REBELDOG COMICS

Monsters Royale Vid, Kid

2011-05-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Promo video for my upcoming Monsters Royale ebook. Check it!

******

Peruse Some Old Gems While You Wait For Me To Get My Act Together

2011-02-19T08:53:00.000-08:00

All dem old Humdrum Heights strips you remember from back in da day are back up, in original unedited form. I'll get 'em up on the regular website at some point. Sorry for the lack of updates of any kind. I've been fightin' a case of pneumonia/bronchitis since Xmas, lost about 25 pounds, and am just now gettin' back on my feet.

In the coming months, I hope to offer an ebook of some kind for your reading and downloading pleasure. Any opinions on preferred format (ie, PDF, CBZ, etc) are greatly appreciated, so please leave a comment. I want to make sure it's playable on as many devices as possible. Also, what do you consider a fair price for a digital book? Let me know.

Talk to you soon,
AdBeck

30 New Monster Drawings

2010-12-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

Wondering what I've been up to this past month? I just completed the 30 Characters in 30 Days Challenge, which is exactly what its name implies - creators create thirty original characters within thirty days. Approximately 120 creators took up the challenge to create 1800 new characters and generate 74,000 page views last month, with more than 20,000 unique visits. For my part, I worked on some new monsters for my Monsters Royale site, which is a cavalcade of silly monsters accompanied by offbeat poetry. Incidentally, Monsters Royale will be updated frequently in the new year. I'm toying with the idea of coloring all of the monsters, which are currently pencil renderings, probably with water color. No easy task, as there were already over one hundred of them before I did the challenge and now there are thirty more. That's a lot o' painting, scanning, cropping, digital fidgeting, and posting.

Anyway, here's the link to my 30 Characters:

30 Characters Challenge
or alternatively,
Here.

Enjoy!

Free Goon Short Story

2010-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Eric Powell's The Goon appears in an eight-page two-part short story on USAtoday.com. A short article accompanies the comic. Jack Davis meets Will Eisner kinda vibe to his work, if you don't know it. Check it out.

Here's the link:
THE GOON

Blog Clog

2010-09-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just imported a bunch of old blog postings from a separate blog into this one, so sorry if a bunch of junk just showed up in your RSS feed or something. Just ignore 'em as usual! ;)

Joyfulness

2010-07-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

People, I thank you for stopping by. You guys seem to keep finding this blog, even though there isn't too much to see here anymore. Head on over to Rebeldog Comics for comic strips and pointless ruminations galore. The subscriber section is closed and everything is FREE FREE FREE again! There are over a hundred comics there for your perusal, with new stuff on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Also, there is advertising now - so go click on it, check out my sponsors, and thereby encourage people to bid on ad space and support the site. Or take out an ad yourself on Project Wonderful, an advertising system tailor-made for webcomics, and get seen on my site. I'm currently running a leaderboard ad (728px X 90) just beneath the main comics, and it's dirt cheap!

Thanks as always!

That is all.

Two Days Left To Vote For The 2010 Eisner Awards

2010-06-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder to all my cartoonist buddies out there - voting for the Eisner awards ends June 15th, so time's running out. Go here now to take care o' bidness!!

If you're not aware, the Eisner Awards are named after comics legend Will Eisner, and is an awards ceremony to honor outstanding achievement in comic-related endeavors. The nominees are voted on by comics creators, editors, publishers, and retailers from across the industry. Along with the Harvey awards, this is sort of our version of the Oscars.

If you have a comic book/graphic novel/or a webcomic (writers, artists, pencillers, inkers, letterers, colorists), you are eligible to vote!

Not eligible, but curious? You can go here to read up on the awards.

The Rebeldog Comics Website Relaunch Begins

2010-06-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Starting today, new Humdrum Heights strips begin posting regularly over at Rebeldog Comics. So, if you'd like to follow the current storyline from the beginning, here's your opportunity. Get in on the ground floor, before the strip is handed over to talentless children and apprentices who will surely water it down for mass consumption and keep it going long past its time.

I'm your 'toonist, when in need
Want some comics you can read?
You know me, strips I've penned
Drawn with lines thick and thin
I'm your pusherman

Help Box Brown Publish Some Comics

2009-12-12T07:22:00.000-08:00

Comic lovers,
Box Brown, creator of beloved webcomic Bellen!, is holding a Kickstarter event to raise money to publish two issues of a flesh-and-blood hold-in-your-hands comic book. If you don't know what Kickstarter is, don't feel bad, 'cause it's relatively new. Basically it is a fundraising site geared toward creative projects - books, music, art installations, etc. The creator sets a goal dollar amount and various pledge amounts as well as rewards for those pledges - think PBS tote bag incentive - and is given 1 to 90 days to meet their goal. Backers pledge money through Amazon payments. If the goal isn't met, no money changes hands. If the goal is met, the project goes ahead, the money goes out, and dreams become reality. Cool, right? It's a terribly brilliant idea, I think. Long overdue.

So stop by and help Box out. He's hovering around the $1500 mark as of this writing. A mere thousand dollars from his goal with some thirty-odd days left. Let's help him make it happen. If I can get an invite, I will be holding my own Kickstarter event for my book, so let's put some good karma out there on my behalf.

Box Brown's Kickstarter Project

Pages In Sequence, Box Brown's Blog

All images copyright Box Brown.

Toledo Museum Show

2009-11-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

I just heard about this, which just shows how out of the loop I am with my own hometown. The Toledo Museum of Art currently has a free exhibit called Lit Graphic, which runs till January 3rd. The show went up October 3rd and features originals by Robert Crumb, Peter Kuper, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner and others.

'Organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., the traveling exhibition features more than 146 artworks by 24 contemporary graphic novelists and historic practitioners of this ever-evolving art form.'

I am going to check this out and if you're in Ohio or Michigan, it should be worth the drive. The museum is definitely one of the few things Toledo does right.

The New Offering From Crumb

2009-10-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

Everybody,
here's a great Vanity Fair interview with comics legend Crumb, speaking about his new feast-for-your-eyes, The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb. I haven't read it yet, but from what has been said, the book is a straight retelling of the first book of the Bible, no funny stuff, albeit with plenty of sex and violence and some comical facial expressions, etc. What inspired Crumb to take on this subject, I'm not entirely sure. Though it does say something about the world we live in that a serious comic presentation of the Bible is striking people as revolutionary. Perhaps that is because no one expects this sort of thing from Crumb, or perhaps it is because satire of anything religious has become the standard of the day. So why Crumb? And why now? The article doesn't illuminate (but check the preview link below and you'll find the answer), but it does shed light on other matters, such as why Crumb chose to portray God in traditional white beard and robes. At any rate, this is a tremendous achievement on the part of the author - what an undertaking! - and I look forward to getting my hands on a copy. Personally, I always thought the book of Revelation was rife with graphic possibilities, but maybe I just like starting at the end of things. No word yet on Crumb versions of Exodus or Leviticus.

