Clean Energy Comics: El Vocho

El Vocho Kickstarter Fundraiser -- now Mezcal Powered!

2010-11-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

I am doing a Kickstarter Fundraiser to help pay printing and shipping on the El Vocho graphic novel. You can pledge $15 to get the book, more gets you a painting. And, I just added this reward:
Event. A live performance with "The Dick Nixon Experience", Steve's cow punk band. Event includes one graphic novel, choose from El Vocho, Bughouse, 40 Hour Man or Scalawag. Complimentary mezcal will be served. Venue to be announced, San Francisco Bay Area. Mezcal is, of course, the smokey smooth agave distilled spirit that embodies the mystique of Oaxaca.

El Vocho Endpapers

2010-10-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Just put together the endpapers (inside cover) image for El Vocho -- this will be in the edition that appears in comics shops.

I took the photo at a VOCHO (VW Bug) show in the spring of '08 in Oaxaca. The spooky goon of course is Cliff, iconic bad guy. He looks a lot like I would if I gained a few pounds, got a trench coat and cool hat, and started rubbing people out. Click on image to see it bigger.
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El Vocho: Page 290 of October Previews, order code OCT101061 EL VOCHO GN (MR). Diamond has listed El Vocho as “Certified Cool”.

Ongoing HOOPLA

2010-10-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ballad of the Bug - Let's Embed!

2010-10-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

A prominent comics news site tells me they had a problem with the embed code for the EL VOCHO theme song, Ballad of the Bug. Let's see how this works.

Whoa! It works. Cool.

El Vocho: Page 290 of October Previews, order code OCT101061 EL VOCHO GN (MR)

El Vocho Reviewed in The Comics Journal

2010-09-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

A review of the El Vocho graphic novel has appeared in The Comics Journal at this link.

I'm pleased to see an informed review of the book by critic Robert Clough, who has a decent level of familiarity with my comics.

El Vocho is listed in the October Diamond Comics catalog (PREVIEWS). The order code is OCT101061 EL VOCHO GN (MR)

Ballad of the Bug

2010-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is Ballad of the Bug, the theme song for my El Vocho graphic novel. By Steve Lafler & Todd Spiehler.

Click here to download Ballad of the Bug

El Vocho in Diamond Comics Previews

2010-09-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

El Vocho will be in the next Diamond Comics Previews, their monthly catalog of new comics. The ordering code for El Vocho is OCT101061 EL VOCHO GN (MR)

If you know comics retailers, or if you are one, please order 9723 copies, or more.

El Vocho in Previews

2010-08-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

The El Vocho graphic novel will be listed in Diamond Comic Distributor's PREVIEWS catalog in October for items shipping in December. I'll be stepping up my promotional efforts, in particular my communication with comics retailers, in an effort to sell a whole lotta Vochos!

Steve and J.R. Williams performing July 15 at Reading Frenzy in Portland, Oregon at the El Vocho publishing event.

El Vocho Publishing Party Redux

2010-07-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

Had a great publishing party for El Vocho at the Mercury Cafe in San Francisco last night. Here is an audio of our pick up band the DICK NIXON EXPERIENCE -- it was ragged fun, not so well rehearsed but damn we had a blast!
Recording compliments of Sir Dave Soule. Thanks to Scotty, bass, Jeff on drums, Jon on electric guitar, and Jeff 2 on fiddle and alto sax. That's me on vocals and acoustic guitar.

El Vocho in Portland, Oregon

2010-07-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

I'm appearing at Reading Frenzy at 921 SW Oak Street in downtown Portland, Oregon on July 15th at 7 p.m. with my new graphic novel El Vocho.
I am really excited to be going back to Portland where I used to live.
I'll be playing my Oaxacabilly tunes with my good friend David Perkin on percussion. I just released one of my tunes today, Jack Black Song, on a web zine called This Zine Will Save Your Life.

El Vocho Book is For Sale

2010-06-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

El Vocho, my new 100 page graphic novel, is now available for $12.00 + postage at this link from my lulu page.

For an easy to read preview, visit El Vocho online at CO2. Bill and Gerry have figured out online comics better than anybody, and it's my good fortune to post with them.

El Vocho Book Cover

2010-05-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the cover for the El Vocho graphic novel. Click on the image to see it larger.

I am creating a limited edition prepublication run of El Vocho to tour with this summer. I will sell these at my tour stops. The formal release of the book will come later, after I create humongous buzz with the summer tour.

