The Muppets; A Hardcore Review *SPOILERS*

I went to the movie theatre tonight for the first time in almost TWO YEARS. The last flick I saw was Avatar in 3D with my cousin, Jackie. But this time, there was a massive trip down memory lane. And complete with my trusty hetero lifemate and sidekick, Agnew Pennyworth, and my friend Dez and a couple of Target purchased bottled sodas, I bared witness to the brand new The Muppet Movie. Like all the previous Muppet movies in the franchise that now spans four decades, this one was loaded with celebrity cameos. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Selina Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, Ken Jeong, Bill Cobbs, Alan Arkin, Neil Patrick Harris, former child star Mickey Rooney and Dave Grohl all made appearances. While sweetheart Amy Adams co-stars and personal friend of Seth Rogen, Jason Segal wrote and starred in this movie, which keeps in continuity. But unlike so many other movie franchises that are being rebooted, The Muppets I can proudly say, was not. But that is not quite where the movie starts. Brothers, Gary and Walter have grown up together. But as Gary got taller, Walter stayed the same size. Cause, Walter is a puppet. The thing the brothers have in common is their love for one another and their willingness to make each other happy. But as kids the duo rent a tape one night. A tape featuring the most beloved puppets of all time. And Walter falls in love with The Muppets. I mean who wouldn't. After years together and ten years of dating Mary, Gary decides to go to Los Angeles with his best girl and his best buddy and brother, Walter. All Walter sees is the opportunity to go to Muppet Studios. And here our story begins. The Muppets it seems, have been disbanded or broken up as it were, for some time. I just realized while writing this review that I have crushed three Pabst Blue Ribbons and not yet said a bad word. Well, while I can't change the former, unless I simply drink MORE, I resolve to change the latter. While visiting Muppet Studios, Walter breaks into Kermits Office and overhears the plot of rich oil tycoon Tex Richman to buy the property and level it, so he can drill for oil. However there is one small hitch to his plan. If the Muppets come up with ten million dollars in the next two weeks, then they can buy the rights back and save Muppets Studios.
This whole story reminds me a lot of The Muppets Take Manhattan in the sense that it's a reunion of sorts. And I loved every minute of this flick. I laughed until my cheeks hurt. It was that funny. I mean the whole reunion portion was done especially well. Kermit, fired up from a pep talk from Walter, Gary and Mary seek out the remainder of the Muppets. And there's a fuck load of them. With the help of 80's Robot, and his offering of Tab, "New" Coke and his dial up modem access information as the where-abouts of the rest of the cast. And as Mary states, if Kermit hadn't decided to crusade, "this is gonna be a really short movie." The first locates Fozzie who is stuck in Reno as front man for "The Moopets," complete with insane, probably drugged out, foul mouthed fake versions of the real deal. The next one to be found is Gonzo, who, along with Camilla is running an extremely successful, correction, the most successful plumbing business in the heart of "the Rust Belt." And for some reason, after being told "it's okay to follow his heart" from Camilla, Gonzo blows up the warehouse. The rest of the search is rendered via MONTAGE! I honestly don't want to reveal too much. Although even if I posted the whole fucking script, I know you would go and see it. Fifteen minutes from the end I knew I figured out the end of the movie as I noticed some possible points during the flick. But, happily I was proven wrong. Although not totally. And this movie delivered.
The Muppets was completely fucking worthy of being the first movie I've seen in theatres since January 2010. This movie made me so glad that I did Fuzzyface. And it made me shed tears when watching a movie for the first time since the last time I saw Armageddon. Don't judge me! Because it made me realize how important having a dream really is. I think too many people just give up on their dreams when they grow up. While, to paraphrase Gary, "growing up is not about believing in others. It's about believing in yourself." (Beer #5!) It's interesting how I get inspired. And this time, all it took was a bolt of fabric with a whole lot of personalities. See, everything you ever needed to know about growing up, you no doubt learned while watching something involving the Muppets. There are few people I give the label, "God" to. And as I have stated before, Jim Henson is one of them. And although, The Henson Workshop has since sold the Muppets to Disney, it still had the same ideals and message. And in this time of thanks, I am thankful for the Muppets. I really am. They have helped light a fire of inspiration under my ass. And as anyone who knows me knows, I consider the work that was partially based on my love for The Muppets, Fuzzyface was my greatest work thus far, it should not stand to discussion that The Muppets have become my muse for the long road ahead to bring YiA6 or Youth in Asia volume 2 as it were into my sights. It's gonna happen. Cause it has to happen.
I thought about the grade for this amazing venture. I thought that a comedy wrestling match might be just the thing that would fit. And it might have been, if not for something that poked up its blond head during that comedy match. The all time greatest wrestling entrance of ALL TIME! Whether it be during a match where someone was getting the shit kicked out of them, or whether it was a scheduled matchup. The best entrance in the business, which in and of itself made me start smoking again and always makes me smile when I shotgun a can of beer. Those guitar chords hitting and the crowd completely coming unglued, as (no matter how much I hate them on a personal level) Metallica's Enter Sandman blared through the P.A. system. The crowd looking around to finally see him. And finally, after maybe 30 seconds, the arm rose and the Kendo stick appeared. And the crowd, which was already unglued, fell to fucking pieces. The Sandman, although not a polished wrestler, and not billed as a wrestler at all, has and always will elicit a reaction EVERY fucking time I hear that song.

