Where The F*** Have I Been?

Where do I even start?

Guess I can say that 2020 was one of the best years of my life. Despite Covid-19 looming over us like a dark, fatal cloud, I think the quarantine was good in some ways. It made me realize what was important, and what wasn’t. For starters, I shocked even myself upon realizing I didn’t miss going to concerts and clubs as much as I thought. In fact, I throughly enjoyed the downtime. An added bonus was the six feet apart rule. It felt so damn good not to be squeezed in on queues just to get a loaf of bread. Oh, and I didn’t have to go to my then dayjob. It was so amazing to wake up with a nice payment from pandemic unemployment. There was no stress, no drama, just peace. It was truly lovely.

Eventually, I lost my “inspiration” to draw. I was okay with that, for a while. Figured it was time to take a break.

Then I threw out my knee in Febuary 2021. Then came the hardcore vertigo. Then came the lost of balance. Yeah, 2021 pretty much sucked. This forced me to take a good look at everything around me. Someone once told me outright: “You know a lot of assholes.” She wasn’t wrong.

That’s when I took a good look at my personally inventory. First I left the dayjob I held for six-seven years. Then I started cutting off people. Don’t mean one or two here and there. I cut off whole groups of people. Once they were gone, that’s when the healing began. Then out of the blue, I pulled the plug on my old Facebook account. No warning, no nothing. Just outright pulled the plug. Next step was to transfer out of a few more things. Basically I had become a people pleaser, living a life that wasn’t for me. Surrounding myself with fakes who were never my friends. I’m not as involved about promoting myself on social media either, but that part might change. Who knows. Right now, I’m just busy being me.

While I did attend a few concerts after pandemic restrictions were lifted, it just wasn’t the same. I used to dream of making a name for myself in the creative field, in alternative comics. Now, I dream of other things. It doesn’t mean I’ve given up on cartooning or illustration altogether. At the moment I’m re-arranging my little art studio.

Mold discovery made after new year’s celebration.

Speaking of art studios, I made a discovery right after this past New Year’s Eve. Turns out I had serious black mold in my art studio. No wonder I’d been getting sick! For now the mold has been removed. Just as I was about to start drawing again was when I made the mold discovery. I’ve been going through old art supplies, and throwing out dried out paints, pens with dried out ink, busted paint brushes, stained sketchbooks from the past…all of it, gone. I went Konmari on my place. It’ll be a while since I’m still in my Marie Kondo phase.

Now, for no reason. Here’s a logo I created for a project. Maybe I’ll get into details about this, maybe I won’t. Until next time.

Logo design, Jan. 2024.

Stripwinkels in Amsterdam

The title of this post, Stripwinkels in Amsterdam translates simply as “Comic Book Stores In Amsterdam.” If that translation isn’t accurate, well then. Blame DeepL.

This short post has photos from my first trip to Amsterdam in late summer/early fall 2021. I fell in love with The Netherlands. Since then I’ve visited that country two more times. I particulary like Amsterdam as a city. Everyone says Paris is an amazing place. While I liked Paris, I still prefer Amsterdam.

City of Amsterdam at night. 2021. Photo taken by Michele Witchipoo.

Right now I’m just going to focus on two places inside Amsterdam. First one is Henk’s, which is Amsterdam’s eqivlent of Forbidden Planet. Not as large as Forbidden Planet or Midtown Comics in NYC, but it has a selection that is similiar. Hank’s focuses mostly on popular titles, superhero, manga and other pop-culture related items. What I liked about Hank’s was that it has two entrances. That way instead of waddling through the tourist crowds, I can just walk through one end of the store, and exit on the other side. Those two entrances were very conveinant.

Henk’s Comics & Manga in Amsterdam, 2021

Second comic book shop I visited was Lambiek. I’ve heard of Lambiek for years, as their website has an online encycopedia of cartoonists. There was no iternarity planned, so I took out my cell. It was still halfway through the pandemic in 2021, so there wasn’t that many tourists. Lambiek is on a side street, which makes it a bit tricky to find if you’re a first time visitor. Yet if you’re a huge Alternative comics fan, you’re going to love this place.

Lambiek comic shop in Amsterdam, 2021.