Crumb Vanity Fair Interview

Buy The Book:

Check Out A 12-page Preview From The New Yorker Here

PS - If he'd really wanted to stir the pot, he could have drawn God as a woman and Adam and Eve as chimpanzees.

________________________________________

Cyber-Punks Jump Up And Get Beat Down

2009-10-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Did you know that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month? It is a month that strikes fear into the hearts of Cyber-Terrorists, Hackers, Spammers, Pornographers, Chain Letter Writers, Pop-up Creators, Pop-under Pushers, Malware Meanies, Spyware Spreaders, Spam Bots, Viral Worms, and other assorted Nefarious Ne'er-Do-Wells of the Notorious 'Net.

Won't you please do your part to help the cause? If you run across one of those "I am a foreign magistrate in some country you've never heard of and my family is owed a considerable sum of money but it is unfortunately tied up and if you could just wire me a small amount of your plentiful Yankee dollars . . ." people, please kick him squarely in the crotch.

And now, take it away, Spam Bot . . .

He dances the Robot, the Worm, and the Funky Spam.

ComicPress Vs. Webcomic Inkblot

2009-10-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last night, as an experiment, I tried switching my website from ComicPress to Webcomic. These are both Wordpress themes for hosting webcomics, in case you don't know. Well, actually, I guess Comicpress is a theme and Webcomic is a plugin, if you want to get technical. The main impetus for my experiment was the fact that Webcomic makes it easy to host multiple comics on your site. While there are ways to do this with ComicPress, it's probably a bit beyond my rudimentary knowledge of CSS, and with Webcomic it's already done for you. So I made the switch, then quickly realized I was in over my head, couldn't get the site to look how I wanted, and changed back. (Basically, I just wanted the site to look like it does now, but with maybe a different homepage with links to multiple comics instead of just sporting Humdrum Heights. A task which I'm sure would be ridiculously simple for even the most fresh-faced of web designers.) Well, changing from ComicPress to Webcomic was incredibly simple, and there is even a video tutorial to show you how to go about doing it. (The only thing you really have to worry about is moving your comics from one folder to another in your webhost and updating your transcripts.) Now, for a simpleton like me, I need a few more tutorial videos - namely, one that talks about customization, setting your background, etc. And more tutorials are on the way, so the likelihood of these being offered in the near future is relatively high, as is the likelihood of me switching back to Webcomic.

So perhaps, a bit down the road, there will be more comics showing on Rebeldog Comics, but for now all the extras will be solely available in the Assetbar Store.

If anybody has any experience with Webcomic, or has an opinion regarding its benefits or deficiencies as compared to ComicPress, drop a comment. I haven't seen too much coverage of Webcomic, though I'm sure it's just a matter of time, so I'd love to hear what people are saying.

UPDATE:
I finally did switch over to Webcomic with Inkblot as the theme. It was just too good not to! I decided I shouldn't let a little coding deter me. So, I waded into the stylesheet and finally got the site looking (mostly) as I wanted. Though, I should mention this, and I don't know if there is an easy workaround, but when I switched to Webcomic, all my links got wiped out. Well, not wiped out exactly. They're still there in Wordpress, they're just not on the Links page where they used to be. I suspect this has to do with the fact that Inkblot doesn't have a custom links template for Page Attributes as some themes do. So, I haven't got that sorted out yet. But otherwise, I will say that I am well pleased with Webcomic and its many features. If Comicpress isn't suiting your needs and you're feeling stuck, you definitely ought to give Webcomic a shot.

UPDATE UPDATE:
I managed to get the links working. I wrote a links.php file and uploaded it to my webhost. Basically I just used the old Comicpress links.php and tweaked it, since Webcomic and Comicpress don't work in the same ways. But, anyway, it took about ten minutes and I actually learned something in the process. So proud of myself!

Rebeldog On Facebook

2009-09-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

There is now a fan page for Rebeldog Comics on facebook, so please join up and support the comic. Just look over at the bottom of the right-hand margin and click on the box. It's not too hard to find me on there as well. I'll probably break down and set up Twitter for updates as well at some point soon - God help me.

Ah, this social networking is a tiring affair.

Where Am I?

2009-08-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

AdBeck, why don't you ever post nothin' over here anymore?

Simple, friend. It's because all the new stuff is getting posted at Rebeldogcomics.com, the official website. That's where new Humdrum Heights strips appear every Tuesday and Friday (or whenever I feel like). So go there - now! Stop by and say hi. It's not too late to get caught up.

Rebeldog Infiltates San Francisco Museum

2009-08-06T22:49:00.001-07:00

Good news, gang! Just got word that Humdrum Heights will be included in the Cartoon Art Museum's Monsters of Webcomics Virtual Gallery. Ha ha ha! No one ever thought I'd make it into a museum, did they? Alas, no frame wall hangings . . . yet. Monsters of Webcomics opens to the public this Saturday, August 8, and will run through December 6 at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.

If you're in the area, stop by and check this show out. It's going to feature lots of great web creators like Chris Onstad (http://achewood.com/), Kate Beaton (http://harkavagrant.com/) , Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com/), and Jesse Reklaw ( http://slowwave.com/) - all of whom are worth your reading time. The full press release about the show can be found here.

Oh, and if you're wondering which Humdrum Heights strips will be shown, they can be found here, here, and here. Just in case you think you're missing something. Yippee!

Rebeldog Comics: The Swingin'est Party That No One's Attending

2009-07-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, clearly I have no idea what I'm doing.

I am greatly disheartened by the fact that I can't seem to drum up any readership for my comic strip. Can't seem to get anybody to link to it. Can't seem to get anybody to share it on a social networking site. Can't seem to get anybody to say shit about it. Oh well, I can't expect the world to beat a path to my door, I guess.

The comics have only been up online since December of last year, but I'm an impatient type. Mostly because I've been working at this so long offline before now. It's just a lot easier to stay motivated and create comics if there's actually someone interested in reading them.

