I am working on a comic book with a great writer named Travis Legge. This project started in about October, and the other day, I realized that I have only completed about 10 pages in 5 1/2 months, so the pages/month ratio isn't looking so good, due to the amount of time I have devoted to doing digital painting throughout this span of time.

I realize that comics aren't everyone's favorite art form, but for those slightly interested in reading, I would recommend picking up some comics and trying them out. There are myriads of worlds out there waiting to be discovered.

The problem is that the market is becoming flooded by so many titles, that there are some out there that exist for the sake of existing. Just about anyone has access to publish their own comic books with the invention of "print on demand" publishing, and it seems like everyone is. I am a very choosy reader, so I tend to try something out before I buy, or something has to be recommended to me before I will be interested enought to pick one up.

So, here's what I want to do. For anyone slightly interested in fantasy, fairy tales, mythology and the like, I recommend Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman." For superheroes, you have a million, pick one. For real, though, I currently read "Wolverine," and "Astonishing X-Men." Horror fans will likely appreciate "Ghost Rider," or my personal favorite, "Hellboy." "Umbrella Academy" seems to be pretty interesting, for sci-fi fans who might be curious.

Yeah, this list sounds ultra-cliche, but I started reading these before they became "cool," so I suppose I have license to use them. I have been reading comics now for about 22 years. They may be seen as children's pasttimes in the U.S., but in Japan, Manga (comics) is one of the culture's favorite forms of entertainment. Nowadays, they are carefully written to provide even adults with complex storylines that can draw you in.

Anyway, enough of being the poster child for comic books...I am going to try to devote more time to comics for awhile, perhaps doing some painted covers here and there, so this is what to expect on my cre8buzz page.

--J.T.