Black Beetles in Amber

So a few people have been asking about the title The Broken Light... it is from an Ambrose Bierce poem written in response to a man who was upset about the country honoring Confederate soldiers after the war. I decided to put it here so you can read the whole thing! Enjoy!

To E.S. Solomon

Who in a Memorial Day oration protested bitterly against decorating the graves of Confederate dead.

What! Salomon! such words from you,
Who call yourself a soldier? Well,
The Southern brother where he fell
Slept all your base oration through.

Alike to him--he cannot know
Your praise or blame: as little harm
Your tongue can do him as your arm
A quarter-century ago.

The brave respect the brave. The brave
Respect the dead; but you--you draw
That ancient blade, the ass's jaw,
And shake it o'er a hero's grave.

Are you not he who makes to-day
A merchandise of old renown
Which he persuades this easy town
He won in battle far away?

Nay, those the fallen who revile
Have ne'er before the living stood
And stoutly made their battle good
And greeted danger with a smile.

What if the dead whom still you hate
Were wrong? Are you so surely right?
We know the issue of the fight--
The sword is but an advocate.

Men live and die, and other men
Arise with knowledges diverse:
What seemed a blessing seems a curse,
And Now is still at odds with Then.

The years go on, the old comes back
To mock the new--beneath the sun.
Is nothing new; ideas run
Recurrent in an endless track.

What most we censure, men as wise
Have reverently practiced; nor
Will future wisdom fail to war
On principles we dearly prize.

We do not know--we can but deem,
And he is loyalest and best
Who takes the light full on his breast
And follows it throughout the dream.

The broken light, the shadows wide--
Behold the battle-field displayed!
God save the vanquished from the blade,
The victor from the victor's pride!

If, Salomon, the blessed dew
That falls upon the Blue and Gray
Is powerless to wash away
The sin of differing from you.

Remember how the flood of years
Has rolled across the erring slain;
Remember, too, the cleansing rain
Of widows' and of orphans' tears.

The dead are dead--let that atone:
And though with equal hand we strew
The blooms on saint and sinner too,
Yet God will know to choose his own.

The wretch, whate'er his life and lot,
Who does not love the harmless dead
With all his heart and all his head--
May God forgive him--I shall not.

When, Salomon, you come to quaff
The Darker Cup with meeker face,
I, loving you at last, shall trace
Upon your tomb this epitaph:

"Draw near, ye generous and brave--
Kneel round this monument and weep:
It covers one who tried to keep
A flower from a dead man's grave."

How About a Big Hand?

I've been sketching as much Civil War era stuff as I can in preparation for my upcoming webcomic THE BROKEN LIGHT. The Metropolitan Museum has a new show of American painting from the late 18th century through WWI. I felt as though it was a mixed bag. There was some amazing stuff, especially toward the beginning, but I think the entire collection failed to be a cohesive whole.

The great thing about researching the civil war is the amount of visual information that exists. Photography was just catching its stride, so there are a lot of amazing (and gruesome) photos, even photographs of paintings that have been lost. In addition, there were great painters working in their prime, not only formally, but ideologically. A great deal of the pictures existed for a political purpose or to make an (often ambiguous) argument.

It is incredible how noble our ideals are, yet how short our actions often speak them. And how this has been the case for centuries. It's so easy to forget how artists were tools not too long ago (and some continue to be). Seeing these artists create their OWN statements, rather than be used to present someone else's is truly inspiring.

World War Three Preev

If you don't know World War 3 Illustrated, it is a comics anthology with rotating editors. It began in 1980 and is still going strong. It's had some amazing contributors over the years, and some really fantastic issues. It is left-wing, and yes, often didactic, but I think it's completely justified if you survey the politics of American comics. They are conservative, sometimes to an extreme. Superheroes give way to fascist, unchecked overseers. The Green Lantern is nothing more than a cosmic cop, Batman a vigilante one man war on terror, Captain America... need I say more?

Even the not-so-mainstream follows a conservative line. Bill Willingham manages to slip in his views into seemingly innocent (and award winning books) like Fables. Dave Sim, god(s?) bless ya, is making anti-feminist studies of fashion magazines, or the inherent racism of Frank Miller's 300. Politics aside, I have much respect and admiration for each of these artists (all write and draw btw). I continue to study their work, and am in awe of their talent, drive and artistry. But as much weight as Alan Moore pulls, you'd think comics wouldn't lean as far to the right as it does.

So here's the spreads from the book! I'll let you know when the release party is! It is so exciting to be a part of it! Oh, and it was written by Carlo Quispe (who helped edit this issue) only illustrated by yours truly!

The Chris Ware Comic You Could Always See But Never Read

On my recent return to San Francisco, I was able to do something I've wanted to do for ages. You see, 826 Valencia is home to one McSweeney's Magazine and publishing, which is often miss but on occasion hit for me. It is a pirate supply store on its surface, but beneath lies the teeming underbelly of developing writers.

They put up a frontpiece by Chris Ware (of Jimmy Corrigan and Acme Novelty Library fame), but I could never see it close enough to actually SEE what it was. The worst part is, a few months after it went up, some kids paint--balled it, so it lay graffitied and obscure, distant and mocking for months. I'm glad they got the money to clean/replace it.

Well, armed with my new digital camera, I was able to do what I've always wanted. I zoomed in as much as I could and took four different pictures. Then I stitched them together and made a high resolution composite. Now you can read the comic! Hot damn!


Just click on the picture to enjoy.

Sitting Bull

I'm busy inking away for the World War 3 piece. It will come out (I think?) around February. It is 6 pages, and due extremely soon! This is a portrait of Sitting Bull from the second page. Inking is the most fun... and this is the most number of pages I've drawn without inking. I usually pencil a page, then ink, then do the next page. This is a much better practice... and more consistent!

What Is Wrong with This Picture?

So I was cleaning today and found this old sketch I did before starting IE. It's undoubtedly ripped off from Milt Caniff... but I like it a lot. I decided to put it up here before putting it in the round file, despite its many flaws.

The perspective is totally whack. If you look at the jaw line and the lips, they are incongruous. The lips appear to be seen from the side, or even top, yet the jaw is clearly from a low perspective. Put your finger over the jaw line and it looks OK.

The eyes are in the middle of her head. If you saw here head on, it would look like a fish. The forehead slope is a little weird, but not terrible.

Don't even ask me what's going on with her ear...

Although I feel as though I'm drawing much better now, what I AM proud of is the leather shine of the mask. I don't always nail it, but I've practiced it enough that I am satisfied with the results when I ink. I like looking at this and the page on my wall (similar mask, from a panel in Invisible Empire 3) and it makes me feel good that I've improved over these 2 and 1/2 years.

While You Were Out

If you missed me at APE and live in the Yay Area, you can still get a copy of my new book. I left 4 copies at Needles and Pens. They usually don't do out of town commissions, so I am very thankful they agreed to carry it.

Go check it out!

Thanks again to everyone that stopped by!

APE Gone

Thanks so much to everyone who came and checked out my stuff at APE! It wasn't the best convention sales-wise, but some really awesome stuff happened that made it all worth it.

If you missed me, I only left my new book GORGEOUS CLOTHED FLIES at NEEDLES and PENS. So you can snag it there, bro. Rip a hit, scratch some shreds, lay back and enjoy. Rinse. Repeat.

I miss you, San Francisco! Here's to the good times!

Instead of Celebrating Genocide Today...

Enjoy one of the most powerful performances you will ever see!