Mr. Big hit the comic stores today! As expected, it looks terrific.

The cover for issue 2 of Marc's Doe, Jane.

...and we're back. Phoenix was a great time, and I'm told that the Counter Culture Festival was a huge success. Posting will resume once we've recovered from the trip and dug through our purchases. Thanks to everyone who stopped by.

Update: Counter Culture photos here and here.

Another pdate: Our Phoenix photos are at the 7000 BC site, and the "official" con photos are at their Flickr site.

Off to the Phoenix Cactus Comicon tomorrow. If you're in Phoenix, stop by and see us at the 7000 BC table. If you're in DC this weekend, go to the Counter Culture Festival.

Deb's back and and painting with oils.

Volume 2 proof arrived from the printer today — and it looks sharp. It'll be here in a couple-three weeks, so place your pre-order.

Learn how to make comics like the Z Boys with their video. We'll be at the Phoenix Cactus Comicon with them this weekend.

My RSS feed for the DCC Webcomics fixed itself long enough to alert me to the upcoming Softshell by Laura and Jake. Starts next week, so check back.

For those readers in the DC area, the second Counter Culture Festival is next week. Check out the work of the DCC and other artists and musicians.

One of my advertising pet peeves is using dead celebrities to shill — even "Think Different" irked me. At least the new Orville Redenbacher ads use someone actually associated with the product, but they are just wrong in so many ways. And I'm not the only one to think so.

Update: Bob Garfield's kinda creeped out, too.

Monica's Ataxia Overdrive pinups inspired me to do my own.

"It's a bit like being kicked in the teeth by a disappearing foot. You know you got hit hard, you just aren't sure why and by whom..." From one of the reviews at Indy Comic Review.

The Panel Press Web site is now live! Panel Press is our imprint for the third printing of Volume 1 of Raised By Squirrels — and for the upcoming Volume 2, Raised By Squirrels: Los Alamos, which you can now pre-order with free shipping; the printer should be delivering that before the end of February.

At the site, you can now also pre-order the first issue of Death, Cold As Steel, which should arrive this week.

"Raised by Squirrels is a superb read, and you can bet your ass you'll want dessert after you've finished devouring it." A review in Small Press Peeks at comicreaders.com.

"Squirrels are not ideas. They are air." From a friend's dream. Read the rest »"I dreamed Sunday night that I was driving and fiddling with the stereo, then looked up just as a body builder ran out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and thought I had plenty of space, but no, I tore his leg off. I backed up so that I could find the leg, and people started rushing up to help...and I woke up. I was looking at the new, just-published Raised By Squirrels volume. I turned it over to the back where there were three quotes. The bottom two were the usual 'way cool, buy it or you're lame' kinda stuff, but the top one simply said, 'Squirrels are not ideas. They are air.' At first I thought wait, did that say, 'Ideas are not squirrels,' being a metaphor for the creative process — ideas are not something small that flits by quickly (like a squirrel), but are in fact what we breathe, the thing that gives us life — and then realized, no it says 'Squirrels are not ideas,' meaning that the little things that pass by all the time are not simply things that happen in the ether, but are in fact the core of what really matters. Then I woke up for real, thinking, 'my, how profound,' and wondering how you got Neil Gaiman to send you such a profound quote."

MB at Reference notes that manga has made it into the dictionary (along with some other interesting choices).

Bookslut's worst covers of 2006. Chip, what happened? Via Coudal.

Want to buy your own country? How about Dracula's castle?

Marc's got a preview of the cover for his upcoming Doe, Jane, with art by Josh Howard.

To begin the year, some lessons in humilty: going to a fencing competition and getting kicked around by some kids who weren't even born when I first picked up a blade; and reading 100 Bullets

I think I've already made it clear what a fan I am up of Matt and Carol's Mr. Big, a feeling not shared by everyone.

What Evan's been up to during the Ataxia Overdrive hiatus.

The conclusion to the Los Alamos storyline is now available for download.

Another of Monica's Ataxia Overdrive pinups.

One last Christmas present arrived Sunday: The Pow! Zap! Wham! Comic Book Trivia Quiz. The alarming thing is how easy I find it all. While searching for a better link than the one I went with, discovered that one of the authors is a producer of Batman Begins, among other movies and TV shows.