It Ain't What It Looks Like, Ma'am.

Today's Strip

We last heard about Blossom's favorite movie here.

And You Didn't Tell Us!?

Today's Strip

Put Your Halloween Costume on.

Today's Strip

Well, If Peaseblossom (or Blossom for that matter) ever find out Kevin is in trouble.

If you don't recognize Bian that's probably because the last time we saw her she was dressed like this.

Not Again!

Today's Strip

Not This Time, Bert

Today's Strip

The Problem With Dreaming of A White Christmas...

Is that you just might get one. I was out of coffee this morning, so I went over to the Lake City Starbucks for my morning cup and to restock on supplies. I was surprised and more than a little irritated to find that the various side streets between 35th and Lake City Way had not been plowed yet. Look I know this town is a little backwards when it comes to the white stuff and I know we only have about three plows but come on people, it's been here for six days!

They'll Sic the Krampi on Me!

Today's Strip

Krampi, by the way, is plural for Krampus. Since the word comes from an old german root, and not latin, this is clearly incorrect, but it sounds cool.

Happy Christmas, Darlings!

Today's Strip

Right... Accidents

Today's Strip

We Talkin' 'bout Me Now

Today's Strip

Sometimes we really have to worry about Peaseblossom's priorities.

Snowed In

Well it was an interesting weekend. I've been mostly cooped up for the last, but least we still have power, I had a friend who was worried about the fate of her pet snake before the storm hit. What time I had to spend outdoors have been interesting to say the least. One rule i've found very useful to follow... When you are in downtown Seattle and light snow is STICKING in the DAYTIME go HOME. Despite this simple rule I was forced to be downtown twice this weekend and it was interesting. At least my bus was running mostly on schedule. I was watching several Seahawk fans having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get back to the east side.

Now that I'm safely home in my office it's rather pretty. Strangely it's put me in the Christmas spirit a bit. Probably because with the snow the Christmas tree and sleigh decorations don't feel like a farce like they normally do.

Nowhere does it say in the regs to shoot down santa!

Today's Strip

That Better Not Be A Clipon

Today's Strip

Area 51

Today's Strip

My fists idea for Peaseblossom's dialogue was "not the real one the one everybody knows about", but I had a long, and at times heated, debate with a friend and sometime advisor that I make it absolutely clear this was a mythic Area 51 and not the real facility near Groom Lake in Nevada. According to him anything less and I'd come off as if I were endorsing conspiracy theory and UFO lore in the eyes of certain people. Apparently the fact that a pixie is providing the exposition wouldn't be enough.

Like Management Can Tell The Difference

Today's Strip

So You Were At The Party

Today's Strip

And again, we are talking about this party, and the bronze giant in question is the lovely Bian Sanderson. While certainly not a giant keep in mind this is the opinion of a person who fluctuates between six inches and four foot nine.

Okay, Now I'm Scared

 Today's Strip

It Would Have Been Nice If They'd Asked

Today's Strip

You Will Come With Us Please

Today's Strip

Which brings us to our annual installment of Ranken-bass meets David Lynch

Otherwise known as the Rhapsodies Christmas story.

One Snowy Night VI

Today's Strip

A Christmas Job

With Christmas barely weeks away, may I suggest you finish your last minute shopping with a Christmas Job, a collection of the first two Rhapsodies Christmas stories. Join Kevin, as he is continually shanghaied into temping for the Christmas rush in Santa's assorted workshops. in the only holiday fantasy that dares to ask when is the best time to ask a mythical figure about back pay.

Friday Museum Sketches

Hello Everybody back from hiatus it's the friday museum sketches!

Today's Entry is from the Seattle Art Museum's excellent collection of African Masks. These are from Afikpo, Nigeria, and are used in public performances where hundreds of masked individuals interact with the crowds. When wearing the masks prayers turn into a mma, a type of spirit which allows the wearer to speak the truth.

In the display, the masks are put on costumed models to present the context of their use.

One Snowy Night V

Today's Strip

One Snowy Night IV

Today's Strip

A few thoughts on Yuki-Onna. One of the recurring themes I enjoy experimenting on in my illustrations is translating traditional folklore and mythology into a modern setting. Now there is more to this then just dressing the mythical figure in the current fashions and placing it into a modern setting. For this exercise to truly work you have to look at that figure's motif and function and then figure out how that function translates into our modern viewpoint. Which brings us to Yuki-Onna in the original traditions she is a terror to all who have to go out into the mountain forests in the dead of winter, people like wood cutters or mountain climbers. But here is where the translation works well. As scary as she was in the past the Snow Woman would be the ultimate nightmare to those poor desperate ones who have to sleep beneath a doorway in the alleyway of a northern inner city.

