Rolling up the sleeves and gettin' 'er done

This is it, man--this is the time, now is the moment.
Friday, October 17th at 8:00pm, DragonHead Studio will transform from its usual organized mess into a razor's edge of creative instensity. We have confirmed artists, we have grub, we have supplies! We're ready!

For your amusement and to get you excited about the upcoming Event, here are some pics from last year's challenge, where much great artwork was produced and new friendships solidified! Just think, this time next year, you could be looking a sweet collection of photos from the upcoming weekend. If you act quickly, your mug might even be profiled! Ya never know...


Speaking of mugs, here's yours truly at Kanata Centrum, picking up Westin Church from the shuttle pick-up point.

The table at the studio in progress, covered in artwork, drinks and supplies. Meaghan Quinn surveys her efforts.

Left to right, Keith Savage, Westin Church, Lynette O'Brien and Meaghan Quinn, sometime in the middle of the night (probably before 2 am or so, since Keith headed off to sleep in his tent around then). Lynette had dropped by to shower us with support around 10pm, but mistakenly went to the wrong house. No one was home! Finally she heard the sounds of cussing and Frank Sinatra and made her way to the corrrect locale of the "do".

Westin catches 40 winks in the company of the world's coolest cat, Arlo, star of many of my comics. Westin's allergy medication was labouring hard to keep him going. With minor setbacks, he was still able to complete the gut-splitting tale of "Harry Hotdog in the Land of Linguini".

Yours truly, showing off the fruits of labour sometime in the wee hours of the morning. You can see by the 1,000-mile stare that the coffee had finally proved useless and the sugar crash had long ago happened. Still, it was a fun excersize!

Keith Savage (OMBRELLA) and Westin Church at Kanata Centrum, heading home after the event. Look how happy they are to escape back home to get some shut-eye! Lucky people!

Now, wouldn't YOU like to see yourself in these pics? You can! There's still a couple of spaces left if you're into it. Just contact me, via email, phone or psychic transmission. Check out the group on Facebook (24 Hour Comic day at DragonHead Studio) for info.

Confirmed 24 Hour comic artists this year include:

Suzanne Marsden:
Hostess, owner of DragonHead Studio, animator, traditional comic artist, writer.
Robert (Guang) Yap:
Animator, traditional comic artist, storyboard artist
Meaghan Quinn:
Web comic artist "Eat the Roses"
Clayton Jacobs:
Traditional comic artist, animation, novelist
Christopher Rudderham:
Web comic artist, "Sailorsun"

Participants confirmed for the 12 hour comic challenge

Keith Savage:
RPG systems inventor, animator, filmmaker, novelist.
James Fletcher:
Teacher, sculptor, member of the National Capital Network of Sculptors, Ottawa.

Check links to their work--this is going to be a phenomenal 24 Hour Comic party!

Plus, you can look forward to seeing it assembled as a documentary by talented filmmaker Randy Kelly!

Cheers, and to those who can't make it-- perhaps next year? It seems like it is becoming an annular event ;-)
Suzanne.

October 17th - 18th 2008 24 Hour Comics Day Party!

If you read too many blogs, you could end up like the people in the above pic. Barring that...read on!

I was talking with Westin the other day; Westin, the dude who is getting married (to fiancée Nadine!)Sept 17th, and for whom I am donning a tux and being the 'Best Ma'am'(just finished writing my speech this morning--yay!).

I said; 'buddy, wish we could get together to draw, but I know you're busy with your wedding coming up and all'. And he said 'Sue--what about next month?'
'Next month?'
'Yeah!'
'Hey I think Nat'l 24 Hour Comics Day is in October sometime... Wanna do it?'
'Sure!'
'What, are we insane?'
'Probably!'
'Still, if I only complete 1 comic a year...'
(SFX swelling of orchestral music)

(And now a cheat-repost from October 2007 [abridged])

With the event [a little over a month] away, folks must be getting excited and stoked for the exhausting, illuminating and one-of-a-kind experience ONLY this kind've gathering can evoke. I know that I am! And it is not too late to take part. Simply contact me with your interest and questions, or sign on to the Facebook group and request to be included on the event list. You will receive maps, and can participate in a carpool or shuttle bus to DragonHead Studio's cozy locale in Urban Kanata.

Ample drawing, painting & comic-creating material will be provided, along with a selection of caffeinated beverages ;-) [NOT coffee-beer though; man that was gross last year :-P] and foods. We do support vegetarians; just let us know your needs. We also have a large collection of animals living with us, so if you need it, prep your system with anti-allergy medication. DragonHead has a secure area if you wish to bring a tent and camp. We also will be providing up to eight places for people to sleep, should they require napping during the event, or cannot complete their comic projects and must sleep.

You have nothin' to lose by giving this a try! You will discover creative depths in your heart you didn't know existed! If you are experiencing artist's or writer's block, this event will kick the hell out of it. You will amaze yourself by what bubbles up in the middle of the night... Go for it!

To get a feel for what others have experienced during previous events, check out YouTube. There are tons of clips showing comic artists and even a couple of interviews with the inventor of the 24 Hour Comic, Scott McCloud!

Contact me via my website, The 24 Hour Comics Day at DragonHead Studio Group on Facebook, or by calling 613-323-3377 and leaving a detailed voice message.

Cheers and all best
Suzanne.

PS -- For detailed information regarding the 24 Hour Comic and what it is exactly, refer to Scott McCloud's web page. Here, he explains what it is, how he came up with it and shows copious pages of completed 24 Hour Comics. Inspiring!

[PPS-- check out 24 Hour comics Day participants from last year's successful event at DragonHead Studio! Westin Church's "Harry Hotdog and the Land of Linguini", and Suzanne Marsden's "The Magic Cauldron!"]

PPPS--NEWSFLASH - Randy Kelly, noted filmmaker, is planning to document the event at DragonHead Studio October 17th - 18th!

Will draw for the looooong green!

Clayton bumped into an old work-mate of his on the train the other day. She said she'd been getting some work via Guru and suggested that he get on there and get some work too! Clay told me about it, and lo--that is exactly what I have done. Jumped aboard!

So, if you are interested in commissioning any artwork, drawings, writing, poetry, illustrations, graphics, small sculptures out of Fimo from me, now is your chance!

Sign up as an employer and put a job together and "Invite me" to do it for you. My online name is DragonHead Studio, but I'm sure hunting around for me by my good ol' handle will net you my page: Suzanne Marsden.

