Month: July 2009

Last year, when Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) invited Scott Kurtz and I out to give a lecture, we had the good fortune to get to know Professor Jeremy Mullins. Jeremy was instrumental in bringing us out after hearing one of our talks in San Diego, and could not have been a more gracious a host once in Savannah. He gave up his own days off to ferry Scott, myself, and our families around Savannah…showing us the sites that only locals would know, touring us around SCAD’s facilities, talking shop and cartooning technique with us, and sharing a few meals and many laughs.

Jeremy invited me into two of his classes to give the students critiques and feedback on their work, and I could tell just how highly Jeremy’s students thought of him. He really gave them his all, as a teacher…really did everything he could to fire them up about cartooning, give them the tools they needed, and prepare them for the real world. It was an honor to share a classroom with him.

Last month, SCAD, myself, and everyone who ever met him were shocked and saddened to hear about Jeremy’s untimely death. It really broke my heart in the way that only a young death can. Jeremy had so much life stretching before him: So many projects of his own to work on, so many students left to teach, so many things large and small to tackle in life. He will be greatly missed. And yet, there’s some comfort in knowing how many students there are who are better off for his presence in their life.

Jeremy was always thinking about his students. Always thinking about how he could give them real-world experience in an industry that rarely presents younger cartoonists with those opportunities. When I was at SCAD, Jeremy asked if I’d be willing to take in an intern from among his seniors or grad students…and I happily agreed. One, because Jeremy’s energy was infectious, and two, because I myself was given a wonderful internship by Mr. Bob Kittle of the San Diego Union-Tribune when I was young, and I feel a real responsibility to pay that good will — that kindness — forward. Internships can be a wonderful, eye-opening thing for a young artist. It was very much the case for me.

This is a long way of saying that, thanks to the energy of Professor Jeremy Mullins, I’ve been happy to welcome Cari Corene into the studio for a three-month internship. There were many wonderful applicants for the internship from Jeremy’s students, and it was impossibly difficult to choose beween them. But Cari’s written statement and subsequent interview stood out. And her art style is really quite wonderful: The grace of European cartooning infused with the funkiness of Japanese manga. Cari, you’ll be happy to know, colored this Sunday’s strip…and will probably do a few more before the three months are up. (If you like her work on Sunday, take a second to let her know. I’m sure she’d appreciate that.)

It’s fitting, I think, that one of the last things Jeremy did was help make this internship happen for Cari. He really worked to bring the cartooning world to his students, and his students out into the world…and this is such a nice example of that.

Jeremy, you will be missed.

SCAD, by the way, has set up a special arts scholarship in Jeremy’s name. If you’d like to support a future artist in their studies, here’s the information:

For more information, call the institutional advancement department at (912) 525-5868.

Because, let me tell you, after watching this guy come within an inch of his life — and not even blink — I am amazed.

In contrast, to get a picture of how I would’ve reacted, you’d need to imagine Daffy Duck, with his tail on fire, being chased by flying piranhas, over a series of low-rolling hills off into the horizon. Accompanying by that Three Stooges sound effect that Curly used to make: “A-whoooo-whoo-woo-woo-woo.”

Mark this down in your calendars: The book launch party for the next Sheldon collection “Living Dangerously (With Saturated Fats)” is coming August 9th, from 7-10 PM, in Beverly Hills, at the very cool Crescent Lounge (see below pic). It’s free and open to all Sheldon readers, family and friends…so come on out!

Will there be free drinks? YES. Will there be free sketches? HECK YEAH. Will there be free high-fives? YOU BETCHA. Will there be much awesomeness? ONLY IF YOU ATTEND. THIS CAN NOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH. 🙂

EDITED TO ADD: Folks asked for address, etc., so here you go: The Crescent Lounge, 403 N. Crescent Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 – (310) 247-0505. Here is their site, and here’s a Google Map you can use for directions.

I’ve put together a one-page, printable “Guide to San Diego Comic-Con” for folks coming to the show. You can grab the full-size image by clicking HERE.

The guide lays out all the basics:

Where to go: Booth #1228

What you’ll find: All the Sheldon stuff, including two convention exclusives… 1.) Advance copies of “Living Dangerously With Saturated Fats” and 2.) A special print called “Anatomy of a Pug”. Here’s what it looks like:

(Click HERE for a larger version of the print.)

What talks I’m doing:Two of ’em, one Thursday, one Saturday.

What freebies we’ll have: As a special “thank you”, the first 100 Sheldon purchases come with a FREE “Dilly Duck” print. BAM. That’s how we roll.

What other freebies we’ll have: And, of course, I’ll be givin’ out free sketches and “2009 Commemorative San Diego Comic-Con High Fives”…both of which are pretty rad.

The One Thing You Need To Do: If you’re hoping to pick up Sheldon Original Art at the discounted convention rate of $25 off, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE e-mail me with the date or description of the strip you want. I can’t bring all 3,000 strips to the show, so I need to hear from you! Thanks!

For anyone who has driven over the incredible Hoover Dam, you know the process can be a little tedious. Your car first cuts back and forth *down* to the dam, then across, then cuts back and forth *back up* the other side…all in snail’s-pace traffic, and all in 118-degree heat.

I still laugh thinking about how my friend Dave Scales and I once got into a huge argument in that gridlock and heat, arguing about biofuels or presidential history or some such thing that you only argue about in extreme heat.

But! That ridiculous argument needn’t have happened, had we been driving over the Hoover Dam in 2010. Check out the engineering behind the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge.

Sadly, this guy with the painted belly seems to show up at every large parade I’ve ever gone to on the Fourth. Bless him: The spirit is there, but the canvas leaves much to be desired.

For those in the States, I hope you have a happy 233rd Fourth with family and friends. In fact, I hope you’re reading this note on the fifth and didn’t turn on your computer once.

And a personal note to my three friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan this Fourth — and to all those doing the same — be safe, be well, and thank you.

I have a question for the non-American Sheldonistas in the house:

If I was to attend one international comics convention somewhere in the world in 2010, where would you suggest I go?

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1.) It would have to be a show that’s welcoming toward American-style, black-and-white strips written in English. For example, French/Belgian shows and Japanese shows probably would be less in love with that style of comics.

2.) Is there already an audience of Sheldonistas in that city/region? If you suggest Amsterdam or Auckland or Alberta, we can check it against the website’s server logs and see how many readers come from that area.

3.) Would the costs to get there make it impossible to attend? For example, a show in Sydney’s going to be a leeeeettle more expensive than a show in Vancouver. 🙂

4.) To that end: Does your suggested convention sometimes invite international cartoonists as “Guest of the House”? That would help defray some of the costs to travel/stay.

Anyway, suggest away, below! What comics convention would you recommend for “Sheldon”?

Attention, Baltimore residents! Attention, Baltimore suburbanites! Attention, people who live within a totally comfortable drive to Baltimore!

Team Sheldon* will be rolling in to the 2009 Baltimore Comic-Con on Oct. 10th and 11th!

So make plans now to come out, say hi, get a free Sheldon sketch or two, and take in a really fun comics convention!

* Calling it “Team Sheldon” makes me chuckle. It makes it sound like there’s gonna be one of those guys with a t-shirt gun shooting Sheldon t-shirts at the crowd and asking if they’re “pumped”.