But the truth is, this is it for me. It's all I'm interested in doing. It's all I'm qualified to do. And so, I would like to find a way to do it full-time. Judging by most other webcomics, it takes a year to three to drum up readership. And the leading business model seems to be to use your strip as a loss leader while you make your money off of merchandising. That and a small percentage of income from advertising and donations. What I really would like is for readers to pay me a salary which would allow me to post five days a week. Just a big lump sum that would allow me the privilege of drawing my little heart out. But I can't very well live off reader donations if I haven't any readers, now can I?

Big sigh.

I'll bet if I posted some bootleg Michael Jackson mp3s I could get people looking in a hurry. Though not necessarily sticking around.

Maybe I'll just draw up two years worth of strips, have 'em upload automatically, and walk away for a while. Get a job as a bank teller. Come back and see if anybody's reading by then. (Gad! Imagine the comment spam!) (Wouldn't that be something if I died suddenly and the strips were still posting on a regular basis? That would be creepy.) Or maybe I'll just walk away.

Anybody else out there with a successful webcomic? How long did it take you to get poeple reading? What did you do right and what were your biggest mistakes along the way?

Once again, Tuesdays and Thursdays, new comics are being posted here:
http://rebeldogcomics.com

And I'll leave you with this thought, as Clockwork Orange's Alex says, "Cabbages, knickers, It hasn't got A BEAK!"

Web Toonists Of The World . . . Unite!

2009-07-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

The Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco will celebrate webcomics with their upcoming "Monsters of Webcomics" exhibition, which will run from August 8 – December 6, 2009.

The exhibition will be in the standard framed art on walls format, but will also include a virtual gallery (ie TV monitor with slideshow) that will highlight dozens of additional online comics. If you'd like to be considered for inclusion in the show you have until July 31st to get some samples to them. They're also looking for a logo, so if you've got mad design skills, you may want to try your hand. Go to the museum site for more details. (Or email me and I'll forward you the submission guidelines.)

Here is a list of the show's featured talents:

Slow Wave
By Jesse Reklaw
http://slowwave.com

Hark! A Vagrant!
By Kate Beaton
http://harkavagrant.com

Girl Genius
By Phil and Kaja Foglio
http://girlgeniusonline.com

Cat and Girl
By Dorothy Gambrell
http://catandgirl.com

The Perry Bible Fellowship
By Nicholas Gurewitch
http://pbfcomics.com

Dicebox
By Jenn Manley Lee
http://dicebox.net

Family Man
By Dylan Meconis
http://lutherlevy.com

Achewood
By Chris Onstad
http://achewood.com

Templar, AZ
By Spike
http://templaraz.com

These are the museum's chosen representatives of our field, so get over your bitterness at not being chosen and show your support!

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR REBELDOG READERS!

2009-06-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, gang.
I've finally made the move to my own website. So it's moving day and the new place to be is http://rebeldogcomics.com. So tell your ma, tell your pa, update your links, and head on over. That's where I'm-a gonna be posting the comics now.

Maybe I'll keep posting here for a while, too. Not sure. Any thoughts? This blog's gonna remain active for a while anyway, if only to link to all the other great webcomics out there and friends I've made here on blogger. I'm excited, hope you are too. Thanks for all your support and for making it with me this far. I hope I'll see you all at the new and improved Rebeldog Comics!

King AdBeck

____________________________

Five Web-comics You Will Love

2009-06-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

I am updating my blogroll with the many webcomics I've come across on the 'net, from the ridiculous to the sublime, the daringly original to the hopelessly amateurish. What did I find? Lots and lots of assorted superheroes, ninjas (ninji?), and cartoon kitties (of all things!). But I'm not complaining. Anyway, since damn few folks read the strips that I post here, this site might as well make itself useful by serving as a directory for some other people's efforts. I had more sites to add, too, but many of you web-toonists apparently don't have RSS feeds, which means your stuff wouldn't be updated in the blogroll. So maybe I'll add you somewhere else at a later date. Anyway, if you've got a webcomic you think I should add, drop me a line - maybe I'll link you. Or maybe not. Maybe I'll get all exclusive on your ass.

Now as for you, O Casual Reader, you would do well to check out most of these sites, but I'd like to take a moment to single out a few which caught my eye. Here are five comics I think you may dig if you have any soul at all, in no particular order:

Special mention goes to A Softer World for the simple fact that I found Joey Comeau and Emily Horne's pithy picto-comics laugh-out-loud funny while being post-mod-boho hip at the same time. Kind of like Hallmark with street cred or Rod McKuen hopped up on Pixie Stix.

Butterfly Comics by Dean Trippe, Brett Williams, and Jemma Salume is a well-drawn and clever superhero send-up, which puts a modern spin on some archetypes we can all recognize . . . and ridicule. Their strip reminded me of a superhero parody of my own, which I may post someday.

John Kinhart's Sorry Comics is an autobiographical invitation to the blues that just gets better with each posting. Read it and delight in sorryguy's existential misery. The episode involving a blind date with an incest survivor is laugh-out-loud funny even though it probably shouldn't be. Sorryguy, show us the rest of that cringe-inducing date!

Miss B's Squid Arms, titled no doubt after the cephalopodian limbs she gives her characters, is another winner. And it's right here on blogger, which is where all the cool kids hang out. Years ago, I thought of using photo backgrounds in comics, then thought, "Wow. That would look really cool but would probably be very time-consuming," and so I moved on, drawing squares as picture frames to give the suggestion of walls. But our Miss B uses photo backgrounds better than I ever would have attempted, and isn't afraid to talk about ringworm.

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton is the comic history buffs and literary types have dreamed about, putting figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, and, most recently, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald into amusing situations. Add to that some keen Charles Addams-style pen-and-ink work. Just brilliant, although, I dare say, Ms. Beaton's work is already popular enough that she probably doesn't need any plugs from this cob-webbed corner of the web. But, whatever, I have to give recognition where it is due.

And those are my picks for the moment - any one of which could instantly turn a local weekly paper into the coolest rag in circulation. And they're all up here for free, folks! So stop by and say "thanks" or donate to their tip jar or buy a T-shirt or a coffee mug or something!!! Perhaps I'll talk more about some of the other great comics currently being posted on the world wide wonderland at a later date, so don't feel too bad if I left you out. You've all done very well!

Doggy Day Father's Day Afternoon

2009-06-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, fellow daddy-o's!

Today I helped my nephew make a peanut-butter-banana sandwich to give to his father (who isn't Elvis). Later, my niece fell asleep and pee'd on me at a Netty's ice cream stand, to show her appreciation. How's your Father's Day been?

