Mooch DRAWS!

Go! Go! Godzilla!

2009-01-14T04:53:00.001-08:00

So I’ve decided to start some regular features here on my blog, just to change things up a bit. “Go! Go! Godzilla!” will pertain to any sort of drawings, sketches, margarine sculptures, interpretive dances, etc. I do in honor of the giant, rubber suited monstrosity that is Godzilla.

And here’s my first entry! The very compact, very grumpy (thanks Annie:)) “Chibi-zilla”! I love drawing Godzilla. He’s one of the few monsters that is so open to artistic interpretation. As long as your hitting a few of his iconic features, you can tackle him any way you wish, and folks will still know who you’re drawing. I’ve been obsessively drawing on the back of index cards lately, which don’t really allow a lot to happen, space-wise, but occasionally I can create something like “chibi-zilla” here, with pretty successful results. Again, just simple black brush pen on index card.

Hope you enjoy!

Silent Scream

2009-01-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

Another sketch from my moleskin, that I've actually turned into a full, digital painting. In time I'll start posting the digital work, but for now, sketches will do. I love to draw monsters, and the more disturbing and painful they are, the better. To me, a monster is so much more interesting if it's suffering in some way. A monster should almost always be a twisted and tortured soul. As the infamous Bugs Bunny has said on more than one occasion, "Monsters are such innnteresting people!"

Keep a look out, I've been drawing like a mad man, and it's all going to go up here during the next couple of days!

Sketchapalooza!

2009-01-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Just a few more quick sketches from the Moleskin...

I have a ridiculous fascination with the villain Two-face from the Batman comics. I'll draw him whenever I can, in sketchbooks, in the margins of papers, on bank statements, you name it. He's just a fantastic visual character. They finally did the character justice too in the "Dark Knight" flick this past summer.

Again, just simple blue brush pen on paper.

Just a random beast I drew during a meeting. No real back story behind this guy, he looks tough though, with a hide thick enough to stop a bullet. I like my beasts nice and indestructible! As with Two-face, blue brush pen on paper.

Hope you like! More on the way!

-Mooch-

2009? Already? Hurm.

2009-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Wow.

I can't believe it's been OVER a year since my last post. That's pretty damn embarrassing, I must say (said in my VERY best Ed Grimley voice.)

I'm going to start 2009 off right and start to post regularly again (I wonder where you've heard THAT before, hmmm? Maybe at the start of 2007 mayhap?) But right off the bat I have to thank Ben Caldwell for getting me posting again. I'm pretty sure many of you are aware of Ben's incredible work (daredetectives.com). Ben was yelling at me last weekend for not keeping up with my blog, and to add the exclamation point to his statement, he downloaded his favorite drawings of mine from this blog, and brought them up on his Mac for a little show and tell.

It's a great feeling when another artist you admire is telling you how much they love your work, and means every single word of it. Talking to Ben about my work, artists we love and just art in general got me motivated to start posting on the blog again. So, fast forward to this very moment, where you'll find me posting my first image for 2009! Huzzah!

So, as a fan of comic books (if not an avid reader) it'll be no surprise to learn that I'm a HUGE Watchmen fan (and truthfully, who isn't? It's a work of literary genius). I drew up this quick Rorschach sketch in my Moleskin book about a week or so ago. Simple blue and black brush pen, with some good ol' office white-out to pick out the white of his mask. I'm quite fond of how it came out. Hope you guys are too!

Happy New Year to anyone who still comes to visit, and please, keep on checking in '09, because you're going to see a lot more good stuff here:)

Cheers!
-Mooch-

Fat Kat!

2007-09-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Trying to break old/bad drawing habits by sketching directly into Photoshop via my Wacom tablet. It's been incredibly liberating attacking a sketch this way, and I've found that mistakes made while shaping a drawing add an incredible amount of genuine character to the finish. I didn't erase one thing in this sketch. I just kept throwing in ideas, and if I felt it didn't fit or hindered the composition, I simply deleted the offending layer.

Anyway, here's my little Fat Kat. He's cute (sort of), He's cuddly (not really) and he's brought you a present (you LUCKY dog YOU!)

Hope-a you like!

-Mooch-

Sketch-a-palooza!

2007-08-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Has it truly been THIS long since updates? Good Gravy man! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Who in the world am I talking to?

Anyway my fine reader out there, I decided to scan and post some of my roughs (which is all I seem to do these days). My buddy Chris was over checking out my portfolio and inquired why I didn't post any of these, so, I decided "Man, Chris sure is right!" And there you have it. So, here they are for your enjoyment (or ridicule)!

Skullboy was an ink drawing I had started in my graph book awhile back, but never got around to finishing him. Maybe that's why he looks so upset.

Some Morlock sketches from H.G. Wells classic "The Time Machine".

Electronic Gorilla Brain. He's my mascot, the figurehead for my "freelance" business. This was just a super quick pencil sketch. Like literally 30 seconds.

My version of a creepy "Hellboy". He can open dimensional portals and pull out demons. This was an idea for his face. Sort of like an unsettling doll or wooden dummy.

Siamese. In the works. Don't want to say too much, but this was an exercise in working out a look for one of the girls.

My unfinished "Nose Dragon". I really like this one:)

A super rough sketch of Two-Face from Batman. Eh. There's something I like about this, even though it fails as a cohesive character concept.

Godzilla. The Big G. I love me some Godzilla. One day I'll actually FINISH this painting. Here's the rough sketch and color study. He's kicking the crap out of Mothra's larvae.

Bishops Beware!!

2007-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

This has been an idea that's been kicking around my brain for years now, but I've only just recently had the urge to bring it to life. The original finished piece was alot more complex than what you see now. I had a fully rendered chess board, and a beheaded White Queen at the foot of the "Scythe Pwn". "Mace Pwn" & "Brass Knuckle Pwn" were cresting over the arc of the chessboard, ominous in appearance and with murderous intent, ready to join their fellow ebony warrior on the field of battle.

Sadly, it was a mess when it was all put together.

I felt the drawings were stronger when spotlighting one "Pwn" and it's chosen weapon. After toying around for a few days with positions for the drawings and various additional designs to finding out that the addition of color was an absolute failure, I hit upon these final pieces. I'm much happier with this result, if not completely satisfied.

I'm going to do more in the "Pwn & Weapon" series. It's my intent to feature them in another medium in the future, but I've spent too long on this concept as of now, and need to move away from it to gain some much needed prespective.

I truly enjoy how abstract the concept is though. These slightly twisted chess pieces brandishing deadly weapons. It was fun to do:) Hope you enjoy them too...

