Halloween Terrors

CONSUMER REVIEW SECTION

Today I applied a Boxwave Crystal Clear screen protector to my tablet pc screen. Within ten minutes of use I had torn it off in total fury, screwed it up and thrown it in the bin. I might as well have thrown the money straight in the bin. And I have to say that I actually did a very nice job of applying it neatly and without bubbles. My rating for this item is 2/10 (or 10/10 if you like something that gets covered with scratches immediately, and that your pen sticks to in some places and skids over with impunity in others.)

To cheer myself up I looked at this SGR pumpkin picture sent to me by Tiffany Shaw. Thanks Tiffany. You saved me from becoming a vigilante.

Scary Go Round site problems

IMPORTANT POST (tell your friends)

Are you having problems getting on the Scary Go Round site? Specifically, does the page get stuck on the advert at the top and then go no further. If this is the case, please post in the comments with which browser you're using, and whether you're on a Mac or PC. If you don't have a blogger account, please email me (john@scarygoround.com) with the subject line "site problems".

If you haven't been able to read the comic, I have a 1994-style page here (compatible with Netscape 2) so you can catch up.

Lollipop land

Ha ha man imagine if I was actually being paid to make this:



And I have had quite enough colouring in for one day:

Dorothy

I'm working on a new canvas print for the Thought Bubble show in Leeds next month. The colours below are just testers, but the lines are probably final. Maybe I'll give it a bit more sky. Toto is definitely going to be a square dog.



If you like my Dorothies, be sure to comment as it helps me decide whether to do a run of 10 or 20.

Book worm

I'm looking at the new Scary Go Round collection and trying to decide (well, I have decided) whether to leave out the Christmas Island story (and the little two week appendage with Shelley and Shelby in New York). It's substantially weaker material than what would replace it (the Carrot story currently running) but is there anything that wouldn't make sense if I take it out? I'll probably have to patch up a couple of holes in the plot but I often spot them too late. I throw this question open to you...



...the audience.

Maybe I am fickle

Kate Williams is now number one in my heart for history. Yes sure Schama is fine and there is also Starkey with his imperious delivery and round tortoiseshell glasses, but after watching Timewatch the other day, my mind is made up and I am not moving on the issue. Wave those hands! Lisp and stomp around! Oh my god I just fainted.

More bad designs

I'm starting to take a twisted pleasure in these awful tshirt ideas. This one is designed for people who spend a lot of time thinking about the semantic web and tuples.



BOFFINS. And I'll go further:



Plus Dr Music

Damned souls apply within

I have a new eBay auction, of the piece below! If you don't want to buy it, you can just look at it, that's fine, looking's free. It's a nice piece, about 11" x 14". And I have started it at one English pound. A pound!



All right that's quite enough looking, move along now.

One for the potato fans

I have helped my old friend Jeffrey Rowland (we have been friends for 9 years I think) out with a new spin on one of his classic designs at Topatoco.

There will be another post later today that will be a feast for the eyes and a curse upon someone's eBay wallet. Three words: gams, hallowe'en, goths. Put that in your tag cloud and smoke it. But now I have to go to the post office will the indignity never end &etc

Hot metal

I had great fun last week making Sarah and Esther's zine. Of course I did exactly the same thing when I was their age! I used to mash things out on an old-school manual typewriter and fill in the gaps with drawings. On one occasion I typed inserts on toilet paper; we made our own fun in the country and I am not ashamed to say it. The important distinction I made was that I only produced one issue of each, which I showed to whoever among my friends I could get to read it (and tacitly acknowledge my genius). It wasn't a vicious rag like Guns For Eyes though, having been burned early on by my "talent" for vicious satire and cruel gossip, I occupied an anodyne space.

I've spent the last three days being jealous of Barnaby Ward. He's got to stop what he's doing, and stop it now. Amazing work.

Early scrapings

I had a go at the Book 7 cover today, it didn't quite work out how I wanted, so I'll have another go (probably another few goes) but I thought I'd put it up here for posterity anyway.

AAPL EN FUEGO #2

I know you have been wondering what has happened to the Internet's hottest new tech comic strip "AAPL EN FUEGO", well another installment has just arrived, I wonder what Mr Steve 'No Belt, No Problem' Jobs is up to now...



Oh my sweet lordy yes, the internet is safe once more.

Oh do stop complaining John

Or maybe it is the late-period Zack from Saved By The Bell, I don't know. Either way, in 2008 it's box office poison.

It's over

I am conceding defeat and admitting that I have no more shirt ideas left. Last week Chris Hastings and I sat down to design tshirts, a lovely afternoon of brotherly brainstorming. After about my fifteenth idea, Chris said, "these ideas are all perfect things that no one would ever want to buy".

In case you don't believe me, here are three designs selected at random:



Acknowledging that the elephant in the room for the last week has been the law of diminishing returns, I have spent the afternoon rolling around on the floor wailing. But I am all right now. After all, this existential crisis has been going on for years.

I'm sure the comments on this cheerful post will be full of disproportionately huge monetary offers from the great media organisations so don't you worry about me. I will be fine.

ADDENDUM: Reader Noel Clark sent me an Applecat pumpkin to cheer me up, here viewed from two angles.

Power from the needle to the plastic

I'm back from the twin threats of the American wedding and my brother's stag night feeling strong. At one of these events I explored my ability to blast away with a shotgun and let me tell you, Sarah Palin was right, that's livin'. See below my vanquished foes:



It turns out that I am the kind of man you want on your side when it kicks off. Who knew?

Regular blogging will now recommence. Cutting the ribbon... ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen: MR CLIFF RICHARD!