Okay it's not here yet but it's coming soon ... my first published graphic novel, Glitter Kiss!!! Written by the lovely and talented Adrianne Ambrose, illustrated by yours truly, and published by the kick-ass folks at Oni Press!
GAH I CAN'T WAIT!!
Real cover coming soon! Eeeeeee!
Big thanks to the Comics Worth Reading peeps for a mention! I'll stop geeking out now.
Or WILL I??
SPX is one of my favorite shows to go to, and not just because it's nestled in my very own state, right down the street from my old teenage Tower Records stomping grounds. One of the reasons I love this show is because it's the very first one I exhibited at, back when I just had a binder full of printouts of my webcomic and free postcards to give away. Back when it was split up in 3 different ballrooms of a hotel, and all the exhibitors would descend upon the downstairs bar for a drink when it was over. Ah, the memories. Of the drinks.
Anyhoo. Even though I was super disappointed that I didn't get to exhibit at SPX this year, I did dash in and out for a couple hours on Saturday and immediately threw some money at some books. Here's what I'm going to check out:
Mark Twain's Autobiography by Michael Kupperman. Okay, so this one is really a gift for a friend, but I'm sure I'll probably end up reading it before I wrap it up (oh, like you've never done that!). I can't wait to see how the images and awesome Twain quotes tie in together. Have you guys ever been to his house? GORGEOUS. And, according to Ghost Hunters, haunted. Bonus!
Yessss, more Kate Beaton is always required. I'm not sure if this comes before or after the published Hark, A Vagrant, but I'm sure to love it just the same. I can't get over her facial expressions of people in medieval garb.
Paris by Maarten Vande Wiele was a pure impulse buy. The art style, the subject matter (bitchy fashionistas doing bitchy things) - I knew I had to have it. It looked like everything I aspire to be as an artist. And, maybe, as a fashionista. You don't know! It could happen!
I'll let you guys know what I think after I finish them. It's so nice to have some graphic novels in my to-read stockpile again!!
Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five, my sassy little webcomic, is now moving to twice a week!!
Which means instead of being posted every Wednesday, it'll now be posted EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. Sandwiching Wednesday with comicky goodness, if you will. STARTING NEXT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th. Which is kind of crazy, since I'm going to be off to London that Thursday, BUT that's why I switched this here website over to WordPress last month - so I could start scheduling this stuff!
(wish me luck in remembering to DO this twice a week now ... )
Bonnie N. Collide, Nine to Five, my sassy little webcomic, is now moving to twice a week!!
Which means instead of being posted every Wednesday, it'll now be posted EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. Sandwiching Wednesday with comicky goodness, if you will. STARTING NEXT TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th. Which is kind of crazy, since I'm going to be off to London that Thursday, BUT that's why I switched this here website over to WordPress last month - so I could start scheduling this stuff!
(wish me luck in remembering to DO this twice a week now ... )
I love me a good Comic Con. And although I've only exhibited at Baltimore Comic Con twice now, it's definitely become one of my top faves. I was a little apprehensive this year about my location (across from Stan Lee, kind of hard to compete with that), but the sheer dedication and interest of the fans that come to this show never leaves me disappointed. Women, families - I've never seen a more diverse group of nerds than at Baltimore Comic Con. LOVE IT.
I tried to make my table display a little higher this year but honestly my teeny logo couldn't compete with the giant back walls and banners of everyone else:
The rest of my display was sectioned out into Comics, Prints, and Cuffs.
Some highlights from this year:
Here are the sketches I did, for those not following me on the Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr's!
Awright, awright. I guess it's time for me to grow up and accept the fact that I'll be on the FODMAPs diet for a while. I know, I've been a brat since I first heard I have SIBO, and only *kind of* did the whole FODMAPs thing at first. Basically, since I was MOSTLY following the diet, and doing the herbs, I thought it was bullshit that I wasn't feeling better.
(And then threw caution to the wind and grabbed up some cheese and bread and stuffed a lot of it into my face).
