breakin the beast

new mini comic comin soon. I've been lousy busy for the holidays but I've been able to experiment with watercolors a bit. I did a little painting in college with them, but much like the key of C major, it's hard to make not feel sort of lame. I just think of geriatric nazi sympathizers wasting away on an Argentinean beach painting scrawly penguins on the beach...or is that peru with the penguins? So this is a cover, Kate and I sitting on some weird nest being folky. Moar to come!

scatter

I've just been reading Cecil and Jordan in New York Stories by Gabrielle Bell. Her stories just make my mind explode. They're so quiet and painful, and beautiful.

I'm now officially a regular at the fuel coffee. I was dubbed so yesterday when the teenage barista greeted me with my order (before I asked!) and a wink that lets me know that my daily habit of ordering a 2 dollar thing and holing up in the corner of their store all day is A OK! As you all may know I'm rancidly (not a word) insecure, so I spent the next couple hours wondering if I'm that creepy, musty smelling guy you see at every coffee shop, screen pointing away from view, rapping and clicking away with chipped coffee stained nails, and swearing about socialism. You know, that guy.

Here's a couple more Girl With A Black-Hole For A Brain pages. I realized that I never really read cartoonists blogs that have pieces of their work, I much more prefer to see some completed pages and usually pass over the various sketches and wot not. The exception is Gabby Shultz, Joseph Lampert , and Sam Bosma, because everything they do it gold! There That's my weak attempt to make friends with them, flattery on the internet. Thus I conclude my scatter shot submission this week!

the real

Here's the first Gospel Tug Benson anyone's seen in a while! So that's cool.

I just got back from a brief trek to NOLA for some filming for the movie The East, a strange indie romp into the tofu and gasoline soaked world of a radical anarchist cell. Actually I think it might be slightly more well considered than that... They just filmed for a couple hours ranting about the state and the church, stuffed me full of hummus, and threw me back on to a plane. So what insights do I have about this my first foray into film? Have my deeply overcompensating convictions about capitalism in entertainment been shaken after rubbing shoulders with film stars and directors? Have I traded my spotless image as a @ by playing one on the bug screen? Probably. To honest I vowed to auction my authenticity the moment I shook Ryan Gosling's hand just to be near him. No no no, I feel a little dirty about the whole thing and will likely donate all my earnings to the Raging Pelican in penance. Feel free to do the same.

Speaking of reaches at the real, I wrote a small article the latest Raging Pelican about the struggle of ARA and people of color in the NOLA occupy movement to get issues around housing, police brutality, prisons, education, and whatnot, heard by the rest of the occupiers.

A lot's happened in NOLA since I wrote the article. The population of homeless folks spiked in the camp, the city kicked the occupation out and then was forced to let them back, and the radical black community seems to be working with the occupation more and more. That last bit is particularly heartening, since an occupation in NOLA is nothing without the hard working folks of color in the city. ANYWAY, if you wanted to hear by bleeding liberal cries you would've just read the article.

"Hey Ben aren't you an cartoonist, why haven't we seen a comic in a hot minute?" you say.

Well the answer is that I'm up in New England, surfing the tundra on my drawing table and swaying to the sound of npr born world music and mom's schemes to infiltrate the catholic church so that I can bring you a bevy of completed shining tomes! We're nearly done with the first issue of The Midnite Hours, written by the really amazin B Clay Moore. I've been slaving away (SLAVING!) on a mini series written by Rory McConville called The Girl With A Black-hole For A Brain, pages of which I will post soon. For now you must continue to bear with my spotty communication with you all and in time I will come through! I guess.

It's been a couple weeks since I landed here on the far reaches of Western Massachusetts-ia, home of maple candy, shoe buckles, the eye-roll, and vague compliments. All things considered (also invented in Mass...that's right, NPR reference.) things are goin well, I have plenty of time to work what without NOLA's rolling black outs, biblical storms/environmental calamities, and dwarf directed cobra battles (you didn't know about those?). The thing is though I haven't seen anyone my age in weeks, there are teenagers and there are middle-aged and elderly folks exclusively. When I can get a hold of mom's twig and jesus clad wagon I spend my afternoon's making references that no one gets because I am a generation apart from EVERYONE!

