Verdict on The iBorg

Well the results are in, apparently, and my comic won! Except that it didn't win any of the top three awards. It won one of the other "almost there" awards.  I get $20 out of it though.  And the comic should be appearing on Student Affairs' web site at some other time.

Extra, extra, Batman revealed to be Bruce Wayne!

Funny story about this one, I made it awhile ago for the December 6th issue of Ka Leo.  The day after, I saw the news about Assange being accused of rape.  Unintentional new levels of depth have been discovered!
Also, Batman is Bruce Wayne.  Sorry.

141: The iBorg

A very special "The Sun Also Shines on the Moronic" that has been submitted to the annual Student Affairs College Cartoon Contest.

Holy balls! There's a monetary prize for the three best comics! Sweet!

Theme for the contest is: "Technology and Campus Life."

They have the same theme every year.  Usually I hate doing technology related cartoons.  Technology is usually cool, not stupid.  Stupid things are easier to make cartoons about.

This year, I received inspiration for this comic, but I only received it a short while ago.  The deadline for the competition is today; Friday the 10th (it's still Friday in Honolulu).  I submitted this cartoon 30 minutes ago.  Talk about cutting it close.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it! (Don't sue me, Steve, fucking, Jobs).

Obesity ruins armed forces recruitment

"An ever-growing portion of America's 17 to 24 year-olds, about 75 percent, is simply ineligible or unavailable to serve for a variety of reasons, above all, health and weight requirements in an age of spiraling childhood obesity."


- Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, United States of America

Art as more than mere aesthetics

Artist profile: Sanit Khewhok

By Will Caron
Editor in Chief

Published: Monday, November 8, 2010 Ka Leo O Hawaii

Without civilization, artists would be nothing more than hunter-gatherers. With that in mind, it is important for artists to use their skills to benefit society. At least, that's what Sanit Khewhok, the 11th recipient of the Catharine E. B. Cox Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts, says.

"If you're living in society, I think [being political] is important. Otherwise would it be useful if art didn't serve [a purpose]?" said Khewhok at our interview outside of the Kahala Whole Foods.

"If we have senses, you cannot avoid what we call art," said Khewhok.

Video Coverage of the Hawaii elections now available

Ka Leo O Hawaii may have made history this past Tuesday night by being the first team to partner with the Student Video and Film Association (SVFA) and send camera crews to both gubernatorial candidate's headquarters to document the evening.

It is now available at the Ka Leo website:
http://www.kaleo.org/multimedia/video/hawai-i-election-coverage-2010-1.2395517

The Puppet Master and his Toy - also, an article for your perusal

Caught in the quagmire: the life and times of a despondent democrat

The hazy fun of summer is a great recipe for forgetting what happened in the 1st Congressional District last semester, but if you think back hard enough, the picture should come in to focus.

The Democrats, divided between Democratic Party-bred Colleen Hanabusa, and the more centrist, independent Ed Case, managed to defeat themselves in a special election, and let Republican Charles Djou waltz right into the position.

Tomorrow, the Democrats, with help of their constituents, have another chance to defeat Djou in the general election. All we have to do is check the little box next to ‘Hanabusa.' But should we?

140. For You, Our Review of Paranormal Activity 2

This is a completely true story in every single aspect possible.
The movie features a haunted poopy, the movie is, itself, a heaping pile of poopy, my short friend Jane does have rabbit ears, I am actually ginger and Davin is, in fact, an ogre - though a very refined one.  Additionally, the Maniacal Mime Mob did, actually, sit behind us in the theater.

The Unballad of Tad the Sad

My contribution to the Halloween special. It'll be out in Ka Leo tomorrow, but here's your sneak peek.  Enjoy!

Preview of "The Unballad of Tad the Sad"

Gothic Whimsies and Dangerous Doodles is a new "Buried Alive" production that'll feature little short comics with humerus and simultaneously terrifying dialog that would make Edward Gorey roll over in his grave.
This is a preview for the first of those aforementioned comics: "The Unballad of Tad the Sad" which will come out in Ka Leo on October 29th.
I will be posting it online on October 28th however, so check back that night for an early showing!

Warriors vs The Nevada Wolf-pack

Graphic I did for this Friday's issue of Ka Leo O Hawai'i to accompany a story about the UH Warriors hoping to defeat the Nevada Wolf-pack.

The Masked Donor

Cover illustration for tomorrow's Ka Leo O Hawai'i (Oct. 11, 2010).  Accompanies an article about the John A. Burns School of Medicine receiving a million dollar donation from a source that wished to remain anonymous to the public.

Objection!!

Cover illustration for Ka Leo O Hawai‘i, September 13th, 2010 issue.
Accompanies a story on the City Prosecutors race that happened that day on campus at UH Manoa.