Some stuff's happened since. Basically my SIBO is NOT gone, the power of the herbs was useless, and my insides are trying to violently overthrow me. Maybe I'm being dramatic. After I found out my SIBO wasn't only gone but worse, I wasn't sure what to do and limped back to my scattering of ol' FODMAPs recipes and blogs I'd found. Then I lucked upon a Facebook group committed to peeps dealing with FODMAPs and related cray-cray eating plans. Everyone was supportive, friendly, and best of all had stories to share. Immediately I was tld that you can't do the FODMAPs thing half-assed (to be fair, I was at least doing it three-quarters of an ass). If you do, you'll never figure out if it can help or not. Like one genius poster noted, you've topped off the level of FODMAPs in your body and until you start to make that level decline, you're just adding to the problem. I'm already at a point where it's too easy to make bad things happen, and it's going to take a lot of work to make good things happen. My FODMAPs are at 11.
It's interesting too, to think I was treating this eating plan like a weight loss diet. I figured any effort I put into eating this way was bonus - as long as I was mostly doing it, it had to be better than my previous habits. Right?? Nah. My gut's not MOSTLY dead, it's all dead.
Anyway. I just wanted to update you guys to my food struggles, and give mad props to the folks out there with specific diet to adhere to. Especially the pioneers in the field! Just like when I meet an older gay man or lesbian or feminist or civil rights activist, I want to shake the hand of the gluten-free fore-fathers: Thanks for all the hard work you did to make my life easier.
I'm thinking of putting some original art up for sale of some of my Bonnie N. Collide strips, this weekend at the Baltimore Comic Con but also to be posted in my Etsy Shop after that. Which ones would you guys like to see for sale? Bonnie and Stuart, Bonnie and her coworkers, Herb?? I'd love any/all opinions! :)
I'm thinking of putting some original art up for sale of some of my Bonnie N. Collide strips, this weekend at the Baltimore Comic Con but also to be posted in my Etsy Shop after that. Which ones would you guys like to see for sale? Bonnie and Stuart, Bonnie and her coworkers, Herb?? I'd love any/all opinions! :)
I'm thinking of putting some original art up for sale of some of my Bonnie N. Collide strips, this weekend at the Baltimore Comic Con but also to be posted in my Etsy Shop after that. Which ones would you guys like to see for sale? Bonnie and Stuart, Bonnie and her coworkers, Herb?? I'd love any/all opinions! :)
Hey I'll be at a comic convention this weekend! In Baltimore, no less! If you're near-ish the area, come stop by and say hi - I'll be at table A305 in Artist Alley.
Here's a preview of what I'll be selling!
Last weekend the city of Baltimore welcomed a bunch of high-speed cars and their international drivers to careen around the city streets that us city dwellers merely use for gridlock. This is the 2nd year Baltimore has hosted the Grand Prix, which at first I only liked because it brought attention and dollars to the fair city (charm city) in which I live. But since my boyfriend just happens to be a prix fan, or rather a Fan of Fancy Cars That Drive Around But Definitely Not NASCAR, he loaded up on tickets for the weekend and I let him drag me there for one of the days.
Outside events typically aren't my thing. There's something about the combination of aluminum bleachers + burning hot sun with no shade + port-a-potty's that can ruin a good weekend day. This is why, years ago, I dragged my boyfriend away from a Ravens game to go sit somewhere cool and air conditioned before the game was over (he claims we were there only 5 minutes; I claim 10 days). But for the Grand Prix I decided to put on a brave face and suck it up. A brave face and lots of sunscreen, and a hat.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I'd witnessed a bunch of races on TV, but in person I was worried I'd get vertigo trying to track the cars zooming by. Luckily my boyfriend had picked some killer seats, not only high up in a corner with no one in front of us, but also in a spot where we could witness cars careening by one way, then turning around and heading back towards the other. This allowed me time to figure out which car I needed to root for, and I settled on a green Ferrarri.
My boyfriend informed me it wasn't JUST a green Ferrarri, but the Team Patron Ferrari 458 Italia. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize there was not one, but TWO of them on the track. I had actually chosen this particular green car initially because it had the funniest, loudest PUTT-PUTT-PUTT sound as the driver was down-shifting around the corners (using the flappy-paddle gear box, as the Top Gear boys have taught me to say). So I kept clapping for it, which was pretty stupid since I wasn't the only one wearing earplugs.
