Hey all,

Nothing much new this week — well, there’s plenty new inside my head, but all of that’s relevant to this storyline…soooo…can’t talk about that. Unless you guys really like spoilers.

Honestly, I spend the vast majority of my time in a basement these days. I love it. The absence of natural light can get a bit old sometimes, but it makes me feel like Batman, so it all balances out in the end. Doesn’t exactly get super exciting. It has, however, made me realize just how many Cure albums I have. Almost Twenty hours worth, enough to get through two solid workdays. I should probably be ashamed of myself, but – eh, you gotta collect something, right? I wonder if Batman every listens to the Cure? If anything he’d probably like Pornography. That’s a dark damn album.

Watch this, and then imagine Batman sobbing quietly in a corner. It’s pretty funny. I’m in a really weird mood tonight.

On to a slightly more relevant topic, I’m hoping to get some merchandise rolling pretty soon. I just have to figure out the whole payment thing and then I should be ready to roll. Look forward to buttons, maybe a t-shirt or two, Spritzer heads, and something a bit more all-inclusive. Fun is going to be the keyword. Nobody wants to buy boring crap. So, fun crap — keep your eyes peeled.

Later,

J.

The need to type things below the comic stymies me all the time – especially since I’ve been doing these regular Thursday updates. I blame the fact that it’s 12:50, I’ve been working since 8am, and all I want to do is curl up in bed and play Dragon Quest IX (pretty good so far, by the way). Yeah, I need a buffer and all that – I know. But every time I get faster, I pour that extra time into getting better at something I currently suck at, like drawing feet, or the way my lines connect, or…well…many, many things. There will always be more things that I suck at drawing than I’m good at drawing. There’s just too much out there.

So, because I’ve got nothing of value to convey to you this particular time around, I give you:

Billy the Dunce Strip # 87 Playlist:

The Sound Opinions Podcast – Lovin the episodes they use to make thematic playlists.

Murder By Death – Who will survive and what will be left of them? – Makes me want to draw comics about the devil.

Ziggy Stardust. You know it – you love it. No link necessary.

(the aforementioned) Dragon Quest IX – What I do when I’m avoiding drawing. Good, old fashioned JRPG. I cut my teeth on the original, and it’s the reason I’m a hardcore grinder when it comes to any game that levels me up or gives me gold drops. Lovin it.

That’s all I got.

Later,

J

Y’know, I’m never really happy with these things when I’m all done with them. I was actually loving this strip while I was inking (which is generally pretty rare as well), but the second I scanned it, I couldn’t look at it anymore. I guess it’s just part of the whole artist thing. What are you gonna do? Fact of life.

But, as much as I don’t like looking at my work after I’m done with it, I do like hearing from all of you – meaning, don’t be afraid to leave comments. There is the usual (and very much appreciated) cast of characters around here, but please don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard if you happen to be new, or just shy. I always feel intimidated by leaving comments on the blogs I hang out on. I shouldn’t, I’m sure, but I just get this feeling of being outside of things, like I don’t get it. But whether or not that happens to be true elsewhere, it’s not true here. You get it. Trust me.

Hey you guys! I’m going to be at the Wizard World Chicago comics convention this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you happen to come on down, stop by and say hi. Apparently I’ll be at booth #3124 – which puts it right up front. Seriously though, come see me and Seamus of Oh Goodie fame. I hate these damn things, so I’ll need as many distractions as possible.

Oh, and before I forget — if you like this comics, why not become a fan of Billy the Dunce on facebook? I know it’s not cool, but I does give you insight into…ummm…nothing. I just like to see the number of go up. It validates me. Twitter, too.

What can I say, I’m shallow.

Cheers,

J.

Another week, another comic. Hope you guys are enjoying Sally — she’s definitely a real spitfire.

Other than that, not a lot to say this week. Come see me at Wizard World Chicago the weekend of August 19-22. I’ll be selling lots of stupid crap, most of it dealing with this here comical strip — not the least of which will be Ms. FlyKy’s fine Spritzer Heads. I’ll have some cobbled together books, too — but keep in mind I’m planning on collecting the first year at some point in the near future on one of those print to order websites. So buy at your own risk.

