Spring Heeled Jack 2

Well, the fine folks at Sparkle Comics have just released the second issue of "Spring Heeled Jack." I did both the art and writing for this comic book and it was originally self-published back in 2006. Enough time has passed that I'm almost able to read the book disinterestedly... almost. The artwork is worse than I remember but the storytelling, although heavy-handed and self-conscious, among other faults, isn't as bad as I feared. This is certainly not something that will survive the ages, but it does provide a quick and inoffensive diversion. Jason Gilmore did the stunning color for the cover. I cannot praise him enough. Juliet Fromholt did the print formatting. I remember only printing a few copies of this issue in 2006 since I had a terrible time getting the pages aligned for printing. Her accomplishment amazes me. And Matthew Brassfield, Sparkle Comics' editor-in-chief, is the one responsible for this reissue. He's planning on releasing other pre-Sparkle works by the other Sparkle Comics staff. They're sure to be a delight! You can see all the Sparkle Comics' released titles by going to www.sparklecomics.com.

Christ and Child

Kathy and Sarah do not care for this piece. Their criticisms start with how awful the baby looks and then spread out from there to the very edges of the paper. I was fully aware of some of the image's weaknesses while working on it, but I'm stunned to see an additional million-and-one mistakes suddenly revealed in reproduction. Yet, in my defense, if one starts correcting all of one's errors, then at the end of one's life there will be nothing left but an overused kneaded eraser and the faulty memory of a paper that long ago disintegrated beneath countless erasures and layers of frantic redrawing. Life is short and one has to decide what to cling to and what to let go. For a heavy-handed and moralizing example, wouldn't it be pathetic to waste a life fiercely clinging to passion yet abandoning compassion, to being swallowed whole in a crazy emotional maelstrom caused by transitory events and silly ego, to be "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" while rejecting that which is our eternal birthright: things sublime and noble? Wouldn't it be sad to think so little of ourselves that we give up on being humble, merciful, sacrificing, forbearing, forgiving and loving for... for what? Someone else still loves us despite and through all our failings. Maybe someday we'll grow up enough to be guided more by Him than by our own spleen.

Black Jack

Another Sparkle Comics comic book I had a hand in creating. The cover is lettered and colored by Jason Gilmore, the story is by Matthew Brassfield and the print formatting by Juliet Fromholt. The signatures you see are my fault: I forgot to scan the cover before I asked some people to sign it. The title character is a comic book superhero from the 1940s, now in the public domain. Matthew has brought him back and placed him in the present day. Black Jack's antagonist on the cover is a real person, New Jersey horror host Halloween Jack, who kindly gave Sparkle Comics permission to use his likeness. Jason, Matthew and Juliet did a wonderful job on this comic book and I had fun drawing it. If you would like to purchase a copy you can order it at www.sparklecomics.com.

The Conversation

There's not much to this. It's just a small representation of a universal reality.

Spring Heeled Jack

Matthew Brassfield, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Sparkle Comics, wanted to release, under the Sparkle Comics banner, old pre-Sparkle comic books (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) created by members of the Sparkle family. "Spring Heeled Jack," a comic book I did many and many a year ago, was selected as the inaugural issue of the Sparkle Comics Classics line. I'm very proud of that. I'm also very proud of Juliet Fromholt's print formatting. Although the original book was created with no concern for standard comic book size she's managed to get each page to fit perfectly in the margins. She even imbued each panel with a professional sharpness and clarity that didn't exist in the original artwork. I'm also very proud of Jason Gilmore's magnificent and eye-arresting coloring of the cover. I cannot say enough about both Juliet's and Jason's abilities and expertise. Oh, and should you be interested in this book, you can order a copy at www.sparklecomics.com.

Sarah in a Rare Moment

To go with yesterday's image, here's a view of an older Sarah originally posted on an obsolete site. It's proof that she did sleep when she was young, if only for five seconds out of the day.

The End of Civilization

It was twenty-three years ago this month that Sarah descended upon an unsuspecting world. As a doting father, what can I do to embarrass her on this special occasion? I know! I'll dig out a drawing I did of her twenty-two years ago, showing her in all her glory! Please  ignore that awful right eye and other fiascos. Although Sarah has changed a great deal over the years, I've yet to see much of me in her, physically or in personality; but I can certainly tell she inherited her mother's cheekiness.