Thunder Punch Daily

In early July 2024 my old friend Rob Stenzinger visited me in Columbus, and we found ourselves having the kinds of discussions we recorded for the Lean Into Art cast. Particularly topics surrounding our projects we’ve been working on for the past two-to-three years and how we’re thinking about marketing them. So we turned on a mic and captured some of the thinking we’ve been doing.

We set up pretty hastily, so the audio quality isn’t what we had on Lean Into Art. But the gentle, thoughtful approach to art-making topics is all there. I hope you enjoy it!

Links mentioned:

• Word Turtle Island, Rob’s new game where you use words as weapons to rescue books and readers

• Learn more about The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue

It’s time to talk about the most cheerful adventurer in The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue. But is her joyful presence performative, and is there more to her than laughs?

Here are the first drawings of Pickles from October 2014:

Here’s a PDF of the first Pickles and Taft minicomic, which also features Doctor Baer villain Gallus Lugubrious.

• Learn more about The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue

I’ve always been fascinated by sage heroes, but my relationship with them has changed from childhood to adulthood. In this Thunder Punch Daily I explore how these characters influenced the character of Doctor Baer himself.

Links mentioned:

• Love at First Bite

• Learn more about The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue

Here’s an introduction to the general concept of The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue, along with a brief history of its development and some of the influences behind the book.

One of his earliest appearances on PPV: Pay-Per-View #2

If you look super close, you’ll also see him in the monster’s left hand next to the lady and the black cat on the cover of PPV #1.

• Learn more about The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue

I was given the gift of a thought experiment via the Doctor Baer AMA form:

Indiana Jones grew much larger than its creator. How do you think you’d feel about being an artist and about Dr. Baer if it found great success and the Dr. Baer intellectual property grew beyond your control of it?

While I like to think I’d be able to let it go and see it turned into derivative works, I know I haven’t always felt this way. So I take a survey of my WHY over the last 30 years.

I just got the advance reader copy of The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue!

It’s hard to articulate the emotions I felt holding this artifact of two years’ worth of effort in my hands.

Which got me thinking about this Thought/Question/Wondering from the Doctor Baer AMA:

Do you ever feel the tension between protecting time to work on your book against time that friends and family want you to spend with them? What does that look like, and how on earth do we find the best balance in this (that’ll bring the least amount of guilt, ha!) ? 

So I take some time to explore the tensions between us and the world when we set out to make art.

Links mentioned:

A thoughtful question/wondering came to me via the Doctor Baer AMA form:

I know a big part of how you advocate for comics and a thing you’ve shared that brings you a lot of joy is the teaching part of what you do– teaching comics. Through the long journey that is making a graphic novel, do you find that you pick up new tidbits/angles/perspectives/lessons that you can apply to teaching your students in the classroom?

Whether or not you’re planning on working with students, reflecting on your artistic experience only enriches it. But I also share how it leads to teachable moments and lessons plans that are fun for beginners.

Links mentioned:

For my last Art Soundoff entry for 2023, I’m sharing a previously Patreon-only entry from 2022. It’s a longer entry, but I think it clearly states the reasons behind my love of making comics.

For today’s Art Soundoff entry I talk about where I’m putting my creative energy right now.

I missed a few Art Soundoff entries, but I’m back to talk about with my relationship with sleep, particularly the weird place we go when we sleep!