FUZZYFACE OR DIE!

Ok, here's the deal. We have TEN days to make our goal of only $3,500 to reprint Fuzzyface. It's an attainable goal, in that we'll be able to reprint over 1,000 copies of the book. We're only at 10% right now, but I know if everyone who loves indie comics and loves horror movies chips in, we can do it. I just want the chance to bring Fuzzyface to the masses.


Fuzzyface is the best comic I've ever worked on. And I believe in this project so much that I will cut my pigtails off if we reach our goal. But only if you, the readers help. It's been a rough, crazy road. Without a map or gps. And I know I jumped the gun when I launched the project. But don't make Fuzzyface suffer. Let the word be heard. It's a great book. The best horror comic in the business. Everyone who has read it has loved it. And since we sold out, I figured we needed to do it again. This time bigger and better. A prologue, epilogue, new pinups, new covers. The artwork will be gray scaled. It's gonna be amazing, but only if the fans get behind it. Here's the link. We know you won't regret making this pledge.

Kickstarter campaign
Support small press. FUZZYFACE OR DIE!

Fuzzyface campaign LAUNCHED!

Ladies and gentlemen. I give you the link to which you can now "back" out Kickstarter campaign to get Fuzzyface reprinted.
Fuzzyface on Kickstarter
We're super happy about the amount of support we've already gotten. So please, let people know about this. Tweet it, facebook it, Google+ it, myspace it, sky write it, graffiti it all over the place. We have 30 days to make our humble goal of $3,500. If we raise that much or more, we can do a massive reprint. If not, without your support I'll have to start whoring myself out on the streets. The economy sucks here in Tucson, you know how many "handies" that would take? Don't make me do it folks. Don't make me bust out the Jergens.

REPRINT FUZZYFACE on KICKSTARTER.COM

Hey all,
I am about to launch my campaign on kickstarter.com tomorrow to fund the reprinting of the the original graphic novel from Anti-Hero Brand Press, Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre 3.
Our funding goal is $3,500 in 30 days. This will give us the necessary funds to print 1,000 copies of the book with added features, print up postcards and buttons. If we exceed our goal, then we'll shoot for hardcover copies of the book, con appearances and other sweet promotional items.
Without you spreading the word about the gospel that is Fuzzyface, we may not make our goal. What I hope, is that even if you cannot fund the project, that you will facebook your friends. Write to local newspapers, and tweet about the project including links to the kickstarter page so people can get in on the action. Kickstarter is a great source not just for funding worthy projects, but promotion and networking. So please, feel free to use the images I am including here and in the press release I will also submit to my blog, a little bit later. Hell, copy and paste that fucker wherever you can.
Everyone who has read Fuzzyface has loved it. Venus of Necro did a fabulous job writing this epic tale of one deranged, puppetcidal little fuzzball with a chainsaw. But, Fuzzyface is a love story at heart. And I know the more people we get into this, the more will love the jokes, the comedy and tribute to Jim Henson and Tobe Hooper. Fuzzyface in a few words is, "Texas Chain Saw Massacre meets The Muppets." It's never been done before. It's the greatest combo since peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and chocolate, bacon and eggs, bacon and bacon. It's that damn good. And I am damn proud that I have worked on a project this fun and successful.
LET'S DO THIS!

