Hold on, I want to do a thing

more notebook shit from yours truly, marking some big events in the past month.

This was an amazing moment, probably only special to the people who were there... and I wasn't.


This phrase has been following me lately. I turned on the TV at home, and a documentary on the Black Panthers had kids singing it, I opened my Bible to study for my final and the first page I opened it to in "Song of Solomon" started with that phrase. I watched a movie about South Africa, and apparently they used the slogan during apartheid. So I figured I'd write it down.


I turned 20!!!! Big news. I also became fascinated with crayons, apparently. My birthday candle and icing are forever documented on the page.




Lastly, my movie stub from the "Chicago 10" movie. This shit was beautiful. Also, the bottle cap from our Superman marathon. Now, I'm not gonna say Christopher Reeve is better than Rocky, but Clark Kent could take him, as far as awkwardness goes.

The witch is dead, hopefully

Now, I know I don't usually say anything real on my blog, but I would just like to state something for the record. I am so happy that Robert Mugabe lost the election in Zimbabwe. Even if he pulls a George W. and somehow gets into the presidency anyways (which it looks like he might try to do), at least this election proved that he can't strong arm and intimidate the vast majority of the country anymore.

For the past few decades he's either fixed the election, intimidated the people to vote for him, or scare them with threats of invasions from other countries. Now, he lost by a small margin and I'm wondering why he didn't just fix this election, too. No matter to me, he lost. His reign is over.

I had to read the biography of Robert Mugabe for my History of Race in Southern Africa class, and although I couldn't read the whole thing, one thing was abundantly clear. This man is crazy. He's been the president in Zimbabwe for decades, and he's been compared with Idi Amin, for anyone who saw "Last King of Scotland." I mean, Mugabe kills his own people, makes them suffer through drought, battles and invades neighboring countries for no apparent reason, kills the freedom of speech and tortures those who oppose him. The creepy thing about Mugabe, as my professor put it, is that he converted to Chistianity awhile back and "talks to God" on a regular basis. I don't mean he prays, because that's pretty normal. I mean he has conversations with God where God talks back, and actually tells him what to do. This man is a psychopath.

The horrors and human rights violations he's created is something we'd expect to read about during Apartheid or before, but this m an is STILL in power. Well, hopefully not for long. It turns out that in the recent elections in Zimbabwe, the opposition has taken control and might force him out.

I just wanted to write something quickly that shows my support for the electoral process. It seems like all we read about when it comes to Africa is SUdan and Rwanda and all that. Child soldiers and mud huts and the like. Zimbabwe is removed from all that being a SOuthern country, and what's going on there is just as important.

There, that's all's I got. More cartoons to come. I promise.

The creation of Mendy

This is long overdue.


Ok, so like I said, I was snooping through my mom's old photos yesterday, and I found a file from 2004 that had only three pictures in it. I realized that it was pictures from the Royals game we went to a few years ago, the first time my dad did his character Mendy (named after a player Mendy Lopez). I know I owe you a comic Abby, so this is being sent in the mail post haste, along with the originals.


This is the first time I ever drew Mendy, a few months ago, maybe for Christmas or something.

Next stop, Ioway!

I was snooping through mom's pictures on her computer and found these. They were taken four years ago at the Hotel Pattee in Iowa. I miss it. arg.



I love you Buddy Holly!!! This was the first time I had ever been to Clear Lake, so it seemed fitting to go pay homage to the Surf Ballroom, the last place Buddy ever played before his plane went down later that night just outside town.




That chocolate cake was unfucking believable.
I wish I could take of and drive there this weekend. Bob, you would have loved it.

AAARRRRGGGGHHHH

Yeah, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen. Thanks, Bob.


They are the cutest couple on the plrrrnet. So, I was at some guy's house last night and he not only had a Green Lantern tattoo, but he started playing Johnny Cash off his iTunes. Why we have not gotten to be friends before, I do not know.

Back to Johnny Cash... he is (as my birthday cake would say) awesome.

Jiggy Back, a do do do do

I bought a new notebook. It has robots on it. No matter what stress I have, and not matter how I fucked up today (which I did), I can take solace in the face that there are little robots living in my bag who are smiling at me.


The blue one is my favorite.


"I was just wonderin' what you were doing for the next forty or fifty years."




Other than a few tornados here and there, I bet the weather is much better in Mississippi than it is here. I wish I was sitting in the Sisters of Mercy graveyard in Vicksburg, eating some Whataburger and listening to the soundtrack of 'Rocky.'

Evening World-Herald, 1919

I was poking around the microfilm at the library the other day, and came across this stuff. It's the newspapers the day of and the day after the lynching of an innocent man back in 1919 at the Douglas County Courthouse. I thought it was interesting.


This photo ran on something like page four, although it became a much bigger deal after the fact. Bob, remember seeing this in that book Deabler had on the back shelf? It was the last page in this old book of award-winning photography. I also saw it in the National Civil RIghts Museum in Memphis last summer. Their faces make the shot.



The mayor (in the photo) was hung from a light post before someone cut him down alive.


This I love. This was the front page of the Evening World Herald the day after the riots. It's nice to see a paper take a stance against something so terrible, even if thousands of the city's citizens were involved. It's such a beautiful, simple way to note what happened. "Shamed." Notice the gun and noose at her feet.


The day this happened, the day this story ran, three insurance companies already found a way to capitalize on the tragedy by offering riot insurance.

What happened to your hat?

South Paul, South Philly, South Camden
(That one was for you Abby, seeing as how you love one Mr. Rocky Balboa so much.

Anywho, due to unfortunate events I was unable to receive my original copy of a comic I did. I already had submitted it to a zine, so I just had to redraw it yesterday. What a shame.

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story "The tale of the Ferocious Finger Puppet."

I don't need a watch! I got two watches!

"Yo, Paulie, what happened to you eye?"
"Hit it."
"Why?"
"Needed to."

So I was feeling a little glum last night, seeing as how I didn't get the grant I was hoping for. So I was sitting at work and I wanted to think of something productive to do. Obviously, homework was not an option. So I figured I'd draw this. Consider it attempt number one.