Comics and More
3/19/13
The New Thunderskull Press
Hey everybody, here's something new and exciting: The New Thunderskull Press site is live! so what does that mean for ol' bloggy? Well, it means that I'll be posting all the new content over there. I'm going to leave this site up for a little while, in case anyone wants to go through the archives.
The new site is home to Stranger Danger, The Konamis, Major Tom Jr., and Actually Giant. It has upcoming events, and current news. As well as an awesome store that will just keep growing. So come on over and check out the new Thunderskull Press.
So like I said I'll leave this site up for a while, but eventually it will redirect to the new site. Thanks for reading and your support.
Tavis
3/9/13
Stranger Danger -- Put a beard on it
As kids get older they try to follow in their parents footsteps. This may be wearing mom's shoes, or putting on dad's glasses. But in our household if you're gonna put on the glasses you'd better be prepared to wield the awesome responsibility that goes with it. Jonas found this out, thanks in part to my skills as an artist and Megan's eyeliner pencil.
3/3/13
Stranger Danger -- The Mystique
Common courtesy dictates that farting should be taken away from the populated area of the house. At the very least to make sure it's quiet enough to blame the dog. It keeps the air of mystery from turning into, well, the air of something else. There are some days we have to have Jonas stick his butt out the door because it feels like he's trying to terraform our house. With his farts. That kid farts a lot.
Labels:
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3/1/13
Friday Media Mashup
Let's start off right away, because there's quite a bit happening today:
PODCAST: Actually Giant
First things first, There is a brand new episode of Actually Giant up today. It runs the gamut from talking about poop to talking about video games. It's on iTunes. Actually Giant, or follow us on twitter @actuallygiant
TV: Strip Search
The first introductory episode of Strip Search starts today! Meet the artists as we meet each other. On a personal note, it is very surreal to meet people again for the first time. I can recall how awkward and nervous I felt the first time we all got together. All of us wondering "Who's the secret asshole."
http://penny-arcade.com/strip-search/episode/artists-assemble
Comics: The Konamis
Volumes 1 and 2 have been reordered and started arriving today. Thanks to everyone who purchased these books previously and made it necessary to order more. There's nothing quite as cool as having boxes of graphic novels show up at your door step. They arrived via stork. At least that's what my mom tells me.
Over 240 pages of sweet spy-fi adventure http://vine.co/v/bXXxhFuxWBF
The konamis vol.2 came in. Unwrapping video http://vine.co/v/bXXTnQ2phaa
Other
In other news, I am very excited to announce my new shirt "I expect you to die". Now you can be your very own villain, complete with Persian cat. The Purrrrfect accessory for all your evil plotting. Printed on American Appareal, these babies are as soft as a kittens butt. If that doesn't entice you to buy one, I don't know what will.
No Mr. Bond, I expect you to...buy! http://instagr.am/p/WNiupBA7XM/
New shirts, be putting these bad boys up on the shop soon http://instagr.am/p/WNibDIg7W4/
PODCAST: Actually Giant
First things first, There is a brand new episode of Actually Giant up today. It runs the gamut from talking about poop to talking about video games. It's on iTunes. Actually Giant, or follow us on twitter @actuallygiant
TV: Strip Search
The first introductory episode of Strip Search starts today! Meet the artists as we meet each other. On a personal note, it is very surreal to meet people again for the first time. I can recall how awkward and nervous I felt the first time we all got together. All of us wondering "Who's the secret asshole."
http://penny-arcade.com/strip-search/episode/artists-assemble
Comics: The Konamis
Volumes 1 and 2 have been reordered and started arriving today. Thanks to everyone who purchased these books previously and made it necessary to order more. There's nothing quite as cool as having boxes of graphic novels show up at your door step. They arrived via stork. At least that's what my mom tells me.
Over 240 pages of sweet spy-fi adventure http://vine.co/v/bXXxhFuxWBF
The konamis vol.2 came in. Unwrapping video http://vine.co/v/bXXTnQ2phaa
Other
In other news, I am very excited to announce my new shirt "I expect you to die". Now you can be your very own villain, complete with Persian cat. The Purrrrfect accessory for all your evil plotting. Printed on American Appareal, these babies are as soft as a kittens butt. If that doesn't entice you to buy one, I don't know what will.
