New Site!

Hey All-

My new site http://www.whimsicalnobodycomics.com/ is up and running! It's fully updated with all the old posts from this blog and has some new features including a PayPal store. The store has most of my comics including Watermelon and Relics.

I'm one shy of 200 posts on this site, but time to say farewell I guess. Who knows. Maybe I'll still update this thing once and a while. Adios and check out the new site!

WT

Relics Review-Optical Sloth

Hey All-

So the first review is in for Relics and I'm quite pleased with it! In the note I sent in with the comic I indicated that I might be taking a break from auto-bio comics for a bit, and I guess that was possibly interpreted as me saying that I wasn't going to be drawing comics at all for a while. I was probably too vague. What I meant was that I wanted to branch out to some other genres. But I plan on drawing auto-bio for sure. In fact, I've already got some stories in the works...


Review: http://www.opticalsloth.com/?p=20751

MoCCA Recap

Hey All-

So I just got back from MoCCA this past weekend, and it was a blast. It was nice to catch up with other artists, meet new cartoonists, and talk to the public. Plus some of my homies stopped by and got an introduction to the wackiness of the comics world. Anyhow, I have a bunch of minis that I'm just starting to read. Two that I've really liked so far are Box Brown's Chubby Chasers and The End of the Fucking World series by Chuck Forsman. I also picked up Yoshiro Tatsumi's In Fallen Words at the Drawn & Quarterly table, which I'm eager to start.

Also, non-MoCCA related, I just read Aaron Whitaker's first graphic novel, The City Troll.  It's a really entertaing read and I suggest you check it out. I met him and his girlfriend Melinda Tracy Boyce at APE back in 2009 (my first con). They make some super cool stuff.

Anyhow, that's all for now. The new site will be up pretty shortly.

'Relics' Finished!

Hey All-

Relics just came in from the printer yesterday and I'm so happy with how it came out.

Once the new website is up and running, I'll put it up in the shop. I'll also be selling it at MoCCA this weekend.

MoCCA Fest 2012

Hey All-

If you're in the NYC area this upcoming weekend, you should definitely check out MoCCA Fest. There will be tons of comic book artists showcasing minis, comics, graphic novels, prints, etc. I'll be tabling at E13. Waiting on my shipment of Relics, which will hopefully come in today. I'll also be selling some prints.

Here's the link for more info: http://www.moccany.org/content/mocca-festival

Yay!

DDDW #1

Special thanks to my homie CW for her help!

Fancy Words for Foolish People

ECBACC 2012

Hey Folks-

I just got accepted into the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention in Philly on May 19th. If you're in the area you should stop by!

For more info check out their page: http://ecbacc.com/wordpress3/

Winehole

Stank

Anatomy of a Wedding

Doomsday Preppers

Adult Time

Hey All-

With Relics being sent off to the printers, it's on to new stuff. I'm working on pieces for two anthologies and going back to my minicomic roots with my next one, Adult Time. No, not THAT type of adult time, but you know, growing up and stuff. I thought this would be appropriate, as most of my homies and I have "real" jobs now (although I'd rather be drawing all day), and with that "real" responsibilities. Fun. Here's the first installment of 'Adult Tom'. If you haven't seen any of the previous ones, here are three to start you off:

Risotto
Pope
Vampires

Habibi

Hello All-

    I had written a few posts ago about how I wanted to briefly review Craig Thompson's Habibi. I know it's a bit after the fact, since it came out last year, but I read it this February since I was so busy trying to finish up with school this past fall. Excuses, excuses. My review is quite simplistic, but I wanted to give a few thoughts.

   

    Let me just say that I loved the book. The art was remarkable, the writing was solid, and the subject matter was intriguing. For those of you who don't know, it follows the relationship between Dodola and Zam, two child slaves, who both struggle with physical transformations and separation from each other. They are eventually reunited after several years of trials and tribulations, only to grow into a new relationship with each other. Put simply, it's a love story, but one that deals with many types of love. Set in a fictional Arab land, the story is rich in Islamic and Christian parables, history, and imagery.

    Overall the graphic novel has been very well received. There have been a few complaints made though. The first was that it was too long and in some ways self-indulgent. I don't agree with the self-indulgent part, because if I had the time and ability to make something like this, you bet I would go all out. I can somewhat see that it was a bit long (672 pages), but I think this is a minor complaint.

    The other complaints concerned the "troubling" use of orientalism and the hypocritical objectification of Dodola. Some have argued that the Islamic and Arab characters portrayed are stereotypical and somewhat racist. Others believe that some of the male characters, such as the Sultan, are particularly violent, and that the harem is not acurately portrayed because courtisans may have had more agency. Dodola, who experiences an early (childhood) arranged marriage, sexual exploitation, and prostitution learns to use her body as a means of survival. Dodola is a complex female protagonist,  but some argue that it is this fact conflicts with Thompson's constant rendering of her as a sexual being.

