Word on the street is that I have created a webcomic that has sucked up all my LJ time and THAT would absolutely correct. My new work, Mermaid Hostel, is about the Shellington Hostel and all its finned inhabitants. Feel free to start reading at the beginning, I update every Friday or Finday as I call it. I'm the only one who calls it that, it's not really catching.



Another cartoonist, Brandon Elston, and I recently held our birthday bash (annual) Hillbilly Heaven. It was a blast and I'm making Jello-O molds for cakes from now on! Well, for people who eat gelatin.





DumBelle played some rousing folk tunes and I really want to break out the musical instruments now or at least sing in harmony. Robyn Chapman dances cutely in front. I'm not sure if I can upload media right anymore (BECAUSE I'M OLD NOW) so you can follow the link for that.
Brandon and I jammed this bitchin' invitation:




Last, but certainly not least, my recent menstruation comics were mentioned in BITCH magazine. Pretty bitchin'. And here is said article:


More on MERMAID HOSTEL later and other shenanigans!

Alec Longstreth, one of my favorite human beings, spent three hours discussing taxes, invoicing and organization. Instead of doing my design work for a certain comic book company (sorry, boys) or unpacking stray boxes in my apartment (sorry, Morgan) I spent three hours organizing the SHIT out of my receipts. Last year, I collected receipts but loosely in a drawer, wrote nothing on them and half the ink faded. Now, they are stapled to a regular sheet of paper and filed by event/months. I'm so fucking ready for filing, well almost, I can't wait! My mom, the accountant, practically cried tears of happiness and said in her cute Southern accent, "Bless that Alec! He's the Comics-Will-Love-You-Back guy, right?" He totally gave us handouts but here is a little board play. Time to do my other work now!

That is all! Please enjoy your regular programming.

It went swimmingly! I drove down with Max de Radigues (of Belgium) and Morgan Pielli (of Connecticut) for the party at Atomic Books in Baltimore. Liz Baillie, Mk Reed and Ken Dahl (Gabby) read from their new books as well as John Porcellino, Peter Kuper, etc. They also gave me a little Nerdlinger Award, which I shall consume after I finish my next mini-comic. My table was right next to GB Tran's and I must have accidentally grabbed his ass four-five times, there was so little room in our corner.We unfortunately left our friends and their awesome new antho-mini WEREWOLF for greener pastures. It was great to see all our friends again. These conventions begin to feel like summer camp, you see the same people 3-4 times a year and everyone is hopped up on comic highs! Two of the anthologies I contributed to to debuted, Big Sexy by Trees and Hills and Lumberjack: a field guide by Colleen AF Venable and Marianne Ways. I always feel so lucky to be grouped together with fantastic creators and storytellers. Marianne and Colleen AF are particular dolls because they left the con to get supplies to make me a PINK BEARD after I made some comment. True crafters and cartoonists. Here are Colleen AF and Marianne in their bearded glory:

I am right here, hard at work and sorry to have left you alone for so long. Let me stroke your wrinkled brow and tear-stained cheeks. Anyway, on the road to the Small Press Expo in the morning. First, we are stopping at Atomic Books in Baltimore for SPX-plosion 2 with readings by Ken Dahl, Julia Wertz, Liz Baillie and Mk Reed, to name a few! Then two fantastic days in Bethesda! I'll be giving out this new watercolor print called Menstrual Cup Love for anyone who buys both Menstruation Station and Don't Hate, Menstruate (which now have fancy schmancy Paypal buttons on my site).  My new comic work is debuting in Lumberjacks: A Field Guide, How We Met by Always Comix and the Big Sexy Anthology by Offshore Comix. We are tabling at C14 so just look for the rainbow. Look at Bethesda, I'm going to rock your fucking' karaoke-comic socks off!  More updates soon! Or possibly drunken karaoke videos.

Heeee! Emi of EmiTown posted a comic about our dinner and hour hourS with a little drawing of me! If you didn't want to read her stuff before, now there is more ME in it. 

The night continued with many fantastic drinks by the ol' bartender himself, I had some fabulous gin and cucumber drink I am sure most fans of the veggie would enjoy. And there was copious Tweeting/texting/internet fact-checking. And then a fabulous chocolate martini made with Silk. Hmmm. Alright, Vaughn, hydrate and finish your work! I'm in town for four more days and am a-hustling!