Update: Just received word that my own beloved father has purchased a star located behind Alpha Centauri, just for me, complete with certificate of occupancy and log cabin. Now how cool is that? See how the universe balances itself out? Well, I'm off to start packing for the big move. See you in the stars!

_______________________

Fantastic Four # 33 (1964)

2009-06-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

For many people, I'm sure Jack Kirby's legacy is one of simplicity and productivity. His designs are clean and (deceptively) uncomplicated while the sheer volume of pages he produced tends to dwarf most other aspects of his work. But let us not forget that he was not only a superb draftsman, but also a storyteller, and an ingenious one at that. This cover of the Fantastic Four is a great example of Kirby creativity - the background, and an element of the foreground, is made up of cut-and-paste collage. Kirby used this technique to advance and enhance his stories many times during his lengthy run on the FF, oftentimes for cosmic scenes of interdimensional travel and the like. Though the effect may have suffered from the crude printing processes of the day, I ask you, who else was doing anything this?

Note too, how Kirby uses the shadowy part of the background and the shape of the rocks to highlight the figure of Namor and direct the reader's eye. Also he lets the shadows on the coral suggest the line of Attuma's helmet fin. And then he places the Human Torch right there in that open pocket. One wonders if he had the background first and fitted the figures to it, or vice versa? I'm guessing background first, as I get the impression the figures were done (like the lettering and logos often were) on an acetate overlay. Either way, that is solid composition, the kind of thing you take for granted at a casual glance - as is intended. And that is why Kirby is, was, and always shall be a master of his medium, despite what anyone else may tell you.

Peanuts # 2 (Gold Key, 1963)

2009-06-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

The Peanuts comic books are a real rarity in so much as they are one of the only times Sparky Schulz ever let anyone else draw his characters. The artist in question is Dale Hale, uncredited at the time, who drew the lion's share of the Dell and Gold Key runs of Peanuts. Schulz was, according to an interview I once read, a real fan of Hale's and saw the comic books as an opportunity to give his friend work.

An interview with Dale Hale reprinted from a 2000 issue of Hogan's Alley magazine can be found here at Aaugh.com.

A lovingly researched article on Peanuts in comic book form appears here at Comicartville.com along with a gallery of covers.

Charles Schulz himself was such an interesting figure . . . contradictory, constantly vaccilating between humility and egotism, sweetness and sarcasm, and seemingly either unaware or disinterested in his own status in the world of cartooning. He once recounted a meeting in Rome with Federico Fellini, during which he asked the filmmaker (an avid cartoon buff) to draw him a cartoon of his own. Fellini declined, saying, "I am not in your class" but returned the next day to Schulz's hotel with an original drawing. Yet for Schulz this seemed either commonplace, or more likely, unimportant because it happened to him. He really was Charlie Brown. The more I read of him, the more fascinating his story becomes to me. But, really, what more is there to learn of Schulz? It's all right there in the comics he left behind.

Joe Louis # 1 (Fawcett, 1950)

2009-05-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool photo cover of heavyweight champ Joe Louis. Louis, like so many others who practiced the sweet science, reentered the ring past his prime and tarnished his outstanding record - but not his legend.

Amazing Spider-Man # 41 (Marvel, 1966)

2009-05-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

And another spiffy Spidey cover, which gives a good idea of why the Silver Age Marvels are so beloved.

Spidey always had the best villains, I thought. Batman fought a colorful rogue's gallery of criminally insane lunatics, and the Fantastic Four and the Avengers battled menaces of cosmic proportions, but Spidey's foes were ofttimes just ordinary folk . . . albeit with extraordinary powers. They tended to be misunderstood, misguided, or misdirected, plagued by personal problems just like Peter Parker. They were life's losers, not unlike the main character, but had opted for an easier road than the web-slinger. And while their wit was seldom a match for Spidey's, they always gave him a run for his money.

Jeff Smith Documentary Premieres In Columbus

2009-05-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

Fellow Ohio cartoonist Jeff Smith and filmmaker Ken Mills will be premiering their new documentary about Smith tomorrow at the Wexner Center For The Arts in Columbus. Kind of late notice for you, I know, so sorry. Anyway, I've got my tickets and you can get yours here for a mere $7.

More about Jeff here.

Amazing Spider-Man # 44 (Marvel, 1967)

2009-05-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

My own copy of this issue* has a beautiful subscription crease right down the center, but I found this much cleaner pic to share with you. For those of you who don't know about subscription creases, back in the day your friendly neighborhood postman was likely to fold your precious funny book in half for convenience of bag-carrying and box-stuffing. The result was a long white streak of broken color smack dab in the middle of an epic battle such as this one. Spidey to Lizard, "Ah dares you ta step over this here white line."

And don't you just love the standard pseudo-Shakespearean / Elizabethan / Biblical Marvel hyperbole? "Where Crawls The Lizard!" indeed. They just couldn't ever resist. If there was an empty spot on a cover, and more appallingly when there wasn't, they had to squeeze in some bloated hype box or clunky / redundant dialogue. But that's what gives these old Silver Age Marvels their charm, isn't it?

DC, it shoud be noted, was no less of an offender in this category. People like to pretend that the campiness of the Adam West Batman show was a strictly Hollywood creation, but a quick perusal of old Batman covers will prove otherwise.

*That's right, I have a few old Amazing Spideys. A very few. They are surprisingly difficult to track down, I suppose because their owners like to hoard them like gold. Mine came to me rather cheaply though, as I only had to enter an agreement of indentured servitude for a period of one year and a day and promise to name my next child after the guy who sold them to me.

Amazing Spider-Man # 55 (Marvel, 1967)

2009-05-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here's another Spidey cover which has always enthralled me. I can't think of a time when this was done before - an extreme close-up of a character's face, let alone someone other than the title hero. But here we get Doc Ock's ugly mug up close and personal, oddly compelling in all its twisted glory. This stuff really was cutting-edge pop art of a kind, deserving of Stan Lee's "Pop Art Productions" tagline of later years. Really groundbreaking for its time. Or maybe not. Anybody out there wanna prove me wrong?

Amazing Spider-Man # 62 (Marvel, 1968)

2009-05-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Spidey # 62 from '68 - a stone classic. For me, while Ditko's work was daring and lively, and often bordering on the surreal, John Romita drew the definitive Spidey. Really, the definitive Peter Parker, Mary Jane, Aunt May, Norm Osborne, et al. I'd say the look of his characters really became the Marvel house style for the better part of two decades, though some might argue this. But regardless, what a strong composition on this cover!

