After countless printing delays, the third volume of the Mid-Riff anthology is finally here! Contributors can pick up their copy at the Harrison Art Faculty office (room 284). If you want additional copies, they will be for sale at both campus bookstores. I think this is our best volume yet.

Just a quick note to all of you people who have contributed work to the latest Mid-Riff collection...It's coming along just fine and I'll be sending off to the publisher within the next 2 weeks. We're running at about 90 pages which is an all-time high page count. Unfortunately, we had to change up cover designs due to the fact that some of the features advertised on the original cover were never completed and aren't in the book. The alternate cover that we're going with was designed by Elizabeth LaValle and has a completely re-designed logo. It's a little more edgy and, I feel, fits the content of the book better.

As far as my own work is concerned, I'm still working on Reelhawks, but it's so time intensive that I decided to stop posting the individual pages as strips and go back to it's original format of a graphic novel. I also started another strip, The Dark Voyages of Flavius Varo, as a lark. I was just getting sick and tired of doing all of that digital work and wanted to do something that focused more on pure drawing. Much like the comic strips of old...Flash Gordon, Prince Valiant...that kind of thing.

(Exhales loudly) Well, I thought it'd never happen but I finally have started Reelhawks as a continuing strip over at my website, commodoredinosaur.com. As I said in my note on strip 1 I intend to have new strips posted weekly. What day of the week I have yet to settle on since I've been cartooning whenever I get a free moment. Hopefully with summer break starting next week I'll settle into a groove.

And speaking of summer break, to you guys who need to get their work to me for Mid-Riff! #3...MY LAST DAY IN HARRISON HAS CHANGED! IT IS NOW JUNE 9TH!!
Sorry for the confusion about it being the 11th, but the new principle counted his days wrong. After June 9th I will not be on the Harrison campus daily but will pop in to check my mailbox before starting the final edit on Mid-Riff! #3.
If you are leaving your work with Sylvia (the person who puts stuff in my mailbox) SEND ME AN EMAIL TO LET ME KNOW! So far the book looks awesome. Jay Defoy just submitted a whopping 20 pages of fantastic art, so the page count is now up to 58 pages. Those of you that still need to submit your stuff (you know who you are) please GET YOUR WORK TO ME BY JUNE 25TH! That is the final deadline for inclusion in the book.

This 12-page story will be appearing in the 3rd issue of the Mid-Riff Anthology which I'm putting together now. It should be on the shelves this fall. The further adventures of Scribbly and Saul (a.k.a. the Reelhawks) will be starting up next week at my website commodoredinosaur.com.

I chose the word hiatus 'cuz that what the TV people use when a project has been suspended for the time being. Seems to fit. I have every intention of continuing on with the 3rd incarnation of Commodore Dinosaur, but it's just that it won't be on a regular schedule. When I first began the Commodore as a web strip I was still a grad student, single, and cranking out a full color strip 3 times a week kept me outta trouble (for the most part). These days, however, having 3 kids in the house (not to mention a woman that I'm more than lucky to have in my life) and an increased number of college classes to teach I just don't have the time for that kind of commitment. What free time I do have that I can devote to my artwork has been in the direction of a newer project, Reel Hawks. This new project (which will probably run to graphic novel length...about 64 pages, black & white) deals with newsreel reporters on the eve of World War II. A pure adventure strip...no superheroics and no supernatural mumbo jumbo. The first story takes 'em to Shanghai, China, so there will be plenty of intrigue (crimelords, spies and dangerous women). The writing and layout is going the smoothest of any project I've done yet. I'll keep you all posted on how it's coming even if I don't actually post the art. I'm kinda saving that for publication.