tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15683345617227603292024-03-18T22:14:22.964-07:00The Fies Files<i>The Last Mechanical Monster. A Fire Story.
Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? Mom's Cancer. </i>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.comBlogger1037125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-52870618101630058352024-03-18T22:13:00.000-07:002024-03-18T22:13:38.070-07:00The Intellectual Life #23<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhShla4igFDm5GyhpMv6z1Mie9V7rMCP6YHtJAhWnZ0f4LTXrhDBYp-zLtLHe3-v5Xx97sKdT-Fsr4tdxR2tBwUfC_LPX6dZam29U3zWDfJ8qtBVS04Ir4DKbZQhowrdEds5kyVLpAB9HZ7c09vDphmIQKIVXUIMx3efeL7Xxnc1-5GpF-3M17LxyZz2qQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1889" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhShla4igFDm5GyhpMv6z1Mie9V7rMCP6YHtJAhWnZ0f4LTXrhDBYp-zLtLHe3-v5Xx97sKdT-Fsr4tdxR2tBwUfC_LPX6dZam29U3zWDfJ8qtBVS04Ir4DKbZQhowrdEds5kyVLpAB9HZ7c09vDphmIQKIVXUIMx3efeL7Xxnc1-5GpF-3M17LxyZz2qQ=w640-h338" width="640" /></a></div><br />A Peek into the Intimate Intellectual Life of a Long-Married Couple, Part 23:<p></p><p>Karen came home from a meeting around dinner time. I had tonight's stir-fry ingredients chopped and ready but hadn't begun cooking yet.</p><p>Brian: We can eat dinner anytime. I mise-en-placed it.</p><p>Karen: What?</p><p>Brian: I mise-en-placed it.</p><p>Karen: ??</p><p>Brian: When a French chef has all their stuff set up to cook, that's the "mise en place." </p><p>Karen: Uh huh.</p><p>Brian: I verbed it.</p><p>Karen: You certainly did.</p><p>Brian: Anyway, we can walk the dog first since I haven't started cooking yet.</p><p>Karen: So you mise-en-paused it. </p><p>(Fist bumps and hearty congratulations all around.)</p><p>This has been a peek into the intimate intellectual life of a long-married couple.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-57145075936712818762024-03-15T13:04:00.000-07:002024-03-15T13:04:40.972-07:00Wow, Is It the Ides of March Already?<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5q2tvnUGTyTQHDsgLL1YcA9gT6QfiPnQa0wsF9IBHvbW5eevzkUoHqbml3Eq86UdYReHyO6L8yHi-aJHF9gpwlqgXkLhQk4tpueaDdMXIi4OIhPEYy2pXyq0w8EtUBRJN2kDqefz-l7AYk9SGAWJ6SYYg0bSd6Md8sww16xtI1RBFiGfR7--2d3CER3g" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1502" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5q2tvnUGTyTQHDsgLL1YcA9gT6QfiPnQa0wsF9IBHvbW5eevzkUoHqbml3Eq86UdYReHyO6L8yHi-aJHF9gpwlqgXkLhQk4tpueaDdMXIi4OIhPEYy2pXyq0w8EtUBRJN2kDqefz-l7AYk9SGAWJ6SYYg0bSd6Md8sww16xtI1RBFiGfR7--2d3CER3g=w400-h278" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>I know of two types of people who have good reason to Beware the Ides of March:<p></p><p>1. Roman emperors who enter a room to find senators brandishing knives, and;</p><p>2. Expectant parents of twins who enter an operating room to find doctors brandishing scalpels.</p><p>Today is my daughters' birthday. I don't post this picture often (if at all, I don't recall) because it's kind of clinical and the girls aren't very visible, but this is the first photo I took with them both in the same field of view. Many more would follow.</p><p>They were born a few weeks early and Karen had eclampsia, so there was some urgency and concern. Each baby had a dedicated medical team, as did Karen. Somehow I was left to fend for myself. It was the sort of pregnancy that in the 19th century might've killed them all, but everything went just fine in the late 20th. A few days later the hospital shoved us out the door with two babies but no instruction manual. We winged it. All survived.</p><p>Happy Birthday, Chiquitas! Love you. </p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-66781720493332825662024-03-10T09:00:00.000-07:002024-03-12T18:38:59.887-07:00Hornet + 2300<p><b>Carrier Con Photo Dump:</b> What a nice day aboard the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum for Carrier Con 2024, which I attended mostly to take part in a conversation with ElfQuest's <b>Wendy and Richard Pini</b> that a hundred or so people came to watch. </p><p>I last went to Carrier Con in 2022, and the event has grown a lot in both attendees and vendors/participants. It's hard to make a cavernous aircraft carrier hangar deck feel snug--the last time I can recall was a special visit by Buzz Aldrin--but it did today. Although Carrier Con is growing, it's still a sweet, sincere little convention.</p><p>I think my panel with the Pinis went very well; they were happy and we got great feedback. Immodestly, I think the fact that I'm in the same line of work produced some gems that others wouldn't have mined.</p><p>I'd say it was a very successful day and I was happy to be a part of it. Pics!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU1gpdf6DnkTeRkJUyCs9MkodSzv1DUHIOxxFkHPPbaan07xkIvh2vDKN0Lp2YG39P8EN_arTes7G7slwVTLjZQ_Em43yyRT4khu3dniI2bD2t4ZApHXVoa3QHgeQQ2fwC5v2n65fIrIBj1TFE252myUeCqthIXfj5J1E8MidNjDdMZ7wZz15f_k-q8Oc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU1gpdf6DnkTeRkJUyCs9MkodSzv1DUHIOxxFkHPPbaan07xkIvh2vDKN0Lp2YG39P8EN_arTes7G7slwVTLjZQ_Em43yyRT4khu3dniI2bD2t4ZApHXVoa3QHgeQQ2fwC5v2n65fIrIBj1TFE252myUeCqthIXfj5J1E8MidNjDdMZ7wZz15f_k-q8Oc=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hornet's manga-styled mascot welcomed visitors at the entrance. I love the stickers on her duffle bag: they're the historic crew-made signs that greeted the astronauts of Apollos 11 and 12 when they returned from the Moon, which are currently on display on the Hornet and which I have held in my hands.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq8LfQfxsEUGAhbGq-7e7nzX9K0XqExXt31KqJRmNRfTBUB5Cj7a3ytll6v7qYqjRuVQoRytIhR35PN6Pusbmntje2CC0LCiyCu1df6wcbsXMkHUlxv1GY9DOFH-tPJYyWrilgzp301cKqYrev2nE3jWka1j3OPCTn0AoGidnET368-xv5d_gLnJr07a0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq8LfQfxsEUGAhbGq-7e7nzX9K0XqExXt31KqJRmNRfTBUB5Cj7a3ytll6v7qYqjRuVQoRytIhR35PN6Pusbmntje2CC0LCiyCu1df6wcbsXMkHUlxv1GY9DOFH-tPJYyWrilgzp301cKqYrev2nE3jWka1j3OPCTn0AoGidnET368-xv5d_gLnJr07a0=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun on the flight deck. Many participants came up here to do photo shoots, including the character running off to the right and the guy waving the giant sword in the center. Note the San Francisco skyline across the Bay.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2dsvFbecBFP1mVxRZc6YCKzRLEweHK54t26VRmERb2_ewNryk3-INIdBUgAC9-zfo0kfns9k_bqOLGldHP2m7t6_s2LSe8ns7zu96S-Q928HtUC9-VH4TYUSsV0jJrqkCxKTkG4j_RCmQy0VqlWGoxuuFM2PorE8JDMxpfl40WndVGPd5s1N3dQkWKkI" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2dsvFbecBFP1mVxRZc6YCKzRLEweHK54t26VRmERb2_ewNryk3-INIdBUgAC9-zfo0kfns9k_bqOLGldHP2m7t6_s2LSe8ns7zu96S-Q928HtUC9-VH4TYUSsV0jJrqkCxKTkG4j_RCmQy0VqlWGoxuuFM2PorE8JDMxpfl40WndVGPd5s1N3dQkWKkI=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wide view of my conversation with the Pinis, shot by my daughter Robin.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinlYyE1uluALGlKMUNnxjyMaaHVlxGrTTvT-E_LXT-z3pGM3dTr1IdhdlPIHuUCzGoNVS8x8bjgbAAU6_6Bkfm68owQRd8noIJR1XTFV73mGAGi6jT8EgybpezgYZDmZOzzI06hsiFDsvbO0tGeg2VRG069zLvtpQJWiMcMeXlMrS-CY7wv7kzNs4Fdb8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinlYyE1uluALGlKMUNnxjyMaaHVlxGrTTvT-E_LXT-z3pGM3dTr1IdhdlPIHuUCzGoNVS8x8bjgbAAU6_6Bkfm68owQRd8noIJR1XTFV73mGAGi6jT8EgybpezgYZDmZOzzI06hsiFDsvbO0tGeg2VRG069zLvtpQJWiMcMeXlMrS-CY7wv7kzNs4Fdb8=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer view of the panel, also by Robin.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNlHum9d0q-SeLsbmDiEq8gug5E1fl_J5Ap6stWi35PrEej_5lVeV6GOXVBYrYTvg__FYW2RwSgxxDVQnYqrIMllTTttcPZy1mjdquO_BxUI5T3DzcNFxZzIyTXQ2jAVzt85c_PthykHWPziYK2L7xabsMHbh7NXS13b_lBpdOBfVvDFQB3b3BeEeIf_8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1893" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNlHum9d0q-SeLsbmDiEq8gug5E1fl_J5Ap6stWi35PrEej_5lVeV6GOXVBYrYTvg__FYW2RwSgxxDVQnYqrIMllTTttcPZy1mjdquO_BxUI5T3DzcNFxZzIyTXQ2jAVzt85c_PthykHWPziYK2L7xabsMHbh7NXS13b_lBpdOBfVvDFQB3b3BeEeIf_8=w400-h301" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An even CLOSER view, shot by me!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrl47LrsMOz54EnYyLmvnPlgOFMWQJAQY0boN7P_eqN2HNO8P5vlOGaTxf_ciHdvZgzTtDYXxQ5eEPNj6OM8tQdxpysnmTEVgnB5HVmIwUuzNXdZoJHmFnpi1-bez-adT8Xcu-vu2XvFSZ9h7bNANbpWFtFMUfj-L1O4-ryixgp0tUe5ySxHGTfq6G4d4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrl47LrsMOz54EnYyLmvnPlgOFMWQJAQY0boN7P_eqN2HNO8P5vlOGaTxf_ciHdvZgzTtDYXxQ5eEPNj6OM8tQdxpysnmTEVgnB5HVmIwUuzNXdZoJHmFnpi1-bez-adT8Xcu-vu2XvFSZ9h7bNANbpWFtFMUfj-L1O4-ryixgp0tUe5ySxHGTfq6G4d4=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line to meet and talk to Wendy and Richard following our talk. ElfQuest fans are usually dedicated, and the Pinis return the love.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0pDbNxn3XlbRUKWWHYQvWy1lDU8WrAIhBn1g8wr-Qshono0n5Bc5L7XzU7-xzwHG4RlX22-U_PqdTVB0zzqtSPblTPhg7i052RmTB76pcdi_MbUc69JoAtUW9-extNvLW0kMBZOW4IRjwzUhg7Cui2lrWgP91_wJUXUSAID338s2Ty_QYXDJ3vzlC_xw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0pDbNxn3XlbRUKWWHYQvWy1lDU8WrAIhBn1g8wr-Qshono0n5Bc5L7XzU7-xzwHG4RlX22-U_PqdTVB0zzqtSPblTPhg7i052RmTB76pcdi_MbUc69JoAtUW9-extNvLW0kMBZOW4IRjwzUhg7Cui2lrWgP91_wJUXUSAID338s2Ty_QYXDJ3vzlC_xw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An overview of part of the hangar deck.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDOZmLf2QGWRhXtDG1reOf79X8d1p_-LF6MKaF_n_RtPQbZldoZ1jELo4fPlNhQWQ9bjCA8h0ivDaQcAhZvU0VHsm135v4u8c3kx63KCbw-3BHQ0x3J3QPRvr31JAWEVuKS-Ij-0Jbeo11CTXHBWyc2pr8lz6SLty-8c097q60-1O7I4rSGeaSIknT3uw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDOZmLf2QGWRhXtDG1reOf79X8d1p_-LF6MKaF_n_RtPQbZldoZ1jELo4fPlNhQWQ9bjCA8h0ivDaQcAhZvU0VHsm135v4u8c3kx63KCbw-3BHQ0x3J3QPRvr31JAWEVuKS-Ij-0Jbeo11CTXHBWyc2pr8lz6SLty-8c097q60-1O7I4rSGeaSIknT3uw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cosplayers: Alligator Loki and Captain America.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbEbxyylVy-uCFgm04wM1JJ06AcryTTUfFVgnFOwHgtekZe6XOxIXvQSbDHBmQbR4mmnEhuWmI9W5Qgn10AuXb85QhG1kw_Ubdzon4elFXwR8Y0796ADmpCoaZ-thRXr9Vg4Oerx8m8F8YpRBGc1oLolooo5vGJGF5kuN_JWWLGb4FyDBON2QVkKP0vSk" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbEbxyylVy-uCFgm04wM1JJ06AcryTTUfFVgnFOwHgtekZe6XOxIXvQSbDHBmQbR4mmnEhuWmI9W5Qgn10AuXb85QhG1kw_Ubdzon4elFXwR8Y0796ADmpCoaZ-thRXr9Vg4Oerx8m8F8YpRBGc1oLolooo5vGJGF5kuN_JWWLGb4FyDBON2QVkKP0vSk=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An impressive couple.