Fuzzyface Worldwide

The Muppets meet Texas Chainsaw Massacre? with the most lovable homicidal protagonist of all time in "the world's greatest sidekick" Agnew Pennyworth, in his starring role as, Fuzzyface. Equal parts of Jim Henson's family favorite Muppets and Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre mixed in with a dose of Mary Shelly and bookended with the Youth in Asia characters Nash, Kyle and Grrry, Fuzzyface mixes twisted humor with strict monster movie guidelines and a huge dosage of crass behavior. Written by Venus of Necro and illustrated by John Chihak, Fuzzyface boasts a series of pinups by up and coming artists and a foreward by Henry Barajas, writer of El Loco and Girl Scouts in Space.
As of this afternoon, Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre 3 is now available on the internet for download on you "E" devices from Indie Aisle. Thanks to Ovi Demetrian Jr. a guy I met at Amazing Arizona Comic Con a few weeks ago. He approached me in Artist's Alley at the con and asked me if I was interested in turning some of my comic books into digital comics. I had wanted to do this for a while, as this was the easiest way to make Anti-Hero Brand Comics available to as many people as possible.
This is a massive step forward for AHB, and the potential it brings is great. Fuzzyface is the breakout book for us, and I believe is easily the most iconic of all our titles, with the series of coloring books called "got crayons?" very close in second place. For those of you out there still without a copy of this great book, all you need is $3 and you can download it in its entirety. Or get a monthly unlimited subscription to Indie Aisle and read Fuzzyface as well as many other awesome titles, like Dennmann's "Get That Chicken," and a ton of "Monster Commute" comics from Steam Crow. This is a super inexpensive way to get to check out a lot of worthy indie writers and creators. And it's not just limited to comics. There's novels and short stories available too.
For those of you who've heard the buzz, or want to check out the madness, just click here for Fuzzyface E Book.

Atomic Comics Bizarre Bazaar & Sketch Cards!

So coming up on the 28 this month, I will be appearing at Atomic Comics Superstore in Mesa, Arizona as a part of their monthly Bizarre Bazaar event for local comic book creators. They will be holding it in conjunction with their Fright Night event which goes from Friday the 27th through to Saturday the 28th.
I will be bringing up copies of the much vaunted and talked about graphic novel, Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre 3, as well as Youth in Asia issues 1-5 and the trade which collects the first three issues. I will be signing and doing commissions for those who attend.
As a new part of doing commissions, I have "sketch cover" copies of Youth in Asia issue 4 and new sketch cards to do smaller sketches on. So be sure to check out Atomic Comics' website here www.atomiccomics.com for more details. You can also follow Atomic Comics on Twitter for updates and news 140 characters at a time, here Atomic on Twitter.
You can also follow Agnew on Twitter as well. He finally got himself an account and now you can follow his madness here, Agnew on Twitter. He would like to cull some new followers and hear from his constituents.

Atomic Comics
1120 South Country Club #105
Mesa, AZ 85210
(480) 649-0807
www.atomiccomics.com

See you guys on the 28th!

Taking Fuzzyface National!