So I stay in my tower diligently scrawling toons and writing songs, my only respite from the dull hallow Berkshires. More comix soon, Here's an interview incase you didn't catch it(LOVE ME!!!), and don't forget you can holler at a copy of NOBODIES, which is an ill anthology with some DAYGLOAYHOLE(in color:0) as well as several other great comics by amazing artists.

Okay okay, that's enough from me.

Oh wait, one more thing.

Walking after mid-nite

I'm in the chilly Berkshires again for my annual "this is why I live in the south" tour. Someone pointed out that most artists are crap blog writers, so I promise to up my game a bit. Failing that I promise to continue to keep it brief.

I got a review in a punk magazine recently that described DAYGLOAYHOLE as full of "bone-head violence." This was said several words after the critic compared me to Brian Lee O'Malley, which was confusing enough, but was a punk magazine critical of mindless violence? I don't think I understand punk rock anymore, aren't we supposed to be into smashing junk? It may be time for me to readdress my identity as a waning bitter scenester on the fringes of post-punk tomfoolery. Pardon me while I burn a kennel full of doe-eyed fawns in contemplation.

ANYHIZZLE, you'll be hearing more of me as I have nothing to do but scrawl in a dusky corner and update the blarg. Above is a penciled page from the Mid-Nite Hours mini-series.

Daddy's Rich

Ben spent a helping of his fest cash on a brand-new tenor banjo, because as it turns out I'd rather have a collection of silly instruments than teeth or a physical. It was nice walking around with a roll of cash for a little while, and by nice I mean terrifying. I think I blew it just to get the target off my back. Anyway, here's another page from the as yet unnamed comic Rory and I are calling Summertime.

livins easy

Just finished working at Fun Fun Fun Fest. I know right? My buddies Nick and Shawn (I think that's how she spells it...) hooked me up with the gig. I spent almost a week in cloud city, sipping red bull and eating free meat. Needless to say I'm in recovery. Jay has me on strict diet of cool blue grass and hot sarcasm. I'm way behind on all my projects, but never fear, I will be hammering out comixness in a couple days when I get up to Western Mass.

summertime

pluggin it

quick plug, you can grab a copy of NOBODIES 1 from the drawmore inc. It's an anthology of comics by an amazing group of artists and myself.

Summerime

Here's a character sheet for a new 12 page short I'm working on with writer Rory McConville. The story follows a poor farmer, who steals summer from the rest of the world for himself.

More later

I've been participating in occupy nola for the last couple days, I'll have more previews and junk later.

Nobody's interview

Here's some pencils from Girl With A Black Hole For A Brain that will never be inked. I like to see an other artist's pencils sometimes, so I thought this might interest somebody. I particularly like to see pencils for artists working with a writer. I always feel like my penciled pages look like a shit storm in a hell hurricane (wow am I caffeinated.) and they'll never be able do figure out what anything is supposed to be.

Here's an interview of me talking about comics for the Drawmore website, which is the same crew putting out the nobodies anthology I submitted to.

Hopefully I might have something cool to report about Tug, well see.

Mid-Nite

As promised here's a preview from The Mid-Nite Hours mini-series written by B. Clay Moore.

The Girl With A Black Hole For A Brain.

Long title for a short four part mini-series I'm working on with writer Rory McConville. I thought I'd post a few pages from issue one. Obviously they're not lettered yet, I think we're looking for a snazzy letter. PS, I'm usually looking for a snazzy letter. I like to letter my personal projects, my crappy lettering usually works for DAYGLOAYHOLE but lacks the proper polish for something like this or the Mid-Nite hours. Speaking of the Mid-Nite Hours, I'll be posting a little preview of that as part of my new effort to post almost everyday if not everyday. Hopefully this effort won't devolve into a ramblethon about the crack down on bandit signs in the gentrified neighborhoods or such some business.

woops

Forgot to include this page in the comic below.

