The Gang is Back

 

Truth is I took a small break from Life N Death. Not from working on it, but just from posting. I still have plenty of strips to run, but depression got the best of me and started playing games with my self esteem. 

I started telling myself that people weren't reading it, that they didn't like it. That they needed a break.

So I gave them one, whether they actually needed it or not. 

In some ways I hope you missed it, and wondered where the strips had gone. But if I can be honest, in other ways...it goes much deeper.

I had to remind my self that I started this web comic for myself first and foremost. To help ME cope with the darkness that would randomly fall over my mind. 

Here we are 5 months into this pandemic, and life is still doing its nasty little dance. It feels like we've lost even more and that there isn't a lot of hope in sight. It also has allowed me to feel defeated. 

So I'm bringing Jack, Kermeet and Mister D back from their very brief mini vacation early. They're back to give me some focus. Some clarity.

And hopefully to bring you guys the occasional laugh.

Have a great week everyone.

Walt Disney World in the time of Covid

Let me just start by saying how much I missed this place. It was always my happy place and I'd like to hope that it will remain that way. 

That being said. Times are changing and its a very different world we are living in now compared to 4 months ago. 

The Walt Disney World Resort has been closed for just shy of four months now thanks to the onslaught of the Coronavirus. In an attempt at normality and no doubt one to save dwindling bottom lines, the parks are putting their big mouse toes into the reopening waters. 

Opening full time to guests again starting July 11, the powers that be were gracious enough to give their employees a Cast Member Preview to one park. Thankfully, both my daughter and my best friend work at Disney, so I was allowed to tag along with them to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom respectively on July 7th, and 8th. 

What follows, are my observations as to what could very well become the norm for attending The Happiest Place on Earth in the age of Covid 19.

Suit Up

So a guy I went to high school with got Covid-19 and died.

I tell myself to Let that sink in. 

A little longer.

Yeah, it still hasn't really sunk in with me. I admit I had to go into one of my old year books to look up Rene Chavez. I remembered him. I think we interacted a few times. I don't have anything bad to say about him, we just ran in different circles. 

But somehow, his passing makes me feel as sad as if we'd been best friends. 

He was school teacher, a husband....a daddy. He was my fucking age. 

And yet, I still see people chancing this shit. Walking around without masks. 

NOT. EVEN. TRYING!

Look, I get it. Wearing the mask sucks ass. Its hot, it makes your face sweat, and you have to breathe in the tacos you had for lunch a few minutes before. And you know what, it may not really be as effective at blocking this shit as we'd like it to be. 

But ultimately what the fuck does it hurt? If there's even a remote chance it could save your life, save someone else life...your sweet abuelita....your cousin Panfilo with the diabetes, wouldn't you take it?

I live in Florida where this thing is exploding by massive and gargantuan proportions. It's everywhere. And I just want to hedge my bets the best I can. I want that for all of you as well. I don't want you to die from this. I don't even want you to get sick from it. 

Take into consideration that in many places, like where I live, it's MANDATORY. Like seat belts, and no smoking in restaurants. Like not drunk driving, or robbing banks. It's a rule...and people just don't seem to give a shit.

My daughter and I had to go to the groceries. We wore our masks. We saw a family. Mom, Dad, 4 kids, most of them grade school aged. And the kids were wearing the masks....and the parents weren't. Let's say for the sake of argument that the kids are safe...they don't get it...but what about you Mom and Dad!? You get that shit, you both die....your babies are orphans. 

Good God the sheer amount of people whose freedoms are being so imposed upon because they are being asked to join the fight against this shit.....it's disturbing. Man, some of you dumb shits wear masks on Halloween, in the winter when its cold out....its a piece of thin fabric that you wear for a brief fleeting moment when you're out. 

Don't you get it? I want you to be healthy..I want you to not die. I want you to not carry this garbage to others and potentially harm them.

Oh...but TONS of people are recovering. 

And? People are getting it again. People are ending up with lasting long term effects from it. 