139. The Fever

It's been awhile since the last post; such is the busy life of the E.I.C.  At least you get a double-dose of win with this one.
I miss doing comics an incredible amount - they're so much more fun to work on than running a newspaper.
In honor of the one, the only, Justin Bieber showing up at the N.B.C. arena in Honolulu this Friday and Saturday, here's a strip that chronicles the horrendous fever this bio-terrorist / child-pop-star-sensation induces upon even the most unlikeliest of people.
Naturally, I don't listen to the music at all, and shun all those who do as they are, most certainly, witches, or aliens, or both.
One last thing for the search results: bieber fever.
Peace out.

138. The Secret Weapon

The First Born Main Promo Art

And here's the completed art work.  For the promo I deleted the background layers and turned it into a PNG file so that I could use it as a shaped layer on the InDesign page and place it over the other things in the promo without having a blue box around it.

The First Born Pencil Art

I'm starting a new Buried Alive production for the UH Webzine Ka Lamakua.  The production is called "The First Born" and it's pretty cool.
There's a page in the Welcome Back issue of Ka Leo that has a promo for it and I did an illustration for that promo.
Here's the pencil work I did.

137. The Steak and Egg Burrito

Yesterday and the day before I was able to do something amazing.  That is, hang out with an old friend I hadn't seen in two years, except over teh interwebs, here in sunny southern California.
Though the majority of our time was spent in a rushed attempt to reclaim the lost two years of our shared college experience in a mere two days, we still managed to write a comic together, without even trying.
Josh, as you may call him, used to make comics for me during our freshmen year and I, in return, would publish them in Ka Leo.  His comics were the best the paper's ever had.  I wish I could get him to reveal his ideas, or at least the way his mind works, to me, build a time-machine and then make his comics before he did - just like any good friend.
Just like during our collaboration comics for QuarterDown, he was funnier than me. But since he owed me money for beer, he said I could make a comic out of this little conversation we had.  And here it is. Enjoy.

136. For He Was Eaten By A Fish

I would just like to say that no children were actually eaten by giant koi during either the making of this strip or the time I spent watching children at the actual elementary school I worked at this summer. Well... almost no children.

135. Die Spock, Die!

I think I love the last panel of this comic more than my firstborn child, and that's not just because I don't have any children.

I like everything about it, from it's bones; a re-vamped background I did for a Quarterdown comic, to the nervous system; the incredibly sexy tones I added, to the muscle and fat; a distressed commander Spock being chased by a crazed, unicorn-riding treasure hunter, to it's epidermis; the laser and its warm, divine glow. 

I don't mean to pat my own back, but damn that is an awesome panel.  The rest of the strip can die in a fire for all I care - just so long as that last panel never, ever leaves my side.

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and dispair

134. I Have No Reason To Put On Pants

133. The O's Have It

See, the cigarette reference makes more sense now (see previous entry).

132. Fiber, Nutrients and Rage

It's amazing what people will waste money on just because of an advertisement campaign.
Cigarettes really are cool.

131. Glandular Momentum

130. The Kids Next Door 2

129. The Kids Next Door

128. Operation: Rabbit Hole

Densetsu Main Spread

So this is my first entirely, 100% digital image. Even my layouts and sketches were done digitally, which is kinda bad because I'm still not super comfortable with the digital brushes. Still, I think it turned out pretty good!
The image is based off of one of my all time favorite DBZ cards.  I've inserted my own cast of characters from Densetsu as well as adding the two large figures entirely, but the smaller figures and background color scheme pay homage to that DBZ card.

Mm'kay?

Took me awhile to upload this one, but it's finally here!

The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii (ASUH) voted down the chancellor's proposed athletic fee last semester.

The chancellor has decided to put the matter before the Board of Regents (BOR), completely disregarding that previous ASUH vote.

Penny Arcade-style artwork.

It's always interesting to me to see how people react to emulation (not to be confused with immolation).  I've publicly acknowledged my appreciation for and idolization of Mike Krahulik's artwork (and Jerry Holkins' writing too) and have admitted openly that I'm influenced a lot by Penny Arcade in general to the point of emulating their style.

127. Like Children Again

Graduation has a funny way of making people happy and sad at the same time.
Most graduates are elated to have been deemed "successful" by what ever standards they had been judged for the past however many years.  At the same time, a graduation means a step up in the world.
"Bigger and better things" and with that, greater responsibility and a more difficult role in society.  It's actually rather terrifying; a theme any number of cartoonists have explored twice a year ever since I've been in the business.
In an effort to be as different as possible, but still retain something of the importance of the issue, I've decided to examine the sense of longing that accompanies this fear of moving up in the world.

Something else I've been thinking about...

