Obsessive Cartoonist Disorder

Tumblr of cartoonist Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese, The Eltingville Club, etc). I also write comic books (Beasts of Burden, Blackwood, etc), and have written for a few T.V. shows (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Superman TAS). Blah blah blah blah...

[evandorkin]

Humble Comic Bundle: The Dark Horse 40th Anniversary Bundle, Presented by IGN

Celebrate Dark Horse’s 40th Anniversary with this massive collection of comics, presented by IGN! Pay what you want and support Hero Initiat

Hey, folks -- there's a Dark Horse Comics 40th Anniversary Humble Bundle available which will benefit The Hero Inititative, a non-profit that helps out comics creators in need. The top donation of $20 (you can donate more if you want) gets you $517 worth of digital books, including the first Beasts of Burden collection and the Milk & Cheese collection.

Some of the other titles include The Umbrella Academy, Lone Wolf & Cub, Hellboy, The Goon, Grendel, Empowered, Mass Effect, Plants vs Zombies, Powers, Elfquest, The Mask, Vampire Hunter D, Resident Alien and Minor Threats. There are 40 books available, and you get the first collection or omnibus editions. A great introduction to a host of comics inlcuding two I've worked on. And the two lower donation levels ($5 for 3 books or $12 for 9 books) both include Beasts of Burden.

The Humble Bundle offer ends in 20 days. Hope some of you will check this out and consider a donation to get you some nifty comics. The Humble Bundle offer ends in 20 days.

[evandorkin]

FYI: NERD INFERNO SECOND PRINT COPIES are showing up at comic shops. I've heard from two retailers that copies arrived today. So, the pipeline is open and copies will become redily available asap.

Nerd Inferno is published by Dark Horse Comics. Thanks to everyone for making a second printing necessary.

[evandorkin]

Reminder that I'll be a guest at the Nomad Comic Book Show next week in Chandler, AZ, along with writer Steve Niles and some other folks. Hope to see some of you there.

(@nomadcomicbookshow) • Instagram photos and videos

662 Followers, 41 Following, 44 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from (@nomadcomicbookshow)

[evandorkin]

how do you draw? do you have a sketching process for it or do you just freehand it.

sorry for sending so many asks. this doesnt mean im going to syop sending them. youre my favorite 60 year old man (may change in the future)

For "work" drawings I usually do rough layouts in blue pencil on sketch paper, and refine the lines with red pencil. Sometimes I do a series of sketches before I'm happy with a layout. I tighten the rough drawing up in HB or B/2B pencil. I take the rough and put it on a lightpad to trace the drawing onto bristol board. I ink the pencils with Tombow pens and other tools. Layouts are where you figure out the structure of the figures, backgrounds, props, etc, and the overall composition.

If I'm just drawing for the hell of it or working on a pinup or whatever, I might skip doing a rough layout and just work it out on the board. Light pencil lines, scribbles to place things, a loose structural pencil drawing that gets tightened up further in darker pencil before inking. The thing is to "plot out" the drawing, like a building needs a structure, a figure needs a structure, laying out figures and forms before tightening lines and shapes. Not just drawing everything out without a plan, starting a head and not knowing where the body is going to be or how it will be posed, that's how we draw when we're starting out. But you need to work out the under drawing, a skeleton frame or series of shapse to ground the finished figure or object. There's tutorials all over youtube showing how artists approach layout and structure for their artwork. Far better artists than I am, to boot.

[evandorkin]

Hello, Mr. Evan! Sorry if my English is very basic, but I have a question for you, more artistic than anything. How was your process for achieving such exaggerated and shaded art? Honestly, I love the evolution of your art style, and I'd love to create one with as much personality as yours! Likewise, your style, especially the exaggeration of acne, facial lines and expressions with that messy but hegemonic lineart have helped me a lot to progress artistically and in some way with some of my insecurities when trying to make self-portraits imitating your style! So, I really appreciate your art. Gretting from Chile! ♡

