Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Oy! I get past "E" and "S" (the traditional problem letters for little kids-- at least according to Our Gang and any number of cartoonists throughout history), I power on through, narrowly averting the omission of "R", ignoring the fact that my Magic Marker is dying in my hand, showing unparallelled grit and determination, and...I stumble and fall flat on my face at the finish line! Humiliating.

High Heels and Spear

The hot new look for fall, I predict. With what seems to be a tutu and opera gloves, no less. I don't know why I didn't pursue a career in fashion (other than my profound contempt for the whole industry and its hangers-on, of course).

The Letter "P"

S.S. Minow

I don't know if this is a portrayal of Gilligan and the Skipper in happier times before their tragic accident, or instead an artist's rendering of Former FCC chairman Newton Minow's personal yacht.

In a Haunted House

Ghosts at the window! Ghosts coming through the giant keyhole! Ghosts walking through walls! Invisible Ghosts! Ghosts passing through what's probably a vault door!! GHOSTS! GHOSTS! GHOSTS! GHOSTS!

EEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crime Map

I'm hoping that the criminals didn't actually leave this map to their hideout at the crime scene. I suspect it wouldn't be too difficult for the cops to identify the crossbone-headed thief from this artist's rendering.

It's Casper Day!

That's right, "Casper Day"! I'm not entirely certain when Casper Day is supposed to be observed, nor why I felt it required commemorative plates, but here they are...featuring what I imagine might be the crummiest drawing of Nightmare ever. The Ghostly Trio don't fare so well, either. Still, I feel that, all technical quibbles aside, I captured the true holiday spirit . On behalf of the entire staff and management her at "Early works", I'd like to wish you and your loved ones a joyous Casper Day. Boooo! BOOOOO!

Abridgement of Free Speech

My first thought in attempting to interpret this is to question whether it is the man or the hat that's talking (the position of the balloon's tail is ambiguous). Moving on past that, we see a word balloon under siege,(from a lobster and an archer-less bow and arrow) already having suffered injuries that have been bandaged, though leakage of air (?) is forming separate balloons expressing their distress (though the primary message remains a friendly greeting). Actually, on further inspection, I think it's possible that what I initially perceived as a plumed hat is instead a catapult, which would account for the lowest bandage and the flying rocks. A strangely metatextual work of allegory, indeed.
And as long as we're talking about comics and free speech, it might be a good time to point out that the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has a lot on their plate right now, and could use all the help they can get. As a currently-unindicted comics retailer in the state of Georgia, I'm kinda taking a particular interest in their current case.

The Genie of the Lamp

There was a lot more of this than this (but, of course none of this) inspiring this piece.

Happy Indian

I'd say "Native American", but I can assure you that what I was drawing was an Indian. And one in good spirits, too. He seems unfazed by the bright blue cactus behind him. I find it interesting that I did part of the outline in felt-tip and part in crayon, as I usually didn't mix media in that way. I might do a crayon drawing, or I might do a pen drawing and color it, but rarely would I fall in between those extremes. It's possible that the pen drawing was left unfinished and that I returned to it later. This particular notebook sat around the house for many years at my grandparents' house, so it has work drawn over a 7 or 8-year span in it (one page has an unfinished drawing of Chernobog from Fantasia drawn when I was maybe 5, next to a fairly tight drawing of a starfighter from Buck Rogers from 1980ish, making for an odd juxtaposition).

Dance, Ballerina, Dance

Possibly the only time in my life that I ever drew a ballerina... like most straight American men, the ballet was never a big part of my life. I did actually attend one performance in my teens, which mostly stands out in my memory because a dancer tripped and fell, and I have a vivid memory of the horrible stillness that hung in the air as the poor girl picked herself up and composed herself. It's been almost 25 years and I still cringe at the thought. This drawing, though, is from much earlier, and produces no such discomfort...only the disquieting concern that her sinister crimson smile is evidence that she's contemplating drinking some unwary art patron's blood. Remember...to a fan of the Lugosi version, Swan Lake is better known as "Theme from Dracula". Coincidence...or something more? Beware!

Some Animals I Like

Here we have a grouping of my favorite forest animals. There's a bird...that's reasonable enough. And then there's...ummm...an octopus. Well, why not? And then there's the dogephant. I don't know if I started drawing a dog and changed my mind halfway through, or just wasn't clear on how elephants are put together. Judging by the smaller ears, this is an Indian dogephant rather than an African dogephant.

Spirits of the Dead

Pretty straightforward. A personal note to one of our readers: Hey, Klon...make sure you show this one to Bela!

Pirate

Yo-ho-ho!

Poo-Poo Money

I have NO IDEA what I had in mind with this. But here it is. Make of it what you will.