However else I may feel about Comic-Con, something rare and wondrous did happen there: I got to actually read a book! *throws confetti* I realize that doesn't sound like much, but if you knew (a) how much I love to read, and (b) how little reading I've been able to do since 1998, you'd understand what a big deal it actually is.

The book in question was The Wizard Lord by Lawrence Watt-Evans, the first in a new series. It's not the first book of his I've read ... that would be The Misenchanted Sword, which I read in a previous life. The Wizard Lord was enjoyable enough, but the main thing that struck me about it was that I compared it to my own book, and came to the conclusion that my own book --while still needing some fleshing out and a bit of polish-- is just as good, and may actually be better in spots.

It was an interesting revelation. Lawrence Watt-Evans is an established, professional novelist with something like 15 books under his belt. He's not the headliner that somebody like Terry Brooks or Neil Gaiman is, perhaps, but he's a good, solid writer with a respectable career. The main thing he's got that I haven't, is fifteen finished, published books.

I could have fifteen finished, published books if I put as much work into it as I have into my comics. As it is, I have several large chunks and ideas for more that just need sustained attention.

So yeah ... it's time to start putting some serious work into that.

-The Gneech

From dduane:

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I mean, really, why wouldn't you?

-The Gneech

I've been busy, but Yerf has not particularly, so there are only a few "catch-up" pieces.

Puppy Love by Mary Lai (Kitsumi)
All I can say is "Awwwww!"

A Lion for Tursi by Brenda DiAntonis
D'Aww, he's cute. :) I'm always impressed when somebody gets the eyepatches ... as you may have noticed, I rarely do them myself. I know they're there -- it's just a pain to draw 'em in a 3" x 4" square.

Cassie Commission by Kelly Hamilton
A very appealing style, and nice use of perspective. Nice work all around.

-The Gneech

Um ... I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm gonna come right out and say it.

Suburban Jungle is NOT going on a hiatus for August.

Had you worried, didn't I? ;) No, instead, I'm going to do pinups.

Pinups, you ask? Yes, pinups.

Y'see, I had this idea for a portfolio, called "Cake." It was going to have some beefcake and some cheesecake. Funny, see?

Only ... I never drew anything for it. Because comics are hungry beasts.

And to be honest, well, I'm tired of feeding the beast right now. I need to do something different. I want to just draw for the sheer pleasure of drawing for a while, to remind me why I wanted to do a comic in the first place.

So I'm gonna draw the bloody portfolio. And I'm gonna post the pics as they're done, as if they were strips. In some ways, this will take SJ back to its gag-a-day roots, almost. I get to draw outside the 3" x 3" box, which means the artistic quality will go up, you guys get your selection of cheesecake or beefcake (or both) as you prefer, I get to take a break (in the form of doing something else for a change), and you still get updates!

I'd call that winning all around. :)

If only I'd realized at Comic-Con this was what I was going to end up doing, I could have started working on it there. But I was still planning to go back to the strips the moment I got back at that point.

The first one goes up tomorrow (Thursday). Leona fans should be pleased. :)

-The Gneech