The very day Joe Biden proclaimed U.S. support for Israel, the Israeli government announced the planned construction of new Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank (which goes against every joint report the U.N. has filed on the matter - good thing the Israeli's have the U.S. security council veto in their pocket).  If these settlements are to be built on land that was, before the 6-day war, Palestinian land, what has to happen first? Clearly the houses that are already there (the ones that, according to Israel do not have the proper zoned building permits - because they were built before Israel came up with that law) will be demolished.

Israel knows that if a two state solution ever happens (which it probably won't - not while the U.S. is stacking the deck in Israel's favor) the borders will be drawn based on who's actually living where.  So their strategy is to knock down Palestinian houses and put up their own as quickly as possible in order to "legitimize," in some bastardized sense, their claims to the land. The zoning laws and Israeli-only highways that divide the West Bank into segments are also part of this strategy.  It's a basic geopolitical strategy and the main reason it works is because the U.S. media reports it in a way that favors Israel.  Calling the illegal settlements "neighborhoods" evokes a totally different feel than "occupied territory" does. It's the same reason U.S. media reports of violence are always "Israeli retaliation" and never "aggression."

126. Meanwhile, In Arizona

We all know that illegal immigrants from Latin America wear burritos on their feet. Whereas legal immigrants from the same region wear enchiladas. Footwear isn't, like, a cultural thing, or an economic thing - it's an issue of legality.  The governor of Arizona (I think it was her) advised her police force to look out for “illegals” on this very premise! And everyone knows that she knows what the hell she's talking about.

As for smugglers, well they tend to masquerade as illegal immigrants in that they also wear burritos on their feet.  Hey, they're both doing something illegal right? One's trying to make a better future for themselves and for their families, and, you know, the other is pumping millions of dollars of illegal narcotics into our country, corrupting our youth and worsening an already bad poverty line.  Totally the same thing, guys.

5. QDC#5: May 8th, 2009 - "Loss"

The following is from the quarterdown.com article of the same name and can also be found here.

I feel it is in the interest of my reputation (whatever that’s worth) as an artist to say a little something about this comic. First of all, I did not have a seizure or a stroke of any kind that led me to draw and color in this manner, despite appearances to the contrary.

2009-2010 BOP Awards

The Board of Publications for the University of Hawaii at Manoa presented their awards for Excellence in Journalism tonight for the past academic year.
There are number of different categories ranging from news briefs, to photo portraits to comics.  The entries are judged by various distinguished members of the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
This year I was fortunate enough to win first place in the Editorial Cartoons category for my cartoon entitled
"Zippity-Doo-Dah".
In the Comics category I managed to walk away with second place for my comic entitled "The Really Important Stuff".
And lastly, in the Graphic Illustration, which is an illustration whose purpose is to accompany and enhance an article in the paper, I won first place for "Bowser V. Midbus".

125. You Gotta Love Manoa in the Spring

It's true. I'm a fucking prophet.
All weekend and yesterday, I was afraid that my comic would be entirely laughable (which isn't the same thing as funny, damn it!) as we in Manoa enjoyed three straight days of hot, sweaty, sunny weather.
I was saved, though, as today this exact comic happened exactly like this to literally billions of students at around 8:30 AM.  And then again at around 12:15 PM, and also at 3:30 PM and again just now. Seriously. I think I might be God... or at least Jesus? Moses? I'll take what I can get.

4. The Trials of Modern Espionage

Based off of Tom Clancy's "Splinter Cell: Conviction" which chronicles the attempts by Sam Fisher to discover the identity of his daughter's murderer while unraveling why so many different important factions are so interested in the situation.
Because Sam is no longer part of "the system" in this game, the in-game instructions can't be given via headset or walkie-talkie (who would be giving Sam instructions if he's acting on his own with no government authority?).  The developers came up with an interesting way around this however. In-game instructions such as "infiltrate the mansion," for example, are now shown on walls, doorways, bar-counters etc.

124. It's A Fair Cop

Well, it's true. Stoners have no negative impact on my life (except Rush Limbaugh). Politicians, on the other hand, do.

123. Gnomefinger

I love to imagine the theme song for this movie. Can we get Shirley Bassey in to record the Gnomefinger theme?
Seriously, if you ever watch a clip from any sort of political debate or hearing or speech, the comments should activate your gag reflex.
I say should because otherwise you're probably one of the people who posted said comments - that or you're a vegetable, or possibly a mineral.
I'd like to believe that people aren't really that ignorant, biased and naive, and that it really is a secret conspiracy of gnomes who force people like Glenn Beck to spew the verbal vomit that is most of what you see on T.V. or hear on the radio - but it isn't.
Sad day, kids.  What the rest of the world must think of us.  It's enough to make someone actually want to down a whole bottle of soil-flavored,  juniper berry goodness - yum.