And guess what....PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING FROM IT. 

People who should still be on this planet. Holding their loved ones, laughing at silly moments, creating, contributing...living their lives. 

I dare you fucks who refuse to follow the rules and wear a mask, to walk into a closed room. A closed room filled with people sick and dying from it. Coughing and sneezing in your damn faces. I dare you to stand there with them and shit talk. Talk about how you'll be fine. How a mask wouldn't help anyway. Don't you DARE ask them to put a mask on to protect you. Breathe it in. Suck it in. THEN tell me how masks are pointless, and infringing on your freedom. 

Its a piece of fabric you're being asked to use to cover up a part of your body. I'm not seeing the outcry from people pissed off because their leaders are telling them they have to cover their naughty bits in public. Its the same damn principle. At the very least...the faster we curb this shit, the sooner you can go around showing your ugly faces again. It'll match your ugly fucking ideals.

Think of others, so that they'll think of you in return. Put on your mask. Suit Up. Safety and humanity will look good on you.

And for those shaking their heads. Those in the back, saying this pandemic is fake, that more people die from this or that, that its just another disease people are dying from....Tell that to the kids who have lost their parent, the wife that lost her husband....tell it to the countless dead....

Tell it to Rene Chavez. 

rest in peace Rene. 

For the Record...

The Boogar Bunch

I'm not done with these guys. Not by a longshot. They're just on a short vacation. They'll be back soon. I promise.

Stopping the Hate

If it isn't one thing with our country its the other.

What has happened? We went from lockdowns and looking out for each other, to looting in the streets. All because of the seemingly recurring issues affecting Black Lives, and continuing violence and racism against them

It's been heartbreaking to say the least. And George Floyd seems to be another victim of the worse that law enforcement could offer. But times will show, he will become so much more than just another victim. He will forever become a symbol for change.

I usually choose to not engage in politics or current events. But I have this platform now. This strip, that deals with the day to day of life and death. It has given me the outlet to vent, to observe and to speak. 

There has to be change. There has to be some difference. There has to be overwhelming solidarity and unity.

My heart hurts for every color, race, breed, gender identification and human being involved. I feel for the good, fair, and well meaning members of law enforcement. After all they aren't all acting with hate. Many are standing side by side with protestors. They are condemning the acts of the few. 

But it isn't about them. Its about the lives in turmoil. The lives being acted against only because their skin color is different. Right now its about showing that Black Lives Matter.

Life N Death

I honestly never thought depression would play a factor in my life. Much less thoughts of suicide.

Somewhere a little over two years ago, flickers of both started to show their ugly faces. I didn't understand them then and I still don't really understand them now. After all, when they began to surface, things in my life couldn't have seemed more perfect. 

I was making money doing something I loved for a living. I had the opportunity to travel. I was married to my best friend. Had two beautiful daughters and had just found out I had a third on the way.

Life couldn't be much more perfect.

But it corroded. 

Fast forward to about 7 months ago, and I had decided to end it all. I was going to take a cruise and never come home from it. 

I even had the perfect suicide note. I called it "The Kill Myself Cruise" and it was going to star the three characters you see in the above image. 

Mister D. 

A naive Grim Reaper who is new to life.

Jack. 

An aging cartoonist dealing with depression, suicidal thoughts, and life in general.

Kermeet. 

His stuffed frog toy from childhood who had always been there, and never let him down.

Luckily for me. Something changed. I won't get into all the details. But something did change. And it allowed me to walk off that boat, and continue trying to best the depression.

Things however went from bad to worse. So many details, so many stories, so much heartbreak, adventure, malarky, and memories. 

Then one day, out of the blue, I got to thinking of romance. And how much I missed it. I came up with a funny little cartoon strip idea about it. And I decided to see if I could incorporate these characters into it. So the first strip you'll read isn't even the first one I wrote. But its honestly probably the most powerful. 

I'm far from out of the woods with my depression. 