Cheers,
-Mooch-

Friend and Fiend

2007-04-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sketching to loosen up the cobwebs. I really like how these two came out. One is my good friend Chris and the other is the "Scourge of the Seven Seas". They both have more in common than you'll ever realize.

Hope you like! More on the way, some rough, some finished. Going to post all my half finished ideas, characters, etc, etc, etc. I don't care if they work artistically or conceptually. They get posted, warts and all:)

-Mooch-

It's Me!

2007-04-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Odd little self portrait color sketch I did. It's not very flattering. Maybe that's why I like it :)

More stuff on the way...

-Mooch-

Making Billy-Dee proud!

2007-04-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my 40oz. bottle for "The Forty Show". I'm very happy with the finish and wanted to share it with all three of you fine folks who come visit my Blog;)

Info for the show can be found in my previous post. Cheers!

The Forty Show!

2007-04-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be part of a gallery show in Vancouver, put together by the amazing Mike Gilbert. It's entitled "The Forty Show" and it's featuring 40 incredibly talented artists. The work on display had to be painted on a 40 oz. malt liquor bottle:) "The Forty Show" is being held at Tenforward Collective on Water Street in Vancouver on Friday, April 20th. The doors open at 8pm.

If anyone is from the Vancouver area, and is checking out this blog, make sure to get your tickets soon! I believe it's limited to 200 people.

You can contact Vlad or Min at Tenforward to ask for more info : 604-484-6513

I'll be posting my 40 oz. as soon as I resize the photos, so, please check back when you've got a moment!

Cheers!

-Mooch-

Zombie Dollars!

2007-04-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

"Zombie Mommy" has been featured over on Nik Holmes wonderful website "Zombie Dollars", a site devoted to all things Undead.

Head on over and browse the site: More Brains!

"Zom Mom" is on the galleries 2nd page, fourth image in.

Thanks for looking, and much thanks to Nik Holmes for wanting to include me in the Zombie fun!

Cheers all!
-Mooch-

Tea with the D.

2007-01-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Self explanatory really. The idea popped into my head, and I saw it finished like so. I had alot of fun slowing down and taking my time with this. It was calming...

As always, "Big D" was ever the gentleman. The constant smell of sulphur did give me a headache after a while, though, but, ahh, so worth the peril.

Werewolves on Graph Paper.

2007-01-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

My Vampires got tired of waiting all by their lonesome, so I asked some Werewolves to come on by and keep them company. They brought graph paper.

JUST like a Werewolf to ALWAYS bring graph paper.

Sketching and posting daily, whether the scribbles work or not. These (as well as the Vamps) were done with my slowly dying brush pen, which produces a wonderfully hazy, dry look to the line. I hope to get a few more drawings out of it before it goes off to brush pen heaven.

Enjoy!

-Mooch-

Blah! Blah!

2007-01-03T21:00:00.000-08:00

Just some Vampire sketches to ring in the New Year. I'm going to be updating my blog regularly to start 2007 off right, so please come by often, and leave comments & crits!

Cheers all!

-Mooch-

Zombie Mommy!

2006-11-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

No explanation needed:) I'm a sick, demented man, and YOU LOVE IT!

"The Last Son of Krypton"

2006-10-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Superman. I've always had a million scribbles of him in the edges of paper margins and on scraps of napkin, but I don't think I've ever attempted to do my take on the Boyscout. This rough sketch had been sitting in my sketchbook since the beginning of Summer, and I just plain forgot all about it. I stumbled across it again last Thursday, and thought it held up, so I wanted to turn it into a finished piece.

I got workin' with the ol' PITT pens and gave it some ink, then took it to color. I saw it in my head as being an "art deco" (loosely) styled piece and I was pleased with how it all came together. I'm a big fan of Superman having a short cape that falls only about mid thigh, as well as sporting shorts instead of the typical red underwear he goes flying around in. I think the shorts make him look less ridiculous:)

Anyway, Hope you guys like!

**Update! Posted this over on the Drawing Board and recieved some sound critique regarding Supermans' jawline. I gave him a more chiseled jawline, and darkened his hair as well.**

The "Can-Man"!

2006-10-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

My first entry over at the Weekly Wednesday Challenge Blog, a sketch blog started by Myself and Chris "SneakyDreamer" George. I wanted to share "Can-Man" on my blog as well as on the WWCB.

"Can-Man" actually went through quite a bit of an evolution. While the basic idea I had for him stayed constant, the degree of realism in the drawing changed drastically. The original was a rendered pencil drawing, one that I like very much, but I felt it was missing something. After a day of rough sketches, I was able to pair down what I really enjoyed about the original, and carry it over into the final incarnation of "Can-Man". And here he stands before you, in all his unwashed glory. I hope you've all brought clothes-pins for your noses;)

**Updated** I took Kano's very wise critique, and applied it. Thanks Kano!

Guitar Hero!

2006-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

A quick sketch of Percival jammin'. He's the lead guitarist of his punk band "The Demonical Eye-Sockets". Yeah. They're not big fans of the name either, but it's transitional baby!

I'm really starting to like this character, and I've been conciously thinking about a way to incorporate him into something larger. He may look psycho, but he just wants to be loved. Maybe someday he'll find it.

Tear.

Godzilla Flies!

2006-08-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

I've been busy training my new puppy all my fine, fellow bloggers out there, so I haven't been getting to my drawings as much as I would like to right now. I promise you that I've got some great stuff waiting to be tightened up, colored and posted, but until then, please enjoy this quick sketch of Godzilla flying.

And yes, Godzilla flies. Trust me on this, I know my Godzilla.

More Percy the Punk.

2006-08-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Another sketch of Percy that I had a blast doing. I attempted to color it, but when it was all said and done, I felt the sketch had more power than the final colored piece. I have a full body sketch of Percival in the works, and if I'm happy with it, I'll conciously tighten it up for final color.

Anyhoo, hope y'all like!

Oy! Switchblade Punk!

2006-08-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

His real name is Percival, but don't ever let him catch you saying it aloud, unless you'd like your ribs full O' knife!

Just having fun sketching and color experimentin', with ol' Percy being the direct result. I may have something for him to do in the future:) I like 'im!

Anger Demon!

2006-08-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of high energy sketches, trying to break out of my "Work Mode" and attempting to get back into my "High Focus" gear, and the method that was taught to me by my college instructor James McMullen. I truly feel that these two sketches are truer to how my thought process and style when I'm not conciously trying to over simplify or mimic another artist I admire. I know this guy looks like a demon, but when I drew these up I was angry and trying to capture that specific energy on paper. I guess this guy would be my Anger Demon:) When I decided to add color to the full body sketch, I wanted to keep it very minimalist in terms of how I laid down the color, as well as under polished. I just wanted it to feel flat and have a rough quality to it. The black word balloon was something that just popped into my head at the last moment and I really liked it visually in my head. If I draw this character again, he'll always be spouting out hate filled rhetoric, spat into the air through a black, noxious cloud;)

Godzilla!