Sub-Mariner # 12 (Marvel, 1969)

2009-05-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, he was an arrogant prick, but can you blame him? You'd be cranky too if underwater atomic testing destroyed your home. For Namor of Atlantis is the prince of the deep.

The True Story Of Smokey Bear (1964)

2009-05-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Had a record of Smokey when I was a wee lad. A record, you say? What's a . . . record? It was a shiny black disc that spun around on a turntable - you know, like the DJs in the clubs use. That's right, I'm old. Anyway, according to the "record," Smokey can find a fire before it starts to flame, and that's why they call him Smokey - that is how he got his name. Now that is a rare talent, indeed.

Now would that the true story of Smokey the Bear were a raunchy tell-all filled with sordid details of a misspent youth and a troubled adulthood (something along the lines of the Goldman Lennon bashing or Woodward's Belushi bio), we would certainly be in for a good read. But unfortunately, here we get nothing but the PR-friendly side of Smokey, with no mention whatsoever of his dalliances with Yogi's girlfriend Cindy (and possibly Boo-Boo) or his alleged pot parties with Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg. A clear case of whitewashing.

We'll just have to hold our breaths while we wait for a more truthful sequel. Suggested title: Flaming: The Short Life And Fast Times Of Smokey The Bear, Secret Arsonist And Communist Sympathiser.

Pogo # 16 (Dell, 1950)

2009-05-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here's one from a master of the form.

The Lone Ranger # 81 (Dell, 1948)

2009-05-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

A recent comment asks what about Westerns, got any of those? Hmm, did you mean Western the publishing company or Westerns the cowboy genre? Well, sadly, the answer is no, either way, for I was born just a little too late. Perhaps someday some kind soul will bless me with their old collection and round out my education.

Actually, I scoured the internet for a cover scan that would satisfy both categories, a Lone Ranger March of Comics I saw once upon a long ago, which was a Western published by Western. But, alas, I could not find one. So, the next best thing is this Dell (which was actually Western Publishing) with a beautiful painted cover by Hank Hartman.

How can all these comics with the Dell logo in the corner be Western comics, you ask? Well, it's a strange thing but Western and Dell worked together to put out some of the best comics ever, with Western handling the creative end and the actual printing and Dell handling the financial end and the distribution. The whole system worked beautifully until a falling out in the '60s over - you guessed it, money. How it was decided that Dell got the cover logo is beyond me, since Western was the one handling all the artists and the licensing, but go figure. So the two companies split and Western continued publishing as Gold Key, though the quality of their books rapidly deteriorated. Eventually Western books were published with the Whitman logo and distributed to toy stores as opposed to newstands (in ever decreasing numbers) and that was pretty much the end. And I mean the end, as in comics weren't seen on newsstands again for decades, thus diminishing their importance in American culture, and when they did return most genres besides super-heroes had been wiped out. This is the part where I cry over my keyboard.

Mark Evanier, he of Groo the Wanderer fame (among other things), gives a much more lengthy explantion of the Dell-Western connection here, which you should check out.

Anyway, the above-mentioned March of Comics was a series of giveaway premium comics given away with shoes and other items that was published by Western without any help from Dell. These comics were ubiquitous at the time, cheaply made with blank interior covers, but for one reason or another they now fetch ridiculous prices on the collector's market. Western published other things too, most notably the Little Golden Books we all love, which were every bit as well-done as their comic line.

And as for the Lone Ranger . . . well, if you don't know the story of the man in the mask, or of Clayton Moore (the steadfast actor who rightly refused to give up said mask), then I'm afraid you are beyond help and should probably take one of those pop culture courses given at the more progressive universities.

Here endeth the lesson.

Comic Album # 11 (1960)

2009-05-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Popeye was originally just a minor character walk-on in a newspaper strip called Thimble Theatre, an ensemble strip which mainly revolved around the hi-jinks of Olive Oyl's brother Castor Oyl. However, the one-eyed sailor became so popular that the strip's name was changed and he became its central figure. If you've never read the original Elsie Segar strips, you should seek them out. Unlike a lot of other work of the era, which will leave you scratching your head and trying to decipher the old-timey jargon and blatant stereotyping, Segar's Popeye has a charming timeless quality, fueled by the best sort of character-driven humor and quality artwork.

The Fleischer cartoons weren't too shabby either, though I'd imagine you know those already. Innovative too. I'm remembering one in particular where Popeye takes Swee'Pea to the zoo in a baby carriage, and on his way there they walk past a background of what appear to be live-action scale model houses. I'm not sure what prompted the use of this effect, but it works marvelously well.

These days is Popeye is a public domain figure from what I understand, which sets the stage for a great Waldo & Harv Meet Popeye crossover. If only in my mind.

Alvin # 7 (Dell, 1964)

2009-05-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

How a studio recording gimmick turned into a massive pop culture phenomenon is a mystery of time, but here's Alvin and the Chipmunks to attest to the importance of smart marketing. Who'd have thought they'd have a comeback in the '80s and then reemerge again here in the naughts. Well, like King Kong, I suppose every generation deserves its own Alvin and the Chipmunks. Personally, I prefer Father Abraham and the Smurfs, which must certainly be a rivalry as ageless as the Beatles versus the Stones.

And speaking of Beatles, the original Chipmunks cartoon had a style very similar to that early Beatles cartoon, which some of you might remember. Were they produced by the same studio? I am far too young to say definitively and probably far too old to concern myself with such matters. But if you know, clue me in.

I love this cover, but who was the artist? Don't know - I don't actually own this one, so I can't check inside, but doubtless there is no information anyway as creator credits were few and far between in the old books. Such was the practice of the comics industry at the time, which is why for decades the legendary Carl Barks was known by his fans simply as "The Good Duck Artist."

Adventures Of Mighty Mouse # 154 (Dell, 1962)

2009-05-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

Just like a bolt from the blue with a mighty hue. And yes, he would beat Superman in a fight.

Timmy The Timid Ghost # 19 (1970)

2009-05-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

This one relates to a post about Charlton I did over at Rebeldog Comics. And here is a prime example of the sort of "take a popular title and make it your own" ideology behind Charlton that polarized so many readers. As if one wimpy ghost in the cartoon world wasn't enough, Charlton does you one better with blatant rip-offs of both Casper and cousin Spooky. If ever a comic company set out to prove the notion that a creative enterprise could be built almost entirely out of recycled ideas, it was Charlton. Though, to be fair, the comic book industry as a whole has never been shy about glomming on to a popular idea to garner sales.

Teenage mutant radioactive hormonal samurai treefrogs, anyone?

