Narcolepsie

English translation below.

I had the pleasure this year of meeting the folks behind the Franco-German comic zine BETON during their issue #2 launch (part of the Comic Invasion Berlin 2015 satellite events). As a result, I also had the pleasure of contributing this two-page story to their new issue, which came out this month!

BETON comes out about three times a year; each issue has its own word as a theme, and the comics are printed in both French and German. For the good of my English-speaking public, I have included a translation of my entry below the cut.

This comic is reproduced here with kind permission; you can get your hands on the whole 56-page deal for 7€ + shipping by e-mailing betonfanzine at gmail. You can also check out their Facebook page and follow them on Tumblr!

If you like this comic and would like to see more like it, you can also support me on Patreon!

The cycle

You can tell I penciled this last winter, because it's too muggy these days to wear long sleeves in public transit.

***

Speaking of bridges, I was interviewed recently by Odile for Die Berliner Portraits and it partly involved that bridge on the bottom left! The transcript is exclusively in German, I'm afraid, but you get to see a great photo of me in front of the Oberbaumbrücke, which is one of my favorite locations in Berlin.

Also, it's Bastille day, so: happy 14th of July. I am spending it at a) the hair salon b) band practice c) a bar d) all of the above.

[ Tegan and Sara - Don't Find Another Love ]

Friday Sketchpost: Berlin Pride + Fanart!

Every month for the past few months now I've been putting together pages from my sketchbooks in a PDF and posting it on Patreon. This forces me to draw more in my sketchbook, which has been priceless in terms of improving anatomy and inking skills (especially with the Pentel pocket brush pen, which I have grown more attached to the further I get used to it).

I've fallen off the wagon in terms of posting occasional scanned pages on this blog, though, so here are some sketches of people I did during Berlin's Pride week last month, as well as fanart of recent entertainment interests Breaking Bad (currently on season 4) and Spider-Gwen (which kicks so much heinie)!

You can also see these and many more in my latest digital sketchbook, which is available for pledges of $8 or more per week on Patreon!

[ Eiffel - Le même train ] 

Too Hot

[ Placebo - 36 Degrees (live)]

Real People

There are two kinds of people...

[ The Offspring - What Happened To You? ]

Ceiling Head

The transition to mainly working from home this month was pretty brutal! I have since switched to coworking away from home as much as possible.

***

Two pieces of info! One: my bilingual (French/German) comics workshop has been moved to Saturday, July 4 at Raum B and there are still spots available!

Two: if you like what I do and you want to help me pay my Netflix coworking bills every month, I have a Patreon campaign for the comics on this blog! All the details are right here.

[ Everclear - Electra Made Me Blind ]

Desert

I've had deserts on the brain lately: deserts where chem teachers cook meth, deserts that get driven through by postapocalyptic death rigs, deserts irrigated by humans who now face severe drought. So I drew this and played around with colors again.

Oh, by the way - the new Mad Max? I finally went to see it, and it melted my face off. In a good way.

[ Thrice - The Artist In The Ambulance ]

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 ]

Finished Art

Or Grey's Anatomy, or Downton Abbey, or whatever keeps my brain focused enough on the task at hand. So maybe containing less abs and fight scenes? Shhh.

***

Hey, if you want to come talk, read and make comics in a cool café as depicted above, tomorrow is the special Xmas edition of Panel Up, Berlin's monthly English-language comics meetup at Sankt Oberholz! Bring your fave comics, buy a beer, draw a thing - it's awesome.

And as for this blog, this is the last thing I post before I take off to spend time at home in California (yes, I know, whatever) for three weeks. Want a piece of the action? The Traveling Tip Jar is still open through tomorrow!

 See you in 2015! Don't trip on the way out.

P.S. If you are able, search for and feast your eyes on the video for the song below - it's probably my favorite video of the year.

[ Night Terrors of 1927 (feat. Tegan and Sara) - When You Were Mine ]

MOS #16 - The End

[ Soundtrack: U2 - Every Breaking Wave (Live in Helsinki, 2010) ]

Version française.

The End.

Funnily enough, as I was putting the final touches on this I happened to be in the exact same place at the exact same time of year as during the scenes depicted in the two bottom panels - namely Lyon, France, explaining to friends where I was and what I was doing, not unlike the visit that came after my thesis defense in October 2010. I even slept in the bedroom where I can be seen hiding out and being completely wiped out from life. Life is a cycle, and autobio just brings that out, it would seem.