2006-07-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

I love Godzilla. Ain't nothing cooler:)

I was sketching the other night, doing a semi-realistic take on "Big G", when I stopped about halfway through. I just wasn't interested in what I had so far, so I decided to go in the other direction and think of him in the simplest shapes possible. One quick blue line sketch later, there he was.

The tip of my PITT brush pen is getting slightly frayed and it produces wonderful results when inking a drawing. It somehow manages to inject some life and personality into the sketch instead of robbing it of that energy that a super clean, sterile line usually does. Inking this was a joy...

The color was almost a throw-away at first, but as I started working into it, I was immediately pleased with how it was coming together, so I wanted to go full steam ahead. Using a sloppy photoshop brush, I painted the Japanese letters that make up the name "Gojira", and went in with a tighter brush to give it that bloody, dripping feel.
I briefly toyed with the idea to make the final look sort of like a well-worn paperback book cover, but my attempts fell flat. I decided to stick with the simplicity of the final, which I felt was stronger anyway.

Hope you guys like:)

Johnny Satan

2006-07-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ol' Johnny Satan. The image of his devilry came into my head so clearly, I had to get it down on paper as soon as it popped in there. After furiously sketching with my trusty ColErase dark blue pencil, there he was. It's an almost exact translation of how I saw it in my minds-eye. Possibly a first for me as far as I can recall.

While I was drawing him up, his backstory swirled around in my skull. I haven't worked out the bulk of the details, but here's what I've got thus far. Hell is in an uproar. Satan has gotten lax, and his demons have had an uprising. An army of the damned, led by the dark demon mage Golgothon, defeat Satan and cast him out of hell. Golgothon, an especially spiteful demon, banishes the Lord of Hell into the body of poor little Johnny, on his 13th birthday.

Oh the humanity.

Now little Johnny exists in a small pocket of what used to his own mind. Satan now faces the greatest challenges of his immortal life. Bedtime by eight o' clock? Do your Homework before watching TV?? BROCCOLI & BRUSSEL SPROUTS instead of ice cream?!?! Satan must fight through the drudgery that is his human prison, and find a way back to his realm, even if he's got to set Earth ablaze to do it!

I wanted to wait until I added color to this before posting, but I was happy with the ink line and wanted to share. I'll post the color once I'm happy with the color choices I decide on for Satan and his prison.

Oh yeah, before I forget, All images and ideas are © Michael Mucci. Thenkew!

Mohawked Spider-Girl

2006-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

I inked both drawings with my PITT brush pens, which I love more than life itself. The pose of Spider-gal in action was my conscious attempt to break out of my usual three-quarter head sketch that I ALWAYS do when I design a character. The sketch had so much energy; I really wanted to take it to a finish. Originally, this piece was only supposed to be simple grey tones, but I decided to be adventurous and attempt to color it using my Design markers. Working with markers has almost ALWAYS resulted in failure for me, and I seriously almost gave up on the drawing at least three times because of my inability to control the subtlety of working with the medium. Imagine to my extreme shock that I wound up with a finished design that I’m incredibly happy with. I scanned her into Photoshop, added some level tweaks, and mimicked the look of white colored pencil on the black part of her costume using a spatter brush. My original work with the colored pencil just looked too haphazard. I wanted more control and Photoshop is ideal for experimenting and being able to fix something straight away if it’s just not working.

The Spider-gal blowing a kiss was the first sketch I did, and I really enjoyed the attitude in the drawing, but I lost a lot in the ink and slight color experimentation with markers. It’s a fun drawing I wanted to share regardless.

Mythos

2006-07-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a good year or so since I've visited these characters, and I think it was much needed. As an artist designing characters, sometimes you can hit incredible mental stumbling blocks during the process. I've found, especially when I hit one of these design blocks, that I just draw in circles, never coming up with anything truly new in the design for a specific character. Victorian was one that I hit upon immediately. Revisiting him with this new sketch, some new facial feautures just came out in the sketch naturally. It was almost like he was waiting to be commited to paper again, eager to show off his new look. He's gone a bit grey at the temples too:)

Marsh was ALWAYS a problem. I designed so many different looks for this guy it was ridiculous. He's inflicted with the "Innsmouth Curse", and doomed to become a Deep One. That's a sort of giant walking fish demon. The time off did me good with him. I finally feel like Marsh has finally been created. I was happy with this rough sketch and decided to play around with some digital color. I took it a step further by adding Marsh to an old postcard I found online, fooled around with the levels, added some grain and there you go. A sort of period piece of the time the story takes place, of Marsh visiting his old home town, where he was an up and coming young physician.

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the new sketches of these guys. With luck and perseverance, someday they'll see the light of day in a full story of their own.

X3 Mystique

2006-07-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Casually doodling at work sometimes produces a tiny little gem of a sketch that I like, and want to take to a finish. That's why most of my stuff is usually just floating heads. I've got to conciously try to break out of the "safe" way I approach a drawing, and start getting into dynamic, full body poses. Anyway, I sketched this little Mystique head that I really loved, and felt it had a great attitude that I was able to keep all the way through to the finish. I did this the same week as our X3 movie screening, and feel that the movie version of Mystique is WAY cooler than how she's portrayed in the comics. Blasphemy, I know, but movie Mystique is a sexy, blue bad-ass.

I'm proud of my digital coloring on this little piece as well. It was one of those rare moments where it all flowed pretty effortlessly. The only thing that could have made it that much better, was to have a full body shot. Ah, well. There's always next time.

They Live!

2006-07-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

The John Carpenter classic "They Live" was re-introduced to me by CG, and even though the clips he showed were awesome (8 minute fight scene, I'm talking to you), the Aliens were pretty damn cheesy looking. What the hell were they? Why did they just look like humans without their skin? Not good enough, says I.

Anyway, trying to think of something fun to sketch and these guys popped into my mind. I really liked pushing their design a bit more, making them creepier, edgier, yet maintaining the classic look that was represented in the film. I have a full body shot in the works, but it won't be done before the night is up. I'll post it when it is, you lucky dogs you!

Maya & Ebonyc

2006-07-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

My good friend Chris suggested I start posting some more artwork on my blog, so that's what I aim to do!