So, I have actually begun the quest of taking my project Fuzzyface national. Well, to be fair it's not just my project, Venus of Necro wrote it, but since I am the publisher, I am given the job of researching how to get this book out to the masses. It is going to take some work, but one thing is certain, I CAN DO THIS! I believe I can. Part of taking Fuzzyface national is a huge hurdle, funding. How do I get funding to take this story, that I know people will enjoy and clamor for? Well, I have learned a couple of things dabbling with the internet. It's cool, not only can I look up crazy shit on this thing, it's also very useful. I have found a few sites that will and or can help with this. kickstarter.com is one. They allow you to pursue funding through their site through private donors who log on and donate money to projects they like. Kickstarter.com will also be doing a panel at this year's San Diego Comic Con. I will be attending that panel.
Another option for funding is getting a grant. There are thousands of organizations that offer small business grants and service awards to anyone who works hard enough and goes out and does the leg work. Through Charlie Harris at Charlies Comics here in Tucson, I learned of the Xeric Foundation, which offers grants to self publishers of comic books. There is a six step process I have to submit to the review board. Part of which is a business plan; an expenditure report on how much I am going to ask for and then the distribution of the grant monies. Now most of the grant money would go towards the self publishing. Paying the press, the bindery if they're separate. Buying an ISBN if I need it. It would be helpful. And then buying copies of my book. These online publishing companies offer print on demand services, which limit cost and waste. Plus you don't have to sit on a huge inventory or rent a warehouse or ship things yourself. They drop ship for you. Or offer you to sell through an affiliate website. So, cost would be minimal, in as much as I would print several hundred copies to take to conventions and sell at comic book shops. The rest could be purchased online. And then there is the talent that has to be paid. As the artist, I'm not going to pay myself upfront, but with profits from sales. Venus is receiving a portion of the sales of the book, however she deserves a payment for the writing of the book. And then of course if this thing really blew up, like changing media (movies, video games etc.) Venus and I would renegotiate her earnings, as usually happens when something goes big time.
I was also thinking of trying to get the book carried through a small press company such as Oni, Top Shelf, SLG, Image or Darkhorse. The reality of that might not be so good though. Especially since one of my requirements is that the Anti-Hero Brand Press logo stays on the project. Cause it's my book. They're just helping distribute it. Kinda like Disney distribute Pixar's movies. That is something I am thinking a lot of publishing companies would not be up for. See they want to be able to take credit for these stories, and I understand that. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna let another company claim credit for this work.
So that leaves me with the most realistic option. Continue self publishing it through sites like lulu.com or ka-blam.com. Not bad sites. They come highly recommended from different sources. Doing so requires a few things. Choosing their level of print and distribution packages. Lulu seems a bit ahead, since they do projects other than just comics. They offer a wide variety of outlets for distributing your finished project, including amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. And with them there is the option of them giving me an ISBN for the book. Thing is, if I spend a little bit of money and get my own ISBN, then I am the publisher. Both Lulu and Ka-Blam offer the option of bringing in your own ISBN to the dance.
Writing down specs, drawing and reading bright computer screens with visions of Fuzzyface in the grubby hands of every other person in the country. Not a bad dream.

FUZZYFACE ON SALE NOW!

Here are a few locations where you can pick up the "IT" book of 2010! Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre 3 is available for sale! Safehouse only takes cash for Anti-Hero Brand Press books, but the comic shops will take cards. Thanks
Support these aweseome businesses that support small press comic books.

IN TUCSON!....

Safehouse E Bar
4024 East Speedway Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85712-4520 -
(520) 318-3090
http://www.safehousecoffee.com/

Charlies Comics
5445 E 22nd St.
Tucson, AZ 85711
(520) 320-0279
www.charliescomics.com


IN PHOENIX

Samurai Comics
1051 E Camelback
Phoenix, AZ
602-265-8886
www.samuraicomics.com

Thanks,
John & Agnew

New AHB Merch @ our Cafe Press shop!

Come one come all and visit the OFFICIAL Anti-Hero Brand Press shop! New Fuzzyface merch has been added. WWFFD? shirts and the "Respect" logo tees are now on sale. Just click the link below and shop for the best Anti-Hero Brand merchandise available.

Anti-Hero Brand Press Shop

The Book of Grrry #3

I am back to work, after what seems like a really long goddamn time. Taking onto my plate two scripts (one still in progress) of the next edition of the Book of Grrry spin off from Youth in Asia, as well as the next script for Youth in Asia. I have written an issue 6 and an issue 5.5 for YiA, but wasn't totally satisfied with them. And since writing them I have begun thinking about changing the direction of the book as a whole. Still working with some ideas, and a lot of random thoughts floating around in my head. Which may be good or possibly disastrous. Plus I still have to script the origin story, titled, "Youth in Asia: Ten Years in Hell." This graphic novel will chronicle the origins of main characters, Nash, Agnew, Kyle and Grrry as their lives were prior to them meeting.
Also, recently posted online is the Fuzzyface interview, or what I will refer to as the Fuzzyface interview of Venus of Necro and myself conducted by Richard Caldwell on Bleeding Cool's website. Richard did a stellar job on his questions and I feel Venus and I were able to get ourselves across very well. And without being too wordy. Well, it wasn't easy for me. Have a read and let us know what you think.
Fuzzyface interview

Phoenix Con AFTERMATH!

