I’d like to thank all the amazing contributors (on all 4 volumes) and the editorial and production team of the book past and present (Adam! Anthony! Thomas! Jeff! Steven! Tim! Dylan! Mark! Joe!) , as well as the swell folks at Image Comics. Wow. POPGUN 4 is DONE… DONE DONE DONE. 512 pages of awesome wrapped in a beautiful cover for only 30 bucks.

Almost 2000 pages of POPGUN since 2007. Whew!

Okay, time to party tonight… Hope you all enjoy the book!

– D.J.

Just a quick reminder that POPGUN 4 from the fine folks at Image Comics hits shelves this Wednesday! Please stop by your Local Comic Shop and pick up a copy…

Also, if you’re in NY, Hanley’s is having a signing on Wed. from 6 to 8.

And, if you’re in LA, Meltdown Comics is having a release party on Wed. from 7 to 10.

Aaaaand if you’re in Oklahoma City, New World comics is having a release party on Friday, Feb 26.

Such good times! We’re really proud if this big beast that is POPGUN 4. Can’t wait for it to be unleashed! Hope you all like it…

Your pal,
D.J.

Ah, can’t wait for Easter…

Figured I’d compile a bit of one-stop shopping for folks looking to learn more about POPGUN — specifically the upcoming 4th volume, which is in stores February 24th. (If I’m missing anything, feel free to let me know!)

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ own Josh Wigler interviewed Jeffrey Brown, Amanda Becker, Janet Kim, Frank Stockton, Andy Ristiano, and myself. Good times and snazzy preview art!

NEWSARAMA writer Chris Arrant interviewed Anthony Wu, Adam P. Knave, Todd DeZago, Tom Scioli, Vito Delasante, Attila Adorjany, Chris Moreno, and me again. Lots of info and more preview art!

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY’s PANEL MANIA writer Ada Price ran the entire 24-page story “Hamburgers For One” by Frank Stockton. A great read that looks even better in print, as it was meant to be seen!

Rich Johnston’s BLEEDING COOL was the first to show off Ben Templesmith’s amazing POPGUN 4 cover!

BROKEN FRONTIER’s Frederik Hautin posted a full-story preview of Tom (G0DLAND) Scioli’s POPGUN 4 contribution: “The Seneschal”!

GEEKWEEK’s Tim Simmons interviewed me about POPGUN 4 and ran some very nice preview art.

Johanna Draper Carlson’s COMICS WORTH READING gave us a nice mention complete with the Ben Templesmith web banner!

GRAEME’S FANTASY BOOK REVIEW posted about the book and had kind words about POPGUN vol. 3.

COMICS CONTINUUM by Rob Allstetter posted some cool preview pages! (Just scroll down a little.)

THE COMIC BOX gave us a swell shout out!

Also, some upcoming events…

In New York, The Comic Book Club Live will be interviewing POPGUN 4 contributors Adam P. Knave, Vito Delsante, and Nick Tapansky live at the The Peoples Improv Theater on Feb 16th — tickets available now!

Also for the New York folks, there’s a POPGUN 4 signing on Feb 24th at Jim Hanley’s Universe!

And, LA folks, don’t forget about the POPGUN 4 release party on Feb 24th at Meltdown Comics!

Finally, in Oklahoma City? Check out the POPGUN 4 signing at New World Comics & Games, with writer Brian Winkeer and artist Eric Sandhop will be on hand for fun!

…..to keep the thunder out of their thighs.

……….For that they kick tons of ass.

Ninjas don’t diet

…..as a way to stay fit.

……….Badass assassinations keep ‘em thin.

Ninjas don’t sweat to the oldies

…..to be free of ass fat foldies.

……….Airborne flipping is better than Richard Simmons’ moves.

Ninjas don’t jazzercise.

…..or freaking diet

……….or sweat to no oldies.

Ninjas

kick

ass.

…..Which is wonderful exercise.

Why am I trapped in my apartment? Well, I suppose I’m not technically. First there was the crazy LA rain that made me want to just stay in, and now that it’s sunny again, I’ve been feeling under the weather and figure I should take it easy and let my body heal via drinking beverages with vitamin C instead of alcohol, getting decent sleep, and just generally taking it easy. I predict by tomorrow I’ll be feeling back to normal… at least I hope so. Right now I’m so antsy and bored that it’s making my skin itch. Ack! Just… TRAPPED.

