Hey Todd McFarlane

I just finished reading Batman: Year Two - Fear the Reaper. Good graphic novel. Felt like a classic Batman story, only written much more recently. Your art (from Chapter 2 on, since Alan Davis did Chapter 1) fit pretty well.

But the capes, man. What's up with the capes?

I knew you had a cape fetish thing. I'd seen some Spawn stuff. I knew you had this thing where you had to make the cape all angular and forty feet long. And yeah, it looks cool, and for Spawn it's not really a problem I guess (what with his costume being a part of him or whatever), but does it really work for Batman? I'd argue that it doesn't, really. See, Batman's a practical sorta guy, y'know? The whole humongous cape thing doesn't really work for him, even if it does look spiffy.

But hey, I know that's your thing. I'm sure that if Spide-Man had had a cape, it would've been gigantic, too. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't give him one when you were drawing that comic anyway. Besides, this comic was done back in like 1987, when I'm sure you were just trying to get by and draw big capes on any comic character you could. I understand.

So yeah, I'd stick to action figures. Speaking of, any chance of another series of Beatles figures? Those were fab.

Another Candle on the Cake

Sunday marks the third anniversary of Dim Bulb Comics on Keenspace/Comic Genesis! That's right, we've last two and a half years longer than most webcomics.

Admittedly, year three was kinda rough for us. Troubled Times lived up to its name, dying the disgraceful death of negligence that it probably deserved. Vapor Lock hit a spot where Adam sorta ran out of steam. And Crooked Halo's updates haven't necessarily been the most reliable things ever.

There've been some good things, though. I've passed the 450 mark on actual Crooked Halo comics. We got linked (thanks to Adam's fantastic fanart) by Schlock Mercenary, and that brought us some new readers (which I promptly lost due to Megatokyo-esque updates). Adam's got a couple of new ideas cooking, and we should see something on those here soon. We've also made fun of a lot of stuff, and that's always a positive thing.

Anyway, if anyone wants to send some fanart or anything, we'd be more than happy to see it. You can send stuff to crookedhalo42 at yahoo dot com.

Here's to another year of whatever the hell it is we really do around here!

"They say it's your birthday"

Wednesday, June 14th marks my brother Clif's birthday. He's the inspiration for Clyde, and a good deal of the stories (and dialogue) that involve Clyde are lifted almost verbatim from conversations with my brother (the Yellowstone Saga, for instance, or Clyde's summer with the governor's office). He's a heckuva guy and he keeps me working hard to make the comic funny (usually by saying, "Gee, Chuck, that last storyline kinda sucked. Do something funny again"), so happy birthday to the Real Life Clyde!

"Down the Block, Not Across the Street"

Sorry about not having a real comic Friday, but I've got something just as cooler: a sketch from Mr. R.K. Milholland, the artist of Something Positive. He was doing a reader meet-n-greet down in Richmond, so Michelle and I headed down there and got sketches. So here's a Choo-Choo Bear for you. New comic on Monday.

Dominion'd

You guys sorta know the drill by now: comic'll be up later this afternoon. I spent all day chasing students around King's Dominion and then had to run a bunch of errands when I got home, so I was too tired and too busy to really get anything comic-like done. I should have something for you after work, though.

06/06/06

Well, Tuesday was supposedly the day of the Apocalypse. I'm guessing that didn't come true since it's like 12.15 right now.

Re-watched Batman Begins while drawing the comic. Nice to see a good comic book movie, unlike that unmitigated piece o' crap X3. I saw it the night it came out (knowing, in advance, that it probabyl wasn't going to live up to my expectations from the first two), and seriously, did Brett Ratner expect us to just go, "oooh, fight scenes! Pretty!" and completely forget about coherent plot or characterization? Characters were given little to no motivation for their actions, the scenes in the flick just sorta came one after the other with no reason or transition, and the dialogue...oh dear God in Heaven, the dialogue. Anytime Storm and Wolverine were on the screen together and not fighting something, I felt a little piece of me die. How can two such talented actors manage to convey absolutely no emotional depth? Easy: a shitty script. Relationships from the previous flicks were completely ignored, characters didn't so much interact with one another as happen to exist in the same space for no real reason, and the whole thing made me sad. It coulda been so much better.

Superman Returns looks sweet, though. Ghost Rider, on the other hand...who thought Nicholas Cage would make a good superhero? And why, of all characters to pick, did they go with Ghost-freakin'-Rider? He's a flaming skeleton thing who rides a motorcycle. It's just...ugh. Forget it. I'm going to bed now. Enjoy the comic.

DIY

Monday's comic (and the storyline I'm thinking I might go ahead and do) is based on a short story I wrote last summer called, appropriately, "Deity Kit." In the short story, it wasn't Jerome who got the kit, of course, but the idea remains the same. It did have Earl in it, though. I think this'll be a great storyline to draw. Feel free to let me know what you think as it progresses.

Only a couple of weeks left of class at the school where I work. We'll have a couple of weeks of break, then hopefully I'll be teaching summer school ('cause paying rent and eating are things I've grown attached to). It shouldn't interfere with the comic updating (anymore than work has so far). In fact, I may use some of that time off to get ahead with the comics.

Alright, off to bed. Later, folks.

Comic Up

Comic has now been uploaded and all. Happy Memorial Day, folks.

Open All Night

It's 1.00 am, and I just got in from a Bruce Springsteen concert. Tomorrow (or today, if you will) is Memorial Day, so I don't have to work. That means that I'll draw and post a comic as soon as I get up. Just for you, because I really like you people. No, honestly. I do. I'd take a bullet for ya.

Well, maybe not a bullet. But I'd let someone yell at me for you.

Okay, maybe not that. But I'd take a complement for you. That's for sure. I'd definitely do that.

Unless it was a complement for something I didn't like. But you get the idea, I think.

Comicage

Okay, so I've got the comic done and uploaded. I went ahead and uploaded a sketch thing for Wednesday instead of the comic, which will now update on Friday. This made more sense to me, since Adam's got a sketch up on Thursday. So, enjoy this week full o' art, folks.

Hrmmm

So the program I use to clean up, resize, and letter the comic isn't wanting to work tonight. The comic is drawn and scanned, but the software isn't cooperating. As I'm already dead freakin' tired, the comic will update when I get home from work tomorrow evening. I also plan on drawing Friday's comic tomorrow night so there won't be an interruption there. I'll keep ya posted, and sorry about the delay.

Also, Adam irons his pants? What's that all about?

Curse you, Education!

Just a fair warning: I'm in the throes of a stupid final paper for the education course I'm currently finishing up, so there may or may not be a Monday comic. Wednesday could be kinda iffy, too. And Friday...well, I've got a camping trip on Thursday night, but I'm gonna try to get the comic drawn early.

In short, this will either be a comic-less week, or a potentially fewer-comics week. With any luck, the paper will start flowing more quickly and I'll be able to crank out a couple of comics (I already know what I want Monday and Wednesday's comics to be).

It's frustrating, though. I thought getting a job meant I didn't have to deal with this crap anymore. Barring that, I figured they'd make eduacation classes for the folks who're already teachers require a little less busy work or major papers. I mean, seriously, we're all working full-time, and none of us really has the time to do this crap. This professor is so getting a negative evaluation at the end of the course.

Now with 75% more game references and riboflavin!

Apparently I now do a gaming comic and never even noticed that I'd slipped into that. Hmm.

Check back Thursday for something completely different. Honest. It's not even drawn by me, which should tell you immediately that it'll be something completely different that what you're used to.

Lookit!

Hurray! A comic! And Monday's is already drawn and posted already! Ain't that swell? Keen, even?

I also already know what the next couple o' comics will be about, and I've got Wednesday's already scripted in my head. Just hafta draw it now.

Comic-Drawing Guy, away!

Work Broke the Chuck

Seriously, work just freakin' exhausted me this week. And what with all the major projects for my thrice-cursed graduate class, I've been swamped. I'm heading to bed now, and when I get up tomorrow, I'm gonna make a concerted effort to draw several comics. I may even go ahead and post some of them (along with those promised sketches...if I can remember where I put 'em). I really am sorry about this, but work's had to take precedence (never thought I'd hear myself say that).

Yuck.

So yeah, no comic as yet. I've got it scripted; I'm debating with myself whether to go ahead and try to push it and get it done tonight, or just wait until Friday. I keep telling myself I'm going to start drawing the comics further in advance, but it hasn't happened yet. So much going on, and the next couple of weeks are crazy as I get into the last few sessions (and all the major projects) for my current graduate course. Stupid education classes.

I do have some sketches that, if nothing else, I'll post this evening when I get home from work. I owe you guys something, I guess.

