Is this funny or offensive?

...or neither? Or both?

I MET IGGY

No, not that Iggy.

That's Ziggy.

No, that's Augie.

Geezuz!! That's Squiggy over there.

That's another Ziggy.

No, I didn't meet him.

WHAT??!! That's Engelbert Humperdink. Are you some kind of moron???

No, the Iggy I met today was none other than the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, namely Michael Ignatief.

For those in this world who don't know (or care), Canada is in the middle of an election campaign right now. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was held in contempt of Parliament and so now in about exactly a month's time, Canada will be going to the polls. Many Canadians don't forsee any surprises with the voting results, but you can't always tell at this point in the game. Anything could happen.

Anyway, I was in attendance at the Liberal rally at the Westin Hotel in Halifax today. It was a pretty good turnout. They had to utilize an overflow banquet room in order to accommodate all the people that showed up. Iggy did indeed please the crowd that was there. He held up a red book full of campaign promises (look familiar, Canada?) and made a speech full of positive reinforcement for the party and loads of seemingly well-supported Harper bashing. Luckily, I'm all for Harper-bashing so I was happy with that.

After the speech was done, his theme song played and he made his way out of the banquet room where people were lined up on either side of him ready to shake his hand and tell him how great he is. I was among those people in that line. But, what I did was give him a copy of my book Jesus Needs Help. He didn't seem so enthusiastic about it when he saw it, but his wife assured me that she will make sure he reads it. Immediately afterwards, the book was given to Iggy's aid in charge of schleping around all the gifts he gets. That aid asked me if I had a card with any other contact information on it. I did, so I gave him that too. So, a long story short, a candidate for Prime Minister has a copy of my book. If he does happen to become Prime Minister on May 2 (the day the polls open), then it will be Canada's Prime Minister who will have a copy of my book. Hooray!

But, Iggy's campaign does seem to be in trouble. I could tell when he first looked at my book. He read the title "Jesus Needs Help" and then he hung his head and said in a low forlorn voice, "I need help". Hmmmmmmmmmm! That's not nearly as confident as he sounded when he made that fired up speech just moments before. He seems to feel that things look really good for Harper and not nearly good enough for him at this point. But, like I said before, anything could happen. So, unless you feel Harper is doing a good job, (in which case I'd tell you that there is a time machine leaving for 1214 A.D. that glorious year just before the Magna Carta was signed. I think you'll be much happier there.) I think it would do Iggy a world of good if you voted for him or at least came out to any other of his rallies on the campaign trail and showed him some support. That might put a little more spring in his step. Just looking out for you buddy.

But, I should probably end this tale on a happy note. So, right below is another Iggy for you to enjoy.

Oh, but before I go, I have some other news I feel I should post here. That book of mine that I previously mentioned (namely Jesus Needs Help. Does everyone know the title of my book yet?) is now for sale in Berlin Germany. Oh, you don't believe me??!! Well, here's a photograph:

There it is, right near a Sarah Palin comic of all things. If you're in the Berlin area right now, the address of this comic book shop is Grober Unfug, Berlin, Mitte Torstr 75. Buy your copy before the "other guys" get it.

Planning a trip to the windy city?

If so, you'll want to watch this short video first.

I'm in print again

Once again, a little comic of mine has appeared in the Dalhousie Gazette. This issue is all about

food, but my comic is not. Here's the comics page below. My comic has the bunnies in it.

You obviously can't read the speech balloons no matter how far you zoom in to the picture, so I will indeed post the original comic from my computer. Enjoy!

I find it rather interesting that they found the breast-feeding joke in the last comic too gruesome but they think the dying bunnies are just fine. Everyone has a different drummer to march to I guess.

Oh, hey, I guess now I'll post some book news. I'll be selling copies of Jesus Needs Help at a Flea Market this comic Sunday March 13. The address for this is 613 Main Street in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Anyone who lives in that or in any surrounding areas, come down and see me, maybe even buy a book from me. I'll even autograph it if you ask.

See ya there!

Unpublished again

Some time ago, I posted a comic that I had submitted to the Dalhousie Gazette that they didn't accept for various reasons. Well, it's happened again, although for slightly different reasons.

The one that was rejected before was more political in its nature and so their objection was more based on the lack of civility in my opinion. However, this one is not political in any sense. It's just a small joke that they found disturbing. It does feature a bit of nudity so it does push the envelope for that reason too. I thought the joke was strong enough to overcome both those conditions, but I guess I miscalculated a bit. I've posted it

below. You be the judge.

It comes across as a rather risque Addams Family gag. I also notice that the punchline is a very

blunt mixture of sex and violence, much like AC/DC's song Shoot to Thrill. As disturbing as that is to some people, the thing that I find most disturbing in this comic is that Mrs. Hannibal

Lecter came out resembling the Progressive Insurance lady. I don't know where that came from.

