My evil cronies, the Ghostbuster Nightsquad, have just posted a video on their website that they shot at the Pittsburgh show. And in it they just bust out the kneepads and blow my ego like it was a soldier on leave. God bless you, my flunkies. You all get an extra crust of bread for dinner this week.
It is always a pleasure to see the flowers fertilized by George Bush’s bullshit blossom in the same news cycle in which he planted them. This time it is his real feelings towards our soldiers, aka “Greatest Generation 2.0”.
In case any of you have missed it, the prez loves comparing our Army of Boots to the soldiers in World War II (our soldiers, that is). Here’s Brainiac at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony June 2nd, 2004:
“Like the Second World War, our present conflict began with a ruthless, surprise attack on the United States. We will not forget that treachery, and we will accept nothing less than victory over the enemy.”
Here he is again in 2005, speaking on the 60th anniversary of VJ Day:
” As we mark this anniversary, we are again a nation at war. Once again, war came to our shores with a surprise attack that killed thousands in cold blood. Once again, we face determined enemies who follow a ruthless ideology that despises everything America stands for (…) Captain Stone is a Marine officer now serving in Iraq. He knows that he and his generation are doing the same vital work in this war on terror that his grandparents did in World War II.”
And of course, today’s commencement address at the Air Force Academy:
“Germany and Japan, once mortal enemies, are now allies of the United States and people across the world have reaped the benefits from that alliance. Today we must do the same in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
(in case it wasn’t clear that Bush sees Iraq as equivalent to WWII, he mentioned Germany and Japan roughly once every 40 seconds)
But wait! What about actually treating them like those Private Ryans we love so much? Not if it means a GI Bill that gives them the same bennies as a World War II vet. Bush has promised to veto the new GI Bill which offers college tuition benefits on par with those offered veterans in 1944, and he has a damn good reason: THIS AIN’T WORLD WAR II, SON!
Here’s the quacking point being disseminated by Fox:
“After all this is different. People point to, “Well, look what they did after World War II.†Well, after World War II, people were conscripted… Now people are saying “I want to be a military person. I am signing on in a volunteer force.â€
In other words, stop-loss is a volunteer draft, so fuck you soldja boy!!
Will somebody please put a pretzel in this guy’s head?
The talented Will Elder, a first-generation artist for MAD magazine, EC comics, Playboy and others, passed away recently.
His outrageous talent, parody skills and tendency for adding “eye pops” (little background gags) have had a major impact on cartooning and comic satire,  including the work of yours truly. Gary Groth of the Comics Journal did an interview with Elder in 2003. It’s a great read, and loaded with his hilarious art (also, his “Goodman Goes Playboy” strip is a lawsuit-baiting forerunner to Weapon Brown. Check it out!)
Coupla jazzy links for you. First off, Mike Sonovic (aka 3D Beepo, official living mascot of this website) has sent me a link to  a video of April’s Pittsburgh Comicon costume contest, where his Beepo contest earned him honorable mention for best nose or something. You can skip all the cutsey kid crap at the beginning. The real action starts at 27:47 (and it’s all right Mike, no one knows who the hell I am either).
(Might I just reiterate how disturbing it is to see my fantasy turned into flesh and blood reality? Fear for what might crawl out of my brain into existence next, people!)
Also, the good folks at the N3RDCast have pimped Weapon Brown but good! Or atleast, they claim as much. I just listened and the MP3 terminates halfway through their podcast. I am sure they will have it fixed by the time you click this link, however.
Finally,  a clever bit of Photoshop phandom I performed for Paul Southworth’s superlative comic strip Ugly Hill delighted him so much he put it on his homepage. Go here and scroll down to the bottom to see my oh-so-clever “Eye Am for Osgood” graphic.
In order to travel to the far away comic cons I must reach to sell Deep Fried and Weapon Brown to the non-believers, I need to raise a little additional cabbage to afford the plane fare and table costs. The next show I need (not want, NEED) to be at is North Carolina’s Heroes Con in June. Right now I have about half the money I need to get there. You can help make the difference and help pave the way for the Weapon Brown graphic novel that is my big 2008 project!
If you are a true Deep Fried fan, please take advantage of one or more of the following promotional offers and help me raise the $300.00 I need to make it to my next show.
ART FOR SALE
I have just added many new pages of artwork to my gallery on ComicArtFans.com. All of them are for sale at very reasonable prices (listed), and I provide price breaks for purchases of three or more pieces. Just look over the selections and e-mail me with your request.
All the artwork for sale has been published in Deep Fried, Weapon Brown or in the papers that have carried me in the past. And if there is a piece there you don’t see, you can always inquire about it. Most everything I have drawn in the past is for sale.
6 PACK O’ PRINTS
Like sexy wimmen? Peruse the fine selection of digital prints in my store! I am bundling all 6 of the 11 x 14 prints–Harlequin Romance, Purrfect Crime, Coy Cat, Dirty Blonde, Bottoms Up and Tango de la Muerte–and offering the lot for only $40.00 (plus shipping). As an added incentive, you may request that any three of them be remarqued (that is, a little custom drawing added on the front). Just e-mail me after you have place your order and tell me which ones you want remarqued, and how.
6 Pack
STRAWBERRY SHORTSTACK BUNDLE
Though I am sold out of my original first issue of Deep Fried, volume 1, I still have copies left of volume 1 issues 2, 3 and 4, as well as Deep Fried: We’re #1!, my 48 page special. I am offering all four of these as a signed set for $15.00 (includes shipping), and each set will come with a one-of-a-kind sketch on the backing board of one of the Strawberry Shortstack characters that Beepo is so fond of.
I am limiting this rare and slightly perverse offer to only 20 units, with the artwork signed and numbered as well. Perfect for you hardcore fans!
Strawberry Shortstack Bundle
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This year’s Pittsburgh Comicon was a barrel of AIDS monkeys that, predictably, led to a few minor scuffles with the local cosplayers. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
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| Nice setup, huh? I owned that friggin’ hall, I tells ya! |
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| Would you buy comics from this man? |
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| It didn’t take too long for the trouble to start. I don’t know what it is about me that irratates these people. All I did was ask this guy if he’s one of those gay construction workers you hear about. And if not, why did I see him sucking a foreman’s jackhammer behind the concession stand? |
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| Some sort of Charlie Brown ghost? No, it’s Kevin from Sin City! Or a long lost Winter brother. |
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| My loyal fans from the Ghost Buster’s Nightsquad were back again. See that big one on the left? He kills at my command, and asks only for a single animal cracker as payment. Still, I’m sure there’s a Mexican illegal who could make me a better offer. (On the other hand, what southron would ever pimp me video-style the way lesser-giant Bo Holbrook has?) |
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| Mike Sonovic, aka 3-D Beepo, also returned this year after a tour of America’s finest rehabs, and actually won first place (or no place, I forget which) in the con’s costume contest. Note the balloons from the “Funny Business” storyline. Nice touch! Still, why is Mike the only guy who has ever dressed up as one of my character’s, huh??? Surely I’m not that unpopular! Surely not… |
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| “Stop….defending….Raimi! Spider-Man 3… sucked it!!!” |
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| The Schulz estate finally took notice of Weapon Brown and sent their lawyer to discuss the matter with me. |
I look forward to returning to Pittsburgh next year when my wounds have healed and I’ve stopped peeing blood.
