[Resource of the Day] – A Look Inside American Manga!

Why is American Manga such a booming market right now? Here’s an interview by the Comics Journal with one of the key players, Dallas Middaugh, the former head of VIZ Comics and the current head of Del Ray Manga. This is a great piece that explains a lot about American manga — I’m really glad I stumbled across it!

Read more »

[Resource of the Day] – Get a Comic Book Grant!

Need a grant to get your comic book going? If you’re serious about it, you might consider applying for a grant from the Xeric Foundation…

Read more »

[Resource of the Day] – Cover Design Don’ts

Everyone knows the saying that “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” And yet all of us do. While some of us will make exceptions when we’re hunting for a specific title or author, most of the time, the cover is the first thing we use to judge whether or not we’re even interested in picking up a book. But believe it or not, it’s not just the artwork on the cover that affects our decision; it’s also the little details that our mind picks up subconsciously.

Read more »

[Short Story] – Confessions of a Closet Mime

In 2002, I decided to come out of the closet… artistically speaking. I had always wanted to do some sort of crazy performance art, and walking around town as Taceo the Mime gave me a fun new creative outlet. This story was a natural extension of my experiences, and most of it is based on events that actually happened.

Because of the title and the theme, some people never seem to get past the surface and assume that I’m using this as an allegory to talk about a homosexual’s “coming out” experience. Being straight and happily married, I’ve never had to deal with such an experience, so I would have a hard time writing about it. No, what this story is really about is what happens when we find ourselves searching for a way to express whom we really, truly are and find that unique outlet that gives us a chance to finally speak up for ourselves. For me, mime was a passing fancy to pass the time, but for Tara in this story, it’s more of a spiritual awakening.

Read more »

[Short Story] – Josh

This is one of my favorite stories that I’ve written, because it really speaks to the heart of the beliefs we cling to. I used to be a hardcore Christian, but I found myself dwelling more and more towards the outskirts of the faith as I dealt with small-minded people who were more concerned with telling others that they were going to hell than they were with helping those people out in their daily lives. It really bothered me.

Another thing that annoyed me was the insistence of these same Christians that the name “Jesus Christ” was the only name synonymous with the redemption of the soul. Truth be told, no one knows what the man we refer to as Jesus Christ actually called himself; the letter “J” didn’t even exist until the 9th century AD, and the Greek word “Iesus” is a translation of a Hebrew name. scholars believe he may have called himself “Yeshu” or “Yeshoua,” but the lack of sources outside the gospels make it hard to know what.

Both of those pet peeves played a heavy role in the creation of Elijah, who is very much like myself in the year 2001…

Read more »

[Short Story] – Diary of a Future World Leader

When I was a freshman in college, I was interested in the idea of the Antichrist, likely because there were a lot of people saying that the world was about to end, and those stupid “Left Behind” novels were widely available. Sadly, they had a really lame Antichrist character who was so ridiculously obvious that I couldn’t believe anyone would follow him to the end of the world. So, I decided to create my own, and Carl was born in a story for my freshman writing workshop class.

I would hasten to add that I do not share Carl’s views on Adolf Hitler, or on much else, for that matter.

I want to rewrite this story as a daily blog, but I just don’t have the time. So, until I do that, here’s the original. Enjoy!

Read more »

[Poem] – One Flesh

I wrote this poem after observing how hard marriage was for most people. Fortunately, my own marriage has not been quite the struggle that is described here. But I think the basic principles still apply.

Read more »

[Poem] – The Last Centaur

This is a poem I wrote about a statue in Allerton Park, which is in Monticello, IL, when I really missed the point of what I now consider a great work of art. It’s called The Death of the Last Centaur, and it was sculpted by Antoine Bourdelle.
Read more »