Undeniable Truth or Conspiracy Buffoonary?

Let me just start off by saying this: I'm not a Bush fan. I never really was. But that doesn't mean a hill of beans. For this post, it's irrelevant. It doesn't matter who's side you're on. And another thing: This post is not an anti-Bush or anti-Government rant. This is more of an approach to finding and/or discussing the truth.

We all know what happened on September 11th 2001. Anyone who was conscious that day felt the reverberation. The official story of the events on that day are, to be brief, a terrorist attack on Americans on American soil.

The other day a friend of mine pointed me to a documentary created by the folks over at Loose Change. This is a documentary that YOU need to check out. I am leaving my opinions at the door. I'm leaving it up to you to come to your own conclusion. But I urge you to take a look at the video on www.loosechange911.com. I can't stress it's importance, if for any other reason than to reinforce your faith in our government.

One side-note (and this is as far as I'll go into making my opinion known in this initial post): There are parts of this film that, to me, are hearsay and should be ignored. There are other parts that made my head throb with confusion and anger. Even if you only watch a few minutes, please don't ignore it.

Loose Change Official Website

Loose Change's 911 Documentary

Summer

I have to say that summertime is the toughest time to be a cartoonist (in my opinion). In the winter it's easy to find time to sit down at your desk and whittle away at a character or two. I mean, it's cold and dark and usually very uninviting.

But Summer...oy! Summer is loaded with distractions. Granted, they're great distractions. But they ARE distractions none the less. Yesterday I took the girls to my mother's place on the Susquehanna river for the day. Great fun. Great weather. But the bad part is that I got home and was verging on physical exhaustion. So, as any old bum like myself would do, I sat down on the couch for a minute and didn't get off it til 2am. I suck.

Over the next couple weeks you'll see the return of an older character that seemed to disappear. Angus the Squirrel is coming back for his occasional follies with Jack and the rest of the group. I have to say, I really missed the little bugger. I'd been developing a new series in my head that reprises Jack's fantasy of being a pirate and it just wasn't the same without having Angus as his first mate. So you'll see him popping up from time to time. I'd really love to get your opinions on him at some point. Feel free to leave comments here or over on the forum

Hope you're all having a great week. Thanks for reading. And thanks to all of you who have been sending in e-mails of support and criticism. Keep 'em comin.

Mini-Vans and Crank Shafts

It's a dreary day here in Eastern PA. I actually sort've like these days. The heavy gray sky overhead. The constant light drizzle. It makes the world seem a little closer than usual. Last night we had some hellish thunder storms. And while they were spectacular to watch, the constant power interruptions did very little to help my artistic side out progress-wise. I did manage to get another few pages done on the 44UA collection. So far, I've only gone through the first three months and already I'm up to thirty pages. This book is either going to be roughly the size of War And Peace or someone is gonna have to do some editing.

I usually take a few minutes before work each day to read some bookmarked websites and blogs that are either amusing on a childish level that makes me giggle or informative from a professional level. What I learned today: Chuck Ayers (creator of Crank Shaft) does the penciling for Funky Winkerbean. I've always liked Crank Shaft's look and humor. I just never caught the artistic similarities between Crank and Funky.

My wife has a theory that all mini-van drivers are mad hatters behind the wheel. She believes that they fall into two categories.

1. Drive-Like-A-Bat-Out-Of-Hell Mini-Van Driver: These are the people (usually men in this case) who believe that they are behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 rather than a wood-paneled Chrysler Town and Country. I have a firm belief that the DLABOOH driver is yearning for his younger years and drives like he plans to time-warp back to them.

2. Perpetual-Turn-Signal-Slower-Than-Dirt Mini-Van Driver: These are the folks that drive 35 mph in the freeway's passing lane. THESE are the folks that make my wife see stars.

Personally, I have no problem with mini-vans or their crazed drivers. I hardly notice them (unless my wife is in the car...then ya can't miss them). I wonder what she'd do if I came home with a family truckster of our very own. I'm thinking either divorce or dismemberment.

