Ahhh. Today has been a heckuvalot better than yesterday. I just got back from a nice swim with mum, I got a lot of important stuff taken care of, and a lot of fun stuff done. What's more, I made up a brand new batch of Claymates to put on Domestic Voodoo and since they are just so cute (though I say it myself) I figured I'd give my favorite people the first look at them. Don't worry if any of these get sold -- I can easily make more, and shall.


Obviously, this one is named David.

( Claymates and one Skelebuddy.. )


Also, now that I'm at #150 for Snap Crackle Pop, I'm thinking of taking a short break so I can get caught up on all my projects. I have commissions for paintings as well as toys, and I'll need the extra time to get the SCP book att finished and ready to print. So, a small survey: would you guys be totally betrayed if I went on hiatus for a month or two? Would you lose interest in the comic? Would you riot? Be honest. I'd actually be flattered if a few of you got pissed. Don't hold back. Really.

Love you all (especially you. Yes, you) and I hope your day is going great!

I've been reeling from some seriously bad news in the cartooning world, nay, the whole world at large. Berkeley Breathed, who as some of you know is a hero to me, is retiring Opus AGAIN, and this time, he says, it's for good. Knowing his penchant for fucking with our emotions, it's likely going to be a sad ending, jerking those tears, and nothing I say will stop him.

What a bastard! He already broke my heart TWICE by retiring Bloom County and then Outland (of course, I only started reading his comics long after the fact, but my heart was broken anyway!, and when he came out of retirement to do Opus, I was more than thrilled, I think I actually got on my knees and thanked the baby Jesus. He's been like an uncle to me, he taught me so many important rules about cartooning, I hold him just as high as Bill Watterson and Walt Kelly and he's dumping me! He's left a note on the bedside table and packed his bags in the night.

Now, now when the world needs him the most, the world of comics is falling apart and people are caring less and less about them, the most important and flavorful parts of our newspapers -- and the world in general, falling prey to the cynicism and carelessness and lack of imagination that he and cartoonists everywhere fight against! We need him and his neurotic tubby big-nosed penguin in the world, we need his sublime humor, his whimsical vision, his unmasked political satire -- damn it, we need Bill the Cat's furballs! Now, in this time of great crisis, he is leaving us forever.

He said his reason for doing so was to keep from being turned into a grump by this very system, and to turn his sights instead to doing more children's books, which sounds lovely, but I selfishly turn up my nose at his personal life and call it all baloney. Cartoonists aren't supposed to do what makes them happy, they're supposed to do what makes ME happy!

Oh am I depressed.


Anyway, there's at least one cartoonist in the world who hasn't retired yet (possibly because no one has paid me to do this...) So enjoy and happy Wednesday! I won't leave you.

In fact, in this week's installment, we're gearing up for a party...