High Maintenance Machine

Here's the strip that ran this month in Revue magazine!

Oh boy! My first strip is up for The Rapidian, a "hyper-local" news source here in Grand Rapids! It's a review of the Great Lakes Swimmers concert Wendy and I went to a few weeks ago. I hope you like it!

*This is not up on my website yet, but the original art is available if anyone is interested. It's big! 2 pages, each 19" x 12"! Email me for details.

I made a holiday card to express the religious/secular tension that is ankle deep here in the Midwest this time of year. It was indirectly my friend Chris's idea. There is also a hi-res version (for printing). Enjoy!

I drew 2 strips this month for Revue Magazine and told them to pick the one they liked the best to print. This was not the one they picked.

Some of you may know that I sell the original art for most of my strips. (On my website, if there is a "buy this original strip" link above the image, then it's available.) When I posted my straight-to-ink rough of the strip "The Second Arrow" last week, one of my readers wrote me to see why the original art wasn't available for purchase. I drew it in my sketchbook--that's why! But I redrew the strip all fancy on bristol board for him. It's a lot like any other commission! (Which I am always open to, you know.) Drop me a line if you have any good ideas for Christmas presents for your friends and family. I will draw them something nice.

Last week Friday I took the train down to Chicago to see my soon-to-be-married-to-each-other pals Tom McHenry (preachertom)and Sara Bauer (yellowcardigan) and hear the incomparable John Porcellino talk at Quimby's. It was great! During the talk I drew my friends and the two Johns I got to meet that day: Mr. Porcellino and John Campbell (aka stereotypist.)

Before the talk we ate delicious falafel and listened to dance music and then some '90s bands that weren't sure if they were rap groups or rock groups. We used Tom's fancy phone to tell us who all the bands were. We were very bad at guessing, but the phone was very good. It was a strange musical selection for a Middle Eastern restaurant. (Three Days Grace, anyone?) Then we went to Quimby's and I bought a lot of comics. It was really nice.

This week I drew a comic while eating breakfast. Sorry it's so sloppy, but I only had like 10 minutes before the bus came!

Wendy and I are going to completely rearrange our house today in an effort to improve my working conditions. Maybe I will be able to finish inking the next issue of High Maintenance Machine! In the meantime, I think I have a story or two I haven't shared with you, so maybe I'll show you them?