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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.

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
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.
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.

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.

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.

Returning Webcomic – Psycho Bunny: Summer of Covid19

Before my one-off story about Wesley Willis, (available on both Comic Fury and WEBTOON) I was working on another webcomic. It was based on my long time character Psycho Bunny. Psycho Bunny is a self-published comic I’ve been working on and off since 2004. With the pandemic shutting everything down, I turned to webcomics.

Around August 2020, life became very busy for me. Which was a good thing, but it meant leaving the Psycho Bunny series hanging. Now that things are winding down, I can go back to focusing on comics and illustrations.

You can read the previous episodes on WEBTOON. In the meantime I’ll start working on new stories.

Etsy Updates

It’s pretty late in the holiday season, but here’s an Etsy update.

Since trying Etsy again second time around, I’ve gotten encouragement and support. Sold out of Psycho Bunny issue 3.5. Thanks to Covid19, it’s going to be a while before I can reprint that comic again. Instead I focused on making Christmas tree ornaments. All the illustrations were drawn by me, Michele Witchipoo. Below are a few examples.

You can always check out my Etsy shop here

Hope you had a happy and safe holiday. 

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New Webcomic – Wesley Willis

Last night my latest webcomic went live. This was originally done for a course I was taking, and decided to use this both as a final project and as a webcomic. 

For those who don’t know who Wesley Willis was, he was an “Outsider” artist and musician living in Chicago. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he created three minute songs on his Technics keyboard. Subject matter included his friends, crime, pop culture, mental illness, consumerism, beastiality, and fast food, laced with profanity. 

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You can read the short webcomic on WEBTOONS or ComicFury

Rock over London!
Rock on Chicago!
Heinz – It’s America’s Favorite Ketchup