Thanks for the kind words regarding my artwork. The texturing and patterns and the like in the Eltingville comics come from influences such as Will Elder's old MAD art, as far as expressions and detail goes. And there are other influences in the mix, your style develops from copying artists you like when you're young, these eventually meld into a style that becomes your own. The trick is to not borrow so much from anyone that your work just looks like theirs, as a clone. You want to develop your own mature style. It can take a long time, but if you keep drawing, a style will develop. You have to consciously try not to make it too much like a favorite artist, otherwise you'll always look like a xerox, even if it's a talneted copy of the other artist. At some point you either develop a credible style or you'll always be a copy. I can't tell you where all the elements of my style come from, but it's a mixture of elements that combined into what you see in my comics. You then hone and work on your style further in order to address the needs of your stories or work. You're not always thinking about it, some of it happens over time as your personality shapes your style. I like to exaggerate expressions and really "sell" my characters emotions, I don't like to draw tight-lipped, close-mouthed characters like you see in a lot of DC/Marvel art. I have a cartoonier style, less exact anatomy, more expressive and over the top. It's a mix of 60s/70s Marvel Comics (esp Jack Kirby), Mad Magazine, Peanuts, Love and Rockets, animation/anime, punk/new wave imagery, monster movie magazines and more. Your art is your life + personality + influences. Personality and life experience are what differentiates your work from other people, who may have similar influences. Personality is a lot of what sets artists and styles apart.

[evandorkin]

I accidentally discovered Bill's height when I was rereading Eltingville. Look at this panel, here we have Black Canary. There's no way to compare him to the others because they don't have canonical height either, so I compared him to Black Canary, who in this version is 165cm tall. We added an extra 8cm for high heels and an extra 1cm because he's a little taller with the volume of his hair, meaning Bill is 174cm tall. And now we can compare him to the other characters.

She's a cosplayer dressed as Black Canary, so, all bets are off.

[evandorkin]

Hello, I started reading your comic strip "The Entingville club" this summer and I like almost the whole company there, but Josh is my love. I'm interested to ask your opinion about what kind of husband or father he would be, as well as what his tastes are about girls and could he be married? I'm just really interested in your opinion, and I hope you'll pay attention to this issue. Thank you very much 💗💗💗

Josh was not a character I ever saw as being married or even in a rleationship. He's too self-centered and obsessed about his hobbies and unrealistic future in comics. He'd be a terrible husband /father, way too selfish and uninterested in other people's thoughts or feelings. People in general are an obstacle to what he wants out of life.

[evandorkin]

I logged in to my dead old ass high school tumblr just to send a message lol. I know you get a lot of messages though and you probably get this a lot but basically I really REALLY am obsessed with The Eltingville Club. Mostly just seeing the fandom make so much fan made content from one pilot and the comic. Idk what it is, but this has become my special interest (and not just throwing that word out, I’m autistic) and I’ve been drawing and daydreaming like crazy. It kills me you answer “I don’t know” to most questions like their birthday and height BUT I GET IT LOL YOU FOCUSED ON THE MAIN GOAL. That’s just me still being that nerd that has to know every little trivia (would never do a trivia off though just like knowing for some reason) and loves seeing how some comic authors make their characters more human/three dimensional (if that makes sense). I guess in a way the show just reminds me of the group of people I hung out with when I was in high school lol (even I was sometimes that nerdy anime gatekeeping asshole, I got therapy now though) and just how toxic fandom can be in general. Idk, just thank you for existing and making the series. Please don’t go bald like Pete. Unless you already have, then well..idk I guess don’t let your cat go bald. Anyways I’m gonna draw a crap ton of my OC and the characters and daydream making fan comics but never actually doing it because 🤷‍♀️ I forget a lot sometimes.

Thanks for the very cool letter. And for braving a return to Tumblr. Glad Eltingville has provided some fuel for your art. And I get wanting to know "everything:" about things you like, but sometimes there's only so much a creator has worked out. Like you said, you focus on the main goal, the story at hand.

I can't help going bald, if it happens, it happens. I'm old, I'm lucky to have had my hair this long. I just wish I had my eyebrows back. Lost them ages ago, still pissed about it. If my cat goes bald I'll buy her a wig.

[evandorkin]

Greetings, Evan. A few things.