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijNaLueT_ctxy7NcOTQNzyFpU2qb2dZ38PBjBJeLWU3GHjFaSxc0FLrQQ_H3nAd3KYEDg8H2DwSxziGozV8gWUE5xPOiNxteUngujL4MKXtKEvwL3kfiukjz4N7xbXjtba5MVzGqcBDoYLPWr-649hqwGsZ_OHfjI12Ie2V_ilCfYOSrss3LBsH5gpLRw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijNaLueT_ctxy7NcOTQNzyFpU2qb2dZ38PBjBJeLWU3GHjFaSxc0FLrQQ_H3nAd3KYEDg8H2DwSxziGozV8gWUE5xPOiNxteUngujL4MKXtKEvwL3kfiukjz4N7xbXjtba5MVzGqcBDoYLPWr-649hqwGsZ_OHfjI12Ie2V_ilCfYOSrss3LBsH5gpLRw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiral on the bridge! Well, near the bridge.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvChGriS02G5YFUiSV8FMfwnARLdSrh7sIDjlbkGpD6JT49a5nZlINCoCXpBajaProteGQL6NAOMivTVhi2viUXlotAlq_HEbKizD7dhNvQuD1jH66jaq5BfkmxMVgmb2ueUrDfsUpLHUp37tFXV3_uGEsSK6-P0OJLbo8yO78XUK9f08fqcjtwTt3bK4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvChGriS02G5YFUiSV8FMfwnARLdSrh7sIDjlbkGpD6JT49a5nZlINCoCXpBajaProteGQL6NAOMivTVhi2viUXlotAlq_HEbKizD7dhNvQuD1jH66jaq5BfkmxMVgmb2ueUrDfsUpLHUp37tFXV3_uGEsSK6-P0OJLbo8yO78XUK9f08fqcjtwTt3bK4=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This young woman creeped me the hell out. Marvelous!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDho2v-dJB1s8aY7zOVZgvVKo6YWEYqB0Y7dqALrhhTB6PzHbTQ0CAeRSUC9Pmf-G37-EcZ1ptEJcjj_1DHan08Xy451ok9uRrStR2fLN5L35dAy0V3hj3m1etZd-v0S58Xrg7nE_EUJzQPrs_lrrCtsiXdFkkANX7HTRHuOp7VZLhDwmpg30-fI-HPU0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDho2v-dJB1s8aY7zOVZgvVKo6YWEYqB0Y7dqALrhhTB6PzHbTQ0CAeRSUC9Pmf-G37-EcZ1ptEJcjj_1DHan08Xy451ok9uRrStR2fLN5L35dAy0V3hj3m1etZd-v0S58Xrg7nE_EUJzQPrs_lrrCtsiXdFkkANX7HTRHuOp7VZLhDwmpg30-fI-HPU0=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A corner of artist's alley, where I bought a couple of books to help keep up-and-comers up and coming.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8J08xLyQYcL2Tn2BZIiCg553VxjWe8BA40cLDSwll-M9miAaWsKY5XoBv75Xn6WFIYnOAbmoM-9OTn67qqj7n4nwe9Y4fXLq5xE5B2c84h2tMgyng86LqIMOJNHOWmcwEwKodwFUmopnV49PdBEsr-ZavjfrABLn2CHniR_hEfq5-8ubNj8Zdh66dsA0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8J08xLyQYcL2Tn2BZIiCg553VxjWe8BA40cLDSwll-M9miAaWsKY5XoBv75Xn6WFIYnOAbmoM-9OTn67qqj7n4nwe9Y4fXLq5xE5B2c84h2tMgyng86LqIMOJNHOWmcwEwKodwFUmopnV49PdBEsr-ZavjfrABLn2CHniR_hEfq5-8ubNj8Zdh66dsA0=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took my leave as the Sun set on another good day aboard the Hornet.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-4390373451229398682024-03-04T07:50:00.000-08:002024-03-04T07:50:14.720-08:00Coming Saturday: CarrierCon 2024!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWfB-0Lj7geiGiWwkvW-Q-SrxAUPZJebcGqIfLWmxm0s2zAScD8jJJ8tAVL12YYCxqGEvCS42JQSxxiLfswIc4hCA4TJV6bQlWTyrf_FxCeXl8esFIGgRCrCS_x4VRO-VuP-LdjbLDmh3uvOY4_g1vb_Lo0ajUDnoFXR4_gqLnENRaY_Yw1Fce5ohSYk/s1027/CC-Flyer-updated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1027" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWfB-0Lj7geiGiWwkvW-Q-SrxAUPZJebcGqIfLWmxm0s2zAScD8jJJ8tAVL12YYCxqGEvCS42JQSxxiLfswIc4hCA4TJV6bQlWTyrf_FxCeXl8esFIGgRCrCS_x4VRO-VuP-LdjbLDmh3uvOY4_g1vb_Lo0ajUDnoFXR4_gqLnENRaY_Yw1Fce5ohSYk/w400-h251/CC-Flyer-updated.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>A reminder: next Saturday is <a href="https://uss-hornet.org/carriercon" target="_blank">CarrierCon,</a> a pop culture (anime, cosplay, gaming, etc.) convention aboard the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum in Alameda, Calif., which is one of my favorite attractions in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's a fun little con that draws friendly, enthusiastic vendors and fans to a historic aircraft carrier. What could be better than that?!</p><p>Special guests include my friends Wendy and Richard Pini of ElfQuest fame, who will be there all day to meet fans, sign books, and talk elves and wolves. My sole responsibility is taking part in the Pinis' 3:00 panel, "Wendy & Richard Pini in Conversation with Brian Fies," and we want to make it a real conversation. I hope to dig into creativity and working independently with people who've been doing it at a high level for 46 years. Even if you don't know ElfQuest, my goal is for you to take away something interesting and useful.</p><p>The Pinis don't make many West Coast appearances and CarrierCon is small enough that an ElfQuest fan could have some quality time with them. Come on by, meet some people, tour a great ship. That sounds like a fine day.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-30756056651598515002024-02-28T22:50:00.000-08:002024-02-29T07:21:14.556-08:00Intermediality<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30rjwwgj3QrhQLCC0RP9-EOuYFXqVSazS2SYtQ1OzIgfr100ddft9zku1xBpXnxOKi1r1wkA0cmqV9lza4ka_oMOFYHhr0vYvAkTrHfJpjiLzZFGcLb1K3tPjkUhLA56gRyUU1YIyef3L6mHrQlayGx4IJwcR9lcQomK9iM6tGtuMlWEen6bjFhrkU3I/s1511/One%20Point%20Perspective.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30rjwwgj3QrhQLCC0RP9-EOuYFXqVSazS2SYtQ1OzIgfr100ddft9zku1xBpXnxOKi1r1wkA0cmqV9lza4ka_oMOFYHhr0vYvAkTrHfJpjiLzZFGcLb1K3tPjkUhLA56gRyUU1YIyef3L6mHrQlayGx4IJwcR9lcQomK9iM6tGtuMlWEen6bjFhrkU3I/w398-h400/One%20Point%20Perspective.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Related?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've been corresponding with a professor who's writing a paper on "intermediality," or how different media connect, combine, and cross-pollinate. As part of our ongoing discussion, she asked me, "Is it possible to unravel the web of media that influences your work or your storytelling style?" I liked my answer well enough that I asked her if I could share it here. She said I could so I am (lightly edited):</p><p>We are all the sum of our influences and nobody creates in a vacuum. I don’t think it’s possible to “unravel the web of media” that influences my storytelling, but there are times when I’m consciously aware of them. They are tools in my toolbox. </p><p>I have thought things like, “I could pace this like a Hitchcock scene,” or “I could compose this like a Wyeth.” Part of the job of making comics is understanding the language of visual storytelling: how and why some compositions and sequences of images evoke moods, emotions, or a sense of time or place that the reader may not even be consciously aware of. </p><p>I think a big part of one’s individual style comes from curating influences and making connections that other creators wouldn’t obviously make. Sometimes it's a song; pop lyrics are terrific at economically capturing a character or situation. When I do a drawing in one-point perspective with the vanishing point on a character at the center of the image, I know I’m using a tool that was used by Leonardo DaVinci in “The Last Supper” and Stanley Kubrick in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Other artists have other tools. </p><p>Not that every panel is so precious. Sometimes, honestly, you’re just trying to tell the story any way you can. I once heard cartoonist Justin Green say, “The dirty secret of comics is that a lot of it involves copy fitting,” which I thought was hilarious and true. You can employ all the theory and obscure influences you want, but sometimes you just have to cram the words and art into a tiny box. </p><p>Almost all cartoonists (and, by extension, I’d say almost all writers, artists, musicians, etc.) begin by imitating others they admire. My cartooning influences go back a century, and include both comic books and comic strips. There are some things I’ve drawn that are deliberate echoes of a particular page of a particular comic that was published in 1967. I bet nobody else has that tool!</p><p>Style emerges when all the influences blend together into an unrecognizable amalgam that becomes yours. One reason I always encourage young cartoonists to draw from life as much as possible is to help them develop a unique, less derivative style. There’s no reason or excuse to draw a hand in the style of Jack Kirby, Carl Barks, Herge or Tezuka when you have a perfectly good hand attached to the end of your own arm. Draw that. </p><p>I also encourage cartoonists to read widely and be curious about life outside of comics. Comics made by people who’ve read nothing but comics are usually much less interesting than those by people who know history, science, philosophy, or whatever peculiar interests and knowledge they bring to the work. I always say that if you have a passion for collecting bottle caps, and can write or draw something that makes me care about bottle caps as much as you do, I will be your fan for life. </p><p>Style sneaks up on you and evolves. For a long time, you can look at your own work and see its influences, and then one day, without realizing it, you can’t. It’s just yours. My style is different than it was 10 or 20 years ago—perhaps not in ways that would be apparent to a reader, but are obvious to me. Learning and improving is the goal. Part of that process is remaining open to influences and intelligently incorporating them without imitating them. </p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-46183513501421063512024-02-21T09:32:00.000-08:002024-02-21T09:32:32.064-08:00ALA Loves Last Mechanical Monster<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK11-rHuVtWierF8vzflaIQQJwq4afl1Bg7-SvLvugtCOdeXqBXLaTxgzXV539ERmuVMdUCof0clrTnqy4f-JRLDw1jhb86DDwMLfy_SVB6xxhSjJZBqjk1b8zh2N8ZhimeWT4DY_sXNMEHf-w7vpG8kPh97ZrQSgQ685bub_6abToiOdPXKE_6egTZMU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1483" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK11-rHuVtWierF8vzflaIQQJwq4afl1Bg7-SvLvugtCOdeXqBXLaTxgzXV539ERmuVMdUCof0clrTnqy4f-JRLDw1jhb86DDwMLfy_SVB6xxhSjJZBqjk1b8zh2N8ZhimeWT4DY_sXNMEHf-w7vpG8kPh97ZrQSgQ685bub_6abToiOdPXKE_6egTZMU=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><br />Here's a very day-making surprise: my latest graphic novel, <i>The Last Mechanical Monster,</i> made the American Library Association's <a href="https://www.ala.org/rt/gncrt/best-graphic-novels-reading-list-2023?fbclid=IwAR3mIuZUXqYNLG_VcO2W14wfiV_c5cXzXiALwKuwJ-RPjReXr2SKUB0q9-0" target="_blank">2023 long list for Best Graphic Novels for Adults!</a><p></p><p>That's truly an unexpected honor, not least because my book came out in 2022, but I guess it made the cut-off date (other books from 2022 are also on the list so I assume it's not an error). I had no idea and was not looking for it until I got to the "L" titles on the list and thought, "Hey, I know that one!" </p><p>I count 30 other fiction books on the full list. Considering the hundreds (thousands?) of other graphic novels and thick comic books published every year, I'm in elite company.