One Snowy Night III

Today's Strip

And today brings us the return of Yuki-Onna who was last seen here.

One Snowy Night II

Today's Strip

I am going somewhere with this, honest!

One Snowy Night

Today's Strip

Training for Larry King

Very Funny

NASA Simulator Prepares Astronauts For Rigors Of An Interview With Larry King

The War of Solstice

Today's Strip

And you thought the regular culture warriors had all the headaches.

Humanity is Flawed

Today's Strip

You Wish

Today's Strip

You Could Tell He was Faking...

Today's Strip

First Cramp

Today's Strip

Thanksgiving Football

Today's Strip

This actually happened to me one Thanksgiving. If I knew what my stomach was going to feel afterwards I would have shared Paul's terror.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today's Strip

Say The Word Mom

Today's Strip

I Wouldn't Push It ,But, Yeah.

Today's Strip

We Mean You No Harm

Today's Strip

Friday Museum Sketches

Okay everybody. Todays sketch is from Ghiberti's Gate's of Paradise from the Florence Baptistery. Specifically it is a detail from the David and Goliath panel (bottom left corner) Which was one of the three panels on tour at the Seattle Art Museum. I had seen them once before in Florence but back then I was still in my "Michelangelo is God" "and all other Florentine Sculptors were just progressional steps towards the master's art. Now some time later I am happy to say I am fully able to appreciate these pieces on their own merits and appreciate Ghiberti's genius.

Remember What Happened the Last Time He Called Your Bluff

Today's Strip

Raising You Didn't Make Me Stupid

Today's Strip

You're Her Little Woobie!

Today's Strip

Conal seems to be the passive one in the family. But then again when Brian is involved do you have a choice?

We All Seem to Survive Them

Today's Strip

Meet Conal

Today's Strip

This week begins the continued introduction of minor characters. In this case Brian's younger brother, Conal. It's interesting, for the longest time I merely had him as a note about the Fitzpatricks which said: "the youngest son is in the military" and the instant I gave him a name he started writing himself and not in the way I expected.

Friday Museum Sketches

Okay for todays installment we have "The Triumph of Neptune" By Luca Giordano at the Seattle Art Museum. The original can be seen here.

You Too Mom!

Today's Strip

800!!!

Just realized way after the fact that today's strip is number 800. Time flies.

That Would Be All it would take

Today's Strip

Political Maps

Today's Strip

Embrace Desperation

Today's Strip

I've been wondering for some time if the whole Dudley election storyline was a mistake for several reasons but have been sticking to it mostly for a mashochistic desire to finish it. But the Poli-span bits have been fun the basic idea being a sports channel that started covering actual news and never really changed their format. (Politicians have stats)Warren seems to be coming off as the conservative pundit in this strip. That was unintentional. What I was trying to go for with him and O'Flahritie was a clash between Choleric and Phlegmatic personalities.

The Value of A Football Hooligan

Today's Strip

Friday Museum Sketches

Okay today it's back to the Louvre's Roman Collection, or at least the part of it that was visiting the Seattle Art Museum. This was one of my favorites. I really wanted to take another crack at it because I don't think this sketch really does it justice. Any way what we have here is a fragment of a third century roman sarcophagus featuring a Poet surrounded by three muses (Couldn't find a photo for comparison, sorry) I like it because how abstract quality (all the standing figures seem to be about five heads high. This is probably due to, one, Fitting the figures into the limited format the sarcophagus allowed and, two, as we got to the third century roman sculptors began to drift away from the near photorealism of the republican and Julio-Claudian period.

Gotta stick with the classics

Today's Strip

This is one of the many times I disagree with with my cast (though if there was any doubt with Brian I should be institutionalized) I think it's great so many people voted early, and while I definitely see Rachel Maddow's point, I applaud everyone who made the sacrifice anyway.

And as far as the ancient come on is concerned... Brian is not desperate merely clueless.

And miss being part of the civic community

Today's Strip

Aim me towards the process!!!

Today's Strip

My Election Day Comedy of Errors

In hindsight I definitely checked my precinct yesterday. It could have avoided my latest series of panic attack.