This book is getting the long roll out, so I can take over the known and unknown universe with it.

copyright 2010 Steve Lafler

So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star

2010-05-18T11:19:00.001-07:00

Click here for El Vocho tour update.

Photo by Jeff Charles

El Vocho: The End

2010-04-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

CLICK ON THE PAGES TO SEE THEM LARGER

These are the last two pages of the El Vocho graphic novel.
I've posted the whole book. Actually, I've written and drawn a 3 page prelude to the story, I gotta go back and check if I ever posted that.

Now, I'm on to some story edits, then the whole process of publishing and marketing a graphic novel.

El Vocho is also being posted from the start in a more visually friendly format at CO2 comics, check it out.

I'll continue to post to this blog pertinent news and info about the upcoming book version of the story.

I hope you enjoy this, and comments, questions and suggestions are welcome.

Steve Lafler

El Vocho #57

2010-04-12T18:12:00.001-07:00

CLICK ON THE ART TO SEE IT BIGGER.

This was the last page of El Vocho, with the major conflict resolved, but I just wrote a few more pages to tie up some loose ends. No matter how you slice it, the book is just about done!
My former publisher Brett (Top shelf) also made a suggestion to expand the scene in the middle of the book where Rosa finally flies in the Vocho, so I'm gonna look over the story and think about adding a page or two there also.

El Vocho #55

2010-04-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

CLICK ON THE ART TO SEE IT BIGGER

Bye! I'm off to Mexico City to haunt some museums n' stuff.

El Vocho #54

2010-03-29T21:29:00.001-07:00

CLICK ON THE ART TO SEE IT BIGGER.

You can hit CTRL+ once you've isolated the page to bring it up even bigger.

Holy shit, just a couple more pages to go! Damn near a whole graphic novel stuffed in here. Next I'll give EL VOCHO a close edit, then get it out into the world as a printed graphic novel.

I guess I'll just post now as the pages are done, the Wednesday schedule worked well for a good half a year, but I'm putting it aside now.

To read El Vocho from the start, hit the archives, it's loaded all ass backwards in here.

El Vocho update

2010-03-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

No new page this week, between entertaining guests in Oaxaca, my adopted city, handling a slightly hysterical four year old, and playing too much Oaxacabilly guitar with too many musicians, I did not finish a page. I will say, the one in the works is a wild page! I'll post asap.
Meanwhile, my classic comic Dog Boy from the 80s has returned, via the online comics site CO2. The site is run by comics veterans Gerry Giovinco and Bill Cucinotta, and it's a total class act.
They are posting some great web comics in a visually dynamic format. I should mention they will also be posting El Vocho, and the first few pages are up.
Gerry and Bill are way smarter than I about web marketing, so this is a great chance for me to create buzz for these stories as I get ready to publish the El Vocho book.

El Vocho #53

2010-03-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

Just returned from five days at the coast in Puerto Angel and environs. What a great run of beach towns there! Gorgeous and laid back.
Now it's back to work, here is the latest EL VOCHO page.

Click on the art to see it large.

Just a few more pages to ink, then it's on to a round of revisions. Then I'll pitch this baby to a list of publishers I've put together, although I could always put it out on my own MANX MEDIA imprint too.

For sure, I will have a publishing event in San Francisco at the Mercury Cafe in Hayes Valley on July 22, if you happen to be in town just then. We're puttin' together a pickup band for the event, as the DICK NIXON EXPEREINCE, but the music itself will be puro Oaxacabilly.

El Vocho #52

2010-03-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

Click on the art to see it REAL BIG!
I'm posting on Monday night instead of Wednesday this week, I'm heading to the beach!

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #51

2010-03-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

Another preposterous page of comics from El Bocho.
Click on the art to see it much larger!!!
I'm still digging into my supply of ratty brushes to see what emerges on the page. It's a cool technical challenge to make good looking comics with THICK Mexican ink and ratty, beat up brushes. I'm diggin' it.

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #50

2010-02-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

Click on the page to see it REALLY BIG!

Today's page is strange in that lyric, poetic mode that I love so much.
Leave logic behind, stop thinking and let it flow, baby!

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #49

2010-02-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

Please click on the comics to see them BIG! This week I've uploaded a couple pages from El Vocho at the biggest size blogger allows.

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #48

2010-02-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Again I've posted full comic pages to El Vocho. To see these suckers really big, just click on them. Lemme know whatcha think about this approach to posting these comics.

