Ahhh.. The Good Old Days...

You know....when i was a kid, I was obsessed with G.I.Joe A Real American Hero. I LOVED getting up before school and watching the cartoon at 6:00 or 6:30. I had quite the collection of figures, too. The vehicles, the special mission figures, you name it. Many years after the fact, i discovered that there was a G.I. Joe comic book. I can't remember what issue I started reading the series, but it was probably in the range of issues 65-75. Of course I went and bought all the back issues, one shots, mini series, etc. Alas, all of those things are long gone. There have been other incarnations of the franchise that I never really bothered with because I was too mature. (yeah, right). When i started collecting comics again within the last decade I had occasionally picked up an issue of the newer Joe series 9from DDP, Image, etc)and found it somewhat enjoyable, but not enough so I collected the series in its entirety. then i heard that IDW, the current owner of the rights to G.I. Joe) was releasing a new Joe series, which continues the Marvel series from the 1980s!! How freaking cool is that???!!! On top of that, IDW have been reprinting the original series in tpb form, titled G.I. Joe Classic. I think right now there are 10 volumes of these collections out. I just bought volumes 1 and 2 to read on the plane ride to and from Florida next week. I plan on buying them all. Even the collected editions of the newer series, just to see what all happened. I am glad IDW is continuing the Marvel era, because there have been some character deaths and stories that I heard about that I really didn't care for. Although there were some really cool characters that didn't last through the Marvel series, either... Quick Kick was one of my favorites, and he was killed in battle along with a dozen or so other Joes later in the Marvel series.
I tell you, I am really excited about reading this series again.

Sean Chen commission arrived!

This arrived a few weeks ago, but I forgot to post it. It's a pretty cool perspective. There are a few things I'd change if I could, but overall, a very cool piece of art.

Woo-hoo! Walt Disney World Vacay booked!

We booked our first family vacation for this summer, and I am really excited. We are going to walt Disney World in Orlando! I have never been anywhere like this growing up. Ollie will be 10 months old at the time of the trip, so he won't get quite as much out of it as my wife and I, but it will be cute seeing how he reacts to the characters (I hope..LOL)

We booked made advanced dining reservations for most of our meals, and have a few left. I think Animal Kingdom and MGM are going to be awesome. We are staying at the Polynesian resort. It is still a ways off, but I can't wait!

First day on the new job...

And I get in a horrible car accident on my way in. I was making a left turn at an intersection, and there was an oncoming car turning right onto the same street. A car whipped around them into the other lane to beat the light and hit me. I think my car is totalled. My wrist kind of hurts and I have general aches and pains, but I think it could have been much worse. I am not sure what the condition of the other people are. The police said they were fine, just shaken up. They went to the hospital in an ambulance. I had 1 car payment left on my car, so luckily I had full coverage. I just hope the other driver isn't an "opportunist" since I was the only one cited, which really cheeses me off, because a) it is illegal to change lanes so many feet before an intersection and b) they were speeding to make the light. Here are the pics of my "car" So sad.

Second finished commission!

Wow, two awesome commissions completed in one week. What more could a guy ask for???!
This piece is by Chris Staggs, whose art I saw in an issue of Deadpool Team-Up. I really like his style. a tad cartoony but chock full of action. Chris was great to work with. He told me he'd send a couple thumbnails for mt to pick from (which I love it when artists do)but he sent me 5 thumbnails to choose from. They can be seen below. I chose #3 and Chris did an awesome job on the finished piece. Check out his Deviant art page here: http://bolognafingers.deviantart.com/
He kept me updated and the turnaround was pretty fast. A terrific commission experience.

My first completed commission of 2010

This past year I hadn't been able to buy much new art. Once I got my severance and unemployment and started looking for a job I was in a position I could buy a few things. I have really been enjoying the Spidey books ever since the Brand New Day storyline, so I started buying Spidey related commissions. This first piece is by John Watson. (www.johnwatsonart.com) Mr. Watson was a joy to work with on this commission. He has done many cover paintings for DC (Hawkman, JSA and others) and Marvel (Marvel Apes, Silent War, Uncanny X-Men and more) and more recently Buck Rogers covers for Dynamite Entertainment. Without further ado, here is Spider-Man trying to rescue Norah Winters (a spunky reporter that works with Peter Parker for Front Line) from menace! I don't have the art in hand yet, but I got the scan this morning. I love it!

I am soon to be employed again!

I was laid off the week before Christmas. I knew it was coming for a long time, and I was blessed that I kept getting extended as long as I did. I took a week off to enjoy the holidays before I really started looking hard. I started sending out resumes and contacting companies about openings. I had a couple telephone interviews and a couple in person interviews. Back in early January I sent my resume for a position opening for a local company. I received a response to fill out a questionnaire. Now, I had been taking care of my son this whole time I have been unemployed so my time spent online has been minimal, so I didn't see the questionnaire for a few days. i filled it out and was asked to come in for an interview. I thought it went really well. I interviewed with 5 of my would-be peers. While I was talking with them, I felt I would fit in with the group rather well. i felt a good camaraderie with them. A week after the interview I was called to come back in for a second interview. This one was much more grueling. It lasted 2 hours. I thought it went well. I was told to contact them Friday February 12th for an update. Well, they called me Thursday and offered me the position.
The company is a pretty large business. The benefits and hours seem pretty good. I hope I am there for many years. Finally, after everything my family has been through the last few months, we get some good news. :-)