Category: Blogposts

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

Spring Break 2012- What do your mean it’s over?

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Bruce

Today marks the end of Spring Break for my school district a week where I should have, could have, would have, drawn a couple comics and got them posted, but instead I went on vacation in hopes that I will have some adventures to write about. So that is what I have planned… but I thought I should at least give you the vacation by the numbers (*spoilers*)

  • States Cached In: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Delaware.
  • Caches found: around 61
  • Average Miles Per Gallon: 32.5
  • Number of times I said “I miss my cat.”: 137
  • Travel bugs moved: 1
  • Pairs of jeans ruined: 1
  • Number of cold weather clothing items left in hotel rooms: at least 2
  • Shoes lost: 1
  • Hours spent in a queue: too many, but it was worth it (to Cecil).
  • Doctor Who caches found: 1
  • Historic places visited:  lots
  • Witches burned: 0

So give me some time to put this whole thing together and hopefully I’ll be able to get back to a regular schedule, soon.

TED Talks… interesting viewpoint on failure

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Bruce

I do love TED Talks, they are fantastic, this one was an interesting take on failure.

Last week was the first round of statewide high stakes testing week and the last week of the grading period. Both things take a lot out of teachers or at least me. Hence the hiatus as I regroup and rethink the direction of the comic. My passion has always been teaching… not testing, and testing is what teaching has become since it is now run by politicians, not educators.

On Wednesday afternoon, my students had the opportunity to watch a webcast with three wonderful cartoonists (Kazu Kibuishi, Raina Telgemeier, and Jeff Smith). Technical difficulties caused us to miss out on a part of it, so we started a discussion about graphic storytelling. I used My Geek Odyssey as an example. One of my students asked the question, “If you have this web site, why aren’t you famous?”  (Yes, students today are that rude) Then today, I see this TED Talk… and “unless…”

Expect new comics starting March 19.  Thank you all for your support.  Who knows maybe one day I will be “famous” not just “infamous.”

Life… Don’t talk to ME about life

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Bruce

If you haven’t noticed My Geek Odyssey has started to become somewhat random when it comes to being published. If you haven’t, then I’m better with smoke & mirrors than I thought.  I’ve started to miss a few days which is something I really never had the intention of doing. Some times the real world gets in the way of our plans and schemes. Right now I’ve hit a wall, with the high stakes statewide test starting this week, report cards and other things going on I feel overwhelmed and something has got to give. This year has been difficult with a number of changes that would make an already full time job, more so.  So for the short term everything that I have spent the past three years constructing is going to have to be put on pause. I’m hoping it will only be for a couple of weeks so I can get a few things straightened out in the real world, but I don’t know. For those who have stuck with the comic through thick & thin, I thank you & I’m sorry that I just can’t seem to keep all the balls in the air right now. We will be back, I’ve been considering some changes, so look for them upon the our return.

New Offerings in Cecil’s Loot Lair

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Bruce

When I first started putting this comic together my goal for year two was to create a storefront to sell stuff. This would help defray the cost of the whole thing and maybe make me part of the 1%… You see I started doing design work in high school and college it was mostly for shirts since my parents owned a small store that imprinted stuff on shirts (don’t ask it was the late 70’s and people did this sort of thing. I started a store front on both Zazzle & CafePress to see which one I liked more. Each as their pros & cons so the jury is still out. I have just added a few designs to the Zazzle shop for you to have a look at, as for my return I presently get a modest 10% of each sale which I tend to turn around and use to buy the shirts I want to wear (I only design things I would wear). Here are the latest designs:

Most of these designs are available on any kind of thing you would like to make… just don’t blame me if they end up looking bad.

Looking Forward to 2012… the end of the world as I know it- but I feel fine

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Bruce

I’m sitting here the last day of 2011, thinking about this year and what 2012 will bring (the zombie apocalypse) so I decided to rehash it all here.

Going over some of the old strips last week I am amazed at the number of people who have commented about how the strip has evolved. All twelve people (thank you all) who read this comic and I have spoken to, tell me how much growth and change they have seen. Hopefully it will bring more readers (c’mon lucky number 13!), but I go back to the reason I really do this whole thing: Fortune & Glory… actually to keep me out of an asylum.

My family asks every once in a while- if (or better yet- WHEN) I’m going to make some money from the comic. Since we all know that there is money in comics- just look around at all the cartoonists in the list of wealthiest people in the world (no wait- he throws a ball around & he forecloses on family’s dreams & he…).  I did not start this to make money. I started this so I wouldn’t go crazy- so I could do something I had always wanted. I hope it makes you laugh or think or both, but if it doesn’t maybe it was just an idea that had been bouncing around in my head and finally escaped.

