I'm stupidly late with this, but here's the final strip for the East Tennessean, the conclusion to the epic adventure of Professor Bear and Professor Waterbear:
That first panel is probably one of my favorite things I have ever drawn.

I had to do a Powerpoint presentation on Embrace Infection this week. I think it went well, considering my Powerpoint had a grotesque shot from David Cronenberg's the Fly and some early 20th century photographs of skin diseases. I talked at length about my comic book influences too. I'm not terribly good at doing presentations or talking to groups of people so I always try to throw in weird, funny things in order to make people laugh and keep them entertained because I know no one enjoys sitting through a bunch of students standing up and trying to talk about their work. I sure as hell don't.

I just need to write up a grant proposal thing and I'll be done with that class. I graduate this coming Saturday. HOLY CRAP I GRADUATE THIS SATURDAY I'M SO NOT READY.

"So what are you going to do next, Brett?" SHUT UP LEAVE ME ALONE

Actually, I do know that no matter what happens next, I'm going to keep doing comics. I'm in the early stages of figuring out some stuff to pitch to guys like Heavy Metal, thinking about webcomics, and of course working on that big comic I've remained kind of hush hush about.

Actually, I haven't remained so hush hush about it, my last few posts on Tumblr have been examples of how I'm trying to figure out the overall look of the comic, playing with different colors and styles. And I've posted some of the rough layouts over there too. Here's a colored one I did last night, in case you're too lazy to click on that link:
40-some-odd pages have been written, with the last 8 or so frequently rewritten. I'm still figuring things out. I have no clue how long it's really going to be. I know the last page, last panel, but...I don't know how to get there. You know how it is.

Um, that's it. I got stuff to do now. AWAY.

[Brett]

My head really hurts right now. Here's Monday's Exciting Tales! strip. It's a tribute to Winsor McCay's Little Nemo in Slumberland:
Not exactly one of my best, I'll admit, but I'm still fond of it.

I have all thirteen pieces for Embrace Infection finished, though a few need minor revisions. I had seven printed on campus today, though three of those are the ones which need revising. I'm excited to see them in the full size they were meant to be printed at, however, with the colors brilliantly popping on the glossy paper.

Here's one of those finished, printed pieces, entitled Feeling Good:

I've been thinking a bit lately about, well, women in comics I guess, given the shitstorm that hit last week with DC's Catwoman and Starfire being portrayed as trashy sex-hungry sluts, not real characters but cheesecake for fanboys to gawk over and fantasize about having sex with. It makes me feel dirty and uncomfortable, seeing the pages, and I don't like it at all. I'm plotting a new comic in which the villain is a woman, and I'm thinking hard about how to develop her as sexy, yes, but more than anything else, FORMIDABLE. There aren't a lot of formidable women in comics, I don't think...

Chiyoko in Akira, though. The big burly woman in the apron who protects Kei and Kaneda? I'm pretty sure she punches more faces in than she has lines of dialogue in the third volume. I love her. I just got volume 4 in the mail today, and she's on the back cover, in ragged clothes, ammo belts, and wielding a rifle. I do hope she gets to smash more faces in...

I also got a copy of John Dies at the End, because I saw the trailer for next year's film adaptation by Don Coscarelli:

Looks like he's channeling Cronenberg quite a bit, which makes this movie look even tastier. And given that the novel's from the editor in chief of Cracked, one of my favorite websites, I'm so excited about getting to crack this book open and start reading.

I just have to finish Philip K. Dick's Now Wait For Last Year first.

Also, I must admit something that MAY be considered blasphemy among many circles: I've been watching old James Bond movies on Netflix, and, well, I don't much like the Sean Connery flicks. And I LOVED On Her Majesty's Secret Service, despite the fact that yes, George Lazenby is not quite a good Bond. But man, the way that movie was lit and shot is phenomenal! And Diana Rigg as the Bond girl! It's a weird one, yes, trying to be grittier and more serious than the Connery films while at the same time including a bobsled chase scene, but I dunno, it may be my favorite Bond film alongside Casino Royale...

And I think I'm gonna call the entry quits here, because I keep getting distracted by Top Gear. AWAY.

[Brett]