February 29 - Let me bring you up to speed.  First I should tell you that the local middle school play, for which I provided set design and a couple of props, was a lot of fun.  I attended Friday's public performance (as opposed to Thursday's "in house" preview, to which I was also invited), and it was a hoot!  Just about everything that could possibly go wrong, DID!  Missing cast members and a failing sound system plagued the production, but it didn't matter because the whole thing was....well, I guess the word that comes to mind is "charming!"  Not in a condescending way, but in a "good old fashioned family fun" kind of way.  When the show was over, the cast and director (Cindy Hertrampf) surprised me by adding me to the people whom they thanked (even making me come to the stage).  This was pretty embarrassing because I didn't really do anything this year.  In years past, I've coached the set crew, given daily pep talks, held little workshops about stage designs, etc., etc.,  - but this year all I did was draw a couple of sketches and make a very crummy fake shield.  Oh, well..I guess that means I was appreciated, and that's pretty cool.  Next year I'll have to try harder!  OK, let's see what else has been going on.  I guess not much.  I've been drawing a LOT over these last few days; partly to create a small stockpile of artwork to sell if eBay does feature me on their site (fingers still crossed - and going a little numb), and, I realize now, partly to avoid working on the next issue of The Adventures of Monkey.  It's not that I don't want to work on it, it's just that it is a fairly all-consuming project, so it tends to block out any and all smaller, more spontaneous projects.  Early on in my comic book "career" this proved troublesome because I'd find myself getting bored with a long story (not good).  My first attempt to cure this problem was to draw the comic out of order.  This is one of the few tips given to me at The Joe Kubert School.  Two teachers, Ben Ruiz, and Joe himself said that this was a way to accomplish a couple of goals; 1) to have a more uniform look to the book.  Often an artist's skills will actually improve over the course of a project, or, more often, parts will be hastily drawn at the tail end of a 28 hour meet-the-deadline no-sleep marathon.  Skipping around from page to page and panel to panel, a cartoonist can "even out" his or her production.  2)  when inking the comic, you pretty much have to work on small areas and then set them aside to dry so that you don't smear up what you just did.  Working a little here and a little there, you can maximize your time.  Eventually, I came up with another, less manufactured way of keeping myself awake through a long creation process.  I've found that by leaving some of the creative process to be completed when I'm actually drawing the final product, I can keep my attention at a high level for months!  This technique manifests mostly in leaving space for comic asides or cameos, to be filled in with whatever comes to my mind when finishing the project.  Sometimes this results in my friends and family having their names added to signs in the background, or their faces to a crowd.  An interesting (only to me) fact is that I've worked my wife's name, Vickie, into the artwork of every major project I've done since I met her 14 years ago!  Its even in the Pete's Hamburgers post card art that I recently painted (to look for it, click HERE and look at the shadows around the two guys eating burgers in a boat under the STARKS sign).  This reminds me, coincidentally, to tell you about a new feature that I will soon begin here on the ol' WOMP-Site.  It will have tips for beginning cartoonists.  Every week, probably on Wednesday nights, I will give another tip (and a link to an indexed list of all previous tips).  I may not know everything about drawing comics, but I have learned a few tricks of the trade in my 113 years, and, soon, they will be yours!  Stay tuned...or connected...or whatever.  See ya!  Oh, and hooray for Lord of The Rings,TRotK!

February 28 - OK, so I lied.  Well, not exactly "lied," but I definitely led you to believe one thing, when the truth ended up being something else entirely.  You see, yesterday (OOPs - I mean earlier this morning - yet another lie), I said that I'd have, and I quote, "all kinds of neat things to talk about"  in today's WOMP-Blog entry, and, well, I don't.  In fact, I'm actually kinda busy with drawing stuff, so I'm just going to cut my losses and end this pathetic entry now.  I'll try to do something interesting in the next 24 hours so that I have something to report tomorrow.  See ya!

February 27-28 - Hey, everyone!  Well, I guessed correctly about how my Friday would go.  It's now actually 1:15am on the 28th, and I'm just now able to write this WOMP-Blog entry.  I would say that I don't have much to talk about, but, each time that I've done that in the past, in then proceeded with a short essay on the meaning of life or something.  I can't do that tonight - I'm far too tired, and a little loopy from a long day of talking to lots of people  (if I have to tell one more person about the Oziana project that I just finished, I'll go nuts!).  Tomorrow (OK, technically later today), I will have all kinds of neat things to talk about, I'm sure, but, for now, I'm signing off so I can get some sleep!  Oh, and look for a nifty new weekly feature to start on Sunday on the main page here at the WOMP-Site.  See ya!