Ah yes, Phoenix ComiCon. Last weekend, Fuzzyface debuted at table T121 in Small Press. Thursday was a load in day and Preview Night. We were open for about 3 hours and had people stopping by to take a look. Actually the first two days including Preview Night were very slow. But towards the end of Friday, I lost my nervousness and began shouting at passers by with slogans like, "Fuzzyface is being called chocolate and peanut butter for your brain." On Sunday while people were waiting in line to see Stan Lee, I kept telling them how, "Fuzzyface is so good, Stan tried to steal the idea from me. I had to arm wrestle him to get it back!" Believe it or not, people stopped by and bought the book based, possibly solely, on the things I was shouting at them. One guy kept walking and was like, "Hey where are you going? Get back over here!"
Over all Fuzzyface was the absolutely clear front runner in sales. I was pretty much only pimping Fuzzyface during Con. And it paid off. We had a return customer from last year. Last time around this guy bought all the Youth in Asia books and a Chainsaw Agnew t-shirt. He walks up on Saturday, wearing the Agnew t-shirt, and says, "What do you have that's new?" He was so excited to see issue 5 of Youth in Asia and Fuzzyface. He began telling his friends all about last year when he bought a "Sketch Cover" variant to issue 4 and had me draw Grrry stomping on an Anime cosplayer.
During my rants and various shoutings at Con goers I had my booth buddies laughing. Practically falling out of their chairs. A few of them even chimed in and added their two cents on Fuzzyface.
Altogether Phoenix ComiCon was amazing and very fruitful.
Now here in Tucson you can pick up copies of Fuzzyface at the following locations (so far):

Charlies Comics
5445 East 22nd Street
Tucson, AZ 85711-5453
(520) 320-0279
www.charliescomics.com

AND

Safehouse E Bar
4024 East Speedway Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85712-4520
(520) 318-3090
http://www.safehousecoffee.com/

Fuzzyface; The Final Production Note

Fuzzyface drops on Thursday at 6PM on Preview Night of Phoenix Comic Con. I got the rest of the comics printed, the fliers, and the ever present and going to be noticeable standup. It's going to be great.
I have worked very hard on this project, and am now doing an interview to help promote the book. I talked to Venus and told her that I would like to attempt to go national with Fuzzyface by submitting the finished product to small press publishers out there. I have a few "ins" in the comic book industry and may look into having the book carried by publishers these people work with.
Fuzzyface is the culmination of several years worth of ideas and work. It all started several years ago when I drew an eviscerated Grover with designs on using it as a t-shirt graphic. I then thought about my favorite movie, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and what a story might be like if Agnew were the protagonist. However, Agnew couldn't hunt humans. That just isn't done. No, Agnew needed something different, something that would give him an edge from a traditional horror comic book. It was decided that he should hunt down and kill stuffed animals. I think this was back in 2005 or 2006. This ended up laying dormant for quite some time. That is until Venus of Necro popped into my life and after hanging out for about a year, she decided she wanted to write the second issue of The Book of Grrry, entitled G2. It was a well thought out process and Venus executed the story and the characterization flawlessly. For Valentine's Day 2008 I drew a picture of Fuzzyface for her. She immediately dug the concept and inquired more about what I had planned for the story. I told her my basic idea, and she asked if she could take a crack at writing it. I of course wanted to see her vision. So with a lot of research (watching The Muppet Movie and Texas Chain Saw Massacre over and over) she worked the script out of her demented little mind. Venus then turned the script over to me, and I began the job of bringing the written word to visual life. This was back in late 2008. I put the project on hold for about eight or nine months before I finally got my shiftless ass in gear. I redrew the first few pages that I had originally executed in 2008, and then went back into doing layouts for the book. In all, I drew 54 pages of layouts for the graphic novel. After which I began the pencils, or at least went back to doing the pencils. This book was the single biggest project I have ever undertaken. Through the process, I met up with Venus several times to have her review the pages. Each time she was excited to see the progress I had made and her words coming to life. I met with Tucson Comic Con Social Media Manager, Henry Barajas whom I had met at Charlies Comics a few years before. I asked him to write the intro to the graphic novel. He agreed but only if he got to see the work as well. I consented as one of my provisions was to not let anyone, other than Venus view the work before it's completion. The work took me about five months of steady work. It would have taken less if I had been more vigilant during the inking process, however I began to get burned out. However, knowing the importance of this book and how many people wanted to see it finished. Well, the buzz is back and in just a few days it will see the light of day. At Phoenix Comic Con 2010, Fuzzyface will see the world...
FUZZYFACE IS GONNA KILL YOU!

We'll be at booth T121 in Small Press. Look for the cardboard standup of Fuzzyface.