Kano, my brother from another mother, was gracious enough to want to include my artwork, based on his character "Ebonyc", in a showing he was putting together. I was excited, and honored to be a part of it, and worked up this finished line sketch. But when it came down to adding colors, I floundered quite a bit, and was never able to hit the right style I wanted to achieve. Too many starts and stops, and months down the line, it still sits unfinished. So, I thought I'd share what could have been.

Pa Ingalls rocks.

2006-07-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

So I've recently re-discovered "Little House" due to the fact that Sanja records it daily with our DVR. I've made a realization, watching some of these episodes again, that Charles "Pa" Ingalls is the coolest, most bad-ass TV Father in all creation. For instance, there was this great episode Sanja and I watched over lunch, where Pa went to "Learn" a bunch of bullies that recently came to town. Well, these cretins promptly threatened Pa's wife, Caroline, while she made her way to market in Walnut Grove. Well shit, Pa will have none of that! He races on over to the bullies shack in his horse and buggy and gives them What For! First he smashes one of the guys in the face with a chair! Right across the kisser! It was awesome! Then, he promptly lept onto the other guy and started whalin' on his face somethin' fierce. I'm telling you, and you'd do well to believe me, Pa Ingalls could punch out God. He's THAT cool! AND he can play the fiddle!

I'll keep you all updated on all the cool things Pa does as they come. You'll be a richer person for it.

Spidey III will punch your Genitals.

2006-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen the teaser trailer for Spider-Man 3 yet, please to be finding your way over to apple.com/trailers and get a joyous eyeful please. This movie is going to be so good, it'll be like a swift kick in the genitals. I use "Genitals" as opposed to "Nuts" because I honestly feel that women will experience the swift-kick awesomeness that Raimi will bring us in the third installment of ol' web-head, just as much as us guys will.

If, for some odd reason you see it and it doesn't, get help. Your genitals may need a complete overhaul.

Zing!

2006-07-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was amusing. Me after roughly three and a half cups of coffee swimming around the ol' bloodstream. It's a bit hard to see in the shot but I'm actually vibrating my molecules through Dimension X due to the caffeine.

Lovely!

Sunday Brunch

2006-07-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a nice lazy Sunday. Sanja and I decided to take it slow, so we went over to one of our usual spots for brunch. Astoria is packed with fantastic places to eat, and our apartment is perfectly situated to take advantage of each and every one of them. Locale is a great restaurant that opened up roughly 2 blocks from our place. They have an excellent menu, affordable, with incredible food. I felt like taking the ol' digital along for the ride, thus you get some photos. Enjoy!

Nothing like a hot cup o' joe to get one going in the early afternoon!

Locale baby!

Making the magic happen in cup number two!

A nice artful shot of our table. Heinz ketchup has never looked better!

Sanja drinking her coffee, as seen through my empty mimosa glass.

When I'm bored my Gal gets drawn upon.

2006-07-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

I drew a tattoo on Sanja's shoulder whilst she played PSP, then quickly snapped off a digital photo before she was any the wiser. Just kidding. She let me do it. Duh.

Apologies for the blurry photo, but what did you expect? I'm no friggin' Anne Geddes.

I fell asleep watching "Capote"

2006-07-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

It started out innocently enough, with honest intentions to want to watch a film about a lisping Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in the title role of Truman Capote, as he befriends a murderer to create the first non-fiction crime drama in human history. But somewhere inbetween lisping performance #1 and lisping performance #25 I just konked out. Next thing I know, I'm awakened by lisping performance #232, which, to me anyway, signaled the end of the movie. It was fine. Sandy and Chris were nicely wrapped up in the film, and they talked at length about it, as well as shared exasperated exclamations during some of the darker parts of the movie. I will say this though, the round of "Capote" imitations that burst forth after the movie ended was briliant, and so much more uplifting than the movie itself. Next time you're with friends I suggest you give it a whirl. Just issue forth with an earnest, lispy performance of your own, and watch your friends or loved ones light up with delight at how utterly ridiculous a person you happen to be.

Next time I happen to be in the prescence of "Capote" be it on DVD or Cable TV, I will gird my loins, practice my lisp, and try very, very hard not to enter dreamland.

But I promise nothing.

HEY!!

2006-02-23T17:14:00.000-08:00

Keep quiet over there or I'll paste ya one Kano! I'm drawin' somethin' fer you and it's takin' up all of my available time!

RAAARRR! MOOCH SMASH!!

More Sanja

2006-01-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

Another quick sketch I drew at work today inbetween projects.
I really love how this one came out. It has just the right personality that I was hoping to capture.

**Click the image to enlarge it for a better view**

I'm off now. Very crazy day today and I just need to crawl under the covers and get me some sleep!

Sketchin' Sanja

2006-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend is a riot. We commute to and from work together during the week, and she always has me laughing at the things that she says.

I've been toying around with the idea of doing a short series of strips based on some of her observations. During a break at work today I did a quick sketch of her and how she might appear in the strip. I'm pretty happy with this quick take on her because I feel it captures her spirit, her innocence and her sly sense of humour.

I'll probably tweak it once I sit down to do the strip, but right now it's a decent start!

Plastic Seduction

2006-01-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

One would think work was safe.

Seems my Jessica Alba figure has been entrancing my co-workers.

Managed to snap off a pic. before she pretended nothing was up.

Zip back up, you Saucy little tart you.

Everybody do the Dinosaur!

2006-01-12T20:20:00.000-08:00

In the world of designing for 3-D products, the drawings I create have to be clean and precise. It's strange because what I draw professionally is very different from the art I create at home.

Here's a dino head I drew for a project that I was pleased with and I figured I'd share it. It'll be cool to see how much the sculptor sticks to my original artwork.

I discovered this by accident, but if you click on the drawings or photos I've posted, you can see a nice large, high resolution picture of it. What are you waiting for dammit? Do it!

Taking the Plunge!

2006-01-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

My girl and I, the very lovely Sandy, are taking a huge step in our relationship and moving in together. I would be worried if she wasn't the coolest, funniest, most un-selfish and loving woman I've ever been in a relationship with. AND she's a fox!

PLUS she loves video games! Hot damn!

Wish us luck:)

Coming to a crop circle near you!

2006-01-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Well, since I am an artist, 2006 is the time to get off my ass and share some of my work (daily if I can) on my blog. This year I'm hoping to break through the limits and weaknesses of my artwork and truly elevate my skill and career.

Alien: The wise-ass. He's a blaster toting, foul mouthed, deadbeat from another galaxy. He loves cheap cigars and even cheaper women. He'll steal a pie right off of your windowsill, the bloody bastard.

Robot: A Destructo 2000 Death-bot. He's a war machine that loves potato chips, deep fried oreo cookies and kittens.

To eat.