122. Ladies and Gentlemen, Representative Hank Johnson (D)

Yeah, he really said this.  Watch the clip, it's pretty ridiculous - that kind of ridiculous that comes from something being terrifying and hilarious at the same time.
There are those who say he was using an elaborate metaphor, that he meant that the marines would tip the "balance" of Guam.  This is not what came out of his mouth however.  What came out of his mouth was pure, literal idiocy - or the result of a lot of marijuana - as the comic implies.  Enjoy.

3. The Li'lest Spartan

It's a real thing. Really.

121: The Apple Is Watching

120. The iPad Strikes Back

I still think it's dumb.

And that whole bit about the "social experience" was actually said by an actual dude standing in line for an actual iPad when he didn't actually need to.

119. A Special Effects Easter

Happy Easter!

2. Razed by Wolves

The following can also be found on QuarterDown.com along with other nifty stuff.

I'm sure this has happened to many of you: you're playing your game, leveling up your character, completing quests and you're really getting into the story. You've immersed yourself in the world of the game, assumed the persona of your character, busted out your wizard robe and hat - you have entered the true domain of role playing at its finest. You have tasted the fruits of that revelry and found them to be sweet. And then it happens...

One of the NPC buffoons wandering around the outskirts of town offers you a quest, a really awesome sounding quest involving a rescue, a warlock and loads of loot and experience. It sounds great, but there's a catch. In order to play this quest, you have to pay a little extra real-world cash to unlock it. That's right, you've already bought your game, but did you think you'd get to play through all of it with that meager yield of dough? Well you thought wrong, sucker.

This isn't to say that we don't necessarily like DLC. I don't mind buying expansions to games that I know and love in order to get a little more enjoyment out of it. What we don't like is when the NPC breaks character to try and make a bit more money for the company.

There's a time and a place for everything.

How To Draw Your Mario Comixed

So the way the QuarterDown comic works, is that Josh, the founder of QuarterDown.com, and I brainstorm ideas for the upcoming week.  Sometimes we'll post ideas in the author forum and have the writers on the site improve on the ideas, or come up with their own better ones.  Then I go and draw the comic based on Josh's (or one of the other writer's) script.
After I made the first one, I sent it to Josh and he, being funny and clever, edited my text and background layers and changed it into this abomination.  This comic actually isn't on QuarterDown.com, so it's sort of like a directors cut or a special miss-printed dollar bill, or a rare book with a duplicated paragraph or something ... maybe.

1. How To Draw Your Mario

Introducing the official web comic for QuarterDown.com (a new kind of gaming web site).
QuarterDown.com has reviews, features and editorials about video games, gaming culture, game development, and a whole bunch of other awesome stuff like podcasts.  The writers are all bright and wonderfully knowledgeable and bring many different perspectives to the site.  Go check it out. It's pretty cool and you'll probably learn a lot, maybe.

The Rape of Higher Education in Hawaii

Peter Paul Rubens would roll over in his grave.

1) Please see: "The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus"
2) Go find out what the politicians are proposing to do to UH Manoa.  
3) Weep.
4) ???
5) Profit.

118. The Budget Alert

"Here, pass these out to the boys in lieu of pay.  I bet we could use these to buy land from the Native Americans, they do love toys."
I'm paraphrasing; not actually quoting, but Virginia Hinshaw seems to have developed into a very Mel Brooks-like administrator. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please, please go see Blazing Saddles immediately.

117. A Very Scary Spring Break Special

The influence of Penny Arcade is again, very apparent in my work. The third panel is almost an exact copy of a panel created by those two web comic sages.  Obviously the characters are different but, while the drawing is original, the use of a rear-view mirror, the pink clouds and lens flare, and even the the reason for the panel itself (i.e. stalking) is so immersed in the tradition of Penny Arcade that I'm almost ashamed to write about it.  Almost.
In art, attempting to emulate someone else's work, or even copy it, isn't the same as copying someone's answer to a math problem.  It's about learning why and how the people who are better than you do the things they do. I reiterate: not what they do, but how and why.  That's how we get better.
Imagine a "how to draw" book.  What is that encouraging but copying?  I learned to draw manga characters by copying Dragonball Z cards in third grade.  Can you imagine a "how to solve this specific equation" book? That'd just be plagiarism.  Art, either visual, musical or other, is an extremely different field from other humanities and especially from fields outside Arts and Sciences.  It is the study of others: their techniques, their methodology, their subject material.  So I say to Jerry and Mike; thanks for all the great jokes and amazing art - I've learned a lot from you guys.

116. Roommate Screening, part 2

God of War III.  I want to play it so badly, despite the fact that, as was made hilariously apparent by Penny Arcade, the plot will be the same as the first two: Kratos will kill everyone.  This is a given.

115. Roommate Screening, part 1

114. Sign Me Up For That Cell Phone Provider

If you thought the previous joke was bad... this one's el terrible.

113. The Hit New Show on "MTV Transylvania"