</p><p>It would be authorial malpractice if I didn't provide a link to buy my book. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-Mechanical-Monster-Brian-Fies/dp/1419756125/" target="_blank">This goes to Amazon</a>, although I'd encourage everyone to support their heroic local independent booksellers.</p><p>Very nice. My thanks to the ALA Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table and its selection committee, not a single one of whom I know in real life so the fix was not in!</p><p><br /></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-57534404727405729912024-02-20T21:00:00.000-08:002024-02-21T08:16:04.544-08:00"Oh, Waiter?"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjDW-nDTchPvRl8cp8BWgji9JPTux9WXCJ6_YhoAcGdNJ-3OKJ641AipgifctQ7P4k2dX_67AOlRwKDyPmomDfrI7EDtD0940Tkk4bKczhOC8GhUaV0a02ed_u6r_r23jZVlHE3xJJ47HYx92BZBJw-lKwbgBJbV6V00rr1oo4ambVRPAEGjd4wtjNB-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="438" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjDW-nDTchPvRl8cp8BWgji9JPTux9WXCJ6_YhoAcGdNJ-3OKJ641AipgifctQ7P4k2dX_67AOlRwKDyPmomDfrI7EDtD0940Tkk4bKczhOC8GhUaV0a02ed_u6r_r23jZVlHE3xJJ47HYx92BZBJw-lKwbgBJbV6V00rr1oo4ambVRPAEGjd4wtjNB-Q" width="313" /></a></div><br />Home from a date night that went so wrong it almost circled back around to right....<p></p><p>Once a year our local business folks hold Restaurant Week, during which participating restaurateurs offer a limited menu at an attractive price to lure in new visitors. It's a very popular promotion. We like to take the opportunity to try new places or cuisines, stretch a bit beyond the familiar. </p><p>Our date gets off to a good start. The space is long, narrow and small, with maybe 15 tables, a bar along one side, and the kitchen in the back. It's modern-fancy; we're ready for something special. We're greeted by a man we learn is the owner, and you couldn't ask for a happier, friendlier host. He says it's his first day ever taking part in Restaurant Week, and we're delighted to tell him that's why we came. He's knowledgeable about the menu, answers all our questions. We're in good hands.</p><p>Our three-course meal starts well. We notice our host is the only person in the front of the house, and he's already hustling like a plate spinner on the Ed Sullivan show (look it up, kids). Then more people come in. Right about then Karen says, "I don't think they have any idea what Restaurant Week is going to do to them."</p><p>Our host disappears into the kitchen. Five minutes. Ten minutes. A couple walks in the door, waits to be seated, leaves. Two men walk in, sit at the bar, wait a while, leave. There's nobody minding the tables or the bar. Nobody comes to take customers' orders. </p><p>We will not see the owner the rest of the long night. He's cooking now. Instead, hospitality is in the hands of a younger man, maybe the owner's little brother, and a deer in headlights would have shown more poise and presence of mind than this poor kid. He's lost, wandering from table to table holding plates of food, asking each customer, "Did you order this?" A customer asks for a beer; the kid spends five minutes opening and reopening every door behind the bar before reporting back that he couldn't find one.</p><p>Meanwhile, nothing's coming out of the kitchen. We realize they're deeper underwater than the Titanic. A couple beside us is grumbling. Another couple behind us tells the kid they're tired of waiting for their order and leaves. The kid emerges from the kitchen a half minute later with their food in his hands and just stares at the the empty table. His brain has melted. Having no idea what to do, he puts their plates on the corner of the bar, where they sit the rest of the evening. </p><p>At first, Karen and I are bemused. The food is tasty, we're in no hurry, and we can put up with a lot. "Let's see where this goes." After a while, though, I'm feeling acute second-hand embarrassment fading into horror. They seem like nice people and the first day of Restaurant Week is a complete disaster for them.</p><p>We had a good date. We thought the food itself was great, but food is only half the dining experience. The other half? Not so great. But it's a story, and sometimes a story is worth the not-so-great. </p><p>I won't name the restaurant because I sincerely wish them the best. We probably won't be back anytime soon. But we're glad we went.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-48803876215715384802024-02-09T19:18:00.000-08:002024-02-09T19:18:52.927-08:00Having Fun at Twenty-One<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEJ_3hLEGUoKUUm2AzLVeZ6bCtb9x2GIVs1W6Fh9ALkyFs1JT3i6enVA4wRq3NK6lKCcnYHgw5z4yoxVsqB2NU5oxSK_CnT0lPeYO6Vrjksqlcy_9eEgHQcvdfamZ_5t4JQNMmDrlU0pFSCrcaMh6sDJZFcInI0FD1T0LnTOyjlEd1KZSdG4uOcmJPDJQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1513" data-original-width="2048" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEJ_3hLEGUoKUUm2AzLVeZ6bCtb9x2GIVs1W6Fh9ALkyFs1JT3i6enVA4wRq3NK6lKCcnYHgw5z4yoxVsqB2NU5oxSK_CnT0lPeYO6Vrjksqlcy_9eEgHQcvdfamZ_5t4JQNMmDrlU0pFSCrcaMh6sDJZFcInI0FD1T0LnTOyjlEd1KZSdG4uOcmJPDJQ=w640-h472" width="640" /></a></div><br />Everybody on Facebook is posting photos of themselves at age 21. I don't know why. But I'm in. This is me fiddling around in my university's observatory. We had a nice 8-foot-long telescope and I hosted most of the public viewing sessions for three or so years. I got so good that I could grab the front of the scope and spin it around to point at a particular object in space without even looking. Did a couple of small research projects with my physics prof mentor. This dome was my cathedral.<p></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-50963809957226282182024-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:002024-02-08T09:53:59.426-08:00The Grammys<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL58fkRgGfBJFthp9iwQb5U2MkrFlgenJ_eK5Ctyq_aKLBfh7CA_7oiL6xf6XxpOHoPcZVT88zmXArs5f3fNaDXcWG85EFV3kyGB9wiK9DgSutg8tWVDowTJeyq-lvLUd_ztnywkMV4-8Dr_Er0K7Lz3VTUixxyxsDwLEKdpUohdV-TqxCKXZzEbWIm0Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL58fkRgGfBJFthp9iwQb5U2MkrFlgenJ_eK5Ctyq_aKLBfh7CA_7oiL6xf6XxpOHoPcZVT88zmXArs5f3fNaDXcWG85EFV3kyGB9wiK9DgSutg8tWVDowTJeyq-lvLUd_ztnywkMV4-8Dr_Er0K7Lz3VTUixxyxsDwLEKdpUohdV-TqxCKXZzEbWIm0Q=w400-h265" width="400" /></a></div><br />Today's PSA: I didn't watch the Grammy Awards but wanted to see the performances everybody's been talking about. Couldn't find them online because the Grammys have been dropping the copyright infringement hammer on anyone who dared post a clip (as is their right). Well, I found them, obviously enough at <a href="https://www.grammy.com/" target="_blank">www.grammy.com,</a> so if you want to see Joni Mitchell or Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish or the Tracy Chapman/Luke Combs "Fast Car" duet, a little digging there will turn them up. <p></p><p>The "Fast Car" situation interests me. First because, from what I've read, straight white male country singer Combs took some heat for "appropriating" the signature song of a queer black female singer-songwriter. Their performance, in which Combs's respect for Chapman and her delight at performing with him were both apparent, just glowed. If it's OK with Chapman, it oughtta be OK with everyone else. </p><p>(Parenthetical note (which is why I put it in parentheses): I remember when someone asked Lindsey Buckingham what he thought of the Dixie Chicks' hit cover of Stevie Nicks's "Landslide." Buckingham took a long pause and then said, "I'm happy for Stevie." Ha!)</p><p>I've also been surprised to see "Fast Car" described as a black anthem or a queer anthem, when I always took it as a "poor kids stuck in a crummy life yearn to hit the road" anthem, in the same vein as a Springsteen song. Right there is how you know that song is Art: listeners take away from it whatever speaks to them and their lives. </p><p>I've experienced a bit of that with my books, esp. <i>Mom's Cancer</i> and <i>A Fire Story.</i> People sometimes glean meaning I didn't intend, but if they find something that's meaningful to them, who am I to argue? When I reply, "You're very perceptive, most people don't pick up on that," I may be among the people who didn't pick up on that. I think that's wonderful. </p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-43184373037609447302024-02-07T10:15:00.000-08:002024-02-07T10:15:00.225-08:00Juvenilia<p>I recently mentioned in passing that I had no "juvenilia," or artwork done when I was young, because pretty much everything I'd created before 2017 was lost in our wildfire. A high school friend, Beth, said that she had some and would send it on. It arrived today.</p><p>First, I have to tell you how much it means that Beth held onto things I drew when we were both kids for DECADES. She joked that when I became a famous artist she could sell them for millions. The part of that that's not a joke, I think, is that even when we were 16 or 17, she saw some potential and thought they were worth saving. So that's deeply touching.</p><p>And now she gave them back. That's even more deeply touching, although I expect I disappointed her on the "famous artist" part of our deal. I still have time, Beth.</p><p>I will thank her privately, but decided to post them publicly for one reason: they are embarrassingly bad. I sort of remembered being better than this at 15, 16, 17 and 18, but here's the evidence I can't deny and it's painful for me to face. The good news is, I got better.</p><p>That's today's sermon: No one but the rarest prodigy springs fully-formed like Athena from the brow of Zeus. When you're a kid who gets recognized for your intelligence or artistic talent or athletic ability, you probably aren't actually GOOD, you're just better than the other kids around you. But with encouragement, perseverance, education, experience, and (I think this is important) some real professional feedback, including criticism and rejection, you can get good. </p><p>No false humility: I am a good, confident, professional writer and cartoonist now. But I wasn't born that way, and I sure wasn't when I was a teenager. The kid who drew this stuff had a LOT to learn. </p><p>The grown-up who wrote this is still learning. I always figure that if you look back on your earlier work and cringe, it just means you're getting better.</p><p>Thank you, Beth.