Go figure.

Hopefully I'll be doing something creative with these losers soon. Maybe in a short strip format. Haven't decided as of yet.
I'll keep you all posted!

Oh yeah, Robot & Alien, their Images & Ideas are copyright Michael Mucci 2006. Thenkew!

Technical Difficulties.

2006-01-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I had shut out the ability for folks to make comments.

Goddamn technology.

Y'all can make comments on my idiocy now.

All 2 of you.

To make up for it, please enjoy some before AND after photos of a chinese jello dessert.

Yum!

Hey Brother!

2006-01-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

My Brother is 30 today! Show some love and help congratulate him on his 30th year on planet Earth!

Happy Birthday Tim!

I know what you're all thinking and to you I say "For SHAME!". He is NOT my clone who happened to be artifically created in a hidden lab roughly 3.5 miles east off the coast of Rangoon.

Whatever would give you such an idea?

Swag Mooch Wants.

2006-01-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

I'm fighting the fever. I want this statue but it's so damn expensive. There is NOTHING sweeter than a giant ape fighting a giant dinosaur. This statue is like my childhood personified.

Monsters fighting monsters. Awesome.

Maybe I'll wait until I can see this in person. Then, when the urge strikes, I'll padlock my wallet, throw it into a giant safe, weld it shut and drop it into the Hudson River.

Hey Now!

2006-01-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's been rough the past couple of weeks. Y'see, my mornings have a ritual. Some folks wake up and head straight to the can. Others snap awake at the sound of their alarm, promptly silence it, and snuggle back under the covers for a few more minutes of precious sleep.

Me? I turn on the Howard Stern show. I've been listening to Stern in the mornings since 1992. At least I did. Howard and his crew have left terrestrial radio for the censor free airwaves of satellite radio. I, like millions of other listeners, bade him farewell on his last broadcast this past December the 19th. It was an emotional, but triumphant last show.
I knew I would follow Howard and the gang to Sirius at some point, but didn't know when. For years, I've been popping Stern on and enjoying his program, BUT on FREE radio. Satellite is a pay radio service, very much like cable, and I couldn't decide if it was worth getting just because Stern was going to make his new home there.

Well, Happy Birthday to me.

For my 31st birthday (which is on Christmas Eve) My Brother and Sister completely blindsided me and gave me a Sirius satellite Radio. I promptly set it up as soon as I got it home. It was insanely easy to activate and I opted for a year's worth of service.

Tonight I came home and flipped on Stern's channel. And to what did my wondrous ears did appear? But the lovely sounds of Howard busting out a LIVE REHEARSAL SHOW for all of us to hear!!

It was amazing and I got a rush that I didn't realize I've been missing since he went off the air weeks ago. I sat down and was glued to the radio for the short time he was broadcasting, smile plastered across my face, hanging on every wonderful word that spilled forth into my room.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and Howard signed off. His show premieres on Sirius satellite radio this coming Monday, January 9th 2006.

And I'll be there, to add Stern back to my morning ritual.

It can't come soon enough.

Party Over Here!

2006-01-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

To ring in 2005 to 2006, We decided to throw a New Year's party with some of my closest friends. Sandy (my girlfriend) and I made a TON of food and got the place in order for everybody's arrival. I whipped up my award winning recipe of spaghetti and meatballs (handed down by my Grandmother), and as far as I could tell, it was a bonefide hit.

The party went full force and booze and chow was consumed in mass quantities. It was the first official party we've had in the place and we've been here close to a year and a half. It was great!

After the ball dropped, we toasted to good health and great friends, then cranked my Sirius satellite radio to whatever channel had the best ass kickin' musak. Everyone danced wildly until folks passed out onto the floor (or jumped up and down on my couch in some cases!)

All in all, It was a pleasure to spend the New Year's with my loved ones and close friends. I hope everyone out there had an equally wonderful New Year. I've said it before and dammit, I'll say it again:

Happy Bloody New Year!!

Happy Happy New Year!! 2006 Baby!

2006-01-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hey now!

New look for the New Year. I don't know if anybody comes to my little slice of heaven on the internet anymore, but my resolution is to tackle this daily, even if it's something minute.

Hope everybody's New Year was a happy, fun and safe one!

By the by, if you're all still out there, shoot me a comment so I know I have an audience out there who's still interested in my rants.

Peace to all in 2006!

My Girl Loves Katamari!

2005-08-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

If you own a PS2 and haven't picked up this charming little game, then you should be dragged out of your home in your robe and bunny slippers and beaten to death with a couple of 10 pound bratwursts.

This game is a hell of a lot of fun. The jist is you're the Prince of the Cosmos, son of the King of Cosmos. That deadbeat dad of your's has gone and smashed all of the stars out of the sky and it's YOUR job (thanks pop) to roll up a crapload of junk on earth to re-form the twinkling little gems.

It's addicting, it's funny and the music will have you humming aloud as you roll your Katamari around Earth trying to grab anything and everything it gets big enough to handle.

It's since bewitched my girlfriend.

Send help.

Please.

I am NOT a SLACKER Kano!

2005-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

So there.

I've ended my streak of blog-less entries.

I hope I can keep the momentum goin' though.

Must...write....in....blog....

Red Bull RAMPAGE!

2005-05-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Work, work, work. Not only has it been insanely busy at the job, but working on my addition for our first anthology book "Panel 4!" has left me with almost zero time to spend on my more frivolous pursuits. Like, hmmmm, updating my blog? How does one stay focused during such an intense work schedule all 5 of you out there ask? Well allow me to lay down some knowledge on you, as those rap fellows are so fond of saying.

Red Bull. Liquid energy in a can! The nectar of the Gods. Sure it looks like fizzy piss when it's in a glass with some ice, but after you've pounded two cans back to back, you can wrestle a charging rhino, take him out with a toothpick and still have enough energy to take revenge on that rogue elephant that killed your parents so many years ago in that dark, neon stained alley.

I've been mainlining this stuff for about 2 weeks straight now, and the pile of cans that have been building up near my drawing table have been incredibly inspiring. In my Taurine fueled haze I can almost imagine little Red Bulliputians building a city out of those slender, silver cans into the image of their consumer. I can hear their chants now. Drink! Drink! Drink!

And who am I to deprive them of their deepest desire?

Dizzy? Feverish? Throat swollen shut? You've got Strep Throat!

2005-05-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

So I woke up yesterday morning, insanely groggy with an intense stabbing pain in my throat. Upon reaching the bathroom I realized with horror, that I was going to start throwing up. As I filled my bathroom with the lovely sounds of my own bile pushing it's way out past my teeth, I realized it was probably going to mean another trip to the Dr. for me (I had the Flu a couple of months ago, which was no picnic either.)

