new comics day: li'l depressed boy

Yesterday was new comics day. Every Wednesday is new comics day, but I haven't been buying individual issues for a few months because of monetary concerns. That being said, there was one comic that I couldn't miss yesterday: Li'l Depressed Boy (LDB).

Now before you go off referring me to emotional counseling or something (which many have when I have received packages from the Li'l Depressed Boy website or when I read the comics in public), you need to know that this is one of the most poetic expressions of a normal life, in a normal town, involving realistic circumstances. It's a perfect expression of the journey of life and the little joys we can find to brighten what could otherwise be a pretty bleak existence.

Life often doesn't go as we plan. LDB often gets what many would call the short end of the stick. His life often sucks, but he finds solace and joy in friends, comics, and his various adventures. The narrative of his life shows us that even though life is hard, we can find things around us that will help us through.

The creators of this comic had taken a break (one and a half years to be exact) so that they could get ahead on material and release more content. Now they are back and releasing more of this wonderful comic. I was excited to get a new chapter of the story this week and was elated to find that they had published a letter I had sent to them about my story with the comic. It was one of the best new comic days ever.

banned books week

This year, Banned Book Week has celebrated comics and graphic novels that have been banned. You can read about that here and about Banned Book Week here. 

To celebrate Banned Book Week, I put together a list of graphic narratives that I have read and enjoyed. I think most people would also find joy in reading these books:

1. Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi
An autobiography about her childhood and young adult years in Iran during the Islamic Revolution

2. Maus - Art Spieglman
A beautiful autobiography about Spieglman interviewing his dad about the experience of being a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It was the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize. 

3. Blankets - Craig Thompson
An autobiographical coming of age story that depicts Thompson's Christian upbringing, first love and early adulthood. It's a great story about being an individual and finding your way through it's pitfalls. 

4. Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
An imaginative children's book with only 338 words. It depicts Max dressing up, wreaking havoc in the house and being banished to his room without dinner where he imagines the place where the wild things are.

5. Watchmen - Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
Though it critiques the superhero concept which is a source of imaginative escape for myself, Moore creates a brilliant reflection of contemporary anxieties. 

6. The Book of Bunny Suicides - Andy Riley
Just a funny book with no real purpose other than to provide your imagination with a diving board to cruel black humor.

7. Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey
It's about a hypnotized adult that can change in a snap. If it wasn't for this book, I probably wouldn't enjoy reading as much as I do.

8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian - Sherman Alexie (Illustrations by Ellen Forney)
A fun read about a boy growing up on an a reservation near Spokane. An insightful look into Native American culture. It's a great story of feeling outside the group and how to overcome that.


There are also others that I still need to read that I found out have been banned such as Pride of Baghdad, Sandman, and Bone.

I enjoy my banned comics and other books. If it wasn't for Captain Underpants and Harry Potter (both of which have been banned before), I wouldn't have such a huge love of reading. I would be a regular underachiever.

Books and comics help me to believe in a better world and a better me.

up to speed.

The last few months have been a blur. I'll try my best to catch you up.

My last blog post, I was going to work on a Zine and try to get other people to contribute. I've decided to do it myself because it's hard to get submissions. That's not to say that I won't take help, but I'm going to make a zine with all my own material. It will be a series of my short comics that I have been writing recently.

Now to fill in up to what I am currently doing, I need to take a moment to recognize that I haven't been on my blog for over 4 months. A lot has happened and changed in my life.

For Easter, we went on a family trip to San Diego. We got to witness an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on the deck of the USS Midway. I didn't pay much attention to what was going on because I was fascinated with the sail boats in the Harbor making their way to the deeper waters of the distant ocean.

Summer came and was beautiful. I went on so many adventures and saw many things. I went hiking and to nature to get away from everyone. I often went alone, but I was never lonely.

I went on a sweet road trip with Nathan Barnhurst. First we went to my sister's high school graduation. We then spent Memorial Day weekend in the Grand Staircase area of Utah with my dad and Rika. We did lots of hikes and enjoyed not showering. I came back from that with surfer bum hair. I shouldn't have cut it the week after that.

Early June, I took my brother Walker on a camping trip that my friend Nathan Cowlishaw organized. We backpacked to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. There was always the sound of calm, flowing water. We saw all the major waterfalls we could around there (Navajo, Havasu, Mooney, Beaver). We had fun playing with the reservation dogs, making food on little camp stoves, and swimming in the water.

