I'm grateful for all my readers, but especially grateful to international readers. The high price point of each print issue of THE SOLAR GRID is not at all lost on me (an unfortunate consequence of the considerably limited print run we can muster), a price point that is even compounded when you factor international shipping into the equation. And I feel more grateful to those who, after making an initial order of the first couple issues, end up coming back for more.

I'm generally aware that sales of a thing aren't always an indication that you're doing something right. So many things often factor into why a thing sells well; market penetration, aggressive advertising, or straight up name recognition, or in most cases all three. But in our very small, very humble, very independent effort, sales are a very good indication, especially when direct to the reader and especially when the reader feels they must let you know how much they appreciate what you're doing.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

#work #comix #tsg

Forthcoming in September, a comix exhibition in Italy:

”'Their gazes,' writes co-curator Alessio Trabacchini, 'render a multifaceted world, sometimes in dense ink marks, sometimes among fibers of ancient textiles, sometimes in the bright colors of the digital age. Reality and imagination intertwine with memories of troubled pasts and visions of dystopian futures, dreams of broken freedom, nightmares and desires.'”

Curators Alessio Trabacchini and Luce Lacquaniti handpicked a few comix-makers who hail from the Arabic-speaking Mediterranean to represent in this travelling exhibition.

”'This exhibition,' adds Luce Lacquaniti translator from Arabic and co-curator, 'Gives an account of the latest developments, brings together young women artists who, in many cases, are coming to Italy for the first time. Their stories cross more than one border, artistic and geographic, and take their cues from both the Tunisian, Egyptian and Lebanese coasts, and from overseas through artists of the Arab diaspora in the U.S., to land in Jesi, the birthplace of Frederick II, the protagonist of the exchange between the two shores of the Mediterranean to rewrite and redraw together a history of multiple, free and reciprocal crossings.'”

Humbled to be among the list of incredible artists; Deena Mohamed, Tracy Chahwan, Twins Cartoon, and Issam Smiri. No plans to be making a physical appearance in Italy, except potentially in December. Deets forthcoming on that front.

Full press release is here.

#work #exhibition #italy #comix

Sold out of both issues of THE CURSE OF I from my end. Last remaining copies can still be procured however from Basket Books in Houston and Desert Island in Brooklyn.

Rain came down long and hard last night and I am getting notifications from the airline that severe weather conditions may impact my flight out of New York. Inclined to push it back a couple days to avoid any potential airport inconveniences and general fuckery.

#work #comix #journal #travel

Latest digital TSG has dropped. Print forthcoming.

#work #comix #tsg

Original artboards for THE SOLAR GRID to date.

One more chapter left and I'm done.

#work #comix #tsg

A couple hours after the sense of release/relief following the completion of the TSG chapter that precedes the very last, I started to think about the work ahead: The next and final chapter in THE SOLAR GRID.

According to script and thumbs, the last chapter is a 50-page beast. Between pencils, inks, and letters, we're looking at an average of 3 days per page, and that's if I work fast and assuming no pages require color, but there are in fact quite a few that do. In fact in fact, some even require what might best be described as ill-advised mixed media madness that I'm not entirely sure I can adequately assess the time they would need to make before trying to work on one or two such pages first. Which means we can be sure that 3 pages a day is way too optimistic and things will probably not work out that way. But even if we were to make use of this ludicrously optimistic calculation, we would be looking at 150 days of work. Five months basically, and that's if I work weekends and take on no other projects whatsoever, however small.

This is a terribly depressing realization and wholly unrealistic. I can't not have this chapter finished before year's end, I just can't. I will kill myself. The only logical thing to do at this point would be to go back to script and thumbs, see if there's anything I can cut or at least compress. And perhaps do without any unpredictable visual experiments that could potentially multiply execution time, no matter how strong the creative itch is. I really shouldn't spend more than three months on the thing, so that means I need to see if I can bring the page-count down to 30. That's a lot of cutting and compressing.

Shit.

On a completely different note, I have done absolutely nothing towards this week's newsletter which typically goes out every other Friday at 11:59 pm. It is now 9:45 pm.

Fml.

#journal #comix #tsg

Just announced from Graphic Mundi, wherein Yazan Al-Saadi's dispatches are illustrated by an impressive lineup of comix-makers including one short illustrated by me, originally for the now sadly defunct The Nib. Titled Cairo Under the Crackdown, here's an excerpt.

#work #comix

I'm sure I will regret this 11:00pm coffee, but I need to push to get this chapter in the can.

It's true what they say, the last 10% of any project is always the hardest. No idea who “they” are, but I'm pretty sure it's a thing.

#journal #work #comix #tsg #resistdystopia

Inking with a Q-tip to get them fat cap feels. Always a challenge to recreate the look of one medium using another, but I think it turned out alright.

#work #comix #tsg #resistdystopia

Promised myself I wouldn't travel until the entire TSG is in the can, but this chapter has genuinely sapped the lifeforce out of me and I think a recharge is very much in order. Considering fucking off for a few days as soon as its wrapped. Either Mexico City or NYC, can't decide. Mexico City is closer, more my vibe, and kinder on the wallet. I do know more people in New York though, some of whom I haven't seen in a couple years.

#work #TSG #comix #journal