Like I said, I’ve managed to be somewhat productive. Edited a big chunk of this crazy Mark Smith and James Stokoe graphic novel called SULLIVAN’S SLUGGERS. Pages 35 to 71… it somehow took me almost half the day, and I still fear I missed a punctuation or spelling error somewhere. It’s coming along nicely, though. I also worked on getting the POPGUN 4 word out. That’s fun, though this whole “pimping” role doesn’t come naturally to me, but hopefully it’s working. And in the writing department, which is where I hope to end up on a more permanent basis, I had some good conversations with my frequent co-writer, Adam P. Knave, on a new project too early to name, for which he found a great artist (also too early to name). Good times! And I got some great feedback on the SOULLESS, MAN WITHOUT A SOUL pitch I’m working on with artist Anjin Anhut… gotta get my revision writing on for that one.

That’s some work, right? And it’s good to keep busy. And I know I need to get even busier. The one problem I have with this writing and editing work that I am doing is that it, as of yet, does not pay the bills. And after the rough economy resulting in day job work layoffs last year and an ill-advised decision to go into freelance post-production that has resulted in no jobs for the past, holy crap, five months, I really need regular paying work.

Ideally, this would come from the comic book work I’m doing. Maybe one day it will. Either way, I’ll keep writing comics (and short stories, essays, maybe I’ll finally get my novel on soon) as long as I can because I really love it and apparently need to do it to feel worth a damn for some reason. But, in that practical bitch called “reality,” I also have to start earning some cold, hard cash.

Once again, I begin to question my Fine Arts degree from a rural Ohio college – or at least how I’ve used this degree (which is, not at all). A friend of mine double-majored in Chemistry and Biology. He’s now a scientist! He makes good money and wears a lab coat to work! If, even with this poofy Fine Arts degree I earned, I still need a day job and will just write on the side, well… maybe I should’ve gotten a more practical degree. I mean, I could write on the side while making a living as a lab coat-wearing scientist! Why didn’t 18-year-old me think of that, because, honestly, never have I gotten a job as a result of my degree… Of course, I no longer paint, act, and have forgotten most of the art history I learned. Hm. I had fun in college and met lots of cool people and learned a lot, but the main point is to help one get a career going… but writing isn’t like most careers, is it? I don’t know. I’m babbling and still feeling antsy despite trying to distract myself with the writing of this blog.

Okay, now my shut in mind is just wandering, and I’m babbling. Maybe I should wear a lab coat when I write. That way I’d at least feel important, you know? Kinda like a… WORD SCIENTIST! Yes!

Tonight the electricity went out, and I realized how plugged in my entire life was. It went out during Thursday night TV, which sucks because I was really looking forward to Community, Parks & Recreation, The Office, and 30 Rock. That’s right: all four of those shows. A full, exciting, productively evening… a two hour block of comedy DENIED me… well, until tomorrow when, one assumes, the electricity is back on and I’ll be able to watch them all on Hulu. Guess that’s something to look forward to.

But, honestly, there’s not much for me to do now. I’m forcing myself to write, which I’ll be able to do until my computer battery runs out or I run out of things to type… guessing the battery will last longer.

I have one tiny candle. It isn’t producing enough light to read… not really. I have a flashlight, but it’s this little keychain one. I have to hold onto the button to keep the little bit of light going. I could try to read by that, but it might just be frustrating. Yeah, I’m that lazy.

When the lights first went out, I ventured outside. Looked like it’s just a couple of blocks that are out. I could go somewhere, but I’m not feeling that great today to begin with. Besides, it’s dangerous outside… in the darkness. While wandering, without all the street lamps to illuminate the Los Angeles streets, I was almost attacked by a raccoon. Well, maybe it wasn’t going to attack me, but we definitely crossed paths – and it was a big sucker. Maybe three, three and a half feet long. And the claws on those things. It probably could’ve torn me apart… in the darkness, where no one would see! I’m lucky.

Now it’s 9:00PM. I’m honestly considering just going to bed, but I know I won’t fall asleep… and the lying there in silence will just lead to thinking, which is never good for me. Never ever.

Should I be scared? Is it during a blackout when the ruffians and the vagrants go breaking into homes and whatnot? I’m just one 230 pound, 6’3” boy… all alone in a dark apartment. The fear is legitimate! Oh, wait. No it’s not. My roommate has samurai swords in the living room. Yeah, they’re just for decoration, but, dude, they are real swords. I could protect myself. Unless! Crap, unless the criminals that break in notice them first and use them against me! Could there be anything more emasculating than being attacked with one’s own roommate’s decorative samurai swords? Yeah, probably several things. Still, the fact remains: I’d rather not be attacked with a samurai sword-wielding vagrant looking to take advantage of my lack of electricity.

