After 17 episodes of barely saying anything, it’s time for GEARS to shine! Witness: Starscream, on his BEST BEHAVIOR!! Experience: The Autobots DRIVING from North America to Africa?? And watch in horror as Prime and the Autobots mow down MILES of TREES!!! WHAT?? All in our latest exciting episode!
Penciled in Clip Studio Paint, inked on watercolor paper, then painted in Clip Studio Paint using Ray Frenden’s terrific watercolor brushes (affiliate link).
I’ve been working on several ideas for a new Doctor Baer story, and one that’s in a third draft stage involves introducing the famous slavic witch into my animal world. This is the working design.
I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of material on Slavic mythology and fairy tales, and the ambiguous witch keeps me fascinated. Neither good nor evil, she stands for the wildness of nature itself. Containing all the sublime terror and joy of participating in life. Naturally that would make her a cat in an anthropomorphic comic!
But I’ll let some of the sources I’ve been using tell her story. Here are some good listens/reads on this character and the archetype she falls into:
NSFW but lively and fun discussion on the Deviant Women podcast:
A thorough discussion on the Mythillogical Podcast:
My preferred place to post stuff I’m working on is here, and my preferred place to interact is on the Doctor Baer Discord server. I am on the other social sites (though I don’t check them frequently), including the new Threads site from Meta:
That’s a lot of websites! Some of them may get more attention from me than others. But the best way to connect with me are by following the blog and joining my Discord server.
We’re back to talking about episodes, and here is AUTOBOT SPIKE to kick off season two. In this episode we hear young Jerzy’s shocked reaction to the new SEASON TWO OPENING! Jerzy upgrades the script from an intermediate level to young adult level!! Hoover lovingly talks about Reflector!!! Jerzy actually THROWS SHADE at Optimus Prime!!!! And we mispronounce Donald F Glut’s last name YET AGAIN (sorry Chris)!!!!! All this and the creepiest quote in the series (so far, at least). Stick a colander on your head and transfer your mind into your podcast player!!
Some tiny drawings I hid at Canal Park during an Akron RubberDucks game. Mascots Webster and Homer in action, on the field!
I don’t get as many opportunities to leave these “art drops” as I used to. Back when I lived in Ann Arbor and was part of a bowling league, I’d hide these kinds of watercolor and crayons sketches weekly:
I always include a note on the back that reads something like this:
You found an art drop! I’ve hidden these drawings around [insert location here] just for you to find it. I hope you enjoy it, or give it to someone who will!
I don’t sign my name or leave any website info anymore. The idea here isn’t to get followers or subscribers, but to put a playful bit of charm in the world as best I can. And it helps me to be less precious about the drawings. I’m making something to let it go.
My buddies Zack Giallongo and Ben Hatke were kind enough to invite me to sit in on their Monster Market podcast, a show where they talk about mythical and literary monsters.
Of course, I showed up with a 1950s B-Movie monster for the discussion. The Colossus of New York:
And the final monster from Lovecraft’s Re-Animator series:
“He was a menacing military figure who talked without moving his lips and whose voice seemed almost ventriloquially connected with an immense black case he carried. His expressionless face was handsome to the point of radiant beauty, but had shocked the superintendent when the hall light fell on it—for it was a wax face with eyes of painted glass. Some nameless accident had befallen this man.”
If you enjoy story analysis and monster talk, I think you’ll get a kick out of this!
Part two of our Season One Wrap-up includes a lot of praise from listeners! Comments come in from Chris Giarrusso (yes, THAT Chris Giarrusso, of MINI MARVELS and G-MAN), David Cabal (of the RETROCABAL podcast), Miguel @LogosMinor/@BoricuaConvoy, Rick Heinichen (of the podcast JEFF AND RICK PRESENT UNPACKING THE POWER OF POWER PACK), Guy Jessop-Braithwaite, Ashley Knapp, and Rob Stenzinger (of the LEAN INTO ART podcast). The sites we recommend in this episode:
