New bewilderedkid comic, new pin-up!

Well folks, I hope you all have had and continue to have a Happy Holiday season. Not much in the way of news today as I just got back from my holiday trip and am super tired. I am not so tired that I cannot post this week's comic, but before I get to that, I am honored to have had my friend Ben Z do a pin up for me.


















Thanks Ben Z! I've been fortunate enough to have had four consecutive weeks with pin-ups of bewilderedkid comix characters and I thank all of the creators immensely. If you want to make your own pin-up feel free to send it to me via e-mail, or give it to me when you see me and I will post the pin-up here at bewilderedkid.com.

Now, on to this week's comic!

Possible Delay

Hello all.

Thanks to the "great folks" at United Airlines, the FAA, and inclement weather there may be a slight delay on posting the new bewilderedkid comic for this week. 

I will not apologize. However, if you want to direct complaints to United Airlines, the FAA, or whoever decides what the weather is for the holidays, please do so.

New bewilderedkid comic, new pin-up!

Hello all!

I hope you are all looking forward to the last few weeks of 2007. One thing that always confused me about the last few weeks of the year is that Christmas and New Year's Day are two separate days. Not that I really care one way or the other, but wasn't Jesus born in year zero? If so, doesn't that mean that his birthday and New Year's Day should be the same day? Why the lag? Was there a mistake? Was Jesus really born on January 1st? If so, then why would we observe his birthday on December 25th, which is my birthday!? Why should I have to move MY birthday to accommodate for him!? It's okay Jesus, I forgive you.

Now, allow me to plug the blog of friend and fellow Cartoonist Conspirator Matthew Kriske. Matthew is an extremely talented young artist whom I've had the pleasure of working with over the past seven months. He is looking to publish some work soon and when he does I will make certain to be here with updates!

Another friend, Cartoonist Conspiracy member, and the creator of Introspective Comics, Ryan Dow, had bestowed me with a gift this weekend during my "last birthday party." (I will never turn thirty damnit!) This gift was a response to the challenge I had laid down two weeks ago to create your favorite bewilderedkid comix characters to have posted here. Well, here is the birthday present/pin-up that Ryan was nice enough to provide me!


















Thanks again Ryan!

Speaking of the Cartoonist Conspiracy, this last week was a milestone for the group. We celebrated our fifth year anniversary! For more information on the illustrious five year history of the Conspiracy visit our website.

Now onto this week's comic!

New bewilderedkid comic! Pin-ups! 24-Hour Comic Box Set! What's in the Box?!

Good morning/afternoon/evening everybody!

Super Fantastica Comix!, which I mentioned here last week, will likely be available at select comic shops in February. We have seven creators on board for this thing, all of whom I know personally and enjoy their work immensely. Check out the website Super Fantastica Comix! dot com for more details as they become available. I've seen two of the finished stories for this project, and I can only hope that you enjoy them as much as I do. I am currently working on my own submission for this anthology along with other projects, which you will learn about shortly.

This weekend my wife, AJ Niehaus, and myself put the finishing touches on the script for our Muscles and Fights submission. Once we get closer to the release date I will give up some more information. I can tell you that this story involves a character from bewilderedkid comix! So stay tuned!

Speaking of Muscles and Fights, one of its publishers, Bud Burgy and myself have created pin-ups for each other. As I mentioned last week, Bud will be releasing a Meatfist and Gronk collected edition at some point in 2008. I was bestowed the honor to create a pin-up for him. I confirmed that I would create a pin-up for him and before I could even think of getting it done for him, he had already created a pin-up for me! Anyhow, last week I posted Bud's pin-up of P. Arthur Wyngarde Nylander doing his best Napoleon Bonaparte impression. This week I am posting the pin-up I did for his book.


















Speaking of pin-ups, last week I laid out the offer of creating pin-ups for your favorite, or not so favorite, bewilderedkid comix character to be posted here. Well, my friend Danno Klonowski, whose Muppets X-Mas paintings are still on display at Altered Esthetics, created this pin-up of Danallax.


















Thanks Danno! Anybody else interested in creating a pin-up of any of the many bewilderedkid comix characters, feel free! I will post them here at bewilderedkid.com! Also, Danno, I will get a pin-up to you, I swear! For those that don't know Danno's work, well you are a horrible person. You can check out some of his work at staplegenius.com. Otherwise, if you are smart, support comix, or have a sense of humor, you should pick up Manly Tales of Cowardice. As far as I understand they are available at Big Brain, The Source, and Dreamhaven.

Speaking of products in your local comic shops! This last Thursday, at the Minneapolis Cartoonist Conspiracy meeting, we coallated our 24 Hour Comic Day box sets. They should currently be available for sale at Big Brain Comics. If they aren't yet, they should be soon. For some photos of the coallating party/jam session visit my friends at Big Time Attic.

Not that I don't have enough on my plate as it is (weekly bewilderedkid comix, the Super Fantastica Comix! project, the Muscles and Fights 3 submission, and all of the pin-ups that I have to do for various people), but I am going to attempt to make the deadline for Young American Comics What's In The Box? anthology. The basic premise is to create an intriguing and creative two to six page story about a box which contents must remain a mystery to the reader. It's due on January 21st, 2008, so here's to hoping that I can get it done in time and it makes it into the anthology!

Okay. Finally. This week's comic.

New bewilderedkid comix! Pin-up art! Online store launch! Super Fantastica Comix website launch!

You voted for The Bunny again! Instead of killing someone with a bus, he appears on a t-shirt! Buy yours at the bewilderedkid.com online store! Please note that I am not taking any profits from the sale of the t-shirts sold at this site. Partially because I have enjoyed your comments and company while I try my hand at this online comix medium, but mostly because I would like to simplify my income tax forms.

My next comix endeavor, this time in print, will become realized towards the end of January, or early in February with the release of the inaugural Super Fantastica Comix! You can find out more about this project at Super Fantastica Comix! dot com.

My friend Bud Burgy and I are doing pin-ups for each other! Bud, I swear the pin-up I told you I was working on last weekend is done! It just needs to be scanned! Anyhow, Bud and his brother Fud will be releasing a collected edition of his creations Meatfist and Gronk at some point in 2008, I got that right, didn't I Bud? When I get more details, they will be posted here! Meanwhile, please enjoy the pin-up that Bud was kind enough to create and scan for me in a timely manner.



















If you want to create a pin-up of a bewilderedkid comix character to have posted here please let me know!

Another friend of mine, Danno Klonowski will have some art available for viewing and purchasing at the Altered Esthetics annual Christmas Art Show and Sale.

The official opening is Friday, December 7th from 7 PM to 9 PM. Otherwise you can visit the gallery Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 PM to 8 PM, or Saturdays from 12 PM to 6 PM.

Altered Esthetics is at:
1224 Quincy St NE, MPLS 55413
Ph. 612-378-8888
Altered Esthetics dot org

I swear we WILL get to this week's comic eventually, but my story "The Tale of the Cursed Coin" from the anthology Muscles and Fights 2 was reviewed at Ain't It Cool News. This is the second positive review that my story has received! The entire anthology gets a nod of approval from me, so if you haven't picked this up yet and have the money to spend, well, pick it up! Buy it here: Muscles and Fights dot com.

FINALLY! This week's comic:



Any and all comments are welcome! In fact, they are lusted after! COMMENT DAMNIT!

New bewlideredkid comix! Ask A Cute Nerd Girl Dot Com.

Hello my Peeps!
I think it's time to say goodbye. Your marshmellow interiors are too sticky for me. Also, I did not enjoy the mess you made when you decided to "fight" in my microwave. Do you even know how much time I had to spend cleaning the inside of that oven? You should be ashamed. It's over.
Oh...hello there. Sorry about that, I was just scolding my Peeps. They got out of hand this weekend. They are kind of stale and haven't been getting much action due to the candy cane season being upon us. After posting tonight I am going to be releasing them back into the Gingerbread Forest where they can be as unruly as they want to be.
Do yourself a favor and visit Ask A Cute Nerd Girl Dot Com. Ask a cute nerdy girl a question and she will respond! It's fun! Also, the site administrator had recently won a contest Brian Michael Bendis set up, in which the winner was allowed to answer the letters page for his comic, Powers. Her responses can be found in issue number 27 for those who want to step into a comic shop and support the comics community. Personally, I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and Mary over at Ask A Cute Nerd Girl Dot Com did a very entertaining job of moderating the fanboys. Kudos!
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I did! I am a little sore from the game of tackle football I was roped into playing. However, my plan worked! I just stayed away from the ball most of the time and ran a whole lot the rest of the time. Needless to say I didn't get injured and was able to create a comic this week, because here it is:

New bewilderedkid comic: Thanksgiving Edition!

I'm back to a less hectic schedule for this website. No more six page comics within one week for me! Not for this week anyhow.
At some point today I will either get injured or find myself in a food coma.
I may get injured, because for some reason I agreed to involving myself in a game of tackle football. I don't even know what I'll be doing when I get on that field. However, I did buy a mouthguard to protect my chompers for all of the gorging on mass amounts of Thanksgiving Day food that will follow the game.
Anyhow, enjoy your comic and your Thanksgiving! I just hope I don't break my arm and am able to post a comic for next week!

The Green Saga: Catharsis

Here it is folks, the big conclusion to The Green Saga. I know that this story arc was met with some resistence, but I hope you enjoy it. Don't worry there are more "bewilderedkid-esque" comix to come in the future.
Also, for those who don't know I was in an anthology called Muscles and Fights 2. I had a story called "The Tale of the Cursed Coin." Well, a review was written about this anthology and you can see what they had to say about me here: BadLit.com. You can purchase Muscles and Fights 2 here: MusclesAndFights.com.
Without further ado: the final chapter of The Green Saga.


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The Green Saga: Metamorphosis

Hello everyone!
I've been sick the last couple days with a cold and nearly didn't finish this week's comic. However, I pulled through and cranked out six pages this week! Well, six if you count the cover.
Anyhow, thanks to everyone for still reading this thing! The Green Saga comes to an end next week, so stay tuned!
Enjoy your comics!

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New bewilderedkid comix! T-shirt voting!

Well folks. After much slaving this week I finally was able to to post thirty pages of comix. Of course twenty-four of those pages were done two weeks ago, and two of the thirty pages are covers...but still that's great news for you! A lot of comics to read, for free!
For those that have been following the story thus far, you are in for a treat. Over the next next three weeks I will be bringing you multi-page comix! The Green Saga will culminate on 11.15.07 in a glorious display of life and rainbows!
I know that there have been many wondering when we'd be getting back to the old bewilderedkid comix and now I'm telling you - following 11.15.07.
However, I would advise to stay tuned since the Green Saga will change many things in the bewilderedkid universe. Wow, universe?!
Tonight I've posted part one of The Green Saga: Stasis.
Also, below that I've posted my 24 Hour Comic, The Origin of Man the Ladybug!
You may notice that the layout of the multi-page comics has changed. Click on each page number to bring up its corresponding page.
Lastly, I've enabled voting on the side to help me decide which character would look best, or rather make somebody purchase, a bewilderedkid t-shirt! I hope to have the t-shirts available for sale following Thanksgiving!
Okay, enough chit chat! Enjoy the comix!

The Green Saga: Stasis

Here is part one of the Green Saga Trilogy, which, I swear, will come to a great climax!
Super Extra Special Thanks to Steve Stwalley for allowing me to use his creation Soapy the Chicken. I advise you to check out Soapy, which is in my opinion one of the smartest and most fun webcomics being made.



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The Origin of Man the Ladybug!