Vacation Anxiety

Anyone else out there have this? My wife and I are getting ready to take a three day break in Ocean City, MD this weekend. I'm torn. Part of me can't wait to just sit my ass down in the sand, drink a beer, and just unwind. The other half...the sick half...is worried about keeping up with the strip.

That's one of the few curses of being a cartoonist: Keeping up with it (that and keeping it funny). It's one of those things where I almost feel guilty when I don't dedicate time everyday to it. It's this sinking feeling in my gut that I'm going to pay for my leisurely ways.

But that won't stop me from my cold beer and warm sand. No sir.

Book Update: I actually started working on the introduction of the book last night. I got two pages done. What can I say, I'm a whirlwind. So far I'm having fun with it. Once I wrap things up, I'll send it off to the Official 44 Union Avenue Editor (Thanks Teresa) so she can make sure I didn't misspell anything or stick my foot in my mouth.

I don't know how other cartoonists work but I usually have the TV on at my desk when I'm working on a strip. More for background noise than anything. But I was watching a very interesting show the other night while working.

Hells Kitchen.

It's basically a reality competition where cooks compete for the top prize of becoming owner and head chef of a brand new restaurant. Now, I'm not a thug by any extent. I don't claim to be a master of fisticuffs. But I would hammer that Chef Ramsey over the head with a 15" frying pan if he got up in my face like that. Great TV!

Funny Click

GoComics 44UA Blog Post?

Yes, it's shocking....after almost seven months on GoComics, the folks over there decided to finally post a mention that my comic strip exists. Judging by the the current posting activity, I have a feeling that someone with a lot of energy (and a large stockpile of caffeine) has taken over the reins on the GoComics Blog. There are a bunch of new posts including one about Bleeker (finally) which hit GoComics right about the same time as 44UA.

Here's the link: GoComics Blog

Jump out there and post an evil comment.

44UA Book?

After some prodding by family members, friends, and peers, I've decided to embark on the task of putting together a 44 Union Avenue collection in book form. I'm still working out the logistics and content but I've at least decided that I want to go ahead with it. I've been at 44UA for over three years now. Some of you have been hanging on since the beginning and a large portion of my readers came on board after I was picked up by GoComics.

That being said, there is a LARGE archive of strips from the time before GoComics. Here's the weird part...Right around the time of web syndication, I decided to redesign my characters a bit. Some of them even got new names in the shake-up. Mikie became Jasper and Bubba became Clancy. At that point the mood and feel of the strip changed. I was almost positive the change would be greeted with a tar and feathering of sorts. Luckily, that wasn't the case. BUT, that change basically severed the ties between today's 44 Union Avenue and original version.

At first I thought I could just let them go off into oblivion but there were some really fun things that happened during those couple years: Jessie and the Jock Strap, The Stuffed Animal Grim Reaper (who just might be returning), Jack's Illegitimate Son, The Abominable Snowman, Jack's Stupidology Booth, Sigmund the Detention Hamster...to name a few.

So, after some advice from a few folks, I've decided to put a collection of these older strips together with a running commentary of sorts that will point out design changes, new tricks, odd characters, etc. I have no clue how long this venture will take but I can promise you that when it's done, it will be available to anyone with an internet connection.

Welcome to my skull

If you're reading this page you're here for one of two reasons: You're a 44 Union Avenue fan...or you stumbled upon this by accident. Either way, I feel sorry for you. I have been creating 44UA for over three years now. I can hardly believe it's gone by so fast. In that time frame, 44UA went from a crazy whim to a tiny little comic strip in my local newspaper, to a Web-Syndicated comic strip with a great bunch of readers and fans.

As my career as a cartoonist continues to evolve I am constantly meeting new friends and super-talented artists out there. Hopefully, they'll make it out here to say hello in one shape or form. I'll probably slip in a few of their strips illegally and in some form of copyright infringement or another. But everyone knows that cartoonists are just whores with pens...they won't mind.

So anyway, I'm always working on new ideas. I plan on using this site to test these ideas out. Hopefully, you'll give me your honest opinion. Don't pull any punches!

- Wit