The Odd Couple:

While filling out my 2008 taxes, I had a couple of "firsts":



It was a spectacular year.

Let the carnage commence:

Holy. Crap. After 11 weeks, VIETNAMERICA is penciled and ready for the next stage. I was actually shooting to finish the blues a couple weeks ago but forgot that I had saved the most labor intensive pages for last (i.e. all the double page spreads). This blog began last March so its one year anniversary is auspiciously marked--figuratively and literally--with inks!

Get your nudity on.

Pages from the last few public life-drawing sessions held weekly at SVA. It's the only time each week I can completely detach my mind from VIETNAMERICA and just enjoy drawing for drawing's sake. 10"x8" sketchbook with Pentel pocket brush pen:




Also, thanks to Dallas Middaugh for inviting me to speak with his NYU Publishing Graphic Novels class last week. I think my diabolical plan was successful: filling the diverse and enthusiastic audience with enough horrible advice as to sabotage them as future competition.

My much more talented, responsible, and successful doppelganger:

No surprise that I find myself more attuned to the work of fellow Vietnamese artists these days, especially if they're cartoonists. My family's war refugee story isn't unique, and Dustin's Nguyen's beautiful one-pager proves it:



You may recognize him as comics mainstay currently rockin' BATMAN.

T-minus 54 pages and counting...

WOOHOO!!! With any luck, I'll finish the blues these next couple weeks while back in my old Arizona stomping grounds... cuz nothin' helps a visit with family fly by faster than hiding in the guest room and drawing your ass off.



This is the cover of my VIETNAMERICA sketchbook. The to-do list is never in shortage:

Totally. Friggin'. Awesome.

When all's said and done, VIETNAMERICA will be the longest comic I've worked on. Until then, that record is held by this:







Not only did this gem run 4.5 issues, look at the turnaround time! Each full throttle, color, action packed, emotionally layered, 22 page installment only took about one month to complete!



I hit my prime at age 10 and it's been downhill ever since.

Next stop: MoCCA!

With NYCC in the can, I'm holing up in the apartment to plow through VIETNAMERICA's pencils. Trying to be extra productive since I've got the place to myself for a bit while the wife's away "working hard" at her "job". [Shakes fist towards sky; curses gods.]

Here're more morning email cartoons (their crappy origin explained here) to appease anyone visiting this blog hoping for actual illustrations from me. For now, this is the closest thing I got to "finished" art. To be remedied soonish...

Only 217 more pages to go!

It has begun:



That page stack is about 1/3 of the book's blue pencils. The project I've been dreaming of for the last several years finally takes its' first steps to being fully illustrated.



And for everyone within commute of NYC this weekend, don't forget: NYCC!

An addendum to the previous post:

Here's our location in the upcoming NYCC's Artist Alley:

Start your engines...

That first show of the year is always something special. Having not exhibited since last summer's SDCC, I'm especially anxious to get my fix after going cold turkey for six months.

Not only am I back in NYCC's Artist Alley next month, I'll be armed with the left hook of Jamie Tanner and right jab of Fred Chao. That's right: THREE cartoonists for the price of one! C'mon by and let our comics pulverize you into an unrecognizable shape.