.February 26 - Hello, intrepid WOMP-Blog reader!  Not much to talk about tonight (another debasing "real job" day - UGH).  I finished and delivered the Grand Excursion medallion artwork.  It was a big hit!  So much so, in fact, that they have decided to pay me - you can't beat that!  I actually have the pieces back already beacuse I've been asked to give the whole design "a good going over" before it is sent to the foundry to be struck (I had only provided some artwork, not all of the lettering and such).  The best part is that the Rotary Club plans to produce a coin each year now, so I will probably have another annual gig!  Oh, and another cool thing happened tonight.  I told you that I had recently found out that a co-worker at the daffy "real job" is also a cartoonist.  He brought in a copy of the comic magazine that he'd worked on over twenty years ago, and I nearly passed out when I saw it!  It was the first issue of Phooey, a somewhat famous early independent comic created by the Iowa City Cartoonists Society (or whatever the heck it was called).  The cover, which is one of the most recognizable from that time period, features a six-armed cartoonist working on a comic strip.  My co-worker actually drew that!  How cool is that?  Now it's even more upsetting to think that he is wasting away at the deflating "real job" along with me.  Here is someone whose artwork actually had an influence on me (slightly) when I was a kid, so his current predicament seems like a personal affront to me, too.  Anyhoo, on his break, I sat with him and talked a bit about his art, and a bit about the last twenty years in the comic book industry.  It was nice to talk to someone who spoke the same language that I did for a change.  Our fellow co-workers msut have thought that we were speaking in tongues or something!  I think that we'll try to do some kind of project together or something in the near future.  We're already talking about going to the Iowa City I-Con together this year.  Anyhoo, I've gotta wrap this up for tonight.  Oh, and look for some more new original art on eBay soon (I've been working on a lot of neat pix).  See ya!

February 25 - Hey!  Another busy art day here at WOMP HQ!  In fact, after posting last night's WOMP-Blog entry, I worked on stuff until 7:00am this morning!  I finally forced myself to go to bed because I was in danger of falling asleep at the drawing board!  After a "refreshing" 4 hours of thrice-interupted sleep, I hopped up and started all over again!  I even got two more art jobs today.  One is non-paying, though.  Vickie and I went out to eat dinner with my parents, where the restaurant's owner saw me and asked if I'd help him with a project for the Rotary Club.  As you may remember, if you are a long-time reader of the WOMP-Blog (and who isn't?), my hometown, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, will be part of a huge Summer-long re-enactment of an 1854 event called The Grand Excursion, in which a fleet of steam paddlewheelers, filled with tourists, travelled in tandem from one end of The Mississippi River to the other and back.  To commemorate the event, and to make a few bucks, I imagine, our local Rotary Club is producing a nifty coin!  So, tonight, I was asked to provide the artwork for both sides of this bronze coin (actually more of a medallion).  Neat, huh?  Of course it would have been nice to get paid, but maybe I'll get one of the coins.  The other job that I picked up was working the PdC high school "After Prom" party with my caricature-drawing!  This should be a pretty good gig, if last year's version is any judge.  Anyhoo, I had better get back to the drawing board (I love saying that).  I've got a lot to do yet tonight!  See ya!

February 24 - Howdy!  It's been pretty busy for me today, all with art-type projects.  I installed the middle school play prop and set pieces that I made.  That was perfect timing as today was the first day that the cast would hold practice on the stage, so the pieces really helped the kids feel good about being ready for their opening night on Thursday.  I plan to see their show on Friday night, so I might be a bit late posting a WOMP-Blog entry that day.  I also worked on a bunch of miscellaneous drawings, getting them ready for possible sale on eBay.  This is not only because I would like to make a couple of bucks (if possible), but also because (fingers crossed) I'm in the running for possibly being featured for a month on the eBay site itself, so I wanted to have some cool stuff for sale should that happen!  I returned a questionnaire to them just last night, so I may not find out (one way or the other) for a long while.  How cool would that be, though?  Anyhoo, so I've spent most of the day drawing and inking pieces to sell.  To my surprise, they are not that bad (so far).  After I post this WOMP-Blog entry, I will probably try to get several more done.  Yes, I know that I should be working on #5, and I will, soon, but these seem like special circumstances, right?  Oh, OK...you've guilted me into trying to do something with the Monkey stuff tonight.  I hope you're happy with yourself (you big bully).  See ya later!

February 23 - I'm writing this WOMP-Blog entry a little early tonight, but I'm still pretty sick with this stupid cold, so I might go to bed early tonight.  Anyhoo, it was another fantastic day at the dumb "real job" today.  I probably shouldn't even talk about my dull "real job," especially since it stinks so much, but, when I started this "daily" journal,  I decided to tell you, dear WOMP-Blogaphile, the ins and outs of my "career" as a cartoonist so that you may understand it better, warts and all (well, actually...if I had a bunch of warts, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't tell you that).  Too many times, people will talk about a creative endeavor in purely inspirational or artistic ways.  While this is fine in general terms, I so wish that I'd ever heard anyone talk about how they actually did the work itself while maintaining some semblence of a life.  When you choose to be an artist (or does it choose you?), you will spend precious little of your time actually doing your art, a great deal more time preparing to do your art, some time advancing your ability to do your art, an annoying amount of time explaining your art, and gobs of time doing just about everything but your art!  This is "the struggle," and all artists know it well.  It took me years just to understand it, and years more to realize that "the struggle" may be annoying, troublesome, overwhelming, maddening, and challenging to the core, but it is also the very crucible from which your art must come!  It's like a math equation where you have to keep adding random numbers to get closer to the answer, but each day the answer changes.  So, working at a dirty "real job" to make ends meet between art jobs may make me crazy some nights, but, especially as a cartoonist, it is part of where my art comes from (by "especially as a cartoonist," I mean that I see and talk to all kinds of strange people all day, a handy tool for drawing comics!).  This may seem like a manufactured victory to say that there is some sort of advantage in having an obviously dead-end non-art job, but it isn't...all cartoonist should find a way to observe vast numbers and kinds of people as much as possible.  I've heard of everything from hanging out at the beach (Bil Keane) to going to hockey games (Todd McFarlane).  By the way, this is something you should be aware of - a "manufactured victory" is like saying that, although you crashed your car in the first lap of a NASCAR race, you still sort of "won" by just being in a race at that level.  There are times when you may try to rationalize a failure until it becomes a success.  My advice is to not see your artistic advancement in terms of competition or win/lose.  Try to look at everything as part of the learning process, so a perceived "failure" is just a bitter-tasting lesson, and an assumed "success" is just an easier-to-swallow lesson.  - whew - OK, on to other stuff.  I also wanted to tell you about a neat thing that happened recently.  Mr. Marcus Mebes, the multi-talented gentleman who hooked me up with the Oziana gig and hired me to draw cool Teen Titans, is, among other things, also an interviewer.  He was all set to interview Phil Jimenez, Marv Wolfman, and Carol Perez (wife of George Perez) when it must have occured to him that he should probably come up with some questions to ask!  He sent out a plea for help, and WOMP responded!  I sent Marcus a quick list of interview questions based on those things that I would like to know (not necessarily what anyone else might care about), and they helped form the basis of the interviews!  He is being pretty coy about the results, saying only that my "questions got answered in VERY cool ways."  The interviews will see print in the next issue of Pacesetter, the magazine devoted to George Perez and his art.  I am trying to figure out a way to obtain a copy, and I will try to create a link to any ordering information that I find so that you could do the same.  At some point, I will probably put a transcript of the interviews here on the WOMP-Site for the heck of it.  Should be pretty cool!  See ya!