The World Cup happened. Brasil and USA didn't win. I don't want to talk about it.

I visited cool places with friends. I went to Kanaraville Falls, Cedar Breaks for sunrise, Brian Head (I buildered there), The Subway in Zion National Park, the reservoir on the hill to play beach soccer, climbing at Grave Side Matter, the Renaissance Faire, Battle Creek Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, the Castle Valley Pageant, The Wedge in the San Rafael Swell, a free Wallflowers concert, and many more. I also spent time listening to music, doing yoga, watching movies, and sharing wonderful uplifting conversations with them. 

Lots of things happened in people's lives over the summer. I had a lot of friends get married, but most notably my friend Justin Cox. I was one of his groom's men. It was good being able to see him and lots of other friends that were there too.

I also had to hear about my old friend Elder Matos who passed away. He was a good friend on the mission. He and his wife had so much love for us. I know he understood the purpose of life and was living right. He was happy.

My summer ended a little earlier in how much "vacation" I had because by the second week of August I was out here in Washington DC for a congressional internship. I'm working in Congressman Jason Chaffetz' office and having my own urban adventure.

Capitol hill is an interesting place to work. I pass the Pentagon, National Mall and Capitol Building everyday on my way to work. I take people on tours of the Capitol building. 

Since being here, I have visited lots of museums, went to Gettysburg, visited Luray Caverns, camped in the misty woods, went to an open mic poetry night, saw a free Shakespeare play, etc.

One of the big things here in DC is that I have started to draw and write more. I hadn't been working on my own creativity, but I have started to get some of my own stuff done. I went to the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland and met Lynda Barry, John Porcellino, Charles Burns, Jules Feiffer, Anne Koyama and others who made me want to keep working on my art. I got in free to the expo because I volunteered. Being a volunteer, I also got a few free things.

On that note, I am working on getting my own zine put together. I have some good content and have done some art that has stretched me as an artist and also as a story teller. It's not the best stuff, but I can't have everything perfect. The important part is that I am getting stuff done. 

I've had lots of firsts here. My first full-time desk job, first metro ride, first 9th floor apartment, etc. It's cool being surrounded by people, but I do like when I can find a time and place just for me.

That's why I love going to the roof and working on my art up there. It's nice to feel like I'm on top of the world doing something I love.

So, expect some comics and writing appearing here shortly.

zine: a collective project. an anthology.

I'm making a zine and I need all your help!

zine noun \ˈzēn\ : a small magazine that is written by people who are not professional writers and that usually has stories about a particular subject. 

This last weekend I went on a road trip. When I am driving alone or when I have time, I listen to a podcast by Dan Berry called Make It Then Tell Everybody. Dan generally interviews people who have jobs in the comics industry to help other people formulate ideas on how they can self-promote and break in to the comics world. 

Anyway, on my trip, I listened to probably 7 episodes. Each episode is about an hour and that's about how much time I spent in my car alone. I learned about nib pens, brushes, comics in academia, etc. One of the things that was reoccurring was the volume of comics creators that started by publishing their own works to sell at conventions. Many of them had only simple zines that they would sell for print costs to get their name out. 

One of the things that I want to do in my life is help other people to tell their stories. We all have them whether they are emotional poems, creative fiction pieces, or though provoking personal essays. We all use different mediums to tell our stories. Some use photography, painting, and sculpting. Others write, dance or act. My hope is that through this zine I can help people to tell those stories.  

What I'm asking right now is for everyone to submit things that I could publish on a page. Maybe we'll start a vlog-zine soon with other works to showcase dance, theatre, music, etc, but for now we are just doing print. Send me sketches, comics, paintings, photos, poems, personal essays, short stories, etc. Lengths can and should vary. Send me all the submissions you care to send. I want to get the first zine put together by the end of May. If you want to be in this one, send me your submission by May 10, with any contact info you care to include so that people can follow you on twitter, etsy, instagram, your blog or where ever else you post your creative work for people to see. You can also include a little bio. 

The theme that has come to my mind is life and living. I think I may title the zine "Live". It will be a collective of readers and artists that produce art to help each other to keep making art. It can be funny, uplifting, deep, emotional, etc. Like Neil Gaiman said, "Make good art."