On Saturday, October 20th at 10 AM I started on something known as the 24 Hour Comic Challenge, hosted by the International Cartoonist Conspiracy. Basically it is an endurance test. A marathon for comic creators professional and amature. You intend to create a 24 page comic in 24 hours. At 8:30 AM on Sunday, October 21st I finished with The Origin of Man the Ladybug. Despite my drawing hand cramping up at around 4 AM on Sunday and hitting a wall where I just didn't want to finish around 5 AM, I did finish with twenty-three pages and a cover (hey it counts!). Although I am not satisfied with the whole project, I am pleased with certain pages and most of all that I finished the 24 Hour Comic within the time limit.
For more 24 Hour Comics created at this year's event visit here: Minneapolis 24 Hour Comic Day
As for this particular story. It features a character from bewilderedkid.com. You may remember Man the Ladybug as a character that made it's debut in "The New Blood". Well, below is his story of origin. I hope you enjoy it more than I had creating it.



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Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have a safe and happy halloween! There will be a lot of comics to read tomorrow! So be prepared!

New bewilderedkid comic!

It's been a rough week, but I was able to get this thing posted! With attempting to make illustration deadlines, partaking in 24 Hour Comic Day, opening the St. Paul Cartoonist Conspiracy Cell, and of course the day job, it makes it hard to get these things done at a normal time of night...er morning.
I'm going to try and post my 24 Hour Comic here next week. Not enough time today.
The St. Paul Cartoonist Conspiracy Cell comic is posted below this weekly bewilderedkid comix update and will soon be on the International Cartoonist Conspiracy website.
Otherwise enjoy!

St. Paul Consipracy Cell Comic!

Here's what I do every other Thursday night. Sit around with other cartoonists and make comics. It's different from every other day of the week, because I am drawing with other people...not by my lonesome.
Anyhow, this is what Kevin McCarthy, Bug Burgy, and myself created at the inaugural meeting of the St. Paul Cartoonist Conspiracy Cell. This will soon be posted at the International Cartoonist Conspiracy website. That is once I figure out how to post a PDF file.



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New bewilderedkid comic, St. Paul Cartoonist Conspiracy Cell, 24 Hour Comic Day!

The new comic is posted! I hope that it is enjoyed by all! Thanks go out to everyone for their comments and kind words! You really make this comic fun.
A new Cartoonist Conspiracy cell is opening in St. Paul, MN tomorrow! Kevin McCarthy, Bud Burgy, and myself are the co-founders of this cell, but if anyone is feeling creative and wants to draw some comics for a few hours feel free to show up!
More info here: St. Paul Cartoonist Conspiracy Information
Also, 24 Hour Comics Day is this weekend! I will be creating a 24 page comic in 24 hours from 10 AM Saturday to 10 AM Sunday at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis along with nearly fifty other cartoonists.
For more information and live blogging during the event go here: Minneapolis 24 Hour Comic Day
Enjoy the comic! Click the image to enlarge.

New bewilderedkid comic!

To all those who were able to make it out to Fallcon, I hope you had fun! For those who didn't, don't fret there is always next year! It was really hot, but definitely worth it. Plus, I got free food! Next time around I hope I have something to sell! I have a year to produce something, anything! There are plans, so we will see folks!
Anyhow, here is this week's comic! Enjoy!

New bewilderedkid comic! Come to FallCon! Buy Muscles and Fights 2!

A whole bunch of stuff going on this week folks!
This Saturday and Sunday between 10 AM and 5 PM is FallCon! The Twin Cities' largest comic book convention! There is much more than just comic books though! There's me!
I am going to be helping my fellow Cartoonist Conspirators in our reading lounge. Stop by and talk comics with me! Find out what is so great about the Cartoonist Conspiracy! Muscles and Fights 2 is being released, which has a story done by me, so buy it! Alley Cats: Cats on Bikes (with Ninjas!), will be available as well!
I posted this week's comic below. Also, I posted the first page of my Muscles and Fights 2 story. This will be the only page I post here. For the rest, you will have to get your hands on a copy of Muscles and Fights 2!
Enjoy and see you at FallCon!

New bewilderedkid comic!

Thanks for all of the positive responses! That last comic was a real killer to get finished, but it was worth it!
Also, thanks to those who have been telling their friends, colleagues, enemies, pets, and family about my comics! The more people that read this crap the better...I think.
Next weekend, October 6th and 7th is the Midwest Comic Book Association FallCon at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds! I will be there helping out at the Cartoonist Conspiracy table. FallCon will also be the official release of Muscles and Fights 2: Musclier and Fightier, which includes a ten page story I created! Also available will be the Alley Cat: Cats on Bikes with Ninjas anthology. Stop by, say hello, buy some comics, allow me to rope you into conversations about how I live in the same neighborhood that Charles Schultz grew up in! It'll be fun!
Now onto these comics...big changes! Characters are both losing and gaining hair! A stoned bunny killed some big dude with a school bus! My poor wife is wearing a bikini! For crying out loud, if I were a character in my comics I wouldn't stand for this type of treatment! Oh wait...what's that? I am a character in my comics? I'm three characters in my comics? This is getting confusing, I think I'll lay down until next week.

New bewilderedkid comic! Bunny wins!

The comments have been rolling in recently! The verdict? People like this crap! Who would have thought that? I sure didn't! Thanks for all of the support!
If you haven't been reading this comic and its associated comments recently, you might be lost.
After one appearance in one panel of one comic, the Muscley Guy with a Bird-ish Nose and Sweet Sunglasses, became a topic of debate. Did this character have a nose or a beak? The answer? Eh...who cares, he was a throw-away character for crying out loud!
What happened next was a suggestion. Bunny vs. Muscley Guy. And now, it's a reality.
Four pages, or at least it would be if published - the last page is big enough to be two pages.
Enjoy! As usual, click for a larger image.

New bewilderedkid comic! Tale of the Tape!

Hey everyone! I'm super excited about all of the comments on this board! Ten? Damn. I feel, I dunno, special.
I enabled a little voting device on the right hand side of the screen to help in finding out who you want to win the big fight!
So, this is the comic that leads into the big fight between Bunny and The Muscley Guy with the Bird-ish Nose and Sweet Sunglasses. I don't know how long the fight comic it is going to be, but with an event so epic it should be more than one page! Perhaps two? Maybe even three! All in one week? I guess that nobody will be seeing me this weekend, at all. Voting can take place up until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, September 18th! After that, I'll need time to finish the comic!
Also, I included a Tale of the Tape. Sure, it is pretty much a recap of what someone had posted, but I think it's a nice way of archiving this little battle that was suggested by those who read this crap.
Okay, until next time! Click images to enlarge.