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdax_P7O_pB-v4gArUvniHgPxoY-Ltmp0yhXCYoIfh_67PIXgFkn7SGetoRnloL4m1qCHIsXn-NUveYYxE8nNln5dbsnmlj016n6xmZ-KZW1jS_KZd60dtFRZOrUWemC-0kyCUYqL3H7f1nvCPNnhsEBEfTYzElfj7gYqnQigY_tweaJDfYSD7NhFXmjc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1355" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdax_P7O_pB-v4gArUvniHgPxoY-Ltmp0yhXCYoIfh_67PIXgFkn7SGetoRnloL4m1qCHIsXn-NUveYYxE8nNln5dbsnmlj016n6xmZ-KZW1jS_KZd60dtFRZOrUWemC-0kyCUYqL3H7f1nvCPNnhsEBEfTYzElfj7gYqnQigY_tweaJDfYSD7NhFXmjc=w265-h400" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An 11x17 poster. My scanner cut off the bottom but you get the idea. Star Wars, Rocky, and The Wiz nail my era of high school exactly.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQA2zGJVuAgCYZelMhW_NKRxo7nYrohAZGeyGSCR7BnnIuafowvkL5eqqep_JKEIoBZQ0RWGsLKti2D8KkUzkK5IPKmT1ZwLLDH8yeGpOBkc5PIgzMnPUiF4m1nvD1srrcJj1_pdAxQoiD8ee0QQCpYJmjKvpIgiEWvWU6wHbFuVyy7quOed2CKUD_Zjc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1330" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQA2zGJVuAgCYZelMhW_NKRxo7nYrohAZGeyGSCR7BnnIuafowvkL5eqqep_JKEIoBZQ0RWGsLKti2D8KkUzkK5IPKmT1ZwLLDH8yeGpOBkc5PIgzMnPUiF4m1nvD1srrcJj1_pdAxQoiD8ee0QQCpYJmjKvpIgiEWvWU6wHbFuVyy7quOed2CKUD_Zjc=w260-h400" width="260" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know if this was a rough draft of the previous "Pops Concert" poster. All I can tell you is that I drew about 100,000 Enterprises and Klingon spaceships in those days, and these were two of them.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcB90mnMty9ez5aEX4p6Ith5t8ro5MNCamGPA4NSHNpcXYm5iJUGlxQ3z3_WrGhiO7PP-RgbJcGjJueuCPbqvpfVtvMoCDAerb574QV-bfUrJaqLcaR7AJOxBpBjaFrc9rGyk62ep-gw820kCFZz08iH-vx3z9H6nQC0nLbouNk-GDs3dNtFxF2VPaLF0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1583" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcB90mnMty9ez5aEX4p6Ith5t8ro5MNCamGPA4NSHNpcXYm5iJUGlxQ3z3_WrGhiO7PP-RgbJcGjJueuCPbqvpfVtvMoCDAerb574QV-bfUrJaqLcaR7AJOxBpBjaFrc9rGyk62ep-gw820kCFZz08iH-vx3z9H6nQC0nLbouNk-GDs3dNtFxF2VPaLF0=w310-h400" width="310" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thor and Spider-Man. Urgh. There is nothing good or right about these figures. But, like I said: it's good I've made some progress.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSGxJK1mGt9FuBsc9WrY6vhPANNdTS4u7eLGXy2fB5BVhXS8wi7Z3BL0yBf9MK2r6UE55lZajHUUIyh_I6Sf3sL0y8tKNPMWiO9tk_0RhxHHea1t87oyx_Iwfw2vauMtjMxH8CWolDxkCukr9z_fQvX2DDceQVTPWvPUH_MB_88ot3TgOW-W33WvnuPj4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1580" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSGxJK1mGt9FuBsc9WrY6vhPANNdTS4u7eLGXy2fB5BVhXS8wi7Z3BL0yBf9MK2r6UE55lZajHUUIyh_I6Sf3sL0y8tKNPMWiO9tk_0RhxHHea1t87oyx_Iwfw2vauMtjMxH8CWolDxkCukr9z_fQvX2DDceQVTPWvPUH_MB_88ot3TgOW-W33WvnuPj4=w308-h400" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A harpy. Not sure quite what or why this exists, but I suspect it was done for a class assignment, and probably paired with the next drawing....</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibZXRLiK6dORrI9qqm3VEvoBrf_Qp3ES_8oB4mm63xj27vwJwulYGXY2wRL_wjLqOTfFhnWSGT8DhRVp-UZOlCb775_iSe5xBfjEyOt7IzZp9KtCgU-N_-7jEHpLkKmLLXdq98lNC_zSZzxzrEr4OWWu7iLivg3jdPi446fcgxQQExfEXV_lqmYUdLQoU" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1570" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibZXRLiK6dORrI9qqm3VEvoBrf_Qp3ES_8oB4mm63xj27vwJwulYGXY2wRL_wjLqOTfFhnWSGT8DhRVp-UZOlCb775_iSe5xBfjEyOt7IzZp9KtCgU-N_-7jEHpLkKmLLXdq98lNC_zSZzxzrEr4OWWu7iLivg3jdPi446fcgxQQExfEXV_lqmYUdLQoU=w307-h400" width="307" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...which I take to be Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound of Greek myth. I'm not sure what the dog in the foreground is about--perhaps it is imagining its inner savage self--but out of all these five drawings it's the one figure I can look at and think, "Hm, not bad, kid."</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-10429002096455673032024-02-04T13:02:00.000-08:002024-02-04T13:49:13.353-08:00LumaCon 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf9Klf-XZX5_GBFlkFe-nP4JhpcvEwMn4au8N_-wtDdzTtEYVED2S_KnVotrmY5KzV_YKazMUdoRFgNXyLwxZyPU8TqSx81d4zb08cE1TM0JqDku_75EPgmj0OpJxcjgpt_v7dA3KM6TjQjgFk3y-5C3Rik1wFwFJFZVdhvjHSI4_SbWnXPlzTeus6eOs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf9Klf-XZX5_GBFlkFe-nP4JhpcvEwMn4au8N_-wtDdzTtEYVED2S_KnVotrmY5KzV_YKazMUdoRFgNXyLwxZyPU8TqSx81d4zb08cE1TM0JqDku_75EPgmj0OpJxcjgpt_v7dA3KM6TjQjgFk3y-5C3Rik1wFwFJFZVdhvjHSI4_SbWnXPlzTeus6eOs=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br />I spent most of yesterday at the sincerest little comics convention I know, LumaCon in Petaluma, Calif., a free event organized by librarians with the mission of encouraging a love of comics and, more broadly, literature and creativity, in kids. This was the tenth LumaCon. I've been to most of them, and will keep going as long as they'll have me.<p></p><p>I get a few things out of LumaCon. First, a chance to touch base with local comics pals like Alexis Fajardo, Tom Beland, Denis St. John, Mary Shyne, Gio Benedetti, Emily C. Martin, Andrew Farago, Shaenon K. Garrity, Donna Almendrala, and Maia Kobabe, some of whom I only see once or twice a year at things like this. Since we were all working there wasn't really time for deep conversations, but a quick "What's new with you?" is always nice.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPxYUbeGsJCJ_fcsf8aL-WKH-puezK1jrLCME0qGUJthjQ5uqio6ycFJzbcR_VJzm5gG-aEoReZ74GRQpaxB1GHjfbLNIzqbw3sPpe7RYZ_AAGCd3KtM61xqHfd5SZ_2kmhCNR-azc_yZnRXMaNgRwAXO2qsHJDWRu_X4uy_QK3SPyWsfZDn0TULYPc-s" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1418" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPxYUbeGsJCJ_fcsf8aL-WKH-puezK1jrLCME0qGUJthjQ5uqio6ycFJzbcR_VJzm5gG-aEoReZ74GRQpaxB1GHjfbLNIzqbw3sPpe7RYZ_AAGCd3KtM61xqHfd5SZ_2kmhCNR-azc_yZnRXMaNgRwAXO2qsHJDWRu_X4uy_QK3SPyWsfZDn0TULYPc-s=w398-h400" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My table set up. Vaguely, the right half of the table is for selling books and the left half is for talking comics.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXzW0PIyVmH5C3vtqUqyxXo1jRQKisxqb0nhqAso95cOwEPisl4e0oKWtg9Q2UEAa6A-pscGcbPeOl-yRoT0mcYb6Y0T0_sTN4Ggc7D2NcXvroTCa086uTtcQbGtp6UH3k5XbigrbU8ttrSK4Ru6vClHwSwTRR2eCoMXFr-x84Pgu9_aI1AJ284ZJuzJQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1500" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXzW0PIyVmH5C3vtqUqyxXo1jRQKisxqb0nhqAso95cOwEPisl4e0oKWtg9Q2UEAa6A-pscGcbPeOl-yRoT0mcYb6Y0T0_sTN4Ggc7D2NcXvroTCa086uTtcQbGtp6UH3k5XbigrbU8ttrSK4Ru6vClHwSwTRR2eCoMXFr-x84Pgu9_aI1AJ284ZJuzJQ=w400-h379" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table>I like to bring original art, like the two pages at bottom, to talk about how things I draw with ink on paper become a published book. I think it's important to explain and demystify the process, and convey the idea that real people make books and you can, too. I remember having that realization when I was a kid, and it made a big difference.<br /><br /><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4yuRuFiJw3w-OR2eHwzUfnkGl6EfrF9wPfOI8y7B9OLDeHxfUde2piy3BMHmuUvfKnMU_m6qVi5xCVeEfAeCBqm84M-vWSddOKzKLFoIeBYrEO9DbBnBTstH9FPHk8TBr20l5oBtPlyC0YKAIZltLkQk5Szy6D5WcvbGJM0ozrW5waVZ9Z7xeCZWiRnc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4yuRuFiJw3w-OR2eHwzUfnkGl6EfrF9wPfOI8y7B9OLDeHxfUde2piy3BMHmuUvfKnMU_m6qVi5xCVeEfAeCBqm84M-vWSddOKzKLFoIeBYrEO9DbBnBTstH9FPHk8TBr20l5oBtPlyC0YKAIZltLkQk5Szy6D5WcvbGJM0ozrW5waVZ9Z7xeCZWiRnc=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An overview from one corner of the main room at the Petaluma Community Center, with many young artists showing and peddling their work in the foreground. I'm always impressed with their skill and enthusiasm.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs4GhOSKoZDD6_SQKXrQS69Ufml4iwj9E4QaHcRXb_s3wlxFHWSPBPqxsjj5j5ZlI21XHVmOJbHQTbL_7HJZp0TZG9KiYEc28EQs10CLOeSP2k2ujQYmDnXV8UoicoRLaoNPJpo60LHovtTX9P8jXA1VYo5joQmq_n5XikalRguVC_U26fgk92n1tQDFY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgs4GhOSKoZDD6_SQKXrQS69Ufml4iwj9E4QaHcRXb_s3wlxFHWSPBPqxsjj5j5ZlI21XHVmOJbHQTbL_7HJZp0TZG9KiYEc28EQs10CLOeSP2k2ujQYmDnXV8UoicoRLaoNPJpo60LHovtTX9P8jXA1VYo5joQmq_n5XikalRguVC_U26fgk92n1tQDFY=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main hall has a raised stage, which offered this craft area where kids could cut up stuff and glue together cardboard shields and such.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mostly, it's a chance to connect with people, especially younger people, about making comics. Although I do sell my books (and actually sell better at LumaCon than any other venue), I'm mostly there to share what I know about cartooning with kids who want to absorb it. One of my favorite interactions yesterday was with a boy around 15 or 16 with whom I had a long conversation about storytelling, and the importance of being authentic and unique without worrying about what's hot or trendy (by the time you follow the trend, everyone will have moved on to something else). Tell stories that mean something to you and the right people will find them and love them. He really seemed to light up, which is the whole point of LumaCon for me. And he didn't buy a thing.<p></p><p>That and the family that bought THREE of my books in one shot! That hardly ever happens. That was cool, too.</p><p>I also got something out of sitting next to Maia Kobabe, author of the most-banned book in the U.S., "Gender Queer." Maia has taken an ungodly amount of heat from right-wing book burners, and every time we meet I check in to see how that's going. In my opinion, Maia has handled the attacks with poise and grace. Yesterday, I overheard more than a few teenagers tell Maia some variation of "I really needed your book. You showed me I wasn't alone. Your book saved my life." I asked if that happened like twenty times a day and Maia acknowledged that yes, it did, and that's what made all the vitriol endurable.</p><p>Comics aren't always important, but they CAN be. That's one thing I love about them.</p><p>Lots of youthful energy and creativity. Fun and play. Arts and crafts. Everybody there for the right reason. My daughters Robin and Laura there most of the day helping me with my table. Nothing but positive sincerity as far as the eye could see. Plus a bake sale! What more could a comics convention be? Thanks for having me, LumaCon. I hope to see you next year.