You have nothing to lose! For $25.00 minimum you can get a bona fide chunk of original artwork! Wow!!

Cheers,
Suzanne.

PS--below are samples of the some of the cards I've been doing lately.

"Hide Your Life Away"

Hello believers, and the morbidly curious :-) No, I ain't dead; at least not from the neck up. Facebook, Scrabulous and Hasbro are in a peeing contest, so now I have nothing left to occupy my small pieces of free time at lunch (at work).

So, I thought: should write on that damned Blog sometime, or it'll get cancelled! Yoiks :-O

So today, I am plugging Carol Little's debut novel "Hide Your Life Away". Actually, you can check out a for 'rizzle quote by yours truly if you hop on over to her writer's blog (at least for the next little while...then it'll get replaced by someone more famous..like say, Lorne Elliott *grin*).

I had the pleasure of reading Carol's work about a month ago and truly enjoyed it. She wrote it at the same time as I was writing "La Tierra del Meurto", during the 3-Day Novel Contest last Labour Day Weekend. The only difference being, her book is actually finished and mine is still languishing in a box in my basement. Oh, and her book is funnier than mine. My book isn't that funny. Although there is an adequate amount of shed blood and crazy characters in both, I think.

I was actually considering signing on for another round of the 3-Day Novel Contest this year. I have the envelope and cheque in my bag. Then I talked to my Mom. (Who is eternally practical--the quintessential Virgo!) Mom said "Why don't you take that weekend and finish the manuscript you started last year?" Perfect sense, no? Well, the envelope is still in the old bag..and you know what? I think I will take that time and do my own 3-Day Novel Contest.. 'cept it'll be more like Finishing Last Year's 3-Day Novel Contest instead :-)

But enough about my old hoss; which I will beat for 3 or 4 days this September. Let's talk about a hoss to bet on! Speaking of horses, that reminds me of Charles Bukowski, the best combination of poet and horse aficionado you can get. For those not familiar with Uncle Buk, here's a wee poem. (Special thanks to T. Anders Carson for initially turning me on to Bukowski btw..)

No. 6

I'll settle for the 6 horse
on a rainy afternoon
a paper cup of coffee
in my hand
a little way to go,
the wind twirling out
small wrens from
the upper grandstand roof,
the jocks coming out
for a middle race
silent
and the easy rain making
everything
at once
almost alike,
the horses at peace with
each other
before the drunken war
and I am under the grandstand
feeling for
cigarettes
settling for coffee,
then the horses walk by
taking their little men
away-
it is funeral and graceful
and glad
like the opening
of flowers.

"Hide Your Life Away" is as gritty as a the bottom of Tom Waits' shoes, with situations that are mildly improbable in the way one knows Star Trek ships have been vacuumed to a 'T' but one never actually sees them being cleaned. Little works the mechanics behind the story with artful ease, not showing her sleeves and not making the machinery creak.

The dialogue (and this book is dialogue heavy) is pert, funny, real, not over-the-brow high-and-mighty, and wry. Someone said of the book that it would make a great play, and with the spare backgrounds and flavourful dialogue, fun, crazy and yes even some achingly normal characters peppering it like cloves in a pot-pourri, I totally believe it would translate well to the stage.

Although the pace is not overly quick-moving, the book itself is. The pages flew under my fingertips as I tasted the greasy food, stale cigarettes and embedded roofing nails firsthand. That's what you get for escaping to the roof of one's shed with a bucket of KFC, a packet of Belmont Milds and a few loose nails to play with I guess.

Little casts her strings open and reels in the nets; she wraps the story neatly, pulling it all together to form a fantastic web that glitters and entices and ultimately delivers a satisfying conclusion.

You can pre-order "Hide Your Life Away" on Amazon.com, you can check out excerpts, see snippets of fun info on Carol's blog or join the Facebook Group "Hide Your Life Away by Carol Little". It is a refreshing work that is especially appealing in a time when news-bits, blogs, two penny articles per click and headlined magazine articles no one reads are the alternative. It stands out and is immediately appealing: the characters are kids in our time, the book is short but punchy and tastes as good as it sounds.

For a bit on Carol's scholarly background, read the fresh article in Carleton University's The Charlatan!

Forthcoming from Meanwhilestudos.com this September 23rd!
Editor: Lisa Cole
Cover photography: Shayli Vere
Cover model: Nathan Wiley
Graphics and layout: Troy Little.
Publisher: Meanwhile Studios; First edition
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0973997117
ISBN-13: 978-0973997118

Riding the pony

Sometimes you are sitting at the bottom of your well, wondering how you are going to climb back into that broken bucket and haul yourself up the frayed rope. Sometimes you're peering down the well, rolling your last penny between your fingers and wondering if it's worth trying to make another useless wish...or should you just hang onto the penny.

Sometimes you're the chiquita who hauls up the bucket full of pennies and gets to go dancing like a madwomyn at the Lasses of Fairmont's Amazing Leprechaun Shindig! Those are the good days :-)

Today was busy as all get out. It was release day at work, and the publication I work on came out in magazine (ie: paper) form, as opposed to its monthly digital appearance. I got to run all over the three Stats buildings with our little cart, hand-delivering the shiny new Spring issue. Unfortunately, my distro list was 30% inaccurate, which was a tad annoying. Still, I got to see all kinds've neat places, from the bowels of the Main Bldg. to the 26th floor of the Coats Tower. Everyone was nice and helped to direct me where I needed to go.

When I got back to my wee cubicle, it was just in time to get my ass in to our weekly production meeting. Where, to my horror and dismay, our Editor-in-Chief pointed out not just one typo in my Minutes file from the last meeting, but TWO. And of course, the offending sentence included the name of our Division's Director. *le sigh*

It was kinda funny though. It read: "Runing..the Census..in a high income..blah blah de blah" So of course I got an image of our boss casting runes on a tablecloth with pot smoke everywhere, looking all bleary-eyed and grinning. It was supposed to be "Running", not Runing and "tight" not high. I blamed the problem on the fact that I didn't have my glasses at the time! Anyway, everyone had a good chuckle at my expense and I drew a doodle to commemorate my gaff.

The next thing I did was update the distro list, with people's FULL NAMES and up-to-date locations, so I wouldn't look like a knob three months from now as I circulate, at a loss, going "Where's P. Macdonald?" And getting the blank stare and: "Oh, he moved over to the Health Building 2 1/2 months ago!". Groan!!