February 22 - OK, OK...so I didn't work on T.A.O.M. #5 yet today.  I did make the props for the local middle school, as promised (that was actually much more difficult than I thought it would be).  I also gave each of the Oz pieces "the once over" before I mail them off.  Marcus, the kind gentleman who hooked me up with the Oziana gig, e-mailed to say that he recommends sending photocopies instead of originals.  He fears that they will be mangled by his sadistic mail carrier.  I know the feeling.  For years, we had a pretty crummy Postal carrier person.  This was pretty shocking to us because everyone else at our local Post Office is so good.  This guy, though, would do things like cram eBay items, clearly marked with "Handle With Care" and "Do NOT Bend" on them, into our tiny mailbox, or, worse, would just throw our mail on the ground near our mailbox!  I stood it for about a year (hoping that it was just a fluke), but, finally, I said something to my friends at the Post Office.  They seemed to already know something about it, which was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time.  They thanked me and said they'd take care of it.  Well, they must have chewed the guy out because we started getting our mail in shreds and chunks from then on, if we got it at all!  It was terrible.  Thankfully, we moved to our new offices here at WOMP Central, putting us in a new postal route, where the carrier is not only conscientious and professional, he is nearly family (in fact, he did some wiring work in the WOMP offices for free!).  But, as Peter David says, I digress... Anyhoo, so I did these two projects, looked at the clock, and it said 10:30pm!  I've blown the whole day (so far) on stuff that should have only taken a couple of hours!  So, as of this WOMP-Blog entry, I have not yet worked on, nor updated the page regarding work on, my comic.  If I have energy left before I go to sleep, I will try to update the site after I do work on the comic.  See ya!

February 21-22 - Hiya, folks!  I'm writing this a little later than usual (Saturday Night Live just ended - another so-so effort - but I digress...) because I was in an artistic jag!  I don't know whether it was the eight cans of Diet Mt. Dew, the 12-hour cold medicine, or just the desire to get something done, but, whatever the reason, I started drawing at around noon, and just wrapped up now, twelve hours later!  I finished the last pieces for the Oziana publication, worked a little more on T.A.O.M. #5, and made my plan of attack regarding the set pieces that I volunteered to make for the local middle school kids' play.  Wow!  Even with a stupid drippy cold in my nose (or perhaps because of it?), I felt incredibly artistic and inspired today.  I drew and inked the last Oz piece in just about an hour (granted, it is a small drawing).  I also sold two of my sketches on eBay last night, so that gave me a little ego boost as well.  On days like this, I wonder why I even show up at the dog-gone "real job."  Of course, reality will slap me out of this antihistamine-induced fantasy in short order, but, for now, I feel like I could conquer the World.....of Monkey?  Tomorrow - oops - I mean later today, I will make those props and set-dressing pieces, then I'll have the rest of the whole day to work on the comic.  I'm getting pretty excited about it, as you can probably tell.  I hope to post a synopsis of the results on the Next Issue Update page later tonight to show you what I accomplished.  Check it out HERE, but not until late Sunday.  See ya then!

February 20-21 - Oops, I forgot to tell you about last night!  After writing the Feb. 19 WOMP-Blog entry, in which I said that I was whipped from a day at the darn "real job," and that I hoped to get some artwork done, I sat back in my chair
and fell asleep! I kind of woke up at about 4:00am, dragged my zombie-like carcass to the bedroom, and plopped down in bed (fully dressed), only to wake up at 10:00am!  So much for getting anything done!

February 20 - Hey!  Getting a lot of work done today, including more of The Adventures of Monkey #5 prep!  One thing that I'm "struggling" with is on the last big Oz piece that I'm doing for the Oziana publication.  It features (among others) The Hungry Tiger of Oz.  For these Oz pieces, I've done a lot of research on the various characters, and I've learned that they sort of "morphed" over time, even when drawn by the same artist.  While this isn't surprising, I suppose, it does present a small problem; which version do I consider "official?"  The Tiger is a prime example.  He was represented as being both cartoonishly simple and photo-realistic.  For example, his stripes were sometimes portrayed as about 10 simple black bars across his back, while at other times, they were standard tiger stripes.  SO, I've been trying to blend the many representations into one version, uniquely mine (if possible).  This way, I shouldn't offend anyone who remembers a certain version as the "correct" version.  Oh, and The Hungry Tiger is, like, the EASIEST of the characters that I've researched/redesigned in this way!  ACK!  So, that's the task after I post this WOMP-Blog entry; Tiger stripes!