One, your Eltingville comics have made me get into more “geeky” stuff such as Star Trek and Lord of the Rings, which is really fun, so thank you, my dad is incredibly happy about it as well since he is an insane nerd.

Two, I’ve been getting bullied recently and I’m not sure how to deal with it besides the standard “just ignore them” thing that every teacher says, even though it doesn’t work. Last time this happened, I wrote a 4 page fanfiction about him getting pregnant and now he doesn’t go to this school, but that’s a lot of work, any other ideas?

Three, I ordered some cassettes and I thought they were pretty cool and I wanted to share with someone who might be interested. I know my purchases were not wise, but let’s ignore that

Glad to be of service. Enjoy fandom, at least, the ood parts of it.

I wish I had some solid, useful advice about bullies. They're often hard to avoid. I got around them -- sometimes -- because I would try to be funny or they'd make me draw something for them. Didn't always work. Bullies are cowards, and they usually peak in school because that's where they can get away with their bullshit, but knowing that doesn't make it easier to deal with them. School ends, though. There is that. That's something to always remember. You'll leave the fuckers behind. Being school bullies is the high point for most of them, this is their big shot at life, and it ends early and they have nothing. Except for the ones that become cops, but that's a whole other matter. Do your best to endure. It doesn't seem like it but you win every time they pick on you, they have nothing else, they are miserable and pathetic, you will surpass them in life. But it sucks to have to deal with them in their natural habitat. Best of luck to you.

Sometimes the unwise purchases are the best ones. We sometimes need stupid things around us to keep us going. My studio is filled with unwise but well-loved purchases. Enjoy them.

[evandorkin]

This isn't really an ask but I wanted to tell you cuz it was funny.

I had a dream I was in high/middle school and the club was there. They acted same but weren't social outcasts because being nerdy was the norm and the school was filled with assholes too.

Anyway the club would always bully me and one day outside Bill was playing on his gameboy, surrounded by some other students watching him play, and said something mean as I passed by. The others laughed.

I just turned around and for a moment before saying fuck it and walked fast towards Bill and punched him in the muddy ground. Jerry came at me, I smash a bucket over his head and smashed it on Bill face. I think I killed Josh. Can't remember how. Pete tried to wrestle me but I suplexed him then woke up.

I never bothered punching someone in a dream because my punches were always like a pillow and slow af but I didn’t care this time and just needed to keep him down and my punches started feeling like proper ones.

I guess I'm telling you this to thank you for giving me mental strength by beating up some teenagers as a 20-something year old woman. XD

This is definitely a new one on me! Wow!

[evandorkin]

NEW ON THE PATREON: NERD INFERNO TOUR PHOTO DUMP AND DIARY (OF SORTS)

I'm still sick but I got bored and posted 117 photos from the tour's seven events (so far) in NYC, Texas, North Carolina and Virginia. Also added some memories and notes, as well as contact info for the comic shops and cons that hosted me during the main leg of the tour (next event is July 25th, in Chandler, AZ for the Nomad Comic Book Show).

The post unlocks for all Patreon backing tiers, starting at $1 a month. There are hundreds of posts that are also open to backers at that same tier, four quarters a month gets you a ton of comics, backgground and process posts, industry stories, Welcome to Eltingville posts/storyboards, sketches and odds and ends. Link to the patreon below. Thanks to everyone supporting us on the patreon, it's appreciated!

Nerd Inferno Tour Photo Dump/Diary Of Sorts | Evan Dorkin

Nerd Inferno Tour Photo Dump/Diary Of Sorts by Evan Dorkin on Patreon. Join Evan Dorkin's community for exclusive content and updates.

Nomad Comic Book Show link: https://www.instagram.com/nomadcomicbookshow/

[evandorkin]

UPDATE: NERD INFERNO SECOND PRNTING

Before I got sick I had asked my editor Daniel Chabon at Dark Horse if he could find out what the word was on a new ETA for the second printing of Nerd Inferno, because obviously the book wasn't out on July 3rd as previously scheduled.

According to the DH shipping department, the new shipment is scheduled to hit port this week, and delivery to the distributor (Penguin-Random House) will take place mid-late week of the 13th. They're anticipating retailer orders will start to be filled the week of July 20th.

