Curls for Comic Creator's Alliance 2010

This image is my contribution to the Comic Creator’s Alliance. It’s a collection of many webcomic artists from all over to raise awareness in the fight against human trafficking. Curls has teamed up with other creator-owned female characters to create one single wallpaper image, available for download after people donate to Love 146 and Gracehaven. This project was conceived by Lora Innes.

The hope is that readers will be excited to participate in our donations drive, and that the wallpaper idea will be used to generate interest in the project. All of your favorite characters on one screen!

January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States. The goal will be kick off the donation drive on that day. Visit Comic Creator’s Alliance to get more updates on the project and find out how to obtain the wallpaper for your donation.

For more information on the problem, read what Lora wrote here: http://comicalliance.weebly.com/the-problem.html

"Toast of the Town" Doll featured on Etsy Finds

My handmade Toast of the Town Doll was featured on the December 3, 2009 edition of Etsy Finds by Emily Bidwell who works with the Etsy Merchandising Team. She writes:


Etsy Finds: The Limited
One of the great things about handmade is that artisans are constantly playing with their designs, often resulting in mini boutique lines and limited editions. All year round I enjoy hunting these nifty little numbers in hopes of finding something extra special. For today's Etsy Finds, I have put together a collection of some of my favorite limited editions currently for sale on Etsy. If you see the perfect gift, or something you just have to have, get it while you can! These items are hot and won't be in stock much longer.

Handmade Mart Holiday Shop -N-Stroll

Join Curls Studio this Saturday for...
Handmade Mart Holiday Shop -N-Stroll
Saturday, December 5 -- 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Ellsworth Drive (Between Fenton Avenue and Georgia Avenue) in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland

Admission is FREE. Click here to read the Vendor Q&A with Curls Studio. We will have a tent in space 17 (near the middle of Ellsworth Drive, click on above map for exact location). We hope you'll join us.

Curls: Dave Navarro Thinks Curls is Hot

Way back in the day... on September 25, 2003 to be in fact... The Commonwealth Times published a Curls comic strip I did "guest starring" Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra. This was when they were dating and they were my favorite couple at the time because I really enjoyed seeing them together and liked them both individually. I thought it would be great for Curls to meet Dave and then Carmen would get jealous! That strip was re-published yesterday on the web, as I am releasing all my Curls strips online.

The astonishing thing about it is that with the advancement on the internet and social sharing capabilities, more and more people can view Curls and hopefully become fans and subscribers. Yesterday Dave Navarro himself tweeted about the strip and he made me very happy. Not only because now I definitely know him and Curls have a thing, but also because he saw my artwork! He also said "http://twitpic.com/qq6j3 - Thanx @curlsstudio You know there is nobody for me but Curls!" So, Dave, this is for you... from Curls. Enjoy!

AIGA DC Michael Osborne Continuum Event

On Sunday, November 15, 2009, the AIGA DC Continuum Fund held a special meet-and-greet gathering for the Continuum Circle donors with an intimate evening party and presentaion with designer Michael Osborne at Pat Taylor's home in Washington, DC.


We enjoyed lovely hors d'oeuvres and drinks while AIGA DC Advisory Board members Tamera Lawrence and Beth Singer talked about the Continuum Fund. AIGA DC President Jill Spaeth introduced Michael Osborne and he went on to present and give away work from his letterpress company, One Heart Press.


Michael Osborne is also President and Creative Director of the San Francisco-based graphic design firm, Michael Osborne Design. Established in 1981, the firm's work in corporate/brand identity, package design, and print collateral has been recognized by many competitions for outstanding design. MOD's work is on display in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, and the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. Michael also designed the 2002 and 2004 Love Stamps for the USPS.


To view more images from the Continuum Michael Osborne Event, visit the AIGA DC Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigadc/sets/72157622855191848

Special thanks goes out to Joe Carabeo of Astray Productions for photographing the event; AIGA DC board members, Ashley Gilmore and James Hobbs for helping with food and wine; AIGA DC board member Genji Sampson for driving Michael Osborne to the event; and former AIGA DC President Mira Azarm for helping with buttons and wine.

--
Carolyn Belefski
Continuum Chair, AIGA DC

Michael Osborne - AIGA DC Continuum Fund Button Campaign

The fourth AIGA DC Continuum Fund button set designed by Michael Osborne, will premiere today, Monday, November 16, 2009, at the AIGA DC presents Michael Osborne event for the suggested minimum donation of $5.