I'm gonna have some previews from a couple other projects tomorrow. See you then.

movin on up complete

OW man

Kate got me a small watercolor set so I'm committed to getting good with paint. I'm not really much of a painter, it's a bit of a source of shame (not really.), here's not being more legit.

DAYGLOAYHOLE at NYC Comic Con

hell-oh folks

As faithful readers (as I'm sure you all are.) know I got a couple pages of DAYGLOAYHOLE in an anthology called nobodies. Other than myself this is large squad of fantastic artists contributing to the book. Anyways I wanted to let ya'll know that the nobodies table will be at booth number 3040.

Toronto: because you care despite yourself

Hey folks, I finished up my travel comic from my trip to Toronto a couple weeks or so ago. You can check out some pages on my esty.

Crescent City Comics

I did this for Crescent City Comics for a tshirt. It was pretty satisfying doing something for an awesome comix shoppe.

I've been working on finishing up the script for the Gospel of Tug Benson, so there will be new pages for that soon!

As always you can holler at book 1 and 2 on my etsy.

A Hostel Comic

I just got back from T-Dot, and man, do I live in a hot ring of heck! Haven't been posting a bit in part because I've been workin on music, but the other day I found this band Other Lives . It turns out they're making the music I wanna make. I happily burned my guitar and went back to NOLA. So, forget music, it's back to comics! I'm reading the above comic tonight at the Antenna Gallery, I'm sure faithful readers have already seen these. It's last minute I know, but if you're in the neighborhood you should check it out.

The mini-comics from my Toronto trip will be done soon, I'll ket ya'll know about when the time comes.

B

toronto

Hey folks,

Sorry that it's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm in toronto for a couple days and I decided to make some travel zines.
I'll post more about it later.

movin on up

hey hey hey

I made a poster for an event here in NOLA, it's like ah Sailor moon/ goony guy. I'm sure I'll see one of these next parade season.

I'm selling the original ink drawing of this on my etsy, I'll probably color this and have some prints of that available soon.

This is a page from a 5 page short I'm doing that's going to the nobodies anthology. It should be out for New York Comic Con, so it will be there even if I won't. (frown)

The Gospel of Tug Benson Book 1 reprint

I did a new run of the beginning of the Gospel of Tug Benson. I combined chapters 1 and 2, as well as a full colored version of the introduction. There it's for sale along with some posters, a DAYGLOAYHOLE mini comic, and Book 2.

movin on up

here's the cover for issue 1 of DAYGLOAYHOLE, check out my etsy tomorrow I'll have copies for sale there.

DAYGLOAYHOLE IN DAS INK!!!

new mini-comic comin, I thought that I'd preview some pages from it. Also, I'll have some pages in a anthology coming out this october called NOBODIES, you can see some preview pages of mine and the other really talented contributers at drawmoreinc.com.

Three Years and counting!!!

Run When We Come

I might color this later when I've got some time.

I just spent a whole day running off some reprints of issue two.

there's copies and some posters for sale on my etsy site.

Kill Kill Kill The Poor!

I've been wailing away on some other projects. One that I'm pretty stoked on is a series I'm working on called the Mid-Nite Hours, that's written the the very talented B. Clay Moore. The story follows a group of creepy people fighting creepier people. As a totally unsatisfying preview I posted a couple pages of thumbs for ya. These are tighter than I usually do, they'realmost ready for ink.
Anyway, shameless plug, I have an art show at Fuel in Great Barrington, MA. It's all DAYGLOAYEHOLE stuff! WOWEE ZOWEE!!!
The snow should be melted by now, so you can save on sled dogs.

Here's a couple of the latest pages from Tug this month.
This is part of Delia's back story. There's more to Delia than simply being Darsey's abused girl.
Go here to read from the start of this chapter. For Delia's first appearance go here.

And for a little more Delia magic go here. To learn all about Darsey's "fun" antics you'll have to start from chapter one and read through, he's a joy, and by "joy" I mean he enjoys making people suffer. So there's that.