The world, is in a crazier place than, ANY of us probably could've ever imagined it would be. Viruses, rampant racism, murder, division and a crumbling society. There's so much left to deal with. 

Maybe, just maybe, this strip can be my saving grace through it all. And if it does something positive for anyone else dealing with the shit storms in their minds, then there is a reason I walked off that cruise ship and continued my fight.

Here are the first six strips of Life N Death. Be good to one another and enjoy.

That moment. I was Ready. But Mister D wasn't.

It really isn't a pretty sight.

Those FB avatars really drove me bonkers.

Need I say more? 

It's the little things right?

True Story. At least the first few weeks of lockdown.

and the latest. 

If anyone actually reads my blog, they got an early preview of today's strip before it releases to the social media masses. I hope you guys like them as much as I'm enjoying making them. Have a wonderful weekend!

Under Construction

I honestly thought about waiting to post something until June 2. I figured this way I could say I made it another whole year without posting on this blog. Even though I said I was going to make more of an effort.

Truth is, between social media and laziness, I never had the desire to. 

Is there really any point to a website anymore anyway? I can post updates on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, snapchat, linked in, linked out, inside, outside, up and down. 

But you just don’t get the full Monty on those social media utopias. And here? Well, you came here for a reason. And maybe you’re willing to spend a little extra time reading. 

And then there’s that whole pesky Coronavirus.....thing. 

Life has taken quite a tumble for EVERYONE in the last couple of months. I found myself with so much extra time, I figured, why not do something productive.

After the first two weeks of growing facial hair, sitting around in my underwear, binging on Netflix, PS4 and my Nintendo switch, it was time to put down the little debbies and get to being effective.

I made myself a 20 something list of things I wanted to accomplish. 

I’ve caught up on commissions, cleaned out the garage, finished 120 Marvel cards for an upcoming set, rearranged my studio, took my vitamins, said my prayers and started training. I’ve become Hulk Hogan lite.

And of course I wanted to update my site. 

I’m nowhere near done. But I cleaned out a bunch of the older artwork I’d been hoarding. Stuff that I thought was pretty great in its own specific time, but now reminded me of primitive cave art, has all been kicked to the digital curb. 

That being said, if you fart around enough with the links, you’re bound to run into this pink haired (and also redesigned) beauty. But I promise you, I am working on it!

The lockdown/quarantine has at the very least gifted me with time. Time to create, time to de-clutter, and time to catch up. 

I’ll make another quasi empty promise to continue the updates here. Because sometimes I feel like writing more than just 140 characters. Even if no one reads them.

See you guys soon! 

Still here.... 2 Years later

Wow. So much time has passed that even the software I had for Blogger is no longer compatible with my iPhone or iPad. Luckily it seems that I can still post directly from the internet. Although it would seem.

I have some news, probably lots of news coming. But I’m not going to get into just yet in the event this doesn’t work. But if it does... I’ll make the empty promise again to get more active with my posts and updates.

Really.

In the meantime here’s some art.

The lovely Lana and the lovely Rusev from WWE

All the Things

So. It's been a while. Last time I updated this was June of 2016. I know. I'm horrible at this. 

BUT, lots of things have developed since then. I returned briefly to working on Star Wars cards for Topps, I drew a cover for Betty and Veronica, made it through a hurricane, and most importantly SUGAR BOOGARZ is finally in comic shops! There are some personal things too, but more on that later. 

The fact that Sugar Boogarz is finally in comic stores is truly a dream come true, and the pinnacle of a life long goal. I've always loved making comic books, and thanks to a lot of hard work, my wife, and Cosmic Times, that dream is officially a reality! 

I honestly can't tell you how happy it made me to walk into a comic shop and see my book sitting on a shelf next to Spider Man and Watchmen. It was even more amazing to buy a copy for my daughters. 

Its a piece of me that will forever remain for them, and something I hope they'll forever be proud of.

THAT BEING SAID!