What did old timey folk do without electricity back in the days of yore? Well, they probably had a lot more candles than I do. That’d help with the illumination, at least the reading light… They also probably just got up at the crack of dawn and went to sleep when the sun went down, right? Worked the land until Mother Nature or Gaya, once, by the way, vocalized by the great EGOT (Emmy/Grammy/Oscar/Tony) Winning Whoopi Goldberg on that classic show of pro-environmental superheroics, Captain Planet And The Planeteers… bet that’s online somewhere, but I wouldn’t know because I got no electricity, and with it, no internet! Where was I… ? Oh, right, old timey folk worked the land until Mother Nature stopped providing light, right? Yeah, well, anyway, I don’t know. I’m no history scientist.

The truth is that this is just really freaking bored. And I would much rather be watching the hijinks on The Office that would be playing on my TV / imagination box right now. When confronted with my real life, no escape to be found in the darkness, well, man… not a lot going on. Is there a stronger word for “boring”? Maybe I’ll coin one: “D.J.-life.” Yeah, it’s a hyphenate. I’m not a word scientist, either. Deal with it.

Maybe I can wish and wish and wish myself to sleep. Get an early start on the day tomorrow. I’m gonna need it – lots of missed TV to watch online tomorrow.

your hairy lip aids you in the kicking

of ass.

-

Whatever your reason for growing your ’stache,

it works for you.

I say this true blue.

-

Show off your ’stache,

and cut a ’stache hole in  your mask…

In fear your enemies will bask.

-

Show off that sweet hairy lip…

Oh! And when you kick,

remember to pivot with your hip.

-

Look, put that razor down.

Without that godgiven ’stache,

you look like an child clown.

-

Ninja, sweet mustchioed ninja,

you beautiful bastard,

don’t ever give up the dream.

-

Shaving your lip,

won’t make your enemies scream

… in terror.

When I was younger it was different. I remember in junior high school, maybe seventh grade, we had creative writing assignments. The teacher, Mrs. Smith (who always had a large cup of soda on her desk… how I wanted some of that soda… I often imagined it was Mountain Dew), gave us a minimum word count for each story. I don’t remember what that word count was, but I always went over it. I asked if it was okay to do this, which seemed to surprise the teacher – and my fellow students. They had no idea why I wanted to write more than necessary. I wasn’t sure either. Then I thought about it and came to a conclusion…

Writing is loads of fun.

And it continued to be for such a long time. I started writing epic adventure stories loosely based upon me and my best friends Nate, Tadd, and Patrick (who also doubles as my brother)… well, based upon us if we were somehow vaguely descended from Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, and, strangely, Inspector Clouseau (which I misspelled “Clueso” – an accident at first, but then I decided to keep it that way because it was all “Clue? So?” … so clever).

The stories were not really inspired by the Sherlock Holmes adventures. I read Author Conan Doyle’s stories, and I had a ridiculous love for the movie Young Sherlock Holmes (still do, kinda), but the stories I wrote were really just putting me and my friends (or absurdly exaggerated versions of us) in crazy adventures that barely qualified as mysteries. Lots of non sequitors, silly action, and goofy dialog – mostly done to make us all laugh.

Handwritten stories in spiral bound notebooks was my technique. Sometimes the length of a story (or “book,” as I called them) was dependent on the notebook, actually – a sign of quality?

I’d wake up before school to write (or draw), and then write when I got home. So, while it seems difficult nowadays, it must not have always felt that way. I mean, even right now, I’m thinking, “I promised around 600 words every Monday, and I do not want to let down my reader!” I’ve gone from a footloose kid who just had to write, filling notebooks with silly adventures, to this crotchety old cuss who has trouble blogging.

This might not be the best subject for a blog, actually, but… well, it might be interesting to read about a writer who has trouble writing. I don’t know. Is it?

My hope is that by writing these blogs, I’ll get the writing muscles stronger again, and that’ll help me get some of my enthusiasm for the writing. And with that, hopefully I’ll start doing it more consistently and more… better…er… more betterer.

It just takes more discipline, I suppose. Back when I was writing stories with pencil, getting that magical graphite all over my left hand as a sign of having written, I had far less distractions. I mean, typing on the computer as I’m doing now, I have the internets right at my finger tips! How many times have I checked my email then drifted off to other sites before remembering that I’m writing this very blog? I’m not sure of the answer, but it’s definitely happened more times than it should. (Appropriate number of times for this to occur: zero.) It’s just so easy to do. I’m fighting the urge to check my Twitter page now. (I hope you’re not fighting similar urges for your own Twitter or Facebook or whatever else the kids are using to crap out often inappropriately personal info to a worldwide audience while reading this, dear reader, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.)

This is just another writerly discipline issue, though. So! I must write more and stay focused on my writing while writing!