Much work, but it was good. I would rather have stuff to do, than not enough. Or a nice mixture of stuff with downtime (so I can get a coffee in.)

After work, I eased my wee Echo out of the snow-bound parking lot and headed for my appointment with Dr. Bishop. I've been going there since Feb 12th and so far have lost about 18 lbs. Which is super. I thought that I would have had a worse time of it at my weigh-in today, after my jaunt to PEI and all the drinking, munching and carrying on that went on, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

You know, it almost never is. You imagine the absolute worst, looming over you with pointed teeth; you imagine: failing your interview, being laughed at, gaining 20 lbs., crashing your car. And what happens is usually nowhere near as bad. Nobody is really staring at you, you only gained 2 lbs., having a missing right-hand mirror means you don't scrape other cars as easily..you know ;-)

Blah! So there, my verbal diarrhea dribbles to an end.
Some cool and exciting things....
I found a link to the Charlatan Interview I gave last year, but never got a chance to see. Not too bad!
Upcoming... Capital Xtra reporter Lara Purvis has lined up an interview with yours truly. That should be lots of fun.
I am also working on a logo for QWO's (Queer Women Ottawa) revamped website, and also there will be a BI-WEEKLY comic strip appearing there. Brace yourselves!

Ok, I'll be quiet now. My bed is calling my name.
Cheers!
Suzanne.

Citizen article on Dr. Bishop about carbs and the like!
A video about LadyFest from Capital Xtra, with reporter Lara Purvis!

The Magic Cauldron online comic!

If you haven't checked it out already, head on over to the Kunstpike Art Flog for links to my 24 Hour Comics Day effort, recently uploaded to the DragonHead Studio site! Wicked :-)))

NEWSFLASH! DragonHead Studio presents Westin Church's fabulous "Harry Hotdog in the Land of Linguini". Check out the delightful adventures of a talking hotdog. Really! From the 24 Hour Comics Day party that brought you "The Magic Cauldron".

Rattus Adorabilus

Happy Chinese New Year!
Happy YEAR OF THE RAT.
Yes, I have to say that I am in my element (elephant?) For too long, I have had to endure the revulsion and petty put-downs of the anti-rat majority that surrounds me. Now I can spin around and say "It's the bluidy Year of the Bluidy Rat! Innit! So what're YOU goin' ta do aboot it? Yeh bluidy piece o' ... (rage rage in fake Scots accent)"*

Anyway, I've been a proponent of rat rights since I got turned onto them by a combination of a gfriend who LOVED rats, songs about rats (and mice JT's "One Brown Mouse") and Bryan Talbot's lovely, hardcore comic "The Tale of One Bad Rat" from Dark Horse Comics.

The differences between a wild animal, no matter what its ilk and its domestic brethren basically underline the differences that folk feel about rats. On the one hand you have the cutest, cuddliest most loving of animals, tucked into your sleeve or pocket, nipping chips right out of your fingers and chewing contentedly, delighted at their cleverness. On the other hand (the wild hand) you have a clever, resourceful, slippery rodent intent on the survival of itself and its progeny.

What's the diff between how a wild animal works at survival, and thus lives on the fringes of our world, and say the domestic creature that curls happily at our feet, eager for a bit of attention and a scratch behind the ears? Compare wild dogs with domestic ones; wild cats with their slacker cousins. Yes, wild rats with those that have been tamed.

(For comparison, I present WILD, DOMESTIC & BABY DOMESTIC animals of the canine, feline and rodent variety.)

Rats are smart, can learn their name (unlike many "pocket pets" of the hamster/ gerbil/ variety), learn tricks, are quite clean (groom themselves all the time), enjoy the company of people, especially if there aren't any friendly rats to hang out with and are affordable, easy to take care of and utterly satisfying as a pet. They can even be litter trained! (Traditionally, one puts out small pans of litter for them, but there's a video on Youtube of a pouched rat using a toilet!)
They have a horrible reputation because of the continued resourcefulness, and fight to survive that their wild ancestors and cousins possess. Rats, because of their intelligence and tenacity are very difficult to outwit, capture, poison and kill. They live alongside us because it is convenient for their survival to do so. Where else can you get food, warmth, cover and (relative) safety in which to raise your babies? If our fates were reversed and humankind lived in the walls, I'm sure we'd be much the same pest to our giant Rat Overlords. (Check out "Of Men and Monsters" by William Tenn for a feel of walking a mile in teeny tiny rat shoes...)

Anyway, I'm not going to change the opinion of the die-hard rat-hater, or genuine rodent-o-phobe. Especially if you're from a country where you're in direct competition with these guys for survival and they're wrecking your grain and giving you a hard time.

If, on the other hand, you hate rats "just cause" or "because of the tail", perhaps you can be swayed. Do some research; cruise the web. Check out how Gambian pouched rats are saving peoples' lives by helping with mine detection in war-torn countries (Excellent video about them being used in Mozambique.) Read "The tale of one bad rat". Read Robert Sullivan's "Rats". Open your mind to the possibility that a pet doesn't necessarily have to star as one of the good guys in cartoons to be a suitable pet for a child. I would bet money that more kids get savaged by gerbils than by pet rats. Seriously!
Check out the various ratteries near you and other pro-rat sites to read stories and see pictures of domestic rats. There is nothing cuter than a 4 week old rattie baby. They look like Hamtaros. Really. Baby rats look just like puppies. Except you don't have to walk them when they get bigger (unless you consider letting them explore your couch, walking :-)

At this point, you probably think I have exhausted my ratness. However, I have barely tickled the surface of this subject. (Most people probably left the building during my rant in brogue.) The next bit of the Blog deals with the interesting mythology of rats, with regard to the Chinese Year of the Rat and their position in the first house of the Astrological wheel.


..."Fable has it that all the animals were asked to report to the Emperor on Chinese New Year day. Only the first twelve to reach the palace were to be rewarded with a year named after them. Since then, each year has been represented by an animal with its own distinctive characteristic and fate...people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking"...