The web is great for media like animation, music and movies, but comics? They just work better in book format. However, I post these El Vocho pages anyway, it's the best way to get the word out about the book prior to official publication.
IN the old days, I'd put out a series of comic magazines such as Bughouse, then collect them all in a graphic novel. To say it's no longer economically viable for me to publish individual comic mags is an understatement! I used to make a bit of money on it before the big Diamond Comics monopoly takeover of comics distribution in 1996. I miss the old comic books, but maybe things are better now, fewer trees are cut to put out the mags, and the graphic novel has a literary cache that it did not yet have back then. Now, if only MY graphic novels could catch on like the latest teen pop sensation! Fuck, if only I was sixteen!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #47

2010-02-03T09:46:00.001-08:00

Another experiment today with El Vocho, just posting the whole page as drawn. Click on the art to get a larger size image to appear.
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #46

2010-01-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

El Vocho looks a bit different this week, I'm going to post the story without image edits. I've usually trimmed stuff out that sticks in from adjoining panels (I have no desire to honor the panel borders).
The book is nearing completion. I'm trying to hit a gear where the pace picks up, so no more time wasting edits!
Sort of like when publisher Kitchen Sink was putting out their reprints of Steve Canyon by Milton Caniff, you could see where he'd drawn outside of the panel border and they left it in, it just looked brilliant, what a brush man ol' imperialist Milton was!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #45

2010-01-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

I brought a new large format scanner from the states to my studio in Mexico over the holidays. I'm excited about it, as it will help me put comics from my entire career back in print, including Bughouse, Dog Boy and more. It will take time to get everything in print, especially as I want to publish El Vocho first.
But I gotta say, the prospect of having it all available is thrilling. I mean, the Dog Boy book alone with be close to 500 pages of very unusual, highly entertaining underground comics!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #44

2010-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple more panels of El Vocho. Trying to get back up to speed after the holidays, problem is I'm obsessed with playin' guitar, gotta put the damn thing down and pick up the brush! Hey!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2010 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #43

2009-12-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

This here is a short edition of El Vocho online. I'm traveling over the holidays, away from the drawing board. The new comics on Wednesday posts will resume in January.
I'll be visiting some indy comics shops & bookstores late December/early January as I drive from Massachusetts to Oaxaca. Nothing formal, just looking to stock some stores with my books and lay groundwork for the El Vocho tour for summer 2010.
Probably will post from the road.

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #42

2009-12-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

The El Vocho Graphic Novel will appear in summer 2010. I am planning a U.S. tour to promote the book, with west coast dates in mid July and East coast dates in late July/early August. Any suggestions for art cafes or indie comics shops to visit are welcome!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #41

2009-12-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #40

2009-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #39

2009-11-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #38

2009-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #37

2009-11-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is a short post; I was on vacation most of the past week for Dia De Muertos. But the suspense builds nonetheless!
New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #36

2009-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

New Comics posted every Wednesday. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #35

2009-10-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is new post day... from now on, I'll post any new material to El Vocho on Wednesdays. To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho T-Shirt

2009-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Let the Schwag begin! Here is the official El Vocho T-Shirt. I'm selling it through Cafe Press. It's available on men's and women's Ts and it looks like this.

El Vocho #34

2009-10-15T11:41:00.001-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #33

2009-10-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #32

2009-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #31

2009-09-25T07:33:00.001-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #30

2009-09-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the blog archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #29

2009-09-23T06:22:00.000-07:00

To read El Vocho from the start, check out the archives.
©2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #28

2009-09-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

It's time I start posting new material again to the ongoing El Vocho blog. Today I'm putting up page 42 and 43 of what promises to be a full length graphic novel. I'll remind readers that the whole story to date is here, start at the beginning of the archives to catch up with the narrative.
Right now I've penciled up to page 84, so I'll post as I ink them. The end of the story is in outline, still gotta draw a short stack of pages to finish the book.
©2009 Steve Lafler

Ballad of the Bug

2009-09-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's 3 months since I've posted to the EL VOCHO blog. I have indeed been working on the EL VOCHO graphic novel, and will resume posting the story at some point--right now I'm busy inking pages and making publishing arrangements to release the book next year.
Meanwhile, I've shot a provisional video of the Ballad of the Bug, a song that pretty much goes with the El Vocho graphic novel. I hope to get a version done this fall with some other musicians, but thought I'd put this one up in the meanwhile. I wrote the words and my musical mentor Todd Spiehler wrote the music to this one. Here is a link to the song on You Tube, Ballad of the Bug.

