Suburban Tribe

Friday, December 29, 2006

...and a Happy New Year, too!

As you can see by the blurb at the bottom of today's strip, I'll be taking my annual Christmas week off a little late this year. I didn't want to interrupt the story so close to the end, plus I need some time to freshen up this site as well as my studio site for 2007.

This is a cliche because it's true, but if you had told me this time last year that I would have walked out on my day job and gone out on my own - in addition to publishing 3 dead-tree editions of Suburban Tribe* - I would told you that you were half-nuts.

I'm likely jinxing myself by telling you all this, but for quitting a job cold turkey back in April and starting my own company, the last year has been (technically) financially successful; something that many people and a lot of research told me not to expect until I had been at this for 3 to 5 years.

None of this would have been possible without the endless and encouraging support of my wife. (They say that behind every great man is a great woman; My wife is surely wondering where her great man is.) Since I've been working out of my home for the last 8 months, I've taught myself how to cook as a kind of ROI for her support. I can make one mean pizza folks, I ain't shittin' ya. We haven't set foot in Clifton's since June and we don't miss it.

Lots of things are planned for 2007. They're written down on paper and I intend to follow through, but you'll have to find out about them as they happen. I just don't believe in spilling the beans about those kinds of things, because that's a surefire way to make sure that they don't happen. I doubt that it will lead to my own publishing deal or an animated series, but if I'm lucky, maybe they'll point me in that direction.

I remember this time last year, several articles were published and broadcast in the news about what an awful year 2005 was in terms of world events and states-of-the-union(s). Doesn't seem like 2006 was much better, but maybe 2007 will be better for everyone, so here's hoping.

*Issue 3 has been delayed. One week or two by me, and two or three weeks by my printer. But it should be on sale by January 2.

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Friday, December 22, 2006

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Or as our friends at Fox News prefer it, "Happy Holidays!"

I had a big blog planned for today that reflected back on 2006, but the site fell into a black hole for most of the day on Thursday and I spent all that time trying to get it back online. My friend and ace ASP developer, Darren McGee, stepped in around 5pm and was able to convince my hosting company that the problem was on their end. Things finally came back around 8ish, so you have him to thank for a strip being here today.

This story arc will end next Friday (I'll have my big 2006 blog up by then) and after that I'll be taking a week off to line up a few ducks before plunging into 2007's comics.

In the meantime, I thank all of you for the gift of your readership and I hope you will all enjoy a restful and fun Christmas week.

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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

One more time

Okay, this is the last time I'm gonna post about Insomania.

Thanks to everyone for your supportive comments and putting up with my complaining. Several fellow attendees have jumped on the CA forums to express many of my concerns. Chief among them, that there was very little instruction at the "workshop," which was more like a convention with a few seminar-like attributes.

Surprisingly, the people behind the scenes won't hear any of it. Despite using the phrase
life-changing to describe the event (both pre- and post-workshop) they insist that anyone who attended and didn't come away with a bold new vision of themselves and their work is defective somehow.

I consider myself a generous and fair guy. I've taught design, art, and other subjects at public schools, seminars and community college off and on for the past 12 years. What I attended this past weekend was not a workshop.

Live and learn, I suppose. Time to shake off my jet lag and get ready for Christmas.

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Sunday, December 17, 2006

Behold my GIANT, FAT HEAD!

Ooo, that double chin! Those droopy eyes and nasal voice! Sorry ladies, I'm taken!

Video blog update of my weekend in San Francisco. Verdict thus far: Ehm.


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Friday, December 15, 2006

Blogging LIVE from San Francisco!

I'm here in San Francisco just for this weekend, participating in ConceptArt.org's Insomania workshop. The goal is to dust off my life-drawing skills and learn at the feet of the masters the art of digital illustration and concept design. Hopefully, in 2007 I'll expand my client base to include some of this stuff.

You can take a look at the intense schedule I'll be working under here.

I'm not sure if I will be able to stay awake for all of tonight's classes since it took almost 12 hours to fly here from Louisville today. The new "rules" restricting liquids and gels, on top of all the other horseshit that involves removing your shoes, your coat, etc. really slows the process of air travel down to nearly a halt. Not to mention that my connecting flight was delayed by 2 hours. So aggravating. This time next year, Americans will have to fly nude while in handcuffs and leg irons, you watch.

But anyway, expect a full report long with pictures and scans next week. And yes, the strip will update as usual.

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Friday, December 01, 2006

Suburban Tribe #1 is Sold Out

As of today, Suburban Tribe #1 is no longer available from the site store. (If you placed an order before today, you will get the issue.) I'm not sure when more will be available, but it won't be too soon. If you really wanted the comic and hadn't ordered it yet, your best bet is to wait for the first trade paperback early in '07, which will reprint content from issues 1-3, along with some bonus material.

In the meantime, here's a sketch of Haley I whipped up earlier this week. I like how it turned out. Click on it for a larger version.

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