This couldn't have happened at a more inconvenient time. The amount of work I have on my plate both at the 9 to 5 and here at home is mind-numbing, and to be out of commission for 2 days leaves me with some serious catching up to do.

I have a 1:40 appt. to see the Dr. and once I fill the prescription, it's on to the road to recovery. But it's back to work for me tomorrow, highly contagious or not.

The only bright spot for me yesterday through pain and feverish chills was my girlfriend coming by after work to bring me soup and some movies. I know alot of people say it, but I mean it. I am the luckiest man on the planet to have found this woman. Love you Sandy:)

Oh, and, Shazam. Had to temper the tenderness with something silly. Just wouldn't be me without it.

What's your price?

2005-05-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

A new little feature I decided to do based on the endless amount of "what-if's" I always pose to my GF and friends.

For 10 million dollars, would you eat a small bowl of fingernails soaked in pickle juice?

For 25 million dollars would you give up a limb below the joint? The arm below the elbow perhaps? Or the leg below the kneecap?

What's your price? Sound off people!

Teen Angst! Shitty Top 10 Pop Garbage! Lobot!

2005-04-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

With 2 new Star Wars television shows in the works, I have my fingers crossed that we'll FINALLY get to see Lobot get his due.

My bald friend has been living in the shadow of Lando Calrissian for waaaay too long.

50 fun and true facts about Yours Truly!

2005-04-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Again, following my Brother's lead, but it was so much fun to do, I couldn't resist.

1) I understand and can speak very basic Japanese.

2) I used to torture my brother by imitating the sounds of his dying guinea pig when we were children.

3) I think David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” is one of the most heart-wrenching films about mortality, disease, love, jealousy and loss that I have ever seen.

4) Before I go to sleep I always think that if the world were to suddenly flood, how would I swim out of my room, and what would be the quickest and easiest way to get to the surface.

5) I am a die-hard movie soundtrack and classical music lover. I know next to nothing about popular music and classic rock songs.

6) Sometimes when people are talking to me and I don’t want to talk with them, I dig my keys into the palm of my hand and focus on the pain instead.

7) I am extremely moody and can go from happy to annoyed in about 2 seconds flat.

8) I think "Empire Strikes Back" is the only good movie out of the Star Wars saga.

9) When I was in elementary school, I stole a classmate’s transformer out of his desk. I calmly walked back to my seat and his it behind some books. When he came back and realized it was missing he ran from desk to desk accusing people of taking it. He looked into my desk but didn’t see it. He walked away crying. I never admitted it. I’ll never forget it.

10) I used to tease my little sister by telling her that gorillas raised her before we adopted her into our family.

11) I love the movies “Cherry 2000” and “Charlie’s Angels:Full Throttle”

12) I think Lucy Liu is hot.

13) In high school, before a party, I rolled up some oregano and parsley joints to hand out at the party to see if anyone would smoke them. A group of stoner friends took them off my hands early in the evening, and by the parties end came up to me and told me that it was the worst weed they had ever smoked.

14) The only movie that makes me cry is “Radio Flyer”. It reminds me of how close I am to by brother now and when we were growing up. At the end when they’re saying good-bye to each other, it’s Niagara falls every time.

15) I am a die hard Howard Stern fan and had him sign my copy “Private Parts". He was very funny, gracious and nothing at all like his radio persona.

16) Oscar-award winning actress Anna Paquin once sat on me during the X2 DVD release party. I didn’t mind. About 2 weeks later, as I was walking to the subway, she went running past me.

17) When I asked out my first date in high school, I was so happy that she said yes, I ran outside and exclaimed, “I feel like I could lift up this whole house!” to my mother and brother who were folding up cardboard boxes in the backyard.

18) A stripper once asked me for my number.

19) I hate, hate, hate anime with a white-hot passion.

20) When I was little, I wanted to be an archeologist after I saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark". My dad was kind enough to inform me that’s not what the job entails. My dream job was dashed before my very eyes.

21) My favorite book is "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells.

22) I am a die-hard Dinosaur fanatic and considered becoming a Paleontologist.

23) I started a fight between two kids in my high school mechanical drawing class just to see if I could do it.

24) I do not read the newspaper or watch the news on TV. I am incredibly ignorant as to the goings on around me in the world.

25) I once got stuck spending an entire day with an ex-girlfriend's father as he ran his errands. It was a nightmare.

26) I hated gym class so much in high school, that I used to have friends sign fake notes for me to get me out of having to participate.

27) When I worked at MTV on "Daria", I hid my name in one of the backgrounds. It’s in the finished episode and it’s only noticeable if I pointed it out to you.

28) Adam Sandler movies make me laugh.

29) When my brother and I were little, we left a library book out in the rain. When my mom found the warped, ruined book, she told us that the library police were going to come to get us. Two more frightened little kids you've never seen. We took the book and threw it into the eves of our attic thinking that if the library police couldn’t find it, then we were safe.

30) I think "Batman Returns" is superior to "Batman".

31) In college, I had an ex that worked in a bookstore and she gave me a bag of alarm sensors they stick in books. I proceeded to walk around the mall and drop them into as many bags as I could, and my friends and I laughed as we watched them set off the sensors and search frantically for the cause.

32) I am notorious for teasing my friends relentlessly, but for some odd reason they never tease me in return.

33) I am incredibly impatient and wish death on those who cannot get out of my way fast enough on my walk to work.

34) I am extremely wary and do not trust people I meet for the first time.

35) I am good friends with comic superstar Joe Madureira. Once when he left his room to answer a phone call, I walked over to his "Excalibur" pages and penciled in some fur on a monster he was drawing. It remains my earliest published work.

36) I love Christopher Walken and think he should be in every movie ever made.

37) I almost got into a fight in junior high school over a 20-sided die.

38) I am a white knuckled flyer and absolutely hate getting on an airplane.

39) While eating at a restaurant with friends, a waitress tried to pick me up, saying that I was her type because I “Looked like Luke Perry.”

40) After Batman came out in ’89 I had a frightening obsession with the Joker.

41) Towards the end of my first serious relationship, I used to pick fights just to end the night early.

42) While walking to work I’m always thinking of either of these scenarios. That the crowd rushing towards me is an army of orcs and I’m cutting them to ribbons, or I’m a Jedi Knight cauterizing limbs left and right. I do not imaginary kill women or children though.

43) I sometimes wish I had a mechanical right arm.

44) I hate most celebrities with every fiber of my being, but am addicted to celebrity rag magazines like Star and In Touch.