No Mr. Bond, I expect you to...buy! http://instagr.am/p/WNiupBA7XM/
New shirts, be putting these bad boys up on the shop soon http://instagr.am/p/WNibDIg7W4/
2/24/13
Stranger Danger -- Automated Response
Every day after school we ask Jonas how his day was, and what his favorite part of his day was. It is easy to remember and pick out what bad things happened during the day, those events stick out like a sore thumb. So we try and encourage him to talk about what he enjoyed first, and lock onto the good stuff. If he can do that, well, then the bad stuff seems more manageable by comparison. Clearly though, sometimes even Jonas is annoyed at our constant barrage of optimism.
2/17/13
Stranger Danger -- Wibbly Wobbly
There were lots of elbow nudges that accompanied this one. If we were kids, we would be the kind of geeks that would routinely get our lunch money stolen. As adults, our love of Doctor Who is both encouraged and celebrated by each other and our peers, it shows that we clearly have awesome taste. I'm not sure that TJ is totally on board with referring to my womb as the TARDIS, but we are getting there!
2/16/13
2/11/13
#TeamTavis
Hey guys! Looking to show your support of the
2/10/13
Stranger Danger -- Buy, buy, buy
Having your credit card stored on a device is handy if you are inclined to buy things over and over again. I am not. I make maybe half a dozen purchases online a year. So imagine my surprise to walk in and find that Jonas, has purchased an Xbox live gold account. That kid has got a lot of dog poops to pick up, to pay that back. so many poops.
2/9/13
Strip Search is Live
So a few days ago the Strip Search site went live. The episodes haven't starting airing yet, but you can navigate around the site and entertain yourself. I can tell you that if everyone's artist bio is like mine, it was filmed after a long flight, followed by a long car ride, and then 5 minutes in the hotel room before being called up for an interview. I really cannot stress how amazing everybody is on this show. Check out their bios, check out their websites. I can't wait until these episodes start up :)
2/3/13
Stranger Danger -- Tauntaunting
For me, the minute the temperature dips below 85 degrees,
I'm layering up. I am a true cold wimp after nearly 20 years in Arizona.
This winter
we've gone from record highs to record lows in the span of two weeks.
Throw in my growing pregnant belly and all the hormones associated with
that, and you've got a recipe for the coldest hands and feet known to
man. Conversely, TJ has an uncanny and disturbing ability to retain
heat. Though, I doubt
he appreciates me shoving my cold feet on his back in the middle of the
night. --Megan
1/30/13
Squid Squad
So I was drawing in the margins on some notes and I ended up writing down two words "Squid Squad". Mainly because I'm a sucker for alliteration. Well, jotting down the title wasn't good enough so I started sketching out a logo. That got me thinking "What is a Squid Squad, and how can I turn this into another project to put on my plate?" So to me Squid Squad became a mix of Blaster Master meets Bad Dudes. Squids that would pilot large Mechs and fight evil robots and ninjas, but then have to leave to get to areas their Mechs were too big to fit.
So far this only exists in my head. But, it would be a cool side scroller.
1/27/13
Stranger Danger -- Building Blocks
My parents never had to worry about me and drugs. Frankly, I was too cheap to ever concern myself with them, and the kids I hung out with were either too nerdy or preoccupied with other things to care about them. This is inevitably a conversation that has to be broached. There's a fear that if you handle it wrong you are going to drive your kids into the ever loving bosom of Mary Jane, and then the next thing you know, it's smack and crack cocaine all over the house. I know Jonas is going to grow up and make his own choices. All I can hope is that I laid down a good groundwork to help him make the right choices.
-Tavis
Labels:
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comic strip,
drugs,
jonas,
Strangerdanger,
TJ
1/24/13
Repairs are being made
Hey everybody, so as some of you have noticed the site looks a little different. Well one of my goals last year was to get together a more cohesive site, that would tie together all the loose tangents I have floating around on the internet. I wanted to have a hub that housed the various projects I'm working on. Long story short, that obviously didn't happen last year. So I'm renewing that goal for another season. This year, I will get Thunderskull Press together and it will be awesome.
