No Parking

People Printing Out My Comic...

2009-08-26T17:40:01Z

I did a strip about a senator at a health care town hall on August 14th(www.bymagic.com/gopage.asp). SInce then I have been emailed by folks saying they found out about my comic because people protesting at these town halls had printed out my comic and were handing it out. From the emails I've determined that this has happened in a couple of different states.

On the one hand I'm happy people are reading my comic, but on the other I'm concerned that some unknow person or persons is printing the comic out at their home and handing out like a leaflet to passerbys.

Is this something I should be concerned with? There's not much I can do about it, I don't know who this person or group is so I can't go and tell them to stop. What do you guys think?

Thor Movie to be Rebooted...

2009-06-05T16:57:52Z

This is not a good sign for the Thor Movie...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marvel Studios to reboot 'Thor' in new movie for 2014.

Marvel Studios announced today the release date for the 'Thor' movie reboot...even before the Kenneth Branagh 'Thor' for 2011 is out.

"We figure it's going to suck", said producer Arne Schmidt. "Look at 'Hulk' from 2003. I mean, damn, that was painful. So basically, we're planning ahead. If Ken (Branagh) can deliver 'Thor' for release in 2011, we can have the 'Thor' reboot out by 2014."

Victoria Alonso, co-producer of the upcoming 'Thor', added, "The reboot's script is wonderful. Screen writers Karl Sangler and Jerry Sanche have really delivered one hell of a summer blockbuster. Totally different than the movie we're filming now. I guess the second time's the charm."

This comes as no surprise to Hollywood insiders. The new versions of Star Trek and James Bond have been box office gold. Already other Marvel properties are being rebooted, including 'DareDevil', 'Fantastic Four' and a fourth 'Punisher'. Although, this is the first time a reboot is planned before the first film is even filmed.

As with 'The Incredible Hulk' from 2008, a new cast will be used. No director had been named as of yet.

Repo Cartoon

2009-04-20T16:53:03Z

You have to understand something about my comic. Usually it deals with social and political issues and I get a lot of hate mail, so much so that I had a panel at the last I-Con just on hate mail my comic gets. At one point when I did a series about Intelligent Design I took the email link off the site because I got tired of reading the evil emails from people who preach love and peace.

So it was so nice today to open my emails and see nice messages on the current comic that talks about seeing Repo! The Genetic Opera with the Shadowcast at Huntington this Saturday. I think it's mostly from Jim's Blog at http://thevirtualjim.livejournal.com/ where he posted a short note about the comic on his blog, and I thank him for that.

People are requesting me to draw my gang as characters from the movie, which I'll try to do this week.

If you're going Saturday to see the Shadowcast at The Cinema Art Centre in Huntington I'll see you there.

I-Con 28 Convention Report

2009-04-08T18:49:41Z

Another I-Con (http://www.iconsf.org) is now over, phew! This year the convention was staggered between three main locations, Suffolk Community College, The Islandia Marriot and The Holiday Inn Ronkonkoma. It was tiring going from one place to another for my panels, but it still was a fun convention over all.

Some of the highlights:

Friday-

Getting to see Bill Holbrook of ‘Kevin and Kel’ (http://www.kevinandkell.com/) talk about Walt Kelly’s Pogo.

My ‘Hollywood and Fandom’ panel that started at 11:30pm stretched to well after 2:00am. It morphed into a free for all discussion and it was more fun than a barrel of anthropomorphic monkeys.

Saturday-

Doing the ‘Welcome to Webcomics’ panel with Mookie from www.dominic-deegan.com and David Weir from http://www.cheshirecrossing.net.

Finally getting to set foot in the dealer’s room after missing it Friday.

The Banquet, I always like being feed.

The Cabaret was a hoot! I M.C.ed the show and we had some great performances. Kristen Nelson, Devo Spice, Shoebox from Worm Quartet, Igor’s Egg, Flynn’s Folly, Dr. Setti, Power Salad and Sullen were wonderful. Marc Gunn closed the show, and this time his nose didn’t erupt into a crimson waterfall (if you were at last year’s Cabaret you’d understand). He’s such a great musician and it’s a pleasure to see him perform live.

Sunday-

I got to do a panel with comic legends Larry Hama (G.I. Joe) and Bob Rozakis (‘Mazing Man).

Getting to see writer and First Fandom member David Kyle again. He’s 90 years old and this will probably be his last I-Con.

Meeting Ken Kelly (he only painted two of the biggest KISS album covers of all time). He autographed my copy of his book ‘Escape’. I was a happy nerdling.

