Remembered Loquaciousness

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Inanities

Evolution

No this post isn't so much about the movie with David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, and Orlando Jones, but about the comic itself. As I perused some old panels I noticed an much higher level of chaos in the drawings. The barrier of the traditional comic panel is breaking down. I don't know if this has to do with any breakdowns in my general state or with a breakdown in the need for order, but the breakdown is there nonetheless. (Funny that the latest panel, Trip-Ups of the Field, also makes mentions of breakdowns.) I wonder if that blurring of the drawings is confusing to the viewer? Any one have any thoughts?

Madness with technology, and the newest panel.

Things have been a little bit strange here at Quiet Adventure HQ. We've lapsed in our promise to you dear reader, and though we have had issues with an HP scanner that refuses to scan 1-bit images, we (mostly) refuse to use that as an excuse for our tardiness. But alas the delay has still affected your reading enjoyment, and for that we profusely apologize.

Without further ado, here is the latest panel in the ongoing misadventures of our bearded hero.

September-Job Hunt

I would like to apologize for the lack of an August strip. Real life kind of got in the way. But that possibility was always there due to a very jam packed July. But we are back on schedule for monthly First Friday postings. Enjoy.

The Beauty of Comics

Today I received this link on facebook from NPR's (culture?) blog monkey see. It talks about the greatness of comics. It really focuses on when words and art combine to create a balance and don't step on each others toes, so to speak. The writer goes on about great examples of comics & graphic novels that succeed in making this fine line work. It's something that I will admit, I struggle with, and I hope that I have been successful in walking that line.

August

I mentioned before that there would perhaps be a delay in the release of and August strip. And there likely will be a delay. I have recently returned from a nearly month-long honeymoon (proceeded initially, as these things often are, by a rather lovely wedding) and am a bit behind. If the strip is not added by this friday, I will hopefully have it up by next week. My apologies to all.

Metro Pulse Q&A

So yesterday I received a set of questions from the Metro Pulse for the July 9th all comics and puzzles issue. It was your standard short "get to know you" type of questions, and I tried to answer them to the best of my abilities. Anyways, I don't know if there'll be any editing to fit on the page, but I don't think that there should be too much as I did try to keep things fairly succinct.

See my answers after the jump----->

So, who are you? (keep it brief)

At my most basic, I am an artist. A painter by training and inclination, I also dabble on the web, with video, and with comics. I’d like to say that I am a musician, but that would be an utter lie.

The pen-and-ink style you use is reminiscent of artists you might see in
Drawn & Quarterly or Fantagraphics comic books are there any comic artists that are particularly important to you?

Early on I was a big fan of the big superhero comics, particularly Jim Lee and his work on X-Men. But this kind of work draws much more inspiration from Robert Crumb and Keith Knight. I’m also a big fan of Aaron McGruder’s work.

Would you say your comics are autobiographical, or rather based on characters you see around you?

The comic can be autobiographical. Some of the story lines have been taken from things that have happened directly to me. But some of them are observations of things that I see around me. I try to stay attuned to what’s happening as almost anything can be mined for a line or story.

Your main character (is it you?) is sporting the long-beard look that's so
popular these days. Why do young men today want to look like
turn-of-the-century Appalachian coal miners?

The main character is not me, but a stand in for me. Perhaps that’s the same thing. While I have been known to sport a beard, I don’t have the same flowing locks from my head. I’ve often wondered why so many folks sport that look, and I have been at a loss to explain it. Maybe it’s an attempt to capture a macho/manly aura. I’m much too sensitive and artistic to be considered macho, so maybe sporting a beard is a substitute for that? Probably we all just want to look cool.

When composing these, are you trying to evoke stories or moods?

These are about moods. I don’t fret too much about coherent story lines or development of character. I think they are about guttural emotions and reactions to a strange, complex, and often misunderstood world. But they’re not about pointing out specifics or about finding solutions to any of that.

Do you ever worry whether readers will "understand" them?

I never worry that anyone will or will not understand them. In fact, I go into the entire enterprise assuming no one will understand them. I think that they have merit based on their sense of emotionality. The mood they set coupled with the drawing makes them interesting even if one doesn’t understand what is happening. I believe that there are some people that will get them, and those that don’t can rest assured that there is a madness to my method.

Dissertation-July Comic

News

Very exciting developments here at Quiet Adventure HQ. I have been chosen as one of the artists to participate in a soon to come all comics issue of the Metro Pulse. I will also be interviewed (as I am sure all the other artists will be) so there may be some words in there by me. Apart from the words in the comic of course. So keep an eye out in late July early August.

Also I have finished the July panel, and will be posting it up on July First Friday.

There may be a delay for an August strip as I will be spending July getting married and honeymooning. I will keep you up to date on that as I get more information.