The shop has a mixture of old and new titles. As I was browsing, another local creative stepped in. Turns out he was an American expat, Chad Bilyeu. He has a comic series titled Chad In Amsterdam, which Lambiek highly recommends.

Chad Bilyea in Lambiek, 2021.

That’s it for now. Amsterdam is a very magickal place, I’ve been back two more times since then. Yes, I’ve been really slow on this blog, a lot has happened between Febuary 2021 and now. The year 2021 was a bad time for me, the only highlight was the trip to the Netherlands. Perhaps I’ll explain more in future posts. No worries, I’m doing much better now.

In the meantime, I shall leave you with this stray cat I met in Amsterdam.

Hello It’s Me

It’s been some time since my last blog post. Life really has been busy. Suppose that’s a good thing.

Did some traveling, as you can tell from my last blog post. So far I’ve been to The Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. The Netherlands is a beautiful country, and so far it’s been my favorite.

Miffy Store in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Summer 2023

Summer 2023 marked my third time in The Netherlands. This time around I explored more of the country itself, not just Amsterdam. Visited Utretch, The Haag, and Rotterdam. Checked out this Renaissance Fair titled Castlefest while in the Netherlands. In the end I went back to Amsterdam where I caught the Pride celebrations and got another tattoo.

Pride celebration in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Summer 2023

My adventures in Europe will have to be another blog post. Anyway, I get back to NYC. I travel halfway around the world, mingle with large crowds, etc. Didn’t catch Covid. I come back to the big bad rotten apple and stay local. Staying local is how I caught Covid. What a nice welcome back gift.

Duran Duran at Forest Hills Stadium, 2023

Luckily my Covid case wasn’t too bad. A day or two after recovering, I forced myself to go see Duran Duran at Forest Hills Stadium. Only because I had already spent the money on tickets. Nobody wants to flush $300 down the toilet.

The Steve Ignorant Band performing Crass songs. NYC, Fall 2023.

Before I caught Covid, I managed to see The Steve Ignorant Band perform Crass songs. The female vocalist stepping in for Eve Libertine understood the assignment.

Coney Island, Aug 2023. Photo by Michele Witchipoo

Here’s a photo from Coney Island, late summer 2023. Threw it on this post because I can.

A logo designed by Michele Witchipoo. Fall 2023.

Otherwise I’ve just been majorly busy. Good news, I’m now a part time art teacher. Oh, and I designed some lovely logos. The logo you see above is from a school project. it’s not a real business, but as an idea, it sounds like it could work.

A graphic design experiment, 2023

Some graphic design experiments 2023

I’ve been focusing a lot on graphic design, as you can tell from above.

NYCC Fall 2023. Photo by Michele Witchipoo

The one thing I do every single year is attend New York Comic Con. No matter what, I always manage to visit NYCC. Since the pandemic, I’ve cut it down from attending the entire weekend to only one day. Be assured, I had recovered from my bout with Covid by then.

Queens Comic Party Logo

No, I didn’t design the logo for Queens Comic Party, but I’ve been attending their monthly events. After talking to two local cartoonists, I decided to fire up this blog again. Just found out there’s a Drink and Draw event in Queens too. Although I don’t really drink anymore, I’ll check it out, perhaps do a few sketches.

Rockaway Beach sunset. Labor Day 2023. Photo by Ben Herman.

It’s getting late. Hopefully I’ll continue this blog with more postings about Europe, my artwork and such. À bientôt.

Still Here!

Hello. It’s been a while since last posted. I’ll make this brief – a lot has happened since Feb 2021. In a few weeks I’ll fire up this blog again.

I’ve done a bit of traveling since 2021. On my last trip, I visited a lot of museuems, took in some art.

Below is an example. The photo is from a visit to Musuem De Reede, in Antwerpt, Belgium. A lithograph of Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’.

The Scream (lithograph print) as seen in Museum De Reede in Antwerpt, Belgium.

Stay tuned for other updates.

Due To WHCS Being Unprofessional – Radio Show No More

This past Wednesday, I was going to air the interview I did with independant comicbook creator Mindy Indy.

The interview never aired. I’ll explain why.

First, I want to say thanks to Mindy for always being professional, and for also being a good person. Although I called her in advance to inform her about the situation, she was actually very supportive of my decision. For that, I encourage people to support her work.

