April had the best birthday ever.

Yesterday was April's birthday, as you might have noticed from the big pink and white notice below.
I don't know if she had the most fun she's ever had on a birthday (we're all going to do something about that part on Friday though), but I was definitely able to get her the best presents ever.


It's Guy Smith and Edie Sawyer (aka The Orphan/Mr. Sensitive & U-Go Girl) from X-Force/X-Statix go-go dancing by Joel Priddy!
These two are April's favorite comic characters and the fact that they're together and doing something cute like go-go dancing is right up April's alley ... so, you know, double extra special.


My girlfriend is a superhero!
It's April as Bizarra by Dean Trippe!
April gets to live the dream and be an adorable (but super-tough) superhero and fly through the skies all while not being dressed like a porn star.

I'll let Joel and Dean post the full pictures on their own respective sites since it's their art.
Giving her these presents was one of the most exciting and best things I've ever gotten to do, and her excitement and disbelief and overwhelmedness (not an actual word) was absolutely awesome.

ROUND 3. FIGHT!

So as you may have already heard, Team Awesome As Hell did not advance in the Fist-A-Cuffs Tournament, but I feel absolutely no shame in being defeated by a team as powerful and as good natured as Hackenslash.
Joel and Dean even did up some amazing post-match artwork that made me want to cry with good feelings over what great guys they are.
Do yourself a favor and check it out : Joel's. Dean's.
Tell me those didn't warm your heart.

Now that A.A.H. is out, it falls to all of us to throw our full support behind Hackenslash!

GO VOTE FOR HACKENSLASH RIGHT NOW!
They're up against Sam Hiti and Paul Pope's The Die-ities in this round, so they'll need all the help they can get.
Tell a friend and remember, voting only lasts through Saturday, so there's not much time to get those votes in and insure a win!
Also, while you're there, don't forget to vote for Team De-Nile, The Pain Brothers, and Skin & Bonez in their respective matches as they're all friends and good people too.

5 Questions from Dean Trippe

Dean gives me the 5 Question interview treatment...

1. What's the dumbest thing that happened in comics in the last year?
Wow. What a year to ask that question. If you'd asked me a week or two ago, I'd probably have a different answer, but I guess since it's so fresh on my mind I have to go with Marvel "killing" Captain America. Wait, I take that back, I think what they've done to Speedball is a lot dumber. I mean, come on.

2. Who is your favorite non-superhero fictional character of all time?
Wow. That's another tough one. There are so many. I'm going to keep it simple and say either Bugs Bunny or Calvin & Hobbes (inseperable).
If I could though I'd include characters like Robin Hood, The Simpsons, Peter Pan, Daffy Duck, "The Last Martian" from The Martian Chronicles, I could go on for hours I'm sure.

3. Who are your major artistic influences?
I guess "heroes" and "influences" are two different words.
I think there are definitely people who have influenced me in a big way that you'd never be able to see in how I draw. I chalk most of that up to them being so many light years above me. The first names that start leaping to mind are Art Adams, Mignola, Kirby, Ben Caldwell, Darwyn Cooke, Jon Morris, Adam Hughes, Mike Wieringo, Ed McGuinness, Mike Allred, Frank Cho, Cory Walker, Nate Bellegarde, Jeff Smith, Bill Watterson, Bruce Timm, Alex Ross, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Ryan Sook, Gabe from Penny Arcade, Scott Kurtz, .. I could keep going.
Like I said, none of those names probably show up too obviously in the quality of my work, but they're the people who inspire(d) me.
I'd also like to add that honestly, Dean and Joel are probably the people I've tried to learn the most from over the last however long. Anytime they put something new up, I try to see what I can learn from it and how I can somehow better myself from their awesomeness.

4. What was your first comic and what happened in it?
Oh, wow, again. These are great questions, Dean.
I'm not sure if I have any idea aside from it being a Superman comic. For whatever reason, my parents got me started on Superman right away. My first birthday cake was one of those kind that's like a bust of Superman (Anyone know the kind I'm talking about?), "Superman" was my third word (No kidding) after "mom" and "dad".
I think the earliest ones I remember having was one where he fought someone called "The Yellow Peri". I remember one where he went crazy from some kind of Kryptonian fungus and was fighting with Swamp Thing and had a beard. I had some of the "Super Powers" comics. I specifically remember these two..


5. You have a cool girlfriend. High five. I realize this is not a question.
And how. High five!