Just back from a 3-day beach getaway with the wife and child, where I learned to enjoy existence without ever looking at my computer. Our days were divided between laying on the sand, dipping into the sea, eating delicious food, and being wholly absorbed by our books. I've been alternating between Simon Roy's HABITAT and Roger Zelazny's LORD OF LIGHT, which go very well together. The latter I started in Denver a couple years ago only to reluctantly abandon it when shit got real and I got a little too caught up in the everyday to-do's and stresses they involved. It felt very fitting to escape back into it with my short escape to a pretty secluded beach town, and what an escape this book is.

I'm only midway through, but it's already got me wondering how most of fiction was ever written afterwards. The bar is set so high with this one that 99% of the books adorning the shelves of bookshops seem so frivolous in comparison. A great and marvelous work that encompasses everything any creative act should set out to do.

Back in Houston reassessing how I go about my days, which I'm hoping will no longer involve my phone or computer first thing in the morning. All in all, a successful and long overdue time outside the house, despite a sea full of jellyfish and relentless assaults by mosquito.

(photo by the wife)

#journal

New power unlocked: MOBILITY!! 😈

Not that I'm going anywhere anytime soon. But still, this massive 19.5” x 11.6” clipboard is a nice way to take my work away from the drawing table from time to time, maybe over to the sofa, the bed, the floor, child's room, wherever. Just a way to keep me from being hunched over a table for hours (days?) on end.

I've tried going full digital before, but discovered that I don't enjoy staring at a screen all day for literally everything I do, and not to mention eventual technical glitches you have to deal with and various troubleshooting things and all that stuff.

Good day today, in general. Instead of scheduling a mail pick up, figured I'd do a post office drop off instead and make a long 1 hour walk of it, my first in like... 6 months?

Inbox down to just 2, and updated my to-do strip with a new batch of deadlines for the month (which I'm sure I'll have a hard time hitting).

And finally, adorned my drawing table with Wally Wood's 22 panels that always work, something I've been wanting to get to for awhile now.

Although, I do feel like in the process of creating THE SOLAR GRID I've been developing a bit of my own [visual] language. Let's see if I can riff off Wally and see if I can come up with my own set of 22s when it's all over.

#journal #work

On August 15, I received a message from Mustafa Sameh Hassanien, currently held in Egypt's infamous Tora Prison.

I met Mustafa in passing, on January 25 of this year in New York City. A student of cinema studies at the College of Staten Island, Mustafa struck me as a passionate, bright, and incredibly creative young man. On May 14th, he boarded a flight to Cairo to visit family he hadn't seen in a long time, but upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport, he was taken aside and questioned, likely about an opinion or two he might've expressed online in regards to the Egyptian regime (helmed by Trump's “favorite dictator” Abdel Fattah Al Sisi). He has since been in custody.

It is my understanding that in the three months since Mustafa's detainment, Egyptian National Security has been building a case against him, something they like to do with pretty much anyone who has... well, an opinion.

Earlier this year, another young filmmaker by the name of Shady Habash withered away and died in Egyptian prison. He was only 25 and had already accomplished so, so much. It would crush me to see Mustafa, aged 22, see the same fate.

Three months in custody just for deciding to pay your folks a visit is already a terribly long time. I'm betting Mustafa has legal counsel and people working to get him out, but I imagine he must be getting exceedingly desperate at this point. Why else would he use what limited access he has to the outside world to address me, some dude several thousand miles away in Texas with nothing at his disposal other than pencils, ink, and a bunch of paper?

#FreeMustafa #Journal

New interview up at LOVE AND LOBBY where I am described as “Egypt's Pop Infant Terrible”. Not the first time I've been described as such so there must be some truth to it. 2009 or 2010 was the first time, I think, but at least back then I did in fact live in Egypt and never in a million years would've anticipated living anywhere else.

It's been over half a decade since I last set foot in Egypt, and it all feels like a distant dream at this point.

Peculiar how that works.

#Journal #Interview

Because I got asked in regards to my previous post, the shelf above the desk is for “immediate books”. Either my current to-read selection, or previously read things that I feel the need to revisit and/or reference.

It easily changes every week or two.

Here's a closer look at what's currently sat on it:

#journal #reads

I for one am never able to think clearly in a cluttered space. When my space is cluttered, my head is cluttered. Lately though I've been doing, doing, doing without a whole lot of room left for thinking, and so:

With THE SOLAR GRID #5 out of the way, I finally got around to a little tidying up:

Now, to fix myself an afternoon coffee, and think.

#Journal

I woke up at around 2:30AM last night (this morning?) and devoured an entire brownie. Just shoved the thing in my mouth and gobbled it down. It was time to feed child who awoke agitated, and I found myself dozing off as I stumbled to warm up his bottle.

No time to fix myself coffee or tea, but I needed a hit of something to keep my eyes open, and that something ended up being the brownie.

It did the trick, and the crash that followed was most pleasant. I slept very well.

Sleep is something I'm looking forward to doing bit more of this week, now that the 5th chapter of THE SOLAR GRID has finally gone live!

What a journey making this one has been! Started it in Denver over a year and a half ago (!!!), interrupted by relocating to Houston, first to temporary lodgings before finding the place we're currently in, followed by pandemic and lock-down and finally birth of child! 🤯

Also, it's the first chapter that features color (which I also did myself), not for the sake of just wanting to do comix in color, but as an integral component of the storytelling. I also feel like the storytelling breakthroughs in this one are numerous and I'm really proud of how it all turned out. Also, Josh MacPhee's written supplement? A freakin' treasure!

All in all, a landmark installment that has me more excited than ever to dive right into Chapter 6!

Okay, well maybe not riiiiight into Chapter 6. I'd like to take a day or two to organize around the studio. The aftermath of each of these always involves a fair amount of debris. Also need to respond to a handful of emails I've neglected, and ship out a few ganzeer.garage orders.

#journal #work #comix #TheSolarGrid

We could all probably use a double eklips on the rocks right now, it can't just be me, right?

6 days until THE SOLAR GRID #5 drops at [TheSolarGrid.net]

It's pretty much done, save for a few last minute finicky bits here and there. Reading through it this morning, I realize I may need to add just one last panel at the end of the chapter, more for mood than for “content”. Somehow it feels that one last panel will give impact to the entire thing, let it land right, avoiding the possibility of it feeling like an abrupt close. Will sit on it for a couple hours and see if I still feel the same way.

Looking forward to to treating myself to some icecream when it's actually finally done. Or maybe invent an actual double eklips on the rocks. I suppose it should probably include a little Moonshine.

#Journal #Work #Comix #TheSolarGrid

Only 8 days left until THE SOLAR GRID #5 drops! 🤯

A lot has changed since releasing chapter #4. Moved to a different state, global pandemic unleashed upon the world, and the wife and I acquired a new family member, who is now napping on my desk between myself and the keyboard like an overly possessive cat.

#Journal #Work #Comix #TheSolarGrid

I am awake. So I guess I'll do some lettering now.

Inbox at 186, and I haven't checked my feedcatcher in days. But I did manage to squeeze in a shave this weekend. Just my face though.

Too much info?

Psssht, it's my journal.

(Edit: Just noticed the date on my watch is one day behind. Crap. Okay, faster now.)

#Journal #Work #Comix #TheSolarGrid