I miss Christmas...

I am posting this rough drawing at both sites...here and the Captain Spectre site. I actually have a new page done, but thought I would do something for Christmas. Mainly because I miss Christmas. That may sound a bit funny, but it is true. I miss the feeling of Christmas. Anymore it just seems a strange time to me. I don't know what to get my kids or grandkids for the holiday. I wish I could find the Christmas spirit. I lost it along time ago and it has never returned. I wish I could find those Christmas times like I had as a kid. Those feelings were so strong. And I don't mean the presents and all that. I just mean the feelings of the holidays. Now I just use the time off to do work...of course it is work I want to do. Creative work. It is so odd too, because I don't even know the feelings that I am wanting back. They are beyond description...I can't put my finger on it but, I would know them when I felt them. Christmas around my Mom's house was a magical time. Time actually slowed down prior to Christmas, then shot by like a rocket starting the morning of Christmas. Maybe it was because returning to my Mom's house was 'going home'. Maybe it was all the food that she prepared, or seeing friends I hadn't seen in along time. I remember the feelings I got when I got a present for someone and it was something they wanted or needed. I was never good at finding presents for people, but sometimes you get lucky. I don't get lucky anymore. So I just usually get gift cards or money for the people I buy for. That seems to cover all bases, but misses the feeling. But then again I am back to the fact I don't have the feeling anymore.

Anyway, I hope you people out there have a little bit of those feelings left so you can have a great Christmas and a great New Year. I guess that is why I did this little drawing today....trying to find the Christmas spirit in my pencil....cause I have looked everywhere else and can't find it.

Merry Christmas to all my Loyal Legionnaires out there......I do hope you have a great Christmas!!

The fog slowly clears.....

As my creative block slowly starts to wane, like a fog clearing just a little. My eyes see Eisenwald Castle. Remember it will Loyal Legionnaires because you may see it again somewhere. Hopefully sooner than later. Just a tease I guess. I have started putting together some of the material for a story I want to do. And if it turns out might be the one chosen for the stand alone Captain Spectre story I have been promising for over a year.

Mostly I just wanted to begin to let people know I am still kicking, just not very hard. The creative block fog is beginning to show signs of lifting. But it is a fight every day. Must have something to do with age too. I am slowing down it seems and have been at it a while, so not to sound like a totally depressed clinical case, I have been sleeping and resting alot. Everything seems to help a little, but nothing seems to help alot. Not to sound cosmic or anything, but it just takes time more than anything. So with updating here and a new strip over at the main site. I am slowly coming out of my self induced fog.

And again thanks to all out there sending your well wishes. I do appreciate it alot.

There might be a light at the end of the tunnel.... I hope

Well seems I am still battling my so called creative block, or whatever you might want to call it. But I do think there is a light at the end of the tunnel, as my Mom always used to say. Of course it was never about a 'creative block' she was talking about, just mainly life itself. And I sure don't want to get to the next saying she used to tell me. Ha. I always dreaded the 'just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on with it'. Honestly it struck fear into my heart most of the time. Most of the time I heard it later in life and I was back from overseas.

So anyway short of my Mom's ghost coming back to haunt me, I at least did some work today. Admittedly it was more costume, design, practice work.....but it was work.

Obviously it is of the fair Helene, KiGor's woman. Still trying to get a feel for her character, or how I think she would be. I finally decided to tie her hair to one side so it would cascade over one shoulder.....I thought a fairly sexy look and a good 'do' for long shots to identify her at a distance.

So hope you enjoy, and bare with me as I continue to claw my way out of my self made abyss.

Ki-Gor, Lord of the Jungle

One of the things I have been meaning to post, and comment on is KiGor, The best Tarzan knockoff of the Jungle. I have always liked the KiGor character. He had a long journey from pulps to men's magazines into the 50's. He comes complete with a female character, Helene. Like Jane, at the first she wants to get KiGor back to his english roots. She always seemed a more solid character than Jane to me. Jane, now don't get me wrong, is great - especially when she goes missing from Tarzan and has to stand on her own. But Helene starts out a strong character by falling out of the sky as her plane is in trouble. She is a pilot, a good shot and of course the typical reason for alot of situations KiGor gets into. As the stories went along she becomes a much more sensual character than Jane ever did. This may be as the stories moved from Jungle Stories magazine into more of a men's magazine format later in the run.

Joe at Moonstone has given Martin Powell and I more or less a free reign with the stories, which will be eleven page back up style stories. We are going to do a couple and see what happens.

Martin and I are on the same page with these, mainly because Joe at Moonstone wanted to know what makes KiGor different from Tarzan.

We are going to play up a little used item from KiGor's history. He was raised by a shaman after his true father's death. Also we plan to make KiGor's Africa a very strange and scary place.

So hang around for some good old solid Jungle Action!!!

Easing into the flow....with something a bit sinister.

When the going gets tough, you design Nazi flying robots!

I have had this kicking around in my brain for awhile. Seems like a logical villain for Captain Spectre when the war breaks out on the western front. I guess there should be a Japanese version also, since they exchanged technologies at the end of the war.

Anyway I tried to keep the image and all of the German infantryman during World War 2, including the famous 'potato masher' in the boot, only on a large scale. I figure he should be about 12 ft tall, to make them scary on the battlefield and in the sky.

Yet another of the weird world war two weapons that are so fun to make up.

Thanks for all the kind words and concern...

To all my loyal Legionnaires....Thanks. I do appreciate all the kind words and concern over the recent events.