The Skinny on Panel 3

So panel three contains an in-joke with my brothers that no one else'd really get. Peeing blood is not, in fact, a symptom of West Nile Virus (as far as I know, anyway), but there's a story behind this (as there usually is).

A few years back, Clif (the real-life Clyde) had some sort of...thing wherein he peed blood for a week or two (and he's gonna hate me for life for sharing this information). Visits to specialists revealed some sort of UT infection that he had to take medication for for a few weeks. Anyway, part of the problem was that whatever he had was potentially communicable, so no one could drink after him or anything like that.

Anyway, one day our youngest brother, Scott, came home from a visit to Sonic (the best fast food joint ever) with a slush, and Clif grabbed it and took a sip. My mom yelled at him for potentially spreading his germs, and Scott said something to the effect of, "Yeah, I don't want to get West Nile Virus or whatever it is you've got!" And it stuck. Anytime someone at home was sick, we'd ask if they had West Nile Virus. Whenever we asked what someone's symptoms were, we'd ask if they were peein' blood (thus confirming the West Nile Virus if they were).

It occurs to me that this story is probably really only funny to my family. Oh well.

The REAL Reason

So yeah, there wasn't a comic Wednesday, as you may've noticed. Tuesday nights are kicking my butt (which would make you think that I'd just start drawing two comics on Sunday or draw one Sunday and one Monday, but that would require forethought). Thus, you've had to stare at Monday's comic for several days now.

But that's really the Monkey's fault. See, if he were actually updating, there'd have been a comic (or maybe even two) between Monday and now. But no, he isn't updating right now.

So the lack of new comics is really Adam's fault, not mine. Yeah, that's the ticket.

It's True

Seriously, I don't know how the body produces so much snot when you're sick, but it does. I must've blown my nose a few dozen times over the weekend, and each time it was like I'd tapped into some Niagara Falls of mucus or something. "Where is it all coming from?!" I'd wail, gnashing my teeth and clearing my throat.

And yeah, I probably ingested my body weight in snot this weekend. Not pleasant in the least.

Expect a slightly less-disgusting comic Wednesday.

Blarg.

Don't expect a comic Friday morning on account of (1) I don't have any ideas hammered out yet and (2) I'm kinda under the weather and don't feel up to coming up with something funny (no, Michelle, I am NOT sick. Just under the weather. Yeah, that's the ticket). Hopefully there'll be something by Friday evening.

Apathism High Holy Day

Today, the day after Easter, is the official high holy day of the Apathy Religion, which my friend James came up with way back during college. See, the idea is to go to Wal-Mart or Target or whatever the day after Easter and buy all the discounted Easter candy you can carry. Or not. Whatever. It's a religion based on apathy, so we really don't give a damn what you do.

Wal-Mart really does carry the chocolate Jesus, by the way. He comes in milk chocolate and white chocolate varieties, which is probably some sort of commentary on something somewhere. I dunno.

Oh, and the Tom Waits song Simon references, "Chocolate Jesus," is really freaking cool. Tom Waits is my hero. I wish I had a whiskey-soaked rasp like he does.

Totally Adam's Fault

He dared me to do it. I had to defend my honor, such as it is.

Join us next week, as I hopefully stop just doing what other people recommend.

Totally Not My Fault

This comic is totally not my fault. Honest. Though I do need to stop taking the statement "there should be a comic about ______________" as a personal challenge.

On the positive side, it's about accountants, and taxes are due by Monday. See? Totally relevant and timely; unlike, say, Monday's comic.

And for the record, I took a damn long time to get that outfit to look like PVC. I probably totally failed, but hey, I never said I was good with highlights and all that jazz.

Delay Explained

Sorry about the delay, folks. My grandparents have been visiting the past few days, and I know I said it wouldn't interfere with the comic, but I neglected to take into consideration just how tiring old folks can be. I was wiped out last night, so I didn't get anything drawn. I've got an idea for the comic, I just have to put pen to paper. It'll be up sometime later today, after I've run needful errands (like sending off my income taxes).

Goin' to the Chapel...

Friday's comic is a congratulatory note to my roommates, Tim and Wendy, who're getting married this Saturday. I was this close to having to be a bridesman in the ceremony, but lucked out and just have to be an usher and coordinator instead (dodged the white tuxedo bullet! Thank God!).

Anyway, I have spring break next week (breaks are one of those great advantages of being a teacher). Comics will continue as usual, despite an impending visit from my grandparents (hey, I didn't let moving halfway across the country stop me from making comics, so why would this?). Have a good weekend, folks.

Just a quick note...

...to let you know that the comic for today will be delayed until I can get home from work and finish it. I spent most of the evening in class or chatting with a friend from Oklahoma, so I didn't get started until too late. Sorry about the delay.

Guest Comic!

The (somewhat belated but totally worth it) comic is a surprise guest comic from Ping Teo! Ping, for those of you living under a rock, is the amazing artist behind The Jaded, The Longest Sojourn, and the webcomics journey blog Webcomic Finds. I also did a comic for The Longest Sojourn, though I dunno if she's had a chance to post it yet. I'm always floored by what she can do with her tablet o' power, and this case is no exception.

Besides, she had Bob the Goat say "Oh crumbs." Does it get any better than that? I don't think so.

FYI

No new comic on Friday, 'cause there'll be one on Saturday instead. I think you'll be pleased.

Birthday Bash

So today's my birthday. My present to you is a brand-spankin' new comic! Aren't you lucky?

Stuff and the Happening Thereof

Sorry folks, but no new comic for Wednesday. I've got too much on my mind tonight to draw anything. I've got a script done up, so I'll hopefully get something put together tomorrow after work. Sorry about this, but I've just got too much on my mind at the moment to crank out the funny.

Freakin' CG...

So it looks like Comic Genesis is down for some reason, so I wasn't able to upload Monday's comic tonight. I'll try to take care of it tomorrow morning. It's frustrating when I actually get a comic done and can't upload it.

So yeah. That's where we stand.

Edit: I got the comic uploaded this morning. Should show up soon on the site, I hope.

Doodles!

Back when we relied on our crappy old forum to save our rants, I'd posted several doodles at random times. The posts those were in were somehow lost when the forum hiccupped, so those six doodles have become lost to the internet and my harddrive.

Well, for the hell of it--and by way of apologizing for all the late-ass strips I've been posting (or failing to post)--here're those six doodles. I might try to dig up a couple more this weekend for your pleasure. Enjoy.

The Scheduling Gods Hate Me

So yeah, there'll be no new comic Wednesday morning. I'm hoping to have something for Wednesday night. I had a comic lined up, but decided to scrap it 'cause it sucked. I need to figure out what the hell I'm doing with the rest of this storyline so I can get it done and get back to random jokes about smiting.

Anyway, hope to have something for you tomorrow night. We'll see.

Afterglow 61

In taking a look at our site stats over the past couple of months, it looks like we're averaging a good 30 or 40 people more per month than we were before the Schlock link. So that's cool.

What's sad is that I'm able to measure our growth in mere double-digit numbers. Yes, Dim Bulb is truly in the lower echelons of webcomic greatness.

But hey, I don't want to really complain about this stuff. That anyone is reading what we're doing pleases me. I'd probably still be doing this if the only people reading it were my parents and brothers. Hell, I'd probably be doing it if I were the only person reading them (and there are so many I've done that you'll never see, that will never be exhumed from their sketchbook coffin to see the ghastly light of day. Be thankful for that).

Anyway, happy Monday, everyone. I'm off to earn my pay (or at least pretend I'm earning it...whatever).

The Goat Returns

So, Bob the Goat.

Most of the people reading the comic now weren't reading it during my original run back during my college days in Arkansas. I just emailed comics out three days a week to my friends and family. Worked pretty well, because they had a free comic delievered right to their inbox, and I got to amuse and entertain folks.

One of the characters that I used back then was Bob the Goat. I actually developed him back in high school, just as I did most of the other characters. Bob was inspired by a friend of mine in a concurrent class I was taking up at St. Gregory's University. He had an old Adam Sandler audio clip as the startup noise for his computer ("I am a simple goat, I live in the back of a pickup truck"), and that led me to draw a goat-like thing that wore pants and shoes and stood upright. Of course, we had to name it "Bob." And for several years there, then, I slipped Bob into comics.

He was originally Simon's (then named Joey, for some bizarre reason) pet, though God only knows where I came up with that idea, and he tended to eat anything and everything (especially Simon's books). This led to a couple of amusing jokes, but the character struck me as a little one-dimensional, a one-note joke character with no development, blah blah blah. So when we did the big revamp for the move to Keenspace back in 2003, I decided to ditch poor Bob in favor of incorporating characters like Tim Tation and Tammy the Succubus into the cast.