February 19 - Oh, my friends...what a day.  More of the dour "real job" today.  It's not hard work, like bailing hay or anything, but it does have a special knack for sucking the life out of me!  I feel like I've been up for 40 hours straight without sleep, food, or drink.  I must admit that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to muster the energy to draw stuff after getting home from work.  I usually just scribble around a little, at best, or just stare at the pile of unfinished projects and sigh, at worst.  I think that this is partly due to the fact that I prefer to actually work when I'm at work.  I don't really know how to just coast through the dang "real job," so it really whips me.  On the other hand, I can draw for hours and hours on end, and it only seldomly tires me out.  I guess that has something to do with enjoying what I'm doing.  Also, I think that I can pace myself much better when drawing.  At the begining of the day, I sort of quickly review what has to be done, then make a couple of mini-goals for the art projects that I'll work on (like "ink all faces by the end of Letterman" or "finish this one and at least start the next," etc.).  Tonight, my goal is to just do something!  Wish me luck!  I hope to have more fun stuff to talk about tomorrow!  Bye!

February 18 - Hey, gang!  Kinda boring tonight.  I've been working on the Oz pieces off and on.  Otherwise, I haven't done much yet today.  Our newest cat, Charlotte, has recently been spayed (Friday, in fact), and she has some sort of clot or bump now underneath the incision area. She seems fine in all other respects, but I took her back into the vet today just to be sure that she's OK.  The doctor did'nt know exactly what it was, but she wasn't too concerned.  She prescribed some antibiotics and sent us home.  So, most of my day has been consumed with checking Charlotte (or "Squeaks," as we often call her) compulsively every 15 minutes or so.  I did have a visitor here at WOMP HQ this morning.  It was Millie Garside, a friend and retired art teacher from here in Prairie du Chien.  She stopped by to say "Hi," so I trotted out the finished Oz pieces for her to take a gander at.  She seemed to like them very much, so that made my day better.  I should be finished with the final pieces soon, after which I will post them on the Recent Art page.  Bye!

February 17 - How are ya tonight/today/there-in-the-future-when-kitties-rule-the-Earth-and-humans-scratch-posts?  It was another awful day at the dark "real job" today.  Yuck.  I did learn tonight that one of the guys at work, who has been there for about a year, told me that he used to dabble in illustrating comics back in the 1980's.  He is from the Quad Cities area, a hot-bed of comics fandom for years.  There he collaborated on projects with...oh, I've already forgotten his name...it was a guy who most people know as a "famous" comic book fan (no, it wasn't T.M. Maple).  Anyhoo, he and I had a little chat about comics and about our mutual crummy jobs.  He is about 10 to 15 years older than me, but we each spoke the timeless language of Nerd.  It was cool to find out that I have a compatriot at the dank "real job," but it was also disturbing.  Really.  It made me look, yet once more, at myself and my cartooning "career," and think "Will that be me in 15 years?"  I hope not.  I don't mean to offend my co-sufferer, but it scares me to think that that could be my life if I don't get off my keister more often.  So, I guess I'd better take this feeling of inevitable doom and put it to use by inking Oz stuff.  That's one thing I can say; I may not be any good, but I am busy, and that helps.  See ya!

February 16 - Another busy day here at WOMP Central!  Sometimes the toughest part of all of this art stuff is just keeping it all straight!  I'm working on two final pieces for the Oziana publication, writing the script for T.A.O.M. #5, helping with the middle school play (for which I have also volunteered to make a couple of props), juggling various other little art projects, and, oh yeah, I completely forgot about the next episode of the Dorksters comic strip!!  UGH!  OK, so I'll have to get in touch with Jim Main, the guy who hired me, to see if that's still a "go" or not.  OOPS!  Now, I know what you're probably thinking: "why don't you just write this stuff down somewhere?"  Well, I do.  In fact, I often have written about up-coming and current projects right here in the WOMP-Blog.  The problem is that I usually only write down the deadline on a calendar.  I often miss that date, or, more often, don't realize that it is impending until the project is due.  Once, I made a daily work schedule on a small flip tablet.  Each page would have written on it a date and exactly what I had to accomplish for that day (such as "draw page six" or "ink main figures on page nine").  This worked OK until I got married, where I learned that access to my time, especially plotted so precisely so far in advance, was not my exclusive domain anymore, so that went out the window.  Sometimes, I've made color-coded bars that travel across a calendar from the day I get an assignment through to the day that it is due, with count-down numbering so that I can see at a glance how many days are left until I must mail or deliver a project.  Even that doesn't work!  Recently, I've taken to collecting pre-lim sketches and other related material in an envelope, which I then hang on hooks next to the desk at which I work.  Right now, there are 12 such packages hanging there, ranging from the Oz stuff to a cool book idea that I've got on the back-burner.  The paperwork for T.A.O.M. #5 is actually on a multi-level shelf unit behind where I sit (so, I guess that makes an unlucky 13 projects that I'm actively working on...YIPES!).  Of course, this means that some things are hanging in front of others, and, yep, you guessed it, the Dorksters stuff was hidden.  Well, I also have another, virtually fool-proof method to keep me on track with art commissions; the people who've hired me usually write or call to ask just where the heck their art is!  I guess I need a secretary or something.  So, Jim, if you are out there reading this, I'm sorry about the delay.  I've fired the person responsible for this uncharacteristic mistake, and I'm working closely with my team of efficiency experts and project managers to see that you get, in a timely manner, the high quality product that you've come to expect from us here at WOMP!  Bye!

