Uhhg, my last update was last year and we're nearing the end of 2005? Time is flying and things have been way too busy this year. Not that I'm complaining. With anime and manga becoming more and more popular, more and more companies are looking for 'that style' to capitalize on. So, man, where do I begin?

Well... this month I caved and got myself a LiveJournal. Check it out for more updated, current material such as works in progress, convention listings, maybe one near you, and my ramblings about anything that catches my fancy during the week. Like, todays foreign object that found its way into my navel this time. "Click the link for photos." You know, that hard hitting journalistic material that's currently on the mind of millions.

Emily and I are currently working on a children's book. The writing is all done and I still have a few more character designs to finish and then we'll pitch this puppy, no, really, it is about a puppy, to major publishers. Aside from that, she's been coming up with so many other neat ideas. So many that it is that difficult to pick which one to work on first.

I just finished what was roughly to be a six page manga, turned into an eighteen page manga for a novel that HarperCollins is publishing later this year. Rikki Simons, you know, THE voice of Gir on Invader Zim, has toned the pages for me. If you've been living under a rock, be sure to check out his and his wife's, Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons, works that are coming soon or that are currently out there. More on the novel later when HCP makes the announcement.

Every year there seems to be one or two new anime conventions sprouting up and we're honored and excited that some of them feel that we are worthy of guest status and have us invited to them. I've even had the great opportunity to do several official convention t-shirt art this year. It scares me to death to do them. I actually get stage fright while working on them. There is a lot riding on one image for a convention. T-shirts are a risky investment. I'd hate to see a con sitting on a pile of shirts, the shirts that are to pay for the expenses that went into putting on the event, that didn't sell because the art turned out lame. Or suffering the embarrassment while sitting, front row center, at closing ceremonies, and watching the staffers tossing the shirts, with a look as if they're handling hazardous material, into the crowd just to get rid of them because one of them sure as heck don't want to be the one staffer having to store extra shirts in their garage just waiting to be the next dipstick wiper. As of now, I have no con shirts to work on and and I'm already sweating from just the thought of all that can go wrong when doing one. So far, thankfully and hopefully, that has yet to happen. And I'd like to give a big thanks to those who have picked one up. One day I'll have to update some of those images here.

My webcomic seriously needs an update. Thanks for everyone who've been writing me, asking that I really really really need to get back to working on it. I couldn't agree more with you guys. Seeing how this is my first original comic since the early 1990, I am enjoying the huge freedom of working on this comic and being able to vent all of my years of frustrations dealing with this medium called comics. It's a welcomed rollercoaster ride I hope you all will enjoy at my expence.

On a side note, I want to give a big thanks to Ananth Panagariya, writer of AppleGeeks for the very kind plug. We've been guests at several of the same conventions and one of my regrets is not being able to hang with these talented fellows. Otakon, a fine example, is just too huge to even find time to squeeze in an occasional simple hello. I've passed by their booth once and it was just too swamped, and rightfully so. Check out their stuff if you haven't already.

And finally... what about Ai Candy and How to Loathe Drawing Manga Style? With four conventions in a row next month HTLDMS will have to be postpone until October. Also we are going to redesign the entire site. When? We don't know. I'd like it to be in October. I do know that I want the site to have much simpler navigation since people sure aren't coming here for my fantabulous html skills.

Ok, I blathered on enough. With Anime Fest this weekend and Anime Iowa right after that, many projects await. Thanks for reading.