And we’re back.  again.  Sorry again for another long hiatus.  I can’t imagine you were pining away for more Kalthar, haha.  The delay this time was due in part to a computer crash losing me all the work on tedious panel five of today’s page…so I put it on the shelf for a minute out of frustration.  Its been one of those summers… constant near catastrophes… and I keep crossing paths with snakes!  Some strange psychic energy out there in the world these days.  Between Covid and Monkeypox and China collapsing and evil Russians and the Supreme Court, jellyfish stings, car breakdowns and pinkeye… well, nothing seems fun to me anymore, even reading… I can’t get into anything.  A part of me thinks I just need to get out more, but again, Monkeypox… I can’t go party in DC – a sufficient change of scene from my few local haunts I would bet – the place is lousy with pox!  Its very frustrating.  Doing these Kalthar touch ups is included on my list of things that irritate me, mostly because they’ve proven to be more time consuming than I thought….

I’m hoping that getting back to work on EDag #7 will get me in a better head space as I finish up the pencils.  I left off in march with the first 19 pages in various stages of completion and I’ve been able to do some work through the spring and early summer to further those pages along.  My goal for the rest of August is to finish pages 16-19, a very achievable goal.  Then its on to the last chunk of pages to draw…September and October with a little luck… then I’ll take a week or two (Kalthar maybe?) and then dive into Ink/color after Thanksgiving.  It’s always distracting to work in the holidays but I think my goal of having #7 done by spring should work out.  the drawing is the hard part for me these days.

Despite my frustrations, I’m unlikely to give up on any of the projects, but the comic book artist’s existential sweep is really eating at me.  I studied Russian History with a vague notion of becoming an academic and its occurred to me that if I’d pursued that approach to life I’d be at the height of my career right now, dastardly Russians being what they’ve been for centuries.  going back to school has always been an option but I’ve never been able to take off my comic book blinders, staying focused on my goal.  Now, especially after 2 and a half years of pandemic lending itself to my isolation, my condition is the opposite of collegial.  I’m downright lonely, at least from a professional point of view.  I can’t quit now of course… I’d really have nothing to show for it all… tho I would be spared the indignity of being a comic book artist, ha ha.  But no…  I can’t quit now….

PS, I didn’t get around to doing the color touch ups for this page.  Remind me before it goes to print!