February 15-16 - Oh, I wanted to add my thanks to those who have sent messages of support to me since my mentor, Loretta, passed away.  I certainly wasn't expecting any such notes, so they were greatly appreciated.  I should probably also tell you that some of Loretta's friends and family have started a trust fund in her memory.  The money raised will go toward The Loretta R. Grellner Art Fellowship Trust, which will be available for "an older woman artist" attending either The Art Institute of Chicago or the OxBow Summer School of Art.  If you'd like to contribute, or, I suppose, if you are, or know someone who is, a possible recipient of this grant, write to The Trust, c/o Paul Schilling,  444 Main Street, Suite 101, LaCrosse, WI 54601.  It's a great way to remember a truly great person!

February 15 - Hey there!  How about that Daytona 500?!  What a race!  The halls and offices WOMP HQ were empty for The Great American Race, a day that should be considered a National Holiday.  I went with old buddies to see the race on a GIGANTIC screen in Waukon, Iowa.  It's almost as much fun as actually going to the race itself...I imagine.  I've never been to The 500, nor even Florida, for that matter.  All I know is that seeing a broadcast of the race with about 100 die-hard NASCAR fans is a whole lot of fun!  There are a good number of racers whom I cheer for...in fact, I really like them all, just some more than others.  One of the ones that I follow more than others is the winner of this year's race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., so it felt pretty special to see him follow in his father's tire tracks in the place that took his life.  No script writer would ever dare write something as perfect as Dale's life story for fear of being laughed out of the business.  So, why do I love NASCAR, and just what the heck does it have to do with comics?  Hmm...I think I posed this same question regarding the relationship between The Green Bay Packers and comics.  Here, following, are some driver-to-comic book guy match ups to explore the possible parallels;  Richard Petty = Stan Lee; Dale Earnhardt = Jack Kirby; Jeff Gordon = Todd McFarlane; Rusty Wallace = Neal Adams; Ray Evernham = Alan Moore; Dale Earnhardt, Jr. =  Whoever is the "Next Big Thing" in comics right now.  Well, that makes it sound like I think that Junior is some sort of
flash-in-the-oil-pan, but what I really meant is that I haven't followed "Who's Hot" for some time now, so I don't have any reference!  Anyhoo, I'd better get back to my Oz art while I'm still awake!  See ya!

February 14 - Hello, everyone.  Happy Valentines to you all.  I'm sorry to say that this hasn't been a very happy day for us here at WOMP HQ.  My long time mentor, Loretta Grellner, passed away suddenly.  She was around 80 years old, but it was still very unexpected.  She went from absolutely OK (truly in better shape than most people half her age), to gone in just a couple of days.  I am so happy that my friend Bill and I took her out to dinner just a couple of weeks ago.  I think that I even wrote about it here in the WOMP-Blog.  It was a great night as we sat together in an old-school supper club having drinks (well, I don't drink, so I had Mt. Dew) and just really enjoying each other's company.  It was a special night for me, even had it not been the last time that I saw Loretta.  This is going to sound corny, but Loretta told me that she was proud of me!  You have to understand; Loretta was a classically trained, museum-displayed fine artist.  She had been a part of the "Real Art Scene" since she, like Andy Warhol, had quit her job at an advertising agency in the 1950's.  She hails from Chicago originally, and she returned there for the bulk of her life, eventually heading The Chicago Museum of Modern Art.  She later retired to McGregor, Iowa,  because of its sleepy pace and colony of art-minded people.  McGregor is just across the Mississippi River from Prairie du Chien, so some of the art-minded people from here often hung out with their Iowa counterparts.  One of those was Karen Speerstra, writer of history books and poetry for kids,
and mother to my best friend from grade school, Joel.  One day Karen had a book signing event in McGregor, to which Loretta came.  They sat and talked about how Joel and his friends were so artistically inclined that it was a shame that there was no where where they could explore that as they entered high school.  Loretta had the idea to tutor a small class of interested students, if Karen would round them up for her.  That's why I got to sit in her great cat-filled Victorian Era apartment once a week for four years just to hang out learning about art with my friends.  In fact, that's where I first met Bill, who became one of my very best friends and even inker and co-writer of my first comic, Premium Comics #1 (which came out in August of 1983 - exactly 20 years to the day before the second-to-last time that I saw Loretta, again with Bill).  In all that time, and for some years after, Loretta hinted gently that she didn't believe that comics and cartooning were any kind of real art.  She wasn't cruel or even prejudiced about it, but it was pretty obvious.  It seemed to hurt her that her lessons were basically being "wasted" on me, since they were always in the area of traditional fine art.  At the time, I didn't have the words (or perhaps even the thought) to tell her that I'd always believed that her teachings had a LOT of importance in my life and they have always been very handy when applied to comics because I could then strive to make sure that what I was doing might be real art!  I don't know how well I've ever succeeded in that attempt, but it is this striving that makes it all worthwhile for me (of course, it's still fun, too!).  Anyhoo, years passed, and Loretta and I sort of drifted apart.  She moved further away, I went to The Joe Kubert School, became involved in our community theater, started my own comic book, etc., etc., etc..  I have always held Loretta in such high esteem.  She was one of those extra-special people, someone who was nearly perfect in every way.  That's why her statement about how proud she was of who I've become meant so very much to me.  I can't think of anyone else from whom I'd have rather heard that (well, I've heard it from my family already, I suppose...but that doesn't count).  Now, tonight, it all seems a little too poignant... ...almost as though scripted.  I can tell you, however, that it instead feels just so darn sad.  It makes me hate myself for all of the potential time with Loretta over the last twenty years that I wasted.  There should never have been a need for any late-in-life pronouncement of how she felt, nor really even any reason to have to make a special trip when Bill stopped by.  In my WOMP-Blog from that night, I believe that I said that you, reader, might want to look up an old teacher who meant something to you, and possibly your art, just to say "Hi" and "Thanks."  Tonight, it may go without saying that I want to emphatically reiterate that suggestion.  Don't do it because people might die soon, but, rather, because they (and you) will probably live for many more years to come!