I'd also like to mention a rather small belated anniversary. My blog here turned 5 years old

last Friday. In those 5 years, my blog has survived 2 trolls, one published book, a small smattering of comments, and a huge wave of indifference. It's true that blogs aren't nearly as popular with artists as they used to be. Some have been taken down while most have been abandoned. But, I'm certainly not going to let that stop me. I'm not one to jump on and off bandwagons just to follow a big crowd of strangers. As long as there are vast easy-to-use search engines like Google around, I know my work and my voice will be accessible to everyone.

Happy birthday, little bloggy. I can't wait for another 5 years when I'll probably be uploading files from space.

I made some ink

I drove down to Dalhousie University today to pick up my copy of the Gazette because I know that new issues come out every Friday.

According to the cover, this is the Feb 4 - 10 edition. Anyway, I turned right to the comic section and there it was...

That's my comic in the bottom right hand corner. It's hard to make any of it out in this blurry image. If you live in the Halifax area, you can easily pick up a copy of the Dalhousie Gazette yourself. It is free. For those that don't, I do happen to still have that comic filed away in my computer. I'll post it right here for all to read. Enjoy!

They liked it, of course, (they wouldn't have printed it if they didn't) and I'm glad. But, now that I look at it, the comic seems more depressing than funny to me. Oh well, the important thing is that my work is out there in the media giving me some name recognition. That can only lead to good things. I hope I get many more comics printed in the near future (as well as more books sold. Jesus Needs Help is still on sale.)

The Westboro Baptist Church has done it again.

Leave it to good o'l Freddie Phelps to say something so tasteless. This time he's gone too far.

Penguins like it

See?

Some work coming my way

I'll take a little break from promoting my comic on this site to talk about a job I'll have in the near future. The good people who run the Dalhousie Gazette at the Dalhousie University here in Halifax want me to do some artwork for them on a regular basis. They want either comics for the comic section or illustrations for their opinion section. This should be some good work expereince for me, that's for sure.

Immediately below is the first comic I tried to submit. On the phone, they told me that the entire staff had a creative discussion about it and eventually decided not to run it. However, the managers of this blog went into a meeting about it and all unanimously decided that the comic was indeed ideal for this blog. As you can see, I weigh in with my opinion about the recent controversy over the reprint of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. I think the comic speaks for itself about what my opinion is. Read for yourself.

Viva la free speech.

Not so fast

I've just been told that Golden Age Comics in Vancouver is no longer a location that will be selling my Jesus Needs Help comic. It seems that one employee was happy to accept the comics for retail, but then another grumpy type of employee overrode him and flat out rejected

them. I'm not mad at anyone over this. It happens all the time when one is selling a comic, both to upstarts and veterans alike. That's not the only store in the world. I can easily take my business elsewhere.

This situation has piqued my curiosity however. I wonder what it was about my comic that upset him so much. Could it have been the subject matter? That doesn't seem too likely. From what I've

observed, comic book fans for the most part are notoriously hard to offend with subject matter. You could make the most blasphemous comment against God, country, and their momma and they would not even flinch. They would laugh uproariously until they lost the ability to breath, and then once their respiratory system was operational again, they'd continue their laughter, even if the joke wasn't all that funny. They'd tell you that you should have added more stuff about sodomy and pig's blood. BUUUUUUUUUUTTTT, if

you make the HORRIBLE MISTAKE of confusing Batman with Spiderman or something equally as heinous, THAT offends them. Then you're in for an earful of tears and bile from these people.

I know for sure that my comic book contains no misinformation about any popular comic book figures so the Golden Age employee couldn't have been offended by the subject matter. The only way he could have been offended at all would be because... >GASP<... he's not a real comic book fan. He must be one of those "normals" who gets offended too easily. It wouldn't be the first time a "normal" infiltrated a comic store. I was in Truro, Nova Scotia trying to sell my comic to a store there. The guy I met working there objected to how I portrayed Jesus as a "fictional character". (Although, anyone with a bizarre/paranoid opinion like that is not someone I would consider normal). Needless to say, I made no sale that day.

Of course, it may not be too late for Golden Age. If you live in the Vancouver area and you get

most or all of your comic book merchandise from Golden Age, it couldn't hurt to go there and ask for a copy of Jesus Needs Help. If enough people ask about it, they'll have no choice but to stock it. It would be nice if the 500th (or so) person, the one who manages to turn the tide and get my comic on their shelves, would bring in a nice, well cooked dish of crow for that one grumpy employee.

I can dream.

Vancouverites Rejoice...

....or .........something. However you're feeling, you should definitely get naked and run around the block a few times. Then, throw a blanket around yourself and come into one of these two comic book shops*:

Golden Age

852 Granville St.

Vancouver, B.C.

or

Lucky's Comics

3972 Main St.

Vancouver, B.C.

The main reason you should do that is because I have it on good authority that they are now places where you can purchase a copy of my comic book Jesus Needs Help. I have no idea what the price of them are. That'll be up to the owner of either of those stores, I guess. All I know is that it can still be puchased online here and here both for $9.15.

Have fun kids!

*No, I do not recommend entering a store naked for two big reasons: 1. You don't have your wallet with you (unless you keep it in a "super secret" place) and 2. There's a sexual predator roaming the streets of Vancouver right now. So, maybe replace "get naked" at the top with "bring a can of mace".