But then a few weeks ago, an old friend of mine from high school, Trevor, won a little contest where he got a free piece of art from me. And he'd mentioned he missed Bob the Goat, so I drew ol' Bob for him and mailed it off. And that got me thinking...thinking about the poor character I'd discarded, left for dead on a piece of paper shoved in a sketchbook. And I decided to revive Bob, to give him a home once more.

Because let's face it: goats are damn funny.

Miracle of Miracles!

Hey, I got a comic done tonight and uploaded, beating the Second Coming against all odds! Hopefully this'll be a trend, y'know?

I'm excited about what's coming up with the storyline. I'm introducing a character very near and dear to my heart. Hopefully everyone'll enjoy it. If not, tough.

Son of Son of a...

So yeah, rumors of my death and so on.

Sorry about being so flakey with the comics lately. Part of it has been a bunch of crap I've had no control over, such as being dead tired Thursday night, taking a friend of mine halfway across the state last night, etc. I've got the next couple of comics scripted, at least, so it's just a matter of finding time to actually draw the damn things.

Anyway, I've uploaded a couple of drawings I did the other day and then actually colored (in colored pencil. I'm not one of them fancy-shmancy artists who use Wacom Tablets and that jazz). I'm actually fairly pleased with the way they turned out, both in terms of the drawings (which are fairly basic, really, but still pretty well-done) and the coloring (even if it is only flat color and done in colored pencil).

So yeah, real comic should pop up Wednesday. Honest.

Son of a...

Noticed this morning when I checked the comic that there was a stupid freakin' typo in the third panel. I've since corrected the typo and uploaded the revised comic to the server, so, that should go up at the auto-update time. Until then, enjoy the fact that I can't spell for crap when I'm dead tired and not paying attention to what I'm doing.

Making Up

So I know I promised a comic on Saturday, but that just didn't happen what with one thing and another. So here's two comics today for the price of a single comic!

Please just ignore the fact that you aren't paying anything for any of these. That has no bearing on this discussion at all.

The first comic features my all-time favorite word: obsquatulate. It's a real, honest-to-God word, and it really does mean "to depart camp quickly." Why they needed a word like that to have that meaning I'll never know. I always thought a much more effective method of saying that was "RUN!" But Clif (the real-life Clyde) provided me with Jerome's dialogue for the third panel and told me that this had to be a comic, so that one is all his fault. The second comic simply references something my friend Michelle noticed about the shape of the vortex. Honestly, does that mean that Cletus was just reborn? 'Cause that'd just be weird.

Anyway, I'm not at all sure where this is going to go next. At all. Maybe that'll change between now and Wednesday's comic. We can only hope.

Laying the Blame

If the comics over the next week or two are really bizarre and make little sense, it's totally the Monkey's fault for encouraging me to pursue my whimsy and the totally random, offhand-not-to-be-taken-seriously suggestion I made about where I could take my current story. He should totally know better than to say things like, "Now I'm curious about how that'd work" and "I want to see how you'd pull that off." Y'know, stuff like that. And laughing. He totally shouldn't have laughed, 'cause we all know that just encourages me to go even further.

So that's just, y'know, an FYI.

And that's taken care of now...

Finally got the comic done. It'll update when the site auto-updates later tonight. Sorry about the delay. I'll try not to let the same thing happen for Friday.

Really. Honest.

Curse of the Long Day

So Tuesdays are really bad days for me, it seems. They're my long days, when I'm at work until 4.00 and then go straight to a class that lasts until 8.30 or so. By the time I get home, grab a bite to eat, and get stuff done for school for Wednesday, there's not much time for doing a comic, especially when I haven't figured out what the hell the comic will be about yet.

All this is by the way of explaining why there's no new comic for Wednesday quite yet. I'll draw one Wednesday when I get home from work, honest. I'm gonna figure out a better schedule (and maybe start scripting comics ahead of time again, like I did back in the day) so this doesn't happen. Believe me, I hate missing an update more than you do, and I've missed entirely too many lately (yeah, I know, there are no actual gaps in the comics, but there've been too many of these "I'll draw it tomorrow" days for my liking).

Until then, continue to enjoy Adam's teaser art. The concept, if it's the one I'm thinking of, is pretty groovy, I must say. I'm curious to see what the Monkey comes up with.

The Jaded

The Jaded is now free again! It's been on Graphic Smash, a subscription site through the Modern Tales family, for the past year and a half or so. While this was great for Ping in terms of visitors and all that jazz, it made it tough to really follow the comic (which is very plot-heavy, 'cause it has to be). Keeping track of what happened from one week to the next was impossible if you didn't have a subscription.

Well, Ping's taken the comic off Graphic Smash and it's strictly free again. While there isn't the promise of immediate new comics, we do have a message from Ping making it clear that the comic isn't dead and won't be disappearing. I, for one, will be glad to see The Jaded start back up. I enjoy Longest Sojourn, but I miss me some gritty merc action. I might even have a chance to read through the archive again to catch up before she starts again.

Dammit

Man, always with the site not updating even when I've done a comic.

There is a comic, I swear. I drew it and uploaded it myself last night.

Anyway, I've tried doing a manual update. We'll see if that works. Dunno why the damn thing didn't update like it should.

Funk Pop a Roll

I'm really pleased with the way Friday's comic turned out, both idea-wise and art-wise. In fact, I'm especially proud of the art, which I feel is some of my best in quite a while (especially the third and fourth panels). Anyway, it looks like the spectre of continuity is about to rear its ugly head, so consider yourselves forewarned and stuff.

For the record: the day that Howard Tayler linked us, we recorded a record 1600 unique visitors. To put that in perspective: our previous best day was around 200. Our average is about 120-130.

And even though a good majority of those didn't return the next day, we still managed a solid 450 unique visitors, so I guess some of you are (1) just now seeing the link in his blog thingie and coming over to check us out or (2) have decided to stick around a bit and see what we're all about. Either way, thanks for joining us. Crooked Halo is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Adam's currently on a hiatus thing. We hope he'll be back in action again soon, but until then, feel free to cruise the Vapor Lock and Crooked Halo archives, catch up on what's going down, and settle in for what we hope is some comic hilarity.

And pie. There could very possibly be pie*.





* - pie not guaranteed.

Schlock to the System

So some time back (waaaaaay back, really), Adam did a little "let's see how many cameos I can work into a single comic" thing. For some of 'em, he asked permission; most notably, from Howard Tayler, the more-machine-now-than-man who cranks out the excellent Schlock Mercenary on a daily basis (there is a rumor that the world will come to an end the day Mr. Tayler misses an update. If that's the case, I think we're all pretty safe). Mr. Tayler was gracious enough to give Adam permission--after all, it didn't really hurt him that our 100-visitors-per-day, not-makin'-any-money-off-this website featured a couple of his characters--and Adam put 'em in. And a couple months back, Adam did a little fanart in appreciation and thanks for that graciousness.

Well, today, Howard Tayler posted that fanart in his blog on the Schlock Mercenary site along with a link to Dim Bulb. To be linked by Mr. Tayler is a huge honor. Adam and I have both been reading Schlock for several years; in fact, it was Adam who got me into the comic in the first place.

Anyway, to the folks who wandered over here from Schlock Mercenary, welcome. We've got a kind of strange setup here, what with running more than one comic through the site. There are convenient archive buttons that'll take you through the two individual comics separately (seeing as how we alternate days and stuff; it's awful difficult navigating between both Vapor Lock and Crooked Halo otherwise). We hope you'll stick around with us, maybe even add us to your bookmarks. That'd be swell, really.

Everybody Loves Ringo

Ah, poor Ringo, the lovable loser Beatle. Let's be honest: Ringo was never the heavy-hitter the other three Beatles were. There was no way he could be. You needed someone down-to-earth to ground John, Paul, and George.

And Ringo's solo career...Ringo's solo records are enjoyable solely because he's just being Ringo. He doesn't try to be artsy like Lennon, or a catchy pop tunesmith like McCartney, or a mystic spiritualist like Harrison. He's just always Ringo. It means there's not much depth or substance to his work, but it's fun, it's upbeat, and it's generally enjoyable.

That being said, I picked up his record Ringo earlier today. Great album, actually. It's got "Photograph" and "You're Sixteen" on it as well as the single "It Don't Come Easy." Probably the most interesting aspect of it was that it's essentially a Beatles reunion record: the other three all contribute songs to the record and all appear at one point or another to back up the lovable drummer. It was probably a case of the other three lads thinking, "Oh, poor Ringo. No one loves Ringo. I should go 'round and help him out a bit." But Ringo really gets the last laugh, see, 'cause he got them to do so much of the work for him. Never let it be said that Ringo was a complete fizzle.