February 13 - Oh, I was so right.  I knew that today would be no fun.  The devilish "real job" just about killed me today.  Not literally (hmm..as far as I know...), but it sure knocked the life out of me.  Bluck!  On a day like this, I'm glad that I have the good old art stuff to make me feel like a person again.  It's not always the case, but I can usually unwind a bit from a stressful day by just taking a pen to a blank piece of white paper (of course, in my case, it may be more the
marker fumes that alter my mood...hm.).  That alone would be a pretty good reason to keep arts education in the schools.  Artistic endeavors need not always be geared toward vocation.  There are therapeutic advantages as well.  You should try it for yourself...in fact you probably already have!  Haven't we all sung or whistled a little tune to pass the time or comfort jangled nerves?  It's sort of the same thing with doodling for me.  The best part is that sometimes the pictures actually turn out pretty good!  Well, that's about it for tonight, I guess.  Tomorrow I'll try to have some more fun stuff!

February 12 - Well, everything today went as planned for a change.  I got the short-notice art job done, got paid for it, helped out the Middle School play by drawing some set designs, met with a guy about a possible future art project (which I won't be taking, I guess - it's for detailing a semi-truck), got my paycheck from the dastardly "real job," did some grocery shopping, saw my Aunt Shelby, saw my sister and her new little twins (who are here to see my Mom for her birthday), worked on the Oz piece that's now almost done, and even worked a little on T.A.O.M. #5!  Whew!  Tonight, I hope to list a couple of items on eBay while they are still having a "sale" on the cost of adding the "gallery" feature.  I will be listing another Year of the Monkey Commemorative Envelope, a set of The Adventures of Monkey comics, and the "KHUND" artwork that I've been working on as a practice piece (as well as some other junk, I suppose).  If you'd like to see the WOMP eBay Store, click HERE for a link!  Anyhoo, I had better get back to work.  Friday and Saturday are deathly "real job" days, so I might not get a lot done on other projects, so I'm hoping to get a lot done yet tonight!  Wish me luck!  See ya!

February 11 - How are ya?  I'm pretty busy tonight with a short-notice quick cartooning job.  Because it is supposed to be a surprise for several people, I had better not tell you what it is until after it has been presented on Friday.  I can tell you, though, that it's a fairly big job.  My plan is to have it done by the time I go to sleep (about 5:00am tomorrow morning), but it isn't "due" until around 3:00pm, so I might finish up tomorrow if I get too tired.  Also, I will be helping out, for the seventeenth year, with the local Middle School annual play.  It is produced/directed by Cindy Hertrampf, who was actually one of my teachers in 8th Grade.  She has a small team of fellow teachers who help out, but the project of putting on a play, especially at the 6th-8th Grade level, is a monstrous task, so I am only too happy to help out with a few set designs, etc., when asked.  In years past, I have also written a review of the show for the paper, but I haven't done so for about two years.  Anyhoo, I had better stop by the school tomorrow to see how things are going.  Busy, busy!  Oh, and I have decided to temporarily put work on T.A.O.M. #5 on hold, just for a few days (honest), until I complete the Oz pieces.  The last large full-page drawing is nearly done, after which the small final piece should take no more than a day.  I can then get back to the comic.  I may take on other art jobs (in fact, I hope I do!), but from now on I'll add a few days to the guesstimate of when I'll be done so I won't be off schedule again.  Well, that pretty much catches you up (sorry...Midwestern term.  "Catches you up" means "informs someone of a process or series of recent events as to bring him-or-her up to par with current conditions").  Gotta go!  See ya!

February 10 addendum - OOPS!  I forgot to tell you about a new feature here on the WOMP-Site!  There is now an on-line comic book story, called Monkey vs. The Monster, loaded for your enjoyment!  See it by clicking HERE!

