Write that thing!
Things I want to do and things I actually did.
Monday, Feb 24th: A dialogue for a zine I might want to do. Exploring the absurdity of how we accept so many mass killings. Starting in the 70’s or 80’s when the term “Going postal” became a thing. It only took a few instances of postal employees murdering people at work before that was a pattern that everyone picked up on. I imagine two or three characters lamenting in a gun store/coffee shop. Yes, a place that primarily sells guns and ammo that also has an espresso machine for that extra boost you want before going out to shoot. The characters lament that you can’t just do a shooting anymore. You have to have an angle! The guy in Las Vegas who shot 60 and wounded 413 is remembered because he put up numbers. How about Al-Qaeda killing 2977 at the World Trade Center? That’s politics, I don’t talk politics. Jonestown in the 70’s? that’s some weird culty shit. I don’t know man… And that cult with the stupid sneakers? Did you know in Uganda that 778 people were murdered by “The movement to restore the Ten Commandments” in 2000? But that’s not American. Let’s stay focused. The Manson murders! that made quite the splash. Cult oriented, stabbing pregnant women… by the 80’s I think things were getting more political? The 90’s had grunge. The Columbine High School shooters murdered a lot and had a look. They seemed like a Beevus and Butthead type but without any humor. By 2025 I feel that everything’s been done man. You had to have a look, or unique way of murder. It’s cliche’ and trite to just use an assault weapon now. I’ve yet to see a mass murder by sharpie marker. You wouldn’t even need to kill more than 3 people to be famous with that! They could all be infants too! It practically writes itself. (RIM SHOT!) But now it’s not enough to have a large body count, unique weapon and cool trench coat. Luigi. I don’t have a chin like that or cheekbones and eyebrows! Geez! If you shoot 10 kids at a school, it’s like anyone can do that. This guy in a grey hoodie comes along and shoots ONE GUY! I fuck’n hate him.
Monday, I officially started a 5 page Toxic Avenger story. Trying a different approach than the last story. I used to draw my panels out one at a time in pencil on copy paper sheets. I would mostly do it with pencil lines and then shade a little here and there. I felt my pencils were more gestural and spontaneous than trying to make a tight pencil drawing on my Bristol paper. I took the drawing and light-boxed it for my Bristol. I inked it like that without any pencil touching the Bristol. It’s a little awkward at first but I’m starting to get in to a rhythm already as in by the end of pg 1. We’ll see if it’s true.
Tuesday I went to the gym after laying out panels on the remaining 4 pages. I had my folio with all my paper, thumbnails, and script, with me because I can usually draw the pages at coffee shops around my neighborhood. I had a 25-30 minute walk back home from the gym but I needed groceries so I stopped at the store on the way. Loaded up on that. I worked out my chest and triceps and could feel Monday’s back workout in my traps and muscles that go over my shoulder blades. I don’t know why I buy so many liquids! Because I didn’t stop there. I went to the liquor store and bought two bottles of whiskey. While there I realized I forgot to pick up cheese so I went to a different grocery store for that. Everything was hurting. I was carrying a refrigerator’s amount of food and then there was the six floor walk-up when I got to my building! I laid down after getting home for maybe an hour to recharge, fired up the espresso machine after my nap for Molly and I. Now it was time to… I had left my folio at one of the places I had stopped.
I had some stuff to finish up from page 1 but now I was pissed at myself for being so absent minded. The next morning, yes before noon, I went back to the grocery store I thought I left my portfolio. They had it off to the side. This is the 2nd time in a month I left it there. Another favorite grocery store I like to leave it is a 10-15 minute walk the other way. I’ve left it there about three times. I’ve left it at the gym as well. A Crunch, the city gym, and at Planet Fitness… and I’ve only been at Planet Fitness a few months. I’ve also left it at a few coffee shops and bodegas as well. It’s black, not really big, and usually only has one page, drawing board, a script, and a ruler in it. So never much of value to anyone but me. Nobody that works at any of these places seems to care or know what to do with it if they find it so they just put it aside and then look at me weird when I come by and ask about it. The funny part about this most recent misplacement is if they had looked in and saw the page I had been drawing, there was a hyper detailed drawing of the Toxic Avenger pulling a mutated rat out of a horrifically clogged toilet. I don’t think the cashier lady who pointed at the folio sitting off to the side had looked inside the thing as she had the demeanor of telling me where the bathroom was.