New bewilderedkid comic!

WOW! Eight comments on the last comic? I know one of them was mine, but I'm still amazed!
Although there were those who were anticipating a fight between "The Bunny" and "The Muscley Guy with the Bird-ish Nose and Sweet Sunglasses," it was not going to happen today.
However, it WILL HAPPEN! In two weeks! September 20th, 2007!
Begin weighing in on how this fight will go down here! Leave comments!
Until then, please enjoy this week's comic. As always click to enlarge.

SHOW UP TO THIS! DON'T BE A JERK!

What are you doing on Saturday, September 8th, 2007?
The answer better be showing up to the Eric Lappegard tribute!
Lame reasons for not showing up include:
* Poison Ivy on your leg
* Too tired to get out of bed
* Going fishing
* Scared of driving in the cities
Those exempt from attending:
* Anyone who does not live in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, however you can still donate to help pay for the medical bills and funeral costs that Eric's family have accumulated here:

Account of EricLappegard Voyager Bank
500 Marschall Road
Shakopee, MN 55379

Here's the event info!
ALLEY CAT: A TRIBUTE/BENEFIT IN MEMORY OF ERIC LAPPEGARD
What: Benefit to Honor Comic Artist & Bicycle Advocate Eric Lappegard
When: Saturday, September 8th, 2007. 2pm-10pm
Where:
Alley Cat Bike Race to begin at Behind Bars Bicycle Shop, 208 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis 2pm-5pm
Comic Art Show & Silent Auction at Altered Esthetics, 1224 Quincy St. NE, Minneapolis 5pm-10pm
A Raffle and Vegan Bake Sale will also take place at Altered Esthetics. Raffle items have been donated by local businesses and include something for everyone.

Minneapolis / St. Paul: Beloved local comic artist and bicycle advocate Eric Lappegard passed away on July 23rd from complications following an automobile accident. Eric was in the process of moving from Minneapolis to Portland, Oregon, when the accident occurred. Originally from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Eric had spent the last number of years in Minneapolis, where he worked as a bicycle messenger and coffee shop java-slinger, artist, community organizer and bicycle advocate.
Eric (a.k.a. Schmapples, a.k.a. Vegan Ninja) was an active member of the local comics collective The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, as well as a founding member of The Minneapolis Bicycle Federation, a group that advocates for a better cycling environment. Eric was a friendly face around town, a vegan who championed animal rights and environmental sustainability, and a friend to many people across the community. He will be greatly missed.
On Saturday, September 8th, friends of Eric are partnering with local businesses and arts organizations to pay tribute to a dear friend and important member of the art, music, and bicycling communities. All proceeds from the event will go to Eric's family to aid them with expenses incurred as a result of this tragic accident.
The Schmapples Tribute event will include a messenger-style alley cat bike race beginning at Behind Bars Bicycle Shop in Northeast Minneapolis.
Eric's artwork, as well as donated artwork from local artists & members of the Cartoonist Conspiracy (cartoonistconspiracy.com), will be on display at Altered Esthetics (alteredesthetics.com) all day Saturday, with a silent auction and reception to begin at 5:00pm.
Two original publications, "ALLEY CAT: A TRIBUTE TO ERIC LAPPEGARD" and "SCHMAPPLES: THE COLLECTED ONLINE COMIC by: Eric Lappegard", have been created specifically for this event & will be on sale.
Additional items for auction will be included, including gift certificates and highly-desirable items from local bicycle, comic and other businesses.
Live music will be provided by the Roe Family Singers.
Raffle tickets can be purchased for $5. Prizes include artwork, comics, gift certificates and custom bicycle parts and products.
A Vegan Bake Sale will also help to raise funds for the Lappegard family.

For a complete schedule of events visit:
Eric Lappegard Tribute

New bewilderedkid comic!

Hey people! Sorry it took so long to post! I've been working my fingers to the bone on a few projects. If you include moving into a new apartment as well as the nine-to-five, it makes for a pretty busy time!
Anyhow! Here it is! As usual, click to enlarge! Enjoy!

Alley Cat: Cats on Bikes (with Ninjas)

NOTE: The preceding art was not created by Daniel J. Olson.

The Cartoonist Conspiracy has published the Alley Cat: Cats on Bikes (with Ninjas) anthology featuring 92 pages of work by 50 cartoonists honoring our fallen comrade Eric Lappegard, who passed away from complications following an auto accident; they will be available at the Schmapples Tribute event September 8th, and will probably be pretty hard to come by after that. If you like cats, bikes, and/or ninjas you won't want to miss it. All proceeds from sales of the book go to the family of Eric Lappegard.

The contributor list is:

Anthony
Ken Avidor: avidorstudios.com
Bud Burgy: budburgy.com, musclesandfights.com
Kevin Cannon: kevincannon.org, bigtimeattic.com
Zander Cannon: bigtimeattic.com
Chole
Chris Coffey
Cindy
Cyrus Cords
Danno: staplegenius.com
Will Dinski: willdinski.com
Doctor Popular: doctorpopular.com
Ryan Dow: ryandow.com
Cival Einstein
Andrey Feldshteyn; cartoonblues.com
Michael Furious: michaelfurious.blogspot.com
Naomi Johnson
Loki Kaspari
Max Konrardy: maxeem.com
Matthew Kriske
Bob Lipski: uptowngirlcomic.com
Vas Littlecrow: vaslittlecrow.com
Roger Lootine: residuecomics.com
Marie Lorimer
Earl Luckes
Kevin McCarthy: mccarthy-comics.blogspot.com
MJ: Thepcstudio.tripod.com
Sarah Morean: smorean.com
Anders Nilsen: www.margomitchell.com/thc/an.htm
Daniel J .Olson: bewilderedkid.com
Rita Panton
Jeff Plotkin
Anna Pratt
Kraig Rasmussen
Connor Rice
Rio
Amado Rodriguez: musclesandfights.com
Zak Sally: lamano21.com
Jenny Schmid: Bikinipressinternational.com
Damian Sheridan
Tim Sievert: timsievert.blogspot.com
Mark Simonson: ms-studio.com
Andy Singer: andysinger.com
Jon Sloan
Bill Spears
David Steinlicht: cornercomic.com, allsmall.net
David Strong
Andy Sturdevant
Steven Stwalley: stwallskull.com, soapythechicken.com
Mike Toft: cartoonistconspiracy.com/brainfood
Brett VonSchlosser: vonschlosser.com
Jeff Walker
Kevin Wind: webcomicsnation.com/localhaunt/localhaunt
Adam Wirtzfeld: wrenchintheworks.com