Anyway wanting to make this most important day feel special I had put on my leather jacket and headed to what had been my usual polling place for the last two years. I was very happy to see that where in the past I'd barely ever seen anymore then four voters at a time had what could pass as a crowd.

Now unfortunately my voter's card is an old one that still has my last address on it. While a point of frustration, and something I've been trying to fix ever since i've moved to my new address, It has never been a problem. All I have to do is have my driver's license and look up my precinct in the list. So you can imagine my surprise when I didn't see my name on the list. The volunteer's were nice enough, but in my state of agitation what they probably meant as being a soothing tone to me sounded damn patronizing. They asked if i wanted to fill out a provisional ballot but since I was pretty sure this was my fault, and since I was getting close to having a very public tantrum, I declined and left.

After I got home, I had a very frustrating hour surfing and making phone calls trying to figure out the solution to my mistake. After may busy signals, talking to several well meaning, overworked and clueless volunteers I finally found out my precinct number and that I had indeed gone to the wrong place.

So I set out again to vote. The correct place was at a community center that was even more crowded than the other place. After a short wait I got my turn to vote. The only open privacy booth was a sit down table where someone had swiped the chair. So the price of my civic duty is a slight kink in my back. But at least I now have it over with. And feeling good about it.

That's Because You're a Prude, Dear

Today's Strip

I kind of regret starting this storyline on election day instead of ending it but these things happen and unfortunately my scheduling practices have an annoying... organic quality.

Cristina Pato

After I heard her nearly steal the show playing backup for Yo-Yo Mah on the Colbert Report. I had to check out more of her. See what you think.

Vote America

Today's Strip

Really.

And remember Liz Dudley only exists as a presidential candidate within Rhapsodies please stick with your real choices.

The Onion Asks if Halloween is being over commercialized

Very funny... Happy Halloween.


In The Know: Has Halloween Become Overcommercialized?

Friday Museum Sketches

All right. Today's entry is from the Seattle Asian Art Museum's collection of Indian Sculpture. This piece is a Jain dancing girl from 11th century Rajasthan.

I loose interest after I see little hairy man dressed that way

Today's Strip

I'm not certain but there is a possibility that Fedya means this little hairy man.

I knew it all along

Today's Strip

You Remember Me?

Today's Strip

She's Got the Woodchuck and Everything!

Today's Strip

Once again Kevin means this woodchuck. (and before anyone says anything I will remind you that Kevin isn't what you would call a Rhodes Scholar)

Remind you of anyone?

I was in a Charlie Daniels state of mind and started trawling for different versions of "Devil Came Down to Georgia" until I came across the Muppets' version which was coincidentally the first version of it I had ever seen back in the day. But when I watched it again this time it struck me... Does the Devil remind you of anyone?

So You're Admitting You Have One

Today's Strip

The Flowers weren't necessary

Today's Strip

These Flowers.

Talking to Nancy

Today's Strip

Word of advice. If you notice bad casting at a Halloween party it's best to keep it to yourself.

Friday Museum Sketches

Okay, today two different angles from the same piece, a fragment of a roman archetectual relief from the first quarter of the second century CE, from the Louvre's Roman collection (it was on tour at the Seattle Art museum the one time I was at the Louvre I only focussed on the paintings) The scene shows the preparation of a sacrifice. The you can see the real version here

We have no control over our destiny.

Today's Strip

I'm Deep

Today's Strip

No... Really.

Toto was so disappointed!

Today's Strip

More bad Halloween casting.

My Revenge Will be TERRIBLE!

Today's Strip

In which we encounter really, REALLY BAD casting for a Halloween party.

The next time the word. "Short cut" crosses your lips...

Today's Strip

And for everyone keeping track, this is the second time Kevin has missed the cute girl with the strangely familiar Devonshire accent.

But she gave it to me on Boxing Day!

Today's Strip

Friday Museum Sketches

Okay, everybody. Here we are again for the second installment of Friday Museum Sketches. Today we turn to the Boston Museum of Fine Art which I try to get to whenever I'm visiting my parents in New England. Today's sketch is of a statue of Shiva from Tamilnadu, Southern India done during the Chola period, late 10th century.

The customers think he's dead

Today's Strip

You mean there's no instructions?

Today's Strip
There are times I seriously wonder about Brian.

It's not about what you think it is.