D'oh

They say the biggest problem with missing an update is that you set a precedent. Once you're late on one, it becomes easy to miss one. Once you miss one, it becomes easy to miss two, then three, then a whole month goes by and you haven't drawn a single damn comic.

Megatokyo is one of the best-known (or worst?) perpetrators of this webcomic crime. There are plenty of others--hell, Keenspace (and now Comic Genesis) was always lousy with the ones who started, got bogged down, and just gave up--but Megatokyo has a good three and a half year head start on me and they've only got 813 comics (this includes the infamous "Shirt Guy Dom" and "Dead Piro Day" strips, which really don't count. I mean, seriously, there's nearly as much filler as there are actual comics). Actions are habit-forming, and bad habits are the easiest to form.

All that being said, no, there's no comic yet for Friday. There will be one when I get home from work. I'm going to take some time this weekend and try to get ahead with the comic--hell, not having to write anymore lesson plans ought to make that easy--and see if I can't crank out something like a buffer. Back when we first started, I had comics ready weeks in advance, sometimes, and I kept cranking them out like nobody's business. That was the advantage of the college (or graduate school, to be more specific) lifestyle: I could draw at work, I had more free time, and I usually didn't have any time in the morning when I had to be awake.

So there should hopefully be a comic up around 7.00 or 8.00 tomorrow evening. Barring that, it'll be up after the auto-update Saturday.

Honestly, this annoys me as much as it probably does you--hell, moreso--but sometimes it just can't be helped. I can't stay up all hours of the night anymore. Folks expect me to be coherent and deal with people at work now, not just poorly-written student-athlete college papers. God, growing up sucks sometimes.

CONTEST!

Wednesday's comic is a reference to a movie. Be the first to tell me the name of the comic in the comments section of this rantspace, and I'll mail you an actual piece of original Crooked Halo art. Honest.

So, good luck guessing; I don't think the movie is too obscure or the hint too vague (if anything, it might be too obvious).

Unfortunate Delay

Yeah, today's comic will be up sometime this evening. I didn't really get around to it on Sunday, unfortunately. I've got an idea for one, I just didn't get it drawn. Sorry about this, folks. Very unprofessional of me.

Wait, I'm not getting paid for this! Ha!

Revisionist History!

Alternate text for the thought balloon in the third panel of Friday's comic:

"Man, this is prom night all over again."

Bugger

I don't know why the comic I uploaded last night hasn't shown up on the site yet. I'll fix it when I get home this afternoon/early evening.

Too bad, too; I'm really proud of the next comic, which brings our adventures in muiscal territory to a decidedly happy ending.

Lucky Numbers

Friday the 13th's comic marks the 400th Crooked Halo comic on Dim Bulb's Keenspace/Comic Genesis site. That's a heckuva mess of comics, if I do say so myself. Most webcomics have a life expectancy of about 10 updates. Maybe fifty, if the artist is industrious and really committed. But all too often, webcomic artists just sort of...give up. They lose interest, it gets too complicated, they run out of time, etc. All sorts of real life comes up.

There've been times I've considered giving up or at least going on a hiatus to recharge the batteries. There've been comics I haven't been happy with, storylines I wish I'd executed differently, art I wish I could erase and do over. But I'm glad I've done the comics, I really am. I'm proud that I've gone this long with it. I think I'm starting to develop some halfway compelling characters, even (there's probably room for debate there), and I think some of the jokes have been drop-dead funny (again, probably plenty of room for debate).

The premise remains simple, though: what if a young man were the focus of the battle between good and evil? What if forces he couldn't understand were fighting over his very soul? What if he was aware of their existence, aware they were fighting over him, and still had to get a term paper written before the end of the week? Then you'd have poor Simon, and you'd have Crooked Halo.

The college comic about a guy and his wacky, sarcastic friends/roommates/whatever may be an oft-used setting, but that's because it's fun and there's room for variation in it. The possibilities are nigh endless, especially when you throw in a smite-happy archangel, a mediocre temptor, a PhD-toting hillbilly ten year old, and a whole bunch of others besides. The whole point to me has always been to take cliches and common situations/characters and twist them, make them unique. Maybe I've succeeded, maybe I haven't, but I've enjoyed it the whole way, and I'm glad you folks have been along for the ride. Crooked Halo is just getting started. I could foresee doing this comic for years, letting the characters grow and develop and change and move on in their lives, not just staying in college and dealing with childhood things. There are really lots of things to do with the characters, when you think about it.

So yeah, thanks for reading. Here's to 400 more.

Potential Problem

Hey folks. If you're reading this, it's probably not over at Dim Bulb. Apparently Comic Genesis is having some sort of problem, and the whole metasite is down. I'm still working on tomorrow's comic, but if the site doesn't come back up, I'll post a link to the comic here for your comical needs. Just a head's up, I guess. Back to work for me.

"I Dig Chicks"

Today's song is a real, actual song, believe it or not: my brother and I wrote the song during our summer in Yellowstone National Park back in 2002 (still one of my most productive couple of months ever). The song has a sort of Kinks-ish feel to it, rather like "You Really Got me Going" or "All Day and all of the Night." In other words, it's just supposed to be fun.

Stay tuned for Monday, when another character takes centerstage and sings their poorly-drawn heart out for your entertainment!

Crooked Halo - The Musical!

That's right: coming in January of 2006, it's Crooked Halo - The Musical! Watch as your favorite main characters and beloved minor and one-shot characters sing songs about the comic and generally prove why Chuck isn't writing musical theatre! It's guaranteed to have some rhyming in it! Nothing else, though, is really guaranteed.

Be here for Crooked Halo - The Musical! It'll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because no one will ever want to see it replicated!

"As A Century Ends"

Okay, so we don't have a century ending, per se, but we are fast approaching the end of 2005. Dim Bulb's had a solid year, with some high points and low, but we're still hanging in there. With Adam currently out of commission, you're stuck with all Chuck, all the time.

This means that, starting next week, I'm going to try to update Crooked Halo five times a week.

Note that the operative word in that last sentence was "try." There's always the chance that the well will run totally dry and I won't be able to update that often. There's the chance that the art and writing quality will go way down, but we'll try it and see. I don't know when Adam'll be back, but I'll try to keep things running here as well as I can.

I will promise you this: Dim Bulb isn't done for. Not by a long shot. If nothing else, I've got some other projects (the oft-mentioned Zendariel comic, for instance) that I could try to do solo or maybe drag in someone else to help with. Regardless, 2006 will be the Year of the Bulb. Yes.

Advanced Warning

Just a bit of advanced warning: if there's no comic on Monday the 26th, it's because I didn't get enough comics done before I left for Oklahoma. If there isn't a comic Monday morning, I'll get one done as soon as I get back to the apartment after the trip.

So, don't say I didn't warn you and stuff.

Meterology Joke

Today's comic is based on an actual joke my meterology friend, Beth, told me. I take no responsibility for the effects said joke has upon the reader. She was loopy from too much coding when I talked with her, so I can't vouch for your personal safety after being exposed to this.

As a side note, the Distractagirl character is one she asked me to make for her back over the summer based on an in-joke with some of her grad school buddies. I still owe her a big drawing of Distractagirl and some of her cohorts, but I haven't really gotten around to it (big surprise, eh?).

"Give me Liberty or Give me a Second Choice!"

So Monday's comic is based on an actual historical event. In 1765, the Virginia House of Burgesses did indeed send a resolution (a formal statement of position) to the British Parliament declaring that Virginia, not Great Britain, had the sole right to tax the British colony of Virginia. Patrick Henry actually uttered the words from the second panel--"If this be treason, then make the most of it!"--and I decided it was too damn funny not to turn into a comic. I'm going to print up a copy and take it to my students tomorrow, 'cause this is the stuff we're studying in my US/VA History class. I think they'll appreciate it.

The Pitfalls of Reality-Based Comicking

So there's always the danger when you do a comic based on reality and real-life situations (as I sometimes do) that the person involved in the situation you're doing a comic about might (a) read the comic and (b) recognize that it's about them. Sometimes this is a problem, and sometimes it's just kinda funny.

Thankfully, the Clyde vs. Frenchman comics fell more on the latter side (I think) with the person involved, though I think I might've embarrassed her just a bit (and myself as well...sometimes I think I've disguised things enough, but often I've got all the subtlty of a sledgehammer).

Anyway, yeah, that's my funny story of the day. Go read the archives or something.

Workin' It

Edit: Crooked Halo Archive is now fully operational and loaded with all the comics. go check it out and read through the whole strip without interruptions.