El Vocho Progress Report

2009-06-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have asked if I'd dropped El Vocho as I hadn't posted any new comics for awhile. Man, it's the opposite! I have 25 new pages of comics drawn on the story, all in pencil so far so I haven't posted.
I'm trying to get the whole thing done before I start inking, and posting again.
The art here is a rough for a large panel that will appear on page 65.
My master plan for El Vocho, such as it is, would be to publish the book in 2010 and do some traveling to promote it.
I'm working on a couple new venues for expression and / or promotion that could really pump up the profile of this project, having to do with some rockin' Oaxacabilly music and a possible doc film appearance, more as it actually happens.

El Vocho #27

2009-03-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

El Vocho #26

2009-02-25T18:08:00.000-08:00

El Vocho #25

2009-02-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Visited the local art supply store yesterday and picked up a new brush--my two stand by brushes had gone a bit dead on me. An inkslinger like me needs a brush that I can enter into a give and take with, I mess with it's expressive potentials until we arrive at an unconscious fluid marriage of precise description & creation of a little world that is so much more than ink on white paper.
A good new brush is right up there with puttin' new strings on your guitar!

copyright 2009 Steve Lafler

El Vocho #24

2009-02-10T07:06:00.001-08:00

El Vocho #23

2009-02-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

It's fair to say the El Vocho narrative takes a turn here. Who is this guy in the hat?! He is based on a real person. Any guesses as to who? There will be more clues in the next post.
©2009 Steve Lafler, all rights reserved.

El Vocho #22

2009-01-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Oaxaca at my drawing board after more than a month in California. I inked a little segment to warm up my chops, which I've posted here.
Just set up a stack of bristol paper to draw on, I'm gonna bust through a lot more of this story in pencil before returning to ink, in all likelyhood.
Eventually the ink will come, and I'll post more here.
Meanwhile, if you are a publisher looking to sign a book and pay an advance, I'm all ears! Ha ha!
©2009 Steve Lafler, all rights reserved.

El Vocho Update

2008-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Over the past two weeks, I've drawn (in pencil) and lettered ten new pages of material for El Vocho. I've been on a roll with this latest batch of pages and the story is really taking off. I'm not posting this stuff yet, as I still need to ink it, and I am stateside for the next month, away from my studio in Oaxaca.
When I get back in January, I'll probably continue to buzz through the story with pencil art before inking & posting much more of the story. This will allow me to get into the flow of the narrative without breaking to ink; actually this is the way I usually work, first I pencil a whole book before inking. The creative process opens up better for me if I pencil first, the muse settles in and stays with me.
The above art is actually a teaser from the piece I recently completed for the next issue of WW3 Illustrated, which will appear in March 2009. The story I did for it is a capsule version of El Vocho. I thought it would be nice to post a sample of that story without giving away too much.

El Vocho #21

2008-11-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

El Vocho #20

2008-11-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, first post in a month and more. I took a break from working on this El Vocho graphic novel to do a piece for the next issue of World War 3 Illustrated. It will be released in March 2009 and will feature all wordless comics.

My piece is a sort of capsule version of El Vocho, A parallel dimension short story if you will. Anyhow, it's an honor to be asked to be in WW3, the punk rock long running lefty anthology, so I kicked out the jams and tried to do a cool piece for it. Editor Peter Kuper gave me a little push in a good direction for a wordless piece, to good effect.
Anyhow, I'm looking to get back to work on El Vocho in earnest now.

©2008 Steve Lafler, all rights reserved.

The Love Scene - El Vocho #19

2008-10-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

While I'm attempting to write a thriller of sorts about green energy, El Vocho may be primarily a simple love story. That's what it's all about anyway, isn't it?

Sponsored by Manx Media, wholesale custom screen printer of T Shirts & Apparel.

To read the whole story, please view the archives.

El Vocho #18

2008-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

As the world economy staggers about and blows it's lunch, I'm more convinced that ever that the next economy will be a green economy.

Ever since the "Reagan revolution", we've seen the old school business powers that be have their day. Reagan's first campaign manager, William Casey (later his CIA chief), stated flat out that the whole Reagan thing was a counter-revolution against the values put forth by the various youth movements of the 60s.

Even Clinton moved forward with deregulation and the deconstruction of social programs.

Now, with the disastrous BushCheney debacle almost done, we can hope for a more level headed approach to matters of public policy and business conduct that will give my kids generation a chance to live and thrive.