The Alley Cat anthology is on sale at fine establishments such as Big Brain Comics and Hot Comics.

New bewilderedkid comic!

Well folks. This is the last of the strips that I had saved up. Don't worry! That doesn't mean there won't be anymore strips! There will be! It just means that I need to bust my hump to meet weekly deadlines for this site! I don't mind deadlines, but it was nice to have two months worth of comics in reserve. Oh well.
Enjoy this week's comic. Click on the image below to enlarge.

New bewilderedkid comic!

It's been a crazy month for me folks! Multiple projects, moving into a new apartment, a quick trip to Indiana, and of course a day job make for a very sleepy, cranky, and somehow still functioning illustrator.
I hope you enjoy this one everyone!
Until next week!
As always folks, click the image below for the larger, more readable, image!

New bewilderedkid comic!

Greetings! Last week's strip had people giving me dirty looks and questioning my "rules" about enjoying particular female body parts. I figured as much. Well, here is part two! Enjoy!
Click for the larger picture!

Tragedy and a NEW bewilderedkid comic!

I had debated last night and early into this morning whether to post a new comic in light of the tragic events in Minneapolis. As many of you may know, I live within the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, which as of approximately 6:10 PM last night, the tail end of rush hour, a bridge connecting downtown Minneapolis to the northern suburbs along one of the busiest Interstates in the state had collapsed. With sixty injured and seven reported dead, and that total about to rise today as divers search the nearly fifty cars that have been reported to have fallen into the Mississippi River, it is a tragic day indeed for the state of Minnesota.
To this point, nobody I know has died, although they could have given the amount of traffic the now collapsed 35W bridge received each day. I had driven over that bridge countless times and it is just strange to think that this happened.
However, the show must go on! Today's strip isn't a downer like last week's. In fact, today's strip isn't even that great. Although this strip is vital to an upcoming, ongoing sub-storyline that will begin taking place this week through next week and re-occurring from time to time throughout bewilderedkid comics' lifespan.
And thus, onto the comics! Again, as always click on the image to view the larger, more readable image.

The Second Death of Minnesota Basketball?

In 1960, professional basketball died in Minnesota after the local professional team, the Lakers, made a beeline for the warm climate and eventual large market of Los Angeles, California. In 1989, after a long absence from the area, professional basketball returned with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 1994, professional basketball in Minnesota nearly died again when the franchise was almost moved to New Orleans. The governing professional basketball authority had decided to block the move. In 1995, a skinny kid named Kevin Garnett was drafted straight from high school and made his professional debut that season. Unfortunately, on July 31, 2007, Kevin Garnett and the aforementioned Minnesota Timberwolves parted ways with a trade to the Boston Celtics. Thus, potentially killing professional basketball for the second time in Minnesota.

Watts Tower

So, a few weeks ago I designed characters for a comic strip that I created for condominums being sold in Birmingham, Alabama. The Watts Tower is, from what I understand, a local landmark and was renovated into condos for downtown urban living. Below are designs for a cardboard cutout and a comic strip. The comic strip was created into a postcard that was handed out at local bars and coffee shoppes, used as a marketing tool on Craigslist, and turned into a giant banner that was hung on the building itself. Click on the images below for larger images.

New bewilderedkid comic!

Time to get preachy folks! For those who know me, I mean really know me. Then you know that I really dig historic buildings. Hell they are the reason I have one of my two college degrees! Furthermore, I think it's great to see these landmarks gaining new uses rather than being torn down for new development.
However, I do not approve of most methods of gentrification, especially those that remove residents from their humble neighborhoods (cough) Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul (cough) . Also, I have remorse for those that have commandeered vacated spaces and are left out in, well, the cold. You'll see more of this in the following "preachy-as-hell" comic. As always, click on the image for a larger view.

Bad.

As posted from the Cartoonist Conspiracy website:
Fellow cartoonist, cyclist, and all around wonderful person Eric Lappegard passed away on July 23rd, 2007 from complications after a car accident that had left him paralyzed earlier this month. Eric was a charming fella, full of passion and enthusiasm, and talented as hell. Please take the time to check out some of his wonderful comics and get a glimpse of what we’ve lost.
www.ericlappegard.com.
Eric's several communities of friends here in Minneapolis are putting together a day-long benefit/celebration of the life of Eric on SEPTEMBER 8th, 2007 which will include an "Alley Cat" bike race, an art show at Altered Esthetics gallery(www.alteredesthetics.com), silent auction, music, and more.
All money will go towards Eric's parents to help pay for the remaining hospital bills, etc.
The remainder of this article can be seen here: Eric Lappegard tribute/benefit.
I met Eric at my first International Cartoonist Conspiracy, which was almost three months ago. I remember him talking about his bike. I didn't know him very well, but from those three hours spent, I could tell he loved comics and his bike. It's a sad day here at bewilderedkid.com
More info on the benefit/celebration as it's released.

Awesome New People!

