Thoughts

The karaoke version of "Step Right Up" by Tom Waits has been released today.

This is probably one of the most difficult songs to pull off well in a karaoke bar.

I wonder how many people around the world will be trying it and how many people will be hearing it for the first time.

Here's hoping some minds will be blown.

Thoughts

Here's hoping for health, wealth, and happiness for all my friends, family, and loved ones this holiday season and in the upcoming year ahead.

My Defenders #1 Blank Cover artwork

One of the six variant covers to #1 of Marvel's 2011 Defenders series is blank, which is done for artists to fill in. I made 3 copies of the following front cover and back cover:

A blatant Steve Ditko swipe

My tribute to Crumb, Shelton, Griffin and Vaughn Bode

The cover image of Dr. Strange getting busy was a re-creation of a Steve Ditko drawing along with some inspiration from a sexy picture of the GI Joe Baroness I found online. It makes reference to an incident that actually occurs in the comic.

The back cover is a tribute to the artwork of some underground comic legends: Dr. Strange and Red She Hulk is in the style of an infamous Robert Crumb piece. Iron Fist is in the style of Vaughn Bode's Cobalt 60. The Sub Mariner is a combo of Wonder Warthog and Freak Brother Freewheelin' Franklin. The Silver Surfer is based on Rick Griffin's legendary surfing comic.

Here's the 3 covers. I painted one of them blue but decided to keep the other two white:

 

Here's the 3 back covers:

Thoughts

Has anyone written a teenage sci-fi/horror romance novel about a robot and a human falling in love and having babies yet?

Last night of the year for me at Ground Control Karaoke...

I wonder what I'll sing to end 2011? Its been a year of economic turmoil and the death of three international tyrants.

Most of my friends are broke, but the world is much safer I guess.

Live online streaming video might or might be on tonight, and links to see it as well as club directions can be found on the Ground Control Karaoke website by clicking here.

If you're in Los Angeles, drop in!

My Amazon Wish List

Just in case anyone is feeling generous this year, here's my Holiday Wish List.

Reflections on Student Teaching Week 11

My last week at the elementary school was bittersweet.

On one hand, I was glad to be finishing up my student teaching, on the other I was sad to leave the kids and a school so close to where I live.

It was a fantastic experience and hope I find students and teachers to work with in a paying teaching job who are as great as the ones I was working with these last few weeks.

Kids in both classes made me thank you cards, and I distributed lenticular rulers and stickers to them as parting gifts.

Defenders #1 (2011)

All six variant covers to the new Marvel series are in my possession, thanks to Golden Apple Comics!

The one on the bottom right, the Neal Adams sketch variant, is extremely expensive and tough to find because they only shipped one per every 200 copies ordered. May Agamotto's All-Seeing Eye help Golden Apple sell the 200 copies of Defenders #1 they now have in stock!

Reflections on Student Teaching Week 10

Had to fill in for a teacher who was having an IEP meeting this week and managed to give a lesson to a class with a number of kids with severe Autism. Did pretty well, but their lunchtime playground was absolute bedlam. Children riding tricycles like they were battering rams and violent keep away games that ended in quite a few tears. The winds had blown a basketball hoop completely over a metal fence to the field on the other side of the playground. It felt surreal, like I was in the eye of a chaotic storm.

Went with the kids in the SDC room to their practice for the Christmas musical and sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" enough times to want to bash my head into a wall. The kids did look cute doing the tune though.

Finished the longest term paper in my entire college career on Thursday night. My Progress Monitoring paper for my student teaching class clocked in at 47 pages with appendix charts. Very glad that one is behind me.

One more week of student teaching left!

Just FYI

The second of five large sized 3D lenticular versions of The Picture of Everything is now hanging by the bathroom at La Luz de Jesus Gallery. Check it out if you're in the neighborhood!