within the next week. More on that later!

Flow - Page Ten

2005-12-06T15:50:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
The last of the pages done in 1993, tomorrow we start the pages that I did in 1998. And by Friday... new pages. I guess I should start working on them soon, hunh?

Flow - Page Nine

2005-12-05T23:54:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
This was originally the last page of How Dee number 8, with a "to be continued" at the bottom. I have slightly adjusted the last panel, since it had a light source at the end of the tunnel which didn't make any sense based on what I did next.

Flow - Page Eight

2005-12-02T14:47:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

Flow - Page Seven

2005-12-01T23:58:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.
I like how the water effects came out in colour.

Delayed (Strip Fight)

2005-11-30T22:44:00.000-05:00

A one-day break from Flow. Back again tomorrow. This is my entry for Strip Fight, my first time using photos for a comic.

Flow - Page Six

2005-11-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

I have a strip up at Strip Fight. Please come vote...

Flow - Page Five

2005-11-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

More of Flow. I'm starting to get the hang of colouring on the computer. I like the paper boy's speech bubbles in the first and second panels...

Flow - Page Four

2005-11-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

Next Page

"The Paper Boy" was originally a one page story unconnected with Flow, but I redrew it here (continued Monday)...

Flow - Page Three

2005-11-24T14:40:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

Next Page

The third page. The "baby alley" reference is thanks to Chris (my wife) who used that line in her one (and only) jam comic.

Flow - Page Two

2005-11-23T23:17:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

Next Page

This is originally Flow stopped. It was a two page story called "Mr. Timmy Goes To The Dentist" about the world's most passive comic character. There were going to be a series of Mr. Timmy stories. Then I showed the two pager to my housemate at the time, Mark, and he said it should be longer, more involved. He said he never really got my stuff until he had read a whole bunch of it. So Mr. Timmy became the "hero" of Flow, which was to be my continuing story for years... except it bogged me down and I quit (twice).

Flow - Page One

2005-11-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

The story of FLOW starts here.

Next Page

Going for a limited colour pallet. I've never been a particularily good colourist, so this is all experiment for me. When it was published in How Dee, this (along with everything else) was black and white... maybe it should stay that way? I don't know.

Flow - Intro

2005-11-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

Next Page

Welcome to Flow. This is a Patchwork Earth story I started back in 1994 (or maybe even 1993) and published as the 8th (and final) issue of How Dee. It ended with a "to be continued" but never was. I did one more page, then quit doing comics for 4 years. Then in 1998 I started again, did 5 more pages, then quit doing comics again for 7 years... until now. So Flow is the comic that killed my comics... twice. Let's see if three times is a charm! As of tomorrow, I will be posting a page a day (weekdays). So for about 3 weeks, it will be old material, then, after that, new stuff. I've already thrown out one page I did in 1998 (I wrote a plot twist that I don't think I even understood then!). Wish me luck!

1981 - A 24 Hour Comic (failed)

2005-11-18T15:41:00.000-05:00

What's The Worst Thing That Can Happen?

2005-11-17T23:26:00.000-05:00

I did this strip just after graduating University and moving out on my own. It was published in How Dee number 2, along with a whole bunch of other stories about living on my own. I like how I used brush-work on the second page to make it look different from the first page (which is more cartoony).

The Spider and The Moon - A 24 Minute Comic

2005-11-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was reading some comics online and came across a few 24 minute comics. I thought... I can do that, but I'll do a panel a minute for 24 minutes. So I did it. I actually had a minute at the end to go back and do some shading.
It is very influenced by The Beanworld and is actually tangentially a Patchwork Earth comic. It fits in with FLOW, which I think I am going to start publishing here next week.
Oh, and yes, I spelt "believe" wrong. I kept trying to remember i before e, but when you only have a minute a panel, you have to keep going.

Breaking Up (Strip Fight) - Version 2

2005-11-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

My second Strip Fight entry. This one was done with traditional pen and ink and then coloured in Photoshop Elements. I did pencil this one first, instead of going straight into pen and I think I will have to get back to doing that. It really improved a couple of panels (#2 especially!).

Breaking Up (Strip Fight) - Version 1

2005-11-14T17:54:00.000-05:00

This is my first (of two) entries to Strip Fight for the topic of Breaking Up. This is the first time I've entered and I need all the support I can get, so go on over and vote high for me!
On a slightly less self-serving note, this is the first strip I've done (since Hair!) all on the computer. I think it turned out ok, but I see lots of room for improvement. Tomorrow I will post my other Strip Fight entry. It has a dinosaur!

The House

2005-11-11T23:17:00.000-05:00

Another older strip, this one from 1992. I first published it (in black and white) in How Dee number 2. When I moved into the house on Shaw Street in Toronto, I went to the city archives and researched it. This was my research. I think adding the sepia tone really works for this strip. (It is also, tangentially, a Patchwork Earth strip, but that's a secret for now... shhhh!)

The Single Page (Writers and Readers)

2005-11-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I didn't post this earlier, but I'm glad I waited until I could colour it nicely. This is the only page of comic book work that I have ever had professionally (i.e. I was paid for it) published. It originally appeared (in black and white) in Cerebus Biweekly:High Society number 13. Dave Sim was republishing issues of his epic Cerebus comic and was filling up extra pages in the back with "Single Pages" from anybody who thought they could draw (and write). He rejected my first one (which I will post sometime) but accepted this one and paid $150 (US) for it! Hey Dave.... thanks!