Zodiac Location: 1st
Ruling hours : 11pm-1am
Direction: North
Season and month: Winter, December
Chinese Lunar Month For The Rat: December 7 to January 5
Gemstone: Garnet
Colours: Black, red, white
Lucky Number: 11
Polarity: Yang
Element: Water

Positive Traits: Meticulous, intelligent, shrewd, compassionate, charismatic, charming, ambitious, practical, industrious, honest, eloquent, versatile, familial, creative, hard-working, neat, organized, lovers of music, loving.
Negative Traits: Controlling, obstinate, resentful, little humour, manipulative, cruel, vengeful, power-driven, critical, possessive, stingy, bossy, fickle, defensive

Compatible with: Dragon, Monkey, Ox
So-So: Snake, Rat, Dog, Tiger
Incompatible: Rabbit, Rooster, Horse, Pig, Sheep

Year of the Rat Zodiac & Astrology for 2008.
Check out Wiki for more on fancy rats, as well as cute rat pictures. There's also a page on Gambian rats there too!
Fascinating page on rat biology & behavior, written and compiled by Dr. Anne Hanson.
Delightful video of rats fishing ice cubes from a glass, courtesy of Carole Nelson at Lil Ratscals Rattery.
American Fancy Rat & Mouse Association link.
Thanks Mary for letting me know about Google's cute Rat icon! :-)

* I blame the outrageous accent on reading a pile of Lee Kennedy's fantastic comics online this morning. Then reading more from The Girly Comic...
these things happen...

It's the Season For Romance

What could be more romantic than a story of a slightly crazy girl and her very special...friend. Yes, "Ivy & Dummy" is the modern story for our age. Ivy is an innocent chiqua who finds Burris ("Dummy") on a park bench and decides to bring him home. The story of their adventures lives in the tiny black and white mini-comic I made, wayy back in 2000, and it also lives in the show that I was working on with Decode Entertainment a couple of years ago.

It's all "still in the works", but for your viewing pleasure, Geoff Marshall, the fellow at Chromacide who directed and provided the flash animation for the pilot, kindly posted it on his 2006 reel page. Enjoy!

See the short.
Order a mini-comic. (I need a minimum number of requests before I'll reprint the original mini!)
Not convinced? Read the fabulous review at Broken Pencil!
Go check out Decode Entertainment. Send them an email asking when "Ivy & Dummy" will be broadcast on TV??
Check out Geoff Marshall at Chromacide.
Email Geoff and give him a big thumbs up for all that hard work. Maybe we'll join forces again. Ya never know.

"Ivy & Dummy" is (c) 2008 Suzanne Marsden & Decode Entertainment Inc.

Zurg

Ok, my computer is possessed at work by infernal gremlins! That is the only thing I can think of to account for the bizarre behavior of programs that seem to work perfectly fine on my supervisor's computer. Very strange indeed. Hopefully our lovely IT lady can beat some manners into the little so-n'-sos...

Thanks for everyone who showed interest in my pal Leah's furniture. We have sold the EQ3 table! Yay! The gorgeous chair and ottoman are still up for grabs through. And, at an affordable $300.00, you can't go wrong. Solid beech wood (not IKEA) and faux suede make it super comfy and relaxing. You knowww you want it ;-)) Drop me a line and let me know; I'll hook you up!

What else? I have been cobbling a site together for Chiqua Designs! Check it out and be wowed :-) Soon you'll be able to order one-of-a-kind, hand made jewelery pieces directly from Chiqua and be the envy of everyone in your neighbourhood! Trust me, you WILL!

The amazing bracelet shown above is one of Leah's pieces from Chiqua Designs that she made for my birthday last year. It is rose quartz, with a Goddess figure and an antique locket. Lovely, and unique. I've never seen anyone else with anything like it (and it fits!)

What else? Duh... Tuesdays don't seem to be agreeing with me. I spent most of today alseep, wavering from doing tables in Pagemaker for work to checking my Scrabulous tournament results on Facebook. I'm getting my ass handed to me (again) by Mr. Hemming *sigh*, but I gave a good ass-handing-back myself to another dude..so it's good. We'll see. Hopefully the tourney will come to a close before Hasbro rolls the whole thing up on us.

Must head for sleep... will write later when I have more fun things to report.
Go check out Chiqua!
Cheers
Suzanne.

DEAD PERSON: [singing] I feel happy. I feel happy.

If you're wondering what THAT'S all about (title), then go on over to this Holy Grail site and enjoy Scene 2 all over again :-) I was initially going to name this post "I'm Not Dead", and then I was trying to remember how that scene went.. and that adding "You're not fooling anyone, you know" wouldn't make any sense. Oh well...damned Pythonophiles anyway :-P
The picture is of the Health building at Tunney's Pasture, taken from the 9th floor of the JT Bldg. No, it's not my office, but I often sit in the dedicated Internet office that this window fronts. It's no one's office. Anyone can go in there when they start going blind from gazing at their computer and want to look out the window. Well, actually they go in there and look at ANOTHER computer. I'm probably the only one that actually uses the window (that is, when I'm not updating my Scrabble games on Facebook...)

So, yes, the rumours of my death haven't been exaggerated. I returned to work Nov 26th... right around when I last posted to this Blog. Coincidence? I don't think so... I haven't stopped writing, just stopped posting (again, sorry.) I finished the NaNoWriMo in November, topping out at 50,400 words or so. I've been writing on completing that project on and off. I've also spent some time working on completing my 3-Day Novel Contest Entry and trying to turn it into an actual book. (The results are in, and sadly neither Carol L. nor I were winners. Oh well!)

The real victory was the completion of the work, and the submission of said work, not necessarily walking away with a gigantic prize. (Although I do like gigantic prizes.) It was also excellent practice to learn the rote of organization and time management. These two particular creatures are my nemeses (nemesesessss :-) Although a Virgo by birth, I am not naturally an organizational genius. I do it if I have to. And it has to be a life-or-death situation (like sorting out tax stuff. And even then, my Mom {another Virgo} had to help me out!)

In any case, I'm slowly being shoe-horned into a mold that is not really my natural environment. Organization, punctuality, coherence... Yeah yeah. All of it makes working in my new Division a little easier. Working in publications and not data capture makes it A LOT easier. I'm doing stuff I moderately enjoy, with a crew that respects me and appreciates what I do. Go figure! After designing the logo and the poster for the 20th anniversary of the publication we produce, I was even given a gift and a thank you card. I can't recall ever getting anything like that at a previous job. Ever!

So, yeah; it grates a bit, but the fit is loosening as I wear it. Like my shoes, it takes time to get comfortable in something new, especially a job. What really makes the difference is that I am splitting my time better between the 7:30 am - 3:30 pm work and my real work. I'm still drawing, writing, doing the things I love. If you can't do the things you love... what the hell are you doing?