A youtube ad for my comic

Tell me what you think.

Now available in 'Toon Town

And by Toon Town, I of course am referring to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. I was up in Saskatoon rather recently to attend a reunion of sorts with some of my animation school buds. While I was there I decided to shop my comic book around to any stores in the area. In a strong contrast to my reception in Regina, they were much more enthusiastic and encouraging. In Regina, I was told "this [independent] stuff just doesn't move". In Saskatoon, I was told, "this girl brought her comic in to us and it sold and sold and sold. People were constantly asking for it." Well, I guess that shows you, if you want to sell a comic book in Saskatchewan then Saskatoon is the better place to be.

Here are the stores I sold my comic to in Toon Town:

8th Street Comics and Books

1006 8th Street E.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Unreal City

139 2nd Ave. N

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

In fact, the guy who worked at Unreal City seemed very enthusiastic about seeing my work. He even said that he would welcome any other comics I make in the future. He's just one of the many individuals in Saskatoon who will do anything within his power to help local artists (even artists who used to be local). He told me his name is Theo. I couldn't find a picture of him, so this one will have to do.

If you see him at Unreal City or someone similar, tell him David Germain says "hi".

Oh, hey, speaking of local artists. I discovered one when I was up there in toon town. Theo was showing me the independent comic section of his store and pulled out a comic done by Elaine Will. It was volume 1 of her graphic novel of sorts called Look Straight Ahead. It is so close to professional you'd swear Elaine lives on a big pile of money right now. Here's the front cover:

You can learn more about this comic and future issues here at her blog : lookstraightahead.blogspot.com

Hooray for free enterprise!!!

WOW! What a deal!!

My comic book can now be found in another book store as of today. Just this afternoon I sold some copies to Phoenix Comics & Books located on 2105 Broad St. in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

They'll be selling it for quite a bargain too. As you can see, online Jesus Needs Help is on sale for a whole $9.15. But, over there at Phoenix Comics & Books, they will be selling it for just $1. That's a whopping 90.85% off the regular price. However, it's probably only a good bargain for you if you happen to live in Regina. If you live anywhere else in the world, the price of gas and/or air fare would ruin an otherwise fine bargain. So, I put it to any Reginians reading this blog, head on down to Phoenix to take advantage of this deal.

Before you ask, yes I did try to get my comics into both Tramps and Comic Readers in Regina as well. However, they have a policy of not accepting comics from the public.

Well la-de-frickin'-da!

Oh well, like I've mentioned above, if you want to purchase my comic at below rock bottom prices and have plenty of money left over for other Christmas shopping AND you're fortunate enough to live in Regina, then by all means, head on over to Phoenix and do so. Also, if you are at all apprehensive about this purchase because you are unsure about its contents, well then you should definitely read this review that James E. Daniels did first.

Hurry, while supplies last.

Now sold in stores

Yes, just today I sold the first copies of my comic to stores where they are now

available for sale. That's good news only if you live in Halifax and anyother surrounding areas. For the rest of you, if you want to buy my comic in a store near you, you'll have to demand it from the clerks themselves. "Hey, where are the issues of Jesus Needs Help?" you could ask. Try asking that question multiple times, getting louder and louder each time. Try banging your fist on the counter several times and then make your face turn blue. Aw, heck, go ahead and do a full Sam Kinison. Anything it takes to get my comic in your local establishment, that's all I ask.

If you are lucky enough to live in (or near) Halifax, here are the stores where my comic is available for purchase:

Strange Adventures

5262 Sackville Dr.

Quantum Frontier

Games and Comics

3087-A Robie St.

Monster Comic Lounge

In addition to that, I am hosting a Comic Book Launch Party on December 1.

It will be at the Economy Shoe Shop at 1663 Argyle St. in downtown Halifax. I'll be selling copies of my comic book there as well. If you live in the Halifax area and would like to attend, it would be a good idea to find the event on Facebook. Just search for "Jesus Needs Help" in the search bar and you should find it easily. (Hey, I found it just by typing "je").

And, of course, if you don't live in Halifax and my comic is not available in your local store, there is still the option of buying it online right here.

Thanks, everyone.

COMIC FOR SALE

We've got a comic for sale.

A really good comic for sale.

Won't you buy it.

Take it home and try it.

A comic for sale.

See in the window a really good comic

full of charm and appeal.

Handsome, elegant, intelligent, sweet.

It's really ideal.

Don't you want a little comic you can call your own?

A comic that'll be with you when you're all alone.

"How much is that comic in the window?"

Take our advice at any price

a comic like this comic is mighty nice.

A comic. A real good comic for SAAAAAAAAAAAAAALE!!!

Yes, my comic entitled Jesus Needs Help is FINALLY available to the public. It looked touch and go there for a while. I was indeed getting worried. But, those fears have turned to sweet sweet relief now that my comic is here.

You can look for my comic on Amazon.com or you can very easily purchase it at my eStore. Enjoy yourselves everyone.