Fuzzyface at Phoenix Comic Con

Fuzzyface is at the printers and it's just a matter of time until you're holding it in your grubby little hands. Above is the flyer that will be distributed at Phoenix Con this year. I have taken the guessing game out of your hands and put the cover art, the Anti-Hero Brand Press logo and the booth number on there. A very gracious friend will be at con most of the days, and she has willingly accepted, or actually asked to distribute flyers to promote Fuzzyface. In face the fliers were her idea. It seems that ladies always seem to have some pretty spectacular ideas when it comes to motivation and promotion. Hopefully my writer will pimp the shit out of Fuzzyface on the website she works for. I already have a guy who's open for interviewing me and Venus of Necro and doing a review of Fuzzyface.
I have gotten back a few sample copies of the book back from the printer. And the book looks amazing. The artwork came out incredible (if only to pat myself on the back), but others say it's the best work of my career. It is also some of the funniest and yet crudest stuff that's fallen out of Venus' mind into a comic book. She did a stellar job writing this book. Maybe, if we're all lucky, she'll want to do a follow up. But let's not count our chickens before they become chicken wings, and let's set this Phoenix Comic Con off like a revolution. The most anticipated book from Anti-Hero Brand Press drops in a few days.
As I stated before you can still preorder for the low price of $10 two locations in Tucson.

Charlies Comics
4554 E 22 St.
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520)320-0279
www.charliescomics.com

and

Safehouse E Bar
4024 E Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520)318-3090
www.safehousecoffee.com/

You better get your Fuzzyface on!........ or.........
Fuzzyface is gonna kill you!

Fuzzyface launch date May 27 FAST APPROACHING!

in just 16 days on May 27 the preview night of Phoenix Cactus Comic Con, Fuzzyface will debut. The sample copy is floating around in John's backpack where I am keeping guard of it. The best way to guarantee you get your grubby little mitts on it is if you preorder the book NOW!.... It is going to be a limited edition, very low print run for the first printing. Cover on the book which features 54 glorious pages of story written and poetically scripted by Venus of Necro and directed to its gritty yet hilarious conclusion by John Chihak, plus 9 pinups by some very talented artists such as Ashler, who did the cover and first three pages of Youth in Asia #4, Erik "Phour Nyne Guy" Arreaga, Paul Fini and others is JUST $12. I know, all that for only $12. And we appreciate that the economy sucks for a lot of us right now. And all of our dollars need to stretch, especially our entertainment dollars. But we are pleased to pretty much guarantee you're gonna love this parody and tribute to both Jim Henson's Muppets and Tobe Hooper's Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
So, either make your way up to Phoenix Cactus Comic Con May 27-30 or preorder the book through either Charlies Comics or Safehouse E Bar.

Charlies Comics
5445 East 22nd Street
Tucson, AZ 85711-5453
(520) 320-0279
www.charliescomics.com

Safehouse E Bar
4024 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85712
(520)318-3090
http://www.safehousecoffee.com/


Sincerely,
Agnew Pennyworth

Fuzzyface "The final production notes" Pt. 20 Lettering

If there is such a thing as god. It's me. Cause I just finished lettering the whole goddamned graphic novel in two sittings over the span of two nights, and who knows how many freaking hours. I do know it took 6 sodas to complete and a hell of a lot of water too. It was such an accomplished feeling, having the sun come up today and being like, "One more page, c'mon you can do it." Kinda like when you're working out and you force yourself to go another five minutes on the elliptical or another rep when your muscles want to kill you.
So, Venus said she would like to color the cover of the book, and I also spoke with her about coloring the print that I penciled and Paul Fini inked. It looks so amazing. And I told him he better feel like signing copies of the print at this year's Tucson Comic Con.
Tonight, I plan on coloring the stand up piece I am gonna use to get people to come up to the booth. It's gonna be full color, and the image is pretty sweet. It's been approved by a fan. So look for a large full color Fuzzyface stand up at Phoenix Cactus ComiCon!
I would also like to point out that I am currently on the hunt for clothing for Agnew to be dressed as Fuzzyface at Phoenix ComiCon. If you know where I can get him a dress shirt, tie, apron and of course I gotta make him a mask, out of the souls of dead muppets. We have the chainsaw thing taken care of though.
Just remembering how this idea came from a picture I drew back in 2005 of Grover with his arms ripped off and his stuffing pouring out. And it grew to be the most anticipated graphic novel of 2010!

Fuzzyface production rolls on...