I'm finding ways to keep happy: Tai Chi, Belly dancing, doing WW again and falling into the beautiful eyes of a lovely woman. I'm crazy crazy again, and it feels like hot and cold running water: ice and lava bursting across the planes of my skin. I write Haikus, I sip Bridgehead coffee, I fall deeper and deeper into the crevasses of her warmth and the glow of her smile. It is beautiful, and painful; a rush of wind and the sweet crystal silence of a winter wood. Who knows how it will all unravel. In the meantime, it is a wonderful ache that keeps it all rolling forward.

This is her chair, ottoman and table.
The table has been sold, but the chair and ottoman are still up for grabs: $300 negotiable :-) Send me an offer, and this lovely stuff could be yours. The chair and ottoman were newly purchased for about $700 a couple of years ago. I've tried them and they are in prime shape and super comfy. Check out the listing on Facebook!

Hanging in there by the skin of teeth and fingers.
I shall post more...serious :-)
Suz.

Chug Chug Chug

This is the sound of the engine running out of steam, only partway up the hill. How did that damned story go? I forget.... Sometimes thinking that you can ain't enough. You just have to KNOW it in your gut. I talked with Anders today and said, I've had block for 3 days man, 3 days! I don't know if I can do this..I'm at 32,000 words and I only have 10 days left.." And Anders said "Of course you'll make it." And that was that. Now I'm at 38,000 words, sailing right along with some other, underused characters that I enjoyed introducing way back on November 6th or something and they are carrying their part of the story quite happily.

To see how I'm doing, you can check the Official NaNoWriMo link. There's a Facebook dealie that updates my word count on my status, but I don't think I can link it here. I have captured today's pic of my progress for you to admire though, so that's fun.

It is dismal and grey outside, but the cats enjoyed gamboling around chasing leaves. They were happy to get in though, as it's a trifle cold. This time next week I'll be ensconced in my new Joe Job at Stats once more. It is surreal to me that I'm returning. Hopefully I can crank out another 12,000 words before going back so I won't fail the NaNoWriMo :-P

My story shows absolutely no intention of coming to an end neatly at the 50,000 word mark. It's funny, looking back at my "Terra del Meurto" story, when I'd reached 31,000 words over the Labour Day Weekend, that was it. It was done. I was left with the truncated bits of 3-Day novel in my lap, begging to be re-cut, rewritten and finished. I'm not even going to look at that until I finish this. And this has taken on a wondrous life of its own. It is a marvel, living and breathing on the page. The characters are fun and I don't have a clue what they'll do. I've set them up like pins and I keep throwing a ball. Sometimes I miss, sometimes I strike, sometimes the lane extends the length of two football fields. Go figure.

The joy is that barring the quote I've just added (I'm sure Adams would've appreciated the irony!) deadlines seem to be the fuel, fire and combustion I need to keep going. I forget where I heard this quote from ... Robert Genn? That: "A Goal without a deadline is a wish." Fantastic. The more goals/ challenges I have provided for myself, the more I have produced and I am delighted. It is exhausting, exhilarating and thoroughly satisfying work in which to be involved.

I'm hoping the joy and pulse of creativity can keep me sane as I return to the 9-5 drudgery of our modern life. If not, I'll try holding off the crashing and burning until the debts have been cleared up at least.

Cheers!
Suzanne.

PS--thoroughly enjoying reading "Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain; 1960's hardcover edition with illustrations and unabridged. Wonderful language!

Second Week

Apparently according to the NaNoWriMo website, it's the official beginning of Week II of the challenge. My stats are a little over 14,000 words, so that's good. Now all I need is a plot..haha! No seriously, things are going ok. I've introduced my main character, set her in her setting and have peopled her environs with a few cool characters to help her on her way. I have a vague idea of where I want this to go, but so far I'm reliving my old University days. That's fine, I'm sure it'll all work out in the end (I hope.)

Now, I must go and get me some shoes. My sneakers accrued a hole. Which is not good, not when I start my new job in less than three weeks.

More to come. And to all of those who struggle under the burden (or blessing) of creativity... good luck!
Cheers
Suzanne.

PS--If you have the means, get your butt PEI bound for November 9th! It's the official launch of "Chiaroscuro" by Troy Little and IDW Publishing. It should be a fun time. I am very disappointed that I can't attend... :-(

Yes it's that time of the year

I have decided that 2007 is my year for CHALLENGES. In keeping with my self-imposed madness, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month. For more info on what that's all about, please feel free to follow the links.

This year, I challenged myself to complete a french course, which I managed to do. I took up the challenge of getting back into animation, thanks to Nick Cross, that came true as well. I challenged myself to leave my steady job and jump into the well of creativity, and all wise-words and fear be damned! That sorta worked out... I challenged the old self to get in the car and drive East on my lonesome. That was some fun. Probably would be more fun with company, but whatcha gonna do?

The fall's challenges have been in a very creative vein! Labour Day weekend was the 3-Day Novel Contest. Carol Little helped inspire me to enter that (you can check out an awesome article about her and the challenge online in PEI's Guardian!) I completed a 131 pg. novel called "Terra Del Meurta", which as Clay later pointed out reads more like an outline for a really BIG novel :-) I think a rewrite or 3 may be in order. But the cool thing is; I got it done! Hurray Sue :-)

Onto the rest of the challenges.... October 20th dawned beautiful and sunny; the 24 Hour Comics Day had arrived. Five brave souls threw themselves into the fray (Keith Savage, Westin Church, Meaghan Quinn, Suzanne Marsden & Clayton Jacobs) and three came out, including moi! I will be posting info on that all on its own, cause I want to scan in some pics too.

And, because I haven't had enough of grueling creative exercises, I signed up for NaNoWriMo. Basically, you have 30 days to write a novel of 50,000 words (or more.) It's day 6 and I'm clocking in around 9296 words...which ain't too bad. I feel good; my fingers are a little annoyed with me (whaaat? You're doing Data Entry? Whaat?)

Finally, my biggest challenge to date...
Return to Statistics Canada. How is that going to be? Don't know... It is in a completely different Division than I was before, doing work as a Publication Assistant. So--it might even be fun? Mm, you can tell I generally see things in the glass-is-half-full light, right? ;-)

So...there will be more. Sorry for the long hiatus, and thanks for continuing to check in to see if I'm still alive and kickin'. Yeap! Still alive... Still kickin'...

Cheers!
Suzanne.

Git your game on!!

I looked at the image above on my Facebook profile and it hit home. There are only THREE DAYS AND EIGHTEEN HOURS left until the exciting 24 Hour Comics Day Event at my place (DragonHead Studio.)