    I don't have a very competent argument to defend against these accusations. All I will say is that I thought the book skillfully addressed many hard hitting topics such as slavery, race, gender, the build environment, exploitation, survival, adaptation, and love. In a way, the style of the book, including the aformentioned complaints (as well as the bits of humor thrown in) reminded me of some of Osamu Tezuka's later and darker works, such as Ode to Kirohito, MW, and Ayako. I don't know if this comparison has been made before, but that was immediately what came to mind.
    Both deal with larger societal problems, such as the degredation of the natural environment in the case of Habibi. Both have a way of sexualizing the main female characters, such as in Ayako. Both deal with some cultural stereotypes, such as Tezuka's portrayal of American, specifically African-American, GIs. Tezuka's lines are much finer compared to Craig's brushwork, but the layout and composition seemed similar to me. These statements could be totally ignorant, but again, this is MY perception.
   Anyhow, if you haven't already, READ THIS BOOK. It's awesome. I can't wait to see what he does next...even though it may be a while.

'Watermelon' Available Through Domino Books

Hey All-

Watermelon is now available through Domino Books. Domino also started carrying Onesies over the summer and has a great variety of international and domestic comics. Check 'em out!

http://dominobooks.org/watermelon.html

'Relics'

Here's a sneak peak from my upcoming comic Relics. Hoping to have it ready in time for MoCCA Fest in late April.

'Watermelon' nominated for a 2012 Glyph Award!

To my pleasant surprise, Watermelon was nominated for a 2012 Glyph Award! The category is 'Rising Star Award' to be exact. The Glyph Awards acknowledge the work and portrayal of African-Americans in comics. I'm super thankful and am looking forward to heading down to the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention in Philly. Check out this site for more info on the nominees and the show:

http://www.comicsbeat.com/2012/03/08/ultimate-spider-man-leads-glyph-award-nominations/

Website and Stuff

Hey All-

As much as I love this blog, I will be transitioning over to a website in the next month or so. Just a heads up.

What else?

Inking my new comic, which will hopefully be done by the end of this month. MoCCA Fest 2012 is April 28-29 in NYC, and I will be there (more details on that later), so it would be ideal to have a new comic there, but we'll see.

What else?

Finally finished Craig Thompson's Habibi. My thoughts on it...next time.

WT

Early Mornin' Drawing

At work on new comic...

Walk This Way

Health Care Reform

Hey All-

So the latest museum comic is going well. Will be done pencilling by next week hopefully! Looks like it's going to be around 32pgs.

Moving on, I wanted to suggest a pretty cool comic that I've been reading. I picked up Health Care Reform for two reasons: 1) to get a better understanding of what the heck is going on in health care, and 2) to help me prep for any job interview where I'd be asked about the Affordable Care Act (ie. Obamacare for you conservatives).

So far the book has not disappointed. The artist, Nathan Schreiber did a nice job illustrating a topic that is quite tricky. The heart of the book's strength, though, lies in Jonathan Gruber's writing. A professor of economics at MIT and director of the Health Care Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Gruber played a role in designing Massachusetts's health care reform and has served as a consultant on Obama's national reform. So obviously this book will skew left, which I don't mind, but it's worth pointing out. All in all, it is a very clear and organized approach to breaking down an incredibly complex topic. And most importantly, it is written with the health care consumer's interest in mind.

I think there is much potential for educational comics such as this one and am glad that someone with the know how decided to tackle the subject. Not done yet, but have really been enjoying the read so far.

Museum

Hey All-

Happy Monday, I guess. Back to work, which in my case includes looking for jobs, touching up my health care reform knowledge by reading Jonathan Gruber's excellent graphic novel/comic Health Care Reform, finally learning photoshop, and spending my free time drawing. Working right now on a 32 pg. comic about a trip to a museum. That sounds incredibly vague, but I intend to keep it that way until it's a little closer to completion.

Talk to you soon!

Whit

Mr. President

Happy 2012!

Hey All-

Happy 2012. No, I was not kidnapped by a bunch of hostile clowns. And no, I did not become a hermit in the wilds of Canada. I went on a comics hiatus, because, well it was "adult time". Meaning that I had to gather all of my energy and focus in on finishing my master of public health with the hopes of getting a job...so I can, like, pay the rent and stuff.

A sad hiatus though. I love drawing comics more than anything and now that I am finished with school and have some free time until I find a job (fingers crossed), I will be posting regularly. And I am committing to keep it up, even if I'm super busy because it makes me happy and balanced.

That being said, in addition to my short comics, I have some larger comic projects lined up this year that are in their infancy at this point. Also have a few cons which I will let you know about when they get nearer.

Well, that's about it for now. So glad to be back!

-Whit