Behind-The-Zines #13
Action Geek #13 was created as I thought Laura & I were
building a solid relationship as boyfriend/girlfriend, making all kinds
of plans, spending great time together, enjoying eachother's company
and all kinds of stuff, but upon completion and release of AG#13,
I find that Laura has had a change of heart about stuff, so...
The Covers (AG13)
The cover with the Starfish on it is based on the first appearance of the
Justice League in a comic called The Brave & The Bold. Most of
you will be able to identify the ubiquitous Powerpuff Girl, Spaceghost,
and the Action Geek himself doing battle with Starro the Conqueror.
The cover with the chainsaw massacre laffin' guy is just a silly cover based
very very very loosely on Texas Chainsaw Massacre the movie.
Inside Cover (AG13)
Drawn immediately after having seen Star Wars Episode 2 and
despite my not writing any sort of review about the movie, I have to
say that I really enjoyed it. Even the second time was good when I saw it
with Laura and subsequently had a dream about her being a sexy Natalie
Portman as Amidala and... well...
The guy in the bottom left corner is Bo Shek an obscure character from
Star Wars: A New Hope - Episode 4 in the Mos Eisley cantina scene.
Foot Thru Skull (AG13)
This is part-two, in a sense, of the Laura Monsta story from AG#12
even though you didn't need to read that one to really "get" this one. This story
focuses more in on where she works and ALOT of the stupidity within the corporate
world that she has to deal with day in and day out.
***Please note that another influence on this story was my having seen the movie
Undercover Brother with my brother-in-law Shawn, and I'd hoped to have gone
to see it again with Laura.
Ultimate Team-Up (AG13)
This is a case of it actually happened up to a point and then I went off into bizzaro
fantasy land and ended with a socio-political point... Yes, Theo's closed and was
replaced with a Subway. Yes, my friend Cheryl was there. Yes, I fear that alot
of indy-eateries may fall prey to corporate chains. No, these superheroes did not show
up to save the day or anything like that.
Fine Properties (AG13)
While attempting to yard-sale on a rainy yucky Saturday, Dad & I were cruising the
streets of Worcester in my PT Cruiser and we were just leaving the Miss Worcester
diner, off Southbridge Street, when we saw this huge multi-family yucky building with
this "Fine Properties" sign in close proximity to it. The sign wasn't actually referring
to this yucky building, but it was close enough to be ironic, sad and kinda funny
especially after adding Dex Jettster from SW into the mix.
Dougbert (AG13)
Doug meets Dilbert in this graphic design type of story that ALL graphic design
type people know all too well.
Gettin' Some (AG13)
It's amazing that Atari games are still being made, tweaked and sought after.
I can't say enough about how good the website Atariage.com is AND how
long-lasting the good memories of Atariplayed long ago are for many people, not just me.
7-Zark-7 (AG13)
The new Battle of the Planets comic book is out. New toys are on their way.
And yet, poor 7-Zark-7 is nowhere to be seen. Anyone remember Herbie
the robot from the old Hanna Barbera Fantastic Four 80s animated cartoon?
Gobler Toys (AG13)
The Gobler Toys website is way too funny
for friggin' words. You MUST go there and especially check out the animations.
T-Shirts (AG13)
At Jonathan's July 4th Pool Party, several friends commented on how my cartoon
"Doug"'s t-shirts change color and imagery within the confines of the same story,
leaving the reader simultaneously titilated and disoriented. They tell me to keep
doing it. So... I shall. AG#14 will have more info on the sexy babes that make
appearances on my cartoon t-shirts.
Final Note (AG13)
Alot of work goes into every issue of Action Geek and I don't know who reads it
or buys it or checks it out online, nor do I really care when you get right down to it. I do
this because I love to draw and I love to express myself & expose my opinions through
cartoons & publishing. When something happens in my life, I do SOMETHING on it in cartoon
form. Sometimes things aren't published because I've re-evaluated the reasons why
I did a certain cartoon page that particular way. Sometimes, because life is linear and
keeps on going, despite the fact that I've captured moments of my life in a static image
to appear on the web and in print, the final product does not truly represent how I feel
NOW about certain things.
Case in point, my separation with Laura... I miss her dearly. I feel like the rug's been
pulled out from under my feet. I feel like a substandard, low-grade, piece of crap
human being that's been rejected outright for no apparent reason other than the fact
that Laura's feelings have changed. I told her I love her and she said the same back to
me, but now everything's in chaos and I've got a happy "Foot Thru Skull" story staring
at me, that she witnessed me making, that I remember pencilling & inking certain
pages on her kitchen table in Northampton as she lay in bed asleep.
I sincerely hope she & I can still be friends, if not more than friends in the future. I also
thank whatever deity happens to be out there somewhere for my having an outlet to
freely express my emotions, feelings, thoughts etc. Doing Action Geek helped me
keep my shit together through this whole situation and it continues to do so now...
