- Hey guys.
September (and August…and July…etc.) have been pretty busy, but now things appear to be dying down. So I can finally get back to focusing on Glam Rock Gorilla and getting things done over there. At least, whatever I’m able to do.
As you’ve probably noticed, GRG’s updating has been sporadic and, well, unreliable. Definitely can’t set a watch to it anymore. While some weeks have been due to me either being creatively stuck or distracted with other facets of life, there has been one primary thing happening behind the scenes that’s been affecting our work. Now that things are coming to a head, Kelsey has given me permission to release this statement:
“My husband and I are going to be having our first child at any point between now and the first week of October. Aside from the occasional bought of uncontrollable fatigue I’m actually okay; we’re all in good health, I’m just dog tired 24/7. All the preparations in busting our asses saving money up, getting our legal shit together, fixing up our home and dealing with every in-law and every passer-by having something to say about it is the most stressful and intrusive part. I’m not a social person, which is why my husband is in charge of raising our daughter. Yeah it puts more pressure on me to then earn more, but Brett and GRG have given me the confidence to even think that going full time into free-lancing is an obtainable option for me. Now that I’ve found the drive, I eagerly look forward to what I could accomplish once my body is mine again and I can have all the caffeine I want.
I have no idea exactly when I’ll need to go to the hospital, but Illustration only requires me to be conscious and to have a steady hand, so I’ll keep pressing on until the day of delivery, and provided that I don’t need surgery for some odd reason or they have to keep me up on narcotic pain meds or whatever I should be able to get back to regular GRG schedule roughly a week or so post partum. In a perfect world I’d be able to go back to normal the next day like it was just another menstrual cycle or a stomach flu, but you know, life is bullshit like that.”
So, there you go.
We were thinking about blitzkrieging a handful of pages that would wrap up the current scene, but I realized that defeats the point of easing things up for the expectant mother. As of now, there are no new GRG pages being made until Kelsey and the newborn are back home and ready to go to work (especially the baby).
I don’t want GRG to go completely silent while Kelsey’s on leave, however, soI’m putting out and open call for any artists who would like to contribute to Glam Rock Gorilla for the next month or so. Anything done would be treated like a commission. If you’re interested, please let me know and to whatever degree (sketches, glamrockgorilla Ask answers, pinups, guest comics with or without script collaboration, etc.)
I also have ambitions of retooling the site, so if you know how to make webcomic sites more attractive and functional, let’s talk.
I am greatly thankful for everyone’s patience and/or tolerance for our shortcomings. It hasn’t been the smoothest ride, but I hope you’ve been enjoying it all the same.
Cosmic drunkard and local ice cream man Dick Jarvis has once again delivered some handsome GRG doodlings. This time, however, it’s in honor and support of The Goon kickstarter!
Every commission Dick receives this week (i.e. before Sunday, when the Kickstarter ends!) will go towards The Goon movie making its $400,000 goal. So if you haven’t donated directly to the project already, donate to Dick and get some illustrations as awesome as these:
Doomsday 2012
24 years ago today, I happened. This past weekend I immodestly requested GRG fanart for my birthday, so these happened!
Woke up to this, courtesy of one of my best friends, Allison1710. Yes.
A pretty awesome piece by Kevin Ferguson of Beat Warrior. Here’s to many more GRG/BW collaborations in the future!
A wonderful bust of Marcy by my friend Bea. Good bearfriend.
An Alexus piece by Miss Nell Bailey. Love the text!
A birthday present onto myself: a two-part commission combo courtesy of MindWipe!
This post will (hopefully) be updated as more come my way!
You can play and listen along at home by streaming the entire album here:
http://summonerboston.bandcamp.com/
In the olden times, Summoner went by the moniker of Riff Cannon. A tall order of a band name, but amongst the atmospheric journeys throughout their 2009 release Mercury Mountain, RC lived up to their name’s expectations of with an avalanche of riffs. Since then the times went a-changin’, as did Riff Cannon’s name (to Summoner) and musical direction. With Phoenix already in production, the looming changes were quickly marching towards reality and Summoner was chasing fear and speculation.
It’s safe to say, however, that everything old is awesome again.
The debut track of Summoner, “The Interloper,” blasts any doubts and expectations out the door and through the windows, packing even more power than Mercury Mountain‘s first shot, “Into the Mountain.” These Boston boys are back in town, and they’re far from being unwelcomed. After “Winged Hessians” and “Conjuring” croon and chug with the soul and strength of Southern steel like The Sword and Corrosion of Conformity, the album transcends to the first ethereal trip of Phoenix via “Let the Light In.” A moody storm of atmosphere, the drums in particular cut through the track’s hazy echoes of acts like Earth and Pelican.
Somewhere between the album’s title track, the titanic toe-tapper “Across Iron Fields,” and what is currently my favorite cut from the album, “Reclaimer,” I get it. The changes that the band, the entity now known as Summoner wanted and had to go through. Nothing dramatic has occurred – the band is traditionalist in their doom metal and stoner rock, but an artist can be a traditionalist without becoming formulaic or predictable. These are familiar sounds, but it is a newfound sense of confidence, might, and as was probably most intended, maturity.
As the album goes anything but gently into the night with “Dead Moon,” I must give a standing ovation to AJ, Chris, Scott and Joe for how far they have come since first making themselves heard. They are already masters of their craft with this sophomoric effort and I can only hope the masses eventually heed the words (and sounds) of these harbingers of Doom.