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAHZ8ovJi9Q-MQicniG5tNYXeyRhkztz4TrP99WQGQdYc1e9jbdXFWFxJX3yZQcCKLMcHVMi1cnHvunXzEcjsEz5GRS4i6QdQi-Hzovcd8ewnlBXQPusqRcA9ZYjaaBQAAq_4TdtVNjhJ5mWMITFBe9zFwEvds5Wdp6FxWXwn1Vzd8fqifOW81fx-0r1k" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAHZ8ovJi9Q-MQicniG5tNYXeyRhkztz4TrP99WQGQdYc1e9jbdXFWFxJX3yZQcCKLMcHVMi1cnHvunXzEcjsEz5GRS4i6QdQi-Hzovcd8ewnlBXQPusqRcA9ZYjaaBQAAq_4TdtVNjhJ5mWMITFBe9zFwEvds5Wdp6FxWXwn1Vzd8fqifOW81fx-0r1k=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To my right sat my friend Lex Fajardo, creator of the "Kid Beowulf" series and editor at the Charles Schulz Studio. I think he's drawing a sketch for a fan.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS__37M0ySCXv_hGynklfqNeNKHOUfV2UNtW9rirRQgQ3j8JPgMO8DIjgALk7ixjxm9ICIuOEpdguuqrnhMrBBGrZluAcr2H7HnXjKZ_jkSz75Z9CE4Ak1ODiX8FwKgP2K3icyjnJ1M6ZYWaJZ8poYdgZhYKZ8IQcMNYpKQKHT7h6ULGRB-i6BGbXi9cs" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgS__37M0ySCXv_hGynklfqNeNKHOUfV2UNtW9rirRQgQ3j8JPgMO8DIjgALk7ixjxm9ICIuOEpdguuqrnhMrBBGrZluAcr2H7HnXjKZ_jkSz75Z9CE4Ak1ODiX8FwKgP2K3icyjnJ1M6ZYWaJZ8poYdgZhYKZ8IQcMNYpKQKHT7h6ULGRB-i6BGbXi9cs=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Schulz Studio staffer, Denis St. John, makes dinosaur and horror comics on his own time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY2ZgdttF83RDtci6w282YXmePYZ5L7VM1g_Uwc4mqTNcsg6IQ2492Xtjv1YTXH7JtY-E5UKeBwFp0uZwopigLlGT8ZQ6Mtp9f7t5Dzw-uklZejzVMCszsu11kvEyzCBoqzc1YlHFLQoKElQqVil6ApP_MnfyPNFkZdmxaPK2j10iREKYodQBhrPgIke8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjY2ZgdttF83RDtci6w282YXmePYZ5L7VM1g_Uwc4mqTNcsg6IQ2492Xtjv1YTXH7JtY-E5UKeBwFp0uZwopigLlGT8ZQ6Mtp9f7t5Dzw-uklZejzVMCszsu11kvEyzCBoqzc1YlHFLQoKElQqVil6ApP_MnfyPNFkZdmxaPK2j10iREKYodQBhrPgIke8=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From right: Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago, cartoonist Shaenon Garrity, and their son Robin, who has been to so many conventions he's totally jaded, which I find delightful.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu5IDhGKwmRxNHtv9SD1Q3VSyvbkR5GVLGfZ9xwT0FHswnFTmPAMSF94iwfYLeOlXm03BBfqLbA6MIZitde0GxGA1a3Uxpq2Mh-Fs8b1lM7_Y9dfz4UZfm4X3M5kN_9ejvCYbBwQ3AUcWmyBFgab9UlOXKv4WHZRMAI1G-GNLVvJyY4ZdZBXjofyFN_Ss" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhu5IDhGKwmRxNHtv9SD1Q3VSyvbkR5GVLGfZ9xwT0FHswnFTmPAMSF94iwfYLeOlXm03BBfqLbA6MIZitde0GxGA1a3Uxpq2Mh-Fs8b1lM7_Y9dfz4UZfm4X3M5kN_9ejvCYbBwQ3AUcWmyBFgab9UlOXKv4WHZRMAI1G-GNLVvJyY4ZdZBXjofyFN_Ss=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoonist Tom Beland, one of my favorite stylists, said he has new work coming out soon, so look for it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvn5Ye6sDNotpye5-6JZa59hLdc9Qjsb_DArqv_RTsodebO6tcZ_Jfzk3o_HptUopcgCtm56UJdggTYyKUMm3BVplJZ5Kt1-9OpS_8FPeOuPuT-TmbPqCAXlH3yEpFsl1FlTI51uiM6AWvuPj442LNPsElOYm4rJCABUuekfDZw234k3JooL4ntGZXdXM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvn5Ye6sDNotpye5-6JZa59hLdc9Qjsb_DArqv_RTsodebO6tcZ_Jfzk3o_HptUopcgCtm56UJdggTYyKUMm3BVplJZ5Kt1-9OpS_8FPeOuPuT-TmbPqCAXlH3yEpFsl1FlTI51uiM6AWvuPj442LNPsElOYm4rJCABUuekfDZw234k3JooL4ntGZXdXM" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maia Kobabe was busy all day. I was lucky to get this shot unobstructed by fans.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbxxO02jfkeeEaiepG0F0C5CSS-h8qqXzAnI0hM9hgq0AVmUeYVh4X5JPho2Ma6HX5ZA5ZkdxaHCwwc5YZEX4e0H675GP7E7DNMNoDDieyNmceM-7zZlteEbkOBf2wrHdRLZ0AuEp-1nbF7FIsowJIkw4hGkVEvW4VAQSvdfYJw1pJBgjSEKQKy9NHUcQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbxxO02jfkeeEaiepG0F0C5CSS-h8qqXzAnI0hM9hgq0AVmUeYVh4X5JPho2Ma6HX5ZA5ZkdxaHCwwc5YZEX4e0H675GP7E7DNMNoDDieyNmceM-7zZlteEbkOBf2wrHdRLZ0AuEp-1nbF7FIsowJIkw4hGkVEvW4VAQSvdfYJw1pJBgjSEKQKy9NHUcQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These evil-doers were also there, but didn't cause any trouble.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdg3xOCYHWg57GJhXI5OqzCMebCclB3ejA7dYFZaqSS7PhCtnbCVfBHiR0kwCqjCCabekGLl-3-7wtSp6UJmUFbgi6S7AXTDiTCxiTPSofEKnARLlmoXeY_b9AsED_2MeC4zKwywocAgLqgpYNqikJYflj-YA1Ge7nfx4KOg3nKdAWj6cDVbxBMGDNN0Q" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdg3xOCYHWg57GJhXI5OqzCMebCclB3ejA7dYFZaqSS7PhCtnbCVfBHiR0kwCqjCCabekGLl-3-7wtSp6UJmUFbgi6S7AXTDiTCxiTPSofEKnARLlmoXeY_b9AsED_2MeC4zKwywocAgLqgpYNqikJYflj-YA1Ge7nfx4KOg3nKdAWj6cDVbxBMGDNN0Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some furry folk outside in front of the bookmobile, which did brisk business. After all, the whole convention was put on by librarians.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCHOatuUDS3LMQqxUezRzTlsf3Eoe6rlRkjSbv815h2oNse44XRc38cu0z5b5keDZgXFzgELCWlN8DI4ZKADJDFJRbX0KEGzqL_tp-KMvK1gncZfxQgyysSlx1Sd2bRNmI5wD_q7j7IEIPcsorcrMqZZSjWHjiq6qASWvHkq31o-P1_6vblZ5DE9OsZo0" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCHOatuUDS3LMQqxUezRzTlsf3Eoe6rlRkjSbv815h2oNse44XRc38cu0z5b5keDZgXFzgELCWlN8DI4ZKADJDFJRbX0KEGzqL_tp-KMvK1gncZfxQgyysSlx1Sd2bRNmI5wD_q7j7IEIPcsorcrMqZZSjWHjiq6qASWvHkq31o-P1_6vblZ5DE9OsZo0=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bake Sale! I took this photo late in the day, when most of their goods were sold. Through the window behind them, students from the Culinary Arts Program at Casa Grande High School sold tacos, tostadas and such, which I ate for lunch and were very good.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-56299971482116266962024-01-31T09:50:00.000-08:002024-01-31T09:53:04.799-08:00LumaCon's A'Coming<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KRf5Esc-egUtGEGKxEFJayKxq9h33TmrTUljO1PmlO0niOj2G4rv7uziR4Dhb2ezlIkylwQBDUv-ow6hPwdDpBzTlNL-QMmY3ENxfHpEmDJY8HUOOKgmCuwmRI50PnIT80Xv67BMY8FG5V7cRNi3lv8ZCFG6EfdVLrE2Lufe5zUxqhGpxrBHFG_-kwU/s1504/LumaCon%20Kids%202015%20cropped.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1504" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KRf5Esc-egUtGEGKxEFJayKxq9h33TmrTUljO1PmlO0niOj2G4rv7uziR4Dhb2ezlIkylwQBDUv-ow6hPwdDpBzTlNL-QMmY3ENxfHpEmDJY8HUOOKgmCuwmRI50PnIT80Xv67BMY8FG5V7cRNi3lv8ZCFG6EfdVLrE2Lufe5zUxqhGpxrBHFG_-kwU/w400-h271/LumaCon%20Kids%202015%20cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my favorite photo from the first LumaCon in 2015, by my daughter Robin. Those kids are 9 years older now. As are we all. Sigh.</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></blockquote><p></p><p>Saturday, Feb. 3, you can find me at my favorite little comics convention in the world, LumaCon, at the Petaluma (Calif.) Community Center. </p><p>This is the tenth LumaCon. I was invited to the first, when it was even smaller--a microcon?--and have attended nearly all of them except when I had a conflicting event. LumaCon is a FREE comic-con organized by local librarians with the sole mission of encouraging the love of comics. Pros sit beside high school kids peddling homemade stickers and zines, and it's a delight. </p><p>Everybody is there for the right reason. I've met many parents or grandparents who were dragged in by a kid and said, "I didn't know comics were a real thing that people actually did." They're happy and a bit dazed to see that their kid is part of a community. For some young fans and creators, that little bit of connection and affirmation is a big deal. </p><p><a href="https://www.lumacon.net/" target="_blank">If you're in the area, drop by.</a> Like I said, it's free, so zero risk. I bet you'll like it.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-14262554649780574962024-01-24T11:16:00.000-08:002024-01-24T11:33:07.121-08:00How to Cartoon (or not)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgURm4UhU5o3dUB4TrqXnNmXB27-p3fcKLUSBJK4tk6Hww1SxaxokidGhfM16TX85zJNQuKGt3-hirkRj59z2bhZNuXiTsZN9ZTpB1cOhlnRzhLpRenxGf-kZFkYioQeRV3lhG1G1ilKxdYftzOgqVaQsK_YWSFj_sTleuEzFURWKenR1juwG9UcirspMI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1106" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgURm4UhU5o3dUB4TrqXnNmXB27-p3fcKLUSBJK4tk6Hww1SxaxokidGhfM16TX85zJNQuKGt3-hirkRj59z2bhZNuXiTsZN9ZTpB1cOhlnRzhLpRenxGf-kZFkYioQeRV3lhG1G1ilKxdYftzOgqVaQsK_YWSFj_sTleuEzFURWKenR1juwG9UcirspMI=w400-h294" width="400" /></a></div><br />Long post. A social acquaintance wants to do a graphic memoir and, unlike a lot of people who ask about that, looks to me like they have the chops to try. They emailed me some questions about materials and process, and I thought y'all might find my reply interesting. My fundamental answer is the two words I closed my email with: "Whatever works!" Here's what I wrote:<p></p><p>"I’ll reply to your questions in order, but my overall reply is that things like pens, paper, etc. don’t really matter. Just find the materials that work for you. I have professional cartoonist friends who use ballpoint pens on cheap printer paper and others who are 100% digital. Figuring out the tools and process that work best for you will take some trial and error. </p><p>"My lettering these days is a typeface of my own hand-lettering that I apply in Photoshop. That’s purely practical for me when it comes to editing and translating into foreign languages later. In my first book, Mom’s Cancer, it was all done by hand on the original art with a Speedball nib (a B-5½, as I recall). But you don’t need to pull out an ink bottle just for lettering. Micron pens can give your lettering a nice, crisp look. Try a size 05 or 08. If you want to get fancy, try one with a wedge-shaped tip for thick and thin lines, but that’s advanced stuff.</p><p>"A word about Micron pens: I really like them for a few reasons. They produce a consistent black line. They’re waterproof. And once you give them a few minutes to dry, they’re smudge proof so you can erase over them. </p><p>"I am a cartooning dinosaur. My paper is smooth Bristol board, which is traditional cartoonists’ paper. I pencil with non-photo blue pencil—I expect your printer friend is right and it’s not really a thing anymore, but like I said: I’m a dinosaur!