Wordless Wednesday featuring a Kitten Who Would Like a Home

Monterey Bay Aquarium!

Where are the whales? Traveling through time...

The weekend before Halloween we traveled up the coast to see Tom Waits play at a benefit festival for Neil Young's beloved Bridge School. I can't believe it was the first time we'd ever attended, especially since this was the 27th time they've done it. Oh well, I guess it took Tom Waits to get us there. But seeing Neil Young play again (not to mention Elvis Costello) was pretty great too. And we got to visit the Monterey Aquarium as well (also known as the Cetacean Institute, home to George and Gracie, in Star Trek IV), something I hadn't done since the last time they had a great white living there several years ago. This time they had a major display of jellyfish instead (many of which were apparently bred at the aquarium) so get ready for lots of ethereal photos...

Sun fish are among the oddest and most interesting critters around. It's amazing to see them here in such a huge space. Absolutely awe inspiring, in fact.

 

Yeah, I know. Every aquarium has moray eels. But that doesn't mean that they aren't interesting and a little bit scary. Just look at those cold blue eyes!

Supposedly the Monterey Aquarium will have a cephalopod exhibit to rival the jellies next spring. I might have to schedule a field trip that doesn't involve a comic book convention then...

Night of the Living Zoo

It might be November, but that doesn't mean there's a ban on talking about October, does it? I sure hope not since we were able to get tickets to the LA Zoo's big Halloween bash this year and I've been dying (heh) to post about it.

Snacking on a humanely pre-killed chick

I'm so proud of what our zoo has accomplished since I worked there years ago. They've really come a long way, but the new reptile house in particular is a thing of beauty. The exhibits are huge, gorgeous, and clearly built with the comfort of their inhabitants in mind. As someone who once thought seriously of pursuing a herpetology degree the fact that they're doing conservation work and getting some rare critters to breed thrills me no end.

Watching some of the rarest guys get fed during the Halloween festivities was exciting too, even for a veggie girl like me. Even better was having the keeper describe their high hopes for getting the Gray's monitors to breed, something that's pretty much unheard of in captivity. Don't worry though, these Gray's weren't taken from the wild (not by the zoo, at least), they were rescued from the horror of illegal smuggling. When you consider the fact that these beautiful lizards were once thought to be extinct, you can't help but smile to seem them alive and well in such a lovely enclosure.

Big and smart, but dragon in name only

Then there's the Komodo dragons. These guys are AMAZING. When you see a full-grown individual you instantly see why they weren't called Komodo lizards. Of course they are monitor lizards too and like the Gray's they are distantly related to the giant sea-going Mosasaurs of the late Cretaceous. They may also have played into the idea that dragons breath fire since their tongues are yellow and constantly flick in and out, sampling the air. We saw them eat too, and I won't lie. It was a bit disturbing, especially since we share our home with a very personable bunny. Still, Komodos gotta eat, and in the wild they often dine on animals far bigger than rabbits. LAZ has had a lot of success breeding these guys, although the sex ratio of the hatchlings is often terribly skewed. Happily that may be changing soon though, as keepers here are pioneering incubation methods that will hopefully result in a more even distribution of males and females and a brighter future for the species.

I love tapirs. But you knew that.

After all that excitement we checked out the carousel full of endangered and rare animals. It was installed years ago but this was the first time I'd ever had the chance to ride it. Of course I chose the only tapir... Which just happened to be my favorite species (mountain) if I don't miss my bet.

We finished out the night by catching the Sideshow Sirens who do exactly what you'd think. I had never actually seen anyone preform the "human blockhead" act before, and I'd say it was tough to watch if I hadn't just seen a giant lizard eat a fuzzy bunny. I had also never had anything made with candy corn-infused vodka before, which was surprisingly not as awful as you might imagine. If you're curious, this is apparently how you make it. Basically it's three parts vodka, one part candy. Now that's spooky!

The House is Halloween Ready

It's already Halloween tomorrow! We are buried in deadlines and work so we won't be having any guests over to ogle our decorations. Guess I'll just have to share them with you here instead...

Spider person skeleton to greet people at the front door.

Backyard skeletons hang from every tree

Giant skull!