So, I've transferred the PDF's into tiffs and just completed 4 straight hours of digital cleanup. Things are moving along pretty nicely. Tomorrow I will commence with the lettering. I figure I should have the book lettered by the end of the weekend. I can letter a regular sized comic in one night if I push myself. And of course each time I letter I get a little bit better and little bit faster. Agnew supervised the entire process, and will continue to do so. I figure he deserves an executive producer credit in the graphic novel. At least something. Two of my friends just sneak peeked the inked pages. They were both stunned and laughing the whole way through. And they can't wait for the finished product. Venus is also very excited to see the book completed. It was a lot of hard work for her. The biggest project that both of us have undertaken to this point. And now that she is a mom, this type of work may not be coming along very often. So I suggest that you snatch up a copy when you see one. Cause it is easily both of our best works in my completely non humble opinion.
While at wings today, I began reading book 1 of 4 of the Eastman & Laird Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. It's good stuff. And it holds up pretty well. Especially considering that I didn't read it as a kid. The story flows pretty well if a little bit too fast for my liking. But then again it didn't grind to a halt like Alan Moore's stuff. He has a tendency to ramble and use way too many words. Thus is the British scribe way.
Last night I also booked my hotel at the Hyatt for Phoenix Comic Con. I am also going to register as a professional for San Diego Comic Con in the off chance I can get time and money allotted for that trek. It would be awesome. I have a friend who is going to share the hotel with me for Phoenix Con so maybe I could share the room with her for SDCC. Registration for pro's is all the way until May. So I still have a shot. Last year it was only open till January. It would be the very first time I would attend SDCC as a professional. I have heard if you go as a pro, you can get into all kinds of behinds the scenes workshops and tutorials and interviews and stuff. Plus, if I do go it'll be a lot less I have to spend, cause I won't have to pay the membership fee.
I cannot think of anything else to write at this moment. So until next time this will have to do.

Fuzzyface "The final production notes" Pt. 18

With less than one page of inks left to finish, I am nearing completion on production of the biggest project of my young career. Fuzzyface: The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre is an epic told in 54 pages of explosive hilarity and tribute. This project has been "in the works" for nearly 4 years now. As I first conjured up the idea back in 2006 (I believe) when I drew a picture of a dismembered and gutted Grover. The idea was to produce the image as a t-shirt with the slogan, "Childhood Sucks!" I then took this to thinking about the character Agnew, and my love for the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The concept was to have Agnew, in the guise of Leatherface, hunting down stuffed animals and wearing their "fur" as masks.
When I was in the midst of a relationship with Venus of Necro, I told her about the story. She loved the idea and after writing the script for GS: The Book of Grrry #2, she demanded to write Fuzzyface. Knowing about her acumen for writing, and her knowledge and love of the Youth in Asia characters, I let her imagination run wild. She finished the script in lat 2008. And I began working on the art. However, due to the relationship ending, I decided to put the project on hold. I didn't pick up the script again until about September of 2009. I began doing layouts for the book. And after putting out about 20 something pages of layouts I decided to start the actual pages. I got into the teens and then decided to finish the layout pages. I finished with 53 total, and then added another page to make it an even number and to add another kill scene.
I met with Venus on a semi weekly basis to go over the artwork. In light of one small change, she agreed with everything I put to the 11X17 Bristol boards. I worked on the project while I was in San Francisco for APE Con. I worked on pages while I sat at my booth and conversed with my fellow exhibitors. I then came back to Tucson and worked on the book while attending Tucson Comic Con. I continued penciling pages while at work and at rest at the neighborhood coffee houses. After I completed pencils, I quickly decided to ink the project solo. I hit up a few people, but thought in the end, like Youth in Asia, Fuzzyface is my concept and my baby. I don't think I would have been happy with myself if I let someone else ink it. The inking process for my past books has always been murder on my wrist. Sometimes I would have to strap on my wrist brace and just muster though. Occasionally it got so bad that I could maybe ink one or two lines before I would have to massage my wrist. The inflammation got so horrible at times. This time though, the only thing that hurt was my elbow, and my fingers from gripping the pens really tightly. See, when I pencil, I'm looser and freer with my line work, but when I ink I tend to get tense and hold my wrist and instrument really tightly. It doesn't help that the pens I use don't have gel grips. Towards the end, meaning these last few pages, I have used a brush pen and a brush on some of the inks. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the brush pen, but I know I need to practice with the brush to begin to mast it.
So, I honestly think that people who have been waiting for this project are going to be happy with end result. The humor. The tribute. The whole concept. It is golden. And after we debut Fuzzyface at Phoenix Comic Con 2010 Memorial Day Weekend, we plan on submitting the book to various indie publishers so that we can hopefully we can get national exposure. So, my advice to you, is get to Phoenix Con this May and make sure you get your first print run, which will be modest, to say you were there when the stuffing hit the fan.