If you look up in the menu above the current comic, you'll notice a pair of buttons: one labelled "Vapor Lock Archives," the other labelled "Crooked Halo Archives." Clicking on either of those buttons will take you to the new archive sites. Monkey's uploaded all his old strips to his archive, but mine currently only has Friday's comic. Hopefully I can change that sometime this weekend.

Another important change: we've got a new forum (this is probably news to Monkey). I signed up for a Comic Genesis forum for Dim Bulb, which can be found here. If I'm not mistaken, you can make anonymous posts there, but let's try to keep out the spam, eh?

"A Lot to be Thankful For"

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Mine was pretty spiffy, though I think the next time my roommate manages to convince me to go shopping on Black Friday, someone just needs to sit on my head until the urge passes.

Hell is a Typo

When I checked to make sure the site updated this morning, I noticed a little typo in the second panel. Free gift art to the first person who comments on this post about it.

Remember, kids: this is why we proofread before we post to the internet for all to see. I'll fix it when I get home this afternoon.

Words, Words, Words

I've started writing again, which feels awful good. I've been, as I might've mentioned here before, enjoying writing the comic again, and it's actually kick-started my imagination and gotten me started on the long-delayed script for Zendariel. I've also got a few ideas for random short stories (non-art related), though when I'll have the time to work on them is anyone's guess (I'm thinking Thanksgiving, actually).

It's really just nice to have the desire to write again, even if what I'm writing isn't as good as I want it to be. The writing drought I've been in since moving to Virginia was kind of disconcerting, but I'm glad I'm finally pushing through it.

Anyway, if things go as planned, I should have a rough script for the Zendariel story by the end of the month. Then I'll send it off to Monkey, make some revisions, and we'll probably jump right into it. I want this to be less set in stone than Troubled Times (our poor, ill-fated red-headed stepchild of a comic), looser and more spontaneous. I'm not saying I want to go in completely cold and just make up each week's comic on the spot, but I think I'm going to approach the scripting as less a hard and fast rule and more a guideline for the Monkey to follow. It's a tricky balance to pull off, what with him living half a country away, but I think we can swing it. Besides, this is a story and a character that lends itself much more readily to humor, which I tend to be better at writing than serious dramatic action. Play to your strengths, as they say.

Mulligan

See? The new version of the comic is significantly better than the old. Especially that third panel. Let us never speak of the third panel from the previous effort again.

Ugh...

Today's comic looks like crap, especially that third panel. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to do much better than that last night. I'll try to redraw the comic this evening and repost it over the weekend, 'cause this comic (especially the third panel) is simply the epitome of half-assed.

Back in the Saddle Again

So I've been feeling a lot better about comics the past few days. I've scripted about six or seven comics since Sunday, which is about twice or three times as many as I've been doing per week over the past month or two. It feels good to be writing comics that I like again.

Adam's been sending me lots of design sketches for Zendariel the past couple of weeks, and I really like what he's been doing with it. I'm letting a couple of ideas simmer in the back of my head for the time being, but then I'm going to try to hammer out a script for a story featuring the character. I bet if you asked Adam real nice, he might show you the sketches. Or laugh at you. I mean, it is the Noise Monkey, after all.

I keep meaning to get back into the online community because I've been seriously lax in participating in things like forums, emails, etc. Part of it's been lack of motivation, part of it's been lack of time. I'm finally starting to get into the swing of things with my job, and I'm sure about 75% of the Comic Genesis community doesn't even know who the hell I am at this point (and Lord knows McDuffies's post count is probably up around 100,000 by this point).

As Promised...

...two comics are done and uploaded. They should update sometime after I've fallen asleep.

I've also already got Wednesday's comic scripted, which should speed up the comic completion process considerably. Y'know, that's something I actually used to be good at: planning the comic ahead. Hard to believe given my current updating habits, but there was a time I had comics uploaded a week in advance or more. I could have three or four comics just sitting in the queue, waiting to update on the appropriate day. I'd like to get back there.

I quite like these comics I came up with earlier, though. It sorta feels like I'm getting my groove back, which is really nice. Always nice to feel the comic clicking again.

The Two'fer Deal

Okay, here's the deal: I haven't had time to work on a comic yet. It's late Saturday/early Sunday, and I've got a pretty full day tomorrow, so I'm off for bed.

So, what I propose is this: two comics on Monday. I should have the time Sunday night to work on them, and I've got a couple of ideas that I really like (which has been rarer than I'd like recently). I'll post both of them on the main page on Monday, then alter it in the archives so that one appears for Friday and one for Monday.

Hopefully I can get on a regular schedule again and maybe even--God forbid--get ahead if I plan a little better. This missing updates crap won't fly. It always bugs me when other artists post a fair amount of filler, so I shouldn't expect anything of them I'm not prepared to do myself.

So yeah, come back Monday for two brand-spankin' new comics. Honest.

Delayed

Friday's comic is delayed until I can get home from work tonight and get one drawn. I'd have done it last night, but phone calls from various family members and playing lots of different guitars (I've narrowed down the one I want to two possibilities, which took some doing) kinda kept me from working on it, and then the batteries in my mouse died right as I was sitting down to draw.

Of course, I used this as an excuse not to draw. There's probably a moral in there somewhere, but I'm too lazy to search for it.

Anyway, look for a comic sometime early this evening, hopefully. I'm going to see a friend of mine in a musical tonight up in DC, so I don't know if I'll have time to get a comic drawn between the time I get off work and when I go to DC. We shall see, though.

Real Life, only with more punchlines

So today's comic is based on actual events from my life over the weekend. 'Cept it wasn't my brother who was there, it was one of my roommates. Regardless, it's rather depressing that a good part of my weekend was wasted trying to fix something that took all of an hour to actually fix, when we finally got to working on it. Car repairs are the very essesnce of futility, I think.

Footnote

It was established back in the storyline that introduced Cletus to the group that legal guardianship of the genius hayseed was actually conferred upon Simon, not Jerome.

Yeah, I'm actually keeping track of my own plotlines and maintaining continuity. Take that, DC and Marvel! Bet you Superman and Spider-Man can't do that!

Stumbling Along

Hey, how about that, a comic! Granted, I'm not sure everyone can see it. The dimbulbcomics.com domain name doesn't seem to be pointing to the site at the moment, for some reason, at least not on the computers at school. Might be an issue with Internet Explorer (in which case you should all be switching to Firefox anyway), or it could just be a problem with the domain name. I'll have to confer with El Monkey.

Speaking of the Loud Simian, I proclaim myself greatly pleased with the Zendariel sketches he came up with. It's always neat to see how Adam approaches the stuff I throw his way. We might try to put Zendariel up as a replacement for the rather neglected Troubled Times, assuming I can come up with a script for the concept. I've had a couple of aborted efforts sitting around on the harddrive of my computer, but never really anything I was totally pleased with. We'll see what happens. As much trouble as I'm having with writing Crooked Halo at the moment, though, it's not real promising presently.

Fact is Significantly Stranger than Fiction

In order to understand Friday's comic, you really have to read this news item.

Yeah, totally true to life. I didn't make up anything, including the father's name. That's just too weird, I think.

But hey, it's Arkansas. This is the sort of thing they do there. Ask Monkey.

"What a Wookie!"

Chewbacca is going to become a U.S. citizen. Crazy. Did like his comment, though: he'll recite the parts of the citizenship oath he remembers, and "it will be a Chewie growl for the other parts."

In other news, working only two jobs is so much easier than working three.

Just So You Know...

I'm very pleased with the art for tomorrow's comic. I think it turned out great, especially the third panel. You'll see what I mean. It's actually...dynamic, which is a big step for me from the talking heads I've dealt in lately.

In other news, I went ahead and broke down and bought Anansi Boys as well. I'd been planning on it anyway, but seeing Adam talk about it just sort of reaffirmed the need for it in my head. If it's even half as good as his other work, it'll be fantastic.

All Apologies

So, Friday's comic is my apology for the comic's updates as late. Yeah, that's right: I apologized for using filler by using self-insertion and breaking the fourth wall.

Anyway, I'm kinda sticking with the sketchy style for awhile, I think. I've been enjoying the actual process of drawing the comics again since I started doing it this way again, and it's also much faster. My art really benefited from the sketchiness last time, so I can only hope it does so again this time.

Monday, a comic that features no self-insertion. The fourth wall shall remain intact. Filler art will not be perpetrated upon the general public. Honest. There may be some making fun of drunken Eurpoeans "discovering" America, but that's just because it'll be Columbus Day.

"Kneel Before Zod!"

Proof that celebrities should not be allowed to name their own children.

