A Blast from the Past

Stop me if you've heard this one...

I’m going through my early posts (made on another platform) and pulling some of those pieces forward. With the new political gravity, resistance is more critical than ever.

For instance, I detest guns (except for the pew-pew variety). I made a Sunday comics-style anti-gun comic in 2022. ACTIVE SHOOTER is an 8-page newsprint comic made for Detroit's Rotland Press. Rotland Press is the brainchild of artist Ryan Standfest. Starting with Durango Kid comics by Fred Guardineer, I collaged, wrote & re-inked a re-imagined, anti-gun yarn.

Rotland Press was started by Ryan Standfest in 2010. He's published the likes of Sue Coe, David Lynch, H.R. Giger and more. Follow the links to find even more excellent Rotland Press titles.

ACTIVE SHOOTER features a pull-out, ready-to-frame poster! The comic apes 60s Brit comics, some of which were oversized and printed on newsprint. I’m still discovering things that I love about vintage British comics. Titles like “LOOK AND LEARN” and of course, “AD 2000.”

For this project, I made the drawings with ink on paper and then scanned them. Pictured is an unused drawing from the project, 18 "x24," ink on Bristol board. I did the color in Photoshop. I used tools from RetroSupply.co to create the damage — and there's the secret sauce. Finding some great damage brushes is the key to adding vintage damage to your artwork. I have done some work for RetroSupply, and they sell my vintage-style comic fonts like the ones used in ACTIVE SHOOTER. I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't believe in (and use daily) the tools they make for artists. 

With the holidays upon us, you’re probably looking for gifts for friends and family. I can’t think of a better gift than a cool, obscure book from a small, indy publisher. You can get my comic ACTIVE SHOOTER from Rotland Press or my other comics from publishers like RatsNestStickerco and the pride of Latvia, kuš! komikss.