Michael Osborne is a San Francisco based designer, founder of the non-profit design studio Joey’s Corner, principle of Michael Osborne Design and has been recognized by countless awards & organizations for his stunning work. He believes in supporting good causes through quality design.

Michael founded the design studio Joey’s Corner as a non-profit organization to honor the memory of his son Joseph Michael Osborne. During his presentation, Michael will guide us through the process of setting up a non-profit, finding clients and ways to establish proper funding for a non-profit. Michael will demonstrate the tangible and intangible rewards of helping the organizations that typically cannot afford professional design services.

Since 1981 Michael has also operated Michael Osborne Design in San Francisco. As President and Creative Director, Michael has created award-winning packaging, corporate identity, and retail design solutions for clients including Jack Daniel’s, Kettle Chips, Gymboree, William-Sonoma, and Target. In the summer of 2006 Michael was the recipient of the AIGA Fellowship Award, and his work has been featured in numerous national design publications and is included in the permanent collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

When:
Please join us in welcoming Michael to Washington, DC on Monday, November 16, 2009. Happy hour at Kellari Taverna to follow!

Registration opens at 6:30 PM, and the event begins at 7:00 PM.

Where:
Charles Sumner School
1201 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Costs:
Members, $12 ($15 at the door)
Non-members, $16 ($20 at the door)
Students, $8 ($10 at the door)

AIGA DC will also have Stanley Hainsworth, The General Design Company, and David Franek button sets available.

If you would like more information about AIGA DC's Continuum Fund Scholarship or have questions about donating to AIGA DC's Continuum Fund, please email continuum@aigadc.org or visit www.aigadc.org/continuum.

More photos can be found on the AIGA DC Flickr page.

--
Carolyn Belefski
Continuum Chair, AIGA DC

CURLS: THE WEBCOMIC

Finally Curls has made the transition from print to web! Now you can have access to all the Curls strips on the web. They will be individually released one-by-one every Monday and Thursday, in tribute to Virginia Commonwealth University's student newspaper, The Commonwealth Times, who published Curls from 2002 to 2004.

Just make your way over to:
http://www.curls-studio.com/curls

I will also occasionally post special strips or holiday strips. For example, there will be a Halloween themed comic strip this upcoming Friday and Saturday. That means three days of Curls goodness in a row. So tune in every Monday and Thursday and on other random days to see some secret surprises!

You can also subscribe to the RSS feed to always be in the loop.

Jingle All The Way!

BWAAHAHAHAHAHA! Curls Studio is going to be like the malls and promote the holidays before Halloween. Yes, Halloween is one week from today, but we have two very important dates we'd like you to keep in mind. We have been accepted to two juried art and craft shows and would like to extend the invitation out to you to join us for the following events:


Holiday Heist
Saturday, November 21 -- Noon - 6:00 PM
The Soundry
316 Dominion Road
Vienna, VA 22180


Handmade Mart Holiday Shop -N-Stroll
Saturday, December 5 -- 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Ellsworth Drive (Between Fenton Avenue and Georgia Avenue) in Downtown Silver Spring, MD

Admission is FREE for both events. This is an excellent opportunity to discover new artists and treasures and to give gifts that are often handmade, rare, or one-of-a-kind -- not found in malls. So please join us this holiday season! We will have our original comics, greeting cards, shirts, and more...

Charles Nix's NY Marathon

Yesterday I stumbled upon 26* Letters for 26* Miles, a clever donation strategy from Charles Nix to raise money for design education and scholarships in coordination with his run in the New York City Marathon. Charles has taught design and typography for over fifteen years and is President of the Type Directors Club.

I adore this concept coming from a typography standpoint and could not help but donate and support. The lowercase "b" is supported by me!

Charles, good luck in the New York City Marathon! What an awesome fundraiser and a great cause. Make a donation if you feel the same way.

Recap: Baltimore Comic-Con 2009

Baltimore Comic-Con 2009 was this past weekend (October 10 and 11) at The Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Curls Studio was there and we had a wonderful time. I was excited to table next to Laurie B! who is a name I recognized as soon as we got table assignments. I remembered her from Paul Dini's Jingle Belle comic and was excited to be placed next to her.