Today's Strip

There's A lot of Books Here

Today's Strip

Friday Museum Sketches

One of my favorite exercises for keeping the artistic muscles in good working order is to go to the Seattle Art Museum (or whatever art museum is handy) and do what I like to refer to as my "push ups" that is to say draw everything until your time runs in (or burn out sets in, whatever comes first) Anyway it's a good way to spend a free afternoon. (Though there is a risk of memorizing the exhibits) but most importantly every now and then I actually get some good pieces worth sharing. So I figured I'd start the tradition of showing a few of them every Friday.

To start things out here are a few Masks from the SAM's very good collection of Northwest Native American art. The main mask in the front is Galukw'amhl translation (Mask of the Crooked Beak)
by Willie Seaweed the other two I believe are versions of Raven though I'm afraid this is one of the sketches I did before I made a habit of including notes about the piece.

The Boss Lady's lettin' me drive

Today's Strip

Your Dream Girl Is Cheap

Today's Strip

Magical Girl

Today's Strip

And at risk of becoming far too dependent on continuity, Kevin got his present here.

Does He Have to Take it for granted?

Today's Strip

Ten Tons of Sugarcane

Todays Strip

Sorry, I did it again. Wrote a strip which requires knowledge of the archives for full appreciation. For everybody new, the full context is here.

New Promotion

I'm pretty excited. the latest edition of Media Inc. just came out (It's a local trade mag for Advertisers and Art directors) and in it is my latest self promotion. Personally I'm pretty happy how it came out.

Let's Start Again

Today is a reboot of this blog. All of the previous entries were moved from the previous version of this blog with some very liberal retconning.. The previous version was part of Rhapsodies’ web page Unfortunately while the joomla software that makes up the site called it a blog it was pretty much only in name only and never played nice with any of the search engines so I decided it was better to start a blogspot account to tide me over until the day I overhaul the page completely

Mabon

One of the really cool things about the last storyline was the feedback I got from it. First thing I should point out is that for a boring Scots/Wasp from the East side of Providence, I have an extremely disproportionate number of Goth and Pagan friends. One of these friends is a guy named Jeff who is a ranking member of one the larger Wiccan Churches in town and does a very good and informative podcast on Wicca.

Anyway he provided me all the background information (and dirt on the "cliche" Wiccans who make normal Wiccans role their eyes) Anyway I gave him a cameo in the storyline. He wrote about it in his livejournal

The next thing I know I'm getting hits and referrals from half the pagan community in Seattle.

Translation

Today's Strip

Translation
Aunt Anya: Your friend is very excitable
Fedya: Yeah but he makes us laugh.
Once again a very special thanks to my friend and translator Dorene Cornwall

Translation

Today's Strip

Aunt Anya:(In Russian) Are you sure you have enough? I have ten more cases in the van.

Once again a very special thanks to my friend and translator Dorene Cornwall

Translation

Todays Strip

For anyone who is wondering what EVERYONE was saying in today’s strip here is the transcript.

AUNT: (IN RUSSIAN) And your mother was just beside herself.
FEDYA: Aunt Anya say we passing Museum of Fighting glory is wery famous. .
AUNT. After you disappeared in Chechnya, the family didn¹t know what to think
GAGE: Say Fedya... I was thinking..
AUNT ANYA: And when the army came asking questions about that dead colonel.
GAGE: Look I know the cold war is over
GAGE: But what if they make an exception for us?
FEDYA:(in Russian) Gage is weak from hunger. Do you know any good restaurants?
AUNT ANYA: (IN RUSSIAN) ? And now you don't like my cooking?


Once again a very special thanks to my friend and translator Dorene Cornwall

Translation

Just a quick note on the Russian today. Aunt Anya’s first bit is just generic maternal gushing which I don’t know exactly what it means since I thought it would be better for my translator just to wing it. Her second line is “what did you do to your hair?”

A very special thanks to my friend and translator Dorene Cornwall

Welcome Back

Well it happened again. I just got my computer back from the shop AGAIN. It seems to have developed a taste for logic boards since this is the third one it's gone through in two months. So here I am trying to get back into the swing of things while having absolutely no faith that this fix will be no better than the last one. It's very frustrating since I lost almost a month of production time because of this. Again my apologies to everyone who have been accustomed to this strips weekday schedule. With any luck it won't happen again.

Tardiness

A deepest apology for having only one strip for the entire week, unfortunately my computer was in the shop all week with a fried logic board which meant me with no internet and no Photoshop leaving me capable of merely doing office work. I'll try to work out contingencies for the next time Murphy's law strikes again. Sorry for the inconvenience and happy St Paddy's.