I had a pretty up and down 2012. There were some real lows and some outstanding highs. I haven't really talked about it, but some of you know that Megan and I lost a baby at the beginning of last year, and I think that broke me for a while. I tried to keep myself busy and focused on work and comics, but truth be told it was really just to keep me distracted. I think it is important for me to finally get this off my chest and look forward to the new year. But I'll tell you, We've got another baby on the way and she is great and healthy, but it's coming up to that same time last year and it's filling me with anxiety. We just have to get through February. Despite starting off last year super shitty, just about everything else last year was a positive. Concluding with meeting and becoming friends with some truly kind, amazing people.
For 2013 I want to take the next step, both personally and professionally. Professionally I want to create even more, make more convention appearances, and have a simple, clean, easy website for you to see all that stuff. I will be more available for commissions and have more merchandise available in the store. Personally, I'm having a daughter, so I should get some EXP. for that. I also want to remain more open with you. For a long time I felt (and still sometimes feel) that I would be burdening you and your experience here if I unburdened myself. I don't want to turn this into a dumping ground for fears, paranoia, and anxiety; but, I will be more open. Here's where I would normally make a joke to make light of everything, but I'm not going to do that this time. Instead I'm going to leave you with this...
A dyslexic woman walks into a bra. Ba-dum-dun.
1/19/13
Stranger Danger -- Dream On
I have no idea how Jonas came up with this totally poignant, yet
completely messed up, observation. Jonas said this to us awhile back and
I regrettably cannot remember what the exact circumstances were. It
felt important enough to jot down and, when we came across the post-it
this week, it seemed like a good time to feature it. We have had a lot
happen to us, both good and bad, in the last year, and we talk openly
about almost everything. Not to get too deep, but to have Jonas come up
with something like this, reminds us that we want to live our lives on
the opposite end of this spectrum: the bigger we get, the bigger our
dreams get because we are less afraid of failing. Failing is a young
man's game, we are just too damn determined to lose. But like Jonas
says, maybe I'm just saying stuff too.
--Megan
--Megan
1/15/13
Strip Search
I'm just gonna put these here for a moment. Soon though, yes soon, all will be revealed. Mwa HA HA HA.
1/13/13
Stranger Danger -- King of Pong
I've been talking about getting my own ping pong table, a lot apparently. Megan says that I am obsessed. But I ask you, what's obsessive about wanting to build an addition onto your house so you can have your very own Ping Pong room? In fact if anything, it'll promote some more exercise around the house. Even Jonas is starting to come around to the idea of a Ping Pong table. When that day comes, I will teach him.
1/10/13
Megan’s Top 12 of 2012 Stranger Danger Comics
12) Sugar Rush
Within reason, we try very hard to limit
the amount of candy Jonas eats at home (at Grammy's it's another
story…). The day after Halloween it was clear that not all parents are
as judicious as we were by the fact that children were literally running
up to us and screaming and then sprinting off in the opposite
direction. The adults that were present only looked slightly concerned
by these jacked up little monkeys but we knew better: these were
children that could not be reasoned with…
11) Dadcolepsy
It is a common occurrence in our house for
Jonas and TJ to disappear in his room to “fight guys” and, when I peak
in to let the cat out or bring in laundry, TJ will be completely passed
out on the floor or the bed while Jonas continues to play around him.
Most times it literally looks like TJ has fallen suddenly ill on the
spot and Jonas cannot be bothered to stop what he's doing to help him.
