Back to the blogger...

Been away for a bit and I'm sorry about that. I've pretty much (and by "pretty much", I mean TOTALLY) been spending any and all free time getting Deep Space Tragedy ready for print... which it is, so... cool. What isn't cool is the people I've basically placed on the back burner in order to get myself set up. This message goes out to them and they know who they are... I'm sorry, I'm a selfish ass, that's no excuse and I know it.

Onward... I'm really excited to say that Megacon 2011 is coming soon... Just 9 days left and as a result, I'm currently a perfect mix of excitement, confusion and WTF!?!?. Though I can say that I have every intention of exercising complete restraint in terms of spending, I'm only human and there's probably gonna be some over priced classic toy that's going to somehow find it's way thru my wallet into my office. I'd probably start formulating unavoidably believable excuses for my excess, but my wife already knows that I was born without a soul and vintage collectibles help to fill my cold and lonely void. She supports me in my pain and knows that every purchases hurts me more than it does our savings account and because she's gracious and angelic, she stands silently at my back, urging me forward, whispering "buy it, Michael... Buy it for the broken boy who shivers cold in the shadows of your hallow shell... he deserves a G1 Hotrod, Prowl or Springer transformer action figure. Given him something as he has so very little." Wow, Tracey is the friggin' BOMB!!!

So yeah, that's one of the things I'm amped about... there's also the possibility of meeting famous artists, a chance to see what other people in the area are doing with their talent and then getting to hang out with friends of mine like Joel and Brett and Nate and Steve and of course Amy (as well as other folks). Taking top billing on the marquee that stands in front of Mike Wagganer theatre would be that though this is only my second time showing at Megacon, it'll be my first time ever presenting a comic book (a whole friggin book) produced 100% by me (That's right, y'all!!!!). Of course I have to give ups to my support network, Ed, Brett, Jess, my Mom and my Wife because without them, there would be no book, seriously. If one of these people were to have not been around, I wouldn't be showing squat... So, there.

Other than that, I've been given the opportunity to work a couple cool freelance illustration gigs (FOR MONEY!!!!!. LIKE AN ARTIST WOULD DO!!!) so that's had me busy as well/hell.

Okay, all of that said, I finally come to the point of this blog (aside from the fact that I still dont know how to work my own GD webpage). The attached Megatron sketch is something I have in the works for a buddy of mine... here you go, man... it's in the works.

Long time no blog...

Sorry about that... I've been paying a little more attention to my domestic duties rather than drawing, so I've sort of fallen off track. Either way and now that things are sort of getting back to normal, I can focus on the fun stuff... DRAWING!

Right now, I'm working on a Destruction piece to add to my "the Endless" collection. After him I'll tackle Destiny and then Delirium. Next order up will be some Wonder Women for a couple of friends who asked kindly, then onto some super hero dudes... I wanna do a Batman to sort of bookend the Joker that I just put up and then I wanna do a Superman because it's only fair... Batman should NEVER get more love than Big Blue and if you disagree with me, you're obviously an asshole or maybe even worse. Finally, I've got a request for a movie character... one with scissors for hands and a cookie for a heart awwwwwwww...

OH HOLY HELL!!!!!! CHECK THIS BELOW AND DO AS IT SAYS!!!

DEEP SPACE TRAGEDY COMETH!!!!!!

Only 4 more days until "Deep Space Tragedy" Page 1 available here  http://goo.gl/fisA on Halloween. Also don't forget to "Like" my fan page on facebook  http://goo.gl/IvB3 for the  latest "Deep Space Tragedy" updates and more from me.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Just wanna send a little extra into the stratosphere...

Happy Birthday John and Happy Anniversary Tracey Wagganer... Thank you so much.

Love, Mike

I'm just gonna call this one Blue Tuesday.

I really wanted to touch base yesterday, but work had to get all workish on me, so here I am.

The weekend was just a weekend and thus nothing spectacular to report. Went on a bit of a gift card shopping spree with the wifey and had some fun with that and then got to attend a house warming party for a friend (congrats to Zach for buying a home).

Here's something cool, I got to slide around on an adult size slip-n-slide (this would be at the afore mentioned party) and that was more fun than it should've been... i love doing anything that involves almost nakedness and dirty thinking... if you can somehow find a way to add in bottles of wine (don't care what color, don't care what it costs), then hey... Go get the hose!!!! So that's me for now.

Alrighty... OOOH YEAH!!! On Friday I got the new TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS BLURR ACTION FIGURE!!! That's him below

He is terribly slick and looks like he just came skidding in from the pages of an IDW comic book... THAT's a page from one below.

and oh man, how much do I love this figure? I dont know, it's just... a lot. So, he's basically just a repaint of the Drift figure (which should piss me off.... but it doesn't.... so there). And yes, that's Drift down there below

I have to be honest with you on something... Several months ago i got to attend BOTCON 2010 and it was there that both Blurr and Drift were placed on display for the first ever. I took several photos (no shit?) of Blurr as he's a classic character and I have wanted him with the fury of the ancients ever since... honestly. That said, you'll imaging (how deeply i soul kissed the UPS guy and...) how hard my hand were shaking as I scrabbled to open the box in which he (Blurr) came. Now for some reality... Yes, he's very stiff. Yes, he's a repaint, his heads a bit big and that hampers articulation and yes THEY PAINTED OVER HIS GD LIGHT-PIPING, but he's Blurr and that's what rocks about him... He's like 5 or 6 shades of hyper electronic cybertronian blue and he comes with this 10 foot long sniper rifle that clips to his back and he emotes cool to the point where I think i almost got laid on the account of having him... almost. So there, go buy him or something and oh ha ha haaaaa... I like my Blurr so much that I went and did a sketch of Mirage (another cool Transformer)... At least he's blue... and thus, "Blue Tuesday".