Now, as to explain what is going on. ComicBook Convo With Michele is no more. After being disrespected by the station manager Stella, and not being able to stream my interview, which I spent time editing, etc., I walked out.

If I wanted to receive immature high school treatment, I’d go back to high school, not college. When I walked into the station, I was made to feel like the awkward nerd who sits at the cool kids’s table in the cafeteria. WHCS is inside a college. We should conduct ourselves professionally once out of high school.

I had spent my day at NYCC 2022 asking creators in Artist Alley if they would like to be interviewed for my school. They all said yes. I had people lined up. My intention was to get to those who said yes, even some returning guests, inbetween my busy schedhule, and interview them beforehand.

That’s not going to happen now.

This is not the first time this happened at WHCS. Joanna, the station manager during 2020, (right before the pandemic) made up some excuse as to why some of my interviews were not being recorded. Which means I could not take these missing interviews and archive them on another website. It was also embrassing to explain to professionals later on, why those interviews went missing.

A lot of time and work was taken, setting up times, recording the interviews beforehand, editing them, etc. My time.

The people at WHCS radio run the volunteer station like it’s some high school clique. This behavior is hurtful to those who want to learn about broadcasting. While it was not my intention to befriend everyone at the studio, common courtsey is still expected.

In reality, nobody needs radio stations anymore. Anyone with the right equiptment and knowledge can easily go on Twitch for example, and start their own show. So they’re playing themselves.

I will use my free time going forward working on my own comics and illustrations again. I’ve spent the last two years volunteering my time to help others – only to be taken for grated, and/or not appreciated. This stops now.

I want to thank those who supported me with kind words and encouragement.

Looking Back At New York Comic Con 2022

Attending New York Comic Con is an annual tradition for me. I’ve been attending the second biggest comic con in the U.S. since it’s inception on Feb 2006. Back in 2010, I had even had a table in Artist Alley.

This year brought back so many memories. I had a table in Artist Alley back in 2010. Doubt that will ever happen again, but at least I can say I sold my comics in NYCC.

While I did enjoy myself, there was a sad feeling I couldn’t shake off. Upon returning home, I read about a cosplayer’s passing on location.

Comic book artist Kim Jung Gi was slated to have a table at Artist Alley this year, when he passed away suddendly. Fans dropped by what was supposed to be his table, leaving flowers in his tribute instead.

One of the highlights of my NYCC experience 2022 was the George Perez panel. The artist passed away on May 6, 2022. Colleages and friends gathered on the panel to pay tribute to the well respected penciler who was known for his work on Wonder Woman, The Avengers, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Teen Titans, and many others. Perez not only had a long career in the comic book industry, but also much beloved in his personal life. At the panel it was discussed how he took in friends, making them honorary ‘family’ members and his dedication to his wife Carol. After the panel, free enamel pins bearing his signature were given out to the panel attendees.

Here’s a few photos from the day spent at NYCC.

Until next year..

Tomorrow – Interview With Mindy Indy!

Since bringing back Comic Book Convo, I have returning guest, cartoonist Mindy Indy!

Mindy is in the process of doing her second Kickstarter for her comic Aer Head.

You can listen to the interview tomorrow, Wednesday Nov. 9th, 2022 from 7-8pm EST on WHCSradio.org.

Tonight On ComicBook Convo With Michele! Full Ray Felix Interview

Due to lack of time, I decided to broadcast the entire Ray Felix interview, warts and all. It’s not as professional sounding as I hoped, but it’s better than not airing. You can tune in tonight, Wed. Nov 2nd, 2022, 7-8pm EST on whcsradio.com.

Comic Book Convo Is Back

It’s been a while. Life offline has been full of twists and turns. Still busy, but glad to tell you I’m trying to get my radio show back on. It’ll be at the same radio station, WHCSradio.com. If we’re able to stream, this week’s guest will be artist, writer and publisher Ray Felix. Ray was also one of the folks behind Bronx Heroes Con and Women In Comics Con, both events which started in the Bronx, New York City. It looks like this interview might be broadcast in two or three parts. I’ll be a bit rusty but if you can deal then tune in on Wednesday evenings, 7-8 pm EST.

Ganesha March 2022

It’s been a while since I updated this blog.

Here’s a little something, just saying hello. This piece was done in Adobe Illustrator.

Ganesha March 2022 by Michele Witchipoo