I mean, honestly, between that and Chris Martin and Gweneth Paltrow naming their kid Apple, what's the world coming to? These people are making Frank Zappa's naming practices seem downright sane and normal (well, okay, calling your son Dweezil will never be quite normal, per se, and Moon Unit is a little too off-kilter for me, but you get the idea). Kevin Smith naming his daughter Harley Quinn is one thing, 'cause that name's kinda cute and consists of real names given to real human beings (it just also happens to be the name of a comic book character, that's all). But most other celebrities should not be allowed to make decisions like this that affect a child's future life. Really, if you're going to name your kid something like Kal-El, and your name isn't actually Jor-El, you have no business raising children.

What The?

Sorry that the comic hasn't come up yet. Comic Genesis is having some issues, so I have no idea when the comic will be updated.

In other news, I'm ready to throttle some of my students. No court would convict me.

Easy Target

Monday's comic will make fun of the band Creed. If this offends you...why are you visiting this site anyway? It ought to be clear to anyone who has read anything I've written that I prefer good music, like The Beatles and Dylan, to the dreck bands like Creed produced. I danced a jig the day they broke up. I actually have a theory on how they got popular: I'm pretty sure their combination of power chords, vocal histronics, and post-grunge cliches actually shuts down the higher functions of the brain, like the ability to recognize suck.

This will also be the second comic to feature the return of the sketchy style. I used this style once before to break out of an artistic slump. My work had gotten too static and bland. None of the characters felt right or dynamic, and drawing became a chore. The sketchy style revitalized me, adding a loose feel and some much-needed energy. It also allowed me to become a little more creative with what I drew and how I drew it. Admittedly, these two comics have still been pretty standard in terms of what I've done (mostly talking heads), but that will change. I promise.

Amazing! A Comic!

I got around to actually making a comic for Friday. It's uploaded and shall update as per usual at the appropriate time. Sorry about the delay this week. Hopefully there won't be anymore gaps in comics, even if I do shift gears and work on something non-Crooked Halo.

Anyway, thanks for the patience and well-wishes. I'm going to get through what's going on, even if it isn't easy.

More Filler

Yeah, I know, more filler. I apologize, but real life is taking precedent right now. Some major things are happening and I'm having trouble being funny or creative. You're probably lucky you're even getting filler.

I'll try to have a comic up Friday, but no promises. This isn't looking like it's going to be a good week, I'm afraid.

Zendariel Filler

Sorry about the filler again today, but I spent most of last night chatting with an old friend from college whom I hadn't spoken with in awhile.

On the plus side, we have reached the effective end of the Pirate Choir storyline. I might have one or two more comics for it to tie up any loose ends...if I can come up with something to do that. We'll know Wednesday, I guess.

Oh, Serenity comes out this Friday. Go see it, or I'll kick you in your ruttin' unmentionables.

Sea Shanties

My brother Clif (the real-life Clyde) sent me an email with a few real sea shanties in it. I thought it might be interesting to share them.

"Maid of Amsterdam"

Mark well what I say
In Amsterdam there dwelt a maid
In Amsterdam there dwelt a maid
And I'll go no more a-roving
With you, fair maid
A-roving, a-roving
Since roving's been my ru-i-n
I'll go no more a-roving
With you, fair maid.

This one's about the Cirmean War, so only other history majors will really find it of interest:

"Sebastopol"

The Crimee War is over now
Sebastopol is taken
The Crimee War is over now
Sebastopol is taken
So sing, Cheer, boys, cheer
Sebastopol is taken:
And sing, Cheer, boys, cheer
Old England gained the day
The Rooshans they was put to fly
Sebastopol is taken
The Rooshans they was put to fly
Sebastopol is taken.

The last one is just pretty damn creepy, we think:

They call me Hanging Johnny
Away-i-oh
They call me Hanging Johnny
So hang, boys, hang
First I hung my mother
Away-i-oh
First I hung my mother
Away-i-oh.

So yeah, sailors were not particularly nice people to be around. Interesting stuff.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Today is actually Talk Like a Pirate Day, appropriately enough. Honestly, I didn't plan to be running this series during this particular holiday (if TLaPD can indeed be referred to as a holiday), but it works out in a way which amuses me.

Dunno how much longer this particular story arc will last. Ages ago, when I had free time and long stretches of creativity, I'd plan and sketch out entire storylines in one go, occasionally throwing in a comic on the fly as the mood struck me. The Yellowstone Saga was done that way: the majority of it was planned out in advance (based in large part on the first incarnation of the Saga, which was actually written while I was in Yellowstone), and I occasionally tossed in an extra comic or two if I thought a particular plot point needed more development or I came up with a particularly good gag I wanted to use.

But lately, I've been writing everything and drawing it the night before. I'm not ahead by any stretch of the imagination. And this annoys me to an extent. I like having things roughly mapped out ahead of me in the comic. I'm not saying I want to know exactly what comic I'm going to do every day for the rest of Crooked Halo's existence. That'd be boring and wouldn't leave any room for improvisation and spontaneity, and those are key to keeping humor fresh. But I also don't like sitting down a few hours before I post the comic to decide what I'm going to write about for said comic.

Part of the problem's been my schedule and available free time. I've currently got three jobs (one full-time and two part-time), and haven't really had much time to think about stuff other than getting to work on time.

The bigger part of the problem, though, remains my creative slump. I just haven't felt the groove lately, whether in the writing or the art. Both are serviceable, I think, and it's all still better than when Dim Bulb first went up, but there's a spark missing from it, and I find myself less than enthusiastic about drawing each time. These make a recipie for disaster in any sort of creative endeavour, really.

I'm not sure what to do to kickstart everything. In the past, I've radically altered the style of the comic: going from the smooth, clean lines to the sketchy back right before the Boy Band storylines, for example. Other times, I've just done very challenging comics that require me to stretch my skills and abilities to their limits. But I don't know if that's what's needed here. Everything feels kind of stalled, I guess, and until I find a way to break out of it, things will remain serviceable but not entirely as I'd like them.

In positive news, I am rather pleased with how this storyline has progressed so far. I like the idea of it, and only wish there were some sea shanty hymns I could have them sing. That would be perfect.

Damn

Sorry folks, but no new comic for 9/14/05. Three jobs is just killing me (even if it's only been a couple of days of it), and I'm gonna have to figure out a better system for getting comics drawn and posted on time than doing them all the night before like I've been doing it.

Instead, enjoy this fanart from Tim of Alt Delusions. I've had it for...well, for a damn long time, to be honest, and I keep meaning to update all the fanart and stuff we've received ('cause we have received some), I just (1) keep forgetting and (2) don't really trust myself fiddling around with things on the site. That's why I keep Adam around (well, and Zaene, though I dunno if anyone's heard from him in...um...a long time. Maybe he's dead? Can you even kill a cyborg?). Anyway, it's a funny little drawing courtesy of Tim, and I take this opportunity to thank him for it ('cause I'm not sure I ever did when he originally gave it to me, making me one of the worst people on the face of the earth).

Crooked Halo will resume as normal on Friday, I promise. Please don't throw anything at me.

Totally Employed

The Cricket now has a full-time job. And two part-time jobs. The Cricket is suddenly very busy.

But fear not--it won't interfere with the comic! Oh no, in fact, it'll probably provide fuel and fodder for the comic. That's what work is for (aside from the piles of cash money. Work's for that, too).

Songs of the Week

Here are the songs I can't stop playing on the guitar this week.

1. Bob Dylan, "Changing of the Guard": Dylan is my personal songwriting hero. The man takes a song with three or four simple chords, strings those chords together in a way you wouldn't have thought of, and makes an interesting tune to go along with his surreal lyrics. This song I've never been able to really figure out (granted, most of Dylan's songs are like that for most people), but there are a lot of references to what I've read is actually Joan of Arc--a girl whose head is shaved at the age of sixteen (Joan of Arc's head was shaved when she was sixteen, right before she was burnt at the stake), all the military imagery (palace guards, dog soldiers, and a captain), and things like that. Still fun to play, though.

2. Bob Dylan, "Isis": Yeah, I know, two Dylan songs in a row. But hey, I figured out that you could play these two songs with chords I already knew if you just capo'd in the first fret (ah, the capo: friend to mediocre strummers everywhere!). This is one of those great story songs Dylan does so well, and the chord progression is this great circular thing that just keeps looping into itself, becoming a part of the story itself.

3. U2, "Hawkmoon 269": Another song that I figured out is really easy to play capo'd in the first fret (hey, who knew songs in Ab were so damn easy to play if you just capo'd?). It's got this great incessant rhythm to it that just builds and builds throughout the song. Also one of Bono's more restrained vocal performances (well, except for the end, when he starts kinda screaming into the microphone, but I usually don't sing it that way, 'cause I'm not Bono).

4. Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Who'll Stop the Rain?": Everyone who plays the guitar ought to know at least one CCR song. At least. I mean, they're just a great band. Hell, I'm of the impression that their Chronicle CD ought to be required listening for anyone who has even the slightest interest in popular music. Their ability to craft a rock and roll song is second to almost none (I mean, obviously the Beatles are the top, but these guys are still pretty damn good). This song, like so many of CCR's, has a sense of foreboding and doom that just permeates the whole thing. You can't help but shudder, really.

5. The Minus 5, "I'm Not Bitter": It's just a damn funny--and rather meloncholy--song about trying to move on. And failing. Miserably. And being in denial about it. And it features the line "I walk around the block to avoid you/And that's when I'm in a social mood." Also, "Bitterness is reserved for stupid people/Not for someone intelligent like me." The fact that the song features Wilco and is just damn fun to play helps, too.

And finally, though it's not a song I can play (I haven't been able to find the song yet, unfortunately), I think Bob Dylan's "Where Are You Tonight (Journey Through Dark Heat)" is an underappreciated gem. Dylan tosses a song or two like this on every album, even the mediocre ones: a tune that just gets under your skin and gets its hooks in your soul and won't let go. This particular tune is about the deterioration of the world around our protagonist and his amazement at the fact that he continues to survive, even despite all his scars...mostly because it doesn't seem right for him to be alive without her. It has this excellent buildup throughout the song, a chugging and undeniable push towards the final verse. Everything gets more and more tense as the song progresses, the music gains power and volume, and everything explodes at the end of the final verse in a terse, powerful electric guitar solo. That solo, that payoff, makes the entire song worth the wait.

Okay, that's enough musical musings. Go...um...listen to some Dylan. Now.

And It's Up

Monkey's comic is now up. Dunno what was up with auto-updating, but it's there. Enjoy.

Day Of Rest

Happy Labor Day, folks (or Labour for our non-US readers. Personally, I'm with you guys, but that may just be the result of reading too many English history books and being a complete Anglophile, which has nothing to do with an unhealthy obsession with angles, before you ask). It's a day off for those of us around here, though really I don't do much on days when I do work, so it's not all that much different.

Comic-wise, of course, we're not taking a break. We here at Dim Bulb don't stop for anything (well, except for a broken hand...and then we just cut and paste)! Part of me feels I need a bit of a break, 'cause it's been tough bringing the funny of late (though I am pleased with the comics I've done...just seems more like work than fun of late, y'know?). Might take a break after the next storyline...or I might find something that jumpstarts my creativity again and just plow straight through. I don't like the idea of drawing feeling like an obligation, 'cause I feel my work gets subpar when that's the case, but at the same time I don't want to go on the dreaded hiatus (a word anathema to the webcomics community, if not necessarily to all webcomic artists). Anyway, we'll just have to see.

Holy. Freakin'. Geez.

Take a look at this and tell me it doesn't astound you.

As of the time of this writing, the sketch was going for $7,600. It was only $5,400 when I first looked at it five hours earlier.

Honestly, anyone who doubts the power of Penny Arcade need look no further than this. All the proceeds from the auction are going to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. There's plenty of other evidence, of course: PAX, their successful gaming expo (which just completed it's ridiculously successful second year), Child's Play, their annual Christmas toy drive that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in videogames and systems in the past two years...these guys are just a presence. I actually saw a PA shirt earlier when I was at Borders. The only other webcomic shirt I've ever seen out in the world was a guy at OU who had a Diesel Sweeties t-shirt.

These guys are powerful, and not only have they made a living playing games, talking about games, and drawing funny pictures, they've shared in their good fortune. Whether you actually like PA or not, you have to admit they've got their act together and are definitely using their influence in some positive ways. My hat is off to them.

Money Blues

So I was looking at my finances (which didn't take nearly as long as one would hope), and discovered that I am, for all intents and purposes, really broke. Like really broke. And I don't get paid by either of my jobs until the beginning of October (a month away for the calendar-challenged among you).

This is, as you can imagine, something of a problem. I know my roommates would really appreciate it if I gave them some rent money sometime in the future. They'd prefer it if I gave them rent money in the near future, actually. Like before October. But I don't see how that can happen.

But I had an idea. Not one that will raise enough for me to pay all my rent, of course, but one which ought to net me a little money (maybe) and at least allow me to make a down-payment on rent: commissions.

Admittedly, I'm not even sure if anyone out there would pay me for something I've drawn. I did caricatures at Ozarks once at an organization fair (we had a Dim Bulb table...this was back when Dim Bulb was still a monthly print comic, mind you, and we'd distribute about 100 copies of it free to the small Arkansan campus in the space of a few days) for a couple bucks a pop, and those seemed to go over well. I like to think my art has improved since then.

So I figured I'd see if anyone was interested in this sort of thing. If so, drop me a line (crookedhalo42 @ yahoo.com). We can discuss what you want, price, etc.

I know I can't make a lot of money at this--after all, we're only a very small webcomic in a very large internet--but maybe I can make a little extra. And as difficult as it is to survive without a paycheck, every little bit helps.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Pink Floyd, "Money"

Five Songs, Five Albums

Every time I pick up my guitar lately, there've been about five songs that I feel I have to play each time:

1. Ryan Adams, "Let it Ride." Not to be confused with the BTO song of the same name. It's an up-tempo, meloncholy sort of tune about...um, hell, I'm not really sure what it's about.

2. The Wallflowers, "6th Avenue Heartache." One of the most touching songs about a homeless guy playing a guitar on a street corner ever.

3. They Might Be Giants, "Lucky Ball and Chain." It's fun. It's TMBG. What else need be said?

4. George Harrison, "Isn't it a Pity." One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Harrison just has a knack for writing tunes that are spiritual and human and profound and exceptionally simple. It's also got a couple of the weirdest chords I've ever seen: a C#m7b5/G (has to be the longest chord name ever), a C7/G (which I actually don't usually play), and a chord I don't know the name of that's supposed to be some variation on a G but usually just plays like an A.

Likewise, there are five albums I've been listening to almost constantly over the past few weeks:

1. The Wallflowers, Rebel, Sweetheart. A much better record than their previous effort, Red Letter Days. It's got an amazing set of tunes, and Jakob Dylan's songcraft has only gotten stronger as the years pass.

2. Old 97s, Wreck Your Life. Alt-country at its best. 'Nuff said.

3. Son Volt, Okemah and the Melody of Riot. Former Uncle Tupelo guitarist and vocalist Jay Farrar's band makes some of the best country-rock out there. There's nothing new or different in this record, but it's solid and good music.

4. The Flaming Lips, Transmissions from the Satellite Heart. A transitionary album from their early noise rock to their more recent neo-psychadelic folk-pop. And it's got "She Don't Use Jelly," clearly the oddest song to ever be associated with Beverly Hills 90210.

5. Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This album just gets better every time I listen to it, and it started out pretty damn good to begin with. Easily one of the best records ever.

Now go forth, my musical disciples, and spread the good news.

Perspective

Y'know, it's kind of funny how much a person's pespective can alter reality.

For instance, the perspective of someone who lives in New Orleans at the moment is that Hurricane Katrina just came through and wiped out the entire town. That city won't be up and running for two months at least. Our point of view character is having to figure out where he'll live, how he'll replace all the things that were lost (and deal with losing the things which cannot be replaced)...his life is basically in shambles. Hurricane Katrina means a total alteration of the way his life is being lived, a radical and sudden and complete change in his reality.

Meanwhile, my biggest concern with the aftermath of the hurricane up here in Northern Virginia is that we're going to get a little rain and gas prices are going to go up because of the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico that Katrina shut down. I'm inconvenienced by this devastating act of nature, and that's really it. It's a sobering thought.

Captain of the Rant

Welcome to the new rantspace, everyone. Over the next week or two, I'm going to try to archive all of my old postings into this blog, just because. Thankfully, they're all archived in the Forum, which we still have (see link above comic...hint hint).

Anyway, comments should be enabled, so you can make a comment about a comic, about a rant, whatever. You don't even have to be a registered blogger user. Honest. And we always like feedback...well, I do. I can't really speak for the Monkey. He tends to fling poo at anyone he disagrees with.

Looking For Work

Calling A Mulligan

So yeah, Wednesday's strip was complete crap, so I re-drew it. You can still see the old one if you want. Much better on that second panel, right?

Job Finding

I'm employed now at a couple of tutoring places. Still trying for a real teaching job, but at leat I've got some money coming in now. Woo.