45) I think "Hudson Hawk" is an extremely funny film.

46) I’m a sore loser and have thrown tantrums in front of friends when I’ve lost at deathmatches.

47) I think the ipod shuffle is cooler than the ipod.

48) The Bionic Woman was one of my first crushes.

49) I can’t stand the smell, or taste of most alcohol and have to be in the right mood to want to drink at a bar.

50) For the past couple of months I have had at least one Nuclear War dream a week.

I'm Shuper HIC Man!

2005-04-27T04:11:00.000-07:00

As my little brother pointed out, this is the reason why "Superman III" was the best of the lot.

I'm putting this on a t-shirt.

"Up, Up and...uh...just one more for the road....."

Mola Ram for President

2005-04-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

And let's not forget the vice-presidential candidate:

Lo Pan.

2008 can't come soon enough.

Mutated Monster Mayhem

2005-04-13T22:36:00.000-07:00

Joy of joys!!

It's concept work again for me this week and I don't mind saying that it's my favorite thing to tackle here at the ol' 9 to 5.

The task set before me you ask? Did you ask? You didn't? Well I'm gonna tell you anway:

To "Monster-up" some of the core Spidey villains for a proposed toy-line. To be perfectly honest, the chances for this getting approved is slim, but I'm going to stay positive and draw my ass off to help sell this concept. I'm never one to shy away from mixing it up and trying something we haven't done yet with the characters in relation to a viable, and profitable, toy-line.
These are the oppourtunities that allow my imagination to run rampant. Oh the humanity!! Oh the fun!

I already have a Venom designed and am quite happy with it. If the project gets nixed I'll post the artwork as soon as I can.

Toby! Toby! Toby!

2005-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

My Girl and I had the pleasure of watching Ben and Angela's little pooch this past Saturday for a few hours. Being a cat person, I got some serious firsthand experience in how much work and attention is needed to care for a dog, even for one as small as Toby here.

The day was alot of fun though, due to Toby's temperment. He's quiet, he's cute and he's a blast to chase from room to room if only to watch him bound around with endless amounts of energy.

If dogs could read, I'd say "Cheers Toby, you're welcome back anytime mate."

But they can't, so to hell with it.

Anung Un Rama AKA Hellboy

2005-04-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Check out this sweet baby.

Working in the toy industry, I try to keep up on as much new product being offered by other companies as much as I can. Mezco is one of the best smaller market companies out there. The toy licenses they aquire and the justice they do to those licenses has to be applauded. The sculpts are beautiful, the paint applications are masterful and the packaging design is top notch.

Who is Mezco you ask? Well, they've released 2 toy-lines based on the feature film version of Hellboy, and shortly after the films success, got the green light to go ahead with a line based on the Hellboy comic books created by uber-genius Mike Mignola. And if that picture doesn't get you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, Mezco has a 12" version of Big Red in the works as well! Guess I know what I'll be spending my cash on!Bingo!!

DJ Jibba-Jabba

2005-04-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

Can't leave Ben out there all by his lonesome. I kicked off the evening by singing an incredibly white bread version of Eminem's hit song "Cleaning out my Closet."

Just be glad you weren't there people. Your ears would have begged to be shot. But check out how I hold that microphone Yo!

Gangsta!!

Benjammin' Fontaine

2005-04-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Ben Caldwell.

Artistic Genius.

Unquenchable thirst for Human History.

Lover of vintage 70's Luke Cage comic book covers.

Rock and Roll to the fuckin' bone. A group of us went to have us some Karaoke on Saturday night, and Ben tore the roof off of the sucker with his rendition of "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. It was the funniest damn thing I had ever laid witness to, and have to give Ben due credit. He kicked that songs ass and then some.

RAWK on Benjammin'!! RAAAWWWWKKK!!

Project from Hell.

2005-03-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm drained.

I'm doing some conceptual artwork for a future feature film of another Marvel Comics character and it's just been kicking my ass since the middle of last week. It's not that it's particularly hard, it's just the way we're going about marketing the character through product that's incredibly boring. I'm counting the minutes until Thursday's meeting so it can all be said and done.

I don't know about the rest of my fellow artists out there, but if I'm not feeling a project it's difficult for me to throw 100% into it as hard as I might try. It's like pulling teeth. I feel like I'm wading through tar and every stroke of the pencil is a monumental effort.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Thursday I get to jump back onto a project that I provided concepts for last week. It was a thrill to work on and the energy and excitement I had over the project helped me turn in two pieces that the powers that be flipped over. They're going to be the first two figures in a new launched figure line and I'm very proud to have been able to put my stamp on these characters. The sculpts come back soon based on my artwork and I can't wait to see the translation from 2-D to 3-D.

I wish I could post some pics, but it's all sensitive material. Maybe sometime in the future, once they've been released.

Mrs. Butterworth, Matriarch of Evil.

2005-03-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

I want you to take a moment and take a good look at this picture I put before you. Just look at it. Is there anything in there at all that says "Oh! Hello Dear! My name is Mrs. Butterworth! And I desire nothing in this world other than providing you with a sinfully sweet confection to help make your breakfast experience more pleasurable!"

I didn't think so.

This is a tool of evil. Take a long hard look at the smooth features of the bottle. Notice the complete lack of emotion? Congratulations. You're one step closer to breaking free from this demon from the 9th level of hell.

I'd bet money that when the safety of the sun has set, and the shadows of darkness creep their way in, Mrs. Butterworth climbs out of her cupboard of hate, slides her way off of the counter and across the kitchen floor and goes promptly up to your bedroom where you dream peacefully.

There, she slurps up your blood, which fills up in her dark plastic body. Once inside, her demonic powers twist it into the sticky sweet substance you willingly pour onto your pancakes the following morning.

You, poor, poor deluded fools.

Thumbs up for Dracula!

2005-03-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

Good news! I came through our first official meeting for Dracula relatively unscathed. Ben has really liked what I've done with the adaptation and feels that I have accurately captured the flavor of the original novel. He also acknowledged that the elements that I've added that don't exist in the novel, really compliment Bram Stokers classic story. That made me feel pretty good as well.

We're going to shuffle some things around for dramatic impact and some of the incidental characters will be cut completely, but other than that it's good to go. I await Ben's e-mail that'll contain my new direction on tightening the draft and I'll start adding dialogue.

I truly can't wait to see it when it's finally finished. My name on a novel in book stores across America makes me feel all tingly inside. Fingers crossed that these are successful and that Ben gets to do more. I'm dreaming I'll get to adapt one of my favorite novels of all time. "The War of the Worlds!".

And no, it doesn't have Tom Cruise in it thank god.

Told you Godzilla rocks.