We met up with a lot of fans we only see once or twice a year. It was the biggest complement to me when a handful of fans came to our table first. I found this out because I like to ask the customers what is cool out there in the convention because I can only see so much from behind the table. Then a few fans said, ' We don't know! We just got here and came to your table first!' That was pretty cool to hear.


I was happy for Bryan J.L. Glass (writer of The Mice Templar) to win the Harvey Award for Best New Talent. He has been working hard in the comics industry since 1992 and really deserves the recognition. Lora Innes (The Dreamer) was also nominated for this category and I really feel like she has made great strides and was one of two women nominated for a Harvey. (The other was colorist Laura Martin). The photo above is of Bryan and I from New York Comic Con 2009, back in February.

One disappointment for Joe was the absence of Mike and Laura Allred. We heard that Laura got sick and they will come again next year... so that is a good thing to look forward to. I was disappointed that Kenneth Rocafort was not in attendance. I had connected with him for the past two years at Baltimore and he does amazing sketches in the Top Cow booth. I hope to see him again in the future.


But the most important news of all at Baltimore Comic-Con 2009 was premiering our latest book, The Legettes. For one thing, it's 36 pages plus cover. It's a meaty story with a payoff that leaves you wanting more and I'm already looking forward to the second issue! The characters are awesome guys and gals whom I adore and I feel like Joe's writing and my art has again improved 500% every year. With that said, please click here to check out The Legettes and purchase it with free shipping for a limited time.

Thanks to everyone we met at Baltimore. I hope you enjoy the books and I hope to see you again at other events!

For some people the future is bright with possibility. Every hard day is worth it because of the thought that the effort will payoff in a glorious payday. Meet MC. He’s exactly that type of person. A hard worker, loyal, passionate, and full of goals, MC is definitely someone that you can count on when the chips are down. He also happens to be part of DEKO, the most prestigious and powerful corporation on the planet.

What he does, we can not say. What he gets paid is confidential. The name of his job title can’t be known to people not in the know. But what we do know is that MC is about to experience a huge change in his life. His whole world is about to be flipped upside down and dropped on his head. And when the lights finally come back on, MC will wake up in future that has more enemies than friends, a future where tech is now skin and skin is now fake, a future where everything is manufactured for the manufacturer, and a future where being nostalgic will get you killed. Welcome to a dark and dangerous future. Welcome to the world of The Legettes!

You can see more photos of Curls Studio's adventures in Baltimore on our Facebook Fan Page. Click and join up with us.

Legettes Banner

Hi everyone! Just a reminder that Baltimore Comic-Con is this weekend. Here is our NEW banner announcing The Legettes! Look for this banner and Curls Studio at Table 73 in Artist Alley. Click here to see a map for a visual way of locating where we are in the Baltimore Convention Center. See you this weekend!

Baltimore Comic-Con is This Weekend!

Baltimore Comic-Con 2009
Visit Curls Studio at Table 73 in Artist Alley
Saturday, October 10 -- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Baltimore Convention Center
One West Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(SHARP STREET ENTRANCE)

Stop by to see Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con. We will be in Artist Alley at Table 73. Click here to buy your tickets in advance. I will be doing sketch commissions... but shhh... here's a secret coupon. The Legettes and I hope to see you in Baltimore!

NEW FILMS: SPX 2008, NYCC 2009

Astray Productions has produced two new short documentary films featuring Curls Studio at Small Press Expo 2008 and New York Comic Con 2009. Enjoy and please comment.

Curls Studio Visits Small Press Expo 2008
Featuring Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo, James Kochalka, The Dollar Bin, CBLDF, Bryan Lee O'Malley, sandwich-making, and highlights from the Ignatz Awards.


Curls Studio Visits New York Comic Con 2009
Featuring a Carolyn Belefski sketch segment drawing for Bryan J.L. Glass's Mice Templar sketchbook, Joss Whedon, R2-D2, Bruce Timm, Curry Man, SoCal Val, and Joshua Jackson. Plus see an exclusive sneak peek at Curls Studio's newest book, The Legettes!

SPX 2009 Recap

Small Press Expo 2009 took place on September 26-27 and serves as the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent. I had a great time this year with the one exception of the convention hall being absolutely freezing. Besides that, yeah, it really was fun!

I was surprised on Saturday to see Adam from The Dollar Bin... especially since he said he would not be coming. I got to finally see the three page anthology contribution Joe and I produced for The Dollar Bin called Friends Assembled Volume 2: This is You Brain On Comics, Any Questions?