All and all it was a good convention. Were there problems, yeah, but that happens at all conventions. Still, I love getting together with other nerds and geeks and enjoying our shared interests.

Free Valentines E-Card from No Parking Web Comic

2009-02-13T03:43:50Z

Hello All,

I've put a Valentines Day E-Card up on my web site to email to your sweetheart. Just go to:
http://www.bymagic.com/funstuff.html

Just fill in their name, your name and email the link to them. Easy and Free.

Have a Happy Valentines Day!

J.
No Parking Web Comic

Okay, that's gross

2009-01-31T18:55:37Z

Forrest J Ackerman past away in December. If you are uninformed, Ackerman was the first Super-Fan of scifi (he coined the term scifi) and created Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. He had a huge collection of scifi and horror memorabilia, and he use to have tours of his home on Saturdays for fans to come see his collection. In general, he was just a great kind man who shared his love and passion with the world. He also had a punny sense of humor, writing some of the worst puns and jokes in each issue of Famous Monsters. I had the pleasure of dining with him years ago, and got to enjoy and evening of listening to his jokes.

Before his death he had official Myspace and Facebook pages set up, and I befriended each one. Last week I took a look at his Facebook page and under his photo on the left side is a link that says "Poke Forrest".

Now I know what a Poke is in Facebook terminology, but it really sounds bad on a profile of someone who has past away, even morbid in a way. Still I couldn't help but break into laughter seeing "Poke Forrest" on his page. And you know what, I think Forrest would too, he probably would have laughed the most.

And The Oscar Doesn't Go To...

2009-01-30T04:39:29Z

Let’s face it; The Dark Knight and Wall*E were the best films of the year.

So, why aren’t they up for the big Oscars at the Academy Awards (except for Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor)? Let’s compare them to the other Best Picture nominees.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button- Didn’t see it, didn’t want to.

FrostNixon- Didn’t see it, didn’t want to.

The Reader – Didn’t see it, didn’t want to.

Slumdog Millionaire –Didn’t see it, didn’t want to.

Milk- Didn’t see it, didn’t want to.

(Do you see a pattern there?)

It’s not that I have anything personal against these films, they just don’t interest me. When I go to the movies I want to see a MOVIE. I don’t want to see some docu-drama about events I could see on the History Channel. If I’m going to take a second mortgage out on the house to take the family to the movies, I’m going to see something I’m interested in.

Dark Knight and Wall*E had everything I look for in my celluloid entertainment. The Stories actually entertained you. The movies took your breath away when you saw them. So why were two of the best movies left off the big awards?

The Academy is sort of like that clique in high school you hated. The ones who thought they were so much better than you because they wore the latest fashions and you were into Star Trek, Doctor Who and reading science fiction (yeah, I still have issues about this). They would belittle anything you liked and tell you how stupid they thought it was. Of course they would fake interest in anything that would make them look deep and intelligent, but you knew they were clueless. That’s the Academy.

They don’t like scifi or fantasy, and it’s apparent. Only on rare occasions where the work was so overwhelmingly incredible did it concede and give the Best Picture award (actually, right now only Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King comes to mind, and to be truthful they only gave it to Peter Jackson after passing him over on the first two Ring films). I’m still mad at the Academy not putting DeForest Kelley in their memorial segment the year he past away.

So, on Oscar night, I’m going to do the same thing I did in high school to that clique that made fun of me and everyone like me. I’m going to ignore them.

On Oscar night I will sit down with my family and watch Wall*E and Dark Knight and not even think about them. Let them have they’re shallow little awards show. I know which movies were really the best of the year.

New No Parking Web Comic for 1/28/2009

2009-01-28T17:42:58Z

Hello All,

A lot of people have asked to see more of the Sgt. Nomi, a K9 serving in Iraq, so I'm devoting this week's batch of cartoons to him.

The new cartoon is up at: http://www.bymagic.com

and the permalink is at: http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=279

And Monday's, which got quite a lot of positive reaction is here: http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=278

See ya all Friday

J.
No Parking Web Comic

BBC's Count Dracula (1977)

2009-01-13T15:50:25Z

My wife got me Count Dracula starring Louis Jourdan on DVD this past Christmas. This version was a BBC production done in 1977, shot on sound stages and on location around England. It aired in America on the public broadcasting stations at the time. I remember watching it as a seven year old with my mom (she often kept me up to watch scary movies with her), and being terrified.

After 30 odd years it still holds up very well, even the video tape effects which sometimes look hooky today (hello Dr. Who?) actually impressed me. I originally sat down to watch a little bit because I couldn’t sleep, and wound up watching the whole thing in one sitting.