So, email me, join the Facebook Group and request to be added to the Event and come out to enjoy the fun, horrifying, exciting, excruciating challenge. There will be home-made poppycock. Seriously :-)

Suzanne.

613-836-7821
sue.clay@rogers.com

Official Press Release!

For immediate release
For further info about the local event, contact Suzanne Marsden at 613-836-7821. For further info about 24 Hour Comics Day, contact Nat Gertler, nat@24hourcomics.com, (805) 499-4091

Making Comics Around-the-Clock and Around-the-World – Kanata, ON included
Cartoonists Gather At DragonHead Studio For 24 Hour Comics Day

(Kanata) To many people, comics are the hip type of reading material. To some, they’re a great form of artistic expression. But come October 20th, people will treat comics as a challenge, and a tough one at that. That’s the day when local cartoonists will gather at DragonHead Studio to join with professional and amateur comics creators worldwide in celebrating 24 Hour Comics Day, a marathon festival of cartooning.
The cartoonist’s goal on the annual 24 Hour Comics Day is easy to explain, difficult to achieve. Each wants to turn 24 blank pieces of paper into a finished comic book in 24 hours. This “24 hour comics challenge” means achieving what might normally be months of work in a single (generally sleepless) day. During last year’s event, more than 1200 cartoonists gathered at event locations in 17 countries, working side-by-side while sharing energy, snacks, and camaraderie. While not everyone successfully completed 24 pages, among them they crafted more than 15,000 pages of comics.
"The participants are a mix of first-time comics creators, seasoned amateurs, and established professionals," explains Suzanne Marsden, Founder of DragonHead Studio. "They’re spending 24 hours trying something different. Even people who have made a lot of comics find new creative techniques and inner resources when facing this bizarre deadline. When you can’t spend endless time reworking and rethinking, you learn to create on impulse, and some amazing stuff can result.”
The Comic Book Shoppe carries several books featuring 24 hour comics stories, including one edited by Scott McCloud, the leading comics theoretician who invented the challenge. McCloud had leveled the challenge at Steve Bissette, a fellow cartoonist who sketched quickly but created finished comic work notoriously slowly. The energetic and emotionally raw work that Bissette created is in McCloud’s book 24 Hour Comics, as are 24 hour comic attempts by Stardust writer Neil Gaiman and eight more. Other books feature stories drawn during each of the past three years 24 Hour Comics Days.
"We’re gearing up to provide food and drink for a batch of creatively-driven, fun-loving cartoonists," says Marsden, "and even people who don’t want to make comics themselves can do their part. Stop by the studio, see the creative effort in action, show the cartoonists your support. THE STUDIO WILL BE OPEN TO VISITORS AND SUPPORTERS FOR THE FULL TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!”
The full description of the 24 hour comics challenge is available at the 24HourComics.com website. Cartoonists who want to participate should call DragonHead Studio at 613-836-7821 to reserve a spot, as space is limited and planning needs to be done. No talent is required, just enthusiasm, a willingness to put in the effort, and someone to drive you home (driving after 24 consecutive hours of creative effort is not a good idea). DragonHead Studio is also looking for local restaurants and other vendors to help sponsor the event by providing food to keep the cartoonists going.

DragonHead Studio is an independent comic publishing house, animation and cartoon studio. Located at 37 Ballantrae Way, Kanata, ON K2L 1N3, DragonHead Studio publishes “aBraxIa”, “Ivy & Dummy” and provides creative services to a number of Canadian studios.
24 HOUR COMICS DAY is an international festival of cartooning. Founded in 2004 by comics writer/publisher Nat Gertler, the festival has experienced rapid growth. More information can be found at 24HourComics.com

Yes, we're online... and there is still time to sign up!

Nat Gertler sent me a notice regarding the 24 Hour Comics Day Event, stating that the International start time list had been completed. The list includes DragonHead Studio's event, the ONLY host near the Nation's Capital (the next one out is The Artel in Kingston, then Hairy Tarantula West in Toronto!) This comprises 82 Events scheduled in 15 countries, 29 US states and 3 Canadian provinces! Check out the map here :-D

With the event less than two weeks away, folks must be getting excited and stoked for the exhausting, illuminating and one-of-a-kind experience ONLY this kind've gathering can evoke. I know that I am! And it is not too late to take part. Simply contact me with your interest and questions, or sign on to the Facebook group and request to be included on the event list. You will receive maps, and can participate in a carpool or shuttle bus to DragonHead Studio's cozy locale in Urban Kanata.

Ample drawing, painting & comic creating materials will be provided, along with a selection of caffeinated beverages ;-) and foods. We do support vegetarian-friendly food; just let us know your needs. We have a large collection of animals living with us, so prepare your system with anti-allergy medication (if you need it.) DragonHead has a secure area if you wish to bring a tent and camp. We also will be providing up to eight places for people to sleep, should they require napping during the event, or cannot complete their comic projects and must sleep.

You have nothin' to lose by giving this a try! You will discover creative depths in your heart you didn't know existed! If you are experiencing artist's or writer's block, this event will kick the hell out of it. You will amaze yourself by what bubbles up in the middle of the night... Go for it!

To get a feel for what others have experienced during previous events, check out YouTube. There are tons of clips showing comic artists and even a couple of interviews with the inventor of the 24 Hour Comic, Scott McCloud!

Contact me via my website, The 24 Hour Comic Book Day at DragonHead Studio Group on Facebook, or by calling 613-323-3377 and leaving a detailed voice message.

Cheers and all best
Suzanne.

PS--Happy Thanksgiving!
PPS -- For detailed information regarding the 24 Hour Comic and what it is exactly, refer to Scott McCloud's web page. Here he explains what it is, how he came up with it and shows copious pages of completed 24 Hour Comics. Inspiring!
PPPS -- Here's a funny image detailing ways to keep awake while doing the 24 HCD.

Happy Guinness Day

Happy Guinness Day! It's Arthur Guinness' birthday, so to celebrate, folks world wide are sucking back the delicious brew. Close your eyes, drink your Guinness, and imagine John Mann and Spirit of the West singing this traditional ballad:

General Guinness

You've heard of General Wellington
Who won at Waterloo,
But there's a good old Irishman
I'll introduce to you
He comes from dear old Dublin
He's a man we all applaud
For he always finds a corkscrew
Far more hardy than a sword.
He's good old General Guinness
He's a soldier strong and stout
Found on every battlefront
He can't be done without
His noble name has worldwide fame
Preserved through hearty cheers
Hurrah for General Guinness
And the Dublin Boozileers!