I know that a bunch of you are waiting on commissions. Some of you have been waiting a while. I want to tell you how much I appreciate your patience. There have been many contributing factors to why there has been delays. The comic book is a large part of that, but also, my day job at Disney, and Artistic Talent Group has gotten busier and busier! Ive been sent several times to South Florida, to New York, Seattle, Texas, Alabama, Boston and more. Its a blessing to be in demand, but it also slows down my studio work. But bill shave to be paid. On top of that, we've had some personal issues to deal with, including my father having triple by-pass heart surgery, and other larger issues but more on that later.

The good news is, I'm back in my studio and ready to go again. I have a newfound purpose and I'm ready to conquer goals all over! I've gotten the commission list in order and Toni is going to help me keep on track. 

My current commission list is closed until I get caught up. To the right I have my current list. It's even scarier than it looks! lol. I'll update it as I go. It's not in a particular order, and some are in different stages of completion, but I know some are time sensitive so I'll be attacking those as quick as I can. It's a big undertaking, but with the exception of a few MONSTER orders...(cough cough Dave), I should be caught up by the end of the year. If you have ANY questions, don't hesitate to message me at locoduck@locoduck.com

Thanks again guys!!!

I'm Not A One Trick Pony!

Drawing on the road again. Headed home to Orlando. This time I'm doin. A character study for my upcoming Sugar Boogarz book. From issue 4...Beware the Lickubus Beast. I've been really focused lately on my creator owned comic. This should've been a thing in 2014 but life took me on a different path. There's been so much rumblings of the issues in artist alley lately that I wanted to prove I wasn't a one trick pony. I've always had a passion for drawing comics of my own creation. Since middle and high school I've been doing it. But lately the focus of my universe has been fan art. It's what you guys love and to a degree I love doing it as well. But I have lots of stories to tell. And I'm really hoping that you'll start supporting those as well. I'm not saying I'm giving up on fanart, but I am shifting some of my attention back to the stuff that really makes me happy. Drawing my own comic books and stories. Please, join me, support them and take part. If you're at a show buying 25 dollars in prints, maybe consider asking me about my books and picking up a book or two. Let's see if this experiment works. Let's see if the main attraction at my table can become MY art, and MY stories! I promise...they'll be every bit as moving as my fanart. :)

That Horrible Night in Orlando….Rest In Peace Pulse Victims.

First off, Toni the girls and I are all fine. Aside from driving by the club early last night on our way home, we were nowhere near the area. That being said, my heart hurts for everyone affected, and for our country in general. But even more for Orlando. I'm a proud Texan born and raised, but Orlando has embraced me and become my home for over 12 years now. And what happened last night was senseless. Regardless of whether or not it was a Gay club, it was a place full of life and love, happiness and energy. Having grown up in and around the LGBT community, I have been to places like Pulse. Growing up we'd easily go in groups after a theater production and hang out. Not based on our sexuality, but our desire for good music and comradeship and fun. This kind of horrendous act could have happened anywhere at anytime to any one of us. Fueled by anger and hate and ignorance, it shouldn't happen though. It's broken many today and countless more will follow, but it's uplifting to see our community coming together en masses to form a circle and give strength to our city and those who reside in it. Continue to love one another regardless of skin color, sexual preference, political or religious beliefs. And if you're the praying type, fill the heavens with your words for those taken and those left behind to pick up the pieces. If you're reading this, it's because I love you all, and everyone of you mean something special to me. Hugs and love always.

Somethings coming....

What a way to end my night.

This post maybe a bit of a soapbox, but injuring my drawing hand put a bunch of things in perspective for me. 

I know there's a bit of a debate out there among artists and people in general about our skill. There are those people who will look at our ability to create art as a "gift." 

I believe in that notion as well. 

Now I can already see a ton of artists pulling their hair out because I agree with that point. 

But there are a few reasons why I do. One....because I AM religious and I do believe God has a hand in things. I won't argue or debate religion with those of you who don't believe that. You're entitled to feel what you feel. 