Tiny skeletons everywhere... And tiny pumpkins

Tin can cow is not too sure about this skull

Library rat

Carport eyeballs

We do a pretty good job dressing up our house in my opinion, but we'll never do as good of a job as these people. We spotted this place in San Francisco over the weekend. LOOK OUT! SUPER GIANT HALLOWEEN CAT!

NYCC 2013 - The Belated Recap

We've been back from New York Comic Con for a week and we're finally over the con crud. It was a crazy few days as it always is, so I won't even try to write a recap. Instead, how about some photos?

Gotta love our hotel. It's all ship themed, including portals as windows and model boats in the lobby. Also, you could see the Hudson (sort of) from our room.

The con doesn't start until the afternoon on Thursday, the first day, so we ran uptown to see the Balthus exhibit at the Met. I used to work in the gift shop there many, many years ago and I always like to visit.

You can tell you're getting close to Javits Center, where the con is held, when suddenly everything starts referencing comics and pop culture. I found this frog outside a coffee shop several blocks away. Yes, I did try their coffee. I couldn't let that frog down!

It's not news to say this con is crowded. Even so, I did get over to Art and Franco's table in time to get a real live (well, stuffed) Action Cat. And it was super nice of Mariah Huehner to add a Fizzgig to my Fizzgig sketchbook. My one major regret of NYCC '13 is that I didn't get one from Marc Laming after all too.








It's always a surprise to lay everything out on the table and see how much work has been done since the last con. Or table was pretty crowded so I know that we've been busy.

By the time the con ended gorgeous fall weather had arrived in NYC and we were sorry to leave the city. So we walked around a bit, visited one of our favorite dinner spots (any Red Bamboo fans out there? That place is great!) and the cats at Bleeker Street Records. And of course The Strand, which will ship books home for $0.99 each. Which explains the giant heavy box that was just delivered to our front door today...

In short, thanks for showing us a good time, New York City! And thank you to everyone who came by to see us at the con. Now, back to work!

Where We'll be at NYCC

A robot dog but also an Artist Alley table

This time next week Gabriel and I will be in the Big Apple, hopefully meeting you at TABLE K-9 in Artist Alley where we'll be during all four days of the  
New York Comic Con.

Gabriel still has an opening or two on his sketch list but if you'd like to reserve a spot you'd better act fast! You can contact him on his blog or email him. Wondering about prices? Here's a breakdown:

$125 for 1 character 9x12 inked

$250 for 2 characters 9x12 inked

$60 for headshot 9x12 inked. 

We'll also have copies of all our books and Gabriel will have a con exclusive for fans of his digital comic KINSKI: high quality prints showcasing the pup who started all the trouble. The run is very limited though, so if you want us to put one aside for you, just ask!

NYCC is truly like no other con. This year, like last, Artist Alley will be a bit off the main floor on the north side of Javits Center where some natural light and fresh air has the chance to penetrate. It's a pleasant place to spend some time so feel free to drop by and say hi!

New Stuff! September 2013 Edition

The summer is almost gone but Gabriel and I didn't take much time off. Instead, we've been busy making comics! Well, okay, we did take a day off for our anniversary, but it was an impressively numbered milestone so we felt entitled.

And so, with out further preamble, here's what we have coming up.

First, Kinski #3 by Gabriel Hardman is out today! You can find it here. You can also pick up the first two issues from the same link, or even subscribe. This issue marks the halfway point, so don't miss out! How far will Joe go to save the not-quite-stray dog Kinski? Far enough that even good-natured Frank is unhappy, judging by the cover. Hop over to Gabriel's blog to see some preview pages.


It seems impossible, but New York Comic Con is just three weeks away now. Gabriel and I will be sharing a table in Artist Alley again this year, and Gabriel is already taking sketch requests. Want to get on the list? Email Gabriel (GabrielHardman@gmail.com) soon! He's still got a couple of openings. Here's a breakdown of his prices:

$125 for 1 character 9x12 inked

$250 for 2 characters 9x12 inked

$60 for headshot 9x12 inked. 

And here's a recent example of what you'll get:

If seeing Batman fight Gorilla Grodd reminds you that you'd like to read more books about apes, never fear! We've got you covered there too. 

You can now pre-order the second volume of Planet of the Apes: Cataclysm from Amazon or from your local comic book shop. It'll hit stores on November 5th. Not sure where your closest comic shop is? Use this handy locator to find out.                                                                                                 Hope we'll see you in New York in October. If not, have a happy autumn!