“Anxious” and “DjD” were the first to excavate HABIBI’s release date, even before it was known to me. I confirmed with Pantheon that SEPTEMBER 20th, 2011 will indeed be the official debut day. THAT’S EXACTLY EIGHT MONTHS FROM TODAY. Sounds like forever, I know, but fellow authors assure me this is how the book world

Happy New Year, Blog-Friends! Though the HABIBI release date was promised more than a month ago, now it’s safe to say that PANTHEON will announce it some time THIS January. Also, if I can get to it soon, TOP SHELF will publish new editions of BLANKETS (hardcover & softcover) in 2011. And there’s at least

Happy Friday, Gang. While HABIBI production is stuck in limbo, why not share some pre-release “fan art”? A manuscript of HABIBI accompanied me to the Atlantic Center of the Arts, and many of the associate artists had a chance to peruse it. A few of them even created tribute pieces! Seen here: Thi Bui, Jake

“If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all.” –JOHN CAGE.

Thank you, gang, for all the blog suggestions. I’ll keep them in mind and apply them in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, here’s an incidental piece of parody art in support of my buddies’ band MENOMENA. They’re leaving for another euro tour tomorrow and the locations and dates are on their website. The additional

HABIBI is finished, but this blog isn’t. Thank you, readers, for your outpouring of support (eclipsing the hundred comment mark!) and for your big patience during the seven week hiatus. I spent three weeks in Florida for the Atlantic Center for the Arts graphic novel residency, accompanied by Master Artists Paul Pope (left) and Svetlana

Chapter eight and everything else! Almost seven hundred pages! Thank you, blog-readers, for all your support. Thank you, too, for your patience during the blog’s summer hiatus. I was waiting for finality to post. And secretive of process (to avoid spoilers) as we neared the finish line. Plus, there were some summertime distractions; including, but

Fábio leaves today, so we committed to one last posting between last-minute visits to Powell’s Books and Voodoo Donuts. Instead of more outdoor adventures, we spent most of our time nerding out with Portland comics folks, including a Dark Horse-centric BBQ at Tim & Carli’s. (We also ate lots of good food during the visit.)

Thanks for your patience! It’s almost impossible to experience things (jump over rocks) and post in the same day. Yesterday, Fabio & I & editor Sierra Hahn & painter Dan Attoe hiked through the surreal terrain carved by Mt. St. Helens’ eruption. Above, the interior view. Check Fabio’s blog for the grand landscape! And wait…

“BLOG WAR” might not be the best title. More like a “blog crossover”. Brazilian cartoonist Fábio Moon is visiting Portland, and we’ll try to document some of our activities in a back-and-forth dialog between the two blogs — blending our sketches, inking each others’ drawings, etc. Yesterday, after consuming much coffee, we attended the in-store