This is the sort of thing I'm writing about in EL VOCHO. Of course, I'm also putting forth the idea that the ass backwards oil gang won't give up without a fight, so be forewarned!

Sponsored by Manx Media, wholesale custom screen printer of T Shirts & Apparel.

To read the whole story, please view the archives.

El Vocho #17

2008-10-10T10:26:00.001-07:00

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To read the whole story, please view the archives.

Hey, just got a plug for El Vocho in the Four Color Media Monitor. Welcome to any new readers from FCMM!

El Vocho #16

2008-10-08T10:23:00.001-07:00

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El Vocho #15

2008-10-04T20:12:00.001-07:00

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El Vocho #14

2008-09-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

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El Vocho #13

2008-09-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

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El Vocho #12

2008-08-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

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El Vocho #11

2008-08-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

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El Vocho #10

2008-07-14T19:39:00.001-07:00

To read the whole story, hit the archives baby!

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El Vocho #9

2008-07-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

I have returned from my lengthy trip back to the U.S. and I'm ready to resume work on El Vocho, so I'll be posting early and often from here on in with updates to the story. I actually have some stuff ready to post, just have to scan it.

But first, let's geek out on some reference material! I've never been a cartoonist who uses a lot of reference; my preference is to just blast the drawings right outa my skull and let the chips fall where they may. However, there is a place for using on the spot sketches and photo reference. Sometimes you just want a realistic look. For me, it's often the case that I'll use reference to get the basic look of something, then I'll freehand it from there.

As this present story features very specific makes and models of autos, there is an obvious need for reference. Since moving to Mexico, I've bought a beat up Vocho (VW Bug) and refurbished it a bit, so my reference is sitting right in the driveway!

Recently, I heard that there would be a Vocho show right here in Oaxaca (Thanks for the tip, Todd!) -- so my son Max and I headed down with my camera and took a few shots that will no doubt come in handy in the course of drawing El Vocho, a few of which are posted here for your enjoyment.

El Vocho #8

2008-05-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'll note here that my wife and I have bought a new house and are moving this week. Oh no, not again!!! This is the third time we've moved in three years... we plan on stayin' in this new place for awhile--I hope!

Anyhow, the house buying/moving stuff has slowed my creative work in this last stretch.

I'd love to say I'm climbing right back on the art pony, but we are about to spend three weeks traveling; I will truly be back in the saddle in the first week of July and will resume my El Vocho story in earnest. -Steve

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El Vocho #7

2008-05-10T19:49:00.001-07:00

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El Vocho #6

2008-05-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Stop the presses! We'll return to the comics in the next post, right now it's time to mention the importance of the VW Beetle ("El Vocho" in Mexico) air cooled engine. This time honored, tough little powerhouse will play a big part in our unfolding narrative.
Here's a couple pics that illustrate the variety of Beetle engines out there.

Meanwhile, I've penciled my way through 19 pages of the story; I'm inking a couple and will post more comics in a day or two.

El Vocho #5

2008-05-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

I want to note here, I've taken a bit of a break from inking "El Vocho" as I've been cranking out pages in pencil (and I usually letter the penciled pages as I go). This is the way I've always worked, I'll do stacks and stacks of pencils before inking, it helps me get into the story groove where the good stuff is just flowing through me.

I just tried to scan some of the penciled work on my crappy scanner, and it was no go. So at some point soon, I'll get some more stuff inked and posted, but for now I'm back to burning up the bristol board with pencil.

When I moved to Mexico last year, I knew in my heart that my nice large format Mustec scanner would likely get smashed to bits if I tried to ship it here, so I gave it to a friend instead. Sooner or later, I'll score another such rig and set it up down here.

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El Vocho #4

2008-04-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

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El Vocho #3

2008-04-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

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El Vocho #2

2008-04-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

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Introducing "El Vocho"

2008-04-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've finished the script for a new graphic novel entitled El Vocho. I've started drawing the book and I'll be posting segments here as the work progresses.

For what it's worth, I should mention here that "Vocho" is the Mexican slang term for the revered, tough and beloved VW bug, still one of the most popular cars in Mexico (they were manufactured in Brazil up to '04 or '05).

This is a new way of working for me. In the past, I'd published my BugHouse material in comic book format (magazines of 24 - 32 pages each) before collecting them as graphic novels. In todays "new media" landscape, the more efficient, elegant model is to post the work as it appears.

It will be seen by a larger audience with a lot less hassle & expense for both artist and consumer. When the thing is finished, I'll go through the formal "old school" process of publishing it as a book.

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