Jonas' room is only one of the forms of kryptonite in our house (there
is just Kid Kryptonite and Robot Kryptonite and Gotta Get a Comic Done
Kryptonite). Sleep is never for the weak when you enter our house.10) Taskmaster
I am a naturally gifted list maker. My
lists are organized by order of importance, arranged by room,
subcategorized by length of time and can include a list of supplies
needed to accomplish the job. I have notebooks devoted to long term
lists, lists of things to do when I'm on vacation, lists to prepare us
for Comicon, lists of what I will eventually get everyone in the world
for Christmas. Everyone in the house LOVES my lists, they honestly can't
get enough of them! When I leave for work on the weekend I make sure
that there is a teensy, tiny list devoted to the most stinky and
horribly necessary tasks that have to get done (especially while
expecting a baby there are a few things I physically cannot do at this
time and it drives me MAD). I'm convinced that TJ and Jonas would be
lost without them.9)Wedding Complainer
Year Five seems to be the age in which
kissing is the least tolerated and most unacceptable form of affection
ever. When our niece was planning her wedding, we told Jonas that he
would have to wear a nice shirt and a tie and that was enough for him to
kick up a fuss. When he found out that people get kissed when they
married, I'm pretty sure it broke his brain in such a way that it will
not be fixed until he's a teenager (or hopefully when he's 20). That
same weekend, Jonas earned big laughs at a showing of “Wreck It Ralph;”
two of the main characters kissed and, in the silent theater Jonas let
out a very loud, “ Ugh, come ON.” The kid has timing.
8)Pretty Girls
Our dog Robot is as adorable as she is
unusual looking. She is a Bulldog-Pug-Corgi and, we are convinced, the
prettiest girl dog in the universe (I may be biased). Jonas is nothing
if not fair so it was very nice of him to pay his father (and his
luxurious beard) a compliment, but Jonas is still figuring out the
genders at this point. He knows the difference between boys and girls,
but was just recently singing a song about how I was a very cute boy. I
would like to say that, as a feminist, we have no gender roles in our
house…but I'm pretty sure he's just jerking me around.
7) Career Choices
By 30 I've got the “wife” and “mother”
items checked off my own personal “To Do” list (See! Lists for
everything!) but what I want to do with my professional life is still a
question mark. I just keep working and hope for that giant lightning
bolt of inspiration to hit at some point. For Jonas to try to badger a
vocation out of me at 4 years old freaked me out to my core! Of course
he wanted to be Batman, or Dr. Batman or, my favorite response: “Batman
or…nothing.” Maybe that's my problem, TOO many career options.6) The More You Know
The eternal struggle of bedtime is one
that I'm positive every parent goes through at some point. “How many
stories, how many songs, AAAAAH I have to go to the bathroom again SOOOO
BAD!!” TJ and I differ as to how many stories and songs we will sing
from night to night (I'm the more generous parent, i.e. the “sucker”) so
when Jonas starts to badger more out of me on any given night in an
effort to stall, it can get a little ugly. The fact that he pulled the
“Why won't you let me learn?!” card remains one of his most hilarious
and least convincing arguments to date.
5) Life Skills
Thankfully this comic is an exaggeration
of what could have been when I left these two dudes to their own devices
for 3 days. However, TJ admittedly does not now how to do laundry (I
don't think they've classified a learning disability for this yet but TJ
would be a prime candidate), but gratefully the rest of the house
looked great by the time I got home. For this comic, and the preceding
travel related one, we mostly tried to think of the funniest and
grossest things we could include. I'm pretty sure that, given the
option, Yoshi would probably prefer the diaper because he's lazy and
disgusting anyway. He's the Al Bundy of cats.
4) Efficiency
Making more than one trip from the car to
the door is unacceptable UNLESS the following is involved: dog food AND
cat litter, paper towels and toilet paper without handy plastic handles,
more than two gallons of milk. I have broken many a'blood vessel in my
arms, wrists and hands just trying to Hulk everything to the door
unassisted. It's a great source of pride for me and I'm lucky to have
found a man who feels the same way.
Tied for 3) The Bat-Mom and Thora the Explora
In the quest for the perfect Halloween
costume, these were both kicked around as possible companion pieces to
Jonas' Loki costume. My self made “Thora the Explora” theme song still
get stuck in my head (and I'm convinced that Dora would be a much better
show if she had that hammer). Jonas, still confused about genders, was
pretty adamant that I could only be something that was always a girl
(even the Bat-Mom didn't work because I would have totally wanted the
fake foam muscles instead of the typical Bat Girl costume). I think we
all know that there is only one kind of woman that can inhabit that
Black Widow costume and I am definitely not her.
