Tons of stuff to post (Warpcon, London, Super Munchkin II, Superbowl, Danish Cartoons, American Cartoons, Cineplexity, New York Toy Show, Out of the Box, Life), but far too much work to do at the moment to post anything intelligible.
Still, I need to post something, lest I be overwhelmed by Bendy Bus e-mails.
Over the course of a few months, I was interviewed by Tom Vasel, for his “Interviews By An Optimist” series.
Tom posed some pretty interesting questions, focusing more on the Gaming and Art Direction part of my work than the Cartooning.
The whole piece was published, yesterday, and here it is. Tom’s profiled some fascinating people on his site, and it’s nice company to be in.
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The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists has come out with a statement on the Danish cartoons. So here it is:
February 7, 2006
Rights and Responsibilities
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists emphatically and unequivocally supports the right of free expression by the world’s cartoonists.
Freedom of speech is the foundation of a democratic society. Protecting such a vital liberty inevitably leads to the defense of viewpoints that some may find offensive. The drawings of the prophet Muhammad published in Jyllands-Posten are a case in point. While the motivation and judgment of the Danish artists and their publishers may be debatable, their right to free expression without threat or intimidation cannot be compromised.
The Islamic community’s outrage over the drawings is understandable. The violent protests, incited and exploited by those with more radical agendas, are not. The freedom to protest, like the freedom of speech, must be exercised responsibly.
Both sides need to raise the level of the debate and not just the level of invective. All would be well-served to realize that they can stand up for their beliefs without trampling on others to do so.
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Over the course of a few months, I was interviewed by Tom Vasel, for his “Interviews By An Optimist” series.
Tom posed some pretty interesting questions, focusing more on the Gaming and Art Direction part of my work than the Cartooning.
The whole piece was published, yesterday, and here it is. Tom’s profiled some fascinating people on his site, and it’s nice company to be in.
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“Bendy Busses” has made the cut in the British Apples to Apples. Thanks for the feedback.
Even for the slightly touchy Nottingham-based reply, which read:
“Yes John, we have Bendy buses outside of the big city. Of course, they’re still drawn by horses and have men in front with red flags…
Sheesh!”
The question was mainly raised because of the controversy in London, regarding the retiring of most Routemaster Double Deckers. As a “grim Northerner” (as a few readers called themselves) born in Manchester, I was mostly curious about how such a card would resonate with non-Londoners.
Question answered. In spades.
Bendy spades.
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Another question is, can I paint a 1,500 point Desert Rat army for Flames of War in just about a month’s time?
We shall see…but my first three Sherman IIs and Crusader IIs are almost ready to be primed. I’m a nut for the British Cruiser tanks of the North African campaign. Plus the Matildas, Bishops, Abbots…I want to paint up a mixed force, but there’s just too darn much armor I lust after. Yeah, I’m a tankie at heart.
This is kind of a homecoming for me. Some of the first toy soldiers I ever remember playing with were Airfix’s 1/72 scale Dessert Rats and Afrika Corps, when I was the grand old age of 10 or so…in the main hall of Neville Holt school, in the on-again, off-again county of Rutland.
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Gak! Too much exposition! Boring exposition, too.
So back to work now.