But ultimately I believe I was born with a gift. That we all were. LIFE, is a gift and we all have to work at it. Some are gifted in other ways, I was blessed with an ability to make art.

And two....The rest was up to me. That's where I believe that studying, and honing my gift over years and years comes into play. I've poured blood, sweat and tears into my craft and I always will. If I don't nurture and work hard at it, it will die out. 

When I hurt my hand, I found myself praying...a lot....for healing, for another chance to keep going. And ever since, I've been working my ass off to get back to where I was. 

I've been blessed to continue on that path. And I want that path to lead me back to telling stories with my art. 

I've always loved comics, and as far back as I remember, I've drawn them. 

I started a project called Sugar Boogarz back in 2013. Yes it's been that long. I was supposed to have an ongoing title, plus a webcomic kicking off in 2014. But due to life, and work....plenty of blessed to be busy work....I've never fully realized that potential. 

Now that my hand is in somewhat working order, I HAVE to see it through. 

A few months before my accident, I had created a piece of art that I framed in my studio of these Sugar Boogarz characters and they were asking why I had abandoned them. 

I looked at that piece everyday and could never answer myself why. 

So I've decided to put my gift to use. And tonight I drew a new page of my book. And tomorrow, I'll do the same.

And I'll continue to do so until I accomplish my goal. 

For those of you who are waiting on commissions....don't fret. I'm going to work on those and get one to two done a day and work on my personal comic project at the end of the night. Like I did today. 

Tonight I knocked out a 5 character digital commission and then did this page. 

We're back on track..... 

And what does Glee have to do with ANY of this? 

Well I've started and stopped and restarted the series a few times. I love it to pieces. But could never get past season 2. I'm happy to say I'm two episodes into season 3 now. And this particular episode ended with a fantastic rendition of Something's Coming from West Side Story by Darren Criss. 

I felt pretty good about myself.... and my art...my skill...my gift....and my accomplishments. And as I looked at my page, I kinda sang along with the lyrics ....

"Somethings coming, something 

good!" 

Thanks for reading, and for all your love and support.

She's a little Suicide Squad Crazy

These are my first real attempts at drawing anything with substance since my hand injury. The more I draw her, the more the Suicide Squad design for Harley Quinn grows on me. Looking forward to Margot Robbie's performance! But I'm looking even more forward to getting back to drawing.

Big Hero Baymax

Fun little #baymax commission from Baltimore comic Con. I really loved #bighero6 It was such a  departure from the comic book. #bigherosix #disney #disneyart

Unexpected Horror and Prayers for Glenn

Details are out there now. It's just a living nightmare. I worked with Glenn Ferguson just a couple of weeks ago at an event he was relatively new to. Although he is a master caricaturist, he still had an eagerness to learn and was over the top complimentary to the rest of us. Just overall a good, good guy.

Early on New Years morning, he was barbarically attacked and stabbed in the neck and head with scissors by a co-worker let go the day before. He didn't deserve this at all. It's crazy to think that this could happen, especially in a low risk job like ours. This horrid event has brought our community of caricature artists together and everyone is pulling for Glenn. A go fund me account has been set up to help out with his medical bills.

Check it out

http://dt.gofund.me/GlennFerguson&rcid=e2acb4a7d27c43beb334…

The extent of his injuries is still unknown, but I fear for him and his passion to create. If you're the praying type please keep he and his wife and family in your prayers.

Freddy vs Jason

My first entry into 31 Days of Halloween and Inktober. Drew this while in line for the Haunted House of the same name at Halloween Horror Nights.

Lea Thompson

As a young teenage kid I had two major crushes. Girl Next Door Sandy from Grease, and Lea Thompson. Particularly Back to the Future Lea. So today I got to meet the girl of my teenage dreams lol. She hasn't aged a bit. And while I found the TRUE woman of my dreams and married her, I still couldn't help but tell her, "Teenage me would be so jealous of current day me right now." 

