Twenty-ten has been a good year for me (so far). My new project still feels pretty daunting but I’m feeling more confident this year than I have in a while. I still have a lot of work to do and I thought I’d take a small break (yet keep the creative momentum going) and draw up a quick comic. I hope you’re having a great year!

-tony

I did a presentation on webcomics at the 72nd annual Canadian University Press conference, hosted by the Gateway, today. I’d like to thank Mike Kendrick for inviting me and all the people in attendance for being so patient and understanding as I rambled on about comics, advertising, merchandising, and the devastating buffer. It was a pleasure to meet everyone and I hope I was able to answer all the questions appropriately. I felt very welcome and I’m glad I was given the opportunity to speak.

Here are some Gateway comics for your reading pleasure.

-tony

This is an update to the INDY WEEK post:

I’ll be at Happy Harbor v2 on Saturday, January 2nd, twenty-ten – drawing sketches for Food Bank donations. Come on down to 180 Manning Crossing with your box of KD or canned vegetables and I’ll draw up a sketch of your choice. Bring reference material, in case I just can’t remember to draw Boba Fett from off the top of my head. I’ll be there from 10 am to 6 pm focusing my ki.

-tony

I think it’s safe to let you know (damn press release embargo) that Chris Hawkins and I have a 6-page story in the Paul Lavallee’s latest Induced comic. Bikini Rangers is the story of three kick-ass dames in bathing attire who roam the countryside doling out punishment and asking questions later. Think Baywatch meets The Legend of Kung-Fu. Chris is the talented writer. As well as being the publisher, Paul lettered the comic. I did my humble part of the art chores. Check out the fantastic cover by the exquisite Fiona Staples (put a ring on it, boys. She’s a keeper).

The comic debuts on December 30th. Just in time for INDY COMIC WEEK at Happy Harbor (note the previous blog post).

I am, however, offering a pre-sale for anyone OUTSIDE of the Edmonton capital region (You guys in town better show up for some INDY WEEK). For the low price of $5, you can have your very own copy of Induced signed by the creative team.

Preview of Bikini Rangers

Everyone knows that Wednesday is new comics day but on December 30th the mainstream publishers are taking a week off which could leave some empty shelves on the NEW COMICS THIS WEEK rack. Happy Harbor is going to fill that NEW rack with all the local and indie comics they have. Classics and new issues from people you know and people you don’t but any one of which could be the future of the medium.

Wed – Dec 30, Special COMIC JAM! 7 pm start. Here’s your chance to break away from the family for a bit and unleash your creativity! at Happy Harbor v1

Sat – Jan 2, SKETCHFEST! Dozens of local artists (me included) will be hanging at all 3 Happy Harbors for the day drawing custom sketches for you with a donation to the Food Bank. 10 am to 6 pm.

Sun – Jan 3, COMIC IN A DAY! Between 10 and 11 in the morning, come down to Happy Harbor vol. 1 and bring a donation for the Food Bank. If you make the biggest donation, you get to suggest a story idea/concept for the collective of writers and artists to create. By 6 in the evening, we should have 16 complete pages to be scanned and taken to the printers on Monday morning, ready for sale that same day! The person who contributed the most to the Food Bank and the story idea will also be credited in the book.

I will be participating in all of the events and it would be great if you stopped on by.

Hope to see you there!

-tony

If you are in Edmonton this Sunday, September 28, 2008, stop on by the Pop Culture Fair at the Mayfield Trade Centre (16615 109 Avenue). It’s a new location and I would hate for you to miss it because it’s not at the ol’ Aviation Centre. I’ll be there at Artist’s Alley table 113 with all the other talented cartoonists.

Let me know if there are any originals you’d like me to bring to the table. I’ll see you there!

-tony

On September 17, 2008, Cigarro & Cerveja will be ten years old. I never imagined that the little comic strip that I handed in to the University newspaper would be still going years after I had graduated. I’m very proud of it and I love drawing Cigarro and Cerveja and their crazy hijinx.

I saddens me to say that, on the tenth anniversary, Cigarro & Cerveja will be wrapping up.

15 years ago I drew my first comic. It was an incredible feeling to see my superheroes fight their archenemies on the page with non-archival ink (which bled pink through the bristol months later). I want to return to those stories. I’ll be trying my hand at creating an epic adventure story with burly macho men and lavish beauties. This will be a new challenge for me since I have been drawing funny animals for quite some time now.

Just because I’m choosing to go a new path doesn’t mean that Cigarro & Cerveja is dead or abandoned. C&C are very much a part of me and a way that I use to express myself. You may see strips pop up in the future similar to a personal blog rather than a regularly updated webcomic.

I offer my deepest thanks to all of you who have continued to read the comic and have given me so much support over the years. I regret that my decision may be a disappointment to you but I do hope that you will understand and find my next project to be to your liking.

Warmest wishes,
-tony

Well, the majority of the renovations are done. The scanner is all set up and ready to go…

But in the two weeks absence I only drew a week-and-a-half’s worth (and not all in order). In attempts to catch up, I’ll be posting three comics a night rather than the lump sum that I thought I’d be able to post. I appreciate your patience as I get my “sea legs” back.

I also have an announcement to make about the future of C&C. I hope to be able to tell you later on this week.

-tony

Hey there!

I regret to say that there will be a short time span where I won’t be able to update the comics. The house is undergoing some renovations and that resulted in the scanner being disconnected from the compy. I’ll continue drawing comics in the meantime and when everything is reconnected there will be a bulk update for all the time missed (which I hope isn’t much).

-tony

One week after the release of The Incredible Hulk, I figured it was just late enough to bring out my old The Hulk movie collectibles and put them up for auction. What are we speaking of here? Well, there’s the DVD itself, two movie passes (placed in the DVD case), seven cups (1 from the movie concession stand, 3 from 7/11, and 3 COLD ACTIVATED cups also from 7/11), a popcorn pail, and all of it packed away in a box where I drew the Hulk on one side.
The DVD was only lightly watched once or twice and then placed away on a shelf to never see the light of day. The cups were only used once and washed immediately after the consumption of the delicious Slurpee beverage. The pail has had a more lively life experience: used for the original purpose of eating buttered popcorn, and then given to my mom where she used it to store Thor knows what… but is still in very nice condition.
All of this was wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a largish box. The art on the box was done by me, Tony, with blue pencil, inked with archival pens, and coloured by state-of-the-art pencil crayons.

Start the bidding!

-tony

A trouble ticket has been submitted to repair the website. I’m pretty frustrated that this has taken over 24 hours and the site is still not working properly. Hopefully it will be fixed soon and the last few days of comics will become visible.

-tony