Rocky And His Fiendish Friends # 1 (Gold Key, 1962)

2009-05-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a favorite of mine - what a beautiful painted cover. One of the more collectible Gold Keys too, right up there with The Beatles' Yellow Submarine comic. Rocky and Bullwinkle hold a special place in my heart, as well, and, if you ever find yourself holed up in a hotel in Toronto, their show will likely be the only thing worth watching at around 3 in the morning.

Avengers # 157 (Marvel, 1976)

2009-05-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

The inside features the art of good ol' Don Heck, an unsung comics legend.

Tom And Jerry # 294 (Gold Key, 1977)

2009-05-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

Boy, those Gold Key folks sure weren't much for backgrounds, were they?

Captain America # 210 (Marvel, 1977)

2009-05-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

Later-period Jack Kirby.

Uncle Scrooge # 154 (Whitman, 1978)

2009-05-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

Casper # 11 (Harvey, 1959)

2009-05-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

Second appearance of Spooky.

Star Trek # 38 (Gold Key, 1976)

2009-05-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

That's what Shatner wished he looked like with his shirt off - clearly a case of artistic license.

Little Lulu # 191 (Gold Key, 1969)

2009-04-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

Battle Of The Planets # 2 (Gold Key, 1979)

2009-04-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Baby Snoots # 13 (Gold Key, 1973)

2009-04-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Rattus Comicus, a blog dedicated to the comic book covers of yesteryear, in all their four-color, rat-chewed, water-damaged, tattered and torn glory. I'm going to post random pics of funny books, without any particular rhyme or reason, for your viewing pleasure. Maybe you'll recognize some favorite characters, maybe you'll meet some new ones, or maybe you'll gain some perspective on the rich and colorful history of cartooning, and wonder at the often odd graphic choices made by art directors, designers, and colorists. You will no doubt note the "house" styles of different publishers as well as the changing trends that arose during certain eras, and realize the truth of that old adage: "You can't judge a book by its cover." If any of these books inspire fond memories or spark your interest, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Enjoy!

Where's Waldo? (Pay No Evil Remix)

2009-04-16T00:23:00.001-07:00

Clicky on pic-y for magnified quicky.
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Okay, now I'm done. No, really.

Where's Waldo? (See No Evil Remix)

2009-04-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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How long can this go on? How many variations on a theme will I subject you to? Hmm . . .

Ye Olde Hype Box

2009-04-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a shout out here. Bob Cox over at Comic Book College Weeklies and I were having a discussion about underground comix and the internet and so on, and he posted some of his thoughts (as well as some of mine) which you might like to check out here. Bob's a real-live honest-to-God '60s toonhead with notes from the underground, the former staff artist of Christian avant garde magazine Cornerstone, so I'd advise all of you scholarly hepcats to check out what he has to say. If names like Zap Comix, Bijou Funnies, Robert Crumb, Jay Lynch, Skip Williamson, Robert Williams, Art Spiegelman, Garry Trudeau, or Stan Lee mean anything to you, then you will no doubt enjoy his train-of-thought free-for-all blog.

Where's Waldo? (Take 3)

2009-04-05T09:58:00.001-07:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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I am like a jazz trumpeter improvising over the same set of notes. Exploring the subtle nuances of a single subject. Some might say belaboring a point, stretching weak material, creatively treading water, and/or taking a joke too far. To each his own.
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A Fun Bit Of Charlton Bashing

2009-04-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

Some of you readers might get a real kick out of this article over at WFMU, which gives a lengthy and oft-times hilarious bashing to the long-gone schlock comic company Charlton. Charlton was an alternative to the superhero slug-fests going on at Marvel and DC and a haven for artists trying to get their foot in the door (John Byrne's early work appeared there), but their production values were poor and their editorial skills were questionable at best. They churned out title after title for several decades, finally ceasing comic publications in 1986. Perhaps the most interesting story about Charlton came after their end, when DC bought up the rights to their superhero characters and inspired Alan Moore to write The Watchmen, a graphic novel which would basically kill off said characters. Eventually, it was decided the Charlton characters would instead be incorporated into the DC universe and Moore redesigned the Watchmen (though their Charlton alter-egos are still obvious).

Anyway, the article is a real hate-fest and provoked some very impassioned responses from the nostalgic and the Charlton faithful. A good funny read for comics history buffs and a cringe-inducing stroll down memory lane for a few of us.

And here's a wikipedia article about Charlton for further reading.

Where's Waldo? (Part II)

2009-03-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Now here's something you won't find in your Sunday newspaper funnies.

All you good good people, I hope you're enjoying this strip. Drop me a line and say "hi!" sometime, won't you? And here's some info for those of you who don't know how:

How To Leave A Comment by King AdBeck:

Just click on the little link beneath the post where it says "x comments." It will usually say "0 comments" and that's what we're trying to change. Write your pithy thoughts in the pop-up box where it says "Leave comment." If you don't have a Google account, click on the "Name/URL" button. Now give yourself a name and/or type in the URL of your web site if you have one. I'm assuming you don't, since you can't be very web-savvy if you don't even know how to leave a comment. Or if you're a paranoid or shady type, click on Anonymous. Now publish your comment! Simple, really.

Now don't you wish someone had shown you how to do that earlier?

I urge you to copy the above paragraph and post it on your own blog if you want Mom and Dad to comment.

And now a topic sentence to get you thinking: Eating Babies, Gruesome Cannibalism or Tasty Meal-Replacement Program Preferrable To Slim-Fast? Discuss.
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Update: How To Add One Thousand Blog Followers Or Readers In A Week

2009-03-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, Sunday is update time - and in my quest to increase my readership I've decided that I'll occassionally use this blog to document some of my own findings. How can we get more people to read this currently free comic strip? Here are a few things I've come across, which may help you in your own web marketing:

1. Offer Quality Content - sort of goes without saying, right? But you need to offer interesting, informative, focused, and helpful info in order to retain readership. Write about topics that will help other bloggers convert their traffic and thereby increase your own.

2. Pictures Alone Won't Do It - This is something I've discovered on my own. While a good hi-res picture will direct a person back to your site, assuming they are looking for it in a search engine, words are the bread and butter of blogging. You need to offer written content, so search engines can pick up on your blog. Posting my comics as jpegs with no text accompanying them doesn't help people find me. Hence, long-winded articles like this one.

3. Comment - If you comment in relevant topics on other blogs with your own distinctive viewpoint, your interest may well be reciprocated.

4. Twitter - Here is one I haven't tried yet. Twitter is apparently very powerful in getting readership, though the quality of that readership may be somewhat dubious. Try to convert Twitter readers with your updates. Add a widget.