—and ink with whatever tool gives me the line I want. Often a small pointy watercolor brush with India ink, or a brush pen, or crow-quill nib, or a Micron. I even have a dip pen made of glass that I use sometimes. I know what each will look like and choose accordingly. </p><p>"Not sure what you mean by “adapting to changes in layout.” By the time I get around to inking, my layout is pretty set. I’d suggest thumbnailing before drawing, by which I mean doing a quick sketch of how the panels will be arranged on the page, with text and action scribbled in. Doesn’t have to be time-consuming, you could literally take five minutes to make sure you have room for all your words and the reader’s eye will move through the page the way you want (left to right and top to bottom, which sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how often people mess it up). If something big really needs to change, like I need to add or remove a chunk, I’ll do that with Photoshop if I can or draw it over from scratch if I can’t. But that doesn’t happen often. </p><p>"Cartooning can be as low- or high-tech as you want. I always tell people that I could take them to a decent art-supply store and set them up with everything they need to be a professional cartoonist for $40. That’s one thing I love about comics: the barriers to entry are very low. These days that’s kind of deceptive, because honestly you really will need at least a computer and scanner to send your comics to someone else or put them online. And then we could talk about tablets and apps and programs and stuff. I know a lot of cartoonists who swear by Procreate on the iPad, which I haven’t used but they say does everything they need.</p><p>"I hope that’s a good start. I’m not being coy when I say that any way you can figure out how to make marks on a piece of paper (or pixels on a screen) could be the perfect storytelling medium for you whether anyone else would do it that way. Whatever works!"</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-44542645963865228342024-01-22T07:38:00.000-08:002024-01-22T17:47:37.969-08:00Academically Inclined<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpmVh5rc4gl5-Xp2zwWg_hUeSfO06C0ye3l7oPSFNza3TRrtjdGPUyUFskOvNe94oatxqlZQtyCiuOeGEvhPqE3LEI0lkaNoTbGZbcEaoDcn2VBTWBfaKjmgE4k4-a_SmsqwSXZQxjC2ow7vPD_0z45ByvH0fYmcbp7XzbIX6waO_Hh48gt1qZ577n0wc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="843" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpmVh5rc4gl5-Xp2zwWg_hUeSfO06C0ye3l7oPSFNza3TRrtjdGPUyUFskOvNe94oatxqlZQtyCiuOeGEvhPqE3LEI0lkaNoTbGZbcEaoDcn2VBTWBfaKjmgE4k4-a_SmsqwSXZQxjC2ow7vPD_0z45ByvH0fYmcbp7XzbIX6waO_Hh48gt1qZ577n0wc=w448-h640" width="448" /></a></div><div><br /></div>From time to time, someone like a doctor, professor, or student will cite me in an academic paper, usually for <i>Mom’s Cancer</i> but sometimes <i>A Fire Story,</i> too.* It's always a bit of a dizzying honor when smart people find my work deep or interesting enough to write about. It's especially interesting when they infer things I never implied--or never meant to, anyway--but that's OK. Once my stories are out in the world, whatever you take away from them is usually fine by me. It often makes me seem cleverer than I was.<p></p><p>No such reservations about <a href="https://www.academia.edu/113587599/_Comics_studies_Climate_Grief_Resilience_and_Brian_Fies_A_Fire_Story" target="_blank">this article by P. Ardhra and Sathyaraj Venkatesan</a>, which focuses on <i>A Fire Story </i>in the context of climate grief, which is a good lens to see it through. I think it's thoughtful and insightful, and not just because it's quite complimentary, although I'm sure that colors my opinion 😉. </p><p>This is the sort of recognition you never think about when you sit down in front of a blank page to write/draw something, but it turns out to be among the most gratifying. A happy unintended consequence. My thanks to the authors and the "Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics."</p><p><br /></p><p>*Still waiting for someone to do a Ph.D. dissertation about an old man and his giant robot. </p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-70055282390636185392024-01-18T10:27:00.000-08:002024-01-18T16:43:22.292-08:00Awards Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFhWJzziS72ClSLEyG4T6lZS7qlzQajlZwfI3YbtqVzBWDE8YOCf8t4Y1McTSLS5mkzjCcSqlPuRCYmYV0Hbsx4Z3zpg9lf5I0uQ66pjf3b-Zw7bna1zeIwhxgTTliG30v0v29vEKopJ3iq3LkxDg0EkbBg1G02g6Wwt_IBmNZZ7NFkuoBFlBLNEAfsY/s1090/Reuben%20Postcard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1090" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFhWJzziS72ClSLEyG4T6lZS7qlzQajlZwfI3YbtqVzBWDE8YOCf8t4Y1McTSLS5mkzjCcSqlPuRCYmYV0Hbsx4Z3zpg9lf5I0uQ66pjf3b-Zw7bna1zeIwhxgTTliG30v0v29vEKopJ3iq3LkxDg0EkbBg1G02g6Wwt_IBmNZZ7NFkuoBFlBLNEAfsY/w400-h316/Reuben%20Postcard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Awards season is coming around, so all my cartoonist friends check out the Reubens, Eisners, and anything else you might want to submit for. I didn't publish anything in 2023, so will not be playing this year. </div><p>Mostly I wanted to share this postcard from the National Cartoonists Society, of which I am a member (life-long goal unlocked!), because I was tickled by the address: "Brian Fies . . . </p><p>". . . Or Current Resident."</p><p>In case I moved and the new owner of my house just happened to be a cartoonist thinking to him or herself, "Gee, I published these great comics in 2023, I just wish I could get some professional recognition for them! But how...?"</p><p>It seems statistically unlikely.</p><p>Anyway, if you're one of my several friends this might apply to, get your entries in and I may be one of the dozens of NCS members judging your work and deciding your fate. Don't even think about bribing me (<i>nudge nudge wink wink</i>).</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-22701174144692072552024-01-17T09:19:00.000-08:002024-01-17T10:22:45.269-08:00In Jeopardy<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggrNnWi_anaOBQ_hBrhQhNnTvTJba6C_pXsuNqcKmjPy_Ck2NPPtkfbK76dg8KcuggSukdBBYvO2DJkeIXMHVrRT13g9-DuO3agbbhepM9FeYfoYqdxZZZl-bwghW3r6wiocSefSo0RMkwGWlwmlk6qtZWUxvNrl7NufbmngfQTg0PGQyozMa41zx7NGs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="3688" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggrNnWi_anaOBQ_hBrhQhNnTvTJba6C_pXsuNqcKmjPy_Ck2NPPtkfbK76dg8KcuggSukdBBYvO2DJkeIXMHVrRT13g9-DuO3agbbhepM9FeYfoYqdxZZZl-bwghW3r6wiocSefSo0RMkwGWlwmlk6qtZWUxvNrl7NufbmngfQTg0PGQyozMa41zx7NGs=w640-h144" width="640" /></a></div><br />Watching Celebrity Jeopardy last night (we're not regular Jeopardy viewers but sometimes you need something to eat pizza by), in the category "Trees," the clue was "This Bay Area city has a tree on its official flag (it's the type of tree featured in the city's name)." <p></p><p>I shouted out "Walnut Creek!" The correct answer, of course, was the much-better-known Oakland. However, spurred to high dudgeon (the best kind of dudgeon), I looked up the flag of Walnut Creek. Guess what I found. A walnut tree. </p><p>I was right, Celebrity Jeopardy! HA! Had I been playing, you'd have been forced to accept my technically correct response. Bow before me, Ken Jennings!</p><p>Also, I want to be a celebrity. As "Saturday Night Live" parodied years ago, the clues are ridiculously easy. I'd run every category, and Karen and I together would be invincible.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-71424340160356726932024-01-11T07:36:00.000-08:002024-01-11T09:01:20.021-08:00The Intellectual Life #22<p>A Peek into the Intimate Intellectual Life of a Long-Married Couple, Part 22:</p><p>(Delayed a day to not spoil yesterday's puzzle.) Karen and I both play Wordle first thing in the morning. She gets up earlier and does it first. After I do it, we compare notes. Neither of us has a go-to start word, we try to use a different one every day.</p><p>Brian: Got it in three.</p><p>Karen: So did I!</p><p>We compare results.</p><p>Brian: Oh, neat, we used the same first word!</p><p>Karen (ominously): We used the same second word, too.</p><p>Brian: That's weird. You must have read my mind.</p><p>Karen: I solved it first. You read MY mind!</p><p>Brian: No, I'm bad at that. You must have telepathically pushed the answer into my mind!</p><p>Karen: Why would I do that?</p><p>Brian: To help me?</p><p>Karen:</p><p>Brian: Worst superpower ever.</p><p>This has been a peek into the intimate intellectual life of a long-married couple. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijp1XeR2jAnWLioVBWm_vPZxEbVf0wNGk3ttFktPgFxoFxmTbdS6Ru0Ky-dQvXrtXKVdf7zC5g-6fp0o6S3ncVRZqk9l5dQhTG3VsJupGlD2YPx_-aJ7cz8SSJvw-6ih_835OxOYqNaQTYDNRR0wR3ivXxc5_Up_TzIMox4gBt_TfnEiahJc_F2qLV-rU" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="3210" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijp1XeR2jAnWLioVBWm_vPZxEbVf0wNGk3ttFktPgFxoFxmTbdS6Ru0Ky-dQvXrtXKVdf7zC5g-6fp0o6S3ncVRZqk9l5dQhTG3VsJupGlD2YPx_-aJ7cz8SSJvw-6ih_835OxOYqNaQTYDNRR0wR3ivXxc5_Up_TzIMox4gBt_TfnEiahJc_F2qLV-rU=w640-h261" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-24926216772500280722024-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:002024-01-09T09:41:35.431-08:00My Origin Story<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd2UKSiZ7cM__PoTRCGeBZJkRWGQSY1wsIRX9gZD4hHb8xgmSdhALVr81rvB2D--6V0wbVB4WOKoaHV6DNMW9oZVYxeu7LOA11YKf4GFa9eFLUPbmoJvuMaKyTj0C7jrXKvj0T-blw8IaVkxs3ROUf3TCiT8wxUGS2BKNWuhlXyY2Vzey4LBiaiuvwiek" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="766" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhd2UKSiZ7cM__PoTRCGeBZJkRWGQSY1wsIRX9gZD4hHb8xgmSdhALVr81rvB2D--6V0wbVB4WOKoaHV6DNMW9oZVYxeu7LOA11YKf4GFa9eFLUPbmoJvuMaKyTj0C7jrXKvj0T-blw8IaVkxs3ROUf3TCiT8wxUGS2BKNWuhlXyY2Vzey4LBiaiuvwiek=w298-h400" width="298" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me around age 14, holding a tempera painting I did of Dr. Strange. I didn't have much juvenilia even before my 2017 wildfire; now I don't have anything but a few photos and scans that survived on my computer backup drive.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I've just discovered a thing going around where artists and cartoonists talk about how they got their start. I don't usually bite at "things going around" but this one intrigued me, so:<p></p><p>"My whole life as far back as I can remember."</p><p>That's the short, best, honest answer. Always loved to draw. Always loved comics, or any text combined with visuals in general. I remember being <i>very</i> young and transfixed by rotating neon signs and animated logos on TV. If words were colorful or moved, they had my rapt attention. </p><p>I began submitting comics strips to syndicates when I was about 13. Was sure I'd be the world's first 14-year-old syndicated cartoonist. I wasn't.</p><p>I also submitted pages of superhero art to DC and Marvel in my late teens and early 20s. (For a long time, my drawing style was "realistic"; I didn't develop the more "cartoony" style I've used in all my graphic novels until I was 25 or so.) At one point, DC asked to see more samples to decide if I was worth hiring. I wasn't.