This is the final instalment of Master of Survival #2 and therefore of Master of Survival itself. So what happens next? I realize this brings the story to a fairly harsh stop - which on the other hand is how it felt graduating after two years of moving and a grueling thesis - but fear not, there is still more to come!

I originally wrote a short epilogue for the story, which didn't make it into Vol. 2 due to time constraints. There are also a few bonus comics, episodes that didn't make it into the main story for timing/storytelling/flow reasons, plus a couple that were drawn in 2010 and that I just didn't want to put online at the time. And I've got notes down for a longer epilogue as well that brings us a bit more up to speed on what moving to Germany has been like since my grad student days.

All of this should tie up the main story quite nicely and fill in any holes remaining in my comic archival of my transitional period in Berlin, 2010-2014. They are currently planned for a bonus, final MOS mini to be debuted in the spring.

In the meantime, if you want a hard copy of these comics, they are as always available in my store.

Bis bald...

#MOS 15

[ Soundtrack: Die Toten Hosen - Nur zu Besuch (live) ]

Version française.

***

There's one update left... Aaah!

Until then, perhaps you want to check out this Christmas sale I have going on in my store? Or maybe you want to grab all of my minicomics for free by pledging on Patreon, or snag a postcard or personalized art (even an avatar!) by throwing some money into the Traveling Tip Jar for my trip to NorCal in three weeks. Up to you!

9.11.2014

If you were in Berlin a couple weeks ago, you might have seen this installation that was put up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. It was pretty cool.

***

Peeps! I returned safely (but incubating Con Crud) from the UK last week, and I loved it immensely. Thought Bubble was both my first major convention and my first convention abroad, and it delivered on sooooo many levels. I also enjoyed London for two days prior and would definitely like to return to both places (I think I've heard about "the north" from too many Londoners - Leeds put my preconceived ideas of rundown urban sadness to shame). Thanks to everyone who hosted me, took me out on the town, bought comics from me and spotted me £20 when my bank card stopped working!

Master of Survival will return next week with its penultimate episode(!). You can already get a hard copy of the full run on my store - all my minis are on sale this holiday season!

[ Kraftklub - Wie ich ]

>> Patreon! <<

MOS #14

* Vacation in Sweden.

[ Soundtrack:  U2 - City of Blinding Lights (Live) ]

Version française.

***

Berliners! I will be at Zinefest Berlin this Saturday until 6PM - with Volume 2 of Master of Survival, hot off the presses and containing THE NOT YET PUBLISHED FINAL EPISODES! I'm also selling small sketches! Come say hi!!

Experience

***

I'm going to Lyon for two weeks on Friday! Woot! I have missed my old stomping grounds.

And when I come back I have a ten-day turnaround before hitting up Thought Bubble, via London for two days. It's gonna be a crazy few weeks, I tell you what.

And hey - if you wanna support my trip to Thought Bubble, please feel free to do so by visiting the Traveling Tip Jar page. I am selling postcards (of this), custom-drawn postcards, sketches and even avatars there to cover the (high) costs of traveling to England with a brand-new print run.

A bientôt!

[ BANKS - Beggin For Thread ]

Productive

Yep sorry the emo comics just keep coming.

Speaking of productive, I'm hard at work on penciling, inking and translating the final pages for Master of Survival! I will be doing this as well during my trip to Lyon in ten days, towards which you can donate! You can also donate towards my trip to the UK for Thought Bubble, where I aim to have Master of Survival #2 all fresh and shiny. Just click on the Traveling Tip Jar logo on the sidebar, there.

[ Finch - Inferium ]

Friday Fanart: Finch

Against all expectations, one of my favorite bands, Finch, reformed last year and put out a new record this week called Back To Oblivion. I sketched this after listening to this teaser.

You can listen to the album here and order it here.

[ Finch -  Further From The Few ]

Stop and Listen

I did a rough version of this comic for OFF LIFE'S #QuickDraw challenge a few weeks ago; I liked the suggested theme a lot. It was relevant.

***

Also, hot dang, I got some shiny new postcards! These will be sent out to readers who donate 5€ via the Traveling Tip Jar towards my upcoming trips to Lyon, London, Leeds and California (sadly I'm not going anyplace in California that starts with L, at least not on purpose). There are also sketches and even personalized avatars available! Preorders for my Lyon trip will close October 15.

[ Fink - Looking Too Closely ]