Category: Blogposts

Posts not connected to a comic… sometimes information, sometimes just ranting, it’s a bit of a gamble when you read these.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #0029

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Bruce

0029

Happy Last Day!

Today marked the last “official” day of the 2014-15 school year. We are now starting the “off season” and expect excitement as we get closer to not only the new teacher draft, but also training camp and then what looks to be a promising 2015-16 season.  Be sure to get ready for the start of the Fantasy School League, where you get to be the principal and select the teaching staff to raise your test scores and show growth with all students.  Make sure to check back each week to see how your favorites do on those weekly assessments!

 

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1954

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Bruce

1954Today the Indy Webcomics Group met fro a drawing session. I would have worn my green Mouse Guard shirt, but it was a little cold outside for a Summer day. I decided I would draw a bit, including some changes to characters because… I can. For the record I will not change the MINIons since I suffer from OCD and would want them all in the same style.  One of the great things about meeting with a group of other creators is the conversations that happen as you draw.  Talks about stuff that I am completely clueless about since it happened long after I joined the real world… it makes me sad, but then again there are the Interwebs to try to discover the cultural relevance of some of the strange stuff people talked about.  If you are interested in the comics culture in your area, find a group and start drawing with them- you’ll learn a lot.
Today’s MINIon is basically me doodling at Comic Book University, since I draw with a Prismacolor Verithin Non-photo Blue pencil.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #2009

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Bruce

2009Happy Obscura Day! If you are a geek and don’t know about Atlas Obscura– shame on you! Today was Obscura Day, a chance to discover the weird, quirky, and unique sites near you. Sue and I decided to head out for two events: a tour of the catacombs under the City Market, and a presentation and tour at the Indiana Medical History Museum. Both were great, and having lived in Indianapolis for over 25 years, it’s kind of cool to discover new places at home.  I’m looking forward to see where I’ll go on Obscura Day next year!

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1941

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Bruce

1941So over Memorial Day I drove out (for the first time) to the Air Force Museum at Wright-Pat. Understand that I I used to teach (actually founded) a school focused on aerospace education, I was raised by a man who not only loved aircraft but loved the military… I have seen every John Wayne war movie made (except the one he played Genghis Khan). I’ve been to airshows since I was a kid. Poor Sue had to deal with me geeking out looking at the aircraft on display and knowing what most of them were without looking at the signage… yes, another area of geekiness.  My favorite- The Curtis P-40 flown by the “Flying Tigers.”  But then again, seeing the kites flown in WWI just amazes me.
What I thought was funny was once WWII was over, I really wasn’t as much of a geek. I knew the major players in Korea, Vietnam, and beyond, but my passion was WWI and WWII when airplanes were in their infancy. I blame Charles Schultz.

 

snoopy
Third grade sitting on a dog house shooting at the Red Baron… Yes, I was weird and I’m fine with that, more kids should try to shoot down the Red Baron from a dog house, IMHO.

A Year in MINIons- MINIon #1999

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Bruce

1999So here’s the pitch (as far as I can remember from when I was a child- no I did not look up details, I thought my own recollection would be more amusing) We’ve returned to the Moon, established a base there and have turned our nearest neighbor into a waste dump for all our atomic waste. Bad things happen the dump goes “Boom!” and the Moon is ripped from its orbit and sent hurtling at some ungodly speed away before we can rescue anyone on the base. So we have people, on the Moon exploring the galaxy as this rogue astronomical body moves through space.  Think of Star Trek, without the ship or Han Solo heading towards a moon and Obi Wan saying “That’s no moon, it’s Moonbase Alpha!”

I was a fan of some other British shows while growing up and every time my grandparents would come to visit I would get them to buy me a Corgi die-cast toy of something from one of these shows. So I had Thunderbird 2, a SHADO Interceptor, and (of course) a Space: 1999 Eagle. One year I actually was lucky (spoiled) enough to get the ginormous, action figure scale Eagle. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, That’s OK, I’m not really talking to you or anyone, just basking in nostalgia.  This MINIon came to mind after posting MINIon #0525 and receiving one comment about the prop in the right hand, which came from Space: 1999, so a little quick research on the standards of a Moonbase Alpha uniform, the color of the sleeve denoted what you did- kinda like Star Trek’s never beam down in a red shirt.