</p><p>Did cartoons and graphics for my college paper. After graduation, when I got my first job as a newspaper reporter, I also did cartoons and graphics for my small daily paper. Learned a ton about photostats, paste-up, color separations, and the nuts and bolts of printing that still serves me well. Tried to get work at bigger papers. I didn't.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFXqw1gklZmfbOl46Ey1-oW7Brl44Pl2zbaKMivwqT300MaOei83zqgH1i5RP8_alDLZD3l5zXAU34Kod2IINStHNuURseMmt1JNGov0rFaluR3kGdMIMaxk0QzPSzgu9UaHI38XhDvKGDgMmjiPijbvSVOeLQBRjVMYd_iT8Juubu3nLEDG0O-XdlUf8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1300" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFXqw1gklZmfbOl46Ey1-oW7Brl44Pl2zbaKMivwqT300MaOei83zqgH1i5RP8_alDLZD3l5zXAU34Kod2IINStHNuURseMmt1JNGov0rFaluR3kGdMIMaxk0QzPSzgu9UaHI38XhDvKGDgMmjiPijbvSVOeLQBRjVMYd_iT8Juubu3nLEDG0O-XdlUf8=w400-h329" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An illustration I did when I was a newspaper reporter. This isn't my best artwork, even for the time, but I did it very fast on deadline so I'm inordinately proud of it. Graphic journalism. And yes, there is a street in Woodland, Calif. called "Dead Cat Alley."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Spent my 20s and 30s submitting comic strips to syndicates. Caught the eye of King Features editor Jay Kennedy, who worked with me for more than a year to see if one of my strips was worth signing. It wasn't.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmL6YKXJ58H2SRU4Xc3FHmeuvTiDT8wcoSyPfyNKgxRyvdLtd7Mr6GwJIJF9RVcQCbGyvHjYp_PyOqy39aJeBkdRRNk4SXED7GkdeVPDFKa6yhEjzjyb9LPn85tmIR3p-UC0Z6LHhRnWnySO7FXBE0C1ehPvVVtlLuBBWETt88xuK8CIvPj9YOOTxI8NE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="1500" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmL6YKXJ58H2SRU4Xc3FHmeuvTiDT8wcoSyPfyNKgxRyvdLtd7Mr6GwJIJF9RVcQCbGyvHjYp_PyOqy39aJeBkdRRNk4SXED7GkdeVPDFKa6yhEjzjyb9LPn85tmIR3p-UC0Z6LHhRnWnySO7FXBE0C1ehPvVVtlLuBBWETt88xuK8CIvPj9YOOTxI8NE=w640-h222" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me trying to be Gary Larson. I wasn't.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tried to see if I could be a single-panel gag cartoonist, like Charles Addams or Roz Chast. I couldn't. <p></p><p>Created and tried to sell a children's picture book. Didn't. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1gDWCArCdDyH93BFXhFvJo5CONhHYTMPzKmOz4lnefAwQhycNsytb-pOmVFtqNUIUyfw95ibteAzw7232EcmXRKBBVnG0IY-nTZH4pkIhqlkMWEcfFqouqoafKE2Zzt2Z42MfoxYza-08ZlBBKBV7tssfzdOOKYFETjwO5c0L5pYZZsQmwb5mJm0UV4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="844" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1gDWCArCdDyH93BFXhFvJo5CONhHYTMPzKmOz4lnefAwQhycNsytb-pOmVFtqNUIUyfw95ibteAzw7232EcmXRKBBVnG0IY-nTZH4pkIhqlkMWEcfFqouqoafKE2Zzt2Z42MfoxYza-08ZlBBKBV7tssfzdOOKYFETjwO5c0L5pYZZsQmwb5mJm0UV4=w313-h400" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One picture book idea: a girl is drawn through a telescope and explores the universe. Kind of a <i>Magic School Bus</i> thing. All watercolor, I liked this one.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />During those years, I also picked up whatever freelance cartooning and illustrating work I could. I illustrated a lightbulb catalog once. They come in a surprising assortment of shapes and sizes.<p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBXFD5d8BAxQjw6bQL5Yxf7S-pE9FR63jjUNKEIjzKry7ZjboLSUIw3TN_S3E9J1otEFRCYFIQHyWTFftXDvaM4WURyvuNV9FMPZte-cGWc4HvnYN9_QK6xPohXiz3pMLgN0ErwFIxbQqhq9IENsf9q_rLfLaqd7PtdWpUpTmfL7AmAkMKH6su3d53g1w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="610" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBXFD5d8BAxQjw6bQL5Yxf7S-pE9FR63jjUNKEIjzKry7ZjboLSUIw3TN_S3E9J1otEFRCYFIQHyWTFftXDvaM4WURyvuNV9FMPZte-cGWc4HvnYN9_QK6xPohXiz3pMLgN0ErwFIxbQqhq9IENsf9q_rLfLaqd7PtdWpUpTmfL7AmAkMKH6su3d53g1w=w253-h400" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lightbulb in its package. I drew about a hundred of them for a catalog once.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When I was in my early 40s, my mother was diagnosed and treated for metastatic lung cancer, and I decided to tell my family's story in the form of a webcomic. Although I had scant professional cartooning credits, I had sufficient experience and skill to pull it off. <p></p><p>Went viral. Won some awards. Got a book deal. Instant 30-year success story. Now enjoying a half-assed career and working on my fifth graphic novel. </p><p>I use my story as an example of perseverance. I didn't "make it" in my teens, 20s or 30s as I'd hoped, but I kept trying. I wasn't single-mindedly obsessive about it--I had other careers and a marriage and kids and a life. But I plugged away as I could. </p><p>I also use my story to explain how nobody has the Magic Answer or Secret Recipe. This is why I have no advice for anyone starting out; what worked for me won't work for you. Everybody I know who made it has a different origin story. </p><p>All I can suggest is this: do a lot of work and cast it out into the world however you can. Someday, if you're skilled and lucky, one of those seeds you plant will bloom, but you'll have no idea which one until you look back years later, when it will seem like it was inevitable.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-87756417657183813662024-01-02T09:27:00.000-08:002024-01-02T09:48:09.994-08:00New Year's Process Post<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0pcY_229drFCqkxI8reQbpp10iScYNlXFNjGBrI1NDUFU0C-binI5L_aZcbsB_eXqBfwvkBhP0Fu5fj0r7xnmzWKdtIlkZ8OfaXJ0B6d-FXkwN9qUEdcDwWU7y3Sr5m_eN69acudzN1dgEc0EYTU3yyJXColHXEX3Z7ZFEknryMRYkcgmIcCwLjIC9EQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0pcY_229drFCqkxI8reQbpp10iScYNlXFNjGBrI1NDUFU0C-binI5L_aZcbsB_eXqBfwvkBhP0Fu5fj0r7xnmzWKdtIlkZ8OfaXJ0B6d-FXkwN9qUEdcDwWU7y3Sr5m_eN69acudzN1dgEc0EYTU3yyJXColHXEX3Z7ZFEknryMRYkcgmIcCwLjIC9EQ=w277-h400" width="277" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolored pages scattered all over my work table and floor.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Starting 2024 with Process! I'm painting a library of watercolor textures to use in my comics. They're abstract blobs in a riot of colors that I can digitally insert into my art to (I think) give it some uniqueness and pop. I did a bit of this on <i>Last Mechanical Monster</i> and <i>A Fire Story,</i> and plan to do a lot more.</p><p>Why not just watercolor on the actual art? I've tried. I wish it worked. But I draw my comics on smooth Bristol board, which doesn't take watercolor very well. And I've tried drawing my comics on watercolor paper, which doesn't take ink very well (or more precisely, takes ink TOO well). Plus, for printing purposes, it's much better to keep black line art and colors separate.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt8yw5gLYHWoWwXRPnxzIZt2iiamy2TcplJdG4V-o0ur3eaAZnrMaEufLnECjwKiBI3T_qTTI2pjsys4S6Z63qWLkE6VZNF2iyyzE8g_F_B6RVre5vb-PCw6QYak2boSwfNSViGJuWmoh9P3u4CX0I6v0g06qYvVSAz9gV_q2-UkNvBeqOAYyYwsGzVl4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt8yw5gLYHWoWwXRPnxzIZt2iiamy2TcplJdG4V-o0ur3eaAZnrMaEufLnECjwKiBI3T_qTTI2pjsys4S6Z63qWLkE6VZNF2iyyzE8g_F_B6RVre5vb-PCw6QYak2boSwfNSViGJuWmoh9P3u4CX0I6v0g06qYvVSAz9gV_q2-UkNvBeqOAYyYwsGzVl4=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Smoke and Clouds." Keep in mind that I can make these shapes transparent so that any color under them shows through, so a red cloud on a yellow sky turns orange. If I wanted to, I could even change them to different colors, although I'd probably rather paint new blobs in the color I wanted.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Why not just do it ALL digitally? Photoshop has a lot of "watercolor" "brushes" that can fake it pretty well. Well . . . I don't want to. So there. I find myself increasingly drawn to *authenticity* in comics and art. I want to see the imperfect hand of a creator, not the perfect pixels of a machine. Nobody else could duplicate my abstract blobs. Even if I cheat by marrying them with the art digitally, they're still all from my hand. <p></p><p>I hope you get to see them in print in a year or two.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF998bzPPNHhY0rJSQKHXQmVMPdCBzIQ4xEY-_HswBLIwIIWQEI9tOx3MyvAb2CKia3O_Q66rynL-n5RAyQig3KGxpmbIi8O57rJ6rfb9jy-_Aq959cmLThBgS8DZy67L2qeZd4lDuzsYyyppspv9gPVHx6vIbCMviPzwwyyfGwBgaI5tw1xMP4sQSFNY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1671" data-original-width="1617" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF998bzPPNHhY0rJSQKHXQmVMPdCBzIQ4xEY-_HswBLIwIIWQEI9tOx3MyvAb2CKia3O_Q66rynL-n5RAyQig3KGxpmbIi8O57rJ6rfb9jy-_Aq959cmLThBgS8DZy67L2qeZd4lDuzsYyyppspv9gPVHx6vIbCMviPzwwyyfGwBgaI5tw1xMP4sQSFNY=w387-h400" width="387" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of how I digitally merged actual watercolors with line art in <i>Last Mechanical Monster.</i> Both the green wall and the blue sky are real watercolor. I like the look.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-46199155872051706772023-12-23T21:56:00.000-08:002023-12-23T21:56:00.931-08:00Swaller Dollar Cauliflower<p>For the couple of decades I've been blogging, I've marked Christmas Eve with a rousing round of revelry from the man who, depending on the day and my mood, I consider one of the three best cartoonists who ever lived, Walt Kelly. From his great comic strip "Pogo," please accept this gift with my wishes for a good holiday and excellent 2024.