Originally I wanted to post about awesome artists that I've either met, aspire to meet, are friends with, or are merely a casual acquaintance. That hasn't happened too much lately. I've been busy. I apologize.
So, tonight I will post a little something about two individuals and one collective of artists - all based here in the Twin Cities!
First, let me introduce you to Ryan Dow. Ryan is a fellow member of the International Cartoonist Conspiracy (more on them later). I met him at my first ICC meeting almost three months ago. He has a great website that features his Introspective Comics. These comics are wonderful and provide an insight to the mind of the creator. I really enjoy these, partially because they remind me of my own comics, but not as angry or laden with vulgar words or crude images. I guess they are really not that similar at all other than he says what's on his mind and keeps a tight schedule by updating weekly - every Sunday. Check out his website! If you don't I'll hunt you down and make you do it!
Secondly, let me introduce you to the International Cartoonist Conspiracy. This collective of artists, of whom both myself and Ryan are associated with, are a nationwide phenomenon. However, it all started here in the Twin Cities. I've only been a member of the ICC for going on three months, but am so glad that I decided to hook up with this crew. Everyone is so damned talented and accepting. The cell I usually associate with have weekly comic jams every first Thursday of the month. Anyone is welcome to come and see what all the fuss is about. These meetings are at Diamond's Coffee Shoppe in Northeast Minneapolis and start at approximately 6 PM and roll on until about 10 PM.
Lastly, let me introduce you to Sam Hiti. Sam is a rising star in the comic industry. He has a nice, self-published, body of work that includes Tiempos Finales, Ghoulash, and El Largo Tren Oscuro. He is currently working on the sequel to Tiempos Finales, which to my understanding is becoming a film at some point. Also, he is the head referee of Fist-A-Cuffs, which just needs to be seen to be believed. I met Sam at the Midwest Comic Book Association's MicroCon in 2007. At the time I was taking over as a Senior Level Purchasing Manager of a now failed enterprise and was being introduced by the former holder of that position to Sam. Unfortunately, the other day I had to shoot Sam an e-mail about the failing of the aforementioned enterprise. However, Sam as always, was very understanding, professional, and welcoming. I know that this man is going to go extermely far in this industry and it is only a matter of time before Sam Hiti is a household name - at least in the realm of comicdom.
Well, that's all I have energy for right now.
I'm working on a submission for an upcoming anthology, which whether I make the cut or not, I will definitely be plugging on this page and via MySpace.
Take care!

New bewilderedkid comic!

I know this goes against all of my rules about posting, but enjoy this early treat! Regular comic posting will commence next Thursday. In reference to this mini-comic, I am pretty sure that after the two or three women that dwell here every now and then read this mini-comic they will hate me forever. Oh well, it was a nice run while it lasted.
Otherwise, enjoy the new comic. If you'd like to give me an earful, or just say anything, feel free to comment by clicking the little comments tag below! You can even be anonymous if you so choose!
As per usual, click on the following image for the larger, more readable version.

My City Pages Comix Entry

I'm lying around the apartment today after throwing up at work in the morning. Around noon my wife called to inform me that I didn't make the cut for the physical City Pages entry. Although I'd have liked to be a part of the physical issue, I am so excited for everyone that participated in this issue, whether they made it in the paper or onto the website! Everyone is so damned talented that I am proud to say that I am a part of this awesome collective of cartoonists known as The International Cartoonist Conspiracy! All of their City Pages entries can be viewed at here citypages.com. I posted my City Pages Comix entry below, mostly for archiving purposes. Do me and yourself a favor by visiting citypages.com to check out all of the awesome assembled talent.
Enjoy!
Click for the larger, more readable version.

City Pages Comix Issue!

The physical issue comes out Wednesday. The web version is up right now. That's right ladies and gentlemen. In conjunction with the International Cartoonist's Conspiracy, the City Pages Comix Issue has arrived!
Not everyone will make the cut for the physical issue, we all will find out for certain tomorrow, but everyone who participated, including myself, can be found here citypages.com.
For those of you who are not familiar with the City Pages, it is the Twin Cities answer to New York's Village Voice, Phoenix's The New Times, and any other free, hip, alternative newspaper across the United States.
Everyone who participated is super talented and should be commended for their hardwork. Feel free to check out their web comics, or blogs, if they have them listed. If you see their comix in your local comic shop, you should buy it - they are generally inexpensive. Support us cartoonists!
So go, check it out!
Not there yet? GO THERE NOW!

New bewilderedkid comic!

New stuff! Click below for a larger image!

Out of town.

I'm leaving for Minnesota's north shore Saturday. I'm really not in need of a break, since I've been unemployed for nearly a month, but I do start my new job on Monday, so I guess this is a way to celebrate the last few days of laziness and not having to take a shower until 3 PM.
I'm going to bring my sketchbook up with me. Hopefully I can get some good sketches in there. I haven't been able to get out in the world much to my chagrin during my unemployment. For the most part, I've been cooped up in my apartment creating and finishing my potentially published work and creating new mini-comics for the website. I'm nearly two months ahead of schedule for the mini-comics. I have a whole bunch of other ideas, which I'll probably sketch during the trip up north.
Uh. Yeah. Nothing too exciting. I really don't even know why I'm writing this. Boredom?
I need a haircut. That's what I'm going to do now.

New bewilderedkid comic!

Remember to click on the image for a larger, more readable, image.
Enjoy!

Complete!

Last night I completed another strip, but not for this site. This is a strip I had alluded to in an aforementioned post. It will hopefully appear in a local periodical with one of the largest circulations in the Twin Cities. This project, from what I understand, is a one time only gig. I'm excited and hope that I make the cut. However, there is always the chance that it doesn't appear in this periodical due to the unbelievable amount of talent that has signed up for this project and the limited amount of spaces in the issue. Either way, I am looking forward to this opportunity become a realization, because it will be great seeing the work produced by all parties. If my strip is published, I will make everyone aware what periodical it is and when it will be released. Even if it isn't published I'll still let people know about the great amount of talent that are included in the issue.
In addition to completing a non-website oriented comic, I helped digitally assemble another non-website oriented strip created by Ben Zwolinski for the Science Museum of Minnesota's inhouse newsletter. The strip is great! Unfortunately, it isn't for patrons of the Science Museum, you need to volunteer to get the newsletter. Once Ben gets his website up and running I will post a link to his site. Although this was his first strip for the Science Museum, he will be doing more. I hope that he posts the completed strips on his website when it's functional.
As for my bewilderedkid comics, I've hit somewhat of a wall. I have about twenty or so topics/ideas, but none of them are sketched. Although I am about two months ahead, so there are plenty of comics to post even if I decided to take some time off of this project, I get somewhat worried when I don't have a strip sitting on my drawing board waiting to be inked. I will begin sketching ideas for this site after today.