To all those who we choose to be in the publication, I'll send you a copy of the zine. I am also going to try to put them in some coffee shops, book stores, and comic shops. I want people to see you story and feel the impact of your art. 

I love helping people to tell their stories. Help me tell yours.

Dream Catcher

Cerebral Vomit in notes

Graphic Poem

Splash Page

Self Portrait

living

It's been a little while since I update this and I realize that most people aren't going to see this for a few days because I'm taking a hiatus from Facebook this week, but I just want everyone to know that I am living. 

living /ˈliviNG/ 1. noun: the pursuit of a lifestyle of the specified type. "the benefits of country living"

2. adjective: alive. "living creatures"

For any who don't know, I am a little crazy. My mind goes everywhere and my body wants to follow. I'm living. I am alive. I'm also pursuing a living in what I enjoy. Right now, I am making a living studying marketing and working part-time jobs to finance dates, comics, books, and weekend hiking trips. I went to a color festival, shook Kenny Loggins' hand (twice) and watched my brother play soccer. I even did my taxes with my dad. That's what I love. That's the living that makes me feel alive. I'm way excited about the world and finding more about the things around me, especially in nature. I'm almost done with my undergrad, and I can't wait to get a job to take me somewhere else in life.  

The last few weeks, I have been able to live. I have escaped to the mountains, helped host an amazing St. Patrick's Day Party, reconnected with someone who I thought would never want me in their life, and have learned so many things about myself. I've been writing, drawing, reflecting, exercising, and clearing my mind about who I have been and become. Too often, I think I take for granted how far I have come as a human being. Sure, I make mistakes, but that has make who I am. I don't want to get overly sentimental, but I'm glad for all the crap I've been through. I'm glad I've grown. 

I'm not perfect, but at least I'm alive.

breaking spring

So... I know that I'm only a part way through this spring break, but I think I broke spring break. I had so much fun the first couple days of the break that I'm not even sure if the rest of it is necessary. 

To start it all off, Tristen, Landon, Nate, Trudi (Tristen's sister) and I drove to Vegas after classes on Friday. We dropped our stuff off at Tristen's family's home, picked up her niece Sierra, and went to first Friday which is a type of art festival that happens every first Friday of each month. The art exhibits were beautiful. It was fun to see the artists that were working on new pieces as we walked around the various galleries in the art district of Vegas. My favorite pieces were ones that were more comic art, though I did find some really compelling collage pieces. 

When we got back to Tristen's family's home after First Friday, I crashed in my hammock in their backyard. It was amazing to be able to gently sway to sleep in the warm spring air. I remember that right before I fell to sleep, a symphony of sirens began to echo inharmoniously through the streets singing me to sleep. I woke to the spiritual sun hugging my face with it's warmth. Those hammock moments were a time machine to the best days in Brazil, waking up to the warm equatorial sun and Amazonian breezes at 6:30 am. It made me miss the jungle and all it's hisses, howls, and hums.

The first part of our Saturday was spent in repose. We had pancakes with homemade syrup and planned what we would do later. In the afternoon, we visited some more of Tristen's nieces and nephew at their home close to the Vegas temple. We looked for scorpions in the backyard and did Acro-yoga, which is acrobats and yoga mixed together for two people. Nate, who weighs significantly less than me (first guess would be at least 50 pounds less), balanced me on his feet. It was amazing. He didn't even seem to struggle to balance my full weight on his feet as I straitened my feet and arms in the air like Superman. 

After that, we drove across town to MaximuM Comics 1.0 to see Sina Grace who was doing a comic signing there. We waited in line with some of the coolest people I've randomly met in a line. Sadly, I don't remember their names. There was a black lady that was there with her son who told us about her days growing up in Alabama in the 60s. She told us about how she was bullied by KKK members in full white Klan garb. It made me appreciate how far we've come as humanity to hear how bad it used to be and made me want to try harder to make the world better for those who will come after me. 

We were also served muffins in line from one of the staff members. He told us that the person who provides Scentsy products so that none of the comics stores smell like B.O. brought the muffins for us to enjoy. They were amazing triple berry muffins. I love how MaximuM Comics have always provided some sort of treat when I've gone to their signings.