Blissfully, after an hour the sun disappeared behind some hazy clouds and the seats weren't nearly as unbearable. I enjoyed myself (after wolfing down a giant pretzel), and it was hard to deny how exciting it was just to hear those cars zooming around, trapped between the concrete barriers like a pack of angry wasps, let alone see them. My boyfriend graciously let us duck out early to meet a friend at a bar with a view of the track, and I was proud for our city to have successfully hosted such an event. It's rare when I experience moments of civic pride, but I do indeed have them. (Also, I'm proud of myself for not being an indoors-only spoilsport as per usual).
Go green car!
Yayyyy ... latest Animal Spirit Guides! For those of you going to Baltimore Comic-Con this year, they'll be there for sale!
I've held off on watching True Blood for a while. At first I heard things like "this show is amazing! You gotta watch!" and then it quickly turned to "that show is crap" or "it's just a big dumb soap opera" to eventually "omg you have to watch because the men are so hot". So obviously, I became intrigued. As someone who's been too inundated with images of naked women romping about (Game of Thrones, even though I love you, give it a rest already), I figured it was fine time to get to see a show that celebrated the male form. The NUDE male form. Hence, True Blood.
But even though my initial impulse to watch wasn't necessarily noble, I quickly became interested in the story and fell in love with (most) of the characters. Lafayette, Tara, Sam, Jason, Alcide, Jessica, Eric, Andy, Pam .... just a few who are never predictable and every time you see them they add another notch of complexity. Much like Friday Night Lights, it's easy to pigeonhole these "types" before you get to know them, and then watch as they unfold into ever changing, unpredictable people.
Except for Sookie. Ugh. Can they do something with her, please?
Sure, I could tell on the series when they were throwing in obligatory Maenad sex parties or romps with fairies in the forest in order to boost ratings. Luckily the strength of the actors was enough to keep things interesting and flowing and not cringeworthy when the script suddenly made someone a little TOO over-the-top.
So I just want to thank you, True Blood, for all the seasons I recently binge-watched. As I mention in this post on my other blog, summer is not my favorite time and these cold-cheeked vamps have helped me get through another one.
Oh, and does Pam remind anyone else of Janice?
I've held off on watching True Blood for a while. At first I heard things like "this show is amazing! You gotta watch!" and then it quickly turned to "that show is crap" or "it's just a big dumb soap opera" to eventually "omg you have to watch because the men are so hot". So obviously, I became intrigued. As someone who's been too inundated with images of naked women romping about (Game of Thrones, even though I love you, give it a rest already), I figured it was fine time to get to see a show that celebrated the male form. The NUDE male form. Hence, True Blood.
But even though my initial impulse to watch wasn't necessarily noble, I quickly became interested in the story and fell in love with (most) of the characters. Lafayette, Tara, Sam, Jason, Alcide, Jessica, Eric, Andy, Pam .... just a few who are never predictable and every time you see them they add another notch of complexity. Much like Friday Night Lights, it's easy to pigeonhole these "types" before you get to know them, and then watch as they unfold into ever changing, unpredictable people.
Except for Sookie. Ugh. Can they do something with her, please?
Sure, I could tell on the series when they were throwing in obligatory Maenad sex parties or romps with fairies in the forest in order to boost ratings. Luckily the strength of the actors was enough to keep things interesting and flowing and not cringeworthy when the script suddenly made someone a little TOO over-the-top.
So I just want to thank you, True Blood, for all the seasons I recently binge-watched. As I mention in this post on my other blog, summer is not my favorite time and these cold-cheeked vamps have helped me get through another one.
Oh, and does Pam remind anyone else of Janice?
This past weekend, while traipsing through a few of the 200 magical vineyards that Virginia has to offer, my boyfriend, his sister and brother-in-law, and I all decided to stop by good ol' Monticello and pay homage to Thomas Jefferson's crazy, elaborate mansion. If you've never been to Monticello before, and are also considering stopping by James Madison's Montpelier first, definitely do Montpelier FIRST, because it's a good warm up. If you went to Monticello first, then Montpelier would be kind of a letdown. And then the thing that you'd reminisce over the most was seeing an old guy's car with no e-brake slowly rolling/crashing into another car in the parking lot.