This guy was wearing a Curls patch on his jean jacket. That was so great to see.


I donated my "Curls: 2002-2009 Collection of Comic Strips" books to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to fight censorship and defend the first amendment rights of comic book professionals throughout the United States.


You can see more photos of Curls Studio's adventures at SPX on our Facebook Fan Page. Click and join up with us.

I enjoyed seeing many familiar faces and catching up with other creators. SPX got me pumped for our next show... Baltimore Comic-Con on October 10-11, 2009. See you then!

Recap: 2009 International Children's Festival

Curls Studio participated in the 2009 International Children's Festival on September 19-20 at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. We enjoyed get instant feedback from some children who purchased our comic books on Saturday and came back on Sunday to our table to either order more books or tell us they enjoyed our books. It was also enjoyable to see the Chinese Dragon and dancers from across the globe.

For more photos, visit our Flickr site (curls-studio2).

Small Press Expo is This Weekend!

Small Press Expo
Visit Curls Studio at Table E12B
Saturday, September 26 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 27 -- Noon - 6:00 PM
Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission:
1-day Pass: $10 per person
2-day Pass: $15 per person


I will be donating a handful of my "Curls: 2002-2009 Collection of Comic Strips" books to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund to fight censorship and defend the first amendment rights of comic book professionals throughout the United States. You can make a purchase to this cause at Tables W19-22. You can also purchase the book from me at Table E12B.

Hope to see you this weekend as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. The Ignatz Awards will be presented on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 9:00 PM.

2009 International Children's Festival

This weekend is the 2009 International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap and Curls Studio will be exhibiting in the Arts & Crafts Village.

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, America’s only national park created solely for the performing arts, is located at 1551 Trap Road, Vienna, Virginia, 22182.

Saturday, September 19, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday, September 20, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM


We will have one table devoted to a coloring and word search children's activity based on the characters of Curls. We will also have blank paper on hand so children can create their own comics. We hope to see you there!

David Franek - AIGA DC Continuum Fund Button Campaign

The third AIGA DC Continuum Fund button set will premiere on September 22 at the AIGA DC Fellow Award and Annual Meeting for the suggested minimum donation of $5.

David Franek will be receiving the Fellow Award and designed the button set in honor of his event and to raise money for the Continuum Fund. He is president and brand director at The Design Channel an award-winning design studio in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The concept for David’s buttons is an on-going theme he has been working on and publishing on www.thedesignetwork.com.

AIGA DC will also have the Stanley Hainsworth and The General Design Company button sets available at the September 22 event.

Join us September 22 as we kick off a new year with our Fellow Award and Annual Meeting. The evening will include an address by current AIGA DC President Jill Spaeth on the state of the chapter, as well as presentation of the chapter Fellow Award to David Franek. Please plan to be a part of this festive event and Happy Hour to follow!

Costs:
Members, $10 ($15 at the door)
Non-members, $15 ($20 at the door)
Students, $5 ($10 at the door)

Registration opens at 6:30 PM, and the event begins at 7:00 PM. Happy Hour to follow at Zengo, 781 7th Street, NW.

If you would like more information about AIGA DC's Continuum Fund Scholarship or have questions about donating to AIGA DC's Continuum Fund, please email continuum@aigadc.org or visit www.aigadc.org/continuum.

More photos can be found on the AIGA DC Flickr page.

--
Carolyn Belefski
Continuum Chair, AIGA DC

Curls Studio Products Available

Hello! I have been getting requests from people who do not want to order online, yet still would like to purchase Curls Studio merchandise... therefore I have put together a product catalog for you to order from. If there is something not on here that is listed on our Etsy site you can request that item. I tried to include mostly comics items on this product catalog. More crafty stuff will be posted on our Etsy site.

Basically, it will work like this: you fill out the form and email it to info@curls-studio. Or you can just email me and tell me what you'd like to order without the form. I will email you back and factor in the postage and handling costs and give you a quote. Then you can mail me a check and I will send you your order.

I also can do sketch requests. $15 per sketch including shipping.

So to order Curls Studio merchandise, you have three options: 1. Attend an event on our tour 2. Etsy 3. Email info@curls-studio.com

Thanks!