February 10 - Hey there!  It's 10:00pm, and I'm actually remembering to keep my 10pm appointment to write in the WOMP-Blog!  Hooray!  That's 1 for 1!  Anyhoo, I wanted to tell you about a recent high level, top secret meeting that took place here at WOMP HQ earlier this month.  Don't worry, it has been declassified by government officials, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, so read on without fear of compromising National Security.  On or about February 1st, WOMP enjoyed a too-brief visit from Comics Buyer's Guide Managing Editor, Brent Frankenhoff!  Although his mission is still classified for now, I can tell you that the entire WOMP staff (Vickie and me) turned out to greet this traveling dignitary.  He brought with him a copy of the DVD of Comic Book: The Movie, a hilarious mockumentary send-up of pop culture and the comics industry, starring Mark Hamill.  Maggie Thompson, The Grand Poobah at C.B.G., appears in the film as herself.  Brent cued up her appearance and we watched it twice; once as it appeared in theaters, and again with the cast and Director commentary.  It's very cool and very funny!  I will have to get this DVD!  Anyhoo, we then took Brent on a tour of the WOMP facilities, culminating in a behind-the-scenes peak into my office, also known as The Sanctum Sanctorum.  For those who don't know, I am one of those crazy NASCAR fans, and my office is decorated, literally every square inch from the floor to the ceiling, in NASCAR memorabilia, including giant pieces of sheetmetal.  This may seem like an unusual decorating theme for the room where I draw cartoons, but it works for me.  I am very proud of the collection that I've amassed, and of the impact that it makes when people first see it, so I was watching Brent's face for his reaction.  I opened the door, flipped on the light, and stood back to see....nothing.  He registered absolutely no change in emotion.  It's then that I realized all over again that I am a nerd!  When even Brent, one of the internationally recognized Masters of Old School Nerdery, looked at me like I was obviously over the edge, I felt like a pimply-faced dork trying to impress a pretty girl with Star Trek trivia!  Oh, well....at least Brent doesn't hold it against me.  Soon after this sad event, Mr. Frankenhoff had to leave for points North.  We exchanged ceremonial gifts, bowed deeply at the waist, and, no sooner had he arrived, he was gone.  The WOMP staff waved traditional dyed kerchiefs as Brent's conveyance disappeared into the evening sun.  All in all, it was a good time.  On a slightly more serious note, I want to tell you all what a mensch Brent is!  We've known him for - what - ten or twelve years?  In that time, he has not let early struggles at dead-end jobs, nor his current position and workload go to his head.  I admit that I am sorta "proud" of him, even though I didn't have a darn thing to do with his success.  If you have the chance to meet Brent at a comic convention, don't be afraid to talk to him.  If you have a question or comment about anything in comics history or business, he's the one to talk to.  Brent is literally "one of the good guys!" 

February 9-10 - OK, OK...I admit it.  I stink at keeping up with the WOMP-Blog!  It's not like I hate writing it, and I don't think it's possible for me to run out of stuff to talk about (especially concerning me...my favorite topic, apparently).  The problem is my habit of working on stuff until forced to quit because of exhaustion!  That's the truth, friends.  I'm not saying that I slave over a pit of molten metal all night or anything, but I do draw and such until either my arms or my eyelids give out!  The joke in our house is that Vickie has often found me dead-asleep in the mornings, fully dressed, sprawled out in a heap of paper, with a pen or pencil in my hand.  I usually get my scheduled tasks done, but the WOMP-Blog is new to me, so it is often the last thing on my mind, and it slips through the cracks.  In fact, in many ways, this is the most consistent journal of my misadventures that I have ever kept....ah, but it is far from the first!  I've made repeated attempts throughout my life to keep a diary or journal.  In 1976, there was the first one, a "Blank Book" in which I actually kept a diary as MONKEY! While this odd concept did yield such characters as Dustman and Mirage Man (OOPS!  Mirage Man is from ten years into Monkey's future!  Now I've spoiled it!  UGH!), and it did help me find the "voice" with which I believe(d) Monkey "spoke," ultimately it suffered from a fate that it would share with each succeeding generation of my journals; namely, I abandoned it within a few pages, and, to this day, around 75% of the book is still blank.  This didn't stop me from trying again (and again, and again..).  There was the 1977-78 dream journal (four entries), a 1980-81 Freshman English Diary (about ten entries...including the creation of John Woe...OOPS!  Another character from the future!), the 1982-83 Junior English Journal (several entries, but only those mandated by assignment), the pretentious 1986 "Secret" Journal (written, mostly in one week, for the benefit of snoopy cast members in the first play that I wrote and directed), the 1989 Blackfeet Indian Reservation Travel Log (only about six entries, but at least they are pretty good...including illustrations drawn on the journey to and from Montana), and, from 1994, my personal "favorite,"
Phrenological Deductions, a book of about seven of my "original".....wait for it.....it's too good to rush.....poems!    So, you see from this sad list just how difficult it has been for me to stick to one of these sorts of things for very long.  Maybe NOW you have an appreciation for just how hard I work for you, the virtually non-existent WOMP-Blog reader!  Toward that end, I have decided to make 10:00pm the time when I will sit down each day to contribute another entry!  Depending on the length (this one took about 40 minutes so far, mostly to look up those old journals), this would mean that each day's WOMP-Blog entry should post at about 11:00pm.  Tune in tomorrow to see if I can keep this crazy pace up for even one day!  Oh, and I'll try to actually write about something then.  Toodles!

February 6 - Oh, man...I am tired!  It's 5:15am and I've been working on stuff since a little after noon.  I have to go to the deprecating "real job" later today, so I'll make this entry brief, if you don't mind.  I did draw rough pencils for the second full page illo for the Oziana publication.  I listed a couple of things on eBay, then I sat myself down to start working on
TA.O.M. #5!  WHAT A MESS!  Some notes even contradict each other!  Oh my goodness...  check out the sprawl of papers on my desk by clicking right HERE!  If you look closely, you will get a pretty good sneak preview of the story!