2) Of Genuine Concern
As a family we have spent a lot of time
discussing “stranger danger” and what to do if someone you don't know
talks to you. During these conversations Jonas would verbally
choreograph elaborate fight scenes between him and one (or many
strangers) and we would just emphasize, “No, just RUN AWAY!,” to which
he would reply, “But first I kick them in the pee pee, and then poke
their eyes, AND THEN run away right?” He still has questions about
stranger danger awareness but thankfully they are much easier to answer
than, “What if a stranger tries to fart on your glasses.” Also, I don't
think Home Alone has helped with this subject at all.
1) Villainology
This remains one of my favorite and most
unexpected comics to come out of Jonas. His Star Wars phase has waned
slightly, but at this point in his life he was still pretty obsessed
with Darth Vader and “The Scary Guy” (aka Emperor Palpatine, I'm pretty
sure Jonas thinks that they are greatly misunderstood). We sing songs to
Jonas every night so he's aware of music, but for him to just start
randomly humming one of the most foreboding themes in all of cinema
well…I can't say that I wasn't a little worried. While Jonas still tends
to empathize with the villains in films and TV shows, his generally
sweet nature at least means there is a long way to go before he
eventually turns to the dark side.
Honorable Mention: Dance Contest
To get Jonas to dance on camera has been an near impossible task so this comic will serve as an important historical document for future generations. Jonas is proud of his butt and that he “got” it, so why not flaunt it? To get TJ to sing or dance just requires him to hear you say random words that might remind him of a song or for there to be an instrument within 100 feet of his body. For the both of them to get on board for the “I Got My Butt Doo Doodily” song is truly a magical collaboration.
1/5/13
Stranger Danger -- Putrified
Today's Stranger Danger is, of course based on the age old tale of boy meets dog – dog kills him by leaking an uncontrollable stink from its butt. This week I have had to get up and leave the room no less than a dozen times to escape the pungent nerotoxin emanating from Rigby's back end. It's bad folks. While I'm sure I could accurately describe the odor, I will refrain. Just know that, if he ever got out into the world at large, the ice caps would melt a lot quicker. I am concerned for us all.
1/1/13
Strippers Unite
So as a few people know, I took a leap of faith a few months back,
and applied to be on a reality show. I did so, with the support and
encouragement of my awesome wife to take a chance and put myself out
there. Getting on the show would mean weeks away from home, and with a 5
year old, that can be a lot to ask. Amazingly I made the first cut and
found myself in the top 500. Then before I knew it I was in the top 100,
then top 40. Then it hit. I received an email saying that I'd made it
onto the show. There are still so many things I can't say, but for now I
can say this…I made it on Penny Arcade's Strip Search. It was an
amazing life changing event, and I hope you join me on the
adventure…once it airs ;)
So until then, check out the amazing and super-talented works of these amazing and super-talented peeps:
Nick Trujillo, Lexxy Douglass, Mackenzie Schubert, Maki Naro, Abby Howard, Ty Halley, Katie Rice, Monica Ray, Erika Moen, Amy T Falcone, and Alex Hobbs, all of whom I am very lucky to have as colleagues and am even more lucky to call my friends.
UPDATE Both Loading Ready Run and Penny Arcade have announced official teaser information.
Also, it would probably be a good idea to link my Twitter here. So there it is. Thanks!
So until then, check out the amazing and super-talented works of these amazing and super-talented peeps:
Nick Trujillo, Lexxy Douglass, Mackenzie Schubert, Maki Naro, Abby Howard, Ty Halley, Katie Rice, Monica Ray, Erika Moen, Amy T Falcone, and Alex Hobbs, all of whom I am very lucky to have as colleagues and am even more lucky to call my friends.
UPDATE Both Loading Ready Run and Penny Arcade have announced official teaser information.
Also, it would probably be a good idea to link my Twitter here. So there it is. Thanks!
12/30/12
12/23/12
12/16/12
12/9/12
12/2/12
11/29/12
The Echo Bombs cd rough
Working on some artwork for an upcoming CD release. It's looking a little 'Bad Machinery' but, I like it. Gonna play with it some more. Getting off of a week in bed, so today is the first time I haven't felt totally zapped of energy. Well, we'll see where this goes.
11/25/12
11/18/12
11/17/12
11/15/12
11/11/12
11/4/12
10/28/12
10/21/12
10/13/12
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