So, fingers crossed, by the end of the month copies of Nerd Inferno will once again be available to retailers and readers.

I was hoping to be able to order/ship some copies to Arizona for the Nomad Con on the 25th, but that obviously isn't going to happen. If anyone's attending that show and wants to get a copy signed, you'll have to order them locally or online in time to hopefully nab one before the 25th. If copies actually start flowing that week. It'll be a squeaker, if not actually impossible. Sorry about that.

Related, I finally remembered to ask what the print run was on the now sold-out first run, and it was nearly twice the number I was hoping for. So, I'm blown away, not just by the response but the demand. I have never had a book sell this well this quickly. Thanks, folks.

[evandorkin]

My Interview In The Comics Journal

I've been sick in bed since Saturday with a bad cold, so this is a few days late.

I was interviewed by Jason Bergman in April about the Nerd Inferno collection for The Comics Journal, the article was posted earlier this week on the TCJ site. It's a long (rambling, because that's how I talk) piece that covers the three comic series that make up the book, Milk & Cheese, Dork and The Eltingville Club. We talked about the origins of each project, as well as some of my Hollywood experiences with people trying to option M&C, the autobio breakdown issue of Dork and my mental/emotional health issues and the resurgence of interest in The Eltingville Club that led to the Nerd Inferno project at Dark Horse Comics.

Link to the interview below. Hope it's of some interest.

'It hasn’t really struck yet that this is my life in a book': Evan Dorkin talks Nerd Inferno - The Comics Journal

Jason Bergman talks with Dorkin about the latest collection of his work, as well as his decades-long career in comics.

[evandorkin]

Another nice mail day: Comps for CATACOMB OF TORMENT vol 1, collecting issues 1-4 of the EC revival horror series from Oni Press and EC Comics.

My first EC story "Red Blend" is collected here with eleven other stories by a host of artists and writers such as David Lapham, Matt Kindt, Joanne Starer, MattBors and others. Retail price is $20.

Assuming further volumes break down neatly, I'll have stories in volumes 2 and 3, with the same team (see second photo ). I've got a fourth Catacomb story that I'm working on now and should wrap up in a week or so.

Support horror comics, folks! It's EC to do! Heh heh. Ugh.

[evandorkin]

New Nerd Inferno Tour Date Announcement!

I will be a guest at the Nomad Comic Book Show in Chandler, Arizona on July 25th. This will be my first time in the state of Arizona, and I hear it will be hot that day. I will be inside a building that hopefully will be air-conditioned, signing and sketching for whoever shows up.

The second printing of Nerd Inferno is scheduled to be available on July 3rd, so if all goes according to plan, folks will have plenty of time to get a copy of the book for the event.

Hope to see some of you there!

[evandorkin]

Three small card drawings now on eBay. Bids start at $20.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?item=257589242622&rt=nc&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l170197&_ssn=chimpanzo_rex

[evandorkin]

Had a fantastic time at Heroes Con this past weekend in Charlotte NC. Wiped me out, though! I sold all my remaining copies of Nerd Inferno and the Beasts of Burden Omnibus, sold a couple dozen Eltingville prints, some original pages and half of the card art I did for the show. I did a new Milk & Cheese piece over two nights in my hotel room for the Heroes Con auction and managed to get it done, thankfully. It was a very busy show but I was so tired on Friday that I didn't socialize, just bought some eats at the Whole Foods down the block and worked slowly on the piece. Saturday I had dinner with comic book comrades and Sunday night was the end party, I drove home Monday and had to take a 40 minute snooze in the car at a rest stop because I was nodding out on the road. Feeling my age after six appearances in seven weeks.

And I have a seventh signing to do this weekend. I have to pack to leave for Winchester, VA tomorrow for my signing at Four Color Fantasies on Saturday (10-5, or longer, if warranted).

Four Color Fantasies info: https://www.facebook.com/FCFComics

After this I get a break for a month. If all goes according to plan I'm flying out west in late July, more if/when. But I can start telling people I'll be in Atlanta, GA on November 7-8 for a new comic con called Comicopia. More on that later.

Off to start packing for Saturday.