She gave a genuine laugh, leaned on my shoulder and then gave me a hug. This was one of those rare moments where meeting your heroes/crushes turned out pretty damn good!

Tampa Bay Fanboy Expo

This weekend we'll be set up for the first of two shows in beautiful Tampa Bay, Florida! Come visit us at the Grand Hyatt Gulfport and hang out! All the details can be found here. www.fanboyexpo.com

I'll have some cool new pieces available including this limited Belle and Gaston. Both the voice actors will be in attendance and you can get it signed! 

In addition Adam West and Burt Ward, televisions original Dynamic Duo Batman and Robin will be there as well. And since Id never drawn those incarnations before, I couldn't leave them out! 

Should be a POW and WHAM heckuva weekend! 

Disney Pixar's Inside Out

I can't believe I'm about to write these words. But, here they come.....

I didn't really care much for Inside Out. 

There, I said it. Got the words out that are very contrary to popular opinion. And to be honest I'm very mad at myself for feeling this way. I hate that I rank this movie only above Cars. (And I truly loathe that movie. But what do you expect from a guy who knows even less about cars than he does about Algebra?)

Back on point. I really wanted to go into this movie and fall in love with it. After all, I loved the sitcom Herman's Head. Basically the same idea, with lots more time to flesh it out. But the reality of it was, I just couldn't connect. 

Fair warning....from this point on there will be SPOILERS. So if you haven't seen it, and don't want to know some stuff...maybe you should look at my Megacon pictures again. The last thing I want is for you to unleash your little ANGER on me. 

You may be wondering why a guy who seemingly could care less about the movie owns TOYS based on that which he doesn't love. Well, that brings us to the one thing I really did like about it. The character designs. They're all so damn cute. For the character designs alone, I went to see this movie. I see so much of me in Anger. I mean, hell, we even have the same fiery pointy hairstyle when he blows his lid.

Other than that, the movie just left me indifferent. Maybe it's because the center character is a little girl? And even though I've been known to act like one at times, I'm not a little girl myself. 

Riley (the above little girl) has a wonderful, happy coherent life. It has everything most kids hope to have. An original two parent household that offers love and unity. She's got the beautiful home, with swings and laughs and sports. And in her darling little head, she has this awesome group of emotions (Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust and Fear) Life is GOOD. 

Until dad announces that's it's time to shake things up. Take Riley and her band of emotions and cause some chaos with a move to a new city, new life. Complete with new school, new apartment, new friends and new problems for those little colorful characters in her head to deal with. 

Is it the emotions? Is it Riley? Who can be sure. All that we know for sure is, through a series of mishaps Sadness and Joy become separated from the core group and have to work their way back to brain central before Riley literally loses her marbles. (The marbles in this case being cute little glass balls of memories)

From this point based on early comments about how dark and deep the plot became for children, I half expected Riley to turn bi-polar. But the truth of the matter is, it wasn't that dark. It was just something most kids in the real world have to deal with. 

But back to the plot. 

Joy and Sadness end up as far away from the command center as can be, but luckily they stumble upon Bing Bong. An adorable mix of Elephant, Cat, Cotton Candy and that funny hobo on the street corner who sings Mister Celophane. Long forgotten, Bing Bong is Riley's imaginary friend. And he knows the way back! 

Adventure ensues, and ensues, and ensues some more. In the meantime we've lost the cool dynamic of all the emotions together, and the movie honestly drags through some funky, abstract Picasso like scenes that I assume will best be enjoyed after you've popped some sort of happy drug or are drunk off your ass. 

I really wish that all the emotions had shared this journey BACK together. But ultimately, someone had to keep watch of Riley's sad developments.

Now I won't lie, I shed a few tears. Pixar knew exactly how to bring those out. Towards the end Bing Bong makes the ultimate sacrifice to help Joy and Sadness make it home. Nothing like a good Disney death to get you right in the cockles. 

