TMNT 30 Sketches

Utrom Commission

Leo Stoned?

Well, maybe- and it's not from some of Splinter's special tea. I'll explain.

I have this friend, Lynne. This Leo drawing is for her, or more accurately, her sister Marianne. As I understand it, Marianne's son is a Turtle fan and works at a place- I'm not sure if it's a quarry or a company that creates the actual monuments but anyways, at this place, I guess they have some kind of machine that can take images and can transfer them onto the surface of the headstone. This Leo was done expressly for that purpose- to be transferred on and etched into a marble tile. I'll let you know how it turns out.

As a note: Last year, I had a notion to try to do some etchings on marble. Lynne was great in hooking me up with two little 6 by 6 black marble tiles, and after locating a pencil that could actually draw on these things, I was in business. And that was as far as I got. A few weeks ago, I actually couldn't even remember where I stashed the tiles but I stumbled across them recently in the garage. Maybe now that I've blogged about it, that will be the incentive to actually get it done.

VJMC

Yesterday, despite the weather being overcast and cold, I ventured out on my "79 Honda Ratwing to check out a ride-in sponsored by the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club. It was held at Look Park, a local recreational facility, and was only probably a 15 minute ride from my house. Not bad.

I parked up and strolled the line-up of bikes. Happily, Pete had just arrived as well and we spent perhaps an hour admiring the machines and chatting up a few folks. I guess maybe you have to be a geek like me, but I love these little bike events.

The Ratwing did good. Old bikes seem to require a little faith to ride. After doing an all day rip the week before last, passing state inspection this past week and continuing to start when I ask it to, my confidence is building in the old beast.

I took this pic of what I thought was one of the cooler bikes at the show. I don't know exactly what it was, an old 60's Honda Dream, or Superdream or Superhawk but whatever, it was very nifty.

Kathleen's Mikey

Well, it's approaching Thursday evening as I write this. the big licensing job that i took on a few weeks back is finally just now done- at least that is if there are no alterations or re-draws to the art. It's a fantastic feeling- I've really been logging in some extended hours getting this thing done. I have a new appreciation for Mike Dooney and what he must go through on a regular basis. I'll be able to reveal what it was hopefully soon. I've just been penciller on this gig, but from what little I've seen of the finished product it looks pretty damn cool and has kind of a nice old school feel.

So everything else has been put on hold, including the blog. The first thing I did this afternoon was to get to a sketch that Kathleen has been very patiently waiting for. Kathleen's purpose for this, as I understand it, is to assemble drawings of all the Turtles and make them into quilt blocks, obviously for a quilt. I've seen the trial quilt block that she sent to Dooney and it was pretty impressive. And that was the practice one. In the few emails we've exchanged, she's been exceedingly polite and understanding. So Kathleen, thanks.

Who The Hell Is Guzzi Lemans??

Guzzi's first appearance was in the Turtle comic, nearly 20 years ago now, I think. She appeared twice, if my memory serves- both as back up stories. I tried looking back through my old Turtle comics to find out exactly when, but those 2 stories predate the individual copies of the comics that I have.

However, if you check Issue 51 of the original series- page 13, there she is, along with what appears to be Eric Talbot and Steve Lavigne in the lower left corner of that page's main panel.

Since those early days, I've used her on and off a bunch of times. Antarctic Press even published a 2 Issue mini-series featuring her and that was when she began to transition into her current status as a character who resides in the world of post-society. Most recently, "Guzzi Lemans- Biker Chick of the Post-Apocalypse" ran as a full page comic for a New York City motorcycle themed monthly called City Cycle Motorcycle News. That particular comic ran for about 3 years, from 2000 to 2003. Problems getting paid led me to give it up, and shortly thereafter, CCMN went under. In the last episode of that comic, the Biker God, angry at how the outlaw biker style had been co-opted and marketed (by shows like American Chopper) to the point where it now had become mainstream, decides to take action. His retribution was to destroy all of motorcycling with a "God Grenade". Guzzi throws herself on the grenade, seemingly killing herself. Still, it's comics, and we know no one really ever dies.

I would like to use her again, and I do have a story dedicated just to that purpose.