February 5 - Well, how are you?  Sorry that I haven't written in the WOMP-Blog until now, but I have great excuses!  Really!  On the evening of the 3rd, our power went out!  I actually was sitting at the computer when it happened!  Oh, well.  Yesterday I was sick, I guess.  I really don't know what happened to me.  My head was "swimming" and I was so tired.  I did get a lot of artwork done, though.  I finished the Oz pieces that I was working on, and began work on the additional two that I've planned to add.  Oh, and I'm still going to start real work on the next issue of T.A.O.M. this week.  Really.  I am.  Stop laughing.  I'm serious!  To prove it, I am going to take pictures of each step in the progress of #5, then put them on the WOMP-Site.  Step Number One will be gathering all of the bits and pieces that I've been scribbling little notes on over the years.  Most are kept in a folder marked  ITT!  The Project That Devoured My Life!  Here, also, is the over-view of all of the issues that make up the "This Changes Everything" storyline.  This is a bit more difficult than it seems, as some notes just say things like "big fight scene - swords" or "Dan cries."  These are feelings and images that I want to try to incorporate into the story if possible.  Other "notes" are actually little sketches of scenes or images that I'll try to put in.  I'll do more Oz art tonight, then begin to look through these notes to start the process of organizing them.  If all goes well, I will post an up-date here on the WOMP-Site before I go to sleep (around 4 or 5 am). 

February 2 - Hi!  Today was another Oz trip!  I've been working on my pieces for the 2004 Oziana publication for hours now, with a short break here to list some eBay and write this WOMP-Blog entry.  I had originally thought that I would be done with all of it today, but Marcus, the guy who kindly hooked me up with the gig, says that there is a possibility of the artwork being used for an Oz calendar in the future!  Cool, huh?  What this meant to me, though, was that I'd better draw some more stuff!  I'd planned only one full-page image, and lots of smaller spot illustrations.  Only one spot illo is not yet completed (and it only needs to be inked), and the larger piece is nearly complete (it is a lot more detailed and labor-intensive than the little pieces).  NOW I'm planning to add another full-pager (one I'd already thought of, but had abandoned because of lack of reference), and another spot illustration (one that I should have thought of right away but didn't until two days ago).  This, coupled with an e-mail (sent to all people working on the publication) that said that I was the only one who'd even sent in a progress report, has pushed my deadline back a week.  Of course, the danger is that I will use this as an excuse to delay my plans to start work in earnest on the next issue of The Adventures of Monkey.  I tend to do that, especially on a self-imposed schedule.  Oh, and what a nice schedule it is!  Full of color-coded weeks, pretty little hand-written goals, and a big red DEADLINE written on the last day, it's a model of modern self-delusion.  It's funny to think that a cartoonist has to be that disciplined.  It feels like you should be able to just draw on a whim, producing work when the spirit moves you.  The problem is that cartoonists, in general, are a selfish and lazy lot, so NOTHING would ever be drawn without a deadline.  Of course, knowing this, I have been putting extra time in my schedules for the unexpected.  I'll still do all of the work the day before it's due, but I'll have a pretty schedule to look at for inspriation!  See ya!

February 1-2 - Hey there!  Well, it went pretty well at the Telethon on Saturday night (Jan. 31st)!  I showed up at 5pm, right as the on-air "talent" was getting the old "Five, four, three, ___, ___..." from the camera operator.  I set up in the back of the "cafetorium" that was doubling as soundstage.  I proceeded to quickly make a little sign that said "CARICATURES!  Just $5.00 per person!  All proceeds go to the TELETHON!"  I arranged my easel, prepared my large newsprint tablet, sorted out the best of my black Sanford King-Size markers, and sat back to begin drawing....but there was no-one there who wanted a caricature!  The place was swarming with people.  Some were kids waiting to perform, others were family who'd come to watch and provide support and transportation, and still others were just curious bystanders who were drawn to the rare mid-Winter flurry of activity.  But none of them wanted a drawing of themselves.  Zip.  Zero.  Well, this has happened to me before, so I have devised a plan.  In the past, I've learned that no-one wants to be the first one to suffer through being ridiculed for their big nose or crossed eyes or whatever, since that's what most people think of when they hear "caricature."  I don't do that kind of drawing (at least not to anyone nice enough to pay me!), so I look for someone who looks "game" for a FREE drawing.  This person thinks to his-or-herself "Free?  Well, I guess that, if it sucks, I can just laugh it off and throw it away."  After that, between the person carrying around the drawing and the scene that it makes, people cue up.  SO, I found a girl at the Telethon who looked bored and asked her if she'd like a free drawing to kick-start the evening.  She agreed, and, ta-da, it worked like a charm!  For the next four hours straight, I drew caricature after caricature, until about 20 minutes after 9.  My shoulder began to go numb, so I used a lull to close-up shop for the evening.  I found a quiet corner to count the money.  I hadn't really kept track of how much I'd taken in after about the fifth person was a kid who said he only had three dollars, but he really wanted to get a drawing.  Since it was for charity, I figured "Whattheheck?"  After that, at least ten more kids did basically the same thing (some wanted to be in the same picture for $5.00, some had only a buck, etc.).  Imagine my surprise when my first quick-count came up with over $200.00!  In fact, it was $210.00, more than I had imagined, but, frankly, less than I had hoped (back to the old "optimistic pessimist" thing).  The hosts had me run on camera quick to hand over the dough (not a good idea to have me on camera for very long), then I grabbed my gear and split.  I was home by 9:30.  I even worked on Oz suff again!  Oh, and more on that tomorrow.  Tonight/this morning, I want to leave you with this little tidbit; according to the self-imposed schedule, I will have to begin work on T.A.O.M. #5 THIS WEEK!  YIKES!!