This website has been put On Notice!

Unbelieveable.


Check out the following link for more details On Notice.

The E! True Hollywood Story of Princess Allura, second pilot of Voltron's blue lion.

A friend of mine had pondered what had happened to Princess Allura after Voltron had stopped producing new episodes. I was able to provide him with the following information. Enjoy.
Princess Allura's career and life took a tragic turn. I don't know if you ever watch E! True Hollywood Stories, but they produced one about the cast of Voltron. After defending the universe from Prince Lotor's evil creations for many years, she was overcome with a case of space pnemounia in 1991. She battled for nearly six months, but the infection took hold and she died on September 17th, 1991.
Following her death, Keith became so distraught he went on a quest to find himself. This led to Sven, the original pilot of the blue lion to come back to planet Arus and take over as captain of the black lion. The blue lion remained unoccupied for nearly two years as Keith continued to try and "find himself." This made for many awkward battles, since Voltron now only had one leg and was unable to properly unsheath its blazing sword. In instances when the Voltron Force attempted to form its blazing sword, Voltron would lose its balance and crash into the monsters it was battling, which was productive since it instantly killed them. However, Pidge, pilot of the green lion, would often times receive the brunt of crashing into the monsters and as a result had many concussions. Consequently, Pidge now suffers from the neurological disorder known as epilepsy. In fact, the planet of Arus and Pidge's neurologist had revoked his lion pilot's license for six months. This led to six months of even more awkward battles as Voltron had, at the time, only one leg and one arm. Therefore, instead of using the blazing sword during battles due to looking silly and Pidge's mental illnesses Voltron relied on one-legged, and for a time one-legged and one-armed, interpretive dance to confuse its opponents into submission.
In April of 1994 Keith returned to the Voltron Force along with his supposed successor for the blue lion, Kurt Cobain, whom had not actually committed suicide on Earth, but instead had built a cyborg replica of himself. It wasn't until later that Kurt found out that the cyborg had taken its own life, because it also could not deal with Courtney Love. Keith was suprised to find that Sven had returned to the Voltron Force and had assumed his role as captain. This led to the two of them battling in a grueling best of seven game of Tron for leadership of the group. Sven won this battle four games to two. With the blue lion still vacated, and Hunk, pilot of the yellow lion, tired of literally "carrying the team", Keith and Kurt had a best of one heroin shoot off to determine who would become the new pilot of the blue lion. Unfortunately, for fans of grunge music everywhere Keith lost the battle and overdosed, thus Kurt Cobain becoming the new and current pilot of the blue lion and giving up all of his musical aspirations.
So there you have it.

My baseball dream.

As I sit here, still unemployed, watching the Cubs' Aramis Ramirez hit a walk-off homerun to beat the Brewers, I really don't think my ultimate baseball dream will be realized this season. Sure three of the teams, the Twins, Brewers, and Cubs, are somewhat in place to make the playoffs, and I know it's early to think about this, I really doubt that the White Sox are going to make the AL Wild Card spot.
Ideally the ALCS and NLCS would feature all Upper Midwestern teams; Twins vs. White Sox and the Brewers vs. Cubs respectively. Then after my two favorite teams, the Twins and Cubs both have awesome seven game series' against their opponents, they have the greatest World Series ever with the Twins winning in game seven, sorry Cubs - but you're my number two. This series would be better than the 1991 World Series between the Twins and Braves.
Also, my dream includes accolades abound for all of the great Twins players. Johan Santana would win the Cy Young again, Justin Morneau would win the regular season MVP again, the regular season AL home run title would be shared between Morneau and Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan would win the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, Joe Mauer and Luis Castillo would share the AL batting title. The World Series MVP would go to Pat Neshek who would pitch an amazing amount of innings and only give up one earned run.
Of course, this is only a pipe dream - if that. By this time two years from now the Twins will be dead last in the AL Central as they fail to resign any of their players. Then the management will decide to promote the entire Rochester Triple A team and build around Mauer.
Yeah, I knew I'd eventually write something about baseball on this thing.

New bewilderedkid comic!

A little bit of backstory before this comic. I lived in Arizona for nearly two years. I didn't like it. Not because of the people that I knew, I met a lot of great people there and without them I would have probably moved away immediately. Not because I was homesick either, although I do enjoy Minnesota. Just...well...read this and I think you'll understand.
Remember to click on the image for the larger, more readable version.

Future plans.

Other than a minor sunburn after playing basketball poorly for two hours, this was a good weekend.
I'm still living the dream in the realm of unemployment, but my life is full of possibilities!
I'm using my time between jobs to crank out more mini-comics and deciding what big project of the many I have in the pre-production stage that I want to do first. There is one project in particular that is my baby and I have no intention of releasing it unless I actually gain some sort of professional noteriety - so that one is out. I have two other projects that are too sprawling and personal that I haven't the time to publish, yet. So, that leaves me with three options. All of these are short, anywhere between twenty-four to forty pages. The first project I had already printed in 2000 at an astounding FIVE copies! If I plan on releasing it again, it will need to be redone - the plot has a few holes, the writing is childish, and the art could be so much better. The other project I have in the hopper is a collaboration that I have created all the preliminary sketches and layouts for, but it is on hold for the time being. The last project I had conceived very recently. This project is a fictional account based upon a few intertwining true stories and myths. So, those last three are the big projects that I am most likely going to dive into.
Even more exciting news is the slight, and I do mean SLIGHT, chance that my work could be published in a local Twin Cities publication with an extremely large distribution. I have already committed to one story, in my usual mini-comic format, for this publication, but it has yet to be determined whether or not it will be printed, on the publication's website, or if it will even see the light of day.
Stay tuned! Oh, and above is a picture I drew in my sketchbook a while ago.