Sina was so great. He always is. He drew a picture of the girl in front of us as Harley Quinn. He signed my copy of Not My Bag with his brush pen and didn't even have to ask my name or how it was spelled to personalize it. He just remembered from Facebook and the last comic signing where I saw him. He also drew me a picture of Li'l Depressed Boy as Max from Where The Wild Things Are. It looks so good next to my Li'l Depressed Boy under the Giving Tree. 

The other fun part of the signing was that Sierra won a Star Wars gift pack in the raffle that they were hold as a part of the signing. She was so excited and I saw her post recently on Facebook about how much she loves a tee that she got as a part of the prize. She also said that her mom said that she was such a nerd for loving the prize and that she didn't care about that. I wondered what that said about me for being the one so excited about going to the comic signing in the first place. It was so wonderful to have my group of friends humor and support me in going to see one of my favorite artists at that signing. 

We spent the evening on the Vegas strip. It was fun to walk around the buildings, see the fake Eiffel Tower, see the Belagio gardens and even talk to people in Portuguese. As we were walking, I notice some people talking in my favorite language, so I turned and asked if they were from Brazil (in Portuguese of course) and they said that they were from Fortaleza. They asked me what part of Brazil I was from and I had to tell them that I had only lived in Brazil for a bit. They told me that I hardly had any accent. We talked about Brazil and where I had lived in Belem and Macapa. One of the guys asked me what sin I committed to have to be in the heat of Brazil. His friend hit him and then asked me what sin I committed to have to leave Brazil. Both were good questions. ;)

Sunday was a good day of rest. We went to church and then spent some time walking around the Las Vegas temple barefoot. Well, I know I was barefoot. Not everyone walked barefoot. The grass was so soft on the palms of my feet and the bricks of the walkways were smooth. After the temple we went back to Tristen's home and had amazing tacos with her family. 

We went to play games with Julia's family in the evening before we came home. We played Ticket to Ride and Julia only beat me by 10 points because she had the longest continuous rail. It was fun to be in their home and enjoy their company. 

Back in Cedar, I had to work early Monday. I got to see my brother for a minute when I got off work and then I spent some time with my roommate Jordan later in the evening. We had dinner and then invited Tawny over to watch I, Robot. 

Today, Tuesday, March 11, I went to watch Singing in the Rain for the first time with Julia and some other friends. I remember a few years back when we got a toy for Grandma Walker that sang Singing in the Rain, because it was one of her favorite musicals. I remember it always being in front of her bed as the final stage of MS took over her body and she no longer had the control she once had. She was so patient in what would have been unbearable suffering to me. Sometimes I forget how much I learned from grandma. I remember one day when she could no longer really talk and could only really move her head how she said my name. I don't think that anyone else really heard it, but after giving her a hug she said my name so clear. I didn't get to know her as well as my older family members, but I did get to know her and I miss her. I'm glad that I got to watch one of her favorite movies today. It was such a happy movie and it made me think about how happy we should all be in life. It made me happy that grandma had that reminder of happiness next to her bed. 

In the afternoon, I read Sina Grace's Not My Bag which is a wonderful book. It made me think about the things that I worry about in my life that don't really matter. I want to worry less about things that don't matter and work more on doing the things that I know will bring me true happiness. I loved how the book talked about finding true happiness in yourself and not worrying about the past, fashions, opinions of others, etc. We just need to do our best with what God has given us. We can all help make the world a little brighter with our talents. I know that Sina's book made my world a little brighter. 

After that, I went with Jordan and Tawny to St. George. Jordan had to buy a pair of shoes and the Zumiez at the mall had the exact pair that he wanted. We also got dinner and mimicked the faces of people in the ads around Walmart. It was fun to be with two of my best friends. They have both helped me through so much. Jordan has been my best friend since 8th or 9th grade, and Tawny has given me so much good advice since I've been home from my mission. She has been like an older sister to me. 

We got home from St. George and watched We Bought a Zoo which is a wonderful, uplifting film. It made my soul smile. That was how I ended my day and it's only Tuesday. I still have 3 days and a weekend before I have to go back to school and so many wonderful little things planned for those days:

1) A date with a beautiful young lady tomorrow

2) Game night with cousins the next night

3) Some improve for Friday?

4) A temple trip with Brittany and Harrison on Saturday

5) and whatever else decided to come up. 

My life is amazing. I am happy!