Cheers!

And yes... I have noticed that one of his tires has been blown off in battle ;)

Well maybe we are nearing the end of the day, but I just wanted to send a little Flintstones Birthday love out into the stratosphere... Hope everyone's enjoying the vibe. Seems like yesterday I (as well as probably everyone else) was sitting in front of the TV in nothing but underwear, eating cereal and singing along with the theme. That said, I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing that for his 50th Birthday, Fred finally gets that cat to stay out for the night... Here's a quick sketch of Dino, perhaps he'll help.

Cheers!

And on to updates... Nothing much going on other than more work on DEEP SPACE TRAGEDY. So far, we're looking like we might just have this puppy up and ready to go live by the end of October (which makes me nothing shy of FREAKIN' DISGUSTINGLY HAPPY. Work on the cover is looking like it's nearing the end, so we should have that ready for show in the next few days and www.mikewagganer.com is starting to come around as well, so if anyones interested at all, please check it out... it open for business ya'll!

Thanks and uhhhh YABADABADOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Oh and yeah... Earlier this week I was unexpectedly reacquainted with a friend that I made while at Star Wars Celebration V!!!! Everyone say hello to the beautiful and talented Beck Kramer. Beck is a Doodler from my neck of the wood (Virginia) and she's made it her life's goal to fill the world with more "cute" that anyone can handle. Seriously, she's a really talented and accomplished artist whose more than approachable and easy to talk to, so check how her stuff at http://beckadoodles.typepad.com/

In a bit!

BLAM!!! Made it past another start of the week...

... I was damn sure this one was gonna kill me.

So the weekend went by with hardly a hitch... Friday night the little lady and I went out to Bonefish and came home uncomfortably full, watched a couple episodes of True Blood and made our way to the sleeping chamber to see if she could slam me around the room at super vampire speeds... Nope, she couldn't... she is such a puss. Saturday was shopping and an evening at the club... got to see some of the local cross dressing talent strut their stuffs and Sunday was a visit to the new home of some friends after a day full of yard work... fun.

No work was done on the book as I'm starting to just throw down anything that'll fill a page... I think a break is in order... and I HATE this feeling with all that I have. It's like the energy is there and the idea gland has dried or died or moved away or something... so, that's that.

I'm gonna slide out the remainder of the Endless Family but I just don't feel like touching them right now, so... have a Green Lantern or something.

I hate to say this, but I just kind of shot him out within the past hour (see how devoted I am to this blog?). I actually really dig the sketch of this one... He was in my 2010 sketch book and for some reason, he nails it in pencil... unfortunately he's just kind of weird when colored... and I had to crop out all of his bulgy chiseled manly parts as it was triggering my gag reflex... so here, he's for ya'll. Being as I got onto the topic (and this is my Blog) I figure what I'm gonna do is grab a few of the sketches form last years book and color them and add them to a section of the up coming sketch book... meh... we'll see.

Any ol' way, think I might go drink something and pass out.

I love you so hard that it kills me sometimes

Cheers!

Mike

Been a bit... sorry 'about that.

So I'm back for a bit a blog dump (not that I'm gonna say all that much... nothing of value [well i guess that all depends on what you consider "value" ahhh anyway] ), it's been a slow week... I've just been here chipping away at the Deep Space Tragedy project. A project for which my buddy Brett Reighn has gone WAY above and beyond and basically put my new webpage together by himself... for this I am truly thankful. Were it up to me, there'd probably be no page at all or maybe I'd have had to do terrible things to strangers with money... so, cheers to Brett.

Last weekend was alright, kinda slow... Got some much needed yard work half done and i did get to make it over to Park Ave Records here in Winterpark FL to catch a rare in store appearance by STEEL TRAIN (it's a young rock and roll band from NJ). Funny, their record was given to me a couple weeks ago and since then, I haven't been able to get beyond it... Please please please show these guys some love. They're good, talented and from what I can see, their collective heart is in the right place... really solid.

As far as sketches are concerned, i've done a couple... Being as since I posted the Sandman and then Death, I figured I'd just be an asshole if I didn't try my hand at the others. So... Here's Despair...

NOT the prettiest of her sibs, but necessary... and really cool to draw. I actually did Desire before Despair (I'm just keeping her/him close to the vest for a bit). I really didn't wanna toss another "easy on the eye" type of character right after Death... Know what I mean?

Either way, I started the sketch for this one and really got into it. I honestly haven't seen a version of Despair with definitive features or any kind of distinguishing marks that really make her stick (other than the fact that she's always naked), so i felt obliged to take a little bit of license with her face. I didn't go for the zooish under-bite and bulldog teeth, I pulled back on the eyebrows because I want to give her eyes like her brother Dream and kind of gave her a bit of a turned up British style nose... to me it's important to see her as something more than a monster who brings with her the ugliest of human experiences... She's more of a consequence or an example... and there should be a some dignity there... I mean C'MON, she friggin naked for Pete's Sake!!!

So yeah, here she is and she's my favorite thus far. Okay, this went longer than I wanted, so i'll let ya'll go after reminding you that the NEW WEBPAGE is almost ready to get rolling and DEEP SPACE TRAGEDY will be going live by the end of the month (fingers crossed)... please stay tuned and let me know what you think.

In a bit,

Mike