Signs of Summer

[ The Weepies - Nobody Knows Me At All ]

Grief, Part 2

Expected more of the sunshine daydream pastel colors from last week? Heh.

If you're in Berlin this weekend, be sure to stop by the Expat Markt off Mehringdamm this Sunday! I will be tabling there from 12PM to 6PM and selling comics, postcards and doing small commissions. Come by! Bring your hangovers.

[ Linkin Park - My December]

Accent

It wasn't a cute French one, that's for sure - since I don't have one?

***

I was on German radio this Sunday! Hear me talk about autobio comics, faith, my upcoming Franco-German comics workshop at Raum B, what brought me to Berlin and what made me stay, beginning at 44:44, right here (uff Deutsch). 

[ Willie Nelson - He Was A Friend of Mine ]

Lying In Wait

I have since learned not to do this.

***

Hey! I'm doing a Franco-German comics workshop on June 18 at Raum B in Neukölln! Spots are limited, details here (in French and German, like the workshop).

[ FAUVE - Tallulah ]

It's The Thought That Counts

My friend Remus is what you might call a joke cookie (Scherzkeks), if you were German. Ask him about his puns (or, y'know, don't?).

P.S. London! You never cease to fascinate! Also you are exhausting! But only because you never cease to fascinate! So it's a good thing!

[ Clones of Clones - Out Loud ]

How To Tell Time While Tabling

Tabling at cons is extremely rewarding and one of my favorite parts of this gig - but it can be rough on your system! Monitoring your needs for nourishment is key.

I'm off to London this weekend! Yeehaw!

[ Thrice - Come All You Weary ]

The thought process

You know, office shootings, plane crashes, that sort of thing.

[ Jars of Clay - Flood ]

Meanwhile in Brandenburg

I’ve met a freakishly high number of people in and around Berlin who know that the Central Valley is a thing.

***

Berlin! Comic Invasion was insane. So many people came out to the show - in fact the floor was non-stop full until nearly 7 on Sunday - and you all bought so much, it was amazing! Thanks to everyone who came by, grabbed some minicomics, bought sketches and prints, gave me cool things, watched me do my beer o'clock dance and simply said hi! Looking forward to #5 next year.

[ Death Cab for Cutie - Good Help (Is So Hard To Find) ]

> Patreon! <

Asset

And this concludes this year's batch of (belated) Christmas comics. I watched so much TV over the holidays, as one does. Haven't seen more than a couple episodes of The Flash yet, though - I intend to binge-watch it on Netflix. (Before then, of course, I will have binged on Daredevil.)

Also, hey! Comic Invasion Berlin is this weekend, and I be tabling there both days with minicomics and postcards on hand. AND I am planning a treasure hunt (with a reward!), which I will tweet about on Saturday. Come say hi! (Please. Please come say hi.)

[ Radical Face - The Mute ]

> Patreon! <

Actual Bird

That issue of Rolling Stone was from 1991. It had Achtung Baby-era U2 on the cover and a review of Nevermind that suggested Nirvana might be going places. So it was basically amazing.

[ Fauve - Lettre à Zoé ]

***

Berlin!! Comic Invasion Berlin is two weekends away, and I will be tabling there both days next to friend and fellow Panel Upper Ash Pure (of The Lion & The Unicorn fame). Read below the cut to see where you can find me!

Production of Master of Survival: The Third Degree has been delayed a bit due to my having written a 7-page epilogue to wrap the story up; that comic still needs to be inked and edited, which will not happen in time for Comic Invasion, as I'm prioritizing putting out a comic I'm satisfied with over rushing the job (a luxury I can afford on a personal project).

BUT. I will have many other printed minicomics available, as well as postcards and a couple CIB-exclusive deals. Keep a lookout on Twitter next week for those. And hey - come say hi!

Abendmahl

* Abendmahl = communion, or Lord's Supper, or Last Supper.

We interrupt our Christmas comics to bring you this year's Easter-related comic. (There have been others.)

Easter is a super-long weekend in Germany, and as tradition has it, I will be spending it at my drawing table inking comics, emerging only for the occasional service. I wish you all excellent partying times and some contemplative final days of Lent, whichever one of those floats your boat. Hey, you could even do both.

[ U2 - Acrobat ]

> Patreon! <

Mystery Coffee

Chew is a comic about a cop who gets information about things by eating them. It takes place in a near future where chicken is outlawed. It is amazing. (Also, I'm currently only on volume four, so - shhh.)

[ Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk (Live) ]

> Patreon <

Flowers

It's Saint Patrick's Day! Have a comic with a Patrick in it. Also, Christmas comics in March, because I've been sitting on these for awhile, so bear with me.

If you're into marine biology, science and funny stuff, Patrick runs a mean-looking video and photo inventory of the marine wildlife in the Bay Area, when he's not doing voiceovers of sea anemones or giving Tatiana Maslany a run for her money in his own eco-comedy films. He's also pretty dang funny.

***

Great news!!  The fine folks at Patreon have announced that they will handle the collection, filing and remittance of VAT in the EU on behalf of their creators. Thus, after a couple months of uneasy sleep, my Patreon is now back in action and outfitted with brand-new reward tiers. As was my plan back in January, updates on this blog will now be weekly, and you can pledge anywhere upwards of a dollar for every new comic I post.

For $2 per comic, you get access to penciled pages, script notes, partial inks and personal updates on my goings-on, AND the warm fuzzy knowledge that you are directly contributing to the creation of new autobio comics and the writing of Noémie (which I plan to devote my early morning comic time to once Comic Invasion is over). $5 or more gets you all of this goodness, PLUS cool exclusive things like a monthly postcard (currently 8 of 10 left) or a monthly digital sketchbook.

The more money I make per comic post, the easier it will be for me to pay for things like art supplies, tabling at conventions and finally working out of a space that is not my tiny bedroom in my tiny 3-person apartment. If you want to help me make these plans a reality, I highly advise you to get thee hence and check it out!

[ Queens of The Stone Age - I Sat By The Ocean ]

Fiat Lux

We borrowed a sun lamp for a couple weeks. It's been a serious game changer.
(If you want to read what Squeak is all about, it updates weekly at RealmsofRyan.com!)

***

I'm hard at work on the material for the bonus content volume of Master of Survival, which I have cleverly named The Third Degree! In addition to a handful of pages either still undrawn or hiding away in a folder, I've also scripted what seems to be a six-page epilogue comic, which may or may not turn out to actually be six pages long (Edit: it's seven. Haha. Hahaha)

In order for me to draw this and have it ready in time for Comic Invasion Berlin 2015, updates here will be kept to about two per month until the end of April. Speaking of CIB15, you should totally drop by. It will be epic.

I'm also researching a few options in terms of supporting this blog while my Patreon is on hold (see this post). More on that as it unfolds. In the meantime,  I've just spent a buttload of money on plane tickets to Lyon and London (again!!), in case you want to throw some money in the Traveling Tip Jar on the sidebar! (Edit 13/3/2015: Patreon have announced that they will handle the collection, filing and remittance of VAT in the EU on behalf of their creators!!! More about my Patreon next week. But you can still throw money in the Tip Jar, because I still just spent a buttload of money on plane tickets.)

[ Night Terrors of 1927 - Novocaine ]

S.A.D. (again)

[ Death Cab For Cutie - Black Sun ]

Things About The US

[ Taylor Swift - Shake It Off ]

5 Jahre

I moved to Berlin five years ago today. I'm very happy that I stuck around.

[ Matchbox Twenty - Parade ]

Role Models

[ Tegan and Sara - When I Get Up/Umbrella (Live) ]

> Patreon! < 

Mixtape Monday: Car Drive 2014 + Yearly Recap

Today's Mixtape Monday features the newest instalment of my yearly mix series, Car Drive - initially just something I put together to listen to in the family car, now pretty much a chronicle of the past year told through songs. If you had a year full of transitions, professional ambitions and the occasional instance of suckiness, this mix just might be for you! I got to give it a spin while driving up and down the coast of Northern California, which was pretty cool and didn't alienate too many family members.

You can listen to it (minus Cooper's "This Year") on Spotify.

***

Also, due to time constraints, I'm not doing a recap comic this year, BUT below you will find an unsorted recap of stuff I did and enjoyed. Read on below the cut, if you are so inclined!

7/1/2015

Pariser Platz, Berlin, 11.01.2015

***

I'm back from the US and (thanks to jet-lag) have been working on this at hours where no sane person should be awake.

California was great, don't get me wrong - I chilled a lot, wrote a lot, drew a lot, watched a lot of TV, got that precious Vitamin D, reconnected with family and my NorCal roots. There'll be more about my trip in awhile.

For now, these are pretty much all of the words I've got. See you next week.

[ Thrice - In Exile ]