2011 wasn’t too bad-  The biggest highlight being  getting a Professional Badge for Comic-Con in San Diego- it was a shocker for me.  You see I suffer (like many creative people) from low self esteem… that’s why I became a teacher- no one ever says any thing nice about teachers so I knew that was the perfect vocation.  Then after 20 years I decided to try out being a cartoonist. When I turned in my application I was doing it on a lark.  I didn’t think it would happen, but it did.  To me it was a big deal… I still look at that badge hanging above my desk and think someone is going to burst through the door and take it away- “You are not worthy.”  The actual convention was nice, but that badge, that honor to me, made it something special.

Besides that work, was work (and is just getting to be more so), the economy isn’t great, the crazy folks we elected to govern are doing crazy things and acting like spoiled toddlers (but will promise us they will change so they can elected again)… the world itself isn’t great, but I have a professional badge from Comic-Con which means, I’m a counted as a professional in something I have always wanted to do. *squee*

Besides that Cecil (yes, I consider him a separate entity) topped off his year with an accolade of a different kind- as you might have known Cecil was awarded the 50th Indy Magic Man geocoin which in the Indiana Geocaching world is kind of a big deal.  While many think of Cecil as just an extension of me… he is and he isn’t (I do the comic to keep me out of the asylum).  Many geocachers have figured out that I am just the guy who carries Cecil around… If I were to show up to an event without the monkey (I did once… once) it would be considered weird.  So Cecil was awarded an honor not for being a great cacher. No, he got it for being a character… and that was a wonderful highlight for the year.

So what does 2012 look like?  Rainy, with a chance of snow… a cold start.  Besides that I have some plans- my biggest goal is what a I have been trying since I started- to be on time with each comic.  Will there be more long arcs or will I be going back to shorter stories… I don’t know, I have some ideas, but I need to see how everything plays out.  MINI Takes The States is suppose to happen this year, but timing (as always) might be an issue.  My little brother is getting married… that might be fun- but it might not be such a good idea to make fun of my family.  GeoWoodstock is going to be in Louisville this year (they claim Indiana, but everything I see and hear says its happening in Kentucky).  So there is a lot of fodder besides just everyday life to get three comics a week in- if Hemi will ignore me enough to get it done.  Lots of projects that I will go on endlessly about at a later date.

So as I close out 2011 I’m glad I survived it and hope you and yours a wonderful 2012 (until the Zombie Apocalypse).

The Muppets: a completely unbiased review- really.

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Bruce

I wanted to do this as a a comic strip but being in the middle of an arc and knowing how quickly movies vanish from the theaters I didn’t want to risk it…

Let’s just start with if you like the muppets, you will like this movie. If you want some details (I will attempt to avoid spoilers) continue, but if you want a fun, film that everyone can enjoy (a rare things these days) then “The Muppets” is for you.

I was a muppet fan back when they were on Sesame Street (I am the age where when it was first released I was the target demographic). I watched them on Saturday Night Live, I watched the Muppet Show, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, and all the movies (even the bad ones). Jim Henson has been one of my heroes, so I started off excited that a new movie was being made, then a little scared that it would be horrible in some wild attempt to cater to today’s kids, it did not.

The story is simple: the Muppets have long since disbanded, their old studio and theatre are in shambles and about to be sold to the villain of the piece who has discovered oil under the land (“maniacal laughter, maniacal laughter”).   Who will inspire them to save the studio?  Walter, a new muppet from Smalltown, USA who has idolized the muppets forever.  So we find out what has happened to each of the main muppets as Walter tries to bring them together.  Walter along with his human brother, Gary, and Gary’s girlfriend, Mary, head out on a quest to save the muppets.  While all this is going on Gary & Walter discover the importance of being who they are and choosing their own path even if it splits them up (Am I a man, or am I a muppet?).  Sadly, one piece that was missing from the first film were the numerous cameos, there are a bunch, just not to the extreme that the original Muppet Movie had.

It is goofy, fun, nostalgic and brought back so many great memories.  As I said, I thought about doing this a comic, but it does such a wonderful job of making fun of itself I couldn’t top it.  Now some super serious film- sure, but the muppets?  No way.  If you have a chance see it (I’m not one for spending money on a movie especially when you can usually buy the film on DVD for half the price of going to see it in a theater).  This is one of those franchises that just puts a song in heart and a smile on your face.

I give it at least 5 buckets of Doc Hopper’s French Fried Frog Legs (“All I can see is hundreds of frogs on tiny crutches.”) Sue did feel that it dragged a bit in the middle and “tried too hard” in other places, but we won’t listen to her- she’s a grown-up after all.

While talking about the Muppets- Fresh Aire had a great interview over Thanksgiving, and there is The Green Album showing that the Muppets have not been forgotten as those who grew up with them have grown up.  Finally Pop Culture Happy Hour (one of my favorite podcasts) did a great episode (all episodes are great) but this one was on what kids should be exposed to while growing up and one of the things on that list was… yes, Tom Lehrer,  & the Muppets!  It is 46 minutes, but very insightful for anyone having to deal with small children.