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69IoIR9_6vl-F05569Prf25TRmVpg3LHh9ViPYhoRYLNspsI12qOivAeMsniNYzZaH3ilRPwdLIonqdv7mm1tV7xA18SgFUxy4byn-Dd4rz68UqphriV8pvzm6IYRwSlmu4a35pgm4IvN5E8WXdtEAUJmSKlWQcKyOkg80uWT87oiyzxZMmVqqbmy=s1574" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69IoIR9_6vl-F05569Prf25TRmVpg3LHh9ViPYhoRYLNspsI12qOivAeMsniNYzZaH3ilRPwdLIonqdv7mm1tV7xA18SgFUxy4byn-Dd4rz68UqphriV8pvzm6IYRwSlmu4a35pgm4IvN5E8WXdtEAUJmSKlWQcKyOkg80uWT87oiyzxZMmVqqbmy=w488-h640" width="488" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjitSUHFXTo75NaYiaNvYDpkObnoA8eX3JY070kMe08hiJSHPKjteiCuHjBQns_Hvpa4i6pIHiaKy3gFcuUxR39OB18AVn5m0qatC1K6LTJB2WjqmbmExBNv0Gzua8EI_ZuMTCNh7DN9SZoqxMzkHlqm6d_kJABAR6kuw45ucHkSLrmLMai_V_hFj0s=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1138" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjitSUHFXTo75NaYiaNvYDpkObnoA8eX3JY070kMe08hiJSHPKjteiCuHjBQns_Hvpa4i6pIHiaKy3gFcuUxR39OB18AVn5m0qatC1K6LTJB2WjqmbmExBNv0Gzua8EI_ZuMTCNh7DN9SZoqxMzkHlqm6d_kJABAR6kuw45ucHkSLrmLMai_V_hFj0s=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz1npnmaWqs_ks5vt3jSIoc-qMhFTPBSqhRd-hZtQggm1gt5x5z0pYgDeyPD2Vda0KzjTcOHV1yKLKjG_hrYlTcGDge6hbP_Ma8om5zo_NNhA4T0bmXl-xhJqpESjdctvv8nHguBlQaPACEIHuq6S35i_RF-yuQeBqy2_Dxz1aW4HdLyWFQe9R0bAj=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1138" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz1npnmaWqs_ks5vt3jSIoc-qMhFTPBSqhRd-hZtQggm1gt5x5z0pYgDeyPD2Vda0KzjTcOHV1yKLKjG_hrYlTcGDge6hbP_Ma8om5zo_NNhA4T0bmXl-xhJqpESjdctvv8nHguBlQaPACEIHuq6S35i_RF-yuQeBqy2_Dxz1aW4HdLyWFQe9R0bAj=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh15fGaSLzNpAQJpFDUwbC3JNiVGk6FvmDjieK9UYCXNACrdgnGNJ0--aRYmbCC9U_5s0s79RNQeeYrdNY51rrRuVjmhXC2djqryDOyKYaLWbq3BwlG8ADO_dg5Eg-3b7cp7CZe43i03FFysx6m6N7BmSRBjKqsSBssfPJIKvpvUf2Np1jisZkF4Bvw=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1138" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh15fGaSLzNpAQJpFDUwbC3JNiVGk6FvmDjieK9UYCXNACrdgnGNJ0--aRYmbCC9U_5s0s79RNQeeYrdNY51rrRuVjmhXC2djqryDOyKYaLWbq3BwlG8ADO_dg5Eg-3b7cp7CZe43i03FFysx6m6N7BmSRBjKqsSBssfPJIKvpvUf2Np1jisZkF4Bvw=w456-h640" width="456" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-27435804873701805982023-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:002023-12-22T08:35:21.988-08:00Adventures in Slumberland<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi07Ct2N58rJrUqLYScGyBmFYWwAhb0NM68uL669ObShaYiohY901zvTrFqhZWM-Tum_pcutqoS0ZuJbPwG5Ua0NyoEkoOKhGrW2-rDBDp-asbno-xxHsppGlZeh-JPhR92QvxvLcNHgwd66_a9JFwpyr5AzESv-KJ8Kcg7C3LqqHXRXy6Neb_aEh5CmWo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2048" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi07Ct2N58rJrUqLYScGyBmFYWwAhb0NM68uL669ObShaYiohY901zvTrFqhZWM-Tum_pcutqoS0ZuJbPwG5Ua0NyoEkoOKhGrW2-rDBDp-asbno-xxHsppGlZeh-JPhR92QvxvLcNHgwd66_a9JFwpyr5AzESv-KJ8Kcg7C3LqqHXRXy6Neb_aEh5CmWo=w400-h391" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Little Nemo in Slumberland" by Winsor McCay, one of the three or four best cartoonists who ever lifted a pen.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I hate it when people share their dreams as if they're interesting and anybody else would care. Anyway, I had this weird dream last night....<p></p><p>It was the classic anxiety dream about being in college and late to class but realizing you don't remember where the class is and also you've forgotten to attend the entire semester. Last night's twist was that, within the dream, I thought to myself, "Hey, this is just like that classic anxiety dream about being in college and late to class!" And then I tried to test the situation by examining the world around me and asking myself questions to determine whether I was dreaming or awake--and I concluded I was awake!</p><p>It wasn't quite a lucid dream, in which you realize you're dreaming and guide the story. I've had those and they're fun. In fact, it was kind of the opposite, in which I wondered if I were dreaming and decided, "Nah! This is real life! Better get to class!" <br /><br />Now I'm not sure if I'm really awake and writing this. Further research is needed.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-81333296081557437092023-12-18T08:53:00.000-08:002023-12-18T19:36:00.958-08:00Happy National Twin Day! Happy National Twin Day!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJpe13OyhLE5TsooMLRFUvswKSYNrKfHeeazzKMtbWLPKVBOFKIv_H8TskSn8hD2763xMhscRBnyaNVkq8Lg6SIyLnTiYdvLWguZajpcw328JE1-rM52y30x1lSTEFoWjQ44-W4EgxPYHa0iq6SOpfFbQKs2mrUqqzZMeeWVbaZeJf8qfFktNrSpRjobc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1344" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJpe13OyhLE5TsooMLRFUvswKSYNrKfHeeazzKMtbWLPKVBOFKIv_H8TskSn8hD2763xMhscRBnyaNVkq8Lg6SIyLnTiYdvLWguZajpcw328JE1-rM52y30x1lSTEFoWjQ44-W4EgxPYHa0iq6SOpfFbQKs2mrUqqzZMeeWVbaZeJf8qfFktNrSpRjobc=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></div><br />Hey, it's National Twin Day! And I happen to have a pair of 'em who LOOOVE being embarrassed by their Dad! Ha ha! One of the best days of the year as far as I'm concerned!<p></p><p>The girls were about 3½ in this photo, which is remarkable because we very rarely dressed them in matching outfits except to make older relatives happy. In fact, this might have been around Christmastime, and I'll bet their grandmother had something to do with it. </p><p>The girls themselves were done with the entire "twins thing" at a very young age. If you want to know what it was like being a Beatle in 1964, try pushing a double stroller with two cute, blonde, identical tots through a mall or restaurant. No interest in show business, thanks, although we got offers.</p><p>I don't believe in telepathy but sometimes I think they have it. </p><p>I also think they have planned the perfect crime but haven't committed it yet--unless they have, and it was so perfect I never found out about it.</p><p>In our experience, twins were MUCH more than twice as hard when they were babies but got much easier than twice as hard when they were older. Your mileage may vary.</p><p>Happy Twin Day, Chiquitas! No regrets on my end, although you may be rethinking your choice of father right about now. No Take Backs!</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-72623816069537761142023-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:002023-12-16T10:27:39.621-08:00The Intellectual Life #21<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQEUHYPXmRfAUjad5Kpc7TNfSOc8hFc-eglhieV6JGqnPjH2k_epsDWc1Al7t-eCh2KFt4KSozrUa6iIExJHi-OZS5mZRcezSA5IR7WnXWJx8YWtYylqc9r_C90Akrfg7EVlQUvcCbg1kGcaflYyWNr_mSVEJcUsFicuCQcAKoAcniXAbF1nDGDJrjPZQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQEUHYPXmRfAUjad5Kpc7TNfSOc8hFc-eglhieV6JGqnPjH2k_epsDWc1Al7t-eCh2KFt4KSozrUa6iIExJHi-OZS5mZRcezSA5IR7WnXWJx8YWtYylqc9r_C90Akrfg7EVlQUvcCbg1kGcaflYyWNr_mSVEJcUsFicuCQcAKoAcniXAbF1nDGDJrjPZQ" width="242" /></a></div><p></p><p>A Peek into the Intimate Intellectual Life of a Long-Married Couple, Part 21:</p><p>Karen and I notice a covered box, like a small bench, on a neighbor's front porch.</p><p>Karen: I wonder if that's for putting packages in, like Fed Ex or UPS, so people don't see them stacked up by your front door.</p><p>Brian: Or it could be full of murder hornets that would swarm out and sting you to death.</p><p>Karen: Or Christmas presents.</p><p>Brian: Or a loaded crossbow! You open the lid and PFFTTT, right between the eyes!</p><p>Karen: Really?</p><p>Brian: If you open that lid, it's your own fault.</p><p>Karen: This is the difference between girls and boys. I was thinking nice things, like ribbons and bows.</p><p>Brian: I was thinking of bows, too! Crossbows!</p><p>Karen (much later): That bow thing should be a peek into the intimate intellectual life of a long-married couple!</p><p>Brian: Really? You don't think it makes me sound kind of stupid?</p><p>Karen: </p><p>This has been a peek into the intimate intellectual life of a long-married couple.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-36454161934725105652023-12-09T13:34:00.000-08:002023-12-09T13:34:01.181-08:00Onward Christian Soldiers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX3mX_FsPKFMDVOKSOZznxe2vQF0BLaxZsA0_RUI-EL5PJzWaptfsogMw-3PhkHCXRzbStWtRDMjlDVBC7Q0nirPK8I8gslnDaQdhCyaDiSPh2ciFOwF88sitiR5QhG3LYdlYkwKlo6vmd9G_2Xq1hODexLSkTYSY_foIdVKF4TVxgcxqsv18DdKBejdk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="679" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX3mX_FsPKFMDVOKSOZznxe2vQF0BLaxZsA0_RUI-EL5PJzWaptfsogMw-3PhkHCXRzbStWtRDMjlDVBC7Q0nirPK8I8gslnDaQdhCyaDiSPh2ciFOwF88sitiR5QhG3LYdlYkwKlo6vmd9G_2Xq1hODexLSkTYSY_foIdVKF4TVxgcxqsv18DdKBejdk=w357-h400" width="357" /></a></div><br />From the Spitting Into The Wind Dept.: Someone on a local history group moaned that they missed the days when they could wish someone a "Merry Christmas" without triggering woke snowflakes. I replied:<p></p><p>There is no war on Christmas. One cranky person who once said something to somebody you know is not a "war."</p><p>Christmas is healthier than ever. More music, decorations, TV shows (Hallmark channel is nothing but), movies, sales, etc. etc. It comes earlier every year. Big stores like Costco, Target and Home Depot put out Christmas stuff before Halloween's even over. Christmas dominates the culture; no other holiday or event is even close. It's bigger than Thanksgiving, Halloween, the Super Bowl, the World Series, and the Olympics combined. Say "Merry Christmas" to whomever you want. Nobody cares.</p><p>Here's the thing: some people WANT you to think there's a war on Christmas. They want to make you mad about problems they completely made up. Think about who those people are and why they want you mad. Spoiler alert: it's not because they care about Christmas.</p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1568334561722760329.post-12252151909666538242023-12-05T09:44:00.000-08:002023-12-05T09:50:56.462-08:00Say, Jim!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIx9DxACMz4igd-asWB-ZT8Z3MELR-_K-MK1jkv7UiRMcgOneuFHcHBF0F-qQXqeQuZFpjZZps9XWBBPbDhEqlFLjvdrSq9L-36k4zrLdPfm0aGL-nUTiKkgxJXSyCQTJQi3o4yJHcBJSlE4ZDICKbBoSF0JFmXSreSipUjPbzzRb-R7E8gAVwt1Rfwhs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="889" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIx9DxACMz4igd-asWB-ZT8Z3MELR-_K-MK1jkv7UiRMcgOneuFHcHBF0F-qQXqeQuZFpjZZps9XWBBPbDhEqlFLjvdrSq9L-36k4zrLdPfm0aGL-nUTiKkgxJXSyCQTJQi3o4yJHcBJSlE4ZDICKbBoSF0JFmXSreSipUjPbzzRb-R7E8gAVwt1Rfwhs=w400-h201" width="400" /></a></div><br />A Peek into the Intimate Intellectual Life of a Long-Married Couple, Part 20:<p></p><p>Karen and I are walking our dog, Riley, when we wave to a neighbor named Jim half a block ahead.</p><p>Brian (not loud enough for Jim to hear): Say, Jim! That's a BAD outfit!</p><p>Karen (puzzled): Is that a thing?</p><p>Brian: It's from the first Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie.</p><p>Karen: Ohhhkaaaay.</p><p>Brian: When Clark Kent runs into a revolving door to change into Superman, and he comes out and there's a pimp who says, "Say, Jim! That's a BAD outfit!"</p><p>Karen: Uh huh.</p><p>Brian: Then Superman says, "Excuse me," and flies away.</p><p>Karen:</p><p>Brian: I think of it whenever I meet someone named Jim.</p><p>Karen:</p><p>Brian: This is why A.I. will never replace human beings.</p><p>Karen: It might be an improvement.</p><p>This has been a peek into the intimate intellectual life of a long-married couple. </p>Brian Fieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16347700145666751363noreply@blogger.com0