Louis Jourdan makes a perfect Dracula. He’s aristocratic, charming, sensual, devilish and evil all in one. This isn’t a brooding lonely Dracula just looking for someone to love him (hello, Gary Oldman), he a cunning blood sucker out to recruit fresh disciples to carry on his disease.

My favorite character from the whole production was Renfield, played by Jack Shepherd. Most of the time the Renfield character is played just as a madman, which does the character an injustice. Shepherd’s performance is deeper than that, showing a side of Renfield you don’t often see. As he says in the best line of the show, “I'm not a lunatic in a mad fret. I'm a sane man, fighting for his freedom. “

Sure there have been some dramatic changes to the story. Dracula doesn’t age in reverse (very few versions keep this), Lucy and Mina are sisters and so forth, but for the most part it stays very close to the original Bram Stoker novel.

I highly recommend this DVD to any Dracula enthusiasts who haven’t seen it yet, I give it ten out of ten bats (sorry, I just had a Forrest J Ackerman moment). If you’ve seen it, let me know what you thought.

Updated for 1/12 No Parking Web Comic

2009-01-12T22:16:13Z

Hello,

No Parking Web Comic has been updated for 1/12/2009:
http://www.bymagic.com

And the permalink to send to your friends, family, enemies is:
http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=272

Have a great day!

J.
No Parking Web Comic

New No Parking Web Comic for 1/9/2009

2009-01-09T12:39:01Z

Hello All,

The new No Parking Web Comic is up at:
http://www.bymagic.com/

And the Permalink to email to friends and family is:
http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=271

Have a great day!

J.

No Parking Web Comic

First New No Parking of the New Year!

2009-01-05T12:29:52Z

Hello All and Happy New Year!

The new No Parking Web Comic is up at:

http://www.bymagic.com

And the permalink to send to family, friends and enemies is:

http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=269

Also, the website has been revamped from top to bottom. Let me know what you think.

J.

No Parking Web Comic

No Parking Web Comic Holiday E-Card

2008-12-22T02:03:35Z

Happy Holidays Everyone,

No Parking Web Comic is launching it's E-Card Section, with it's first Holiday E-Card!

Just got to:
http://www.bymagic.com/ecardsend.html

And follow the instructions. More E-Cards to come in the next few months.

J.
No Parking Web Comic

New NO PARKING Web Comic for Dec 15 2008

2008-12-15T18:18:56Z

Hello All,

The new NO PARKING Web Comic for Dec. 15th 2008 is up at:
http://www.bymagic.com/

And the permalink is:
http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=264

Have a great week.

J.
No Parking Web Comic

No Parking Web Comic for 12/1/2008

2008-12-01T19:35:34Z

Hello All,

Just wanted to let you know the New No Parking Web Comic is up at:

http://www.bymagic.com

And the permalink to send to friends and enemies is at:

http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=261

Have a great day!

J.

Happy Thanksgiving from NO PARKING Web Comic

2008-11-26T16:26:32Z

Hello All,

The Thanksgiving No Parking Web Comic is up at:

http://www.bymagic.com

and the permalink to email to friend and family is:

http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=260

Have a happy turkey day!

J.

BailOut! NO PARKING Web Comic for 11/24/2008

2008-11-24T12:34:35Z

Hello Everyone,

The new No Parking Web Comic strip about the Big Government Bail Out is up at:
www.bymagic.com

The Perma Link to email to your friends, family, or people you have it in for is:
www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=259

J.

No Parking Web Comic for 11/21/2008

2008-11-21T19:57:15Z

Hello All,

Penny and Mouse go to see the movie Twilight...

The New No Parking Web Comic for 11/21/2008 is now up:

http://www.bymagic.com

The permalink to send to friends, family and people you have a general disgust for is:
http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=258

Have a great weekend!

J.

My Work Space

2008-05-31T05:40:21Z

I always wonder what a big time artist's work area looks like. In the Frank Frazetta documentary "Painting with Fire" they showed Frazetta in his studio working and I got goose bumps. There's something magical about artists and their spaces. Then again maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I decided to share with you my work space.

this is my little drawing table. I know it's a mess, but it's mine. You may notice a toy horse laying on the side table, it's my daughter's and I used it for a reference in No Parking. Also on the wall I tape up references and unfinished pages. I have some pages of Blackstun's first web issue to remind me I have to finish web issue two.

Here's a better look at my side table, with my inks, pens, pencils, and water colour supplies. The shelf against the wall holds some of my comic, magic and monster movie collectibles, which don't pertain to drawer per say but give me inspiration.

Okay, I showed you mine, let's see yours.