Crap. I’m not supposed to say that sort of thing, am I? Oops. I’ll have buttons, too. Their awesome.

Later,

J

Whoo! Two weeks of running on time, and sort-of-even-not-terrible-looking to boot. There is much to celebrate.

Super Special Omega Weapon Laser Bonus Content:

Well, not really anything all that great, just a sketch of Santa Claus as a Mexican Wrestler:

I’m not obsessed with Mexican wrestling or anything, I was just watching MST3k riff on the the weirdo Mexican kids movie Santa, and found myself inspired. It was for a shindiggity-dang my buddy Jen throws (with her buddy Chris Haley) every Wednesday night across the glittering seas of Intersurf that involves drinking, drawing, and watching MST3k over the Netflix. It happens at 9 eastern every week, we all tweet snarky comments on the twitter, and I highly recommend it. Funfunfun.

Until next week (or earlier if I get a bug in my butt to write something else),

J.

Ah haha ha! I finished one ahead of time! And I only had to bust my ass for three straight days! Seriously, these things are getting out of control. Why I chose the most labor intensive art form is beyond me. Oh wait – I’m crazy neurotic. Why wouldn’t I?

So, just a heads up for all you Chicago folk who happen to enjoy the strip – I’ll be at the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con on August 19-22 tabling somewhere or another. I have no idea how these big cons work, so if you come keep me company, I’ll give you a button or a sketch or something. I’m a little scared.

What do you guys think about the new format so far? Like it? Hate it? Drop a comment or email me with your thoughts. I’ll be straight up with you though…I dig it. Way better pacing from my end of things. We’ll see though.

Later,

J.

Finally, Sally! I love drawing Sally!

That’s about all I got. I’m ridiculously tired from all the running around lately, and my normally loquacious nature is being overwhelmed by my need to go to sleep. So enjoy the comic, hope you have a fond first impression of young miss Sally, and I’ll see you next thursday with a new comic. Hopefully we can get this thing back on the rails.

Later,

J

Hey all – I’m finally back in action after a LONG week or two of moving. Of course, it’s not over yet, but the worst of it is. The comic’s schedule is probably going to be wonky for the next few weeks, as I get settled here in Chicago and start searching for a gig to pay the bills.

I’m super happy to finally find a way to work my Cephalopod themed superhero into the comic strip. I (and Billy, too) am obsessed with all things tentacled and the world has been lacking in a Cephalopod themed Superhero for way too long. Hopefully Cephalolad should be finding his way back into the comic from time to time. He’s too fun to draw not to.

I’m going to end this one a video of my current favorite member of the class Cephalopoda – The Flamboyant Cuttlefish. It can’t swim, so it walks on it’s “legs”, and it’s smaller than an egg. I want one desperately.

Later,

J

Hey all – sorry it’s late this week, but all the moving is cutting into my drawing time. As of next Thursday, I’ll be an official resident of the midwest again. Getting back, however, is the hard part. A lot of packing, followed by a 17 or 18 hour drive. Good times. Hopefully the cat doesn’t pee in her carrier along the way.

Billy the Dunce Strip #80 Playlist:

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid. Finally, a prog rock-ish hip-hop/soul/r&b/indie-rock concept album about a robot who falls in love with a man. Did I mention this is the second album in the story? BUY THIS ALBUM.

See you later!

J

Look at all those panels! Crazy, I know. Working out the bugs still, but I think this should be a fruitful experiment.

We’ll see if next week’s comic is any good – then we’ll know if this thing is worthwhile or not. I’m certainly happy to have a bit more room to work with.

Now that the updates are weekly, I’m trying to something else during the week, which may or may not be interesting. Just remember anything that isn’t the comic gets shelved underneath. So feel free to scroll down and see if anything new has popped up.

Gotta go – work in the morning and all that.

Later,

J