Coupledom Contribution

So everyone must know who Andy Waugh is by now right? He's the one who did that small press comic called Melanchomic that was really funny, witty, poignant, slice-of-life and loved by all. So much so in fact that he's been able to consistently sell copies of it for what seems like decades without having to offer a follow up, while me and Gary Bainbridge have piles of Rusty Nail and Clean Living In Talsatia growing strange fungi in abandoned corners of our homes and spend most of our waking life tearing hair out wondering what the hell everybody wants from us.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I found out that Andy has indeed been cooking up a new comic entitled "Coupledom" which he'd better hope is as good as his usual standard of comic because psychos like me will have a thing or two to say about it after he's made us wait this long. Anyway, upon hearing this news at one of the Paper Jam meetings, I proceeded to tenuously link the theme of our 24-Minute Comic (Smooth + Monkey's Bottom) to a faux-advertisement for the then mysterious and unnamed project, which Andy took a liking to despite it being a bit offensive.

He then astonishingly asked if he could include it in the project, and I told him "No fucking way! It's shit!" but did offer to do a cleaner version later that he could use, if I didn't regret the whole idea after about 24 Hours. So after months of procrastination, I set pen to paper today because I heard he was coming upon the final stages of creation. And here's the page:

Mountain Goats Poster

I decided against my usual "funny" or "witty" title-making for this post, because I need a moment of extreme fanboy sincerity. Those of you among us who do not know of the wonderful assemblage of musical delights that one John Darnielle has been assembling under the name "The Mountain Goats" for the last 18 years, shame on you. They sprung out of the rafters for me not that long ago and have set up lodgings in my brain, ear drums and those little hums that slip past your lips when you're not thinking about it.

Among their consistently brilliant and well-written tracks is one by the name of Oceanographer's Choice from the album Tallahassee. This song might not be the stand-out track from their library, or even from this album for that matter, but it does open with these lines "Well, guy in a skeleton costume comes up to the guy in the Superman suit, runs through him with a broadsword. I flip the television off..." - which invoked in me a perfect visual for a poster.

I had no reason to create this poster, but that made it an extremely beneficial process for my current mind-set. It's been too long since I've just drawn for my own enjoyment, and I'm exceptionally happy with how it turned out. I'm looking into somehow getting it to the band in case they might be able to use it for something, but will be happy enough to just have it kicking about in my portfolio if not. And here, gentle reader, it is:

Guest Ghost

Gary Bainbridge produced this fine strip at one of the Paper Jam Comics meets as a response to a discussion that arose about the vile and dreadful weekly strip I produced for the Courier once upon a time (which you will never see again, so don't even ask!). I demanded he send it to me at once since I have nothing to report lately on the blog, so here it is in its original form:

And again in glorious technicolour!



If any one else out there would like to help me bury the past by offering their own "all-that-could-have-been" three-panellers please do send away and I'll make sure they're seen.

New Old News

I've been a bit rubbish at keeping on top of the blog lately, so here's some stuff that was breaking news a few weeks ago and some other stuff that's still more or less breaking news.

Firstly, I updated my Etsy Shop with some prints, and I changed my username to crumpettimecomics because it was binkythedoormat7 previously, and that's just retarded. I also took some new photos for some of the items, and in the process Siobhan caught this picture of our new kitten Lua posing with my postcard set:

Secondly, the exhibition at Mushroom Works is now underway, so if anyone out there still hasn't been down to check it out you most certainly should! There are some incredible artists exhibiting and the walls are teaming with talent. I'll have some photos to show you soon.

Finally, I produced the EP cover for O'Messy Life's second EP Green Posies Growin' Gangrene Below 'Em and here it be:

Boreal etc.

Started work on some new bits for the Mushroom Works exhibition, but I'll save those for the occasion. The launch night is Friday 17th, so come along if you can, it should be a swell night. In the meantime, here is the wallet I designed for Boreal, in all of its corporeal glory:

Big Update

Okay, things got a little messy over the course of those last few posts, so I've deleted some stuff and swapped some other stuff around. Here is what you need to know: There are updates on my real website, so go have a gander. The Titus Andronicus poster is now being used for the Heaton Games Society, because apparently the gig wasn't confirmed when I drew the poster and the band turned down the offer to play the UK. Here's the second version:

Events-wise, I'll be in Sunderland this weekend, because the city council are putting on a big ol' festival, and we're going to have a comic stall there and maybe do some workshops too. By we, I mean myself, Gary Bainbridge, Andy Waugh, any members of the Paper Jam Comics Collective who fancy it, and Durham's finest, the Mallard Small Press crew (or some vague approximation of the above).

More impressively, I've been chosen to exhibit some work at The Mushroom Works Gallery, as part of their upcoming celebration of Illustration 'Quite the Character'. The exhibition will be running between 18th July - 29th Aug and I'll be producing lots of new stuff to show and sell for the occasion. More details will follow when I've been down to meet them on Monday!

Thought Bubble & Boreal

Some new things for your viewing pleasure. They're a bit low resolution I'm afraid. Just getting a panic on about internet theft, which I've heard far too much about lately.


'Sea Food' - wallet design for Boreal.


Illustration for the Thought Bubble blog, they've done a little Independent and Small Press Friends of Thought Bubble feature on me, so go have a read.