Settling In and Job Hunting

Well, I made it to Virginia without any trouble (as evidenced by the fact that the comic has continued to update since my arrival). I'm mostly settled in, and having roommates again is pretty cool (especially when one of them decides she's going to cook you dinner every night. It doesn't get much better than that). The only thing really left for me to do is find myself a job. I've sent out dozens of applications so far, so I figure it's only a matter of time before I get a job (actually have at least one interview this week). I should be employed here in the next week or two, and then I can begin living in a style to which I am not accustomed (i.e., something other than abject poverty).

So far, I like Virginia pretty well. It's a beautiful place, though there are far too many people here for my tastes (and I'm not even all that close to DC, when you think about it. There's Alexandria and a half dozen other suburbs between me and our nation's capitol). Admittedly, I grew up in Oklahoma, so anything more than a dozen people and a cow seems crowded to me (okay, that's not entirely true--there weren't any cows in the town where I grew up. At least, not roaming the streets or anything. There were probably cows in Shawnee, but the only time I ever saw them was in the form of hamburger meat). But I'm getting used to it, and I can drive fairly well in the heavier traffic that seems to be the norm around here (though I still hate how people treat one another while driving...there is absolutely no consideration for your fellow man out there).

But hey, anyone out there who reads the comic who lives in the Fairfax/NoVA area ought to drop me a line and we'll get together. There's bound to be, what, at least a couple of you, maybe? Just email me with the link below, and make sure you put something about Dim Bulb or Crooked Halo in the Subject line so I don't assume it's spam.

Movin' On Up (To Virginia)

The Cricket In Transit

So, I move on the 23rd. It should only take a couple of days to actually get where I'm going, and I've been told I'll have 'net access as soon as I plug my computer in. What this should mean for you, the viewing public, is no interruption of updates. To make sure this is the case, I'm trying to get the next couple of weeks' comics drawn and uploaded before I leave. We'll see how well that works.

Leavin' Betty

It does my heart good to see the Monkey finally bidding farewell to the dreaded Betty. Of course, since he's taking over his mother's job at Ozarks, I'm going to start referring to him simply as "Your Mom." It just seems fitting somehow.

Oh, and Monkey? I don't care how well you think they "rock out" on that Rockstar: INXS show. They're still contestants on a reality TV show, and thus sellouts. Sellouts are incapable of actually rocking out. It's in their contract.

"History Will Teach Us Nothing"

As a history major, there are certain things in popular culture which frustrate and annoy the hell out of me--Jerry Bruckhiemmer "historical" films (such as King Arthur or Pearl Harbor...though Pirates of the Caribbean was fun, mostly because it didn't take itself seriously) and the "works" of Stephen Ambrose are chief among those.

For those of you who don't know, Ambrose was a "historian" who wrote books on popular American history subjects--mostly the Civil War and World War II, in other words. His stuff was very popular with laymen and non-historians for its accessibility and humanity, and many people perceived him as an excellent professional historian.

Thing is, Ambrose was a hack. A well-known hack. See, many of his best-known works--including Band of Brothers--were plagiarized. Heavily. We're talking page after page of text lifted verbatim from other sources and dropped into Ambrose's books without even a citation or by-your-leave. And he apparently never suffered much because of this (mostly because he died of lung cancer not long after it was revealed. I know it's not nice to be joyful at the death of someone else, but I have to admit that I cackled with glee the day I heard he'd kicked it. He did more to set back the profession of history than postmodernism ever did). It really sickens me that some ignorant morons refer to him as "one of the leading historical authors of our time".

But my historical pain does not end there, no. See, there were certain other history majors at my university (and, I'm sure, at most any university you encounter) who were of the opinion that Ambrose was a good historian (I remember one particular dimwit actually using Ambrose as a credible source for a paper. Clif and I only ever cited the guy in an ironic, silly fashion--we knew better than to trust anything that dripped from the hack's pen). These sorts of people (usually guys, I noticed) were history majors of a very different ilk than myself. See, I majored in history because I wanted to be an historian. I wanted to study history for its own sake, understand where we came from and what went before. These gentlemen, though, had other plans--they wanted to be coaches.

Now, virtually every one of my high school history teachers was a coach. I guess coaches usually focused on history in their degree program because they thought it would be easy to "teach" when they got to a school. I mean, you just throw the book in front of the students, make them answer questions at the end of the chapter, give them a multiple choice exam every so often...how hard could it be, right? You could get on with what was really important (i.e., sports) and leave the unimportant stuff (i.e., history) to itself.

And it's crap like that which destroys the fabric of society. Without an understanding of history, we end up with guys like Bush telling us how things went and should go, rewriting things as it suits him in the moment, running the country into the ground.

"But I'm not bitter. No, not at all. Just alot" (Minus 5, "I'm not Bitter").

So yeah, that's where the comic for the 1st of July came from. More crazy hijinks and wacky shenanigans on the 4th.

Two Years of Dim Bulb

Today (Saturday, June 18th) marks Dim Bulb's second anniversary. That's right, we've been here at Keenspace (or whatever it's gonna be called...Webcomic Genesis, I think) for a whoppin' two years! That's a good chunk of time, especially when you consider we've updated five or six days a week for those two years. In celebration, why not go read the archives?

Radio Silence

Man, I've been awful about ranting, haven't I? I mean, even the Monkey's managed to post a couple of rants down there since I last said anything.

Sad thing is, I've got no reason for having said nothing. I've just been...I dunno, lazy, had nothing to say, take your pick. I've been trying to get ready to move to Virginia, trying to get caught up on all the sleep I didn't get back during the semester (wasn't even enrolled and I still didn't get any sleep. How does that work?), trying to keep myself motivated artistically and creatively (don't know if you've noticed or not, but I've had trouble maintaining enthusiasm lately). Anyway, I'm back again. I think we may be fiddling a bit with some layout stuff when the Monkey gets the chance ('cause letting me mess with HTML code is a dangerous, dangerous thing).

Birthday!

This Saturday, June 18, is Dim Bulb's second birthday! We've been on Keenspace for two years now, and we've amassed over 600 comics. We're glad you've been along for the ride, and we hope the next year can be even bigger.

What's in a Name?

Speaking of Keenspace, Monkey mentions below that our host is in the middle of changing its name. To what, I'm not entirely sure, but I haven't really been following the name change debate (because it's not something that I feel very compelled to care about, really), but apparently our URL will change. Of course, since Monkey was intelligent and forethoughtful enough to snag the www.dimbulbcomics.com URL, it's easiest just to point towards that, and we'll make sure it points you towards the site.

That's all I got. Um...go read the comic. Yeah

A Month and a Half's Worth of Stuff

"Movin' Out"

Hey folks, as you may or may not know, I'm moving to Virginia at the end of July (or thereabouts. Not sure of the exact date as yet). To that end, I thought I'd ask: anyone wanna help me cover moving expenses? I figure most other webcomics ask their readership to cough up the bucks for every little thing, so why not?

Kidding. As the tag line way above says, we don't ask you to pay because we know you wouldn't. Besides, why mooch off my readers when I have perfectly good parents to mooch off of?

Milestone

Today (Friday, May 13) marks the 300th Crooked Halo comic on the site. There are more than three hundred comics in the archive, but I didn't include a couple of fillers and guest comics just 'cause. Hard to imagine I've done that many comics, though. We're actually approaching Dim Bulb's second Keenspace anniversary (the 19th of June, for those of you keeping score at home). Thanks for sticking with us, and here's hoping you enjoy the next 300!

Sketch

Got bored while sitting around the other day, and ended up doodling Doc Ice from The Jaded. I don't think it looks half bad, considering I did the sketch in the space of about two minutes.

You should be reading Yirmumah

You should really check out the webcomic Yirmumah. Brilliant pop culture gags, and they're currently just finishing up their first week of a six week run of Star Wars-related comics. Does it get any cooler than that? Probably not for the faint of heart or easily offended, just so you know.

Um, is this thing on?

So, um, yeah, sorry about the radio silence. I've been busy and such, and haven't really had a whole lot to talk about. To make up for it, here's a new doodle, and here's another one. Forgive me, please?

Anyway, getting back down to business. We've got something we need to chat about, folks. I've been looking at our traffic numbers for the past few months, and there's something up that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Back in November, Dim Bulb hit its peak unique visitors per day, 169. That's pretty good, and reflected steady growth over the course of a year. Then it fell to 125 in December, then 118 in January. It bounced back up into the 130s for February and March, and it's back down in the 120s this month.

So I put it to you--what're we doing wrong? Do you think we've done something to drive folks away or make them lose interest? Is there something you think we could do to improve Dim Bulb?

We'd like to hear your thoughts...well, I would. I can't really vouch for Monkey. He doesn't really like people. He tends to fling feces at them, actually. But me, I like feedback. Feel free to drop me a line via the email linked below. I promise to get back to you on your comments.