It will still be awhile before I get back to the Captain Spectre strip. Mainly for two reasons.

One: I was kind of on a slump the last few weeks. I was running out of my very small backlog of strips, and to be honest I have been in kind of a creative block. Nothing seems to be flowing as far as creativity is concerned. I haven't been able to do good layouts, or storytelling. The drawing seems ok, just putting it all together and down on paper seems to be the rough part.

But I am sure that things will work out in a short time and all will be back on track sometime soon. I am sorry, because I was wanting to get this chapter wrapped up sometime soon and move on to the stand alone book shortly.

Two: I had been tired and fixing to start my vacation when the wreck happened. So on the top of needing some time to decompress mentally....I now had to contend with some physical pain from the wreck....it took a day or so but finally these old bones started hurting quite a bit. I am still limping around a bit. Plus now without a vehicle I will be homebound, which in my opinion is a great thing. But all the insurance stuff and arranging the repair of my totalled vehicle took some time and mental energy doing the vacation. So for the next week mostly, I will be working at home on work things. I wish it was on my things. But alas those bills must be paid. No government handouts seem to come my way.

So again thanks to all the Loyal Legionnaires for tuning in and for posting and sending kind words. Without the help of friends in times of need, where would we be.

Thanks to all my friends, and one in particular -- you know who you are.

Also to keep me company this next week, is my constant four footed companion - Chopper, seen above in one of the many drawing assistant positions.

Deer season opens!

Well the title to this post might be misleading. I mean it as a little joke since Friday night on the way home, to start a working vacation to get caught up on a few things, I broadsided a huge buck! I counted seven points with two or more broken off by the weapon of choice - My TRUCK.

The entire front end of the truck is crushed and destroyed. Thank goodness for seat beats and air bags, because I didn't even have time to blink. The buck came out of an approaching vehicles headlines as he bolted across the highway. I hit him full force and he flew to the other side of the highway as I slid into a ditch right in front of a cemetary. Sliding because the fenders were wrapped into one of my tires and I couldn't stear. Ha. The grim reaper missed me again.

So sore, in one piece, and without a vehicle I start my vacation with a bang!!!

missed posting, before.

Creature of the Black Lagoon poster 

image removed to check hit count.

I had posted this in the last update. But, being tired and strung out on work, I forgot to mention why I posted it.

Well at Fallcon there was a DVD dealer selling the 3D version of one of my all time favorite films. And quite possible, my favorite movie monster other than Kong.

I never was a fan of 3D movies as a kid. Something about my eyes and all, it just never really worked for me like it seemed to for other people. And I actually thought that most movies made like this just played to the 3D effect and just randomly put things in to make the audience go 'oh wow'. Like that annoying street vendor scene in 'House of Wax'.

Anyway I had never seen a showing of 'Creature' in 3D. So how could I resist? I bought one. Well now I have kind of seen it in 3D. I will stick with my 2D version thanks. Again it didn't really work for me. Oh, there were a couple of places I thought - that was neat, if it was more in focus - so once again my eyes or brain just doesn't get it. Ha.

Such a great film, and they didn't play to the 3D effects so I guess I never really never minded that it was in 3D and I never saw it.

I also bought Revenge of the Creature in 3D, just not in a big rush to see it. Maybe it was the cheap way the DVD's were made, I don't know. Because like I said, my eyes just don't get it.

The Return from Fallcon!

Well, I made it back from Fallcon, despite a few inches of snow and cold early in the winter season. It was a great trip. The Captain Spectre gliders were an offical hit. I liked wandering around the show watching people flying them and not keeping them in the bags. The adults eyes lit up remembering the great times they had as a kid with them. The little kids had to be shown a built one to understand that we used to assemble our toys, sometimes. It was great.

I got to chat with Jose Garcia Lopez, Michael T. Gilbert (of Mr. Monster fame), Phil Hester, Jim Keffe (the last man to draw the Flash Gordon strip), Martin Powell and Lisa, Brent Schoonover, Brandon Terrell, Ken Wind and crew, Joe Gentile from Moonstone, and all the Locals that are great.....always a great time.

I am pumped to have a book finished by next Fallcon, since I really didn't have anything for sale, I spent most of my time looking at others work, and checking out other artists....talking and having a good time. Poor Nick who runs the con, paid 500 bucks for my Superman charity piece. I couldn't believe what it went for. I had posted it earlier on the blog here. The Kong piece brought a good price too. I also had a piece that Mark Stegbaugh inked, that turned out fabulous and it sold high too. I wish I could afford to get him for more personal work. He had some great Phantom pages from Moonstone.

Of course I had work piled up on my return and a few things to do at night to get back to the regular schedule. Which I hope I can keep up with.

Tired and worn out, but back at the table trying to work.

Off to Fallcon!

Sorry not much of an update, just one letting all the Loyal Legionnaires that there won't be an update of the strip this week. I will slaving away at the table at Fallcon next to Martin Powell. I am finally looking forward to making the trip and getting set up for Saturday and Sunday.

Let me just say if you are anywhere in the area of Minneapolis-St. Paul you should go to this con!

It is an honest to goodness COMIC convention. From independent publishers, to silver-age artists it is a great con, and getting bigger every year. Every creator is treated like a king or queen as the case may be.

I am also going to be on a panel with Martin Powell, Joe Gentile from Moonstone and others. We are going to discuss the pulp era heroes and a resurgence of those heroes into comics and new prose adventures. Sounds like a great time.

Again some year I hope to see lots of Legionnaires show up at Fallcon !

Back next week, Legionnaires.