My last post talks about how I've not been around and that I would poke my head out publicly at Rhode Island Comic Con as 'proof of life'.  Well, if you were one of those who saw me Saturday November 2 in Providence, I was probably looking more like proof of imminent death! After setting up at the convention hall Friday night I developed immediate and excruciating abdominal pains followed by flu-like symptoms.  Due to the obligations to my non-profit Inkwell Awards and the attending team with fundraising, I went in only to be in agony all day and leave 90 minutes before the show ended. The next morning I went back but simply in order to pack up my stuff and the Inkwell material and explain to the promoter that I had to leave and was going straight to the ER (unfortunate being that I had prepared for days before the show and I had done relatively well that Saturday).  That lead to 13 days in the hospital after being diagnosed with acute diverticulitis (I'd thought it was my gall bladder or appendix).  I've had this problem for over a decade but the flare ups had never been so sudden or painful as to send me to the hospital for what is my first actual admittance. After being hooked up to ivs, starving, allowed only ice chips for much of my stay, taking narcotics for my pain, experiencing nausea and migraines, and experiencing overall misery (that I will save you the nasty details of), a drainage tube was inserted in me to drain the infection from the abscesses and I was sent home last Friday night.  I've been slowly recovering, I'm on solid food again, and I'm waiting for the tube to be removed....shooting for tomorrow at this point.  There is elective surgery being planned for my near-future to remove the problematic section of colon in this drama.  But for now, I'm trying to increase my strength, spirit and work production and return to a semblance of normalcy.  Much thanks to those of you who have wished me well on my Facebook page and elsewhere.  That went a long way.  I will survive;-)

Hi!  Sorry I haven't been around here, friends, but my workload has been pretty busy with that project that I can't talk about. And I've spent most of October being really sick causing me to fall behind in my schedule.  But, I will be attending the 2nd Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence in a week (November 2-3), along with my non-profit Inkwell Awards, so if you'll be in the area feel free to drop by and say "hi" back!  This will probably be my last convention appearance until Heroes Con in June 2014, although if I can sneak out for Albany Con for a day just before that event I will.  I hope to add 3-4 new commisions to my gallery here within a month or so, maybe other site updates. But since I don't expect to be very vocal here for a while with Halloween around the corner, in case I don't get a chance or remember later, I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

With mixed feelings I can announce that my longtime association with Sketch Magazine is seemingly over now after 13 printed 'Inkblots' columns for issues 30-40 and now 42, my final printed one for the publisher Blue Line Pro (5 later columns were posted online at FirstComicsNews, 2 originally intended for the magazine here and here, so I've done 18 in all). The great benefits from the arrangment, initiated by editor, artist and pal Bill Nichols, allowed me to add the position of columnist to my resume and also gave me a format to 'create' The Inkwell Awards concept in issue 35. Unfortunately, there were regrets along the way. My column article names were usually altered, sometimes the wrong titles for the actual feature. Attached files weren't always used. A two-part column was printed out of order with part two first...it took two issues for them to print both parts together to make ammends, minus files. And scheduling was really behind. It took months to years to get particular issues shipped.  One reason for this was due to some personal trauma in Bill's case, leading to him to drop out as editor, placing John Wilson in charge but only for an issue, and then Bill returned. There might have also been some confusion turmoil behind the scenes with the publisher and staff (my emails were not always replied to and if they were, I wasn't feeling the love). Anyway, I don't recall if that's why my column was skipped for issue 41.  But readers didn't realize that many of the articles were submitted years before they saw print as I wrote up several of them in 2006-7. The most disappointing aspect of this relationship was that I only got cover hype on issues 30-32 and 39 even though I was the only regular columnist they had which felt like a snub. And the last issue not only changed my title again but the magazine didn't even lable my column as 'Inkblots', only  the generic 'Inking'.  It's like they forgot I'd been in ten consecutive issues with that label.

So I may not get paid for typing up articles for Rik Offenberger at FCN, but at least I have full control there. Sadly, between personal issues, work assignments and obligations with running my Inkwell Awards, I haven't been able to post anything new there for some time.  But I intend to once I have a window because I still had other topics in mind while working for BlueLinePro.  Another plus from this experience is that early on I asked Bill if I could use my columns anywhere else after they debuted in the magazine and he said yes. My hope is that should time ever allow, I would love the compile all of the articles from both Sketch and FCN in order and make all the necessary edits so that they appear as original intended with proper titles and images.  This book would then be sold via the Inkwell Awards so that all sales would go to my official not-for-profit charity.  That way maybe some worthwhile and longterm good would come from this history.

Due to scheduling circumstances, I am no longer working with pal Geof Isherwood on Heroes of the North's Green Force One: Tsunami series and only inked two issues out of three. Once I am aware that the series is posted online and later collected I will announce that here.

I am finishing up a short 3 page Hellena story for Ian Nichols of Fat Cat Funnies over his pencils. I will also post any info of that when I am privvy to it.

And I have been hired to work for RS Media, LLC but I cannot disclose the details of the project under a non-disclosure clause.  It is, however, intended to be a 4-issue digital series to be collected as a trade down the road....this is apparently becoming a popular business model these days;-)  I will also keep you abreast of that project once I can. But the good news is that 2013 has turned into a productive year for me and I have work lined up until 2014!  More to follow....

For those of you who still haven't seen the results article. Thanks

a lot for voting!