The Return of Stickman #792

Part of the fun doing The Return of Stickman is having fans send in their own versions of the strip. Here is one by Laura Grace Rafferty. Thanks Laura!

The Return of Stickman #791

I first met Jane years ago when I moved to Tacoma. I was at her wedding when she tied the knot with Ron. They run a studio called http://www.nautilusdesign.biz and we like to hang out whenever we can. This is Jane’s first submission to The Return of Stickman. Thanks Jane!

The Return of Stickman #790 & Chalk Art

There is a small park in downtown Tacoma called Frost Park. When rumors were floating that a fence might be placed up around the park to keep out undesirables, some locals got a crazy idea. They would make the park a fun place to visit on their Friday lunch breaks by holding a weekly Chalk-Off Slam. Anyone is welcome to participate with free chalk on hand. Voting of on the art is done online on the Tacoma Urbanist blog. Rubbing elbows with a few of the other artists in Tacoma is a fun way to spend a lunch hour. I go when I have a chance. And this last Friday I won the slam with this tiki design.

The Return of Stickman #789

The Werewolf - 1956

My friend Bill Barnes of Unshelved told me that I should be blogging my webcomics. So, until I’ve learned enough CSS to revamp me webcomic sites I’ll be using this blog as a way to promote my strips. Today you get a double feature; A movie review the classic B-movie The Werewolf (1956), and what might be a controversial The Return of Stickman.


This is just one of many movies that Sam Katzman produced. Katzman was all about keeping on budget and increasing the profit margin by getting them quickly in the can. Most of his films are B-Movie classics. He might have worked fast, with an eye for the bottom line, but somehow, most of his films have a solid professional feel. The Werewolf was made fourteen years after The Wolf Man, just a year prior to I Was A Teenage Werewolf. What I love about this film is its location. Sure, the sign on the sheriff’s office says Mountaincrest, but every other sign in town reads Big Bear, a nice hunting community from what we can tell. If the scenery around Big Bear City looks familiar, it’s because the town is a common filming locale for movies. From classics like Old Yeller (1956) to recent horror efforts like Ticks (1999), Big Bear City has played host to over 200 films. You might want to check out their annual film festival.

Featured in the film, the cool jazz of Mischa Bakaleinikovff.

And here is today's...

The full archives of these strips can be found at
The Comic Critic and
The Return of Stickman.

A Tall Ship, A Taller Squid

This week I worked on a project for Tacoma Art Supply. There is a fleet of tall ships coming to Tacoma and they wanted a poster to sell at their booth that had a nautical theme. The challenge was the limited time I had to work on it as the event is coming fast. Here is an example of three stages my projects go through. The comp was a very loose sketch about eight inches tall. Both the inking and the color final was done at one 100% to fit on a 17 by 22 sheet.

Media Inc. Ad

With all the traveling I did this month, I’d forgotten that I was scheduled to get a quarter page ad into Media Ink last Friday. Thankfully, the magazine gave me a call and reminded me. My problem was that a project I took on last week grew a little bit. Once I met the client’s deadline I found I only had a few hours to complete my own ad. So, I flipped through the pile of portfolio samples and found an image of which I was rather proud. I quickly thought up a line of copy and banged out my ad. Naturally, I think this is a clever ad, perfectly honed for the audience to which the magazine is distributed. Still, I’m curious as to what other people think. How would you score this ad on a scale of one to ten?