Capes & Babes, a webcomic by Chris Flick

I have a men’s baseball game tonight and, although I know I could have timestamped this cartoon in Wordpress, I had the time today so I thought I’d just go ahead and upload it a half dozen or so hours early. Hope you don’t mind.

I also applied to ThinkGeek late (VERY late) last night when I came across their posting fro a graphic designer. Very rarely does a job post seem custom made for you but their position – and what they are looking for – seem to be just that case with me. So I am extremely hopeful that this might pan out for me. The position would take full advantage of all of the skills I have acquired so far… illustration? Check. Print Production? Check. HTML and web skills? Check. Copywriting and a sense of humor? Check. Able to draw Boba Fett in 60 seconds or less? Absolutely a check.

So, if you happen to know anyone who actually works at ThinkGeek, please put in a good word for me. I’m really excited about this possibility and hope that it turns out to be much more than just that – so let’s cross out fingers and see if I can get that much coveted INTERVIEW first!

And still from yesterday… 1977 the comic.
It is with great pleasure that I get to write up a big huge plug for my friend, W. Byron Wilkins, and his comic strip, 1977 the comic. Let me say this… I grew up in the 70’s. I was a young pup back then but that’s really where I discovered music… Rupert Holmes, Blondie, The Eagles, KISS (especially KISS), The Village People, The Little River Band, Niel Diamond (that was thanks to my father)… but anyway, you get the picture. That was the era of the Kroft Superstar hour, The Six Million Dollar Man, the ORIGINAL Battlestar Gallactica, the Bad News Bears… so when I discovered a strip that was dedicated to (at least one year) of the 1970’s, I had to check it out.

But not only is the strip all about 1977, it’s about THE MUSIC of 1977 as well. And it is written and created by someone who LIVED in that period – not just someone who’s a young pup IMAGINING what it was like. Now, I wasn’t a teenager in the 70’s but I knew teenagers like Bud, Jeff, Lorraine and Robyn so all of the stories ring very true to this tweenager of the 70’s. And the best part about the strip (again, for the musical fan in me), Mr. Wilkins (hey, I was taught to respect my elders… hee! Hee! Hee!) titles each cartoon based on a song title or album and then writes about that musical title. It really can bring back a rush of memories from my childhood.

And man, he does the strip large and in color too! Large and in color. Just like the 70’s, man, Just like the 70’s.

The strip follows the rock ‘n’ roll dreams and aspirations of Bud, Jeff, Lorraine and Robyn. So if you’ve ever been in a garage band, or know someone who has (I have), you will appreciate the story, the humor and the reflections of a not-so-innocent past filled with alcohol, sex (it WAS the 70’s after all) and some other things that were smoked besides cigarettes way back then (did I mention it was the 70’s? Hello! Cheech and Chong anyone???).

Anyway, you gotta check out Mr. Wilkins’ (there’s that elder respect thing again) stuff. The dude is a pretty alright guy – hey, he wrote a back jacket quote for my book. He can’t be all bad, right?

But seriously, go check out 1977 the comic and drop a buck or two in his donation link. From what it sounds like from one of his latest posts, him and I are kind of in a similar boat so, if you’re feeling generous, you can always drop a buck or two my way as well. Hey… us brother-dudes from the 1970’s gotta stick together, man!