This hale and hearty warrior
Is worshipped in the ranks,
For he does his task inside a cask
As well as in the tanks.
He's borne the brunt on every front,
North, South, East and West,
And he wears about ten thousand canteen
Medals on his chest.
He's good old General Guinness.
He's won the world's applause.
It was he who kept our spirits up
In the midst of all the wars.
Who was the first to flirt with
Mademoiselle from Armentiers?
Why good old General Guinness
Of the Dublin Boozileers.

All over bonny Scotland, too,
The General is seen.
They've given him the freedom
Of the town of Aberdeen.
From Inverness to Galloshiles,
They keep him warm at night
And they love to gather round him,
Auuuch! On every moonlit night.
He's good old General Guinness
He's as good as Scottish broth.
He's the one who turned the Firth of Forth
Into the Firth of Froth
All Scotsmen dance the highland fling
And shout when he appears
Hurrah for General Guinness
And the Dublin Boozileers!


(Can be found on the album "Old Material")

Take the plunge

You know you want to.

You've been aching, your fingers vibrating with the creative need to DRAW. But, you've put it off. Your boring job saps all your strength. Or even your moderately not-so-boring job takes up so much of your energy, when you get home (or hell, if you're working from home) you just don't have it in you to.. draw..

Scott McCloud came up with a nifty device over a decade ago (August 31st, 1990), called The Dare. In this Dare, he challenged a compatriot, Steve Bissette, to draw for 24 hours straight, one page an hour, until by the time he was done, this fella would have a complete comic, written, penciled and inked in his hands. That's all it took. From that wonderful, inspired idea, the 24-Hour Comic has spread like fruit flies on a squishy mango, in other words, FAST and with much sucking of tasty, sticky juice! To check out more information on The Dare and to read McCloud's first 24-hour comic, check ze links!

No writer or artist's block can withstand the energy or will that exists in the sweat of someone working on a project for 24 hours straight. Take it from someone who has braved that valley of darkness three times and come out alive... blind, exhausted, hallucinating, but alive! Below, are panels from my first attempts: "Good Medicine/ Bad Medicine", "The Wyrm's Treasure" and "SnowBlonde" (you can read the last two in their entirety on my website, thanks to the continuing web genius of Carol Busato.)

"Good Medicine/ Bad Medicine"

"The Wyrm's Treasure"

"SnowBlonde"


If you're interested in reading more 24-hour comics, you can order them online from Amazon, or via the 24-Hour Comics Day site which has tons of info on the event! You can also order two of Troy Little's 24-hour comics directly from him at Meanwhile Studios ("Smoked Fish" and "Inanimation".)

Come October 20th, 2007, the entire world will host hundreds of mad, creative folks in various locales, drawing maniacally away and creating something from nuthin'! I was interested in joining the fun, but realized it would come very close to overlapping my business trip to Abbey Hill Design in Callander (near North Bay.) I heard that Hairy Tarantula in Toronto was going to host it, but thought the additional drive and then no sleep, then driving HOME would probably kill me. I looked for something closer to Ottawa and realized there was nothing.

NOTHING.

No 24-Hour Comics Day event in ANY Nation's Capital comic book stores to encourage artists to create masterpieces on trestle tables, between multicoloured rows of comics. No fervent prophets of art and story, drawing throngs of the interested public through the doors to bring lucre to the tills. No store was signed up to host. So I thought to myself, "Self," (sfx of Arlo Guthrie talking) "Yup?" "Why dontcha host an event yerself?" "Sounds like a great idea. Then I won't end up in flames somewhere near Belleville on the way home from the stint in TO!" "Sounds like a plan." "AND I would get to see all of my comic and animation buddies whom I haven't seen in a donkey's year." "Is that an African or European donkey?"

And so on.

The 24-Hour Comics Day site has wonderful resources (like this FAQ) for hosting the DAY and I have downloaded lots of 'em. DragonHead Studio is officially on the boards at their site, and the fun starts at noon, October 20th, 2007 at yours truly. There is a Facebook Group set up for it, as well as an "Event" that you can request an invitation to.

As it stands, I have a possibility of 7 people turning up, which looks great! There is room for 5 -7 more, so if you are in the Ottawa/ Kanata area and you're keen to draw and you'd like to play with my animals and sit on my deck sipping Rev or what-have-you, drop me a line!

You know you want to.
That leetle voice you spend all day ignoring and the entire drive home from your job trying to feint left and right as its siren susurrus pleading whisper darts from ear to ear... Listen to it. Next time you're about to crank "Sam's Town", take a minute to really listen to what the Killers are saying; don't just let the sound wash over you.

"...I've got this energy beneath my feet
like something underground's gonna come up and carry me,
I've got this sentimental heart that beats
but I don't really mind that it's starting to get to me now..."

Call, write, email (blackcomet666@yahoo.ca) or sign up on the Facebook Group and pester me. You have 'til October 6th to get your name in! It's going to be fun!

Cheers,
Suzanne.

Troy Little CHIAROSCURO Interview!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please proceed HERE to check out Troy Little on national television in Canada, courtesy of the CBC, Compass & YouTube.

For a written version of the interview, check this out.

Please be sure to pre-order "Chiaroscuro" from your favourite comic or book stores. The release date is coming up in October (15th), so don't miss out! Information on preordering can be fond on Troy's site here. Or hit up Amazon and pre-order online.

Unaware of distant thrashings

(Above, a mock-up of me with Frank Frazetta; ha! Probably the closest I'll get to seeing him for real ;-)

I had the happy chanced stumble to find a great comic resource: "The Drawing Board" via Mick Harrison's Blog. Thanks Mick! From there I have found great Classifieds (ads that actually entice pencilers, inkers and the like with MONEY! Wow :-) For those of you who don't know.. many sites have comic classifieds that go something like this:

"...I am actively seeking dedicated comics artists/co-creators with whom to work in developing original comics properties to pitch (at least five to eight pages of finished art)... I am looking for talented artists to help in bringing these works to their two-dimensional life. Only artists with a firm grasp of sequential comic art need respond... [Insert bunch of junk to indicate the dude(tte) has some kind've credentials)
...Work is currently non-pay, but fair percentages for the amount of work done will be negotiated once a project is picked up by a publisher...."
BLAH BLAH BLAH.

