Oh my yes, color all over the place. This strip is specifically dedicated to Charlie and Victor. You know why and everyone else can guess why. I’m sure most of you are enjoying the San Diego Comic Con but for everyone else, I have a special treat! One of my favorite cartoonists, Colleen Frakes, sent me some beautiful fan art.

In addition, the shirts I designed for rapper Adam WarRock on are order! His album, The West Coast Avengers EP, drops August 25, 2010 and holy finflakes, am I ready! Here is a sneak preview of one of the shirts:

Happy Weekend, my lovelies.

Merfans!

This week’s amazing strip comes from the New York cartoonist and Center for Cartoon Studies student, Jon Fine. Fine was quite adamant about me approving this comic before inking, as if I could protest it with such fine (ha!) perspective and attention to detail. His impeccable cartooning always leaves me wanting more, his site is Defective Triangles and I encourage you to follow this fellow cartoonist’s journey.

What’s hot in Vermont? EVERYTHING. Seriously, we’re melting. I thought I could escape to New York but it too turned out to be a concretey nightmare-luckily, I spent some time with forever friend, Ben Faun, who introduced me to Mark Newgarden. Newgarden is a thoughtful cartoonist (not that I need to remind you of the inventor behind Garbage Pail Kids or any vomit-themed candy).  Never have I been so close to Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy originals, I was almost shaking! We also ran into Comics Alliance writer, David Wolkin, it was serendipitous!

Also, the fiery 4th was spent with some authors from a far off land. We spoke of feminism, naturalists, and economy. It left me SO excited for the future and academia, I’m not even sure what to do first. But enough jabbering! Please enjoy this week’s comic and feel free to express your opinions (and compliments) below!

-Jen

Howdy howdy!

    Digby has two loves in this life and one of them are the parrotfish! Bless his giant heart for helping. And apparently, I’ve slowly moved to multiple colors? I cannot help it, my right hand has a mind of its own. In other news, I’m on a few podcasts! One is for Rampage Network, the webcomic community I am a part of and the other is Art School Fraud. ASF found me at MeCAF in Portland, ME recently after my table buds were unable to join me. A point I harp on a bit too much. So for dulcet tones in the key of V, check out the podcasts. Plus, they interview my best friends and Muff Mansion roommates, Beth Hetland and Nomi Kane.

   Once again, check out the podcasts War Rocket Ajax for a great time. Their recent interviews of Ming Doyle and Rick Remender left me gasping for air as I drew. Adam WarRock also released a song about Doctor Who, one of my favorite TV shows. His album is coming out soon and have no doubt—it will blow your collective socks off so make sure you keep ‘em clean.

   I’m off to enjoy fine company over food and finish those twenty-odd projects! 

Love, love, love!

-Jen

Merfans!

It’s short and sweet this week. I have lots of work to do this week which always feels great plus an impromptu trip to the city. Thanks to a softball accident in high school I’m rather ambidextrous but I think it is time for my left hand to pull its weight and actually start drawing (instead of just erasing). Get back to your work and stay out of the muggy heat/brilliant blinding sun/cold-catching rain!

Love,

Jen

P.S. Guest comic in two weeks! The artist is already done with it and it is the whale’s scales, lemme tell ya!

So while I can only equate tween madness like this to my own love of rainbows, unicorns or Harry Potter, the use of Miley Cyrus as a point of inspiration exists. Below is a commission for family of friends who supposedly rocked the hell out at a Miley Cyrus concert. Cartoonist, Beth Hetland, has also rolled in some money of the Hannah Montana wave with preserving her blond visage on a plate FOREVER. Amazing rapper and friend, Adam WarRock even sampled ‘Party in the USA’ in a song, Bad Meaning Good, that perfectly describes why we enjoy these things.

But what has this female Superman actually accomplished other than tell an entire town her true identity, thus endangering future tween happiness (and her parents’ bank accounts)? She’s encouraged leading similar bebangled singing lifestyles with some rather atrocious lyrics. She’s encouraged her friends to constantly lie for her, no doubt raising their young blood pressures and confusing right with wrong. If Milannah really wanted to push boundaries beyond a hair color, she’d actually sing as a man or pterodactyl or small solar system. But that is merely my love the absurd peaking its head out, so I propose the challenge for the 2030 Miley Cyrus Comeback Tour that she at least be part tree or mothered the next Time Lord.

In case I just ruined the mystery of the cosmos by telling you Hannah and Miley are ONE, feel free to commiserate along with Beth Hetland and see Hannah transform by the power of FIRE.

Oh man, is it nice up in Vermont! Completely rainy with overcast days. I see no reason to move to Portland if its weather comes to me. Yesterday, I spent six hours with Alec Longstreth, he is a determined cartoonist. I get so much work done whenever I hang out.

While most of you know Alec, for those who don’t he keeps CRAZY amazing track of his progress of his graphic novel, Basewood. With meticulous percentages and by the length of his glorious hair and beard. I’m off to enjoy the shrieks of my roomies as they play video games.