Since I am a Temporary resident of Portland, I feel I can weigh in on the alternative media and a recent article written in the Portland Mercury really teed me off. I suppose Alison's (the writer*) smart-mouthed accusations are a substitute for quality writing and actual research. "Tentacles of Terror" is an obvious riff on horror comics of yore and how can we be sure that the astronaut is actually a female? This is STAR WARS, remember how effeminate a young Mark Hamill looked in the trilogy? The comments below the article basically sum up my feelings, the astronaut is fully covered in ARMOR and there is no torn clothing, no penetration (of anus or supposed vagina) and the tentacles are completely surrounding said astronaut. As a blatant feminist and a huge cunt, I fight the fights when there is something actually wrong. I highly doubt Alison sees a penis every time she sees a road marker, a vagina in every doorway, an anus in every cup. Hmm, but that might not be a bad way to live. I'd probably never stop having orgasms if I lived that way but that's another story altogether. Let's just put that rape card back in our pocket and pull it out when we are really dealt a tentacle rape card, 'kay? 

*Really disappointed in you, btw.

I am working on the production side for a graphic novel written by Paul Tobin who wrote the Models, Inc (the new Millie the Model comic) which stars Tim Gunn of Project Runway in a back story who was on the Daily Show talking about PR and Models, Inc with Jon Stewart.

Jen: 1
Evil: 0

You can see how that scoring works, can't you?

 The boss man mentioned me in the latest Top Shelf post. Too bad it's about the most menial task I have performed. I'm really started to miss Morgan and am filled with the same feeling as when I left! I really want to go but I really want to stay. Portland really has the best weather, overcast and breezy (minus those few days of summer). When I get back to the Junc, it's going to be hot, muggy and full of waking up way too early. On the other hand, I get to finally put my thesis into drawing action (it has been in the writing stage all summer) and I get to contact my 'mystery' thesis advisor. Mystery is in quotes for my own amusement, I know this person's identity. Well, back to work, this wasn't supposed to be all sap-tastic and sad. 

Whoa, I'm working my la-la-labia off in Portland and feel like I'm running out of time (given the sitting-on-my-hands period last week). I just finished reading a new book written by Paul Tobin and drawn by Colleen Coover (of Small Favors fame). The boss man, Brett, brought me to a business meeting at a typical coffee shop and I decided Paul and Colleen are two of the most adorable and talented people I have ever met! This graphic novel is going to rock and I hope they do more together in the future. They probably will they are married to each other, ya know.Forgive my schmoozy-latte-smile:
And while no karaoke has yet to happen, I managed to hit up Ground Kontrol with Jamie S. Rich (who wrote one of my favorite graphic novels, 12 Reasons Why I Love Her). Jamie bested me at Soul Calibur 2, one of my better games, but I earned my ovaries back in Area 51 being the gun-friendly Texan I am. He just came out with a new book called You Have Killed Me, which I also just finished. Try to get your monkey hands on this baby soon! 

I'm really digging watercolor and ink. It may be time to print expensive color mini-comics! Here is Shasta from Hope Larson's coming-of-age graphic novel, Chiggers. This magical picture also links to other pictures from my trip to Portland. As the boyfriend is happy to tell me, we are past the halfway mark until I return to Vermont. Wait, where did summer go though!?!?!

I meant to post this awhile ago but friend, Dennis Pacheco, gave a pretty fantastic review of the Radius Toothbrush. Yeah to Jesse for a-filming and a-editing. Check it out:

 In my 'free' time, I'm doing quick little watercolors of the characters from comic books I am reading whilst in Portland! Enjoy the first, Melaka Fray from the book Fray by Joss Whedon and Karl Moline.

PZS rocked labia, balls and everything in between! rae_beta  and I unleashed SuperGrrrl Adventure Comix #2 onto the world (contributors, your copies are in the mail) and had a hell of a time meeting old friends and making new ones. Our table was right by the door and we sat next to the amazing Jeff Ellis of Cloudscape Comics of Vancouver.
Many thanks to the people who put the show together including lovemotionstory  below:

It is imperative that you know that Hulu is now showing episodes of She-Ra as part of their summer promotion. The only way this day could get any better is if they simultaneously showed Rainbow Brite and Jem & the Holograms.

 rae_beta  and I are sitting side by side, well M. is betwixt us, and cackling to Something Awful's reviews of Bad Dragon, the site for naughty dragons and dragonettes. I cannot stress the importance of the fact that we found a recipe for well... here it is. Thank you, Interwebs, thank you. PVA for bookbinding, you may wonder, is Polyvinyl Acetate so worry not.