"Oh yes there will be stuffing!"

Fuzzyface production notes pt. 17

SO it has come to my Zig pens drying up every last bit of pigment in them in order to put out this book. Knowing they went down for such an amazing graphic novel says something. They appreciate their lives being snuffed for the good of good wholesome family entertainment that no family should ever view as a family.
So I had to venture out to the art supply shop, not Michael's, as they do not have any Zig pens right now. I went to Posner's across the street from the Fine Arts Department at the UofA. They didn't carry Zig pens, but they did have an array of inking supplies that I can variably put to good use. I also found some pretty sweet "sketch cards." They come in 20 packs and are made from Bristol board so you can do small custom pieces for people. I guess I gotta get used to working on fairly small pieces of paper now too. I plan on doing small commissions of pen and ink for like $5 at conventions and then charging like $10 for larger pieces in pencil and charging extra for ink and some color.
Fuzzyface rolls along with these new found supplies. And two more pages were done last night with said supplies. I finally noticed that Fuzzyface while not a classic monster movie in the conventional sense, does share some very important characteristics. For instance, Fuzzyface does not appear until just before halfway through the book. And that is in classic albeit modern horror movie mythos in that a tribute kill happens. And of course it is tribute to the genius that is Tobe Hooper and Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
I am psyching myself up for the possibility of attempting to take Fuzzyface national and beyond. After the first or second self published print run of Fuzzyface, I am planning to submit the graphic novel to some national comic book publishing companies with the clause that it carry the Anti-Hero Brand imprint logo. Image, Dark Horse, Oni, Slave Labor Graphics and others are potential parties, as is Dynamite which is doing some amazing work with licensed properties like Army of Darkness, Jason and Freddy, not to mention Red Sonja, and Garth Ennis' The Boys. So when the book releases and does some great business, as I know it will, this will be a catalyst to being able to get the book pimped and sold around the country. So be sure to show up to Phoenix Cactus ComiCon 2010 to get your first printing original self published print run of Fuzzyface. That way you can tell all your friends you were there when it all went down. That and you can get me to sign it, and if you ask nicely I'll even draw something in it for you. Plus, a few of the contributing pinup artists will be at Phoenix Con too. You can them to scrawl on your copy of Fuzzyface as well.

Part 17... "What the FUCK?"

So the inking continues at a near break wrist pace. 20 down.... 34 left standing. Things continue to improve, I think as I grow ever closer to the final destination of the finished graphic novel. Once I complete this then I will worry about "filming" all the bonus scenes and stuff. I am honestly enjoying this inking process a little bit more than I have in the past. Although, it's just tedious and nerve wracking as I basically attempt to not fuck up all the work I have done, so I get uber tense when I ink. My wrist tightens and my elbow hurts from trying to hold my arm steady. It's been my elbow and my finger that have been bugging me more than my wrist this time around. So either I am doing something right or something very very wrong.
Venus is set to write herself a bio for the book, as am I. But I think I know what I need to say. Although it could all change in the blink of an eye. Basically I am planning on writing a semi serious but completely ridiculous bio for myself. Heralding my galactic conquests of lesser savage beings and my introducing them to Grrry who would level the playing fields and tear their worlds asunder. Agnew who is the bringer of life and death. And Kyle, the goddess of being the girl upstairs. Not to mention, Nash who would just assume kick you in the nuts as shake your hand. And holder of the Galactic Heavyweight Hardcore Wrestling Championship.
Basically these remaining production notes are for the express purpose of documenting my descent into madness from the inking process. Any useful information or entertainment value attained from these last few posts is purely coincidental.

Fuzzyface Production Notes Part 16.... "inks"

My left elbow has this dull, annoying pain in it. My fingers are cramping, but my wrist actually doesn't hurt so long as I'm not holding a pen. I jokingly bitched about having to ink this project by myself. When in all actuality, I wouldn't have this any other way. Even though the story was written by someone else, Fuzzyface is very much my baby. My second baby, as Youth in Asia will always be my first.
The choice to ink the book came from no small amount of peer pressure, but also, cause I know the story will look more professional as well as add to the subcontext of the story. But other than that the only thing I really have to report is that I began inking yesterday, and I now, after a bit over 24 hours, have 5 pages inked. So, be on the lookout for Fuzzyface. The book is going to rock. And I really feel this is what's going to force people to take notice.