Recap: Pittsburgh Comicon 2009

Curls Studio's first appearance at Pittsburgh Comicon was this past weekend, September 11-13, 2009 and it was a great time. We drove into the convention on Friday morning. Honestly, Friday was a little slow. People made jokes about the Steelers's win and how most of the city was hung over in celebration or at work and thus not at the convention. Saturday proved to be the best day, as with most cons. Joe and I made the most out of our trip by visiting the Andy Warhol Museum on Friday night. It is worth it to experience this museum... and here's a tip: they are open Friday nights until 10 PM and tickets are half price!


The big event for me at Pittsburgh Comicon was premiering the trade paperback "CURLS: 2002-2009 Collection of Comic Strips" and promoting that event. I hope everyone will have the chance to pick that book up at Baltimore and SPX within the next month. I also put it up on my Etsy site so you can order online.


Saturday's huge presence at the con was Stan Lee! Yes, the modern Walt Disney of our times! I am very lucky to have seen him in person. On Saturday night we visited Klavon's Ice Cream Parlor, a 1920s ice cream parlor located in the city's strip district. Of course it was awesome for me to experience this because I adore the art deco time period.


On Sunday I got to leave the table and discover other creators. It was nice to meet people I have not met before. Joe and I learned that the "Bean N Gone" coffee shop Kevin Smith filmed at for Zack and Miri Make a Porno was nearby in Monroeville, so we went on a very quick hunt for this location. Turns out it is now a Chinese restaurant. They were closed so we were unable to eat there. We watched part of the film in the parking lot with our portable dvd player and took screenshots of the scene right before our eyes. We also saw the mall where Elizabeth Banks (Miri) works and the area where they pulled over in the car when Seth Rogen (Zack) got burned from the hand warmer that he put in his pants.


Pittsburgh Comicon was great. So was this guy.

For more photos, visit our Flickr site (curls-studio2).

Curls 2002-2009 to Premiere at Pittsburgh Comicon

Hello everyone! The trade paperback "CURLS: 2002-2009 Collection of Comic Strips" will be available for purchase and premiering at Pittsburgh Comicon this weekend (September 11, 12, and 13, 2009).

"CURLS: 2002-2009 Collection of Comic Strips" contains 222 pages of goodness with practically everything I have ever done for Curls in the past few years and contains 200 strips and extra projects I have featured Curls characters in. The book includes material I have released before in smaller batches: The College Years, Vacation, Applause the Fighting Fish, The Printable Brain, The Booga Fish, and more! Every college strip... every strip in between all the story line books... everything!

I hope you enjoy this book because it represents a huge part of my life and dream. If you are unable to attend Pittsburgh Comicon, I will have these books available at our upcoming tour dates and will also take orders from my Etsy site.

Curls: Problem Solver

This is a Curls comic strip I did today for AIGA Baltimore's upcoming publication. I hope to see it in print form one day. I ran some "design humor" by them and this is the one that stuck. Leave it the Pitter Patter the penguin to invent this new technique when the printer collapses.

Curls: Bread Winner

I hope you enjoy the latest Curls comic strip. It will be the last strip in my Curls book that features practically everything I have ever done for Curls between 2002 and 2009. The book will premiere next month at Pittsburgh Comicon. Stan Lee will be the guest of honor on Saturday, September 12, 2009. Hope to see you that weekend.

A1 Improv Showcase

Sunday, August 9, 2009 was my A1 Improve Showcase at Source in DC. I started taking improv classes with Washington Improv Theater this summer because it is something I have wanted to do for the past five years or so and was always a little afraid to go full force with. Then something hit me and I figured why the heck not. I took a trial class and had a lot of fun. It made me feel more confident than anything else in awhile, so that was when I knew I should give it a go. The classes are very enjoyable as well as the other students and our teachers Dan and Dereks. They pulled the best out of each of us. Everyone had a really good jive going on with each other.


I hope that these classes got my mind jogging with scripting comics and coming up with design or illustration concepts. I noticed the levels of thinking and how far you can really take things yet still have them connected to each other.


Something else I realized is that improv isn't only about being funny. It's about communicating and working as a team. I also learned to observe, not only with my eyes, but with my ears and with magical powers of group thought... and you know I love magic... and Criss Angel. So, here are some photos of the show from last night. I hope you enjoy!