Timing...

2008-05-08T04:09:39Z

This is the story of the May 7th comic for No Parking. No, not the one that is up there now (LINK), the other May 7th comic. Let me explain.

I had the comic for May 7th already done and lettered for Wednesday (I update at midnight three days a week, Mon, Wed, Fri). It poked fun at the Clinton's and since I believed Hill was going to stay in the race by winning either one or both states (if she lost both she would be out) in Tuesday's primary, I figured a Clinton joke would still be topical come Wednesday morning. Still, if something happened in the news that would be funnier I decided to stay up, just in case. That's the joy of being a web comic artist, something can happen and you can have a cartoon about it up ten minutes later. It can also be a curse.

Indiana started coming in and Hill was ahead of Obama by a wide margin (like 30% at one point), securing her staying in the race. North Carolina was going Obama's way, so it looked like it was going to be a draw for the night. Then the Indiana numbers started to shift. Obama started to pick up in Indiana, closing the gap. A while later he was within 3 percentage points. An article on Drudge Report said that the remaining districts were going heavily Obama. I looked like Obama might win both states...

...making my comic out of date before it even got read by anyone.

For the comic to be funny Clinton had to be in the race. I thrive on keeping my gags fresh and topical, and this one's expiration date was ticking away. I could of put a strip up about buying war bonds to beat Hitler and it would be as timely as my Clinton comic. I hated to say it, but I needed Clinton to win Indiana or I'd have to change my comic, and it was already 11:00pm. As the minutes ticked by it started to look like Indiana wasn't going to call the election until morning, even though North Carolina was already in the books. I bit the bullet, got a fresh sheet of paper and drew a new strip. I couldn't risk Clinton losing and ruining my comic.

The May 7th comic that is up now was a gag I had planned for Friday. I uploaded that strip a few minutes after midnight and climbed into bed. Now he's the funny part. Clinton did go on to win Indiana, so after all the fretting and rushing to get a new strip done, in the end it didn't matter.

I'll Never Tell...

2008-04-14T01:56:56Z

So my new comic Blackstun (http://www.blackstun.com) is getting some really cool reactions. Although I'm thrilled with the response so far, I've noticed a trend in some of the e-mails I've received. Some people think the comic is about today's conflict in Iraq and the theme is anti-war. Other's think the way the character of the soldier is portrayed make it a pro Iraq war comic. Some have ideas of what Blackstun and Ali represent, and want to know what is the meaning behind the last panel. All of them write me for some sort of confirmation, so they can know what they are thinking is correct, or to answer the questions they have about the story. There is one problem with this.

I'm not going to tell.

Growing up in the 1980's, I didn't have the internet to get instant information to spell out every little detail for me. If I read a comic (V for Vendetta for example) and something was not spelled out for me I had to draw my own conclusions about the subject. It made me think using my own brain, not someone else's thoughts. The greatest asset you can have in life is to come up with your own ideas, not regurgitate another person's. I see far too much of that today.

I tried to make the comic vague in some respects, so people could fill in the blanks for themselves. I think it's much more fun that way. So if you think the comic is pro-war, you're right. If you think it's anti-war, you're right. If you think the last panel means 42, you're read too much Douglas Adams but thanks for playing.

J.

I-Con Musings

2008-04-12T15:14:51Z

I-Con 27 was last weekend, and it was a blast. Here are some highlights...

1. My new comic Blackstun (http://www.blackstun.com) had only been up for a day and people who attended the con had actually read it! I loved the comments and questions I got about it. A real ego stroke.

2. I got to M.C. the Cabaret Saturday night. Ghoul A Go-Go opened the show and dragged me out under a sheet in a straight jacket, explaining they were going to host since I was "tied up". The acts were incredible and everyone had a good time. Marc Gun from the Brobdingnagian Bards got a real bad nose bleed (that he had to eventually go to the hospital for) but still closed the show with Monty Pythons "Look on the Bright Side of Life". I have to hand it to him, that was real class to go on in such pain. Bravo! I even put the event in my No Parking from April 9th (http://www.bymagic.com/gopage2.html?comic=214).

There are some Youtube clips of the show, so check them out.

3. Seeing my son help run e-Gaming at the con. A proud moment for me to bring another nerdling into the I-Con fold.

4. I hosted the Rocky Horror Picture Show Contest on Friday night of the con. Of course I was suppose to just pick people out of the audience and be out of there by 7:10, but somehow no one knew where the movie was so I had to stretch until 7:50 and then run to my panel on web comics.

5. Dealers Room!

That's all for today. Hope you all have a special weekend.

J.