When I got to High School at the ripe age of 14, I looked at my ink-stained hands and said "No More Freebies!" And I stood by it. (OK, barring: relatives, fund-raisers and blood-brethren (& sistren), I don't draw for free. Why should you? Why should you advertise to the world that your work is worthless? I remember my 1st year teacher at Algonquin College, Peter Adamakos, going on at length about that in one of his lectures. I don't recall it in its entirety, but basically it had to do with: Pride, not just in yourself, but in your work, and belief in the validity (and saleability) of your work.

So anyway, it was refreshing to find a professional site that had classified ads for comic artists that offer dough for art. Cool :-) Since it was 1am, and for some reason I subconsciously believed that sleep was STILL for the weak, I thought I'd poke around and see what trouble I could get into there. And I found trouble--of course! A bit of a preamble to this story though, before I get to "ze meat"

When I was growing up, the burg I lived in had a population of maybe 800 (or so.) Now I was only about 20 km away from a major urban centre, so I didn't get the "living in a tiny village" syndrome that sends many people running for big cities, to get away from ALL THE NEIGHBOURS KNOWING EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU... ALL THE TIME!

But, it was a small enough town that the grocery store (the only place to buy stuff at the time) carried a wee spinner rack of comics and a spot with magazines off to the side. This was where you would find the TWO copies of Heavy Metal that would come in irregularly. Some reprobate bought one of those Heavy Metals, and I, at the tender age of 16 or so, bought the other one. It was like buying condoms or cigarettes or something. I'd have to stand in the checkout line, trying to hide my mag under a bag of chips or whatever, and the Octogenarian ringing it through would take a good gander at the stark(ish) naked space-girl on the front cover and wonder about me.

But! Back to the story.

Between the covers of those Heavy Metal comics was a lot of crap. But, there was also an amazing amount of beautiful artwork (like Findley's "Tex Arcana") which helped inspire me to draw, tell stories, get unladylike thoughts zipping around in my fertile teenager's head and such. Included in the long list of inspirational artists that I was exposed to through the mag is the legendary Frank Frazetta. (I mention Mr. Frazetta, because eventually this gets back to how I opened the Blog today.)

I fell in love with Frazetta's work the way you fall into a swimming pool filled to the brim with Jello. Hard, fast, covered in slime and no option to rise to the surface, save to devour everything around you and try not to think what it's made of. I kept my eyes peeled for Frazetta's work and accumulated a small stack of thin paperback art books, which have sadly fallen apart, a mere 20 years later... Mostly to the fact that I went through them over, and over and over again. (Below is "Conan the Avenger" - the cover painting to the first of those art books I had.)
Unlike a lot of people who got turned onto Frank Frazetta's work, it wasn't via the actual Conan the Barbarian paperback books. It was through prints, books, reproduced illustrations, the Ralph Bakshi movie "Fire & Ice", and also the deep respect and admiration of my Dad for the work and the artist. My Dad looked at the Frazetta works, nodded his head and said "This is really great stuff."

Just Sunday, I was visiting Keith's place and we were having a nice palaver over Pad Thai, drinks, convo, Gran Turismo and stuff, when he revealed, like a Magician pulling a dove out of thin air, that he had a movie for Clay & I to watch.
"What is it?" I demanded about a billion times.
"Wait and see!"

It was "Painting with Fire", which is a documentary/ interview/ reminiscence and adulatory piece about Frank Frazetta. I really enjoyed it. I love seeing how artists work. I especially love to see their studios. When I get into an artist, like most "fans" I want to know everything about them and understand where they draw their inspiration, how they work, how they think.

It was delightful seeing the early photos of Frank, hear the story of how he built his career. Realize that even the greats can be amazing procrastinators (putting off work for a whole month, only to burn in a creative frenzy for 8-15 hours to get a piece done for deadline!) It was cool seeing his closet chock full of cameras (I piped up: "Now I don't feel so bad!" --I too have a camera fetish.) It was inspiring, and made me want to draw like crazy (which of course was the effect that Keith had anticipated.) We sat around and drew for a few hours and I was happy as a clam.

Anyway, back to The Drawing Board, poking around in Forums and realizing stuff is happening. Now, you know where I stand on the matter of Frank Frazetta. He isn't God, but he is a hell of a talented painter. Apparently there is a real fooferah between him and another artist, called Mike Hoffman. Up 'til now, I think I'd only seen his work around --maybe in Heavy Metal? Maybe in PinUps? Or magazines? I was unaware of the intense animosity happening between Frazetta & Hoffman.

I was browsing and saw a Forum topic called "Thirteen Reasons Why I'm Better Than Frazetta". Of course I had to look. I mean; c'mon! A link within the Forum lead to Hoffman's website (which I'll post here.) The vitriol and anti-Frazetta garbage that was fountaining out was astonishing. Hoffman's ANTI-FRAZETTA-FAN rage was also surprising (well, I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising really.) But, accusations aside, aren't these two professional painters in the same genre? Where does this rage, petty in-fighting, obvious jealousy sprout from?

One of the fellows (Sirspamdalot) on the Forum at The Drawing Board said: "...I can't help but think of Ash being attacked by his own hand in Evil Dead 2..."
A Hoffman alongside a Frazetta.

One of the Forum posters (visual myriad) puts it perfectly: "...on the artistic side, i think his artwork is a very pale imitation of Frazetta's work. Hoffman rips so many of Frank's artistic touches, but isn't able to use them intuitively, so his work lacks the life and energy that makes Frank Frazetta's work so timeless." - Daniel

I'm not going to waste a huge amount of time belabouring it, but after scanning through Hoffman's page, I had to write something. He's throwing accusations around like smoke bombs at a ninja convention... Yeah, some of them are true, I'm not Frazetta's publicist, so I can't put out a press release or whatever regarding the "Swipes" Hoffman accuses him of. I've watched "Painting with Fire" and yes, Frank says quite a bit of high handed things. But, my G*d man, he's 79; give him a break! If you get to 79 and every artist with two thumbs and a can of paint is killing themselves to paint like you, yes, you're allowed to refer to yourself as a "Legend".

Anyway, I'll hook up all the links, and folks can sort out for themselves what they think. All I know is that I would give a lot to have an original Frazetta hanging in the old pink house, and wouldn't give anything for a Hoffman. There, now I can be counted amongst the "intellectual dust mouse" Frazetta fans as well. Just an aside--I hopped on over to eBay following a Hoffman link and he's selling original "Death Dealer Sketches". Who's swiping what? ;-)

Cheers,
Suzanne.