New bewilderedkid comic!

All right here it is! Click on the image below for the larger, more readable copy.
Enjoy!

Houseguest This Week!

My wife and I have a houseguest coming into town from Phoenix, AZ!
He's a good friend from Arizona, so we are going to try and show him a good time. However, I have to be the lamest host ever. Anytime anyone has ever come to visit me, I am almost 100% sure that I make their lives absolutely miserable. Hopefully, that is not the case this week. Therefore, my random whiny, post-emo posts will not resume until Friday. I will update the bewilderedkid comic on Thursday, as per usual.
For the time being, I will post a pen and ink sketch I did a while ago that has absolutely nothing to do with this post.
Enjoy and have a great week!

New bewilderedkid comic!

Click on the image below for the readable version!

Thanks For Reminding Me of Who I Am...

For a while I had stopped drawing and writing all together it wasn't until late 2004 that I returned to the art I so desperately missed.
Let me back up and tell you about my exciting forays into comics. I began making my own comics when I was probably either five or six years old. I would draw comic books about Pac-Man, He-Man, Batman, and Optimus Prime. From there I became interested in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Mania. In fact, in third grade I was doing comissions for my schoolmates at an astounding fifty cents a turtle! From there I was introduced to The New Mutants, which snowballed into a love for all that was related to X-Men, with the exception of Wolverine, whom I still dislike. After a long while digging on the X-Men, I became interested in the Peanuts gang, since Charles Schultz is from my home state and my father had subscribed to the StarTribune - the only Twin Cities paper able to publish the strip.
Over time my interest in drawing comics began to wane. The last comic that I produced before my hiatus was a twenty page comic entitled Happy and Joyous Day, which I co-created by my good friend Matt Nguyen. This comic was a part of my final project at The Art Institutes International of Minnesota. Following school, I ended up getting a job and moving to Madison, Wisconsin. After moving, I stopped creating comics, but I still had influences. I was enthralled with the work of University of Maryland graduates Frank Cho, creator of the syndicated strip Liberty Meadows, and Aaron McGruder, creator of the syndicated strip The Boondocks. I also at the time became a big fan of Michael Jantze, creator of the formerly syndicated The Norm comic strip. At one point I contacted Michael Jantze on how to break into the syndicates, he gave me some great resources, which I haven't used, partially due to the various censors that are required by the syndicates. The censorship of syndicated strips was something, to my understanding, that both Frank Cho and Aaron McGruder have dealt with at times.
I moved to Phoenix in December of 2004, directly following my graduation from the University of Minnesota. While in Phoenix I began messing around with creating comics again. At one point, I had decided that I wanted to publish my comics in newspapers, but then again realized that I wanted more freedom in creating art and therefore stopped pursuing work through the syndicates.
During my time in Phoenix, I collaborated with a woman by the name of Liz Young on her Master's Thesis project. The project combined dance, music, theatre, and comic art into a twenty to twenty-five minute piece that was well received by the entire audience. Following one of the night's performances, I was asked to take part of a question and answer session, which I wasn't prepared for in the least. I had people asking me questions such as, "what was your inspiration for ___," and "what type of method did you use for ___." I felt out of my element. I was asked if I wanted to continue collaborating in this field and at the time I had said "no." However, after later consideration I decided I was open to collaborating again with dancers. Thus, Liz and myself may collaborate on another project sometime in the future. However, it was this project that brought me back up to speed on drawing, writing, and creating again.
The last artist that I have to thank on my continued road is Hope Larson. Although I do not have a personal relationship with her, other than one e-correspondence and a brief conversation at a lecture at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and although my style of art is nothing like her's whatsoever. Her life intrigues me. She is an ever-changing transplant that is married to a fellow artist. Her story is somewhat similar to my travels throughout the midwest and southwestern United States and being married to an artist, my wife is a dancer. Unlike myself, Hope and her husband, Bryan Lee O'Malley are both established artists in the comic business and I am living back in my home state, while she is living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After her lecture and learning that she started publishing her comics on the internet, I wrote her a correspondence thanking her and then proceeded with this website that you see today.
Of course, this self-fulfilling intellectual masturbation generally does nothing for the reader of such a blog, but it's good for anyone who cares to know where exactly I my thought process lies.
In summation, my thanks goes out to Bob Kane and Bill Finger (creators of Batman), Toru Iwatani (creator of Pac-Man), Ray Wagner (the president of Mattel, the company that created He-Man), Takara and Hasbro toys (for creating and distributing Transformers), Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Chris Claremont (original writer of New Mutants and longtime writer of X-Men), Charles Schultz, Frank Cho, Aaron McGruder, Michael Jantze, Liz Young, and Hope Larson for helping me develop any talent that I have today and not letting me forget who I am and what I want to do.

I Am a Tortoise, but Would Like to be a Hare.

I can be an impatient person at times, which is not the best, especially for someone with a nervous disorder.
I am trying, desparately, to figure out exactly how to reach my goal of becoming a creator of comics and art faster than I currently am. I would like to be at my goal today rather than later, but then again, I only started showing my work on this blog in May. I look at many of the creators that I respect and they have massive volumes of work when compared to the few sketches I post here and the four mini-comics posted on this site.
I don't mean to be emotional, I'm merely impatient and for my own benefit I need to think this over, however dramatic it may seem to be. My impatience, as I understand it, could potentially lead me into two different directions. The first is giving up. However, I don't intend to do that. I have a need to succeed. I have a drive to reach a certain plateau. I cannot, will not, be satisfied with a few mini-comics on a blog and calling it a day. This leads me to the second direction I can take, which is continuing on the path that I have paved.
Like the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady will win the race. However, in this example, slow and steady will build a volume of work and contacts within the industry, which will lead to my goal.

Yet Another Tree!

I did mention that I love drawing trees right? Well, here is an attempt at using brush and ink instead of pen and ink, or a marker.
Not as bad as I thought it would turn out.