5. Widgets - A good set of well-ordered widgets will promote your posts and make it easier for people to register to become an RSS reader or blog follower.

6. Follow - Add yourself to become a follower of other blogs, and bloggers can get to know how many blogs you maintain and in return might become your follower too.

7. Digg and Stumbleupon - Another one I've not yet tried. But I've read that one should familiarize oneself with these services, which can expose your blog and articles to the internet world at large. This becomes important once you actually have traffic, and you need to invest much more effort to convert and retain them.

8. Call Upon Your Readership To Hype Your Blog - Empower your fan base to spread the word and champion your coolness! Encourage your readers to tell others about your site.

9. Get Famous - It is no secret that fame attracts readership. So get known off the web and bring your audience with you to your online activities. That easy enough, right? In the words of Nelson Muntz - Haw-haw!

That's all I got so far. Lemme know if you come across any helpful tips to get people to check out these pages!

Where's Waldo?

2009-03-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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And Now A Brief Message From The Sovereign Of Sequential Story-Telling:

Okay, here's a new comic strip for today - with full frontal nudity, no less. Don't expect too much, but I'll try to keep putting strips up here once a week or so. Stay tuned for some . . . gasp! Humdrum Heights Classic! New to you, older than dirt to me.

"But, King AdBeck," I hear you asking, "What can I, a simple surfer of the web, do to help you in your quest to bring Humdrum Heights to the tired and huddled masses?" I'm glad you asked. Tell everybody you know about this blog and get them to sign up as followers. I'm gonna need a whole lot o' readers to keep this thing alive here on the internet and I can't do it without your help. So tell your ma, tell your pa, tell your weird little brother who's way too into trying to figure out what's wrong with The Watchmen movie - he'll love it!

Fellas,
Tell that girl with all the piercings who works at the coffee shop, the one with her own " 'zine" - it will give you an opener. You'll thank me when you're placing a ring in her nose at your non-traditional commitment ceremony attended by the two-point-three home-schooled children you've adopted together.

Ladies,
Tell that guy who sits next to you at your community college night class - you know, the one who's always doodling pictures of cars whilst breathing through his mouth and whistling through his nose? You don't have to date him, but you may just bring some joy into his otherwise lonely and pathetic existence.

"But, King AdBeck, who else can I tell? What types of people will enjoy Humdrum Heights?" Hmm. Let's see: smokers, insomniacs, and people with low self-esteem seem to rank high on the list of readers. Drama majors, sex addicts, and the habitually unemployed (all the same, I know) also seem to get a real "huzzah!" from these ''funnies.'' And let's not forget the heavily illustrated, the moderately sedated, and the lightly stoned. But don't pre-judge, tell everyone! My goal is two thousand readers by this time next year, and I can't do it alone!

Update: Making Money With Your Own Web Site

2009-03-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

For those of you wondering where I've been, here's a quick update. This blog is going to be moving to a new location soon. I'm planning my own web site, which will likely be subscription based, at least in part, with new strips published three times weekly . . . plus lots of other extras. This strip is time-consuming and costs money, which is where you readers will come in. Too many of us have been fooled into thinking that internet-based work should be given away for free, or fall victim to some sort of false "compensation versus idealism" argument. I know that good work deserves good money, regardless of its method of distribution. And if you agree and are interested in joining me at my new site, keep watching this blog for more news.

Also, feel free to drop me a line and discuss. If you have your own site or an opinion on web-based services and membership sites, etc. I'd love to hear from you. Maybe you have an idea of what you'd consider a reasonable rate for a year's worth of strips? Or maybe you know what's the best software to use to manage a subscription site? Or maybe you feel other methods of site monetization are a better bet? I've spent the past few weeks just researching my little heart out, and still have a long way to go, but I welcome your comments.

We All Have Our Own Cat To Bear, But Not Necessarily A Bearcat

2009-02-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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Disk-slob-ulus

2009-02-17T02:53:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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The Thinker Loses His Marble

2009-02-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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The Truth About Waldo's Art

2009-02-13T04:37:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Happy Friday the 13th, everybody!
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And That Answers Harv's First Question

2009-02-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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A Love Manifesto

2009-02-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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Waldo Maketh It A Graven Image, And Harvard Falleth Down Thereto

2009-02-10T00:25:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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He Gives Good Sculpture

2009-02-09T10:35:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

''Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump.''

- Auguste Rodin

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He's Got The Whole Comic Strip In His Hands

2009-02-06T00:56:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Step-By-Step Funnies

2009-02-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Note my well-manicured nails.
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A Disregard For Conventional Wisdom

2009-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

“Know what the Old Masters did. Know how they composed their pictures, but do not fall into the conventions they established. These conventions were right for them, and they are wonderful. They made their language. You make yours. All the past can help you.”

-Robert Henri
American urban realist painter, 1865-1929
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I Ink, Therefore I Am

2009-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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Trembling Before Their Creator

2009-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

And might I add, Happy Candlemas / Groundhog's Day! Don't drive angry!
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Stopping By The Shovel On A Snowy Evening

2009-01-30T20:58:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Facing The Cold Hard Reality Of Global Warming

2009-01-29T14:31:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Zen And The Art Of Snow Shoveling

2009-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Harvard's Unwanted Promotion

2009-01-27T16:51:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Lessons Of The Animal Kingdom

2009-01-26T16:51:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

It should be noted that the last several strips were based on an all-too-true story.

The Trouble With Maintaining A Rigid Position

2009-01-23T01:43:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

An Unfair Exchange

2009-01-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Only A Shovel Made The Difference Between A Hero And A Bum

2009-01-20T05:57:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Happy Inauguration Day, fellow Americans. Wouldn't you have loved to see Obama kick Bush's butt into that helicopter? See ya!

A Bum On Business From Humdrum

2009-01-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

The title is a joke on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous excuse that Xanadu was left unfinished as he was interrupted by "a person on business from Porlock." But you literary-types out there already knew that, right? Yes, Unca Adam, and if you have to explain it, tain't funny.

A Midwinter Night's Wet Dream

2009-01-16T03:58:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Faster Than A Screaming Nightmare, Able To Sleep All Evening In A Single Nap

2009-01-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

Click on image to enlarge.