2005-03-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

The photo speaks for itself.

Although, I do have to point out the insane amount of glee that kids father seems to be having.

Hope he likes paying psychiatry bills.

Scare yourself Shitless.

2005-03-25T22:49:00.000-08:00

"Tales from the Darkside".

If you're a child of the 80's, like I myself am, then you know the show well. The creepy music, the sinister narration and a walk through claustrophobic woodlands completely put you in the mindset that you could, quite possibly see something in the next half hour that could scar you for the rest of your natural life.

This little bastard is that very thing.

This hellish episode from "Tales from the Darkside" titled "The Attic" centered around a cute, preppy college student, who rents out the attic of her Professor's home.
Ok. Fine. It's bad enough the room happens to be the attic, but ok, she can deal, the Professor is nice, and it's a lovely short walk to campus and...and...*sigh*.

I digress. Long story short, she's terrorized by this little albino monster that lives in, BIG surprise , a tiny little door next to the wardrobe in the attic. Hello?!? First clue something's not right is when there just happens to be a tiny, creepy little door in the corner of the room your renting!

So, this monster comes out, leaps on her back and breaks her neck. Then creeps down the stairs, ready to attack the Professor. At least THAT'S what they MAKE you think is going to happen.
Until you realize, that this crazy little red eyed, pale skinned monster IS HIS DAUGHTER!!!
That's right!! He picks her up, cuddles her and takes her back upstairs to her room.

I'd just like to take this moment and thank "Tales from the Darkside" for all those wonderfully sleepless nights I had as a result of viewing this exquisitely produced half hour OF SHEER TERROR.

Put a stake in Dracula, he's done.

2005-03-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

So, 120 pages later and I'm done with the outline for the "Classics Illustrated" adaptation of Dracula.

I'm quite pleased with the finished manuscript and I feel like I've got a solid foundation to start working on the first draft of the script. That's right folks! 2 weeks of solid writing only gets you a rough outline! Now the real work begins!

I'm taking the good ol' LIRR to Port Washington tomorrow afternoon to meet with Ben. We're going to read over my outline, discuss what changes in story and structure might be have to be made and then I've got to get right back to work on it.

"The Blood is the Life!"

Astro Boy's got nuttin' on Me!!

2005-03-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

Check out that swoop yo!

The dude who cut it wanted to give me a mohawk, I swear to God.

Me.

With a mohawk.

No freakin' way.

Best. Picture. Ever.

2005-03-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Jumping Jesus, someone has to fast track this into a television show STAT. It's got Superman. It's got a Robot.

And my god, they're shaking hands.

This picture just makes me all kinds of happy.

It's cool because I says it's cool!!

2005-03-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

I have an almost unnatural love of Godzilla. Yeah, yeah you guys know Godzilla, don't even pretend that you don't. A dude in a giant rubber monster suit fighting another dude in giant rubber monster suit, whilst smashing miniature versions of Japan, New York, or wherever you might call home, into oblivion. So as I wait in anticipation for the last installment of Toho's long running monster suit series "Godzilla Final Wars" to make it over here to the states, a buddy of mine brought this lil' guy home from his recent trip to Japan as a snack to tide me over for the big meal.

How awesome is this? You can remove his Godzilla head to see the little dude inside. But the best part, oh man, the best part is that he dances!! Push that little white button on his base and he'll shake his body to 1 of three different songs stored in the base. Whenever I need a shot of inspired lunacy here at the job, I put this sweet baby to work. Makes me smile every time!

Keep your chubby little fingers crossed that we see this villain in Spider-man 3 folks. This here is my finest creation. See, there's alot of toys here. MOUNTAINS of toys in fact. So every once in awhile, we all get this destructive urge to start cutting plastic and playing Frankenstein. Take one legendary rock star, add some Doctor Octopus tentacles on his back, and Huzzah!! He's ready to face off against that pesky wall crawler with menace in his eyes and a song in his heart!
Ah-huh-huh!

I need a haircut. Bad.

2005-03-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

It's a mess, I know. Birds have nested in there somewhere.

The Electronic Devil Ball.

2005-03-23T09:24:00.000-08:00

Working in an office that requires you to try out all sorts of different toys sounds like fun, right? It's cool, right?

Well not when you come face to face with Satan discretely disguised as a "20 Questions" electronic ball.

It' s all well and good when your co-workers are giving it a whirl, getting steadily more creeped out as nobody could best the damn little thing. But as it slew the thoughts of one person after another, I knew I had to challenge it myself.

I cleared my mind.

And thought of the most random thing one could possibly think of. The word "Vampire"
As I punched in the yes, no or sometimes answers to each question it asked me, I knew that I had it beat. The questions were so vague, there was no way it could have guessed what was locked away in the dark recesses of my mind.
I answered the last question. The devil ball calculated. And smugly declared, with all it's stupid electronic sounds and glowing red lights, the very word I had sworn it could not guess.

VAMPIRE.

This thing is not made of plastic. It does not contain a computer chip, with wires and a cute lil' LCD screen. This thing was forged in the fires of hell itself and spat upon our world.

If you see it DO NOT TOUCH IT. RUN AND GET HELP. Perferable a man of the cloth. Get him to throw holy water on it or something.

We must destroy it! We must smash it to smithereens!! We must kill it before it multiplies!

Adapting is hard work kids!

2005-03-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I realize I'm one lucky son of a bee-otch. Ben Caldwell of Action! Cartooning, Dare! Detectives fame was kind enough to ask me to adapt the seminal work of a one "Bram Stoker" and a little novel you may or may not have heard of, DRACULA! That's right! You heard me suckas! THE Dracula!

Needless to say, I've never thought I'd ever see the day where I would know Dracula inside and out. God, that sounds perverted. I swear, I've never touched the guy. Honest. I'm just writing. WRITING dammit!!

Trying to whittle down a 512 page masterpiece into a 120 page illustrated novel is ALOT harder than I ever thought it would be, but I've been up to the challenge. I've also been having a blast picking and choosing what goes and what stays while trying to stay true to the feel and overall structure of the book. I can only hope I'm doing Mr. Stoker proud. There are times though, that after I've written a couple of pages, I just looks down at it and think "Did I just write that? I don't even remember throwing that down there." Perhaps Mr. Stoker guides my hand from the afterlife. Or maybe I should stop huffing "Scrubbing Bubbles."

I'm happy to say I've reached page 100 tonight with 20 pages to go. Only 20 more! Oh, Oh, who ever thought 20 could be such a beautiful number??

If you stumble across this page and would like to check out Ben Caldwells work, hit up www.daredetectives.com.
The man's a genius! Shazam!