AIGA DC Continuum Summer Party 2009

Last Tuesday, August 4, 2009, AIGA DC hosted a summer party to celebrate and recognize this year's AIGA DC Fellow Award recipient David Franek* and MICA student Sarah Machicado, the winner of our first AIGA DC Continuum Scholarship. David Franek is president and brand director at The Design Channel an award-winning design studio in Chevy Chase, MD.

Those who attended the event are AIGA DC board members, founding members of the fund, and official members of the 2008-2009 Continuum Circle. (The Continuum Circle is comprised of donors who make cumulative pledges of or exceeding $350 per year to the Continuum Fund).


The intimate gathering was hosted at Tamera Lawrence's home in DC. Everyone enjoyed catching up with each other over their busy summer and reconnected to focus on the Continuum Fund. AIGA DC Advisory Board members Beth Singer and Sam Shelton spoke about starting a permanent legacy of giving back to the profession of design and highlighted our achievements and upcoming plans.


David spoke about his super career path leading up to his Fellows Award and Sarah spoke about the value of her scholarship and what she wants to pursue in the future. AIGA DC President, Jill Spaeth, then fielded questions about the chapter and activities we are planning.


It was a great event that took time and effort from many people on the AIGA DC board, including myself, Kerri Sarembock, Jill Spaeth, Mira Azarm, James Hobbs, Tamera Lawrence, Beth Singer, Dan Banks, Emily Carr, and Sam Shelton. Thank you to all that contributed and attended.

The AIGA DC Continuum Fund would also like to thank C & R Printing for donating all the printing including the paper for the wine tasting event last March at The Art Institute of Washington. Please consider them for your printing needs and mention AIGA DC to show them how valuable their contributions are to the design profession.

If you would like more information about AIGA DC's Continuum Fund Scholarship or have questions about donating to AIGA DC's Continuum Fund, please email continuum@aigadc.org.

To view more images from the 2009 Continuum Summer Party 2009, visit the AIGA DC Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigadc/sets/72157621963880196/

Special thanks goes out to Joe Carabeo of Astray Productions for photographing the event!

--
Carolyn Belefski
Continuum Chair, AIGA DC

*We will also honor David at an event open to all our membership this fall for the Fellows Award. Please visit aigadc.org for the latest updates on our 2009-2010 programming season as we start up again this fall.

Curls: The Undertaker

Well, I am a big fan of wrestling and The Undertaker, so I could not help but poke fun at his new love life in a Curls comic strip. Whenever I see the The Undertaker, my head whispers "SARAAAAAAAAA" and sometimes I say it out loud. It's all because of a storyline where Diamond Dallas Page was stalking Sara, The Undertaker's wife.

At that time The Undertaker had "Sara" tattooed on his neck and in the past few years he has been in the process of removing the tattoo and getting divorced from Sara. Now that he has a new love in his life with Michelle McCool, I figured it would be funny if he got "McCool" tattooed on his neck also. To this day, one of my favorite moments, while watching WWE, is DDP stalking Sara.

Curls: Michael Jackson Tribute

Many of you have asked me if I was going to do anything in tribute to Michael Jackson after his death last month. It took me a long time to process everything surrounding his death... finally tonight I felt ready to work on this Curls comic strip in honor of MJ.

For those of you who do not know, Michael Jackson is a public figure whom I considered one of my favorite celebrities and whom I talk about almost weekly on my radio show. I know the arguments you could say about him, but through his life and career, I found him to be one of the most entertaining individuals on the planet. I am amazed with everything in his life (the good, the bad, and the ugly). From the Jesus Juice to Neverland's Zoo to Michael's art collection to his Super Bowl performance and all of MJ's antics... I have to say I am a fan. He entertained me.

Musically, there is no denying he was a great. He was a creative visionary in more than one media. I hope you enjoyed my comic strip of Curls tagging the wall in memory of MJ. May he rest in peace. I will always believe in magic with you, Michael.

Here are some other times MJ has appeared in my work:


I recently rediscovered an image I drew of Michael Jackson for Project Resolution in 2005. The prompt was 'Jack-O Lantern' and it's awesome. You can go back in time and see the flyers I illustrated to advertise the shows by going to the Project Res website and clicking on past shows. I did most of them between the years 2003 and 2005.


Michael Jackson has appeared in Curls before. This illustration of him holding Blanket on the balcony was published on Thursday, November 21, 2002 in VCU's student newspaper, The Commonwealth Times.