But Monticello - woooeee is it a lot of fun! So I'm not an expert of historical sites, but one of the best things about Monticello is that it's determinedly unique and quirky. With other homes, it was obvious the owners just wanted to show off and pump a lot of money into the tapestries or the staircase. But Jefferson's singular purpose was to have everything look cool from the outside, and screw everyone who had to inhabit the weirdness of the resulting interior. Gotta love a man with purpose!
One of the ways he managed this was by having giant windows on the first floor, smaller windows on the second floor (that were at floor level to the rooms), and nothing but skylights on the third level. That way everything looked like one big room from the outside. Then he capped this all off with a dome surrounded by windows, which were kind of (but not quite) symmetrical.
Design philosophy like this suits my personality just fine and I'll tell you why. Sometimes things just don't seem to line up properly the way you imagined, no matter how much thought and planning you put into it. So what are you going to do, scrap the whole project? Heavens no! You're going to make slight adjustments to windows, so some of them are still symmetrical but some graciously incorporate the use of a mirror so you won't have to view the awkward roof right outside (which would have totally destroyed the illusion of seamlessness).
And who cares if you're going to have random, creepy rooms created as a result that people don't really have a use for?
One of my favorite inventions/designs that Jefferson envisioned was a giant clock inside his front entryway, complete with weights and big markings for the days of the week going down one side of the wall. The only problem was, he mismeasured and Saturday didn't fit in the room. Did he change his design or scrap the idea? Eff no. He simply drilled a hole in the floor so that Saturday could hang out below and still be included with the rest of the gang. Again - that's problem solving I can get down with. He also had no use for stairs and even though OTHER people in the house might need them, he strived to make them as narrow, steep, and inconvenient as possible to get to. Further proof that he had no problem ignoring the upper levels of his house.
So I definitely recommend visiting Monticello and taking in all the design wonders inside and outside the house that Jefferson envisioned.
Even though, really, there's no contest for winner of his best invention ever. And that is The Wine Elevator, hidden in his living room fireplace. Aww yeah.
This dude in Starbucks today told me I reminded him of "some kind of actress", which left me a bit perplexed. He couldn't remember exactly who, and that was the most information he could give me. Yet he felt compelled to tell me such.
Anytime I'm approached by a stranger, purely for them to compare me to someone else, I get curious. What is this interaction meant to do, for them, and for me? What was it about the way I ordered my tea that made me remind him of an actress? Why an actress? And what on earth kind of an actress? What is he basing this comparison on - do I look more likely to bust out a monologue than the guy in line behind me? I think I have a right to know exactly in which way I'm being judged:
Except, of course, when I'm approached by fellow Gallaghers. We Gallaghers are a strange breed, with the curious habit of seeking one another out, just to ask "Where are you from? Where are your ancestors from in Ireland?" then flash the signature Gallagher teeth n' eyebrows . . .
. . . and awkwardly wander away. And that I don't mind one bit.
There's a new Bonnie up! And hey, have you guys noticed the character page I created for it? There's also one for Gods & Undergrads! Hooray!
There's a new Bonnie up! And hey, have you guys noticed the character page I created for it? There's also one for Gods & Undergrads! Hooray!
There's a new Bonnie up! And hey, have you guys noticed the character page I created for it? There's also one for Gods & Undergrads! Hooray!
I used to be OBSESSED with trying to mimic these hairstyles when I was little. For some reason the braid hoops Leia wore in Cloud City were the ones I wanted the most. I was amazed at all the gair she had to spare. But hair down in Ewok City? Snoozeville!
Monica Gallagher is a comic book creator, illustrator and freelance designer making work for hire with a positive, feminist spin.
TCAF - Toronto, ON, Canada // June 7 - 8
Heroes Con - Charlotte, NC // June 20 - 22
Tucson Comic Con - Tucson, AZ // Aug. 29 - 31
Small Press Expo - Rockville, MD // Sep. 13 - 14
Denton Comic Art Expo - Denton, TX // Sep. 27
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