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The Proliferative Dream Of The Fevered Fiend

2009-01-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

For those of you wondering why this blog still has a red-and-green Xmas-related theme, it is because it matches my living room. Candlemas, people. Candlemas.
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The Rarebit Fiend's Rarest Bit

2009-01-13T02:15:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Little Waldo In Sleepyland

2009-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

With apologies to Windsor McCay.
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Big Nausea In Little Chinese Buffet

2009-01-09T04:27:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

That's all for now, but I hope to see you all here bright and early Monday evening for more fun and excitement. And remember, if you bring a snack, make sure you bring enough for everyone.

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Forget It, Harv, It's China Buffet

2009-01-08T20:45:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Imagine a really detailed and elaborate background of a Chinese restaurant with tapestries and wall-hangings, red and gold painted walls, dragon statuary, etc. A beaded curtain hangs directly behind Waldo and Harv, each individual bead painstakingly rendered so that reflected light can be seen on the rim of each one. A giant bamboo painting of a phoenix emerging from ashes hangs above, adorned with Chinese lettering.

That's what I was going to draw, but why waste ink?
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Big Trouble In Little Chinese Buffet

2009-01-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.
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Harv E.'s Birthday Bash

2009-01-06T19:56:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

A very happy birthday to Harvard E. Puss, Joan Of Arc, Sherlock Holmes, Syd Barrett, Vic Tayback, Charles Sumner, John Singleton, and Carl Sandburg.

And to the rest of you, a very merry unbirthday!
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Harv's Birthday Blues

2009-01-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Okay, getting my groove back here. This week's toons are finally up and running. Apologies for the delays. Life gets complicated, you know?
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A Case For Candlemas

2009-01-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Arguably the best strip I've put up all year.

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Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Have a Happy New Year! Here's another palaverous proclamation from the Sovereign of Sequential Story-telling to ring in 2009.

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Resolution Time

2008-12-31T11:00:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Happy New Year's, everybody! Drive safely tonight.
Humdrum Heights will return in 2009.
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Pinkles & Brown: Park Bench Philosophers

2008-12-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

I'd like to direct your attention to the right hand side of the page. Therein you will find the Followers section. If you are a blogger or have a Google account, following allows you to receive updates in your Blogger Homepage when I post new stuff and, more importantly, lets you share your interest in this blog and show your support. I'm hyping the feature here because not a lot of people know what the heck it is. Also, if you like what you see, feel free to leave me a comment. It's easy and it helps keep me motivated.

I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing.
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Pinkles & Brown: An Introduction

2008-12-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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Xmas Afterglow / Aftermath

2008-12-26T06:23:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T01:04:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge . . . and have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Or Hannukah. Or Kwanzaa. Or Larentalia. Or Festivus for the rest of us. Or other December holiday observance of your choice. Or whatever. It's all good, friends. Just be well.

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The Gift That Keeps On Bouncing

2008-12-24T17:19:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

I was driving through the snow and the sludge this evening, and the radio was playing "O Tannenbaum" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Everytime I turned a corner it faded out into static, then back in again with the next turn. And I sat there listening to the piano keys, the snare, the hi-hat, and the bass - watching lights on snowbanked houses flicker in time to the music - mesmerized. And it occured to me that, all in all, things are still pretty damn good. There may not be as many presents under your tree as in years past, I know, but if you can surround yourself with family and friends, put a little holiday music on the hi-fi, and cozy up by the fire in your favorite comfy sweater . . . you'll be alright.

And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

(P.S. - Tune in tomorrow for a special Christmas post - when Humdrum Heights goes color.)

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Hung Up For The Holidays

2008-12-23T18:33:00.001-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

The Lighter Side Of Christmas

2008-12-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

Frosty The Snowperson

2008-12-19T02:08:00.000-08:00

Click on comic strip to enlarge.

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Rebeldog Infiltates San Francisco Museum

Rebeldog Comics: The Swingin'est Party That No One's Attending

More On The Jeff Smith Documentary

Web Toonists Of The World . . . Unite!

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR REBELDOG READERS!

Five Web-comics You Will Love

Doggy Day Father's Day Afternoon

Fantastic Four # 33 (1964)

Peanuts # 2 (Gold Key, 1963)

Joe Louis # 1 (Fawcett, 1950)

Amazing Spider-Man # 41 (Marvel, 1966)

Jeff Smith Documentary Premieres In Columbus

Amazing Spider-Man # 44 (Marvel, 1967)

Amazing Spider-Man # 55 (Marvel, 1967)

Amazing Spider-Man # 62 (Marvel, 1968)

Sub-Mariner # 12 (Marvel, 1969)

The True Story Of Smokey Bear (1964)

Pogo # 16 (Dell, 1950)

The Lone Ranger # 81 (Dell, 1948)

Comic Album # 11 (1960)

Alvin # 7 (Dell, 1964)

Adventures Of Mighty Mouse # 154 (Dell, 1962)

Timmy The Timid Ghost # 19 (1970)

Rocky And His Fiendish Friends # 1 (Gold Key, 1962)

Avengers # 157 (Marvel, 1976)

Tom And Jerry # 294 (Gold Key, 1977)

Captain America # 210 (Marvel, 1977)

Uncle Scrooge # 154 (Whitman, 1978)

Casper # 11 (Harvey, 1959)

Star Trek # 38 (Gold Key, 1976)

Little Lulu # 191 (Gold Key, 1969)

Battle Of The Planets # 2 (Gold Key, 1979)

Baby Snoots # 13 (Gold Key, 1973)

Where's Waldo? (Pay No Evil Remix)

Where's Waldo? (See No Evil Remix)

Ye Olde Hype Box

Where's Waldo? (Take 3)

A Fun Bit Of Charlton Bashing

Where's Waldo? (Part II)

Update: How To Add One Thousand Blog Followers Or Readers In A Week

Where's Waldo?

Update: Making Money With Your Own Web Site

We All Have Our Own Cat To Bear, But Not Necessarily A Bearcat

Disk-slob-ulus

The Thinker Loses His Marble

The Truth About Waldo's Art

And That Answers Harv's First Question

A Love Manifesto

Waldo Maketh It A Graven Image, And Harvard Falleth Down Thereto

He Gives Good Sculpture

He's Got The Whole Comic Strip In His Hands

Step-By-Step Funnies

A Disregard For Conventional Wisdom

I Ink, Therefore I Am

Trembling Before Their Creator

Stopping By The Shovel On A Snowy Evening

Facing The Cold Hard Reality Of Global Warming

Zen And The Art Of Snow Shoveling

Harvard's Unwanted Promotion

Lessons Of The Animal Kingdom

The Trouble With Maintaining A Rigid Position

An Unfair Exchange

Only A Shovel Made The Difference Between A Hero And A Bum

A Bum On Business From Humdrum