I have a few of my drawings from the local Dr. Sketchy’s life drawing sessions  up at my facebook page, so head over there if you want to see some extra stuff.

Last Sunday I picked up Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder: Five Crazy Women and like every volume of this series that I read, it was outstanding. It’s exceptionally good science fiction where it seems like a very familiar world, but there’s just enough advanced technology there when it applies. The science bits don’t need to be explained, they just need to be there to add to the fiction. I think that’s what helps make Finder such good sci-fi, is that it starts with a good story and doesn’t let the elements get in the way.

The thing I really like about Finder are the annotations in the back. These give readers a peek into the creative process. You’ll find similar notes at the back of From Hell, but Carla Speed McNeil’s notes are much less formidable and much more personable. I’m going to try to duplicate that in the notes that go with each strip posted, and with every strip I hope that someday I can make as good a sci-fi comic as Carla Speed McNeil.

To get caught up on Finder, go to this web site.

Dr. Sketchy’s in Savannah is this weekend! Come to Moon River Brewery on Bay Street and go down to the basement for life drawing in a cool setting with cool people. Admission is $7.00 at the door, but if you go to drsketchysavannah.com you can pay in advance for just $5.00.

The picture above was taken at last month’s session where I actually won a neat poster for the drawing session and an advance pass. There are neat little contests all night long, and not all of them necessarily have to do with drawing ability. It’s a real fun time, and a great way to get some life drawing exercise.

In related news, I’m one panel away from having a strip updated and revised with hand lettering and being just plain drawn better. Stay tuned.

Lately there’s been a lot of talk about science in the movies. People who are fans of science, scientists who are fans of movies all want Hollywood to get science right in the movies so we don’t get another Armageddon, Independence Day or The Core. This discussion, however has directed me more towards a similar topic, science as its portrayed in comics.

Now, in Jet-Pack Jenny, I’m really wanting to make it as scientifically accurate as possible. While I don’t want to let it ake over the tone of the story, I don’t want innaccurate science to take away from the story. I don’t want to have crap like the X-Men version of genetic mutation staring at the reader and going “Hey, I know that I’m not correct, but it’s a comic, so ignore it.” I also don’t want to have to explain every single futuristic thing that shows up. That’s just bad storytelling.

SO, how in comics, does one do accurate science without bogging the story down in details? Well, what I’m trying is starting with a world much like our own, aand adding just a few details to advance everyday life, such as TV on any flat surface in Jenny’s apartment, or the computer completely integrated into her home. Yes, there are androids, and those will probably get explained more thoroughly than anything else in the story, just because it’s vital to the story. What’s not vital to the story is how the jet-pack works, or how the cars fly. I know how the jet-pack works; I’ve got that figured out, and I have a one-sentence answer to the cars, and the bulk of theother little details that come up. Essentially, the world is the same, just to keep it relatable. I worry that if I make it too alien then it doesn’t seem real, much like the interiors of Kamino in Attack of the Clones.

In related news, I just returned from HeroesCon where I purchased Strathmore Bristol Board pre-cut into 5 x 17 pads.  It means that the re-drawn  strips will be a little shorter in height than the originals, but it will make storing the original art a heck of a lot easier, as well as a lot easier to scan. The re-drawing is going good, and right now, strip #2 is on the docket to be the next one posted. Drawing the half-hour a day that I’m home at lunch makes for a little slow movement, but it’s movement, so I won’t complain.

More on my trip to HeroesCon tomorrow. That and I hope to get a links page done.

I’m just dropping a post to let everyone know that next weekend I’ll be on the road. I’m going to take in HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC. It’ll be the first con I’ve gone to in over two years. Don’t go looking for me behind a table or anything, because I’m not set up anywhere. I’ll just be walking around like any other comics fan. Already, a couple of friends are going to be there, so not being rooted down will have its benefits.

On Friday, I plan on going around the small press area and hopefully getting exposed to some quality comics that are being overlooked by the majority of people attending the con. The last time I was set up at a HeroesCon, it was in the small press are and for the most part we were ignored. With the raised requirements of Diamond, these people need all the help that they can be given and simply walking by without taking the time to stop and talk to them is out of the question. I’ll also be carrying around copies of Bunkee #3 and 4 and The Mall if anybody is willing to trade, but I want to hand them out to people I like at the very least.

On Saturday, I’m going to take in Indie Island and Artists’ Alley. I really would like to discover something new, and since I’ve been out of the convention loop for so long, I imagine I’ll find it. Already, I’ve recognized a few people I know on the Guest List, and I want to at least say hi to them. There are a few people whose work I admire that I want to see, and patronize if I can.

Sunday, is for shopping, especially shopping for bargains. The last day at a convention is reknowned for markdowns, just because dealers don’t want to haul it back to their store, garage, storage building next to the bowling alley, et cetera.  Jordan asked me yesterday if I was putting together a want list for HeroesCon, and I’ve learned not to do that just because in the search for specific items, I’ve almost passed right over real gems. Whenever I haven’t gone to a con with a want list, I’ve discovered real gems hidden away. I may show up later on Sunday, just because it’s Father’s Day, and I plan on taking Dad out to lunch before going to Charlotte.

That’s the plan, boys and girls. If you’re going to HeroesCon and want to meet up, just contact me through one of the links on the right. I’ll be Twittering all weekend on my phone, so those of you following me on Twitter and Facebook can see what I’m doing.