Maybe in these dark days it is time for everyone to be more muppet-like- just sayin’

 

Hey buddy… ya want a t- shirt?

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Bruce

SO while doodling today I came up with the design I’m going to put on the geocaching puzzle piece and decided to do it as a product design for the various My Geek Odyssey virtual store fronts.  Since CafePress & Zazzle both carry different items I went ahead and created the first round at the place that had what Sue wanted (a thermos) which was Cafepress.  If you see that you would like a design on something else please feel free to let me know.  If I can make it happen I will.  This also may end up a pathtag, but I need to consider what will happen when it is shrunk down to the size of a quarter.

The latest design for the various virtual store fronts... the gear makes it more steampunk- or something.

doodling…

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Bruce

A colleague sent me a link to a TED talk about the power of doodling-

something I have been aware of for years (see any notebook from any class, workshop, or lecture I have attended). but today I decided to settle back and do some refining of my characters. I’ve also considered adding a few to the cast as I expand stories.

While fiddling around with pencil and paper I did this little doodle that I felt was good enough to finish and post. I originally had Cecil holding a Newton (I still have one- it still works) but decided that would be a bit obscure. I then thought about a different caption- “with great power, comes great responsibility, and a black mock turtleneck.”

letting my mind wander with a pencil can be a dangerous thing.

 

Just playing- oh I pre ordered my iPhone 4S this morning… since my iPhone 3, while it still works, has seen better days.

 

The New 52… Where “My Geek Odyssey” fits into DC’s New Universe

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Bruce

Actually as I stated when DC Comics first announced gutting their entire universe and starting over with every issue being #1 I was kind of lost. How do you really do that logically? So far my initial thoughts have not changed. Superman in Justice League is different than Superman in Superman and completely different than Superman in Action Comics. I’ve figure out how they could have a Teen Titans comic when there is no history of these characters as sidekicks, or Nightwing, or the Red Hood… It’s like jumping into the TARDIS when you move from issue to issue. Each one is in it’s own time frame. It used to be (as a naive) comic book reader you could kind of think that everything in one universe was happening around the same time (give or take a month or two) but for DC its like they have decided that every time occupies a different part of space/time. Which can be confusing. I think I’ve figured some of it out using the character of Superman as an example-
In Action Comics we are covering the back story of Superman (think of is as Year One). In Justice League we are getting the founding of the League (so again Year One for the Justice League) which didn’t happen during Superman’s first year as a hero, so the costume is different. In Superman we are dealing with a later version of the Man of Steel as we also are in Supergirl. This does save me from one of the things I despise about having one character in multiple books which is the poorly executed crossover. Still it does make reading these titles a little on the timey-wimey side.

One thing this has done is caused some artists to do their take on the “NEW 52” and one in particular I like is Aaron Diaz of Dresden Codek.  Who has a fantastic blog on design: Indistinguishable From Magic recently he’s taken on the DC Universe by not just redesigning the look of the characters, but also their origins and back stories… which has been neat since it looks like DC has done some things just to shock people into the understanding that “You’re not in Smallville, Kansas anymore”  Catwoman, & Starfire seem to be the ones getting press right now, but as long as DC is getting press, I have to believe that they will continue “pushing the limits.”

Heres a list of links on what Aaron has done to the DCU- one of these days I’d love to try this out (who knows maybe that will my creativity project for 2012.

Aaron’s discussions on character design are great for anyone looking at the science behind good design, you don’t have to agree with everything he has to say, but you will end up learning something.

As for the where “My Geek Odyssey” fits into this- I have been inspired to look at some more tweaks to my character design that should show up in this next arc or in some sketches.

From one Geek to Another…

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Bruce

As has been posted more times tonight than I care to repeat Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, has passed away. For me I started with an Apple II in middle school. My first computer that I could claim as mine was a Mac… purchased months after the release in 1984. “On January 24th Apple will Introduce ‘Macintosh’ and you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’”

While it seems cheesy, it was an amazing turn of events in 1984, no computer did anything like what a Mac did.  It cost $2,495 when released… my choice as a high schooler was- European vacation, car, or Mac… I chose Mac (I’m a geek).
I still have the original commercial from the Super Bowl (heck, I still have my original Mac) I’ve joked about it, but I am an Apple zombie… I have never understood those who think Windows is a superior system. To me, it has never worked well. I recall my first training as a teacher on an IBM machine. It seemed archaic, and when it froze I was befuddled. The trainer looked at me said “just push ctrl+alt+del” like it was something you always did… I lost everything I had worked on and commented “In five years of using a Mac I have never lost anything or had the computer freeze- why did we but these things?” Here is Steve Jobs’ Philosophy something to think about and words to live by.

Today’s comic will be posted tomorrow… sorry long day.