The girls make it back, realizing that sometimes you NEED the sad memories to compliment and create the happy ones. All the emotions hug it out, Riley balances out without a need for medication and therapy. And in typical fashion, happy ever after is the result.

Some of the best sequences come at the end, when we see all the emotions interacting in variations of themselves through others eyes. Even the versions that live in the heads of dogs and cats. I think if we'd gotten more of that, it would make for a much better film. 

Bottom line, it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen. My two little girls liked it. My oldest even watched it a second time. Although she came out of it liking it less on the second viewing. I wish maybe they'd kept Anger or Fear in the mix, or even made Sadness a boy. The plot isn't female centric. These are problems both boys and girls face alike. But most of it centers around the three girls Riley, Joy and Sadness. And although I'm in touch with my feminine side. I just got bored as it progressed. 

I'll own it im sure, because it's so pretty to look at. And maybe after Rewatching it a few times it'll grow on me more. But for now I'm content with sticking it in Lightning McQueen's passenger side and watching it drive off into the sunset.

Megacon 2015

It seems like I just started doing this awesome show last year. How time has flown by. I have to admit that this year was not only my best Megacon yet, but also holds the number two spot among cons of all time. Just behind New York this past October. Thank you everyone who came out and supported us, shared some laughs and kept me busy! You make it all worth while! Next stop C2E3 in Chicago! I'll be in artist Alley R! 

Marvel's Princess Leia Number 1

Picked up a few of the new Princess Leia blanks from Marvel Comics. I had heard that the card stock was less than stellar. This scared me a bit so I decided to draw one tonight and experiment with color and inks. The stock definitely is a little more slick than Id like, but I feel it still works. Anyway, its listed on ebay now and you can see the link in the comments below.

We Can Be Heroes

I had the opportunity to step out of my shell today. I'm not an introvert by any means. Lord knows I love people and I love to run my mouth. I'm always out and about and I set up shop at so many conventions. I meet and draw hundreds of smiling faces every year while caricaturing at Disney. 

But cosplay? Not really my thing.

Honestly I think there are so many others who do it way better than I can. I respect the time and effort fans of the genres put into bringing their favorite characters to life. 

I can barely sew a button badly onto a pair of pants. 

But there is this little fella who is sick. A very young child named Armani. A horrid cancer has set up shop in his brain, and he's bravely fighting an uphill battle with it. 

Treatments aren't cheap, and bills are mounting up. So our good friends at World of Comics decided to hold a fundraiser to help ease the financial burdens that Armani and his family are facing. And they managed to do it while bringing a smile to his face.

Like most little boys his age, he digs superheroes. What better a way to show that he isn't facing his villain alone, than to bring cosplay warriors to his side. 

I could've easily drawn a piece for a raffle, done caricatures or simply made a donation on this day. But something in my head told me I should join his team of champions.

Thanks to my good friend and (awesome cosplayer in his own right) Xavier, I was able to temporarily become someone else. Someone larger than life, and eager to smash some bad dudes.

Today, I was the Wolverine.

My costume wasn't the most extravagant. Hell, I blended in more with the crowds than I did the cosplayers. But I got to be a part of something bigger. I was able to see the interactions, the wonder and the moments where this strong young soul got to become an honorary member of the Green Lantern Corps. He was able to run around with Spider Man, and be flirted with by Supergirl and Black Cat. 

Today Armani got to just be a kid. 

He got to escape the monster for a while, and play. Seeing him surrounded by so much love, and so much spandex, was a testament to the good that the cosplay community does.

So thank you cosplayers. Thank you secret superheroes for everything that you helped bring this mini hero. Both emotionally and financially. 

And thanks for letting this silly pusher of pencils and ink join you for a day in your crusades. 

I kinda liked being a super hero today BUB!

Batman Black and White SketchCover

I know it's been another while. Been busy beyond belief, but here's one I did just for fun.....but it's still for sale. 50 buckers! 

Gotham Girls

Commission of the lovely bat ladies!